CTET -1 Mini Mock Test 2023 : 96

It was evening in the picturesque seaside town of Rameshwaram, on the southern edge of Tamil Nadu. A cool breeze was gently blowing in from the sea. Along with the sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard the sweet sound of birds circling overhead. Among the children playing on the beach was a boy with wavy hair and dreamy eyes. This youngster was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam who later became the eleventh President of India. While spending time with his friends, Abdul was attracted by the sound of the birds flying above. He carefully observed that a fledgling perched on a boat was trying to take off. It spread its wings, fluttered briefly and sprang up. The air seemed to give the needed thrust for its take off! The bird soared up into the sky. It steered its pace and course with great ease. How Abdul wished he could fly like those beauties in the air!

This passion for flying, aroused by the beautiful birds, later inspired Abdul Kalam to design India’s first rocket which successfully sent a satellite Rohini, into orbit on 18th July 1980. It was called the SLV-3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle). At the time when Abdul was growing up, no one had even dreamt of such a happening. Rameshwaram, where Abdul was born on 15th October 1931, was a small town with narrow streets lined with old houses made of limestone and brick. The town was famous for its Shiva Temple. Abdul stayed in the house with his father, mother, brothers and sister and led a secure and happy childhood.

Abdul’s father, Jainulabdeen was a pious man. He led an austere life without depriving his family of the basic comforts. In this closely knit family, dinner was always a special meal. During dinner they exchanged views on a variety of topics ranging from family matters to spiritual subjects. The main income for Abdul’s family came from ferrying pilgrims across the sea between Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi. Pilgrims visiting Rameshwaram made it a point to visit Dhanushkodi, twenty kilometres away in the sea. Dhanushkodi has religious significance. Ferrying pilgrims fetched good money and the family lived comfortably. However, a devastating cyclone lashed the shores of Rameshwaram and their boat was destroyed. The family lost their only source of livelihood in one swift, tragic stroke.

The enterprising young Abdul wanted to help the family through the crisis. He realized that there was demand for tamarind seeds. He decided he would collect them and sell them to a shop near his house. His family wanted him to concentrate on his studies. He said he would study as well as help his family. Reluctantly, everyone agreed. Even while studying or enjoying the evenings with his friends on the beach, he set aside some time to collect tamarind seeds and sell them to a nearby shop. For this he was paid a princely sum of one anna. Besides selling tamarind seeds, he helped his cousin Samsuddin to sell the popular Tamil newspaper Dinamani to earn a little more money. At dawn, several bundles of the newspaper, printed in Madras (now Chennai), were thrown on to the platform of Rameshwaram railway station from passing trains. Trains did not stop at Rameshwaram station during those days of the Second World War as almost all of them were commandeered to transport troops.

Abdul, after picking up the bundles marked for his area, rushed and handed them over to Samsuddin, who gave Abdul a small amount for the service he had rendered. There was a great demand for Dinamani because people wanted to know about India’s freedom struggle and the latest developments in the war. This is how Abdul earned his first wages. However, it was the joy of being able to care for his family that Abdul cherished most. Even decades later, he recalls earning his own money for the first time, with immense pleasure and a sense of pride.

निर्देश: गद्यांश को पढ़कर निम्नलिखित प्रश्नों में सबसे उचित विकल्प को चुनिए ।
प्रत्येक प्रभात सुंदर चीजे़ं लेकर उपस्थित होता है, पर यदि हमने कल तथा परसों के प्रभात की कृपा से लाभ नहीं उठाया तो आज के प्रभात से लाभ उठाने की हमारी शक्ति क्षीण होती जाएगी, और यही गति रही तो फिर हम उस शक्ति को बिल्कुल ही गँवा बैठेंगे। किसी विद्वान् ने ठीक ही कहा है कि खोई हुई सम्पत्ति कमख़र्ची और परिश्रम से प्राप्त की जा सकती है, भूला हुआ ज्ञान अध्ययन से प्राप्त हो सकता है, गँवाया हुआ स्वास्थ्य दवा और संयम से लौटाया जा सकता है परन्तु नष्ट किया हुआ समय सदा के लिए चला जाता है। वह बस स्मृति की एक चीज़ हो जाता है और अतीत की एक छाया-मात्र रह जाता है।
ग्लैडस्टोन सरीखा प्रतिभाशाली व्यक्ति अपनी जेब में एक छोटी-सी पुस्तक हमेशा लेकर निकलता था। उन्हें चिन्ता रहती थी कि कहीं कोई घड़ी व्यर्थ न चली जाए। तब हम जैसे साधारण मनुष्यों को अपने अमूल्य समय को नष्ट होने से बचाने के लिए क्या नहीं करना चाहिए? प्रतिभावान् पुरुष समय के छोटे-छोटे टुकड़ों को बचाकर महान हो जाते हैं और अपनी असफलता पर आश्चर्य करने वाले उन्हें यों ही उड़ जाने देते हैं। उन्हें जीवन-भर कभी समय का मूल्य मालूम ही नहीं हो पाता।

निर्देश: गद्यांश को पढ़कर निम्नलिखित प्रश्नों में सबसे उचित विकल्प को चुनिए ।
समस्याओं का हल ढूँढ़ने की क्षमता पर एक अध्ययन किया गया । इसमें भारत में तीन तरह के बच्चों के बीच तुलना की गई - एक तरफ वे बच्चे जो दुकानदारी करते हैं पर स्कूल नहीं जाते, दूसरे ऐसे बच्चे जो दुकान सँभालते हैं और स्कूल भी जाते हैं और तीसरा समूह उन बच्चों का था जो स्कूल जाते हैं पर दुकान पर कोई मदद नहीं करते ।
उनसे गणना के व इबारती सवाल पूछे गए। दोनों ही तरह के सवालों में उन स्कूली बच्चों ने जो दुकानदार नहीं हैं, मौखिक गणना या मनगणित का प्रयोग बहुत कम किया, बनिस्बत उनके जो दुकानदार थे । स्कूली बच्चों ने ऐसी ग़लतियाँ भी कीं, जिनका कारण नहीं समझा जा सका । इससे यह साबित होता है कि दुकानदारी से जुड़े हुए बच्चे हिसाब लगाने में ग़लती नहीं कर सकते क्योंकि इसका सीधा असर उनके काम पर पड़ता है, जबकि स्कूलों के बच्चे वही हिसाब लगाने में अक्सर भयंकर ग़लतियाँ कर देते हैं ।
इससे यह स्पष्ट होता है कि जिन बच्चों को रोज़मर्रा की जि़ंदगी में इस तरह के सवालों से जूझना पड़ता है, वे अपने लिए ज़रूरी गणितीय क्षमता हासिल कर लेते हैं ।
लेकिन साथ ही इस बात पर भी गौर करना महत्त्वपूर्ण है कि इस तरह की दक्षताएँ एक स्तर तक और एक कार्य-क्षेत्र तक सीमित होकर रह जाती हैं । इसलिए वे सामाजिक व सांस्कृतिक परिवेश जो कि ज्ञान को बनाने व बढ़ाने में मदद करते हैं, वही उस ज्ञान को संकुचित और सीमित भी कर सकते हैं ।

निर्देश: निम्नलिखित प्रश्नों के उत्तर देने के लिए सबसे उचित विकल्प चुनिए।