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Mrunal[Strategy]HowtoprepareCurrentAffairsfromNewspapersinLessthanonehourforUPSCIASIPSCSATExamMrunal

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[Strategy]HowtoprepareCurrentAffairsfromNewspapersin
LessthanonehourforUPSCIASIPSCSATExam
PostedBySupportStaffOn06/06/2012@3:00pmInTips|411Comments
ThisarticleisinresponsetomanypanicmailsthatIreceive,help!Ittakesmorethan4hoursjust
toreadTheHindu.
1. Whyisitimportanttoreadthenewspaper?
2. CantIjustuseChronicle,CivilServiceTimesorPratiyogitaDarpan?
3. Whatareprofilebasedinterviewquestions?

4.
5.
6.

7.

8.

Locationbasedquestions
Academicbackgroundbasedquestions.
Hobby
Firefighting
WhichnewspapersshouldIread
ShouldIreadmorethanonenewspaper?
Whataretheimportantitemsinanewspaper?
Administration/Polity
NationalNews
InternationalNews
Economy
FrontPage
Columns/Editorials
WhattopreparefromColumns/Editorials?
Sports/music/lifestyle/Bollywood
Howtoreadthenewspaperinlessthan1hour?
Thebeginning
Thefrontpageandsecondpage
Third,fourthandfifthpage
The6to9Page
Page1011(ColumnsandEditorials)
Page1213(International)
Page14(TV,Astrology,Cartoonstrips)
Page1516(Businessandeconomy)
Page1720(Bollywood,Lifestyle,Sports)
TheReview

WhetheryouarepreparingforUPSC,GPSC,KPSC,MPPSC,MPSC,UPPSC,IBPS,CATorany
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otherexamthatinvolvesinterviewandheavycompetition,youhavetoreadnewspapers.
Whyisitimportanttoreadthenewspaper?
Becauseinthegovernmentjobexams,atallthreestages(preliminary,Mainsandinterview).
Theyaskquestionsrelatedtocurrentaffairs.
Towriteadecentessay,youneedfactsandviewpoints.ForthisyouneedFodder,and
newspapersarebestsourcesforthefoddermaterial.
CantIjustuseChronicle,CivilServiceTimesorPratiyogitaDarpan?
Suchmagazinesonlyserveassupplementandnotassubstituteofthenewspapers.
Why?Becausethemagazineshavethepagelimit,theycannotgivejusticetoeverysingle
topic,eveniftheywishto.(andbecauseoneverysecondpage,theyvetoputbig
advertisementofcoachingclasses,tocoverthecost.)
Samegoesforthereadymadeblogs/websitesdealingwithcurrentaffairs,theyreonly
supplementsbutnotthesubstitutesofanewspaper.
Secondly,suchmagazinesorwebsitesforcompetitiveexamsdonothelpyouintheprofile
basedinterviewquestionsorroleplayingquestions.
Whatareprofilebasedinterviewquestions?
IntheUPSCIAS,IPSorCAT/IIM,Bankoranyotherjobinterviews,theyaskyouquestions
basedonyourprofile.
Yourprofileismadeupof:YourLocation+AcademicBackground+hobbiesandExtra
curricularactivities.
Locationbasedquestions
Socio,political,administrativeandeconomicproblemsofyourcity,districtandstate.
And(Sometimes)theroleplayingquestionsabouthowwillyoutacklethem,ifyourean
inspector,tehsildaar,Collector,DSP,Secretary,etc.
Academicbackgroundbasedquestions.
Forexample,ifyouareanMBBSorPharmacist,thecurrentaffairsrelateto
TB/HIV/Malaria/DelhiSuperbugrelatedresearch,etc.
IfyoureaB.A(English):WhatsthelatesttrendinEnglishliterature?Whatwasthe
controversyintheJaipurliteraturefestival?Andsoon.
Hobby
Tennis,Cricket,Chess,Computer:thenyouaresupposedtoknowthecurrentaffairsrelated
tothatfield.
Firefighting
Mostofthepeople,whetherUPSC,StatePSCaspirantsorMBAaspirants:theydont
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prepareforprofilebasedquestionsorcurrentaffairsuntilthe11thhour.(i.e.Whenthe
intervieworgroupdiscussion(GD)isbarely2030daysaway).
ThenTheystartgooglesearchingforGKrelatedtotheirprofile.
Insuchashorttime,youcannotcoverallsatisfactorily.Therefore,dailyreadingof
newspaperisessential.
WhichnewspapersshouldIread
EvenifyouregoingtowriteyourMainsexaminHindi/Gujarati/Tamil/Telugumedium,
stillyoushouldrefertoEnglishnewspapersbecausethelocalnewspapersonlyservethe
masalanewsofpolitics,cricketandBollywood.
ShouldIreadmorethanonenewspaper?
Itdependsonyourtimeandenergy,otherwiseonenewspaperisenough.
YoumighthaveseensomecoachingSirsadvisingthatyoumustreadHinduand
EconomicTimes(ET).Ithink,thisisanoverkill.Youdonthavetobecomeasharemarket
expert.IfthereissomereallygoodcolumnistinET(forexample,exampleBibekDebroy),
thenfollowinghimisexcellent,butyoudonthavetogothroughtwoorthreeWhole
newspaperperday.

Whataretheimportantitemsinanewspaper?
FirstgothroughtheoldquestionpapersofUPSC(atleastlastthreeyears),thatshouldgiveyoua
roughideaonwhatquestionsareaskeddirectlyorindirectlyfromnewspaper.Andthenreadthe
newspaperkeepingthatinmind.

Administration/Polity
1. Pressconferenceofgovernment,wheretheyannouncevariouspolicies,administrative
reformsetc.(ImtalkingaboutthepressconferenceofunionandStategovernment,notthe
pressconferenceofCongressandBJP.)
2. Variousbills,minutesofCabinetmeetings.
3. Thebigfullpageadvertisementsgivenbyrulingparty,abouttheirachievements.(This
usuallycomesbeforetheelectionandonthebirthanniversaryofNehruGandhiFamily).Itis
importantbecause,theylistoutthevariousdevelopmentalschemesandprovisionsinit.Most
importantpartiswhorunsthescheme?forexampleNREGAthingforunderthe
jurisdictionofruraldevelopmentMinistry(andnotunderLabourMinistry)
4. Electionrelateditems:whatwilltheinitiativestakenbytheelectioncommission?Any
problemsorcontroversies.
5. YouhavetopreparetheseforbothUnionaswellasyourownstateGovernment.(Yourstate
GovernmentschemesandAdministrativereformsfortheprofileBasedQuestions)

Whatisnotimportant?
1. Pressconferencesofpoliticalpartiesandcivilsociety.
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2. NoneedtodoPh.Doneveryscam.Allyouhavetodoisbriefhighlightofwhatwasthe
scam,howwasitcommitted,whatisthepresencestatusininvestigationorcourtandhowto
preventitinfuture.Youdonthavetogoinminutedetailslikeon23rdOctober2007,Mr
XYZtheaccountantofstoredeptinCommonwealthgamesmisreporteda50rupeesballfor
Rs.5000.Learntoskipthegarbagesentenceswhileyouarereadinganewsitem.
3. Samegoesforelections:TheXYZbyelectionswereconductedon23thOctober2004in
whichMrs.XYZwifeofABCbelongwithJYZPoliticalpartydefeated

NationalNews
Maoistskidnapacollector=nameofthecollectorisnotimportant.Butnowexpertsand
politicianssayweneedacomprehensivehostagecrisisguidelineafterthisincidence=
important.
Railwayaccidents,howmanykilled=notimportant.Reasonfortherailaccidentand
suggestionstopreventfutureaccidents=important.
SPsaysBSPtook50croresorviceversa=notimportant.
Howmanykilledinfloods,landslidesortsunamisonwhichdate=notimportant.Butthe
reasonbehindthosegeographicalphenomenons=important.
ISROsendsanartificialsatellite=important.Howmuchdoesitweigh?=notimportant.
WhenandHowmanymendidleopardskillinMaharashtra=notimportant.Whyisleopard
killingmeninMaharashtra=important.WhatisGovernmentdoingtostoptheleopard?=
important.

InternationalNews
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Bilateralvisitsofprimeministersandpresidents.Whattreatiesortradepactsdidtheysign?
WhatisgoingoninUN,IMF,WorldBank?
Electionsinthebignations:USA,Russia,China,France,UK.
Politicalormilitarycoup(usuallyinSouthAmericaandAfrica.)
Anymajorevent:thedemocraticuprisinginMiddleEast,Israelpalestine,USvsChina/
Russiamissiledefence,NATOAfghanistanandsoon.
6. MeetingsoforganisationssuchasASEAN,G20etc,andparticularlywhatIndiadidinsuch
conferencesandmeetings.
7. Climatechange,environmentrelatednews.
8. ScienceandTechrelateditemsforexampleCERN,Chinasspaceprogram,missletestsby
N.Korea,Iransnukeprogramandsoon.

Whatisnotimportant?
1. LadyGagaorJustineTimberlakesworldtours.
2. HowmanypeoplearekilledinacarbombblastinPakistanorAfghanistan?
3. XYZresearchersfoundoutthateatingtomatodailyhelpspreventingtoothache=not
important.
4. Anythingsmalltime,thatdoesnotaffectfutureoftheWorld.Forexamplesexscandlesof
ItalianPMormaritalwooesofSarkozy.
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MoreonHowtoprepareIndiaandWorldtopicforGeneralStudies(Mains)PaperII,isexplained
inaseparatearticle.ClickMetoreadit.

Economy
1. PressconferenceorpressnotebyGovernment,SEBI,RBI,PlanningCommissionetc.
2. ASSOCHAM,NASSCOMetc.(theyusuallycomplaintorsuggestaboutGovernment
policiesthataffectthebusinesshouses.)
3. ColumnsandEditorialsrelatedtoEconomy.
4. IIP,GDP,WPI,CPIetc.Notthenumbersbutthereasonsbehindthatnumberandthe
futurebecauseofthatnumber.
5. International:ASEAN,WorldBank,EUetc.
6. ThosepreparingforBankexams,shouldalsonotedownthenamesofChaimenofvarious
companiesandbanks.

WhatisnotimportantinEconomy
1. DailyUpsanddownsofsharemarket.
2. Numbers.BecauseEconomyisnotaboutnumberbutthemeaning,historyandfuture
relatedtothatnumber.
a. Forexample,ifIIPwas0.13onJan2012.Thatitselfisnotimportant.Whetheritwas
0.13or0.128?thatisnotimportant.
b. ImportantQuestionsare:isthisIIPgoodorbad?Andwhyisitgoodorbad?Whatll
beitsimpactonfutureofIndianeconomyandGovernment/RBIpolicies?

FrontPage
1. Thereisanarrowcolumnonthelefthandsideofthefrontpage,mostofthetime,the
yearbookrelatedinformation,governmentschemesetc.appearhere.
2. Themainnewsitemonthefrontpage:itisusuallynotveryimportant.Reasonmostofthe
timeitisthepoliticalnews.Forexample,BiharMahadalitLandRacket.Ifyouarea
candidatefromBihar,youshouldreadit,fortheothers,itisnotworthit.

Columns/Editorials
Question:Whatisacolumn/Editorial?
Thesearebigparagraphslikearticlesinthecentrepagesofanewspaper.
Generallyeacharticlehasphotooftheauthorandusuallytheauthorgivesa20yearsold
photowhenhe/shewasincollege.IfyoueverhappentoseetheminactualTVDebate,it
turnsouttheyrequiteolderthanwhattheylookinthenewspapers.
Editorialiswrittenbytheeditorhimself.ForexampleShekharGuptaforIndianExpresson
Saturday.WhileColumnsarewrittenbyexperts(includingselfproclaimedexperts)ona
particulartopicofpolitics,economy,internationalevents.
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WhattopreparefromColumns/Editorials?
Usuallycolumnsaremadeupof78paragraphs.Butnoteverysentenceandlineis
importanttherearejust34gemstonesinit,whichyoucanuseinyourmains/essay/
interviewanswers.Sojustnotethemdown.
Somepeopleusehighlighterstomarkimportantlinesandthenfilethosenewspaper
cuttings.Sodowhichevermethodsuitsyou(notingdownorfilingthecuttings).
ButNoteverycolumnisworthyourtimeandenergy.ForexampleinIndianexpress,thereis
oneguywritesaboutNepalspoliticalturomileveryweek.ButinNepal,thePrimeministers
arechangedeveryweekandthisguyhappenstogiveballbyballcommenteryofeverything.
ItsnotworththeCostbenefitratio.Soskiphim.
SimilarlythereisoneYogindarAlaghinIndianexpress,whopretendstowriteonrural
DevelopmentbutjustIdidthisandthatwhenIwasaminister=Notimportant.
Maintainthebalance:somecolumnwritershaveahabitofbeingtotallycynicalandanti
Government.ForexampleTavleenSinghofIndianexpress,whileIdoadmireherforhaving
thegutstoopenlywriteagainstSonia,MohanandRahul,butinyouranswers,Youmustnot
admireorcriticizeaparticularindividual(minister/politician)inthemains/interview.And
dontpreparealinethatistooleftistortoorightists.
AndifyoucriticisetheGovernment,thenyoushouldalsoofferthereformsuggestions.

Sports/music/lifestyle/Bollywood
Lifestyle=painting,pottery,music,fashioneventsetc.mostofwhichcannotbeaffordedby
middleclasspeople.
Thelast34pagesofEnglishnewspaperaredevotedtothis.ifyourhobbyistennisor
chess,thenyoumustfollowtherelatedsportnews.
Forothers,Isayjustskipit.AnythinghistoricaboutSportswillgetpublishedinthe
competitivemagazinesandorthefreeblogs/currentaffairsrelatedwebsitesanyways.So
dailyfollowingthesesportspages=notworththetimeandenergy.
Bollywoodandcricketrelatednews=notimportantinanycase.Unlesssomethingrelatedto
administrationorpolityforexampleshouldBCCIbebroughtunderRTI?Andthecopyright
actvsBollywood.

Howtoreadthenewspaperinlessthan1hour?
Needscertaintools.
1.
2.
3.
4.

AstudydeskorTable
Advertisement
ARedcolored0.7mmballpointpenandoraredsketchpen.
Loosepapers,folders,notebooks

Andlastbutnottheleastanewspaper.

Thebeginning
Keeptheredpenhandy.
ImtakingGujaratEditionofIndianexpressasreferencejustfollowthesameprocedureforyour
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City/StateseditionofIndianexpress/Hindu.
Thefrontpageandsecondpage
Circledownonimportantlinesfromthenews(whichnews,thatisalreadyexplainedabove).
Third,fourthandfifthpage
IsusuallyGujarat/Ahmedabadnewsforexample
20peoplediedincaraccidentinrajkot
xyzgirlelopedwithaneighbour
Acopwasfoundtakingbribes
StonepeltingandriotinginXYZpartofAhmedabadafteracricketmatch.
KeshubhaiPatelsaidXYZagainstNarendraModi.
SanjayJoshismenhaveputpostersagainstModiinAhmedabad.
^noneofabove,isimportant.

Thenwhatisimportant?
NavjivanTrustofAbadsaysnotoGujarativersionofLetskillGandhiwrittenbyTushar
Gandhi.
GujaratMaritimeBoardandpollutionboardgivesclearancetoshipbreakingofExxon
Valdez,butNGOlobbysaysitcontainsdangerouschemicals.(Namesarenotimportant,but
theimportantpartisthebigenvironmentalissuevs.livelihoodofshipbreakersinAlang
GujaratStateGovernmentlaunchesGirlChildeducationandSchoolenrollmentdrive.
AhmedabadMunicipalcorpwillgiveRs.250/toallGovernmentschoolstudentswholive
morethan3kmsfromtheschool,apartfromthemiddaymeal,Bicycledistributionand
Vidhyalaxmischeme.
Wearedonewith5pages
The6to9Page
Thesearedevotedtonationalnews
Onlyconcentrateonimportantexamorientednews.Underlinetheimportantlinesusingyour
redpen.
Page1011(ColumnsandEditorials)
Highlightthegemstonesandmoveon.
Page1213(International)
Highlighttheimportantnewslinesandmoveon.
Page14(TV,Astrology,Cartoonstrips)
HighlighttheimportantnewslinesforexamplethetimingofBalikaVadhu.Hahajust
kidding,skipthispage.
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Page1516(Businessandeconomy)
Mostimportant.Scanthrougheveryitem,includingsmallboxnews.Highlightthe
gemstones,ifthereareanyimportantdiagrams,cutandfilethem.
Page1720(Bollywood,Lifestyle,Sports)
Skipit.
Wearedonehighlightingtheimportantnewslines.Nowitistimeforreview.
TheReview
Gothroughthoseredlinesandeitherwritethemintherelevantnotebook/cutandfileit.
Yourcaneitherkeepfiveseparatefullscapenotebooks.ORyoucanwritetheseinloose
papersandthenfileitinfiveseparatefolders.
Theadvantageofloosepapers=youcanaddmorepagesbetween,whenthefollowupnews
comes.ForexampleincaseofQFIs.Sameisnotpossibleinanotebook.
Folder/
Notebook

Sorting

Administration

Allthepolity,administration,Developmentrelateditemsshouldbeeither
writtenorpastedhere.

Economics

Sameexercise

Yourprofile

Onefileornotebook,makethreesubpartsinit.Firstpartwriteorpastethe
state/cityrelatednews.Secondpartaboutyouracademicbackground
Thirdpartnewsrelatedtohobbies.

S&T

Allthesciencetech,environment,climatechangerelatedstuff.

International

Sameexercise

^youdonthavetowritetheentiresentenceshighlightedinredpenbutjustthekeywordsor
phrasesthatdhelpyourecalltheentireissue.
Inthebeginning,thisdbetimeconsumingmentaltorturingexercise.
Butwithtime,youlldeveloptheexpertizeofweedingouttheunimportantnewsandnotedown
thegemstones.
IveseenMaestroswhowritethesummarynoteofentireTheHindunewspaperonjustone
sideofanA4sizedpaper,withoutmissingevenasingleimportantitem.Theydontread
everylineofanewspaper,theireyesaretrainedtoscanthroughthelinesandhand
automaticallyhighlightsthekeywords.ItsanartandcanbemasteredonlybypracticeDaily
writinghabitalsoimprovesyourhandwritingspeed,whichisagainimportantfortheMains
exam.
LikeaprofessionalathleteThismustbeyourdailyregimeaslongasyoureacontender.Just
becauseprelimsareoverorjustbecausemainsareover,doesntmeanyoustop
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this.Youvetodothisondailybasis.
IFyoureunabletogetHinduinyourcity,youcanreaditusingfeedlybrowseraddon:Click
metolearnthetrick

ArticleprintedfromMrunal:http://mrunal.org
URLtoarticle:http://mrunal.org/2012/06/currentaffairsias.html
Copyright2014Mrunal.Allrightsreserved.

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