CTET -2 (Social Science) Mini Mock Test 2023 : 67

सम्प्रति शिक्षासंस्थासु प्रचलितस्य संस्कृतशिक्षणविधेः अयं परिणामः दृश्यते यत् बहूनि वर्षाणि संस्कृतम् अधीत्य अपि संस्कृतच्छात्राः संस्कृतभाषया एव स्वविचारान् प्रकटयितुम् असमर्थाः । लेखने अपि तेषां नैपुण्यं न दृश्यते । कारणं किम् ? स्पष्टमेव यत् प्रचलितविधिषु संस्कृतं संस्कृतेन न पाठ्यते । अपितु अन्यभाषया । 'संस्कृतपाठ्यपुस्तकगतपाठानाम् अनुवादः' एव संस्कृतशिक्षणस्य उद्देशः इति स्वीकृतः । छात्राः संस्कृतेन सम्भाषणस्य संस्कृतश्रवणस्य वा अवसरान् एव न प्राप्नुवन्ति । कुत्र तदा संस्कृतशिक्षणम् ? स्पष्टमेव यत् इदं संस्कृतशिक्षणम् न । महान् चिन्तायाः विषयः एषः । 'संस्कृतपाठनविधौ एषः दोषः दूरीकरणीयः एव' इति अस्माकम् एकं महत्त्वपूर्ण कर्तव्यम् ।

पृथिव्यां त्रीणि रत्नानि,

जलमन्नं सुभाषितम् ।

मूढै: पाषाणखण्डेषु,

रत्नसंज्ञा विधीयते ।।1।।

सत्येन धार्यते पृथ्वी,

सत्येन तपते रविः ।

सत्येन वाति वायुश्च,

सर्वं सत्ये प्रतिष्ठितम् ।।2।।

PASSAGE-1

Why does a person become overconfident? The reason lies in over assessment of his capabilities. Sometimes people over assess their competence and jump into situations that are beyond their control. Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor of France would say that the word ‘impossible’ was common only amongst fools. The overconfident Napoleon invaded Russia in the winter of 1812. This proved to be a big disaster.

Overconfidence generally leads people into misadventures, endangering their chances in life. It is wisely said that any achievement is a result of two factors- one’s personal planning and support from the external world. People take into account only their planning, generally ignoring external factors. As a result they are unable to foresee future developments. Hence, a great risk of failure.

Then there is the question: how can one manage overconfidence? The formula is very simple. Before taking a decision discuss the matter with other informed people with an objective mind and when it is proved that you are about to go off the path, accept reality and say without delay, “I was wrong”.

Overconfidence is a flaw characterizing among people who lack the virtue of modesty. Modesty makes you a realist; you become a person who is cut down to size. People of this kind become very cautious; before taking an action they assess the whole situation. They adopt a realistic approach.

Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but they are unaware of others. Living inside their own cell they are unable to make use of the experiences of others. This kind of habit is highly damaging to all concerned. There is a saying that the young man sees the rule and the old man sees the exception, with a slight change, I would like to say that the overconfident person sees the rule and the confident person sees the exception. Overconfident people are always at risk. It is said that taking risk is good but it must be well calculated otherwise it becomes very dangerous.

The white tiger is an offspring of Bengal tiger, which has the necessary gene for white coloring. It has beautiful black stripes on a white coat. This species of animal has blue eyes and a pink nose. A pure white tiger is totally white without any stripe, which is due to the presence of double recessive allele in the genetic code. It happens only in the Bengal tiger subspecies, and only one in 10,000 births can have it naturally. White tigers are rarely seen in the wild, and only twelve of them have been spotted in India since last one-hundred years. Tigers have a life-span of 10-15 years. They are solitary animals, and are fond of hunting at night. Their diet consists of any animals that they can catch, and can eat up to 40 pounds of meat at one time. After such a big meal, they usually remain away for several days from food.

They are slow runners, but good swimmers. They are poor climbers and cannot climb a tree easily. They live in an area ranging from 10 to 30 square miles depending upon the availability of prey, water and shelter. Habitat loss, poaching and expansion of human population have together contributed to their becoming endangered. They are widely hunted for their body-parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines. Genetic inbreeding is another reason for their endangerment. Due to shortage in their number, this species of animal has been subjected to inbreeding. It has resulted in high mortality rates and severe disabilities. About 80 percent of the white tiger cubs are born with serious birth-defects related to inbreeding, and they soon die-off.

The critical condition of this animal has attracted the attention of conservationists worldwide. World Wildlife Federation (WWF), defenders of wildlife, and many other wildlife organizations are working with the support of the government for the cause of protecting them from becoming extinct. Once they become extinct, it will not be possible to bring them back to life.