General Studies- I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society (250 marks)

Strategy For GS Paper-I By Shweta Chauhan, IAS (Rank 8, CSE-2017)

Sources to be followed

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times:

• CCRT website,
• RS Sharma old NCERT book,
• Tamil Nadu Board 11^th History

Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.

• India’s Struggle for Independence: 1857-1947  by Bipin Chandra 
• selfstudyhistory.com Website,
• Mrunal videos

Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

•  India Since Independence by Bipin Chandra– Selective Reading, 
• selfstudyhistory.com Website,

History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society

• Old NCERT 10^th and 12^th,
• Mastering Modern World History (Palgrave Master Series) by Norman Lowe: selective Reading, 
• selfstudyhistory.com Website,

Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India, Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

• Yojana magazine,
• Newspaper, India Year book

Effects of globalization on Indian society, Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

• NCERT 12^th class,
• Mrunal website,
• Newspaper, Yojana magazine

Salient features of world’s physical geography.

• NCERT Physical Geography,
• Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G C Leong,
• Mrunal Videos

Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent);

• Old NCERT,
• Mrunal website

Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)

• Old NCERT,
• Mrunal website

Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

• NCERT Physical Geography,
• NDMA website,
• Yojana on disaster management

Further Suggestions from my experience

GS 1 is almost static part of syllabus. Prepare notes on the topics which are not directly given in books from newspaper, magazine or internet. See the cost benefit ratio of syllabus while preparing, world history or India after Independence have huge material but the questions asked are few, so read selectively.

In social issues, have the basic knowledge like what are the issues faced by women or problems related to population from internet and NCERT. With the basics in cleared add the current issues and examples to them. Also, add the various steps and policies being implemented by government from Yojana magazine and The Hindu Newspaper.

For Geography it is important to draw diagrams in order to make answer more appealing and different.

For GS 1, one cannot beat around the bush, answer have to be to the point. So, make notes, underline in the book, and revise again and again… Finally, it is always helpful to join a test series.