Year 2014

With greater power comes greater responsibility.

To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss.

Starting from inventing the 'basic structure' doctrine, the judiciary has played a highly proactive role in ensuring that India develops into a thriving democracy. In light of the statement, evaluate the role played by judicial activism in achieving the ideals of democracy.

Normally countries shift from agriculture to industry and then later to services, but India shifted directly from agriculture to services. What are the reasons for the huge growth of services vis-a-vis industry in the country? Can India become a developed country without a strong industrial base?

All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with examples.

What does ethics seek to promote in human life? Why is it all the more important in public administration?

Write notes on the following in about 150 words each: (10x5=50 marks)

(a) Double Descent (10 marks)

(b) Genealogical Method (10 marks)

(c) Major sub-divisions of Anthropology (10 marks)

(d) Ecological Anthropology (10 marks)

(e) Field work tradition in Anthropology (10 marks)

Write short notes on the following in about 150 words each : (10x5=50 marks, 150 words each)

(a) Neolithic cultures of N-E India (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) Tribe-Caste continuum (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) Great tradition and Little tradition (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) Major linguistic divisions of India (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) Contribution of H. H. Risley to the ‘Aryan’ debate (10 marks, 150 words)

Answer the following in about 150 words each: (10 marks, 150 words)

(a) Define the term ‘meander’ and describe the basic characteristics of entrenched meander and ingrown meander.

(b) Discuss the salient features of ‘sirocco’ and ‘mistral’.

(c) Give an account of the nature of biosphere as an ecosystem.

(d) State the uniqueness of the Eurasian Steppe Biome.

(e) Illustrate the origin and nature of Sargasso Sea and Lagoon.

(a) On the outline map of India provided to you, mark the location of all of the following. Write in your QCA Booklet the significance of these locations, whether physical/commercial/economic/ecological/environmental/cultural, in not more than 30 words for each entry:

(i) Guru Shikhar

(ii) Bhor Ghat

(iii) Shravanabelagola

(iv) Kalibangan

(v) Ganga Sagar (10 marks, 30 words for each entry)

(b) Explain how eco-tourism activities could be important livelihood options in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions of the country. (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) How is drainage pattern determined by the water divide? (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) Location of thermal power plants and coal fields in India are not mutually conducive. Analyse. (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) Why has agro and social forestry failed to achieve its objectives? (10 marks, 150 words)

Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Question-cum-Answer booklet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim : (2½ marks, 30 words)

(i) An ancient capital

(ii) A Palaeolithic site

(iii) A cultural centre

(iv) An ancient capital

(v) A Palaeolithic site

(vi) A historical site

(vii) A Harappan site

(viii) An ancient capital

(ix) A political and cultural centre

(x) A Megalithic site

(xi) A Mesolithic site

(xii) A Chalcolithic site

(xiii) A prehistoric site

(xiv) A political and cultural centre

(xv) An ancient capital

(xvi) A lost port

(xvii) Rock-cave art centre

(xviii) An ancient capital

(xix) A political and cultural centre

(xx) An ancient town

Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: (10×5=50)

(a) "Plassey did not complete the British conquest of India. Had the English been convincingly defeated in any subsequent battle in India, then (the battle of) Plassey would have remained as a minor episode in the history of India." (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) "Montague-Chelmsford reform proposals introduced 'dyarchy', but blurred the lines of responsibility." (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) "The military, feudal and traditional overtones of the Revolt of 1857 were overshadowed by its nationalist or proto-nationalist character." (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) "The 'safety-valve thesis' does not adequately explain the birth of the Indian National Congress in 1885." (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) "M.K. Gandhi made a gross mistake in championing the Khilafat cause, an extra-territorial issue which cut at the very roots of Indian nationality." (10 marks, 150 words)

Write short answers to the following in about 150 words each :

(a) How are the synthetic a priori judgements justifiable according to Kant ? Explain. (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) Bring out the significance of ‘language games’ in Wittgenstein’s use theory of meaning. (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) Explain the significance of ‘bracketing’ in Husserl phenomenology. (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) Does Leibniz’s theory of pre-established harmony necessarily lead to determinism ? Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) How far are Quine’s arguments in “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” justified ? Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words)

Answer all of the following in about 150 words each: (10 marks, 150 words each)

(a) If caste discrimination has continuity and hierarchy, which principle of justice can dissolve this problem?

(b) How does multiculturalism redefine liberal notions like identity, freedom and equality and reformulate its assumptions?

(c) How do we distinguish Liberal humanism and Marxist humanism?

(d) Explain the significance of John Austin's theory of sovereignty. How does it differ from that of Hobbes?

(e) Can we say that racial supremacy is the main reason for genocide? Give reasons for your answer.

Comment on the following in about 150 words each : (50 marks, 150 words)

(a) "political theory is not an escape mechanism but an arduous 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." (Aurobindo Ghose)

(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)

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each :

(a) Party system in India is neither western nor indigenous. Explain. (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) In what respect is the new social movement new in nature? Discuss. (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) Do you agree that the U.N. has failed to contain transnational terrorism? Elaborate your answer with examples. (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) “The Feminist approach to international politics is biased.” Comment. (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) “Ukraine crisis is a product of power politics and geo-politics.” Comment. (10 marks, 150 words)

Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : (10 marks, 150 words)

(a) What are the implications of the post-structuralist perspective on the discrete aspects of Public Administration, coming from its epistemological positions?

(b) “Adaptive, problem-solving, temporary systems of diverse specialists, linked together by coordinating executives in an organic flux—this is the original form that will gradually replace bureaucracy.” Discuss, in the light of this statement, the ‘end of bureaucracy’ thesis and its strengths and limitations.

(c) “Karl Marx’s interpretation of bureaucracy was rooted in the history of the nature of the State.” Evaluate.

(d) “The conceptual division between administrative and constitutional law is quite porous, and that along many dimensions, administrative law can be considered more constitutional in character than the constitutions.” How would you justify the statement?

(e) Is Peter Drucker justified in saying, “Management principles should not tell us what to do, but only tell us what not to do”? Comment.

Attempt the following in about 150 words each : (10x5=50)

(a) “Ethics in public services has been the central concern of Kautilya’s Arthashastra.” Critically examine the statement. (10 marks)

(b) Discuss the value premises of Constitutionalism in India which the bureaucracy cannot violate. (10 marks)

(c) The functional role of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) depends on the Prime Minister’s policy orientation, personality and style of administration. Comment on the statement with suitable examples. (10 marks)

(d) Despite the adoption of decentralized planning, participatory initiatives remain marginalized and divisive in many regions. Discuss. (10 marks)

(e) “The Centre – State relations have acquired new dimensions in recent times due to several political parties being in power at the Centre and the States.” (Second Administrative Reforms Commission). Do you agree? Give reasons to support your arguments. (10 marks)

Write short answer of the following:

(a) How is objectivity different from value neutrality? Discuss with reference to Weber's views on methodology. (10 marks, 150 words)

(b) How did the emergence of industrial society change the family life in Western Europe? (10 marks, 150 words)

(c) How is sociological approach to human actions different from that of psychological approach? (10 marks, 150 words)

(d) In what way biographies could be used to study social life? (10 marks, 150 words)

(e) How can we use reference group theory to understand fashion in society? (10 marks, 150 words)

Write short notes with a sociological perspective on the following in about 150 words each: (10 marks each, 150 words each)

(a) Gandhi's efforts on communal harmony

(b) Modernisation of Indian traditions

(c) Types of kinship systems in India

(d) Features of caste system

(e) G.S. Ghurye's Indological approach to understand society in India

Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow- each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage - 1

The Himalayan ecosystem is highly vulnerable to damage, both due to geological reasons and on account of the stress caused by increased pressure of population, exploitation of natural resources and other related challenges. These aspects may be exacerbated due to the impact of climate change. It is possible that climate change may adversely impact the Himalayan ecosystem through increased temperature altered precipitation patterns, episodes of drought and biotic influences. This would not only impact the very sustenance of the indigenous communities in uplands but also the life of downstream dwellers across the country and beyond. Therefore, there is an urgent need for giving special attention to sustain the Himalayan ecosystem. This would require conscious efforts for conserving all the representative systems. Further, it needs to be emphasized that the endemics with restricted distribution, and most often with specialized habitat requirements, are among the most vulnerable elements. In this respect the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with rich endemic diversity, is vulnerable to climate change. The Threats include possible loss of genetic resources and species, habitats and concomitantly a decrease in ecosystem services. Therefore, conservation of endemic elements in representative ecosystems/habitats assumes a great significance while drawing conservation plans for the region. Towards achieving the above, we will have to shift towards contemporary conservation approaches, which include a paradigm of landscape level interconnectivity between protected area systems. The concept advocates a shift from the species-habitat focus to an inclusive focus on expanding the biogeographic range so that natural adjustments to climate change can proceed without being restrictive.

Consider the following statements:

According to the passage, the adverse impact of climate change on an ecosystem can be a

1. Permanent disappearance of some of its flora and fauna.

2. Permanent disappearance of ecosystem itself.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 only

(B) 2 only

(C) Both 1 and 2

(D) Neither 1 nor 2

What is the significance of a practical approach to sugarcane production known as ‘Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative’?

1. Seed cost is very low in this compared to the conventional method of cultivation.

2. Drip irrigation can be practised very effectively in this.

3. There is no application of chemical/ inorganic fertilizers at all in this.

4. The scope for intercropping is more in this compared to the conventional method of cultivation.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(A) 1 and 3 only

(B) 1, 2 and 4 only

(C) 2, 3 and 4 only

(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4