Subject: Trivia

I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook

This post was written on 3rd June, 2015. Dave Goldberg (her husband) died on 1st May, 2015. Judaism calls for a period of intense mourning after your loved one is buried to acknowledge and accept your loss before you regain your strength to march on in life.

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Now, admittedly your IAS Prelims 2016 loss cannot be compared to her loss but we also can’t deny that it did not hit you hard. It did. It was not just another objective exam written to get just another government job. NO. It was not yet another half hearted attempt without much planning. NO. We as community moderators have seen the amount of efforts you guys put in Target Mains Initiative and that speaks volumes about your sincerity. If there were any doubts, then you should read the comments that CD community poured in for those few consistent members who unfortunately got caught this IAS Pre fiasco.

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This is the point where you start questioning yourself

• Where did I go wrong?
• Why didn’t my results come out as I had thought they would?
• Am I even good enough to continue?

And this is your struggle. This is the point when everyone starts doubting your abilities and you start to think that may be right. This is the point when self doubt becomes self hatred. You cringe deep inside for leaving the safe shores and taking this path and you wonder if it was just an unjustified rebellious streak, a half baked childhood dream? The struggle is when you want the pain to stop but it won’t. When you think of taking a timeout for some fresh air but everything just stifles you.

You are in the land of broken promises and crushed dreams. But what next?

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We did not want to write just another inspirational blog to give you a 2 minute inspiration noodle which you read and then close and go back to mourning. You cannot afford 30 days of extended mourning. Your 48 hours are up. That’s all you can afford. Wipe off your tears and read ahead.

Resilience can be learned. Here’s how:

#1. Realise that it is not your fault – 

Ban the word “sorry”. Tell yourself over and over that it isn’t your fault. Shit happens. Remember Satish Reddy? (AIR 97, CSE 2014) – He was with us and helped build the platform at the early days. He missed the IAS by 1 rank. IAS allotment closed at 96. He got IRS. Gave another attempt. Couldn’t clear Mains. Can you imagine his plight? Not clearing Prelims looks like manageable now, right? But he marched ahead and made peace with his selection. There will be many such cases, instances where even with a proven test record, you won’t always get what you want. So don’t feel sorry. 

#2. Permanence: Nothing last forever –

The good thing about having an active & mature community is that we have students from all walks of life coming in and pouring their life’s wisdom. Nitin Pant wrote about his struggle days – how he still feels the sting of not clearing IFoS even though he cleared CSE Prelims and how patience has its own rewards.

“The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak.”

Most people are not strong enough. Some will drop out of this race now. But you know you are not ‘most people’

#3. Don’t let your failures be pervasive – 

Compartmentalise your life. Don’t screw up the healthy relations, healthy habits, answer writing practice just coz this unexpected event happened. Your days of mourning are over. Get back on your feet. This struggle sucks.

But the struggle is where greatness comes from! So, what next?

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#1. Join the Flagship/ Advanced Prelims Series – 

If you have been our student in 2016, come back. We will make sure that this year is even more empowering for our students to scale the wall and cross all hurdles. Tikdams and Tidbits will find their due place in explanations. We are also working out the concept of a current affairs video/ webinar which helps in covering last week’s portions in a brisk manner + gives you enough reading material to keep you occupied. Read this LIVE exam commentary on how Tikdams helped someone sail through Prelims.

Pick the course which suits you best. The next pitstop is June 2017 and you can’t relax –

1. Flagship Prelims Course – Click here (TS1 already released)
2. Advanced Prelims Course – Click here (First test on 26th sept)
3. Current Affairs only Course – Click here (First test on 26th sept)

#2. Stick to Target Mains Modules daily – 

Motivation is hard to maintain because we’ve pushed our goals too far into the future. Prelims is in June, Mains would be much later. Our fixation with the final outcome thwarts us from doing the very work needed to make it real. We miss out on baby steps – we don’t track daily progress.

Not only are long-term plans inaccurate, they’re demotivating. Rarely do they instill the purpose needed to get out of bed. So, commit to daily greatness! You have 2 things – 

1. Target Mains – Click here
2. Prelims TS after every 10 day or so – Click here

Enough With The Theory, Let’s Get Practical

#3. Don’t feel like sitting home and studying the whole day? Work with us!

This one is simple. We know who you are (well, most of you) and how you write/ how you structure your thoughts and we would love to do amazing work in this content space. Drop in an email to hello[at]civilsdaily.com and let us know that you are interested (and why?)

That’s it. That’s all from our side.

Obsess Yourself With Your ONE Thing. That one thing for you is a double digit rank at IAS.

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So this picture has a self-reflection theme. All you have, to do is be honest with yourself. You have been preparing for this examination. So you are the better judge of your performance so far. You know what voids exist in your preparation.

 The void must have stemmed from:

1. The way you interpreted the question. Yes, this point matters everyone reads the same but then answers differ.
2. Double P deficiency. Double P stands for Planning and prioritization. And this includes syndromes like no time to revise even the one who says they are yet to finish the reading part.
3. You suffered from the peril of chronic over-thinking. It just happens.
4. You have the confidence issue. And it is either too much or just nothing that you are not even sure about what you have read so far
5. Anxiety at that moment.

So just go back to the day when you attempted the question. Yes, sit back for you are in your flashback moment. Stop thinking what you could have done or you knew the concept and still answered wrong.

You have to start seeing the things clearly. As besides knowing what you are good at; you have to acknowledge the areas where you still need to learn. And then when you know it you will be set into motion for finding solutions whatever your issues be.

So this is called Filling the void track of your life where you do things that set things right for you. Because when you are aware of what is keeping you away from the desired outcome. You will be more conscious about the choices you make and the approach you think to follow.

So the Rule#2 of Zoya is “Be self-aware”  and “Fill up the voids”.

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Hello,

This is the first blog on the pehle aap segment for the prelims initiative that comes along with our Prelims test series.

Those who have not registered yet, can do so by registering on the Flagship Prelims Portal – Click the link to register and attempt the TS1

Firstly tap your back on your performance on the Polity Test. Almost all the candidates have at least attempted the test and attempted really well. Our observation of candidates on the testing platform and queries after that gave us the insight that candidates have begun their preparation on a serious note. We really appreciate your efforts and this gives us the motivation to work harder and bring more quality content and a better test each time for you guys.

Our observations from the first test:

Most of the candidates appearing in the first test lacked detailed reading of the NCERT’s. This is what differentiates the bright candidates from the bigger lot.

What can be more frustrating than reading a concept and attempting the same thing wrong in the test!

This test should have been an eye opener to all the candidates. Pull up your socks and start preparing meticulously.

NOTE 1: The explanations pdf has been uploaded on the portal. Download it and revise it thoroughly. Click here to go to the portal.

NOTE 2: If you want to read the 5 most difficult/ controversial questions which most got wrong in TS1, click to read this post

Guidance on Economy for the TS2 on 21^st 

 “Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.”

These are the exact words when it comes to the defined syllabus by UPSC for Indian Economy.

So how do we dissect the syllabus and make it sure that we don’t miss out on any part of the syllabus. The break up of syllabus is done on the basis of above-mentioned topics and Previous Year Questions. Refer the following: 

• Topic 1: Introduction to Economics
• Topic 2: Economic Growth and Development
• Topic 3: Inflation and Deflationary systems in India
• Topic 4: Money and Banking Systems
• Topic 5: Public Finance: Monetary Policy
• Topic 6: Public Finance: Fiscal policy
• Topic 6A: Indian Budgetary System
• Topic 6B: Indian Taxation System
• Topic 7: Planning in India
• Topic 8: External Sector (External Sector/Foreign Trade, Balance of Payment (BoP), Capital and Current Account Convertibility, Exchange Rate, Forex Reserves)
• Topic 9: International Organizations (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization)
• Topic 10: Economy Current Affairs and Economic Survey

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Looking at the above decoded syllabus we have figured out an effective preparation plan for Indian Economy. Please refer to the following sources for the first test as the entire test would be based on the NCERT’s: 

1. Economics (Class IX)

2. Understanding Economic Development (Class X)

3. Indian Economic Development (Class XI)

4. Introductory Microeconomics

5. Introductory Macroeconomics

Please go through the above mentioned sources really well. Our test will be extraordinarily ordinary.

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Here’s a sample question with explanation from the upcoming test

#1. What were the risk involved in Green Revolution ?

1. It would increase the disparities between small and big farmers

2. HYV (High Yielding Variety) crops were more prone to attack by pests and the small farmers who adopted this technology could lose everything in a pest attack.

Which of the following is/are correct ?

a) Only 1

b) Only 2

c) Both 1 & 2

d) None of the above.

Ans (c)

Explanation-

– While the nation had immensely benefited from the green revolution, the technology involved was not free from risks. One such risk was the possibility that it would increase the disparities between small and big farmers—since only the big farmers could afford the required inputs, thereby reaping most of the benefits of the green revolution.

– Moreover, the HYV crops were also more prone to attack by pests and the small farmers who adopted this technology could lose everything in a pest attack.

[Source: Chapter 2 – Page 24, Indian Economic Development XI]

With inputs from Ajay Prakash (AIR 9, CSE 2010) and Shuchita Kishore (AIR 39, CSE 2010) who chose English Literature as an optional, here is a strategy for the subject.

Novels and Drama:

For English-origin novels and drama, either ‘Worldview edition’ or ‘Norton Critical edition’ is recommended. One should supplement the analysis/criticism provided in these books with content available on websites such as Sparknotes , Cliffnotes, Wikipedia etc.

Text of a novel should be read at least once. Do not try to understand the meaning of each and every sentence; instead see a chapter in its entirety and in relation to the overall plot.

Critical essays and analysis of a work should be read thoroughly and important points memorized, especially vital themes, symbols and motifs.

For Indian-origin novels (where Worldview and Norton are not available), one should read the text well and search the net for essays, criticisms and analysis.

Poetry:

Dig the internet to gather as much in-depth knowledge about a poem as possible. Memorizing important lines of a poem is a good idea as its usage in an answer gives a very good impression. You can sail through by using your own analysis during reading of a poem.

History of English Literature:

(Covers important literary periods like Renaissance, Elizabethan era etc. refer syllabus)

Many good books are available for this:

• Introduction to English Literature by W.H Hudson
• The Routledge History of Literature in English
• A short History of English Literature (Pramod K. Nayar)
• Wikipedia is also a good source.

Unseen Poetry and Prose:

In paper-I, one has to answer questions based on unseen poem and in paper-II, there is similarly a passage from which questions are based. Both combined constitute 100 marks (50 each) and are compulsory.

These can be answered by using one’s common sense without any intensive prior preparation. A book Practical Criticism (Oxford University Press) can be useful in this regard.

A Glossary of Literary Terms by M.H Abrams is useful for familiarizing oneself with various literary terms.

General Tips:

1. If one is fairly interested in literature, one can go for this optional very safely notwithstanding his/her graduation stream.
2. Coverage of complete syllabus should be a priority. Questions asked, especially in the recent years are so based as to test this aspect.
3. 3 months is sufficient for a person having background in English to complete the syllabus.
4. For one with a different background, around 6 months is sufficient depending on one’s familiarity with the texts.
5. Read the historical portion after completion of the literary works. In most novels, the plot and characters depict clearly the traits of a particular literary period. That way, one would get a fair idea of various periods without any extra effort.
6. Use simple language while answering questions. Deliberate and unnecessary use of complex lexicon won’t fetch any extra marks. It is a test of one’s knowledge of ‘literature’ and not ‘English’.
7. Answer-writing practice is of utmost importance. One should do it on a regular basis using the previous year questions (questions from past 10 year paper are relevant).
8. Since professional guidance (as per UPSC requirement) for this optional is virtually non-existent, one can approach any good university professor for evaluation of one’s answers. If not, even self-evaluation is sufficient.
9. Do not refer books which are often used by university students for securing a mere passing grade in exams (one such example is Ramji Lall). Their use, if necessitated, should only be restricted to summary of the plot/play. They cannot serve as a basic book for one’s preparation in CS exams.

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We are going to start with our Flagship Prelims TS in 2 days – Click here to enroll.

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On 11th September, IAS 2017 aspirants will start their journey of mastering the core concepts and understanding the value of tikdams in their test attempts, right from Day 1.

But some of the first timers wrote back to us that they were unclear as to what these tikdams were all about?

• Is it just about a guessing technique? If yes, then isn’t it better that I rather complete the course than depend upon guess work?
• Is this easy for a newbie to understand or only an experienced test taker can develop the hunch for correct options?
• Should I join the TS now or wait for my coaching to help me finish the coursework before? I don’t want to feel less confident about my testing scores etc etc.

Let’s solve your concerns and assure you that joining the TS right now is the most sensible thing you can do for your test prep.

Read this question from the IAS Prelims 2016. If you are a beginner to IAS Prep, what would be your takeaways from this question?

#1. With reference to ‘Astrosat’, the astronomical observatory launched by India, which of the following statements is/are correct? (IAS Pre 2016)

1. Other than USA and Russia, India is the only country to have launched a similar observatory into space.
2. Astrosat is a 2000 kg satellite placed in an orbit at 1650 km above the surface of the Earth via PSLV.

The question asked you to select the correct statement(s) of these two.

Look at this question and think like a beginner. If you just started your IAS Preparation, its likely that you have no idea about Astrosat or even if you do, you might not know the intricate details which this question put forth. Right? Does that mean that as a beginner you will have to mug up on all the factoids of current affairs? Is that even humanly possible to do! Is this what UPSC wants you to become? A ratta machine?

Think again!

As a beginner, when you read about the space missions and related activities in news, you will invariably find mentions of China, EU along with USA, Russia in the strategic missions in space. Now even if you do not know about Astrosat in particular, your tikdami mind should raise a red flag – Is it possible that EU, China etc would not have attempted something that India just did?

During your preparation, you will come across the launchers – PSLV, GSLV etc and you would know about their load taking capacities and learn that PSLV has an upper limit at ~1680 kgs. Now this piece of knowledge becomes wisdom for a sincere student and that becomes a piece of tikdam when he applies it on the second statement! There is no way in hell that 2000 kg of mass can be transported by a PSLV. That’s wrong!

And voilla, you get your answer!

You can easily cross both the statement and attempt the question without the knowledge of Astrosat in particular. That’s what tikdam is. Is this guesswork? NO.

This is the point when knowledge becomes wisdom and a sincere aspirant takes a leap over everyone else!

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Now, let’s take another simple question –

#2. Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Astradharini’, that was in the news recently?

(a) Amphibious warfare ship

(b) Nuclear-powered submarine

(c) Torpedo launch and recovery vessel

(d) Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

Look at this question like a newbie. You did not by-heart the list of INS in news that year (who would!) and yet you need to apply tikdam into this question. What then?

Astra dharani = Astra ko dharan karne wali

That’s it – the smart hack of breaking that hindi word and matching astra with torpedo will give you the correct option – that is (c)!

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Let’s give you another question from the Civilsdaily Flagship Test Series. This is an early bird sneak peek for those who want to understand tikdams better!

#3. Recently, India has joined ‘Hague Code of Conduct’, consider following statements:

1. It was established in 2002 to prevent the spread of ballistic missiles that can deliver weapons of mass destruction
2. It is the only normative instrument to verify the spread of ballistic missiles
3. It is a voluntary legally binding multilateral body

Which of the statements given above is/are Correct?

a)1 only

b)2 and 3 only

c)1 and 2 only

d)1,2 and 3

What do you need to do to solve such CA questions?

• Stay up to date with daily news – YES. In fact, we recommend that you read from our FREE android app daily to get the top 10-15 news items relevant for UPSC – Click here to download.
• Knowing the basic terms of Polity – voluntary, legally binding agreements etc etc – YES. You gain this from reading your NCERTs properly
• And Tikdams! The art of reading the finer details of a question

Red Flags in the option choices – Option 2 & 3 are counter intuitive to each other. If one is the other can’t be. Also, a voluntary body cannot be legally binding! There goes the option 3 down the drain.

That’s it! Knowledge leads to wisdom leads to Tikdam!

Our message to you is very simple.

As test takers and test makers, we know one thing for certain –

You need to work hard on your basics. We will be putting in efforts in our explanation sheets when we pick up titbits and tikdams for you BUT you need to be more forthcoming in your attempts. You need to think beyond the question and discuss other finer aspects of the answer choices.

Tikdam is the state of mind when knowledge becomes wisdom.

 

So, don’t think that tikdams and smart hacks are for those who haven’t prepared well. NO. They are for those who want to go to the zen level of problem solving! Prelims will be a cakewalk if you attempt the 3200 questions of the Flagship Test Series. You are bound to clear it 100% if you stay true to the time table and think like a PRO.

So, start from the Day 1. Do your NCERTs well and attempt the Indian Polity Test on 11th September.

source

Background: Chekuri Kirthi, a student of Metallurgy Engineering batch in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, emerged as the topper in the two Telugu states in the Civil Services exam. She picked up the idea of being an IAS officer in her third year at IIT inspired by a talk of serving officer. She says, “couldn’t imagine myself working in the four walls of a company… the vast scope of service civil services throw up actually drew me towards it.”

Her journey: She cleared UPSC with 14th rank in her third attempt (CSE-2015). Her ranks in previous attempts were 440 in CSE-2013 and 512 in CSE-2014. She prepared for the exam this time while undergoing the training in academy.

Suggestion for Prelims: We tend to overestimate our potential and neglect prelims thinking Prelims marks wouldn’t count for the exam. Neglecting prelims can prove to be a very costly mistake. Many toppers in the list cleared prelims with a margin of 1-3 marks. One can understand that 1-2 questions in Prelims can make or break your dreams.

In 2013, she cleared the Prelims by just 4 marks. She admits that her reason for low performance in Prelims 2013 was minimal practice in Quant and playing safe in Paper-1. She knew 45 questions comfortably in paper-1 and just guessed 10 more there by attempting just 55 questions. She realized it was a very dangerous strategy. In prelims, one should mark the questions in which one is 100% percent sure in the first round. In the second round, one should also try to attempt those questions in which one can eliminate two options. With this strategy, she comfortably cleared prelims in CSE 2014.

Mains strategy: In her first two attempts, her mains marks were marginally above the cut-off (10 marks). She admits that she cleared both the attempts only because of her interview. She made a few changes in her Mains answer writing approach which helped her enormously.

• Diagrams: She drew a lot of diagrams. She drew India and World Maps for Geography or International Relations.
• Side headings
• Flow Charts
• Breadth instead of Depth: Cover as many dimensions as possible in an answer rather than covering the issue in depth with quality analysis. UPSC prefers the no. of dimensions in an answer.
• Introduction: Take the key words of the question and explain them. That becomes the introduction.

Internalize the points you study in your preparation- what are the side-headings you can give, how to draw flow chart for the question, maximizing the dimensions etc.

Attempt as many questions as you can, unless you are absolutely clueless and can’t make an intelligent guess about what’s asked. Go through the question paper in first 2-3 minutes and select the questions you are good at(around 10) and attempt them first. Only then go for the other questions on which you’ll have little idea where you have to guess.

[Click 2 Download] “The Art of Tikdams” is now available for all IAS Prelims 2017 aspirants

source

Background: Fouzia Tarannum started her preparation for UPSC in December 2010. She quit her job as a Business Analyst with Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. In CSE 2011, she cleared with AIR of 307, thereby joining the IRS (IT). The attempt in 2012 didn’t see any improvement in her rank/service.

Her preparation journey: Once posted she started feeling the difference in service – IAS and IRS. She felt that she should try one last time for her dream service and give one last attempt. A few weeks before 2014 prelims she jumped into preparation mode.

What made her successful this time? She reread the standard books, along with the sources available online. She feels that a big part of the improvement in rank to AIR 31 this year was due to her growth as a person, becoming more mature, having seen more of this world and a creeping sense of practicality and realism in approach, compared to an over-idealistic one earlier.

Her advice:  She advises that UPSC is actually looking for more rounded personalities with problem solving approach and an analytical mind. The UPSC journey should be looked at in this light, and not merely reading of books.

How difficult it was to prepare with her job? She felt a deep sense of duty and responsibility towards her work that she doesn’t compromise on her present work while giving this attempt. She had to be more than justifying the salary that she was taking home.

Though it was tiring at times, but she made sure that at office, she would concentrate on work, and at home on preparation efforts.

How did she balance both? The balance came from management of time. There will never be enough time; rather we have to make time for everything. She took no leave before prelims, took 30 days leave before mains and 5 days leave for interview.

How did she plan her studies? She studied for atleast 2 hours a day, on working days – depending on her work day either early morning or late night – August to December 2014. She also managed to take a few Fridays off after the prelims results, so as to get 3 days of continuous studies.

She finished weekly newspapers that she piled up and studied for about 4 hours a day, on weekends and holidays.

How did she manage her different subjects? She focused on revising her strong areas (economy, geography, etc.) and re-prepared her weak areas (history, culture, sociology, etc.) along with preparing for the newly introduced topics.

She focused on current events and ensured that she remained updated with GS.

Optional Subjects: she chose Sociology as optional because it takes lesser time to prepare in comparison and enjoyed reading this subject, though she had never studied this subject academically.

Her tips for Ethics- GS Paper 4: She just read a few solved papers and looked up definitions on all the terms used in the syllabus and made short notes. She suggests that one must give true answers to most situational questions/case studies.

Did she practice writing answers? She says she couldn’t practise writing due to lack of time and also feels that if she had practised, she could have scored better.

Tips to write answers: She gave many examples in her answers, and tried to keep them interesting to whoever was to read them.

Time Management: There is a dire need for short, productive periods of reading through the day. For instance, she read the news feeds after returning from lunch at office, watched news/saved videos while travelling to and from office, etc. Such reading of 15 minutes in short bursts 4-5 times a day really adds up and contributes immensely to our efforts.

Whenever she felt low in her studies: She use to take up a subject that she liked and enjoyed when she would feel depressed. This really helps make our efforts more productive. She suggests one should be judicious in the time one allots to various “sub-subjects”.

Writing style: She feels short, to the point, bullet points, covering as many dimensions and aspects as possible is the best way to write answers. She didn’t focus much on word limits, for some answers she looked for more space and for some she just jotted down half a page. She suggests interlinking of topics and use of diagrams/charts. She also underlined important points while writing.

Her suggestion: A lot of resources are available online, one must have a look and settle for what works best and not waste time on internet unnecessarily.

Do not lose focus and never lose faith. Stay consistent in your efforts. Believe in yourself! Don’t forget to keep learning and to keep improving!

Though a certain amount of luck is required, hard work does pay!

She says- “I have not studied in big “Ivy League” institutions, nor do I have any civil servants in my family. I come from a very simple, ordinary, loving household, where education has never been very important”.

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[Click 2 Download] “The Art of Tikdams” is now available for all IAS Prelims 2017 aspirants

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For the aspirants of IAS 2017, who have registered for our Flagship Prelims Course, here’s a sneak-peek of what to expect.

• The exam starts on 11th September at the portal – Click here to register
• It is an online only exam – you can attempt it all day and beyond. Don’t worry of any fixed time
• Syllabus is fixed – Indian Polity (NCERTs of 9th, 10th and 11th) – If you don’t have the books – you might find some NCERTs here – Click to download
• If you want to have a look at our previous year’s sectional tests – we have made 6 Mocks available for FREE – Click to attempt before you join Flagship
• If you want to know whether it is worth it to spend ~6K in an online environment, read this blog to see how we differ and what our users have to say

And now, for the sneak-peak into the actual test. We are releasing a few questions and explanations in this blog to let you know what a beginner should expect to excel in the TS – 

1. Bear in mind that since UPSC has changed its gears towards more current affairs centric paper, we want you to focus on only a few select books to master the Static portion. But for those select few books, we are very, very serious about mastering them.
2. All of the questions will be inferred from the prescribed books only – Test will have a balanced ensemble of easy, medium, difficult question and you should be scoring high on the first 6 basic tests to join the leagues of advanced players after that.

Sample Questions + Explanations

 

Q#1. Consider the following

1. There shall be no religious instruction in the government educational institutions.
2. In educational institutions managed by private bodies no person shall be compelled to take part in any religious instruction or to attend any religious worship

 

Which of the following is/are incorrect?

• a) Only 1
• b) Only 2
• c) Both 1 & 2
• d) Neither 1 & 2

Ans (d)

Explanation-

-There shall be no religious instruction in the government educational institutions. In educational institutions managed by private bodies no person shall be compelled to take part in any religious instruction or to attend any religious worship.

[Source: Chapter 6, Page 106 –Democratic Politics Part 1 Class IX]

Titbits – Religious instruction in the govt or private institute is prohibited

 

Q#2. Consider the following on as per the Constitution of India

1. Fundamental rights are absolute rights for citizens of India
2. Reservation will not be seen as a violation of right to equality.

Which of the following is/are correct?

• a) 1 only
• b) 2 only
• c) Both 1 and 2
• d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans (b)

Explanation-

• – Fundamental rights are not absolute or unlimited rights
• – In fact Article 16(4) of the constitution explicitly clarifies that a policy like reservation will not be seen as a violation of right to equality

[Source: Chapter 2, Page 33 – Indian Constitution At Work Class XI]

Tikdam- No rights are unlimited so eliminate that first. Reservation and rights are different so second is true.

Q#3. Consider the following

1. In a SC reserved constituency only someone who belongs to the Scheduled tribe can stand for election.
2. One-fourth of the seats are reserved in rural and urban local bodies for women candidates.

Which of the following is/are correct?

• a) Only 1
• b) Only 2
• c) Both 1 & 2
• d) Neither 1 & 2

Ans (d)

Explanation-

• – One-third of the seats are reserved in rural and urban local bodies for women candidates.
• – In a SC reserved constituency only someone who belongs to the Scheduled caste can stand for election

[Source: Chapter 4, Page 63 –Democratic Politics Part 1 Class IX]
Tikdam- 33% is standard reservation for women. Always remember that. In SC constituency SC cam contest

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So, there you go. You will face such questions and more. The Explanations will in turn act as a revision for you and we assure you that once you are through these tests, you would have mastered the Art of Prelims.

If you have joined in, prepare well and we look forward to see you on the 11th September. If you haven’t already – register and join us for CD Flagship Prelims Course.

We do make mistakes( like me ticking the wrong option ( (；一_一) and it’s normal( Yes  if i ticked it I have to accept it. I can’t make it a hype saying OMG what I just did for a while yes I will run around cry to my dear ones but for how long will I do that so I have  to start over again so yes I have to take it as normal)  . Have you not heard that “to err is human”. ( So just relax for a while and read what I want to say it to you its really important ).

Consider this situation for example.

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Do you really think that this incident will give her tag of being ‘stupid’?

But then let us not forget “the audience”. They are judging her on every mistake and their “haww” expression seeing her like this.

So “for a moment” yes it’s a stupidest thing. She will feel sorry about it. But should she not go back to the water cooler? Or just get away with this embarrassment  by throwing it.

What would she do? What would you expect her to do at this moment?

I think She just need to take few steps to go to a water cooler so why to leave it empty. It’s her bottle she needs it more than the people around her who are laughing.

And if I could simply put imagine your plans, dreams or aspirations as this bottle. I know it’s not okay if you failed to accomplish things what you wished for. But tell me one thing will you just toss it away just because some are asking you to rethink on decision?

Opting for this examination will be currently in your mind or may be something else: P .Regardless of how many times you failed stop doubting yourself. Every time I failed I was told not to live in a fool’s paradise. But then I never stopped giving myself a chance. Things hurt us but if you have lost all hopes only thing you have to trust is yourself. So give yourself a chance (＾▽＾)

And it’s your bottle of wishes Na and you need it you dreamed about it. See your dreams may be silly or be whatever for others but you need to protect it it’s “your” dream (Do watch The Pursuit of Happyness I learnt this from it :)) . Remember never leave anything undone that you have thought of  doing ( In life never ever bring yourself to a point that you regret that kaash yeh kar liya hota.I know you have responsibilities but you have to take care of yourself  and your smile too .)

So the way I want her to go back its confidence that I want her to have. Same I want you too to have that confidence. I want you to stand up for what you want to do and be the one you wanted to be. No matter how hard it is for you and how many frowning eyes watching you. You just have to recharge yourself with determination and dedication that’s all your bottle of wishes need.

So it’s September start reading ….φ(・∀・＊)

Hence  Rule#1  of Zoya : Protect your dream.

source

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It’s August end. For some of us, the prelims blitzkrieg just ended, for some, the mains gamble started, and the fuchhas, the newbies, June 2017 has already started giving them jitters. But all this, when we are still in the cocoon stage of our struggle, the stage where all we have to do is scratch the grey matter. Some of us get through the struggle part easily, many of us do not. Such is the story, a walk through struggles, of 2006 AIR 48, Govind Jaiswal. Not everyone makes headlines, he did. Lets get to know this man, this inspiration and pray altogether that, not some but many of us make it to the holy list.

Born and brought up in Varanasi. Son of a Rickshaw vendor, three sisters, the bringing up was not smooth. Quoting him in verbatim,” I used to plug in cotton buds inside my ears, for the street outside our home was so noisy, the room we lived in so small, that this wasn’t something I could choose not to.”

The Great Indian system, which expected him to continue with rickshaws and not dream beyond that, became his muse, his inspiration. For now he knew, the only thing which could lift him off the ground was education, and he grasped the fact so hard that there was no turning back. In one of his interactions, he got to know the one thing, by becoming which one could gain respect, of peers, of society, for himself and his parents.

And the golden words were, An IAS officer. This stuck to his mind like, metal to magnet, detractors tried pulling him back, society said, “Oh! you aren’t destined for this, why the pains?” He soon answered the benign concern nevertheless. For his home is now, “IAS ka ghar”.

He got through his college education from BHU, economic constraints here too, but the fire never died, he never stopped dreaming. Then on a leap of faith, he came to Delhi, the Mecca of aspirants.

The going wasn’t easy. His father had to sell all his land to sum up a meagre Rs.30,000/- for him. Govind too kept on with sustenance by giving tuitions while in Delhi. The struggle was real. Two times a meal became luxury, having had enjoyed dinner with the leftovers of lunch. And with all these the constant thought of his father, the hopes, the heavy feeling.

He chose Philosophy and History as his optionals, yes the time when there used to be two, lucky you. His hindi background was an area of concern for him, like it is for many amongst us, as if English is the sole parameter of achievement. But all he could do was work on it, and he excelled at working.

“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. Govind exemplified the phrase and made it through the mains. Dholpur house, the holy list, were so near, yet so far. The interview went well, like it went for hundreds like him. Quoting his sister, “ Had he not made it to the list, someone of us could have died. Things were this tensed.” And he did make it to the list.

But we all know, Govind isn’t the only one. Many of us have had seen things, much more miserable, through this hallowed journey. You feel down by the constant feeling, the thought of, “what if I don’t get through”, well, don’t let that thought die. Wear it on your arm, like a badge, let no one, not even you, your thoughts take over your aspirations. Nothing can be stronger than your will, if you must. You are, what your struggles have moulded you into. The product of your hardships.

Do not get too much into strategies, do not plan to plan everything. Do not feel down if you fail to cover the target you set for the day. Believe in yourself. You will get through, you have to get through. The nation needs officers like Govind, like you.

And when you’ll wave us from the other side, the party wouldn’t have ended, rather lifelong celebrations would have just begun. A new life in the making. A life of giving, of fulfilling the needs, of materializing the vision a young boy saw in the bylanes of Varanasi.

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Contributed by Shreesh Kala.