CTET (Social Studies) Official Paper-II Sept 2015 (English-Hindi-Sanskrit) (Previous Year Paper)

The growth and development of an individual is greatly affected by heredity and environment as well as the interaction between heredity and environment. However, there are certain issues and controversies related to this phenomena.

The above-mentioned question essentially highlights the nature-nurture debate as:

• The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development.
• The term ‘nature’ stands for what comes to children through genetic influences and heredity, i.e. it denotes the influence of factors inherent in the child himself from the time he is conceived.
• On the other hand, the term ‘nurture’ stands for the influence of the environment on child development, i.e. all the contextual factors that influence who we are, including our perceptions of early childhood, our social relationships, and the society around us.
• In other words, the controversy on nature versus nurture concerns whether human behaviour is influenced by the environment or by genes of an individual.
• Heredity and environment both play a significant role in the development of children. Any individual trait is the 'result' of both genetics and the environment. Heredity determines the probable biological limits, whereas the environment determines the level up to which the development is possible.

Hence, it could be concluded that the above-mentioned question essentially highlights the nature-nurture debate.

Abstract thinking is the ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically present. Abstract thinking is a great way to generate new ideas and gain new insights during any problem-solving process.

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development:

• Jean Piaget observed his children and their process of making sense of the world around them and developed a model of how the mind processes new information encountered.
• According to him, cognitive structures are the basic mental pattern people use to process any information.
• Jean Piaget argued that children develop abstract reasoning skills as part of their last stage of development, known as the formal operational stage.
• He explained that children progress through four stages and in the same order.

The Four Stages of Cognitive Development:

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that the development of the capacity for abstract scientific thinking is a characteristic of the formal operational stage.

Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist, has propounded the 'Theory of Moral Development'. He has made a systematic study of moral development in his theory that is categorized in 3 levels and 6 stages.

Key Points

From the above-mentioned information, it could be interpreted that the child would fall in the 'instrumental purpose orientation' stage of Kohlberg's moral reasoning as in this stage of moral development:

• moral reasoning is based on reciprocity.
• moral reasoning of the child is controlled externally.
• child's morality and behaviour are influenced by rewards and benefits.
• child believes that wrong things may be done if there is an advantage for me.
• child believes that an act is moral if similar acts occur in return(i.e. satisfies own needs).

Hence, it could be concluded that the child would fall in the 'instrumental purpose orientation' stage of Kohlberg's moral reasoning.

Additional Information

NOTE: Refer to the table to be familiar with all the levels of Kohlberg's theory.

John Dewey, an American philosopher has proposed the concept of 'Progressive Education' which emphasizes that learning takes place only through 'hands-on' approach so the students must interact with their environment to adapt and learn.

Progressive education: 

• emphasizes to enhance skills and understanding of the learners by engaging with the contents and experiences.
• promotes 'learning by doing' to make children self-reliant and productive to use their knowledge and talents effectively.
• ensures the active participation of students by working in a group and applying practical knowledge to complete an activity.

Important Points

Feature of Progressive Education:

• Education for society and democracy.
• Collaborative and cooperative learning.
• Learning as opposed to rote knowledge.
• Flexible time-table and seating arrangement.
• Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills.
• Integrated curriculum focused on thematic units.
• Emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking.
• De-emphasize textbooks, emphasize multiple resources.

Hence, it could be concluded that progressive education lays a strong emphasis on problem-solving and critical thinking.

Questions refer to the problem or difficulty that needs to be solved by thinking and recalling the concept.

• It leads to the cognitive development of students by stimulating their thinking skills and imagination power.
• Questions encouraging students to voice their individual opinions on issues and reflections while giving reasons for the same promote analytical and critical thinking of learners.

Important Points

Analytical and critical thinking are higher cognitive functions that make learners able:

• to approach an issue with an open-ended mind.
• to look at any issues from different points of view.
• to understand how issues are related to their own lives.
• to make logical connections between ideas by thinking rationally.
• to increase their own insight into the functioning of several things.
• to assess information and draw conclusions from the given raw data.
• to perceive any issues effectively to come up with the best possible inference.

 Hence , it ould be concluded that questions encouraging students to voice their individual opinions on issues and reflections while giving reasons for the same, promote analytic and critical thinking.

• Development: It can be defined as the changes in the structure, thought, or behaviour of a person that occurs as a function of both biological and environmental influences.
• Learning: It is a comprehensive process that refers to a change in behavior, knowledge, and skill as a result of practice and experience.

Development and learning are inter-related and inter-dependent and contribute to each other.

• Development is a product of maturity and learning.
• Learning and development are inter-related in a complex manner.
• Maturity is more or less automatic, unfolding biological potential which is an irreversible sequence and entails biological changes.
• Such changes are relatively independent of environmental factors as long as environmental factors remain normal.
• There is a more or less permanent change in human behaviour from the individual's experience in the environment.
• Learning occurs across the entire life span, which differs from maturity.
• However, learning depends on the process of maturing i.e. individual readiness (mental and physical) for certain activities.

Hence, we conclude that development and learning are interrelated in a complex manner.

Development refers to an increase in structure for better and enhanced functioning of organs. It is a wide, complex and continuous process, thus there are some principles that need to be followed for a better understanding of the concept.

Key Points

Principles of development include:

• Development is modifiable.
• Development is life-long process.
• Development is a continuous process.
• Development is not uniform in all stages
• Development rate varies person to person.
• Development is sequential and predictable.
• Development proceeds from general to specific.
• Development is influenced by heredity and environment.

Hence, it could be included that development is governed and determined by culture alone is not a principle of development**.** 

Hint 

Development is not governed and determined by culture alone as development is a product of both heredity and environment.

A child-centered classroom is one that gives primacy to children's experiences and needs and provides ample opportunities for the children to foster their strategy of learning to perform a task or classroom activities.

Key Points

A key feature of a child-centered classroom is that the students with the teacher's guidance are made responsible for constructing their own understanding as in child-centered classroom:

• the active participation and involvement of children play a very vital role in learning and shaping the personality of a child.
• teachers facilitate students as a facilitator by providing with proper environment and materials to make them learn at their own pace.
• students take leadership in the classroom, present their work, facilitate groups, and are assessed for process, group work, and product.
• students work in flexible, cooperative groupings to solve problems, express their ideas freely, and develop naturally towards their fullest potential.

Hence, it could be concluded that in a child-centered classroom the students with the teacher's guidance are made responsible for constructing their own understanding.

Intelligence refers to the global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment. Intelligence provides an understanding of how people adapt their behavior according to the environment they live in. Intelligence is the mental capacity of an individual to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with her/his environment.

Key Points

Definitions of Intelligence:

• According to Binet, ‘Intelligence means the capacity to judge well, to reason well, and to comprehend well.’
• According to Terman, ‘Intelligence means the ability to think in terms of abstract ideas.’

Howard Gardener proposed Multi-dimensional or 'Multiple Intelligence Theory'. This theory helps in understanding how cultures shape the potential of the human using Intelligence as a multi-dimensional set of complex abilities. Intelligence is multi-dimensional and it has several aspects to it.

The following diagram will provide a complete idea of Howard Gardener's 8 types of Intelligence:-

NOTE: Intelligence has several aspects, so other options are not appropriate for intelligence.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that Intelligence is multi-dimensional having several aspects to it.

Gender refers to the socially and culturally constructed system that attributes meaning to what it means to be a male or a female in a particular society.

Gender bias leads to differential learning experiences, even though the girls and boys of a class sit in the same classroom and attended by the same teacher.

• Differential treatment of boys and girls based on expectations due to cultural attitudes.
• It is the belief when someone prioritizes one gender more than the other one.
• It is a preference or prejudice toward one gender over the other for example preferring boys over girls during an activity.

Examples of Gender:-

• Girls being given lesser opportunities to participate in school and classroom events
• Applying gender stereotypes like femininity norms among girls to behave quiet, being neat, calm, etc. and masculine norms among boys to be loud, bold, strong, etc.
• Stereotypical expressions of male and female characters in textbook content.
• Assigning work differentially to boys and girls​.

Hence, it becomes clear that Gender bias refers to the differential treatment of boys and girls based on expectations due to cultural attitudes.

First-generation school-goers children refer to the children who are the first in their family to go to school or whose parents have completed formal education till the primary level.

In the above-mentioned situation, an upper primary school teacher should most likely to provide scaffolding and other kinds of support to first-generation school-goers children during classroom activities and for homework as:

• they are the first one in their generation to go to school thus blindly rely on schools and tuitions.
• their home environment doesn't expose them to self-study and they suffer from the lack of self-reflection.
• their parents are illiterate or have basic education till primary level thus they don't get parental support in study.

Hence, it could be concluded that providing scaffolding and other kinds of support during classroom activities and for homework will be the appropriate strategy in the above-mentioned situation.

NOTE: Scaffolding refers to a process through which required assistance is given to children according to their individual needs.

A school is a place designed to provide an adequate learning environment for an effective teaching-learning process. It a miniature society where children learn by interacting with their environment. lt plays a vital role in ensuring the all-round development of children.

Key Points

In case, when children of the same age vary greatly in appearance, aptitude amongst other things, school ensures that each child gets opportunities to develop as per her potential as it is a child-centered social institution where school children:

• occupy the central position.
• enjoy maximum autonomy in the learning process.
• develop the ability to assimilate the concepts efficiently.
• perform a task or classroom activities at their own pace.
• avail ample opportunities to foster their own strategy of learning.
• inculcate the informal cues about social roles through interaction.

Hence, it could be concluded that in the above-mentioned situation school ensures that each child gets opportunities to develop as per her potential.

Teachers are the most important resources in educational settings. They are the implementer of education and key figures for any changes required in the educational field.

Key Points

A teacher's most important role in an inclusive classroom is to ensure that every child gets an opportunity to realize their potential as an inclusive classroom is a part of inclusive education which:

• includes all children in the education system, regardless of their differences and disabilities.
• provides a provision to include disabled children along with normal children in classroom environment.
• accommodates all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions.
• advocates to provide education as per learners' age irrespective of their physical disabilities and mental disabilities.
• values the diversity, each child brings to the classroom and facilitates all with equal opportunities to learn and grow.

Basic Principles of an inclusive classroom:

• Well constructed educational plan.
• Use of multilingualism as a resource.
• Use of specific pedagogical strategies.
• Equity and equal opportunities for all.
• Sensitization towards individual differences.

 Hence, it could be concluded that a teacher's most important role in an inclusive classroom is to ensure that every child gets an opportunity to rea lize their potential.

Effective student learning: The primary focus of teachers is on effective student learning. The ultimate achievement of students is dependent on the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Hence, there is a need to focus on the quality as well as the quantity of teaching and learning which takes place. There is evidence to prove that students' learning time has positive correlations with their learning outcomes.

• The teacher's background expertise in the subject content, training background, personality behavior with students, etc. does contribute to effective learning and ultimately effective schooling.
• A teacher should bring desirable and constructive changes in students through instruction, example, and influence.
• The teacher makes changes in the concept to remove the border or repetition of concepts. If the teacher does so, the teacher will give the opportunity to learn to express their own understanding of the concept.
• Make changes in the concept bring new and creative ideas to the existing concept.
• While making changes in the concept, the teacher should incorporate the ideas of the learner in the existing concept, It will enhance their creative thinking and also motivate the learner to express their ideas without any hesitation.
• The children have their own ways of grasping and understanding the concept, so it will be fruitful for the teacher to allow the learner to express their own understanding of the concepts.

Hence, we can conclude that by giving children an opportunity to express their own understanding of the concepts, the teacher can help children in the class to make changes in their concepts.

A certificate is given to children when they read a specific number of books. It will encourage or motivate the learner to developing reading habits but this will leads to extrinsic motivation which can make a problem and deviate the learner from enhancing his/her reading skills and grammar skills.  

• In long run, this strategy will not work since this might lead to children reading only for getting the certificates for reading books. This shows the extrinsic motivation which can hinder in developing reading skills. For reading, the child needs intrinsic motivation instead of extrinsic motivation.
• Reading books will not distract children from completing their homework. It is a kind of leisure activity which a child can do in free time and this will also help the child in developing the reading skills.
• The reason behind giving certificates is to boost the morale of the learner, so he/she can receive intrinsic motivation to do grateful tasks.

Hence, we can conclude that A certificate is given to children when they read a specific number of books. In the long run, this strategy might not work since this might lead to children reading only for getting certificates.

Teachers are the most important resources in educational settings. They are the implementer of education and key figures for any changes required in the educational field. Their patience and perseverance significantly impact a student's success in the classroom.

Role of a teacher in a class is to:

• provide authentic learning situations.
• facilitate independent thinking in students.
• nurture learner's curiosity in the learning process.
• understand the diverse learning needs of every student.
• enhance learners' skills and understanding of the concept.
• teach in an interesting manner to make learning enjoyable.

Hence, it could be concluded that the role of a teacher in a class is to provide authentic learning situations and facilitate independent thinking in students.

Errors:

• When a learner can’t master a topic, he/she is vulnerable to make errors. Errors are nothing but incorrectness made by a child during learning.
• It also takes place due to the mismatch in previously assimilated and the newly accommodated knowledge.

Important Points

Children's errors are a window into how they think:

• Learning from mistakes and errors is a crucial and important part of learning new concepts.
• Committing errors in learning to show the thinking ability and capacity of a child.
• Errors are very helpful in developing critical and creative thinking of the students.
• It is like a window into how the learner pounder on the errors and learns from the errors.
• The teachers should not deny the learner to committing errors, if the teacher does, he/she deteriorate the thinking capacity of a child.
• Imitating others while learning will also barrier to developing critical thinking.

Hence, we can conclude that the statement 'children's errors are a window into how they think' is most appropriate about children's making errors.

Assessment is a process of collecting, receiving, and using data for the purpose of improvement in the learning process. It assesses both scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of a child's growth.

Key PointsAssessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process because assessment:

• makes reliable decisions about educational planning.
• helps the teacher to understand children's learning
• serves as a feedback for students as well as the teachers.
• determines the effectiveness of the learning process or program.
• lays emphasis on thought process and de-emphasize memorization.

Hence, it could be concluded that assessment is an integral part of teaching-learning process because assessment helps the teacher to understand children's learning and serves as a feedback for her own teaching.

Additional Information

There are Two Types of Assessment-

1. Formative assessment  -  During the course (Assessment for learning)
2. Summative assessment  -  After the course (Assessment of learning)

NCF(National Curriculum Framework) 2005 is one of the four NCF published in India by NCERT. It seeks to provide a framework for the betterment of educational purposes and experiences.

According to NCF 2005, there are many factors contributing to quality education such as quality of teachers, curriculum, infrastructural facilities, quality of teaching, etc. It seeks to reform the curriculum and to bring learning experiences in and outside the classroom. 

Against the above-mentioned backdrop recommended by the NCF 2005, the primary role of the teacher includes:

• facilitating children’s learning in a manner that helps children to construct knowledge.
• considering learners as active participants in their learning and not as recipients of knowledge.
• giving plenty of opportunities to children to share their own understanding and knowledge.
• encouraging learners to reflect, analyze, and to interpret in the process of knowledge construction.
• creating fear-free atmosphere, addressing diversity and inclusion, maintaining equity in the education.

Hence, it could be concluded that against the above-mentioned backdrop, the primary role of the teacher should be giving plenty of opportunities to children to share their own understanding and knowledge.

Teachers play the most crucial role in moulding the behaviour of learners. This shaping of behaviour is achieved through planning and dedication. The benefits of teaching are maximized when teachers act as a facilitator for the students.

Role of a Teacher to Encourage Children: The role of the teachers is considered to view learners as active participants in their learning and not as recipients of knowledge.

• A teacher functions as a learner, counselor, manager, assessor, and innovator.
• Teachers need to motivate the child to put in effort in their studies.
• The role of the teachers is considered to view learners as active participants in their learning and not as recipients of knowledge.
• Teacher's interactive role in the teaching-learning process mainly emphasizes the active involvement of all students for meaningful learning.
• Teacher support is also seen as a necessary component of developmentally appropriate practice.

NOTE: According to NCF 2005, the role of a teacher has to be facilitative because the teacher encourages the learners to reflect, analyze and interpret in the process of knowledge construction, and creating a fear-free atmosphere, addressing diversity and inclusion, equity and quality in the school education.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that to encourage children to put in efforts in their studies, teachers need to motivate the child.

• Emotion is a mental state associated with fear, anger, love, etc. It is associated with a feeling of pleasure and displeasure. Every emotion is followed by psychological changes like a rapid heartbeat.
• Cognition is the process of acquiring knowledge through experiences and senses. Cognition describes how mental processes i.e. learning, remembering, problem-solving, and thinking develop from birth until adulthood.
• The term motivation is derived from the Latin word 'movere' which means 'to move'. It is a complex set of psychological forces. Motivation is something that moves a person into action and inspires him to continue in the course of action already initiated.

Important Points

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills and a change in an individual’s behaviour as a result of some experience.

• If the learning motivation is high, student learning outcomes are high as well and vice versa.
• In order for a goal to be motivational, it must be specific in terms of its level and time frame.
• The relationship between cognition and emotion has fascinated important thinkers within the intellectual tradition. Physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development in a child is the development of an integrated and holistic fashion.
• Cognition is closely intertwined with emotions and language. Mind states are powerful determinants of one’s current judgments and decision making, that often effect once performance outcome in a task both in social and non-social context.
• Emotions or emotional approach is a psychological construct that involves the use of emotional processing and emotional expression in response to a different situation.
• Emotions are experienced as positive feelings, negative feelings, undesired reactions to any stressful situation, these often impact decision making i.e. cognition.
• The Emotional Approach involves the conscious use of emotional expression and processing to better deal with stressful situations.

Hence, we conclude that Emotions are inextricably intertwined with motivation and learning.

Multiple-choice questions are highly reliable and valid questions that are used to measure educational achievement, intelligence, etc.

Multiple Choice Questions assess the child's ability to recognize the correct answer as it consists of such questions which:

• require sharp memory to recognize answers from given alternative answers.
• allow the testee to choose one answer from a limited list of possible answers.
• require one-word answer thus minimize the subjective inference and judgment.
• apt for definite answers which are represented as a single word, digit, or symbol.

Hence, it could be concluded that multiple Choice Questions assess the child's ability to recognize the correct answer.

Additional Information:

Characteristics of Multiple Choice Questions:

• Easy in construction.
• Apt for a definite answer.
• Reduces cost and time
• Allows for guessing factor.
• Reliable and valid content.

Socialization is the process through which communities transact or educate their members about the norms and values of society to be socially acceptable.

Key Points

Socialization is a process by which an individual becomes a member of society through a mechanism of interaction. Its purpose is to prepare individuals for future roles.​

Process of socialization includes:

• Transmission of manners and culture.
• Acquisition of skills, values, and beliefs.
• Learning the customs and norms of a culture.
• Adaptation of social behaviour and principles.
• Internalization of attitudes and customs of society.

Hence, it could be concluded that the process of socialization does not include 'genetic transmission'.

Additional Information

There are two main types of socialization:

• Primary socialization: Takes place early in life. Eg- family.
• Secondary socialization: Takes place throughout one's life. Eg- peer groups.

Jean Piaget, a swiss psychologist, is famous for his work on child development. He made a systematic study of cognitive development in his theory that is categorized in four stages.

Piaget used 'Schemas' for 'mental structures which are the building blocks of thinking' as according to Piaget:

• Schemas are mental representations of how information is organized and interpreted.
• schemas refer to a small packet of information that is used to organized and store information.
• Schemas are specific psychological structures, constructed in organized ways to make sense of experience.

Hence, it could be concluded that Piaget used 'Schemas' for 'mental structures which are the building blocks of thinking'.

Additional Information

Other key Concepts of Piaget Theory:

• Accommodation: It is the modification of an existing schema to suit the new experience.
• Assimilation: It is the addition of a new concept or experience into an already existing schema.
• Equilibration: It refers to the process to find a balance between existing schemas and new information.

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Learning:

• Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who believed that social interactions play a key role in development. According to him, learning occurs when children interact with people and the environment.
• He explains this with the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which refers to a range of tasks that a child can achieve only with assistance from a more skilled adult or peer called the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). Adult assistance is provided wherever necessary which is called Scaffolding.
• Vygotsky embedded in this theory, the concept of 'private speech' which is a kind of speech directed to self with no communicative function. Children use private speech to guide their actions by speaking themselves.

Private Speech:

• It refers to the speech produced aloud by young children which seems to be addressed either to the self or to others, which sometimes cannot be easily conceived by a listener.
• It has a major role in the augmentation of the self and self-consciousness.
• This phenomenon starts in the early years of life and proceeds to the end of adolescence and even later.
• It is the main aspect in the development of self and subjectivity.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that children speak to themselves to guide their actions.

Learning disability refers to the neurological disorder that causes cognitive impairment.

• It is a variable state which can be addressed by appropriate comprehensible inputs.
• Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, etc are the example of learning disability.

Important Points

Children with learning disabilities have confusion between letters and alphabets that look alike as 'Dyslexia' is the most common learning disability which results in reverse or mirror images of the letters and alphabet thus makes learners:

• unable to read, interpret, and understand letters and words.
• confuse with the same shapes and sounds of the alphabet.
• bewilder in identifying and relating speech sounds with letters and words.

Hint

• Learning disability can present in children with average and above-average IQ which makes the struggle in a particular area where they need remedial educational help.

Hence, it could be concluded that children with learning disabilities have confusion between letters and alphabets that look alike.

Creativity is the phenomenon whereby imaginative and original ideas are turned into reality. It is a cognitive ability to produce something novel by offering a fresh perspective.

Creativity refers to the ability to identify or prepare original and divergent solutions to problems as creativity is related to the concept of 'divergent thinking' which refers to:

• a way of solving problems by more than one approach.
• an act of working with open-ended questions using creativity and ingenuity.
• a process which includes brainstorming, imagination, out of the box thinking in it.
• the ability possesses by the people who are creative, persistent, and imaginative.

Hence, it could be concluded that creativity refers to the ability to identify or prepare original and divergent solutions to problems.

Additional Information

Characteristics of creative children:

• Perceive relation between impossible things.
• Think quickly and solve problems in a novel way.
• Convert imaginative and original ideas into reality.
• Try new things and risk failure in executing innovative ideas.
• Use divergent and out of the box thinking in different situations.

In India, boys are supposed to go and work while girls are supposed to take care of household chores and other responsibilities regarding the home. There is a stereotype that certain activities are only meant to be done by girls or not by the boys and vice versa.

In the above-mentioned phenomenon, the teacher should give homework that connects the learning at school to the children's lives at home as:

• it will make learning alive by connecting it with real-life situations.
• it will help learners in gaining concrete experiences related to homework.
• it will bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical aspects of learning.
• it will make learning easy for learners through direct contact with real situations.

Hence, it could be concluded that in the above-mentioned phenomenon, the teacher should give homework that connects the learning at school to the children's lives at home.

NOTE: Homework refers to a piece of work assigned to students as a part of study to do at home. It is given by the teacher at the end of their period t make students revised that particular topic for better academic outcomes.

Effective classroom ensures effective teaching as it refers to an environment that is free of distraction and disruption. In effective classrooms, teachers present a strong case for learner-centered education. 

• In an effective classroom, teachers advocate a philosophy of teaching in which students are given a far more important role in curriculum decisions than has traditionally been the case.

Key Points

In an effective classroom, the children look up to the teacher for guidance and support to facilitate their learning as in effective classrooms teachers:

• work according to learners' interests to achieve their fullest potential.
• give primacy to children's understanding, requirements, experiences, needs, etc.
• focus on how well the students have understood a particular topic, and motivate them to learn.
• promote problem-solving, reasoning skills, and create a learning environment to foster the development of children.
• encourage children to think logically and provide ample opportunities to children to make them learn at their own pace.

Hence, it could be concluded that in an effective classroom, the children look up to the teacher for guidance and support to facilitate their learning.

Learning is a comprehensive process which refers to a change in behavior, knowledge, and skills as a result of practice and experience. It refers to the modification of behavioral pattern as it modifies the behavior and personality of an individual.

Learning takes place in the best way when authentic knowledge is provided in an integrated or sequential manner as it helps learners in making logical connections across different topics.

Presenting disconnected chunks of knowledge would make it difficult for learners to gain conceptual understanding  as it will not let learners:

• acquire any sound knowledge.
• gain a better understanding of the concept.
• connect subject matter to their previous knowledge.
• make the necessary connections among pieces of information.

Hence, it could be concluded that presenting disconnected chunks of knowledge would make it difficult for learners to gain conceptual understanding.

Social Science is a branch of science that deals with human behaviour and social relationships, which rely primarily on empirical approaches.

• It aims at enabling the students to adjust to their social environment which includes the family community state and nation and in fact the entire humanity.
• Social Science is the study of the people and their interactions with one another.
• It covers the study of communities at all levels, local, regional, national, and international with a focus on man and his social environment.

Teaching Learning Material in Social Science: Teaching learning materials (TLM) in social science is a set of tools that facilitate learning by providing the required input that meets the objectives. For example, Maps, Models, story-boards, Overhead Projectors, Charts, Video lessons, etc.

• TLM helps in making learning fun in the classroom. Students enjoy the novelty of handling new objects and learn new concepts through them.
• A storyboard is a graphic organizer that plans a narrative.

Story-Boards: It is a series of diagrams that show a sequence of displays. 

• Storyboards can be used in almost any production application that requires visualization of a scene.
• Story-boards in social science teaching is used in encouraging discussion on the given narrative.
• Storyboards are an effective way to quickly tell a story.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that Story-boards in social science teaching is used in encouraging discussion on the given narrative.

Every individual is a part of the community and it is not merely a History or Geography or Civics or an Economics that matters, but rather the man himself who influences and is influenced by his history, his geography, his civics or his economics and his community. The way to make people aware of themselves and their environment is through education. The aim of providing education to children is the all-round development of their personality. 

Parliament makes laws for the whole country. It is the supreme law-making body in the country. For developing an understanding of the Indian Parliament's role and functions youth parliament activity will be appropriate. 

YOUTH PARLIAMENT:

• There are four techniques which are used to develop skills and attitudes to deal with problems of group life and which have received the attention of educationists:

1. Group Discussion,
2. Sociodrama and Role-playing,
3. Use of Sociograms and other Devices of Sociometry, and
4. Application of Action Research.

• There is a need to develop a programme in which elements of all the four techniques are used and integrated as far as possible. The Youth Parliament is a programme in which group discussion and role-playing techniques can effectively be used.

The purpose of the Youth Parliament are as follows:

• To make students understand the parliamentary procedure.
• To develop in students an insight into the working of parliament
• To make students consider public issues and form their opinion on them.
• To train students in the technique of group discussion
• To develop in students an ability to arrive at a decision after group discussion.
• To develop in them respect and tolerance for the views of others.
• To develop in them an understanding that respect for rules is essential for conducting any discussion systematically and effectively.
• To train students in group behaviour.
• To make students aware of various problems facing our society and the country.
• To develop in students the quality of leadership.
• To make students understand the common man's point of view and express it in an articulated manner.

From the above, it's clear that holding youth parliament activity is the most appropriate for developing an understanding of the Indian Parliament's role and functions. Hence, option 3 is correct.

The environment is a sum of values that constitutes a common asset of human beings. Human beings are in an interaction with their environment as from the moment of their existence. This interaction aims to meet the requirements necessary for their living. However, excessive consumption and misuse lead to deformation of nature, which is capable of renewing itself

Environmental education :

• It has complementary objectives both in cognitive and affective areas.
• While the cognitive objectives try to make individuals literate, the affective objectives create values and attitudes regarding the environment and environmental issues (Erdogan, 2007).
• Within this scope, environmental awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills, participation, and consciousness constitute the components of environmental education.
• Importance of the environmental education rapidly increases in the changing world, and in education, it emphasized more and more.

Case-Study Method:

• The case-based learning method in a social studies course positively improves students’ attitudes towards the environment.
• The case-study method should be used effectively in learning-teaching processes to improve environmental awareness among the students
• Furthermore, some objectives of the social studies course can be achieved more effectively and, the objectives of this course also include improvement of environmental awareness of students towards environmental issues.
• This method had made contributions to the development of students’ emphatic, creative, critical, analytical, and reflective thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills and increased the responsibility, solidarity, participation, cooperation, respect, and value levels of students.
• One of the examples of case study method is when the teacher asks students about their water usage and later she discussion how water can be conserved.

Problem-Solving Method:

• Problem-solving is an essential process in learning generalization.
• It is a complex form of learning and is considered to be at the apex of hierarchies of human learning.
• Develops a brainstorming approach in learning concepts.
• The students think about the problem and understand the science behind it is based on common sense.
• It does not base on textual knowledge. Instead, it moves from experiencing to slowly forming concepts through books at a later stage.
• It is a process from practice to theory, not vice versa.
• Here, knowledge is not a goal, however, a natural out came of working on tasks.
• In this process, students stay and work in the real world and like to deal with concrete things where they are allowed to touch, feel, and handle things.

Enquiry Method:

• It is a learner-centred method that focuses on asking questions
• It involves a process of investigating the natural or material world that leads to asking questions
• It allows students to make discoveries in the hunt for new understandings

Deductive Method:

• It is an instructor-centred approach.
• Concepts and generalizations are introduced first and then examples and activities in order to support learning.
• Lessons are presented in lecture form with less interaction between teachers and learners.

From the above, we can conclude that the case-study method is encouraged in the class.

It's important for the students to make connections between different pieces of knowledge so that students can recover and apply their knowledge faster and more precisely.

An explanation that discusses how concepts are intricated in our social lives a macro-level theory of concepts. Such theories intend to elaborate on the relationship between the social and cognitive behaviour of individuals, and the stock of concepts that they have available to them. In recent times, there has been a trend in social philosophical inquiry toward this form of theorization. Individuals depend on a pool of culturally shared concepts that deal with particular social functions. This pool of concepts is known as a conceptual resource.

In order to organize knowledge and ideas conceptual resources include:

• Timelines- A powerful visual tool that put emphasis on principal characteristics of a work process, describes it, or present progress stages in a sequent manner.
• Summaries- Aids students learn to determine important ideas and combine key details that support them. Enables students to focus on keywords and phrases that are important and remembering. Teaches students how to reduce the large text into the main points for a better understanding.
• Memory cues- It refers to objects that trigger a memory and helps to retrieve information that is stored in our memory.
• Review: It is used to check the understanding of the students and change the information if required A teacher can review the knowledge by using flashcards etc.

From the above, we can conclude that Memory cues and review are important along with timelines and summaries to organize knowledge and ideas.

Social Science is a branch of science that deals with human behaviour and social relationships, which rely primarily on empirical approaches. Social science includes disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.

Activity-Based Questions in Social Science Lessons:

• It indulges students in activities by stimulating their senses, such as sight, smell, vision, or feeling, and getting them involved in the subject.
• In activity-based learning, students are involved in learning activities more than listening, and less emphasis is placed on transmitting information and more on developing student’s skills.
• Activity-based questions make social Science lesson joyful, interesting for the students.
• Students are involved in higher-order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, it becomes clear that Activity-based questions make Social Science lessons joyful.

The subject of the Social Studies which deals directly with a man and the society in which he lives, carries the special responsibility of preparing young children to become well informed, constructive participants in society and capable of developing healthy social relationships. 

Key Points Role-Play-

• It is an effective learning strategy in which students act the part of another character, thereby gaining an appreciation for others’ points of view as well as an understanding of the complexity of resolving issues and problems in the real world.
• In the context of social studies, this strategy may be used to learn about issues and decisions of the past (and how things might have been different) or about current issues in the local community or in a broader setting.
• Aside from knowledge acquisition, preparing and conducting a role-play activity strengthens students’ knowledge acquisition skills, their creativity, their value clarification skills, and a variety of interpersonal skills identified in the curriculum outcomes.

Case-Study-

• The case-based learning method in a social studies course positively improves students’ attitudes towards the environment.
• This method had made contributions to the development of students’ emphatic, creative, critical, analytical, and reflective thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills and increased the responsibility, solidarity, participation, cooperation, respect, and value levels of students.

Film Screening-

• It is an effective tool for enhancing social studies curriculum when used effectively.
• Classroom instructional goals like reasoning, critical thinking, retention and understanding, self-regulation, and reflection of the curriculum can be achieved by using film appropriately in the social studies classroom.

Photo Essay-

• It is a series of photographs that tell a story.
• It focuses on visuals instead of words.
• It helps to extend the creative limits and investigate new ways to connect with the learners.

From the above, we can conclude that the role-play method is most suitable for developing an understanding of social problems.

Information sources are many and varied. Since time immemorial human beings are generating information by observation, experimentation, imagination, reasoning, and experiencing through sensory organs. The information they generated were generally communicated to others for their own interest and survival.

• Primary Sources: A source will be considered as a primary source in case it carries newly generated information, original work of research, or a new interpretation of already known facts. The document is the first and often the only published record of original research. The information contained in primary sources is generally scattered and unorganized.
• Take, for example, the case of swine flu, a new disease for human beings. Ever since the first case was reported in Mexico in April 2009, a lot of research work is going on in the world to find out a vaccine to contain it, medicines to cure those who are already affected, etc.
• As per the scenario given in the to know about government schemes through primary sources, the teacher will assign the assignments to the students: These assignments will be:
• An interview with a Block Development Officer
• A survey of schemes in the students' neighborhood
• A report on expenditure incurred, on various schemes in the student's neighborhood.
• Secondary Sources: A source which is more or less completely dependent on primary sources for its existence is a secondary source. Information in secondary sources is organized and arranged according to a definite plan. Indexing and abstracting periodicals, government documents are examples of secondary sources.

NOTE: A review of a book on government schemes is a secondary source.

Hence, we can conclude that A review of a book on government schemes is not appropriate to take knowledge of primary sources.

J.F. Forrester (1948), in Teaching of Social Studies by Mangal defines “Social Studies, are, as the name suggests studies society and its chief aim is to help pupils to understand the world in which they have to live and how it came to be, so that they may become responsible citizens. It aims at promoting critical thinking and readiness for social change, at creating a disposition for acting on behalf of the general welfare, at an appreciation of other cultures and a realization of the interdependence of man and man and nation and nation.” 

Assignment -

• Defined as out-of-class tasks assigned to students as an extension or elaboration of classroom work.
• It serves as an intellectual discipline, establishes study habits, and eases time constraints on the amount of curricular material that can be covered in class; it supplements and reinforces work done in school.
• In addition, it fosters the student's initiative, independence, and responsibility and brings home and school closer together.

Kind of Assignments:

• An original assignment that tests concepts is an appropriate and meaningful written assignment in Social Science from the following as it will give the students an opportunity to critically examine, understand, and appreciate the concepts.
• A summary of the chapter will help the learners to explain the chapter in his/her own words. It will develop their cognitive domain.

Searching for an exact answer from the textbook and the previous year's assignment will develop a low level of the cognitive domain of the learner.

From the above, we can conclude that the original assignment that tests concepts is an appropriate and meaningful written assignment in Social Science.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Cynic (substantive) as follows s- 

• ’One of the sects of philosophers in ancient Greece, founded by Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates, who was marked by an ostentatious contempt for ease, wealth, and the enjoyments of life'.
• 'A person disposed to rail or find fault; now — usually one who shows a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives or actions, and is wont to express this by sneers and sarcasm; a sneering fault-finder.

“Democratic institution” refers to an institution where decisions are made by majority vote. For instance, legislative bodies, electoral boards, executive bodies, and institutions, etc.

To prevent cynicism among students about democratic institutions, the teacher can follow the following strategies:

• Emphasize Ideal functioning and principles: The principles of art and design, balance, rhythm, pattern, etc these findings indicate the role of informed, that increased public understanding of evidence can play an important role in advancing evidence-based care by helping in the policies to reflect the needs and values of the public.
• By indicating the role of informed public

Steps that will cause cynicism are:

• By emphasizing the Ideal functioning and principles of democratic institutions.
• By indicating the impossibility of changing institutions.

From the above, it's clear that all the above points are correct for the above situation.

Gender is an evolving concept and is used to understand the differential place of women and men in society. A gender role is a set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviours that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual or perceived sex or sexuality. 

Methods to encourage students to talk about gender roles in a Social Science class at the upper primary level are as follows:

• Guided Discussion:
• It is an active learning technique that encourages students to reflect on their own experiences, explore alternative ways of thinking, connect to a topic, and improve analytical skills.
• As students participate, they demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the course topics, promoting a deeper comprehension of the material.
• The teacher can use guiding questions to help students create content together, allowing the teacher to become a facilitator of information rather than the lecturer.
• Lecture by an Expert:
• It is an effective method for communicating theories, ideas, and facts to students.
• It provides a summary or synthesis of information from different sources.
• It creates interest in a subject as lecturers transmit enthusiasm about their discipline.
• Internet Search by Students:
• As the internet has become an important resource for the teaching-learning process, the importance of internet using skills for both teachers and learners increases along with the emphasis on information technology literacy skills such as accessing, retrieving, evaluating, and applying information.
• It's important that upper primary level learners use the internet with the guidance of teachers.

From the above, we can conclude that Guided discussion on experiences is the best method from among the following to encourage students to talk about gender roles in a Social Science class at the upper primary level.

Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) has been introduced as a school-based system of evaluation by the CBSE in 2009 with the enactment of the 'Right to Education Act'.

• CCE refers to all-around development including both scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of a child's growth.
• It never assesses students according to their economic status rather it emphasizes the continuity of assessment.

Tools of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation:

• Using various tools and modes of evaluation such as anecdotal records, rating scale, portfolio, paper, pencil test, oral testing, individual and group evaluation methods at different stages.
• A portfolio is the collection of evidence of students’ works over a period of time. It could be day-to-day works or selection of the learner’s best piece of work.
• Portfolios encourage teachers and schools to focus on important student outcomes, provide parents and the community with credible evidence of student achievement.
• A portfolio indicates skills developed in the students, and also enables a student to demonstrate to others, his/her learning, and progress.
• A portfolio provides a cumulative record of growth and development of a skill or competence in an area over a period of time.

Hence, it becomes clear that Portfolio is an important tool for continuous and comprehensive evaluation because it indicates skills developed in the students.

Source plays a vital role in the teaching-learning process. In education, the meaning of source is any place, book, document, object, and used by a teacher to clarify or enliven a subject. It can also be viewed as material and equipment used in the teaching-learning process. Teaching-learning sources are those resources what teachers use to assist learners to meet the expectations for learning defined by the curriculum. We can also define these resources as materials used by a teacher to supplement classroom instruction or to stimulate the interest of learners.

Types of Learning Sources:

Primary Sources: A source will be considered as a primary source in case it carries newly generated information, the place of incident happen, original work of research, or a new interpretation of already known facts. The document is the first and often the only published record of original research. The information contained in primary sources is generally scattered and unorganized.

• Take, for example, if the teacher panned a trip to Delhi to give the first-hand knowledge about the chapter Delhi sultanates. So the museums, forts, monuments in Delhi will be the primary sources for students to make assignments.
• As per the scenario given in the question, It is a primary type of learning source for encouraging your students to use.

Secondary Sources:  A source which is more or less completely dependent on primary sources for its existence is a secondary source. Information in secondary sources is organized and arranged according to a definite plan. Secondary sources provide second-hand information. Indexing and abstracting periodicals, government documents are examples of secondary sources.

• The textual source is an example of secondary sources. For example, if the student gains knowledge about the Delhi sultanate from the test book. This source is known as a textual source.

Additional Information

• Graphics is the technical resources of the video production process. Graphics are used to convey ideas or present information, which cannot be presented or communicated easily using spoken words or live actions.
• Folk resources are dance and music resources. These resources are helpful to get knowledge about the origin and back history of  Folk dance and music.

Hence, we can conclude that the scenario in the question is reflecting the primary source used by the teacher to teach students.

The concept of diversity encloses acceptance and respect. The ability to see the world from the individual, social, religious, cultural, and other perspectives of others does not always happen naturally and, thus, must be taught to the students. 

The reason for including this activity in the history textbook of class VIII is to develop the concept of diversity of views in students.

Diversity of views:

• Diversity means differences between people. It can be physical differences like gender, race, and age, to cultural differences as well as how a person dresses, practices religion, and speaks.
• In later life, pupils need to understand these differences, respect them, and look for the opportunities they bring with them.
• This activity will give pupils an opportunity to learn different perspectives. It can also facilitate a more worldly view, which is important to have in a global world.
• Different perspectives can urge pupils to shove through their own biases and look at challenges anew.

From the above, it's clear that the reason for including this activity in the history textbook of class VIII is to develop the concept of diversity of views in students.

Social Science as a discipline has the unique capability of being able to look at both developmental and normative issues of the society. It includes disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.

National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 is one of the four NCF published in India by NCERT. It seeks to provide a framework for the betterment of educational purposes and experiences.

Key Points

Social Science According to NCF 2005:

• The objective of teaching the social sciences is to develop an understanding of the earth as the habitat of humankind and other forms of life.
• It helps to initiate the learner into a study of her/ his own region, state, and country in the global context.
• Social Science must link a child's life at school with life outside the classroom.
• It helps to initiate the learner into a study of India’s past, with references to contemporary developments in other parts of the world.

Hence, it becomes clear that according to NCF 2005 Social Science must link a child's life at school with life outside the classroom.

Social Science as a discipline has the unique capability of being able to look at both developmental and normative issues of the society. It includes disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.

Key Points

Co-curricular activities in Social Science are usually organized outside the classroom to provide opportunities for students to develop their special talents and to creatively express themselves through various forms. For example, participation in social science activities, field visits, involvement in science dramas, social welfare activities, etc.

Field visits for students are like an educational experience that they never could have had in the classroom. Field visits are considered fun, but the children learn as well, whether they realize it or not because they require significant planning and coordination for teachers and administrators to make a great combination of learning and fun together.

• It gives the students an opportunity to develop particular skills and exhibit their non-academic abilities.
• It enables a comparison of realities with the ideas and concepts.
• Field visits encourage interaction and enhances observation skills among children.

Hence, students at the upper primary level can be asked to go for a field visit as part of Social Science projects so that enables comparison of realities with the ideas and concepts.

At the upper primary level, the Social Sciences comprise elements of History, Geography, and Political Science. One of the subjects taught in Social Science as stated is Geography which helps the children to understand their own earth, its characteristics, and the interdependence of earth with society. Geography has a huge importance in the teaching of Social Studies. The study of Geography begins with the home community and expands as a person gains greater experience. Thus, Geography provides a conceptual link for children between home, school, and the world beyond.

Key Points

There are several methods of teaching geography. But the teacher should use them according to the need. Some of the methods are discussed below:

Field Visit:

• ​Field visits or fieldwork provide opportunities for the first-hand investigation of people in their environment and as such awakens students to a diversity of environments and cultures, in their local areas.
• It teaches students to collect, analyze, and present data, sharpen their observations, measure, record, and evaluate the findings.
• Fieldwork has important contributions to make geography real and enjoyable and as a result, every geography student should be entitled to have a reasonable amount of exposure to fieldwork experience through the geography course.
• Local Trips:
• The local trips will be valuable to the students of primary and upper primary stages.
• The students should be led to explore and study their surroundings for first-hand information with regard to various crops grown, types of animals found, local markets or factories, rivers, or lakes.
• Local trips are usually taken when the teacher has got two or three vacant periods at her/his disposal.
• Community Trips:
• These trips take a longer period of time than local trips may take the whole day or two days and involve more extensive preparation by the students.
• Community trips may include important industries, natural resources, mineral resources, museums, zoos, irrigation projects, and other means of irrigation which are located not very far from the institution.
• The children should be taken to be the centres of industry and commerce. Geography includes social and economic factors.

Additional Information

Note other methods as well:

• Discussion Method: In the discussion method, the instructor typically relies on the students to provide ideas, experiences, opinions, and information. An instructor may use this during classroom periods after the students have gained some knowledge and experience. It is almost the opposite of the lecture method. The instructor’s goal is to draw out what the students know, rather than to spend the class period telling them. The instructor should remember that the more intense the discussion and the greater the participation, the more effective the learning.
• Storytelling: Geographical facts can be presented in the form of stories but the teacher should remember that the story-telling is not the aim of the lesson, to explain geographical concepts is the aim of the lesson. With the help of attractive, fluent language, appropriate change in the voice, proper gestures, a teacher can tell a story effectively. This method is very useful for teaching some unite of geography in lower classes. Stories may be of the following types:
• Stories concerned with the life of peoples of various countries, animals, and the geographical environments of different countries.
• Stories on travelling and excursions.
• Stories about the conquest of roan over nature.

Debate Method: The debate method is widely used for teaching certain topics to a large group of people. Teachers often use the debate to effectively increase students’ interests, involvement, and participation during tutorial/seminar sessions. When a teacher uses the debate as a framework for learning, s/he hopes to get students to conduct comprehensive research into the topic, gather supporting evidence, engage in collaborative learning, delegate tasks, improve communication skills, and develop leadership and team-skills- all at one go. (Christudason, 1994). It must have a topic that has scope for argument, i.e. the arguments should be both in favour and against the topic.​

To conclude, the Field trip method is the most suitable for the teaching of Geography at the upper primary level.

Social and Political Life textbooks focus on topics related to social, political, and economic life in contemporary India. 

Key Points

• Used real-life situations in order to teach concepts since it acknowledged that children learn best through real experiences.
• It uses material that draws upon the experiential understanding of familial and social issues that middle school children bring to the classroom.
• Further, it develops the learner’s abilities to critically understand and analyze these issues in keeping with the tenets of the Indian Constitution.
• In order to elucidate concepts, it has used case studies and narratives.
• The concepts embedded within the narratives are made clear through the in-text and end-text questions.
• The aim is to have the learner understand the concept through their own experiences and write about it in their own words.

To conclude, the teaching of social and political life textbooks at the upper primary level focuses on learning through real-life situations approach.

Every human being does some activities which involve some forms of exchange for survival. Economics is a social science which deals with the study of our society and human behaviour involving a variety of these exchanges.

Key Points

Curricular Objectives in Economics:

• To enable students to trace the chain of activities in which human beings are involved to make a living.
• To help students to understand the normative nature of economics and the role of economic policies in our lives.
• To enable students to know that economic problems can be and should be viewed from different perspectives.
• To equip the students in acquiring analytical skills and develop perspectives.

Important Points

To teach the topic, 'Different types of Markets',  Making collages on markets from newspapers and magazines projects would be most appropriate because:

• It helps to build fine motor skills.
• It helps to express one’s own idea, allows students to try new things, and experimenting with changing materials.
• It captivates children’s senses in open-ended play and assists in the development of cognitive, social-emotional, and multisensory skills.

Hence, To teach the topic, 'Different types of Markets', making collage on markets from newspapers and magazines. would be most appropriate.

The correct answer is Brahmi.

• The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka.
• He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions.
• Most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.
• Prakrit inscriptions were written in Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts, which even a commoner could read and understand.

Key Points

• The inscriptions found in the area of Pakistan are in the Kharoshthi script.
• The Edicts of Ashoka are 33 inscriptions engraved on pillars, large stones, and cave walls by Ashoka the Great, the third king of the Mauryan Empire of India.
• One set, the so-called Major Rock Edicts, are consistent in their message that the people should adhere to the concept of Dhamma, defined as
• “right behaviour”,
• “good conduct” and
• “decency toward others”.

Additional Information

• Decipherment of Asokan Brahmi by James Princep in 1838:
• Some of the most momentous developments in Indian epigraphy took place in the 1830s.
• This was when James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, two scripts used in the earliest inscriptions and coins.
• He found that most of these mentioned a king referred to as Piyadassi – meaning “pleasant to behold”; there were a few inscriptions that also referred to the king as Asoka, one of the most famous rulers known from Buddhist texts.

The correct answer is Mandapa.​

• Most Hindu temples had a mandapa.
• This was a hall like structure meant for the common people to assemble.

Important Points

The basic form of the Hindu temple comprises the following:

• A cave-like sanctum (garbhagriha literally ‘womb house), which, in the early temples, was a small cubicle with a single entrance and grew into a larger chamber in time. The garbhagriha is made to house the main icon which is itself the focus of much ritual attention.
• The entrance to the temple may be a portico or collonaded hall that incorporates space for a large number of worshippers and is known as a mandapa.
• From the fifth century CE onwards, freestanding temples tend to have a mountainlike spire, which can take the shape of a curving Shikhar in North India and a pyramidal tower, called a vimana, in South India.
• The Vahan, i.e., the mount or vehicle of the temple’s main deity along with a standard pillar or dhvaj is placed axially before the sanctum.

Additional Information

The correct answer is the Rules of the Buddhist Sangha.

• The Buddha (and other teachers) taught orally – through discussion and debate.
• Men and women (perhaps children as well) attended these discourses and discussed what they heard.
• None of the Buddha’s speeches was written down during his lifetime.

Important Points

• After the death of Buddha, his teachings were compiled by his disciples at a council of “elders” or senior monks at Vesali (Pali for Vaishali in present-day Bihar).
• These compilations were known as Tipitaka – literally, three baskets to hold different types of texts. 
• Vinaya Pitaka included rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha or monastic order.
• Sutta Pitaka: Buddha’s teachings.
• Abhidhamma Pitaka dealt with philosophical matters.
• Each Pitaka comprised a number of individual texts. Later, commentaries were written on these texts by Buddhist scholars.

Thus, it is clear that Vinaya Pitaka is a book related to the rules of the Buddhist Sangha.

Additional Information

• First Buddhist Council:
• Conducted under the patronage of King Ajatasatru of Haryanka dynasty.
• It was held at Rajagriha.
• Second Buddhist Council:
• Conducted under the patronage of King Kalasoka of Sisunaga dynasty.
• It was held at Vaishali.
• Third Buddhist Council:
• Conducted under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka of Maurya dynasty.
• It was held in 250 BC at Pataliputra.
• Fourth Buddhist Council:
• Conducted under the patronage of King Kanishka of Kushan dynasty.
• It was held at Kundalvana in Kashmir.

The correct answer is Sanskrit.

Important Points

Harshacharita is a biography of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Kanauj, composed in Sanskrit by his court poet, Banabhatta.

• The Harshacharita ranks as the first historical biography in Sanskrit although it is written in a florid and fanciful style.
• Bana's detailed and vivid descriptions of rural India's natural environment, as well as the extraordinary industry of the Indian people, shows the livelihood of life at that time.
• Since he received the patronage of the emperor Harsha, his descriptions of his patron are not an unbiased appraisal and present the emperor's actions in an overly favourable light.

Additional Information

• Banabhatta was a poet in Harsha’s court.
• He wrote ‘Harshacharita’ a biography of Harshavardhan with a detailed account of the events leading up to his rise to power.
• He also wrote a drama called ‘Kadambri’.
• Hiuen-Tsang a Chinese pilgrim visited Harsha’s court, wrote a book ‘Shi-Yu-Ki’ (the world of the west) after going back to China.
• Hiuen-Tsang in his book praised two other kings:
• Narsimha Varman of Pallava dynasty
• Pulkesin II of Chalukya dynasty
• He came through central Asia via Afghanistan and went back through the same route.
• Hiuen-Tsang studied at Nalanda and later taught there only for nine years.

The correct answer is wood.

Important Points

• The Buddhist architecture consists of Chaityas, Viharas, Stupas and Stambhas.
• This architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent.
• Chaitya refers to temples, shrines or discussion hall for assemblies and Viharas were for the purpose of living.
• Chaityas were having stupas in it and Viharas were not.
• Both Chaitya and Viharas were made of wood and later period by stone-cut architecture.

Thus, it is clear that option 1 is correct.

Additional Information

Other features of Buddhist architecture:

• Chaityas is the rectangular prayer hall with the stupa on it. It is divided into three parts with an apsidal ending that is semicircular rear-ending. The central part of the hall is called the nave and separated by two rows of pillars.
• Chaityas are having polished walls, horse-shoe windows, semicircular roofs etc.
• The chaitya belongs to the earlier period (200 BC-200 AD) are related to Hinayana Buddhism. Some of the examples are Bhaja, Pitalkhora, Ajanta, Nasik and Karle etc.
• Viharas were mainly for the residence of monks. Some of the examples are Junar, Kanheri, Konkade etc. Usually, Chaityas and Viharas were located near each other.
• Initially, Stupa was created for the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautam Buddha. But with the changes in religious practices, it gradually incorporated in Chaityas. For example Sanchi stupa, Ajanta and Ellora caves etc.

Kanauj in the Ganga valley was a prized area.

• For centuries, rulers belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties fought for control over Kanauj.
• Historians often describe it as the “tripartite struggle”.

Important Points

• The Tripartite Struggle for Kanauj had happened between
• The Palas of Bengal.
• The Pratiharas of Central India.
• The Rashtrakutas of Deccan.
• ​​The struggle lasted for 200 years and weakened all of them which enabled the Turks to overthrow them.

Thus, it is clear that Pala, Rashtrakuta and Gurjara-Pratihara dynasties fought the 'Tripartite struggle'.

Additional Information

Medieval History of India: 

• The period of Medieval History of India lies between the 8^th and the 18^th century A.D.
• The medieval period is a crucial period in the history of India because of the developments in the field of languages, art, religion & culture.
• The period has proved the effect of other religions on Indian culture.
• The rise of the Rajput clans is the beginning of the Medieval period.

The correct answer is place where Sufi Masters held theirs assembles.

Important Points

The word "Khanqah" is used to define a place of spiritual teaching through discourses on spirituality by a murshid (spiritual mentor, or guide).

• The word finds its origins in the Persian language.
• The place is also served as a common place where the message of communal harmony is imparted.
• It was a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood and was a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation.
• Sama was the creation of mood to nearness to god by reciting music.

Additional Information

Sufism is an important concept that influenced religion in India in the medieval ages.

• It is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that focuses on the spiritual search for God and shuns materialism.
• It stresses asceticism.
• There is a lot of emphasis on love and devotion towards God.
• The term ‘Sufi’ is probably derived from the Arabic ‘suf’ word which means ‘one who wears wool’.
• This is because woolen clothes were generally associated with ascetics.
• Another possible origin of the word is ‘safa’ which means purity in Arabic.

The correct answer is Chola temples often became the nuclei of rural settlements only.

Key Points

Chola Empire:

• The Chola empire was founded by Vijayalaya in the 9^th century.
• The capital of Chola was Tanjore.
• The style of architecture during this period is called Dravida, which are now known as the "Great Living Chola Temples".
• Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements that grew around them. These were centres of craft production.

Important Points

• Some of the temples built by Cholas are as follows.
• Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.
• It was built during the reign of the Chola emperor Rajaraja and designed by the famous architect Sama Varma between 1003 and 1010 AD.
• It is enthroned with a 13-story pyramidal pinnacle, the Vimana, standing 66 m high and finished off with a bulb-formed stone monument.
• It is inside an extensive internal Prakara of 240.90 m long (east-west) and 122 m expansive (north-south), with a Gopura at the east and three other conventional Torana passages on at every parallel side and the third at back.
• The Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram. 
• ​It was made by the Chola head Rajendra I. It is portrayed as the female partner of the Thanjavur temple.
• Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram.
• It was constructed by Rajaraja II and the temple is devoted to Lord Shiva.
• This temple has six sets of gigantic, solid dvarapalas sculptures guarding the passages and bronzes of exceptional magnificence inside. For instance 24 m Vimana and a stone picture of Shiva.

The correct answer is The authors of Tawarikh advised rulers on the need for good governance and just rule.

Key Points

• The authors of tawarikh were learned, men.
• It includes secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers, who both recounted events and advised rulers on governance, emphasizing the importance of just rule and events in the Delhi Sultanate.
• They mostly wrote very nice things, so that they could get rewards from the sultans.
• They also advised rulers on just governance (equality for all) and on the principles of birthright and gender distinctions.

Additional Information

• The authors of Tawarikh lived in cities (mainly Delhi) and hardly ever in villages.
• They often wrote their histories for Sultans in the hope of rich rewards.
• These authors advised rulers on the need to preserve an “ideal” social order based on birthright and gender distinctions.
• In 1236, Sultan Iltutmish’s daughter, Raziyya, became the Sultana because she was more able and qualified than her brothers.
• But she was removed from the throne in 1240 because the nobles did not want a female ruling them.

The correct answer is Mumtaz Ali.

Key Points

• Mumtaz Ali was a social reformer and feminist who fought for the right of women.
• ​Mumtaz Ali reinterpreted verses from the Quran to argue for women's education.
• The first Urdu novels began to be written in the late nineteenth century.
• Sayyid Mumtaz Ali of Lahore founded the first Urdu journal for women, the weekly newspaper Tahzib un-Niswan in 1898.
• Mumtaz Ali was also the author of Huquq un-Niswan (Women's Rights), a treatise in defence of women's rights in Islamic law.
• Huquq un-Niswan was published in 1898 and was hailed as a beacon of hope that could help remove cobwebs clouding Muslim minds.
• Mumtaz Ali reinterpreted verses from the Quran to argue for women’s education.
• The first Urdu novels began to be written in the late nineteenth century.
• Amongst other things, these were meant to encourage women to read about religion and domestic management in a language they could understand.

​So we conclude that the correct answer is Mumtaz Ali.

In open-book exercise, students are allowed to consult their class notes, textbooks, and other approved material while answering questions.

• Given the availability of textbooks or other material in the room, teachers will not ask questions that require the mere transfer of information from the textbook to the examination (answer) booklet.
• However, these examinations are required to be chosen depending upon the purpose.
• If the examination tests the skills of problem-solving and critical thinking, then there is no harm in students consulting their textbooks and class notes.
• If students have to evaluate a conclusion that crucially involves their understanding of the concept, reproducing what the textbook says would be pointless.

Key Points

Advantages of open-book exercise: 

• It is less demanding on memory because it is no longer necessary for students to cram a lot of facts, figures, and numbers for open-book examination.
• It provides a chance for students to acquire knowledge during the preparation process of gathering suitable learning materials rather than simply recalling or rewriting it.
• It promotes information retrieval skills of students through finding efficient ways to get the necessary information and data from books and various resources.
• It enhances the comprehension and synthesizing skills of students because they need to reduce the content of books and other study materials into simple and handy notes for examination.

From the above, we can conclude that reading a text with specific questions is an appropriate reason for providing students with an open book exercise in a classroom.

Social Studies is the branch of Social Science.  It deals with all the activities of Human Beings like their behavior, growth and development, relationships, resources they use, and the various institutions they require to function and carry on their life smoothly. 

Key Points

• Social Studies is a combination of subjects like – History, Geography, Cultural Studies, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, and many more.
• These subjects help to develop an awareness of the World and Environment among children.
• This subject empowers the students to understand how the world and different societies have originated,  the significant occasions that have happened before, suffering thoughts, and prominent characters that have made an effect and influenced the lives of individuals both locally and internationally.
• It enables children to evaluate events from the past.
• It additionally causes understudies to see how various social orders are organized, overseen and represented. This thus causes understudies to comprehend their place on the planet.
• This subject enables students to understand the importance of conservation and preservation, environmental impact on the present life and future generations.
• This subject helps students to develop a holistic understanding of the environment and the interrelationship which exists between natural and human habitats.
• It helps the students to develop a wider perspective of society and the human condition.

Hence, we can conclude that study of Social Science subjects is vital as it enables children to evaluate events from the past.

The correct answer is Asia and Europe.

Key Points

• The Ural Mountains are also known as the Urals or Russian Uralskie Gory.
• Ural Mountain range is spread over north to south through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
• The eastern part of this mountain is considered as the boundary between Europe and Asia.
• The mountain range stretched over 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).
• It passes through the Arctic tundra to the north and through forested and semi-desert landscapes to the south.
• Mount Narodnaya (6,217 feet [1,895 meters]) is the highest peak of this mountain range.
• The Urals are divided into five parts: Southern, Middle, Northern, Pre-Polar (the highest), and Polar.

Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Important Points

Asia is the largest continent in the world.

• The highest place on earth is Mount Everest and the lowest place on earth is Dead Seashore both are part of the Asia Continent.
• Asia is divided into 49 countries.
• Caspian lake is the world's largest lake is located in Asia.
• The Yangtze Kiang is the longest river in Asia.
• The largest island of Asia is Borneo.
• The largest desert in Asia is the Gobi.
• Japan is the most industrialized nation in Asia.

Europe is the sixth-largest continent in the world.

• It includes 50 countries and parts of the peninsula of Eurasia.
• Greenland is the world's largest island belong to Denmark, is located in Europe.

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane.

Key Points

An instrument called ‘seismograph’ records the waves reaching the surface.

Hypocenter:

• The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter(the focus of an earthquake​).
• The hypocenter and origin time are determined by arrival times, incidence direction (backazimuth) and/or horizontal velocity of seismic phases radiated by the first break of the earthquake rupture.

Hence, option 2 is the correct answer.

Epicentre:

• The location directly above the hypocenter on the surface of the earth is called the epicentre.

The correct answer is Hypocenter.

The atmosphere around the earth:

• The atmosphere consists of different layers with varying densities and temperatures.
• The column of the atmosphere is divided into five different layers depending upon the temperature condition.
• They are troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
• The stratosphere layer of the atmosphere is most ideal for flying airplanes.

Key Points

The stratosphere

• It is found above the tropopause and extends up to a height of 50 km.
• One important feature of the stratosphere is that it contains the ozone layer.
• This layer absorbs ultra-violet radiation and shields life on the earth from an intense, harmful form of energy.
• The lower layer of the stratosphere is ideal for aeroplanes to fly.
• In this layer, the temperature gets warmer as you rise up resulting in fewer clouds and water vapour which provides a smoother ride due to the absence of turbulence.

The stratosphere is the most ideal layer of the atmosphere for flying aeroplanes

Additional InformationThe troposphere

• It is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere.
• Its average height is 13 km and extends roughly to a height of 8 km near the poles and about 18 km at the equator.
• The thickness of the troposphere is greatest at the equator because heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents.
• This layer contains dust particles and water vapor.
• All changes in climate and weather take place in this layer.
• The temperature in this layer decreases at the rate of 1°C for every 165m of height.
• This is the most important layer for all biological activity.

The mesosphere

• It lies above the stratosphere, which extends up to a height of 80 km.
• In this layer, once again, the temperature starts decreasing with the increase in altitude and reaches up to minus 100°C at a height of 80 km.
• The upper limit of the mesosphere is known as menopause.

The thermosphere 

• It is located between 80 and 400 km above the mesopause.
• It contains electrically charged particles known as ions, and hence, it is also known as the ionosphere.
• Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer.
• The temperature here starts increasing with height.

The exosphere

• It is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere.
• This is the highest layer but very little is known about it.
• Whatever contents are there, these are extremely rarefied in this layer, and it gradually merges with the outer space.

​

The correct answer is insolation.

The concept of Insolation:

• Insolation is the most important factor that influences the distribution of temperature on the earth.
• Insolation is the solar radiation that reaches the earth's surface.
• It is measured by the amount of solar energy received per square centimeter per minute.
• The factor that determines the amount of insolation received is the angle of inclination of the rays.
• This depends on the latitude of a place.
• The higher the latitude the less is the angle they make with the surface of the earth resulting in slant sun rays.
• The area covered by vertical rays is always less than the slant rays.

Additional Information

Solar radiation:

• Solar radiation often called the solar resource, is a general term for the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun.
• Solar radiation can be captured and turned into useful forms of energy, such as heat and electricity, using a variety of technologies.

Terrestrial radiation:

• It refers to sources of radiation that are in the soil, water, and vegetation.
• The major isotopes of concern for terrestrial radiation are potassium, uranium, and the decay products of uranium, such as thorium, radium, and radon.

Distance from the sea:

• Oceans heat up and cool down much more slowly than land.
• This means that coastal locations tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same latitude and altitude.

The correct answer is The Amazon basin falls in the equatorial region.

Amazon Basin:

• Amazon basin is famous for Rubber and Mahogany wood.
• Amazon Basin is a type of equatorial hot and wet forest.
• The Amazon Basin of Brazil is is an example of a Tropical Rain forest that is marked by high and uniform temperatures of 25°-26°C.

Additional Information

Tropical Monsoon forest:

• The Tropical Monsoon forest is characterized by rainfall between 100-200cm with temperatures about 27°C marked by seasonal variations.
• It is a treasure for the trees like Teak, Sal, Sandalwood, Bamboo, and various alike trees.

Mediterranean forest:

• The climatic condition in the Mediterranean forest can be characterized by the average temperature of 16°C and precipitation range between 80-100 cm.
• The vegetation in this forest consists of Jarrah, Cedar, Oleander, Laurel as well as various others.

Temperate Broad-leafed mixed forests:

• Temperate Broad-leafed mixed forests are marked by a moderate rainfall and temperatures approximately similar to that of Mediterranean forest but dry winter and wet summer.
• This is the appropriate forest for the trees like Oak, Birch, Ash, Chestnut, Walnut, and other similar trees.

The correct answer is Manali - Leh.

Key Points

• Leh-Manali Highway is a high mountain road situated in India.
• It spans over a length of 479 km (298 mi) among the Himalayas mountain range.
• It crosses some of the world’s highest passes including averaging well over 17,000 feet.
• This road connects Leh in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state and Manali in Himachal Pradesh state.
• Its highest elevation is 5,328 m (17,480 ft) at Taglang La mountain pass.
• The road climbs up five major passes:
• Rohtang Pass 3.979 m (13,054 ft)
• Nakee La 4.769m (15,647ft)
• Bara-lacha La 4.890m (16,043ft)
• Lachulung La 5.059m (16,598ft)
• Taglang La 5.328m (17,480ft)

Additional Information

• There are a few important facts about the National Highways of India - 
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous authority to develop, maintain, and manage the National Highways of India.
• Central Government has the power to notify any highway as the National Highway and such highway will be specified in the Schedule.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is responsible for the development of National Highways.
• The government launched the Bharatmala Project for the development of about 26,000 km length of Economic Corridors, which along with Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and North-South and East-West (NS-EW) Corridors are expected to carry the majority of the Freight Traffic on roads.
• NH 44 is the longest national highway in India, running over 3745 Km from Srinagar to Kanyakumari.
• NH44 which is the longest highway in India was previously known as NH 7.
• NH 47A is the shortest highway in India, having a length of 6 Kms.
• There are 228 National Highways in India.

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity.

Key Points

Landslides Mitigation Mechanisms:

• Hazard mapping to identify areas prone to landslides.
• Construction of retention walls to stop land slippage.
• Increasing vegetation cover to arrest landslides. So, option 3 is NOT correct.
• Ensuring surface drainage control works to restrict the movement of landslides.
• Formation of any header niche and perforation

Decreasing vegetation cover to arrest landslides is NOT correct.

Black gold:

• Petroleum and its derivatives are called Black Gold as they are very valuable.
• It is a term applied to oil or petroleum, which is black when it comes out of the ground and is worth a great deal of money.
• The word petroleum is derived from Latin words –Petra meaning rock, oleum meaning oil. So, petroleum means rock oil.
• It is called black gold because:
• It is black in color when crude oil is extracted from the soil.
• Because of its oil and worth, people call it gold.

Hence, the correct answer is Petroleum.

​

Additional Information

Coal:

• Coal is another source of Thermal Power.
• The coal which we are using today was formed millions of years ago when giant ferns and swamps got buried under the layers of earth.
• Coal is therefore referred to as Buried Sunshine

Copper and Gold are two non-ferrous metallic minerals.

Key PointsPokhran in Rajasthan:

• Pokhran is a village and a municipality located in the Jaisalmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
• It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon, ballistic missiles.
• Pokhran is a site in Rajasthan where India tested its first nuclear weapon.
• In the local language, Pokhran means 'the place of five mirages'.
• It got this name from the five salt ranges surrounding the city.

Pokhran is NOT correct.

Additional Information

​Nuclear power station of India:

• Kalpakkam nuclear power plant is in Tamil Nadu started operating in 1984.
• Tarapur nuclear plant is in Maharashtra, is the oldest nuclear plant in India. Its operations started in 1969.
• Narora nuclear plant in Uttar Pradesh is one of the safest plants in India and won the Golden Peacock award for the environment in the year 2020.

Shifting cultivation is practiced in the thickly forested areas of the Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and Northeast India.

Key Points

Shifting cultivation:

• It is a traditional practice of agriculture prevalent in various parts of Asia, Africa, and South-America.
• It is known as: 
• Lading in south-east Asia.
• Milpa in Central America.

The correct answer is Mexico. So, option 3 is correct.

Other names of shifting agriculture:

• Chitemene or tavy in Africa.
• Chena in Sri Lanka.
• In India, it has different local names like Dhya, Penda, Bewar, Nevad, Jhum, Podu.

The correct answer is Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Key Points

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited:

• It is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company.

​So, option 1 is correct.

• It is headquartered in Bangalore, India.
• It is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence.

Sudha Dairy: 

• The Bihar State Milk Co-Operative Federation Ltd is a dairy cooperative, established in 1983 as an enterprise of the Government of Bihar, India.
• It markets its products under the label "Sudha Dairy".
• The co-operative facilitates the procurement, processing, and marketing of dairy products.

Maruti Udyog Limited:

• Maruti Suzuki India Limited, formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, is a subsidiary of the Japanese automotive manufacturer Suzuki.
• It was founded and owned by the Government of India between 1981 until 2003.
• It was sold to Suzuki Motor Corporation by the Government of India in 2003.

Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited:

• Tata Steel was established in India as Asia's first integrated private steel company in 1907.
• It is one of the leading steel manufacturing companies in India.

The term Gram Sabha is defined in the Constitution of India under Article 243(b). 

• Gram Sabha is the primary body of the Panchayati Raj system and by far the largest.
• It is a permanent body.
• The power to annul a decision of the Gram Sabha rests with the Gram Sabha only.

Important Points

• Every village Panchayat is divided into wards, i.e. smaller areas.
• Each ward elects a representative who is known as the Ward Member (Panch).
• All the members of the Gram Sabha also elect a Sarpanch who is the Panchayat President.
• The Ward Panchs and the Sarpanch form the Gram Panchayat.
• The Gram Panchayat is elected for five years.
• The Gram Panchayat has a Secretary who is also the Secretary of the Gram Sabha. This person is not an elected person but is appointed by the government.
• The Secretary is responsible for calling the meeting of the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat and keeping a record of the proceedings.

Thus, it is clear that option 2 is the correct answer.

Key Points

Gram Sabha:

• The Gram Sabha is a meeting of all adults who live in the area covered by a Panchayat. This could be only one village or a few villages. In some states, a village meeting is held for each village.
• The Gram Sabha performs various tasks:
• It keeps control of the Gram Panchayat. It makes the Gram Panchayat play its role and be responsible.
• It is the place where all plans for the work of the Gram Panchayat are placed before the people.
• The Gram Sabha prevents the Panchayat from doing wrong things which may include misusing money or favouring certain people.
• It keeps an eye on the elected representatives and in making them responsible to the persons who elected them.

Additional Information

Other Important and specific functions of Gram Sabha:

• To help implementation of the development programmes and schemes of the Panchayat.
• To identify beneficiaries for different programmes and schemes. However, if the Gram Sabha fails to identify such beneficiaries within a reasonable time, the Gram Panchayat shall identify the beneficiaries.
• To solicit support — in cash or kind or both and voluntary labour — from the public for community welfare programmes.
• To support the programmes of mass education and family welfare.
• To promote unity and harmony among all sections of the society in the village.
• To seek clarification from the Mukhiya, Up-Mukhiya and other members of the Gram Panchayat about any particular activity, scheme, income and expenditure.
• To discuss and recommend appropriate action with regard to reports of the Vigilance Committee.
• Other related matters brought to the notice of the Gram Sabha.
• To consider levy of taxes, rates, rents & fees & enhancement of rates thereof.
• To consider all such matters as may be referred by the Gram Panchayat for its decision.

Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

• “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people”.
• The key role of citizens in a democracy is to participate in public life.
• The most commonly observed opportunity for participation is exercising the right to vote during elections.

• Social movements involve a gradual process of coming together of people with similar problems.
• Organizing social movements is a way to challenge the government and its functioning in a democracy.
• Hence, statement A is true.
• These movements ensure participation and representation from diverse sections of society to reduce the possibility of deep social conflicts in democracy.
• While it is true that a democracy allows people to participate, it is also true that not all sections of people are actually able to do so
• Hence, statement B is true.

Thus, the correct answer is A is true and B is true.

Additional Information

• Other forms of government include
• Autocracy (monarchy and dictatorship)
• Oligarchy

The correct answer is Kesar Saga.

Kesar Saga is an epic cycle of Tibet and Central Asia. 

• It’s related to the heroic deeds of the culture hero Kesar.
• Generally recorded in the form of oral poetry performance.
• It is an Epic from the Himalayas.
• The Kesar Saga poem is an eleventh-century Tibetan epic about Kesar, the King of Ling.
• The story became the national epic of Tibet, and it is so much a part of the region's cultural landscape that some claim that Kesar was actually born in Kargil.
• It is an ancient Tibetan epic narrated in the entire Tibetan belt extending to Mongolia, Central Asia and China.
• In its Ladakhi version, Kesar Saga has come down through the centuries orally, with the storyteller reciting the epic during the long cold winter nights.
• The story revolves around the exploits of a superhuman hero, ‘Kesar’ and his efforts to establish peace and order in the world.

Additional Information

• Buddha Saga is the story of Lord Buddha story, from birth to the enlightenment.

The correct answer is Both A and B are true.

• Functions performed by Patwari is - 
• He maintains and updates land records of a village or a group of villages.
• He is responsible for providing information to the government about the crops grown in the area under her/his jurisdiction.

Key Points

• The Patwari is also called a Village accountant.
• A person appointed by a local government to maintain the land records for a specific area.
• The Patwari system began in the Sher Shah Suri period and further Akbar and British colonial continued this system.
• In 1814,  the duties of the patwari included preserving village records monitoring daily activities and collect information about individuals, including mukhis and village elites.
• The main duties of Patwari:
• To maintain the record of the crop grown at every harvest.
• To keep the record of rights up to date by the punctual record of mutations.
• The account of the preparation of statistical returns embodying the information derived from the harvest inspections, register of mutation, and record of rights.

Option 3 is incorrect.

• Some of the major features of democracy are:
• The final decision making power rests with those elected by the people.
• It must be based on a free and fair election.
• Each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.
• It should rule within limits set by constitutional law and citizen's rights, which means the Ruler has no absolute power to rule the country. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

Additional Information

• Democracy
• In a democracy, a country’s people are involved in choosing its leader or head.
• The people are involved in the process of forming a government.
• They have the free will and right to vote for a party to come into power.
• The right to vote is not determined by wealth or class or race.
• A democratic government is formed when a majority of people support a certain party as the ruling party or power.
• Within democracy again, there are several forms of democracies such as a republic, a constitutional monarchy, a presidential system, or a parliamentary system.
• Autocracy - 
• ​An autocracy is a form of government where the supreme power or rule is in the hand of one individual or entity.
• Autocracy includes absolute monarchy where a family or a group of families, also known as royalty, rule a country.
• The post of the monarch is inherited in an absolute monarchy.
• In this system, the monarch’s power is not restricted by any laws or legislation.
• However, in recent times, there are constitutional monarchies, elected monarchies, or even crowned republics or symbolic monarchies.
• Now autocracy also includes dictatorship.
• And there are two types of dictatorship -  Civilian dictatorship and Military dictatorship.
• Oligarchy or Aristocracy- 
• ​An oligarchy is a form of government where power or authority is in the hands of a small class of privileged people or people who have similar or shared interests.
• An oligarchy is different from a democracy in the sense that very few people have the choice to vote or change anything.
• It is different from a monarchy in the sense that power is in the hands of a few people and not a king.
• There are several kinds of oligarchies such as aristocracy (rule by nobles), plutocracy (rule by wealth), timocracy (rule by an honourable), and technocracy (rule by technical experts or educated people).​

The correct answer is Domestic violence.

• It is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to protect women from domestic violence.
• It was brought into force by the Indian government on 26 October 2006.
• The Act provides for the first time in Indian law a definition of domestic violence, with this definition being broad and including not only physical violence, but also other forms of violence such as emotional/verbal, sexual, and economic abuse.
• It is a civil law meant primarily for protection orders and not meant to be enforced criminally.
• In October 2016, the Supreme Court has made a verdict to delete the words “adult male” before the word ‘person’ in Section 2(q) of the Act making it gender-neutral.

Important Points

• Salient features of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005:
• Includes physical and mental ill-treatment.
• Primarily meant for the protection of wife or female live-in partners.
• Law also extends to sisters, widows, or mothers.
• Harassment in the form of dowry demands also included in this law.
• Gives women the right to secure housing.
• The court can also issue protection orders that prevent the abuser to harass the women by acts at her workplace.
• The act proposes the appointment of protection officers and NGOs.
• A breach of a protection order is a non-bailable offence.

Everything ranging from the stall at the local fair to the programme that you see on TV can be called media.

• Media is the plural form of the word ‘medium’ and it describes the various ways through which we communicate in society.
• Because media refers to all means of communication, everything ranging from a phone call to the evening news on TV can be called media.
• TV, radio and newspapers are a form of media that reaches millions of people, or the masses, across the country and the world and, thus, they are called mass media.
• An important function of mass media is to communicate information to the people.

​

• Media and Democracy:
• In a democracy, the media plays a very important role in providing news and discussing events taking place in the country and the world.
• It is on the basis of this information that citizens can, for example, learn how government works.
• Given the role that the media plays in providing information, it is important that the information be balanced.
• Writing a balanced report, however, depends on the media being independent.
• An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news.
• No one should tell the media what can be included and what should not be included in a news story.
• An independent media is important in a democracy.
• Being referred to as the fourth pillar of democracy, no interference is done by the government in media functioning.

Thus, we can conclude that the statement "There is regular interference on the part of the government in the functioning of media." is incorrect regarding media.

Key Points

• Media and Advertisement:
• Mass media is constantly thinking of ways to make money.
• One way in which the mass media earns money is by advertising different things like cars, chocolates, clothes, mobile phones, etc.
• Media and Technology:
• The technology that mass media uses keeps changing.
• Changing technology, or machines, and making technology more modern, helps media to reach more people.
• It also improves the quality of sound and the images that you see.
• But technology does more than this. It also changes the ways in which we think about our lives.

The correct answer is ​The popularity of the channel.

Key Points

The cost to advertise on a news channel mainly depends on the popularity of the channel.

• The rate for television advertising is always quoted as the amount that an advertiser needs to pay for playing a 10-sec ad once.
• The cost of TV advertising also varies with the time of day.
• Time bands when more viewers are present cost more to advertise.
• Time band with the highest viewership is termed as Primetime bands for TV advertising.
• Another popular term used in TV advertising is 'Run of the Day part', also known as RODP.
• In RODP, the ads get equally distributed throughout the day.

Additional Information

• Broadcast Audience Research Council - 
• ​It is a joint industry body founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers, and Advertising & Media Agencies.
• It is also the world's largest television measurement science industry-body.

The correct answer is A is false and B is true.

Public Interest Litigation:         

• In the early 1980s, Supreme Court devised a mechanism of Public Interest Litigation or PIL to increase access to justice.
• It allowed any individual or organisation to file a PIL in the High Court or the Supreme Court on behalf of those whose rights were being violated.
• The legal process was greatly simplified and even a letter or telegram addressed to the Supreme Court or the High Court could be treated as a PIL.
• In the early years, PIL was used to secure justice on a large number of issues such as rescuing bonded labourers from inhuman work conditions; and securing the release of prisoners in Bihar who had been kept in jail even after their punishment term was complete.

Thus, it is clear that statement B is correct.

Key Points

• Statement A talks about a mechanism to seek necessary information about the functioning of the government. This refers to a mechanism called RTI or Right to Information, which is different from PIL.
• The Right to Information provides the citizens of India the power to hold the government accountable and ensure transparency in its functioning.
• Hence, statement A is false.

Created after 1947, the Indian Parliament is an expression of the faith that the people of India have in principles of democracy.

• These are participation by people in the decision-making process and government by consent.
• The Parliament in our system has immense powers because it is the representative of the people.

Question Hour:

• The Parliament, while in session, begins with a question hour.
• The question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can elicit information about the working of the government. Thus, statement A is true.
• This is a very important way through which Parliament controls the executive. Thus, statement B is false.
• By asking questions the government is alerted to its shortcomings, and also comes to know the opinion of the people through their representatives in the Parliament, i.e. the MPs.
• Asking questions of the government is a crucial task for every MP.
• The Opposition parties play a critical role in the healthy functioning of a democracy.
• They highlight drawbacks in various policies and programmes of the government and mobilise popular support for their own policies.

From the above, we can conclude that the statement A is true and B is false.

Courts make decisions on a very large number of issues. They can decide that no teacher can beat a student, or about the sharing of river waters between states, or they can punish people for particular crimes.

Judicial Review:

• As the final interpreter of the Constitution, the judiciary also has the power to strike down particular laws passed by the Parliament if it believes that these are a violation of the basic structure of the Constitution. This is called judicial review.
• It is a type of court proceeding in which a judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body.
• In other words, judicial reviews are a challenge to the way in which a decision has been made, rather than the rights and wrongs of the conclusion reached.
• Judicial review has two important functions, legitimizing government action and the protection of the constitution against any undue encroachment by the gov­ernment.

From the above, we can conclude that statement A is correct.

Key Points

• A bill does not become a law unless it is passed by the legislature. Hence, statement B is false.

Additional Information

Importance of Judicial Review:

• It is essential for maintaining the supremacy of the Constitution.
• It is essential for checking the possible misuse of power by the legislature and executive.
• It protects the rights of the people.
• It maintains the federal balance.
• It is essential for securing the independence of the judiciary.
• It prevents the tyranny of executives.

The correct answer is Option 3

Key Points

• The meaning of a secular state is that it does not prioritize any one religion for the country and its people.
• Secularism calls for a doctrine where all religions are given equal status, recognition, and support from the state or it can also be defined as a doctrine that promotes separation of state from religion.

Important Points

• The constitution of India supports a secular state.
• It does not support any religion as the religion of the state.
• It enforces any religion nor takes away any religious freedom.
• It protects all religions equally.
• As per Article 28, no government institution can provide religious instructions or promote values related to religion.

Thus, it is clear that the State allows government institutions to display and promote values specific to a particular religion is incorrect.

Additional Information

• ​Key Words In The Preamble:
• Sovereign:
• The term Sovereign which is proclaimed by the Preamble means that India has its own independent authority and it is not a dominion of any other external power.
• In the country, the legislature has the power to make laws that are subjected to certain limitations.
• Socialist:
• The term Socialist was added in the Preamble by 42^nd Amendment, 1976 which means the achievement of socialist ends through democratic means.
• It is a Democratic Socialism that holds faith in a mixed economy where both the private and public sectors co-exist side by side.
• Secular:
• The term Secular was incorporated in the Preamble by the 42^nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976 which means that all the religions in India get equal respect, protection and support from the state.
• Democratic:
• The term Democratic implies that the Constitution of India has an established form of Constitution that gets its authority from the will of the people expressed in an election.
• Republic:
• The term Republic indicates that the head of the state is elected by the people directly or indirectly.
• In India, the President is the head of the state and he is elected indirectly by the people.

The correct answer is a Democratic form of government.

• The Indian State has a Democratic form of government.
• In a Democratic form of government, the supreme power is vested in the people. People have the authority to choose their governing legislation.

Additional Information

• In the Communist form of government, the state is managed and governed by a single communist party.
• For e.g. China
• In the Capitalist form of government, the government has no role in production or prices.
• Trade is driven by a private individual, not by the government.
• For e.g. Canada
• In the Presidential form of government, the head of state is also the head of government called as President.
• The President leads the executive branch which is separate from the legislative branch.

The correct answer is Jyotirao Phule.

• Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth-seeker's Society) was a social reform society founded by Jyotirao Phule in Pune, Maharashtra, on 24 September 1873.
• It espoused a mission of education and increased social rights and political access for underprivileged groups, focused especially on women, Shudras, and Dalits, in Maharashtra.
• Satya Shodhak Samaj refused to regard the Vedas as sacrosanct, opposed idol worship, denounced the Chaturvarnya System (the caste system), and rejected the need for a Brahman priestly class as educational and religious leaders.
• The existence of God was replaced by Nirmik.
• Deenbandhu was the name of the mouthpiece of the Satya Shodhak Samaj.

Additional Information

Jyotirao Phule:

• He was born on 11 April 1827 in Katgun, Satara District in Maharashtra.
• He belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners.
• It was in 1848 that he read American political activist and philosopher’s work ‘Rights of Man’, this book influenced his idea of social justice.
• He is credited with using the word ‘Dalit’ for the depressed classes for the first time.
• It is a Marathi word meaning ‘broken’ or ‘crushed’.
• Phule inspired many latter-day leaders including B R Ambedkar.
• Phule was also the Commissioner of the Poona Municipality from 1876 till 1883.
• Mahatma Phule passed away in Pune aged 63.

Important Points

• Some of Mahatma Phule’s published works- 
• Tritiya Ratna
• Brahmananche Kasab
• Powada : Chatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosle Yancha (Life of Shivaji)
• Manav Mahammand (Muhammad) (Abhang)
• Gulamgiri
• Satyashodhak Samajokt Mangalashtakasah Sarva Puja-vidhi
• Sarvajanic Satya Dharmapustak
• Shetkaryacha Asud

The correct answer is Mangal Pandey.

• Mangal Pandey was the Indian soldier in the British Army, one of the key figures in India's first war of Independence.
• He is believed to be one of the key figures behind Sepoy Mutiny or India's First War of Independence in 1857.
• He was hanged to death for attacking his officers in Barrackpore, on 29^th March 1857.

Additional Information

• Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev were hanged on 23^rd March 1931 in Lahore.
• They were hanged for killing one British officer John P Saunders.

The correct answer is Option 2.

Important Points

• From the early nineteenth century, the Company pursued an aggressive policy of territorial expansion.
• Under Lord Hastings (GovernorGeneral from 1813 to 1823) a new policy of “paramountcy” was initiated.
• Now the Company claimed that its authority was paramount or supreme, hence its power was greater than that of Indian states.
• In order to protect its interests, it was justified in annexing or threatening to annex any Indian kingdom.
• This view continued to guide later British policies as well.

Thus, option 2 is correct.

Additional Information

• “The doctrine of lapse” declared that if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, his kingdom would “lapse”, that is, it would be confiscated and become part of Company territory. Hence, option 1 is false about British paramountcy.
• In 1854, the British had sent an educational despatch to India, called Wood’s Despatch, which outlined the educational policies to be followed in India. It glorified the practical benefits of European learning as opposed to oriental learning. Thus option 3 is false here.
• Option 4 talks about a charter that was issued to the East India Company by the ruler of England in 1600. The Royal charter granted the company the sole right to trade in the East, and no other trading group in England could compete with the East India Company. Hence Option 4 is false in this context.

• Rings are thousands of moonlets that orbit a planet and don't clump back into large objects.
• Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune are the planets that have a ring around them.
• Mars, Venus doesn't have rings around them.

The correct answer is Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus.

Additional Information

• There are more planets than stars in our galaxy. The current count orbiting our star: eight.
• The inner, rocky planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer planets are gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
• Mercury: The smallest and fastest planet, it zips around the Sun in only 88 Earth days.
• Venus: Venus’ thick atmosphere makes it the hottest planet in our solar system.
• Earth: The only planet in our solar system with liquid water on the surface.
• Mars: Mars was a wet and warm planet billions of years ago.
• Jupiter: The largest planet, its dark red spot is a storm larger than Earth.
• Saturn: Saturn has the brightest, most massive and most complex ring system of any planet.
• Uranus: Uranus is tipped on its axis by almost 90-degrees.
• Neptune: Neptune was the first planet discovered through mathematical calculations, rather than observation.

The correct answer is Earth is slightly flattened at the poles.

• The Earth is slightly flattened at the poles.
• That is why it is referred to as a “Geoid”.
• Geoid means “an earth-like shape”.

Key Points

• The Earth looks spherical in shape, but it is not a perfect sphere.
• It is slightly flattened at the top and bottom (near the South and North Poles) and bulges at the Equator due to the outward force caused by the rotation of the Earth.
• The Geoid shape is not perfectly spherical.
• The resulting shape of the Earth is due to the centrifugal force of its rotation.
• The Earth experiences the greatest centrifugal force at the equator and least at the poles, therefore it bulges out at the Equator giving the resultant oblate ellipsoid shape.

Earth as a Geoid

The correct answer is taking the same time in moving around the earth as the time to complete one spin.

One side of the moon always faces Earth because of what’s called synchronous rotation.

• That is, the moon rotates, or spins on its axis, in the same length of time it takes to orbit Earth. Any moon whose rotational period equals its orbital period is said to exhibit synchronous rotation, a characteristic shared by many moons of our solar system.
• Because of synchronous rotation or tidal locking, our moon rotates on its axis in the same period that it revolves around the Earth: 27.32 days.
• This is the reason why only one side of the moon is visible at any point in time from the Earth.
• The moon has one side facing Earth, which we call the moon’s near side.
• The opposite side remains hidden from us, so we refer to it as the moon’s far side.

• Interesting fact: If the moon were to stop spinning on its axis, we would get to see the far side of the moon while it moves around the Earth in its orbit.

Visibility of the moon from the Earth

The correct answer is option 4), i.e. 'By overcoming anger'.

The following is mentioned in the passage: 

"We can live in harmony with others only when we overcome anger and make room for peace."

• Therefore, a person can get peace of mind when he/she overcomes anger.
• Hence, option 4) is the answer.