Section-A Language and Comprehension

Questions in this section are based on the passage below. Read it carefully and answer the questions followed, which is aimed at testing your comprehension of the passage.

The Passage:

The Kohinoor was once the world's largest diamond, weighing 793 carats or 158.6 grams, when it was fIrst mined near Guntur in India's present-day southern state of Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty in the thirteenth century. (It has been whittled down to a little over 100 carats over the centuries.) The Kakatiya kings installed it in a temple, which was raided by the Delhi Sultan AlauddinKhilji, who took it back to his capital along with other plundered treasures. It passed into the possession of the Mughal empire that established itself in Delhi in the sixteenth century, and in 1739 fell into the hands of the Persian invader Nadir Shah, whose loot from his conquest of Delhi (and decimation of its inhabitants) included the priceless Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor itself It was Nadir Shah himself, or so legend has it, who baptized the diamond the Kohinoor, or .Mountain 0 fLight'. An eighteenth century Afghan queen memorably and colourfully stated, a strong man were to throw four stones, one north, one south, one east, one west and a fifth stone up into the air, and if the space between them were to be fIlled with gold, it would not equal the value of the Kohinoor'. Upon Nadir Shah's death, the diamond fell into the hands of one of his generals, Ahmed Shah Durrani, who became the Emir of Afghanistan. One of Durrani's descendants was then obliged to cede the Kohinoor in tribute to the powerful Sikh Maharaja of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, in 1809. But Ranjit Singh's successors could not hold on to his kingdom and the Sikhs were defeated by the British in two wars, culminating in the annexation of the Sikh domain to the British empire in 1849. That was when the Kohinoor fell into British hands. The startling statement in early 2016 by the Solicitor General of India -an advocate for the govemment-that the Kohinoor diamond had been gifted to the British and that India would not therefore seek its return, helped unleash a passionate debate in the country. Responding to a suit filed by a non-governmental organization, the All-India Human Rights and Social Justice Front, demanding that the government seek the return of the famed diamond, that the erstwhile Sikh kingdom in Punjab had given the Kohinoor to the British as 'compensation' for the expenses of the Anglo-Sikh wars of the 1840s. was neither forcibly stolen not taken away' by the British, declared the Solicitor General; as such there was no basis for the Government ofIndia to seek its return. The resultant uproar has had government spokesmen backpedalling furiously, asserting that the Solicitor General's was not the [mal official view and a claim might still be filed. Indians will not relinquish their moral claim to the world's most fabled diamond. For the Govemment of India to suggest that the diamond was paid as 'compensation' for British expenses in defeating the Sikhs is ridiculous, since any compensation by the losing side in a war to the winners is known as reparations. The diamond was formally handed over to Queen Victoria by the child Sikh heir Maharaja Duleep Singh, who simply had no choice in the matter. As I have pointed out in the Indian political debate on the issue, if you hold a gun to my head, I might you my wallet -but that doesn't mean I don't want it back when your gun has been put away. Reparations are in fact what many former colonies feel Britain owes them for centuries of rapacity in their lands. Returning priceless artefacts purloined at the height of imperial rule might be a good place to start. But the Kohinoor, which is part of the Crown Jewels displayed in the Tower of London, does pose special problems. While Indians consider their claim self-evident ­the diamond, after all, has spent most of its existence on or under Indian soil -others have also asserted their claims. The Iranians say Nadir Shah stole it fair and square; the Afghans that they held it until being forced to surrender it to the Sikhs. The latest entrant into the Kohinoor sweepstakes is Pakistan, on the somewhat flimsy grounds that the capital of the Sikh empire, the undisputed last pre-British owners, was in Lahore, now in Pakistan. (The fact that hardly any Sikhs are left in Pakistan after decades of ethnic cleansing of minorities there tends to be glossed over in asserting this claim.) The existence of contenting claims comes as a major relief to Britain as it seeks to fend off a blizzard of demands to undo the manifold injustices of two centuries or more of colonial exploitation of far-flung lands. From the Parthenon Marbles to the Kohinoor, the British expropriation of the jewels of other countries' heritage is a particular point of contention. Giving in on anyone item could, the British fear, open Pandora's Box. As the former Prime Minister David Cameron conceded on a visit to India in July 2010, you say yes to one, you would suddenly find the British Museum would be empty. I am afraid to say it [the Kohinoor] is going to have to stay put.' And then there is a technical objection. In any case, the Solicitor General averred, the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972 does not permit the government to seek the return of antiquities exported from the country before India's independence in 1947. Since the Kohinoor was lost to India a century before that date, there was nothing the government of independent India could do to reclaim it. (Of course, the law could also be amended, especially by a Parliament that is likely to vote unanimously in favour of such a change, but that does not seem to have occurred to the government, which perhaps understandably fears rocking the bilateral boat. For the same reason, it has not sought to move the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation, a UN body that could help its case.) ... Still, flaunting the Kohinoor on the Queen Mother's crown in the Tower of London is a powerful reminder of the injustices perpetuated by the former imperial power. Until it is returned-at least as a symbolic gesture of expiation -it will remain evidence of the loot, plunder and misappropriation that colonialism was really all about. Perhaps that is the best argument for leaving the Kohinoor where it emphatically does not belong -in the British hands. Source: ShashiTharoor, An Era ofDarkness: The British Empire in India, (New Delhi: Aleph, 2016) pp. 280-83.

1. What is Kohinoor?

Mountain

Crown

Throne

Diamond

2. What is the approximate weight of the Kohinoor at present in carats?

158.6

100

793

1739

3. When did Nadir Shah invade Delhi?

1849

1379

1739

1809

4. Where did AiauddinKhiIji found the Kohinoor lodged when he raided the Kakatiyas?

Palace

Temple

Tomb

Fort

5. To whom of the following does the Kohinoor owe its name?

AlauddinKhilji

(b)Shajahan

Nadir Shah

(d)Ranjit Singh

6. Who was originally in possession of the Kohinoor?

KhiIjis

Kakatiyas

Mughals

Persians

7. Which of the following war enabled the British to gain the Kohinoor?

Afghan wars

Anglo-Sikh wars

Anglo-Mysore wars

Persian wars

8. Arrange the following groups in chronological order in terms of their possession of Kohinoor.

(a)Khiljis -Persians -Afghans -Sikhs

Khiljis-Afghans-Persians -Sikhs

(c)Khiljis -Sikhs -Persians -Afghans

Sikhs -Persians -Afghans -Khiljis

9. Who among the following demanded the government of India to seek the return of Kohinoor?

Solicitor General of India

Successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

All-India Human Rights and Social Justice Front

Parliament ofIndia

10. Whom of the following lost the Kohinoor in I809?

Ranjit Singh

Ahmed Shah Durrani

Nadir Shah

Emir of Afghanistan

11. Who suggested the Kohinoor as a compensation paid by the Sikhs to the British after the Anglo-Sikhs wars?

Government of Britain

Successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

All-India Human Rights and Social Justice Front

Government ofIndia

12. Which of the following statement is incorrect?

Solicitor General ofIndia said the Kohinoor was gifted to the British

Kohinoor was paid as a reparation to the British by the descendants of Ranjit Singh

Kohinoor was handed over to Queen Victoria by Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Sikh kingdom had been annexed to the British empire in 1849

13. Where is the Kohinoor displayed at present?

British Museum

Tower of London

Victoria Memorial

Crown of the British Queen

14. Who among the following did not stake their claim on the Kohinoor?

Turkish

Iranians

Afghans

Pakistan

15. Who was found genuinely afraid of the British Museum getting empty if claims of priceless artifacts from former colonies are honoured?

Queen Victoria

David Cameron

Solicitor General of Britain

Theresa May

16. Which of the following statement is the exact position taken by the author?

Returning of Kohinoor is impossible because of the Pakistani claim

British Museum would lose its charm if the Kohinoor is returned

It will be humiliating for the British to return the Kohinoor to India

Kohinoor have to be returned to India as a way of expressing regret for colonialism

17. Name the present Indian state which is not associated with the history of the Kohinoor

Delhi

Andhra Pradesh

Punjab

Karnataka

18. Whom did Nadir Shah loot the Kohinoor from?

Khiljis

Sikhs

Mughals

Afghans

19. Which of the following statement is false?

Ahmed Shah Durrani killed Nadir Shah to become the Emir of Afghanistan

Nadir Shah called the world's most fabled diamond, the 'Mountain of Light'

Nadir Shah looted Peacock Throne too along with the Kohinoor

Solicitor General's statement weakened India's claim over repossessing the Kohinoor

20. Which of the following statement is true?

Khiljis ruled Delhi when Nadir Shah invaded the subcontinent

Mughals and Sikhs fought over the rights ofKohinoor

Mughals defeated Khiljis and gained possession of the Kohinoor

Sikh Maharaja gained the Kohinoor as a tribute

21. What claim Pakistan does make over the Kohinoor?

The Sikh empire was mostly in Pakistan

Kohinoor was in possession of Muslim rulers for a very long time

Capital of the Sikh empire belongs to the present-day Pakistan

Treaty of Lahore ceded Kohinoor to the British

22. Which of the following would be a legal hurdle standing in the way of repossessing the Kohinoor?

Multiple claims on the gem of Kohinoor

Indian Independence Act of 1947

Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972

Solicitor General's startling statement in 2016

23. Which of the following would be the possible reason for India not pressing for the return of Kohinoor'?

Pakistan's claim over the Kohinoor

Bilateral relations with the United Kingdom

Political opposition in Britain

Objections of the United Nations

24. Why should the British return the Kohinoor to India?

Kohinoor originally belonged to India

Returning Kohinoor would be a gesture of expressing regret for colonial excesses

In the Tower of London Kohinoor remain as an evidence of the injustices of imperialism

All the above

25. What enabled the British to fend ofT the demand for returning Kohinoor to India'?

Contending claims on the most fabled diamond of the world

Strong bilateral relations with India

British Prime Minister's visit to India

British policy of retaining plundered possessions from former colonies

26. In the following series, which is the 12th letter to the left of the 7th letter from your right hand side? A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

K

H

S

R

27. find out the odd one from the following.

Ruby

Sapphire

Graphite

Emerald

28. LOVE: KMSA HATE:

GXQA

DRXD

lCWI

GYQA

29. Find out from the following a group similar to 77, 55, 33.

45,30,20

70,60,45

60,40,35

85,75,65

30. 25

81

64

63

36

31. If is coded as then how will be coded?

TGCF

FGCF

TSFC

TCGF

32. Blind-Sight; Paralysis-Motion; Anaemia-?

Sleep

Blood

Stomach disorder

Loss of appetite

33. Pointing to a Photograph, a lady tells Ramesh, "I am the only daughter of this lady and her son is your maternal uncle." How is the speaker related to Ramesh's father?

Wife

Sister-in-Law

Either of the two

Sister

34. Which one of the following is different from the rest?

Sifaka

Salmon

Siamang

Squirrel

35. Find out the "odd man out"?

PASCAL

COBOL

GONDI

FORTRAN

36. If E J 15 and Q-P find out the value of M x T.

283

260

1320

43

37. How much is 40% of4 hours and 40 minutes?

110 minutes

114 minutes

112 minutes

116 minutes

38. Ravi is standing at 12th place from the cash counter in a queue of 30, what is the position of Ravi from the last person in the queue?

18

19

13

17

39. If P is to the south ofQ and R is to the east ofQ, and S is to the west ofQ, in what direction is Q with respect to

North

South

East

West

40. If the 3rd day of the month is Friday, which of the following days will occur five times in that month?

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

41. If South-West becomes North-East, then North-West become

South-West

South-East

South

East

42. IfA and B are father and mother ofD and C is the sister ofE, F is the husband ofE, Dis the brother ofC, G is the daughter ofE and then what is D to

Aunty

Uncle

Grandfather

Nephew

43. IfQ is shorter than M is shorter than M is taller than then who is the tallest among them?

Q

M

N

P

44. If 'Where are you' is written as "where is your father" is written as 8 and "your mother is good" is written as then what number stands for father and mother?

7 and 6

8 and 5

5 and 2

3 and 6

45. Supply the missing word in the sequence: Eat, Beat, Poem, Close.

Rope

Seat

Treat

Secret


46.

Questions from 46 to 50 are based on the table given below. Study the table and answer those questions:

UNESCO World Heritage Properties (sites by region and Category

Regions Cultural Natural Mixed Total
Africa 48 37 5 90
Arab States 73 5 3 81
Asia and the Pacific 172 62 12 246
Europe and North America 426 62 10 498
Latin America and the Caribbean 95 37 5 137
Total 814 203 35 1052

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/hst/stat#d1 (Accessed on 25/04/2017)

46. Which of the region in the world does have the highest number ofHeritage sites?

Asia and the Pacific

Latin America and the Caribbean

Africa

Europe and North America

47. Which region of the world has the highest number of Natural Heritage sites?

Africa

Arab States

Asia and the Pacific

Latin America and the Caribbean

48. What is the percentage share of Asia and the Pacific region out of total Heritage sites in the world?

47

23

13

9

49. Which type of World Heritage sites outnumber the rest of the categories of the Heritage properties?

Natural

Mixed

Cultural

Political

50. Which region of the world has the highest number of Cultural Heritage sites after Asia and the Pacific?

Latin America and the Caribbean

Africa

Europe and North America

Arab States

51. Let A B then A n B is









52. For a certain frequency distribution, if value of mean 62.6 and value of median= 62.5, then value of mode is

62.3

64.3

63.3

61.3

53. Three coins are tossed simultaneously, then the probability of getting exactly two heads is equal to









54. Median of7, 11 is









55. 276x276+258x258 -2x276x258

534

446

354

324

56. What smallest number should be added to 8444 so that the sum is completely divisible by









57. A man has Rs. 930 in the denominations of one-rupee notes, ten-rupee notes and twenty­rupee notes. The number of notes of each denomination is equal. What is the total number of notes that he has?









58. The price of2 sarees and 4 shirts together is Rs. 1600. With the same money one can buy 1 saree and 6 shirts. If one wants to buy 12 shirts, how much shall one has to pay?

1200

(b)2400

4800

(d)3400

59. The H.C.F. and L.C.M. of two numbers are 6 and 2520 respectively. If one of the numbers is 72, find the other number.

220

240

120

21O

60. What is the lowest common multiple of 24, 36 and 40?

120

480

360

240

61. If 27 and 243, then x is equal to:









62. In an examination, the average score of five students is 35. If the score of one student is omitted and the average score becomes 34.50, then the score of that student must have been









63. In the first 10 overs of a cricket game, the run rate was only 4. What should be the run rate in the remaining 40 overs to reach the target of 320 runs?

(a)7.5







64. If Ajit' s age after 15 years will be 5 times his age 5 years back, what is his present age?









65. If the sum of ages of 5 children born at the intervals of 3 years each is 80 years, what is the age of the youngest child?









66. Find the smallest root of the equation:









67. In an examination, 34% of the students failed in Mathematics and 42% failed in English. If 22% of the students failed in both the subjects, then find out the percentage of students who passed in both the subjects.

40%

42%

44%

46%

68. Umesh purchased 5 dozens of toys at the rate ofRs. 240 per dozen. He sold each one of them at the rate of Rs. 22. What was his profit in percentage?









69. A man took a loan at a simple interest rate of 12% per annum. After 3 years he had to pay Rs. 5400 as interest. What was the principal amount borrowed by him?

Rs. 14000

Rs. 15000

Rs. 17000

Rs. 16000

70. The population of a city is 25,000 at present. If the population increases by 10% every year, then the population of the city after three years will be

33500

32750

32500

33275

71. A can finish a work in 18 days and B can do same work in half the time taken by

A. Then working together, what part of same work they can finish in a day?









72. When payment is made online, the discount offered is 10%. An additional discount of 10% is given to SBI credit card holders. Ganesh buys a phone of Rs. 15000 by paying online and through his SBI credit card. How much does he need to pay?

Rs. 12250

Rs. 12150

Rs. 12500

Rs. 12750

73. The length of a room is 5.5 meters and its width is 3.75 meters. If the cost of flooring the room is Rs. 800 per sq. meter, how much cost would be incurred for flooring the entire room?

(a)Rs.12000

(b)Rs.19500

(c)Rs.18000

(d)Rs.16500

74. The slope of the line passing through points y1) and (x2 ,Y2)is

Change in x/Change in y

y2+y1/x2+x1

y2-y1/x2-x1

Run/Rise

75. Which equation represents the line that passes through the point and has a slope



11





76. Who formulates the Monetary policy in India?

The Reserve Bank of India

The Plaf1ning Commission

The Finance Ministry

The Securities and Exchange Board of India

77. The Indian economy can be most appropriately described as a

Socialist economy

Traditional economy

Mixed economy

Capitalist economy

78. Which of the following causes Inflation?

Increase in supply of goods

(b)Decrease in demand ofgoods

(c)Decrease in money supply

(d)Increase in money supply

79. What does 'Black money' implies?

Counterfeit currency

Money earned from chit funds

Money earned through business

Income on which payment of tax is evaded

80. What is the full form of the Aayog?

National Institution ofTechnology India

National Institute of Technology India

National Institution for Transforming India

National Institute for Transforming India

81. How many pairs of chromosomes are present in human beings?









82. Match the fo llowing and choose the correct answer. Heritage Archaeological Sites Located in the State of

I. Hampi Telangana

II. Bhimbetka Madhya Pradesh

III. Mahabalipuram Kamataka

IV. Charminar Tamil Nadu

III-D, IV-A

II-C III-D, IV-B

III-A, IV-B

II-B III-D, IV-A

83. Which one of the following differentiates man and animals?

Locomotion

Culture

Hunting

Reproduction

84. Which of the following is known as 'powerhouses of the

Ribosomes

Lysosomes

Mitochondria

Golgi Apparatus

85. Toda Tribal people are living in the following hills

Seshachalam hills

Nallamalla hills

Nilgiri hills

AllikuIi hills

86. What is the full form of MGNREGA?

Mahatma Gandhi National Regeneration ofEmployment and Guarantee Act

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Mahatma Gandhi Natural Resource and Employment and Guarantee Act

Mahatma Gandhi National Renewable Energy Guarantee Act

87. Who is the author of the book, AnnihilationofCaste?

Goutham Buddha

Mahatma JotibaPhule

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

Dr. K.R. Narayanan

88. What does Sovereignty mean?

Local Power

Economic Power

Political Power

Independent and Absolute Power

89. Which of the following country voted for Brexit?

Sweden

USA

United Kingdom

(d)Italy

90. Which of the following Indian city is well known for its diamond polishing industry?

Jaipur

Kanpur

Meerut

Surat

91. Which of the following struggle has reached its centenary year in 2017?

Quit India struggle

Non-Cooperation struggle

Champaran struggle

Civil Disobedience struggle

92. The previously called Pygmalion Point in the Nicobar Islands is now known as

Indira Point

Veer Savarkar Memorial

NetajiChowk

(d)GamdhiMaidan

93. Which constitutional amendment did bring the word 'Secularism' into the preamble of our constitution?

41st Amendment

42nd Amendment

43rd Amendment

44th Amendment

94. Identify India's largest district in tem1S of area

(a)Kutch, Gujarat

(b)AnantapuL Andhra Pradesh

(c)Darjeeling, West Bengal

(d)Akola, Maharashtra

95. World's highest cricket ground is located in

Wellington, New Zealand

Durban, South Afi-ica

Dharmsala, India

Kandy, Sri Lanka

96. 'Epigraphy' is the study of

Ancient tribal rituals

Ancient objects manufactured by humans

Ancient inscriptions

Ancient writing systems and manuscripts

97. Which of the f()lIowing city was largely designed by the two leading architects -Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker-during the colonial era?

New Delhi

Chandigarh

Madras

Calcutta

98. Which of the following class is absent in the seven classes Megasthcnes had seen in India'?

Traders

Cultivators

Philosophers

Artisans

99. Where did the British construct F0l1 St. George and Fort William respectively?

Bombay and Madras

Madras and Calcutta

Calcutta and Madras

Bombay and Calcutta

100. Who among the following said to have stated -"The Muslims were fools to ask for safeguards, and the Hindus were greater fools to refuse them."

Jawaharlal Nehru

Mahatma Gandhi

Subhas Chandra Bose

AbulKalam Azad