GS Paper II — Q10
"The USA is facing an existential threat in the form of a China, that is much more challenging than the erstwhile Soviet Union."…
"The USA is facing an existential threat in the form of a China, that is much more challenging than the erstwhile Soviet Union." Explain. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
"संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका, चीन के रूप में एक ऐसे अस्तित्व के खतरे का सामना कर रहा है जो तत्कालीन सोवियत संघ की तुलना में कहीं अधिक चुनौतीपूर्ण है।" विवेचना कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
China challenges the USA more existentially than the USSR because its power is systemic, not merely military. The Soviet Union was economically autarkic and technologically lagging, so containment worked through decoupling. China, by contrast, is embedded in global supply chains, making decoupling self-harming for the USA. Its economy is about two-thirds of America's in nominal terms, far beyond the Soviet peak, and it is the largest manufacturer and trader. It competes directly in AI, 5G and semiconductors, threatening the technological edge underpinning US primacy. Its authoritarian-capitalist developmental model attracts the Global South, unlike Soviet communism's limited appeal. Military-civil fusion and grey-zone tactics blur deterrence, while the AIIB and BRI build parallel institutions within the existing order, unlike the closed Soviet bloc. For India, this rivalry complicates strategic autonomy, demanding multi-alignment and indigenous capability.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS2 International Relations
What earns full marks: Nuanced comparison of economic/tech vs military threats with specific examples.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Contextualize the US-China rivalry and substantiate why China is a more challenging threat than the USSR. 10 marks · 150 words
explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Contrast China's economic interdependence with USSR's isolation
- Highlight China's technological and military modernization
- Mention China's global footprint (BRI, trade)
- Explain the 'existential' nature of the threat
Loses marks
- Treating China and USSR as identical threats
- Ignoring the economic dimension of the threat
- Vague generalities without specific examples
Earns more
- Reference to 'Thucydides Trap' or 'Great Power Competition'
- Mention of US-China decoupling or de-risking
- Comparison of nuclear arsenals or GDP parity
- Reference to Indo-Pacific strategy
Extra mark
- Cite specific data on US-China trade deficit
- Reference to specific US policy documents (e.g., National Security Strategy)
What "Explain" is asking you to do
Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.
Structure that answers it
State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces
Where marks are lost
Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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