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Geography Preparation Strategy for UPSC Civil Services Examination
Geography is one of the popular optional subjects offered by UPSC for main examination optional. There are many toppers who opted geography as their optional subject. There are many students who think that geography is not a good subject choice for optional but everyone has their opinions & thoughts.
In our article, we are going to discuss geography as an optional subject as well as some tips & tricks for the preparation of geography.
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What is Geography?
Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of Earth. Geography is the study of Earth’s landscapes, peoples, places, and environments. Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it. They also examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment and the way that locations and places can have an impact on people.
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Benefits of Geography
- Geography is the subject which is based on understanding the concepts rather than mugging up the details.
- It is a scientific subject. This will give benefits to other students who had come from the background of science, medical or engineering.
- The easy way to score in geography is the maps. Due to the maps, you can easily score well in this subject.
- Geography is not only good for mains but also be beneficial for the interviews. During the interview, the panel will ask you some questions on local geography. So this will be an added advantage for all the aspirants who have opted geography as their optional subject.
- There is a huge amount of material available on this subject. There is no scarcity of the material. So you can easily find helpful material for you.
- It’s another advantage is that it is scientific as well as scoring subject as there is not much scope of the interpretation of the answer. This is the biggest advantage as everything depends on you, not on the point of view of the examiner.
- Geography will also help you in prelims as well as in mains. There may be some overlapping of the question of general studies in both prelims & mains.
- This subject will be helpful in your essay exam also. There may be some topics related to geography on which you have to write an essay. So if you have a deep knowledge of that topic, you can write better.
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Strategy for Geography
- First thing is do not leave any topic from the syllabus. Try to cover the entire syllabus if you want to score well.
- The paper of geography is lengthy. So try to consume less time while you’re choosing the answer from the given choices.
- Most of the questions will have the subparts with them. Only attempt that questions which you know all the subparts. This will help you to score better.
- Another important thing is your writing speed. So work on it from the beginning of your preparation. Develop the speed while writing an answer. Try to write answer before the given time duration.
- You can score well by the help of maps but if you do not prepare them well they can be the only reason which led you to the failure. So prepare all the maps completely. If you are making a map then do not leave the map incomplete. Try to take the advantage of the maps.
- You will have some standard books which you were preferring for the UPSC preparation. But except them, you should also refer some other magazines like “Geography & you”, “Yojana”.
- When you were writing your answer try to relate that answer with the general studies point of view. This will show that you are updated with the recent news.
- Another thing which will help you to make your answer better is figures & case studies. Try to use case studies relevant to your answer. Draw the figures wherever it’s necessary.
- When you were writing your answer on a specific model or theory then try to frame your answer in an appropriate manner. You should start your answer with the definition followed by some concepts. After that describe the theory or model & write about its application. Then add the role of that model in the contemporary world. At last write about criticism & methods to overcome the criticism.
- In some answers, you can also add the historical data relevant to your answer. This will enhance the quality of your answer & makes your answer unique from the other ones.
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Tricks for Geography
Geography is not at all a boring subject. You can make everything interesting. Try to enjoy whatever you study. So we are telling you some tricks which makes your study fun & you can remember the things easily by their help.
Tricks for the countries through which the Prime Median passes
Burkina Faso
Spain
France
Ghana
Algeria
Mali
England
Niger
Toto
You can remember them by: BSF GAME IN Toto
Tricks for remembering the oceans from largest to the smallest
Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Southern Ocean
Arctic Ocean
You can remember them by: PAISA
Tricks for remembering the Central American countries between North & South America
Mexico
Guatemala
Belize
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
You can remember them as: My Great Big Elephant Has No Critical Problems
Tricks for remembering the Himalayan ranges from top to bottom
Karakoram
Zaskar
Pirpanjal
Dauladhar
Shiwalik
You can remember them as: Kal (Z)Jana Padega Desh Se
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Answer Writing Strategy
You need a deep knowledge to answer the direct questions on this subject. Try to use relevant geographical terms while writing your answer.
For other questions, you need to have a multi-dimensional view. Mention the multiple views in your answer to make your answer better than others.
The basic strategy for writing good answers on this subject is:
- Add properly labeled diagrams.
- Mention examples from India & the world.
- Use some philosopher’s thoughts or quotes.
- Use geographical terminology.
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If you have any doubt or need guidance you can comment below, our team will try to answer it.