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UPSC CSE Mains GS Paper-I PYQs Analysis 

UPSC CSE Mains 2023 GS-1 Questions  

Globalization and technology are two sides of the same coin. They are complementary and a good interface between the two is sine-qua-non for growth and development in the contemporary global village. Globalization stimulates the spread of knowledge and technology, helping spread growth potential across countries. Investments in education, human capital, and domestic research and development are thus essential to build the capacity to absorb and efficiently use foreign knowledge. How globalization helps India to better the utilization of technology in scarce resources efficiently: Israel - Cooperation in water resources development and management, both surface and groundwater, and particularly river basin management and impact of climate change on water resources. Sweden: Torrefaction technology – to covert stubble into into a coal-like material to mitigate pollution  Green steel technology – to reduce dependence on coal for making steel Many people believe that issues of scarcity c...

Indian form of secularism is not about passive attitude towards religion but an equal treatment of all. Tolerance, assimilation and pluralism is its pillars to achieve the idea of Fraternity in our Constitution. Tolerance as a key element:- Tolerance in a democratic country like India means that the country belongs to minorities as much it belongs to majority community/religion. It ensures the minority rights and prevents Authoritarianism  or Majoritarianism.  The instances of various communal clashes including the Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits, Babri masjid demolition, Godhra and Muzzafarnagar riots bring in the consequences of intolerance.  Further, the secularism also entails tolerance within a religion. The instances of dalit lynching, discrimination, exploitation of women in the name of religion gives instances of intolerance threatening the secular fabric of the nation. Assimilation as a key element of Secularism:  Indian model of secularism does not talk about ...

A sect is a group of people who break away from a larger, established religious denomination because of a set of beliefs that differ in some key ways. While many views and practices of a sect will overlap with those of the larger group, other beliefs will be distinct enough to warrant a schism, or division between the groups.  Salience of sect Vis a Vis Religion:- Sects tend to draw disproportionately from the underprivileged elements of society,  They often decry liberal trends in denominational development and advocating a return to true religion. Adding Diversity:- Radhasoami sect does not prefer temple practice though they all belong to Hindu religion.  Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, different sects believe in Lord Vaishanva, Shiva, and Shakti.  In Islam Sunni and Shia are two different sects following different authority.  Lingayat following Shiva as their deity only. Salience of sect vis a vis Region:- Jainism:- Svetambara in South and Digambar in North...

Troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere. The average height of troposphere is 13 km, with a height of 8 km at the poles and 18 km near the equator. Significance of Troposphere: Adiabatically Lapse rate: The temperature in this area of the atmosphere drops by around 6.5°C per kilometre as the distance above the earth increases. The average rate at which temperature within the troposphere decreases with altitude is called the normal lapse rate.  Dust Particles: Dust particles are generally found in the troposphere layer of the atmosphere. These dust particles help in the condensation of water vapour.  Cloud Formation: Clouds are usually produced through condensation – as the air rises, it will cool and reducing the temperature of the air decreases its ability to hold water vapour so that condensation occurs.  Wind Circulation: The velocity of wind is directly proportional to pressure gradient force. It is caused by the heating of the sun and the rotational moveme...

Animals played a very significant role in early Indian art and iconography. Among the elements in nature, animal portrayals received greater attention. Among animals lion and bull received much attention in mythology, art and architecture. Significance of the lion figure: From the primitive era, the lion is considered as the symbol of strength and power and worshipped through all ages in India as a symbol of royalty, leadership and protection as well as of wisdom and pride.  Lions symbolically have played significant roles in magic, as deities or close association with deities.b The lion symbolism and its cultural depictions can be found in Hindu and Buddhist art of India and Southeast Asia.  Narasimha ("man-lion"), Narasinga, is described as an incarnation (Avatara) of Vishnu in the Puranic texts of Hinduism.  Lions are also found in Buddhist symbolism. Lion pillars (Sarnath Lion capital, Sanchi Lion capital) erected by Ashoka show lions and the chakra emblem.  In B...

The Gupta Period (4th to 6th century) and Chola Period (9th to 11th century) left amazing examples of their glorious reign in the field of religion, literature, architecture, science & technology, painting, etc which has been called the ‘Golden era’ of India’s culture and heritage. Religion: They were devout Vaishnava themselves and tolerant towards the believers of Buddhism and Jainism. Cholas promoted Saivaits. A highly evolved philosophical system called Saiva Siddhanta was founded during this period.  Literature: Poet and playwright Kalidasa created such epics as Abhijnanasakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram; Vishakhadatta wrote Mudrarakshasa, etc. During Chola period, Kamban Ramayan written by Kamban (Tamil Ramayan), Kamban Ramayan by Kamban (Tamil Ramayan) Architecture: With Dashavatara temple at Deogarh, nagara style of temple architecture took shape. Chola art saw culmination of dravida temple art e.g. Brihadeswara, Airavasteshwara temples.  Science and Technology: Varaha...

British government reorganised states and territories into various provinces for administrative efficiency and political significance. British government carved following provinces: Central Provinces: Created in 1861 from Nagpur Province.  Assam: separated from Bengal in 1874 as the North-East Frontier province.  Andaman and Nicobar Islands: established as a province in 1875.  North-West Frontier Province: created in 1901 from Punjab Province.  Eastern Bengal and Assam: created in 1905 upon the partition of Bengal. Britisher followed policy of divide and rule on the basis race, religion, language which is impacting Indian polity till date leading to various reorganization. Political and administrative reasons for reorganization: In 1953, a separate state Andhra Pradesh was forcefully established for Telugu speaking people. Fazl Ali Commission recommended creation of states based on language.  Reorganisation of States acts 1956 re-established the boundaries of In...

The middle classes constitute a critical market for most goods and services. A sizable portion of any nation’s tax revenue is collected either directly or indirectly from this group and they are important for economic and social development via urbanization and industrialization. Middle class working in metro cities but due to heavy land cost, they are purchasing lands in Tier 2 cities. Ex:- Sonipat because of NCR Development.  Work from Home has resulted into demand of goods and services in Tier 2 cities, thus opening of Pizza outlets, Dosa corner etc.  The major reason of rise in Consumption in a new middle class can be Work, Stress and Enjoyment Purposes.  Start-ups find that initial costs are much lower, skilled personnel more affordable, and local authorities a lot friendlier in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.  Aesthetics are as important as functionality, an office should be a space where employees feel excited to step in, every day. Ex:- Nissan’s Digital Hub in Thir...

The ‘Work from Home’ concept is a breakthrough in the traditional characteristics of work. Maintaining the productivity levels as well as ensuring safety is the ‘Work from home’ model. WFH have a widespread impact on family relationships: Positive Impact: Time saved in commuting can be spent qualitatively with family. More over work can be scheduled accordingly.  WFH improved family relationships through proper adaptive processes, and the relations were moderated by the education level and age of individuals.  Increased work expectations and distractions, reduced communications with family and ultimately impacts the mental and physical health.  Blurred work-life boundaries can make it difficult to detach mentally from work which can increase stress and anxiety.  More time to children reduces the friction between child and father. Negative Impact: Domestic violence – The WHO report showed a general trend of increase in sexual violence and intimate partner violence rat...

Wind is used to produce electricity using the kinetic energy created by air in motion. This is transformed into electrical energy using wind turbines or wind energy conversion systems. Potential of Wind Energy in India as per Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC): India currently has 13.4 GW of prospective projects in wind energy, which are expected to drive installations until 2024 in the market.  India is expected to add 3.2 GW in 2022, 4.1 GW in 2023 peaking to 4.6 GW in 2024, thereafter declining to 4 GW and 3.5 GW in the next two years.  It is found by the National Institute for Wind Energy (based in Chennai) that western states have larger potential in terms of a stable, steady and a speedy wind flow starting from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of wind energy producing 9,075MW in 2019.  Reasons for Limited Spatial Spread: Eastern Coast of India is frequently affected by the cyclones hence it is diffic...

The Deccan Trap is a thick series of late cretaceous basaltic lava flows that occupy approximately 500000 square kilometres of peninsular India. This basaltic lava soil has been eroded step by step as a result of erosion, and it is known as the Deccan trap. This Deccan trap is common throughout the Deccan plateau, which includes Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and portions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Potentials of Deccan Traps: Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmaglur-Tumkur belt: Karnataka has large reserves of iron ore. The Kudremukh mines situated in the Western Ghats of Karnataka are a 100% export unit. Kudremukh mines are known to be one of the largest iron ore deposits and the ore from this mine is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangalore.  Maharashtra – Goa Belt: This belt comprises the state of Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The ores of this belt are not of very high quality, but they are exploited efficiently and it is exported through ...

The Indian Meteorological Department plays the most important role in predicting and issuing colourcoded weather warnings in the cyclone prone area. The IMD has four colour-coded warnings as per the intensity of any weather system — green, yellow, orange and the last one being red. Colour Code    ||||  Stage of Warning Green (No Alert) |||| No advisors issued Yellow (Be Updated) |||| Several bad weather across several days Orange (Be Prepared) |||| Sign for evacuation and keeping the basic necessities ready Red (Take Action)  ||||  Prepared for extraordinary measures and follow given by authorities. These alerts are universal in nature and are also issued during floods, depending on the amount of water rising above land/in a river as a result of torrential rainfall. For instance, when the water in a river is ‘above normal’ level, or between the ‘warning’ and ‘danger’ levels, a yellow alert is issued. Hence, The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) issued a fresh...

A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals. The cooling of extremely fluid and hot liquid Magma forms igneous rocks. Igneous rocks can be formed by two types of processes: Directly by cooling of magma in the interior of the earth.  By cooling of lava above the surface of the earth when lava gets poured on the surface. As the Igneous Rocks form the earth’s first crust and all other rocks are formed from these rocks, they are also known as the Primary Rocks or the parents of all rocks. Characteristics of Primary Rocks: They can be easily identified with their texture, density, colour, and mineral composition. Its texture depends on the shape, size, time period to cool down and solidify, and the arrangement of crystals in the rock.  Fossils are not found in these rocks. Fossils get destroyed due to the sheer heat these rocks produce.  Usually do not react with acids. Comparatively fine grained and smooth textured.  They are mostly hard rocks as water percolates with...

Colonial India witnessed severe famine during mid-eighteenth century like The Great Bengal famine 1770; the Chalisa famine of 1783–1784; Doji bara famine of Madras 1791–1792. Apathetic behaviour of British rulers. Reasons of famine: The famines were a product both of uneven rainfall and British economic and administrative policies.  Partial failure of crops was quite a regular occurrence.  Proximate causes of famine comprise localized natural disasters (a cyclone, storm surges and flooding, and rice crop disease) combined with the consequences of war.  East India Company (EIC) kept the famine relief as cheap as possible, with minimum cost to the colonial exchequer.  Colonial policies implicated include rack-renting, levies for war, free trade policies, the expansion of export agriculture, and neglect of agricultural investment.  Indian exports of opium, rice, wheat, indigo, jute, and cotton were a key component of the economy as well as stopping rice imports....

The army was the British regime's most important pillar in India. The majority of the Company's army was made up of Indian soldiers, mostly from the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It performed four critical functions: It was the instrument of conquest for the Indian powers.  It defended the British Empire in India from foreign rivals.  It protected British supremacy from the ever-present threat of internal revolt.  It was the primary tool for extending and defending the British Empire in Asia and Africa. Reasons for consistency in better performance of Indian army: The army was run entirely by British officials as a counterweight, and a contingent of British troops was kept on hand to keep the Indian soldiers under control.  Indian soldiers were trained with advance techniques.  Britishers instilled a sense of discipline, a clear chain of command and order in Indian army to be rule based and disciplined.  Access to modern weapons helped to o...

Temple is a sacred structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities. Temple is not only an abode of God, it is a symbolic representation of the various social and cultural activities. It represented social life through: Temple promoted music and dance like Bharatnatyam & Carnatic Music e.g. Vitthal Temple of Vijaynagar.  The temple provided inspiration to poets who wrote Bhakti literature in local languages which helped to strengthen the moral, spiritual values among the masses. E.g. Nayanars and Alwars.  Temple was well-known for philanthropy like they maintained Dharmasalas for pilgrims; marriage in the premises of the temple, etc.  The Matha were a centre of learning which played an important role in the promotion of education.  Temples were also meant to demonstrate the power, wealth and devotion of the patron. Example Rajarajeshvara temple of Tanjore built by King Rajaraja Chola shows how the names of the ruler and the god are very similar.  Exi...

1. स्पष्ट करें कि मध्यकालीन भारतीय मंदिरों की मूर्तिकला उस दौर के सामाजिक जीवन का प्रतिनिधित्व करती है । (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दें) How will you explain that medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days ? (Answer in 150 words ) 10 2. अधिकांश भारतीय सिपाहियों वाली ईस्ट इंडिया की सेना क्यों तत्कालीन भारतीय शासकों की संख्याबल में अधिक और बेहतर सुसज्जित सेना से लगातार जीतती रही ? कारण बताएँ । (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दें) Why did the armies of the British East India Company mostly comprising of Indian soldiers win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words) 10 3. औपनिवेशिक भारत की अठारहवीं शताब्दी के मध्य से क्यों अकाल पड़ने में अचानक वृद्धि देखने को मिलती है ? कारण बताएँ (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दें) Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words ) 10 4. प्राथमिक चट्टानों की विशेषताओं एवं प्रकारों का वर्...

विकास बनाम पर्यावरण संरक्षण पर बहस ने मानव अस्तित्व के सभी पहलुओं को घेर लिया है और पर्वतीय पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र अलग नहीं हैं।  ट्रांस हिमालय, हिमालय, उत्तर पूर्व की पहाड़ियाँ और पश्चिमी घाट भारत के प्रमुख पर्वतीय पारिस्थितिक तंत्रों में से हैं, जिन्हें मानवजनित गतिविधियों से खतरा है। पर्यटन और विकास पहल के नकारात्मक प्रभाव: क्षेत्र की भू-संवेदनशीलता को ध्यान में रखे बिना  खराब तरीके से डिजाइन किया गया बुनियादी ढांचा । उच्च कार्बन पदचिह्न और कम पर्यावरण संरक्षण द्वारा प्रचलित  अस्थिर पर्यटन । खराब अपशिष्ट निपटान  और प्रबंधन से सौंदर्य की हानि होती है। वायु और जल  प्रदूषण। जैव विविधता  का नुकसान। नकारात्मक प्रभावों से बचाव के उपाय: पश्चिमी घाटों के संरक्षण के लिए  कस्तूरीरंगन समिति की  सिफारिशों का पालन करें   और अन्य क्षेत्रों में संशोधनों के साथ विस्तार करें। पारंपरिक संरचनाओं पर विशेष ध्यान देने के साथ पारिस्थितिक संवेदनशीलता को ध्यान में रखते हुए  सतत बुनियादी ढांचे का विकास । हिमालयी पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र को बनाए रखने पर राष्ट्रीय मिशन ...