NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam General Science (GAT Paper II, Part B) Syllabus

General Science (GAT Paper II, Part B) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Science (GAT Paper II, Part B) in NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physics

   5 topics

   • Mechanics and Properties of Matter
     • Motion, Newton's laws of motion, momentum
     • Work, power, energy, gravitation
     • Density, pressure, Archimedes principle
   • Heat and Thermodynamics
     • Temperature, measurement of heat
     • Change of state, latent heat, modes of heat transfer
   • Light and Sound
     • Reflection, refraction, lenses, mirrors, human eye
     • Nature of sound, wave motion, simple musical instruments
   • Electricity and Magnetism
     • Ohm's law, conductors and insulators, simple circuits
     • Magnets, electromagnet, primary and secondary cells
   • Measurement and Simple Devices
     • Units and measurement of physical quantities
     • Working of simple pendulum, pulleys, balloons, pumps
2. 2

   Chemistry

   4 topics

   • Physical and Chemical Changes
     • Elements, mixtures, compounds
     • Symbols, formulae and chemical equations
   • Atomic Structure and Bonding
     • Atoms, molecules, atomic equivalent and molecular weights
     • Law of chemical combination, valency
   • Important Substances and Reactions
     • Properties of air and water
     • Oxidation, reduction, acids, bases and salts
     • Preparation of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide
   • Materials of Daily Use
     • Fertilizers, natural and artificial substances
     • Soap, glass, ink, paper, cement, paints, safety matches, gun-powder
3. 3

   Biology

   3 topics

   • Basis of Life
     • Cells, protoplasm and tissues
     • Growth and reproduction in plants and animals
   • Human Body and Health
     • Elementary knowledge of human body and its organs
     • Common epidemics, causes and prevention
     • Food as source of energy, constituents of food, balanced diet
   • Living World and Environment
     • Difference between living and non-living
     • The Solar System, meteors and comets, eclipses

General Science (GAT Paper II, Part B) flashcards for NDA (National Defence Academy) Exam

22 of 50 cards from the General Science (GAT Paper II, Part B) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. State Newton's three laws of motion.

   1st (Inertia): a body stays at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a net external force. 2nd: F = ma (force equals rate of change of momentum). 3rd: every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

2. What is the difference between mass and weight, and give their SI units?

   Mass is the amount of matter in a body (scalar, unit kilogram, kg) and is constant everywhere. Weight is the gravitational force on it (vector, unit newton, N), W = mg, and varies with g (location).

3. State the principle behind hydraulic machines (Pascal's law).

   Pascal's law: pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted equally in all directions. This lets hydraulic presses/brakes multiply force using a small input force on a small piston.

4. State Archimedes' principle and the condition for floating.

   A body immersed in a fluid experiences an upthrust (buoyant force) equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces. A body floats if its weight equals the weight of fluid displaced (i.e. its density is less than or equal to the fluid's density).

5. Define the SI unit of work/energy and state the law of conservation of energy.

   The SI unit is the joule (J = N·m). Conservation of energy: energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form to another; the total energy of an isolated system is constant.

6. What are the three modes of heat transfer, and which one requires no medium?

   Conduction (through solids by particle vibration), convection (through fluids by bulk movement), and radiation. Radiation requires no medium and can travel through vacuum (e.g. heat from the Sun).

7. Distinguish heat from temperature and give the SI unit of each.

   Heat is the total thermal energy transferred due to a temperature difference (SI unit: joule). Temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy of particles / degree of hotness (SI unit: kelvin, K).

8. What is latent heat, and what are its two types?

   Latent heat is the heat absorbed or released during a change of state at constant temperature. Latent heat of fusion (solid<->liquid) and latent heat of vaporization (liquid<->gas).

9. State the first law of thermodynamics.

   Energy is conserved: the heat supplied to a system equals the increase in its internal energy plus the work done by the system. ΔQ = ΔU + ΔW.

10. Convert: what is the relationship between Celsius and Kelvin, and the freezing/boiling points of water in both?

    K = °C + 273.15. Water freezes at 0 °C = 273.15 K and boils at 100 °C = 373.15 K (at standard pressure).

11. List the colours of the visible spectrum and which has the longest and shortest wavelength.

    VIBGYOR: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. Red has the longest wavelength (lowest frequency); violet has the shortest wavelength (highest frequency).

12. State the laws of reflection of light.

    1) The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. 2) The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.

13. What is refraction, and which way does light bend going from a rarer to a denser medium?

    Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another due to a change in speed. Going from a rarer to a denser medium, light slows down and bends towards the normal.

14. Differentiate concave and convex lenses by their action on light.

    A concave lens is diverging (thinner at the centre) and spreads parallel rays outward, forming virtual images; a convex lens is converging (thicker at the centre) and brings parallel rays to a focus, forming real or virtual images.

15. Compare the speed of sound and light, and state why we see lightning before hearing thunder.

    Light travels at about 3 × 10^8 m/s; sound travels at about 343 m/s in air. Light is far faster, so we see lightning almost instantly but hear the thunder later.

16. What is the audible range of frequencies for humans, and define ultrasonic and infrasonic sound.

    Humans hear roughly 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz). Below 20 Hz is infrasonic; above 20 kHz is ultrasonic (used in sonar, medical imaging).

17. State Ohm's law and give the formula relating voltage, current and resistance.

    At constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across it: V = IR, where V is voltage (volts), I is current (amperes), and R is resistance (ohms).

18. Give the formula for electrical power and its SI unit.

    P = VI = I²R = V²/R. The SI unit of power is the watt (W = J/s); 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the commercial unit of electrical energy.

19. Differentiate a conductor, an insulator and a semiconductor.

    A conductor (e.g. copper) allows electric current to flow easily; an insulator (e.g. rubber, glass) resists current flow; a semiconductor (e.g. silicon, germanium) has conductivity between the two and increases with temperature/doping.

20. State the rule that gives the direction of magnetic field around a current-carrying conductor.

    The right-hand thumb rule (Maxwell's corkscrew rule): if the thumb points in the direction of current, the curled fingers show the direction of the magnetic field lines around the conductor.

21. What is electromagnetic induction, and who discovered it?

    Electromagnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (voltage) in a conductor when the magnetic flux through it changes; discovered by Michael Faraday. It is the basis of generators and transformers.

22. Distinguish between AC and DC current.

    Direct current (DC) flows in one constant direction (e.g. batteries); alternating current (AC) periodically reverses direction (e.g. mains supply, 50 Hz in India). AC is easier to transmit over long distances using transformers.

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