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Predicted Questions with Model Answers
Q1 (5 marks — 50 words): What are the main demerits of the dowry system? State the legal provisions against it.
Model Answer:
Dowry's demerits: (1) female foeticide — daughters seen as liabilities; (2) dowry deaths — 6,450 in 2022 (NCRB); (3) domestic violence — ongoing harassment; (4) debt traps for bride's family. Legal protection: Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 (5 years imprisonment); IPC 498A (cruelty by husband); IPC 304B (dowry death — minimum 7 years).
(Word count: 51 words)
Q2 (5 marks — 50 words): What is corruption? State four measures taken by the Indian government to control it.
Model Answer:
Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. India ranked 93rd/180 (CPI 2023, score 39/100). Four anti-corruption measures: (1) Lokpal Act 2013 — independent ombudsman; (2) RTI Act 2005 — transparency tool; (3) Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (amended 2018) — criminal law; (4) Direct Benefit Transfer via PFMS — reduces leakage.
(Word count: 52 words)
Q3 (5 marks — 50 words): Describe the types of unemployment in India with examples.
Model Answer:
India's unemployment types: (1) Structural — graduates lack industry skills (IT sector needs coders, millions hold irrelevant degrees); (2) Disguised — overcrowded agriculture (marginal productivity ≈ zero); (3) Seasonal — agricultural idle season; (4) Cyclical — COVID-19 destroyed 2.5 crore jobs; (5) Educated unemployment — youth with degrees but no matching jobs. PLFS 2022-23: overall UR 3.2%.
(Word count: 52 words)
Q4 (5 marks — 50 words): What is drug addiction? State the legal framework and government initiatives for drug demand reduction in India.
Model Answer:
Drug addiction (substance use disorder) is compulsive drug-seeking despite harmful consequences — a chronic brain disease (WHO/ICD-11). India: 2.26 crore opioid users (NDDTC 2019). Legal framework: NDPS Act 1985 (6 months–20 years punishment). Initiatives: Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (2020) — 272 high-prevalence districts; NITI Aayog Drug Demand Reduction Strategy (2021) — prevention, treatment, community rehabilitation.
(Word count: 50 words)
Q5 (5 marks — 50 words): How is poverty measured in India? State any two poverty alleviation programmes.
Model Answer:
India measures poverty through Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) — 10 indicators across health, education, and living standards (NITI Aayog 2023). India's MPI poor declined from 29.17% (2013-14) to 11.28% (2022-23). Two alleviation programmes: (1) MGNREGS — 100 days guaranteed rural employment; (2) PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana — free foodgrain to 80 crore beneficiaries (extended to 2028).
(Word count: 52 words)
Q6 (5 marks — 50 words): What is the 'culture of poverty'? How does it perpetuate social inequality?
Model Answer:
'Culture of poverty' (Oscar Lewis, 1959) is a sociological theory that people in chronic poverty develop a distinct subculture — fatalism, present-orientation, distrust of institutions, and low aspirations — that perpetuates poverty across generations. Children socialised in this culture internalise defeat, making upward mobility difficult. Critics argue it blames the victim instead of structural barriers like caste discrimination, unequal education, and limited job access.
(Word count: 55 words)