India's and China's civil-service exams are notoriously difficult

They impose big costs on both societies.

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Cigarette butts, spectacle lenses and car tyres. Which of those items contain plastic? Papaya, pineapple, guava. How many of those fruits were brought to India by the Portuguese? Last month around half a million Indians sat down to answer such questions, which were eclectic, but high-stakes. They were part of the exam to join India's civil service.

For those who passed by correctly answering questions like those above (all three items contain plastic, and all three fruits were brought over by the Portuguese), it is merely the first and easiest step in a long and arduous process.

Up next are nine more papers to be taken over 27 hours from August onwards, covering a range of subjects and even more obscure questions. Last year candidates were asked to write 1,000 words on statements such as: "The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind." Those who do that successfully are then invited to a final interview.

India's selection process is so gruelling because a role in the civil service is highly coveted. Even as India's private sector has grown, government jobs remain a ticket to prosperity, prestige and better marriage prospects. Last year 1.1 million people applied to join the top tier of the civil service, but around 1,000 (0.2 per cent of those who actually sat the first exam) were offered a spot.