English Quizzes, for SBI/IBPS PO Prelims 2021 – 14th October – Reading Comprehension

TOPIC: Reading Comprehension

Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below them. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

DONALD TRUMP is hardly the first American president to slap unilateral tariffs on imports. Every inhabitant of the Oval Office since Jimmy Carter has imposed some kind of protectionist curbs on trade, often on steel. Nor will Mr.Trump’s vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium by themselves wreck the economy: they account for 2% of last year’s $2.4trn of goods imports, or 0.2% of GDP. If this were the extent of Mr Trump’s protectionism, it would simply be an act of senseless self-harm. In fact, it is a potential disaster—both for America and for the world economy. As yet it is unclear exactly what Mr.Trump will do. But the omens are bad. Unlike his predecessors, Mr.Trump is a long-standing sceptic of free trade. He has sneered at the multilateral trading system, which he sees as a bad deal for America. His administration is chaotic, and Gary Cohn’s ominous decision on March 6th to resign as the president’s chief economic adviser deprives the White House of a rare free-trader, signaling that it has fallen into protectionist hands. Not since its inception at the end of the second world war has the global trading system faced such danger.

Rough trade- This danger has several dimensions. One is the risk of tit-for-tat escalation. After the EU said it would retaliate with sanctions on American goods, including bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorbikes, Mr.Trump threatened exports of European cars. The second danger springs from Mr Trump’s rationale. The tariffs are based on a little-used law that lets a president protect industry on grounds of national security. That excuse is self-evidently spurious. Most of America’s imports of steel come from Canada, the European Union, Mexico and South Korea, America’s allies. Canada and Mexico look set to be temporarily excluded— but only because Mr.Trump wants leverage in his renegotiation of the North American Free-Trade Agreement,

which has nothing to do with national security. Mr.Trump is setting a precedent that other countries are sure to exploit to protect their own producers, just as spuriously.

It is not clear whether other countries can respond legally when national security is invoked in this way. This puts the World Trade Organization (WTO) into a rat trap. Either Mr.Trump will provoke a free-for-all of recrimination and retaliation that the WTO’s courts cannot adjudicate, or the courts will second-guess America’s national-security needs, in which case Mr.Trump may storm out of the organization altogether.

Q1. What is seen by Mr.Trump as the bad deal for America?
(a) Mr.Trump’s vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium.
(b) The extent of Mr Trump’s protectionism.
(c) Mr.Trump has sneered at the multilateral trading system.
(d) Mr.Trump’s chaotic administration
(e) Mr.Trump as a first president to slap unilateral tariffs on imports.

Q2. Tariffs on steel and aluminium account for how many percent?
(a) 25% on both steel and aluminium
(b) 10% on both steel and aluminium
(c) 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium
(d) 0.2% on steel and 2% on aluminium
(e) none of the above

Q3. What signal did it give when Gary Cohn’s decided to resign?
(a) that a global trading system has faced a bigger danger.
(b) that the administration has fallen into protectionist hands.
(c) that the administration is chaotic.
(d) that Mr.Trump is a long sceptic for free trade.
(e) none of the above

Q4. What are the risks/dangers faced by global trading system after the second world war?
(a) tit-for-tat escalation.
(b) springs from Mr Trump’s rationale.
(c) that president protects industry on the grounds of national security.
(d) tit-for-tat escalation and the springs from Mr.trump’s rationale.
(e) none of the above

Q5. Most of the America’s imports of steel come from…?
(a) Canada and the European Union
(b) Canada and Mexico
(c) The European Union and America’s allies
(d) South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the European Union and America’s allies
(e) all are correct

Q6. Choose the word which is MOST SMILAR to the word given in passage.
WRECK
(a) ruin
(b) build
(c) construct
(d) make
(e) produce

Q7. Choose the word which is OPPOSITE to the word given in passage.
RETALIATE
(a) praise
(b) recommend
(c) repay
(d) requisite
(e) affront

Q8. Choose the word which is OPPOSITE to the word given in passage.
ADJUDICATE
(a) arbitrate
(b) settle
(c) judge
(d) hedge
(e) appoint

Q9. Which of the following statement is incorrect?
(a) Mr.Trump wants leverage in his renegotiation of the North American Free-Trade Agreement, which has nothing to do with national security.
(b) Mr.Trump is setting a precedent that other countries are sure to exploit to protect their own producers.
(c) The tariffs are based on a little-used law that lets a president protect industry on grounds of national security. That excuse is self-evidently spurious.
(d) Both (A)&(E)
(e) Mr.Trump’s will vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium by themselves wreck the economy.

Q10. What is the theme of the passage?
(a) laudatory
(b) sarcastic
(c) critical
(d) cynical
(e) analytical

Directions (11-15): Rearrange the following five sentences (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below.

Q11. (A) In the event of the motions being moved, the BJP, with 273 members in the House, is unlikely to be defeated.
(B) A majority of the Opposition parties have decided to back the no-confidence motions filed by the YSRCP and the TDP since both are on the same issue.
(C) For the last one week, TDP MPs have been reaching out to all parties. On Wednesday, they distributed Tirupati ladoos and Balaji figurines to floor leaders of all Opposition parties.
(D) A debate on the motion, however, will allow the Andhra Pradesh parties to go into the issue and could cause the BJP some embarrassment.
(E) A day later, the YSRCP also swung into action.
(a) ABDEC
(b) BDCAE
(c) ADBCE
(d) BCDEA
(e) ABCDE

Q12.(A) Students have also asked to be allowed to keep all items that are not academically-related (such as sports gear) in lockers.
(B)The students’ suggestions include introduction of locker systems, canteens for unaided schools so that students don’t have to lug their lunchboxes, and ensuring that managements adhere to a timetable.
(C) The government has thrown the ball, or rather the pen, back in the students’ court by asking them for suggestions on how to ease the load.
(D) The familiar sight of spindly school students staggering under heavy, bulging school bags may soon be a thing of the past, at least in Karnataka.
(E) A DSERT survey in association with the Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University, Bangalore, found that the highest burden of the school bags was in unaided schools.
(a) DCBAE
(b) DBCAE
(c) DBCEA
(d) BDCAE
(e) ACDBE

Q13.(A) The 51-year-old-star had been scheduled to start work on a film by director Vishal Bharadwaj, who recently announced the production had been postponed due to Mr. Khan’s illness.
(B) Bollywood star Irrfan Khan, known internationally for his roles in blockbusters Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire, shocked fans on Friday by revealing he has a rare tumour.
(C) In a statement addressing speculation by fans and the media over his health, Mr. Khan said he has been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.
(D) Referring to rumours about his illness, Mr. Khan said a neuroendocrine tumour “is not always about the brain and googling is the easiest way to do research”.
(E) The disease affects the body’s hormonal messaging system and studies suggest it afflicts just 35 in 1,00,000 people.
(a) BADEC
(b) BDAEC
(c) BEDAC
(d) BECDA
(e) BCEDA

Q14. (A) Without monitoring incidence and defining the desired target, the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) is not a valid control programme, but a great humanitarian programme of free diagnosis and treatment.
(B) As a comparison, in western Europe it is five per 100,000 per year.
(C) “Incidence” in epidemiology is a rate: new cases per unit population, per unit time. The incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) in India is estimated at 200-300 cases per 100,000 population per year.
(D) For example, “significance” in biostatistics, measured by ‘p’ value, clarifies if a study result is reliable or mere chance finding.
(E) Science borrows words from common parlance and assigns quantifiable meanings.
(a) ECBDA
(b) EDCBA
(c) EBACD
(d) ECDAB
(e) EDCAB

Q15. (A) The plot was to be a church, as per the board outside.
(B) So, for the next three months, it will host the camp office of G. Janardhana Reddy, of ‘Bellary brothers’ fame.
(C) that had established complete control over an area that holds nearly a quarter of the country’s iron ore reserves.
(D) He was the man who, along with his two brothers, came to epitomize the illegal mining syndicate.
(E) But because the area has no water, the plans came undone.
(a) ACDBE
(b) ABECD
(c) AEBDC
(d) ACDEB
(e) AEDCB

ALSO CHECK:

Solutions

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. He has sneered at the multilateral trading system, which he sees as a bad deal for America (refer 11th line of para 1)

S2. Ans.(e)
Sol. None of the above

S3. Ans.(b)
Sol. ……resign as the president’s chief economic adviser deprives the White House of a rare free-trader, signaling that it has fallen into protectionist hands (refer last three lines of para 1)

S4. Ans.(d)
Sol. One is the risk of tit-for-tat escalation. After the EU said it would retaliate with sanctions on American goods, including bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorbikes, Mr.Trump threatened exports of European cars. The second danger springs from Mr Trump’s rationale (refer 1^st five lines of para 2)

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Most of America’s imports of steel come from Canada, the European Union, Mexico and South Korea, America’s allies (refer 10^th line of para 2)

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. Wreck– to ruin

S7. Ans.(a)
Sol. Retaliate-to rebuke or to scold

S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. Adjudicate– to settle a dispute
Hedge– to obstruct

S9. Ans.(e)
Sol. Nor will Mr.Trump’s vow to put 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminium by themselves wreck the economy……(refer 4^th line of para 1)

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The theme of the passage is analytical as you can easily sum up from the last lines of para 1 only i.e. His administration is chaotic, and Gary Cohn’s ominous decision on March 6th to resign as the president’s chief economic adviser deprives the White House of a rare free-trader, signaling that it has fallen into protectionist hands. Not since its inception at the end of the second world war has the global trading system faced such danger.

S11. Ans.(c)
Sol. ADBCE

S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. DCBAE

S13. Ans.(e)
Sol. BCEDA

S14. Ans.(b)
Sol. EDCBA

S15. Ans.(c)
Sol. AEBDC