The Reference Library
Answer & Essay Writing — Glossary
Key terms and definitions from the Answer & Essay Writing course. Each term links to a full explanation.
- Terms
- 42 terms
- Categories
- 1 category
A
9 entriesAcceptance vs. fatalism
Acceptance is the active, clear-eyed recognition of reality as a basis for purposive action, whereas fatalism is the passive surrender to events on the belief that outcomes are predetermined and beyond human agency.
acknowledged trade-off
An acknowledged trade-off is an answer-writing technique in which the candidate explicitly recognises that a recommended policy or position sacrifices one valued objective to secure another.
Administrative/Institutional
Administrative or institutional reforms are structural and procedural changes to the machinery of government aimed at improving efficiency, accountability, and responsiveness in public administration.
Always conclude forward
"Always conclude forward" is an answer-writing maxim directing candidates to end every answer with a constructive, solution-oriented, or future-facing statement rather than a restatement of problems.
Anchors that travel across questions
Anchors that travel across questions are reusable factual reference points—data, judgments, schemes, or quotations—that a candidate deploys repeatedly to lend authority to answers spanning multiple syllabus areas.
anchors the issue
"Anchoring the issue" is an answer-writing technique in which the candidate fixes the question's core demand at the outset and ties every subsequent paragraph back to it.
answers that ignore the directive
An answer that ignores the directive is a response which fails to perform the specific cognitive task commanded by the question's directive verb, attracting heavy penalties despite factual content.
answers with no discernible structure
Answers with no discernible structure are examination responses that lack a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, presenting facts in an unsequenced manner that examiners penalise.
Authority
Authority is the legitimate, institutionally recognised right to issue commands, make binding decisions, and enforce compliance, distinguished from mere coercive power by its acceptance as rightful.
C
5 entriesconflict between legality and morality
The conflict between legality and morality denotes situations where a lawfully valid command diverges from ethical duty, forcing a public servant to choose between obeying the rule and doing what is right.
Context line
A context line is the opening sentence of an exam answer that situates the question within its constitutional, historical, factual or conceptual setting before substantive analysis begins.
Counterview
A counterview is a deliberately presented opposing argument or alternative perspective introduced in an essay or answer to demonstrate balanced, multi-dimensional analysis.
CREL every paragraph
CREL is an answer-writing discipline requiring every paragraph to state a Claim, give Reasoning, supply Evidence, and draw a Link back to the question.
Cycle and feedback diagrams
Cycle and feedback diagrams are answer-writing tools that depict circular or self-reinforcing relationships between variables using arrows, loops and nodes to demonstrate analytical depth in descriptive exams.
D
9 entriesDecode
To "decode" a question is to systematically parse its directive verb, scope, and qualifiers to determine exactly what the examiner demands before writing the answer.
defines or frames
"Defines or frames" is a directive instruction in exam questions requiring the candidate to state the precise meaning of a concept or to set it within an analytical context before answering.
definitional
A definitional element is the first component of a structured answer that fixes the precise meaning, scope, and authority of a key term before analysis begins.
Deontological test
A deontological test evaluates the morality of an action by its conformity to duty, rules, or universal principles rather than by its consequences.
Devolution to Panchayati Raj Institutions
Devolution is the transfer of functions, finances, and functionaries to Panchayati Raj Institutions to make them effective units of self-government under Article 243G.
dialectic frame
A dialectic frame is an answer-writing structure that organises a response as thesis, antithesis and synthesis to demonstrate balanced, reasoned judgement.
Directive map
A directive map is an answer-writing technique whereby a candidate first decodes the question's directive verb to plan the structure, depth, and treatment the examiner demands before drafting.
directive verb
A directive verb is the command word in an examination question that specifies the cognitive operation and depth of treatment the answer must perform.
directive words
Directive words are the instructional verbs in an examination question that specify the cognitive task and answer structure the examiner expects a candidate to deliver.
E
3 entriesempathy-feasibility balance
The empathy-feasibility balance is an answer-writing principle requiring candidates to pair compassionate, beneficiary-centred reasoning with administratively and fiscally realistic solutions.
Ethics
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that systematically studies right and wrong conduct, moral duties, and the principles that ought to govern human and institutional behaviour.
evidence
Evidence is the body of facts, oral statements, documents, and material objects legally admissible before a court to prove or disprove a fact in issue.
F
4 entriesFlowcharts
A flowchart is a diagrammatic answer-writing device that represents a process, sequence, or causal chain through labelled boxes connected by directional arrows.
forward-looking, solution-oriented, balanced
A prescribed conclusion formula for civil-service descriptive answers that ends an analysis with realistic remedies, future direction, and a measured tone avoiding extremes.
framing
Framing is the deliberate selection and emphasis of certain aspects of a problem to shape how an audience interprets it and what responses appear reasonable.
Front-load the verdict
Front-loading the verdict is an answer-writing technique of stating the central judgment or conclusion in the opening sentence before presenting supporting evidence.
H
1 entryK
1 entryN
2 entriesNFHS
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is India's large-scale, multi-round household survey providing representative data on population, health, nutrition, and family welfare indicators.
Nolan Principles
The Nolan Principles are seven ethical standards — selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership — governing all holders of public office in the United Kingdom.
P
2 entriesPLFS
The Periodic Labour Force Survey is India's official household survey, launched by the National Statistical Office in 2017, that measures employment and unemployment indicators at regular intervals.
Punchhi Commission
The Punchhi Commission was the Commission on Centre-State Relations, constituted by India in 2007 under retired Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, which submitted its report in 2010.
R
1 entryS
2 entriesSarkaria Commission
The Sarkaria Commission was a three-member body constituted by the Government of India in 1983 to examine and recommend reforms in Centre–State relations.
synthesis
Synthesis is the answer-writing technique of integrating multiple dimensions, viewpoints, or facts into a single coherent, reconciled position rather than listing them separately.
T
2 entriesthesis statement
A thesis statement is the single declarative sentence that states an answer's central argument and signals the line of reasoning the response will defend.
topic sentence
A topic sentence is the opening declarative line of a paragraph that states its central claim, which the remaining sentences then explain, evidence, and qualify.