UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 9: Indian Society (20 MCQs)

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UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 9: Indian Society (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: Mains Answer Writing. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

A society answer should open with:

Correct Answer: A [a precise definition of the concept]

Explanation:

Society concepts are used loosely, so the first line should give a precise definition to keep the answer on track.

2.  

In his 1916 paper 'Castes in India', B. R. Ambedkar argued that the one characteristic peculiar to caste is:

Correct Answer: B [endogamy]

Explanation:

He wrote that endogamy is the only characteristic peculiar to caste – its essence.

3.  

The tradition of Vedic chanting was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in:

Correct Answer: C [2008]

Explanation:

Vedic chanting, first proclaimed a masterpiece in 2003, was inscribed on the Representative List in 2008.

4.  

For a question such as 'Are these Vedic features still seen in Indian society today?', the best frame is:

Correct Answer: C [then – now – what changed and why]

Explanation:

Continuity-and-change questions need then, now and the reasons for change.

5.  

For "effects of globalisation on Indian women", the best frame is:

Correct Answer: A [groups × positive and negative effects]

Explanation:

An effects question is best handled by a matrix of groups against positive and negative effects.

6.  

A balanced mix of enrichment for a 250-word society answer is usually:

Correct Answer: B [one law, one figure and one judgment]

Explanation:

One law, one figure and one case show legal, factual and judicial understanding.

7.  

"W-S-T-E-U" is a sweep of:

Correct Answer: D [groups]

Explanation:

The letters stand for five groups – Women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Elderly and Urban poor.

8.  

The way forward in a society answer should name:

Correct Answer: D [both state and society]

Explanation:

Social change needs both law and attitudes, so name what the state does and what society does.

9.  

In the Vedic polity, the samiti was a:

Correct Answer: A [assembly]

Explanation:

The sabha and samiti were popular assemblies of the Vedic polity.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Persons aged 60 and above were about 8.6 per cent of India's population in Census 2011.
2. The Forest Rights Act was passed in 1989.
3. The 74th Amendment concerns urban local bodies.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Statement 1 (8.6 per cent aged 60+ in 2011) and statement 3 (74th Amendment on urban local bodies) are true; the FRA is of 2006.

11.  

Assertion (A): A "do you think" society question needs both sides before a verdict.

Reason (R): Such questions test judgement, which needs balance.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

A question asking 'do you think' tests judgement, and a sound judgement weighs both sides, so R explains A.

12.  

In the Rig Vedic age, Lopamudra and Ghosha are remembered as:

Correct Answer: B [women who composed hymns]

Explanation:

Both are credited with hymns of the Rig Veda, a sign of women's learning in that age.

13.  

Booth's survey of poverty (begun 1886) studied:

Correct Answer: D [London]

Explanation:

Charles Booth's inquiry, begun in 1886, mapped poverty street by street across London.

14.  

Durkheim's Suicide (1897) is cited because it:

Correct Answer: D [used statistics to show social causes of a personal act]

Explanation:

Durkheim compared suicide rates across groups and countries to show that a personal act has social causes.

15.  

Ambedkar's 1916 paper "Castes in India" was presented at:

Correct Answer: C [Columbia University]

Explanation:

Ambedkar read the paper at an anthropology seminar at Columbia University, New York, in May 1916, while a student there.

16.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Durkheim's Suicide
2. Du Bois's The Philadelphia Negro
3. Rowntree's study of York
4. Booth's survey of poverty begins

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [4-1-2-3]

Explanation:

1886, 1897, 1899, 1901.

17.  

"Is regionalism a threat to unity?" is best answered with:

Correct Answer: D [define – both sides – verdict]

Explanation:

Regionalism is a contested concept, so the frame is define – both sides – constitutional view – verdict.

18.  

In a matrix of the effects of globalisation on Indian women, "crafts hit by cheap imports" is best placed as a:

Correct Answer: C [negative effect on rural and informal-sector women]

Explanation:

Cheap imports undercut handicrafts, cutting the incomes of rural and informal-sector women, so it is a negative effect for them.

19.  

"F-I-E-C-C" lists the:

Correct Answer: D [five frames for society questions]

Explanation:

F-I-E-C-C stands for Features, Issue, Effects, Concept and Continuity – the five frames for society questions.

20.  

Some South Indian Villages (1918) came out of surveys guided by:

Correct Answer: C [Gilbert Slater]

Explanation:

Gilbert Slater, first Professor of Indian Economics at Madras, guided the student village surveys published in 1918.

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