General Knowledge and General Awareness for CAPF ASI (Stenographer)
General Knowledge and General Awareness in this paper mixes static facts with recent events: Indian polity and the Constitution, history and culture, geography, economy, general science, sports, awards and developments from the past year. The paper rewards precise recall of names, articles, numbers and "firsts", so revise in small fact clusters rather than reading long passages.
High-yield clusters
- Polity: Fundamental Rights in Part III (Articles 12–35); Directive Principles in Part IV (Articles 36–51) are not enforceable in courts; Fundamental Duties in Article 51A were added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
- Geography: the Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
- Science: optical fibre works on total internal reflection; a rainbow forms by refraction and dispersion; insulin is secreted by the pancreas.
- Economy: repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow from the RBI; CRR and SLR are reserve requirements.
Worked example
Which of these is enforceable in a court of law? (a) Right to work (b) Equal pay for equal work (c) Free legal aid (d) Right to education for children aged 6–14.
Reasoning: (a), (b) and (c) are Directive Principles (Articles 39, 39(d) and 39A) and cannot be enforced. The right to education is a Fundamental Right under Article 21A, inserted by the 86th Amendment, 2002. Answer: (d).
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing "first" with "largest" or "oldest" in history and geography questions.
- Confusing Article 32 (constitutional remedies) with Article 226 (High Court writs).
- Quoting stale current affairs; check the events window stated in the notification.
- Random guessing where negative marking applies.