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1. Attempt all the questions.
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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.
In 1801, from his capital in St Petersburg, Tsar Paul I sent Napoleon Bonaparte a secret proposition: a joint invasion of India to drive out the English and their East India Company once and for all, before dividing the rich spoils. The tsar believed a Cossack force of 35,000 together with a similar-sized French army would be ample for victory – perhaps with some help from the fierce Turcoman tribes who may be induced to join their expedition along the way. They would meet the French south of the Caspian Sea, and then cross through Persia and Afghanistan, to be at the gates of India in an ambitious time frame of four months.
The young Napoleon was understandably reluctant. He had just been defeated and forced to withdraw from Egypt by Britain and its allies, and was less than convinced of the soundness of the tsar’s plan or its promise of success.
Not to be discouraged, the tsar decided Russia could succeed without French support, and take a more direct route to get there, in even less time. He ordered his loyal Cossacks to launch the invasion; even though his army was much depleted, having been able to muster only 22,000 troops, he was not deterred. That this was an ill-conceived undertaking was obvious not only to Bonaparte; it must have further convinced the Russian nobility their manic-depressive tsar was losing his sanity as well.
The Cossack cavalry, renowned for their hardiness and ruthlessness, started out from the frontier town of Orenburg and headed south for Khiva, some 900 miles away across the Kazak Steppe, in the dead of winter. Supported by small amounts of artillery, they each took a spare horse and whatever food they could carry. Even for these tough troops, the conditions would have been bitterly cold and cruel, both for the men and their animals.
Only a month out and less than halfway to Khiva, relief came in an unexpected way: Tsar Paul was dead and the mission recalled, averting certain disaster for the Cossacks and sparing Russia an embarrassing humiliation.
In fact, his own court officials had assassinated the old tsar; after trying unsuccessfully to force his abdication, they finally strangled him. His son and heir, Alexander, promptly gave the order to abort the mission, ending the Russian Empire’s first attempted invasion of India. It wasn’t until later that the British learnt of this threat that had fizzled out—but this would not be Russia’s last attempt.
Quantitative Techniques
A mobile shopkeeper marks the prices of three different types of mobiles – Nokia 2.2, Vivo V9 and Realme 3i – in the ratio 11 : 16 : 20, respectively. The discount rates offered by the shopkeeper for Nokia 2.2, Vivo V9 and Realme 3i are 10%, 20% and 8%, respectively. Nokia 2.2 is sold at a profit of 20% and the cost price of this mobile is Rs. 4125.
Also, the selling price of a Samsung Galaxy M30 available at this shop after a discount of 16% is Rs. 2500 less than the sum of the marked prices of all three mobiles Nokia 2.2, Vivo V9 and Realme 3i.
Logical Reasoning
The all-too-familiar triad of historical periodisation — ancient, mediaeval, modern — now universal, has rather specific provincial and temporal origins. All societies evolved their own modes of dividing their history into periods: dynastic and regnal was the ones prevalent in India, Iran, and the Turko-Mongol regions, besides Europe. The creation of eras, such as Vikrami, Shaka, and Ilahi or the era of piety in Islam coinciding with the Prophet and the first four caliphs and the steady decline afterwards were among many other modes.
The triad took birth in Europe around the 16th and 17th centuries, first in the history of theology and steadily in society’s history, finding its largely evolved form in 1688 at the hands of Cellarius, a German. This was the era when over the past few centuries, Europe had been creating its new self-image of rationality, science and progress, in short, modernity; to reinforce it, the inverse image of its immediate past, the mediaeval, was also created as one of irrationality, regression, and superstition which were constituted as the synonym of religion/religiosity — in short, the “Dark Age” from which Europe was progressing into Enlightenment.
With the expansion of Europe to the rest of the world during the 18th-20th centuries, besides its trade, arms and politics, its intellectual concepts also found entry into what were becoming its colonies. The indigenous notions of historical time and space were replaced by the European triad through what Jack Goody calls “The Theft of History” in an unequal power relationship. Thus, the Dark Age of Europe was transferred to the rest of the world from which Europe must rescue it by bringing to it Enlightenment through colonialism. A very “rational” legitimation of colonialism. The triad first came to India with a further distortion; whereas in Europe, its premise was the retreat of backwardness in the face of progress, James Mill introduced it as the Hindu, the Muslim and the British periods underlining the legitimation of modern British rule which would rescue India from the dark age of mediaeval Muslim rule.
Periodisation is riven with problems. Being a human construct, rather than a ground reality, it is, by its nature, transient. Some signs of its transience have already appeared with several qualifications getting attached to it: Late Antiquity, Early Medieval, Late Medieval, and Early Modern. What shape the transience is going to take in the near or distant future is hard to predict. One wonders if our modern period will still be considered modern in the 22nd or the 23rd century. For sure, there is great regional variance in the application of the triad in the regions around the world with China taking its “mediaeval” into several centuries BCE and some such as India drawing the 18th century CE into it. Indeed, some powerful voices such as Jacques Le Goff’s have questioned the very notion of dividing history into tranches.
Legal Reasoning
Israel has been criticized for targeting medical facilities in Gaza, including the main Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. It has long accused Hamas of setting up command and control centres beneath medical facilities in an effort to avoid air strikes. Hamas denies this.
The World Health Organization said as of Nov. 15, 152 attacks on health infrastructure had been verified in Gaza.
There are many examples of attacks on health facilities in conflict zones in recent decades, from Ukraine and Afghanistan to Yemen and Syria, but the most recent jurisprudence dates to trials dealing with the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Canadian lawyer Carolyn Edgerton, who worked on several cases at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, said while they did not examine hospital attacks specifically, the jurisprudence stressed the need to balance the principles of military necessity and humanity.
“Attacking hospitals and other medical units is prohibited under the first Geneva Convention, and that protection extends to the wounded and the sick, the staff of those establishments and ambulances. And that protection doesn’t end unless those establishments are used by a party to the conflict to commit an act… harmful to the enemy,” she said.
Defining what is “harmful to the enemy” is itself the focus of an ongoing legal battle. Determining whether the protection of a hospital is compromised is an evidence-based exercise, Edgerton said.
Even if a determination is made that a medical establishment has become a military target, Israel must ask itself whether the foreseeable collateral damage would be excessive in relation to the military advantage, she said.
What acts could violate war crimes law?
Human Rights Watch cited as possible war crimes the deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas militants, indiscriminate rocket attacks and the taking of civilians as hostages, as well as Israeli counter-strikes in Gaza that have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, according to figures from Gaza health authorities, deemed reliable by the United Nations.
Hostage-taking, murder and torture are explicitly banned under the Geneva Conventions, while Israel’s response could also be subject to a war crimes investigation. Hamas militants stormed from Gaza into southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
In response, Israel laid siege to Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, and launched the most powerful bombing campaign in the 75-year-old history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, destroying entire neighbourhoods. Israeli ground forces then swept into Gaza with the stated aim of annihilating Hamas, which runs the enclave
Current Affairs & General Knowledge
The Indian Army is poised to receive its inaugural three AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from Boeing by December 2024. This delivery, initially anticipated between May and July, has faced a delay exceeding six months due to supply chain challenges. Following extensive negotiations between India and the United States, the delivery schedule was prioritized, emphasizing the strategic partnership between the two nations. The Apache helicopters, renowned for their advanced technology and combat capabilities, are specifically engineered for operations in desert environments, excelling in countering armoured threats, including tanks. However, their performance diminishes in high-altitude regions, such as mountainous terrains typical of Northern India.
To mitigate this limitation, India has embarked on developing the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) through Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The LCH, equipped with advanced avionics and weapon systems, is optimized for high-altitude operations and is slated for deployment in the Ladakh region between 2024 and 2025. This dual approach to helicopter procurement enhances the Army’s versatility in various operational contexts. The formation of the 451 Aviation Squadron in Jodhpur in March marks a significant milestone for the Indian Army, as it prepares to operationalize the Apache helicopters. This squadron represents the Army’s second attack helicopter variant, complementing the LCH and underscoring its commitment to strengthening aviation capabilities. The establishment of this unit reflects a broader military strategy aimed at modernizing and expanding India’s aerial combat capabilities, particularly in light of evolving regional security dynamics.
In 2020, India formalized an $800 million procurement agreement with Boeing for six Apache helicopters, which includes comprehensive training for six Indian pilots and 24 technicians in the United States. This initiative not only enhances operational readiness but also fosters defense cooperation between India and the U.S. Additionally, the Indian Army has indicated a keen interest in acquiring more Apache helicopters, with a proposal for an additional 11 aircraft currently under evaluation. Strategically, a review led by the Chief of Defence Staff has highlighted the necessity for 39 heavy attack helicopters across the Indian armed forces. In response to this assessment, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 156 LCHs, with an estimated total cost of ₹45,000 crore. This strategic decision reflects India’s commitment to augmenting its aerial warfare capabilities in alignment with its defence policy goals.
Presently, the Indian Army’s operational fleet includes 75 Rudra helicopters, armed variants of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The integration of the Apache, LCH, and Rudra helicopters will significantly enhance the Army’s operational flexibility across diverse terrains, reinforcing its combat capabilities and readiness in a rapidly changing security environment. The emphasis on developing indigenous platforms alongside international collaborations signifies a balanced approach to enhancing national defense.