41. 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.
42. Trancorp currently transports all its goods to Burland Island by
truck. The only bridge over the channel
separating Burland from the mainland is congested, and trucks
typically spend hours in traffic. Trains can reach
the channel more quickly than trucks, and freight cars can be
transported to Burland by barges that typically
cross the channel in an hour. Therefore, to reduce shipping time,
Trancorp plans to switch to trains and barges
to transport goods to Burland.
Which of the following would be most important to know in determining
whether Trancorp's plan, if implemented,
is likely to achieve its goal?
(A) Whether transportation by train and barge would be substantially
less expensive than transportation by
truck
(B) Whether there are boats that can make the trip between the
mainland and Burland faster than barges can
(C) Whether loading the freight cars onto barges is very time consuming
(D) Whether the average number of vehicles traveling over the bridge
into Burland has been relatively constant
in recent years
(E) Whether most trucks transporting goods into Burland return to the
mainland empty
43. Some anthropologists study modern-day societies of foragers in an
effort to learn about our ancient
ancestors who were also foragers. A flaw in this strategy is that
forager societies are extremely varied.
Indeed, any forager society with which anthropologists are familiar
has had considerable contact with
modern, non-forager societies.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the criticism made
above of the anthropologists' strategy?
(A) All forager societies throughout history have had a number of
important features in common that are
absent from other types of societies.
(B) Most ancient forager societies either dissolved or made a
transition to another way of life.
(C) All anthropologists study one kind or another of modern-day society.
(D) Many anthropologists who study modern-day forager societies do not
draw inferences about ancient
societies on the basis of their studies.
(E) Even those modern-day forager societies that have not had
significant contact with modern societies are
importantly different from ancient forager societies.
44. Contrary to earlier predictions, demand for sugarcane has not
increased in recent years. Yet, even though prices
and production amounts have also been stable during the last three
years, sugarcane growers last year
increased their profits by more than 10 percent over the previous year's level.
Any of the following statements, if true about last year, helps to
explain the rise in profits EXCEPT:
(A) Many countries that are large consumers of sugarcane increased
their production of sugarcane-based
ethanol, yet their overall consumption of sugarcane decreased.
(B) Sugarcane growers have saved money on wages by switching from
paying laborers an hourly wage to
paying them by the amount harvested.
(C) The price of oil, the major energy source used by sugarcane
growers in harvesting their crops, dropped
by over 20 percent.
(D) Many small sugarcane growers joined together to form an
association of sugarcane producers and began
to buy supplies at low group rates.
(E) Rainfall in sugarcane-growing regions was higher than it had been
during the previous year, allowing the
growers to save money on expensive artificial irrigation.
45. Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?
Davison River farmers are currently deciding between planting winter
wheat this fall or spring wheat next spring.
Winter wheat and spring wheat are usually about equally profitable.
Because of new government restrictions
on the use of Davison River water for irrigation, per acre yields for
winter wheat, though not for spring wheat,
would be much lower than average. Therefore, planting spring wheat
will be more profitable than planting winter
wheat, since .
(A) the smaller-than-average size of a winter wheat harvest this year
would not be compensated for by higher
winter wheat prices
(B) new crops of spring wheat must be planted earlier than the time at
which standing crops of winter wheat
are ready to be harvested
(C) the spring wheat that farmers in the Davison River region plant is
well adapted to the soil of the region
(D) spring wheat has uses that are different from those of winter wheat
(E) planting spring wheat is more profitable than planting certain
other crops, such as rye
46. If the county continues to collect residential trash at current
levels, landfills will soon be overflowing and
parkland will need to be used in order to create more space. Charging
each household a fee for each pound of
trash it puts out for collection will induce residents to reduce the
amount of trash they create; this charge will
therefore protect the remaining county parkland.
Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?
(A) Residents will reduce the amount of trash they put out for
collection by reducing the number of products
they buy.
(B) The collection fee will not significantly affect the purchasing
power of most residents, even if their
households do not reduce the amount of trash they put out.
(C) The collection fee will not induce residents to dump their trash
in the parklands illegally.
(D) The beauty of county parkland is an important issue for most of
the county's residents.
(E) Landfills outside the county's borders could be used as dumping
sites for the county's trash.
47. Certain genetically modified strains of maize produce a powerful
natural insecticide. The insecticide occurs
throughout the plant, including its pollen. Maize pollen is dispersed
by the wind and frequently blows onto
milkweed plants that grow near maize fields. Caterpillars of monarch
butterflies feed exclusively on milkweed
leaves. When these caterpillars are fed milkweed leaves dusted with
pollen from modified maize plants, they die.
Therefore, by using genetically modified maize, farmers put monarch
butterflies at risk.
Which of the following would it be most useful to determine in order
to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether the natural insecticide is as effective against
maize-eating insects as commercial insecticides
typically used on maize are
(B) Whether the pollen of genetically modified maize contains as much
insecticide as other parts of these plants
(C) Whether monarch butterfly caterpillars are actively feeding during
the part of the growing season when
maize is releasing pollen
(D) Whether insects that feed on genetically modified maize plants are
likely to be killed by insecticide from
the plant's pollen
(E) Whether any maize-eating insects compete with monarch caterpillars
for the leaves of milkweed plants
growing near maize fields
48. Although computers can enhance people's ability to communicate,
computer games are a cause of
underdeveloped communication skills in children. After-school hours
spent playing computer games are
hours not spent talking with people. Therefore, children who spend all
their spare time playing these games
have less experience in interpersonal communication than other children have.
The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Passive activities such as watching television and listening to
music do not hinder the development of
communication skills in children.
(B) Most children have other opportunities, in addition to
after-school hours, in which they can choose whether
to play computer games or to interact with other people.
(C) Children who do not spend all of their after-school hours playing
computer games spend at least some of
that time talking with other people.
(D) Formal instruction contributes little or nothing to children's
acquisition of communication skills.
(E) The mental skills developed through playing computer games do not
contribute significantly to children's
intellectual development.
Maize contains the vitamin niacin, but not in a form the body can
absorb. Pellagra is a disease that results from
niacin deficiency. When maize was introduced into southern Europe from
the Americas in the eighteenth century,
it quickly became a dietary staple, and many Europeans who came to
subsist primarily on maize developed
pellagra. Pellagra was virtually unknown at that time in the Americas,
however, even among people who
subsisted primarily on maize.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the contrasting
incidence of pellagra described above?
(A) Once introduced into southern Europe, maize became popular with
landowners because of its high yields
relative to other cereal crops.
(B) Maize grown in the Americas contained more niacin than maize grown
in Europe did.
(C) Traditional ways of preparing maize in the Americas convert
maize's niacin into a nutritionally useful form.
(D) In southern Europe many of the people who consumed maize also ate
niacin-rich foods.
(E) Before the discovery of pellagra's link with niacin, it was widely
believed that the disease was an infection
that could be transmitted from person to person.
50. One variety of partially biodegradable plastic beverage container
is manufactured from small bits of plastic
bound together by a degradable bonding agent such as cornstarch. Since
only the bonding agent degrades,
leaving the small bits of plastic, no less plastic refuse per
container is produced when such containers are
discarded than when comparable nonbiodegradable containers are discarded.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument above?
(A) Both partially biodegradable and nonbiodegradable plastic beverage
containers can be crushed
completely flat by refuse compactors.
(B) The partially biodegradable plastic beverage containers are made
with more plastic than comparable
nonbiodegradable ones in order to compensate for the weakening effect
of the bonding agents.
(C) Many consumers are ecology-minded and prefer to buy a product sold
in the partially biodegradable
plastic beverage containers rather than in nonbiodegradable
containers, even if the price is higher.
(D) The manufacturing process for the partially biodegradable plastic
beverage containers results in less
plastic waste than the manufacturing process for nonbiodegradable
plastic beverage containers.
(E) Technological problems with recycling currently prevent the reuse
as food or beverage containers of the
plastic from either type of plastic beverage container.
Saturday 29 August 2015
Friday 28 August 2015
OAs of MOCK 2808
21.Ans (d) Only option (d) cannot be inferred from the passage. All the
other options are mentioned in the passage.
22.Ans (a) The author points out that physics, in the 2nd half of 20th
century, became so evolved that it had a world of its own and
was self contained in the theories and discoveries propounded
by it. This leads us to option (a). All the other options are farfetched.
23.Ans (d) The hidden dimension has remained unknown and unexplained
for very long and in fact it remains a mystery till date. Option
(a) is incorrect. Option (c) is exaggerated. Option (b) cannot
be inferred from the passage.
24.Ans (d) In A, the expression 'a trend that becomes increasingly
common' is not apt. It has to be either ' a trend that has become'
or 'a trend that is becoming'. In C, 'has been now' is an incorrect
construction. It has to be either 'has been' or 'is being now'.
In D, 'an aim to discover' should be corrected to 'discovering'
to conserve parallelism in the sentence.
25.Ans (b) In B, 'his' should be corrected to 'its' as the antecedent for the
pronoun is spectre and not Jinnah. Spectre belongs to the
neuter gender and will take an 'its'. In C, the latter part of the
sentence is not parallel. The correct sentence part would
read ' what Jinnah did or did not do, or Patel said or did not
say?'
26.Ans (b) Options (a) and (c) are incorrect. The phrasal verb 'all along
the line' means ever since the beginning of a relationship or
process. If this is used, the sentence would mean that the
scientist was ready to put his reputation ever since the
beginning of the research of the phenomenon: allergy
desensitization. The phrasal verb ' on the line' means at risk
of failing or being harmed. This is correctly used in options (b)
and (d). However option (d) is negated for having some other
flaws which are illustrated in the following explanation.
This question also tests you on using the colon and semicolon
correctly. In the given sentence, usage of a semicolon is
incorrect. Use a colon to introduce a list, or provide an
explanation. If the material following the colon constitutes a
full sentence, capitalize the first word. If the material following
the colon is a dependent clause or phrase, do not capitalize
the first word. Option (d) disregards these basic rules and
hence is negated. None of the options apart from (b) uses a
comma after 'who' in sync with the comma after 'medical
research'.
27.Ans (d) Option (a) is incorrect. Modal verb 'could' conveys a different
meaning. Moreover, to maintain the parallel structure of the
sentence usage of 'should' is needed. Option (b) is erroneous.
It seems that United States necessitates the employment of
laborers or mechanics. The usage of expression 'not any
of..' is also incorrect. We prefer – 'none of' rather than - 'not
any of', in formal written English. Hence Option (c) is also
negated.
28.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect as the campaigners confused the
sense of 'good' and 'better'. Option (b) is incorrect as the
passage, in thelast line of the 3rd paragraph, represents only
the possibility of the voters agreeing to the proposed
constitution being better than the current treaty whereas the
option turns the possibility into a certainty. Option (d) is the
reverse of what the author is trying to intend. The author is
indicating that the campaigners sent the message that the
constitution was good for Europe when it was just better
than an earlier treaty. Option (c) is correct. The proposed
constitution did not grant initiative to the parliament , though it
made certain improvements over the previous treaty. So the
improvements could not be seen as 'good' by the people,
though they could have been seen as 'better'.
29.Ans (a) Option (b) is incorrect as the author has not commented on
Mr. Bot's conception of logic. But the author definitely feels
that Mr. Bot handled things tactlessly. The author would call
Aristotle's concept limited when it comes to political discourse
as it is based on 'logic'. 'What is logical?' can become very
subjective as two people may not accept that the same
argument is logical. So the author is concerned with the aspect
of 'logic' in Aristotle's theory whereas tact is just mentioned
with a specific reference to the example in the passage. So
to conclude option (c) is far-fetched. Option (d) is exaggerated
and too definitive. The author would agree with the fact that
everything cannot be left to logic. But he does not completely
negate the use of logic. The limitations of logic in the political
sphere would hold even if one is a philosopher or a sage.
Hence option (d) is an incorrect inference. Option (a) is in line
with the author's views and this is what he is trying to highlight
in the discussion in Para 4.
30.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect. The campaigners failed probably
because they confused the meanings of 'good' and 'better'.
Also in the passage, the author raises questions about
Aristotle's theory itself. Hence the failure is not just because
of what the campaigners did. Option (b) has not been strongly
stated by the author. The example shows the difficulty or the
flaw in applying the theory. But to say that it is irrelevant
would require more discussion and more examples. Option
(d) is not specific as it leaves out Aristotle and his theory.
Option (c) is specific and correct to describe the primary
purpose of the author. The author did not completely negate
the 'better' aspect of Aristotle's theory. He has reservations
about the 'logically convincing' part. The author is illustrating
through a specific example, how applying Aristotle's theory
posed problems. This is due to confusion or ambiguity which
arose in the meanings of the terms in the theory when it was
applied to a specific context. Option (c) also encompasses
the scope of the passage.
31.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect as we cannot infer that humanity has
benefited from the war. Moreover, this does not go with the
flow of the paragraph. Option (b) is incorrect as we cannot
infer that now the balance is in favour of science. Option (c)
is the correct answer as it goes with the flow of the paragraph.
War still continues and it is not a sideshow is suitably followed
by option (c). Option (d) is incorrect as it is not in flow with the
paragraph. The last statement which states that it is not a
sideshow implies that the sentence should be followed by a
statement that reflects the intensity of war.
32.Ans (a) Option (a) is the correct answer as it continues the idea
illustrated in the last sentence of the paragraph. The tone
conveyed by the author, using the word 'suddenly' in the last
sentence, matches the tone conveyed by 'abrupt' in option
(a). Options (b), (c) and (d) are beyond the scope of the
information in the paragraph.
33.Ans (b) The author defines the superiority of the whole over the part
based on the logic of functionality and efficiency. This logic
when applied to human beings and the state makes the latter
superior. This makes option (b) correct. The other options do
not capture the essence of the paragraph.
34.Ans (d) The author mentions that paranormal investigations show the
difference between what people say has happened and what
actually took place. This makes option (d) correct.
35.Ans (c) The meaning of the word 'conflate' is to merge/fuse/melt two
things. Here, classical empiricism merges the meanings of
two terms and interprets it as one. So conflate is used in the
sense of 'to merge' or 'to combine'. Options (a), (b) and (d)
give a totally different sense from the intended meaning.
36.Ans (b) Statement A is not true. The positivists' denial of the existence
of the generative domain is not because of the reason in
Statement A but due to their adherence to empiricism. Refer to
the line "In other words, due to the empiricist ontology of
Positivism, a scientific law cannot refer to unobservable
causes." Statement B is true. Refer to the line "This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by
David Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early
Positivism because it refers to the empirical instantiation of
the law itself." and also the opening lines of the passage " I
now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work
of Jorge Rivas. Rivas links positivism back to classical
empiricism". Statement C also is not true. We cannot conclude
that the events referred to are just 'experienced'. They are
events which have to be 'observed'. 'Experienced' is not
mentioned as a criterion in the context. Refer to the line "In this
nomological model of explanation, a scientific law is seen to
reflect the actual constant conjunction of empirically
observable events".
37.Ans (b) The opening statement "Rivas links positivism back to classical
empiricism." and the discussion in the passage show how
positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism and
also how branches have emerged within positivism through
divergences from empiricism. Option (a) is not the primary
purpose as the passage does not 'laud' Jose or pass any
subjective comments about his ability or clarity as a philosopher.
Option (c) is again only a part of the discussion. Option (d) is
incorrect as classical empiricism is still seen to have its
influence when dealing with social phenomena as also with
scientific explanations. The author is attempting to study
positivism through the work of Jose Rilas who connects
positivism to classical empiricism.
38.Ans (c) The paradox in the argument is that despite the fact the rate of
TB has declined 15% within the past 15 years in Bihar, the
cost of caring for TB sufferers in Bihar is now roughly equal
to what it was 15 years ago. Option (a) does not help to
resolve the paradox as it deals with the overall cost of health
care in Bihar. Option (b), if at all increases the paradox as it
talks of Bihar's overall health care costs haven't increased in
the past 7 years. Option (c) helps to resolve the paradox as it
addresses both parts of the paradox.
39.Ans (b) The first sentence establishes the cause and effect situation
between bank deposits being insured and this in turn leading
to bank failures. The second sentence describes a situation
where this would not hold true.
40.Ans (a) The argument highlights that for an improvement in results,
teachers must perform their duties efficiently just as the
doctors and nurses must also perform their duties well for the
people's health to improve. The argument further highlights
the shabbiness of the system. The implicit assumption in the
argument is that due to the shabbiness prevalent in the system,
the motivation for performing their duties is almost absent
among the employees. Option (a) weakens the assumption.
Option (b) is distorted. Option (c) does not weaken the
assumption. Option (d) is a generic statement and lies beyond
the scope of the argument.
41.Ans (d) 'Regime' refers to a government in power and esurient means
hungry or greedy. The clue here comes from the second
blank. The word 'even' leads us to an adjective that shall
describe Shumiatsky, in all probabilities the word should have
a contrast with 'had left'. 'Esurient' does the trick. The other
options are out of context.
42.Ans (a) 'Tenebrous' means dark or gloomy or obscure and 'reality'
refers to a fact or state of being. The other options fall out of
context.
43.Ans (b) 'Dazzling' means amazingly impressive. The word agrees with
the tone of the sentence. 'Glaring' is incorrect as it means
obvious. Lambent' means flickering with a glow. 'Homely'
means unattractive.
44.Ans (c) Option (c) is correct here as 'mingling' would result in a
'discourse', which means a conversation. 'Grandiloquence',
which means a pompous speech, would not fit in here.
'Monologue' is out of context with the theme of the sentence.
'Sermon', which means a religious discourse delivered as a
part of the church service or a lengthy and tedious speech,
doesn't fit the context.
45.Ans (b) Structuralism believes that all elements of human culture are
parts of a system of signs - in a way this is understanding the
unity permeating the diversity. (a) is opposite of what
structuralism seeks to do. (c) is part of structuralism's method
but not the primary purpose. We cannot conclude that
structuralism seeks to eliminate things-as in (d).
46.Ans (d) A was not the main aim of structuralists. It is something which
was discovered or observed by structuralists in their process
of research. B cannot be affirmed as data is insufficient. C
cannot be inferred. Saussure's work was useful to
structuralists. But his absence may not have led to the
premature death of structuralism.
47.Ans (d) Option (d) is evident from the fourth paragraph which states
that Strauss applied Saussure's theory in his study of
"mythemes". The last sentence of the fourth paragraph clearly
states that Saussure's could be applied across verticals.
Options (a), (b) and (c) cannot be inferred from the passage
48. c B will follow the opening statement, since it is contradicting
the 'claim' made in statement A. EC is the mandatory pair
because C is the extension of E which stresses on the fact
that 'they were not alone' and C talks about the other protests.
49.Ans (c) A will be followed by C because it takes the idea forward by
saying 'it has not fallen far enough …'. BE is the mandatory
pair because E talks about 'their concern'; and here 'their'
refers to the policymakers.
50.Ans (d) D will follow A because 'much of it ...' refers to '...the reasons
Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation ...'. E should follow B
because it refers to the 'habit' of the dealers which irks Mr.
Thompson. EC is the mandatory pair because C explains as to
why 'Auction rooms' more democratic.
other options are mentioned in the passage.
22.Ans (a) The author points out that physics, in the 2nd half of 20th
century, became so evolved that it had a world of its own and
was self contained in the theories and discoveries propounded
by it. This leads us to option (a). All the other options are farfetched.
23.Ans (d) The hidden dimension has remained unknown and unexplained
for very long and in fact it remains a mystery till date. Option
(a) is incorrect. Option (c) is exaggerated. Option (b) cannot
be inferred from the passage.
24.Ans (d) In A, the expression 'a trend that becomes increasingly
common' is not apt. It has to be either ' a trend that has become'
or 'a trend that is becoming'. In C, 'has been now' is an incorrect
construction. It has to be either 'has been' or 'is being now'.
In D, 'an aim to discover' should be corrected to 'discovering'
to conserve parallelism in the sentence.
25.Ans (b) In B, 'his' should be corrected to 'its' as the antecedent for the
pronoun is spectre and not Jinnah. Spectre belongs to the
neuter gender and will take an 'its'. In C, the latter part of the
sentence is not parallel. The correct sentence part would
read ' what Jinnah did or did not do, or Patel said or did not
say?'
26.Ans (b) Options (a) and (c) are incorrect. The phrasal verb 'all along
the line' means ever since the beginning of a relationship or
process. If this is used, the sentence would mean that the
scientist was ready to put his reputation ever since the
beginning of the research of the phenomenon: allergy
desensitization. The phrasal verb ' on the line' means at risk
of failing or being harmed. This is correctly used in options (b)
and (d). However option (d) is negated for having some other
flaws which are illustrated in the following explanation.
This question also tests you on using the colon and semicolon
correctly. In the given sentence, usage of a semicolon is
incorrect. Use a colon to introduce a list, or provide an
explanation. If the material following the colon constitutes a
full sentence, capitalize the first word. If the material following
the colon is a dependent clause or phrase, do not capitalize
the first word. Option (d) disregards these basic rules and
hence is negated. None of the options apart from (b) uses a
comma after 'who' in sync with the comma after 'medical
research'.
27.Ans (d) Option (a) is incorrect. Modal verb 'could' conveys a different
meaning. Moreover, to maintain the parallel structure of the
sentence usage of 'should' is needed. Option (b) is erroneous.
It seems that United States necessitates the employment of
laborers or mechanics. The usage of expression 'not any
of..' is also incorrect. We prefer – 'none of' rather than - 'not
any of', in formal written English. Hence Option (c) is also
negated.
28.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect as the campaigners confused the
sense of 'good' and 'better'. Option (b) is incorrect as the
passage, in thelast line of the 3rd paragraph, represents only
the possibility of the voters agreeing to the proposed
constitution being better than the current treaty whereas the
option turns the possibility into a certainty. Option (d) is the
reverse of what the author is trying to intend. The author is
indicating that the campaigners sent the message that the
constitution was good for Europe when it was just better
than an earlier treaty. Option (c) is correct. The proposed
constitution did not grant initiative to the parliament , though it
made certain improvements over the previous treaty. So the
improvements could not be seen as 'good' by the people,
though they could have been seen as 'better'.
29.Ans (a) Option (b) is incorrect as the author has not commented on
Mr. Bot's conception of logic. But the author definitely feels
that Mr. Bot handled things tactlessly. The author would call
Aristotle's concept limited when it comes to political discourse
as it is based on 'logic'. 'What is logical?' can become very
subjective as two people may not accept that the same
argument is logical. So the author is concerned with the aspect
of 'logic' in Aristotle's theory whereas tact is just mentioned
with a specific reference to the example in the passage. So
to conclude option (c) is far-fetched. Option (d) is exaggerated
and too definitive. The author would agree with the fact that
everything cannot be left to logic. But he does not completely
negate the use of logic. The limitations of logic in the political
sphere would hold even if one is a philosopher or a sage.
Hence option (d) is an incorrect inference. Option (a) is in line
with the author's views and this is what he is trying to highlight
in the discussion in Para 4.
30.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect. The campaigners failed probably
because they confused the meanings of 'good' and 'better'.
Also in the passage, the author raises questions about
Aristotle's theory itself. Hence the failure is not just because
of what the campaigners did. Option (b) has not been strongly
stated by the author. The example shows the difficulty or the
flaw in applying the theory. But to say that it is irrelevant
would require more discussion and more examples. Option
(d) is not specific as it leaves out Aristotle and his theory.
Option (c) is specific and correct to describe the primary
purpose of the author. The author did not completely negate
the 'better' aspect of Aristotle's theory. He has reservations
about the 'logically convincing' part. The author is illustrating
through a specific example, how applying Aristotle's theory
posed problems. This is due to confusion or ambiguity which
arose in the meanings of the terms in the theory when it was
applied to a specific context. Option (c) also encompasses
the scope of the passage.
31.Ans (c) Option (a) is incorrect as we cannot infer that humanity has
benefited from the war. Moreover, this does not go with the
flow of the paragraph. Option (b) is incorrect as we cannot
infer that now the balance is in favour of science. Option (c)
is the correct answer as it goes with the flow of the paragraph.
War still continues and it is not a sideshow is suitably followed
by option (c). Option (d) is incorrect as it is not in flow with the
paragraph. The last statement which states that it is not a
sideshow implies that the sentence should be followed by a
statement that reflects the intensity of war.
32.Ans (a) Option (a) is the correct answer as it continues the idea
illustrated in the last sentence of the paragraph. The tone
conveyed by the author, using the word 'suddenly' in the last
sentence, matches the tone conveyed by 'abrupt' in option
(a). Options (b), (c) and (d) are beyond the scope of the
information in the paragraph.
33.Ans (b) The author defines the superiority of the whole over the part
based on the logic of functionality and efficiency. This logic
when applied to human beings and the state makes the latter
superior. This makes option (b) correct. The other options do
not capture the essence of the paragraph.
34.Ans (d) The author mentions that paranormal investigations show the
difference between what people say has happened and what
actually took place. This makes option (d) correct.
35.Ans (c) The meaning of the word 'conflate' is to merge/fuse/melt two
things. Here, classical empiricism merges the meanings of
two terms and interprets it as one. So conflate is used in the
sense of 'to merge' or 'to combine'. Options (a), (b) and (d)
give a totally different sense from the intended meaning.
36.Ans (b) Statement A is not true. The positivists' denial of the existence
of the generative domain is not because of the reason in
Statement A but due to their adherence to empiricism. Refer to
the line "In other words, due to the empiricist ontology of
Positivism, a scientific law cannot refer to unobservable
causes." Statement B is true. Refer to the line "This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by
David Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early
Positivism because it refers to the empirical instantiation of
the law itself." and also the opening lines of the passage " I
now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work
of Jorge Rivas. Rivas links positivism back to classical
empiricism". Statement C also is not true. We cannot conclude
that the events referred to are just 'experienced'. They are
events which have to be 'observed'. 'Experienced' is not
mentioned as a criterion in the context. Refer to the line "In this
nomological model of explanation, a scientific law is seen to
reflect the actual constant conjunction of empirically
observable events".
37.Ans (b) The opening statement "Rivas links positivism back to classical
empiricism." and the discussion in the passage show how
positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism and
also how branches have emerged within positivism through
divergences from empiricism. Option (a) is not the primary
purpose as the passage does not 'laud' Jose or pass any
subjective comments about his ability or clarity as a philosopher.
Option (c) is again only a part of the discussion. Option (d) is
incorrect as classical empiricism is still seen to have its
influence when dealing with social phenomena as also with
scientific explanations. The author is attempting to study
positivism through the work of Jose Rilas who connects
positivism to classical empiricism.
38.Ans (c) The paradox in the argument is that despite the fact the rate of
TB has declined 15% within the past 15 years in Bihar, the
cost of caring for TB sufferers in Bihar is now roughly equal
to what it was 15 years ago. Option (a) does not help to
resolve the paradox as it deals with the overall cost of health
care in Bihar. Option (b), if at all increases the paradox as it
talks of Bihar's overall health care costs haven't increased in
the past 7 years. Option (c) helps to resolve the paradox as it
addresses both parts of the paradox.
39.Ans (b) The first sentence establishes the cause and effect situation
between bank deposits being insured and this in turn leading
to bank failures. The second sentence describes a situation
where this would not hold true.
40.Ans (a) The argument highlights that for an improvement in results,
teachers must perform their duties efficiently just as the
doctors and nurses must also perform their duties well for the
people's health to improve. The argument further highlights
the shabbiness of the system. The implicit assumption in the
argument is that due to the shabbiness prevalent in the system,
the motivation for performing their duties is almost absent
among the employees. Option (a) weakens the assumption.
Option (b) is distorted. Option (c) does not weaken the
assumption. Option (d) is a generic statement and lies beyond
the scope of the argument.
41.Ans (d) 'Regime' refers to a government in power and esurient means
hungry or greedy. The clue here comes from the second
blank. The word 'even' leads us to an adjective that shall
describe Shumiatsky, in all probabilities the word should have
a contrast with 'had left'. 'Esurient' does the trick. The other
options are out of context.
42.Ans (a) 'Tenebrous' means dark or gloomy or obscure and 'reality'
refers to a fact or state of being. The other options fall out of
context.
43.Ans (b) 'Dazzling' means amazingly impressive. The word agrees with
the tone of the sentence. 'Glaring' is incorrect as it means
obvious. Lambent' means flickering with a glow. 'Homely'
means unattractive.
44.Ans (c) Option (c) is correct here as 'mingling' would result in a
'discourse', which means a conversation. 'Grandiloquence',
which means a pompous speech, would not fit in here.
'Monologue' is out of context with the theme of the sentence.
'Sermon', which means a religious discourse delivered as a
part of the church service or a lengthy and tedious speech,
doesn't fit the context.
45.Ans (b) Structuralism believes that all elements of human culture are
parts of a system of signs - in a way this is understanding the
unity permeating the diversity. (a) is opposite of what
structuralism seeks to do. (c) is part of structuralism's method
but not the primary purpose. We cannot conclude that
structuralism seeks to eliminate things-as in (d).
46.Ans (d) A was not the main aim of structuralists. It is something which
was discovered or observed by structuralists in their process
of research. B cannot be affirmed as data is insufficient. C
cannot be inferred. Saussure's work was useful to
structuralists. But his absence may not have led to the
premature death of structuralism.
47.Ans (d) Option (d) is evident from the fourth paragraph which states
that Strauss applied Saussure's theory in his study of
"mythemes". The last sentence of the fourth paragraph clearly
states that Saussure's could be applied across verticals.
Options (a), (b) and (c) cannot be inferred from the passage
48. c B will follow the opening statement, since it is contradicting
the 'claim' made in statement A. EC is the mandatory pair
because C is the extension of E which stresses on the fact
that 'they were not alone' and C talks about the other protests.
49.Ans (c) A will be followed by C because it takes the idea forward by
saying 'it has not fallen far enough …'. BE is the mandatory
pair because E talks about 'their concern'; and here 'their'
refers to the policymakers.
50.Ans (d) D will follow A because 'much of it ...' refers to '...the reasons
Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation ...'. E should follow B
because it refers to the 'habit' of the dealers which irks Mr.
Thompson. EC is the mandatory pair because C explains as to
why 'Auction rooms' more democratic.
OA s MOCK 2808
DIRECTIONS for Questions 21 to 23: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Light from distant galaxies tells us that the universe is
expanding-one of the main pieces of evidence that space, time and
everything came into existence a little over 12bn years ago in the big
bang. In 1998 astronomers, trying to find out whether the expansion
will continue forever, or grind to a halt and reverse itself in a big
crunch, discovered something much more puzzling. The expansion is
speeding up. To explain this baffling acceleration, the cosmologists
invented dark energy, a mysterious force that pushes the universe
apart. Does dark energy exist? No one knows. At present nothing known
to physics can explain it, so something unknown to physics must be the
cause. It's like something out of Star Wars. In February this year,
American cosmologists Gia Dvali and Michael S Turner put forward a
different theory, one in which dark energy does not exist. Instead,
gravity is leaking out of our universe into an extra dimension. With
less gravity to hold the universe together, it is coming apart faster
than expected. It also sounds like something out of Star Wars. Hidden
dimensions? Only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries could
physicists say this kind of thing with a straight face. It is a
concept associated with Victorian spiritualists, who invented the
fourth dimension as a convenient place to hide everything that didn't
make sense in the familiar three. We spent the first half of the 20th
century learning that the universe is far stranger than we imagined.
Albert Einstein taught us that not only do space and time together
make up a four-dimensional continuum; they also get mixed up with each
other if we move fast enough-this is relativity. And Werner
Heisenberg, Erwin Schrzger and Paul Dirac discovered that on the
tiniest of scales, the universe is plain weird: the quantum world, in
which matter is made of waves and cats can be alive and dead at the
same time.
We spent the last half of the 20th century puzzling over one gigantic
discrepancy: relativity and quantum theory contradict each other. Each
works well within its own domain-the very large for relativity, the
very small for quantum theory. But when those domains overlap, as they
do when we want to understand the early history of the universe, the
combination doesn't work. And so science set off on a quest for a
single theory that would unify the whole of physics into a single
mathematical law. And out of that quest came a strong suspicion that
the familiar three dimensions of space and a fourth of time are mere
scratches on the surface of something far bigger. Could the universe
be made from ten-dimensional "superstrings," maybe, with six tightly
curled dimensions that are so small we never notice them? Or is the
universe just a four-dimensional "brane" floating in a
many-dimensional metaverse, like a skin of congealed milk on a cup of
coffee? Somewhere in that half century, physics lost contact with the
world in which most of us live. However, it is worth recognising that
their world may be more real than ours; the human-centred viewpoint
works fine for activities like politics and art, but it may not be
appropriate for a universe that operates in inhuman ways and on scales
that the human mind did not evolve to contemplate.
21. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?
a. Physicists have struggled for decades to find a grand unified theory.
b. Space and time can get mixed up at very high speeds.
c. Dark energy was the cosmologists' invention to explain the
acceleration of the expansion of the universe.
d. Dark energy has its own, very structurally defined, dimensions.
22. By saying physics lost contact with the world, the author means:
a. Physics created a world of its own.
b. There was no compassion left in the world of physics.
c. Physics became larger than life.
d. Physics became difficult to handle.
23. According to the author, why is it difficult to explain the hidden
dimension?
a. Because the Victorians projected it as a trivial object.
b. Because gravity pushed everything there.
c. Because it seems straight out of a star wars movie.
d. None of the abov
24. Given below are five sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. 'Friends' reflects a trend that becomes increasingly common in most
of the world,
B a phase of life after adolescence and before adulthood.
C. This phase has been explored by academics and commentators recently
and has been now popularly called 'the odyssey years',
D. since it consists mainly of wandering, an aim to discover and
overcoming several small rites of passage.
E. In this phase, 20-somethings live, seemingly, with no clear sense
of direction.
a. Only A b. A and C c. D and E d.
A , C and D
25. Given below are four sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. Over 50 years after his death, the spectre of Jinnah seems to be
playing a very active role in our politics,
B. with Advani barely escaping his marauding clutches and Jaswant
Singh succumbing, while donning an air of gravelly martyrdom.
C. After so many years of not caring about the past, why is it so
important what Jinnah did or Patel said or did not say?
D. As a party spokesperson admitted, Jaswant Singh's characterization
of Jinnah ran counter to the popular perception that Indians have of
him.
a. A and B b. B and C c. A, B and C d. B, C and D
26. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracketed.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the br part.
acketedThe first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
Dr. Stevenson was a very inspiring and (dedicated scientist, who on
the very apogee of his career at the French National Institute for
Health and Medical Research, was ready to put his reputation all along
the line to report a phenomenon he didn't understand: Allergy
desensitization.)
a. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand : Allergy desensitization.
b. dedicated scientist, who, at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand: allergy desensitization.
c. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand: allergy desensitization.
d. dedicated scientist who at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research was ready to
put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand; Allergy desensitization.
27. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracteted.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the bracketed
part. The first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
(Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work) more than eight
hours in any calendar day.
a. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work
b. The United States necessitates the employment of laborers or
mechanics and every contract made for or on behalf of it should
contain a provision that none of them should be required to work
c. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that not any of them should be required to work
d. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them should be required to work
DIRECTIONS for Questions 28 to 30: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
A convincing message must be logical, and in a political discourse
this means, according to Aristotle, that a proposal must have obvious
advantages compared to an alternative. The pro-Constitution campaign
did indeed concentrate on the advantages of the new treaty. Quite
logical. However, two remarks must be made.
In the first place: the campaigners confused "this is better" and
"this is good". Again and again, they said that the proposed
Constitution was an improvement compared to the old treaty of Nice.
This was true, because the European Parliament was to receive greater
powers and democratic controls increased. Many people will consider
these things to be improvements, and therefore, the campaigners
argued, the Dutch could agree with the Constitution.
But the issue was not whether the new treaty was better for Europe; it
was presented as good for Europe. And this was not the whole truth.
Better is not good enough. It might be argued, for example, that no
treaty could be called a "good constitution" as long as it did not
give the power of initiative to the European Parliament; a beefed-up
parliament without this vital power cannot be called democratic.
Voters could have very sound reasons to think that this treaty was not
sufficient, even though they could agree that it was better than the
current treaty.
In the second place: what is logic? Not everybody considers the same
appeals to be valid. Here is an argument that was really mentioned:
"The Eastern Europeans do not support the Dutch during the Eurovision
Song Contest, so we will not support a treaty that is benefical to
Eastern Europe." It is understandable that many people thought that
this was really irrelevant, but there were people who thought that it
was perfectly logical.
It was rather tactless of the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Bot, to declare that the Song Contest argument was "holding things
upside down", and equally tactless was his suggestion that people
should stay away from the polling stations if they did not understand
what the treaty was about.
Not only were these remarks tactless, they also disregarded the nature
of democracy. If the best policy could be deduced logically, we could
give supreme power to a group of philosophers and live happily ever
after. We do not do this, because even the greatest sages make
mistakes.
28. Which of the following can be inferred from the discussion about
the proposed constitution ?
a. The campaigners had more clarity than the people about the meanings
of 'good' and 'better'.
b. Voters agreed that the proposed constitution was better than the
current treaty.
c. The improvements presented by the campaigners could not be seen as
'good' by the people.
d. The campaigners sent the message that the constitution was better
for Europe when it was actually good for Europe.
29. Which of the following would be in line with the author's views in
the passage ?
a. What appears logical to one may not appear logical to the other.
b. The Dutch Minister , Mr Bot did not have a sound conception of logic.
c. Aristotle's concept of a convincing argument is flawed as it does
not talk about 'tact'.
d. One should not use logic to decide the best policy in the political
sphere unless one is a philosopher or a sage.
30. The primary purpose of the author in the passage is to
a. Argue that the campaigners did not apply Aristotle's theory
properly and hence failed in their quest.
b. Show that Aristotle's theory regarding a convincing message in a
political discourse is irrelevant when we come to its application.
c. Show that Aristotle's theory on political discourse can pose
problems when it comes to its application in deciding the best policy
in political matters.
d. Prove that one cannot entrust the country's policymaking completely
to philosophers.
31. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
The "war" between science and religion is notable for the amount of
civil disobedience on both sides. Most scientists and most religious
believers refuse to be drafted into the fight. Whether out of a
liveand- let-live philosophy, or a belief that religion and science
are actually compatible, or a heartfelt indifference to the question,
they're choosing to sit this one out. Still, the war continues, and
it's not just a sideshow. __________________________
a. People on both the sides of the line have tried to win the war, but
continuance of war has helped the humanity more.
b. The balance, during the dark ages, was in favour of religion, but
now it is tilted in favour of science.
c. On both sides, there are intensely motivated and vocal people
making serious and conflicting claims.
d. The faith that science and religion are complementary has never
been stronger.
32. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Creativity has long been a focus of academics in fields ranging from
anthropology to neuroscience, and has enticed management scholars as
well. Therefore, a substantial body of work on creativity has been
available to any businessperson inclined to step back from the fray of
daily management and engage in its questions. And that's suddenly very
fortunate, because what used to be an intellectual interest for some
thoughtful executives has now become an urgent concern for many.
____________________
a. The shift to a more innovation-driven economy has been abrupt.
b. Academicians have now pushed the ball in the management's court and
it remains to be seen how executives will cope up with this.
c. Management has now joined the long list of subjects that have a
bias towards the arts rather than the science.
d. Still many are unruffled by this race for creativity and we can,
somehow, surmise their future.
33. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the
individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for
example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or
hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand;
for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that. But things
are defined by their working and power; and we ought not to say that
they are the same when they no longer have their proper quality, but
only that they have the same name. The proof that the state is a
creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual,
when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part
in relation to the whole.
a. Nature is the most superior of all things since human beings are
its creations. All other institutions need nature to function and
achieve their optimum efficiency.
b. Man is a part in relation to the state, which can be considered as
a whole. If the state is removed then man will be unable to function
and this makes the state prior and superior.
c. One should always look at things in a holistic manner instead of
looking at insignificant parts.
d. Human beings appear superior in their ability to mould nature
according to their nature, but this is possible only when they work in
collaboration. This makes it possible for states to be created.
34. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Herein lies an important lesson that I have learned in many years of
paranormal investigations: What people remember rarely corresponds to
what actually happened. Case in point: A man named Guy Savelli said
that he had seen soldiers kill goats by staring at them, and that he
himself had also done so. But as the story unfolds I discovered that
Savelli is recalling, years later, what he remembers about a
particular "experiment" with 30 numbered goats. Savelli randomly chose
goat number 16 and gave it his best death stare. But he couldn't
concentrate that day, so he quit the experiment, only to be told later
that goat number 17 had died. End of story. No autopsy or explanation
of the cause of death. No information about how much time had elapsed;
the conditions, like temperature, of the room into which the 30 goats
had been placed; how long they had been there, and so forth.
a. Paranormal investigations are subjective and closely guarded.
b. In paranormal investigations, people are seen to create versions
that do not withstand questioning.
c. People blank out paranormal events, thereby making paranormal
investigations doubtful.
d. In paranormal investigations, the issue of what is professed and
what had happened are different things.
DIRECTIONS for Questions 35 to 37: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
I now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work of Jorge
Rivas .Rivas links positivism back to classical empiricism. He says
that classical empiricism conflates the empirical and the actual
levels of reality, as:
It holds that the only thing that really exists is our experience. The
early Positivists adopted this empiricist ontology as the very core of
their philosophy of science to distinguish themselves from
metaphysical and religious explanations based on unobservables, and it
continued to be the basic ontological position of some branches of
Positivist philosophy of social science as late as the
1970s....However, most Positivists today recognize only the events
which actually occur as real (often calling true empiricism "Naïve
Empiricism"). This position is known as actualism.
He adds that even where Positivists are actualists with regards to
natural phenomena, many Positivists still hold to true empiricism when
it comes to social phenomena. They hold that material reality can be
distinguished from the empirical observation of it (in other words,
that it is actual), but that social reality cannot i.e. that social
reality is inherently subjective and has no external reality beyond
human consciousness or cognition.
Moreover, while actualist Positivists distinguish between the actual
and the empirical domains (in other words, between events and
perceptions of those events):they do not distinguish between the
actual and the generative domains (in other words, between events and
the often unobservable underlying causes of those events). Actualism
denies the reality of the generative domain. This form of empiricism
does not accept that there are hidden, unknown or unrecognized
mechanisms really generating actual events. Interpretivists also deny
the generative domain.
He adds that an area where the Scientific Realist and Positivist
approaches diverge radically is in the conception of scientific
explanation, and the role of scientific laws in scientific
explanation.
The Positivist conception of explanation, exemplified by Carl Hempel
and still adhered to by philosophers of science critical of some other
aspects of Positivism, such as Karl Popper, claims that science has
explained an event when it has formulated a universal law, or
"covering law", from which the event can be deduced (known as
subsumption under a generalization). In this nomological model of
explanation, a scientific law is seen to reflect the actual constant
conjunction of empirically observable events. This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by David
Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early Positivism because
it refers to the empirical instantiation of the law itself. In other
words, due to the empiricist ontology of Positivism, a scientific law
cannot refer to unobservable causes. Because it is referring to the
constant conjunction of events, the basic form of the law is: "if y
then z". If we identify y, then we can predict that z will follow.
This means that prediction is built into the Positivist formulation of
explanation. Thus, the explanation of a phenomenon also entails the
ability to predict it. This is known as the "deductive-nomological"
(D-N), "Humean", or "covering law" model of explanation and scientific
laws and, importantly, it produces the Positivist thesis of the
symmetry of explanation and prediction.
According to Scientific Realism the propensity of objects of study to
behave in certain ways results from their internal and external
structures at the generative level, so that while these generative
structures may be unperceived, we can attempt to know of them through
their effects:
Thus a crucial difference between the Scientific Realist and
Positivist conceptions of science is that Realists argue that when
scientists talk about "scientific laws" (e.g. "laws of nature", "laws
of history" or "laws of supply and demand") they are referring to
those causal mechanisms of the objects of study which makes such a
law-like formulation (relatively) accurate, not to the empirical
instantiation of the law itself (which is the
empiricist Positivist position).
35. The meaning of the word 'conflate' as used in the passage is closest to
a. Exaggerate b. Expand c. Merge d. Distort
36. Which of the following statements are true regarding 'The
positivist conception of scientific explanation'?
A. The positivist conception of scientific explanation denies the
existence of the generative domain as it is not possible to predict
events if the generative domain is affirmed to be true.
B. The positivist conception of scientific explanation draws its
fundamentals from classical empiricism.
C. The positivist conception of scientific explanation believes in a
universal law behind a set of events which can be observed or
experienced.
a. Only A b. Only B c. A and B d. B and C
37. The primary purpose of the passage is to
a. Portray the clarity with which Jorge Rivas understands positivism.
b. Show how Positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism.
c. Explain the various branches of positivism.
d. Argue that classical empiricism has become obsolete when we look at
present day positivism.
38. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
The overall rate of TB has declined 15% over the last 15 years in
Bihar. During that period, the total cost of care for TB sufferers in
Bihar, after accounting for inflation, declined by 2% per year until 8
years ago, at which time it began increasing by approximately 2% per
year so that now the total health care cost for treating TB is
approximately equal to what it was 15 years ago.
Which one of the following best resolves the apparent discrepancy
between the incidence of TB in Bihar and the cost of caring for TB
sufferers?
a. The overall cost of health care in Bihar has increased by 7% in the
last 15 years, after accounting for inflation.
b. About 7 years ago, the widespread switch to health maintenance
organisations halted overall increases in health care costs in Bihar,
after accounting for inflation.
c. Improvements in technology have significantly increased both the
costs per patient and the success rate of TB care in the past 15
years.
d. None of the above.
39. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
Bank depositors in the United States are all financially protected
against bank failures because the government insures all individuals'
bank deposits. An economist argues that this insurance is partly
responsible for the high rate of bank failures, since it removes from
depositors any financial incentive to find out whether the bank that
holds their money is secure against failure. If depositors were more
inquisitive, then banks would need to be secure in order to compete
for depositors' money.
In the above passage, the two portions in boldface play which of the
following roles?
a. The first is evidence that the economist offers in support of a
certain prediction; the second is that position
b. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will hold under the present circumstances. The second
acknowledges a situation in which that pattern would not hold.
c. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a
consideration in support of that prediction
d. The first acknowledges a consideration that weighs against the main
position that the economist defends; the second is that position
40. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
For education results to improve, teachers must show up at work and do
their jobs well just as doctors and nurses must do for people's health
to improve but these service providers are often trapped in a system
where incentives for doing their jobs well are weak, corruption is
rife and political patronage is a way of life.
Which of the following seriously challenges the assumption implicit in
the above passage?
a. doctors and teachers are professionals who are motivated purely by
their own desire to extend help.
b. the health and education systems are in shambles because of their
employees and not because of their patrons.
c. doctors and teachers work for incentives
d. corruption and political patronage have permeated all aspects of life.
41. There are two blanks in the following sentences. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Not that the Soviet ________ was the only culprit. In every country
where it was shown the censors had a field day, and nibbled away even
at what the ________Shumiatsky had left.
a. kingdom, benevolent
b. era, obnoxious
c. ideology, blasphemous
d. regime, esurient
42. There are two blanks in the following sentence. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Truly, with the ________mirror of material ________ever before our
gaze, we see things spiritual and eternal 'through a glass darkly'.
a. tenebrous, reality
b. shattered, pompousness
c. silent, divinity
d. fading, distraction
43. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
People converse with one another using a _______ range of languages,
each differing from the next in innumerable ways.
a. glaring b. dazzling c. homely d. lambent
44. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
Party planners know that scrunching a bunch of people into a small
space will result in plenty of mingling and _________.
a. grandiloquence b. monologue c. discourse d. sermons
DIRECTIONS for Questions 45 to 47: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Structuralism is a theory of humankind in which all elements of human
culture, including literature, are thought to be parts of a system of
signs. Critic Robert Scholes has described structuralism as a reaction
to "'modernist' alienation and despair." European structuralists such
as Roman Jakobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Roland Barthes (before his
shift toward poststructuralism) attempted to develop a semiology, or
semiotics (science of signs). Barthes, among others, sought to recover
literature and even language from the isolation in which they had been
studied and to show that the laws that govern them govern all signs,
from road signs to articles of clothing.
Structuralism was heavily influenced by linguistics, especially by the
pioneering work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Particularly useful to
structuralists was Saussure's concept of the phoneme (the smallest
basic speech sound or unit of pronunciation) and his idea that
phonemes exist in two kinds of relationships: diachronic and
synchronic. A phoneme has a diachronic, or "horizontal," relationship
with those other phonemes that precede and follow it (as the words
appear, left to right, on this page) in a particular usage, utterance,
or narrative— what Saussure, a linguist, called parole (French for
"word"). A phoneme has a synchronic, or "vertical," relationship with
the entire system of language within which individual usages,
utterances, or narratives have meaning—what Saussure called langue
(French for "tongue," as in "native tongue," meaning language). An
means what it means in English because those of us who speak the
language are plugged into the same system (think of it as a computer
network where different individuals can access the same information in
the same way at a given time).
Following Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, an anthropologist, studied hundreds
of myths, breaking them into their smallest meaningful units, which he
called "mythemes." Removing each from its diachronic relations with
other mythemes in a single myth (such as the myth of Oedipus and his
mother), he vertically aligned those mythemes that he found to be
homologous (structurally correspondent). He then studied the
relationships within as well as between vertically aligned columns, in
an attempt to understand scientifically, through ratios and
proportions, those thoughts and processes that humankind has shared,
both at one particular time and across time. Whether Lévi-Strauss was
studying the structure of myths or the structure of villages, he
looked for recurring, common elements that transcended the differences
within and among cultures.
Structuralists followed Saussure in preferring to think about the
overriding langue, or language of myth, in which each mytheme and
mytheme-constituted myth fits meaningfully, rather than about isolated
individual paroles, or narratives. Structuralists also followed
Saussure's lead in believing that sign systems must be understood in
terms of binary oppositions (a proposition later disputed by
poststructuralist Jacques Derrida). In analyzing myths and texts to
find basic structures, structuralists found that opposite terms
modulate until they are finally resolved or reconciled by some
intermediary third term. Thus a structuralist reading of Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667) might show that the war between God and the
rebellious angels becomes a rift between God and sinful, fallen man, a
rift that is healed by the Son of God, the mediating third term.
Although structuralism was largely a European phenomenon in its origin
and development, it was influenced by American thinkers as well. Noam
Chomsky, for instance, who powerfully influenced structuralism through
works such as Reflections on Language (1975), identified and
distinguished between "surface structures" and "deep structures" in
language and linguistic literatures, including texts.
45. It can be inferred that structuralism primarily seeks to
a. isolate individual elements from the whole.
b. understand the unity permeating in and through the diversity of
human culture.
c. resolve opposing terms in human culture.
d. eliminate the study of the isolated elements of human culture.
46. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?
A. The main aim of structuralists was to find that third element which
would resolve opposition.
B. Poststructuralism was opposed to structuralism.
C. Structuralism would have died a premature death if the concept of
phoneme had not been elucidated by Saussure.
a. Only A b. A and C c. B and C d. All of the above
47. Which of the following statements is true about Strauss's work?
a. Strauss refined Saussure's theory.
b. Strauss showed the superiority of langue over paroles.
c. Strauss showed that anthropology was connected to linguistics.
d. Strauss provided evidence which proved that Saussure's theory could
be applied across various verticals.
48. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. The government was claiming that the city's air was cleaner for the
Olympics than it had been in a decade.
B. But stench from a waste-disposal plant was smothering their homes.
C. After a lull, news of protests around China about all sorts of
issues is again trickling out.
D. Freed from Olympic constraints, they felt it was time to protest.
E. They were not alone.
a. BEDC b. CDEB c. BDEC d. DEBC
49. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. In such circumstances, the recent fall in the price of oil (and
food) should be a boon for hard-pressed consumers.
B. Inflation seems set to follow oil and food costs down, but some
policymakers fret that it may not fall quickly to a tolerable level.
C. It has not, however, fallen far enough for central bankers to be
celebrating just yet.
D. If so, sluggish GDP growth may not create enough slack in the
economy to drive inflation down far.
E. Their concern is that high oil prices may have harmed the potential
growth rate of the economy, as well as temporarily pushing up
inflation.
a. CEBD b. BDCE c. CBED d. BECD
50. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. If the timing and reasoning behind Sotheby's decision to go ahead
are obvious, the reasons Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation for a
one-off fire sale are more subtle.
B. Although he has benefited from the contacts and clout that his
dealers provide, he is irked by their habit of making potential new
buyers prove themselves by waiting before they are allowed to purchase
a work of art.
C Anyone with enough money can buy what they want – immediately.
D. Much of it has to do with his natural impatience, his wish to break
rules and break down boundaries.
E. "Dealers are gatekeepers who permit artists' access to serious
collectors," explains Mr. Thompson. Auction rooms, by contrast, are
more democratic.
a. BDEC b. BDCE c. DEBC d. DBEC
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Light from distant galaxies tells us that the universe is
expanding-one of the main pieces of evidence that space, time and
everything came into existence a little over 12bn years ago in the big
bang. In 1998 astronomers, trying to find out whether the expansion
will continue forever, or grind to a halt and reverse itself in a big
crunch, discovered something much more puzzling. The expansion is
speeding up. To explain this baffling acceleration, the cosmologists
invented dark energy, a mysterious force that pushes the universe
apart. Does dark energy exist? No one knows. At present nothing known
to physics can explain it, so something unknown to physics must be the
cause. It's like something out of Star Wars. In February this year,
American cosmologists Gia Dvali and Michael S Turner put forward a
different theory, one in which dark energy does not exist. Instead,
gravity is leaking out of our universe into an extra dimension. With
less gravity to hold the universe together, it is coming apart faster
than expected. It also sounds like something out of Star Wars. Hidden
dimensions? Only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries could
physicists say this kind of thing with a straight face. It is a
concept associated with Victorian spiritualists, who invented the
fourth dimension as a convenient place to hide everything that didn't
make sense in the familiar three. We spent the first half of the 20th
century learning that the universe is far stranger than we imagined.
Albert Einstein taught us that not only do space and time together
make up a four-dimensional continuum; they also get mixed up with each
other if we move fast enough-this is relativity. And Werner
Heisenberg, Erwin Schrzger and Paul Dirac discovered that on the
tiniest of scales, the universe is plain weird: the quantum world, in
which matter is made of waves and cats can be alive and dead at the
same time.
We spent the last half of the 20th century puzzling over one gigantic
discrepancy: relativity and quantum theory contradict each other. Each
works well within its own domain-the very large for relativity, the
very small for quantum theory. But when those domains overlap, as they
do when we want to understand the early history of the universe, the
combination doesn't work. And so science set off on a quest for a
single theory that would unify the whole of physics into a single
mathematical law. And out of that quest came a strong suspicion that
the familiar three dimensions of space and a fourth of time are mere
scratches on the surface of something far bigger. Could the universe
be made from ten-dimensional "superstrings," maybe, with six tightly
curled dimensions that are so small we never notice them? Or is the
universe just a four-dimensional "brane" floating in a
many-dimensional metaverse, like a skin of congealed milk on a cup of
coffee? Somewhere in that half century, physics lost contact with the
world in which most of us live. However, it is worth recognising that
their world may be more real than ours; the human-centred viewpoint
works fine for activities like politics and art, but it may not be
appropriate for a universe that operates in inhuman ways and on scales
that the human mind did not evolve to contemplate.
21. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?
a. Physicists have struggled for decades to find a grand unified theory.
b. Space and time can get mixed up at very high speeds.
c. Dark energy was the cosmologists' invention to explain the
acceleration of the expansion of the universe.
d. Dark energy has its own, very structurally defined, dimensions.
22. By saying physics lost contact with the world, the author means:
a. Physics created a world of its own.
b. There was no compassion left in the world of physics.
c. Physics became larger than life.
d. Physics became difficult to handle.
23. According to the author, why is it difficult to explain the hidden
dimension?
a. Because the Victorians projected it as a trivial object.
b. Because gravity pushed everything there.
c. Because it seems straight out of a star wars movie.
d. None of the abov
24. Given below are five sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. 'Friends' reflects a trend that becomes increasingly common in most
of the world,
B a phase of life after adolescence and before adulthood.
C. This phase has been explored by academics and commentators recently
and has been now popularly called 'the odyssey years',
D. since it consists mainly of wandering, an aim to discover and
overcoming several small rites of passage.
E. In this phase, 20-somethings live, seemingly, with no clear sense
of direction.
a. Only A b. A and C c. D and E d.
A , C and D
25. Given below are four sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. Over 50 years after his death, the spectre of Jinnah seems to be
playing a very active role in our politics,
B. with Advani barely escaping his marauding clutches and Jaswant
Singh succumbing, while donning an air of gravelly martyrdom.
C. After so many years of not caring about the past, why is it so
important what Jinnah did or Patel said or did not say?
D. As a party spokesperson admitted, Jaswant Singh's characterization
of Jinnah ran counter to the popular perception that Indians have of
him.
a. A and B b. B and C c. A, B and C d. B, C and D
26. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracketed.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the br part.
acketedThe first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
Dr. Stevenson was a very inspiring and (dedicated scientist, who on
the very apogee of his career at the French National Institute for
Health and Medical Research, was ready to put his reputation all along
the line to report a phenomenon he didn't understand: Allergy
desensitization.)
a. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand : Allergy desensitization.
b. dedicated scientist, who, at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand: allergy desensitization.
c. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand: allergy desensitization.
d. dedicated scientist who at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research was ready to
put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand; Allergy desensitization.
27. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracteted.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the bracketed
part. The first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
(Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work) more than eight
hours in any calendar day.
a. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work
b. The United States necessitates the employment of laborers or
mechanics and every contract made for or on behalf of it should
contain a provision that none of them should be required to work
c. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that not any of them should be required to work
d. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them should be required to work
DIRECTIONS for Questions 28 to 30: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
A convincing message must be logical, and in a political discourse
this means, according to Aristotle, that a proposal must have obvious
advantages compared to an alternative. The pro-Constitution campaign
did indeed concentrate on the advantages of the new treaty. Quite
logical. However, two remarks must be made.
In the first place: the campaigners confused "this is better" and
"this is good". Again and again, they said that the proposed
Constitution was an improvement compared to the old treaty of Nice.
This was true, because the European Parliament was to receive greater
powers and democratic controls increased. Many people will consider
these things to be improvements, and therefore, the campaigners
argued, the Dutch could agree with the Constitution.
But the issue was not whether the new treaty was better for Europe; it
was presented as good for Europe. And this was not the whole truth.
Better is not good enough. It might be argued, for example, that no
treaty could be called a "good constitution" as long as it did not
give the power of initiative to the European Parliament; a beefed-up
parliament without this vital power cannot be called democratic.
Voters could have very sound reasons to think that this treaty was not
sufficient, even though they could agree that it was better than the
current treaty.
In the second place: what is logic? Not everybody considers the same
appeals to be valid. Here is an argument that was really mentioned:
"The Eastern Europeans do not support the Dutch during the Eurovision
Song Contest, so we will not support a treaty that is benefical to
Eastern Europe." It is understandable that many people thought that
this was really irrelevant, but there were people who thought that it
was perfectly logical.
It was rather tactless of the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Bot, to declare that the Song Contest argument was "holding things
upside down", and equally tactless was his suggestion that people
should stay away from the polling stations if they did not understand
what the treaty was about.
Not only were these remarks tactless, they also disregarded the nature
of democracy. If the best policy could be deduced logically, we could
give supreme power to a group of philosophers and live happily ever
after. We do not do this, because even the greatest sages make
mistakes.
28. Which of the following can be inferred from the discussion about
the proposed constitution ?
a. The campaigners had more clarity than the people about the meanings
of 'good' and 'better'.
b. Voters agreed that the proposed constitution was better than the
current treaty.
c. The improvements presented by the campaigners could not be seen as
'good' by the people.
d. The campaigners sent the message that the constitution was better
for Europe when it was actually good for Europe.
29. Which of the following would be in line with the author's views in
the passage ?
a. What appears logical to one may not appear logical to the other.
b. The Dutch Minister , Mr Bot did not have a sound conception of logic.
c. Aristotle's concept of a convincing argument is flawed as it does
not talk about 'tact'.
d. One should not use logic to decide the best policy in the political
sphere unless one is a philosopher or a sage.
30. The primary purpose of the author in the passage is to
a. Argue that the campaigners did not apply Aristotle's theory
properly and hence failed in their quest.
b. Show that Aristotle's theory regarding a convincing message in a
political discourse is irrelevant when we come to its application.
c. Show that Aristotle's theory on political discourse can pose
problems when it comes to its application in deciding the best policy
in political matters.
d. Prove that one cannot entrust the country's policymaking completely
to philosophers.
31. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
The "war" between science and religion is notable for the amount of
civil disobedience on both sides. Most scientists and most religious
believers refuse to be drafted into the fight. Whether out of a
liveand- let-live philosophy, or a belief that religion and science
are actually compatible, or a heartfelt indifference to the question,
they're choosing to sit this one out. Still, the war continues, and
it's not just a sideshow. __________________________
a. People on both the sides of the line have tried to win the war, but
continuance of war has helped the humanity more.
b. The balance, during the dark ages, was in favour of religion, but
now it is tilted in favour of science.
c. On both sides, there are intensely motivated and vocal people
making serious and conflicting claims.
d. The faith that science and religion are complementary has never
been stronger.
32. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Creativity has long been a focus of academics in fields ranging from
anthropology to neuroscience, and has enticed management scholars as
well. Therefore, a substantial body of work on creativity has been
available to any businessperson inclined to step back from the fray of
daily management and engage in its questions. And that's suddenly very
fortunate, because what used to be an intellectual interest for some
thoughtful executives has now become an urgent concern for many.
____________________
a. The shift to a more innovation-driven economy has been abrupt.
b. Academicians have now pushed the ball in the management's court and
it remains to be seen how executives will cope up with this.
c. Management has now joined the long list of subjects that have a
bias towards the arts rather than the science.
d. Still many are unruffled by this race for creativity and we can,
somehow, surmise their future.
33. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the
individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for
example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or
hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand;
for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that. But things
are defined by their working and power; and we ought not to say that
they are the same when they no longer have their proper quality, but
only that they have the same name. The proof that the state is a
creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual,
when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part
in relation to the whole.
a. Nature is the most superior of all things since human beings are
its creations. All other institutions need nature to function and
achieve their optimum efficiency.
b. Man is a part in relation to the state, which can be considered as
a whole. If the state is removed then man will be unable to function
and this makes the state prior and superior.
c. One should always look at things in a holistic manner instead of
looking at insignificant parts.
d. Human beings appear superior in their ability to mould nature
according to their nature, but this is possible only when they work in
collaboration. This makes it possible for states to be created.
34. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Herein lies an important lesson that I have learned in many years of
paranormal investigations: What people remember rarely corresponds to
what actually happened. Case in point: A man named Guy Savelli said
that he had seen soldiers kill goats by staring at them, and that he
himself had also done so. But as the story unfolds I discovered that
Savelli is recalling, years later, what he remembers about a
particular "experiment" with 30 numbered goats. Savelli randomly chose
goat number 16 and gave it his best death stare. But he couldn't
concentrate that day, so he quit the experiment, only to be told later
that goat number 17 had died. End of story. No autopsy or explanation
of the cause of death. No information about how much time had elapsed;
the conditions, like temperature, of the room into which the 30 goats
had been placed; how long they had been there, and so forth.
a. Paranormal investigations are subjective and closely guarded.
b. In paranormal investigations, people are seen to create versions
that do not withstand questioning.
c. People blank out paranormal events, thereby making paranormal
investigations doubtful.
d. In paranormal investigations, the issue of what is professed and
what had happened are different things.
DIRECTIONS for Questions 35 to 37: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
I now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work of Jorge
Rivas .Rivas links positivism back to classical empiricism. He says
that classical empiricism conflates the empirical and the actual
levels of reality, as:
It holds that the only thing that really exists is our experience. The
early Positivists adopted this empiricist ontology as the very core of
their philosophy of science to distinguish themselves from
metaphysical and religious explanations based on unobservables, and it
continued to be the basic ontological position of some branches of
Positivist philosophy of social science as late as the
1970s....However, most Positivists today recognize only the events
which actually occur as real (often calling true empiricism "Naïve
Empiricism"). This position is known as actualism.
He adds that even where Positivists are actualists with regards to
natural phenomena, many Positivists still hold to true empiricism when
it comes to social phenomena. They hold that material reality can be
distinguished from the empirical observation of it (in other words,
that it is actual), but that social reality cannot i.e. that social
reality is inherently subjective and has no external reality beyond
human consciousness or cognition.
Moreover, while actualist Positivists distinguish between the actual
and the empirical domains (in other words, between events and
perceptions of those events):they do not distinguish between the
actual and the generative domains (in other words, between events and
the often unobservable underlying causes of those events). Actualism
denies the reality of the generative domain. This form of empiricism
does not accept that there are hidden, unknown or unrecognized
mechanisms really generating actual events. Interpretivists also deny
the generative domain.
He adds that an area where the Scientific Realist and Positivist
approaches diverge radically is in the conception of scientific
explanation, and the role of scientific laws in scientific
explanation.
The Positivist conception of explanation, exemplified by Carl Hempel
and still adhered to by philosophers of science critical of some other
aspects of Positivism, such as Karl Popper, claims that science has
explained an event when it has formulated a universal law, or
"covering law", from which the event can be deduced (known as
subsumption under a generalization). In this nomological model of
explanation, a scientific law is seen to reflect the actual constant
conjunction of empirically observable events. This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by David
Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early Positivism because
it refers to the empirical instantiation of the law itself. In other
words, due to the empiricist ontology of Positivism, a scientific law
cannot refer to unobservable causes. Because it is referring to the
constant conjunction of events, the basic form of the law is: "if y
then z". If we identify y, then we can predict that z will follow.
This means that prediction is built into the Positivist formulation of
explanation. Thus, the explanation of a phenomenon also entails the
ability to predict it. This is known as the "deductive-nomological"
(D-N), "Humean", or "covering law" model of explanation and scientific
laws and, importantly, it produces the Positivist thesis of the
symmetry of explanation and prediction.
According to Scientific Realism the propensity of objects of study to
behave in certain ways results from their internal and external
structures at the generative level, so that while these generative
structures may be unperceived, we can attempt to know of them through
their effects:
Thus a crucial difference between the Scientific Realist and
Positivist conceptions of science is that Realists argue that when
scientists talk about "scientific laws" (e.g. "laws of nature", "laws
of history" or "laws of supply and demand") they are referring to
those causal mechanisms of the objects of study which makes such a
law-like formulation (relatively) accurate, not to the empirical
instantiation of the law itself (which is the
empiricist Positivist position).
35. The meaning of the word 'conflate' as used in the passage is closest to
a. Exaggerate b. Expand c. Merge d. Distort
36. Which of the following statements are true regarding 'The
positivist conception of scientific explanation'?
A. The positivist conception of scientific explanation denies the
existence of the generative domain as it is not possible to predict
events if the generative domain is affirmed to be true.
B. The positivist conception of scientific explanation draws its
fundamentals from classical empiricism.
C. The positivist conception of scientific explanation believes in a
universal law behind a set of events which can be observed or
experienced.
a. Only A b. Only B c. A and B d. B and C
37. The primary purpose of the passage is to
a. Portray the clarity with which Jorge Rivas understands positivism.
b. Show how Positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism.
c. Explain the various branches of positivism.
d. Argue that classical empiricism has become obsolete when we look at
present day positivism.
38. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
The overall rate of TB has declined 15% over the last 15 years in
Bihar. During that period, the total cost of care for TB sufferers in
Bihar, after accounting for inflation, declined by 2% per year until 8
years ago, at which time it began increasing by approximately 2% per
year so that now the total health care cost for treating TB is
approximately equal to what it was 15 years ago.
Which one of the following best resolves the apparent discrepancy
between the incidence of TB in Bihar and the cost of caring for TB
sufferers?
a. The overall cost of health care in Bihar has increased by 7% in the
last 15 years, after accounting for inflation.
b. About 7 years ago, the widespread switch to health maintenance
organisations halted overall increases in health care costs in Bihar,
after accounting for inflation.
c. Improvements in technology have significantly increased both the
costs per patient and the success rate of TB care in the past 15
years.
d. None of the above.
39. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
Bank depositors in the United States are all financially protected
against bank failures because the government insures all individuals'
bank deposits. An economist argues that this insurance is partly
responsible for the high rate of bank failures, since it removes from
depositors any financial incentive to find out whether the bank that
holds their money is secure against failure. If depositors were more
inquisitive, then banks would need to be secure in order to compete
for depositors' money.
In the above passage, the two portions in boldface play which of the
following roles?
a. The first is evidence that the economist offers in support of a
certain prediction; the second is that position
b. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will hold under the present circumstances. The second
acknowledges a situation in which that pattern would not hold.
c. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a
consideration in support of that prediction
d. The first acknowledges a consideration that weighs against the main
position that the economist defends; the second is that position
40. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
For education results to improve, teachers must show up at work and do
their jobs well just as doctors and nurses must do for people's health
to improve but these service providers are often trapped in a system
where incentives for doing their jobs well are weak, corruption is
rife and political patronage is a way of life.
Which of the following seriously challenges the assumption implicit in
the above passage?
a. doctors and teachers are professionals who are motivated purely by
their own desire to extend help.
b. the health and education systems are in shambles because of their
employees and not because of their patrons.
c. doctors and teachers work for incentives
d. corruption and political patronage have permeated all aspects of life.
41. There are two blanks in the following sentences. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Not that the Soviet ________ was the only culprit. In every country
where it was shown the censors had a field day, and nibbled away even
at what the ________Shumiatsky had left.
a. kingdom, benevolent
b. era, obnoxious
c. ideology, blasphemous
d. regime, esurient
42. There are two blanks in the following sentence. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Truly, with the ________mirror of material ________ever before our
gaze, we see things spiritual and eternal 'through a glass darkly'.
a. tenebrous, reality
b. shattered, pompousness
c. silent, divinity
d. fading, distraction
43. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
People converse with one another using a _______ range of languages,
each differing from the next in innumerable ways.
a. glaring b. dazzling c. homely d. lambent
44. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
Party planners know that scrunching a bunch of people into a small
space will result in plenty of mingling and _________.
a. grandiloquence b. monologue c. discourse d. sermons
DIRECTIONS for Questions 45 to 47: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Structuralism is a theory of humankind in which all elements of human
culture, including literature, are thought to be parts of a system of
signs. Critic Robert Scholes has described structuralism as a reaction
to "'modernist' alienation and despair." European structuralists such
as Roman Jakobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Roland Barthes (before his
shift toward poststructuralism) attempted to develop a semiology, or
semiotics (science of signs). Barthes, among others, sought to recover
literature and even language from the isolation in which they had been
studied and to show that the laws that govern them govern all signs,
from road signs to articles of clothing.
Structuralism was heavily influenced by linguistics, especially by the
pioneering work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Particularly useful to
structuralists was Saussure's concept of the phoneme (the smallest
basic speech sound or unit of pronunciation) and his idea that
phonemes exist in two kinds of relationships: diachronic and
synchronic. A phoneme has a diachronic, or "horizontal," relationship
with those other phonemes that precede and follow it (as the words
appear, left to right, on this page) in a particular usage, utterance,
or narrative— what Saussure, a linguist, called parole (French for
"word"). A phoneme has a synchronic, or "vertical," relationship with
the entire system of language within which individual usages,
utterances, or narratives have meaning—what Saussure called langue
(French for "tongue," as in "native tongue," meaning language). An
means what it means in English because those of us who speak the
language are plugged into the same system (think of it as a computer
network where different individuals can access the same information in
the same way at a given time).
Following Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, an anthropologist, studied hundreds
of myths, breaking them into their smallest meaningful units, which he
called "mythemes." Removing each from its diachronic relations with
other mythemes in a single myth (such as the myth of Oedipus and his
mother), he vertically aligned those mythemes that he found to be
homologous (structurally correspondent). He then studied the
relationships within as well as between vertically aligned columns, in
an attempt to understand scientifically, through ratios and
proportions, those thoughts and processes that humankind has shared,
both at one particular time and across time. Whether Lévi-Strauss was
studying the structure of myths or the structure of villages, he
looked for recurring, common elements that transcended the differences
within and among cultures.
Structuralists followed Saussure in preferring to think about the
overriding langue, or language of myth, in which each mytheme and
mytheme-constituted myth fits meaningfully, rather than about isolated
individual paroles, or narratives. Structuralists also followed
Saussure's lead in believing that sign systems must be understood in
terms of binary oppositions (a proposition later disputed by
poststructuralist Jacques Derrida). In analyzing myths and texts to
find basic structures, structuralists found that opposite terms
modulate until they are finally resolved or reconciled by some
intermediary third term. Thus a structuralist reading of Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667) might show that the war between God and the
rebellious angels becomes a rift between God and sinful, fallen man, a
rift that is healed by the Son of God, the mediating third term.
Although structuralism was largely a European phenomenon in its origin
and development, it was influenced by American thinkers as well. Noam
Chomsky, for instance, who powerfully influenced structuralism through
works such as Reflections on Language (1975), identified and
distinguished between "surface structures" and "deep structures" in
language and linguistic literatures, including texts.
45. It can be inferred that structuralism primarily seeks to
a. isolate individual elements from the whole.
b. understand the unity permeating in and through the diversity of
human culture.
c. resolve opposing terms in human culture.
d. eliminate the study of the isolated elements of human culture.
46. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?
A. The main aim of structuralists was to find that third element which
would resolve opposition.
B. Poststructuralism was opposed to structuralism.
C. Structuralism would have died a premature death if the concept of
phoneme had not been elucidated by Saussure.
a. Only A b. A and C c. B and C d. All of the above
47. Which of the following statements is true about Strauss's work?
a. Strauss refined Saussure's theory.
b. Strauss showed the superiority of langue over paroles.
c. Strauss showed that anthropology was connected to linguistics.
d. Strauss provided evidence which proved that Saussure's theory could
be applied across various verticals.
48. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. The government was claiming that the city's air was cleaner for the
Olympics than it had been in a decade.
B. But stench from a waste-disposal plant was smothering their homes.
C. After a lull, news of protests around China about all sorts of
issues is again trickling out.
D. Freed from Olympic constraints, they felt it was time to protest.
E. They were not alone.
a. BEDC b. CDEB c. BDEC d. DEBC
49. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. In such circumstances, the recent fall in the price of oil (and
food) should be a boon for hard-pressed consumers.
B. Inflation seems set to follow oil and food costs down, but some
policymakers fret that it may not fall quickly to a tolerable level.
C. It has not, however, fallen far enough for central bankers to be
celebrating just yet.
D. If so, sluggish GDP growth may not create enough slack in the
economy to drive inflation down far.
E. Their concern is that high oil prices may have harmed the potential
growth rate of the economy, as well as temporarily pushing up
inflation.
a. CEBD b. BDCE c. CBED d. BECD
50. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. If the timing and reasoning behind Sotheby's decision to go ahead
are obvious, the reasons Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation for a
one-off fire sale are more subtle.
B. Although he has benefited from the contacts and clout that his
dealers provide, he is irked by their habit of making potential new
buyers prove themselves by waiting before they are allowed to purchase
a work of art.
C Anyone with enough money can buy what they want – immediately.
D. Much of it has to do with his natural impatience, his wish to break
rules and break down boundaries.
E. "Dealers are gatekeepers who permit artists' access to serious
collectors," explains Mr. Thompson. Auction rooms, by contrast, are
more democratic.
a. BDEC b. BDCE c. DEBC d. DBEC
MOCK 2808
Light from distant galaxies tells us that the universe is
expanding-one of the main pieces of evidence that space, time and
everything came into existence a little over 12bn years ago in the big
bang. In 1998 astronomers, trying to find out whether the expansion
will continue forever, or grind to a halt and reverse itself in a big
crunch, discovered something much more puzzling. The expansion is
speeding up. To explain this baffling acceleration, the cosmologists
invented dark energy, a mysterious force that pushes the universe
apart. Does dark energy exist? No one knows. At present nothing known
to physics can explain it, so something unknown to physics must be the
cause. It's like something out of Star Wars. In February this year,
American cosmologists Gia Dvali and Michael S Turner put forward a
different theory, one in which dark energy does not exist. Instead,
gravity is leaking out of our universe into an extra dimension. With
less gravity to hold the universe together, it is coming apart faster
than expected. It also sounds like something out of Star Wars. Hidden
dimensions? Only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries could
physicists say this kind of thing with a straight face. It is a
concept associated with Victorian spiritualists, who invented the
fourth dimension as a convenient place to hide everything that didn't
make sense in the familiar three. We spent the first half of the 20th
century learning that the universe is far stranger than we imagined.
Albert Einstein taught us that not only do space and time together
make up a four-dimensional continuum; they also get mixed up with each
other if we move fast enough-this is relativity. And Werner
Heisenberg, Erwin Schrzger and Paul Dirac discovered that on the
tiniest of scales, the universe is plain weird: the quantum world, in
which matter is made of waves and cats can be alive and dead at the
same time.
We spent the last half of the 20th century puzzling over one gigantic
discrepancy: relativity and quantum theory contradict each other. Each
works well within its own domain-the very large for relativity, the
very small for quantum theory. But when those domains overlap, as they
do when we want to understand the early history of the universe, the
combination doesn't work. And so science set off on a quest for a
single theory that would unify the whole of physics into a single
mathematical law. And out of that quest came a strong suspicion that
the familiar three dimensions of space and a fourth of time are mere
scratches on the surface of something far bigger. Could the universe
be made from ten-dimensional "superstrings," maybe, with six tightly
curled dimensions that are so small we never notice them? Or is the
universe just a four-dimensional "brane" floating in a
many-dimensional metaverse, like a skin of congealed milk on a cup of
coffee? Somewhere in that half century, physics lost contact with the
world in which most of us live. However, it is worth recognising that
their world may be more real than ours; the human-centred viewpoint
works fine for activities like politics and art, but it may not be
appropriate for a universe that operates in inhuman ways and on scales
that the human mind did not evolve to contemplate.
21. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?
a. Physicists have struggled for decades to find a grand unified theory.
b. Space and time can get mixed up at very high speeds.
c. Dark energy was the cosmologists' invention to explain the
acceleration of the expansion of the universe.
d. Dark energy has its own, very structurally defined, dimensions.
22. By saying physics lost contact with the world, the author means:
a. Physics created a world of its own.
b. There was no compassion left in the world of physics.
c. Physics became larger than life.
d. Physics became difficult to handle.
23. According to the author, why is it difficult to explain the hidden
dimension?
a. Because the Victorians projected it as a trivial object.
b. Because gravity pushed everything there.
c. Because it seems straight out of a star wars movie.
d. None of the abov
24. Given below are five sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. 'Friends' reflects a trend that becomes increasingly common in most
of the world,
B a phase of life after adolescence and before adulthood.
C. This phase has been explored by academics and commentators recently
and has been now popularly called 'the odyssey years',
D. since it consists mainly of wandering, an aim to discover and
overcoming several small rites of passage.
E. In this phase, 20-somethings live, seemingly, with no clear sense
of direction.
a. Only A b. A and C c. D and E d.
A , C and D
25. Given below are four sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. Over 50 years after his death, the spectre of Jinnah seems to be
playing a very active role in our politics,
B. with Advani barely escaping his marauding clutches and Jaswant
Singh succumbing, while donning an air of gravelly martyrdom.
C. After so many years of not caring about the past, why is it so
important what Jinnah did or Patel said or did not say?
D. As a party spokesperson admitted, Jaswant Singh's characterization
of Jinnah ran counter to the popular perception that Indians have of
him.
a. A and B b. B and C c. A, B and C d. B, C and D
26. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracketed.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the br part.
acketedThe first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
Dr. Stevenson was a very inspiring and (dedicated scientist, who on
the very apogee of his career at the French National Institute for
Health and Medical Research, was ready to put his reputation all along
the line to report a phenomenon he didn't understand: Allergy
desensitization.)
a. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand : Allergy desensitization.
b. dedicated scientist, who, at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand: allergy desensitization.
c. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand: allergy desensitization.
d. dedicated scientist who at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research was ready to
put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand; Allergy desensitization.
27. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracteted.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the bracketed
part. The first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
(Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work) more than eight
hours in any calendar day.
a. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work
b. The United States necessitates the employment of laborers or
mechanics and every contract made for or on behalf of it should
contain a provision that none of them should be required to work
c. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that not any of them should be required to work
d. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them should be required to work
DIRECTIONS for Questions 28 to 30: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
A convincing message must be logical, and in a political discourse
this means, according to Aristotle, that a proposal must have obvious
advantages compared to an alternative. The pro-Constitution campaign
did indeed concentrate on the advantages of the new treaty. Quite
logical. However, two remarks must be made.
In the first place: the campaigners confused "this is better" and
"this is good". Again and again, they said that the proposed
Constitution was an improvement compared to the old treaty of Nice.
This was true, because the European Parliament was to receive greater
powers and democratic controls increased. Many people will consider
these things to be improvements, and therefore, the campaigners
argued, the Dutch could agree with the Constitution.
But the issue was not whether the new treaty was better for Europe; it
was presented as good for Europe. And this was not the whole truth.
Better is not good enough. It might be argued, for example, that no
treaty could be called a "good constitution" as long as it did not
give the power of initiative to the European Parliament; a beefed-up
parliament without this vital power cannot be called democratic.
Voters could have very sound reasons to think that this treaty was not
sufficient, even though they could agree that it was better than the
current treaty.
In the second place: what is logic? Not everybody considers the same
appeals to be valid. Here is an argument that was really mentioned:
"The Eastern Europeans do not support the Dutch during the Eurovision
Song Contest, so we will not support a treaty that is benefical to
Eastern Europe." It is understandable that many people thought that
this was really irrelevant, but there were people who thought that it
was perfectly logical.
It was rather tactless of the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Bot, to declare that the Song Contest argument was "holding things
upside down", and equally tactless was his suggestion that people
should stay away from the polling stations if they did not understand
what the treaty was about.
Not only were these remarks tactless, they also disregarded the nature
of democracy. If the best policy could be deduced logically, we could
give supreme power to a group of philosophers and live happily ever
after. We do not do this, because even the greatest sages make
mistakes.
28. Which of the following can be inferred from the discussion about
the proposed constitution ?
a. The campaigners had more clarity than the people about the meanings
of 'good' and 'better'.
b. Voters agreed that the proposed constitution was better than the
current treaty.
c. The improvements presented by the campaigners could not be seen as
'good' by the people.
d. The campaigners sent the message that the constitution was better
for Europe when it was actually good for Europe.
29. Which of the following would be in line with the author's views in
the passage ?
a. What appears logical to one may not appear logical to the other.
b. The Dutch Minister , Mr Bot did not have a sound conception of logic.
c. Aristotle's concept of a convincing argument is flawed as it does
not talk about 'tact'.
d. One should not use logic to decide the best policy in the political
sphere unless one is a philosopher or a sage.
30. The primary purpose of the author in the passage is to
a. Argue that the campaigners did not apply Aristotle's theory
properly and hence failed in their quest.
b. Show that Aristotle's theory regarding a convincing message in a
political discourse is irrelevant when we come to its application.
c. Show that Aristotle's theory on political discourse can pose
problems when it comes to its application in deciding the best policy
in political matters.
d. Prove that one cannot entrust the country's policymaking completely
to philosophers.
31. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
The "war" between science and religion is notable for the amount of
civil disobedience on both sides. Most scientists and most religious
believers refuse to be drafted into the fight. Whether out of a
liveand- let-live philosophy, or a belief that religion and science
are actually compatible, or a heartfelt indifference to the question,
they're choosing to sit this one out. Still, the war continues, and
it's not just a sideshow. __________________________
a. People on both the sides of the line have tried to win the war, but
continuance of war has helped the humanity more.
b. The balance, during the dark ages, was in favour of religion, but
now it is tilted in favour of science.
c. On both sides, there are intensely motivated and vocal people
making serious and conflicting claims.
d. The faith that science and religion are complementary has never
been stronger.
32. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Creativity has long been a focus of academics in fields ranging from
anthropology to neuroscience, and has enticed management scholars as
well. Therefore, a substantial body of work on creativity has been
available to any businessperson inclined to step back from the fray of
daily management and engage in its questions. And that's suddenly very
fortunate, because what used to be an intellectual interest for some
thoughtful executives has now become an urgent concern for many.
____________________
a. The shift to a more innovation-driven economy has been abrupt.
b. Academicians have now pushed the ball in the management's court and
it remains to be seen how executives will cope up with this.
c. Management has now joined the long list of subjects that have a
bias towards the arts rather than the science.
d. Still many are unruffled by this race for creativity and we can,
somehow, surmise their future.
33. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the
individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for
example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or
hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand;
for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that. But things
are defined by their working and power; and we ought not to say that
they are the same when they no longer have their proper quality, but
only that they have the same name. The proof that the state is a
creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual,
when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part
in relation to the whole.
a. Nature is the most superior of all things since human beings are
its creations. All other institutions need nature to function and
achieve their optimum efficiency.
b. Man is a part in relation to the state, which can be considered as
a whole. If the state is removed then man will be unable to function
and this makes the state prior and superior.
c. One should always look at things in a holistic manner instead of
looking at insignificant parts.
d. Human beings appear superior in their ability to mould nature
according to their nature, but this is possible only when they work in
collaboration. This makes it possible for states to be created.
34. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Herein lies an important lesson that I have learned in many years of
paranormal investigations: What people remember rarely corresponds to
what actually happened. Case in point: A man named Guy Savelli said
that he had seen soldiers kill goats by staring at them, and that he
himself had also done so. But as the story unfolds I discovered that
Savelli is recalling, years later, what he remembers about a
particular "experiment" with 30 numbered goats. Savelli randomly chose
goat number 16 and gave it his best death stare. But he couldn't
concentrate that day, so he quit the experiment, only to be told later
that goat number 17 had died. End of story. No autopsy or explanation
of the cause of death. No information about how much time had elapsed;
the conditions, like temperature, of the room into which the 30 goats
had been placed; how long they had been there, and so forth.
a. Paranormal investigations are subjective and closely guarded.
b. In paranormal investigations, people are seen to create versions
that do not withstand questioning.
c. People blank out paranormal events, thereby making paranormal
investigations doubtful.
d. In paranormal investigations, the issue of what is professed and
what had happened are different things.
DIRECTIONS for Questions 35 to 37: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
I now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work of Jorge
Rivas .Rivas links positivism back to classical empiricism. He says
that classical empiricism conflates the empirical and the actual
levels of reality, as:
It holds that the only thing that really exists is our experience. The
early Positivists adopted this empiricist ontology as the very core of
their philosophy of science to distinguish themselves from
metaphysical and religious explanations based on unobservables, and it
continued to be the basic ontological position of some branches of
Positivist philosophy of social science as late as the
1970s....However, most Positivists today recognize only the events
which actually occur as real (often calling true empiricism "Naïve
Empiricism"). This position is known as actualism.
He adds that even where Positivists are actualists with regards to
natural phenomena, many Positivists still hold to true empiricism when
it comes to social phenomena. They hold that material reality can be
distinguished from the empirical observation of it (in other words,
that it is actual), but that social reality cannot i.e. that social
reality is inherently subjective and has no external reality beyond
human consciousness or cognition.
Moreover, while actualist Positivists distinguish between the actual
and the empirical domains (in other words, between events and
perceptions of those events):they do not distinguish between the
actual and the generative domains (in other words, between events and
the often unobservable underlying causes of those events). Actualism
denies the reality of the generative domain. This form of empiricism
does not accept that there are hidden, unknown or unrecognized
mechanisms really generating actual events. Interpretivists also deny
the generative domain.
He adds that an area where the Scientific Realist and Positivist
approaches diverge radically is in the conception of scientific
explanation, and the role of scientific laws in scientific
explanation.
The Positivist conception of explanation, exemplified by Carl Hempel
and still adhered to by philosophers of science critical of some other
aspects of Positivism, such as Karl Popper, claims that science has
explained an event when it has formulated a universal law, or
"covering law", from which the event can be deduced (known as
subsumption under a generalization). In this nomological model of
explanation, a scientific law is seen to reflect the actual constant
conjunction of empirically observable events. This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by David
Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early Positivism because
it refers to the empirical instantiation of the law itself. In other
words, due to the empiricist ontology of Positivism, a scientific law
cannot refer to unobservable causes. Because it is referring to the
constant conjunction of events, the basic form of the law is: "if y
then z". If we identify y, then we can predict that z will follow.
This means that prediction is built into the Positivist formulation of
explanation. Thus, the explanation of a phenomenon also entails the
ability to predict it. This is known as the "deductive-nomological"
(D-N), "Humean", or "covering law" model of explanation and scientific
laws and, importantly, it produces the Positivist thesis of the
symmetry of explanation and prediction.
According to Scientific Realism the propensity of objects of study to
behave in certain ways results from their internal and external
structures at the generative level, so that while these generative
structures may be unperceived, we can attempt to know of them through
their effects:
Thus a crucial difference between the Scientific Realist and
Positivist conceptions of science is that Realists argue that when
scientists talk about "scientific laws" (e.g. "laws of nature", "laws
of history" or "laws of supply and demand") they are referring to
those causal mechanisms of the objects of study which makes such a
law-like formulation (relatively) accurate, not to the empirical
instantiation of the law itself (which is the
empiricist Positivist position).
35. The meaning of the word 'conflate' as used in the passage is closest to
a. Exaggerate b. Expand c. Merge d. Distort
36. Which of the following statements are true regarding 'The
positivist conception of scientific explanation'?
A. The positivist conception of scientific explanation denies the
existence of the generative domain as it is not possible to predict
events if the generative domain is affirmed to be true.
B. The positivist conception of scientific explanation draws its
fundamentals from classical empiricism.
C. The positivist conception of scientific explanation believes in a
universal law behind a set of events which can be observed or
experienced.
a. Only A b. Only B c. A and B d. B and C
37. The primary purpose of the passage is to
a. Portray the clarity with which Jorge Rivas understands positivism.
b. Show how Positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism.
c. Explain the various branches of positivism.
d. Argue that classical empiricism has become obsolete when we look at
present day positivism.
38. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
The overall rate of TB has declined 15% over the last 15 years in
Bihar. During that period, the total cost of care for TB sufferers in
Bihar, after accounting for inflation, declined by 2% per year until 8
years ago, at which time it began increasing by approximately 2% per
year so that now the total health care cost for treating TB is
approximately equal to what it was 15 years ago.
Which one of the following best resolves the apparent discrepancy
between the incidence of TB in Bihar and the cost of caring for TB
sufferers?
a. The overall cost of health care in Bihar has increased by 7% in the
last 15 years, after accounting for inflation.
b. About 7 years ago, the widespread switch to health maintenance
organisations halted overall increases in health care costs in Bihar,
after accounting for inflation.
c. Improvements in technology have significantly increased both the
costs per patient and the success rate of TB care in the past 15
years.
d. None of the above.
39. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
Bank depositors in the United States are all financially protected
against bank failures because the government insures all individuals'
bank deposits. An economist argues that this insurance is partly
responsible for the high rate of bank failures, since it removes from
depositors any financial incentive to find out whether the bank that
holds their money is secure against failure. If depositors were more
inquisitive, then banks would need to be secure in order to compete
for depositors' money.
In the above passage, the two portions in boldface play which of the
following roles?
a. The first is evidence that the economist offers in support of a
certain prediction; the second is that position
b. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will hold under the present circumstances. The second
acknowledges a situation in which that pattern would not hold.
c. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a
consideration in support of that prediction
d. The first acknowledges a consideration that weighs against the main
position that the economist defends; the second is that position
40. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
For education results to improve, teachers must show up at work and do
their jobs well just as doctors and nurses must do for people's health
to improve but these service providers are often trapped in a system
where incentives for doing their jobs well are weak, corruption is
rife and political patronage is a way of life.
Which of the following seriously challenges the assumption implicit in
the above passage?
a. doctors and teachers are professionals who are motivated purely by
their own desire to extend help.
b. the health and education systems are in shambles because of their
employees and not because of their patrons.
c. doctors and teachers work for incentives
d. corruption and political patronage have permeated all aspects of life.
41. There are two blanks in the following sentences. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Not that the Soviet ________ was the only culprit. In every country
where it was shown the censors had a field day, and nibbled away even
at what the ________Shumiatsky had left.
a. kingdom, benevolent
b. era, obnoxious
c. ideology, blasphemous
d. regime, esurient
42. There are two blanks in the following sentence. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Truly, with the ________mirror of material ________ever before our
gaze, we see things spiritual and eternal 'through a glass darkly'.
a. tenebrous, reality
b. shattered, pompousness
c. silent, divinity
d. fading, distraction
43. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
People converse with one another using a _______ range of languages,
each differing from the next in innumerable ways.
a. glaring b. dazzling c. homely d. lambent
44. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
Party planners know that scrunching a bunch of people into a small
space will result in plenty of mingling and _________.
a. grandiloquence b. monologue c. discourse d. sermons
DIRECTIONS for Questions 45 to 47: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Structuralism is a theory of humankind in which all elements of human
culture, including literature, are thought to be parts of a system of
signs. Critic Robert Scholes has described structuralism as a reaction
to "'modernist' alienation and despair." European structuralists such
as Roman Jakobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Roland Barthes (before his
shift toward poststructuralism) attempted to develop a semiology, or
semiotics (science of signs). Barthes, among others, sought to recover
literature and even language from the isolation in which they had been
studied and to show that the laws that govern them govern all signs,
from road signs to articles of clothing.
Structuralism was heavily influenced by linguistics, especially by the
pioneering work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Particularly useful to
structuralists was Saussure's concept of the phoneme (the smallest
basic speech sound or unit of pronunciation) and his idea that
phonemes exist in two kinds of relationships: diachronic and
synchronic. A phoneme has a diachronic, or "horizontal," relationship
with those other phonemes that precede and follow it (as the words
appear, left to right, on this page) in a particular usage, utterance,
or narrative— what Saussure, a linguist, called parole (French for
"word"). A phoneme has a synchronic, or "vertical," relationship with
the entire system of language within which individual usages,
utterances, or narratives have meaning—what Saussure called langue
(French for "tongue," as in "native tongue," meaning language). An
means what it means in English because those of us who speak the
language are plugged into the same system (think of it as a computer
network where different individuals can access the same information in
the same way at a given time).
Following Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, an anthropologist, studied hundreds
of myths, breaking them into their smallest meaningful units, which he
called "mythemes." Removing each from its diachronic relations with
other mythemes in a single myth (such as the myth of Oedipus and his
mother), he vertically aligned those mythemes that he found to be
homologous (structurally correspondent). He then studied the
relationships within as well as between vertically aligned columns, in
an attempt to understand scientifically, through ratios and
proportions, those thoughts and processes that humankind has shared,
both at one particular time and across time. Whether Lévi-Strauss was
studying the structure of myths or the structure of villages, he
looked for recurring, common elements that transcended the differences
within and among cultures.
Structuralists followed Saussure in preferring to think about the
overriding langue, or language of myth, in which each mytheme and
mytheme-constituted myth fits meaningfully, rather than about isolated
individual paroles, or narratives. Structuralists also followed
Saussure's lead in believing that sign systems must be understood in
terms of binary oppositions (a proposition later disputed by
poststructuralist Jacques Derrida). In analyzing myths and texts to
find basic structures, structuralists found that opposite terms
modulate until they are finally resolved or reconciled by some
intermediary third term. Thus a structuralist reading of Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667) might show that the war between God and the
rebellious angels becomes a rift between God and sinful, fallen man, a
rift that is healed by the Son of God, the mediating third term.
Although structuralism was largely a European phenomenon in its origin
and development, it was influenced by American thinkers as well. Noam
Chomsky, for instance, who powerfully influenced structuralism through
works such as Reflections on Language (1975), identified and
distinguished between "surface structures" and "deep structures" in
language and linguistic literatures, including texts.
45. It can be inferred that structuralism primarily seeks to
a. isolate individual elements from the whole.
b. understand the unity permeating in and through the diversity of
human culture.
c. resolve opposing terms in human culture.
d. eliminate the study of the isolated elements of human culture.
46. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?
A. The main aim of structuralists was to find that third element which
would resolve opposition.
B. Poststructuralism was opposed to structuralism.
C. Structuralism would have died a premature death if the concept of
phoneme had not been elucidated by Saussure.
a. Only A b. A and C c. B and C d. All of the above
47. Which of the following statements is true about Strauss's work?
a. Strauss refined Saussure's theory.
b. Strauss showed the superiority of langue over paroles.
c. Strauss showed that anthropology was connected to linguistics.
d. Strauss provided evidence which proved that Saussure's theory could
be applied across various verticals.
48. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. The government was claiming that the city's air was cleaner for the
Olympics than it had been in a decade.
B. But stench from a waste-disposal plant was smothering their homes.
C. After a lull, news of protests around China about all sorts of
issues is again trickling out.
D. Freed from Olympic constraints, they felt it was time to protest.
E. They were not alone.
a. BEDC b. CDEB c. BDEC d. DEBC
49. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. In such circumstances, the recent fall in the price of oil (and
food) should be a boon for hard-pressed consumers.
B. Inflation seems set to follow oil and food costs down, but some
policymakers fret that it may not fall quickly to a tolerable level.
C. It has not, however, fallen far enough for central bankers to be
celebrating just yet.
D. If so, sluggish GDP growth may not create enough slack in the
economy to drive inflation down far.
E. Their concern is that high oil prices may have harmed the potential
growth rate of the economy, as well as temporarily pushing up
inflation.
a. CEBD b. BDCE c. CBED d. BECD
50. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. If the timing and reasoning behind Sotheby's decision to go ahead
are obvious, the reasons Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation for a
one-off fire sale are more subtle.
B. Although he has benefited from the contacts and clout that his
dealers provide, he is irked by their habit of making potential new
buyers prove themselves by waiting before they are allowed to purchase
a work of art.
C Anyone with enough money can buy what they want – immediately.
D. Much of it has to do with his natural impatience, his wish to break
rules and break down boundaries.
E. "Dealers are gatekeepers who permit artists' access to serious
collectors," explains Mr. Thompson. Auction rooms, by contrast, are
more democratic.
a. BDEC b. BDCE c. DEBC d. DBEC
expanding-one of the main pieces of evidence that space, time and
everything came into existence a little over 12bn years ago in the big
bang. In 1998 astronomers, trying to find out whether the expansion
will continue forever, or grind to a halt and reverse itself in a big
crunch, discovered something much more puzzling. The expansion is
speeding up. To explain this baffling acceleration, the cosmologists
invented dark energy, a mysterious force that pushes the universe
apart. Does dark energy exist? No one knows. At present nothing known
to physics can explain it, so something unknown to physics must be the
cause. It's like something out of Star Wars. In February this year,
American cosmologists Gia Dvali and Michael S Turner put forward a
different theory, one in which dark energy does not exist. Instead,
gravity is leaking out of our universe into an extra dimension. With
less gravity to hold the universe together, it is coming apart faster
than expected. It also sounds like something out of Star Wars. Hidden
dimensions? Only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries could
physicists say this kind of thing with a straight face. It is a
concept associated with Victorian spiritualists, who invented the
fourth dimension as a convenient place to hide everything that didn't
make sense in the familiar three. We spent the first half of the 20th
century learning that the universe is far stranger than we imagined.
Albert Einstein taught us that not only do space and time together
make up a four-dimensional continuum; they also get mixed up with each
other if we move fast enough-this is relativity. And Werner
Heisenberg, Erwin Schrzger and Paul Dirac discovered that on the
tiniest of scales, the universe is plain weird: the quantum world, in
which matter is made of waves and cats can be alive and dead at the
same time.
We spent the last half of the 20th century puzzling over one gigantic
discrepancy: relativity and quantum theory contradict each other. Each
works well within its own domain-the very large for relativity, the
very small for quantum theory. But when those domains overlap, as they
do when we want to understand the early history of the universe, the
combination doesn't work. And so science set off on a quest for a
single theory that would unify the whole of physics into a single
mathematical law. And out of that quest came a strong suspicion that
the familiar three dimensions of space and a fourth of time are mere
scratches on the surface of something far bigger. Could the universe
be made from ten-dimensional "superstrings," maybe, with six tightly
curled dimensions that are so small we never notice them? Or is the
universe just a four-dimensional "brane" floating in a
many-dimensional metaverse, like a skin of congealed milk on a cup of
coffee? Somewhere in that half century, physics lost contact with the
world in which most of us live. However, it is worth recognising that
their world may be more real than ours; the human-centred viewpoint
works fine for activities like politics and art, but it may not be
appropriate for a universe that operates in inhuman ways and on scales
that the human mind did not evolve to contemplate.
21. Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage?
a. Physicists have struggled for decades to find a grand unified theory.
b. Space and time can get mixed up at very high speeds.
c. Dark energy was the cosmologists' invention to explain the
acceleration of the expansion of the universe.
d. Dark energy has its own, very structurally defined, dimensions.
22. By saying physics lost contact with the world, the author means:
a. Physics created a world of its own.
b. There was no compassion left in the world of physics.
c. Physics became larger than life.
d. Physics became difficult to handle.
23. According to the author, why is it difficult to explain the hidden
dimension?
a. Because the Victorians projected it as a trivial object.
b. Because gravity pushed everything there.
c. Because it seems straight out of a star wars movie.
d. None of the abov
24. Given below are five sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. 'Friends' reflects a trend that becomes increasingly common in most
of the world,
B a phase of life after adolescence and before adulthood.
C. This phase has been explored by academics and commentators recently
and has been now popularly called 'the odyssey years',
D. since it consists mainly of wandering, an aim to discover and
overcoming several small rites of passage.
E. In this phase, 20-somethings live, seemingly, with no clear sense
of direction.
a. Only A b. A and C c. D and E d.
A , C and D
25. Given below are four sentences or parts of sentences that form a
paragraph. Identify the sentence(s) or part(s) of sentence(s) that
is/are incorrect in terms of grammar and usage. Then, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. Over 50 years after his death, the spectre of Jinnah seems to be
playing a very active role in our politics,
B. with Advani barely escaping his marauding clutches and Jaswant
Singh succumbing, while donning an air of gravelly martyrdom.
C. After so many years of not caring about the past, why is it so
important what Jinnah did or Patel said or did not say?
D. As a party spokesperson admitted, Jaswant Singh's characterization
of Jinnah ran counter to the popular perception that Indians have of
him.
a. A and B b. B and C c. A, B and C d. B, C and D
26. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracketed.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the br part.
acketedThe first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
Dr. Stevenson was a very inspiring and (dedicated scientist, who on
the very apogee of his career at the French National Institute for
Health and Medical Research, was ready to put his reputation all along
the line to report a phenomenon he didn't understand: Allergy
desensitization.)
a. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand : Allergy desensitization.
b. dedicated scientist, who, at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand: allergy desensitization.
c. dedicated scientist, who on the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, was ready
to put his reputation all along the line to report a phenomenon he
didn't understand: allergy desensitization.
d. dedicated scientist who at the very apogee of his career at the
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research was ready to
put his reputation on the line to report a phenomenon he didn't
understand; Allergy desensitization.
27. Given below is a sentence, part or all of which is bracteted.
Beneath the sentence you will find four ways of phrasing the bracketed
part. The first of these repeats the original; the other three are
different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer;
otherwise choose one of the others. These questions test correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the
requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to
grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer
that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear
and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical
error.
(Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work) more than eight
hours in any calendar day.
a. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them could be required to work
b. The United States necessitates the employment of laborers or
mechanics and every contract made for or on behalf of it should
contain a provision that none of them should be required to work
c. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that not any of them should be required to work
d. Every contract made for or on behalf of the United States,
necessitating the employment of laborers or mechanics should contain a
provision that none of them should be required to work
DIRECTIONS for Questions 28 to 30: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
A convincing message must be logical, and in a political discourse
this means, according to Aristotle, that a proposal must have obvious
advantages compared to an alternative. The pro-Constitution campaign
did indeed concentrate on the advantages of the new treaty. Quite
logical. However, two remarks must be made.
In the first place: the campaigners confused "this is better" and
"this is good". Again and again, they said that the proposed
Constitution was an improvement compared to the old treaty of Nice.
This was true, because the European Parliament was to receive greater
powers and democratic controls increased. Many people will consider
these things to be improvements, and therefore, the campaigners
argued, the Dutch could agree with the Constitution.
But the issue was not whether the new treaty was better for Europe; it
was presented as good for Europe. And this was not the whole truth.
Better is not good enough. It might be argued, for example, that no
treaty could be called a "good constitution" as long as it did not
give the power of initiative to the European Parliament; a beefed-up
parliament without this vital power cannot be called democratic.
Voters could have very sound reasons to think that this treaty was not
sufficient, even though they could agree that it was better than the
current treaty.
In the second place: what is logic? Not everybody considers the same
appeals to be valid. Here is an argument that was really mentioned:
"The Eastern Europeans do not support the Dutch during the Eurovision
Song Contest, so we will not support a treaty that is benefical to
Eastern Europe." It is understandable that many people thought that
this was really irrelevant, but there were people who thought that it
was perfectly logical.
It was rather tactless of the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Bot, to declare that the Song Contest argument was "holding things
upside down", and equally tactless was his suggestion that people
should stay away from the polling stations if they did not understand
what the treaty was about.
Not only were these remarks tactless, they also disregarded the nature
of democracy. If the best policy could be deduced logically, we could
give supreme power to a group of philosophers and live happily ever
after. We do not do this, because even the greatest sages make
mistakes.
28. Which of the following can be inferred from the discussion about
the proposed constitution ?
a. The campaigners had more clarity than the people about the meanings
of 'good' and 'better'.
b. Voters agreed that the proposed constitution was better than the
current treaty.
c. The improvements presented by the campaigners could not be seen as
'good' by the people.
d. The campaigners sent the message that the constitution was better
for Europe when it was actually good for Europe.
29. Which of the following would be in line with the author's views in
the passage ?
a. What appears logical to one may not appear logical to the other.
b. The Dutch Minister , Mr Bot did not have a sound conception of logic.
c. Aristotle's concept of a convincing argument is flawed as it does
not talk about 'tact'.
d. One should not use logic to decide the best policy in the political
sphere unless one is a philosopher or a sage.
30. The primary purpose of the author in the passage is to
a. Argue that the campaigners did not apply Aristotle's theory
properly and hence failed in their quest.
b. Show that Aristotle's theory regarding a convincing message in a
political discourse is irrelevant when we come to its application.
c. Show that Aristotle's theory on political discourse can pose
problems when it comes to its application in deciding the best policy
in political matters.
d. Prove that one cannot entrust the country's policymaking completely
to philosophers.
31. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
The "war" between science and religion is notable for the amount of
civil disobedience on both sides. Most scientists and most religious
believers refuse to be drafted into the fight. Whether out of a
liveand- let-live philosophy, or a belief that religion and science
are actually compatible, or a heartfelt indifference to the question,
they're choosing to sit this one out. Still, the war continues, and
it's not just a sideshow. __________________________
a. People on both the sides of the line have tried to win the war, but
continuance of war has helped the humanity more.
b. The balance, during the dark ages, was in favour of religion, but
now it is tilted in favour of science.
c. On both sides, there are intensely motivated and vocal people
making serious and conflicting claims.
d. The faith that science and religion are complementary has never
been stronger.
32. Given below is a paragraph from which the last sentence has been
deleted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the
paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Creativity has long been a focus of academics in fields ranging from
anthropology to neuroscience, and has enticed management scholars as
well. Therefore, a substantial body of work on creativity has been
available to any businessperson inclined to step back from the fray of
daily management and engage in its questions. And that's suddenly very
fortunate, because what used to be an intellectual interest for some
thoughtful executives has now become an urgent concern for many.
____________________
a. The shift to a more innovation-driven economy has been abrupt.
b. Academicians have now pushed the ball in the management's court and
it remains to be seen how executives will cope up with this.
c. Management has now joined the long list of subjects that have a
bias towards the arts rather than the science.
d. Still many are unruffled by this race for creativity and we can,
somehow, surmise their future.
33. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the
individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for
example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or
hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand;
for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that. But things
are defined by their working and power; and we ought not to say that
they are the same when they no longer have their proper quality, but
only that they have the same name. The proof that the state is a
creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual,
when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part
in relation to the whole.
a. Nature is the most superior of all things since human beings are
its creations. All other institutions need nature to function and
achieve their optimum efficiency.
b. Man is a part in relation to the state, which can be considered as
a whole. If the state is removed then man will be unable to function
and this makes the state prior and superior.
c. One should always look at things in a holistic manner instead of
looking at insignificant parts.
d. Human beings appear superior in their ability to mould nature
according to their nature, but this is possible only when they work in
collaboration. This makes it possible for states to be created.
34. Four alternative summaries are given below the text. Choose the
option that best captures the essence of the text.
Herein lies an important lesson that I have learned in many years of
paranormal investigations: What people remember rarely corresponds to
what actually happened. Case in point: A man named Guy Savelli said
that he had seen soldiers kill goats by staring at them, and that he
himself had also done so. But as the story unfolds I discovered that
Savelli is recalling, years later, what he remembers about a
particular "experiment" with 30 numbered goats. Savelli randomly chose
goat number 16 and gave it his best death stare. But he couldn't
concentrate that day, so he quit the experiment, only to be told later
that goat number 17 had died. End of story. No autopsy or explanation
of the cause of death. No information about how much time had elapsed;
the conditions, like temperature, of the room into which the 30 goats
had been placed; how long they had been there, and so forth.
a. Paranormal investigations are subjective and closely guarded.
b. In paranormal investigations, people are seen to create versions
that do not withstand questioning.
c. People blank out paranormal events, thereby making paranormal
investigations doubtful.
d. In paranormal investigations, the issue of what is professed and
what had happened are different things.
DIRECTIONS for Questions 35 to 37: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
I now want to have a close look at positivism, using the work of Jorge
Rivas .Rivas links positivism back to classical empiricism. He says
that classical empiricism conflates the empirical and the actual
levels of reality, as:
It holds that the only thing that really exists is our experience. The
early Positivists adopted this empiricist ontology as the very core of
their philosophy of science to distinguish themselves from
metaphysical and religious explanations based on unobservables, and it
continued to be the basic ontological position of some branches of
Positivist philosophy of social science as late as the
1970s....However, most Positivists today recognize only the events
which actually occur as real (often calling true empiricism "Naïve
Empiricism"). This position is known as actualism.
He adds that even where Positivists are actualists with regards to
natural phenomena, many Positivists still hold to true empiricism when
it comes to social phenomena. They hold that material reality can be
distinguished from the empirical observation of it (in other words,
that it is actual), but that social reality cannot i.e. that social
reality is inherently subjective and has no external reality beyond
human consciousness or cognition.
Moreover, while actualist Positivists distinguish between the actual
and the empirical domains (in other words, between events and
perceptions of those events):they do not distinguish between the
actual and the generative domains (in other words, between events and
the often unobservable underlying causes of those events). Actualism
denies the reality of the generative domain. This form of empiricism
does not accept that there are hidden, unknown or unrecognized
mechanisms really generating actual events. Interpretivists also deny
the generative domain.
He adds that an area where the Scientific Realist and Positivist
approaches diverge radically is in the conception of scientific
explanation, and the role of scientific laws in scientific
explanation.
The Positivist conception of explanation, exemplified by Carl Hempel
and still adhered to by philosophers of science critical of some other
aspects of Positivism, such as Karl Popper, claims that science has
explained an event when it has formulated a universal law, or
"covering law", from which the event can be deduced (known as
subsumption under a generalization). In this nomological model of
explanation, a scientific law is seen to reflect the actual constant
conjunction of empirically observable events. This "constant
conjunction" conception of scientific laws, first developed by David
Hume, derives directly from the empiricism of early Positivism because
it refers to the empirical instantiation of the law itself. In other
words, due to the empiricist ontology of Positivism, a scientific law
cannot refer to unobservable causes. Because it is referring to the
constant conjunction of events, the basic form of the law is: "if y
then z". If we identify y, then we can predict that z will follow.
This means that prediction is built into the Positivist formulation of
explanation. Thus, the explanation of a phenomenon also entails the
ability to predict it. This is known as the "deductive-nomological"
(D-N), "Humean", or "covering law" model of explanation and scientific
laws and, importantly, it produces the Positivist thesis of the
symmetry of explanation and prediction.
According to Scientific Realism the propensity of objects of study to
behave in certain ways results from their internal and external
structures at the generative level, so that while these generative
structures may be unperceived, we can attempt to know of them through
their effects:
Thus a crucial difference between the Scientific Realist and
Positivist conceptions of science is that Realists argue that when
scientists talk about "scientific laws" (e.g. "laws of nature", "laws
of history" or "laws of supply and demand") they are referring to
those causal mechanisms of the objects of study which makes such a
law-like formulation (relatively) accurate, not to the empirical
instantiation of the law itself (which is the
empiricist Positivist position).
35. The meaning of the word 'conflate' as used in the passage is closest to
a. Exaggerate b. Expand c. Merge d. Distort
36. Which of the following statements are true regarding 'The
positivist conception of scientific explanation'?
A. The positivist conception of scientific explanation denies the
existence of the generative domain as it is not possible to predict
events if the generative domain is affirmed to be true.
B. The positivist conception of scientific explanation draws its
fundamentals from classical empiricism.
C. The positivist conception of scientific explanation believes in a
universal law behind a set of events which can be observed or
experienced.
a. Only A b. Only B c. A and B d. B and C
37. The primary purpose of the passage is to
a. Portray the clarity with which Jorge Rivas understands positivism.
b. Show how Positivism has been influenced by classical empiricism.
c. Explain the various branches of positivism.
d. Argue that classical empiricism has become obsolete when we look at
present day positivism.
38. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
The overall rate of TB has declined 15% over the last 15 years in
Bihar. During that period, the total cost of care for TB sufferers in
Bihar, after accounting for inflation, declined by 2% per year until 8
years ago, at which time it began increasing by approximately 2% per
year so that now the total health care cost for treating TB is
approximately equal to what it was 15 years ago.
Which one of the following best resolves the apparent discrepancy
between the incidence of TB in Bihar and the cost of caring for TB
sufferers?
a. The overall cost of health care in Bihar has increased by 7% in the
last 15 years, after accounting for inflation.
b. About 7 years ago, the widespread switch to health maintenance
organisations halted overall increases in health care costs in Bihar,
after accounting for inflation.
c. Improvements in technology have significantly increased both the
costs per patient and the success rate of TB care in the past 15
years.
d. None of the above.
39. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
Bank depositors in the United States are all financially protected
against bank failures because the government insures all individuals'
bank deposits. An economist argues that this insurance is partly
responsible for the high rate of bank failures, since it removes from
depositors any financial incentive to find out whether the bank that
holds their money is secure against failure. If depositors were more
inquisitive, then banks would need to be secure in order to compete
for depositors' money.
In the above passage, the two portions in boldface play which of the
following roles?
a. The first is evidence that the economist offers in support of a
certain prediction; the second is that position
b. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will hold under the present circumstances. The second
acknowledges a situation in which that pattern would not hold.
c. The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the economist
predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a
consideration in support of that prediction
d. The first acknowledges a consideration that weighs against the main
position that the economist defends; the second is that position
40. Read the argument given below and answer the question that follows.
For education results to improve, teachers must show up at work and do
their jobs well just as doctors and nurses must do for people's health
to improve but these service providers are often trapped in a system
where incentives for doing their jobs well are weak, corruption is
rife and political patronage is a way of life.
Which of the following seriously challenges the assumption implicit in
the above passage?
a. doctors and teachers are professionals who are motivated purely by
their own desire to extend help.
b. the health and education systems are in shambles because of their
employees and not because of their patrons.
c. doctors and teachers work for incentives
d. corruption and political patronage have permeated all aspects of life.
41. There are two blanks in the following sentences. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Not that the Soviet ________ was the only culprit. In every country
where it was shown the censors had a field day, and nibbled away even
at what the ________Shumiatsky had left.
a. kingdom, benevolent
b. era, obnoxious
c. ideology, blasphemous
d. regime, esurient
42. There are two blanks in the following sentence. From the pairs of
words given, choose the one that fills the blanks most appropriately.
The first word in the pair should fill the first blank.
Truly, with the ________mirror of material ________ever before our
gaze, we see things spiritual and eternal 'through a glass darkly'.
a. tenebrous, reality
b. shattered, pompousness
c. silent, divinity
d. fading, distraction
43. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
People converse with one another using a _______ range of languages,
each differing from the next in innumerable ways.
a. glaring b. dazzling c. homely d. lambent
44. The sentence given below has a blank. From the options choose a
word that meaningfully fills the blank.
Party planners know that scrunching a bunch of people into a small
space will result in plenty of mingling and _________.
a. grandiloquence b. monologue c. discourse d. sermons
DIRECTIONS for Questions 45 to 47: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Structuralism is a theory of humankind in which all elements of human
culture, including literature, are thought to be parts of a system of
signs. Critic Robert Scholes has described structuralism as a reaction
to "'modernist' alienation and despair." European structuralists such
as Roman Jakobson, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Roland Barthes (before his
shift toward poststructuralism) attempted to develop a semiology, or
semiotics (science of signs). Barthes, among others, sought to recover
literature and even language from the isolation in which they had been
studied and to show that the laws that govern them govern all signs,
from road signs to articles of clothing.
Structuralism was heavily influenced by linguistics, especially by the
pioneering work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Particularly useful to
structuralists was Saussure's concept of the phoneme (the smallest
basic speech sound or unit of pronunciation) and his idea that
phonemes exist in two kinds of relationships: diachronic and
synchronic. A phoneme has a diachronic, or "horizontal," relationship
with those other phonemes that precede and follow it (as the words
appear, left to right, on this page) in a particular usage, utterance,
or narrative— what Saussure, a linguist, called parole (French for
"word"). A phoneme has a synchronic, or "vertical," relationship with
the entire system of language within which individual usages,
utterances, or narratives have meaning—what Saussure called langue
(French for "tongue," as in "native tongue," meaning language). An
means what it means in English because those of us who speak the
language are plugged into the same system (think of it as a computer
network where different individuals can access the same information in
the same way at a given time).
Following Saussure, Lévi-Strauss, an anthropologist, studied hundreds
of myths, breaking them into their smallest meaningful units, which he
called "mythemes." Removing each from its diachronic relations with
other mythemes in a single myth (such as the myth of Oedipus and his
mother), he vertically aligned those mythemes that he found to be
homologous (structurally correspondent). He then studied the
relationships within as well as between vertically aligned columns, in
an attempt to understand scientifically, through ratios and
proportions, those thoughts and processes that humankind has shared,
both at one particular time and across time. Whether Lévi-Strauss was
studying the structure of myths or the structure of villages, he
looked for recurring, common elements that transcended the differences
within and among cultures.
Structuralists followed Saussure in preferring to think about the
overriding langue, or language of myth, in which each mytheme and
mytheme-constituted myth fits meaningfully, rather than about isolated
individual paroles, or narratives. Structuralists also followed
Saussure's lead in believing that sign systems must be understood in
terms of binary oppositions (a proposition later disputed by
poststructuralist Jacques Derrida). In analyzing myths and texts to
find basic structures, structuralists found that opposite terms
modulate until they are finally resolved or reconciled by some
intermediary third term. Thus a structuralist reading of Milton's
Paradise Lost (1667) might show that the war between God and the
rebellious angels becomes a rift between God and sinful, fallen man, a
rift that is healed by the Son of God, the mediating third term.
Although structuralism was largely a European phenomenon in its origin
and development, it was influenced by American thinkers as well. Noam
Chomsky, for instance, who powerfully influenced structuralism through
works such as Reflections on Language (1975), identified and
distinguished between "surface structures" and "deep structures" in
language and linguistic literatures, including texts.
45. It can be inferred that structuralism primarily seeks to
a. isolate individual elements from the whole.
b. understand the unity permeating in and through the diversity of
human culture.
c. resolve opposing terms in human culture.
d. eliminate the study of the isolated elements of human culture.
46. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?
A. The main aim of structuralists was to find that third element which
would resolve opposition.
B. Poststructuralism was opposed to structuralism.
C. Structuralism would have died a premature death if the concept of
phoneme had not been elucidated by Saussure.
a. Only A b. A and C c. B and C d. All of the above
47. Which of the following statements is true about Strauss's work?
a. Strauss refined Saussure's theory.
b. Strauss showed the superiority of langue over paroles.
c. Strauss showed that anthropology was connected to linguistics.
d. Strauss provided evidence which proved that Saussure's theory could
be applied across various verticals.
48. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. The government was claiming that the city's air was cleaner for the
Olympics than it had been in a decade.
B. But stench from a waste-disposal plant was smothering their homes.
C. After a lull, news of protests around China about all sorts of
issues is again trickling out.
D. Freed from Olympic constraints, they felt it was time to protest.
E. They were not alone.
a. BEDC b. CDEB c. BDEC d. DEBC
49. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. In such circumstances, the recent fall in the price of oil (and
food) should be a boon for hard-pressed consumers.
B. Inflation seems set to follow oil and food costs down, but some
policymakers fret that it may not fall quickly to a tolerable level.
C. It has not, however, fallen far enough for central bankers to be
celebrating just yet.
D. If so, sluggish GDP growth may not create enough slack in the
economy to drive inflation down far.
E. Their concern is that high oil prices may have harmed the potential
growth rate of the economy, as well as temporarily pushing up
inflation.
a. CEBD b. BDCE c. CBED d. BECD
50. Given below are five sentences/paragraphs. The sentence/paragraph
labelled A is in its correct place. The four that follow are labelled
B, C, D and E, and need to be arranged in the logical order to form a
coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most
appropriate option.
A. If the timing and reasoning behind Sotheby's decision to go ahead
are obvious, the reasons Mr. Hirst wants to risk his reputation for a
one-off fire sale are more subtle.
B. Although he has benefited from the contacts and clout that his
dealers provide, he is irked by their habit of making potential new
buyers prove themselves by waiting before they are allowed to purchase
a work of art.
C Anyone with enough money can buy what they want – immediately.
D. Much of it has to do with his natural impatience, his wish to break
rules and break down boundaries.
E. "Dealers are gatekeepers who permit artists' access to serious
collectors," explains Mr. Thompson. Auction rooms, by contrast, are
more democratic.
a. BDEC b. BDCE c. DEBC d. DBEC
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