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Initial Thoughts:

• This year’s UPSC Mains GS 1 has been easy to moderate in difficulty as many questions were straightforward and directly related to the syllabus but tested the ability to analytically think in a time-constrained environment.
• The static syllabus and current events were properly balanced.
• As usual, Geography dominated the paper with the maximum number of questions. Society and History had an equal number of questions. From the History section, art and culture saw the highest number of questions, followed by modern Indian history and a single question from post-independence. There was no question from world history.

Most of the topics were directly covered from the Samajho’s Corner: Static Topics Repository for Mains

SMAP Initiative and Important Topics for UPSC Mains-2022

• The overall History section was medium on the difficulty level.
• Modern Indian questions were straightforward and simple. Even though the questions were simple to score, the topics (Indian armies and famines) were unusual. There was no 15-marker in Modern India, which is a notable fact.
• Art and Culture questions ranged from moderate to challenging. The question on the Gupta & Chola periods was straightforward and simple, whereas the question on the Medieval era required connecting mediaeval sculptures with social life. The question about the significance of the lion and bull figures was challenging.
• There was easy and straightforward question on the Post-independence Consolidation and Reorganization within the country.
• There was no question on the World History.

Questions:

Art and Culture:

Q1. How will you explain that Medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days? (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature & Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Covered in History SMP NOTES: Art & Culture ch1: Architecture and Sculptures

Q 12. Discuss the main contributions of the Gupta period and the Chola period to Indian heritage and culture. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature & Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Covered in History SMP NOTES: Ancient History ch8: Guptas and Post-Gupta Age

Q 13. Discuss the significance of the lion and bull figures in Indian mythology, art and architecture. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature & Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Modern Indian History:

Q2. 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)

Topic in the syllabus: Freedom Struggle: its various stages & important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.Mid-18th century to present: significant events, personalities, issues

Covered in History SMP NOTES: 1. British outlook towards Army and 2. Revolt of 1857: Causes of failure

Q3. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Freedom Struggle: its various stages & important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.Mid-18th century to present: significant events, personalities, issues

Covered in History SMP NOTES.

Post-independence:

Q11. The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Post-Independence consolidation & reorganisation within the country

Covered in Samajho’s Corner: Post Independence Consolidation and Reorganisation

• The questions from society ranged from moderate to easy. The static syllabus and current events were properly balanced.
• Questions like “work from home” and “consumption culture” reflected contemporary events in Indian society. These questions were straightforward and easy to answer.
• Two questions about the features of Indian society were challenging but straightforward. Answering a question on secularism demanded critical thinking.
• Like every year, there was one question about globalisation and its impact on Indian society.

Questions:

Q8. Explore and evaluate the impact of ‘Work From Home’ on family relationships. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Poverty and Developmental issues, Urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner in various articles.

Q9. How is the growth of Tier 2 Cities related to the rise of a new middle class with an emphasis on the culture of consumption? (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Poverty and Developmental issues, Urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner in various articles.

Q10. Given the diversities among tribal communities in India, in which specific contexts should they be considered as a single category? (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner: Diversity of India

Q18. Analyse the salience of ‘sect’ in Indian society vis-a-vis caste, region and religion. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner: Diversity of India

Q19. Are tolerance, assimilation and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism? Justify your answer. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner: Secularism Explained

Q20. Elucidate the relationship between globalization and new technology in a world of scarce resources, with special reference to India. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Effects of Globalization on Indian society.

Covered in Samajho’s Corner in various articles. Effects of Globalization on Indian Society

• The geography questions were medium-to-easy. All of the questions were straightforward and easily answered from the NCERTs.
• There was equal focus on the Physical geography and economic geography.

Questions:

Q4. Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient features of World’s Physical Geography.

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES and Video by ROHIT DAGAR SIR: Types of Rocks

Q5. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone prone areas given by the Indian Meteorological Department. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Important Geophysical Phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES, Samajho’s Corner and Video by ROHIT DAGAR SIR: 1. Tropical Cyclones and 2. Tropical cyclones are becoming more common in the Arabian Sea

Q6. Discuss the natural resource potentials of ‘Deccan Trap’. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES: Plateaus of India

Q7. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for their limited spatial spread. (Answer in 150 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES: Energy resources of India

Q14. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in fishing industry of the world. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient features of World’s Physical Geography.

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES, Samajho’s Corner and Video by ROHIT DAGAR SIR: 1. Factors affecting ocean currents and their role in influencing climate

Q15. Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental issues faced by them. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES, Samajho’s Corner.

Q16. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade. (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES, Samajho’s Corner.

Q17. Troposphere is a very significant atmosphere layer that determines weather processes. How? (Answer in 250 words)

Topic in the syllabus: Salient features of World’s Physical Geography.

Covered in Geography SMP NOTES and Video by ROHIT DAGAR SIR: Atmosphere Structure