Focus General Studies Paper Model Questions for UPSC Civil Services (Prelims),2026 : English Language Papers for Civil Services Mains Exam

2007 Mains IAS Papers : English Civil Services Exam Question paper

Time allowed: Three hours
Maximum marks: 300

Instructions
Candidates should attempt all questions.
The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following: (100)

(a) The ways to enrich our regional languages.

(b) Whither Indian democracy today?

(c) Terrorism in India

(d) Science and religion

(e) If I were the Prime minister of India

2. Read the following passage and answer in your own words the questions that follow (5×15=75)

The scientific and technological revolution has brought that fundamental changes in the socio-economic sphere. The use of diesel engine and electricity and the beginning of the application of atomic energy have changed the modes of production. These things have led to the concentration of capital in a few hands. Great enterprises are replacing cottage industries and small firms. The working classes have certainly benefited economically. The miracle of production has necessitated the miracle of consumption. Better amenities are available at a lower cost. A man can buy anything he wants today, if e can only afford. But what kind of men are needed today for our society? Men who can co-operate in large groups, men whose tasks are standardized, men who feel free and independent and at the same time are willing to fit in the social machine without any friction.

Modern man is faced with a sort of moral and spiritual dilemma. The crisis of values yawns before him. Today the old values are in the melting pot, and the new values have not found their foothold. Man has become the automaton he has contrived; he has lost ownership of himself. The discord between the development of positive science on the one hand and the dehumanization of man on the other is the worst crisis of the modern age.

Apart from the economic sphere, the socio-political sphere has not escaped this stratification and the congruent crisis of values. Since the Renaissance, man has been striving for individual rights and self-dignity. But under the present set-up, only two types of men are found the conditioner and the conditioned. The propaganda officers and the planning bureaus have almost crushed the ‘individual self’, and it has resulted in the rise of the ’social self’. Due to this pressure, the personality fulfillment or its all-round development is denied to many.

(a) What has changed the modes of production today?

(b) What things are being replaced by great enterprises?

(c) What kind of men are needed today for our society?

(d) Why has man become the automaton of his own creation?

(e) Is modern man able to attain personality fulfillment?

3. Make a precise of the following passage in your own language, in about 230 words on the special precise-sheets provided. The precise-sheets should be securely fastened inside the answer book. Indicate the number of words used by you in your precise.

N.B.: Marks will be deducted if your precise is much longer and shorter than the prescribed length. (75)

“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” asked Henry David Thoreau. More than a century later, the Earth seems to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental set-backs include billions of tones of ices shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different part of the world. Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too much obsessed with the problem of climatic change to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climatic change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that’s gone awry in our body. It is time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UNO and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June (2001), and is expected to determine, over a period of our years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth’s ecosystems.

The eco-panel will have source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the earth will go through the equivalent of a through physical analysis, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. What is crucial, says one of the scientists, is that “no one has previously tried to work out how all of these conflicting pressures interact”. The other important factor is how well we can orchestrate tread-offs and interactions in order to maintain ecological balance. Scientific bodies like the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have access to vast amounts of baseline data relating to the subject - although critics point out that the information available is mostly from the North, leaving the concerns of the South largely unpresented. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to take all these aspects into account. For instance, it will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists - before the panel comes out with specific periodic predictions, prescriptions and warnings. the e\healing process can begin only if all the scientific evidence and direction is made available to a wide audience and not just restricted to policy makers. Rather than depending solely upon governments to listen to and take corrective action, the focus should now be on convincing individuals and communities whose collective or individual action will eventually make the difference between regression and recovery.

4. (a) Fill in the blanks using appropriate forms of the words given below:

ride, diminish, devotion, shout, watch, contest, disastrous, pleasure, philosophizing, finance (10)

(i) Mohan is _________________ to his father

(ii) None seems to have been ______________ with his speech.

(iii) She ________ at the peon when he sat down.

(iv) His _________ condition is at a low ebb now.

(v) Several candidates are _________________ the Panchayat elections.

(vi) The boy was frightened to __________ the movie.

(vii) What does Samkara’s _________ teach us?

(viii) Hariharan’s suspicious moves herald a _______

(ix) In the circus show, I saw a bear _____________ a bicycle.

(x) The chances of starvation deaths have __________ today.

4 (b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences first as a noun and then as a verb: (10)

(i) race (ii) hit (iii) play (iv) touch, (v) experiment.

4 (c) Rewrite the following sentences as directed parenthetically: (5)

(i) “Do not make a noise”, said the teacher to his students. (Change into indirect form)

(ii) Hari is so short that he cannot touch the ceiling. (Replace ’so’ by ‘too’)

(iii) I gave him a ten-rupee note yesterday. (change into passive voice)

(iv) She bought a house last year. the house is white. (Change into simple sentence).

(v) Hard as as he worked, he failed in the examination. (Use ‘though’).

5. (a) Correct the following sentences: (10)

(i) He boasts his achievements now and then.

(ii) She is living in this flat since 1995.

(iii) The principal was angry upon the boys.

(iv) Character is more preferable than intelligence.

(v) Krishna hanged all the pictures on the wall.

(vi) The sceneries of Kashmir move me most.

(vii) Cattle is grazing in the field.

(viii) Hari is going foreign next month.

(ix) She knew that I am leaving the place.

(x) His elder brother gave him many good advices.

5. (b) Of the words given in brackets, choose the one you think appropriate to fill in the blanks: (10)

(i) The road accident proved to be ______ (fateful, fatal)

(ii) He got a ________ opportunity to qualify in the test. (gold, golden)

(iii) Faridabad is an ______ city. (industrial, industrious)

(iv) An ashram is a ________ place. (quiet, quite)

(v) Sohan’s handwriting is _________ (eligible, illegible)

(vi) We should not disturb the ___________ of his mind. (piece, peace)

(vii) You should ____ an example to strengthen your viewpoint. (site, cite)

(viii) Akbar was an ______ to Humayun. (hair, heir)

(ix) Rajasthan is a well known ___________ (desert, dessert)

(x) The _______ turned me out of the class. (principle, principal).

5. (c) Use of the following phrases in sentences so as to bring out their meaning: (5)

(i) bring about
(ii) call names
(iii) run out

(iv) by leaps and bounds
(v) lame excuse

English - Civil Services Examination - 2007

Time allowed: Three hours

Three hours Maximum marks: 300

Instructions:

Candidates should attempt all questions.

The number of marks carried by each

Question is indicated at the end of the question.

Answers must be written in English.

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following:

(100)

(a) Heritage Tourism is good for us
(b) Importance of a Work-Ethic
(c) Should Mercy-Killing be Legalized for Terminally ill Patients?
(d) The Culture of Modesty
(e) "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty".

2. Read the passage carefully and write your answers to the following questions in clear, correct and concise language:

(5 x 15 = 75)

An educated man should know what is first-rate in those activities which spring from the creative and intellectual faculties of human nature, such as literature, art, architecture and music. I should like to add science and philosophy, but in these two subjects it is difficult for any but the expert to estimate quality, and many educated people have not the close knowledge necessary to judge their real worth. On the other hand everyone has close and daily contact with the other four. Architecture surrounds him in every city, literature meets him on every book-stall, music assails his ears on his radio set and from every juke-box; and art in its protean aspects of form and colour is a part of daily life. The architecture may often be bad, the literature and music often puerile, the art often undeserving of the name; but that is all the more reason why we should be able, in all of them, to distinguish good from bad.

To judge by the literature offered us in hotel book-stands, and by most of the music played on the radio and by jukeboxes we might be more discriminating in these fields than we are if it be said that music and art and literature are not essentials of life but. its frills, I would reply that if so, it is curious that they are among the few immortal things in the world, and that should a man wish to be remembered two thousand years hence, the only certain way is to write a great poem or book, compose a great symphony, paint a great picture, carve a great sculpture, or build a great building.

(a) What is it that is necessary for an educated person to know?
(b) Why does the author exclude science and philosophy from it?
(c) What makes it practically easy for an educated man to be able to know literature, art, architecture and music?
(d) How does exposure to ordinary literature and music help us?
(e) What is the author's argument to prove that music, art and literature are essentials of life?

3. Make a précis of the following passage keeping the length within the limits of 230-240 words. It is not necessary to suggest a title. Failure to write within the word limit may result in deduction of marks. The précis must be written on the separate précis sheets provided for the purpose that must then be securely fastened inside the answer book.

(75)

What part should reading play in our lives? It should certainly not be a substitute for action, not for independent thinking, nor for conversation; but it may be a help and stimulant to action; thought and talk; and it is capable of providing almost infinite pleasure. There on our bookshelves or on summons from a library are wits, wisdom, adventure, romance from all ages and from all over the world. Is there any wonder that our eyes sometimes stray wistfully to the bookshelves and away from a dull visitor, or that we shirk a tiresome duty for an exciting book?

Books or people? Reading or conversation, listening in to a broadcast or watching a television programme? Which is the better way to gain knowledge or to spend your leisure? Some fortunate people seem always to find time for both and to enjoy both almost equally. My great friend, Arthur Wanchope, a fine soldier, an able administrator and a very gifted personality, was a constant reader; yet always ready to lay aside a book for talk.

The advantages of reading over talk are, of course, many. We can select the book that suits our mood, can go at our own pace, skip or turn back whereas we cannot turn over two pages of a tedious companion or close him or her, with a bang. But reading too has its own drawbacks. It lacks the human touch, the salt of life, and is therefore a dangerous substitute for thought or action. Bacon in one of his essays observes that reading maketh a full man; conference (that is talking) a ready man; and writing an exact man. One would like to be full of knowledge, ready in speech and exact by training. What short of books have impressed me and what books have found a permanent place on my bookshelves?

To begin with my profession-soldiering. I do not believe that soldiering, a practical business, in which human nature is the main element, can be learnt from text-books. But for those who have grasped the principles of war and have understood that the human factor is the most important element in it. There is military reading that is quite fascinating and valuable. Real and re-read the campaigns of the great commanders, said Napoleon. I would venture to put it differently and would say that the lives and characters of the great commanders are what students of war should examine, since their campaigns are only incidents in them; and that the behaviour of leaders and of their men in the field is the real subject for study. In my general reading history, biography and travel occupy a prominent place; and since I have spent a considerable proportion of my life in the East there are a good number of volumes on India and the Middle East. There is plenty of poetry on my shelves and a good deal of it is in my head. Poetry should dance in the mind, and blow one a kiss; or gallop to adventure with a cheer; or whisper gently of things past; not shuffle or slouch past with dark incomprehensible mutterings.

Perhaps I am getting old, anyway I prefer the old poets. Lastly comes what is sometimes called 'escapist literature, the books we read with no other aim, than to rest or amuse the mind; to forget the day's chores and the morrow's anxieties. This is perhaps the most pleasant form of reading for most, and I suspect the only form of reading for many. The volume chosen may either be a thriller or soother — a thriller to bring sense of adventure into the dull daily routine or a soother to rest tired nerves. Our grandfathers in their leisurely days were content with the stately, comfortable three volume novel, but that had passed before the beginning of this century.

You will choose your books as you choose your friends, with taste and discrimination; I hope; because they can tell you something of your profession and interests, because they are wise and helpful, because they can stir your blood with tales of adventure, or because they are gay and witty. I can only wish you will get as much pleasure from them as I get from my books. (Words: 703)

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary correction of errors:

(10)

(i) The Greeks were brave peoples.
(ii) His hat was blown off by the strong air.
(iii) I am the one who am to blame.
(iv) We should sympathies with blind.
(v) I'd rather play cricket and not swim.
(vi) Walking through the front door a wasp stung him.
(vii) Two plus nine are eleven.
(viii) I have built the house in 1960.
(ix) Their wedding has not been a very happy one.
(x) Choose only such friends whom you can trust.

(b) Rewrite the following sentences, inserting suitable articles where necessary:

(5)

(i) What kind of ______ animals is it?
(ii) He will return in _____ hour.
(iii) He is ______ richest man in our street.
(iv) Gold is not ______ useful metal.
(v) While there is ______ life there is hope.

(c) Form Verbs from the following Nouns:

(5)

(i) Courage
(ii) Memory
(iii) Prison
(iv) Class
(v) Friend

(d) Put the verbs in bracket in the correct tense and rewrite the following:

(5)

India (have) many calendars which Indians (use) since very early times. More than thirty (be) still in use. One difficulty about having so many calendars (be) that the same date (fall) on different days according to each.

5. (a) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences, first as a Noun and then as a Verb:

(10)

(i) Bank
(ii) Battle
(iii) Bite
(iv) Brave
(v) Brush

(b) Change the following sentences into their corresponding (a) Negatives and (b) Questions:

(10)

(i) Ram resembles his father.
(ii) Raju studies French.
(iii) The bicycle costs Rs. 500.
(iv) The thief broke the window open.
(v) My mother has a beautiful umbrella.

(c) Use the following phrases/idioms in sentences so as to bring out the meaning:

(5)

(i) The Lion's share
(ii) Close shave
(iii) At daggers drawn
(iv) (To) die in harness
(v) (To) eat one's words

ESSAY - 2007
Write an essay on any one of the following topics
1. Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood.
2. Evaluation of Panchayati Raj Systems in India from the point of view of eradication of poverty to
power to people.
3. Attitude makes habit, habit makes character and character makes a man.
4. Is autonomy the best answer t0 combat balkanization?
5. How has satellite television brought about cultural change in the Indian mindset?
6. BPO boom in India.

=========================================================

English - Civil Services Examination - 2006

Time allowed: Three hours

Three hours Maximum marks: 300

Instructions:

 Candidates should attempt all questions.

 The number of marks carried by each

 Question is indicated at the end of the question.

 Answers must be written in English.

1. Write an essay in not less than 300 words on any one of the following:

(100)

(a) Social Impact of Black Money
(b) Women Combat Forces
(c) Internet as Virtual Library
(d) Fashion Boom in India
(e) Are we Aggressive and Rude People?

2. Read the passage carefully and write your answers to the following questions in clear, correct and concise language

(5 x 15 = 75)

There is no reason to believe that there are fundamental differences between the East and the West. Human beings are everywhere human and hold the same deepest values. The differences which are, no doubt, significant, are related to external, temporary social conditions and are alterable with them. East and West are relative terms. They are geographical expressions and not cultural types. The differences among countries like China, Japan and India are quite as significant as those among European or American countries. Specific cultural patterns with distinctive beliefs and habits developed in different regions in relative isolation from one another. There were periods when China and India were pre-eminent in cultural affairs, others when Western nations became dominant. For the last four centuries Western nations aided by scientific development have dominated the East. The world has now reached a state of inter-communication. All societies are fast becoming industrialized and new sets of values are springing up. We are called upon to participate in the painful birth of a new civilization. If we are to live together in peace we must develop international cooperation and understanding.

It is for the political leaders to determine the practical steps by which the sources of power and communication now available to us can be used for closer cooperation and friendliness among the people of the world. No political understanding can be made permanent without understanding at the cultural level. Apart from its intrinsic importance, such understanding contributes to the enrichment of human experience. Facile generalizations are made by philosophers of history which are highly misleading. Hegel in his Lectures on the philosophy of History says that 'Persia is the land of light; Greece the land of grace; India the land of dream; Rome the land of Empire,'

(a) What does the passage say about cultural differences in different regions?
(b) What comments does the author make about the similarities and dissimilarities between the East and the West?
(c) What, according to the passage, is the role of communication in building up a new
civilization?
(d) How will cultural understanding at the international level benefit human societies?
(e) Why does the author call the statements of Hegel 'facile generalization'?

3. Make a precis of the following passage keeping the length within the limits of 230-240 words. It is not necessary to suggest a title. Failure to write within the word limit may result in deduction of marks. The precis must be written on the separate precis sheets provided for the purpose that must then be securely fastened inside the answer book. Clearly state the number of words in the precis at the end.

(75)

We all show our feelings on issues by the way we look and react. This has been referred to as body language. We tend to lean forward, hand on chin when we are interested, or turn away when disinterested. Our hands and arms can indicate we are open to what is being said by being relaxed, or show that we are not by being clenched or crossed. We are, therefore, making body pictures of what we feel and think all the time. Indeed people who are taking to us can often get as much information from our body posture as from what we say of how we say it. We might calmly but show we are anxious by moving from foot to foot or by blushing. It is hard to control one's behavioural reactions, for it is more of a stimulus response reaction than the words we use.

Nevertheless through training it is feasible to portray the image you want to others. With the advent of television as a major political medium there is a lot of effort going into grooming representatives of organizations and particularly chief executives to control their gestures and gesticulations. All this may sound as if you need to be a good actor in order to be successful at conversation control. The answer is, in one sense you do. There is no use in saying one thing and doing another. The actual visual behaviour of shaking your head, for example while saying yes will deafen the words. Those who are effective at conversation control act in a congruent way. Their behaviour matches their words. You can see they mean what they say. They present an authentic picture because their visuals match their verbals.

With practice it is possible to improve performance in conversation without adding any more words. The improvement can come because you improve your visual gestures and gesticulations. For example, you can encourage another person by smiling when he/she says something that pleases you. Indeed the smile is a very powerful gesture. It can switch people 'on and off' if done at the appropriate time.

Psychologists refer to the laws of conditioning and reinforcement. To be skilled in conversation control you need to know and apply these laws. Conditioning means having an effect on someone's behaviour by introducing a condition that either encourages or discourages that behaviour. For example, we have all been conditioned to stop when we see a red light at a traffic intersection, and to proceed if we see a green light. People can be conditioned in conversation by such visual cues. For example if you want someone to continue talking, smile and nod at regular intervals. The smile sets up the green light permission as a condition for the other person to speak. The nod reinforces what is being said and gives the unspoken permission to continue. People are very sensitive to such permission cues and clues. If you stop smiling and head nodding, they will usually stop and you can then contribute. Likewise you can influence the attention of people with whom you are talking by the way you use your eyes and hands, particularly when you are addressing a group. To exercise control it is important to make eye contact with one or more people. If it is a group, move your eye contact from time to time so that each person is being conditioned to the fact that it could be their turn next for you to speak to them.

Body language and the gestures and gesticulations you make are key aspects of conversation control. Many books have been written on the subject of how our body very often tells others what we are thinking before we have spoken. The visual clues get through much more quickly than the verbal ones. Also use your hands to emphasize a point or get them to direct the listener's gaze where you want it to concentrate. The pointed finger or the open palm tells the story. Our task is to line up what we say with what we do and vice versa, if you do clench your fist and are angry, then your words should reflect this. If you are relaxed, happy and smiling, they say no. (words: 705)

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary correction of errors:

(10)

(i) Neither percept nor dscipline are so forceful as example.
(ii) Do you know if there is a house for letting in the neighbourhood.
(iii) Who you said was coming to see me in the morning?
(iv) He was finding it increasingly difficult to mike his two ends meet.
(v) The poor people of the village buy neither vegetables nor grow them,
(vi) On entering the hail, the humber of visitors surprised me
(vii) The short story should not exceed more than two hundred words.
(viii) Before giving the mixture to the child shake it thoroughly.
(ix) Nothing has or could be more tragic than his death.
(x) The reason that the students these days are so undisciplined is that they do not get any guidance from their parents.

(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate preposition/particle and rewrite the completed sentences:

(5)

(i) I told him that he could not catch a big fish __________ a small rod.
(ii) He was taken __________ task for shortage in cash balance.
(iii) The father pulled ___________ his son for his extravagant habits.
(iv) He is so clever, it is difficult to see __________ his tricks.
(v) I have been invited by my friend __________ tea.

(c) Choose the appropriate verb form to fill in the blanks and rewrite the sentences:

(5)

(i) The efficiency of a plant ________ by the load it can take.
(A) knows (B) is known

(C) has been known (D) has known

(ii) Everyday last week my aunt _______ a plate.
(A) breaks (B) was broken
(C) broke (D) has broken

(iii) If I _________ one more question, I would have passed.
(A) had answered (B) would have answered
(C) would answer (D) has broken

(iv) He promised _______________ me a post in his department.
(A) to have given (B) having given
(C) have given (D) to give

(v) Please don't ______________ when you go out. (A) leave opening the door (B) leave the door open
(C) Leave the door opened (D) leave open the door

(d) Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech:

(5)

(i) He said, "I will not approve of such a behaviour in future."
(ii) He said on the telephone, "We kept on doing our work till late night."
(iii) She said, "As your mother is ill, you must go home at once."
(iv) Ram said to Sita, "Do you intend to come with me to the forest?"
(v) The child said to the Sherpa, "Why didn't you choose to climb to the Moon?"

5. (a) Fill in the blank with an appropriate derivative of the word given within brackets & rewrite the sentences:

(10)

For example: It has been raining (continue) continuously for two days. (i) She had few rights but all the (responsible) _______ of her work.
(ii) Women chose not to vote (machine) ____________ at the bidding of their men folk.
(iii) In South Africa, certain areas are (exclude) __________ meant for white people.
(iv) The Pathans of the Frontier are (descend) __________ of Genghis Khan.
(v) The court ordered him a heavy fine and (prison) ____________ of 3 years.
(vi) India lodged a complaint with Pakistan for (courage) ________ terrorism in Kashmir.
(vii) Candidates with Graduate degrees in (Human) _________and Arts prefer office jobs.
(viii) Despite ne call for ceasefire, the war continued (abate) __________.
(ix) A creative person is known for his (source) ___________ and flexibility.
(x) The police could not control the situation as the protesters (number) _________ them manifold.

(b) Make sentences using the following words as directed so as to bring out the meaning:

(i) Pitch (as noun and verb)
(ii) Mirror (as noun and verb)
(iii) Humble(as adjective and verb)
(iv) In(as adverb and preposition)

(c) Use the following phrases/idioms in sentences so as to bring out the meaning: (5)
(i) bell the cat
(ii) thank one's stars
(iii) be on tenterhooks
(iv) true to one's salt colours
(v) come ant with flying

ESSAY - 2006
Write an essay on any one of the following topics
1. Women's Reservation Bill Would Usher in Empowerment for Women in India.
2. Protection of Ecology and Environment is Essential for Sustained Economic Development.
3. Importance of Indo-U.S. Nuclear Agreement.
4. "Education For All" Campaign in India: Myth or Reality.
5. Globalization Would Finish Small-Scale Industries in India.
6. Increasing Computerization Would lead to the Creation of Dehumanized Society.

English - Civil Services Examination - 2005

Time allowed: Three hours

Three hours Maximum marks:300

Instructions:

 Candidates should attempt all questions.

 The number of marks carried by each

 Question is indicated at the end of the question.

 Answers must be written in English.

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following:(100)
(a) Environment and Conservation
(b) Role of Women in Social Transformation
(c) Nuclear Energy in War and Peace
(d) India's Foreign Policy and World Power
(e) Television and its Impact on Youth

2. Read the following passage and answer in your own words the questions that follow:

(5 x 15 = 75)

It is wrong to believe that science has totally eclipsed literature with its inspiring zeal. That literature plays a subordinate role to science is equally untrue. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that science has comparatively a wider range for its impact on the physical world than literature. But that does not mean that literature has been incorporated in the realm of science to the extent that it loses its distinct individuality. The reality is that both co-exist without the one overshadowing the other, Those who think that science has pushed literature into shade reducing it to a non-entity seem to be simply imaginative and illogical in the comparisons of their respective merits. It is no doubt unquestionable that products of science are of greater material value than those which make an emotional appeal, e.g., a bridge is of greater use to the public than a poem.

But thereby one should not ignore the importance of a poem which will continue to appeal to human mind for time to come. It is indisputable that a scientific theory like the one propounded by Einstein is not without its philosophical import as it lays its impress on the future growth of literature. But to be effective in this respect, science should unfold its principles by appealing to human emotions and not through crude and concrete material facts. Darwin's theory of Natural Selection in its exposition of the evolution of man by appeal to emotions and imagination of men has been conducive to the growth of nineteenth century literature. Mans emotional attitudes to life and vicissitudes of his fortune are colored not only by his inherited instincts and faith in his fate but also by his hope in point of longevity of life and betterment of future prospects. Oriented by a scientific theory, they give a colour to literature.

Literature feeds the emotional and imaginative hunger of man in this perspective science will not oust literature but enrich it by its impact on human life. Science can provide amenities of life for human comfort but fails to lend or impart spiritual pleasure Delight that literature instills in man far transcends the comforts which science provides.

(a) What is the basic contribution of science to humankind?
(b) What aspect of human life is fulfilled by works of literature?
(c) How have Darwin's and Einstein's theories proved conducive to the growth of literature?
(d) How is science friendly and not hostile to the growth of literature?
(e) Briefly enumerate the key ideas in the passage.

3. Make a precis of the following passage in your own words in about 220 to 240 words. Marks will he deducted if the precis is not written on the separate precis sheets provided and if it is longer or shorter than the prescribed limit. State the number of words used by you in the precis at its end and securely fasten the precis-sheets inside the answer-book.

(75)

Gautama, the Buddha, has suffered as much as anyone from critics without a sense of history. He has been cried up, and cried down, with an equal lack of historical imagination". Buddhism came to be widely known in the west in the latter part of the 19th century when a wave of scepticism spread over the world as a result of the growth of science and enlightenment. Positivism, agnosticism atheism and ethical humanism found wide support. In much of the literature of doubt and disbelief, the name of Buddha is mentioned with respect. The humanists honour him as one of the earliest protagonists of their cause- the happiness the dignity, and the mental integrity of mankind. Those who declare that man cannot know reality and others who affirm that there is no reality to know, use his name. Agnostics quote his example. Social idealists, ethical mystic's rationalist prophets are all attracted by his teaching. Great as is the value of the Buddha's teaching for our age, we cannot hope to understand its true significance without reference to the environment in which he lived. This effort of historical imagination is not easy. To view the Buddha as a thinker of the sixth century B.C., living, moving and teaching in its peculiar conditions, is a task of extreme difficulty and delicacy; and the work of reconstruction can never be complete. But we may be reasonably certain that it yields a picture which in its main outlines, at least, must correspond fairly well to the reality. The supremacy of the ethical is the clue to the teaching of the Buddha. His conceptions of life and the universe are derived from his severely practical outlook. The existence of everything depends on a cause. If we remove the cause, the effect will disappear. If the source of all suffering is destroyed, suffering will disappear. The only way in which we can remove the cause of suffering is by purifying the heart and following the moral law. Man is not divine but is to become divine. His divine status is something to be built up by good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. The ego consists of the feelings that burn us, of the passions we brood over, of the desires that hunt us and of the decisions we make. These are the things that give life its dramatic character. There is nothing absolute and permanent in them. That is why we can become something different from what we are. The reality of the person is the creative will. When we deny the clamour of emotions, stay the stream of things, silence the appetites of body, we feel the power of self within our own being. For the Buddha, the impulse to dharma, to justice and kindliness is operative in things, and its efficient activity will mean the reduction of disorder, cruelty and oppression. Dharma is organic to existence and its implication of karma or right action is the builder of the world. There is not in the Buddha's teaching that deep personal loyalty, passion of love, and intimate dialogue between soul and soul resembling closely in its expression of earthly love. And yet the essence of religion, the vision of a reality which stands beyond and within the passing flux of immediate things, the intuitive loyalty to something larger than and beyond oneself, and absolute active in the world, is in him. We find in Gautama, the Buddha, in powerful combination, spiritual profundity and moral strength of the highest order and a discreet intellectual reserve. He is one of those rare spirits who bring to men a realization of their own divinity and make the spiritual life seem adventurous and attractive, so that they may go forth into the world with a new interest and a new joy of heart. While his great intellect and wisdom gave him comprehension of the highest truth, his warm heart led him to devote his life to save from sorrow suffering humanity. The greatness of his personality, his prophetic zeal, and burning love for suffering humanity made a deep impression on those with whom he lived; but his true greatness stands out clearer and brighter as the ages pass, and even the sceptical minded are turning to him with a more real appreciations a deeper reverence and a truer worship. He is one of those few heroes of humanity who have made epochs in the history of our race, with a message for other times as well as their own.

4. (a) Correct the following sentences:

(10)

(i) Too great a variety of studies destruct the mind.
(ii) The whole fleet of their ships were captured
(iii) Each of these students have done their work.
(iv) None but fools has ever believed it.
(v) He is one of the cleverest boys that has passed through the school.
(vi) My friend, philosopher and guide have come.
(vii) The majority are opposed to this proposal.
(viii) He told me that he saw his father last month.
(ix) If he would have worked hard, he would have passed the examination.
(x) Unless he will be more careful, he will not recover.

(b) Add the suffix 'able' or 'ible' to each of the following words making necessary changes in spelling. Write out the "new" words.

(10)

(i) Advice
(ii) Contempt
(iii) Force
(iv) Access
(v) Value
(vi) Reduce
(vii) Discern
(viii) Agree
(ix) Detach
(x) Reverse

(5)

(i) Apple of discord
(ii) A bolt from the blue
(iii) A feather in one's cap
(iv) Achilles' heel
(v) A man of letters

5. (a) Which of the two words within brackets in the following sentences is correct in the context?

(10)

(i) Poets often (sore, soar) to great heights of imagination.
(ii) Knowledge (proceeds, proceeds) from the Goddess of Learning.
(iii) The tower was struck by (lightning, lightening) and fell down.
(iv) Kanpur lies on the air (rout, route) to Calcutta.
(v) Everyone is (jealous, zealous) of him.
(vi) The crocodile emerged from the river and (seized, ceased) a goat.
(vii) He was found in (collusion, collision) with the plotters.
(viii) Wicked persons are not (illegible, eligible) for responsible posts.
(ix) He is a man of (lose, loose) character.
(x) The Emperor is staying at the royal (mansion, mention).

(b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences, first as a noun and then as a verb:

(10)

(i) Book
(ii) Bare
(iii) Clam
(iv) Drive
(v) Face

(10)

(i) He said, "I am too ill to speak now."
(ii) The policeman said to the man, "Where are you going?"
(iii) She said to her children, "Let me work undisturbed."
(iv) He said to the students, "Do not sit here."
(v) He said, "May god pardon the sinner."

ESSAY - 2005
Write an essay on any one of the following topics: 1. Justice must reach the poor
2. The hand that rocks the cradle
3. If women ruled the world
4. What is real education?
5. Terrorism and world peace
6. Food security for sustainable national development

==============================================================================

English - Civil Services Examination - 2002

Time allowed: Three hours
Maximum marks: 300

Instructions

Candidates should attempt all questions.

The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.

Answers must be written in English.

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following: (100)

(a) The ways to enrich our regional languages.

(b) Whither Indian democracy today?

(d) Science and religion

(e) If I were the Prime minister of India

2. Read the following passage and answer in your own words the questions that follow (5x15=75)

The scientific and technological revolution has brought that fundamental changes in the socio-economic sphere. The use of diesel engine and electricity and the beginning of the application of atomic energy have changed the modes of production. These things have led to the concentration of capital in a few hands. Great enterprises are replacing cottage industries and small firms. The working classes have certainly benefited economically. The miracle of production has necessitated the miracle of consumption. Better amenities are available at a lower cost. A man can buy anything he wants today, if e can only afford. But what kind of men are needed today for our society? Men who can co-operate in large groups, men whose tasks are standardized, men who feel free and independent and at the same time are willing to fit in the social machine without any friction.

Modern man is faced with a sort of moral and spiritual dilemma. The crisis of values yawns before him. Today the old values are in the melting pot, and the new values have not found their foothold. Man has become the automaton he has contrived; he has lost ownership of himself. The discord between the development of positive science on the one hand and the dehumanization of man on the other is the worst crisis of the modern age.

Apart from the economic sphere, the socio-political sphere has not escaped this stratification and the congruent crisis of values. Since the Renaissance, man has been striving for individual rights and self-dignity. But under the present set-up, only two types of men are found the conditioner and the conditioned. The propaganda officers and the planning bureaus have almost crushed the 'individual self', and it has resulted in the rise of the 'social self'. Due to this pressure, the personality fulfillment or its all-round development is denied to many.

(a) What has changed the modes of production today?

(b) What things are being replaced by great enterprises?

(d) Why has man become the automaton of his own creation?

(e) Is modern man able to attain personality fulfillment?

3. Make a precise of the following passage in your own language, in about 230 words on the special precise-sheets provided. The precise-sheets should be securely fastened inside the answer book. Indicate the number of words used by you in your precise.

N.B.: Marks will be deducted if your precise is much longer and shorter than the prescribed length. (75)

"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" asked Henry David Thoreau. More than a century later, the Earth seems to be literally falling to pieces - recent environmental set-backs include billions of tones of ices shelves breaking off in the Antarctic and unusually warm temperatures in different part of the world. Panic reactions range from predictions of sinking islands to lamenting the ill-effects of global warming induced by release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The trouble is that we are too much obsessed with the problem of climatic change to even acknowledge the fact that the state of the planet hinges on much more. Climatic change is at best a symptom of a far more complex malaise, just as a fever is most often only an indicator of something that's gone awry in our body. It is time for a complete and comprehensive planetary health check, that will examine the impacts of change in land use, loss of biodiversity, use of fertilizers and pesticides and consistent pollution of water bodies. This would overcome the limitations of evaluating how ecosystems work by reacting to just one major environmental concern as is happening in the case of global warming. These considerations have been responsible for the setting up of an international panel, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Financed by four major international bodies, including the UNO and the World Bank, the eco-panel was set up without much fuss last June (2001), and is expected to determine, over a period of our years and at a cost of $21 million, the state of the Earth's ecosystems.

The eco-panel will have source inputs from more than 2,000 natural and social scientists the world over. Put simply, the earth will go through the equivalent of a through physical analysis, so that biological, economic and social information can be collated to help scientists arrive at a final diagnosis. What is crucial, says one of the scientists, is that "no one has previously tried to work out how all of these conflicting pressures interact". The other important factor is how well we can orchestrate tread-offs and interactions in order to maintain ecological balance. Scientific bodies like the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have access to vast amounts of baseline data relating to the subject - although critics point out that the information available is mostly from the North, leaving the concerns of the South largely unpresented. The newly-constituted eco-panel will have to take all these aspects into account. For instance, it will have to ensure that data collection is more representative of the regions of the world. Today, we have the advantage of sourcing data from remote sensing satellites as well. The information thus gathered would have to be sorted out and analyzed by specialists and also by generalists - before the panel comes out with specific periodic predictions, prescriptions and warnings. the e\healing process can begin only if all the scientific evidence and direction is made available to a wide audience and not just restricted to policy makers. Rather than depending solely upon governments to listen to and take corrective action, the focus should now be on convincing individuals and communities whose collective or individual action will eventually make the difference between regression and recovery.

4. (a) Fill in the blanks using appropriate forms of the words given below:

ride, diminish, devotion, shout, watch, contest, disastrous, pleasure, philosophizing, finance (10)

(i) Mohan is _________________ to his father

(ii) None seems to have been ______________ with his speech.

(iii) She ________ at the peon when he sat down.

(iv) His _________ condition is at a low ebb now.

(v) Several candidates are _________________ the Panchayat elections.

(vi) The boy was frightened to __________ the movie.

(vii) What does Samkara's _________ teach us?

(viii) Hariharan's suspicious moves herald a _______

(ix) In the circus show, I saw a bear _____________ a bicycle.

(x) The chances of starvation deaths have __________ today.

4 (b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences first as a noun and then as a verb: (10)

(i) race (ii) hit (iii) play (iv) touch, (v) experiment.

4 (c) Rewrite the following sentences as directed parenthetically: (5)

(i) "Do not make a noise", said the teacher to his students. (Change into indirect form)

(ii) Hari is so short that he cannot touch the ceiling. (Replace 'so' by 'too')

(iii) I gave him a ten-rupee note yesterday. (change into passive voice)

(iv) She bought a house last year. the house is white. (Change into simple sentence).

(v) Hard as as he worked, he failed in the examination. (Use 'though').

5. (a) Correct the following sentences: (10)

(i) He boasts his achievements now and then.

(ii) She is living in this flat since 1995.

(iii) The principal was angry upon the boys.

(iv) Character is more preferable than intelligence.

(v) Krishna hanged all the pictures on the wall.

(vi) The sceneries of Kashmir move me most.

(vii) Cattle is grazing in the field.

(viii) Hari is going foreign next month.

(ix) She knew that I am leaving the place.

(x) His elder brother gave him many good advices.

5. (b) Of the words given in brackets, choose the one you think appropriate to fill in the blanks: (10)

(i) The road accident proved to be ______ (fateful, fatal)

(ii) He got a ________ opportunity to qualify in the test. (gold, golden)

(iii) Faridabad is an ______ city. (industrial, industrious)

(iv) An ashram is a ________ place. (quiet, quite)

(v) Sohan's handwriting is _________ (eligible, illegible)

(vi) We should not disturb the ___________ of his mind. (piece, peace)

(vii) You should ____ an example to strengthen your viewpoint. (site, cite)

(viii) Akbar was an ______ to Humayun. (hair, heir)

(ix) Rajasthan is a well known ___________ (desert, dessert)

(x) The _______ turned me out of the class. (principle, principal).

5. (c) Use of the following phrases in sentences so as to bring out their meaning: (5)

(i) bring about

(ii) call names

(iii) run out

(iv) by leaps and bounds

(v) lame excuse

====================================================================================

English - 2000 (Main) (Compulsory)

Time Allowed : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 300

INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates should attempt all questions.
The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.
Answers must be written in English.

Q. 1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following : 100
(a) Man is saved not by faith but by work
(b) Indian Culture
(c) Contribution of Science to human progress
(d) Political reform you want in India
(e) Laughter is the best medicine

Q. 2. Read the following passage and answer, in your own words, the questions that follow : 5 x 15 = 75

Two important stages came not so long before the dawn of written history. The first was the domestication of animals; the second was agriculture. Agriculture, which began in the river valleys of Egypt and Mesopotamia, was a step in human progress to which subsequently there was nothing comparable until our own machine age. Agriculture made possible an immense increase in the numbers of the human species in the regions where it could be successfully practised but at first these regions were few. These were in fact, only those in which nature fertilised the soil after each harvest. Agriculture met with violent resistance, analogous to that which our Ruskins and Samuel Butlers offered to machines. Pastoral nomads considered themselves vastly superior to the tame folk who stayed in one place and were enslaved to the soil. But although the nomads repeatedly won military victories, the physical comforts which the upper classes derived from agricultural serfs always prevailed in the end, and the area of agriculture gradually increased. Even now this process is not at an end, but what remains for it to achieve is no longer very important.

The only fundamental technical advance that preceded the emergence of man into recorded history was the invention of writing. Writing, like spoken language, developed gradually. It developed out of pictures, but as soon as it had reached a certain stage. it made possible the keeping of records and the transmission of information to people who were not present when the information was given.

(a) What was he second important stage in our pre-history and where did it begin?

(b) What happened in the regions where agriculture was successful ?

(d) What technical advance took place before the period of recorded history and what did it accomplish?

(e) Who considered themselves superior to whom and why ?

Q. 3. Make a precis of the following passage, in your own language, in about 230 words, on the special precis-sheets provided Marks will be deducted for precis not written on the precis-sheets. Marks will also be deducted if your precis is much longer or shorter that the prescribed length. The precis-sheets should be securely fastened inside the
answer book. State the number of words used by you in your precis. 75

It has been estimated than the human population of 600 B.C. was about five million people, taking perhaps one million years to get there from two and a half million. The population did not reach 500 million until almost 8,000 years later-about 1650 A.D. This means it doubled roughly once every thousand years or so. It reached a billion people around 1850, doubling in some 200 years. It took on1y 80 years or so for the next doubling, as the population reached two billion around 1930. We have not completed the next doubling to four billion yet, but we now have well over three billion people. The doubling time at present seems to be about 37 years. Quite a reduction in doubling times: 1,000,000 years, 1,000 years, 200 years, 80 years, 37 years.

One of the most ominous facts of the current situation is that roughly 40% of the population of the undeveloped world is made up of people under 15 years old. As that mass of young people moves into its reproductive years during the next decade, we're going to see the greatest baby boom of all time. Those youngsters are the reason for all the ominous predictions for the year 2000. They are the gun-powder for the population explosion.

How did we get into this bind ? It all happened along time ago, and the story involves the process of natural selection, the development of culture, and mans swollen head. The essence of success in evolution is reproduction .... for reproduction is the key to winning the evolutionary game. Any structure. physiological process or pattern of behaviour that leads to greater reproductive success will tend to be perpetuated. The entire process by which man developed involves thousands of millenia of our ancestors being more successful breeders than their relatives. Facet number one of our bind-the urge to reproduce has been fixed in us by billions of years of evolution.

Of course through all those years of evolution. our ancestors were fighting a continual battle to keep the birth rate ahead of the death rate. That they were successful is attested to by our very existence, for, if the death rate had overtaken the birth rate for any substantial period of time, the evolutionary line leading to man would have gone extinct. Among our apelike ancestors, a few million years ago, it was still very difficult for a mother to rear her children successfully. Most of the offspring died before they reached reproductive age. The death rate was near the birth rate. Then another factor entered the picture - cultural evolution was added to biological evolution.

Of course, in the early days the whole system did not prevent a very high mortality among the young, as well as among the older members of the group. Hunting and food-gathering is a risky business. Cavemen had to throve very impressive cave bears out of their caves before the men could move in. Witch doctors and shamans had a less than perfect record at treating wounds and curing disease. Life was short, if not sweet. Man's total population size doubtless increased slowly but steadily as human populations expanded out of the African cradle of our species.

Then about 8,000 years ago a major change occurred - the agricultural revolution. People began to give up hunting food and settled down to grow it. Suddenly some of the risk was removed from life. The chances of dying of starvation diminished greatly in some human groups. Other threats associated with the nomadic life were also reduced, perhaps balanced by new threats of disease and large scale warfare associated with the development of cities. But the overall result was a more secure existence than before and the human population grew more rapidly. Around 1800, when the standard of living in what are today the developed countries was dramatically increasing due to industrialization, population growth really began to accelerate. The development of medical science was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Q. 4. (a) Fill in the blanks using appropriate forms of the words given below :                10
      characterize; coagulant; fright; globe; civilized;
      disastrous; move; enthusiasm; pessimistic; philosophizing
(i) The ------------- of clouds leads to changes in the weather.
(ii) Man's continuance on earth is shrouded in ----------- .
(iii) A cosmic -------------- may end life on earth.
(iv) Vitamin K is essential for the ------------ of blood.
(v) Is our ---------- going on the right path
(vi) The economic. ---------- of our country is changing.
(vii) Once in the jungle, the boys were -------------- .
(viii) What does Indian ------------- teach?
(ix) ---------------- is affecting India's economy.
(x) He spoke ------------ about the existence of God.

(b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences, first as a noun and then as a verb. 10
(i) hunt
(ii) wound
(iii) discredit
(iv) team
(v) experience

(c) Rewrite the following sentences as directed parenthetically :                                       5
(i) "Shut the door after you," she told him curtly.
                                                                 (Change into indirect form)
(ii) Did she commit all the mistakes ?
                                                                 (Change into passive voice)
(iii) Many difficulties are impossible to overcome.
                                                                 (Use a single word for the underlined phrase)
(iv) Hard as he tried, the old man failed to find a buyer for his bicycle.
                                                                 (Use "though'')
(v) She is so good that others cannot beat her.
                                                                 (Replace "so" by "too")

Q. 5. (a) Correct the following sentences : 10
(i) She vividly described about the situation.
(ii) He chose only such men for his company whom he could trust.
(iii) He does not boast his-merits.
(iv) The rich lead a luxuriant life.
(v) The work was hard and exhaustive.
(vi) Sages had prophecied the coming of the prophet.
(vii) Earth may again be hit by a huge meteor.
(viii) He came to the city with a view to get a job.
(ix) He was angry upon me.
(x) Why she is doing this ?

(b) Of the words given in brackets, choose the one you think appropriate to till in the blanks :                                                                                                                                 10
(i) She has the ------------------- to this property.
                                                                                                               (wright ; right)
(ii) He has ------------------- his own method for doing the work.
                                                                                   (devised ; deviced)
(iii) Fetch me a ------------------- of water.
                                                                                   (pale ; pail)
(iv) All the --------------- of the airline were grounded.
                                                                                   (aircraft ; aircrafts)
(v) The government has selected the --------------------- for the hospital.
                                                                                   (site ; cite)
(vi) The ------------------- of Kargil have fallen silent.
                                                                                   (canons ; cannons)
(vii) The tropic of --------------------- is an imaginary line.
                                                                                  (Cancer ; cancer)
(viii) The budget ------------------ could not be offset.
                                                                                                             (deficit ; deficiency)
(ix) When they came down the hill the ------------------- was steep.
                                                                                  (descent ; decent)
(x) The government collapsed when there was a -------------- in the party.
                                                                                  (fraction ; faction)

(c) Use the following phrases in sentences so as to bring out their meaning : 5
(i) bring about
(ii) break in
(iii) heart and soul
(iv) lie low
(v) hold one's breath

=============================================================

English - 1999 (Main) (Compulsory)

Time Allowed : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 300

INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates should attempt all questions.
The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.
Answers must be written in English.

Q. 1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following : 100
(a) Power of the press
(b) An ideal college
(c) The technological miracles of the twentieth century
(d) An encounter with an astrologer
(e) "Cowards die many times before their death".

Q. 2. Read the following passage and answer in your own language the questions that follow: (75)

Forecasting the weather, or trying to find out what it will be like in several day's time, has always been a difficult business. Many different things affect the weather and each one has to be carefully studied before we can make even a fairly accurate forecast. The ancient Egyptians, of course, had no need of this- the weather in the Nile valley hardly ever changes -but people living farther north had to protect themselves and their crops. During a period of drought, when no rain fell for weeks on end, streams and rivers dried up, cattle died from thirst and crops were ruined. A storm could wreck ships and houses, and heavy falls of rain caused rivers to flood a whole countryside. Action in the sky stirred man into action, and in this respect farmers became just as much men of action as were sailors on the high seas. Both had to reckon with the weather - it often upset their plans, sometimes with disastrous results.

In early times, when there were no instruments such as thermometer or barometer, man looked for tell-tale signs in the sky. He made his forecasts by watching the flights of birds or the way smoke rose from a fire. He thought that the moon controlled the weather - that it held a lot of water, especially when as a crescent or sickle-shaped moon it lay on its back. Even today there are people who think that the sight of the moon lying on its back means that the rain is on its way. Many of the weather-sayings are still heard today. I expect you know the one : 'A red sky at night is the shepherd's delight. A red sky in the morning is the shepherd's warning.' Do you believe this ? It's sometimes right but more often wrong. If this and hundreds of other sayings like it were true, there would be no need for weather science or meteorology.

(a) What is drought and what are its consequences?

(b) Does the writer endorse the popular sayings about the red sky ?

(d) Why is it not easy to forecast the weather ?

(e) How would the moon help the people in forecasting weather ?

Q. 3. Make a precis of the following passage in your own language, in about 230 words, on the special precis-sheets provided. The precis sheets should be fastened securely inside the answer book. State the number of words used by you in your precis. 75

N.B. Marks will be deducted if your precis is much longer or shorter than the prescribed length.

Karl Marx was no gentle dreamer about a better life. such as the Utopian socialists have been. He was a fighter. As he examined the relations between the capitalists and labourers of the world, his belief became clearer and sharper, until at last he was sure that he was dealing with a new science - the science of the means of production. He was sure that his ideas were not dreams but solid scientific facts, and he therefore referred to himself as a scientific socialist, so that people would not confuse him with the Utopians.

Marx and a friend named Friedrich Engels were in France during the revolution of 1848, and it was at this time they published a pamphlet called The Communist Manifesto. This was a call to battle for the labouring classes of the world: "Workers of the world, arise: you have nothing to lose but your chains." The last years of Marx were spent in England writing his book Das Kapital ('Capital'). Engels supported Marx and completed the work when the latter died, leaving the book unfinished.

Das Kapital is one of the most important books ever written. In it Marx expressed some astonishing and radical ideas. According to his economic theory, all the wealth in the world is produced by human labour. This is true of not only the goods turned out by factories and of the money received for such goods, but is true as well of the factories themselves, which were also built by human toil, and therefore represent a type of frozen and stored up labour. It is the workers, said Marx, rather than the capitalists, who have supplied this labour, and therefore the wealth should belong to them. They do not receive it, but are paid instead only a small fee for their efforts. The great difference between what the workers produce and what they are paid is surplus wealth, which goes to the owners of the factory, when it should go to the workers. Hence the workers are being exploited, or robbed, and the capitalists are growing wealthy. So said Marx.

Das Kapital also included Marx's philosophy of history. According to this theory, in every age the social class that controls the source of wealth also controls the government and has power over the people. There is, however, a considerable overlapping. As the sources of wealth change, the, old group in power tends to hang on to its control of the government. For example, the nobles of the Middle Ages owned the land which was the key source of wealth at that time, and they also controlled the government. With the coming of factories as the chief producers of wealth, the nobles retained their control of the various governments of Europe for many years. Finally, the businessmen, or capitalists, who controlled the new source of wealth gained control of the government. They still control it, said Marx, but it is an unfair situation, and will not continue. In time, the workers, who really produce the wealth, will get the power. As wealth piles up, the factories and other means of production will fall into fewer and fewer hands as the rich grow steadily richer. The poor, at the same time, will grow steadily poorer and more numerous until at last a point will be reached is which almost everybody will be living in misery to support a few fabulously wealthy individuals. This situation will be so intolerable and so ridiculous that the great masses of the workers will rise up, take industry away from its owners, and run it for the benefit of the workers.

We now know that many of Karl Marx's ideas were wrong, and that many of his predictions have not come true. Wealth has become more widely distributed rather than less, and the standard of living of the workers has gone up rather than down. Capitalists have proved not to be the evil ogres that Mary pictured them. Nevertheless, the ideas of Karl Marx have had a strong appeal for many people and a profound effect upon the history of the world. Communism. one of the greatest forces in the twentieth century, had its origins in the writings of Karl Marx.

Q. 4. (a) Fill in the blanks using the appropriate forms of the words given below : 10
stay; reality; health; pertinent; proof; post; stretched; accident; rouse; provision
(i) I am not his ................... brother.
(ii) He got up with a .................. and a yawn.
(iii) Keep him ................. with the latest news about his mother.
(iv) He fell into the gorge ..................... .
(v) I have sold off my farm-house and the land ....................... to it.
(vi) Demagogues try ................... the masses.
(vii) The new typist .................... to be useless.
(viii) I will go ...................... that my expenses are paid.
(ix) .................. you have forgotten one thing.
(x) Had you taken the medicine, the wound ........................ by now.

(b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences, first as a noun and then as a verb : 10
(i) dog
(ii) freeze
(iii) spoon
(iv) book
(v) refuse

(c) Rewrite the following sentences as directed parenthetically :                                       5
(i) Einstein was the greatest scientist of our century.
                                                              (Use the comparative degree)
(ii) Let us have a cup of coffee now.
                                                              (Use the right tag question)
(iii) She said. "Darling, why are you looking so pale ? Cheer up, please."
                                                              (Change the mode of narration)
(iv) The fact is so evident that it requires no proof.
                                                              (Replace 'so' by 'too')
(v) He has to do his job well.                  (Change the voice)

Q. 5. (a) Correct the following sentences : 10
(i) You are a mechanic; isn't it ?
(ii) I have already availed of all the casual leave due to me.
(iii) The health of my brother is better than me.
(iv) He insisted to leave immediately.
(v) She congratulated him for his success.
(vi) The choice lies between honour or dishonour.
(vii) If it will rain, we shall stay back.
(viii) The ship was drowned in the sea.
(ix) By studying hard, his grades improved.
(x) I have to give my examination in April.

(b) Of the words given in brackets, choose the one that, you think, is appropriate to fill in the blanks :                                                                                                                           10
(i) The book has been ................... for the Indian readership.
                                                                 (adapted; adopted)
(ii) The case has been hanging fire because the judge is ................. .
                                                                 (disinterested; uninterested)
(iii) Trespassers will be .................... .
                                                                 (persecuted; prosecuted)
(iv) He is a man of .................. .
                                                                 (principal; principle)
(v) Justice should be ................ with mercy.
                                                                 (tampered; tempered)
(vi) The condition of homeless people becomes .................... in winter.
                                                                 (pitiful; pitiable)
(vii) He led a ................ life.
                                                                (sensuous; sensual)
(viii) I vowed to ............... myself for the death of my cousin.
                                                                (avenge; revenge)
(ix) I have ................ him a job in our company.
                                                                (assured; ensured)
(x) Aren't you tired of this .................. rain ?
                                                                (continual; continuous)

(c) Use the following phrases in your own sentences so as to bring out their meanings : 5
(i) to lead by the nose
(ii) pell- mell
(iii) gift of the gab
(iv) to make a dash
(v) to fish in troubled waters

=========================================================

English - 1997 (Main) (Compulsory)

Time Allowed : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 300

INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates should attempt all questions.
The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.
Answers must be written in English.

Q. 1. Write an essay of about 300 words on any one of the following : 100
(a) Tolerance is the key to national unity
(b) Your idea of a happy life
(c) Advertisements : need for control
(d) Is vegetarianism a virtue ?
(e) Failures are the pillars of success

Q. 2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow in your own words as far as possible. 75

It is true that the smokers cause some nuisance to the non-smokers, but this nuisance is physical while the nuisance that the non-smokers cause the smokers is spiritual. There are, of course, a lot of non-smokers who don't try to interfere with the smokers. It is sometimes assumed that the non-smokers are morally superior, not realizing that they have missed one of the greatest pleasures of mankind. I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand we must beware of a man without weakness. He is not to be trusted. He is apt to be always sober and he cannot make a single mistake. His habits are too regular, his existence too mechanical and his head always maintains its supremacy over his heart. Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings. For that reason, I am always scared and ill at ease when I enter a house in which there are no ash-trays. The room is apt to be too clean and orderly, and the people are apt to be correct and unemotional. Now the moral and spiritual benefits of smoking have never been appreciated by these correct, righteous, unemotional and unpoetic souls. In my opinion the smokers' morality is, on the whole, higher than that of the non-smokers. The man with a pipe in his mouth is the man after my heart. He is more genial, more open-hearted, and he is often brilliant in conversation. As Thackeray observes, "The pipe draws wisdom from the lips, of the philosopher and shuts up the mouth of the foolish; it generates a style of conversation that is contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent and unaffected."

(a) What kind of hardship do .a smoker and a non-smoker cause to each other ? 15

(b) Why is it wrong to think that a non-smoker is morally superior to a smoker ? 15

(d) What pleasure of life is missed by a non-smoker ? 15

(e) What does Thackeray mean to say ? 15

Q. 3. Make a precis of the following passage in about 230 words. As far as possible, the precis should be in your own words. It should be written on the special sheets provided, which should be
fastened securely inside the answer book. State the number of words in your answer. 75

N.B. : Marks will be deducted if your precis is much longer or shorter than the prescribed length.

In our country begging has become a profession and the beggars continue to increase in numbers. So, vast indeed is the fraternity of these beggars that foreigners visiting India, especially ,cities like Varanasi, our cities of pilgrimage, have been led to call our cities the cities of beggars and of dust ! There are no statistics available for estimating their number, but that is not needed for our present purpose. Of course, any practical reform in this matter does not require a close investigation into the causes and conditions of the existence of beggars, but we are here concerned with the question of seeing how these beggars live and what, in particular, is the effect on society of their existence.

As already suggested, the vastness of the number of the Indian beggars is evident to any visitor from a foreign country. The causes of the increase in the number of beggars are many, but of these we may just consider only a few. For good or evil, Indians have been very religious in their outlook on life, and also very generous and hospitable towards those who go to them for begging. Our Puranas and Shastras point out that giving charity to beggars ensures Moksha in the next world. The social conscience deveolped from such an article of faith has been the main cause of the increase in the number of beggars. They are always sure of finding people anxious to go to heaven by offering doles and donations to the needy and so they are thriving. There are many beggars whose profession has been hereditary - a strange perversion of human nature, which, as we are told, ought to eat out of the sweat of its brow. The most amusing spectacle from the point of view of reason, is to see able-bodied persons, dressed in abundance of rags and many coloured clothes wandering about the streets and going from house to house regularly at certain hours for no more serious a purpose than that of begging ! This might be seen at almost any village and town in our country. For ages uncounted this thing has been going on. The ignorant masses have a fear of the curse supposed to emanate from the mouths of angered beggars, and thus the beggars get more than they need. In fact, strange as it might seem, a considerable number of these beggars are richer . than their poor patrons !

With the percolation of social consciousness among the modern educated Indians, the problem of beggars is today being seriously thought about and ways and means are being seriously mooted on how to solve this problem. When we read how in the West, for example, begging has become a crime coming under the vagrancy acts of Parliaments and when we know that in some countries people are warned that "Those who do not work, neither shall they eat", we begin to think how depressing is the situation in India. Poverty, no doubt, is one of the major causes of begging, and unemployment and increase in population have also been responsible for the same, but the disease-of begging has deeper roots in the social consciousness of us all, and it is to this that any reformer has to turn. We must make it clear to the masses that there is no special glory of Punya in giving charity to the able-bodied persons, and that such misplaced charity is only increasing idleness and chronic poverty. If the masses are educated in social science, its elementary principles at any rate, there will be a gradual lessening of the number of beggars in our country.

The State, too, has to devise laws for checking the growth of beggars. Some strict laws against vagrants must be put into practice in every city and village in India. It is more important to introduce them in holy cities where the beggars are leading the most unholy life. Finally, it is for the development of saner outlook on life that we must agitate if we are to root out this evil of beggary. In one form or another, begging has become the most widespread thing today. Some are honourable, modernised beggars in pants and boots and ties and they have subtler ways of exploiting their patron victims.

Q. 4. (a) Fill in the blanks using the appropriate forms of the words given below : 10
abhor, alter, determine, dwell, fellow, handle, innocent, slay, torrent, radiant.
(i) He is making a ..................... effort to succeed in the examination.
(ii) We should hold corruption in ...................... .
(iii) He ....................... in a rented house in Delhi last year.
(iv) There is no ..................... in this, town; it is the same as it was five years ago.
(v) He deserves praise ................... for the situation tactfully.
(vi) We love children for their ................... .
(vii) The crops have been damaged by these ............... rains.
(viii) The rich man has been ................... by the militants.
(ix) The ................. of his face suggests that he is a saint.
(x) He has been awarded a .................. for studying in Canada.

(b) Use each of the following words in two separate sentences, first as a noun and then as a verb :
favour, meet, occasion, sound, support. 10

(c) Do as directed :                                                                                                                5
(i) A stranger said to me, "Do you know me ?"
                                                            (Change into the Indirect form of Narration.)
(ii) He is blind ............... his own faults.
                                                            (Use the correct preposition.)
(iii) Are you not making a noise ?
                                                           (Write it in the passive voice.)
(iv) Is virtue not its own reward ?
                                                            (Transform into an assertive sentence.)
(v) God is present everywhere.
                                                            (Substitute a single word for "present everywhere".)

Q. 5. (a) Correct the following sentences : 10
(i) If you will run, you will catch the train.
(ii) I am too glad to help you.
(iii) I am fed up of his evil ways.
(iv) He has only two brother-in-laws.
(v) I am one of those persons who cannot describe what I feel.
(vi) He has not bought some books.
(vii) Do not prevent the child to read.
(viii) I doubt that she will help you.
(ix) Ganges is a holy river.
(x) He is more intelligent than either of his four brothers.

(b) Of the words given in brackets, choose the one that you think is appropriate :         10
(i) He is an .................. mechanic.
                                                                         (ingenuous / ingenious)
(ii) He died after he had been struck by .................. .
                                                                         (lightning / lightening)
(iii) Your story is not at all ................... .
                                                                        (credulous / credible)
(iv) Only the virtuous experience true ................. .
                                                                         (facility / felicity)
(v) Some politicians try to influence the ............... officers.
                                                                        (judicious / judicial)
(vi) You cannot question his honesty and ................. .
                                                                         (veracity / voracity)
(vii) The patient is still in a state of ................. .
                                                                        (comma / coma)
(viii) After the accident, the field was covered with ................. .
                                                                         (corpses / corps)
(ix) He is a dealer in .................... .
                                                                         (stationary / stationery)
(x) You should settle this dispute in an ................. way.
                                                                         (amiable / amicable)

(c) Use the following phrases/idiomatic expressions in your own sentences so as to bring out their meanings : 5
give rise to, hang fire, pass away, put up with, tone down.

English - 1998 (Main) (Compulsory)

Time Allowed : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 300

INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates should attempt all questions.
The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.
Answers must be written in English.

Q. 1. Write an essay in about 300 words on- any one of the following : 100
(a) The Limits of Science
(b) Our Intellectuals
(c) Have We Lost the Direction ?
(d) Computers in Everyday Life
(e) Below the Poverty Line

Q. 2. Read this passage carefully and answer the questions set at the end 75

We think of the moon as only a stone, a stone gone cold. An airless, waterless stone and the prophetic image of our own earth when, some few million years from now, the senescent sun shall have lost its present fostering power . .... And so on. This passage could easily be prolonged - a Study in Purple. But I forbear. Let every reader lay on as much of the royal rhetorical colour as he finds to his taste. Anyhow, purple or no purple, there the stone is - stony. You cannot think about it for long without finding yourself invaded by one or other of several sentiments. These sentiments belong to one or other of two contrasted and complementary groups. The name of the first family is Sentiments of Human Insignificance, of the second, Sentiments of Human Greatness. Meditating on that derelict stone afloat there in the abyss, you may feel a worm,. abject and futile in the face of wholly incomprehensible immensities. 'The silence of those infinite spaces frightens. me.' You may feel as Pascal felt. Or, alternatively, you may feel as M. Paul Valery has said: `The silence of those infinite spaces does not frighten me.' For the spectacle of that moon need not necessarily make you feel like a worm. It may, on the contrary, cause you to rejoice exultantly in your manhood. There floats the stone, the nearest and most familiar symbol of all the astronomical horrors: but the astronomers who discovered those horrors of space and time were men. The universe throws down a challenge to the human spirit; in spite of his insignificance and abjection, man has taken it up. The stone glares down at us out of the black boundlessness. But the fact that we know it justifies us in feeling a certain human pride. We have a right to our moods of sober exultation.

(a) How does the writer describe the moon ?
(b) Do you think that the image of the moon revealed here is prophetic ? Why ?
(c) What kind of two contrasted and complementary sentiments does the moon evoke ?
(d) What does the author try to suggest about the place of man in the universe ?
(e) Give the central idea of the passage.

Q. 3. Write a precis of the passage given below in your own words, not exceeding 160, on the special sheets provided. The precis sheets should be fastened securely inside the answer book. State the number of words used by you in the precis.

N.B. : Marks will be deducted if your precis is much longer or shorter than the prescribed length. 75

I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war makes no sense in an age when great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age when a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all of the Allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by the wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.

Today the expenditure of billions of dollars every year on weapons acquired for the purpose of making sure we never need to use them is essential to keeping the peace. But surely the acquisition of such idle stockpiles, which can only destroy and never create, is not the only, much less the most efficient, means of assuring peace.

I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. I realize that the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war, and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears. But we have no more urgent task.

Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world disarmament, and that it will be useless until the leaders of those nations, perceived to be hostile by us, adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must re-examine our own attitude, as individuals and as a nation, for our attitude is as essential as theirs. And every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward, by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace.

First, let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control.

Our problems are man-made: therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable and we believe they can do it again.

Let us focus on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions, on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace, no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process, a way of solving problems.

With such a peace there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbour; it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. And history teaches us that enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever. However fixed our likes and dislikes may seem, the tide of time and events will often bring surprising changes in the relations between nations and neighbours.

So let us persevere. Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable. By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help all peoples to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it.

Q. 4. (a) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of words given below : 10
deter, increase, ardour, resolve, courage, divide, prestige, commend, pious, invoke
(i) Paradise Lost opens with an ................... of the divine.
(ii) When is your next .................. due ?
(iii) One must have a firm ................... to achieve one's goal.
(iv) Unless we are .................. we can never face obstacles.
(v) Will our nuclear explosions have quite a .................. effect ?
(vi) United we stand, .................. we fall.
(vii) The programme of rehabilitation is ...................... .
(viii) Without .................. religious pursuit has hardly any meaning.
(x) In Gandhian era the people of our country had .................. spirit of patriotism.
(x) This school is a very .................... institution.

(b) Use the following words in your own sentences, each both as a noun and a verb : 10
practice; question; complement; substitute; crop.

(c) Rewrite the following sentences as directed :                                                                        5
(i) "Help me Cassius, or l die," cried Caesar.
                                                                      (Turn it into the indirect form.)
(ii) John in brighter than all other students in his class.
                                                                      (Change into the positive degree.)
(iii) You cannot see him, for it is not easy to reach him.
                                                                      (Give one word for the words in bold italics.)
(iv) She would not go home during the holidays
                                                                      (Use a question tag.)
(v) If you do not work hard, you cannot succeed.
                                                                      (Use 'unless'.)

Q. 5. (a) Correct the following sentences : 10
(i) It is an unique privilege to welcome our guests.
(ii) A herd of cattles were grazing in the farm.
(iii) If you would have studied hard, you should have passed.
(iv) One of my friend is a good poet.
(v) Either his parents or Pheroze is going to come today.
(vi) When you are going to London to meet with your friends there ?
(vii) For heaven's sake, please don't ask me that why am I not coming ?
(viii) I cannot be able to play cricket this evening.
(ix) You are the teacher here, isn't it ?
(x) Shakespeare, the playwright and the poet born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

(b) Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate words put within the brackets :                10
(i) He ............... his past statement in the course of his speech.
                                                                                              (avert, advert)
(ii) In their response to the call they are ..................... .
                                                                                              (invert, inert)
(iii) There is no ................... to the gift he received.
                                                                                              (illusion, allusion)
(iv) ................... distillation is an offence.
                                                                                              (Elicit, Illicit)
(v) He had no ....................... to any help.
                                                                                              (recourse, resource)
(vi) He is certainly not honest; he is always .................... .
                                                                                              (hypercritical, hypocritical)
(vii) Smoking is ................... here.
                                                                                              (proscribed, prescribed)
(viii) Kishore sends his .......................... to you.
                                                                                              (compliments, complements)
(ix) We must not cast any ................. at him, for he is innocent.
                                                                                              (aspiration, aspersion)
(x) The students' attitude to their teacher is not ................... .
                                                                                              (deferential, differential)

(c) Use the following phrases in your own sentences bringing out the meaning : 5
(i) Out of tune
(ii) To put one's foot down
(iii) At sixes and sevens
(iv) Through thick and thin
(v) To put something up

Focus General Studies Paper Model Questions for UPSC Civil Services (Prelims),2026

Tuesday, 20 December 2016

English Language Papers for Civil Services Mains Exam

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