Strategy For History:: Main Examination (Mains Exam) Preliminary Exams (Prelims Exam)
Strategy For History As Optional In Main Examination
I f the prelim's is to be compared with one day match, mains could be described as test match. The temperament and technique to play it is different then prelims.
Prelim is mainly factual study, many times without knowing how or why. On the other hand main's is analytical study, knowing the essence of the story.
Writing an answer for 60 marks question is challenging. It is as good as writing a short essay. Here you cannot bluff if you don't know; you get exposed from second paragraph onwards.
As it is rightly said that history is not a study of facts, but interpretation of facts. Facts are just raw material with which interpretation is done. Answers in the main's are about your interpretation of History. Here you have to balance different viewpoints. For that purpose you have to know different viewpoints. At least three main currents i.e. leftist, centrist and rightist. The angle of focus on history has constantly changed. From Political to Cultural to Economic. Now the subaltern approach is in vogue.
How Much Scoring History Is?
History is most popular option is U.P.S.C. examination for obvious reasons. It has synergy with General studies. 90 marks questions of modern India get covered in optional history. It is also useful in writing essay. Since at least one socio-cultural issue comes as a topic, historic vision gives depth to the arguments.
History complements with any combination of optional but goes best with political science. Second best combination is Public Administration.
Percentile method is not applied in the mains. History is directly compared with other subjects.
History is highly subjective subject. Suppose the question was given ‘Evaluate the Gandhi', then all candidates will write different answers. Who of them is right & who is wrong? No one. It depends on how arguments are pushed. This makes the subject safe. Generally it is not possible that you don't know anything about the answer. Ultimately you fetch some minimum marks in each question. That way nobody goes below 200 in history.
But going by same logic history also does not give very high marks. There is nothing called perfect answer. Because of this phenomenon marks do not go above 380. That doesn't mean that history is not a scientific subject or cannot be studied scientifically. It is as scientific as physics or mathematics, only since it is from humanities side, things are open ended.
For those who are having History as first optional in prelim, - Be cautious, don't overestimate your knowledge of History. Prepare separately for mains.
For those who are having History as second optional, - Be cautious, you have to compete with candidates who are having history as a first optional in prelims.
For prelim's following syllabus may not be a fruitful exercise, but for mains it is.
The vast syllabus cannot be covered without the pointers. Especially they have made work easy by giving some points in bold, for e.g. Kitab-ul-Hind. It means short note or long answer question is expected. Indeed on Kitab-ul-Hind both came in different years.
The compulsory map question should be solved first and prepared first. Fifteen sites are given & you have to mark the site in given map and describe its importance in four lines. Two marks for marking site and two for description. All sites are compulsory. Fortunately they give only important sites, and that has made it scoring. Mapping has to be practiced daily. On the given map they use to give rivers in the beginning then they started giving states and now they give blank map with only India's international boundaries. It is safer to make blocks and practice. Sites from Ancient and medieval India are asked. Spectrum has published the book about Ancient Indian places. Ensemble has come out with History through maps, a well researched and royally presented work. It is useful from both prelims and mains point of view.
In paper II world history is to be targeted. On modern India now so much research is available that there is no end of interpretation. Comparatively world history is straight and neutral. There are controversies in France about how the fall of Napoleon took place, but there are no such controversies in India. As it is, if world history questions are difficult you can jump to modern India in the last movement but reverse is not true.
IGNOU books are useful for mains too. Publication Division has published a book on Ancient India. Each of its 16 article's is like long answer of mains.
For world History good work is done by Jain & Mathur. Their book for world History mains is excellent. It has covered our syllabus topic wise. World History by L.Mukherjee is lucid and will make answers readable.
If you analyze the past papers you will be surprised to find that most of the questions are repeated from the last ten year papers. So that's the hint. Here some analysis of past papers from 2001 onwards.
Ancient India
Topic | Sub-topic | Brief Description | Long Ans |
1 | | Sources | |
| i) | Archeological sources | 2003 |
| ii) | Exploration, excavation, epigraphy, numismatics, monuments | 2007 |
2 | | Pre-history and Proto-history | |
3 | | Indus Valley Civilization | 2002 |
4 | | Megalithic Cultures | 2008 |
5 | | Aryans and Vedic Period | 2004 |
6 | | Period of Mahajanapadas | |
| i) | Economic growth; Introduction of coinage | 2003 |
| ii) | Spread of Jainism and Buddhism | 2007 |
| iii) | Rise of Magadha and Nandas | 2001 |
7 | | Mauryan Empire | |
| i) | Polity, Administration | 2005 |
| ii) | Religion; Spread of religion; Literature | 2004 |
8 | | Post - Mauryan Period | 2008 |
9 | | Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan and South India | 2008 |
10 | | Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas | |
| i) | Polity and administration | 2006/05 |
| ii) | Indian feudalism, Caste system, Position of women | 2007/05 |
| iii) | Education and educational institutions | 2003 |
11 | | Regional States during Gupta Era | |
| i) | Chalukyas of Badami | |
| ii) | Palas, Senas, Rashtrakutas | |
12 | | Themes in Early Indian Cultural History | |
| i) | major stages in the evolution of art and architecture | 2004 |
| ii) | ideas in Science and Mathematics | 2001 |
Medieval India
Topic | Brief Description | Short Note | Long Ans | |
13 | Early Medieval India, 750-1200 | | | |
| The Cholas: administration, village economy and society | | 2004/07 | |
| “Indian Feudalism” | 2005 | | |
14 | Cultural Traditions in India, 750-1200 | | | |
| Philosophy: Skankaracharya and Vedanta | 2001 | 2008 | |
| Growth of Bhakti | 2002 | | |
| Sufism | 2003 | | |
| Kalhan's Rajtarangini | 2003 | | |
| Alberuni's India | 2007 | 2003 | |
15 | The Thirteenth Century | | | |
| Consolidation: The rule of Iltutmish and Balban | 2004/08 | | |
16 | The Fourteenth Century | | | |
| “The Khalji Revolution” | 2006 | | |
| Alauddin Khalji | | 2001 | |
| Muhammad Tughluq | 2003/04 | | |
17 | Society, Culture and Economy in the 13 th & 14 th Centuries | | | |
| Sufi movement | 2006 | | |
18 | The 15 th & Early 16 th Century – Political Developments and Economy | | | |
| Mughal Empire, First phase: Babur and Humayun | 2001 | | |
| The Sur Empire: Sher Shah's administration | | 2006 | |
| Bhakti and Sufi Movements | 2005 | 2001/03/04/05/07 | |
| Portuguese Colonial Enterprise | 2008 | | |
19 | The 15 th & Early 16 th Century – Society and Culture | | | |
| Literary traditions | 2002 | | |
20 | Akbar | | | |
| Establishment of Jagir and Mansab systems | 2002 | | |
| Rajput policy | | 2003/07 | |
| Evolution of religious and social outlook | 2004/06 | 2002 | |
21 | Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century | | | |
| Major administrative policies of Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb | | 2004 | |
| Religious policies of Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb | 2006 | | |
| Ahom Kingdom | 2008 | | |
22 | Economy and Society in the 16 th & 17 th Centuries | | | |
| Agriculture & craft | | 2008 | |
| Towns, commerce with Europe | | 2006 | |
| Indian mercantile classes, banking, insurance and credit systems | | 2005 | |
| Evolution of Khalasa | 2008 | | |
23 | Culture in the Mughal Empire | | | |
| Hindi and other religious literature | | 2006 | |
| Mughal architecture | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Mughal painting | 2005/07 | | |
| Science and technology | 2001 | | |
24 | The Eighteenth Century | | | |
| Factors for the decline of the Mughal Empire | | 2005 | |
| Maratha ascendancy under the Peshwas | | 2001 | |
| The Maratha fiscal and financial system | 2003/04/07 | | |
| Emergence of Afghan Power, Battle of Panipat:1761 | 2002 | 2008 |
Modern India
Topic | Sub-topic | Brief Description | Short Note | Long Ans |
1 | | European Penetration into India | 2002/6 | 2002 |
2 | | British Expansion in India | 2001/4/5 | 2006 |
3 | | Early Structure of the British Raj | 2004 | 2005 |
| 1 | English Utilitarian | 2008 | |
4 | | Economic Impact of British Colonial Rule | 2001/3/4/5/6 | 2001/3/4/6/7 |
| 1 | Famine and poverty in the rural interior | 2003 | 2002/5/8 |
| 2 | Drain of wealth | | 2008 |
5 | | Social and Cultural Developments | 2008 | 2004 |
6 | | Social and Religious Reform movements in Bengal and Other Areas | 2005/7 | |
7 | | Indian Response to British Rule | 2001 | |
| 1 | The Great Revolt of 1857 | 2005/7 | |
8 | | Factors leading to the birth of Indian Nationalism | | 2001 |
| 1 | National Congress | 2002 | |
| 2 | the Moderates and Extremists | 2006 | 2003 |
9 | | Rise of Gandhi | 2002 | |
| 1 | the Khilafat Movement; the Non-cooperation Movement | 2008 | 2007 |
| 2 | beginning of the Civil Disobedience movement | | 2005 |
| 3 | Quit India Movement; | 2001/3 | |
| 4 | The Cabinet Mission | 2004 | |
10 | | Constitutional Developments in the Colonial India | 2007 | |
11 | | Other strands of the National Movement | | |
| 1 | The Revolutionaries | 2008 | 2003 |
| 2 | The Left | | 2002/6 |
| 3 | Subhas Chandra Bose | 2002 | |
12 | | Politics of Separatism | 2006 | |
13 | | Consolidation as a Nation; Nehru's Foreign Policy | | |
| 1 | Integration of Princely States | | 2007 |
| 2 | Nehru's Foreign Policy | | 2001/4 |
14 | | Caste and Ethnicity after 1947 | 2008 | |
15 | | Economic development and political change | | |
World History
Topic | Sub-topic | Brief Description | Short Note | Long Ans |
16 | | Enlightenment and Modern ideas | | |
| (i) | Major Ideas of Enlightenment | 2004 | 2008 |
| (ii) | Spread of Enlightenment | | |
| (iii) | Rise of socialist ideas | 2001/8 | |
17 | | Origins of Modern Politics | | |
| (i) | European States System | | |
| (ii) | American Revolution and the Constitution. | 2006 | 2005 |
| (iii) | French revolution and after math, 1789-1815. | 2002/3/4/5/6/7 | 2001 |
| (iv) | American Civil War | | |
| (v) | British Democratic Politics, 1815-1850; | 2005 | 2004 |
18 | | Industrialization | | |
| (i) | English Industrial Revolution: | | |
| (ii) | Industrialization in other countries: | | |
| (iii) | Industrialization and Globalization. | | |
19 | | Nation-State System | | |
| (i) | Rise of Nationalism in 19th century | | |
| (ii) | Nationalism : state-building | 2001/4/5 | 2002/3 |
| (iii) | Disintegration of Empires | 2001/6 | |
20 | | Imperialism and Colonialism | | |
| (i) | South and South-East Asia | | |
| (ii) | Latin America and South Africa | | 2001 |
| (iii) | Australia | | |
| (iv) | Imperialism and free trade: | 2007 | |
21 | | Revolution and Counter-Revolution : | | |
| (i) | 19th Century European revolutions | 2008 | |
| (ii) | The Russian Revolution of 1917-1921 | 2005 | 2003 |
| (iii) | Fascist Counter-Revolution | 2005 | 2004/7 |
| (iv) | The Chinese Revolution of 1949 | | 2002/5/6 |
22 | | World Wars | | |
| (i) | 1st and 2nd World Wars as Total Wars: | 2007 | |
| (ii) | World War I : Causes and Consequences | 2001/3/4/6 | |
| (iii) | World War II : Causes and consequence | 2002/8 | |
23 | | The World after World War II: | | |
| (i) | Emergence of two power blocs | 2008 | 2005 |
| (ii) | Emergence of Third World and Non-Alignment | | |
| (iii) | UNO and the global disputes | 2003 | |
24 | | Liberation from Colonial Rule: | | |
| (i) | Latin America-Bolivar | | |
| (ii) | Arab World-Egypt | | 2001 |
| (iii) | Africa-Apartheid to Democracy | | 2006 |
| (iv) | South-East Asia-Vietnam | | |
25 | | Decolonization and Underdevelopment | | |
| (i) | Factors constraining Development : | | |
26 | | Unification of Europe | | |
| (i) | Post War Foundations : | 2003/7 | |
| (ii) | Consolidation of European Community | | |
| (iii) | European Union. | | |
27 | | Disintegration of Soviet Union | | |
| (i) | Collapse of Soviet communism | | 2002/4/7 |
| (ii) | Political Changes in Eastern Europe 1989-2001 | | 2008 |
| (iii) | End of the Cold War and US Ascendancy | | 2003/8 |
Study for mains cannot be general like prelims. Reading generally will not do. One has to focus on relevant areas. Guesswork has to be done to what will come and what will not. Nothing likes that if the notes are prepared in question-answer format. If you get ready with say 200-250 questions with outline of answers then you can stuck a jackpot. Chronicle Book and Brilliant Tutorials are such format and will prove useful for reference.
It may sound absurd, but NCERT books on History, both old and new versions are highly useful in writing the mains answers. They present the clue the direction and the structure of the answer.
It is advisable to make notes in question-answer format for mains.
It is very common to say that one has to do writing practice. I repeat it is necessary. Candidates dream that as soon as study is over they will give tests. That's ideal, seldom has this happened. Studies may never get over. Just make a timetable of tests, follow it strictly, and get it checked from competent authority. Handwriting, speed, fluency and structure of answer play a main role in marks.
One should give full attention to the direction of the question like Discuss, Explain, Evaluate, Describe, Compare etc. Each of them connotes different meaning.
Where ever possible the answer should be substantiated with tables, diagrams and flowcharts.
The Changed Syllabus & 2008 Mains
The new syllabus declared in 2007 advertisement is the extension of previous one. It has elaborated on the earlier heads and became more specific.
Sections are removed from the paper. That is has made the paper open ended. Earlier total components were 24, now they are 27.At least in 2008 mains they have followed the old format and equal weightage is given to all the four components.
Sources of history now detailed as indigenous and foreign. Earlier one major question was asked on this section and more could be expected.
Now Megalithic culture is selected as separate head. So one can expect the major question on it. Since sources and histrography is already asked, lithic cultures in general and megalithic culture in particular can become the next choice of examiners. IGNOU can be useful to tackle this part.
Iranian and Macedonian invasions are specified. This indicates towards the broader view taken of the term ‘Indian History'.
‘Early State and Society in Eastern India, Deccan and South India' is made into separate head. It signals towards shifting focus from main dynasties to regional one.
‘Themes in Early Indian Cultural History' is another new head. It involves dynamic understanding of the people and the time. Answering the question on this part is going to be challenging as well as rewarding in terms of marks. Bhakti and Sufimovement continue to be important themes of Indian history.
2008 mains bypassed the regular mainstream history, and entered into corner areas. Like farming communities and Sangam age. Many students caught by surprise. More of it will be expected.
In the Medieval India , the focus has shifted from general history of sultanat to core rules of Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad Tughlaq and Firuz Tughlaq.
‘Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century' is another new head added. It has drawn attention towards nature of state, relation with Zamindars, crisis and revolts.
Economy, Society and Culture of Mughal Period is divided into two separate heads. It's a common guess work then that major question is expected on this topics.
2008 mains put totally unexpected topics like Tamil devotional cult and agriculture and craft production in Mughal times. But it has to be admitted that they have not deviated from syllabus. Syllabus is scruplessly followed.
In Paper II, Modern India is as it is broad and strategy will remain more or less the same.
Constitutional development should be given attention as separate head is dedicated to it.
Until now maximum questions were asked on economic impact of British rule on India and drain of wealth. Continuing the trend even in 2008 mains two major questions appeared on the same.
In World History very few visible changes are made. Renaissance is omitted from the syllabus. But its importance shifted to enlightenment. (asked immediately in 2008 mains) American Civil War with reference to Abraham Lincoln and the abolition of slavery is totally new addition.
The word ‘cold war' is omitted, instead they have used the phrase ‘The World after WW II'.
In imperialism South and South-East Asia, Australia and Neo-imperialism is added. Political changes in Eastern Europe are now extended up to 2001. (Appeared immediately in 2008 mains)
Finally, the changed syllabus has made history more contemporary and interesting.