Geography

[Strategy] Geography Mains Booklist, Study plan, Answer-writing Tips and
Maps Preparation for UPSC

Mrunal: This article is a compilation of tips given by Mr.Abhiram AIR 4/CSE 2010.
Preface 1.
Overview of Geography (Mains) Preparation 2.
Booklist for Geography Mains 3.
Booklist for Geography 4.
Paper 1 5.
Paper 2 (Indian Geography) 6.
Books for Hindi Medium 7.
Coaching 8.
Review on specific books 9.
Indian Geography By Khullar 10.
Majid Hussain 11.
Physical Geography Savindra Singh 12.
Atlas 13.
Rupa Series 14.
Notes 15.
How to write Answers in Geography (Mains)? 16.
Underlines 17.
Headings 18.
Open Ended Questions 19.
Diagrams in the answers 20.
New places / Current Affairs 21.
Drawing the Maps 22.
State map 23.
World Map 24.
How to handle the maps questions? 25.
Guideline for Geography Map pointing Questions in Mains 26.
Problem with Geography 27.
Four important aspects 28.
What is required to succeed with Geography? 29.
How to Read Geography Books? 30.
Preface
I received some emails & requests from fellow IO members asking me about the strategy
I followed for geography. This short article is in response to those requests. I hope this
Mrunal [Strategy] Geography Mains Booklist, Study plan, Answer-wri... http://mrunal.org/2012/05/strategy-geography-mains-booklist-study.html/...
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will be of at least some value to future aspirants.
Before that Ill introduce myself Im Abhiram cleared CSE 2010 in my first attempt.
My rank is mainly due to my marks in geography (385 marks 196+189 in papers 1 &
2).
Overview of Geography (Mains) Preparation
1. I think it is better to read the minimum possible number of books, but it should be
revised regularly. For eg: I followed only savindra singh for physical geography, and did
not buy separate books for geomorphology, climatology or oceanography. (ive attached
the list of books I followed at the end).
2. I did not prepare notes from standard text books, as I felt it was redundant. Instead I
wrote tips & headings on the margins of the book for easier reference. I concentrated on
my class notes for proper structuring of answers.
3. Use diagrams, maps, flowcharts & other innovative illustrations in your answers.
Diagrams simplify the detail & improve the presentation also. I followed the thumb-rule
of one diagram for a paragraph (i.e. Approx. 1 or 2 figures per page.) Even in questions
where the need of a diagram may not be apparent, try to draw at least one. Eg: for the
question on occidental culture realm, I just drew a rough map & marked the
corresponding area, which might have caught the examiners eye. Eg: for a question on
world trade pattern, I drew a world map with arrows pointing out the nature & flow of
commodities between developed & developing nations. This, I believe, leads to a better
expression of an idea which is either difficult or lengthy to express in words.
4. As far as mapping is concerned, try to identify places that appeared in the news for
some reason (eg: jaitapur, sanand, krishnapatanam etc.). Frankly speaking, luck was a
major factor that helped me in india map & I notched up 11 correct locations out of 15
given in the question. My interest in wildlife/travel & my location in south india helped
me identify 6 locations.
5. I followed the deadline of (number of marks/2) minutes for answer completion & did
not take into account the number of words. Eg: I put aside 10 minutes for a 20 marker.
Even this strategy failed me in Geo paper 1 as I was not able attempt around 15-20 marks.
6. For answering less specific questions (eg: problems & prospects of agro-based
industries in bihar), use intelligent correlation to write comparatively good answers. For
eg: problems of agro industries are related to geomorphology, climate, transportation,
quality of manpower etc. You can opt for either a bright or dull prospect, but substantiate
the stand. If you are positive, then suggest the advantages of bihar with respect to agri
production, large pool of manpower, flat land suitable for road/rail etc. Along with the
conditionality like bridges, better education & skill development of workforce etc.
7. Practice drawing of diagrams to increase speed & save time.
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8. Mock tests conducted by Shankar sir, followed by individual correction sessions
greatly refined the quality of my answers.
9. For contemporary issues topic in the syllabus, I mainly relied on my preparation for
GS.
PS I am heavily indebted to Shankar sir for motivating & training me to think
innovatively & answer creatively during the exam. The credit for almost all the tips that
ive mentioned goes to him
List of major sources i followed. The list is definitely not exhaustive, but i have tried to
be just to your need.
Booklist for Geography Mains
Booklist for Geography
Physical Geography by Savindra Singh 1.
Certificate Physical and Human Geography by Goh Che Leong 2.
Ncert 11th & 12th geography textbooks (can be downloaded free online from
official NCERT website.)
3.
Human Geography by Majid Hussain 4.
Evolution Of Geographical Thought by Majid Hussain 5.
Indian Geography by Khullar 6.
Geographic theories by K.Siddartha or Majid husain 7.
The Orient blackswan Atlas 8.
Oxford atlas 9.
Spectrums geography guide for illustrations & miscellaneous topics 10.
Made Simple series of Rupa publication (2 books) 11.
Shankar sir's class notes 12.
Paper 1
Geomorphology/climatolgy & oceanography Physical geography by savindra
singh
Biogeography & ecology part of environmental geography Rupa series
Contemporary areas of bio/environmental geography no specific preparation. Just
what i read in magazines & newspapers
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Human geo theories Human Geography By Majid Husain
World agriculture in economic geo Models, theories & processes by Siddartha &
Certificate Physical and Human geography by goh cheng leong
Population geo Human Geography By Majid Husain
Settlement geo Spectrums geography guide (Ed. I think author is Rajiv Ahir)
Regional planning mainly handouts given by shankar sir (photocopy from some
textbook)
Models, theories & laws Geographic theories by Siddartha & parts from Majid
husain
Paper 2 (Indian Geography)
Regional development & planning mainly handouts given by shankar sir
(photocopy from some textbook)
Settlements NCERT & Spectrums geography guide
Political geo no specific material, just class discussions with shankar sir
Contemporary issues no specific preparation. Just what i read in magazines &
newspapers
For the rest about india, ncerts & Indian Geography by Khullar is more than
sufficient
Books for Hindi Medium
I do not know about Hindi medium books in geo, because i wrote the exam in English.
But savindra singh's 'physical geography' is available in Hindi. You can definitely buy
that. Ncert 11th & 12th geo will also be available in Hindi. As for other books, i've no
idea.
(Ed. Majid Hussains books under Tata MAcgrawhill Publication are usually available in
Hindi as well.)
Coaching
Missing topics can be read from spectrum's geography.
It is not absolutely necessary to take coaching, but in a highly popular subject like geo, it
always helps to be a few steps ahead of the crowd which is possible if you get good
guidance.
Pls do not leave out any topic as a whole. Have a basic idea of everything in the syllabus.
But you can be selective while studying in-depth.
Review on specific books
Indian Geography By Khullar
Khullar is mainly a reference book meant to support NCERT. You'll have to follow the
whole book, but there is no need to read line by line, or every page. Some chapters like
physical setting, soil, environment, etc. Need in-depth reading in khullar. Others like
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minerals, agri, industry, transport etc. Only need a cursory reading. But take a good look
at the maps & important places. For eg:, you must know major mines in the important
coal belts of india, major national highways etc.
Majid Hussain
You don't need to study the whole of majid husain, but only those topics mentioned in the
syllabus.
Physical Geography Savindra Singh
Chapters in Physical Geography- Savindra Singh are divided into portions that
mirror the mains syllabus (paper 1 section A) like geomorphology, climatology,
oceanography & landform development. Take the syllabus & compare the various
topics in the former & the book. Then you'll know what to read & what not. Newer
editions even have a glossary of terms at the end, which is useful for definitions.
I think the new edition of phy.geo. By savindra singh has a portion on sealevel
change, law of the sea & marine pollution.
For marine pollution & sea-level change you can definitely frame points out of your
GS preparation.
Atlas
You'll need Orient Blackswan Atlas also, as some features are better explained in it than
in oxford atlas. Also, i do not know about adhikari's geo thought, but i've heard it is a bit
too lengthy.
Rupa Series
Btw, i don't think i'd have said rupa series was "the best" for soils & landform
development. It was the book i followed, that's all! Made simple series is very
useful, esp. The soil geography & landform development part.
Rupa's series is also really good but you'll need only some of the chapters & not all.
Notes
I have never made notes from standard textbooks at any point of preparation. I used to
underline the important points & also write hints on the margin of the textbooks.
How to write Answers in Geography (Mains)?
The intro & conclusion differ from question to question, and also based on the marks
allotted. Generally there's no need for long intros for 20 markers. It is the heart of your
answer that is most important as it contains "the stuff".
Generally speaking, most candidates will answer the direct questions (like those relating
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to cyclones,earthquakes, structure of earth, tides/coral reefs, landforms, erosion etc.) With
almost the same points, so try to maintain an edge by introducing new diagrams or
presenting your answer in a more appealing manner.
Underlines
For small questions underline just underline one or two keywords. For the long ones
you'll have to underline just the key points. Too much of it make your paper look ugly.
Headings
I used both headings (very frequently & only before starting non-intro paras) & points
(occassionally, but each point consisting of minimum 2-3 lines each) in my geography
answer paper.
Open Ended Questions
Also, be careful with the open ended questions you have to write answers with a
geographical perspective in your mind. Moreover, these answers should be as broad as
possible in the sense that it should cover a wide range of factors/issues.
For example: In geo mains 2010 paper 2 we had to write a short note on "ethnic
diversity of north-east tribes". Instead of just describing the north-eastern tribes of india
straightaway, i took course to the following format.
Answer to above question as written by me:
small intro drew map of NE showing the strongholds of various tribes (bodo,
apatani, naga, garo, khasi etc.)
description of the ethnic diversity description of how geography created &
re-inforced this diversity and divided the people into island-like communities with
each evolving its own distinct culture, all of which contributed to NE becoming a
ethnic diversity hotspot
(several mountain ranges like dafla/abor/mishmi/garo/khasi, perennial & swift
flowing rivers like subansiri/dihang/lohit/kameng, mountain gaps connecting
Tibet/myanmar/bhutan/chittagong with NE paved the way for intrusion of
mongolian races/languages, thick & impenetrable forests etc.)
small map of NE showing the above-mentioned geographic factors conclusion
(just a single line NE is a fine proof of how geography & ethnic diversity go
together)
Diagrams in the answers
Most of the diagrams were from the textbooks i followed, but sometimes i had to
innovate, as in the question regarding WTOit is not necessary that there be one diagrm
per para, but try to include atleast one per page to break the monotny & improve
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presentation.
New places / Current Affairs
Q. F i get any new island name in news paper or any place of dispute should i locate in
the map?
Ans. YES. You have to do that. Also note the sea/ocean, rival claimants' names &
presence of natural resources (oil/gas/fish)
Drawing the Maps
I donot use any specific Technic for drawing India's outlines ( boundaries). Just practiced
free-hand drawing and made sure that my drawing looked 'similar' to the actual state
interms of shape. That's all!
State map
Q. If in any question i have to prsent map of any state for example orissa..should i draw
the map of india and inside it should i show orissa or only i draw map of orissa
independentlyif so..then remembring independent maps of every state is going to be
very difficult.
Ans. It depends on the nature of question asked. If it specifically pertains to orisse, then
you'll have to draw a rough map of orissa. It is not at all difficult if you can remmeber
something general regarding a state's outline kerala (like a bitter gourd), tamil nadu
(triangle), andhra (rectangle with one long arm), square (sikkim, nagaland, haryana,
punjab, HP, uttarakhand), rectangle (UP, bihar), amoeboid (chattisgarh, MP) etc.
World Map
Q. How to practices world map..for example i have to show any country of middle east
like libya which is in news..how should i showshould i draw the map of middle east
and then i should show libya inside or independent.
In world map, normally they provide the maps & you're supposed to mark the place/detail
asked. They've not asked for maps of other countries till now in my knowledge.
Suggestion (for world map) go from macro to micro. Start from the continent level
landforms & boundaries. Then move onto major countries. Then to any specific country
in news (eg: an oil producing town of libya can be asked!)
How to handle the maps questions?
You may face 4 situations in a map:
1. You know both the location & the description. (best case scenario)
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2. You dont know the exact location on the map but you know about the place then
mark the spot where you think the place might be (let it go wrong, no problem), but write
the exact description. Youll definitely get marks.
3. You know the broad region in which the place is located, but not the exact unique
detail here you can go for intelligent correlation. Ill give an eg: suppose kudremukh is
asked & you know its somewhere in the western ghats of Karnataka but nothing special
about it. First mark it on the map. For the description, you can safely write anything thats
common to the hills of w.ghats here & it will surely be passable for an answer. Say, you
can use points like one of the high peaks of ghats, orogenic monsoonal rainfall, tropical
evergreen forests, biodiversity hotspot, non-perennial streams, potential for tourism/small
hydro etc.
Here the trick is to write a word or two about each topic in the syllabus (ie whichever is
applicable) linking it with the place asked ie. Importance/speciality of the place from
the point of view of geomorph/climatology, oceano/biogeography, settlement, trade, agri,
industry, transport etc. This will give you enough material & may even exceed 30 words.
This method will not fetch you full marks, but its better than a zero.
4. You neither know the place nor the description. (May God can help you!) Perform
some guess work, which may range from logical to ridiculous. If lucks on your side,
youll get it. I got the entry for phalgu river (geo-2 2010) correct in this fashion. It seemed
like a Hindi name to me & so I marked it in bihar, and wrote a description common to all
rivers of indo-gangetic plain meanders, floodplains, sandbars, alluvium etc. I came
home, checked wikipedia & found to my pleasant surprise that I guessed it right. But 4
other guesses went wrong.
yes, i used at least one diagram per page. That surely breaks the monotony of the
examiner. You can use maps or other figures as you feel fit
Guideline for Geography Map pointing Questions in Mains
Remaining part is copy pasted from MG Kumar Raos thread on Indian Officer.com
http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/8018-guideline-geography-map-pointing-questions-
mains.html
One of the reason for Geography have been popular in mains ,for map pointing in both
the papers. Since 2007 Union Public Service Commission has been doing various
experiments in map pointing to reduce its popularity mainly to reduce the impact of
coaching institutes.
Last Year map in both the papers is direct evidence for it.
First of all map needs rigorous practice, There is no doubt in it.
But what kind of points to be practiced and how to write info for the corresponding entry
in various angles like physical,human,economic,cultural,environmental etc is one of the
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major challenging issue for all the serious aspirants.
I have done 10 and 13 entries in paper 1&2 respectively in all aspects the question being
asked including GMT.
I can give guidelines, I would be happy if it works for any of the aspirants.
Do all the entries in NCERT Books[6,7,8 class text book Land and people,11th and 1.
12
th
class india and world] 2.
Take a series of empty maps and try to locate all physical features at on place and so
on for various features.
3.
Follow the hindu News Paper, Particularly for Indian Places. 4.
This Year almost 4 difficult entries were in News. 5.
Try to assosiate on map with another map 6.
For Eg:After completion on Physical India, impose the map on political,Then
economic , transport etc
7.
If you dont know the info for any place try to associate with the syllabus.
For ex: To write 40 words on Ken river.
A seasonal dendritic river of Bhundelkhand and tributary of Chambal originating at foot
hills of Vindhya. It is the part of Indias first river linking project. Provides irrigation,
drinking water, electricity to this region. Famous for highly eroded landforms Ravines.
This particular info on Ken coverd in all angles asked by Union Public Service
Commission.
PoliticalBundelkhand 1.
River charcters-sasonal and Dendritic 2.
EconomicIrrigation,electricity 3.
EnvironmaentRavines 4.
OtherRiver linking 5.
I think this particular description will get 80% marks
When you are doing map point kindly respect the rules of map pointing.
Corresponding symbols 1.
Lettering(writing name) 2.
Direction 3.
Scale 4.
Some more Gems by M G Kumar Rao
Problem with Geography
It is very much true that geography one of the most popular optional in Union Public
Service Commission both in UPSC Preliminary Examination as well as in mains. This
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can be directly infer from the selection list of each and every year. One major advantage
and limitations of geography availability of plenty of material from various coaching
institutes ,text books and guides in the market. often they have been misguiding students
those who are not having any strategy or planning. Therefore one must take care of these
guidelines
Four important aspects
One important aspect in civils service is , person must know what to read and what
not to read.This looks very simple but most of the people do mistake at this, and
often do mistakes.
1.
second aspect in what way the material are to be studied and how to balance both
optional and gs.
2.
how to prepare notes and and how much time is required to allot for revisions 3.
above all, the most important thing is how to write the exam; Because i believe
most of the people are failed to clear exam even after well preparation.
4.
What is required to succeed with Geography?
One must have complete grip on syllabus: the topics which were given in syllabus
of Union Public Service Commission preliminary. I suggest at least read once
syllabus every day and try to digest each and every sub heading.
One must look into old question papers in order to understand the nature of
questions and to know the pulse of Union Public Service Commission for what
exactly they are demanding form student .
One advantage with geography is it requires both analitical study and factual study
(route memorization);There fore this optional eqully easy/difficult for arts and
science background people.
Accuracy can come only with revision for atlast 5-6 times and reading with analysis
and reasoning.
How to Read Geography Books?
While reading these books one must take care of syllabus and nature of questions.
One must follow the map while reading these text books, Because it develops your
analytical ability.
Use Penguin dictionary where ever youre not comfortable with terminology of
geography.
I think you may or may n't get the subject in ur first reading; but don't stop reading.
I suggest you go through at least twice these books so that you will come to know
various links associated between topics. There is no need for you to read each and
every text book from 1st page to last page. I suggest you strictly bound to syllabus.
In your 3
rd
and 4
th
reading one must prepare notes from these books. By this time
you will come to know pulse of Union Public Service Commission.
I strongly believe one who follows sincerely these things at a time of 4-5Hrs per
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day for geography, i think for all the 4 revisions including notes preparation may
take 85-100 days.
Understanding each and every word of syllabus
Minimum of 150 word notes on each and every sub topic of syllabus
Connectivity, application and analysis
Diagrams, pictures and graphs
Books are necessary but not sufficient. Because mains doesnot demand bookish
knowledge alone. You need to develop skill of linking, writing and application. It
will not come in a day but Keep on practicing the old question papers- it is the only
way to come out from this.
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[Strategy] Geography Mains Booklist, Study plan, Answer-writing Tips and

Maps Preparation for UPSC

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