Comprehension PYQ — Page 3

Passage - Over the next 30 years, many countries are promising to move to net-zero carbon, implying that household emissions will have to be cut to close to nothing. A leading climate scientist reckons that, at best, half the reduction might be achieved through demand-side measures, such as behavioural changes by individuals and households. And even that would require companies and governments to provide more incentives to change through supply-side investments to make low-carbon options cheaper and more widely available. With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Supply-side investments in companies can result in low-carbon behaviour in people. 2. People are not capable of adapting low-carbon behaviour without the involvement of Government and Companies. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage - ‘A network of voluntary associations stands as a buffer between the relatively powerless individual and the potentially powerful State.’ Which one of the following statements reflects the best explanation of the above passage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the item that follow the passage. Your answer should be based on the passage only. Passage - If the social inequality is the most acutely felt social problem in India, insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem. Besides those below the official poverty line, even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities of various kinds (due to wealth and/or health risks, market fluctuations, job-related uncertainties). Many Government policies are actually intended towards mitigating these insecurities. With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. People above the poverty line also are prone to suffer from anxiety about economic insecurity. 2. Eradication of poverty can result in peace and social equality in the country. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage - In our country, handlooms are equated with a culture that ensures a continuity of tradition. This idea has become part of the public policy-framing and provides a legitimate basis for the State to support the sector. But the notion of tradition as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested today. The narratives dominant in defining culture/tradition in a particular way are seen to have emerged as the identities and histories of large sections. The discounted and, at times, forcibly stifled identities are fighting for their rightful place in history. Against this backdrop, when we promote handloom as a traditional industry, it is not surprising that large sections of our population choose to ignore it. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the item that follow the passage. Your answer should be based on the passage only. Passage - Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income. Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the author of the passage?

Passage - Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future. With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Green energy production can be linked to/integrated with the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. 2. Effects of climate change are much more severe in coastal and mountainous regions. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Corporate capitalism promotes the growth of labour force and provides more employment opportunities. 2. Poor and marginalized sections of population are benefited by corporate capitalism due to trickle-down effect. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities with high capital can pay for more space for their opinions, they are effectively buying a louder voice. If political discourse in the digital sphere is a matter of outshining one’s opponent till the election is won, then the quality of politics suffers. The focus of social media is restricted to the promotion of content that generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory the content maybe. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Internet is not inclusive enough. 2. Internet can adversely affect the quality of politics in a country. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities with high capital can pay for more space for their opinions, they are effectively buying a louder voice. If political discourse in the digital sphere is a matter of outshining one’s opponent till the election is won, then the quality of politics suffers. The focus of social media is restricted to the promotion of content that generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory the content maybe. Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption. The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, in sustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction. The energy spent over wasted food results in about 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful missions of other gases in the atmosphere. Addressing the loss and wastage of food in forms is critical to complete the cycle of food deficiency and food sustainability. Based on the above passage, the following assumption have been made: 1. The food distribution mechanism needs to be reimagined and made effective to reduce the loss and wastage of food. 2. Ensuring the reduction of wastage and loss of food is a social and moral responsibility of all citizens. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption. The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, in sustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction. The energy spent over wasted food results in about 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful missions of other gases in the atmosphere. Addressing the loss and wastage of food in forms is critical to complete the cycle of food deficiency and food sustainability. Which of the following statements best reflect the most logical and rational inferences that can be made from the passage? 1. The current methods of food distribution are solely responsible for the loss and wastage of food. 2. Land productivity is adversely affected by the prevailing trend of food loss and wastage. 3. Reduction in the loss and wastage of food results in lesser carbon footprint. 4. Post-harvest technologies to prevent or reduce the loss and wastage of food are not available. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Evolution has endowed caterpillars that feed on corn with a unique ability, they can induce the plant to turn off its defence against insect predators. This helps caterpillars to eat more and grow faster. The agent that causes this effect is the caterpillar’s faeces or frass. The find could throw new light on compounds associated with plant response to pathogens like fungi or bacteria. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical message conveyed by the passage?

When an international team of scientists pumped a carbon dioxide and water mix into underground basalt rocks, basic chemistry took over. The acidic mixture dissolved rocks’ calcium and magnesium and formed limestone. Basically, carbon dioxide is converted into stone, exclaimed the scientists. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical suggestion implied by the passage?

The history of science is the real history of mankind. In this striking epigram, a nineteenth-century writer links science with its background. Like most epigrams, its power lies in emphasizing by contrast an aspect of truth which may be easily overlooked. In this case, it is easy to overlook the relations between science and mankind, and to treat the former as some abstract third party, which can sometimes be praised for its beneficial influences, but frequently and conveniently blamed for the horrors of war. Science and mankind cannot be divorced from time to time at men’s convenience. Yet we have seen that, in spite of countless opportunities of improvement, the opening years of the present period of civilization have been dominated by international conflict. Is this the inevitable result of the progress of science or does the fault lie elsewhere? Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The horrors of modern life are the inevitable result of the progress of science. 2. The aspect of truth likely to be overlooked is that science is what man has made it. Which of the assumptions given above is/are correct?

Unlike religion and science, poetry does not posit or expect any belief in absolute truths. Those forces or individuals who claim to have absolute truths in their grasp tend to turn dictatorial and tyrannical. Truth usually does not admit any contradictions or imperfections. It is unitarian. It is, therefore, not of much use for poetry. Poetry abides by the plurality of life and existence. Perhaps poetry follows reality which is plural, anachronistic, full of Contradictions. Against the tyranny of truth, poetry remains a partisan of democratic reality. Against the arrogance of power, wealth and hierarchy, poetry proposes both humility and defiance. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the above passage?

In a robust democracy, reality, howsoever inconvenient it may be, finds its expression both in the speech of political leaders and the other social forms of assertion. The existence of the real has to be transparent, both through its circulation in and by the media as well as its argumentative articulation in deliberative democracy. A normatively responsible media through its communication effect has the responsibility to circulate the content of reality without distortion. Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the above passage?

By the time children reach class 8, the bulk of them tend to be in the age range of 13 years to 15 years. But in our country, about a quarter of all children in class 8 struggle with reading simple texts and more than half are still unable to do basic arithmetic operations like division. Every year about 25 million young boys and girls from elementary school move into the life that lies for them beyond compulsory schooling. They cannot enter the workforce at least in the organized sector till they are 18. For many families, these children are the first from their families ever to get this far in school. Parents and children expect that such ‘graduates’ from school will go on to high school and college. Hardly anyone wants to go back to agriculture. On the other hand, abilities in terms of academic competencies are far lower than they should be even based on curricular expectations of class 8. Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage?

Geographers analyzed 175 satellite images of ocean colour, which is an indicator of phytoplankton productivity at the ocean’s surface, and found that giant icebergs are responsible for storing up to 20 percent of carbon in the Southern Ocean. The researchers discovered that melting water from giant icebergs which contains iron and other nutrients, supports hitherto unexpectedly high levels of phytoplankton growth. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Giant icebergs have a bearing on primary productivity and food chains of the Southern Ocean. 2. Melting of giant icebergs can produce climate change effects and impact world fisheries. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

Green growth involves rethinking growth strategies with regard to the impacts on environmental sustainability and the environmental resources available to poor and vulnerable groups. In rethinking growth, we need to focus on the current reality of world. Resource resource-constrained intensive and, in particular energy intensive processes will need to make way for more efficient and resource frugal development strategies if we are to avoid an economic dead end or a world in which only a small elite is able to enjoy affluence in the midst of a sea of poverty. Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the above passage?

The flower was not invented to please us. It flaunted its petals and spread its perfume to attract an insect. The insect carries the pollen from flower to flower so that pollen is not carried away by wind and thus not wasted. What we call a flower’s beauty is merely a by-product and a human invention. The perfume is not there to please us, it pleases us because it is there, and we have been conditioned to it. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The author of the passage believes that flowers are creations of Nature’s luxury. 2. The author of the passage does not believe in the usefulness of flowers except as things of beauty. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

As inflation rises, even governments previously committed to budget discipline are spending freely to help households. Higher interest rates announced by central banks are supposed to help produce modest fiscal austerity, because to maintain stable debts while paying more to borrow, governments must cut spending or raise taxes. Without the fiscal backup, monetary policy eventually loses traction. Higher interest rates become inflationary, not disinflationary, because they simply lead governments to borrow more to pay rising debt-service costs. The risk of monetary unmooring is greater when public debt rises, because interest rates become more important to budget deficits. Which of the following statements best reflects/reflect the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made from the passage? 1. Central banks cannot bring down inflation without budgetary backing. 2. The effects of monetary policy depend on the fiscal policies pursued by the government.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption. The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, in sustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction. The energy spent over wasted food results in about 3.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful missions of other gases in the atmosphere. Addressing the loss and wastage of food in forms is critical to complete the cycle of food deficiency and food sustainability. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. India needs a new generation of urban professionals with knowledge relevant to modern urban practice. 2. Indian universities at present have no capacity or potential to impart training in systems approach. Which of the assumptions given above is/are correct?

Now-a-days there is a growing trend to use interconnected home devices. As consumers. their homes, the increasingly network connected home device manufacturers and service providers will seek to overcome “thin profit margins by gathering more of our personal data-with or without our agreement- turning the home into a corporate storefront”. have powerful Corporate marketers will incentives to observe consumer behaviour to understand the buying needs and preferences of the device owners. Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical message implied by the passage?

By the time children reach class 8, the bulk of them tend to be in the age range of 13 years to 15 years. But in our country, about a quarter of all children in class 8 struggle with reading simple texts and more than half are still unable to do basic arithmetic operations like division. Every year about 25 million young boys and girls from elementary school move into the life that lies for them beyond compulsory schooling. They cannot enter the workforce at least in the organized sector till they are 18. For many families, these children are the first from their families ever to get this far in school. Parents and children expect that such ‘graduates’ from school will go on to high school and college. Hardly anyone wants to go back to agriculture. On the other hand, abilities in terms of academic competencies are far lower than they should be even based on curricular expectations of class 8. Which one of the following statements best reflects the thinking of the author about the science?