Geography Optional by Shabbir Sir - Foundation Course

Geography Optional Strategy

Geography is one of the most chosen optional among UPSC aspirants, along with History, Sociology, PSIR & Public Administration. Annually, 3000 students write Mains Exam, who have Geography as their optional!

In the journey of becoming a civil servant, the selection of an appropriate optional is important. Optionals account for 500 marks on the Mains Exam, and Geography Optional has produced toppers with marks ranging from 298 to over 320 marks.

Here are the toppers along with their marks

Geography, no doubt, is a comprehensive subject, with topics all over General Studies. Be it Indian Society, International Relations, Disaster Management, Environment - we have Geography as a part of all major General Studies subjects. Here, we will tell you exactly how you can manage Geography Optional as a subject, with the right strategy to guide you.

Going through the Geography Optional syllabus!

You need to ensure that each and every topic mentioned in the UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus is known to you. This will assist you in reading only what is relevant, instead of going through a lot of sources and keeping your preparations unorganized!

Here are the major heads and sub-heads of the Geography Optional Syllabus:

• Geography Optional Paper 1 contains Physical Geography and Human Geography
• Geography Optional Paper 2 contains Indian Geography

Physical Geography has the following topics:

• Geomorphology
• Climatology
• Oceanography
• Biogeography
• Environment Geography

Human Geography has the following topics:

• Perspectives in Human Geography
• Economic Geography
• Population and Settlement Geography
• Regional Planning
• Models, Theories and Laws in Human Geography

Indian Geography has the following topics:

• Physical Setting
• Resources
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Transport, Communication and Trade
• Cultural Setting
• Settlements
• Regional Developments and Planning
• Political Aspects
• Contemporary Issues

Why is it important to understand keywords in the Geography Optional Syllabus?

It is really important to know the keywords mentioned in the Syllabus. This is because, many questions are directly asked from picking up topics which is mentioned in the syllabus. Let's understand it with a few examples!

• Module - Geomorphology
• Keyword Mentioned in Syllabus - Plate Tectonics

Question - The concept of Plate Tectonics has been derived from the  Isostasy and Continental Drift Theory. Elaborate citing  suitable examples. (2021)

• Module - Climatology
• Keyword Mentioned in Syllabus - Thornthwaite Classification

Question - Explain the techniques to calculate potential  evapotranspiration suggested by Thornthwaite. (2019)

• Module - Population and Settlement Geography
• Keyword Mentioned in Syllabus - Settlements

Question - Examine the relevance of the Central Place Theory of  Christaller in the present context. (2021)

• Module - Physical Setting
• Keyword Mentioned in Syllabus - Peninsular Plateau

Question - Drainage pattern in Peninsular India is a result of its geological structure and topography. Elaborate. (2017)

• Module - Cultural Setting
• Keyword Mentioned in Syllabus - Migration

Question - Critically examine the relevance of Ravenstein’s law of population migration with reference to India. (2021)

Can you see the reference we are trying to make?

Most of the questions have topics that are mentioned in the syllabus. So, it is important that you have notes for each topic mentioned in the syllabus.

What is the trend of Questions being asked in Geography Optional?

The questions asked in Geography Optional can be divided into Direct Questions, which are L1 level questions, Open Ended Questions which are L2 & L3 level questions, & Map-Based Questions.

• L1 Questions - These are mostly direct questions that can be solved easily through Syllabus Completion. You have to ensure you are well-read with all the topics that are mentioned in the Syllabus, and these questions can be easily answered.
• L2 & L3 Questions - These comprise of open-ended questions, where you need to have an interdisciplinary and in-depth analysis of the topics in the syllabus. You need to be able to form perspectives and opinions backed with data and facts to be able to answer these questions.
• Map-Based Questions - These questions are a mix of direct and tricky. Ensure that you have practiced Mapping Questions over the last 20 years, as many of will repeat. Also, keep in touch with locations being mentioned in the news.

What are the current trends in Geography Optional Questions?

• Inter-connected, in-depth & Interdisciplinary Nature - The current pattern of Geography Optional Questions shows that many questions from Environment, Economics, and Sociology.

Let’s look at this question for example:

“Automation is rapidly changing the economics of labor and will affect trade patterns in significant ways”. Clarify? (CSE 2022)

• Applied Geography - Not only Geography Optional, but all other optionals are becoming more applied rather than being just L1 Questions. It is important to connect contemporary concepts with current affairs examples.

Let’s look at this question:

“Explain how various aspects of channel morphology are used in transportation settlement, land use planning, flood control, and flood management. (CSE 2022)

• Linkage with Current Affairs - Do you notice that in the General Studies papers, UPSC is now focusing more and more on contemporary issues like Climate Change, Urbanization and Population Issues?

The same is the case with Geography Optional, where questions, more so in Paper 2, are being asked from dynamic and contemporary issues about global and regional trends.

Look at this question for example:

“Climate change is serious problem to global food security and eradication of poverty”. Critically examine. (CSE 2022)

• Focus on In-depth Concepts instead of facts - With an evolution in the overall trend of UPSC, Geography Optional Questions are also becoming more concept based instead of just fact-based. 

For example, compare these two questions based on the same theme - Climate Change.

"Discuss the trends in migration focusing on its major thrust. (CSE 2014)"

"Critically examine the relevance of Ravenstein’s Law of Population migration with relevance to India. (CSE 2021)"

We can clearly see, that instead of asking questions just based on the theme and topic or a direct question, UPSC has shifted to more in-depth concept-based questions. You cannot write an answer if you don’t exactly know about Ravenstein’s Law of Population Migration.

Doing an Analysis of UPSC Previous Year Questions in Geography Optional

Analyzing the Geography Optional Previous Year Questions is an important task in Exam Preparation. It helps an aspirant understand the pattern, the language, and the concepts that UPSC is repeating. One can be closest to the syllabus when he understands the pattern of the Previous Year Questions.

We have collated the Module-Wise Questions for Geography Optional in our Blog Section.

Select the right sources for Geography Optional

If you want to master Geography Optional, it is important that you don't overload yourselves with excessive study material and limit your sources.

The subject is vast - it's like covering 3 years of Bachelor's, and 3 year's of Masters in one go.

The only way to be able to cover the portion is to stick to the syllabus, PYQs, and limiting your sources.

• Your inclination should be towards a scholarly way of preparation - don't rely on substandard material in the market to start your preparations.
• You should make your own notes and synopsis - don't rely solely on the notes given by toppers. You can instead, supplement your Synopsis with Shabbir Sir's Notes!
• Rely heavily on changing trends and PYQs. That should be your Bible which you refer whenever you are reading a topic!

If you want the Booklist to be followed for Geography Optional, you can check this out!

Dealing with Current Affairs for Geography Optional

We need a structured approach to be able to cover required current affairs topics in Geography Optional. Geography Optional is highly current affairs based. While UPSC may ask you a static topic, if you are able to link it to a current event, it's highly possible that you will fetch extra marks because of that.

It is also important to note that Current Affairs shouldn't be focused only on for Paper 2. It holds equal importance in Paper 1.

Following are some of the important current affairs topics to look at:

• Physical Geography: Recent Natural Disasters like Cyclones, Earthquakes and Floods.
• Climate Change Discussions, Reports and Summits for Geomorphology
• Data & Reports like Census, Population, Migration Patterns, Caste Census, Urban Planning Issues, etc for Human Geography.

So, as Geography Optional is changing the pattern, we are getting more and more dynamic questions. Apart from that, it is also important to use case-studies, examples, and contemporary issues to get the extra 1-2 marks in the Geography Optional Mains Exam. Hence, we recommend you to read dedicated Current Affairs for Geography Optional. 

We thus, recommend – KOSMOS Magazine, a feature magazine for Geography Optional including Environment & Ecology.

We try and consolidate all important current affairs relevant for Geography Optional, from popular magazines like EPW, The Hindu, Indian Express and Down to Earth.

How to write effective Geography Optional Answers?

To get high scores, it is important to write an answer that is both distinctive and detailed. This includes offering a thorough examination of both the question at hand and the proposed solution.

It is important that you are not writing Geography Optional answers like a simple Geography GS Answer. The following are the ways in which you can do that:

1. Use names of Geographers and their concepts.

2. Use definitions given by Geographers. Example - Areal differentiation by Hartshorne.

3. Use examples that are used by Geographers. Example - Julian Wolpert's Swedish farm.

4. Use recommendations, reports, and committees. Example - Gadgil Committee report.

5. Debate quoting Geographers instead of writing your own understanding or philosophy!

6. Use of Definitions - We need to write precise definitions. For example, Areal Differentiation can be defined in a number of ways, but if we write the definition mentioned by by Richard Hartshorne, the impact would be more.

7. Quote Examples which credible Geographers. Example, for Behavioralism, quoting Julian Wolpert's 1964 paper on Swedish farmers relating to behaviouralism can fetch us more marks!

8. Quote Important Scholars and their work. Example, quoting Weber to explain Theory of Industrial Location.

9. Use flow charts, diagrams, maps, & schematics in answers.

10. Link concepts with Current Affairs - For Example - Try linking Joshi Math News to Geomorphology.

11. Use Case Studies - Example, quote Marathawada region for a question on Agragriam Crisis.

12. Integrated Learning and Linking of Paper 1 and Paper 2 - Always try and link Paper 1 and 2. Example, topics like Population, Climatology, Environment & Settlement Geography can be quoted in both papers. More specifically, incorporate aspects from both Physical and Human Geography.

To conclude

Geography Optional, over the years, has evolved - both in quantity of how much is to be read, and quality of what is to be covered.

Geography Optional requires more than just rote learning - it also requires conceptual understanding. Prepare well for the exam. The above strategy, if applied well, will definitely do wonders for your Geography Optional Preparation!