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. For many thousands of years, the English Channel has been an effective barrier across which migration has been a risky business.
2. But grand rumors had begun to do the rounds about all the things I had found on the island, which was why I received a visit that day from a scientist from Lund University, one of the real entomologists.
3. Many of the butterflies that nevertheless did succeed in crossing found it hard to become established, partly because the weather is so rarely like that of the Riviera: it rains - we all know that - and it’s windy, which means that butterflies can’t fly.
4. A number of species that did succeed in establishing themselves at one stage have since been wiped out - this is a result of the size of the human population, and the fact that the British set about destroying nature rather earlier than most other people.
Choose the odd one out from the sentences given below.
1. While the characters express the particularity of the ethical, the chorus maintains a universal perspective as a counterpoint.
2. The essence of tragedy is thus, the relationship between universal ethical values and the particular figures who instantiate them.
3. Further, as the characters’ wills are entirely determined by this particular principle, their actions follow freely from their character.
4. Tragedy emerges when the will of the characters becomes aligned with one of the powers that make up the ethical, to the exclusion of the others.
5. As each of the characters embodies a fundamental ethical principle, each character is justified in his actions.
1 Crore+ students have signed up on EduRev. Have you? Download the App |
Choose the odd one out from the sentences given below.
1. We live in highly bureaucratic states that require ever-increasing degrees of technical competence where we expect our governments to do more and to do it better.
2. In many countries, impatient populist parties have come to power promising to correct economic and political injustice in ways more rapid and sweeping than liberal principles and procedures allow.
3. Is so-called modem “democracy” really “for'’ the people?
4. The more our expectations are addressed, the more bureaucratic and opaque government becomes and the less democratic control is possible.
5. Democracy was once a comforting fiction. Has it become an uninhabitable one?
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate pair of words from the given options.
Because we are products of several cultures,_______ between different cultures generally take place _______ , contrary to the idea of “clash of civilizations” that its proponents seem to claim.
Fill in the blank with the appropriate option.
Mr. Verges delivered a pithy ________ to prosecutors who had spent two days detailing the horror the country suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Group Question
Answer the questions based on the passage given below.
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. Which of the following is not true with respect to the passage?
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. “Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster.” This implies:
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. Which of the following is least suitable to describe the passage?
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. What is the primary concern of the passage?
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. A suitable title for the passage would be?
“We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from future generation.” These are the words that make us think about our past, present and future just in a single sentence.We are the stewards of the Mother Earth and it’s natural resources, not the owners. What we have received from our forefathers, it’s our duty to pass it safely to the next generation and in return we are allowed to use the resources for our livelihood. But instead of using it sustainably we started exploiting Mother Nature for our luxurious needs. And till now we have already exploited it so much that if we do not pay our attention to sustainable development, we’re surely leading to a disastrous end and nobody else would be responsible for this collateral damage.
Sustainable development can be achieved only through changing our consumption patterns which should be matched with the carrying capacity of our planet. For a given region, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a given species that an area’s resources can sustain indefinitely without significantly depleting or degrading those resources. Consequences of unsustainable development are many, but climate change in our planet is occurring as a slow roller coaster. As per a latest computer modelling study published on March 2, 2016 in The Lancet, India will witness 1.36 lakh deaths by 2050 attributable to agriculturally mediated changes caused due to climate change. And, globally over a billion will be killed due to climate change by 2050.
Sustainable development can be attained only by sustainable consumptions, which can only be decided by human beings as to how to adapt their lifestyles which reduce the consumption of resources and check the damage being done to ecology. Sustainable development for achieving quality life can only be possible if we sensibly choose our needs and requirements. As a consumer one should be conscious of products which are eco-friendly and resource conservation oriented.
Keep India Beautiful (KIB) has been established to promote a Clean, Green & Healthy India. KIB believes in enabling communities to take ownership of their projects and of the results. We place utmost emphasis on the awareness that one must “Keep India Beautiful” as this is the commitment required from every citizen. Any business, industry, community, city or country, if it is not sustainable, it will always be a drain on resources. We are now at the stage where we must challenge old thinking, bringing a greater awareness to all that we have to understand what needs to be done for sustainable development. It is important for the betterment of our communities to have a greater awareness of the role that each of us plays in creating a sustainable world.
Q. How can sustainable development be achieved?
Group Question
The passage given below is followed by a set of questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. Author’s view in the above passage can be termed as:
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. Which of the following, if true, weakens the argument put forth in the passage?
1. India’s attempts to become an international area are thwarted by its religious diversity
2. Human civilization is a story of change and only change.
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the argument put forth in the passage?
A. Abolition of individual borders can help human civilization to progress and develop in every aspect.
B. Borders are a hindrance to trade and human relations between people of different countries.
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. Which of the following can be an apt title for the above passage?
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
Eighty per cent of humanity’s ability goes into war. If this 80% ability went into farming, went into gardens, went into factories, this earth would become a paradise. The dream that our seers and prophets used to see, that of a heaven in the sky, can now be materialised on earth. There is no obstacle except our old habit of fighting.
The poorest of poor nations are also engaged in an effort to make atom bombs. They are dying of starvation but they want to make atom bombs. Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India. We may starve but our glory must be preserved.
I don’t believe in countries. If I am listened to, then I will say that India should be the first country to renounce nationalism. It would be good if the country of Krishna, Buddha, Patanjali and Gorakh renounces nationalism and says, ‘we are an international area’. India should become an area of the United Nations assembly. It should be said that we are the first nation that entrusts itself to the United Nations - you take custody. Someone must start it - and if it is started there is no need for wars. These wars will continue as long as there are borders. These borders must go.
It can be said that I am a traitor in the context of following one country but I am not a traitor to humanity. Actually all your lovers of nations are traitors to humanity. The very meaning of patriotism is ‘treason towards humanity’. Love of nation means dividing into parts. You have seen, haven’t you, that a person who is patriotic towards his region becomes an enemy of the nation. And one who is patriotic towards his district becomes an enemy of the region. I am not an enemy of the nation; my view is international. This whole earth is one. I want to abandon the small for the vast. But your so-called patriots, these nationalists, will not allow it to happen.
Previously, it was okay if wars went on happening because they were fought with bows and arrows; there was no harm. Now, the war is a total war. Now it is suicide of all mankind. Now every place can become a Hiroshima - any day, at any moment. Nationalism is a great sin. It is due to this nationalism that all the problems exist in the world. I am not a nationalist. I want to break all boundaries. Whoever on this earth who has received a small glimpse of the truth has no boundaries. They do not belong to any country, any community, any class, any sect, any caste. They belong to all, and all belong to them.
Q. What does the author imply from the statement- “Underneath, this same idea moves even a country like India.”
Group Question
A passage is followed by questions pertaining to the passage. Read the passage and answer the questions. Choose the most appropriate answer.
Drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawback (many survivors report an accompanying sucking sound), can survive only if they immediately run for high ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings. In 2004, ten-year old Tilly Smith of Surrey, England, was on Maikhao beach in Phuket, Thailand with her parents and sister, and having learned about tsunamis recently in school, told her family that a tsunami might be imminent. Her parents warned others minutes before the wave arrived, saving dozens of lives. She credited her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney. In the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami drawback was not reported on the African coast or any other eastern coasts it reached. This was because the wave moved downwards on the eastern side of the fault line and upwards on the western side. The western pulse hit coastal Africa and other western areas.
A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologists analyse each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However, there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors that are attached to buoys. The sensors constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.
Regions with a high tsunami risk typically use tsunami warning systems to warn the population before the wave reaches land. On the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunami, warning signs indicate evacuation routes. In Japan, the community is well-educated about earthquakes and tsunamis, and along the Japanese shorelines the tsunami warning signs are reminders of the natural hazards together with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills.
Q. Why wasn’t the drawback for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami reported?
Drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawback (many survivors report an accompanying sucking sound), can survive only if they immediately run for high ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings. In 2004, ten-year old Tilly Smith of Surrey, England, was on Maikhao beach in Phuket, Thailand with her parents and sister, and having learned about tsunamis recently in school, told her family that a tsunami might be imminent. Her parents warned others minutes before the wave arrived, saving dozens of lives. She credited her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney. In the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami drawback was not reported on the African coast or any other eastern coasts it reached. This was because the wave moved downwards on the eastern side of the fault line and upwards on the western side. The western pulse hit coastal Africa and other western areas.
A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologists analyse each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However, there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors that are attached to buoys. The sensors constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.
Regions with a high tsunami risk typically use tsunami warning systems to warn the population before the wave reaches land. On the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunami, warning signs indicate evacuation routes. In Japan, the community is well-educated about earthquakes and tsunamis, and along the Japanese shorelines the tsunami warning signs are reminders of the natural hazards together with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills.
Q. What can we conclude about Japan from the passage?
Drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawback (many survivors report an accompanying sucking sound), can survive only if they immediately run for high ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings. In 2004, ten-year old Tilly Smith of Surrey, England, was on Maikhao beach in Phuket, Thailand with her parents and sister, and having learned about tsunamis recently in school, told her family that a tsunami might be imminent. Her parents warned others minutes before the wave arrived, saving dozens of lives. She credited her geography teacher, Andrew Kearney. In the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami drawback was not reported on the African coast or any other eastern coasts it reached. This was because the wave moved downwards on the eastern side of the fault line and upwards on the western side. The western pulse hit coastal Africa and other western areas.
A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologists analyse each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However, there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors that are attached to buoys. The sensors constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.
Regions with a high tsunami risk typically use tsunami warning systems to warn the population before the wave reaches land. On the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunami, warning signs indicate evacuation routes. In Japan, the community is well-educated about earthquakes and tsunamis, and along the Japanese shorelines the tsunami warning signs are reminders of the natural hazards together with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills.
Q. Which of the following, if true, wouldn’t have served as an impediment to Tilly Smith’s heroic move?
Group Question
The passage given below is followed by a set of questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
Every novel is an ideal plane inserted into the realm of reality; Cervantes takes pleasure in confusing the objective and the subjective, the world of the reader and the world of the book. In those chapters which argue whether the barber's basin is a helmet and the donkey's packsaddle a steed's fancy regalia, the problem is dealt with explicitly; other passages, insinuate this. In the sixth chapter of the first part, the priest and the barber inspect Don Quixote's library; astoundingly, one of the books examined is Cervantes' own Galatea and it turns out that the barber is a friend of the author and does not admire him very much, and says that he is more versed in misfortunes than in verses and that the book possesses some inventiveness, proposes a few ideas and concludes nothing. The barber, a dream or the form of a dream of Cervantes, passes judgment on Cervantes.
This play of strange ambiguities culminates in the second part; the protagonists have read the first part, the protagonists of the Quixote are, at the same time, readers of the Quixote. Here it is inevitable to recall the case of Shakespeare, who includes on the stage of Hamlet another stage where a tragedy more or less like that of Hamlet is presented; the imperfect correspondence of the principal and secondary works lessens the efficacy of this inclusion. Something similar is created by accident in the Thousand and One Nights. This collection of fantastic tales duplicates and reduplicates to the point of vertigo the ramifications of a central story in later and subordinate stories, but does not attempt to gradate its realities, and the effect (which should have been profound) is superficial, like a Persian carpet. The opening story of the series is well known: the terrible pledge of the king who every night marries a virgin who is then decapitated at dawn, and the resolution of Scheherazade, who distracts the king with her fables until a thousand and one nights have gone by and she shows him their son. The necessity of completing a thousand and one sections obliged the copyists of the work to make all manner of interpolations. None is more perturbing than that of the six hundred and second night, magical among all the nights. On that night, the king hears from the queen his own story. He hears the beginning of the story, which comprises all the others and also, monstrously, itself. Does the reader clearly grasp the vast possibility of this interpolation, the curious danger? That the queen may persist and the motionless king hear forever the truncated story of the Thousand and One Nights, now infinite and circular.
Q. The author cites the example of Shakespeare's Hamlet primarily in order to
Every novel is an ideal plane inserted into the realm of reality; Cervantes takes pleasure in confusing the objective and the subjective, the world of the reader and the world of the book. In those chapters which argue whether the barber's basin is a helmet and the donkey's packsaddle a steed's fancy regalia, the problem is dealt with explicitly; other passages, insinuate this. In the sixth chapter of the first part, the priest and the barber inspect Don Quixote's library; astoundingly, one of the books examined is Cervantes' own Galatea and it turns out that the barber is a friend of the author and does not admire him very much, and says that he is more versed in misfortunes than in verses and that the book possesses some inventiveness, proposes a few ideas and concludes nothing. The barber, a dream or the form of a dream of Cervantes, passes judgment on Cervantes.
This play of strange ambiguities culminates in the second part; the protagonists have read the first part, the protagonists of the Quixote are, at the same time, readers of the Quixote. Here it is inevitable to recall the case of Shakespeare, who includes on the stage of Hamlet another stage where a tragedy more or less like that of Hamlet is presented; the imperfect correspondence of the principal and secondary works lessens the efficacy of this inclusion. Something similar is created by accident in the Thousand and One Nights. This collection of fantastic tales duplicates and reduplicates to the point of vertigo the ramifications of a central story in later and subordinate stories, but does not attempt to gradate its realities, and the effect (which should have been profound) is superficial, like a Persian carpet. The opening story of the series is well known: the terrible pledge of the king who every night marries a virgin who is then decapitated at dawn, and the resolution of Scheherazade, who distracts the king with her fables until a thousand and one nights have gone by and she shows him their son. The necessity of completing a thousand and one sections obliged the copyists of the work to make all manner of interpolations. None is more perturbing than that of the six hundred and second night, magical among all the nights. On that night, the king hears from the queen his own story. He hears the beginning of the story, which comprises all the others and also, monstrously, itself. Does the reader clearly grasp the vast possibility of this interpolation, the curious danger? That the queen may persist and the motionless king hear forever the truncated story of the Thousand and One Nights, now infinite and circular.
Q. According to the author, which of the following would most accurately describe the relationship between the subjective and the objective in a work of fiction?
Every novel is an ideal plane inserted into the realm of reality; Cervantes takes pleasure in confusing the objective and the subjective, the world of the reader and the world of the book. In those chapters which argue whether the barber's basin is a helmet and the donkey's packsaddle a steed's fancy regalia, the problem is dealt with explicitly; other passages, insinuate this. In the sixth chapter of the first part, the priest and the barber inspect Don Quixote's library; astoundingly, one of the books examined is Cervantes' own Galatea and it turns out that the barber is a friend of the author and does not admire him very much, and says that he is more versed in misfortunes than in verses and that the book possesses some inventiveness, proposes a few ideas and concludes nothing. The barber, a dream or the form of a dream of Cervantes, passes judgment on Cervantes.
This play of strange ambiguities culminates in the second part; the protagonists have read the first part, the protagonists of the Quixote are, at the same time, readers of the Quixote. Here it is inevitable to recall the case of Shakespeare, who includes on the stage of Hamlet another stage where a tragedy more or less like that of Hamlet is presented; the imperfect correspondence of the principal and secondary works lessens the efficacy of this inclusion. Something similar is created by accident in the Thousand and One Nights. This collection of fantastic tales duplicates and reduplicates to the point of vertigo the ramifications of a central story in later and subordinate stories, but does not attempt to gradate its realities, and the effect (which should have been profound) is superficial, like a Persian carpet. The opening story of the series is well known: the terrible pledge of the king who every night marries a virgin who is then decapitated at dawn, and the resolution of Scheherazade, who distracts the king with her fables until a thousand and one nights have gone by and she shows him their son. The necessity of completing a thousand and one sections obliged the copyists of the work to make all manner of interpolations. None is more perturbing than that of the six hundred and second night, magical among all the nights. On that night, the king hears from the queen his own story. He hears the beginning of the story, which comprises all the others and also, monstrously, itself. Does the reader clearly grasp the vast possibility of this interpolation, the curious danger? That the queen may persist and the motionless king hear forever the truncated story of the Thousand and One Nights, now infinite and circular.
Q. The author is least likely to agree with which of the following statements about Thousand and One Nights?
Group Question
The passage given below is followed by a set of questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the argument made in the above passage?
A. Introduction of GST has proved beneficial to the economies of other countries in spite of there being an upper limit on it.
B. Introduction of GST will not release the poor from the pain of paying other indirect taxes.
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. Which of the following, if true, weakens the argument made in the above passage?
A. A good player, however great he may be, cannot replace the entire team, and similarly GST, however effective it may be, cannot replace the importance of multiple taxes.
B. GST is unimplementable in a complex democracy like India.
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. The most suitable title for this passage would be:
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. Which of the following could be inferred from the above passage?
A. The GST will make a significant breakthrough paving way for an all-inclusive indirect tax reform in the country.
B. A ceiling on GST can stop future state and central governments from resorting to lazy taxation by increasing GST rates incessantly to increase tax revenues.
C. The GST should have an upper ceiling as the poor must be protected from the effect of arbitrary changes in the GST rates.
D. In most developed countries, the indirect to direct tax ratio is high.
The nationwide rollout of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be the most radical reform of indirect taxes in modern India. Currently, when a good is produced and leaves the factory, it attracts excise duty, which is paid to the Central government. When it is later sold to the customer or middleman, it attracts additional sales tax, which is paid separately to the state government. f instead, a service is sold (like IT, manicure or a restaurant meal), it attracts a service tax, payable only to the Central government. Excise duty rate is about 14%, states' sales tax (also called VAT) is about 12%, and services tax is about 15%. There are sundry other indirect taxes too, including the notorious (and now mostly defunct) octroi tax. All of these taxes will go, and will be replaced by one uniform GST all over the country. This means that all states will surrender their right to impose sales tax on goods, and the Centre will give up its right to impose excise and service tax. GST will bring many benefits to the economy, including raising incomes, efficiency, and eventually reducing prices of goods and services.
A key condition put by the opposition to pass the GST bill is that GST should have an upper ceiling of 18%. This has become a contentious issue and so far the ruling party is opposed to such a limit. Without going into the politics, here is the reason why a cap on GST rate might make sense. Remember, it is an indirect tax. Which means that it is not related to your income or wealth. Rich or poor, pay the same 15% tax on a dosa or electricity or a cell phone. Naturally, as a proportion of their income, it pinches the poor more than the rich. Thus, indirect taxes are inherently regressive, and if left unchecked, can be terribly unfair.
India like other nations, has tried to steadily increase its share of direct tax collection, but without too much success. Today, 65% of all taxes in India come from regressive indirect taxes, and only 35% from direct taxes. The ratio for most developed countries is exactly the reverse. Only 4% of India's population pays income tax, but 100% pays some indirect tax (whether on soap, toothpaste or a dosa). We should be trying very hard to expand the direct tax net (for example by using Aadhaar and PAN to track transactions). Instead, we choose to keep increasing indirect tax rates.
It is simply too easy and tempting for cash-starved governments to tweak indirect taxes upward and silently pickpocket a billion Indians, instead of going after income earners. Hence, an upper limit hardwired into the legislation will curb the tendency to increase GST rates in the future. The country needs higher tax collection, but not from indirect taxes.
Q. According to the passage, which of the following could be a problem associated with the introduction of GST?
Arrange the jumbled sentences in order.
1. Many fictional explorations of Artificial Intelligence in literature and film explore these very questions.
2. We wish to exclude from the machines men bom in the usual manner, or even in unusual manners such as in vitro fertilization or ectogenesis.
3. Since computers give every outward appearance of performing intellectual tasks, the question arises: "Are they really thinking?"
4. And if nonhuman animals think, we wish to exclude them from the machines, too.
5. And if they are really thinking, are they not, then, owed similar rights to rational human beings?