UPSC 2019 GS-II · 15 marks · 250 words

‘The reservation of seats for women in the institutions of local self-government has had a limited impact on the patriarchal character of the Indian political process.’ Comment.

What “Comment” demands

give a considered opinion on the specific proposition, supported by evidence — brevity is expected, evasion is not.

The characteristic failure: a general essay on the topic that never addresses the proposition itself.

What a top answer must contain

These are the checkable specifics from the marking standard for this question — the actual case, committee, datum or thinker, not an instruction to “give examples”.

73rd/74th Amendments, Art 243D — one-third reserved, raised to 50% by 20-plus states
Limited-impact evidence: sarpanch-pati proxy leadership, rotation of reserved seats preventing incumbency, elite capture
Counter-evidence: Chattopadhyay and Duflo on women pradhans shifting public-goods spending toward water and roads; role-model effects on girls' aspirations (Beaman et al.)
Structural limits: no comparable reservation above local level until the 106th Amendment (2023), which awaits census and delimitation
Conclusion should weigh descriptive against substantive representation rather than assert either

The band thresholds and the pre-scored sample answers behind this standard stay private — they are the calibration your copy is placed against.

Now write it, and find out what you actually scored

Attempt this question — typed or photographed — and it is marked against the standard above in under a minute: six parameter scores, a blunt verdict, and the points you missed. 50 free credits on signup, no card.

Write this answer See a marked copy first

‘The reservation of seats for women in the institutions of local self-government has had a limited impact on the patriarchal character of the Indian political process.’ Comment.

What a top answer must contain

Now write it, and find out what you actually scored

More from UPSC GS-II