General Knowledge - Polity, History, Geography and Institutions
General Knowledge in DJS tests Indian polity and constitutional development, modern Indian history, geography, economy, general science, and notable institutions, with a strong Delhi and legal-institution flavour.
Core rules
- Constitution: Article 32 (Supreme Court writs) and Article 226 (High Court writs); Article 246 with the Seventh Schedule; Articles 352-360 emergency; Article 368 amendment. Know landmark cases and the basic-structure doctrine.
- History: Regulating Act 1773, Charter Acts, Government of India Acts 1919 and 1935, the Constituent Assembly, and integration of princely states.
- Geography and economy: Indian rivers, monsoon, soils, mineral belts; RBI functions, inflation measures, budget terminology, GST Council.
- Institutions: Supreme Court, High Courts, Election Commission, UPSC, NHRC, CAG and Law Commission.
Worked example
Question: Which schedule of the Constitution distributes legislative powers between the Union and the States? Answer: the Seventh Schedule, read with Article 246. List I is the Union List, List II the State List, and List III the Concurrent List. The reasoning is textual: Article 246 assigns subject matter, while the Seventh Schedule contains the lists. The Sixth Schedule, by contrast, deals with administration of tribal areas.
Traps
Do not confuse Article 32 with Article 226; the High Court’s writ jurisdiction is wider. Do not confuse the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. Amendment procedure depends on whether the bill touches entrenched federal provisions. Current appointments must be dated, not remembered loosely.