Reading Comprehension Questions For SSC CGL 1667820817623 OB

Reading Comprehension Questions for SSC Exams Free E-book
Reading Comprehension Questions for SSC Exams
Directions— (Q. 1–15) 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.
Organic farming is either really expensive or really cheap, depending on where you live and whether or not you are
certified. Not only are the ‘natural’ pesticides and fertilizers increasingly marketed by agribusiness as costly as or
costlier than their chemical counterparts, but proving you are an organic farmer requires certification, which is time-
consuming and expensive. In the USA, converting to organic agriculture is a huge undertaking for commercial
farmers, who have relied on chemical fertilizers and pesticides for many decades, but in India, the conversion is no
less arduous and far more ironic.
India’s farmers are still mostly practising organic methods, passed down for millennia. Organic fertilizer and natural
pest control are the only tools available to most of these farmers, who have always lacked the financial resources to
explore chemical solutions. But these farmers, whose produce is as organic as they come, cannot afford to pay the
fees required to gain official certification.
As the international community adopts standards for organic agriculture, the challenges faced by farmers in the USA
versus farmers in India in order to adapt are very different indeed. The danger is that the well intentioned global
move towards organic standards will make small organic farmers in countries like India, who have never done
anything but organic farming, no longer able to sell their crops.
In response to the $ 26 billion global market for organic foods, the Indian Central Government set up a National
Institute of Organic Farming in October 2003. The purpose of this institute is to formulate rules, regulations and
certification of organic farm products in conformity with international standards. The institute has its offices across
the country and has appointed certifying agencies for organic farm products for the domestic market. The certifying
agencies are accountable for confirming that any product sold with the new ‘India Organic’ logo is in accordance
with international criteria, and launch major awareness and marketing campaigns in India and abroad.
Organic farming has been identified as a major thrust area of the 10th plan of the central government. 1 billion
rupees have been allocated to the aforementioned National Institute of Organic Farming alone for the 10th five-year
plan. Despite this, most of India’s organic farms are not officially considered organic. Most of India’s farms are
‘organic by default’. The irony and difficulty of the new governmental push for organic agriculture is that 65% of the
country’s cropped area is ‘organic by default’, according to a study. By this somewhat degrading term they mean
that small farmers, located mostly in the Eastern and North-Eastern regions of the country, have no choice except to
farm without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Though this is true in many cases, it is also true that a significant
number of them have chosen to farm organically, as their forefathers have done for thousands of years.
1
Many have seen for themselves the effects of chemical farming soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients, loss of
nutrition in food and human diseases resulting from the chemicals that inevitably seep into the water table, all the
reasons for the urgent demand for organic foods and farming.
India currently has only 1,426 certified organic farms. This statistical discrepancy reveals that the weak link in the
organic/economic chain is certification. Under current government policy, it takes four years for a farm to be certified
as organic. The cost of preparing the report is a flat fee of Rs. 5,000 and the certificate itself costs another Rs.
5,000. While these costs are bearable for the new industrial organic greenhouses, they are equal to or more than an
entire year’s income for the average small farmer, if the costs of travel and inspection are included.
In the United States, an organic farm plan or organic handling plan must be submitted to a USDA accredited private
or state certification program. The plan must explain all current growing and handling methods, and any materials
that will be used—in the present and any future plans must be included as well. Records for the last five years must
be presented. Land must be chemical free for three years prior to harvest, so a conventional farmer cannot receive
the organic label for the transitional years. This will generally mean a decrease in income— crops may be less
plentiful than with conventional fertilizers and pesticides and yet the higher price for organic products won’t yet be
possible. Many farmers cannot afford the transition, even if they want to.
One solution to the small farmer’s dilemma of how to both certify and survive is that of community certification. In
community certification, communities, on a nonprofit basis, take charge of the certification process themselves. They
evaluate the farmer’s commitment to the stewardship of the soil and examine from many angles whether the food is
being grown in an environmentally sensitive way or not, rather than technical standards. While community
certification may be a viable solution on the local level, it is our opinion that, in the global market place, less than
exact technical standards will never be enough for today’s consumer and in today’s largely poisoned environment, it
shouldn't be, either. Furthermore, such ‘soft’ guidelines can easily backfire on the farmers themselves, as a system
not based on facts must be by definition subject to local politics, bribery, favoritism, etc.
India must find a way to keep the strict international organic standards intact if it wants to compete in the
international market for organic foods, but is there a way to do it without leaving small farmers out in the cold ? One
obvious solution is for the government to subsidize these certification fees enough to make it a viable option for
ordinary farmers, not just for neo-organic factory farms and greenhouses. Banks also could provide a more level
playing field for small farmers. Currently, almost all bank loans are for pure crop farmers. While many of these big-
business farmers use harmful chemicals and processes, small farmers fertilizing their soil with recycled organic
wastes are usually ineligible for insurance, much less state subsidies.
2
1. What role does the National Institute of Organic Farming have to play in the organic farming area?
(a) To set standards for the import of material required for organic farming within India
(b) To ensure that Indian farm products conform to the international standard for organic foods
(c) To suggest methods to farmers for producing the best organic products
(d) To import the best organic foods from international countries and harvest them in India
(e) To set up agencies internationally for the marketing of Indian organic produce
2. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage?
(a) Agribusiness in India

(b) Organic Farming in India—An Irony
(c) Inorganic Farming—A Health Hazard
(d) Small and Marginal Farmers
(e) Organic Farming in India and the US
3. Why, according to the author, is the term ‘organic by default’ degrading?
(a) The Indian farmers are adopting incorrect methods of organic farming, thereby rendering the crop useless
(b) As the crop cultivated out of organic farming is rejected by most international agencies
(c) As all the farmers in India do not have any access to chemical fertilizers and pesticides to carry out
inorganic farming
(d) As the Govt. has issued a directive to farmers in India to carry out organic farming alone
(e) As it means that the farmers in India cannot afford to use anything but organic methods of farming
4. Which of the following are reasons for the increasing demand for organic foods and organic farming?
1. Consumption of inorganic food has given rise to illnesses.

2. Excessive use of pesticides has caused soil erosion.
3. There has been a loss in soil nutrient value of soil due to chemical farming.
(a) Only 2
(b) Only 1 and 2
(c) Only 3
(d) Only 2 and 3
(e) All 1, 2 and 3 are true
3
5. Why according to the author, will the idea of community certification not work?
(a) As there may not be enough people in the community to work on a non-profit basis
(b) As the farmers may not be forthcoming in providing information about their cultivation practices and thus lead to
the failure of this system
(c) As the certification granted through this scheme will not be authentic at all
(d) As certification sought in this manner may give rise to vested interests and also not meet the stringent criteria laid
down globally
(e) None of these
6. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?
1. The Indian Govt. is not in favour of acquiring certification to meet global standards.
2. The process of certification is quite time-consuming and expensive.
3. The farmer does not earn much during the three-four years that it takes to get certification.
(a) Only 1 and 3
(b) Only 2
(c) Only 2 and 3
(d) Only 1 and 2
(e) All 1, 2 and 3
7. What, according to the author, is a major problem with Organic Farming in India?
(a) Despite their organic nature most farms in India are not perceived as organic because of mere paperwork
(b) The Govt. has not paid attention to organic farming in India thereby promoting inorganic farming to a great extent
(c) Only recycled organic waste is available to Indian farmers for the purpose of organic farming
(d) Indian farmers are accustomed to the usage of chemicals and their farms have now started losing their
fertility
(e) Large number of farmers in India is averse to the idea of organic farming as it is not profitable
8. Which of the following, according to the author, are factors that can help in acquiring organic farming
certification in India?
1. Providing more bank loans to small farmers.
2. Reducing the quantum of loans being provided to pure crop farmers.
3. Lowering the cost of certification.
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 3
(c) Only 1 and 3
(d) Only 2 and 3
(e) All 1, 2 and 3
4
Directions— (Q. 9–12) 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. ARDUOUS:
(a) Pleasurable
(b) Different
(c) Difficult
(d) Hazardous
(e) Threatening
10. FORMULATE:
(a) Regularize
(b) Contemplate
(c) Apply
(d) Frame
(e) Mix
11. DEGRADING:
(a) Corrupting
(b) Minimizing
(c) Lowering
(d) Demeaning
(e) Worrying
12. TRANSITIONAL:
(a) Extreme
(b) Intermediate
(c) Revolutionary
(d) Base
(e) Changed
Directions— (Q. 13–15) 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. VIABLE:
(a) Impossible
(b) Negative
(c) Deadly
(d) Practical
(e) Rudimentary
5
14. INEVITABLY:
(a) Avoidably
(b) Mostly
(c) Certainly
(d) Expectedly
(e) Predictably
15. ACCORDANCE:
(a) Division
(b) Quarrel
(c) Tune
(d) Enmity
(e) Conflict
Directions for Questions 16 to 30: 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.
The modern world requires us to repose trust in many anonymous institutions. We strap ourselves in a flying tin can
with two hundred other people not because we know the pilot but because we believe that airline travel is safe. Our
trust in these institutions depends on two factors; skills and ethics. We expect that the people who run these
institutions know what they are doing, that they build and operate machines that work as they are supposed to and
that they are looking out for our welfare even though we are strangers.
When one of these factors Is weak or absent, trust breaks down and we either pay a high price in safety- as in the
Bhopal tragedy -or a large ‘welfare premium’ such as the elaborate security measures at airports. Trust-deficient
environments work in the favor of the rich and powerful, who can command premium treatment and afford welfare
premiums. Poor people can command neither; which is why air travel is safer than train travel, which in turn is safer
than walking by the road side.
Every modem society depends on the trust in the skills and ethics of a variety of institutions such as schools and
colleges, hospital and markets. If we stopped believing in the expertise of our teachers, doctors and engineers, we
will stop being a modern society.
As the Institution among institutions, it is the duty of the state to ensure that all other institutions meet their ethical
obligations. The Indian state has failed in its regulatory role. Consequently, we cannot trust our schools to turn out
good graduates, we cannot ensure that our colleges turn out well trained engineers and we cannot guarantee that
our engineers will turn out to be good products.
6
Last year, I was invited to speak at an undergraduate research conference. Most of the participants in this
conference were students at the best engineering colleges in the State. One student who was driving me back and
forth recounted a story about the previous year’s final exam. One of his papers had a question from a leading
textbook to which the textbook’s answer was wrong. The student was in a dilemma: should he write the (wrong)
answer as given in the textbook or should he write the right answers using his own analytical skills. He decided to do
the latter and received a zero on that question. Clearly, as the student had suspected, the examiners were looking at
the textbook answer while correcting the examination papers instead of verifying its correctness.
The behavior of these examiners is a breakdown of institutional morals, with consequences for the skills acquired by
students. I say institutional morals, for the failure of these examiners Is not a personal failure. At the same
conference I met a whole range of L liege teachers, all of whom were drafted as examiners at some time or the
other. Without exception, they were dedicated individuals who cared about the education and welfare of their
students. However, when put in the institutional role of evaluating an anonymous individual, they fail in fulfilling their
responsibilities. When some of our best colleges are run in this fashion, is it any wonder that we turn out unskilled
engineers and scientists? If, as we are led to expect, there is a vast increase in education at all levels and the
regulatory regime is as weak as it is currently, isn’t it likely that the trust deficit is only going to increase?
We are all aware of the consequences of ignoring corruption at all levels of society. While institutional failures in
governance are obvious, I think the real problem lies deeper, in the failure of every day institutions that are quite
apart from institutions that impinge on our lives only on rare occasions. It is true that our lives are made more
miserable by government officials demanding bribes for all sorts of things, but what about the everyday lying and
cheating and breaking of rules with people who are strangers?
Let me give you an example that many of us have experienced. I prefer buying my fruits and vegetables from
roadside vendors rather than chain stores. To the vendor, I am probably an ideal customer, since I do not bargain
and I do not take hours choosing the best pieces, instead, letting the vendor do the selecting. The market near my
house is quite busy; as a result, most vendors are selling their wares to strangers. It takes a while before a particular
vendor realizes that I am a repeat customer. In such a situation trust is crucial. I have a simple rule: if a vendor
palms off a bad piece whose defects are obvious, I never go back to that person again. It is amazing how often that
happens.
In my opinion, the failure of institutional ethics is as much about these little abuses of trust as anything else.
Everyday thievery is like roadside trash; if you let it accumulate the whole neighborhood stinks.
7
16. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘palms off’ as used in the passage?
(a) steals from
(b) hides away from
(c) buys quickly
(d) acquires a good price for
(e) passes on by deception
17. Why, according to the author, do people repose trust in Institutions they do not know?
(a) The marketing strategies adopted by these institutions make them trustworthy in the eyes of the public.
(b) Many other people before them have done the same thing thus they feel safe.
(c) People learn from the experiences of their richer counterparts who have availed of the services of these
institutions.
(d) They believe that these institutions have the requisite knowledge and will act only in favor of the general
public.
(e) These institutions charge a very high price for the services they provide which leads people to trust them.
18. Why, according to the author, is the behavior of examiners a breakdown of institutional morals?
(a) As the institution encourages examiners to give as little marks to students as possible.
(b) As the institution is responsible for not encouraging examiners to venture outside the rote process.
(c) As the examiners are told to discourage students from being creative by the institution.
(d) As the institution fails to provide adequate compensation to these hardworking examiners.
(e) As the institution does not have information regarding right answers with it.
8
(a) Modifications in Institutional Ethics
(b) Lite Deceptions Add to Larger Trust-Deficit
(c) India-A Country without Ethics
(d) Failure of the Government
(e) College-As an Institution
20. Which of the following is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
(1) Despite, being aware of the fact that clients will not return, fruit and vegetable vendors sell bad goods.
(2) Examiners are devoted to their jobs.
(3) Examiners deliberately mark correct answers as incorrect ones.
(a) Only (1) and (3)
(b) Only (2)
(c) Only (1)
(d) Only (2) and (3)
(e) Only (3)
21. What, according to the author, happens when there is a breakdown of trust?
(1) Less affluent people have to compromise on quality.

(2) Our wellbeing is compromised.
(3) We pay a higher price for services.
9
(a) Only (1)
(b) Only (1) and (3)
(c) Only (2) and (3)
(d) Only (2)
(e) All (1) (2) and (3)
22. Which of the following reasons, make/s the author an ideal customer to a fruit and vegetable vendor?
(1) He/she remains a regular customer of the same vendor.

(2) He/she does not haggle for prices.
(3) He/she finishes the selection of goods in a short time.
(a) Only (2)
(c) Only (3)
(e) All (1) (2) and (3) are true
23. Why according to the author, do institutional failures in governance not matter on a larger scale?
(a) The general public does not care about the failures of these institutions as they do not feature in their lives at all.
(b) Such institutional failures are almost non-existent and do not occur often to matter to the public.
(c) These intrude in our lives only under exceptional circumstances whereas the everyday lies contribute to
much more.
(d) These are a part of every country’s problem and are taken with a pinch of salt by the public.
(e) These institutional failures do not hamper the functioning of the country in any manner and are hence less
important.
10
Directions for Questions 24 to 27: 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. OBLIGATION
(a) responsibility
(b) dependability
(c) compulsion
(d) debt
(e) force
25. EXPERTISE
(a) proficiency
(b) authenticity
(c) inability
(d) power
(e) reality
26. PREMIUM
(a) monetary
(b) extra
(c) biased
(d) finest
(e) demarcated
27.RECOUNTED
(a) distinguished
(b) recalculated
(c) narrated
(d) remembered
(e) communicated
Directions for Questions 28 to 30: 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. REPEAT
(a) copied
(b) original
(c) new
(d) duplicate
(e) replicated
11
29. UNSKILLED
(a) civilized
(b) enlightened
(c) amateur
(d) trained
(e) cultured
30. MISERABLE
(a) despondent
(b) energetic
(c) dynamic
(d) vigorous
(e) joyous
the questions.
As the price of gasoline spiked to record highs in 2007 and 2008, interest in alternatives to fossil fuels, and electric
transportation in particular, also spiked. It raised, however, many questions about the true environmental impact of
electric cars.
The electric car is being upheld as an ethical, green, nifty and cheap alternative to the carbon dioxide-emitting
automobiles clogging city roads around the world today. Though electric cars are not a popular choice, the industry’s
future plans are riding high on the hope that on improving certain factors (which are currently deficient) such as,
effective marketing, a growing public awareness of the need for clean air and the increase in demand, the prices
would eventually be driven down.
However, battery-powered vehicles-may still fail to completely replace liquid fuel-fed ones but with more electric arid
hybrid vehicles on the road, there is greater scope for a makeover in the way environment is impacted by the
automobiles. However, if the power to charge the battery-operated vehicle is to be sourced from grids using
conventional coal-fired power plants, the electric car wouldn’t really be all that green. These would actually cause an
increase in demand on the power plant’s energy production causing them to produce more power and thus more
pollution, unless greener ways of energy production are used. But as of now the bulk of the electricity used to charge
the batteries of electric vehicles is generated by fossil fuel-burning power stations and only 12% by the clean
methods. Also, the amount of energy used by coal-fired power stations to create the electricity to recharge electric
vehicles makes them half as efficient as diesel cars. Recent studies indicate that carbon emissions may reduce only
12
by an insignificant level even if there is a sudden surge in demand for electric cars.
Other factors making the rechargeable cars less efficient include the amount of electricity lost in the journey between
the coal-fired power stations which generate it and the point where it recharges the car, and the energy lost by the
faulty first-generation batteries and motors. The researchers calculated that of the energy burned in a power station,
only a quarter reaches an electric car after leakages and losses along the supply chain, giving the vehicle an energy
efficiency score of 24%. This amounts to more than 75% energy loss much before the car is even put on ignition. A
modern diesel engine, by contrast, achieves 45% efficiency. This suggests that if fossil fuels are to be burned, it is
much more efficient to do it within the engine of a vehicle rather than at a power station and then try to send it via the
National Grid, where a lot of energy is wasted, and finally to store it in a battery which in itself might leak power.
Electric cars may still survive since the car’s emissions would be far less polluting than those that run on fossil fuels.
With very minor emissions of sulphur caused when the batteries charge and discharge, when compared to current
emissions standards, electric cars are zero emissions. The gasoline engine by comparison does not fare as well.
Gasoline and diesel fuel burned in internal combustion engines for transportation account for 54 per cent of nitrites
of oxygen, 89 per cent of carbon monoxide and 28 percent of carbon dioxide pollution produced. Switching to
electric vehicles drops those percentages to zero, and only slightly increases sulphur emissions. So even when the
power plants burn dirty fuel, the amount of pollution is less than an oil-burning car would create. And this picture is
improving all the time, as clean energy sources are added to the grid.
The goal should be to make more electric cars with greater incentives for consumers and producers, as well as
feeding grids with more power from renewable resources – as per the objectives stated in the numerous plans on
Climate Change. And till this goal is achieved, the debate whether controlling emission at a few power plants is more
convenient than controlling emission at millions of tailpipes is, would continue.
31. Why does the author fear that the electric cars may eventually not be very eco-friendly?
(a) The exhausts of these cars emit as much pollutants as the oil-fuelled cars.
(b) Electric cars though have lesser quantity of other emissions, the sulphur emissions will rise substantially, thus
harming the environment.
(c) The electricity for charging the batteries of these cars comes from power plants using pollution-causing
fossil fuels.
(e) None of these
13
32. What, according to the author, needs to be done in order to make the electric cars more eco-friendly?
(a) Encouraging power plants to generate electricity using eco-friendly methods
(b) Setting certain emission standards for electric cars as is done for the oil-consuming cars
(c) Controlling sulphur emissions, which are one of the major contributors to environmental pollution at present.
(d) Making provisions for easy availability of recharging sockets at all the places
(e) None of these
33. Which of the following suggestions does the author make in order to popularize the electric cars?
(a) Discontinue the use of fuel-s-powered cars completely.
(b) Optimize the benefits of using electric cars to both consumers as well as producers.
(c) To supply grids with renewable sources of energy for the production of electricity
(e) None of these
34. Why according to the author are electric cars not a popular option among the people?
1. The recharging points are not easily available everywhere.
2. Effective marketing of the eco-friendly cars has been lacking.
3. Lack of appreciation among the people for the need of unpolluted air
(a) Only 1 and 3
(b) Only 2 and 3
(c) Only 1 and 2
(d) All 1, 2 and 3
14
(e) None of these
35. Why according to the author, may the electric cars survive despite all their current deficiencies?
1. Electric cars will be subsidized and thus would prove to be cost-efficient to the buyers.
2. An increasing number of grids are shifting to alternate forms of energy production.
3. In the future, incentives would be provided to those driving electric cars.
4. Pollution caused by the electric cars is far less as compared to the fossil fuel-driven cars.
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 3 and 4
(c) Only 2 and 4
(d) Only 1 and 2
(e) None of these
36. Which of the following can be the most appropriate title for the given passage?
(a) The failure of the power grids
(b) The rise and fall of cars using fossil fuels
(c) The adverse effects of pollution caused by the power grids
(d) The growing popularity of the electric cars
(e) Why eco-friendliness of electric cars is a fiction at present
15
37. Which of the following can be inferred from the given passage?
(a) Electric cars may completely replace the fossil fuel-powered cars one day.
(b) Electric cars have brought about a drastic improvement in the pollution levels at present.
(c) Electric cars have universally been accepted as environment-friendly cars.
(d) All (1) (2) and (3) are true
(e) None of these
38. Which of the following is NOT TRUE in the context of the given passage?
(a) Nearly three-fourths of the total energy generated for powering electric cars is wasted.
(b) The interest in electric cars increased during last year when most of the power grids shifted to clean
sources of fuel.
(c) Electric car engines do not produce any carbon emissions.
(d) There would not be any noticeable improvement in the pollution level if the oil-burning cars are shifted to electric
cars at present.
(e) None of these
39. Why according to the author, is the efficiency of the electric cars low even before they actually hit the
roads?
1. A lot of energy is lost during the transit of electricity from the grid to the recharge point.
2. The manufacturing cost of the electric cars is much higher than that of the other cars.
3. The batteries and the motors of the electric cars are still relatively new and waste a lot of power.
(a) Only 1 and 3
(b) Only 2 and 3
16
(c) Only 2
(d) Only 1 and 2
(e) None of these
word printed in bold as used in the passage.
40. PICTURE
(a) Situation
(b) Photograph
(c) Representation
(d) Art work
(e) Idea
41. FEEDING
(a) Eating
(b) Supplying
(c) Consuming
(d) Encouraging
(e) Nourishing
42. SURGE
(a) Alteration
(b) Modification
(c) Intensification
(d) Increase
(e) Evolution
Directions for Questions 43 to 45: Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to
the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
43. SLIGHTLY
(a) Adequately
(b) Miserly
(c) Certainly
(d) Remotely
17
(e) Substantially
44. SWITCHING
(a) Prolonging
(b) Withdrawing
(c) Continuing
(d) Exchanging
(e) Alternating
45. INCENTIVES
(a) Deterrents
(b) Preventions
(c) Disadvantages
(d) Prohibitions
(e) Liability
the questions.
In India, innovation is emerging as one of the most important rubrics in the discourse on how to bring about greater
and more consistent economic and social development One observes steadily growing investments in R&D across
the country, the setting up of national and state innovation bodies, as well as the introduction of government-
sponsored innovation funds. There have also been several conferences and debates on innovation and how to best
promote and accomplish it in India, and a number of articles on the subject, written for newspapers and magazines,
as well as more informal platforms like online forums and blogs.
Academic engagement and Indian authorship on the subject have also exploded in the last five years. Despite
widespread agreement on the importance of innovation in India, there are wide gulfs between different conceptions
of innovation and the path India should take towards securing benefits through investments in innovation.
Many Indian conversations around innovation begin by talking about jugaad, that uniquely Indian approach to a
temporary fix when something complex, like an automobile or a steam engine, stops working. However, many
observers have pointed out that while jugaad is certainly innovative, it is a response to the lack of an innovation
culture – more a survival or coping mechanism at a time of need than a systematic methodology to effectively
address a wide-ranging, complex set of problems
Another specifically Indian approach to innovation that has entered into wide currency of late is so-called frugal
innovation, deemed by many to be the most appropriate for the Indian context In its midterm assessment of the 11th
five-year plan, the Planning Commission stressed the need for innovation in India in order to ‘accelerate its growth
18
and to make growth more inclusive as well as environmentally sustainable.’ The document went on to say that ‘India
needs more frugal innovation that produces more frugal cost products and services that are affordable by people at
low levels of income without compromising the safety, efficiency, and utility of the products. The country also needs
processes of innovation that are frugal in the resources required to produce the innovations The products and
processes must also have frugal impact on the earth’s resources.’
Two people formulated a similar theory called the More-from-Less-for-More (MLM) Theory of Innovation which
advocates a focus on innovations that allow for more production using fewer resources but benefit more people.
Under this rubric come products that are more affordable versions of existing technologies. While both frugal
innovation and the MLM theory are certainly valuable in terms of bringing affordable products and services to a
greater number of people, and may even be considered a necessary first step on India’s innovation path, they barely
graze the surface of what innovation can accomplish. That is, innovation is capable of bringing about complete
paradigm shifts and redefining the way we perceive and interact with the world.
Take the cell phone, for example: it revolutionized communication in a previously inconceivable way, provided
consumers with a product of unprecedented value and created an entirely new market. The cell phone was a result
of years of directed, intentional innovation efforts and large investments, and would not have ever been created if
the people responsible simply set out to make the existing telephone cheaper and more accessible to all.
While jugaad and frugal innovation may be indicative of the Indian potential for invectiveness, this potential is not
utilized or given opportunity to flourish due to the lack of an enabling culture.
India’s many diverse and complex needs can be met only through systematic innovation, and major shifts have to
first take place in our educational institutions, government policies and commercial firms in order for such an
innovation-enabling culture to come about.
The one thing that India’s innovation theorists have not said is that the absence of a culture of innovation is
intrinsically linked to many intractable problems facing India as a nation. These include poor delivery of
government services, inadequate systems of personal identification and the absence of widely available financial
services for rural poor, health and sanitation failures. This list can go on. Cumulatively, the inability of India as a
nation, society and economy to adequately provide for its own population no longer reflects a failure of
implementation, but rather of a failure of innovation, for there are not immediately available off-the-shelf solutions
that would make it possible for these grand challenges facing India to be redressed. Rather, we need to look at
these intractable problems from the more sophisticated and empowering lens of innovation, for them to begin to be
solved.
46. Which of the following describes the growing importance of innovation in India?
(1) Increased investment in research
(2) Initiation of govt. backed funds for innovation
(3) Increase in number of conferences arranged and articles written on innovation
19
(a) Only (2)
(c) Only (3)
(e) All (1) (2) and (3)
47. Which of the following best describes the MLM Theory of Innovation?
(a) Maximize output by using least number of resources and benefiting a small number of people
(b) Maximize resource utilization and cost, thereby benefit maximum number of people
(c) Minimize output and resource utilization, yet benefit the maximum number of people
(d) Benefit most number of people through least usage of resources and maximum output
(e) Benefit most number of people through maximum usage of resources and minimizing cost
(a) Innovation at its Best

(b) India and the Elixir called Innovation
(c) Innovation around the World vis-a-vis India and other Neighbouring Countries
(d) Worldwide Developments in Innovation
(e) Innovation — The History
49. What tone is the author employing in the entire passage to get his message across?
(a) Pessimistic
(b) Sarcastic
(c) Urgent
(d) Informative
(e) Dubious
50. Why, according to the author, is India unable to adequately provide for its people?
(a) Failure to implement schemes and initiatives meant for the Indian populace
(b) Absence of regulatory authorities to oversee the implementation process
(c) Failure to innovate in order to find solutions
20
(d) Lack of governmental schemes and initiatives to redress the challenges faced by India
(e) Hesitation of the Indian people in trying out different schemes provided by the government for upliftment
51. Why, according to some people, is jugaad not the answer to India’s problems?
(a) Many a time, this methodology backfires leading to further complications.

(b) Jugaad provides only cheap solutions to all problems.
(c) It is reactive and not a proactive and organized method of finding solutions to problems.
(d) It can provide solutions to only simple problems and not complex ones.
(e) None of these
52. Which of the following is/are true about the cell phone?
(1) The innovation of the cell phone required investment of huge capital.
(2) The cell phone, when invented, was meant to be affordable to all.
(3) The cell phone was made available to the public in a very short time from its ideation.
(a) Only (1)
(c) Only (2) and (3)
(d) Only (2)
(e) All (1) (2) and (3)
53. What does the author mean by ‘frugal impact on the earth’s resources’ as given in the passage?
(a) The damage to the environment should be assessable

(b) More consumption of natural resources as compared to manmade ones
(c) Minimum impact on the environment in terms of pollution
(d) The impact on the environment should be such that it is reversible
(e) Minimum usage of earth’s natural resources
21
word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
54. Redressed
(a) Addressed
(b) Equalized
(c) Restored
(d) Redone
(e) Rearranged
55. Currency
(a) Notes
(b) Usage
(c) Money
(d) Cash
(e) Value
56. Intrinsically
(a) Internally
(b) Whole-heartedly
(c) Fundamentally
(d) Virtually
(e) Unavoidably
57. Indicative
(a) Causative
(b) Forthcoming
(c) Verbal
(d) Abstract
(e) Suggestive
58. Compromising
(a) Co-operating With
(b) Reducing the Quality
(c) Hampering the Progress
(d) Conciliating In Order To
(e) Adjusting For the Better
22
Directions for Questions 59 to 60: Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning of
the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
59. Lack
(a) Presence
(b) Sufficiency
(c) Charisma
(d) Adequacy
(e) Dearth
60. Inconceivable
(a) Visible
(b) Truthful
(c) Incredible
(d) Apparent
(e) Complex
• Video Lessons, Textual Lessons & Notes

• Topic Tests covering all topics with detailed solutions
• Sectional Tests for QA, DI, EL, LR
• All India Mock Tests for performance analysis and all
India percentile
• General Knowledge (GK) Tests
Free videos, free mock tests and free GK tests to evaluate course content before
signing up!
23
FREE Ebooks Current Affairs
Download Now Explore Now
FREE MOCK TESTS + TOPIC TESTS + SECTIONAL TESTS
For Banking, Insurance, SSC & Railways Exams

Web APP
BLOG FORUM
Your one-stop destination Interact with peers & experts,

for all exam related exchange scores
information & preparation & improve your preparation.
resources.
Explore Now Explore Now
www.OliveBoard.in

Reading Comprehension Questions For SSC CGL 1667820817623 OB

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reading Comprehension Questions For SSC CGL 1667820817623 OB

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reading Comprehension Questions for SSC Exams Free E-book

Reading Comprehension Questions for SSC Exams

(a) Agribusiness in India

3. Why, according to the author, is the term ‘organic by default’ degrading?

1. Consumption of inorganic food has given rise to illnesses.

6. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?

(a) steals from

(b) hides away from

(c) buys quickly

(d) acquires a good price for

(e) passes on by deception

(a) Modifications in Institutional Ethics

(b) Lite Deceptions Add to Larger Trust-Deficit

(c) India-A Country without Ethics

(d) Failure of the Government

(e) College-As an Institution

(2) Examiners are devoted to their jobs.

(3) Examiners deliberately mark correct answers as incorrect ones.

(a) Only (1) and (3)

(b) Only (2)

(c) Only (1)

(d) Only (2) and (3)

(e) Only (3)

(1) Less affluent people have to compromise on quality.

(a) Only (1)

(b) Only (1) and (3)

(c) Only (2) and (3)

(d) Only (2)

(e) All (1) (2) and (3)

(1) He/she remains a regular customer of the same vendor.

(a) Only (2)

(b) Only (2) and (3)

(c) Only (3)

(d) Only (1) and (2)

(e) All (1) (2) and (3) are true

(d) Only (1) and (3)

(e) None of these

(a) Encouraging power plants to generate electricity using eco-friendly methods

(e) None of these

(a) Discontinue the use of fuel-s-powered cars completely.

(d) Only (2) and (3)

(e) None of these

1. The recharging points are not easily available everywhere.

2. Effective marketing of the eco-friendly cars has been lacking.

(a) Only 1 and 3

(b) Only 2 and 3

(c) Only 1 and 2

(d) All 1, 2 and 3

(e) None of these

2. An increasing number of grids are shifting to alternate forms of energy production.

3. In the future, incentives would be provided to those driving electric cars.

(b) Only 3 and 4

(c) Only 2 and 4

(d) Only 1 and 2

(e) None of these

(a) The failure of the power grids

(b) The rise and fall of cars using fossil fuels

(c) The adverse effects of pollution caused by the power grids

(d) The growing popularity of the electric cars

(e) Why eco-friendliness of electric cars is a fiction at present

(c) Electric cars have universally been accepted as environment-friendly cars.

(d) All (1) (2) and (3) are true