CIVILSERVICES MAINS2008
FRAME IT RIGHT
IT IS NOT JUST ENOUGH TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWERS WHILE APPEARING FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS.IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO PRESENT THEM WELL.
THE COUNTDOWN FOR TWO MAJOR EXAMS HAS STARTED.IF THE CIVIL SERVICES MAIN EXAMINATION (OCTOBER 17) REQUIRES PRESENTATION SKILLS,THE CAT EXAM TESTS YOU ON ACCURACY. HERE ARE SOME TIPS AND STRATEGIES FROM EXPERTS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR BOTH.WATCH OUT FOR MORE EVERY WEEK
The Civil Services main exams will be commencing from October 17, 2008. This announcement is brewing anxiety in the minds of most aspirants. They are trying to figure answers to one basic question, "how to write a good answer" or put more simply "how to please the examiner". I have always told my students that the examiner is a man in hurry. So if you make his life easy, he will make your life easy.
At the outset I would like to mention that confidence is what will stand you in good stead and hence it is very important that you tackle a question paper with utmost confidence. Have faith in your preparation, memory, and your ability to recall what you have read.
Further you should break a question into sub parts. This will aid in a much clearer comprehension of the question. My first suggestion hence to the students is to read each question two or three times with a cool head and then decide what are the requirements of the question by giving a fair interpretation to each word used in the question. For doing this the question should be treated as a single inquiry and not as a collection of inquiries. Though at times a question may require you to focus on more than one aspect of a theme.
Subsequent to the decision about the broad nature of the main inquiry contained in a question, students should split the question into its basic components, as almost every question would have two or three components. After deciding upon the components, students should give these components an order or sequence. This is necessary since on a plain reading of a question, students mostly don't find the components and their relation to each other laid out in a neat manner. When deciding the exact requirements of a question it is essential that you clearly understand the difference in the meaning of such terms as; discuss, critically examine, elucidate, comment, review etc.
Here are some tips, which you can employ while answering questions.
Analyse- You have to separate the basic constituents of the statement made in the question and state as to how they are related to each other.
Account for - Here you are required to chiefly give reasons, causes, bases on which a statement is made.
Compare - Here you have to show relative merits and demerits of an issue involved or to hint at the similarities and the dissimilarities in two propositions.
Contrast - You have to emphasise on the differences involved in a proposition by examining the relative merits of an idea.
Define - You have to set forth the contours of a debate by explaining the essential nature of the issues involved.
Describe - You have to give a simple explanation of the issues involved.
Discuss - You should present the different aspects of a question or problem in a proper sequential manner.
Critically discuss - For this you should present the different aspects of the problem in a critical manner and finally arrive at a conclusion.
Examine - You should state the pros and cons of an issue or proposition.
Evaluate - Here you should examine all the aspects of the proposition embedded in the question and reach a conclusion.
In addition to adhering to the suggestions above, you should decide the "points" that you are going to mention in your answer. These "points" should be classified as "major" and "minor" points with major points coming in the beginning of the answer and minor points being used to finally supplement the thrust of the main argument. In short, all the points should appear in a logical sequence to prove the relevance of the material or arguments given by you.
Your answers should be crisp, and should be a statement of facts presented in simple prose without resorting to any devices of ornamentation or flowery use of language. You should refrain from the use of any quotations.
Don't use any type of highlighting techniques or methods like use of underlining, inverted commas, capital letters, different colours of ink; when not required by the situation. Such things may be all right in college or university exams but are considered improper and dowdy into this exam. In short, be yourself, you are the style.
Also you should desist the temptation to write everything that you happen to know on the subject, since this results in mis-management of time, leading to severe shortage while attempting the last one or two questions. In fact by being precise and economical in your answers and by not including any unrelated details, you actually help the examiner and make his task easier, which he would reward, generously at the end of your answer.
Finally the secret of writing a good answer is to reduce every sentence to its clear and essential component. Clear thinking becomes clear writing, one is not possible without the other. Nobody is a natural good writer of answers; it comes to everybody through hard-work. Hence you can also do it as well as anybody else can and win the battle of Civil Services.
Sunil Sharma
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