MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the people there during the industrialization. How does it compare with that in India at present?
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why industrialisation began in England, describe workers' lives then, and compare with India today.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Why England: agricultural revolution and enclosures (labour, food), coal and iron together, colonial markets and capital, banking, navy, patents, inventions (spinning jenny, steam engine)≈35 words
- 2Quality of life: long hours, child labour, slums, cholera, low life expectancy in Manchester; later Factory Acts and reforms≈35 words
- 3India now: informal work (over 90%), urban slums, gig workers, child labour, but stronger laws, welfare schemes, democratic voice≈35 words
- 4Comparison: similarities in informality and urban stress; differences in rights and state role≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Causes in EnglandLife during industrialisationIndia todaySimilarities and differencesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Explaining why England but skipping workers' life and the India comparison
- Comparing India with present-day England instead of industrialising England
Draw this
- Three-column table: England (1780-1850) vs India today on wages, hours, housing, rights
Value addition
- BookEngels' 'The Condition of the Working Class in England' (1845) described Manchester's slums and factory conditions.Friedrich Engels, 1845
- DataCensus 2011 counted about 1.01 crore working children aged 5-14 in India.Census 2011
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 11 ↗Same syllabus reference
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