CAT Practice Test - 25 - CAT MCQ

The opening decades of the 20th century marked the end of colonial empires around the world. However, as world war has given way to world integration and rapid global development, Africa has consistently fallen behind in both the pace and scope of its modernization. While the populace of the more developed nations lives in relative comfort, millions of deaths each year in the African countries continue to arise from preventable factors such as inadequate nutrition, lack of clean water availability, medical complications during childbirth, and communicable disease.
Individually, each of these problems represents a serious pitfall to the health of their respective communities; therefore, as a group they can become a nearly insurmountable challenge. The absence of a proper diet and clean water can cause increased disease, which spreads thin local medical infrastructure and places financial burden on families without members to work and bring home income. Because money is scarce the funds to purchase proper water purifiers and supply a balanced diet disappears as well, beginning the vicious cycle anew. Though not always in this same form, nearly all the stories of development in the nations of the Sub- Saharan African region have come to a similar ending: a resounding failure to secure the most basic of necessities for all their citizens.

Out of the many factors contributing to this crisis, the persistence of disease among the African population has been one of the most harmful to the region’s economic and political modernization as a whole; tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis still affect well over 100 million people within Sub-Saharan Africa alone and remain the leading causes of death, especially among children. Though the numbers alone are a cause for worry, the most disturbing facet of the problem is that both of the aforementioned diseases are easily treatable with the proper resources. Malaria, for instance, can be handled by proper medical care and the application of basic antibiotics in all but the most severe cases. According to the WHO, the disease claimed a little over a 1000 combined lives in the entire European and American regions (both North and South). In the African region, the same disease claimed nearly 760,000 lives. But they are not the only offenders. Each year, the political and economic systems of these countries condemn millions of individuals to death because they have disconnected the global medical community from the patients who need its care the most. Although the treatment of infectious diseases has improved due to foreign intervention, the overall medical infrastructure of Africa is still extremely inadequate at ensuring the most basic of human rights for its citizens: the right to a healthy and fulfilling life.

Q. Which of the following best describes the passage?

The opening decades of the 20th century marked the end of colonial empires around the world. However, as world war has given way to world integration and rapid global development, Africa has consistently fallen behind in both the pace and scope of its modernization. While the populace of the more developed nations lives in relative comfort, millions of deaths each year in the African countries continue to arise from preventable factors such as inadequate nutrition, lack of clean water availability, medical complications during childbirth, and communicable disease.
Individually, each of these problems represents a serious pitfall to the health of their respective communities; therefore, as a group they can become a nearly insurmountable challenge. The absence of a proper diet and clean water can cause increased disease, which spreads thin local medical infrastructure and places financial burden on families without members to work and bring home income. Because money is scarce the funds to purchase proper water purifiers and supply a balanced diet disappears as well, beginning the vicious cycle anew. Though not always in this same form, nearly all the stories of development in the nations of the Sub- Saharan African region have come to a similar ending: a resounding failure to secure the most basic of necessities for all their citizens.

Out of the many factors contributing to this crisis, the persistence of disease among the African population has been one of the most harmful to the region’s economic and political modernization as a whole; tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis still affect well over 100 million people within Sub-Saharan Africa alone and remain the leading causes of death, especially among children. Though the numbers alone are a cause for worry, the most disturbing facet of the problem is that both of the aforementioned diseases are easily treatable with the proper resources. Malaria, for instance, can be handled by proper medical care and the application of basic antibiotics in all but the most severe cases. According to the WHO, the disease claimed a little over a 1000 combined lives in the entire European and American regions (both North and South). In the African region, the same disease claimed nearly 760,000 lives. But they are not the only offenders. Each year, the political and economic systems of these countries condemn millions of individuals to death because they have disconnected the global medical community from the patients who need its care the most. Although the treatment of infectious diseases has improved due to foreign intervention, the overall medical infrastructure of Africa is still extremely inadequate at ensuring the most basic of human rights for its citizens: the right to a healthy and fulfilling life.

Q. According to the passage, which of the following diseases are easily treatable with the proper resources?

The opening decades of the 20th century marked the end of colonial empires around the world. However, as world war has given way to world integration and rapid global development, Africa has consistently fallen behind in both the pace and scope of its modernization. While the populace of the more developed nations lives in relative comfort, millions of deaths each year in the African countries continue to arise from preventable factors such as inadequate nutrition, lack of clean water availability, medical complications during childbirth, and communicable disease.
Individually, each of these problems represents a serious pitfall to the health of their respective communities; therefore, as a group they can become a nearly insurmountable challenge. The absence of a proper diet and clean water can cause increased disease, which spreads thin local medical infrastructure and places financial burden on families without members to work and bring home income. Because money is scarce the funds to purchase proper water purifiers and supply a balanced diet disappears as well, beginning the vicious cycle anew. Though not always in this same form, nearly all the stories of development in the nations of the Sub- Saharan African region have come to a similar ending: a resounding failure to secure the most basic of necessities for all their citizens.

Out of the many factors contributing to this crisis, the persistence of disease among the African population has been one of the most harmful to the region’s economic and political modernization as a whole; tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis still affect well over 100 million people within Sub-Saharan Africa alone and remain the leading causes of death, especially among children. Though the numbers alone are a cause for worry, the most disturbing facet of the problem is that both of the aforementioned diseases are easily treatable with the proper resources. Malaria, for instance, can be handled by proper medical care and the application of basic antibiotics in all but the most severe cases. According to the WHO, the disease claimed a little over a 1000 combined lives in the entire European and American regions (both North and South). In the African region, the same disease claimed nearly 760,000 lives. But they are not the only offenders. Each year, the political and economic systems of these countries condemn millions of individuals to death because they have disconnected the global medical community from the patients who need its care the most. Although the treatment of infectious diseases has improved due to foreign intervention, the overall medical infrastructure of Africa is still extremely inadequate at ensuring the most basic of human rights for its citizens: the right to a healthy and fulfilling life.

Q. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

Group Question

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

From 1948 to 1977, socialism strongly influenced the government's economic policies. Colonial plantations were dismantled, industries were nationalised and a welfare state established. While the standard of living and literacy improved significantly, the nation's economy suffered from inefficiency, slow growth and lack of foreign investment. From 1977 the UNP government began incorporating privatisation, deregulation and promotion of private enterprise. 

The GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% during the early 1990s, until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000, with average growth of 5.3%. The year of 2001 saw the first recession in the country's history, as a result of power shortages, budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife.
In April 2004, there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition made up of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the leftist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna called the United People's Freedom Alliance. The new government stopped the privatization of state enterprises and reforms of state utilities such as power and petroleum, and embarked on a subsidy program called the Rata Perata economic program. Its main theme was to support the rural and suburban SMEs and protect the domestic economy from external influences, such as oil prices, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Q. Which of the following is not an effect of the adoption of socialist policies by the Sri Lankan economy?

From 1948 to 1977, socialism strongly influenced the government's economic policies. Colonial plantations were dismantled, industries were nationalised and a welfare state established. While the standard of living and literacy improved significantly, the nation's economy suffered from inefficiency, slow growth and lack of foreign investment. From 1977 the UNP government began incorporating privatisation, deregulation and promotion of private enterprise. 

The GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% during the early 1990s, until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000, with average growth of 5.3%. The year of 2001 saw the first recession in the country's history, as a result of power shortages, budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife.
In April 2004, there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition made up of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the leftist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna called the United People's Freedom Alliance. The new government stopped the privatization of state enterprises and reforms of state utilities such as power and petroleum, and embarked on a subsidy program called the Rata Perata economic program. Its main theme was to support the rural and suburban SMEs and protect the domestic economy from external influences, such as oil prices, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Q. What can be said about the state of the Sri Lankan economy?

From 1948 to 1977, socialism strongly influenced the government's economic policies. Colonial plantations were dismantled, industries were nationalised and a welfare state established. While the standard of living and literacy improved significantly, the nation's economy suffered from inefficiency, slow growth and lack of foreign investment. From 1977 the UNP government began incorporating privatisation, deregulation and promotion of private enterprise. 

The GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% during the early 1990s, until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000, with average growth of 5.3%. The year of 2001 saw the first recession in the country's history, as a result of power shortages, budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife.
In April 2004, there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition made up of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the leftist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna called the United People's Freedom Alliance. The new government stopped the privatization of state enterprises and reforms of state utilities such as power and petroleum, and embarked on a subsidy program called the Rata Perata economic program. Its main theme was to support the rural and suburban SMEs and protect the domestic economy from external influences, such as oil prices, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Q. Which of the following options summarizes the changes that  took place once Ranil Wickremesinghe was defeated?

Group Question

For the passage below, read the passage, and mark the most appropriate answer to the question(s).

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. What can be inferred from the quote “this meeting can do nothing more to save the country”?

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. In the sentence “Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter” what is the author trying to imply?

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. According to the author, if Hutchison would have allowed the owners and the captains to resolve their issues with the colonists, what would have happened?

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. What were the immediate consequences of the Boston Tea Party?

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. The structure of the passage can best be described as:

On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson’s refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country”. As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin’s Wharf (in Boston Harbour), where lay Dartmouth and the newly- arrived Beaver and Eleanor. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the “Indians” were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to the waters of Boston harbour. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.
Tea washed up on the shores around Boston for weeks. Many citizens of Boston attempted to carry off this tea. In an effort to thwart this looting, people rowed several small boats out to where the tea was visible and beat it with oars, rendering it unusable.

The tea party caused a crisis. Hutchinson had been urging London to take a hard line with the Sons of Liberty. If he had done what the other royal governors had done and let the ship owners and captains resolve the issue with the colonists, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, the William and the Beaver would have left without unloading any tea. Lord North said that if the colonists had stuck with non-importation for another six months the tea tax would have been repealed. In February 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactorily provided for the imperial defence and the upkeep of imperial officers. The Tea Act was repealed with the Taxation of Colonies Act, 1778. In the colonies, Benjamin Franklin stated that the destroyed tea must be repaid, all 90,000 pounds. Robert Murray, a New York merchant went to Lord North with three other merchants and offered to pay for the losses, but the offer was turned down. A number of colonists were inspired to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions which led to the American Revolutionary War. At the very least, the Boston Tea Party and the reaction that followed served to rally support for revolutionaries in the thirteen colonies who were eventually successful in their fight for independence. Many colonists, in Boston and elsewhere in the country, pledged to abstain from tea drinking as a protest, turning instead to “liberty tea” (made from raspberry leaves), other herbal infusions, and coffee. This social protest movement away from tea drinking, however, was not long-lived.

Q. The act of consuming "liberty tea" by many colonists was

Group Question

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

Heartburn, also known as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone, usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.
Despite its name, heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart; it is so called because of a burning sensation near to where the heart is located - although some heart problems may give rise to a similar burning sensation. The pain associated with acid reflux is due to the presence of acid in the esophagus. Acid is produced in the stomach as an aid to digestion and is not intended to be present in the esophagus. The presence of acid in the esophagus eats away at the lining of the esophagus and causes pain. Acid reflux does not occur because there is too much acid created by the stomach, but because the muscular barrier or valve between the esophagus and the stomach opens prematurely allowing acid, bile and other stomach contents into the esophagus. The name of this muscular barrier is the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). When the LES doesn't stay closed or when it opens at the wrong time, reflux can occur.

In many cases, acid reflux medications known as PPI's (proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, etc) work well enough at reducing acid levels that the pain goes away. Unfortunately PPI's don't help reinforce the LES and in some cases surgery may be required. 38% of PPI users experience break-through pain while taking PPI's. The LES is also sometimes referred to as the cardiac sphincter, referring to a part of the stomach referred to as the cardia and not, as might be thought, to the heart, lending some additional confusion to the term "heartburn".

Q. Why is the term heartburn misleading?

Heartburn, also known as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone, usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.
Despite its name, heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart; it is so called because of a burning sensation near to where the heart is located - although some heart problems may give rise to a similar burning sensation. The pain associated with acid reflux is due to the presence of acid in the esophagus. Acid is produced in the stomach as an aid to digestion and is not intended to be present in the esophagus. The presence of acid in the esophagus eats away at the lining of the esophagus and causes pain. Acid reflux does not occur because there is too much acid created by the stomach, but because the muscular barrier or valve between the esophagus and the stomach opens prematurely allowing acid, bile and other stomach contents into the esophagus. The name of this muscular barrier is the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). When the LES doesn't stay closed or when it opens at the wrong time, reflux can occur.

In many cases, acid reflux medications known as PPI's (proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, etc) work well enough at reducing acid levels that the pain goes away. Unfortunately PPI's don't help reinforce the LES and in some cases surgery may be required. 38% of PPI users experience break-through pain while taking PPI's. The LES is also sometimes referred to as the cardiac sphincter, referring to a part of the stomach referred to as the cardia and not, as might be thought, to the heart, lending some additional confusion to the term "heartburn".

Q. Which of the following is an effect of PPIs?

Heartburn, also known as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone, usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.
Despite its name, heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart; it is so called because of a burning sensation near to where the heart is located - although some heart problems may give rise to a similar burning sensation. The pain associated with acid reflux is due to the presence of acid in the esophagus. Acid is produced in the stomach as an aid to digestion and is not intended to be present in the esophagus. The presence of acid in the esophagus eats away at the lining of the esophagus and causes pain. Acid reflux does not occur because there is too much acid created by the stomach, but because the muscular barrier or valve between the esophagus and the stomach opens prematurely allowing acid, bile and other stomach contents into the esophagus. The name of this muscular barrier is the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). When the LES doesn't stay closed or when it opens at the wrong time, reflux can occur.

In many cases, acid reflux medications known as PPI's (proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec, etc) work well enough at reducing acid levels that the pain goes away. Unfortunately PPI's don't help reinforce the LES and in some cases surgery may be required. 38% of PPI users experience break-through pain while taking PPI's. The LES is also sometimes referred to as the cardiac sphincter, referring to a part of the stomach referred to as the cardia and not, as might be thought, to the heart, lending some additional confusion to the term "heartburn".

Q. Which of the following is the most suitable title to the passage?

Group Question

For each of the passages below, read the passage, and mark the most appropriate answer to the question(s).

Hypotheses of social evolution and cultural evolution are common in Europe. The Enlightenment thinkers who preceded Darwin, such as Hegel, often argued that societies progressed through stages of increasing development. Earlier thinkers also emphasized conflict as an inherent feature of social life. Thomas Hobbes’ 17th century portrayal of the state of nature seems analogous to the competition for natural resources described by Darwin. Social Darwinism is distinct from other theories of social change because of the way it draws Darwin’s distinctive ideas from the field of biology into social studies. Darwin’s unique discussion of evolution was over the supernatural in human development. Unlike Hobbes, he believed that this struggle for natural resources allowed individuals with certain physical and mental traits to succeed more frequently than others, and that these traits accumulated in the population over time, which under certain conditions could lead to the descendants being so different that they would be defined as a new species.

However, Darwin felt that “social instincts” such as “sympathy” and “moral sentiments” also evolved through natural selection, and that these resulted in the strengthening of societies in which they occurred, so much so that he wrote about it in Descent of Man: “The following proposition seems to me in a high degree probable- namely, that any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, the parental and filial affections being here included, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well, or nearly as well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of its fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them.”

Social Darwinism, combined with National Efficiency was the main reason for the great social reforms of the early 1900s. After the landslide 1906 election, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill began to reform society according to the Rowntree Report. The report detailed poor people from York and explained that although they tried hard to lift themselves of their poverty, it was nearly always impossible. This changed the social view that the poor were lazy and stupid, and new policies were made concerning the ‘Deserving Poor’. These social reforms earned the Liberal Party the title ‘Fathers of the Welfare State’ and were largely down to Social Darwinism.

Q. Social Darwinism is different from other theories of social  change because:

Hypotheses of social evolution and cultural evolution are common in Europe. The Enlightenment thinkers who preceded Darwin, such as Hegel, often argued that societies progressed through stages of increasing development. Earlier thinkers also emphasized conflict as an inherent feature of social life. Thomas Hobbes’ 17th century portrayal of the state of nature seems analogous to the competition for natural resources described by Darwin. Social Darwinism is distinct from other theories of social change because of the way it draws Darwin’s distinctive ideas from the field of biology into social studies. Darwin’s unique discussion of evolution was over the supernatural in human development. Unlike Hobbes, he believed that this struggle for natural resources allowed individuals with certain physical and mental traits to succeed more frequently than others, and that these traits accumulated in the population over time, which under certain conditions could lead to the descendants being so different that they would be defined as a new species.

However, Darwin felt that “social instincts” such as “sympathy” and “moral sentiments” also evolved through natural selection, and that these resulted in the strengthening of societies in which they occurred, so much so that he wrote about it in Descent of Man: “The following proposition seems to me in a high degree probable- namely, that any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, the parental and filial affections being here included, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well, or nearly as well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of its fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them.”

Social Darwinism, combined with National Efficiency was the main reason for the great social reforms of the early 1900s. After the landslide 1906 election, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill began to reform society according to the Rowntree Report. The report detailed poor people from York and explained that although they tried hard to lift themselves of their poverty, it was nearly always impossible. This changed the social view that the poor were lazy and stupid, and new policies were made concerning the ‘Deserving Poor’. These social reforms earned the Liberal Party the title ‘Fathers of the Welfare State’ and were largely down to Social Darwinism.

Q. Why has the author quoted Darwin in the penultimate paragraph?

Hypotheses of social evolution and cultural evolution are common in Europe. The Enlightenment thinkers who preceded Darwin, such as Hegel, often argued that societies progressed through stages of increasing development. Earlier thinkers also emphasized conflict as an inherent feature of social life. Thomas Hobbes’ 17th century portrayal of the state of nature seems analogous to the competition for natural resources described by Darwin. Social Darwinism is distinct from other theories of social change because of the way it draws Darwin’s distinctive ideas from the field of biology into social studies. Darwin’s unique discussion of evolution was over the supernatural in human development. Unlike Hobbes, he believed that this struggle for natural resources allowed individuals with certain physical and mental traits to succeed more frequently than others, and that these traits accumulated in the population over time, which under certain conditions could lead to the descendants being so different that they would be defined as a new species.

However, Darwin felt that “social instincts” such as “sympathy” and “moral sentiments” also evolved through natural selection, and that these resulted in the strengthening of societies in which they occurred, so much so that he wrote about it in Descent of Man: “The following proposition seems to me in a high degree probable- namely, that any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, the parental and filial affections being here included, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well, or nearly as well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of its fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them.”

Social Darwinism, combined with National Efficiency was the main reason for the great social reforms of the early 1900s. After the landslide 1906 election, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill began to reform society according to the Rowntree Report. The report detailed poor people from York and explained that although they tried hard to lift themselves of their poverty, it was nearly always impossible. This changed the social view that the poor were lazy and stupid, and new policies were made concerning the ‘Deserving Poor’. These social reforms earned the Liberal Party the title ‘Fathers of the Welfare State’ and were largely down to Social Darwinism.

Q. What led the Liberal Party to earn the title ‘Fathers of the Welfare State’?

Group Question

A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.

The scientific validity of schizophrenia, and its defining symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, have been criticised. In 2006, a group of consumers and mental health professionals from the UK, under the banner of Campaign for Abolition of the Schizophrenia Label, argued for a rejection of the diagnosis of schizophrenia based on its heterogeneity and associated stigma, and called for the adoption of a biopsychosocial model. Other UK psychiatrists opposed the move arguing that the term schizophrenia is a useful, even if provisional concept.

Similarly, there is an argument that the underlying issues would be better addressed as a spectrum of conditions or as individual dimensions along which everyone varies rather than by a diagnostic category based on an arbitrary cut-off between normal and ill. This approach appears consistent with research on schizotypy, and with a relatively high prevalence of psychotic experiences, mostly nondistressing delusional beliefs, among the general public. In concordance with this observation, psychologist Edgar Jones, and psychiatrists Tony David and Nassir Ghaemi, surveying the existing literature on delusions, pointed out that the consistency and completeness of the definition of delusion have been found wanting by many; delusions are neither necessarily fixed, nor false, nor involve the presence of incontrovertible evidence.

Nancy Andreasen, a leading figure in schizophrenia research, has criticized the current DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for sacrificing diagnostic validity for the sake of artificially improving reliability. She argues that overemphasis on psychosis in the diagnostic criteria, while improving diagnostic reliability, ignores more fundamental cognitive impairments that are harder to assess due to large variations in presentation. This view is supported by other psychiatrists. In the same vein, Ming Tsuang and colleagues argue that psychotic symptoms may be a common end-state in a variety of disorders, including schizophrenia, rather than a reflection of the specific etiology of schizophrenia, and warn that there is little basis for regarding DSM’s operational definition as the "true" construct of schizophrenia. Neuropsychologist Michael Foster Green went further in suggesting the presence of specific neurocognitive deficits may be used to construct phenotypes that are alternatives to those that are purely symptom-based. These deficits take the form of a reduction or impairment in basic psychological functions such as memory, attention, executive function and problem solving.

Q. What is the UK psychiatrists' position when they argue that  term schizophrenia is a useful, even if provisional concept”?

The scientific validity of schizophrenia, and its defining symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, have been criticised. In 2006, a group of consumers and mental health professionals from the UK, under the banner of Campaign for Abolition of the Schizophrenia Label, argued for a rejection of the diagnosis of schizophrenia based on its heterogeneity and associated stigma, and called for the adoption of a biopsychosocial model. Other UK psychiatrists opposed the move arguing that the term schizophrenia is a useful, even if provisional concept.

Similarly, there is an argument that the underlying issues would be better addressed as a spectrum of conditions or as individual dimensions along which everyone varies rather than by a diagnostic category based on an arbitrary cut-off between normal and ill. This approach appears consistent with research on schizotypy, and with a relatively high prevalence of psychotic experiences, mostly nondistressing delusional beliefs, among the general public. In concordance with this observation, psychologist Edgar Jones, and psychiatrists Tony David and Nassir Ghaemi, surveying the existing literature on delusions, pointed out that the consistency and completeness of the definition of delusion have been found wanting by many; delusions are neither necessarily fixed, nor false, nor involve the presence of incontrovertible evidence.

Nancy Andreasen, a leading figure in schizophrenia research, has criticized the current DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for sacrificing diagnostic validity for the sake of artificially improving reliability. She argues that overemphasis on psychosis in the diagnostic criteria, while improving diagnostic reliability, ignores more fundamental cognitive impairments that are harder to assess due to large variations in presentation. This view is supported by other psychiatrists. In the same vein, Ming Tsuang and colleagues argue that psychotic symptoms may be a common end-state in a variety of disorders, including schizophrenia, rather than a reflection of the specific etiology of schizophrenia, and warn that there is little basis for regarding DSM’s operational definition as the "true" construct of schizophrenia. Neuropsychologist Michael Foster Green went further in suggesting the presence of specific neurocognitive deficits may be used to construct phenotypes that are alternatives to those that are purely symptom-based. These deficits take the form of a reduction or impairment in basic psychological functions such as memory, attention, executive function and problem solving.

Q. What are scientists problems with delusions?

The scientific validity of schizophrenia, and its defining symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, have been criticised. In 2006, a group of consumers and mental health professionals from the UK, under the banner of Campaign for Abolition of the Schizophrenia Label, argued for a rejection of the diagnosis of schizophrenia based on its heterogeneity and associated stigma, and called for the adoption of a biopsychosocial model. Other UK psychiatrists opposed the move arguing that the term schizophrenia is a useful, even if provisional concept.

Similarly, there is an argument that the underlying issues would be better addressed as a spectrum of conditions or as individual dimensions along which everyone varies rather than by a diagnostic category based on an arbitrary cut-off between normal and ill. This approach appears consistent with research on schizotypy, and with a relatively high prevalence of psychotic experiences, mostly nondistressing delusional beliefs, among the general public. In concordance with this observation, psychologist Edgar Jones, and psychiatrists Tony David and Nassir Ghaemi, surveying the existing literature on delusions, pointed out that the consistency and completeness of the definition of delusion have been found wanting by many; delusions are neither necessarily fixed, nor false, nor involve the presence of incontrovertible evidence.

Nancy Andreasen, a leading figure in schizophrenia research, has criticized the current DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for sacrificing diagnostic validity for the sake of artificially improving reliability. She argues that overemphasis on psychosis in the diagnostic criteria, while improving diagnostic reliability, ignores more fundamental cognitive impairments that are harder to assess due to large variations in presentation. This view is supported by other psychiatrists. In the same vein, Ming Tsuang and colleagues argue that psychotic symptoms may be a common end-state in a variety of disorders, including schizophrenia, rather than a reflection of the specific etiology of schizophrenia, and warn that there is little basis for regarding DSM’s operational definition as the "true" construct of schizophrenia. Neuropsychologist Michael Foster Green went further in suggesting the presence of specific neurocognitive deficits may be used to construct phenotypes that are alternatives to those that are purely symptom-based. These deficits take the form of a reduction or impairment in basic psychological functions such as memory, attention, executive function and problem solving.

Q. What is the meaning of the term “etiology”?

Four sentences are given below labeled (1), (2), (3) and (4). Of these, three sentences need to be arranged in a logical order to form a coherent paragraph/passage. Pick out the sentence that does not fit the sequence.

1. Since 2009, total steel exports from China have quadrupled, resulting in a 50 per cent increase in Chinese steel imports into the EU, which is the U.K.’s principal trading partner.
2. Steel unions are furious at the British government’s support for the lesser duty rule, a free- market formula that the EU adopted from the World Trade Organisation.
3. A good example of aggressive Chinese penetration is in the rebar (wire rod) sector where China increased its share in the U.K. market from zero at the start of 2013 to 37 per cent by the end of 2014.
4. This resulted in the price of steel dropping from $500 a tonne to $280 a tonne between September 2014 and September 2015.

Choose the odd one out from the sentences given below.

Select the odd man out from the given alternatives. 

Given below are a few jumbled sentences. Rearrange the sentences in a proper and logical sequence.

1. Ever-smarter machines and ever-tighter global connections are likely to aggravate adverse labour-market trends and growing income inequality, as technology displaces more and more workers.
2. Smart machines and global connections have boosted income inequality in two other ways: by increasing the size and scope of global markets for top-rated talent in a variety of fields.
3. No one is certain about how many workers are at risk; but, based on the pace of recent technological advances, there is reason for concern.
4. Skill-biased technological change has propelled growing inequality in labour incomes both within and across occupations, in turn fueling the marked increase in overall income inequality.
5. Also by generating huge excess returns or monopoly rents from the creation and ownership of intellectual property and intangible capital.

Carefully read the statements in the questions below and arrange them in a logical order.

1. The twins come back to the house to find their mother asleep in a deep dream.
2. The children are frightened by Ammu's changing sleeping expressions.
3. Later when she wakes, she tells them she was dreaming.
4. At the beginning of her dream, Ammu is with a cheerful one-armed man.
5. He is the God of Small Things.

Given below are a few jumbled sentences. Rearrange the sentences in a proper and logical sequence.

1. The word ‘hacker1 came into its own in the age of information technology (IT) and the personal computer.
2. ‘All information should be free,’ declared another.
3. ‘You can create art and beauty on a computer,’ read one.
4. While some hacker principles he described were broad - such as ‘mistrust authority’ and ‘promote decentralisation’ - others were distinctly IT-centric.
5. The subtitle of Levy’s seminal book - Heroes of the Computer Revolution - immediately situated hackers as the crusaders of computer geek culture