Statement and Argument Questions

• Arguments evaluation (ban on religion): Should religion be banned altogether? Evaluate—(I) Yes: religion develops fanaticism; (II) No: religion binds people together—checking relevance, overgeneralisation, and societal function.
• Arguments evaluation (India as a permanent member of the UN's Security Council): Should India become a permanent UNSC member? Weigh—(I) Yes: India loves peace and amity; (II) No: first solve internal problems like poverty and malnutrition—on relevance to the membership criteria and logical sufficiency.
• Arguments evaluation (ban on fashionable dresses): Should fashionable clothing be banned? Consider—(I) Yes: fashions change frequently, increasing cloth consumption; (II) No: fashionable clothes are a form of self-expression and thus a fundamental right—assessing environmental/cost claims vs. individual liberty.
• Arguments evaluation (dissolving the United Nations Organisation): Should an organisation like the UNO be dissolved? Examine—(I) Yes: with the Cold War over, such bodies have no role; (II) No: without such organisations, a world war may ensue—testing necessity beyond Cold War dynamics and the plausibility of deterrence.
• Arguments evaluation (role of interview in selection): Should the interview stage be eliminated from selection processes? Assess—(I) Yes: interviews are highly subjective in assessment; (II) No: interviews are the only instrument to judge motives and personality—examining bias risks vs. exclusivity claims.
• Arguments evaluation (compulsory family planning in India): Should family planning be made compulsory? Consider—(I) Yes: given miserable conditions, there is no other go; (II) No: India's religious diversity includes faiths where family planning is against tenets—judge strength by policy relevance and overstatement.
• Critical reasoning — executive pay caps in multinationals: Should there be a statutory ceiling on the salaries of top executives working for multinational companies in our country, considering the supporting view that otherwise it may trigger unhealthy competition that domestic industry cannot withstand, versus the opposing view that in a liberalised economy such a cap would be counter-productive and that, once growth accelerates, the existing pay disparity would naturally reduce?
• Statement: Should there be a ceiling on the salary of top executives of multinationals in our country? Arguments: Yes. Otherwise it would lead to unhealthy competition and our own industry would not be able to withstand that. No. With the accent on liberalization of economy, any such move would be counter-productive. Once the economy picks up, this disparity will be reduced.
• Critical reasoning — free school education in India: Should school education be made free across India, weighing the assertion that making schooling free is the only way to improve literacy against the counter-concern that such a policy would add substantially to the already heavy burden on the public exchequer?
• Critical reasoning — removing import duty on electronic goods: Should import duties on all electronic goods be fully dispensed with, considering the objection that it would sharply reduce government revenue and harm development programmes, and the further objection that domestic manufacturers would be unable to compete with technologically superior foreign producers?
• Critical reasoning — legal duty on children to care for aged parents: Should the law make adult children legally responsible for taking care of their parents in old age, with arguments claiming that only legal means can solve such issues and that only this would bring relief to poor parents?
• Critical reasoning — reservation in government jobs for candidates from single-child families: Should government jobs include a reservation quota for applicants from single-child families, balancing the merit-based objection against the claim that such a policy would encourage population control by promoting the single-child norm?
• Critical reasoning — temporary stoppage of higher education: Should higher education be completely stopped for some time, in view of the objection that it would hamper the nation's future progress and the counter-claim that it would reduce the problem of educated unemployment?
• Critical reasoning — scrapping the Public Distribution System (PDS): Should India abolish the PDS on the grounds that protectionism is outdated and everyone should earn their bread independently, and that the poor derive no benefit due to corruption?
• Critical reasoning — should India have no military at all?: Should India completely do away with its military forces, considering the objection that other countries do not adhere to non-violence and the supporting claim that many Indians personally believe in non-violence?
• Critical Reasoning – Are nuclear families better than joint families? Arguments: I. No. Joint families ensure security and also reduce the burden of work. II. Yes. Nuclear families ensure greater freedom.
• Critical reasoning – Should the government stop spending large amounts of money on international sports? Statement: “Should government stop spending huge amounts of money on international sports?” Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, the same money can be utilized for the upliftment of the poor. II. No, sportspersons will be frustrated and will not get international exposure.
• Critical reasoning – Should railways immediately stop issuing free passes to all employees? Statement: “Should the railways immediately stop issuing free passes to all its employees?” Arguments to evaluate: I. No. Employees have the right to travel free. II. Yes. This will help railways provide better facilities.
• Critical reasoning – Should medical examination of both partners be compulsory before marriage? Statement: “Should there be compulsory medical examination of both the man and the woman before they marry each other?” Arguments to evaluate: I. No. It intrudes on personal privacy. II. Yes. It substantially reduces the risk of children being born with serious ailments.
• Critical reasoning – Should there be a ban on product advertising? Statement: “Should there be a complete ban on product advertising?” Arguments to evaluate: I. No. In a competitive age, without effective advertising, products will not sell. II. Yes. Advertising budgets are huge and inflate product costs.