Saturday, March 30, 2013

The knowledge society

DAWN FRIDAY FEATURE
The knowledge society 

THE capacity for learning is one of the distinct gifts best-owed upon human beings. It is because of this capacity that humans have contributed to civilisation through continuous reflection, exploration and discovery.

This curiosity for learning and construction of knowledge has today led human beings to the concept of a `knowledge society`.

Historically, it is evident that the societies that valued knowledge and provided an encouraging environment to learners excelled in the construction and contribution of knowledge. Consequently, such a culture led those societies to progress in different aspects of life.

Islam has put significant emphasis on learning and seeking knowledge. For instance, in the Holy Quran seeking knowledge is considered khairan kathir (abundant good) and human beings are encouraged repeatedly to reflect on and understand the mysterious world.

Similarly, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has termed seeking knowledge obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman and guided them to attain knowledge from the cradle to the grave.

In short, there are abundant examples in the teachings of Islam that lay stress on learning and acquiring knowledge.

For Muslims, such teachings have been the major impetus for acquiring knowledge and for intellectual discourse. It was because of this motivation that in the formative period of Islam Muslim societies started to thrive due to the thirst for diverseknowledge.

In the 9th-10th centuries Muslim societies excelled in different fields of knowledge such as theology, philosophy, science, art and architecture etc. Those developments are viewed as a treasured contribution of Muslims towards human civilisation.

This conducive environment for learning helped Muslim societies in nurturing extremely dynamic individuals and establishing somehighly vibrant centres of learning in cities such as Baghdad and Cairo.

In the early period of Islam Muslim societies were comparatively flexible in studying diverse perspectives.

Society then was also considerably open to learning from other cultures. For example, at that period Greek philosophy and science were given substantial attention. The books of Greek scholars and intellectuals were translated into Arabic and conscious efforts were made to reconcile them with Islamic thought.

This tendency of attaining knowledge from diverse sources helped Muslims cultivate an atmosphere where knowledge was constructed and contributed to the larger society.

Today, many Muslim societies such as Pakistan are facing acute challenges in educating their citizens and contributing to knowledge. For example, in Pakistan the literacy rate is comparatively low if compared to neighbouring countries.

According to a report around 25 million children are out of school, hence Pakistan will not be able to fulfil its commitment of providing primary education for all children by 2015.

Of the children who do go to school, most of them do not get the opportunity to actualise their potential and develop their competencies. As a result, poor performance can be observed in different spheres of life in the country.

Furthermore, universities are generally considered places from where knowledge is generated and contributed to society.

However, it is discouraging to note that not a single university from the Muslim world comes in the top 100 universities of the world; very few are included in the leading 500. However, a few countries like Turkey and Malaysia are making conscious efforts to improve the quality of higher education.

Why does this situation prevail in the Muslim world? There can be many reasons for this disparity. First, it is evident that political will plays a vital role in enhancing the cause of education in any society. However, in many Muslim countries including Pakistan, education has never been the priority of successive governments. No political party or government has shown true commitment to the cause of education. Historically, various education policies have been developed but they have never been implemented properly.

Secondly, the collective mind/attitude also plays a very important role in learning and acquiring knowledge. In many Muslim societies memorisation and rote learning are considered effective methods of learning. Reflective and critical thinking have not been given due importance in the process of education. Such an attitude towards learning does not help society develop inquisitive minds.

Furthermore, dividing knowledge into different categories, such as religious and non-religious or `ours` and `others`, limits the learners` capacity for looking at diverse perspectives. At times religious knowledge is viewed as superior and other scientific knowledge is considered less important. Such an approach shapes an attitude of rigidness and an environment of stagnation.

Looking at this situation, Muslim societies today require serious reflection on the challenges they face regarding learning and education. They need to re-examine their beliefs and reconcile them with the Islamic values concerning learning.

They must learn from the formative period of Islam how Muslims of that era were able to be open to different perspectives and to generate and contribute to the human civilisation`s wealth of knowledge.

In short, no society can progress without education and seeking knowledge. Islam clearly stresses upon learning and, by making it obligatory, values the seeking of knowledge. •

Thursday, March 28, 2013

CSS Pakistan Affairs Paper 2013



Pakistan Affairs Paper
Part-I (MCQs)

1. Who was the governor of Sindh after Muhammad Bin Qasim?
a. Zaid Bin Marwan
b. Yazid Bin Muhallab
c. Abdullah Bin Haris
d. none

2. who was the mughal emperor who accepted the british pension firstly?
a. Alamgir-II
b. Shah Alam-II
c. Akbar-II
d. None

3. Ahmad Shah Abdali launched his early invasion against:
a. Mughal
b. Marhatas
c. Sikhs
d. None

4. The British fought Plassy war against:
a. Haider Ali
b. Tipu Sultan
c. Sirajuddula
d. None

5. Dars-i-Nizami was named after:
a. Nizamuddin Auliya
b. Nizamul Mulk
c. Mullah Nizamuddin
d. None

6. Before 1857 how many Universities on Western pattern were established in India?
a. 16
b. 13
c. 3
d. None

7. When the MAO College at Alligarh was started?
a. 1864
b. 1877
c. 1875
d. None


8. Anjuman-i-Himayat e Islam was started in:
a. 1849
b. 1884
c. 1885
d. None

9. The constitution of All India Mulim League was written by:
a. Mohsin ul Mulk
b. Muhammad Ali Johar
c. Nawab Salimullah of Dacca
d. None


10. The first session of Muhammad Educational Conference was held in Bangal:
a. 1886
b. 1899
c. 1906
d. None

11. The London branch of Muslim League was started by:
a. Syed Amir Ali
b. Sir Wazir Hassan
c. Hasan Bilgrami
d. None

12. “Hamdard” was edited by
a. Moulana SHoukat Ali
b. Moulana Muhammad Ali Johar
c. Moulana Zafar Ali Khan
d. None

13. “Shudhi” movement was started by:
a. Jawahr Lal Nehru
b. Tilak
c. Gandhi
d. None


14. Majlis-ii-Ahrar was found in:
a. 1928
b. 1929
c. 1931
d. None


15. In Kashmir the ceasefire between Pakistan and India was signed on:
a. 27th july 1948
b. 27th july 1949
c. 27th july 1950
d. None

16. Islamabad was declared capital of Pakistan in:
a. 1959
b. 1960
c. 1961
d. None

17. Majority of Southern Pakistan population lived along the:
a. River Indus
b. River Ravi
c. River Jhelum
d. None

18. The Aryan arrived in South Asia in :
a. 3000BC -3500BC
b. 4000BC- 4500BC
c. 4500BC-5000BC
d. None

19. The most ancient civilization is:
a. Harrapa
b. Mohjudaru
c. Mehargarh
d. None

20.The author of “The Case of Pakistan” is
a. Rafiq Afzal
b. S M Ikram
c. I.H. Qureshi
d. None

Part-II


Attempt only FOUR questions.

Q.No.2 Critically examine the Muslim shift from militancy to education with a special reference to the educational movements launched during the 19th century in South Asia. (20)

Q.No.3. Trace the history of the Muslim conquests of present day Pakistan areas highlighting their contributions in transforming the society and culture. (20)

Q.No.4. What was the contribution of the Muslim Press in the struggle of creation of Pakistan? Examine the role of prominent Muslim journalists in this regard. (20)

Q.No.5. Compare the socio-economic and political conditions of the Muslims and non-Muslims at the advent of British rule in South Asia? (20)

Q.No.6. Elucidate the difficulties in establishment of an Islamic order in Pakistan after independence. (20)

Q.No.7. “The twentieth century witnessed the war for oil. The twenty-first century will witness the war for water”. Examine the practical implications of this statement on situation of Pakistan. (20)

Q.No.8. Through Allama Iqbal’s writings and views of Quaid-i-Azam explain their conceptual understanding about the Islamic state. Do you agree that their vision found some place while explaining the constitutional developments throughout the case of Pakistan’s political history? (20)

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A stable democracy?



A stable democracy?
     
By Niaz Murtaza | 3/26/2013

IN a rare instance, a credibly elected parliament has completed its term in Pakistan, raising hopes that Pakistani democracy has finally matured.

However, some pro-democracy writers and newspapers keep reading conspiracies in various military and judicial actions. So, has Pakistani democracy really matured? Political scientists use the concept of democratic consolidation to measure national democratic progress. Consolidation includes two sub-components: stability and quality.

Democratic stability occurs once democracy is accepted as a country`s best governance option by all kingmakers, and when credible elections occur regularly.

Democratic quality means that power is exercised democratically after such elections, resulting in good governance.

Although democratic quality is the ultimate goal, I focus here on the more immediate milestone of democratic stability.

So have all kingmakers finally and forever accepted democracy as Pakistan`s best governance option? The list of Pakistani kingmaker groups includes the military, the media, mafia, militants, judiciary, industrialists, landlords and some foreign countries.

A detailed analysis of the preferences of all these kingmakers will far exceed available space. However, most kingmakers can only operate indirectly through groups which can topple democracy directly. Thus, the former can topple democracy only if the latter groups agree. Fortunately, the list of these latter groups includes only the military and militants. Hence, one can develop a good estimation of Pakistani democratic stability even by reviewing only the inclinations of these two.

Four sets of factors innu-ence the willingness and ability of various groups to undermine democracy. Structural factors include macro-level societal fundamentals, eg, the higher per capita income and literacy the more stable is democracy.

Institutional factors encompass the relative strength of various societal institutions, eg, the more powerful political parties and judiciary in relation to the military, the more stable is democracy.

Strategic choice factors include the choices of powerful individuals based on selfinterest, eg Zia and Musharraf`s coups while facing termination by elected leaders.

Finally, transient factors refer to chance occurrences which undermine democracy nationally, eg the Soviet Afghanistan invasion strengthened the military and militantsin Pakistan.Since structural and institutionalfactors are far more fundamental and less easily reversible than transient and strategic choice factors, democracy truly becomes stable when the former become favourable for democracy.

These factors help in analysing the ability and willingness of the military and militants to undermine Pakistani democracy. The militants abhor democracy and see their version of caliphate as a better governance option for Pakistan.

Their ability to realise this dream reached a peak under military-man Musharraf when their physical conquests stretched to within 100km of Islamabad.

Since then, while their willingness remains undiminished, few outside their ranks give them any realistic chance of conquering Pakistan the way militants once conquered Afghanistan and Somalia. However, they remain a major nuisance without being able to take over.

The factors identified above help in understandingtheir contrasting fortunes.

The movement is kept alive by the two less fundamental sets of factors, ie, strategic choice (eg personal desires of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan leaders for power) and transient external factors (eg Pakistani Army`s post-US Afghanistan calculations).

But, institutional (eg the capacity gap between the TTP and the Pakistan Army) and structural (eg Pakistan`s higher per capita income than Somalia and Afghanistan) factors make an outright TTP victory nearly impossible.

Thus, Pakistani democracy`s defences against militants rest on the solid foundations of the two fundamental sets of factors.

While the military keeps the militants at bay, its own predisposition towards democracy remains ambivalent.

With respect to structural factors, Pakistan is still far below the per capita income and literacy levels where countries generally become immune to military coups.

Institutionally, the military is not only physically stronger than political parties (a quick march by the Triple-1 brigade alone can topple elected governments), but also enjoys greater credibility.

The recent emergence of a fiercely independent and todate pro-democracy judiciary (and to a lesser extent media) has somewhat reduced the credibility edge of the military over pro-democracy institutions.

Even so, unlike Pakistani democracy`s sturdy defences against a militant takeover, Pakistani democracy`s recent success in avoiding a military takeover unfortunately rests largely on less fundamental and easily reversible strategic choice (eg the army chief`s individual preferences) and transient (eg international pressure) factors.

This clearly is bad news for pro-democracy forces.

This does not mean that amilitary coup is imminent.

Coups are only one possible governance alternative to democracy for the Pakistani military. Because of their overuse and repeated failures, coups have also become discredited internationally and domestically, and therefore costly for the military to exercise.

The other options include the current de facto control over strategic governance (security and foreign) domains and the Bangladesh technocratic model whose use may face less resistance externally and internally.

However, as in Bangladesh, the model will fail in Pakistan too since timid technocrats, while comfortable with crafting mid-range policies under visionary leaders, will be out of their league tackling the socio-economic problems of a country as complex, vast and unpredictable as Pakistan.

It was technocrats who crafted Pakistan`s economic policies that caused much inequality and grief in the sixties. Thus, even if applied in Pakistan, this model cannot be used repeatedly or indefinitely. Ultimately, democracy will re-emerge within three to five years.

So, while the last 65 years saw 40 years of autocracy, the coming decades will likely witness either uninterrupted, though partially managed, democracy, or at most a last desperate three to five years` failed experimentation with an alternative (the Bangladesh model) and then a resigned acceptance of democracy as Pakistan`s fait accompli despite all its faults.

In other words, while it is premature to consider Pakistani democracy stable, it can safely be termed as a gradually stabilising one. 

Courtesy: DAWN  

Sunday, March 24, 2013

CSS Everyday Science Paper Solved MCQs 2013


EVERYDAY SCIENCE MCQs 2013

1. Who proposed the concept “All motion is relative”?
a. Albert Einstein

2. The field of specialization of famous Muslim scientist Abu Usman Aljahiz was:
b. Zoology

3. Albatros is:
a. A sea bird

4. The sunlight can reach a depth of …….. meters in the ocean:
d. None (200 meters)

5. The biggest planet in our solar system is:
c. Jupiter

6. The biggest species of the cat family is:
a. Tiger

7. Which group of animals has heterogametic females?
a. Domestic fowl

8. The dominant phase of life cycle in these organism is haploid:
a. Mosses

9. The atmosphere of moon consists of:
d. None

10. The chemical name of quartz is:
a. Silicon Dioxide

11. Which month of calendar year can lack a new moon?
b. February

12. Deuterium differs from Hydrogen in having:
c. Same atomic number and different atomic weight

13. One of the following is a water soluble vitamin:
d. None (Vitamin C and Vitamin B Complex)

14. Coulomb is the scientific unit to measure:
d. None (Charge)

15. Equator passes through one of these countries:
d. None (The equator passes through 13 countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia and Kiribati.)

16. Anti Diuretic hormone is secreted by one of the following glands:
a. Pituitary (posterior pituitary)

17. Basha Dam is to be constructed on:
d. None (River Indus)

18. UV light falls in the category of:
b. Non Ionizing Radiation

19. The earth’s ………………. is divided into 15 major plates of various sizes:
c. Lithosphere

20. One of these scientists formulated basic laws of Geometry:
b. Archimedes

21. Phosphorus is an essential component of one of the following biological molecules:
b. Nucleic acids

22. He was the first scientist to prove that planets move around the sun:
c. John Kepler

23. Atom is made up of ........... different kinds of subatomic particles:
a. Three (electron, neutron, and proton)

24. Uranium is best used as nuclear fuel in one of the following forms:
a. U 235

25. The alpha particles are compact clusters of:
b. Two Protons and two Neutrons

26. The Beta particles are fast moving
b. Electrons

27. One of the following countries produces maximum energy from atomic reactors:
a. France

28. The unit to measure the quantity of Ozone in atmosphere is
a. Dobson

29. The severity of 2005 earthquake in Pakistan on Richter scale was
b. 7.6

30. Geiger-Muller counter is used to detect:
c. Photons

31. Vacuum tubes have been replaced by:
c. Transistors

32. Dacron is
a. Polyethylene

33. It is a secondary plant nutrient:
c. Sulphur

34. An area of microbiology that is concerned with the occurence of disease in human population is
c. Epidemiology

35. The number of electrons of a neutral atom is automatically known if one knows the:
a. Atomic number

36. Which of the following is not an enzyme?
b. Secretin

37. It is impossible for a type of O+ baby to have a type of .............. mother:
a. AB- (With a Child's blood type of O the parents will be a combination of O and O / A and A / A and B / B and B.)

38. Serum if blood plasma minus its:
b. Clotting proteins

39. The autonomic nervous system innervates all of these except:
b. Skeletal muscles (The autonomic nervous system is a system of motor neurons that innervate smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and glands)

40. The damage to the .............. nerve could result in the defect of the eye movement:
d. none (cranial nerve)

41. Which of these is not a region of the spinal cord?
b. Pelvic (The spinal cord is divided into four different regions: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral regions)

42. The shape of the external ear is due to:
a. Elastic cartilage

43. The external surface of the stomach is covered by
b. Serosa

44. Which of the following is not a human organ system?
c. Epithelial

45. Which of the following does not vary predictably with the depth of the aquatic environment?
a. Salinity

46. The quantity of available nutrients .............from the lower levels of
b. decreases

47. Which of the following is not a major sub division of the biosphere?
b. Stratosphere

48. Vaccination is synonymous with .............. immunity.
c. Artificial active

49. When a patient's immune system becomes reactive to a drug, this is an example of:
c. Allergy

50. What is the smallest unit of heredity?
b. Gene






CSS Everyday Science Paper 2013



Everyday Science Paper 2013

PART-I

Q.1 Select the best option and fill in the appropriate circle.

1. Who proposed the concept “All motion is relative”?
a. Albert Einstein
b. John Kepler
c. Galileo Galilie
d. None

2. The field of specialization of famous Muslim scientist Abu Usman Aljahiz was:
a. Botany
b. Zoology
c. Astronomy
d. None

3. Albatros is:
a. A sea bird
b. A beetle
c. A fruit
d. None

4. The sunlight can reach a depth of …….. meters in the ocean:
a. 100
b. 80
c. 120
d. None

5. The biggest planet in our solar system is:
a. Venus
b. Pluto
c. Jupiter
d. None

6. The biggest species of the cat family is:
a. Tiger
b. Lion
c. Leopard
d. None

7. Which group of animals has heterogametic females?
a. Domestic fowl
b. Earthworm
c. Rabbit
d. None

8. The dominant phase of life cycle in these organism is haploid:
a. Mosses
b. Bacteria
c. Protoza
d. None

9. The atmosphere of moon consists of:
a. 90% Hydrogen, 10% Nitrogen
b. 80%Nitrogen, 20% Hydrogen
c. 60% Nitrogen, 40%inert gases
d. None

10. The chemical name of quartz is:
a. Silicon Dioxide
b. Stannous Oxide
c. Aluminium Oxide
d. None

11. Which month of calendar year can lack a new moon?
a. December
b. February
c. May
d. None

12. Deuterium differs from Hydrogen in having:
a. Different atomic number but same atomic weight
b. Different atomic number and different atomic weight
c. Same atomic number and different atomic weight
d. None

13. One of the following is a water soluble vitamin:
a. Vitamin A
b. Vitamin D
c. Vitamin K
d. None

14. Coulomb is the scientific unit to measure:
a. Velocity
b. Temperature
c. Mass
d. None

15. Equator passes through one of these countries:
a. Saudi Arabia
b. Italy
c. Japan
d. None

16. Anti Diuretic hormone is secreted by one of the following glands:
a. Pituitary
b. Pancreas
c. Thyroid
d. None

17. Basha Dam is to be constructed on:
a. River Sutlaj
b. River Jhelum
c. River Chenab
d. None

18. UV light falls in the category of:
a. Ionizing Radiations
b. Non Ionizing Radiation
c. Visible light
d. None

19. The earth’s ……………….is divided into 15 major plates of various sizes:
a. Mesosphere
b. Stratosphere
c. Lithosphere
d. None

20. One of these scientists formulated basic laws of Geometry:
a. Pythagorus
b. Archimedes
c. Aristotle
d. None

21. Phosphorus is an essential component of one of the following biological molecules:
a. Amino acids
b. Nucleic acids
c. Carbohydrates
d. None

22. He was the first scientist to prove that plants move around the sun:
a. Archimedes
b. Galileo Galilei
c. John Kepler
d. None

23. Atom is made up of ........... different kinds of subatomic particles:
a. Three
b. Two
c. Four
d. None

24. Uranium is best used as nuclear fuel in one of the following forms:
a. U 235
b. U 237
c. U 238
d. None

25. The alpha particles are compact clusters of:
a. Electron and Proton
b. Two Protons and two Neutrons
c. Three protons and three Neutrons
d. None

26. The Beta particles are fast moving
a. Protons
b. Electrons
c. Neutrons
d. None

27. One of the following countries produces maximum energy from atomic reactors:
a. France
b. USA
c. UK
d. none

28. The unit to measure the quantity of Ozone in atmosphere is
a. Dobson
b. Dalton
c. Cuolomb
d. none

29. The severity of 2005 earthquake in Pakistan on Richter scale was
a. 6.9
b. 7.6
c. 7.1
d. none

30. Geiger-Muller counter is used to detect:
a. Protons
b. Neutrons
c. Photons
d. none

31. Vacuum tubes have been replaced by:
a. Conductors
b. Diodes
c. Transistors

32. Dacron is
a. Polyethylene
b. Epoxy
c. Polyamide
d. none

33. It is a secondary plant nutrient:
a. Nitrogen
b. Phosphorus
c. Sulphur
d. none

34. An area of microbiology that is concerned with the occurence of disease in human population is
a. Immunology
b. Paracitology
c. Epidemiology
d. none

35. The number of electrons of a neutral atom is automatically known if one knows the:
a. Atomic number
b. Atomic weight
c. Number of orbitals
d. none

36. Which of the following is not an enzyme?
a. Chemotrypsin
b. Secretin
c. Pepsin
d. none

37. It is impossible for a type of O+ baby to have a type of .............. mother:
a. AB-
b. O-
c. O+
d. none

38. Serum if blood plasma minus its:
a. Calcium ions
b. Clotting proteins
c. Globulins
d. none

39. The autonomic nervous system innervates all of these except:
a. Cardiac muscles
b. Skeletal muscles
c. Smooth muscles
d. none

40. The damage to the .............. nerve could result in the defect of the eye movement:
a. Optic
b. Trigeminal
c. Abducens
d. none

41. Which of these is not a region of the spinal cord?
a. Thoracic
b. Pelvic
c. Lumbar
d. none

42. The shape of the external ear is due to:
a. Elastic cartilage
b. Fibrocartilage
c. Articular cartilage
d. none

43. The external surface of the stomach is covered by
a. Mucosa
b. Serosa
c. Parietal peritoneum
d. none

44. Which of the following is not a human organ system?
a. Integumentary
b. Muscular
c. Epithelical
d. none

45. Which of the following does not vary predictably with the depth of the aquatic environment?
a. Salinity
b. Temperature
c. Penetration by sunlight
d. none

46. The quantity of available nutrients .............from the lower levels of the energy pyramids to the higher ones.
a. Increases
b. decreases
c. remains stable
d. none

47. Which of the following is not a major sub division of the biosphere?
a. Hydrosphere
b. Stratosphere
c. Lithosphere
d. none

48. Vaccination is synonomyous with .............. immunity.
a. Natural active
b. Artificial passive
c. Artificial active
d. none

49. When a patient's immune system becomes reactive to a drug, this is an example of:
a. Super infection
b. Drug resistance
c. Allergy
d. none

50. What is the smallest unit of heredity?
a. Chromosomes
b. Gene
c. Nucleotides
d. none
Part-II

Attempt only FIVE Questions

Q.No.2. (a) “The flood disaster in Pakistan is caused by the follies of humans”.comment (5)
(b) State the message of “The Earth Hour Movement”. (5)

Q.No.3. (a) Porifera is an ancient group of animals from Cambrian period. What is the cause of their survival/success? (5)
(b) How heavy water differs from ordinary water and what is its use in Atomic Reactor? (5)

Q.No.4. What part do antibiodies play in allergic reaction? How vaccination can be helpful in its control/prevention? (10)

Q.No.5. (a) Differentiate between Renewable and Non-renewable sources of energy. Give examples of each one of them. (5)
(b) Why Nuclear Energy is being preferred in developed countries and why are we lagging behind in this important source of energy? (5)

Q.No.6. (a) What is Nanotechnology and what are its use? (5)
(b) Briefly explain the differences between Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. (5)

Q.No.7. Write Comprehensive note on:
(a) LASER and their use (5)
(b) OPTIC FIBRES and their importance in modern telecom system (5)

Q.No.8. Write all that you know about Pesticides. How are they classified by agronomists? (10)

Q.No.9. Write note on:
(a) Biotechnology (5)
(b) Global Warming (5)