General Knowledge and Current Affairs: UP-Weighted Static Core Plus a Rolling News Log
General Knowledge here is deliberately Uttar Pradesh heavy, and current affairs questions usually attach to a static fact rather than float free. Prepare UP first, then India, then the last 6–12 months of news.
Static core you must own
- Administration: 75 districts and 18 divisions; capital Lucknow; Allahabad High Court established 1866 at Prayagraj, with a Lucknow bench; Governor as constitutional head, Chief Minister as executive head.
- State symbols: bird - sarus crane; animal - swamp deer (barasingha); tree - Ashoka; flower - palash (tesu); state sport - field hockey.
- Protected areas: Dudhwa Tiger Reserve spans Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich and is composed of Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur WLS and Katarniaghat WLS; Pilibhit is a separate tiger reserve.
- Rivers: the Ganga is the main axis, meeting the Yamuna at Prayagraj; the Gomti, Ghaghara, Saryu, Betwa, Ken, Chambal and Son drain the state.
Worked example
Which of these rivers originates inside Uttar Pradesh - Betwa, Ken, Chambal, Gomti? Reasoning: the Betwa and Ken rise in Madhya Pradesh, the Chambal rises in the Vindhyas of Madhya Pradesh, and the Ghaghara and Rapti come from beyond Nepal. The Gomti rises from Gomat Taal near Pilibhit in UP. Answer: Gomti.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing the Allahabad High Court (1866, Prayagraj) with its Lucknow bench, or the state bird with the national bird.
- Treating Dudhwa National Park as identical to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, which has three constituent units.
- Reading only national news: UP schemes, appointments and board decisions are asked directly.
Keep a one-page monthly log and force every news item onto a static hook - new tiger reserve to its district, new scheme to its ministry and launch year.