RAS Mains: Paper IV, General Hindi and General English (with Essay)
About this paper
General Hindi and General English is Paper IV of the RAS/RTS Main Examination (the Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission). Like the three General Studies papers, it is compulsory and descriptive/analytical, carries 200 marks, lasts 3 hours and is counted for the final order of merit. It has three units: General Hindi, General English and an Essay.
| Unit | Marks | Parts |
|---|---|---|
| Unit I: General Hindi (सामान्य हिन्दी) | 90 | भाग अ, भाग ब, भाग स: 30 marks each |
| Unit II: General English | 70 | Part A 20, Part B 30, Part C 20 |
| Unit III: Essay | 40 | One essay of about 600 words, in Hindi or English |
| Paper IV in all | 200 | 3 hours |
- Standard: the standard of General Hindi and General English is that of Sr. Secondary Level.
- Questions: the Main Examination papers consist of brief, medium, long answer and descriptive type questions. The syllabus sets approximate word limits for several items (see below).
- Unit marks: RPSC's Scheme of Examination for the Mains gives the same split (90, 70 and 40) and notes that it is only for general guidance: the unit-wise distribution of marks and questions may vary.
- Minimum marks for the interview: a candidate must obtain at least 10% marks in each Main Examination paper, this one included, and 15% in the aggregate of all the papers to be called for the personality and viva-voce examination (5% relaxation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; relaxation for ex-servicemen and persons with disabilities as provided in the State's rules).
- Expression and handwriting: the advertisement's general instructions say that credit will be given for orderly, effective and exact expression combined with due economy of words, and that a deduction will be made if a candidate's handwriting is not easily legible.
Official syllabus
RPSC's syllabus for Paper IV, in full. RPSC gives the General Hindi unit only in Hindi.
Paper - IV: General Hindi and General English
Unit I - सामान्य हिन्दी
सामान्य हिन्दीः कुल अंक 90, इस प्रश्न पत्र का उद्देश्य अभ्यर्थी की भाषा-विषयक क्षमता तथा उसके विचारों की सही, स्पष्ट एवं प्रभावपूर्ण अभिव्यक्ति की परख करना है।
भाग अ - (अंक 30)
- उपसर्ग एवं प्रत्यय - शब्दों में से उपसर्ग एवं प्रत्यय पृथक् करना
- समश्रुत भिन्नार्थक शब्द का वाक्यों में प्रयोग द्वारा अर्थ स्पष्ट करना
- शब्द शुद्धि
- वाक्य शुद्धि
- मुहावरे - मुहावरों का प्रयोग से अर्थ स्पष्ट
- कहावत/लोकोक्ति प्रयोग से अर्थ स्पष्ट
- पारिभाषिक शब्दावली - प्रशासन से संबंधित अंग्रेजी शब्दों के समानार्थ हिन्दी पारिभाषिक शब्द
भाग ब - (अंक 30)
- संक्षिप्तीकरण - गद्यावतरण का लगभग एक-तिहाई शब्दों में संक्षिप्तीकरण (गद्यावतरण की शब्द सीमा लगभग 150 शब्द)
- पल्लवन - किसी सूक्ति, काव्य पंक्ति, प्रसिद्ध कथन आदि का भाव विस्तार (शब्द सीमा-लगभग 100 शब्द)
- अनुवाद - दिए हुए अंग्रेजी अनुच्छेद का हिंदी में अनुवाद। (शब्द सीमा-लगभग 50 शब्द)
भाग स - (अंक 30)
- पत्र-लेखन - सामान्य कार्यालयी पत्र, कार्यालय आदेश, अर्द्धशासकीय पत्र, अनुस्मारक, प्रतिवेदन (रिपोर्ट)
- प्रारूप-लेखन - अधिसूचना, निविदा सूचना, परिपत्र, प्रेस विज्ञप्ति, कार्यालय ज्ञापन
Unit II - General English (Total marks 70)
Part A - Grammar & Usage (20 Marks)
- Preposition
- The same word used as different part of speech
- Phrasal Verbs & Idioms (application)
- One Word Substitute (application)
- Words often Confused or Misused (application)
Part B - Comprehension, Translation & Precis Writing (30 Marks)
- Comprehension of an Unseen Passage (300 Words approximately)
05 Questions based on the passage and Precis Writing (of the same passage) approximately 100 words.- Translation of five sentences from Hindi to English.
Part C - Composition & Letter Writing (20 Marks)
- Elaboration of a given theme (Any 1 out of 3, approximately 150 words).
- Writing: Official Letter/Demi-Official/Official Memorandum/Report Writing (approximately 150 words).
Unit III - Essay (Total Marks 40)
There will be Six thematic areas in the Essay part of the question paper. Candidates will have to write one essay of about 600 words in either Hindi or English language as per their choice. The essay topics will be based on the following Six themes:
- Language, Literature, and Cultural Heritage
- Society, Governance, and Public Affairs
- Science, Technology, Environment, and Sustainable Development
- Economy, Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce
- Current Affairs, Disasters, and National Development Initiatives
- Tourism, Culture, and Contemporary Issues with reference to Rajasthan
Candidates may be required to write an essay on a range of topics arising from these thematic areas. They are expected to maintain strict relevance to the assigned subject, organize their ideas in a coherent manner, and present with precision and brevity. Credit will be accorded for clarity of thought, coherence of structure and effectiveness of expression.
In English, the Hindi unit's opening line says: General Hindi carries 90 marks in all, and the aim of this part of the paper is to test the candidate's command of the language and the correct, clear and effective expression of his or her ideas.
Subject-wise breakdown
- General Hindi, भाग अ: Words, Sentences, Idioms and Terminology: prefixes and suffixes, look-alike words, correcting words and sentences, idioms, proverbs and Hindi equivalents of administrative terms (30 marks).
- General Hindi, भाग ब: Precis, Expansion and Translation: shortening a passage to a third, expanding a saying, and translating English into Hindi (30 marks).
- General Hindi, भाग स: Official Letters and Drafting: official letters, office orders, D.O. letters, reminders, reports, notifications, tender notices, circulars, press releases and office memoranda in Hindi (30 marks).
- General English, Part A: Grammar and Usage: prepositions, one word as different parts of speech, phrasal verbs and idioms, one-word substitutes and confusable words (20 marks).
- General English, Part B: Comprehension, Translation and Precis: an unseen passage with five questions and its precis, and five sentences from Hindi into English (30 marks).
- General English, Part C: Composition and Letter Writing: elaborating a theme, and official letters, D.O. letters, office memoranda and reports (20 marks).
- Essay (Hindi or English): one essay of about 600 words on the six themes RPSC lists (40 marks).
How this paper connects
- The two language units mirror each other: precis, translation and official writing appear in both, once in Hindi and once in English, so practising the forms together saves time.
- The Essay themes draw on the General Studies papers: culture, heritage, society and the economy on Paper I, science, technology and environment on Paper II, and governance and current affairs on Paper III. Theme 6 is about Rajasthan.
- Official letters and drafting are the everyday writing of a State officer, and the same clarity of expression helps in the interview.
Source: Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Scheme & Syllabus of the Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination, 9 January 2026, PDF (Hindi version, PDF); Scheme of Examination for the Mains, 9 January 2026, PDF; Advertisement No. 02/2026-27, 27 May 2026, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.