Directions (1-7): In each of the given questions a statement is given in bold which is then followed by three paragraphs. You have to find the paragraph(s) from where it is inferred. Choose the option with the best possible outcome as your choice.
Q1. How salary delays and business downturn is impacting loan defaults
(I) In the last six months, salary delays and business downturn are the leading reasons for default on loans. According to India Delinquency Report by Credit Mate, a company that delivers recovery solutions for lenders, 36% people who participated in the survey said delayed salaries is why they defaulted on loans. Business downturn at 29% is the next big reason
(II) It is hard to arrive at a conclusion because there is a disparity in employee strength in terms of gender. It depends on how many female borrowers are there with respect to men borrowers.
(III) For instance, slowdown may necessitate a reduction in salaries, which implies that the income in hand comes down. This can affect the borrower’s ability to repay the loan. Even if the salary isn’t reduced, there may not be increments and bonus payments may be deferred.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q2. Govt weighs ordinance to expand RBI’s control over co-op banks
(I) In September, the RBI had superseded the scam-hit PMC Bank’s board for six months after finding under-reporting of loans. Currently, cooperative banks are governed by dual regulations—state cooperative bodies and the RBI.
(II) The Centre is considering introducing an ordinance to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, in order to give more power to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to regulate cooperative banks in the wake of the alleged fraud at Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank Ltd.
(III) As the bank came under the direct control of RBI, cash withdrawals were capped at ₹1,000 per account for six months, but subsequently relaxed to ₹50,000 as panic spread among depositors.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q3. Vodafone found to have fastest 4G network in Delhi-NCR region: Report
(I) The fastest 4G speeds in Delhi-NCR is based on analysis by Vodafone of Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data of mean download speeds basis tests, taken by 4G users using the popular "Speedtest" app.
(II) In the aftermath of the adjusted gross revenue order by the Supreme Court that favoured the government view, all the major telcos hiked subscriber tariffs by up to 40 percent, starting with the prepaid customers.
(III) Telecom operator Vodafone is the fastest 4G network in the Delhi-NCR region with its download speeds being higher than other operators in the July-September 2019 period, US-based broadband speed tester Ookla said on Monday.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q4. Intel’s claims to make quantum computing commercially viable with new chip
(I) Qubits are the core component in quantum computing. With superposition, we can encode an exponential amount of information that can scale a solution better than classical computing.
(II) While most computer chips generate heat while they’re operational, qubits are far more powerful than regular computing machinery. As a result, they need to be kept at sub-zero temperatures, which is done using special refrigeration.
(III) Chipmaker Intel has announced a new chip codenamed “Horse Ridge", which is meant to make quantum computing commercially viable. The company claims the chip will allow companies to control multiple qubits and “set a clear path toward scaling future systems to larger qubit counts"
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q5. Millennials in India tend to save slightly more than others, data from the latest round of the YouGov-Mint Millennial Survey
(I) Over the past few years, India’s declining savings rate has been a puzzle for macroeconomists. Some have blamed slow rise in household incomes for this.
(II) Fresh data from the latest round of the YouGov-Mint Millennial Survey shows that among urban India’s working population, the younger age cohorts tend to save a higher share of their incomes than their older counterparts.
(III) The YouGov-Mint Millennial Surveys aim to examine the attitudes and outlook of India’s digital natives. The analysis of savings behaviour is restricted to only the working respondents of the survey.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q6. WhatsApp new feature: Get call waiting facility on Android phones
(I) Israel-based spyware maker NSO Group was under spotlight recently for allegedly providing technology [Pegasus spyware] that used WhatsApp's video calling feature to attack user's phones.
(II) Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp has now added call waiting facility to its list of new features, which means that when you already talking to a WhatsApp user you will now get to know whether any other WhatsApp user is also trying to call you at the same time.
(III) WhatsApp has been under fire for not providing adequate information to Indian authorities about the extent of attacks during Pegasus breach. The messaging app has sued NSO Group in a US court for violating its terms and conditions.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Q7. India may force Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter to offer user verification
(I) India's proposed new privacy bill may require large social media platforms to offer an identity-verification option, a potentially precedent-setting effort to rein in the spread of "fake news", two government sources told Reuters on Thursday.
(II) Among the factors used for scoring the countries, the researchers looked at whether the country failed to introduce a law to protect biometric data.
(III) India is the fifth worst country after China, Malaysia, Pakistan and the US in terms of extensive and invasive use of biometric data, according to a new report from Britain-based tech research firm Comparitech on Wednesday.
(a) Only [I]
(b) Only [II]
(c) Only [III]
(d) Both [I] & [III]
(e) None of these
Directions (8-15): In the passage given below there are three blanks. Corresponding to each question six words are given. In the options, a combination of three words is given corresponding to the three words. In each find out the appropriate set of words in each case which can most suitably complete the sentence without altering the meaning of the statement.
Q8. A military court in Suriname ____________ the country’s president, Desi Bouterse, of murder and ______________ him to 20 years in prison. In 1982 soldiers killed 15 opponents of the military _______________ then led by Mr Bouterse.
(A) steal
(B) convicted
(C) sentenced
(D) belittle
(E) regime
(F) search
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q9. China also ____________ angrily to the passage by America’s House of Representatives of a draft law that would require sanctions to be _________ on Chinese officials for ____________ of human rights in the far-western region of Xinjiang.
(A) responded
(B) trap
(C) reacted
(D) imposed
(E) violations
(F) yield
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q10. In ____________ with souring trade relations elsewhere, Japan’s Diet approved a trade deal with America that _____________ tariffs on American beef and pork imports in return for lower ___________ on Japanese industrial goods.
(A) skill
(B) contrast
(C) swift
(D) slashes
(E) deceive
(F) levies
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q11. The World Trade Organisation rejected the European Union’s __________ that it no longer ____________ illegal state aid to Airbus, a second victory in recent months for Boeing in the pair’s 15-year ____________.
(A) claim
(B) regret
(C) dispute
(D) provides
(E) chase
(F) dispute
(a) BAC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q12. So much talk of “_____________” has surrounded NATO’S 70th-birthday year that it has been easy to forget there are reasons to celebrate. Not only has the ______________ proved remarkably durable by historical standards, but since 2014 it has responded aptly to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, _____________ on its core mission of collective defence.
(A) achievements
(B) harmony
(C) crisis
(D) alliance
(E) refocusing
(F) fragrance
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q13. The tomb of a dead Shia cleric might seem an odd target for Iraqi protesters _________ about corruption, poor governance and a lack of jobs. Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim ______________ Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s old dictator, and helped to __________ the modern state.
(A) fierce
(B) prepare
(C) angry
(D) resisted
(E) create
(F) drag
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q14. In South Asia, a region ____________ by geopolitical fault lines, there are international ________________. Upon hearing of Mr Modi’s export ban, Bangladesh’s strongwoman, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, _______________ his government for giving no warning.
(A) riven
(B) implications
(C) admonished
(D) exceeded
(E) duple
(F) weaken
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Q15. At Facebook, which just like Google ___________ employees with _____________ including free meals, corporate transportation and laundry services, workers have pushed back internally against leadership on some policy ____________, such as the decision not to fact-check political advertisements.
(A) mediate
(B) provides
(C) concert
(D) perks
(E) doctrine
(F) issues
(a) ABC
(b) CDE
(c) BCE
(d) ADF
(e) BDF
Solutions
S1. Ans. (d)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, both paragraph [I] & [III] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
S2. Ans. (b)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, only paragraph [II] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S3. Ans. (d)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, both paragraph [I] & [III] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
S4. Ans. (c)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, only paragraph [III] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, only paragraph [II] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S6. Ans. (b)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, only paragraph [II] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S7. Ans. (a)
Sol. Among the paragraphs given above, only paragraph [I] clearly justifies the given inference. Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S8. Ans. (c)
Sol.
The correct answer choice is (c). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S9. Ans. (b)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (b). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S10. Ans. (e)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (e). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S11. Ans. (d)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (d). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S12. Ans. (b)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (b). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S13. Ans. (b)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (b). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S14. Ans. (a)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (a). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.
S15. Ans. (e)
Sol. The correct answer choice is (e). No other answer choice is contextually and grammatically correct.