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GS 1: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.

Micro-Topic wise questions

1. ART AND CULTURE
a. Arts from Ancient to Modern times.
i. Discuss the significance of the lion and Bull figures in Indian Mythology art and architecture.
(Answer in 250 words) 15 marks (2022)
ii. Discuss the main contributions of Gupta period and Chola period to Indian Heritage and
Culture. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks (2022)
iii. How will you explain that medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of
those days? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks (2022)
iv. The rock-cut architecture represents one of the most important sources of our knowledge
of early Indian art and history. Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2020)
v. Highlight the Central Asian and Greco -Bactrian elements in Gandhara art. (Answer in 150
words) (2019)
vi. Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Comment (10) (2018)
vii. How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not
at all noticeable in later times? (150 words, 10 marks) (2017)
viii. Early Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives, successfully expounds
Buddhist ideals. Elucidate. (2016)
ix. Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but
also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment.
(2015)
x. Discuss the Tandava dance as recorded in the early Indian inscriptions. (5 marks- 100
words.) (2013)
xi. Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture.
Discuss. (5 marks- 100 words.) (2013)
b. Literature from Ancient to Modern times.
i. Evaluate the nature of the Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture. (Answer
in 150 words) 10 (2021)
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ii. Persian literary sources of medieval India reflect the spirit of the age. Comment. (Answer in
250 words) 15 (2020)
iii. Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab travellers in the
reconstruction of the history of India. (10) (2018)
iv. Krishnadeva Raya, the king of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself
but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss. (2016)
v. Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India,
the Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with
remarkable vividness. Comment. (10 marks-200 words.) (2013)
c. Religion and Philosophy
i. Pala period is the most significant phase in the history of Buddhism in India. Enumerate.
(Answer in 150 words) 10 (2020)
ii. Indian Philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the
monuments and their art in India. Discuss. (Answer in 250 words) 15 (2020)
iii. The Bhakti movement received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Discuss. (15) (2018)
iv. Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or
the outward structure of Hindu / Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment.
(2014)
d. Comparative Art & Culture
i. The ancient civilization in Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia
and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without breakdown to the
present day. Comment. (2015)
ii. Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain. (2014)
iii. Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated
a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location
caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the
modern sense. Discuss. (2014)
2. MODERN INDIAN HISTORY FROM 18TH CENTURY TO PRESENT
a. Events
i. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-18th century? Give
reasons. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks (2022)
ii. The 1857 Uprising was the culmination the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had
occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate (Answer in 150 words)
(2019)
iii. Clarify how mid-eighteenth-century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented
polity. (150 words, 10 marks) (2017)
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iv. Explain how the upraising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of
British policies towards colonial India. (2016)
v. The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles
fought at Panipat? (2014)
b. Personalities
i. Evaluate the policies of Lord Curzon and their long-term implications on the national
movements. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2020)
ii. Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times.
(10) (2018)
iii. Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in
the struggle for freedom. (2016)
iv. How difficult would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma
Gandhi? Discuss. (2015)
v. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B R Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and
strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate. (2015)
vi. In many ways, Lord Dalhousie was the founder of modern India. Elaborate. 10 marks-200
words (2013)
vii. Critically discuss the objectives of Bhoodan and Gramdan movements initiated by Acharya
Vinoba Bhave and their success. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
viii. Discuss the contribution of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to pre-and post-independent India.
10 marks-200 words (2013)
c. Issues
i. 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 then Indian
rulers? Give reasons. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks (2022)
ii. Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to
Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2021)
iii. Examine the linkages between 19th centuries ‘Indian Renaissance’ and the emergence of
national identity. (Answer in 150 words) (2019)
iv. Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural
economy. (250 words, 15 marks) (2017)
v. The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th-century social reform
movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period? (250
words, 15 marks) (2017)
vi. Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-
eighteenth century till independence. (2014)
3. FREEDOM STRUGGLE
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a. Various Stages
i. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation
Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (Answer in 250 words) 15 (2021)
ii. Since the decade of the 1920s, the national movement acquired various ideological strands
and thereby expanded its social base. Discuss. (Answer in 250 words) 15 (2020)
iii. Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power
during the 1940s. (Answer in 250 words) (2019)
iv. Why did the ‘Moderates’ fail to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed
ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century? (150 words, 10 marks)
(2017)
v. Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian
Independence since the twenties of the last century. (250 words, 15 marks) (2017)
vi. It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of
drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years, but its experience gained
with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss. (2015)
vii. In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial
aspirations in India? (2014)
viii. What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which
motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India? (2014)
b. Contributions
i. To what extent did the role of the moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom
movement? Comment. (Answer in 250 words) 15 (2021)
ii. Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the
Gandhian phase. Elaborate (Answer in 250 words) (2019)
iii. Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.
(2016)
iv. Defying the barriers of age, gender and religion, the Indian women became the torch bearer
during the struggle for freedom in India. Discuss. (10 marks-200 words) (2013)
v. Several foreigners made India their homeland and participated in various movements.
Analyse their role in the Indian struggle for freedom. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
4. POST-INDEPENDENCE
a. Consolidation
i. Assess the main administrative issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration
process of Indian Princely States. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2021)
b. Reorganization
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i. 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) 15 marks (2022)
ii. Has the formation of linguistic states strengthened the cause of Indian unity? (2016)
c. Economy
i. The New Economic Policy – 1921 of Lenin had influenced the policies adopted by India soon
after independence. Evaluate. (2014)
ii. Write a critical note on the evolution and significance of the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. 10
marks-200 words (2013)
d. Foreign Relations
i. Analyse the circumstances that led to Tashkent Agreement in 1966. Discuss the highlights of
the agreement. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
ii. Critically examine the compulsions which prompted India to play a decisive role in the
emergence of Bangladesh. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
5. HISTORY OF THE WORLD FROM 18TH CENTURY “SUCH AS”
a. Revolutions (including Industrial revolution)
i. Explain how the foundations of the modern world were laid by the American and French
revolution. (Answer in 250 words) (2019)
ii. Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the
people there during the industrialization. How does it compare with that in India at present
times? (2015)
iii. “Latecomer” Industrial revolution in Japan involved certain factors that were markedly
different from what west had experience. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
iv. American Revolution was an economic revolt against mercantilism. Substantiate. 10 marks-
200 words (2013)
b. World Wars
i. ” There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World
Wars.” Evaluate the statement. (Answer in 250 words) 15 (2021)
ii. To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss
critically. (2015)
c. Redrawing of National boundaries
i. Africa was chopped into states artificially created by accident of European competition.
Analyse. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
d. Colonization
i. Why indentured labour was taken by the British from India to their colonies? Have they
been able to preserve their cultural identity over there? (15) (2018)
e. Decolonization
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i. What problems are germane to the decolonization process in the Malay Peninsula? (150
words, 10 marks) (2017)
ii. The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated
Africans. Examine. (2016)
iii. What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to
Britain’s self-image as a world power? (2014)
f. Politico-Economic Systems (Communism, Capitalism, Socialism)
i. What policy instruments were deployed to contain the great economic depression? 10
marks-200 words (2013)
6. FEATURES OF INDIAN SOCIETY
a.
7. DIVERSITY OF INDIA
8. ROLE OF WOMEN AND WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION
9. POPULATION AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES
10. POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES
11. URBANIZATION: THEIR PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES
12. EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION ON INDIAN SOCIETY.
13. SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT
14. COMMUNALISM
a. ‘Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation.’ Argue by giving suitable
illustrations. (15) (2018)
b. Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the
former has got transformed into the latter in independent India. (250 words, 15 marks) (2017)
15. REGIONALISM
a. Do you agree that regionalism in India appears to be a consequence of rising cultural assertiveness?
Argue. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2020)
b. Discuss whether the formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of
India. (15) (2018)
c. What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on
regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer. (2016)
d. Growing feeling of regionalism is an important factor in the generation of demand for a separate
state. Discuss. 10 marks-200 words (2013)
16. SECULARISM
a. Are tolerance, assimilation, and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of
secularism? Justify your answer. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks (2022)
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b. What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism (Answer in 150 words)?
(2019)
c. How the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of secularism? Discuss. (10)
(2018)
d. How do the Indian debates on secularism differ from the debates in the West? (2014)
17. SALIENT FEATURES OF WORLD’S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
18. DISTRIBUTION OF KEY NATURAL RESOURCES ACROSS THE WORLD (INCLUDING SOUTH ASIA AND
THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT)
19. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOCATION OF PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY SECTOR
INDUSTRIES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD (INCLUDING INDIA)
20. IMPORTANT GEOPHYSICAL PHENOMENA, GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES AND THEIR LOCATION
a. Earthquakes
b. Tsunami
c. Volcanic activity
i. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on the
regional environment. (Answer in 150 words) 10 (2021)
ii. Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics. (10) (2018)
d. Cyclone
e. Landslides
f. Drought, Flood and Interrupted Navigation
21. CHANGES IN CRITICAL GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES (INCLUDING WATER-BODIES AND ICE-CAPS)
AND IN FLORA AND FAUNA AND THE EFFECT OF SUCH CHANGES.
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