Document overview
This page hosts the Santhali compulsory language paper from the 2013 Civil Services (Main) Examination. The file is an archived official PDF of about 2.0 MB, noticeably heavier than many sibling papers, which usually indicates a higher-resolution scan with Santhali script printed clearly. The directions are given in English and Hindi, and the body of the paper is in Santhali. There is no key.
Facts table
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
| Stage | Main |
| Paper | Santhali, compulsory Indian language |
| Instruction language | English and Hindi |
| File size | 2.0 MB |
The language and its script
Santhali is written in the Ol Chiki script in many official contexts, and the Commission’s language paper expects candidates to be at ease with the form of the language they choose. Readers on mobile should allow a moment for the page images to load, and zoom in to see diacritics properly before beginning the paper.
Why compulsory language papers matter
In that period of the examination, the Indian-language paper acted as a qualifying hurdle. Candidates had to clear it with the prescribed minimum before their other Mains answers were taken into account. Treating it casually has cost serious candidates their attempt, so a few timed trials in the weeks before the examination are a cheap form of insurance.
Study approach
- Attempt the paper without reference books to see your natural level.
- Check translation answers for meaning rather than word-by-word matching.
- Practise a short essay on a social theme in the language, since composition tasks are common.
- Seek feedback from a native writer, who can catch idiom errors you cannot notice yourself.
Next steps
The paper helps measure comfort, not content knowledge, so pair it with General Studies practice. A bound set of UPSC previous year papers from our store covers the scoring subjects in print.
Handling the large scan
Because the PDF is on the heavier side, download it over Wi-Fi if possible and save it to your device for offline use. Print only the pages you need if you plan to annotate by hand, since scanned Santhali text can look dense when shrunk to a small sheet. A tablet with a stylus works well for marking answers directly.
