BPAG-171 IGNOU Guess Paper 2026-27

BPAG-171 Guess Paper: Disaster Management (Term-End Exam Focus)

This digital guess paper aligns with IGNOU’s official syllabus for BPAG-171, prioritizing high-scoring topics from past 10 years of Term-End Exams (June & Dec sessions). Structured for 3-hour exam time management, it includes chapter-wise question weightage, solved patterns, and FAQs.

Key Syllabus Blocks & Question Weightage

• Block-1: Introduction
  • Focus on definitions of disasters (natural vs. man-made) and their socio-economic impacts (weightage: 15%).
  • Commonly asked: Compare slow-onset vs. sudden-onset disasters with case studies (e.g., floods vs. earthquakes).
• Block-2: Disaster Management: Concepts and Institutional Framework
  • Highest scoring block (30% weightage). Key topics:
    • NDMA’s role, functions, and Disaster Management Act, 2005 (mandatory for 5-6 marks).
    • State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and their inter-state coordination.
    • Case study: NDMA’s response to Uttarakhand floods (2013) or Kashmir earthquake (2005).
  • Past exam trends: 3-4 questions on institutional gaps in disaster response.
• Block-3: Interrelationship Between Disaster and Development
  • Weightage: 25%. Emphasis on:
    • Poverty-disaster nexus (e.g., how cyclones in Odisha exacerbate rural poverty).
    • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and disaster risk reduction (DRR).
    • Critique of top-down vs. bottom-up disaster management approaches.
  • Common pitfalls: Avoid generic answers; link disasters to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) or SDG 13 (Climate Action).
• Block-4: Disaster Management: Cross-Cutting Issues
  • Weightage: 20%. Prioritize:
    • Gender and disability-sensitive disaster response (e.g., UN Women’s guidelines).
    • Technology in disaster management (e.g., early warning systems like IMD’s cyclone alerts).
    • Ethical dilemmas in disaster relief (e.g., resource allocation during conflicts).
  • Past trends: 2-3 questions on community-based disaster response (CBDM) models.

Exam Time Management Tips (3-Hour Strategy)

• Allocate 30 minutes for Block-1 and Block-4 combined (short-answer focus).
• Spend 60 minutes on Block-2 (long-answer questions; prioritize NDMA’s functions).
• Dedicate 45 minutes to Block-3 (link disasters to development indicators; use case studies).
• Last 15 minutes: Review answers for NDMA Act sections and SDG references.

Subject-Specific FAQs

• Q: How to score full marks in NDMA-related questions?

  Cite Section 10 (Functions of NDMA) and Section 12 (State SDMAs) from the Act. Include a brief case study (e.g., NDMA’s role in 2021 Kerala floods).

• Q: What is the best approach for Block-3’s poverty-disaster link?

  Use Human Development Index (HDI) or Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to quantify impacts. Example: Bihar’s vulnerability to droughts due to low HDI scores.

Sample Question Patterns (June 2023 & Dec 2022)

• Block-2: “Evaluate NDMA’s success in integrating disaster management with climate action plans.” (20 marks)
• Block-3: “How does urbanization increase disaster risks? Discuss with reference to Mumbai’s flooding.” (15 marks)
• Block-4: “Analyze the role of NGOs in community-based disaster response, citing examples from Kerala’s tsunami recovery.” (10 marks)