• UPSC CSE Prelims Exam
• UPSC CSE Mains Exam
• UPSC CSE Personality Test

• Current events of National & International importance.
• History of India & Indian National Movement.
• Indian & World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India & the World.
• Indian Polity & Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic & Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity & climate change – that do not require subject specialization.
• General Science.

• Logical reasoning & analytical ability
• Decision making & problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level),
• Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

• Civil Services Main Examination consists of a written examination and interview (personality test).
• The written Examination consists of the following papers divided into 2 categories – qualifying & papers to be counted for the merit list.

• Comprehension of given passages
• Precis Writing
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essays

• Comprehension of given passages
• Precis Writing
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essays
• Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa

Two essays are to be written taking one from each group. Each group normally contains four topics. Candidates are expected to write precisely without any digression from the topic. Facts are less important than the ideas. The essays are actually a test of the mental horizon of the students as well as their ability to express their thoughts concisely in correct and lucid language.

• Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities, issues.
• The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.
• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society.
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Salient features of world’s physical geography.
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

• General Studies‐ II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
• Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
• Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
• Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
• Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
• Role of civil services in a democracy.
• India and its neighbourhood- relations.
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests,Indian diaspora.
• Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

• General Studies‐III: Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment,
• Security and Disaster Management
• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth,
• development and employment.
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Government Budgeting.
• Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
• Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
• Land reforms in India.
• Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
• Investment models.
• Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
• Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Disaster and disaster management.
• Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
• Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
• Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security,money-laundering and its prevention.
• Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

General Studies‐ IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilize the case study approach to determine these aspects.

• Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics – in private and public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
• Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
• Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
• Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
• Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
• Case Studies on above issues

Optional Subject Papers I & II

(LIST OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS FOR MAIN EXAMINATION)

• Agriculture
• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
• Anthropology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Law
• Management
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Science
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science and International Relations
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Sociology
• Statistics
• Zoology

Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English Presently RICE IAS Academy offers four (4) Optional subjects to its students for which the detailed syllabus is given below-

It is who we are and why we are the way we are. It’s the past speaking to the present. Taking lessons from it is our responsibility.

At present history optional is becoming increasingly popular among aspirants for all the right reasons.

• Shruti Sharma, UPSC CSE 2021 Rank 1, had history as her optional subject.
• Before her it was Aparajita UPSC CSE 2017 Rank 40, Ishwar Kumar Kandoo UPSC CSE 2017 Rank 187, Gazal Bhawrdwaj UPSC 2015 Rank 40, Surabhi Mallik UPSC CSE 2011 Rank 51, Agam Jain UPSC CSE 2015 Rank 133 and so on.
• These are just a few examples.
• Ishwar Kumar Kandoo secured the highest by getting 316 marks. Before delving into why you must take history as your optional let us bust a few myths :

• Lengthy – A serious candidate must focus more on interest and utility rather than length because the exam you are preparing for itself has a lengthy syllabus. Preparing history optional is a one-time full proof investment of your time and it will cover a significant portion of your Prelims and GS syllabus.
• Remembering dates and names of Kings- UPSC no longer focuses on dates and names rather focuses on your understanding.
• Have to read a lot- History optional is about reading less and revising more. The class notes and references will suffice.
• Not scoring – Any optional is not scoring if you don’t prepare it well. Those who were sincere have scored above 300 marks and so can you.
• It is boring- It depends on how it is taught. We at RICE Institute ensure you of an unconventional and interesting approach.

• It has a consistent selection rate.
• It helps you prepare for Prelims, Mains and optional all at once. Knowing the vast syllabus of this exam, it is a major relief.
• It is inter-related and follows a fixed chronology. You need to give one time effort and you can reap its benefits year on year.
• Beneficial not just for UPSC Civil Service Exam but also all other competitive exams including State Civil Services.
• Helps in GS paper 3 as well where one must know about issues like Naxalism, Communism, Communalism and so on because all of these have their roots in history.
• Knowing about the past is very important to understand the issues of the present.
• Helps you make your other answers interesting by citing unique examples from history.
• It will also help in the interview because if you explain the historical context to substantiate your answer, it will give the impression that you have in-depth knowledge of current issues.
• Teaches you the art of answer writing and helps enrich your essays.
• Also RICE Institute will provide you with the expertise of experienced faculty from Delhi as well as Kolkata.

1. To sum it up, analyse the cost to benefit ratio yourself and choose rationally.
2. Looking forward to having you onboard.

PAPER– I FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIOLOGY

• Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of Sociology.
• Scope of the subject and comparison with other social sciences.
• Sociology and common sense.

• Science, scientific method and critique.
• Major theoretical strands of research methodology.
• Positivism and its critique.
• Fact value and objectivity.
• Non-positivist methodologies.

• Qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Techniques of data collection.
• Variables, sampling, hypothesis, reliability and validity.

• Karl Marx – Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle.
• Emile Durkhteim – Division of labour, social fact, suicide, religion and society.
• Max Weber – Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.
• Talcott Parsons – Social system, pattern variables.
• Robert K. Merton – Latent and manifest functions, conformity and deviance, reference groups.
• Mead – Self and identity.

• Concepts – equality, inequality, hierarchy, exclusion, poverty and deprivation.
• Theories of social stratification – Structural functionalist theory, Marxist theory, Weberian theory.
• Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race.
• Social mobility – open and closed systems, types of mobility, sources and causes of mobility.

• Social organization of work in different types of society – slave society, feudal society, industrial capitalist society.
• Formal and informal organization of work.
• Labour and society.

• Sociological theories of power.
• Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups and political parties.
• Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology.
• Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.

• Sociological theories of religion.
• Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults.
• Religion in modern society: religion and science, secularization, religious revivalism, fundamentalism.

• Family, household, marriage.
• Types and forms of family.
• Lineage and descent.
• Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.
• Contemporary trends.

• Family, household, marriage.
• Types and forms of family.
• Lineage and descent.
• Patriarchy and sexual division of labour.
• Contemporary trends.

• Sociological theories of social change.
• Development and dependency.
• Agents of social change.
• Education and social change.
• Science, technology and social change.

INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE

• 1. Introducing Indian Society :
• A. Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society :
• I. Indology (G.S. Ghure).
• II. Structural functionalism (M. N. Srinivas).
• III. Marxist sociology (A. R. Desai).
• B. Impact of colonial rule on Indian society :
• I. Social background of Indian nationalism.
• II. Modernization of Indian tradition.
• III. Protests and movements during the colonial period.
• IV. Social reforms.
• 2. Social Structure:
• A. Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:
• I. The idea of Indian village and village studies.
• II. Agrarian social structure—evolution of land tenure system, land reforms
• A. Caste System:
• (a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems: G. S. Ghurye, M. N. Srinivas, Louis Dumont,
• Andre Beteille.
• (b) Features of caste system.
• (c) Untouchability-forms and perspectives
• (iii) Tribal Communities in India:
• (a) Definitional problems.
• (b) Geographical spread.
• (c) Colonial policies and tribes.
• (d) Issues of integration and autonomy.
• (iv) Social Classes in India:
• (a) Agrarian class structure.
• (b) Industrial class structure.
• (c) Middle classes in India.
• (v) Systems of Kinship in India:
• (a) Lineage and descent in India.
• (b) Types of kinship systems.
• (c) Family and marriage in India.
• (d) Household dimensions of the family.
• (e) Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.
• (vi) Religion and Society :
• (a) Religious communities in India.
• (b) Problems of religious minorities.
• C. Social Changes in India:
• (i) Visions of Social Change in India:
• (a) Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
• (b) Constitution, law and social change.
• (c) Education and social change.
• (ii) Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India:
• (a) Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme, cooperatives,
• poverty alleviation schemes.
• (b) Green revolution and social change.
• (c) Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture.
• (d) Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration
• (iii) Industrialization and Urbanisation in India:
• (a) Evolution of modern industry in India.
• (b) Growth of urban settlements in India.
• (c) Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.
• (d) Informal sector, child labour.
• (e) Slums and deprivation in urban areas.
• (iv) Politics and Society :
• (a) Nation, democracy and citizenship.
• (b) Political parties, pressure groups, social and political elite.
• (c) Regionalism and decentralization of power.
• (d) Secularization.
• (v) Social Movements in Modern India :
• (a) Peasants and farmers movements.
• (b) Women’s movement.
• (c) Backward classes & Dalit movements.
• (d) Environmental movements.
• (e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.
• (vi) Population Dynamics :
• (a) Population size, growth, composition and distribution.
• (b) Components of population growth: birth, death, migration.
• (c) Population Policy and family planning.
• (d) Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive health.
• (vii) Challenges of Social Transformation :
• (a) Crisis of development : displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
• (b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
• (c) Violence against women.
• (d) Caste conflicts.
• (e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
• (f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.

Geography is the ground on which we stand, use it for your stand in UPSC.

Although selecting the optional subject for the UPSC civil service mains exam is a personal decision but that decision must have some logical ground. Every individual has unique strengths and weaknesses as well as different educational and professional backgrounds and these are the factors which contribute in ensuring competitive advantages to an aspirant. So, the decision related to optional subject must be based on one’s educational and professional background as well as strengths and weaknesses. Apart from this, a candidate must weigh the pros and cons of a particular optional subject and if the pros outweigh the cons, he should go with it.

In this article I will talk about Geography as an optional subject, and will give candidates an answer to the question, why is geography a good optional for UPSC CSE.

What attracts aspirants towards geography?

• Geography is a blend of science and humanities. Due to this, it is preferred by many aspirants from science, medical and engineering as well as humanity backgrounds.
• Geography also has a lot of overlap with subjects like economics, environment, ecology and conservation which makes it more interesting, relevant, and dynamic.
• Geography is a scoring subject because unlike pure humanities subjects, there is not much requirement for mugging up and interpretation. Only concepts need to be understood. Also, diagrams, flowchart, etc. can be used to get more marks. The map-based questions are also scoring.
• The definite syllabus of Geography and availability of standard books and study materials make it easy for the candidates and encourage them to go for it.
• Success Rate of the subject is very high. There have been toppers with this optional in the previous years. The most famous topper is Ira Singhal who topped the civil services exam in 2015. Also, in the 2016 UPSC exam, rank 4 holder Soumya Panday had taken Geography as her optional subject.