PRT EVS & General Awareness

• Nuclear Family: Husband, wife, and their unmarried children. More privacy and individual freedom but less support during crises.
• Joint Family: Parents, children, their spouses, and grandchildren living under one roof, sharing a common kitchen and property.

Friendship is a voluntary relationship based on mutual affection and trust.

Classification of Friendship (Aristotle):

• Friendship of Utility: Based on a specific benefit or work-related gain.
• Friendship of Pleasure: Based on shared hobbies, sports, or entertainment.
• Friendship of Virtue: The highest form — based on mutual respect for each other's character and values.

A community is a group of people living in the same locality who share a "we-feeling" (Community Sentiment).

• Locality: A physical geographical area.
• Community Sentiment: A sense of belonging and psychological identification with the group.
• Permanency: Communities are generally stable and long-lasting.

• Natural Environment: Mountains, rivers, forests, oceans, deserts, wildlife — all elements occurring without human involvement.
• Human-made Environment: Houses, roads, buildings, bridges, industries, transportation systems.
• Human Environment: Human societies, cultures, traditions, social relationships, family, community, institutions, governments.

• Carbohydrates — Main energy source. Found in wheat, rice, potatoes, sugar.
• Fats — Provide more energy than carbohydrates; help store energy. Found in butter, ghee, oil, nuts.
• Proteins — Essential for growth and tissue repair. Found in pulses, milk, eggs, meat, soybeans.
• Vitamins — Protect against diseases (Vitamin A → eyes; Vitamin C → immunity).
• Minerals — Bone formation (Calcium); blood production (Iron).
• Dietary Fibre (Roughage) — Helps remove waste; found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables.
• Water — Helps absorb nutrients and eliminate wastes (urine, sweat).

• Chemical Method: Adding preservatives like Sodium Benzoate.
• Salting & Sugaring: Used for pickles and jams (draws out moisture via Osmosis).
• Oil and Vinegar: Creates an environment where bacteria cannot survive.
• Pasteurization: Heating milk to ~70°C for 15–30 seconds, then suddenly chilling (developed by Louis Pasteur).
• Refrigeration: Low temperature inhibits microbial growth.

• In Humans & Animals: The circulatory system. Heart pumps blood through arteries, veins, capillaries. RBCs carry O₂; WBCs fight infection; Platelets help clotting.
• In Plants: Xylem transports water and minerals from roots upwards. Phloem transports food made in leaves to other plant parts.

• In Humans: Kidneys filter blood → urine → ureters → urinary bladder → urethra. Skin (sweat) and lungs (CO₂) also help.
• In Other Organisms: Earthworms have nephridia; insects have Malpighian tubules.

• Producers: Green plants that make their own food (Photosynthesis).
• Consumers: Herbivores (Primary), Carnivores (Secondary/Tertiary), Omnivores.
• Decomposers: Fungi and bacteria that break down dead matter.

• Tropical Climate: Near the equator. High temperatures and heavy rainfall year-round.
• Temperate Climate: Between tropics and polar areas. Moderate temperatures and seasonal changes.
• Polar Climate: Near the North and South Poles. Very low temperatures and ice-covered land.

• The Himalayan Mountains: Young fold mountains in northern India; ~2400 km from J&K to Arunachal Pradesh.
  Three ranges: Himadri (Greater) | Himachal (Lesser) | Shiwalik (Outer)
• The Northern Plains: South of Himalayas; formed by alluvial soil deposits; extends from Punjab (west) to Assam (east).
• The Peninsular Plateau: Oldest and most stable landmass; triangular; made of hard igneous and metamorphic rocks.
• The Indian Desert (Thar Desert): Located mainly in Rajasthan; characterised by sand dunes, dry climate, and very low rainfall.
• The Coastal Plains: Narrow strips between mountains and sea on east and west sides of India.
• The Islands: Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Lakshadweep Islands — important for tourism, biodiversity, and naval defence.

Democracy = government in which people choose their leaders. The word comes from two Greek words.

• Participation of People
• Free and Fair Elections
• Rule of Law
• Protection of Rights
• Accountability and Transparency

• Central Government: Governs the entire country; handles defence, foreign affairs, national policies.
• State Government: Each state has its own government responsible for education, health, agriculture.
• Local Government: Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Panchayats manage local issues.

• Right to Equality
• Right to Freedom
• Right against Exploitation
• Right to Freedom of Religion
• Cultural and Educational Rights
• Right to Constitutional Remedies

• Natural Magnets: Found in nature. The most common is Magnetite (Lodestone) — the first magnetic material discovered.
• Artificial Magnets: Man-made by magnetising iron or steel. Stronger and available in various shapes: Bar, Horseshoe, Ring, Disc.

• Hardness: Hard (iron, stone) vs. Soft (cotton, sponge).
• Solubility: Sugar and salt dissolve in water; sand and oil do not.
• Transparency: Transparent (glass) | Translucent (butter paper) | Opaque (wood, metal).
• Float or Sink: Wood, plastic float; stone, iron sink.

• Q6 – Photosynthesis: Green plants use sunlight, water, and CO₂ to prepare food (glucose) and release oxygen.
• Q97 – Evaporation & Wind: Wind speed increases the rate of evaporation because moving air carries away water vapor, allowing more water molecules to escape.
• Q98 – Earth's Rotation: The Earth rotates on its axis causing day and night; it revolves around the Sun causing seasons.
• Q105 – Global Warming: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Increased levels from human activities are the primary cause of global warming.
• Q108 – Metamorphosis: A biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous change in body structure (e.g., caterpillar → butterfly).
• Q111 – Freezing: The phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point.
• Q129 – Condensation: Water vapor in the air turns back into liquid water — like dew forming on grass or clouds forming in the sky.
• Q140 – Ice in Water: Ice floats on water. The volume of water displaced equals the volume of water the ice will become when it melts. So the water level remains the same.
• Q167 – Gas Property: Gases have particles with large spaces between them, allowing them to be easily compressed. They have no definite shape or volume.
• Q173 – Transpiration: Evaporation of water from surface of plant leaves. It helps in cooling the plant and in the upward movement of water and minerals.
• Q179 – Coriolis Effect: The deflection of moving objects (like wind and ocean currents) caused by the rotation of the Earth.
• Q183 – Sublimation: The transition of a substance directly from solid to gas, without passing through the liquid state. Examples include camphor and naphthalene balls.
• Q188 – Chemical Change: In a chemical change, a new substance with different properties is formed — e.g., rusting of iron, burning of wood, cooking of food.

• Q99 – Preamble: The Preamble is an introduction to the Constitution. It contains the ideals, objectives, and basic philosophy of the Constitution.
• Q103 – Nilgiri Hills: The Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats converge at the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu.
• Q115 – Supreme Commander: As per Article 53 of the Constitution, the supreme command of the Defence Forces is vested in the President of India.
• Q120 – Fundamental Rights: Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression is a Fundamental Right under Article 19. Right to Property was removed as a Fundamental Right.
• Q125 – Indira Point: Located on Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — the southernmost point of Indian territory.
• Q126 – Seasons: As the Earth revolves around the Sun with its tilted axis, different hemispheres get varying amounts of sunlight, causing seasons.
• Q127 – Directive Principles: Guidelines for the government. Not enforceable by courts, but considered fundamental in the governance of the country.
• Q130 – Ajanta Caves: Rock-cut cave monuments dating from 2nd century BCE to ~480 CE, associated with Buddhism — masterpieces of Buddhist religious art.
• Q139 – Fundamental Rights Source: The concept of Fundamental Rights (and a written constitution) was inspired by the United States Constitution.
• Q154 – Directive Principles Source: Directive Principles of State Policy were borrowed from the Irish Constitution, which had copied them from the Spanish Constitution.
• Q168 – Kumbh Mela: Held in rotation at four sacred places — Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Ujjain, and Nashik.
• Q169 – Aryabhata: India's first satellite, launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
• Q175 – Ellora Caves: A UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring over 100 caves with temples and monasteries dedicated to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism (600–1000 CE).
• Q182 – J&K Special Status: Until August 2019, Article 370 granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, allowing it to have its own constitution. This was abrogated in 2019.
• Q189 – Jana Gana Mana: Originally composed in Bengali ('Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata') by Rabindranath Tagore. Adopted as India's National Anthem.
• Q199 – Kalpana Chawla: Indian-American astronaut and first woman of Indian origin to go into space. She died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.