Direction (1-10): The following questions is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the text. If none of the options is correct, then choose option E.
Q1. A newly opened glass elevator in a Dubai tourism spot has been closed by tourism officials after cracks appeared in the structure at the height of the weeklong Ramadan holidays. The glass elevator in Burj Arab’s scenic area had been supporting dozens of tourists on Monday when the cracks on its floor appeared with a loud bang. A single pane of the 3m-long section shattered into coin-sized segments and fell from a great height on the ground, according to footage on state broadcaster CCTV. The area’s management bureau said on its micro blog on Thursday that there was no threat to safety because only one of the three layers of glass that make up the elevator floor was damaged.
(a) The newly opened glass elevator in Dubai has suffered cracks but the cracks are not a threat to safety.
(b) The newly opened glass elevator in Dubai has suffered cracks and even though it is not a threat to safely, the elevator has been shut down by the tourism officials.
(c) The tourism officials of Dubai have closed the newly opened glass elevator due to certain cracks appearing in the structure. These cracks were not considered a threat to safety by the area’s management bureau.
(d) despite the management bureau’s assurance that the cracks in the newly opened glass elevator are superficial, the tourism officials of Dubai have closed it, until further notice.
Q2. In talks with Tsipras about struggling economy, Lagarde sets out fresh conditions for further financial aid. The European Union will need to provide significant debt relief for Greece if it is to persuade the International Monetary Fund to put its financial clout behind the country’s third bailout package, the Washington-based organisation has said. After what was described as a cordial meeting between the IMF’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, and the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the fund said it was only prepared to support the recession-ravaged eurozone country on a strings-attached basis. It said Greece had to be prepared to implement a tough package of economic reform and the country’s eurozone partners had to be willing to write down Greece’s debts.
(a) In a discussion with Greece on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos, IMF set norms to provide financial aid to Greece on a conditional basis which includes Eurozone writing down its debts and Greece implementing stringent economic reforms.
(b) In a discussion between IMF and Greece on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos, IMF declared publicly that it’ll provide Greece financial aid only if Eurozone approves of this loan and takes guarantee of Greece’s debt.
(c) In a discussion with Greece on the sidelines of World Economic Forum, IMF agrees to provide financial aid to Greece.
(d) Despite stringent Economic reforms and Eurozone writing down its debts, Greece needs financial aid from IMF which IMF promises it will provide. This has been decided on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos.
(e) None of these
Q3. Once upon a time there was a Frenchwoman named Mathilda who made it her life’s mission to save two of everything. Not just a spare for every possible eventuality – filling every cupboard to bursting, littering her cellar – but a twin for every object she owned, right down to table lamps. This hoarding made no sense at all, until it emerged that her grand-father once saved his family’s lives during the war by producing a spare reel of thread for a German soldier who needed to repair his uniform. Without that favour, they could have died. And so even as an adult, she could only feel safe so long as she had one of everything in reserve.
(a) Learning from her grandfather’s experience where he saved his family’s lives during war, Frenchwomen Mathilda made it her mission to save two of everything she owned. She’d feel safe this way to have reserve of everything.
(b) Since her grandfather saved his family’s lives during war, Frenchwoman named Mathilda has been saving two of everything. She feels safe this way that she has a reserve of everything she owns.
(c) Inspired by her grandfather’s actions where he saved his family’s lives during war by offering a spare reel to a German soldier, Mathilda made it her life’s mission to save two of everything, keep a twin of every object she owned; this way she’d feel safe especially during war.
(d) Frenchwoman Mathilda saves 2 of everything and keeps a twin of everything she owns. This feeling of having reserve of everything makes her feel safe. She has learnt this from her grandfather who had a spare reel of thread to offer to a German soldier to repair his uniform during war. This action saved his family’s lives from the German soldier.
(e) None of these
Q4. Recent experiment shows that a group of people, say X who prepared their meals at home and regularly consumed breakfast and an evening meal, had overall better diet. They avoided fast food and high sugar content drinks and ate more fresh vegetables and fruits compared to a group of people, say Group Y who did not keep an eating routine. Y who ate on the run, or used media while they ate or purchased food often ate less healthily.
(a) People who eat regular meals are healthier than the ones who eat less healthy food.
(b) People who keep an eating routine eat healthier food than the ones who do not eat healthy.
(c) People who eat home-cooked food and follow an eating routine eat healthier as compared to people who do not keep an eating routine.
(d) Fast food and sugary drinks are unhealthy as compared to vegetables and fruit. People should avoid them.
(e) None of these
Q5. Questioning 5,000 girls across Delhi about the various taxes they pay at their favorite restaurants, the respondents put the VAT at 12.5% when it actually costs 14.5%. They believed the service charge is another tax imposed by the state or central government when it is actually purely imposed by the restaurant for rendering its service to you; respondents estimated service charge to be at 2.5% when it may vary from 4 – 10%. The Service tax was estimated to be another 2.5% when it is actually 12.36% and payable on 40% of your total bill (excluding taxes), which equals 4.96%.
(a) According to a recent survey, girls in Delhi are not used to paying for their own restaurant bills.
(b) According to a recent survey, Delhi restaurants charge more taxes than in other states in India.
(c) According to a recent survey, Girls in Delhi are clearly ignorant about the taxes charged by the restaurants for the food and services.
(d) According to a recent survey, girls in Delhi hold a sense of disgust on knowing petty issues like restaurant taxes and ignore them deliberately.
(e) None of these
Q6. Many regime loyalists of Xi Jinping are just going through the motions. It is hard to miss the theatre of false pretense that has permeated the Chinese body politic for the past few years. Last summer, I was one of a handful of foreigners (and the only American) who attended a conference about the “China Dream,” Mr. Xi’s signature concept, at a party-affiliated think tank in Beijing. We sat through two days of mind-numbing, nonstop presentations by two dozen party scholars – but their faces were frozen, their body language was wooden, and their boredom was palpable. They feigned compliance with the party and their leader’s latest mantra. But it was evident that the propaganda has lost its power, and the emperor had no clothes.
(a) Mr. Xi is surrounded by supporters and well-wishers who pretend that they believe in his philosophy.
(b) The endgame of communist rule in China has begun, and Xi Jinping’s ruthless measures are only bringing the country closer to a breaking point.
(c) Mr. Xi’s reality is now known to close associates and regime loyalists.
(d) Mr. Xi’s attempts to cover up the atrocities of his regime have now been exposed.
(e) None of these
Q7. The common view of language, is that any language is a set of arbitrary but conventionally agreed upon words or signs, linked to each other by a purely formal system of syntactic and grammatical rules. Language, thus, is like a code; it is a way of representing actual things and events around in the perceived world, but has no internal, no ulterior, no arbitrary connections to that world, and hence is readily separable from it.
(a) Language represents the world but is separable from it.
(b) Language is a set of rules is an assumption.
(c) Language is a set of rules and codes which represents the world.
(d) Language is universal and common to all in form of signs and signals, hence is understood by all.
(e) None of these
Q8. The Andaman holiday island of Viber islands has been plunged into a poisonous grey haze caused by illegal forest fires in neighbouring Neil islands. Reduced visibility caused passenger planes from Thailand destined for Port Blair airport to turn around on Tuesday. The noxious fumes which have been spreading for weeks have shut down many other islands of south-east Asia. Tourist spots have been closed in and the local swimming championship cup scheduled to be held on Rutland island was cancelled on Wednesday. A beach volleyball championship in Barren island scheduled on Thursday was also abandoned.
(a) Illegal fires have resulted in poisonous smoke spreading through the neighbouring islands of Viber.
(b) A poisonous haze has spread over various islands of south-east Asia due to the fires in Viber islands – one of the biggest islands of Andaman and it has interrupted certain activities in those islands.
(c) Forest fires of Viber islands have resulted in spread of poisonous gases across various parts of south-east Asia and have put a stop to all the normal activities across islands over the last few weeks.
(d) Illegal forest fires in Neil islands have spread poisonous gases across Viber island and many south-east Asian islands over the last few weeks, and have caused shut-down of certain normal activities in these islands.
(e) None of these
Q9. It was a good idea for Avery Fisher Hall that most often conducts shows of New York Philharmonic orchestra, one of the Big Five orchestras in the world, to invite East West players, a theatre group based in Los Angeles, to stage an abridged version of Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Mendelssohn’s entire score attached. Conducted by Muah Ling and directed by Jennifer Chang, the result is a perfect combination of words and music in a setting – with the local woods skirting one side of the theatre – that is close to ideal.
(a) The production of Shakespeare’s play, complemented with a live backing of Mendelssohn’s score, is an good as it is rare.
(b) East West Players joined hands with Avery Fisher Hall to stage, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
(c) East West Player’s rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, complete with a live backing of Mendelssohn’s score at Avery Fisher Hall resulted in something close to ideal.
(d) East West Players in collaboration with Avery Fisher Hall has created a new version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
(e) None of these
Q10. Ramsey is a smart and brilliant scholar, always curious and public spirited. He is also the perfect spokesman for an approach that has come to be known as behavioral economics. He does not come across as someone preaching others about their shortcomings, because they feel like his shortcomings too. Ramsey recounts a dispute at an academic conference with the orthodox economist John Thatcher: “I said that the difference between our models was that he assumed that the subjects in his model were as smart as he was, and I assumed they were as dumb as I am. Thatcher agreed.”
(a) Ramsey has turned his weaknesses of being dumb into a new subject, a new branch of economic science-behavioral economics.
(b) Ramsey is a scholar of behavioral economics; also a great spokesman of it wherein he shows his weaknesses and make his audience identify with the same.
(c) Ramsey is a brilliant scholar because he can connect with people, in this case subjects of his study.
(d) Ramsey is an excellent scholar whose ability to make jokes about himself has gained him popularity in one of the fields of economics-behavioral economics.
(e) None of these
Directions (11-15): In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence there are five pairs of words. Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentence in the same sequence to make the sentence grammatically correct and meaningfully complete.
Q11. Most people are too _______________ in their own lives to _______________ much about the agonies of others.
(a) absorbed … care
(b) concerned … think
(c) indulged … eradicate
(d) involved … eradicate
(e) entangling … worry
Q12. Doctors and lawyers _______________ that advertising will certainly _______________ their profession adversely.
(a) trust … damage
(b) believe … affect
(c) contemplate … boost
(d) argue … effect
(e) plead … escalate
Q13. Because the _______________ leading to cancellation of flight were murky, the Minister appointed a Commission to _______________ and report the matter.
(a) staff members … undertake
(b) decision … decide
(c) facts … underplay
(d) events … camouflage
(e) circumstances … investigate
Q14. Several plots _______________ _______________ in various televisions episodes.
(a) Screen … concurrently
(b) Televised … consequently
(c) Occur … repeatedly
(d) Exhibit … frequently
(e) Demonstrate … violently
Q15. By _______________ of their athletic activities, a few sportsmen are able to escape the pressures that living in _______________ can create.
(a) knowledge … affluence
(b) way … prosperity
(c) order … vicinity
(d) virtue … poverty
(e) contrast … adversity
Solutions
S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. (a) and (b) are incorrect because the options suggest that the management bureau’s statement is true but the paragraph does not comment on its veracity. (c) is correct because it best captures the essence of the paragraph. It states that a newly opened glass elevator in Dubai has been closed now due to certain cracks that appeared on it. It also covers that part that the area’s management bureau had assured later that the cracks do not pose any danger. (d) is incorrect as it states that the cracks are superficial, which might not be correct. Also, it suggests that the statement of the area management bureau came before the closing of the glass elevator but that cannot be inferred from the paragraph.
S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. (a) best captures the essence of the paragraph. It states that in discussion between Greece and I.M.F., IMF has set out conditions for Greece if it needs financial aid from it to help it put out of the struggling zone. Conditions are that Greece’s partners in Eurozone should be convinced to write down Greece’s debts and also that Greece should now be more stringent and tough with its economic reforms. These conditions, as can inferred, if put in place may help Greece to come out of the struggling economic zone. (b) is incorrect because nowhere it is mentioned that these conditions were declared publicly. Also it is mentioned in the paragraph that Eurozone must write down Greece’s debts which means wavering off Greece’s loan, it cannot be inferred that Eurozone must approve of this loan by I.M.F. to Greece. (c) is incorrect as it missed out on the conditions set out by I.M.F. to Greece. Option (d) changes the meaning of the paragraph. “Despite……” means that these conditions are already up and running in Greece and despite that it needs a financial aid which is not what the paragraph means here.
S3. Ans.(a)
Sol. Option (a) best captures the essence of the paragraph. Mathilda has this habit of saving two of everything, keeping a twin of everything. She has learnt this from her grandfather’s experience where he offered a spare reel of thread to a German soldier who spared his and his family’s life. Because of this she feels safe doing so. Option (b) is incorrect because it states that “since” her grandfather saved his family’s life, Mathilda is also saving a spare of everything, when nowhere is it mentioned in the passage that she is doing so since that incident. Option (c) is incorrect towards the end where it states that Mathilda feels safe saving a spare of everything especially during war. It cannot be inferred from the paragraph that Mathilda feels safe with this action of hers during war. War is mentioned in the context of her grandfather and her feelings of war times cannot be inferred. Option (d) is incorrect as the structure of this summary is redundant. It captures all the important points and essence of the paragraph fine but with a poor summary structure.
S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. The passage clearly states that people who make their meals at home and follow an eating routine, have better diets as compared to people who eat on the run or hastily. (c) best captures this essence. (a) is wrong because the passage does not suggest that the people who eat regular meals are healthier but that they eat healthier food than the other types in discussion. (b) is wrong because comparison is not just with the ones that eat unhealthy food but with those who eat and the run or use media while eating. (d) is not even close to the discussion, in fact it gives a different meaning; here it is comparing healthy and unhealthy food instead of people who eat it.
S5. Ans.(c)
Sol. The passage shows that the girls in Delhi are not aware of the different taxes charged by restaurants. They believe them to be lower than they actually are. This idea is covered in (c).
(a) is incorrect because paying for themselves or not, point is if they know these taxes or not. (b) is incorrect because there is no comparison in the passage between taxes charged in Delhi and other states. (d) is incorrect because the passage does not talk of a sense of disgust by Delhi girls, neither does it suggest that they “deliberately” ignore the taxes’ figures.
S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. The paragraph states that party scholars in China pretended to be in agreement with the regime and their leader’s latest thoughts but it was clear that they did not believe in it. “The emperor had no clothes” hence indicates that Mr. Xi is surrounded by people who pretend to be supporters but are not really. Hence, he stands exposed to outsiders and in reality, does not have the cover of his well wishers. So (a) is the answer. (b) is incorrect because it refers to the breaking point for the country but does not indicate how Mr. Xi stands exposed. (c) is wrong because passage does not talk about Xi’s reality getting exposed to all, his party members knowing his reality does not necessarily leave him exposed to everyone else. (d) is incorrect because one cannot infer that Xi has tried to cover up the atrocities of his regime.
S7. Ans.(a)
Sol. (a) best summarizes the passage. (b) is incorrect as it is too narrow. (c) is incorrect because it is incomplete. (d) is incorrect as the passage doesn’t say this at all about language.
S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. Illegal forest fires in the area have spread across poisonous gases in other neighbouring regions, due to which few normal societal activities have shut down. We can also infer that this fire has spread across various other islands in that area. (d) best captures the essence. (a) is narrow, it just talks about spreading of poisonous gases and not its consequence on human activities. (b) is narrow because it just talks about interrupted activities in Viber islands when the passage also mentions of other neighboring islands. (c) is incorrect because it talks about interruption in all normal activities in the area whereas passage talks about only certain such activities, we cannot infer that all normal activities were interrupted.
S9. Ans.(c)
Sol. The passage states that the mentioned play was good. (a) calls the idea rare which is out of scope. (b) merely mentions that the group conducted a play at Avery Fisher Hall, which is incomplete as the results are not mentioned. (c) is the correct answer as it states the play reaped great results with all the music and setting. (d) states that the group created a new version, which is not mentioned in passage.
S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Passage talks about Ramsey who is a perfect spokesman for behavioral economics. His audience never feels that he is pointing out their shortcomings, rather his own. (b) best mentions this essence. (a) is incorrect because the passage does not suggest that behavioral economics comprises Ramsey’s weaknesses, he is just using his model to excel in this branch. (c) is incomplete as it does not mention behavioral economics, also the passage does not state why Ramsey is brilliant but just that he has is the perfect fit for the job here.
(d) is incorrect because the passage does not mention Ramsey as popular, neither does it mention that he laughs at himself.
S11. Ans.(a)
Sol. absorbed and care fit in the context of the sentence correctly. People are too much involved in their lives that they simply do not care for others.
S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. Believe and affect fit in the context of the sentence correctly. ‘affect’ is a verb and used correctly. Doctors and lawyers “believe” that..!
S13. Ans.(e)
Sol. Circumstances and investigate fit in the context of the sentence correctly.
circumstance- A particular incident or occurrence.
investigation- the action of investigating something or someone; formal or systematic examination or research.
S14. Ans.(c)
Sol. Occur and repeatedly fit in the context correctly. Many stories are repeated in different ways. Hence ‘occur’ is correct and so is ‘repeatedly’.
S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. virtue-behaviour showing high moral standards. Because of integrity some people escape the bad times. ‘poverty’ is correctly used.
