JSSC Excise Constable key terms

The three-tier system of local self-government in rural India, with gram panchayat at village level, panchayat samiti at block level, and zila parishad at district level, created by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment of 1992.

The assembly of all registered voters in a village panchayat area. It is the base unit of direct democracy in the Panchayati Raj system and approves the panchayat's plans and accounts.

A mineral-rich plateau covering much of Jharkhand and parts of neighbouring states, made largely of ancient Precambrian rock. It holds coal, iron ore, bauxite and copper and contains the state's main industrial belt.

A multi-purpose river valley authority set up in 1948 for flood control, irrigation, power generation and navigation in the Damodar basin across Jharkhand and West Bengal. It was India's first such integrated project, modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The traditional nature-worship faith of many Adivasi communities in Jharkhand, centred on sacred groves and the worship of Singbonga, the sun god. Its followers have long demanded separate religious status in the census.

A major spring festival of Jharkhand's tribal communities, celebrated in the Chaitra month when sal trees flower. Priests carry sal flowers in procession, and the festival marks the start of the agricultural year.

An Adivasi festival of Jharkhand and neighbouring regions honouring the karma tree. Devotees fast, sing and dance through the night, and the ritual is associated with good harvest and brotherhood.

A harvest and cattle festival celebrated in Jharkhand after Diwali, and also the name of the wall-painting tradition done by women on mud houses, noted for geometric and animal motifs.

A traditional wall art of Jharkhand, especially of the Khovar community, painted on marriage-room walls by women using natural clay colours, with comb-cut and brush techniques depicting fertility and nature themes.

A term meaning original inhabitant, used in India for indigenous tribal communities. In Jharkhand, Scheduled Tribes form roughly a quarter of the population and include Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Ho and Kharia groups.

A colonial law that protects tribal land in the Chotanagpur region by restricting transfer of tribal land to non-tribals without government permission. It remains a central legal safeguard for Jharkhand's Adivasis.

A law safeguarding tribal land and customary rights in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand. It restricts alienation of tribal land and recognises village headmen and community institutions.

A nineteenth-century Munda tribal leader from the Chotanagpur region who led the Ulgulan (Great Tumult) revolt against British rule and missionary influence. He is a symbol of tribal resistance, and his birth anniversary is observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

A state in eastern India carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000. It is known for mineral wealth, tribal culture and forests, and its capital is Ranchi.

Basic freedoms guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution, enforceable in courts. They include equality, freedom of speech, protection of life and personal liberty, and the right to constitutional remedies.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution that direct governments to promote social and economic welfare. They are not directly enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance.

Eleven obligations listed in Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, asking citizens to respect the Constitution, protect the environment, and uphold national unity and public property.

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing, or the Consolidated Fund, certified as such by the Speaker and introduced only in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha can only recommend changes within 14 days.

The lower house of the Indian Parliament, whose members are directly elected by voters. It has a maximum strength of 552 and controls the Council of Ministers through a majority.

The upper house of the Indian Parliament, representing states and union territories. Members are elected indirectly by state legislators for six-year terms, and one-third retire every two years.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make glucose and release oxygen, with chlorophyll in chloroplasts absorbing light energy. It is the base of most food chains.

The green pigment in plant chloroplasts that absorbs mainly red and blue light for photosynthesis and reflects green light, which is why leaves look green.

The breakdown of glucose in cells to release energy, using oxygen in aerobic respiration and producing carbon dioxide and water. It is the reverse of photosynthesis in terms of gas exchange.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Forces always occur in pairs acting on different bodies, which explains rocket propulsion and recoil of a gun.

The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the applied force and takes place in the direction of the force. It gives the relation force equals mass times acceleration.

At constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, giving voltage equals current times resistance.

The rate at which electrical energy is consumed or delivered, calculated as voltage times current, or current squared times resistance. Its SI unit is the watt.

A scale from 0 to 14 measuring the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Values below 7 are acidic, 7 is neutral, and above 7 is basic, based on hydrogen ion concentration.

Acids release hydrogen ions in water and turn blue litmus red; bases release hydroxide ions and turn red litmus blue. Their reaction, neutralisation, produces salt and water.

Organic compounds needed in small amounts for normal growth and health. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the body, while water-soluble B and C must be supplied regularly.

Disorders caused by lack of a specific nutrient. Examples include scurvy from vitamin C deficiency, rickets from vitamin D deficiency, and anaemia from iron deficiency.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values, also called the arithmetic mean. It is used to summarise data and is central to many quantitative aptitude questions.

A fraction expressed with denominator 100, written with the percent sign. It is used to compare quantities and is the basis of profit, loss, interest and discount problems.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind by division, while a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These ideas are used in partnership, mixture and scale problems.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, using principal times rate times time divided by 100. It does not add earlier interest to the principal.

Interest calculated on the principal plus previously earned interest, so the amount grows faster than under simple interest. It is computed period by period on the changing amount.

A technique that first finds the value of one unit and then multiplies to get the value of the required number of units. It solves many work, time and cost problems.

A form of logical reasoning with two or more premises and a conclusion, often tested with statements using all, some and no. A conclusion is valid only if it follows necessarily from the premises.

Reasoning problems that describe family links through statements or symbols and ask how two people are related. Candidates draw a family tree to avoid confusion.

A reasoning topic where words or numbers are written in a code according to a rule, and the candidate must decode the rule or encode a new word using it.

A reasoning task that presents a sequence of numbers, letters or figures following a pattern and asks for the next or missing term. Identifying the rule is the key step.

Reasoning problems involving movement north, south, east and west, often with turns, asking for final direction or shortest distance. Drawing a rough diagram makes them easy.

दो वर्णों या ध्वनियों के मेल से होने वाले परिवर्तन को संधि कहते हैं, जैसे विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय। हिंदी व्याकरण में स्वर संधि, व्यंजन संधि और विसर्ग संधि इसके प्रमुख भेद हैं।

दो या दो से अधिक शब्दों के मेल से बने संक्षिप्त पद को समास कहते हैं, जैसे राजपुत्र = राजा का पुत्र। तत्पुरुष, कर्मधारय, द्विगु, द्वंद्व, बहुव्रीहि और अव्ययीभाव इसके भेद हैं।

वह शब्दांश जो किसी शब्द के आरंभ में जुड़कर उसके अर्थ में परिवर्तन या विशेषता लाता है, जैसे प्र + हार = प्रहार। हिंदी में संस्कृत, हिंदी और उर्दू के उपसर्ग प्रचलित हैं।

वह शब्दांश जो किसी शब्द के अंत में जुड़कर नया अर्थ या भाव प्रकट करता है, जैसे लड़क + पन = लड़कपन। कृत् और तद्धित प्रत्यय इसके मुख्य भेद हैं।

एक ही अर्थ बताने वाले अनेक शब्दों को पर्यायवाची या समानार्थी शब्द कहते हैं, जैसे सूर्य के लिए रवि, भानु और दिनकर। यह शब्दावली प्रश्नपत्रों में प्रायः पूछी जाती है।

जिन शब्दों के अर्थ एक-दूसरे के उलटे होते हैं, उन्हें विलोम या विपरीतार्थक शब्द कहते हैं, जैसे दिन का विलोम रात। यह प्रश्न हिंदी शब्दज्ञान के अंतर्गत आते हैं।

ऐसे शब्द जो प्रसंग के अनुसार एक से अधिक अर्थ देते हैं, जैसे कनक का अर्थ सोना और धतूरा दोनों होता है। इनका अर्थ वाक्य के संदर्भ से तय होता है।

ऐसा वाक्यांश जो अपने शब्दों के सीधे अर्थ के बजाय विशेष लाक्षणिक अर्थ देता है, जैसे आँखों में धूल झोंकना का अर्थ धोखा देना है।

जनसमाज में प्रचलित ऐसा पूर्ण वाक्य जो अनुभवजन्य सत्य या नीति व्यक्त करता है, जैसे अंधों में काना राजा। इसे कहावत भी कहते हैं।

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language, such as begin and commence. Synonym questions test vocabulary breadth and precision of usage.

A word opposite in meaning to another word, such as brave and cowardly. Antonym questions require recognising contrast in meaning rather than similarity.

Replacing a phrase with a single precise word, for example one who studies stars becomes astronomer. This tests vocabulary and the ability to express meaning concisely.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as once in a blue moon meaning very rarely. Idioms must be learnt as whole units.

Voice shows whether the subject performs the action (active) or receives it (passive). Converting between them requires changing the verb form and adjusting the object and subject.

Direct speech quotes a speaker's exact words, while indirect speech reports them without quotation marks. Conversion involves changes in pronouns, tense, and time and place words.

The words a, an and the. A and an are indefinite articles used before singular countable nouns, while the is the definite article referring to a specific or already mentioned item.

Words showing the relation of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence, such as in, on, at, by and with. Correct choice depends on time, place and fixed usage.