Why science background is the condition put for IFoS service?
Is science objective subject?
What is evidence based action?
Ranjit Sinh case and what SC said.
Outcome of TN Godavarman case, how the definition of forest is expanded?
FCA amendment and change is definition of forest
What is plus tree
What is mother tree
What do you think of forest weeping ?
Green steel and companies producing it.
Suppose you are DFO of a region and govt has approved a land for your residence bungalow, but that place belongs to such NGO which runs school for education to local students. What will u do in such case?
As a DFO which all agencies or departments you coordinate for the wellbeing of local communities?
How will you respond, as a DFO, to encroachments along the floodplains of the river by hotel owners?
How will you specifically solve the issue of leopard attacks and monkey attacks in the Himalayas?
What is Ecological Succession? (It is progressive replacement of one species by more fit species in a particular environment.)
And This leads finally to? (Climax Species)
What are those? (It is the most suitable species for a particular environment at that particular point of time)
Difference between Zoo and Safari?
Differs in Objectives – Zoo is created to protect the germplasm and for exotic animals and creating awareness about them in general public while Safari is to reduce the pressure on core area and create awareness about indigenous fauna. Also The enclosure is smaller in zoo and in safari they live in natural habitat.
IFoS interview – Kerala
1) About epiphytes (vanilla) in silent valley.
2) What is Nilambur teak? Who planted it? (Canollis plot)
3) Which mangrove species is found in Kerala?
4) Correlation between Jackfruit, Kerala and Diabetes.
5) What’s the unique strategy adopted for tiger conservation at Periyar Tiger Reserve?
6) Kerala’s state animal? (Elephant)
7) Difference between African and Indian elephants?
8) Which part of teeth is tusk?
9) Do both male and female in African elephant have tusks?
10) What do you call elephant without tusk?
11) You have to choose between saving an elephant and human, how to go about it?
IFoS interview – Odisha
Ecosystem of Chilika lake.
Is Chilika ecotone or ecoline?
IFoS interview – Uttarakhand
What is the speciality of Agrahaari village?
IFoS interview – West Bengal
Are you familiar with Heriteria tree? Peculiarities of Sundarbans National Park?
IFoS interview – Rajasthan
There is production of lac in Rajasthan which is used in bangles and handicrafts so where is the centre for lac located in Rajasthan?
One Animal Conservation Centre is there in Rajasthan? Where is It?
IFoS interview – Maharashtra
What is contribution of Grapes, Orange, Pomegranate in GDP of Maharashtra
What is Raigarh Policy?
What is Phorta in agriculture?
What is Alphonza? (I ask is it Mango variety, He said No)
Tell me various agroforestry species that included in agriculture in Maharashtra?
What is Zudpi jangle in Vidarbha?
How much the potential to market honey collection?
Idea of making Mahua laddu – How much it is feasible?
Have you heard of Shabri brand?
1) Loss of forests through diversion, encroachment and degradation (including desertification and soil erosion).
2) Declining forest productivity through overuse beyond sustainable limits.
3) What is India’s forest productivity? World’s?
4) How can we use machinery to improve productivity?
5) Inadequate investment in afforestation and forest protection, management and development — inability to fully implement multiple use/protected area management.
6) Inadequate rural energy sources and lack of viable alternative energy for rural communities.
7) High cattle population with low productivity in rural areas and inadequate fodder production resulting in very high grazing pressure on forest areas.
8) Lack of capacity of the people living in and around forests to implement SFM.
9) Forest fire and shifting cultivation.
10) Inadequate regeneration and enrichment planting to restock/rehabilitate degraded forests.
11) Inadequate distribution of protected areas for full representation of biodiversity and ecosystems.
12) Ever-increasing biotic pressures on forest research and extension in bringing knowledge and technology to the field.
13) Inadequate extension support to farmers for agro/farm forestry — lack of appropriate agroforestry production models and other extension service.
14) Over-reliance on rules and procedures of forestry organisations rather than on productivity and efficiency.
15) Inadequate and non-prioritised forest research and extension in bringing knowledge and technology to the field.
16) Inefficient forest industry in terms of scale of operations, equipment, technology, management, shortage of raw material, protection, etc.
17) Inadequate infrastructure and institutional support for marketing and distribution of wood and NWFPs.
18) Insufficient database and information systems for resource utilisation and management planning.
19) Lack of effective national and state land use policy planning and relationalisation of priorities.
20) Breakdown of linkages between technical forestry issues and financial planning.
21) Forestry education is not abreast with the latest developments in the forestry sector.
22) Lack of viable economic/social alternatives for rural poor and tribal people
23) Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
– Name some Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
– What has the government done for promoting MFP?
– Have you ever tried any of these MFP products?
24) What is quantitative economics?
25) How can it be applied in forestry?
26) How is it different from our traditional concepts of demand and supply?
27) Do we see all forests from the perspective of demand and supply?
28) Who is Vavilov? (he gave the origin of agriculture theory)
29) What factors do we need to take care while forming an Herbarium?
Key global challenges:
1.Address poverty and forest governance by promoting forest ownership and access rights.
2.Enhance the role of forests as an engine of economic growth and development.
3.Protect vital local and global environmental services and values.
4.Assist countries to integrate the global forest agenda into their own national strategies and policies and to harness the development opportunities available.
Forestry sector Opportunities:
1. 24% to 33 forest cover
2. Livelihood and poverty eradication
3. Carbon credits
4. Herbal medicine
5. Eco tourism
Technical
1) What is the difference between bio-sphere reserve and national park?
2) What is difference between Core area, buffer zone and transit zone in forest?
3) Which area would you see maximum wildlife?
4) What is Undeclared forest (UDF)?
5) Forest management
– What is joint forest management? How is it done? Which are the successful examples?
– What are the reasons why JFM fail?
– Which approach is better for forest management? Top down or bottom up?
– What is community forest management?
– What is difference between community forest management and joint forest management?
– National Forest Policy advocate top down approach, is it right?
– How wildlife is important for forest management?
– How aatmanirbhar bharat be adopted in forest management?
– Can blockchain technology be used in forest management? (tracking illegal trade of endangered species on dark net, curb illegal financial transactions etc)
6) What is forest engineering?
7) What Mikiguva Japanese method of rapid forest growth?
8) What is nursery management? How it is done?
9) Forest conservation Act prohibits using forest land for non-forestry purpose. Can you build infrastructure inside forest for tribals?
10) Do you think sacred groves (devrai) are conserved out of fear or for conservation mindset?
11) Can joint ventures with private sector help tribals?
12) Are you okay with railway line passing from forest?
13) Develop an index on basis of which you can take decision whether or not to divert forest land for non-forest purpose.
14) What methods are there for estimating forest wealth?
15) What is Ground Truthing?
16) Difference between habitat and niche.
17) Taungya and jhuming – difference between them?
18) Is taungya system okay as it focuses on monoculture?
19) Medicinal plants – name any 5. Can tribal help in this area?
20) Give an example of value addition to NTFP?
21) Which are biotechnology parks in India? What do they do?
23) Difference between botanical garden and herbal garden.
24) Where is fossil park in India?
25) What is climax vegetation?
26) What is the impact of climate on vegetation? Why some places on equator have ice?
27) What is landscape management?
28) What is forest fragmentation?
29) What is tree line?
30) Which is an exotic tree used for matchbox industry? (poplar)
31) Why some people are preferring prosopis juliflora and some are averse to it?
32) What GIS layers you would use for forest coverage estimation?
33) What is use of GIS in forestry?
34) Use of Remote Sensing in Forestry? (NTFP Mapping, Illegal Lopping Surveillance, Forest Health Monitoring, Forest Fire Alerts)
35) What is green army of Maharashtra?
36) Which tree is called Flame of forest?
37) What type of forest do you find in estuary?
38) Give an example of how exotics spoiling the environment.
39) What are indicator species? (Species whose presence or absence indicates the good/bad health of ecosystem.) For e.g. – Lichens are good health indicators
40) What is the difference between tree cover and forest cover?
41) What is the difference between forest cover and forest area?
42) What is point sampling?
43) What is forest mensuration?
44) What is increment and how it increases or decreases?
45) Which trees, shrubs, herbs are found in UPSC campus? (Azadirachta Indica, Royal Palm, Eucaliptus, Albizla lebbeck, Michelia Champaca, Saraca Ashoka, Ficus Religiosa, terminalia Arjuna etc)
46) What did you have in breakfast. tell me its scientific name.
47) Is eucalyptus hybrid forest tree?
48) Why can’t we plant all fruit trees, people can enjoy those fruits.
49) Do you know about Top Soil, is it living or Non living
50) Microfauna present in the soil
51) Which equipment used for cutting trees?
52) Tell about ecosystem of Peepal tree.
53) What is counter bunding?
54) What is appropriate technology? Can you give example?
55) Where does volcanism occurs? Places in India.
56) Wood
– How to differentiate between good wood and bad wood?
– Plant tissues that make a wood good or bad.
– How wood is made available for furniture in your household?
– How do you measure volume of a timber? Half girth, Quarter girth etc.
– What is Dbh?
– Relationship between Cubic feet and Cubic meters?
– What is plyboard? How it is made?
– Wood cricket bat is made up of? Tell the scientific name of that tree.
– Where is it found?
– Can you tell the regeneration method of Salix Aliba? (Used for cricket bat)
57) What is fern? Tell me something about ferns. Where do they grow?
58) What are epiphytes? Are they same as orchid?
59) What is bioaccumulation and biomagnification?
60) What is “living fossil”?
61) Difference between Algae, Fungi and Mosses
62) How can you identify by looking at them?
63) Difference between vascular and non-vascular plants?
64) Dugong
– Do you know there is a waterbody called Dugong Creek in Andaman?
– Have you seen dugong? Tell me something about Dugong (herbivore, found in gulf of Mannar, feeds on sea grass)
– This sea cow and conservation efforts?
65) Have you heard of ‘some unknown species’?
66) What is hibernation and aestivation and which animals do hibernation?
67) How animals are used for nutrient recycling?
68) Why cannot we domesticate animals to conserve them because animals like goats, cows have stable population and do not face threat of population decline.
69) What is scoping in EIA?
70) Tell me 3 trees, 2 scrubs and 1 herb in your area.
71) Tell two lines about each – UNFCCC, UNCCD, UNEP, IUCN, WWF
72) What kind of trees you see in Alpine forests?
73) What is Vana Vigyan Kendra?
74) What is forest inventory?
75) What are clones? How can they be useful in forestry?
76) Which are the forest products with GI?
77) Which is endemic fauna of western ghats?
78) Some species in western ghats that is killing other species. Can you name it?
79) Shahtoosh shawl – which animal? Which part of fur?
80) Difference between blackbuck and chinkara?
81) Which are techniques using in tiger census?
82) Difference between tiger and leopard?
83) Tell 3 behavioural difference between lion and tiger
84) Is maneater recognised officially?
85) list five animals based on intelligence
86) Why some people eat some type of meat but others don’t
87) Horse is friend of human still man eats it why
88) Why the population of leopard is expanding rapidly?
89) Is it a cause of concern?
90) Can they be declared vermin and allowed to be killed?
91) Purpose of zoos?
92) Difference between protection and conservation?
93) What are high forests?
94) What is coppicing? What is pollarding? What is the difference between pollarding and coppicing?
95) What is Coppice with reserves (CWR)?
Opinion based
1) Tell me about a case that changed face of India’s forest governance.
2) Shall forest be seen as source of income?
3) British saved the forest in India or bought them in trouble?
4) We should promote protection forestry or production forestry?
5) Count the pros and cons of both.
6) Shall we shift tribals to settlements outside forests?
7) Shall women be employed as forest guards? If so what’s the challenge?
8) How would you make forest protection a mass movement?
9) Analyse the statement –“ Natural resources are everyone’s property and no one’s responsibility”
10) How agro-forestry can help in doubling farmers income?
11) In UP forest cover is low. How to increase it through agro-forestry?
12) Since 1980 UP is doing this and pioneering in it, what is the reason why it is showing no result?
13) How to replant a unforested area?
14) How is technology harmful to forest?
15) How to boost livelihood opportunities for fringe communities?
16) How as forest officer you will help in development of botanic gardens?
17) If you have to develop urban forestry then what steps you will take?
18) Is India suitable for Miyawaki forests?
19) What are nakshatra (constellation) forest?
20) What are king species? Can you give examples?
21) Research forestry in India, what is your view on it?
22) Total contribution of forestry in GDP?
23) What is forest certification and what is its purpose?
24) Asked difference b/w product and provenance certification and also the org which issues certification.
25) How the role of IFoS changed due to shift from ‘production’ forestry to ‘conservation’ forestry
26) Is horticulture and forestry in conflict?
27) Why we have not seen a green revolution in forestry?
28) Despite of being successful preservation of forestry over 100 years suddenly why it is required to have community involvement?
29) Minerals, forests and tribal populations often exist on the same piece of land. How to tackle this issue?
30) Tell INDC targets with respect to forestry.
31) Arid forest research institute mandate.
32) 5 species scientific name used for reclamation of arid lands.
33) Carbon
– Define carbon footprint.
– What is carbon credit? What is biodiversity credit?
– What is carbon offset?
– If industry emits carbon through polluting process and does afforestation somewhere else, is it carbon offset or carbon credit?
– What is black carbon?
– Difference between black carbon and black soot?
– How can you calculate your own carbon footprint when you visit national park?
– Elaborate in detail what is direct and indirect footprint?
– Will India able to achieve its INDC target of carbon sink? What should be done?
– If there is large body of water, will it be a carbon stock or a carbon sink?
– Is carbon stock healthy for nature?
– Which tree absorbs more carbon. C3 or C4. Why C4.
– How do you estimate carbon stock?
– What is carbon equestrian?
– Does mature trees store carbon or release more carbon?
– What is social cost of carbon?
– What is REDD+?
– As most of the coal reserves are in reserved forest areas, should we remove those reserves from our proven reserves?
– Carbon border adjustment mechanism and what you will suggest regarding CBAM?
34) How to do environmental auditing?
35) Do lakes come under forest?
36) Is pond conservation in forest possible?
37) Can we keep wild animals as pet?
38) How to use business management principles in wildlife management?
39) Tell me about micropropagation. Can it be used in forest tree improvement?
40) How to escape forest fragmentation problems?
41) How issue of silicosis be solved by forestry?
42) What kind of forest is there in your state as per champion classification?
43) Why do Shola forest formed in Nilgiris and its peculiarities.
44) Why Andaman & Nicobar does have so many types of forest?
45) What is role of IFoS officer in tribal welfare, conservation and timber cultivation?
46) How to improve commercialization of timber like western countries?
47) Which tree in the world gives lightest timber?
48) Forest cover needs to be increased to 33%. But land in our country is limited. How do you think we will increase it?
49) What is forest offence?
50) What is wildlife offence?
51) Are both forest and wildlife same?
52) Forests & Wildlife in which list? And its background – when was it changed?
53) Why we need different acts for both?
54) Father of forestry and his country.
55) Link social security with ecological security.
56) Ecosystem
– What are ecosystem services?
– What are ecosystem services provided by forest?
– Suppose a dense rainforest get converted into desert. Even that is natural ecosystem? Does it make any difference to nature?
– Forest is a zero-waste area. Do you agree? (yes)
– UN Decade of 2021-2030 has been declared as decade of ecosystem restoration. How youth can be used to achieve this goal?
57) Forest is mother of rivers. Elaborate.
58) How do forest help in improving the quality of water?
59) What is Paani Panchayat? Its work in India.
60) Tell me something about Amir Khan’s Pani Foundation.
62) Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)?
– How it works?
– Tell me something about origin of PRA?
– What is transact PRA?
– What are different techniques of conducting PRA?
63) Explain what all clearances we need to construct road through forest?
64) Timeline to provide forest clearance as FCA 1980.
65) Can you tell 3 places across the globe where you want to stay for rest of your life.
66) I feel peace when I go to forests. Why do I feel so?
Environment
Theory
1) Tell what you do to protect environment? How you contribute in preventing air pollution? What about saving water?
2) Technology is making bad impact on environment. What is your stake on this?
3) Are poor and rich equally to be blamed for pollution?
4) Particulate matter. Why it is called particulate?
5) Can we measure PM having size below PM 2.5?
– Do you think climate change is a myth?
– There is these debate that CO2 is increasing in atmosphere leading to global warming, while it is also said that with CO2 increase, there will be greener growth of plants, so CO2 will get absorbed. Then, where is climate change?
– How can we manage environmental problems, as CO2 is released even when we are breathing.
– Link between climate change and sea/oceans. Any positive impact?
– Give examples of climate change in your area?
– Why is growing trees not enough to combat climate change?
– Shall climate change be declared as international security issue?
– Shall climate change be declared as national emergency like Britain?
– Why are we not focussing on 2 wheelers much while thinking about pollution from vehicles?
– What is AQI? constituents? Which is most harmful?
– What are climatic impacts of space tourism?
– Have you heard about ecocide, what is it? Also it has been in news that it should be added to the Rome Statute. What possible problems do you feel can arise and how would you settle the definition and the procedure part of it?
7) Various adaption and mitigation steps for climate change.
8) India should give priority to mitigation or adaptability?
9) Difference in global warming and climate change.
10) How do you convince those who doesn’t believe in global warming?
11) Why we focus so much on ocean temperature when we talk about global warming?
12) Climate equity and climate justice, are they same?
13) In multiple negotiations in international forums, India is pursuing which of them?
14) What is RCP – Representative Concentration Pathway?
15) Do you think that international laws/treaties on climate change or environment are interference on our sovereignty?
16) Is there anything in the constitution which allow for such interference?
17) How do developed countries conserve their environment differently from us?
18) What is carbon removal? How it is done?
19) Which is the country that is saying visit us before we drown? (Maldives)
20) What is energy budget of earth?
21) It is that present measures to tackle climate change is rearranging chairs on sinking Titanic. Do you agree?
22) Is world (including India) is only giving lip service to environment concerns?
23) What is our forest policy? Do we want forests or only trees?
24) What are achievements of Chipko and Appiko movements?
25) What is resource curse?
26) Tell examples of Indian states which suffer from this. How it affects tribals?
27) Does really no one die because of pollution?
28) There are reports of bad impact of radiation on birds and butterflies, what are those impacts?
29) Is it a scientific theory now or just a hypothesis? Do we have scientific proof in favour of radiation impacting birds and insects?
30) What is Water Parliament in France? Shall we replicate same model in India?
31) Difference between water saving and water conservation.
32) Is right to drinking water clearly mentioned in the constitution?
33) What is the difference between drought and famine?
34) Circular economy
– What is circular economy?
– What is biggest barrier to circular economy adoption?
– So out of technological limitations or consumer behavior which one bring more hurdle?
– Don’t you feel recycling simply delays waste rather than preventing it ?
– Who should bear more cost of transitioning to circular business consumers or companies?
Application
1) Human beings are the worst creatures or the worst thing that happened to earth. Do you agree or disagree.
2) Don’t mention about the wrong that has been done and corrected. Tell me one good thing that humans did to the world.
3) What is energy mix of India?
4) Lithium
– What is lithium triangle
– India’s lithium reserve
– What’s the current status of that
– Where do we lag in extraction? How to improve it
5) Why Greenhouse gases are called greenhouse gases?
6) What will happen if all the green house gases (GHG) suddenly disappear? What will be temperature of earth then?
7) Different gases under National Ambient Air Quality Index (NAAQI)
8) Have you heard about the Club of Rome? When was “Limits of growth” report released?
9) What is Belmont Forum? Is India part of it?
10) Tell INDC targets.
11) We talk only about Paris COP and we don’t talk about Madrid COP 26. What happened there?
12) India declared target of 2070 for net zero emission. It is feasible?
13) What is Net Zero coalition?
14) What is Billion to Trillion?
15) Do you know about earth overshoot day?
16) When do we celebrate earth overshoot day?
17) What is the objective of earth overshoot day?
18) Do you think a small lock down every year is necessary for better environmental conditions?
19) Will it lead to disruption of industrial activities? How can we do it?
20) How can we use dead and dry walls? (composing, bio-remediation, gobar gas, rainwater harvesting)
21) What is Green Fabric?
22) What is water mining?
23) What are the 3Rs of sustainable development?
24) How success of achieving SDG 1 and 2 are related with SDGs related to environment?
25) What is methane pledge? Is India part of it?
26) What is pH of this water? (showing glass of water)
27) What is relationship between pH and temperature?
28) Why are coral reefs called the rainforest of the ocean?
29) What is the colour of coral reef?
30) Do you know the regions in India where we are planning to conserve corals?
31) What is blue flag certified coast?
32) Have you heard of Hydrogen economy?
33) What is zero effect, zero defect?
34) What is multi-stakeholder approach?
35) Who coined the term ecology?
36) What is deep ecology?
37) What is the pollutant when plastic burns? What are its ill effects?
38) What is Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP)? Who regulate it?
39) Should we go back to tungsten filament instead of LEDs?
40) Environment hazard of lithium-ion battery.
41) How can we use crop residue? (fodder, waste to energy and for building huts)
42) If I travel from Delhi to Bengaluru, then carbon footprint will be less by air travel or by railway?
43) What is the economy of Iron ore mine?
44) Are you aware about the controversy regarding some mine in Jadugoda? How much of it is media propaganda?
45) What is social audit? Can you tell procedure? Have you participated in any? Is there a need to bring Social Audit Act?
46) What is Shale Gas? In which part it is India? How we can utilise it?
47) Shall we turn corporates from carbon neutral to carbon negative? How?
48) Why there is continued rat hole mining in spite of NGT ban? What rehabilitation measures you suggest? Is there any law regarding regulation of mining? What is district mineral foundation?
49) What is the difference between resettlement and rehabilitation?
50) What is green wash?
51) Plastic
– Why does plastic have such a negative image now, even though when it was invented it was hailed as revolutionary? What has changed since then?
– What are the alternatives to plastic? Since plastic is considered obsolete today, will these alternatives suffer the same fate a few years from now?
– Why do we use plastic in making roads, give me some reason other than saying that it is recycling of waste.
– Which two states have decided to ban plastic?
– What are Micro-plastics and how it is causing an issue?
– By switching to alternatives such as cellulose based materials, bamboo etc, won’t we be harming our green cover? Won’t the manufacturing of these alternatives be environmentally unsustainable?
52) EIA
– What are steps of EIA?
– What is the controversy related to new draft of EIA?
– How does the pattern of govt. projects get environment clearance from govt. agencies work? Isn’t that a case of conflict of interest?
– If there is a negative EIA report for project, what would you do? In the end it is just a report, will you scrap the project?
– What is Corporate Environment Responsibility (CER)? Is it officially their or created doctrine?
– Has Chardham project done the EIA?
– What are loopholes in EIA system?
53) Greta Therberg
– Is angered Greta Therberg is right?
– Isn’t is hypocritical that dignitaries come to climate summits in their private jets?
– Don’t you think Greta Therberg should have completed her education first before protesting against climate change?
– Who do you see similar to Greta Therberg in India?
– What would be your advice to Greta & Disha if you were her elder brother/sister?
54) Shall world form fund to protect Amazon forest?
55) What is European Unions ‘Fit for 55’?
56) What is hotspot? What is Forest management? How administration in Forest areas takes place?
57) What light Kantara movies puts on forest rights?
58) What is Van Mahotsava? What is JFM?
59) Has forest cover in India gone up?
60) Let’s say we cut down forests in Kerala and do compensatory reforestation in Rajasthan? Do you think it’s a good idea? Why not? You are cultivating spices there- so why not?
61) It is claimed by environmentalist that forest to the size of Uttar Pradesh is cleared, and still govt. claim that forest cover increased. How?
62) Can satellite imaginary be used for gauging forest cover?
63) Difference between ISO and ISI standards?
64) What star labels on electronics and Bharat stage signify?
65) Which organization gives star rating?
1) Does India have eco-tourism policy?
2) What is the status of Indian eco-tourism?
3) Which place you have visited? What problems you have found there?
4) Which are ideal sites maintained under the head of eco-tourism in India?
5) How to revamp the tourism sector?
6) Is eco-tourism always good? What is its negative impact?
7) We promote natural world heritage sites, promote tourism, but animals do not want it. How should we go about it?
8) Why tourism is called as non-polluting industry?
9) What is reproductive tourism?
10) Tell 5 places in India you would promote for eco-tourism if you are taking part in an international conference.
11) Shall we promote tourist to Joshi math or restrict them?
12) How to find out carrying capacity?
Nothing personal about it
1) What is the aim of your life?
2) What is the difference between Belief, Opinion, Information, Awareness, Knowledge and Truth?
3) Width of knowledge is important or depth of knowledge?
4) What is your idea of God?
5) Describe yourself
6) Can thinking person be neutral?
7) Do you have any mentor?
8) What is the reason of your existence?
9) Why you are opting for civil services?
10) Why people want govt. jobs?
11) If we remove the security and permanent nature from govt. job, will people prefer govt. job?
12) Share your good experience with any govt department.
13) Share one bad experience also.
14) People like Baba Amte have done so much good work being outside govt. Is it not better to be out of govt?
15) I’ll give you a word, how would you explain it in different dimensions, the word was Philanthropy.
16) Have you taken private coaching? If yes, then don’t you think its injustice to those who do not afford it. Where is level playing field?
17) You’ve taken coaching for this exam. How can we be sure that your answers are genuine and not the ones taught by coaching institutes?
18) Which of qualities of yourself you cherish the most?
19) Which two qualities of yours can I learn about from outside your DAF?
20) Which values are core to you?
21) (if you have specs) Your spectacles are of which lens – focal or bifocal? Near or far? How the bifocal look like?
22) Suppose you are a senior level govt. officer and you have strong views about a particular policy. But the govt. has bought out policy which is contrary to your views or values. How would you proceed?
23) Suppose your seniors and juniors are not as transparent and honest as you. What would be your approach?
24) What are the 3 biggest mistakes you have done in the life?
25) What are the 3 biggest things gone right for you in the life?
26) What makes you angry?
27) Do you raise voice when you are angry?
28) What is your locus control? (You are self driven or someone else takes your decisions)
29) Tell me something interesting that happened during your childhood. Anything that comes to your mind.
30) Tell one thing that you learnt from your mother and one from your father.
31) Count your friends? Why difficult? Do you stay in touch with them?
32) If I ask your closest friends to tell 3 good qualities and 3 bad qualities about you, what would they say?
33) Choose between the quality of being generous and competitive. Explain the reason of your choice.
33) You seem to me an introvert, very serious individual who is extremely committed to achieving one’s goals in life. True, isn’t it?
34) You said you are introvert – but a DM has to deal with the Patwari as well as CM – how will you handle this then?
35) You have a choice either to be civil servant or to be MLA what will you choose and why?
36) Who are your ideals in administration?
37) Your ideal in politics?
38) Whom you trust highest in life?
39) Everyone wishes to make some or the other changes in their personality, everyone thinks of – “what would it be if I were so & so” Do you ever think of it?
40) One national or international celebrity you would like to have lunch with?
41) How you will describe your political leaning left, right, centre or centre left or centre right or apolitical?
42) How to keep personal views away from professional work?
43) Have you thought about personal growth if you get selected in services?
44) What about professional growth? Any area where you would like to see yourself?
43) What are going to be your priorities as bureaucrat?
44) Suppose you get a service and complete 20-30 years in it; how will you like yourself to be remembered by others?
45) Cultural, social and geographical difference between your place and Delhi.
46) Who should come first, family or society in carrying out responsibility?
47) How you see yourself 15 years down the line
48) How will you describe present after 5 years?
49) How will you describe present after 5 years to yourself?
50) Do you have any bucket list in life?
51) Closing your eyes and randomly tell me some states you want to go or you are curious of?
52) Which nation you admire and want to visit?
53) Which nation you don’t want to visit?
54) Do the SWOT analysis of yourself
55) Are you happy or joyful? (momentary and durable feelings)
56) What would you choose to be? The smartest person in the room, or the most hardworking one?
57) Honourable PM works for 18 hours a day. Is it humanly possible? What is your opinion?
58) You can work for maximum how many hours in the day?
59) Are u a morning person or evening person?
60) What are the traits of morning person vis a vis evening person?
61) How the circadian rhythm of evening person works?
62) (if you have sedentary lifestyle, do not play games) ‘Sitting is smoking have you heard this term
63) Tell me two of your weaknesses which may go against you as a civil servant.
64) Which colour you like?
65) Give yes/no answers: Do you ride a cycle, bike, car, cook food, make tea, boil eggs, do you fight.
66) How do you handle criticism?
67) How is it different from online trolling ? Have you ever been subject to that?
68) Do you drink? Any positive of alcohol?
69) Tell any such occasion when your parents are proud of you.
70) What is the difference between ‘Shreyas’ and ‘Preyas’? What makes you most happy?
71) Chinese proverb which is curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Explain.
72) Quote by JK Rowling, “Working hard is important. But there is something that matters even more: believe in yourself”, what is your take on it?
73) Quote – “Eat in silence. Work in silence. Because God loved silence”. Meaning and appropriateness?
74) Two quotes – “Be the change you want to see” and “One should cope with his circumstances”, How would you interpret it? Choose one if you have to.
75) Nehru famously said, “some people see world black, but from my side I see it in grey” what is the meaning of it?
76) What is special about you?
77) Are you feminine or masculine? What is the most masculine thing you have?
78) What do you do when not studying?
79) Are you a doer or thinker?
80) What is your new year resolution?
80) Is doing nothing sometimes doing everything?
81) Passitivity is positivity?
82) How much you are confident? Give in percent.
83) What young generation you represent is confused and still confident. Put your view from both sides.
84) What is crisis of conscience? Have you faced any?
85) Say us 1 incident you are ashamed of yourself.
86) Any incident that you want to forget but memory comes again and again?
87) Difference between jealousy and envy.
88) Do you believe in God? What about your family?
89) Honesty is the best policy/ honesty is the best principle. Which is proper statement?
90) Does honesty only relates to not being corrupt?
91) Why do we need self-help motivational gurus? Can’t we decide to live life ourself without their motivation?
92) Have heard about Maslow’s theory of Self-motivation?
93) Maslow hierarchy of needs, which need you want to achieve to become civil servant?
94) If I give you 1% wealth of Arcelor Mittal, would you take it?
95) It seems that you are not stable in career and continuously changing your decisions.
96) Why you took so many attempts for preparation? (if taken)
97) What is the difference between patience and perseverance?
98) Suppose if you do not get success, then what is your alternate career plan?
99) The difference between growth and development. Where have you seen growth vs development in your own life?
99) What are your stress busters?
100) Any one liner which inspires you. Why? Meaning.
101) How will you identify key qualities that needed in civil service in your subordinate.
102) Any subordinate is having murder charges, how you will proceed?
103) Are you one thumping one’s chest or one who work silently.
104) Plato once said, if you are not willing to go to politics, then you will be ruled by inferior. Do you agree with it?
UPSC aspirants should think more about politics as career rather than CSE. Why you didn’t opt?
105) Case study (for boys) : You are supposed to choose the bride. The girl you will choose will be of same height to you, less than your height or more than your height?
106) You must have travelled in Vande Bharat or Shatabdi, the seat beside you is vacant, who amongst the three would you like to choose as your companion. (Roger Federer, Nelson Mandela and Elon musk)
I said Elon Musk- then sir said… Now he is seated right beside you – tell what will be the three questions would you like to ask.
Sir said… I am magician, turn you to Elon Musk, now answer those questions.
107) Suppose wife after marriage insisted to take her surname for you instead of she taking your surname. What you will do?
1) What is the difference between group and team?
2) Do you prefer to work in a team assigned to you or a team you choose?
3) You were managing good team or you are good team manager?
4) What do you value more – loyalty or ability?
5) Tell the 5 qualities of good team member
6) Does India lack team spirit? (Since India shines in individual categories of sports and not in team categories)
7) In a team discipline is more important or discussion?
8) What do you think which is important..discipline or self discipline? Why?
9) What will you do if you see your subordinates coming late to the office every day
10) The work organisation should be layered one or horizontal?
11) How you will divide and decide responsibility and accountability in team?
12) Shall individual get credit for achievements of team?
What are the three qualities of the leader? (Emotional Intelligence, Team leader, Visionary)
Is leader born or made?
Was there any instance when your leadership was challenged?
What are 2 qualities that a leader should not be having?
What are 3 qualities that a leader should not compromise with?
Tell one most important quality of a Leader?
Are bureaucrats supposed to become leader?
In this job you are coming requires leadership. How would you assure that you lead when others of your team give you diverse opinions.
But what if they don’t agree at all with your views and asked for divergent ways. What would you do?
Difference between leader and boss? (Leader says lets go and boss says ‘go’)
Administrator, Manager, Leader – what do you consider yourself among these?
Administration is by position (set of rules), while leadership is taking people to uncharted territory. Is it true?
What type of leadership will you display when you become officer? Gave options like autocratic, democratic, participative.
“Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people” What your view on this?
It is often said that leaders have tolerance to ambiguity. What does it mean?
What is 360-degree leadership?
Can a leader with no communication skill be charismatic?
Should a leader be a doer or dreamer?
You are active person or proactive?
Who is your favourite leader?
Can a person become a leader directly without being a follower
Give the example of leaders who are elected and then became dictators?
Tell one leader in your personal life and why he/she is a leader according to you?
Let me give you a situation that you are in the phase on India’s freedom struggle in 1900s, now tell what will you do as a leader there?
Who is better leader Bhagat sing or Gandhi, Ambedkar or Gandhi, Jinnah or Nehru? (Just to check diplomatic answer, one cannot differentiate between leaders, everyone was best in their domain)
If you have to choose between one – Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh, who it would be? – Gandhi.
-then what’s wrong in Bhagat Singh’s approach.
-Why masses are needed to be included in a movement, why violence against British was not right?
-Then why is Bhagat Singh is still an icon among us?
– Gave one situation. Your interview group have 6 people. Suppose you are leader of this group, and post interview want to visit some place in Delhi but with one condition where ever you go, will go together. Suppose 4 wants to go for movie and 2 for some garden.
How will you convince, which side you will choose, what if both don’t convinced, so you will force your decision,