Advent of Europeans
History
The bank links European expansion with both Company rule and the transition to constitutional government. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498; Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510; the English Company was chartered in 1600. Plassey (1757) opened British political control in Bengal, and the Government of India Act 1858 transferred Company rule to the Crown.
- Coromandel bases: Dutch—Pulicat, Danish—Tranquebar (1620), French—Pondicherry; the English built Fort St George at Madras.
- The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), ending the First Carnatic War, restored Madras to the English.
- Puli Thevar was a Palayakkarar who resisted the British East India Company; Sher Shah improved the Sonargaon-to-Indus route later called the Grand Trunk Road.
- The Cabinet Mission proposed a three-tier federation: Union, provincial groups and provinces; the Union handled defence, foreign affairs and communications.
- The Constituent Assembly met first on 9 December 1946 and completed drafting on 26 November 1949: 2 years, 11 months and 18 days over 11 sessions.
Agriculture & food security
Economy
Food security requires availability, access, affordability and proper use. FCI procurement, warehouses and buffer stocks stabilise grain supply and support subsidised PDS distribution; CACP recommends MSP to limit distress sales. The Green Revolution raised wheat and rice output through HYV seeds, irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides and credit.
- Early Green Revolution gains centred on wheat in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh; HYVs need suitable inputs for high yields.
- PMFBY (2016) insures crops against natural calamities, pests and disease; employment programmes strengthen income access to food.
- Yellow Revolution targeted edible oilseeds such as mustard, sunflower and soybean; crop rotation preserves fertility and breaks pest cycles.
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation was incorporated as a Government of India enterprise in 1956.
Amendments to the Constitution
Polity
Article 368's special majority means a majority of each House's total membership plus two-thirds present and voting; specified federal changes also need ratification by at least half the states. The bank emphasises amendments that changed rights, duties, voting, education, local government and indirect taxation.
- 42nd (1976): 'Mini Constitution' and Fundamental Duties; 44th: Right to Property moved to Article 300A, leaving six Fundamental Rights.
- 52nd inserted anti-defection Tenth Schedule; 61st lowered voting age to 18; 86th inserted Article 21A for ages 6–14.
- 73rd constitutionalised Panchayats and the Eleventh Schedule; 101st created GST through Articles 246A, 269A and 279A.
- An Article 352 Emergency proclamation needs parliamentary special-majority approval within one month.
Analogy & classification
Reasoning
First state the exact relationship in the model pair, then apply the same relationship in the same direction. For classification, identify the single property shared by most items—category, primality, geometry or function—and choose the exception; do not rely on vague resemblance.
- Tested analogies include young one (cat–kitten), creator–work (author–book), organ–sense, worn-on and workplace relations.
- For number analogy, try a direct operation such as squaring: 8→64 therefore 9→81.
- Odd-one-out checks used prime versus composite, fruit versus vegetable/flower, and straight-sided polygon versus circle.
Banking, RBI & monetary policy
Economy
RBI began work on 1 April 1935, was nationalised in 1949, and serves as India's central bank and the government's banker, agent and debt manager. Monetary policy changes money, credit and liquidity through repo/reverse repo, bank rate, CRR, SLR and market operations; tighter rates or reserves usually restrain lending and inflation.
- Repo is RBI lending against government securities; reverse repo is RBI borrowing from banks; bank rate is longer-term central-bank lending without collateral.
- CRR is cash held with RBI; SLR is liquid assets such as cash, gold and unencumbered government securities.
- The 2016 RBI Act amendment established MPC under flexible inflation targeting: CPI Combined at 4% ±2%.
- Fourteen major banks were nationalised in 1969; SEBI became statutory in 1992; a share represents ownership in a company.
Basic concepts & National Income
Economy
GDP values final output produced within domestic territory; value added prevents counting intermediate goods twice. GDP at market prices equals GDP at factor cost plus net indirect taxes, and depreciation converts gross measures to net. NNP at factor cost is National Income, while per-capita income divides National Income by population.
- Transfer payments such as pensions and scholarships are excluded because they pay for no current production; depreciation covers wear, age and obsolescence.
- Primary activities directly use nature: agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining; potential GDP is sustainable full-employment output without inflation.
- HDI combines longevity, education and GNI per head; Gini ranges from 0 (equality) to 1 (maximum inequality).
- The Environmental Kuznets Curve proposes an inverted-U: degradation first rises with income, then may fall after a threshold.
Bhakti & Sufi movements
History
South Indian Bhakti centred on personal devotion: 63 Shaiva Nayanmars and 12 Vaishnava Alvars, including the woman poet Andal. Kabir taught nirgun devotion to a formless divine and opposed caste and empty ritual. Chishti Sufis stressed love, charity, service and openness to ordinary people; sama meant devotional listening, often with music.
- Alvars worshipped Vishnu; Andal's devotional poetry is Vaishnava, while the Nayanmars were Shaiva saints.
- Adi Shankara expounded Advaita; Ramanuja taught Vishishtadvaita or qualified non-dualism.
- Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's famous centre is at Ajmer; Chishti practice included charitable service and sama gatherings.
- Tukaram composed Marathi Abhangs in the Varkari devotional tradition.
- Akbar's Din-i-Ilahi (1582) was a syncretic spiritual order connected with sulh-i-kul, not a replacement mass religion.
Biology — cell, human body, plants
Science
The cell is life's structural and functional unit; the nucleus controls activity and heredity, mitochondria release usable energy and chloroplast chlorophyll carries out photosynthesis. Human somatic cells have 46 chromosomes. In plants, xylem carries water and minerals, phloem carries leaf-made food, and stomata regulate gases and transpiration.
- Pancreatic insulin lowers blood glucose; nephron is the kidney unit; Landsteiner discovered ABO blood groups.
- Producers make food by photosynthesis and release oxygen; C4 plants concentrate CO₂ and suppress photorespiration.
- DNA profiles are individual except in identical twins; mRNA vaccines give cells instructions to make an antigenic viral protein.
- Remote sensing observes Earth's surface from afar; the Anthropocene denotes dominant human impact; cloud seeding can use silver iodide.
Blood relations
Reasoning
Draw a tiny family tree, mark gender only when stated, and move one generation per parent–child link. Resolve possessives from the speaker outward: 'my grandfather's only son' is the speaker's father, while 'my mother's only daughter' can be the female speaker herself. Translate coded symbols before joining links.
- Siblings share a parent: father of one sibling is father of the other; two parent links upward give grandfather.
- For A+B as father and B−C as mother, A is C's grandfather; avoid changing a person's stated gender.
- Some bank items mixed into this topic use total rank = top + bottom −1, weekday remainder mod 7, simple series and analogies; solve each by its own rule.
Budget, taxation & fiscal policy
Economy
Fiscal policy uses taxation, expenditure and borrowing. Fiscal deficit is total expenditure minus revenue receipts and non-debt capital receipts—the borrowing need; revenue deficit is revenue expenditure minus revenue receipts. Revenue spending normally creates no asset, while capital spending creates assets or reduces liabilities.
- Direct-tax impact and incidence fall on the same person; progressive rates rise with income. GST is a destination-based indirect tax on supply and subsumed many central and state levies.
- Capital receipts include borrowings and loan recovery; borrowings create liabilities. Subsidies lower selected producer or consumer costs.
- Zero-based budgeting justifies every expense afresh; disinvestment sells government equity in PSUs; the Laffer Curve proposes a revenue-maximising intermediate tax rate.
- Article 280 provides for the Finance Commission; ancillary units supply parts or services to larger firms; deflation is a sustained general price fall.
Centre-State relations & federalism
Polity
The Seventh Schedule distributes subjects among Union, State and Concurrent Lists. Both levels legislate on Concurrent matters, but Union law normally prevails on conflict under Article 254; residuary subjects belong to Parliament. State matters include police, public order and local government.
- Article 263 provides for an Inter-State Council; the President constitutes a Finance Commission every five years or earlier.
- Under Article 200 a Governor may assent, withhold, return a non-Money Bill, or reserve it for the President.
- TNPSC group categories derive from Tamil Nadu service rules and government orders, not a separate constitutional schedule.
Chemistry — elements, acids & bases, metals
Science
Atomic number counts protons. Acids have pH below 7 and turn blue litmus red; alkalis are soluble bases, and acid plus base gives neutralisation. Water is H₂O. Brass is copper–zinc, bronze copper–tin; mercury is liquid, graphite conducts, chromium plates metal, and sodium reacts vigorously with air and water.
- Rust needs oxygen and moisture; sulphur and nitrogen oxides cause acid rain; common greenhouse gases include CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour.
- Eutrophication comes from nitrate/phosphate enrichment; persistent toxins rise through food chains by biomagnification; Montreal Protocol protects ozone.
- Polymers are repeating-unit chains; detergents have water-loving and oil-loving ends; salt lowers freezing point and raises boiling point.
- Tested applications: limestone is calcium carbonate; rocket propellants include liquid hydrogen/oxygen; ORS treats diarrhoeal dehydration.
Cholas, Cheras & Pandyas
History
The Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas were the Muvendar, the three crowned rulers of ancient Tamilakam. Rajaraja I completed the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur in 1010, while Rajendra I founded Gangaikonda Cholapuram and projected Chola naval power against Srivijaya in 1025. Chola rule is also remembered for bronze Nataraja icons and organised village assemblies.
- Uttiramerur inscriptions from Parantaka I's reign explain the Kudavolai selection system for Chola village assemblies.
- The Nataraja bronze depicts Shiva as cosmic Lord of Dance and is a celebrated Chola art form.
- Madurai was the Pandya capital; Cheran Senguttuvan is linked in tradition with the Kannagi or Pattini cult.
- The Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram belongs to Pallava patronage, especially Narasimhavarman II, not to the Cholas.
- Velu Nachiyar was the queen of Sivaganga who mounted armed resistance to the British.
Climate & monsoon
Geography
Summer heating creates low pressure over north-west India and draws moisture-bearing south-west winds from the Indian Ocean; the onset reaches Kerala first. Mountains force air upward, cooling it into orographic rain, while descending leeward air creates rain shadow. Wind-direction reversal is the defining monsoon feature.
- Positive Indian Ocean Dipole—warmer west than east—usually strengthens Indian summer rain; Rajasthan stays dry because Aravallis run parallel to the winds.
- Western Ghats give heavy rain to Kerala/Karnataka and a semi-arid leeward interior; the hot dry loo affects north-west India.
- Retreating/north-east monsoon collects Bay moisture and rains on Tamil Nadu's Coromandel Coast, often with Bay cyclones.
- Nor'westers are pre-monsoon storms of Bengal, Assam and nearby eastern India.
Clocks & calendars
Reasoning
At an exact hour, each adjacent clock mark is 30°, so 3:00 gives 90° and 6:00 gives 180°. In 12 hours the hands coincide 11 times and form right angles 22 times; double these for a full day. Calendar shifts reduce the number of elapsed days modulo 7.
- An ordinary 365-day year has one odd day because 365 leaves remainder 1 on division by 7.
- For 'after N days', use N mod 7: 61→5 and Monday+5→Saturday; 17→3 and Monday+3→Thursday.
- At non-exact times use |30h−5.5m| and take the smaller angle if needed.
Coding-decoding
Reasoning
Most TNPSC coding questions are letter shifts: compare one code letter with its original, count the jump, and verify on a second pair before applying it to the whole word. CAT->DBU, MADRAS->NBESBT and FRIEND->GSJFOE are all +1 shifts (so DOG->EPH, DELHI->EFMIJ, MOTHER->NPUIFS), while PAPER->OZODQ shifts one step BACK (PENCIL->ODMBHK). If shifting fails, test reversal (BOOK->KOOB, so WORD->DROW) and number codes — positional values A=1...Z=26 (CAB = 3+1+2 = 6) or a sequence/letter-count rule.
- Work the offset from ONE pair, confirm on a second: H->I, E->F, A->B, D->E turns HEAD into IFBE — one uniform +1 shift.
- Shifts run backward too: PAPER->OZODQ is -1, so PENCIL codes to ODMBHK; always fix the direction before answering.
- Non-shift patterns, in the order to try them: whole-word reversal (WORD->DROW), A=1...Z=26 positional sums (sum of CAB = 6), then arbitrary sequences ('cat'=3, 'dog'=4, 'fish'=5 makes 'bird'=6).
Comprehension
General English
Answer from the passage, not from outside knowledge. For a direct question, locate the repeated noun and copy its stated fact; for purpose, follow signals such as 'so that'; for vocabulary, replace the word with the option that preserves the sentence. Contrast markers such as 'although' connect opposing ideas.
- Banyan details: aerial roots form extra trunks, the canopy shelters birds/animals, and villagers gather beneath it.
- Farmer details: Ramu rose before dawn, grew paddy, and 'toil' means hard work.
- A sapling is a young tree; the library stayed late for revision; museum visitors were asked to maintain silence.
Constitutional & statutory bodies
Polity
Classify bodies by source. Constitutional examples include Election Commission (Article 324), CAG (148), Finance Commission (280), UPSC and State PSCs (315), and Attorney General (76). NHRC and Lokpal/Lokayuktas are statutory. The Census is run by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner under the Home Ministry.
- CAG is appointed by the President; Union reports go through the President to Parliament and state reports through Governors to legislatures.
- UPSC recruits and advises on Union services; State PSCs do the same for state services; TNPSC rests on Article 315.
- RTI Act dates to 2005 and Section 8 lists exemptions; NHRC was created by the Protection of Human Rights Act.
- Gram Sabha means all registered village voters; Article 24 bars under-14 work in factories, mines and hazardous occupations.
Data sufficiency
Reasoning
Data sufficiency asks whether the question can be answered uniquely, not whether you can calculate extra information. Test Statement I alone, reset, test II alone, then combine only if neither settles the question. A statement can be sufficient even when the answer to a yes/no question is 'no'.
- Length alone or breadth alone cannot give rectangle area; together they can. A relative age plus the other person's age is likewise a two-statement case.
- Divisible by 4 alone proves even; 2x=12 alone fixes x; a=b+5 alone fixes which is greater.
- Divisibility by 6 needs both divisibility by 2 and by 3; reject irrelevant statements after sufficiency is established.
Delhi Sultanate & Mughals
History
Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded Delhi's Mamluk dynasty, and Iltutmish introduced the silver tanka. Alauddin Khalji used price and market controls to support a large cash-paid army; Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted the capital to Daulatabad. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi with effective artillery at Panipat in 1526, founding Mughal rule.
- Akbar introduced the Mansabdari ranking and military-obligation system; Raja Todar Mal organised land measurement and revenue assessment.
- Farrukhsiyar's 1717 farman granted the English Company major Bengal trading privileges; Shah Jahan built Delhi's Red Fort in Shahjahanabad.
- Mughal levels included Suba—Sipahsalar, Sarkar—Faujdar and Pargana—Shiqdar; Bakhshi was not a village head. Haque-i-Sharb was an irrigation tax.
- Harihara I and Bukka I founded Vijayanagara in 1336; it reached its zenith under Krishnadevaraya, author of Amuktamalyada.
- Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur composed Kitab-i-Nauras.
Direction sense
Reasoning
Fix north on paper and update facing after every turn: clockwise moves N→E→S→W, anticlockwise reverses it. Plot each walk as a vector; cancel opposite legs and use Pythagoras for perpendicular displacement. Morning sun is east, so the shadow falls west.
- A 3-east, 4-north displacement is 5 by the 3–4–5 triangle; 5 north, 3 east, 5 south ends 3 km east.
- Row formulas mixed into this topic: people between seats a,b = |a−b|−1; total = left rank + right rank −1.
- Right rank = total−left rank+1; a vertical mirror reverses left and right, so simplified b becomes d.
Directive Principles & Fundamental Duties
Polity
Directive Principles occupy Part IV, Articles 36–51, were inspired by Ireland and guide the State without direct court enforcement. Article 44 seeks a Uniform Civil Code and Article 40 asks the State to organise village panchayats. Fundamental Duties in Article 51A were inspired by the former USSR and inserted on Swaran Singh Committee advice.
- Article 51A(b): cherish the freedom struggle's noble ideals; 51A(g): protect forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife and the environment.
- Developing scientific temper, humanism and inquiry is itself a Fundamental Duty.
- A DPSP is a constitutional direction to government but cannot be enforced directly against Parliament in court.
Disaster management
Geography
Disaster risk reduction combines prevention, preparedness, warning, evacuation and safer land use. Earthquake shaking is measured on the Richter scale; during shaking, drop, cover and hold beneath sturdy furniture. Undersea earthquakes or disturbances may generate tsunamis, while drought is prolonged water shortage.
- For cyclones, monitor official warnings, prepare supplies and evacuate before landfall when instructed.
- For fire or immediate danger, raise an alarm and move to safety; do not delay for belongings.
- Early-warning systems and restrictions on risky floodplain construction reduce exposure before a hazard becomes disaster.
Dravidian & Self-Respect movement
History
E.V. Ramasamy Periyar launched the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 to build a rational, casteless and gender-equal society and affirm Dravidian/Tamil identity against Brahminical dominance. It promoted Self-Respect marriages without priestly ritual or caste control. The Justice Party represented non-Brahmin interests in the Madras Presidency.
- The South Indian Liberal Federation, popularly the Justice Party, was founded in 1916.
- Under Periyar, the Justice Party was reorganised and renamed Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944.
- Core aims were rationalism, caste equality, women's rights and opposition to social hierarchy.
- Periyar's sequence in the tested chronology: joined Congress, became Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, joined the Vaikom struggle, then headed the Justice Party.
- Self-Respect marriages deliberately reduced dependence on Brahmin priests and caste-bound ritual.
Elections & Election Commission
Polity
Article 324 gives the Election Commission control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, President and Vice-President. Universal adult franchise depends on adult age and citizenship, not property, education, caste, religion or wealth; the electoral roll is the constituency's official list of eligible voters.
- Sukumar Sen was the first Chief Election Commissioner and supervised the 1951–52 general election.
- A by-election fills a premature vacancy; the Model Code governs parties and candidates during campaigns.
- Simultaneous elections means synchronising Lok Sabha and all state Assembly polls; a State Advocate General is appointed by the Governor.
Environment & biodiversity
Science
Biodiversity operates at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. An endemic species occurs naturally only in a restricted region; a hotspot combines exceptional endemic richness with severe habitat loss. India's tested hotspots include the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas, and in-situ conservation protects organisms within natural habitats.
- Paris Agreement seeks warming well below 2°C and efforts toward 1.5°C; the bank attributes observed modern warming unequivocally to human activity.
- Net zero balances greenhouse-gas emissions with equivalent removals; water vapour is also a greenhouse gas.
- A food web shows interlinked feeding relations; biodegradable material can be decomposed by microbes; extinct means no living member remains.
- Namami Gange, launched in 2014, targets river conservation and pollution abatement.
Environment & ecology
Geography
An ecosystem joins organisms with their physical environment; the biosphere is Earth's life-supporting zone. Producers such as plants and phytoplankton convert light to food, consumers transfer energy, and decomposers return nutrients from dead matter. Biodiversity includes ecosystem, species and genetic variety.
- An estuary forms where river water meets the sea; Gulf of Mannar is rich in coral reefs, seagrasses and dugongs.
- A biodiversity hotspot has both high species richness and endemism under threat.
- Afforestation increases tree cover and checks erosion; waste hierarchy is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Error identification
General English
Check agreement, comparison and paired conjunctions. 'One/each of the + plural noun' takes a singular verb: one of the boys is; each boy has. News is grammatically singular. Use prefer X to Y and senior to—not 'than'. Use either though/although or but, not both together.
- Say 'my cousin', not the redundant Indian-English form 'cousin brother'.
- Correct patterns: each of the boys has; she is senior to her cousin; I prefer tea to coffee.
- Read the whole sentence before selecting the faulty segment because the correction may depend on its paired word.
Everyday applications of science
Science
Everyday devices apply heat, electricity and optics: a thermos limits conduction and convection; poor conductors make safe utensil handles; solids expand on heating; salt raises water's boiling point. A dentist's concave mirror gives a virtual enlarged image when the tooth lies within the focal length.
- A fuse melts when current is excessive; earthing gives fault current a low-resistance path—normally below about 2 Ω—to prevent shock.
- Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda; an electric heater converts electrical energy into heat.
- The thermosphere is the high atmospheric layer associated with ionised gases and auroral activity.
Fundamental Rights
Polity
Equality rights span Articles 14–18: equality before law, non-discrimination, opportunity, abolition of untouchability and titles. Article 19 freedoms belong to citizens and speech under 19(1)(a) supports access to information; Article 21 protects life and liberty. Article 32 lets a person seek Supreme Court remedies for Fundamental Rights.
- Habeas corpus tests detention; prohibition stops a lower court exceeding jurisdiction. High Courts under Article 226 can also protect other legal rights.
- Article 23 prohibits trafficking, begar and forced labour; Article 24 bars under-14 hazardous employment.
- RTE Section 12(1)(c) reserves 25% entry-level seats in unaided private schools for EWS/disadvantaged children.
- Article 143 concerns presidential reference for Supreme Court advice; Article 315 concerns Public Service Commissions.
Geography of Tamil Nadu
Geography
Tamil Nadu lies wholly south of the Tropic of Cancer on India's Bay of Bengal side. The Nilgiri block joins Western and Eastern Ghats: Doddabetta is its tested high point and Ooty its hill station; Anamudi lies in Kerala. The Palk Strait separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka.
- Kaveri enters Tamil Nadu from Karnataka; Tamiraparani serves Tirunelveli and Papanasam Dam stands on it.
- Pichavaram and Muthupet are tidal salt-tolerant mangroves; Gulf of Mannar is noted for coral and marine biodiversity.
- Neyveli is the lignite centre; Cauvery offshore basins hold natural gas; Tamil Nadu Day in the bank is 18 July.
- Tamil Nadu abolished its Legislative Council in 1986.
Grammar
General English
Choose grammar from function and time. Use an before a vowel sound ('an honest officer'), since with a starting point, past perfect for the earlier of two past actions, and past continuous for an action underway when another occurred. Active object becomes passive subject with the correct be-form and past participle.
- Let us… takes 'shall we?'; 'neither of' takes singular is; but marks contrast.
- Patterns: She gave me a pen = S-V-IO-DO; They elected him President = S-V-O-C.
- Enjoy takes a gerund ('enjoy swimming'); slowly is an adverb; highest is superlative; reported 'I am tired' becomes 'he was tired'.
Idioms & proverbs
General English
Treat idioms as fixed figurative units, not word-by-word phrases. Use the sentence or proverb's overall lesson: rarity, secrecy, social ease, delayed benefit, timely prevention or moral conduct. Match a Tamil proverb to an English one by shared meaning rather than literal vocabulary.
- Once in a blue moon = very rarely; spill the beans / let the cat out of the bag = reveal a secret.
- Break the ice = begin interaction in an awkward setting; blessing in disguise = an apparent bad event that proves beneficial.
- A stitch in time saves nine; face is the index of the mind; honesty is the wisest policy.
Indian National Movement
History
Track the movement through organisations, turning points and methods: A.O. Hume helped found the INC in Bombay in 1885; Moderates used petitions and constitutional agitation, while the 1907 Surat session split them from Tilak's Extremists. Curzon's 1905 Bengal partition sparked Swadeshi; Home Rule followed in 1916, mass Gandhian movements from 1920, and partition under the Mountbatten Plan in 1947.
- Lucknow Pact (1916): Congress–Muslim League agreement; Lahore Congress (1929): Purna Swaraj and 26 January 1930 as Independence Day; Lahore/Pakistan Resolution: 23 March 1940.
- Gandhi stopped Non-Cooperation after Chauri Chaura (1922); Civil Disobedience began with the Dandi Salt March (1930); Quit India followed the Cripps Mission's failure (1942).
- Poona Pact (1932) was between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar; Tebhaga demanded a two-thirds crop share for Bengal sharecroppers.
- Dadabhai Naoroji explained the drain in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India; Sir Syed led the Aligarh Movement; Ghadar arose among expatriates in North America.
- The Simon Commission was boycotted because it had no Indian member; Lord Wavell was Viceroy when the Constituent Assembly first met; Tilak popularised 'Swaraj is my birthright'.
Indian art, architecture & culture
History
Buddhist architecture includes the relic-centred stupa, chaitya prayer hall and painted or sculpted cave complex. Sanchi is a major stupa site and Ajanta is known for Buddhist paintings, sculpture and monasteries. Gandhara joined Buddhist subjects with Greco-Roman forms, while Amaravati flourished in the lower Krishna valley of Andhra.
- Pallava patronage produced Mamallapuram's rock-cut rathas and Shore Temple.
- A gopuram is the monumental gateway tower characteristic of Dravidian temple architecture.
- The Treaty of Salbai (1782) ended the First Anglo-Maratha War and restored the earlier balance.
- Tested intellectual chain: Socrates taught Plato, Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle tutored Alexander.
- Distinguish schools by region and influence: Gandhara—Greco-Roman; Amaravati—Deccan/Andhra.
Indus Valley Civilisation
History
Harappan civilisation combined large planned cities with smaller rural settlements; not every site was urban. Mohenjo-daro shows grid streets, covered drainage and the Great Bath. Standardised burnt bricks were common, copper and bronze were known but iron was not, and the still-undeciphered script appears on steatite seals and Dholavira's large signboard.
- Mohenjo-daro: Great Bath and sophisticated covered urban drainage.
- Lothal in Gujarat: brick-lined dockyard demonstrating maritime trade.
- Kalibangan in Rajasthan: furrow marks interpreted as a ploughed field.
- Dholavira: rock-cut reservoirs, channels and a gateway inscription showing advanced water management and script use.
- Harappan seals were commonly steatite with animal motifs and script signs; the script remains undeciphered.
Industries
Geography
Industrial location reflects raw material, energy, labour, transport and markets. Iron and steel is mineral-based and needs bulky iron inputs; sugar is agro-based, uses sugarcane and must process it quickly because sucrose falls after harvest. IT belongs to the service or tertiary sector.
- Tamil Nadu associations: Coimbatore—textiles; Sivakasi—fireworks, matches and printing.
- Mumbai is a major cotton-textile centre; iron is the key raw material for steel.
- For a location question, identify whether the industry follows perishable/bulky inputs, transport routes, market or skilled services.
Industry & MSME
Economy
Industry converts raw material into finished goods, adds value and creates non-farm work. MSMEs spread entrepreneurship and employment with relatively little capital; cottage units typically use local or family labour and traditional skills. Industrial estates assist small firms with shared land, roads, power and services.
- SIDBI finances and develops MSMEs; under the tested composite limit, a micro enterprise has investment up to ₹1 crore and turnover up to ₹5 crore.
- TIDCO co-promotes large and medium Tamil Nadu projects through equity; public enterprises are government owned or controlled.
- Tamil Nadu clusters: Tiruppur—knitwear, Sivakasi—printing/fireworks/matches, Coimbatore—textiles and related engineering.
- FDI brings long-term ownership and management participation; FPI is passive securities investment without control; the first Industrial Policy Resolution was 1948.
Inflation
Economy
Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level, so a fixed amount of money buys less. Demand-pull inflation occurs when aggregate demand exceeds available supply; cost-push inflation follows higher wages, fuel or other inputs. CPI measures the household retail basket, and price-index numbers compare price levels over time.
- Stagflation combines high inflation with stagnant or negative growth and high unemployment.
- The short-run Phillips Curve proposes an inverse inflation–unemployment relationship.
- Deflation is a sustained decline—not merely a slower rise—in the general price level.
- Classify a cause before choosing the label: excess spending is demand-pull; increased production cost is cost-push.
International trade & organisations
Economy
Balance of trade is merchandise exports minus merchandise imports; imports exceeding exports create a trade deficit. The current account is broader, adding services, income and current transfers such as remittances. Exports earn foreign exchange, while an exchange rate states one currency's price in another.
- WTO began in 1995 as GATT's successor; its MFN rule extends a trade advantage granted to one member to all members.
- IMF promotes monetary cooperation, assists balance-of-payments problems and created SDRs in 1969 as reserve assets.
- FDI is long-term real investment with management influence; FII/FPI buys financial securities without control and is more mobile.
- In the tested bank, the United States is India's largest single-country merchandise export destination.
Judiciary & Supreme Court
Polity
The Supreme Court began on 26 January 1950 under Article 124. Judicial review tests legislative and executive action against the Constitution; Article 32 enforces Fundamental Rights, Article 226 empowers High Court writs, and Supreme Court original jurisdiction covers Union–State disputes. PIL broadens access for public causes and disadvantaged groups.
- Kesavananda Bharati (1973) held that amendment cannot destroy the Constitution's basic structure.
- The 2015 NJAC ruling protected judicial independence as basic structure; constitutional morality also figured in Navtej Singh Johar.
- A Supreme Court judge is removed by the President after Parliament passes the required special-majority motion.
- Concurrent subjects admit Union and State laws; Article 248 vests residuary legislation in Parliament.
Local Self-Government & Panchayati Raj
Polity
Article 40 directs village self-government. The 73rd Amendment added Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule, giving Panchayats constitutional status, elections, reservations and scope for devolution; the 74th did the same for municipalities. Gram Sabha is the assembly of every voter registered in the village Panchayat area.
- Balwant Rai Mehta Committee recommended the three tiers: village, block/intermediate and district.
- Eleventh Schedule lists 29 possible Panchayat subjects; Twelfth Schedule lists 18 municipal functions.
- Distinguish institutions: Gram Sabha is the voters' direct forum; Panchayat and municipality are rural and urban local bodies.
Making of the Constitution
Polity
The Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946 with Sachchidananda Sinha as temporary chairman; Rajendra Prasad became permanent President. Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution, B.N. Rau served as Constitutional Adviser, and B.R. Ambedkar chaired the seven-member Drafting Committee.
- The Assembly took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days and adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949.
- Members signed on 24 January 1950; the Constitution commenced on 26 January 1950.
- Keep roles separate: Sinha—temporary chair, Prasad—Assembly President, Rau—adviser, Ambedkar—Drafting Committee.
Mauryan & Gupta Empires
History
Mauryan evidence includes Kautilya's Arthashastra on statecraft, Megasthenes' Indica from Chandragupta Maurya's court, and Ashoka's rock and pillar edicts. After the Kalinga War, Ashoka's Dhamma stressed moral conduct, compassion, tolerance and welfare. Gupta achievements in literature, mathematics, astronomy and art support the label 'Golden Age'.
- Megasthenes was Seleucus Nicator's Greek ambassador at Chandragupta Maurya's court and wrote Indica.
- Ashoka's thirteenth Major Rock Edict records remorse after Kalinga; Dhauli is an important Ashokan edict site.
- Harisena composed the Allahabad Pillar prashasti describing Samudragupta's conquests.
- Chandragupta II used the title Vikramaditya; Aryabhata belongs to the Gupta age of mathematical and astronomical advance.
- Gupta gold coins are commonly called dinaras and are noted for fine workmanship.
Money & capital markets
Economy
The money market supplies short-term funds; Treasury Bills are government securities of under one year and call money covers one day or a few days. The capital market mobilises long-term finance through shares, debentures and bonds. A share is ownership, while a bond or debenture makes its holder a creditor.
- The primary market sells newly issued securities; stock exchanges are secondary markets for already-issued securities.
- SEBI regulates securities markets and protects investors.
- Treasury Bills belong to the money market even though the government issues them; bonds and debentures are borrowing instruments.
- Adam Smith's 'invisible hand' in The Wealth of Nations describes private self-interest unintentionally supporting wider market outcomes.
Natural resources & minerals
Geography
Renewable resources can replenish naturally; forests and farm produce qualify when managed, while fossil fuels form from ancient buried organic matter and are exhaustible. Petroleum and natural gas occur in sedimentary basins; lignite is low-grade coal, bauxite yields aluminium and iron ore yields iron.
- India's exclusive economic zone extends 200 nautical miles for resource rights.
- Mica is an electrical insulator; the Damodar Valley is historically associated with coal resources.
- Conserve resources by matching use to renewability and recognising water, petroleum and gas as valuable natural stocks.
Non-verbal reasoning
Reasoning
Describe what changes between figures—shape, size, position, count, shading or rotation—and apply only that rule to the missing cell. A vertical mirror swaps left and right; a water image flips top and bottom. With paper folding, each fold reflects a punch or cut across the fold line.
- Alternation predicts circle after circle–square–circle–square; 90° clockwise rotation predicts left after up–right–down.
- In a matrix, keep row and column rules separate: small-to-large across can turn a small square into a large square.
- One fold normally produces two symmetric punch positions; compare side count or other invariant for the odd figure.
Number & alphabet series
Reasoning
Check simple operations before complex patterns: constant difference, constant ratio, squares, then alternating or increasing gaps. For letters convert A=1…Z=26 and inspect position differences. Confirm a proposed rule across at least three transitions before extending it.
- Tested rules include ×2; ×2+1; perfect squares; and differences +4,+6,+8,+10,+12.
- A,C,E,G advances +2; B,D,G,K uses growing gaps +2,+3,+4,+5; B,E,J,Q uses +3,+5,+7,+9.
- 121,144,169,196 are 11² through 14², so continue with 15²; write differences beneath the series to expose the rule.
Nutrition, health & diseases
Science
A balanced diet supplies carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. Match deficiencies carefully: vitamin C—scurvy, vitamin D—rickets, iodine—goitre, iron—anaemia; severe protein-energy deficiency can cause marasmus. ORS replaces fluid and salts lost in diarrhoeal dehydration.
- Malaria is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes; dengue and similar viral disease by Aedes.
- Antibiotics treat bacterial infections such as TB or strep, not viruses; prions cause Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.
- One Health treats human, animal and environmental health as interdependent.
Parliament
Polity
Lok Sabha is the directly elected popular House; the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to it, so no-confidence motions and Money Bills begin there. The Speaker presides, certifies Money Bills and chairs joint sittings. Rajya Sabha is permanent, with one-third retiring every two years, and the Vice-President is its ex-officio Chairman.
- Rajya Sabha's constitutional maximum is 250; quorum in either House is one-tenth of total membership.
- Lok Sabha uses first-past-the-post; a non-minister MP introduces a Private Member's Bill.
- A starred question receives an oral answer with supplements; an adjournment motion raises a definite urgent public matter.
- Rajya Sabha may only recommend Money Bill changes; Lok Sabha can accept or reject them.
Physical geography of India
Geography
India's major physiographic divisions are the Himalayas, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Peninsular Plateau, coastal plains and islands. The Himalayas formed from Indian–Eurasian plate collision; Shiwaliks are outer Himalayas. The ancient Peninsular block uses crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks.
- Western Ghats run parallel to the west coast and are higher and more continuous than Eastern Ghats; Aravallis are among the oldest fold mountains.
- The eight-degree channel separates Minicoy from Maldives; Thar is India's major desert; Haridwar is where the Ganga reaches the plain.
- Ring of Fire is the seismically and volcanically active Pacific margin; India's great plains are built by Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems.
Physics — mechanics, heat, light, electricity
Science
Use core relations: force changes motion; Newton's third law gives equal opposite reactions; kinetic energy belongs to motion; Ohm's law is V=IR, with current in amperes, resistance in ohms and power in watts. Fuses protect from excess current. Heat passes by conduction and radiation; black surfaces absorb radiation well.
- Concave lenses and convex rear-view mirrors give virtual, erect, diminished images; atmospheric refraction causes stellar twinkling.
- Ultrasound exceeds 20 kHz; gamma rays are highly penetrating; radio waves serve communication; UV can damage skin.
- Nuclear fission splits a heavy nucleus; thorium-232 is abundant in India; qubits can exist in superposition.
- Refrigeration moves heat from inside to outside; projectile paths follow gravity after thrust; centripetal acceleration changes velocity direction.
Planning & NITI Aayog
Economy
The Planning Commission was created in 1950; the First Plan prioritised agriculture and irrigation, while the Mahalanobis-based Second Plan stressed heavy industry. NITI Aayog—National Institution for Transforming India—replaced it in 2015 as a policy think tank promoting cooperative federalism, but unlike the Commission it does not allocate state plan funds.
- Inclusive growth spreads opportunities and gains to poor, socially marginalised and regional groups; it was central to the Eleventh and Twelfth Plans.
- The Aspirational Districts Programme, launched in 2018, targets rapid health, nutrition, education and livelihood improvement in 112 districts.
- Cooperative federalism means Union and States work as partners in policy and development.
- Raj Krishna coined 'Hindu Rate of Growth' for pre-reform low growth; cottage industry uses local skills, family labour and simple tools.
Population & census
Geography
Population density equals population divided by area and is stated per square kilometre. India's Census is decennial; literacy counts persons aged seven and above. Sex ratio is females per 1,000 males. Urbanisation grows as people move toward jobs and services, and a very large service-rich urban settlement is a metropolis.
- In the tested comparisons, Bihar has very high density and Kerala high literacy.
- A young population can yield a demographic dividend when education, health and employment turn it productive.
- Keep measures distinct: density uses land area; sex ratio uses males as denominator; literacy uses the 7+ population.
Poverty, unemployment & inequality
Economy
Poverty lines identify people unable to meet minimum consumption needs; India's measurement used monthly per-capita consumption, while the Tendulkar method broadened the basket beyond a fixed calorie norm. Employment measures must distinguish open joblessness, seasonal gaps, underused skills and disguised surplus labour.
- Disguised unemployment means extra workers add little or no output; seasonal unemployment follows lean periods, especially in agriculture.
- Open unemployment means willingness and ability to work without a job; underemployment means labour time or skill is not fully used.
- MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of notified-wage unskilled work per financial year to a rural household.
- Lorenz curve depicts income or wealth inequality; education, health and skills build human capital and productivity.
Preamble & salient features
Polity
The Preamble expresses popular constitutional authority and describes India as sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic and republican. Sovereign means full internal and external authority; republic means an elected rather than hereditary head. Liberty expressly covers thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
- The Preamble idea and 'We, the People' model came from the United States Constitution.
- The 42nd Amendment (1976) added Socialist, Secular and Integrity and made other sweeping changes, earning 'Mini Constitution'.
- Constitutional supremacy binds every authority; in a parliamentary system the executive remains answerable to the legislature.
Ranking & ordering
Reasoning
Convert every comparison into one ordered chain and keep the direction label visible. For a person ranked from both ends, total = left/top rank + right/bottom rank −1 because the person is counted twice; the opposite-end rank is total−known rank+1.
- When people join before someone, that person's rank from that end increases by the number joining.
- For stack or height puzzles, place fixed extremes first, then insert 'between', 'above' and 'below' constraints.
- Check every clue after building the chain; the middle of five is position 3 and of an odd-sized ordered list is unique.
Revolt of 1857
History
The immediate sepoy grievance in 1857 was the rumour that new-rifle cartridges used cow and pig fat, but annexations and dispossession deepened the revolt. Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse annexed states without a recognised natural male heir, while Awadh's 1856 annexation alienated talukdars, soldiers and its royal house. Lord Canning was Governor-General.
- Leaders by centre: Nana Sahib—Kanpur, Begum Hazrat Mahal—Lucknow, Rani Lakshmibai—Jhansi, Kunwar Singh—Jagdishpur in Bihar.
- V.D. Savarkar's 1909 book characterised 1857 as the First War of Indian Independence.
- The Marudu brothers of Sivaganga issued an early anti-British proclamation.
- The Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial; protests formed the setting for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- Separate immediate, political and regional causes: cartridges, annexation policies and local elite or military grievances.
Rivers & drainage
Geography
A drainage basin is the area drained by a river and its tributaries. Himalayan Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems are perennial from snow/glaciers plus monsoon; most Peninsular rivers are rain-fed. Godavari is the longest Peninsular river, while Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea.
- Origins/outlets: Godavari—Trimbak near Nashik; Indus—Tibet near Mansarovar; Yamuna—Yamunotri; Ganga-Brahmaputra delta—Bangladesh/Bengal.
- Krishna crosses Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra/Telangana; Cauvery dispute concerns irrigation and drinking-water allocation between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove delta and tiger habitat; floodplain zoning reduces loss where heavy rain and poor drainage cause flooding.
- Eastern Ghats are lower, discontinuous and river-cut; Deccan Traps are vast flood basalts from ancient eruptions.
Sangam Age & Ancient Tamilakam
History
Sangam literature, broadly dated 300 BCE–300 CE, includes the Ettuthokai and Pathupattu and divides poetry into Akam (interior/love) and Puram (public life, war and praise). Tolkappiyam is the earliest extant Tamil grammar and a source for early society. The thinai system connects poetic themes with distinct ecological landscapes.
- Thinai: kurinji—hills and mountains; neithal—seashore; marutham—fertile agricultural plains.
- Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural has 1,330 couplets on aram, porul and inbam.
- Puhar or Kaveripoompattinam was a Chola port; Korkai was a Pandya port famous for pearls.
- Roman coins and amphora fragments provide evidence of trade between Rome and ancient Tamilakam.
- The Buddhist poet Asvaghosa composed Buddhacharita in Sanskrit.
Science & technology developments
Science
CRISPR uses a bacterial defence system as molecular scissors for targeted DNA editing. Biotechnology applies organisms or biological processes to useful products; fermentation can produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Vaccines stimulate immunity, while antibiotic resistance evolves in bacteria and can make common infections difficult to treat.
- A nuclear reactor sustains a controlled chain reaction; a bomb releases an uncontrolled explosive one; Tarapur is in Maharashtra.
- PARAM supercomputers show indigenous C-DAC high-performance computing; AI performs tasks associated with human intelligence.
- Fuses and lightning conductors protect circuits/buildings; optical fibre uses total internal reflection; silicon is central to electronics.
- The bank treats Agni-V as an intercontinental ballistic missile and associates warming risks with about 1.5–2°C.
Seating arrangement & puzzles
Reasoning
Draw numbered slots, place ends and exact middle first, then immediate and relative positions. For people facing north, left/right match the page; for centre-facing circular or square seating, take right in the person's rotational direction. Use remaining slots only after all forced placements.
- Row interchange: the new left rank plus the unchanged right rank minus 1 gives total size.
- In an eight-seat square arrangement, corner and side-middle seats alternate; three places from a corner lands at a side middle.
- For stacked boxes read 'above/below' vertically and verify only the requested subset's relative order.
Social & religious reform movements
History
Raja Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 to promote monotheism and oppose practices such as sati, child marriage and idol worship while supporting women's education. Other reform organisations joined religious renewal with social equality: Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Satyashodhak Samaj and Bombay-centred Prarthana Samaj.
- Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded Arya Samaj in 1875; Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.
- Jyotiba Phule founded Satyashodhak Samaj for equality and uplift of oppressed groups.
- Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar campaigned for widow remarriage and women's education; Narayana Guru preached social equality.
- Government of India Act 1919 introduced provincial dyarchy: transferred subjects for Indian ministers, reserved subjects under the Governor.
- Thomas Munro's Ryotwari system in Madras made revenue settlements directly with individual cultivators.
Soils & agriculture
Geography
Alluvial soil deposited by rivers dominates northern plains and valleys and supports fertile agriculture. Black regur soil forms from basalt, holds water well and suits cotton. Red soil gets colour from iron oxide; laterite forms under high rainfall, heat and leaching, is acidic and nutrient-poor.
- Bhabar is the porous pebble belt where Himalayan streams disappear; alluvium also forms fertile deltaic paddy regions.
- Terracing creates level steps, slows runoff and reduces erosion on slopes; contour practices serve the same conservation goal.
- Jhum or shifting cultivation is associated with north-eastern India; heavy leaching removes nutrients in wet climates.
Space & defence technology
Science
ISRO launches spacecraft with vehicles such as PSLV. Chandrayaan-3 achieved the first soft landing near the lunar south pole; Mangalyaan was the Mars Orbiter Mission, and Aditya-L1 studies the Sun from Earth–Sun L1 about 1.5 million km away. Escape velocity from Earth is about 11.2 km/s.
- A geostationary satellite matches Earth's angular speed; polar satellites pass near the poles as Earth rotates beneath.
- Agni-V has range above 5,000 km; Tejas is HAL's indigenous light combat aircraft.
- James Webb is led by NASA with ESA/CSA; radar uses reflected radio waves; rockets exemplify Newton's third law.
- 5G offers higher speed, low latency and mass connectivity; navigation uses accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Spelling
General English
Use syllable chunks and known word families rather than how a word sounds. Accommodation/accommodate contain double c and double m; committee has double m, double t and double e. Receive follows 'ei' after c, while separate keeps 'par' in the middle.
- Memorise the tested forms: accommodation, accommodate, receive, committee and environment.
- Also tested: separate, definitely and occasion (double c, single s).
- After choosing, compare every letter with the target meaning; a familiar-looking distractor may omit a doubled consonant.
State Government
Polity
The Governor is the constitutional State head, appointed by and holding office during the President's pleasure under Article 155; the Governor appoints the Chief Minister. Real executive power rests with the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly.
- Tamil Nadu is unicameral: its 234-seat Vidhan Sabha remains after abolition of the Legislative Council in 1986.
- In bicameral states, the Legislative Council is the upper House.
- The President's electoral college includes elected MPs and elected State MLAs, excluding nominated members and MLCs.
Statement, assumption & conclusion
Reasoning
Use only the stated information. A conclusion must be unavoidable, while an assumption is the unstated belief required for an advice or claim to make sense. Do not add exclusivity, comparison or outside knowledge: saying one medicine works does not prove that no other medicine works.
- Chain transitive facts: X>Y and Y>Z implies X>Z; all cats⊂mammals⊂animals implies cats are animals.
- Advice reveals a necessary premise: switch off lights assumes leaving them on wastes power; carry an umbrella assumes protection from rain.
- Helmets imply reduced injury risk; bringing water in summer reasonably indicates heat-related hydration need.
Syllogism
Reasoning
Represent 'all A are B' as A inside B, 'no A are B' as separate circles, and 'some A are B' as an overlap with an existence mark. Chain only guaranteed inclusions: all cats are animals and all animals living gives all cats living; never reverse an all-statement or attach an unrelated 'some'.
- All A⊂B plus no B∩C gives no A∩C; some pens red plus all red bright gives some pens bright.
- All roses are flowers plus some flowers fade does not show any rose fades; retain only conclusions forced by the premises.
- For comparison chains, A>B>C and D>C does not determine A versus D; mixed bank items still require their own stated pattern.
Tamil Nadu economy & schemes
Economy
Tamil Nadu has a diversified base in manufacturing, services and agriculture: Chennai anchors automobiles and auto components, Tiruppur textiles, Coimbatore textiles and engineering, and TIDEL Park symbolises IT growth. SIPCOT develops industrial parks and complexes, while Self Help Groups expand women's savings, credit and livelihoods.
- The noon-meal programme links child nutrition with school attendance and enrolment.
- Maternity assistance helps poor pregnant women meet nutrition needs and offset wage loss.
- India's tested underground petroleum-reserve sites are Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur.
- Remember the cluster function: Chennai—vehicles, Coimbatore—engineering/textiles, TIDEL—IT, SIPCOT—industrial infrastructure.
Tamil Nadu in the freedom struggle
History
Tamil resistance combined armed opposition, Swadeshi enterprise, labour action, civil disobedience and nationalist writing. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company at Tuticorin in 1906 and supported the 1908 Coral Mill strike. C. Rajagopalachari led the 1930 salt march from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam.
- Veerapandiya Kattabomman was the Palayakkarar of Panchalankurichi who resisted British revenue demands.
- Subramania Bharati used poetry and journalism for independence, Tamil pride, women's emancipation and opposition to caste.
- Periyar became the 'Vaikom Hero' through the struggle for oppressed communities' access to temple roads in Kerala.
- The Vedaranyam march was Tamil Nadu's parallel to Gandhi's Dandi Salt March within Civil Disobedience.
- The Nayanmars were Tamil Shaiva poet-saints devoted to Shiva.
Transport & communication
Geography
Roadways provide flexible last-mile access, railways move large loads and people efficiently, and ports link sea trade. NH-44 runs from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and the Golden Quadrilateral joins Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Mumbai is a major western port; Kolkata serves the east and is riverine.
- Strait of Hormuz is the narrow oil-tanker passage used by most of India's imported crude; Konkan Railway serves the western coastal belt.
- Pamban Bridge connects mainland Tamil Nadu with Rameswaram Island.
- Communication satellites relay television, telecom and weather data; sugar mills locate near cane because it is bulky and rapidly loses sucrose.
Union Executive
Polity
The President is elected by elected members of both Houses and elected State MLAs, appoints the Prime Minister, and receives advice from the PM-led Council of Ministers, which is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha. The President resigns to the Vice-President; the Vice-President chairs Rajya Sabha.
- Article 72 grants presidential pardoning power for courts-martial, Union offences and death sentences.
- After the 44th Amendment, Article 352 emergency requires written Cabinet advice; during emergency federal operation becomes more unitary.
- A presidential ordinance temporarily has the force of a parliamentary Act; the Attorney General is the Union's highest law officer.
Vedic Age
History
Early Rig Vedic society was organised around the kula (family) and jana (tribe), valued cattle, and gave the chief voluntary bali offerings; gavishti meant a search or struggle for cattle. Sabha and Samiti were public assemblies. Later Vedic life shifted toward settled agriculture in the Ganga plains, aided by iron, while varna and sacrificial monarchy became more rigid.
- Rig Veda is the earliest Veda; Sama Veda supplies chants and melodies for sacrifice; Atharva Veda contains spells, charms, healing and everyday rituals.
- Satyameva Jayate comes from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- Indra is called Purandara, destroyer of forts or cities, in the Rig Veda.
- Early-period markers include pastoral wealth, jana, kula, bali, Sabha and Samiti; later markers include iron, plough agriculture and Janapadas.
- Painted Grey Ware, Gangetic settlement and elaborate royal sacrifices are associated with the Later Vedic phase.
Vocabulary
General English
Use part of speech and context when matching meaning. Tested pairs include abundant–plentiful, courageous–brave and brief–short; opposites include optimistic–pessimistic, conceal–reveal and generous–stingy. Phrasal verbs act as units: look after means care for and put off means postpone.
- One-word terms: polyglot—many-language speaker, aviary—place for birds, poet—writer of poems.
- Prefixes: il- makes legal negative; re- in rewrite means again. Criterion has irregular plural criteria.
- Moonlight is a noun+noun compound; check both the meaning and grammatical category of an option.
இலக்கணம்
General Tamil
தமிழில் 12 உயிர், 18 மெய், 216 உயிர்மெய் மற்றும் ஓர் ஆய்த எழுத்து (ஃ) சேர்ந்து மொத்தம் 247 எழுத்துகள். வல்லினம்: க், ச், ட், த், ப், ற்; மெல்லினம் வேறு தொகுதி; ய் இடையினம். பெயர், செயல், பண்பு ஆகியவற்றைக் குறிப்பவை முறையே பெயர்ச்சொல், வினைச்சொல், உரிச்சொல்.
- ‘நான் பள்ளிக்குச் சென்றேன்’ என்பதில் ‘சென்றேன்’ வினைச்சொல்; ‘மரம்’ என்பதன் பன்மை ‘மரங்கள்’.
- இரண்டாம் வேற்றுமை ‘ஐ’: புத்தகத்தை; மூன்றாம் வேற்றுமை ‘ஆல்’: மலரால்; நான்காம் வேற்றுமை ‘கு/க்கு’: அவளுக்கு.
- எழுவாய்–வினை இயைபைச் சரிபார்: ‘அவர்கள் வந்தார்கள்’ சரி; ‘அவன் பள்ளிக்கு சென்றேன்’ தவறு.
- எண்ணிக்கைக்கேற்ற ஒருமை/பன்மை வேண்டும்: ‘ஒரு ஆடு’ சரி; ‘பல குழந்தை’ என்பதற்குப் பதில் ‘பல குழந்தைகள்’.
இலக்கியம்
General Tamil
நூல்–ஆசிரியர் தொடர்பை இணைத்துப் படி: திருக்குறள்–திருவள்ளுவர், சிலப்பதிகாரம்–இளங்கோ அடிகள், மணிமேகலை–சீத்தலைச் சாத்தனார், கம்பராமாயணம்–கம்பர், ஆத்திச்சூடி–அவ்வையார், பெரியபுராணம்–சேக்கிழார், திருவாசகம்–மாணிக்கவாசகர், திருப்பாவை–ஆண்டாள்.
- தேவாரம் பாடிய நாயன்மார்களில் திருநாவுக்கரசர் ஒருவர்; பாரதியார் ‘மகாகவி’, பாரதிதாசன் ‘பாவேந்தர்’, வி. இராமலிங்கம் பிள்ளை ‘நாமக்கல் கவிஞர்’.
- ஐங்குறுநூறு எட்டுத்தொகையைச் சாரும்; திருக்குறள் பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு நூல்.
- அகநானூறு அகப்பொருள்; புறநானூறு வீரம், கொடை, அரசியல் வாழ்வு ஆகிய புறப்பொருள்களை மையமாக்கும்.
- திணை–நிலம்: குறிஞ்சி–மலை, முல்லை–காடு/மேய்ச்சல், மருதம்–வயல்/உழவு, நெய்தல்–கடலோரம்.
சொற்பொருள்
General Tamil
கேள்வி இணைச்சொலையா, எதிர்ச்சொலையா என்று முதலில் கண்டறி. இணைச்சொற்கள் ஒரே அல்லது நெருங்கிய பொருளையும், எதிர்ச்சொற்கள் முரண்பட்ட பொருளையும் தருகின்றன. வாக்கியச் சூழலில் மாற்றிப் பார்த்து பொருள் பொருந்துகிறதா எனச் சரிபார்.
- இணைச்சொற்கள்: அழகு–வனப்பு, வீரம்–துணிவு, அறிவு–ஞானம், அச்சம்–பயம், விரைவு–வேகம், நட்பு–தோழமை.
- மேலும்: கடல்–சமுத்திரம்; மலர்–பூ.
- எதிர்ச்சொற்கள்: இன்பம்–துன்பம், இருள்–ஒளி, உயரம்–தாழ்வு, மென்மை–கடினம், பகை–நட்பு.
- மேலும்: வறுமை–செல்வம், பழைமை–புதுமை, நன்றி–நன்றியின்மை.
பத்தி வாசிப்பு
General Tamil
பத்தியை ஒருமுறை முழுமையாக வாசித்து மையக்கருத்தை அறி; பின்னர் கேள்வியின் முக்கியச் சொல்லை பத்தியில் தேடு. ‘அல்லாதது’ போன்ற எதிர்மறைச் சொற்களைத் தவறவிடாதே. விடை பத்தியில் கூறிய தகவலிலிருந்தே வர வேண்டும்; வெளிப்புற ஊகத்தைச் சேர்க்க வேண்டாம்.
- நேரடி தகவல்கள்: மரம் நிழல்/கனி/மருந்து/தூய காற்று தரும்; நூலகம் அறிவைப் பெருக்கும்; கடற்கரை மக்களின் தொழில் மீன்பிடி.
- மையக்கருத்துகள்: நேரத்தின் மதிப்பு, மழைநீர் சேகரிப்பு, தூய்மை, நல்ல நண்பனின் துணை, பாரதியார் வலியுறுத்திய பெண்கல்வி.
- எண்ணிக்கைத் தகவல்கள்: திருக்குறள் அறம்–பொருள்–இன்பம் என மூன்று பகுதி; குறிஞ்சி முதல் பாலை வரை ஐந்திணை.
- பயிருக்கு மழை, மண், உழைப்பு உதவும்; ‘கல் எறிதல்’ உதவாது—விலக்கு வினாவில் இதையே தேர்வு செய்.
பழமொழி
General Tamil
பழமொழியின் சொற்களை நேரடியாக மட்டும் கொள்ளாமல் அது உணர்த்தும் வாழ்க்கை நெறியைத் தேர்வு செய்; மரபுத்தொடரின் வழக்குப் பொருளை நினைவில் கொள். கேள்வியில் ‘ஒற்றுமை’, ‘அவசரம்’, ‘அனுபவம்’, ‘ஆராய்தல்’ போன்ற கருத்துச் சுட்டிகளைப் பழமொழியுடன் பொருத்து.
- அவசரம்–‘அவசரப்பட்டால் அம்மியும் நகராது’; ஒற்றுமை–‘ஒன்றுபட்டால் உண்டு வாழ்வு’; சிறுசேமிப்பு–‘சிறு துளி பெரு வெள்ளம்’.
- ‘காக்கைக்கும் தன் குஞ்சு பொன் குஞ்சு’ தாய்ப்பாசம்; ‘கற்றது கைமண்…’ கற்றல் முடிவற்றது; ‘ஆற்றில் இறங்கினால்…’ அனுபவ அறிவு.
- ‘தீர விசாரிப்பதே மெய்’ ஆராய்ந்து உண்மை காணச் சொல்கிறது; ‘உழைப்பே உயர்வு’ உழைப்பின் சிறப்பைக் கூறுகிறது.
- மரபுத்தொடர்கள்: கை கொடுத்தல்–உதவுதல்; மனம் மலர்தல்–மிகுந்த மகிழ்ச்சி; கை கழுவுதல்–முழுமையாக விலகுதல்.
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