Chat with us
General Studies 2024 GS Paper II 15 marks 250 words Compulsory Explain

GS Paper II — Q11

What are the aims and objects of recently passed and enforced, The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 ?…

What are the aims and objects of recently passed and enforced, The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 ? Whether University/State Education Board examinations, too, are covered under the Act ? (Answer in 250 words). 15 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

अभी हाल में पारित तथा लागू किये गये, लोक परीक्षा (अनुचित साधनों की रोकथाम) अधिनियम, 2024 के लक्ष्य तथा उद्देश्य क्या हैं ? क्या विश्वविद्यालय/राज्य शिक्षा परिषद की परीक्षायें भी इस अधिनियम के अंतर्गत आती हैं ? (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में लिखिए)

Q11 of the 2024 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper II, as printed
The question as printed in the 2024 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2024 General Studies questions

Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, passed in Parliament on 12 February 2024, is a Union law under Article 246(1) aimed at protecting the integrity of public examinations. Its aim is to prevent unfair means, such as question-paper leakage, impersonation, use of prohibited devices, and organised cheating by mafias, because such acts distort merit-based selection, undermine public trust, and damage the credibility of recruitment and entrance processes. By defining these acts as offences and attaching penalties, the Act creates a deterrent: potential offenders face criminal liability, authorities can initiate prosecution, and the examination process becomes more secure. The object is to ensure fair competition, protect candidates’ rights, and maintain the sanctity of public examinations conducted by specified bodies.

Coverage of university and state board examinations The Act does not automatically cover university or State education board examinations. Section 2(k) defines “public examination” as one conducted by the UPSC, SSC, RRBs, IBPS, NTA, or such other authority/body as may be notified by the Central Government. Thus, university and State board exams can be brought within the Act only if the Central Government notifies the relevant authority or body, possibly on a State’s request. This notification-based extension is important because education is a Concurrent List subject; the Act’s focus is on specified public examinations, while any wider application to State boards would raise federalism concerns. In short, the Act secures public examinations against organised unfair means, but its reach beyond named authorities depends on future notification, not automatic inclusion.

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.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Precisely lists aims and explicitly confirms scope for Universities/Boards.

Key points expected

  • Prevention of unfair means
  • Integrity of public exams
  • Covers University exams
  • Covers State Board exams

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Define the Act's aims and confirm the scope regarding University/State Board exams. 15 marks · 250 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • Aims: Deterrence of unfair means in public exams
    • Aims: Protecting integrity of public examinations
    • Scope: Explicitly covers University examinations
    • Scope: Explicitly covers State Education Board exams

    Loses marks

    • Reciting general exam reform history
    • Ignoring the specific scope question
    • Activist tone on exam difficulty

    Earns more

    • Mention of 'Public Examination' definition in Act
    • Reference to Central/State/University level coverage
    • Mention of 'Unfair Means' definition (cheating, impersonation)
    • Reference to the 2024 enforcement date

    Extra mark

    • Comparison with previous state-level laws
    • Reference to specific penalties under the Act

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 2024 GS Paper II