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.
One minute the lamb was there, and the next it was not! “I saw it a moment ago,” said Tara to her brother, who was helping her create the cattle stall. “It was here among the other animals,” she went on. “Where on earth could it have gone?”
Tarun, busy finding a suitable spot for a pair of pigeons on the rafters of the thatched roof, laid the birds aside. They looked under stools and chairs and all over the sofa. They even sifted through the glittering ornaments that would soon adorn the Christmas tree.
“Are you sure it was put away with all our other stuff last year?” said Tarun. “I mean, did it get left behind, when we were packing our Christmas decorations? If I remember correctly, I took down the bells, baubles, lights and tinsel, while you were in charge of everything not on the tree.”
Tara nodded. “I made sure every piece went safely into the box. You know how attached we are to them. They may not be expensive, but we’ve had them for years, and they are still so bright and beautiful.”
“Of course, we’ve had to hide the broken ear of one of the wise men by positioning him behind the others,” said Tarun, smiling. “Then there’s Bessie, our cute tailless cow.” He spoke lightly, but he was as upset as Tara that they could not locate the lamb.
A casual observer might not have understood the siblings’ feelings. Apart from Mary and Joseph, the wise men and shepherds, there were sheep and cows, besides three stately camels. The lamb was among the smaller pieces, even tinier than the infant Jesus, who was at the heart of the stable setting. Everything seemed complete, but Tara and Tarun were not satisfied.
“You remind me of the story in the Bible,” said their mother, who had been listening to the children. Jesus said that a shepherd left his flock of 99 sheep to search for the one that was lost. He meant that every one of us is precious. God does not want any of us out of His sight, anymore than you feel your Nativity scene is perfect without the lamb. If you look closely, you’ll see that your baby is curled up with the Baby in the manger. Appropriately enough, the lost lamb is seated beside the Lamb of God, who came to seek and save us.”
Quantitative Techniques
In DAV Public School, there are three games to opt for: Chess, Cricket and Badminton. Every student has to choose one or more games. 70% of students play Chess. The number of students who select only Cricket is 1/35th of the number of students who select Chess. 32 students select both Cricket and Badminton but not Chess. The number of students who select only Chess is 50% more than the number of students who select only Badminton. The number of students who select only Badminton is 20 more than the number of students who select only Cricket.
Logical Reasoning
Directions:Â Read the passage and answer the following question.
Traffic in India is a famously untameable beast. Its unmistakable call is the loud, angry honking of all manner of vehicles. On a busy street, during office hours, the honking can go up to what has scientifically been proven to be a health hazard. It is this issue of noise pollution that the Mumbai Police have found a novel way to curb. They appear to have decided that if we won’t learn to honk less on our own, tough love is the most viable solution. In at least three busy intersections in Mumbai, they went about installing “punishing signals”. Essentially, they attached a decibel meter to the traffic signal to measure sound when the traffic light is red. As soon as the level reached 85 decibels, the signal resets the red light, making the wait even longer.
The innovative idea was made into an advertisement-length video. Tweeting “Horn not okay, please!” and using the hashtag #HonkResponsibly, the Mumbai Police posted the video. “Feel free to honk,” the voiceover tells us as the video ends, “that is, if you don’t mind waiting.” The video is clever and funny and addresses the real problem of noise pollution in our cities. The World Health Organization has shown that noise can contribute to diseases, with effects such as increases in stress hormones, hypertension, obesity, and cardiac disease. Prolonged or repeated exposure to loud sounds (especially above 85 decibels) can even cause hearing loss. And in urban areas, it isn’t just noise from traffic that causes problems. Construction noises, machines, exhaust fans, non-honking traffic sounds, aircraft, and even indoor noises contribute to the pollution. It has become impossible to find a quiet corner in cities. The Mumbai Police have taken on an uphill task to reduce at least one kind of noise pollution. The idea that it is only punishment that can teach us to be self-conscious of our honking is an interesting one. The idea, of course, as the video shows us, is to encourage others to control the urge to honk while driving.
Legal Reasoning
The Supreme Court has criticized the practice of High Courts to grant anticipatory bail to the accused in criminal cases on the ground that no custodial interrogation is required. A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice J. B. Pardiwala said there is a serious misconception that if no case for custodial interrogation is made out by the prosecution, then that alone would be a good ground to grant anticipatory bail.
“In many anticipatory bail matters, we have noticed one common argument being canvassed that no custodial interrogation is required and, therefore, anticipatory bail may be granted. There appears to be a serious misconception of law that if no case for custodial interrogation is made out by the prosecution, then that alone would be a good ground to grant anticipatory bail.
“Custodial interrogation can be one of the relevant aspects to be considered along with other grounds while deciding an application seeking anticipatory bail,” the Bench said. There may be many cases in which the custodial interrogation of the accused may not be required but that does not mean that the prima facie case against the accused should be ignored or overlooked, and he should be granted anticipatory bail, it said. The Supreme Court said the first and foremost thing that the court hearing an anticipatory bail application should consider is the prima facie case put up against the accused. “Thereafter, the nature of the offence should be looked into along with the severity of the punishment. Custodial interrogation can be one of the grounds to decline anticipatory bail. However, even if custodial interrogation is not required or necessitated, by itself, cannot be a ground to grant anticipatory bail,” the Bench said.
The Supreme Court’s observations came while setting aside the anticipatory bail granted to a man accused under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 in the Wayanad district of Kerala. The Supreme Court said the observations of the High Court are totally unwarranted and had been made overlooking the specific allegations in the FIR. “In a case containing such serious allegations, the High Court ought not to have exercised its jurisdiction in granting protection against arrest as the Investigating Officer deserves a free hand to take the probe to its logical conclusion,” the Supreme Court Bench said.
Current Affairs & General Knowledge
Kaziranga National Park, known for its population of one-horned rhinoceroses, recently came under focus for its extraordinary richness in butterflies, ranked as the country’s second-largest hub, with an astonishing 446 identified varieties, placing Kaziranga at number two right after Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh, generally eclipsing the iconic megafauna for which it is famous. The results have been a fruit of extensive research led by Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, who has been studying biodiversity in the park since 2007. The unique geographical and ecological features of the park significantly contribute to this biodiversity. In September 2024, Kaziranga hosted its first ‘Butterfly Conservation Meet’ with approximately 40 butterfly enthusiasts and experts attending towards enhancing the conservation efforts. The meeting provided an effective platform to discuss the various butterfly species found in Kaziranga and underlined the need for preserving these sensitive creatures in the overall process of biodiversity conservation. An increased interest in butterfly conservation in India is reflected in this event, testifying to a growing sense of understanding butterflies as indicators of ecosystem conditions and health.
Of particular interest concerning butterfly diversity is Kaziranga, especially considering its location beyond the typically species-rich Himalayan and Patkai mountain ranges. Some of the recorded species include the Burmese Threering, Glassy Cerulean, Dark-bordered Hedge Blue, Ferrar’s Cerulean, Great Red-vein Lancer, and the Onyx Longwinged Hedge Blue. It was astounding to have researchers confirm 18 species never recorded in India before in the national park, thereby promising continued discoveries and thus the need for continued research into butterfly populations to ensure their conservation.
The other important and highly bio-diverse areas are located just adjacent to Kaziranga. With these, butterfly diversity in this region is further amplified and a strong realization of the nexus between ecosystems and the critical necessity of integrated conservation approaches takes place. Another pictorial guide by Dr. Gogoi has been published containing records of all 446 species of butterflies seen in Kaziranga. Through international experts, like Gaurab Nandi Das of the Czech Republic, present in the Butterfly Conservation Meet, it has been possible to portray knowledge of butterfly classification, which itself tells that research and conservation of butterflies are international sectors.
The Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, covers the Golaghat and Nagaon districts. It was declared a national park in 1974. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Significant not just because of its rhinoceros population, but also for the diversity of ecosystems involved, the park encompasses wet alluvial grasslands in the east, semi-evergreen forests, and tropical moist deciduous forests-all supporting a rich variety of wildlife-including more than 480 species of birds and substantial populations of tigers and elephants. The floodplain ecology of Kaziranga stands for the key role conservation plays in maintaining India’s exclusive biodiversity; hence, it remains a significant area of national concern as well as global ecological health.
