Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension Strategy in Reading (Class Exercise)
Number of Questions : 25
Comfort-zone-speed and
Sense-of-urgency
Comfort-zone-speed is the speed at which people
read any text as if they are in no hurry and claim
that they achieve the highest level of comprehension
at this speed. Imagine finishing a thin book like ‘The
Animal Farm’ in a month! Now my question is, would
reading at a low comfort-zone-speed ensure victory
over the RC section? The answer is a definite NO. If
one has a very slow speed then one would manage
to finish only a portion of the Reading Comprehension
section. While reading for examinations what matters
is a combination of comprehension and speed. Have
you noticed that while reading a topic of our interest
we cruise smoothly through the given text and are
also able to understand the gist of the passage. This
is the ideal situation that we can create for reading .
However, the challenge lies whether we can break
out of the comfort-zone-speed in which we have
nested ourselves for years and also achieve high
comprehension.
Regression
The tendency to go back to parts of the passage or
re-read the text is called regression. Regression
unnecessarily slows you down and also affects your
comprehension as a result of frequent jumps in your
understanding while reading. You need to be aware
of the reasons for regression, and with discipline
and practice, try to overcome it. Regression arises
out of many reasons:-
a. Poor vocabulary
b. Poor concentration
c. Low retention
RC – 2
2
CEX–6150/20
The best ways to overcome regression are to develop
good reading habits and build a vast arsenal of words.
You must pause after any text that you read (even in
newspapers, magazines and books) and recollect
all the information you remember, focusing on the
key points. You may, at times, want to go back to
the text and check on the points you did not
understand correctly; this is permissible as long as
it doesn’t become a habit.
Exercise – 1
Directions for questions 1 to 25: Read the following
passages and answer the items that follow.
Your answers to these items should be based on
the passages only.
Passage – 1
Given the large base of tanks and reservoirs in Greater
Chennai - over 4,000 waterbodies of significance -
prudent rainfall management can help it through
withering summers and weak monsoons. A white
paper with a full assessment of these wetlands and
their storage potential should be a priority for the
State's Sustainable Water Security Mission.
Deepening storage in the four major reservoirs must
get priority. Such a project must quantify the increase
in storage and set an early deadline of a year. These
measures can harvest the bulk of the rain in a good
year, and prove superior to the fire-fighting approach
of installing expensive desalination plants and
bringing small quantities by rail from another district.
1. Which one of the following is the most logical
and rational inference that can be made from
the above passage?
Page 1
 (a) The political leadership is to be blamed
for the current water crisis in Chennai.
(b) Chennai and its adjoining areas lie in an
arid region which receives very little rainfall.
(c) The tanks and reservoirs in Greater
Chennai will soon go dry given the drought
like conditions in the region.
(d) A scientific approach towards
conservation of water can assuage the
water crisis of Chennai.
Passage – 2
The Law Commission, in its working paper on the
subject, has mooted the idea of a 'constructive vote
of confidence'. That is, while expressing loss of trust
in one government, members should repose
confidence in an alternative regime. Another idea is
that whenever mid-term polls are held due to loss of
majority, the subsequent legislature should serve out
only the remainder of the term. These measures
would involve far-reaching changes to the law,
including amendments to the Constitution to alter
the tenure of legislatures and the provision for
disqualification of members for supporting an
alternative regime. In terms of principle, the main
issue is whether getting all elections to coincide
undermines representative democracy and
federalism.
2. On the basis of the above passage, the
following assumptions have been made:
1. All elections being held together will
actually consolidate the federal structure
of the country.
2. All elections being held together will weed
out corruption effectively.
3. All elections being held together might
threaten the federal structure of the
country.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Page 2
Passage – 3
Jet Airways may have finally run out of runway. Two
months after Jet halted all flight operations, lenders
to the beleaguered full service airline have decided
to refer it to the National Company Law Tribunal and
initiate insolvency proceedings in a bid to recover
the money owed to them. The lenders' consortium
arrived at this conclusion after unsuccessfully trying
to rope in a white knight - an investor who would
have helped put the airline's flights back in the air,
thus saving thousands of jobs and potentially helping
turn around the carrier. And while, theoretically, the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was conceived to
help achieve a resolution that could potentially protect
a running business and help revive it through capital
restructuring under a new promoter, in Jet's case
the chances of a resolution seem rather remote now.
3. The passage seems to argue that
(a) The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
failed in the case of Jet Airways.
(b) Jet Airways has been suffering from
financial losses over the past few years
as well.
(c) Jet Airways has been the best airline in
Indian skies ever since it started flying in
the early 90s.
(d) The Company Law Tribunal often fails to
revive sick industries and organisations
although it has sweeping executive
powers.
Passage – 4
It would surely have been instructive for the creditors
to revisit the Chapter 11 bankruptcies that a clutch
of U.S. legacy airlines opted for in the early 2000s.
That protection helped Delta and United to not only
survive the crisis of confidence in aviation triggered
by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the
surge in jet fuel and labour costs and the intense
competition from low-cost carriers, but emerge
stronger and rank among the top five contemporary
American carriers. A look at some of Jet's industry-
specific operational metrics, at least until the recent
cash-starved implosion, show an airline that had
RC – 2
consistently posted growth in terms of revenue
passenger kilometres and cargo tonnage till the 2017-
18 financial year.
4. On the basis of the above passage, the
following assumptions have been made:
1. Jet has the potential to come round from
its recent spate of loss and financial
debacle.
2. Jet has the potential to once again
become the best airline in terms of
passenger services and carriage of cargo.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 5
Another notable decision taken by the council was
the one to extend the tenure of the National Anti-
Profiteering Authority by two years, till November
2021. Further, the council increased the quantum of
penalty that could be imposed by the authority on
profiteering companies, from the current maximum
of Rs.25,000 to an additional 10% of the profiteered
amount. Given that the government has increased
the powers of the anti-profiteering body, it would not
be surprising if the body becomes a permanent
feature under GST. This does not send a promising
message to the business community ahead of the
Union Budget, scheduled to be presented in
Parliament on July 5.
5. On the basis of the above passage, the
following assumptions have been made:
1. The National Anti-Profiteering Authority will
become a permanent entity under the
GST.
2. The National Anti-Profiteering Authority will
cease to exist if prominent business
houses don't support it.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
RC – 2
Passage – 6
Though the RTI movement in India is well on its way
to maturity and certainly transparency is an idea
whose time has come, many hurdles still remain.
Even where a good RTI law comes into effect, there
are some critical backward and forward linkages that
have to be factored in. The government must learn
to maintain its records better if it is to efficiently
service public requests for information. It needs to
computerise and put more information suo motu in
the public domain, thereby saving itself the time and
costs of retrieving it each time it is asked for,
and also facilitating easy and relatively safe access
for the public.
Also, if the RTI is to mean anything, there must be a
demystification of information. Government agencies
must put out information in a form that is easily
understandable. Information must be contextualised
so that its significance is self-evident. But this runs
counter to current trends where every discipline and
each area is developing its private language and
growth of technology and knowledge is thought to
mean that more and more people will understand
less and less.
As a forward linkage, it is important that the system
provides quick relief and justice to those who have
exposed wrongdoing by using RTI. If evidence of
corruption, or apathy, or inefficiency piles up but no
action is taken against those found guilty, an historic
opportunity for empowering the common people and
making the government answerable to them will be
lost, perhaps forever.
6. Consider the following statements:
1. RTI movement in India is still at a backward
stage.
2. RTI needs to motivate the government to
maintain its records better.
3. Government should aim for
demystification of information and make
it available for public in an easily
understandable manner.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct according to the passage
(a) 3 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Page 3
7. What is the essential message being
conveyed by the author of the passage?
(a) RTI movement in India has many
loopholes and its present form is
unacceptable.
(b) RTI is still evolving and the government
still needs to do a lot of work to implement
it effectively.
(c) The potential dangers of not implementing
RTI effectively cannot be ignored.
(d) The government should concentrate on
making information easily accessible to
everyone.
8. Which of the statements given below can be
correctly inferred from the passage?
1. RTI means empowering the common
people in a way that makes the
government more responsible towards
them.
2. Government agencies should put out
information for public in a simple and
easily comprehensible form.
3. Quick relief is not provided to those who
have used RTI to expose any wrongdoing.
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1 only
9. Which of the following, according to the author,
is/are challenge/s to contextualisation of
information?
1. Every discipline is developing its own
jargon.
2. The significance of contextualised
information is self-evident.
3. The paradox of information technology is
that more and more people understand it
as it spreads.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1 and 3 only
10. Why must the government agencies put out
information in an easily understandable
manner?
(a) To ensure that RTI is implemented.
(b) To highlight that government is concerned
for the welfare of the people.
Page 4
(c) To make sure that the very purpose of
making the information accessible to the
public is not defeated.
(d) To empower people against itself so as to
make them responsible citizens.
Passage – 7
The assertion in the media that Dhananjoy Chatterjee
was the 55th person executed in India went
unchallenged. While there was no source attributed
to this information, there was no information to the
contrary presented by any government agency. The
recent ‘discovery’ by the People’s Union for
Democratic Rights (PUDR) of the contents of
Appendix XXXIV of the 1967 Report on Capital
Punishment of the Law Commission of India has
given the subject of death penalty a new twist in
India. This appendix lists 1422 persons executed in
India from 1953-1963 alone, thus dispelling the ‘myth’
of rare executions.
While the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
provides information on executions carried out
between 1995 and 2001, it maintains silence about
executions before 1995. This silence is curious for it
is clearly not for absence of information. A glance at
the otherwise excellent ‘Crime in India’, published
by NCRB since the mid-1950s, is testament to this
as it contains a gold mine of information on every
reported crime in India. Furthermore, given the
bureaucratic manner in which prisons are managed
and executions take place, it is extremely
implausible that the government does not have
records on executions.
In a 1989 report on the death penalty in India,
Amnesty International quoted the government as
announcing before the Lok Sabha in November 1986
that 35 executions had been carried out from
1982-85. There is also a similar reference to
executions from 1974-78. Furthermore, the Attorney
General of India, Ashok Desai made a statement
before the UN Human Rights Committee in 1997
claiming that the number of executions in India in
recent years was far lower than in the past.
The Attorney General must have had access to
statistics, both past and present, to make such a
claim. When contacted, however, the Ministry of
RC – 2
Home Affairs, the President’s Office and the NCRB
were unwilling to reveal any information on
executions. The National Human Rights Commission
and the Law Commission too appear to have no
information available.
11. Which of the following statements best
summarizes the passage?
(a) The Law Commission’s reports have failed
to take into account the number of
executions in the country.
(b) Suppression of information is one of the
reasons behind the rise in the number of
executions in the country.
(c) The government has not always been
forthcoming about the number of
executions that have taken place in the
country.
(d) The government should keep better track
of all executions that happen.
12. Why does the NCRB maintain silence on the
executions before 1995?
(a) It does not have any information on the
executions before 1995.
(b) The officials have been instructed to
maintain silence and not to divulge any
information to anyone.
(c) It can see no purpose in releasing any
information that is outdated and sensitive
in nature.
(d) None of the above
13. Consider the following statements:
1. The Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that
it had no access to the statistics that the
Attorney General referred to.
2. The President’s Office was reluctant to
comment on the veracity of the Attorney
General’s statement.
3. The Law Commission of India has access
to the statistics relevant to the number of
executions in the past and at present.
Which of the statements given above can be
inferred from the third paragraph of the
passage?
(a) 3 only (b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1 and 2 only
RC – 2
14. Which of the following is correct according to
the passage?
(a) The media and the government always
make unsubstantiated claims about the
number of executions in the country.
(b) The UN Human Rights Committee in 1997
investigated the number of executions in
India.
(c) Though Dhananjoy Chatterjee is surely
not the 55th person executed in India,
yet this assertion went unchallenged.
(d) Amnesty International had challenged the
claims made by the government about the
number of executions in the country from
1982-85.
15. The tone of the passage is:
(a) Critical (b) Factual
(c) Authoritative (d) Contemplative
Passage – 8
More than sixty years after independence,
the question of how we educate our children still
remains highly contentious. Despite massive
investments by the government in creating a
widespread public education system, the quality of
the education it provides has been much like the
curate’s egg.
The failure of the system to meet the aspirations of
millions, particularly after the economic reforms of
the nineties, has led to a gradual loss of confidence
in the ability of government systems to deliver. In
particular, the middle class has moved away from
these institutions as it is now able to pay for what is
perceived to be quality education.
Even among those who may not necessarily be better
off, there is a clearly visible tendency to move their
children away from non-performing government
institutions into private ones, just as soon as they
can afford the costs involved. In turn, this has led to
an increase in what may be called non-state actors,
who provide educational services in return for a variety
of reasons, including market determined returns.
There has also been a growing commercial interest
in the education sector, especially in the last two
decades. There is, therefore, both a push and pull
factor at play.
Page 5
Not surprisingly, a vocal school of thought continues 2. There is a shortage of data about students
to propound that all educational institutions should and teachers in private schools.
be under government ownership and management, 3. Non-state actors provide educational
holding that it is the responsibility of the state to services only for market determined
ensure the education of all citizens. This group would returns.
prefer the abolition of all private initiatives, 4. Private education is perceived to be quality
‘nationalization’ of all educational institutions, and education.
the active involvement of the state in their
management. The reasons for such a position might Choose your answer from the choices given
be many, but at the core lies a deep distrust of all below:
private motives, alongside a (false) equation of the (a) 1, 3 (b) 2, 3
government with the public. (c) 2, 4 (d) 1, 4

One reason why the debate has so far been unable 18. Consider the following statements :
to transcend ideological assertions is an absence 1. The issue of children’s education is still
of reliable data on the numbers, quality, location, disputable.
composition of students, teacher qualifications and 2. There has been a gradual loss of
salaries in private schools in the country. confidence in the ability of government
systems to deliver in the education sector.
For a country that hopes to reap the so-called 3. The commercial interest in the education
demographic dividend in the next few decades, the sector has increased in the past two
question of educating its young is of critical decades.
importance. Unless these young people are well 4. There is a deep distrust of all private
educated and provided with the skills the country motives, especially in the education
needs, the demographic dividend could quickly turn sector.
into a demographic nightmare. Evidence of this 5. The government can uphold and serve only
danger is already visible, as reflected in the rapidly the public interest.
increasing crime rates and anomie in our cities;
unless we arrest the slide of our educational Which of the statements given above are false
institutions swiftly, future generations will pay the according to the passage?
penalty. (a) 2, 3 and 5 (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 4 and 5
16. It can be inferred from the passage that the
debate on government ownership and 19. According to the passage, which of the
management of educational institutions following is/are likely reason(s) for preferring
1. can progress if there were reliable data "nationalization" of all educational
on private schools in the country. institutions?
2. can only be resolved by ideological 1. Some people find all private motives
stances. suspicious.
2. Some people confuse the government with
Choose your answer from the choices given the public.
below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only Select the correct answer from the choices
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
17. Which of the following are true as per the (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
passage?
1. There has been a rapid increase in crime
rates and anomie in the cities.

Page 6 RC – 2
 Passage – 9
It is not only the published knowledge that is received
with a degree of obedience but there is an equally
powerful hidden curriculum that is transacted in
schools and has a much deeper impact on the child’s
psyche. This hidden curriculum operates in form of
a stable class atmosphere. Not only is this physical
environment stable, the emotional environment is
stable as well. A reflection of this is clearly visible in
the difference in space shared by the teacher and
the students and also in segregation of seating place
of boys and girls that does become sharp in the
middle school. Further, some social segregation is
also seen as one moves towards higher education.
Thus till date what is visible is a conformity to the
apparent and the hidden curriculum that are forms
of visible or tacit knowledge which forms the essential
backbone of the schooling process. Coupled with
this is the closed pedagogy where the basic premise
is to give knowledge and thus chalk and talk
predominates and crushes the individuality, creativity
and the inquiring nature of the child. Thus knowledge
in Indian society remains unquestioned and
unparalleled. If any text tries to raise questions vis a
vis the dominant social order, it has to be prepared
for repercussions.
20. As per the passage, how does the hidden
curriculum operate in schools?
1. Stable physical but unstable emotional
environment
2. Unstable physical but stable emotional
environment
3. Stable physical and emotional
environment.
Choose your answer from the choices given
below.
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Only 3 (d) None
21. Which of the following is true as per the
passage?
1. It is only the published knowledge that is
received with a degree of obedience but
there is an equally powerful hidden
curriculum.
RC – 2
2. The published knowledge has a deep
impact on the child’s psyche.
3. Conformity to the apparent and the hidden
curriculum forms the backbone of the
schooling process.
Choose your answer from the choices given
below.
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 1 and 2
22. What does the author mean by ‘closed
pedagogy’ as used in the passage?
(a) Theoretical learning methods that
discourage the inquiring nature of the child.
(b) Haphazard curriculum that kills
individuality of the child.
(c) Stable physical environment that breeds
incompetence.
(d) Unstable emotional environment that
encourages rote learning.
Passage – 10
The heady days of the Anna Hazare-led movement’s
unprecedented support now appear somewhat
distant. Clearly, both the Anna team and the
movement seem to be floundering, unclear about
their strategy as they wait for the Lokpal Bill to be
placed for consideration in the winter session of
Parliament.
In part, this is not surprising; it is never easy to
sustain high-voltage protest activity over long periods
of time. Now that the select committee is seized of
the issue, many supporters feel that it would be
churlish to keep on accusing the government of bad
faith.
What has created a greater dismay in the ranks of
the faithful is the somewhat intemperate behaviour
of key members of the campaign. The decision of
some team members to intervene in the recent
by-election in Hissar, calling upon voters to reject
the Congress candidate, has troubled those uneasy
with a party-political stance.
The greater blow, however, to the credibility and
cohesiveness of the Anna team is the airing of
Page 7
differences between Prashant Bhushan and Anna
Hazare over the former’s reported support to the idea
of a referendum over the status of Jammu and
Kashmir. It is no one’s case that all key members of
a broad front/movement against corruption must
share an ideological understanding of diverse issues
and concerns.
Sceptics and critics of the Hazare-led movement
are expectedly gleeful, pleased that the moralistic
posturing is coming unstuck. They point out that
they had long warned the gullible supporters about
the ‘credentials’ of key actors; that the movement
had a ‘hidden agenda’; and that had it not been for
the clumsy handling of the agitation by an inept
government, the movement would never have
acquired the significance that it did.
An obsessive focus on Hazare should not blind us
from seeking to understand and debate the deeper,
underlying problems with the extant imagination and
practice of our model of social democracy and its
disempowering impact on common citizens.
The signs have been visible for some time, not just
in the growing inequality and joblessness, but also
the unprecedented concentration of power in an
unholy coalition of political, corporate and
bureaucratic elites who, despite protests, continue
to pretend that nothing has changed. But, unless
our elites seriously introspect and initiate moves for
self-correction, we are likely to experience more such
upsurges. And these, whether or not transformatory,
may prove more difficult to contain.
23. Consider the following statements:
1. It is difficult to sustain intense protest
activities over long periods of time.
2. Social democracy has a disempowering
impact on common citizens.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are true
according to the passage?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
24. What does the author mean by, ‘it would be
churlish to keep on accusing the government
of bad faith’ ?
1. It would be foolish to continue blaming
the government about being unfaithful.
Page 8
2. It is considerably wrong to demean the
government.
3. It is morally incorrect to keep on accusing
the government.
(a) Only 1 (b) 2 and 3
(c) Only 3 (d) 1 and 2
25. Consider the following statements:
1. The conflict about a referendum over the
status of Jammu and Kashmir has more
severely impacted the Anna team than the
issue over the by-election in Hissar.
2. An obsessive focus on Hazare has blinded
us from seeking to understand the debate.
3. There has been a growing inequality and
joblessness in the country.
Which of the statements given above are true
according to the passage?
(a) 1, 2, 3 (b) 1 and 3
(c) Only 3 (d) Only 1
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping involves writing down the main idea
and putting down the related ideas which radiate out
from it. By focusing on key ideas in your own words,
and then looking for branches and connections
between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a
manner which will help you understand new
information. Using a structured approach allows you
to figure out connections between the ideas while
you are reading the passage. These relationships
are important in understanding new information. It is
a great aid for understanding the structure of the
text and is a must during the preparation stage of
RC. However, while taking the actual test this might
take away precious time. But, internalizing this
process is important for you to master the
comprehension of passages of various kinds and
finally channeling this to become an active reader.
Now, take a look at these passages and fill in the
mind maps that follow.
RC – 2
Read the passage given below and create
a mind map in the space provided.
Passage
IN common sense terms there is something very
simple and obvious about caste. For most of us caste
is a traditional social institution of India.
Its association with Hinduism gives it a ritual and
religious flavour. However, caste is not confined to
the Hindus, or to ritual/religious life. It has influenced,
even shaped, the social, economic and political life
of almost all communities in the subcontinent since
ancient times. The most common description of
castes invokes the idea of four (or five) varnas, around
which the social and personal life of a typical Hindu/
Indian was organized in pre-modern times. The
classical ‘Indian village’ was the social universe in
which the value frame and social structure of caste
was reproduced.
Notwithstanding its omnipresence, the modern day
conceptualization of caste and its popular
understanding draws heavily from the Orientalist
discourses on India and Indian-ness, arguing that
the system of caste hierarchy existed everywhere
in India, without much difference across regions of
the subcontinent. Caste, in this understanding, also
did not change for a very long time. It was only during
British colonial rule, when western-style modern
ways of organizing the economy and administration
were introduced, that India began to change.
The popular theories of social change were also
imported from the West and drawing on the western
experience, translated into an evolutionary model of
progress. According to this theory or model of social
change, modern technology was the key to progress.
Industrial development ushered in a civilizational
change, marked by modern values and rational
institutions.
The Indian translation of this classical model of
evolutionary change could be best seen in the
Nehruvian framework of development. Caste, along
with the village community and joint family, was a
part and parcel of traditional social arrangements,
typical of pre-modern societies. The processes of
RC – 2
industrial development and urbanization were
expected to weaken the traditional frames and give
way to secular, class-like, associational groupings
based on individual interest and identity. In other
words, caste was to disappear and disintegrate on
its own, without any direct political or developmental
intervention. Untouchability, however, was abolished
by law; not the caste system. Similarly, quotas for
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were
targeted programmes for the upliftment of India’s
‘weaker sections’. Yet ‘backwardness’ or
underdevelopment was not conceptualized in caste
terms. It was calculated by economists in purely
economic terms. Caste, in their view, was an
ideological and cultural hangover, not a material fact.
Over the last six decades and more, India’s economy
has indeed developed. Industrial production and urban
centres have grown manifold. Though a large
proportion of Indians continue to live in rural areas,
the old village society has been slowly disintegrating.
In other words, even when the demographic identity
remains rural, the social and economic life of the
Indian village is fast merging with the urban economy
through increased circulation of workers and
commodities, steady expansion of roads and
electricity, and growing use of television and cell
phones. The old ‘laws’ of Manu have been replaced
by a secular Constitution.
Field studies from different regions of the subcontinent
show a clear decline of the caste-based framework
of social organization, the jajmani system and the
social/ritual hierarchy. Not only has political
representation increased, local level political
institutions too have become far more inclusive. We
now no longer hear about polling booths being
captured by the armies of dominant landlords in the
hinterlands of India. Politically speaking, India today
is a thriving democracy, almost as ‘modern’ and
representative as any other secular country of the
modern/developed West.
While it is hard to ignore some of the ‘radical’ changes
that Indian society has seen over the last century or
so, the reality of caste has certainly not disappeared.
In fact, many would argue, and for good reasons,
that the public presence of caste – in both popular
and political discourse – is much more pronounced
Page 9
today than it was during the 1950s or 1960s, when the institutional hold of caste was perhaps much
stronger.

Some of this increased public presence of caste is indeed linked to the rise and consolidation of caste-
based identities and identity-based politics. However, the reality of caste survives and thrives beyond the
domain of electoral politics. Available analyses of official data on poverty and productive assets clearly
show significant variations across caste lines. Those located at the lower end of the traditional caste
hierarchy tend to be significantly over-represented among the poor and the marginal. The positive correlation
at the other end is equally strong. Those at the upper end of the caste hierarchy are far less likely to be
present among the economically depressed categories. In other words, even when ideologically caste has
weakened, the process has so far not produced any kind of levelling in Indian society. Not only do the
traditional inequalities continue to be reproduced in the economic domain, the emerging opportunity structures
at different levels of the labour market and urban economy also tend to be skewed against the traditionally
underprivileged and socially marginalized. Today, even as it is hard to find an unapologetic advocate of the
traditional system of caste hierarchy, those who accept/believe in the values that support caste hierarchy
are still heard loud and clear.

How should we then engage with caste in contemporary times? Even though the classical Orientalist
understanding has been the subject of much criticism, we have yet to move away from it in any significant
manner. The popular discourse on caste continues to speak of caste in a singular mode, in the varna
model of hierarchy. Even the radical Dalit politics seems to operate within such a framework.

Caste indeed has a strong ideological flavour. However, it has also shaped economic and material life in the
subcontinent, and in turn has been shaped by the regional histories of economic and political processes.
More importantly perhaps, the materiality of caste cannot be reduced to its ideological façade. It is through
such historically and empirically grounded frameworks that we need to revisit the subject of caste today
and make sense of what has changed and what remains of it. We also need to understand afresh its
operational parameters in the present-day urban society and economy.

We need to raise fresh questions, such as, Who needs caste today and for what purpose? Why do Dalit
groups, who have been victims of the caste system, insist on caste based identity politics? Is there a case
for caste based public policy and what might be the implications of such a policy for building a secular
democracy based on the idea of citizenship and equality? We perhaps also need to revisit caste based
quotas and reservations in order to understand the role they have played in enabling social mobility among
its beneficiaries and changing social relations across caste communities. Finally, how does the reality of
caste play out in modern day labour markets, in the informal sector and in the corporate economy?

MIND MAP

Page 10 RC – 2
 Reading Comprehension Strategy in Reading (Home Exercise)
Directions for questions 1 to 29: Read the following
passages and answer the items that follow.
Your answers to these items should be based on
the passages only.
Passage – 1
Western sanctions, once “targeted” and now blanket,
are turning into a form of collective punishment. They
are designed, we are told, to force the Islamic
government to return to the nuclear negotiating table.
Western politicians also seem to believe that
punishing the Iranian people might lead them to blame
their own government for their misery and take it
upon themselves to force a change in the regime’s
behavior, or even a change in the regime itself. But
as the old British maxim recognized, deprivation in
Iran is a recipe for the status quo.
Iran’s government and its people have never been
isolationists. But as sanctions take their toll on the
livelihoods of Iranians who want to continue to do
business and communicate with the outside world,
their energy to question their government’s policies
and to agitate for change is waning. That means far
fewer opportunities to promote American values and
win minds, if not hearts (which we Americans have
won in the past but are now in danger of losing).
1. The passage mentions that “deprivation in Iran
is a recipe for the status quo.” What does it
imply?
1. Deprivation in Iran has been a
consequence of the government’s rule
there.
2. Deprivation in Iran does not increase the
collective will to force a change in the
regime’s behavior.
3. Deprivation in Iran does not have the effect
that Western sanctions aim to achieve.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
RC – 2
(c) Both 2 and 3
(d) None of the statements given above
2. With reference to the passage, consider the
following statements.
1. Western sanctions need to be targeted
to be effective.
2. Western sanctions have been aimed at
promoting American values.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
3. According to the author:
1. A change in regime would make Iran
resume nuclear negotiations.
2. Sanctions have made the Iranians less
supportive of America.
3. The Iranians have started blaming their
own government for their misery.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3
Passage – 2
A recent study of metro systems in the US, published
by researchers at the Brookings Institute, concludes
that: ‘The demand for rail has continued to shrink
because transit networks are unable to keep up with
changing land use and travel patterns that have
decentralized residences and employment. Indeed,
less than 10 per cent of the nation’s employment in
metropolitan areas is located in old central business
districts… Because no policy option exists that
would enhance the social desirability of most urban
rail transit systems, policy-makers only can be
advised to limit the social costs of rail systems by
curtailing their expansion… Unfortunately, transit
systems have been able to evolve because their
supporters have sold them as an antidote to the social
Page 11
costs associated with automobile travel, in spite of
strong evidence to the contrary. As long as rail transit
continues to be erroneously viewed in this way by
the public, it will continue to be an increasing drain
on social welfare.’ Despite the publication of
numerous such studies and the reluctance of
international funding organizations to fund metro, light
rail and monorail systems in India, every city in the
country wants to build one. Evidently the urban elite,
contractors and politicians support these demands.
4. Consider the following assumptions:
1. Metro systems are not feasible for every
city in India.
2. The conditions described in the study are
similar to those existing in India.
With reference to the passage, which of the
above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
5. With reference to the passage, consider the
following statements:
1. The social costs associated with
automobile travel go down when urban rail
transit systems are put in place.
2. Policy-makers should discourage the
expansion of rail systems.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 3
The word ‘informal economy’ is rather strongly
embedded in the economic and policy literature today.
Conceived in the course of some ILO studies (as
part of the ILO’s World Employment Programme) in
Africa by Hart in 1972, it nevertheless has been
severely criticised by some – mainly because till
date there is no clear definition. From the ‘informal
sector’, we moved to ‘informal economy’, and soon
other terms such as informal work and informal
employment also emerged.
Page 12
Strictly speaking each of these have different
interpretations, though obviously are closely related.
And depending on how we define each, statistics
also vary. Yet, despite all these problems and harsh
criticism, the concept has survived. To understand
why, it may be useful to go back to the person who
coined the concept in the first place – Keith Hart,
the economic anthropologist. According to Hart this
was simply a means of giving expression to ‘the gap
between my experience there (in Africa) and anything
that my English education had taught me before.’
Anyone sifting through the vast literature on the
informal economy will be surprised at the various
ways it has been described – ‘marginal’, ‘survivalist’,
‘working poor’, ‘small capitalist sector’, ‘dynamic’,
‘people’s economy’, ‘entrepreneurial’ are among the
descriptions. While there are those who highlight
the vulnerability, voicelessness and powerlessness
of those in the informal economy, some others speak
of work in the informal economy as a means to
reclaim some economic power that centralised
agents deny them.
The fact that the informal economy has been used
to describe such varying types of economic activities
– some stagnant, low productive, what can best be
termed ‘underemployment’, and some others
profitable and dynamic – only means that there exist
within this vast amorphous informal economy
heterogeneous economic activities in terms of
income generating capacities, ownership of work,
skills, work status, productive capacity, links to other
sectors and to the state.
6. What is the thematic highlight of the
passage?
(a) The powerlessness of the informal
economy
(b) The informal economy—one word too
many?
(c) ILO studies and the informal economy
(d) Informal employment—a myth?
RC – 2
7. With reference to the passage, consider the natural and cultural heritage sites, provide water and
following statements: sewerage infrastructure for the increased traffic,
1. Only statistics can help us arrive at a but few international visitors rarely stay long in most
comprehensive definition of the informal of the places they visit. Few in the local community
economy. can identify what benefits are actually captured from
2. The concept of an informal economy has the tourist traffic.
been criticized for having no clear
definition. The critical issue for tourism policy development in
India is for the local economy to retain as much
Select the correct answer using the codes tourism revenue as possible.
given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only 9. What does the author imply by the question
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 “But how often do those benefits flow back to
the travel company, the hotel chain or the
8. Which of the following has not been tourism operator who might be based
mentioned in relation to the informal overseas?”
economy? 1. It is important to understand whether the
1. The workers in the informal economy work economic benefits from tourism benefit the
for centralized agents. national economy or not.
2. Income generating capacities are uniform 2. It is important to understand whether the
within the informal economy. tourism industry is sustainable or not.

Select the correct answer using the codes Select the correct answer using the codes
given below: given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 4
10. Consider the following statements:
The real clients for any national government tourism 1. For countries hosting international events,
policy initiatives are all those who comprise the people in local communities mostly do
regional and local communities across India. Tourists not benefit from the tourist traffic.
and the tourism industry are simply the actors. 2. In the case of international events, the
improved infrastructure does not benefit
The tourism industry is very good at spreading the local communities in the host country.
mantra that tourism will bring major economic
benefits. But how often do those benefits flow back With reference to the passage, which of the
to the travel company, the hotel chain or the tourism above statements is/are valid?
operator who might be based overseas? What good (a) 1 only (b) 2 only
are thousands, even millions, of tourists to the (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
national economy if most of what they spend goes
elsewhere? The host country, or region for an
international event, must provide and maintain
airports, ports, roads and public amenities, sustain

RC – 2 Page 13
 Passage – 5
If life was hard for industrializers at the end of the
nineteenth century, it became even more so for
industrializers in the twentieth century. This seems
to be the overall message that Kohli highlights in his
impressive survey and comparison of industrialization
in four large developing countries. There are many
profound challenges involved in this process.
First, it is impossible to promote economic
development in a vacuum, since every country is
somehow connected with the international system,
especially countries that were formerly colonies of
the main industrial core. Second, the stages of
economic interconnectedness force these countries
to promote several processes simultaneously: state
and institutional building, economic growth, and, if
possible, “catching up” with development in an
international scale. Third, the shadows of previous
institutions are legacies that may facilitate or hinder
development projects. Finally, as technological
changes increase in the international system, the
role of the state in promoting development becomes
even more central, generating, in certain cases,
perverse incentives for bureaucrats to act without
any accountability to the public at large.
11. Which of the following has/have been
mentioned as factors that might help in the
economic development of developing countries
which were colonies in the past?
1. Continuing influence of colonial
institutions.
2. Protecting the country from international
influence.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
12. According to the passage, Kohli’s survey:
1. examines industrialization in four
developing countries.
2. emphasizes that industrialization is a
greater challenge in the twentieth century
Page 14
than it was at the end of the nineteenth
century.
Select the correct answer using the codes
given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
13. According to the passage, an increase in
technological changes in the international
system
1. makes bureaucrats less responsible for
promoting development.
2. makes the role of the state in promoting
development more prominent.
Select the correct answer using the codes
given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 6
Within a country, as the sociopolitical context
changes, and as a consequence of more direct
interventions to change government processes,
institutional practices within the state are also likely
to shift. Such shifts are, however, not predictable,
either in terms of the precise direction that they may
take, or in terms of the speed with which they take
effect. For instance, the high level of economic growth
witnessed in recent years in India places new
demands on the state as the size and influence of
industry and the urban middle class on the state
grows. Parallelly, new demands are also generated
by the increasing politicization of the people.
Some response to these pressures becomes
necessary, and changes in state functioning to meet
these are likely.
Since several mutually contradictory pressures
operate simultaneously, what becomes dominant at
a particular juncture will depend on a host of factors.
Consequently, the direction and pace of change
RC – 2
cannot be predicted. While on the one hand,
pressures on the state pull it towards greater
professionalism and reduction of patronage based
functioning and rent-seeking, on the other, are
pressures which promote the status quo, and even
greater corruption and ad hocism. The strength of
various pressure groups as well as the emergence
of different types of crisis will influence the future
course of things, but there are two distinct
possibilities: one, that state functioning may become
more lawful and people-centred, and second, that
the present problems may drag on or become even
worse.
14. According to the passage:
1. Attempts to change government
processes might lead to changes in state
functioning.
2. The high level of economic growth in India
has been a consequence of sociopolitical
changes.
3. The size and influence of the urban middle
class on the state has grown in recent
years in India.
4. Pressures on the state that promote the
status quo oppose those that encourage
professionalism.
Which of the statements given above are
correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
15. In light of the passage, why is it difficult to
predict the future of state functioning?
1. Several mutually conflicting pressures are
at work.
2. There is greater corruption.
3. State functioning has become more
people-centred.
4. There has been increased politicization
of the people.
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
RC – 2
Passage – 7
Both industrial and developing countries need
leaders, educated citizens, and trained workers for
industry, government and politics, and academia.
A liberal education enhances the chances that
individuals will be able to fulfill these roles with
distinction. General education also has other
practical impacts on a society. It can promote
responsible citizenship, ethical behavior, educational
ambition, professional development in a broad range
of fields, and even global integration. It prevents
students from becoming compartmentalized in
narrowly focused disciplines and fosters cohesion
across cohorts whose more talented and motivated
students are familiarized with a core body of
knowledge, some of which is unique to their own
culture and some of which is universal. General
education also promotes civil society through its
contribution to broad-mindedness, critical thinking,
and communication skills, all of which are essential
elements of effective participatory democracy.
It should foster tolerance and ethical values, helping
to encourage the social awareness and philanthropy
that are vital to a society’s health and stability.
General education is also important in the
development process. It helps society look at the
social and ethical questions raised by new
development policies and projects, ensuring that a
country’s long-term interests are given priority over
short-term gains.
16. According to the passage, general education
has a positive effect on the following:
1. Critical thinking.
2. Social health and stability.
3. Civil society.
4. Global integration.
5. Specialized knowledge.
Which of the statements given above are
correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only (b) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(c) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Page 15
17. Consider the following assumptions:
1. General education is liberal in nature.
2. Work in narrowly focused disciplines
should be discouraged.
With reference to the passage, which of the
above assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 8
What has been called ‘Indo-Portuguese’ literature,
the result of a four and a half century colonial presence
of the Portuguese in India (1510-1961), is shrouded
in some curious phenomena. First, is the fact that a
language spoken by a minority is represented by a
select corpus of literary works (these include poetry,
short stories, novels, criticism and historiography).
Second, it did not survive the process of
decolonization, contrary to other literatures produced
in a colonial context and written in the language of
the colonizer. We can therefore count the number of
important Goan authors that wrote in Portuguese
after Goa was incorporated into the Indian Union in
1961.
Goan literature in the Portuguese language thus
seems to be the only case that confirms the
precipitated thesis by Albert Memmi which was
advanced in the late 1950s. According to this thesis,
the literatures colonized by European languages
were condemned to die, given the strength of the
national liberation movements at that time. Indo-
Portuguese literature, therefore, fits perfectly into the
suggested causes for the disappearance of such
literatures: the new generations born in an
environment of freedom would spontaneously write
in their new-found language or the authors would
fully belong to the metropolitan literature.
There was a revival of Konkani, the native language
of Goa, after the Portuguese left in 1961, but the
local writers in Portuguese always had difficulty in
forming their own literary field because they produced
their works within the sphere of Portuguese literature.
The most significant Indo-Portuguese literary works
were originally published in Portugal (where they
Page 16
actually had a better circulation than in India), and
their authors, with a couple of exceptions, moved to
the metropolis.
18. According to the passage:
1. Similar to other literatures produced in a
colonial context, ‘Indo-Portuguese’
literature did not survive the process of
decolonization.
2. Few important Goan authors who wrote
in Portuguese remained after Goa was
incorporated into the Indian Union.
3. The most significant Indo-Portuguese
literary works had a better circulation in
India than in Portugal.
4. The local writers in Portuguese never had
any difficulty in forming their own literary
field.
Which of the statements given above are
correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1 and 4 only
19. ‘Indo-Portuguese’ literature has the following
distinctive feature/s:
1. Portuguese, a language spoken by a
minority in India, is represented by a select
body of literary works.
2. It survived the process of decolonization
in contrast to other literatures in a similar
context.
Select the correct answer from the codes
given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
20. What was discussed by Albert Memmi in his
thesis?
(a) The reason why Goan writers in
Portuguese have always had difficulty in
building their own literary field.
(b) Majority of the literatures colonized by
European languages could have survived
if the authors did not fully belong to the
metropolitan literature.
RC – 2
 (c) Indo-Portuguese literature died out
because the new generation was free to
write in its new found language.
(d) The literatures colonized by European
languages were doomed because of the
strength of the national liberation
movements at that time.
21. With reference to the passage, consider the
following statements:
1. There was a revival of Konkani in Goa after
1961 at the expense of the local writers
in Portuguese who had difficulty in forming
their own literary field.
2. The demise of Goan literature in
Portuguese language is one of the many
cases in line with the thesis proposed by
Albert Memmi.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Passage – 9
Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear power
plants latest by 2022 is a historic response to rising
public opinion after the Fukushima disaster. It is
momentous because it comes from a conservative,
business-oriented coalition that earlier viewed
nuclear power as vital for competitiveness. It is worth
recalling that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government
legislated last year to overturn a similar commitment
on closure made by its centre-left predecessor. But
the nuclear accident in Japan and the swelling tide
of public protests led to the dropping of the plan to
extend the lifespan of 17 nuclear power stations until
2033. What is more, seven old reactors were retired.
Chancellor Merkel’s bold move clearly derives much
confidence from a forward-looking energy plan that
emphasises cleaner and better power from natural
gas and coal, and an expanded role for renewable
energy sources such as solar and wind.
The prospect of doing away with nuclear power has
world-wide appeal although the imperatives are not
the same in every country. The German story is one
RC – 2
of an industrialised society that has no compulsion
to meet the energy needs of robust economic growth
and rapidly rising living standards. In fact, nuclear
energy meets 29 per cent of its needs and now
requires alternatives. India, on the other hand, needs
a safe and efficient mix of sources to cater to
massively expanding demand. It must, in parallel,
reduce the energy intensity of growth. The way to
go would be to actively cooperate with countries like
Germany on building efficient coal-fired power plants,
tapping newer technologies such as river turbines,
and aggressively expanding solar-based
technologies. Multiple options are necessary also
to stay aligned to carbon emission goals.
22. According to the passage:
1. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster,
Germany’s decision to shut down its
nuclear power plants by 2022 is not
surprising.
2. Chancellor Merkel envisions renewable
energy sources playing a bigger role in
meeting Germany energy requirements.
3. Germany is in a desperate need to meet
the energy demands of strong economic
growth and rising living standards.
4. Multiple energy options are no longer
necessary for countries to remain
committed to the reduction of carbon
emissions.
Which of the statements given above are
correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 2 only
23. With reference to the passage, consider the
following statements?
1. Chancellor Merkel government’s stand on
nuclear power is in coherence with that of
its predecessor.
2. The reasons for shunning nuclear power
for countries world over are the same.
Which of the statements given above is/ are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Page 17
24. What is the esssential message being
conveyed by the author of this passage?
(a) Public protests made the German
government drop its plans to extend the
lifecycle of the nuclear power stations.
(b) India needs to cooperate with Germany
for building efficient coal power plants.
(c) Countries need to explore and develop
other alternatives to nuclear energy.
(d) It is important for Germany to cut down
on its dependence on nuclear energy.
Passage – 10
The pattern of aging in humans is not too different
from most other primates, such as chimpanzees,
monkeys and baboons, new research shows.
A team led by Anne Kowski of Iowa State University
studied data on primate aging collected over decades
around the world and compared it with statistics on
modern Americans. Some experts have thought that
because people have relatively long life spans,
humans aged differently from other mammals.
The research team believed that any major difference
between humans and primates was most likely to
show up with modern people, rather than a hunter-
gatherer culture. Kowski said in a telephone interview,
“And the fact that we don’t find a difference there is
more compelling.”
The basic pattern they found is a relatively high risk
of dying in infancy, a low risk of death during the
juvenile years and then an increased risk of dying
as aging progressed. Also, they found that in most
cases males don’t live as long as females.
“Human patterns are not strikingly different, even
though wild primates experience sources of mortality
from which humans may be protected,” the authors
wrote in a study published online Thursday in the
journal Science.
Page 18
25. With reference to the passage, consider the
following statements:
1. Since people have relatively long life
spans, humans aged differently from other
mammals.
2. The pattern of aging in humans is similar
to that of most other primates.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
26. Which of the following statements describe/
describes the patterns that have been
observed between humans and primates?
1. Both have a relatively high risk of dying in
infancy.
2. Both have a low risk of dying during juvenile
years.
3. Both have a low risk of dying as aging
progresses.
4. In most cases males live as long as
females
Select the correct answer from the codes
given below:
(a) 4 only (b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1 and 2 only
Passage – 11
The ‘Great Successor’, Kim Jong Un, is young,
untested and hasn’t had the benefit of his father’s
guidance for more than a couple of years, much of
which the older Kim spent recuperating from a stroke.
Thus, the first reports that the young Kim might opt
for a collaborative rule, or “collective leadership” was
expected - with his paternal aunt and paternal uncle,
Jang Song Taek, and the all-powerful military, as
intersecting power centres. It’s always difficult to
guess what’s going on inside that reclusive country
but Kim Jong Un’s older brothers could hardly be
human if they did not consider playing some sort of
a spoiler game. The Korean army reportedly doesn’t
care much for the young Un, who hadn’t served in
the military before becoming a four-star general. The
RC – 2
army, which is the most powerful institution, is likely
to hold the reins. All this when this isolated northeast
Asian state is in the midst of a nuclear crisis, a
diplomatic stand-off with its twin, South Korea, and
lousy relations with Japan and the US. North Korea
is nuclear armed, weak and dangerous.
In our own region, Pakistan is going through its own
crisis, stoking fears that yet another military coup
may be at hand. A ‘Memogate’ crisis that became
much bigger than it should have is now proving to be
the undoing of a civilian government that was too
weak to start with anyway. And the army appears to
be intent on pushing things to the brink. President
Zardari had to rush to Dubai after rumours abounded
of a coup against him. Pakistan’s ambassador to
the US, Husain Haqqani, is in hot water for apparently
conspiring against the army/ISI combine. A third case
is being made out against the ISI chief, Shuja Pasha,
for working against the civilian government.
27. With reference to the passage, it can be
inferred that the main thought of the author in
the first paragraph is to discuss:
(a) the leadership in North Korea and the
possibility of a collaborative rule.
(b) the current political situation in North
Korea and the requirements from a future
leader.
(c) the intersecting power centres in North
Korea and their impact on the leadership.
(d) the future leadership status in North Korea
and the role of the army in this.
RC – 2
28. With reference to the passage it can be
inferred that:
(a) The author has brought in the situation in
North Korea and in Pakistan to draw out
the similarities between the two countries.
(b) The author is alarmed by the similarities
that exist in the political turmoil in North
Korea and in Pakistan.
(c) The author indicates that the future
governments of both North Korea and
Pakistan will be weak leading to even
greater turmoil in the region.
(d) The Korean army is more powerful with
reference to the political situation in its
country than the Pakistan army in its own
country.
29. Which of these has not been mentioned as a
factor in the political situation in North Korea?
1. A ruling alliance that includes the young
Kim, his paternal aunt and paternal uncle
and the military.
2. Support from Kim Jong Un’s older
brothers.
3. The possibility of a military coup.
4. The possibility of the army having the main
power in North Korea.
Select the correct answer using the codes
given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 4
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 2 only
Page 19
 Reading Comprehension – 2 CEX–6150/20

Answers and Explanations

Class Exercise
1 d 2 b 3 a 4 a 5 d 6 a 7 b 8 a 9 a 10 c
11 c 12 d 13 b 14 c 15 a 16 a 17 d 18 d 19 c 20 c
21 c 22 a 23 a 24 a 25 b

Home Exercise
1 c 2 d 3 b 4 b 5 b 6 b 7 b 8 d 9 a 10 a
11 a 12 c 13 b 14 c 15 c 16 c 17 a 18 b 19 a 20 d
21 d 22 d 23 d 24 c 25 b 26 d 27 d 28 a 29 c

Class Exercise
1. d Option (d) is the crux of the passage. The other options
are out of scope and hence, cannot be the right
answer. Option (a) cannot be inferred.
2. b Refer to the last sentence of the passage for the
answer. Sentence 2 is out of scope while sentence 1
cannot be determined from the passage.
3. a Refer to the last sentence of the passage for the
answer. The other options are superfluous.
4. a The last sentence of the passage reflects an optimistic
picture. Statement 2 is superfluous and cannot be
correct in the light of the passage.
5. d Both the assumptions are superfluous and cannot be
based on the given passage. The author feels that the
National Anti-Profiteering Authority might become a
permanent feature under the GST. He is not entirely
sure.
6. a Statement 1 is incorrect because anything that is 'on
its way to maturity' doesn't imply that it is at a backward
stage. So, options (c) and (d) can be eliminated.
Statement 3 is correct. Refer to the lines 'It needs to
computerise and put... for public." and "Also, if RTI is
to mean... easily understandable." In the first paragraph,
the sentence "The government must learn to maintain
its records better...." does not say that RTI needs to
motivate the government for this purpose. Thus,
statement 2 is also incorrect. This makes option (a)
the correct choice.
7. b Option (b) best conveys the central idea of the
passage. Though options (c) and (d) are not wrong
according to the passage, they merely support the
argument or the central message of the passage.
Option (a) is incorrect as the author nowhere says
that RTI in its present form is not acceptable.
8. a Statements 1 and 2 can be deduced from the third and
second paragraph respectively. Statement 3 is
incorrect as the third paragraph of the passage
highlights the importance of the need to provide quick
relief but doesn't say anything about the present status
of the same. Thus, option (a) is the correct choice.
9. a Statement 1 is clearly mentioned in the last sentence
of the second paragraph. Thus, option (b) can be
eliminated. Statement 2 is not a challenge to
contextualisation of information and hence is irrelevant
to the question asked. Also, statement 3 reverses the
meaning of "... more and more people will understand
less and less." Since only statement 1 is correct, option
(a) is the correct choice.
10. c Options (b) and (d) can be easily eliminated as they
cannot be inferred from the passage. Though option
(a) is close , it needs to be understood that putting out
information in an easily understandable manner is just
one of the ways of implementing RTI effectively. Since
option (c) addresses the question more appropriately,
it is the best answer.
11. c According to the passage, "given the bureaucratic
manner in which prisons are managed and executions
take place, it is extremely implausible that the
government does not have records on executions."
So option (d) is eliminated. The passage does not talk
about the rise in the number of executions in the
country. Therefore option (b) is eliminated. Option (a)
does not follow from the passage. The key concern
of the passage has been the fact that in some cases
the government has not been open about information
related to the number of executions in the country. So
only option (c) summarizes the passage.
12. d Nowhere in the scope of the passage do we find that
the information on executions before 1995 is outdated
or sensitive. Thus, option (c) is incorrect. Option (a)
cannot even be inferred as the author finds the silence
of NCRB curious as it is a goldmine of information.

RC – 2 Page 1
 Option (b), also, cannot be inferred from the passage
as it doesn't talk about any sort of instructions given to
any official. So, option (d) is the only choice.
13. b Since 'unwilling to reveal any information on executions'
does not mean that the person/authority doesn't have
any information, Statement 1 is incorrect. Similarly
statement 3 is incorrect as it cannot be inferred from
the last sentence of the passage. Refer to "Law
Commission ... appear to have no information available".
Statement 2 can be inferred from the last passage
where it says that it was "unwilling to reveal any
information on executions". Thus, option (b) is the
correct choice.
14. c Only option (c) follows directly from the passage.
Option (a) makes a general statement while the
passage gives specific examples where
unsubstantiated claims have been made. So it can be
eliminated. While the passage states that, “the Attorney
General of India, Ashok Desai made a statement before
the UN Human Rights Committee in 1997 claiming that
the number of executions in India in recent years was
far lower than in the past.” it does not follow that the
UN Human Rights Committee investigated this claim.
So option (b) is incorrect. The passage talks about the
1989 report by Amnesty International on the death
penalty in India, but does not state that the report
challenged the claims made by the government. So
option (d) is also eliminated.
15. a The tone of the passage is not contemplative as it is
not meditative or engaged in introspection. It is also
not merely factual. Authoritative, meaning 'arising from
authority', is also clearly not the tone of the passage.
The passage critically examines the reluctance of the
authorities to make public the information about the
number of executions in the country. Thus, critical is
the only option left and it is also the appropriate tone
for the passage.
16. a It follows from the passage that the debate has been
unable to move beyond ideological assertions largely
because of an absence of reliable data on various
aspects of private schools in the country. So statement
1 is correct. Statement 2 does not follow because the
author makes it clear that the debate is limited in its
scope at present-restricted to "ideological assertions"
and nothing more concrete.
17. d Refer to the last few lines of the passage. Clearly
statement 1 is correct. Refer to the second last
paragraph, lines 'an absence of reliable data ... schools
in the country.' Hence statement 2 is incorrect. Refer
to the para, lines “Non-state actors, who provide
educational.....market determined returns.” Hence
statement 3 is incorrect. Refer to the passage, lines
“middle class has moved away from these institutions
as it is now able to pay for what is perceived to be
quality education." Hence statement 4 is correct.
18. d Refer to the passage- 'educating our children still
remains highly contentious.' Hence, statement 1 is true.
Refer to paragraph two-'gradual loss of confidence in
the ability of government systems to deliver.' Hence
statement 2 is correct. Refer to the lines-'There has
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also been a growing commercial interest in the
education sector.' Hence statement 3 is correct. Refer
to the lines, 'At the core lies a deep distrust of all
private motives'. It is said in the context of those who
believe in the prime role of government. Hence
statement 4 is not true. Refer to the passage- 'only the
government can uphold and serve the public interest.'
Hence statement 5 is incorrect.
19. c The passage talks about a group that would prefer
the 'nationalization' of all educational institutions. The
author goes on to state-"The reasons for such a
position might be many, but at the core lies a deep
distrust of all private motives, alongside a (false)
equation of the government with the public."
20. c Refer to the lines-- 'Not only is this physical … stable
as well.' Hence option (c) is correct.
21. c Refer to the lines, 'It is not only … an equally powerful
hidden curriculum that is transacted in schools and
has a much deeper impact on the child's psyche.'
Hence option (a) is untrue and option (b) is true. Refer
to the lines, 'conformity to the apparent …of the
schooling process.' Hence option (c) is also true.
22. a Refer to the lines, 'Coupled with this is the closed
pedagogy where the basic premise is to give
knowledge and thus chalk and talk predominates and
crushes the individuality, creativity and the inquiring
nature of the child.' Hence option (a) only is supported
by the passage. Options (c) and (d) are irrelevant as
the author does not connect the physical and emotional
environment to 'pedagogy'. Option (b) is not mentioned
in the passage.
23. a Statement 1 follows directly from " it is never easy to
sustain high-voltage protest activity over long periods
of time." Statement 2 is incorrect as it makes a general
claim about social democracy. The passage talks about
examining the disempowering impact of a particular
model of social democracy, its conceptualization and
its implementation, on citizens.
24. a Refer to the second paragraph-" Now that the select
committee … government of bad faith." The author
does not refer to morals or de-meaning hence
statements 2 and 3 are incorrect. Thus statement 1 is
correct. Hence option (a) is the answer.
25. b Refer to the lines- 'A greater dismay statement in the
ranks …diverse issues and concerns." Hence
statement 1 is correct. Refer to the lines, 'An
obsessive focus... seeking to understand and debate
the deeper.' Hence statement 2 is untrue. Refer to the
last paragraph of the passage. Statement 3 is already
stated there and hence true.
Home Exercise
1. c The first paragraph states that some Western
politicians mistakenly believe that punishing the Iranian
people through sanctions "might lead them to blame
their own government for their misery and take it upon
themselves to force a change in the regime's behavior,
RC – 2
 or even a change in the regime itself." The passage
goes on to explain that this is not so. Instead their
"energy to question their government's policies and to
agitate for change is waning" because of the
deprivation. So statements 2 and 3 are both implied in
the quoted portion.
2. d The passage states that Western sanctions are no
longer targeted and have turned into "collective
punishment" for Iranians. However the passage does
not imply that such sanctions, when targeted, are
effective. So statement 1 cannot be inferred from the
passage. While the author expresses his opinion on
why sanctions make it harder to "promote American
values and win minds, there is nothing to suggest that
Western sanctions have tried to do that. So statement
2 doesn't follow.
3. b Statement 2 can be inferred from the passage-" That
means far fewer opportunities to promote American
values and win minds, if not hearts (which we
Americans have won in the past but are now in danger
of losing)." Statement 1 cannot be inferred. The author
mentions that Western politicians mistakenly believe
that sanctions will motivate Iranians to change the
existing regime. However the author does not state
that such a change in regime will make Iran resume
nuclear negotiations.
4. b The passage cites the study of metro systems in the
US to prove that a focus on rail transit is not required
in India. This argument assumes that parallel conditions
exist in the two countries. Statement 1 is not an
assumption in the passage.
5. b Refer to the passage-"… transit systems have been
able to evolve because their supporters have sold
them as an antidote to the social costs associated
with automobile travel, in spite of strong evidence to
the contrary." Statement 1 is incorrect. Statement 2
follows from "policy-makers only can be advised to
limit the social costs of rail systems by curtailing their
expansion…"
6. b The passage discusses how the term "informal
economy" has no clear definition. It goes on to discuss
the various definitions of the term and the economic
activities such definitions describe. Option (a) is
incorrect because the passage only mentions a certain
point of view that highlights the "vulnerability,
voicelessness and powerlessness of those in the
informal economy." Similarly option (c) is not the
thematic highlight of the passage. The passage
mentions ILO studies in the course of talking about the
origin of the term "informal economy", but this is not
what the passage primarily deals with. The passage
does not however question whether informal
employment exists or not. So option (d) is incorrect.
7. b The passage clearly states that depending on the
definition used for an informal economy, the "statistics
also vary." So statement 1 is incorrect. Statement 2
follows from "… it nevertheless has been severely
criticised by some - mainly because till date there is no
clear definition …"
RC – 2
8. d Neither statement can be concluded from the passage.
According to a view of the informal economy, work in
the informal economy can serve as a means "to reclaim
some economic power that centralised agents deny
them." However it cannot be concluded that such
workers work for centralized agents. The last
paragraph talks about heterogeneous economic
activities in terms of income generating capacities
within the informal economy. However it cannot be
concluded that income-generating capacities are
uniform.
9. a The passage stresses on the fact that to be of benefit
to the national economy, tourism revenue needs to be
retained within the host country and more specifically
within the regional and local communities. The question
draws attention to this fact. Statement 1 follows from
this. Statement 2 discusses the sustainability of the
tourism industry and is out of context.
10. a According to the passage, " Few in the local community
can identify what benefits are actually captured from
the tourist traffic." However this does not mean that
the improved infrastructure put in place by the host
country fails to benefit people in local communities. So
statement 2 is incorrect. It only implies that local
communities do not benefit for the most part from tourist
traffic. Only statement 1 follows from the passage.
11. a Refer to the passage-"… the shadows of previous
institutions are legacies that may facilitate or hinder
development projects." This means that institutions
that existed during the country's colonial past continue
to influence the development projects in a positive or
negative manner. Therefore statement 1 follows. The
passage states "it is impossible to promote economic
development in a vacuum, since every country is
somehow connected with the international system,
especially countries that were formerly colonies of
the main industrial core." So protecting the country
from international influence is not an option according
to the passage.
12. c Both statements follow from the passage-" If life was
hard for industrializers at the end of the nineteenth
century, it became even more so for industrializers in
the twentieth century. This seems to be the overall
message that Kohli highlights in his impressive survey
and comparison of industrialization in four large
developing countries."
13. b Only statement 2 follows from the passage. The
passage explains that with the increase in
technological changes in the international system, the
state becomes more instrumental in promoting
development. It also mentions that the resulting system
might encourage bureaucrats to act without
accountability to the public at large. However, this
does not mean that bureaucrats are in any way less
responsible for promoting development. The passage
only suggests that increased state involvement in
promoting development might encourage malpractices.
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14. c Statements 1, 3 and 4 follow from the passage. The
first paragraph cites several factors that contribute to
a change in state functioning-one of them being
interventions to change government processes. So
statement 1 is correct. While the passage mentions
sociopolitical changes that have taken place due to
the high level of economic growth and not the other
way around. Therefore statement 2 does not follow
from the passage. Statement 3 follows from the
passage-" For instance, the high level of economic
growth witnessed in recent years in India places new
demands on the state as the size and influence of
industry and the urban middle class on the state
grows." Statement 4 follows from "While on the one
hand, pressures on the state pull it towards greater
professionalism and reduction of patronage based
functioning and rent-seeking, on the other, are
pressures which promote the status quo, and even
greater corruption and ad hocism."
15. c Only statement 1 and statement 4 mention factors that
influence state functioning and add to its unpredictability.
Statements 2 and 3 are used in the passage to describe
probable future situations.
16. c The impact of general education on specialized
knowledge has not been dealt with in the passage.
The rest have been mentioned in the passage.
17. a Only statement 1 is a valid assumption in light of the
passage-"A liberal education enhances the chances
that individuals will be able to fulfill these roles with
distinction. General education also has other practical
impacts on a society." While the passage talks about
not compartmentalizing students in narrowly focused
disciplines, this does not imply that work in such
disciplines should be discouraged. The passage only
suggests that students not be limited in their education.
18. b Refer to the following line "We can therefore count
the number..." It is clearly mentioned that one can count
the number of important Goan authors that wrote in
Portuguese after Goa was incorporated into the Indian
Union in 1961 which implies that there were only a
few such authors. Statements 1, 3 and 4 go against
what is mentioned in the passage.
19. a Statement 1 follows from the first paragraph; refer to
the following line "First, is the fact that a language
spoken by a minority..." Refer to the following line
"Second, it did not survive the process of decolonization,
contrary to..." Statement 2 is contrary to this.
20. d Refer to the following line in the second paragraph
"According to this thesis, the literatures colonized by
European languages were condemned to die.......";
option (d) can be inferred from this. From the information
given in the passage it cannot be inferred whether
there was any mention of Indo-Portuguese literature
in Memmi's thesis, hence option (c) is rejected.
21. d There was revival of Konkani in Goa after 1961 but no
reason has been specified in the passage, hence
statement 1 is incorrect. Statement 2 is contrary to the
information given in the passage; Goan literature in
the Portuguese language was the only case that
confirmed the thesis put forth by Memmi.
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22. d Statement 2 can be inferred from the concluding lines
of the first paragraph. Statement 1 goes against what
is mentioned in the passage. As per the passage,
Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power
plants by 2022 has been termed as historic which
implies that it was not on expected lines. Statements 3
and 4 are also contrary to the information given in the
passage.
23. d Refer the following line "It is worth recalling that
Chancellor Angela …" On the basis of this, statement
1 can be easily negated. Refer the following line "The
prospect of doing away with nuclear power…"
Statement 2 is contrary to this.
24. c Option (c) can be clearly inferred from the second
paragraph. Though options (a), (b) and (d) are in line
with the information given in the passage, they have
been offered as support for his main point reflected in
option (c).
25. b Statement 2 can be inferred from the opening lines of
the passage. Statement 1 is just an opinion of some
experts and it may or may not be true, hence it is
rejected.
26. d Statements 1 and 2 follow from the following line "The
basic pattern they found is a relatively high ..."
Statements 3 and 4 are contrary to the information
given in the passage.
27. d The first paragraph discusses the current situation in
North Korea. It also goes on to discuss the future
leadership status in North Korea and the possibility of
collaborative rule. The intersecting power centers are
mentioned but it is asserted that the army will hold the
reins in North Korea. Option (d) is the answer. Option (a)
can be ruled out because the passage focuses mainly
on the future leadership status and not on leadership in
general. Option (b) can be ruled out because the
paragraph does not dwell on the requirements from a
future leader. Option (c) can be ruled out because the
paragraph only mentions briefly that there are intersecting
power centers in North Korea – the author himself does
not elaborate on this aspect.
28. a The first line of the second paragraph establishes the
fact that the author is comparing the situation in North
Korea with that in Pakistan. However, it cannot be
inferred that the author is alarmed by the similarities
that exist in the situation in both North Korea and in
Pakistan. Option (b) can be ruled out. Option (c ) is
incorrect as there is no discussion on the future
government of Pakistan and no indication that the future
government in North Korea will be weak. Option (d)
goes beyond the scope of the passage as the author
does not discuss which army is stronger – the North
Korean or Pakistani. Option (a) is the answer.
29. c Statement 1 has been mentioned in the third line of the
first paragraph. Statement 2 is incorrect because there
is mention in the first paragraph of a possible problem
from Kim Jong Un’s older brothers and not support.
Statement 3 is incorrect because the possibility of a
military coup is mentioned for Pakistan and not North
Korea. Statement 4 is mentioned in the first paragraph.
RC – 2