DPM 53

A to E
A. Words along with their meaning, Pronunciation and usage

Astral ( as-truh l ) adj

-pertaining to or proceeding from the stars; stellar; star-shaped.

According to his astral studies, he is able to decipher mysteries of space.

Colloquium (kuh-loh-kwee-uh m) noun

-a conference at which scholars or other experts present papers on, analyze, and
discuss a specific topic.
The colloquium on Judicial reforms was well attended.

Mercurial (mer-kyoor-ee-uhl) adj

-changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic

-animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.

The politician’s mercurial nature attracted many followers.

Idyllic (ahy-dil-ik) adj

-suitable for or suggestive of an idyll; charmingly simple or rustic.

The idyllic surroundings of the hilltop house was a perfect place to recuperate.

Morass ( muh-ras) noun

-a tract of low, soft, wet ground.

-a marsh or bog.
-marshy ground.
 -any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free
oneself; entanglement.

His tall promises made it even more difficult for him to pull himself out of the morass of over-
expectations.

Stellar (stel-er) adj

-of or relating to the stars; consisting of stars.

-like a star, as in brilliance, shape, etc.

-pertaining to a preeminent performer, athlete, etc.

The gymnast’s stellar performance won her a perfect score.

Sumptuary (suhmp-choo-er-ee) adj

-pertaining to, dealing with, or regulating expense or expenditure.

-intended to regulate personal habits on moral or religious grounds.

The sumptuary manner of the manager was not liked by his subordinates.

Obduracy (ob-doo-ruh-see, -dyoo-)noun

-the state or quality of being stubborn, inflexible.

Obduracy in negotiations often lead to a stalemate.

Coquettish (koh-ket-ish) adj

-(of a woman) characteristically flirtatious, especially in a teasing, lighthearted manner.

The coquettish nature of the heroine’s character.

Croquette (kroh-ket) noun

-a small cake or ball of minced meat, poultry, or fish, or of rice, potato, or other food,
often coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs, and fried in deep fat.
The fish croquettes were an ideal accompaniment to the main course.
B. RC Passage (with Link)

Article 1: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-trends-shaping-the-post-covid-19-
world/article31552150.ece
Summary : This article, based on an analysis of the prevailing macro-economic scenario amid
the COVID-19 pandemic, predicts that six geopolitical lines would define the contours of the
emerging global order. The author believes that one of the significant trends would be the
emergence of Asia as a global power-centre, at the expense of the U.S. As far as the EU is
concerned, the article foresees continuing challenges in the form of intra-European fission,
including a North-South divide within the Eurozone. The other major trends envisaged by the
author include the rise of China, reduced power of international institutions and a renewed focus
on green technologies.

Article 2: https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/05/08/should-the-rbi-print-money-to-revive-the-
economy-its-not-as-simple-as-it-sounds
Summary : This article examines the merits and demerits of printing money by the RBI as a post
COVID-19 economic revival plan, and argues that the strategy is not as simple as it is made out
to be. The author calls out the naïveté of ‘experts’ who advocate printing money as a way to revive
the economy, and notes that these people have failed to understand the nuances of the issue. He
reminds them that ‘there is no free lunch in economics’, and quoting from economic theory,
clarifies that the proponents of this course of action had in mind particular conditions and context
in which such a strategy might work. The present conditions may not warrant adoption of such a
plan, he reiterates.

Article 3: https://aeon.co/essays/how-gods-beat-astronomers-in-the-solar-system-name-game

Summary : If Herschel started an argument with Le Verrier, it could rekindle the entire dispute
about priority, especially as other British astronomers - affronted by the idea of a Planet Le
Verrier - were arguing that Adams had as much right to name it as Le Verrier. Worse, the name
that many British astronomers were arguing for was 'Oceanus', a loaded moniker if there ever
was one. To understand Herschel's plan, we need to take a brief look at how moons were
named in the solar system up to this point - or rather, how they weren't named. In practice
Cassini - along with most other astronomers well into the modern period - simply referred to the
moons of Jupiter by number: I, II, III and IV. Planets were named, but there didn't seem to be
any need for naming their satellites. What Herschel's names for the moons did was help
cement a nomenclatural system built on classical mythology, and ensure that names such as
'Herschel' or 'Le Verrier' had no place in the skies. As far as the controversy over Le Verrier's
planet, though 'Neptune' was already winning out over the name 'Le Verrier' by the time the
Cape Results was published, the new names for Saturn's moons helped to tip the scales of
popular opinion firmly against contemporary, nationalistic names in the sky. The things we name
in the Universe - which in itself bespeaks a certain hubris - should be named for all of us, and
strides that have been taken in recent years to draw upon the mythology of cultures around the
world, though they still have far to go, are at least steps in the right direction.

Article 4: https://aeon.co/ideas/algorithms-associating-appearance-and-criminality-have-a-
dark-past

Summary : Phrenology is once again rearing its lumpy head. In recent years, machine-learning
algorithms have promised governments and private companies the power to glean all sorts of
information from people's appearance. The recent study's seemingly high-tech attempt to pick
out facial features associated with criminality borrows directly from the 'photographic composite
method' developed by Francis Galton, which involved overlaying the faces of multiple people in
a certain category to find the features indicative of qualities like health, disease, beauty and
criminality. When we dismiss algorithms by labelling them as phrenology, what exactly is the
problem we're trying to point out? Are we saying that these methods are scientifically flawed
and that they don't really work - or are we saying that it's morally wrong to use them regardless?
In the 19th century, phrenology's detractors objected to the fact that phrenology attempted to
pinpoint the location of different mental functions in different parts of the brain - a move that was
seen as heretical, since it called into question Christian ideas about the unity of the soul. The
most influential empirical criticism of old phrenology came from the French physician Jean
Pierre Flourens's studies based on damaging the brains of rabbits and pigeons from which he
concluded that mental functions are distributed, rather than localized. Given the racial and other
biases that exist in the criminal justice system, such algorithms would end up overestimating
criminality among marginalised communities. One could object on empirical grounds:
eugenicists of the past such as Galton and Lombroso ultimately failed to find facial features that
predisposed a person to criminality.

Article 5: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200605094947.htm

Summary : Researchers have found that the chance of finding Earth-like planets in their early
stages of formation is much higher than previously thought.
C. RC Passage (with Questions)

The U.K.’s decision to replace Edward Elgar with Adam Smith on the 20 pound note was
unveiled last week. On the 150 th anniversary of his birth , Britain’s greatest modern composer
has been expunged. In place of his mustachioed profile set against Worcester Cathedral has
come Smith and a pin factory bearing the dour legend, “ and the great increase in the quantity of
work that results”.

On the face of it, this is a timely update of the currency and worthy recognition of “ one of the
fathers of modern economics and modern philosophy”. But matters are rarely so simple. Gordon
Brown might have given operational independence to the Bank of England in 1997, but Thread
needle street still knows which side its bread is buttered on.

The Chancellor has made no secret of his deep admiration for the work of Adam Smith. Both
grew up in Kirkealdy, and even attended the same school (although in different years). Yet, the
Smith whom Mr. Brown reveres is not the Laissez-faire free marketer of neoliberal lore – the
Smith whom the Conservative Sir Keith Joseph put on his infamous 1979 reading list for civil
servants and who saw the magic of economic growth delivered by the invisible hand of the
market. “ It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer , or the baker that we expect
our dinner, but from their regard to their self-love and never talk to them of our own necessities
but of their advantages”, as he famously put it in The Wealth of Nations. This was the “ greed is
good “ Smith of the Gordon Gekko school of raw capitalism.

But over the last 20 years, a rather different Smith has emerged. One of the traditional
difficulties of interpreting his philosophy used to be the problem of uniting his Theory of Moral
Sentiments (1759) with the Wealth of Nations(1776). The former stressed the role of virtue,
sympathy and benevolence for the proper functioning of the public realm, while the latter
highlighted the public good that accrued from the private greed of the butcher, brewer and the
baker.
However, what historians such as Donald Winch and Emma Rothschild have pointed to is a
neoliberal, 20th century misreading of the nature of 18 th century economics. For, what Smith was
involved in – with both his books - was a far broader project addressing the very principles of
social existence.

At its core was the conviction that the history of commerce was , in Ms. Rothschild’s words, “ an
epic of the emancipation of the mind “. Economic liberty delivered far more than personal profit;
it engendered political, legal and intellectual enlightenment. And with it, a mutual understanding
of human sympathy. Smith thought that any barriers to this process of individual fulfilment
needed to be eliminated, in particular, the closed shop of corporation, guild and apprenticeship,
which dictated the pre-industrial economy. Hence his celebrated aphorism that “people of the
same trade seldom meet together… but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the
public”. His commercial freedom was , in fact, a radical call for personal and political
emancipation.

So, rather than being a mindless enthusiast for the vagaries of the market, Smith supported
state intervention to promote fair competition and root out privilege. He backed universal, public
education, he lamented the corrupting effects of worshipping the rich and powerful, and even
complained about the civic disharmony brought about by windfall profits ( for Mr. Brown :
telephone number bonuses paid in part of the financial industry). “ Our merchants and master
manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages… They are nothing compared
with the bad effects of high profits…they are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their
own gains .”

Ms. Rothschild has even suggested that Smith’s evocation of the “invincible hand “ rather than
being a hymn to the benign wonders of the free market is, in fact ,”best interpreted as a mildly
ironic joke “. His use of the phrase in The Wealth of Nations was specifically concerned with
reducing import duties ,while it also alluded to Macbeth’s calling forth of darkness “with my
bloody an invisible hand “to cover up his crimes.
The more complex ,but altogether more progressive vision of Adam Smith forms part of a
deeper attraction Mr. Brown has developed for the 18th century British Enlightenment. The
reliance placed on philosophers such as Locke, Smith and Burke on compassion and
benevolence as the thickeners of civil society – in contrast to the cold rationality of the French
enlightenment – seems to Mr. Brown something of a model for the social policy in an officially
secular age of competing identities and ethnicities. All of this means the Bank has chosen its
new pin-up rather wisely.

But where does this leave poor Edward Elgar? That “small c” conservative and fervent
supporter of monarchy, the military and empire (“ wider still and wider/ shall thy bounds be set “)
that unashamed advocate of “pax Britannica”, and the muscular , Christian trusteeship mission
of the British abroad ? Perhaps , just perhaps, the bank thought he belonged to a passing era.

Q1) Which of the following is the most probable reason for Gordon Brown’s deep admiration for
the work of Adam Smith?

(A) Both grew up in Kirkcaldy and attended the same school.

(B) He agreed with Smith’s idea of free market trade for economic growth.
(C) His view that economic growth and social welfare can go hand in hand.
(D) His belief that mind cannot be emancipated with an eye on profits.

Q2) The author’s view of U.K.’s decision to replace Edward Elgar with Adam Smith on the 20
pound note is that:

(A) It is an unnecessary move.

(B) It is an insult to Edward Elgar.
(C) It is in tune with modern progressive ideas.
(D) Elgar’s views on monarchy brought about the change.
Q3) According to the author, which of the following is the Adam Smith on the 20 pound note?

(A) A staunch supporter of raw capitalism with the motto “ greed is good”.
(B) A radical who praised commercial freedom that led to social good.
(C) A moralist who believed that personal emancipation alone can lead to national wealth.
(D) A neo-liberal who supported free market trade.

Q4) Adam Smith’s celebrated aphorism ( in para 6) implies that

(A) People of the same trade seldom meet each other.

(B) Financial gains can result when people of identical trades meet..
(C) The profit motive does not allow for the common good.
(D) Two people from same trade can never agree on principles.

Q5) Which of the following refers to the “pernicious effects of their own gains”?

(A) The bad effect high wages can have.

(B) The resultant evils of large profits.
(C) Disharmony brought about by uneven distribution of wealth.
(D) The corrupting effect of worshipping the wealthy.
D. Quantitative Aptitude

Q.1 ABCD is a rhombus with side √145 cm. The diagonals AC : BD = 8 : 9. F is a point on BD
BF 5
such that = . Find AF
BD 6

(A) √10 cm (B) 10 cm (C) √12 cm (D) 12 cm

Q.2 A ladder AB of integral measure in ft is resting against a wall of height less than 60 ft as
shown in the figure given below. When top of the ladder slips down by 38 ft , the bottom of the
ladder slips away from the wall by 16 ft and the final position of the ladder is as shown by the
dotted line A’B’. Find the length of the ladder (in ft). OA and OB are integers (in ft)

(A) 50 ft (B) 76 ft (C) 85 ft (D) 145 ft

Q.3 Two buses go down a hill, normally at the same speed . One bus stops at a certain point on
the way down. The second bus goes completely down the hill. On the uphill trip, the speeds of
both the buses are less than the corresponding speeds on the downhill trip. But as the number
of passengers in the first bus is more than that in the second bus , the speed of the first bus on
the uphill trip reduces by 75% of its normal speed and that of the second bus reduces to 2/3rd of
its normal speed. Both return to the starting point taking the same time for the round trip. What
percentage of the distance did the second bus travel more than the first bus?
(A) 40% (B) 100% (C) 50% (D) 25 %
Q.4 Theron can do a job in10 days, Roberts in 40 days, Tyler in 80 days and Stone in 20 days.
Roberts work on the job every day. Theron helps her on every second day starting from the
second day, Tyler helps her on every third day starting from the third day and Stone helps her
on every fourth day starting from the fourth day. Approximately, in how many days will the job
be finished?
(A) 19.5 days (B) 11.5 days (C) 9.5 days (D) 13 days

Q.5 An ant initially located at the origin (0,0), takes a step measuring18 units in Eastward
direction, there by reaching the point (18,0). Every step taken by the ant thereafter measures
one third of the previous step. The 2 nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th …...steps are in the directions North,
West, South, East, North, West......directions. Find the point that the ant reaches after taking
infinite such steps.
81 27 27 16 81 16 81 16
(A) ( , ) (B) ( , ) (C) ( , ) (D) ( , )
5 5 1 3 5 5 5 3

Directions for Q.6 and 7: The tip of a robotic arm moves along a line, controlled by a numerical
control machine. The position of the tip of the arm is always, measured from the fix point A, lying
on the line of motion. The movement of arm is such that the tip neither comes to A nor does it
cross A. If a command F(x), (x being a positive integer), is given to the robot, the arm moves
such that the tip comes to a position which is (dx 4) units from A, where d is the distance of the
position of the tip just before the command was given. However, due to an error in the program
of the control, the tip moves to the position which is (d/x2) units from A. The tip is initially at a
distance of 2 units from A.

Q.6 If the faulty condition of machine, as described above, command F(4) is repeatedly given
for a total of 30 times. After the 30 th command, what command should be given so that the tip
reaches the position it would have reached after command F(3) is given 15 times to the robot if
the robot was functioning properly and has the arm in the same initial position?
(A) F(1260) (B) F(1/1230) (C) F(1/1290) (D) F(1230)

Q.7 After the 31st command, as described in the previous question, F(5) was given and the
robot had responded, it was repaired, and it began functioning correctly . After the repair F(5)
command was repeatedly given until the total number of commands was 41. What is the
position of the tip, measured from A, at the end of 41 st command?
(A) (675)20 (B) 2(675)20 (C) 2(225)20 (D) 2(25)20

Q.8 The product of three consecutive prime numbers is equal to the sum of square of the
largest among them and other two numbers. Which of the following statements is true/
(A) The product of the difference between the highest and the least number, and the middle
number is equal to the cube of the middle number.
(B) The difference between the squares of the highest and middle numbers is equal to the
square of twice the least number.
(C)Prime numbers are in arithmetic progression.
(D) The product of the highest and least number is 2 more than thrice the middle number.

Q.9 Bag A contains 9 white balls and 5 green balls. Bag B contains 6 white balls and 7 green
balls . One ball is drawn from bag A and is placed in bag B. Now one ball is drawn at random
from bag B and it is found that the ball is green. Find the probability that white ball is transferred
from bag A.
(A) 20/103 (B) 63/103 (c) 80/103 (D) 75/103

Q.10 Each time a toggle switch is clicked, the switch either turns from on to off or from off to on.
There were three toggle switches. Two of them were off and one was on. One of the toggle
switches was selected and then clicked. This process was repeated 3 times. After these
repetitions two of the switches were off and the third was on. In how many ways could the clicks
have been made?
(A) 49 (B) 55 (C) 61 (D) 67
E. DILR – 1 Set

Directions for questions 1 to 4:

Nine bull's eyes- A through I - are arranged in a row as given below. Each bull"s eye has three
concentric circles.

If a player shoots the innermost circle, he will get nine points; if he shoots the middle circle, he
will get six points; if he shoots the outer most circle, he will get two points; if he misses the bull's
eye he will not get any points.

Each of the four shooters P, Q, R, S were allowed shoot at each bull's eye only once. It is
known that each of them took all the nine shots. R used all his nine shots first, than Q, than P,
and S was the last one to use all his nine shots.

(1) The scores awarded to R in any of his four consecutive shots are different and he scored the
least possible total score for all the nine shots together. R always got two points immediately
before and nine points immediately after he got six points.

(2) No two players got the same score from the same bull's eye.

(3) Q got different scores in any of his four consecutive shots.

(4) Q did not get any points from those bull's eyes where R got 9 points and Q scored the
maximum total score possible satisfying all the above conditions.

(5) P did not get the same score in any of his two consecutive shots. P scored 9 points only
from those bull's eyes where R got 2 points and P has scored 6 point immediately before he
scores 2 points and finally scored the maximum total score possible, satisfying all the above
conditions.

Q.1 Who got the least total score?

(A) P (B) Q (C) R (D) S

Q.2 How many times did S get a score of 9?

(A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 2 (D) 1

Q.3 Which of the following is the set of scores awarded to P, Q, R, S respectively for the bull's
eye E?
(A) 9, 2, 6 and 0 (B) 9, 0, 2 and 6
(C) 0, 9, 2 and 6 (D) 2, 9, 0 and 6

Q.4 Who got maximum times 6 points?

(A) P (B) Q (C) R (D) S