English Language Quiz For For RBI Grade B Phase 1 2023-3rd March

Directions (1-7): Read the following passage and answer the following questions based on the given passage.

India is among the first countries to set up a specialized agency for the development of research and human resources in the biotechnology sector. More than three decades later, it is imperative to ask: has the biotechnology sector lived up to its promise? Or was it all faux optimism? More importantly, is the sector poised to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with, if not beat, the IT sector in creating jobs for the future? One needs to go beyond the traditional indicators such as the numbers of institutions formed, students and scientists, trained, and the number of patents filed to judge the sector’s performance, and its impact on the economy and society as a whole.

Modern biotechnological research is expensive. It requires a highly trained and skilled workforce and access to expensive instruments. So far, most of the high-quality research output has come from a handful of institutions with better scientific infrastructure. The rest, which forms the bulk of the research publications, is of mediocre quality. This is primarily due to a “publish or perish” culture that incentivizes numbers over quality. Over the years, the focus of research has slowly shifted from fundamental to applied research. Why has India not produced another Jagadish Chandra Bose or G.N. Ramachandran despite the biotechnology research budget growing several folds? The fruits of applied research will only come when we start investing in basic research without asking for quick returns. While continuing and increasing the share of funding in basic research, the government should encourage and incentivize the private sector to invest substantially in applied research. Compared to the developed economies (the United States), biotechnology research in India is mainly funded by the public exchequer. Unless the private sector starts supporting applied research and engages with academic institutions, the innovation in applied and translational biotechnology will be minimal.

Let us look at the creation of human resources and jobs in the biotechnology sector. In India, unlike the IT sector, a large pool of the English-speaking workforce, low wages of scientists (compared to the developed economies) and a sizeable institutional research base have not helped create more jobs in biotechnology. There may be several possible reasons. Biotechnology research often requires access to laboratories with high-end scientific infrastructure, the supply of expensive chemicals and reagents with minimum shipping time between the supplier and the user, and a disciplined work culture and documentation practice due to regulatory and intellectual property filing requirement. Additionally, unlike the products and solutions from the IT industry, biotechnology products and solutions often require ethical and regulatory clearance, making the process long, expensive and cumbersome.

As the nature of the work in the biotechnology sector is specialized, most jobs are filled with experienced and skilled scientists leaving the demand for young and inexperienced ones low. In a global marketplace, having a large number of young professionals hungry to work at meagre wage coupled with the need of large corporations in the West to get work done cheaper created some of the large IT companies in India.

Q1. As per the given passage, which of the following should not be the basis to check whether biotechnology has lived up to its promise or not?
(a) Number of institutions established and trained students and scientists
(b) Number of patents filed and its impact on economy as well as society.
(c) status of researchers and people linked to this sector
(d) both (a) and (b)
(e) None of these

Q2. In what terms, the phrase ‘publish or perish’ is used in the given passage?
(a) A saying to describe pressure on institutions to succeed thus resulting into mediocre quality research publications in bulk.
(b) Formation of large infrastructure irrespective of the economic constraints.
(c) Shifting of focused research from fundamental to applied method.
(d) Growth of biotechnology budget for research in manifold ways.
(e) None of these

Q3. According to the author of the given passage, how applied research will become fruitful?
(a) Investment in right direction for a right amount of time.
(b) Investing on basic research without hoping for quick returns.
(c) Focusing on fundamental research instead of applied research.
(d) Both (b) and (c)
(e) None of these

Q4. Which of the following strategy should be employed to attract investment in applied research?
(a) Encouragement and incentivization of private sector along with constant and share of funding in the direction of basic research.
(b) Employing latest technologies and boosting research methods.
(c) Not expecting quick returns and investing blind-folded.
(d) Both (a) and (c)
(e) None of these.

Q5. How shrinking of innovation in applied and translational biotechnology can be minimized?
(a) Through funding bio-technology sector by the public exchequer.
(b) Private sector begins to support applied research and engaging with academic institutions at the same time.
(c) Enhancing public sector reach through manifold schemes.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
(e) None of these

Q6. What is/are the reason/reasons behind failure of biotechnology in creating jobs?
(a) Access to laboratories with high-end specific infrastructure
(b) Supply of expensive chemicals and reagents delivered in minimum shipping time
(c) presence of regulatory and intellectual property filling requirements
(d) Need ethical and regulatory clearance thus making the process of products and solutions long, cumbersome and expensive.
(e) All of the above.

Q7. Why the demand of young and inexperienced people is low in biotechnology sector?
(a) being a specialized field, biotechnology sector needs highly experienced and well-skilled scientists.
(b) they lack proper research knowledge and support by the government.
(c) presence of loopholes in the hiring process of employees in this sector.
(d) Both (c) and (d)
(e) None of these

Directions (8-15): In each of the following sentence, there are two blank spaces. Below the sentences, there are five options with a pair of words in each. Fill up the sentences with the pair of words that make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct.

Q8. Vivekananda was a __________________ of a multicultural nation rooted in religious _____________________ and modernity
(a) provide, purview
(b) adversely, impacted
(c) proponent, tolerance
(d) notional, offset
(e) increased, capital

Q9. The practice of Indian ___________________, despite its pitfalls, has ______________________ the country from many of its neighbours.
(a) cooperation, built-in
(b) stakes, factor
(c) signed, memorandum
(d) secularism, distinguished
(e) suggestion, intervene

Q10. The country’s ______________ ideals have their roots in its Constitution, ________________ by its people, a majority of whom are Hindus.
(a) boosted, harmony
(b) burgeoning, facilitate
(c) incentivise, equitable
(d) regional, enhancing
(e) secular, promulgated

Q11. The __________________ of competing anti-Indian and pro-Islamist outfits and standalone ________________ is a deadly prospect
(a) collaboration, clerics
(b) views, personally
(c) domestic, accelerate
(d) penetration, potential
(e) supplement, objection

Q12. Bin Laden __________________ Hamza(his son) hoping that he would continue to work with the same ______________________ after his time.
(a) bombarded, peace
(b) groomed, zeal
(c) development, management
(d) linking, hinterland
(e) achieve, between

Q13. The various ___________ taken over the years at the national level has led to a __________ increase in the credit support for agriculture.
(a) initiatives, spectacular
(b) imitate, superior
(c) fragile, shatter
(d) steps, expensive
(e) None of these.

Q14. When rains recently caused the railways to __________ its service, the anxiety among crowds waiting outside railway junctions was __________.
(a) subtle, dehydrate
(b) surprised, failed
(c) relieved, dull
(d) discontinue, palpable
(e) None of these.

Q15. In the last few years, the ____________ sector in India has seen significant development, with the ___________ of new business models.
(a) innovation, cons
(b) ongoing, glowing
(c) technology, advent
(d) ignored, amounts
(e) None of these.

Solutions

S1. Ans. (d)
Sol. Referring to the introductory paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘One needs to go beyond the traditional indicators such as the numbers of institutions formed, students and scientists, trained, and the number of patents filed to judge the sector’s performance, and its impact on the economy and society as a whole.’ Thus, option (d) is the right answer choice.

S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. Referring to the second paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘Modern biotechnological research is expensive. It requires a highly trained and skilled workforce and access to expensive instruments. So far, most of the high-quality research output has come from a handful of institutions with better scientific infrastructure. The rest, which forms the bulk of the research publications, is of mediocre quality. This is primarily due to a “publish or perish” culture that incentivizes numbers over quality.’ Basically, the literal meaning of ‘publish or perish’ is that ‘an alliterative saying describing the pressure to publish academic work in order to succeed in an academic career’. Since option (a) describes best the meaning of this phrase in the context of given passage, it is the right answer choice.

S3. Ans. (b)
Sol. Referring to the second paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘The fruits of applied research will only come when we start investing in basic research without asking for quick returns.’. Hence, option (b) is the right answer choice.

S4. Ans. (a)
Sol. Referring to the second paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘While continuing and increasing the share of funding in basic research, the government should encourage and incentivize the private sector to invest substantially in applied research.’

S5. Ans. (b)
Sol. Referring to the second paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘Unless the private sector starts supporting applied research and engages with academic institutions, the innovation in applied and translational biotechnology will be minimal.’

S6. Ans. (e)
Sol. Referring to the third paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘Biotechnology research often requires access to laboratories with high-end scientific infrastructure, the supply of expensive chemicals and reagents with minimum shipping time between the supplier and the user, and a disciplined work culture and documentation practice due to regulatory and intellectual property filing requirement. Additionally, unlike the products and solutions from the IT industry, biotechnology products and solutions often require ethical and regulatory clearance, making the process long, expensive and cumbersome.’

S7. Ans. (a)
Sol. Referring to the fourth paragraph of the given passage, the right answer can be inferred from the lines, ‘As the nature of the work in the biotechnology sector is specialized, most jobs are filled with experienced and skilled scientists leaving the demand for young and inexperienced ones low.’

S8. Ans. (c)
Sol. The correct answer choice is option (c). All other options are contextually and meaningfully incorrect. So, our correct answer choice is option (c).

S9. Ans. (d)
Sol. The correct answer choice is option (d). All other options are contextually and meaningfully incorrect. So, our correct answer choice is option (d).

S10. Ans. (e)
Sol. The correct answer choice is option (e). All other options are contextually and meaningfully incorrect. So, our correct answer choice is option (e).

S11. Ans. (a)
Sol. The correct answer choice is option (a). All other options are contextually and meaningfully incorrect. So, our correct answer choice is option (a).

S12. Ans. (b)
Sol. The correct answer choice is option (b). All other options are contextually and meaningfully incorrect. So, our correct answer choice is option (b).

S13. Ans. (a)
Sol. The correct option is option (a)

S14. Ans. (d)
Sol. The correct option is option (d)

S15. Ans. (c)
Sol. The correct option is option (c)