1. According to WHO, Delhi is most air polluted city in the world.

Air quality in

India is measured with the index called Air Quality Index. What is Air Quality
Index in India? Who developed it? What the six categories and eight

pollutants? What are the criticism of this Air Quality Index recently developed
in India? (250 Words)

Air Quality Index is a scale for measuring the quality and levels of air-pollutants

that have an adverse impact on a large percentage of the population's health and
environment.

The index has been developed by Central Pollution Control Board in consultation

with IIT-Kanpur and a group of experts comprising medical, air-quality professionals

and other stakeholders.

AQI has been categorized into six sections, namely 'Good', 'Satisfactory',
'Moderately Polluted', 'Poor', 'Very Poor' and 'Severe'.

It was launched under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It is outlined as One Number-

One Colour-One Description for the common man to judge the air quality within his
vicinity.

While the earlier measuring index was limited to three indicators, the current

measurement index had been made quite comprehensive by the addition of five

additional parameters. Under the current measurement of air quality, 8 parameters.

The initiatives undertaken by the Ministry recently aimed at balancing environment
and conservation and development as air pollution has been a matter of
environmental and health concerns, particularly in urban areas.

The proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO,

O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National
Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. Based on the measured ambient

concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health impact, a sub-index is

calculated for each of these pollutants. The worst sub-index reflects overall AQI.
Associated likely health impacts for different AQI categories and pollutants have

been also been suggested, with primary inputs from the medical expert members of
the group. The AQI values and corresponding ambient concentrations (health

breakpoints) as well as associated likely health impacts for the identified eight
pollutants.

A monitoring station should be able to give you the concentration of a particular

pollutant at that moment in time, and its average over a period of time for CO

and O3, the average is taken over eight hours, while for the other three, it is a 24hour average. The unit of measurement is microgram (or milligram in the case of
CO) per cubic meter.

Criticism of new Air Quality Index

1. Since 90s, industrial units have to install instruments to measure air-quality and

send data to state pollution control boards. If too much pollution then unit will be shut
down.

2. But Industrial units deliberately using India-made (faulty) machines to measure

PM2.5. So reported number is less than actual pollution.

3. Such Instrument manufacturers only need to declare self-certification that their

machine meets quality standards. Government not doing checks on such products, by
itself. This will lead to lacking in standards of measurements.

4. Theyve prepared one index to be used uniformly for Entire India. We need
separate indexes for residential vs industrial areas; cities vs towns vs villages.

5. For example: in village air, methane high due to open compost pits and animal

husbandry. Yet under this index, village air-quality will be good, because methane not
monitored.

6. It doesnt monitor Benzene. Benzene is a carcinogen chemical from Petrol and

diesel. USA monitors its level but we do not.

7. Mere informing the citizens through a color-coded table is insufficient. Need to

include more conditional safety protocols in it.

8. For example, In China- if air quality index reaches red level, they shut down

primary schools. Delhi is in purple category i.e. one step more dangerous than Red.

So Delhi will have to permanently shut down schools and coaching business expands.
More cost to parents and guardians.

9. Doubts over data-collection methodologies adopted by CPCB and SPCBs.

10. Needs at least one continuous monitoring unit (CMU) in each state capital and
million-plus population city.

11. Existing CMUs understaffed and known to give inaccurate data

12. Inorganic linkages b/n SPCB and CPCB, former accused of being political
appointees and prone to data fudging

To conclude, the AQI is a credible first step towards hazard mapping, providing

information to vulnerable citizens such as the elderly and asthmatics, for assessing

efficacy of policy interventions, and for scientific and academic research. However, to

be efficient we need to ensure integrity of the data collected as well as its extension
to all major urban areas

2. What are flash floods and how it is caused? How it is different from Urban
floods?
Model Answer:
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas washes, rivers, dry
lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe
thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or melt water from ice or snow flowing over ice
sheets or snowfields. Flash floods may occur after the collapse of a natural ice or
debris dam, or a human structure such as a man-made dam.
Flash floods are distinguished from a regular flood by a timescale of less than six
hours.
The Indian Himalayan belt is prone to various types of natural disaster due to its
inherent nature and climatic conditions. Earthquakes ranging in severity, floods or flash
flood, and glacial lake outbursts are common among other hazards. Monsoon is the
time (almost every year) when few water-induced disasters take place in some form or
another in various places across this mountain. Cloudbursts, that is sudden and
violent rainfall, followed by flash floods are generally reported in the monsoon
period. Such events are related to extreme hydrometeorolgical conditions leading to
debris flow, landslide and eventually the blockade of river channels, which
consequently wreak havoc downstream..
Causes of flash floods: Most of the rivers in Himalayan terrain flow through narrow
gorges abutting moderate to steep slopes with sharp bands and meet tributaries on
steeper slopes. As the rivers flow downstream, the valley becomes comparatively wider
and less steep. The occurrence of flash floods, particularly in narrow river valleys, is
one of the most-feared consequences of major cloudbursts, landslides or glacial lake
outburst. Rolling of debris by cloudburst or landslide along the constricted course of
the rivers lead to a short-term damming of the river flow, resulting in the creation of
temporary lakes, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few decades. When
the backwater pressure of the lake exceeds the retention capacity of the barrier, the

accumulated water gushes downstream with powerful force inundating otherwise safe
settlements.
A combination of factors appears to contribute to flash flood and cloudburst. The
fragile geology and torrential rains play a significant role in destabilizing the Himalayan
terrain. The entire Himalayan belt is, both tectonically and seismically, a very sensitive
domain with strong tectonised rocks and fragile mountain slopes vulnerable to the
onslaughts of rains. The cumulative effects of past earthquakes in such a zone
aggravate these phenomena.
Two key elements are rainfall intensity and duration. Intensity is the rate of rainfall,
and duration is how long the rain lasts. Topography, soil conditions, and ground cover
also play important roles. Most flash flooding is caused by slow-moving thunderstorms,
thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same area, or heavy rains from hurricanes
and tropical storms. Floods, on the other hand, can be slow- or fast-rising, but
generally develop over a period of hours or days.
Urban flooding is significantly different from rural and flash flooding as urbanization
leads to developed catchments, which increases the flood peaks from 1.8 to 8 times
and flood volumes by up to 6 times. Consequently, flooding occurs very quickly due to
faster flow times (in a matter of minutes). Urban areas are densely populated and
people living in vulnerable areas suffer due to flooding, sometimes resulting in loss of
life. It is not only the event of flooding but the secondary effect of exposure to
infection also has its toll in terms of human suffering, loss of livelihood and, in
extreme cases, loss of life.
Urban areas are also centres of economic activities with vital infrastructure which
needs to be protected 24x7. In most of the cities, damage to vital infrastructure has a
bearing not only for the state and the country but it could even have global
implications. Major cities in India have witnessed loss of life and property, disruption in
transport and power and incidence of epidemics. Therefore, management of urban
flooding has to be accorded top priority.
Increasing trend of urban flooding is a universal phenomenon and poses a great
challenge to urban planners the world over. Problems associated with urban floods

range from relatively localized incidents to major incidents, resulting in cities being
inundated from hours to several days. Therefore, the impact can also be widespread,
including temporary relocation of people, damage to civic amenities, deterioration of
water quality and risk of epidemics.
3. Classify India into major earthquake zones.
Approach: Just mention the earthquake zones based on latest version of Seismic
zoning map of India where Zone1 is excluded and only 4 zones are there. Most of the
books has not covered this correction in their latest version.
Model Answer.
India being a large landmass is particularly prone to earthquakes About 60% of India
is vulnerable to earthquakes caused by the great, northward grind of the Indian
subcontinental landmass. The Indian subcontinent is divided into four seismic zones
with respect to the severity of the earthquakes.
The latest version of seismic zoning map of India given in the earthquake resistant
design code of India [IS 1893 (Part 1) 2002] assigns four levels of seismicity for India
in terms of zone factors. In other words, the earthquake zoning map of India divides
India into 4 seismic zones (Zone 2, 3, 4 and 5) unlike its previous version which
consisted of five or six zones for the country. According to the present zoning map,
Zone 5 expects the highest level of seismicity whereas Zone 2 is associated with the
lowest level of seismicity.
Each zone indicates the effects of an earthquake at a particular place based on the
observations of the affected areas and can also be described using a descriptive scale
like Modified Mercalli intensity scale or the Medvedev-Sponheuer-Karnik scale
Zone 5
Zone 5 covers the areas with the highest risks zone that suffers earthquakes of
intensity MSK IX or greater. The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.36 for Zone 5.
Structural designers use this factor for earthquake resistant design of structures in
Zone 5. The zone factor of 0.36 is indicative of effective (zero period) level earthquake
in this zone. It is referred to as the Very High Damage Risk Zone. The region of
Kashmir, the western and central Himalayas, North Bihar, the North-East Indian region

and the Rann of Kutch fall in this zone.

Generally, the areas having trap rock or basaltic rock are prone to earthquakes.
Zone 4
This zone is called the High Damage Risk Zone and covers areas liable to MSK VIII.
The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.24 for Zone 4. The Indo-Gangetic basin and the
capital of the country (Delhi), Jammu and Kashmir fall in Zone 4. In Maharashtra, the
Faltan area (Koyananager) is also in zone no-4. In Bihar the northern part of the state
like- Raksaul, Near the border of India and Nepal, is also in zone no-4.
Zone 3
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, parts of Kashmir, Western Himalayas fall under
this zone. This zone is classified as Moderate Damage Risk Zone which is liable to
MSK VII. and also 7.8 The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.16 for Zone 3.
Zone 2
This region is liable to MSK VI or less and is classified as the Low Damage Risk
Zone. The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.10 (maximum horizontal acceleration that
can be experienced by a structure in this zone is 10% of gravitational acceleration) for
Zone 2.
Intensity Of Earthquakes In Different Zones
Seismic Zone Intensity on Modified Mercalli scale
Zone II (Low intensity zone) VI (or less)
Zone III (Moderate intensity zone) VII
Zone IV (Severe intensity zone) VIII
Zone V (Very severe intensity zone) IX (and above)

4. Compare and contrast the conditions of Growth of Tea and Coffee in India. Why
Tea grows at higher elevation than Coffee in South India ?
Model Answer:
Tea is a dried leaf of a bush. Tea bush is a tropical and sub-tropical plant and thrives
well in hot and humid climate.There is a very close relation between climate, the yield
and the quality of tea. The Ideal temperature for its growth is 20-30 degree C and the

temperatures above 35 degree C and below 10 degree C are harmful for the bush. It
requires 150-300 cms of annual rainfall which should be well distributed throughout the
year. Whereas Coffee plant requires hot and humid climate with temperature varing
between 15-28 degree C and rainfall from 150 to 250 cms.
(a)While prolonged dry spell is harmful for tea, high humidity, heavy dew and morning
fog favour rapid development of young leaves. Alternate waves of warm and cool
winds are very helpful for tea leaves. Tea is a shade loving plants and develops more
vigorously when planted along with shady trees. Coffee doesnt tolerate frost, snowfall,
high temperature above 30 degree C and strong sunshine and is generally grown
under shady trees.
(b) Tea bush grows well in well-drained, deep, friable loams. However, virgin forests
soils rich in humus and iron content are considered to be the best soils for tea
plantation. Relatively large proportion of phosphorous and potash in the soil gives
special flavor to tea as is the case in Darjeeling. In order to increase the yield proper
dose of nitrogenous fertilizer such as ammonium sulphate should be given to the soil.
Prolonged drought is also injurious to Coffee. Dry weather is necessary at the time of
ripening of berries. Stagnant water is harmful and this crop is grown on hill slopes at
elevations from 600 to 1600m above sea level.
(c)Although tea requires heavy rainfall for its growth, stagnant water is injurious to its
roots. It is thus grown on hill slopes where water drains easily and water logging does
not take place. Most of tea plantation are found at an elevation ranging from 6001800m above mean sea level. For Coffee Northern and eastern aspects of slopes are
preferred as they are less exposed to strong afternoon sun and the south-west
monsoon winds. Well drained, rich friable loams containing good deal of humus and
minerals like iron and calcium are ideal for coffee cultivation. The soil must be
properly matured to retain and replenish fertility and to increase productivity.
(d) Tea production is done in India in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and Karnataka.Whereas Coffee production is done in the states of Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Tea grows at higher elevation than Coffee in South India because the soils are

different. But there is a complex geological story behind it..

If you look at a profile of the mountains of the Western Ghats you will see that they
have a step like form. Plateaus or steps alternate with escarpments or steep slopes.
Coffee and tea grow on these plateaus. There is a distinct altitudinal control over the
distribution of tea and coffee plantations. At altitudes above 2000 m MSL coffee is
absent and tea is a monoculture. On plateaus in the altitude range 800 m MSl to
1200 m MSL coffee dominates although tea plantations are also present.
This is because the chemistry of the soils mantling the plateaus is different at different
altitude. On the high elevation plateaus (> 2000 m MSL), the soils which go under the
broad name bauxite are acidic and contain very high concentration of the mineral
Gibbsite. This is a hydrous aluminum oxide. The coffee plants Coffea arabica and
Coffea robusta cannot tolerate high levels of aluminum in soils. The tea plant Camelia
sinensis however can deal with this enriched Al content of the soil. So tea form a
monoculture on these plateaus.
On the lower tiers of the landscape the soils are more alkaline and contain less
amounts of Al and more calcium. These are ideal soil conditions for coffee and so the
coffee crop dominates these lower elevation plateaus
5. Cloudbursts have happened in past also, but the amount of death and damage
in Uttarakhand is unprecedented. Why? Is this Himalayan Tsunami is a man-made
disaster? Why or why not?
#1: Roads causing landslides
Himalayan Mountains will remain steady if not tampered with much. But
1. the huge expansion of roads and transport.
2. heavy machines plying the earth everyday.
3. Even dynamites are used to cut the mountains and make roads.
All these activities had already rendered the mountains unstable. Then rainfall causes
landslides and then roads blocked, so rescue force cant go in, victims cant go out.
#2: Too much construction

1. In 2012, Ministry of Environment and Forests gives a notification under Environment

Protection Act. This notification declares the region Gaumukh and Uttarakashi, along
the Bhagirathi river, as an eco-sensitive zone. Meaning following activities had to be
banned:
a. Hydro project in Bhagirathi has too many hydropower projects, changing river
courses, poor structural safety. Unplanned development is destroying the ecology of
the mountains. None of the environmental laws are implemented in ecologically fragile
areas in India and the development is going unabated.
b. A total of 427 dams are planned to be built on rivers. Among these, there are
roughly 70 projects built or proposed on the Ganga, all to generate some 10,000 MW
of power. This construction has affected 80% of the Bhagirathi and 65% of the
Alaknanda.
c. Mining has use of dynamites, thus weakened the mountains. Dynamite blasts are
required to cut mountains and pave way for the construction of dams. On a Richter
scale, such blasts are equivalent to an earthquake of the magnitude of 4.0, which is
responsible to aggravate landslides
d. Construction activities, especially hotels and resorts, guest houses and travel lodges
on the river bed. Everyone trying to make mint money from pilgrims/tourists yet none
of them were build with sound engineering or structural safety.
e. Exponential increase in the number of vehicles. In 2005-06, 4,000 such vehicles
were registered, which jumped to 40,000 in 2012-13.It is an established fact that there
is a straight co-relation between tourism increase and higher incidence of landslides.
#3: Fragile Polity of the State
Uttarakhand has seen 6 different Chief Ministers within last 13 years. Meaning
average tenure of a CM is almost 2 years.
This has resulted in lack of continuity and failure in getting a firm grip on the issues
plaguing the state- including disaster management.
Successive CAG reports have made scathing remarks on the lack of disaster
management preparations in the Uttarakhand state. Yet no action was taken.
political fragility has resulted in ad-hoc and unplanned development.

 Successive governments have failed in creating any sort of medium term or longterm plan or vision for the state.
To put this in other words, when governments change too quick- the main goal of
MLAs and Ministers is how to extract maximum cash from builders, mining mafias and
corrupt bureaucrats who want transfer-posting in plump position. Hence, Disaster
management doesnt even come in their top-100 priority list of such politicians.
Insufficient resources- Only 4,000 army personnel have been deployed on duty. And
only 100 police men are trained on emergency medical procedures while there is no
one who is trained to manage a natural calamity. The disaster management committee
in the state had not met for six years and they were not at all prepared to handle
such a huge catastrophe.
#4: Absence of tourism management
The Govt. of Uttarakhand spends Rs. 70 crores every year (as per books) in order to
manage tourism in Uttarakhand. In 2012, an additional relief fund of Rs. 23.4 crores
has also been set aside. Despite this, you will not find even a single clean toilet here.
Every year an approx. 3 crores people visit Uttarakhand, but there are only 2 lakh
beds as part of the lodging arrangement (out of which 75% are in dharmshalas and
25% are in hotels)
#5: Non-existent governing authority
No governing authority has been set up to manage pilgrim tourists visiting char
dham. There is not even a Nodal Officer who can monitor the yatra arrangements.
#6: No crowd management
There is a permit system in Amarnath and Mansarovar yatras. Even for Vaishno Devi
trip, there is a crowd management in place. But, there is no such system here.
#7: Reduction in forest cover
The forest cover in Uttarakhand in 1970 was 84.9%. This got reduced to 75.4% in
2000.
#8: Careless organizations
a) IMD
IMD was unable to alert State-authorities in time. It didnt have Doppler radars in the

Himalayan region to predict onset of cloudbursts.

Only after this disaster happened, Dept. of sci.tech now talks about setting up
Doppler radars in the region.
Inaccurate and incomplete prediction by the Met department: Monitoring, forecasting,
and early-warning systems in the Met department are very poor in the whole of India
and Uttarakhand specifically. This department is in dire need of more investment.
b) NDRF
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was formed after Tsunami in 2003.
but has grossly failed both in planning and implementation.
It didnt even have sufficient life-jackets in Rudraprayag.
Overall, there was no accountability and no coordination. So the disaster was termed
as man-made due to mismanagement at various levels.
6. What are some of the findings and recommendations contained in the Rakesh
Mohan Committee Report of the National Transport Development Policy Committee
for North-East ?
Approach: If this question is asked at national, state and metropolitan level the
following answers can be good to summarize it.
Model Answer:
The National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC), constituted under the
chairmanship of Rakesh Mohan, has submitted its report suggesting reforms for
development of various modes of transport. These reforms are categorised as
immediate reforms and long-run goals. Immediate reforms have been suggested at the
national, state and metropolitan levels. However, long-term goals are for national and
metropolitan levels.
At the national level, the Committee has suggested the formation of a high-level and
independent Office of Transport Strategy (OTS) and to move towards investment and
strategy for transport as an integrated system. It has also suggested National
Transport Infrastructure Finance to be neutral with respect to means of delivering
mobility, sustainability and inclusion goals.
At the state level, the Committee has suggested to establish urban transport as a

subject to state level and to develop formal mechanisms for state participation in
decisions about initiation, siting, size and other aspects of airports and rail-based
transport. It has also suggested formation of state-level counterparts OTS, with
particular focus on urban transport.
At metropolitan level, the Committee has suggested for creation of Unified
Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTAs) as statutory authority. It further suggested
independent budgets expert personnel in all urban agglomerations with population
greater than three million and formation of metropolitan planning committees as per
Constitutional mandate. The Committees recommendations include creation of publicprivate centres of excellence in urban transport in all cities larger than one million and
investment in unified metropolitan databases.
7. What is Montreux Record ?.Who maintains Montreux Record ?Name Indian sites
which are in Montreux Record. Name Indian site which is removed from Montreux
Record ?
Approach : This question can be approached directly by writing what is asked. So
answer is short and concise.
Model Answer: The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of
Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have
occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological
developments, pollution or other human interference. It is maintained as part of the
Ramsar List.
Indian sites in the Montreaux Record are Keolade National Park-Rajasthan, Loktak
Lake Manipur.India, Chilika Lake, is removed from the Montreux Record.
8. Was the New Economic Policy, passed by Lenin and his government in 1921, a
strategic retreat?
Approach: The answer aimed at why NEP was needed and why it was a strategic
retreat from earlier policies by the government.
Model Answer: Yes, the New Economic Policy was a strategic retreat w.r.t. Lenins
previous policies.

After the success in the Civil War, the next major task before the Bolsheviks was the
reconstruction of Russia. The First World War and the Civil War has devastated the
economy to a great extent. Thus economic reconstruction of Russia was a herculean
task. The War communism imposed by Lenin had resulted into great dissatisfaction
among the peasants.
Initially the peasants were in the favor of the Revolution as the Bolsheviks abolished
the private property and peasants got rid of the oppressive feudal landlords. However,
when their surplus production was forcefully taken away from them with compensation
under the system of War Communism, the great wave of dissatisfaction cropped up
among them. There was no incentive for the peasants to work hard and produce
surplus grains beyond their subsistence. This caused acute food shortage that was
aggravated by drought in 1920-21. In this 5 million peasants lost their lives.
The condiction of production in the factories was no better. The factory owners had
to forcefully surrender their factories to the state which were nationalized. The
management of these factories passed into the hands of the union of the workers. The
union lacked professionalism and capacity to successfully run the factories and the
workshops. Hence the production in the factories went of diminishing which resulted
into inflation.
At this critical juncture Lenin realized that the fact that it would be impossible to
implement the exact theory of Marxism in the context of Russia. Thus he made
various amendments in the original theory of Marxs so that it gets adapted to the
ground realities prevailing in Russia. He came up with New Economic Policy (NEP)
which compromised with various original theory of Marxism but practically solved
various issues in Russia.
The following were the steps taken by Lenin under New Economic Policy (NEP) for
the reconstruction of Russia and to curtail agrarian distress:
(i) Peasants were allowed to keep surplus after payment of tax. This tax was initially
taken in the form of kind and later in cash.This a compromise with the original theory
of Marxism which envisaged nationalization of all means of production and production
as per the need and not for profit.

(ii) A similar compromise was made in the case of small scale industries and trade
where the private ownership was recognized. Though heavy and strategic industries
remained state controlled.
NEP was the departure from the Marxian ideal. It was a middle path between
socialism and capitalism. Lenin was of the view that the temporary mechanism was
essential in Russia to save the gains of revolution.NEP was moderately successful; the
economy began to recover gradually. NEP simulated the production and brought it to
pre-war levels.
The most significant aspect of NEP was the fact that it successfully solved the issue
of discontented peasants and brought production levels at par with the pre-war levels.
This gave ample time to Bolsheviks to consolidate the ideals of revolution and do
away with their enemies.
Thus NEP passed by Lenin and his government was strategic retreat from its earlier
policy.
9. What is the difference between Bioprospecting and Biopiracy? Give examples.
Model Answer:
Bioprospecting is the process of discovery and commercialization of new products
based on biological resources. Despite indigenous knowledge being intuitively helpful,
bioprospecting has only recently begun to incorporate such knowledge in focusing
screening efforts for bioactive compounds.Bioprospecting may involve biopiracy, the
exploitative appropriation of indigenous forms of knowledge by commercial actors, and
also includes the search for previously unknown compounds in organisms that have
never been used in traditional medicine before
Biopiracy is a situation where indigenous knowledge of nature, originating with
indigenous peoples. is used by others for profit, without permission from and with little
or no compensation or recognition to the indigenous people themselves. For example,
when bioprospectors draw on indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants which is later
patented by medical companies without recognizing the fact that the knowledge is not
new, or invented by the patenter, and depriving the indigenous community to the rights
to commercial exploitation of the technology that they themselves had developed.

Critics of this practice, such as Greenpeace, claim these practices contribute to

inequality between developing countries rich in biodiversity, and developed countries
hosting companies that engage in 'biopiracy'.
In 1994, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and WR Grace received a European
patent on methods of controlling fungal infections in plants using a composition that
included extracts from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which grows throughout
India and Nepal. In 2000 the patent was successfully opposed by several groups from
EU and India including the EU Green Party, Vandana Shiva, and the International
Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) on the basis that the fungicidal
activity of neem extract had long been known in Indian traditional medicine .WR Grace
appealed, and lost that appeal in 2005.
Basmati rice
In 2000, the US corporation RiceTec (a subsidiary of RiceTec AG of Liechtenstein)
attempted to patent certain hybrids of basmati rice and semidwarf long-grain rice. The
Indian government intervened and several claims of the patent were invalidated.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has agreed to protect basmati rice under its
regulations pertaining to geographical indications.
10. It is probably the end product of decomposition found in regions of heavy
rainfall, more than 200 cm. Identify the soil type, composition, explain its
geographical stretch and economic significance in India.
Model Answer:
The soil type is Laterite. Laterite soil is rich in aluminium and iron, formed in wet and
hot tropical areas. According to majority opinion, the laterite soil is formed under
conditions of high temperature and heavy rainfall with alternate wet and dry periods.
Laterite soils may be the end products of weathering given sufficiently long time. Such
climatic conditions promote leaching of soil whereby lime and silica are leached away
and the soil rich in iron and aluminium compounds are left behind.
Composition: Almost all laterite soils are very poor in lime and magnesia and
deficient in nitrogen. They are rich with aluminium, iron oxides and phosphate but

potash is deficient. Almost all laterite soils are red due to the presence of iron
oxides. This soil is poor in lime content and hence it is acidic. Humus is almost
absent in this type of soil. However, in the laterite soil developed in the forested areas
in the western part of Karnataka state, humus is present.
Geographical Stretch: Laterite soil is primarily found in the tropical regions which
receive heavy seasonal rainfall.They are mainly found on the summits of Western
Ghats at 1000-1500 m above mean sea level, Eastern Ghats, Rajmahal Hills,
Vindhayas, Satpuras and Malwa plateau. They are well developed in South
Maharashtra, part of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala,
Jharkhand, Assam and Meghalaya.
Economic Significance:
(i) Laterite so soils have a unique distinction of providing valuable building material
and construction of Roads. Hardened varieties of laterite are sometimes cut into blocks
and used as brickstones for building houses
(ii) The Laterite soils in India are not fertile at all and are not suitable to agriculture
Plants like cashew grow well along with Tapioca.. But agriculture can be practiced with
the help of fertilizer.
(iii) Ores are concentrated in metalliferous laterites; aluminium is found in bauxites, iron
and manganese are found in iron-rich hard crusts, nickel and copper are found in
disintegrated rocks, and gold is found in mottled clays.
11. Give an account for the petroleum refineries with factors responsible for their
particular location. How they help in the localization of fertilizer industry in India?
Model Answer:
Oil is extracted from the oil fields is in its crude form and contains many impurities. It
is refined in oil refineries before use. After refining various products such as kerosene,
diesel, petrol, lubricants, bitumen etc. are obtained. Although Indias first oil refinery
started working way back in 1901 at Digboi in Assam. Later on in 1954 only that
another refinery at Tarapur (Mumbai) came up. Since then oil refining in India has
progressed at a rapid pace. Today approximately 22 oil refineries are working in India.
Some of these places where they are located are Guwahati, Barauni, Koyali, Haldia,

Mathura, Digboi, Panipat, Chennai, Mumbai,Kochi, Bina etc.

Following factors are responsible for Petroleum Refineries in India:
For Petroleum refineries, the raw material sources were less decisive factors for
industrial location. Because industries were already setup in coalfields and did not
move away due to industrial inertia.
Petroleum refining does not lead significant weight-loss, unlike the
aluminum/copper/sugarcane/timber processing.
Virtually all the by-products can be used. Therefore, refineries can be set up
1. near the raw material or
2. near the market or
3. at an intermediate break of the bulk location (ports/coastal locations)
Market Location Advantages: After refining, the finished petroleum products can be
supplied to interior areas pipeline connection and trucks/tankers. Eg. Barauni (Bihar)
Mathura (UP) ,Panipat (Haryana).
Port Location Advantage: Many petrochemical complexes are located on the coast to
facilitate Imports. Eg. Reliance has setup a pipeline to directly transport crude oil from
Sikka port to its Jamnagar refinery.
The development of large tankers and pipelines bulk-transportation of petroleum
possible. This provides favorable condition for locating refineries and petrochemical
industries near the market and near the ports.
The localization of fertilizer industry is closely related to petrochemicals. About 70% of
the plants producing nitrogenous fertilizer use Naptha as the basic raw material. That
is why, most of the fertilizer plants are located near the oil refineries. Eg. oil and gas
from Bombay High, the Gujarat-Maharahstra region got fertilizer plants at Hazira,
Mumbai, Trombay, Vadodara etc. (Nowadays they also source gas from Reliance KG
basin).
However, some fertilizer plants draw their feed stock from steel slug as well as coke
and lignite. Prophetic fertilizer plants are primarily dependent on mineral phosphate
which is available in UP, MP, and Rajasthan. Sulphur is another important mineral
used for manufacturing fertilizers available in Tamil Nadu.

 During the recent year transportation of Naptha or Gas through rail or pipelines has
facilitated the widespread distribution of fertilizer plants with priority to sea board
location. The H-B-J gas pipeline has given birth to 6 gas based fertilizer plants at
Vijaypur, Jagdispur, Aonla, Gadipan, Babrala and Shahjahanpur.
12. What is sand mining? Illegal mining of river sand in various parts of India is
affecting the ecology of rivers and lives of people in the vicinity of these rivers.
Critically Examine the validity of this statement by listing the states where these
are rampant in recent times.
Model Answer:
Sand mining is a practice that is used to extract sand, mainly through an open pit.
However, sand is also mined from beaches, inland dunes and dredged from ocean
beds and river beds. It is often used in manufacturing as an abrasive, for example,
and it is used to make concrete. It is also used in cold regions to put on the roads
by municipal plow trucks to help icy and snowy driving conditions, usually mixed with
salt or another mixture to raise the freezing temperature of the road surface. Sand
dredged from the mouths of rivers can also be used to replace eroded coastline.
Due to boom in real estate/ construction activities especially in post liberalization era,
there has been a major spike in the sand (beach and river basin) requirement. It has
resulted in unscientific and indiscriminate sand mining against the prescribed rules,
also known as illegal sand mining. Many states of India like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra etc have witnessed increased incidences in
recent past. It has affected the river ecology and lives of people nearby as
1. It pollutes the rivers (low PH, mix of various metal oxides, reduces oxygen and
thus, increased BOD). This badly affects river biota.
2. In-stream sand mining results in the destruction of aquatic and riparian habitat
through large changes in the channel morphology. Impacts include bed degradation,
bed coarsening, lowered water tables near the streambed, and channel instability.
3. Polluted water and also reduced ground water levels due to sand mining lead to
drinking water shortage and also agrarian distress in the vicinity, which in turn has
triggered an exodus of people to urban clusters, upsetting the economic and cultural

balance of a society. Also, creates social -tension

4. Illegal sand mining also results in damage to physical infrastructure ( like railways,
bridges, highways etc) nearby, resulting in further economic distress of the
community.
5. The indiscriminate mining has also destroyed hills, eroded biodiversity spheres,
denuded forests and degraded fertile soil. It has changed the physical characteristics
of river basins, impacting heavily the socio-economic condition of local people.
6. Sand mining generates extra vehicle traffic, which negatively impairs the
environment.
Therefore we certainly need sand for to meet the increasing demand. Sand mining
also employs nearly 1.1 millions in the country. Hence, the need to is better
implement legislative mechanisms and various judicial pronouncements for sustainable
sand mining. Effective and periodic monitoring is also a must. Additionally, we should
also look for quality yet affordable alternatives to sand to meet ever increasing
demand for sand without compromising riverine ecology and badly affecting people
nearby due to illegal sand mining.
13. What are bio-fuels? What are the various generation of bio-fuels? Why are the
previous generation bio-fuels seen as threat to food security? How do 3rd
generation bio-fuels manage to address those problems? What will be the benefits
of 4th generation bio-fuels?
Model Answer:
A biofuel is any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from organic matter in a short
period of time. This is in contrasts with fossil fuels, which take millions of years to
form and with other types of fuel which are not based on hydrocarbons like nuclear
fuels.
The structure of the biofuel itself does not change between generations, but rather the
source from which the fuel is derived changes. The various generations of bio fuels
are listed below:
a) First Generation Biofuels were directly using the food crops like wheat and sugar
for making ethanol and oil seeds for bio diesel by conventional method of

fermentation. These fuels emitted more greenhouse gases.

b) Second Generation Bio-fuels used non-food crops and feedstock instead of food
crops as used in first generation. Wood, grass, seed crops, organic waste are used in
fuel preparation.
c) Third Generation Bio-fuels use specially engineered Algae whose biomass is used
to convert into bio-fuels. The greenhouse gas emission here will be low in comparison
to others.
d) 4th GENERATION -Four Generation Bio-fuels are aimed at not only producing
sustainable energy but also a way of capturing and storing co2. Biomass materials,
which have absorbed co2 while growing, are converted into fuel using the same
processes as second generation bio-fuels
Since first generation completely depends on food directly; high volume of food grains
were directed away from food market and used in the energy market. As every
country is energy starved and good remuneration for farmers awaited everyone was
attracted to production of raw materials for biofuels causing damages to the food
security aims.
The third generation bio-fuels have advantages like:
a) Cost: The Algae are cultured to act as a low-cost alternative. It gives high-energy
and entirely renewable feedstock.
b) Energy: The Algae will have the potential to produce more energy per acre than
conventional crops
c) Eco-Friendly: Algae can also be grown using land and water which are unsuitable
for food production, therefore reducing the strain on already depleted water sources
d) Range: In Algae based bio-fuels is that the fuel manufactured can be used for a
wide range of fuels such as diesel, petrol and jet fuel.
However Algae, even when grown in waste water, requires large amounts of water,
nitrogen and phosphorus to grow. Also it requires large amount of fertilizers increasing
GHG emissions and hence will be much costlier.
The fourth generation bio-fuel may in future reduce the greenhouse emission.

Four Generation Bio-fuels are aimed at not only producing sustainable energy
but also a way of capturing and storing co2.

Biomass materials, which have absorbed co2 while growing, are converted into
fuel using the same processes as second generation biofuels.

They can be utilized as an effective source of carbon sink and thus reducing
GHGs from the atmosphere .

This carbon capture makes fourth generation biofuel production carbon negative
rather then simply carbon neutral, as it is locks away more carbon than it
produces.

This system not only captures and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
but it also reduces co2 emissions by replacing fossil fuels.

It is a ray of hope for mankind which could be nurtured further by sustainable

development thus to secure a better future for upcoming generations. Fourth
generation biofuels are made from specially engineered plants or biomass that
may have higher energy yields or lower barriers to cellulosic breakdown or are
able to be grown on non-agricultural land or bodies of water.
14. What are the reasons behind the slogan No taxation without
representation given by American colonist? Why the Britishers supported the
concept of virtual representation?
Approach: Both of these questions are related to the American Revolution
where colonist were against the taxes without representation.
Model Answer: The British Parliament controlled colonial trade and implemented
the taxing of imports and exports since 1660. The colonist objected the right of
British Parliament to impose taxes on the American colonies. The logic behind
this objection had its basis in the English Revolution of 17th century. In the
17th century in Britain, the Parliament (House of Commons) became very
powerful institution and objected the legitimacy of those Acts passed by Kings
related to the taxation in which the consent of Parliament was not taken. The
champions of Parliamentary politics in England were of the view that since

Parliament was elected body and the representative of the people so it should
have the exclusive rights related to taxation. The colonists were of the view that
since British Parliament did not have representation of American colonies,
principally it should not make the taxation laws for them. By making the taxation
laws for the American colonies, the British Parliament is actually defying the
principles and legacy on which it itself rests.
American colonist came up with the slogan of No taxation without
representation. According to the revolutionaries the lack of representation in the
British Parliament was a clearly a violation of the rights of the colonists. Thus
taxation and all other laws that affected the colonists directly and indirectly were
not constitutional at all. During the American Revolution, there were only a few
British citizens that were represented and they were not a part of the colonies.
The phrase summarizes the sentiments that caused the English Civil War, as
told by John Hampden.
The British, on the other hand, supported the concept of virtual representation
which was based on the belief that a Member of Parliament virtually
represented every person in the empire and there was no need for a specific
representative from Virginia or Massachusetts etc.
Thus it was the principles of taxation which was involve in the import duties
and not the actual amount which would come to the treasury. This was very
much objected by the people of America. The resistance of tax gradually
changed into open defiance and lawlessness like that of Boston Tea Party.
15. Evaluate the view that the Battle of Sedan was provoked by Bismarck to fulfill
his political objectives.
Approach: The explanation required is how the France-Prussian war provoked by
Bismarck has helped him to attain the unification of Italy.
Model Answer: Bismarcks main political objective was to unify Italy and he used
critical situations like Battle of Sedan or France- Prussian War as an opportunity to
unify Italy. The following were two biggest impediments in the unification of the
Southern states of Germany:

(i) Many of the southern states were jealous with the growing domination of Prussia.
(ii) France was alarmed by the growing power of Prussia and gradual shift of balance
of power in Europe. Moreover the people of France had a feeling that the defeat of
Austria in Austro-Prussian war was that of France and not that of Austria.
Bismarck in such critical circumstances wanted a national war with France i.e. a war
in which the people of Northern and Southern states of Germany get aligned together
against France. He got this opportunity when Spanish throne got vacant and Prussia
supported the candidature of Leopold, a distant relative of Prussian King.
This was not acceptable to French king Napoleon III who sent his ambassador to the
King of Prussia demanding an assurance that the candidature of family member of the
King should not be supported by Prussia. Bismarck manipulated one of the telegrams
of the King, in such a way that France felt that her ambassador had been insulted
whereas Prussian felt that their king had been disgraced. Resentment in France was
so great that Napoleon was forced to declare a war on Prussia. The war was
declared.
Bismarck diplomatically isolated France in the following ways:
(i) Austria was generously treated after the battle of Sedowa (1866). The purpose was
to gain her support in near future for the unification.
(ii) Italy was given Venetia for remaining neutral after the Austro-Prussian war. Also
Papal States in Italy were yet to be unified and France was the main obstacle in the
unification. Thus the neutrality of Italy was ensured.
(iii) Russia was defeated by France in Ceriman War in 1855. Russia wanted to
avenge that defeat; therefore an alliance between Russia and France was next to
impossible.
French armies were defeated in the Battle of Sedan. The war came to an end with
the Treaty of Frankfurt (1871). The main provisions of the treaty were:
(i) King of Prussia was accepted as the ruler of Germany and Southern states of
Germany was to be part of German Confederation.
(ii) France agreed to give Alsace and Lorraine to Germany.
(iii) France agreed to pay to Prussia heavy was indemnity.

In this way, the task of unification of Germany was completed with the efforts of
Bismarck.
The Battle of Sedan also proved significant for the unification of Italy and France.
During the war French army withdrew from Rome, which is occupied by Italian forces.
This unified the Papal States with Italy and completed the final stage of Italian
Unification as well. Also after the defeat of Napoleon III, republic was created in
France.
Battle of Sedan reinforced the fact that balance of power had shifted in Europe in the
favour of Germany. France no longer remained to be most powerful country. The glory
of France of Napoleonic era passed into oblivion after this battle. Its not an
exaggeration to say that after the battle, Europe has lost of mistress (France ) and
has gained a master (Germany).
16. National Green Tribunal (NGT) has played critical role in addressing the
problem of environment pollution and degradation in India. Explain critically giving
few previous judgments.
Model Answer:
Surging environmental and ecological concerns fertilized the idea of setting up a
National Green Tribunal as an apex body to vaccine the cause.
The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National
Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to
environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources
It also include enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief
and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected
therewith or incidental thereto.
It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental
disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues. The Tribunal shall not be bound by the
procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by
principles of natural justice.
The Tribunal's dedicated jurisdiction in environmental matters shall provide speedy
environmental justice and help reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts.

The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or

appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
Since its inception the tribunal has been attracting the merits to its fold. The statute's
efficacy can be gauged by the recent judgments 1) Order of banning diesel vehicles older than 10 years in the national capital along
with ban on burning of solid waste.These steps have been taken owing to the rising
pollution levels which is evident from the the list of most polluted cities where the
national capital stands on the top.
2) Cancellation of coal block clearance in Hasdee-Arand forests overriding central
government's decision.
3)Penalising the Construction companies in Bellandur wetland in Banglore.
4) Proposed plan for rejuvenating the Yamuna river for 52km stretch in Delhi and UP
region.
5) Cancelling clearance of CG coal mine, Vedanta and POSCO in Odisha.
6) NGT cancelled clearance of a Mining project by Gogte Minerals in Maharashtra
Eyeing above, it can be concluded that the formation of NGT has proven its worth.
But these highlights can not insultate it from the limitations Despite various proactive
support being taken by the tribunal the pollution levels has been continuously rising
over the years.This is due to lack of effective support from government both at the
centre as well in states.Inefficiency of Central and State pollution control boards is
another reason for it.This often results in delays in implementing the tribunal's
decision.Without adequate support from the government side NGT is unable to have a
vigilance throughout the country due to its limited capacity and staff.Further despite
solving a long number of cases still there is a long list of pending cases in the
tribunal which adds to the problem.Lastly the tribunal is not having suo-moto powers
which also restricts its ambit in the area of environment. Hence the way forward is to
shun the ecological and environmental deterioration in a more collaborative and
efficient way on the part of executive and judiciary. The key lies in collaboration not in
confrontation.

17. What are modern theories of Monsoon Variability affecting India ?

Approach: The question deals primarily with the modern theories of monsoon affecting
India
Model Answer. Monsoon Variability is connected with the following theories :
(i) The Jet Stream effect
The Jet Stream theory also explains the variability in timing and strength of the
Monsoon.
Timing: A timely northward shift of the subtropical westerly jet in the beginning of the
summer season is critical to the onset of the SW Monsoon over India. If the northward
shift of this jet is delayed, so is the SW Monsoon. An early shift heralds in an early
Monsoon.
Strength: Additionally, the strength of the SW Monsoon is determined by the strength
of the easterly tropical jet over central India. A strong easterly tropical jet results in a
strong SW Monsoon over central India and vice versa.
(ii) El Nio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect
El Nino a warm ocean current appears along the Peru coast in December. It replaces
the Peru or Humboldt Cold Ocean current flowing over this region during normal years.
Under normal times the layer over the eastern Pacific is cool and shallow, while over
the western Pacific it is warm and deep. Such conditions are helpful for strong
southwest monsoons. The appearance of El Nino reverses the conditions (warm
condition over eastern Pacific and cold in western Pacific). Since El Nino represents
large atmospheric perturbations to which the ocean responds with warm of colder
surface temperature, it lands to extreme events, such as drought, flood and poor
monsoons. The Southern Oscillation is the name ascribed to a seesaw pattern of
meteorological changes that are often observed between the Pacific, the pressures
over the Indian Ocean tend to be low, and vice versa. The oscillation was discovered
by Sir Gilber Walker and is therefore also known as Walker circulation The oscillation
has a period varying from 27 years. The intensity of the Southern Oscillation is
measured by the difference in sea level pressures of Tahiti and Port Darwin El Nino
Southern Oscillations

Ultimately, it was realized that the Southern Oscillation is just the corresponding
atmospheric component of the El Nio/La Nia effect (which happens in the Ocean).
Therefore in the context of the Monsoon, the two cumulatively came to be known as
the ENSO. The ENSO is known to have a pronounced effect on the strength of SW
Monsoon over India with the Monsoon being weak (causing droughts in India) during
the El Nio years whereas La Nia years had particularly good Monsoon strength over
India.
(iii)Indian Ocean Dipole effect
IOD is an irregular phenomenon in which the western equatorial of the Indian Ocean
becomes warmer while the eastern equatorial cooler.It affects the Sub continent,
Australia, Indonesia and many other surrounding countries. There are two phases of
Indian Ocean Dipole; 1. Positive IOD
2. Negative IOD
Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) causes sea temperatures to rise in the western
Indian Ocean with heavy precipitation in Sub-continent while it makes the sea
temperatures cooler in the eastern Indian Ocean with drought or very little to no
precipitation in Australia and Indonesia.
Negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) causes cooler sea temperatures in western
Indian Ocean with no rainfall in the Sub-continent while eastern Indian Ocean becomes
warmer with heavy precipitation.
18. Explain the difference between Centrifugal and Centripetal Drainage pattern with
examples from India.
Approach: Centrifugal drainage is nothing but Radial drainage. Explain Centrifugal and
Centripetal drainage with examples and diagrams.
Model Answer: Centrifugal patterns also known as Radial drainage pattern, is formed
by the streams which diverge from a central higher point in all directions. Since the
stream follow the slopes and hence they are basically consequent streams. These
streams resemble the spokes of a wheel or the radii of a circle. Examples- Sri Lanka
is the best example of radial drainage pattern at macro-level, Ranchi city has given
birth to radial drainage pattern wherein the South Koel, Subarnarekha, Kanchi and

Karo rivers take their source and radiate in different directions, Hazaribagh Plateau,
Parasnath hill, Panchet Hill and Dalma lava upland (all in Jharkhand) have radial or
Centrifugal drainage pattern.
Whereas Centripetal or Inland drainage pattern is opposite to the radial drainage
pattern because it is characterized by the streams which converge at a point which is
generally a depression of a basin.This pattern is formed by a series of streams which
after emerging from surrounding uplands converge in a central low land which may be
a depression, or a basin or a crater lake. The Kathmandu valley of Nepal presents an
ideal example of centripetal drainage pattern wherein the tributary streams of the
Baghmati converge in the tectonically formed circular basin.The depression formed by
Rajgarh Dome and Lower Chambal Basin has given birth to centripetal drainage
pattern.
19. What is Tennis Court Oath? What is its significance ?
Approach: This question is related to French Revolution. First introduce the term
Tennis court Oath in the first para/ introduction part. Then summarize the events that
led to the Tennis Court Oath along with its significance in the last paragraph.
Model Answer: The Tennis Court Oath was a pivotal event during the first days of the
French Revolution. The Oath was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from
the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General on 20 June
1789.
The King Louis XVI faced the grave economic crisis in 1789. He couldnt raise more
taxes and didnt have the power to find the money he needed to govern. To prevent
impending bankruptcy Louis XVI was forced to summon the States-General in the hope
of finding a way out. Estates-General was the legislative assembly of the three
estates.
The Estates-General met at Versailles and Louis XVI hoped that the agenda discussed
would mostly be traditional and financial. The representatives, on the other hand,
demanded the end of Absolute monarchy. However, the representative of the different
estates had different views about the policy related with taxation. The representatives
of the Third Estate envisaged uniform taxation for all the people of France irrespective

of their state to which they belong to. This also meant end of all special privileges of
First and Second Estates. On the other hand, the representatives of the First and
Second Estates were not ready as they had vested interests.
There were also differences among the representatives of different Estates about the
manner of voting. The representatives of First and Second Estates wanted that the
vote of every Estate should be counted separately. In doing so, they wanted to
outvote the Third Estate by 2:1. On the other hand, the representative of Third Estate
wanted voting on the basis of headcount. They wanted that the individual votes of the
representatives present in the Estates-General should be counted. The divergent views
related to the voting procedure created a dead lock in the assembly.
Unable to resolve the deadlock related to the voting procedures in the Estates-General
on June 20th 1789, the representatives of the Third Estates had to face an alarming
situation. They were locked out of the assembly hall of the Estates-General. The
representative were shocked to discover that the chamber doors was locked and
guarded by soldiers.
The representatives of the Third Estates gathered in the nearby Tennis Court under
the leadership of Mirabeau (a rebel noble). In the Tennis court they took the solemn
collective oath not to separate and to reassemble wherever circumstances required
despite the royal prohibition, until the constitution of the kingdom get established. The
Third Estate also declared itself as the National Assembly.
The oath signified political legitimacy derived from the will of the people and their
representatives rather than from the monarch himself. The solidarity forced Louis XVI
to recognize the National Assembly and ordered the clergy and the nobility to join with
the Third Estate in the National Assembly.
20.Globalization had created new opportunities and new ideas in Indian society.
Examine the impact of globalization on Indian society? (Question and Answer
prepared by Yogesh Doke, DSP, Maharahtra)
Model Answer:
Globalization is the process of international integration arising from the interchange
world views, product ,idea and other aspect of culture. It affects every section of

society as follows 1.Religion

Along with Christian religion came the rest of British or Western culture, thought and
customs and the gradual end of traditional ways of life. Thus our traditional religions
and cultures were gradually subverted or eliminated. The new Indian converts to
Christianity were encouraged not only to give up their religion but their culture, which
often had religious or spiritual implications as well. A good Indian Christian convert
would dress like an Englishman and emulate English manners in all things. Thus in
India the Hindus who converted to Christianity were encouraged to think, behave and
live like Englishmen.
2. SOCIETY
The traditional Indian culture is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. From an
early age, children are reminded of their roles and places in society. Several
differences such as religion divide culture. However, far more powerful division is the
traditional Hindu bifurcation into non-polluting and polluting occupations. Strict social
taboos have governed these groups for thousands of years. Among developing
countries, India has low levels of occupational and geographic mobility. People choose
same occupations as their parents and rarely move geographically in the society.
3.Family:
India for ages has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system. Arranged
marriages have the tradition in Indian society for centuries. Overwhelming majority of
Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family
members, with the consent of the bride and groom. Although women and men are
equal before the law and the trend toward gender equality has been noticeable,
women and men still occupy distinct functions in Indian society. Woman's role in the
society is often to perform household works and pro bono community work.
Impact :
1. Nuclear families are emerging.
2. Divorce rates are rising day by day.
3. Men and women are gaining equal right to education, to earn, and to speak.

4.Festivals:
India, being a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, celebrates holidays and festivals
of various religions. The 3 National holidays in India, are the Independence Day, the
Republic Day and the Gandhi Jayanti, Popular religious festivals include the Hindu
festivals of Diwali, Durga puja, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Dussehra, Ramzaan etc.
5. American festivals like Valentines day, Friendship day etc. are spreading across
India.
5.CUISINE
The multiple families of Indian cuisine are characterized by their sophisticated and
subtle use of many spices and herbs. Though a significant portion of Indian food is
vegetarian, many traditional Indian dishes also include chicken, goat, lamb, fish, and
other meats. Cuisine across India has also been influenced by various cultural groups
that entered India throughout history, such as the Persians, Mughals, and European
colonists. Though the tandoor originated in Central Asia, Indian tandoori dishes, such
as chicken tikka made with Indian ingredients, enjoy widespread popularity.
Impact
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe. Historically, Indian
spices and herbs were one of the most sought after trade commodities. Pizzas,
burgers, Chinese foods and other Western foods have become quite popular.
6.CLOTHING
Traditional Indian clothing for women are the saris and also Ghaghra Cholis For men,
traditional clothes are the Dhoti, Kurta. In southern India men wear long, white sheets
of cloth called dhoti with shirts. Women wear a sari draped over a simple or fancy
blouse. This is worn by young ladies and woman. Little girls wear a pavada.
Traditionally, the red bindi (or sindhur) was worn only by the married Hindu women,
but now it has become a part of women's fashion.
Impact
Indo-western clothing, the fusion of Western and Sub continental fashion is in trend.
Wearing jeans, t-shirts, mini skirts have become common among Indian girls.

7.PERFORMING ARTS
Music
The music of India includes multiples varieties of religious, folk, popular, pop, and
classical music. India's classical music includes two distinct styles: Carnatic and
Hindustani music. It remains instrumental to the religious inspiration, cultural expression
and pure entertainment.
Dance
Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Bharatanatyam, kathak, kathakali
mohiniattam, kuchipudi, odissi are popular dance forms in India. Kalarippayattu or
Kalari for short is considered one of the world's oldest martial art. There have been
many great practitioners of Indian martial Arts including Bodhidharma who supposedly
brought Indian martial arts to China.
Impact
1. Indian Classical music has gained worldwide recognition.
2. Western music is becoming very popular in our country.
3. Fusing Indian music along with western music is encouraged among musicians.
4. More Indian dance shows are held globally.
5. The number of foreigners who are eager to learn Bharatanatyam is rising.
6. Western dance forms such as Jazz, Hip hop, Salsa, Balley have become among
Indian youngsters.
8.Technology, Culture and Social Values
Technology has failed to percolate to villages in absence of electricity and other
communication infrastructure. Few people know about the internet. However, well-to-do
families have availed DTH and dish TV facilities. Mobile connections are increasing in
rural areas but at slower pace. There are no small scale industries in villages to
provide employment to educated youth. Indias real culture is still preserved in rural
life. New advancement of technology has not much influence in rural areas. People
still prefer to wear dresses of old fashion and celebrate festivals in old styles. Folk
dances and folk songs are still popular among villagers. Culture is still untouched and
unaffected by western influence. Globalization has no impact on rural life as standards

of living are suboptimal but migration of people is taking place and poor people are
moving to urban areas in search of employment.
9.Agriculture
Globalization does not have any positive impact on agriculture. On the contrary, it has
few detrimental effects as government is always willing to import food grains, sugar etc
whenever there is a price increase of these commodities. Government never thinks to
pay more to farmers so that they produce more food grains but resorts to imports. On
the other hand, subsidies are declining so cost of production is increasing. Even farms
producing fertilizers have to suffer due to imports. There are also threats like
introduction of GM crops, herbicide resistant crops etc.
10.Other changes in social and cultural life
Access to television grew from 10% of the urban population (1991) to 75% of the
urban population (1999).
Cable television and foreign movies became widely available for the first time and
have acted as a catalyst in bulldozing the cultural boundaries.
All these technologies have changed perceptions and dreams of ordinary people.
Unmarried boys and girls are sharing same apartment and staying away from their
parents.
Indian youths leaving education in mid-way and joining MNC's
There has been a increase in the violence, particularly against women.
Scientific and technological innovations have made life quite comfortable, fast and
enjoyable.
More availability of cheap and filthy material (CD's or DVD's of Hollywood movies,
porn movies, sex toys, foreign channels like MTV) in the name of liberalization.
In India, land-line or basic phone was a prestige symbol few years back but now
you find people riding bicycle with a mobile in hand, talking or listening music or even
clicking cameras of their phones targeting pretty girls or ladies.
Society has become more open compared to its earlier conservative look due to
exposure to other cultures through DTH or cable network.
This has contributed to dating, celebration of friendship days/valentine day, and

resulted to rising number of call girls and makes them more prone to sexually
transmitted diseases.
People are less worried for government jobs as MNC's and private or public sector
are offering more lucrative jobs.
People are more wary of the world events and have a direct opportunity to
participate in world politics and economy. As a result of this, a new middle class has
emerged. This class is a fusion of Indian and western value system. It is unique and
characteristic of globalization.
Extension of internet facilities even to rural areas.
In place of old cinema halls, multiplex theatre is coming up.
Old restaurants are now replaced by Mc. Donalds. Fast food and Chinese dishes
have replaced juice corners and Parathas.
More inflow of money has aggravated deep rooted problem of corruption?
More scandals and scams compared to pre-globalization era.
Girls being blackmailed by their ex-boy friends using MMS
Ban on TV channels for showing sex and violence violating all norms
Girls being raped in moving vehicles
There is deterioration in social values as evident from less respect for ladies and
older people.
IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON INDIAN BUSINESS CULTURE
The Indian economy had been booming for the past few years. The country held great
promise for the future. Liberalized foreign policies had unleashed the entrepreneurial
spirit of its people and many multi-national firms, attracted by the dusty plains of
Deccan, had already set up big offices throughout the nation.
The foreign culture can have both positive and negative influence on people and
business firms. New ways of thinking and working may develop leading to higher
efficiency. A few examples of impact of foreign culture on business practices are given
below:
Indian companies adopting international accounting standards.
Just-in-time and other more efficient techniques of inventory control.

 Flexitime and new practices of human resource management.

Social responsibility and business ethics ideas.
Improvement in corporate governance practices.
Customer relationship management practices.
Inflow of foreign funds.
Healthy competition with foreign products.
The business sector in India is highly promising in the present scenario. The impact of
globalization has changed the business procedure in India in terms of psychology,
methodology, technology, mindset work culture etc. Newer challenges, newer
opportunities are day-by-day in front of Indian industries, which are profitable and
prospective.
The fundamental scope of doing business in India is lying with its people. The huge
population of India has created a large unsaturated market of consumers. This is one
of the reasons why global companies are very much interested in doing business in
India. In the post globalization era this scope has increased immensely for global
multinational companies as Government of India has also played a very crucial and
supportive role in this respect through liberalized policies and legislative structure.
Let us glance through a few situations that have arisen in India post liberalization
1. Shifting of Agriculture worker to industry sector
2. Urbanization People are shifting from rural to urban areas.
3. Opening up of trade market export import boom.
4. Big open saturated market for products
5. A growing market for high quality and low price product
6. Gradual increase of organized retail chain.
7. Growing number of Merger and Acquisitions.
8. Lucid license policies for overseas Multinational Corporation.
9. High growth rate is showing economic prosperity in India.
10. Indian Market leaders going global.
But there are certain negative impacts occurred aftermath the globalization impact in
India, which are as follows

1) Unequal distribution of wealth disparity in income.

2) Rapid privatization government driven public sector units are on sale.
3) Uneven growth in respect of different sectors.
4) Extreme mechanization is reducing demand for manual labours.
5) Both employee and consumer exploitation are on rise by private sector.
Conclusion
Overwhelming impact of globalization can be observed on the Indian culture? Every
educated Indian seems to believe that nothing in Hindu India, past or present, is to be
approved unless recognized and recommended by an appropriate authority in the
West. There is an all-pervading presence of a positive, if not worshipful, attitude
towards everything in western society and culture, past as well as present in the name
of progress, reason and science. Nothing from the West is to be rejected unless it has
first been weighed and found wanting by a Western evaluation. Swami Vivekananda
foresaw the dangers of Globalization as early as in 1893 when he spoke at the
Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. To quote his soul-stirring words: 'Shall India
die? Then, from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for
religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct; and in its place will reign the duality
of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud,
force, and competition its ceremonies, and human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can
never be'. Precisely such a terrible thing is taking place in India today on account of
the inexorable and immutable process of Globalization. In the end we can say that,
every step of movement towards economic, political and cultural modernization, taken
by the state in India, is responded to by the people with an enhanced sense of selfconsciousness and awareness of identity. Cultural modernization, sponsored by the
forces of globalization, is resented if it encroaches upon or does not promote the core
cultural values of society, its language, social practices and styles of life. The vigour of
the renewed sense of self-awareness generated among the members of the local
cultures and communities is such as to succeed in making adaptive reconciliation with
the forces of globalization. The linkages both visible and invisible, defining the cultural
interdependence among communities and regions in India which have existed

historically, reinforce instead of threatening the national identity. These bonds seem to
become stronger as India encounters the forces of modernization and globalization.
21. Most of our knowledge about the interior of the earth is largely based on
estimates and inferences. Explain with a list of direct and indirect sources which
helps to know more about the earths interior.
Approach: Just mention the direct and indirect sources with little explanations on each
one of it. Based on NCERT text.
Model Answer:
Knowledge about the earths interior can be studied by various direct and indirect
sources which are mentioned below:
Direct Sources
The most easily available solid earth material is surface rock or the rocks we get from
mining areas. Gold mines in South Africa are as deep as 3 - 4 km. Going beyond this
depth is not possible as it is very hot at this depth.
Besides mining, scientists have taken up a number of projects to penetrate deeper
depths to explore the conditions in the crustal portions. Scientists world over are
working on two major projects such as Deep Ocean Drilling Project and Integrated
Ocean Drilling Project. The deepest drill at Kola, in Arctic Ocean, has so far reached
a depth of 12 km. This and many deep drilling projects have provided large volume of
information through the analysis of materials collected at different depths.
Volcanic eruption forms another source of obtaining direct information. As and when
the molten material (magma) is thrown onto the surface of the earth, during volcanic
eruption it becomes available for laboratory analysis. However, it is difficult to ascertain
the depth of the source of such magma.
Indirect Sources
Analysis of properties of matter indirectly provides information about the interior. We
know through the mining activity that temperature and pressure increase with the
increasing distance from the surface towards the interior in deeper depths. Moreover, it
is also known that the density of the material also increases with depth. It is possible
to find the rate of change of these characteristics. Knowing the total thickness of the

earth, scientists have estimated the values of temperature, pressure and the density of
materials at different depths.
Another source of information are the meteors that at times reach the earth.
However,it may be noted that the material that becomes available for analysis from
meteors, is not from the interior of the earth. The material and the structure observed
in the meteors are similar to that of the earth. They are solid bodies developed out of
materials same as, or similar to, our planet. Hence, this becomes yet another source
of information about the interior of the earth.
The other indirect sources include gravitation, magnetic field, and seismic activity. The
gravitation force (g) is not the same at different latitudes on the surface. It is greater
near the poles and less at the equator. This is because of the distance from the
centre at the equator being greater than that at the poles. The gravity values also
differ according to the mass of material. The uneven distribution of mass of material
within the earth influences this value. The reading of the gravity at different places is
influenced by many other factors. These readings differ from the expected values.
Such a difference is called gravity anomaly. Gravity anomalies give us information
about the distribution of mass of the material in the crust of the earth. Magnetic
surveys also provide information about the distribution of magnetic materials in the
crustal portion, and thus, provide information about the distribution of materials in this
part. Seismic activity is one of the most important sources of information about the
interior of the earth.
Due to these seismic activities like earthquake and waves generated by it like body
and surface waves are used to study earths interior.
Thus with both direct and indirect sources of estimation, the interior of earth can be
classified as above diagram.
22. Do you agree that Spanish Civil War was the dress rehearsal of the Second
World War.? Elucidate.
Approach: The answer aim at starting of Spanish civil war and why it is called dress
rehearsal of the second world war.
Model Answer: The Spanish Civil War is also known as dress rehearsal of the

Second world War. In the civil war the clash of ideologies between the communists
and Fascists became clearly visible.
In 1931, a Republican government was formed in Spain. This government in Spain
started drifting towards communism. A revolt started in Spain under General Franco as
a reaction against the growth of communist tendencies of the government. General
Franco was inclined towards Fascism.
The Spanish Civil War is also called as dress rehearsal of the Second World War
because various European countries got involved in this. Russia along with the other
socialists and communists across the Europe openly supported the Republican
government while Italy and Germany sided with General Franco. France and Britain
maintain neutrality as they were ideologically opposed to both Fascism and
communism. General Franco emerged as a victor. Spanish Civil war proved to be a
big accomplishment for Germany and Italy.
Thus Spanish Civil War was the dress rehearsal of the Second World War.
23.What are Lacustrine Plains? Where it is found in India? Explain their economic
significance?
Approach: The questions is indirectly asking about the Karewa, which are Lacustrine
deposits found in Kashmir valley and its economic significance.
Model Answer: Lacustrine Plains (or lake plains) are lakes that get filled by incoming
sediment. Over time, the water may drain from the lake, leaving the deposited
sediments behind. This can be caused by natural drainage, evaporation or other
geophysical processes.
The soil of the plain left behind may constitute fertile and productive farm land, due to
the previous accumulation of lacustrine sediments. In other cases it may become a
wetland or a desert.
The examples of lacustrine plains include The Kashmir Valley of India, the Imphal
basin in the Manipur hills and the watershed of the Red River of the North in the
USA and Canada.
Karewas are the lacustrine deposits in the Valley of Kashmir and in Bhadarwah Valley
of the Doda District of the Jammu Division. These are the flat topped mounds that

border the Kashmir Valley on all sides. They are composed of fine silt, clay, sand,
and bouldery-gravel. They are characterised with fossils of mammals and at places by
peat. According to geologists, during the Pleistocene Period, the entire Valley of
Kashmir was under water. Subsequently, due to endogenetic forces, the Baramullah
Gorge was created and the lake was drained through this gorge. The deposits left in
the process are known as karewas
According to Middlemiss, the thickness of karewas is about 1400 m. In fact, the
karewas have been elevated,dissected and in great measure removed by subaerial
denudation as well as by the Jhelum river giving them the present position. The
karewas are mainly devoted to the cultivation of saffron, almond, walnut, apple and
orchards. The karewas, devoted to saffron cultivation are fetching good income to the
growers. The karewas of Palmpur, Pulwama, and Kulgam are well known for their
production of superior quality of saffron.
The world famous saffron from Pampore and apples from Shopian are best examples
of the products produced in these karewas.
24. How is ethics different from values and morals? Explain with examples. (250
Words) (10 marks)
Model Answer:
Ethics, morals and values share common and inseparable behavioral theories.
Superficially they are indectical and integral. However penetrative analysis of these
theories bring some segregation with permeable boundaries.
Values are the rules by which we make decisions about right and wrong, should and
shouldn't, good and bad. They also tell us which are more or less important, which is
useful when we have to trade off meeting one value over another. Often values are
ideas that we aispire to achieve, like equality and social justice.
Morality delves into the right and wrong at a much deeper level, both personal and
spiritual. It defines personal character.It concerns more with one's inner shelf rather on
some customes or set of rules We thus judge others more strongly on morals than
values. A person can be described as immoral, yet there is no word for them not
following values.

Ethics tend to be codified into a formal system or set of rules which are explicitly
adopted by a group of people. Like professional ethics , medical ethics etc. Ethics is
set of standards that a society places on itself and which helps guide behavior,
choices and actions. It rely on logical and rational criteria to reach a decision, a
cognitive process.
To summarize ethics describes a generally accepted set of moral principles
morals describes the goodness or badness or right or wrong of actions
values describes individual or personal standards of what is valuable or important.
When considering the difference between ethics and morals, it may be helpful to
consider a criminal defense lawyer. Though the lawyers personal moral code likely
finds murder immoral and reprehensible, ethics demand the accused client be
defended as vigorously as possible, even when the lawyer knows the party is guilty
and that a freed defendant would potentially lead to more crime. Legal ethics must
override personal morals for the greater good of upholding a justice system in which
the accused are given a fair trial and the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a
reasonable doubt.
Ethics can be separated from values with the help of following example.
A community worker may consider that it is in the best interests of their client to
breach the clients confidence, leading to a breach of a set standard of confidentiality
such as prescribed by a code of ethics, a code of conduct or a legal obligation. The
reason for the breach may have been value-based and thereby will not satisfy proper
and accepted standards for breaching confidence even though the community worker
thought it acceptable or even mandatory. This highlights how our individual values can
intrude into our professional lives and potentially cause us to ignore ethical obligations
and duties. In other words, our values may cause us to ignore a code of ethics.
25.What do you understand by the following terms in the context of public
service?(3X5=15 marks)(250 words)
(i) Fortitude
(ii) Empathy

(iii) Altruism
(iv) Prudence
(v) Temperance
Model Answer:
Fortitude: means strength of mind in times of pain and danger.It is related to strong
conviction and believe in your abilities. For civil servants this virtue is essential for he
has to see many such times in his career.There will be threats,pull and push,political
demands, media ostracization, social criticisation. Fortitude will be tested in such times.
Empathy: is ability to feel pain of others, to fit yourself in others position and be able
to understand their emotions, conditions and feelings. Often the Mai-Baap culture of
civil services is seen as dissociation from the general travesty of Masses. Empathy will
remove this conception. Especially for rural,poor,marginalised and oppressed this is
needed to understand the real situation.
Altruism: is related to controlling government expenditure. It is application of rationality
and use of thrift. This will ease burden on day to day work and civil servants will be
able to help government this way.That saved money can be used for public welfare or
other essential works.
Prudence: is closely related to rationality and use of moderation especially in
economic transaction. It will also help in maintaining social harmony while dealing with
different section of society.
Temperance: means showing restraint in behavior and action and not to take decision
in impulse. As a public servants its important to have an open minded. All action must
be taken after thoroughly anyalying the ground situation and going thorough the facts.