IB ACIO Grade II cheat sheet

The Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.

The Preamble declares India a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic; the words Socialist and Secular were added by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.

Fundamental Rights are in Part III (Articles 12–35); the Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32) is called the heart and soul of the Constitution by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

The Directive Principles of State Policy are in Part IV (Articles 36–51); they are non-justiciable but fundamental in governance.

The President is elected by an electoral college using a single transferable vote and proportional representation; the Vice-President is elected by members of both Houses of Parliament.

The Rajya Sabha has a maximum strength of 250 members (238 elected, 12 nominated); the Lok Sabha has a maximum of 552 members.

The Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) passes through eight Indian states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.

India's standard meridian is 82.5° E, which determines Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30).

The RBI was established on 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934; it was nationalised in 1949 and is headquartered in Mumbai.

Percentage change = ((new value − old value) / old value) × 100; successive changes of a% and b% give a net change of a + b + (ab/100) %.

Simple interest = (P × R × T) / 100; compound interest = P[(1 + R/100)^T − 1] for annual compounding.

Speed = distance / time; to convert km/h to m/s multiply by 5/18, and m/s to km/h multiply by 18/5.

For a train of length L crossing a platform of length P at speed S, time = (L + P) / S; crossing a pole, time = L / S.

Work: if A can do a job in x days and B in y days, together they take xy/(x + y) days.

Average = sum of observations / number of observations; if every observation is increased by k, the average increases by k.

Ratio and proportion: if a:b = c:d then ad = bc; to divide N in the ratio a:b:c, the shares are Na/(a+b+c), Nb/(a+b+c), Nc/(a+b+c).

Mensuration: area of circle = πr²; circumference = 2πr; volume of cylinder = πr²h; surface area of sphere = 4πr²; volume of cone = (1/3)πr²h.

Probability of an event = favourable outcomes / total outcomes; for two independent events P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B).

In a series, check differences (first, second, third order), ratios, squares/cubes, and alternating patterns before assuming a single rule.

Coding-decoding: map letters to positions A=1 … Z=26; for reverse alphabets use A=26 … Z=1; test the rule on all given examples before applying it.

Blood relations: draw a family tree; vertical lines denote parent-child, horizontal lines denote siblings/marriage; never assume gender from a name.

Direction sense: use a coordinate grid; after moving north then east, the net displacement is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed.

Syllogism: use Venn diagrams; a conclusion is valid only if it is true in every possible diagram consistent with the premises.

Seating arrangement: for circular arrangements, fix one person and arrange the rest; clockwise and anticlockwise orders are distinct unless the question says otherwise.

Statement–assumption: an assumption is something taken for granted in the statement; if negating it destroys the statement, it is a valid assumption.

Analogy: identify the relationship type (cause–effect, part–whole, synonym, worker–tool) and apply the same relation to the options.

Subject–verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; with 'either … or' / 'neither … nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Articles: use 'a' before consonant sounds, 'an' before vowel sounds (an hour, a university), and 'the' for unique or already-mentioned nouns.

Prepositions of time: 'in' for months/years, 'on' for days/dates, 'at' for exact times; 'since' with a point of time, 'for' with a duration.

Active to passive: object becomes subject, verb becomes 'be + past participle', and the doer is introduced by 'by' (e.g., 'She wrote a letter' → 'A letter was written by her').

Direct to indirect speech: change the reporting verb to past tense, shift the reported verb one tense back, and change pronouns and time/place words (now → then, today → that day).

Commonly confused words: affect (verb) vs effect (noun); principal (head) vs principle (rule); stationary (not moving) vs stationery (writing material).

Idioms: 'to let the cat out of the bag' means to reveal a secret; 'a bolt from the blue' means a sudden shock; 'to burn the midnight oil' means to study or work late.

One-word substitutions: 'altruist' (lover of mankind), 'philanthropist' (charitable donor), 'misanthrope' (hater of mankind), 'ephemeral' (short-lived).

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal ministry for internal security; the Intelligence Bureau (IB) handles domestic intelligence and counter-intelligence.

The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is India's external intelligence agency, established in 1968 after the 1962 and 1965 conflicts.

The National Security Council (NSC) is chaired by the Prime Minister; its members include the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Deputy NSA.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was created after the 2008 Mumbai attacks under the NIA Act, 2008, to investigate terror-related offences across states.

The Indian Army has six operational commands plus the Army Training Command; the Navy has three commands (Western, Eastern, Southern) and the Air Force seven commands.

Border guarding forces: BSF (India–Pakistan and India–Bangladesh borders), ITBP (India–China border), SSB (India–Nepal and India–Bhutan borders), Assam Rifles (India–Myanmar border).

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sets global standards against money laundering and terror financing; India is a member.

Current affairs anchors: G20 Summit 2023 was hosted by India in New Delhi; Chandrayaan-3 landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023; the 2024 general election was the largest democratic exercise in the world.

An essay must have a clear introduction, 2–4 body paragraphs each with one central idea, and a conclusion that restates the thesis without adding new points.

Précis: read the passage twice, identify the central idea, and write one-third of the original length in the third person and past tense where appropriate.

A précis must not contain examples, illustrations, direct speech, or personal opinions; it should be a continuous paragraph with a suitable title if asked.

Use linkers (however, therefore, moreover, consequently) to connect ideas; avoid repetition and vague words such as 'thing' or 'very'.

Formal essay language: avoid contractions (don't, can't), slang, and first-person pronouns unless the topic is personal.

For letter writing, follow the prescribed format: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, body, and complimentary close.

Word limit discipline: a 250-word essay should have roughly 10–12 sentences per 100 words; count words during the last 2 minutes of the exam.

Common précis errors to avoid: changing the meaning, adding new information, exceeding the word limit, and omitting the main idea.