General Knowledge with Madhya Pradesh Focus
What to master
Revise Indian polity, geography, history, economy and static GK, then layer Madhya Pradesh specifics on top. Polity: Constitution sources, fundamental rights and duties, DPSP, President and Governor, Parliament, panchayati raj. Geography: rivers, soils, minerals, climate and national parks. History: Indus Valley, Mauryas, Guptas, Mughals and the freedom movement. Economy: banking, inflation, budgets and schemes. For MP, know the state's formation on 1 November 1956, capital Bhopal, High Court at Jabalpur with benches at Indore and Gwalior, and ten administrative divisions. Remember symbols such as barasingha (state animal) and dudhraj (state bird). Key sites: Sanchi and Bhimbetka (Raisen), Khajuraho (Chhatarpur), Mandu (Dhar), Orchha (Niwari), Panna (diamonds and tiger reserve), Kanha and Bandhavgarh. The Narmada flows west; other rivers include the Chambal, Betwa, Son and Tapti.
Traps
Questions mix up Sanchi with Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, and Khajuraho with Konark in Odisha. MP borders five states - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat - not six, and has no international border. The largest city is Indore, not the capital Bhopal. Dates and first officeholders are frequent: the first Chief Minister was Ravishankar Shukla. Do not confuse the state bird dudhraj with the state animal.
Worked example
Question: Which site is not in Madhya Pradesh - Sanchi, Bhimbetka, Sarnath or Khajuraho? Answer: Sarnath, because it lies near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Rule of thumb: attach every famous site to its district and state while revising.