Winning Answers - A dissection on Writing Skills

Know Your Limits

Know Your Limits

In Competitive Examinations like Civil Services, writing answers within or not much away from specified word limits is important. It is impossible to count the words written, but an experienced examiner can understand a variation of more than 10% just by seeing the paper.

Answering Very Shortly

Many competitive examinations have very short answer questions which demands us to answer in 20 or 30 words. We usually define what is asked in one sentence and gets satisfied. But it is highly insufficient as the aim of examiner is to test your ability to compress maximum information into very small sentence.

The right approach to such questions is to give maximum number of points in as much close to word limits as possible. Consider each point fetches you about half mark if there is a 20 words question, and maximum mark is 2.

Try to make your answer as complete as possible with regarding to 6 question words. 5 Wives 1 Husband (5W1H). What, When, Where, Who, Why & How are to be addressed as much as possible.

You have to understand that a same question asked for 250 words this year may be asked for 150 words next year or as a 20 word next to next year. Practice is required to constrict same answer in different word limits. So see the examples with same answer in 250 words, 150 words and Article 21 in 20 words.

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Sample Answer: Article 21 has the widest amplitude in The Indian Constitution. Explain

 India being a nation which guarantees Fundamental rights through constitution & having a keen and proactive judiciary shows the best example of constitutionalism in governance.

The Article 21 of Fundamental rights provides the right of 'Life and Personal Liberty' to all Indians. Supreme Court judgement in Chakma Migrants case undoubtedly extended it to aliens, and even illegal migrants.

 With liberal interpretations of the Article 21, the judiciary has inferred various Human Rights, elseways unmentioned in the constitution to be included in this article.

 Judiciary has made it clear that Article 21 is right to a dignified life and not just an animal existence, and hence included principles of natural justice, right to education, right to pollution free water and air etc in its ambit.

 It also protects people from executive encroachment by right against domiciliary visit by police at night, right against handcuffing unless there is clear and persistent danger of breaking out of custody, and right to free legal aid and speedy trial.

 The right to Health and medical assistance forms an inalienable part of right to life and it ensures the professional obligation of Medical Professionals to provide service at exigencies with out formalities.

 Various women rights like right to bear child and protection against sexual harassment is also inferred from this article.

 With a wider view and definition of the terms 'life' and 'personal liberty' judiciary ensures most of human rights through constitution, including some hitherto undeclared ones.

 (240 words 1563 characters)

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Sample Answer : Article 21 has the widest amplitude in The Indian Constitution. Explain

India being the biggest democracy with due respect to human rights, provided many fundamental rights in its constitution.

The right of life and personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21 is an non-suspendable right and even made available to illegal migrants by judiciary.

With liberal interpretations of provisions apex court has added various inferred rights into the terms 'life' and 'personal liberty'.

Judiciary made it clear that right to life is right to dignified life and hence includes right to education, right to pollution free environment, and principles of natural justice.

The right against handcuffing and inhuman treatment by police, right to health and medical assistance etc ensures accountability from personnel and professionals. Various women rights like right against sexual harassment is also incorporated into this.

By various interpretations and possible interpretations, judiciary has kept the Article 21 as widest as well as open article of our constitution, which guarantees even hitherto unknown rights.

(154 words 1037 characters)

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Sample Answer : Article 21

Right to life and personal liberty is of widest amplitude, as judiciary inferred various human rights like education, Natural justice, women's rights etc into it.

(25 words 162 characters)