In UPSC Mains, GS Paper 1 is one of the four subjective papers. In total, 4 papers of general studies are challenging and test the various aspects of an aspirant.
Performing well in four of the papers is extremely necessary to clear the mains and the marks of these four papers get added to the final marks as well.
The prime subject for these general studies papers is.
- History
- Indian society
- Geography
- Art and culture.
Apart from these, there are 8 other papers in the civil service examination that an aspirant needs to clear in order to become a civil servant.
In this article, we will get an overview of the syllabus and strategies on how to prepare for the General Studies paper 1.
Topic and subtopic and what you actually have to read for the GS paper 1
History
- Art and Culture
- Modern history
- World History
Geography:
- Physical Geography of the India
- Physical Geography of the World
- Human Geography.
Indian Society
- Demography
- Development of the Indian Society.
- Social Issues
Strategy on how to prepare for GS paper 1
Beginning with the first basic parts of GS paper 1:
- History
- Political philosophies
- Society of India
- Geography
History is the most crucial topic in general Studies paper 1.
The number of questions that come under the History domain is large sometimes 100 or sometimes more than 100.
History is a broad area of focus and that’s what makes it difficult and interesting at the same time,
Aspirants need to study world wars, revolutions, world history, civilizations, and so on.
Main topics under History.
| Topic | Main parts to study | source |
| Indian art and culture | Cover salient aspects of art forms, literature, and architecture. Classical danceTemple architectureMusicMusical instrumentThemes of India’s ancient history | Facets of Indian cultureIndia’s ancient past by RS SharmaCCRT website |
| Modern Indian History | Middle of the 18th century to present eventsFreedom struggles and its various events. 4 important agitation movementsContribution of important personalitiesSocial & religious reforms. | India’s struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra brief history of Modern India by Rajiv Ahir |
| India after Independence | Post-independence consolidation Admission of princely statesImportant movementsImportant personalities. | India since independence by Bipin Chandra |
| World History | Americal revolution french revolution Russian revolution industrial revolution world war 1 and 2Current affairs | Mastering World History by Norman NoweHistory of World by Arjun Dev |
Other topics
| Political philosophies | SocialismCommunalismCapitalism |
| Society of India | Indian diversity Women’s empowerment Issues of Indian society and its problems |
| Geography | Climate change natural resources environmentCyclones, hurricanesWaterbodiesLocation of industries in India |
An overview of the General Studies paper 1 structure
- In the general studies paper, there are in total of 20 questions, printed in both the languages Hindi and English.
- The aspirant must answer in the language they have selected while filling in the application form.
- If by any chance the questions are answered in any other language than the one that is been selected in the application form then those answers are not evaluated.
- The full mark for the paper is 250 marks.
- There is a word limit for specific marked questions, the 10 marks questions have a word limit of 150 for the answers, and the 15 marks question has a word limit of 250.
- A significant portion of the history syllabus focuses on Modern History topics, including the Freedom struggle, the Indian Renaissance, and related topics.
- Current affairs-related topics are emphasized in the Geography syllabus alongside static subtopics.
- A section of the syllabus for Indian Society has questions about women empowerment, secularism, Indian culture, etc.
A list of must-read topics for GS paper 1
History Art and culture
- Independence struggle
- The famous Salt Satyagraha
- Woods dispatch
- Puppetry
- Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
- Temple architecture styles
- Tribal and ancient paintings
Indian Society
- Development reforms
- Poverty problems
- Secularism
- Communalism
- Women empowerment
Geography
- Cyclones:- Amphan of west
Nisarga cyclone
- Types of rocks
- Soil formation
- Erosion landforms
- Natural calamities
- earthquakes
Detailed overview of topics of Indian Society, Geography
Indian Society
| Salient features | Population and associated issues |
| diversity, tribes, caste, race, language, culture | Population explosion |
| unity | Demography of India |
| pluralism | Causes of overpopulation |
| Family systems | Population aging in India |
Other important topics-
- Urbanization and problems
- Poverty and Development Issues
- Social empowerment
- Globalization
- Regionalism
World and Indian Geography
| Geomorphology | oceanography |
| Origin and evolution of earth | Ocean floor configuration |
| Plate tectonic theory | Temperature and salinity of ocean |
| landforms | Waves, tides currents |
| Distribution of earthquakes and volcanos | Hydrological cycle |
| Interior of Earth |
| climatology | Soil geography |
| Solar radiation, heat budget | Soil and its contents |
| Earth’s atmosphere | Soil formation |
| World Climate | Types of soil |
| Atmospheric circulation | Soil erosion |
