Strategy and Books to prepare for the Geology Optional

Geology is one such subject that does not come as a popular choice amazon the aspirants. There are quite a few people who choose this as their optional subject as it requires a lot of prior knowledge and is thus chosen by those who have a good hold over the subject. But due to fewer people taking this subject it becomes less competitive and easy to score good marks if you have the zeal and interest to study.

But preparing without any good strategy in mind will bring you no good, thus you need to set up some basic strategies that you would follow while preparing. Below are a few strategies that can help you bring good grades if followed with proper interest.
  1. Time management is very crucial for preparation. Due to the extensive nature of the syllabus, it becomes crucial for you to manage your time efficiently keeping in mind how good you are at the concepts. If you are unsure of a lot of concepts, keep a good amount of time in your hands. A bare minimum of 3 months is a must for this subject.
  2. Equip yourself with terminologies. Understand the very fine line between the numerous terminologies and concepts that you will come across. Without this, it will become difficult for you to prepare.
  3. Do not rely on online notes. A lot of aspirants make use of the pre-made notes but it is suggested that you prepare your own notes based on your understanding of the concept. Ensure to include important diagrams and flowcharts in your notes so that you can practice them simultaneously too.
  4. Start preparing yourself with answer writing well in time. You need to prepare yourself to write answers at a quick pace with the correct points. For this, you will have to buckle up while preparing for the optional paper. By doing so you prepare yourself for the main exam so that you don’t miss out on any questions as a lot of tricky questions do come in the paper.
  5. Stick to the minimum recommended books for preparing. Do not mug up concepts by referring to numerous books for the same thing. You need to restrict the number of books that you use for understanding the concepts. By referring to a lot of books you might end up confusing yourself as different books would have different ways of explaining.
Recommended books that would help you with the preparations:

The list of the recommended books for the Geology optional is mentioned below and also the books are mentioned according to the topics, the aspirants must cover the portions from the books that are in the syllabus.
  • Advancing Frontiers in Geology and Geophysics: A Volume in Honour of M.S. Krishnan- A P Subramaniam & S. Balakrishnan
  • Ananda K. Coomaraswamy Writings on Geology and Mineralogy: Scientific Papers and Comments- Ranganathan, A. & Rao, K. Srinivasa (Eds.)
  • Concise Glossary of Geology- Mathur, S.M.
  • Deccan Traverses: The Making of Bangalore’s Terrain-Mathur, Anuradha & Cunha, Dilip Da
  • Delta Sedimentation: East Coast of India- Singh, I.B. & Swamy, A.S.R.
  • Dimensions of Himalayan Geology- Biyani A.K.
  • Early Man in Eastern Himalayas: North-East India and Nepal- Sharma, A. K.
  • Earthquake Disaster Reduction: Masonry Buildings, Design, and Construction- Arya, Anand S.
  • Encyclopedia of Fish and Fisheries- Anand, Vishal
  • Encyclopedia of Geo-Informatics: Incorporating GIS and Remote Sensing, 5 Vols.- Trivedi, Priya Ranjan et al.
  • Encyclopedia of Geology-Washali  Yadgiri
  • Encyclopedia of Paleontology- Sharma, Vivek
  • Foreland Sedimentation in Himalayan Tectonic Regime: A Relook at the Orogenic Process- V. Riverman
  • Geologic Settings and Petroleum Systems of India’s East Coast Offshore Basins: Concepts and Applications- Ravi, Bastia
  • Geological Maps- D.K. Awasthi
  • Geology and Evolution of the Indian Plate (from Hadean to Holocene – 4Ga to 4 Ka)- Naqvi, S.M.
  • Glossary of Structural Geology and Tectonics- P.S. Saklani 6. Wild India: The wildlife and landscapes of India- Guy Mountfort & Hashim Tyabji
  • Himalaya: Geological Aspect, Vol. 5-P.S. Saklani (Ed.)
  • Himalaya: Geological Aspects, Vol. 1 & 2 – P.S. Saklani
  • Himalaya: Geological Aspects, Vol. 3- Saklani, P.S. (Ed.)
  • Himalaya: Geological Aspects, Vol. 4 / Saklani, P.S. (Ed.)
  • History and Culture of the Himalaya, 3 Vols- Gulia, K. S
  • Hydrocarbon Potential and Exploration Strategy of Cauvery Basin, India- J.N. Sahu
  • Inland Fisheries: Ecology and Management- Welcomme, R. L
  • Marine Geology: A Scenario Around Indian Coasts- T.K. Mallik
  • Metallogenesis of Manganese Ores of Srikakulam-Visakhapatnam Belt- Siddiquie, F.N.
  • Mine Closure- Naresh Chandra Saxena
  • Mineral Exploration: Recent Strategies- S. Rajendran et al.
  • Poisonous Snakes- F. Wall
  • Remote Sensing and GIS for Natural Resource Management-Bir Abhimanyu Kumar
  • Remote Sensing in Geomorphology- Ramasamy, S.M.
  • Soil Chemistry: Basic Concepts- G. Bujy
  • The Evolution and Classification of Soils-Ramanan, E. & Whittles, C.L. (Tr.)
  • The Ice Age in the Indian Subcontinent and Associated Human Culture-Terra, H. De. & Paterson, T.T.

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