UPSC Exam Civil Services-Strategy for History mains-Updated till 2012 Main Exam

Strategy for History mains-Updated till 2012 Main Exam

                              -By Bhushan Deshmukh

If 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 than 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.

With introduction of first 30 marks questions last year and now 20 marks one,  instead of regular 60 marks, you are suppose to know the essence of many more stories.

Who can take history?

Student from any discipline can choose and master this subject with systematic efforts. Apart from that it enables candidate to write their essay paper with a historical perspective.

History is the only subject that can be lived. It is full of plots and counter plots, desires and detachments, wars and peace missions, giant triumphs and utter failures, a moving kaleidoscope of people, events and locations. Studying history is as good as sitting into time machine and visiting our ‘wonderful’ past. But all this is true only if you are ‘interested’ in the subject. Without interest, proper understanding of the subject can’t be developed. In that case history will seem like subject with vast syllabus, full of unrelated events and mere description of dead past. But interest either natural or created will make your past talk with you. Indeed in the words of E.H.Carr “history is a continuous dialogue between past and present”

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. The angle of focus on history has constantly changed. From Political to Cultural to Economic.

Candidates are exempted if facts go wrong, but analysis is correct, but other way round will not do. Unlike other humanities subject, history does not have a theory part, all the 4 part i.e. Ancient, Medieval, Modern and World are applied.

How much scoring history is?

History is one of the most popular option is U.P.S.C. examination for obvious reasons. It has synergy with General studies. In prelim history occupies frontline (18 (Ant-6, Med-1, Mod-11) questions out of 100 in prelim 2012) In mains 59 marks questions of history and culture get covered by optional history (As per mains 2012G.S. paper) 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. (for e.g. related to History, “In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy.”  asked in mains 2012)

History complements with any combination of optional, but goes best with political science, next best with Public Administration.

History is highly subjective subject. Suppose the question was given ‘Evaluate the Gandhi’, then all candidates will write different answers. Which of them is right or wrong? None. 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 no body 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 400. But then to get into IAS one need to get 55-60% marks in the subject and that makes this subject an attractive proposition.

History is scoring subject. One of my student Sonal Sonkavde made a fortune with 396 markes. Shrikesh B. Lathkar  who scored 365 in history in 2010 mains in his second attempt to get the 57^th rank says, "History (365) has done it for me sir. Biggest thanks to you." 

We can refer to the data of those written mains 2009. This is the larges sample group of 9026 (excluding only those handfuls that are chosen for interview). We can observe that History is third most popular optional taken (2777), just after Public Administration (3067) and Geography (3190)

But if we the average marks secured by the candidates then History (242) is better then Public Administration (232) and Geography (221) This high score is imp since G.S. is fetching less marks and therefore one has to make up the deficit from optional. 

History is the scientific subject and can be studied scientifically. It is as scientific as physics or mathematics, only since it is from humanities side, things are open ended.

With optional scraped in prelim, now there is no differentiation between those having history as first optional and those having it second, all are now equally placed.

Resource material?

The compulsory map question should be solved first and prepared first. Twenty sites are given & you have to mark them all on the given map and describe its importance in four lines. Sites given are of specific importance in history (for e.g. Kumbharia, Sirpur, Pangudaria in mains 2011) In 2012 mains the question was turned inside out, sites are already pointed in the given map, a hint is given about the era to which the site belong, and then candidates have to identify and describe the site.

By daily practice this question can turn into scoring one.

Sites from Ancient and medieval India are asked. Especially focus is now a day shifted to chalcolithic, megalithic sites, which are recently excavated. Spectrum has published the book about Ancient Indian places. The website of Indian Archeological department www.asi.nic.in is also useful for updating recent excavations.

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 switch to modern India at the last moment but reverse is not true. For e.g. most strait questions in 2012 mains are asked on world history part.

IGNOU books will be useful, since most of the syllabus is taken directly from them. Brilliant Tutorials has published the material on mains history which is time saving since presented according to the syllabus.

Some internet sites are rich in content and photography in history For e.g. www.indhistory.com, www.historywiz.com/India.htm Wikipedia can prove a magic wand for getting answers.

Publication division has done grand job of publishing material which prove very helpful for the mains. They are

1)     India – Art & Architecture in Ancient & Medieval Period

2)     India – Early History

3)     India – Government & Economic life in Ancient and Medieval periods

For world History good work is done by Jain & Mathur. It has covered our syllabus topic wise, but it is also true that it is not edited properly. Krishna Reddy has written book named ‘Modern World’ overcomes this issue. It has avoided the bulkiness and is updated with recent changes in syllabus.  World History by L.Mukherjee is lucid and will make answers readable. It can be used as complementary with Jain & Mathur or Krishna Reddy.

Tracking syllabus is a fruitful exercise, for mains. The vast syllabus cannot be covered without the pointers. What is interesting is that syllabus of mains is clearly defined and examiners largely remain stick to it. (For e.g. in 2011 mains question asked word to word from lines of syllabus, Nehru's policy of Non-Alignment (12), German unification (30), Rajtarangini as asource of history.(12) Assess the educational system in early India (30)