Mains Question Bank — General Studies I

It is said that India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of the country for a quarter century. However, tapping the resources doesn’t appear to be high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved.

How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource-rich Africa?

What is the economic significance of the discovery of oil in the Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?

In what way micro-watershed development projects help in water conservation in drought-prone and semi-arid regions of India?

“The growth of cities as I.T. hubs has opened up new avenues of employment, but has also created new problems”. Substantiate this statement with examples .

Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation.’ Argue by giving suitable illustrations.

Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss.

How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the functioning of the education system in the country? Elaborate your answer.

How does Indian society maintain continuity in traditional social values? Enumerate the changes taking place in it.

Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.

Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism.

Discuss the salient features of the Bhakti movement in medieval India. How did it contribute to the development of regional languages and literature?

Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation? Give your opinion.

With the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, atomic energy is gaining more and more significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw materials required for the generation of atomic energy in India and the world.

Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans that can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.

Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural urban integration.

Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India

Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has transformed into the latter in independent India.

‘Globalisation is generally said to promote cultural homogenisation but due to this cultural specificities appear to be strengthened in the Indian society.’ Elucidate.

What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?

Customs and traditions suppress reason leading to obscurantism. Do you agree?

What is Cryptocurrency? How does it affect global society? Has it been affecting Indian society also?

Elucidate the relationship between globalisation and new technology in a world of scarce resources, with special reference to India.

Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static?

Examine the role of women in the Indian freedom struggle. Were they able to secure their due share in the political and social spheres after independence?

Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people’s needs in a country like India – Comment.

Analyze the factors for the highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India.

Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.

How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanising landscape? Discuss.

Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.

The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th-century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?

‘Women’s movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata.’ Substantiate your view.

Do we have cultural pockets of small India all over the nation? Elaborate with examples.

Is diversity and pluralism in India under threat due to globalisation? Justify your answer.

Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achievethem in India in detail.

Are tolerance, assimilation and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism? Justify your answer.

Does urbanization lead to more segregation and/or marginalization of the poor in Indian metropolises?

How do you account for the growing fast food industries given that there are increased health concerns in modern society? Illustrate your answer with the Indian experience.

Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India? Discuss with justification.

Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually bypass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?

The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits of ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.

Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.

What characteristics can be assigned to the monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?

Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India and explain the nature of convergence, collaboration and competition for its success.

How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and coastal environment? Give suitable examples.

Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change.

What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India?

Analyse the salience of ‘sect’ in Indian society vis-a-vis caste, region and religion.

Comment on the resource potentials of the long coastline of India and highlight the status of natural hazard preparedness in these areas.

Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources.