CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table of Contents
WHAT IS ECONOMICS .......................................................................................................................................... 8
The Basic Economic Problem: Scarcity and Meeting People's Needs ........................................................... 9
Scarcity: The Problem of Too Little to Go Around ........................................................................................ 10
Opportunity Cost: Arranging Your Priorities ................................................................................................... 10
Supply and Demand .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Producers Make Goods and Provide Services—Consumers Use Them ................................................. 11
Goods and Services ............................................................................................................................................... 11
Types of Goods: Consumer and Capital ........................................................................................................... 12
Resources: Natural Resources, Human Resources, and Capital Resources ................................................. 13
Natural Resources: Land, Minerals, Water, and Soil ....................................................................................... 13
Supply and Demand .............................................................................................................................................. 21
Types of Demand: Elastic and Inelastic ............................................................................................................ 24
Types of Business Competition .......................................................................................................................... 33
Income Inequality .................................................................................................................................................. 36
Why do wages differ? ............................................................................................................................................ 36
Measuring Income Inequality: The Lorenz Curve ........................................................................................... 36
What is Free Trade ................................................................................................................................................ 38
Freer Trade and World Trade Organization ..................................................................................................... 39
Formation of the World Trade Organization ................................................................................................... 40
The Working of WTO .......................................................................................................................................... 41
Implementation Issues and the Future .............................................................................................................. 43
Customs Duties ................................................................................................................................................. 43
Subsidies ............................................................................................................................................................. 44
Domestic support: the boxes .......................................................................................................................... 44
Market Access ................................................................................................................................................... 44
Export subsidies ................................................................................................................................................ 45
Criticism ............................................................................................................................................................. 45
Mechanisms for developing countries ........................................................................................................... 45
Special Safeguard Mechanism ......................................................................................................................... 45
WTO Nairobi Conference 2015 : Outcomes ................................................................................................... 46
Trade negotiations ................................................................................................................................................. 46
PRODUCTION, INCOME, AND EMPLOYMENT ...................................................................................... 50
GDP ........................................................................................................................................................................ 53
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
The Expenditure Approach to GDP ................................................................................................................. 53
Consumption Spending ........................................................................................................................................ 54
Private Investment ................................................................................................................................................ 54
Other Approaches To GDP ................................................................................................................................ 54
The Value-Added Approach ............................................................................................................................... 54
The Factor Payments Approach ......................................................................................................................... 54
Measuring GDP: A Summary ......................................................................................................................... 55
Real versus Nominal GDP .................................................................................................................................. 55
Purchasing Power Parity ...................................................................................................................................... 55
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT .................................................................................................... 56
Types of Unemployment ..................................................................................................................................... 56
Structural Unemployment ............................................................................................................................... 57
Cyclical Unemployment ................................................................................................................................... 58
THE BUSINESS CYCLE ........................................................................................................................................ 58
Economic indicators ............................................................................................................................................. 63
ANATOMY OF INFLATION .............................................................................................................................. 65
What is inflation? ................................................................................................................................................... 65
Laspeyres Price Index ...................................................................................................................................... 67
WHY DOES INFLATION OCCUR? ............................................................................................................. 67
Supply Shock/Cost-Push Inflation .................................................................................................................... 67
Demand-Pull Inflation.......................................................................................................................................... 68
German Hyperinflation: Too Much Money Chasing Too Few Goods! .................................................. 69
Why worry about inflation? ............................................................................................................................. 70
Getting the Inflation Rate Right ..................................................................................................................... 72
Consumer Price Indices (CPIs) ........................................................................................................................... 72
Headline Inflation ................................................................................................................................................. 72
Core Inflation ......................................................................................................................................................... 73
Policies For Controlling Inflation ....................................................................................................................... 73
Reasons for Widening gap between CPI and WPI .......................................................................................... 76
FISCAL POLICY ...................................................................................................................................................... 82
Classical Economics .............................................................................................................................................. 83
Keynesian Economics .......................................................................................................................................... 83
Expansionary Fiscal Policy .................................................................................................................................. 83
Increased Government Spending ....................................................................................................................... 83
Contractionary Fiscal Policy ................................................................................................................................ 84
The Effects of Government Spending .............................................................................................................. 84
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
Built-In Stabilizers ............................................................................................................................................ 84
Difference between revenue and capital flows ............................................................................................ 84
India‘s fiscal policy architecture .......................................................................................................................... 85
MONETARY POLICY ........................................................................................................................................... 86
The Three Functions of Money .......................................................................................................................... 87
The Money Supply ................................................................................................................................................ 88
BUDGET, DEFICITS, AND TAXATION ........................................................................................................ 90
Origin of the Budget ........................................................................................................................................ 90
What is the size of the budget? ....................................................................................................................... 91
EXPENDITURE, REVENUE, & DEFICIT ..................................................................................................... 91
Types of Expenditure and Revenue ................................................................................................................... 91
Types of Deficit ..................................................................................................................................................... 92
Size and Composition of Deficits ....................................................................................................................... 92
PRINCIPLES OF TAXATION ............................................................................................................................. 95
Types of Taxes ....................................................................................................................................................... 96
Composition of Taxes .......................................................................................................................................... 97
RESERVE BANK OF INDIA ............................................................................................................................. 102
Functions of RBI ................................................................................................................................................. 103
Organisation ......................................................................................................................................................... 103
Subsidiaries of the RBI ....................................................................................................................................... 103
Monetary Management ....................................................................................................................................... 106
Monetary Policy in India .................................................................................................................................... 106
Monetary Policy Framework ............................................................................................................................. 106
Institutional Mechanism for Monetary Policy-making .................................................................................. 108
Issuer of Currency ............................................................................................................................................... 109
Currency Management........................................................................................................................................ 109
Currency Distribution ......................................................................................................................................... 110
Coin Distribution ................................................................................................................................................ 110
Special Type of Notes ......................................................................................................................................... 111
Exchange of Notes.............................................................................................................................................. 111
Combating Counterfeiting ................................................................................................................................. 111
Banker to the central Government ................................................................................................................... 112
Banker to the State Government ...................................................................................................................... 112
Management of Public Debt ............................................................................................................................. 113
Banker to Banks................................................................................................................................................... 113
Lender of Last Resort ......................................................................................................................................... 114
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 4
Financial Regulation and Supervision .............................................................................................................. 114
Regulatory and Supervisory Functions ............................................................................................................ 115
Foreign Exchange Reserves Management ....................................................................................................... 124
Deployment of Reserves .................................................................................................................................... 125
Foreign Exchange Management ....................................................................................................................... 126
Exchange Rate Policy ......................................................................................................................................... 128
Market Operations .............................................................................................................................................. 129
Domestic Foreign Exchange Market Operations .......................................................................................... 130
Money Market ...................................................................................................................................................... 130
Payment and Settlement Systems ..................................................................................................................... 131
Developmental Role ........................................................................................................................................... 133
Rural credit ....................................................................................................................................................... 133
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development .............................................................................. 136
Export Credit................................................................................................................................................... 137
Financial Inclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 138
Customer Service ............................................................................................................................................ 138
THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM ............................................................................................................................... 141
Major stock exchanges (top 21 by market capitalization) ........................................................................ 142
Major Stock Indices of the World .................................................................................................................... 143
Interest rates and financial markets....................................................................................................................... 148
Functions of interest rates ................................................................................................................................. 148
International factors affecting interest rates ................................................................................................... 148
Price and yield – a key relationship .................................................................................................................. 149
The yield curve ..................................................................................................................................................... 149
The Global Foreign Exchange Rate System ........................................................................................................ 151
What is the ideal exchange rate system that a country should adopt? ........................................................ 151
Macroeconomic characteristics of exchange rate regimes ............................................................................ 153
Dollarization and the choice of an exchange rate regime ............................................................................. 155
The IMF exchange rate arrangements .................................................................................................................. 156
The special drawing right (SDR) ....................................................................................................................... 158
THE MONEY MARKET ..................................................................................................................................... 158
Government Securities Market in India ............................................................................................................... 160
Treasury Bills (T-bills) .................................................................................................................................... 161
Cash Management Bills (CMBs) ................................................................................................................... 161
Dated Government Securities ...................................................................................................................... 162
1. Fixed Rate Bonds ......................................................................................................................................... 162
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 5
2. Floating Rate Bonds ................................................................................................................................... 162
3. Zero Coupon Bonds .................................................................................................................................... 163
4. Capital Indexed Bonds ............................................................................................................................... 163
5. Bonds with Call/ Put Options ................................................................................................................. 163
6. Special Securities .......................................................................................................................................... 163
State Development Loans (SDLs) ............................................................................................................... 164
Q2. Why should one invest in Government securities? ........................................................................... 164
A. Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks ........................................................................................................ 164
B. Rural Co-operative Banks ............................................................................................................................. 165
Q3. How are the Government Securities issued? ...................................................................................... 165
Q4. What are the different types of auctions used for issue of securities? ............................................ 165
Q5. What are the Open Market Operations (OMOs)? ............................................................................ 168
Q5 (b) What is meant by buyback of Government securities? ............................................................... 168
Q6. What is Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)? ................................................................................... 168
Q7. How and in what form can Government Securities be held? .......................................................... 169
a. Physical form: .................................................................................................................................................... 169
b. Demat form: ....................................................................................................................................................... 169
Q8. How does the trading in Government securities take place? ........................................................... 169
i. Over the Counter (OTC)/ Telephone Market ......................................................................................... 169
Q9. Who are the major players in the Government Securities market? ................................................ 170
Q10. How are the dealing transactions recorded by the dealing desk? .................................................. 170
Q11. Why does the price of Government security change? .................................................................... 171
Q12. How do the Government securities transactions settle? ................................................................ 171
Primary Market ...................................................................................................................................................... 171
Secondary Market ................................................................................................................................................. 171
i) Coupon Yield ...................................................................................................................................................... 173
ii) Current Yield ..................................................................................................................................................... 173
Illustration: ................................................................................................................................................................ 173
i. Overnight market - The tenor of transactions is one working day. ................................................... 174
ii. Notice money market – The tenor of the transactions is from 2 days to 14 days. ........................ 174
iii. Term money market – The tenor of the transactions is from 15 days to one year. ..................... 174
What are the different money market instruments? ................................................................................... 174
List of Primary Dealers ........................................................................................................................................... 176
THE EQUITY MARKET ..................................................................................................................................... 179
Characteristics ...................................................................................................................................................... 179
Preference shares ............................................................................................................................................ 180
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 6
Depository receipts ......................................................................................................................................... 181
Exchange traded funds ....................................................................................................................................... 181
ETFs in India .................................................................................................................................................. 181
Schemes ..................................................................................................................................................................... 181
Asset Size ................................................................................................................................................................... 181
Investment banks ............................................................................................................................................ 183
Venture capitalists ........................................................................................................................................... 183
Market cap of Top Indian Companies ........................................................................................................ 183
Financial Times Global 500 .......................................................................................................................... 184
Fortune Global 500 ........................................................................................................................................ 185
Fortune 2013 list ............................................................................................................................................. 185
Indian Companies in Fortune 500 ............................................................................................................... 186
List of Indian businesswomen .......................................................................................................................... 186
India‘s Top CEO‘s .............................................................................................................................................. 189
ECONOMIC PLANNING .................................................................................................................................. 191
Essentials of Economic Planning ..................................................................................................................... 191
Importance of Economic Planning with respect to Mixed Economy & Under-Developed Countries 192
Stages of Economic Development ........................................................................................................... 193
State vs. Market ........................................................................................................................................... 194
Types of Economic Planning ............................................................................................................................ 194
Planning by Inducements .............................................................................................................................. 194
Planning by Directions ................................................................................................................................... 195
Physical and Financial Planning ................................................................................................................... 196
Centralised Planning and Decentralised Planning ..................................................................................... 196
Structural and Functional Planning.............................................................................................................. 197
Indicative and Imperative Planning ............................................................................................................. 197
Democratic and Totalitarian Planning ........................................................................................................ 197
Fixed Plan and Rolling Plan Fixed Plan ...................................................................................................... 198
Merits of Fixed Planning ........................................................................................................................................ 198
Demerits of Fixed Planning: .................................................................................................................................. 198
Rolling Plan ...................................................................................................................................................... 198
Merits of Rolling Plan: ............................................................................................................................................ 198
Demerits of Rolling Plan: ....................................................................................................................................... 198
Short-term, Medium and Long-term Planning .......................................................................................... 199
Corrective and Developmental Planning .................................................................................................... 199
Capitalist and Socialist Planning ................................................................................................................... 199
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Fundamentals of Economics
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 7
Planning under Mixed Economy ................................................................................................................. 200
Neo-classical counterrevolution ............................................................................................................................ 200
REFERENCE .......................................................................................................................................................... 201
BANKING SECTOR IN INDIA ........................................................................................................................ 202
History of Indian Banking System.................................................................................................................... 202
Classification .................................................................................................................................................... 202
Basel III ............................................................................................................................................................ 203
Microfinance ........................................................................................................................................................ 203
Salient Features of Microfinance ...................................................................................................................... 204
Gaps In Financial System and Need for Microfinance ............................................................................ 204
Channels of Micro Finance ........................................................................................................................... 204
SHG – BANK LINKAGE PROGRAMME ............................................................................................ 205
Micro Finance Institutions ....................................................................................................................... 205
Controversy on MFI ...................................................................................................................................... 205
BANKING SECTOR REFORMS ...................................................................................................................... 207
Asset Classification.............................................................................................................................................. 209
Regulations for Asset Classification ............................................................................................................. 209
Weak Public Sector Banks ............................................................................................................................. 209
Difference between Growth and Development............................................................................................. 211
BALANCE OF TRADE ........................................................................................................................................ 212
The Balance Of Payments Sub-Division ......................................................................................................... 212
The Current Account ..................................................................................................................................... 212
The Capital Account ...................................................................................................................................... 212
The Financial Account ................................................................................................................................... 213
COMPOSITION OF FOREIGN TRADE .............................................................................................. 213
IMPORT POLICY: THE PRE-REFORM PERIOD .................................................................................. 217
Export Policy: The Pre-Reform Period ........................................................................................................... 217
The Three Phases of Export Policy ............................................................................................................. 217
Export Promotion Policies: An Overall View ........................................................................................... 218
FOREIGN TRADE POLICY (2009-14) ................................................................................................... 219
TYPES OF UNEMPLOYMENT ........................................................................................................................ 219
Disguised Unemployment ............................................................................................................................. 220
The Phillips Curve .......................................................................................................................................... 221
Tables : .................................................................................................................................................................. 224
Export and import shares of countries in India‘s trade ................................................................................ 224
Trade policy measures – Recent initiatives ..................................................................................................... 224
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Ecology & Environment
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table of Contents STRUCTURE AND TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT ...........................................................3
Ecology : Meaning And Definitions .........................................................................4
Ecological Niche ....................................................................................................4
Ecosystem.............................................................................................................4
Meaning And Concept............................................................................................4
Properties of Ecosystems .......................................................................................5
Types of Ecosystems ..............................................................................................6
BIOSPHERE AS AN ECOSYSTEM ..............................................................................8
System ..................................................................................................................8
The Biosphere .......................................................................................................8
Biogeochemical Cycles ...........................................................................................9
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS—THE BIOMES .......................................................... 10
Natural vegetation of the world ............................................................................ 11
Climatic Gradients And Vegetation Types ............................................................. 12
Forest Biome ....................................................................................................... 12
Low-Latitude Rainforest ....................................................................................... 13
Monsoon Forest ................................................................................................... 14
Subtropical Evergreen Forest ............................................................................... 15
Mid-latitude Deciduous Forest ............................................................................. 17
Needle Leaf Forest ............................................................................................... 18
Sclerophyll Forest ................................................................................................ 19
Savanna and Grassland Biomes ........................................................................... 21
Grassland Biome ................................................................................................. 23
Desert and Tundra Biomes .................................................................................. 24
Desert Biome ...................................................................................................... 24
Tundra Biome ..................................................................................................... 26
MARINE BIOMES ................................................................................................... 28
Main Characteristic Features ............................................................................... 28
Types of Marine Biomes ....................................................................................... 29
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Ecology & Environment
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
Marine Biological Communities ............................................................................ 30
Plantkton Community ......................................................................................... 31
Phytoplanktons ................................................................................................... 31
Nekton Community ............................................................................................. 33
Benthos Community ............................................................................................ 33
Ecological Productivity ......................................................................................... 33
Food Chains in Marine Biome .............................................................................. 34
HUMAN INFLUENCE ON RADIATION ...................................................................... 35
Heat Balance ....................................................................................................... 35
CORAL BLEACHING ............................................................................................... 38
URBANIZATION AND CLIMATE ............................................................................... 40
Urbanization and Heat Island .............................................................................. 40
BIO-DIVERSITY, BIO-SPHERE RESERVE AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ............. 41
Biodiversity: Meaning and Definitions .................................................................. 41
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS ..................................................................................... 43
CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY ....................................................................... 44
List of Biosphere Reserves ................................................................................... 45
Coral Gardening .................................................................................................. 49
Biosphere Reserve ............................................................................................... 49
Evolution of the Concept...................................................................................... 49
Zoning of Biosphere Reserve ................................................................................ 50
Functional Pattern of Biosphere Reserve .............................................................. 51
Core Area ............................................................................................................ 51
Buffer Zone ......................................................................................................... 52
Transition Area ................................................................................................... 52
Clustered Biosphere Reserve ................................................................................ 53
BIODIVERSITY (WILDLIFE) CONSERVATION IN INDIA ............................................ 54
Wildlife Status in India ........................................................................................ 54
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) Project ............................. 55
Biodiversity (Biological Diversity) Act .................................................................... 55
Bio-safety Protocol ............................................................................................... 56
WETLANDS & MANGROVES ................................................................................... 58
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Ecology & Environment
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
NATIONAL PARKS .................................................................................................. 59
Protected areas of India for an overview of all Indian protected areas ..................... 59
DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN INDIA ......................... 64
Earthquake-Prone Areas ...................................................................................... 64
Cyclone-Prone Areas ............................................................................................ 66
Tidal Surge-prone Areas ...................................................................................... 67
Flood-Prone Areas ............................................................................................... 68
Drought-Prone Areas ........................................................................................... 68
Zone 1 ................................................................................................................ 69
Zone 2 ................................................................................................................ 69
Zone 3 ................................................................................................................ 71
NATIONAL POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT ................................................... 72
Responsibilities of NDMA ..................................................................................... 73
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS ........................................................................................ 74
Union List-I Entries ............................................................................................. 75
Environmental Protection Act (EPA), 1986 ............................................................ 75
Definitions under Section 2 of EPA ....................................................................... 75
General Powers of Central Govt. Under EPA, 1986 ................................................ 76
General Environmental Laws ............................................................................... 76
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 1
Table Of Contents Ancient History ................................................................................................................................................................. 11
The Sources Of Indian History ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Indigenous Literary Sources ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Brahamanical Literature ................................................................................................................................................... 14
The Upanishads ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
The Epics ........................................................................................................................................................................... 15
The Puranas ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Buddhist Literature ........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Jain Literature .................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Secular Literature .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Biographical Works .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
Grammatical Works .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Dramas And Poetical Works ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Scientific Works ................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Foreign Accounts .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Brief Chronology Of Ancient India ............................................................................................................................... 18
Early Civilisations Of The Northwest ........................................................................................................................... 19
A Lost Civilization ............................................................................................................................................................ 19
The Investigation Of Past ............................................................................................................................................... 20
Indus Valley Civilisation Or The Harappan Civilisation ............................................................................................ 20
Chief Characteristics ......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Extent.................................................................................................................................................................................. 23
The Saraswati River .......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Cultural Development ...................................................................................................................................................... 24
New Research And Writing ............................................................................................................................................ 24
Anatomy Of Various Sites ............................................................................................................................................... 26
Smaller Settlements ........................................................................................................................................................... 27
Hariyupia In The Rig Veda ............................................................................................................................................. 28
Aryan Invasion Of India? ................................................................................................................................................ 28
Recent Research ................................................................................................................................................................ 29
The Vedic Age ................................................................................................................................................................... 36
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 2
Continuing Debate About Original Home Of Aryans ............................................................................................... 36
The Early Vedic Period .................................................................................................................................................... 37
The Vedas As A Mirror Of Historical Experience ...................................................................................................... 37
Four Vedas ......................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Vedangas (Limbs Of Vedas) ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Upvedas .............................................................................................................................................................................. 39
Brahamanas ........................................................................................................................................................................ 40
Upanishads ......................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Six Systems Of Philosophy (Darshan)........................................................................................................................... 41
The Expansion Of Aryan Settlements........................................................................................................................... 41
Later Vedic Age ................................................................................................................................................................. 41
The Role Of The King ..................................................................................................................................................... 42
The Rise Of The Gangetic Culture And The Great Empires Of The East ............................................................ 43
The Penetration Of The East ......................................................................................................................................... 43
Urbanisation In The Ganges Valley ............................................................................................................................... 45
The Rise Of Buddhism .................................................................................................................................................... 46
Brief History Of Buddhist Councils .............................................................................................................................. 47
Jainism................................................................................................................................................................................. 49
Branches In Jainism .......................................................................................................................................................... 51
The West Under Persian Domination ........................................................................................................................... 52
The Origins Of The Early State ..................................................................................................................................... 52
The Impact Of Alexander’s Indian Campaign ............................................................................................................. 54
The Foundation Of The Maurya Empire ..................................................................................................................... 55
The Political System Of The Arthashastra ................................................................................................................... 55
Books Of Arthashastra .................................................................................................................................................... 56
Ashoka, The Beloved Of The Gods .............................................................................................................................. 57
Detailed Account Of The Inscriptions Of Ashoka ..................................................................................................... 63
Art And Architecture During The Mauryan Period .................................................................................................... 63
Taxila University ............................................................................................................................................................... 65
Jivaka ................................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Panini (Between 4th And 7th Century B.C.) ................................................................................................................... 66
Patanjali (Second Century B.C.)...................................................................................................................................... 66
The End Of The Maurya Empire And The Northern Invaders ............................................................................... 66
Greek Rulers Of The Northwest.................................................................................................................................... 67
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 3
The Shakas: New Invaders From Central Asia ............................................................................................................ 69
The Kushana Empire: A Short-Lived Asian Synthesis ............................................................................................... 71
The Splendour Of The ‘Dark Period ............................................................................................................................. 76
The Satavahanas Of The Deccan: Their Prosperity And Piety ................................................................................. 77
The Amaravati Sculptures ............................................................................................................................................... 77
The Classical Age Of The Guptas.................................................................................................................................. 78
The Structure Of The Gupta Empire ............................................................................................................................ 79
Subjection And Alliance: Shakas And Vakatakas ........................................................................................................ 81
Kalidasa And Classical Sanskrit Literature .................................................................................................................... 82
An Age Of Religious Tolerance And Political Consolidation ................................................................................... 83
Internal And External Challenges: Pushyamitras And Huns ..................................................................................... 84
The ‘Flowering’ Of Gupta Classical Culture ................................................................................................................ 86
Mathematics And Technology ........................................................................................................................................ 86
Dissemination Of Knowledge: The Nalanda Monastic College ............................................................................... 87
The Vakataka Achievement At Ajanta .......................................................................................................................... 88
History Of South India .................................................................................................................................................... 88
Cholas, Pandyas And Cheras .......................................................................................................................................... 88
Cholas ................................................................................................................................................................................. 89
Pandyas ............................................................................................................................................................................... 89
Cheras ................................................................................................................................................................................. 89
Sangam Literature ............................................................................................................................................................. 90
International Trade And The Roman Connection ...................................................................................................... 90
The Rise And Conflicts Of Regional Kingdoms ......................................................................................................... 92
Harsha ................................................................................................................................................................................. 92
The Rise Of Regional Centres ........................................................................................................................................ 94
The Pala Dynasty Of East India ..................................................................................................................................... 97
The Chalukya Dynasty Of Badami................................................................................................................................. 98
The Pallava Dynasty Of Kanchipuram ......................................................................................................................... 99
The Resurgence Of The Chola Dynasty ..................................................................................................................... 100
The Great Merchants Of South India ......................................................................................................................... 102
Medieval India ................................................................................................................................................................. 103
The Delhi Sultanate ........................................................................................................................................................ 103
Qutb-Ud-Din Aibak And Aram Shah ......................................................................................................................... 103
Early Career ..................................................................................................................................................................... 103
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 4
His Difficulties ................................................................................................................................................................ 103
His Efforts And Achievements .................................................................................................................................... 104
Aram Shah ........................................................................................................................................................................ 105
Sultan Iltutmish (1211-1236 A.D.) ............................................................................................................................... 105
Organisation Of The Group Of Forty Slaves, Viz. Turkan-I-Chihalgani ............................................................. 105
Defeat Of Yildiz .............................................................................................................................................................. 105
The Impending Mongol Invasion ................................................................................................................................ 105
The Defeat Of Qabacha ................................................................................................................................................ 106
Investiture From The Caliph ........................................................................................................................................ 106
An Estimate ..................................................................................................................................................................... 106
The Struggle For Power Between Sultans And The Group Of Forty Slaves (Turkan-I-Chihalgani) ............... 107
1236-1265 A.D. ............................................................................................................................................................... 107
Rukn-Ud-Din Firoz Shah (1236 A.D.) ........................................................................................................................ 108
Sultana Raziyya (1236-1240 A.D.) ................................................................................................................................ 109
Muizzudin Bahram Shah (1240-1242 A.D.) ............................................................................................................... 110
Ala-Ud-Din Masud Shah (1242-1246 A.D.) ............................................................................................................... 110
Nasir-Ud-Din Mahmud Shah (1246-1265 A.D.) ....................................................................................................... 111
Ghiyas-Ud-Din Balban .................................................................................................................................................. 112
Kaiqubad And Kayumars (Ghiyas-Ud-Din Balban (1265-1287 A.D.) .................................................................. 112
Early Career ..................................................................................................................................................................... 112
His Difficulties ................................................................................................................................................................ 112
Balban's Achievements................................................................................................................................................... 112
Balban’s Theory Of Kingship And Restoration Of The Prestige Of The Sultan ................................................ 113
The Destruction Of ‘The Forty’ ................................................................................................................................... 113
The Suppression Of Revoits ......................................................................................................................................... 114
The Mongols .................................................................................................................................................................... 114
Death Of Balban ............................................................................................................................................................. 114
Kaiqubad And Shams-Ud-Din Kayumars (1287-1290 A.D.) .................................................................................. 114
The Khalji Dynasty ......................................................................................................................................................... 115
Jalal-Ud-Din Firozshah Khalji (1290-1296 A.D.) ...................................................................................................... 115
Murder Of Jalal-Ud-Din ................................................................................................................................................ 117
Ala-Ud-Din Khalji (1296-1316 A.D.) .......................................................................................................................... 118
Early Career ..................................................................................................................................................................... 118
Theory Of Kingship ....................................................................................................................................................... 118
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 5
The Invasion Of South India And The Defence Against The Mongols ............................................................... 118
Fixing Up Prices Of Everything ................................................................................................................................... 119
Administrative Reforms ................................................................................................................................................. 121
The Episode Of Padmini ............................................................................................................................................... 122
Downfall Of The Khalji Empire .................................................................................................................................. 122
The So-Called Tughluq Dynasty .................................................................................................................................. 123
Ghiyas-Ud-Din Tughluq Shah (1320-1325 A.D.) ...................................................................................................... 123
Muhammad Bin Tughluq (1325-1351 A.D.) .............................................................................................................. 123
Muhammad Tughluq’s Ambitious Plans ..................................................................................................................... 123
Domestic Policy .............................................................................................................................................................. 124
The Introduction Of Token Currency (1329-1330 A.D.) ........................................................................................ 125
The Mongol Invasion ..................................................................................................................................................... 125
Extension Of The Empire (Foreign Policy) ............................................................................................................... 125
Death Of Muhammad Tughluq .................................................................................................................................... 126
Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351-1388 A.D.) ........................................................................................................................ 126
The Sayyid Dynasty ........................................................................................................................................................ 127
Khizr Khan (1414-1421 A.D.) ...................................................................................................................................... 127
Mubarak Shah (1421-1434 A.D.) .................................................................................................................................. 127
Ala-Ud-Din Alam Shah (1445-1450 A.D.) ................................................................................................................. 128
The States Of Central And Southern India In The Period Of The Sultanate Of Delhi ..................................... 129
The Bahmani Sultanate Of The Deccan ..................................................................................................................... 129
The Gajapatis Of Orissa ................................................................................................................................................ 130
The Foundation Of The Vijayanagar Empire ............................................................................................................ 132
Vijayanagar’s Glory And Doom ................................................................................................................................... 133
Cultural Development In India .................................................................................................................................... 136
(From The 13th To The 15th Century) ......................................................................................................................... 136
Architecture ..................................................................................................................................................................... 136
The Sufi Movement ........................................................................................................................................................ 137
The Chishti And Suharwardi Silsilahs.......................................................................................................................... 138
The Bhakti Movement ............................................................................................................................................... 139
The Vaishnavite Movement..................................................................................................................................... 141
Literature And Fine Arts ........................................................................................................................................... 142
Fine Arts ................................................................................................................................................................... 144
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 6
The Rise And Fall Of The Mughal Empire ................................................................................................................ 146
The First Battle Of Panipat (20 April 1526) ............................................................................................................... 148
The Battle Of Khanwa ................................................................................................................................................... 149
Significance Of Babur’s Advent Into India ................................................................................................................ 150
Humayun .......................................................................................................................................................................... 151
Sher Khan......................................................................................................................................................................... 152
Sher Shah And The Sur Empire (1540-55) ................................................................................................................. 153
Battle Of Sammel ............................................................................................................................................................ 154
Administration ................................................................................................................................................................. 154
Age Of Akbar .................................................................................................................................................................. 155
Second Battle Of Panipat ,5 November 1556 ............................................................................................................ 155
Bairam Khan .................................................................................................................................................................... 155
Consolidation ................................................................................................................................................................... 156
Revenue System............................................................................................................................................................... 156
Mansabdari System ......................................................................................................................................................... 158
Foreign Relations Of Mughals ...................................................................................................................................... 159
Relations With The Portuguese .................................................................................................................................... 159
Relations With The Ottoman Empire ......................................................................................................................... 159
Din-I-Ilahi ........................................................................................................................................................................ 160
Akbar Namah .................................................................................................................................................................. 160
Death................................................................................................................................................................................. 161
The Deccan And South India ....................................................................................................................................... 161
(Up To 1656) ................................................................................................................................................................... 161
Cultural Contribution Of The Deccan States............................................................................................................. 162
India In The First Half Of The Seventeenth Century .............................................................................................. 163
Nur Jahan ......................................................................................................................................................................... 163
Shah Jahan’s Rebellion ................................................................................................................................................... 164
Shah Jahan ........................................................................................................................................................................ 164
Administration ................................................................................................................................................................. 165
Cultural And Religious Developments ........................................................................................................................ 166
Religious Ideas And Beliefs, And Problems Of Integration .................................................................................... 166
Climax And Disintegration Of The Mughal Empire ................................................................................................ 168
Aurangzeb ........................................................................................................................................................................ 168
Aurangzeb’s Reign — His Religious Policy ................................................................................................................ 169
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 7
Architecture ..................................................................................................................................................................... 170
Chronology ...................................................................................................................................................................... 173
Who Is Who In Medieval India .................................................................................................................................... 176
Mughal Twilight .............................................................................................................................................................. 187
The Emergence Of Regional States And The East India Company ...................................................................... 187
The ‘Fault Lines’ Of Mughal Control .......................................................................................................................... 187
Mughals Post Aurangzeb ............................................................................................................................................... 188
Regional Powers .............................................................................................................................................................. 193
Hyderabad ........................................................................................................................................................................ 193
Awadh ............................................................................................................................................................................... 193
Bengal................................................................................................................................................................................ 194
Emergence Of The Nawab Of Murshidabad ............................................................................................................. 195
Mysore .............................................................................................................................................................................. 195
Anglo Mysore Wars ........................................................................................................................................................ 196
Rajputs .............................................................................................................................................................................. 197
Sikhs .................................................................................................................................................................................. 197
The Punjab Under Ranjit Singh .................................................................................................................................... 197
Anglo Sikh Wars.............................................................................................................................................................. 198
Marathas ........................................................................................................................................................................... 198
Europeans In India ......................................................................................................................................................... 200
The Portuguese................................................................................................................................................................ 200
The Dutch ........................................................................................................................................................................ 201
The British East India Company .................................................................................................................................. 201
The French ....................................................................................................................................................................... 203
Anglo-French Conflicts ................................................................................................................................................. 204
Robert Clive And The Diwani Of Bengal................................................................................................................... 207
Warren Hastings: Architect Of An Empire ................................................................................................................ 208
Absconding Peasants And The Permanent Settlement ............................................................................................ 213
Permanent Settlement .................................................................................................................................................... 214
Subsidiary Alliance .......................................................................................................................................................... 217
The Uses Of Education ................................................................................................................................................. 218
Dalhousie And The Policy Of Annexation (1848-1856) .......................................................................................... 221
Revolt Of 1857 ................................................................................................................................................................ 222
The Colonial Economy .................................................................................................................................................. 227
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 8
The Ebb And Flow Of Silver ....................................................................................................................................... 227
The Fate Of Indian Industry ......................................................................................................................................... 230
Foundation Of The Congress ....................................................................................................................................... 230
Ilbert Bill Controversy.................................................................................................................................................... 233
Congress Sessions ........................................................................................................................................................... 234
Chronology (1877-1942) ................................................................................................................................................ 239
India After Curzon ......................................................................................................................................................... 240
Administrative Reforms ................................................................................................................................................. 240
The Partition Of Bengal, 1905 ...................................................................................................................................... 241
The Growth And Development Of The Indian National Movement ................................................................... 242
First Phase, 1885-1905 ................................................................................................................................................... 243
Period Of Moderate Politics Or Tea-Party Politics ................................................................................................... 243
Official Attitude Towards The Congress .................................................................................................................... 244
Second Phase, 1905—1919 ........................................................................................................................................... 245
Rise Of Extremism Or Radical Politics ....................................................................................................................... 245
Causes For The Rise Of Extremism ............................................................................................................................ 246
The Objectives And Methods Of The Extremist Group......................................................................................... 247
The Extremist Programme Of Action ........................................................................................................................ 248
Indian Nationalists And World War I ......................................................................................................................... 249
Home Rule Movement................................................................................................................................................... 249
The Lucknow Session, 1916 .......................................................................................................................................... 250
Annie Besant .................................................................................................................................................................... 250
The Revolutionary Terrorist Movement ..................................................................................................................... 252
The Third Phase Or The Gandhian Era, 1919-1947 ................................................................................................. 256
Aim Of Swaraj Through Non-Violence & Non-Cooperation ................................................................................ 256
The Non-Cooperation Movement, 1920-22 .............................................................................................................. 257
The Civil Disobedience Movement, 1930-34 ............................................................................................................. 258
The Great War And The Constitutional Deadlock ................................................................................................... 258
Assessment Of Gandhi’s Role In India’s Struggle For Independence ................................................................... 260
Gandhi Timeline Before 1920’s .................................................................................................................................... 260
Gandhiji In Champaran Ahmedabad And Kheda ..................................................................................................... 262
Rowlatt Act ...................................................................................................................................................................... 263
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre ............................................................................................................................................. 263
Home Rule League ......................................................................................................................................................... 264
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian History
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page | 9
Lucknow Pact .................................................................................................................................................................. 264
Indian Liberal Party ........................................................................................................................................................ 265
Tej Bahadur Sapru .......................................................................................................................................................... 265
Nehru Report................................................................................................................................................................... 266
Lahore Conspiracy Case ................................................................................................................................................ 268
Meerut Conspiracy Case ................................................................................................................................................ 268
Karachi Session ............................................................................................................................................................... 268
Round Table Conferences, 1930-1932 ........................................................................................................................ 268
Communal Award ........................................................................................................................................................... 271
Lucknow Session 1936 ................................................................................................................................................... 273
The Faizpur Congress Session (December 1936) ...................................................................................................... 273
Demand For Pakistan..................................................................................................................................................... 273
C.R.Formula ..................................................................................................................................................................... 274
Desai-Liaquat Pact .......................................................................................................................................................... 275
Indian National Army .................................................................................................................................................... 275
Royal Indian Navy Mutiny ............................................................................................................................................ 276
Subhash Chandra Bose .................................................................................................................................................. 277
Cellular Jail ....................................................................................................................................................................... 279
The Pattern Of Constitutional Reform ....................................................................................................................... 279
The Morley–Minto Reform And Separate Electorates ............................................................................................. 280
The Montagu–Chelmsford Reform And Responsible Government ...................................................................... 280
Federalism And The Government Of India Act Of 1935 ....................................................................................... 281
The Second World War, The Cripps Mission And ‘Quit India’ .............................................................................. 282
The Simla Conference And Its Aftermath .................................................................................................................. 285
The Cabinet Mission Scheme And The Advent Of Partition ................................................................................. 286
Operation Mountbatten And ‘Plan Balkan’ ................................................................................................................ 288
Integration Of States ...................................................................................................................................................... 290
Foreign Policy Of Non-Alignment .............................................................................................................................. 291
Indo-China Relations ..................................................................................................................................................... 292
The Chinese Attack, 1962 .............................................................................................................................................. 293
Chronology 1858-1964 ................................................................................................................................................... 296
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table of Contents
THE SCOPE OF GEOGRAPHY .......................................................................... 5
The Earth’s Four Spheres .............................................................................. 6
THE GEOGRAPHER’S TOOLS ........................................................................... 9
Latitude ....................................................................................................... 10
Longitude ..................................................................................................... 12
Map Scale .................................................................................................... 13
Isolines ........................................................................................................ 14
Digital Technology in Geography.................................................................. 16
Remote Sensing ........................................................................................... 16
Global Positioning Systems .......................................................................... 18
Geographic Information Systems ................................................................. 19
EARTH–SUN GEOMETRY AND THE SEASONS............................................... 20
Our Place in Space....................................................................................... 20
The Shape of Earth ...................................................................................... 21
Earth’s Orbit Around the Sun ...................................................................... 21
The Earth’s Rotation and Axial Tilt .............................................................. 22
The Seasons ................................................................................................. 24
Solstice and Equinox ................................................................................... 25
THE GLOBAL ENERGY SYSTEM..................................................................... 28
The Electromagnetic Spectrum .................................................................... 28
Composition of the Atmosphere ................................................................... 29
Constant Gases............................................................................................ 30
Variable Gases ............................................................................................. 30
Particulates .................................................................................................. 33
Heat Transfer ............................................................................................... 35
Flow of Solar Radiation in the Atmosphere .................................................. 36
Interaction of Solar Radiation and the Earth’s Surface ................................ 37
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
The Global Radiation Budget ....................................................................... 39
GLOBAL TEMPERATURE PATTERNS.............................................................. 42
The Troposphere .......................................................................................... 43
The Stratosphere.......................................................................................... 43
The Mesosphere ........................................................................................... 44
The Thermosphere ....................................................................................... 45
Large-Scale Geographic Factors That Influence Air Temperature................. 45
Local Factors That Influence Air Temperature ............................................. 47
Human Interactions: The Urban Effect on Temperature .............................. 49
Other Local Factors That Influence Temperature ......................................... 50
The Annual Range of Surface Temperature (A Holistic Assessment) ............ 50
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, WIND, AND GLOBAL CIRCULATION ................. 53
Factors That Influence Air Pressure ............................................................. 53
Atmospheric Pressure Systems .................................................................... 55
Low-Pressure Systems ................................................................................. 55
High-Pressure Systems ................................................................................ 55
The Direction of Airflow................................................................................ 57
Unequal Heating of Land Surfaces ............................................................... 57
Coriolis Force ............................................................................................... 58
Global Pressure and Atmospheric Circulation ............................................. 60
Midlatitude Circulation ................................................................................ 62
Polar Circulation .......................................................................................... 63
Seasonal Migration of Pressure Systems ...................................................... 64
Local Wind Systems ..................................................................................... 66
Land–Sea Breezes ........................................................................................ 67
Topographic Winds ...................................................................................... 67
Oceanic Circulation Gyres and Thermo-haline Circulation .......................... 68
El Niño ......................................................................................................... 69
ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE AND PRECIPITATION .......................................... 70
The Hydrosphere and the Hydrologic Cycle.................................................. 70
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
Humidity ...................................................................................................... 72
Maximum, Specific, and Relative Humidity.................................................. 72
Dew-Point Temperature ............................................................................... 74
Adiabatic Processes...................................................................................... 77
The Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate ...................................................................... 77
The Wet Adiabatic Lapse Rate ...................................................................... 78
Cloud Classification ..................................................................................... 79
Fog ............................................................................................................... 81
Precipitation................................................................................................. 82
Types of Precipitation ................................................................................... 82
Precipitation Processes ................................................................................ 83
Air Masses and Fronts ................................................................................. 88
Air Masses ................................................................................................... 89
Fronts .......................................................................................................... 90
Key Concepts To Remember About Air Masses And Fronts.......................... 92
Evolution and Character of Midlatitude Cyclones ........................................ 92
Upper Airflow and the 500-mb Pressure Surface ......................................... 93
Interaction of Upper Airflow and Surface Airflow ......................................... 94
Cyclogenesis ................................................................................................ 95
Key Concepts To Remember About The Formation Of Midlatitude Cyclones 97
GLOBAL CLIMATES AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE .................................. 98
Climate and the Factors That Affect It ......................................................... 98
Köppen Climate Classification ..................................................................... 99
THE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER OF SOILS ......................... 102
Soil-Forming (Pedogenic) Processes............................................................ 102
Soil-Forming Factors.................................................................................. 103
Key Concepts to Remember about Pedogenic Processes And Soil-Forming
Factors ....................................................................................................... 106
Soil Profiles (Reading the Soil).................................................................... 107
Soil horizons. ............................................................................................. 107
Key Concepts To Remember About Soil Science And Classification ........... 109
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 4
PLATE TECTONICS ....................................................................................... 111
Continental and Oceanic Crust.................................................................. 112
Plate Boundaries........................................................................................ 112
Divergent Margins ...................................................................................... 113
Continental Rifting..................................................................................... 113
Seafloor Spreading ..................................................................................... 113
Convergent Margins ................................................................................... 114
Subduction Zone Trenches ........................................................................ 114
Back-Arc Basins ........................................................................................ 115
Continental Collision ................................................................................. 115
Accretion and Subduction.......................................................................... 116
Mountain Building ..................................................................................... 116
Transform Faults ....................................................................................... 117
Hot Spots ................................................................................................... 117
Volcanoes And Volcanism .......................................................................... 118
Six Types of Eruptions ............................................................................... 120
The Major Types of Volcanic Landforms..................................................... 121
Stratovolcanoes.......................................................................................... 121
Shield Volcanoes ........................................................................................ 123
Submarine Volcanoes ................................................................................ 123
Calderas..................................................................................................... 123
Complex Volcanoes .................................................................................... 123
Pyroclastic Cones ....................................................................................... 124
Volcanic Fields ........................................................................................... 124
Fissure Vents ............................................................................................. 124
Volcanoes Related to Plate Boundaries ...................................................... 126
Rift Volcanoes ............................................................................................ 127
Intra plate Volcanism ................................................................................. 128
EARTHQUAKES ............................................................................................ 128
The Causes of Earthquakes ....................................................................... 129
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 5
Natural Forces ........................................................................................... 129
Tectonics.................................................................................................... 129
Volcanism .................................................................................................. 130
Artificial Induction ..................................................................................... 130
Reservoir Induction .................................................................................... 131
Seismology and Nuclear Explosions ........................................................... 131
The Effects of Earthquakes ........................................................................ 131
Surface Phenomena ................................................................................... 132
Tsunamis ................................................................................................... 132
Seiches....................................................................................................... 133
WEATHERING AND MASS MOVEMENT ....................................................... 134
Mechanical Weathering .............................................................................. 135
Chemical Weathering ................................................................................. 138
Human Interactions: Acid Rain .................................................................. 139
Key Concepts To Remember About Weathering ......................................... 139
Mass Wasting............................................................................................. 140
Rockfall ...................................................................................................... 141
Soil Creep .................................................................................................. 142
Landslides.................................................................................................. 142
Avalanches................................................................................................. 144
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table of Contents
INDIA—LOCATION, EXTENT AND PHYSICAL FEATURES ......................................................... 8
Location and Extent ............................................................................................................... 8
India at a Glance .................................................................................................................... 8
India’s Neighbours ............................................................................................................... 10
Political Divisions ................................................................................................................. 11
THE PHYSICAL FEATURES...................................................................................................... 12
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS ................................................................................................. 12
Origin of the Himalayan Mountain System .......................................................................... 12
The Himalaya Mountains ..................................................................................................... 15
The Himalaya Ranges ........................................................................................................... 15
The Trans-Himalayan Ranges .............................................................................................. 18
The Eastern Hills ................................................................................................................. 18
Significance of the Northern Mountains ............................................................................... 19
THE NORTHERN PLAINS ......................................................................................................... 21
The Rajasthan Plain ............................................................................................................. 22
The Punjab-Haryana Plains ................................................................................................. 23
The Ganga Plain ................................................................................................................... 23
The Brahmaputra Plain ........................................................................................................ 24
Significance of the Northern Plains ...................................................................................... 24
The Peninsular Plateaus ...................................................................................................... 25
Plateaus of Peninsular India ................................................................................................ 25
Hill Ranges of Peninsular India ............................................................................................ 28
The Western Ghats or Sahyadris .......................................................................................... 28
The Eastern Ghats ............................................................................................................... 30
Significance of Peninsular Plateau ....................................................................................... 30
Comparison between the Himalayan & the Peninsular Rivers .............................................. 31
The Coastal Plains and the Islands ...................................................................................... 31
The Western Coastal Plain ................................................................................................... 32
The Eastern Coastal Plain .................................................................................................... 33
Significance of Coastal Plains ............................................................................................... 34
The Indian Islands ............................................................................................................... 34
INDIA—THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ...................................................................................... 35
Factors Affecting the Climate of India .................................................................................. 35
Salient Features of the Climate of India ............................................................................... 38
MECHANISM OF MONSOONS ................................................................................................. 39
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
CYCLE OF SEASONS ............................................................................................................... 41
Distribution of Annual Rainfall ............................................................................................ 46
India—Withdrawal of Monsoon ................................................................................................ 47
Areas of Very Heavy Rainfall ................................................................................................ 48
Characteristics of Rainfall in India ....................................................................................... 49
El- NINO AND THE INDIAN MONSOON ................................................................................... 50
Somalian Current................................................................................................................. 52
Burst of Monsoon ................................................................................................................. 52
DROUGHTS ............................................................................................................................. 53
FLOODS ................................................................................................................................... 55
Flood Prone Areas of India ................................................................................................... 55
RIVER BASINS OF INDIA ......................................................................................................... 56
TYPES OF LAKES..................................................................................................................... 59
The Tectonic Lakes .................................................................................................................. 60
The Crater Lakes ...................................................................................................................... 60
Glacial Lakes (Tarns)................................................................................................................ 60
Fluvial Lakes ............................................................................................................................ 60
Aeolian Lakes ........................................................................................................................... 61
Dissolution Lakes .................................................................................................................... 61
Lagoons .................................................................................................................................... 61
Landslide Lakes ....................................................................................................................... 61
Main Lakes of India.................................................................................................................. 61
WATER RESOURCES OF INDIA ............................................................................................... 67
Water Harvesting in India .................................................................................................... 68
Rain-water Harvesting.......................................................................................................... 69
The Inter-State Water Disputes ............................................................................................ 73
International Agreements for Surface Water Resources ....................................................... 74
The Indus Water Treaty ........................................................................................................ 74
National Water Grid ............................................................................................................. 75
The Ganga-Kaveri Link Canal .............................................................................................. 76
The Brahmaputra-Ganga Link Canal ................................................................................... 77
The Narmada Link Canal to Gujarat and Rajasthan ............................................................ 78
The Chambal Link Canal ..................................................................................................... 78
Links between the Rivers of the Western Ghats to the East ................................................. 78
The National Water Policy .................................................................................................... 78
MAIN WATERFALLS OF INDIA ................................................................................................. 79
SOILS OF INDIA ....................................................................................................................... 84
Types of Soils in India .......................................................................................................... 84
Alluvial Soil .......................................................................................................................... 84
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
Black Soil ............................................................................................................................. 85
Red Soil ................................................................................................................................ 86
Laterite Soil .......................................................................................................................... 87
Mountain Soil....................................................................................................................... 87
Desert Soil............................................................................................................................ 88
Soil Erosion .......................................................................................................................... 89
Land Use Planning ............................................................................................................... 91
NATURAL VEGETATION OF INDIA .......................................................................................... 93
Types of Natural Vegetation ..................................................................................................... 94
Uses of Important Trees ........................................................................................................... 99
National Forest Policy......................................................................................................... 100
Classification of Forests ..................................................................................................... 103
INDIAN IRRIGATION .............................................................................................................. 104
Geographical Factors Favouring Irrigation in India ............................................................ 106
Means of Irrigation ............................................................................................................. 106
Tank Irrigation ................................................................................................................... 106
Merits of Tank Irrigation .................................................................................................... 107
Demerits of Tank Irrigation ................................................................................................ 107
Well and Tube-Well Irrigation ............................................................................................. 107
Merits of Well and Tube well Irrigation ............................................................................... 108
Demerits of Well and Tube Well Irrigation .......................................................................... 109
Canal Irrigation .................................................................................................................. 109
Merits of Canals Irrigation ................................................................................................. 110
Demerits of Canal Irrigation ............................................................................................... 110
MINERALS IN INDIA-I ............................................................................................................ 111
Iron ore, Manganese, Bauxite and Limestone..................................................................... 111
Types of Minerals ............................................................................................................... 111
Distribution of Minerals ..................................................................................................... 112
IRON ORE .............................................................................................................................. 112
Types of Iron Ore ................................................................................................................ 113
Reserves of Iron Ore ........................................................................................................... 113
MANGANESE ......................................................................................................................... 116
Areas of Manganese Production In India ............................................................................ 117
BAUXITE ................................................................................................................................ 118
Reserves of Bauxite in India ............................................................................................... 119
Areas of Bauxite Production ............................................................................................... 121
Consumption and Trade .................................................................................................... 122
LIMESTONE ........................................................................................................................... 122
Areas of Limestone Production ........................................................................................... 122
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 4
MINERALS IN INDIA-II ........................................................................................................... 124
Coal and Petroleum ............................................................................................................ 124
Types of Coal ...................................................................................................................... 124
Occurrence of Coal In India ............................................................................................... 125
The Gondwana Coalfields ................................................................................................... 125
The Tertiary Coalfields ....................................................................................................... 126
Inventory of Geological Resources of Coal in India ............................................................. 126
Areas of Coal Production in India ....................................................................................... 128
Consumption of Coal In India ............................................................................................ 129
Problems of Coal Mining In India ....................................................................................... 129
PETROLEUM .......................................................................................................................... 130
Origin and Occurrence of Petroleum ...................................................................................... 130
Reserves of Petroleum in India ........................................................................................... 130
Areas of Petroleum Production ........................................................................................... 131
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA ........................................................................................................ 136
Types of Farming in India .................................................................................................. 136
Agricultural Seasons .......................................................................................................... 138
Kharif Season ..................................................................................................................... 138
Rabi Season ....................................................................................................................... 138
Zaid Season........................................................................................................................ 139
Green Revolution in India ...................................................................................................... 139
Merits of the High Yielding Varieties .................................................................................. 140
Geographical Constraints in the Adoption of New Seeds .................................................... 141
RAINBOW REVOLUTION ........................................................................................................ 144
DRY FARMING ....................................................................................................................... 146
Significant Features of Dry Farming .................................................................................. 146
Main Problems of Dry Farming .......................................................................................... 148
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA-MAJOR CROPS-1 ........................................................................... 149
Rice, Wheat, Millets and Pulses ......................................................................................... 149
Rice .................................................................................................................................... 149
Conditions for Growth of Rice ............................................................................................ 149
Methods of Rice Cultivation in India .................................................................................. 150
Areas of Rice Production .................................................................................................... 150
WHEAT .................................................................................................................................. 151
Conditions for Growth of Wheat ......................................................................................... 151
Methods of Wheat Cultivation in India ............................................................................... 151
Millets ................................................................................................................................ 152
Jowar ................................................................................................................................. 152
Bajra .................................................................................................................................. 153
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 5
Conditions for Growth of Bajra .......................................................................................... 153
Areas of Bajra Production .................................................................................................. 153
Ragi .................................................................................................................................... 153
Conditions for Growth of Ragi ............................................................................................ 154
Areas of Ragi Production .................................................................................................... 154
Pulses ................................................................................................................................ 154
Gram .................................................................................................................................. 154
Arhar or Tur ....................................................................................................................... 154
Masur or Lentil .................................................................................................................. 155
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA-MAJOR CROPS-II ........................................................................... 155
Sugar Cane, Oilseeds, Cotton and Jute.............................................................................. 155
Sugar Cane ........................................................................................................................ 155
Conditions for Growth of Sugar cane ................................................................................. 155
Sugar Cane Cultivation in India ......................................................................................... 156
Areas of Sugar Cane Production ........................................................................................ 157
Comparison between North India and South India for Sugar Cane Cultivation ................. 157
Problems of Sugar Cane Cultivation in India ..................................................................... 158
Oilseeds ............................................................................................................................. 158
Groundnut ......................................................................................................................... 159
Conditions for growth of Groundnuts ................................................................................ 159
Areas of Groundnut Production ......................................................................................... 159
Sesamum (Til) .................................................................................................................... 160
Conditions for growth of Sesamum (Til) ............................................................................. 160
Areas of Sesamum (Til) Production .................................................................................... 160
Rapeseed and Mustard....................................................................................................... 160
Conditions for Growth of Rapeseed and Mustard ............................................................... 161
Areas of Rapeseed and Mustard Production ....................................................................... 161
Linseed ............................................................................................................................... 161
Conditions for Growth of Linseed ....................................................................................... 161
Areas of Linseed Production ............................................................................................... 161
Castor Seed ........................................................................................................................ 162
Conditions for Growth of Castor Seed ................................................................................ 162
Areas of Castor Seed Production ........................................................................................ 162
Sunflower Seed .................................................................................................................. 162
Conditions for Growth of Sunflower Seed ........................................................................... 162
Areas of Sunflower Seed Production ................................................................................... 163
Cotton Seed ........................................................................................................................ 163
Soyabean ........................................................................................................................... 163
Conditions for Growth of Soyabean .................................................................................... 163
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 6
Areas of Soyabean Production ............................................................................................ 163
COCONUT .............................................................................................................................. 164
Conditions for Growth of Coconut ...................................................................................... 164
Cultivation ......................................................................................................................... 164
Areas .................................................................................................................................. 164
COTTON ................................................................................................................................. 164
Conditions for Growth of Cotton ........................................................................................ 164
Types of Cotton .................................................................................................................. 165
Methods of Cultivation ....................................................................................................... 165
Areas of Cotton Production ................................................................................................ 166
JUTE ...................................................................................................................................... 167
Conditions for Growth of Jute ............................................................................................ 167
Method of Cultivation and Processing ................................................................................ 167
Areas of Jute Production .................................................................................................... 168
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA-MAJOR CROPS-III.......................................................................... 169
Tea, Coffee and Rubber ...................................................................................................... 169
Tea ..................................................................................................................................... 169
Types of Tea ....................................................................................................................... 169
Conditions for Growth of Tea ............................................................................................. 169
Methods of Cultivation ....................................................................................................... 170
Areas of Tea Production ..................................................................................................... 171
COFFEE ................................................................................................................................. 171
Types of Coffee ................................................................................................................... 172
Conditions for Growth of Coffee ......................................................................................... 172
Methods of Cultivation and Processing .............................................................................. 173
Areas of Coffee Production ................................................................................................. 173
RUBBER ................................................................................................................................ 173
Conditions for Growth of Rubber ....................................................................................... 174
Methods of Cultivation ....................................................................................................... 174
Areas of Rubber Production ............................................................................................... 175
INDIA-INDUSTRIES ............................................................................................................... 176
Growth of Industries in India ............................................................................................. 176
Liberalisation ..................................................................................................................... 177
Location of Industries ........................................................................................................ 177
Classification of Industries ................................................................................................. 179
Major Industrial Regions of India ....................................................................................... 180
SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE (SEZ) ......................................................................................... 182
Defining Feature ................................................................................................................ 182
Objectives of Special Economic Zone.................................................................................. 182
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 7
Historical Perspective ......................................................................................................... 182
Conditions for Ideal SEZ .................................................................................................... 183
Special Economic Zones of India ........................................................................................ 183
INDIA-AGRO–BASED INDUTSRIES ........................................................................................ 184
Sugar Industry ................................................................................................................... 184
Location of Sugar Industry ................................................................................................. 184
Distribution of Sugar Industry ........................................................................................... 185
Difference between Sugar Industry Of Northern And Southern India................................. 185
THE TEXTILE INDUSTRIES ................................................................................................... 187
Cotton Textiles ................................................................................................................... 187
Growth and Development ................................................................................................... 187
Location of Cotton Textile Industry .................................................................................... 187
Distribution of Cotton Textile Industry In India ................................................................. 188
Silk Textiles ........................................................................................................................ 191
Distribution of Silk Textile Mills In India ............................................................................ 191
Jute Textiles ....................................................................................................................... 191
Growth and Development ................................................................................................... 192
Location of Jute Industry In India ...................................................................................... 192
Distribution of Jute Mills In India ...................................................................................... 193
Woollen Textiles ................................................................................................................. 193
Distribution of Woollen Mills In India................................................................................. 193
INDIA-MINERAL-BASED INDUSTRIES .................................................................................. 195
The Iron and Steel Industry ............................................................................................... 195
Growth and Development ................................................................................................... 195
Locational Factors .............................................................................................................. 196
Distribution of Iron and Steel Industry .............................................................................. 196
Problems of Iron And Steel Industry In India ..................................................................... 202
Heavy Engineering ............................................................................................................. 202
Industrial Machinery .......................................................................................................... 202
Machine Tools .................................................................................................................... 203
Railway Equipment ............................................................................................................ 203
Automobile Industry .......................................................................................................... 204
Shipbuilding Industry ........................................................................................................ 205
Aircraft Industry ................................................................................................................ 205
Petrochemicals ................................................................................................................... 206
Electronics Industry ........................................................................................................... 206
Means of Transport ............................................................................................................ 207
Waterways .......................................................................................................................... 208
REFRENCE ............................................................................................................................ 210
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Geography
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 8
International Airports of India ............................................................................................ 210
Major Ports in India ........................................................................................................... 211
Important National Highways ............................................................................................. 211
Railway Gauges .................................................................................................................. 213
The Konkan Railway .......................................................................................................... 214
The Railway Zones ............................................................................................................. 214
The Main Scheduled Tribes of India ................................................................................... 215
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 9
Need for a constitution ........................................ 10
Types of constitutions ......................................... 10
Written and Unwritten constitutions ............................ 10
federal and unitary constitutions .............................. 11
confederation ................................................. 11
constitutionalism ............................................. 11
indian constitution: milestones in history ..................... 12
legislature of various countries ............................... 21
bicameral countries ........................................... 23
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION ...................... 25
Power resides with the people .................................. 25
rule of law prevails........................................... 25
social document ............................................... 25
written constitution........................................... 25
preamble ...................................................... 26
federal structure ............................................. 26
parliamentary government ....................................... 27
separation of powers........................................... 28
secular state ................................................. 29
independent judiciary.......................................... 29
judicial review ............................................... 29
fundamental rights ............................................ 30
directive principles of state policy ........................... 30
fundamental duties ............................................ 30
flexibility of constitution and its basic structure ............ 30
universal adult suffrage ....................................... 31
emergency provisions........................................... 31
independent agencies........................................... 32
PREAMBLE ........................................................ 33
Purpose ....................................................... 33
nature and scope .............................................. 33
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
preamble: an aid to interpretation ............................. 38
limitations of preamble as an internal aid to construction ..... 39
CITIZENSHIP ..................................................... 39
Parliament’s power to regulate right of Citizenship by law and the
Citizenship Act, 1955.......................................... 41
Idea of Justice I- Fundamental Rights ........................... 43
What is Justice? .............................................. 43
Nature of Fundamental Rights ................................... 43
The constitution of india ...................................... 45
contents ...................................................... 45
Fundamental Rights-Contents .................................... 60
Right to Equality ............................................. 60
Right to Freedom .............................................. 61
Right against Exploitation ..................................... 65
Right to Freedom of Religion ................................... 65
Cultural and Educational Rights ................................ 66
Right to Constitutional Remedies ............................... 66
Idea of Justice II-Directive Principles of State Policy .......... 67
Features of Directive Principles of State Policy ............... 68
Directive Principles of State Policy: Contents ................. 68
Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights-
Inter-Relationship ............................................ 70
Parliamentary Democracy ......................................... 73
Characteristics of the Parliamentary Form of Government ........ 73
Constitutional or Nominal and Real Executive ................... 73
Plural Executive .............................................. 74
Ministerial Responsibility and Collective Responsibility ....... 74
Parliamentary Sovereignty ...................................... 75
Parliamentary Control over Administration ...................... 76
INDIAN FEDERALISM: NATURE AND PROBLEMS .......................... 77
Written Constitution........................................... 77
Supremacy of the Constitution .................................. 77
Rigid Constitution ............................................ 77
Division of Powers ............................................ 78
Independent Judiciary.......................................... 78
Bicameral Legislature.......................................... 78
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
Unitary features of the Indian Constitution .................... 78
A Strong Centre ............................................... 78
Single Citizenship ............................................ 79
Single Constitution for Union and State ........................ 79
Centre Can Change the Name and Boundaries of States ............ 79
Single Unified Judiciary ....................................... 79
Unequal Representation of States in the Rajya Sabha ............ 79
Common All-India Services ...................................... 79
Emergency Provisions........................................... 80
Political Executive at the Union Level ......................... 80
THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA .......................................... 81
Powers of the President ........................................ 81
Executive Powers .............................................. 81
Legislative Powers ............................................ 82
Financial Powers .............................................. 83
Judicial Powers ............................................... 84
Emergency Powers .............................................. 84
Consequence of the Proclamation ................................ 85
Financial Emergency ........................................... 86
Position of the President ...................................... 86
Steps to Curb President’s Power-Amendment of Article 74 ........ 86
Working of the Constitution .................................... 87
VICE-PRESIDENT .................................................. 91
Functions ..................................................... 91
The Council of Ministers ........................................ 92
Composition ................................................... 92
THE CONSTITUTION (NINETY-FIRST AMENDMENT) ACT, 2003 ............ 92
Council of Ministers and Cabinet ............................... 93
Functions of the Cabinet ....................................... 94
Executive Functions ........................................... 94
Legislative functions.......................................... 94
Financial powers .............................................. 94
Cabinet Committees ............................................ 95
N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar Committee’s Report ..................... 96
Recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission ....... 98
Ministries and Departments ..................................... 99
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 4
Working of the Ministries/Departments .......................... 99
The Secretariat .............................................. 100
Executive Organization of the Department ...................... 100
MINISTRIES/DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT ....................... 100
THE PRIME MINISTER ............................................. 104
Appointment of the Prime Minister ............................. 104
The Prime Minister as the Head of the Council of Ministers .... 105
The Prime Minister and the Parliament ......................... 106
The Link Between the President and Cabinet .................... 106
Spokesman of the Government on Foreign Policy ................. 107
The Prime Minister’s Control over Intelligence Agencies ....... 107
Administrative and Executive Functions of the Prime Minister .. 107
Position of the Prime Minister ................................ 108
PMO .......................................................... 108
THE PARLIAMENT ................................................. 110
The Lok Sabha ................................................ 110
Speaker of the Lok Sabha ...................................... 112
Power and Functions of the Speaker ............................ 113
The Rajya Sabha .............................................. 114
Rajya Sabha: Its Composition .................................. 114
Leader of the House ......................................... 116
Power and Functions of the Rajya Sabha ........................ 118
Legislative Powers ........................................... 119
Constitutional Amendments ..................................... 119
The Role of the Rajya Sabha ................................... 120
Power of the Parliament ....................................... 120
Financial Powers ............................................. 121
The Finance Commission ........................................ 122
Appointment .................................................. 122
Composition .................................................. 122
Functions of Finance Commission ............................... 122
Finance Commission .......................................... 123
Year of Establishment ....................................... 123
Chairman .................................................... 123
Operational Duration ........................................ 123
Finance Commission And Planning Commission .................... 123
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 5
Judicial Powers .............................................. 125
Parliamentary Committees ...................................... 126
PARLIAMENTARY TERMS ............................................ 129
ANTI-DEFECTION LAW ............................................. 136
Provisions of the Act......................................... 136
Disqualification ............................................. 136
THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA ..................................... 146
The Appointment Of Judges ..................................... 146
Qualification of Judges ....................................... 147
Tenure ....................................................... 147
Removal ...................................................... 147
Salary of the Judges.......................................... 147
Prohibition of Practice after Retirement ...................... 148
The seat of the supreme court ................................. 148
Supreme court: a court of record .............................. 148
Jurisdiction and powers of the supreme court .................. 149
Original Jurisdiction......................................... 149
Appellate Jurisdiction ........................................ 149
Advisory Jurisdiction......................................... 150
Writ Jurisdiction ............................................ 151
Supreme Court And Judicial Review ............................. 152
Judicial Review of the Constitutional Amendments .............. 153
Judicial Review of Legislative Enactments and Ordinances ...... 153
HIGH COURT ..................................................... 155
Organisation Of High Court .................................... 155
Appointment of Judges......................................... 155
Qualifications of Judges ...................................... 156
Oath or Affirmation .......................................... 156
Tenure of Judges ............................................. 156
Removal of Judges ............................................ 156
Salaries and Allowances ....................................... 157
Transfer of Judges ........................................... 157
Acting Chief Justice.......................................... 157
Additional and Acting Judges .................................. 158
Retired Judges ............................................... 158
Independence of High court .................................... 158
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 6
Jurisdiction and Powers of high court ......................... 159
Control over Subordinate Courts ............................... 162
A Court of Record ............................................ 162
Power of Judicial Review ...................................... 163
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS ............................................ 165
Structure of accounts and flow of funds ....................... 165
Consolidated fund of india .................................... 165
Contingency fund of india ..................................... 166
Public account ............................................... 166
COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL OF INDIA ....................... 167
Audit Jurisdiction ........................................... 167
Nature of Audit .............................................. 167
ELECTION COMMISSION ............................................ 169
Composition .................................................. 169
Independence ................................................. 170
Powers and functions.......................................... 170
UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ................................ 171
Historical background......................................... 172
Provisions for independent working of the upsc ................ 172
Composition .................................................. 173
Functions .................................................... 173
ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SOLICITOR GENERAL OF INDIA ................. 174
Appointment and term.......................................... 175
Duties and functions.......................................... 175
Rights and limitations ........................................ 175
SOLICITOR GENERAL OF INDIA ..................................... 176
CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION ................................. 177
Composition .................................................. 178
Tenure and service conditions ................................. 178
Powers and functions.......................................... 178
CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSION ................................... 179
Composition .................................................. 180
Functions .................................................... 180
Jurisdiction ................................................. 181
Constitutional Protection to Civil Servants ................... 181
Constitutional Safeguards ..................................... 181
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 7
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS IN INDIA ................................ 182
Reports on Indian Administration, 1946-1997 ................... 183
Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) .............. 184
Administrative Reforms Commission (1966-1970) ................. 184
FIFTH PAY COMMISSION AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS ............... 185
Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005) ............... 186
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCs ................................... 187
Evolution of the commission ................................... 188
Functions of the commission ................................... 188
Report of the commission ...................................... 188
Powers of the commission ...................................... 189
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR STs ................................... 189
Functions of the commission ................................... 190
Report of the commission ...................................... 190
Powers of the commission ...................................... 191
National Human Rights Commission ............................... 191
Preamble To The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, 1948 ... 192
Constitution of National Human Rights Commission .............. 192
Removal of a Member of the Commission ......................... 193
Term of Office of Members ..................................... 193
Officers and Staff of the Commission .......................... 193
Functions and Powers of the Commission ........................ 193
Powers Relating to Enquiries .................................. 194
STATE ADMINISTRATION ........................................... 196
THE GOVERNOR ................................................. 196
Appointment of the Governor ................................... 196
Selection of Type of Persons as Governor ...................... 196
Term ......................................................... 197
Transfer of the Governor ...................................... 197
Emoluments ................................................... 197
Immunities ................................................... 197
Power of the Governor......................................... 198
Position of the Governor ...................................... 200
Position of the Governor After 1967 ........................... 202
THE CHIEF MINISTER ............................................. 204
Appointment of the Chief Minister ............................. 204
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : Indian Polity
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 8
Powers and Functions.......................................... 204
Allocation of Portfolios ...................................... 204
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS.......................................... 206
Chief Secretary .............................................. 207
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS/DIRECTORATES ............................ 209
ADVOCATE GENERAL OF THE STATE .................................. 211
Appointment and term.......................................... 211
Duties and functions.......................................... 211
CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS ......................................... 212
Legislative relations......................................... 212
Administrative relations ...................................... 214
Financial relations .......................................... 217
STATE INFORMATION COMMISSION ................................... 218
Composition .................................................. 219
Tenure and service conditions ................................. 219
Powers and functions.......................................... 219
STATE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ................................ 220
Composition .................................................. 221
Removal ...................................................... 221
Independence ................................................. 222
Functions .................................................... 222
Joint state public service commission ......................... 223
SPECIAL STATUS OF JAMMU & KASHMIR .............................. 224
Features Of J&K Constitution .................................. 224
Panchayati Raj ................................................. 226
The Concept Of Panchayati Raj ................................. 226
G.V.K. Rao Committee (1985) ................................. 227
L.M.Singhvi Committee (1986) ................................ 227
THE CONSTITUTION (SEVENTY-THIRD AMENDMENT) ACT, 1992 .......... 227
Urban Local Government ......................................... 235
The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 ................... 235
Table of Contents
Right To Information Act 2005 ................................................................................................... 2
Overview Of The Rti Act 2005 ................................................................................................. 2
How The Rti Act Has Helped : Success Stories ....................................................................... 6
Issues In Implementation Of The Rti Act 2005 ....................................................................... 7
Large Pendency Of Cases Before Information Commissions................................................ 7
Who Is Eligible To Seek Information? ..................................................................................... 8
Rights Conferred On Citizens Under The Act .......................................................................... 8
Process For Making A Request For Information And Appeal ................................................. 10
Obligations Of Public Authorities Under The Act .................................................................. 12
Maintenance Of Records ....................................................................................................... 13
Procedure To Be Followed By Pio For Disposal Of Request For Information ......................... 14
Fee For Seeking Information................................................................................................. 14
Time Limit For Supply Of Information .................................................................................. 17
Table Summarizes The Time Limit For Disposal Of Applications In Different Situations: ..... 17
Third Party Information ........................................................................................................ 18
Cyber Laws In India ................................................................................................................. 19
Governing Laws .................................................................................................................... 19
Scope And Applicability ........................................................................................................ 19
The Major Acts, Which Got Amended After Enactment Of Ita ............................................... 20
Consumer Protection And National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ..................... 22
Confonet Project ................................................................................................................... 23
Consumer Rights .................................................................................................................. 23
Department Of Consumer Affairs ......................................................................................... 24
Bureau Of Indian Standards ................................................................................................ 24
Bis Hallmark ........................................................................................................................ 25
Isi Mark ................................................................................................................................ 25
Exports And Import Laws ........................................................................................................ 26
Competition Protection Laws.................................................................................................... 31
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 1
Table Of Contents
General Science, Mathematics, And Technology……………………………………………………………… 32
What Is The Difference Between Science And Technology? ..................................................................... 26
How Does An Independent Variable Differ From A Dependent Variable? ................................................. 26
What Is High Technology Or High Tech? ................................................................................................ 26
What Is Nanotechnology? ....................................................................................................................... 26
How Large Is A Nanometer? ................................................................................................................... 27
What Is The Oldest Continuously Published Scientific Journal? ............................................................. 27
When Was The First Nobel Prize Awarded? ............................................................................................. 27
Who Are The Youngest And Oldest Nobel Laureates In The Areas Of Physics, Chemistry, And Physiology
Or Medicine? ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Are There Any Multiple Nobel Prize Winners? ......................................................................................... 27
Who Was The First Woman To Receive The Nobel Prize? ......................................................................... 28
How Many Women Have Been Awarded The Nobel Prize In Chemistry, Physics, Or Physiology Or
Medicine? .............................................................................................................................................. 28
When Was The First Time Two Women Shared The Nobel Prize In The Same Field? ................................ 28
Is There A Nobel Prize In Mathematics? .................................................................................................. 29
What Is The Turing Award? .................................................................................................................... 29
Numbers ................................................................................................................................................ 30
What Are Roman Numerals? .................................................................................................................. 30
What Are Fibonacci Numbers? ............................................................................................................... 30
What Is A Perfect Number? .................................................................................................................... 30
How Large Is A Googol? .......................................................................................................................... 30
Computers ............................................................................................................................................. 32
What Is An Algorithm? ........................................................................................................................... 32
What Was The Name Of The Personal Computer Introduced By Apple In The Early 1980s? .................... 32
What’s The Difference Between A “Bit” And A “Byte”? ............................................................................. 32
What Is A Silicon Chip? ......................................................................................................................... 32
What Are The Sizes Of Silicon Chips? ..................................................................................................... 33
What Is The Central Processing Unit Of A Computer? ............................................................................ 33
How Is The Speed Of A Cpu Measured? .................................................................................................. 33
What Is The Difference Between Ram And Rom? .................................................................................... 33
What Are Some Newer Forms Of Portable Storage Media? ...................................................................... 33
What Is A Usb Port? ............................................................................................................................... 34
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 2
Is Assembly Language The Same Thing As Machine Language? .............................................................. 34
Who Invented The Cobol Computer Language? ....................................................................................... 35
Which Was The First Widely Used High-Level Programming Language? .................................................. 35
How Did The Linux Operating System Get Its Name? ............................................................................. 35
Open-Source Software (Oss) ................................................................................................................... 35
What Is A Pixel? ..................................................................................................................................... 35
Internet ................................................................................................................................................. 36
What Is The Internet? ............................................................................................................................ 36
Who Coined The Term “Information Superhighway”? .............................................................................. 36
Who Invented The World Wide Web? ...................................................................................................... 36
What Is The Client/Server Principle And How Does It Apply To The Internet? ......................................... 37
What Is A Uniform Resource Locator, Or Url? ........................................................................................ 37
What Are Some Common Top Level Domain (Tld) Suffixes? .................................................................... 37
What Is The Most Popular Search Engine? ............................................................................................. 37
When Was Google Founded? .................................................................................................................. 38
What Is Spam? ...................................................................................................................................... 38
What Is Wi-Fi? ....................................................................................................................................... 38
When Was The Term Web 2.0 First Used? .............................................................................................. 38
What Is Web 2.0? ................................................................................................................................... 38
Web 3.0 ................................................................................................................................................. 39
What Is Inertia? ..................................................................................................................................... 41
What Is Superconductivity? ................................................................................................................... 41
What Are Some Practical Applications Of Superconductivity? ................................................................. 41
What Is String Theory? .......................................................................................................................... 41
What Is The Role Of Friction In Striking A Match?.................................................................................. 42
What Is Friction? ................................................................................................................................... 42
Why Is A Lubricant, Such As Oil, Often Used To Counter The Force Of Friction? .................................... 42
Why Do Golf Balls Have Dimples? .......................................................................................................... 42
Does Water Running Down A Drain Rotate In A Different Direction In The Northern Versus The Southern
Hemisphere? .......................................................................................................................................... 42
What Is The Speed Of Light? .................................................................................................................. 43
What Are The Primary Colors In Light? .................................................................................................. 43
How Do Polarized Sunglasses Reduce Glare? ......................................................................................... 43
Why Does The Color Of Clothing Appear Different In Sunlight Than It Does In A Store Under Fluorescent
Light? .................................................................................................................................................... 43
What Is The Difference Between Special And General Relativity? ............................................................ 43
How Do Sound Waves Differ From Light Waves? .................................................................................... 44
Does Sound Travel Faster In Air Or Water? ............................................................................................ 44
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 3
Who Was The First Person To Break The Sound Barrier? ....................................................................... 44
When Is A Sonic Boom Heard? ............................................................................................................... 44
What Is The Doppler Effect? ................................................................................................................... 45
What Is A Decibel? ................................................................................................................................. 45
What Are The Characteristics Of Alpha, Beta, And Gamma Radiation? ................................................... 45
Electricity And Magnetism ..................................................................................................................... 46
How Does An Electromagnet Work? ....................................................................................................... 46
If A Magnetic Bar Is Cut In Two, Will It Yield A North Pole And A South Pole Magnet? ............................ 46
How Do Permanent Magnets Differ From Temporary Magnets? ............................................................... 46
What Materials Are Used To Make The Most Powerful Permanent Magnets? ........................................... 46
Why Is Static Electricity Greater In Winter Than Summer?..................................................................... 46
How Do Dryer Sheets And Hair Conditioner Reduce Or Prevent Static Electricity? .................................. 47
How Did The Electrical Term Ampere Originate? .................................................................................... 47
How Did The Electrical Unit Volt Originate? ........................................................................................... 47
How Did The Electrical Unit Watt Originate? .......................................................................................... 47
What Materials Are The Best And Worst Conductors Of Electricity? ....................................................... 47
How Do Lead-Acid Batteries Work? ........................................................................................................ 48
Matter ................................................................................................................................................... 48
What Is An Atom? .................................................................................................................................. 48
Who Is Generally Regarded As The Discoverer Of The Electron, The Proton, And The Neutron? .............. 48
What Is A Chemical Bond? ..................................................................................................................... 48
What Are The Major Types Of Bonds? .................................................................................................... 48
When Was The First Atomic Theory Proposed? ....................................................................................... 49
Who Proposed The Modern Theory Of The Atom? ................................................................................... 49
Who Invented The Cyclotron?................................................................................................................. 49
What Is The Fourth State Of Matter?...................................................................................................... 49
What Is The Difference Between Nuclear Fission And Nuclear Fusion? ................................................... 50
How Did The Quark Get Its Name?......................................................................................................... 50
What Are Subatomic Particles? .............................................................................................................. 50
Why Is Liquid Water Denser Than Ice? ................................................................................................... 51
What Substance, Other Than Water, Is Less Dense As A Solid Than As A Liquid? .................................. 51
Chemical Elements ................................................................................................................................ 51
Who Are Some Of The Founders Of Modern Chemistry? ......................................................................... 51
Who Developed The Periodic Table? ....................................................................................................... 51
What Are The Alkali Metals? .................................................................................................................. 52
What Are The Alkaline Earth Metals? ..................................................................................................... 53
What Are The Transition Elements? ....................................................................................................... 53
What Are The Transuranic Chemical Elements And The Names For Elements 102 To 109? .................... 53
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 4
Which Are The Only Two Elements In The Periodic Table Named After Women? ..................................... 54
Which Elements Are The “Noble Metals”? ............................................................................................... 54
What Distinguishes Gold And Silver As Elements? ................................................................................. 54
What Is Harkin’s Rule? .......................................................................................................................... 55
What Are Some Chemical Elements Whose Symbols Are Not Derived From Their English Names? .......... 55
Which Elements Are Liquid At Room Temperature? ................................................................................ 55
Which Chemical Elements Are The Most Abundant On Earth? ............................................................... 55
Why Are The Rare Gases And Rare Earth Elements Called “Rare”? ......................................................... 55
What Is An Isotope? ............................................................................................................................... 56
Which Elements Have The Most Isotopes? .............................................................................................. 56
What Is Heavy Water? ............................................................................................................................ 56
What Does Half-Life Mean? .................................................................................................................... 56
Which Elements Have The Highest And Lowest Boiling Points? .............................................................. 56
Which Element Has The Highest Density? .............................................................................................. 57
What Is The Density Of Air? ................................................................................................................... 57
Which Elements Are The Hardest And Softest?....................................................................................... 57
What Are Isomers? ................................................................................................................................. 57
What Are The Gas Laws? ....................................................................................................................... 58
What Is A Lewis Acid? ............................................................................................................................ 58
Alloys List .............................................................................................................................................. 58
What Is The Kelvin Temperature Scale? ................................................................................................. 66
How Are Celsius Temperatures Converted Into Fahrenheit Temperatures? ............................................. 66
How Is “Absolute Zero” Defined? ............................................................................................................ 67
Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold? .............................................................................................. 67
What Is Stp? .......................................................................................................................................... 67
What Is The Ph Scale? ........................................................................................................................... 67
What Is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance? ................................................................................................... 68
What Is A Mole In Chemistry? ................................................................................................................ 68
Astronomy And Space ............................................................................................................................ 69
What Was The Big Bang? ....................................................................................................................... 69
What Is The Big Crunch Theory?............................................................................................................ 69
How Old Is The Universe? ...................................................................................................................... 69
How Old Is The Solar System? ............................................................................................................... 69
What Are Quasars? ................................................................................................................................ 70
Stars ..................................................................................................................................................... 70
What Is A Supernova? ............................................................................................................................ 70
What Are The Four Types Of Nebulae? ................................................................................................... 70
Why Do Stars Twinkle? .......................................................................................................................... 71
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 5
What Is A Binary Star? .......................................................................................................................... 71
What Is A Black Hole?............................................................................................................................ 71
What Is A Pulsar? .................................................................................................................................. 71
What Is The Most Massive Star? ............................................................................................................ 72
Which Stars Are The Brightest? ............................................................................................................. 72
What Is The Milky Way? ......................................................................................................................... 72
What Is The Big Dipper? ........................................................................................................................ 72
Where Is The North Star? ....................................................................................................................... 73
Which Star Is The Closest To Earth? ...................................................................................................... 73
What Is The Ecliptic? ............................................................................................................................. 73
Why Does The Color Of The Sun Vary? .................................................................................................. 73
How Long Does It Take Light From The Sun To Reach Earth? ................................................................ 73
How Long Is A Solar Cycle? .................................................................................................................... 73
What Is A Solar Flare? ........................................................................................................................... 74
What Is The Sunspot Cycle?................................................................................................................... 74
What Is Solar Wind? .............................................................................................................................. 74
When Do Solar Eclipses Happen? .......................................................................................................... 74
Planets And Moons ................................................................................................................................ 75
How Far Are The Planets From The Sun? ............................................................................................... 75
Which Are The Hottest And Coldest Planets? .......................................................................................... 75
Which Planets Have Rings? .................................................................................................................... 76
What Are The Colors Of The Planets? ..................................................................................................... 77
What Is The Gravitational Force On Each Of The Planets, The Moon, And The Sun Relative To Earth? ... 77
Which Planets Are Visible To The Naked Eye? ........................................................................................ 77
Which Planets Are Called “Inferior” Planets And Which Are “Superior” Planets? ...................................... 77
Is A Day The Same On All The Planets? .................................................................................................. 78
What Are The Jovian And Terrestrial Planets? ........................................................................................ 78
What Is Unique About The Rotation Of The Planet Venus? ..................................................................... 78
Is It True That The Rotation Speed Of Earth Varies? .............................................................................. 78
Is Earth Closer To The Sun In Winter Than In Summer In The Northern Hemisphere? ........................... 79
What Is The Precession Of The Equinoxes? ............................................................................................ 79
How Many Dwarf Planets Are In The Solar System? ............................................................................... 79
What Is A Small Solar System Body?...................................................................................................... 79
What Are Kuiper Belt Objects? ............................................................................................................... 79
How Far Is The Moon From Earth? ........................................................................................................ 80
How Many Moons Does Each Planet Have? ............................................................................................ 80
What Are The Phases Of The Moon? ....................................................................................................... 80
What Are Moonquakes? ......................................................................................................................... 81
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 6
Why Does The Moon Always Keep The Same Face Toward Earth? .......................................................... 81
What Are The Names Of The Full Moon During Each Month? ................................................................. 81
Is The Moon Really Blue During A Blue Moon? ....................................................................................... 81
Why Do Lunar Eclipses Happen? ........................................................................................................... 82
What Is The Difference Between A Hunter’s Moon And A Harvest Moon? ................................................ 83
What Is The Largest Crater On The Moon? ............................................................................................. 83
What Is The Genesis Rock? .................................................................................................................... 83
Comets And Meteorites .......................................................................................................................... 83
Where Are Asteroids Found? .................................................................................................................. 83
From Where Do Comets Originate? ........................................................................................................ 84
How Does A Meteorite Differ From A Meteoroid? ..................................................................................... 84
When Do Meteor Showers Occur? .......................................................................................................... 84
Observation And Measurement .............................................................................................................. 85
Who Was The First Astronomer Royal? ................................................................................................... 85
What Is A Light Year? ............................................................................................................................ 85
Besides The Light Year, What Other Units Are Used To Measure Distances In Astronomy? ..................... 85
What Are The Differences Between Reflecting And Refracting Telescopes? .............................................. 85
For Whom Is The Hubble Space Telescope Named? ................................................................................ 86
Exploration ............................................................................................................................................ 86
What Is The Difference Between Zero-Gravity And Microgravity? ............................................................ 86
What Is Meant By The Phrase “Greening Of The Galaxy”?....................................................................... 86
When Was The Outer Space Treaty Signed? ........................................................................................... 86
Who Was The First Man In Space? ......................................................................................................... 87
Who Was The First Woman In Space? .................................................................................................... 87
Who Was The First Space Tourist? ......................................................................................................... 88
What Are The Liquid Fuels Used By The Space Shuttles? ....................................................................... 88
What Was The Cause Of The Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster? ............................................................ 88
What Is The Purpose Of The International Space Station (Iss)? ............................................................... 88
When Was The First Module Of The International Space Station Launched? .......................................... 88
Which Nations Contribute To The International Space Station? .............................................................. 89
What Are The Van Allen Belts? ............................................................................................................... 90
Why Is The Sky Blue? ............................................................................................................................ 90
Physical Characteristics ......................................................................................................................... 90
What Is The Interior Of The Earth Like? ................................................................................................. 90
What Causes Sinkholes? ........................................................................................................................ 91
What Is At The Center Of Earth? ............................................................................................................ 91
How Does The Temperature Of The Earth Change As One Goes Deeper Underground? ........................... 92
What Is The Tallest Mountain? ............................................................................................................... 92
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 7
Which Elements Are Contained In Earth’s Crust? .................................................................................. 92
Water..................................................................................................................................................... 92
Does Ocean Water Circulate? ................................................................................................................. 92
How Much Of Earth’s Surface Is Land And How Much Is Water? ............................................................ 93
If Earth Were A Uniform Sphere, How Much Water Would Cover The Surface? ....................................... 93
If You Melted All The Ice In The World, How High Would The Oceans Rise? ............................................ 93
What Fraction Of An Iceberg Shows Above Water? ................................................................................. 93
What Color Is An Iceberg? ...................................................................................................................... 93
What Is An Aquifer? ............................................................................................................................... 94
What Is The Chemical Composition Of The Ocean? ................................................................................ 94
Why Is The Sea Blue? ............................................................................................................................ 94
What Causes Waves In The Ocean? ........................................................................................................ 94
What Is A Tidal Bore? ............................................................................................................................ 95
What Are Rip Tides And Why Are They So Dangerous? ........................................................................... 95
Where Are The World’s Highest Tides? ................................................................................................... 95
Is There One Numerical Value For Sea Level? ......................................................................................... 95
What Is The Difference Between An Ocean And A Sea? ........................................................................... 95
How Much Salt Is In Brackish Water? .................................................................................................... 96
How Salty Is Seawater? .......................................................................................................................... 96
What Is The Bearing Capacity Of Ice On A Lake? .................................................................................... 96
Where Is The World’s Deepest Lake? ...................................................................................................... 96
Where Are The Five Largest Lakes In The World Located? ....................................................................... 97
What Is A Yazoo? ................................................................................................................................... 97
Which Of The Great Lakes Is The Largest? ............................................................................................. 97
Which Lake Is No Longer One Of The Five Largest Lakes In The World? ................................................. 97
What Are The Longest Rivers In The World? ........................................................................................... 98
What Is The World’s Highest Waterfall? .................................................................................................. 98
Land ...................................................................................................................................................... 98
Are There Tides In The Solid Part Of The Earth As Well As In Its Waters? ............................................... 98
How Much Of Earth’s Surface Is Covered With Ice? ................................................................................ 99
Which Is Purer: Glacier Ice Or Regular Ice? ............................................................................................ 99
How Much Of Earth’s Surface Is Permanently Frozen? ........................................................................... 99
Do Loud Noises Cause Avalanches? ....................................................................................................... 99
Which Are The World’s Largest Deserts? .............................................................................................. 100
What Is Quicksand?............................................................................................................................. 100
How Is Speleothem Defined? ................................................................................................................ 100
What Is A Tufa? ................................................................................................................................... 100
Where Is The Deepest Cave In The World? ............................................................................................ 101
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 8
Where Is The Longest Cave System In The World? ................................................................................ 101
How Does A Stalactite Differ From A Stalagmite? ................................................................................. 101
Volcanoes And Earthquakes ................................................................................................................ 101
How Many Kinds Of Volcanoes Are There? ........................................................................................... 101
Where Is The Circle Of Fire? ................................................................................................................. 102
How Many Different Kinds Of Faults Have Been Identified? .................................................................. 102
Where Is The San Andreas Fault? ........................................................................................................ 102
How Does A Seismograph Work? .......................................................................................................... 102
What Is The Richter Scale? .................................................................................................................. 102
What Is The Modified Mercalli Scale? ................................................................................................... 103
The Modified Mercalli Scale .................................................................................................................. 103
What Is A Tsunami?............................................................................................................................. 104
Where Do Most Tsunamis Occur? ........................................................................................................ 104
Observation And Measurement ............................................................................................................ 105
What Is Magnetic Declination? ............................................................................................................. 105
Which Direction Does A Compass Needle Point At The North Pole? ....................................................... 105
What Are The Major Eras, Periods, And Epochs In Geologic Time? ....................................................... 105
What Is The Prime Meridian? ............................................................................................................... 106
What Is Mercator’s Projection For Maps? .............................................................................................. 106
What Are Landsat Maps? ..................................................................................................................... 107
What Do The 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Maps Represent? ........................................................................ 107
What Is Global Positioning System (Gps) And How Does It Work? ......................................................... 107
Climate And Weather ........................................................................................................................... 108
Which Is Colder—The North Pole Or The South Pole? ........................................................................... 108
What Is A Heat Wave? .......................................................................................................................... 108
What Is The Heat Index? ...................................................................................................................... 108
Why Are The Hot, Humid Days Of Summer Called “Dog Days”? ............................................................ 109
Air Phenomena .................................................................................................................................... 109
What Is A Bishop’s Ring? ..................................................................................................................... 109
When Does The Green Flash Phenomenon Occur? ............................................................................... 109
How Often Does An Aurora Appear? ..................................................................................................... 109
What Is Cloud Seeding? ....................................................................................................................... 109
What Is Lightning? ............................................................................................................................... 110
What Is The Color Of Lightning? .......................................................................................................... 110
How Long Is A Lightning Stroke?.......................................................................................................... 110
Does Lightning Ever Strike Twice In The Same Place? .......................................................................... 111
Why Are Lightning Rods Important? ..................................................................................................... 111
What Is Saint Elmo’s Fire? ................................................................................................................... 111
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 9
What Are Fulgurites? ........................................................................................................................... 111
How Do Rainbows Occur? .................................................................................................................... 111
What Conditions Must Be Met In Order To See A Rainbow? .................................................................. 112
Is There Such A Thing As A Completely Circular Rainbow? .................................................................. 112
What Is The Order Of Colors In A Rainbow? ......................................................................................... 112
Wind .................................................................................................................................................... 112
Where Do Haboobs Occur? .................................................................................................................. 112
What Is The Coriolis Effect? ................................................................................................................. 112
When Was Jet Stream Discovered? ...................................................................................................... 113
What Is A Siberian Express? ................................................................................................................ 113
Why Are The Horse Latitudes Called By That Name? ............................................................................ 113
What Are Halcyon Days? ...................................................................................................................... 113
What Is An Alberta Clipper? ................................................................................................................. 114
What Is A Chinook? ............................................................................................................................. 114
What Is The Beaufort Scale? ................................................................................................................ 114
What Is Meant By The Wind Chill Factor? ............................................................................................ 114
How Does A Cyclone Differ From A Hurricane Or A Tornado? ............................................................... 115
Who Are Storm Chasers? ..................................................................................................................... 115
How Are Hurricanes Classified? ........................................................................................................... 115
Precipitation ........................................................................................................................................ 116
What Is A “White-Out”? ........................................................................................................................ 116
What Is The Dew Point? ....................................................................................................................... 116
What Is The Greatest Amount Of Rainfall Ever Measured? ................................................................... 117
What Is The Difference Between Freezing Rain And Sleet? .................................................................... 117
How Does Snow Form? ........................................................................................................................ 117
Is It Ever Too Cold To Snow? ................................................................................................................ 118
Are All Snowflakes Shaped Alike? ........................................................................................................ 118
When Does Frost Form? ....................................................................................................................... 118
Weather Prediction .............................................................................................................................. 118
What Is The Difference Between Weather And Climate? ........................................................................ 118
Who Prepared The First Weather Map? ................................................................................................ 118
What Is Doppler Radar? ....................................................................................................................... 119
When Did Modern Weather Forecasting Begin? .................................................................................... 119
What Is Barometric Pressure And What Does It Mean?......................................................................... 119
Minerals, Metals, And Other Materials ................................................................................................. 119
What Are The Three Main Groups Of Rocks? ........................................................................................ 119
What Is Petrology And What Does A Petrologist Do? ............................................................................. 120
How Does A Rock Differ From A Mineral? ............................................................................................. 120
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 10
What Is The Mohs Scale? ..................................................................................................................... 120
What Is Pitchblende? ........................................................................................................................... 121
What Is Galena? .................................................................................................................................. 121
What Is Stibnite? ................................................................................................................................. 121
What Are Cape May Diamonds? ........................................................................................................... 121
What Are The Four “C”S Of Diamonds? ................................................................................................ 121
What Is Cubic Zirconium? ................................................................................................................... 121
How Does The Emerald Get Its Color? .................................................................................................. 122
Which Two Gems Contain The Mineral Corundum? ............................................................................. 122
What Is A Tiger’s Eye?.......................................................................................................................... 122
Metals ................................................................................................................................................. 122
What Are The Precious Metals? ............................................................................................................ 122
What Is 24 Karat Gold? ........................................................................................................................ 122
Is White Gold Really Gold? ................................................................................................................... 123
What Is Fool’s Gold? ............................................................................................................................ 123
What Is Sterling Silver? ........................................................................................................................ 123
What Is German Silver? ....................................................................................................................... 123
Which Metal Is The Main Component Of Pewter? ................................................................................. 123
What Is High Speed Steel? ................................................................................................................... 124
What Is Technetium? ........................................................................................................................... 124
Natural Substances ............................................................................................................................. 124
What Is Obsidian? ............................................................................................................................... 124
What Is Red Dog? ................................................................................................................................ 124
What Is Diatomite? .............................................................................................................................. 124
What Is Fly Ash? .................................................................................................................................. 125
In Coal Mining What Is Meant By Damp? ............................................................................................. 125
What Is Fuller’s Earth? ........................................................................................................................ 125
Why Are Essential Oils Called “Essential”? ........................................................................................... 125
What Is Gutta Percha? ......................................................................................................................... 125
What Is Ambergris? ............................................................................................................................. 126
What Are Natural Fibers? ..................................................................................................................... 126
How Is Silk Made? ............................................................................................................................... 126
What Is Cashmere? .............................................................................................................................. 127
Man-Made Products ............................................................................................................................. 127
What Are The Major Distinguishing Characteristics Of Ceramics? ........................................................ 127
What Are Composite Materials? ........................................................................................................... 127
Why Is Styrofoam A Good Insulator? .................................................................................................... 127
How Is Dry Ice Made? .......................................................................................................................... 127
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 11
Why Is Sulfuric Acid Important? .......................................................................................................... 128
What Is Aqua Regia? ............................................................................................................................ 128
Who Developed The Process For Making Ammonia? ............................................................................. 128
What Is Buckminsterfullerene? ............................................................................................................ 128
What Is The Lightest Known Solid? ...................................................................................................... 129
Is Glass A Solid Or A Liquid? ............................................................................................................... 129
What Is Crown Glass? .......................................................................................................................... 130
What Are The Advantages Of Tempered Glass?..................................................................................... 130
How Is Bulletproof Glass Made? ........................................................................................................... 130
What Is The Float Glass Process? ......................................................................................................... 130
What Is Belgian Block? ........................................................................................................................ 130
What Is Solder? ................................................................................................................................... 131
What Is Slag? ....................................................................................................................................... 131
What Is Creosote? ................................................................................................................................ 131
What Is Carbon Black? ........................................................................................................................ 131
What Is The Chemical Used In Watches To Make Them Glow In The Dark? .......................................... 132
How Is Parchment Paper Made? ........................................................................................................... 132
How Is Sandpaper Made? ..................................................................................................................... 132
Why Is Acid-Free Paper Important? ...................................................................................................... 132
Why Is Titanium Dioxide The Most Widely Used White Pigment? .......................................................... 132
When And Where Was Gunpowder Invented? ....................................................................................... 133
How Are Colored Fireworks Made? ....................................................................................................... 133
What Is The Chemical Formula For Tnt? .............................................................................................. 133
Why Can’t Metal Objects Be Placed In A Microwave? ............................................................................ 133
What Are Man-Made Fibers? ................................................................................................................ 133
What Is Kevlar? ................................................................................................................................... 134
Who Invented Teflon?........................................................................................................................... 134
What Type Of High-Technology Material Is Used In Space Vehicles For Its Heat-Resistant Properties? .. 134
Energy ................................................................................................................................................. 135
Why Are Coal, Oil, And Natural Gas Called Fossil Fuels? ..................................................................... 135
How And When Was Coal Formed? ...................................................................................................... 135
What Is Cannel Coal? .......................................................................................................................... 135
What Is A Miner’s Canary? ................................................................................................................... 135
What Is The Process Known As Hydrocarbon Cracking? ....................................................................... 135
Why Was Lead Added To Gasoline And Why Is Lead-Free Gasoline Used In Cars? ................................ 136
What Is A Reformulated Gasoline? ....................................................................................................... 136
What Kinds Of Additives Are In Gasoline And Why? ............................................................................. 136
What Do The Octane Numbers Of Gasoline Mean? ............................................................................... 137
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 12
How Is Gasohol Made? ......................................................................................................................... 137
How Does Ethanol Differ From Gasohol? .............................................................................................. 137
What Are The Main Components Found In Motor Vehicle Exhaust? ..................................................... 137
What Is The Cleanest Fossil Fuel? ........................................................................................................ 137
What Are Synthetic Fuels? ................................................................................................................... 138
What Is Cogeneration? ......................................................................................................................... 138
What Is Biomass Energy? .................................................................................................................... 138
Which Woods Have The Best Heating Quality In A Wood-Burning Stove? ............................................. 139
What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Geothermal Power? ................................................... 139
Nuclear Energy .................................................................................................................................... 139
Which Countries Produce The Most Commercial Nuclear Power?.......................................................... 139
What Actually Happened At Three Mile Island? .................................................................................... 140
What Caused The Chernobyl Accident? ................................................................................................ 140
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster .................................................................................................... 141
What Is Vitrification? ........................................................................................................................... 141
Measures And Measurement ................................................................................................................ 141
What Is The Weight Per Gallon Of Common Fuels? .............................................................................. 141
How Much Does A Barrel Of Oil Weigh? ............................................................................................... 141
How Many Gallons Are In A Barrel Of Oil? ........................................................................................... 141
How Many Gallons Of Gasoline Are In One Barrel Of Oil? ..................................................................... 141
How Do Various Energy Sources Compare? ......................................................................................... 142
What Are The Approximate Heating Values Of Fuels? ........................................................................... 143
What Are The Fuel Equivalents To Produce One Quad Of Energy? ........................................................ 143
How Much Heat Will 100 Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas Provide? .............................................................. 143
How Is A Heating Degree Day Defined? ................................................................................................ 143
What Does The Term Cooling Degree Day Mean?.................................................................................. 144
Consumption And Conservation ........................................................................................................... 144
How Does The Energy Star Program Promote Energy Efficiency? .......................................................... 144
What Are The Advantages Of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Over Incandescent Light Bulbs? .......... 144
Is It More Economical To Run An Automobile With Its Windows Open Rather Than Using Its Air
Conditioner? ........................................................................................................................................ 144
When Is It More Economical To Restart An Automobile Rather Than Let It Idle? ................................... 145
How Much Gasoline Is Wasted By Underinflated Tires? ........................................................................ 145
What Is The Ecological Footprint? ........................................................................................................ 146
What Percentage Of Earth’s Surface Is Forest Area? ............................................................................. 146
What Percentage Of Earth’s Surface Is Tropical Rain Forest? ............................................................... 146
What Is The Largest Rain Forest? ......................................................................................................... 146
What Is The Importance Of The Rain Forest? ....................................................................................... 146
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 13
What Is Limnology? ............................................................................................................................. 146
What Is An Estuary? ............................................................................................................................ 147
What Is Eutrophication? ...................................................................................................................... 147
What Does It Mean When A Lake Is Brown Or Blue? ............................................................................ 147
What Is Red Tide And What Causes It? ................................................................................................ 147
What Are Cyanobacterial Blooms? ....................................................................................................... 147
What Is A Trophic Level? ...................................................................................................................... 148
How Does A Food Chain Function? ...................................................................................................... 148
What Is A Food Web? ........................................................................................................................... 148
Why Do Ecosystems Need Decomposers? ............................................................................................. 148
What Is Air Pollution? .......................................................................................................................... 149
What Are The Health Effects Of The Major Air Pollutants? .................................................................... 149
What Is The Pollutant Standard Index? ................................................................................................ 150
What Are The Greenhouse Gases? ....................................................................................................... 150
What Is The Greenhouse Effect? .......................................................................................................... 150
How Do Chlorofluorocarbons Affect Earth’s Ozone Layer? .................................................................... 151
How Large Is The Antarctic Ozone Hole? .............................................................................................. 151
What Are The Components Of Smog? ................................................................................................... 151
What Is The Kyoto Protocol?................................................................................................................. 152
What Is Acid Rain? .............................................................................................................................. 152
How Acidic Is Acid Rain? ...................................................................................................................... 153
Which Pollutants Lead To Indoor Air Pollution? .................................................................................... 153
Why Is Radon A Health Hazard? .......................................................................................................... 154
How Are Hazardous Waste Materials Classified? .................................................................................. 155
What Chemicals Were Initially Banned By The Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants?
............................................................................................................................................................ 155
What Are Pcbs?.................................................................................................................................... 156
What Are Operation Ranch Hand And Agent Orange? .......................................................................... 156
Green Economy ................................................................................................................................... 157
Planetary Boundaries........................................................................................................................... 157
Iso 14000 ............................................................................................................................................ 158
Iso 9000 .............................................................................................................................................. 158
United Nations Conference On Sustainable Development (Uncsd)......................................................... 158
What Are Brown Fields? ....................................................................................................................... 159
What Are The Sources Of Oil Pollution In The Oceans? ........................................................................ 159
What Do The Numbers Inside The Recycling Symbol On Plastic Containers Mean? ............................... 160
What Is E-Cycling? .............................................................................................................................. 160
Which Parts Of The World Have The Largest Protected Areas? .............................................................. 161
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 14
How Did The Dodo Become Extinct? .................................................................................................... 161
What Is The Difference Between An “Endangered” Species And A “Threatened” Species? ...................... 162
How Is It Determined That A Species Is “Endangered”? ........................................................................ 162
What Is A Dolphin-Safe Tuna? ............................................................................................................. 162
Cells .................................................................................................................................................... 164
What Is The Origin Of The Term “Cell”? ................................................................................................ 164
What Are The Differences Between Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Cells?.................................................. 164
What Groups Of Organisms Have Prokaryotic Cells And Which Ones Have Eukaryotic Cells? ............... 164
What Are Organelles? .......................................................................................................................... 165
What Are The Largest And Smallest Organelles In A Cell? .................................................................... 165
What Cell Structures Are Unique To Plant Cells And Which Ones Are Unique To Animal Cells? ............ 165
What Are The Major Components Of The Eukaryotic Cell? ................................................................... 165
How Do The Cells Of Bacteria, Plants, And Animals Compare To Each Other? ...................................... 166
What Is The Major Function Of The Nucleus? ...................................................................................... 167
When Was The Nucleus First Described? ............................................................................................. 167
Do All Cells Have A Nucleus? ............................................................................................................... 167
How Thick Is The Plasma Membrane? .................................................................................................. 167
What Are The Main Components Of The Plasma Membrane? ................................................................ 167
What Are The Main Functions Of The Plasma Membrane?.................................................................... 167
What Are Stem Cells And What Are Some Potential Uses Of Such Cells? .............................................. 167
What Is Mitosis And What Are The Stages Of This Process? .................................................................. 168
What Is Cell Cloning And How Is It Used In Scientific Research? .......................................................... 168
Viruses, Bacteria, Protists, And Fungi .................................................................................................. 168
What Is The Average Size Of A Virus? ................................................................................................... 168
Do Viruses Contain Both Dna And Rna? .............................................................................................. 169
What Is The Difference Between A Virus And A Retrovirus? .................................................................. 169
What Is A Bacteriophage? .................................................................................................................... 169
What Is The Difference Between A Virus And A Viroid? ........................................................................ 169
Who First Used The Term “Prion”? ....................................................................................................... 170
How Do Prions Work And What Diseases Have Been Linked To Prions? ................................................ 170
What Is The Difference Between A Plasmid And A Prion? ...................................................................... 170
When Were Bacteria Discovered? ......................................................................................................... 170
How Many Groups Are Identified In The Domain Bacteria?................................................................... 170
What Are Archaebacteria? .................................................................................................................... 171
What Is The Most Abundant Group Of Organisms? .............................................................................. 171
How Did The Discovery Of Bacteria Impact The Theory Of Spontaneous Generation? ........................... 171
Which Criteria Were Used To Form What Is Referred To As The Classical Approach Of Bacterial
Taxonomy? .......................................................................................................................................... 172
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 15
What Period Of Time Has Come To Be Known As The Golden Age Of Microbiology? .............................. 172
What Are The Main Components Of A Bacterial Cell? ........................................................................... 173
How Do Viruses Compare To Bacteria? ................................................................................................ 174
How Many Genes Are In A Typical Bacterial Cell? ................................................................................. 174
Do Bacteria All Have The Same Shape? ................................................................................................ 174
How Do Bacteria Reproduce? ............................................................................................................... 174
How Quickly Do Bacteria Reproduce? .................................................................................................. 174
Where Are Bacteria Found? ................................................................................................................. 175
Are Any Bacteria Visible To The Naked Eye? ........................................................................................ 175
What Are Koch’s Postulates? ................................................................................................................ 175
How Dangerous Is Clostridium Botulinum? ......................................................................................... 175
How Are Bacteria Cultured? ................................................................................................................. 176
Who First Proposed The Kingdom Protista? .......................................................................................... 176
What Are The Characteristics Of The Protists? ..................................................................................... 176
What Are The Major Groups Of Organisms In The Kingdom Protista? ................................................... 176
Which Protist Is An Indicator Of Polluted Water? .................................................................................. 177
What Slime Mold Serves As A Model Organism In Developmental Biology? ........................................... 177
What Characteristics Do All Fungi Share? ............................................................................................ 177
What Organisms Are Included In The Kingdom Fungi? ......................................................................... 177
Where Are Fungi Found? ..................................................................................................................... 178
Since Fungi Lack Chlorophyll Necessary To Produce Their Own Food How Do They Obtain Food? ........ 178
How Many Kinds Of Mushrooms Are Edible?........................................................................................ 178
What Is Unusual About Amanita Mushrooms? ..................................................................................... 178
What Antidote Is Available For Mushroom Poisoning? .......................................................................... 178
What Are Truffles? ............................................................................................................................... 178
What Do Truffles Look Like? ................................................................................................................ 179
What Are Lichens? ............................................................................................................................... 179
What Is The Relationship Between Lichens And Pollution? ................................................................... 179
What Is The Role Of Yeast In Beer Production? .................................................................................... 180
Is The Same Strain Of Yeast Used To Make Lager Beers And Ales? ....................................................... 180
What Cheeses Are Associated With Fungi? ........................................................................................... 180
Dna, Rna, And Chromosomes .............................................................................................................. 181
What Is Dna? ....................................................................................................................................... 181
What Are The Component Molecules Of Dna? ...................................................................................... 181
How Is A Dna Molecule Held Together? ................................................................................................ 181
What Are The Nitrogenous Bases Of Dna? ............................................................................................ 181
What Term Was Originally Used For Dna? ........................................................................................... 182
What Is The Law Of Complementary Base Pairing?............................................................................... 182
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 16
How Is Dna Unzipped? ......................................................................................................................... 182
What Is Needed For Dna Replication? .................................................................................................. 182
Is Dna Always Copied Exactly? ............................................................................................................ 182
What Is A Mutation? ............................................................................................................................ 182
How Fast Is Dna Copied? ..................................................................................................................... 183
What Is Polymerase Chain Reaction? ................................................................................................... 183
How Is Dna Organized In The Nucleus?................................................................................................ 183
Is All Dna Found In The Nucleus? ........................................................................................................ 183
How Much Dna Is In A Typical Human Cell? ........................................................................................ 183
What Is The Difference Between Dna And Rna? .................................................................................... 184
When Was Rna Discovered? ................................................................................................................. 184
Where Is Rna Formed? ......................................................................................................................... 184
How Many Types Of Rna Are Found In Eukaryotic Cells? ..................................................................... 184
How Are Chromosomes Assembled? ..................................................................................................... 184
When Were Chromosomes First Observed? .......................................................................................... 185
Which Organism Has The Largest Number Of Chromosomes? .............................................................. 185
How Many Chromosomes Are In A Human Body Cell? .......................................................................... 185
What Are The Components Of A Gene? ................................................................................................ 185
What Is The Average Size Of A Gene? ................................................................................................... 185
What Is The Difference Between A Gene And A Chromosome? .............................................................. 185
How Are Genes Controlled? .................................................................................................................. 186
Do Both Sides Of Dna Contain Genes? ................................................................................................. 186
What Is The P53 Gene? ........................................................................................................................ 186
How Can The Entire Genome Fit Into The Nucleus Of A Cell? ............................................................... 186
Genetics And Evolution ........................................................................................................................ 186
Who Is Generally Known As The Founder Of Genetics? ........................................................................ 186
What Is A Pedigree? ............................................................................................................................. 187
What Is Meant By The Modern Era Of Genetics? .................................................................................. 187
What Was The Human Genome Project (Hgp), And What Were Its Goals? ............................................. 187
What Is A Genome? ............................................................................................................................. 187
How Are Genes Physically Found In A Specific Genome? ...................................................................... 188
What Is Genetic Engineering? .............................................................................................................. 188
What Was The First Commercial Use Of Genetic Engineering? ............................................................. 189
What Are Some Examples Of Genetic Engineering In Animals And Microbes? ....................................... 189
What Was The First Animal To Be Successfully Cloned?....................................................................... 190
What Was The First Mammal To Be Successfully Cloned? .................................................................... 190
What Is Evolution? .............................................................................................................................. 190
What Is Lamarckian Evolution? ........................................................................................................... 190
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 17
Who Was Charles Darwin? ................................................................................................................... 191
What Were The Beagle Voyages? .......................................................................................................... 191
What Is The Significance Of Darwin’s Finches? .................................................................................... 191
Who Was Alfred Russel Wallace? .......................................................................................................... 191
Who Coined The Phrase “Survival Of The Fittest”? ............................................................................... 191
Why Is Evolution A Theory? ................................................................................................................. 192
What Is Müllerian Mimicry? ................................................................................................................. 192
What Is Batesian Mimicry? .................................................................................................................. 192
What Is The Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis? ............................................................................................ 192
Who Verified The Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis? .................................................................................... 192
What Is The Red Queen Hypothesis? .................................................................................................... 193
Classification, Laboratory Tools, And Techniques ................................................................................. 193
Who Devised One Of The Earliest Systems For Animal And Plant Classification? .................................. 193
What Is The Difference Between A Domain And A Kingdom? ................................................................ 193
What Is Cell Culture? ........................................................................................................................... 193
How Does An In Vivo Study Differ From An In Vitro Study? .................................................................. 193
What Distinguishes The Different Types Of Microscopes? ..................................................................... 194
Who Invented The Compound Microscope? .......................................................................................... 194
Who Invented The Electron Microscope? .............................................................................................. 194
Which Radioisotope Is Most Commonly Used For Biological Specimens? .............................................. 194
What Is Electrophoresis? ..................................................................................................................... 195
How Has Centrifugation Been Used In Biological Applications? ............................................................ 195
What Are The Uses For Chromatography? ............................................................................................ 195
How Is Chromatography Used To Identify Individual Compounds? ....................................................... 195
What Is Spectroscopy? ......................................................................................................................... 196
What Is Bioinformatics? ....................................................................................................................... 196
What Are The Major Subdivisions Of Botany? ...................................................................................... 197
Who Is Known As The Founder Of Botany? .......................................................................................... 197
What Contributions Did John And William Bartram Make To Botany? ................................................. 198
Which Plants Have Been Used To Create Dyes? .................................................................................... 198
What Plants Are Commonly Used In The Perfume Industry? ................................................................. 198
What Parts Of Plants Are Used For Spices? .......................................................................................... 199
What Are Some Common Culinary Herbs? ........................................................................................... 199
What Plants Produce Essential Oils That Are Commonly Used In Aromatherapy? ................................. 200
When Was The First Plant Patent Issued? ............................................................................................ 200
Plant Diversity ..................................................................................................................................... 200
What Are The Four Major Groups Of Plants? ........................................................................................ 200
What Are Bryophytes And Where Are They Found? .............................................................................. 201
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 18
Why Are Mosses Important?................................................................................................................. 201
How Can Bryophytes Be Used As Bio Indicators? ................................................................................. 201
What Are The Uses Of Peat Moss? ........................................................................................................ 201
What Are The Four Groups Of Seedless, Vascular Plants? .................................................................... 201
What Are Gymnosperms And Which Plants Are Included In This Group? ............................................. 202
What Are Some Economically Important Angiosperms? ........................................................................ 202
Among Angiosperms What Is The Most Important Family? ................................................................... 202
What Is A Weed? .................................................................................................................................. 202
How Do Hardwoods Differ From Softwoods? ......................................................................................... 203
Plant Structure And Function .............................................................................................................. 203
What Are The Major Parts Of Vascular Plants? ..................................................................................... 203
Is There A Relationship Between The Size Of The Root System And The Size Of The Shoot System?...... 203
What Are The Specialized Cells In Plants? ............................................................................................ 203
What Conditions Are Necessary For Seed Germination? ....................................................................... 204
What Is A Seed? ................................................................................................................................... 204
What Are The Functions Of Stems? ...................................................................................................... 204
What Are The Parts Of A Leaf And The Major Functions Of Leaves? ...................................................... 205
Why Do Tree Leaves Change Color In The Fall? .................................................................................... 205
How Does Water Move Up A Tree? ........................................................................................................ 205
What Are The Functions Of The Root System? ..................................................................................... 205
How Deep Does The Root System Penetrate The Soil?........................................................................... 206
What Are Effective Types Of Pollination? .............................................................................................. 206
What Is Tropism? ................................................................................................................................. 206
What Are The Major Classes Of Plant Hormones? ................................................................................. 207
What Are The Parts Of A Flower? ......................................................................................................... 209
What Is Meant By An “Imperfect” Flower? ............................................................................................ 209
What Flowers Are Designated As Symbolic Of Each Month Of The Year? .............................................. 209
What Are The Symbolic Meanings Of Flowers, Herbs, And Other Plants? .............................................. 209
What Are Carnivorous Plants? ............................................................................................................. 210
What Plants Can Be Used To Determine Blood Type? ........................................................................... 210
What Is Wormwood? ............................................................................................................................ 210
What Is Locoweed? .............................................................................................................................. 211
What Are The Distinguishing Characteristics Of Pine, Spruce, And Fir Trees? ...................................... 212
What Is The Composition Of Synthetic Soil? ......................................................................................... 213
What Are The Macronutrients And Micronutrients Of Plants?............................................................... 213
What Is The Function Of Various Plant Nutrients? ............................................................................... 213
What Do The Numbers On A Bag Of Fertilizer Indicate? ....................................................................... 214
What Does “Ph” Mean When Applied To Soil? ....................................................................................... 214
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 19
What Is The Best Soil Ph For Growing Plants? ...................................................................................... 214
What Is Hydroponics? .......................................................................................................................... 214
What Is Ikebana? ................................................................................................................................. 215
What Is The Secret Of Bonsai, The Japanese Art Of Growing Dwarf Trees? ........................................... 215
What Is Meant By Xeriscaping? ............................................................................................................ 215
Who Is The “Father Of Zoology”? .......................................................................................................... 216
Who Is The “Father Of Modern Zoology”? ............................................................................................. 216
What Is The Largest Invertebrate? ........................................................................................................ 216
How Are Animals Classified? ................................................................................................................ 216
Animal Characteristics And Activities ................................................................................................... 216
What Is The Difference Between An Invertebrate And A Vertebrate? ..................................................... 216
What Invertebrate Lives In Both Marine And Freshwaters And Is One Of The Most Important Of All
Animals? ............................................................................................................................................. 217
What Are The Major Characteristics Of All Chordates? ......................................................................... 217
What Are The Three Major Groups Of Chordates? ................................................................................ 217
What Are The Major Features Shown By All Vertebrates? ..................................................................... 217
What Group Of Animals Was The First To Make A Partial Transition From Water To Land? .................. 218
What Are The Largest And Smallest Vertebrates? ................................................................................. 218
What Is The Largest Group Of Vertebrates?.......................................................................................... 218
Besides Humans, Which Animals Are The Most Intelligent?.................................................................. 219
Do Animals Have Color Vision? ............................................................................................................ 219
What Is The Frequency That Separates Animal Hearing From Human? ................................................ 219
What Is The Basic Composition Of A Sponge? ...................................................................................... 221
What Are The Most Common Tapeworm Infections In Humans? ........................................................... 221
In What Ways Are Earthworms Beneficial? ........................................................................................... 221
What Are The Major Groups Of Mollusks? ............................................................................................ 222
How Are Pearls Created? ...................................................................................................................... 222
Which Mollusks Produce The Most Cultured Pearls? ............................................................................ 222
Why Are Arthropods Considered The Most Biologically Successful Phylum Of Animals? ....................... 223
Do Male Mosquitoes Bite Humans? ...................................................................................................... 223
Which Is Stronger—Steel Or The Silk From A Spider’s Web? ................................................................ 223
What Is The Largest Group Of Insects That Has Been Identified And Classified? ................................... 223
How Does A Butterfly Differ From A Moth? ........................................................................................... 223
What Are Chondrichthyes? .................................................................................................................. 224
How Many Kinds Of Sharks Are There And How Many Are Dangerous? ................................................ 224
What Is A Mermaid’s Purse? ................................................................................................................ 224
How Far From Shore Do Shark Attacks Occur? .................................................................................... 224
Is The Whale Shark A Mammal Or A Fish? ........................................................................................... 224
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 20
What General Characteristics Do All Fishes Have In Common? ............................................................ 225
How Is The Age Of A Fish Determined? ................................................................................................ 225
What Does The Word “Amphibian” Mean? ............................................................................................ 225
What Are The Major Groups Of Amphibians? ....................................................................................... 225
What Is The Fastest Snake On Land? ................................................................................................... 225
Do All Birds Fly? .................................................................................................................................. 226
How Fast Do Birds Fly? ....................................................................................................................... 226
Why Do Birds Migrate Annually? ......................................................................................................... 226
Which Bird Migrates The Greatest Distance?........................................................................................ 226
What Is Unusual About The Way The Emperor Penguin’s Eggs Are Incubated? .................................... 226
Which Birds Lay The Largest And Smallest Eggs? ................................................................................ 227
Why Don’t Birds Get Electrocuted When They Sit On Wires? ................................................................ 227
What Names Are Used For Groups Or Companies Of Mammals? .......................................................... 228
Do Any Mammals Fly? ......................................................................................................................... 228
What Are Some Animals That Have Pouches?....................................................................................... 229
Do Camels Store Water In Their Humps? ............................................................................................. 229
What Is The Difference Between An African Elephant And An Indian Elephant? ................................... 229
Why Do Cows Have Four Stomachs? .................................................................................................... 230
Which Scientific Disciplines Study The Human Body? .......................................................................... 231
What Were Aristotle’s Contributions To Anatomy? ................................................................................ 231
Who Is Considered The Founder Of Physiology? ................................................................................... 231
Who Coined The Term Homeostasis?.................................................................................................... 231
Which Chemicals Constitute The Human Body?................................................................................... 231
What Is The Average Life Span Of Cells In The Human Body?............................................................... 232
What Percent Of Human Body Weight Is Water?................................................................................... 232
Tissues, Organs, And Glands ............................................................................................................... 233
What Are The Levels Of Structural Organization In Vertebrate Animals, Including Humans? ................ 233
What Are The Four Major Types Of Tissue? .......................................................................................... 233
What Is The Matrix In Blood? ............................................................................................................... 234
What Is The Hardest Substance In The Body? ...................................................................................... 234
What Are The Three Types Of Muscle Tissue? ...................................................................................... 234
What Type Of Cell Is Found In Nerve Tissue? ....................................................................................... 234
What Is The Largest Nerve In The Body? .............................................................................................. 234
How Many Different Types Of Neurons Are Found In Nerve Tissue? ...................................................... 234
What Is The Size And Location Of The Heart? ....................................................................................... 234
What Is The Largest Organ In The Human Body? ................................................................................. 235
Are Both Of The Lungs Identical? ......................................................................................................... 235
What Are The Major Divisions Of The Brain? ........................................................................................ 235
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 21
What Regulates Body Temperature In Humans? .................................................................................. 235
What Is An Organ System? .................................................................................................................. 236
What Is A Gland? ................................................................................................................................. 236
Which Gland Is The Largest? ............................................................................................................... 237
How Many Sweat Glands Are Present In The Body? .............................................................................. 237
What Are The Seven Endocrine Glands?............................................................................................... 237
Bones And Muscles .............................................................................................................................. 237
How Many Bones Are In The Human Body? ......................................................................................... 237
What Are The Major Divisions Of The Human Skeleton?....................................................................... 238
What Is The Smallest Bone In The Body? ............................................................................................. 238
How Does Exercise Affect Bone Tissue? ................................................................................................ 238
What Are The Functions Of The Muscular System? .............................................................................. 238
How Many Muscles Are In The Human Body? ...................................................................................... 239
Which Are The Largest And Smallest Muscles In The Human Body? ..................................................... 239
What Is The Longest Muscle In The Human Body? ............................................................................... 239
What Are The Hamstring Muscles? ...................................................................................................... 239
Which Muscle Is The Most Variable Among Humans? .......................................................................... 239
How Many Muscles Does It Take To Produce A Smile And A Frown? ..................................................... 239
Why Does Excessive Exercise Cause Muscles To Become Stiff And Sore?.............................................. 240
Skin, Hair, And Nails ........................................................................................................................... 240
What Organs Are Included In The Integumentary System? ................................................................... 240
What Is The Purpose Of Goose Bumps? ............................................................................................... 241
What Are The Various Layers Of The Skin? .......................................................................................... 241
What Is Dermatoglyphics? ................................................................................................................... 241
Who First Used Fingerprints As A Means Of Identification? .................................................................. 241
Do Identical Twins Have The Same Fingerprints? ................................................................................. 241
Why Does Hair Turn Gray As Part Of The Aging Process? ..................................................................... 241
Blood And Circulation .......................................................................................................................... 242
What Are The Functions Of The Circulatory System? ........................................................................... 242
What Is The Difference Between The Cardiovascular System And The Circulatory System? .................. 242
Which Structures And Organs Constitute The Cardiovascular System? ................................................ 242
How Hard Does The Heart Work? ......................................................................................................... 242
Does Your Heart Stop Beating When You Sneeze? ................................................................................ 243
What Are The Functions Of Blood? ...................................................................................................... 243
What Is The Normal Ph Of Blood? ........................................................................................................ 244
What Is The Amount Of Carbon Dioxide Found In Normal Blood? ........................................................ 244
How Much Blood Does The Average-Sized Adult Human Have? ............................................................ 244
Why Is Blood Sticky? ........................................................................................................................... 244
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 22
What Is The Largest Artery In The Human Body? ................................................................................. 244
What Is The Largest Vein In The Human Body? .................................................................................... 244
Why Does Blood In The Veins Look Blue? ............................................................................................ 244
How Big Are Capillaries? ...................................................................................................................... 245
Who Discovered The Abo System Of Typing Blood? .............................................................................. 245
What Are The Preferred And Permissible Blood Types For Transfusions? .............................................. 245
Which Blood Type Is The Universal Donor And Which Is The Universal Recipient? ............................... 245
What Is The Rh Factor? ....................................................................................................................... 245
How Often Can A Person Donate Blood? .............................................................................................. 245
What Are The Blood Group Combinations That Can Normally Be Used To Prove That A Man Is Not The
Father Of A Particular Child? ............................................................................................................... 246
What Are The Primary Functions Of The Lymphatic System? ............................................................... 246
Which Blood Type Is The Rarest? ......................................................................................................... 246
What Are The Functions Of The Spleen? .............................................................................................. 246
How Do T Cells Differ From B Lymphocytes? ........................................................................................ 247
How Much Lymph Is In The Body? ....................................................................................................... 248
How Does The Immune System Work? ................................................................................................. 248
What Is The Composition Of Lymph? ................................................................................................... 248
What Is The Route The Fluid Travels In The Body? ............................................................................... 248
What Are The Major Functions Of The Respiratory System? ................................................................. 248
What Are The Two Types Of Cells Found In The Peripheral Nervous System? ....................................... 250
How Do Neurons Transmit Information To Other Neurons? .................................................................. 250
Where Is The Spinal Cord Located? ...................................................................................................... 250
How Many Types Of Sensory Receptors Have Been Identified? .............................................................. 250
Which Organ Is Most Sensitive To Touch, Temperature, And Pain? ...................................................... 250
Are Certain Areas Of The Tongue Associated With A Particular Taste Sensation?.................................. 250
What Two Functions Are Performed By The Ear?.................................................................................. 251
What Are The Major Parts Of The Ear? ................................................................................................. 251
What Are The Three Bones In The Middle Ear? ..................................................................................... 251
What Is Sound And What Unit Measures It? ........................................................................................ 251
What Are Some Common Levels Of Sound And How Do They Affect Hearing? ....................................... 252
Where Are The Organs Of Equilibrium Located? ................................................................................... 253
What Are The Parts Of The Eye And Their Functions? .......................................................................... 253
What Determines Eye Color? ................................................................................................................ 255
What Is The Difference In The Functions Of The Rods And Cones Found In The Eyes? ......................... 255
What Is Nearsightedness? .................................................................................................................... 255
What Is Farsightedness? ...................................................................................................................... 255
What Does It Mean To Have 20/20 Vision? .......................................................................................... 255
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 23
What Are The Similarities And Differences Between The Nervous System And The Endocrine System? . 256
What Are The Organs Of The Endocrine System? ................................................................................. 256
What Are Hormones? ........................................................................................................................... 256
Which Endocrine Glands Produce Which Hormones? ........................................................................... 256
What Are Endorphins? ......................................................................................................................... 257
Digestion ............................................................................................................................................. 257
What Are The Steps In The Digestive Process?...................................................................................... 257
What Are The Major Organs Of The Digestive System? ......................................................................... 258
What Was The Likely Purpose Of The Human Appendix?...................................................................... 258
What Is The Purpose Of Primary Teeth? ............................................................................................... 259
What Is The Role Of The Small Intestine In Nutrient Processing? .......................................................... 260
What Are The Major Parts Of The Urinary System? .............................................................................. 260
What Is Urea And Where Is It Produced? .............................................................................................. 260
How Much Fluid Do The Kidneys Remove From The Blood? ................................................................. 260
Health And Medicine ............................................................................................................................ 260
What Is The Composition Of Cigarette Smoke? ..................................................................................... 260
What Is The Effect Of Radiation On Humans? ...................................................................................... 260
How Much Radiation Does The Average Dental X Ray Emit? ................................................................ 261
How Does The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Epa) Classify Carcinogens? ............................... 261
How Is Body Mass Index (Bmi) Calculated? .......................................................................................... 262
What Is “Good” And “Bad” Cholesterol? ................................................................................................ 267
Diseases, Disorders, And Other Health Problems ................................................................................. 267
What Is The Difference Between Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) And Aids? ................................ 267
What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Aids? ....................................................................................... 267
How Is The Term Zoonosis Defined? ..................................................................................................... 268
What Is Meant By Vectors In Medicine? ............................................................................................... 268
Which Species Of Mosquito Causes Malaria And Yellow Fever In Humans? .......................................... 268
What Is “Mad Cow Disease” And How Does It Affect Humans? .............................................................. 268
How Is Lyme Disease Carried? ............................................................................................................. 268
Why Is Legionnaire’s Disease Known By That Name? ........................................................................... 269
Which Name Is Now Used As A Synonym For Leprosy?......................................................................... 269
How Many Types Of Herpes Virus Are There? ....................................................................................... 269
How Are Warts Caused? ....................................................................................................................... 270
What Is The Difference Between Type I And Type Ii Diabetes? .............................................................. 270
What Causes A Stomach Ulcer? ........................................................................................................... 270
How Serious Is Osteoporosis? .............................................................................................................. 270
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? ....................................................................................................... 271
Which Is The Most Common Type Of Arthritis? .................................................................................... 271
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 24
How Does Tennis Elbow Differ From Golfer’s Elbow? ............................................................................ 271
What Are The Symptoms Of Guillain-Barré Syndrome? ........................................................................ 271
How Serious Is Bell’s Palsy? ................................................................................................................. 272
What Is Lou Gehrig’s Disease? ............................................................................................................. 272
What Are The Causes Of Epilepsy? ...................................................................................................... 272
What Is A Concussion? ........................................................................................................................ 272
What Are The Two Forms Of Stroke? .................................................................................................... 273
What Are Two Of The Most Common Forms Of Dementia? ................................................................... 273
What Are The Seven Warning Signs Of Alzheimer’s Disease? ................................................................ 274
What Is Meningitis? ............................................................................................................................. 274
What Is Presbycusis? ........................................................................................................................... 274
How Does Jet Lag Affect One’s Body? ................................................................................................... 275
What Is The “Christmas Factor”? ......................................................................................................... 275
What Is The Medical Term For A Heart Attack? .................................................................................... 275
How Are The Forms Of Cancer Classified? ............................................................................................ 275
What Are Dust Mites? .......................................................................................................................... 275
What Is Dyslexia And What Causes It? ................................................................................................. 276
What Are Vitamins And Minerals? ........................................................................................................ 276
Which Foods Contain Trans Fats?........................................................................................................ 277
What Is Lactose Intolerance? ............................................................................................................... 277
What Is Anorexia? ................................................................................................................................ 277
What Is Progeria? ................................................................................................................................. 278
What Is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease? .................................................................................................. 278
Health Care ......................................................................................................................................... 278
Which Symbol Is Used To Represent Medicine? .................................................................................... 278
Who Is Generally Regarded As The Father Of Medicine? ....................................................................... 279
What Is The Hippocratic Oath? ............................................................................................................ 279
Who Was The Founder Of Modern Medicine? ....................................................................................... 279
What Is The Difference Between Osteopathic Medicine, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, And Chiropractic
Medicine? ............................................................................................................................................ 280
What Are The Different Domains Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine? ................................... 280
What Are Some Examples Of Bio-Field Therapies? ............................................................................... 280
What Is Reflexology? ............................................................................................................................ 281
What Is Aromatherapy? ....................................................................................................................... 281
What Is The Difference Between An Ophthalmologist, Optometrist, And Optician? ............................... 281
Diagnostic Equipment, Tests, And Techniques ..................................................................................... 281
How Is Blood Pressure Measured? ....................................................................................................... 281
What Is The Meaning Of The Numbers In A Blood Pressure Reading? ................................................... 282
CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS : General Science
© ALTIUS ACADEMY Page 25
Is There A Name For The Heart-Monitoring Machine That People Sometimes Wear For A Day Or Two While
Carrying On Their Normal Activities? ................................................................................................... 282
What Are The Normal Test Ranges For Total Cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoproteins (Ldl), And High-
Density Lipoproteins (Hdl)? .................................................................................................................. 282
Who Invented The Pacemaker?............................................................................................................. 282
What Are X Rays? ................................................................................................................................ 283
What Is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging? .................................................................................... 283
What Is Ultrasound? ............................................................................................................................ 283
What Is The Instrument A Doctor Uses To Check Reflexes? .................................................................. 284
How Are Cat Or Ct Scans Used To Study The Human Body? ................................................................ 284
When Were Hearing Aids Invented? ...................................................................................................... 284
Drugs And Medicines ........................................................................................................................... 284
What Is Pharmacognosy? ..................................................................................................................... 284
Why Do Physicians Use The Symbol Rx When They Write Their Prescriptions? ..................................... 285
What Is A Controlled Substance? ......................................................................................................... 285
Surgery And Other Treatments ............................................................................................................ 285
How Does Minimally Invasive Surgery Differ From Traditional, Major, Open Surgery? .......................... 285
How Does A Cardiac Pacemaker Differ From An Implantable Defibrillator? ........................................... 286
Who Was The First Test-Tube Baby? .................................................................................................... 286
What Is Lithotripsy?............................................................................................................................. 286