Revise Faster. Recall Better.
High-yield facts, timelines, comparison tables and common Prelims traps—designed for a focused 10-minute revision session.
7 Subjects80+ High-Yield Points10 Rapid Questions
How to use: रोज एक subject चुनें, facts को बिना देखे recall करें और अंत में Rapid Test दें। यह hub detailed Study Material का विकल्प नहीं, उसका revision companion है।
Polity Capsule 01
Articles You Must Recall
- Article 14: Equality before law and equal protection of laws.
- Article 19: Six freedoms available to citizens; subject to reasonable restrictions.
- Article 21: Protection of life and personal liberty.
- Article 32: Right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.
- Article 50: Separation of judiciary from executive—DPSP.
- Article 110: Definition of a Money Bill.
- Article 123: President’s ordinance-making power.
- Article 148: Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.
- Article 280: Finance Commission.
- Article 324: Superintendence, direction and control of elections vested in Election Commission.
Polity Capsule 02
Schedules & Amendments
- 5th Schedule: Administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
- 6th Schedule: Tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
- 8th Schedule: 22 recognised languages.
- 10th Schedule: Disqualification on ground of defection.
- 11th/12th Schedules: Panchayats—29 subjects; Municipalities—18 subjects.
- 42nd Amendment: Added Fundamental Duties; inserted “Socialist”, “Secular” and “Integrity” in the Preamble.
- 44th Amendment: Right to property ceased to be a Fundamental Right; now a constitutional right under Article 300A.
- 73rd/74th Amendments: Constitutional status to Panchayats and Municipalities.
- 86th Amendment: Article 21A—education for children aged 6–14.
- 101st Amendment: Constitutional framework for GST.
Modern History
1857–1947 Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1857 | Revolt of 1857 |
| 1885 | Indian National Congress founded |
| 1905 | Partition of Bengal; Swadeshi Movement |
| 1906 | All-India Muslim League founded |
| 1907 | Surat Split |
| 1916 | Lucknow Pact; Home Rule Leagues |
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha |
| 1919 | Rowlatt Act; Jallianwala Bagh; Government of India Act |
| 1920 | Non-Cooperation Movement launched |
| 1927 | Simon Commission appointed |
| 1929 | Lahore Session—Purna Swaraj |
| 1930 | Dandi March; Civil Disobedience Movement |
| 1932 | Poona Pact |
| 1935 | Government of India Act |
| 1942 | Quit India Movement |
| 1946 | Cabinet Mission; Constituent Assembly first met |
| 1947 | Indian Independence Act; Independence and Partition |
Ancient Culture
Texts, Schools & Sites
- Tripitaka: Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma Pitakas; associated with Buddhism.
- Agamas: Canonical literature of Jain traditions.
- Sangam works: Ettuthokai and Pattuppattu are major anthologies.
- Gandhara art: Strong Hellenistic influence; grey schist widely used.
- Mathura art: Indigenous tradition; red sandstone prominent.
- Sanchi: Major Buddhist stupa site in Madhya Pradesh.
- Amaravati: Buddhist art centre in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
- Ajanta: Buddhist rock-cut caves famous for paintings.
- Ellora: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments at one complex.
- Nagara–Dravida: Broad north Indian and south Indian temple styles respectively.
Indian Geography
Rivers & Drainage
- Indus tributaries: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
- Ganga headstream: Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda at Devprayag.
- Yamuna: Rises from Yamunotri glacier and joins Ganga at Prayagraj.
- Brahmaputra: Known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and Jamuna in Bangladesh.
- Narmada & Tapi: Major west-flowing peninsular rivers; flow through rift valleys.
- Godavari: Largest peninsular river basin in India.
- Krishna tributaries: Bhima, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha.
- Kaveri: Rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri hills.
- Luni: Important inland-drainage river of Rajasthan.
- Delta/estuary: East-flowing peninsular rivers generally form deltas; Narmada and Tapi form estuaries.
World Map Recall
Straits & Passages
- Strait of Hormuz: Persian Gulf ↔ Gulf of Oman.
- Bab-el-Mandeb: Red Sea ↔ Gulf of Aden.
- Strait of Malacca: Between Malay Peninsula and Sumatra; links Andaman Sea and South China Sea routes.
- Bering Strait: Between Russia and Alaska.
- Bosporus: Black Sea ↔ Sea of Marmara.
- Dardanelles: Sea of Marmara ↔ Aegean Sea.
- Strait of Gibraltar: Atlantic Ocean ↔ Mediterranean Sea.
- Sunda Strait: Between Sumatra and Java.
- Torres Strait: Between Australia and New Guinea.
- Palk Strait: Between India and Sri Lanka.
Economy Basics
Terms That UPSC Mixes Up
- Repo rate: Rate at which RBI lends short-term funds to banks against eligible collateral.
- SDF: Standing Deposit Facility absorbs liquidity without collateral.
- MSF: Emergency overnight borrowing window for scheduled commercial banks.
- CRR: Share of net demand and time liabilities kept as cash balance with RBI.
- SLR: Share maintained by banks in prescribed liquid assets.
- Headline inflation: Overall inflation in the chosen price index; core inflation generally excludes volatile food and fuel.
- Fiscal deficit: Total expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings.
- Revenue deficit: Revenue expenditure minus revenue receipts.
- Primary deficit: Fiscal deficit minus interest payments.
- Stagflation: High inflation with stagnant growth and high unemployment.
External Sector
BoP & Exchange Rate
- Current account: Goods, services, primary income and secondary income.
- Capital/financial flows: Include investments, loans and changes in financial assets and liabilities.
- FDI: Long-term interest with significant influence; FPI is portfolio investment in financial assets.
- Depreciation: Market-driven fall in currency value under a flexible regime.
- Devaluation: Official downward adjustment under a fixed/managed regime.
- NEER: Nominal effective exchange rate against a basket of currencies.
- REER: NEER adjusted for relative price/inflation differences.
- Forex reserves: Include foreign-currency assets, gold, SDRs and reserve tranche position in IMF.
- Trade deficit: Value of merchandise imports exceeds merchandise exports.
- CAD: Current-account payments exceed current-account receipts.
Environment
Conventions at a Glance
- Ramsar Convention: Wetlands of international importance.
- CITES: International trade in specimens of wild animals and plants.
- CMS/Bonn Convention: Conservation of migratory species of wild animals.
- CBD: Conservation, sustainable use and fair benefit-sharing from genetic resources.
- Cartagena Protocol: Biosafety and transboundary movement of living modified organisms.
- Nagoya Protocol: Access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing.
- UNCCD: Combat desertification and mitigate effects of drought.
- Montreal Protocol: Ozone-depleting substances.
- Basel Convention: Transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes.
- Minamata Convention: Protection from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury.
Ecology
Core Concepts
- Keystone species: Disproportionately large ecological effect relative to abundance.
- Umbrella species: Its protection indirectly protects many co-occurring species.
- Flagship species: Used as a symbol to mobilise conservation support.
- Indicator species: Presence or condition signals environmental quality.
- Ecotone: Transition zone between ecological communities; may show edge effect.
- Ecological succession: Directional change in community composition over time.
- Biomagnification: Increasing concentration of a persistent substance at higher trophic levels.
- Eutrophication: Nutrient enrichment causing excessive plant/algal growth and oxygen stress.
- In-situ conservation: Protection in natural habitat; national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are examples.
- Ex-situ conservation: Zoos, botanical gardens, seed/gene banks and captive breeding.
Science & Tech
Space & Biotechnology
- Geostationary orbit: Circular equatorial orbit with orbital period equal to Earth’s rotation; appears fixed.
- Polar orbit: Passes near poles; useful for Earth observation and global coverage.
- Sun-synchronous orbit: Satellite crosses a latitude at nearly the same local solar time.
- Lagrange points: Positions where gravitational and orbital effects permit a spacecraft to maintain a relatively stable configuration.
- Remote sensing: Obtaining information without physical contact using reflected or emitted radiation.
- CRISPR-Cas: Programmable genome-editing system guided by RNA.
- mRNA vaccine: Delivers genetic instructions for cells to produce an antigen.
- Monoclonal antibodies: Identical antibodies derived from a single clone and targeted to a specific antigen.
- Somatic gene therapy: Alters non-reproductive cells; changes are not normally inherited.
- Quantum bit: A qubit can exist in a superposition of basis states until measurement.
Mains Booster
Judgments & Committees
- Kesavananda Bharati (1973): Parliament’s amending power is limited by the Basic Structure doctrine.
- Maneka Gandhi (1978): Procedure under Article 21 must be just, fair and reasonable.
- S.R. Bommai (1994): Federalism and secularism reinforced; proclamation under Article 356 is open to judicial review.
- Vishaka (1997): Guidelines against workplace sexual harassment in the absence of legislation.
- K.S. Puttaswamy (2017): Privacy recognised as a Fundamental Right.
- Second ARC: Reports on ethics, public order, local governance, e-governance and administrative reform.
- Sarkaria Commission: Centre–State relations.
- Punchhi Commission: Review of Centre–State relations.
- Balwant Rai Mehta Committee: Democratic decentralisation and three-tier Panchayati Raj.
- Hota Committee: Civil-service reforms.
Prelims Traps
छोटे अंतर जिन पर statement-based questions बनते हैं।
Money Bill ≠ Financial Bill: हर Money Bill financial bill है, लेकिन हर Financial Bill Money Bill नहीं।
Fundamental Rights ≠ all citizens: कुछ अधिकार केवल citizens को, जबकि Articles 14 और 21 जैसे अधिकार persons को उपलब्ध हैं।
Adjournment ≠ Prorogation: Adjournment sitting को रोकता है; prorogation session को समाप्त करता है।
National Park ≠ Sanctuary: दोनों protected areas हैं, पर rights and permitted activities का treatment समान नहीं होता।
Weather ≠ Climate: Weather अल्पकालिक atmospheric condition है; climate दीर्घकालिक pattern.
Depreciation ≠ Devaluation: पहला market movement, दूसरा official policy action है।
Fiscal deficit ≠ Revenue deficit: Fiscal deficit borrowing need दिखाता है; revenue deficit current income–expenditure gap.
Bioaccumulation ≠ Biomagnification: पहला एक organism में समय के साथ buildup; दूसरा food chain के higher levels पर rise.
Gandhara ≠ Mathura: Gandhara—grey schist/Hellenistic influence; Mathura—red sandstone/indigenous idiom.
Geostationary ≠ Geosynchronous: हर geostationary orbit geosynchronous है, पर हर geosynchronous orbit geostationary नहीं।
10-Question Rapid Test
Option चुनते ही सही/गलत संकेत और explanation दिखाई देगा।
1. Finance Commission का प्रावधान किस Article में है?
Article 280 के तहत राष्ट्रपति Finance Commission का गठन करते हैं।
2. Sixth Schedule निम्न में से किस राज्य पर लागू नहीं होती?
Sixth Schedule Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura और Mizoram के tribal areas से संबंधित है।
3. Purna Swaraj resolution किस Congress session से जुड़ा है?
Jawaharlal Nehru की अध्यक्षता वाले Lahore Session (1929) ने Purna Swaraj को लक्ष्य बनाया।
4. Bhagirathi और Alaknanda का संगम कहाँ होता है?
Devprayag में दोनों धाराएँ मिलती हैं और इसके बाद नदी Ganga कहलाती है।
5. Bab-el-Mandeb किसे जोड़ता है?
Bab-el-Mandeb Red Sea को Gulf of Aden तथा आगे Arabian Sea route से जोड़ता है।
6. Primary deficit किसके बराबर होता है?
Primary deficit = Fiscal deficit − Interest payments.
7. कौन-सा convention mercury से संबंधित है?
Minamata Convention mercury pollution के adverse effects से मानव स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण की रक्षा पर केंद्रित है।
8. Food chain के higher trophic levels पर pollutant concentration बढ़ना कहलाता है:
Biomagnification में persistent contaminant की concentration successive trophic levels पर बढ़ती है।
9. RNA-guided genome editing से सबसे अधिक जुड़ी तकनीक कौन-सी है?
CRISPR system में guide RNA target DNA sequence तक Cas enzyme को निर्देशित करता है।
10. Privacy को Fundamental Right मानने वाला निर्णय कौन-सा है?
K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) में नौ-न्यायाधीशीय पीठ ने privacy को Fundamental Right माना।
