General Awareness
What this domain tests
General Awareness in the CSIR-CRRI JSA paper samples Indian polity, geography, modern history, economy, general science, institutions and current events. Questions are usually direct, so precision beats broad reading: exact article numbers, constitutional posts, headquarters, dates and scientific units are common.
Core rules and facts
- Polity: the Vice-President is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Article 64); the President is elected by an electoral college, not directly by citizens.
- Fundamental Rights are in Part III; Fundamental Duties are in Part IVA (Article 51A).
- Geography: know latitude and longitude effects, monsoon mechanism, major rivers and soil types.
- Economy: distinguish repo rate, reverse repo, CRR and SLR; know basic national income terms.
- Science: SI units, common diseases and vitamins, basic chemical formulae.
- Institutions: CSIR is a national R&D organisation with laboratories such as CRRI; do not confuse it with a university or a ministry.
Worked example
Who presides over the Rajya Sabha? The Constitution says the Vice-President of India is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Chairman presides only in the Chairman's absence. Reason: Article 64 links the two offices; the President does not preside over either House. This is why the answer is the Vice-President, not the President or the Leader of the House.
Traps that cost marks
Do not mix the Attorney General of India (appointed by the President, advises the Government) with the Advocate General of a state. Do not treat the Directive Principles as enforceable in courts. In current affairs, a scheme's launch year and ministry are frequently swapped; verify both. For science, 'speed' and 'velocity' are not interchangeable: velocity needs direction.