GS Paper IV — Q6
(a) What were the major teachings of Guru Nanak? Explain their relevance in the contemporary world. (Answer in 150 words, 10…
What were the major teachings of Guru Nanak? Explain their relevance in the contemporary world. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Explain the term social capital. How does it enhance good governance? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
गुरु नानक की प्रमुख शिक्षाएं क्या थीं? समकालीन दुनिया में उनकी प्रासंगिकता की व्याख्या कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
सामाजिक पूंजी की व्याख्या कीजिए। यह सुशासन में वृद्धि कैसे करती है? (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
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.
(a) The major teachings of Guru Nanak and their relevance today
Teachings:
- Ik Onkar: one formless God present in all, which rejects idol worship, ritualism and the claim of any religion to exclusive truth.
- Equality: rejection of caste and of the low status of women ("from woman, man is born"); langar, where all sit and eat together (pangat), put it into practice.
- Three pillars: naam japna (remembering God), kirat karni (earning by honest labour) and vand chhakna (sharing with the needy).
- Seva and sangat: selfless service and the fellowship of the community.
- Truthful living: "Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living."
Relevance today:
- Communal harmony in a polarised world, through respect for all faiths.
- Social justice: a challenge to caste discrimination and gender inequality.
- Dignity of labour and ethical earning against corruption and consumerism.
- Sharing and service: the gurdwara langars feeding migrants and patients during COVID-19 lockdowns showed vand chhakna in action.
(b) Social capital and good governance
Social capital is the networks, shared norms and trust among people that enable them to act together for common goals. Robert Putnam distinguishes bonding capital (within a group), bridging capital (across groups) and linking capital (with institutions).
How it enhances good governance:
- Participation: active gram sabhas, ward committees and SHGs bring citizens into planning and monitoring.
- Accountability: organised communities conduct social audits and use RTI, as the MKSS did in Rajasthan.
- Service delivery: Kerala's Kudumbashree network has helped run local services and relief.
- Lower transaction costs: trust makes compliance voluntary and reduces the need for enforcement.
- Resilience: community networks spread information and organised relief during COVID-19 and floods.
The caution: bonding capital along caste or religious lines can exclude others, so the state should encourage bridging networks across them.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS4 Ethical & Social Governance Framework
What earns full marks: Precise definitions, clear modern linkages, specific examples, and balanced reasoning.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- (a) Define Guru Nanak's core tenets and map them to modern social challenges. 10 marks · 150 words
explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Identify core tenets (e.g., equality, Naam Japna, Kirat Karni)
- Link teachings to contemporary issues (e.g., caste, gender, environment)
- Demonstrate relevance in modern social or political context
- Maintain balance between historical context and modern application
Loses marks
- Preaching religious dogma instead of ethical reasoning
- Listing values without explaining their modern relevance
- Ignoring the 'contemporary world' aspect of the question
Earns more
- Mention specific concepts like 'Sarbat da Bhala'
- Reference to 'Chardi Kala' as a mindset for resilience
- Connection to modern secularism or social justice movements
- Mention of 'Seva' as a civic duty
Extra mark
- Citing a specific Japji Sahib verse
- Reference to a specific modern social reform movement
- (b) Define social capital and detail its mechanism in enhancing good governance. 10 marks · 150 words
explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Define social capital (trust, networks, norms)
- Explain the link between social capital and governance
- Identify specific mechanisms (e.g., transparency, accountability)
- Provide a concrete example of social capital in action
Loses marks
- Confusing social capital with financial capital
- Vague generalities without specific governance mechanisms
- Ignoring the 'how' in the question
Earns more
- Mentioning 'bonding' vs 'bridging' social capital
- Reference to Putnam or Fukuyama
- Linking to citizen participation in policy
- Mentioning reduction in transaction costs
Extra mark
- Citing a specific study or index (e.g., World Bank)
- Reference to a specific governance reform
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.
Evaluate my answer →More from General Studies 2023 GS Paper IV
- Q3 Given below are three quotations of great thinkers. What do each of these quotations conv…
- Q4 (a) "What really matters for success, character, happiness and lifelong achievements is a…
- Q5 (a) Is conscience a more reliable guide when compared to laws, rules and regulations in t…
- Q6 (a) What were the major teachings of Guru Nanak? Explain their relevance in the contempor…
- Q7 You are working as an executive in a nationalised bank for several years. One day one of…
- Q8 A landslide occurred in the middle of the night on 20th July, 2023 in a remote mountain h…
- Q9 At 9 pm on Saturday evening, Rashika, a Joint Secretary, was still engrossed in her work…