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UPSC Mains 2015 - How to attempt Compulsory English language paper
Dear readers,
In this article, we will discuss the exam pattern, syllabus, time management strategy and general approach to tackle the Compulsory English Language paper.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the 2015 Civil Services Prelims exam on August 23rd to recruit candidates for 24 prestigious services across government departments. Around 15,000 candidates successfully cleared the preliminary exam and will be appearing for 2015 Civil Services Mains exam, which will be conducted from December 18th - 23rd.
UPSC's Civil Services Mains exam comprises a total of nine papers, including two qualifying papers. They are:
1) Any Modern Indian Language (300 marks)
2) English Language (300 marks)
The objective of the Compulsory English Language paper is to test candidates' ability to read & understand serious descriptive prose and express themselves clearly and correctly. It is a qualifying paper, which means that the marks secured in this paper will not be included in the total marks obtained in the exam.
As per the UPSC's notification, you should obtain at least 25% marks (75/300) to succeed in this paper. So, let's first understand the general pattern of the same.
Compulsory English Language Paper Pattern:
This paper has to be solved within 3 hours. The five major types of questions asked are as follows:
Question Marks
1) Write a short essay 100
2) Reading Comprehension 15x5 = 75
3) Write a précis based on a passage 75
4) a. Write the correct sentence 1x10 = 10
b. Supply the missing word/s 1x 5 = 5
c. Use correct form of verbs 1x 5 = 5
d. Write antonyms 1x 5 = 5
5) a. Rewrite the sentence as directed 1x10 =10
b. Make sentences 1x 5 = 5
c. Fill in the blanks 1x 5 = 5
d. Make sentences using phrases 1x 5 = 5
Time management strategy:
1. You should attempt questions 4 & 5 first. Question 4 usually have topics that test your vocabulary skills. Considering the previous year papers, these questions are simple and it will hardly take you 10-15 minutes to solve this question.
2. You should then move on to question 5, in which you will usually face questions based on advanced grammar topics like: Change the Voice, Direct-Indirect Speech, Change the Degree, etc. While attempting such type of questions, You have to rewrite the sentence as directed without changing its meaning. With good practice, you can easily secure maximum marks in such questions. Sub-questions like Commonly Confused Words are usually quite easy.
3. You can thus tackle questions 4 & 5 within the first 20-25 minutes. It is advisable to attempt single questions based on vocabulary and grammar in the beginning itself.
4. Reading Comprehension: After the easy part, you should move on to question 2 i.e. 'Reading Comprehension'.(as per the previous year papers) In this, it is essential to understand the gist of the passage, ideas discussed and the theme. Read the passage a second time with a critical mindset before answering questions.
5. Use the data provided in the passage to write comprehensive answers. Ability to focus, write brief answers and good reading speed are some traits that will help you to solve this section better.
6. Time management is very important in RC as you might get engrossed in the questions and thus waste a lot of time. Ensure that each answer does not exceed 200-250 words and try to answer all five questions within 60 minutes.
7. Essay: After RC, you should go for essay writing. The topics given for essay are usually quite easy and test your thought processes rather than factual & statistical knowledge. Of the four topics given, choose one in which you can write a meaningful essay of around 600 words. Do not waste much time in choosing the topic.
8. Allocate around 60-65 minutes for the essay. In the first 10 minutes make a blueprint, which should include all the important ideas you will elaborate on. Also, mention quotes, names, facts etc. in the blueprint so that you do not forget to include these time-based facts in the right sequence.
9. Your essay should have three major parts, namely:
i) Introduction
ii) Body
iii) Conclusion
10. Though additional references of people, books, events and quotes enhance your essay's quality, make sure not to digress from the core topic.
11. You should refrain from presenting too personal and negative viewpoints as it will affect your marks.
12. Make a habit of reading newspaper editorials and books on different subjects to not only develop a good command over language but also the ability to grasp complex ideas.
13. Précis: You should go for précis writing in the remaining 40-45 minutes. This question is worth 75 marks and is the usually the toughest in the whole paper. As per the previous year papers, we can conclude that the theme and core topics chosen for Précis are quite difficult to understand and thus time-consuming.
14. The objective of writing a précis is to shorten a passage, while keeping its essence intact. Therefore, read the passage once, understand its gist and read it again with a critical mind to sieve out salient details.
15. Now prepare a rough draft with the core idea, important points and additional references.
16. If there is an idea or concept explained in detail, try to rewrite it in brief. Prepare a second draft based on the points enumerated in the first one. Remember: never deviate from the core idea. Go through this draft once again and write a fair précis with an appropriate title.
General Tips:
a) The Compulsory English Language paper is scheduled in the afternoon, immediately after the Essay paper. As candidates need only 75 marks out of 300 to qualify, many do not take this paper seriously. However, note that every year around 10-12% students fail in the language papers, thereby losing their precious chance to score well in the Mains exam.
b) The questions asked in this paper are usually equal to matriculation level. Thus, two weeks of preparation will easily help you score the required marks.
c) Make sure you maintain a neat handwriting as it is crucial for a good first impression.
d) Present your thoughts & ideas in a lucid manner instead of being too verbose.
e) Divide your time as per the time management strategy given above and try to attempt every question with high accuracy.
Best of Luck!!!
Guys, what online tests for Prelims 2016 are you taking?
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UPSC Civil Services Mains 2015 - Essay paper
Dear Readers,
In this article, we will discuss the pattern, syllabus, time management strategy and general approach to tackle the Essay paper.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the Civil Services Preliminary exam 2015 on the 23rd of August 2015 to recruit candidates for 24 prestigious services in various government departments. Around 15,000 candidates have successfully cleared the Preliminary examination and they will appear for Civil Services 2015 Mains, which will be conducted from the 18th December to the 23rd
What is an essay?
An essay is a comprehensive argument on a topic, which reflects the author's knowledge and the direction of his/her thoughts. The Essay paper is one of the most important papers in the UPSC Civil Services Mains exam as it tests a candidate's knowledge of concepts, analytical prowess and attitude.
Overall, the nature of topics in this part of the exam is unpredictable and there is not a set pattern or strategy that is followed by UPSC. The essay play obviously plays a decisive role in your selection and can lessen your chances of securing a good rank and getting selected for the Interview.
Paper Pattern:
The UPSC Civil Service Mains Essay paper has two sections-Section A & B, each with four different essay topics. You have to write an essay of about 1,000 - 2,000 words on any one topic in each section. The Essay paper is worth 250 marks (each essay carries 125 marks) and has to be solved within 3 hours.
How to write an essay:
Let's go through a step-by-step process to understand the three important parts of the whole process: selection of a topic, structure of the essay and the actual essay writing process.
1) Selection of topic:
This is the most important step as the selection of the topic dictates your efficacy in the essay writing process. First, you should take a few minutes to carefully go through the given topics and form a rough outline based on your knowledge of the topics. In order to determine the right topic for the essay, the easiest benchmark is establishing your knowledge for particular topics. The one for which you have the maximum knowledge, you should select that topic generally. In some rare cases, you might encounter two topics for which you have similar knowledge. In these cases, select the one where you can present the topic in a better manner. You should be confident of making the information and facts flow into a seamless essay. Overall, take around 10-12 minutes to select the topic.
2) Structure of the essay:
This is the most important part because this effectively
i) Introduction
ii) Body
iii) Conclusion
This is a very simple way of breaking down the essay into tangible units. This basic classification will help you define the placement of information in the essay.
a)
Ask yourself questions to decide the sub-topics/angles that will help in meaningful arrangement of your factual data. Remember to limit the scope of your essay as per the time limit in the exam. The essay should neither be too short nor too lengthy. It should be concise enough to explain the core idea.
b) Think, collect, & analyse: Devote time to think about your topic with a clear & focused mind. The syllabus of the four General Studies paper provides enough data, facts and statistics on varied topics. Try to recollect this information and list out points related to your essay topic. Now go through the points to evaluate their relevance to the topic. Analysing the data gives your ideas a direction and your essay the right attitude.
c) Rough
Spend the next 45 minutes
3) Writing the essay:
As I mentioned above, an essay consists of three parts. Let's now analyse how you need to approach these parts:
i) Introduction: The introductory paragraph helps to attract and hold the reader's attention and this makes it very important. You should make the examiner curious about what s/he is going to read further in the essay.
a) Introduction of the essay should build up the topic and present the core theme in an engaging manner. Use
b) Introduction can be started with a thesis statement, a famous quote or an anecdote. It should also contain keywords from your topic.
c) It should also give a brief idea about the scope of your essay.
d) Keep it simple; don't get too verbose in the introduction.
e) Introductory paragraph also reflects your attitude. For him/her it is your first impression. Thus, do not make the examiner feel disoriented and confused at the beginning.
ii) Body: This is the most important part of your essay as it provides in-depth analytical arguments for every point you wish to elaborate in the essay. This is where you can present your knowledge of the topic, your analytical ability and assessment of ideas.
a) Use your rough outline to write paragraphs based on a single idea/point. Every paragraph should be meaningfully complete. Following are the main points to be considered while writing a paragraph.
b) Topic Sentences: A paragraph should begin with a 'topic sentence', which is a one-line introduction, which states the main idea of that paragraph.
c) Supporting sentences: Supporting sentences
d) Closing sentences: These sentences form the conclusion of your paragraph and summarise the main idea. You can end your paragraph with an assessment of the angle explained in the paragraph and other concluding remarks.
e) Transitions: To keep up the flow within a paragraph or between two paragraphs, you are advised to use transition words such as 'accordingly', 'likewise', 'for instance', etc.
f) Maintaining a lucid flow of the essay is essential. Paragraphs should not have loose ends as they confuse the examiner.
g) Make sure not to include random points. Our objective is to keep the examiner's focus on the essay and nothing should distract him from it.
h) In-depth and coherent analysis reflects your thought process and critical understanding of the topic.
i) Whenever you describe present problems/ issues, try to provide a brief and practical solution to the same. Merely raising questions without solutions does not serve any purpose.
j) Do not get present very personal views as it may have a negative effect on your essay.
k) Highly negative and harsh viewpoints
l) Do not get too engrossed in a sub-topic and deviate from the central idea of the essay.
iii) Conclusion: The conclusion provides your final outlook and assessment as regards different angles discussed in the body.
a) Conclusion should generate a sense in the reader that he agrees with your point of view.
b) It can include a famous quote or an unconventional yet practical solution. Do not end your essay with questions minus a definite solution. It presents a pessimistic view and evasive attitude.
c) Your conclusion should be balanced, practical and within the purview of
iv)
a) Your language should be simple and enable your essay to have a seamless flow. It should help the examiner understand complex concepts quickly as this may help to sustain his interest.
b) Correct grammar and usage of words, well-balanced tone and subtle formality
c) Do not use long sentences as it confuses the reader and eventually fails to convey the intended point.
v) Revision:
a) After you finish writing, make sure to use the last 15-20 minutes to revise your essay thoroughly.
b) Look for grammatical and factual errors, spelling mistakes, etc.
c) Make sure the essay has all the points that you included in your rough draft.
d) Revision and final corrections are important to ensure overall perfection.
In the Essay paper, candidates get marks in the range of 30-120. But, don't worry! Getting 120+ out of 200 is not an uphill
Best of Luck!!!
UPSC Mains 2015 - List of probable Essay topics
Dear readers,
In this article, we will provide you a list of probable essay topics which can be asked in UPSC civil Services Mains exam 2015.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the 2015 Civil Services Prelims exam on August 23rd to recruit candidates for 24 prestigious services across government departments. Around 15,000 candidates successfully cleared the preliminary exam and will be appearing for 2015 Civil Services Mains exam, which will be conducted from December 18th - 23rd.
The list of Essay topics is as
1) Terrorism a global problem.
2) Should India adopt an aggressive foreign
3) Grammar of a language is
4) Can India play a vital role in curbing climate change?
5) Smart
6) FDI : How is it benefitting India's economy?
7) Corruption : Major roadblock in India's progress.
8) Need of the
9) Prospects of financial inclusion in India.
10) Euthanasia : A justified medical approach?
friends ..which test series is best among all for upsc
Recent archaeological evidences have identified this country as the host of the 'Soma Cult'
a) Iran
b) Iraq
c) Afghanistan
d) Turkmenia
Is there any pdf available for 'from plassey to partition' ?
Anybody buying gs mains notes of any class and want to share?
Guys a separate thread has been created for UPPSC 2016 Aspirants!
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/uppsc-prelims-target-2016-38126973
when do application for prelims begin?
does any know which mindmap software used by insightsonindia to create such a high quality image for their daily mindmaps ??
I tried many softwares but couldnt export images with such a high quality
can anyone suggest indian and world geography books?
thnx in advance!
Can anyone brief me about review officer exam of UP legislative assembly regarding the syllabus and sectional marks ?? Please help...
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Given the importance of this topic from competitive examinations like SSC CGL, UPSC in this article, we would look at kingdom Fungi and its characteristics.
1. The fungi constitute a unique kingdom of heterotrophic organisms. They show a great diversity in morphology and habitat.
a. Cell type: Eukaryotic
b. Cell wall: present
c. Nuclear membrane: present
d. Mode of nutrition: Heterotrophic
2. The body of fungi consists of long, thin thread-like structures called hyphae (yeasts as an exception which are unicellular with a filamentous body). The network of hyphae is known as mycelium.
3. Some hyphae are continuous tubes filled with multinucleated cytoplasm called coenocytic hyphae. Cell walls are made up of chitin and polysaccharides (a carbohydrate, for example-starch, cellulose, or glycogen whose molecules consist of many sugar molecules bonded together).
4. Most fungi are saprophytic in nature i.e. feed on organic matter from the dead substrate while others that depend on living plants and animals are known as parasites.
5. Few fungi have a symbiotic relationship (beneficial to both partners involved) with algae, for e.g. Lichens and those who are in association with roots of higher plants e.g. Mycorrhiza
6. Reproduction in fungi can take place by vegetative means - fragmentation, fission and budding. Asexual reproduction takes place with the help of spores (microscopic particles that grow into fungi in favourable conditions). These spores are known as conidia/ zoospores/ sporangiospores.
7. Sexual reproduction takes place by oospores, ascospores and basidiospores. The sexual cycle involves three steps called plasmogamy (fusion of protoplasts), karyogamy (fusion of nuclei) and meiosis.
8. The morphology of the mycelium, mode of spore formation and fruiting bodies divide the kingdom into various classes viz Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes.
9. Phycomycetes:
a. Found in aquatic habitat, decaying wood and moist and damp places.
b. Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores (motile) or by aplanospores (non-motile).
c. Some examples include Mucor, Rhizopus (the bread mould mentioned earlier) and Albugo (parasitic fungi on mustard).
10. Ascomycetes:
a. Popularly known as sac-fungi, these are multicellular (Penicillium) while rarely are unicellular (yeast).
b. These fungi are saprophytic, decomposers, parasitic or coprophilous (grow on dung).
c. Some examples are Aspergillus, Claviceps and Neurospora (used extensively in biochemical and genetic work). Examples of this class like morels and truffles are edible.
11. Basidiomycetes:
a. Mushrooms, bracket fungi or puffballs are some examples of this class.
b. They grow in soil, on logs and tree stumps and in living plant bodies as parasites, e.g., rusts and smuts.
c. E.g. Agaricus (mushroom), Ustilago (smut) and Puccinia (rust fungi) are few members of Basidiomycetes.
11. Deuteromycetes:
a. Known as imperfect fungi since the only known phases of this fungi are asexual and vegetative.
b. Some members of this class are saprophytes or parasites, while a large number of them are decomposers of litter and contribute to mineral cycling.
c. Some examples are Alternaria, Colletotrichum and Trichoderma.
Anyone going for a road-trip over North India now that mains exams are over? What are some good places ( other than the usual routes/places) to make a ride to, from Delhi, this winter? Any help would be great ! Thanks!!
Does anyone have electrical engineering optional. I m deeply confused wther i sould take it as my optional or not because there is no good material available or no good resource list to find.i would be very grtful if any1 or sum1 helps me in this regard.plz reply asap.