Civils Mains Telugu Compulsory Paper

Civils mains examination contains two qualifying papers on Indian languages and English. The aim of these papers is to test the candidate's ability to read and understand serious discursive prose and to express his ideas clearly and correctly in English and Telugu. The pattern of the questions would be broadly as follows – comprehension of given passages, precise writing,usage and vocabulary and short Essay.The paper on Telugu and English will be of matriculation or equivalent standard and will be of qualifying nature only. The Marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking. The candidates will have to answer English in English and the respective Telugu paper in Telugu except where translation is involved.

Main problem

Most of the students opt for Sanskrit as their second language during the intermediate stage. Since it is easy to score good marks. After their 10th class they have almost neglected Writing in Telugu except newspaper reading. At the time of graduation they have studied in English medium and their vocabulary in Telugu is very limited.

During their preparation for civils,they neglect study of Telugu compulsory paper with the confidence that they can easily score marks.

At least once in a month they should practise writing in Telugu since they have forgotten writing in Telugu. We come across few aspirants who have done badly in this paper and have lost their chance even though they got good marks in mains As per the UPSC notification of 2020, the minimum qualifying marks for both papers is 25% I.e. 75 marks in each paper.

2021 Telugu compulsory paper

Let us have a look at the Telugu compulsory paper of 2021 to have a knowledge about the questioning pattern.

Question no. 1. Four topics are given and the candidate has to choose only one to write an essay with 600 words. It carries a hundred marks. The subjects given are-

Malnutrition in children

The challenges before world peace

Mother tongue- primary education

Surrogacy -social acceptance

While choosing the topic you should consider the facts and figures available on that particular item. Regarding malnutrition , the government of India has taken several steps to provide healthcare for the child and the mother. Due to illiteracy and poverty among the rural women they are not able to feed their children with nutritious food. Regarding the challenges faced by the countries in maintaining world peace there are several issues involved in it.

World peace organisations are attempting to bring solutions to it. While discussing the issue of the medium of instruction in mother tongue at the primary stage, one should stress upon the new education policy envisaged by the government of India. Some states have not agreed to this proposal.

The pros and cons of the issue are to be discussed. While discussing the implications in surrogacy one should mention the social stigma attached to it. Limiting the essay to 600 words is more important. Word Limit in questions wherever specified should be adhered to and if answered in much longer or shorter than prescribed length, Marks will be deducted.

Question no. 2

12x5= 60 marks

Long passage is given and five questions are suggested. Candidate has to read it thoroughly and answer them. Unless he is capable of assimilating the original idea he will not be able to answer it properly. It needs the acquaintance of words and knowledge of the subject.

Question no. 3

60 marks

Comprehension: A long passage is to be abridged into 300 words. There is no need to suggest a caption. In comprehending the matter, you should not choose the sentences verbatim as it is. The essence of the subject is to be brought.

Question no. 4

20 marks

Translation of the passage from Telugu to English. It requires the capability of suitable words for the Telugu original into English. Some of the technical words can be suggested in brackets. For example in this passage there is mention about the geography of each country. The technical term geographical nature is to be mentioned while translating.

Translation is an art by itself. Unless the candidate is confident in both the languages it cannot be done properly. Verbatim translation is one method and transcreation is another method but the examiner expects verbatim translation in this regard. Regarding the technical terms the candidate can suggest the original words in brackets.

Question no. 5

20 marks

Translation of the given passage from English to Telugu. Question number four and five are the best examples to test the knowledge of the candidate in both the languages.

Question no. 6

2x5 =10 marks

Use the given words in your own sentences.

6b. 2x5/= 10 marks

Synonyms to be given for the suggested words

6c. 2x5 = 10 marks

Opposite words are to be suggested

6d. 2x5 = 10 marks

Correction of spelling mistakes

Question number six contains 40 marks and it is based on the grammar part. If the candidate is not aware of the idiomatic grammar in Telugu he may not be able to answer them properly.

So don't neglect to prepare well for answering this compulsory paper. When we analyse the questioning pattern of this paper, it is understood that the basic knowledge in the language is more important. One need not be a scholar in the language to answer these questions. In the case of comprehension it may be difficult to assimilate the information provided in the passage within the specified time. .

However, one should gauge the pulse of the examiner in answering it. Some people are in the habit of using a cut and paste model in answering the comprehension question. It's not enough if you abridge it by choosing the same sentences. You have to write it in your own sentences. It needs a little practice during preparation. Allot an hour for Telugu compulsory paper. Go through previous question papers to have knowledge about questioning patterns. While attempting the first question – essay essay one should have fluent language.

Practice makes a man perfect.

(Author is retired Additional director general Doordarshan, Delhi)