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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-3 to check your progress.
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Discuss the notion of acoustic or sonic weapons, including their methods, types, and possible health consequences.
Analyse the causes that have contributed to India’s recent drop in cotton production, with a focus on the pink bollworm infestation.
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: Discuss the notion of acoustic or sonic weapons, including their methods, types, and possible health consequences.
Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.
Introduction:
— Acoustic or sonic weapons are devices that can produce extremely loud sounds over long distances. They can be programmed to produce unpleasant audible or inaudible sound waves. These devices can also be used as voice amplifiers, transmitting voice messages or other noises.
— Although sound amplifiers have been around for millennia, their application in crowd control dates back to the early 1990s. In 2004, the US military utilised specialised equipment capable of projecting loud sounds over vast distances for the first time in Iraq.
Body:
You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:
How do sonic weapons work?
— Such weapons often use hundreds of contemporary transducers — electrical devices that transform energy from one form to another — to generate extremely concentrated and magnified sound.This rather narrow beam can concentrate on certain target locations.
— According to a report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a non-profit organisation located in the United States, the sound is intended to be controlled by police personnel who can adjust the frequency, volume, quality, and length of the alarm.
Types of sonic weapons
— Long-range acoustic device (LRAD): It has a range of 8,900 metres for intelligible speech, and produces a highly directional “beam” of extremely loud sound which can go to up to 160 decibels (dB).
— Mosquito: This device produces very high-pitched sounds that are audible and painful to only younger people — usually teenagers and those in their twenties. It does not affect older people (30 and above).
— Infrasonic weapon: This is a newer technology and could deliver very low-frequency sounds that would be inaudible but could cause pain and disorientation. Experts are still investigating its capabilities.
Health effects of sonic weapons
— These weapons can cause substantial damage to the eardrums and other delicate organs of the ears, as well as hearing loss.
— The impact is determined by a person’s distance from the sound, the duration of exposure, and any preexisting physical problems.
— Loud noises, such as those released by LRAD, can cause a sense of ringing ears, sometimes known as tinnitus, that can continue for minutes or even days.
Conclusion:
— Human rights organisations such as PHR highlight that there is insufficient research on the consequences of sonic weapons. PHR emphasises that these weapons are “indiscriminate, causing harm or pain to protesters, bystanders, and law enforcement, despite the narrow beam in which sound is concentrated.”
(Source: Serbia’s govt accused of using a sonic weapon against protestors: What is this device?)
Points to Ponder
Read about the applications of sonic weapons
Read more about long-range acoustic device
Related Previous Year Question
How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world? (2021)
QUESTION 2: Analyse the causes that have contributed to India’s recent drop in cotton production, with a focus on the pink bollworm infestation.
Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.
Introduction:
— Cotton is one of India’s most important fibre and cash crops, contributing significantly to the country’s industrial and agricultural economies. It offers cotton fibre, the basic raw ingredient for the cotton textile industry.
— Cotton in India is a direct source of income for 6 million farmers, while the cotton trade and processing employs approximately 40-50 million people.
Body:
You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:
— India’s cotton output in the 2024-25 marketing year (October-September) is expected to be slightly more than 294 lakh bales (lb; 1 lb = 170 kg), the lowest level since 2008-09. Since its peak of 398 lb in 2013-14, production has been steadily falling. A drop from about 400 weight to under 300 lb can be considered disastrous.
— Between 2002-03 and 2013-14, the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) cotton hybrids containing alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, resulted in not only a near-tripling of production (from 136 lb to 398 lb), but also a 139-fold increase in exports (from 0.8 lb to 117 lb).
— India’s transition from a significant cotton exporter to a net importer is mostly due to the pink bollworm (PBW). This is an insect pest, and its larvae bore into cotton plant bolls (fruits). The bolls contain seeds, which mature into white fluffy cotton fibres called lint. The PBW caterpillars feed on the growing seeds and lint, resulting in yield loss and lint discolouration.
— The GM cotton being farmed in India contains two Bt genes, ‘cry1Ac’ and ‘cry2Ab’, which code for proteins harmful to the American bollworm, spotted bollworm, and cotton leafworm pests. The double-gene hybrids initially provided some protection against the PBW, but their potency has waned over time.
— The reason for this is because the PBW is a monophagous pest that only feeds on cotton. This differs from the other three pests, which are polyphagous and survive on numerous host crops: The American bollworm larvae also infest maize, jowar (sorghum), tomato, bhindi (okra), chana (chickpea), and lobia (cowpea).
Conclusion:
— The pest crossed the “economic threshold level” – where crop damage exceeds control costs – in the central (Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh) growing zones in 2014, in the south (Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu) in 2017, and in the north (Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab) in 2021.
— In late July 2024, the Ministry of Environment’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) granted Bioseed permission to conduct Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) trials of their product at six places in MP, Karnataka, and AP. The experiments, which will take place in isolated plots of no more than one acre each, are designed to assess the expression of the novel alien genes as well as the agronomic performance of the hybrids/lines into which they are introduced. BRL experiments also include data collection on food and feed toxicity and environmental safety (residue analysis, pollen flow investigations, and so on).
(Source: The crisis in India’s cotton production, and what can help by Harish Damodaran)
Points to Ponder
Read more about GM cotton and other GM crops
Read about pink bollworm (PBW)
Related Previous Year Questions
How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers? (2017)
How and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis? (2021)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 96)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 95)
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UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 95)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 95)
UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 96)
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