Bihar-Specific Knowledge and Field Survey Practices
What this domain tests
Two strands. Bihar-specific knowledge covers districts and divisions, rivers, border districts, historical and religious sites, and agriculture. Field survey practices cover the instruments and computations a field assistant uses, plus Bihar's land-record vocabulary. Expect conversion, bearing and record-terminology questions rather than deep engineering theory.
Core rules - Bihar facts
- 38 districts, 9 divisions, capital Patna; Bihar Diwas is 22 March.
- Borders: Nepal to the north, Uttar Pradesh west, Jharkhand south, West Bengal east.
- The Kosi is called the "sorrow of Bihar" for its shifting course; the Gandak, Bagmati, Son and Falgu are other major rivers.
- Standard associations: Muzaffarpur–litchi, Mithila–makhana, Bhagalpur–silk, and the Nalanda–Bodh Gaya–Rajgir circuit.
Core rules - survey and land records
- Chain or tape survey: range the line, then take offsets at right angles and verify with a tie line.
- Whole-circle bearing (0–360°) converts to reduced bearing by quadrant: 0–90 gives N…E, 90–180 gives S (180 − WCB) E, 180–270 gives S (WCB − 180) W, 270–360 gives N (360 − WCB) W.
- Levelling: HI = RL of station + backsight; RL of next station = HI − foresight.
- Records: khatiyan and khesra identify the plot and tenant; jamabandi is the register of rights; dakhil kharij (mutation) updates it.
- Bihar units: 1 katha = 20 dhur ≈ 1,361 sq ft; 1 bigha = 20 katha ≈ 27,220 sq ft (about 0.25 hectare).
Worked example
A line has a whole-circle bearing of 240°. Find its reduced bearing. 240° lies between 180° and 270°, so the line runs south-west. RB = 240 − 180 = 60°. Answer: S 60° W.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing the wrong quadrant letters (S…E instead of S…W).
- Using foresight where backsight belongs in the HI formula.
- Treating a khatiyan entry as conclusive proof of present ownership.
- Confusing 1 bigha with 1 acre - 1 acre is about 1.6 bigha in Bihar.