Evolve IAS: Why to Choose GEOGRAPHY as an OPTIONAL

Why to Choose GEOGRAPHY as an OPTIONAL

Geography is a quintessential subject, that has ignited the curiosity of individuals since ancient times.

Eratosthenes defined geography as “study of earth surface as the home of man.” This description of geography makes it an all-encompassing subject. This all-encompassing aspect of geography manifests as Geo-economics, Geo-politics, Biogeography, Oceanography, Climatology, Geomorphology etc.

Given geography’s wide scope, Aspirants find an amazing opportunity through geography to inculcate a refined intellect, that will not only help in acing civil services examination but also helps in becoming better informed human beings.

Geography has been one of the most popular optional in the history of civil services examination and year on year a lot of individuals have secured Top100 ranks with Geography optional . But when a new student enters in the arena of UPSC preparation they face a daunting task related to optional selection as they know it very well that in whole UPSC CSE this is the only subject in which they have option to choose among the list of subjects but if this option has not been selected rationally then it can hamper the dream of aspirants to become an IAS officer.

So, to help those aspirants who are thinking to opt Geography optional I am going to tell you following reasons why you must choose Geography as an Optional.

Geography immensely helpful in Prelims Examination

Geography optional syllabus not only helps aspirant in Geography but also in Environment, Ecology, biodiversity, Agriculture and Map marking. Recent prelims trends have shown that these topics have a lot of weightages and are very important for clearing prelims. Like in 2021, 28 questions and in 2020, 26 questions have been asked from these areas.

Further in the past couple of years specialized questions on agriculture like Fertigation and Zero Tillage gives Geography optional students an edge. So, if we go with last five years trend then it is evident that proportion of Geography related question in prelims is around 25-30% due to which geography, environment and agriculture is becoming indispensable in Prelims

Role of Geography Optional in GS mains

There is a lot of overlap between Geography optional and in all the GS-mains papers which can be understood with following point-

General Studies‐I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society

Geography is an integral component of GS1 along with Indian Society, Culture and History. If we go with last 5 years question then it becomes clear that 90-110 marks questions are being asked from geography as some of question asked in society are directly from cultural Geography syllabus.

Few Questions asked in 2021-GS-I

1. Examine the uniqueness of tribal knowledge system when compared with mainstream knowledge and cultural systems

2.Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. 

3.What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India?

General Studies‐ II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations

Political geography helps students in tackling questions related to federal structure, Panchayati raj, Federalism, Development issues, Geopolitics and International relations of GS II. So, Geography Optional will help students in tackling questions related to these topics.

1.Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India?

2.Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples.

3.The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario.

General Studies‐III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

Topics of Agriculture, Industry, Infrastructure, Energy and Transport directly overlaps with Geography Optional Paper 2 and Environment, Biodiversity, climate change and Disaster Management is core part of geography and these topics can be covered from Optional Paper 2. Geography Optional students can score very high marks in GS-III with the help of data, fact, information and case studies learnt in Optional Paper 2.

1.How did land reforms in some parts of the country help to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginal and small farmers? 

2.How and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis?

3.Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiatives launched at World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021.When was this idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance(ISA)?

Role of Geography in Personality Test

Various Global issues like climate change, climate finance, Climate Governance, Global biodiversity loss, Plastic Pollution, Geopolitics etc. are regularly being discussed in Interview. Geography Optional students gets in depth information on these topics which helps them in developing perspective to provide wholistic solution for this global issue which will give them an added advantage in personality Test. 

Geography favors both Science and Arts background students

It is no secret that geography has been the most favorite optional among Doctors, Engineers and Science graduates as the logical and practical approach of Physical geography makes it a natural favorite for students of science background. On the other hand, Human Geography requires perspectives and diverse ideas which gives humanity background students an edge. Also, the availability of tools like maps, diagram, flow chart gives students chance to score high and also minimizes the bulk of rote learning.

What UPSC report says about Geography Optional

According to the UPSC annual report 2020-21, In 2019 ,1916 students appeared in mains with geography as an optional out of which 105 have been recommended for final selection. As per UPSC report 

“Geography was the most preferred subject among the optional subjects chosen by the candidates, followed by Political Science & International Relations and Sociology.”

 This makes Geography a very important optional in the UPSC ecosystem. Also availability of good material, books, guidance and elaborate syllabus makes Geography an easy to handle optional . 

So, all in all given the positives of geography as an optional, it is imperative that Aspirants choose geography as an optional and undertake a thorough study of it to maximize their marks in both General Studies and Optional in order to get a good rank and fulfill their dream of becoming an IAS officer.