UPSC NDA General Science Syllabus

General Science 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 in UPSC NDA, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Biology

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

2. 2

   Human Body

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

3. 3

   Diseases

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

4. 4

   Nutrition

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

5. 5

   Ecosystem

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

6. 6

   Genetics

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

7. 7

   Biodiversity

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

8. 8

   Environmental Issues

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within General Science — no further topic split in the official outline.

General Science flashcards for UPSC NDA

18 of 50 cards from the General Science deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the SI unit of force, and how is it defined?

   The newton (N). One newton is the force that gives a 1 kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s squared (1 N = 1 kg·m/s²).

2. State Newton's second law of motion as a formula.

   Force equals mass times acceleration: F = ma. Equivalently, force is the rate of change of momentum.

3. What is the acceleration due to gravity (g) at the Earth's surface?

   Approximately 9.8 m/s² (often taken as 9.81 m/s²), directed toward the Earth's centre.

4. Define work in physics and give its SI unit.

   Work is the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force (W = F·d·cosθ). Its SI unit is the joule (J).

5. What is the formula for kinetic energy?

   KE = ½mv², where m is mass and v is velocity.

6. What is the formula for gravitational potential energy near Earth's surface?

   PE = mgh, where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is height.

7. State the law of conservation of energy.

   Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it only changes from one form to another. The total energy of an isolated system remains constant.

8. What is the SI unit of power, and how is it defined?

   The watt (W). One watt equals one joule of work done per second (1 W = 1 J/s).

9. State Ohm's law with its formula.

   The current through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across it (at constant temperature): V = IR, where R is resistance.

10. What is the SI unit of electric current and electric resistance?

    Current is measured in amperes (A); resistance is measured in ohms (Ω).

11. What is the speed of light in vacuum?

    Approximately 3 × 10⁸ metres per second (299,792,458 m/s).

12. Differentiate between scalar and vector quantities, with examples.

    Scalars have only magnitude (e.g., mass, speed, temperature). Vectors have both magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force, displacement).

13. State Archimedes' principle.

    A body wholly or partially immersed in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.

14. What is the formula for pressure, and what is its SI unit?

    Pressure = Force / Area (P = F/A). Its SI unit is the pascal (Pa), equal to 1 N/m².

15. State Newton's law of universal gravitation as a formula.

    F = G·m₁·m₂ / r², where G is the gravitational constant, m₁ and m₂ are the masses, and r is the distance between their centres.

16. What are the three primary states of matter and the process names for their transitions?

    Solid, liquid, gas. Solid→liquid: melting; liquid→gas: vaporization; gas→liquid: condensation; liquid→solid: freezing; solid→gas: sublimation.

17. What is the difference between heat and temperature?

    Heat is the total thermal energy transferred between bodies (measured in joules). Temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles (measured in kelvin/celsius).

18. Name the three modes of heat transfer.

    Conduction (through direct contact), convection (through fluid movement), and radiation (through electromagnetic waves, no medium needed).

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