General Science: Physics, Chemistry and Biology at NCERT Level
General Science in the BPSC screening test tests understanding of class 9-10 NCERT concepts rather than research-level detail. Expect questions on units, motion, light, electricity, elements and compounds, acids and bases, the human body, nutrition, disease and environment. Most are one-step conceptual checks, so definitions and standard values matter.
Physics
Know SI base units and prefixes. Motion uses v = u + at and s = ut + ½at². Light covers reflection laws, refraction, and the lens and mirror formula. Electricity centres on Ohm's law, V = IR, series and parallel resistance, and the heating effect, H = I²Rt.
Chemistry
Atomic number versus mass number, periodic trends, acids and bases with pH (below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic), and common salts: baking soda NaHCO₃, washing soda Na₂CO₃·10H₂O, plaster of Paris, bleaching powder.
Biology
Cell organelles, photosynthesis, human digestive and circulatory systems, blood groups, vitamins and deficiency diseases, and disease vectors.
Worked example
A 12 V battery is connected across a 4 Ω resistor. Find the current and the power dissipated. Reasoning: I = V / R = 12 / 4 = 3 A; P = VI = 12 × 3 = 36 W, which also equals I²R = 9 × 4 = 36 W.
Traps that cost marks
Mixing disease vectors (malaria is Anopheles, dengue is Aedes aegypti); swapping vitamin deficiencies (beriberi B₁, scurvy C, rickets D); confusing mass with weight; and forgetting that a pH value alone must be compared with 7 before naming a substance acidic or basic.