General Studies (Main) - SOS!

Post By: Tanvi (with inputs from Ashutosh and Cyril)

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean

This quote aptly summarises the approach one should have while studying for the GS (Main) since it is dynamic in nature.This changing pattern is a reflection of the times to come so, the best bet now would be to have conceptual clarity on traditional areas but with an additional thrust and inter linkages with current affairs based knowledge.

We (namely Ashutosh , Cyril and Tanvi) have tried to present certain guidelines in the form of a brief analysis of 2009 GS Mains alongwith recommended books/notes, and the approach to be followed in each section of the syllabus.

Paper-I


1. History of Modern India and Indian Culture:

For Long Answers

( in 2009 GS , 15 x 2 = 30 marks,choice of 2 out of 3, word limit=150 words each)

Recommended Books:

I read only Spectrum’ Modern India. However, I would suggest Bipin Chandra's India's Struggle for Independance as a must read.

A senior recommended a book on Modern Indian History by Sumit Sarkar too, according to him 2009 GS paper picked up quotes from this book.

How to start:

If you are a complete beginner start with NCERT on Modern India by Bipin Chandra.Others who have read History as a subject in graduation can start with Bipin Chandra's book, 'India's Struggle for Independance'.Do read it well , it will give you conceptual clarity, you could then use Spectrum as some sort of notes to be revised just before the exam.

Approach:

Your aim here is a general understanding of Modern Indian History. For this, you need to have clarity on the way the freedom movement evolved,the issues involved,the perspective of national leaders,etc.Then even if the pattern changes you will be able to handle the questions with ease.

For very short answers :

(In GS 2009, 2 x 10 = 20 marks )

Recommended books:

Do take a look at old question papers 'cos sometimes 2 markers from History are asked more than once.You could read a book by Rajiv Khular which has solutions of two markers asked in the previous question papers.For 2 markers a publication by Civil Services Times is referred to by some candidates (its HUGE so make use of it only if you have time)

Approach:

Your focus should be on NAMES of freedom fighters,social movements,legal/social systems,etc which you can filter out from the recommended reads for long answers.

Your focus here is on brevity but without compromising on the important facts.

Changing Pattern :

Many of us were stumped to find two questions on dance and music (10 x 2= 20 marks) in the GS main 2009.We unfortunately focussed on Modern India to the complete exclusion of Indian Culture.

So, do pick up a decent book on Indian Culture(there is one by Spectrum) and familiarize yourself with the art/music/dance/architecture etc…..aspects of the Indian Culture.

2. Geography of India:
(15 x 4 =60 marks + 3 +3 marker relating to food production and national waterways + 2 marker relating to Desert National park can be said to fall under this heading)

Recommended Books:

The two NCERT books of class XI and XII dealing with Physical and Economic geography of India should be referred.You can also read VajiRam’s printed material on the subject.

Approach vis a vis the changing pattern:

Geography should be interlinked with current affairs knowledge weaned from the newspaper and relevant magazines(the names are mentioned later in the article) . This orientation is well illustrated in the question - significance of coastal regions in the development of India.

3. Constitution of India and Indian Polity:

(In 2009 GS Mains, there were no direct questions on Polity especially when you compare it the way it was traditionally handled.Still the questions on changing determinants of voting behaviour,corruption and esp the one on freedom to express one's opinion all 15 markers could be said to broadly fall under this heading. Further there are 2 markers usually related to terminology like Pocket veto which are asked)

Recommended Books:

Complete beginners can start with Political Science class XI NCERT book " Indian Constitution at Work" .You could then refer to Subash.C.Kashyap's books titled "Our constitution" and "Our Parliament or you could get hold of VajiRam’s printed materials on the subject and also Mr. Raveendran’s class notes. They are lucid and very informative. There is a book on Indian Polity by Wizard ,any issue in recent news can be looked up here since its updated every year.And always keep the Bare Act of the Indian Constitution by your side when you are reading these books/notes.

Approach vis a vis the changing pattern:

You should read the newspaper (preferably The Hindu ) well to keep yourself abreast with the latest issues concerning politico-administrative system of the country. You may also have a look at the excellent blog: www.lawandotherthings.blogspot.com

4. Current National Issues and Topics of Social Relevance:

(This is THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION which witnessed the maximum allocation of marks and has to be read interlinked with Geography,Polity,Social Issues,Economy,etc)

There are seven broad areas that the UPSC has listed under this head. They do give some clue as to the kind of questions that one might expect but it is indeed an uphill task (bordering on impossibility) to prepare comprehensively for several topics under each of these areas. For example, in the main-2009, there were questions on the Domestic Violence Act, Yashpal Committee Recommendations etc. which in my considered opinion does not fall under any of the seven broad areas listed by the UPSC. You could prepare against such eventualities only by preparing as comprehensively as humanly possible.

Recommended Readings:

You can read Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes, and also Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main for this part of the GS. You could also think of maintaining a separate note book divided into seven parts for each specified area. Read the newspaper and magazines regularly to gather relevant information under each area and file them in your notebook.Revise it before the exam and if you can ,do try and discuss the newspaper/magazine cutouts/notes with another serious CSE aspirant(remember to keep the discussions focussed since its only when you clear the exam can you change the face of the India!)

Following Resources to be referred in the manner given below should help you out :

The Hindu ( a thorough reading with jotting down of important points and taking out relevant cut outs esp of editorials is recommended)

Frontline (very very selective reading , your focus here should be trying to understand fragmented news in a holistic manner)

Any competitive magazine like Pratiyogita Darpan or Civil Services Chronicle(they encapsulate the news for ready reference.Despite their comprehensive coverage they should NOT be considered as a substitute for newspaper reading, also the opinions espoused in their articles should not be blindly aped.Rather,their articles should be used more as a source of factual information to be applied when required)

Yojana and Kurukshetra should be read selectively to understand the various debates surrounding an upcoming legislation like the women's reservation bill or a critical analysis of implementation of an act/schemes like the MNREGA.

Indian Economic Survey should be read only to understand the general growth trajectory of the Indian Economy with special focus on the boxes.

India Year Book, an extttrrrrremely boring book unfortunately has to be referred to know about the various Govermental schemes :P

Paper-II


1. India and the World:

(This is a very important topic and should be read interlinked with India's economic interaction with the world,together these two topics cover almost 50% of the question paper)

Recommended Readings:

You can rely on Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes. Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main is useful too. For information on Indian Diaspora, one can look at the India Year Book.However to get a background understanding you can also refer to certain issues of Word Focus, especially the Annual Issue which comes out in Nov-Dec, which is on India’s Foreign Policy.

Further here regular reading of newspaper and magazines would be of great help.

Approach:

You should know about any new/landmark bilateral treaty/diplomatic initiative/points of dissent between India and say countries like USA,Russia etc and between India and its neighbouring countries like Bangladesh,China,etc.

2. India’s Economic Interaction with the World:
Recommended Sources :

You could refer Vajiram’s, ALS class notes and The Economic Survey. Also, you could pick up bits of information from Pratiyogta Darpan’s special issue on Economics. For the role and functions of IMF, World Bank, W.T.O, W.I.P.O etc you can get information from the net.Further the Ministry of Commerce website http://commerce.nic.in/ is a useful source for information regarding India’s position on various issues in the WTO, etc. along with India’s Foreign Trade Policy.

Approach:

Here you should know the latest happenings globally say, the recent meltdown, its impact on India and India's response to it.Further the debates/controversies/demands of developing countries in IMF/WTO, World Bank , etc should be read alongwith an analysis of India's Position on the same.

3. Developments in the Field of Science & Technology, IT and Space:

(In 2009 GS there was a deluge of questions from this section which took most candidates by surprise....it covered almost 100 marks which is 33% of paper 2 !)

Recommended Readings:

You could read from Vajiram’s class notes and also from the Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main. However, they were not of much use this time since the questions were very contemporary and pertained to the happenings of last one and half year.

So a thorough reading of newspaper especially the Science and Technology supplement from The Hindu (freely available on the net) alongwith online inputs wherever required is recommended to score well in this section.

There is a Spectrum guide on Science and Technology which can also be referred.

Approach:

Most importantly, non-science background candidates should not get intimidated by this section.Though certain amount of specialized reading is required no one expects you to write like a scientist.Just try to understand the recent technological developments for eg, cloud computing etc along with an analysis of dynamic fields of enquiry like Nanotechnology etc.Further areas of reasearch which are in the form of sub-topics mentioned in the syllabus (robotics, biotechnology, etc.) should be done thoroughly.You should try to understand the concept, the present applications, the future possibilities and limitations/disadvantages surrounding each.

Also try to link current affairs knowledge covered via newspaper to this section for example, the question on Green Fluorescence Protein was asked because it was related to the 2008 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Hence, one can also make notes from newspapers and the internet about the latest developments in this field. The sub-topics mentioned in the syllabus can be useful headings while making notes. A little hard-work in this area may actually fetch a lot of marks and may be the difference between clearing the exam, as Science and Technology is one area which requires specialised reading and where one cannot make up an answer.

4. International Affairs and Institutions:
Recommended Readings :

You could rely on Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes. Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main is useful too.

Approach:

Try to link this section as well to recent issues/controversies/debates covered in the news and extrapolated with online information.

5. Statistical Analysis, Graphs and Diagrams:

(Around 30 marks were asked from this section in 2009. Though it may seem like a tough proposition to people who suffer from mathematics-phobia ,its in reality not difficult at all and to top it, it is extremely scoring!On the other hand, Engineers and Science students get overconfident .... please practise since the questions might be easy but because of time crunch you cant make up formulae on the spot.)

Recommended Readings:

You could solve the old question papers by taking the help of either Vaji Ravi's class notes or by solving questions from the Spectrum’s book on the Statistics.

For Mental Ability try to get Mr.Ashok Kumar Singh's(Meridian Coaching,Mukherjee Nagar) solutions of old questions or you could try R.S.Agarwal's book

Approach:

Practise old question papers.

Answering the GS (Main) Paper

By Ashutosh

1. Finishing on time:

One is very likely to overshoot the time limit in the GS paper. One way to ensure completion of the paper with in time limit is to practice answer writing in exam like situation. I just could not get myself to write test series for the GS. However, I tried my best to follow my Senior Aparna’s advice of time-marks division in the exam. Divide 300 marks by 180 mins and figure out the time you would need for 10/20/30 marker and stick to the time limit. I did so and more or less I was able to finish my paper without overshooting the word limit.

2. Plan it out in Your Mind:

For the main -2009, I had visualized the order in which I would answer the GS paper. However, it is a different matter that the UPSC threw cold waters on all my grand visualization by completely altering the pattern of the question paper. For example, I had decided that I would start with the polity questions and then move on to History, Current Affairs etc. I wanted to start with the part of the syllabus that I was most comfortable with and finish it with the part that I was least comfortable with. But you must be prepared with an alternate plan as well in the event your original plan goes haywire like it went for me the last year.

3. Writing in Points:

There are people who have written their entire GS paper in points (for e.g. Roopa Mishra, IAS Topper-2003) while other have stuck to the paragraph format (For e.g. Shubhra Saxena, IAS Topper-2008). I wrote both in points and paragraph depending on the kind of questions, availability of time and amount of information available with me. It does not make sense to write in points when you have very little to write for an answer. I wrote in points for Economics, India and the World, Geography, Science and Technology and some of the questions from current affairs. For history and polity, I stuck to the paragraph format.

4. Value Addition to the Answers:

I think this holds true for every paper including the Essay. You have to walk the extra mile to draw the examiner’s attention towards your answers. Most of us read the same materials for the examination (which is usually the notes given by the coaching institutes or competitive magazines) and end up writing similar answers. Draw maps/diagrams whenever needed; quote from the government/int’l agencies reports and recommendations; make cross country comparisons etc. etc….( Wish I followed what I am preaching now; the score would have looked much better…:) )