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[Yearbook]India2014:Howtostart?Geography
preparationplan,sampleMCQs
PostedByOn06/03/2014@12:09amInYearbook|51Comments

1. Prologue
1. Rule#1:DONOTreadinlinearsequence
2. Rule#2:Organizationsimp.BUTevolutionisNOT
3. Rule#3:LocationnotimportantforMisc.organization
4. Rule#4:IgnoreBolbachhan
5. Rule#5:Schemes/funds/projectswhattoread,whattoskip?
6. Rule#6:Policies:Mustmaintainseparatenotes
2. Chapter1:LandandPeople
1. Ch1:MockMCQQuestions
3. Chapter30:StatesandUT
1. Ch30:MockMCQQuestions

Prologue
LastMonth,Ministryofinformation&broadcastingpublishedthebookIndia
2014(inEnglish)||Bharat2014(inHindi)
TheyreCommonlyknownasIndiaYearbookamongthetoppers,senior
playersandcoachingclassesforUPSC.
Inthis[Yearbook]articleseries,wellseehowtoutilizethisbookeffectively
forpreparationofUPSCcivilserviceexam.

Rule#1:DONOTreadinlinearsequence
IndiaYearbookhastotal32chapters+appendix.Donotreadtheminlinear
fashion(1,2,3,4,5)insteadgotopicwise.

CLICKTOENLARGETHISPHOTO
Area/subject/topic firstfinish
Geography
EnB
Sci.Tech
Economy

1. Polity

thenread
finally,
IYBchapter newspaper/magz+

NCERT&NIOS

1,4,12,25,
12thFYP
27,30

NCERT

8,11,17,
19,26
polity:
2,3,
20
10,

12thFYP,budget,
economicsurvey

2. rightsissue, Laxmikanth:English
3. development /Hindi

15,
12thFYP
16,
21,
23,
24,28

defense,IR

Forinternational
relationbasics:
IGNOUmodule
MPSE001

9,18

Misc.GK

nothing

5,22,29,
31,32,33

Someofthechapterswilloverlapinmultipletopics.Forexample:
1. Ch1:Censusdataduringeducation,welfareetc.chapters
2. Ch4Agro:duringfinance/insurance,foodcivilsupply,welfare.
3. Ch9Defence:someMisc.GK,someIR/bilateral,someScitech
research.
4. Ch11Energy:PartofitwithEnB(renewable)andpartwith
infrastructure(thermal)
5. Ch23:Planningchapterwilloverlapinotherarease.g.EnB:
environmentforestEconomyinfrastructurewelfare,educationandso
on.
6. Ch30:stateUTwillalsooverlapinagro,forest,water,energy,
culture/tourismetc.
Anyways,wellseethemindetailwhereandhowtheyoverlap.Butpoint
being,thatifyoureadthebooktopicwise,youllbecomelessvulnerableto
trapMCQs,youcanwritemorecomprehensiveanswersandessay/mains.
Movingtothenextrule:

Rule#2:Organizationsimp.BUTevolutionisNOT
OftentheIYBwilltellyouevolutionarystoryabouta
ministry/department/organization.Forexample:
__departmentwassetupin___yearunder___ministry.Inthe___
year,departmentwasshiftedto_____ministry.Intheyear___,the
ministrywasrenamedinto____,blahblahblah.
ThistypeofGK/chronology/EvolutionwasimportantunderPublic
Administrationoptionalsubjectinpreliminaryexams(i.e.before2011).
Butin2011,UPSCintroducedCSATsystem(nomoreoptional
subjectsinprelims).=suchdetailsareuseless.
andevenforPublicAdministrationoptionalsubjectinMainsexam
suchevolutiondetailsarenolongerasked/useful.

Therefore,dontbotherwithsuchdetails.Wheneveryoureadany
organization,onlyfocusonthreethings:
1. Nature:Constitutional/statutory/executive/attached
office/society/PSU/SPV/autonomousbody/anythingelse?
2. Boss:Whoistheboss?Underwhichministrydoesitfall?
3. Function:
I. Whatrethefunctions/schemes/policiesassociated?
II. inScitechrelatedorganizationsyoullfindfancy
terms/inventionsassociated.youneedtodigtheirfeature/benefit
fromgooglefortheGS3paper.
WhileyourereadingIYB,trytomaintainanexcelspreadsheet,mindmap,
orhandwrittenmicronoteabout^this.(andcontinueupdatingitfrom
newspapers,Pib.nic.inandyojana/kurukshetramagazine.)

Rule#3:LocationnotimportantforMisc.organization
Donotwastetimeinmemorizingthelocationsofrelativelyunknown
organizations.forexample
1. Harishchandraresearchinstitute,Allahbad
2. Instituteofmathematicalscience,Chennai
3. Instituteofphysics,Bhuwaneshwar.
Matchthefollowing(Chillar)institutevslocation=thistypeMCQswere
askedinlate90searly2000sera.Butsincelastthreeyears,UPSChas
stoppedharassingaspirantswithsuchtrivialGK.
Besides,evenif12MCQsareaskedfromthisarea,thecost:benefit
isterrible(intermsoftheamountofeffortrequiredtomugup&recall
thelistintheexam).
YourebetteroffinvestingthatmuchtimeintheCoreareasofCSAT
polity,geography,science,EnB,economyandaptitude.

Rule#4:IgnoreBolbachhan
Whiledescribingschemes/policy/functions,theIYBwritersgivealotof
bolbachhan(Fillerinformation.)Observe:
1. Under____scheme,theministryhasinitiatednewandimproved
processes,improvedfunctionalityandefficientcosteffectiveservices,
networkintegration,humanresourcesdevelopment
2. TheDepartmentof____alsohasaspecializedcentertoanalyze
metals,alloys,organicandorganometalliccompounds,inorganic
compounds,rocksandminerals.
3. Thenationalinstituteof___providesanintegratedM.Sc.+Ph.D
courseinbiology,chemistry,mathandphysics.
4. Duringtheyear___,DoordarshansDTHplatformwasupgradedfrom

50to59SDTVchannelsand65000settopboxeswithanExpenditure
ofRs.____crore.
SuchdetailsareuselessforprelimMCQs.suchdetailswontevenfetch
anymarksindescriptivequestionunderMains/Essay.
Inshort,datesnumbersfancythingsarealmostalwaysuseless.Evenif
oneortwothingshelpdirectly/indirectlyintheexamthecostbenefitisstill
terrible.Therefore,alwaysfocusonfactsfeaturesrelevanttotheexam.Ask
youselfcanthisbeaskedasMCQs?canIquotethiswhilewritinga
descriptiveanswer?ifanswerisNO,thendontbotherreadingsuchdata.
Ifyouretotallynewtothisgame,DOgothroughatleastlastthreeyears
prelimsandmainspapersofUPSC.thatllgiveyouabasicideaofwhatis
importantandwhatisuselessfromexampointofview.

Rule#5:Schemes/funds/projectswhattoread,what
toskip?
Intheschemesrelatedparagraphsthereislotofbolbachchan.Example
1. Duringthe11thFiveyearplan,Rs._____crorewerespent.Outofthis,
____numberofbeneficiariesweregiven____Cores.Underthe12th
fiveyearplan,theallotmenthasbeenraisedby__%.
2. Thenabigtableisgiven,showingtheallocationsmadetoeach
state/UTetc.
Nearly70%ofschemerelatedparagraphsarefullofsuchjunk.Ignoreit.
AndextractONLYfollowingfivethings:
1. Whendidtheschemestart?
AbsoluteyearisnotimportantbutyouneeditforChronologicaltypeMCQ
Whichcamefirst?orwhatisthecorrectchronologicalorderinfollowing?
Q1.ProjectTiger/elephant/crocodile?
Q2.SarvaShikshaAbhiyan/righttoeducation/middaymeal?
Because^thistypeofMCQsarestillasked.
2. Whoistheboss?[i.e.whichministry/departmentlooksafter?]
3. Wheredoesthemoneycome?
a. DoesUniongovernmentprovide100%funding,ordothestates
needtocontributesomethingaswell?10%/20%/25%etc?]
b. Insomecases,evenPrivatesectorgivesmoneye.g.India
InclusiveInnovationFund100crorebyUnionand400by
banks/FI/donorsetc.]
4. Whatarethesalientfeatures
a. Whoiseligiblebeneficiary?

b. Whatbenefitdoeshe/sheget?
c. Howdoeshegetbenefit?(directcash,inkind(e.g.tractor,
wheelchair),indirectbenefitviasubsidytofertilizercompanyand
soon)
5. +anyotherterm/conditionthatyoufindworthyofaUPSClevelMCQ.
SometimesyoullnotgetallofthisdatawithinIYB.Inthatcasedig
pib.nic.in
Hint:ingooglesearchbox,typesite:pib.nic.in*nameofthescheme*

Rule#6:Policies:Mustmaintainseparatenotes
Usually90%ofthepolicyparagraphisjustbolbachhanfillerjunk.
Weonlyneedtodigfivethings:
1. Year(notabsoluteyear,butyouneedtobeawareofchronological
order,forMCQs)
2. Boss:Whichministry/Departmentisresponsibleforthispolicy?(e.g.
Manufacturingpolicy=DepartmentofIndustrialPolicy&Promotion
(DIPP)underCommerceMinistry.)
3. Features:Whatarethesalientfeatures/targets?
4. Methods:Whatschemes/projectshavebeenlaunchedtoaccomplish
thispolicy?
5. Analysis:(formains&interview):thepros/cons/suggestions.
Often,youwontfindallthesedetailsinIYB(becausetheauthorgotso
carriedawayinwritingbolbachhan,heforgottoprovidetheessential
details.)Inallsuchcases,digpib.nic.infortopic1to4andfor#5dig
Hindu,Indianexpressetc.
hint:tofindapolicyonpib.nic.inquickly,opengooglesearchbox,andtype
site:pib.nic.in*nameofthepolicy*
DontdoPh.Dwhilegatheringcontent.Trytomakearevisionnotethat
summarizeseverypolicy(anditsfivearea)insinglesideA4page(or
evenless.)
ImwritingthisarticleonMar032014.Meaninglessthan5months
leftbeforeprelims.Itsidealtimetogatherthesedetailsrightnow.
Aftermains,youllbecaughtupwithsomanyothertopicsofGSand
Optionalsubjects,youwonthavesufficienttimetocoverhtepolicies.
Thenyoulltrytotakeshortcutbygettingsomecoachingnote/current
affairsbook=useless,becausemostofthemarejust
bolbachhancopypastedfromIYB,newspapersandgovernmentsites.
Suchdetailswillnotstayinlongtermmemory.Youcannotrecallthe
pointsinexamhall=bogusqualityanswer.

Butifyouprepareaselfnoteinyourownwordsrevolvingaroundthosefive
things,andkeeprevisingitregularly,thenyoucanhandleprettymuchany
descriptivequestionrelatedtoxyzpolicy,youcanrecalltheanswerpoints
quickly.

Bills/Acts/laws
Approachremainssimilartopolicytopic:
1.
2.
3.
4.

year
boss
features(fromprsindia.org)
analysis(fromprsindia,othernewspapers)

anyways,letsstartwithch1.

Chapter1:LandandPeople
DONOTreadentireChapter1inasinglesitting.Instead,approachin
followingmanner
Readthis
thendirectlyshifttowards
sectionfromch1
1. Indian
Ch.30StatesandUT
Geography
2. Flora
Fauna

Ch.12environment(andthento12thFYP)

3. Census

Donorreadcensusrightnow.Instead,comebackto
refercensus,whenyourereadingeducation,health,
welfarerelatedchapters.

ThefirstfourpagesthefirstchapterofIYBarededicatedtothistopic
Indian(physical)Geography.

#1Prerequisite:NCERTIndianGeography
Ifyoudirectlyreadthelandpeoplechapter.Itllbeabighathodaa
(hammer)onyourhead.So,firstmakesureyouvethoroughlyfinishedwith
NCERTs(forIndianGeography)
TOPIC
IndiaBasic

CLASS
6
9
11*
9

CHAPTERS
7
1,2,4
1and2
3

10
11*
12*
10
EconomicGeography
12*
9
HumanGeography
12*
Rivers

3
3
6
1,5,6,7
7to12
6
1to4

*ForClass11and12,NCERThasthreebooksofGeography,butInabove
table
Class11GeographymeansIndiaPhysicalEnvironmentGeography
Class12GeographymeansIndiaPeopleandEconomy
PS:allNCERT,NIOSPDFsareavailableatMrunal.org/download

#2:DOkeepaschoolatlas
Whilereadingthese(NCERT)chapterandIYBtopics,ifyoukeepreading
onlytextlikewesternHimalayanregionextendsfromKashmirto
Kumaon.withoutreferringtoatlas,itllnevergoinyourlongterm
memory.Then,despitehavingreadthetext,youwontbeabletosolvethe
MCQs.
Assumingthatyouredonewith#1and#2.Welcomeback.Nowopenthe
chapter1,page1ofIYB14.
1. Firstpara.QuoteofMarkTwain=importantasEssaytitle.
2. Secondpara.wellyoudknowthisbyreadingNCERTs
3. From(Page1Para3)to(Page4Para2):finishwhilesimultaneously
referringtoAtlas.Thisismostlylocation/mappingtypeGKina
compressedform.
4. Thenclimateflorafaunathingstarts.ignoreitatthemoment(because
wedoitinEnvironmentbiodiversitysection)
LetscheckafewdemoMCQs

Ch1:MockMCQQuestions
Q1.Considerfollowingriverbasins
1.
2.
3.
4.

GangaBrahmaputraMeghna
BrahmaniBaitarani
Luni
Subarnarekha

Whichofthemareexamplesofcompositeriverbasins?
A. only1and2

B. only3and4
C. only1
D. only3
Q2.FindcorrectstatementsaboutdrainagesysteminWesternIndia
A.
B.
C.
D.

Westcoaststreamsareshortinlength,havelimitedcatchmentarea.
StreamsofWesternRajasthanareephemeral.
BothAandB
NeitherAnorB

Q3.Whichofthefollowingriversdontdrainintosea?(1)Luni(2)
Macchu(3)Saraswati(4)Ghaggar
Answerchoices:
a.
b.
c.
d.

only1and3
only1,2and3
only1and4
1234

Correctanswers
IYB
Page#

answer/hint
TrapMCQ.Compositedoesntmeancompositewordasin
Englishgrammar.Compositeriverbasin=havingareabetween
2kto20ksq.kms=>correctareLuniandSubernarekha
Botharecorrect
Noneofthemdrainsintosea

4
3
3

SofaryoufinishedIndiasphysicalgeography:mountainsandriversfrom
Chapter1.NowdirectlyshifttoChapter30.

Chapter30:StatesandUT
Youllhavetoreferthischapterbackandforthmanytimes(forculture,
polity,mining,infrastructureetc.)
APPROACH#1

Youfinisheverythingatoncee.g.
pickedAndhra,thenread
everythingaboutAndhra:history,
geography,agro,irrigation,
power,industries,transport,
tourismeverything.

APPROACH#2
OnlymovetopicwisePERstate.
example
History,tourism,festivals:Andra,
Assam,Bihar
Agriculture:Andra,Assam,
Bihar
Forestwildlife:Andra,Assam,
Bihar

andsoon
usethisapproachfor
usethisapproachfor:
1. firstsitting.
2. stateserviceexam(only
yourstate)
3. UPSCinterview(allthe
stateswhereyouvebeen
intermsofbirth,school,
collegeandjob).

Subsequentrevisionsinsecond,
third,fourthsittings.
UPSCprelims(becauseoften
theyaskcomparativetype
MCQs,matchthefollowing:state
vstribe,statevsfestival,statevs.
wildlifesanctuaryetc.soyou
needtoprepareinparallel
manner.)

Note:inthemarket,manyGKbooksdealwithsuchdata:statevsfestival,
tourism,riveretc.thosethingswillworkfineforSSC,Banktypeexam.But
theyoftenignorenonpopular,nonclichddatasuchas
1. Sualkuchi,Assam=silk
2. Hajo,Assam=MeetingpointofBuddhism,HinduismandIslam
ButyoullfindthesethingsinIYB.So,doprepareCh30religiously.
Important:IYB2014doesntcontaininformationonthenewlyformedState
ofTelengana.Butdodigthesimilardetailsviagoogle.(Powerplants,
touristattraction,sanctuaries,riversetc.)

Ch30:MockMCQQuestions
theseareonlymeanttotestyourrecallingpower.otherwise,UPSCMCQs
willbewaytougherthanthischillarstuff.
Q1.WhichofthefollowingdynastieshaveruledoverAndhra/Telugu
region?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Satvahan
Ahom
Sakas
Ikshvakus

Answerchoice
a.
b.
c.
d.

123
13
134
1234

Q2.Considerfollowingcaves:Ajanta,Elllora,Elephanta,Kanheri,Karla.

WhichofthemarelocatedinMaharahstra?
a.
b.
c.
d.

allexceptKanheri,Karla
allexceptKarla
allexceptElephanta
Allofthem

Q3.Considerfollowingdata
State

nameintheancienttexts

1. Odisha

Utkal

2. W.Bengal Gangaridai
3. Assam

Kamrupa

Whichofthemarecorrectlymatched?
a.
b.
c.
d.

only1and3
only2and3
only1and3
allofthem

Q4.Matchthefollowing

I.
II.
III.
IV.

Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Assam

1. Nongkrem
Dance
2. CherawDance
3. Hornbillfestival
4. Bhaona

Correctmatch
code
a
b
c
d

I
4
2
3
1

II
3
1
2
2

III
2
4
1
3

IV
1
3
4
4

Q5.whichofthefollowingiscorrectaboutVijayanagarKings?
A. TheyhadhelpedGoaskingtofightagainstAlfonsodeAlbuquerque.
B. Theirempirecrumbledafterthehumiliatingdefeatinthebattleof
Talikota.

C. BothAandB
D. NeitherAnorB
Q6.Considerfollowingrivers:Rabi,Chenab,Beas,Sutluj,Yamuna.
WhichofthempassthroughHimachalpradesh?
a.
b.
c.
d.

AllexceptBeas
AllexceptYamuna
AllexceptChenab
Allofthem

Q7.Considerfollowingfruits:Apples,pear,peach,guava,andlitchi.
Whichofthemaretemperatefruits?
a.
b.
c.
d.

allexceptguavaandlitchi
allexceptpearandpeach
allexceptpearandlitchi
allofthem

Q8.ConsiderfollowingstatementsaboutLakshadweep
1.
2.
3.
4.

itscapitalisMinicoy
itscoconutshavehighestoilcontentintheworld
itspercapitafishavailabilityishighestinIndia
itsadministratoriscalledLt.governor

Incorrectstatementsare
a.
b.
c.
d.

only2and4
only3and4
only1
only1and4

Q9.Considerfollowing
1. Harvalem
falls

Goa

2. Elephantfalls Meghalaya
3. Vantawng
Falls

Mizoram

Whichofthemarecorrectlymatched?
a. only1and3
b. only2and3

c. only1and3
d. allofthem
Q10.Matchthefollowing
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Sikkim
Tripura
Himachal
Uttarakhand

1.
2.
3.
4.

Garhwali
Pahari
Kokborak
Lepcha

Correctmatch
code
a
b
c
d

I
3
4
3
4

II
4
3
4
3

III
1
1
2
2

IV
2
2
1
1

Q11.Considerfollowing
1. Wollastonite

Rajasthan

2. pyrophyllite

UP

3. chyrsolite
asbestos

Andra

Whichofthemarecorrectlymatched?
a.
b.
c.
d.

only1and3
only2and3
only1and3
allofthem

Q12.ConsiderfollowingstatementsaboutthetribesofAndaman
Nicobar?
1. NegritotribesliveinAndamangroupofislands
2. MongoloidtribesliveinNicobargroupofislands
3. TheShompenareanexampleofNegritotribes.
Whichofthemarecorrect?
a. only1and3

b. only2and3
c. only1and2
d. only1and3
Q13.WhichofthefollowingstatementsarecorrectaboutOnge,
JarawaandSentinalesetribes?
A.
B.
C.
D.

allofthemliveinAndamangroupofIslands
allofthemareNegritotribes
BothAandB
NeitherAnorB

Q14.CorrectstatementsaboutDiuDamanvsDadraNagarHaveli?
1. MajoritypopulationofpopulationinDiuDamanistribal
2. MajorityofareainDadraandNagarHaveliisunderforestcover.
3. BothUTareadministratedbythesamechiefcommissioner.
Answerchoice
a.
b.
c.
d.

only1and2
only1
only2
allofthem

Chapter30:CorrectAnswers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

C.Ahom=Assam.remainingarecorrect
D.allofthem.
D.allofthem
D.1234allgivenincorrectsequenceinthetableitself.
B.onlysecondstatementcorrect
D.allofthempassthroughHP
A.Guava,litchi=subtropicalfruits(hint:readKashmirsectionof
Ch30)
D.incorrectstatement=only1and4.CapitalKavarattiand
Administratoriscalledadministrator.
D.allfallsarecorrectlymatched
D.4321
Dallmatch
C.becauseShompenareMongoloid.
C.bothright
B.onlyfirststatementrightDiuDamanmajoritytribal

Sofaryouredonewith
1. chapter1(minusflora,faunaandcensus)
2. chapter30

Nextarticle,weseehowtohandleCh.7Environment(+12thFiveyear
plan).Clickme
visitMrunal.org/yearbookFormoreonYearbookrelatedtopics/articles.

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URLtoarticle:http://mrunal.org/2014/03/yearbookindia2014start
geographypreparationplansamplemcqs.html

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