General Awareness and Current Affairs
General Awareness and Current Affairs asks what a future teacher knows about the society the school sits in. In this CET the weight leans heavily on Bihar - its formation, rivers, universities, polity and welfare schemes - with the remainder on Indian polity, science, sports, awards and the past year's national events.
Core content to master
- Bihar's identity: carved out of Bengal on 22 March 1912; Bihar Diwas is 22 March. Patna University (1917) is the State's oldest; Nalanda Open University is the examining body for B.Ed. admission.
- Rivers: the Ganga flows west to east past Patna; the Kosi, draining Nepal, is called the Sorrow of Bihar because it shifts course by kilometres each flood season; the Gandak, Son, Punpun, Bagmati and Kamla are also named rivers.
- Polity: Bihar has a bicameral legislature - Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad - one of the few States with a Legislative Council. Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha.
- Schemes and landmarks: Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali, Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana, Student Credit Card and the Saat Nishchay programme recur in papers.
- Ancient learning: Nalanda Mahavihara and Vikramshila (Bhagalpur) were major centres; the modern Nalanda University was re-established in 2014.
Worked example
Which river is known as the Sorrow of Bihar? (A) Gandak (B) Son (C) Kosi (D) Punpun. The Son drains the plateau and is not a Bihar flood river; the Punpun is a small tributary; the Gandak floods but its embankments are comparatively stable. The Kosi carries a heavy silt load from Nepal, raises its own bed and breaches westward, so the answer is (C).
Traps that cost marks
Do not swap the Kosi and the Gandak, or Bihar Diwas (22 March) with the 1936 separation of Odisha. Keep distinct the ancient Mahavihara and the 2014 university, and the first Chief Minister (Sri Krishna Sinha) from the first woman Chief Minister (Rabri Devi). Current-affairs items go stale: refresh schemes and appointments in the final weeks.