Directions (1- 10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below them. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
Social sector benefits, notably rice at Rs 2 a kg and 100 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, have scarcely been able to address the grinding privation in the Junglemahal belt that straddles West Bengal’s Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and the newly-created Jhargram districts. Whether or not this failure on the food front facilitated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the region’s panchayat elections need not detain us here. In point of fact, 14 years after the five starvation deaths at Amlasole (West Midnapore), the recent death out of starvation of a 67-year-old woman in Purulia, has caused a flutter in the district administration’s roost. This is not to forget the deaths on account of starvation in Darjeeling’s tea estates. In death, Bimala Pande symbolises the failure of the local administration in Purulia, a reaffirmation that the best-laid plans can be made to flounder by the bureaucracy, especially at the subordinate levels. The prognosis that she “died of illness and not starvation” is to split hairs between cause and effect. That said, the response of the government has not been as facile as that of its predecessor in the wake of the Amlasole tragedy. It would be pertinent to recall that the Supreme Court had then ordered an inquiry into the tragedy in West Midnapore. The Bengal Left had drawn a fine distinction between starvation and malnutrition. Death caused by hunger lends no scope for semantic quibbling. Yet the present dispensation will have to concede that for all the drum-beating over welfare, the failure to provide the promised entitlements has driven ~ at least one individual ~ quicker to death than to a handful of grain. The truth of the matter was recounted by none other than her son ~ “She was without food for seven days prior to her death on 9 August. We ran from pillar to post to get ration cards and other benefits like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but failed to get our names listed.” In the net, the family wasn’t listed in the NREGA scheme. Nor for that matter did it receive one kilogram of rice for Rs 2 promised by the state government to those below the poverty line in Junglemahal. (A) It is hard not to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, verily with the section of the populace that needs them the most. It is pretty obvious that the Benthamite philosophy of the greatest good of the greatest number is yet to attain complete fruition in West Bengal. The welfare schemes, while laudable, have not been uniformly beneficial. While there is little doubt that many have benefited, many others quite palpably have not. And the issue ought to be accorded uppermost priority in course of Mamata Banerjee’s periodic visits to rural Bengal. Parts of the state wallow in the mire of poverty and hunger. Bimala Pande has emitted a painful signal ~ food insecurity is overwhelming.
Q1. As per the passage, what does the death of Bimala Pande symbolise about the administration?
It gives a confirmation that even the best laid plans can be made to face difficulty by the administration, especially at higher levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the worst laid plans can be made effective by the administration, especially at higher levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the best laid plans can be made to face difficulty by the administration, especially at lower levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the worst laid plans can be made effective by the administration, especially at lower levels.
None of the Above
Q2. Which of the following can be the most appropriate title for the passage above?
Rise in prices of Rice
Social Sector Benefits
A painful signal
Benefits of MNREGA Scheme
Achievements of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
Q3. Which of the following statements are incorrect in context with the passage?
(I) Mahatma Gandhi's NREGS has scarcely been able to address the scarcity in the Junglemahal belt in West Bengal.
(II) The death of Bimala Pande symbolises the failure of the local administration in Purulia
(III) It is evident now that over the last five years there has been sluggishness in MGNREGS’s implementation.
Only (I)
Only (II)
Only (III)
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Q4. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage above?
(I) Right now, many states do not register demand for employment even in times of widespread distress.
(II) In the initial years, MNREGA was a true game-changer, rural wages started climbing and reports also pointed towards a decline in migration to urban centers.
(III) The welfare schemes are admirable but have not been uniformly beneficial.
Only (I)
Only (II)
Only (III)
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Q5. In the passage above, a line is given in bold - (A) It is hard not to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, verily with the section of the populace that needs them the most. What is the best way to write to statement without altering its meaning?
It is certain to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, truly with the community that needed them the most.
It is definite to wonder about the failure of scheme in West Bengal’s most populated area’s most desirable section.
It will not be wonderful for the sections that needed the schemes the most to have the schemes failed in their vulnerable areas.
Both (a) and (b)
None of the Above
Q6. Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR to the word given in passage.
FLUTTER
Spurt
Doldrums
Slump
Motivate
Exaggerate
Q7. Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR to the word given in passage.
FACILE
Profound
Inclusive
Strenuous
Superficial
Toil
Q8. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
QUIBBLING
Carping
Cavil
Fussing
Nitpick
Endorsing
Q9. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
LAUDABLE
Estimable
Meritorious
Delightful
Discreditable
Honorable
Q10. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
WALLOW
Revel
Delight
Bask
Eschew
Luxuriate
Directions(11-15):In each of the following sentence, there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence, there are five options and each blank is to be filled with the same word given below to make the sentence correct. Fill up the sentences with the correct word.
Q11. (I) I made a few suggestions, and he thanked me as was his ………….. nature.
(II) When I met the princess, she was ………………… and friendly despite her twelve- hour plane ride.
pleasantly
clever
gracious
ungracious
amusing
Q12. (I) After ……………………… negotiations, in the bilateral joint communiqué issued at the end of the visit, President Musharraf gave the assurance that he would not permit any territory under Pakistan’s control to be used to support terrorism in any manner.
(II) A treaty was urgently required and …………………….. efforts should be made to secure participation and cooperation with the Soviet Union.
strenuous
beautiful
unfortunate
feeble
generous
Q13. (I) Times were different and nobody saw the need to raise a ………………………………., which is why the present outcry does not make sense.
(II) Someone said the bank had failed, and soon there was a ……………………………….. as people shouted for their money.
opinion
racket
demand
applause
hue and cry
Q14. (I) Sometimes, in a vacant or ……………… mood, my husband, a doctor, would regale me with anecdotes from his medical college days.
(II) Even though the woman seemed happy, the bartender could not help but notice the sad and ………………… look on her face.
unreflective
pensive
silly
frivolous
flighty
Q15. (I) In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to clean the “filthiness all around us”, which, according to him, is an …………………. for promoting the tourism that offers jobs to the poorest of the poor.
(II) Your ego will create …………………. in your path and no one will offer you help.
opportunities
obstacles
hitching
clearance
promotion
Social sector benefits, notably rice at Rs 2 a kg and 100 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, have scarcely been able to address the grinding privation in the Junglemahal belt that straddles West Bengal’s Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore and the newly-created Jhargram districts. Whether or not this failure on the food front facilitated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the region’s panchayat elections need not detain us here. In point of fact, 14 years after the five starvation deaths at Amlasole (West Midnapore), the recent death out of starvation of a 67-year-old woman in Purulia, has caused a flutter in the district administration’s roost. This is not to forget the deaths on account of starvation in Darjeeling’s tea estates. In death, Bimala Pande symbolises the failure of the local administration in Purulia, a reaffirmation that the best-laid plans can be made to flounder by the bureaucracy, especially at the subordinate levels. The prognosis that she “died of illness and not starvation” is to split hairs between cause and effect. That said, the response of the government has not been as facile as that of its predecessor in the wake of the Amlasole tragedy. It would be pertinent to recall that the Supreme Court had then ordered an inquiry into the tragedy in West Midnapore. The Bengal Left had drawn a fine distinction between starvation and malnutrition. Death caused by hunger lends no scope for semantic quibbling. Yet the present dispensation will have to concede that for all the drum-beating over welfare, the failure to provide the promised entitlements has driven ~ at least one individual ~ quicker to death than to a handful of grain. The truth of the matter was recounted by none other than her son ~ “She was without food for seven days prior to her death on 9 August. We ran from pillar to post to get ration cards and other benefits like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but failed to get our names listed.” In the net, the family wasn’t listed in the NREGA scheme. Nor for that matter did it receive one kilogram of rice for Rs 2 promised by the state government to those below the poverty line in Junglemahal. (A) It is hard not to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, verily with the section of the populace that needs them the most. It is pretty obvious that the Benthamite philosophy of the greatest good of the greatest number is yet to attain complete fruition in West Bengal. The welfare schemes, while laudable, have not been uniformly beneficial. While there is little doubt that many have benefited, many others quite palpably have not. And the issue ought to be accorded uppermost priority in course of Mamata Banerjee’s periodic visits to rural Bengal. Parts of the state wallow in the mire of poverty and hunger. Bimala Pande has emitted a painful signal ~ food insecurity is overwhelming.
Q1. As per the passage, what does the death of Bimala Pande symbolise about the administration?
It gives a confirmation that even the best laid plans can be made to face difficulty by the administration, especially at higher levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the worst laid plans can be made effective by the administration, especially at higher levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the best laid plans can be made to face difficulty by the administration, especially at lower levels.
It gives a confirmation that even the worst laid plans can be made effective by the administration, especially at lower levels.
None of the Above
Q2. Which of the following can be the most appropriate title for the passage above?
Rise in prices of Rice
Social Sector Benefits
A painful signal
Benefits of MNREGA Scheme
Achievements of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
Q3. Which of the following statements are incorrect in context with the passage?
(I) Mahatma Gandhi's NREGS has scarcely been able to address the scarcity in the Junglemahal belt in West Bengal.
(II) The death of Bimala Pande symbolises the failure of the local administration in Purulia
(III) It is evident now that over the last five years there has been sluggishness in MGNREGS’s implementation.
Only (I)
Only (II)
Only (III)
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Q4. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage above?
(I) Right now, many states do not register demand for employment even in times of widespread distress.
(II) In the initial years, MNREGA was a true game-changer, rural wages started climbing and reports also pointed towards a decline in migration to urban centers.
(III) The welfare schemes are admirable but have not been uniformly beneficial.
Only (I)
Only (II)
Only (III)
Both (I) and (II)
Both (II) and (III)
Q5. In the passage above, a line is given in bold - (A) It is hard not to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, verily with the section of the populace that needs them the most. What is the best way to write to statement without altering its meaning?
It is certain to wonder if the welfare schemes have failed in one of West Bengal’s particularly vulnerable areas, truly with the community that needed them the most.
It is definite to wonder about the failure of scheme in West Bengal’s most populated area’s most desirable section.
It will not be wonderful for the sections that needed the schemes the most to have the schemes failed in their vulnerable areas.
Both (a) and (b)
None of the Above
Q6. Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR to the word given in passage.
FLUTTER
Spurt
Doldrums
Slump
Motivate
Exaggerate
Q7. Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR to the word given in passage.
FACILE
Profound
Inclusive
Strenuous
Superficial
Toil
Q8. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
QUIBBLING
Carping
Cavil
Fussing
Nitpick
Endorsing
Q9. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
LAUDABLE
Estimable
Meritorious
Delightful
Discreditable
Honorable
Q10. Choose the word which is most opposite to the following word given in bold in the passage.
WALLOW
Revel
Delight
Bask
Eschew
Luxuriate
Directions(11-15):In each of the following sentence, there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence, there are five options and each blank is to be filled with the same word given below to make the sentence correct. Fill up the sentences with the correct word.
Q11. (I) I made a few suggestions, and he thanked me as was his ………….. nature.
(II) When I met the princess, she was ………………… and friendly despite her twelve- hour plane ride.
pleasantly
clever
gracious
ungracious
amusing
Q12. (I) After ……………………… negotiations, in the bilateral joint communiqué issued at the end of the visit, President Musharraf gave the assurance that he would not permit any territory under Pakistan’s control to be used to support terrorism in any manner.
(II) A treaty was urgently required and …………………….. efforts should be made to secure participation and cooperation with the Soviet Union.
strenuous
beautiful
unfortunate
feeble
generous
Q13. (I) Times were different and nobody saw the need to raise a ………………………………., which is why the present outcry does not make sense.
(II) Someone said the bank had failed, and soon there was a ……………………………….. as people shouted for their money.
opinion
racket
demand
applause
hue and cry
Q14. (I) Sometimes, in a vacant or ……………… mood, my husband, a doctor, would regale me with anecdotes from his medical college days.
(II) Even though the woman seemed happy, the bartender could not help but notice the sad and ………………… look on her face.
unreflective
pensive
silly
frivolous
flighty
Q15. (I) In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to clean the “filthiness all around us”, which, according to him, is an …………………. for promoting the tourism that offers jobs to the poorest of the poor.
(II) Your ego will create …………………. in your path and no one will offer you help.
opportunities
obstacles
hitching
clearance
promotion
SOLUTIONS
1.C
2.C
3.C
4.C
5.A
6.A
7.D
8.E
9.D
10.D
11.C
12.A
13.E
14.B
15.B
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