[Topic wise Trend Analysis] General Studies Prelim 2010
Topic wise Trend Analysis
General Studies Prelim 2010
By
VENKATESH
Nothing full-proof 100% technical correct here.
History
Ancient | 0 | 0 |
Medieval | Gupta Cave paintain | 1 |
Bhakti Cult | 1 | |
Third Battle of Panipat | 1 | |
Buddhism's decline | 1 | |
Modern | Pondichery's occupation | 1 |
Karachi session 93 | 1 | |
Bombay Menifesto | 1 | |
Simon Commission | 1 | |
Moderate vs Extremist | 1 | |
Bengal partion & Swadeshi | 1 | |
Quit India movement | 1 | |
Cripps mission | 1 | |
Gandhi & Champaran | 1 | |
Lord Cornwallis | 2 | |
Total | 15 | |
Science
Subjectwise
Physics | 3 |
Biology-disease | 8 |
Chemistry | 3 |
Agriculture & biotech | 8 |
Space research | 3 |
IT | 2 |
Zoology | 3 |
Total | 30 |
Questionwise
Physics | Thermal /heat concepts | 3 |
Biology-disease | Digestion process | 1 |
Hepatitis | 1 | |
Carbon monoxide in blood | 1 | |
Swine flue | 1 | |
HIV | 1 | |
LASIK surgery | 1 | |
Cyberknife | 1 | |
Malaria vaccine | 1 | |
Chemistry | Mercury Florocent lamp | 1 |
Hydrogen fuel cell | 1 | |
Chlorination of water | 1 | |
Agriculture & Biotech research | Seed hybrids (MON863, golden rice) | 2 |
National Food Security Mission | 1 | |
Pulses cultivation problem | 1 | |
Bluegreen alage | 1 | |
Jatropha | 1 | |
Maize for ethanol production | 1 | |
Nitrosomonas for oil spill | 1 | |
Space research | OCENSAT | 1 |
Neutrinos etc | 1 | |
ISRO's Bhuvan | 1 | |
IT | Frequencies of gadgets | 1 |
GSM | 1 | |
Zoology | Insectivore plants | 1 |
King cobra nest | 1 | |
Evolution shark | 1 | |
30 |
Geography
Broad breakup
Indian geography | 17 |
Environment related | 12 |
Total | 29 |
Question wise breakup of geography
Indian geography | Coal reserves of Gondwana | 1 |
India's land use classification | 1 | |
Winds-rotation | 1 | |
Weather with out Himalaya | 1 | |
Latitute of Sikkim | 1 | |
Soil types | 1 | |
Tea-coffee cultivation method | 1 | |
Pepper temprature requirement | 1 | |
Forest/climat types | 3 | |
Minerals in India | 1 | |
Rivers of India (Luni/Himachal/Lake) | 3 | |
Soil conservation methods | 1 | |
TN cotton yarns | 1 | |
World map | Strait of malaca | 1 |
Environment –wildlife related | El nino Modoki | 1 |
Wild life sanctuary etc | 3 | |
Fresh water | 1 | |
Acid Rain | 1 | |
Taxol tree-Parkinson | 1 | |
Atmosphere pollution | 1 | |
Rice cultivation and global warming | 1 | |
Greendex 2009 meaning | 1 | |
Global warming - limitation of India | 1 | |
RAMSAR | 1 | |
Total | 30 |
Polity
Finance Commission | 1 |
State finance Commission | 1 |
SC advice President | 1 |
Taxes levied by union | 1 |
Misc. (DPSP etc) | 3 |
Total | 7 |
India Yearbook related
Rehab policy 2007 | 1 |
Swadhar | 1 |
Consumer Disputes Redressal | 1 |
Lok Adalad | 1 |
Suger pricing & essential commodity | 1 |
Total | 5 |
Economy
SLR | 1 |
Interest rates of Nationalized banks | 1 |
Non banking Financial Companies(NBFC) | 1 |
Inflation/recession-(basic concepts) | 2 |
WPI | 1 |
CRR | 1 |
PSU deficit | 1 |
PSU's share in GDP declined | 1 |
Budget and finance ministry | 1 |
WTO codex | 2 |
SEZ | 1 |
FRBM Act | 1 |
Banking ombudsman | 1 |
Commericial banking function | 1 |
Rural banking financial inclusion | 1 |
Excise duty declined in 5 years | 1 |
Fiscal stimulus concept | 1 |
Bulls & bears definition | 1 |
Forward market Commission | 1 |
Limited Liability Partnership | 1 |
Five Year plans (11th & trend) | 2 |
National investment fund | 1 |
Double Taxation avoidence agreement | 1 |
Total | 26 |
International agencies related
UNTCAD-Emerging Economies | 1 |
Stiglitz Commission | 1 |
UN agency | 1 |
BRIC nations China's power | 1 |
SDR vs. ADR | 1 |
UNFCC | 1 |
IDA and IBRD | 1 |
Sustainable Development | 1 |
UN habitat report-urbanization | 1 |
Child rights | 1 |
Common wealth nations | 1 |
EU Commission and council | 1 |
WTO-Geo trademarking | 1 |
WTO-Special safeguard mechanism | 1 |
Total | 14 |
Mental ability
Percentages / ratio/progression | 5 |
Shapes/colors | 1 |
Books or sitting arrangement | 4 |
Permutation /combination/probability | 7 |
Speed-circular movement | 5 |
Verbal logic | 2 |
24 |
Broad analysis
Mark-wise Breakup – Bar chart
% wise breakup-Pie Chart
Table | |
History | 15 |
Science | 30 |
Geography | 30 |
Polity | 7 |
Yearbook | 4 |
Economy | 26 |
International Agencies | 14 |
Mental Ability | 24 |
Total | 150 |
What was not asked?
Ancient history | 0 |
Persons in news | 0 |
Awards | 0 |
Sports | 0 |
Total | 0 !! |
Conclusion
On the first hand, during the exam most of us found the 2010’s prelim GS paper very ‘tough’, but after doing the breakup and analysis myself, I find that this paper looked ‘tough’ only because we are following a study-pattern based on previous years’ trends (like cramming the Constitution article numbers, history, geography-location, current affairs, sports etc.). This prelim General Studies paper is both a trend breaker and a trend setter (for upcoming CSAT), just like the Mains GS paper of 2009.
Now it’s more about understanding than just blind cramming.
( These are my personal conclusions and I’m not inviting anyone to debate it ;-) )
I’m talking about ‘cost benefit ratio’: how much energy should you give to a topic or a book to gain each mark.
What is safe to skip
Polity | No meaning of mugging up all those article numbers, this time it was common sense questions. But you must have a thorough understanding of how Constitution works. |
India Yearbook | Safe to skip entire book (4 marks worth stuff, no meaning of doing Ph.D on that 1000 page book, like we had to do 4 years back when they used to ask 20+ marks worth questions from it.) |
Ancient and medival history | Safe to skip ancient and medival (No meaning of mugging up 1 million names,dates and events for 4 marks when you can pump all energy for other easy to understand things.) |
Five Year Plans | No meaning of mugging up all data for 2 marks. |
International affairs | 1. Most stuff was from UN and its agencies since they’ve direct relevance to poverty,Development and climate change. And wasn’t from the ‘cramming part’ like WHO was established in ***** year and its headquater is @ xyz place 2. Bilateral visits, international summits ignored. (magz put lot emphasis on this) |
Science | No point in cramming all those chemical formulas, periodical table, and numbers like 1 joule=how much kilowatt etc. |
Space | No cramming of all those planets, PSLV date-line etc stuff. |
Current affairs | LIKE tonnes of film and social service awards, 500 sports events, national ‘summits’ and all those things on which the magazines put too much emphasis but who have no practical relevant to human life and problems of this world on macro scale. |
Where to concentrate the energy?
UPSC is telling you that general studies have to have relevance with day to day life.
Its more important to understand a topic than a blind cramming
1. GS becomes more relevant to practical problems of India, economy, and environment.
2. Agriculture, environment and economy gains prominence like never before
3. Very dangerous to neglect economy. And this ‘New’ economy is not about numbers but understanding. Few years back, Economy was only worth 5 marks, this time its 17+ But interestingly, it wasn’t really a rocket science or Ph.D stuff, if you put some energy, almost all questions were easy to solve.
4. Disease (HIV, Swine Flu, hepatitis, malaria) is important
5. Geography – jungle, environment, and wildlife related. (not all those ‘famous places cramming’)
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