IAS IAS Foundation Manual 3 IAS Foundation Manual provides you with essential knowledge and skills which will lay a strong foundation for your pursuit in Civil Services Examination and once you finish your degree you will be ready for the final round of intensive preparation for the IAS exam. JTS Institute IAS Foundation Manual 5 Come, YOU too CAN become an IAS Officer!!! “Mother of all Exams in India”, “The Toughest exam in India”, these are some of the epitomes of the Civil Services Exam that scares many aspirants. Are you one such guy, who is scary of this exam? The fact is that, many aspirants who even after successfully cleared the exam also believe that “it was a very tough task”. Their justification for this belief is that, every year 3 to 5 lakh candidates apply for the Civil Services Exam, and UPSC selects less than 1000 candidates for the prestigious IAS, IFS, IPS, Group-A and Group-B services. That means the competition is VERY TOUGH, isn’t it? You can answer “YES” or “NO” to this question. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT “IAS EXAM IS ONE OF THE EASIEST EXAMS IN INDIA!!!” Once you finish reading this article you too will agree with me and say that “IAS EXAM IS ONE OF THE EASIEST EXAMS IN INDIA!!!” You know that, every year 3to 5 lakh aspirants apply for the preliminary Exam. But do you know that majority of the candidates are not serious? So, don’t go by the number of students applied or appeared for the exam. Most of them are not serious. If you just appear for the exam, your chances of winning are 1/500…. But when you prepare seriously according to a good strategy plan, provided in this book, your chances will become 1/3. Yes, your chance of winning enhances tremendously. But you need to assure me that, you will study smart (not hard) according to the Strategy Plan provided in this book. JTS Institute 24 IAS Foundation Manual Civil Services in India-at a Glance The Civil Services of India (known simply as the Civil Services) refer to the civil service and the permanent bureaucracy of the Government of India. The civil service system is the backbone of the administrative machinery of the country. In the parliamentary democracy of India, the ultimate responsibility for running the administration rests with the elected representatives of the people which are the ministers. The ministers are accountable to the legislature, elected by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise. The ministers are thus indirectly responsible to the people. But the handful of ministers cannot be expected to deal personally with the manifold problems of modern administration. Thus the ministers lay down the policy and it is for the civil servants to carry out this policy. The executive decisions are implemented by the Indian civil servants. A civil servant is any person who is a citizen of India appointed by the Government to any civil service or post in connection with the affairs of the Union and includes a civilian in a Defence Service. The members of civil service serve at the pleasure of the President of India and Article 311 of the constitution protects them from politically motivated or vindictive action. Civil servants are employees of the Government of India; however, not all employees of the Government are civil servants. History Prior to Independence, the Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the senior most amongst the Services of the Crown in India. Besides the ICS, there was also the Indian Police Service. After Independence, it was felt that though the ICS was a legacy of the imperial period, there was need for the All India Services for maintaining the unity, integrity and stability of the nation. Accordingly, a provision was made in Article 312 of the Constitution for creation of one or more All India Services common to the Union and State. The Indian Administrative Service and The Indian Police Service are deemed to be constituted by the Parliament in terms of Article 312 of the Constitution. After the promulgation of the Constitution, a new All India Service, namely, The Indian Forest Service, was created in 1966. A JTS Institute 35 IAS Foundation Manual Question Trend Analysis Paper-I 200 marks Duration: Two hours 100 questions. The trend analysis given below of the last 8 Years’ Civil Services Question Paper will give you an idea about the number of questions asked from different areas of the General Studies in the Preliminary Test. (1). Since 2011 exams there has been only 100 questions in total (2). From the 2011 exam GMA has been taken out from Paper-1 and presently part of Paper-2 (3). Environmental studies has been introduced as a separate topic from 2011 exam, and given very prominence in the number of questions asked. In the 2014 exam held on 24 August 2014, 32% of the questions were from this category. Till 2010 exam it was part of either Geography or Biology (4) From 2010 exam most of the questions in all sections have a current link, and that’s why exclusive CA questions were less. If we apply the same criteria that applied for the QPs of 2002 to 2009, number of questions coming under the Current Affairs section would have been more than 50! Subject 1. Geography 2. History & Culture 3. Economy 4. Polity 5. Science & Tech 6. GMA 7. Current Affairs 8. GK 9.Environment 2007 33 13 08 11 32 17 39 09 — 2008 38 12 15 10 22 11 35 17 - 2009 24 24 18 12 18 14 21 11 - 2010 31 14 33 07 29 23 09 04 - 2011 16 11 21 08 5 00 08 04 17 2012 17 19 17 20 9 00 1 0 17 2013 18 16 19 16 14 00 17 2014 15 20 13 11 5 00 4 0 32 JTS Institute 42 IAS Foundation Manual TYPES OF QUESTIONS ASKED IN THE PRELIMS PAPER-1 (See the UPSC Prelims Question Papers given in this book) It is very important to understand the different types of questions asked in the Civil Services Exam. The recent trend is to incorporate several complex formats which require the candidate to understand clearly what is wanted before choosing the answer. Given below are the different Types of questions asked in the Civil Services Preliminary Exam. Type-I: Single Selection Type This is a very simple and straight question pattern. In this type only one option out of the four given option is correct. Example: A meteor is (a) a rapidly moving star (b) a piece of matter which has entered the earth’s atmosphere from outer space (c) part of a constellation (d) a comet without tail Ans. (b) Type-II Multiple Selection Type In this type of question a set of statements will be given of which one or more will be correct/the answer to the question. You need to identify the correct option. See the example given below: Example-1: Consider the following statements regarding asteroids: 1. Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun. 2. Most of the asteroids are small but some halt diameter as large as 1000 km. 3. The orbit of asteroids lies between orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Of these statements (a) 1, 2 and 3 are correct (b) 2 and 3 are correct (c) 1 and 2 are correct (d) 1 and 3 correct Ans. (c) Example-2. Consider the following geological phenomena: 1. Development of a fault JTS Institute 51 IAS Foundation Manual UPSC CSE + IFoS Prelim 2014 GS Paper 1 (Held on 24th Aug) 4.With reference to Neem tree, consider the following statements: 1. Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites. 2. Neem seeds are used in the manufacture of biofuels and hospital detergents. 3. Neem oil has applications in pharmaceutical industry. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a)1 and 2 only (b) 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 1. If the interest rate is decreased in an economy, it will (a)Decrease the consumption expenditure in the economy (b) Increase the tax collection of the Government (c)Increase the investment expenditure in the economy (d) Increase the total savings in the economy 5. Which one of the following is the process involved in photosynthesis? 2. Consider the following statements: (a) Potential energy is released to 1. The President shall make rules for form free energy the more convenient transaction of the (b) Free energy is converted into business of the Government of India, potential energy and stored and for the allocation among Ministers (c ) Food is oxidized to release carbon of the said business. dioxide and water 2.All executive actions of the (d)Oxygen is taken, and carbon dioxide Government of India shall be and water vapour are given out expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister. 6. In addition to fingerprint scanning, Which of the statements given above which of the following can be used in is/are correct? the biometric identification of a (a)1 only (b) 2 only person? (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 1. Iris scanning 3.Consider the following statements regarding a No-Confidence Motion in the Constitution of India. 1. There is no mention of a NoConfidence of India. 2.A Motion of NO-Confidence can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a)1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 2. Retinal scanning 3. Voice recognition Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a)1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 7. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding vegetative propagation of plants? 1. Vegetative propagation produces clonal population. JTS Institute 412 IAS Foundation Manual 100 Modules to make Your Foundation Strong STUDY PLAN The Study Plan given in the following pages is based on the above syllabus prescribed by the UPSC for the Prelims and the Mains. At the same time some topics which are not in the syllabus are also given in this Study Plan. For example “Maps”. Direct question may not be there from this topic but understanding of this topic is essential for better understanding of almost all areas that Geography covers as a subject of study. STUDY MATERIAL Since the UPSC Examiners depend a lot on NCERT Books while compiling the question papers, we have tried here to depend on the NCERT Books at the maximum possible extend. In fact NCERT books are the best in terms of authenticity, better presentation and readability too. However a very important point to note is that, some of the data given in the NCERT Books are to be updated. For example, the Indian population data given in the books are of 2001 census. Here what you need to do is, while studying such data, do collect the latest population data (in this case it is the 2011 census data) and update the information accordingly. Just like that in the Chapter-1 of the NCERT Class6 .Social Studies. The Earth Our Habitat, Pluto is given as a planet. But the fact is that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. You need not worry about it, because only very little issues are like this, and even if you study some topics which are not updated, updation will happen in the due course of time, as part of your study. So the rule is that, when you think that a particular date is to be updated, update it instantly by referring any websites concerned. NOTE: Each module contains topics which are to be studied together. There is no time limit for the modules. Some Modules require 1 hour to finish, some require 10 hours to finish...likewise. You may take your own time for any module. However it is advisable to take the minimum time possible for each module...that is considered efficient time management. JTS Institute MODULE - 020 MODULE - 019 MODULE - 018 MODULE - 017 IAS Foundation Manual Subject: Geography Topic: India —Drainage Material: NCERT Class -XI. Geography. India physical environment Chapter-3+ NCERT Class -IX. Social Science. Contemporary IndiaChapter- 3 417 My Schedule for this Module Date Time Remark on Progress of your Study: Subject: Geography Topic: India —Climate Material: NCERT Class -XI. Geography. India physical environment Chapter4+ NCERT Class -IX. Social Science. Contemporary IndiaChapter- 4 My Schedule for this Module Date Time Remark on My Progress of Study: Subject: Geography Topic: India-States Information My Schedule for this Module Date Time Material: India 2014 Publisher: Publication Division-New Delhi. Or softcopy of the same available at : http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/state_uts.php Remark on My Progress of Study: Subject: Geography Topic: India —Soils Material: NCERT Class -XI. Geography. India physical environment Chapter-6 My Schedule for this Module Date Time Remark on My Progress of Study: JTS Institute