TOPIC: Miscellaneous
Directions (1-5): In each of the given questions an inference is given in bold which is then followed by three paragraphs. You have to find the paragraph(s) from where it is inferred. Choose the option with the best possible outcome as your choice.
Q1. Coaching institutions undermine mainstream education and impose a huge cost on students
(I) Rising aspirations, combined with the falling quality of mainstream education, have meant that examination-oriented tuitions have taken over the lives of most school and college students in India. The coaching industry also generates employment. However, since it is unregulated and unorganised for the most part, it is difficult to estimate exactly how many people are employed in this line of work.
(II) Coaching institutions are imposing a huge emotional cost to society. They crush creativity. In most cases, they only help a student to swiftly secure marks in some entrance exam. To signal merit, exams are only one criterion, and not necessarily the best one. So, coaching institutions exist to help people achieve only one idea of merit. They do not enhance human capital. Confining students in classrooms and making them study subjects they often hate destroys their natural talent. Hence, the social cost of these institutions outweighs their benefit by far.
(III) In May, a deadly fire at a coaching centre in Surat snuffed out 22 young lives. The rate of suicides in Kota, where many students converge to prepare for entrance exams, remains high. And yet, the coaching industry is rapidly growing. Data from the National Sample Survey Office’s 71st round reveal that more than a quarter of Indian students take private coaching. Also, it is providing with the information regarding employment in this sector.
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (ii)
(c) Only (iii)
(d) Both (i) and (iii)
(e) None of these.
Q2. Capital infusion is the key reason in improvement of capital of banks
(I) In its latest monetary policy report, the RBI said recapitalisation of public sector banks and the ongoing improvement in their financials, and resolution of stressed assets under the insolvency and bankruptcy code are expected to improve bank credit offtake and support investment and aggregate demand.
(II) With the number of banks having more than 20% gross NPAs coming down in March 2019, RBI said this implied a broader improvement in asset quality. Credit growth of public sector banks were at 9.6% while private lendsers continue to robust growth of 21%. Overall credit growth marginally improved to 13.2% in March 2019 from 13.1% in September 2018.
(III) Following infusion by the government in public sector banks, the overall capital ratio of commercial banks ameliorated from 13.7% in September 2018 to 14.3% in March 2019, with state-run banks’ CAR ameliorating from 11.3% to 12.2% during the period. However, there was a marginal decline in the CAR of private sector banks.
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (ii)
(c) Only (iii)
(d) Both (i) and (iii)
(e) None of these.
Q3. The new bankruptcy code yields its first success, but many wrinkles remain.
[I] The Finance Ministry now expects banks to recover more than ₹1 lakh crore from the resolution of the other cases referred by the RBI to the NCLT. If the banks do indeed recover funds of this scale, it would considerably reduce the burden on taxpayers, who would otherwise have to foot the bill for any recapitalisation of banks.
[II] The resolution of case of Bhushan Steel, should not deflect attention from the many challenges still plaguing the bankruptcy resolution process. The IBC, as the government itself has admitted, remains a work in progress. This is a welcome piece of legislation to the extent that it subsumes a plethora of laws that confused creditors; instead it now offers a more streamlined way to deal with troubled assets. But issues such as the proposed eligibility criteria for bidders have left it bogged down and suppressed its capacity to help out creditors efficiently.[III] The strict time limit for the resolution process as mandated by the IBC is an area that has drawn much attention, and it merits further review in order to balance the twin objectives of speedy resolution and maximising recovery for the lenders. To its credit, the government has been willing to hear out suggestions.
(a) Only [III](b) Both [I] & [III](c) Only [II](d) Both [I] & [II](e) All [I], [II], [III]
Q4. Slide of the currency and a widening trade deficit present the RBI with a huge dilemma
[I] India’s macroeconomic threats lie exposed as it grapples with the rupee’s slide. The currency sunk to a closing low of 68.07 against the U.S. dollar, its lowest level in 16 months. Meanwhile, despite a depreciating currency, India’s merchandise exports are stumbling instead of gaining from the opportunity. A hike in the RBI’s benchmark interest rates could stem the capital exodus, but with core inflation picking up and the government keen on a rate cut as a growth catalyst, the RBI has an unenviable dilemma on its hands.
[II] The trade deficit has consequently widened to $13.7 billion in April, compared to $13.25 billion in the same month in 2017. The value of oil and petroleum product imports increased by 41.5% from last year to hit $10.4 billion. U.S. sanctions following Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and a June 22 meeting of OPEC should drive oil price trends hereon. Oil prices apart, the tightening of U.S. monetary policy has almost always spelled trouble for emerging market economies hooked to Western capital inflows.
[III] The Indian rupee has been one of the worst performing major emerging market (EM) currencies in 2018, and the worst in Asia-Pacific. A Mint analysis shows that the rupee’s troubles can be traced back to concerns about India’s rising current account deficit. Given that the current account deficit is likely to remain under pressure, the rupee is likely to remain weak for some time, raising external funding costs for Indian firms even as it feeds into domestic inflation.
(a) Only [II](b) Only [I](c) Both (I) and (III)
(d) Both (II) and (III)
(e) None of these
Q5. The Windrush scandal marks another episode in Europe’s hardening politics on immigration.
[I] EU citizens elect the European Parliament and participate in its work, thus exercising treaty rights, enhancing Union democracy, and reinforcing its citizenship. Noting the ECJ’s view of Union citizenship as a ‘fundamental status’ of nationals of Member States, and that Brexit will strip millions of EU citizens of this status and their vote in European elections, requests the Commission propose means to avoid risk of collective loss of EU citizenship and rights, and assure all EU citizens that, once attained, such status is permanent and their rights acquired.
[II] EU nationals risk being caught in a repeat of the Windrush immigration scandal unless the Home Office makes urgent changes to its post-Brexit “settled status” scheme, a UK parliament committee has warned. The programme — which has been in operation for nearly two months and received over 600,000 applications — is intended to guarantee the legal rights of over 3.5m EU citizens who are resident in the UK after Britain leaves the bloc. The problems faced by the Windrush generation showed how easily individuals can fall through gaps in the system through no fault of their own and how easily lives can be destroyed if the government gets this wrong
[III] The scandal over the targeting of Britons of Caribbean origin is the latest twist in Europe’s recent politics over immigration, denting the continent’s image as being open, liberal and tolerant. The Windrush generation, named after one of the many vessels that ferried some half a million people from the Caribbean islands to the U.K. in the late 1940s, has fallen victim to a ruthless policy that stipulates annual net immigration objectives. In its wake, people with cultural links to the region but who have lived all their lives in the U.K. are having to provide proof of residence for every year of their stay of up to 60-70 years.
(a) Only (III)
(b) Only (I)
(c) Both (II) and (III)
(d) Both (I) and (III)
(e) None of these
Directions (6-10): Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below.
(A) Though the government referred to these record GST collections and compliance as a sign of an upswing in the economy, to be fair, it also stressed that this number may be driven by the human tendency to wrap up pending official dues at the last moment — which in this case is the last month of the financial year. Yet, even delayed compliance is a welcome ‘new normal’.
(B) Collections from the Goods and Services Tax crossed the ₹1 lakh crore mark in April, according to data released by the Finance Ministry on tax receipts that accrued in March but were payable in April.
(C) The government is keen to start matching tax credits claimed by businesses for inputs from suppliers. Policymakers need to ensure that the uptick in car sales and demand for steel and cement is catalysed further.
(D) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has called this a “landmark achievement” and a “confirmation of increased economic activity”. Separate data released last week suggest the number of registered tax-payers filing GST returns by the specified deadline has risen from 57% for July to nearly 63% for March.
(E) Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December.
(F) And since many had consistently failed to meet the deadline in the initial months of confusion over the online returns filing system, it is heartening to note that by the final month of the financial year, they had caught up on their past arrears too.
(G) To be precise, the total revenue from the new indirect tax in April was ₹1,03,458 crore, the highest recorded in a single month since its implementation in July 2017.
Q6. If the statement (E) “Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December” is the fifth sentence after rearrangement, then which among the followings fails to become the part of the coherent paragraph?
(a) C
(b) D
(c) B
(d) F
(e) E
Q7. If the statement (E) “Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December” is the fifth sentence after rearrangement, which one of them is formed with two consecutive statements after the rearrangement?
(a) D – G
(b) C – D
(c) E – A
(d) C – B
(e) A – F
Q8. If the statement (E) “Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December” is the fifth sentence after rearrangement, which of the following statement should FOURTH sentence after the rearrangement? (Excluding the incoherent sentence)
(a) D
(b) H
(c) E
(d) G
(e) F
Q9. If the statement (E) “Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December” is the fifth sentence after rearrangement, which of the following statement should FIRST sentence after the rearrangement? (Excluding the incoherent sentence)
(a) C
(b) D
(c) A
(d) E
(e) B
Q10. If the statement (E) “Overall tax compliance for July 2017 is now over 96% of registered taxpayers who are required to file, and ranges from 92% to 80% for each month thereafter, till December” is the fifth sentence after rearrangement, identify the correct sequence of the sentences to form a coherent paragraph (excluding the incoherent one).
(a) BACDFE
(b) DBCFAE
(c) BGDEFA
(d) ACBDGF
(e) BGDFEA
Solutions
S1. Ans. (b)
Sol. Going through the options, we can see that option (I) is talking about the reason for the rise in the examination oriented tuitions or coaching. So from this, first part of the statement can be inferred but it fails to provide any fact supporting the second part of the given statement.
The second option seems appropriate answer choice because there is mention of emotional demerits and loss of creativity in the students. Also, the given passage is highlighting that coaching institutes only focus on securing marks in some entrance exam only which is opposite to the idea of main stream education which means practice of placing students with special education services in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. Hence, the given statement can be clearly inferred from this option.
Option (III) is discussing about the rise in the coaching industry even with so many ruinous events that occurred in the past.
So the most appropriate answer choice is option (b)
S2. Ans. (d)
Sol. The given statement can be inferred from the first and third paragraphs. In the first paragraph it is clearly mentioned that recapitalization of the PSB is expected to improve the bank credit which is similar to the Capital Adequacy Ratio. Also, in option (III), ameliorating means make something better. So the given statement can be inferred easily from the given statements. Hence, the correct answer choice is option (d)
S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. Among the given paragraphs, only the second paragraph justifies the inference mentioned above. The paragraph clearly states the resolution of Bhushan Steel under IBC and further it mentions the shortcomings that still prevail within the system. The other two paragraphs provide incomplete information in context of the inference. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. Here, only the first paragraph justifies the inference mentioned above. The second paragraph mention the trade deficit faced by India but there is no mention of the fall in currency value and RBI’s stance. Similarly, the third paragraph provides incomplete information in context of the inference. Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S5. Ans. (c)
Sol. The inference given above can be justified in both paragraph [II] and [III]. Both the paragraphs illustrate how ruthless Windrush scandal has become a political tool and marks the weaknesses of European government. The first paragraph provides irrelavant information in context of the inference. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S6. Ans. (a)
Sol. Here, among the given statements, statement (B) is the most suitable statement for the introduction of the paragraph as it mentions the collections from the GST by the end of the financial year. Statement (B) will then be followed by statement (G) which mentions the precise figures of the collections. Statement (D) is the most suitable statement to follow statement (G) as it mentions the remarks of Finance Minister regarding huge tax collections after introduction of GST in July 2017. It further mentions separate data that has been released regarding the registered taxpayers. Statement (F) will follow statement (D) as it mentions the initial confusions faced by businessmen in filing online returns resulting in their failure to meet deadlines and piling of their earlier taxes by the end of the financial year. Further, statement (F) will be followed by statement (E) which mentions the present scenario where the tax compliance has also increased drastically. Finally the passage will be concluded with statement (A), which mentions the government’s appreciation of both the collections and compliance. Therefore, the correct sequence of the rearranged statements will be BGDFEA. Here, only statement (C) does not fit in the given arrangement and is therefore not a coherent part of rearrangement.
Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S7. Ans. (c)
Sol. Here, among the given statements, statement (B) is the most suitable statement for the introduction of the paragraph as it mentions the collections from the GST by the end of the financial year. Statement (B) will then be followed by statement (G) which mentions the precise figures of the collections. Statement (D) is the most suitable statement to follow statement (G) as it mentions the remarks of Finance Minister regarding huge tax collections after introduction of GST in July 2017. It further mentions separate data that has been released regarding the registered taxpayers. Statement (F) will follow statement (D) as it mentions the initial confusions faced by businessmen in filing online returns resulting in their failure to meet deadlines and piling of their earlier taxes by the end of the financial year. Further, statement (F) will be followed by statement (E) which mentions the present scenario where the tax compliance has also increased drastically. Finally the passage will be concluded with statement (A), which mentions the government’s appreciation of both the collections and compliance. Therefore, the correct sequence of the rearranged statements will be BGDFEA. Here, only statement (C) does not fit in the given arrangement and is therefore not a coherent part of rearrangement.
Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. Here, among the given statements, statement (B) is the most suitable statement for the introduction of the paragraph as it mentions the collections from the GST by the end of the financial year. Statement (B) will then be followed by statement (G) which mentions the precise figures of the collections. Statement (D) is the most suitable statement to follow statement (G) as it mentions the remarks of Finance Minister regarding huge tax collections after introduction of GST in July 2017. It further mentions separate data that has been released regarding the registered taxpayers. Statement (F) will follow statement (D) as it mentions the initial confusions faced by businessmen in filing online returns resulting in their failure to meet deadlines and piling of their earlier taxes by the end of the financial year. Further, statement (F) will be followed by statement (E) which mentions the present scenario where the tax compliance has also increased drastically. Finally the passage will be concluded with statement (A), which mentions the government’s appreciation of both the collections and compliance. Therefore, the correct sequence of the rearranged statements will be BGDFEA. Here, only statement (C) does not fit in the given arrangement and is therefore not a coherent part of rearrangement.
Hence, option (e) is the most suitable answer choice.
S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. Here, among the given statements, statement (B) is the most suitable statement for the introduction of the paragraph as it mentions the collections from the GST by the end of the financial year. Statement (B) will then be followed by statement (G) which mentions the precise figures of the collections. Statement (D) is the most suitable statement to follow statement (G) as it mentions the remarks of Finance Minister regarding huge tax collections after introduction of GST in July 2017. It further mentions separate data that has been released regarding the registered taxpayers. Statement (F) will follow statement (D) as it mentions the initial confusions faced by businessmen in filing online returns resulting in their failure to meet deadlines and piling of their earlier taxes by the end of the financial year. Further, statement (F) will be followed by statement (E) which mentions the present scenario where the tax compliance has also increased drastically. Finally the passage will be concluded with statement (A), which mentions the government’s appreciation of both the collections and compliance. Therefore, the correct sequence of the rearranged statements will be BGDFEA. Here, only statement (C) does not fit in the given arrangement and is therefore not a coherent part of rearrangement.
Hence, option (e) is the most suitable answer choice.
S10. Ans. (e)
Sol. Here, among the given statements, statement (B) is the most suitable statement for the introduction of the paragraph as it mentions the collections from the GST by the end of the financial year. Statement (B) will then be followed by statement (G) which mentions the precise figures of the collections. Statement (D) is the most suitable statement to follow statement (G) as it mentions the remarks of Finance Minister regarding huge tax collections after introduction of GST in July 2017. It further mentions separate data that has been released regarding the registered taxpayers. Statement (F) will follow statement (D) as it mentions the initial confusions faced by businessmen in filing online returns resulting in their failure to meet deadlines and piling of their earlier taxes by the end of the financial year. Further, statement (F) will be followed by statement (E) which mentions the present scenario where the tax compliance has also increased drastically. Finally the passage will be concluded with statement (A), which mentions the government’s appreciation of both the collections and compliance. Therefore, the correct sequence of the rearranged statements will be BGDFEA. Here, only statement (C) does not fit in the given arrangement and is therefore not a coherent part of rearrangement.
Hence, option (e) is the most suitable answer choice.
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