[Mission 2024] Insta–DART (Daily Aptitude and Reasoning Test) 22 April 2024

Stagnant and dirty water can cause many diseases. Some of these diseases are epidemic and life-threatening. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes which cause diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. This is why we often see a rise in the number of cases of these diseases after the rains or during monsoons. Spilling of oil on stagnant water prevents mosquito breeding as oil is insoluble in water and forms a layer on water which cuts off oxygen supply, thereby not allowing the larvae to develop into mosquitoes. As dengue-causing mosquitoes thrive in fresh water, water should not be allowed to collect. Spreading awareness of measures to prevent these diseases is very important. Posters and newspaper advertisements can be used to sensitize the learners.

Contaminated water is also responsible for many diseases which are referred to as water-borne diseases. The most common water-borne diseases are jaundice, diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera. In case of diarrhoea, there is rapid dehydration, i.e., loss of body fluids through vomiting and loose motion. This condition can become life-threatening unless body fluids are replenished. ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) is used to replenish body fluids. A simple, homemade alternative to ORS is salt and sugar solution or lemon water with salt and sugar added to it.

Community plays an important role in the prevention of water-borne diseases. Action is needed to be taken both by individuals and the collective community in maintaining hygiene, ensuring availability of systematic sanitation facilities, preventing waste and water accumulation, and spreading awareness about hygienic practices and waste disposal. (257 words)

Which of the following assumptions can be made from the passage?

Not only are fuels one of the classifying criteria of vehicles, they are also an important energy resource. The majority of vehicles are not only dependent on non-renewable sources but are also a major cause of air pollution and associated hazards. Hence, it is important to sensitize people about the ill effects of pollution and the measures which can be taken to curb and minimize pollution.

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), petrol, diesel, and coal are non-renewable sources and are on the verge of exhaustion. Petrol, diesel, and CNG are obtained from petroleum (crude oil). It is found deep inside the rocks of the earth’s crust. It is also referred to as fossil fuel as it is formed from the remains of dead aquatic plants and animals under high pressure and temperature in the earth’s crust; this process of formation takes millions of years. Hence, it is non-renewable. The places from where petroleum is extracted are called petroleum wells. Crude oil from these wells is dug and transported to refineries where the oil is separated into various components like petrol, diesel, and kerosene through a special method called fractional distillation. CNG is found in the upper layers of petroleum wells. Although CNG is less polluting, it is also non-renewable. The petroleum wells in India are at Digboi (Assam), Bombay High (Maharastra), Ankleshwar (Gujarat), Koyali (Gujarat), Guwahati (Assam), and Naharkatia (Assam). The important petroleum refineries are at Ankleshwar (Gujarat), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Jamnagar (Gujarat), Digboi (Assam), Guwahati (Assam), Barauni (Bihar), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Panipat (Haryana), and Kochi (Kerala). These places can be shown on maps to help the learners develop their spatial and mapping skills.

Steam produced from coal and electricity is used for running trains. Coal, like petroleum, is a fossil fuel and is formed from the remains of dead trees buried inside the earth under high pressure and temperature. This process takes millions of years and the places where coal is found are called  coal mines. The important coal mines in India are in Jhariya (Jharkhand), Korba (Chattisgarh), Raniganj (West Bengal), Singareni (Telangana), Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh), and Umaria (Madhya Pradesh).

Both these fuels are highly polluting and are responsible for many environmental problems like air pollution and global warming.

Some suggestive measures to reduce pollution, conserve fuels, and reduce our carbon footprint are:

• Walking and using cycles for short distances
• Using public transportation and sharing of private vehicles (carpooling)
• Purchasing from local shops and markets and avoiding long-distance travel whenever possible (411 words)

Which of the following views are corroborated by the passage?

Usually, children do not see food as having any role to do with our body or health; they rather view it as something that keeps us alive. Through interactions with adults, they associate food with growth, strength, energy, and health, but do not perceive the association. Children pick certain notions about food from media, their interactions with adults, and their everyday experiences. If they are relating milk with growth, calcium or vitamins with good health, or fatty food with obesity, they are relating nutrients in food with their body, but it is only a reflection of their social interactions and not a reflection of their understanding. Similarly, they do not understand the process of digestion or the digestive system. Young learners have various notions about their body parts. Some children relate the stomach to breathing, blood, or strength and energy. From about the age of seven, they begin to develop an idea of how the stomach helps to break or digest food, and later how food is transferred elsewhere after being in the stomach. By the age of nine, most children are able to list several organs including the stomach. Older children realize that there is a ‘food bag’ inside the body, but use the term ‘stomach’ to refer to both stomach and abdomen. It has been found that by the age of eleven, most children have a fairly correct outline of human anatomy and the overall function of the human body systems. Some children tend to have the notion that the digestive system has two outlets – one for feces and another for urine. They have similar ideas about food and digestion in case of animals. Children think that manure and water are food for plants, and do not understand the concept of plants producing their own food.                         (298 words)

Which of the following statements is closest to the meaning of the passage?

Many steps and processes are involved in converting a fibre into fabric. The fibres used are generally cotton, silk, wool, and jute. Threads of these materials are used to make cloth through methods like knitting and weaving.

Weaving is a process of making cloth by putting threads over and under one another on a machine called a loom. Sarees and other unstitched clothes are produced in this way. Once the cloth is woven, it is cut and stitched into different pieces. Weaving is generally a traditional and family occupation. Traditionally, weavers learn this art from their elders and community, and thus the techniques are passed down from one generation to another. This is why weaving styles are different in different communities. The weaving designs and patterns used in Pochampally are different from those in Banaras or Chanderi.

Sometimes, threads are coloured before being woven into cloth. Cloth can be coloured through dyeing after being woven as well. Dyeing is the process of soaking cloth in a coloured solution made by mixing hot water with one or more dyes. A dye is a substance used to change the colour of cloth.  Red, blue, and yellow are the three primary colours. All the other colours are a mixture of these three colours. Dyes of various colours are mixed to get different shades. Dyes can be either vegetable dyes or chemical dyes. We get vegetable dyes from natural sources such as flowers, fruits, leaves, and vegetables.

Clothes have a variety of designs and patterns. Designs can be woven into cloth by using threads of different colours on a loom. Block printing is a method by which patterns can be printed on cloth. A wooden block is carved into a particular design and then dye is applied on the carve surface. The block is then pressed upon the cloth.

Tie-and-dye is a method used widely in Rajasthan. The cloth is folded, twisted, or tied with strings before being dyed. After the colour is applied, a portion of the cloth is untied. The newly untied portion does not have any colour. Now, when it is dipped in another colour again, this uncoloured portion gets coloured.

Another popular form of colouring cloth in beautiful designs is batik. In this method, certain portions of the cloth are covered with melted wax before being dyed. Later, the wax is removed, revealing beautiful patterns.

Kalamkari is a method by which designs are painted onto the cloth using a special kalam (pen). Andhra Pradesh is famous for this work.

Two other types of paintings and patterns used on fabrics are Madhubani and Worli. Patterns and designs can be created through embroidery. Embroidery is the process of sewing patterns on cloth using threads of different colours. Different states of India have different kinds of embroidery. Phulkari is popular in Punjab and Kantha in Bengal.     (473 words)

Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Pottery is one of the first art forms man has mastered. It is an art form in which mud or clay is shaped into various forms and heated in a kiln to harden the mud or clay into desired shapes and make it durable. Pottery and related artefacts have provided useful information to archaeologists and historians about various societies and civilizations in the history of mankind. Despite the prevalence of modern technology, the traditional art form of pottery has not been eradicated. Earlier, pots made out of mud and clay were used for storing grains and water and eventually for cooking. Now, earthen pots, i.e., pots made of mud or clay are used for storing water during the summers and growing plants, as well as for other ornamental and decorative purposes.

In the earlier days pots and containers were shaped by hands. With the invention of the wheel, man started using the potter’s wheel to make pots of different shapes and sizes. Eventually pots also came to be coloured and decorated. A particular type of soil or mud is used for the purpose of pottery which is usually clayey soil. Soils like black soil and sandy soil are not fit to be used for making pots. Also, topsoil is preferred for pottery.

The traditional process of making pots generally goes like this: first, clay is dug out of the ground, and it is then mixed with water and left to settle. When the excess water has evaporated, the clay is stored in a damp room to prevent it from drying up.

As stated previously, before the invention of the wheel, pots were shaped by hands. In this process, the clay was rolled into long rope-like coils which were then placed over one another in a round shape. These slabs were joined by pinching soft lumps of clay and were then given the desired shapes.

With the potter’s wheel, a chunk of damp clay is taken

and placed at the centre of the wheel. The wheel is then

steadily turned with the help of a stick or the potter’s feet.

Nowadays, motors are also used to power the wheel. As the wheel rotates, the clay is slowly given the desired shape by the potter with his hands. After the shaping is completed, the shaped clay is placed inside an oven called a kiln. The clay gets hardened in the fire and the colour of the pot gets darkened. Once the pot is baked, it can be painted or decorated. A technique called glazing is used for decorating pots whereby a coating of vitreous substance is applied to give the effect of shine.                                            (441 words)

 Which of the following is the most logical and rational inferences?