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
Ancient Egypt’s most talented sculptors – those given access to first-class resources – were employed by kings and temples. They worked to official rules of composition and presentation, and their completed art was placed in specific locations to fulfil particular functions. This lack of freedom of expression has led to the suggestion that they should, perhaps, be classified as craftsmen rather than artists. However, all high-ranking artists carried an additional, priestly responsibility that gave Thutmose an important role in supporting Akhenaten’s theology. The Egyptian word for sculptor literally means ‘the one who makes live’, and the sculptor was recognised as having a quasi-divine ability to release the shape hidden inside a featureless stone block, and in so doing create a latent form capable of sustaining life. Ritually activated, any sculpture could become a substitute body to house the soul of its deceased subject, should the mummy of the deceased be destroyed.
The belief that the soul might need to live in a statue made the bust an unpopular art form: no one wanted to run the risk of spending eternity trapped inside a bodiless head. Why, then, did Thutmose depict Nefertiti and Akhenaten this way? The presence of finished shoulders, the absence of tenons for attachment, the integral crowns and the smooth bases that allow the busts to stand firm, all allow us to be confident that each is indeed a complete artefact. These are not heads that have broken off larger statues, and nor are they body-parts intended for insertion into a composite statue.
Most likely, the busts were created to be used as studio models. By providing his workers with approved images and colour-schemes to copy, Thutmose could be confident that all the Nefertitis and Akhenatens leaving his workshop would look alike, and that all would be acceptable to the king. At the same time, the two busts could serve as objects of worship for both Thutmose and his workers. This would explain why, unlike other works completed by Thutmose and his team, the Akhenaten and Nefertiti busts never went on public display.
Legal Reasoning
In contract law, the ability to discharge a contract by mutual consent of the parties represents a foundational principle that allows for the flexibility and adaptation of contractual relationships to changing circumstances. This discharge can take various forms, each with its distinct legal implications and requirements. Novation and alteration are mechanisms by which parties can modify the material terms of the contract to better reflect their evolving needs or intentions. Novation involves the substitution of one party or obligation for another, effectively releasing the original party from their contractual duties and replacing them with a new party who agrees to assume those obligations. Alteration, on the other hand, entails a change in the terms of the contract without completely replacing any party, allowing for adjustments to be made to accommodate new agreements or understandings between the parties. Importantly, both novation and alteration require consideration to be valid, ensuring that there is a reciprocal exchange of value between the parties involved.
Another method of discharge by consent is recession, which involves the complete annulment or striking down of the contractual obligations. This can occur when both parties agree to rescind the contract entirely, effectively returning them to their pre-contractual positions as if the contract never existed. Similar to novation and alteration, recession also requires consideration to be valid, ensuring that there is a mutual exchange of benefits or concessions between the parties as part of the rescission process.
However, the concept of remission offers a distinct approach to discharge by consent, particularly in terms of forgoing the performance as stipulated in the contract in exchange for alternative satisfaction. Unlike novation, alteration, and recession, remission does not necessitate consideration to be valid. Instead, remission allows one party to waive their right to enforce the original terms of the contract without requiring anything in return from the other party. This can take various forms, such as extending the time for performance or accepting partial consideration in lieu of full payment. By waiving their rights under the contract, the party granting remission effectively releases the other party from their obligations, providing them with flexibility and leniency in fulfilling their contractual duties.
Furthermore, remission can serve as a practical means of addressing challenges or unforeseen circumstances that may arise during the course of the contract. For example, if one party encounters difficulties in meeting their obligations due to external factors beyond their control, the other party may choose to grant remission by extending the deadline for performance or accepting a reduced payment as a gesture of goodwill. This demonstrates the equitable and cooperative nature of remission as a mechanism for resolving disputes or mitigating the impact of contractual breaches.
In summary, the ability to discharge a contract by consent through novation, alteration, recession, or remission reflects the inherent flexibility and adaptability of contractual relationships in accommodating the changing needs and circumstances of the parties involved. While novation, alteration, and recession require consideration to be valid, remission offers a unique approach that allows for the voluntary waiver of contractual rights without the need for additional consideration. By providing parties with a range of options for modifying or terminating their contractual obligations, the law facilitates the fair and efficient resolution of disputes while promoting the principles of equity and justice in contractual dealings.
Logical Reasoning
The hopes of reviving Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander and Pragyan rover have diminished as the lunar night has set in, casting long shadows over Shiv Shakti Point, the spacecraft’s landing site. The sunlight began to recede from Shiv Shakti Point on September 30, marking the onset of a lunar night. This point is situated between the Manzinuz C and Simpelius N craters, approximately 4,200 kms from the lunar north pole. A lunar night is a period of darkness on the Moon’s surface that lasts for about 14 days. During this phase, temperatures on the lunar surface can plummet to as low as -180 degrees Celsius. The functioning of the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover is dependent on sunlight.
After successfully completing their initial tasks, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover entered a state of hibernation on September 2. Since then, numerous efforts have been made to reawaken the lander and the rover, with the hope that they might have endured the previous lunar night cycle. Both the European station in Kourou and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru tried to revive them, but without success. The current lunar night effectively concludes the mission, as the lander and rover cannot withstand the severe lunar conditions.
However, despite the inability to reawaken the Vikram-Pragyan duo, S Somanath, the chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), considers the Chandrayaan-3 mission largely successful, as it has met its primary objectives. He commented, “It is OK if it does not wake up because the rover has done what it was expected to do.”
On August 23, ISRO achieved a significant milestone when Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the Moon’s South Pole. This accomplishment positioned India alongside nations like the US, China, and Russia, marking it as one of the few countries to achieve a safe Moon landing. Since its landing, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover have provided valuable data from the lunar surface, including the rover’s exploration findings and confirmation of the presence of essential elements.
Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander detected key metals such as sulphur, aluminium, calcium, silicon, iron, oxygen, titanium, chromium, and manganese. Additionally, the lander delved into the Moon’s Ionosphere, measuring electron densities ranging from 5 million to 30 million per cubic metre. ISRO also shared initial observations about lunar surface temperatures, indicating a range from -10 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius.
Quantitative Techniques
Directions: Answer the questions based on the information given below.
The physiological density of three different states i.e. Bihar, Jharkhand and Kerala in 2012 is 180, 240, 192 respectively, in 2013 the physiological density is 216, 120, 288 respectively and in 2014 there is 144, 300, 156 of physiological density respectively .
Note: – For each state, total cultivated area increased in 2013 and 2014 by 20% and 25%, respectively as compared to previous year.
Physiological density is defined as number of people per unit area of arable (cultivable) land.
Also, Gender Equality Ratio (GER) = (Number of males)/(Number of females)
Literacy rate (LR) = {(Total number of literate people)/(Total population of that area)} × 100 Illiteracy rate of females (IRF) = {(Number of illiterate females)/(Total number of females in that area)} × 100
General Knowledge
In 2024, India ranked 105th in the GHI, which is a disturbing position for a country that has the world’s second-largest population. The Global Hunger Index is an annual report that analyses hunger and undernutrition across countries using four critical indicators: undernourishment, child wasting (low weight for height), child stunting (low height for age), and child mortality. This all-inclusive indicator has been designed by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. It depicts the level of hunger and malnutrition in most countries. GHI scale ranges from 0 to 100, whereby 0 is no hunger, while 100 is a symbol of most acute levels of hunger. With this, scores have been grouped into “low,” “moderate,” “serious,” “alarming,” or “extremely alarming.”.
India is starkly in the “serious” hunger category, which suggests lingering problems with food distribution, nutrition, and child health. Economic growth, and of its own technological achievements notwithstanding, child stunting was recorded at about 35 percent, and child wasting at nearly 19 percent-of which both are high contributions to India’s poor performance on the index. The country continues to lag behind with gradual improvement in nutrition-related problems, together with large regional disparities that do not allow an overall uptrend. Compare this with countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, where the neighboring nations have fared much better on this scale of ranking of food security programs, challenging India’s very own food security efforts. An important reason for India’s failure has been the ineffectiveness of its public distribution system, which is meant to supply food grains to poor households but is marred by widespread corruption, inefficiency, and leakage. While schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana-launched as a short-term relief measure for combating hunger during the pandemic are useful to reduce hunger in the near term, long-term nutritional security still seems an uphill battle. Agriculture, with almost 50% of India’s employment base, is also highly inefficient structurally in terms of storage, pricing, and farmer income levels. The inadequacies of these areas have direct implications on availability and food price affordability.
Global perspective: The GHI is a standing reminder that such inequities are increasing in global food security. Scores for developed countries are generally closer to 0, denoting limited hunger, while developing countries, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, remain troubled with hunger levels. Politics and climate-related disaster-ridden countries also tend to be more prone to such tragedies. In this regard, the state of India shows patterns of general trends seen globally wherein unevenly developed patterns are dominant along with a pressing need for targeted policies to address hunger’s root causes.
While discussing India’s ranking at the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals summit and BRICS summit, which calls for increased political will to eliminate hunger by 2024, SDG 2 aims to completely eradicate “Zero Hunger” by 2030, ranking India at a point far ahead of where it is on its journey, still both the country’s demographics and, in particular, its economy face challenging aspects. Moreover, malnutrition has serious economic implications as it affects productivity, influences the brain development of children, and finally that of human capital.