APPSC alleged of plagiarism in setting questions

APPSC alleged of plagiarism in setting questions

Staff Reporter

ITANAGAR, Jan 18: The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) has allegedly copied not less than 45 questions from the Combined Defence Service (CDS) examination held on September 13, 2009 – exactly 3 months prior to the prelims of the State Combined Competitive Examination 2009-10. This year’s General Studies paper of the state civil services (prelims) had 45 questions copied directly from the General Knowledge paper of CDS 2009. Anybody from the state who had earlier appeared the CDS paper must have had a field day on January 10 last. On closer scrutiny pages no 8, 9, and 10 of the APCS paper had as many as 37 questions of the CDS in the same sequence without any modification.

“The questions were copied in its natural state without bending it even a little. Those who have appeared for the CDS must have attempted almost all the questions as 45 were readymade for them,” says an aspirant, who is in possession of both the papers. Those who were lauding the ‘unannounced’ change in question pattern were aghast to see little contribution by the Commission in setting the question paper.

APPSC Joint Secretary T Taba told The Sentinel that the Commission identifies and selects a group of question-setters from within the state or outside and allows them to set 150 questions with four alternative choices as per the syllabus. He said that the Commission is not directly involved in selecting and setting questions but maintained that strict instructions were given to the question-setters to remain within the prescribed syllabus. Keeping aside the complaints, Taba expressed satisfaction over the successful conduction of the preliminary round. Pointing that even the UPSC exams are not 100 % fool-proof, he said that the Commission will learn from such small mistakes. He, however, categorically submitted that the negative marking pattern for wrong answers would be strictly implemented.

Over nine thousand aspirants had appeared in the Arunachal Pradesh Combined Civil Service Prelims examination on January 10 last, spread across the nine centres over the state at Itanagar, Tawang, Seppa, Ziro, Tezu, Khonsa, Aalo, Changlang and Pasighat. But the million dollar question on every aspirant’s mind is will the Commission with its punchline - Talent search is our motto - live up to it. THE SENTINEL