Instructions:-
1. Attempt all the questions.
2. Once you have completed all the questions of a particular section click on the submit button for scores and explanations then move to the next sections.
3. For each correct answer, you receive 1 mark. For this mock, there is no negative marking.
English Language
Each set of questions in this section is based on a single passage. Please answer each question based on what is stated or implied in the corresponding passage. In some instances, more than one option may be the answer to the question; in such a case, please choose the option that most accurately and comprehensively answers the question.
Estha lay awake in the darkness, the air heavy with the scent of rain-soaked earth and jasmine. The storm had passed, leaving behind a silence so profound it seemed to hum in his ears. He was ten years old, but his mind was a tangled web of memories, stretching back to a time before the cataclysm, a time when the world still held the promise of wholeness.
He saw Ammu, his mother, dancing in the rain, her laughter a melody woven into the patter of drops. He saw Rahel, his twin sister, her eyes reflecting the mischievous glint of a thousand fireflies. He saw their Paradise Pickles factory, a world of pungent smells and vibrant colours, where stories bloomed like orchids amidst the brine vats.
But then, the tapestry ripped. Ammu’s laughter turned into a choked sob, Rahel’s eyes clouded with unspoken pain, and Paradise Pickles became a mausoleum of lost innocence. The world fractured into shards of memory, each jagged piece a fragment of the life that was a constant reminder of what had been stolen.
Estha, burdened by the weight of his own transgression, the unknowing catalyst of their fall, felt adrift in a sea of guilt and regret. He yearned to rewind time, to grasp at the lost threads, to stitch them back into the fabric of their existence. But the past, like the monsoon storm, had washed away the foundations of their world, leaving behind only ruins and ghosts.
Yet, even amidst the wreckage, a flicker of defiance remained. In the darkness, Estha clutched at a memory, a single shard of light in the abyss: a whisper from his grandmother, Baby Kochamma, about the “unborn things,” the dreams still waiting to be dreamt, the stories yet untold.
He realised then that the past, though irretrievable, could be a bridge, not a barrier. He could carry its weight, not as a burden, but as a seed. He could nurture the “unborn things” within him, the stories that yearned to be born. He could weave a new narrative, not of loss, but of resilience, of love that transcended the boundaries of time and memory.
As the first rays of dawn crept in, painting the sky in soft hues of rose and gold, Estha felt a resolve harden within him. He would mend the broken tapestry, not by denying the cracks, but by stitching them with threads of forgiveness, of acceptance, of the enduring love that bound him to Ammu and Rahel, even in their absence.
The journey would be long and arduous, fraught with ghosts and shadows. But in the quiet dawn light, Estha saw a glimmer of hope, a testament to the human spirit’s ability to rise from the ashes, to find meaning even in the face of loss, to keep weaving stories of love and hope, even in the God of Small Things.
Legal Reasoning
At the height of the Emergency, Indira Gandhi’s government enacted sweeping changes to the Constitution, through the 42nd Amendment. Amendment’s Statement of Objects and Reasons, one line stands out: It is also proposed to specify the fundamental duties of the citizens and make special provisions for dealing with anti-national activities. The Chief Justice of India, drew attention to the Constitution’s Fundamental Duties chapter. He then went further, and citing Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj, observed that “real rights are a result of performance of duty.” Our duties and the consequences we bear for failing to keep them therefore exist as a self-contained whole. The problem, however, lies in the conflation of rights and duties.
As Samuel Moyn points out in an illuminating article in The Boston Review, “the rhetoric of duties has often been deployed euphemistically by those whose true purpose is a return to tradition won by limiting the rights of others”. In that context, it is always critical to remember Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s words: that the fundamental unit of the Constitution remains the individual. Without the moral compass of rights and their place in the transformative Constitutional scheme the language of duties can lead to unpleasant consequences. It can end up entrenching existing power structures by placing the burden of “duties” upon those that are already vulnerable and marginalised. It is for this reason that, at the end of the day, the Constitution, a charter of liberation, is fundamentally about rights. It is only after guaranteeing all the full sum of humanity, dignity, equality, and freedom promised by the Constitution, that we can ask them to do their duty. No person shall be deprived of his life, personal liberty and dignity except according to procedure established by law. The Constitution guarantees to every person the freedom of conscience and the fundamental right to profess practice and propagate religion. A fundamental right states that the state shall not discriminate between similarly placed citizens only on the ground of sex, religion or place of birth.
A DPSP states that the state shall make provisions for securing humane conditions of work and for maternity relief to its employees. It is a directive principle of state policy to secure equal pay for equal work, for both men and women. A directive principle states that the legislature shall strive to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens of India. It shall be the duty of every citizen to abide by the constitution and respect its institutions, the National flag and National Anthem. Respecting the rich heritage of India is a fundamental duty. In case of any conflict between the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties the former shall prevail. DPSPs shall not be enforceable in any court. Fundamental Rights are enforceable in a court of law. Fundamental duties are non-justifiable.
Quantitative Techniques
On Friday, 1500 people visited an ice cream parlor, out of which certain numbers of people like one or more than one ice cream out of the three types of ice creams: Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry while rest people didn’t like any of the three ice creams. Number of people who like only Vanilla, only Chocolate and only Strawberry are in the ratio 14:11:13, respectively. Numbers of people who like only Vanilla are seven times the number of people who like all the three types of ice creams. Numbers of people who like both Vanilla and Chocolate ice creams but not Strawberry are 50% more than the number of people who like all the three types of ice creams. Number of people who like both Strawberry and Vanilla ice creams is 165 less than the number of people who like only Chocolate ice cream. Number of people who like both Strawberry and Chocolate ice creams, but not Vanilla ice cream are five more than the number of people who like both Strawberry and Vanilla ice creams, but not Chocolate ice cream. Numbers of people who didn’t like any of the three ice creams are 50% more than the number of people who like exactly two types of ice creams.
Logical Reasoning
Directions:Â Read the passage and answer the following question.
Quantum mechanics is a real mind-bender, let me tell you. It’s a world where the fundamental rules we take for granted get tossed out the window. Down there in the subatomic realm, particles aren’t just tiny little marbles bouncing around. Nope, they’re a weird hybrid of particle and wave, existing in this fuzzy state of “maybe” until we observe them. It’s like they’re waiting for us to make up our minds about what they really are.
But here’s where it gets even weirder – the simple act of observing these particles actually changes their state. So in a very real sense, we’re not just passive observers in this quantum world; we’re active participants, shaping reality with our very perception. Mind-blowing, right?
And then there’s this utterly bizarre phenomenon called quantum entanglement. Einstein himself called it “spooky action at a distance.” Basically, two particles can become so deeply linked that whatever happens to one instantaneously affects the other, even if they’re billions of miles apart. It’s like they’re telepathically connected, defying our common-sense notions of space and time.
The implications of all this quantum weirdness are staggering. It suggests that there’s a deeper, more fundamental reality underlying everything we think we know about the universe. A reality where our classical rules don’t apply, where causality and locality are mere illusions, and where the observer and the observed are inextricably intertwined. Crazy stuff, isn’t it? Quantum mechanics is like a glimpse behind the curtain of existence, challenging us to rethink everything we thought we knew.
Current Affairs & General Knowledge
The East Asia geopolitical scene remains a powder keg, and Taiwan has proven to be a very important nexus in the Sino-American strategic calculation. China nudged closer to a confrontation last Wednesday with extensive drills around Taiwan and its surrounding islands, further enflaming a situation already volatile. These military exercises, officially described as “necessary measures” by the Chinese government, come in the wake of the island’s President Lai Ching-te’s firm rejection of Beijing’s longstanding claim over Taiwan by refusing to give public acknowledgment of the island as part of China. Lai’s refusal to give public acknowledgment of Taiwan as part of China has hardened China’s stance, reflecting the growing frustration that Beijing harbours with the creep that it sees Taiwan as moving toward formal independence.
PLA exercises would involve much of the advanced naval vessels, fighter jets, and long-range missile systems in a coordinated show of force. Analysts believe these exercises mimic circumstances of a blockade and even a possible invasion of Taiwan-among moves it makes not only to scare the island nation but to starkly warn foreign powers, especially the United States. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has been conducting FONOPs in the Taiwan Strait. He reiterates the commitment to the “One China” policy even as it fosters support for Taiwan’s right to self-governance. Both the powers’ respective military exercises are reflective of a bigger arms race on the part of both these nations, thus raising higher the chances of military miscalculation.
Historically, China’s brash military posturing has been part of a broader strategy on its part to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and politically on the international stage. Beijing’s “One China” policy, instituted following the Chinese Civil War in 1949, has resulted in massive economic and military investments made to ensure Taiwan remains economically dependent and militarily vulnerable. However, the Lai administration has just looked for Taiwan to push its relations forward with fellow democracies, most especially Japan, Australia, and the United States. More pertinent to the present is the fact that the relentless economic leverage now enjoyed by China as a result of the gross multiple larger economy size of its economy, obligates the U.S. by the 1979 U.S. Taiwan Relations Act to sell defensive arms to Taiwan-this being an important part of the island’s security structure, in itself and in view of threats coming from Beijing.
