Lod 1 RC

Reading Comprehension
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i. Attend the CATKing Concept Builder Classes to gain an idea of what all are the
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ii. Go through that chapter in the CATKing Bible LOD 1 Books and read all the Theory
and Formulae provided in the Introduction of the chapter.
iii. Make a note of all the formulae and try to learn them by Heart, this will be your
ready reckoner to revise before exams.
iv. Go through all the Solved Examples and solve them simultaneously while
referring the solutions provided to understand the best way to solve each type of
questions.
v. Solve all the Practice Questions provided on your own and then refer to the
solutions at the end so as to verify if you have solved the questions correctly or is
there a better smarter approach for the same question.
vi. If you are able to solve majority questions correctly, then move to the next step
of preparation by taking the Topicwise Tests.
vii. Once you are done with good set of 4-5 Topics, give the Sectional and Full length
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read up your formulae, check out the Solved Exams and your concepts will be
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Solved Examples 4
Practice Questions 109
Answer Key 188
Solutions 189
Let’s get started..

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Introduction
Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its
meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows.
Fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are
knowing meaning of words, ability to understand meaning of a word
from discourse context, ability to follow organization of passage and to
identify antecedents and references in it, ability to draw inferences from
a passage about its contents, ability to identify the main thought of a
passage, ability to answer questions answered in a passage, ability to
recognize the literary devices or propositional structures used in a
passage and determine its tone, to understand the situational mood
(agents, objects, temporal and spatial reference points, casual and
intentional inflections, etc.) conveyed for assertions, questioning,
commanding, refraining etc. and finally ability to determine writer's
purpose, intent and point of view, and draw inferences about the writer
(discourse-semantics).
Ability to comprehend text is influenced by readers' skills and their ability
to process information. If word recognition is difficult, students use too
much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which
interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read. There are many
reading strategies to improve reading comprehension and inferences,
including improving one's vocabulary, critical text analysis
(intertextuality, actual events vs. narration of events, etc.) and
practicing deep reading.
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Comprehension Strategies
Research studies on reading and comprehension have shown that highly
proficient readers utilize a number of different strategies to comprehend
various types of texts, strategies that can also be used by less proficient
readers in order to improve their comprehension.
1. Making Inferences: In everyday terms we refer to this as “reading
between the lines”. It involves connecting various parts of texts that
aren’t directly linked in order to form a sensible conclusion. A form
of assumption, the reader speculates what connections lie within
the texts.
2. Planning and Monitoring: This strategy centers around the reader's
mental awareness and their ability to control their comprehension
by way of awareness. By previewing text (via outlines, table of
contents, etc.) one can establish a goal for reading-“what do I need
to get out of this”? Readers use context clues and other evaluation
strategies to clarify texts and ideas, and thus monitoring their level
of understanding.
3. Asking Questions: To solidify one's understanding of passages of
texts readers inquire and develop their own opinion of the author's
writing, character motivations, relationships, etc. This strategy
involves allowing oneself to be completely objective in order to find
various meanings within the text.
4. Determining Importance: Pinpointing the important ideas and
messages within the text. Readers are taught to identify direct and
indirect ideas and to summarize the relevance of each.
5. Visualizing: With this sensory-driven strategy readers form mental
and visual images of the contents of text. Being able to connect
visually allows for a better understanding with the text through
emotional responses.
6. Synthesizing: This method involves marrying multiple ideas from

various texts in order to draw conclusions and make comparisons
across different texts; with the reader's goal being to understand
how they all fit together.
7. Making Connections: A cognitive approach also referred to as
“reading beyond the lines”, which involves (A) finding a personal
connection to reading, such as personal experience, previously read
texts, etc. to help establish a deeper understanding of the context of
the text, or (B) thinking about implications that have no immediate
connection with the theme of the text.
Solved Examples
RC 1
We know that experiencing gratitude is good for us. During this period
of COVID-19, many people are keeping gratitude journals. While this may
be beneficial, we may want times to focus on appreciation instead of
gratitude. It is a small shift, but with a real difference.
Gratitude is about the feeling in me evoked by something outside of
myself. That means it is about me and not really about that other thing,
even though it appears to be. And it carries the connotation that I am
somehow lucky of that good thing. Gratitude has a moralistic undertone.
Appreciation, on the other hand, is not about me. It is about the qualities
of the other thing that make it a good thing. It is not about the feeling
evoked in me, but the recognition of the qualities of the thing outside
me. There is no implied moralistic tone with it.
Every day we wake up to a new day with the gift of conscious awareness.
We can direct our attention wherever we wish. This is the freedom of
being alive: choosing what we allow ourselves to be conscious about. We
need not manhandle that consciousness and make it into something. We
merely direct it one way or another and notice what comes into it.
All of our current reality is available to us. The quality of our lives is
determined by how we use this one guaranteed aspect of being alive:
being able to be aware of what we direct our attention toward. It is not
about positive thinking or illusional optimism. It is about knowing that
within any reality there are gains and challenges, gifts and losses. It is
about being a true witness to our complex circumstances and inner
experience and doing the best with what life deals us.
We can be mindful of the many gifts around us. We can appreciate big
things and small. We can appreciate people and experiences. We can
marvel at the complex way that life insists on living itself. That people
keep trying and that circumstances keep throwing us curve balls. It's ok.
We will dodge some and engage some and put our hearts into our lives
and make what we can of them. Sometimes, we can feel wonder about
what we notice and it does not need to be about ourselves. It can just be
noticing.
1. According to the passage, the primary difference between

appreciation and gratitude is?
a) Appreciation has a moralistic undertone whereas gratitude does not
have one.
b) Gratitude has a moralistic undertone whereas appreciation does not
have one.
c) Appreciation is recognizing the value in something, whether it is
within myself or in the outside world whereas gratitude is about a
feeling in yourself.
d) Appreciation is recognizing the value in something in the outside
world whereas gratitude is a feeling within yourself.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The primary difference between appreciation and gratitude is that
appreciation is about the recognition of the qualities of the outside world
whereas gratitude is a feeling in yourself because of something external.
Option d mirrors this and is the answer to the question. Option c can be
eliminated as it is not mentioned in the passage that the felling evoked
can be because of oneself also.
Option b can be eliminated as it cannot be attributed to be the primary
difference between the two.
2. What is the author trying to convey through this passage?

a) Difference between appreciation and gratitude.
b) Why is gratitude not same as appreciation.
c) Sometimes we need to focus on appreciation rather than gratitude.
d) We just need to feel the wonder around us by merely noticing.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “While this may be beneficial, we may want times to
focus on appreciation instead of gratitude. It is a small shift, but with a
real difference.” And “Sometimes, we can feel wonder about what we
notice and it does not need to be about ourselves. It can just be
noticing.”
The author is trying to convey that at times we need to focus on

appreciation which is different from gratitude. Option c is thus the
correct answer.
3. How is the quality of our lives determined?

a) The way we use our conscious awareness.
b) The way he handles illusional optimism.
c) The way we appreciate other things.
d) The way we deal with losses.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “The quality of our lives is determined by how we use
this one guaranteed aspect of being alive”, here this refers to the
conscious awareness, as can be inferred from the lines above. Thus
option a is the correct answer.
4. Which of the following is the synonym of mindful?

a) Oblivious
b) Heedless
c) Sentient
d) Incautious
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Mindful is being aware.
Sentient is to be conscious. Thus sentient is the synonym of the given
word.
Oblivious is to be not aware of something.
Heedless is not showing or paying attention especially for the purpose of
avoiding trouble.
RC 2
It is common to hear people say the Fed prints money.
That’s not technically correct. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, an
agency of the U.S. Treasury, does the printing. The Fed, for its part,
purchases cash from the bureau at cost and then puts it in circulation.
Although you may have heard some economists talk about the Fed
figuratively dropping cash from helicopters, its method of distribution
isn’t quite as colourful. Instead, it gives banks cash in exchange for old,
worn-out notes or digital balances held by the banks at the Fed. In this
way, the Fed can help banks accommodate changes in demand for
banknotes, like those in advance of major holidays or after natural
disasters.
These exchanges are dollar-for-dollar swaps. The Fed does not typically
increase the monetary base – the total amount of currency in circulation
and reserves held by banks at the central bank – when it distributes new
banknotes.
To put more money into circulation, the Fed typically purchases financial
assets.
To understand how, one must first recognize that the Fed is a bankers’
bank. That is, banks hold deposits at the Fed much like you or I might
hold deposits in a checking account at Chase or Bank of America. That
means when the Fed purchases a government bond from a bank or
makes a loan to a bank, it does not have to – and usually doesn’t – pay
with cash. Instead, the Fed just credits the selling or borrowing bank’s
account.
The Fed does not print money to buy assets because it does not have to.
It can create money with a mere keystroke.
So as the Fed buys Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, corporate
debt and other assets over the coming weeks and months, money will
rarely change hands. It will just move from one account to
another.(NMAT pattern)
1. What is the central ideal of the passage?

a) The Fed does not print money, because it does not have to.
b) The Fed does not print money, it just credits the selling or borrowing
bank’s account.
c) More money is pumped into the circulation when the Fed buys
government bonds from banks.
d) Fed can create money with a mere keystroke.
e) Fed is the banker’s bank and transfers money to them.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The passage revolves around the idea that the fed does not print money
as is often thought. Thus option b is the correct answer.
Option a is not the idea around which the passage revolves as it were the
case then we would see reasons to why it does not have to print. Thus
option a can be eliminated. Rest of the options can be easily eliminated.
2. How does the Fed put more money into the system?
a) By transferring directly to the bank accounts.
b) By providing banks with fresh dollars to replace the worn-out ones.
c) By printing more money.
d) By purchasing the financial assets.
e) By dropping money from the helicopter.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage clearly mentions that when the fed has to put more money
into the system, it does so by purchasing assets. Refer to the lines “To put
more money into circulation, the Fed typically purchases financial
assets.” Thus option d is the correct answer.
3. To which of the following does the author refer “dollar for dollar
swaps” to?
a) Reduction in the monetary base by fed.
b) Pumping more money into the financial system.
c) Old worn-out notes for the new fresh ones.
d) Transferring digital cash for the physical currency.
e) Fresh currency for the old worn-out one.
Answer- E)
Explanation:
Dollar for dollar swap refers to the replacement of the old worn out
currency. Option e thus is the correct answer.
4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

a) Fed does not physically give money to the banks.
b) The money in a bank remains same after the fed’s replacement of the
worn-out dollars.
c) Fed borrows money to pump it into the financial system.
d) Banks have their deposits at the Fed.
e) None of the above.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option a is correct. The fed does not physically give money to the banks
as it does not print money. And to give it to banks it directly credits it into
their accounts.
Option b is correct. As it is dollar for dollar swap, the money remains
same after the replacement of worn out dollars.
Option c is not true. refer to the lines “That means when the Fed
purchases a government bond from a bank or makes a loan to a bank, it
does not have to – and usually doesn’t – pay with cash. Instead, the Fed
just credits the selling or borrowing bank’s account.” We cannot say that
the fed borrows money to pump it into the financial system.
Option d is true.
RC 3
When I walk past the mural painted on the side of my local FoodFare, I
often experience a very specific and compelling mental image: the silky
underside of a Ritter Sport dark-chocolate-with-whole-hazelnuts bar.
I’ve spent a lot of time admiring this particular surface. It’s about three
inches square, smooth except for the hemispherical bulges where the
hazelnuts show through. The nuts are coated in layer of chocolate so thin
it’s sometimes translucent. The top of the bar is less interesting: a
standard grid of break-apart squares with a logo on each one. The much
more charismatic bottom side is what speaks to me, and the
manufacturers evidently understand this, seeing as they print it on the

label.
This store offers thousands of items, but I associate it most strongly with
this one chocolate bar, in part because it’s my standard “treat myself”
item, and also because there’s a needlessly large display of them right
beside what is often the only open checkout. This makes it almost
impossible to buy anything without having to decide whether this is one
of the times I will purchase and eat this 560-calorie ingot of fat and sugar.
Now, apparently, I can’t even glimpse the exterior of the building where
this favorite treat lives without its hazelnutty image leaping right into my
brain. Like all mental images, it appears larger and nearer than anything
my eyes are taking in—the street, the mural, the towering Westminster
United church. It’s nearer even than my eyelids, so there’s no looking
away.
This involuntary pondering of confectionary possibilities must have
evolved at some point. Some hominid, living somewhere in prehistory,
was the first individual to be able to somehow see—in his mind!—
glistening white grubs and stout mushrooms before he even overturned
the log. This strange mental trait would have strengthened his survival
chances, but he also would have been perturbed during walks through
the forest in a way his peers could never know.
Four hundred thousand years later, his distant descendant finds himself
unable to pass the painted brick exterior of a grocery store without
experiencing a vivid, magnetic force arising from within his own mind,
urging him to seek and devour a nearby hazelnut-encrusted treat, even

though he knows it will not aid his evolutionary fitness one bit.
We don’t choose to crave things. Cravings grip the mind without our
consent, forcing us to choose between two uncomfortable responses:
resist the pull, or indulge it. Indulging is rewarding but has costs—money,
regret, shame, indigestion. But resisting is difficult, and even when you
succeed, you feel let down in a different way, like realizing it’s Tuesday
after believing for a moment that it was Friday.
The classical response to craving is to be tough and rational. When the
mind is gripped by visions of between-meal muffins, or urges to check
Instagram while you’re studying, you must gather your willpower and tell
yourself no.
I’ve been exploring a third possible response, which isn’t new but is
being newly studied as a better way of overcoming cravings. Instead of
resisting or relenting, you can get curious about the experience of craving
itself.
This strange, involuntary experience that’s prodding you to eat, drink, or
bite your nails—what is it? What does it feel like in the body, and look
like in the mind? How long do these phenomena last, if you neither resist
nor indulge them?
The idea is to observe the sensory experience of your craving with the
spirit of a biologist studying a mysterious, elusive animal. This does at
least two helpful things.
Firstly, it gives the mind something engaging to do while the craving
occurs. If you’re intently observing the craving, your attention isn’t
available to become entangled in the should-I-shouldn’t-I rhetoric. You

can’t be rationalizing or self-scolding while you’re investigating the
physical and mental sensations that make up the craving.
Secondly, the more familiar you are with the life cycle of cravings, the
less trapped you feel by them. You begin to see that cravings aren’t
impasses that demand a hard choice, they’re sensory events that arise
and pass.
Judson Brewer, a doctor and researcher who uses this method clinically,
encourages people to continue mindfully studying their experience
even as they indulge in the chocolate, cigarette, or impulse purchase.
When patients try this, they often report a surprising discovery: the
experience of indulging isn’t especially pleasant. When you pay close
attention, the chocolate is too sugary to enjoy, or the cigarette actually
tastes bad, and uncomfortable feelings often accompany any pleasure.
This suggests that what truly compels us in these moments is the desire
to get rid of the craving. We want to return to a mental state
unperturbed by strong urges, and we know indulging will do that. But
maybe there’s a much less costly path to that same place. (SNAP pattern)
1. What is the central idea of the passage?

a) Don’t avoid your cravings.
b) Don’t be tough on your cravings instead engage with it.
c) To resist your cravings, get curious about it.
d) Don’t be too rational and tough while dealing with your cravings.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
The passage explores a better way to deal with cravings. The author
proposes to get curious about your cravings in order to resist them. Thus
option c is the correct answer.
Rest of the options do not accurately represent the central idea of the
passage and hence can be eliminated.
2. Which of the following could be a reason for the being curious way to
handle your cravings could works?
a) It allows us to think deeply about the stuff we crave for and in the
process we discover the things which are not good in the stuff itself.
b) Since we are indulging in a new method, it keeps our brain engaged.
c) It elapses the time we would rather think about the stuff we are
craving with productive knowledge about the same.
d) Both a and b
Answer- D
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Firstly, it gives the mind something engaging to do
while the craving occurs.” Thus, option b is true from the lines.
Also refer to the lines “Secondly, the more familiar you are with the life
cycle of cravings, the less trapped you feel by them” and the research of
Judson Brewer, from these two, we can conclude the option a. Hence,
option D is the correct answer.
3. Which of the following could be a possible title for the passage?

a) Crave but curiously.
b) A better way to respond to cravings.
c) Cravings will not affect you much from now.
d) Don’t be rational and tough on yourself.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The passage suggests a better way to deal with cravings other than the
traditional ways. Thus option b will be an apt title for the passage.
4. According to the passage why do we crave?

a) Because a biochemical reaction occurs in our brain which leads us to
crave.
b) Because we have evolved in such a manner.
c) Because envisioning an item for a longer time diverts our brain to eat
it.
d) Nothing can be derived from the passage.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The author does not mention the reason for us to crave. The author does
mention that there must have been someone previously who would have
felt in a similar way the author feel after seeing his/her favourite food,
but the author did not mention it as a reason for us to crave in the first
place. Thus nothing can be derived from the passage about our reason to
crave. Hence option d is the correct answer.
5. Which of the following is a way to control cravings?

a) Being tough on yourself
b) Being rational
c) Being curious about the thing you are craving for
d) All of the above
Answer- D)
Explanation:
It can be a bit tricky. The author explicitly mentions all the three options
as a way to control cravings. However he/she argues that the third option
may be a better way to deal with cravings, however the first two options
are also a way to deal with cravings. Thus all the options are a way to
control cravings.
RC 4
India’s rapid economic growth has been accompanied by falling fertility
rates and higher educational attainment among women. These advances
often lead to an increase in women entering the labour force, but there
has been a surprising decline on this front in India. Less than 30% of
working-age women are currently in work compared to nearly 80% of
men in India.
The conspicuous absence of women in India’s labour force is part of a
wider issue the country is facing when it comes to jobs growth. But the
fact that it is affecting women more than men is a worrying trend for
India, which tends to rank poorly in UN rankings like the Gender
Development Index and Gender Inequality Index, and has historically had
low shares of women participating in the labour market. Plus, the
number of women working has been gradually falling over the last 30
years.
There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from a lack of jobs growth
in female-friendly sectors such as manufacturing, to more women staying
in education for longer, and persisting stigma surrounding the idea of
women working. As India grapples with boosting the number of jobs
available to people – and young people especially – it must ensure it does
not leave women behind in the process.
It is useful to understand India’s experience against the global landscape.
According to the latest estimates from the UN’s International Labour
Organisation, the worldwide labour force participation rate in 2018
for women aged 15-64 was 53% while it was 80.6% for similarly aged
men. Since 1990, participation rates for both groups have shown an
overall decline around the world.
There are, however, variations in these global trends. The number of
women working in high income countries went up between 1990 and
2018, largely due to policies like better parental leave, subsidised
childcare, and flexibility in jobs. But in South Asia’s low and middle
income countries, the number of women working has declined.
In India, female labour force participation fell from 35% in 1990 to 27% in
2018. India fares better than its neighbour Pakistan (where the rate
increased from 14% to 25% over the same period). But it lags behind
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, and other countries at similar stages of
growth and development.
There are regional and demographic differences across the country. Rural
women have higher participation rates than their urban counterparts.
Married women, less educated women, and women from higher castes
are less likely to participate in the labour market.
Both economic and cultural reasons explain women falling out of India’s
labour force. The latest evidence suggests that the number of jobs in
India is on the decline. This is a significant structural problem for a
country with a burgeoning young population. In particular, India has
struggled to create labour-intensive manufacturing jobs, many of which
favour women. This is in contrast to countries such as Bangladesh that
experienced a booming export-led manufacturing sector that led to more
employment opportunities for women.
The number of women staying in education in both urban and rural areas
has increased, keeping them out of the workforce for longer. But, even
when this is accounted for, the numbers of women working
remains below India’s peers. For men, greater education leads to higher
participation in the labour force.
Across India, there are cultural expectations that married women should
not work and that they should prioritise housework and care work.
A survey on social attitudes in 2016 found that around 40-60% of men
and women believe married women should not work if the husband
earns reasonably well.
Another factor keeping women out of the workforce is the wider problem
of violence against women. New work finds that sexual violence and an
unsafe environment for women also stops them seeking paid work
outside their homes – this is especially the case for Muslim and lower-
caste women.
Gender equality is an important development objective in and of itself.
Research shows that when women work they have greater agency and
voice and the poorer representation of women in paid work has negative
consequences for their bargaining power within their households. Plus,
increasing the number of women in work is important for any country’s
economic growth, leading to better productivity and improving prospects
for future generations.
There are a number of ways to boost the number of women working.
Tackling the cultural reasons that result in women leaving the workforce
could be one such way. Changing social norms about gender equity and
women’s work is paramount, and this is where awareness

programmes and affirmative action policies may help alleviate gender
stereotypes. The 2017 Maternity Benefit Act, by increasing paid
maternity leave, may also help to limit the drop-out of women from work
after motherhood. Access to subsidised childcare may also free up time
for women to engage in the labour force.
At a more structural level, the next government faces a tough task of
reforming the economy to create more jobs. When it does so, it must
take into account India’s growing gender employment gap and
specifically think about jobs for women, if it wants to reduce this gap and
help boost the country’s economy. (IIFT pattern)
1. Among the several reasons mentioned in the passage, which is the

primary reason for the declining women participation in the workforce?
a) Availability of lesser women friendly jobs.
b) Violence against women at the workplace.
c) Lack of government policies advocating for the benefits of women
workforce.
d) None of the above
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage does not mention any particular reason for the decline of
the women participation in the workforce. The passage highlights that
the decline is both because of cultural and economic reasons. All of the
options above contribute to the reduction in the women workforce. But
none of them can be considered to be a primary reason for the decline in
the participation of women.
Hence option d is the correct answer.
2. How is education hampering the women participation in the

workforce?
a) By making them eligible for the service sector jobs which constitute
less than 1 percent of the total jobs of the country.
b) By keeping them out of the workforce for a longer time.
c) By making them less applicable for the manufacturing sector jobs
which does not require significant skills and are women friendly.
d) By making them more aware about the violation of labour laws.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The passage clearly mentions that since more women are engaging in
higher education, it is keeping them away from the jobs for a longer time
since they devote time in studying. Thus option b is the correct answer.
Rest of the options can be eliminated easily.
3. The author suggests all of the following ways to increase the women
participation of in the workforce EXCEPT?
a) Awareness programs to reduce the gender stereotypes.
b) Better policies addressing the issues faced by women.
c) Creating women friendly jobs.
d) Creating more service sector jobs.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Options a, b, and c are clearly mentioned in the passage.
Creating more jobs in the service sector may not work, since the
population eligible for the service class jobs is less. Refer to the lines “In
particular, India has struggled to create labour-intensive manufacturing
jobs, many of which favour women.” Thus creating more service class
jobs may not help to increase the women participation in the labour
force. Thus option d is the correct answer.
4. Which of the following could be a possible title for the passage?

a) The conspicuous absence of the women in Indian labour force.
b) Reasons for the absence of the women in Indian labour force.
c) Manufacturing jobs may make women more prosperous.
d) Make workplace safe to increase the women participation in the
labour force.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Options b and c are narrow and the passage talks much more than these
options.
Option b can also be eliminated. The passage talks much more than the
reasons for the absence of women in the workforce. Thus option b can
also be eliminated.
Option a is the apt title for the passage. The passage precisely talks about
the conspicuous absence of the women in the labour force and how it is a
major issue for the country and how it may affect the growth of the
country.
RC 5
Art history is an inexact science, with an element of mysticism behind the
theories of some its most prominent practitioners. Take Walter
Benjamin: in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction (1939), he argued that what makes certain authentic works
of art great is that they contain an inexplicable ‘aura’. This inexplicability
is part of what makes it wonderful. For all its cinematic eureka moments,
the clinical precision of forensic testing is less romantic than traditional
art-historical research, where scholars in tattered tweeds spend months
thumbing brittle-paged archives in mouldy libraries under the insect hum
of tubular lighting, looking closely with the naked eye, or perhaps a
magnifying glass, and fleshing out the story behind the artwork with
scraps of information culled from old documents. But since the late
1990s, with the ubiquity of inexpensive, high-quality digital photography,
and universal access to images via the internet, the most dramatic
breakthroughs have come through forensics. Call it ‘CSI: Art History.’
Hieronymus Bosch, best known for his imaginative depictions of Hell
populated with playfully grotesque monsters, has been at the centre of
art-historical controversy this year. After a sell-out exhibition at the
Noordbrabants Museum, in the artist’s hometown of s’-Hertogenbosch, a
new blockbuster exhibition at the Prado in Madrid took up the
commemorative reins. The Noordbrabants exhibited 17 extant paintings,
recognising that Bosch painted 24 in total, while the Prado now exhibits
24 extant Bosch paintings, recognising a total of 27. Both exhibitions
claim to be definitive, featuring almost all of the very few extant works by
Bosch. But they have also become rival exhibits, due to that numerical
discrepancy – the result of digital discoveries, first revealed at the
Noordbrabants show, that have divided scholars and rankled storied
institutions.
Using infrared spectroscopy to reveal what looks like a ghostly
photographic negative of the surface image, the Dutch research team
found that three works previously thought to have been independently
painted (The Wayfarer, The Haywain and The Path of Life) were actually
part of a single work, now called The Haywain Triptych, which had been
dismembered at some point and its constituent panels sold separately.
Attributing an artwork to a specific artist’s hand has always been difficult.
Artists did not regularly sign their works until the 19th century, and
attribution based on a work’s leaves room for error, inadvertent and

otherwise. Part of what makes Bosch precious is how limited an oeuvre
survived: there might be more works by his hand that have been mislaid
or misattributed: since artists always worked in studios or workshops,
students and apprentices would develop a style very similar to that of
their master.
Downgrading a work strips it of cachet and value. Though it’s still of
aesthetic and historical interest, it is no longer a drawcard; and, in
financial terms, it converts a seven-to-eight-figure value to a six-figure
one.
One of the beautiful but frustrating things about art history is that it can
never be an exact science. Whatever forensic examination becomes
available must be interpreted by human beings. (XAT pattern)
1. According to the passage a possible, reliable, way to distinguish

various artforms is?
a) By examining the signature of the artist on the artform.
b) By using the traditional way of examining an artform.
c) By using forensics to determine an artform.
d) All of the above.
Answer- E)
Explanation:
Since all the artforms do not contain signature, we cannot use this
method to distinguish all artforms.
Option b also leaves chances of errors. As many replicated the original
artworks, thus option b can be eliminated.
The passage does not delve into the credibility provided by the forensic
method. Thus this option can also be eliminated.
Hence all the options can be eliminated as the author does not suggest or
delve into a reliable method to check an artform.
2. According to the passage traditional art testing method is better than

the forensic testing for which of the following reasons?
a) It is more precise than the forensic methods.
b) It gives eureka moments while testing.
c) It is more engaging than the forensic methods.
d) It is more dramatic than the forensic methods.
e) It is more resolving than the forensic methods.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “For all its cinematic eureka moments, the clinical
precision of forensic testing is less romantic than traditional art-historical
research, where scholars in tattered tweeds spend months thumbing
brittle-paged archives in mouldy libraries under the insect hum of tubular
lighting, looking closely with the naked eye, or perhaps a magnifying

glass, and fleshing out the story behind the artwork with scraps of
information culled from old documents.”
Among the given options, option c can thus be considered to be the
correct answer.
Option a can be eliminated as the forensic methods are more precise
than the traditional methods.
Option b can be easily eliminated as it is true for the forensic methods.
Option d can be eliminated as we cannot say that it is more dramatic, as
the actions the author stated do not represent drama it just represents
less romanticism in the forensic methods.
Option e can be easily eliminated.
3. “The introduction of DNA evidence has permitted huge strides

forward in criminal investigations, but has not proven definitive in
courtrooms”, this additional statement refers to which of the following?
a) Art history is an inexact science.
b) For all its cinematic eureka moments, the clinical precision of forensic
testing is less romantic than traditional art-historical research.
c) One of the beautiful but frustrating things about art history is that it
can never be an exact science.
d) The inexplicability of the art makes it wonderful.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option a is partially correct and can be eliminated.
Option b can be easily eliminated.
The given statement resembles to be an example of option c. Both follow
similar structure and provides the same thought. Thus option c must be
the correct answer.
Option d may look a bit similar but is not. The given statement essentially
represents the last sentence of the passage- “Whatever forensic
examination becomes available must be interpreted by human beings,”
which is linked to the option c. Thus option d can be eliminated.
RC 6
Contrary to the popular notion, dharma is not religion. In fact religion is a
western concept, its conception being as nascent as a few thousand years
or two. Dharma on the other hand, can be traced to the beginning of
Creation; it is in fact, the lifeline that keeps the creation going. For a lay
person, dharma is the code of nature, that which sustains the creation,
something which is inherent to every microcosm of the creation and is
thus instinctive to human existence; but that whose awareness man is
losing in the oblivion of Kaliyug.
It is the dharma of every human being to protect those weaker than him
– physically, financially, mentally and emotionally. It is the dharma of
man to feed all persons, animals and plants in the vicinity – to provide for
food, clothing and shelter for the needy, as per his individual capacity. It
is the dharma of man to protect, conserve and nurture the environment,
to discourage and arrest pollution, and to also foster growth and
abundance. It is the dharma of man to develop the strength of character
such that he stands up in the face of injustice and resists exploitation of
any fellow being, animal or the environment. It is only when man
performs his dharma that his existence is justified and he may rightfully
be called ‘human’.
Today however, while everyone puts considerable time and effort in
visiting temples and places of worship, they turn a blind eye to the dog
dying on the road, to the trees that have been felled, to the rivers that
have been reduced to drains, to the corruption that has impregnated and
hollowed human society. Man has polluted his existence with adharma. It
is time for resurrection of lost principles and values and it is time for
conservation through the practices of Yog. Sanatan Kriya accounts for
basic purification of a being so that he may progress undeterred on the
path of truth and non-violence, non-stealing and non-hoarding, as laid
down by the Vedic seers are essential in order to perform one’s dharma.
“Shaucha, santosha, swaadhyaya, tapas, ishwar pranidhan niyama’’ is the
Vedic answer to develop ‘human’ character. Shaucha refers to
observance of intrinsic and extrinsic cleanliness as well as purity of
thought. Santosha may be understood as contentment in what one has –
this motivates one towards growth, devoid of greed and with
consideration for others. Swaadhaya is synonymous to constant
evaluation of the self so that one may correct oneself promptly at the
slightest deviation from dharma. Tapas involves heating oneself through

selfless labour, service and charity – it is this heat that facilitates the
evolution of a being. Ishwar Pranidhan or submission to the Divine Will at
all times while dedicating all that one does to the Supreme Energy
ensures that all of ones’ deeds are in line with dharma.
So thorough were the Vedic Rishis in their understanding of the being,
that gauging the careless nature of man, they earmarked the first quarter
of human life for the study of dharma. Only when one was still in his
dharma, was he allowed to venture into subsequent purusharths of artha
and kama. Only that being who is conscious of his dharma can transcend
the worldly pleasures and experiences to enter the realm of moksha or
the highest good.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

a) Religion is different from dharma.
b) Most people today are not on the path of dharma.
c) It is dharma suggests to shield the feeble.
e) All of the above.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Contrary to the popular notion, dharma is not
religion”, “Today however, while everyone puts considerable time and
effort in visiting temples and places of worship, they turn a blind eye to
the dog dying on the road, to the trees that have been felled, to the
rivers that have been reduced to drains, to the corruption that has
impregnated and hollowed human society”, and “It is the dharma of man
to develop the strength of character such that he stands up in the face of
injustice and resists exploitation of any fellow being, animal or the
environment”, from these lines we can conclude that all the options are
true. Thus option d is the correct answer.
2. When a person can be rightly called human?

a) When he visits temples on a regular basis.
b) When he feeds the hungry.
c) When he follows the path of dharma.
d) When he protects the weak.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
According to the passage, a person can be rightly called human when he
follows the path of dharma. The path of dharma includes feeding the
hungry, protecting the weak and such activities. Thus overall if a person
follows the path of dharma, he can be considered rightly as a human.
Option c is the correct answer.
Options b and d are the elements of option c.
3. When you are learning something new by being righteous in the

process, you are said to follow which one of the following practices?
a) Ishwar Pranidhan
b) Santosha
c) Swaadhyaya
d) Tapas
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Swaadhaya is synonymous to constant evaluation of
the self so that one may correct oneself promptly at the slightest
deviation from dharma.” Thus in the given situation, a person is said to
practice swaadhaya.
4. Which of the following is an antonym of oblivion?

a) Nirvana
b) Incognizance
c) Consciousness
d) Apparent
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Oblivion is a state of being disregardful or unconscious of one’s
surrounding, concerns, or obligations.
Consciousness is thus a clear antonym of the given word.
RC 7
Disease-laden mosquitoes carrying the eastern equine encephalitis virus
(EEEV) appear to be moving north and spreading the deadly infection into
areas where it was previously not known to exist. The likely culprit?
Climate change, which has long been an issue affecting things like
migratory patterns in animals, melting glaciers—which could release new
viruses we are not prepared to treat—and even animal size.
In 2019, there was an EEEV outbreak in the U.S. that affected 36 people.
That might not seem like a high number, but EEEV is very uncommon,
making 36 confirmed cases in a year is a concerning amount. To make
matters worse, there is no treatment or cure for EEEV which is fatal in 30
percent of people who contract it per the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
EEEV spreads to humans via mosquito bite. It does not spread from
person to person, other animals to people, or people to animals. The
disease can then cause encephalitis—swelling of the brain—that can be
deadly. In instances when EEEV is not fatal, it can leave a person with
neurological problems, ranging from “mild brain dysfunction to severe
intellectual impairment,” says the CDC.
EEEV symptoms include fever, chills, arthralgia, and myalgia. The CDC
adds that people tend to make a full recovery when “there is no central
nervous system involvement.” In addition to being fatal and causing
neurological issues in humans, EEEV is also a health hazard to horses,
which is where the virus' name originates.
The virus transmission is highly seasonal and dependent on weather

conditions, with the most favourable being “forested swamp habitats”
where mosquitoes thrive.
With winters becoming milder and summers getting warmer, the
weather is continually changing to favour the birth and spread of disease-
carrying mosquitoes.
Milder winters, in turn, may enhance the overwintering survival of
mosquito vectors and allow mosquitoes to extend their range northward.
Warmer summer conditions accelerate the generation time of
mosquitoes, their frequency of blood feeding, and the rate of virus
replication within mosquitoes.
If climate change continues following the current trajectory, we could be
facing a slew of viruses we're not used to treating in the coming decades.
(NMAT pattern)
1. Which among the following is not true according to the passage?

a) The transmission of the viruses increases in summers and decreases
in winters.
b) A person’s intellectual abilities can be decreased in EEEV.
c) EEEV is a communicable disease.
d) EEEV is incurable as of now.
e) Climate change is exacerbating the propagation of disease carrying
mosquitos.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option a is true. refer to the lines “With winters becoming milder and
summers getting warmer, the weather is continually changing to favour
the birth and spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes.” Thus the virus
propagation increases in summer and decreases in winters.
Option b is also true. Refer to the lines “The disease can then cause
encephalitis—swelling of the brain—that can be deadly. In instances
when EEEV is not fatal, it can leave a person with neurological problems,
ranging from “mild brain dysfunction to severe intellectual impairment”
Option c is not true, refer to the lines “EEEV spreads to humans via
mosquito bite. It does not spread from person to person”, thus EEEV is
not a communicable disease.
Option d is true. It is explicitly mentioned in the passage.
Option e is also true. refer to the lines “With winters becoming milder
and summers getting warmer, the weather is continually changing to
favour the birth and spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes.”
2. What does “equine” in eastern equine encephalitis virus could

possibly mean?
a) Name of the infecting virus.
b) A mosquito type.
c) Name of the disease caused by encephalitis virus.
d) Horse
e) None of the above
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Equine refers to horse like. Thus option d is correct.
It can also be deduced from the passage, refer to the lines “EEEV is also a
health hazard to horses, which is where the virus' name originates.”
3. Which of the following is not the reason for the Increase in the
viruses?
a) Milder winters
b) Warmer summers
c) Melting glaciers
d) Changing migratory patterns in animals
e) Climate change
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Melting glaciers is mentioned in the passage as a consequence of climate
change, it has nothing to do with the increase in the virus, thus option c is
the correct answer.
4. What does the author mean by “the viruses moving north or

extending their range northwards”?
a) The viruses moving to the places they were not found before.
b) The viruses moving to unknown places.
c) Increment in the viruses and the disease they carry.
d) Increment in the mosquito borne diseases.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Going north usually refers to going up. Thus the virus moving northwards
refers to the increment in the viruses or the disease they carry. Option c
reflects this and is the answer to the question.
RC8
Peter Pan discs that seemingly “never grow up” have intrigued us since
citizen scientists first made us aware of their existence.
NASA’s Disk Detective project discovered the oldest protoplanetary disc
back in 2016 and six more Peter Pans have since been added to the list –
four as recently as January this year.
These planet-forming discs are giant areas of gas and dust found circling
young stars, but it isn’t clear how and why some live up to 10 times as
long as others.
Now two scientists from Queen Mary University of London, writing in

the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, say they
have some clues.
Using computer simulations to look at a range of possible starting
configurations and ways in which the disc evolves, they explored the
combination of conditions needed to form Peter Pan discs – dubbing
them Neverland’s parameters.
They found these discs only form in lonely environments, away from
other stars, and that they need to start out much larger than normal
discs.
“Most stars form in big groups containing around 100,000 stars; however,
it seems that Peter Pan discs can’t form in these environments,” says first
author Gavin Coleman.
“They need to be much more isolated from their stellar neighbours as the
radiation from other stars would blow these discs away. They also need
to start out massive, so they have more gas to lose and are therefore able
to live for much longer.”
Coleman’s colleague Thomas Haworth says a particularly interesting
point is that Peter Pan discs have so far only been found around low mass
stars, and these low mass stars are generally being found to host lots of
planets.
“The required external photoevaporation rates are so low that primordial
Peter Pan discs will have formed in rare environments on the periphery
of low-mass star-forming regions, or deeply embedded, and as such have
never subsequently been exposed to higher amounts of UV radiation,”

the researchers write in their paper.
“Given that such an external photoevaporation scenario is rare, the
required disc parameters and accretion properties may reflect the initial
conditions and accretion rates of a much larger fraction of the discs
around low-mass stars.”
The large disc masses needed to end up with Peter Pan discs could be an
important ingredient that allows these planets to exist, Coleman and
Haworth suggest. (NMAT pattern)
1. What is the primary purpose of the passage?

a) To highlight how the peter pan disks are formed.
b) To highlight some clues to why the peter pan disks exist.
c) To elucidate the conditions required for a peter pan disk to exist.
d) To describe what peter pan disks are.
e) To elucidate why the peter pan disks do not grow up.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The passage seem to give some clues as to why the peter pan disks
forms.
The passage does not highlight how it forms, so option a can be
eliminated.
The passage primarily does not highlight the conditions needed for a
peter pan disk to form. If the author were to primarily describe the peter
pan disks, then more would be talked about the disks rather than their
existence and the conditions in which they form.
Option e can be easily eliminated.
2. For the peter pan disks to exist, which of the following is not an
important requirement for it?
i) Their vicinity from a cluster of stars.
ii) Their size should be larger than normal disks.
iii) Low UV radiation exposure.
a) Only a and b
b) Only a and c
c) Only c
d) A, b, and c
e) None of the following
Answer- C)
Explanation:
According to the passage peter pan disks cannot form in the vicinity of
starts. Thus the first sentence can be eliminated as it is a necessary
condition.
Similarly, the size of the disk should be greater than a normal disk. Thus
the second sentence can also be eliminated.
The penultimate and anti-penultimate para suggests that the peter pan
disks which exists now would have to have been less exposed to the UV
radiation for them to remain in the same shape, but that is not very
likely, thus these disks must have started big. Hence low exposure to the
UV radiation may not be the necessary condition for the disk to exist
because if the disk starts big, then it may survive and become a peter pan
disk. Thus option c is the correct answer.
3. How does the peter pan disks form?

a) By being larger than a normal disk.
b) By being away form the cluster of stars.
c) By being less exposed to the UV radiations.
d) Both a and b
e) Nothing can be concluded from the passage.
Answer- E)
Explanation:
We are given the conditions in which the peter pan disks exist. However,
the question asks about the formation of peter pan disk, which is not
discussed in the passage. Thus option e is the correct answer.
4. Which among the following can be concluded from “Peter Pan discs
have so far only been found around low mass stars, and these low mass
stars are generally being found to host lots of planets.”
a) Low mass stars could host a lot of peter pan disks.
b) Planets could host a lot of low mass stars.
c) Low mass stars are needed for the peter pan disks to exists.
d) Peter pan disks could host a lot of planets.
e) Peter pan disks are surrounded by a lot of planets.
Answer- E)
Explanation:
Since low mass stars host a lot of planets and the peter pan disks are
found around the low mass stars, we can conclude that the peter pan
disks must be surrounded by a lot of planets. Thus option e is the correct
answer.
Option d is can be eliminated as it is different to host planets and be
surrounded by them.
RC 10
Pathogenic plant fungi are likely to multiply and spread as rising
temperatures warm soils, thereby accelerating climate change-induced
crop losses, according to research published in the journal Nature Climate
Change.
Global food security is under threat as warmer
temperatures increase populations of pests such as the virulent
oomycete Phytophthora infestans, which was responsible for the Irish
potato famine and is still causing problems.
“Soil-borne plant pathogens already cause hundreds of billions of dollars
in crop losses each year,” says co-author Brajesh Singh from Western
Sydney University, Australia.
“Our study suggests that common plant pathogens such
as Fusarium and Alternaria species will become more prevalent under
projected global warming scenarios, which will add to the challenges of
maintaining world food production alongside other climate change-
driven crises and a burgeoning human population.”
Soil-borne fungi such as Alternaria alternata, Fusarium
oxysporum and Venturia inaequalis are some of the most devastating
plant pathogens, against which chemical fungicides are virtually useless.
But while information on plant diseases is growing, mapping out their
current and future global prevalence would shed more light on the
problem.
The research team, drawn from Europe, Australia and China, used a field
survey across 235 natural ecosystems from six continents that ranged
from forests and croplands to deserts, capturing 73% of environmental
conditions on the planet.
Combining this with a nine-year study investigating the impact of
temperature on the prevalence of soil-borne fungi, they created a global
map for the pathogens’ current and global distribution under different
climate change scenarios.
The analysis included modern DNA sequencing techniques to establish
the response of plant pathogens to warmer conditions.
Results showed that Venturia is widespread across the globe,
and Fusarium, Phoma and Alternaria are most prolific in warm areas such
as dryland and tropic ecosystems.
But with global warming, the pathogens are projected to thrive in most
regions across the world irrespective of the climate and land use, with
increased temperatures of two degrees Celsius nearly tripling their
relative prevalence.
Alternaria was the most common genus, for which the relative increase
would be sevenfold and its total growth twofold. The relative abundance
of Fusarium, another globally dominant fungus, could increase fivefold
and Cladosporium spp 20-fold.
Areas likely to be hit the hardest by warming are soils across the
Northern Hemisphere, towards the Arctic, and in South Africa. (NMAT
pattern)

a) Plant pathogens increase with the decrease in the temperatures.
b) Alternaria is widespread across the globe.
c) Chemical aids for plants are useless in the cases of some soil-borne
fungi.
d) Food can be secured if the global warming can be combated.
e) Fusarium could increase twentyfold with the rising temperatures.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Soil-borne fungi such as Alternaria alternata, Fusarium
oxysporum and Venturia inaequalis are some of the most devastating
plant pathogens, against which chemical fungicides are virtually useless. ”
Option c is true and is the answer to the question.
2. What is the central point of the passage?

a) Growing threat to food securities amid rise in soil temperatures.
b) Rise of soil pathogens with the rise of soil temperatures.
c) Challenges in maintaining world food production in the coming times.
d) Increment in the soil pathogens.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
The passage revolves around the idea that with the rise of soil
temperatures soil pathogens are rising. This can lead to reduced food
availability. Thus option a is the correct answer for the question. Option b
does not cover the point of food security and can be eliminated. Rest of
the options can be eliminated easily.
3. Which of the following will be the problem with the increase in

pathogens?
a) Reduced soil fertility
b) Overuse of the chemical fertilizers
c) Food scarcity
d) Less nutritious food.
e) More bacteria in food.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option c is the clear pick. Rest of the options are not mentioned in the
passage.
4. Which of the following can be deduced from the passage?

a) With the increase in the temperature the land factor which can help
in the propagation of the pathogens becomes redundant.
b) Globally every country needs to tackle this problem individually.
c) The arctic and the southern hemisphere will be the worst affected
states because of the increase in the soil temperatures.
d) The food loses can be prevented by curbing the carbon emission.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “But with global warming, the pathogens are projected
to thrive in most regions across the world irrespective of the climate and
land use, with increased temperatures of two degrees Celsius nearly
tripling their relative prevalence.” Option a can be deduced from here.
Option b cannot be deduced.
Option c is factually incorrect as it is the northern hemisphere.
Option d cannot be deduced from the passage.
RC 11
The internet is awash with comparisons between life during COVID-19
and life during the Bubonic plague. The two have many similarities, from
the spread of misinformation and the tracking of mortality figures, to the
ubiquity of the question “when will it end?”
But there are, of course, crucial differences between the two. Today,
when looking for information on the incidence, distribution, and likely
outcome of the pandemic, we turn to epidemiologists and infectious
disease models. During the Bubonic plague, people turned to astrologers.
Exploring the role played by astrologers in past epidemics reminds us that
although astrology has been debunked, it was integral to the
development of medicine and public health.
Before germ theory, the Scientific Revolution and then the Age of
Enlightenment, it was common for medical practitioners to use
astrological techniques in their everyday practice.
Compared to the simplistic horoscopes in today’s magazines, premodern
astrology was a complex field based on detailed astronomical
calculations. Astrologers were respected health authorities who
were taught at the finest universities throughout Europe, and hired to
treat princes and dukes.
Astrology provided physicians with a naturalistic explanation for the
onset and course of disease. They believed the movements of the
celestial bodies, in relation to each other and the signs of the Zodiac,
governed events on earth. Horoscopes mapped the heavens, allowing
physicians to draw conclusions about the onset, severity, and duration of

illness.
The impact of astrology on the history of medicine can still be seen today.
The term “influenza” was derived from the idea that respiratory disease
was a product of the influence of the stars.
Astrologers were seen as important authorities for the health of
communities as well as individuals. They offered public health advice in
annual almanacs, which were some of the most widely read literature in
the premodern world.
Almanacs provided readers with tables for astrological events for the
coming year, as well as advice on farming, political events, and the
weather.
The publications were also important disseminators of medical
knowledge. They explained basic medical principles and suggested
remedies. They made prognostications about national health, using
astrology to predict when an influx of venereal disease or plague was
likely to arise.
These public health predictions were often based on the astrological
theory of conjunctions. According to this theory, when certain planets
seem to approach each other in the sky from our perspective on earth,
great socio-cultural events are bound to occur.
When Bubonic plague hit France in 1348, the King asked the physicians at
the University of Paris to account for its origins. Their answer was that
the plague was caused by a conjunction of Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter.
Astrological accounts of plague remained popular into the 17th century.

In this period, astrology was increasingly attacked as superstitious, so
some astrologers tried to set their field on a more scientific grounding.
In an effort to make astrology more scientific, the English astrologer John
Gadbury produced one of the earliest epidemiological studies of disease.
In London’s Deliverance Predicted (1655), Gadbury claimed his
contemporaries couldn’t explain when plagues would arrive, or how long
they’d last.
Gadbury proposed that if planets caused plagues, then planets also
stopped plagues. Studying astrological events would therefore allow one
to predict the course of an epidemic.
He gathered data from the previous four great London plagues (in 1593,
1603, 1625, and 1636), scouring the Bills of Mortality for weekly plague
death rates, and compiling A Table shewing the Increase and Abatement
of the Plague. Gadbury also used planetary tables to locate the planets’
positions throughout the epidemics. He then compared his data sets,
looking for correlations.
Gadbury found a correlation between intensity of plague and the
positions of Mars and Venus. Plague deaths increased sharply in July
1593, at which point Mars had moved into an astrologically significant
position. Deaths then abated in September, when Venus’s position
became more significant. Gadbury concluded that the movement of “the
fiery Planet Mars” was the origin of pestilence and the “cause of its
raging”, while the influence of the “friendly” Venus helped abate it.
Gadbury then applied his findings to the pestilence plaguing London at

the time. He was able to correlate the beginnings of the plague in late
1664 and its growing intensity in June 1665 with recent astrological
events.
He predicted the upcoming movement of Venus in August would see a
fall in plague deaths. Then the movement of Mars in September would
make the plague deadlier, but the movements of Venus in October,
November, and December would halt the death rate.
Unfortunately for Gadbury, plague deaths increased dramatically in
August. However, he was right in predicting a peak in September
followed by a steep decrease at the end of the year. If Gadbury had
accounted for other correlates – such as the coming of winter – his study
might have been received more favourably.
The medical advice in Gadbury’s book certainly doesn’t stand up today.
He argued the plague was not contagious, and that isolating at home only
caused more deaths. Yet his attempt to find correlations with fluctuating
mortality rates offers an early example of what we now call
epidemiology.
While we may discredit Gadbury’s astrological assumptions, examples
such as this illustrate the important role astrology played in the history of
medicine, paving the way for naturalist explanations of infectious
disease. (SNAP pattern)
1. Why did Gadbury proposed a new scientific way to predict the

epidemic?
a) To refute the allegations on astrology as superstitious and assert that
is was backed by science.
b) To overcome the shortcomings of the previous way of his research.
c) To make his research attractive for the people.
d) To make a compelling case that astrology was backed with science.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “In this period, astrology was increasingly attacked as
superstitious, so some astrologers tried to set their field on a more
scientific grounding.
In an effort to make astrology more scientific, the English astrologer John
Gadbury produced one of the earliest epidemiological studies of disease.”
Options b and c can be easily eliminated.
Now, refer to the lines above, option a can be eliminated from there.
Gadbury did not chose a more scientific approach to refute the
allegations (it cannot be inferred from the passage) rather he did it more
make a case that science was involved in astrological predictions, as was
demonstrated in his works about the impact of planets on the disease
propagation and termination. Thus option d is more apt in this scenario
and is the answer to the question.
2. Which of the following could be a possible reason for the medical

practitioners to use astrology in their everyday practice?
a) Because astrologers were well taught and finest in terms of
predicting diseases.
b) Because it provided a natural explanation for the cause of the events.
c) Because they used the theory of conjunction to find the root cause of
the disease and it was practised in astrology.
d) Because medicine was not developed in those times.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
Refer to the last para. It can be said that medical practitioners used
astrology as it provided natural explanation of the disease. Thus medical
professionals used it in their everyday practise.
Option b is, thus, the correct answer.

a) Astrology plays a significant role in medicine and public health.
b) Before epidemiologists began modelling diseases, it was the job of
astrologers.
c) How astrologers predicted diseases based on their model of
conjunction of planets.
d) The use of astrology by medical practitioners.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The passage primarily revolves around the idea that astrology played a
significant role in medicine and how before it was astrologers who
prepared the disease models which are prepared by epidemiologists
now. Refer to the lines “we turn to epidemiologists and infectious disease
models. During the Bubonic plague, people turned to astrologers.” The
passage builds on this and highlights the importance of the astrology in
medicine.
Option b mirrors this and is the answer to the question.
The passage is not just about the use of astrology by medical
practitioners, it is much more than it. thus option d can be eliminated.
Option a is distorted, the passage discusses the role played by astrology
in medicine rather than the role it plays in medicine. Thus option a can be
eliminated.
4. Previously the astrologers were important in all of the following

fields EXCEPT?
a) Predicting the onset of a disease.
b) Offering health advice to people.
c) Developing theories that would predict the imminent plagues and
diseases.
d) Developing models for infectious diseases.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option c is the easy pick, since the astrologers developed model to
predict diseases. It cannot be concluded from the passage that they
developed theories to predict diseases. Thus option c is the correct
answer.
5. Which of the following is not true based on the passage?

a) Astrology was more complex previously than it is now.
b) Astrology’s predictions were given less importance as the medicine
progressed.
c) Celestial bodies could end a plague.
d) According to Gadbury, Venus helped to reduce the impact of the
plague.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option c is the easy pick. It cannot be concluded that the celestial bodies
were behind the end of the plague or they can end a disease. Thus option
c is the correct answer.
RC 12
Birds learn the song of their species via imitation, which is influenced by
cultural drift.
Similar to patterns of human language, like distinctly different iterations
of English from London to the Scottish Highlands, bird tunes evolve
diverse dialects in different geographical regions.
Their song thus offers a way to help understand biodiversity and
conservation in ecosystems, a prime objective of Brett Furnas from the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the US.
A decade ago, sound recorders in hand, he embarked on a project to
survey the tunes of different songbird species.
“We noticed that we were having a difficult time distinguishing two
closely-related warbler species (hermit and black-throated grey
warblers),” he says, “because of the complexity and similarity of their
songs.”
This curious observation evolved into dedicated road trips around
California during summer breeding seasons to study the tunes of the little
golden-faced hermit warblers (Setophaga occidentalis).
Passerines, or perching birds, such as the warblers sing a complex
repertoire of tunes to defend their territory, and a simple formulaic song
to attract mates.
Those in the same geographical areas tend to sing the same mate
attraction song. “We believe their ability to perfectly sing this song
affects their ability to find a mate,” says Furnas.
His team recorded more than 1500 hermit warbler songs from up to 20
birds at each of 101 study locations separated by at least 10 to 20
kilometres, forming the first comprehensive description and map of their
dialects throughout the state.
By developing a rubric characterisation of differences in song structure,
especially in the composition of the first phrase, they identified 35
distinct dialects of the mating song.
At a regional scale, the dialects correspond with different forest types
and breeding habitats, suggesting the songs morph as a result of isolation
– but at the local scale, wildfires disturb this pattern.
“We found that fires appear to disrupt this uniformity by causing some
birds to temporarily flee and creating a vacuum that other hermit
warblers, singing rival dialects, can colonise,” says Furnas.
“The net effect is a greater likelihood of birds singing different dialects at
the same location.”
This creates a complex balance between isolation and mixing. Different
songs at different sites is known as beta diversity, while multiple songs at
the same site is called alpha diversity, Furnas explains – and both are
important.
More broadly, this reflects the beneficial role of wildfires in ecosystems.
Up to a point, fires contribute to biodiversity; they can regenerate
habitats by returning nutrients to the earth, clearing space for sunlight to
nourish new growth and helping to unlock seeds from tough coatings.
Controlled burns can optimise these conditions, helping to prevent

invasive plants and insects and overgrowth of flammable materials that
could burn out of control.
Increasing incidence of uncontrolled, high intensity fires, however, could
irrevocably destroy habitats. (SNAP pattern)
1. Why does Furnas think that the birds ability to sing perfectly affects
their ability to find a mate?
a) Because birds are not able to differentiate who is singing a song and
thus they find the wrong mate.
b) Because birds get lost in the hymn produced by all the birds singing
together.
c) Because birds are not able to find who is singing the song.
d) Because birds have different songs for defending their territory and
for finding their mate, which gets mixed when many birds are singing it.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Those in the same geographical areas tend to sing the
same mate attraction song”, now since birds can sing song similar to any
other bird in a particular locality, it thus makes it hard to differentiate
who is singing the song.
Option a can be eliminated as we cannot conclude that the bird finds a
wrong mate.
Option b and d can be easily eliminated.
Option c is the correct answer. Since every bird sings similarly, then it,
most probably, is the case where a bird searching may not be able to find
or differentiate between who has sung the song. Thus option c is the
correct answer.
2. Which of the following could be a reason for the birds to sing similar
songs?
a) Each territory of birds have developed a particular song for their
territory.
b) Birds learn to sing by copying other birds in a particular area.
c) It helps in defending their territory.
d) Nothing can be concluded from the passage.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Birds learn the song of their species via imitation,
which is influenced by cultural drift.” Thus the birds sing similar songs
because they learn by copying other birds, hence option b is the correct
answer.
3. Which among the following could be a possible title for the passage?
a) Bird tunes evolve diverse dialects in different geographical regions.
b) How birds find mates.
c) Role of wildfires in the ecosystem.
d) Birds change their tunes after the wildfires.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage definitely discusses about how the birds sing similarly and
how this thing affects their ability to find mates and other things, but the
striking point in the passage is that fires change the birds songs. Because
of fires birds relocate and thus their song changes. Thus option d can be
considered to be the title for the passage.
RC 13
We credit Socrates with the insight that ‘the unexamined life is not worth
living’ and that to ‘know thyself’ is the path to true wisdom. But is there a
right and a wrong way to go about such self-reflection?
Simple rumination – the process of churning your concerns around in
your head – isn’t the answer. It’s likely to cause you to become stuck in
the rut of your own thoughts and immersed in the emotions that might
be leading you astray. Certainly, research has shown that people who are
prone to rumination also often suffer from impaired decision making
under pressure, and are at a substantially increased risk of depression.
Instead, the scientific research suggests that you should adopt an ancient
rhetorical method favoured by the likes of Julius Caesar and known as
‘illeism’. If I was considering an argument that I’d had with a friend, for
instance, I might start by silently thinking to myself: ‘David felt frustrated
that…’ The idea is that this small change in perspective can clear your
emotional fog, allowing you to see past your biases.
A bulk of research has already shown that this kind of third-person

thinking can temporarily improve decision making. Now
a preprint at PsyArxiv finds that it can also bring long-term benefits to
thinking and emotional regulation.
The findings are the brainchild of the psychologist Igor Grossmann at the
University of Waterloo in Canada. Grossmann’s aim is to build a strong
experimental footing for the study of wisdom, which had long been
considered too nebulous for scientific enquiry. In one of his earlier
experiments, he established that it’s possible to measure wise reasoning
and that, as with IQ, people’s scores matter. He did this by asking
participants to discuss out-loud a personal or political dilemma, which he
then scored on various elements of thinking long-considered crucial to
wisdom, including: intellectual humility; taking the perspective of others;
recognising uncertainty; and having the capacity to search for a
compromise. Grossmann found that these wise-reasoning scores were far
better than intelligence tests at predicting emotional wellbeing, and
relationship satisfaction – supporting the idea that wisdom, as defined by
these qualities, constitutes a unique construct that determines how we
navigate life challenges.
Working with Ethan Kross at the University of Michigan in the United
States, Grossmann has also looked for ways to improve these scores. In a
series of laboratory experiments, they found that people tend to be
humbler, and readier to consider other perspectives, when they are
asked to describe problems in the third person.
This earlier research involved only short-term interventions, however –

meaning it was far from clear whether wiser reasoning would become a
long-term habit with regular practice at illeism.
To find out, Grossmann’s latest research team asked nearly 300
participants to describe a challenging social situation, while two
independent psychologists scored them on the different aspects of wise
reasoning (intellectual humility, etc). The participants then had to keep a
diary for four weeks. Each day, they had to describe a situation they’d
just experienced, such as a disagreement with a colleague or some bad
news. Half were prompted to do so in the first-person, while the others
were encouraged to describe their trials from a third-person perspective.
At the end of the study, all participants repeated the wise-reasoning test.
Grossmann’s results were exactly as he’d hoped. While the control
participants showed no overall change in their wise-reasoning scores,
those using illeism improved in their intellectual humility, perspective-
taking and capacity to find a compromise.
A further stage of the study suggested that this newfound wisdom also
translated into greater emotional regulation and stability. After they had
finished the four-week diary intervention, participants had to predict how
their feelings of trust, frustration or anger about a close family member
or friend might change over the next month – then, after that month was
up, they reported back on how things had actually gone.
In line with other work on ‘affective forecasting’, the people in the
control condition overestimated their positive emotions and
underestimated the intensity of their negative emotions over the course
of the month. In contrast, those who’d kept a third-person diary were

more accurate. A closer look revealed that their negative feelings, as a
whole, were more muted, and that’s why their rosy predictions were
more accurate. It seems their wiser reasoning had allowed them to find
better ways to cope.
I find these emotion and relationship effects particularly fascinating,
considering the fact that illeism is often considered to be infantile. Just
think of Elmo in the children’s TV show Sesame Street, or the intensely
irritating Jimmy in the sitcom Seinfeld – hardly models of sophisticated
thinking. Alternatively, it can be taken to be the sign of a narcissistic
personality – the very opposite of personal wisdom. After all, Coleridge
believed that it was a ruse to cover up one’s own egotism: just think of
the US president’s critics who point out that Donald Trump often refers
to himself in the third person. Clearly, politicians might use illeism for
purely rhetorical purposes but, when applied to genuine reflection, it
appears to be a powerful tool for wiser reasoning.
As the researchers point out, it would be exciting to see whether the
benefits apply to other forms of decision making besides the more
personal dilemmas examined in Grossmann’s study. There’s reason to
think that they might. Previous experiments have shown, for instance,
that rumination leads to worse choices in poker (hence why expert
players strive for a detached, emotionally distanced attitude), and that
greater emotional awareness and regulation can improve performance
on the stock market.
In the meantime, Grossmann’s work continues to prove that the subject

of wisdom is worthy of rigorous experimental study – with potential
benefits for all of us. It is notoriously difficult to increase general
intelligence through brain-training, but these results suggest that wiser
reasoning and better decision making are within everyone’s power.
(SNAP pattern)
1. As understood from the passage illeism can be best defined as?

a) Speaking about yourself in the third person.
b) A philosophical way of talking about yourself.
c) A different perspective to think about yourself.
d) None of the above.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines from fourth para “A bulk of research has already shown
that this kind of third-person thinking can temporarily improve decision
making”, thus illeism refers to speaking about yourself in third person
which is also backed by the example that the author gave in the previous
para to define illeism. Thus option a is the correct answer.
Illeism is not a different perspective to think about yourself, it’s a
different perspective to talk to yourself. Thus option c can be eliminated.
2. What is the passage primarily trying to convey?

a) Wisdom can be achieved by applying Grossman’s work.
b) The way to an examined life is through rumination.
c) An unexamined life is not worth living.
d) Talking to yourself in the third person makes you wiser.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage tries to figure out a new way other than rumination improve
the wisdom. For this the method suggested is on illeism, which is to talk
to oneself in third person perspective, and the research shows that this
method can make a person wiser.
Option d mirrors this explanation and is the answer to the question.
3. The difference between rumination and illeism can be best described

as?
a) Rumination is thinking about your problems in your head while
illeism is talking about your problem’s with some other person.
b) Rumination is thinking about your problems from a third person
perspective while illeism is thinking about your problems in your head.
c) Rumination is thinking about your problems in your head while
illeism is thinking about your problems from a third person perspective.
d) Rumination is thinking about your problems in your head while
illeism is thinking about your problems from a second person
perspective.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Rumination is thinking about your problems being yourself, while illeism
is thinking them form a third person perspective. Option c reflects this
4. Which of the following cannot be improved through illeism?

a) Emotional steadiness
b) Humbleness
c) Compromising ability
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Illeism can help a person to become wiser and in the process improving a
person’s emotional stability, humbleness and compromising ability. All of
options are explicitly mentioned in the passage and thus option d is the
correct answer.
5. Which of the following can be concluded from the Grossmann’s

researches?
a) Practicing illeism makes a person wiser.
b) Illeism helps a person to develop emotional intelligence.
c) Illeism is in an infant stage.
d) People who practiced illeism were more humble than the ones
who didn’t.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Grossmann’s results were exactly as he’d hoped. While
the control participants showed no overall change in their wise-reasoning
scores, those using illeism improved in their intellectual humility,
perspective-taking and capacity to find a compromise.
A further stage of the study suggested that this newfound wisdom also
translated into greater emotional regulation and stability.”
Grossman’s research concludes that a person a become wiser by
practising illeism. Thus option a is the correct answer.
Option b and d are a part of his conclusion and thus can be considered as
a subset of option a.
RC 14
What brings us happiness? We could easily enlist reasons, people,
activities, things, and events that bring us happiness but these external
causes bring temporary happiness, as we all know. The happiness of
landing a plum job soon gives way to hard work, and the stress and strain
of keeping up the job. The money from winning a lottery soon starts to
dwindle. The happiness you had on the day your child was born slowly
reduces to be replaced by other emotions. And so on.
To be able to find happiness and harmony consistently, we need to
practice acceptance. Acceptance of what, you might ask? Acceptance of
what is....
Imagine you are sitting in your study on a Sunday, reading your favourite
book. The lighting is perfect, the air conditioner is working and you are
happy and contended in the moment. In the next moment, your bliss
could be shattered. If you wife calls out to you to perform some
household chores, if the electricity fails, or if boss calls to say he wants
you to research something and give him a report in two hours, your
happy feeling is gone, to be replaced by anger, irritation, frustration, and
disharmony. In a few minutes you have gone from happiness to deep
unhappiness. Why has that happened?
The shift has happened because whatever change life has brought you in
those few minutes, is unacceptable to you. Were you to accept change as
a part of life and accept whatever was needed of you, you would
smoothly and fluidly move from your reading to whatever was necessary
to be done. But since you resist, since you refuse to leave your cocoon,
you create waves of negativity and resistance inside yourself.
Non-acceptance of what is, is one of the leading causes of unhappiness.
That does not mean we meekly accept anything that happens, and just be
a slave to circumstances. We can definitely use our creative energy to
solve whatever problems arise, to protest, to rebel, to fight, or to go with
the flow. But for all that, we must still first accept the situation,
wholeheartedly.
Once we are ready to accept the "what is" we go into a harmonious
vibration of peace. If we don't accept, whatever that may be, we
immediately go into a disharmonious and chaotic vibration, one that is
filled with resistance. And from this place, to find harmony is difficult.
Non-acceptance also brings confusion. When we don't accept our current
reality, we start searching for alternate realities to accept.
Acceptance means you trust in the process of life, in some divine
blueprint or destiny that has given birth to you and brought you here, a
force which is all knowing and much larger than you. Once you do that,
you immediately fall in line with the flow, and not against the flow. Going
against the flow of life, which runs multiple Universes, is no easy task.
Common sense tells us that it is better and easier to surf with the waves
than against them. But if you choose to surf against the waves, rest
assured that happiness might eventually come, but not right now, not
today, not in the near future.
1. The author will agree with all of the following statements EXCEPT?
a) You cannot get happiness if you do not wish to change the existing
status quo that leads to distress.
b) Accepting the current situation is of paramount importance to be
happy.
c) Permanent happiness is internal.
d) External things do not provide us happiness.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The author will agree with option a. Refer to the lines “Were you to
accept change as a part of life and accept whatever was needed of you,
you would smoothly and fluidly move from your reading to whatever was
necessary to be done.” The author clearly suggests that to change your
condition you should accept the current situation which is the status quo.
Accepting the situation may reduce the distress. Thus the author will
agree with option a.
The author will agree with option b. the whole passage is about
acceptance.
The authors in the first para mentions that external happiness is
temporary and to find permanent happiness we need to practice
acceptance. This will lead to a harmony and peace and result in a
permanent happiness.
The author do not reject that we do not get happiness from the external
things, rather he argues that it is temporary. Thus the author will not
agree with option d.
2. The author would suggest which of the following to a person who is

not happy with his life?
a) Accept the situation and try to think it from a different perspective.
b) Wholeheartedly agree with the wrongs which you have suffered.
c) Think of the sequence of events as a part of life.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The author in the passage primarily suggests to accept the situation. Thus
the author will agree with options a and b.
Refer to the lines “Acceptance means you trust in the process of life.” The
author, thus, may suggest option c as well.
Hence the answer for the question is option d.
3. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?

a) Our non-acceptance of a situation could make us frustrated.
b) By accepting a situation your mind and body are at peace.
c) Accepting can help to achieve temporary happiness.
d) Happiness may eventually be achieved without accepting as well.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the lines “If we don't accept, whatever that
may be, we immediately go into a disharmonious and chaotic vibration,
one that is filled with resistance.”
Option b is precisely what the author is trying to convey through whole
passage.
Option c cannot be inferred from the passage. Though it may help you to
be at peace but nothing can be said about the achievement of happiness
by accepting the situation. Also the author refer to the practice to
achieve permanent happiness. Thus option c cannot be inferred from the
passage.
Option d can be inferred from the last sentence of the passage.
4. Which of the following is the synonym of “contend”?

a) Disavow
b) Refute
c) To restrict
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Contend is to engage in a contest or to state something as a reason in
support of or against something under consideration.
None of the given options reflect this, hence option d is the correct
answer.
RC 15
Pandemic life is lived in the cloud. Work, school, and dating have been
virtualized by Zoom calls and instant messages. Friends share meals or
moments via Instagram and badly lit webcam video.
Out of view, the logged-on life requires many more photons and
electrons to zip through precision-engineered glass and silicon inside
data centers. As the global economy reels and layoffs soar, companies
that build or operate the physical underpinnings of online existence are
doing healthy business.
Amazon and Microsoft, the world’s largest cloud providers, are two of
the biggest beneficiaries of reality being virtualized. Telehealth provider
Amwell, an Amazon cloud customer, has seen video health visits
increase more than tenfold due to Covid-19, serving as many as 45,000
per day. That new demand has sharpened the appetite for chips, disks,
and networking gear—the physical components that power the cloud.
Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Amy Hood, told investors last month
that the company expects to spend more on cloud computing
infrastructure due to increased demand spurred by Covid-19.
Catie Merrill, who tracks the cloud industry at analyst firm TBR, says all
the leading cloud providers will likely splurge on hardware this year. “My
sense is that they are going to increase that spend a lot to accommodate
new demand,” she says. The trend will likely continue even as countries
reopen, she says, because companies that already planned to shift more
systems into the cloud are accelerating those plans. That’s helping
designers and makers of semiconductors, whose innovations
now underpin much of modern life. Nvidia, a maker of high-performance
computer chips, is worth more than ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, or Disney.
Results from chip maker Nvidia, due Thursday, may confirm the power
of the pandemic cloud stimulus. Analysts expect Nvidia's revenue to
increase 35 percent from the same period a year ago, and its profit to
more than double. Nvidia’s stock is near an all-time high, valuing the
company at $220 billion, more than ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, or Disney.
Other signals suggest that even amid a global economic contraction, the
chip industry feels secure enough to maintain long-term investments.
The CEO of ASML, a top supplier of the hyper-precise and expensive
manufacturing gear used in chip fabs, told investors last month that
demand was unchanged and that no one had cancelled or delayed
purchases.
Geopolitics may cloud the cloud boom. This month the US government
levied new export restrictions on chip sales to Chinese mobile
technology company Huawei. That threatens up to 20 percent of the
revenue of Taiwan’s TSMC, according to Bernstein Research. TSMC is the
world’s largest contract chip manufacturer; its other clients include
Nvidia and AMD, which makes server chips that compete with Intel’s.
The Semiconductor Industry Association, which represents America’s
chip companies, warned that the restrictions may hurt US companies
that sell into China because Chinese firms will source components
domestically.
Talking about disentangling the US and Chinese tech ecosystems is a lot
easier than doing it, though. “I don't think this will become an issue
long-term,” says Patrick Moorhead, who follows semiconductors at
Moor Insights & Strategy. “China and the US need each other and are, I
believe, symbiotic.”
1. What does the author mean by “Geopolitics may cloud the cloud
boom”?
a) The cloud boom may be short lived as when the world restarts again,
the cloud services will again fall off the demand it is enjoying.
b) The export restrictions from the united states on china may
undermine the otherwise growing cloud market.
c) The deterioration of the symbiotic relationship between the United
States and China may reduce the growing demand of the cloud services.
d) The retaliation between the United states and China may hamper the
growth of the computer service sector.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
According to the passage the threat to the booming cloud industry is
because of the geopolitical tensions as the US levied new export
restrictions on a Chinese company. Other than this the author does not
feel that there will be any threat as the services are bound to rise with
more companies shifting there systems on cloud.
Option a can be eliminated easily as it does not talk about the geopolitics
and is factually wrong, as the demand may increase.
Option b can be eliminated. The tension in the geopolitical environment
is not just because of single entity i.e. the US. The US started this by
imposing a new restriction but in response China has also warned the US,
thus they both are option for the retaliatory measures against the other.
It is not just that the US’ measures will harm the growth of the cloud
service market. Thus option b can be eliminated.
Option c is distorted. Patrick Moorhead feels that the relationship of the
US and China is symbiotic. Now there symbiotic relationship may not
have deteriorated, as the US may still need china and vice versa. Rather
what’s happening is an ongoing tug of war, the US imposes new
restrictions and they warn in retaliation. Thus this option can be
eliminated, but should be kept until we are able to find a better option.
Option d is an apt fit to be the answer. The Us and China both are have
some troubles and this may potentially impact the growth of the cloud
service sector. Hence option d is the correct answer.

a) To elucidate that the cloud services may save the economy in the
crises times.
b) To reason to why the geopolitics can impact the propagation of the
could services.
c) To make case for a service that is growing in demand: the cloud
services, because of Covid-19.
d) To highlight how the pandemic may change the cloud industry’s
revenue forever.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
The passage is primarily about the growing usage of the cloud services
amidst the pandemic.
Options a and d can be easily eliminated.
Option b can also be eliminated as it is a part of the passage, this cannot
be regarded as the primary purpose of the passage.
Option c is the apt fit. As the passage is about the growing usage of the
cloud services. Hence option c is the correct answer.
3. All of the following statements are not true from the passage
EXCEPT?
a) The cloud service providers are in a stable condition despite the
economic slowdown.
b) Life has not changed much amid the pandemic, thanks to the cloud
services.
c) Nvidia’s profit has increased about 35 % from the same period a year
ago.
d) The US and China’s relationship has grown because of the improved
demand.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
We need to find the option which is true from the passage.
Option a is the easy pick. The demand for their services are increasing
and even during the pandemic, no one has delayed or cancelled their
orders. Hence option a is true.
Option b is not true. refer to the first para, most of the things are now
online, thus the life has changed a lot.
Option c is factually inverted. It’s the revenue of Nvidia that has grown
35% not their profits.
Option d can be easily eliminated.
4. To which of the following “that” in the sentence “That’s helping

designers and makers of semiconductors, whose innovations
now underpin much of modern life” refer to?
a) The companies which are shifting their systems on cloud.
b) The surge in the demand for the cloud networks.
c) The increase in the hardware demand.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
Refer to para 3 and para 4. Para 3 suggests the growing demand for the
services and the para 4 continues this thought. Now, “that” refers to the
surge in the demand for such services which is helping its creators. And
the demand will not go down even after the pandemic because the
companies have planned to shift more of their systems on the cloud, thus
this upsurge is helping the creators of the cloud services.
Hence option b is the correct answer. Option a can be encapsulated in
option b. Option b is the reason to why the demand will not decrease,
but primarily what is helping is the growth in demand. Hence option a
can be eliminated.
Option c can be easily eliminated.
5. What could be a possible title for the passage?

a) On earth, the economy is tanking, in the cloud it’s fine.
b) Semiconductors- the new building block of life.
c) Clouds are raining money on their creators.
d) New world is on the cloud.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Option c can also be eliminated as the passage is not about the profits
that the cloud services are providing to their companies. Thus it doesn’t
suit the passage.
Option d can also be eliminated, though closely. The passage is not about
the shift of the world to the cloud. If this were the title of the passage,
then the passage would have explored how the new world may look or
work on the cloud, but the passage is about the growing usage of the
cloud services, and hence option d can be eliminated.
Option a is an apt title for the passage. the world economy is tanking
because of the pandemic but the for the cloud service providers, it’s a
reverse situation. Thus option a is the best possible title for the passage
among the given options.
RC 16
In the fall of 1918, as influenza spread across the globe and the world
clamoured for a cure, the price of lemons skyrocketed. From Rome to Rio
to Boston, residents desperate for any small measure of protection
hoarded the yellow fruit, which was said to be both a prophylactic and a
remedy for the deadly virus.
Hot lemonade was an old folk remedy for the grippe, and even though
doctors knew it would not stop the Spanish flu, the soothing sugary liquid
could at least keep the afflicted hydrated. The newer fad of sucking the
bracing juice straight from the fruit was harder to justify, but that did
nothing to stop its spread.
Life in the upstart lemon business wasn’t easy. The fragrant orange
groves that blanketed Southern California had been a part of the
landscape for several generations, but commercial lemon farming hadn’t
taken root until the turn of the century, and growers were still learning to
cultivate the delicate fruit. Worse for the farmers was the prospect of a
successful harvest. Each spring, more of the saplings planted across
40,000 acres reached maturity and began producing citrus. Within just a
few years, the lemon yield would double, but consumer demand was on
the decline. Americans had little use for these sour things.
Francisco had started working for the farming cooperative—better
known by its brand name, Sunkist—as a fruit examiner in 1914. Now the
27 year old was the Exchange’s advertising manager, and he was already
a legend in the citrus industry: Francisco had invented orange juice.
Lemons were a challenge, the usually cheerful Francisco warned. “With

lemons, an appeal to the appetite is difficult,” he said. Everything
changed in September 1918 when news broke of an epidemic ravaging,
first, the Commonwealth Pier barracks in Boston, then the city, the state,
and the country. By late that month, more than 1,000 people had died of
the Spanish flu in Boston alone.
The telegram first arrived at Sunkist’s sales office in Los Angeles: The East
Coast needed lemons. The arrival of cheaper, Sicilian imports had been
slowed by the war, and America’s new go-to citrus, the orange, had
suffered a poor growing season. Demand for the little-used lemon was
high and supplies were low. In Boston, wholesale prices had more than
doubled in a month. Meanwhile in California, leafy lemon trees, finally
recovered from the sweltering 1917 season, were heavy with fruit.
Countless home remedies emerged as Americans grappled with the
disease but only the lemon had the advertising know-how of Don
Francisco behind it.
Within an hour of the telegram’s arrival, Sunkist’s long-planned
marketing campaign was tossed aside in favor of an unusual ad, wired to
149 newspapers. “A direct appeal to use lemons might have aroused
resentment and disapproval,” the cooperative’s newsletter, edited by
Francisco, explained. Instead, the austere advertisement offered
“precautions against colds and the grippe”: “Avoid crowds,” “take
adequate exercises,” “get plenty of sleep,” “keep your feet dry and
warm,” and, oh yes, “drink one or two glasses of hot lemonade.” The
public-service announcement, which never mentioned the Sunkist brand,
reached an estimated 22 million people in October. That month total

sales of the individually tissue-wrapped, logo-stamped California fruits
rose 80 percent.
By December 1918, the danger of the disease had seemingly passed, and
the lemon frenzy subsided. But the combination of panic and marketing
genius had given lemons a permanent place in the American pantry.
1. Which of the following was the primary reason for the spike in the
lemon sales?
a) Lemons were seen as a remedy for the influenza outbreak.
b) Genius marketing by Don Francisco.
c) The lack of supply of oranges because of war.
d) It kept people hydrated in the influenza outbreak.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Lemon sales primarily spiked because lemons were seen as a remedy for
the deadly virus and people wanted to do everything they could to be
protected against this outbreak. Thus option a is the correct answer.
Marketing by Don Francisco played a crucial role in the spike of the
lemon sales but the primary reason for the spike was the lemons being
seen as a remedy for the influenza. Thus option b can be eliminated.
Option c can be eliminated. Lack of oranges was a also a reason but it
cannot be attributed as the primary reason for the increase in the lemon
consumption.
2. Americans did not use lemons for all of the following reasons
EXCEPT?
a) It was not cultivated in America in larger quantities.
b) They already used Orange.
c) Americans did not have any use for the lemons.
d) Harvest of lemon was not often successful.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Option a is true. Since lemons were not cultivated, it was not popularized
in America and few people consumed it.
The oranges were consumed to a large extent in southern California and
thus the need for lemons were low.
Option c is also true. Refer to the lines “. Americans had little use for
these sour things.”
Failed harvest was a recent phenomenon and cannot be attributed to the
less consumption of lemons as lemons have recently begun to cultivate.
Thus option d is the correct answer.

a) Lemons were the remedy for the influenza.
b) Despite the lemonade being difficult to make, it still popularized.
c) The lemon sales declined after the influenza outbreak.
d) Lemons, after the influenza outbreak permanently replaced the
oranges.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Option a is not true. Lemons were seen as the remedy for the Spanish flu.
However it was not the remedy.
Option b is nowhere mentioned in the passage and can be easily
eliminated.
Option c is true. Refer to the lines “By December 1918, the danger of the
disease had seemingly passed, and the lemon frenzy subsided”, thus the
lemon sales decreased the influenza outbreak.
Option d can be easily eliminated as nothing is said about the
replacement of oranges with lemons.
4. What is the purpose of the second para?

a) To highlight how the lemons spread across the country despite not
being the remedy for the virus.
b) To highlight that lemonade was not the remedy for the flu.
c) To highlight how the doctors did not intervene to prevent the
consumption of lemons amid the influenza spread.
d) To highlight that the propagation of lemons was hard to control once
it became the remedy for the influenza.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
This can be a bit tricky. The passage is about how the lemons popularized
amid the influenza outbreak. The second para highlights that though the
lemons were not the remedy for the flu, which the doctors knew, still
they did not prevent its spread.
Options b and d can be easily eliminated.
Options a and d are close. However refer to the option a, it states “ to
highlight how the lemons spread across the country” however the
passage did not highlight how the lemons spread rather it highlights that
how the doctors chose not to intervene as they felt it will at least keep
the afflicted hydrated. Thus option a can be eliminated and option c is
the correct answer.
5. Which of the following cannot be the title for the passage?

a) Influenza pandemic popularized lemons
b) Don Francisco’s marketing strategy contributed to the popularity of
lemons amid the influenza outbreak.
c) Combination of panic and marketing gave lemons a permanent place
in the American pantry.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
All of the options can be suitable for the title of the passage. The passage
is about how the pandemic popularized lemons. Don Francisco had a
major role in increasing the popularity of the lemons. Thus all the options
are suitable to be the title for the passage. Hence option d is the correct
answer.
RC 17
Maps shape our understanding of the world – and in an increasingly
interconnected and global economy, this geographic knowledge is more
important than ever.
The funny thing is, almost everyone actually has a skewed perception of
the true size of countries thanks to a cartographic technique called the
Mercator projection. Used just about everywhere, from textbooks to
Google Maps, the Mercator projection map is the way most of humanity
recognizes the position and size of Earth’s continents.
In 1569, the great cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, created a
revolutionary new map based on a cylindrical projection. The new map
was well-suited to nautical navigation since every line on the sphere is a
constant course, or loxodrome. In modern times, this is particularly useful
since the Earth can be depicted as seamless in online mapping
applications.
That said, the true sizes of landmasses become increasingly distorted the
further away from the equator they get. Mercator’s map inadvertently
pumps up the sizes of Europe and North America. Visually speaking,
Canada and Russia appear to take up approximately 25% of the Earth’s
landmass, when in reality they occupy a mere 5%. When Antarctica is
excluded (as it often is), Canada and Russia’s visual share of landmass
jumps to about 40%!
Canada is the second largest country in the world, but not by much.
Africa, South Asia, and South America all appear much smaller in relation
to countries further from the equator. Greenland is the world’s largest
island, but looking at its hyper-exaggerated depiction in the map, you’d
be forgiven for wondering why it isn’t a stand-alone continent. In reality,
Greenland is about fourteen times smaller than Africa.
Though Mercator’s map was never intended for use as the default wall
map in schools around the world, it has shaped the worldviews of billions
of people. Critics of the map – and similar projections – suggest that
distortion reinforces a sense of colonialist superiority. As well, the
amount of territory a country occupies is often correlated with power

and access to natural resources, and map distortions can have the effect
of inadvertently diminishing nations closer to the equator. A prime
example of this argument is the “True Size of Africa” graphic, which
demonstrated to millions of people just how big the continent is.
Growing awareness of map distortion is translating into concrete change.
Boston public schools, for example, recently switched to the Gall-Peters
projection, which more accurately depicts the true size of landmasses.
Using a new map-making method called AuthaGraph, Japanese architect,
Hajime Narukawa, may have created the most accurate map of the world
yet. AuthaGraph divides the globe into 96 triangles, transfers them to a
tetrahedron and unfolds into a rectangle.
The end result? Landmasses and seas are more accurately proportioned
than in traditional projections.
The biggest downfall of the AuthaGraph map is that longitude and
latitude lines are no longer a tidy grid. As well, continents on the map are
repositioned in a way that will be unfamiliar to a population that is
already geographically challenged.
That said, depicting our round world on a flat surface will always come
with some trade-offs. As demand grows for a true equal-area map, it will
be exciting to see what the next generation of map projections have to
offer.

a) To show the fallacy in Mercator’s map
b) To highlight how the Mercator’s map was biased towards countries
close to equator
c) To give a brief about the problems with our maps
d) To highlight that there will always be a trade-off on the flat surfaces
depicting our round world.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
The passage primarily talks about our understanding of the world
according to the map is not correct because the maps distort something
or the other. Like Mercator’s map enlarged the countries near equator.
Thus the passage highlights the problems with our maps. Thus option b is
the correct answer.
Option a is not true. the primary purpose of passage is not to critise or
find fault in the mercator’s map. He was talking about maps in general
but as mercator’s map is widely used, thus it is used as a reference.
Hence option a is not true.
Option b is also not what the passage primarily wishes to talk about.
Option d is also not true. The passage is not about a trade-off that comes
along with the depiction on a paper of sheet. It’s about the faults in the
maps.
2. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

a) AuthaGraph’s map is an equal area map.
b) Our understanding of the sizes of the landmasses is not accurate.
c) The traditional maps may have been influenced by colonial
superpowers.
d) African continent was also a colonial superpower but away from
equator.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the passage. Refer to the line “Using a new
map-making method called AuthaGraph, Japanese architect, Hajime
Narukawa, may have created the most accurate map of the world yet.”
And “Landmasses and seas are more accurately proportioned than in
traditional projections.” From here we can infer that this map had equal
proportions of landscape.
Option b can be inferred. Refer to the lines “The funny thing is, almost
everyone actually has a skewed perception of the true size of countries
thanks to a cartographic technique called the Mercator projection”
Option c can also be inferred from the passage.
Option d can be partially inferred from the passage. Africa, in traditional
maps was shown with a smaller landscape, which implies that it would
have been far from the equator as the lands away from equator were
shown smaller. However, it being a colonial super power is out of the
scope from the passage. Thus option d is the correct option.
3. What could have been a possible reason for the distortion in

Mercator’s map?
a) The use of cylindrical projections.
b) The distortions helped to highlight the colonial superiority.
c) It aimed to distort the nations not close to equator.
d) To highlight the land masses of Canada and Russia.
Answer- A)
Explanation:
Options c and d can be eliminated.
Refer to the lines “the great cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, created a
revolutionary new map based on a cylindrical projection.” and “the true
sizes of landmasses become increasingly distorted the further away from
the equator they get. Mercator’s map inadvertently pumps up the sizes
of Europe and North America.”
“Critics of the map – and similar projections – suggest that distortion
reinforces a sense of colonialist superiority.”
Option b cannot be the answer. it is the opinion of some critics.
The possible reason for distortion has to the method by which he created
the map. And it is explicitly mentioned in the passage that it
inadvertently-accidently pumps the sizes of Europe. Thus asserting that it
was because to show colonial superiority may not be the reason for the
distortion of map. Thus option a is the best answer.
4. The primary reason why there are distortions in the maps is?
a) Different methods used to create maps have different fallacies.
b) The depiction of spherical world on a 2-d plane.
c) Vested interest of some cartographers to glorify their preferred
regions.
d) The latitude and longitude grid is hard to adjust correctly leading to
distortions.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
Option is not true. although this might be correct but in general the
reason author states is different.
refer to the lines “depicting our round world on a flat surface will always
come with some trade-offs.”
Thus the main challenge is to depit a 3-d figure on a 2-d object. This does
let to the compromise in some fashion or the other. Thus option b should
be the correct answer.
5. All of the following is the limitation of AuthaGraph’s map EXCEPT

a) The lines of latitude and longitude are no longer an organized grid.
b) Countries are more proportioned according to their projections.
c) The continents on the map have been repositioned.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
AuthaGraph’s map is the map of equal area. It depicts the
continents/countries in proportion to their landmasses at the cost of
their reshifting and and not-so-tidy grid of latitude and longitude. Thus
option b is true as it shows the feature of the map.
RC 18
The first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center suggests that greater sedentary behaviour
independently predicts an increased risk of cancer mortality.
This study involved a nationally representative cohort of 8,002 black and
white adults over the age of 45 who participated in the Reasons for
Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS)
study. REGARDS is an ongoing nationwide study sponsored by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) that enrolled 30,239 racially diverse
participants from the continental United States between 2003-2007.
The REGARDS homepage states: "For over a decade, the study has
followed its participants to understand why Southerners and Black
Americans have higher rates of stroke and related diseases that affect
brain health, including vascular contributions to cognitive impairment
and dementia (VCID)."
The most recent five-year follow-up analysis of a possible link between
sedentary behaviour and cancer mortality among a cohort of REGARDS
study participants was performed from April 18, 2019 to April 21, 2020.
This recent data analysis (2020) of sedentary time vs. daily physical
activity in relation to cancer mortality risk is based on accelerometer data
collected between 2009 and 2013.
For this study, over eight thousand REGARDS participants—who did not
have any type of cancer diagnosis when they enrolled in the study—
agreed to wear a hip-mounted accelerometer that monitored sedentary
time, light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), and moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity (MVPA) during waking hours for seven consecutive days.
Over the course of this longitudinal study, 268 participants died of
cancer.
The key finding of this research is that the most sedentary individuals in
the REGARDS cohort had an 82 percent higher risk of cancer mortality in
comparison to the most physically active study participants.
Nevertheless, based on these findings, the researchers speculate that
replacing sedentary time with either light-intensity physical activity (e.g.,
casual walking) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (e.g., jogging,
riding a stationary bicycle) may significantly reduce cancer mortality risk.
1. How can the odds of death by cancer be mitigated?

a) By engaging in deskbound behaviour.
b) By living indolent life.
c) By performing physical activities.
d) By indulging in lethargic activities.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
It’s an easy pick. The passage links sedentary behaviour to the risk of
cancer mortality. The author suggests that to counter it, we should do
physical activities. Thus option c is the correct answer.

a) Engaging in physical activities can eliminate the chance of having
cancer.
b) Mortality rate of cancer is higher than any other disease.
c) Geographic location can play an important role in the cancer
mortality.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Engaging in physical activity can reduce the chances of dying from cancer
rather than having cancer, thus option a is not true.
Option a is nowhere mentioned in the passage and hence can be
eliminated.
Refer to the lines “"For over a decade, the study has followed its
participants to understand why Southerners and Black Americans have
higher rates of stroke and related diseases that affect brain health,
including vascular contributions to cognitive impairment
and dementia (VCID)."” Thus the previous studies have linked cancer to
location and ethnicity. Thus option c is true according to the passage.
3. Which of the following cannot be the title for the passage?

a) Staying active may reduce your risk of dying from cancer.
b) Sedentary behaviour may increase your chances of dying from
cancer.
c) Your sedentary behaviour may be behind the cancer mortality.
d) Stay active to reduce your risk of getting cancer.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage links the mortality from cancer to the sedentary lifestyle.
Options a, b, and c all can be titles of the passage. Option d, however, is
inappropriate as it mentions the reduction in the risk of getting cancer,
whereas the passage is about the reduction in the mortality rate if one
does not indulge in sedentary lifestyle. Hence option d is the correct
answer.
RC 19
It’s hard not to like a scientific paper that kicks off by quoting from
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s seminal 1810 book Zur Farbenlehre –
translated into English in 1840 as Theory of Colours.
Goethe’s book considers how colour is perceived, a matter of central
importance to a joint German/Austrian team’s new study published in
the journal PLOS ONE.
They quote Goethe thus: “The colours on the plus side are yellow, red-
yellow (orange), yellow-red (minium, cinnabar). The feelings they excite
are quick, lively, aspiring.”
Goethe promotes the idea that colour is central to art – “subservient to
the highest aesthetical ends”.
The research team considered the idea that simple visual elements – such
as colours and lines – have had specific, universal associations (for
example, red being a “warm” colour) for such a long time that they
appear to be intuitive.
Such associations have formed a basis for the description of artworks
since the 18th century and are still fundamental to discourses on art
today, they contend in the paper.
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“Art historians might describe a painting where red is dominant as

‘warm’, ‘aggressive’, or ‘lively’, with the tacit assumption that beholders
would universally associate the works’ certain key forms with specific
qualities, or ‘aesthetic effects’.”
“However, is this actually the case? Do we actually share similar
responses to the same line or colour?”
The researchers tested whether, and to what extent, this assumption of
sharing of perceived qualities (universality) is justified.
They exposed study participants to both abstract artworks and single
elements – lines and colours – extracted from the artworks and asked
participants to rate their response on 14 “aesthetic effect” scales derived
from art, literature and empirical aesthetics.
They examined which of the 14 aesthetic effects prompted agreement,
and also investigated the influence of art expertise, by comparing
responses from art historians with those from lay people.
In news sure to thrill art snobs across the globe, the team found that we
really don’t have universal associations with colours or lines. It seems we
all just experience art in our own way.
Of the 14 aesthetic effects, the study participants only agreed on three –
“warm-cold”, “heavy-light”, and “happy-sad”. The researchers found that
art expertise did not play a significant role in how the answers were
spread, and were especially low on empirical aesthetics such as a “like-
dislike” scale.
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1. Artwork cannot be interpreted correctly for which of the following

reasons?
a) Lack of familiarity with the art.
b) Lack of art expertise.
c) Lack of universal association of art signs.
d) Familiarity of people with only 3 art signs.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “the team found that we really don’t have universal
associations with colours or lines. It seems we all just experience art in
our own way.” This implies that there are no universal signs to interpret
art and thus we tend to do it in our own ways.
This is reflected in option c.
2. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

i) Yellow is an aggressive colour.
ii) Red is a dominant colour.
iii) Creators of the art though that colours will universally represent the
same meaning.
a) Only ii
b) Only ii and iii
c) Only i and iii
d) i, ii, and iii
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Answer- B)
Explanation:
Yellow is not an aggressive colour.
Red is a dominant colour.
Third point is true. Refer to the lines “Art historians might describe a
painting where red is dominant as ‘warm’, ‘aggressive’, or ‘lively’, with
the tacit assumption that beholders would universally associate the
works’ certain key forms with specific qualities, or ‘aesthetic effects’.””
Thus option b is the correct answer.
3. The conclusion of the study conducted by the researchers is?

a) People are not able to interpret the artwork based on their aesthetic
qualities.
b) The universal signs may not be as universal as previously thought.
c) People followed the low empirical scale to judge the artwork.
Answer- B)
Explanation:
The conclusion of the study was that it negated the previous thought that
there are some universal association of colours and lines in an art. People
do seem to enjoy art in there own way.
Option a is distorted and can be easily eliminated.
Option b is reflects the above explanation and is the answer to the
question.
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Option c, though correct, is a minor conclusion and can be eliminated for

option b.
Thus option b is the correct answer.
4. What does “subservient” mean?

a) Sycophantic
b) Partially served
c) Submissive
d) Easily manipulated
Answer- C)
Explanation:
Subservient is willing to obey someone.
Option c is thus the best option.
Options a and b can be easily eliminated.
Easily manipulated is differed from being submissive. Thus option d can
be eliminated.
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RC 20
Doping refers to the use of banned substances in competitive sports. It
refers to the usage of Performance Enhancement Drugs (PED). Use of
PEDs were banned because they provide added advantages to the doper.
However in a field like sports where the winner takes it all and the
margins are so fine, shouldn’t we consider that the advantage a person
wishes, be allowed? After all these substances have been used in some
sports since we know the sports itself. Take for example cycling, the
immediate name that comes to mind is Lance Armstrong whose seven
Tour de France titles were stripped from him, as he was found taking
such drugs.
PEDs provide an added advantage so they were banned, although they
have some health implications as well. But when we talk about
advantage, there are some natural conditions in which a person is born,
that too provides an advantage. Take for example Jamaicans. They are
gifted when it comes to running. The world’s fastest athletes are from
there. Thus why shouldn’t others have a fair chance to compete against
the natural selection? Why can’t everyone be allowed to have advantage,
so that everyone becomes equal. Wouldn’t it be more fair?
Apart from that these drugs pushes the person to give their all. Isn’t that
what sports is all about. To go and express your best version and win it
all. These drugs enable a person to push. We all do want to see the
energy and enthusiasm at its peak during a game.
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Apart from that, considering the advancements in technology, we have

become impatient. Can you work in a 3G network? Well, maybe not, or
reluctantly. So in such changing scenarios can we prefer to look at a dull
basketball game? No, we cannot. Then why not do we allow doping in
sports. We have certainly tried to ban it, but it hasn’t stopped players
from taking such drugs. The rewards are high enough to over-shadow the
consequences. So we can definitely try allowing doping.
But it does have health implications. What about that? Well, doping
when done in a controlled manner, does not affect your health. And with
the advancements in the technology we have antidotes available as well.
We are not animals which can be controlled by a jockey. We train and
develop and reach at the highest level by determination and hard work.
In such scenarios, before facing the highest level of competition, all we
need is an extra push, that push enhances you to perform at the best
level. And if everyone is allowed to have an advantage then the
competition emerging from it is what sports is all about. Thus, the
athletes should be allowed to use the enhancers for the betterment of
sports itself, as the sports may be on its highest peak, in terms of the
intensity and this is certainly the point where we expect more.
We all take boosters in some form or the other. But it is in a controlled
manner. So can it be in sports as well.
So when you take an extra cup of coffee to work overnight, think about
why can’t the athletes have their caffeine.
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1. Which of the following additional statement would not negate the

author’s proposal?
a) We may even get bored of the high intensity games.
b) Regulation of the drugs becomes tough with so many athletes
around.
c) Competition against the natural selection will only be their when the
players are allowed to take the boosters.
d) The extra push may be good for some time but in the longer run, we
may miss the old sports.
Answer- C)
Explanation:
The author proposes to legalize the PEDs and gives several reasons to
why it should be legalized.
Only option c is in line with the author’s proposal. Rest of the options
argue against the proposal. Hence option c is the correct answer.
2. All of the following are the reasons for which the author suggests the
legalizing of boosters in sports EXCEPT?
a) Their ban has not served its purpose.
b) It will be a fair competition.
c) The games will be more intense.
d) It can act as boosters which a player needs before the game.
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Answer- A)
Explanation:
Options b, c, and d are clearly mentioned in the passage by the author to
support his argument.
Option a, however, is not the reason for which the author suggests that
the PEDs should be allowed. The ban has not served its purpose doesn’t
mean that we legalize the drugs. Hence option a is the correct answer.
3. How the sports could benefit from legalizing the PED?

a) The games will be more intense.
b) There will be a fair competition in sports which are played by single
players.
c) The crowds will enjoy the high intensity games.
Answer- D)
Explanation:
The passage clearly mentions all the options as the benefits from
legalizing PED.
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Practice Questions
RC 1
Learning a new language is a lot like entering a new relationship. Some
will become fast friends. Others will hook their arms and march right out
of your memory on the last day of school. And then sometimes, whether
by mere chance or as a consequence of a lifelong odyssey, some
languages will lead you to the brink of love.
Those are the languages that will consume you, as you do everything to
make them yours. You dissect syntax structures. You fill notebooks with
rivers of new letters. The sentences taste fragrant, even as they tumble
awkwardly from your mouth like bricks built of foreign symbols. Verbs
after adverbs, nouns after pronouns, your relations deepen. Yet, the
closer you get, the more aware you become of the mirage-like void
between you. But you have no fear, since the path to your beloved
gleams with curiosity and wonder that is almost urgent. What truths will
you uncover amid the new letters and the new sounds? About the world?
About yourself?
As with all relationships, the euphoria wears off eventually. Your accent is
incorrigible. Your mistakes are inescapable. The rules are endless, as are
the exceptions. You have wandered too far from home to turn back now.
You feel committed and vulnerable, trusting of their benevolence. On the
occasion of your renewed vows, the language comes bearing gifts of
inspiration and connection – not only to new others, but to a new you.
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Many renowned writers have revelled in the gifts of their non-native

tongues. Vladimir Nabokov, for instance, had been living in the United
States for only a few years before he wrote Lolita (1955): a work that has
been hailed as ‘a polyglot’s love letter to language’ and had him called a
‘master of English prose’. The Irishman Samuel Beckett wrote in French
to escape the clutter of English. This distance, observes the Turkish
novelist Elif Shafak of writing in her non-native English, leads her closer to
home.
When Haruki Murakami sat at his kitchen table to write his first novel, he
felt like his native Japanese was getting in the way. Then he tried writing
in English, with limited vocabulary and simple syntax at his hands. As he
translated his compact English sentences ‘stripped of all extraneous fat’
into Japanese, a distinctly unadorned style was born that decades later
became synonymous with his worldwide success.
The truth is that entering an intimate relationship with a new language
often colours everything including the way we read and write our native
language. Our eyes expect the new words. Our pens memorise the new
letters. While the infatuation takes over our senses, the language’s
anatomy etches into our brains. Neural pathways are laid, connections
are formed. Brain networks integrate. Grey matter becomes denser,
white matter gets strengthened.
Linguists call this ‘second language interference’, when the new language
interferes with the old language, like a new lover rearranging the
furniture of your bedroom, as if to say – this is how things will be done
around here from now on. Somehow, writing exposes this interference
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more than speaking ever could. Affairs of the heart rarely leave any
witnesses untouched, including our mother tongues.
1. What does the author mean by “Yet, the closer you get, the more
aware you become of the mirage-like void between you.” (para 2)
a) The more you delve deeper into learning a new language, the more
shallow it occurs to be.
b) The more you learn the language, the more you realize of the void of
knowledge that exist, which may take long to traverse.
c) The more we get closer to finishing a language, the more the void
increases.
d) The more you get closer to learning a language, the more you realize
the subtle nuances surrounding the language.
2. Second language interference, as understood from the passage is

best described as?
a) Changes in a person caused because of a new language.
b) When the two languages mesh to crumble your thoughts.
c) Changes in the first language caused by the intervention of the new
language.
d) Changes caused by learning a new language which results in the new
language taking over the previous one.
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3. What does the author mean by the last sentence of the passage?
a) The close affairs changes everything including our dominant
language.
b) The learning of a new language changes everything including the
dominant language.
c) When a new language is close to the heart, it affects your mother
tongue.
4. What is the purpose of the third para of the passage?

a) To highlight that in a new relationship or while learning a new
language, it not always sunshine and happiness.
b) To show that as soon as the relationship or learning of a new
language progresses, the outer glitters lose their shine and you start
changing fundamentally.
c) To show that the initial euphoria wears off after some time while
learning a new language or in a being in a new language.
d) To highlight that a new relationship or a new language changes a
person from the core.
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5. All of the following is true from the passage EXCEPT?

a) Some new languages remain with you for a very short term.
b) Writing affects a interference of the second language in a deeper way
than speaking.
c) Learning a new language affects your brain.
RC2
Emerging markets have long resented quantitative easing (qe). When
America’s Federal Reserve began its third round of asset purchases in
2012, Guido Mantega, then Brazil’s finance minister, accused it of starting
a “currency war”. In 2013 Raghuram Rajan, then the chief economic
adviser to India’s government, expressed his displeasure in the manner of
Winston Churchill: “Never in the field of economic policy has so much
been spent, with so little evidence, by so few.”
In response to the covid-19 pandemic, much is being spent again. But not
by so few. The central banks of America, the euro area, Britain and Japan
are set to buy $6trn-worth of assets between them this year, according to
Fitch, a rating agency, three times what they bought in 2013, the
previous peak. And emerging markets are no longer grumbling on the
sidelines. Monetary authorities in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Romania, South Africa and Turkey have
prepared or begun purchases of bonds of various kinds. Still more are
contemplating it. Even in Brazil, congress has passed what it calls the
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“war budget” law, amending the constitution to give the central bank
more freedom to buy government bonds and other assets during this
crisis.
The scale of emerging-market purchases is small so far in comparison
with the Churchillian appetites of central banks in the rich world. Bank
Indonesia, which already owns about 15% of tradable government bonds,
may end up adding significantly to its holdings. The National Bank of
Poland could end up owning bonds worth about 8.7% of gdp, according
to ubs, a bank, if it buys all of the additional debt required to finance the
country’s stimulus plan. But no other central bank is poised to buy bonds
worth more than 5% of gdp, ubs calculates. By comparison, the Federal
Reserve already held Treasuries equivalent to about 10% of gdp at the
start of 2020, and is expected to roughly double that percentage over the
course of the year.
Critics nonetheless worry that qe is both more dangerous and less
necessary in emerging markets than it is elsewhere. It imperils the hard-
won independence of monetary authorities that have struggled in the
past to keep their distance from big-spending politicians. Brazil’s
constitutional limits on the central bank, for example, reflect its history of
hyperinflation, when governments resorted to the printing press to
finance their populism. And although inflation is now firmly under control
in most big emerging markets, many of these countries still worry that
monetary indiscipline can lead to destabilising runs on their currency.
Qe is also, surely, less needed in the emerging world. In Chile and Peru
benchmark interest rates are already about as low as they can go. But in
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most of their peers, central banks still have room to ease monetary policy
by conventional means. In Indonesia and South Africa, for instance, the
policy interest rate is still over 4%.
Why then are central banks pressing ahead? They believe their bond
purchases serve a distinct purpose. They are neither an unconventional
way to lower borrowing costs nor an illicit one to finance the
government. The aim instead is to stabilize financial markets. In Brazil the
president of the central bank says its bond purchases will resemble
foreign-exchange intervention. It will not try to peg bond yields any more
than it pegs the real. But it will try to smooth out jumps. The South
African Reserve Bank says that its purchases are not meant “to stimulate
demand”, but to ensure a “smoothly functioning market”.
In some quarters qe is still a tainted term, associated either with
mercantilism, as a weapon in a currency war, or monetary adventurism.
But the stigma is fading. Indeed some central banks now say they are
doing qe even when they aren’t. The Bank of Korea, for example, has
resolved to buy unlimited amounts of bonds from financial institutions
that promise to repurchase them after three months. These “repo”
operations amount to collateralised loans, not outright purchases. Few
economists would describe them as qe. But far from resisting the term,
the Bank of Korea has embraced it. Never in the field of central banking
have so many worried so little about buying so much. (IIFT pattern)
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1. Qe as understood from the passage can be best described as?

a) Central banks act of buying long term securities.
b) Central banks acts of spending to reduce the demand for money.
c) Central banks act of buying securities to increase the money supply in
the economy.
d) Central banks act of printing money and distributing it in the
economy.
2. Why emerging markets worry about Qe?

a) It can destabilize the market currency.
b) It can increase the borrowing costs.
c) Because it is not necessary in the emerging markets.
d) It can lead to hyperinflation.
3. Why are central banks of the emerging markets are not holding back
in the buying bonds now?
a) To lower the borrowing costs.
b) To finance the government.
c) To ensure the smooth functioning of the markets.
d) To prevent the destabilizing of the currency.
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4. What does the author mean by “But the stigma is fading”?

a) The fiscal prudence shown by the emerging markets no longer exists.
b) Qe’s is being used more commonly in the non-traditional ways.
c) Emerging markets are using Qe against currency wars.
d) Qe’s traditional usage is faltering for the new fiscal measures.
RC3
The idea is now commonplace that income inequality is inexorably on the
rise. The US experience in particular has become central to a new grand
narrative prominent in public debate and taken to apply across rich
countries: globalisation and technological change have polarised society
into a small elite with highly paid, secure jobs on one side, and on the
other side are growing numbers of people, including an increasingly
“squeezed” middle class, in insecure, poorly-paid work.
This growing inequality is held responsible for a wide range of social and
political ills. Not least the erosion of solidarity, social trust and faith in
democratic institutions. And, politically, it caused the election of Donald
Trump, the UK’s Brexit vote, and the broad rise of populism seen as
threatening democracy.
This “grand narrative” undoubtedly captures important aspects of the US
experience. But it does not represent the whole picture. And as far as
other rich countries are concerned, examining the evidence highlights the
diversity of their experiences over recent decades. As I’ve found in my
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research, this story is more often than not a poor fit for various countries
around the world.
Household surveys show that income inequality has risen significantly
since the 1980s in about two-thirds of the rich countries of the OECD –
leaving one-third where it has not.
Inequality did not rise everywhere and, where it did, the scale of that
increase varied widely. Countries such as the UK and Sweden did see
inequality go up as sharply as the US. But for others the increase was
often much more modest and even decreased for some.
Inequality rose decade by decade in the US, but the UK’s increase was
mostly concentrated in the Thatcher years of the 1980s, Sweden’s in the
1990s, and these contained “episodes”, rather than continuous rises, are
also common elsewhere. Tax data show pre-tax income shares at the
very top increasing in many countries, but again this varies widely across
countries.
When it comes to ordinary living standards, middle class income growth
has been even more varied. Middle incomes have stagnated in
purchasing power terms since the early 1980s in Japan and Italy, as well
as the US, and grown only modestly in Germany. But these are the
poorest performers.
The UK, for example, saw substantial income growth around the middle
from the late 1980s up to the mid-2000s, in sharp contrast to its lack of
growth since then. Countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, Finland and Sweden also saw periods of quite strong growth.
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Crucially, across rich countries the relationship between inequality and

middle income growth is weak – throwing into question the link that gets
made between the so-called squeezed middle and populism. Middle
incomes have generally lagged behind growth in GDP per head but again
to widely varying extents, and rising income inequality is only one factor.
Knowing what happened to inequality in a given country would have
been of little help in predicting whether growth in middle incomes was
strong or weak.
The extent to which rising inequality and stagnating living standards over
decades have driven the recent rise in populism across the rich countries
is also open to question. Yes, the white working class population whose
livelihoods have been hurt through decades of manufacturing decline
provided the core constituency supporting Trump for president. But
economic dysfunction combines with cultural and demographic factors in
a way that makes them very hard to disentangle.
The fact that support for populist parties has risen in countries where
inequality has been fairly stable over time (such as Austria and France), as
well as ones where inequality has risen, and in countries where income
growth has been quite robust (such as Poland), as well as ones where
median incomes have stagnated (such as Hungary), illustrates the
complexity of the factors at work.
The evidence does suggest that economic insecurity has been a
significant driver of votes for populist parties. And this may exacerbate
negative attitudes toward immigration, which also play a key role in
support for populist parties. But this may also reflect the continuing
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impact of the 2007-08 financial crisis and ensuing recession as much as

longer-term trends and is not confined to countries where inequality has
risen strongly in the longer term.
The US context is thus a very particular one, with only limited lessons for
other rich countries. No single narrative can do justice to each one’s
varied experiences. And losing sight of the complexity at play is
hazardous in terms of both understanding and responding to the specific
challenges each one faces.
Stagnating wages and rising inequality share some common roots. So
some of the policies required to effectively address inequality would also
boost incomes for ordinary households. But the case for tackling
inequality should not be reduced to such simple terms, pushing
fundamental concerns about fairness and social justice into the
background.
While common forces such as the advance of AI and robots will continue
to play out across rich countries, as in recent decades, the way they do so
will depend on the institutions in place and the policies adopted there.
“One size fits all” solutions, such as universal basic income, turn out to
mean very different things depending on the structure and generosity of
the welfare system that it would be replacing. While there is scope to
learn from experiences elsewhere, each country will have to find its own
road to salvation in tackling inequality and promoting inclusive growth.
(IIFT pattern)
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a) The rise in the inequality cannot be attributed to the growth of
populism around the world.
b) Each country will have to find its own way to tackle inequality.
c) Social and political ills are responsible for the growing inequality.
d) The rise in inequality is different around the world.
2. Which of the following can be attributed to the rise in inequality

around the world?
a) Varied rise in the standards of living of the middle class across
different countries.
b) Various cultural and economic factors entanglement in countries.
c) Continuing impact of financial crises.
3. “Grand narrative” as mentioned in the third para refers to which of

the following?
a) The rise in populism.
b) The rise in income inequality.
c) The rise in populism as a threat to democracy.
d) The rise in inequality paving way for populism.
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a) The rise of inequality has given rise to the populism in the U.S.
b) The income inequality has risen in all of the OCED countries.
c) Middle income has not risen because of rising inequality.
d) Economic dysfunction of a country can be attributed to be a function
of rising inequality only.
RC 4
How low can interest rates go? It is a question that worries central
bankers everywhere. Since the global financial crisis of 2007-08 rates
have been pushed down to unprecedented levels in order to prop up
growth. With central banks’ interest rates near or below zero across
much of the world, room for further cuts to combat the next downturn is
limited. If America’s Federal Reserve can manage to keep nominal rates
at 2% or higher over the long term, it should be able to cope with the
help of policies such as quantitative easing, mused Ben Bernanke, a
former Fed chairman, at the conference of the American Economic
Association (aea) on January 4th. Alas, a working paper published by the
Bank of England the previous day suggests that rates could have further
to fall.
Most research on long-term trends in interest rates relies on data from
the past century. But Paul Schmelzing of the Yale School of Management
has gathered information on real interest rates (that is, corrected for
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inflation) covering 78% of advanced-economy gdp going back to the early

14th century, when capitalism and free markets began to emerge. He
found that real rates have declined by 0.006-0.016 percentage points a
year since the late Middle Ages. That may not seem much, but it means
real interest rates have fallen from an average of around 10% in the 15th
century to just 0.4% in 2018.
That conclusion undermines the claim that “secular stagnation” is a

recent economic malaise. The concept gained prominence after Larry
Summers of Harvard University used it in 2013 to describe the falling
rates of return on investment and economic growth in the American
economy since the 1970s. Mr Schmelzing’s data instead suggest that
secular stagnation, has been a feature of capitalism since its birth. Rates
falling since the early 1980s may be less the result of acute problems,
such as an ageing population, than markets simply snapping back to a
centuries-old trend.
The data also challenge some of the arguments of Thomas Piketty’s

“Capital in the Twenty-First Century”, one of the best-selling economics
books of all time. These rely on the claim that the return on capital has
stayed constant and been consistently higher than economic growth.
Under such conditions capitalism produces ever-greater income
inequality, Mr Piketty claims, since there are no forces acting against the
steady concentration of wealth. If real interest rates—and hence, returns
on capital—have been falling for centuries, however, there may well be
such a force.
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Mr Schmelzing’s conclusions pose an even starker challenge to central

bankers. If the historical trend continues, by the late 2020s global short-
term real rates will have reached permanently negative territory. By the
late 21st century, long-term rates will have joined them. Even
unconventional monetary policies, which rely on driving down long-term
rates, would then lose traction. Any hopes for nominal rates of 2% or
more, in the long term, may prove to be a pipe dream. (IIFT pattern)
1. According to the passage secular stagnation can be best defined as

a) Falling interest rates.
b) The return on capital being stagnant.
c) The return on capital being stagnant despite the falling interest rates.
d) Falling interest rates despite the stagnant return on the capital.

a) To highlight that the central bankers problems may be ancient and
getting worse.
b) To elucidate what secular stagnation is.
c) To explain how the markets are driven by a centuries old force.
d) To argue that the secular stagnation is a recent malaise.
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3. How does Mr. Schmelzing’s argument and Mr. Piketty’s argument can
be best defined as?
a) Mr. Schmelzing argues that the falling interest rates are because of
the markets returning to their historical trends and thus they are
driven by a force whereas Mr. Piketty argues that no such force
exists.
b) Mr. Schmelzing argues that stagnation of interest rates is a century
old feature of the markets whereas Mr. Piketty argues that it is a
novel feature.
c) Mr. Piketty argues that the rise in the interest rates may reduce the
income inequality whereas Mr. Schmelzing argues that it may not
reduce the income inequality.
d) Mr Piketty argues that the fall in interest rates is because of the force
which drives these interest rate movements whereas Mr. Schmelzing
argues that the fall in interest rates is embedded feature of
capitalism and thus no force exists which drives these changes.
4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the passage?

a) Interest rates are bound to go down.
b) Interest rates are an embedded part of capitalism.
c) Secular stagnation is centuries old.
d) Markets are snapping back to the centuries old trend.
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RC5
Price is the most delicate element of the marketing mix, and much
thought goes into setting prices to nudge us towards spending more.
There’s one particularly cunning type of pricing strategy that marketers
use to get you to switch your choice from one option to a more expensive
or profitable one.
It’s called the decoy effect.
Imagine you are shopping for a Nutribullet blender. You see two options.
The cheaper one, at $89, promotes 900 watts of power and a five-piece
accessory kit. The more expensive one, at $149, is 1,200 watts and has 12
accessories.
Which one you choose will depend on some assessment of their relative
value for money. It’s not immediately apparent, though, that the more
expensive option is better value. It’s slightly less than 35% more powerful
but costs nearly 70% more. It does have more than twice as many plastic
accessories, but what are they worth?
Now consider the two in light of a third option.
This one, for $125, offers 1,000 watts and nine accessories. It enables you
to make what feels like a more considered comparison. For $36 more
than the cheaper option, you get four more accessories and an extra 100
watts of power. But if you spend just $24 extra, you get a further three
accessories and 200 watts more power. Bargain!
You have just experienced the decoy effect.
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The decoy effect is defined as the phenomenon whereby consumers

change their preference between two options when presented with a
third option – the “decoy” – that is “asymmetrically dominated”. It is also
referred to as the “attraction effect” or “asymmetric dominance effect”.
What asymmetric domination means is the decoy is priced to make one
of the other options much more attractive. It is “dominated” in terms of
perceived value (quantity, quality, extra features and so on). The decoy is
not intended to sell, just to nudge consumers away from the
“competitor” and towards the “target” – usually the more expensive or
profitable option.
The effect was first described by academics Joel Huber, John Payne and
Christopher Puto in a paper presented to a conference in 1981.
They demonstrated the effect through experiments in which participants
(university students) were asked to makes choices in scenarios involving
beer, cars, restaurants, lottery tickets, films and television sets.
In each product scenario participants first had to choose between two
options. Then they were given a third option – a decoy designed to nudge
them toward picking the target over the competitor. In every case except
the lottery tickets the decoy successfully increased the probability of the
target being chosen.
These findings were, in marketing terms, revolutionary. They challenged
established doctrines – known as the “similarity heuristic” and the
“regularity condition” – that a new product will take away market share
from an existing product and cannot increase the probability of a
customer choosing the original product.
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When consumers are faced with many alternatives, they often

experience choice overload – what psychologist Barry Schwartz has
termed the tyranny or paradox of choice. Multiple behavioural
experiments have consistently demonstrated that greater choice
complexity increases anxiety and hinders decision-making.
In an attempt to reduce this anxiety, consumers tend to simplify the
process by selecting only a couple of criteria (say price and quantity) to
determine the best value for money.
Through manipulating these key choice attributes, a decoy steers you in a
particular direction while giving you the feeling you are making a rational,
informed choice.
The decoy effect is thus a form of “nudging” – defined by Richard Thaler
and Cass Sunstein (the pioneers of nudge theory) as “any aspect of the
choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way
without forbidding any options”. Not all nudging is manipulative, and
some argue that even manipulative nudging can be justified if the ends
are noble. It has proven useful in social marketing to encourage people to
make good decisions such as using less energy, eating healthier or
becoming organ donors.
We see decoy pricing in many areas.
A decade ago behavioural economist Dan Ariely spoke about his
fascination with the pricing structure of The Economist and how he
tested the options on 100 of his students.
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In one scenario the students had a choice of a web-only subscription or a

print-only subscription for twice the price; 68% chose the cheaper web-
only option.
They were given a third option – a web-and-print subscription for the
same price as the print-only option. Now just 16% chose the cheaper
option, with 84% opting for the obviously better combined option.
In this second scenario the print-only option had become the decoy and
the combined option the target. Even The Economist was intrigued by
Ariely’s finding, publishing a story about it entitled “The importance of
irrelevant alternatives”.
Why would you choose the digital-only subscription when you can get
the weekend paper delivered for no extra cost?
In this instance, the digital-only option is the decoy and the
digital+weekend paper option is the target. The intention appears to be
to discourage you from choosing the more expensive six-day paper
option. Because that option is not necessarily more profitable for the
company.
Not all decoys are so conspicuous. In fact the decoy effect may be
extremely effective by being quite subtle.
Consider the price of drinks at a well-known juice bar: a small (350 ml)
size costs $6.10; the medium (450 ml) $7.10; and the large (610 ml)
$7.50.
Which would you buy?
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If you’re good at doing maths in your head, or committed enough to use

a calculator, you might work out that the medium is slightly better value
than the small, and the large better value again.
But the pricing of the medium option – $1 more than the small but just
40 cents cheaper than the large – is designed to be asymmetrically
dominated, steering you to see the biggest drink as the best value for
money.
So have you just made the sensible choice, or been manipulated to spend
more on a drink larger than you needed? (IIFT pattern)
1. In which of the following scenarios the decoy is a good deal?

a) A small coke (350ml) for $5, a medium coke (650ml) for $7, a large
coke(750ml) for $8.
b) A small diet coke (250ml) for $3, a medium diet coke (450ml) for $5, a
large diet coke(600ml) for $6.
c) A small drink (300ml) for $3.5, a medium drink (450ml) for $4.5, a
large coke(650ml) for $7.
d) A small fanta (200ml) for $2, a medium fanta (350ml) for $3, a large
fanta (450ml) for $3.5.
2. The decoy option is usually

a) Asymmetrically aligned towards the target option.
b) Asymmetrically aligned towards the non-target option.
c) Symmetrically aligned towards the best value for the money option.
d) Asymmetrically aligned towards the best value for the money option.
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3. The decoy tends to

a) Simplify the decision making process for the consumer.
b) Drift consumer towards the target product.
c) May lead consumers to spend more.
4. When faced with many choices, how do consumers make choices?

a) Taking help of decoy to drift towards the better value product.
b) Taking help of decoy to drift towards the better prized product.
c) Taking help of decoy to drift towards the better quantity product.
d) By comparing fewer variables.
RC6
Utilitarianism, as a moral philosophy, puts pleasure at the centre of its
concerns, arguing that actions are right to the extent that they increase
happiness and decrease suffering, wrong to the extent that they cause
the opposite. Yet even the early Utilitarians couldn’t agree about
whether pleasures should be ranked. Jeremy Bentham believed that all
sources of pleasure are of equal quality. ‘Prejudice apart,’ he wrote
in The Rationale of Reward (1825), ‘the game of push-pin is of equal
value with the arts and sciences of music and poetry.’ His protégé John
Stuart Mill disagreed, arguing in Utilitarianism (1863) that: ‘It is better to
be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates
dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.’
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Mill argued for a distinction between ‘higher’ and lower pleasures. His
distinction is difficult to pin down, but it more or less tracks the
distinction between capacities thought to be unique to humans and
those we share with other animals. Higher pleasures depend on
distinctively human capacities, which have a more complex cognitive
element, requiring abilities such as rational thought, self-awareness or
language use. Lower pleasures, in contrast, require mere sentience.
Mill was certainly not the first to make this distinction. Aristotle among
others thought that the senses of touch and taste were ‘servile and
brutish’; the pleasures of eating were ‘as brutes also share in’ and so less
valuable than those that used the more developed human mind. Yet
many would continue to side with Bentham, arguing that we are really
not so intellectual and high-minded as all that, and we might as well
accept ourselves for the brutes that we are, shaped by biochemistry and
animal drives.
The difficulty with resolving this disagreement about the kinds
of pleasure is not that we struggle to agree on the right answer. It’s that
we’re asking the wrong question. The entire debate assumes a clear
divide between the intellectual and bodily, the human and the animal,
which is no longer tenable.
For every pleasure, it is not be difficult to see that the how matters more
than the what. Mill was therefore right to believe that pleasures come in
higher and lower forms but wrong to think that we could distinguish
them on the basis of what we take pleasure in. What matters is how we
enjoy them, which means that higher and lower pleasures are not two
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discrete categories but form a continuum. I think the persistence of the

bogus form of the higher/lower pleasures distinction is a result of the fact
that some things are more obviously amenable to richer appreciation
than others. Art is typically enjoyed in mind-engaging ways, food all too
often consumed in an animalistic one. This has led us to mistake
association for identity.
The mistake also betrays a false view of human nature, which sees our
intellectual or spiritual aspects as being what truly makes us human, and
our bodies as embarrassing vehicles to carry them. When we learn how
to take pleasure in bodily things in ways that engage our hearts and
minds as well as our five senses, we give up the illusion that we are souls
trapped in mortal coils, and we learn how to be fully human. We are
neither angels above bodily pleasures nor crude beasts slavishly following
them, but psychosomatic wholes who bring heart, mind, body and soul to
everything we do. (XAT pattern)
1. According to the Mill which among the following cannot be

considered as higher pleasure?
a) Eating cooked food.
b) Drinking milk.
c) Watching art.
d) Engaging in philosophical conversations.
e) Wearing a well-crafted dress.
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2. “Animals feed, man eats” who among the following will agree with
this statement?
i) Aristotle
ii) Stuart Mill
iii) Bentham
a) Only i
b) Only ii and iii
c) Only iii
d) Only i and iii
e) All will agree
3. The author will not agree with which of the following statements?
a) Eating illustrates how the difference between higher and lower
pleasures is not what you enjoy but how you enjoy it.
b) The most primal pleasure that the humans enjoy can be categorised
in both higher and lower pleasures.
c) Higher pleasure engages in more complex activities.
d) We are made of immaterial minds and material bodies.
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RC7
Into the fray stepped Darwin. Born slightly over 40 years after Hume’s
death, he was immersed in the new thinking. His grandfather, the
zoologist Erasmus Darwin, had been a keen reader of
Hume’s Treatise and such progressive ideas were a common subject of
discussion in the family home. It was almost inevitable that he should
take an interest in the question of animal cognition. But when he did, he
approached it from a completely different perspective.
In On the Origin of Species (1859), Darwin demonstrated that, rather
than having been created in a singular act by an omnipotent deity, all
varieties of animal and plant life had evolved gradually, over many
generations, as a result of natural selection. Pursuing the implications of
this argument further in The Descent of Man (1871), he went on to
contend that man, too, was ‘descended from some pre-existing form’ and
had evolved in response to similar processes. As both critics and
supporters realised, this confounded any attempt to distinguish between
men and beasts – and raised questions about their cognitive abilities.
Like Aristotle, Darwin recognised that all species seemed to possess the
physical ‘tools’ needed to process information. But unlike Aristotle he
believed that these physiological continuities should be productive of
cognitive similarities as well. If different species had a comparable
capacity for thinking, the chances were that they thought to a similar
extent, too. And if they could think, why should they not also reason?
Darwin held that an action was rational if it displayed some measure of
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forethought. Whether or not a being possessed reason should be

relatively easy to determine through observation of behaviour patterns.
On this basis, Darwin, like Porphyry, concluded that ‘the difference in
mind between man and the higher animals’ such as dogs ‘is one of
degree and not of kind’. But when it came to the ‘lower’ animals, he was
less sure – especially insofar as earthworms were concerned. They were a
uniquely simple form of life; indeed even Porphyry would have struggled
to see them as intelligent beings. They had no obvious means of
perception; did not appear to have any skills; made no noises; and
certainly didn’t show any emotion. The prospect of finding any cognitive
similarities with human beings seemed dim indeed. (XAT pattern)
1. According to Darwin, based on the passage, when an action can be

considered as rational?
a) When a perception leads to a response.
b) When it goes beyond instinctive response.
c) When it is performed by higher degree animals.
d) When it is processed in the physical tool in the body.
e) When cognitive abilities are used to respond to a situation.
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2. A logical continuation of the passage would be

a) Finding that earthworms have cognitive similarities with humans.
b) Finding that earthworms, indeed, did not possess any cognitive
similarity with humans.
c) Finding that the higher animals do not possess any cognitive
similarity with the humans as was previously though.
d) Finding that the lower animals possess cognitive similarity with the
higher animals.
3. Which of the following cannot be inferred from “On this basis,

Darwin, like Porphyry, concluded that ‘the difference in mind between
man and the higher animals’ such as dogs ‘is one of degree and not of
kind’”?
a) Both Darwin and Porphyry worked on animal cognition.
b) Humans possessed higher degree brain than the higher animals.
c) Both humans and higher degree animals possess same brain.
d) Humans possessed higher cognitive abilities than higher animals.
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RC8
Like so many of the most challenging problems, the ‘swallow problem’
hadn’t seemed all that difficult at first. Keen observers of nature, the
earliest Greeks were aware that swallows disappeared. Indeed, so
proverbial was the swallows’ absence that poets and playwrights used
them as a shorthand for the coming of winter and the return of spring.
Common sense told them that swallows migrate abroad – although
where they could not say. Given that some lived in Egypt all year round,
they assumed it must be somewhere hot.
The trouble began with Aristotle. Unlike many earlier philosophers,
whose approach had been essentially anecdotal, his attempt to
understand the natural world was based on a structured methodology.
He would first observe an animal as carefully as he could and then
endeavour to infer general truths about the species, based on what he
had seen. This represented a dramatic advance. But insofar as swallows
were concerned, his fondness for generalisation led him to an unusual
conclusion. In his Historia animalium he noted that some swallows had
been found ‘in hollow places, almost stripped of feathers’. From this, he
reasoned that, while some swallows, which live near to the places of
which they are ‘permanent’ inhabitants, migrate, others, which live
further away, choose to hibernate instead, hiding themselves in the
hollows of trees during winter months.
For many years, Aristotle’s argument had little impact – especially among
the Romans. Eclectic by inclination and syllogistic by temperament, they
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often preferred to place their trust more in particulars they knew from
experience than in any generalities they might infer.
With the rediscovery and translation of Aristotle’s works in the mid-13th
century, however, the myth of the hibernating hirundine reared its head
again. Neither the coming of the Renaissance nor the Voyages of
Discovery did anything to dent the popularity of Aristotle’s thesis.
By the beginning of the 17th century, however, Aristotle’s hold had
begun to weaken. Following the publication of Francis Bacon’s Novum
Organum (1620), a new approach to scientific reasoning had taken hold.
An important centre of this new method was Cambridge, where a group
of naturalists began to form around John Ray. Of these, the most
noteworthy was Francis Willughby. He realised that, if birds were to be
properly understood, it was necessary to observe them systematically for
himself; and to this end, he travelled the length and breadth of Europe in
search of suitable specimens. In his Ornithologiae libri tres (1676) he
challenged received wisdom, including about swallows. Having found no
evidence for hibernation, he rejected the notion that they spent the
winter either in the hollows of trees, or at the bottom of lakes. He had no
doubt that they migrated to warmer climes; and he had no difficulty
believing that they might travel long distances.
This still left a problem. If swallows did migrate, where did they go? The
mystery was infuriating. Not until the 19th century was the mystery
finally solved – by observation. As British rule in India became more
established and European colonialism extended across the southern
hemisphere, naturalists were able to witness swallows taking up their
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winter perches. By 1864, Algernon Charles Swinburne was able to assert

with confidence that swallows fly ‘to the sun and the south’.
But how swallows find their way to the other side of the world is still
something of a conundrum. Though it has recently been shown that they
navigate by the Earth’s magnetic field, the means by which they perceive
its fluctuations has not yet been established. Some have suggested that
their eyes might be equipped with special receptions; others that hearing
might be involved. The truth, however, remains elusive. Even after
centuries of debate, we are still far from understanding the flighty
swallow. As Charlotte Smith sighed in her poem:
Alas! how little can be known;
Her sacred veil where Nature draws;
Let baffled Science humbly own,
Her mysteries understood alone,
By Him who gives her laws. (IIFT pattern)
1. According to the passage what was the ‘swallow problem’?

a) Disappearance of the swallow towards the sun.
b) Hibernation of swallow in the winters.
c) Disappearance of the swallow towards the south in the winters.
d) Disappearance of the swallow in the winters.
e) Mystery behind the disappearance of the swallow in the winters.
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2. “The trouble” as mentioned in the second paragraph refers to which

of the following?
a) The swallow problem.
b) The disappearance of the swallow.
c) The sequence of the conclusions drawn by various people about the
disappearance of the swallow.
d) The different conclusions about the disappearance of the swallow.
e) The use of a structured methodology followed by Aristotle to find out
where the swallow disappeared.
3. The difference between the 17th century and the past can be best
defined as?
a) In the past proper methods were used to reach to a conclusion while
in the 17th century accurate procedures were opted to reach to a
conclusion.
b) In the structured methodology was used to reach to a conclusion
while in the 17th century anecdotal approach was used to reach a
conclusion.
c) In the past, there had been a tendency to generalise wildly from a
few haphazard observations and to accept the authority of tradition,
however in the 17th century no proposition could be regarded as true
which was not based on verifiable facts.
d) In the past, structured methodology was used to reach a conclusion
while in the 17th century no proposition could be regarded as true
which was not based on the verifiable facts.
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RC 9
Blasphemous shock and awe were a major part of the Bolshevik
aesthetic, which sought to show a still-pious nation just who was in
charge. One memorable atheist illustration showed a worker climbing a
ladder into the heavens above a landscape of shattered temples to smash
the gods. It carried the caption: ‘We’ve finished the earthy tsars and
we’re coming for the heavenly ones!’ A stylish lithograph from the
magazine showed a grisly parody of communion, with priests and
peasants butchering the body of a dead Christ and eating his limbs and
entrails. Some magazines ran photos of real holy corpses: the mummies
and skeletons of Russian Orthodox saints which the Bolsheviks had
exposed to debunk the popular belief that such relics didn’t decay.
Over the course emphasis shifted from vivid, imaginative blasphemies to
a more regimented, concerned with the construction of godless collective
farms and industrial cities at the expense of religious buildings and ‘class
enemies’. One Godless at the Machine cover from 1930 showed a village
priest as a hungry wolf stalking the outskirts of a collective farm,
reflecting the collectivisers’ habit of persecuting village priests and
dressing animals in their vestments. A 1930 Godless cover showed a
priest, a rabbi and a mullah being swept through a dam sluice. These
magazines often announced the closure and demolition of ‘centres of
obscurantism’. (XAT pattern)
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1. The leader of the region described in the passage can be best

described to be a/an?
a) Misanthrope
b) Antagonist
c) Artist
d) Anti-religious
e) Atheist
2. Centres of obscurantism can be best described as?

a) Machines
b) Farms
c) Religious buildings
d) Industrial cities

a) Magazines were used as an important source of demonstration.
b) Art was used to depict the propaganda of the leader.
c) Priests and religious leaders were roughed during the era.
d) Religion and god were targeted in the sacrilegious art.
e) Religious institutions were attacked during the era.
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RC10
The booted warbler has arrived in Mumbai. No red carpet or VIP cordons
to greet the mousy little bird. It flew in, as it always does every year at
this time, travelling vast distances over a Trans-Eurasian arc. So why
should Spiritual Atheist care, one might ask. The annual migration of the
booted warbler bears silent testimony to a great cosmic connection: it
validates the marvellous links that living matter has at the tiniest cellular
level, with gargantuan movements of planets at the vastest cosmic level.
Since the movements of planets can be predicted precisely, sometimes
for thousands of years in advance, this linkage of a little bird’s
movements with that of a planet around the Sun can be seen almost as a
force of destiny. A similar linkage is reflected in our daily sleep-and-wake
cycles that are governed by circadian and longer infradian rhythms.
So much so, scientists now speak of exquisitely precise three-hour cycles
of production of growth hormones and even of a two-and-half to four-
hour nasal cycles. The nasal cycle is governed by rhythmic congestion and
decongestion of the nostrils.
This is something that yogis claim to have known and exploited through
techniques collectively called Swarodaya.
“To this atheist, this is a wonder,” says the Tantric text, Shiva Swarodaya.
“To the theist, it is the base (of all knowledge).”
Notwithstanding such claims, both atheists and theists need to
collaborate. There is much to be learnt from relatively unexplored realms
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of chronobiology and its potential use for health and happiness with
secrets of traditional wisdom.

a) To highlight that booted warbler has arrived in Mumbai.
b) To exemplify the cosmic connection that links the matter to the
tiniest living organism.
c) To propose that atheists and theists need to collaborate for the
greater good.
d) To highlight that our actions are driven by specific cycles.
2. “Spiritual atheist” as mentioned in the passage refers to which of the

following?
a) A person who links science with spirituality.
b) A person who doesn’t believe in god but believes in the cosmic
connection.
c) A person who is both atheist and theist.
d) A person who conjures chronobiology and traditional wisdom.
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3. Which of the following will weaken the author’s conclusion?

a) The mysteries in the mythical books can be uncoiled with the help of
science.
b) The recent growth trajectory of science may uncoil the mysteries of
the universe without any aid.
c) The recent growth trajectory of science coupled with the knowledge
from the ancient texts can help to explore the unexplored.
d) The traditional knowledge with the scientific testing abilities may
help to uncover great mysteries surrounding us.
RC11
Learning a new language is a lot like entering a new relationship. Some
will become fast friends. Others will hook their arms and march right out
of your memory on the last day of school. And then sometimes, whether
by mere chance or as a consequence of a lifelong odyssey, some
languages will lead you to the brink of love.
Those are the languages that will consume you, as you do everything to
make them yours. You dissect syntax structures. You fill notebooks with
rivers of new letters. The sentences taste fragrant, even as they tumble
awkwardly from your mouth like bricks built of foreign symbols. Verbs
after adverbs, nouns after pronouns, your relations deepen. Yet, the
closer you get, the more aware you become of the mirage-like void
between you. But you have no fear, since the path to your beloved
gleams with curiosity and wonder that is almost urgent. What truths will
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you uncover amid the new letters and the new sounds? About the world?
About yourself?
As with all relationships, the euphoria wears off eventually. Your accent is
incorrigible. Your mistakes are inescapable. The rules are endless, as are
the exceptions. You have wandered too far from home to turn back now.
You feel committed and vulnerable, trusting of their benevolence. On the
occasion of your renewed vows, the language comes bearing gifts of
inspiration and connection – not only to new others, but to a new you.
Many renowned writers have revelled in the gifts of their non-native
tongues. Vladimir Nabokov, for instance, had been living in the United
States for only a few years before he wrote Lolita (1955): a work that has
been hailed as ‘a polyglot’s love letter to language’ and had him called a
‘master of English prose’. The Irishman Samuel Beckett wrote in French
to escape the clutter of English. This distance, observes the Turkish
novelist Elif Shafak of writing in her non-native English, leads her closer to
home.
When Haruki Murakami sat at his kitchen table to write his first novel, he
felt like his native Japanese was getting in the way. Then he tried writing
in English, with limited vocabulary and simple syntax at his hands. As he
translated his compact English sentences ‘stripped of all extraneous fat’
into Japanese, a distinctly unadorned style was born that decades later
became synonymous with his worldwide success.
The truth is that entering an intimate relationship with a new language
often colours everything including the way we read and write our native
language. Our eyes expect the new words. Our pens memorise the new
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letters. While the infatuation takes over our senses, the language’s
anatomy etches into our brains. Neural pathways are laid, connections
are formed. Brain networks integrate. Grey matter becomes denser,
white matter gets strengthened.
Linguists call this ‘second language interference’, when the new language
interferes with the old language, like a new lover rearranging the
furniture of your bedroom, as if to say – this is how things will be done
around here from now on. Somehow, writing exposes this interference
more than speaking ever could. Affairs of the heart rarely leave any
witnesses untouched, including our mother tongues.
1. What does the author mean by “Yet, the closer you get, the more
aware you become of the mirage-like void between you.” (para 2)
a) The more you delve deeper into learning a new language, the more
shallow it occurs to be.
b) The more you learn the language, the more you realize of the void of
knowledge that exist, which may take long to traverse.
c) The more we get closer to finishing a language, the more the void
increases.
d) The more you get closer to learning a language, the more you realize
the subtle nuances surrounding the language.
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2. Second language interference, as understood from the passage is

best described as?
a) Changes in a person caused because of a new language.
b) When the two languages mesh to crumble your thoughts.
c) Changes in the first language caused by the intervention of the new
language.
d) Changes caused by learning a new language which results in the new
language taking over the previous one.
3. What does the author mean by the last sentence of the passage?
a) The close affairs changes everything including our dominant
language.
b) The learning of a new language changes everything including the
dominant language.
c) When a new language is close to the heart, it affects your mother
tongue.
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4. What is the purpose of the third para of the passage?

a) To highlight that in a new relationship or while learning a new
language, it not always sunshine and happiness.
b) To show that as soon as the relationship or learning of a new
language progresses, the outer glitters lose their shine and you
start changing fundamentally.
c) To show that the initial euphoria wears off after some time while
learning a new language or in a being in a new language.
d) To highlight that a new relationship or a new language changes a
person from the core.
5. All of the following is true from the passage EXCEPT?

a) Some new languages remain with you for a very short term.
b) Writing affects a interference of the second language in a deeper
way than speaking.
c) Learning a new language affects your brain.
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RC 12
Sweden, seen from abroad at least, usually symbolises moderation,
practicality and fairness. That is until the coronavirus struck. Now you are
more likely to hear Sweden described as ‘reckless’ and ‘dangerous’. Its
government is accused of cruelly subjecting its citizens to a deadly,
Darwinian ‘experiment’. The international media now malign this
formerly inoffensive country in the kind of language usually thrown at
dictatorships like Saudi Arabia rather than Scandinavia.
Of course, as everyone knows by now, the reason Sweden has been
blacklisted is that it has steadfastly refused to implement a full lockdown.
Life is by no means normal in Sweden. Gatherings of over 50 people are
banned, as are visits to elderly care homes. Those who can are
encouraged to work from home. Public-transport use has fallen
dramatically. But in contrast to the rest of Europe, bars, cafes,
restaurants and businesses have remained open. Schools have stayed
open for all pupils under 16. There are guidelines on social distancing and
hygiene but these are not enforced by the law. Sweden’s critics accuse it
of pursuing a herd-immunity strategy – though this is denied by the
authorities.
So how has Sweden done? Originally, the aim of lockdown was to ‘flatten
the curve’ — that is, slow the spread of the virus sufficiently to avoid
overwhelming hospital capacity. This horror scenario was the key
justification for the suspension of civil liberties and the decimation of our
economies. But in Sweden, this has not happened.
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However, since the lockdowns began, the goalposts have been moved.
Now lockdowns are promoted as a means for reducing cases and deaths
outright. And even on these dishonest new terms, Sweden’s results are
pretty average: whether in terms of raw numbers or taken per capita, it
currently falls below the UK, France, Italy and Spain, all of which had
lockdowns. At the time of writing, just over 4,000 people have died.
An Oxford University study which tracks the stringency of government
responses across the world shows that it has little bearing on deaths. It
finds that in terms of overall excess mortality (which includes all non-
Covid deaths), Sweden has suffered more deaths than it otherwise would
have but in a similar proportion to locked-down Switzerland. In contrast,
the UK, Spain and the Netherlands, which had lockdowns, have had
extremely high excess mortality rates compared to usual.
Sweden has certainly had failures. Overall, Sweden may be an outlier in
its approach, but it is not an outlier in terms of the consequences. And
this is intolerable to the pro-lockdown hardliners. As a result, any bad-
sounding news is seized on as evidence that Sweden has failed horribly
despite their mounting effects.
Commentators also delight in the fact that Sweden’s economy has taken
a large hit, even without as many restrictive measures. This is supposed
to show that concerns for the economy, poverty and unemployment are
misplaced and that whatever pain the lockdown causes is a necessary
evil.
One sleight of hand which disguises Sweden’s fundamental averageness
is that its critics tend to compare it to other Scandinavian countries, and
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never to Europe or the world as a whole. Norway, Denmark and Finland

have indeed fared much better in handling their outbreaks than Sweden
at this stage. But comparing ‘similar’ countries is an exercise which is
rarely repeated in other circumstances.
Time will tell if the Swedes develop herd immunity to Covid-19 before the
rest of us do, or before a miracle cure arrives. But Sweden deserves
credit for its immunity to Covid hysteria, and for maintaining its open and
civilized approach in the face of international outrage.
1. What does the author mean by “the goalposts have been moved”?
a) Previously the aim of Sweden was to implement complete lockdown,
but then it has shifted to a less severe lockdown.
b) Previously the aim of Sweden was to reduce the number of cases but
now it is to reduce the number of deaths.
c) Previously the aim of Sweden was to control the superfluous entry of
people in the hospitals but now it has shifted to decrease the
mortality rate.
d) Previously the focus was to reduce the mortality rate but now it is to
develop herd immunity among its people.
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2. The author of the passage will agree with all of the following EXCEPT?
a) Sweden is overly criticized for its steps.
b) Sweden deserves praise for opting bold measures amid the crises and
still maintaining the death toll.
c) Sweden should not be compared to Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
d) Schools of the pupils under 16 should remain open.
3. All of the following of Sweden’s action plan differs from the rest of
the world EXCEPT?
a) The schools are open in Sweden.
b) Restaurants and café are open in Sweden.
c) There is no prohibition on congregation.
d) Public transports are open.
4. What is the author indicating by “Sweden may be an outlier in its

approach, but it is not an outlier in terms of the consequences”?
a) The Sweden may have opted for a different measure than the rest of
the world, but the dire consequences of the pandemic are not very
different between the two.
b) The different approach of Sweden to fight against the pandemic has
attracted the same number of deaths per capita as the world.
c) The dire consequences of the pandemic is same across the world.
d) Sweden has attracted less deaths per capita than its peers despite
opting for different strategy to fight against the pandemic.
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a) The results of the actions of the Sweden remains to be seen.
b) Herd immunity strategy would require no or less severe lockdown.
c) The strategy of the swedes cannot be attributed as a failure.
RC13
In April, the price of an American barrel of oil, delivered in May, briefly
dropped from a low $20 to minus $40. That has never happened in 150
years of processing oil.
Some believe that the world’s daily average supply of oil – about
100million barrels a day (mmb/d) – could drop by 20 per cent. After all,
America’s lockdown has already made demand for oil there fall from 20
to 14 mmb/d. But it is the collapse of demand for it in transport that has
attracted most attention. Indeed, in the OECD area (which includes
Europe, the US and Central America), transport accounts for more than
60 per cent of overall demand for oil.
The green establishment, now complete with woke banks and investors,
sees in ghost roads and empty skies the beginning of the end of oil.
People need a reality check. They are convinced electric vehicles will
supplant petrol and diesel ones, and that renewables will replace fossil
fuels. But they’re fooling themselves.
Take electric transport, for example. It would take 14 years just to restock
the entire fleet of cars on UK roads. And, even then, that would depend
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on: all new cars made being electric by law; the sales of these new cars
remaining steady, at 2.3million per year, despite the coming depression;
the eight million used, internal-combustion-engine cars sold every year
being declared illegal; and the sunk costs of petrol stations and tankers
being ignored in favour of new charging points everywhere. And that’s
four very big ifs.
For decades, too, acquiring and transporting the materials for electric
cars will depend on oil much more than electricity. Remember, for
example, that the cobalt in batteries isn’t mined in by far the world’s
largest producer, by electric robots and distributed by electric trucks. No,
it’s mined using children and diesel.
Beyond oil and transport, what about heat and gas? Obsessed with global
‘heating’, our electric fetishists forget the role of heat in industrial
processes and the centrality of gas within those processes.
And what of power supply? Environmentalists again deceive themselves
when they take the irresistible rise of ‘green electricity’ for granted.
The government’s Digest of UK Energy Statistics states that, in 2018, wind
and solar provided just 63.5 per cent of the record 33 per cent of UK
electricity produced by renewables. The rest was produced by biofuels,
the use of which many greens criticise on the grounds that they emit CO2
and require excessive amounts of land to be grown.
Greens contend that renewables use will increase because wind and solar
are always getting cheaper. Yet while wind and solar, like electric
vehicles, will indeed benefit from improvements in production
technology, so will oil and gas. Our electric fetishists ignore, for instance,
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how IT has raised the productivity of US shale oil and gas production.
Selective in their appreciation of technological advance, electric fetishists
are downright dishonest about the work that goes into electric systems.
As noted above, child labour, sweat and exploitation account for much of
the production of cobalt for batteries. But for electric fetishists, such
facts are inconvenient.
As, indeed, is the fact that nobody can really forecast oil prices. But one
kind of forecasting we can do without is the sort that’s wishful,
technocratic, and, above all, authoritarian. In the 1980s, the uber-
Thatcherite minister Norman Tebbit famously told the unemployed: ‘On
your bike!’ Now our wannabe electric rulers tell everyone: on your
electric bike – or buy that £40,000 Tesla.
1. “For decades, too, acquiring and transporting the materials for

electric cars will depend on oil much more than electricity.” All of the
following is true related to this sentence EXCEPT?
a) The author brings out the irony out of the situation.
b) If oil is a core part of manufacturing electric vehicles, then we may
not be able to replace the oil anytime soon.
c) If as of now, the oil is not used, we may not produce the electric
vehicles.
d) The oil may eventually be replaced by the increment in the electric
vehicles.
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a) Renewables’ amount to just 21 per cent of the UK’s annual electricity
supply.
b) Producers of oil paid people to take oil off their hands.
c) Electric cars run more on oil than electricity.
3. To which of the following does “And that’s four very big ifs” refer to?
a) UK may never completely replace its existing car fleets.
b) UK may take more than 14 years to replace its existing car fleet.
c) The assumptions considered to replace are big enough to fulfil.
d) The replacement of the current UK vehicles depend on strong
assumptions.
4. What is the author trying to convey through the last sentence of the
passage?
a) The electric fetishists should buy a diesel vehicle.
b) The electric fetishists should be logical with their arguments.
c) The electric fetishists should rather demonstrate their proposition
with their actions.
d) The electric fetishists should be rational enough to understand that
diesel vehicles may never be substituted.
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5. Which of the following could be an apt title for the passage?

a) Oil will remain eternal
b) The end of oil is not is sight
c) Electricity requires oil
d) Electric world powered by oil
RC 14
After decades of development, voice recognition technology is beginning
to compete with typing when it comes to sending texts, interacting with
computers, and even writing whole articles. The end of typing could
shake things up, judging from how much typing changed the world when
it was first introduced.
In 1888, the typewriter as we know it was less than a decade old, but it
was already changing the shape of the business world, according to an
account by P.G. Hubert, Jr. published that year. “With the aid of this little
machine an operator can accomplish more correspondence in a day than
half a dozen clerks can with the pen, and do better work,” Hubert
wrote. He noted that the machine had improved dramatically from an
early form in 1874 that could only print capital letters, which “were more
or less liable to get out of order.”
Citing “innumerable tests,” Hubert wrote that typewriters could save 40
minutes out of an hour, compared with the pen. And the growing ranks
of businesses that depended on clerical workers had taken notice. The
major typewriter maker, Remington—the creator of the QWERTY
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keyboard we all know and love—had gone from selling 1,400 typewriters
in 1882 to 14,000 in 1887.
The new technology was a particular boon for female employment.
Remington manufactured the iconic new machine of business in the
same factory that had built many of the revolvers used in the Civil War.
The symbolism didn’t escape Hubert, who wrote: “In the old days the
sword was forged into the ploughshare; in our day the gun has given way
to the typewriter.”
This was an era when companies were beginning to hire women for
clerical tasks, and Hubert noted that the new technology was a particular
boon for female employment. He pointed out that typing generally paid
as much or more as teaching, the main professional job open to women
at the time.
Looking back at the typewriter’s early decades from the vantage point of
1986, Robert A. Waller also emphasized the economic and cultural
changes the typewriter facilitated. Businesses began to apply Fredrick
Taylor’s ideas about scientific management to the office, leading to the
creation of secretarial pools. Typewriters helped manufacturers’ business
offices grow in tandem with faster production and more extensive
transportation networks.
Meanwhile, the growing employment of single women gave them new
economic power. New restaurants popped up catering to women
workers. Some contemporary writers tied women’s growing employment
in offices to the fight for suffrage, while some religious leaders decried
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the opportunities for sin created by the mixing of genders in the

workplace.
Waller concludes that we ought to look at the typewriter as the equal of
the telephone and the electric light.
“Overall, the nation’s characteristic mania that nothing is worth doing
unless done quickly was accentuated by the speed with which the
typewriter could perform writing chores,” he writes.
Today, that same mania could push us to shift away from typing
altogether.
1. Which of the following best describes what the passage is trying to

do?
a) The passage is trying to show how typewriter changed the business
industry.
b) The passage is trying to show how the invention of typewriter
facilitated the economic and cultural changes.
c) The passage is trying to show how the typewriters changed the
scenario of women employment.
d) The passage is trying to show how the typewriters changed
everything.
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2. The last sentence of the passage is best explained with which of the
following?
a) The voice recognition technology could shift us away from typing.
b) The mania of doing things quickly could lead to the use of voice
recognition technology for typing.
c) The mania to invent and grow could lead to the stoppage of typing.
d) The obsession of doing things quickly could lead to the shift from
typing.
3. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

a) The author is concerned about the replacement of typing with voice
recognition writing technique.
b) The typewriters and guns of the civil war were manufactured by
Remington.
c) The religious leaders cherished the women participation in the
industry.
d) The typing paid the same amount as the professional jobs.
4. The typewriter impacted all of the following areas according to the

passage EXCEPT
a) Employment sector
b) Businesses
c) Manufacturing sector
d) Management sector
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5. Which of the following can be a possible reason for Waller comparing

typewriter with telephone and electric light ?
a) The typewriter was just as revolutionary as electric light and
telephone.
b) The typewriter helped in creating the new business world as the
electric light and telephone did.
c) The typewriters helped the business chores to get completed quickly.
d) The typewriter increased the employment just as electric light and
telephone.
RC15
In 1930, a year into the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes sat
down to write about the economic possibilities of his grandchildren. In
his essay, he predicted that in 100 years’ time, i.e. 2030, society would
have advanced so far that we would barely need to work. The main
problem confronting countries such as Britain and the United States
would be boredom. At first glance, Keynes seems to have done a woeful
job of predicting the future. In 1930, the average worker in the US, the
UK, Australia and Japan spent 45 to 48 hours at work. Today, that is still
up around 38 hours.
But his 15-hour working week prediction might have been more on the
mark than it first appears.
If we wanted to produce as much as Keynes’s countrymen did in the
1930s, it could be done in seven or eight hours. These increases in
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productivity come from a century of automation and technological

advances.
The progress over the past 90 years is not only apparent when
considering workplace efficiency, but also when taking into account how
much leisure time we enjoy. First consider retirement. In 1930, most
people never reached retirement age, simply labouring until they died.
Today, people live well past retirement. If you take the work we do while
we’re young and spread it across a total adult lifetime, it works out to
less than 25 hours per week. There’s a second factor that boosts the
amount of leisure time we enjoy: a reduction in housework. The ubiquity
of washing machines, vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens means that
the average US household does almost 30 hours less housework per
week than in the 1930s.
So if today’s advanced economies have reached the point of productivity
that Keynes predicted, why are 30 to 40 hour weeks still standard in the
workplace? This is a question about both human nature – our ever-
increasing expectations of a good life – as well as how work is structured
across societies.
Part of the answer is way-of-life: humans have an insatiable appetite for
more. Few people would choose to settle for mere subsistence. Humans
live on a hedonic treadmill.
Finally, persistent social inequality also helps the 40-hour week persist.
Many people have to work 30- to 40-hour weeks simply to get by. As a
society, on aggregate, we are able to produce enough for everyone. But
unless the distribution of wealth becomes more equal, very few people
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can afford to cut back to a 15-hour working week. In his essay, Keynes
predicted the opposite. In one sense, you can see this in the social safety
nets that didn’t exist back in 1930. Programs such as social security and
public housing help people get over the low bar of the ‘economic
problem’ of base subsistence, but they are insufficient to properly lift
people out of poverty.
But at some point we should look back to see how far we have come.
Keynes was right about the amazing advancements his grandchildren
would enjoy, but wrong about how this would change overall patterns of
work and distribution, which remain stubbornly fixed.
In developed countries, at least, we have the technology and tools for
everyone to work less and still live highly prosperous lives, if only we
structure our work and society towards that goal.
1. The average working hours has not reduced drastically because of

which of the following reasons?
a) Persistent income inequality
b) Pursuit of a good life
c) Persistent social inequality
d) All of the above
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2. To which of the following does the author refer “Humans live on a

hedonic treadmill” to?
a) Humans are always busy in their gyms.
b) Humans seek happiness as a continuous pursuit.
c) Humans live a life where they continuously change their goals.
d) Humans pursue subsistence today.

a) An average US household spends 30 hours per week in household
chores.
b) Developed economies have reached a point of productivity beyond
what Keynes predicted.
c) Wealth distribution has followed the Keynes’ prediction.
d) Developed countries are facing the problem of boredom.
4. All of the following can be deduced from the passage EXCEPT?

a) Today, humans live on a hedonic treadmill.
b) We face more inequality than what was predicted by Keynes.
c) In a sense, modern developed countries have way overshot Keynes
prediction.
d) We have lifted people out of minimal subsistence.
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5. “That goal” in the last sentence of the passage indicates which goal?
a) Equal wealth distribution
b) Less work and prosperous life
c) Income disparity
d) To lift people out of poverty
RC 16
Today 7,000 languages are spoken. Fully half are expected to die out
before the year 2100, continuing a centuries-long trend. Half of all people
in the world speak 25 main languages. Every year these large linguistic
groups expand at the expense of the smaller languages.
Natural disaster, legal suppression and forced migration all play their part
in this process of linguistic extinction.
The fact that over 800 languages are still spoken in Papua New Guinea –
the least colonised, least explored and most ethnically diverse region in
the world today – is hardly a coincidence. There is a sadly inexorable
process of absorption when an indigenous tribal culture comes into
contact with a larger, more technologically advanced and more militarily
powerful group. It seems that improved medical care, better literacy,
efficient sanitation and centrally codified laws necessarily entail the
lessening of ties to a population’s traditional heritage. And this leads to a
consequent decline of a community’s language.
Languages include those from cultures close and far. The British
languages include Manx, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Shetlandic.
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European languages include Occitan, Saami, Sardinian, Faroese and

Belarussian. Others include Maori, Navajo, Assyrian and Hawaiian. The
selection is not entirely confined to languages in danger of extinction.
Welsh, Pashto, Rohingya are not vulnerable, but they are selected
because they are minority languages.
But some languages are so rare, as in the case of Gorwaa in Tanzania,
that ‘there is no published dictionary, grammar, texts or standardised
writing system’.
Bathari, Hobyot and Soqotri are South Arabian languages from Oman,
transcribed here in the phonetic alphabet as there are no written forms.
One cannot help but feel these last three are fragments rescued from
isolated traditions soon to be submerged in Arabic. Even languages that
receive the financial and administrative assistance that Cornish has
received on its road back from extinction face an uncertain future.
There are many impetuses for preserving endangered languages:
patriotism, sentiment, personal connection, linguistic fascination and
financial reasons. The preservation of a language can be a tactical move
in order to secure legal privileges or international funding for teachers,
publishers and broadcasters. The survival status of languages becomes
hotly contested when national pride and NGO funding are on the line.
Manx is listed by UNESCO as extinct, and Livonian described as ‘dormant’,
though activists claim they are still living.
Faroese poet Kim Simonsen writes that Faroese literature had been taken
up by nationalistic advocates, and used instrumentally to advance
national cohesion and identity. Often such championing has driven away
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younger generations, who see their ancestral language as worthy but

hidebound, rooted in nation and unable to address the experiences they
have when they travel and absorb world culture.
Translation is, of course, a very inexact process. One cannot actually

translate a culturally framed understanding which is embedded in
language. What’s more, the very obscurity of these languages leads to
problems with translation.
Artistically speaking, the poems vary in quality. But there is a beautiful
poem in Navajo by Laura Tohe, translated by the poet herself. She is
bilingual and able to approximate the original in her own translation,
which aids fluency and the power of her imagery of cranes migrating. And
there are some touching, funny and fascinating poems on a range of
subjects.
Many of the languages might well be on the verge of extinction. But
something of their life will be forever preserved here.
1. Why does the author mention the region of Papua New Guinea?
a) To mention another reason as to how a culturally rich region can lose
its cultural touch.
b) To mention another reason as to how culturally rich region can lose
its community’s language.
c) To mention it as a reference to explain how the community loses a
language when invaded by someone more powerful than them.
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d) To mention another way as to how culturally rich region can lose its
community’s language.
2. What is the last para trying to convey?

a) Despite many languages facing extinction, some of their elements
will always remain in some form or the other.
b) Despite many languages facing extinction, some of their elements
will always remain because of translation of their texts in the
languages which do not face any threat.
c) Despite many languages facing extinction, some of their elements
will always live in the memories of the people.
d) Despite many languages facing extinction, some of their elements
will always remain because of the efforts put in to preserve them.
3. Which of the following is a possible reason to why the languages

which receive administrative assistance also face uncertain future?
a) They lack funding needed to maintain the quality and propagation of
a language.
b) They lack sufficient amount of population speaking the language.
c) They always face to a threat of being merged in one of the dominant
languages.
d) They lack a standardized writing system which is important for the
preservation of the language.
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4. All of the following are the reasons for languages to extinct except?
i) Natural calamities
ii) Merging of a language into other
iii) Migration
iv) Lack of a proper standardized writing system
v) Financial assistance
a) i,ii,iii
b) i,ii,iii,v
c) i,ii,iii,iv
d) i,ii,iii,iv,v
5. The author would agree with none of the following EXCEPT?

a) Languages spoken by the small communities should not be
preserved.
b) Financial aid should be provided to a potential about to extinct
language.
c) Translations may preserve the languages.
d) Extinction of a language may be because of several factors at play
simultaneously.
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RC 17
Today’s shoppers are looking for more than just what’s just available on a
website. They want an experience. Malls have always been a destination,
but the concept of a ‘mallrat’ no longer exists. The days of meeting
friends at the mall and shopping all day are gone. Malls are still
considered a destination, but it’s because they now offer amenities,
experiences and entertainment to enhance the shopping experience.
They are now not only anchored by department stores but with popular
restaurants, bars, salons, cinemas, and fitness centres.
First Insight’s most recent study of consumer shopping habits, purchase
behaviour and influences driving decisions found that 71 percent of
shoppers are spending more per visit in-store. . . Brick-and-mortar retail
clearly isn’t dead.
As millennials and Gen Z’ers mature and their purchasing power
increases, the concept of traditional malls is being replaced by new
adaptations of shopping centres. These younger consumers place a high
priority on experiences, preferring to spend their money on experiences
rather than on material things. . .
Wisely, the re-invention of malls is relying heavily on experiential and
entertainment environments. . .Commercial mall developers are also
rethinking their long-term lease tactics. Mall developers are leveraging
the closure of traditional shops as a chance to offer exclusivity and
newness with pop-up opportunities and short-term retail strategies in the
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new retail landscape. This minimizes risk by enabling brands to test the
market and location before committing.
Seeing all this evolution, I reflected on how and why shopping malls came
into being in the first place. The growth of malls followed the migration
of population out of cities towards suburbs, along with the growth of
automobiles. . . The shopping mall was initially created as a destination
community centre where people could come together to shop and
interact socially.
As the tide started to turn for traditional shopping malls, anchor stores
died off and occupancy at the mall started to decline. By 2014, the
majority of the stores were empty. Instead of shuttering and going out of
business. . . they have drastically reinvented.
The revival of malls continues and it’s thought-provoking to consider
what malls will look like in the future. From the conception of malls in the
1960’s as baby boomers moved to the suburbs, to experiences and
entertainment transformations for millennials, successful malls have
evolved to stay connected with the zeitgeist. Others have ended their
journey on the Dead Malls list. What’s next as Generation Z shoppers
take over as the big spenders and increase their shopping power? The
answer: shopping malls must continue to transform to survive the
generational changes. As with so many other areas of retail and beyond,
it’s evolve or die.
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1. The central idea of the passage is

a) The shopping habits of the people have changed and they, now focus
on experiences and amenities.
b) Shopping malls no longer serve the purpose for which they were
created.
c) Shopping malls are evolving.
d) People will never stop going to shopping malls.
2. What is author trying to refer in 2nd para by “Brick-and-mortar retail

clearly isn’t dead”
a) Author refers to the online shopping by stating that malls are still
going strong.
b) Author refers to the fact that malls still act as a destination.
c) Author refers to the fact that more people are buying from malls.
d) With the malls evolving, people are preferring them over online
shopping.
3. According to the passage how are malls evolving in all of the

following ways EXCEPT
a) They adopting according to the new retail landscape.
b) They are providing experiences rather than material things.
c) They now have popular restaurant, saloons, bars, cinema and fitness
centres.
d) They are reconsidering their lease contracts strategies.
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4. according to the passage the tides have turned for traditional malls in
all of the following ways EXCEPT?
a) They are no longer the seen as a community centre.
b) They do not provide the traditional shopping experience.
c) The traditional stores in the malls have closed.
d) They are still the destination.
5. The main reason why the shopping malls are evolving is because
a) People are placing higher values on experiences rather than material
things.
b) Different generations have different priorities.
c) They are not seen as traditional destinations of shopping.
d) The landscape of retail is changing.
RC 18
Seagrass is an "indicator organism," an underwater canary in the
coalmine that signals when marine ecosystems are struggling.
The health of seagrass meadows around the world serves as a measure of
planetary diagnosis in the face of climate change and human activities,
says Oscar Serrano, a leading seagrass expert who is a senior research
scientist at Edith Cowan University's Centre for Marine Ecosystems
Research. For decades, he says, rainforests have been the center of the
global conversation about carbon. But seagrass, researchers are now
realizing, plays a central role in "blue carbon," these massive ocean-based
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ecosystems that can actually store far more carbon than forests per unit
area.
Maintaining seagrass meadows, and restoring them so that they can
expand to pre-industrialization extent, could be one way to combat
climate change, Serrano says. That’s because seagrass removes carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it away, offsetting millions of
tons of carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Seagrass sucks carbon out of the skies and sequesters it in seagrass plants
and underlying soil. That process secures entire ecosystems. If seagrass
isn’t faring well, that spells trouble for marine life, for the humans who
depend on it for food, and for the health of the oceans.
Healthy seagrass meadows stabilize the sea floor and provide habitats
and food for many marine creatures, contributing to climate change
mitigation and adaptation thanks to their capacity to trap carbon dioxide
and protect the shorelines from erosion. When Serrano and his
colleagues at Edith Cowan University in Perth venture out along the
Western Australian coast to study the meadows, they witness
extraordinarily rich but fragile assortments of sea life including
endangered dugongs (relatives of manatees) and green turtles.
Serrano and his fellow scientists from the Centre for Marine Ecosystems
Research, which Paul Lavery directs, say that the upshot of their work is
that maintaining seagrass meadows and allowing them to expand should
be considered when shaping policy on climate change. Their research has
shown that seagrass meadows and their soils store about 40 times as
much carbon as forests while also absorbing and storing it much more
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quickly than rainforests. That makes the “blue carbon” ecosystems far
better equipped to combat climate change than has been recognized.
“It’s a field of study that has grown exponentially over the last decade,”
says Serrano.
In 2019 he and his colleagues measured Australia’s “blue carbon” stores
in the first such national estimate. Published in Nature Communications,
their research showed that each year Australian seagrass, mangrove, and
salt marshes can lock away for millennia as much carbon dioxide as is
emitted by about four million cars every year.
But seagrass meadows are increasingly threatened by climate change
that is bringing storms of mounting ferocity and frequency. The Edith
Cowan University marine scientists have been investigating, for example,
the devastating effect that a prolonged marine heat wave had on
seagrass in Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the central
Western Australian coast. Since the end of 2010, the loss of more than 20
percent of the 2,000 square miles Indian Ocean site has caused the
release of many millions of tons of carbon dioxide.
Serrano reports that vegetated coastal ecosystems around the world are
dwindling twice as quickly as tropical rainforests. To make matters worse,
seagrass meadows recover slowly and often only partially, and their
damaged vegetation tends to accumulate near shore as foul-smelling
“wrack,” harming property values along with ecosystems.
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a) When the seagrass is removed, the environment faces twin shocks
from a single event.
b) We can combat climate change only by maintaining seagrass.
c) In the coming times, more CO2 is bound to be released in the
atmosphere as the seagrass is dwindling.
d) Humans are also affected by the depletion of the seagrass.
2. Blue carbon ecosystem is more equipped to combat climate change

for which of the following reasons?
a) They can absorb the oceanic CO2.
b) They just don’t absorb CO2, they can also protect shoreline erosion
and marine environment.
c) They can absorb more CO2 in comparison to the forest ecosystem.
d) They can store the CO2 from the atmosphere and store it away.
3. The author will not support any of the following EXCEPT?

a) Seagrass should be removed as they reduce the marine tourism.
b) The search of crude oil becomes challenging due to seagrass and thus
it should be removed.
c) The dwindling of seagrass has had a severe impact on small fishes
which used to consume it as their food, thus seagrass should be
maintained.
d) All of the above
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4. All of the following can be deduced from the passage EXCEPT?

a) More the seagrass, better the marine environment.
b) If seagrass meadows are maintained and allowed to expand, we may
see less severe storms.
c) Policy makers should consider the protection of seagrass for the
betterment of the environment.

a) To highlight the importance of Blue carbon ecosystem in maintaining
the CO2 levels.
b) To indicate the importance of seagrass in maintaining the
atmospheric CO2 levels.
c) To indicate the importance of seagrass in the blue carbon ecosystem.
d) To highlight the importance of seagrass.
RC19
You don’t have to be an expert in construction to know that wood burns.
You might also recall that parts of London were destroyed in the Great
Fire because they were made largely of wood, after which they were
rebuilt in brick and stone. So it will seem a reasonable reaction to the
Grenfell disaster that the government banned timber (along with other
combustible materials) from the exterior of residential buildings more
than 18 meters high.
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This ban started in 2018, with the promise to review it. You will probably
think, to be safe than sorry. But there’s a cost to this caution, which is
that it will impede one of the most promising recent innovations in
building.
This is the engineering of timber so that it can act as an alternative to
steel and concrete, such that large and tall structures can be built with it.
Its environmental benefits are compelling, timber locks up the carbon
absorbed by the growth of trees. While construction is a major
contributor to greenhouse gases, building in wood has the potential to
reduce them.
There are other advantages. Current techniques mean that timber
structures can be made into components away from building sites and
then assembled there, which has benefits for quality, precision and speed
of construction. It is lighter and easier to transport than its alternatives. It
is versatile and can be used to make walls and floors as well as the frames
that hold buildings up. Wood is an inherently pleasing material, both
visually and acoustically.
It makes for building sites that are cleaner, safer, quieter and more
pleasant. As for the question of fire: if it is thick enough and dense
enough, wood burns slowly, because it protects itself from further
damage by charring, whereas at high temperatures steel is given to
sudden collapse.
Not surprisingly, given its many qualities, the use of engineered timber is
expanding around the world but it will be held back in England. Of course
no one should be blase about what is a fast-developing technology and
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continuing testing and research are needed to ensure its safety, but the
same is true of many techniques used in modern construction. For all
these reasons, a number of organizations and businesses have urged the
government to reconsider.
Part of the problem is that the current ban doesn’t adequately distinguish
between the cladding, or outer skin of a building, and its structure. There
is almost universal agreement that it is reasonable to ban timber cladding
on buildings of more than a few stories high. But one of the beauties of
engineered timber is that it can function as the stuff that does the hard
work of holding a building up, as the layer that encloses the interior and
as the surface that you look at. While it is possible to conceal a wooden
structure beneath another material, this loses much of the simplicity that
is one of its advantages.
A strange aspect in all of this is that Grenfell Tower was not made of
timber, but of reinforced concrete clad in polyethylene and aluminum.
While the Grenfell inquiry has not reached its conclusions, it is perverse
to ban a blameless material while we’re waiting.
1. Which among the following conclusion can be drawn from the

penultimate paragraph?
a) Wood should be used in the frontier works.
b) Timber can be used to build the structure.
c) Timber can be used as outer skin too.
d) Hiding timber structure with another material would reduce its
strength.
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2. The author’s proposition will be weakened by all of the following

EXCEPT?
a) In the U.K. dense timber is hard to find.
b) With special paints available now, buildings of timber can be
prevented from small fires.
c) Timber is more pleasant as well as costly than its traditional
substitutes.
d) According to a newly published study, if the seasoning of timber is
done in a correct manner, it can act strong against the routine fires,
the fires which do not harm the concrete based buildings.
3. All of the following cannot be inferred from the passage EXCEPT?

a) Using timber improves productivity as the work can be divided into
components which can be worked individually and then
accumulated.
b) Dense woods do not catch fire and thus should be used in tall
buildings.
c) The advantages of using timber outweighs its disadvantages.
d) The ban of timber can be overturned after the Grenfell inquiry.
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4. Which of the following is not the benefit of using timber?

a) It can control sound.
b) It is cheap and easily available.
c) It can lock up carbon dioxide for years and thus have environment
benefits.
d) It versatility makes it to be used in numerous places.
5. Why does the author say that timber is a blameless material?

a) Because it wasn’t used in the Grenfell tower and still got banned.
b) Because the author thinks that there are few disadvantages of using
timber.
c) It is worthless to blame timber as it is not the only material to catch
fire.
RC 20
Thirty-one years ago, the Chinese government massacred thousands of
pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, but the international community
moved on in relatively short order. Today, this same regime is killing the
freedom of 8 million people in Hong Kong. The survivors of the
Tiananmen Square massacre are warning the world not to repeat the
mistakes it made in 1989.
International condemnation, then, was swift, sanctions were imposed,
and the Chinese leadership was treated as a pariah, for a little while. But
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while President George H.W. Bush publicly condemned the massacre,

privately he quickly and quietly resumed his drive to pursue friendly
relations with Beijing, signalling to Chinese leaders their brutal crackdown
would have little long-term cost.
Economic engagement quickly resumed, most sanctions were soon lifted
and China’s economy surged for the next three decades. But the political
reforms Washington policymakers had hoped for never materialized.
After Xi Jinping formally took power in 2013, the Chinese Communist
Party’s brutality and repression only accelerated.
“That’s a very big lesson the American government should learn from
1989,” said Wang Dan, a former student leader who survived the
Tiananmen Square massacre. He spent several years in prison before
being exiled to the United States, where he has championed democracy,
freedom and human rights for the Chinese people ever since.
Wang was part of a group of Chinese dissidents who met Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo this week. He told Pompeo that the United States
and the international community must do more to help people in
mainland China have free access to information — and do more to punish
Chinese leaders for their assault on freedom in Hong Kong.
Last week, China’s rubber-stamp legislature approved a sweeping new
national security law for Hong Kong, after which Pompeo announced,
“Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, given facts on the
ground.” President Trump gave a speech promising to roll back the
special economic and trade status Hong Kong has enjoyed, along with
other as-yet-unspecified measures.
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Wang said the U.S. and international responses must target sanctions at
high-level officials in Beijing, and that issues of human rights and freedom
of information in China must be included in any future trade talks. The
CCP’s abuses hurt not only Chinese citizens but also U.S. companies trying
to do business in China.
The Bush administration could be forgiven for thinking China’s leaders
were moving toward opening and reform in 1989. In 2020, nobody can
make that argument. The CCP has abused its access to the international
economy for economic aggression while protecting its own markets from
free competition.
It would be easy to say that the current political and social upheaval in
the United States means we shouldn’t stand up against China’s
crackdown on human rights and freedom in Hong Kong. Our public
institutions — especially our police — have serious problems that have
caused systemic suffering for large groups of Americans. But it would be
pathetic if we used that as a reason to abandon our duty to also stand up
to repression in China. In fact, the drives for greater justice at home and
abroad reinforce each other. This is actually the perfect time to press the
issue.
The biggest difference between 1989 and now is that, back then, the
Chinese government could cover up the truth. Today in Hong Kong,
everyone can see the tragedy unfolding. For the sake of our values and
their freedom, we cannot afford to let Beijing get away with it again.
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1. Why the Bush administration did not take any significant action
against China in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square massacre?
a) They thought that China would definitely lead to political reform.
b) They thought deteriorating relations with china would come at a
huge cost.
c) They thought it will not have a long term impact on the world.
d) The economic cost of an action against China would have been high.
2. Which of the following cannot be deduced from the passage?

a) Political sanctions are the only way to put pressure on china.
b) The U.S.’ human rights would strengthen if they chose to stand by the
Hong Kong.
c) China has used the international economic excess for its advantage.
d) The Chinese government does not want democracy in their region.
3. The passage is primarily suggesting that

a) Hong Kong should be protected from china.
b) We failed once to restrict China, but we not fail now.
c) The U.S. must not hold itself because of their regional conflicts.
d) Pressure should be applied on China from all directions.
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4. All of the following are the ways to control the Chinese draconian
actions EXCEPT?
a) Constant political pressure.
b) Put sanctions on the Chinese officials.
c) Put tariffs and tax on Chinese firms and products.
5. Which of the following can be concluded from the passage?

a) The Chinese brutality has dwindled since the Tiananmen massacre.
b) The U.S. has its own sorts of problem relating to the human rights
and freedom.
c) The U.S. may learn a very big lesson if they do not act against China
this time.
d) All of the above
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Answer Key
RC 1
RC 2 RC 3 RC 4 RC 5
1. B
1. C 1. A 1. A 1. C
2. A
2. A 2. D 2. A 2. A
3. B
3. C 3. D 3. A 3. D
4. B
4. B 4. A 4. C 4. D
5. D
RC 6 RC 7 RC 8 RC 9 RC 10
1. B 1. B 1. E 1. D 1. C
2. C 2. A 2. D 2. C 2. A
3. D 3. C 3. C 3. C 3. B
RC 11 RC 12 RC 13 RC 14 RC 15
1. B 1. B 1. D 1. A 1. D
2. C 2. D 2. C 2. B 2. B
3. B 3. C 3. B 3. C 3. B
4. B 4. A 4. C 4. D 4. A
5.D 5. D 5. B 5. B 5. B
RC 16 RC 17 RC 18 RC 19 RC 20
1. D 1. C 1. B 1. B 1. A
2. A 2. A 2. C 2. D 2. A
3. B 3. B 3. C 3. A 3. B
4. A 4. D 4. D 4. B 4. D
5. D 5. B 5. D 5. B 5. B
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Solutions
RC1
1. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines from the first para, “The sentences taste fragrant, even
as they tumble awkwardly from your mouth like bricks built of foreign
symbols. Verbs after adverbs, nouns after pronouns, your relations
deepen. Yet, the closer you get, the more aware you become of the
mirage-like void between you. But you have no fear, since the path to
your beloved gleams with curiosity and wonder that is almost urgent.”
Now initially we enjoy learning the new language, but the more we learn,
the more we realise the void of knowledge that exists but you do not fear
it because you are curious and realise that you need to fill the void
urgently.
Option b reflects this explanation.
Option a can be easily eliminated. The more we delve into the a language
the more we realise the deepness of it.
Option c is distorted. The void doesn’t increase, it’s just you realise that
the void is too big.
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2. A)
Explanation:
It’s an easy one. The second language interference is the changes the
second language brings with it which affects a person. As it is best
summarized by the last sentence of the passage that a new language
changes everything even the most fundamental parts like the mother
tongue. Option a is precisely what the second language interference is.
Option c is distorted. It’s not just about the changes in the first language.
It is about a whole range of changes because of the second language.
3. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the last para. The passage talks about how the new language
changes the old language, what the linguists call second language
interference. The last sentence of the passage summarizes this thought
that the new language changes everything including our mother tongues.
Option b mirrors this thought.
4. B)
Explanation:
The second passage illustrates how you wish to get consumed in a new
language and how everything looks good about the new language or a
relationship.
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The third para exposes the realities that a person faces after the glittery
phase. The person becomes exposed to the differences but then these
slowly start changing the person fundamentally.
Option b mirrors this explanation and is the answer to the question.
Option a is true, but it is incomplete. Since the changes the language or
relationship brings with it is missing from the option, thus the option can
be eliminated.
Option c can be eliminated on the same grounds as option a.
Option d can also be eliminated on the similar grounds of option a.
5. D)
Explanation:
Option a is true. it is given in the first para of the passage. Refer to the
lines from the passage “Others will hook their arms and march right out
of your memory on the last day of school.”
Option is also true. Refer to the line from the last para “Somehow,
writing exposes this interference more than speaking ever could.”
Option c is true as grey matter becomes denser, thus a new language
affects your brain.
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RC2
1. C)
Explanation:
Refer to the first and the second para. Second para highlights the buying
of the assets by various central banks and later in the passage the reason
for their buying is to ensure that the markets function efficiently. Thus Qe
can be best described as the process of buying of securities by the central
bank to pump more money into the economy. Option c reflects this and
is the answer to the question.
2. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Critics nonetheless worry that qe is both more
dangerous and less necessary in emerging markets than it is elsewhere. It
imperils the hard-won independence of monetary authorities that have
struggled in the past to keep their distance from big-spending politicians”
and “And although inflation is now firmly under control in most big
emerging markets, many of these countries still worry that monetary
indiscipline can lead to destabilizing runs on their currency.” Thus the
sentence implies that Qe can lead to the destabilization of the market
currency. Thus option a is the correct answer.
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3. C)
Explanation:
Refer to the line “The aim instead is to stabilize financial markets”, thus
the central banks are injecting money so that the markets function
smoothly. Thus option c is the correct answer.
4. B)
Explanation:
The stigma refers to the central banks of the emerging markets refraining
themselves for Qe. This stigma is fading as the central banks of the
emerging markets are beginning to opt for practices such as Qe in more
common scenarios rather than reserve it for the calamities such as
currency wars. Option b reflects this and is the correct answer for the
question.
RC3
1. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “This growing inequality is held responsible for a wide
range of social and political ills” and “This “grand narrative” undoubtedly
captures important aspects of the US experience. But it does not
represent the whole picture.”.
The passage revolves around the idea that the growing inequality cannot
be attributed to the rise in populism. To further clarify this the author
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compares different countries and different factors leading to the

inequality and refutes that it is just because of the rise in populism.
This is reflected in option a and thus is the correct answer.
2. D)
Explanation:
All the options are explicitly mentioned in the passage and thus option d
is the correct answer.
Refer to the lines “When it comes to ordinary living standards, middle
class income growth has been even more varied.” And “. But economic
dysfunction combines with cultural and demographic factors in a way
that makes them very hard to disentangle.” And “. But economic
dysfunction combines with cultural and demographic factors in a way
that makes them very hard to disentangle.” Thus all the options can be
attributed to the rise of income inequality.
3. D)
Explanation:
The grand narrative refers to the rise in the inequality which has caused
the rise of populism in the U.S. The author mentions the examples of the
election of Donald Trump as the president and UL’s Brexit vote as the
examples of the rising income inequality which has given way to the
populism. Thus option d is the correct answer.
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4. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “This growing inequality is held responsible for a wide
range of social and political ills. Not least the erosion of solidarity, social
trust and faith in democratic institutions. And, politically, it caused the
election of Donald Trump, the UK’s Brexit vote, and the broad rise of
populism seen as threatening democracy.
This “grand narrative” undoubtedly captures important aspects of the US
experience”, and “The extent to which rising inequality and stagnating
living standards over decades have driven the recent rise in populism
across the rich countries is also open to question. Yes, the white working
class population whose livelihoods have been hurt through decades of
manufacturing decline provided the core constituency supporting Trump
for president.” Option a can be inferred from these lines.
Option b can be eliminated as the inequality has risen for 2/3rd of the
OCED countries.
Option c can be eliminated. As there as many factors which makes it
complex to attribute the rising inequality to a specific cause.
Option d can also be eliminated on the similar grounds as option c.
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RC4
1. A)
Explanation:
Secular stagnation is simply the falling interest rates. Refer to the lines
“The concept gained prominence after Larry Summers of Harvard
University used it in 2013 to describe the falling rates of return on
investment and economic growth in the American economy since the
1970s.” clearly option a is the correct answer.
2. A)
Explanation:
The passage starts by describing a problem which the central bankers
face- secular stagnation, and how it is getting worse as predicted towards
the end of the passage. Thus the passage primarily focuses on the secular
stagnation and its worsening. Option a reflects this and is the answer to
the question.
Options b and c can also be eliminated as the author does not primarily
want to just elucidate what secular stagnation is and neither he/she
wants to primarily explain that markets are driven by the ancient force.
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3. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the ant- penultimate and the penultimate para.
Mr. Schmelzing clearly suggests that there is a centuries old force to
which the markets are snapping back whereas Mr. Piketty suggests that
markets are not driven by any force as there are no restrictions on the
accumulation of wealth. Thus the former argues that there is a force
which is driving these interest rates whereas the latter argues that no
such force exists. This is reflected in option a, and thus it is the answer to
the question.
4. C)
Explanation:
Options a and b can be easily eliminated.
Option d can also be eliminated as the passage is not just about the
markets snapping back to the ancient trend, it is much more than that.
Option c is the easy pick. The author describes it and highlights that the
problems the central bankers face may not be a new one.
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RC5
1. C)
Explanation:
To find out the relative effect of change, calculate the percentage change
of ml and price. If the ml percentage change is more than the price
percentage change then we are at profit and the deal can be secured.
Refer to option c. Medium drink is clearly better than the small one.
However when we compare the medium and the large drink, the quantity
increases by 44 percent and the price increases by 55 percent. Thus in
this case decoy is actually a better option to pick. Thus option c is the
correct answer.
2. A)
Explanation:
The decoy option helps the consumer to make a choice which drifts the
consumer in favour of the target product. Thus the decoy is
asymmetrically aligned towards the target product to increase the sales
of it. Thus option a is the correct answer.
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3. D)
Explanation:
Without decoy, the consumers at times tend to swing between the
extremes and thus an additional product tends to simplify their decision
making process by drifting them towards the target product. Thus option
a is correct.
Option b is also correct based in the above explanation.
Option c is also correct. At times it drifts the consumer to the target
product which usually yields higher profits to the company. And since the
decoy is usually closer to the target product which is usually costlier, the
consumers tend to buy extra, thus spending more. Hence option c is also
correct and option d is the correct answer.
4. D)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “When consumers are faced with many alternatives,
they often experience choice overload – what psychologist Barry
Schwartz has termed the tyranny or paradox of choice. Multiple
behavioral experiments have consistently demonstrated that greater
choice complexity increases anxiety and hinders decision-making.
In an attempt to reduce this anxiety, consumers tend to simplify the
process by selecting only a couple of criteria (say price and quantity) to
determine the best value for money.”
Thus the consumers tend to reduce complexity by comparing fewer
variables. Thus option d is the correct answer.
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RC6
1. B)
Explanation:
Cooking requires complexity and the use of higher cognitive skills, thus it
can be considered as a higher pleasure.
Options c and d can be easily considered as higher pleasure.
Since the person wearing a well crafted dress may not have crafted it,
thus lesser cognition is required, but the broader point is it is unique to
humans and the person wearing it will feel higher pleasure whereas a
person seeing it may not. However, it will still be considered as a higher
pleasure as it requires much more than mere sentience. Thus option e
can be considered as a higher pleasure.
Option b cannot be considered as a higher pleasure. As both humans and
animals indulge in the activity and there is not much difference between
the two, hence option b can be considered as a lower pleasure and is the
answer to the question.
2. C)
Explanation:
Aristotle will clearly reject this statement as for him the pleasure that we
share with animals are not worthy of being called as higher level
pleasures.
Refer to the bentham’s statement “Bentham, arguing that we are really
not so intellectual and high-minded as all that, and we might as well
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accept ourselves for the brutes that we are, shaped by biochemistry and
animal drives.” He seem to suggest unlike what Aristotle thought- that
the man is an intellectual being, that we have animal drives and are not
that intellectual. Thus he agrees that we possess some rustic behaviours
but also agrees that we are in some sense intellectual. As far as the
question statement is concerned, it’s hard to conclude anything from the
given information, whether Bentham will agree with it or not. Thus we
reject this statement as we cannot gather absolute assertion from the
bentham’s arguments.
Stuart mill will definitely agree with the given statement. Since he
differentiated between higher and lower pleasures based on the
quantum of the cognitive element involved in the process, thus eating is
more complex than feeding. And the given sentence does not literally
represent the difference between eating and feeding, it shows the
difference between two activities where one requires complexity and the
other is pursued for mere sentience.
Thus option c is the correct answer.
3. D)
Explanation:
The author will agree with option a. The author agrees with the thought
that the “how” component in the pleasure is more important than the
“what” component. And eating illustrates that as in wolfing down your
food like a pig at a trough is a lower kind of pleasure. Preparing and
eating it using the powers of reflection and attention that only a human
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being possesses turns it into a higher pleasure. Thus the author will agree
with option a.
The author will also agree with option b. Consider the example above.
Just swallowing your food and eating. The first one represents mere
sentience and the second one represents an active engagement involves
complexity, thus the author will agree with option b.
The author will easily agree with option c. The author, however, argues
that it’s just a continuum and absolute divide is not there between the
two kinds of pleasure, but he/she does not suggest that the lower
pleasures can be complex, but he/she seem to suggest that the higher
pleasures are complex. Thus the author will agree with option c.
The author will not agree with option d. Refer to the lines “The entire
debate assumes a clear divide between the intellectual and bodily, the
human and the animal, which is no longer tenable.” From here we can
infer that the author does not believe that we have immaterial minds and
material bodies rather we are psychosomatic wholes. Thus option d is the
correct answer.
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RC7
1. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the line “Darwin held that an action was rational if it displayed
some measure of forethought.”
Option a can be eliminated as when an intuition leads to a thought, there
cannot be a thought before the action. Thus option a can be eliminated.
Options c and d can be easily eliminated.
Option e may not be true. Decisions can still be irrational with the use of
cognitive tool and Darwin thought that there has to be a forethought
before taking a decision. Thus option e can be eliminated.
Option b is the correct answer. As when a decision goes beyond
instinctive response then it is well thought, this is what the Darwin
believes what a rational decision should have.
2. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “But when it came to the ‘lower’ animals, he was less
sure – especially insofar as earthworms were concerned. They were a
uniquely simple form of life; indeed even Porphyry would have struggled
to see them as intelligent beings. They had no obvious means of
perception; did not appear to have any skills; made no noises; and
certainly didn’t show any emotion. The prospect of finding any cognitive
similarities with human beings seemed dim indeed.” The tone of the last
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few sentences seem to suggest that a twist is about to occur. Now the
twist will be most likely to be of Darwin finding that the earthworms are
intelligent or share some cognitive similarity with the humans, as they are
thought to be not intelligent.
Thus option a shall be the logical continuation of the passage.
3. C)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the given lines.
Option b can be easily inferred as the difference between the humans
and the animals is thought be of degree where humans possess higher
degree brain.
Option c is distorted. Humans and animals possess same kind of brain not
the same brain. Thus is the easy pick.
Option d can be easily inferred as they possessed a higher degree brain,
thus they can be inferred to possess higher cognitive abilities.
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RC8
1. E)
Explanation:
The swallow problem as can be inferred from the passage refers to the
disappearance of the swallow in the winters. The problem though was
the mystery that where did the swallow actually disappeared. Thus
option e is the correct answer.
2. D)
Explanation:
The trouble refers to the different conclusions by different philosophers
and people after the Aristotle about the disappearance of the swallow in
the winters. As little was known about its disappearance, many people
concluded based on their observations, however Aristotle opted for a
well defined path to reach the conclusion and after that Francis
Willughby tried to resolve the mystery but was unable to do so but he
rejected the old hypothesis about the disappearance of the swallow. Thus
the trouble refers to the different set of conclusions that still couldn’t
figure the exact place where the swallow disappeared. Thus option d is
the correct answer.
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3. C)
Explanation:
17th century rejected any claim which was not based on the verifiable
facts where as in the past there was a tendency to generalize as is what
the Aristotle did. Thus option c best represents the difference between
the two times.
RC9
1. D)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “A stylish lithograph from the magazine showed a grisly
parody of communion, with priests and peasants butchering the body of
a dead Christ and eating his limbs and entrails.” And “A 1930 Godless
cover showed a priest, a rabbi and a mullah being swept through a dam
sluice. ”
The target is on all religions. However the author can also be described as
atheist but he/she can be best described as anti-religious. Thus option d
is a better fit for the question.
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2. C)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Over the course emphasis shifted from vivid,
imaginative blasphemies to a more regimented, concerned with the
construction of godless collective farms and industrial cities at the
expense of religious buildings and ‘class enemies’
These magazines often announced the closure and demolition of ‘centres
of obscurantism’.”
From these lines the centre of obscurantism can be inferred to be the
religious buildings. Rest of the options can be easily eliminated.
3. C)
Explanation:
Option a can be easily inferred from the passage. The magazines
illustrated the message of the leader of the region.
Option b can be inferred from the passage. It can be easily inferred from
the first lines of the passage.
Option c cannot be inferred from the passage. The attacks were against
the religion with art depicting the core message. However we cannot say
that they were roughed. Thus option c is the correct answer.
Option d can be easily inferred from the passage.
Option e can also be inferred from the last sentence of the passage.
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RC10
1. C)
Explanation:
The passage links the cosmic connection and the science. The author
towards the end suggests that the two need to collaborate to explore the
unexplored. Thus the author primarily proposes that the two fields of
people need to collaborate. This is reflected in option c.
Options a and d can be easily eliminated.
Option b can also be eliminated as the author definitely links the matter
to the tiniest living organism but only in order to eventually suggest that
the potential to explore is huge if the two- atheists and theists,
collaborate.
2. A)
Explanation:
Spiritual atheist can be understood to be someone who uses science in
the spiritual domain.
Thus option a is the best answer.
Option b is restricted to a single window whereas there can be numerous
other windows.
A person can’t be both theist and atheist.
Option d can be eliminated on the same ground as option b.
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3. B)
Explanation:
The author’s conclusion is that theist and atheist need to collaborate or
the science and spirituality need to collaborate.
Now option b suggests that science is enough to unfold the mysteries of
the universe which goes against the collaboration of the two fields. Thus
option b will weaken the author’s conclusion.
RC 11
1. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines from the first para, “The sentences taste fragrant, even
as they tumble awkwardly from your mouth like bricks built of foreign
symbols. Verbs after adverbs, nouns after pronouns, your relations
deepen. Yet, the closer you get, the more aware you become of the
mirage-like void between you. But you have no fear, since the path to
your beloved gleams with curiosity and wonder that is almost urgent.”
Now initially we enjoy learning the new language, but the more we learn,
the more we realise the void of knowledge that exists but you do not fear
it because you are curious and realise that you need to fill the void
urgently.
Option b reflects this explanation.
Option a can be easily eliminated. The more we delve into the a language
the more we realise the deepness of it.
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Option c is distorted. The void doesn’t increase, it’s just you realise that
the void is too big.
2. C)
Explanation:
It’s an easy one. The second language interference is the changes the
second language brings with it which affects a person. As it is best
summarised by the last sentence of the passage that a new language
changes everything even the most fundamental parts like the mother
tongue. Option a is precisely what the second language interference is.
Option c is distorted. It’s not just about the changes in the first language.
It is about a whole range of changes because of the second language.
3. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the last para. The passage talks about how the new language
changes the old language, what the linguists call second language
interference. The last sentence of the passage summarises this thought
that the new language changes everything including our mother tongues.
Option b mirrors this thought.
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4. B)
Explanation:
The second passage illustrates how you wish to get consumed in a new
language and how everything looks good about the new language or a
relationship.
The third para exposes the realities that a person faces after the glittery
phase. The person becomes exposed to the differences but then these
slowly start changing the person fundamentally.
Option b mirrors this explanation and is the answer to the question.
Option a is true, but it is incomplete. Since the changes the language or
relationship brings with it is missing from the option, thus the option can
be eliminated.
Option d can also be eliminated on the similar grounds of option a.
5. D)
Explanation:
Option a is true. it is given in the first para of the passage. Refer to the
lines from the passage “Others will hook their arms and march right out
of your memory on the last day of school.”
Option is also true. Refer to the line from the last para “Somehow,
writing exposes this interference more than speaking ever could.”
Option c is true as grey matter becomes denser, thus a new language
affects your brain.
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RC 12
1. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Originally, the aim of lockdown was to ‘flatten the
curve’ — that is, slow the spread of the virus sufficiently to avoid
overwhelming hospital capacity. However, since the lockdowns began,
the goalposts have been moved. Now lockdowns are promoted as a
means for reducing cases and deaths outright.”
From here, the primary aim of Sweden was to reduce the propagation of
virus but now it is to reduce the number of deaths. Option b covers this
point and is the answer to the question.
Rest of the options can be eliminated based on this explanation.
2. D)
Explanation:
The author will agree with option a. The author seems to be supportive of
Sweden and this is demonstrated by him/her on several occasions. Thus
the author will agree with this option.
Refer to the lines “But Sweden deserves credit for its immunity to Covid
hysteria, and for maintaining its open and civilized approach in the face
of international outrage.” From these lines, it is clear that the author
praises Sweden for keeping it open and still controlling the deaths. Thus
the author will agree with this option.
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Refer to the second last para. The author clearly wants the Sweden to be
compared to the countries similar to it not to the Scandinavian countries
i.e. Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
Thus the author will agree with option c.
The author may or may not agree with option d. The author’s opinion on
opening of schools is not explicitly mentioned in the passage, thus we
cannot conclude that the author will agree with the schools to remain
open.
3. C)
Explanation:
Options a and b are clearly stated in the passage.
Refer to the lines “Gatherings of over 50 people are banned” thus there is
prohibition of people gathering over 50, hence option c is the correct
answer.
Option d is not true. The usage of the public transport has fallen but it is
still active.
4. A)
Explanation:
Option a is correct. The given sentence is used by the author in reference
to compare it to different countries worldwide in terms of the deaths
that have occurred. And after comparing the results are not that grave
for the Sweden. It is not an outlier thus in terms of the deaths. Option a
reflects this thought.
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Option b is distorted. There is no information about the deaths per capita

of the world in the passage and no such comparison is made. Hence this
option can be eliminated easily.
Option c is a generalized statement, it covers the point, though, that the
consequences have remained same across the world. But it does not
emphasize what is precisely written in the question statement.
Option d is again distorted. It does not reflect what the question
statement is trying to say and can be eliminated.
5. D)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred. the author towards the end suggests that the
results of the strategy opted by Sweden remains to be seen as he/she
pointed out that whether the swedes develop the immunity remains to
be seen.
Option b can be inferred from the passage. Refer to the second para. The
Sweden has not opted for a severe lockdown unlike the other countries
around the world, and for this reason the critics accuse it as they think
that the Sweden has opted for the herd immunity strategy. Which can be
inferred to be applied only when there is less severe lockdown or no
lockdown. Hence option b can be inferred from the passage.
Option c can also be inferred from the passage. The author mentions the
death toll, as of now, to support this point. He argues that despite the
other countries opting for a full-fledged lockdown their death toll has still
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been comparable to the Sweden. Thus the strategy of Sweden, according

to the author, cannot be attributed as failure.
RC13
1. D)
Explanation:
Option a is true. It is indeed ironical that production of the electric cars
require oil at several crucial stages.
Option b is true. It is a possibility that oil may not be replaced anytime
soon as it is a critical factor in the production of the electric vehicles.
Option c is also true.
Option d is not true. we cannot infer from this sentence about the
replacement of oil. Thus option d is the correct answer.
2. C)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the passage. refer to the lines “in 2018,
wind and solar provided just 63.5 per cent of the record 33 per cent of UK
electricity produced by renewables.” Now 63.5 perfect of 33 percent is
just around 21 percent. Thus the renewables’ amounted to around 21
percent of the total annual electricity supply.
Option b can also be inferred. Refer to the lines “In April, the price of an
American barrel of oil, delivered in May, briefly dropped from a low $20
to minus $40”, now in the usual scenario, people or the companies which
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purchase oil from the producers of it pay them but since the oil prices
have dipped below zero then the producers must have given money to
reduce their inventories. Hence option b can be inferred.
Option c cannot be inferred from the passage and can be easily
eliminated. Thus option c is the correct answer.
3. B)
Explanation:
Option a is an extreme option and can be eliminated. We cannot infer
that the author is suggesting of the electric vehicles never to replace oil
running vehicles.
The assumptions are big enough to fulfil in 14 years but it may be fulfilled
after that, thus option c can be eliminated.
The replacement definitely depends on strong assumptions, but the
assumptions are regarding the replacement of the current cars in 14
years. Thus option d can be eliminated.
Refer to the lines “It would take 14 years just to restock the entire fleet of
cars on UK roads. And, even then, that would depend on…” thus the big
ifs are related to the replacement in 14 years.
4. C)
Explanation:
This is an easy one. The author quotes Norman Tebbit to target electric
fetishists as they do not understand the internal workings of the industry,
as is the case with production of electric cars or mining of cobalt
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batteries. Everything requires oil as of now and if the electric fetishists

really want to have their words some weight then their actions should be
aligned with their words.
Option c covers this point and is the answer to the question.
Options a and b can be easily eliminated. Option is zeroed in to only
vehicles, whereas oil is used in several other industries as well, thus
option d can also be eliminated.
5. B)
Explanation:
The passage is about the fact that as of now, there is no replacement of
oil even in the far sight (as is the case with 14 years replacement of the
current fleet). Option b, thus should be an apt title for the passage.
Option a can be easily eliminated.
Option c is very specific, and the passage doesn’t seem so.
Option d cannot be the title for the passage as the world is not electric
powered. Electricity is still finding hard to replace oil. Thus this option can
be eliminated.
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RC 14
1. A)
Explanation:
The passage broadly talks about how, with the advent of typewriters,
everything started changing. The efficiencies of the business improved,
how it improved women empowerment, how the transportation became
fast. Thus the passage do not specifically highlight a particular sector
which was affected by typewriter, rather how the typewriter changed
different areas. Thus option a should be the correct answer here.
2. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “After decades of development, voice recognition
technology is beginning to compete with typing when it comes to sending
texts, interacting with computers, and even writing whole articles.” And
“Overall, the nation’s characteristic mania that nothing is worth doing
unless done quickly was accentuated by the speed with which the
typewriter could perform writing chores,” he writes. Today, that same
mania could push us to shift away from typing altogether.”
These lines imply that we have a obsession or mania of doing things
quickly. And with the same mania we could shift from typing because the
voice recognition technique, being used to write texts and articles, is
quicker than typing. Thus option b is the correct answer.
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3. C)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the passage. Refer to the first para and
lines “After decades of development, voice recognition technology is
beginning to compete with typing when it comes to sending
texts, interacting with computers, and even writing whole articles. The
end of typing could shake things up, judging from how much typing
changed the world when it was first introduced.”
Option d can be inferred from the passage. Refer to the lines from the
6th para“typing generally paid as much or more as teaching, the main
professional job open to women at the time.”
Option b is a bit complex to infer. “Remington manufactured the iconic
new machine of business in the same factory that had built many of the
revolvers used in the Civil War”.
Now it’s easy to conclude that both were manufactured in the same
factory. However, there can also be a scenario where Remington
manufactured the typewriter in the same factory when guns were
manufactured for the civil war but not by Remington, someone else. It’s a
bit far-fetched to come to this point, but it is still a possibility. So we keep
this option in contention.
Option c, however, cannot be inferred. refer to the lines “while some
religious leaders decried the opportunities for sin created by the mixing
of genders in the workplace.” Thus option c is a clear answer and option
and option b is out of contention.
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4. D)
Explanation:
Employment sector was definitely changed by the advent of the
typewriter as women employment rose.
Businesses were also impacted from the typewriter. It raised their
productivity.
Manufacturing sector was also impacted by the typewriter. Refer to the
lines “Typewriters helped manufacturers’ business offices grow in
tandem with faster production and more extensive transportation
networks.”
Option d cannot be concluded from the passage. Refer to the lines
“Businesses began to apply Fredrick Taylor’s ideas about scientific
management to the office, leading to the creation of secretarial pools”
from here we can conclude that the businesses used the previously
unused/less used theories to improve their efficiencies. It cannot be
concluded that it changed the management field. Thus option d is the
correct answer.
5. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “the typewriter as we know it was less than a decade
old, but it was already changing the shape of the business world. “With
the aid of this little machine an operator can accomplish more
correspondence in a day than half a dozen clerks can with the pen, and
do better work” and “This was an era when companies were beginning to
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hire women for clerical tasks, and Hubert noted that the new technology
was a particular boon for female employment” and “Typewriters helped
manufacturers’ business offices grow in tandem with faster production
and more extensive transportation networks. Meanwhile, the growing
employment of single women gave them new economic power.”
From here we can see that the typewriter impacted numerous areas. It
created employment, improved efficiencies… It indeed created a new
avenue in the business world.
Electricity and telephone can also be considered to have change the
business world and create a whole new world of business. Thus the
typewriter can also be considered in this category.
Option c can be eliminated. It was not just about completing things
quickly. It opened several avenues for the world apart from just finishing
things quickly.
Option d can also be eliminated on the same grounds as option c. the
option is very specific in terms of the advantages of the things mentioned
when there were numerous.
Option a can be eliminated. It’s a tough one to eliminate. It can be
inferred from the passage that the typewriter was a revolutionary
product, but the author depicts a scenario where the typewriter creates a
whole new business world. In this sense option b more complete. It
clearly specifies a case where it excelled i.e. creating a new business
world. The similar can also be considered for electricity and telephone.
And the passage is not depicting wonders of the world. Thus option b will
be more apt in this scenario.
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RC 15
1. D)
Explanation:
All of the options are true. Refer to the lines “Part of the answer is way-
of-life: humans have an insatiable appetite for more. Few people would
choose to settle for mere subsistence”,
“persistent social inequality also helps the 40-hour week persist”,
“But unless the distribution of wealth becomes more equal, very few
people can afford to cut back to a 15-hour working week” all of the
options are the reason for the working hours not to decrease drastically.
2. B)
Explanation:
Hedonic treadmill is the tendency of a person to remain at a relatively
stable level of happiness despite a change in fortune or the achievement
of major goals. So the rise in income results in no permanent gain in
happiness. Option b fits the definition and is the answer to the question.
3. B)
Explanation:
Option a is not true. Refer to the lines “The ubiquity of washing
machines, vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens means that the
average US household does almost 30 hours less housework per week
than in the 1930s.” this implies that an average household spends 30
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hours less, however the option states it in absolute terms. Thus this
option is not true.
Option c can be inferred to be false. Refer to these lines “As a society, on
aggregate, we are able to produce enough for everyone. But unless the
distribution of wealth becomes more equal, very few people can afford
to cut back to a 15-hour working week.” This implies that wealth
distribution has not followed Keynes prediction. He envisioned less
disparity in wealth than what we see.
Option d is wrong. this was the prediction of Keynes. But as the stats go,
we are still working approximately 40 hours a week, thus people are not
facing the problem of boredom.
Option b is true. Refer to these lines. “But his 15-hour working week
prediction might have been more on the mark than it first appears. If we
wanted to produce as much as Keynes’s countrymen did in the 1930s, it
could be done in seven or eight hours”, thus the developed economies
have reached the point beyond what the Keynes predicted.
4. A)
Explanation:
Option b can be deduced from the passage. Refer to the lines “Finally,
persistent social inequality also helps the 40-hour week persist. Many
people have to work 30- to 40-hour weeks simply to get by. As a society,
on aggregate, we are able to produce enough for everyone. But unless
the distribution of wealth becomes more equal, very few people can
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afford to cut back to a 15-hour working week. In his essay, Keynes

predicted the opposite.”
Option c can be deduced from the passage. refer to the lines “But his 15-
hour working week prediction might have been more on the mark than it
first appears. If we wanted to produce as much as Keynes’s countrymen
did in the 1930s, it could be done in seven or eight hours”, thus we have
overshoot the Keynes prediction and can do the predicted in half the
predicted time.
Option d is true and can be eliminated. Refer to the lines “Programmes
such as social security and public housing help people get over the low
bar of the ‘economic problem’ of base subsistence, but they are
insufficient to properly lift people out of poverty.” Thus from here we can
easily infer that our programmes have helped people out of base
subsistence.
Option a is not true and is the answer. when the author says, today
people live on a hedonic treadmill, he does not literally mean it, as the
option is trying to convey, people are always wanting more and being
insatiable is what author means by it. Thus this is the correct answer.
5. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the line “ In developed countries, at least, we have the
technology and tools for everyone to work less and still live highly
prosperous lives, if only we structure our work and society towards that
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goal.” Here that goal refers to the goal of living prosperously with doing
less work. Thus option b is a clear answer.
RC 16
1. D)
Explanation:
The author in the first para states several ways in which a languages dies
and in the second para, too, this thought is continued even for such a
culturally diverse region. The way author mentions is the absorption of
the tribe in the dominant and more powerful group. Thus the author is
giving another way in which the language slowly dies. This is not a reason,
this is a way in which a language slowly dies, hence option d is the correct
answer.
2. A)
Explanation:
As in translation, a lot of important gestures of a transcript are lost but a
few elements still remains. Even when the language is merged in some
other language, a few of its elements always remain in the dominant
language, thus the last para conveys that no matter what happens to a
language, it will not completely get exhausted, it will always remain,
partly, in some form of the other.
Option a matches with the explanation and is the correct answer to the
question.
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Option b is narrowed down to only translation, but the author is making a

broad point here. Translation is a way in which a language can be
preserved, though it will not be as exemplified as the original one but it
will be there. Similarly merger of a language of leaves its traces in the
language it is merged, hence it is not just about translation. Thus option b
can be eliminated.
Option c can be easily eliminated. There is no mention of whether the
languages will remain in the memories of people.
Option d can also be eliminated. Even the passage contradicts this
statement. Hence it can be safely eliminated.
3. B)
Explanation:
Option a can be easily eliminated. Administrative support will include
financial support as well. It is given in the passage.
Option c can also be eliminated. If there is administrative support for a
language, then there should be no threat that it will be merged in a
dominant language as the support is there because people or authorities
do not want the language to be merged. Hence this option can be safely
eliminated.
Option b is the correct answer. The threat despite the support is there
because the population speaking is small that even with the support
there will always be a threat unless the population speaking the language
is increased. Thus option b is the correct answer.
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4. A)
Explanation:
Options i, ii, and iii are explicitly given in the first para as the reasons for
the extinction.
iv is not a reason for a language to extinct. Although for rare languages,
this is the case, but it cannot be attribute to the extinction of the
language.
Similarly v can also be eliminated. Financial assistance may help some
languages to resurrect but the main reason for a language to extinct is
the lack of population speaking it. And even some languages which
receive financial assistance are facing threat of extinction. Hence v
cannot be a reason for a language to extinct.
5. D)
Explanation:
The author will clearly not agree with the first answer option. The author
thinks that the languages should be preserved as he mentions some of
the benefits of preserving languages.
Option c can also be eliminated. The author in not in much favour of
translation. It takes away the core gist of a transcript. thus option c can
be eliminated.
Now the author may not always agree with the financial aid proposal.
Though it may definitely help in some cases but not in all. The reason is
that in the extinction of a language there are several factors at play
simultaneously. As in the speaking population is decreasing coupled with
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a few speakers learning to speak in the dominant language and so on.

Thus the author may not always agree with this financial aid proposition.
Hence option c can be eliminated and the answer option d is covered in
this explanation.
RC17
1. C)
Explanation:
The passage talks about how the malls, in the changing times, have
evolved instead of dying.
Thus the central point of the passage is that malls are evolving. The
passage revolves around this. Thus option c covers this scope.
Option a is very specific and limited. The author gave amenities as an
example of evolution of malls.
Option b does not cover the central idea of the passage.
Option d is far-fetched to conclude.
2. A)
Explanation:
The author states “Brick-and-mortar retail clearly isn’t dead” to refer to
the fact that malls are going strong. Despite the advent of online
shopping people are still spending more on every visit. This implies that
despite online shopping malls are alive and running well.
Option a covers this link and is the answer.
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Options b and c can be easily eliminated.

Option d is far-fetched to conclude. It states that people prefer malls over
online shopping. We do not have any data to support it, thus it is not the
answer.
3. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “Mall developers are leveraging the closure of
traditional shops as a chance to offer exclusivity and newness with pop-
up opportunities and short-term retail strategies in the new retail
landscape” option a can be inferred from here.
Option c is stated in para 1.
Option d is given in the line “Commercial mall developers are also
rethinking their long-term lease tactics”
Option b cannot be inferred from the passage. Malls have started
providing experience but it is along with the departmental stores or
material things. Thus option b is not true.
4. D)
Explanation:
Malls were initially created as a community centre where people will
come together and interact and shop. However gone are these days.
Refer to the lines “The days of meeting friends at the mall and shopping
all day are gone”.
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The anchor shops in the malls have all closed, thus they do not provide
the traditional shopping experience.
However they are still seen as a destination. This has not changed despite
the fact that malls have the occupancy have reduced and all other
factors.
5. B)
Explanation:
Refer to the line “As millennials and Gen Z’ers mature and their
purchasing power increases, the concept of traditional malls is being
replaced by new adaptations of shopping centres. These younger
consumers place a high priority on experiences, preferring to spend their
money on experiences rather than on material things”.
From these lines it can be inferred that people of different generations
have different priorities. Thus the malls have to evolve o serve that. This
is a broader reason to why they are evolving. Placing weight on
experience and such things are the preferences a new generation has.
Thus the primary reason is the generational change for the evolution of
malls.
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RC 18
1. B)
Explanation:
Option a can be inferred from the passage. Since sea grass absorbs and
holds a large amount of carbon dioxide, thus when it is removed, carbon
dioxide absorbers are lost as well as the carbon dioxide which it has
stored also releases in the environment. Thus the environment faces twin
shocks at the same time.
Option c can be inferred from the passage. It is explicitly given in the
passage that the sea grass is dwindling, this would result in the release of
more carbon dioxide into the environment. Thus more carbon dioxide is
bound to release in the coming times.
Option d can be inferred from the passage. Since marine environment is
impacted because of the depletion of seagrass, and humans are very
much dependent on it, thus humans will also be impacted by the
depletion.
Option b is distorted. Maintaining or preserving and expanding seagrass
could be one of the ways in which we can combat climate change.
However, the word only is wrong in the sentence as it suggests it is the
only way, which is wrong. Hence option b is the correct answer.
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2. C)
Explanation:
To combat climate change, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has to be
reduced. Now, when we compare different ecosystem, blue carbon
ecosystem absorbs more carbon dioxide than the forest ecosystem.
That’s why this kind of ecosystem id more equipped to combat climate
change.
3. C)
Explanation:
We have to find the option to which the author will support.
Any option which focuses on the removal of seagrass can be easily
eliminated.
Options a, and b thus can be eliminated.
Option c indicates preserving or maintaining of the seagrass and is the
correct answer.
4. D)
Explanation:
Option a is true, refer to the lines “If seagrass isn’t faring well, that spells
trouble for marine life, for the humans who depend on it for food, and
for the health of the oceans.”
Option b can be deduced from the passage. Since because of climate
change, more severe storms are coming and seagrass could help to
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combat the climate change, this will lead to less severe storms. Hence
option b can be deduced.
Option c is mentioned in the passage as a suggestion. Since seagrass can
absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, it will positively impact the
environment.
5. D)
Explanation:
The passage is primarily about the importance of seagrass. Seagrass
absorbs 40 times more carbon dioxide than forests per square unit. This
makes the blue carbon ecosystem more suited to combat the climate
change. Seagrass also affects the marine environment, humans, and
intangible things like property. Thus the passage is all about the
importance of seagrass.
The passage is much more than the blue carbon ecosystem, as the
passage also discusses the threats to the seagrass, their effect on the
property rates. Thus option a can be eliminated.
Option b is true, but the passage is not just about the importance of
seagrass in maintaining the carbon dioxide levels. It is about the
importance of seagrass as a whole component not just its one effect.
That’s why the passage also highlights the growth in the seagrass study
field. Thus option b can be eliminated.
Option c can also be eliminated on the same grounds as option a.
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Option d is the correct and generalized statement. It mirrors the

explanation above.
RC 19
1. B)
Explanation:
The penultimate para talks about the how the ban doesn’t distinguish
between the cladding, or outer skin of a building, and its structure.
The para suggests that banning of timber from the outer skin of the
building is almost universally accepted, however it can be used to do the
hard work which implies that it can be used to build structures. Thus
option b can be concluded.
Rest of the options can be eliminated.
2. D)
Explanation:
The author’s proposition is to use timber to build buildings.
Option a will weaken author’s position. Refer to the lines “As for the
question of fire: if it is thick enough and dense enough, wood burns
slowly”, thus if dense timber is not available, then the buildings may
catch fire which will weaken author’s proposal. Hence option a can be
eliminated.
In option b paint is saving a timber based buildings, it is not an inherent
benefit of the timber for which it can be trusted. What if the paint is not
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available everywhere, hence option b can be eliminated. However we still

need to keep it until we find another better answer.
Option c can be eliminated. Since timber is costly, using it may outweigh
its benefits.
Option d is the correct answer, as it suggests that the issue of fire can be
resolved by proper seasoning of timber.
3. A)
Explanation:
We need to find the option which can be inferred from the passage.
Option a can be inferred from the passage. Refer to the lines “Current
techniques mean that timber structures can be made into components
away from building sites and then assembled there, which has benefits
for quality, precision and speed of construction.” Option a mirrors this
Option b is not true. Dense woods burns slowly but they do catch fire.
Option c cannot be inferred from the passage. The passage did not
compare the advantages or disadvantages of timber. Though the author
seem to suggest that the timber has numerous advantages, however we,
explicitly, cannot conclude, based on the given information, that the
advantages of timber outweighs its disadvantages.
Option d is far-fetched to conclude.
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4. B)
Explanation:
Option a is true. Refer to the lines “Wood is an inherently pleasing
material, both visually and acoustically.”
Option c is true. since woods have carbon stored in it. Thus using it in in
the buildings will lock up the carbon for many years which otherwise
would be released into the atmosphere.
Option d is true, refer to the lines “It is versatile and can be used to make
walls and floors as well as the frames that hold buildings up.”
Option b cannot be said to be true, as there is no mention of the price of
the timber or its comparison with its alternatives. Thus we cannot say
that it is cheap. Hence option b is the answer to the question.
5. B)
Explanation:
The author clearly refutes every disadvantage of timber. Even the author
refutes its burning properties by stating that if the woods are dense fire
can be prevented and even steel crumbles directly at sudden high
temperatures, thus making the case for timber. Option b reflects this and
is the answer to the question.
Option a is restricted to the Grenfell tower and can be eliminated. The
author is referring timber blameless in a generalized sense.
Option c is again restricted to timber ability to catch fire. Refer to the
lines “Of course no one should be blase about what is a fast-developing
technology and continuing testing and research are needed to ensure its
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safety, but the same is true of many techniques used in modern

construction.” Thus the author suggests that the risk is everywhere in the
construction techniques. Hence option c can be inferred.
RC 20
1. A)
Explanation:
Refer to the lines “But the political reforms Washington policymakers had
hoped for never materialized”, thus it can be inferred that the Bush
administration thought that this incident would lead to the political
reform. That’s why they did not take any action but the reforms never
materialized.
Option a mirrors this explanation and is the answer to the question.
Rest of the options can be eliminated.
2. A
Explanation:
Option a is the easy pick. Political sanctions are one of the ways to put
pressure on china.
Option b can be deduced from the second last para. The U.S. is facing
some troubles where the human rights of a certain community has
always been violated. Thus the author suggests that standing against
china on the same forefront would strengthen the system of the U.S. as
well. Thus option b can be deduced.
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Option c can also be deduced. China has protected its markets from the
external competition and has used the economic excess. Thus china has
used the international economic excess for its excess.
Option d can be deduced from the passage. Tiananmen square massacre
was because the people wanted democracy. Today Hong Kong’s freedom
can be snatched where it may not be an autonomous region anymore.
Thus it can be deduced that the Chinese government do not want
democracy in their region.
3. B)
Explanation:
The passage primarily suggests that China has not changed since the
Tiananmen square massacre and that time we failed to protect or restrict
china from further atrocities. But years after another such thing is about
to happen where freedom of 8 million people can be snatched and this
time we must stand by these people or Hong Kong to protect them.
This is mirrored in option b and it is the answer to the question.
Option a is a part of the passage. But the passage highlights that we not
fail again this time to restrict china. And option a is a subset of option b,
which is better among the two. Thus option a can be eliminated.
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4. D)
Explanation:
Option a is true. though it is not directly mentioned in the passage, but it
can be inferred that had there been more political pressure after the
1989 Tiananmen square things could have been different today, thus
option a can be used to control the Chinese actions.
Option b is mentioned in the passage and is true.
Option c is true. Refer to the lines “The CCP’s abuses hurt not only
Chinese citizens but also U.S. companies trying to do business in China”,
thus by putting taxes and tariffs on the Chinese firms, Chinese draconian
actions can be controlled.
5. B)
Explanation:
Option a can be easily eliminated. The Chinese brutality has increased
over time after the Tiananmen square massacre.
Option b can be concluded. Refer to the last second para, the U.S. may
not act over the Hong Kong issue as there is already social and political
turmoil in the U.S. Thus option b can be concluded from the passage.
Option c cannot be concluded. The U.S. has already learned a lesson from
the Tiananmen massacre that the Chinese government did not change.
And apart from this based on the passage we cannot conclude option c.
thus it can be eliminated.
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Reading Comprehension

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6. Synthesizing: This method involves marrying multiple ideas from

1. According to the passage, the primary difference between

2. What is the author trying to convey through this passage?

The author is trying to convey that at times we need to focus on

3. How is the quality of our lives determined?

4. Which of the following is the synonym of mindful?

1. What is the central ideal of the passage?

e) Fed is the banker’s bank and transfers money to them.

4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

manufacturers evidently understand this, seeing as they print it on the

urging him to seek and devour a nearby hazelnut-encrusted treat, even

available to become entangled in the should-I-shouldn’t-I rhetoric. You

1. What is the central idea of the passage?

3. Which of the following could be a possible title for the passage?

4. According to the passage why do we crave?

5. Which of the following is a way to control cravings?

women’s work is paramount, and this is where awareness

1. Among the several reasons mentioned in the passage, which is the

2. How is education hampering the women participation in the

4. Which of the following could be a possible title for the passage?

attribution based on a work’s leaves room for error, inadvertent and

1. According to the passage a possible, reliable, way to distinguish

2. According to the passage traditional art testing method is better than

lighting, looking closely with the naked eye, or perhaps a magnifying

3. “The introduction of DNA evidence has permitted huge strides

slightest deviation from dharma. Tapas involves heating oneself through

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

2. When a person can be rightly called human?

3. When you are learning something new by being righteous in the

4. Which of the following is an antonym of oblivion?

The virus transmission is highly seasonal and dependent on weather

1. Which among the following is not true according to the passage?

2. What does “equine” in eastern equine encephalitis virus could

4. What does the author mean by “the viruses moving north or

Now two scientists from Queen Mary University of London, writing in

never subsequently been exposed to higher amounts of UV radiation,”

1. What is the primary purpose of the passage?

3. How does the peter pan disks form?

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

2. What is the central point of the passage?

3. Which of the following will be the problem with the increase in

4. Which of the following can be deduced from the passage?

physicians to draw conclusions about the onset, severity, and duration of

Astrological accounts of plague remained popular into the 17th century.

Gadbury then applied his findings to the pestilence plaguing London at

1. Why did Gadbury proposed a new scientific way to predict the

2. Which of the following could be a possible reason for the medical

3. What is the central idea of the passage?

4. Previously the astrologers were important in all of the following

5. Which of the following is not true based on the passage?

Controlled burns can optimise these conditions, helping to prevent

A bulk of research has already shown that this kind of third-person

This earlier research involved only short-term interventions, however –

of the month. In contrast, those who’d kept a third-person diary were

In the meantime, Grossmann’s work continues to prove that the subject

1. As understood from the passage illeism can be best defined as?

2. What is the passage primarily trying to convey?

3. The difference between rumination and illeism can be best described