Directions for the following 7 (seven) items:
Read the following five passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.
Passage-1
Private investment in general is volatile. Foreign private investment is more volatile because the available investment avenues are significantly greater (ie., the entire world). Therefore, the responsibility of providing employment cannot be left to Foreign Direct Investment (PDI). The current FDI inflows are volatile over time and, across sectors and regions, which is a necessary consequence of their search for the highest returns. The adverse consequences are unstable employment and an accentuation of income and regional inequalities. A probable positive consequence of foreign investment is the inflow of new technology and its subsequent diffusion. However, the technology diffusion is not at all certain because the existing state of physical and human capital in India may prove inadequate for the diffusion.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Relying on foreign investment in the long run is not an economically sound policy.
2. Policies must be undertaken to reduce volatility in foreign private investment.
3. Policies must be undertaken to strengthen domestic private investment.
4. Public investment should be given priority over private investment.
5. Substantial public investment in education and health should be undertaken.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
The task is to identify which of the given assumptions are valid based *only* on the provided passage. We need to carefully read each statement and check if it can be directly inferred or strongly supported by the text.
B) 1, 3 and 5
Passage-2
Many opportunities to harness the highly skewed, seasonal and spatial distribution of monsoon flows, which occur in a four-month period from June to September annually, have been lost. Since these few months account for most of the rainfall and consequent freshwater availability, the need for holding rainwater in reservoirs, for subsequently releasing it for use over the year, is a necessity nobody can afford to overlook. Climate change will continue to affect weather conditions and create water shortages and excesses. While millions suffer from droughts and floods, waters in the country's many rivers flow unutilized, and are discharged into the sea every year.
With reference to the above passage, which of the following could be the most rational and practical implications for India?
1. Inter-linking of rivers should be undertaken.
2. A network of dams and canals should be built across the country for proper distribution of water.
3. Farmers should be provided easy Joans for digging borewells.
4. Usage of water for agriculture should be regulated by law.
5. Distribution of river water among regions should be regulated by the Union Government.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The passage highlights the problem of highly skewed, seasonal, and spatial distribution of monsoon flows, leading to water shortages and excesses, with much water flowing unutilized into the sea. The core issue is managing this seasonal abundance for year-round use and distribution. We need to identify solutions that directly address these problems of storage, distribution, and utilization.
A) 1 and 2 are the most rational and practical implications. Inter-linking rivers (1) addresses the spatial distribution and unutilized flow, while building dams and canals (2) addresses storage and distribution for year-round use, directly tackling the problems highlighted in the passage.
Passage-3
People will invest in education whenever they are granted the economic freedom to fully enjoy its benefits. Again, this is for the obvious reason that the return on education increases as the level of economic freedom rises. When people, thanks to lower tax rates, are allowed to retain most of the higher income that they gain from each incremental level of education, it makes eminent sense to invest in education. On the other hand, when the government decides to tax the higher income of educated individuals at even higher rates, it makes very little sense to invest in educating oneself further. The same incentives apply to parents who decide on whether to invest in their children's education.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Lower tax rates in a country invariably translate into greater investments in higher education.
2. Investment in the education of children ensures their economic freedom.
3. Economic freedom has a positive impact on building up human capital.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
The task is to identify which of the given assumptions are valid based *solely* on the provided passage. We need to analyze each assumption in light of the statements made in the passage, looking for direct or indirect support, or contradiction.
C) 3 only — Assumption 3 is directly supported by the passage. The passage links economic freedom to increased investment in education, which in turn builds human capital.
Passage-4
Our urban bodies cannot possibly ensure sustainable delivery of water in our cities unless financing mechanisms are put in place. Water delivery requires heavy investment in collecting it from a natural source, treating it to make it potable, and laying a distribution network of pipes for delivery to the users. It also requires investments in sewerage infrastructure and sewage treatment plants so that the sewers. can carry the waste water to these plants to ensure that no untreated sewage is discharged back into natural water bodies. If our cities were rich enough to meet the entire cost, water could be delivered free. They are not.
What is the most logical and crucial message conveyed by the passage?
Urban local bodies must recover coats through user charges.
Urban local bodies are not efficient enough to meet the water requirements of our cities.
Water shortage in our cities is a perennial problem that cannot be solved.
In view of the water crisis in our cities, there is an urgent need to limit the population of cities by adopting an upper limit of population size.
The passage discusses the financial challenges faced by urban bodies in providing sustainable water delivery. It highlights the significant investments required for water collection, treatment, distribution, and sewage management. The core message revolves around the inability of cities to bear these costs entirely, implying a need for alternative financing.
A) Urban local bodies must recover costs through user charges. This option directly addresses the central problem identified in the passage: the lack of sufficient financing for sustainable water delivery. Since cities are not rich enough to cover the entire cost, the most logical and crucial message is that users must contribute to cover these expenses, ensuring the sustainability of the service.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Rich cities only can ensure sustainable delivery of water.
2. Sustainable delivery of water in cities means much more than supplying water to households.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
The question asks us to identify valid assumptions based on an unprovided passage. Since the passage is not given, we must evaluate the assumptions based on general knowledge and logical reasoning, focusing on what each statement implies and whether it represents a universally accepted or plausible condition for sustainable water delivery in cities.
B) 2 only. Assumption 2 is valid because sustainable water delivery encompasses a wide range of activities beyond merely supplying water to households, including source protection, treatment, distribution, wastewater management, and conservation. Assumption 1 is too restrictive and likely false, as sustainability is not solely dependent on a city's wealth.
Passage-5
In India, agriculture still engages about half of its workforce, and about 85 per cent of its farms are small and marginal. Compared to China and Vietnam, which have experienced fast structural and rural transformation, India's story is of slow transformation. As a result, poverty reduction in India was at a much slower pace during 1988-2014, compared to China and Vietnam. India's poverty reduction was slow during 1988-2005, but during 2005-2012, it accelerated dramatically-almost three times faster than during the earlier period. What did India do during thin period? Research reveals that the relative price scenario changed significantly (by more than 50%) in favour of agriculture in the wake of rising global prices. This boosted private investments in agriculture by more than 50%. As a result, agri-GDP growth touched 4-1% during 2007-2012 as against 2-4% during 2002-2007. The net surplus of agri-trade touched $25 billion in 2013-2014; real farm wages rose by 7% per annum. All this led to unprecedented fall in poverty.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Structural and rural transformation is impossible when farms are mainly small and marginal.
2. A good price incentive can trigger investments in agriculture.
3. India needs to build value chains for high-value agri-products like livestock and horticulture.
4. Higher global prices of agricultural commodities are essential for India's poverty reduction.
Which of the above assumptions are valid?
The question asks to identify valid assumptions based on the provided passage. We need to analyze each assumption in light of the information and inferences from the text.
C) 2 and 3
Assumptions 2 and 3 are valid. Assumption 2 is directly supported by the text, and Assumption 3 is a reasonable inference for sustained agricultural growth and poverty reduction based on the passage's context.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message of the passage?
Indian should create large-scale off-farm rural employment to reduce poverty in the near future.
India should create a large number of farmer producer companies.
Private investment in agriculture should be given priority over public investment.
Inclusive agricultural growth is key to reduce poverty in the near future.
The question asks to identify the critical message of a given passage (which is not provided in the prompt but is implied to be about agricultural development and poverty reduction). We need to select the option that best summarizes the core theme or most impactful solution presented in such a passage.
Correct Option: D) Inclusive agricultural growth is key to reduce poverty in the near future.
This option represents the most comprehensive and impactful strategy for poverty reduction through agriculture. "Inclusive growth" inherently means that the benefits of agricultural development are shared by all, especially the poor and marginalized, directly leading to poverty reduction. It encompasses various aspects like equitable access to resources, technology, markets, and financial services, which are crucial for sustainable poverty alleviation in the agricultural sector.
Two Statements S1 and S2 are given below with regard to four numbers. P, Q, R and S followed by a Question:
S1 : R is greater than P as well as Q.
S2: S is not the largest one.
Question:
Among four numbers P, Q, Rand S which one is the largest?
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Statements and the Question?
S1 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S2 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the Question, but neither S1 alone nor 52 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are not sufficient to answer the Question.
The problem asks us to determine if the given statements (S1 and S2) are sufficient to identify the largest among four numbers P, Q, R, and S. We need to analyze each statement individually and then combined.
Correct Option: C) S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the Question, but neither S1 alone nor S2 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
Two Statements S1 and S2 are given below followed by a Question:
S1: n in a prime number.
S2: n leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 4.
Question: If n is a unique natural number between 10 and 20, then what is n?
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Statements and the Question?
S1 alone is sufficient to answer the Question
S2 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the Question, but neither 81 alone nor S2 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are not sufficient to answer the Question.
The problem asks us to determine if the given statements S1 and S2 are sufficient to find a unique natural number \(n\) between 10 and 20. We need to analyze each statement individually and then together to see if they narrow down the possibilities for \(n\) to a single value.
Correct Option: D) S1 and S2 together are not sufficient to answer the Question.
Two Statements S1 and S2 are given. below with regard to two numbers followed by a Question:
S1: Their product in 21.
S2: Their sum is 10.
Question: What are the two numbers?
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Statements and the Question?
S1 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S2 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the Question, but neither S1 alone nor 52 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
S1 and S2 together are not sufficient to answer the Question.
The problem asks us to determine if the given statements (S1 and S2) are sufficient to find two numbers. We need to analyze each statement individually and then together to see if they lead to a unique solution for the two numbers.
Let the two numbers be \(x\) and \(y\).
Analyze Statement S1: Their product is 21.
This can be written as the equation:
\[ xy = 21 \]Many pairs of numbers satisfy this condition. For example:
Since there are multiple possible pairs of numbers, S1 alone is not sufficient to uniquely determine the two numbers.
Analyze Statement S2: Their sum is 10.
This can be written as the equation:
\[ x + y = 10 \]Many pairs of numbers satisfy this condition. For example:
Since there are multiple possible pairs of numbers, S2 alone is not sufficient to uniquely determine the two numbers.
Analyze Statements S1 and S2 together.
We have a system of two equations with two variables:
From equation (2), we can express \(y\) in terms of \(x\):
\[ y = 10 - x \]Substitute this into equation (1):
\[ x(10 - x) = 21 \] \[ 10x - x^2 = 21 \]Rearrange the terms to form a quadratic equation:
\[ x^2 - 10x + 21 = 0 \]We can solve this quadratic equation by factoring or using the quadratic formula. Factoring gives:
\[ (x - 3)(x - 7) = 0 \]This yields two possible values for \(x\):
\[ x = 3 \quad \text{or} \quad x = 7 \]If \(x = 3\), then from \(y = 10 - x\), we get \(y = 10 - 3 = 7\).
If \(x = 7\), then from \(y = 10 - x\), we get \(y = 10 - 7 = 3\).
In both cases, the two numbers are 3 and 7. The question asks "What are the two numbers?" and the set \(\{3, 7\}\) is a unique set of two numbers. Therefore, S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the question.
Correct Option: C) S1 and S2 together are sufficient to answer the Question, but neither S1 alone nor 52 alone is sufficient to answer the Question.
As shown in step 1, S1 (\(xy=21\)) has multiple solutions for \((x, y)\), such as \((1, 21)\), \((3, 7)\), \((-1, -21)\), etc. Thus, S1 alone is not sufficient.
As shown in step 2, S2 (\(x+y=10\)) has multiple solutions for \((x, y)\), such as \((1, 9)\), \((2, 8)\), \((5, 5)\), etc. Thus, S2 alone is not sufficient.
As shown in step 3, combining S1 and S2 leads to a unique set of two numbers \(\{3, 7\}\). Therefore, S1 and S2 together are sufficient.