CTET -2 (Social Science) Mini Mock Test 2023 : 38

Direction: Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When areas in and around Leh began to experience water shortages, life didn't grind to a halt. Why? Because Chewang Norphel, a retired civil engineer in the Jammu and Kashmir government came up with the idea of artificial glaciers. Ladakh, a cold desert at an altitude of 3,000-3,500 meters above sea level, has a low average annual rainfall rate of 50 mm. Glaciers have always been the only source of water. Agriculture is completely dependent on glacier melt unlike the rest of river or monsoon fed India. But over the years with increasing effects of climate change, rainfall and snowfall patterns have been changing, resulting in severe shortage and drought situations. Given the severe winter conditions, the window for farming is usually limited to one harvest season.

The artificial glacier is located between the natural glacier above and the village below. The one closer to the village and lowest in altitude melts first, providing water during April/May, the crucial sowing season. Further layers of ice above melt with increasing temperature thus ensuring continuous supply to the fields. Thus, farmers have been able to manage two crops instead of one. It costs about Rs. 1,50,000 and above to create one. Fondly called the "glacier man", Mr. Norphel has designed over 15 artificial glaciers in and around Leh since 1987. In recognition of his pioneering effort, he was conferred the Padma Shri by President Pranab Mukherjee, in 2015.

There are a few basic steps followed in creating the artificial glacier.

River or stream water at higher altitude is diverted to a shaded area of the hill, facing north, where the winter sun is blocked by a ridge or a mountain range. At the start of winter/November, the diverted water is made to flow onto sloping hill face through distribution channels. Stone embankments are built at regular intervals which impede the flow of water, making shallow pools and freeze, forming a cascade of ice along the slope. Ice formation continues for 3-4 months resulting in a large accumulation of ice which is referred to as an "artificial glacier".

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.

Cyberspace is now as relevant a strategic domain as are the other four naturally occurring domains of land, air, sea and space. As the Union Minister for Defense Manohar Parrikar recently highlighted, India’s defense capabilities must be strengthened against disruptive and highly sophisticated cyber-attacks. Moreover, the country’s Armed Forces must be geared to fight future wars in cyberspace, whether standalone skirmishes or in conjunction with kinetic battles. Unlike conventional arenas of warfare, cyberspace has seen, and will continue to witness the proliferation of non-state actors, widely ranging in profile and capabilities. Instances of ‘weaponising’ the internet are on the rise -using its technologies for activities like recruitment of terrorists, radicalization on the basis of specific narratives, disruption of crucial public services like electricity grids and the financial sectors, and the theft of commercial secrets. It is no exaggeration to claim that the integrity of India’s digital networks can affect the strategic trajectory of a nation: cyberspace can be used to mould, even determine political outcomes; spur or stunt the growth of its economy; and strengthen or destabilize its critical information infrastructure.

India’s burgeoning digital economy hosts the world’s second largest user base on the internet. The Union Government’s flagship initiatives like ‘Digital India’, as well as the emphasis on governance premised on connectivity, are raising the stakes for the country’s information infrastructure. It is conceivable that the integrity of India’s cyber platforms will increasingly be subjected to threats and suffer vulnerabilities in the immediate future. Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, former Deputy Chief (Operations) in Headquarters Integrated Defense Staff (HQ IDS), recently suggested that a “cyber-race” is currently underway: with incidents of commercial espionage, IPR theft, denials of service, and other kinds of attacks being perpetrated on a daily basis. Safeguarding India’s cyberspace- defined by this paper as infrastructure physically located within the nation’s borders, as well data hosted by Indian individuals, corporations and governments anywhere in the world requires not only a coherent conceptualization of India’s strategic interests, but a clear outlining of methods to secure them, as well as time-bound plans of action. As the country’s cyber security apparatus is slowly being put in place, there is need for policy and operational coherence.

निर्देश: निम्नलिखित गद्यांश को सावधानीपूर्वक अध्ययन कीजिये तथा प्रश्नों के उत्तर दीजिये l

भाषा का प्रयोग दो रूपों में किया जा सकता है-एक तो सामान्य जिससे लोक में व्यवहार होता है तथा दूसरा साहित्य रचना के लिए, जिसमें प्रायः आलंकारिक भाषा का प्रयोग किया जाता है। साहित्यिक रचना के लिए प्रयुक्त भाषा लोक भाषा का कार्य करते हुए भी उससे भिन्न होती है, क्योंकि इसमें कवि की कल्पना भी काम करती है तथा उसे परिमार्जित रूप में प्रस्तुत करती है। विद्वानों का अनुमान है कि जब से संसार में साहित्य का सृजन आरम्भ हुआ है तभी से आलंकारिक भाषा प्रयोग में लाई जा रही है। संसार का प्राचीनतम ग्रन्थ ऋग्वेद तथा आदि महाकाव्य रामायण इस बात के प्रत्यक्ष प्रमाण हैं। इन दोनों रचनाओं में अलकृत भाषा के उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण प्राप्त होते हैं। संसार के समस्त कवियों तथा साहित्यकारों ने इसी प्रवृत्ति का अनुसरण किया है। वस्तुतः अलंकृत भाषा के अभाव में काव्य, काव्य नहीं कहलाता। इसी बात का समर्थन करते हुए कहा भी गया है कि अलंकार विहीन कविता विधवा के समान होती है। आचार्य भामह का भी कथन है कि जिस प्रकार किसी रमणी की सुंदरता अलंकारों के बिना पूर्ण नहीं होती। उसी प्रकार साहित्य भी आभूषणों के बिना शोभा नहीं पाता। आचार्य दण्डी ने अलंकारों को काव्य का शोभा विधायक धर्म माना है। आचार्य मम्मट और विश्वनाथ ने भी काव्य में अलंकार की महत्ता स्वीकारते हुए क्रमशः उन्हें सौन्दर्य के उपकारक तथा शब्दार्थ के शोभातिशायी धर्म कहा है।

निर्देश : गद्यांश को पढ़कर निम्नलिखित प्रश्नों में सबसे उचित विकल्प चुनिए।
विद्यार्थी जीवन को मानव जीवन की रीढ़ की हड्डी कहें तो कोई अतिशयोक्त्ति नहीं होगी। विद्यार्थी काल मे बालक में जो संस्कार पड़ जाते हैं जीवन-भर वही संस्कार अमिट रहते हैं। इसीलिए यही काल आधारशिला कहा गया है। यदि यह नींव दृढ बन जाती है तो जीवन सुदृढ़ और सुखी बन जाता है। यदि इस काल में बालक कष्ट सहन कर लेता है तो उसका स्वास्थ्य सुंदर बनता है। यदि मन लगाकर अध्ययन कर लेता है तो उसे ज्ञान मिलता है, उसका मानसिक विकास होता है। जिस वृक्ष को प्रारंभ से सुंदर सिंचन और खाद मिल जाती है, वह पुष्पित एवं पल्लवित होकर संसार को सौरभ देने लगता है। इसी प्रकार विद्यार्थी काल में जो बालक श्रम, अनुशासन, समय एवं नियमन के साँचे में ढल जाता है, वह आदर्श विद्यार्थी बनकर सभ्य नागरिक बन जाता है। सभ्य नागरिक के लिए जिन-जिन गुणों की आवश्यकता है उन गुणों के लिए विद्यार्थी काल ही तो सुन्दर पाठशाला है। यहाँ पर अपने साथियों के बीच रह कर वे सभी गुण आ जाने आवश्यक हैं, जिनकी कि विद्यार्थी को अपने जीवन में आवश्यकता होती है।

निर्देश:- अधोलिखितं गद्यांशं पठित्वा उत्तराणि लिखत

एकः बालकः समुद्रतीरे तिष्ठन् आसीत्। तदा सहसा एकः जलतरङ्गः आगत्य तस्य बालकस्य एकां पादुकां नीत्वा गतवान्। तदा सः बालकः दुःखितः सन् रोदनं कृत्वा सिकतासु तस्य अङ्गुल्या लिखितवान् समुद्रः चोरः भवति। अन्यत्र च केचन धीवराः समुद्रजलात् मीनान् गृहीत्वा ते अपि सिकतासु लिखन्ति समुद्रः अस्माकं पालनहारः वर्तते।

पुनश्च एकः बालकः समुद्रजले निमज्ज्य तस्य मृत्युः अभवत्। तस्य बालकस्य माता तदा सिकतासु लिखति समुद्रः घातकः अस्ति। पुनश्च एकः निर्धनः वृद्धः समुद्रतीरे अटनसमये एकां बहुमूल्यां मणिं प्राप्य सः अपि सिकतासु लिखति समुद्रः दानी अस्ति। तदनन्तरं पुनः एकवारं एकः विशालः जलतरङ्गः आगत्य तेषां सर्वेषां लेखान् मार्जयित्वा गतवान्। जनाः समुद्रस्य विषये किमपि वा कथयन्तु परन्तु समुद्रः तु स्वस्य विवेकानुसारं कार्यं करोति। कदाचित् प्रलयं करोति कदाचिच्च पूर्णरूपेण शान्तः भवति। अतः समुद्रः इव भवितुम् इच्छति चेत् कस्यापि वार्तां न शृणुयात्। किमपि महत् कार्यं साधयितुम् इच्छति चेत् स्वविवेकैः कुर्यात्। अतीतस्य चिन्ता न करणीया। जयः-पराजयः, नाशः- प्राप्तिः, सुखं-दुःखम् इत्यादिभ्यः मनः विचलितं न भवेत्। मनुष्यस्य जीवने यदि केवलं सुखं शान्तिः च अभविष्यतां तर्हि कोऽपि मनुष्यः जन्म प्राप्य न अरोदिष्यत् अपिच स्वयं मृत्वा अन्यान् न अरोदयिष्यत् ।

निर्देश: अधोलिखितं गद्यांशं पठित्वा तदाधारितप्रश्नानां विकल्पात्मकोत्तरेषु उचिततमम् उत्तरं चित्वा लिखत-

दीपावली प्रकाशस्य महोत्सवः अस्ति । असौ महोत्सवः कार्तिक्याम् अमावस्यायां संघटते । अमुस्मिन् दिने भगवान् रामचन्द्र: चतुर्दशवर्षमितं स्वकीयं वनवासं परिसमाप्य रावणवधानन्तरम् अयोध्यां प्रत्यागच्छत् । तत: प्रभृत्ययम् उत्सवः प्रचलति । अमुस्मिन् महोत्सवे रात्रौ महालक्ष्मीपूजनं भवति । तत्र देवीं वयं सर्वे धनधान्यादिकं याचामहे । सर्वे जनाः स्वकीयान् गृहान् दीपमालया सज्जयन्ति । सर्वे वयं वीथीष्वापणेषु मार्गेषु गृहेषु च सर्वत्र दीपकानां प्रकाशं पश्याम: । जनाः परस्परं मेलनं कुर्वन्ति । मिष्ठानं खादन्ति , नूतनानि वस्त्राणि धरन्ति । बालकेषु अपि बहु उत्साह: भवति। अहो , कियत् चाकचिक्यं प्रतिभवनं विद्युद्दीपानाम्।

निर्देश:- अधोलिखितश्लोकान् पठित्वा प्रश्नानां विकल्पात्मकोत्तरेभ्य: उचिततमम् उत्तरं चित्वा लिखत-