Comprehensive General Studies 2018

The document contains the contents.

The document contains the preface.

The history of India is broadly divided into three separate periods:
(i) Ancient India
(ii) Medieval India
(iii) Modern India
The ancient history of India spreads from the Indus Valley Civilisation to the entrance of Muslims in India till around 1000 CE.

Human civilisation came of age between the fourth and third millennium BCE, in different areas: between Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, Nile river in Egypt, the Indus river in India and Hwang Ho river in China. The first city being developed was Mesopotamia. The civilisation in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley in India was next to witness development of city followed by the Egyptian Civilisation.

India, a part of Asian continent, located in the Northern Hemisphere of the globe, from 8° 4′ N to 37° 6′ N Latitude and from 68° 7′ E to 97° 25′ E Longitude.
It is the seventh largest country in the world, accounts 2.40 per cent of the Earth’s total surface.

The universe encompasses everything that physically exists – the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and constants that govern them. The study of the universe is called ‘cosmology’.
Galaxies were formed 12 billion years ago; our solar system evolved 5 billion years ago and life evolved on Earth about 3.80 billion years from today. The Earth lies in the difference between space and outer space. The outer space is vast. The dimensions could be measured by units such as light years and Astronomical Unit (AU).

The economy of India is the tenth-largest in the world by nominal GDP US$1.87 trillion in 2013 and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) $5.07 trillion in 2013. The country is one of the G-20 major economies and a member of BRICS. On a per-capita-income basis, India ranked 141st by nominal GDP and 130th by GDP (PPP) in 2012, according to the IMF. India is the 19th largest exporter and the 10th largest importer in the world.

The Constitution of India was framed by the Constituent Assembly of India, under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 16 May 1946.
The first meeting of Constituent Assembly was summoned on 9 December 1946, under the presidentship of Sachidananda Sinha for undivided India.

United Nations (UN) originated during the Second World War, on 1 January 1942, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. The UN was founded by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights on 24 October 1945.

Acoustics: Study of sound and sound waves
Aeronautics: Study of flight of aeroplanes
Agronomy: Study of soil management and production of crops
Angiology: Study of blood vascular system
Anthropology: Study of apes and humans

A computer can be defined as an electronic data processing device, capable of reading, computing, storing and processing large volumes of data with speed and accuracy with reliability.

It is the systematic and scientific study of our environment and our role in it. It integrates knowledge from pure sciences, soil science, geology, ecology, environmental engineering and social sciences.

AAFI -  Amateur Athletics Federation of India
ABC -  Audit Bureau of Circulation; American (or Australian) Broadcasting Company
AD -  Anno Domini (After Christ)
ADR - American Depositary Receipt
AEC - Atomic Energy Commission

The song ‘Jana Gana Mana’, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted as ‘national anthem’ by the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950.

West Bengal Assembly Elections 2016
The West Bengal Assembly Election 2016 was held over a month in six phases from 4 April to 5 May. The overall voter turnout was a little above 80%. After a long wait, results were finally declared on 19 May. Incumbent chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress emerged victorious with a resounding majority.