QP-CSM-26-010926-Compulsory-ENGLISH

Time Allowed : Three Hours Civil Services (Main) < Examination, 2026 वियोज्य DETACHABLE ENGLISH (COMPULSORY) Maximum Marks : 300 QUESTION PAPER SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS Please read each of the following instructions carefully before attempting questions : All questions are to be attempted. The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it. Answers must be written in ENGLISH only. Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to and if answered in much longer or shorter than the prescribed length, marks will be deducted. Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off. 1 KVMS-G-ENG 1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics : 100 (a) The rise of Indian women in sports. (b) A thing of beauty is a joy forever. (c) Growth of influencer culture in India. (d) War is a problem, not.a solution. 2; Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language : 15x5=75 As our capacity to deal with our challenges at home increases, India walks with greater confidence abroad. As one more Indian child receives education, one more Indian village gets electricity and drinking water, one more far-flung Indian district is looped into a world-class highway, the image of India that is seen by the world improves, incrementally but irreversibly. For me, the empowerment of India has meant the transformation of this image over the years. The snake charmer has yielded place to the computer. What was once seen as a chaotic country is now seen as a vibrant, thriving democracy. The population that was once seen as a debilitating burden is now an enviable asset. The Indian immigrant, once considered an economic refugee, is welcomed now in an increasing number of countries. India is no longer a country seen as home to countless impoverished millions in need of food aid, education and relief. It is seen as a country with a critical role in the twenty-first century, an economy that is both a very viable investment destination as well as a hub of growth, a polity that is a model for a functioning multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious democracy. Today, it is no longer possible to ignore India’s voice; without her, no calculus of the 21st century is complete. What are the factors that have contributed to this sea-change in our standing abroad ? To my mind, the most critical factor is the way we have nurtured our spirit of freedom and enabled it to enliven all our democratic institutions. The world today marvels at how we have managed to transform possible faultlines — be they of religion, region or language — into bonds that unite. Our election process, peaceful transfers of power, flexible federalism, independent judiciary, freedom of debate — in parliament or in the press — has set standards by which the resilience of societies to handle political challenges is measured. Our billion-strong democratic experiment is unique and is seen as such. It empowers every Indian, at home and abroad. KVMS-G-ENG 2 The growing strength of the Indian economy is another crucial element in the process of our empowerment. Wide-ranging reforms, a determined bid towards global integration keeping in mind our own specific circumstances and a commitment to bring the benefits of development to every strata of our society have set the stage for phenomenal growth. The world is paying attention though much more needs to be done to attract the level of investment that we seek. But the effects of economic change have already empowered an increasing number of Indians. The third factor that empowers us today is the quality of our education. This has transformed our population burden into a bank of talent. It has created and nourished our cutting edge IT industry. It has enabled India to become a nuclear power, a confident explorer of space frontiers, a leader in biotechnology — in fact, a giant of the knowledge industry. When one is abroad, the true value of Indian education and scientific temper, often taken for granted at home, stands out as a major factor of our empowerment. Our efforts have to be aimed at extending this education of excellence to every Indian; the impact on India’s empowerment will be manifold. And one last point: India is empowered in the world today because of the philosophical underpinning of our foreign policy, the principles that we have held dear, the ideals that we have cherished. The relentless pursuit of peace, the willingness to engage, the enormous contributions to multilateral institutions and, above all, the independence of our decision-making have earned respect and admiration for our foreign policy. Today we continue these traditions in our dialogue with our neighbours and in our energetic engagement with every major power and region in the world. Our consistent efforts to achieve close and friendly political relations, mutually beneficial economic linkages and increased people-to-people contacts are resulting in tangible empowerment for every Indian. In the eyes of the world, an empowered India is no longer a matter of doubt; it is already a matter of fact. i (a) What, according to the author, indicates the empowerment of India ? 15 (b) What is the most important factor that has brought about a sea-change in India’s standing abroad ? 15 (c) What does the author say about the contribution of Indian economy to the empowerment of India ? 15 (d) How has education contributed to India’s empowerment on the global stage ? 15 (८) What are the key features of India’s foreign policy ? 15 3 KVMS-G-ENG 3. Make a précis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give or suggest a title to it. The précis should be written in your own words. 75 We are not always able to read more than one history of an event. When we are not, we must admit that we do not have much chance of learning the truth of the matter in question—of learning what really happened. However, that is not the only reason to read history. It might be claimed that only the professional historian, the man who is writing a history himself, is required to cross-examine his sources by exhaustively checking one against the other. He must leave no stone unturned if he is to know what he ought to know about his subject. We, as lay readers of history, stand somewhere between the professional historian, on the one hand, and the irresponsible amateur, on the other hand, who reads history only for amusement. Let us take the example of Thucydides. You may be aware that he wrote the only major contemporary history of the Peloponnesian War at the end of the fifth century B.C. In a sense, there is nothing to check his work against. What, then, can we expect to learn from 7 Greece is now a tiny country; a war that occurred there twenty-five centuries ago can have little real effect on our life today. Everyone who fought in it is long dead, and the specific things for which they fought are long dead, too. The victories are now meaningless, and the defeats without pain. The cities that were taken and lost have crumbled into dust. Indeed, if we stop to think of it, almost all that remains of the Peloponnesian War is Thucydides’ account of it. Yet that account is still important. For Thucydides’ story—we might as well use that word—has had an influence on the subsequent history of man. Leaders in later eras read Thucydides. When they found themselves in situations that even faintly approximated that of the tragically divided Greek city-states, they compared their own position to that of Athens or Sparta. They used Thucydides as an excuse and a justification, and even as a pattern of conduct. The result was that by ever so little, perhaps, but perceptibly, the history of the world was changed by the view held of a small portion of it by Thucydides in the fifth century B.C. Thus we read Thucydides not because he described perfectly what happened before he wrote his book, but because he to a certain extent determined what happened after. And we read him, strange as this may seem, to know what is happening now. “Poetry is more philosophical than history,” wrote Aristotle. By this he meant that poetry is more general, more universal. A good poem is true not only in its own time and place; but in all times and places. It has meaning and force for all men. History is not quite so universal as that. It is tied to events in a way that poetry is not. But any good history is also universal. KVMS-G-ENG 4 4.(a) 4.(a)(i) Thucydides himself said that he was writing his history so that men of the future would not have to repeat the mistakes he had seen made and from which he had suffered personally and through the agony of his country. He described the kinds of human mistakes that would have meaning to men other than himself, to men other than Greeks. Yet some of the very same errors that the Athenians and the Spartans made 2,500 years ago, or at least very similar ones, are being made now, as they have been made over and over again since Thucydides’ time. If your view of history is limited, if you go to it to discover only what really happened, you will not learn the main thing that Thucydides, or indeed any good historian, has to teach. If you read Thucydides well, you may even decide to give up trying to discover what really happened in the past. History is the story of what led up to now. It is the present that interests us—that and the future. The future will be partly determined by the present. Thus, you can learn something about the future, too, from a historian, even from one who like Thucydides lived more than two thousand years ago. Let us sum up these two suggestions for reading history. The first is: if you can, read more than one history of an event or period that interests you. The second is: read a history not only to learn what really happened at a particular time and place in the past, but also to learn the way men act in all times and places, especially now. (773 words) Rewrite the following sentences after making the necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence : 1x10=10 The two first chapters of the novel are rather dull. 4.(a)(ii) They were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. 4.(a)(iii) Such goods are made for export, and are seldom or ever used in this country. 4.(a)(iv) He not only lost his ticket, but also his luggage. 4.(a)(v) This is one of the most interesting novels that has appeared this year. 4.(a)(vi) Draw a line over the middle of the page. 4.(a)(vii) She is bad in communicating her ideas. 4.(a)(viii) Nothing now remains besides the factory itself. 4.(a)(ix) House prices fell down by five percent last month. 4.(a)(x) I will take both ones if that is okay. 5 KVMS-G-ENG 4.(b) 4.(0)0) 4.൪൪) 4.(b)(iii) 4.(b)(iv) 4.(b)(v) 4.(c) 4.(c)(i) 4.(c)(ii) 4.(0)(111) 4.(c)(iv) 4.(c)(v) 4.(6) 4.0) 4.(d)(ii) 4.(d)(iii) 4.(d)(iv) 4.(4)(૪) 5.(a) 5.(a)(i) 5.(a)(ii) 5.(2)(11) Supply the missing words : 1x5=5 It is ten o’clock my watch. The public are cautioned pickpockets. His illness is a mere pretext his absence. His statement was tantamount a confession. He parted his property and went on pilgrimage to holy places. Use the correct form of the verb given in the brackets : 1x5=5 I’m sure I him at the party last night. (see) 1 for half an hour when it suddenly started to rain. (walk) Don’t disturb me. I my homework. (do) Perhaps we New Delhi next month. (visit) I him for a long time. (know) Write the antonyms of the following : 1x5=5 Brief Chatty Candid Always Expand Rewrite the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning : 1::10-10 Latif is more industrious than most other boys. (Rewrite using superlative degree) One must be honest in his/her dealings. (Rewrite after correction) She is a good singer. (Rewrite using ‘well’) KVMS-G-ENG 6 5.(a)(iv) There was a traffic-jam this morning. We were late for work. (Rewrite using a conjunctive adverb) 5.(a)(v) The teacher asked the students a question. (Change the voice) 5.(a)(vi) She has been working in the company for years; ? (Add a question tag) 5.(a)(vii) She said, “I have been teaching music for seven years.” (Change into indirect speech) 5.(a)(viii) The measure was put through without opposition. (Rewrite using 8557) 5.(a)(ix) It is not necessary for him to go. (Rewrite using ‘need’) 5.(a)(x) He speaks like his father. (Rewrite using ‘as’) 5.(b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out the meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences) : 1x5=5 டும்‌ 6౦11౦61 உம Fussy 5.(0)(111) Stalk 5.(b)(iv) Rebel உ Poorly 5.(c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks : 1x5=5 5.(c)(i) He was about locking the door and a thief got in. (Negligible/ Negligent) 5.(c)(ii) She was a child who would never stop once her mind was made up. (wilful/ willing) 5.(c)(iii) She devised an scheme to hoodwink the police. (Ingenuous/ Ingenious) §.(c)(iv) to the VIP room is limited. (Access/Excess) 5.(c)(v) The budget focused गा . growth. (Economical/Economic) 7 KVMS-G-ENG 5.(d) Use the following idioms/phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly : 1x5=5 5.(d)(i) Sitting on the fence 5.(d)(ii) Cold blood 5.(d)(iii) Over head and ears 5.(d)(iv) Bag and baggage 5.(ત)(૪) Black and white KVMS-G-ENG 8