PSSSB Naib Tehsildar key terms

India's national policy think tank, set up in 2015 to replace the Planning Commission. It advises the central and state governments on development strategy and monitors flagship schemes, but it does not allocate funds to states.

India's highest civilian honour, awarded for exceptional service or performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. It carries no cash grant and is announced by the President, usually around Republic Day.

Basic freedoms guaranteed under Part III of the Indian Constitution, such as equality before law, freedom of speech and the right to life. They are enforceable in courts, and Parliament may amend them only within constitutional limits.

A sustained rise in the general price level of goods and services, which reduces the purchasing power of money. Central banks usually try to control it by raising interest rates and tightening credit.

The script used for writing Punjabi in India. It has thirty-five basic letters along with vowel signs and diacritics, and Guru Angad Dev is traditionally credited with standardising it in the sixteenth century.

A diacritic in Gurmukhi shown as a small inverted crescent placed above a letter. It doubles the consonant's sound, as in the word for 'solid', and a wrong or missing adhak can change the meaning.

In Gurmukhi, a consonant written without any vowel sign attached, so it carries the inherent short 'a' sound. Words beginning with a mukta letter are alphabetised under that letter in dictionaries.

A Punjabi or Hindi word derived from Sanskrit but altered in form over centuries, such as 'dudh' from 'dugdha'. Tadbhav words are contrasted with tatsam words, which retain their original Sanskrit shape.

An idiom in Punjabi whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words. Correct use requires knowing the fixed phrase and the figurative sense it carries in everyday speech or writing.

A group of words containing its own subject and a finite verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a subordinate clause depends on a main clause to complete its meaning.

A verb form ending in '-ing' that functions as a noun, as in 'Swimming is good exercise'. It may act as subject, object or complement, unlike a present participle used adjectivally.

A sentence pattern in which the subject performs the action, as in 'The clerk filed the report'. It is usually clearer and more direct than the passive, where the object is moved to the subject position.

A fixed expression whose figurative meaning differs from the literal sense of its words, such as 'break the ice'. Idioms must be learnt as whole units rather than translated word by word.

A word whose meaning is opposite to that of another word, such as 'hot' and 'cold'. Antonym questions test vocabulary depth, so the exact shade of meaning of each option matters.

The smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more given numbers. It is found by listing multiples or by taking the highest power of every prime factor appearing in the numbers.

A comparison of two quantities of the same kind, written as a : b. It shows how many times one quantity contains the other and can be simplified in the same way as a fraction.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, using the formula principal × rate × time ÷ 100. It does not earn interest on interest, which is what compound interest does.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. It gives one representative figure for the whole set and is also called the arithmetic mean.

A fraction expressed with a denominator of one hundred, indicated by the symbol %. It allows quick comparison between quantities of different sizes and appears widely in data interpretation questions.

A reasoning question type in which two or more statements are given and a conclusion must be judged as definitely true, possibly true or false. Venn diagrams are usually drawn to test validity.

A reasoning puzzle that describes family links in words, such as 'A is the mother of B', and asks how two people are related. Drawing a family tree prevents confusion of generations and genders.

A reasoning topic in which words, letters or numbers are written in a disguised pattern and the candidate must discover the rule and apply it to a new word or figure.

A sequence of numbers that follows a hidden rule, such as adding a fixed value, doubling or squaring. The task is to identify the pattern and find the missing or wrongly placed term.

System software that manages hardware, files and running programs and provides an interface for the user. Windows, Linux and Android are examples, and it starts working as soon as the computer boots.

Random Access Memory, the computer's fast temporary workspace where active programs and data are held. Its contents are erased when power is switched off, so unsaved work is lost in a sudden shutdown.

Uniform Resource Locator, the address typed into a browser to reach a webpage, such as https://example.com/page. It specifies the protocol, the server name and the path of the resource.

Software that stores data in rows and columns of cells and calculates results through formulas. Excel and LibreOffice Calc are common examples used for accounts, lists and simple data analysis.

Land lying between two rivers, from Persian words meaning 'two waters'. Punjab's doabs, such as the Bist-Jalandhar tract, are named after the rivers that enclose them.

The south-eastern cultural region of Punjab, lying mainly south of the Sutlej. Its dialect and folk traditions differ from Majha and Doaba, and it includes districts such as Patiala and Bathinda.

A lively Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of the dhol, traditionally associated with the harvest season. It has become a global symbol of Punjabi music and culture.

The Sikh holy scripture, compiled by Guru Arjan Dev and given its final form by Guru Gobind Singh, who declared it the eternal Guru. It contains hymns of the Sikh Gurus and of saints from other traditions.

A movement of the 1950s and 1960s demanding a separate Punjabi-speaking state. It led to the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966 and the creation of Punjab, Haryana and the hill areas of Himachal Pradesh.

The record of rights maintained by the revenue department, showing landowners, cultivators and their shares in each plot of a village. It is revised after every mutation and is a primary land record.

The number that identifies a particular agricultural field or plot on the village map. Khasra numbers are used in land records together with the khatauni to trace ownership and cultivation.

A register listing the holders of a khata, that is, a group of survey numbers held by one person or family. It summarises the total land held and is read along with the jamabandi.

The village-level revenue official who maintains land records, reports changes in crops and boundaries, and assists in revenue collection. The entries he prepares later appear in the jamabandi.

The process of recording a change in ownership or other rights in revenue records after a sale, inheritance or court order. Until the mutation is entered, official records may not show the new owner.

Common village land owned jointly by the village community rather than by individual proprietors. Its use and income are governed by village custom and revenue law, often for grazing or village purposes.