General Knowledge and Current Affairs: UP First, Then India
What is tested
The GK section mixes Uttar Pradesh-specific static facts with national polity, geography, economy, science and current events. UP questions dominate: districts and divisions, rivers, crops, festivals, the freedom movement, state institutions and schemes.
Core facts to anchor
- UP has 75 districts and 18 divisions; capital Lucknow; High Court at Prayagraj (Allahabad), established 1866.
- The state legislature is bicameral: Vidhan Sabha 403 seats, Vidhan Parishad 100 seats.
- UP touches eight states-Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar-and the UT of Delhi; the longest border is with Madhya Pradesh.
- Main rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghara, Rapti, Sharda, Betwa, Ken, Chambal. Prayagraj stands at the Ganga–Yamuna confluence.
- Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Worked example
A question asks which state shares the longest boundary with UP. Work from the map: the southern border with Madhya Pradesh runs from Bundelkhand across the Vindhyan edge and is longer than the western border with Rajasthan. Answer: Madhya Pradesh, not Rajasthan.
Traps
Do not confuse the state animal (swamp deer/बारहसिंगा) with the state bird (sarus crane). 'Allahabad High Court' and 'Prayagraj' refer to the same city. For current affairs, prefer official sources-UP government press releases, PIB and the state budget-because coaching PDFs recycle outdated figures. Do not guess the number of divisions from the number of districts.