(Download) UPSC IFoS (Main) Exam Paper 2019 "General English"
Exam Name: IFoS (Main) Exam
Exam Year: 2019
Subject: General English
Q1. Write an essay of 800 to 1000 words on any one of the following topics
: 100 Marks
(a) Global Warming and Climate Change
(b) What lies ahead for the Indian Economy ?
(c) Quality education as an indicator of social development
(d) The influence of the internet on youth
Q2. (a) Write a letter to the editor of an English newspaper
complaining about the lack of basic amenities for the disposal of garbage in
your locality. (Kindly do not write your name or address anywhere in your
answer. You may use fictitious name such as XYZ instead.) 25 Marks
(b) Write a report on a programme you organised in your institute on the
theme “Renewable Energy Sources are the need of the hour”. (Kindly do not write
your name or address anywhere in your answer. You may use fictitious name such
as XYZ' instead.) 25 Marks
Q3. Write a précis of the passage given below in about one-third of its
length. Please do not give any title to it. 50 Marks
The habit of reading needs to be developed and cultivated. It can be one of
the pleasures of your life and in the bargain you gain new knowledge, new words
and new styles of expression. Reading books, periodicals and magazines gives a
unique type of pleasure. Everybody can't enjoy reading because it requires a
level of intelligence, personal interest, understanding, language skills and
above all, solitude or the ability to detach the mind from other things. Reading
demands concentrated attention to make sense.
Childhood is the best period when the habit of reading can be developed.
Unfortunately, today, reading is getting limited to notebooks, exam guides,
answer keys and guess papers. The purpose is just to get through tests and not
to understand culture or develop learning. Reading is getting replaced by
viewing movies, watching T.V. serials and game shows, visiting chat rooms,
browsing websites, surfing the internet, fiddling with multifunctional mobile
phones and SMSing. They can't expand the knowledge base of a student like books
The company of books is much more rewarding than the company of a mobile phone.
The former adds to your knowledge and the latter makes you shallower only. Go to
the fold of book-reading and make your mind richer. Just as we need food for
growth and proper functioning of our body, similarly, we need food for the mind.
Reading provides food for the mind.
Reading may be classified as light or serious. It may be adventurous or
spiritual. Every reading has its distinct pleasure. Some people like to read
newspapers, periodicals, journals, etc. They are storehouses of general
information about current events and various socio-political and economic
problems. They offer us a peep into the world through which we can see the
events taking place in various parts of the world. This type of reading is
essential as it keeps us well-informed. In the fast moving world of today, we
can hardly afford to ignore the happenings of the world. In today's globalised
world, the events taking place in one part of one country have a bearing on the
situation of another country. This kind of reading is informative and
inculcating. Many people seek delight in reading books on travel and adventure.
Reading such books instils a spirit of fight, fearlessness and adventure. It
takes us far away from the dull and dreary world.
Many people enjoy reading books on religion and philosophy. Such reading
enriches the soul and enlightens the readers. It removes darkness from their
mind. This type of reading serves as a guide. It teaches us lessons on morals
and ethics. Works of literature, philosophy and history make serious reading.
Reading of these books gives an insight into our glorious past. We come to know
about our culture, art, tradition and architecture. We learn about the
socio-cultural and political life of contemporary society. While books on
literature provide food for our thought, they are appealing to people of all
ages and their reading enriches our knowledge and broadens our outlook. (501
Q4. Read the passage and answer the questions given below: 10x5=50 Marks
Almost everyone agrees that we need good research to help improve education.
There are two kinds of research that can be done and have been done. The first
one asks research questions from within the field of education. This is informed
by educational thought and epistemic issues, the aims of education and its
practices, and the perspectives of the students, teachers and communities
involved. The second kind takes the aims, concerns and practices of education
for granted, and investigates issues in education from the perspective of other
disciplines. The anchors and lenses of such research are of that discipline and
other areas of social policy, not the field of education. This kind may also
have relevance and is usually done by economists, political scientists,
sociologists and scholars from similar intellectual backgrounds. In Indian
context, there is too little of the former and so the second kind gets
disproportionate attention of policymakers and the public. Since education is
not the primary perspective of such research, it also often focuses on issues of
peripheral importance to the reality of education.
For research to help educational policy and practice, in improving the
educational experience and attainment of the millions of students in our
schools, we need to pay adequate attention to the first kind of research. This
requires focus on understanding two important elements in our education system.
Most teachers in India deal with student groups that present complex challenges.
A typical situation is where a teacher has to work with a group of thirty-odd
children, in the age group of six to ten. That means she is teaching students
across classes I to V together. A large number of these children would have
parents who have never gone to school, and even for others, the brutal struggle
for livelihood leaves little possibility of educational support at home. In most
cases, the language that the child knows is different from the language used as
the medium of instruction at the school. For many of these children, the only
full meal is the mid-day meal provided by the schools. Before and after school,
most of them are engulfed with their share of daily chores.
How does a teacher deal with this situation ? How can she be effective as an
educator ? How does she tackle the issue of multiple languages ? How does she
provide the required support to those children facing the most acute deprivation
? What are her struggles in doing all this, day after day, for years ? These are
some of the most important questions. That's because education in India will
improve or stagnate in the reality of the teacher and her students.
There is no one right answer to any of these questions. There are likely to be
multiple valid approaches, influenced by the particular mix of factors in any
context, which in itself may change over time. Given the extreme variability and
fluidity of education because of its social-human nature, there can be no
definitive, universally applicable answers to such questions. However, with
experience and rigorous reflection, one can arrive at relevant operating
principles that can help in flexibly responding to multiple contexts and
situations. Given our dynamic social reality, even these need constant critical
(a) What are the two kinds of research discussed in the passage ?
(b) What do you understand by the concept ‘epistemic issues'?
(c) Why does the author say ‘research on education focuses on issues of
(d) How should teachers deal with student groups ?
(e) In your opinion, why do you think that the author says that there can be ‘no
definitive, universally applicable answers to such questions' ? |
Q5. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after correcting the grammatical
errors in each : 1x10=10 Marks
(i). When I reached the station, the train left it.
(ii) Kolkata is at the bank of the river Hooghly.
(iii) She is one of the best author in the genre.
(iv) Will you return back the book I lent you ?
(v) At one time were houses where the large factory now stands.
(vi) You should read from page no. 13 and 17.
(vii) Although it was raining, but we walked in the street.
(viii) Ravi's mango is more sweeter than Rani's.
(ix) You can't buy all what you like.
(x) After this he made no farther remarks.
(b) Make sentences using the following words in such a way that the
meaning of each word is clear from the context : 2x5=10 Marks
(i) Desert; Dessert
(ii) Current; Currant
(iii) Disinterested; Uninterested
(iv) Wise; Vice
(v) Perspective; Prospective
(c) Use the following idiomatic expressions in sentences in order to bring
out their meaning : 2x5=10 Marks
(i) Let the cat out of the bag
(ii) Go for gold
(iii) A penny for your thoughts
(iv) Once in a blue moon
(v) Hit the nail on the head :
(d) Write the adjectival forms of the following words: 1x5=5 Marks
(e) Write the noun forms of he following words: 1x5=5 Marks
Q6. Rewrite the following sentences as directed : 2x5=10 Marks
(a) I could not finish the project on time. (Rewrite the sentence using ‘able
(b) He will not pay unless he is compelled. (Change the sentence into a simple
(c) My captors were taking me to prison. (Change into passive voice)
Who could expect that Hari would be so stupid ? (Change into a negative
(e) She told me that she would speak to me the following day. (Change to
Courtesy : UPSC