MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
The ancient civilization in Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present day. Comment.
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Comment on whether Indian civilisation, unlike Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, has carried its culture forward without a break.
CommentGive your own view on the statement and back it with facts and examples.
Demand-wise check
- 1Contrast: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform and Greek Olympian religion fell out of use; their present societies do not practise them≈35 words
- 2Harappan survivals: mother-goddess and proto-Shiva worship, fire altars (Kalibangan), swastika, ploughing pattern, bullock cart, weights, 'namaste' terracottas≈35 words
- 3Unbroken streams: Vedic oral tradition, Sanskrit and Tamil literature, rituals, Ayurveda, yoga carried by living practice≈35 words
- 4Qualify: Indus script undeciphered, urban decline after 1900 BCE, absorption of new influences (Islamic, colonial) - continuity through assimilation, not freezing≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Contrast with three civilisationsHarappan survivalsLiving textual and oral traditionsCaveatsContinuity through synthesis
Where marks usually go
- Praising Indian culture without naming any surviving Harappan trait
- Ignoring the break in urbanism and the undeciphered script
Draw this
- Two-column table: what was lost in Egypt/Mesopotamia/Greece vs what survives in India
Value addition
- ExampleEgyptian hieroglyphs were forgotten until Champollion deciphered them through the Rosetta Stone in 1822, showing a real cultural break.History of decipherment, 1822
- ReportUNESCO proclaimed the Vedic chanting tradition a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.UNESCO, 2003
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 3 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Monika Srivastava · AIR 16 · Page 3 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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