Indo Pak 2010 paper, a tricky one
 

Guys i gave this year's papers and it interesting to note that Indo Pak paper was quite general in nature.For example I would like to know if and how anybody attempted the following questions:

Q.3. Elaborate the importance of Delhi as the centre of Muslim cultural advancement and bride of all cities in orient and its devastation during the Muslim rule by the invaders.

Q.6. Compare the South Asian plain society with the desert and mountain society invaders applying Ibn-i-Khaldun’s philosophy.

Please suggest any book or reference material that will help in answering the above questions because the books that I studied for the paper(K Ali ,S M Ikram) were not quite thorough in dealing with these questions.

check this link and post no.3
[url]http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-subjects/group-e-history-subjects/indo-pak-history/28685-art-architecture-under-delhi-sultanate.html[/url]

@wajid khan..

i attempted both the questions...they were simple and i felt that they were more general to be attempted..

Q3: it was a general question...you need to highlight its importance...art and architecture within Delhi would be a small part of it...you needed to discuss why it became so....for example some of the points were...it was chosen as a seat of Muslim government in India....the destruction of other cities like Baghdad, Bukhara, Samarkand by the Mongols....the artisans flocking to Delhi as it provided the only safe refuge...the sultans patronizing the different arts and architectures....poetry etc....and then you were to write the number of invasions that took place during the Sultanate Period and afterwards...and how it was destroyed at times...

Now you also need to show that it remained the seat of the government right till 1857...except at a few points like Muhammad Tughluq's rule, and a brief period of time during the Mughal Era....you also read about different Sultans being patrons of arts and letters....so it was not a general question in the real sense...you needed to co-relate all the stuff that you have read seperately...

Q.6: it was not related to Indo-PAk...i had geography and i had read this concept in geography...basically it can be related to Indo Pak in a sense as an answer as to why the Arabs, The Turks, the Mughals etc were able to defeat a mighty force of Indians time and again...this idea basically dealt with the fact that environment affects the humans...harsh environments produce humans that are knit closely into tribes, have unity, determination, strength....peace and prosperity in the plains produces lack of will, enhances the love for life and arts and architecture, produces caste and distinction systems....summons intrigues etc.....

Umar Abbas kindly tell the books u studied for indo pak

V.D Mahajan "The Sultanate of Delhi"
Ishwari Prasad
Ibrahim Eraley "The Mughal Throne"
Ikram Rabbani (Paper 2)

I attempted the both answers with general concepts. I had studies geo so it was easier for me to discuss the answer of the 2nd questions.
Its good that now CRAM QUESTION pattern has been changed.
so my suggestion to the new comers is that they should not follow the CRAM SERIES of JAHANGIR for overwhelming in the CSS.
Go through the authenticated book.

Regards