UPSC 2014 PSIR Question Paper 1

         Instructions -

  • Questions no. 1 and 5 are compulsory and out of the remaining, any THREE are to be attempted choosing at least ONE question from each section.
  • Attempts of questions shall be counted in sequential order. Unless struck off, attempt of a question shall be counted even if attempted partly. Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

                            PAPER 1 - Section A 

1. Comment on the following in about 150 words each:  (10*5 = 50M)  

(a) "... political theory is not an escape mechanism but an ardous calling." (John Plamanetz)

(b) "All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility." (J. S. Mill)

(c) "Nationalism is not a mere political programme but a way of life like religion."

(d) "India has thrown up a form of judicial democracy that has no parallel anywhere else, and has nurtured a kind of civil society that is uniquely its own." (Bhikhu Parekh)

(e) "Power is never the property of an individual; it belongs to a group and remains in existence only so long as the group keeps together." (Hannah Arendt)

2. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Comment on the view that socialism in the 21st century may be reborn as anti-capitalism.

(b) Examine the conditions that are required for the maintenance of legitimacy in modern societies.

(c) Evaluate the contributions of Buddhist tradition to Indian political thought.

3. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Explicate the conception of justice in the critiques of communitarian theorists.

(b) Examine the conception of the State in the ideologies of Fascism and Marxism.

(c) How is liberty a precondition for equality? Explicate the relationship between equality and liberty.

4. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Explain how Machiavelli's application of empirical method to human affairs marks an important stage in the evolution of political science.

(b) Central to Aristotle's political thought is his classification of the different types of political constitutions in the Politics. Evaluate.

(c) Explicate the features of deliberative democracy.

                                PAPER 1 - Section B

5. Comment on the following in about 150 words each : (10*5 = 50M)

(a) The dilemmas of the human rights movements in India

(b) Relation between ethnicity and democracy in India

(c) Increasingly higher focus on Directive Principles of State policy 

(d) Marginalization of the left ideology in India

(e) The role of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in promoting good governance

6. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Discuss the working of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to curb violence against Dalits.

(b) Examine the scope and limitations of women's movements in India.

(c) Explain how peasant movements promoted nationalist ideas during the struggle for Indian independence.

7. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Discuss the nature of reforms of the electoral process in India and explain the further scope for reforms.

(b) Examine the debates on the appointment procedure of judges to the higher judiciary in India.

(c) Explain how the participation of women impacted the functioning of rural local bodies in India.

8. (20, 15, 15 = 50M)

(a) Explain how pressure groups have been influencing public policy-making with suitable illustrations.

(b) What are the provisions for constitutional protection of right to freedom of religion and how far have they succeeded in promoting secularism in India?

(c) Account for the changes in the socio-economic profile of legislators during last one decade in India.

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