Analysis of GS Mains 2010 Paper I
Long answers, less marks:
- That’s right. The 250 word questions carried just 20 marks instead of the usual 30, and the 150 word questions came for just 12 marks instead of 15. So this means candidates had to rely on the 5 mark questions to score decently.
- Implications of this:Now the GS Mains paper has become more balanced. Previously candidates would score heavily in the 30 and 20 mark questions and could take the 2-markers lightly, which were usually a lottery ticket. But from last year the 2-markers have been reduced considerably, UPSC has also reduced the marks for 250 and 150 word answers as mentioned above, and introduced 5-mark questions. So now candidates will have to prepare for all types of questions equally well and cannot rely solely on the big ones to score well in the General Studies paper.
- One of the primary reasons why coaching classes like Vajirams predicted the IAS Mains paper so well previously is that various topics were assigned fixed marks by UPSC. For instance, History came for 90 marks, Polity 90, Geography 30, and so on. So it was easy to students to cover the syllabus strategically. But again UPSC has shown that it is two steps ahead of the coaching institutes. Now it might not only vary the marks for different topics drastically but may even omit a section completely! This year History came for just 16 marks, whereas Geography for 42 marks, Polity for 48 marks, Indian Economy for 56 marks, Current Affairs for 62 marks, Environment for 39, Personalities for 16, Arts and Culture for 26, and an unexpected question on Decision Making for 5 marks. Of course you can’t add up these marks as they include all the questions and some questions do not fit into any clear category.
- Implications: Now no section can be taken lightly. Previously we used to only give Geography a passing glance as it came for not more than 30 marks but now it may even come for 50 marks, no one can say. Also History related questions have been drastically reduced for the past 2 years in a row and this year just one 150 word answer was asked! Current affairs related questions are on the rise, so are environment related ones. So prepare all topics well and leave nothing to chance.
- Earlier questions from the same topics were clubbed together so selecting questions to attempt was easy. But in IAS Mains 2010 questions from different topics were clubbed together. So one had to possess knowledge of all topics in order to attempt the required number of questions. For instance, the question No. 2 on Dalhousie and annexations (History) was combined with question on Constitutional amendment bill (polity), and another question on Indian agriculture. What a mix!
- The reason why candidates earlier used to score 350 plus in the civil services GS paper was because questions were largely factual and so answers could be easily memorized. Not any longer. In the 2010 General Studies paper not only questions were unpredictable but were very analytical where one had to think logically to answer them correctly. A question on Bus accident was asked (8.e) to test the decision making ability. Candidates should expect similar questions in the 2011 UPSC prelims as well. Similarly question 1.a and 1.b were very analytical pertaining to river water disputes and poverty figure estimates.
- Implications: Civil services aspirants now cannot solely rely on coaching classes notes of Vajirams and other fancied IAS coaching institutes but will need to prepare their own notes, think independently, take balanced view of the issue to be able to answer such analytical GS questions with confidence. Candidates preparing for the 2011 IAS Prelims should go through the syllabus thoroughly and refer the right IAS books, magazines, and newspapers along with coaching notes, where needed to score well in the 2011 Prelims as well as mains.
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