Para Summary Quiz Question - 10

The tragedy about data collection in India is that by the time primary data is converted into usable information, it may be too late to aid policy intervention. This is true of data collected by not just government agencies such as the National Sample Survey Organization but also think tanks such as National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER). One of the criticisms of Human Development in India: Challenges for a Society in Transition-a report put together by NCAER and Institute of Maryland, US-is that it is based on data collected in 2004-05, and it does not capture the impact of the changes of the past four years when the economy grew at more than 8% on an average every year.

(a)  Data collected by government agencies and other research organizations in India is generally useless as no reports based on the primary data is available for years-NCAER report on human development report is an example.

(b)  The problem with data collection in India is that reports based on the data are not available in time for use-an NCAER report based on 2004-05 data was released four years later.

(c)  The data collection in India is generally useless because reports to guide policy decisions are not made in time-an NCAER report based on 2004-05 data was released four years later.

(d)  Data collected by government agencies and other research organizations in India is generally useless; an NCAER report on human development report was released four years after the data was gathered.

(e)  Data collected by government agencies and other research organizations in India is generally delayed and do not guide policy decisions-NCAER is an example.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(c)

Sol. In addition to the other details in the passage option (C) also mentions “guide policy decisions” which makes it the preferred option. Option (E) is erroneous because it states data collection is delayed. The other options are not incorrect; they are similar but highlight different aspects of the paragraph but leave out why reports become useless. Hence option (C) scores above them.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 9

 Newspapers are dying; the music industry is still yelping about iTunes; book publishers think they are next. Yet one bit of old media seems to be doing rather well. In the final quarter of 2009 the average American spent almost 37 hours a week watching television. Earlier this year 116 m of them saw the Super Bowl-a record for a single programme. Far from being cowed by new media, TV is colonizing it. Shows like “American Idol” and “Britain's Got Talent” draw huge audiences partly because people are constantly messaging and tweeting about them, and discussing them on Facebook.

(a)   Though newspapers, the music, and publishing industries are dying, American TV has been able to draw large audiences and being discussed on the internet.

(b)   Though newspapers, the music and publishing industries are dying, American TV is colonizing the media with the average American spending 37 hours per week watching television.

(c)   Though newspapers, the music, and publishing industries are dying, TV is colonizing the media and has huge audiences.

(d)    Newspapers, music industry, and book publishers have been cowed by the new media whereas TV has coped well and still draws large audiences, as American TV proves.

(e)   Newspapers, music, and book publishers have not been able to cope with the emergence of new media but American TV has coped well and still draws large audiences.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(d)

Sol. The paragraph is not about American TV in particular – American TV is cited as example of what TV has achieved. The gist of the paragraph is: newspapers etc., are dying but far from being cowed by new media, TV is colonising it; American TV is an example. Options (A), (B), and (E) stress the American TV which is not the essence of the paragraph. Between (C) and (D), option (D) more accommodative and precise.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 8

 The financial and economic crisis that erupted in 2008 will, in retrospect, be regarded as a transformative moment, because it raised fundamental questions about the future shape of our economic systems. These questions are not so much about the end of capitalism as some perceive or even desire but rather about the different ways in which capitalism is understood in different countries.

(a)     In retrospect, the economic crisis of 2008 raised fundamental questions about the future of capitalism working in different countries.

(b)  In retrospect, the crisis that erupted in 2008 was not about the failure of capitalism as some see it, but about the differences between countries.

(c)   In retrospect, the economic crisis of 2008 was not about the end of capitalism, but about how capitalism is understood in different countries.

(d)    In retrospect, the crisis that erupted in 2008 was not fundamentally about the end of capitalism but about the future of capitalism in different countries.

(e)   The economic crisis of 2008 did not signal the end of capitalism of its future but how it is understood in different countries.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(c)

Sol. Option (A) is contrary to the passage. Options (B) and (D) fail to mention “economic crisis.” Option (E) distorts the idea in “did not signal the end of capitalism or its future.” Option (C) – though it does not include the perception or desire of some people to see the crisis as the end of capitalism, captures the essence without distortion.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 7

Throughout history, political leaders have supported existing communication technologies in order to defend the system in which they rule. Today, too, governments may be tempted to protect newspapers and public TV on the pretext of “saving democracy as we know it.” But efforts to block technological change have been futile in the past, and they would be unwise today. Instead, the political system and the media must adapt to the new reality – the internet.

(a)  Instead of trying to protect newspapers and public TV by blocking the internet, political leaders, and governments must adapt to the new reality.

(b)    As they have failed in the past, political leaders and government would fail to block the internet by promoting the newspapers and public TV.

(c)      Political leaders and governments have consistently failed in their efforts to block new technologies by supporting the existing ones.

(d) By supporting the newspapers and public TV politicians and governments are trying to protect the existing media under the pretext of saving democracy.

(e) The efforts by governments and politicians to save the existing communication technologies have always proved futile; instead, they must adapt to the new reality, today, the internet.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(e)

Sol. Option (A) and (D) do not mention the failure in the past. Options (B) and (D) leave out the “adapt” idea. Option (E), on the other hand, leaves out the specifics, captures the essential attitude of politicians and governments towards new technologies, and mentions the “adapt” factor too. Option (E), hence, is the best available précis.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 6

  An individual is free and autonomous only because of the collective decisions taken after democratic debate, notably those decisions that guarantee each person access to public goods such as education, health care, etc. Some sense of social solidarity may remain, but it is so abstract that those for whom the wheel of fortune has spun so favourably feel little debt. They believe that they owe their status purely to merit, not to the collective efforts-state-funded schools, universities, etc. – that enabled them to realize their potential.

(a)   Individual success and autonomy are a result of the ability to exploit the system put together through collective efforts with a sense of social solidarity.

(b)   The decisions that guarantee each person access to public goods are collective in nature, and individual merit is a myth.

(c)    Individuals owe their success and autonomy to collective decisions and efforts that guarantee access to public goods like schools and universities.

(d)     Individual success and autonomy are a result of the systems made through collective efforts that guarantee each person access to these systems.

(e)   Individuals are free and autonomous only as far as they realize that they owe their success to collective decisions made with a sense of social solidarity.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(c)

Sol. The gist of the paragraph is: The principle social solidarity through democratic debates establishes education, healthcare etc. accessible to individuals. Individuals exploit this system (schools, universities) and become successful. But they feel that their success is due to individual merit. Option (D) summarizes this best within the constraints of a précis. Option  (A) is a distortion in “exploit.” Option (B) is a distortion in “myth.” Option (D) is correct but option (C) is better as it specifies “owe their success” rather than “a result of.” Option (E) is not structured well and is vague.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 5

  In recent decades, economists have been struggling to make use of the concept of human capital, often defined as the abilities, skills, knowledge, and dispositions that make for economic success. Yet those who use the term often assume that to conceptualize a phenomenon is a first step to manipulating it. And, indeed, “human-capital policy” is now much in fashion. But what if many of the abilities and dispositions in question are a product of history, capable of being understood and explained but not readily replicated?

(a)    Economists trying to conceptualize human capital must know that the abilities and dispositions are a product of history incapable of being replicated.

(b)   Economists trying to conceptualize human-capital policy for economic success must know history and that success cannot be replicated.

(c)   The abilities, skills, knowledge, and dispositions that make for economic success are a product of history and may not be replicable.

(d)   Economists attempting a policy based on human capital for economic success must know that the abilities referred to as human capital may not be readily replicable.

(e)      Economists struggling to replicate economic success through a human-capital policy must know that human capital is a product of history and may only be understood.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(d)

Sol. Gist of the paragraph: Human capital is the abilities, skills, knowledge, and dispositions that make for economic success – economists are trying to conceptualize and formulate a human – capital policy for success. Human capital is a product of history and may not be readily replicable. Option (A) talks only about conceptualizing and not about using it for success. Option (B) distorts the idea in “must know history.” Option (C) does not use the terms economists or human capital or policy. Option (E) is almost correct but is a distortion in “struggling to replicate economic success” and misses the most important point about replication. Option (D), though not the ideal precis, is the best.

Para Summary Quiz Question - 4

 For millennia, remembering information was costly and time-consuming, and to forget was a natural part of being human. In the digital age, the opposite is true: cheap computer storage, powerful processors, and ubiquitous Internet access have made remembering the norm. Consider this: we tend to retain our rough drafts, years of e-mail traffic, and thousands of ghastly digital snapshots on our hard drives, not because we have decided that they are worth remembering, but because keeping them is now the default way of doing things. By contrast, deciding what to delete is costly. It actually requires much more time and effort to shed data than to keep it.

(a)  Since the digital age has made retaining information cheap and effortless, we have left behind our natural habit of forgetting.

(b)   Since the digital age has made storage of data cheap and easy, we now store large amounts of information even it is worthless.

(c)  Remembering is no more costly and time consuming in the digital age; hence, we store large amounts of worthless information.

(d)  The digital age has made it possible to retain large amounts of data cheaply and easily; hence we remember more unlike in the past.

(e)  As deciding what to delete is costly and time consuming we now tend to store everything from rough drafts to ghastly images.

Answer & Explaination

Ans.(b)

Sol. The highlight of the paragraph is that the facilities available in the digital age have facilitated storage of data on a large scale. Earlier retaining information was difficult; now deleting is more time-consuming and costly; hence we save almost everything. Option (B), among the options, captures this best. Option (B) is eliminated because it states “natural habit of forgetting” – remembering and forgetting are used more figuratively than literally. Option (C) states “worthless information.” Option (D) is similar to option (B). Option (E) misses the digital age.

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