RBI Assistant Prelims English Quiz : 15th March – Reading Comprehension

TOPIC: Reading Comprehension

Directions (1-8): Read the following passage and answer the given questions. Some words are highlighted to help you answer the questions.

For 3 billion people around the world, seafood provides a significant source of protein and nutrition. But recent studies show that 33% of wild fisheries are overfished, while another 60% are fished at their maximum capacity. In fact, over half the seafood we eat, from finfish and shellfish to seaweed and algae, isn’t caught in the wild. It’s grown through aquaculture, or aquatic farming.

Farmed seafood is one of the fastest-growing food industries, expanding in volume by 5.8% each year. But different methods of aquaculture come with different advantages and issues, some of which echo the serious problems we’ve seen in industrial agriculture. So how can we avoid repeating the mistakes we’ve made on land, at sea? What aquaculture approaches are we currently using and what does a sustainable way to farm the ocean really look like?

One of the most common aquaculture methods involves large pens made of nets, where fish are farmed offshore in floating cages roughly 1000 square metres in size. Commonly employed off the coast of Chile and in the fjords of Norway, these fish, like many industrially farmed animals, occupy stressful, overcrowded pens. They produce massive amounts of waste, polluting the surrounding areas and potentially spreading diseases to wild species. Worse still, since the antibiotics employed to fight disease aren’t fully absorbed by the fish, they get excreted back into the environment. Net pens are also susceptible to escapes, unleashing huge numbers of fish which compete for resources and weaken the local gene pool with genes adapted for captivity. Escaped fish can even disrupt local ecosystems as invasive species.

Other techniques, such as man-made coastal ponds commonly used for shrimp farming in Southeast Asia, create additional environmental problems. Just like net pens, these ponds are ________(I)________ to spreading pollution and disease. Their construction also frequently destroys important ecosystems like mangroves and marshes which protect coastal areas from storms, provide habitats and absorb tons of greenhouse gases.

One way to solve these problems is to farm fish on land in completely contained systems. Tanks and raceways can recirculate and filter water to prevent pollution. But even fully contained facilities still contend with another major hurdle: fishmeal. About 10% of the seafood caught globally is used to feed animals, including carnivorous farmed fish. Researchers are working on fish feed made of insects and plant-based proteins but for now, many inland fish farms are connected to overfishing.

Q1. Which of the following statements best describe(s) aquatic farming?

(A) Aquatic farming is any animal, whether invertebrate or vertebrate, that lives in water for most or all of its lifetime.
(B) It is the cultivation of aquatic organisms such as finfish, shellfish, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g., lotus).
(C) It is defined as an ecosystem in and surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems.

(a) Only (C)
(b) Both (A) and (B)
(c) Only (A)
(d) Only (B)
(e) All of them

Q2. The __________________ used to treat sickness are excreted back into the environment since they aren’t properly absorbed by the fish.

(a) finfish
(b) greenhouse gases
(c) plant-based proteins
(d) antibiotics
(e) All of the above

Q3. Man-made coastal ponds can be found in which of the following places?

(a) coast of Chile
(b) Southeast Asia
(c) fjords of Norway
(d) Subcontinent
(e) None of these

Q4. The author states that the man-made ponds are harmful for the environment. Why is it so?

(a) These ponds are illegal to build and one can be fined.
(b) Man-made ponds disrupt local ecosystems as invasive species.
(c) They are likely to contaminate water and infect people.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
(e) All of the above

Q5. Choose the synonym of FILTER as highlighted in the passage.

(a) precipitate
(b) embrace
(c) enforce
(d) sieve
(e) propagate

Q6. Choose the word with the opposite meaning of WEAKEN as highlighted in the passage.

(a) strengthen
(b) transplant
(c) digest
(d) trample
(e) possess

Q7. Which of the following word will be placed in the blank (I)?

(a) yield
(b) prolong
(c) prone
(d) endorse
(e) None of these

Q8. The fourth paragraph of the passage mentions a word that means the action of building something, typically a large structure. Select which word it is.
(a) Construction
(b) Additional
(c) Absorb
(d) Spreading
(e) None of these

Directions (9-15): Read the following passage and answer the given questions. Some words are highlighted to help you answer the questions.

Elections are the epitome of democracy, right? Well, the ancient Athenians who coined the word had another view. In fact, elections only played a small role in Athenian democracy, with most offices filled by random lottery from a pool of citizen volunteers. Unlike the representative democracies common today, where voters elect leaders to make laws and decisions on their behalf, 5th Century BC Athens was a direct democracy that encouraged wide participation through the principle of ho boulomenos, or anyone who wishes. This meant that any of its approximately 30,000 eligible citizens could attend the ecclesia, a general assembly meeting several times a month.

In principle, any of the 6,000 or so who showed up at each session had the right to address their fellow citizens, propose a law, or bring a public lawsuit. Of course, a crowd of 6,000 people trying to speak at the same time would not have made for effective government. So, the Athenian system also relied on a 500 member governing council called the Boule, to set the agenda and evaluate proposals, in addition to hundreds of jurors and magistrates to handle legal matters. Rather than being elected or appointed, the people in these positions were chosen by lot. This process of randomised selection is known as sortition. The only positions filled by elections were those recognized as requiring expertise, such as generals. But these were considered aristocratic, meaning rule by the best, as opposed to democracies, rule by the many.

How did this system come to be? Well, democracy arose in Athens after long periods of social and political tension marked by conflict among nobles. Powers once restricted to elites, such as speaking in the assembly and having their votes counted, were expanded to ordinary citizens. And the ability of ordinary citizens to perform these tasks adequately became a/an ________(A)________ feature of the democratic ideology of Athens. Rather than a privilege, civic participation was the duty of all citizens, with sortition and strict term limits preventing governing classes or political parties from forming. By 21st century standards, Athenian rule by the many excluded an awful lot of people. Women, slaves and foreigners were denied full citizenship, and when we filter out those too young to serve, the pool of eligible Athenians drops to only 10-20% of the overall population.

Q9. According to the author, what was a significant problem(s) with ancient Athenian democracy rule when compared to the norms of the twenty-first century?

(I) There were a lot of folks that were left out in the running for forming leadership.
(II) The population of eligible citizens was approximately 30,000.
(III) The candidates were expected to be athletically and intellectually superior.

(a) Both (II) and (III)
(b) Only (III)
(c) Only (I)
(d) Both (II) and (I)
(e) All of the above

Q10. The fourth paragraph of the passage mentions a word that means assembly of citizens in a city-state in ancient Greece. Select which word is it.

(a) ecclesia
(b) volunteers
(c) eligible
(d) epitome
(e) representative

Q11. How could ordinary Athenian citizens become leaders in society?
(a) by making public speeches once a month
(b) by performing a number of tasks evaluated by the existing body of officials
(c) through selection in a lottery
(d) All of the above
(e) None of these

Q12. Choose the synonym of EVALUATE as highlighted in the passage.

(a) pressure
(b) embody
(c) withhold
(d) gauge
(e) None of these

Q13. Choose the word which best describes the opposite of YOUNG as highlighted in the passage.

(a) disinterested
(b) geriatric
(c) audacious
(d) frugal
(e) None of these

Q14. Which of the following word will be placed in the blank (A)?

(a) cryptic
(b) central
(c) intimate
(d) competent
(e) eloquent

Q15. The author cites the reason for how democracy became popular in Athens. Choose the option which explains it.

(a) large spells of social and political unrest characterised by feuds among nobles
(b) the constant battles between the neighbouring countries and empires
(c) the poor organization and architecture of the Greek cities
(d) All of these
(e) None of these

Solutions:

S1. Ans (d)
Sol. The correct answer is option (d): Only (B).
The first paragraph helps us understand the concept of aquatic farming by saying “In fact, over half the seafood we eat, from finfish and shellfish to seaweed and algae, isn’t caught in the wild. It’s grown through aquaculture, or aquatic farming.”
The statement that closely resembles this line is only statement (B).

S2. Ans (d)
Sol. The correct answer is option (d): antibiotics.
The answer can be found in the third paragraph where it says “Worse still, since the antibiotics employed to fight disease aren’t fully absorbed by the fish, they get excreted back into the environment.”

S3. Ans (b)
Sol. The correct answer is option (b): Southeast Asia.
The answer is in the fourth paragraph: Other techniques, such as man-made coastal ponds commonly used for shrimp farming in Southeast Asia, create additional environmental problems.

S4. Ans (c)
Sol. Sol. The correct answer is option (c): They are likely to contaminate and infect people.
The answer is present in the fourth paragraph: Just like net pens, these ponds are prone to spreading pollution and disease.

S5. Ans (d)
Sol. The correct answer is option (d): sieve. It means separate or remove.
Precipitate means cause (a substance) to be deposited in solid form from a solution.
Embrace means accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.
Enforce means cause (something) to happen by necessity or force.
Propagate means spread and promote (an idea, theory, etc.) widely.

S6. Ans (a)
Sol. The correct answer is option (a): strengthen. It means make or become stronger.
Transplant means move or transfer (someone or something) to another place or situation.
Digest means
understand or assimilate (information) by a period of reflection.
Trample means to tread heavily, roughly, or carelessly on or over; tread underfoot; to domineer harshly over; crush.
Possess means have as belonging to one; own.

S7. Ans (c)
Sol. The correct answer is option (c): prone.
Being prone to something means having a natural inclination or tendency to something; disposed; liable.

S8. Ans (a)
Sol. The correct answer is option (a): Construction.
It means the process, art, or manner of building something.

S9. Ans (c)
Sol. The correct answer is option (c): Only (I).
The last paragraph says “By 21st century standards, Athenian rule by the many excluded an awful lot of people.”

S10. Ans (a)
Sol. The correct answer is option (a): ecclesia.
The answer lies in the last line of the paragraph “This meant that any of its approximately 30,000 eligible citizens could attend the ecclesia, a general assembly meeting several times a month.”

S11. Ans (c)
Sol. The correct answer is option (c): through selection in a lottery.
The answer can be found in the second paragraph “Rather than being elected or appointed, the people in these positions were chosen by lot. This process of randomised selection is known as sortition.”

S12. Ans (d)
Sol. The correct answer is option (d): gauge. It means estimate or determine the amount, level, or volume of.
Pressure- attempt to persuade or coerce (someone) into doing something.
Embody- be an expression of or give a tangible or visible form to (an idea, quality, or feeling).
Withhold- refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another).

S13. Ans (b)
Sol. The correct answer is option (b): geriatric. It means relating to old people, especially with regard to their healthcare.
Disinterested means having or feeling no interest in something; uninterested.
Audacious means showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
Frugal means careful to use only as much money, food, etc. as is necessary.

S14. Ans (b)
Sol. The correct answer is option (b): central.
Central feature means a typical quality or an important part of something:

S15. Ans (a)
Sol. The correct answer is option (a): large spells of social and political unrest characterised by feuds between nobles.
The answer lies in the first line of the last paragraph “Well, democracy arose in Athens after long periods of social and political tension marked by conflict among nobles.”