General Knowledge and Current Affairs
What the paper tests
This section rewards broad, organised awareness: international organisations and their headquarters, geography and capitals, major treaties and agreements, science and technology milestones, sports and awards, and recent national and global events. It is wide rather than deep.
Concepts to master
Build a mental map of international bodies: the United Nations and its principal organs, the Security Council's permanent members, the World Bank, IMF, WHO, UNESCO, and regional groupings such as SAARC, ASEAN and the OIC. Learn headquarters cities, founding years and current heads where stable. For geography, know capitals, currencies, major rivers and straits. For current affairs, track a small set of recurring themes: climate conferences, major elections, space missions, and economic summits. Keep a dated notebook with one line per event and review it weekly.
Traps
Questions that mix up headquarters (Geneva versus New York versus Vienna), founding years, or the difference between an organisation's secretary-general and its president. Current-affairs items also test the year of an event, so record dates, not just facts. Avoid guessing when two options both seem plausible; eliminate by category first.
Rule of thumb
Group facts into clusters (organisation, headquarters, head, founding year) and learn each cluster as a unit. When unsure, eliminate options that contradict a fact you are certain of.
Worked example
If asked where the World Health Organization is headquartered, recall the cluster: UN specialised agency, founded 1948, headquarters Geneva. The cluster confirms Geneva rather than New York.