General Comprehension (UPSC) (Part-III)

Total Questions: 50

21. Which is the critical inference that can be made from the above passage? [2015-11]

India accounts for nearly a fifth of the world's child deaths. In terms of numbers, it is the highest in the world nearly 16 lakhs every year. Of these, more than half die in the first month of life. Officials believe that the reason for this is the absence of steps to propagate basic health practices relating to breast feeding and immunisation. Also the large reproductive population of 2.6 crore remains bereft of care during the critical phases of pregnancy and post-delivery. Added to this is the prevalence of child marriages, anemias among young women and lack of focus on adolescent sanitation, all of which impact child death rates.

Correct Answer: (c) Universalization and integration of maternal health and child health services can effectively address the problem.
Solution:The questions asks for the critical inference. (d) is a wrong as it presents a contradictory logic as mentioned in the passage. (a) and (b) are correct statements in the context of the passage but they present only logical part of the passage. Only (c) presents the most critical inference as it highlights the problem and the solutions mentioned in the passage.

22. With reference to the above passage, which of the following statements is/are true? [2015-11]

1. Consuming regionally grown food and not depending on long travelled food is a part of eco-friendly behaviour.

2. Food processing industry puts a burden on our natural resources.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Foods travel more than the people who eat them. Grocery stores and supermarkets are loaded with preserved and processed foods. This, however, often leads to environmental threats, such as pollution generated by long distance food transportation and wastage of food during processing and transportation, destruction of rain forests, reduced nutritional content, increased demand for preservation and packaging. Food insecurity also increases as the produce comes from regions that are not feeding their own population properly.

Correct Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Solution:Both the statements are correct because consumptions of locally grown food has a sustainable benefits associated with it. It promotes healthy eating habits as well apart from the reasons given in the passage advocating the behaviour.

23. The author says that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes his tongue or pen. Which one of the following is not a valid reason for this? [2015-11]

I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no disadvantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage.

My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.

Correct Answer: (a) He has no intention to waste his time.
Solution:The first six sentences of the passage clearly answers the question. (b), (c) and (d) are clearly mentioned in these sentences.

It is not mentioned that the author has no intention to waste his time but what is mentioned is that his constitutional shyness saves or spares him a lot of time.

24. The most appropriate reason for the author to be spared many a mishap is that [2015-11]

I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no disadvantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage.

My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.

Correct Answer: (a) he hardly utters or writes a thoughtless word.
Solution:The first half or the first 7-8 sentences of the passage clearly explains the shyness of the author or his hesitancy in speech which has restrained is thoughts. As a result, no thought less word is uttered from him while speaking or writing and hence, he has never regretted is speech or writing. This has spared him from many a mishap and waste of time. Immense patience and spiritual person cannot be related to him at all. The author sarcastically mentions that 'silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth'. So, (a) is correct answer.

25. For the author, silence is necessary in order to surmount: [2015-11]

I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no disadvantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage.

My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.

Correct Answer: (d) tendency to overstate.
Solution:The 10th sentence of the passage 'Proneness to exaggerate, to ............ in order to surmount it' clearly suggests 'tendency to overstate' as the answer. So, (d) is correct answer.

26. What is the most logical, rational and crucial message that is implied in the above passage? [2015-11]

Correct Answer: (d) Economic reforms can often create a high inflation economy.
Solution:The passage clearly talks about the high inflation in India and its inability to contain it due to the innumerable external factors which are a result of the economic reforms. So (d) is correct.

27. In the light of the argument in the above passage, which one of the following statements is the most convincing explanation? [2015-11]

No Right is absolute, exclusive or inviolable. The Right of personal property, similarly, has to be perceived in the larger context of its assumed legitimacy. The Right of personal property should unite the principle of liberty with that of equality, and both with the principle of cooperation.

Correct Answer: (b) Personal property is a theft and an instrument of exploitation. The Right of personal property is therefore violative of economic justice.
Solution:(d) is correct as it clearly explains the argument by mentioning that the Right of each person to acquisition of property has to be reconciled with that of others. Refer the principle of cooperation mentioned in the last sentence.

Economic justice, which touches the individual person as well as the social order, encompasses the moral principles which guide us in designing our economic institutions. These institutions determine how each person earns a living, enters into contracts, exchanges goods and services with others and otherwise produces an independent material foundation for his or her economic sustenance. The ultimate purpose of economic justice is to free each person to engage creatively in the unlimited work beyond economics, that of the mind and the spirit.

The Three Principles of Economic Justice: Like every system, economic justice involves input, output, and feedback for restoring harmony or balance between input and output. Within the system of economic justice as defined by Louis Kelso and Mortimer Adler, there are three essential and interdependent principles: Participative Justice (the input principle), Distributive Justice (the out-take principle), and Social Justice (the feedback principle). Like the legs of a three-legged stool, if any of these principles is weakened or missing, the system of economic justice will collapse.

28. The author's viewpoint can be best summed up in which of the following statements? [2015-11]

The conflict between man and State is as old as State history. Although attempts have been made for centuries to bring about a proper adjustment between the competing claims of State and the individual, the solution seems to be' still far off. This is primarily because of the dynamic nature of human society where old values and ideas constantly yield place to new ones. It is obvious that if individuals are allowed to have absolute freedom of speech and  action, the result would be chaos, ruin and anarchy.

Correct Answer: (a) The conflict between the claims of State and individual remains unresolved.
Solution:(a) is correct as the passage talks about the conflict between man and State. Moreover, the passage confirms that this is a continuous tussle and is as old as the state history. The solution seems to be' still far off suggests that the conflict will remain unresolved.

29. According to the passage, which of the following is/are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under UNFCCC regarding the role of developing countries in climate change? [2015-11]

1. The scale and size of required financial support.

2. The crop loss due to climate change in the developing countries.

3. To enhance the mitigation and adaptation actions in the developing countries.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Climate change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finance. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. Lack of funding is a large impediment to implementing adaptation plans. The scale and magnitude of the financial support required by developing countries to enhance their domestic mitigation and adaptation actions are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention squarely puts the responsibility for provision of financial support on the developed countries, taking into account their contribution to the stock of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Given the magnitude of the task and the funds required, domestic finances are likely to fall short of the current and projected needs of the developing countries. Global funding through the multilateral mechanism of the Convention will enhance their domestic capacity to finance the mitigation efforts.

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Solution:The passage clearly talks about 1 and 3. Refer the 4th sentence, 'The scale and magnitude of the financial support .......... multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)', which mentions 1 and 3 both. Crop failure, which is an effect of climate change, is not mentioned in the passage.

30. In this passage, the Convention puts the responsibility for the provision of financial support on the developed countries because of : [2015-11]

1. their higher level of per capita incomes.

2. their large quantum of GDP.

3. their large contribution to the stock of GRGs in the atmosphere.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Climate change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finance. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. Lack of funding is a large impediment to implementing adaptation plans. The scale and magnitude of the financial support required by developing countries to enhance their domestic mitigation and adaptation actions are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention squarely puts the responsibility for provision of financial support on the developed countries, taking into account their contribution to the stock of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Given the magnitude of the task and the funds required, domestic finances are likely to fall short of the current and projected needs of the developing countries. Global funding through the multilateral mechanism of the Convention will enhance their domestic capacity to finance the mitigation efforts.

Correct Answer: (c) 3 only
Solution:Refer the 5th sentence, 'The Convention squarely puts the .......... stock of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere', which clearly mentions 3. 1 and 2 are not mentioned in the passage.