General Knowledge and Current Affairs (India and World)
General Knowledge and Current Affairs (India and World) tests the Constitution, polity, geography, economy, international organisations and recent national and world events. The paper favours static concepts applied to current contexts, not isolated headlines.
Core rules
- Constitution: adopted 26 November 1949, enforced 26 January 1950. Part III contains Fundamental Rights; Part IV contains Directive Principles; Part IVA contains Fundamental Duties added by the 42nd Amendment (1976).
- Emergency articles: 352 national emergency, 356 President's rule in a state, 360 financial emergency.
- Parliament: President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. A Money Bill under Article 110 is introduced only in Lok Sabha.
- International: the UN was founded on 24 October 1945 with headquarters in New York; principal organs include the General Assembly, Security Council and ICJ. G20 and BRICS are forums, not UN bodies.
Worked example
Question: Which article is used when a state government cannot function according to constitutional provisions? Analyse: Article 352 concerns war, external aggression or armed rebellion; Article 360 concerns financial stability; Article 356 concerns failure of constitutional machinery in a state. Answer: Article 356.
Traps
Do not call the Preamble enforceable; it is not a source of substantive power. Do not mix Fundamental Rights with Directive Principles: the latter are non-justiciable. In world affairs, distinguish founding year, headquarters and membership: NATO (1949, Brussels), WTO (1995, Geneva), IMF (1944/1945, Washington). Current appointments and summit themes change; verify the latest before the exam.