Class Notes 4 You

Biodiversity: Concept and Facts 1) Services Provided by Biodiversity 2) Threats to the biodiversity 3) Pollinating agents 4) Adverse effects of fall in the population of species of butterflies 5) Biopiracy 6) Nitrogen-fixing plants 7) Biofertilizers and examples 8) Cultivators of fungi 9) Gadgil Committee Report 10) Kasturirangan Committee Report 11) M-STrIPES 12) National Aquatic Animal 13) Herbivores turtle species 14) Herbivores marine mammal 15) Herbivores fish species 16) Viviparous snake 17) Filter feeder and examples 18) Aflatoxins 19) Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin 20) Living root bridges 21) Declining Vultures population 22) Biodiversity in Coral reefs 23) Biosphere reserves 24) Botanical gardens 25) National parks 26) Wildlife sanctuaries 27) Wetlands declared under Ramsar Convention – Significance 28) Tiger Reserves – recently declared 29) Eco-Sensitive Zones 30) Red Data Books 31) Critical 'tiger' habitats (CTHs) 32) Critical Wildlife Habitat 33...

Communication technologies Open-source digital platforms Web 3.0 “Qubit Short-Range devices/technologies “Software as a Service (SaaS)” Biofilms “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” Probiotics COVID-19 vaccines B cells and T cells Solar storm Nanoparticles DNA Barcoding Sodium lamps ,LED lamps Water properties   “ACE2” Carbon nanotubes Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Recent advances in human reproductive technology Plant and animal cells Natural mosquito repellent Adenoviruses Bacteria ,Fungi ,Virus Pressure cooker Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies Hereditary diseases Bisphenol A ‘Recombinant vector Vaccines’ Light-years(astronomical distances) “Triclosan”  Genetic changes,pluripotent stem cells ‘Denisovan’ Spacecraft Drones Hepatitis B,C And HIV cas9 protein Multi-drug resistance in microbial pathogens ‘RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology Functional chromosomes,Artificial functional DNA, “Public Key Infrastructure” Visible light communication (VLC) technology Ar...

UPSC CSE ELIMINATION TECHNIQUES  DATA/STATS/FACTS = GENERALLY WRONG/INCORRECT as they are easy to manipulate.  (Not incorrect if given with acts) (If more than two options with data BE CAUTIOUS.)  STEADILY INCREASE/DECREASE = GENERALLY WRONG/INCORRECT.  Unless it’s for an ABSOLUTE TERM (GDP, POPULATION) and NOT a RATE of something.  EXTRA/EXTREME WORDS = GENERALLY WRONG/INCORRECT.  (ALL/EVERY/ONLY/MANY/ANY/ANYWHERE/EVERYWHERE/DRASTICALLY/COMPLETELY/VERY/ ENTIRE/ENTIRELY/NATIVE/HIGHLY/DEFINED BY/LEGALLY BINDING, ETC.)  NEGATIVES/NO/NOT/DO NOT/NEVER/NOTHING = GENERALLY WRONG/INCORRECT. COROLLARY/CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS.  (Within the options If one option is true then the other option must be true/false.)  TWO STATEMENTS = High chances of INTERCHANGED CONTENT.  DESIRABLE/PROGRESSIVE/POSITIVE/ENABLING/GENERAL/SIMPLE/SUBJECTIVE STATEMENTS = GENERALLY RIGHT/CORRECT. (Be aware of EXTREME WORDS).  PROBABLE STATEMENTS WITH CERTAIN WORD...

Solar storm (solar flare) High-energy electromagnetic radiation from solar flares is absorbed by the ionosphere, and does not reach the surface.  These may interfere with short-wave radio communication.  Solar flares pose no direct danger to humans on Earth.  Majority of the flares are not visible to the naked eye.  It can increase drag on satellites though in low Earth orbit, which can lead to orbital decay over time.  Solar flares lasting longer than 30 minutes are regarded as long duration events. Quantum Technology Quantum Entanglement When two atoms are connected, despite being separated. If you change the properties of one of them, the other changes instantly.  Quantum mechanics also says simply observing an atom changes its properties  Quantum protected cipher keys. It detects whether someone has interfered with the transmission of data. Quantum superposition Theory that subatomic particles exist in multiple states simultaneously.  While di...

Years 2022 Prelims Paper  This year the paper appeared to be on moderately tougher side. Many questions though framed on a single topic demanded in-depth knowledge from the students.  The different trend followed by UPSC this year was in the framing of the options of pair type questions, which limited the students to solve questions by elimination techniques.  Also, this time like previous years, UPSC linked the fundamental subjects with Current Affairs and important issues which were in the news. This made the paper more relevant and current affairs dominated.  Static portions like Environment, Economics, S&T etc. were given due weightage. However, few portions like Modern History saw a dip and other static portions like Geography and International Relations saw a rise in the number of questions being asked as compared to the previous years.  Questions in almost all the subjects ranged from easy to medium to difficult level.  This year International Re...

Year 2021 Prelims Paper  This year the paper appeared to be on moderately tougher side. Many questions though framed on a single topic demanded in-depth knowledge from the students from different dimensions. Multiple statements were woven and asked in a single question.  Static portions like Polity, Geography, Economics, etc. were on expected lines and were given due weightage. Questions in almost all the subjects ranged from easy to medium to difficult level.  Although inspired from current affairs, there were few unconventional themes and general awareness questions. For example sports section appeared after a very long time; a question on dayabhaga and mitakshara inspired from women rights in property.  Polity questions were a mix of both fundamental topics and current affairs. A few law related questions appeared for the first time like parole, judicial custody etc. Unlike previous years, Governance aspect was relatively given lesser weightage.  In the Histo...

Year 2020 Prelims Paper  This year the paper appeared to be on the tougher side and the options framed were confusing.  The static portions like History, Polity, Geography, Economics, etc. as expected were given due weightage.  Questions in almost all the subjects ranged from easy to medium to difficult level. Few unconventional questions were also seen. This year many questions were agriculture related which were asked from geography, environment and economics perspective.  Few questions asked by UPSC, although inspired by current affairs, required overall general awareness. For instance the questions on Indian elephants, cyber insurance, G-20, Siachen glacier, etc.  Polity questions demanded deeper understanding of the Constitution and its provisions. The options in polity questions were close but very easy basic fundamental questions like DPSP, Right to Equality, etc. were asked from regular sources like Laxmikanth. Few Questions covering the governance aspec...

Year 2019 Prelims Paper  This year the paper appeared to be on the tougher side as it was lengthy and the options framed were confusing. The themes of the questions asked seemed relevant but required in-depth understanding and knowledge. However, the static portions like History, Polity, Geography, Economics, etc. as expected were given due weightage.  Questions ranged from both fundamental topics like those in Economics e.g. PPP, P-Notes; Modern history e.g. Swadeshi Movement; Geography e.g. 21st June etc. to unconventional sources and topics in S&T which scaled the difficulty level of this paper.  UPSC has raised the bar and it expects the aspirants to even read the fine print. Questions like that on Compensatory Afforestation, External Debt, Glacier, Jagirdari and Zamindari, etc. required thorough reading and deeper understanding of the static subjects.  In the History section, this time Medieval India questions were given more weightage unlike art & cultu...

Year 2018 Prelims Paper  The Paper portrayed a departure from the trend of CSAT era and appears to be on the tougher side.  While it is a well-known fact that UPSC has shifted its focus to current affairs, yet this year, the questions were asked in an unconventional manner.  It has been observed that some of the questions like those of Post Independence history (chronological sequence of events) have been inspired directly by the articles in THE HINDU ( India @70 Midnight to millennium) or Culture (Buland Darwaza and Rumi Darwaza - covered in the ‘The Hindu’ article)  Questions ranged from both conventional sources like those in economics e.g. CAR, Legal Tender Money to unconventional sources like those in History e.g. Swarajya Sabha, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, etc.  It is observed that UPSC has raised the bar and it is now expected of aspirants to even read the fine print. Questions like that on GST, Application Programming Interfaces, Digital India Programme require ...

Year 2017 Prelims Paper   This year’s paper was more conceptual compared to the papers of CSAT era and it displayed a good mix of current affairs and conventional subjects.  The level of questions ranged from easy to moderate and difficult from almost in all the sections. The elimination was difficult as the options framed were too close or very similar.  However, even in conventional or static portion the tilt was more towards Polity and Governance.  Polity questions were asked from traditional concepts as compared to previous year’s trend. Eg. concept of rights, democracy, etc. In the current affairs section, the testing was done from their basic concepts as well as facts related to them. However, the questions from this section was not restricted to the present year but from the previous 2 – 3 years.  Economy questions were largely drawn from Current Affairs eg- GST, Monetary Policy Committee, etc. but conventional understanding in questions like post 19...

Year 2016 Prelims Paper  The analysis is based on premise that UPSC wants to identify aspirants with certain skills and aptitude required to function as a good administrator. UPSC does not explicitly describe these skills so we infer them from Syllabus, Question Paper and feedback of experts and students. This analysis is an attempt to quantify the subjective understanding and make explicit the implicit. We have inferred some conclusions from these stats but you are free to infer differently.  Moreover independent/impartial thinking is one of the qualities expected in administrators. Observations: The Paper portrayed a departure from the trend of last 4 years. Although, in 2015 the number of current affairs questions increased but in 2016 UPSC has drastically shifted their focus on Current Affairs.  There were traditional questions from non-traditional sources eg. Question on Keshab Chandra Sen and Agrahattas.  Paper was more factual compared to papers of CSAT era....

 Year 2015 GS Prelims paper  The Paper portrayed a departure from the trend of last 4 years. While many traditional questions were from non-traditional sources and inferential, many current affairs questions were very simple and straight forward eg NITI Ayog, Jandhan Yojna etc.  Paper was more factual compared to papers of CSAT era.  More focus on current affairs as many questions were inspired from news. Instead of linking the current affairs to concepts it was more on factual side.  Proportion of unapproachable questions remained on similar trends as previous year.  Polity has moved towards traditional concepts compared to last year trend of is moving towards governance and public administration type questions.  Some economy questions were on the lines of 2013 paper i.e. conceptual and analytical.  Deceptive presentation is a common method to segregate deep knowledge with superficial knowledge or hunch. This technique was used in many questions....

Year 2014 Prelims Paper  The Paper portrayed a departure from the trend of last 3 years. While traditional questions were very easy, over emphasis on questions from art and culture and environment made the paper tough. Paper was factual and traditional compared to last three years. Questions from India year book also appeared this year. Topicwise composition is moving along expected lines as weightage of art & culture and ecology/environment is increasing. Proportion of unapproachable questions increased this year, which were mostly in art & culture and ecology & environment. Polity is moving towards governance and public administration type questions (Cabinet Secretary, Constitutionalism etc.) which was on expected lines. Except few easy ones, questions this year required complete knowledge of the topic. Deceptive presentation is a common method to segregate deep knowledge with superficial knowledge or hunch. This technique was used in many questions. (Bombay Natural H...

Year 2013 GS Prelims Paper  Paper is almost on the same lines as previous year. Importance of Ecology, Economy and Culture is increasing every year. Geography is almost constant but modern India has incurred losses. Question in Economy, Polity and History are basic and easy-medium difficulty questions.  Science and Technology, Art and Culture & Geography questions are medium to difficult level. In addition, less ambiguous questions this time compared to last year. So average score should be more in this paper compared to last year but not too much. Direct current affairs is losing significance but even then half of the fundamental questions looks inspired by current happenings. Moreover, backgrounder of current affairs are becoming important.    Coal scam is of no use but properties of Indian coal are important. Recommendation of Rangarajan Panel on Sugar decontrol are not important but use of sugar by product is important. Suggestions : Read basic books properly...

1. The Parliament of India can place a particular law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India.  2. The validity of a law placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be examined by any court and no judgement can be made on it.  Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  a) 1 only  b) 2 only  c) Both 1 and 2  d) Neither 1 nor 2  Solution:  The Ninth Schedule contains a list of central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts. Currently, 284 such laws are shielded from judicial review.  The Schedule became a part of the Constitution in 1951, when the document was amended for the first time. The Parliament has the power to place a particular law in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The mandate of ninth schedule is to prevent judicial scrutiny but in a landmark ruling in IR Coelho versus State of Tamil Nadu, 2007, the Supreme Court of India ruled that all laws (including those in the Ninth Schedule) would be ...

a) To provided self-governance  b) To recognize traditional rights  c) To create autonomous regions in tribal areas  d) To free tribal people from exploitation  Solution:  PESA Act is a Central legislation that extends the Provisions of the Panchayats, as given in Part IX of the Constitution to the Fifth Schedule Areas with certain modifications and exemptions. These areas have preponderance of tribal population.  This Act is called "The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996". In short form this is popular as "PESA". The States with Fifth Schedule Areas that are covered under PESA are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act was enacted to extend the provisions of 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts to the Fifth Schedule areas. Thus, it was meant to provide institutions of local self-governance in the Scheduled Areas and to reco...

a) part of the Constitution but has no legal effect  b) not a part of the Constitution and has no legal effect either  c) a part of the Constitution and has the same legal effect as any other part  d) a part of the Constitution but has no legal effect independently of other parts Solution:  The Preamble to a Constitution embodies the fundamental values and the philosophy, on which the Constitution is based, and the aims and objectives, which the founding fathers of the Constitution enjoined the polity to strive to achieve. The Supreme Court in the Berubari Union case (1960) held that the “Preamble is not a part of the Constitution.” It further said the Preamble can be used as a guiding principle if a term in any article of the Constitution is ambiguous or has more than one meaning. Later in Kesavanand Bharti case (1973), the Supreme Court reversed its ruling and held that the Preamble is a part of the Constitution and can also be amended under Article 368 of the...

a) government by legislature  b) popular government  c) multi-party government  d) limited government  Solution:  A constitutional government by definition is a limited government. A constitutional government is the one that is defined by the constitution of the country.  Constitution of a country is supreme law of the land; it is empowered with the sovereign authority of the people (we the people) by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states.  It is the source of all government powers, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of citizens.  Ans: (d)

a) Jawaharlal Nehru  b) Lal Bahadur Shastri  c) Indira Gandhi  d) Morarji Desai  Solution:  First Constitutional (Amendment) Act of 1951, introduced the Ninth Schedule in the Constitution of India during the prime-ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru. This amendment made laws placed in Ninth Schedule immune to judicial review, even if they violate any Fundamental Rights. The Ninth Schedule was brought in the Indian Constitution on 18 June 1951 to abolish Zamindari system. The Ninth Schedule contains a list of laws that cannot be challenged in courts.  Out of 284 such laws which are shielded from judicial review, 90 per cent of laws are about agriculture and landholding. Ans: (a)

1. Directive Principles of State Policy.  2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies.  3. Fifth Schedule  4. Sixth Schedule  5. Seventh Schedule  Select the correct answer using the codes given below:  a) 1 and 2 only  b) 3, 4 and 5 only  c) 1, 2 and 5 only  d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5  Solution:  All the above provisions of the Constitution of India, have a bearing on Education.  Directive Principles of State Policy - Article 45: To provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years. 86th Amendment changed the subject-matter of Article 45 and made elementary education a fundamental right under Article 21 A.  Rural and Urban Local Bodies – Education is one of the subject matters under Schedules XI and XII. It empowers local bodies to take steps to improve educational standards in their regions. Fifth and Sixth Schedule – The Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the constitution provide protection to t...