General Science and Technology
General Science and Technology tests school-level physics, chemistry, biology and awareness of space, defence, health and digital technologies. Questions are usually factual and application-based rather than numerical; the exam rewards clear definitions and correct examples.
Core areas
- Physics: SI units, Newton's laws, work and energy, electricity, light, sound.
- Chemistry: acids and bases, pH, periodic table, metals and non-metals, common salts and alloys.
- Biology: cell structure, human systems, nutrition, diseases, vaccines, photosynthesis.
- Space: ISRO missions such as Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan and Aditya-L1; launch vehicles PSLV and GSLV.
- Technology: artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, biotechnology and drones.
- Health: communicable versus non-communicable diseases; antibiotics target bacteria, not viruses.
- Scientific method: observation, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion; SI base units include metre, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, mole and candela.
Worked example
Why does a lunar eclipse occur? Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon. Reasoning: name the three bodies and their order; a solar eclipse has the Moon in the middle, so the positions are reversed.
Traps
- Confusing mass with weight; mass is constant, weight changes with gravity.
- Mixing planets and their moons.
- Misnaming missions or launch vehicles.
- Assuming antibiotics work against viruses.
- Treating a vaccine as a cure rather than prevention.