IAS 2012 — CSAT Comprehension

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage: The process by which countries close their labour-productivity gap with the technology leader is based on convergence theory. The convergence model divides economic eras into three phases: the breakaway, the catch-up, and the fine-tuning phase. It also divides economic entities into two categories: the technology leaders and the technology followers. The process begins with the development of a new technology, such as scavenging three million years ago (MYA), hunting - one MYA, farming - 12 thousand years ago, and industrial technology - a little more than 200 years ago. During the breakaway phase, the per capita income of the technology leaders (e.g., Western Europe and North America in the industrial era) rises, but is unchanged for the technology followers. In the catch-up phase, the followers adopt the new technology and close their per capita income gap with the technology leaders. In the fine-tuning phase, where participants try to extract the remaining benefits from an increasingly exhausted technology, leaders and followers have similar per capita incomes. Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The convergence model divides nations into three phases of economic progress. 2. At the heart of the convergence theory is the closing of the gap between labour and productivity. 3. Technology leaders typically have arrived earlier at different economic eras. 4. The time period covered by the convergence theory presented herein encompasses, as mentioned, 4012200 years. Select the answer using the code given below.

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage: Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli's unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain's well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men's singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical: head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn't merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body's quiet wisdom over society's relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest. Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Radical action can also be attributed to mild surrender where one acts against societal expectations. 2. Submitting to one's limitations, given the effect of age and other factors, ought not to be conflated with laziness. 3. 'Leading man' usually refers to one who plays the lead role in a movie; in this instance the implication is that Hugh Grant is performing the role of not an action hero, but that of a resting one! Select the answer using the code given below.

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage: Cattle from the nearby villages came to the common ground to graze, and there was still a cool freshness in the air. Hori took several deep breaths and thought of sitting down for a while, since he'd be dying of heat in the scorching 'loo' wind the rest of the day. A number of farmers were eager to lease this bit of land and had offered a good price, but Rai Sahib - God bless him - had plainly told them it was reserved for grazing and would not be relinquished for any price. If he'd been one of those selfish Zamindars, he'd have said the cattle could go to hell, that there was no reason for him to miss the chance to make a little money. But the Rai Sahib still held to the old values, feeling that any landlord who didn't look after his tenants was less than human. Which of the following conclusions is/are correct? 1. All landlords essentially have some goodness trapped within them. 2. The common grazing grounds of a village are intended for use by the cattle of that village. 3. Landlords who believe in tradition tend to be more concerned about their tenants. 4. Winds later in the day tend to be cooler post the hot winds of the morning. Select the answer using the code given below.

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage. Passage: The key source of the battle for clean skies and clear lungs is the fuel we burn - from household Chulhas to the thermal power plants. In most cases, it is biomass or coal. The Supreme Court banned the use of pet coke - the dirtiest of such fuels. The Delhi Government banned the use of coal, which was later extended to the entire National Capital Region. It was also agreed that the thermal power plants would clean up or shut down. Action on this has been patchy to say the least. The lesson from the transition to CNG is that people need alternatives for a ban to be effective. When diesel buses were stopped, CNG supply had to be assured. It also had to be feasible in terms of cost. The Supreme Court agreed that fiscal measures were needed to keep clean fuel cheaper than dirty fuel. Now even as coal is banned, the price of natural gas makes industry uncompetitive. Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Thermal power stations in Delhi were required to summarily shut down. 2. CNG supplies had to be assured once diesel vehicles were prohibited from plying. 3. The Supreme Court banned the use of coal across the National Capital Region. Select the answer using the code given below.

With reference to 'circular letters', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Circular letters are usually addressed to a group of people. 2. Non-standard and customized content is typical of circular letters. 3. Circular letters are used to intimate appraisals and increments of employees within organisations. 4. Circular letters are less cost-effective than personalised and specific recipient-directed letters. Select the answer using the code given below.