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Test Code ENG06
Page | 1
Topic COMPREHENSION
No. of Questions 45
Maximum Marks 45
Competitive score 35
Passage 1
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain
words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some
of the questions.
India’s colleges and universities, with just a few exceptions, have become large under-
funded, ungovernable institutions. At many of them, Politics has intruded into campus life,
influencing academic appointments and decision across levels. Under investment in libraries,
information technology, laboratories, and classrooms make it very difficult to provide top-quality
instruction or engage in cutting-edge research. The rise in the number of part-time teachers and
the freeze on new full-time appointments in many places has affected morale in the academic
profession. The lack of accountability means that teaching and research performance are seldom
measured. The system provides few incentives to perform. Bureaucratic inertia hampers
change. Student unrest and occasional faculty agitation disrupt operations. Nevertheless, with a
semblance of normality, faculty administrators are able to provide teaching, co-ordinate
examinations, and award degrees.
Even the small top tier of higher education faces serious problems. Many IIT graduates,
well trained in technology, have chosen not to contribute their skills to the burgeoning
technology sector in India. Half leave the country immediately upon graduation to pursue advance
study abroad and most do not return. A stunning 86% of students in science and technology
fields from India, who obtain degrees in the United States, do not return home immediately
following their study. Another significant group, of about 30%, decides to earn MBAs in India
because local salaries are higher and are lost to science and technology. A corps of dedicated
and able teachers work at the IITs and IIMs, but the lure of jobs abroad and in the private sector
makes it increasingly difficult to retain the best and brightest to the academic profession.
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ENGLISH
Few in India are thinking creatively about higher education. There is no field of higher
education research. Those in government as well as academic leaders seem content to do the
“same old thing.” Academic institutions and systems have become large and complex. They need
to get data, careful analysis, and creative ideas. In China, more than two-dozen higher education
research centres, and several government agencies are involved in higher education policy for
optimum planning. Page | 2
India has survived with an increasingly mediocre higher education system for decades.
Now as India strives to compete in a globalised economy, in areas that require highly trained
professionals, the quality of higher education becomes increasingly important. So far, India’s
large educated population base and its reservoir of at least moderately well-trained university
graduates have permitted the country to move ahead. But the competition is fierce. China, in
particular, is heavily investing in improving its best universities with the aim of making a small
group of them world class in the coming decade, and making a larger number internationally
competitive research universities.
To compete successfully in the knowledge - based economy of the 21st century, India
needs enough universities that not only produce bright graduates for export but can also support
sophisticated research in a number of scientific and scholarly fields and produce at least some of
the knowledge and technology needed for an expanding economy. How can India build a higher
education system that will permit it to join developed economies? The newly emerging private
sector in higher education cannot spearhead academic growth. Several of the well-endowed and
effectively managed private institutions maintain reasonably high standards, although it is not
clear whether these institutions will be able to sustain themselves in the long run. They can help
produce well-qualified graduates in such fields as management, but they cannot form the basis
for comprehensive research universities. This sector lacks the resources to build the facilities
required for quality instruction and research in the sciences. Most of the private institutions do not
focus on advanced training in the sciences.
Only public universities have the potential to be truly world class institutions. But these
institutions have not been adequately or consistently supported. The top institutions require
sustained funding from public sources. Academic salaries must be high enough to attract
excellent scientist and scholars. Fellowships and other grants should be available for bright
students. An academic culture that is based on merit-based norms and competition for
advancement and research funds is a necessary component, and is a judicious mix of autonomy
to do creative research and accountability to ensure productivity. World class universities require
world class professors and students and a culture to sustain and stimulate them.
1. What according to the author, is the shortfall of our government officials as well as
academicians when it comes to higher education?
a. They are of the opinion that India has the best system of higher education in the world.
b. they believe that it is the responsibility of private institutions to bring about a change in
higher education
c. They are unaware of the new developments in the field of higher education
d. They do not think innovatively in the direction of bringing about a change in higher
education and are stuck in a rut.
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ENGLISH
2. Which of the following is / are the problem/s faced by Indian colleges and universities?
A. Political interference in decision making
B. Lack of funding necessary for improvement in classrooms, libraries, etc.
C. Hiring of teachers on a part-time basis only.
a. Only A
b. only B and C Page | 3
c. Only C
d. All A, B and C
3. Which of the following steps has China taken to improve higher education?
A. Their education policy formation involves many governmental bodies for thoughtful
planning
B. They are sanctioning grants to their teachers to facilitate the improvement process
C. They are investing in universities to make them internationally competitive.
a. Only B
b. only A and C
c. Only C
d. Only B and C
4. How according to the author, has India progressed despite a mediocre higher education
system?
a. By borrowing ideas as well as technology from the west
b. By convincing the world that it is more knowledgeable than it actually is
c. On the basis of its fairly competent graduates and a large number of educated population
d. Because of its sound and progressive economic policies
5. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage?
a. Literacy in India
b. State of Higher education in India
c. Top Universities of India
d. Educational Institutes in India
6. Which of the following problems do top institutes in India face in terms of contribution to
academics?
A. The teachers of these institutes get enticed by the openings in foreign countries.
B. Many graduates from these institutes find opportunities abroad and never return
C. Graduates from these institutes who do not migrate to foreign countries are unfit for
teaching in these institutes.
a. Only A
b. Only C
c. Only B and C
d. Only A and B
7. Which of the following is true, in the context of the passage?
A. Private Universities are well equipped to produce graduates who can conduct research.
B. India needs more universities that can cater to research studies in different scientific fields.
C. India should completely stop graduates from leaving the country to pursue a career.
a. Only B
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ENGLISH
b. Only A and B
c. Only A
d. Only B and C
8. What according to the author, is/are the step/s that can make Indian universities world class?
A. Students need to be given independence to conduct research
B. Remuneration of teachers should be increased Page | 4
C. Proper support in the form of funds should be provided to universities.
a. Only A and B
b. Only C
c. All A, B and C
d. Only B and C
Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
9. JUDICIOUS
a. Hard working
b. legal
c. thoughtful
d. difficult
10. CONTENT
a. unhappy
b. matter
c. enclosure
d. satisfied
11. GRANT
a. agreement
b. funding
c. allow
d. let
12. INCENTIVE
a. Prompt
b. discouragement
c. cash
d. motivator
Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
13. FIERCE
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ENGLISH
a. strong
b. weak
c. tame
d. scrawny
15. MEDIOCRE
a. superlative
b. middle
c. average
d. pleasant
Passage 2
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain
words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of
the questions.
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ENGLISH
Low wages still help, but contemporary large-scale development requires a sophisticated
and at least partly knowledge based economy. India has chosen that path, but will find a major
stumbling block in its university system.
India has significant advantages in the 21st century knowledge race. It has a large higher
education sector - the third largest in the world in student numbers, after China and the United
states. It uses English as a primary language of higher education and research. It has a long Page | 6
academic tradition. Academic freedom is respected. There are a small number of high quality
institutions, departments, and centres that can form the basis of quality sector in higher
education. The fact that the Stats, rather than the Central Government, exercise major
responsibility for higher education creates a rather cumbersome structure, but the system allows
for a variety of policies and approaches.
Yet the weaknesses far outweigh the strengths. India educates approximately 10 percent
of its young people in higher education compared with more than half in the major industrialized
countries and 15 percent in China. Almost all of the world’s academic systems resemble a
pyramid, with a small high quality tier at the top and a massive sector at the bottom. India has a
tiny top tier. None of its universities occupies a solid position at the top. A few of the best
universities have some excellent departments and centres, and there are a small number of
outstanding undergraduate colleges. The University grants Commission’s recent major support of
five universities to build on their recognized strength is a step toward recognizing a differentiated
academic system and fostering excellence. These universities combined, enroll well under 1
percent of the student population.
16. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?
a. The top five universities in India educate more than 10 percent of the Indian student
population.
b. India’s higher education sector is the largest in the world.
c. In the past, countries could progress economically through low manufacturing cost as
well as low wages of labourers.
d. India has recently invested heavy sums in the higher education sector leading to world
class research.
17. What does the phrase ‘Achilles Heel’ mean as used in the passage?
a. Weakness
b. Quickness
c. low quality
d. Nimbleness
18. Which of the following is/are India’s strength/s in terms of higher education?
1. Its system of higher education allows variations
2. Medium of instruction for most higher learning is English
3. It has the paraphernalia, albeit small in number, to build a high quality higher
educational sector.
a. Only 2
b. only 1 and 2
c. only 3
d. All 1,2 and 3
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ENGLISH
19. Which of the following are Asian countries, other than India, doing to head towards a
knowledge- based economy?
1. Building competitive research based universities.
2. Investing in diverse higher educational systems Page | 7
3. Providing access to higher education to a select few students.
a. Only 1
b. only 1 and 2
c. only 2 and 3
d. Only 2
20. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage?
a. The Future of Indian Universities.
b. Methods of Overcoming the Educational Deficit in India.
c. India and the Hunt for a Knowledge Based Economy.
d. Indian Economy versus Chinese Economy.
21. What did India agree to do at the behest of the World Trade Organization?
a. It would stop manufacturing all types of pharmaceuticals
b. It would ask its domestic pharmaceutical companies to compete with the international
ones.
c. It would buy only licensed drugs from USA
d. It would not manufacture cheap common medicines without a license.
22. Which of the following is/are India’s weakness/es when it comes to higher education.
1. Indian universities do not have the requisite teaching faculty to cater to the needs of
the higher education sector.
2. Only five Indian universities occupy the top position very strongly, in the academic
pyramid, when it comes to higher education.
3. India has the least percentage of young population taking to higher education as
compared to the rest of the comparable countries.
a. Only 1 and 2
b. only 2
c. only 3
d. only 1 and 3
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ENGLISH
23. Which of the following according to the passage, is/are needed for economic success of
a country?
1. Cheap labour
2. Educated employees
3. Research institutions to cater to development
a. only 1 and 2 Page | 8
b. only 2
c. only 3
d. only 2 and 3
Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
24. FOSTERING
a. Safeguarding
b. neglecting
c. sidelining
d. Nurturing
25. PROPEL
a. Drive
b. jettison
c. burst
d. acclimatize
26. MASSIVE
a. Lump sum
b. strong
c. little
d. huge
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ENGLISH
Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
28. CUMBERSOME
a. Handy
b. manageable Page | 9
c. breathtaking
d. awkward
29. RESEMBLE
a. Against
b. similar to
c. mirror
d. differ from
30. DIFFERENTIATED
a. Similar
b. varied
c. harmonized
d. synchronized
Passage 3
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain
words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of
the questions.
Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) have long been recognized for their potential
as environment friendly, versatile and sustainable energy alternatives for rural areas of India.
However, despite efforts by the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) and the
India Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), RETs have not yet succeeded as a
major alternative source of energy in rural India. The programmes of MNES and IREDA designed
to support small-scale distributed systems have relied on heavily subsidized credit, technology
training and consumer awareness activities to stimulate the market for end-user finance for
renewable energy systems for domestic use and a tiered set of capital and interest rate subsidies
for water pumping in the agriculture sector. While end-users in some rural areas now have
access to solar-powered lanterns or lights and biogas systems for their homes; and agricultural
operations are taking advantage of remarkable capital subsidies for solar energy to use for water
pumping. The use of heavy capital and interest rate subsidies, and the focus on domestic use
rather than on matching renewable energy technology applications with income enhancement
opportunities have tied the success of these programmes to government budgets and political
cycles limited both the breadth and depth of development and penetration of projects that
harness renewable energy resources.
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ENGLISH
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31. Which of the following is/are the small change/s visible in a few rural areas in terms of
usage of RETs?
1. Biogas systems are being used.
2. People now use solar powered lights
3. Agricultural operations are now carried out by pumping, of water through the use of
solar energy. Page | 11
a. Only 2
b. only 1 and 3
c. only 3
d. only 1 and 2
32. Which of the following is/are the reason/s that the programmes implemented by IREDA
and MNES have not yet succeeded in making RETs the major alternative source of
energy?
1. Focus on employment generation
2. Emphasis on industrial use of renewable energy
3. Interest rate subsidies linking these to Government budgets and political cycles.
a. Only 2
b. only 2 and 3
c. only 3
d. only 1 and 2
33. Which of the following is/are the problem/s faced by rural entrepreneurs in the
development of small-scale renewable energy projects?
1. Lack of technical know-how to implement these projects
2. Lack of willingness amongst local for the implementation of such projects.
3. Inability to deal with intricate details in interactions with financiers of renewable energy
projects.
a. Only 2
b. only 1 and 2
c. only 3
d. only 1 and 3
34. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage?
a. Programmes to implement Renewable Energy Projects in Rural Areas.
b. Rural Renewable Energy Projects – The Barriers
c. The Benefits of Alternative Sources of Energy
d. The Government and Renewable Energy Projects
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38. What, according to the passage, is a drawback of renewable energy projects' ‘newness’?
a. The unfamiliarity with the concept of renewable energy amongst the locals.
b. The low risk factor involved in its implementation attracts entrepreneurs who fail to
complete these projects in time.
c. Too many investors willing to invest in these projects thereby creating confusion
d. The absence of well established links for networking, marketing and financing
Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
39. OUTSET
a. start
b. periphery
c. boundary
d. culmination
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40. VIABILITY
a. technically
b. rigidity
c. regularity
d. feasibility Page | 13
41. CRITICAL
a. grave
b. vital
c. dangerous
d. final
42. RECOGNIZED
a. predicted
b. standard
c. known
d. resembled
Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/group of
words printed in bold as used in the passage.
43. MITIGATE
a. aggravate
b. anger
c. moderate
d. alleviate
44. COMPLEX
a. plain
b. simple
c. undisturbed
d. compound
45. LIMITED
a. boundless
b. released ANSWERS ON NEXT PAGE
c. freed
d. seamless
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ENGLISH
©SRIRAM LAW ACADEMY, India’s Premier Institute for Law Entrance Exam Training.
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ENGLISH
©SRIRAM LAW ACADEMY, India’s Premier Institute for Law Entrance Exam Training.
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ENGLISH
©SRIRAM LAW ACADEMY, India’s Premier Institute for Law Entrance Exam Training.
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