Q. 1-10. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
In a country where smoking doesn’t just kill you, your family and friends, but also any halfway decent movie watching experience, it’s a smart move to explore a few life-saving alternatives. The debates around the safety and efficacy of nicotine replacement therapies, or NRT, have been raging in the world for decades now, and only just making their way to India.The remedial administration of carefully monitored nicotine to the body by means other than inhalation of tobacco smoke depends on the hypothesis that a smoker is slowly weaned off tobacco while preventing cravings and other withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, nasal sprays and electronic cigarettes, all fall under this umbrella term. Perhaps the most popular among them is the electronic cigarette. It is a battery-powered device that uses a heating element to vaporize a liquid solution made of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and added flavours in order to stimulate smoking. For heavy smokers used to smoking more than a pack a day, an e-cigarette offers a viable replacement to nicotine addiction and provides an outlet for oral fixation. E-cigs haven’t really captivated the Indian market space as, say, in European and American markets, where they’re selling in hundred different types and flavours at gourmet stores and mall kiosks. In India. those of the Chinese variety are readily available at the local panwari. Brands in the market include SteamLite, Health E Cigarettes, Vapours and Chinese alternatives that have drawn flak for lack of quality control. Imported European brands include XEO, Joytech, Pravog and Damfer. Prices for these range between Rs 600 and Rs 2,500.
Ajay Srivastava, a Delhi-based independent film maker who used to smoke a pack a day, has managed to cut down to one cigarette a day through “sheer will power and yoga”. Electronic cigarettes are merely a passing fad. All NRT options should strictly be tried out under medical supervision so that dosages can be monitored effectively. E-cigs contain pure nicotine, an overdose of which can even precipitate a heart attack. Moreover, they haven’t been approved by either the Food and Drug Administration or World Health Organization, and their safety and benefit claims are widely disputed. A senior manager with Alchem Pharmaceutical, which manufactures nicotine solutions for e-cigs, says what makes them safer than regular cigarettes is the fact that there’s no tar, no foul smell and the lack of carcinogenic impurities that arise from incomplete oxidation of tobacco.
It is cautioned that since, as opposed to pharmaceutically manufactured gums and patches, the quantity of nicotine in e-cigarettes is unregulated and varied, it may lead to an addiction to the e-cigarette itself. Some products have even been known to contain harmful chemicals such as anti-freeze (used in car radiators) and various other contaminants.
E-cigs are not an effective model of nicotine cessation and are considered mere hogwash within the medical community. There have been high rates of success with combination therapy of nicotine gum plus patch, and psychotherapy.With many people’s New Years’ resolutions hanging in the balance and the e-cig proving not such a miracle cure as it was thought to be, the important thing for smokers to remember is that the best way forward is to seek help from family, friends and, most importantly, medical health professionals. In the last half century, smoking rates have been dropping steadily in developed countries and climbing in developing countries. At the end of the day, it’s all about breaking (the) bad (habit).
1 Why are smoking rates going down in developed countries and increasing in developing countries?
01. People in developed countries have been fed up with smoking.
02. Developing countries earn a lot of revenue by the medium of charging tax on the sale of cigarettes.
03. In developing countries, youngsters are drawn to smoking from the childhood years.
04. Developed countries provide newer options to tobacco consumption and people like trying those options.
05. Not mentioned in the passage
2 Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the word given in bold, as used in the passage.
Fad
01. Rage
02. Innovation
03. Trend
04. Simplicity
05. Custom
3 Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the word given in bold, as used in the passage.
Captivated
01. Dramatized
02. Captured
03. Exhibited
04. Entertained
05. Liberated
4 Choose the word which is most nearly the OPPOSITE in meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.
Flak
01. Attention
02. Submission
03. Gathering
04. Criticism
05. Endorsement
5 Choose the word which is most nearly the OPPOSITE in meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.
Disputed
01. Approved
02. Questioned
03. Discussed
04. Deceived
05. Manipulated
6 Why is it advised to try all NRT options under medical supervision?
01. So that, the person knows how his treatment is to be done.
02. So that, in case of any emergency the person gets the best medical aid.
03. So that, all the procedures related to the person’s treatment can be validated.
04. So that, its dosages can be supervised and the person’s safety can be ensured.
05. Not mentioned in the passage
7 Following are the alternative ways of administering nicotine to the body ,except-
01. E-Cigarettes
02. Nasal sprays
03. Patches
04. Cigarettes
05. Lozenges
8 How do electronic cigarettes differ from regular ones?
A. It does not produce nasty smell.
B. It does not contain impurities that may cause cancer
C. They remain available at an economical rate.
D. It does not contain tar.
01. Only B
02. Only A and C
03. Only B and D
04. All except B
05. All except C
9 How does the electronic cigarette function?
01. It contains a battery-powered device with a heating element that nullifies the effect of all other odours except that of the cigarette.
02. It contains a battery-powered device which has a heating element used to burn a mixture in order to stimulate smoking.
03. It contains a battery-powered device with a heating element which burns and produces smell that is similar to that produced by smoking
04. It contains a battery-powered device which mixes the substances that remain separate otherwise, in order to stimulate smoking
05. Cannot be understood from the passage
10 Which of the following is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
01. Overdose of nicotine can trigger heart attack.
02. The medical community does not approve of the consumption of e-cigarettes as an option to cease tobacco usage.
03. Anti freeze is a chemical which leaves a harmful effect on human body.
04. One can get rid of smoking with the help of family, friends and medical practitioner.
05. All of the above are true
Answers :-
Q.1 (5)
Q.2 (3)
Q.3 (2)
Q.4 (5)
Q.5 (1)
Q.6 (4)
Q.7 (4)
Q.8 (5)
Q.9 (2)
Q.10 (5)
