Daily Reads 7: News Sources | Verbal Ability (VA) & Reading Comprehension (RC) - CAT PDF Download

Article 1

Article Name: Strike a balance
Source: The Times of India

Chinese president Hu Jintao’s arrival in New Delhi for the BRICS summit understandably warranted appropriate security arrangements.

Read the full article here: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/edit-page/strike-a-balance/articleshow/12458143.cms

Summary and Theme

The article discusses the need for a democratic nation to strike a balance between maintaining security for visiting dignitaries and allowing peaceful protests. It highlights the situation during the BRICS summit in New Delhi with the Chinese president's visit, where security concerns were heightened due to protesting Tibetan activists. The piece argues for the importance of India's pragmatic foreign policy with China for transformative economic growth, while also criticizing the excessive security measures and pre-emptive detentions of Tibetan refugees, which could lead to racial profiling and alienation of Indian citizens from the northeast. The theme revolves around the delicate balance between security and the preservation of democratic rights to protest.

Difficult Words

• Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
• Transformational: relating to or involving a transformation; revolutionary.
• Accommodative: willing to fit in with someone's wishes or needs.
• Confrontation: a hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties.
• Dragnet: a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; here, it refers to extensive security measures.
• Pre-emptive: serving or intended to preclude or forestall something, especially to prevent attack by disabling the enemy.
• Alienated: experiencing or inducing feelings of isolation or estrangement.

Article 2

Article Name: Release hostages
Source: The Times of India

Whatever the cause, hostage-taking of the sort resorted to by Maoists in Orissa cannot be condoned.

Read the full article here: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/edit-page/release-hostages/articleshow/12417242.cms

Summary and Theme

The article addresses the issue of Maoists in Orissa taking hostages, which is an act that cannot be supported regardless of the cause. It mentions the release of one Italian hostage but points out that another Italian and a local politician remain captive. The Maoists' demands for the release of their leaders in exchange for the hostages are highlighted as coercive tactics that undermine their legitimacy in a democratic society. The theme focuses on the contradiction between the Maoists' claimed advocacy for the poor and their destructive actions, which actually harm those they purport to represent. The article suggests that the government should engage in dialogue with the Maoists but only after the hostages are released, and it also touches on the need for systemic improvements to address the root conditions that enable Maoist insurgencies.

Difficult Words

• Condoned: accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.
• Coercive: relating to or using force or threats.
• Legitimacy: conformity to the law or to rules.
• Contradiction: a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another.
• Subverting: undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).

Article 3

Article Name: Should all police officers really be university-educated?
Source: The Guardian

Should policing become a profession, like nursing and social work, where being a university graduate is the norm?

Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/24/police-officers-university-education

Summary and Theme

The article debates whether police officers should be required to have a university education, as suggested by the Winsor report, which calls for increased professionalism in police services. It argues that while higher education might seem like a logical step towards dealing with modern crimes, the real issue is the officers' ability to connect with the community. The piece contrasts the technical training of police with the need for officers to build relationships and understand community perspectives. The theme is the importance of interpersonal skills and community engagement over academic qualifications in policing. It suggests that while a degree might not be necessary, the ability to relate and reflect on community interactions is crucial.

Difficult Words

• Profession: a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.
• Intellectual agility: the ability to think quickly and comprehensively.
• Precursor: a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.
• Bureaucracy: a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
• Reflective: relating to or characterized by deep thought; thoughtful.
• Self-critical: tending to find fault with oneself.