Date : 23.10.2013Topic : COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage:

The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean.It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely complicated to operate. The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth.

Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh

demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of the soil.

One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil companies formed a consortium in order to share the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and

paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.

Questions

  1. The passage primarily discusses the pipeline's
  2. operating costs
  3. employees
  4. consumers
  5. construction
  6. The word "it" in line 4 refers to
  7. pipeline
  8. ocean
  9. state
  10. village
  11. According to the passage, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline each
  12. day
  13. week
  14. month
  15. year
  16. The phrase "Resting on" in line 13 is closest in meaning to
  17. Consisting of
  18. Supported by
  19. Passing under
  20. Protected with
  21. The author mentions all of the following as important in determining the pipeline's route EXCEPT the
  22. climate
  23. lay of the land itself
  24. local vegetation
  25. kind of soil and rock
  26. The word "undertaken" in line 26 is closest in meaning to
  27. removed
  28. selected
  29. transported
  30. attempted
  31. How many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 8
  35. 12
  36. The word "particular" in line 29 is closest in meaning to
  37. peculiar
  38. specific
  39. exceptional
  40. equal
  41. Which of the following determined what percentage of the construction costs each member of the consortium would pay?
  42. How much oil field land each company owned
  43. How long each company had owned land in the oil fields
  44. How many people worked for each company
  45. How many oil wells were located on the company's land
  46. Where in the passage does the author provide a term for an earth covering that always remains frozen?
  47. Line 3
  48. Line 13
  49. Line 19
  50. Line 32

Directions(1-9): Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

The education sector in India is in ferment, hit by a storm long waiting to happen. The butterfly that flapped its wings was the much-reiterated statement in a much publicised report that hardly a fourth of graduating engineers, and an even smaller percentage of other graduates, was of employable quality for IT -BPO jobs. This triggered a cyclone when similar views were echoed by other sectors which led to widespread debate. Increased industry academic interaction, " finishing schools", and other efforts were initiated as immediate measures to bridge skill deficits. These, however, did not work as some felt that these are but band-aid solutions; instead, radical systemic reform is necessary.

Yet, there will be serious challenges to overdue reforms in the educat ion system. In India-as in many countries-education is treated as a holy cow sadly, the administrative system that oversees it has also been deceived. Today, unfortunately, there is no protest against selling drinking water or paying to be cured of illness, or for having to buy food when one is poor and starving; nor is there an out cry that in all these cases there are commercial companies operating on a profit-making basis. Why then, is there an instinctively adverse reaction to the formal entry of 'for-profit' institutes in the realm of education ? Is potable water, health or food, less basic a need, less important a right, than higher education ?
While there are strong arguments for free or subsidized higher education, we are not writing on a blank page. Some individuals and businessmen had entered this sector long back and found devious ways of making money, though the law stipulates that educational institutes must be 'not-for profit' trusts or societies. Yet, there is opposition to the entry of for-profit" corporate, which would be more transparent and accountable. As a result, desperately needed investment in promoting the wider reach of quality education has been stagnated at a time when financial figures indicate that the allocation of funds for the purpose is but a fourth of the need.

Well-run corporate organisations, within an appropriate regulatory framework, would be far better than the so - called trusts which - barring some noteworthy except ions-are a blot on education. However, it is not necessarily a question of choosing one over the other : different organisational forms can coexist, as they do in the health sector. A regulatory framework which creates competition, in tandem with a rating system, would automatically ensure the quality and relevance of education. As in sectors like telecom, and packaged goods, organisations will quickly expand into the hinterland to tap the large unmet demand. Easy Loan/scholarship arrangements would ensure affordability and access.

The only real structural reform in higher education was the creation of the institutes for technology and management. They were also given autonomy and freedom beyond that of the universities. However, in the last few years, determined efforts have been underway to curb their autonomy. These institutes, however, need freedom to decide on recruitment, salaries and admissions, so as to compete globally.

However, such institutes will be few. Therefore, we need a regulatory framework that will enable and encourage States and the Center, genuine philanthropists and also corporate to set up quality educational institutions. The regulatory system needs only to ensure transparency, accountability, competition and widely-available independent assessments or ratings. It is time for radical thinking, bold experimentation and new structures; it is time for the government to bite the bullet.

  1. Why, according to the author, did the initiatives such as increased industry-academia and finishing schools did not help to bridge the skill deficit ?
    (A) These steps were only superficial remedies and the problem could be answered only by reforming the entire education system.
    (B) These initiatives operated on a profit-making basis rather than aiming at any serious systemic reforms.
    (C) The allocation of funds of such initiatives was only one-fourth of the need.

AOnly A BOnly B COnly B and C

DOnly A and B ENone of these

12. Which of the following suggestions have been made by the author to improve the state of education in India ?

(A) Allowing the corporate organisations to enter the education sector.

(B) Easy availability of loans and scholarships for making education more affordable.

(C) A rat ing system for all the organisations to ensure quality

AOnly A BOnly A and B COnly A and C

DAll A, B and C ENone of these

  1. According to the author, what 'triggered a cyclone' which saw similar views on the state of education being echoed across other sectors as well ?

AThe campaign for allowing corporates in the education sector on a 'for-profit' basis'

BThe support for the increase in the industry-academia interaction

CThe report mentioning that only a small percentage of graduates were employable in software industry

DThe report supporting the idea of making the education completely 'for-profit' in order to improve upon the standards

ENone of these

14.Which argument does the author put forward when he compares the education sector with sectors catering to health and potable water etc. ?

AEducation should also be provided free of cost to all as health services and water

BTaking an example from these sectors, there should be a protest against the commercialisation of education as well

CAllowing corporate entry in education would result in rampant corruption as in the sectors of health and potable water etc.

DAs in these sectors, commercial organisations should also be allowed to enter the education sector

ENone of these

  1. What does the author mean by the phrase we are not writing on a blank page' in context of the passage ?

ACorporates would never enter education if they are forced to function on a non-profit making basis

BThe commercialisation of education has already started in India

CEducation has been reduced to a profit making sector by some corporate organisations

DGovernment will not allow corporates to enter education as India can't afford to have costly education

ENone of these

  1. What is the author's main objective in writing the passage ?

ATo suggest the ways to improve quality of education in India

BTo highlight the corruption present in the education sector

CTo compare the education sector with other sectors

DTo suggest some temporary solutions to the problems in education

ENone of these

  1. According to the author, which of the following was the only step taken in order to reform the higher education ?

AAllowing organisations to enter the education sector on a 'for-profit' basis

BCreation of autonomous institutes for management and technology which were not under university control

CSetting up the regulatory framwork for all the existing universities

DMaking the availability of educational loans and scholarships easier

ENone of these

  1. Which suggestion does the author make in order to make the institutes of higher learning for technology and management capable of competing globally ?

ATo limit their autonomy to acceptable limit and give partial controls to the government

BTo allow corporate organisations to take them over in order to privide more funds

CTo increase the allocation of funds to such institutes

DTo provide freedom to decide on recruitment, salaries and admissions

ENone of these

  1. Which of the following is not true in context of the given passage ?

AAccording to the law, education institutes should not be run for profit

BThere has been no protest against the selling of drinking water and paying for the health services

COrily either corporate organisations or government controlled organisations can exist in the education sector

DThe introduction of'for-profit' corporates in the education sector has been facing a lot of criticism

EAll are true

At this stage of civilisation, when many nations are brought in to close and vital contact for good and evil, it is essential, as never before, that their gross ignorance of one another should be diminished, that they should begin to understand a little of one another's historical experience and resulting mentality. It is the fault of the English to expect the people of other countries to react as they do, to political and international situations. Our genuine goodwill and good intentions are often brought to nothing, because we expect other people to be like us. This would be corrected if we knew the history, not necessarily in detail but in broad outlines, of the social and political conditions which have given to each nation its present character.
20. / According to the author of 'Mentality' of a nation is mainly product of its
A. / history / B. / international position
C. / politics / D. / present character
21. / The need for a greater understanding between nations
A. / was always there / B. / is no longer there
C. / is more today than ever before / D. / will always be there
22. / The character of a nation is the result of its
A. / mentality / B. / cultural heritage
C. / gross ignorance / D. / socio-political conditions
23. / According to the author his countrymen should
A. / read the story of other nations
B. / have a better understanding of other nations
C. / not react to other actions
D. / have vital contacts with other nations
24. / Englishmen like others to react to political situations like
A. / us / B. / themselves
C. / others / D. / each others

Courage is not only the basis of virtue; it is its expression. faith, hope, charity and all the rest don't become virtues until it takes courage to exercise them. There are roughly two types of courage. the first an emotional state which urges a man to risk injury or death, is physical courage. The second, more reasoning attitude which enables him to take coolly his career, happiness, his whole future or his judgement of what he thinks either right or worthwhile, is moral courage.

I have known many men, who had marked physical courage, but lacked moral courage. Some of them were in high places, but they failed to be great in themselves because they lacked moral courage. On the other hand I have seen men who undoubtedly possessed moral courage but were very cautious about taking physical risks. But I have never met a man with moral courage who couldn't, when it was really necessary, face a situation boldly.

25. / A man of courage is
A. / cunning / B. / intelligent
C. / curious / D. / careful

26.Physical courage is an expression of

A. / emotions / B. / deliberation
C. / uncertainty / D. / defiance

27.A man with moral courage can

A. / defy his enemies / B. / overcome all difficulties
C. / face a situation boldly / D. / be very pragmatic

28.People with physical courage of ten lack

A. / mental balance / B. / capacity for reasoning
C. / emotional stability / D. / will to fight

29.All virtues become meaningful because of

A. / faith / B. / charity
C. / courage / D. / hope