GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES REVISION PLAN

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES REVISION PLANAs the Prelims date has been extended it is the right time to balance it with your Optional Preparation. Since you’ll practically get around 2 anda half months to prepare for your mains after prelims, you can’t leave your optional Preparation till prelims get over. Hence we are starting ashort Test series which will help you to revise, brush up your optional in two months.The Test series will be conducted by Atyab Ali Zaidi sir. He is an alumnus of NIT Allahabad, Chemical Engineering and is one of the Coremembers of IASbaba team.He has been mentoring UPSC aspirants since past 5 years and many of his students have qualified this prestigious exam with flying colours.The testimony of the quality of the classes is the following feedback comments provided by the students of the last year’s batch.www.IASbaba.comPage 1

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020Objectives of the program: The aim of the program is to groom the students with geography optional to approach the subject properly and learn how to write aproper geographical answer.There have been several misconceptions spread in the market which have made the aspirants believe that it is impossible to score wellin Geography. However, every year there is atleast one person to get a top 10 rank. It means that if you write according to the demandof the question, you are definitely going to score well. The mentorship will provide you this guideline.To provide enough practice to the students so that they can feel comfortable with slightly twisted questions also.Components of Geography Test Series:www.IASbaba.comPage 2

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020 A total of 8 tests with 4 sectional test and 4 full test. (Only online)All the students will get personal mentorship. Mentor will point out the individual mistakes and help in overall guidance. (NOTE: Onuswill lie on the student to call the mentor on time to discuss the issues.)Proper evaluation of the answer sheets and a detailed feedback.Value Add notes for some specific topics will be providedGeography Optional Test Series ScheduleTest No1www.IASbaba.comDate of TestTopicsSourcesFLEXIBLEGeomorphology: Factors controlling landformdevelopment; endogenetic and exogeneticforces; Origin and evolution of the earth’s crust;Fundamentals of geomagnetism; Physicalconditions of the earth’s interior; Geosynclines;Continental drift; Isostasy; Plate tectonics;Recent views on mountain building; Vulcanicity;Earthquakes and Tsunamis; Concepts ofgeomorphiccyclesandLandscapedevelopment. Denudation chronology; ; Applied onment.-Geomorphology by SavinderSingh (Ch-1, 10 concepts.Physical geography by SavinderSingh.-G.C.LEONG.-PHYSICAL GEO- RUPAPUBLICATIONS.-Earth’s Dynamic Surface – K.Siddhartha-Strahler and StrahlerPage 3

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020Biogeography: Genesis of soils; Classificationand distribution of soils; Soil profile; Soilerosion, Degradation and conservation; Factorsinfluencing world distribution of plants andanimals; Problems of deforestation andconservation measures; Social forestry; agroforestry; Wild life; Major gene pool centers.Climatology: Temperature and pressure belts ofthe world; Heat budget of the earth;Atmospheric circulation; atmospheric stabilityand instability. Planetary and local winds;Monsoons and jet streams; Air masses andfronto genesis, Temperate and tropicalcyclones; Types and distribution ofprecipitation; Weather and Climate;Koppen’s, Thornthwaite’s and Trewartha’sclassification of world climates; Hydrologicalcycle; Global climatic change and role andresponse of man in climatic changes, Appliedclimatology and Urban climate.Oceanography: Bottom topography of theAtlantic,IndianandPacificOceans;Temperature and salinity of the oceans; Heatand salt budgets, Ocean deposits; Waves,currents and tides; Marine resources: biotic,mineral and energy resources; Coral reefs, coralbleaching; sea level changes; law of the sea andmarine pollution.www.IASbaba.comPage 4

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 20202www.IASbaba.comFLEXIBLEEnvironmental Geography: Principle of ecology;Human ecological adaptations; Influence of manon ecology and environment; Global andregional ecological changes and imbalances;Ecosystem their management and conservation;Environmental degradation, management andconservation; Biodiversity and mental hazards and remedial measures;Environmental education and legislation.Perspectives in Human Geography: Arealdifferentiation; regional synthesis; Dichotomyand dualism; Environmentalism; Quantitativerevolution and locational analysis; radical,behavioural, human and welfare approaches;Languages, religions and secularisation; Culturalregions of the world; Human development-Geographical thoughts: R.D.Dixitindex.-Evolution of geo thoughts :Majid HussainModels, Theories and Laws in HumanGeography: Systems analysis in Human -Geo thought: Sudeepta Adhikari-Models in geo: Majid Hussaingeography;Malthusian,Marxianand-Economicand Social Geographydemographic transition models; Central Place– Rupa Publicationtheories of Christaller and Losch; Perroux andBoudeville; Von Thunen’s model of agriculturallocation; Weber’s model of industrial location;Rostov’s model of stages of growth. Heartlandand Rimland theories; Laws of internationalboundaries and frontiers.Page 5

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020Economic Geography: World economicdevelopment: measurement and problems;World resources and their distribution; Energycrisis; the limits to growth; World agriculture:typology of agricultural regions; agriculturalinputs and productivity; Food and nutritionproblems; Food security; famine: causes, effectsand remedies; World industries: locationalpatterns and problems; patterns of world trade.Population and Settlement Geography: Growthand distribution of world nces of migration; concepts of overunder-and optimum population; Populationtheories, world population problems andpolicies, Social well-being and quality of life;Population as social capital. Types and patternsof rural settlements; Environmental issues inrural settlements; Hierarchy ofurbansettlements;Urbanmorphology:Concepts of primate city and rank-size rule;Functional classification of towns; Sphere ofurban influence; Rural urban fringe; Satellitetowns; Problems and remedies of urbanization;Sustainable development of cities.www.IASbaba.comPage 6

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 202034www.IASbaba.comFLEXIBLEFLEXIBLERegional Planning: Concept of a region; Typesof regions and methods of regionalisation;Growth centres and growth poles; Regionalimbalances; regional development strategies;environmental issues in regional planning;Planning for sustainable development.Simulated full length test of PAPER –IIndian Geography-Physical Setting: Spacerelationship of India with neighboring countries;Structure and relief; Drainage system andwatersheds; Physiographic regions; Mechanismof Indian monsoons and rainfall patterns,Tropical cyclones and western disturbances;Floods and droughts; Climatic regions; Naturalvegetation; Soil types and their distributions.Resources: Land, surface and ground water,energy, minerals, biotic and marine resources;Forest and wild life resources and theirconservation; Energy crisis.-Indian Geography - Khullar-Introduction to IndianGeography – Majid Hussain- Economic Survey- NITI Aayog’s plan documentPage 7

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020Agriculture: Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds,fertilizers, power; Institutional factors: landholdings, land tenure and land reforms;Cropping pattern, agricultural productivity,agricultural intensity, crop combination, landcapability; Agro and social-forestry; Greenrevolution and its socio-economic andecological implications; Significance of dryfarming; Livestock resources and whiterevolution; aqua – culture; nalisation; agro-climatic zones; agroecological regions.Industry: Evolution of industries; Locationalfactors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel,aluminium, fertilizer, paper, chemical andpharmaceutical, automobile, cottage and agrobased industries; Industrial houses andcomplexes including public sector undertakings;Industrial regionalisation; New industrialpolicies; Multinationals and liberalization;Special Economic Zones; Tourism including ecotourism.www.IASbaba.comPage 8

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 20205www.IASbaba.comFLEXIBLETransport, Communication and Trade: Road,railway, waterway, airway and pipelinenetworks and their complementary roles inregional development; Growing importance ofports on national and foreign trade; Tradebalance; Trade Policy; Export processing zones;Developmentsincommunicationandinformation technology and their impacts oneconomy and society; Indian space programme.Cultural Setting: Historical Perspective of IndianSociety; Racial, linguistic and ethnic diversities;religious minorities; major tribes, tribal areasand their problems; cultural regions; Growth,distribution and density of population;Demographic attributes: sex- ratio, agestructure, literacy rate, work-force, dependencyratio, longevity; migration (inter-regional, intraregional and international) and associated Introduction to Indian Geographyproblems; Population problems and policies; – Majid HussainHealth indicators.Settlements: Types, patterns and morphologyof rural settlements; Urban developments;Morphology of Indian cities; Functionalclassification of Indian cities; Conurbations andmetropolitan regions; urban sprawl; Slums andassociated problems; town planning; Problemsof urbanization and remedies.Page 9

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES 2020RegionalDevelopmentandPlanning:Experience of regional planning in India; FiveYear Plans;Integrated rural developmentprogrammes; Panchayati Raj and decentralizedplanning; Command area development;Watershed management; Planningforbackward area, desert, drought prone, hill,tribal area development; multi-level planning;Regional planning and development of islandterritories.Political Aspects: Geographical basis of Indianfederalism; State reorganisation; Emergence ofnew states; Regional consciousness and interstate issues; international boundary of Indiaand related issues; Cross border terrorism;India’s role in world affairs; Geopolitics of SouthAsia and Indian Ocean realm.Contemporary Issues: Ecological issues:Environmental hazards: landslides, earthquakes,Tsunamis, floods and droughts, epidemics;Issues relating to environmental pollution;Changes in patterns of land use; Principles agement;Populationexplosion and food security; Environmentaldegradation; Deforestation, desertification andsoil erosion;www.IASbaba.comPage 10

GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL TEST SERIES lems of agrarian and industrial unrest;Regional disparities in economicdevelopment; Concept of sustainable growthand development; Environmental awareness;Linkage of rivers; Globalisation and Indianeconomy.SIMULATED FULL LENGHTH TEST PAPER - IISIMULATED FULL LENGTH TEST PAPER - ISIMULATED FULL LENGTH TEST PAPER - IIPage 11

-Geographical thoughts: R.D.Dixit -Evolution of geo thoughts : Majid Hussain -Geo thought: Sudeepta AdhikariGeography: -Models in geo: Majid Hussain -Economic and Social Geography –theories of Christaller and Losch; Perroux and Rupa Publication Models, Theories and Laws in Human Systems analysis in Human