That “Extra” Thing you need in your Answer for scoring high in General Studies – IAS Topper Tells you

The myth of scoring marks in Civil Services – may not be a myth at all. Especially the General Studies Paper , and there are four of them. Here is what is common among all aspirants these days :-

• I have attempted almost all questions
• I have completed the question paper, albeit in ugly handwriting

And yet, you would also hear :-

• I merely scored 297 ( or 310 ) in GS out of 1,000 despite a very good paper.

And then are the types who have scored 400+ in General Studies.

What is the secret?

@Neanderthal , ForumIAS Moderator, Member and now IAS Topper ( after upgrading from Indian Revenue Service last year ) shares his secret to scoring 410 in general Studies. He says:-

I have 418 in GS. The key to answers in GS is linkage. How well can you compare and contrast one idea to another.

Let’s take an example– GS P1, Q1 (CSE 2014) about IVC inputs of planning and culture in modern urbanization.

Why do you think this question was asked in the first place?

Yep, that’s right! Smart Cities.

So link IVC and the modern civilization to the present day pet project of the government. Talk about Chandigarh grid planning. Issues of drainage and water logging and how that was addressed in IVC cities.

With regards cultural inputs, a distinct architectural features of houses in the IVC was that the kitchen and the lavatory were at diagonally opposite corners of the unit. Why do you think that is?

Yes, hygiene.

From there came the concept of keeping the two separate– kitchen being a ‘clean’ place and the lavatory, ‘dirty’. Ergo, those working in the kitchen would not be asked to work in the lavatories and those associated with the lavatories weren’t allowed entry into the kitchen. Varna comes from the root ‘varya’ or ‘to choose’ (your profession).

 

Those working in the kitchen were considered inferior to those involved elsewhere. Thus came the concept of high and low in society. So although there wasn’t any caste system in the IVC, no Jati et al, but the seeds of modern day evils of caste system– it’s stringent vertical hierarchical structure– were laid way back in that period.

While this is true that almost every aspirant is completing the Paper these days, filling up the paper. A set method of securing an Interview call was to complete the paper. Apparently, this strategy didn’t work in CSE 2014 Mains. A major differentiator being the quality of answers.

Now what comprises a good answer is debatable, but one thing is certain the variety, diversity and depth in answers might just be the key.