UPSC Mains 2015 Essay Paper

See GS Paper 1 Here | See GS Paper 2 Here | See GS Paper 3 Here |

Instructions: Write two essays, choosing one from each of the following Section A & B, in about 1000-1200 words.

Total Marks : 250

Section ‘A’

1 Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.

किसी को अनुदान देने से, उसके काम में हाथ बटाना बेहतर है|

2. Quick but steady wins the race

फुर्तीला किन्तु संतुलित व्यक्ति ही दौड़ में विजयी होता है|

 

3. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.

िसी संस्था का चरित्र चित्रण, उसके नेतृत्व में प्रतिबिंबित होता है|

 

4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.

मूल्यों से वंचित शिक्षा , जैसी अभी उपयोगी है, व्यक्ति को अधिक चतुर बनाने जैसी लगती है|

 

 


 

Section B

1. Technology cannot replace manpower.

प्रोद्योगिकी , मानवशक्ति को विस्थापित नहीं कर सकती |

2. Crisis faced in India – moral or economic.

भारत के सम्मुख संकट – नैतिक या आर्थिक|

3. Dreams which should not let India sleep.

वे सपने जो भारत को सोने न दें |

4. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?

क्या पूँजीवाद द्वारा समायेशित विकास हो पाना संभव है |


Comments

53 responses to “UPSC Mains 2015 Essay Paper”

  1. Anubhav Yadav Avatar
    Anubhav Yadav

    for government it is not optional to give favor to its citizen rather it should be a right based approach like to right to education right to food and right to work etc so that it became obligatory for government to service its citizen.

  2. Getting marks is not easy as the topic is quite common to be focus.

  3. I did. You are right. Sorry.

  4. Most welcome Sir!

  5. Yes , that is also what I would interpret.

  6. And also please answer the next question.

  7. The issue of rbi can always be an example to this but I am doubtful about IIM governing council as IIM is not a regulatory institution. And, also, the question is asking examples favouring autonomy. Please let me know if I am going in wrong direction.

  8. for the first question i would write in favour citing reasons like temporary nature of elected government and its policies when compared to long term goals of these bodies, populist schems of goverment, better expertise with them, how clear cut goals increase their answerablilty whereas government interference gives them a scapegoat examples of independence issue of RBI regarding monetary policy committee, and how both govt and rbi have come in line…but the autonomy should be under an overall umbrella of accountability citing example of IIM governing council and how complete autonomy has given it virtual control over studies in that stream and hike in fees and bill being brought to control that…also example of fmc can be given how such regulators need to be revamped over time…please provide ur feedback and suggestion for improvement

  9. Okay. And what is your point of view regarding these questions- For achieving the desired objectives,it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institution remain independent and autonomous. Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past & does the right to clean environment entail legal regulation on burning crackers during Diwali? Discus in the light of Article 21 of Indian Constitution and judgements of the apex in this regard.

  10. I wouldnt really favour that since dat would be dwelling into an ongoing controversial issue..i would favour using more universally acceptable examples like hitler and germany

  11. i think essay started quite well but as it proceeds it went off track ,kind of plugging in your optional chapters here and there.

    coz you has mention abt optional… so i asked ??????

  12. Can we use example of ftii here?? And thanks for the suggestion.

  13. ———————-Admin——————-
    Please Upload all mains paper scan file here
    ASAP

  14. I think we can write in this format, please advice me upon this attempt
    We can start with historical context of any of the great civilizations..how alexander shaped greek history, better would be the the change and influence mohammed brought to arabian society of time, how it changed a tribe based warrior society to a more civilised and unified one..this could be a good introduction..
    Then we can deal with how a leader shapes the world around, in economic we can cite example of how den xiaoping turned chinese outlook with open door policy, in defence we can write about how hitler changed an ailing germany to a force, in educational institute how rabindranath tagore and we can continue this way…
    In the next part, we could move to how some leaders were not so successful, for ex indian pm in changing the nature of indian bureaucracy….
    We can then go for how things go wrong for these leaders citing reasons like lack of mass appeal, taking contradictory positions simultaneously, too much centralisation and write example for these which could be repeated from above,
    Finally could end on an optimistic note about writing about present positive atmosphere around indian leadership and what steps they can take to shape a positive future for the country like taking all the communities together, on diplomatic front, on economic front….

    Waiting for your comments

  15. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader..what shall be the context of this topic?

  16. Anubhav Yadav Avatar
    Anubhav Yadav

    I think greater challenge in tacking these essay topics will be to Exhaust the word limit 1000, i think i will fall short of content.

  17. I like this years essay paper… philosophical and opinionated.. while writing flow comes automatically n essay becomes more beautiful to read.. this type of essay examines power of ones’ thinking and writing skills.

  18. Anubhav Yadav Avatar
    Anubhav Yadav

    yes I very much agree with your interpretation. Giving money straight away to poor will be “powering” them but giving them life skills like vocational etc will be empowering, so that instead of making dependent on government mercy rather enable them to earn their living in a sustainable manner and also they will become a substantial part of Indian GDP.

    But MNREGA is not all crap, it is a good initiative by govt to give opportunity to people who are in need of work (DPSP). Also being able to run this scheme for such a long period govt has multitude of advantages cum benefits.

    eg Collection of good statistic record of rural labour, mobilising the work force for labour intensive work like canal digging, road making etc.

  19. 2016aspirant Avatar
    2016aspirant

    chutiya ho kya..ladoo daal lo peechhe.

  20. praveen singada Avatar
    praveen singada

    Answers: Essay (Section A)
    FEYNMAN IAS INSTITUTE·FRIDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2015
    [Prepared by Venkata Mohan]
    The outlines given here are only suggestive in nature. There are many ways of writing a good essay.

    Section A

    1. Analysis: Lending hands means helping. Dole means – simply giving money.
    ð helping the person to earn for himself, rather than giving money
    ð “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
    ð Training is important. Empower the other.
    ð Discourage dependence, encourage self-growth.
    ð If he is helpless, what might be problem? How he might overcome? What did he need to do? What prevents him for growing? Analysis of the problem important.
    ð Read about women SHGs? How with little outside help, they became entrepreneurs.
    ð Mohammad Yunus gave loans to beggars and helped them to leaving begging career. Of course he took time.
    [I am choosing Yunus work because I am familiar. You choose something you are familiar with.]
    ð Doles kill self-respect. Don’t kill.
    ð Give him self-respect? How? Create conditions by which he can earn.
    ð May mean more active help, not less.

    2. Analysis: ‘slow and steady wins the race’ was old proverb. ‘Slow and steady’ now substituted with ‘quick but steady’. Is it a better proverb?
    ð Story of tortoise and hare: hare was too confident, arrogant, though it could run fast, it slept and lost the race. Tortoise could not run fast, it is its nature, but sure of its mission, direction, kept going and going. And going. So it won.
    ð ‘Slow AND steady’ really means ‘steady though slow’.
    ð Means ‘steady despite slow’
    ð ‘Clear, confident though by nature not more capable’
    ð Victory of clarity over any innate, biological advantage
    ð Think of a new story: hare 1 and hare 2 were competing. One hare was arrogant of victory and so it slept. Another hare ran without sleeping and won the race. Is it a better story than the original? Surely not.
    ð Now leave the proverbs.
    ð Nothing of importance is achieved overnight. Only through effort. Over a long time. Many failures in the meantime. Through ridicule. But sense of purpose gives direction to life’s journey.
    ð Have clarity of purpose. Don’t seek instant results.
    ð Is this a wrong attitude? Should we not be quick as we are steady?
    ð Not really. As you are steady, as you are focussed, as you are not distracted, as you are not tempted, your journey will have its own natural speed.
    ð It might be ‘quick’, without you realizing it!

    3. Analysis: if leader has false values, then the institution he is leading will have them. If he has good values, higher standards, so will the institution be.
    ð A lot true. People within institution emulate him. He rewards and punishes certain people for certain things. So people will have his values, so institution will have his character.
    ð For example, Homi Bhabha and TIFR. The standards of excellence, spirit of inquiry, dedication to work, cooperative spirit, freedom from bureaucratic methods… Without Bhabha, TIFR could not be what it was.
    ð But leaders are not permanent. Institutions are. People come and go. So how can institutions be great even when they are not led by great people?
    ð Set of procedures. Clarity of values. Of goals. Of means. What it can do to pursue to reach its goals. What it should never. A code to govern. This the founders should set.
    ð Great leaders think of what happens to institutions after they are gone.
    ð Institution is great when it retains its greatness even when it is being led by lesser mortals.

    4. Analysis: [This is a quote by C. S. Lewis, a British novelist. But one need not know this to write a good essay.] What does clever devil mean? Means evil done more cunningly. Education without values can make man more cunning, more destructive.
    ð Education now mostly on teaching skills for livelihood or ability to master some information.
    ð Exams measure the skills or the mastery over information.
    ð Purpose of all this to have more money or power
    ð Nothing on oneself, or insight into one’s own sources of happiness
    ð Nor on how one should relate to others
    ð People go in different ways, get into conflict, use power/money to settle conflict
    ð Different education possible that gives clarity of purpose/ends, takes skills/ information as the means
    ð That education accepts life as the book. Conflict as a lesson. All with the end of happiness – of oneself and of people around.
    ð This will change man’s orientation to social/political problems. Through understanding. Through higher principles. Rather than through power.
    ð With such education, given this science & technology, far better societies can be created.
    Note: I am happy to say our Ethics & Essay course enables the students to write all these questions, not just one of the questions. We covered
    · What is education
    · On leaders
    · Purpose/direction of life
    · Yunus/ SHGs
    We did so through covering various thinkers on Ethics!

  21. nishachd111@gmail.com Avatar
    nishachd111@gmail.com

    ??

  22. arpita sharma Avatar
    arpita sharma

    Section A is straight forward but difficult to fill 1000 words
    Section B is tricky but 1200 words can be easily conjured … but opinions can be very differing here

  23. your optional paper ???

  24. Nature of essay – less factual and more philosophical , opinionated and subjective , that many would have gone off track.

    Good news is that what examiner thinks as off track and on track will determine score 🙂

  25. anyway, do you agree with my interpretation of the topic?

  26. Tahnk you for the kind words, there will be lot more to be included, given the time this is what I could do, let’s see what others have to say!! Thanks so much for the review!!

  27. mgnrega would be a dole in my view since it doesn’t create assets, it makes people dependant and it doesn’t provide a lasting, sustainable solution. it is only a temporary fix to alleviate unemployment and agrarian distress in rural areas. but it is still essential since there is no substitute to tackle severe unemployment during periods of drought, etc. so this can be one point in favour of doles to keep the views balanced.

  28. I may not be competent enough to review this essay , but let me do a peer review. You have done well on identifying the right story and example.

    Writing style is clean, no confusion, flow and all is good. I don’t know what else could be included in the essay , but this is good.

    I also think many would have used the Mahabharata example, so dont know how much unique it will be. Rest of the essay is written in Q & A style, which is interesting to the reader.

  29. nishachd111@gmail.com Avatar
    nishachd111@gmail.com

    i think essay started quite well but as it proceeds it went off track ,kind of plugging in your optional chapters here and there

  30. Please review guys! Felt it didn’t go so well, but please review and let me know!

  31. 1st essay in section A and the last in B can be good attempts, but if I were to write, I would have little overlap on these two topics. But yes one sex up these essays with good number of schemes, statistics and facts. I was not very sure with the word dole so chose to write education and values essay. Wrote it in 1 12 hour, please do review the essay. I have written it in my notes and reproducing the same here.

    ” Arjuna and Duryodhana, both HD the same guru and had the same education. While the evil aspirations of Duryodhana has led to the Kurukshetra war, noble thoughts and acts of Arjuna deposed the Kauravas and established a just regime.” This depicts the impact of values and knowledge of individuals on their acts and consequences.

    The need for right knowledge and right action have long been upheld by Buddhism and Jainism and the Gnana and Karma philosophies of Later Vedic period. The right knowledge an individual possesses can turn into right action only with the right set of values. This is evident in our colonial history where, the most educated and self proclaimed civilized British and their ICS officers have committed most inhuman activities, Gandhiji with good education and highest values could achieve independence in the most non violent way possible and little harm to the people.

    Is education the only source of knowledge?

    From a stage where, nature and experience gave knowledge, man with his capabilities and imagination had acquired immense knowledge through simulation, experimentation, interpretation etc., Man believed that this knowledge has to be preserved for the progress and sustenance of the human beings. This eventually led to the establishment of a formal education, which has become the sole source knowledge in the world.

    From a field in rural Andhra Pradesh to the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley, can and has made wonders and it likely to have that impact, till the humans exist. Though formal education has taken various approaches and methodologies, in various institutions and countries, it remains the most important source of knowledge, if not the only source of knowledge.

    Is this right knowledge resulting in right actions?

    Right action is possible only with right values. While an engineer can produce nuclear energy, the same technology can be used to make nuclear weapons, which can eliminate life on earth, under the given circumstances.

    The sources of values such as family, religion, philosophers, peers and teachers, have taken a back seat due to change in societal structure, technology, absence of moral leaders and lack of effective mechanisms in the formal education system, which is mainly driven by competition. Value system has been ever changing and is degrading. For instance Indians had self actualization as a prime value in the earlier period, are now driven by Hedonistic values of the west.

    The world is moving towards an entropy :

    The two world wars, the increased incidents of terrorism, child abuse, sexual harassment, increased crime by the juveniles. All these are dangerous precedents and will lead to entropy, though not in the near future.

    “Makers are men, creators are leaders, be careful, what kind of leaders you are producing here”

    Children are the future leaders and the creators of future. They are the ones, who are to be inculcated with the right set of values. These have to be imparted at the school level, which can have a long lasting impact on them and the country alike.

    Role of education in inculcating values :

    With the traditional sources of values, struggling to survive. Hence formal education has come to play a major role at school and the college level. One has to have different sets of values, constitutional, professional and personal. Education,in india and across tries to impart these values through books, where children do not have the cognitive abilities to understand the same. This requires a different approach where students can practice these values. This can be done through a number of ways :

    1)Allowing EBC students in all private schools under the RTE Act, can impart equity and equality among the students.
    2) Working alongside the NGOs can arouse philanthropic nature and
    3) Participation in Republic day parades or any army activity, a sense of patriotism.

    We live in a world where the weak are bullied by the strong, philanthropy ends with debates and sympathy, patriotism being equated with hating an enemy nation. Children cannot be inculcated with such values and the right values have to be included among children by letting them experience the significance of these values.

    At the college level, people are capable of thinking and making their own judgements, however, there is complete lack of system in place for developing any values. Hence there is a need to establish a mechanism where one gets associated with these activities, where one can learn these activities. The inculcation of values has to be continuous starting with personal, followed by professional and constitutional values being at the highest level.

    Values can help establish a world order that is less conflict ridden, with lesser inequality, with a fair sense of justice, though not an utopian ” Rama Rajya”. This has to be supported by the right set of institutions, leaders, bureaucracy and above all the right knowledge. Right knowledge, though superior, without right values, is more evil than useful

  32. My Bad!

  33. What would you call MNREGA – a lending hand or dole? It can be a dole because in effect we have paid wages, but not created social infrastructure in rural areas. It can be a helping hand because we want to help rural people by provising them work opportunities where none exist in the firts place.

  34. which new article in particular? link pls!

  35. ..

  36. i think “lending hands is better than giving a dole” effectively means “teaching someone how to fish is better than giving someone a fish”. so effectively we need to contrast the culture of subsidies, doles and charity with socio-economic empowerment policies like education, skill development and entrepreneurship assistance.

  37. FinalAttempt Avatar
    FinalAttempt

    2nd section 2nd essay is somewhat from today’s The Hindu. .

  38. Anubhav Pandey Kautilya Avatar
    Anubhav Pandey Kautilya

    the topics seem to be easy but i think less scoring coz they r more philosophical kindda

  39. My opinion is to take section B in first and Section A in second which require more brain.

  40. Anubhav Yadav Avatar
    Anubhav Yadav

    Section A

    1 Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.

    2. Quick but steady wins the race

    3. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.

    Section B

    3. Dreams which should not let India sleep.

  41. You are right about the part that all questions are at same level. Ethics Learner?

  42. Well No surprises in essay.looks like all the topics are at same level. Ethics learner must have solved it very well

  43. I never compared section A and B. I was comparing the section with respective sections of last year.
    I will still find section A easier as I know that these statements are given expecting a philosophical answers hence you can let your figments of imagination run free without worry too much about facts. Small practical answers can back your essays.

    But in case of section B kind of question being asked this year and earlier needs to be backed by hard facts which 1) already you might forget because of sheer exam pressure or
    2) If topics comes like 2015 mains then you might be at lost.

  44. You certainly need to go through the paper once again.

  45. I don’t remember such a topic coming in last years paper!

    P.S. I have gone through past years questions carefully.

  46. Why is section A easier, if I may ask? You don’t even know what to write in it? In an essay like “Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?” you can at least say yes or no, and elaborate. But what could one possibly write in Quick but steady wins the race?

  47. I will have a look into last year paper perhaps what you say is correct as the topic you mentioned above seems to be dificult than every single topic in this paper.
    Section B looks difficult.

  48. On top of my head i can recall an essay topic from last year was “Words are sharper than two edged sword”. This type of topics can land you in soup but this year there is none where you will face the difficulty in conceiving the content

  49. semmozhimani Avatar
    semmozhimani

    section A is tough.

  50. Section A looks much easier than last year as the statements are very self explanatory than last year statements.
    Looking at Section B scares me as the content from top of my head seems to very limited, in my opinion section B is less factual than the last year which might bring in huge variations in marks this year.

  51. Sir, what makes you feel that Section B is easier. In terms of writing the essay or getting marks?

  52. This time more philosophical essays have come compared to last year. Very less factual content. Marking is going to have too many variations – very high and very low marks.

  53. section A is tricky but Section B is a laddoo.

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