General Studies 1

📘 General Studies – Paper I

(Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
Marks: 250 | Time: 3 hours

1. Indian Heritage and Culture

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

2. 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.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world, including events from the 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 society.

3. Society

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

4. Geography

• Salient features of world’s physical geography.
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
• Important geophysical phenomena such as:
  • Earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, Cyclones
  • 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.

👉 In short, GS-1 is mostly static subjects (History, Culture, Society, Geography) but UPSC often links them with current issues.