The UPSC mains exam is written (subjective) in nature.
Here We Provide Science & Technology subject Questions Yearwise.
Science&Technology
2021
1. How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world?
2. What are the research and developmental achievements in applied biotechnology? How will these achievements help to uplift the poorer sections of society?
3. 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 have these invents impacted the everyday life of human beings?
2020
4. What do you understand by nanotechnology and how is it helping in the health sector? (Answer in 150 words)
5. How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered off by science-based technologies? (Answer in 150 words)
6. COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented devastation worldwide. However, technological advancements are being availed readily to win over the crises. Give an account of how technology was sought to aid the management of the Pandemic. (Answer in 250 words)
7. Describe the benefits of deriving electric energy from sunlight in contrast to conventional energy generation. What are the initiatives offered by our government for this purpose? (Answer in 250 words)
2019
8. How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?
9. What is India’s plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space programme?
2018
10. With growing energy needs should India keep on expanding its nuclear energy programme? Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy.
11. Discuss the work of ‘Bose-Einstein Statistics’ done by Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose and show how it revolutionized the field of Physics.
12. Why is there so much activity in the field of biotechnology in our country? How has this activity benefitted the field of biopharma?
2017
13. India has achieved remarkable successes in unmanned space missions including the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission but has not ventured into manned space missions. What are the main obstacles to launching a manned space mission, both in terms of technology and logistics? Examine critically.
14. Give an account of the growth and development of nuclear science and technology in India. What is the advantage of fast breeder reactor programme in India?
15. 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.
2016
16. Why is nanotechnology one of the key technologies of the 21st century? Describe the salient features of the Indian Government’s Mission on Nanoscience and Technology and the scope of its application in the development process of the country
17. Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How the application of this technology has helped India in its socioeconomic development?
2015
18. What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots? Discuss the initiatives that can propel research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful innovation
19. 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
20. What do you understand by ‘Standard Positioning System’ and ‘Precision Positioning System’ in the GPS era? Discuss the advantages India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme employing just seven satellites.
2014
21. 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.
21. Scientific research in Indian universities is declining, because a career in science is not as attractive as business professions, engineering or administration, and universities are becoming consumer-oriented. Critically comment
22. 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
23. What do you understand by Umpire Decision Review System in Cricket? Discuss its various components. Explain how silicone tape on the edge of a bat may fool the system.
24. (a) What is a digital signature? What does its authentication mean? Give various salient built-in features of a digital signature. (b) How does 3D printing technology work? List out the advantages and disadvantages of the technology
25. Bringing out the circumstances in 2005 which forced an amendment to section 3(d) in Indian Patent Law, 1970, discuss how it has been utilized by the Supreme Court in its judgement in rejecting Novratis’ patent application for ‘Glivec’. Discuss briefly the pros and cons of the decision.
26. What do you understand by Fixed Dose Drug Combinations (FDCs)? Discuss their merits and demerits
27. (a) What is an FRP composite material? How are they manufactured? Discuss their applications in the aviation and automobile industries. (b) What do you understand by the Run-of-river hydroelectricity project? How is it different from any other hydroelectricity project?
