UPSC IAS interview previous year questions – Part 5

UPSC IAS interview made easy with findings and experiences of aspirants faced the same . Following is data given by previous year aspirants about questions, responses and experiences in their UPSC INTERVIEW . 

This is part 5 of the series. 

Name: N Shekhar
A.S.Bhonsle Sir Board
21 Feb A/N session – 1st to go – 30 mins
B.Tech IITD, Optional – English Literature
1 year Work Ex
Home State -Jharkhand

– No questions from ‘my hobby’ or service preference or home state
– Very cordial experience with all members

Chairman

1. Reads the DAF aloud. So I see you are a courageous man. You did engineering you got this award (in DAF) and You chose English Lit. You have an interesting hobby. Yesterday I had a candidate whose hobby was numismatics. What do you know about it? (It is nowhere related to my hobby or my DAF)
2. Explain me this award of yours you got in college
3. Is there something you can not do tell me now. (I said I can’t run fast or jump high and everyone smiled)
3. Tell me the three key qualities of a public servant.
4. What do you understand by ethical dilemma? Give me an example
5. So by that logic you would supporting temple entry for women in Sabrimala?
6. Why has the entry of women not been possible yet? How will you tackle if you are incharge of administration there?

Member 1

1. What is Engineering Physics (My major)? Is there something called Engineering Chemistry?
2. When was this degree introduced in your college? What do you read in it?
3. Tell me what is Schrodinger Wave Equation?
4. How do you determine that an electron is both a wave and a particle?
5. What is the difference between mass and weight? What is ‘g’ here?
6. About that unfortunate incident in Pulwama, how would you have tried to avoid it if your were the DM there?
7. All you said must have been tried by the administration there. Can you think of something new now that intelligence failure has happened?

Member 2

1. You worked in Ola for a year. Tell me some advantages and some disadvantages of companies like Ola and Uber for general public.
2. Who is your favourite poet? Why? Quote some lines from your favourite poem of his.
3. Skill, Knowledge and Attitude – which is most important as per you for a leader?
4. Why did you put attitude at 3rd when Chairman sir asked you this question? ( Chairman waived at him to let go at this point)

Member 3

1. Tell me the philosophy of Physics? How is it different philosophy of chemistry?
2. What do you mean by constitutional morality?
3. What are our constitutional ethos? Explain them.
4. Is the preamble enough to guide us?

Member 4 (Lady Member)

1. Did you study any Indian Author in English as a part of your syllabus?
2. Tell me about Kanthapura (from the syllabus) and give me a concise summary in three lines.
3. What are disruptive technologies?
4. Can you name some negative disruptive technologies?
5. What is a shared economy? Give me some examples?

Chariman

1. Tell me who spoke this line. We will not evaluate you on this just help me understand what does it mean as you are a literature student. (He spoke two quotes, one from Romeo and Juliet and another one I had never heard before)
2. In South East Asia, some one said recently ‘there should be depoliticisation of politics and democratisation of democracy’. Tell me what do you understand by this statement?

The then said this interview is over and tell me what are your plans next? He advised me to have lunch and take a long nap.

Name: Sagar Kale
BB Vyas Board
February 13, afternoon session, last to go in (04.55 pm)
Duration: 35 minutes

Chairman:
1. Tell us something about yourself.
2. Major changes in Indian Foreign Policy since 2014
3. Economic Diplomacy. Hasn’t that been a major change as well?
4. Major Challenges in India Pakistan relationship?
5. How to overcome them?

Member 1 (lady member):
1. What is the role of the Indian Information Service? How is it relevant today?
2. Do you think the service is fulfilling it’s role in the era of fake news?
3. Have we found a solution to the fake news problem?
4. You’ve studied the German Language, and you’re a mechanical engineer. Why do you think Germany is the world leader in automobiles while India can’t even produce a flagship vehicle beyond the Ambassador?
5. Difference between Germans and Indians (in attitude)
6. Tell me 3 positive things about Hitler i.e. how did he benefit the world?

Member 2:
1. You made a passing reference to Indian agriculture largely being a failure. Do you stick with that statement?
2. What was the objective vis-a-vis agriculture at the time of Independence?
3. We have achieved food self sufficiency. Then how can you say it is a failure?
4. When was SAARC formed?
5. Objective of SAARC?
6. Where is SAARC HQ?
7. How many members in SAARC? Can you list them?

Member 3 (lady member):
1. Why did you decide to study the German language?
2. What can we learn from the Germans?
3. You’ve stayed in Mumbai as well as Delhi. How do you compare the attitude of people from the two cities?
4. What is the impact of the Mumbai based film industry on Maharashtra?

(She asked a few more questions which escape my recollection.)

Member 4:
1. What do you know about the term “Hydro-diplomacy?”
2. Give the some examples of cross border river conflicts
3. Give me one example each of India as an upper reparian and lower reparian state.
3. What is the crisis regarding the Brahmaputra?
4. What is the policy doctrine based on which China justifies it’s dam building activities on the Brahmaputra?
5. Which is the richest municipality in Asia? (Mumbai) what is its annual budget (32,000 cr approx)?
6. If tomorrow you’re made the municipal commissioner (of Mumbai), how will you utilize these 32,000 crore? Give me 5 areas upon which you’ll focus (could come up with only 4)
7. Don’t you think rehabilitation shall be included as a top priority, given Mumbai’s migration and slum problems?

Member 2:
1. Let’s go back to SAARC. Do you think SAARC is a viable mechanism for resolving the development and other issues in South Asia?

Chairman:
1. We’ve discussed enough about the land. Let’s discuss India in the sky. Give me three achievements of India in this field over the past few years. (Discussed ISRO, Missile program, IAF etc.)
2. If tomorrow, you have to write an article providing a roadmap to sustain India’s growth, what 5 themes would your article be based on?

Thank you, your interview is over.

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