Directions (1-5): Read the following passage divided into the number of paragraphs
carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
Paragraph 1: India has been a tourist destination from earliest times, in
those days for religious purposes. Chinese pilgrims Faxien in the fourth
century and Xuanzang and Yijing in the seventh century came to India in search
of the footsteps of Lord Buddha, and their accounts are invaluable source
material for historians of that epoch. India could again be a great religious
tourism destination, for all the world’s great religions have traditions here;
Christianity, for example, thrived in India even before it was established in
Europe.
Paragraph 2: India entertains about nine million tourists a year; twenty years
ago it was only two million. But this increase fades into insignificance when
compared to France’s 76 million, Spain’s 55, the USA’s 49, Italy’s 48 and China’s
46. China’s figure is remarkable because its tourism industry was practically
nonexistent until the 1990s. Of our 9 million, this figure is inclusive of
Indian-origin tourists from abroad who return to their homeland repeatedly. It
would be interesting to disaggregate the Indian-origin tourists from others,
but this figure is not available. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are
the most visited states, and Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra and Jaipur the most
visited towns.
Paragraph 3: The Indian authorities once realised the importance of tourism,
and Dr Karan Singh was the first-ever Minister of Tourism from 1967 to 1973. He
was the most distinguished and knowledgeable person to have held this post,
which has been progressively reduced in status. The External Affairs Ministry
has given ‘Visa on Arrival’ facilities for 43 countries, but the queue for this
option at our immigration counters is longer and slower than for those arriving
with visas, so this is another case of good intentions frustrated by bad
implementation. The ‘Incredible India’ campaign was appreciated worldwide, but
has ceased to exist. Air India promoted tourism in its early days; some older
readers may recall a free booklet on board titled ‘Foolishly Yours’ by Bobby
Kooka. There no such book now; we have lost both our sense of humour and
proportion. The External Affairs Ministry helped in promoting tourism around
our 50th independence anniversary and again this year for our 70th anniversary,
and organized Festivals of India abroad, starting in the 1980s in the USA, and
then on to France, Canada, Russia, Germany, Britain and other countries. One US
author wrote: “The collective effort of so many cultural products left the
American elite impressed, and our media woke up to the fact that there is art
everywhere in India.”
Paragraph 4: The Tourism ministry has 14 overseas offices which organize
road-shows and participate in Travel Trade Fairs, but these offices are heavy
with bureaucracy. Sometimes they are merged with other government departments
like the India Investment Centre, Tea Board, or Air India, which is a false
saving. No state in India has its tourism office abroad, unlike the provinces
of Canada and Australia.
Paragraph 5: China has one hundred million outgoing tourists each year. Only
150,000 of these come to India, and it is important to analyse why. China
Eastern Airways has daily flights from China to Kolkata that are usually fully
booked. But how many come as tourists? Indian travel agents need to market
combined tours of South Asian and South-east Asian countries. More special
tourist trains are required; it is not clear why the Palace on Wheels shut
down. The Darjeeling Railway was never exploited properly, and a ‘toy train’
from Coimbatore to Conoor is also unutilized. Steam locomotives have their own
fascination abroad, rather like vintage cars.
Q1. Which of the following statements
undermine(s) the fact, “India has been a
tourist destination from earliest times” as used in Paragraph 1?
(I)Faxien, Xuanzang and Yijing were some
of the foreign scholars who visited India much before the tenth century.
(II)The ancient accounts suggest that
Christianity prospered in India even before it was established in Europe.
(III)India has Nalanda, the Meenakshi
Temple, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, the Asoka Pillars, the Indus Valley sites and a
host of others that depict the fact that India has been a tourist destination
from earliest times.
(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (II)
(c)Only (III)
(d)Both (II) and (III)
(e)All (I), (II) and (III)
Q2. How is China’s progress in tourism
sector influential in comparison to other countries?
(I)There is a tremendous improvement in
the tourism sector in China in the last few decades which is close to no other
developing nations.
(II)China’s figure of 46 million
tourists a year is astounding as it promises a progressive growth in years to
come.
(III)China’s unique value against other
countries in the tourism industry is commendable as it was practically
nonexistent until the 1990s.
(a)Only (II) is correct
(b)Both (I) and (II) are correct
(c)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(d)Both (II) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct
Q3. Which of the following statements
describe(s) the lapse in the existing system of tourism industry in India?
(I)There is a lack of proper
implementation and execution of policies at different levels that challenges
the true intentions of the government.
(II)The robust campaigns like “The
Incredible India” and Air India’s “Foolishly Yours” to promote tourism in the
country are no longer in practice.
(III)There is a complete negligence on
the part of the authorities as there is no effort towards enhancing its reach beyond
its existent stretch.
(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (III)
(c)Both (I) and (II)
(d)Both (II) and (III)
(e)All (I), (II) and (III)
Q4. Which of the following words best
describes the mood of the author in paragraph 4?
(a)Critical
(b)Eulogistic
(c)Satirical
(d)Vituperative
(e)Didactic
Q5. Which of the following statements
summarize(s) the paragraph 5 appropriately?
(I)The Indian tourism industry, unlike
China, has failed in utilizing the abundant resources it possesses.
(II)Chinese tourists have outnumbered
Indian tourists when it comes to inter-regional tourism relationship between
the two countries.
(III)India should restart the service of
toy trains and antique steam locomotives that have their fascination abroad,
rather like vintage cars.
(a)Only (I) is correct
(b)Only (II) is correct
(c)Only (III) is correct
(d)Both (I) and (III) are correct
(e)All are correct
Directions (6-10): Read the following passage divided into the number of paragraphs
carefully and answer the questions that follow it.
Paragraph 1: India’s ambitious plan to interlink rivers to achieve greater equity in the distribution of water in
the country reached an important milestone on July 6, when water from the
Godavari, its second-longest river, rushed to meet the fourth-longest, the
Krishna. The two became the first of 30 rivers to be linked under the
Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program. Touted as the world’s largest irrigation
infrastructure project, the ILR program involves construction of around 15,000
km of new canals and 3,000 big and small dams and storage structures. Broadly,
it has two parts: the Himalayan rivers component with 14 links and the
peninsular component with 16 links, which will transport 33 and 141 trillion
liters of water, respectively, per year. The Godavari-Krishna link is part of
the latter.
Paragraph 2: The idea of interlinking rivers isn’t new. Even in ancient times,
rulers and engineers the world over sought to divert rivers to parched lands.
In 1858, when India was under colonial rule, British engineer Sir Arthur Cotton
proposed interlinking India’s major rivers for inland navigation but his plan
remained on the drawing board. Variations of this project have been put up in
more recent decades. But successive governments did not pursue these plans due
to financial and environmental concerns. It was only with the Bharatiya Janata
Party coming to power in 2014 – it is a strong proponent of interlinking rivers
– that the ILR program took off.
Paragraph 3: India has multiple water-related woes. Besides its enormous
dependence on the erratic monsoons, its basin-wise availability of water varies
greatly due to uneven rainfall and population density. According to a Ministry
of Water Resources report, in 2010 the average per capita availability of water
in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system was 20,136 cubic meters per year
compared to 263 cubic meters in the Sabarmati basin. While a third of the
country grapples with drought, an eighth struggles with floods. Interlinking
rivers is seen as the way to deal with these problems. According to the
Ministry of Water Resources, the ILR program will not only extend irrigation to
an additional 35 million hectares of land and boost hydropower capacity by
around 34,000 megawatts of electricity power but also will improve management
of floods and droughts.
Paragraph 4: The ILR program involves transfer of water from “surplus” river
basins to “deficit” ones. On the face of it, it appears to be just about
diverting water. However, it isn’t that simple. Water will have to be channeled
across different terrains, topographies, and elevations. It involves very
complex engineering. And it comes with a hefty price tag. It is estimated to
cost $168 billion. This being a project that will take decades to complete,
serious cost overruns can be expected. Engineering a diversion of water carries
enormous human, ecological, and environmental costs too. Millions of people are
likely to be displaced by the ILR’s canals and dams.
Paragraph 5: Environmentalists are drawing attention to the irreversible
damage that reduced downstream flows would have on a river’s ecology and
biodiversity. A change in the ecology of the River Ken on account of the
Ken-Betwa link project in central India is expected to doom the already
critically endangered gharial. Also, this project would submerge around 10 percent
of the Panna Tiger reserve, reversing the huge gains of India’s tiger
conservation project.
Q6. According to paragraph 1, what is
the Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program all about?
(a) The Godavari and the Krishna are the
Himalayan rivers that became the part of the project Interlinking of Rivers
(ILR) transporting trillion litres of water.
(b) Interlinking of Rivers program will bring investments as it will enable the
government to transport many litres of the linked river’s water to other
nations.
(c) To meet the basic demands of farmers, Government is stepping towards a
project called Interlinking of Rivers. The project will link two or more rivers
and thereby use its water for primary purposes.
(d) Interlinking of rivers refers to
linking of rivers and using its water for the purpose like construction of
canals, big and small dams and storage structures.
(e) All of the above statements are
true.
Q7. The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project
has its roots in ancient times, how is it correct to say that?
(I) It is evident from Ancient times
that people are taking benefit by interlinking the rivers and using their water
for their needs like transportation by rivers and canals etc.
(II) The idea of interlinking the rivers and using its water for many purposes
like irrigation, inland navigation was derived in ancient times.
(III) Previous government has failed to follow this program as it would affect
the environment and this project would disturb the budget of the economy.
(a) Only (I) is correct
(b) Only (II) is correct
(c) Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d) Both (II) and (III) are correct
(e) All are correct
Q8. Which of the following sentences
cannot be inferred from paragraph 3?
(a) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR)
project will not only provide irrigation facilities but also boost hydropower
capacity.
(b) Major portion of the country is dependent on monsoon.
(c) Interlinking of rivers can solve the problem of availability of water in
the areas of uneven rainfall.
(d) In 2010 the average per capita availability of water in the
Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system was 20,136 cubic meters per year.
(e) Interlinking of the project requires higher man power and financial
stability so that it is able to function smoothly.
Q9. Why the ILR project took such a long
time to implement?
(I) Huge budget is required to make the
ILR project work.
(II) The Interlinking of rivers is not that feasible project as many people
residing near the rivers have to leave the place for the construction of dams
and canals.
(III) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project requires a much complicated
engineering that needs a big task force to divert the water of rivers.
(a) Only (I) is correct
(b) Only (II) is correct
(c) Both (I) and (II) are correct
(d) Both (II) and (III) are correct
(e) All are correct
Q10. Which of the following statements
can follow paragraph 4 to form a connection with paragraph 5?
(a) The ILR project requires a correct
planning by engineers to implement it in a correct way.
(b) The damage which will be there after implementing the ILR project is
irreversible as many people are to be displaced while river’s ecology will also
get affected.
(c) For interlinking the rivers, the water will have to be channeled across
different terrains, topographies, and elevations, which is found difficult to
construct.
(d) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) program will supply the required water to
parched lands.
(e) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project is now gaining the traction, as
compared to ancient times, by the present government to meet various demands.
Direction (11-15): The following question consists of a sentence which is divided into
three parts which contain grammatical errors in one or more than one part of
the sentence. If there is an error in any part of the sentence, find the
correct alternatives to replace those parts from the three options given below
each question to make the sentence grammatically correct. If there is an error
in any part of the sentence and none of the alternatives is correct to replace
that part, then choose (d) i.e. None of the (I), (II) and (III) as your answer.
If the given sentence is grammatically correct or does not require any
correction, choose (e) i.e. No correction required as your answer.
Q11. Despite the RBI launched the
200-rupee note a week ago, (I)/ it may take up to three months for ATMs to
start dispensing the new denomination currency (II)/ for it involves a huge
exercise of recalibration. (III)
(I) While the RBI launched the 200-rupee
note a week ago
(II)it might take up to three months for
ATMs to start dispensing the new denomination currency
(III)as it will involve a huge exercise
of recalibration
(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (I) and (III)
(c)Both (I) and (II)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required
Q12. In the long term, GST offers a
unique (I)/opportunity for customer organisations to eliminate inherent
(II)/inefficiencies in the location, movement and inventory holding of goods.
(III)
(I)In the long term, GST offer a unique
(II)opportunity to customer oganisation
to eliminate inherent
(III)inefficiency of the location,
movement and inventory holding of goods
(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (II) and (III)
(c)Both (I) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required
Q13. One of the biggest strength of
democracy is that (I)/potential correctives to government actions in the form
of (II)/ peaceful movements of people should exist. (III)
(I)One of the biggest strengths of
democracy is that
(II)potential correctness in government
actions in the form of
(III)peaceful movements of people should
be existent
(a)Only (I)
(b)Only (II)
(c)Both (I) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required
Q14.
Suicide is nothing but an ‘escapist’ approach (I)/to life problem which
are nothing but part of (II)/a larger divine plan to facilitating our spiritual
progress. (III)
(I) Suicide has nothing to do with an
‘escapist’ approach
(II) to life’s problems which are
nothing but part of
(III) a larger divine plan to facilitate
our spiritual progress
(a)Only (II)
(b)Both (II) and (III)
(c)All (I), (II) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No
correction required
Q15. ISRO should have the capacity to
launch PSLV missions (I)/once in three months and could have (II)/ completed
the IRNSS constellation in early 2015. (III)
(I) ISRO has the capacity to launch PSLV
missions
(II) once in three months and shall have
(III) completed the IRNSS constellation
early 2015
(a)Only (I)
(b)Both (I) and (III)
(c)Both (II) and (III)
(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)
(e)No correction required
SOLUTIONS:
S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. Read the passage, it can be easily
verified that statements (I) and (II) strengthen the given fact that India has
been a tourist destination from earliest times. These can be inferred from the
first paragraph while statement (III) is not evident enough to agree to the
fact. Hence only statement (III) among the given options undermines the fact.
S2. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer the second paragraph of the
passage, “But this increase fades into insignificance when compared to France’s
76 million, Spain’s 55, the USA’s 49, Italy’s 48 and China’s 46. China’s figure
is remarkable because its tourism industry was practically nonexistent until
the 1990s.” This clearly indicates that statements (II) and (III) rightly
express the China’s growing dominance in this industry as compared to figures
of other nations. However, statement (I) is partly true but it is not evident
and appropriate enough to support the answer in the context of the passage. Hence
(d) is the correct option.
S3. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the three statements are
correct in terms of describing the lapses that our existing system of tourism
industry possesses. These can be easily verified after going through the third
and the fourth paragraphs of the passage. The author has clearly mentioned that
there are many areas that require the immediate concern to expect a progressive
tourism industry in the country. Hence (e) is the correct option.
S4. Ans. (a)
Sol. The mood of the author in paragraph
4 is Critical as the author tries to highlight the loopholes in our system. The
author points out the areas where the government needs to take the immediate
action. Hence the word “critical” describes the mood of the author in the best
way.
S5. Ans. (d)
Sol. Read the last paragraph of the
passage carefully, the author tries to explain the need of bringing its antique
services back into action. The author has also given the example of China and
it’s tourism marketing which India too needs to follow. Among the three
statements, both (I) and (III) summarize the paragraph appropriately while
statement (II) is out of the context. Hence (d) is the correct option.
S6. Ans. (d)
Sol. If we read Paragraph 1 carefully,
we infer that only sentence (d) goes in harmony with the paragraph. Sentence
(a) is wrong as the Godavari and Krishna, though being part of ILR project, is
not Himalayan rivers rather they are peninsular rivers. Sentence (b) is wrong
as it talks about investments by transporting the water to other nations, which
is not related to paragraph. Sentence (c) is wrong as it talks about meeting
the primary purpose of the farmer, which is not specific. Hence only sentence
(d) is correct as it talks about what ILR project consists of.
S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. Referring to paragraph 2, we can
conclude that only sentences (II) and (III) are correct. “The Interlinking of
Rivers (ILR) project has its roots in ancient times”, It is correct to say this
as it is mentioned in the paragraph that many rulers and engineers from ancient
times had sought to divert the water to dried lands. Sentence (III) is correct
as it tells that previous government did not pursue these plans due to
financial and environmental issues. Sentence (I) is not correct as the idea of
using the water of interlinked rivers was not implemented. Hence option (d) is
the correct choice.
S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. All the above sentences can be
inferred from paragraph 3 except sentence (e). Sentence (e) is not mentioned in
the paragraph hence it cannot be inferred from paragraph 3.
S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. All of the above factors are true
as they are responsible for the delay in the implementation of ILR project.
Hence option (e) is the correct choice.
S10. Ans. (b)
Sol. While going through both the
paragraphs, we find that here the demerits of the Interlinking of Rivers (ILR)
program are discussed. The harm that living entities will get by constructing
this project is discussed in this paragraph. Hence sentence (b) is the correct
option that can follow paragraph 4 to form a connection with paragraph 5.
S11. Ans. (b)
Sol. In the first part of the sentence,
“Despite” should be replaced by “While” as it should be used as the conjunction in the sentence which means in
spite of the fact that; although. Moreover, the use of “Despite” in the
sentence changes the meaning of it. The second part of the sentence is
grammatically and contextually wrong. The third part of the sentence refers to
the reason, hence the phrase “for it involves” should be replaced by “as it
will involve” as the action is yet to be performed. Hence (b) is the correct
option.
S12. Ans. (e)
Sol. The given sentence is grammatically
correct. Hence it doesn’t require any correction.
S13. Ans. (a)
Sol. In the first part of the sentence,
“strength” should be replaced by its plural “strengths” as the noun following
the phrase “one of the” is always a plural noun. Other two parts of
the sentence are grammatically correct. Hence (a) is the correct option.
S14. Ans. (b)
Sol. The first part of the sentence
doesn’t require any correction as the sentence is trying to bring out a
generalized view. In the second part, the use of “are” suggests that the noun
it defines must be plural. In this case, the phrase “life problem” should be
replaced by “life’s problems” to make the sentence grammatically correct. In
the third part of the sentence, the infinitive “to” should be followed by the
first form of the verb i.e. “facilitate” which means make (an action or
process) easy or easier. Hence both the second and the third parts of the
sentence require corrections to make the sentence grammatically correct.
S15. Ans. (a)
Sol. There is a small error in only
first part of the sentence, the phrase “ISRO should have the capacity” should
be replaced by “ISRO has the capacity” as it can be well inferred from the
second part of the sentence that it talks about the considerable fact which is
true and existent. The verb “should have” changes the meaning of the sentence,
thus “has” is the correct grammar usage. Other two parts of the sentence are
absolutely correct defining and expressing the meaning of the sentence both
grammatically and contextually. Hence (a) is the correct option.
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