GK and General Awareness

There are a lot of competitive exams in India for different levels of courses such as UPSC, SSC, etc. These exams are designed according to the courses under these exams. But the common subjects in these competitive exams are General Knowledge and General Awareness. Apart from competitive exams, these two subjects are also integral to job and government agencies’ interviews. However, both subjects sound the same at once, but they are not. The difference between both the subjects is minor and based on the domains of the subjects. Moreover, the difference can be determined by deeply acknowledging both the subjects separately. So, let us know what is General Awareness and what is General Knowledge.

What is General Knowledge?

General Knowledge is a very familiar subject to the youth of India as it becomes part of the syllabus from the class third to class eighth. The composition of the word General Knowledge is made up of two different words: ‘General’ and ‘Knowledge’. The meaning of the word ‘General’ is common or universal, whereas the meaning of the word ‘Knowledge’ is information in education and skills interest. So, the meaning of General Knowledge is the common information gained through education and experience. 

Moreover, the definition of General Knowledge is a subject that includes the factual and limited knowledge of a range of subjects. However, it differs from the domain subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics, history, geography, etc. These subjects include the detailed study of a particular area of knowledge. On the other hand, General Knowledge includes a range of different domains, but there’s no extensive study of any particular subject.

Moreover, General Knowledge is meant for learning the facts related to different subjects, which means that the subject only includes facts and excludes theorems without proof. Furthermore, the researchers have categorised 20 domain subjects that can lie under General Knowledge.

• Art
• Cookery
• Discovery and Exploration
• Fashion
• Film
• Biology
• Classical Music
• Games
• General Science
• Finance
• History
• History of Science
• Geography
• Literature
• Music 
• Politics
• Medicine
• Popular music
• Television
• Sport

Example of General Knowledge Topics

• Who was the first woman prime minister of India?
• Which is the longest river in the world?

What is General Awareness?

Now, let’s understand what General Awareness is and how it differs from General Knowledge.

The word General Awareness contains two separate words, ‘General’ and ‘Awareness,’ where the meaning of ‘General’ is the same as in General Knowledge. So, general means common or universal things that are present or happen. But the word ‘Awareness’ refers to knowledge of a particular current situation. So, this is what General Awareness is. Moreover, there is a popular segment called ‘Current Affairs’ in the curriculum of primary school students, which is a common name for General Awareness. Ultimately, General Awareness has no connection to historical events. 

The topics that lie under General Awareness are:

• International Affairs
• National Affairs
• Bilateral Affairs
• Persons in Trending News
• Sports
• Places in Trending News
• Current affairs in Banking Sector

General Awareness Questions 

Some General Awareness questions that will help you to understand the subject better are-

• Who is the Finance Minister?
• Which team won the cup?
• What is the name of the longest suspension bridge in Leh built by the Indian Army?

What is General Studies?

So far, we have read ‘what is General Awareness’ and ‘what is General Knowledge’ in this article. But apart from GA and GK, general studies (GS) is another very popular subject. 

General studies is the study of common and universal topics. Moreover, general studies comprise in-depth knowledge of some particular subjects, which varies from person to person. In other words, general studies are the deep study of those common topics and subjects which you have learned from your primary schooling. Now, you must know what GS subject is. So, here is a list of all subjects included in GS.

General studies include topics like:

• Indian Polity and Governance
• Economic and Social Development
• General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change (covers only general awareness of the problems, no subject specialisation required)
• General Science
• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and the Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography

Conclusion

General Knowledge and General Awareness are two very important subjects for any competitive exam like UPSC, SSC, etc. However, one may think of them as the same subjects, but they have their differences. The difference between what is General Awareness and General Knowledge is an important question. The question is answered in the article. In short, General Awareness is the knowledge of every significant thing happening in your country and around the globe. However, General Knowledge is the knowledge of skills and interests in different fields.