The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Mains examination serves as a rigorous evaluation of candidates aspiring for prestigious administrative positions in India. Among the array of subjects tested, Science and Technology occupy a pivotal role, reflecting the significance of technological advancements and scientific understanding in contemporary governance. Over the decade spanning from 2013 to 2023, the UPSC has consistently incorporated subject-wise questions on Science and Technology, delving into various facets ranging from fundamental scientific principles to cutting-edge innovations. This period witnesses a dynamic landscape of advancements, marked by disruptive technologies, environmental concerns, and global health crises, all of which have profound implications for policymaking and governance. Analyzing the trend of Science and Technology questions over this timeframe provides invaluable insights into the evolving priorities and challenges faced by the nation, as well as the requisite competencies expected from future civil servants.
2023
- Introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence (Al). How does Al help clinical diagnosis? Do you perceive any threat to privacy of the individual in the use of Al in healthcare?
- Discuss several ways in which microorganisms can help in meeting the current fuel shortage.
- The adoption of electric vehicles is rapidly growing worldwide. How do electric vehicles contribute to reducing carbon emissions and what are the key benefits they offer compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles?
- What is the main task of India’s third moon mission which could not be achieved in its earlier mission? List the countries that have achieved this task. Introduce the subsystems in the spacecraft launched and explain the role of the Virtual Launch Control Centre at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre which contributed to the successful launch from Sriharikota.
2022
- Launched on 25th December, 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor Space Telescopes ? What are the key goals of this mission ? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race?
- What is the basic principle behind vaccine development? How do vaccines work? What approaches were adopted by the Indian vaccine manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines?
2021
- How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world?
- What are the research and developmental achievements in applied biotechnology? How will these achievements help to uplift the poorer sections of the society?
- The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for the invention of Blue LEDs in the 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday life of human beings?
2020
- What do you understand about nanotechnology and how is it helping in the health sector?
- How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered by science-based technologies?
- COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented devastation worldwide. However, technological advancements are being availed readily to win over the crisis. Give an account of how technology was sought to aid management of the pandemic.
2019
- What is India’s plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space programme?
- How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?
- How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine patenting by pharmaceutical companies?
2018
- Discuss the work of ‘Bose-Einstein Statistics’ done by Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose and show how it revolutionized the field of Physics.
- Why is there so much activity in the field of biotechnology in our country? How has this activity benefitted the field of biopharma?
- With growing energy needs should India keep on expanding its nuclear energy programme. Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy.
2017
- Stem cell therapy is gaining popularity in India to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including leukaemia, Thalassemia, damaged cornea and several burns. Describe briefly what stem cell therapy is and what advantages it has over other treatments?
- India has achieved remarkable successes in unmanned space missions including the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission, but has not ventured into manned space missions, both in terms of technology and logistics? Examine critically.
2016
- What is allelopathy? Discuss its role in major cropping systems of irrigated agriculture.
- Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How the application of this technology has helped India in its socio-economic development?
- Why is nanotechnology one of the key technologies of the 21st century? Describe the salient features of Indian Government’s Mission on Nanoscience and Technology and the scope of its application in the development process of the country.
2015
- How can the Digital India program help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What step has the government taken in this regard?
- To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment cost and tariff of solar energy be attributed? What implications does the trend have for thermal power producers and related industry?
- What do you understand about “Standard Positioning System” and “Precision positioning system” in the GPS era? Discuss the advantage India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme employing just seven satellites.
- What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots? Discuss the initiatives that can propel the research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful innovation.
- Discuss the advantage and security implication of cloud hosting of server’s vis-a-vis in house machine-based hosting for government business.
- India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which has a database containing formatted information on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon in the country’s fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons of making this database publicly available under open-source licensing.
2014
- Scientific research in Indian universities is declining because a career in science is not as attractive as are business professions, engineering or administration, and the universities are becoming consumer oriented. Critically comment.
- Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor’s prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved.
- In a globalized world, Intellectual Property Rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms—Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets.
2013
- Bring out the circumstances in 2005 which forced amendment to section 3(d) in the Indian Patent Law, 1970. Discuss how it has been utilized by the Supreme court in its judgment rejecting Novartis patent application for “Glivec “. Discuss briefly the pros and cons of the decision.
- What do you understand about fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs)? Discuss their merits and demerits.
- What is digital signature? What does its authentication mean? Giver various salient built-in features of a digital signature.
- How does 3D printing technology work? List out the advantages and disadvantages of the technology.
- What is an FRP composite material? How are they manufactured? Discuss their applications in aviation and automobile industry.
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