tips for comprehending and solving questions

[obaida]

i have failed my Current affairs paper of css 2011. can anyone guide me the right way of answering the questions....i have consulted dawn news paper and Contemporary affairs by imtiaz shaid for it. plz...i need guidance to attempt the questions properly.

[Ainuddin Kibzai]

Originally Posted by obaida

i have failed my Current affairs paper of css 2011. can anyone guide me the right way of answering the questions....i have consulted dawn news paper and Contemporary affairs by imtiaz shaid for it. plz...i need guidance to attempt the questions properly.

Originally posted by Sir Hamza Salick.
You need to keep one thing in ur mind while attempting this paper..its very name!!’Current’ affairs..this means that u shud emphasize on the current n future developments,information and analysis of a problem/situation/topic presented 2 u in the exam..no doubt Ull have to give a lil background n history of the topic,but the emphasis n space shud be given to current developments n future trends n predictions..I must admit it is one of thje trickiest papers in CSS..U can b ezily caught out!
How to prepare:
Ofcourse DAWN is the bible of current affairs..make it a habit to read it daily..atleast u shd read the 1st page,opinion pages n the international news page daily..wid the economic review on Tuesdays..the examiner loves dawn..sumtimez he gives questions strait off dawn.
Make a scrapbook of sorts..Have a big register..in that write down the title names of important current affairs topics,n leave a space of 4,5,6 pages between each topic..whenever you come across a column,editorial or feature,even a news story on sum particular topic,read it,highlite it,cut it n paste it in that register under its appropriate title heading..benefit:whenever u revise,u can go thru the developments n evolution of that problem in the last few months..it really helps a lot..Do one more thing..any points u find in c.a books,write them down in this register..then make a structure of ur anwer on the register..i.e if a question cmz regarding dis topic.how shall I structure my answer in the paper..wt headingz n points shall I use..just like u make an essay outline!got dat??
There are no proper books for current affairs..but I will advise u to read ‘Current affairs journal’ by imtiaz shahid..it gts published every 2 months..most of the articles in it r worth reading..wat dis buk does is dat it gets articles n essays frm around the world n collects them in one place..makin it convenient fr u..plus u can also refer to ‘current affairs digest’ by safdar mehmood.!
Try watchin DAWN news English channel..its gud..geo,ary,express etc r crap..
First things First,buy a BIG register or notebook for Current Affairs.Make a list of about 15-20 topics which are the current hot issues and u expect things to be asked about them in the exam..Now bear in mind,that C.A has two kind of topics:
1-Those topics that are of permanent nature,and have been asked in CA since the dawn of CSS (e.g Kashmir Issue,Pakistan's foreign relations,terrorism etc.)
2.Those topics that are really 'current'.i.e,which have arisen recently (e.g Raymond Davis case,OBL fiasco,ISI incompetence etc)

Now put all the topics that u have decided upon in ur register so that u write a topic name,leave atleast 9,10 pages after that,then write the name of another topic,leave another 9,10 pages blank and so on..I called this my scrapbook,and believe me,it was a really precious thing(And it was almost stolen by one of my CSS students)How this is going to help??I will come to that.
So now,ur sources for knowledge of C.A should be
1-DAWN
2-Contemporary Affairs Book series by Imtiaz Shahid
3-Economist/Washington post or/and stuff from the internet
4-An atlas
5-Dudes u seriously need to improve ur general knowledge.I don't know from where u do so,but u gotta do it.Us internet,use books,use anything but u need a stock of general knowledge,especially about geography,politics,history and a little I.R
Now ur 'scrapbook' comes in..Start with a topic..Lets say 'PAK-INDIA RELATIONS'..study relevant material about the history of this issue.Write this material down in ur scrapbook in the form of bullets.Under the main topic make subheadings of different issues like Kashmir,Siachen,Sircreek,Most Favoured nation Debate etc and so on..Study about these issues and write their history as well as the current developments and the future predictions/solutions regarding them.REMEMBER.This is Current Affair paper so ur emphasis should be more on Current scenario and developments.U need a background knowledge so u can connect it and derive logic about the present from the past,but emphasis should be on current affairs.Hope u get me here.Write facts,information,statistics,quotes about every subtopic.Make a mock answer(in bullets) about every subtopic,as u would be giving/ attempting it if it came in the exam.This would help u in arranging the facts and quickly go about writing about it properly if that topic comes in the exams.Also,if there are topics that u think have pros and cons,Positives and negatives,convergence and divergence,prepare points in favour and against them.This would help u in analyzing it critically.
Now,u must be reading DAWN daily.U would come across an article or two about these topics u have chosen every week.Read that article.If u think it is half good,cut it from the newspaper.Highlight the important things in it.Now paste/staple it onto ur scrapbook under the relevant topic head.My scrapbook had about 8,9 articles about major topics.This would help in revision.U can go through the highlighted points quickly during revision.This wouldn't only help u in keeping abreast with the current perspectives,but also keep it fresh in ur mind(depending upon if u revise current affairs 4,5 times)Bar bar ja k akhbaron ka bundle khojney ki zaroorat nahy pre giKeep on updating ur scrapbook.Whatever new information u get from anywhere regarding that topic,write it down in ur scrapbook.Now u understand y I asked u to leave so many pages blank after every topic?
In my view,contemporary Affairs books by Imtiaz Shahid are excellent.Nobody of us has the nerve to go about reading dozens of newspapers and journals.Imtiaz Shahid collects the articles on current affairs from across the newspapers and journals of the world in a single book.So I found that thing very helpful.
Start your preparation thiway and u are going to find that suddenly the monster of C.A seems a lot smaller.