Tips and strategy for English Literature (Optional) for UPSC-Civil Services Exam:
Article pertains to four sections that covers the entire syllabus:
1. Novels & Drama (English-origin+Indian)
2. Poetry
3. History of English Literature
4. Unforeseen poetry and prose
NOVELS & DRAMA
Books: For English-origin novels and drama, either Worldview edition or Norton Critical edition is recommended. One should supplement the analysis/criticism provided in these books with content available on websites such as Sparknotes , Cliffnotes, Wikipedia etc. But most importantly, text of a novel should be read at least once. But while reading, one must not be too fixated on the meaning of each and every sentence, rather should see a chapter in its entirety and in relation to the overall plot. Critical essays and analysis of a work should be read thoroughly and important points memorized, especially vital themes, symbols and motifs.
For Indian-origin novels (where Worldview and Norton are not available), one should read the text well and search the net for essays, criticisms and analysis.
POETRY
Books: Here, no specific book will give all dimensions of a poem. One should extensively dig the internet to gather as much in-depth knowledge about a poem as possible. Memorizing important lines of a poem is a good idea as its usage in an answer gives a very good impression. Ones own analysis during reading of a poem is equally important*~.
HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
(Covers important literary periods like Renaissance, Elizabethan era etc. refer syllabus)
Books: Many books are available for this section. However, one can pick that which covers all (or most) periods mentioned in UPSC syllabus. Some books are given below:
Introduction to English Literature by W.H Hudson, The Routledge History of Literature in English, A short History of English Literature (Pramod K. Nayar). Internet, esp. Wikipedia is also a good source.
UNFORESEEN POETRY AND PROSE
In paper-I, one has to answer questions based on unforeseen poem and in paper-II, there is similarly a passage from which questions are based. Both combined constitute 100 marks (50 each) and are compulsory. Although one can answer questions from these sections by using ones common sense without any intensive prior preparation, a book Practical Criticism (Oxford University Press) can be useful in this regard.
(*~Ones analysis of a poem can be refined by reading the above book, and would help in analyzing the poems prescribed in syllabus).
SOME GENERAL TIPS
1. If one is fairly interested in literature, one can go for this optional very safely notwithstanding his/her graduation stream.
2. Coverage of complete syllabus should be a priority. Questions asked, especially in the recent years are so based as to test this aspect. Generally, 3 months is sufficient for a person having background in English to complete the syllabus. For one with a different background, around 6 months is sufficient depending on ones familiarity with the texts.
3. Read the historical portion after completion of the literary works. In most novels, the plot and characters depict clearly the traits of a particular literary period. That way, one would get a fair idea of various periods without any extra effort.
4. One should use simple language while answering questions. Deliberate and unnecessary use of complex lexicon isnt going to fetch any extra marks. Remember that it is a test of ones knowledge of literature and not English. The latter is only a medium for the former.
5. Answer-writing practice is of utmost importance. One should do it on a regular basis using the previous year questions (questions from past 10 year paper are relevant).
6. Since professional guidance (as per UPSC requirement) for this optional is virtually non-existent, one can approach any good university professor for evaluation of ones answers. If not, even self-evaluation is sufficient.
7. Do not refer such books which are often used by university students for securing a mere passing grade in exams (one such example is Ramji Lall). Their use, if necessitated, should only be restricted to summary of the plot/play. They cannot serve as a basic book for ones preparation in CS exams.
8. A Glossary of Literary Terms by M.H Abrams is useful for familiarizing oneself with various literary terms.
Prepared by Kumar Ujjwal
With inputs taken from:
Ajay Prakash (AIR 9, CSE 2010)
Shuchita Kishore (AIR 39, CSE 2010)
Showing posts with label AIR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AIR. Show all posts
Monday, January 13, 2014
Emotional Intelligence
If being a brainiac was the one and only criterion for being successful , everyone with a superior IQ would have be wildly successful and obviously, thats not always the case. Even a genius can waste their intelligence jackpot. But in reality, success is based on a whole lot more than genius alone. I have read interviews published at mrunal.org (which I usually do) and would relate it with the concept of Emotional Intelligence. Well they are many citations to be mentioned from the interviews published at mrunal.org but due to space constraint I have just mentioned three.
Mrunal: How did you prepare for the interview?
Neeraj Kumar Singh (AIR 11/CSE11): Didnt prepare much. Made sure I knew my profile well.
Mrunal: Approach for general Studies
Tanu Priya (AIR 18 / CSE 2012): I know there are many people who would have read much more than me or many who would have read the same as me. The difference lies not in the book you read but in the person u get transformed into after reading that book.
Mrunal: When you look back in the past, what were the deficiencies in your preparation in the previous attempt? How did you rectify them this time?
Gayathri PG (AIR 449 /CSE 2012): I definitely did lack writing practice in the first attempt, which I did try to correct in the second attempt
When I will. becomes I did..
Persistence, practice, socio-emotional skills, our environment, the way were raised, and luck all combine to determine what we will achieve. Our potential isnt fixed the day were born; rather, it's highly fluid and dependent on a number of both external and internal factors. Todays world is a competitive world, and there is stiff competition, people need to compete. One needs to be competitive athelete in order to be a champion. But there is a catch here. With so many competitors out there, who are as equally as good as the other, whether they might be studying/ working/ in business/ entrepreneur (refer excerpts from Tanu Priyas interview above), the question is that what really creates the difference, what puts someone on the top? What separates one from being ordinary and someone from being unique, being determined? Well its the mind, which creates the difference.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is the one of the most researched attempt at measuring intelligence and by far the most widely used in practical setting. However, although IQ attempts to measure some notion of intelligence, it may fail to act as an accurate measure of "intelligence" in its broadest sense. IQ tests only examine particular areas embodied by the broadest notion of "intelligence", failing to account for certain areas which are also associated with "intelligence" such as creativity or emotional intelligence.
Concepts: Emotional Intelligence
Its not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. There are people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual intelligence (IQ) isnt enough on its own to be successful in life. Ones IQ can get him into college, but its the Emotional Intelligence that manages the stress and emotions when facing final exams or during an interview. Salovey and Mayer (1990) initially conceived the concept and coined the term Emotional Intelligence, which was derived from Gardners (1983) theory of multiple intelligences. These included interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence which were used by Salovey and Mayer (1990) to form the basis of the theory of emotional intelligence. Salovey and Mayer (1990) used this as a basis for their definition of emotional intelligence, which they define as the ability to monitor and regulate ones own and others feelings, and to use feelings to guide ones thinking and action. This definition identifies five main domains: knowing ones emotions, managing emotions, self motivation, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships.
Emotional intelligence affects the performance at work, helps to navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in career. It also affects physical health by managing the stress levels, which if left uncontrolled can lead to serious health problems. Alternatively it is also said that the first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress which in turn will also improve your mental health. By understanding ones emotions and how to control them, one is better able to express how to feel and understand others feeling. This allows communicating more effectively and forming stronger relationships, both at work and in personal life.
Utility: Emotional Intelligence Leads to Personal Achievement, Happiness, and Professional Success
Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that 85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in human engineering, your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge. Additionally, Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they dont, even if the likeable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price.
With this in mind, instead of exclusively focusing on conventional intelligence quotient, one should make an investment in strengthening his/her EQ (Emotional Intelligence). The concepts of EQ may be elusive and difficult to measure, but their significance is far greater than IQ. IQ tests are used as an indicator of logical reasoning ability and technical intelligence. A high IQ is often a prerequisite for raising to the top ranks in any field today it being business, college, entrepreneurship, bureaucracy etc. By itself, a high IQ does not guarantee that you will stand out and rise above everyone else. Emotional intelligence is the single best predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. And when we increase our effective use of emotional intelligence, we will increase our ability to develop more solid, trusting relationships in the working arena.
Simply put, emotional intelligence is that something within us that help us to sense how we feel and enables us to truly connect with others and form a bond. It gives us the ability to be present and listen to someone when they most need it. It is that sense of internal balance within us that enables us to keep our composure, make good decisions, communicate successfully, and maintain effective leadership even when under stress. Emotional intelligence consists of five main elements - self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills which are difficult to test for, and certainly are not as visible as technical skills.
Application in administration & governance
Many civil servants are extraordinarily talented, conceptually brilliant and have a very high IQ. They excel in computers, science and mathematics. Sadly though, they are not particularly likeable people. Many of them are aggressive and brutal in their response to the outside world. They have little or no feeling for people around them. They feel physiologically awkward in their relationships; have no social graces or even a social personal life. Being uncomfortable with themselves and making people uncomfortable becomes a routine response in their life. Comparing the difference between authority and responsibility in the first five years of a career in the civil services and of one in the private sector we find that while private sector types photocopy, draft minutes of meetings, makes cold sales calls and building useless but complex spreadsheets and civil servants run districts, allocate huge amounts of money, handle law and order. But as time marches on, a curious divergence emerges among people the same age as private sector people get more successful, their risk-taking ability greatly increases. It is noteworthy the civil servants get more successful but civil servants get more their risk-taking ability decreases exponentially which is a problem. It is pertinent to mention that the top jobs in any organization government, private or non-profit need courage more than intelligence. This is where the Emotional Intelligence finds its place.
The tale of 2 civil servants will elaborate the point. Ravi and Sunil having same credentials, superb grade point averages from leading schools and universities, going for identical professional training as probationers, moment they join their respective postings as fresh magistrates, all similarity disappear. Though academically brilliant, Ravi believed that it was his administrative and technical proficiency that counted most on the job. Though not brilliant academically than Ravi, Sunil was adept interpersonally. On the job, few years later, Ravi was seen as a better administrator ending up being transferred every 6 months and Sunil, was recognized as a person who could work well in a team and take initiatives, devoting adequate time to his work, know his co-officers, projects and concerns and believed that one of the most effective ways for him to be accepted into the team was by helping out. Ravi failed to realize that building bonds was a crucial competence for his job. His co-officers knew that he was administratively adept, but they had little faith in his ability to work in a team. Sunil showed excellence in several emotional intelligence competencies which Ravi despite having an impressive curriculum vitae needed to master.
There is a crucial difference between declarative knowledge, that is, knowing a concept and its technical details, and practical knowledge, that is, being able to implement these concepts. Knowing does not equal doing, whether in playing a game, managing a team, or acting on essential advice at the right moment or doing an IAS job. Ravi lacked what Sunil had- emotional intelligence.
Name: Ramanjeet Gupta
List of reference
DOES EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AFFECT SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK? (Joe Luca & Pina Tarricone, School of Communications and Multimedia, Edith Cowan University, Australia)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/keldjensen/2012/04/12/intelligence-is-overrated-what-you-really-need-to-succeed/
http://greatist.com/happiness/does-high-iq-guarantee-success-maybe-not
http://www.astd.org/Publications/Blogs/Workforce-Development- Blog/2013/06/Emotional-Intelligence-Is-Key-to-Our-Success
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm#what
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Intelligence quotient
Indian Express
Emotional Intelligence at Work by Dalip Singh
Mrunal: How did you prepare for the interview?
Neeraj Kumar Singh (AIR 11/CSE11): Didnt prepare much. Made sure I knew my profile well.
Mrunal: Approach for general Studies
Tanu Priya (AIR 18 / CSE 2012): I know there are many people who would have read much more than me or many who would have read the same as me. The difference lies not in the book you read but in the person u get transformed into after reading that book.
Mrunal: When you look back in the past, what were the deficiencies in your preparation in the previous attempt? How did you rectify them this time?
Gayathri PG (AIR 449 /CSE 2012): I definitely did lack writing practice in the first attempt, which I did try to correct in the second attempt
When I will. becomes I did..
Persistence, practice, socio-emotional skills, our environment, the way were raised, and luck all combine to determine what we will achieve. Our potential isnt fixed the day were born; rather, it's highly fluid and dependent on a number of both external and internal factors. Todays world is a competitive world, and there is stiff competition, people need to compete. One needs to be competitive athelete in order to be a champion. But there is a catch here. With so many competitors out there, who are as equally as good as the other, whether they might be studying/ working/ in business/ entrepreneur (refer excerpts from Tanu Priyas interview above), the question is that what really creates the difference, what puts someone on the top? What separates one from being ordinary and someone from being unique, being determined? Well its the mind, which creates the difference.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is the one of the most researched attempt at measuring intelligence and by far the most widely used in practical setting. However, although IQ attempts to measure some notion of intelligence, it may fail to act as an accurate measure of "intelligence" in its broadest sense. IQ tests only examine particular areas embodied by the broadest notion of "intelligence", failing to account for certain areas which are also associated with "intelligence" such as creativity or emotional intelligence.
Concepts: Emotional Intelligence
Its not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. There are people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual intelligence (IQ) isnt enough on its own to be successful in life. Ones IQ can get him into college, but its the Emotional Intelligence that manages the stress and emotions when facing final exams or during an interview. Salovey and Mayer (1990) initially conceived the concept and coined the term Emotional Intelligence, which was derived from Gardners (1983) theory of multiple intelligences. These included interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence which were used by Salovey and Mayer (1990) to form the basis of the theory of emotional intelligence. Salovey and Mayer (1990) used this as a basis for their definition of emotional intelligence, which they define as the ability to monitor and regulate ones own and others feelings, and to use feelings to guide ones thinking and action. This definition identifies five main domains: knowing ones emotions, managing emotions, self motivation, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships.
Emotional intelligence affects the performance at work, helps to navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in career. It also affects physical health by managing the stress levels, which if left uncontrolled can lead to serious health problems. Alternatively it is also said that the first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress which in turn will also improve your mental health. By understanding ones emotions and how to control them, one is better able to express how to feel and understand others feeling. This allows communicating more effectively and forming stronger relationships, both at work and in personal life.
Utility: Emotional Intelligence Leads to Personal Achievement, Happiness, and Professional Success
Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that 85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in human engineering, your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge. Additionally, Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they dont, even if the likeable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price.
With this in mind, instead of exclusively focusing on conventional intelligence quotient, one should make an investment in strengthening his/her EQ (Emotional Intelligence). The concepts of EQ may be elusive and difficult to measure, but their significance is far greater than IQ. IQ tests are used as an indicator of logical reasoning ability and technical intelligence. A high IQ is often a prerequisite for raising to the top ranks in any field today it being business, college, entrepreneurship, bureaucracy etc. By itself, a high IQ does not guarantee that you will stand out and rise above everyone else. Emotional intelligence is the single best predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. And when we increase our effective use of emotional intelligence, we will increase our ability to develop more solid, trusting relationships in the working arena.
Simply put, emotional intelligence is that something within us that help us to sense how we feel and enables us to truly connect with others and form a bond. It gives us the ability to be present and listen to someone when they most need it. It is that sense of internal balance within us that enables us to keep our composure, make good decisions, communicate successfully, and maintain effective leadership even when under stress. Emotional intelligence consists of five main elements - self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills which are difficult to test for, and certainly are not as visible as technical skills.
Application in administration & governance
Many civil servants are extraordinarily talented, conceptually brilliant and have a very high IQ. They excel in computers, science and mathematics. Sadly though, they are not particularly likeable people. Many of them are aggressive and brutal in their response to the outside world. They have little or no feeling for people around them. They feel physiologically awkward in their relationships; have no social graces or even a social personal life. Being uncomfortable with themselves and making people uncomfortable becomes a routine response in their life. Comparing the difference between authority and responsibility in the first five years of a career in the civil services and of one in the private sector we find that while private sector types photocopy, draft minutes of meetings, makes cold sales calls and building useless but complex spreadsheets and civil servants run districts, allocate huge amounts of money, handle law and order. But as time marches on, a curious divergence emerges among people the same age as private sector people get more successful, their risk-taking ability greatly increases. It is noteworthy the civil servants get more successful but civil servants get more their risk-taking ability decreases exponentially which is a problem. It is pertinent to mention that the top jobs in any organization government, private or non-profit need courage more than intelligence. This is where the Emotional Intelligence finds its place.
The tale of 2 civil servants will elaborate the point. Ravi and Sunil having same credentials, superb grade point averages from leading schools and universities, going for identical professional training as probationers, moment they join their respective postings as fresh magistrates, all similarity disappear. Though academically brilliant, Ravi believed that it was his administrative and technical proficiency that counted most on the job. Though not brilliant academically than Ravi, Sunil was adept interpersonally. On the job, few years later, Ravi was seen as a better administrator ending up being transferred every 6 months and Sunil, was recognized as a person who could work well in a team and take initiatives, devoting adequate time to his work, know his co-officers, projects and concerns and believed that one of the most effective ways for him to be accepted into the team was by helping out. Ravi failed to realize that building bonds was a crucial competence for his job. His co-officers knew that he was administratively adept, but they had little faith in his ability to work in a team. Sunil showed excellence in several emotional intelligence competencies which Ravi despite having an impressive curriculum vitae needed to master.
There is a crucial difference between declarative knowledge, that is, knowing a concept and its technical details, and practical knowledge, that is, being able to implement these concepts. Knowing does not equal doing, whether in playing a game, managing a team, or acting on essential advice at the right moment or doing an IAS job. Ravi lacked what Sunil had- emotional intelligence.
Name: Ramanjeet Gupta
List of reference
DOES EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AFFECT SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK? (Joe Luca & Pina Tarricone, School of Communications and Multimedia, Edith Cowan University, Australia)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/keldjensen/2012/04/12/intelligence-is-overrated-what-you-really-need-to-succeed/
http://greatist.com/happiness/does-high-iq-guarantee-success-maybe-not
http://www.astd.org/Publications/Blogs/Workforce-Development- Blog/2013/06/Emotional-Intelligence-Is-Key-to-Our-Success
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm#what
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Intelligence quotient
Indian Express
Emotional Intelligence at Work by Dalip Singh
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