Punjab General Knowledge (History, Geography, Culture, Polity)
What this domain tests
This section tests Punjab's physical setting, rivers and dams, political institutions, historical turning points, and cultural forms. Questions often pair a place with a river, a date, or an institution.
Core rules
- Punjab has 23 districts, an area of about 50,362 sq km, and capital Chandigarh, a Union Territory shared with Haryana.
- The Vidhan Sabha has 117 seats; a majority is 59. Punjab sends 13 members to the Lok Sabha and 7 to the Rajya Sabha.
- Present Indian Punjab is drained mainly by the Satluj, Beas, and Ravi. Chenab and Jhelum lie largely in Pakistan. Bhakra Dam is on the Satluj; Pong on the Beas; Ranjit Sagar on the Ravi. Harike wetland lies at the Beas-Satluj confluence.
- History: Harappan sites at Ropar and Sanghol; Alexander defeated Porus at the Hydaspes (Jhelum) in 326 BCE; Guru Nanak born in 1469; Khalsa founded in 1699; Ranjit Singh took Lahore in 1799; British annexation in 1849; Jallianwala Bagh in 1919; Partition in 1947; Punjabi Suba in 1966.
- Culture: Bhangra, Giddha, Malwai Giddha, phulkari, Hola Mohalla, Baisakhi, and the Kila Raipur rural sports.
Worked example
A question asks the minimum majority in the 117-member Assembly. Half is 58.5, so the majority mark is 59. A party with 58 seats is short; 59 or more can form the government if it commands confidence.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating Chandigarh as a Punjab district.
- Assuming all five rivers flow through present Punjab.
- Confusing the 1966 Punjabi Suba with Partition in 1947.
- Mixing Bhakra (Satluj) with Pong (Beas) or Ranjit Sagar (Ravi).
Exam focus
Build place-river-dam and event-year pairs.