General Knowledge and Current Affairs
What this domain tests
This section checks Bihar-specific static knowledge, Indian polity and geography, basic economics, awards, sports and recent national developments. The exam favours linkage - a news item tied to a state, ministry, scheme or institution - over isolated fact lists.
Core rules and concepts
- Bihar lies in the middle Ganga plain. Its main rivers are the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, Son and Punpun; the Kosi is called the “Sorrow of Bihar” because of its shifting course and floods.
- Bihar has 38 districts and Patna as capital. Ancient centres include Nalanda, Vikramashila, Rajgir and Vaishali.
- Freedom-movement anchors: Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Non-Cooperation (1920), Quit India (1942); Bihar leaders include Rajendra Prasad and Jayaprakash Narayan.
- For current affairs, attach each item to a static anchor: scheme to ministry, award to field, index to publisher, appointment to office.
Worked example
Question: Which river is known as the “Sorrow of Bihar”? Reasoning: The Kosi rises in Tibet and Nepal, carries heavy silt and shifts its channel across north Bihar, causing recurrent floods. The Damodar is the “Sorrow of Bengal”, so that option is a trap. Answer: Kosi.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing Bihar’s rivers with Uttar Pradesh’s canal systems.
- Relying on stale current-affairs lists when the question asks about a scheme’s ministry or a state’s rank.
- Confusing ancient sites: Nalanda is a university site; Vaishali is linked to the Licchavis and the Buddha’s last sermon.
Prepare by pairing a Bihar map with a monthly news log; revise the map before facts.