PASSAGE-1

Class and money has always strongly affected how people do in life in Britain, with well-heeled
family breeding affluent children just as the offspring of the desperately poor tend to be poor. All
that supposed to have ceased by the end of the Second World War, with the birth of welfare state
designed to meet basic needs and promote social mobility. But despite devoting much thought
and more money to improve the lot of the poor, governments have failed to boost those at the
bottom of the pile as much as those on top of the pile have boosted themselves.
Although the study found that some of the widest gaps between social groups have diminished
over time (between men and women on pay, for example and between various ethnic minorities),
deep-seated differences between haves and have-nots, persists blighting the life chances of less
fortunate. Looking at earnings, income, education, employment or wealth, a similar pattern
emerges.
By the age of three, a poor child is outperformed in verbal ability and behavior by a rich one.
Much of the difference is explained by ethnicity: unsurprisingly, poor children who did not speak
English at home know fewer words in what is their second or third language. A child‘s ethnicity
becomes less important as he grows: by the age of 16, but Chinese and Indian students are
performing extremely very well at school. But throughout his classroom career how well a child
does is dominated by how highly educated his parents are and how much money they bring home.
Politicians of all stripes talk about equality of opportunity, arguing that it makes for a fairer and
more mobile society and a more prosperous one. The difficulty arises in putting these notions into
practice, through severe tax increases for the middle-class and wealthy, or expanding government
interventions.

Which of the following is highlighted in the passage?

1) An insight into the economy of Britain and the failure of the government
2) The widening gap between the affluent and the poor
3) The problems of putting ideas into practice
4) The performance of children of various ethnic groups in school

What is the pattern noticed while studying the social groups?

1) The gap will only grow since implementing policies is difficult
2) The ethnicity of the child becomes less important as he grows
3) The gap is somewhat narrowing, but there is still a long way to go
4) The poor person always remains poor

Which of these can be inferred from the passage as one of the key solutions to reduce the
gap between various social groups?
1) Encouraging ethnic social groups to converse in English even at home so as to develop their
verbal ability
2)Implementing higher tax rates for the middle class and wealthy so that gap between the
rich and poor can be reduced
3)By not disclosing the child‘s ethnicity and background of parents at school so as to remove bias
from coming in
4) Making the affluent people responsible for the poorer people, since they have been better at
generating wealth than the government

PASSAGE-2

A game of strategy, as currently conceived in game theory, is a situation in which two or more
"players" make choices among available alternatives (moves). The totality of choices determines
the outcomes of the game, and it is assumed that the rank order of preferences for the outcomes is
different for different players. Thus the "interests" of the players are generally in conflict.
Whether these interests are diametrically opposed or only partially opposed depends on the type
of game. Psychologically, most interesting situations arise when the interests of the players are
partly coincident and partly opposed, because then one can postulate not only a conflict among
the players but also inner conflicts within the players. Each is torn between a tendency to
cooperate, so as to promote the common interests, and a tendency to compete, so as to enhance
his own individual interests. Internal conflicts are always psychologically interesting. What we
vaguely call "interesting" psychology is in very great measure the psychology of inner conflict.
Inner conflict is also held to be an important component of serious literature as distinguished
from less serious genres. The classical tragedy, as well as the serious novel, reveals the inner
conflict of central figures. The superficial adventure story, on the other hand, depicts only
external conflict; that is, the threats to the person with whom the reader (or viewer) identifies
stem in these stories exclusively from external obstacles and from the adversaries who create
them. On the most primitive level this sort of external conflict is psychologically empty. In the
fisticuffs between the protagonists of good and evil, no psychological problems are involved or,
at any rate, none are depicted in juvenile representations of conflict.
The detective story, the "adult" analogue of a juvenile adventure tale, has at times been described
as a glorification of intellectualized conflict. However, a great deal of the interest in the plots of
these stories is sustained by withholding the unraveling of a solut ion to a problem. The effort of
solving the problem is in itself not a conflict if the adversary (the unknown criminal) remains
passive, like Nature, whose secrets the scientist supposedly unravels by deduction. If the
adversary actively puts obstacles in the detective's path toward the solution, there is genuine
conflict. But the conflict is psychologically interesting only to the extent that it contains irrational
components such as a tactical error on the criminal's part or the detective's insight into some
psychological quirk of the criminal or something of this sort. Conflict conducted in a perfectly
rational manner is psychologically no more interesting than a standard Western. For example,
Tic-tac-toe, played perfectly by both players, is completely devoid of psychological interest.
Chess may be psychologically interesting but only to the extent that it is played not quite
rationally. Played completely rationally, chess would not be different from Tic-tac-toe. In short, a
pure conflict of interest (what is called a zero-sum game) although it offers a wealth of interesting
conceptual problems, is not interesting psychologically, except to the extent that its conduct
departs from rational norms.

Q1. The problem solving process of a scientist is different from that of a detective because
1) scientists study intimate objects, while detectives deal with living criminals or law offenders.
2) scientists study known objects, while detectives have to deal with unknown criminals or law
offenders.
3) Scientists study phenomena that are not actively altered, while detectives deal with phenomena
that have been deliberately influenced to mislead.
4) Scientists study psychologically interesting phenomena, while detectives deal with “adult”
analogues of juvenile adventure tales.

Q2. According to the passage, internal conflicts are psychologically more interesting than
external conflicts because
Options
1) internal conflicts, rather than external conflicts, form an important component of serious
literature as distinguished from less serious genres.
2) only juveniles or very few "adults" actually experience external conflict, while internal conflict
is more widely prevalent in society.
3) in situations of internal conflict, individuals experience a dilemma in resolving the ir own
preferences for different outcomes.
4) there are no threats to the reader (or viewer) in case of external conflicts.

Q3. Which, according to the author, would qualify as interesting psychology?

1) A statistician's dilemma over choosing the best method to solve an optimisation problem.
2) A chess player's predicament over adopting a defensive strategy against an aggressive
opponent.
3) A mountaineer's choice of the best path to Mt. Everest from the base camp.
4) A finance manager's quandary over the best way of raising money from the market.

PASSAGE-3

Reason can kill. Burdian's ass perished of hunger because reason kept him poised midway
between two equal hay stacks, when an unreasoning impulse in favour of either would have saved
him. The ass had human counterparts who struck with reason, through obstinacy, into error.
Everyone knows the joke which opens Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time - about the
old woman who told a lecturer that the world rested on "turtles, turtles all the way down".
Anaximander, whose reasoning on this problem is the earliest recorded, argued that our planet
was unsupported because there was no reason for it to move. He concluded that it was in
equilibrium, at the centre of symmetrical universe, like a fulcrum at the mid-point of a seesaw.
Yet we keep returning to reason precisely because it occupies the middle place; it is the revisited
point on the swing of the pendulum between skepticism and enthusiasm. When we distrust
passion because it is too subjective, or reject authority because it has no input of our own, we flee
to reason. When we abandon sense-perception as delusive and insight as imaginary, we curve
back to the centre. As a way of telling the truth from falsehood, reason combines apparently
incompatible virtues: it relies on our own resources but can be subjected to an outside test. It can
be checked by comparison with others' opinions or by reference to rules. It is subjectively
satisfying but externally approved.
Now the middle is often a secure and comfortable place to be in. Here the fulcrum is at rest,
however violent the oscillations at either end of the system. We are attracted by the glint of the
golden mean. This suggests a disarming question: "Is reason reasonable?" Do we like it because
of a psychological disposition, an instinct, a comfort seeking craving, an inclination which is
itself irrational or beyond reason? We are led to reason, perhaps, not because we trust its
confidences but because we can tweak its conclusions to suit us.
The shaman in primitive societies is distinguished by his intimacy with spirits, the sage by his
superior powers of thought. Truths felt or told, as well as being mediated in any of the forms
already described, can be apprehended first by the reason of the superior individual and
communicated to others later. Reason can be a way of getting in touch with the truth-world.
Practitioners who really love it or believe in it also endow it with creative power, as if it could
make truths as well as detect them, or at least disclose truths without pre-supposing the existence
of a truth-world. It is worthwhile to try to set its rise to prominence and dominance in an
historical framework.
At one level, this is a problem of social history, connected, with the formation of elite s who
specialized in and, in some degree, appropriated certain styles of thinking which rely on reason,
and assigned them a high rank among truth-finding techniques. Where reason rules, truth-keepers
do not have to be priest or shamans. Reason favours a middle-class distinguished by education
and mental prowess, not exceptional sensibility, visionanary clairvoyance, riches or physical
might.
These occur according to a sort of pattern. Although the use of reason is as old as the history of
mankind, its spells of preponderance succeed those of the truth you feel and the truth you are told.
Reason provides a means of escaping from the constraints of belief-systems backed by authority
and from the resentment which clever people feel at the power of their own passions.
Because reason - in admittedly varying degrees - is available to everybody, it has a potential
advantage over the truth you feel and the truth you are told. It can proceed by persuasion from
individual discovery to universal or general acceptance. It is therefore a kind of truth claimed by
revolutionaries throughout history, and has indelibly subversive streaks. On the other hand,
because it is supposed, in principle, to yield truths which can command universal assent, it tempts
those who use it into totalitarian ambitions. Fortunately, it is feeble or flexible enough to
encourage practical disagreement.

Q1. Reason strikes a balance between

(a) Truth and Falsehood.

(b) Emotion and Control
(c) Illusions and Intuition.
(d) Tradition and Modernity
Options
1) Only d
2) Only c
3) b and c
4) a and c

Q2. The central idea of the passage is to

1) substantiate that reason has always been pursued by mankind.
2) discredit reason because it is a factor that prevents one from acquiring survival skills.
3) emphasise that reason has throughout been useful to one or the other section of the society.
4) weigh the pros and cons of being reasonable

Q3.When the author says "yet we keep returning to reason," he implies that
A) reason attracts us even though there is no reason for being reasonable.
B) it is the fulcrum of the human thought, and therefore a safe place to be in.
C) reason can be dangerous despite the fact that many people subscribe to it.
D) it is foolish to embrace reason since history is replete with examples of the failures of reason.

Q4.The question 'Is reason reasonable'? arises out of

A) our belief that reason can never err.
B) our desire to justify our inclination with a cloak of rationality.
C) our craving for adhering to the golden mean.
D) our belief of a logical basis for our love of reason.

PASSAGE -4

"Leave it."

Anjali could not begin to fathom what she was hearing.

Even the contractor appeared flabbergasted. His mouth stayed in a half-open position, like a
guitar waiting for its strings to be tugged.

"Yes. Leave it.", Varun said again. He was speaking to the notion that someone in the room had
asked him to clarify his words.

What were the chances that an Indian burial ground would be found on the buco lic site where
Varun and Anjali had chosen to build their dream home? Why in the world would Varun not want
to have the remains carted away, thought Anjali. The last thing they needed were Indian
poltergeists meandering around their home while the two of them were trying to renovate their
marriage.

Anjali, usually deferential to her husband, knew that now was the time to make her position
heard.
She tried to cajole Varun from the direction he was heading. "Sweetheart, we don't want to build
on a site with human remains. It would be irreverent to the dead."

Immediately, she saw contempt in Varun's eyes; it was a subtle reminder of how he often viewed
her as superficial and self-absorbed.

"What would be irreverent", said Varun, his voice dripping with condescension, "would be to
desecrate these native graves and move them from their final resting place. Remember the
culture."

No, Anjali did not "remember the culture". She could care less about the culture. However,
Varun, the history professor, was obviously enthralled by the contractor's findings. He had an
innate way of understanding other cultures and other people that amazed Anjali. He did not have
that gift with her.

But something inside Anjali said this was too much. She believed wholeheartedly in ghosts and
could not imagine a life of them haunting her, rattling her cupboards, and shaking her
floorboards.

Anjali had an unnerving sensation that big problems were ahead.

Q1. If Anjali had chosen to be deferential to her husband, what would she have most likely
said?
1) "Good idea."
2) "Don't be silly."
3) "I'll leave you."
4) "I love you."

Q2. She tried to cajole Varun from the direction he was heading."

Choose the best way to rewrite the above sentence.

1) She tried to compromise with Varun
2) She tried to force Varun from the direction he was heading
3) She tried to gently prod Varun from the direction he was heading
4) She tried to give Varun veiled threats about the direction he was heading

Q3. What is the term given to the comparison of the contractor to a guitar?
1) An allusion, meaning a figure of speech making casual reference to a literary figure
2) An analogy, meaning an extended comparison showing the similarities between two
things
3) A denotation, meaning the literal definition of a word
4) A hyperbole, meaning a gross exaggeration
PASSAGE -5

Routines are the unreturned algorithms followed by each one of us, every in life. Routine
is a chain of events, which never changes there order once it is prioritized. Following the
routine is a schedule of events. For a student it would it be assignments, attending
schools, coaching classes or doing a Project. For the business man, brandishing the tiniest
mobile phone and shielded by the doctor than black shade of Mercedes, schedule is
restricted to attend meetings, presentations and entertaining new Prospective clients.

Sometimes life begins so hectic that you feel as if you are the only person who is working
harder than all others. Such type of thoughts comes to us due to thinking abo ut ourselves.
Others may be facing the same shade of destiny as you, but you think there are luckier
than you. Yes, the grass on the other side is always greener and fresher.

Maintaining your cool, at the times of the difficulty and in spite of hectic-schedules is the
key to a bright career and success in life. Because, unless we ourselves change the pace
with the change in times and keep ourselves abreast of the latest time table of our
organizer, we will lag behind.
The more the things one has to do or one is into, more is his involvement in a mental,
physical or social way into these things. Due to this his own personal problems are out of
sight because, all time his mind is thinking of completing the task undertaking problems
which are out of sight are out of mind.

Each thing that we do adds to our personality. It shapes our thinking and makes us more
organized, experienced knowledgeable and creative. The time and effort that we put in
every day into tasks is the brick and mortar of our future life. So friends, it is always
better to be busy rater then idle. Hasn‘t everyone heard that an idle mind is the devils
work shop? Behind every successful man is a devotedly followed < ="">schedule.

1) The author of the passage is of the opinion that

a) The world is merciless to a few persons
b) Behind every successful there is a women
c) All other people seem to be luckier than the author
d) We must keep cool even in difficult times

2) What is the general observation about human nature that the writer makes?
a) People generally hate to be tied to a < ="">schedule or routine
b) People generally feel that they can progress by following a < name="IL_MARKER"
="">schedule
c) People feel that they alone are overburdened and being treated crudely
d) People follow routines happily because they require less effort.

3) According to the above passage, we must

a) Not involve ourselves too much in the work that we do
b) Avoid keeping hectic schedules because they must harm our body.
c) Be loathing to put time and sweet into our bodies.
d) Run neck and neck with God’s timetable less we lag behind.

4) The result of many things we do results in-

a) Enhancing our personality
b) Bettering our organizational and creative ability
c) Giving us knowledge and experience
d) All the above

PASSAGE – 6

The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education
would remove the conventionality, artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were
characteristic; of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in5
their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical authors in the
original would banish at once the dull pedantry and superstition of mediaeval
scholasticism. The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has
almost managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull10 and as
dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid. The chief claim for the use of
science in education is that it teaches a child something about the actual universe in
which he is living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific15 discovery,
and at the same time teaches him how to think logically and inductively by studying
scientific method. A certain limited success has been reached in the first of these aims,
but practically none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the community
who have been through a secondary or public school20 education may be expected to
know something about the elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago,
but they probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from an interest
in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours. As to the learning of scientific
method, the whole thing is palpably25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers
and the requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the pupils not
only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely the reverse, that is, to believe
exactly what they are told and to reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to
them or30 not. The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries as
spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such as racial theories or
currency myths, shows that fifty years of education in the method of science in Britain
or Germany has produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the35
method of science is the long and bitter way of personal experience, and, until the
educational or social systems are altered to make this possible, the best we can expect is
the production of a minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques
of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and40 develop them. Adapted
from: The Social Function of Science, John D Bernal (1939)

The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has

A. no interest in teaching science

B. thwarted attempts to enliven education

C. aided true learning

D. supported the humanists

E. been a pi oneer in both science and humanities.

2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is

A. ambivalent

B. neutral

C. supportive

D. satirical

E. contemptuous

3. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly means

A. empirically

B. obviously

C. tentatively

D. markedly

E. ridiculously

4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the
education system except

A. poor teaching

B. examination met hods

 C. lack of direct experience

D. the social and education systems

E. lack of interest on the part of students

5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since
he wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following
questions ?

A. Do students know more about the world about them?

B. Do students spend more time in laborat ories?

C. Can students apply their knowledge logically?

D. Have textbooks improved?

E. Do they respect their teachers?

6. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example of

A. a science that needs to be better understood

B. a belief which no educated people hold

C. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science

D. the gravest danger to society

E. an acknowledged failure of science

7. All of the following can be inferred from the text except

A. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education

B. the author finds chemical reactions interesting

C. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children

D. the author believes that many teachers are aut horit arian

E. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.

PASAGGE -7

Rugby is a sport in which ..1.....are allowed to carry, handle and throw the ball, although
they may only throw it forwards.............2..are scored by touching the ball down over the
opponents goat- line called a punt or by kicking it over the crossbar between the goal
posts. the sort gets it............3..from the ...........4.. school in England............5..it was first
played in 1823.

1) first blank is
a)opponents
b)teams
c)sides
d)players

2)second blank is:

a)marks
b)runs
c)points
d)baskets

3)third blank is:

a)source
b)money
c)sponsor
d)name

4)fourth blank is:

a) Oxford
b) Rugby
c)Cambridge
d) Eton

5)fifth blank is:

a) hence
b) b)were
c) c)where
d) d)when

PASSAGE- 8

Von Nuemann and Morgenstern assume a decision framework in which all options are
thoroughly considered, each option being independent of the others, with a numerical
value derived for the utility of each possible outcome (these outcomes reflecting, in turn,
all possible combinations of choices). The decision is then made to maximize the
expected utility.
In a large company, (1st) ………… people is about as common as using a gun or a
switch-blade to (2nd) ………… an argument. As a result, most managers have little or no
experience of firing people, and they find it emotionally traumatic; as a result, they often
delay the act interminably, much as an unhappy spouse will prolong a bad marriage. And
when the firing is done, it's often done clumsily, with far worse side effects than are
necessary.

Do the world-class software organizations have a different way of firing people? No, but
they do the deed swiftly, humanely, and professionally.

The key point here is to view the fired employee as a "failed product" and to ask how the
process (3rd) ………… such a phenomenon in the first place.

Fill 1st blank according to following,

1. 1. Dismissing 2. Punishing 3. Firing 4. Admonishing

2. 1. Resolve 2. Thwart 3. Defeat 4. Close

3. 1. Derived 2. Engineered 3. Produced 4. Allowed

Passage 9
Although the Civil War ______ much of the South's rail network, it ______ the growth of
railroads in the North and West.

Options
1) eliminated…decreased
2) accounted for…encouraged
3) displaced…dismantled
4) destroyed…stimulated
5) depended on…established
PASSAGE – 9

However, despite the beliefs of these 17-21 million people, there is no evidence that
accidents are more likely to happen on Friday the 13th. On the contrary, some studies
have shown there are actually fewer accidents on Friday the 13th. A recent report
completed by a Dutch insurance company showed that there were fewer incidents of fires
and theft on Fridays that fell on the 13th than on any other Fridays in the same year. It is
highly probable that this reduction in accidents owes itself to the fear of Friday the 13th
itself. If people are more cautious on Friday the 13th, then there are likely to be fewer
accidents.

If, then, there is no significant evidence that Friday the 13th is any more dangerous than
any other day of the year, why do friggatriskaidekaphobics remain convinced of its
unluckiness? While the historical or folk traditions discussed earlier may have something
to do with this belief, people may also use associational links to justify their superstitions.
If a friggatriskaidekaphobic loses his wallet on Tuesday the 21st, for example, he would
probably not assign any meaning to the date on which this event occurred. If the same
individual lost his wallet on Friday the 13th, however, he might be likely to conclude that
the inauspicious nature of Friday the 13th was at fault.

Questions
1) This passage is most likely an excerpt from
A. the case study of a patient suffering from friggatriskaidekaphobia
B. the introduction to an article about friggatriskaidekaphobia
C. the introduction to a study about the likelihood of accidents occurring on
Friday the 13th
D. a longer work proving that superstitions are justified by real-world events
E. the conclusion of a longer work that analyzes evidence about the
superstition of Friday the 13th

2) Based on information in the passage, it can be infe rred that an earlie r section of
this passage likely
I. featured a personal anecdote about why the author no longer believes that
Friday the 13th is unlucky
II. provided some explanations about why people might fear Friday the 13th
III. introduced the term ―friggatriskaidekaphobia‖
A. l only
 B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

3) Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would best support the author’s
argument in paragraph 1?

A. In ancient Egypt, the number 13 was actually considered lucky by the pharaohs.

B. Major airlines report that there is no significant drop in the number of

passengers who fly on Friday the 13th.

C. Studies performed in the United Kingdom reveal that significantly fe wer

people choose to drive their cars to work on Friday the 13th.

D. More traffic accidents occur on Fridays than on any other day of the week.

E. 50% fewer marriages occur on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays occurring
in the same year.

4) According to the example presented in paragraph 2, which of the following logical

fallacies is committed by the man who loses his wallet and blames Friday the 13th?

A. Post hoc, characte rized by the argume nt in which two sequential events
are said to be causally related, but this is not actually the case; the arguer wrongly
concludes that the earlier event cause the later. That is, correlation isn’t the same
thing as causation.

B. Appeal to probability, characterized by the assumption that because an event

could happen, it is inevitable that it will happen.

C. Appeal to ignorance, characterized by the supposition that, due to a lack of

conclusive evidence, the conclusion of an argument should be accepted.

D. Hasty generalization, characterized by making assumptions about a whole

group or range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate (usually because it is
atypical or too small).
 E. Weak analogy, characterized by an argument that relies on an analogy between
two or more objects, ideas, or situations which aren‘t really alike in the relevant respects.

5) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best antonym for inauspicious?

A. predictable
B. pleasant
C. fortunate
D. successful
E. honest

PASSAGE – 10

Read the following passage and answer the below questions

Beware of those who use the truth to deceive. When someone tells you something that is
true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can create a false
impression.
For example, someone might say, ―I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was
great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred do llars!‖

This guy‘s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought two
hundred tickets, and only one was a winner. He‘s really a big loser!

He didn‘t say anything that was false, but he deliberately omitted important information.
That‘s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as
dishonest.

Untrustworthy candidates in political campaigns often use this tactic. Let‘s say that
during Governor Smith‘s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three
million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents runs an ad saying,
―During Governor Smith‘s term, the sate lost one million jobs!‖ That‘s true. However an
honest statement would have been, ―During Governor Smith‘s term, the state had a net
gain of two million jobs.‖

Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It‘s against the law to make false claims so
they try to mislead you with the truth. An ad might boast, ―Nine out of ten doctors
recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples.‖ It fails to mention that they only asked ten
doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Corporation.

This kind of deception happens too often. It‘s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and
sometimes the truth can lie as well.

Q1) Which of the following is the central idea of the passage?

Options
1) Whenever people tell the truth, they are really lying.
2) Every truth is partly a lie
3) The truth can be used in dishonest ways.
4) Not all truths are real truths

Q2) What does “deceive” mean?

1) removing one‘s teeth in public
2) ignore warnings
3) fool
4) repair

Q3) The author clearly wants people to _________.

1) think carefully about what they read and hear
2) beware of politicians and their campaigns
3) never trust anyone
4) vote for female candidates

PASSAGE – 11

Many of the serious health concerns in modern America can be linked to poor diet.
People who regularly consume foods high in sodium, sugar, and saturated fats not only
increase their chances of obesity, but also increase their risks of developing heart disease,
hypertension, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Although some people who regularly
consume unhealthy foods do so knowingly, there is also a significant portion of the
population that remains undereducated about proper nutrition. What is more, individuals
who live in food deserts—areas in low-income neighborhoods that lack easy access to
healthy, affordable food—may not even have the opportunity to obtain nutritious food.
Although there have been some recent government efforts to reduce the number of food
deserts, more community-based efforts should be encouraged and supported.
Food deserts are located in high-poverty areas, such as sparsely populated rural areas or
densely populated, low- income urban centers. Food deserts most often develop when
major supermarket chains either relocate out of these areas or simply refrain from
building stores there in the first place. Major food retailer chains tend to limit their store
locations to wealthier urban or suburban neighborhoods. This means that those who live
in high-poverty areas often also live miles away from the fresh meats, dairy products, and
produce available at supermarkets. Residents of these areas who do not have cars are thus
forced to travel long distances on public transportation to do their grocery shopping, or
else they are limited to the food available at local convenience stores and gas stations.
These types of food retailers often only sell packaged, processed foods that offer little
nutritional value.

Furthermore, fast food restaurants are disproportionately concentrated in low- income

areas; recent estimates suggest that those living in the poorest areas of a city experience
2.5 times more exposure to fast food restaurants than the wealthiest inhabitants of the
city. Because individuals who live in food deserts tend to get their meals from fast food
restaurants or convenience stores, they often suffer from a variety of health issues.
Research has found that individuals who live in low-income neighborhoods are much
more likely to develop problems with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension than those who
live in more affluent neighborhoods.

A solution to the problem of food deserts seems obvious: more supermarkets should be
built in low- income neighborhoods. The problem with this solution, of course, is that it is
difficult to lure supermarket chains into poor areas. Because poorer people have less
money to spend on food, supermarket chains do not consider them to be attractive
customers. One way that the government can help to offset this issue is by offering tax
breaks or other incentives for supermarkets in low- income areas. In 2010, the Obama
administration implemented the Healthy Food Financing program, which is a set of
initiatives designed to help bring grocery stores into areas currently designated as food
deserts. While this federal program is a commendable effort to improve low- income
residents‘ access to healthy food, local initiatives often have a stronger and more
immediate impact. Community gardens, independent food stores, co-ops, and farmers‘
markets are all examples of local initiatives that can substitute for or supplement the
opening of a major chain supermarket. Despite the time, dedication, and funds required
for community members to initiate such programs, these efforts can be incredibly
beneficial, not only in providing people with access to healthier foods, but also in
instilling a sense of community in the residents of these neighborhoods.

Questions
1) Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
 A. Supermarkets‘ Contributions to Obesity in America
B. The Dangers of Fast Food
C. Food Deserts: the Problem and the Solutions
D. Food Deserts and Rural America
E. Inconvenience Stores: Why Processed Food Will Kill Yo u

2) Based on information in the passage, it can be infe rred that if supermarkets

opened locations in more low-income areas,

A. members of low- income households would not be likely to go there because

they are not concerned with eating healthy foods

B. the supermarkets would be unable to compete with the fast food chains located
in low- income areas

C. the convenience stores in the area would likely be put out of business because
of increased competition with grocery stores

D. the health of low-income residents would be more likely to improve, as

residents would have easier access to healthy food

E. there would be an increase in community spirit among members of low- income

neighborhoods

3) Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would best support the author’s
argument in paragraph 3?

A. A study completed in 2010 shows that the farther a low-income housing

development is from a supermarket, the more likely residents of that development
are to have a higher body mass index, which is linked to being overweight or obese.

B. On average, energy-dense ―junk foods‖ cost $1.76 per 1000 calories, while
low-energy, but nutrient-dense foods like fresh produce cost $18.16 per 1000 calories.

C. Access to healthy foods has become especially difficult for those living in the
largely black and Latino neighborhoods of cities like Los Angeles, Memphis, Chicago,
and Detroit. Some experts estimate that nearly 50% of Detroit‘s 900,000 residents live in
a food desert.
 D. Research shows that Americans who live in Appalachia and the South are the
least likely to be physically active in their leisure time. In many counties in that region,
more than 29% of adults report getting no physical activity other than at their regular job.

E. In the United States, 34% of the current adult population is overweight, another
34% is obese, and an additional 5.7% is extremely obese. That means almost three
quarters of the adults in the United States are heavier than they should be.

4) As used in paragraph 3, which is the best synonym for affluent?

A. healthy
B. updated
C. corrupt
D. distant
E. wealthy

5) Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that the author considers
major supermarkets to be
I. more interested in increasing their profits than in helping people
II. unwilling to build new stores in low- income neighborhoods despite incentives
offered by the Healthy Food Financing program
III. guiltier than fast food restaurants of contributing to the obesity epidemic

A. l only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

6) As used in paragraph 5, which is the best synonym for comme ndable?

A. useless
B. praiseworthy
C. essential
D. superficial
E. unique
PASSAGE – 12

Concussions are brain injuries that occur when a person receives a blow to the head, face,
or neck. Although most people who suffer a concussion experience initial bouts of
dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness, these symptoms often disappear after a few days. The
long-term effects of concussions, however, are less understood and far more severe.
Recent studies suggest that people who suffer multiple concussions are at significant risk
for developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disorder
that causes a variety of dangerous mental and emotional problems to arise weeks,
months, or even years after the initial injury. These psychological problems can include
depression, anxiety, memory loss, inability to concentrate, and aggression. In extreme
cases, people suffering from CTE have even committed suicide or homicide. The
majority of people who develop these issues are athletes who participate in popular high-
impact sports, especially football. Although new sports regulations and improvements in
helmet technology can help protect players, amateur leagues, the sports media, and fans
all bear some of the responsibility for reducing the incidence of these devastating injuries.

Improvements in diagnostic technology have provided substantial evidence to link

severe—and often fatal—psychological disorders to the head injuries that players receive
while on the field. Recent autopsies performed on the brains of football players who have
committed suicide have shown advanced cases of CTE in every single victim.
In response to the growing understanding of this danger, the National Football League
(NFL) has revised its safety regulations. Players who have suffered a head injury on the
field must undergo a ―concussion sideline assessment‖—a series of mental and physical
fitness tests—before being allowed back in the game. In an effort to diminish the amount
of head and neck injuries on the field, NFL officials began enforcing stricter penalty calls
for helmet-to- helmet contact, leading with the head, and hitting a defenseless player.
Furthermore, as of 2010, if a player‘s helmet is accidentally wrenched from his head
during play, the ball is immediately whistled dead. It is hoped that these new regulations,
coupled with advances in helmet design, will reduce the number of concussions, and thus
curb further cases of CTE.

Efforts by the NFL and other professional sports leagues are certainly laudable; we
should commend every attempt to protect the mental and physical health of players.
However, new regulations at the professional level cannot protect amateur players,
especially young people. Fatal cases of CTE have been reported in victims as young as
21. Proper tackling form—using the arms and shoulders to aim for a player‘s
midsection—should be taught at an early age. Youth, high school, and colle ge leagues
should also adopt safety rules even more stringent than those of the NFL. Furthermore,
young athletes should be educated about the serious dangers of head injuries at an early
age.

Perhaps the most important factor in reducing the number of tra umatic brain injuries,
however, lies not with the players, the coaches, or the administrators, but with the media
and fans. Sports media producers have become accustomed to showcasing the most
aggressive tackles and the most intense plays. NFL broadcasts o ften replay especially
violent collisions while the commentators marvel at the players‘ physical prowess. Some
sports highlights television programs even feature weekly countdowns of the ―hardest
hits.‖ When the media exalts such dangerous behavior, professionals are rewarded for
injuring each other on the field and amateurs become more likely to try to imitate their
favorite NFL athletes. Announcers, commentators, television producers, and sportswriters
should engage in a collective effort to cease glorify ing brutal plays. In turn, fans should
stop expecting their favorite players to put their lives on the line for the purposes of
entertainment. Players must not be encouraged to trade their careers, their health, their
happiness, and even their lives for the sake of a game.

1) Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that all of the following
statements are true except

A. tackling is not always dangerous; however, players who use improper tackling
form may injure others

B. scientists have established a definitive link between players who die untimely
deaths and the onset of CTE

C. NFL officials have done little to address the proble m of CTE

D. athletes who are praised for exceptionally brutal hits are likely to continue
engaging in
such dangerous behavior

E. the NFL has done more to mitigate future cases of CTE than youth, high
school, or college leagues have done

2) According to the passage, which of the following factors contribute(s) to the

incidence of CTE in amateur players?
I. inconsistent application of safety regulations for all levels
II. lack of education about the dangers of head injuries
III. amateur players‘ desire to emulate professionals
 A. l only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

3) As used in paragraph 3, which is the best synonym for laudable?

A. praiseworthy
B. ineffectual
C. memorable
D. audacious
E. satisfactory

4) The author’s tone in the final paragraph can best be described as

A. remorseful
B. hopeless
C. perplexed
D. insistent
E. arrogant

5) As used in the final paragraph, which is the best antonym for exalts?
A. mitigates
B. venerates
C. mollifies
D. expedites
E. castigates

6) In describing the sports media, the author e mphasizes its

A. responsibility
B. entertainment value
C. senselessness
D. danger
E. sensationalism

7) In the final paragraph, the author mentions “sports highlights television

programs” as an example of how
I. the media glorifies violence
 II. amateurs learn to mimic professional athletes
III. professional athletes gain approval

A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

8) In the last sentence of this passage, the author writes, "Playe rs must not be
encouraged to trade their careers, their health, their happiness, and even their lives
for the sake of a game." Which of the following lite rary devices is used in this
quotation?

A. Irony, characterized by the use of words to convey a meaning that is the

opposite of its literal meaning. In irony, the deeper, real layer of significance is revealed
by the situation and the context in which they are placed and not by the words
themselves.

B. Climax, characte rized by the arrangement of words, phrases, or causes in

an order of ascending power that culminates into the highest or most intense point.
This works to deliver the main action or integral message to the reader in a
powe rful way.

C. Authorial intrusion, characterized by a point at which the author speaks out

directly to the reader. This establishes a one to one relationship between the writer and
the reader where the latter is no longer a secondary player or an indirect audience to the
progress of the story but is the main subject of the author‘s attention.

D. Hyperbole, characterized by the use of specific words and phrases that

exaggerate and overemphasize the core of the statement in order to produce a grander,
more noticeable effect. This usually works to convey an action or sentiment that is
generally not realistically possible or plausible but helps to emphasize an emotion

E. Anastrophe, in which the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence is
exchanged. In standard parlance and writing the adjective comes before the noun but
when one is employing an anastrophe the noun is followed by the adjective. This
reversed order creates a dramatic impact and lends weight to the description offered by
the adjective.
PASSAGE – 13

The Food and Drug Administration has formulated certain severe restrictions regarding
the use of antibiotics, which are used to promote the health and growth of meat animals.
Though the different types of medicines mixed with the fodder of the animals kills many
microorganisms, it also encourages the appearance of bacterial strains, which are
resistant to anti- infective drugs.It has already been observed that penicillin and the
tetracyclines are not as effective therapeutically as they once used to be. This resistance
to drugs is chiefly caused due to tiny
circlets of genes, called plasmids, which are transferable between different species of
bacteria.
These plasmids are also one of the two kinds of vehicles on which molecular biologists
depend
on while performing gene transplant experiments. Existing guidelines also forbid the use
of
which bear genes for resistance to antibiotics, in the laboratories. Though congressional
dabate goes on as to whether these restrictions need to be toughened with reference to
scientists in their laboratories, almost no congressional attention is being paid to an ill
advised agricultural practice, which produces deleterious effects.

Q) In the present passage, the author's primary concern is with:

1) The discovery of methods, which eliminate harmful microorganisms without

generating drug-resistant bacteria.

2) Evaluation of the recently proposed restrictions, which are intended to promote

the growth of meat animals.

3) Portraying a proble matic agricultural practice and its serious genetic

consequences

4) Attempting an explanation of the reasons for congressional inaction about the

regulation of gene transplant experiments.
2. As inferred from the above passage, the mutual tra nsfe r of plasmids
betwee n diffe rent bacteria ca n result in which of the following?

A. Mic roorganisms, whic h have an in-built resistance to drugs

B. Therapeutically useful circlets of genes
C. Penicillin like anti-infective drugs
D. Viruses used by molecular biologists
E. Carriers for performing gene transplant experiments.

3. According to the above passage the a uthor believes that those who
favor the stiffe ning of restrictions on gene tra nsplant researc h should
logically also.
a. Approve and aid experiments with any plasmids except those, which
bear genes for antibiotic resistance.
b. Inquire regarding the addition of a nti-infective drugs to
livestoc k feeds
c. Oppose the using of penicillin and tetracyclines in order to kill
microorganisms
d. Agree to the development of meatier live-stock through the use of
antibiotics
e. Approve of congressional debate and discussion regarding science and
health issues.

4. The attitude the author has with refe rence to the development of
bacterial strains that render antibiotic drugs in effective ca n best be
describe d as
a. indifferent
b. perplexed
c. pretentious
d. insincere
e. appre hensive
PASSAGE – 14

As the US Recession looms like a dark cloud over our business plans…. it would be well
to pause and consider how to make it go away. Wherever I talk to Indian CEOs, I get the
impression they are just crossing their fingers and hoping it goes away by itself. Which it
won‘t. Even if it does this time, it will come and hover over us again, sooner or later. Of
course, there is a silver lining even in this cloud - the recession will most likely reduce
US consumption, close the current account deficit, and stabilize the dollar.. at a cost.

Banks seem to be using the capital infusion for all sorts of things other than lending
money. No joy there.. simply cutting interest rates isn‘t going to help, either. When
financial institutions are afraid to lend and people are afraid to borrow, in what Paul
Krugman calls a ‗Crisis of Faith‘, fiddling with the Federal Funds rate will be about as
effective as Nero‘s fiddling was. The engine oil has gotten contaminated this time (for
that is what the financial markets really are), and only a complete cleaning out of the
engine will help. ..which will take time!

One common ploy, not even easy to adopt, really, is to shift focus to European markets
rather than the US. Which would only put off the evil day just a bit, since it is quite
certain that European economies are closely tied to the US economy anyway.
So let us dismiss these easy answers and bend our minds to what an Indian company,
acting on its own, can do.

Always a good thing to do, any company can shed 10% of its cost without any real pain,
anyway. This is as good an opportunity as any to remind IT‘s so-called ‗knowledge
workers‘ that 20% raise year after year, for doing the exact same work they did last year,
is not the natural order of things. But not everyone has been so lucky, especially in the
manufacturing and agricultural sectors, so belt tightening can only go so far.

When our US client is nervous and unwilling to invest, and so puts his own expansion
plans on hold, the one thing we can do is propose something different than the tried and
tested ‗time and materials‘ or even ‗price for guaranteed volumes‘ proposition. It may
not be enough to point out that outsourcing will save him money – when he is
contemplating 100% saving by not launching that expansion or change initiative at all!
We must realize that the client is really not sure, either, whether the recession is for real,
and, even if it is, whether it will affect his business, or not. Hedging his bets is what he is
contemplating. How can we help him move forward?
Can we offer him a business proposition where we share risk - share in the upside (and
downside) rather than simply get a fixed revenue and manage costs (which is what almost
all Indian companies do, even the best of them)? For instance, IT services company need
to start offering customers a fee per user (customer‘s customer) or royalty models rather
than ‘60 man- months to build this system‘. If the client does well, we do well. Needless
to say, it also means we have to
· learn how to assess the client‘s prospects in his market
· learn how to actually help him sell better in his markets

Which means we will have to think like venture capitalists and investors rather than
suppliers! Quite a change, but well within our capabilities. We just need to use them.
Another solution is brand building. Brands are relatively recession proof due to their
emotional hold. It is time to pay more than lip-service to the notion of being ‗preferred
partner‘.. move it from the corporate ppt to reality!

Q) According to the author, it can be infe rred that:

1) The recession will make the US dollar go up
2) The US has a very large current account deficit
3) The Recession is bound to hit Indian companies sooner or later.
4) Americans have been extravagant in their consumption.