GS MAINS PAPER 2 2010

1. Answer the following in not more than 250 words each 20x2=40



(a)Critically examine the implications of the disintegration of the Soviet Union on India's security and strategic perspectives. What further responses would you suggest in India's foreign policy to accommodate these implica¬tions?



(b)Evaluate India's approach towards meeting the country's growing energy demands. Compare the success of this approach with that of another Asian giant which has perhaps the fastest growing energy demands.



2. Answer any four of the following in not more than 150 words each: 12x4=48



(a) How far have Japan's principles of Hikaku San Gensoku impacted bilateral ties with India?



(b)Assess the contributions of Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean.



(c)Do you agree with the view that Israel is a 'natural ally' of India?



(d) Bring out the FDI and employment implica¬tions of China being a manufacturing hub and India a service hub?

(e) Have the Uruguay Round negotiations and the resultant Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement helped in resolving trade conflicts arising out of variations in different nations' IPR regimes ? Also list the steps taken by India to conform to TRIPS.

(f)Examine the recent developments towards the solution of the Bangladesh-Myanmar maritime boundary dispute. What implications do these have for India?

3. Answer any eight of the following in not more than 50 words each : 5x8=40

(a) Compare and contrast the role of the IMF with that of the World Bank.

(b)What are the major capacity-building and reconstruction projects being undertaken by India in Afghanistan?

(c) Bring out the significance of GDI and GEM as components of the UN's Human Development Report (HDR). Comment on India's relative rankings with regard to HDI and GDI.

(d)What is 'Round Tripping' in the context of FDI inflow, and why has it been in the news recently in the case of India?

(e)Comment on the reason for the recent hike in visa processing fees for certain categories of US visas. What is the likely impact of this hike on India?

(f)In the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), distinguish between 'Annex I' and 'Annex II' countries.

(g)Highlight the role of the Indian peacekeeping contingent as part of MONUSCO.

(h)List the salient features of the Riyadh declaration and the bilateral agreements between

India and Saudi Arabia signed earlier this year.

(i)Comment on the reasons for the recent economic crisis in the so-called 'PIGS' countries of Europe.



4. Answer any two of the following in not more than 150 word each: 12x2=24

(a) Examine the opportunities for a lasting West Asia peace solution in the context of the 'historic' talks started in September 2010.

(b) Has the February agreement between the Sudanese government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) been more successful in ending the strife in Darfur than the Abuja peace agreement of 2006? Evaluate.

(c)Comment on the present status of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). What important issues, do you think, need to be taken up at the seventh review conference of the BWC scheduled for 2011?

5.Answer any four of the following in not more than 150 words each: 12x4=48

(a)Bring out the applications of computer models in studying climate changes, with special reference to the Community Earth System Model (CESM).

(b)What is phytoremediation ? Discuss its appli¬cations.

(c) Explain and differentiate among 'Plasma', 'LCD' and 'LED' television technologies.

(d) What is 'cloud computing’? Bring out its essential features and list its advantages and limitations.

(e) Discuss the applications of nanotechnology in the health care sector.

6. Comment on any three of the following in not more than 50 words each: 5x3=15

(a) Rotterdam Convention

(b) The Mavi Marmara incident

(c)Significance of the Kampala declaration of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

(d)Trial chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and its recent verdict.





7. Comment on any six of the following in not more than 50 words each: 5x6=30

(a) MRSA infection

(b) HRP-2M Choromet

(c) Maglev vehicles

(d) Super absorbent polymers (SAP)

(e) Ginkgo biloba

(f) CARTOSAT-2B

(g) Various generations of mobile phone technology



8. Who/What are the following and why have they been in the news recently? (Your answers should be in a sentence or two only): 3x8=24

(a) Craig Venter

(b) Shahran Amiri

(c) Wolfram Alpha

(d) 'Dreamliner' aircraft

(e) Blue gene project

(f) 'Predator' drones

(g) 'Deepwater Horizon' incident

(h) ACTN 3 gene

Remaining paper comprises of statistics portion which will be uploaded soon.

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