Concept:Critical thinking means actively analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to form reasoned conclusions.
Explanation:Option (a) asks about the Yamuna’s role in the Mughal city layout – this needs analyzing historical and geographical influences.
Option (b) questions the purpose of a press conference and how it reveals government actions – this requires evaluating media’s role in democracy.
Option (c) only asks to differentiate markets with examples – this is a simple descriptive task, not critical analysis.
Option (d) demands explaining why civil servants must be politically neutral – this involves ethical reasoning and functional analysis.
Option (e) requires discussing how water availability affects settlement patterns – this calls for critical assessment of environmental and social factors.
Thus, only (a), (b), (d), and (e) promote critical thinking.
Answer:A. Only (a), (b), (d) and (e)