Statement and Argument Questions

• Critical Reasoning – Public holiday on the demise of national leaders Statement: Should public holidays be declared upon the demise of important national leaders? Arguments: I. No. Such unscheduled holidays hamper national progress. II. Yes. People would like to pay their homage to the departed soul.
• Critical Reasoning – Foreign policy alignment Statement: Should India support all international policies of the United States of America? Arguments: I. No. Many other powerful countries do not support those policies. II. Yes. This is the only way to gain access to USA developmental funds.
• Critical Reasoning – Health warnings on cigarette packs Statement: Should the words “Smoking is injurious to health” essentially appear on cigarette packs? Arguments: I. Yes. Such warnings help condition smokers to realize they are inhaling harmful substances. II. No. The warning hampers the enjoyment of smoking.
• Critical Reasoning – Stability of the council of ministers Statement: Should the council of ministers, once appointed, remain the same for the entire period between two elections? Arguments: I. No. Shuffling ministers and portfolios is a healthy democratic process. II. Yes. Ministers need long tenures to develop a firm hold on their portfolios.
• Critical Reasoning – Overqualification and access to jobs Statement: Should people whose educational qualification exceeds the job’s optimum requirement be debarred from seeking such jobs? Arguments: I. No. It will further aggravate the problem of educated unemployment. II. Yes. It creates complexes among employees and affects work adversely. III. No. It goes against the basic rights of individuals. IV. Yes. It will increase productivity.
• Critical Reasoning – Broad-based computerization policy Statement: Should India go in for computerization in all possible sectors? Arguments: I. Yes. It will bring efficiency and accuracy in work. II. No. It will be an injustice to the huge human resources currently underutilized. III. No. Computerization demands a lot of money; we should not waste money on it. IV. Yes. Advanced countries are computerizing every field; India should not lag behind.
• Critical reasoning – Should all school teachers be debarred from giving private tuitions? Statement: “Should all the school teachers be prohibited from offering private tuition outside school hours?” Arguments to evaluate: I. No. Needy students will be deprived of these teachers’ expertise. II. Yes. This is an injustice to unemployed educated people who could earn by tutoring. III. Yes. Only then will the quality of teaching in schools improve. IV. Yes. Teachers’ salaries are now reasonable.
• Policy reasoning – Should education be compulsory for all children up to age 14? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, it will help eradicate forced child employment. II. Yes, it is an effective way to make the entire population educated. III. No, there is inadequate infrastructure to educate everyone. IV. Yes, it would raise the standard of living.
• Industrial relations – Should trade unions be banned completely? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, then workers can concentrate on production. II. No, unions are the key channel for employees to present demands to management. III. Yes, employees get illegal demands fulfilled via unions. IV. No, advanced economies do not ban trade unions.
• Public sector HR policy – Should PSUs be allowed to adopt a hire-and-fire policy? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, it enables removal of non-performers and rewarding performers. II. No, management may misuse the policy indiscriminately. III. Yes, it would raise efficiency and help PSUs become profitable.
• Public policy – Is caste-based reservation in professional colleges justified? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, it is necessary to bring the underprivileged to parity with the privileged. II. No, it obstructs the formation of a classless society. III. Yes, it helps backward castes/classes overcome long-standing oppression.
• Agricultural inputs – Should genetically modified (GM) imported seeds be completely banned? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, banning imports will boost demand for domestically developed seeds. II. No, importing GM seeds is the only way to increase production substantially. III. Yes, GM products will adversely affect the health of consumers.
• Tax policy – Should income from agricultural activities be taxed? Arguments to evaluate: I. No. Farmers suffer from natural calamities, low yields, and low procurement prices; their income should not be taxed. II. Yes. Since a majority depends on agriculture, taxing them will augment resources. III. Yes. Many big farmers earn much more than most salaried people; taxing them reduces disparity.
• Higher education governance – Should all management institutes be brought under government control? Arguments to evaluate: I. No. The government lacks adequate resources to run all such institutes effectively. II. No. Each institute should have operational autonomy. III. Yes. Government control will standardize education for all students. IV. Yes. Only then will the quality of education improve.
• Justice delivery – Should Lok Adalats and mobile courts be encouraged in India? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, they help grant speedy justice to the masses. II. Yes, disposing of minor cases here reduces the burden on higher courts. III. No, these courts are usually partial in justice.
• Security strategy – Should India acquire or manufacture the latest nuclear weapons? Arguments to evaluate: I. Yes, adversaries keep upgrading weapons; protecting sovereignty and integrity is imperative. II. No, funds should be diverted to development activities instead. III. No, the international community will isolate India, hurting the economy. IV. No, it goes against our policy of world peace.
• Critical reasoning — Should there be a complete ban on the manufacture and use of firecrackers? Statement: Should there be a complete ban on manufacture and use of firecrackers? Arguments: I. No. This will render thousands of workers jobless. II. Yes. The firecracker manufacturers use child labour to a large extent. III. Yes. This will be a concrete step to reduce noise and air pollution. IV. No. Use of firecrackers makes certain special occasions more lively and joyful.
• Civic policy — Should “literacy” be the minimum criterion to vote in India? Statement: Should "literacy" be the minimum criterion for becoming a voter in India? Arguments: I. No. Mere literacy is no guarantee of political maturity of an individual. II. Yes. Illiterate people are less likely to make politically wiser decisions. III. No. Voting is the constitutional right of every citizen.
• Banking structure — Should India have a few large banks instead of many smaller ones? Statement: Should there be only a few banks in place of numerous smaller banks in India? Arguments: I. Yes. Big banks can better withstand intermittent market shocks, protecting investors. II. No. Post-merger redundancies will cause many people to lose jobs. III. Yes. Consolidation can strengthen the industry and promote healthy competition.
• School curriculum — Should religion be taught in schools? Statement: Should religion be taught in our schools? Arguments: I. No. Ours is a secular state. II. Yes. Teaching religion helps inculcate moral values among children. III. No. We want the young generation to focus on the 21st century.