Q41. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. '4' is well known and is the reason for '1', as after delivering the drugs and antigens, nanotube won't impact the internal functioning of human body. Moreover, since '4' is correct, '2' is highly unlikely as that would make the artificial capillary susceptible to rupturing which can be fatal. 'c'.

Q42. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. All three statements sound reasonable. 'd'.

Q43. Factual. Usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. One of 'c' or 'd' should be the answer. Play the odds in 50-50. 'd'.

Q44. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. All three statements sound reasonable. 'd'.

Q45. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. '3' sounds like a hyperbole, 'no side effects/allergic reactions'. 'b'.

Q46. Usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. One of 'a' or 'b' should be the answer. Also, much in news, protection of cyberspace related so 'a'.

Q47. Static, 'c'.

Q48. Difficult to know exact factors for all kinds of pollutants(Benzene in this case). 'a'.

Q49. Conceptual, More foreign banks, Full capital account convertibility= More exposure to global risks. 'a'.

Q50. Static, 'd'.

Q51. Static, 'b'.

Q52. 'Cancelled'

Q53. Much in news, 'a'.

Q54. Random technical question, 'd'.

Q55. 'IAEA safeguards' would have something to do with ensuring responsible use of nuclear tech. Since imported supplies are regulated, but domestic supplies could potentially be used for proliferation of nuclear weapons without regulation, logically made sense. 'b'.

Q56. Random technical question, 'c'.

Q57. Basic conceptual question, eliminate '1' and arrive at the answer.

Q58. Twisted options, difficult to validate or negate 4 statements independently unless explicitly read . 'b'.

Q59. SCB has a PSL mandate, so '1' is logically incoherent. '2' is generic. 'b'.

Q60. 'Cyber insurance' would not ideally cover 'willful physical damage'. Eliminate '2' and arrive at 'b'.

Q61. 'Waiver' is not an investment, eliminate '5', arrive at 'c'.

Q62. 'Word association', Interest coverage ratio sounds like a parameter indicating how much 'Interest liabilities' could be covered by the firm. So Higher it is, the better its ability to service the debt. '1' and '2' are coherent. 'a'.

Q63. Can't strongly negate any statement, 'd'.

Q64. '1' logically incoherent as trade usually fluctuates. '3' less likely as Nepal has a relatively smaller economy than Bangladesh. '2' is also logically coherent. 'b'.

Q65. Static, 'a'.

Q66. 'short term credit' is antithetical to construction of family house, which has a longer gestation period. Eliminate '5', arrive at 'b'.

Q67. Static, '3' is wrong, '1' is correct, arrive at 'a'.

Q68. Mekong Ganga initiative has India plus south east asian countries((eg. vietnam, Laos). So geographically, highly likely that Mekong flowing into South China Sea instead of Andaman sea. Zambezi sounded close to Zimbabwe, so likely that its basin is around the area. Thus can fall into Indian ocean. 'c'.

Q69. Static, '1' is a hyperbole and MSP is a floor not a ceiling price. 'd'.

Q70. Static, 'c'.

Q71. 'Shramana' tradition related to Buddhism, jainism, so '2' looked incorrect. 'b'.

Q72. '4' is much in news, highest elephant pop in Karnataka. '3' had 'only'. 'a'.

Q73. Cauvery mainly flowly through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Papikonda in Andhra, 'c'.

Q74. 'Red throated BulBul' well known bird. 'White throated redstart' sounded similar. 'a'.

Q75. Static, 'a'.

Q76. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q77. Difficult, unless studied explicitly. 'a'.

Q78. 'Geotextile' is environmentally sustainable. 'Cold mix' and 'Hot mix' antithetical to each other. 'a'.

Q79. Static,'d'.

Q80. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q81. Static. Also, usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. Answer to be one of 'a' or 'b'. 'b' is slightly extreme. 'a'.

Q82. Random trivia. 'a'.

Q83. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q84. '3' and '4' are mostly edible, so can jeopardize food security. 'a'.

Q85. Word association, 'Social Cost' most inline with 'a'.

Q86. Single pulse accounting for more than 50% production sounds slightly extreme. Eliminate '2', arrive at 'a'.

Q87. Static, 'a'.

Q88. Can't think of reasons why solar can't be used for submersible pumps or ones with piston. 'd'.

Q89. Logically, 'multiple' of anything(in this case, budded sets) is better than 'single' entity for survival ,better germination percentage. Eliminate '2' and '3'.

Q90. 'c'. Again, you've to accept some collateral damage in a couple of questions where the key would go against common sources/understanding.

Q91. '2' with 'all phospatic fertilisers' sounds extreme. 'c'.

Q92. 'Chromite' sounds like chromium, which is a major mineral in India. Sillimanite sounds like silica. Also, never heard of Bentonite. 'd'.

Q93. '1' has two data points, so susceptible to being incorrect. '2' is generic. 'b'.

Q94. Static, 'b'.

Q95. No human habitation sounds extreme, eliminate '2' and arrive at 'c'.

Q96. Basic mapping, also in news. Apart from 'd', all three out of bounds of Indian territory. 'd'.

Q97. Dwarasamudra related to Karnataka during Hoysalas. Also, 'Girinagar' sounds like 'Gir'. 'a'.

Q98. '2' is static. '1' has a data point which has a high probability of being incorrect, '3' is well known fact. 'b'.

Q99. Static, 'c'.

Q100. Static, 'c'.

For Offline Reading

Hey guys, finally finished the first part of the video series. Feel free to have a look. Feedback is always appreciated.

PS: HD setting hopefully should be available in sometime.

https://youtu.be/xiGuEmeuRb0

Sherlocking - Analysing Prelims 2022 for Success Part 2/10
https://youtu.be/PIIzl5ZzexE

Second Part released. Have a look and feel free to engage with the video as much as you can! Feedback is always appreciated.

Let's meet on Friday.


Agenda:

1. I'll discuss what I think would have worked for me, i.e. changes I made this year, in Mains 2022.

2. I'll do some live evaluation as always from the assignments that would be submitted before the meet.

3. Take doubts if any, based on the videos I'm posting or on elimination in general.

Let me know if you have any more queries based on your study sessions from last week.



To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link:
https://meet.google.com/tru-yera-ouj

Or open Meet and enter this code: tru-yera-ouj

Time: 10PM
Date,Day: 9th December, Friday

Sherlocking - Analysing Prelims 2022 for Success Part 3/10

https://youtu.be/C0_ioBE5mKE

Third Part released. Have a look and feel free to engage with the video as much as you can! Feedback is always appreciated.

Minutes of the last online meeting:

Disclaimer:

This exam is a black box at the end of the day.
Nobody can be 100% certain of how the evaluation happens.
My experience comes from official UPSC notification, having written Mains thrice and seeing two marksheets from those attempts, talking to a lot of successful and unsuccessful aspirants while keeping in view their marksheets, and listening to numerous topper talks available on youtube.

1.Major Change I made-Stuck to the directives from notification

*Conventional essay type paper: Thus too shorthand points without logical sense won't bring dividends

*Overall intellectual traits: capacity to interlink

*Depth of understanding: conceptual clarity

*Rather than mere range of information and memory: Pointless and endless Value Addition won't bring dividends

*Well educated person will be able to answer without any specialised study: No point watching/reading elaborate content on any issue. Let the basics do the work for you


2.Discussed 2022 GS1 and GS3 attempt.


3.4 Frameworks- the Holy Grail to generating 'n' number of points

->GS syllabus

->Lifecycle

->Stakeholder

->Long term/Short term


4.General Tips on Mains

->Preparatory phase

*Basic content(250 word writeup on every syllabus head)

*Answer writing(Application of that knowledge in PYQs for relevance and in mock tests for time management)

*Framework to increase number of points

*Mnemonics to improve content retention

*Wall paint hypothesis- Doing a sufficing paint job over the entire wall is more rewarding than beautifying only certain sections of the wall. The wall is the syllabus. i.e. Finish the entire syllabus ASAP once, before doing value add/developing differentiated content for certain sections.

->Examination hall aptitude

*Impossible quaternity->1.Filling all pages, 2.Attempting all questions within time, 3.Legible Handwriting, 4.Relevance of answers; All four can't be achieved simultaneously across all papers. Prioritise 4>2>3>1.

*Mains hierarchy of needs: Basic content>Answer Writing> Value Add.

*Don't overcomplicate question directivesi.e. Analyse= Discuss= Examine= Comment= Critically ____= Pros,Cons,Way Forward; Justify= Substantiate= Only second the perspective given in the Qn, no need for the counter points.


5.Live answer evaluation session-Suggestions to fellow members

->Handwritten answers over typed

->Use similar UPSC like sheets/space to practice(2 pages for a 10 marker, 2.5 pages for a 12.5 marker and 3 pages for a 15 marker)

->Align heads in body based on what is exactly asked

->Vertical reading should enable the evaluator to know that you've hit the demand of the question


For people dropping into my DMs asking me about the group on telegram, it has been made Open Membership. You can join by searching on telegram- 'Reddit Study Group'.

Also, I've been busy with work so took some time uploading the next video.

Here's the link to the fourth video in the series.

https://youtu.be/PQ8LgAwoYoc

Until next time.

Answer Writing Orientation Post:

In my experience of having been in this cycle for 5+ long years, I've come to realise that there are two ways to prepare for this exam.

One is the elaborate way, which no doubt has good returns but is a time consuming process.

Another is the more efficient way, which relies on the Pareto principle.

Pareto is just a fancy way of saying that 80% of your output comes from 20% of your work, fancy as it sounds, it does work in this examination prep too.

But the principle comes with a caveat, that you should focus on the pivotal 20% and not just any 20% chunk to get the returns.


This post intends to highlight that pivotal 20%. 

Below is a 5 step process that would give you the best possible chance of clearing Mains, in the most efficient manner.

1. Read the syllabus keywords for the subject you're preparing and internalise them.

2. Map those keywords with the Previous Year Questions to understand the width and the depth of knowledge you would need to handle them.

3. Refer one standard source, depending on the subject, it could be a book, coaching notes or some successful aspirant's material.

4. Analyse 10-15 topper's copies from the subject to train your mind on how they have been translating the basic knowledge on the answer script. This is an organic process and won't happen overnight. Thus, rather than going through those copies all at once, take out 15-20mins daily to analyse those copies and you would start feeling the difference within a week.

5. Start writing answers on the subject. It's an iterative process but when done in conjunction with the above steps, you would make quick and quality progress. While you're doing this, also start making crisp short flash notes that ideally should be made in your own handwriting and should contain only keywords, value add that with enough revision, would form a part of your muscle memory in months to come.


We're going to execute those principles together starting with Internal Security first. I would help you analyse the syllabus and provide my insights on the potential best resource/copies to refer. We would then begin writing answers once in two or three days and within 4-5 sessions, the subject will stand prepared.

As already discussed, you would have the option to opt for dedicated evaluation of your daily scripts at a per day nominal cost.

Two points of discussion about the Paywall:

-Paywall for dedicated evaluation became a necessity as it includes an element of contractual obligation to deliver quality and improves accountability of both parties to perform at their best.

-Paywall is non bundled in the sense that you 'pay as you play' so you would only come back for evaluation again if it adds value to your preparation, something I'm confident of delivering.


Even in case you don't opt for the dedicated evaluation, this initiative will certainly aid your mains preparation by giving you the right way to prepare, forum for peer review and my insights on the overarching approach for writing good answers.

I'm planning to start by 21st /22nd so people who want to write, should get started on internal security.

I will make a dedicated post on Internal Security prep soon.

Master PYQ Docs that will help you in your journey. Save them!

Let's meet Tonight!


Agenda:

1. Key to generating as many points as possible in Mains- Memorising syllabus through frameworks.

2. Efficient preparation of Mains exclusive topics, using PYQs as the lighthouse.

3. CSAT Strategy - how to secure 80+ with certainty!

4. I'll do some live evaluation as always.

5. Take doubts if any, based on the videos I'm posting or on elimination in general.

6. Queries on the answer writing initiative.

Let me know if you have any more queries based on your study sessions from last week.



To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link:
https://meet.google.com/tru-yera-ouj

Or open Meet and enter this code: tru-yera-ouj

Time: 10PM
Date,Day: 18th December, Sunday

Minutes of the meeting:

1. Opened Polity syllabus with stakeholder analysis, Constitution syllabus with lifecycle based framework.

2. Repeated themes from PYQs, illustrated in IR.

3. CSAT startegy primer
-Comprehension using common sense
-Back substitution in Quant
-Low hanging fruits from LR- Venn diagrams etc.

4. Live evaluation
-Utility of directives
-Vertical evaluation
-Clear heads

5. Discussion on how to get started up with Internal Security.

The next assignment intends to make you practice effective structuring for Mains answer writing.

Assignment #n- Aim to finish it before the new year arrives.

1.Identify the sub parts of all the questions from GS1, GS2 and GS3 from 2022 Mains paper.

On a sheet of paper, mention the prelude if any, and the subheads you would make in the answer sheet.

This is an exercise in structuring, so I don't want you to write the answers or fill in content just now under those heads.

2.Download UPSC Mains 2022 essay paper and brainstorm over 1 essay topic from each section. Need not write the entire essay, just structure it and open themes that you would have expanded on, if you were to write it in the examination hall.


Just make that skeleton for those 60 questions & 2 essays, and I'm sure if you do that right, you would fill the flesh well in months to come.

You can submit the assignment in the comment box or at https://t.me/redditstudygroup

Getting started with Internal Security:

As discussed in the meeting as well as in the last post, I've recorded the video on Internal Security.

Checkout if you want to know more about my methodology.

https://youtu.be/RVzUUKHl_pA

Until next time.