Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer
the questions given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to
help you locate them.
The geopolitics of
Afghanistan, Central and West Asia has witnessed several important changes over
the last six months, which makes the time right for a fresh Indian initiative
that reaches out to old friends in northern Afghanistan along with anti-Taliban
elements in the southern parts.
Two changes have
given rise to this opportunity. The first is the changing equations of balance
of power in Afghanistan; the second deals with the current status of Taliban’s
capacities in southern Afghanistan.
The geopolitical
situation on Afghanistan’s borders is rapidly evolving, following Taliban’s
takeover of Kunduz. What has really set the alarm bells ringing for
Afghanistan’s neighbours is that the Taliban in Kunduz comprised not only
Afghans, but an ensemble of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Uighurs,
Chechens, Dagestanis along with the Al Qaeda and Pakistanis.
An immediate
outcome of this mobilisation has been to bring Russia into the picture at a
scale not seen since 2001. The Russian government is concerned that local Daesh
(Islamic State) elements, comprising mainly Central Asian jihadis, could, along
with the Taliban, further fuel instability. There is also fear that the Daesh
could retaliate against Russian
targets in response to the happenings in Syria. Moreover, Russia loses 50,000
youth to narcotics, which makes its way through the porous Central Asian
border. Consequently, Russia is actively considering the movement of its forces
to man the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
The U.S., on the
other hand, in search of an honourable exit from Afghanistan, has been shaken
by the Kunduz incident. The Taliban operation makes it clear that the optimism
generated by Pakistan-led round of talks was misplaced. The halt in troop
withdrawal until 2017 is meant to buy time until the U.S. finds a better
roadmap to peace in Afghanistan. While the U.S. and China still continue to
place their bets on Pakistan-backed efforts, there is a growing realisation
that the price Pakistan demands will never be acceptable to large sections of
Afghans. Nevertheless, the U.S. is said to be examining various other
possibilities for securing peace.
A resurgent Iran is
also an important factor to reckon
with. Tehran’s concerns are threefold. One, it is worried that instability in
Afghanistan could give a boost to the Daesh. Second, an unstable Afghanistan
will also lead to an increase in the illicit drug trade on Iran’s eastern
border. Third, Iran is also worried that instability could lead to an influx of
refugees. All these issues have motivated Iran to provide sanctuary to a few
important segments of the Taliban. One such group is led by Mullah Zakir,
hitherto the Taliban military commander inside Afghanistan but who has since
broken away after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was anointed the new Taliban chief.
Along with these
geopolitical movements in the aftermath of the Kunduz attacks, the second
important change has been the inability of the Taliban to regain control of
major cities in its traditional stronghold of southern Afghanistan. While
Kunduz was meant to legitimise the new Taliban under Mansour’s leadership, its
operations in the south give the appearance of not being as robust. In fact,
there have been persistent reports of the presence of ‘Punjabi’ advisors who,
it is speculated, are there to
ensure that the Taliban cadres do not splinter
on ethnic lines.
The geopolitical
changes around Afghanistan coupled with the ongoing organisational struggles of
the Taliban provide an opportunity for Russia, Iran and India to reassess their
roles in Afghanistan. Of course, this will materialise only in co-ordination
with the Afghanistan unity government for which it will first need to convince
itself that over-reliance on a Pakistan-led solution is a non-starter.
India played a
pivotal role in the resistance against the Taliban through the Northern
Alliance, two decades earlier. That role was predicated on the existence of
facilities and friends in the region. Now, India needs to re-establish contact
not just with the old friends in the region but also factions within the
Taliban and the anti-Taliban forces in the south, to help Afghanistan gain
strategic autonomy. It is also imperative for India that Afghanistan’s
south-eastern regions are prevented from exporting terror into India. Unlike
the last time, India now has the financial muscle to do a lot more. What it
needs is renewed vigour and a fresh initiative on Afghanistan.
Q1.
What is author’s main objective in writing the passage?
(a) India needs to re-establish contact not just with the old
friends in the region but also factions within the Taliban and the anti-Taliban
forces in the south, to help Afghanistan gain strategic autonomy.
(b) The geopolitical changes around Afghanistan and the
organisational struggles within the Taliban make the time right for India to
reassess its role in Afghanistan
(c) The geopolitical changes around Afghanistan coupled with the
ongoing organisational struggles of the Taliban provide an opportunity for
Russia, Iran and India to reassess their roles in Afghanistan.
(d) The recent developments in Afghanistan offer a unique
opportunity to transform the bilateral ties and to build a strong and
forward-looking relationship.
(e) None of the above.
Q2. Which of the following can be the most suitable title of the
passage?
(a)
Time to refresh Afghan relationship.
(b) Afghanistan-Pakistan:
A Temporary Entente.
(c) Foreign relations of Afghanistan.
(d) Afghanistan and India relationship
(e) None of the above.
Q3.
Which of the following is not an issue that motivated Iran to provide sanctuary
to a few segments of the Taliban?
(a)
Instability in Afghanistan could give a boost to the Daesh.
(b)
An unstable Afghanistan will also lead to an increase in the illicit drug trade
on Iran’s eastern border.
(c)
Instability could lead to an influx of refugees.
(d)
Inability of the Taliban to regain control of major cities in its traditional
stronghold of southern Afghanistan.
(e)
None of the above.
Q4. Which of the following is not true in context of the passage?
(a)
Russia loses 50,000 youth to narcotics, which makes its way through the porous
Central Asian border.
(b)
Taliban operation makes it clear that the optimism generated by Pakistan-led
round of talks was misplaced.
(c)
It is imperative for India that Afghanistan’s south-eastern regions are
importing terror from India.
(d)
The geopolitical changes around Afghanistan
coupled with the ongoing organisational struggles of the Taliban provide an
opportunity for Russia, Iran and India to reassess their roles in Afghanistan.
(e) None of the above.
Q5.
What is the second important change other than geopolitical change around
Afghanistan?
(a)
Inability of the Taliban to regain control of major cities in its traditional
stronghold of southern Afghanistan.
(b)
Optimism generated by Pakistan-led round of talks was misplaced.
(c)
There is growing realization that the price Pakistan demands will never be
acceptable to large sections of Afghans.
(d)
Russia is actively considering the movement of its forces to man the
Afghanistan- Tajikistan border.
(e)
None of the above.
Directions (6-8):Choose
the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word given in bold
as used in the passage.
Q6. Retaliate
(a) Acknowledge
(b)
Feedback
(c)
Contravene
(d)
Counteract
(e)
Reciprocate
Q7. Reckon
(a) Abandon
(b)
Disregard
(c)
Consecrate
(d)
Embrocate
(e)
Calculate
Q8. Speculate
(a) Deliberate
(b)
Excogitate
(c)
Figure out
(d)
Abstain
(e)
Meditate
Directions (9 – 10):
Choose the word which is most nearly the OPPOSITEin
meaning to the word given in bold as used in the passage.
Q9. Robust
(a) Powerful
(b)
Fragile
(c)
Flourishing
(d)
Concentrated
(e)
Vigorous
Q10. Splinter
(a) Disintegrate
(b)
Crumble
(c)
Smash
(d)
Whole
(e)
Shatter
Directions (11-15): In
each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence
there are five pairs of words denoted by numbers (a), (b), (c), (d) and 5).
Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentence in
the same sequence to make it meaningfully complete.
Q11._______ by popular support, the
Supreme Court of Pakistan is trying to ______ its independence.
(a)empowered, sentence
(b)governed, stamp
(c)backed, assert
(d)marked, rebel
(e)geared, influence
Q12.One lesson that must be drawn from
the grisly _____ of fake encounter killings is the need to ______ the police
from its political masters.
(a)incidence, govern
(b)episode, insulate
(c)crime, motivate
(d)theory, widen
(e)malaise, revolt
Q13.MP’s should, by all means, take
the government to ____ when it fails in _____ its responsibilities.
(a)book, abdicating
(b)proceedings, depicting
(c)query, require
(d)criticism, abiding
(e)task, discharging
Q14.No political party can claim ____
to the trend of holding up parliamentary _____ on some pretext or the other.
(a)exception, proceedings
(b)emancipated, debates
(c)above, sessions
(d)free, functions
(e)supreme, dealings
Q15.It is pointless to legislate
well-meaning laws if there is no fair and effective ____ to ___ them.
(a)monitoring, realising
(b)transparency, forward
(c)methodology, sentencing
(d)mechanism, implement
(e)screening, processing
S1. Ans.(b)
Sol.
The
geopolitical changes around Afghanistan and the organisational struggles within
the Taliban make the time right for India to reassess its role in Afghanistan.
S2. Ans.(a)
Sol.
Time to
refresh Afghan relationship
S3. Ans.(d)
Sol.
Inability of the Taliban to regain
control of major cities in its traditional stronghold of southern Afghanistan.
S4. Ans.(c)
Sol.
It is imperative for India that
Afghanistan’s south-eastern regions are importing terror from India.
S5. Ans.(a)
Sol.
Inability of the Taliban to regain
control of major cities in its traditional stronghold of southern Afghanistan.
S6. Ans.(e)
Sol.
Retaliatemeans to make an attack in return
for a similar attack. So, Reciprocate is the word which is similar in meaning
to it.
S7. Ans.(e)
Sol.
Reckon means to calculate. So, calculate is the word
which is similar in meaning to it.
S8. Ans.(c)
Sol.
Speculated means reflect deeply on a subject. So, figure
out is the word which is similar in meaning to it.
S9. Ans.(b)
Sol.
Robust means sturdy and strong in form, constitution,
or construction. So, Fragile is the word which is opposite in meaning to it.
S10. Ans.(d)
Sol.
Splinter meanstobreak or cause to break
into small sharp fragments. So, Whole is the word which is opposite in meaning to it.
S11. Ans.(c)
Sol.
Backed means to give financial, material, or moral support to.Assert means to state a fact or belief
confidently and forcefully.
S12. Ans.(b)
Sol.
Insulate means to protect from heat, cold, noise or
something by surrounding material.
S13. Ans.(e)
S14. Ans.(a)
Sol.
Proceedings means begin a course of action.
S15. Ans.(d)
Sol.
Implement means to put (a decision, plan, agreement,
etc. into effect.
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