Email Basics — Patwari Notes
The basics of email — the structure of an email address, the difference between To/CC/BCC, folders like Inbox-Sent-Draft-Spam, and common actions like Reply/Forward — explained here at RSCIT level for the Patwari exam.
- RSCIT-level depth
- 7 min read
What is Email?
Email (Electronic Mail) is an electronic way of sending and receiving messages, documents or pictures over the internet — the digital form of postal mail (a letter). To use it, you need to create an account with an Email Service Provider — such as Gmail (Google), Outlook (Microsoft), or Yahoo Mail.
In government offices, notices, orders and applications are often sent by email, so practical knowledge of email is an essential part of the Computer Knowledge section of the Patwari exam.
Structure of an Email Address
Every email address follows a fixed structure — for example, example@gmail.com. The part before the '@' (at-the-rate) sign is the Username, and the part after it is the email service provider's domain name (such as gmail.com, yahoo.com). Two different people's usernames cannot be identical on the same domain — every email address is unique.
Main Fields When Composing an Email
| Field | Function |
|---|---|
| To | The address of the person the email is being sent to |
| CC (Carbon Copy) | Additional recipients, whose address is visible to everyone else |
| BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) | Additional recipients, whose address is not visible to anyone else |
| Subject | A brief subject/title of the email |
| Attachment | A file (document, picture, etc.) attached to the email |
All recipients included in CC can see each other's email addresses, whereas no recipient included in BCC is visible to anyone else — this difference is asked about the most in exams.
Folders and Common Actions
The Inbox holds all the emails that have been received. Sent holds the emails that we have sent. Draft keeps emails that have been written but not yet sent. Suspicious/unwanted emails automatically go into the Spam or Junk folder. Deleted emails stay in the Trash (or Bin) for some time, from where they can be restored.
Responding to a received email is called Reply (the response goes only to the sender), whereas Reply All sends the response to everyone included in the To and CC fields. Sending an email on to a third person is called Forward.
Memory Trick / Exam Tip
Trick to remember CC vs BCC: the 'C' in CC means a visible Copy to everyone, while the 'B' in BCC means 'Blind' — hidden, so recipients cannot see other recipients' addresses. And Reply sends to just one person, Reply All sends to everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between CC and BCC?+
All recipients included in CC (Carbon Copy) can see each other's email addresses, whereas the addresses of recipients included in BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) are not visible to anyone else.
What does the '@' sign in an email address mean?+
The '@' sign separates the Username from the email service provider's domain name (such as gmail.com), as in example@gmail.com.
What is kept in the Draft folder?+
The Draft folder holds emails that have been written but not yet sent.
What is the difference between Reply and Reply All?+
Reply sends a response only to the original sender, whereas Reply All sends the response to everyone included in the original email's To and CC fields.