© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress.
What is an ‘Aurora’ and how does it occur?
How did the revolt of 1857 take the form of a popular movement with the participation of peasants in Awadh?
Introduction
— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.
— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.
Body
— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.
— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.
— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.
— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer.
— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.
Way forward/ conclusion
— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.
— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.
Self Evaluation
— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.
QUESTION 1: What is an ‘Aurora’ and how does it occur?
Introduction:
— Auroras are natural lights that seem as bright, whirling curtains in the night sky and come in a variety of colours such as blue, red, yellow, green, and orange.
— These lights appear mostly around the poles of both the northern and southern hemispheres throughout the year, but they occasionally spread to lower latitudes.
— The northern lights are known as the aurora borealis, while the southern lights are known as the aurora australis.
Body:
Why do auroras occur?
— This is due to activity on the Sun’s surface. The star continuously emits a stream of charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, as well as magnetic fields known as the solar wind. As solar wind approaches Earth, it is deflected by the planet’s magnetic field, which serves as a protective barrier.
— However, some charged particles become caught in the magnetic field and move along magnetic field lines near the north and south poles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
— These particles then combine with other gases present, producing small flashes that illuminate the night sky. When solar wind particles contact with oxygen, green light is created. The interaction with nitrogen generates blue and purple hues.
— When the solar wind is quite powerful, the auroras spread to the midlatitudes. This occurs when activity on the Sun’s surface increases, resulting in solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are essentially additional bursts of energy in the solar wind.
— In such situations, the solar wind is so strong that it can cause a geomagnetic storm, also known as a magnetic storm, which is a transient perturbation of the Earth’s magnetic field. Auroras can be observed in the middle latitudes during a magnetic storm.
Conclusion:
— According to NASA, Solar storms are generated when the sun ejects more solar flares or explosions from its surface, which disperses heavy energy particles.
— The flares release ionised radiation and when in contact with the Earth’s atmosphere create magnetic fields.
(Source: Aurora Borealis: What are northern and southern lights? Why do they occur?)
Points to Ponder
Auroras in India
What are the impacts of the northern lights on Earth?
Related Previous Year Questions
How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (2023)
How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain.(2021)
QUESTION 2: How did the revolt of 1857 take the form of a popular movement with the participation of peasants in Awadh?
Introduction:
— Awadh was an area that supplied a considerable number of military personnel to the Company’s army.
— Awadh had 75,000 soldiers, and nearly every farming family in the kingdom was represented in the army. Whatever transpired in Awadh was of direct importance to the Sepoys.
— The ouster of the Nawab and the expropriation of taluqdar villages during the 1856 land revenue settlement sparked uproar. The Sepoys submitted over 14,000 petitions regarding the problems they suffered as a result of the revenue system. Mangal Pandey reflected the dissatisfaction that British authority had caused among peasant families.
Body:
— Mangal Pandey enlisted in the East India Company’s army at the age of 22 as a soldier in the 6th company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry. He refused to use the newly introduced Enfield gun, whose cartridges were thought to be made of animal fat (beef and pork) and had to be bitten open before use.
— The soldiers saw this as a direct attack on their religious beliefs by the British, who wanted to eradicate their religion and spread Christianity.
— The transfer of identities between soldier and farmer, as well as a wave of public anger against British rule, enabled the insurrection to grow to its current size. It expanded throughout India, and for a time, the public felt free of governmental dread and administrative authority.
— In Awadh, the insurrection took the shape of a popular movement, with participation from both dispossessed taluqdars and peasants who had received land titles in 1856. These people battled for their dispossessed Nawab.
Conclusion:
— On September 20, 1857, Delhi fell after a hard battle. Bahadur Shah, who had sought refuge at Humayun’s tomb, was apprehended, prosecuted, and deported to Myanmar. The British dealt with rebels in other areas as well.
— On June 17, 1858, the Rani of Jhansi died while battling. Nana Saheb refused to give up and eventually fled to Nepal in early 1859, expecting to renew the war. Tantiya Tope, who successfully engaged in guerrilla warfare until April 1859, was betrayed by a zamindar, caught, and executed by the British.
— Thus ended the most formidable challenge the British had faced in India.
(Source: Remembering Mangal Pandey, and the legacy of the revolt he inspired by Indu Tewari)
Points to Ponder
Other places of revolt in 1857
Who called in the First War of Indian Independence?
Related Previous Year Questions
Why did the armies of the British East India Company – mostly comprising of Indian Soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons. (2022)
Explain how the upraising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India. (2016)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 49)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 50)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 50)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 51)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 51)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 50)
Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
