416: "Mrichchhakatika" an ancient Indian book written by Shudraka deals with

(a) The love affair of a rich merchant with the daughter of a courtesan

(b) The victory of Chandragupta II over the Shaka Kshat-rapas of western India

(c) The military expeditions and exploits of Samudragupta

(d) The love affair between a Gupta King and a princess of Kamarupa
417: With reference to ionic compounds, consider the following statements:

1. Ionic compounds are insoluble in alcohol.
2. Ionic compounds in the solid state are good conductors of electricity.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) Only 1

(b) Only 2

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2
418: Galvanising of sheet iron is done by dipping the sheet metal into molten

(a) Mercury

(b) Cadmium

(c) Lead

(d) Zinc
419: In which of the following shapes can a 1 kg plastic sheet be moulded so as to have minimum surface area?

(a) Cylindrical

(b) Spherical

(c) Conical

(d) Cubical
420: Assertion (A):
During the year 2001 - 02, the value of India's total exports declined, registering a negative growth of 2.17%.

Reason (R):
During the year 2001 - 02, negative growth in exports was witnessed in respect of iron and steel, coffee, textiles and marine products.

(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true