General Science · UPPCS (Uttar Pradesh)

What the official syllabus says

UPPCS Preliminary Examination, Paper I: General Studies-I:

General Science.
General Science: Questions on General Science will cover general appreciation and understanding of Science including matters of every day observation and experience, as may be expected of a well educated person, who has not made a special study of any scientific discipline.
Note: Candidates are expected to have general awareness about the above subjects with special reference to Uttar Pradesh.

Topics in detail

The paper asks for the science of everyday observation and experience, as a well-educated person who has not specialised would know it. School science up to Class X is the right depth, with the technology met in daily life and the news.

Physics

Units and measurement; motion, speed, velocity, acceleration; Newton's laws of motion; momentum
Gravitation; mass and weight; satellites in orbit
Work, energy and power; simple machines
Pressure, buoyancy and Archimedes' principle; surface tension and viscosity in daily life
Heat: temperature scales, transfer of heat, expansion, specific and latent heat
Sound: properties, echo, ultrasound and infrasound, Doppler effect
Light: reflection, refraction, lenses and mirrors, dispersion, scattering, total internal reflection (optical fibres); the human eye and its defects
Electricity: current, Ohm's law, circuits, power, household wiring, fuses; magnetism and electromagnetism, motors and generators
Modern physics: radioactivity, nuclear fission and fusion, semiconductors, lasers

Chemistry

Matter, its states and changes; elements, compounds, mixtures
Atomic structure; periodic table; chemical bonding in outline
Acids, bases and salts; pH; indicators
Metals and non-metals; corrosion; alloys
Carbon and its compounds: fuels, polymers, plastics, soaps and detergents
Chemistry in daily life: fertilisers, pesticides, medicines, cement, glass, food preservatives

Biology

The cell: structure, cell organelles, cell division
Classification of living things; microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa)
Plant physiology: photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, plant hormones
Human body systems: digestive, respiratory, circulatory, excretory, nervous, endocrine, reproductive, skeletal
Nutrition: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, deficiency diseases
Genetics and heredity: Mendel's laws, DNA, chromosomes, sex determination, genetic disorders
Evolution in outline

Health and disease

Communicable diseases and their causes (bacterial, viral, protozoan, fungal): tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, encephalitis (a public health concern in eastern Uttar Pradesh), cholera, typhoid, polio, HIV/AIDS
Non-communicable diseases: diabetes, hypertension, cancer
Immunity, vaccines and the Universal Immunisation Programme; blood groups and transfusion

Science and technology in everyday life

Computers and information technology: hardware, software, internet, mobile communication, artificial intelligence in outline
Space technology: satellites (communication, remote sensing, navigation), launch vehicles
Biotechnology: genetically modified crops, cloning, stem cells, DNA fingerprinting
Nanotechnology, robotics, renewable energy technologies
Defence technology in outline: missiles and their types

Overlaps

Science and technology are written topics of Mains General Studies III, and science and technology in Uttar Pradesh of General Studies VI.