TEST - II : ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Directions (41-55): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. India is rushing headlong towards economic success and modernisation, counting on high tech industries such as information technology and biotechnology to propel the nation to prosperity. Indias recent announcement that it would no longer produce unlicensed inexpensive generic pharmaceuticals bowed to the realities of the World Trade Organisation while at the same time challenging the domestic drug industry to compete with the multinational firms. Unfortunately, its weak higher education sector constitutes the Achilles heel of this strategy. Its systematic disinvestment in higher education in recent years has yielded neither world-class research nor very many highly trained scholars, scientists or managers to sustain high-tech development. Indias main competitors - especially China but also Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea are investing in large and differentiated higher education systems. They are providing access to large numbers of students at the bottom of the academic system while at the same time building some research-based universities that are able to compete with the worlds best institutions. The recent London Times Higher Education Supplement ranking of the worlds top 200 universities included three in China, three in Hong Kong, three in South Korea, one in Taiwan, and one in India. These countries are positioning themselves for leadership in the knowledge-based economies of the coming era. There was a time when countries could achieve economic success with cheap labour and low-tech manufacturing. Low wages still help, but contemporary large-scale development requires a sophisticated and at least partly knowledge based economy. India has chosen that path, but will find a major stumbling block in its university system. India has significant advantages in the 21st century knowledge race. It has a large higher education sector the third largest in the world in student numbers, after China and the United States. It uses English as a primary language of higher education and research. It has a long academic tradition. Academic freedom is respected. There are a small number of high quality institutions, departments, and centres that can form the basis of quality sector in higher education. The fact that the States, rather than the Central Government, exercise major responsibility for higher education creates a rather cumbersome structure, but the system allows for a variety of policies and approaches. Yet the weaknesses far outweigh the strengths. India educates approximately 10 per cent of its young people in higher education compared with more than half in the major industrialised countries and 15 percent in China. Almost all of the worlds academic systems resemble a pyramid, with a small high quality tier at the top and a massive sector at the bottom. India has a tiny top tier. None of its universities occupies a solid position at the top. A few of the best universities have some excellent depart- ments and centres, and there are a small number of outstanding undergraduate colleges. The University Grants Commissions recent major support of five universities to build on their recognised strength is a step toward recognising a differentiated academic system and fostering excellence. These universities, combined, enroll well under 1 per cent of the student population. 41. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage? (1) The top five universities in India educate more than 10 percent of the Indian student population (2) Indias higher education sector is the largest in the world (3) In the past, countries could progress economically through low manufacturing cost as well as low wages of labourers (4) India has recently invested heavy sums in the higher education sector leading to world class research (5) All are true 42. What does the phrase Achilles Heel mean as used in the passage? (1) Weakness (2) Quickness (3) Low Quality (4) Nimbleness (5) Advantage 5

43. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage? (1) The Future of Indian Universities (2) Methods of Overcoming the Educational Deficit in India (3) India and the Hunt for a Knowledge Based Economy (4) Indian Economy Versus Chinese Economy (5) Indian Economy and its Features 44. What did India agree to do at the behest of the World Trade Organisation? (1) It would stop manufacturing all types of pharma- ceuticals (2) It would ask its domestic pharmaceutical com- panies to compete with the international ones (3) It would buy only licensed drugs from USA (4) It would not manufacture cheap common medi- cines without a license (5) None of these 45. Which of the following is/are Indias weakness/es when it comes to higher education? 1. Indian universities do not have the requisite teaching faculty to cater to the needs of the higher education sector. 2. Only five Indian universities occupy the top position very strongly, in the academic pyramid, when it comes to higher education. 3. India has the least percentage of young population taking to higher education as compared to the rest of the comparable countries. (1) Only 1 and 2 (2) Only 2 (3) Only 3 (4) Only 1 and 3 (5) All 1, 2 and 3 46. Which of the following, according to the passage, is / are needed for economic success of a country? 1. Cheap labour 2. Educated employees 3. Research institutions to cater to development. (1) Only 1 and 2 (2) Only 2 (3) Only 3 (4) Only 2 and 3 (5) All 1, 2 and 3 Directions (47-48): Choose the word/ group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in MEANING to the word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage. 47. FOSTERING (1) Safeguarding (2) Neglecting (3) Sidelining (4) Nurturing (5) Ignoring 48. PROPEL (1) Drive (2) Jettison (3) Burst (4) Acclimatize (5) Modify Directions (49-50): Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/ group of words printed in bold as used in the passage. 49. CUMBERSOME (1) Handy (2) Manageable (3) Breathtaking (4) Awkward (5) Difficult 50. RESEMBLE (1) Against (2) Similar to (3) Mirror (4) Differ from (5) Unfavourable to Directions (51-55): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idioma tie error in it. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (5). (Ignore errors of punctuations, if any.) 51. The government is still in the/(1) process of finalized new policy/(2) guidelines for the allocation of land/(3) to private sector organisations./(4) No error (5) 52. According to government estimates/(1) at least four millions tonnes of sugar/(2) will have to be imported/(3) this year because of a poor monsoon./(4) No error (5)

53. In our experience people usually/(1) value things that they have to/(2) payoff more than those that/(3) they receive free of cost./(4) No error (5) 54. At present China is the/(1) worlds leader manu- facture/(2) of environment-friendly products/(3) such as electric cars and bicycles./(4) No error (5) 55. Over eighty per cent from us/(1) feel that if we had taken/(2) Some corrective measures earlier/(3) the crisis could have been averted./(4) No error (5) Directions (56-60): Rearrange the following six sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them. 1. Its prevalence reflects very badly on a society that is not able to stop this evil. 2. Though elimination of child labour is an impossible task considering the current socioeconomic scenario of these poor families, the Indian government is committed to the task of ensuring that no child remains illiterate, hungry and without medical care. 3. Therefore, unless the socioeconomic status of the poor families is improved, India has to live with child labour. 4. The members of these households have to send their children to work, even if the future of these innocent children is ruined, as that is the only choice open for them to survive in this world. 5. Child labour is, no doubt, an evil that should be done away with at the earliest. 6. But in a society where many households may have to suffer the pangs of hunger if the children are withdrawn from work, beggars cant be choosers. 56. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement? (1) 1 (2) 5 (3) 3 (4) 6 (5) 4 57. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement? (1) 2 (2) 1 (3) 3 (4) 6 (5) 5 58. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement? (1) 1 (2) 6 (3) 4 (4) 2 (5) 3 59. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after rearrangement? (1) 5 (2) 1 (3) 6 (4) 3 (5) 4 60. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after rearrangement? (1) 1 (2) 3 (3) 5 (4) 4 (5) 2 Directions (61-65) : Each question below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omited. Choose the set of words for each blank which best fits be meaning of the sentence as a whole. 61. Governments do not want to take a decision and resort to soft-pedalling, delay tactics and collusion, hoping that the judiciary will in to relieve them of the of decision-making. (1) come, enlightenment (2) vouch, trouble (3) barge, pleasure (4) step, burden (5) vote, task 62. The most important factor is the of a wealthy Indian middle class which, can now to send their children abroad for education. (1) emergence, afford (2) advent, focus (3) decline, manage (4) rise, wish (5) perception, go 63. Crores of public money is on parks in the city and yet most of them are out of for the public. (1) invested, limits (2) spent, bounds (3) bet, reach (4) put, areas (5) made, boundaries 64. Rules are for those who cannot them and not for the rich and influential who can to ignore them. (1) follow, demand (2) set, opt (3) break, suggest (4) find, ask (5) challenge, choose 65. Experts cannot enough on the benefits of more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. (1) pressure, involving (2) strain, adding (3) emphasise, contributing (4) stress, including (5) state, mixing 7

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71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 8

Directions (66-70): Which of the phrases (1), (2), (3) and (4) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given and no correction is required, mark (5) as the answer. Never the one to mince words when it comes speaking his mind, the captain criticised the hectic schedule of his team. (1) comes to speaking (2) comes and speaks (3) comes to speak (4) come for speak (5) No correction required Indians are far more transparent than the Americans. (1) farther (2) further more (3) greater (4) many more (5) No correction required He will not be joining the rat race, which starts around this time every year as the board exams draw a close. (1) draw to close (2) drawing a closure (3) draw to a close (4) draw a closer (5) No correction required Lights will go out around the world with hundreds of people sets to take part in the Earth Hour climate changecampaign. (1) set to take part (2) set to be part (3) sets for taking part (4) set for part (5) No correction required With nasty viral infections do the rounds in the city, you should give all it takes to protect yourself. (1) coining rounds (2) roundabout (3) doing the rounds (4) done rounding (5) No correction required Directions (71-80) : In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case. People are as much attuned to fairness as they are to individual self-interest. Therefore, any institution regulating human behaviour will have to (71) that the compromises between individual self-interest, collective interest and fairness are all within tolerable limits. These trade-offs are as (72) for larger institutions, including the largest of them all, i.e., the state, as they are for the smallest ones like the family. (73) as parents should not repeatedly favour one child over another, the state cannot repeatedly favour one community or class over another. The (74) of fairness is ingrained in our psyches. Since human beings often grab what they can, we need institutions to ensure fair (75). Of these institutions, the state is the most important, since it is (76) to ensure that basic human needs are ensured with minimal standards of fairness. A state (77) of or uninterested in ensuring equity in security, education, food, health and shelter is a state whose legitimacy will be questioned. Further, the legitimacy of the state is dependent on its being as close to a neutral umpire as possible. When the state (78) partisan, its legitimacy can be questioned. When the state sheds the umpires clothes and becomes one of the players, the rules of fair play are so badly (79) that we can only call such an event intolerable (80). (1) demand (2) ensure (3) consider (4) regulate (5) encompass (1) important (2) juvenile (3) insignificant (4) supreme (5) part (1) Presently (2) Same (3) So (4) Like (5) Just (1) opinion (2) judgement (3) end (4) drama (5) conclusion (1) people (2) dissipations (3) outcomes (4) affects (5) discouragements (1) stimulated (2) calculated (3) considered (4) hastened (5) designed (1) qualified (2) riddled (3) powerful (4) incapable (5) shortening (1) appears (2) allow (3) become (4) recommends (5) visualizes (1) twist (2) stopped (3) mended (4) broken (5) abated (1) truth (2) fairness (3) injustice (4) murder (5) fortune