UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 19: The Essay – Evaluation Rubric and Practice Sheets (20 MCQs)

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UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 19: The Essay – Evaluation Rubric and Practice Sheets (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.  

In Hattie and Timperley's 'The Power of Feedback', good feedback answers 'Where am I going?', 'How am I going?' and:

Correct Answer: A [Where to next?]

Explanation:

The third question, 'Where to next?', points to the next step.

2.  

After placing a practice essay in a band, the next step suggested is to name:

Correct Answer: D [the one change that would lift it to the next band]

Explanation:

Naming the band gives a clear picture; naming one change gives a clear task.

3.  

Shanmugam IAS Academy's one-page essay plan sheet has:

Correct Answer: A [seven boxes]

Explanation:

The sheet has seven boxes, from key words to the closing line.

4.  

In peer review, "P-Q-P" stands for:

Correct Answer: D [praise, question, polish]

Explanation:

P-Q-P stands for praise, question and polish – the three comments for every section.

5.  

In a peer-review discussion, who should listen first?

Correct Answer: C [the writer]

Explanation:

The five-minute discussion begins with the writer listening first to the reviewer.

6.  

India's Pulse Polio programme began in:

Correct Answer: B [1995]

Explanation:

The Pulse Polio programme began in 1995 with national immunisation rounds.

7.  

India's last case of wild poliovirus was reported in:

Correct Answer: C [2011]

Explanation:

The last case was a child in Howrah, West Bengal, in January 2011.

8.  

The Affordable Rental Housing Complexes scheme was launched in:

Correct Answer: D [2020]

Explanation:

The Affordable Rental Housing Complexes scheme was launched in July 2020 under PMAY-Urban for urban migrants and the poor.

9.  

On Shanmugam IAS Academy's bands for practice essays, an essay that is ordered and relevant but uses only general examples falls in the band:

Correct Answer: A [good]

Explanation:

The good band is ordered and relevant, with examples that are still general.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. A peer comment should be specific.
2. An error log works best when all errors are fixed at once.
3. The counter-view should be planned before writing.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Specific peer comments and a counter-view planned before writing are both advised; fixing all errors at once is not.

11.  

Assertion (A): A topic on which you can name three varied examples in three minutes is usually a safe choice.

Reason (R): Such examples supply evidence for a full-length essay.

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

Explanation:

Three varied examples found quickly show enough material, and that evidence is what makes the topic safe.

12.  

Thorndike's "law of effect" was set out in Animal Intelligence in:

Correct Answer: C [1911]

Explanation:

Thorndike's Animal Intelligence (1911) set out the law of effect.

13.  

"Deliberate practice" is associated with:

Correct Answer: C [Ericsson and colleagues]

Explanation:

Ericsson, Krampe and Tesch-Römer (1993) showed that expert performance grows from deliberate practice with feedback.

14.  

Inside the Black Box (1998) is about:

Correct Answer: B [formative assessment]

Explanation:

Black and Wiliam's 1998 paper showed that formative assessment – feedback during learning – raises standards.

15.  

The National Book Trust was set up in:

Correct Answer: C [1957]

Explanation:

The National Book Trust was set up in 1957 to publish affordable books in many Indian languages.

16.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Thorndike's Animal Intelligence
2. Black and Wiliam's Inside the Black Box
3. Hattie and Timperley's "The Power of Feedback"
4. The first study of deliberate practice in expert performance

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Explanation:

1911, 1993, 1998, 2007.

17.  

When choosing between essay topics, "Silence is also a statement" is rated high risk because it is:

Correct Answer: D [abstract with few examples]

Explanation:

The topic is low on knowledge and examples; an abstract topic with few examples carries high risk.

18.  

A strong peer "question" comment:

Correct Answer: A [asks how a specific paragraph links to the thesis]

Explanation:

A strong question comment asks how one specific paragraph links to the thesis.

19.  

In Shanmugam IAS Academy's essay plan sheet, the box filled right after the key words is the:

Correct Answer: D [thesis]

Explanation:

The second box is the thesis, written in one sentence.

20.  

The one-page essay plan sheet is meant to be filled in about how long before writing begins?

Correct Answer: B [20 minutes]

Explanation:

The seven boxes are filled in about 20 minutes before the first sentence is written.

➤ Directive words, answer templates, model answers with marginal notes, evaluation rubrics and paper-wise Mains practice – U28 · Mains Answer Writing (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-mains-answer-writing

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