BPSC PYQ

STUDY NOTES
Topic-wise Revision Notes from Solved Papers (38th–67th BPSC)
Exams: 1992–93 to 2021–22
1. ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL HISTORY

Gandhara School of Art

➤ Developed during Kushan Period under Emperor Kanishka (1st Century AD)
➤ Blend of Greco-Roman + Indian ideas; also influenced by China and Iran
➤ Closely associated with Mahayana Buddhism and Bodhisattvas
➤ First sculptural representation of Buddha in human form

Harappan/Indus Valley Civilization

➤ Harappan pottery was made of red clay
➤ Common pottery items: goblets, basins, flasks, bowls, cylindrical jars, tumblers
➤ Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were the twin capitals

Important Rulers & Monuments

➤ Tipu Sultan – Son of Haider Ali; known as 'Tiger of Mysore'; ruled 1782–1799
– Capital: Srirangapattanam (built 1784)
– Treaty of Srirangapattanam signed with Lord Cornwallis, March 1792 (after 3rd Anglo-Mysore War)
➤ Jantar Mantar – Built by Sawai Jai Singh II (early 18th century)
– 5 observatories: Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura, Varanasi
– Jaipur Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
➤ Biharsharif (medieval) – Centre of learning, administration, and religion; Nalanda University located
here; Sufi saints' rehabilitation centre
➤ Sharfuddin Maneri (Makhdoom-e-Jahan) – Sufi saint of Firdausi Silsilah

British Period – Key Events

➤ Queen Victoria declared Empress of India in 1877 by PM Benjamin Disraeli (Conservative Party)
➤ Indian National Congress established 28 December 1885 in Bombay by A.O. Hume
– First session at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay
– First President: W.C. Bannerjee; General Secretary: A.O. Hume
➤ Simon Commission – Formed November 1927; arrived India 3 February 1928; headed by John Simon
– Purpose: Review Government of India Act 1919; recommend constitutional reforms
– Submitted report: 27 May 1930
➤ Purna Swaraj Resolution – Passed 19 December 1929 at Lahore session of INC
– 26 January 1930 declared as 'Independence Day' (first Republic Day)
➤ Jallianwala Bagh Massacre – 13 April 1919, Amritsar, Punjab; British troops fired on unarmed crowd
➤ Vande Mataram – Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1870; included in novel 'Anandmath'
➤ Jana Gana Mana – Written by Rabindranath Tagore
➤ Pakistan Demand – Lahore session of Muslim League, 1940; led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah ('Two-
Nation Theory')
➤ Frontier Gandhi – Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan; led Khudai Khidmatgar movement
➤ Gopal Krishna Gokhale – Political Guru/Mentor of Mahatma Gandhi; founded 'Servants of India
Society' (12 June 1905, Pune)
– Presided over INC Banaras session, 1905
2. INDIAN POLITY & CONSTITUTION

President & Vice President

➤ Article 66 – Vice President elected by electoral college of both Houses of Parliament (elected +
nominated members)
📌 NOTE: VP is NOT elected by the President of India
➤ Article 71 – Disputes in Presidential/VP election → settled by Supreme Court of India
➤ Article 1 – India is a 'Union of States' (quasi-federal + unitary system)
➤ S. Radhakrishnan – First Vice President of India; VP is Chairman of Rajya Sabha
➤ Eligibility: Minimum age 35 years for VP

Parliament & Legislation

➤ Article 109(5) – Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within 14 days
➤ Article 368 – Constitutional Amendment bill can be introduced in either House (Lok Sabha or Rajya
Sabha)
– No provision for joint sitting in case of disagreement between the two houses
➤ Article 164 – Chief Minister appointed by the Governor of the state (NOT President)
➤ First Constitutional Amendment – 1951; added Articles 31-A, 31-B, and 9th Schedule; validated
Zamindari abolition laws
➤ 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions

Judiciary
➤ Guwahati High Court – Has jurisdiction over more than one state/UT
– Covers: Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh
➤ Currently 25 High Courts in India
➤ Supreme Court currently has 34 judges including CJI (previously 24 in 1992)

Panchayati Raj
➤ Balwant Rai Mehta Committee – Recommended Panchayati Raj in 1959
➤ Three-tier system: Gram Panchayat → Panchayat Samiti → Zila Parishad
➤ Objectives: Democratic representation, social & economic justice, effective planning

Sikkim & Constitutional Amendments

➤ 35th Amendment Act (1974) – Made Sikkim a special 'Associate State'
➤ 36th Amendment Act (1975) – Sikkim became the 22nd state of India; Capital: Gangtok

Panchsheel
➤ Panchsheel Agreement – India–China, 1954; Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence:
– Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty
– Mutual non-aggression
– Mutual non-interference in internal affairs
– Equality and mutual benefit
– Peaceful coexistence

Fundamental Rights
➤ Right to Education (Article 21A) – Is a Fundamental Right under the Constitution
➤ Right to Work, Right to Housing – NOT Fundamental Rights (Directive Principles)
➤ Right to Information – Statutory right under RTI Act 2005, not Fundamental Right
3. INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

Bihar – Geographic Facts

➤ Bihar's coordinates: 25°20'N to 27°31'N latitude; 83°19'E to 88°17'E longitude
➤ Entirely landlocked state; subtropical temperate zone
➤ Borders: Nepal (international); UP, Jharkhand, West Bengal (state)
➤ Bihar (1991 census) – 2nd most populated state; currently 3rd (after UP & Maharashtra) as per 2011
census
➤ Bihar population (2011): 10.4 crore = 8.60% of India's population
➤ Bihar literacy rate: 38% (1991 census); 69.83% (2011 census)

Indian Islands & Water Bodies

➤ Lakshadweep – Located in South-West Arabian Sea; archipelago of 36 islands; Capital: Kavaratti;
UT of India
➤ Andaman & Nicobar – Located in Bay of Bengal (South-East)

Deserts
➤ Sahara Desert – Largest desert in the world (Africa)
➤ Gobi Desert – Cold desert; spans Mongolia and China; 5th largest in world
➤ Thar Desert – Largest desert in India (Rajasthan)

Important Rivers & Canals

➤ River Seine – Second largest river of France; passes through Paris; falls into English Channel
➤ River Loire – Largest river of France
➤ Suez Canal – Man-made waterway in Egypt; connects Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea

Minerals & Resources

➤ Iron ore – Major producer: Odisha (Singhbhum) – 50%+ of Indian reserves
– Other states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa
– Iron ore is NOT found in Punjab
➤ Coal – Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh are major producers

Railways
➤ Broad Gauge track distance: 5½ feet (1.676 meters) between rails

4. GENERAL SCIENCE

Physics
➤ Sunlight reaches Earth in approximately 8 minutes 20 seconds
➤ Ozone layer – Found in Stratosphere, 15–25 km above Earth's surface
– Absorbs harmful UV-B radiation from the sun
➤ Angstrom – Unit of length/wavelength; 1 Å = 10⁻¹⁰ meter
➤ Hertz – Unit of frequency
➤ Watt – Unit of electric power
➤ Ampere – Unit of electric current; Volt – electric potential; Coulomb – electric charge
➤ Electric Motor – Converts electrical energy → mechanical energy
➤ VIBGYOR (rainbow order): Violet has least wavelength, most frequency; Red has most wavelength,
least frequency
➤ 40°C = 104°F (Formula: F = 9/5 × C + 32)
Chemistry
➤ Stainless Steel – Alloy of Iron + Chromium + Nickel (~10% chromium for hardness)
➤ Physical change – Does NOT alter chemical properties (e.g., dissolving sugar in water, melting ice,
boiling water)
➤ Chemical change – Alters chemical composition (e.g., burning candle, milk to curd, blackening of silver)
➤ Copper does NOT react with steam (very low on reactivity scale)
– Metals that don't react with water/steam: Copper, Silver, Lead, Gold
– Iron and Zinc react with steam
➤ Detergents – Refining/cleaning agents (not soaps)
➤ Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic acid) – Antipyretic drug; relieves minor aches, pains, fevers; also blood thinner

Biology
➤ Pasteurization – Milk heated to 70°C for 15–30 seconds, then suddenly chilled below 36°C
– Discovered by Louis Pasteur; kills harmful microbes without boiling
➤ Malaria – Caused by Plasmodium parasites (protozoan, NOT insect)
– Spreads through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes
– Main parasites: P. vivax and P. falciparum; treated by chloroquine
– World Malaria Day: 25 April
➤ Kala Azar (Black Fever/Visceral Leishmaniasis) – Caused by Leishmania parasites
– Transmitted by bites of infected female phlebotomine sandflies; major spread in Bihar (1992)
➤ Amphibians – Animals that live both on land and in water (e.g., Frog, Toad, Salamander)
– On land: breathe with lungs; in water: breathe with gills; cold-blooded
➤ Mitochondria – 'Powerhouse of the cell'; produces energy through cellular respiration
➤ AIDS – Caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus); a retrovirus
➤ DNA – Discovered by Friedrich Miescher; structure described by Watson and Crick
➤ Flower – Most important part of a plant for its life cycle (reproductive organ)
➤ Dolphin – Classified as mammal (not fish); lactates, has mammary glands
➤ Food chain: Primary consumer (herbivore) → Secondary consumer → Tertiary consumer
– Eating meat of goat/sheep → you are a secondary consumer

Space & Nuclear Science

➤ Vikram Sarabhai – Father of Indian Space Programme; founded ISRO on 15 August 1969
– ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
➤ Homi J. Bhabha – Father of Indian Nuclear Research Programme
– Established AEET Trombay (1954), later renamed BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre)
➤ Fast Breeder Reactor – Generates electricity using and regenerating fissile material
– India's first prototype Fast Breeder Reactor: Kalpakkam (by BHAVINI)
➤ Nicolaus Copernicus – Proposed Heliocentric Model (Sun at center of Solar System)
➤ Einstein – Nobel Prize for Photoelectric Effect (1921); also famous for Relativity (E=mc²)

5. INDIAN ECONOMY & PLANNING

Five Year Plans

➤ 1st Plan: 1951–56
➤ 2nd Plan: 1956–61
➤ 3rd Plan: 1961–66
➤ Plan Holiday: 1966–69 (due to Indo-Pak war + failure of 3rd plan)
➤ 4th Plan: 1969–74 (NOT 1966–71 – common mistake in exams!)
➤ 5th Plan: 1974–79
📌 NOTE: Plan Holiday (1966-69) is frequently asked in BPSC. 4th plan was 1969-74, not 1966-71.
Government Revenue & Finance
➤ Main source of revenue: Indirect taxes (Excise duty + Customs duty)
➤ Fiscal Deficit 1992–93: ~5000 crore (8–9% of GDP)
➤ Fiscal Deficit = Total expenditure – Total receipts (excluding borrowings)

International Organizations
➤ SAARC – Established 8 December 1985, Dhaka; 8 member countries
– Members: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan
– Purpose: Regional cooperation, welfare, and quality of life
➤ SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) – Signed 2004, effective 1 January 2006
➤ OPEC – Created at Baghdad Conference, September 1960; founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, Venezuela
– Headquartered in Vienna; manages oil supply and global oil prices
➤ World Economic Forum (WEF) – Founded January 1971; HQ: Geneva; meets in Davos, Switzerland
➤ World Bank – International financial institution; HQ: Washington D.C.

6. WORLD GEOGRAPHY & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Important World Facts

➤ Petroleum exporter #1 – Saudi Arabia (15–17% of world petroleum reserves)
➤ Esperanto – Artificial global language; created by Polish ophthalmologist L.L. Zamenhof in 1887
➤ Earth's shape – Bulges at equator, flat at poles → North Pole is closest to Earth's center at sea level
➤ Davis Cup – International Men's tennis tournament organized by ITF

Important Canals & Rivers

➤ Suez Canal – Egypt; connects Mediterranean Sea ↔ Red Sea
➤ Seine River – France; passes through Paris; falls into English Channel

7. AWARDS, PERSONALITIES & CURRENT AFFAIRS

National Awards
➤ Bharat Ratna – India's highest civilian award
– 1992 awardees: JRD Tata, Satyajit Ray, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose (posthumous, later
cancelled by SC)
➤ Dada Sahab Phalke Award – Highest film honour in India
– 1990: A. Nageswara Rao (Telugu cinema actor-producer)
➤ Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – For performing arts (music, dance, drama); first awarded 1952
➤ Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (IGPPP) – 1990: Sam Nujoma (first President of Namibia, 1990–2005)

Key Personalities
➤ Satyajit Ray – Renowned Indian filmmaker; Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement at 64th Academy
Awards (1992)
➤ Bachendri Pal – First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest (1984)
➤ Birsa Munda – Freedom fighter; from Munda tribe (mainly Jharkhand/Bihar region)
➤ Mother Teresa – Founded Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, 1950

Cultural & Linguistic Facts

➤ Languages in India – Hindi is most spoken; Telugu/Bengali are 2nd and 3rd most spoken
 ➤ Munda Tribe – Primarily inhabit Jharkhand (earlier Bihar), Odisha, West Bengal
➤ Biharsharif – Historical capital of Magadha under Pala dynasty; Nalanda University located here

International Events & Organizations

➤ JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front) – Political organization
➤ First Israel–PLO dialogue – Held in Madrid, 1991–92
– Led to Oslo Accord signed in Washington D.C., 13 September 1993
➤ AVAHAN – Indian initiative by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for HIV/AIDS prevention
➤ Maldives – Held an underwater Cabinet meeting to highlight threat of rising sea levels

8. HEALTH, DISEASE & ENVIRONMENT

Diseases at a Glance
➤ Malaria – Plasmodium parasites; female Anopheles mosquito; treated with Chloroquine
➤ Kala Azar – Leishmania parasites; female sandfly; prevalent in Bihar
➤ Dengue – Aedes mosquito
➤ AIDS – HIV virus; retrovirus; attacks immune system
➤ Filariasis – Parasitic worm; spread by mosquitoes

Ozone Layer
➤ Found in the Stratosphere at 15–25 km above Earth's surface
➤ Absorbs UV-B radiation (harmful to humans, crops, marine life)
➤ Ozone molecule: 3 oxygen atoms (O₃)

Environment & Ecology

➤ Food chain levels: Producer → Primary Consumer (herbivore) → Secondary Consumer (carnivore) →
Tertiary Consumer
➤ India has nearly 70% of world's tiger population (~2967 tigers as per 2018 census)
➤ Project Tiger – Major conservation initiative for tigers in India

9. QUICK-RECALL SCIENCE FACTS

Units of Measurement
➤ Wavelength → Angstrom (Å)
➤ Frequency → Hertz (Hz)
➤ Electric Power → Watt (W)
➤ Electric Current → Ampere (A)
➤ Electric Charge → Coulomb (C)
➤ Electric Potential → Volt (V)
➤ Temperature (SI) → Kelvin (K)

Important Alloys
➤ Stainless Steel = Iron + Chromium + Nickel
➤ Brass = Copper + Zinc
➤ Bronze = Copper + Tin

Key Formulas
➤ Celsius to Fahrenheit: F = (9/5 × C) + 32 → 40°C = 104°F
 ➤ Einstein's equation: E = mc²

Cell Biology
➤ Mitochondria – Powerhouse of cell (produces energy via cellular respiration)
➤ Nucleus – Control center of cell
➤ Ribosome – Site of protein synthesis
➤ Human body – Contains approximately 60–70% water

10. BIHAR-SPECIFIC FACTS

Bihar Geography
➤ Coordinates: 25°20'N–27°31'N latitude; 83°19'E–88°17'E longitude
➤ Landlocked state; bordered by Nepal, UP, Jharkhand, West Bengal
➤ Bhagalpur – Located on banks of Ganga

Bihar Administration & History

➤ Bihar's Population (2011): ~10.4 crore = 8.60% of India; 3rd most populated state
➤ Bihar Literacy (2011): 69.83% (Male: 70.32%, Female: 53.57%)
➤ Bihar Literacy (1991): 38% (Male: 51.37%, Female: 21.99%)
➤ Kala Azar disease was a major health concern in Bihar (1992)
➤ 6 new AIIMS established in 2010 including one in Bihar
– Other states: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
➤ Bihar Assembly Elections 2010: JDU + BJP combined majority

Historical Bihar
➤ Munda tribe – Major scheduled tribe; inhabit Jharkhand (earlier Bihar), Odisha, West Bengal
– 'Munda' = headman of a village; famous freedom fighter Birsa Munda was from this tribe
➤ Biharsharif – Medieval centre of trade, learning, administration, and religion
– Nalanda University located here; also an important centre for Sufi saints

📋 EXAM TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES

➤ 4th Five Year Plan = 1969–1974 (NOT 1966–71 — Plan Holiday was 1966–69)
➤ Vice President is elected by Parliament, NOT by the President
➤ Presidential election disputes go to Supreme Court (Article 71), not Parliament
➤ Chief Minister is appointed by Governor (Article 164), not the President
➤ Rajya Sabha can hold a Money Bill for max 14 days only
➤ Suez Canal connects Mediterranean Sea ↔ Red Sea (NOT Indian Ocean directly)
➤ Lakshadweep is in South-Western India (Arabian Sea), NOT Southern/Eastern
➤ Malaria is caused by Plasmodium (protozoan), NOT an insect
➤ Iron ore is NOT found in Punjab; Odisha is the largest producer
➤ Einstein got Nobel Prize for Photoelectric Effect, not Relativity
➤ DNA was first discovered by Friedrich Miescher, not Watson & Crick (they described structure)
➤ Panchsheel Agreement = India-China 1954 (not SAARC related)
➤ SAARC founded 8 December 1985 in Dhaka (not New Delhi)

Generated from BPSC Solved Papers (38th–67th) | YCT Publications 2022–23