Map Question Strategy: History Optional by Gaurav Gupta (2013/AIR 117)

Importance

• Very Important question – 60 marks/20 locations
• Objective and to-the-point answer
• Highly scoring gives edge over other optionals such as Psychology, Political Science etc
• If you have prepared well then would save time for other questions

1. Strategy is to divide the time domain into various phases

2. One should be aware of different names for same time phase (Indus Valley Civilization also known as Chalcolithic period/Copper Age and Bronze Age) as sometimes UPSC may ask in a round-about way.

3. Make your reference maps with great accuracy so that you may revise it later.

• Pre-historic
  • Paleolithic
  • Mesolithic
  • Neolithic
• Harappan Civilization/Bronze Age
• Mahajanpada Period (Later Vedic Age)
• Mauryan Period
• Early Ancient Historical period
• Gupta Age

Remembering and Practice Tips –

• Always practice on blank map (as this is what you will get in the exam)
• Take reference from –
  • International and national boundaries
  • Key inflection points on the boundary
  • Key Rivers
  • Tropical line, longitude and latitude referencing
  • Key locations – such as capitals of state
  • But Don’t depend too much on reference cities and rivers – as they are not given in the exam

• Make short notes about those locations at one place for those locations behind the map, which would help you in remembering key features of that.
• Give more importance to pre-historic, early historic, ancient, early medieval and medieval sites in decreasing order.

Sample Map: Mauryan Era sites

• You can differentiate between different types of edicts during Mauryan era using different symbols.
• Idea is to have clarity on the map to revise it later so use extended lines wherever required to write its name etc.