General Knowledge and Current Affairs - Study Guide
What this domain tests
General Knowledge and Current Affairs rewards stable, sourced facts about Nepal and the world, plus the ability to update them. Section Officer papers usually mix static geography, polity, symbols and institutions with recent appointments, treaties, budgets and reports. Build the stable framework first, then attach current events to it.
Core facts to anchor
- Nepal: area about 147,516 sq km; 7 provinces, 77 districts, 753 local units (6 metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, 460 rural municipalities).
- Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) is 8,848.86 m, jointly announced by Nepal and China in 2020.
- Nepal joined the UN in 1955; the SAARC secretariat is in Kathmandu (SAARC founded 1985); BIMSTEC links South and Southeast Asia.
- Constitutional bodies include the Public Service Commission, CIAA, Election Commission, Auditor General and NHRC. Know each mandate, not only the name.
- National symbols, currency, festivals and UNESCO sites are frequent one-mark items.
Worked example
Question: 'How many local levels are in Nepal, and how are they classified?' Reasoning: the 2017 restructuring created 753 units. Classify by category: 6 metropolitan, 11 sub-metropolitan, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities. Add them: 6 + 11 + 276 + 460 = 753. The trap is recalling 744 or mixing districts (77) with local units.
Traps that cost marks
- Using pre-2017 figures for local bodies or a pre-2020 height for Everest.
- Confusing the UN's founding (1945) with Nepal's accession (1955).
- Naming a body but misstating whether it is constitutional, statutory or executive.
- Relying only on social media for current affairs; verify with the Nepal Gazette, budget speech, NPC and UN documents.