Bank of India PO Mock Test - 5 - Bank Exams MCQ

The following passage carries information based on the NEP. You are required to read the same carefully and choose the correct options for each question below the same:

The call by Home Minister Amit Shah last week for engineering, law and medicine to be taught in Indian languages is a well-intentioned one. His stand is in sync with one of the focal points of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, i.e., the promotion of Indian languages in higher education. The NEP provides for more higher educational institutions and programmes in higher education to use the mother tongue or local language as a medium of instruction, beside offering programmes bilingually. The rationale behind Mr. Shah’s call is that 95% of students, who receive primary education in their mother tongue, should not be left out in their pursuit of higher studies. In recent years, substantive measures have been taken to make engineering courses available in Indian languages, if the statement by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 is an indication. Effective 2021-22, the AICTE granted approval to 19 engineering colleges in 10 States for having engineering courses in six Indian languages. The Council has also developed an “AICTE Translation Automation AI Tool” that translates English online courses in 11 Indian languages. SWAYAM, an open online courses platform of the Central government, _____________________________________________. The import of this is that the goal of covering all sections as far as higher education is concerned should become a reality. But, at the same time, one should not gloss over the exercise not having yielded results. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the bid to impart engineering education through the Tamil medium has not created any impact despite the principal political players using language as a political tool. In the field of law — before the subject is taught in the Indian languages — the Central government should try to impress upon the judiciary to allow the use of Indian languages in court proceedings.

While there is no need for haste in making educational materials available in Indian languages, the approach and methodology should be discussed threadbare by policymakers and educationists, without political pressure or interference. What should be made obvious is that the use of English, wherever desirable, should be retained, with no aversion shown on the ground that it is a “foreign” language. It would not be out of place to highlight issues about standards and the quality of teaching of Indian languages in schools. Be it Gujarati or Hindi or even Tamil, students have been found to fail in their public examinations in language papers. There is also the point of diminished employability outside the region of the language. If the Government is serious in taking forward its stated position of creating higher education access to certain sections, it should dispassionately study the advantages and the disadvantages.

Q. Choose the part of the sentence given below that has an error in it.

The following passage carries information based on the NEP. You are required to read the same carefully and choose the correct options for each question below the same:

The call by Home Minister Amit Shah last week for engineering, law and medicine to be taught in Indian languages is a well-intentioned one. His stand is in sync with one of the focal points of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, i.e., the promotion of Indian languages in higher education. The NEP provides for more higher educational institutions and programmes in higher education to use the mother tongue or local language as a medium of instruction, beside offering programmes bilingually. The rationale behind Mr. Shah’s call is that 95% of students, who receive primary education in their mother tongue, should not be left out in their pursuit of higher studies. In recent years, substantive measures have been taken to make engineering courses available in Indian languages, if the statement by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 is an indication. Effective 2021-22, the AICTE granted approval to 19 engineering colleges in 10 States for having engineering courses in six Indian languages. The Council has also developed an “AICTE Translation Automation AI Tool” that translates English online courses in 11 Indian languages. SWAYAM, an open online courses platform of the Central government, _____________________________________________. The import of this is that the goal of covering all sections as far as higher education is concerned should become a reality. But, at the same time, one should not gloss over the exercise not having yielded results. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the bid to impart engineering education through the Tamil medium has not created any impact despite the principal political players using language as a political tool. In the field of law — before the subject is taught in the Indian languages — the Central government should try to impress upon the judiciary to allow the use of Indian languages in court proceedings.

While there is no need for haste in making educational materials available in Indian languages, the approach and methodology should be discussed threadbare by policymakers and educationists, without political pressure or interference. What should be made obvious is that the use of English, wherever desirable, should be retained, with no aversion shown on the ground that it is a “foreign” language. It would not be out of place to highlight issues about standards and the quality of teaching of Indian languages in schools. Be it Gujarati or Hindi or even Tamil, students have been found to fail in their public examinations in language papers. There is also the point of diminished employability outside the region of the language. If the Government is serious in taking forward its stated position of creating higher education access to certain sections, it should dispassionately study the advantages and the disadvantages.

Q. Which of the given options can be a suitable title for the passage given above?

The following passage carries information based on the NEP. You are required to read the same carefully and choose the correct options for each question below the same:

The call by Home Minister Amit Shah last week for engineering, law and medicine to be taught in Indian languages is a well-intentioned one. His stand is in sync with one of the focal points of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, i.e., the promotion of Indian languages in higher education. The NEP provides for more higher educational institutions and programmes in higher education to use the mother tongue or local language as a medium of instruction, beside offering programmes bilingually. The rationale behind Mr. Shah’s call is that 95% of students, who receive primary education in their mother tongue, should not be left out in their pursuit of higher studies. In recent years, substantive measures have been taken to make engineering courses available in Indian languages, if the statement by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 is an indication. Effective 2021-22, the AICTE granted approval to 19 engineering colleges in 10 States for having engineering courses in six Indian languages. The Council has also developed an “AICTE Translation Automation AI Tool” that translates English online courses in 11 Indian languages. SWAYAM, an open online courses platform of the Central government, _____________________________________________. The import of this is that the goal of covering all sections as far as higher education is concerned should become a reality. But, at the same time, one should not gloss over the exercise not having yielded results. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the bid to impart engineering education through the Tamil medium has not created any impact despite the principal political players using language as a political tool. In the field of law — before the subject is taught in the Indian languages — the Central government should try to impress upon the judiciary to allow the use of Indian languages in court proceedings.

While there is no need for haste in making educational materials available in Indian languages, the approach and methodology should be discussed threadbare by policymakers and educationists, without political pressure or interference. What should be made obvious is that the use of English, wherever desirable, should be retained, with no aversion shown on the ground that it is a “foreign” language. It would not be out of place to highlight issues about standards and the quality of teaching of Indian languages in schools. Be it Gujarati or Hindi or even Tamil, students have been found to fail in their public examinations in language papers. There is also the point of diminished employability outside the region of the language. If the Government is serious in taking forward its stated position of creating higher education access to certain sections, it should dispassionately study the advantages and the disadvantages.

Q. Which of the following is one of the constraints of using Indian languages as per the passage?

The following passage carries information based on the NEP. You are required to read the same carefully and choose the correct options for each question below the same:

The call by Home Minister Amit Shah last week for engineering, law and medicine to be taught in Indian languages is a well-intentioned one. His stand is in sync with one of the focal points of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, i.e., the promotion of Indian languages in higher education. The NEP provides for more higher educational institutions and programmes in higher education to use the mother tongue or local language as a medium of instruction, beside offering programmes bilingually. The rationale behind Mr. Shah’s call is that 95% of students, who receive primary education in their mother tongue, should not be left out in their pursuit of higher studies. In recent years, substantive measures have been taken to make engineering courses available in Indian languages, if the statement by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 is an indication. Effective 2021-22, the AICTE granted approval to 19 engineering colleges in 10 States for having engineering courses in six Indian languages. The Council has also developed an “AICTE Translation Automation AI Tool” that translates English online courses in 11 Indian languages. SWAYAM, an open online courses platform of the Central government, _____________________________________________. The import of this is that the goal of covering all sections as far as higher education is concerned should become a reality. But, at the same time, one should not gloss over the exercise not having yielded results. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the bid to impart engineering education through the Tamil medium has not created any impact despite the principal political players using language as a political tool. In the field of law — before the subject is taught in the Indian languages — the Central government should try to impress upon the judiciary to allow the use of Indian languages in court proceedings.

While there is no need for haste in making educational materials available in Indian languages, the approach and methodology should be discussed threadbare by policymakers and educationists, without political pressure or interference. What should be made obvious is that the use of English, wherever desirable, should be retained, with no aversion shown on the ground that it is a “foreign” language. It would not be out of place to highlight issues about standards and the quality of teaching of Indian languages in schools. Be it Gujarati or Hindi or even Tamil, students have been found to fail in their public examinations in language papers. There is also the point of diminished employability outside the region of the language. If the Government is serious in taking forward its stated position of creating higher education access to certain sections, it should dispassionately study the advantages and the disadvantages.

Q. In what context has the phrase ‘gloss over’ been used in the first paragraph?

Given below is a word, followed by three sentences that consist of that word. Identify the sentences(s) that best express(es) the meaning of the word. Choose option 5 ‘None of the above’ if the word is not suitable in any of the sentences.

LOQUACIOUS

A. While Jared was shy and reserved, his twin brother Michael was outgoing and loquacious.

B. At first I felt loquacious about passing my enormous rucksack over to him.

C. Since the employees knew their manager was in a loquacious mood, they predicted the meeting would be a long one.

Below a word is given followed by three sentences that consist of that word. Identify the sentence/s which best expresses the meaning of the word. Choose Option 5 (None of these) if the word is not suitable in any of the sentences.

CONSPICUOUS

A. Several small streams from the hills are conspicuous only in times of heavy rains.
B. Since she is known for conspicuous behavior, Katie's friends were nervous to tell her the bad news.
C. There are also a large number of lives of saints and churchmen, in which the legendary element is still more conspicuous.

Given below is a word, followed by three sentences which consist of that word. Identify the sentence(s) which best express(es) the meaning of the word. Choose option 5 ‘None of these’ if the word is not suitable in any of the sentences.

NEFARIOUS

A. Pakistani military units have been stationed in these countries to promote nefarious stability.
B. Party-political secularism, born around 40 years ago, is a nefarious doctrine practised by all political parties, including the so-called ‘secular forces’.
C. The committee suggested making the directorate of ports as a nefarious agency and the AP Inland Vessel Rules were brought into effect.

In the following question, a word has been given. Choose the sentence(s) in which it is used correctly and if all the sentences are correct then choose Option 5.

MULTIFARIOUS

A. She enjoyed the multifarious of life in a large city.
B. Among the multifarious pursuits to which the young Leonardo set his hand, the favourites at first were music, drawing, and modelling.
C. Her life was as strange and adventurous as any of her novels, which are for the most part idealized versions of the multifarious incidents of her life.

In the following question, a phrase/ group of words is underline. Which of the options given below the sentence should replace the part underline to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given then choose option E ‘No Correction required’ as the answer.

Q. The cheetah is the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India, mainly due to over-hunting and habitat loss.

In the following questions, a phrase/ group of words is underline. Which of the options given below the sentence should replace the part underline to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given then choose option E ‘No Correction required’ as the answer.

Q. In a historical moment, cinema halls have reopened their doors for the first time after a gap of 32 years in Jammu & Kashmir.

In the following questions, a phrase/ group of words is underline. Which of the options given below the sentence should replace the part underline to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given then choose option E ‘No Correction required’ as the answer.

Q. According to rules, a female employee with less then two surviving child can seek maternity leave.

In the question below, three statements are given which are divided into four parts out of which one is erroneous grammatically. Choose the sentence/sentences and its corresponding part which is/are incorrect.

A. In order to remain competitive, (1)/ companies must register a (2)/ considerable increase (3)/ of productivity. (4)
B. No sooner had (1)/ the train stopped (2)/ than the (3)/ passengers rushed towards it. (4)
C. Educational institutions need to (1)/ recognize the importance of nurturing (2)/ creativity, both in its own right as well as a path (3)/ to formal, structured learning. (4)

In the question below, three statements are given which are divided into four parts out of which one is erroneous grammatically. Choose the sentence/sentences and its corresponding part which is/are incorrect.

A. The committees (1)/ were divided in (2)/ its opinions (3)/ with one another. (4)
B. When I had (1)/ entered the house (2)/ I found that (3)/ the house was in shambles. (4)
C. Most of Leo Tolstoy’s (1)/ works have been (2)/ translated into Hindi (3)/ and other Indian Languages. (4)

In the following question, a sentence is given with two blanks followed by six words and five options; You have to choose from the given options the right pair of words to be filled in the blank and mark it as your answer. 

Q. The woman student at the centre of the Chandigarh University MMS leak case was ____________ by her ___________ female students.

(a) confronted 
(b) rival
(c) eluded
(d) fellow 
(e) dumb
(f) conflicted

In the following question, a sentence is given with two blanks followed by six words and five options; You have to choose from the given options the right pair of words to be filled in the blank and mark it as your answer. 

Q. In the Pandu Nagar branch of Punjab National Bank in Kanpur, currency notes worth Rs 42 lakhs were ______________ by water that __________ inside the currency chest.

(a) streamed
(b) seeped 
(c) soiled 
(d) foiled
(e) spoiled
(f) gushed

In the following question, a sentence is given with two blanks followed by six words and five options; You have to choose from the given options the right pair of words to be filled in the blank and mark it as your answer. 

Q. A portion of a housing society's boundary wall collapsed on Tuesday morning, killing four construction workers and injuring eight. All 12 who had been buried under the ___________ while repairing a drain _______________ it at the Jal Vayu Vihar in Sector 21 around 10 am were laborers.

(a) encompassing
(b) unlinking
(c) crust
(d) adjoining 
(e) debris
(f) rubble 

In the following sentence, four words are given in underline out of which one word is misspelled. Find the misspelled word

If you, as man alive, quiver(A) from the tremulation (B) of the other into a new life, that is because you are man alive, and you take sustenence(C) and stimulation into your alive man in a myriad(D) ways 

In the following sentence, four words are given in underline out of which one word is misspelled. Find the misspelled word

The social relevance(A) of the arguementative(B) tradition would be severely limited if disadvantaged(C) sections were effectively barred(D) from participation 

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed by six questions. Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. Which of the following words can replace the underline word “enticing”?

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. Which of the following idioms can be used in the below mentioned underline parts without changing the actual meaning of the sentence.

The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. 
(I). Created chaos
(II). Dilly dally
(III). Laid-waste

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. Which of the following words can replace the underline word “tedious”?

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. Which of the following underline words is contextually inapt?
(Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. What is the antonym of the underline word “blasphemous”?

A passage has been given below with some words underline in it followed. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s comment, that only “Salman Rushdie and his supporters” were to be blamed for the enticing knife attack on the author in New York State last week, is yet another reiteration of the clerical establishment’s well-known regressive position on the Rushdie affair. The 1989 fatwa against Rushdie, issued by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, because he believed the author’s The Satanic Verses was blasphemous, has already wreaked enough havoc across the world. It was a rare instance of a leader of a country issuing an extra-territorial death sentence against an author who was living in another country by impeding his pan-Islamist beliefs and clerical authority. The book’s translators and publishers were attacked. It drove Rushdie underground for years. Thirty-three years later, Rushdie was attacked by a 24-year-old American citizen of Lebanese descent, whose social media accounts are reportedly filled with pro-Khomeini and pro-Iran content. It is tedious that Iran could not even issue a statement condemning the attack and the attacker. (Worse, pro-state media in Iran applauded “the courageous and duty-conscious man who attacked the disciple and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York”.)

Q. Which of the following words can replace the underline word “impeding”?

In the following question given below, a sentence with four underline words are there. These words may or may not be correctly spelt or inappropriate to the context of the sentence. You are required to choose the same in order to make the sentence contextually correct and coherent.

Q. Armed with a riffle, a monk Thiruvarur walked into a bank and threatened to loot it in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvarur.

In the following question given below, a sentence with four underline words are there. These words may or may not be correctly spelt or inappropriate to the context of the sentence. You are required to choose the same in order to make the sentence contextually correct and coherent.

Kerala has been pursuing a policy of ensuring more jobs in the public sector in divergance from the Union government's policy of cutting down on recruitments in the public sector, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question that follow by choosing the correct/most appropriate options: 

Seventy-five years ago, on this day, India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru made these remarks in his stirring speech on India attaining freedom at midnight: “The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?” These words ring true even today just as when Independence unshackled India from British rule — a milestone that, in some cases, inspired the birth of other new nation-states across the world, freed from the yoke of colonialism. Independent India embarked upon a new journey, imbued with the vision of its freedom fighters and a mission set on course by the members of the Constituent Assembly who worked on its unique liberal democratic Constitution. There have been significant achievements — a constitutional scheme guaranteeing rights that included freedom of speech, religion, and a secular state, implementation of universal adult franchise in periodic elections, a thriving legislature, establishments allowing for a formal separation of powers, a quasi-federal union of States that were reorganized on a linguistic basis, the building of institutions (industrial, educational, medical) that heralded progress, and the unleashing of knowledge and communication sectors that tied India beneficially to the world economy. There have also been missteps and failings — the inability to eradicate extreme poverty and marginalization even though these did come down dramatically since 1947, the strains in implementing the constitutional order and values, burgeoning communal majoritarianism, which was decidedly rejected by both the freedom fighters as well as the framers of the Constitution, the incomplete nature of decentralization of power, and rising economic inequality. Today, on the one hand, India stands tall as one of the world’s emerging economy with an advantageous demographic dividend, a vibrant democracy that ensures enthusiastic participation in elections, a diverse polity, and a diversified economy. But it also faces humongous challenges. Its people live in a more chaotic world where cooperation and liberal trade relations have taken a beating and where climate change is a challenge. Also, the emergence and consolidation of a dominant political force that seeks to centralize power and homogenize the idea of India has threatened to unravel the constitutional structure of recognition of diversity and inclusion as the means for overall progress. Economic progress through inclusive growth — a process that was accelerated following comprehensive reforms in the early 1990s and the institution of a rights-based approach towards welfare in the mid-2000s — has slowed down in the last few years. Meanwhile, there is an exacerbation of inter-State disparities, with southern and western India delivering better outcomes in education, health care, and thoroughgoing economic growth than other regions, an issue that requires careful deliberation in the near future.

The successes and failures of the earlier generations in post-independent India have provided the nation _______ the pathways to address the challenges of the future. For one, it is clear that neither a statist nor a market-only emphasis on development and growth is ideal. India must continue policies, framed in the 1990s, of allowing entrepreneurial energies to flourish while relying on comprehensive welfare with a rights approach, which was given impetus in the late 2000s, to help utilize its demographic potential. In the early years of Independence, many modern institutions of higher education, industry, and health care were built and endured but India missed out on a strong focus on primary health care and education, a weakness that has led to the persistence of poverty and social marginalization on the basis of caste. A bottom-up approach to development that should focus on building the capabilities of the citizenry through both affirmative actions and state responsiveness would lead to a better release of productive forces in the economy. States getting more fiscal latitude and local governments being empowered to implement programs could go a long way in achieving this. While, since the reforms in 1991, interdependence in a globalized world allowed for the export sectors to flourish, the lack of diversified employment and increased labor productivity in comparison to other countries such as China or South Korea is a failing. As the world transits towards a new industrial revolution in its reliance on technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics, and green technologies, India must embark upon building significant capabilities in these in a way that does not just result in a few corporations gaining but which allows for more gainful employment and diversification of the economy. In external relations, while India must continue to skillfully navigate the contradictions emerging in the international order with an emphasis on its interests, it should not disavow the time-tested adherence to values — of non-interference, building an equanimous world order, and striving for peace — that allowed it to emerge as a leader of the non-aligned world. India has come a long way since 1947 in finding its footing among the comity of nations, but there still needs a lot more distance to be traveled in fulfilling the promise that Pandit Nehru spoke of, on the eve of Independence. India’s Independence generation was clear that freedom from British rule was meaningless without a constitutional order that governs a democratic system predicated on social justice, equality, and unity in diversity as these were the promises that gained them the intellectual ballast and the support of the people to overcome colonialism. India’s progress in the 21st century would depend upon the re-ignition of these values.

Q. Choose the antonym of the word 'Thriving'.