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Passage :1
Indian scholars had a pioneering role in making statistics a significant tool of public policy. At one point of time,
India led the world in statistical applications in the realm of governance. Despite being a poor economy with a
large informal sector where numerical records were largely absent, the quality of India’s official data was
considered to be high. That international recognition has all but disappeared in the last nine years or so. A
National Statistics Commission was set up in 2006 with the mandate to improve efficiency in the generation
and analysis of data. Seventeen years later, the Commission does not have the legislative backing it needs to
accord it appropriate legitimacy. Not only that, the Narendra Modi government’s indifference towards
publishing data even on regular information like that on unemployment led to two members of the NSC
resigning; about 100 reputed scholars also released a statement decrying the deterioration in the quality of
Indian official statistics. In keeping with its obduracy, the Centre has now postponed the commencement of the
work on the census. Initially, the postponement was attributed to the pandemic, which could prevent data
collectors from moving about freely. The pandemic cannot be considered a constraint now. With the general
elections due in 2024, it does not appear that work on the census will begin in a hurry. It will be the first time
since the first census was conducted in 1881 that the decennial exercise has been deferred.

The trend in the decline of data quality cannot be ascribed to mere negligence on the part of the government.
The claim of Mr Modi’s regime that India’s development is moving on a fast track might be belied by hard data
. Perhaps the access to economic development is not inclusive either. Critics have also pointed out that the
information, if it were to be collected, about different social groups and communities might not be in
consonance with the official narratives. The most pronounced impact of this refusal to reveal data is on policy
decisions. Branches of government rely on official data to fine-tune policies. Even private investment decisions
, which are based on official macroeconomic data, could be subject to errors. In trying to keep the narrative of
governance as vibrant and as positive as possible, Mr Modi’s government is actually worsening the ground
reality. While it might appear smart in the short run, it might turn out to be sheer folly in the long run.
Question 1:

According to the passage, what is the most pronounced impact of the government's refusal
to reveal data?

(A) It has led to a decline in India's international recognition in statistical applications.

(B) It has caused delays in the commencement of the census due to the pandemic.
(C) It has resulted in the resignation of two members of the National Statistics Commission.
(D) It has contributed to errors in private investment decisions based on macroeconomic
data.

Question 2:
Based on the information provided in the passage, what is the potential consequence of the
government's attempt to maintain a positive narrative of governance?
(A) It may result in a decline in India's international recognition in statistical applications.
(B) It may lead to errors in policy decisions due to the lack of reliable official data.
(C) It may hinder the efficiency of the National Statistics Commission in data generation and
analysis.
(D) It may cause delays in the commencement of the census due to the upcoming general
elections.

Question 3:
According to the passage, what is the claim made by Mr. Modi's regime regarding India's
development?

(A) India's development is inclusive and moving on a fast track.

(B) India's development is hindered by the lack of reliable official data.
(C) India's development is solely focused on maintaining a positive narrative of governance.
(D) India's development is not supported by hard data and is belied by the ground reality.

Question 4:
Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with based on the information
provided in the passage?

(A) The government's refusal to reveal data is a necessary step to maintain a positive
narrative of governance.
(B) The decline in India's international recognition in statistical applications can be attributed
to negligence on the part of the government.
(C) The National Statistics Commission requires legislative backing to improve efficiency in
data generation and analysis.
(D) The government's indifference towards publishing data has not affected the quality of
Indian official statistics.

Question 5:
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author's arguments regarding the
decline in data quality and its impact?

(A) The National Statistics Commission has received significant financial support to enhance
its efficiency in data generation and analysis.
(B) The government has implemented measures to improve transparency and accountability
in publishing official data.
(C) Reputed scholars have expressed their support for the government's approach in
maintaining a positive narrative of governance.
(D) The decline in international recognition is primarily due to external factors beyond the
control of the government.

Question 6:
Based on the author's arguments in the passage, which of the following must necessarily be
true?

(A) The government's refusal to reveal data has no impact on policy decisions.
(B) India's development is moving on a fast track, as claimed by Mr. Modi's regime.
(C) The decline in data quality is solely attributed to negligence on the part of the
government.
(D) Reliable and accurate official data is crucial for fine-tuning policies and private
investment decisions.

Question 7:
Based on the information provided in the Passage, which of the following is the most likely
reason for the government's indifference toward publishing data?

(A) The government's focus on maintaining a positive narrative of governance.

(B) The lack of resources and funding allocated to data generation and analysis.
(C) The opposition from the National Statistics Commission regarding data publication.
(D) The desire to conceal unfavorable information about India's development.

Passage 2:

The collapse of the Netherlands government last week over immigration policy serves as the
latest evidence of Europe’s turn towards far-Right politics, with refugees and asylum-seekers
at the centre of a fresh continent-wide debate. The country’s longest-serving prime minister,
Mark Rutte, announced his government’s resignation after his push to make it harder for
asylum-seeking families to reunite in the Netherlands faced pushback from alliance partners.
Mr Rutte, who has said he will retire from politics after the next election in November, cited
principles for his decision. But his hard turn to the Right on migration matches a broader
political shift in his country. A right-wing farmer’s party is now the largest group in the Dutch
upper House. Across Europe, parties and politics that were once considered fringe are
gaining mainstream acceptance. In Italy, the ruling Brothers of Italy party, which came to
power last year, has roots in the neo-fascist movement. The far-Right is a part of the ruling
coalition in Finland and is backing the government in Sweden. The far-Right Vox is rising
rapidly in Spain and might soon be in power. In Greece, three ultranationalist parties won
parliamentary seats in June. And the hard-Right Alternative for Deutschland has secured
major wins in Germany after suffering setbacks in recent years. Each of these parties and
movements is different; yet, they share a common trait. The portrayal of migrants as an
economic, social and security threat has been a key factor in the fresh rise and
mainstreaming of the far-Right in Europe. But there is an element that cannot be ignored. The
loathing of and skepticism at migrants appear to be selective: it is based on the colour of their skin.
European nations have rightly opened their arms to millions of Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s
invasion of its neighbour in 2022.Mr Rutte's government has had no problem in giving residency to
more than 60,000 Ukrainians. The approach is different when it comes to refugees and asylum-
seekers from Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan or sub-Saharan Africa. Giorgia Meloni, the prime
minister of Italy, has committed support for Ukraine and her country continues to embrace Ukrainian
refugees even as she is trying to get Tunisia to stop African refugees from crossing the
Mediterranean Sea. Such double standards will only complicate Europe's efforts to manage
immigration. They might make for good politics but are no substitute for effective policy.

Question 8:
Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with based on the information
provided?

(A) The rise of far-Right politics in Europe is solely driven by economic factors.
(B) The shift towards far-Right politics in Europe is a recent development influenced by
immigration debates.
(C) The portrayal of migrants as a security threat is the primary reason for the
mainstreaming of far-Right parties.
(D) European nations should adopt a consistent and non-selective approach towards
accepting refugees and asylum-seekers.

Question 9:
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author's arguments presented in The
Passage?

(A) The rise of far-Right politics in Europe is primarily driven by economic factors and
dissatisfaction with current political systems.
(B) The portrayal of migrants as an economic, social, and security threat is based on
objective data and evidence.
(C) European nations have implemented consistent and non-selective immigration policies
towards refugees and asylum-seekers from various regions.
(D) The shift towards far-Right politics in Europe is not influenced by debates surrounding
immigration and migrant-related issues.

Question 10:
which of the following, if true, would most support the author's arguments?

(A) The far-Right parties in Europe have gained significant popularity due to their inclusive and
diverse policy agendas.
(B) The portrayal of migrants as an economic, social, and security threat is primarily driven by
humanitarian concerns and empathy.
(C) European nations have experienced substantial economic and social challenges as a result
of accepting migrants.
(D) The rise of far-Right politics in Europe is solely a result of dissatisfaction with current
political systems and economic factors.
Question 10:
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author's argument regarding the
effectiveness of renewable energy?

(A) The cost of renewable energy technologies has significantly decreased over the past
decade.
(B) Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that renewable energy sources can
effectively reduce carbon emissions.
(C) The adoption of renewable energy has led to job creation and economic growth in
several countries.
(D) Recent advancements in energy storage technologies have improved the reliability and
consistency of renewable energy generation.

Question 11:
If true, would most likely be in disagreement with the author's arguments presented?

A) The rise of far-Right politics in Europe is primarily driven by economic factors and
dissatisfaction with current political systems.
B) The portrayal of migrants as an economic, social, and security threat is based on
objective data and evidence.
C) European nations have implemented consistent and non-selective immigration policies
towards refugees and asylum-seekers from various regions.
D) The shift towards far-Right politics in Europe is not influenced by debates surrounding
immigration and migrant-related issues

Question 12:
Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the author's argument about the impact of
selective immigration policies in Europe?

(A) European nations have experienced economic growth and increased job opportunities as
a result of selective immigration policies.
(B) The rise of far-Right political parties in Europe is primarily driven by economic factors
and dissatisfaction with current political systems.
(C) The portrayal of migrants as an economic, social, and security threat is based on
objective data and evidence.
(D) The government's focus on maintaining a positive narrative of governance has resulted
in effective policy implementation regarding immigration.

Question 13:
Based on the author's arguments, which of the following, if true, would most undermine the
portrayal of migrants as an economic, social, and security threat in Europe?

(A) Statistical data showing that migrants have made significant contributions to the
economy and labor market in European countries.
(B) Instances of successful integration and cultural assimilation of migrants within European
societies.
(C) Studies indicate that crime rates among migrant populations are not significantly higher
than those among the native population.
(D) Examples of migrant-led initiatives and community projects that have positively impacted
local communities and fostered social cohesion.

Passage 3:
Entanglement was first clearly described, and named, in 1935, by the Austrian physicist
Erwin Schrödinger. He pointed out that, after two quantum particles interacted, they could no
longer be considered independent of each other, as classical physics would have allowed.
As the contemporary US physicist Leonard Susskind puts it in the preface to Quantum
Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (2014), ‘one can know everything about a system and
nothing about its individual parts.’

Here’s a simple analogy. If we want to give a complete description of the present state of a
two-handed poker game, for example, we just give a description of the two five-card hands.
What could be more obvious? But in QM, for some reason, the obvious thing doesn’t work.

Schrödinger said that, in general, the quantum description of the two particles is ‘entangled’,
and the name stuck. As he puts it: ‘When two separated bodies that each are maximally
known come to interact, and then separate again, then such an entanglement of knowledge
often happens.

Schrödinger concluded elsewhere that entanglement is not ‘one but rather the characteristic
trait of quantum mechanics.’ Many physicists now agree. Susskind says it is ‘the essential
fact of quantum mechanics’, while in his Lectures on Quantum Mechanics (2013), Steven
Weinberg writes that it is ‘perhaps its weirdest feature’.

The full weirdness of entanglement wasn’t immediately obvious, and Schrödinger himself
didn’t quite live to see it. For him, its strangeness was the prohibition it imposed on
describing a two-particle system by its parts. He thought that this had important
consequences, especially because it debunked what had become the orthodox view of what
QM is telling us about the microworld.

This orthodox view was the so-called Copenhagen Interpretation, proposed by the Danish
physicist Niels Bohr. Bohr argued that it was nonsense to think of quantum systems as
having definite properties, before they were measured. Like Einstein before him,
Schrödinger thought that entanglement proved Bohr wrong

To grasp the Einstein-Schrödinger argument, consider the two poker hands, now with some
of the cards face down, hidden from view. The state of this game can no longer be described
in terms of the known cards (the ones turned face up). At least superficially, this looks like
entanglement: a full quantum system can’t be described in terms of what’s known about its
pieces.

Moreover, when an additional card on one side is revealed, it changes our knowledge about
the other hand. If the queen of hearts turns up in the hand on the left, say, then we know that
it is not one of the hidden cards in the hand on the right. The same is true for entangled
particles.
Question 14:
According to Erwin Schrödinger, what is the characteristic trait of quantum mechanics?
(A) The entanglement of knowledge between separated bodies.
(B) The prohibition on describing a two-particle system by its parts.
(C) The weirdness and strangeness of quantum phenomena.
(D) The debunking of the orthodox view proposed by Niels Bohr.

Question 15:
Q: Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author's argument regarding the
understanding of entanglement in quantum mechanics?

(A) Erwin Schrödinger's description of entanglement was later proven to be incorrect.

(B) The Copenhagen Interpretation has been widely accepted as the most accurate
interpretation of quantum mechanics.
(C) The concept of entanglement does not challenge the orthodox view of quantum
mechanics.
(D) Leonard Susskind's research provides evidence that entanglement is not a fundamental
feature of quantum mechanics.

Question 16:
Which of the following strategies would be most effective in describing a two-particle system
in terms of its individual parts, contrary to the concept of entanglement?

(A) Developing advanced measurement techniques to precisely determine the properties of

each particle in the system.
(B) Enhancing our understanding of classical physics to better explain the behavior of
quantum particles.
(C) Utilizing computational algorithms to simulate the independent behavior of entangled
particles.
(D) Implementing experimental protocols to physically separate and isolate the entangled
particles.

Question 17:
According to the passage, which interpretation of quantum mechanics did Erwin Schrödinger
and Albert Einstein disagree with?

(A) The Copenhagen Interpretation proposed by Niels Bohr.

(B) The Many-Worlds Interpretation proposed by Hugh Everett.
(C) The Transactional Interpretation proposed by John Cramer.
(D) The Hidden Variables Interpretation proposed by David Bohm.

Question 18:
Which of the following, if true, would have strengthened Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation in
response to Schrödinger and Einstein's arguments?

(A) Quantum systems have well-defined properties that exist independently of measurement.
(B) Entanglement is not a fundamental characteristic of quantum mechanics, but rather a
result of experimental limitations.
(C) The act of measurement collapses the quantum state into a definite configuration.
(D) Quantum particles can be described as separate and independent entities, even after
interacting with each other.

Question 19:
How does the author suggest quantum mechanics challenges the orthodox view proposed
by Niels Bohr?

A) By demonstrating that quantum systems have definite properties even before they are
measured.
B) By showing that entanglement only occurs in specific experimental conditions.
C) By debunking the idea that quantum systems cannot be described independently of their
measurements.
D) By highlighting the limitations of classical physics in understanding quantum phenomena.

Question 20:
According to the passage, what did Erwin Schrödinger conclude about entanglement in
quantum mechanics?

A) Entanglement is a characteristic trait of quantum mechanics.

B) Entanglement is not a significant feature of quantum mechanics.
C) Entanglement is a phenomenon limited to classical physics.
D) Entanglement has no relevance in the study of quantum particles.

Passage 4:
The latest Consumer Price Index data showing a resurgence in retail inflation proves exactly
why the RBI’s monetary authorities have reiterated the need to keep the policy approach
firmly tilted towards ensuring price stability. With food prices becoming unmoored and
spiralling up, June’s CPI-based provisional inflation reading accelerated by half a percentage
point to a three-month high of 4.81%. Inflation in the food and beverages group, the
single-largest constituent of the CPI that contributes almost 46% of its weight, led the
resurgence, quickening by 128 basis points from May’s level to 4.63%. The food price
inflation was broad-based with 10 of the 12 sub-groups witnessing year-on-year increases:
cereals registered 12.7% price gains, eggs logged 7%, dairy experienced 8.56% inflation,
pulses posted 10.5% and spices saw gains exceed 19%. Vegetables, with a 6% weight in
the CPI and the third-largest of the food basket’s dozen items, though still in the disinflation
zone at minus 0.93%, saw prices harden so drastically in June that the disinflation narrowed
by more than 700 basis points. Month-on-month, vegetable price inflation soared to 12.7%,
the highest sequential rate of price gains in the essential food group since October 2021.
Tomatoes were the main culprit with prices skyrocketing by 64% from May’s levels. With the
exception of three vegetables, including lady’s finger and lemon, in the 19-member basket,
all the others including the most widely used potatoes and onions registered sharp
sequential inflation.

That the year-on-year quickening in price gains happened notwithstanding a high base —
June 2022 saw inflation at 7.01% — is also a clear sign that price pressures are regaining a
disconcerting momentum. Core inflation, which excludes the food and fuel and light groups,
still remained stuck at 5.16%, barely moving from May’s 5.17% pace. Of the non-food items,
clothing and footwear, as well as health and personal care saw price gains that exceeded
6% in June. Education prices too continued to keep rising steadily. In the backdrop of
monsoon rains showing an erratic trend, the outlook for the kharif crop output will depend
heavily on sowing shortfalls being bridged in the rest of July. As on July 7, while overall
kharif sowing was 8.7% lower than a year earlier, the essential staples of rice and pulses
showed 24% and 26% shortfalls, respectively. And with oilseeds too reflecting a 14%
deficiency compared with 2022 levels, there is a real risk that all the recent hard-won gains
in anchoring inflation expectations may start to unravel in the coming months. Policymakers
must tighten their grip over prices to prevent the broader economic recovery from
floundering.

Question 21:
Which of the following statements best reflects the author's viewpoint on the recent increase
in retail inflation?

(A) The rise in food prices is a temporary fluctuation that will likely stabilize in the near future.
(B) The surge in retail inflation highlights the need for immediate policy measures to ensure
price stability.
(C) The increase in retail inflation is primarily driven by factors beyond the control of
monetary authorities.
(D) The recent inflationary trend is not a cause for concern and is within an acceptable
range.

Question 22:
Which of the following statements, if true, would contradict the author's argument about the
impact of the monsoon rains on the kharif crop output?

(A) The erratic trend of monsoon rains is a common occurrence in agricultural cycles.
(B) The sowing shortfalls in rice and pulses can be compensated by increased production in
other crops.
(C) The deficiency in oilseeds compared to 2022 levels is expected to have a minimal effect
on the overall crop output.
(D) The recent hard-won gains in anchoring inflation expectations are primarily attributed to
the favorable monsoon season.

Question 23:
Which of the following, if true, would most challenge the author's argument about the need to
tighten grip over prices?

(A) The recent surge in food prices is temporary and is expected to stabilize in the coming
months.
(B) The government has implemented effective measures to control inflation and stabilize
prices.
(C) Consumers have adjusted their spending habits to accommodate the rising food prices.
(D) The increase in food prices is a result of global factors beyond the control of
policymakers.
Question 24:
Based on the author's arguments, which of the following, if true, would strengthen the case
for tightening grip over prices to prevent the broader economic recovery from floundering?

(A) The recent surge in food prices has had a minimal impact on overall inflation rates.
(B) Core inflation, which excludes food and fuel, has shown a significant decrease in recent
months.
(C) The erratic trend of monsoon rains is expected to have a positive impact on kharif crop
output.
(D) The current shortfall in kharif crop production is likely to be compensated by higher
imports of essential staples.

Question 25:
Which of the following, if true, would have the least impact on the broader economic
recovery mentioned in the passage?

(A) A significant increase in oilseeds production compared to 2022 levels.

(B) A surge in clothing and footwear prices in July.
(C) A steady rise in education prices.
(D) A reduction in core inflation rate in June.