A Must Read for Civil Services Geography Optional of UPSC

For the civil services mains examination, UPSC provides 41 optional subjects. Each aspirant should select one optional paper of their choice and appear in two papers (Paper-I and Paper-II). Among these options, for a long time, Geography has been one of the most popular optional subjects among civil services aspirants. Though the syllabus is vast, it is equally preferred by engineering, science, art, and humanities graduates.

The first step to prepare for the Geography Optional is thoroughly reading and understanding the NCERT Geography Books. Even before that understanding the contents of each of the 10 NCERT Geography Books. With that in mind, the key topics covered in each of these books are given below for a high-level understanding before you dive deep into the option.

GEOGRAPHY

CIVIL SERVICES (II) EXAM 2000

Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

QUESTION PAPER SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Each question is printed both in Hindi and in English.

The answers must be written in the medium specified in the Admission Certificate issued to you, which must be stated clearly on the cover of the answer-book in the space provided for the purpose. No mark will be given for the answers written in a medium other than that specified in the Admission Certificate. Candidates should attempt questions 1 and 5 which are compulsory, and any THREE of the remaining questions selecting at least ONE question from each Section. All questions carry equal marks.

Illustrate your answers with suitable sketch-maps and diagrams.

SECTION A
1. Draw an outline map of India covering the major portion of a page of your answer-book and mark on it ten of the following entries:
i. Cauvery
ii. Narmada river
iii. Chilka Lake
iv. Nagarjun Sagar
v. Agra
vi. Cochin
vii. Satpura Range
viii. Aravalli Hills
ix. Bombay High
x. Kaziranga National Park
xi. Kargil region
xii. National Highway No.7

2. Describe the structure and relief features of Peninsular India.

3. Analyse the distribution of population in India in the perspective of natural resources and identify the over-populated and under-populated regions in the country.

4. Discuss the growth, location and distribution of Iron and Steel Industry in India

SECTION B

1. Answer any three of the following in about 200 words each:
a. Explain the concept of multi-level planning in India.
b. Analyse the recent trends in Indian International Trade.
c. Examine the National Forest Policy of India.
d. Discuss the environmental impact of the growth of slums in Indian cities.

2. Describe the salient characteristics of the morphology of Indian cities.

3. Analyse the role of India in the geo-politics of the Indian Ocean Region.

4. Give a reasoned account of either flood hazards or drought hazards occurring in India, and also suggest measures for controlling them.