Q1.

Read the following passage and answer the following questions- 10

COVID Retrospective - Unemployment
A. Jobs are the backbone of any economy. When COVID-19 hit the world in the height of its
fury, many people lost their lives and the ones who were considered lucky, lost their jobs. In the
the Indian economy has always been past, a primarily agrarian-capitalist one; but recently the
trends have shifted to more urban-based exports - like I.T., and Manufacturing. Over the last
few years, Pre-COVID, unemployment rate was under control at around 7.2% in India. In
April, the number hit 23.5%, making almost a quarter of Indians unemployed.

B. Due to the shift in the industrial sectors in India and a difference in the consumption and the
export patterns. most goods and services are produced either in industrial towns or urban areas.
Due to the high population density of such areas, business owners faced extreme difficulty in
resuming work as usual. They could not disobey the government, and more importantly they
couldn't risk exposing their workforce to this merciless virus. Daily wage workers were also one
amongst the most affected demographics in the country. Without a wage they could not afford
basic sustenance - and were forced to go back to their native towns and cities. Many who were
infected with the virus and asymptomatic, went on to infect more people at home. This snowball
effect eventually caused a sharp spike in the number of unemployed citizens of our country. The
economy took a giant hit because of this.

C. NIFTY and SENSEX fell by around 38% on average, effectively stalling the growth of the
country momentarily. Corporations in an attempt to cut costs had to lay off much of their
workforce as the world went into a recession. The housing market was hit as well, with real
estate prices dropping by 10% on average in the main metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi,
Bangalore and Chennai. The workers who were laid off were left to fend for themselves as the
liabilities they owed hit them like a landslide. The Reserve Bank of India made the proclamation
that the loans - Mortgages, Education and Personal would be given a moratorium; and this gave
some breathing room for all. 4. Migrant workers have been slowly, but steadily returning to
their host states. This has caused a resurgence in the number of jobs, as the workforce has risen
to have the demands of the state met. This has allayed the fears of many regarding the
unemployment crisis, but a number of micro-lockdowns has complicated things for a number
of people. Although, it is a good sign that the number of people that were unemployed are now
gainfully employed, and are actively contributing to the economy.

D. Although there have been many instances where the unemployment rate has surged, most
memorably during the 2008 recession - this crisis was due to a whole new beast. The pandemic
not only threw people out of their jobs and homes, but also caused a loss of life and heartbreak
for many. It is now clear that steps have to be taken in reparation and to heal the country - not
only fiscally, but morally too.

On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer the following questions by
choosing the correct option-

1(a). The reason for Indian economy being largely agrarian-capitalist is

i. Technology in India was yet to develop
ii. Venture capitalists were not interested in investing
iii. India was predominantly a land of cultivation
iv. None of the above

1(b). According to your understanding of the passage, the recent developments in the economy
show exports moving to IT and manufacturing products and services.

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 i. partially correct
ii. totally correct
iii. partially incorrect
iv. totally incorrect

1(c). What were the snags faced by the employers?

i. risking their workers being exposed to the virus
ii. following the government protocol
iii. enough capital to pay the employees
iv. All of the above

1(d). The situation of the manual labourers was the most precarious because
i. they were unable to meet daily sustenance without money
ii. they were affected by the virus
iii. they were affecting others with the virus.
iv. they were asked to go back home

1(e). The world went into recession as

i. companies could not afford to pay employees
ii. people could not afford to buy houses in metropolitan cities
iii. the economy took a severe hit because of the pandemic
iv. None of the above

1(f). The people were awarded a respite with the

i. grace period
ii. minimum interest rates
iii. minimum amount to pay
iv. forgiveness of outstanding loans

1(g).The unemployment disaster was mitigated by:

i. number of job opportunities that rose
ii. situation of the pandemic becoming better
iii. migrant workers returning to their host states
iv. All of the above

1(h). The circumstance now although, not optimum, is considered manageable because
i. people are returning to their home towns
ii. people have been returning to work and being productive
iii. people are no longer afraid of the virus
iv. people are able to afford sustenance

1(i). The word that means "disastrous and dangerous" in Para B is:
i. snow fall effect
ii. snow ball effect
iii. show ball effect
iv. snob ball effect

1(j). The word that means the opposite of "deterioration" in Para D is:
i. insurgence
ii. indulgence
iii. divergence
iv. resurgence

Q2. Read the following passage and answer the following questions- 10
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A. Tourists to Jammu and Kashmir have another attraction–a floating post office on the Dal
Lake in Srinagar, the first in the country. ‘Floating Post Office, Dal Lake’–claimed to be the
only one such post office in the world–is built on an intricately carved maroon houseboat,
fastened on the western edge of the Dal Lake.
B. This post office lets you avail of all the regular postal services available in the country while
being afloat. The seal used on everything posted from Floating Post Office is unique–along with
the date and address, it bears the design of a boatman rowing a shikara on the Dal Lake. The
special. feature of this post office is that letters posted from here carry a special design which
has the picturesque scenery of Dal Lake and Srinagar city. These pictures reach wherever these
letters are posted to and hence promote Kashmir as a tourist destination across the world.
C. This is actually a heritage post office that has existed since British times. It was called Nehru
Park Post Office before 2011. But then the chief postmaster John Samuel renamed it as ‘Floating
Post Office’.
D. The post office’s houseboat has two small rooms–one serves as the office and the other a small
‘museum that traces the philatelic history of the state postal department. It has a shop that sells
postage stamps and other products.
E. But for the locals, Floating Post office is more than an object of fascination. 1–2 crore is
deposited per month in Floating Post Office by communities living in and around the Dal Lake.
The lake has several islets that are home to more than 50,000 people.
F. The greatest fear is the recurrence of 2014 like floods in which the houseboat had gone for a
toss uncontrollably pushed by the flood. Rescue teams had to anchor it using special mechanism
in a nearby highland. Then it was brought back on the Dal after the water receded. The biggest
boon is that at no time of the year do you need a fan in this post–office!

On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer the following questions by
choosing the correct option-

2(a)Jammu and Kashmir has another attraction, the first in the country ……………
(i) A floating ATM
(ii) A floating bank
(iii) A floating post office
(iv) A floating museum

2(b) The greatest fear that the post office has is that ………………………. .
(i) it can get drowned
(ii) it can be looted
(iii) it has less deposits
(iv) the floods can ruin it

2(c)The post office is of no use to the people of Kashmir.

(i) False
(ii) True
(iii) both i and ii
(iv) none of the above

2(d) Who has renamed the post office?

(i) John keats
(ii) John Samuel
(iii) John Byro
(iv) all the above

2(e) The post office is in an intricately carved ____.

(i) building
(ii) boathouse
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(iii) boatroom
(iv) none of the above

2(f) The post office’s houseboat has ……………………….. small rooms.

(i) two
(ii) three
(iii) four
(iv) five

2(g) The heritage post office has existed since the ……………………….. times.
(i) Old
(ii) British
(iii) modern
(iv) past

2(h) Find the word from the passage which means the same as “attraction”.
(i) promote
(ii) destination
(iii) fascination
(iv) all the above

2(i) Find synonym of ‘Rescue’ from the following:

(i) endanger
(ii) liberation
(iii) imprison
(iv) abandon

2(j) What is the synonym of ‘adhere’ in para A?

(i) claimed
(ii) carved
(iii) fastened
(iv) build
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