Q1. Where some Economists argued that the Food security bill would be a huge liability to India and that it was out of India’s financial capability to fund this Bill, Amartya Sen responded in a stern way saying that “Sitting in a room with Air Conditioning which is working as a result of subsidized electricity as well as eating food prepared with subsidized cooking gas as well as the fact that rich farmers being able to buy subsidized fertilizers” for their own profit depicted a very selfish act. Economic Growth has to be fairly distributed among the various social strata of society according to their needs and in a country like India where the majority population is under the BPL certain preferences of opportunities, minority security as well as relief funds are to be provided.
(a) Reduction of communal violence, health, education and shelter remain Indian Primary worries and Economic Growth can contribute to them if used judiciously and effectively.
(b) In statements made by certain Economists as well as Global Organizations, Economic Policies and Social Policies are seen to be not incompatible but” bound to be at war with each other “and that Growth is the enemy of social equity.
(c) A very important fact that our world economy misinterprets it, is that both these economic variables are not contradicting each other but have a subtle and important correlation between them.
(d) Hence we can therefore conclude that Economic Growth and Social Welfare are Correlative variables and that with proper channelization of Policies leads to higher social welfare which indirectly leads to more Economic Growth.
(e) None of these
Q2. There is no one best price that the government can and should try to find and dictate. Creating conditions for ensuring market prices can be the only best response of the government that will help ensure the most efficient allocation of resources. You cannot stand for making things affordable for the common man while at the same time oppose FDI in retail. Competition among various kinds of retailers will help ensure that. Also, strict action against hoarders will not help curb occasional jump in prices of certain commodities. Removing trade barriers will. Howsoever we may like to, we cannot legislate away scarcity. As a common man trying to make a living in Delhi, these are some of my areas of concern which I hope you will take note of and find ways to address.
(a) First principles of economics tells us that it is because of the mismatch in demand and supply.
(b) At the very least, You have certainly raised the level of debate in this country and brought some serious competition amongst a field dominated by age-old political parties.
(c) For once, no one wants to identify with a politician with a criminal background.
(d) You have certainly raised the bar of expectations that we as the common man have from public officers and for that we thank you.
(e) None of these
Q3. The aim of the youth in politics appears to be not just contesting elections and assuming power, but a larger aim to serve the society and save it from innumerable social-ills. However, to achieve these conceived objectives of progress, development, peace and empowerment, the youth need adequate nurturing. Education must be a mix of theory, case studies and practical exposure, which would make them aware of the realities of the society. Political parties must also focus on the capacity development of the youth who would be the harbingers of change. Development and enhancement of the leadership skills must be focused upon.
(a) Ingrained with rational values, perceptions and ideals, the youth in Indian politics hold the promise that they would not yield to obsolete dogmas and slogans. The mantra that not rings loud is- “If politics determines our future, it is time, we determined our politics”.
(b) Youth of such high characters in a civil society make for a more informed citizenry, who have the power to facilitate better awareness, make for better participation in the political realm and articulate the choices of the people at large, thereby holding the government more accountable.
(c) Elastic as the concept is, politics demands the qualities of the youth, said Robert Kennedy in 1966. Youth is not a time of life, but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, predominance of courage over timidity and of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.
(d) Their activism has shown that their voices cannot be subdues as they belong to the land of Mahatma Gandhi.
(e) None of these
Q4. Legitimacy of a government is one that has been an incessant thorn for the international community. One would assume that the post cold-war ideology which believes that the best and only form of a legitimate government is the one which is elected through a democratically held election would settle matters easily with election being the only benchmark for determining legitimacy. But then to classify a democratically elected government which refuses its citizenry the most basic of democratic rights as the representatives of its people would be a gross human rights violation.
(a) But the recognition that such government has from the international community is also an important element determining the legitimacy of such government.
(b) This creates a rather meek reality for the many struggling in the middle-east or the other regions for the new government they aim to create would be subject to a more rigorous international diplomatic scrutiny than their tyrannical counterparts they would be replacing.
(c) The moral compass of the nation states whose recognition is sought is a subjective tool and can liberally sway in the direction that favours that nation’s own national interest or even soothe the ruling party’s vote banks.
(d) Sanction of the citizen which it seeks to represent is an important source for deriving legitimacy for a government.
(e) None of these
Q5. There is no final judgment in the marketplace for ideas since one can never know when the circumstances will lead to a renewed interest for that idea. There was a time when libertarianism was very dormant and now because of excessive government regulation, people looking for answers have re-discovered it. By the author’s logic, Copernicus should have conceded defeat to Helios-centric model of solar system, Communists should have conceded defeat after Soviet’s fall and Mao’s Great Leap Forward. Besides, it is extremely ignorant to call the market place of ideas as free and unfettered given the extent of state sponsored education that almost never showed the nation state’s founding philosophy in bad light.
(a) If you believe in the free market, why weren’t you willing to accept as final the judgment against libertarianism rendered decades ago in the free and unfettered marketplace of ideas?
(b) History, the repository of ideas has almost always been directed by the State to promote nationalism at the cost of truth.
(c) The author need only read USA’s account of Great Depression, Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan War etc. to realize the truth.
(d) Does our libertarian recognize that large corporations are a threat to our freedoms?
(e) None of these
Q6. The debt ridden, staggering economy of Europe is no longer news to anyone. Even a layman like me who hardly has very basic understanding of economics can gauge the direct implications of this economic hardship. Unemployment has surged, inflation rates are soaring and the current account deficits are hard to come to terms with. The causes for this economic downswing has been explained by economists in several ways; profligacy on the part of governments, shortsightedness etc.
(a) The tough economic condition in Europe has created a frustrated population. They have long been looking at the government with desperate eyes to make amends.
(b) History repeats itself; not in the situations created by destiny, but in the reactions of people to these situations. Friedrich Hegel had very rightly mentioned, “the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history”.
(c) However, the causes are not what interest me. The current situation and the reaction to this situation do.
(d) Being a lover of European history and an ardent fan of world war movies, the first two words that propped up in my head was “hail Hitler”.
(e) None of these
Q7. Taking a bike on to Britain’s roads is not as dangerous as it once was. Estimates from the Department for Transport show that, per million miles cycled, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured has fallen by 33% since the 1990s. But the rate has recently moved up again, even as the number of road accidents in general has fallen sharply.
(a) In London, cyclists made up 22% of all casualties on the roads in 2012, up from just 10% in 2006
(b) Thus, it can be concluded that cyclists are responsible for their own safety, or lack thereof.
(c) Cars, on the other hand, have seen a 7% fall in accidents and have also lower figures for number of casualties in the past two decades, as compared to cycle accidents.
(d) Road accidents are an unnatural phenomenon and no blame can be attached to cyclists for having seen a rise in their contribution towards the same.
(e) None of these
Q8. Mr Modi would face more constraints, and enjoy fewer direct powers, as prime minister of India than he does as chief minister of Gujarat. It is unclear whether he would be good at holding together a coalition (which any BJP-led government would surely be), delegating to others, negotiating on legislation or responding to crises as they arise. But the record from Gujarat suggests he thinks hard about policy, has clear ideas of how he would promote higher economic growth and social development and would prefer to bolster overall wealth creation than promote social welfare schemes. If economics alone mattered, Mr Modi’s achievements in Gujarat suggest he is the man best placed to get India moving again. The problem is that political leaders are responsible for more.
(a) For all his crowds of supporters, his failures in 2002, and his refusal since to atone for them leave him a badly compromised candidate with much left to do.
(b) Mr. Modi is a political leader like none other and is sure to become India’s next Prime Minister, come May 2014.
(c) And Mr. Modi has chalked out the solution to this problem, in the form of higher economic growth and social development.
(d) Surely, a Chief Minister for a Third Term can be called a political leader, isn’t it?
(e) None of these
Q9. It is worth noting that if the political structure of North African countries was characterized by strong and efficient checks and balances, politicians and policy-makers would have less freedom to influence the countries’ political economy according to their own interests. Individual economic and social agents would then have less leeway to behave in a manner serving their private interest by exercising disproportionate lobbying influence on politicians.
In the same fashion, the existence of a strong legal and judicial framework that enforces property rights would allow the efficient supervision of international, economic, and financial standards and provide private market participants with the ability to monitor and control economic activities. Levels of corruption would also be brought down and the economic and banking sectors’ performance would improve.
(a) The absence of checks and balances facilitated the establishment of what Acemoglu and Robinson called “vicious circles.”
(b) The low level of participation, transparency, and information-sharing allowed by the institutional infrastructure in North African countries provide fertile grounds for pressure and lobbying from powerful interest groups pursuing personal interests.
(c) The picture painted by the various economic and financial reforms implemented in the region, however, ignores rooted institutional deficiencies. These are crucial to fully understand the social unrest that has swept the region.
(d) Going beyond mere economic factors, the lack of transparency, symmetrical access to information and practical accountability to the public – as exclusive networks hold power over the political economy structures – represent a significant stumbling block to political transition and make North African economies more prone to economic and social instability.
(e) None of these
Q10. The moral and legal prohibitions on torture and any kind of humiliating and degrading treatment, create an immense moral presumption against such actions. Torture is judged wrong both because of its immediate harmful consequences – the severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental – as well as its wider adverse consequences. These include the way torture can provide a recruiting sergeant for the terrorists’ cause by exposing the gap between liberal values that we proclaim and the illiberal practices we adopt, as Guantanamo Bay demonstrated. But the harmful consequences of torture are only part of the explanation. We also condemn torture because of its internal qualities.
(a) In deciding whether to legalize torture, we need, therefore, ultimately to consider whether, even if torture sometimes works, we want to belong to the kind of society that institutionalizes such a practice, despite its morally corrosive internal and external qualities, affecting all those involved.
(b) To succeed in his craft, the special interrogator needs to become, at best, indifferent to the pain of those whom he is interrogating; and, at worst, adept in the vice of cruelty.
(c) Yet, we need our special interrogators to be – professionally – men or women of vice. In the ticking bomb examples, the torturer arrives by magic just at the moment we need him; and he departs, conveniently, shortly thereafter.
(d) Torture adversely affects the character of those involved in the process: both the torturers and the tortured.
(e) None of these
Q11. Effective foreign policy requires a clarity regarding the nation’s interests. It requires focus and will. With no clarity, will or focus, Indian foreign policy is a disaster. Politicians are both uninformed and uninterested in foreign policy. Diplomats of the elite Indian Foreign Service (IFS) care more about cushy assignments in the US and Europe than serving the nation’s interests.
(a) India’s response has been woefully inadequate – this is in keeping with historical precedent.
(b) India’s foreign policy establishment has a reputation for lacking a backbone.
(c) For too long, India tolerated the lack of respect shown to its dignitaries.
(d) Few care about serving in strategically important places such as Afghanistan or Egypt. It is little wonder that India has made little progress in its quest for permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
(e) None of these
Q12. Understanding Iran’s scientific heritage and respecting it builds the kind of trust that will inevitably be necessary for sustained engagement and reducing insecurities that can lead to counter-productive actions by hardliners. Success in this field can spill over to other crucial areas, such as the human rights situation in Iran, which has significantly deteriorated over the course of the past years. Time, however, is limited. The political pendulum in Iran will swing back in favor of the hardliners if the Rouhani government has little to show for in the next six to twelve months.
(a) By following through on scientific and technological collaboration, Washington and Brussels can – over time – help fundamentally transform Tehran’s relations with the West.
(b) Second chances do not come often. We have a golden opportunity to test win-win proposals and strengthen the positive-sum narrative of the Iranian moderates – not just at the negotiating table, but also through concrete actions that can facilitate a new, cooperative relationship with Iran and its people, void of the painful baggage of the past.
(c) Will the more cooperative, moderate and win-win approach favored by President Hassan Rouhani and the majority of the population take root and prevail?
(d) The human rights situation in Iran, which has significantly deteriorated over the course of the past years.
(e) None of these
Q13. I criticized Adonis because he engaged politically, and placed himself firmly on the side of the government. He himself criticized the revolution, and the people themselves. He can criticize me personally as Ali Ferzat, he can criticize individual people, but he really cannot criticize the majority or the movement. He also contradicts himself; he supported the [1979] revolution in Iran, which was all about religion, but now he’s outspoken against the Syrian revolution, because he says it’s coming from the mosques. So you can see the contradiction.
(a) This regime came riding in military tanks – but he hasn’t criticized the regime, he’s criticized the people whose crime was simply asking for their freedom.
(b) As an artist you need to tackle important issues but not engage in political polemics yourself.
(c) Caricature is on the front line against dictatorship. It is an art form for all people – people who may not necessarily understand painting or sculpture, but [who will all] understand caricature.
(d) His position on religion is confused and misleading at the same time.
(e) None of these
Q14. Love affairs are based on opportunism and the fulfillment of some kind of need in the moment without foresight for future consequences of action. They have no substance of loyalty and Qatar is most certainly not monogamous. Qatar’s rendezvousing all at once with the Brotherhood among other Islamist groups, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Western powers, Iran and whoever should ascend to power regionally, is highly risky behavior. The Muslim Brotherhood itself is far removed from its original formation in goals and will not lose sight of its most earnest desire for expansionism, power and influence. Given this cocktail mix of relations and conflicting interests, the potential long-term consequences are unfathomable.
(a) However, does this mean the love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood is over?
(b) Having held close ties with the Brotherhood for some time, Qatar’s relationship with the movement has only grown stronger in recent years.
(c) But for now, and for some time to come, we have a flourishing Qatar-Muslim Brotherhood love affair.
(d) The Qatari state does not have a clear strategy on how to move forward due to Syria’s worsening crisis.
(e) None of these
Q15. As more and more consumers opt to view content via the Internet, the playing field may eventually level, although Netflix and Amazon have a significant head start, Raff adds. For example, HBO could garner similar analytics through its HBO Go app. What’s unclear at the moment is whether new outlets for original programming will dilute the market for high-end productions. “Obviously, there isn’t room for infinite content, but there is definitely room for multiple providers,” says Bradlow, noting that customers have multiple tastes and the mass market has fragmented.
(a) The subscription nature of their businesses and the data collection mechanisms built into their systems means the companies are all in a position to know hourly what customers are watching, how they interact with content and what their preferences are.
(b) In theory, if the online channels can use original content to attract new groups of viewers who wouldn’t otherwise subscribe, they can invest the extra money in producing more in-house series and features and recoup those costs over time.
(c) This is a matter of having privileged access to customers and exploiting a fixed cost to do as much business as you can.
(d) The real impact of the company’s original content plans will play out in the years to come.
(e) None of these
Solutions
S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. The conclusive tone of option (d) makes it the best option to the exclusion of the others.
S2. Ans.(d)
Sol. The final option, (d), is the one that signs off the first-person address in the passage and is the best possible conclusion.
S3. Ans.(a)
Sol. Option (a) speaks of a ‘promise’ and the ‘future’ providing us all the clues that it is indeed the concluding sentence of this passage. Options (b), (c) and (d) are either not conclusive or nature or too generic to wrap up the argument put forth.
S4. Ans.(d)
Sol. Option (a), (b) and (c) are irrelevant and take a trajectory beyond the one drawn by the passage. Option (d) correctly connects the citizen to the government’s legitimacy, making it the correct answer.
S5. Ans.(c)
Sol. The writer in option (c) offers the ‘author’ he has discussed in the passage a suggestion in what is a strong judgment on his/her part. It is the best option as it is in keeping with the tone of the passage, which clearly expresses a view.
S6. Ans.(b)
Sol. Options (a), (c) and (d) don’t summarize the passage, nor do they suggest a possible future course of action, or give any final thoughts. It is option B that makes a forceful point that seems clear with the theme of the passage – a lesson that Europe should heed.
S7. Ans.(a)
Sol. The logical end to the passage is option A that does not veer from the crux of the passage. It does not introduce unnecessary information or take a stand that cannot be conclusively taken as options (b), (c) and (d) do.
S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. Option (a) is the best option here as it takes the most balanced stand and is reflective of the ending mood of the passage, that is more skeptical than laudatory. Thus options (b), (c) and (d) would be inappropriate choices.
S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Options (a), (b) and (c) reiterate what has been stated in the passage in a roundabout fashion. It is option (d) that adds a notable comment to tie up the arguments the writer has dealt with. Out of the given options it may not seem the only correct option, but it is the best one.
S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Only option (a) directly seems compatible with the intention of the passage, which is to decide whether even torture works, it is wrong. The other options describe factors or persons that are subsumed in the discussion presented in the discussion already and therefore cannot be treated as concluding remarks per se.
S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. Option (a) and (b) merely restate what has already been said in the passage. Option (c) does bring in a new statement but more or less continues in the same strain. The concluding remark has to be thought packaged as advice or a strategy or something else to that effect. Option (d) fulfills this criteria.
S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. Option (d) does not have much relevance to the content of the passage. Option (a) introduces a new angle and a new player, ‘Washington’, which cannot be seen as a final argument. Option (c) is an open-ended question, leaving the possibility of many interpretations. Thus option (b) is the correct choice, which summarizes and knits together the concerns and issues brought up by the passage.
S13. Ans.(a)
Sol. Option (a) here best expresses the idea in the passage, which is a critique of a person called Adonis by the speaker, who contradicts himself at various points, an example of which is presented in Option (a). The other options don’t use the material provided in the passage and hence cannot be sufficiently connected with it.
S14. Ans.(c)
Sol. The passage analyses the relationship between Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. The passage clearly alludes to the fact that this relationship is a long-lasting one. Option (c) expresses this, while the others either leave the question open-ended or don’t provide the closing statement that completes the passage satisfactorily.
S15. Ans.(c)
Sol. After the passage analyses the entry of the internet as a major player in consumer preferences for obtaining their content, the passage is left at a more or less concluded point. Option (c) only expresses the best possible and most precise conclusion to the same. The other options seem ludicrous and don’t fit the content of the passage well.
