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Doubt Clearance Thread: UPSC 2021

@PursuitofHappyness You can see it this way - efficiency is essentially ratio of output to input. If someone is more efficient, they are giving more output per unit of input. In this case the input is time, so Q can do 125 units of work in the same time as P does 100 units of work. To get to relative efficiency we have to assume the same amount of time for both - which is one day, in this problem. Hence you need to translate the problem in terms of work done in one day. You cannot solve the problem directly  with total number of days. If the problem mentioned that Q takes 25% less time than P to do the work then you could have done that. 

I hope this makes sense. 


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@sunnyleony nahi hai himmat, sorry sunny paaji 


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Similarly for this question as well first we need to put e in the last so the initial 4alphabet abab similarly last four alphabet eded are there and the for the rest of the sequence count the number of b d and c you will find b 3 times c 3 times and similarly d 3 times hence we need to have b c d all one times hence answer would be b c d e.

Why won’t it be c? ababa, bcbcb, and so on?

Yar yeh bta do koi please

C hi hona chahiye. You're right.

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Can anyone refer to me a source which so emphatically says that Bhakti movement established socio economic equality in the country? Even communism has failed to achieve it and here is someone at ShankarIAS who has declared that as a result of Bhakti movement socio-economic equality was achieved.

This question confused me too. The option is not framed well. Bhakti movement triedto establish socio-economic equality would be appropriate. 

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Why is 2nd statement correct?

Anyone explain this. This is not mentioned in the act imo. There is no condition for whip. 

I think the 2nd statement here refers to the 2 line whip wherein members are required to be present but they are not given any instruction on how to vote. 

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Yes, but there was a very specific reason he wanted to stay away from the company. Just staying away from the company doesn't make sense. A/c to wikipedia article(I know, not the most reliable but this statement was not pointed out for incorrect citation), Mir Qasim moved his company to Munger to raise his army by streamlining taxes and improving finances.


Would love for others to jump in and give their views. 


I answered A because from whatever I had read it seemed that Mir Kasim wanted some breathing space from the British. Both options can be true, but A seemed more probably because remodelling the army is a second order effect. What I mean is, first he wanted to be away from EIC and then later he would be able focus on building his army as a result of being away from Calcutta.

I think both the options can be correct, Spectrum mentions that the reason behind the move was to "allow a safe distance from the Company at Calcutta"

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Egrets and Buffaloes share Commensalism.

Oxpeckers and Zebras share Mutualism.

why? What is the difference?

Oxpeckers eat ticks living on zebra's skin while egrets eat insects in the grasses that get disturbed as a result of movement of the buffalo. Egret sits on Buffalo to have a view of the insects that are getting dislodged and not to eat ticks. In the first, zebra gets some benefits while in the second, the buffalo remains unaffected 

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@MaeveWiley I searched but it is showing that egrets also eat bugs from water buffalo?


If you look at wikipedia pages of both oxpecker and egret, you'll find that the primary diet of egret consists of grasshoppers, crickets etc which are not parasites or ticks. On the other hand, oxpecker primarily feeds on such ticks found on animals. I think this is why even if an egret sometimes eats a bug on a water buffalo, its largely coincidental than an established relationship.

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Guys, why is first statement wrong here?

Its not wrong? Where is this question from?

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@mehuifs annually only for rural, QUARTERLY for urban


But PIB says annually for both rural and urban? :/

Annually for both rural and urban based on Usual status (365 days) as well as weekly status and quarterly for urban based on weekly status only. 

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@mehuifs annually only for rural, QUARTERLY for urban


But PIB says annually for both rural and urban? :/

Annually for both rural and urban based on Usual status (365 days) as well as weekly status and quarterly for urban based on weekly status only. 

Haan, but question mein it did not say CWS or US no? 😅

Haan to I don’t think the first statement is wrong.  Sahi hai wo. 

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@mehuifs na na. Itni hairsplittery nahi hogi, imo. They don’t mention the key indicators in the second point on the PIB page because they have mentioned them in the first point itself and it would be repetitive. First statement is definitely right. 


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Even after knowing:

A and m history questions are going to be unknown

mocks and CAs of coaching industry will do little or no help

Still we tend to believe in the outdated process, as we don't have much choices.


Welcome to elimination round of UPSC CSE.

So we are just 1 weekend and a week away




There is a time to discuss structural flaws with the paper, but right now it is not. I believe if we question the legitimacy of the thing we are toiling hard to achieve, so close to the final date, somehow our resolve weakens and we descend into the bottomless pit of nihilism.

A very crude analogy would be that if we are trying to learn something from a teacher but continuously doubt the teacher's competence, we won't succeed. A level of trust is necessary for the process. I for one, do not believe that questions not coming from mocks or conventional sources is a bad thing. We sometimes tend to forget that the exam is not just a test of knowledge, but our capability of quick decision making, handling pressure, strategising, and other traits. Such traits are tested best in randomness as a person's true nature is revealed in the face of adversity. The randomness of the questions and a penal marking system that encourages risk-taking are not there without any reason. This exam selects administrators, where knowledge is an important need, but not the only need. Hence the "absurd" questions. 

I may be labelled as a UPSC sympathiser, but a certain belief in the process tends to improve my willpower and makes the journey a bit more walkable. 

Plus, these type of questions are found in almost all corners of the world. Here are some from Guokao, the Chinese Civil Service examination.

 1)President Xi Jinping has said that while art is based on imagination, it should still be down-to-earth. There may be hundreds of ways to create art; the best way, however, is to go back to the people's daily lives and create something based on that. From a materialistic point of view, this is because:

a. Art originates from the daily lives of people

b. Art depends on innovation

c. The way art reflects on society and its style is unified

d. Art is a form of ideology that reflects people's lives while at the same time serving the people

Choose from the below:

A) a and b

B) a and d

C) b and c

D) c and d


 2)Which one is the wrong match between the idioms and economic terms?

A. Spilt water cannot be gathered up again - Opportunity cost

B. One nation can't have two queens - Complete monopoly

C. Entering a room full of fragrant orchids and getting used to the sweet smell -- Diminishing marginal utility

D. When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer -- Negative external effects

Hint: Match the meaning of the idioms and the economic terms.

Answer: A


 3)What is the possible situation that can happen?

A. Greeks watch World Cup in the stadium when the Revolution of 1911 happened

B. Chinese college students listen to radio by semiconductor receivers during the May 4th Movement

C. During the Cold War, a Soviet cinema shows a color movie

D. During the Vietnam War, Americans can surf the Internet on computers

Hint: You need to know about that period to make the call.

Answer: C


Another one- and the list is endless

Wow. This is very interesting. I agree 100%. There is a time to rage but for now, lets be calm and focus on what we have toiled for.

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