UPSC Mains 2017 GS1 Q11 — Indian Culture
The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate. (250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Elaborate
- Scope keywords
- spirit of tolerance and loveinteresting feature of Indian societyfrom very early timesplaying an important part at the present
- Implicit sub-parts
- What historical evidence/philosophies established the spirit of tolerance in ancient and medieval India?
- How does this historical continuity manifest in contemporary Indian social and political structures?
- Why is this spirit critical for India’s current socio-economic development and internal security?
- Are there challenges to this spirit, and how does the societal fabric absorb them?
- Common pitfalls
- Focusing only on ancient history (Ashoka/Akbar) while neglecting the 'at the present' requirement.
- Writing a generic essay on 'Unity in Diversity' without specifically addressing the keywords 'tolerance' and 'love'.
- Failing to mention constitutional values like Secularism and Fraternity as modern embodiments of these traits.
- Ignoring the 'interesting feature' aspect—failing to explain why India's diversity is unique compared to global melting pots.
- Dimensions required
- HistoricalPhilosophical/EthicalConstitutional/LegalSocio-CulturalInternational/Soft Power
- Marks allocation hint
Devote approximately 100 words to the historical evolution (Ancient to Bhakti-Sufi traditions) to establish the 'early times' aspect. Allocate the remaining 150 words to the present-day relevance, focusing on constitutional morality, communal harmony as a prerequisite for growth, and India's global image (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) to satisfy the 'important part at the present' directive.
Unlock the full analysis for this question
You've seen the question and its examiner-intent decoding. Subscribers also get:
- 🔗 Similar Previous Year Questions — cross-year, cross-paper matches so you study the topic, not the question
- 📚 Source Map — verified citations from Laxmikanth, NCERT, PRS, Yojana, Economic Survey, Spectrum
- 🌱 How this topic is evolving — current-affairs bridge anchored to live TARS news clustering
- 🧭 Examiner's Pattern — how the topic has been framed across every year UPSC has tested it
- ✍️ Answer Skeleton — a structured outline (intro → body → conclusion) you can flesh out
- 🎯 AI evaluation — write your answer, get rubric-based scoring from gs-eval
Or browse 132+ free preview questions across all years and papers — the first 3 questions of every paper are unlocked.
Ready to practice?
Subscribers can attempt this question in 250 words and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where they stand.
Subscribe to evaluate your answer →