One of the criteria by which we judge the vitality of a style of
painting is its ability to renew itself — its responsiveness to the
changing nature and quality of experience, the degree of conceptual
and formal innovation that it exhibits. By this criterion, it would
appear that the practice of abstractionism has failed to engage
creatively with the radical change in human experience in recent
decades. It has, seemingly, been unwilling to re-invent itself in
relation to the systems of artistic expression and viewers'
expectations that have developed under the impact of the mass media.
The judgement that abstractionism has slipped into 'inter gear' is
gaining endorsement, not only among discerning viewers and
practitioners of other art forms, but also among abstract painters
themselves. Like their companions elsewhere in the world,
abstractionists in India are asking themselves an overwhelming
question today: Does abstractionism have a future? The major crisis
that abstractionists face is that of revitalising their picture
surface; few have improvised any solutions beyond the ones that were
exhausted by the 1970s. Like all revolutions, whether in policies or
in art, abstractionism must now confront its moment of truth: having
begun life as a new and radical pictorial approach to experience, it
has become an entrenched orthodoxy itself. Indeed, when viewed against
a historical situation in which a variety of subversive, interactive
and richly hybrid forms are available to the art practitioner,
abstractionism assumes the remote and defiant air of an aristocracy
that has outlived its age; trammelled by formulaic conventions yet
buttressed by a rhetoric of sacred mystery, it seems condemned to
being the last citadel of the self-regarding 'fine art' tradition, the
last hurrah of painting for painting's sake.
The situation is further complicated in India by the circumstances in
which an indigenous abstractionism came into prominence here during
the 1960s. From the beginning it was propelled by the dialectic
between two motives, one revolutionary and the other conservative — it
was inaugurated as an act of emancipation from the dogmas of the
nascent Indian nation state, when art was officially viewed as an
indulgence at worst, and at best, as an instrument for the celebration
of the republic's hopes and aspirations. Having rejected these dogmas,
the pioneering abstractionists also went on to reject the various
figurative styles associated with the Santiniketan circle and others.
In such a situation, abstractionism was a revolutionary move. It led
art towards the exploration of the subconscious mind, the spiritual
quest and the possible expansion of consciousness. Indian painting
entered into a phase of self-inquiry, a meditative inner space where
cosmic symbols and non-representational images ruled. Often, the
transition from figurative idioms to abstractionist ones took place
within the same artist.
At the same time, Indian abstractionists have rarely committed
themselves wholeheartedly to a nonrepresentational idiom. They have
been preoccupied with the fundamentally metaphysical project of
aspiring to the mystical-holy without altogether renouncing the
symbolic. This has been sustained by a hereditary reluctance to give
up the murti, the inviolable iconic form, which explains why
abstractionism is marked by the conservative tendency to operate with
images from the sacred repertoire of the past. Abstractionism thus
entered India as a double-edged device in a complex cultural
transaction. Ideologically, it served as an internationalist
legitimisation of the emerging revolutionary local trends. However, on
entry, it was conscripted to serve local artistic preoccupations — a
survey of indigenous abstractionism will show that its most obvious
points of affinity with European and American abstract art were with
the more mystically oriented of the major sources of abstractionist
philosophy and practice, for instance, the Kandinsky-Klee School.
There have been no takers for Malevich's Suprematism, which militantly
rejected both the artistic forms of the past and the world of
appearances, privileging the new-minted geometric symbol as an
autonomous sign of the desire for infinity.
Against this backdrop, we can identify three major abstractionist
idioms in Indian art. The first develops from a love of the earth, and
assumes the form of a celebration of the self's dissolution in the
cosmic panorama; the landscape is no longer a realistic transcription
of the scene, but is transformed into a visionary occasion for
contemplating the cycles of decay and regeneration. The second idiom
phrases its departures from symbolic and archetypal devices as
invitations to heightened planes of awareness. Abstractionism begins
with the establishment or dissolution of the motif, which can be drawn
from diverse sources, including the hieroglyphic tablet, the Sufi
meditation dance or the Tantric diagram. The third idiom is based on
the lyric play of forms guided by gesture or allied with formal
improvisations like the assemblage. Here, sometimes, the line dividing
abstract image from patterned design or quasi-random expressive
marking may blur. The flux of forms can also be regimented through the
policies of pure colour arrangements, vector-diagrammatic spaces and
gestural design.
In this genealogy, some pure lines of descent follow their logic to
the inevitable point of extinction, others engage in
cross-fertilization, and yet others undergo mutation to maintain their
energy. However, this genealogical survey demonstrates the wave at its
crests, those points where the metaphysical and the painterly have
been fused in images of abiding potency, ideas sensuously ordained
rather than fabricated programmatically to a concept. It is equally
possible to enumerate the troughs where the two principles do not come
together, thus arriving at a very different account. Uncharitable as
it may sound, the history of Indian abstractionism records a series of
attempts to avoid the risks of abstraction by resorting to an overt
and near-generic symbolism, which many Indian abstractionists embrace
when they find themselves bereft of the imaginative energy to
negotiate the union of metaphysics and painterliness.
Such symbolism falls into a dual trap: it succumbs to the pompous
vacuity of pure metaphysics when the burden of intention is passed off
as justification; or then it is desiccated by the arid formalism of
pure painterliness, with delight in the measure of chance or pattern
guiding the execution of a painting. The ensuing conflict of purpose
stalls the progress of abstractionism in an impasse. The remarkable
Indian abstractionists are precisely those who have overcome this and
addressed themselves to the basic elements of their art with a
decisive sense of independence from prior models. In their recent
work, we see the logic of Indian abstractionism pushed almost to the
furthest it can be taken. Beyond such artists stands a lost generation
of abstractionists whose work invokes a wistful, delicate beauty but
stops there.
Abstractionism is not a universal language; it is an art that points
up the loss of a shared language of signs in society. And yet, it
affirms the possibility of its recovery through the effort of
awareness. While its rheotoric has always emphasised a call for new
forms of attention, abstractionist practice has tended to fall into a
complacent pride in its own incomprehensibility; a complacency fatal
in an ethos where vibrant new idioms compete for the viewers'
attention. Indian abstractionists ought to really return to basics, to
reformulate and replenish their understanding of the nature of the
relationship between the painted image and the world around it. But
will they abandon their favourite conceptual habits and formal
conventions, if this becomes necessary?
9. Which one of the following is not stated by the author as a reason
for abstractionism losing its vitality?
a. Abstractionism has failed to reorient itself in the context of
changing human experience.
b. Abstractionism has not considered the developments in artistic
expression that have taken place in recent times.
c. Abstractionism has not followed the path taken by all revolutions,
whether in politics or art.
d. The impact of mass media on viewers' expectations has not been
assessed, and responded to, by abstractionism.
10. Which of the following, according to the author, is the role that
abstractionism plays in a society?
a. It provides an idiom that can be understood by most members in a society.
b. It highlights the absence of a shared language of meaningful
symbols which can be recreated through greater awareness.
c. It highlights the contradictory artistic trends of revolution and
conservatism that any society needs to move forward.
d. It helps abstractionists invoke the wistful, delicate beauty that
may exist in society.
11. According to the author, which one of the following characterises
the crisis faced by abstractionism?
a. Abstractionists appear to be unable to transcend the solutions
tried out earlier.
b. Abstractionism has allowed itself to be confined by set forms and practices.
c. Abstractionists have been unable to use the multiplicity of forms
now becoming available to an artist.
d. All of the above
12. According to the author, the introduction of abstractionism was
revolutionary because it
a. celebrated the hopes and aspirants of a newly independent nation.
b. provided a new direction to Indian art, towards self-inquiry and
non-representational images.
c. managed to obtain internationalist support for the abstractionist agenda.
d. was an emancipation from the dogmas of the nascent nation state.
13. Which one of the following is not part of the author's
characterization of the conservative trend in Indian abstractionism?
a. An exploration of the subconscious mind.
b. A lack of full commitment to non-representational symbols.
c. An adherence to the symbolic while aspiring to the mystical.
d. Usage of the images of gods or similar symbols.
14. Given the author's delineation of the three abstractionist idioms
in Indian art, the third idiom can be best distinguished from the
other two idioms through its
a. depiction of nature's cyclical renewal. b. use of
non-representational images.
c. emphasis on arrangement of forms. d. limited reliance on original models.
15. According to the author, the attraction of the Kandinsky-Klee
School for Indian abstractionists can be explained by which one of the
following?
a. The conservative tendency to aspire to the mystical without a
complete renunciation of the symbolic.
b. The discomfort of Indian abstractionists with Malevich's Suprematism.
c. The easy identification of obvious points of affinity with European
and American abstract art, of which the Kandinsky-Klee School is an
example.
d. The double-edged nature of abstractionism which enabled
identification with mystically-oriented schools.
16. Which one of the following, according to the author, is the most
important reason for the stalling of abstractionism's progress in an
impasse?
a. Some artists have followed their abstractionist logic to the point
of extinction.
b. Some artists have allowed chance or pattern to dominate the
execution of their paintings.
c. Many artists have avoided the trap of a near-generic and an open symbolism.
d. Many artists have found it difficult to fuse the twin principles of
the metaphysical and the painterly.
Sunday, 19 June 2016
Friday, 17 June 2016
CRITICAL REASONING - 18TH JUNE (VARC CLASSROOM )
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT ANSWERS
1 While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the
last seventy years, there are several drawbacks to using antibiotics
that, until recently, have been overlooked. The human microbiome,
which consists of the trillions of bacteria that reside in each
person's body, is essential to good health. Specifically, the body
contains and requires both "good" and "bad" bacteria. It is when the
proper equilibrium between the "good" bacteria and the "bad" bacteria
is disrupted that a number of health issues can emerge. Nonetheless,
antibiotics indiscriminately kill both the "good" and the "bad"
bacteria, so each course of antibiotics should be followed by a
treatment that __________________________________
Which of the following most logically completes the argument above?
A. bypasses the microbiome altogether
B. targets and eliminates only the "bad" bacteria
C. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria
D. purges the body of the remaining antibiotics completely
E. reverses any effects from the antibiotics
2 The economy around Lake Paqua depends on fishing of the lake's
landlocked salmon population. In recent years, scarcity of food for
salmon there has caused a decline in both the number and the size of
the adult salmon in the lake. As a result, the region's revenues from
salmon fishing have declined significantly. To remedy this situation,
officials plan to introduce shrimp, which can serve as a food source
for adult salmon, into Lake Paqua.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question
the plan's chances for success?
A. Salmon is not a popular food among residents of the Lake Paqua region.
B. Tourists coming to fish for sport generate more income for
residents of the Lake Paqua region than does commercial fishing.
C. The shrimp to be introduced into Lake Paqua are of a variety that
is too small to be harvested for human consumption.
D. The primary food for both shrimp and juvenile salmon is plankton,
which is not abundant in Lake Paqua.
E. Fishing regulations prohibit people from keeping any salmon they
have caught in Lake Paqua that are smaller than a certain minimum size
3 The difficulty with the proposed high-speed train line is that a
used plane can be bought for one-third the price of the train line,
and the plane, which is just as fast, can fly anywhere. The train
would be a fixed linear system, and we live in a world that is
spreading out in all directions and in which consumers choose the
free-wheel systems (cars, buses, aircraft), which do not have fixed
routes. Thus a sufficient market for the train will not exist.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the argument
presented above?
(A) Cars, buses, and planes require the efforts of drivers and pilots
to guide them, whereas the train will be guided mechanically.
(B) Cars and buses are not nearly as fast as the high-speed train will be.
(C) Planes are not a free-wheel system because they can fly only
between airports, which are less convenient for consumers than the
high-speed train's stations would be.
(D) The high-speed train line cannot use currently underutilized train
stations in large cities.
(E) For long trips, most people prefer to fly rather than to take
ground-level transportation.
4 Commercially available chemical fertilizers contain the same
nutrients and micronutrients as organic fertilizers such as manure and
composted garden clippings. Plants have tiny root hairs that absorb
nutrients, and whether the source of the nutrients is organic or
chemical is irrelevant to the plant's ability to take in the
nutrients. Nevertheless, organic fertilizers are better for the health
of the plant than are chemical fertilizers alone.
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the position above?
(A)The nutrients in organic fertilizers are slowly released to the
plant over time, rather than being absorbed by the plant immediately.
(B)In organic fertilizers, the natural combination of nutrients with
other natural materials makes the nutrients more usable by the plant
than nutrients found in chemical fertilizers.
(C)Plants often must be provided with nutrients because naturally
occurring nutrients in the surrounding soil are depleted or washed
away over time.
(D)The typical gardener can't easily know the exact amount and type of
nutrients in an organic fertilizer such as manure.
(E)Chemical fertilizers produced by the leading manufacturer contain
nutrients that are no harder for the plants to absorb than those
provided by the competitor's chemical fertilizer.
5 Hunter: Many people blame hunters alone for the decline in Greenrock
National Forest's deer population over the past ten years. Yet
clearly, black bears have also played an important role in this
decline. In the past ten years, the forest's protected black bear
population has risen sharply, and examination of black bears found
dead in the forest during the deer hunting season showed that a number
of them had recently fed on deer.
In the hunter's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the
following roles?
(A) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
(B) It is a finding that the argument seeks to explain.
(C) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.
(D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
(E) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes
6 Military Consultant: The chain of command in your unit is marred by
a serious flaw: your soldiers are so fearful of being disciplined for
security breaches within their jurisdiction that they fail to report
potential problems to their superiors. And those superiors share the
same fear of being seen as lacking control of their units that they
fail to fully investigate potential problems and bring them up the
chain to you. Consequently, General, you're likely presiding over
several security threats that you'll never know about.
Which of the following is an assumption required by the consultant's logic.
A. The general is responsible for the culture that exists within his
chain of command.
B. All soldiers near the bottom of the chain of command are fearful of
being disciplined for security breaches.
C. The general does not have sources other than the chain of command
to alert him to security concerns.
D. Some soldiers do not fear authority figures more than they fear
genuine security threats.
E. There is not a feasible incentive system to reward soldiers for
conscientiously pointing out security concerns.
7 Installing scrubbers in smokestacks and switching to cleaner-burning
fuel are the two methods available to Northern Power for reducing
harmful emissions from its plants. Scrubbers will reduce harmful
emissions more than cleaner-burning fuels will. Therefore, by
installing scrubbers, Northern Power will be doing the most that can
be done to reduce harmful emissions from its plants.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
(A)Switching to cleaner-burning fuel will not be more expensive than
installing scrubbers.
(B)Northern Power can choose from among various Kinds of scrubbers,
some of which are more effective than others.
(C)Northern Power is not necessarily committed to reducing harmful
emissions from its plants.
(D)Harmful emissions from Northern Power's plants cannot be reduced
more by using both methods together than by the installation of
scrubbers alone.
(E)Aside from harmful emissions from the smokestacks of its plants,
the activities of Northern Power do not cause significant air
pollution
8 According to futuristic writings in the 1960s, robots would soon
drastically reduce crime. With night vision and ability to detect the
chemicals involved in ballistics, such robots could be programed to
paralyze anyone roaming the street at night with a gun: virtually all
criminals fit that description. These criminals would be incapacitated
and thus unable to resist an easy arrest.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly indicates that the
logic of the prediction is flawed?
(A) Such robots would need to be charged during the daytime.
(B) Since policemen carry guns, the robots would incapacitate them
just as efficiently as they incapacitate criminals
(C) Because these robots could pose a hazard to cars at night, special
barriers would have to be constructed between the paths of the robots
and the lanes of traffic.
(D) It's not obvious that reducing the number of criminals will always
be beneficial.
(E) If the proposal plan were successful, it might ultimate result in
a smaller and more efficient police force.
9 Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose
any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support
the medical initiative. Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes,
and he was trounced in the primary elections. Furthermore, in a poll
that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having
the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82%
replied "Yes." This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen
before in this state."
In the political analyst's argument, the portion in boldface plays
which of the following roles?
A) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.
B) It is a finding that calls the main conclusion into question.
C) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.
D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
E) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
10 In order to ensure a successful vote on the issue of abortion
rights,the government is pressurizing the leaders of the state
political party to replace several delegates to the national
convention.The governor is insisting that certain individuals with a
history of voting in favor of abortion rights be replaced with new
delegates who have voted against abortion rights in the past.
The governor's action demonstrates that he is making which of the
following assumptions?
a)Voting on abortion issues is an important part of the national
political agenda.
b)The current delegates will probably not share the Governor's views
on such issues as the national budget or federal spending limits.
c)The proposed new delegates will continue to vote on abortion issues
in the same way that they have voted in the past.
d)The national delegation will not have an opportunity to vote on any
issues other than abortion rights.
e)He wants fresh delegates to represent the national convention.
11 Making the possession of guns illegal will never reduce the number
of deaths and injuries that are the result of guns. People are aware
of the uses for guns and will find new, and possibilly illegal, ways
to get them. No laws restricting the sale and ownership of guns will
prevent those who want to purchase one from purchasing one.
Which of the following, if true, would best strengthen the above argument?
A) A recent ban on the possession of concealed weapons other than
handguns has resulted in a significant reduction of deaths releated to
these alternative weapons.
B) In light of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, legislating
legal bans on the possession of guns will be extremely difficult.
C) Often, making a product illegal increases an individual's desure to
own that product and demand actually rises.
D) Many advocats of gun control believe that it is the weapon and not
the possessor of the weapon that is responsible for the violence
associated with guns.
E) Legislating a ban on only the most dangerous guns is a sufficient
way to cut down demand for guns.
12 Red blood cells in which the malarial-fever parasite resides are
eliminated from a person's body after 120 days. Because the parasite
cannot travel to a new generation of red blood cells, any fever that
develops in a person more than 120 days after that person has moved to
a malaria-free region is not due to the malarial parasite.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above?
(A) The fever caused by the malarial parasite may resemble the fever
caused by flu viruses.
(B) The anopheles mosquito, which is the principal insect carrier of
the malarial parasite, has been eradicated in many parts of the world.
(C) Many malarial symptoms other than the fever, which can be
suppressed with antimalarial medication, can reappear within 120 days
after the medication is discontinued.
(D) In some cases, the parasite that causes malarial fever travels to
cells of the spleen, which are less frequently eliminated from a
person's body than are red blood cells.
E) In any region infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes, there are individuals who appear to be immune to malaria
13 In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the river's water
is strictly controlled: farms along the river each have a limited
allocation that they are allowed to use for irrigation. But the trees
that grow in narrow strips along the river's banks also use its water.
Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water
would be available for crop irrigation
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
a. The trees along the river's banks shelter it from the sun and wind,
thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation
b. Owners of farms along the river will probably not undertake the
expense of cutting down trees along the banks unless they are granted
a greater allocation of water in return
c. Many of the tree species currently found along the river's banks
are specifically adapted to growing in places where tree roots remain
constantly wet.
d. The strip of land where trees grow along the river's banks would
not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed.
e. The distribution of water allocations for irrigation is intended to
prevent farms father upstream from using water needed by farms father
downstream
14 In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the river's water
is strictly controlled: farms along the river each have a limited
allocation that they are allowed to use for irrigation. But the trees
that grow in narrow strips along the river's banks also use its water.
Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water
would be available for crop irrigation
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
a. The trees along the river's banks shelter it from the sun and wind,
thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation
b. Owners of farms along the river will probably not undertake the
expense of cutting down trees along the banks unless they are granted
a greater allocation of water in return
c. Many of the tree species currently found along the river's banks
are specifically adapted to growing in places where tree roots remain
constantly wet.
d. The strip of land where trees grow along the river's banks would
not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed.
e. The distribution of water allocations for irrigation is intended to
prevent farms father upstream from using water needed by farms father
downstream
15 The Eurasian ruffe, a fish species inadvertently introduced into
North America’s Great Lakes in recent years, feeds on the eggs of
lake whitefish, a native species, thus threatening the lakes’
natural ecosystem. To help track the ruffe’s spread, government
agencies have produced wallet-sized cards about the ruffe. The cards
contain pictures of the ruffe and explain the danger they pose; the
cards also request anglers to report any ruffe they catch.
Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for the
prediction that the agencies’ action will have its intended effect?
A. The ruffe has spiny fins that make it unattractive as prey.
B. Ruffe generally feed at night, but most recreational fishing on the
Great Lakes is done during daytime hours.
C. Most people who fish recreationally on the Great Lakes are
interested in the preservation of the lake whitefish because it is a
highly prized game fish.
D. The ruffe is one of several nonnative species in the Great Lakes
whose existence threatens the survival of lake whitefish populations
there.
E. The bait that most people use when fishing for whitefish on the
Great Lakes is not attractive to ruffe.
1 While antibiotics have done inestimable good to humankind over the
last seventy years, there are several drawbacks to using antibiotics
that, until recently, have been overlooked. The human microbiome,
which consists of the trillions of bacteria that reside in each
person's body, is essential to good health. Specifically, the body
contains and requires both "good" and "bad" bacteria. It is when the
proper equilibrium between the "good" bacteria and the "bad" bacteria
is disrupted that a number of health issues can emerge. Nonetheless,
antibiotics indiscriminately kill both the "good" and the "bad"
bacteria, so each course of antibiotics should be followed by a
treatment that __________________________________
Which of the following most logically completes the argument above?
A. bypasses the microbiome altogether
B. targets and eliminates only the "bad" bacteria
C. restores the correct balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria
D. purges the body of the remaining antibiotics completely
E. reverses any effects from the antibiotics
2 The economy around Lake Paqua depends on fishing of the lake's
landlocked salmon population. In recent years, scarcity of food for
salmon there has caused a decline in both the number and the size of
the adult salmon in the lake. As a result, the region's revenues from
salmon fishing have declined significantly. To remedy this situation,
officials plan to introduce shrimp, which can serve as a food source
for adult salmon, into Lake Paqua.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question
the plan's chances for success?
A. Salmon is not a popular food among residents of the Lake Paqua region.
B. Tourists coming to fish for sport generate more income for
residents of the Lake Paqua region than does commercial fishing.
C. The shrimp to be introduced into Lake Paqua are of a variety that
is too small to be harvested for human consumption.
D. The primary food for both shrimp and juvenile salmon is plankton,
which is not abundant in Lake Paqua.
E. Fishing regulations prohibit people from keeping any salmon they
have caught in Lake Paqua that are smaller than a certain minimum size
3 The difficulty with the proposed high-speed train line is that a
used plane can be bought for one-third the price of the train line,
and the plane, which is just as fast, can fly anywhere. The train
would be a fixed linear system, and we live in a world that is
spreading out in all directions and in which consumers choose the
free-wheel systems (cars, buses, aircraft), which do not have fixed
routes. Thus a sufficient market for the train will not exist.
Which of the following, if true, most severely weakens the argument
presented above?
(A) Cars, buses, and planes require the efforts of drivers and pilots
to guide them, whereas the train will be guided mechanically.
(B) Cars and buses are not nearly as fast as the high-speed train will be.
(C) Planes are not a free-wheel system because they can fly only
between airports, which are less convenient for consumers than the
high-speed train's stations would be.
(D) The high-speed train line cannot use currently underutilized train
stations in large cities.
(E) For long trips, most people prefer to fly rather than to take
ground-level transportation.
4 Commercially available chemical fertilizers contain the same
nutrients and micronutrients as organic fertilizers such as manure and
composted garden clippings. Plants have tiny root hairs that absorb
nutrients, and whether the source of the nutrients is organic or
chemical is irrelevant to the plant's ability to take in the
nutrients. Nevertheless, organic fertilizers are better for the health
of the plant than are chemical fertilizers alone.
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the position above?
(A)The nutrients in organic fertilizers are slowly released to the
plant over time, rather than being absorbed by the plant immediately.
(B)In organic fertilizers, the natural combination of nutrients with
other natural materials makes the nutrients more usable by the plant
than nutrients found in chemical fertilizers.
(C)Plants often must be provided with nutrients because naturally
occurring nutrients in the surrounding soil are depleted or washed
away over time.
(D)The typical gardener can't easily know the exact amount and type of
nutrients in an organic fertilizer such as manure.
(E)Chemical fertilizers produced by the leading manufacturer contain
nutrients that are no harder for the plants to absorb than those
provided by the competitor's chemical fertilizer.
5 Hunter: Many people blame hunters alone for the decline in Greenrock
National Forest's deer population over the past ten years. Yet
clearly, black bears have also played an important role in this
decline. In the past ten years, the forest's protected black bear
population has risen sharply, and examination of black bears found
dead in the forest during the deer hunting season showed that a number
of them had recently fed on deer.
In the hunter's argument, the portion in boldface plays which of the
following roles?
(A) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
(B) It is a finding that the argument seeks to explain.
(C) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.
(D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
(E) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes
6 Military Consultant: The chain of command in your unit is marred by
a serious flaw: your soldiers are so fearful of being disciplined for
security breaches within their jurisdiction that they fail to report
potential problems to their superiors. And those superiors share the
same fear of being seen as lacking control of their units that they
fail to fully investigate potential problems and bring them up the
chain to you. Consequently, General, you're likely presiding over
several security threats that you'll never know about.
Which of the following is an assumption required by the consultant's logic.
A. The general is responsible for the culture that exists within his
chain of command.
B. All soldiers near the bottom of the chain of command are fearful of
being disciplined for security breaches.
C. The general does not have sources other than the chain of command
to alert him to security concerns.
D. Some soldiers do not fear authority figures more than they fear
genuine security threats.
E. There is not a feasible incentive system to reward soldiers for
conscientiously pointing out security concerns.
7 Installing scrubbers in smokestacks and switching to cleaner-burning
fuel are the two methods available to Northern Power for reducing
harmful emissions from its plants. Scrubbers will reduce harmful
emissions more than cleaner-burning fuels will. Therefore, by
installing scrubbers, Northern Power will be doing the most that can
be done to reduce harmful emissions from its plants.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
(A)Switching to cleaner-burning fuel will not be more expensive than
installing scrubbers.
(B)Northern Power can choose from among various Kinds of scrubbers,
some of which are more effective than others.
(C)Northern Power is not necessarily committed to reducing harmful
emissions from its plants.
(D)Harmful emissions from Northern Power's plants cannot be reduced
more by using both methods together than by the installation of
scrubbers alone.
(E)Aside from harmful emissions from the smokestacks of its plants,
the activities of Northern Power do not cause significant air
pollution
8 According to futuristic writings in the 1960s, robots would soon
drastically reduce crime. With night vision and ability to detect the
chemicals involved in ballistics, such robots could be programed to
paralyze anyone roaming the street at night with a gun: virtually all
criminals fit that description. These criminals would be incapacitated
and thus unable to resist an easy arrest.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly indicates that the
logic of the prediction is flawed?
(A) Such robots would need to be charged during the daytime.
(B) Since policemen carry guns, the robots would incapacitate them
just as efficiently as they incapacitate criminals
(C) Because these robots could pose a hazard to cars at night, special
barriers would have to be constructed between the paths of the robots
and the lanes of traffic.
(D) It's not obvious that reducing the number of criminals will always
be beneficial.
(E) If the proposal plan were successful, it might ultimate result in
a smaller and more efficient police force.
9 Political Analyst: "Although citizens of this state normally oppose
any new taxes, they are overwhelmingly in favor of taxes that support
the medical initiative. Candidate Johnson vowed to cut these taxes,
and he was trounced in the primary elections. Furthermore, in a poll
that asked citizens, "Would you pay higher taxes if it meant having
the benefit of the new medical initiative?", an astonishing 82%
replied "Yes." This is a pattern of support for taxes we have not seen
before in this state."
In the political analyst's argument, the portion in boldface plays
which of the following roles?
A) It is an explanation that the argument concludes is correct.
B) It is a finding that calls the main conclusion into question.
C) It introduces a judgment that the argument opposes.
D) It provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
E) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
10 In order to ensure a successful vote on the issue of abortion
rights,the government is pressurizing the leaders of the state
political party to replace several delegates to the national
convention.The governor is insisting that certain individuals with a
history of voting in favor of abortion rights be replaced with new
delegates who have voted against abortion rights in the past.
The governor's action demonstrates that he is making which of the
following assumptions?
a)Voting on abortion issues is an important part of the national
political agenda.
b)The current delegates will probably not share the Governor's views
on such issues as the national budget or federal spending limits.
c)The proposed new delegates will continue to vote on abortion issues
in the same way that they have voted in the past.
d)The national delegation will not have an opportunity to vote on any
issues other than abortion rights.
e)He wants fresh delegates to represent the national convention.
11 Making the possession of guns illegal will never reduce the number
of deaths and injuries that are the result of guns. People are aware
of the uses for guns and will find new, and possibilly illegal, ways
to get them. No laws restricting the sale and ownership of guns will
prevent those who want to purchase one from purchasing one.
Which of the following, if true, would best strengthen the above argument?
A) A recent ban on the possession of concealed weapons other than
handguns has resulted in a significant reduction of deaths releated to
these alternative weapons.
B) In light of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, legislating
legal bans on the possession of guns will be extremely difficult.
C) Often, making a product illegal increases an individual's desure to
own that product and demand actually rises.
D) Many advocats of gun control believe that it is the weapon and not
the possessor of the weapon that is responsible for the violence
associated with guns.
E) Legislating a ban on only the most dangerous guns is a sufficient
way to cut down demand for guns.
12 Red blood cells in which the malarial-fever parasite resides are
eliminated from a person's body after 120 days. Because the parasite
cannot travel to a new generation of red blood cells, any fever that
develops in a person more than 120 days after that person has moved to
a malaria-free region is not due to the malarial parasite.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above?
(A) The fever caused by the malarial parasite may resemble the fever
caused by flu viruses.
(B) The anopheles mosquito, which is the principal insect carrier of
the malarial parasite, has been eradicated in many parts of the world.
(C) Many malarial symptoms other than the fever, which can be
suppressed with antimalarial medication, can reappear within 120 days
after the medication is discontinued.
(D) In some cases, the parasite that causes malarial fever travels to
cells of the spleen, which are less frequently eliminated from a
person's body than are red blood cells.
E) In any region infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes, there are individuals who appear to be immune to malaria
13 In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the river's water
is strictly controlled: farms along the river each have a limited
allocation that they are allowed to use for irrigation. But the trees
that grow in narrow strips along the river's banks also use its water.
Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water
would be available for crop irrigation
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
a. The trees along the river's banks shelter it from the sun and wind,
thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation
b. Owners of farms along the river will probably not undertake the
expense of cutting down trees along the banks unless they are granted
a greater allocation of water in return
c. Many of the tree species currently found along the river's banks
are specifically adapted to growing in places where tree roots remain
constantly wet.
d. The strip of land where trees grow along the river's banks would
not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed.
e. The distribution of water allocations for irrigation is intended to
prevent farms father upstream from using water needed by farms father
downstream
14 In the arid land along the Colorado River, use of the river's water
is strictly controlled: farms along the river each have a limited
allocation that they are allowed to use for irrigation. But the trees
that grow in narrow strips along the river's banks also use its water.
Clearly, therefore, if farmers were to remove those trees, more water
would be available for crop irrigation
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
a. The trees along the river's banks shelter it from the sun and wind,
thereby greatly reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation
b. Owners of farms along the river will probably not undertake the
expense of cutting down trees along the banks unless they are granted
a greater allocation of water in return
c. Many of the tree species currently found along the river's banks
are specifically adapted to growing in places where tree roots remain
constantly wet.
d. The strip of land where trees grow along the river's banks would
not be suitable for growing crops if the trees were removed.
e. The distribution of water allocations for irrigation is intended to
prevent farms father upstream from using water needed by farms father
downstream
15 The Eurasian ruffe, a fish species inadvertently introduced into
North America’s Great Lakes in recent years, feeds on the eggs of
lake whitefish, a native species, thus threatening the lakes’
natural ecosystem. To help track the ruffe’s spread, government
agencies have produced wallet-sized cards about the ruffe. The cards
contain pictures of the ruffe and explain the danger they pose; the
cards also request anglers to report any ruffe they catch.
Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for the
prediction that the agencies’ action will have its intended effect?
A. The ruffe has spiny fins that make it unattractive as prey.
B. Ruffe generally feed at night, but most recreational fishing on the
Great Lakes is done during daytime hours.
C. Most people who fish recreationally on the Great Lakes are
interested in the preservation of the lake whitefish because it is a
highly prized game fish.
D. The ruffe is one of several nonnative species in the Great Lakes
whose existence threatens the survival of lake whitefish populations
there.
E. The bait that most people use when fishing for whitefish on the
Great Lakes is not attractive to ruffe.
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
4PJS
1 A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way. Ganesh Pyne, the soft-spoken, gentle-mannered painter based in Kolkata, was a paradox. The more the demand for his temperas and water-colours soared in the 1980s and 1990s, the more he shrank from the glare of publicity. The galloping prices of his works made him inversely insecure. Over a period of time, he painted a series called Performers, where the artist is shown as a clown, an entertainer, and a performing animal attempting to please patrons. Pyne had a modern mind with a taste for modern poetry, theatre and cinema. ________________ (a) But he nurtured deep within him a mythic imagination. (b) In the course of my very first interview with Ganesh Pyne, the artist had stated that he was obsessed with death. (c) His paintings that evoke intimations of mortality will continue to haunt us. (d) What made him a great artist was that he counterbalanced the darkening mood of his paintings with some source of light. 2 |
1. A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way. That is when you stop laughing and start worrying about a team that was virtually invincible in Test cricket from the early Nineties to mid-2005 when Australia surrendered the Ashes to England in a stirring series at the home of cricket. The setback was followed by yet another period of domination up till 2008 after which Australian cricket went into a tailspin and continues to hurtle from one disaster to another. Ironically, Arthur seems to have woken up to the reality only after his team found itself 0-2 down in the series after playing some pretty ordinary cricket. _______________ (a) He handed out 'homework' that was meant to make players more responsible for their own deeds and improve on-field performances. (b) The coach had himself shunned doing his own bit prior to the opening Test match against India in Chennai. (c) Both Arthur and skipper Michael Clarke surely need to tell cricket lovers what prompted their bizarre decision making that was bound to backfire on them. (d) He owes his position of eminence to the Argus report that recommended an enhanced role for the coach. 3 |
1. A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way. But the biggest change was recording the sound on the new, multi-channel Dolby Stereo that could be played to great effect even in small theatres with the old mono sound system. Allen and his team convinced more than 40 theatres to upgrade their audio systems, but the advantage was that the new technology could be adapted to the old set-up. The sound thrilled and the successes of Star Wars and Close Encounters of The Third Kind gave way to more inventions, though Allen's focus remains on creating new technology that is compatible with older formats. _______________ (a) The 73-year-old, who is currently in India, has been instrumental in several major sound engineering innovations in Hollywood. (b) It's never been easy to convince hard-nosed studio executives and tight-fisted theatre owners of the benefits of the new technology. (c) Over the years, Allen and his colleagues had struck up a personal equation with the more powerful filmmakers and producers. (d) Studio heads have said that the old sound system was not good enough. 4 |
| 1. A paragraph is given below from which the last sentence has been deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way. It is precisely this effect that Satya Paul hoped Masaba's touch would generate when it hired her as fashion director last November. With her, the 28-year old fashion brand, traditionally patronised by older women, wants to break into the youth segment. "I think the reason I was chosen for the job is that I am a gutsy designer. I am fearless in my choice of prints, colours and presentation," said Masaba. Love for prints is another thing that connects the brand to her. But her choice is more edgy and quirky. _______________ (a) These motifs she chooses represent the journey of a woman. (b) Eclectic prints, however, are nothing new to fashion, not even in India. (c) Satya Paul appeals both to the young and those who desperately want to look young. (d) Palms, cows, cameras, timepieces are some wacky motifs that have been spotted on her creations, especially saris. |
Tushar JW
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Tushar JW That doesn't matter. You are the one publicly slandering someone. You make a public post, its your responsibility to explain your actions when the public asks questions. You cannot shoot and scoot, otherwise its your reputation which gets down. If you are fine with that then you are not helping yourself or in anyway getting anything you intended by making these slander posts
Saqib Ahmed Tushar JW one quick question. What's 'chickening' ? Is that a method to cook fowl or are you just crying foul?
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Tushar JW I asked him to sue .. I thought that was the opposite of chickening OUT ..
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Tushar JW You do realise you are thoroughly entertaining . You should charge people Entertainment Tax :P
Saqib Ahmed Tushar JW still working on the OED man. Am sure will get around to the urban variety eventually. I highly recommend doing things in that order.
Tushar JW Asking someone to sue is not some kind of courageous statement that you are being so proud of. You are chickening out from the questions i put infront of you.
Second getting personal with me is not helping your case either, its just showing your desperation.
Besides this grammar game, save it for your coaching or whatever.
Second getting personal with me is not helping your case either, its just showing your desperation.
Besides this grammar game, save it for your coaching or whatever.
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed It's ..:P Looks like you do not learn from your mistakes .. this is my job ..To show you the error of your ways :)
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Bye for now .. It was entertaining ..Will be back soon in case you have more of this entertaining stuff left in you. Thanks
Tushar JW But not learning anything from what is being said. I probably made a lot of grammatical mistakes in this whole conversation but you didn't care as long as you thought you were in control. Now after being publicly called out for your desperation , you are nitpicking on my grammar. That's pathetic.
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Tushar JW You just made 2-3 mistakes Dude . give yourself some credit ..itna low confidence .. birds of a feather syndrome ..The primary problem with you know who is lack of confidence .. you know
Tushar JW This topic or this conversation is not about Grammar is it? Grammar is not a mean of living for me so I don't expect to be too good at it. Talk about IT security and i will beat you to pulp in it. The point was your slandering and explanation which you could not provide. Now you are just crying and laughing in desperation which is understandable. And i wouldn't digress to confidence because it would make this you know who more amazing with doing so much in 2 years with lack of confidence, what would he do with confidence? Perhaps close down some competition like yourself, that's why you are threatened perhaps.
Rajarshi Majumder If we go by his "grammar" IT security is shalaam Shabzzee outside TCS!
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Tushar JW Now you totally lost it .. just read your text .. totally incoherent ..
Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed Tushar JW In case you do not get the reference :P http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Peter_Pettigrew
Tushar JW Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed it's not my fault you cannot understand simple statements. You are paralyzed by your inferiority complex and jealousy. So long
Rajarshi Majumder And Tanveer Iqbal Ahmed I envy u......unknown idiots reacting on ur post.....u must be feeling like a celeb
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
15th June RC#1
Bruce Robbins's excellent article points up the paradox of cosmopolitanism - that it seems 'perpetually torn between an empirical dimension and a normative dimension'. For Robbins, the paradox of cosmopolitanism is rooted in the limited empirical sense of political community. For genuine democracy people need to belong to the same 'community of fate', and there is at present little evidence of such a sense of cosmopolitan consciousness. Although leading (Western) governments make claims in support of cosmopolitan human rights established by virtue of membership of a common humanity, their practice is often limited by the 'communitarian' reality. The lack of 'shared fate' leads to inequalities in practice as governments are often reluctant to sacrifice either treasury resources or military lives in the cause of others, and citizens appear unwilling to shoulder the tax burdens involved in any potential cosmopolitan redistribution of wealth and opportunities.
Robbins suggests that it would be wrong to use the empirical limits to cosmopolitan practices as an argument against normative cosmopolitan claims. He asserts that there is 'no possibility of simply choosing the actual over the normative' and instead suggests that we should accept that the 'contradiction' exists. A solution to the problem lies in political change which seeks 'to bring abstraction and actuality together'. A 'Left cosmopolitanism' is one that denies 'the past authority over the present' - the empirical reality that 'there is as yet little evidence of transnational solidarity' should be the justification for engagement and struggle on the side of the progressive cosmopolitan cause. This campaigning perspective is advocated by several cosmopolitan theorists who, in different ways, seek to develop ideas and mechanisms whereby global civil society can encourage and further cosmopolitan practices against the communitarian inclinations of national governments and their electorates.
This article suggests that the 'cosmopolitan paradox' - the gap between universal aspiration and hierarchical practice - is not merely one of cosmopolitan 'consciousness' lagging behind an immanent cosmopolitan 'reality'. Rather, the paradox is rooted in the essence of the cosmopolitan thesis itself. The limitations of abstract normative cosmopolitan conceptions of 'rights' and 'responsibilities', in a world structured by economic and social inequalities, raise major questions over the progressive claims made by cosmopolitan theorists. In fact, rather than challenging existing international structures of power, there is a real danger that the cosmopolitan impulse will legitimize a much more hierarchical set of international relationships.
Whether the cosmopolitan aspiration takes the form of Robbins's call for a transnational welfare safety net or claims for the protection and promotion of a more extensive range of human rights, all cosmopolitan perspectives reflect the increasing prominence of individual rights claims in the international sphere. Leading cosmopolitan theorists seek to challenge the restrictions of the UN Charter framework, imposed by the major powers in the aftermath of the Second World War, which formally prioritized the 'state-based' principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. They argue that these principles need to be replaced by a new set of cosmopolitan principles, which make the universal individual rights of members of 'global society' the primary focus.
Q.1
Which of the following is a part of 'the empirical dimension' in the passage ?
a Shared fate
b Universal Aspiration
c Inequalities in practices
d The cosmopolitan paradox.
Q.2
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
a Cosmopolitan theorists seek to legitimize a much more hierarchical set of international relationships.
b Cosmopolitan theorists feel that the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention need to be implemented at a global level.
c The theories and conceptions of cosmopolitanism are responsible for the cosmopolitan paradox.
d Cosmopolitan consciousness does not really lag behind an immanent cosmopolitan reality.
Q.3
The author is primarily concerned with
a exploring the Cosmopolitan paradox and solutions and reasons for the same.
b exploring the tussle between the advocates of nationalism and cosmopolitanism.
c arguing that the Cosmopolitan paradox will continue to exist.
d enthusing that 'empirical reality' is not an excuse to do away with Cosmopolitan aspirations.
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