General Knowledge and Current Affairs
General Knowledge and Current Affairs tests static facts plus events from the last 12–18 months. Punjab-specific items carry weight: districts, boundaries, state schemes, sports, awards, appointments, and national institutions.
What to prepare
- Punjab has 23 districts, an area of about 50,362 sq km, 13 Lok Sabha seats and 117 Vidhan Sabha seats.
- Track appointments to constitutional offices: President, Chief Justice of India, Chief Election Commissioner, and Punjab Governor.
- Awards: Bharat Ratna, Padma awards, Nobel Prizes, and national sports honours.
- Schemes: PM-KISAN, Ayushman Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Punjab drives such as Ghar Ghar Rozgar and Tandarust Punjab.
- Sports: Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and the Kabaddi World Cup.
- Science and defence: ISRO missions, missile tests, and joint military exercises.
Worked example
Question: Punjab accounts for roughly what share of India's geographical area? Take Punjab 50,362 sq km and India 3,287,263 sq km. Divide 50,362 by 3,287,263, getting about 0.0153, or 1.53%. The closest option, about 1.5%, is correct. Approximate division is enough because the options are far apart.
Traps
- Do not confuse Punjab's area with its population share.
- Scheme names are often swapped with the launching ministry; match the name to the purpose.
- Award years and office-holders change; check the latest list rather than memory.
- In map questions, remember Punjab borders Pakistan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.