Science & Technology is one of the subjects included in the civil services examination. Many questions circling around this subject have been asked both in UPSC Prelims and Mains.
To help aspirants prepare for IAS Exam, this article will provide them with the pdfs of UPSC notes on Science and Technology. Science and Technology is part of the UPSC Mains Syllabus (GS III). Also, science subjects like Botany, Chemistry, and Biology are part of the optional subject choices in the IAS Mains exam. Subjects with a scientific base are high scoring, yet they often pose a challenge to IAS aspirants, as students find it hard to make notes balancing both static and dynamic topics/issues in the news.
This article will provide articles on important issues for Science & Technology for UPSC 2023.
Important Science & Technology Notes for UPSC
The following articles are important for IAS Exam:
How to prepare Science and Technology for the UPSC exam?
- Read/prepare notes
- Read NCERTs
- Check UPSC previous year question papers
- If a Science subject is your optional subject, have a definite strategy
- Follow daily news analysis
To get an idea about the types of questions asked in the prelims examination, candidates can download the compilation of the previous year UPSC Prelims Science and Technology Questions from the linked article.
Science and Technology Notes for UPSC Prelims exam and IAS Mains
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Science and Technology Books for UPSC
The following list is recommended for UPSC Science and Technology:
- Science & Technology For Civil Services Exams – Ravi P Agrahari
- Science and Technology in India – Kalpana Rajaram – Spectrum
- General Science For Civil Services Preliminary Examinations – S.A.Majid
- 1000 Plus Questions on General Science – TMH
- Science and Technology – Neeraj Nachiketa
- NCERT books for standards IX, X, XI, XII
General Science for UPSC prelims
For the UPSC prelims exam, general knowledge of school level science is enough as the questions are rarely too technical. However, aspirants also need to track current affairs while preparing Science and Technology for both prelims and IAS mains.
Here are a few IAS exam questions from previous year’s Prelims papers to give you an idea.
Q.1 India-based Neutrino Observatory is included by the Planning Commission as a mega-science project under the 11th five-Year Plan. In this context, consider the following statements:
- Neutrinos are chargeless elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light.
- Neutrinos are created in nuclear reactions of beta decay.
- Neutrinos have a negligible, but nonzero mass.
- Trillions of neutrinos pass through the human body every second.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Solution: d
Q.2 During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the sky is produced by the
- Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
- Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
- Violent upward movement of air and water particles
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(C) 1 and 3
(d) None of the above produces the thunder
Solution: C
Q.3 Consider the following:
- Electromagnetic radiation
- Geothermal energy
- Gravitational force
- Plate movements
- Rotation of the earth
- Revolution of the earth
Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth?
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3, 5 and 6 only
(c) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
Solution: d
Q.4 Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) allows genes to be transferred
- across different species of plants
- from animals to plants
- from microorganisms to higher organisms
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Solution: a
Q.5 ‘Ethanol’ has widespread usages and application. Consider the statements with reference to it
(1) It cannot be used as rocket propellant
(2) It can be used in thermometer
(3) It can be used as an antiseptic
(4) It causes cancer
(5) It can cause birth defects
(6) It cannot be used in DNA extraction because it is highly toxic
Correct code/s
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5
(b) 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6
(c) 2, 3, 4 and 6
(d) 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer: d
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