BPSC AE key terms

Basic freedoms guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution, enforceable in courts through writs. They cover equality, speech, life and personal liberty, religion, and constitutional remedies, and can be suspended only as the Constitution allows.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution directing the state toward social and economic welfare. They are not directly enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance and are used to interpret fundamental rights.

The power of the Supreme Court under Article 32 and High Courts under Article 226 to issue writs such as habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, and quo warranto for enforcing rights or correcting authority.

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing, the Consolidated Fund, or related financial matters, certified by the Speaker and introduced only in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha may recommend changes but cannot reject or amend it.

The main government account holding all revenues, loans, and receipts. Money can be withdrawn from it only by appropriation made by law passed by Parliament, making legislative approval essential for spending.

The three-tier rural local government system of gram panchayat, panchayat samiti, and zila parishad, given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment. It mandates regular elections, reservation, and a State Finance Commission.

A system where power is constitutionally divided between a central government and constituent units, each sovereign in its sphere. India's version is described as quasi-federal because the Centre has strong powers such as emergency provisions and union control of key subjects.

The seasonal reversal of winds driven by differential heating of land and sea, the migration of the ITCZ, and the tropical easterly jet. The southwest monsoon brings most of India's rainfall between June and September.

A continuous mountain range along India's west coast that blocks the southwest monsoon, causing heavy orographic rainfall on the windward side and a rain-shadow dry zone to the east. It is a global biodiversity hotspot.

The mid-1960s push in Indian agriculture using high-yielding wheat and rice varieties, irrigation, fertilizers, and credit. It raised food output sharply in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, but widened regional disparity.

The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities. Raising it tightens liquidity and cools inflation; cutting it stimulates credit and growth.

The share of net demand and time liabilities that banks must hold as cash with the Reserve Bank of India. It earns no interest, so raising it withdraws lendable funds and reduces money supply.

The gap between total government expenditure and total receipts excluding borrowings. It measures how much the government must borrow in a year and is a key indicator of fiscal health.

Internal resisting force per unit area developed within a material when external loads act on it. It is expressed as load divided by cross-sectional area and is usually measured in newtons per square millimetre or megapascals.

The deformation of a body per unit of its original dimension, such as change in length divided by original length. It is dimensionless and shows how much a material stretches or compresses under stress.

The ratio of tensile or compressive stress to the corresponding strain within the elastic limit, known as the modulus of elasticity. A higher value means a stiffer material that deforms less under the same load.

The negative ratio of lateral strain to longitudinal strain when a material is stretched or compressed. Typical metals lie between 0.25 and 0.35, and the value approaches 0.5 for rubber.

The internal moment at a section of a beam that balances the external forces acting on one side of that section. Its maximum value determines the flexural stress and the required section modulus.

The internal transverse force at a beam section that resists the tendency of adjacent parts to slide past each other. Its diagram is the derivative of the bending moment diagram along the span.

The ratio of a section's moment of inertia about the neutral axis to the distance to its extreme fibre. It converts bending moment into maximum bending stress using the flexure formula.

A simple workability test on fresh concrete in which a standard cone is filled and lifted, and the drop of the concrete is measured. It indicates consistency but is unsuitable for very dry or very wet mixes.

The mass of water divided by the mass of cement in a concrete mix. Lowering it increases strength and durability but reduces workability, so a balance is chosen by mix design.

Keeping concrete moist and at a favourable temperature after casting so cement hydration continues. Adequate curing for the specified period develops strength, reduces shrinkage cracks, and improves durability.

The intergranular stress carried by soil particles, equal to total stress minus pore water pressure. It governs shear strength, consolidation, and settlement, unlike total stress which includes water pressure.

Loss of shear strength in loose saturated sands during earthquake shaking, when cyclic loading raises pore pressure until effective stress approaches zero. The soil then behaves like a fluid and foundations may sink or tilt.

The gradual reduction in volume of saturated soil as water is squeezed out under sustained load, accompanied by settlement over time. It differs from immediate elastic compression and is analysed using the coefficient of consolidation.

A dimensionless ratio of inertial to viscous forces in fluid flow, equal to density times velocity times length divided by viscosity. Low values indicate laminar flow and high values turbulent flow.

An energy statement for steady, incompressible, frictionless flow along a streamline: pressure head plus velocity head plus elevation head is constant. It underlies flow measurement by venturi and orifice meters.

The maximum possible efficiency of a heat engine operating between a hot reservoir at absolute temperature T1 and a cold reservoir at T2, equal to one minus T2 divided by T1. No real cycle can exceed it.

A thermodynamic property measuring the dispersal of energy and the irreversibility of a process. It increases for spontaneous processes in an isolated system, which is the basis of the second law.

The cosine of the phase angle between voltage and current in an AC circuit, equal to real power divided by apparent power. A low value means more current for the same useful power and higher losses.

A static device that transfers electrical energy between two circuits through mutual induction, changing voltage and current levels at nearly constant frequency and power. It works on alternating current only, since steady flux is needed to induce voltage.

A switching device that opens a circuit automatically under fault current and extinguishes the arc safely. Unlike a fuse, it can be reset and reclosed after clearing a fault.

The surveying operation of determining the elevation of points relative to a datum using a level instrument and staff readings. It supports contouring, sectioning, and setting out of engineering works.

A fixed point of known reduced level, usually marked on a permanent structure, used as a reference for levelling and construction. Temporary benchmarks are established near a site for convenience.

A sequence of numbers following a hidden rule such as arithmetic difference, geometric ratio, or alternating patterns. Solving it requires identifying the pattern and predicting the next or missing term.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, while a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These concepts solve problems on mixtures, partnership shares, and scaling of quantities.