Paper 1 Preparation Strategy

UNIT-I  : Modern History of India and Indian culture

Topic 1

Modern Indian History – Middle 18 the century till date – important events, personalities and burning issues. 

There are important events starting from 1750 to the present. Also, GS paper 1 preparation strategy is not merely related to the freedom struggle. This is important to understand the important aspects of Indian History. Similarly, it is important to focus on the contribution made by great personalities to the struggle for freedom. Advent  of European invasion- Expansion and consolidation of British rule-Early uprising against British rule-1857 Revolt. For this part, you need to focus on the SCERT textbooks along with current affairs. Likewise, you do not need to buy any more books. Moreover, viewing the kind of questions being asked in the previous examination papers can prove to be helpful. 

Questions :

During the Advent of European invasion – Explain how the naval force of the English became

superior before the outmoded Indian Warfare. (2019)

Similarly, it is important to understand the basic events of SCERT textbooks. For instance – NetajiSubash Chandra Bose files were declassified in 2016. Moreover, this is an important aspect to check out the contribution of the freedom fighter. Also, one needs to have knowledge of the contribution made by Periyar.

A question from the past year’s exam papers read as follows – 

Discuss the various movements started by Gandhiji to draw the participation of mass into National

Movement. (2019)

The answer was to be given in 150 words for 10 Mark Question

Topic 2

The Indian Freedom Struggle – the stages and major contribution. Likewise, one needs to focus on the contribution made from the various parts of the nation.

Since the above-mentioned topic is very vast, one needs to have detailed information on the same. Likewise, the knowledge base for the struggle for Independence is important. Similarly, it is important to focus on the contribution made by great personalities to the struggle for freedom. 

Question :

The Indian National Congress was not merely a party, but an integral part of the Indian National  Movement – Analyse. (2019)

For this, topics like – “Bipan Chandra and his Struggle for Indian Independence” is an important part of getting the best results. This book forms the major part of GS paper 1 preparation strategy. Toppers advise the same to be read at least 3 times for best results. 

A few toppers prefer “Spectrum” publishers for the subject. The books called the Modern history book. 

 Likewise, if the time allows, you can read the book – Plassey to Partition. This is a significant text on important events of history. It further has analytical details on the events and the personalities. 

Topic 3

Another important aspect of the GS paper 1 preparation strategy is the post Independence reorganization in the nation. It must also include the details of Independence and related consolidation factors. 

For this, you can easily seek the relevant learning outcomes from the following texts – 

• India since Independence by Bipan Chandra (chapters 6 to 12)
• India after Gandhi – History of the World’s largest democracy (chapters 8 to 14) 

Topic 4

Indian culture

Here cover the topics like the – 

• Salient aspects of Art forms in India
• Unity in Diversity
• Characteristics of Indian Culture.

Topic 5

Another important aspect of the GS paper 1 preparation strategy is the following subject topics – 

• Role of Tamil Nadu in freedom struggle – Bharathiar, VOC, Subramania Siva, Rajaji, Periyar and others- Political parties and welfare schemes.

Recommended books –

• Refer to the SCERT textbooks.

Questions :

1. Evaluate the contribution of Periyar E.V.R. in the promotion of Social Justice. (2019)
2. Who was popularly called as Madurai Gandhi? Enumerate his achievements. (2019)

UNIT-II: Social Issues in India and Tamil Nadu

Answer writing practice

            In sociology, like in most other humanities subject, answer writing becomes very important. It isn’t like Maths or Chemistry, where you can write precise and to-the-point answers. Here, you have to write an introduction to the topic first, create a background, then talk about the issue asked, give real-life examples, relate it to thinkers/schools of thoughts, critique, and finally, give an apt conclusion. Now, this requires practice of answer-writing.

Topic 1

A similar vital aspect of the GS paper 1 preparation strategy is the following sub-topics – 

• Population Explosion
• Unemployment issues in India & Tamil Nadu
• Child Abuse & Child Labour
• Poverty
• Rural and Urban Sanitation
• Illiteracy
• Women Empowerment

Recommended books and web content

For Indian issues – Online report on “Platform for action-report on Indian Women”.

This report contains details about female issues in India. 

For other related topics, read magazines and newspapers.

By having knowledge of the issue, one can easily understand the basics and the background of the problems faced by India.

Likewise, you will need to read about – 

• Social problems in India – Book by “Ram Ahuja”
• Indian society- Book by “Ram Ahuja”
• Role of women in modern times
• Importance of females during the freedom movement
• Contribution of females to Art and Culture of India

Questions :

1. Examine the Grievance Redressal mechanisms for women in India. (2019)
2. What are the activities monitored by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

       (NCPCR)? (2019)

3. Describe the constitutional provisions for women in India. (2019)

Topic 2

• Social changes in India
• Urbanization and its impact on the society – problems and remedies
• Impact of violence on Society- Religious violence, Terrorism and Communal violence –Regional Disparities
• Problems of Minorities-Human Rights issues.

Recommended books

• Sociological Theory – George Ritzer
• Society In India: Concepts, Theories And Recent Trends – Ram Ahuja
• Modernization Of Indian Tradition – Yogendra Singh
• Social Change In Modern India – MN Srinivas

Question :

1. Analyse the major social problems faced by the Religious minorities in India.(2019)

Topic 3 :

• Education –Linkage between Education and Social Development
• Community Development Programmes
• Employment Guarantee Schemes – Self Employment and Entrepreneurship Development
• Role of N.G.Os in Social Welfare
• Government Policy on Health

TNPSC Group I examination will test the ability to understand the concepts. Also, you will need to give the right answers using the integration of these concepts. If you are not able to link the concept, you need to identify and make suitable notes. 

Questions :

1. What are all the different types of schemes taken up by Non-Governmental Organisations to control

       population explosion in India?

2. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of literacy programmes in the contemporary Indian Society.

Topic – 4

• Welfare schemes
• Details of vulnerable sections of society
• Performance of Central and state 
• Mechanism of laws and regulations
• Institutes and bodies designed for protection
• Betterment of vulnerable sections

Focus on the schemes implemented by ministries for best GS paper 2 preparation strategy – 

• Ministry of Women and Child welfare
• Ministry of Rural Development
• Ministry of Social Justice
• Ministry of Tribal affairs
• Tamil Nadu Government Websites

Recommended books and reading material – 

• List of state and central government schemes
• Refer to the government of India departments
• Refer to the above Governance websites

Questions :

1. In India, are women empowered through Information and Communication Technology? Analyse.

UNIT-III : General Aptitude & Mental Ability (SSLC Standard)

Topic 1 -Statistics

• Conversion of information to data-Collection, compilation and Presentation of data- Tables, Graphs, Diagrams – Parametric representation of data- Analytical interpretation of data

Recommended Books

• State Board 11^th Statistics Book

Topic 2 – Aptitude

• Percentage- Highest Common Factor(HCF)- Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) –Ratio and Proportion –Simple interest- Compound interest- Area-Volume- Time and work- Probablity.

Recommended Books

• State Board Maths 6^th to 10^th Books
• RS Agarwal

Questions :

1. An Urn contains 3 Yellow and 4 Green balls. Find the probability distribution of the number of Green balls in three draws when a ball is drawn at random with replacement. Also find its mean and variance. (2019)
2. Find the HCF and LCM of . (2019)

Topic 3 – IT & Computer Science

• Information technology- Basic terms, Communications –Application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)- Decision making and problem solving- Basics in Computers/ Computer terminology.

Recommended Books

• State Board Books

Understanding and attempting the examination

Up to here, we took up the matter of the best books to read. Next, we try to answer – 

• How to effectively remember such vast syllabus? 
• How to translate the information gathered up from above steps to the right answers? 

It is important to understand that reading too many books will not help you with the process. Thus, have a single book for a single topic.  If you have too many books, you end up wasting the time and money. Moreover, such a mistake costs you heavily. This is because you will not be able to remember things clearly. 

Therefore, follow the following points – 

• Stick to a single book
• Read the book again and again
• Identify the best source of such a book
• Avoid the urge to research on a topic
• TNPSC focuses on a general understanding of the topic
• Avoid creating mastery over the topic
• Avoid searching for many sources on a single topic
• Make notes of each Topic. This helps in quick reading
• Make notes from a single source only
• Avoid in-depth research
• Avoid referring to large sources for one topic
• Create memory links and recall important stuff 
• Use the above information in your daily life and communicate. This helps to remember the important stuff
• Research on single book 
• Always adopt the book referred by the maximum number of toppers
• Avoid switching the books. This is despite the fact that you may not be satisfied with the same.