IBPS PO Prelims Mock Test - 7 - Banking Exams MCQ

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below.

If the arrest of five prominent activists by the Pune Police in a coordinated operation across four States has resulted in such indignation, it is because of the widespread suspicion that this is part of an orchestrated crackdown on political dissent. The intervention of high courts and later the Supreme Court has given rise to the hope that they will not be put away without sufficient basis, and that the case for proceeding against them will be properly scrutinised.

The focus will now be on the next hearing of the Supreme Court, but the dramatic development — which has come months after some Left-leaning activists were arrested in a case relating to the Bhima-Koregaon violence — has raised a fundamental question. Namely, whether the arrests were the culmination of a legitimate probe into a Maoist plot, as the police claim, or whether this is yet another clumsy failure to distinguish between those who indulge in or actively support violent activity, and those who attempt to understand or empathise with the social conditions that breed extremism and insurgency.

It is nobody’s case that activists or intellectuals are above the law, but the Maharashtra police carry the enormous burden of proof, having accused the activists of doing much more than inciting the violence that broke out in Bhima-Koregaon, near Pune, this year. What began as a controversy over allegedly provocative speeches made at a Dalit conference relating to the 200th anniversary of an iconic battle site has inexplicably morphed into a larger conspiracy involving the CPI (Maoist).

Human rights activists, particularly those working in conflict-prone areas, have been harassed and even arrested on the suspicion of being in league with extremists. While action against them routinely makes the headlines, the bald truth is that successful prosecutions are rare. Charges such as sedition, waging war against the government and promoting disaffection against the state rarely end in conviction. One reason for the failure is that prosecuting agencies typically believe in guilt by association; they confuse empathy with incitement and compassion with collaboration. Also, cases are often filled with utter disregard for the principle that charges such as ‘unlawful activities’ and ‘terrorist acts’ should not be invoked in the absence of actual acts of violence or incitement to violence; mere verbal expression of support cannot and should not be the basis for arrest.

The Pune police claim that the five who have now been arrested were raising funds for the Maoists, and indulging in unlawful activities; that they had a nexus with other unlawful groups and, ominously, were plotting to “target high political functionaries”. Given the sweeping allegations of unlawful activity and the enormity of implicating them in unverified assassination plots, the burden of proof on the police is extremely high. Unless proven, it will only confirm suspicions that the law has been bent with the sole purpose of targeting dissent.

Q. What according to the author should never be the basis for arrests?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below.

If the arrest of five prominent activists by the Pune Police in a coordinated operation across four States has resulted in such indignation, it is because of the widespread suspicion that this is part of an orchestrated crackdown on political dissent. The intervention of high courts and later the Supreme Court has given rise to the hope that they will not be put away without sufficient basis, and that the case for proceeding against them will be properly scrutinised.

The focus will now be on the next hearing of the Supreme Court, but the dramatic development — which has come months after some Left-leaning activists were arrested in a case relating to the Bhima-Koregaon violence — has raised a fundamental question. Namely, whether the arrests were the culmination of a legitimate probe into a Maoist plot, as the police claim, or whether this is yet another clumsy failure to distinguish between those who indulge in or actively support violent activity, and those who attempt to understand or empathise with the social conditions that breed extremism and insurgency.

It is nobody’s case that activists or intellectuals are above the law, but the Maharashtra police carry the enormous burden of proof, having accused the activists of doing much more than inciting the violence that broke out in Bhima-Koregaon, near Pune, this year. What began as a controversy over allegedly provocative speeches made at a Dalit conference relating to the 200th anniversary of an iconic battle site has inexplicably morphed into a larger conspiracy involving the CPI (Maoist).

Human rights activists, particularly those working in conflict-prone areas, have been harassed and even arrested on the suspicion of being in league with extremists. While action against them routinely makes the headlines, the bald truth is that successful prosecutions are rare. Charges such as sedition, waging war against the government and promoting disaffection against the state rarely end in conviction. One reason for the failure is that prosecuting agencies typically believe in guilt by association; they confuse empathy with incitement and compassion with collaboration. Also, cases are often filled with utter disregard for the principle that charges such as ‘unlawful activities’ and ‘terrorist acts’ should not be invoked in the absence of actual acts of violence or incitement to violence; mere verbal expression of support cannot and should not be the basis for arrest.

The Pune police claim that the five who have now been arrested were raising funds for the Maoists, and indulging in unlawful activities; that they had a nexus with other unlawful groups and, ominously, were plotting to “target high political functionaries”. Given the sweeping allegations of unlawful activity and the enormity of implicating them in unverified assassination plots, the burden of proof on the police is extremely high. Unless proven, it will only confirm suspicions that the law has been bent with the sole purpose of targeting dissent.

Q. Which of the following is not a charge against the activists who have recently been arrested by the Pune Police?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below.

If the arrest of five prominent activists by the Pune Police in a coordinated operation across four States has resulted in such indignation, it is because of the widespread suspicion that this is part of an orchestrated crackdown on political dissent. The intervention of high courts and later the Supreme Court has given rise to the hope that they will not be put away without sufficient basis, and that the case for proceeding against them will be properly scrutinised.

The focus will now be on the next hearing of the Supreme Court, but the dramatic development — which has come months after some Left-leaning activists were arrested in a case relating to the Bhima-Koregaon violence — has raised a fundamental question. Namely, whether the arrests were the culmination of a legitimate probe into a Maoist plot, as the police claim, or whether this is yet another clumsy failure to distinguish between those who indulge in or actively support violent activity, and those who attempt to understand or empathise with the social conditions that breed extremism and insurgency.

It is nobody’s case that activists or intellectuals are above the law, but the Maharashtra police carry the enormous burden of proof, having accused the activists of doing much more than inciting the violence that broke out in Bhima-Koregaon, near Pune, this year. What began as a controversy over allegedly provocative speeches made at a Dalit conference relating to the 200th anniversary of an iconic battle site has inexplicably morphed into a larger conspiracy involving the CPI (Maoist).

Human rights activists, particularly those working in conflict-prone areas, have been harassed and even arrested on the suspicion of being in league with extremists. While action against them routinely makes the headlines, the bald truth is that successful prosecutions are rare. Charges such as sedition, waging war against the government and promoting disaffection against the state rarely end in conviction. One reason for the failure is that prosecuting agencies typically believe in guilt by association; they confuse empathy with incitement and compassion with collaboration. Also, cases are often filled with utter disregard for the principle that charges such as ‘unlawful activities’ and ‘terrorist acts’ should not be invoked in the absence of actual acts of violence or incitement to violence; mere verbal expression of support cannot and should not be the basis for arrest.

The Pune police claim that the five who have now been arrested were raising funds for the Maoists, and indulging in unlawful activities; that they had a nexus with other unlawful groups and, ominously, were plotting to “target high political functionaries”. Given the sweeping allegations of unlawful activity and the enormity of implicating them in unverified assassination plots, the burden of proof on the police is extremely high. Unless proven, it will only confirm suspicions that the law has been bent with the sole purpose of targeting dissent.

Q. ''What began as a controversy over allegedly provocative speeches made at a Dalit conference relating to the 200th anniversary of an iconic battle site'' What is the iconic battle site referred to in the sentence?

In the following questions, Sentences given below with three words highlighted in underlined which may not be given appropriately. Select the option that gives the correct interchange of words. In case the given words are correct placed, select ‘No improvement’.

India's factory resurgence (A) grew at its weakest pace in seven months in March as dampened (B) lockdowns to curtail activity (C) in COVID-19 cases renewed (D) domestic demand and output, a private survey showed, forcing firms to cut headcount again.

In the passage given below there are 5 words given in underlined which have been jumbled. Find the correct word for each place, and mark it as your answer. Mark (E) as your answer if the word given in bold after the blank is your answer i.e No change required.

Sculpture is by tradition a public art, and after a period of alienation and private ownership and display, the issue of its significance and function in society has become (A) obnoxious again. Besides, the (B) devouring of empty space in urban households with the rapid growth of high-rise buildings has crucially driven sculptures out of the indoor (C) thwart. Even those works that are not intended for the outdoors provide a set of sculptural quality and look splendid in the open air and (D) among nature. A grand display of public art helps create a community identity and appreciation for art among the Sydneysiders and (E) abide in children a heartening curiosity for art.

Q. Which of the following fits in place of the word labelled (A)?

In the passage given below there are 5 words given in underlined which have been jumbled. Find the correct word for each place, and mark it as your answer. Mark (E) as your answer if the word given in bold after the blank is your answer i.e No change required.

Sculpture is by tradition a public art, and after a period of alienation and private ownership and display, the issue of its significance and function in society has become (A) obnoxious again. Besides, the (B) devouring of empty space in urban households with the rapid growth of high-rise buildings has crucially driven sculptures out of the indoor (C) thwart. Even those works that are not intended for the outdoors provide a set of sculptural quality and look splendid in the open air and (D) among nature. A grand display of public art helps create a community identity and appreciation for art among the Sydneysiders and (E) abide in children a heartening curiosity for art.

Q. Which of the following fits in place of the word labelled (B)?

In the passage given below there are 5 words given in underlined which have been jumbled. Find the correct word for each place, and mark it as your answer. Mark (E) as your answer if the word given in bold after the blank is your answer i.e No change required.

Sculpture is by tradition a public art, and after a period of alienation and private ownership and display, the issue of its significance and function in society has become (A) obnoxious again. Besides, the (B) devouring of empty space in urban households with the rapid growth of high-rise buildings has crucially driven sculptures out of the indoor (C) thwart. Even those works that are not intended for the outdoors provide a set of sculptural quality and look splendid in the open air and (D) among nature. A grand display of public art helps create a community identity and appreciation for art among the Sydneysiders and (E) abide in children a heartening curiosity for art.

Q. Which of the following fits in place of the word labelled (C)?

Given below is a sentence with three blanks. Identify the correct order of words which can be used to fill in the blanks.

If a superintelligent system is tasked with an _____ geoengineering project, it might wreak _______ with our ecosystem as a side effect, and view human _______ to stop it as a threat to be met.

A. Ambitious

B. Estranged

C. Havoc

D. Grit

E. Abstinence

F. Attempts

In the following questions, Sentences given below with three words highlighted in underlined which may not be given appropriately. Select the option that gives the correct interchange of words. In case the given words are correct placed, select ‘No improvement’.

As India grapples (A) with a second wave of Covid-19 cases, Dr. Guleria has been framing (B) to the country’s disease response (C) as head of the clinical research group of the national Covid-19 task force, he is instrumental in central (D) treatment policies.

Given below is a sentence with three blanks. Identify the correct order of words which can be used to fill in the blanks.

After the ______ of Japan's sovereignty, Japan and India signed a peace treaty, establishing _______ diplomatic relations on 28 April 1952, in which India _______ all reparation claims against Japan.

A. Restoration

B. Fall

C. Decline

D. Official

E. Severe

F. Waived

In the following questions, Sentences given below with three words highlighted in underlined which may not be given appropriately. Select the option that gives the correct interchange of words. In case the given words are correct placed, select ‘No improvement’.

Although (A) / the state government’s latest restrictions similar (B) / at breaking the spread of Covid-19 infections stop short of a full lockdown, migrant workers said the measures are aimed (C) / to last year’s, and therefore, (D) / would affect their wages.

Rearrange the following five sentences/ group of sentences A, B, C, D and E in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the question given below them.

A. Now researchers say it was likely due to the consumption of a wild bean, called Bada Chakunda, which grows freely in the region.

B. For many years, this recurring outbreak, which killed over 100 children last year, was thought to be due to the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus.

C. It is time for Indian investigators to update their understanding of encephalitis and look at outbreaks through a wider lens if they are to eliminate such deadly diseases from the country.

D. Like several natural toxins, the anthraquinones in the bean don’t harm healthy people but cause fatal dysfunction of the liver, heart, and brain in underfed children.

E. A paper in the Indian journal Current Science suggests an unexpected cause for the inflammatory brain disease — encephalitis — found in Malkangiri district of Odisha.

Q. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement?

Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are Underlined to help you answer some of the questions.

At the COP26, which concluded in Glasgow last week, India rightly emphasised that rich countries should help poor countries to develop their renewable energy capacities. But the West is likely to be to selfish in paying all its dues and poor countries may well have to help themselves to make the transition that society urgently needs. One source of funding could well be the well-off citizens of India, _______.

A 2018 Oxfam report revealed that 10 per cent of the richest Indians garnered 77.4 per cent of the nation’s wealth (compared to 73 per cent the year before). In fact, according to the report, 58 per cent of India’s wealth was in the hands of one percent of the country’s population (about one percent of the world’s population controls 50 per cent of the world’s wealth). The combined income of this handful of people in 2017 was almost as much as India’s budget that year. In 2017, the fortune of India’s 100 richest tycoons leaped by 26 per cent.

The IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List of 2019 identified the 953 richest families in India. It revealed that their fortune represented more than 26 per cent of the country’s GDP — which meant that a tax rate of four per cent on the nation’s 953 richest families would give the government the equivalent of one per cent of India’s GDP. According to Crédit Suisse, the number of dollar millionaires in India has jumped from 34,000 in 2000 to 7,59,000 in 2019 — in other words, the country has one of “the world’s fastest-growing population of millionaires”. The average wealth of these millionaires has increased by 74 per cent over this period.

Surprisingly, the taxation policy of the government, instead of making the exchequer benefit from this trend, has actively strengthened it. One of the first decisions of the Narendra Modi government was to replace the wealth tax by an income tax increase of two per cent for households that earned more than 10 million rupees annually. Then, the corporate tax was lowered, for existing companies from 30 per cent to 22 per cent, and for manufacturing firms incorporated after October 1, 2019 that started operations before March 31, 2023, from 25 to 15 per cent — the biggest reduction in 28 years.

The Union budget has been geared towards pleasing the middle class. In the 2019-20 budget, the income tax exemption limit jumped from Rs 2,00,000 to 2,50,000 and the tax rate for incomes up to Rs 5 lakh was reduced from 10 to 5 per cent. The tax on an income of Rs 10 lakh dropped from Rs 1,10,210 to Rs 75,000. This taxation policy deprived the state of important resources. To (partly) compensate for the decline of direct taxes, the government has increased indirect taxes, unfairly so, whereas they affect all Indians irrespective of their income.

Q. Which of the following connectors would replace the underlined connector “whereas”?

Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are Underlined to help you answer some of the questions.

At the COP26, which concluded in Glasgow last week, India rightly emphasised that rich countries should help poor countries to develop their renewable energy capacities. But the West is likely to be to selfish in paying all its dues and poor countries may well have to help themselves to make the transition that society urgently needs. One source of funding could well be the well-off citizens of India, _______.

A 2018 Oxfam report revealed that 10 per cent of the richest Indians garnered 77.4 per cent of the nation’s wealth (compared to 73 per cent the year before). In fact, according to the report, 58 per cent of India’s wealth was in the hands of one percent of the country’s population (about one percent of the world’s population controls 50 per cent of the world’s wealth). The combined income of this handful of people in 2017 was almost as much as India’s budget that year. In 2017, the fortune of India’s 100 richest tycoons leaped by 26 per cent.

The IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List of 2019 identified the 953 richest families in India. It revealed that their fortune represented more than 26 per cent of the country’s GDP — which meant that a tax rate of four per cent on the nation’s 953 richest families would give the government the equivalent of one per cent of India’s GDP. According to Crédit Suisse, the number of dollar millionaires in India has jumped from 34,000 in 2000 to 7,59,000 in 2019 — in other words, the country has one of “the world’s fastest-growing population of millionaires”. The average wealth of these millionaires has increased by 74 per cent over this period.

Surprisingly, the taxation policy of the government, instead of making the exchequer benefit from this trend, has actively strengthened it. One of the first decisions of the Narendra Modi government was to replace the wealth tax by an income tax increase of two per cent for households that earned more than 10 million rupees annually. Then, the corporate tax was lowered, for existing companies from 30 per cent to 22 per cent, and for manufacturing firms incorporated after October 1, 2019 that started operations before March 31, 2023, from 25 to 15 per cent — the biggest reduction in 28 years.

The Union budget has been geared towards pleasing the middle class. In the 2019-20 budget, the income tax exemption limit jumped from Rs 2,00,000 to 2,50,000 and the tax rate for incomes up to Rs 5 lakh was reduced from 10 to 5 per cent. The tax on an income of Rs 10 lakh dropped from Rs 1,10,210 to Rs 75,000. This taxation policy deprived the state of important resources. To (partly) compensate for the decline of direct taxes, the government has increased indirect taxes, unfairly so, whereas they affect all Indians irrespective of their income.

Q. What was the biggest reduction in 28 years according to the author?