· 2017-08-27 · 9982019963 gopal pura, jaipur page 1 of 54. cloze test the hindu editorial ......

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Cloze Test The Hindu Editorial The Economist Magazine Feb - August


9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur

Cloze Test Exercises– The Hindu Editorials – Feb & March

Test 1Our lives are being transformed by ___(1)___ daily. We are keenly aware of new ___(2)___like smart phones and the Internet, but much more lies under the surface. Novel devices,materials and technologies have ___(3)___ enormous benefits to our physical well-being inthe context of medicine, housing, nutrition, security and sanitation, and to our mentalwell-being ___(4)___ transforming communication and socialisation. Though we are happyto purchase smart devices and use medical equipment, we are less ___(5)___ about howthose technologies came into existence.

1. (a) developments (b) changes (c) progressing (d) technology2. (a) Techniques (b) tools (c) things (d) trends3. (a) been (b) mattered (c) brought (d) changed4. (a) in (b) by (c) from (d) to5. (a) curious (b) known (c) worried (d) aware

Test 2There are a number of ways of looking at the International Cricket Council’s newlyacquired __(1)__. By rolling __(2)__ the “Big Three” formula that gave India a little over 22%of the revenue (it was 3% before that) from 2014, it struck when the iron was hot. TheBCCI is in a shambles, the Committee of Administrators is only a few days old, and this isas good a time as any to cut India’s income by 34%.You could argue about the actual percentages, but the attempt to __(3)__ India in isunderstandable. Those who have been screaming about the “unfair” treatment need onlyto __(4)__ that the self-designed jump in India’s share three years __(5)__ was equallyunfair. As the Indian representative at the ICC meeting in Dubai said last week, “Twowrongs do not make a right.”

1. (a) spine (b) sense (c) trick (d) health2. (a) out (b) back (c) in (d) to3. (a) check (b) rein (c) take (d) stop4. (a) recalled (b) remember (c) decide (d) think5. (a) before (b) ago (c) past (d) that

Test 3Under India’s constitutional structure, both the Central and State governments can makelaws on animal __(1)__, but if the latter’s statute is contrary to the former’s, such an actmust secure the President’s __(2)__. And this is precisely the approach adopted by TamilNadu in __(3)__ its law last month. This Statute, which secured the President’s assent onJanuary 31, amends the PCA Act and creates a specific __(4)__ for jallikattu. This meansthat the petitioners in the Supreme Court have to do more than just show that the PCAAct stands __(5)__ by jallikattu; they would have to prove that its practice infracts at leastone of the fundamental rights guraranteed by the Constitution.

1. (a) welfare (b) cruelty (c) problems (d) care2. (a) consent (b) decent (c) assent (d) approved3. (a) erecting (b) creating (c) enacting (d) enabling4. (a) mention (b) exception (c) assumption (d) preparation5. (a) break (b) supported (c) violated (d) challenged

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Test 4

President Donald Trump’s stated commitment to __(1)__ the One China policy signals asoftening of his administration’s approach towards Beijing. Earlier, Mr. Trump had givenenough indications that he would pursue a radically different policy towards Beijing by__(2)__ the One China policy, a cornerstone of Sino-U.S. relations. First, he __(3)__ acongratulatory call from the Taiwanese President, breaking 37 years of American practiceand thereby __(4)__ Beijing. Later, in an interview, he declined to endorse the One Chinapolicy unless he saw progress from Beijing in its trade and currency policies, triggering__(5)__ that he would improve ties with Taiwan and use the policy as a bargaining chip.

1. (a) Honour (b) Claim (c) kill (d) supporting2. (a) Finding (b) reviewing (c) declaring (d) saying3. (a) called (b) asked (c) declined (d) accepted4. (a) praising (b) infuriating (c) ignoring (d) signalling5. (a) solution (b) speculation (c) clause (d) contract

Test 5

Several commentators have remarked that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s budget for2017-18 lacks much __(1)__. But everything has to be viewed in __(2)__. This year’sBudget was presented at a time when there are several __(3)__ clouds hanging over theeconomy. We are still reeling __(4)__ the effects of demonetisation, which must haveearned a prominent place in the record books as one of the biggest policy ____(5)___disasters of all time.

1. (a) Confidence (b) Fizz (c) work (d) effort2. (a) place (b) perspective (c) distance (d) mirror3. (a) white (b) storm (c) clean (d) black4. (a) to (b) off (c) of (d) from5. (a) produced (b) induced (c) related (d) after

Test 6

In 1996, Subramanian Swamy filed a criminal complaint under the Act, __(1)__accumulation of vast wealth __(2)__ corrupt acts by the __(3)__ Chief Minister abetted byher close __(4)__. What is required under Section 13(1)(e) is for the prosecution to provethat the assets of the public servant are disproportionate to his or her known __(5)__ ofincome.1. (a) creating (b) alleging (c) demanding (d) alleged2. (a) with (b) of (c) through (d) to3. (a) erstwhile (b) young (c) new (d) current4. (a) aid (b) add (c) nemesis (d) aide5. (a) reason (b) sources (c) places (d) ways

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Test 7

The Indian Space Research Organisation boosted its reputation __(1)__ when itsuccessfully launched a record 104 satellites in one mission from Sriharikota onWednesday by __(2)__ on its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. An earthobservation Cartosat-2 series satellite and two __(3)__ nano satellites were the only Indiansatellites launched: the __(4)__ were from the United States, Israel, the UAE, theNetherlands, Kazakhstan and Switzerland. __(5)__ the 101 foreign satellites launched, 96were from the U.S. and one each from the other five countries.1. (a) further (b) farther (c) ahead (d) more2. (a) relaying (b) relying (c) depended (d) staying3. (a) others (b) other (c) more (d) another4. (a) back (b) last (c) remain (d) remaining5. (a) from (b) to (c) of (d) by

Test 8

For an economy that relies on public __(a)__ and private consumption to __(b)__ privateinvestment and growth, the last round of official statistics on prices and industrial activitysignal testing times ahead. First, industrial output __(c)__ by 0.4% in December 2016, ledby a 2% decline in manufacturing (just five of 22 industries registered positive growth)and a 6.8% decline in consumer goods. Now, wholesale prices have risen at the fastestpace in two and a half years this January, at 5.25%. This is particularly __(4)__ since thepace of price rise at the consumer level slowed to 3.2% in the __(5)__ month.

1. (a) conscience (b) demand (c) investment (d) relations2. (a) do (b) clean (c) stay (d) revive3. (a) fall (b) plummeted (c) felt (d) grown4. (a) large (b) noteworthy (c) available (d) claimed5. (a) exact (b) coming (c) same (d) new

Test 9

The extraordinary sight of a lake in Bengaluru on fire, with a massive __(1)__ of smokethat could be seen from afar, is a __(2)__ sign that urban environments are crashing__(3)__ the weight of official __(4)__. If wetlands are the kidneys of the cities, as scientistslike to describe them, Karnataka’s capital city has entered a phase of __(5)__ failure.

1. (a) chain (b) plume (c) exhume (d) balloon2. (a) warning (b) wearing (c) warned (d) bad3. (a) to (b) under (c) before (d) for4. (a) concern (b) letter (c) information (d) indifference5. (a) such (b) big (c) likely (d) chronic

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Test 10The Trump administration’s aggressive __(a)__ towards China, hesitations over extendedsecurity guarantees in East Asia and the withdrawal from the TPP could __(2)__ a series ofgeopolitical developments in the __(3)__. First, Chinese influence will increase __(4)__ itssmaller neighbours would have no option but to acquiesce. Second, the rise of Russianand Chinese geopolitical influence and their bilateral partnership will __(5)__ the entireregion, including India. Third, with China and North Korea in their neighbourhood, bothSouth Korea and Japan will be forced to increase their own military build-up.

1. (a) pestering (b) posturing (c) posturing (d) playing2. (a) trigger (b) started (c) close (d) derail3. (a) reason (b) legion (c) areas (d) region4. (a) and (b) but (c) however (d) farther5. (a) effect (b) impact (c) play (d) find

Test 11

Sometimes, it seems that to understand our __(1)__ society, all that we need to do is tounderstand our __(2)__ at traffic lights. Every day, I see countless people on bikes andcars driving through red lights. Earlier, I used to get __(3)__ that these people wereblatantly flouting a rule that many others were __(4)__, more so when they did it right infront of indifferent traffic police. Now I realise that while this might be just another __(5)__of rule-breaking that seems to be an essential definition of being Indian, at a deeper levelit is also reflective of a far greater problem confronting our society.

1. (a) complete (b) own (c) complex (d) bad2. (a) rules (b) behaviour (c) system (d) day3. (a) angrily (b) annoying (c) upset (d) happy4. (a) declining (b) following (c) asking (d) forgiving5. (a) instance (b) chance (c) form (d) proud

Test 12

Just before he was __(1)__ as the U.S. President, Donald Trump __(2)__ out someprinciples of what appeared to be his non-interventionist foreign policy. “We will stopracing to __(3)__ foreign regimes that we know nothing __(3)__, that we shouldn’t beinvolved with,” he said in North Carolina. “Instead our focus must be on defeatingterrorism and destroying ISIS, and we will.” What Mr. Trump implied is that hisadministration would not conduct regime-change operations — such as against Iraq in2003 during the George W. Bush administration — and certainly not indulge in nation-building outside the United States.

1. (a) appoint (b) inaugurated (c) electing (d) defined2. (a) lay (b) laid (c) lain (d) lied3. (a) topple (b) tackle (c) travel (d) talk4. (a) to (b) for (c) from (d) about5. (a) party (b) team (c) action (d) administration

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Test 13

The __(1)__ to find life outside the solar system got a big __(2)__ with the discovery of sevenEarth-size extra-solar planets, or exoplanets, orbiting a dwarf star about 40 light __(3)__away. Unlike __(4)__ discoveries of exoplanets, all seven planets could possibly have liquidwater — a key to life as we know it on Earth — with three planets having the greatest__(5).1. (a) request (b) plan (c) quest (d) jest2. (a) boost (b) bang (c) best (d) boast3. (a) year (b) years (c) lifes (d) time4. (a) former (b) erstwhile (c) earlier (d) expunge5. (a) earth (b) sand (c) water (d) chance

Test 14

Indians do not have the patience to focus on a problem for an __(a)__ period of time. We donot think of institutions in the long __(b)__. We __(3)__ when there is a crisis but when acrisis __(4)__, we lose our focus. As a result, we are __(5)__ at institution-building.

1. (a) extra (b) extending (c) extended (d) longest2. (a) run (b) distance (c) time (d) act3. (a) Laugh (b) panic (c) fall (d) fell4. (a) dim (b) dims (c) dimming (d) dull5. (a) less (b) good (c) poor (d) laughing

Test 15

There are many stories about the __(1)__ of Bengaluru’s name. One popular __(2)__version recounts the tale of a king from the Hoysala dynasty coming to the city in the 12thcentury on a hunting __(3)__ and losing his way. The hungry king, the story goes, wasgiven a traditional welcome __(4)__ an old woman, who offered him water and boiledbeans—benda kaalu in Kannada. The grateful king was supposed to __(5)__ the settlement“Bendakaaluru”: The town of boiled beans. This evidently metamorphosed to Bengaluru indue course of time.

1. (a) creating (b) search (c) making (d) origin2. (a) apocryphal (b) famous (c) right (d) story3. (a) space (b) spree (c) visits (d) trail4. (a) to (b) by (c) from (d) for5. (a) name (b) have named (c) for naming (d) naming

Test 16

India’s decision to __(1)__ its __(2)__ roads in Mizoram and Tripura to be used byBangladeshi forces __(3) they construct border outposts in the __(4)__ terrain of theChittagong Hill Tracts shows __(5)__ how far the two countries have come to bridging theirtrust deficit.1. (a) permitting (b) allow (c) give (d) access2. (a) broader (b) border (c) own (d) bumpy3. (a) for (b) as (c) while (d) whereas4. (a) volition (b) inhospitable (c) quaint (d) laconic5. (a) that (b) just (c) which (d) what

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Test 17

Development in any field is closely __(1)__ with the growth of technology. Cricket is __(2)__exception. Technological advancement is an __(3)__ part of the game now. Analytics andnumbers determine the __(4)__ of a player and every move is closely monitored __(5)__ hisstrengths and weaknesses. A small fault can be easily exploited with the assistance ofsophisticated software.1. (a) associated (b) relating (c) combined (d) connect2. (a) not (b) any (c) some (d) no3. (a) sacred (b) foment (c) indispensable (d) garrulous4. (a) cost (b) price (c) value (d) rate5. (a) to determine (b) in determining (c) to have determined (d) to determining

Test 18

The Economic Survey 2016-17 tabled in Parliament last month has proposed __(1)__ auniversal basic income in India, and has devoted an entire chapter to __(2)__ new idea. Auniversal and unconditional income transfer to all citizens __(3)__ address the twinproblems of poverty and __(4)__ is undoubtedly a proposal that __(5)__ seriousconsideration.1. (a) inaugurating (b) introducing (c) enacting (d) talking2. (a) bright (b) invent (c) this (d) brand3. (a) for (b) to find the (c) in order to (d) catering4. (a) Starvation (b) corruption (c) population (d) unemployment5. (a) ask (b) merits (c) talks (d) issues

Test 19

In the early seventies, following the boom in the Arabian Gulf region, the State saw a newform of __(1)__. While Kerala had long witnessed the migration of the educated ___(2)___opportunities domestically, for the first time there was a significant outflow of ___(3)__labour, some of it from agriculture. While it was only the men who migrated, the higherincomes ___(4)___ the households socially, and the women too ___(5)___ from the labourmarket. This hit paddy cultivation most as, in an age-old sexual division of labour, womenwere disproportionately represented in the planting and harvesting of paddy. The sectorbegan to face severe labour shortage. Naturally, the wage rose and the cultivation ofpaddy was no longer viable as cheaper rice came in from the rest of India.

1. (a) immigration (b) emigration (c) displacement (d) transportation2. (a) with lack of (b) for want of (c) with full of (d) to need of3. (a) skilled (b) manual (c) trained (d) required4. (a) provided (b) transformed (c) educated (d) fulfil5. (a) benefitted (b) withdrew (c) desisted (d) rejected

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Test 20

A childhood at a home surrounded with lavish greenery, birds feeling welcome in openspaces, lotuses ___(1)___ in little ponds; artiste Aasha Radhika’s latest series ‘ChalteChalte Udte Udte’ at Minaaz Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills ___(2)___ nostalgia for these andmore ___(3)___ the eyes of a girl. The fact that the exhibition is enveloped in similarenvirons makes it more ___(4)___. The series mirrors an identity of a woman at several___(5)___ of her life, as much as it glorifies nature. The soul of it lies in the intimateconversations with a mother, both as a child and as a grown up woman. While one frameis a witness to a pigeon coming out of its shell, another has a girl readying for a swim,warming up to a peacock. One of the works shows her love for nose pins.

1. (a) bloom (b) blossoming (c) opening (d) decorating2. (a) evokes (b) provokes (c) invokes (d) remember3. (a) with (b) to (c) for (d) through4. (a) better (b) look (c) fitting (d) glorifying5. (a) steps (b) juncture (c) places (d) stages

Test 21

On 29 March, Samsung Electronics Co. will ___(1)___ its new Galaxy S8 phone. When yourelease a new product, you want to show off its cool new features. But Samsung’s launchstands to be ___(2)___ by not one but two reputational fires the company is fighting___(3)___.And “fire” isn’t just a ___(4)___: One of the company’s problems is that its last smartphonekept causing them. There were nearly 100 incidents in the US between August andSeptember 2016. When Samsung issued ___(5)___ phones, they started doing the samething.

1. (a) unveil (b) throw (c) launching (d) Unleashes2. (a) taken over (b) Delayed (c) highlighted (d) overshadowed3. (a) singlehandedly (b) occasionally (c) recently (d) simultaneously4. (a) point (b) metaphor (c) figure (d) sign5. (a) New (b) replacement (c) latest (d) good

Test 22

The Indian economy continues to outperform the ___(1)___ of its critics. This is clearly trueof the GDP growth estimates in the third quarter; ___(2)___ at variance with what thecritics of the demonetisation exercise had assumed. No doubt there could be correction inthe fourth quarter, primarily to factor the impact of the informal sector. It has never beeneasy to ___(3)___ real time data on economic activity in the informal sector. It is recognisedthat apart from leads and lags, the conclusions are derivative using ___(4)___ whichdetract both from their timeliness and accuracy. This is not a new problem and pastestimates of GDP numbers have also suffered from multiple ex-post corrections as andwhen data becomes ___(5)___.1. (a) diagnosis (b) suggestions (c) prognosis (d) onerous2. (a) quit (b) quiet (c) quieter (d) quite3. (a) capture (b) capturing (c) collect (d) collecting4. (a) abrogates (b) surrogates (c) premonition (d) subversion5. (a) available (b) unavailable (c) dormant (d) redundant

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Test 23More than six months after the Constitution was ___(1)___ to enable the Goods andServices Tax (GST), the Centre and States have managed to find considerable ___(2)___ground on the long-debated indirect tax system, ___(3)___ seemingly irreconcilabledifferences that cropped ___(4)___ along the way.

1. (a) changed (b) altered (c) amended (d) invoked2. (a) middle (b) same (c) common (d) fair3. (a) Changing (b) ensuring (c) overcoming (d) declining4. (a) on (b) down (c) for (d) up

Test 24North Korea’s ___(1)___ action of launching four missiles into the Sea of Japan a fewhundred kilometres ___(2)___ the Japanese coastline has triggered fears of ___(3)___tension between nuclear-armed powers. The launch seems timed to test the strategic___(4)___ and tactical capabilities of new relationships in the broader power balance thatreins in Pyongyang’s ___(5)___ ambitions.1. (a) provocative (b) platitude (c) Wreck (d) fetter2. (a) of (b) from (c) to (d) over3. (a) provincial (b) manifold (c) renewed (d) reaction4. (a) dialogue (b) mutual (c) rapport (d) fortitude5. (a) war (b) nuclear (c) higher (d) quaint

Test 25

India has launched the second phase of the programme to ___(1)___ the use ofhydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) as part of its commitment under the Montreal Protocol,which ___(b)___ the complete removal of chemicals that result in ozone ___(3)___ and aidglobal warming. These are used mainly ___(4)___ the air-conditioning, refrigeration,polyurethane foam manufacturing and cold chain sectors, and must be replaced withbetter ___(5)___.

1. (a) reducing (b) eliminate (c) deletion (d) cut2. (a) needed (b) demanding (c) requires (d) asked3. (a) degrade (b) scarcity (c) depletion (d) deteriorate4. (a) in (b) for (c) to (d) with5. (a) option (b) alternatives (c) technology (d) innovation

Test 26

The ruling of the European Union’s top court giving member-states the right to grant ordeny ___(1)___ has come as welcome news for populist hardliners ___(2)___ to the surge ofrefugees desperate to escape the humanitarian ___(3)___ in West Asia. In a ____(4)___verdict this week on the immigration crisis, of a magnitude not seen since World War II,the final judgment of the European Court of Justice of the 28-nation bloc overturned theopinion of its prosecutor, which is rather ___(5)___ for the institution.

1. (a) sheltering (b) asylum (c) access (d) entry2. (a) inclined (b) insolent (c) hostile (d) connection3. (a) catastrophe (b) revolution (c) movement (d) areas4. (a) designing (b) defining (c) delicate (d) dedicate5. (a) fairly (b) just (c) rather (d) still

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Test 27

Providing benefits for women and children is a ___(1)___ responsibility which can be___(2)___ in a large country ___(3)___ a combination of general taxation and contributorypayments from those who have the ___(4)___. Health care should be treated as a right anddeliveries handled without cost to women; the income guarantees during the 26-weekperiod can be ensured through a universal social insurance system.

1. (a) society (b) societal (c) community (d) groups2. (a) funding (b) funded (c) found (d) providing3. (a) with (b) to (c) for (d) through4. (a) meaning (b) problem (c) stake (d) means5. (a) cared (b) catered (c) distributed (d) treated

Test 28Cloze Test – Business Line, March 13 – Economy Section

The near-normal monsoon in 2016 may have helped most parts of the country come outof two successive ___(1)___ and perhaps propel foodgrain output to a new high, but not inthe South. The drought has ___(2)___ its grip in the South, with the South-West monsoonfalling significantly short and the North-East monsoon ___(3)___ a total failure. Reelingunder the impact of failed ___(4)___, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry havedeclared themselves as drought affected. Kerala and Karnataka, which are the worstaffected, are already contemplating actions such as cloud seeding to tide ___(5)___ thesituation.

1. (a) draughts (b) drought (c) droughts (d) deluge2. (a) limited (b) extended (c) created (d) challenged3. (a) proving (b) coming (c) finding (d) restricting4. (a) crops (b) session (c) monsoons (d) actions5. (a) up (b) in (c) over (d) through

Test 29

When ___(a)___ came on to the scene, Ponting and Kohli were a breath of fresh air tocountries that already ___(1)___ batting stars and legends. Ponting ___(3)___ his way intothe Australia line-up at a time when ___(4)___ the Australian second XI would have beenone of the strongest sides in world cricket. When he batted against Australia for AustraliaA, he looked like a kid with serious weapons.

1. (a) these (b) he (c) they (d) you2. (a) had (b) have (c) having (d) has3. (a) bought (b) found (c) fought (d) asked4. (a) if (b) even (c) that (d) as

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Test 30

Apartheid is a powerful word, with ____(1)____ of the South African experience and withimplications of crimes against humanity. The United Nations does not use this word___(2)___. It rarely enters UN reports, and is not heard from the lips of UN officials. Butnow, in a report released on March 15 in Beirut, Lebanon, the UN has _____(3)____ thatIsrael ‘is guilty of the crime of apartheid’. This is a very significant judgment, one withimportant ____(4)___ for the UN, for the International Court of Justice and for theinternational community.

1. (a) evocations (b) explanations (c) mention (d) revision2. (a) loosely (b) wisely (c) strongly (d) carefully3. (a) proclaimed (b) programmed (c) derailed (d) order4. (a) ramifications (b)/ solution (c) decision (d) aspects

Test 31

The U.S. Federal Reserve has resumed normal ___(1)___ service by raising interest ratesfor the second time in three months. The Fed’s decision on Wednesday ___(2)___ itsconfidence in the continuing expansion and signals that its efforts to reflate the world’slargest economy are largely on track — with overall inflation seen to be stabilising aroundits longer-run target of 2% over the next couple of years. Significantly, Chair Janet Yellenstressed that policymakers ___(3)___ the strengthening economy would warrant “gradualincreases” in the benchmark federal funds rate to ensure that the monetary policy stanceremains accommodative of ___(4)____, even as price stability is ensured.

1. (a) economy (b) financial (c) monetary (d) banking2. (a) abject (b) reflects (c) brought (d) showed3. (a) accept (b) except (c) expect (d) takeover4. (a) globalisation (b) spirit (c) emotions (d) growth

Test 32

The National Health Policy 2017, which the Centre announced this week after a ___(1)___from the Supreme Court last year, ___(2)___ the challenging task of ensuring affordable,quality medical care ___(3)___ every citizen. With a fifth of the world’s disease burden, agrowing incidence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, and poor financialarrangements to pay for care, India brings up the ___(4)___ among the BRICS countries inhealth sector performance.

1. (a) force (b) plan (c) nudge (d) calling2. (a) faces (b) see (c) confront (d) meet3. (a) for (b) with (c) from (d) by4. (a) gear (b) bear (c) rear (d) deer5. (a) area (b) performance (c) evolution (d) evaluation

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Cloze Test Answers for Feb & Mar 2017

Level – Mixed (easy to difficult) in all the exercises.

Exams to practise for – SBIPO, IBPS, SSC CGL Mains, Bank Clerk Mains level

1. DBCBA 2. ABBBB 3. BCCBC 4. ABDBB 5. BBBDB 6. BCAAB 7. ABBDC

8. CDBBC 9. BABDD 10. CADAB 11. CBCBA 12. BBADD 13. CABCD

14. CABAC 15. DABBB 16. BBBBB 17. ADCCA 18. BCCDB 19. BBBBB

20. BADCD 21. ADDBB 22. CCABA 23. CCCD 24. ABCDB 25. BCCAB

26. BCABC 27. BBDD 28. CBACC 29. CACB 30. AAAA 31. CBC

32. CAACB

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Cloze Test (20 March-10th April)

Test 1

At its twelfth meeting last Friday, the Goodsand Services Tax (GST) Council cleared all therequisite State and Central-level legislative____(1)____ to ___(2)___ the indirect tax regime.The State and Union Territories’ GST bills wereapproved ____(3)___ necessary corrections tothe three other GST Bills the Council hadcleared previously — for Central GST,Integrated GST and compensation to Statesthrough a ___(4)___. This paves the way forState Assemblies and Parliament to ratify theselaws quickly in order to meet the ___(5)___ July1 rollout date for the system.

1. (a) measures (b) solution(c) rule (d) assembly

2. (a) control (b) implement(c) discuss (d) derail

3. (a) beside (b) along with(c) for (d) through

4. (a) case (b) system(c) cess (d) point

5. (a) proposal (b) proposing(c) proposed (d) purpose

Test 2

Pakistan’s decision to launch a national___(1)___, after much delay, is a welcome stepthat would allow it to ____(2)___ realisticpolicies to address the challenges it ____(3)____.The data are critical as key federal decisionssuch as resource allocation for provinces and____(4)___ of electoral constituencies are takenbased ____(5)_____ demographic numbers. Thiswould be the first census in 19 years. Thegovernment is supposed to do it every 10years, but Pakistani authorities, underpressure from political parties and ethnicgroups, have delayed the process.

1. (a) consensus (b) referendum(c) census (d) election

2. (a) ready (b) devising(c) control (d) formulate

3. (a) has (b) faces(c) deal (d) provides

4. (a) elimination (b) location(c) conceive (d) delimitation

5. (a) in (b) on(c) up (d) to

Test 3

The Vodafone Group’s decision to ___(1)____ itsIndia unit with the Aditya Birla Group-controlled Idea Cellular is a classic case of twocompanies recognising truth in the ___(2)___that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of itsparts’. Of the two mobile operators, Ideafunctioned in its early years as a three-wayjoint venture involving the Tata Group, U.S.telecommunications ___(3)___ AT&T, and theAditya Birla Group. The proposeddeal represents a welcome chance to ___(4)___its flagging fortunes. The last three quartersproved a brutal testament to the ravages thatheightened competition could wreak ___(5)___ amiddle-of-the-pack firm’s operational finances.

1. (a) join (b) merge(c) gather (d) add

2. (a) age (b) adage(c) stage (d) clause

3. (a) child (b) company(c) behemoth (d) giants

4. (a) correct (b) state(c) find (d) resurrect

5. (a) on (b) in(b) to (d) for

Test 4

India’s rank of 131 among 188 countries onthe UNDP’s Human Development Index for2015 and its ‘medium’ performance pose theuncomfortable question: ____(1)___ not thescore have been significantly better if thehigher economic growth trajectory of two and ahalf decades of ___(2)___ had beenaccompanied by a parallel investment inpeople? Few will argue that the rise in incomesthat came with a more open economy has nottranslated into a higher quality of life for manyIndians and raised overall life ___(3)___ at birthby more than 10 years from the 1990 level, toreach 68.3 years. Progress has also been made____(4)____ awareness about issues affectingwomen’s ____(5)___, such as public safety, acidattacks, discrimination in inheritance rightsand lack of equal employment opportunity.

1. (a) would (b) will(c) if (d) whether

2. (a) privatisation(b) liberalisation(c) globalisation(d) restriction

3. (a) limit (b) value(c) expectancy (d) lessons

4. (a) to raise (b) in raising(c) spread (d) towards

5. (a) liberation (b) freedom(c) empowerment (d) issues

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Test 5

It takes money to make ___(1)___. CSIR-Tech,the commercialisation arm of the Council ofScientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),___(2)___ this the hard way when it had to shutdown its operations for lack of ___(3)___. CSIRhas filed more than 13,000 patents — 4,500 inIndia and 8,800 abroad — at a cost of 50crore over the last three years. Across years,that’s a lot of taxpayers’ money, which in turnmeans that the closing of CSIR-Tech is a___(4)___ admission that its work has been anexpensive mistake — a mistake that we tax-paying citizens have paid ___(5)___.

1. (a) time (b) life(c) freedom (d) money.

2. (a) knew (b) realised(c) known (d) indentify

3. (a) time (b) resources(c) funds (d) permission

4. (a) right (b) tacit(c) just (d) delayed

5. (a) to (b) for(c) with (d) by

Test 6

The ___(1)____ in London’s Westminster thatleft five persons dead, including the____(2)____, was the type of terror strike thatBritish security officials have been ____(3)____.For almost three years, the threat level____(4)____ international terrorism in Britainhas been “severe”, meaning an attack isdeemed highly likely. This incident wasdifferent from a ____(5)____ terror strike, butbore similarity to attacks on European cities inrecent years claimed by the Islamic State.

1. (a) chaos (b) problem(c) attack (d) show

2. (a) assault (b) assailant(c) terror (d) police

3. (a) dealing (b) expecting(c) worrying (d) resting

4. (a) to (b) on(c) from (d) for

5. (a) regular (b) conventional(c) ISIS (d) threatening

Test 7

The Finance Ministry’s ____(1)____ missive to10 state-owned lenders to submit time-bound____(2)____ plans, or forsake any further capital_____(3)____ from the government, is a smallyet timely step in the right direction. As theReserve Bank of India had flagged in its lastFinancial Stability Report, _____(4)____ to thebanking sector remain worryingly “high”. Thecontinuous ______(5)______ in asset quality,especially at the public sector banks (PSBs),has led to low profitability and substantialvalue erosion to the principal shareholder —the government.

1. (a) vague (b) implicit(c) unequivocal (d) vanguard

2. (a) solid (b) turnaround(c) turn up (d) relative

3. (a) collection (b) gain(c) infusion (d) fund

4. (a) risks (b) danger(c) risking (d) fetid

5. (a) plantation (b) progress(c) impede (d) deterioration

Test 8

Ever since it was announced in 2005, the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear agreement has faced one____(1)____ after another. So this week’s newsthat its operationalisation may be further____(2)____ owing to Westinghouse’s financialdifficulties and Japan’s procedural issues inratifying the deal ____(3)____ India should comeas no surprise. This sets back “work towardfinalising the contractual arrangements by June2017” for six reactors to be built in AndhraPradesh by Toshiba-owned Westinghouse and theNuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL).But India has little control over both _____(4)____,and rather than seeing them as a _____(5)_____,the government and officials should use this asan opportunity to re-examine the country’sengagement with nuclear energy for future needs.

1. (a) impede (b) hamper (c) obstacle (d) issues2. (a) agreed (b) asked (c) stated (d) delayed3. (a) with (b) for (c) to (d) in4. (a) situation (b) circumstances

(c) items (d) countries5. (a) opportunity (b) challenge

(c) setback (d) solution

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Test 9

Of all the arts of bowling, the most difficult —and therefore the rarest and by extension, themost exciting — has to be left-arm wrist spin,also known ___(1)____ the ‘chinaman’. ____(2)____India, a country ____(3)____ for spin bowlers hadto wait over eight decades and more than 500Tests before their first ‘chinaman’ bowler madehis ____(4)_____ tells its own story. WatchingKuldeep Yadav bamboozle the batsmen inDharamshala ____(5)_____ one of the highlights ofthe season.

1. (a) like (b) for(c) as (d) such

2. (a) In (b) this(c) that (d) for

3. (a) reckoned (b) renowned(c) acknowledge (d) marked

4. (a) starting (b) debut(c) career (d) appear

5. (a) has (b) had(c) has been (d) have

Test 10

The recent ___-(1)___ of strikes by drivers of app-based cab aggregator platforms, specifically Olaand Uber, has unveiled some ____(2)____ of theugly underbelly of the ______(3)______ market forthese platforms. While most of us have beenhappily indulging in the low cost and convenientbooking such platforms _____(4)_____, we asconsumers do not often think about some of the____(5)_____ implications of these models.

1. (a) part (b) spate(c) group (d) fights

2. (a) fact (b) facets(c) talks (d) scene

3. (a) growth (b) big(c) burgeoning (d) proliferate

4. (a) deal (b) look(c) offer (d) need

5. (a) recent (b) right(c) easy (d) adverse

Test 11

In India, there is a relative ____(1)____ when itcomes to public acceptance of cyber breaches byindividual companies though there is relentlessambient noise about everything from the bigIndian debit card hack to the ____(2)____ atYahoo. Don’t be fooled by the silence. This is acountry that ranked fourth among countriesmost ____(3)____ for Web application attacks, in areport by content delivery network servicesprovider Akamai Technologies. _____(4)_____ thiswith the fact that India has been adding millionsof Internet users every year, who have been morethan nudged into the world of digital money inrecent months, and you know why Indians have______(5)_____ to worry.

1) (a) worry (b) silence(c) relation (d) cause

2) (a) theft (b) part(c) breach (d) office

3) (a) called (b) asked(c) followed (d) targeted

4) (a) jettison (b) juxtapose(c) juncture (d) jaunt

5) (a) faces (b) chosen(c) reasons (d) places

Test 12Six months from now, 43 cities will be ____(1)___on India’s flight connectivity grid, an outcome ofthe Udan scheme launched to ____(2)_____regional flights covering distances up to 800 km.These include a dozen airports _____(3)____limited but irregular flights operate, and as manyas 31 destinations that are not connected at alldespite the _____(4)_____ of airport facilities. Thescale of India’s untapped civil aviationopportunities can be gauged by the fact thatthese _____(5)_______ less than 10% of India’sinactive airports/airstrips — 394 out of 450 aredormant currently.

1. (a) delivered (b) mainstreamed(c) chose (d) select

2. (a) steering (b) stare(c) spur (d) star

3. (a) when (b) who(c) which (d) where

4. (a) relevance (b) distance(c) existence (d) present

5. (a) constitute (b) constraint(c) consist (d) persist

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Test 13

Torrid summers, when the mercury soars 4°C to6°C above the average and produces heatwavesin several States between April and June, maybecome ____(1)___ frequent in coming years. Notonly will there be more hot days, the spells ofheat stress sweeping across much of India arelikely to grow longer. The scientific consensus isthat heatwaves will grow stronger and ____(2)____their geographical spread in the south,influenced by the sea surface temperature in theIndian and Pacific Oceans. With risinggreenhouse gases, their impact can only___(3)___. Though the number of people dyingdue to heat stress last year was half of theprevious year’s toll of 2,040, the need to____(4)____ detailed action plans at the level ofStates, districts and cities is now critical. It isencouraging that the National DisasterManagement Authority is ____(5)___ States, inpartnership with the India MeteorologicalDepartment, to evolve heat action plan protocols.

1. (a) much (b) more (c) many (d) big2. (a) sell (b) expand (c) deal (d) effect3. (a) intensify (b) worse (c) deter (d) defy4. (a) understand (b) created

(c) evolve (d) thought5. (a) told (b) asking (c) sharing (d) guiding

Test 14

The decision by Venezuela’s highest court onSaturday to ___(1)___ its earlier move of nullifyingthe elected legislature, the Congress, brings some____(2)___ from the relentless attack ondemocratic institutions under President NicolásMaduro. And the fact that last week the judges_____(3)_____ the process to strip the legislatureof all law-making powers, indicating _____(4)____for the will of the people in pursuit of Mr.Maduro’s interests, also puts in sharp focus thesevere _____(5)____ of the judiciary’sindependence. The attempted takeover markedthe nadir in the months-long confrontationbetween the legislature and the courts, which arepacked with loyalists of Mr. Maduro.

1. (a) reject (b) reverse(c) align (d) destroy

2. (a) thing (b) order(c) respite (d) rescue

3. (a) start (b) initiated(c) tell (d) told

4. (a) contempt (b) attempt(c) connect (d) direct

5. (a) erosion (b) eradication(c) elaborate (d) elicit

Test 15

A week after India clinched the Test seriesagainst Australia at Dharamsala, the memory ofboth the fine victory and the bad blood thatmarred those matches can be pushed to thesidelines. Such is the ____(1)____ of freneticcricket calendars that the Indian Premier Leaguehas already rolled ____(2)____, its tenth______(3)_____ commencing with the matchbetween the defending champion, SunrisersHyderabad, and last year’s runner-up, RoyalChallengers Bangalore, on April 5. Spread over47 days and _____(4)_____ 60 matches, the IPLhas over the years blended the instantgratification of the Twenty20 format with a senseof ______(5)_____, having prospered since itsinception in 2008.

1. (a) habit (b) scope(c) scene (d) nature

2. (a) in (b) out(c) back (d) for

3. (a) expedition (b) edition(c) year (d) program

4. (a) initiate (b) include(c) featuring (d) deriving

5. (a) creativity (b) activity(c) practical (d) longevity

Test 16The barbarism of Syria’s civil war was on displayonce again when at least 72 people were killed ina chemical attack in Idlib province. Theheartbreaking ____(1)____ of dead and injuredchildren and desperate parents from Idlib’s KhanSheikhoun _____(2)____ understandably____(3)____ global outrage and calls forinternational _____(4)____. Syrians have_____(5)____ a lot over the past six years. Therehave been multiple chemical attacks for whichboth the regime of Bashar al-Assad and thejihadists were held to blame.

1. (a) images (b) idea(c) war (d) deal

2. (a) has (b) have(c) had (d) was

3. (a) guided (b) triggered(c) initiated (d) liked

4. (a) reply (b) vision(c) mission (d) action

5. (a) endure (b) feeling(c) suffered (d) took

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Test 17Maintenance of good relations with theneighbours, friendship to all, ____(1)____ to none— is the policy I ____(2)_____ throughout my life.My only desire in my political thought is to builda society for common people where ____(3)____will suffer from the curse of poverty while theirbasic _____(4)_____ will be met. In other words,they will get the ______(5)______ to have the rightto food, clothing, shelter, medicare, education,improved livelihood and a decent life.

1. (a) malaise (b) good(c) malice (d) meek

2. (a) follow (b) back(c) thought (d) pursue

3. (a) any (b) many(c) one (d) none

4. (a) want (b) needs(c) pay (d) home

5. (a) task (b) opportunity(c) rest (d) respite

Test 18

South African President Jacob Zuma may nothave anticipated the strength of thebacklash when he decided last week to dismisshis much-respected Finance Minister, PravinGordhan, and various other colleagues in aministerial ____(1)_____. On Friday, thousands ofSouth Africans demonstrated peacefully acrosscities against Mr. Zuma’s action, _____(2)_____appears to have triggered concerns aboutgovernment corruption and a tottering economy.Even _____(3)_____ Nobel laureate Desmond Tutumade an appearance in _____(4)_____ of theprotesters, most of whom called for PresidentZuma to _____(5)______.

1. (a) shuffle (b) scheme(c) sense (d) list

2. (a) what (b) which(c) who (d) when

3. (a) the (b) illing(c) ailing (d) great

4. (a) with (b) support(c) for (d) ground

5. (a) show (b) go(c) resign (d) speak

Answers:

1.ABBCC 2. CDBDB 3. BBCDA 4. ABCBC5. DBCBB 6. CBBCB 7. CBCAD 8. CDABC9. CCBBC 10. BBCCD 11. BCDBC12. BCDCA 13. BBACD 14. BCBAA15. DABCD 16. ABBDC 17. CDDBB18. ABCBC

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Cloze Test (11April – 30 April)

Test 1A picture of the globe under the hood of acobra was a familiar symbol of the precariousstate of international security till recently.Accidental or _____(1)_____ pressing of thenuclear button was the nightmare thathaunted _____(2)______. At the same time,using the nuclear genie and _____(3)______ itfor prosperity was the best _____(4)_____.Today, both the nightmare and the dream havebecome _____(5)_____. Nuclear weapons haveceased to be viable as instruments of warbecause of the unpredictability of theconsequences of a nuclear war.

1. (a) delegate (b) deliberate(c) deteriorate (d) dawdle

2. (a) humility (b) integrity(c) sovereignty (d) humanity

3. (a) control (b) harnessing(c) forcing (d) throwing

4. (a) day (b) night(c) dream (d) plan

5. (a) led (b) rust(c) jaded (d) useful

Test 2.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance tovisiting Bangladesh Prime Minister SheikhHasina of an “early resolution” to the Teestawater ___(1)___ has firmly brought the elephantin the room to the _____(2)___. Mr. Modi’sstatement, _____(3)_____ in the presence ofWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,has been widely welcomed. It defined_____(4)____ India’s commitment to the Teestawater-sharing agreement and the Centralgovernment’s commitment to working with theWest Bengal government to conclude theagreement ____(5)_____ the framework wasinitialled in 2011.

1. (a) scarcity (b) dispute(c) availability (d) dam

2. (a) wire (b) live(c) back (d) fore

3. (a) make (b) making(c) makes (d) made

4. (a) both (b) if (c) whether (d) that5. (a) for which (b) at which

(c) to which (d) who

Test 3

Our ___(1)___ young population is clearlystruggling for jobs, ____(2)____ being in theworld’s fastest growing economy. More than30% of Indians aged 15-29 are neither inemployment nor in ___(3)___ training oreducation, according to a recent survey by theOECD. This added to the ____(4)____ state ofemployment, for only in March the All IndiaCouncil for Technical Education had said thatmore than 60% of the eight lakh engineersgraduating from technical institutions acrossthe country every year ____(5)____ unemployed.

1. (a) new (b) proliferate(c) burgeoning (d) increased

2. (a) instead (b) so(c) therefore (d) despite

3. (a) to (b) some(c) any (d) with

4. (a) bright (b) exuberant(c) gloomy (d) burnt

5. (a) remains (b) remain(c) remained (d) will remain

Test 4

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill passedby the Lok Sabha this week will take a littlemore time to come into ____(1)_____, since ithas not cleared the Rajya Sabha in the Budgetsession. But the changes that it proposes tothe Motor Vehicles (MV) Act of 1988 are____(2)____. The Centre assumes a direct rolein the ____(3)____, since it will introduceguidelines that ____(4)____ State governmentsin several areas, notably in creating aframework for taxicab aggregators, financinginsurance to treat the injured and tocompensate families of the dead in hit-and-runcases, prescribing standards for electronicallymonitoring highways and urban roads forenforcement and ____(5)_____ driver licensing.

1. (a) affect (b) force (c) exist (d) India2. (a) significant (b) changing

(c) false (d) biggest3. (a) Government (b) system

(c) alteration (d) reforms4. (a) directs (b) bind (c) release (d) dent5. (a) modifying (b) monitoring

(c) masking (d) security

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Test 5

The Challenger space shuttle ____(1)____ in1986, killing all seven crew members. It____(2)___ because of a design flaw in therocket boosters of the spacecraft. The U.S.National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) had sub-contracted thedesign of the boosters to an _____(3)_____company. The company had noticed that theputty used to seal rings on the boosters wasforming bubbles that caused a heat jet_____(4)_____ it could burn through the rings.The engineers changed the putty. They knewthat a putty erosion could still occur, but withvery low probability of a _____(5)______ disaster.

1. (a) exploded (b) explosion(c) exploited (d) explained

2. (a) took (b) happens(c) occurred (d) was identified

3. (a) related (b) independent(c) connected (d) recommended

4. (a) so hot such (b) so hot that(c) that heated much (d) so hot because

5. (a) Catalonia (b) catharsis(c) catastrophic (d) canoe

Test 6

With tensions in the Korean ____(1)____continuing to ____(2)____, Beijing took therather extreme step on Friday of warning thatsomething needs to be done to wind ____(3)____the U.S.-North Korea confrontation, saying the“the storm is about to _____(4)______”. Theheightened rhetoric of recent days followsWashington’s display of naval power with thedespatch of a U.S. aircraft carrier strike groupto the waters ____(5)____ the Korean coast.

1. (a) peninsular (b) peninsula(c) recombinant (d) cite

2. (a) go (b) come(c) leave (d) escalate

3. (a) up (b) down(c) of (d) from

4. (a) carry (b) break(c) started (d) last

5. (a) of (b) from(c) off (d) at

Test 7

The Indian Railways (IR) plans to introducededicated train services for domestic andinternational tourists, _____(1)____ tocustomers at all income levels. The proposal ispart of the draft tourism policy which IR is______(2)______ for the first time in a bid toincrease private partnership in _____(3)_____tourist trains. “A concept of tourist train with______(4)______ tariff will be worked out. Thetrain will comprise different classes ofaccommodation like Sleeper 3A, 2A and 1Acoaches, as per _____(5)_____,” said IR.

1. (a) carting (b) catering(c) courting (d) creating

2. (a) bringing out (b) bringing up(c) bringing against (d) bringing to

3. (a) running (b) directing(c) pushing (d) speeding

4. (a) accidental (b) phenomenal(c) differential (d) controversial

5. (a) demand (b) need(c) request (d) cost

Test 8In recent months, ______(1)_______ rates ofglacier melts have been reported both in theAntarctic and the Arctic. “A massive______(2)_____ in Antarctica’s fourth-biggest iceshelf has surged forward by at least 10kilometres since early January,”said Nature magazine in a recent article.Glaciers cover the terrain in both theseregions, which have the only permanent icesheets that still _____(3)______ on earth today.The earth has enjoyed a more or less stabletemperature for the last 10,000 years. Prior tothat there were several ice ages and periods ofwarmer temperature, also known as inter-glacials. The ice ages are ______(4)______ tohave been caused by small shifts in the earth’sorbit, but all the reasons for the temperature______(5)________ observed are not yet entirelyunderstood.

1. (a) unpredictable (b) inadvertently(c) unprecedented (d) unequivocal

2. (a) trek (b) crack(c) break (d) curtail

3. (a) stand (b) extol(c) exalt (d) exist

4. (a) believed (b) find(c) discovered (d) targeted

5. (a) ebb (b) fluctuations(c) functions (d) factors

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Test 9In the face of extreme and unreasonablecomplaints against Electronic Voting Machinesby a number of political parties, the ElectionCommission perhaps had no ____(1)____ but tohave the working of the machines ____(2)____by a paper audit trail. To have ____(3)_____ afacility ready for all constituencies by the 2019Lok Sabha election is expensive (an estimated

3,174 crore) and also ______(4)_______ (papertrails are at best required in a fewconstituencies to corroborate results).Its request to the Law Ministry to release fundsfor the ______(5)________ of voter-verifiablepaper audit trail (VVPAT) machines for the2019 Lok Sabha election should be interpretedin this context.

1. (a) plan (b) idea(c) choice (d) content

2. (a) corporate (b) corroborated(c) collaborated (d) constructed

3. (a) this (b) so(c) like (d) such

4. (a) required (b) essential(c) basic (d) unnecessary

5. (a) addition (b) auction(c) repair (d) procurement

Test 10The country’s banking sector is severelystressed with one-sixth of the gross advancesof public sector banks (around 7 lakh crore)being non-performing assets (NPAs). Existing____(1)____ remedies of insolvency,restructuring of companies, securitisation ofdebts yield much ____(2)____ but insufficientrecoveries. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)____(3)____ a Corporate Debt Restructuringscheme for resolution of dues from the largercompanies which account for 70% of the debtportfolio; despite it being a well-structuredsystem, it has ____(4)_____ to deliversubstantially. It, however, ______(5)_____ fromattention the smaller borrower with loans lessthan 10 crore.

1. (a) statutory (b) stationary(c) stationery (d) sustainable

2. (a) promotion (b) litigation(c) liabilities (d) efficacy

3. (a) brought up (b) brought down(c) brought along (d) brought out

4. (a) succeeded (b) failed(c) passed (d) stop

5. (a) included (b) restricted(c) omitted (d) forfeit

Test 11While traditionally focussed on economics andculture, today the EU and India are taking boldsteps to also ____(1)___ the strategicdimensions of their partnership. This week’svisit to New Delhi of the EU’s HighRepresentative for Foreign Affairs and SecurityPolicy, Federica Mogherini, will likely_____(2)_____ a frank Indo-European dialogueon the changing global and regional security______(3)_______.

While the EU and India share similar worldviews, especially on effective multilateralism,they have rarely found instruments to pursue______(4)______ together and their relationshiphas stumbled over many ______(5)_______ inrecent years.

1. (a) recognize (b) acknowledge(c) deepen (d) rotten

2. (a) augur (b) witness(c) seen (d) augment

3. (a) talks (b) environments(c) deals (d) economies

4. (a) target (b) test(c) objectives (d) obligations

5. (a) issues (b) impediments(c) hindered (d) measurements

Test 12Privatisation of water is unwarranted,unjustified and _____(1)____. In pushing for it,we are not really _____(2)_____ the key issue______(3)______ the water sector, which is aneed for better governance. We need ademocratic, transparent, accountable andparticipatory ______(4)______ in a bottom-upapproach, on each aspect of the urban watersector ______(5)______ water privatisation isadvocated.

1. (a) requisite (b) unwanted(c) unnecessary (d) sanguine

2. (a) grading (b) directing(c) progressing (d) addressing

3. (a) planning (b) digging(c) plaguing (d) ploughing

4. (a) mechanism (b) treaty(c) governance (d) co-operation

5. (a) where (b) what(c) why (d) who

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Test 13North-east Germany is home to a number ofneo-Nazi groups. They are small in number,yet their views on the _____(1)____ of the Aryanrace are straight out of 1930s Germany. Thatthey have lived in relative _____(2)____ for half acentury is due thankfully to the ____(3)____ ofthe Internet. However, for the last decade orso, their hateful presence is being felt not justin a country ______(4)_____ with Syrianrefugees, but on a host of websites too.Without digitisation, the _____(5)_____ theyperpetuated would never have appeared inpublic forums, and would have perhaps diedoff in a few years. But the Internet gave them alarger voice and the power to spew hate in analtogether new medium.

1. (a) existence (b) purity(c) survive (d) identity

2. (a) obfuscate (b) ambiguity(c) obscurity (d) viability

3. (a) presence (b) absence(c) relevance (d) guidance

4. (a) denuded (b) inundated(c) defiled (d) presented

5. (a) ties (b) allies(c) skies (d) lies

Test 14Farmers from Tamil Nadu were gathered inDelhi recently, carrying ____(1)____, apparentlybelonging to those among them who hadcommitted suicide. They were ______(2)____government assistance following the worstdrought in the State in recent times._____(3)____, there are several droughts inmany other parts of the world, includingBolivia and several regions of Sub-Saharan_______(4)_____. Scorched lands have led todying livestock, withering crops, and parchedcommunities.

Several recent extreme events such aswildfires, droughts, severe heatwaves andcyclones in other places have a clear____(5)_____ of a changing climate, but in manycases these are exacerbated by otherinstitutional failures.

1. (a) skulls (b) skills(c) mulls (d) pitfall

2. (a) seeking (b) agitating(c) complaining (d) receiving

3. (a) contrarily (b) rigorously(c) concurrently (d) faithfully

4. (a) Africa (b) America(c) Europe (d) Asia

5. (a) intimation (b) intent(c) signature (d) burden

Test 15April 26 is World Intellectual Property (IP) day.Over the years, global IP standards havesteadily expanded ____(1)____ World TradeOrganisation (WTO) requirements, thanks tofree ____(2)____ agreements such as theRegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) which India is currently negotiatingwith ____(3)____ trading partners. But there isnew cause ____(4)____ worry. Apart fromincreasing the scope of existing IP rights, thereis a move to create new IP-like rights. A case inpoint is data exclusivity over clinical trial datasubmitted by drug companies to the regulatoryauthorities for market approval, the grant ofwhich could severely _____(5)_____ access tomedicines.

1. (a) beyond (b) over(c) above (d) after

2. (a) bilateral (b) trade(c) peace (d) market

3. (a) their (b) his(c) its (d) Europe

4. (a) of (b) for(c) to (d) from

5. (a) understand (b) undergo(c) undermine (d) underscore

Test 16The major Indian stock indices have ralliedstrongly despite ____(1)____ concerns over theirhistorically rich valuations. Both the BSESensex and NSE Nifty reached all-time____(2)____ on Wednesday, up about 13% and14%, respectively, since the beginning of 2017and well above the performance of developedmarkets. The Sensex ____(3)____ its previoushigh to end the day at 30,133 while the Niftysettled on a record closing high of 9,351.Investors have ____(4)____ the rally to thebetter-than-expected earnings results of blue-chip companies (like Reliance IndustriesLimited that posted record earnings this week),strong fund ____(5)____ from foreigninstitutional investors (FIIs) and thestrengthening of the rupee.

1. (a) faltering (b) lingering(c) their (d) dramatic

2. (a) highest (b) highs(c) peaking (d) nadir

3. (a) achieved (b) received(c) surpassed (d) selected

4. (a) contributed (b) retreated(c) repudiated (d) attributed

5. (a) invests (b) inflows(c) invites (d) inducement

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Test 17Beginning next year, the World HealthOrganisation will begin ____(1)___ tests of theinjectable malaria vaccine RTS,S (or Mosquirix)on 750,000 children aged 5-17 months inGhana, Kenya and Malawi. The vaccine hasbeen successfully put _____(2)____ a Phase IIItrial, in which the drug is tested _____(3)_____safety and efficacy. Any decision on wider usewill be taken based on the results of the pilottests in the three countries. If the vaccine doesindeed _______(4)___ to be ready for large-scaleuse, it will be a ______(5)____ in the fightagainst malaria. Although the number of casesglobally and in the African region came downby 21% between 2010 and 2015, in 2015 itselfthe number of deaths worldwide on account ofthe disease was as high as 429,000.

1. (a) acid (b) crucial(c) pilot (d) real

2. (a) in (b) with(c) through (d) against

3. (a) to (b) for(c) of (d) in

4. (a) find (b) ready(c) test (d) prove

5. (a) cornerstone (b) step(c) milestone (d) achieve

Test 18The Prime Minister’s recent announcement onmaking it ____(a)____ for doctors to ____(2)____only the generic name, and not brand name ofa drug, has led to a flutter. If ____(3)____, themove will make it illegal for Indian doctors towrite out a prescription for the trademark ofthe drug, ____(4)____ them to mention thechemical name instead. If implementedproperly, the hope is that pharmacists will fillthe prescription with the cheapest generic drugin the market ____(5)_____ than being forced todispense a more expensive brand asprescribed.

1. (a) mandatory (b) compulsory(c) necessary (d) urgent

2. (a) describe (b) prescribe(c) ascribe (d) subscribe

3. (a) affected (b) enacted(c) imposed (d) directed

4. (a) forcing (b) guiding(c) guided (d) forced

5. (a) better (b) other(c) another (d) rather

Answers1. BDBCC 2. BDDAA 3. CDCCB4. BADBB 5. ACBBC 6. BDBBC7. BAACA 8. CBDAB 9. CBDDD10. ABDBC 11. CBBCB 12. CDCCA13. BCBBD 14. AACAC 15. ABCBC16. BBCDB 17. CCBDC 18. ABBAD

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Cloze TestMay 17

Test 1After 20 years in India, wearing a “refugee” tagthat ___(1)____ her from one camp to another,it was only in December 2016 that EdwardSelyn, 55, returned home. _____(2)_____ a fewdays ago, she was among a group of peopleseated under a tent in Mullikulam village inMannar, in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province,_____(3)_____ in the scorching heat for amonth, demanding that the Sri Lankan Navyrelease her land.

She was displaced in 1996 with her entirefamily, after the civil war _____(4)_____. Now,eight years after the war ended and monthsafter her return, Ms. Selyn has not stoppedfeeling ______(5)______.

1. (a) held (b) fed(c) led (d) asked

2. (a) for (b) until(c) unless (d) because

3. (a) enjoying (b) agitated(c) reclining (d) protesting

4. (a) broke in (b) broke out(c) broke off (d) broke with

5. (a) replaced (b) discard(c) displaced (d) tortured

Test 2

A controversial proposal by Bibek Debroy, amember of the government think tank NITIAayog, to tax agricultural income above aparticular threshold has led to a publicexchange of ____(1)____. Finance Minister ArunJaitley quickly ____(2)_____ any plans to taxfarm income, but more policymakers havebegun to voice their opinion, the latest beingChief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanianwho made it clear that taxing farm income is aState subject. The public image of farmingbeing a poor man’s _____(3)______ and thesizeable vote share that farmers enjoy havemade the idea of farm taxes a political______(4)________. The frequent distress facedby poor or marginal farmers, which could be________(5)_________ to structural issues otherthan taxation, hasn’t helped matters either.But India has a presence of rich farmers aswell and there exists as a strong justificationfor taxing them in order to widen the country’sembarrassingly narrow tax base.

1. (a) rules (b) views

(c) ideas (d) atrocities2. (a) delayed (b) destroyed

(c) dethroned (d) dismissed3. (a) hut (b) venture

(c) adventure (d) way4. (a) taboo (b) discussion

(c) prohibition (d) inhibition5. (a) attributed (b) contributed

(c) galvanised (d) statute

Test 3

Two years after the World Health Organisation(WHO) recommended that antiretroviraltherapy (ART) be ____(1)____ in people livingwith HIV irrespective of the CD4 (a type ofwhite-blood cell) counts, India has_____(2)_____ its policy with the guideline. In amajor _____(3)______, Union Health MinisterJ.P. Nadda had recently said that any personwho tests positive for HIV will be provided ART“as soon as possible and irrespective of the CDcount or clinical stage”. Nearly 4.5 lakh deathscan be _____(4)_____ through this move. It wasin 2002 that the WHO first issued its ARTguidelines. In the absence of AIDS-definingillnesses, the WHO set CD4 count less than200 cells per cubic millimetre _____(5)_____ thethreshold to begin ART treatment. Over time, itchanged its guidelines and, in 2013, increasedthe threshold to CD4 count less than 500 cellsper cu. mm.

1. (a) distributed (b) conducted(c) initiated (d) formulated

2. (a) ascribed (b) negated(c) catapulted (d) aligned

3. (a) hiatus (b) subvert(c) shift (d) breach

4. (a) revelled (b) constrained(c) boosted (d) averted

5. (a) as (b) because(c) to (d) for

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Test 4These are challenging times for journalism.Two things have disrupted the way -______(1)_____ people access information, andtherefore the practice of journalism itself:social media and the mobile phone. These twoin combination have disrupted the way inwhich legacy newsrooms _____(2)______, forcingthem to ______(3)______ to fast-changingtechnology.

The Digital News Report 2016 by the ReutersInstitute for the Study of Journalism foundthat 51% of their sample use social media as a_______(4)___________ of news. According to theGlobal Web Index’s first-quarter report for2017, 94% of digital consumers aged 16-64 saythey have an ________(5)_______ on at least onesocial media platform and 98% havevisited/used one within the last month;

1. (a) for which (b) at which(c) in which (d) to which

2. (a) create (b) make(c) operate (d) act

3. (a) adapt (b) adept(c) adopt (d) select

4. (a) source (b) course(c) paradigm (d) imprint

5. (a) remedy (b) fallout(c) rhetoric (d) account

Test 5With the Genetic Engineering AppraisalCommittee, an Environment Ministry body that____(1)___ genetically modified crops, approvingtransgenic mustard ____(2)____ environmentalrelease, a key ____(3)____ remains beforefarmers can _____(4)____ it: EnvironmentMinister Anil Dave’s approval, under aprocedure _____(5)____ by the UPA government.In 2009 the GEAC approved Bt brinjal,developed by Mahyco and the Tamil NaduAgricultural University, for commercial release.

1. (a) guarantees (b) explains(c) evaluates (d) respects

2. (a) by (b) to(c) for (d) with

3. (a) point (b) area(c) plan (d) hurdle

4. (a) alternate (b) ultimate(c) germinate (d) cultivate

5. (a) set up (b) set for(c) set against (d) set down

Test 6We stand today on the ___(1)___ of a long-termanthropogenic and ecological change, causednot by the forces of nature but our own____(2)____ of the planet’s resources. There is

compelling _____(3)_______ that climate changeis the greatest and widest-ranging marketfailure ever seen, and there is a large chance ofa global average temperature _____(4)_______exceeding 2ºC by the end of this century. It hasalso been established in various scientificstudies that any such warming of the planetwill lead to increased natural calamities suchas floods and cyclones, declined crop yieldsand ecological ______(5)______. A large increasein global temperatures correlates with anaverage 5% loss in global GDP, with poorcountries suffering costs in excess of 10% ofGDP.

1. (a) shrink (b) stark(c) verging (d) brink

2. (a) explanation (b) exploitation(c) exasperation (d) exuberance

3. (a) system (b) force(c) deal (d) evidence

4. (a) rise (b) raise(c) increasing (d) limit

5. (a) improvement (b) degradation(c) temperatures (d) terminology

Test 7The menacing spread, starting last Friday, ofthe malicious software WannaCry, which hassince infected thousands of computer systemsin 150 countries, is a ____(1)____ reminder ofthe vulnerabilities of a ____(2)____ world. Thecyber-attackers who unleashed it, as yetunknown, have essentially used ____(3)____ inMicrosoft’s outdated software to remotely gainaccess to computers of unsuspecting users soas to lock them out of their files. These attackshave been in the nature of what are called‘ransomware,’ wherein attackers demand a____(4)____ (usually in Bitcoins, which aretougher to trace than regular currency) to_____(5)____ the files they have force-encrypted.Cyber risk modelling firm Cyence estimates theeconomic damage to be $4 billion, a figure thatmay not seem daunting for a global-scaledisruption such as this one. But its spread hasexposed the lack of preparedness amonggovernment and private institutions.

1. (a) frightening (b) irritating(c) consuming (d) frightened

2. (a) globalized (b) conneced(c) wide (d) related

3. (a) klins (b) chinks(c) tilts (d) cracks

4. (a) blithesome (b) loathsome(c) venturesome (d) ransom

5. (a) encrypt (b) decrypt(c) corrupt (d) delete

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Test 8Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public rally onMay 12 with Sri Lanka’s hill-country Tamils,on the second day of his two-day visit to thecountry, was a success, if you went byconventional markers such as the crowd he___(1)___ or the cheers that arose from it. Butits real outcome is rather limited compared tothe wide-ranging needs of the historically____(2)____ community.

That an estimated 35,000 people from in andaround the central highlands ______(3)____ onthe small town of Norwood – many walkingover 5 km since buses clogged the narrowroads — partly reflects the ______(4)_____ theTamils feel for India, from where their______(5)_____ moved to Sri Lanka about 200years ago. Moreover, hill-country politiciansput in their might to mobilise workers,campaigning widely across the tea estates thatemploy a fourth of the over one million-strongcommunity.

1. (a) threw (b) drew(c) gather (d) collect

2. (a) oppress (b) neglected(c) managed (d) forwarded

3. (a) converted (b) converged(c) diverted (d) dedicated

4. (a) affinity (b) vicinity(c) proximity (d) cavity

5. (a) predators (b) invaders(c) ancestors (d) former

Test 9News reports over the last few weeks suggestthat the Central government may finally_____(1)____ to think seriously about jobs.Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramaniamrecently pointed to the need _____(2)____ highereconomic growth, in the range of 8% to 10%, tosolve the problem of jobless growth. Inparticular, he _____(3)_____ theunderperformance of the informationtechnology, construction and agriculturalsectors, which earlier served ____(4)_____ hugejob-creators for the _____(5)_____.

1. (a) start (b) be starting(c) be starting (d) have started

2. (a) to achieve (b) achieving(c) achieved (d) for achieved

3. (a) flagged (b) raised(c) identify (d) asked

4. (a) for (b) with(c) as (d) against

5. (a) country (b) industry(c) economy (d) youth

Test 10The long wait for the new indirect tax ratesthat will ___(1)____ to thousands of goods andservices is finally over. The Goods andServices Tax Council that met in Srinagar has____(2)_____ details of the rates at which over1,200 goods will be taxed when the GSTregime ____(3)_____ effect. The rate_____(4)_____ process has been a subjectmatter of speculation for months now,accompanied by fears that the new tax ratesand slabs would be influenced by specialinterest _____(5)_____. So it is welcome thatthe government has offered better clarity. TheJuly 1 rollout of the tax also looks more likelynow with the GST Council showing its intentto get things going.

1. (a) apply (b) applicable(c) supply (d) try

2. (a) unleash (b) uncover(c) released (d) revealed

3. (a) take (b) took(c) has taken (d) takes

4. (a) fitment (b) fissure(c) foment (d) fatuous

5. (a) lobbies (b) varandhas(c) roofs (d) celing

Test 11It is arguably the logical consequence of the2014 Supreme Court order declaring all coalblock allocations made since 1993 illegal and_____(1)_____. The conviction of three CoalMinistry officials, including former SecretaryH.C. Gupta, marks the first case in whichindividual criminal ____(2)_____ has been fixedon public servants in the coal block scam. Twoprevious trials had ended in convictions, butthose held guilty were officials of privatecompanies who had deceived the authoritiesinto allotting them blocks. Mr. Gupta was thechairperson of the screening committee thatrecommended allocations. It functioned foryears without ____(3)_____ for guidelines,norms or transparency, until the apex courthalted its irregular ____(4)____. He and twoother public servants have been found guilty ofabusing their positions to _____(5)_____ a coalblock for Kamal Sponge Steel and PowerLimited.

1. (a) rational (b) arbitrary(c) possible (d) plausible

2. (a) liability (b) responsibility(c) capability (d) potential

3. (a) regard (b) regards(c) regarding (d) regard to

4. (a) function (b) faction(c) run (d) action

5. (a) accrue (b) occur(c) procure (d) ensure

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Test 12The question of federalism or autonomy inMyanmar goes back to the pre-Independenceera. It is an important historical issue whichunified and divided the country. The idea of____(1)_____ a union government that wouldgive equal status to all citizens ____(2)______different _____(3)_____ groups at the Panglongconference of 1947. It has also divided thecountry psychologically and emotionally whenthe Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League, thefirst elected government after Independence,failed _____(4)_____ the political aspirations ofthe ethnic non-Burmans.

When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushedfor autonomy or federalism, alongside having aweak civilian government at the centre, themilitary leadership staged a coup d’état in1962. Though ______(5)______ in the 1947Constitution, successive military governmentsconstrued the use of the term ‘federalism’ asbeing anti-national, anti-unity and pro-disintegration.

1. (a) finding (b) forming(c) framing (d) forging

2. (a) brought up (b) brought with(c) brought together (d) brought down

3. (a) selected (b) chosen(c) ethnic (d) original

4. (a) to fulfil (b) fulfilling(c) in fulfilled (d) for fulfilling

5. (a) interacted (b) incorporated(c) integrated (d) include

Test 13The reputation of India’s national air carrierfor making consecutive losses is closelymatched, and also linked, to its operationalefficiencies. The issue of whether the airlinehas a future has been frequently ____(1)___,but the question has a certain ____(2)____after the introduction and growth of privateairlines. Minister of State for Civil AviationJayant Sinha, however, believes thegovernment can still _____(3)_____ the carrier,and grow it into India’s own “great globalairline” to compete with the likes of Emiratesand Lufthansa. In an interview to thisnewspaper, Mr. Sinha added that thegovernment is working on a plan to improvethe airline’s financial position, corporategovernance, and management. But the mainproblems that _____(4)_____ Air India are_____(5)______, which is why efforts to revivethe entity are unlikely to bear fruit.

1. (a) posted (b) poised(c) praised (d) posed

2. (a) age (b) belief(c) sharp (d) edge

3. (a) survive (b) saved

(c) control (d) revive4. (a) set back (b) onset

(c) beset (d) behest5. (a) external (b) instrumental

(c) structural (d) internal

Test 14An iPhone used by Abu Dujana, said to beamong the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s commanders inKashmir, which ____(1)____ into the hands ofsecurity forces, could be a valuable source ofinformation for the National InvestigationAgency (NIA). The ____(2)_____ that the agencyis able to break into the device are, however,slim. For now, the government has sent theiPhone to the U.S., ______(3)_____ assistancefrom its federal agencies. The government’sstrategy of shipping it abroad to _____(4)_____its contents is unsustainable. But for somepolitical agreements signed after the 26/11attacks, there is no legal obligation_____(5)_____ the U.S. to provide any assistancein this matter to India, even though thecompany that manufactured the device isAmerican.

1. (a) falled (b) felled(c) fell (d) fallen

2. (a) odds (b) ebb(c) counts (d) systems

3. (a) requiring (b) asked(c) seeking (d) sought

4. (a) prosper (b) decipher(c) encrypt (d) encode

5. (a) to (b) on(c) for (d) against

Test 15Even by the standards of Latin America’srelatively ____(1)_____ politics, there seem to befew parallels in recent memory to the brutallyauthoritarian rule of Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro, who has plunged aprosperous nation into complete _____(2)______.But Mr. Maduro seems in no mood to mend hisways, even after the controversial move inMarch to nullify the popularly electedParliament _____(3)_____ strong rebuke fromregional allies as well as the internationalcommunity. Of course, few believed then thatsuch condemnation of the Supreme Court’saborted dissolution of the nation’s highestdemocratic institution would result in arethink on Mr. Maduro’s overall approach. In acoldly calculated ____(4)_____, the governmentin April disqualified Henrique Capriles, seen tobe a key contender for the 2018 presidentialelection, from holding public office for 15years. The move was _____(5)_____ of the bar onanother opposition politician by formerPresident Hugo Chávez.

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1. (a) complex (b) volatile(c) stubborn (d) unassumed

2. (a) paralysis (b) timbcktoo(c) jurisprudence (d) reparation

3. (a) drew (b) oust(c) suffocated (d) curtailed

4. (a) plan (b) move(c) rubric (d) conviction

5. (a) resonate (b) nostalgia(c) déjà vu (d) reminiscent

Test 16Nearly four months after Finance MinisterArun Jaitley promised in his Budget speech to____(1)_______ the Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board, theUnion Cabinet hasapproved its ‘phasing out’. The FIPB was setup in the early 1990s as an inter-ministerialmechanism to _____(2)______ investmentproposals from abroad. The Department ofIndustrial Policy and Promotion under theCommerce Ministry is now expected toformulate a standard operating procedure toprocess foreign direct investment applicationsin 11 sectors that are still not in the automaticFDI approval list. The department would have________(3)_____ by line ministries, which havebeen empowered to take ‘independent’decisions on investments proposed ____(4)_____their domains. The government believes thatonce the Board is history, red-tapism will_____(5)_____, ease of doing business willimprove and investors will find India moreattractive. However, the decision is little morethan a symbolic gesture.

1. (a) abrogated (b) abolish(c) rescinding (d) reveal

2. (a) scrutiny (b) vet(c) jest (d) spy

3. (a) to consult (b) to be consulted(c) consulted (d) consulting

4. (a) to (b) for(c) by (d) in

5. (a) shrink (b) shirk(c) protract (d) augment

Test 17The Centre’s move to ____(1)_____ new rules toregulate livestock markets under thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960(PCA) is either extremely poorly thought out or____(2)_____ clever for its own good. In a way,both. On the surface, the notification, whichspans eight pages, reads like a generaldocument on the regulation of the sale of allkinds of livestock bought and sold in animalmarkets, with some welcome prohibitions onthe cruelty _____(3)_____ in the transport andtreatment of animals. But parse the rules, andit is evident that cattle — a category thatincludes cows, buffaloes, bulls and camels —come under a slew of special restrictions

which, when effected, could have an extremelyserious _____(4)_____ on the meat and livestockindustry, not to mention the livelihoods and______(5)_______ choices of millions of people.

1. (a) ratify (b) justify(c) specify (d) notify

2. (a) too much (b) so much(c) as much (d) much too

3. (a) done (b) inflicted(c) assuaged (d) coerce

4. (a) result (b) affect(c) damage (d) impact

5. (a) daily (b) dairy(c) eatery (d) dietary

Test 18The use of moderation by the Central Boardof Secondary Education while finalising Class12 marks under a Delhi High Court directiveposes the immediate question of how variousState boards of education that have notadopted the practice will ______(1)______. Italso points to the long-standing challenge ofachieving comparability while _____(2)_____students for undergraduate studies fromdifferent systems. Some boards have alreadypublished the results without moderation,while others will resort to the practice,making it necessary for college authorities tomake offsets while fixing admission criteria.Another substantive concern is the pattern oftesting procedures placing high importanceon a single ______(3)_____ examination,without an assurance to all students that thesame tasks are being assessed on the samestandards. Across-the-board use of toolssuch as moderation also ______(4)_______questions on the actual scores. It isextraordinary that tests for non-quantitativesubjects such as English and PoliticalScience yield perfect scores of 100% in theCBSE examination and elsewhere, giving theimpression that the questions require to beanswered only within a limited framework______(5)_____ out in a textbook, leaving littlescope for creative responses that reflect thequality of teaching in the classroom.

1. (a) relate (b) reiterate(c) respond (d) restrict

2. (a) judging (b) marking(c) assessing (d) asking

3. (a) regular (b) external(c) ready (d) important

4. (a) rises (b) arises(c) roses (d) raises

5. (a) laid (b) lain(c) lay (d) lied

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Test 19The arrival of the monsoon along India’s shoreson May 30, with a meteorological forecast forrainfall that _____(1)______ almost match thenormal average of 89 cm, is cause for cheer. Itappears that the official forecaster, the IndiaMeteorological Department (IMD), is less_____(2)______ now about the negative impactof a late-onset El Nino phenomenon in thePacific Ocean, since it expects a favourable______(3)______ in Indian Ocean sea surfacetemperatures to act as a counter. This year’ssummer monsoon rainfall will be studiedclosely for more than one reason. The IMD isusing an improved dynamic forecasting modelthat relies on high-grade computing______(4)_______ several years of off-the-markpredictions, and its ______(5)_______ will betested. In the area of agricultural productivity,a second consecutive year of normal rainfallwill improve the prospects of higher outputfrom the 60% of farmland that is withoutirrigation facility.

1. (a) would (b) should(c) could (d) have

2. (a) apprehensive (b) trustful(c) uneasy (d) anxiety

3. (a) range (b) swing(c) outcome (d) situation

4. (a) before (b) after(c) moreover (d) although

5. (a) accuracy (d) dependency(c) activity (d) reliable

Answers:1. CBDBC 2. BDBAA 3. CDCDA 4. CCAAD5. CCDDD 6. DBDAB 7. ABBDB 8. BBBAC9. BAACC 10. ACDAA 11. BAACC 12. BCCAB13. DDDCC 14.CACBB 15. BAABD 16. BBBDA17. DDBDD 18. CCBDA 19. AABBA

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Cloze TestJune 17

Test 1There was a time in our country whenprejudice was not allowed to blatantly declare_____(1)_____. There was a time when there wassomething that was shameful about publiclystating ______(2)_____ prejudices. But in thisincreasingly angry age, prejudice has become amatter of public entertainment. Repeatedly, wehear _____(3)_____ about caste, religion, thepoor and the marginalised, in public domainsand in public conversations as if they arematters of fact and not _____(4)_____ ofprejudice.

We hear far more strident voices againstreservation, against allowing communities toeat what they want, against norms ofbehaviour of women. Such voices are gettingnormalised and have become part of our public_____(5)______.

1. (a) themself (b) themselves(c) itself (d) oneself

2. (a) one’s (b) his(c) their (d) our

3. (a) statements (b) arguments(c) documents (d) ornaments

4. (a) fractions (b) fractures(c) fissures (d) fictions

5. (a) domain (b) gossip(c) jesting (d) mockery

Test 2Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit toGermany, Spain, Russia and France bringsinto sharp focus the shared ____(1)_____ Indiaand Europe face with America’s shiftingpolicies, and the resultant ____(2)_____ on theworld stage. Mr. Modi’s first stop inGermany came a day after Chancellor AngelaMerkel’s strong comments aimed at PresidentDonald Trump, that Europe could no longer‘depend’ on traditional partners. Europe’sdisappointment with Mr. Trump at the G-7 andNATO summits was three-fold: his refusal toreaffirm NATO’s Article 5 on ‘collective defence’;his warning on the trade deficit with Europe;and his expected decision to pull America

out of commitments in the Paris Agreement onclimate change. For the past few months Indiahas faced a similar disappointment as the U.S.has ____(3)___ closer ties with China, indicating

what Mr. Modi called a loosening of the worldorder, while the U.S. has targeted Indianprofessionals and businesses to _____(4)_____American jobs. Another blow came from Mr.Trump’s comments on the Paris Accord whenhe blamed India and China _____(5)____ hecalled an unfair deal. Mr. Modi’s meetings withMs. Merkel and subsequently Spanish PrimeMinister Mariano Rajoy and French PresidentEmmanuel Macron saw those issues raisedone way or another, as they tried to explorenew ways to cooperate on multilateral issues,including terror, trade and climate change.

1. (a) dichotomy (b) oxymoron(c) dilemma (d) deal

2. (a) flux (b) alienate(c) platitude (d) caveat

3. (a) forced (b) forged(c) deprived (d) afflicted

4. (a) create (b) save(c) protect (d) foster

5. (a) for what (b) to what(c) at what (d) which

Test 3A strike by farmers in Maharashtra continuesto _____(1)_____ normal life, despite the Stategovernment’s announcement of an end to thestrike last week. The farmers, whose demandsinclude full _____(2)______ of farm loans, hikesin the minimum support price for agriculturalproduce and writing ____(3)____ of pendingelectricity bills, have been on an indefinitestrike since June 1. As the strike nears the endof its first week, prices of essential goods suchas milk, fruits and vegetables have_____(4)_____ steeply, causing distress toconsumers. Some farmer groups agreed to calloff their strike after Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis promised that his government wouldwaive farm loans of small and marginalfarmers worth about Rs. 30,000 crore, increasepower subsidies, hike the price for milkprocurement, and also set up a Statecommission to _____(5)_____ the matter ofraising the MSP for crops.

1. (a) affect (b) effect(c) impact (d) perfect

2. (a) weaver (b) waver(c) waiver (d) weaving

3. (a) off (b) on(c) with (d) to

4. (a) risen (b) raised(c) arose (d) increase

5. (a) look up (b) look into(c) look down (d) look for

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Test 4The Indian Space Research Organisation hascrossed a significant milestone withthe successful developmental flight of thecountry’s heaviest Geosynchronous SatelliteLaunch Vehicle, the GSLV Mark-III. This is thefirst time a satellite weighing _____(1)______ 3.1tonnes has been launched from India to reachthe geostationary ____(2)_____ about 36,000km from Earth. The Mk-III can launchsatellites weighing up to four tonnes, whichalmost doubles India’s ______(3)_____ launchcapacity. With communication satellitesbecoming heavier (up to six tonnes), thecapability for larger ______(4)_____ is vital. Thiscan be done by switching over to electricpropulsion for orbit rising and to keep thesatellite in the right position and orientation inthe orbit _____(5)____ its lifetime (that is,station keeping).

1. (a) beyond (b) over(c) of (d) with

2. (a) ambit (b) orbit(c) radius (d) circle

3. (a) new (b) current(c) latest (d) developed

4. (a) payloads (b) workloads(c) weightage (d) heavy

5. (a) in (b) through(c) for (d) by

Test 5India’s wait to join the elite club of countriesundertaking neutrino research ____(1)____ aprocedural delay in March this year when theNational Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended theenvironmental clearance (EC) granted to theIndia-based Neutrino Observatory (INO), andordered it to file a ____(2)____ application forclearance.The ____(3)_____ INO project primarily aims tostudy atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300-mdeep cavern in the Bodi West Hills in Thenidistrict, Tamil Nadu. If completed, the INOwould house the largest magnet in the world,four times more massive than the EuropeanOrganization for Nuclear Research, CERN’sCompact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector’smagnet. Neutrinos are tiny particles, almost_____(4)______, that travel at near light speeds.Born from violent astrophysical events such as_____(5)____ stars and gamma ray bursts, theyare abundant in the universe, and can move aseasily through matter as we move through air.

1. (a) gathered (b) reprimanded(c) suffered (d) receive

2. (a) renew (b) innovative(c) fresh (d) onset

3. (a) proposed (b) proposal(c) proposing (d) purposed

4. (a) light (b) massless(c) weightless (d) heavy

5. (a) explosive (b) exploding(c) colluding (d) exploiting

Test 6The phrase “Where you stand depends onwhere you sit”, also called ‘Miles’s Law’, was____(1)___ by Rufus Miles, an Americanbureaucrat who served as Assistant Secretaryto three U.S. Presidents (Eisenhower, Kennedyand Johnson), essentially to describe_____(2)____ policy changes according to one’slocation and the company one _____(3)______.As India takes its place as a full member of theShanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) inAstana, many are ______(4)_____ just ‘where’Indian foreign policy stands on the basis ofwhere Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sitting,along with Russia, China, Central Asian statesand Pakistan (which is also being admitted thisyear).An SCO membership has many obviousadvantages: being a part of a major securitycoalition in Asia, with easy access to theenergy-rich ‘stans’, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It is an importantforum on counter-terrorism ______(5)_____,connectivity, and on resolving the situation inAfghanistan.

1. (a) stated (b) coined(c) expressed (d) delivered

2. (a) how to (b) how far(c) how dare (d) how one’s

3. (a) keeps (b) have(c) plans (d) forms

4. (a) wondered (b) wondering(c) wandered (d) wandered

5. (a) fight (b) cooperation(c) help (d) initiative

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Test 7Seven years of rollercoaster negotiations over anIndia-Japan civil nuclear energy deal came to____(1)_____ on Wednesday when Japan’sParliament, the Diet, approved the pact.Opposition parties voiced ____(2)____ against thedeal, highlighting concerns that India hasprovided insufficient guarantees for Japan’s rightto _____(3)_____ the agreement in the event ofNew Delhi conducting a nuclear test.Nonetheless, the ruling coalition pushed the______(4)______ through with a majority vote. Theagreement is set to take _____(5)____ in earlyJuly.

1. (a) copious (b) curtail(c) fruition (d) fissure

2. (a) agitate (b) protest(c) approval (d) concerning

3. (a) germinate (b) incriminate(c) authenticate (d) terminate

4. (a) accord (b) discord(c) concord (d) record

5. (a) place (b) up(c) off (d) effect

Test 8India lost its tag as the ‘world’s fastest-growingeconomy’ last month as its fourth quarter GDPgrowth fell to 6.1%, the slowest in two years.Very few economists _____(1)____ theslowdown. In fact, most _____(2)____ for theeconomy to _____(3)_____ as it quickly______(4)_____ from the impact of thedemonetisation of high-value rupee notes inNovember. Critics of demonetisation felt_____(5)______, particularly after GDP figuresfor the third quarter suggested that theshocking, overnight move to demonetise hadvery little negative impact.

1. (a) expected (b) accepted(c) predicted (d) analyzed

2. (a) waited (b) awaited(c) wanted (d) worked

3. (a) refine (b) confine(c) rebound (d) refresh

4. (a) headed (b) recover(c) healed (d) acted

5. (a) innocent (b) vindicated(c) vindictive (d) harmless

Test 9Agricultural distress is often viewed as a short-term phenomenon in which farmers look____(1)____ support from various quarters onaccount of being unable to get a gainful returndue to price _____(2)_____, poor marketingfacilities, rising credit burden, increasing cost

of inputs and frequent _____(3)______ of naturalcalamities. A prolonged unrest in rural India —such as the decision of Andhra Pradeshfarmers not to _____(4)_____ in the 2011 kharifseason and ____(5)_____ a ‘crop holiday’ protest— will have serious consequences for foodsecurity.

1. (a) to (b) for(c) into (d) up

2. (a) cash (b) crash(c) crisis (d) delay

3. (a) happen (b) occurrence(c) take place (d) coming

4. (a) sow (b) reap(c) harvest (d) yield

5. (a) mark (b) check(c) did (d) find

Test 10U.S.-based Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO)’s detectorshave picked up signals of yet _____(1)_____merger of two black holes that are three billionlight years away ____(2)_____ have massesequal to 31 and 19 times the mass of the sun.

With this discovery _____(3)______ not only a____(4)_____ among black holes but alsopossibilities of gravitational wave astronomy,detection of new heavenly bodies and gaining abetter understanding of that most ____(5)____of theories — Einstein’s general theory ofrelativity, and the fundamental force ofgravitation.

1. (a) another (b) other(c) one another (d) others

2. (a) and (b) but(c) or (d) whether

3. (a) arises (b) emerges(c) evolves (d) identifies

4. (a) sense (b) trace(c) track (d) pattern

5. (a) enigma (b) ennui(c) elusive (d) famous

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Test 11Permanent laws cannot be made in response totransient trends, especially to create a powerthat is open to abuse. The ElectionCommission of India’s proposal to the LawMinistry that it be ____(1)_____ with the powerto punish for contempt is an _____(2)_____ andpoorly thought-out response to some stridentaccusations of partisan functioning, mainlyfrom political parties that had lost in theelectoral arena. With democratic practices_____(3)_____ over time, even the power topunish for contempt _____(4)_____ in thejudiciary has come under question, with manywondering whether this relic of a bygone ageshould be retained. Even superior courts,empowered to act under the Contempt ofCourts Act, 1971, are often advised to use itonly ______(5)______.

1. (a) given (b) dealt(c) armed (d) allowed

2. (a) justified (b) unwarranted(c) unscrupulous (d) disinterested

3. (a) running (b) evolving(c) develop (d) flux

4. (a) rested (b) vested(c) given (d) provided

5. (a) usually (b) rare(c) sparingly (d) dearly

Test 12In a welcome move this week, India has____(1)____ two key global conventions meantto keep children away from work, decadessince they were originally ____(2)____ by theInternational Labour Organisation.Nonetheless, the scepticism ___(3)___ by theChild Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)Amendment Act, 2016 over the government’scommitment towards complete ____(4)____ ofchild labour will persist. The ILO treaties areabout the minimum age at which a person maybegin work and the hazardous industrieswhere she may ____(5)____. Crucially,conventions 138 and 182 of the United Nations

body leave it to the member-states todetermine what constitutes acceptable orunacceptable work for children at differentages.

1. (a) identified (b) qualified(c) justified (d) ratified

2. (a) adopted (b) adapted(c) proposed (d) generated

3. (a) compelled (b) create(c) aroused (d) raised

4. (a) execution (b) finishing(c) abolition (d) abolish

5. (a) not (b) be(c) so (d) ask

Test 13

Summer is one of the toughest periods of theyear for anyone graduating from school. Thismeans we are talking about almost one crorestudents who gave their class XII exam. Withan enrolment ratio of around 24.3%, we arelooking at almost 30 lakh students desperately_____(1)_____ to obtain good scores in their XIIboard exams or sitting for entranceexaminations for various higher educationinstitutions. If their scores are not good, theircareers will be _____(2)_____ to be dead.

Thirty lakh students! This is an astoundingfigure for the Darwinian struggle they knowthey will be getting ____(3)____. Why? Becausethe higher education system in India is abinary phenomenon. You either haveintellectually elite colleges, a handful of them,or a vast majority of _____(4)____ ones whichhave lost their ability to even signal the qualityof their students — one of the most basicpurposes for an educational institution to_____(5)_____. The trajectory to professionalsuccess then crucially hinges on your ability tosecure a seat in one of the good colleges.

1. (a) try (b) tried(c) trying (d) are trying

2. (a) planned (b) predicted(c) perceived (d) perplexed

3. (a) with (b) into(c) for (d) done

4. (a) mediocre (b) genuine(c) pedigree (d) oxymoron

5. (a) flourish (b) thriving(c) exist (d) fail

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Test 14Quantum mechanics (QM) is the dark arts ofphysics. Though physics — in the Newtonianmould — tells us how every object willprecisely ____(1)____ when pushed and hurled,QM deals with the invisible world of subatomicparticles, _____(2)______ counter-intuitive rulesapply.

QM inhabitants such as electrons and photonslive in zombie-like ‘undead’ states. The very actof observing them makes them _____(3)_____tricksters. Though not always understandable,science knows, in bits and pieces, how theycan be manipulated for _____(4)_____ thatbenefit the visible world such as makingintegrated circuit chips and fibre-optic lines forglobal, instantaneous ______(5)______.

1. (a) unleash (b) behave(c) insist (d) emphasize

2. (a) when (b) where(c) that (d) which

3. (a) interesting (b) ordinary(c) beguiling (d) intriguing

4. (a) purposes (b) proposal(c) leader (d) understanding

5. (a) safety (b) security(c) privacy (d) communication

Test 15Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on themost hazardous journey of his political-diplomatic life towards the end of June for his_____(1)____ _____(2)_____ with U.S. PresidentDonald Trump. Not only is Mr. Modi’s greatestachievement, the new heights India-U.S.relations had _____(3)_____ in 2016, in jeopardybut also the White House itself is in____(4)_____ with former FBI director JamesComey’s testimony ______(5)_____ the SenateIntelligence Committee and the Senate’sinvitation to Mr. Trump to testify. The resultsof Mr. Modi’s visit could be as unpredictable asthe personality of Mr. Trump, regardless of thecharm offensive that the Prime Minister iscapable of.

1. (a) initial (b) maiden(c) mere (d) debut

2. (a) meet (b) encounter(c) counterpart (d) tactics

3. (a) sealed (b) scaled(c) dealed (d) delayed

4. (a) fallacy (b) blight(c) plight (d) turmoil

5. (a) to (b) before(c) after (d) for

Test 16The question of whether India should allowcommercial production of GM crops has beenone of the more enduring public policy debatesover the last decade-and-a-half. After the_____(1)_____ of Bt cotton in 2002, the attemptto bring Bt Brinjal into commercial productionfaced serious _____(2)____ in 2010. After theGEAC approved Bt brinjal for commercialproduction, the then Environment Minister,Jairam Ramesh, placed a _____(3)______ afterundertaking extensive public consultation.____(4)____ of GM crops, including Noblelaureates, insist that opposition to GM crops isdriven by irrational fears of harm to humanhealth and having an environmental impactand accuse opposing environmental groups ofmisrepresenting facts. Such arguments,however, are unlikely to ____(5)____ theopponents of GM crops.

1. (a) preservation (b) persuasion(c) approval (d) denial

2. (a) resemblance (b) damage(c) demand (d) resistance

3. (a) auditorium (b) moratorium(c) uphold (d) bet

4. (a) components (b) ingredients(c) proponents (d) representatives

5. (a) consider (b) conceal(c) concourse (d) convince

Test 17A ghastly fissure ripped through Indian cricketas Anil Kumble quit as the national team’shead coach on Tuesday. Kumble’s exit hadseemed ______(1)______ _____(2)______ theBoard of Control for Cricket in India called forfresh applications for the post of head coachjust as the Men in Blue flew to England for thenow-concluded ICC Champions Trophy. Untilthat moment on May 25, skipper Kohli andcoach Kumble had seemed to be a perfectmatch. The duo oversaw five Test seriesvictories against opponents as diverse as theWest Indies and Australia, besides winningone-day internationals and Twenty20s. Thelone _____(3)______ was the loss to Pakistan inthe Champions Trophy final this Sunday.

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Speculation that something was ____(4)___ gotstronger when leaks surfaced about the allegedrift between Kohli and Kumble, a rumour thatwas initially denied by the captain but hasbecome a fact following the coach’s farewellstatement, in which he wrote: “It was apparentthat the partnership was untenable.”

1. (a) acceptable (b) possible(c) inevitable (d) plausible

2. (a) after (b) with(c) for (d) once

3. (a) blip (b) fillip(c) pedigree (d) mediocre

4. (a) amiss (b) amass(c) remiss (d) recant

5. (a) rumour (b) message(c) talk (d) argument

Test 18Armed with the powers, a little over a monthago, to get lenders and defaulting borrowers tosit down and address the messy task ofcleaning up toxic bad debts, the Reserve Bankof India (RBI) has decided to ______(1)______ thewhip. The central bank’s decision to act on theadvice of its Internal Advisory Committee anddirect lenders to initiate insolvency______(2)_____ against 12 corporate borrowers— each owing in excess of Rs. 5,000 crore —has come not a day too soon. With gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at about 7 lakhcrore, a regulatory intervention was imperativenot only to safeguard the health of the bankingsystem but also to ____(3)____ any widerimpact on the economy. RBI Governor UrjitPatel _____(4)____ the importance of tacklingthe bad loans problem as recently as____(5)____ the June 6-7 meeting of theMonetary Policy Committee when he said: “Thequiescent investment cycle remains a keymacroeconomic concern. It is, therefore,imperative to ensure resolution of stressedassets of banks and timely recapitalisation [ofpublic sector lenders].”

1. (a) crack (b) break(c) track (d) cracking

2. (a) proceeds (b) proceedings(c) preceding (d) meddling

3. (a) cast off (b) ward off(c) break off (d) back off

4. (a) underpinned (b) underscored(c) underlined (d) undergone

5. (a) in (b) during(c) for (d) while

Test 19The tragic death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American student who wasimprisoned and later released while in a stateof coma by North Korea, is a huge setback tohopes for dialling ____(1)____ tensions betweenWashington and Pyongyang. The Korean crisishas _____(2)______ since President DonaldTrump took office early this year. North Koreatest-fired a number of missiles in _____(3)_____of international pressure, while the UnitedStates issued repeated warnings. Mr. Trumphad put pressure on Beijing to ____(4)____Pyongyang in, and even ____(5)____ it for itsefforts. But the pressure does not seem to beworking, with North Korea continuing with itsnuclear missile programme.

1. (a) up (b) against(c) for (d) down

2. (a) worsen (b) worsened(c) been worsening (d) been worsen

3. (a) calibrating (b) purporting(c) defiance (d) Ensued

4. (a) vet (b) rein(c) ramshackle (d) drain

5. (a) criticized (b) denounced(c) complemented (d) praised

Test 20The Centre would like us to believe thatthe Smart Cities Mission will transform urbanlife in the agglomerations that _____(1)_______the elite club. With the latest inclusions, thereare 90 cities in the list, each of which____(2)_____ to turn ‘smart’, utilising corefunding from the Centre and other resources.____(3)_____ accounts, the provision of basicservices in urban India has been worsening,and this is clearly reflected in the winning cityproposals: 81 of the selected plans seek fundsfor affordable housing, new schools andhospitals, and redesign of roads. This is at besta ____(4)_____ list, and there are many moreaspects to achieving inclusivity. There is ahigh-visibility campaign around the SmartCities Mission, but there is little evidence tosuggest that State and local governments haveeither the fine-grained data or the capability toanalyse them in order to understand the______(5)_____ needs of their communities.

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1. (a) enter (b) called(c) allow (d) own

2. (a) promises (b) proposes(c) ready (d) permits

3. (a) By all (b) To all(c) From all (d) For all

4. (a) practical (b) partial(c) protected (d) preventive

5. (a) involving (b) evolving(c) solving (d) necessity

Test 21Sixteen years in the ____(1)____, India is finallyset to roll out the Goods and Services Tax(GST) from July 1. Prime Minister NarendraModi will inaugurate the new indirect tax atthe _______(2)______ of midnight in Parliament,taking a ______(3)_____ out of JawaharlalNehru’s book. “A moment comes, which comesbut rarely in history, when we step out fromthe old to new,” Nehru had said while ringingin India’s independence. The two events areobviously not comparable — nonetheless, theGST’s introduction could have been a raretransition, but is not.

The GST, _______(4)_______ on everything frommatchboxes to gold, will touch everyone. Amodern tax system should be fair,uncomplicated, transparent and easy toadminister. It must yield revenues sufficient tocover the cost of government services andpublic goods. India’s GST does not pass thesetests _______(5)_______. It is too complex. Wemust collect it at fewer and lower rates, and onmore items.

1. (a) running (b) waiting(c) testing (d) making

2. (a) stake (b) moment(c) start (d) stroke

3. (a) page (b) leaf(c) paper (d) lesson

4. (a) to collect (b) to be collected(c) having collected (d) to have collected

5. (a) carefully (b) convincingly(c) directly (d) honestly

Test 22Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s firstmeeting with President Donald Trump, concernhad grown about the future course of thebilateral relationship, particularly whether Mr.Trump would maintain his predecessors’commitment to its _______(1)_____. Theseworries rested on Mr. Trump’s rewriting theequation with Europe, reversing the Americanstand on China and in West Asia. They werealso ____(2)_____ by his harsh words on tradetariffs, immigrants and climate change, anissue on which he specifically targeted India.Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump have put many fearsto _____(3)____, their meeting marked bypersonal bonhomie. This was reflected in Mr.Modi’s attempt to engage Mr. Trump’s family,______(4)_____ to be an important power centrein the White House. He invited his daughterIvanka Trump to an entrepreneurship summitin India. Her husband Jared Kushner was a_____(5)_____ of the delegation-level talks.

1. (a) strength (b) strengthening(c) promise (d) criteria

2. (a) fuelled (b) criticised(c) supported (d) practised

3. (a) come (b) go(c) rest (d) arise

4. (a) thinking (b) feeling(c) perceived (d) contemplated

5. (a) part (b) player(c) matter (d) hero

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Test 23The _____(1)_____ arm of the EuropeanCommission has once again struck thetechnology world with the imposition ofa €2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) fine on Google forthe company’s _____(2)_____ of its marketposition. The Commission found that Googleabused its dominance in the Internet searchmarket to give itself an ____(3)____ advantagein another market — comparison shoppingservices. Google’s comparison shopping servicedisadvantaged competitors by ____(4)_____them lower in its search results, systematicallygiving Google’s own services higher placementand greater visibility, leading to more____(5)____.

1. (a) short (b) long(c) tight (d) big

2. (a) misuse (b) power(c) abuse (d) activity

3. (a) due (b) valid(c) unfair (d) clear

4. (a) deleting (b) choosing(c) catering (d) placing

5. (a) action (b) coverage(c) visibility (d) clicks

Test 24With the Union Cabinet’s ‘in-principle’ approval for the sale of Air India andfive of its subsidiaries, a long-standing demandon the reform checklist has been ____(1)____.The rationale for the government to ____(2)____in huge sums of money to keep the loss-making airline afloat was _____(3)_____ by theyear. Today, such life support, as FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley recently noted, was beinggiven when competing private airlines already_____(4)______ to well over 85% of the air traveldemand in the country. Government moneythat keeps Air India from going ______(5)______would be much better used to fund importantsocial and infrastructure programmes that arestarved of precious capital each year.

1. (a) passed (b) approved(c) ticked (d) solved

2. (a) delve (b) shovel(c) grovel (d) revel

3. (a) weakening (b) weakened(c) aggravating (d) aggravated

4. (a) lead (b) air(c) fit (d) cater

5. (a) digital (b) cashless(c) bankrupt (d) places

Answers:1. CAADB 2. CABCA 3. ACAAB 4. BBBAB5. CCABB 6. BDABB 7. CBDAD 8. AACCB9. BBBAA 10. AABDC 11. CBBBC 12. DACCA13. CCBAC 14. BBCAD 15. BBBDB16. CDBCD 17. CDAAA 18. ABBBB19. DBCBD 20. ABABB 21. DDBBB22. BACCA 23. BCCDD 24. CBADC

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9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur of 54



Cloze TestJuly 17

Test 1In a ____(1)____ reform, India today switches toa new indirect tax system, the Goods andServices Tax. The GST _____(2)____ the multipleCentral, State and local taxes and cesses leviedon goods and services, _____(3)_____ thecountry into a single market, thereby making iteasier to do business and ensure taxcompliance. This will attract investors andmore efficiently ____(4)_____ up revenues forthe exchequer. The reform has been years inthe making, and _____(5)____ shown thepolitical will to finally pull it off, the Centralgovernment must work with the States to charta road map to simplify the tax regime.

1. (a) landmark (b) milestone(c) giant (d) enormous

2. (a) subsumes (b) presumes(c) assumes (d) consumes

3. (a) certifying (b) indentifying(c) pacifying (d) unifying

4. (a) clean (b) wrap(c) mop (d) make

5. (a) been (b) have(c) being (d) having

Test 2How will future climate change affect the poorand how does one address both poverty andclimate change? This is a ____(1)_____ faced bypolicymakers in India and other developingcountries. Moreover, ‘climate-proofing’sustainable development efforts is important;that is to say, current efforts should ____(2)____relevant in the face of future climate impacts.

Among development practitioners, a paradigmshift has taken place in the last three decadesor _____(3)____: income alone is no longerconsidered as being sufficient to estimate and_____(4)_____ poverty. One can have assets anda reasonable income and yet be poor in termsof education, nutrition, health and other livingconditions. Nevertheless, in India and manyother countries, governments _____(5)____ touse income or consumption to estimatepoverty, with specified thresholds associatedwith the ‘poverty line’.

1. (a) fervour (b) candour(c) peccadillo (d) conundrum

2. (a) be (b) stayed(c) remain (d) hide

3. (a) no (b) from(c) so (d) to

4. (a) address (b) amount(c) assess (d) assimilate

5. (a) ready (b) poised(c) continue (d) start

Test 3Since Independence, between 25 and 60million people have been displaced from theirhomes and uprooted for India’s developmentprojects. Most end up living in _____(1)_____poverty and ______(2)_______. That we do noteven know the exact numbers of those affected— in a country that prizes bureaucratic recordkeeping — is a clear indication of the callous______(3)_____ we have for these lives.

Disregarding years of sustained non-violentprotest and an iconic mass movement thatdrew national and global attention, theNarmada Control Authority decided on June17, 2017 _______(4)______ the height of theSardar Sarovar dam to its full height, byordering the closure of 30 gates. It wasannounced in time with the arrival of themonsoon. Once the dam is at its full height, itwill _____(5)_____ one town and at least 176villages, displace close to 20,000 families, floodproductive agricultural land, and destroyhundreds of acres of biodiverse forest.

1. (a) asylum (b) abysmal(c) nuance (d) burgeoned

2. (a) entrenched (b) uprooted(c) protracted (d) subjugated

3. (a) attitude (b) ignore(c) disregard (d) concern

4. (a) to raise (b) to rise(c) in raising (d) for rising

5. (a) help (b) submerge(c) reach (d)ruminate

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Test 4China opened itself to foreign investors onMonday by liberalising rules that regulate_____(1)_____ in its massive bond market. Thenew Bond Connect scheme, which was______(2)_____ awaited for months, allows largeforeign investors such as banks and pensionfunds to buy and sell mainland Chinese bondsthrough _______(3)______ accounts in HongKong. China’s bond market, the third largest inthe world, _______(4)_______ to be over $9trillion in value and is expected to double insize over the next five years. Yet foreigninvestors own less than 2% of the overall bondmarket, ______(5)_____ to China’s policy ofraising significant barriers to the free entry andexit of capital. Further, its central bank, thePeople’s Bank of China, of late has beentightening monetary policy to squeeze outliquidity, which has, in turn, led bond yields inChina to be higher than in many developedeconomies.

1. (a) participation (b) implementation(c) entrance (d) eligibility

2. (a) keenly (b) really(c) broadly (d) certainly

3. (a) aboard (b) offshore(c) big (d) different

4. (a) expects (b) estimates(c) is estimated (d) is expected

5. (a) because (b) reason(c) thanks (d) rest

Test 5Democratic Centralism ___(1)____ popularparticipation in formulating the plan at theenterprise level. — World Bank Romaniacountry report, 1979The World Bank’s ‘World Development Report2017’ is a remarkable document. Remarkable,because it does not seem that the World Bankauthored this document titled “Governanceand the Law.” When the report ____(2)____Michel Foucault, that incandescent Frenchthinker, who showed us how supposedly freeand rational institutions of modernity areindissolubly linked with power and socialcontrol, it is time to _____(3)______ and notice.This is not an accident for the _____(4)_____focus of the report is politics and power indevelopment policy, and the _____(5)______ is tomove politics and power “from the margins tothe core of development thinking and action”and to “development practice… health andeducation… transportation and food…” (p.271).

1. (a) curtails (b) entails(c) include (d) exclude

2. (a) asks (b) reminds(c) cites (d) finds

3. (a) set up (b)sit up(c) take (d) wake

4. (a) careful (b) critical(c) central (d) cohesive

5. (a) vigour (b) valour(c) endeavour (d) fatuous

Test 6Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, hasbeen ____(1)____ along comfortably with recordlow inflation for a decade and healthy foreigndirect investment to sustain the path ofrecovery from a recent recession. But the “LavaJato” anti-corruption movement that_____(2)_____ it three years back seems to be along way from delivering on the promise ofdemocratic and transparent governance.Inquiries into public fraud by politicians andcaptains of business have brought_____(3)_____ tumbling out of the cupboard.When Dilma Rousseff, then President, was_____(4)_____ last year, it had appeared thatthe worst was over. But now the _____(5)______President, Michel Temer, has been indicted byBrazil’s top prosecutor.

1. (a) boasting (b) boosting(c) coasting (d) going

2. (a) defeated (b) won(c) cracked (d) created

3. (a) files (b) issues(c) skeletons (d) people

4. (a) preached (b) impeached(c) found (d) deported

5. (a) jettisoned (b) incumbent(c) vicarious (d) incorporating

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Test 7Cities in India are governed by multipleorganisations and authorities which have theirown jurisdictions; thus Indian cities arecharacterised by multiple boundaries. The_______(1)_______ authorities in a city includeurban local bodies (ULB) with the primaryfunctions of service delivery, planning forsocio-economic development and regulation ofdevelopment. This results ______(2)______ theirsubdivision into different wards. Large citiesalso have development authorities, urbandevelopment authorities or improvement trustsresponsible for planning and development thatdivide cities into various planning zones. Linedepartments, that is sector-specificorganisations, deal with the _____(3)_____ ofservices in their respective sectors — the watersupply agency has its own supply zones.Sewage ______(4)______ is also done based onvarious zones. The organisations responsiblefor safety and security _____(5)_____ anotherset of zones. None of these zones iscoterminus, generating a ‘maze of boundaries’.Since planning aims at achieving a sharedvision, the different spatial entities of the cityformed by non-coterminus boundaries detereffective planning and good governance. This isexemplified in the case of Delhi, for example.

1. (a) best (b) new(c) existing (d) governing

2. (a) to (b) in(c) against (d) of

3. (a) problem (b) provision(c) situation (d) status

4. (a) clear (b) action(c) disposal (d) plant

5. (a) alienate (b) delineate(c) alleviate (d) palliate

Test 8The failure in Geneva last week of a round oftalks on the reunification of Cyprus is by allmeasures a huge diplomatic setback. This isnot the first time the United Nations-backeddialogue between the breakaway Turkish-Cypriot state in the north and the Greek-Cypriot Republic of Cyprus has been____(1)____. Even so, the current ____(2)_____ isdisappointing as the prospects for a final dealhad been _____(3)_____ on the two interlocutors— Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades andMustafa Akinci, his counterpart in NorthernCyprus. Both represent a generation thatregards the status quo as an everydayreminder of the memories of _____(4)_____ ofthe island, whose combined population is justabout one and a half million. The split tookplace in 1974 when Turkey invaded the

north after an Athens-backed coup in Cyprusaimed at ____(5)____ the island. Among themain challenges the two leaders face is thedemand for restitution of the property rights ofthe Greek-Cypriots who had fled the north inthe 1970s. The establishment of aninstitutional framework to secure the interestsof both ethnic groups is another.

1. (a) identified (b) summoned(c) deadlocked (d) deliberated

2. (a) stalemate (b) alternate(c) checkmate (d) decimate

3. (a) pinned (b) leaned(c) found (d) depend

4. (a) sale (b) prosperity(c) partition (d) liberation

5. (a) vexing (b) annexing(c) perplexing (d) creating

Test 9The gathering in Hamburg of the G20, a groupof twenty developed and developing countries,last week was not unlike a large family event:some _____(1)____ up, some patching up, andthat unpredictable, rich uncle who needs to bemanaged and kept in good humour. Thesuccess of summits such as this should bejudged _____(2)_____ to the emerging globalcontext: with the world’s most powerfulcountry, the United States led by a Presidentwho wants to redefine the world order innarrow transactional terms; with economieschanging due to digitisation and _____(3)___;with the strength of a country’s electoralprocess increasingly ____(4)______ to itscybersecurity; with migration on anunprecedented scale; and with terrorismdecentralised and ______(5)____. The G20meetings in Germany reflected all this, eitherthrough the dynamics between leaders or inthe wording of official statements that emergedfrom them.

1. (a) catching (b) growing(c) meeting (d) mixing

2. (a) for (a) against(c) with regard (d) with concern

3. (a) climate (b) automation(c) industrialization (d) border conflicts

4. (a) tied (d) rooted(c) asked (d) understood

5. (a) diverged (b) dispersed(c) intimidating (d) targeted

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Test 10Bond markets around the globe showed signsof ___(1)___ last week, with major central bankshinting at a possible end to years of ultra-loosemonetary policy. The ____(2)___ on Germangovernment bonds reached their highest levelin 18 months, while that on the 10-year U.S.Treasury bonds reached its highest level ineight weeks. Results of the auction of 30-yearFrench government bonds were the immediatetrigger behind the _____(3)_____ as it pointed toa drop in excess demand; the bid-to-cover ratiodropped to 1.5 from 1.93 in January. Notably,the ____(4)_____ of the European CentralBank’s June meeting indicated that the bankmight walk back on its commitment to expandits €60 billion bond purchase programme. TheU.S. Federal Reserve has already hiked ratesthis year, and warned ____(5)_____ the risksposed by low rates. The Bank of England andthe Bank of Canada have shown signs ofhawkishness. Bearish comments frominvestors that the yield on the 10-year U.S.Treasury bonds might head towards 3% didnot help matters either. The Bank of Japanhas been the sole exception, promising topurchase unlimited amounts of governmentbonds at low rates.

1. (a) strength (b) weakness(c) deteriorate (d) prosperity

2. (a) prospect (b) yield(c) encomium (d) riposte

3. (a) route (b) root(c) rout (d) roulette

4. (a) finding (b) minutes(c) research (d) development

5. (a) of (b) off(c) from (d) to

Test 11Air India’s disinvestment, first attempted bythe Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, is beingrevived. The sale bid the last time was a flop,_____(1)_____ prematurely after all the bidderswere either disqualified or dropped out. Themany factors that were and may still be atwork against the sale are not widelyunderstood. Unless overcome, they may again_____(2)______ the sale.

In May 2000, bids were invited for a 40% stakein Air India, with a cap of 26% on foreigninvestment. The airline had reported losses forsix straight years, had $70 million debt on its______(3)____ and was fast losing traffic. Morethan 18,000 workers were on ____(4)_____ rollsfor a fleet of just about two dozen planes. Itsemployee-aircraft ratio, 750, was among the_____(5)_____. Singapore Airlines, in contrast,had 91 employees per aircraft. Inefficiency,typical in a government-controlled set up, was

bleeding Air India. Yet, the quantum of stakeon offer made it clear that the governmentintended to retain a crucial stake, appoint itsown directors and continue to have a say inrunning the business.

1. (a) deleted (b)shelved(c) cancel (d) considered

2. (a) encumber (b) endanger(c) engender (d) excruciate

3. (a) paper (b) books(c) sheet (d) pages

4. (a) to (b) for(c) its (d) with

5. (a) best (b) worst(c) plans (d) hits

Test 12The latest Consumer Price Index data showheadline retail inflation has decelerated to arecord low of 1.54% in June. That the readinghas ____(1)____ below the 2% lower bound ofthe Reserve Bank of India’s medium-termtarget for CPI inflation has understandably ledto calls for the RBI to _____(2)____ economicgrowth by cutting interest rates. Economists,including Chief Economic Adviser ArvindSubramanian, have openly _____(3)______ theassumptions made by the majority of themembers of the RBI’s Monetary PolicyCommittee with regard to prices and have_____(4)______ a reboot of the policy_____(5)_____. Core inflation, which strips outthe relatively volatile food and fuel prices, hasalso trended lower and eased below 4% for thefirst time in at least five years.

1. (a) glid (b) slid(c) gelid (d) solid

2. (a) control (b) support(c) attract (d) insist

3. (a) professed (b) supported(c) questioned (d) target

4. (a) determined (b) cancelled(c) co-ordinated (d) urged

5. (a) rationale (d) software(c) ration (d) mentality

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Test 13The dramatic but inevitable calving of atrillion-ton iceberg from the Larsen C Ice Shelfin Antarctica _____(1)______ the question, did awarming atmosphere have a significant impacton the ____(2)_____? Scientists from ProjectMIDAS, a U.K.-based Antarctic researchproject that has been looking at the ice_____(3)____ for many years, have said theformation of icebergs is natural, and no link tohuman-induced climate change was availablein this case. Yet, the impact of such a loss onthe stability of the ice shelf itself may not bebenign. Should it _____(4)_____, glaciersnormally feeding into the floating shelf mayhave nothing to restrain them, and could thencontribute to sea level rise, possibly at a slowrate. Such fears are based on the ____(5)____data on the thinning of the Larsen Ice Shelf.Researchers said in 2003 that AntarcticPeninsula ice shelves retreated each year since1980 by about 300 sq.km. This erosion hasbeen interspersed by two previous collapses ofsmaller ice shelves, Larsen A in 1995 andLarsen B in 2002, the latter providing strongevidence of subsequent accelerated glacier flowinto the sea.

1. (a) raises (b) poses(c) created (d) forwarded

2. (a) environment (b) ice(c) process (d) tender

3. (a) shelve (b) shelf(c) land (d) pattern

4. (a) be melted (b) disintegrate(c) wait (d) not

5. (a) intense (b) appropriate(c) unambiguous (d) paradox

Test 14When Prime Minister Narendra Modi broughtup the issue of food wastage on his ‘Mann KiBaat’ programme about two months ago, he_____(1)_____ a valid point when he askedpeople not to waste food. Though he raised anextremely critical issue of national importance,he could also have used the occasion topropose some government-led mechanism to_____(2)_____ it.

He was right to an extent when he _____(3)____food wastage to people’s behaviour. However,there are wastages which happen in any casedue to food’s perishability and the absence ofan effective _____(4)______ mechanism and legalframework. Looking at the _____(5)______ ofproblems, it is wise to frame a comprehensivestrategy by combining the efforts of thegovernment and private sectors and civilsociety.

1. (a) gathered (b) blustered(c) pointed (d) endorsed

2. (a) correct (b) find(c) finish (d) handle

3. (a) blamed (b) framed(c) linked (d) toppled

4. (a) innovative (b) attractive(c) distribution (d) manipulation

5. (a) scale (b) elevate(c) rate (d) intent

Test 15Wimbledon’s greatest illusion is the sense oftimelessness it ____(1)_____. Over the pastfortnight on its hallowed lawns, one of its finestchampions managed to pull off a similar_____(2)_______. At 35 years and 342 days,Roger Federer became the oldest man to winthe singles title in the Open Era — a full 14years after he first claimed the title as ascruffy, ponytailed upstart. Sunday’s triumphcontinued a dominant, magical 2017 for the_____(3)_____, something no one saw coming.When he limped off Centre Court with a kneeinjury last year, beaten in the semi-finals byMilos Raonic, the future had looked bleak. Buttwo far-sighted decisions have proven life-______(4)_____. Federer opted to take sixmonths off to undergo surgery and regain hishealth. Then, after winning the AustralianOpen, he _____(5)______ Roland-Garros, achoice someone who lives for the Majorsdoesn’t make lightly. He reasoned that hisbody needed to be spared the exertions of agrinding clay-court season so he could arrivein London ready for an uncompromising tilt ata record eighth title.

1. (a) invokes (b) evokes(c) revokes (d) provokes

2. (a) criterion (b) importance(c) impression (d) strident

3. (a) maestro (b) meastro(c) maaestro (d) maestrro

4. (a) catering (b) emanating(c) deeming (d) altering

5. (a) gripped (b) tripped(c) earmarked (d) skipped

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Test 16The Doklam plateau has ____(1)______ theunlikely scene of the latest India-Chinaimbroglio. The region _____(2)_____ withinBhutanese territory, but this is now questionedby China. The Chumbi valley is vital for India,and any change is fraught with _____(3)______possibilities. The incident _______(4)_________from differences between Bhutan and India onthe one hand and China on the other as to theexact location of the tri-junction between thethree countries.

In 2007, India and Bhutan had negotiated aFriendship Treaty to replace an earlier one.According to the revised treaty, the twocountries are committed to coordinate onissues _______(5)______ to their nationalinterests. The terms of the 2007 FriendshipTreaty are somewhat milder than the one itreplaced, which provided India greater latitudein determining Bhutan’s foreign relations, butthere is little doubt about the import of therevised treaty.

1. (a) been (b) creating(c) become (d) found

2. (a) are (b) sit(c) falls (d) deals

3. (a) numerous (b) enormous(c) dangerous (d) certain

4. (a) stems (b) spreads(c) occurs (d) ranges

5. (a) relating (b) related(c) containing (d) contained

Test 17Can droughts experienced centuries ago teachus ways to handle the present ones? They canif we care to look in the right ____(1)___(area)— for instance, the walls of temples in TamilNadu. Temples today are primarily religiousmonuments, ______(2)______(occasionally)visited for their art and architecture. However,in the past, their walls served as record-keepers. Inscriptions on Tamil Nadu’s templesrecord administrative and social decisions froma time when they were a seat of authority forthe local community. Inscriptions connected toirrigation in Tamil Nadu concern two broadzones, the Cauvery delta and the Tamirabaranidelta. The Cauvery delta was more fertile andlarger — with more ________(3)_____(water)—but the number of drought-related inscriptionshere are more in number than theTamirabarani delta. About 1,000 years ago,during the ____(4)__(struggle) of the Cholapower, irrigation in the Cauvery delta was_____(5)___(from) the many tributaries of theriver and smaller canals.

1. (a) place (b) space(c) context (d) time

(e) no change2. (a) regularly (b) frequently

(c) always (d) never(e) no change

3. (a) density (b) weightage(c) tributaries (d) concern(e) no change

4. (a) zenith (b) nadir(c) session (d) section(e) no change

5. (a) via (b) by(c) through (d) across(e) no change

Test 18The Union Cabinet’s in-principle______(1)___(Sop) to the purchase of HindustanPetroleum Corporation Limited by the Oil andNatural Gas Corporation has cleared the______(2)____(racks) for India to have its ownoil giant. The decision follows the FinanceMinister’s announcement in this year’s budgetthat the government would seek to mergepublic sector oil companies to create largerentities. The acquisition is expected to be________(3) (consummated) over the next yearwith ONGC buying the government’s 51%stake in HPCL. This would offer ONGC accessto HPCL’s refining and retail facilities. Therationale is that a bigger, vertically integratedoil company can help India _____(4)___(inachieving) the scale required to compete at theglobal level, and help better absorb oil priceshocks. In fact, it is expected that the Cabinetmay decide to consolidate more public sectoroil companies. In addition, the sale of HPCLcould contribute almost Rs.30,000 crore to theexchequer and fulfil more than a third of theyear’s _______(5)____(investment) target. Allthis, of course, makes the ONGC-HPCL deallook like a boon for the government, the oilsector and the overall economy.

1. (a) vie (b) nod(c) din (d) dip(e) No Change

2. (a) decks (b) packs(c) checks (d) house(e) No Change

3. (a) consumed (b) completion(c) explained (d) finished(e) No Change

4. (a) to achieve (b) achieve(c) achieving (d) to have achieved(e) No Change

5. (a) successful (b) FDI(c) disinvestment (d) necessary(e) No change

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Test 19Negotiators for the proposed RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)treaty between ASEAN countries, China, India,Japan, South Korea, Australia and NewZealand are currently meeting in Hyderabad.E-commerce will be a key focus.

While there are many contentious issuesinvolved in the RCEP, countries at least knowwhat they are negotiating about and theirlikely _______(1)____(benefits). However, it isnot the case with e-commerce issues. In fact,e-commerce is a _____(2)____(misnomer) here.What is under discussion is placing greatlimitations on digital policymaking by anycountry in the name of promoting e-commerce.Few understand the real nature of the digitalissues involved and the relevant policyrequirements of the present and the future. Inthese circumstances, a blank______(3)____(cheque) could possibly be madeout to global digital corporations and thecountries _____(4)_____(sharing) them.

Let’s consider the issue of the free global flowof data — something______(5)____(increasingly) presented as beingthe same as the free flow of information. Whiledata that underpins global media, orpersonal/social communication networks isone thing, data that today is increasingly basicto banking, retailing, the defence forces, publicservices, health and education services and soon is an entirely different matter.

1. (a) takers (b) beneficiaries(c) implications (d) problems(e) no change

2. (a) disclaimer (b) propaganda(c) distraction (d) liability(e) no change

3. (a) idea (b) proposal(c) alternative (d) future(e) no change

4. (a) insist (b) support(c) having (d) backing(e) no change

5. (a) wrongly (b) happily(c) certainly (d) widely(e) No change

Test 20Maharashtra’s new law prohibiting the socialboycott of individuals, families or anycommunity by informal village councils is astep in the right direction, given the______(1)_____(pensive) nature of theproblem. The progressive legislation, whichreceived Presidential assent recently and wasgazetted earlier this month, targets thepernicious practice of informal castepanchayats or dominant sections using_________(2)_____(ostracism) as a means ofenforcing social conformity.The MaharashtraProtection of People from Social Boycott(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act,2016, may serve as a ______(3)_____(order) forsimilar legislation in other States. The Act listsover a dozen types of actions that may amountto ‘social boycott’, which has been made acriminal offence punishable with imprisonmentup to three years or a fine of 1 lakh or both.The _______(4)_______(practices) it prohibitsrange from preventing the performance of asocial or religious custom, denial of the right toperform funerals or marriages, cutting offsomeone’s social or commercial ties topreventing _____(5)____(excess) to educationalor medical institutions or community halls andpublic facilities, or any form of social ostracismon any ground.

1. (a) pervasive (b) maudlin(c) tenuous (d) unusual(e) No Change

2. (a) socialism (b) ostracism(c) spurious (d) aspersions(e) No change

3. (a) rule (b) template(c) temple (d) temptation(e) No Change

4. (a) application (b) tradition(c) customs (d) problems(e) No change

5. (a) approach (b) entry(c) access (d) from(e) No change

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Test 21Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit tothe U.S. is likely to deepen bilateral ties inmultiple strategic areas. Among them, scienceand technology, a key driver for innovation andjob _____(1)_____(demand) in both countries,needs to take centre stage. The shared valuesand interests of both the countries provide theessential underpinning for futurecollaboration. Besides, India has the_______(2)____(chance) of enjoying bipartisansupport in the U.S. in this regard. Over theyears, knowledge and technology have becomecentral to most of the bilateral agreements andstrategic dialogues between the two countries.Bilateral agreements such as the Partnershipto Advance Clean Energy and jointparticipation in mega projects in the areas of_____(3)______(root) science such as the HighIntensity Superconducting Proton Accelerator,the Thirty Meter Telescope, the LaserInterferometer Gravitational Observatory andthe NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture RadarMission will have a far-reaching impact. Goingforward, we can _____(4)_____(receive) higherpay-offs if collaborative engagements arefocused on sector-agnostic technologies, suchas information technology, nanotechnology,and gene-editing technology. This will havepositive impact on all ______(5)_____(features)of collaboration such as education, economyand trade, defence and homeland security,energy and climate, health, agriculture andspace.

1. (a) application (b) selection(c) creation (d) opportunities(e) No Change

2. (a) advantage (b) key(c) importance (d) lead(e) No Change

3. (a) ruminate (b) physical(c) advance (d) fundamental(e) No Change

4. (a) pay (b) get(c) reap (d) seal(e) No change

5. (a) angles (b) spheres(c) sector (d) place(e) No Change

Test 22Since December 2015, Chennai has limpedfrom one extreme weather-related shock to_______(1)_____(any other) — the floods, thefailed monsoon of 2016, Cyclone Vardah, andnow the water crisis. Chennai’s definingelement is water. But the city shows_____(2)______(its) regard for this precious butdangerous resource. Located squarely in theintervening floodplains of three rivers on ahigh-energy coastline, Chennai is a disaster-_____(3)_____(based) location. Any badlylocated city can be vulnerable merely by virtueof its location. But only a special kind of city —a city with a death wish — actively makes abad situation worse.

Nothing speaks more elegantly to Chennai’sdeath wish than what governments are doingto the wetlands in North Chennai. In June, theState government conceded the Government ofIndia-owned Kamarajar Port Ltd’s (KPL)request to divert 1,000 acres of thehydrologically sensitive Ennore wetlands forindustrial installations that are best built ondry land. The proposal is pending Centralgovernment’s clearance. If _______(received) ,KPL’s dream will turn ____(5)_____(for) to beChennai’s worst nightmare, far worse than the2015 floods.

1. (a) other (b) another(c) the other (d) the other(e) No Change

2. (a) their (b) scant(c) high (d) no(e) No Change

3. (a) prune (b) purge(c) related (d) prone(e) No Change

4. (a) accessed (b) reached(c) gathered (d) permitted(e) No Change

5. (a) up (b) off(c) down (d) out(e) No Change

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Test 23The NITI Aayog has recently unveiled a grandplan to effectively privatise district hospitals inTier-I and Tier-II towns. It has developed_____(1)_______ it calls a “model concessionaireagreement” for ____(2)_____ of healthcareservices for cardiac and pulmonary (lung)diseases and cancers. It is proposed thatpublic facilities in district hospitals would beoutsourced to private providers. They would befree to charge full treatment costs frompatients not covered by government schemes(such as the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana)and the providers _____(3)_____ be reimbursedby the government for treating patientsreferred by the government

Private providers will be able to cherry-pick themost ______(4)____ districts where patientshave a higher paying capacity. The schemealso provides for an escrow account that would_____(5)_____ the risk to private providersposed by possible delays in reimbursement bythe government. Providers would also secureaccess to public facilities such as ambulanceservices, blood banks and mortuaries. Clearlyno effort has been spared to roll out the redcarpet and ensure that private companies areable to freeload on public assets.

1. (a) that (b) which(c) what (d) who

2. (a) discussion (b) deliverance(c) provision (d) implementation

3. (a) would (b) should(c) could (d) might

4. (a) innovative (b) profit(c) attractive (d) lucrative

5. (a) upset (b) offset(c) onset (d) reset

Test 24

The disqualification of Prime Minister NawazSharif from holding public office, by thePakistan Supreme Court in the Panama Paperscase, leaves a huge political_______(1)______(space) in the country. This isthe third time Mr. Sharif’s premiership hasbeen cut ______(2)_____(up). If his first twoterms were ended by the country’s powerfulmilitary, first forcing him to resign and thenoverthrowing his government in a coup, thistime it was through a formal legal process. TheSupreme Court invoked a controversial Articleof the Constitution that requires politicians tobe “honest” and “righteous”. The court ruledthat Mr. Sharif was dishonest ______(3)____(inlacking) to disclose in his 2013 electionnomination papers his association with a UAE-based company and therefore was unfit to_____(4)____(staying) in office. The court also

______(5)____(talked) money-launderingallegations against Mr. Sharif and his childrento the National Accountability Bureau, theanti-corruption regulator. While Oppositionpoliticians, especially the Tehreek-e-Insaf’sImran Khan who filed a petition in theSupreme Court against the Sharif family, havewelcomed the ruling as an endorsement ofaccountability, there are some worrying legaland procedural questions about the SupremeCourt’s decision.1. (a) vacuum (b) maim (c) desolate

(d) disparation (e) No Change2. (a) down (b) off (c) short

(d) big (e) No Change3. (a) with failing (b) in filing (c) in failing

(d) for failing (e) No Change4. (a) start (b) stop (c) begin

(d) continue (e) No Change5. (a) ordered (b) guided (c) directed

(d) referred (e) No Change

Answers1. AADCD 2. DCCAC 3. BBCAB 4. AABCC5. BCBCC 6. CCCBB 7. DBBCB 8. CAACB9. ACBAB 10. BBCBA 11. BBBCB 12. BBCDA13. ACBBC 14. DDCCA 15. BCADD 16.CCCAA17. AECAC 18. BAEBC 19. CEEDA 20. ABBEC21. CADCB 22. ABDDD 23. CCADB24. ACCDD

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Cloze Test –August 17

Test 1“Practical men, who believe themselves to bequite ____(1)____(consistent) from anyintellectual influence, are usually the slaves ofsome defunct economist. Madmen in authority,who _____(2)____(call) voices in the air, aredistilling their frenzy from some academicscribbler of a few years back.” These lines fromJohn Maynard Keynes ____(3)____(arrive) tomind when observing the recent performance ofthe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with respect tothe conduct of monetary policy. Strenuous efforthas been made ____(4)____(before) the citizen tobelieve that one of the many significant actionsof the government of the day is to have movedmonetary policy in India onto a “modern” plane.The centrepiece of this claim is that the centralbank will now be judged entirely in terms of itsrecord on inflation. That is, the RBI has beenreconfigured as an ‘inflation-targeting’ centralbank. As part of this arrangement, it has beenset an inflation target of 4%. Then, somewhatcounter-intuitively, it has been given_____(5)____(prey) in the form of a band withinwhich the inflation outcome may lie. This bandis wide, ranging from 2% to 6%.

1. (a) happy (b) unaware(c) off-guard (d) exempt(e) No Change

2. (a) has (b) have(c) hear (d) fear(e) No Change

3. (a) come (b) came(c) comes (d) has come(e) No change

4. (a) lead (b) to lead(c) to guide (d) faux(e) No change

5. (a) choice (b) leeway(c) way (d) discount(e) No Change

Test 2The adoption of the historic United Nations pactto ban nuclear weapons underscores a_____(1)____(pragmatic) shift in the_____(2)____(objective) on global disarmament.Foremost, the universal goal of total elimination

of these weapons of mass destruction has beendisentangled from the narrow focus on themaintenance of a deterrent by the nuclearweapons states against threats from oneanother. Instead, the case for abolition, underthe treaty finalised in July, is_____(3)____(promised) on the potential dangerto the very survival of civilisation from anotherholocaust. Such a position seems incontestable,as modern weapons are designed to____(4)____(conflict) a great scale of destruction,without regard to national or geographicboundaries. The imperative, as the_____(5)_____(researchers) of the new treaty seeit, is an immediate legal prohibition leading tothe total elimination of nuclear weapons, giventhe impossibility of fashioning a humanitarianresponse to any future offensive.1. (a) salvage (b) paradigm

(c) quick (d) unknown(e) No Change

2. (a) discourse (b) reiterate(b) rife (d) saga(e) No change

3. (a) protected (b) pledge(c) premised (d) progressed(e) No Change

4. (a) inflict (b) refurbish(c) render (d) surmise(e) No change

5. (a) innovators (b) founders(c) originators (d) architects(e) No Change

Test 3

A foreign bureaucrat once told Americaneconomist Milton Friedman that workers in hiscountry were given ____(1)____(shades) instead oftractors to build a canal because more jobs werecreated that way. Hearing this, Friedman is saidto have quipped, “If it’s jobs you want, then youshould give these workers spoons, not shovels.”Union Minister for Road, Transport andHighways Nitin Gadkari’s justification for____(2)___(highlighting) the entry of driverlesscars into India is based on grounds similar tothat of the foreign bureaucrat. “The governmentis not going to promote any technology or policythat will make people jobless,” he said recently.The Minister further stated that cab aggregatorslike Ola and Uber will not be allowed to usedriverless cars as it could _____(3)____(toast) theeconomy as many as five million jobs.The fear of _____(4)____(latest) technologycausing massive job losses is nothing new.Economists have used the term ‘lump of labourfallacy’ to characterise the common, albeit

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mistaken, belief that there is only a limitedamount of work to be done in an economy. Thevictims of this fallacy believe the available workneeds to be spread among the population toprevent unemployment. The Luddite movementof the 19th century even called for thedestruction of machines to save jobs. The reality,of course, is that technology has caused massivejob losses for centuries, yet new forms of workhave always cropped _______(5)_____(up) toabsorb the displaced labour. This is for thesimple reason that human needs are virtuallyunlimited compared to the supply of labour.Nothing about artificial intelligence changes thisbasic fact of life.1. (a) shovels (b) shawls

(c) shelves (d) shelter(e) No Change

2. (a) distracting (b) distorting(c) accepting (d) opposing(e) No Change

3. (a) lost (b) boost(c) cost (d) dust(e) No Change

4. (a) innovative (b) creative(c) destructive (d) disruptive(e) No Change

5. (a) down (b) for(c) against (d) before(e) No Change

Test 4The government has informed Parliament aboutits decision to completely do away with thesubsidy offered to cooking gas used forhousehold purposes. In an order issued in Maythis year, public sector oil companies were______(1)____(granted) to incrementally hike the“effective price” of LPG cylinders until the entiresubsidy is wiped ____(2)____(out) by March nextyear, the Union Minister for Petroleum andNatural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, toldParliament. Interestingly, political pressure fromOpposition parties following the announcementforced the Minister a day later to argue that thegovernment is merely “rationalising”, rather thancutting, the subsidy. But the initialannouncement left very little to______(3)____(understand). Previously, in Julylast year, the oil companies were given the greensignal to increase the effective price ofsubsidised cylinders by Rs. 2 a month. So thelatest order to increase the effective price by Rs.4 a month, but with the clearly stated aim ofeventually doing away with subsidies completely,signifies a more aggressive _____(4)____(hirsuit)

of the policy of cutting the fuel subsidy. Itshould be noted that the fall in global crude oilprices, which has reduced the price differencebetween subsidised and non-subsidised cookinggas in the local market, has already____(5)____(taken) the burden on thegovernment. In the latest Union budget, thegovernment allocated about Rs. 25,000 croretowards oil subsidy, which is a fourth of thetotal oil subsidy bill (of almost Rs. 1 lakh crore)incurred in fiscal year 2013.1. (a) asked (b) forced

(c) authorized (d) restricted(e) No change

2. (a) off (b) of(c) away with (d) away(e) No Change

3. (A) interpretation (b) collaboration(c) co-operation (d) speculation(e) No Change

4. (a) stance (b) pursuit(c) idea (d) push(e) No change

5. (a) put (b) eased(c) helped (d) derive(e) No Change

Test 5This is not a normal business cycle; monetarypolicy will be a lot less effective in the future;investment returns will be very low. These havecome to be widely _____(1)_____(open) views, butthere is little understanding as to why they aretrue. I have a simple template for looking at howthe economic machine works that helps_____(2)____(create) some light. It has threeparts. First, there are three main forces thatdrive all economies: 1) productivity; 2) the short-term debt cycle, or business cycle, running everyfive to ten years; and 3) the long-term debt cycle,over 50 to 75 years. Most people don’tadequately understand the long-term debt cyclebecause it comes along so infrequently. But thisis the most important force behind what ishappening now. Second, there are threeequilibriums that markets_____(3)_____(accelerate) towards: 1) debtgrowth has to be in line with the income growththat services those debts; 2) economic operatingrates and inflation rates can’t be too high or toolow for long; and 3) the projected returns ofequities have to be above those of bonds, whichin turn have to be above those of cash byappropriate risk premiums. Without such riskpremiums the transmission mechanisms ofcapital won’t work and the economy will grind toa halt. In the years ahead, the capital markets’

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transmission mechanism will work more______(4)_____(fast) than in the past, as interestrates can’t be lowered and risk premiums ofother investments are low. Most people havenever experienced this before and don’tunderstand how this will cause low returns,more debt monetisation and a “pushing on astring” situation for monetary policy. Third,there are two levers that policy-makers can useto bring about these equilibriums: 1) monetarypolicy, and 2) fiscal policy. With monetary policy______(5)_____(getting) relatively impotent, it’simportant for these two to be co-ordinated. Yetthe current state of political fragmentationaround the world makes effective co-ordinationhard to imagine.1. (a) help (b) regarded

(c) considered (d) rejected(e) No change

2. (a) get (b) throw(c) shine (d) bring(e) No Change

3. (a) link (b) focusing(c) gravitate (d) leaning(e) No Change

4. (a) regularly (b) quickly(c) poorly (d) strongly(e) No change

5. (a) becoming (b) deteriorating(c) declining (e) prospering(e) No Change

Test 6TUBERCULOSIS has plagued humanity forthousands of years. The discovery in the 19thcentury of its cause, a bacterium (pictured above)called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and theconsequent development of better hygiene, helped____(1)____(see) that plague under control. Then, inthe mid-20th century, what many hoped would bethe final nail in its coffin ______(2)____(appeared):antibiotic drugs. Unfortunately, TB is____3____(right). After a few decades in whichantibiotics did indeed seem to be working miracles,some strains of M. tuberculosis have evolved_____(4)_____(persistence) to them. In 2015 5% ofthe world’s10m cases failed to respond totreatment with isoniazid and rifampicin, the drugsof first resort. Half of those non-responders wereinfected by strains of the bacterium______(5)_____(known) to second-line treatments aswell. Most microbiologists regard these numbers as______(6)_____(indicate) of worse to come. That isdriving a search for new antibiotics against whichM. tuberculosis has evolved no resistance. EshwarMahenthiralingam of Cardiff University and GregChallis of the University of Warwick, both inBritain, think they have found one. As they and

their colleagues describe in the Journal of theAmerican Chemical Society, they have discovered acompound, produced by another bacterialpathogen, that kills resistant strains of M.tuberculosis. This compound, which they callgladiolin, is created by Burkholderia gladioli—abacterium, generally rare, that_______(7)______(flourish) in the lungs of thosesuffering from cystic fi- brosis. It is able to gain afoothold there because the respiratory tracts ofsuch patients are clogged with mucus that inhibitsactions of immune-system cells which wouldotherwise _______(8)_____(diminish) the invaders.What interested Dr Mahenthiralingam and DrChallis about B. gladioli was that, once establishedin a patient’s lungs, it seems able to keep rivalbacteria such as M. tuberculosis at_____(9)_____(hay). This suggests it is engaging inchemical warfare. To isolate the agent that inhibitsB. gladioli’s competitors, the researchers cultivatedsamples from a patient with cystic fi-brosisandanalysed the chemicals secreted by bacteriatherein. It was thus they discovered gladiolin,which shuts down bacterial versions of the gene foran enzyme called RNApolymerase that is crucial forlife. This was interesting. But it was also________(10)______(reason) of a false dawn involvinganother substance, etnangien, which wasdiscovered in 2007 and which also inhibits RNApolymerase. Unfortunately, etnangien provedchemically unstable and thus impossible to use asa drug.1. (a) take (b) buy (c) fight

(d) bring (e) No Change2. (a) cleared (b)done (c)existed

(d)did (e) No Change3. (a)up (b)down (c) back

(d) renewed (e) No change4. (a) affinity (b) content (c) resistance

(d) fight (e) No Change5. (a) commune (b) immune (c) new

(d) unknown (e) No Change6. (a) potents (b) omen (c) portents

(d) auspicious (e) No Change7. (a) thrives (b) thrusts (c) thirsts

(d) survives (e) No Change8. (a) support (b) destroy (c) downplay

(d) encourage (e) No Change9. (a) bay (b) day (c) rays

(d) play (e) No Change10. (a) creation (b) story (c) saga

(d) reminiscent (e) No Change

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Test 7A LITTLE after midnight on June 14th, London’sfire brigade was called to a fire at Grenfell Tower,a 24-storey apartment block ____(1)______(cut) inthe 1970s. Before long, 250 firefighters were onthe scene. But the blaze was too fierce; hourslater it had _____(2)_____(closed) to three sidesand gutted much of the interior. The upperfloors continued to burn into the afternoon. Aweek later, as The Economist went to press, thenumber confirmed dead, or missing andpresumed dead, stood at 79. Such a fast-spreading and lethal fire should have beenimpossible. Because _______(3)_____(jumping)from tall buildings is inherently difficult, strictfire safety is supposed to be designed______(4)_____(from). Even as investigators_____(5)_____(broke) to work out what had failedso catastrophically, many wondered if othertower residents were at risk, in Britain and else-where. Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, said thecapital’s entire stock of 1960s- and 1970s-_____(6)____(vintage) tower blocks might have tobe demolished. Commentators on newsprogrammes wondered whether the fire marked“the end of high-rise living”. That is unlikely,even in Britain, where less than 2% of thepopulation lives in purpose-built blocks of atleast six floors, and where poor planning andneglect have given high-rise living a bad_______(7)_____(sign). In Eastings each flat is asingle compartment, and building regulationsstate how long the compartmentation shouldhold _____(8)____(ago) a fire spreads to adjacentflats or adjacent floors (usually an hour). Inoffice buildings, compartmentation is usually byfloor. Most of the time, compartmentation works.Of the hundreds of fires in London flats everyyear, ____(9)_____(such) spread. Fires inAmerican high-rise apartment buildings spread_____(10)____(with) the room they start in only4% of the time, compared with 10% in otherflats. But when compartmentation fails, theresult can be catastrophic.

1. (a) created (b) built (c) make(d) started (e) No Change

2. (a) threw (b) spread (c) catered(d) accessed (e) No Change

3. (a) running (b) looking (c) escaping(c) reaching (d) No Change

4. (a) in (b) at (c) for(c) out (e) No Change

5. (a) wrote (b) bought (c) sought(d) wrought (e) No change

6. (a) vantage (b) vestige (c) vintage(d) voltage (e) No Change

7. (a) challenge (b) risk (c) change

(d) reputation (e) No Change8. (a) after (b) from (c) to

(d) before (e) No Change9. (a) a little (b) little (c) a few

(d) few (e) No Change10. (a) across (b) through (c) beyond

(d) beneath (e) No Change

Test 8AIRBAGS are meant ____(1)_____(making)driving safer. But for years, some made byTakata, a Japanese firm,_____(2)_____(insulated) with such vigour thatshards of metal and plastic were launched atoccupants of vehicles in even minor collisions,causing serious injury and in some cases death.The costs of the biggest-ever recall of vehicles,hauled back to correct the problem, and theassociated lawsuits claimed another_____(3)_____(car) on June 26th. Takata itselffiled for bankruptcy in America and Japan, andsold its surviving operations to a competitor, KeySafety Systems (KSS). It is the latest in a seriesof self-inflicted wounds by Japanese corporategiants. Takata’s _____(4)____(experience) comeon the heels of other disasters, including_____(5)____(proximity) at Sharp, a formerlydominant consumer-electronics firm, andmassive losses at Toshiba, a nuclear power andconsumer-electronics empire. All suggest arecurring pattern of lack of transparency andleadership. Takata’s bankruptcy is due to its air-bags’ use of chemicals propellants which became_____(6)____(manageable) after long-termexposure to heat and humidity. But the crisis isalso _____(7)_____(secretly) due to a lengthy______(8)_____(advancement) of a problemduring which faulty bags caused at least 17deaths and ten times as many injuries globally.The danger from exploding airbags was clear toTakata long _____(9)____(stay) it came to widerattention, but instead of ______(10)____(washing)clean managers altered test results to hide itfrom customers.1. (a) to making (b) to have made (c) to making

(d) to make (e) No Change2. (a) depleted (b) completed (c) declared

(d) inflated (e) No Change3. (a) victim (b) man (c) vehicle

(d) series (e) No Change4. (a) exposure (b) expenses (c) disaster

(d) travails (e) No Change5. (a) bankrupt (b) insolency (c) insolvency

(d) tendency (e) No Change6. (a) suitable (b) playable (c) unstable

(d) control (e) No Change7. (a) partly (b) largely (c) mainly

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(c) just (e) No Change8. (a) bereavement (b) concealment (c) cancel

(d) cancellation (e) No Change9. (a) ago (b) by (c) known

(c) before (e) No Change10. (a) running (b) going (c) showing

(d) coming (e) No Change

Test 9“THROUGHOUT history, poverty is the normalcondition of man,” wrote Robert Heinlein, ascience-fiction writer. Until the 18th century,global GDP per person was______(1)_____(stayed) between $725 and$1,100, around the same income level as theWorld Bank’s current poverty line of $1.90 aday. But global income levels per person havesince ______(2)_____(arranged), from around$1,100 in 1800 to $3,600 in 1950, and over$10,000 today. Economists have long____(3)____(talked) to explain this sudden______(4)_____(indulge) in output. Most theorieshave focused on the factors driving long-termeconomic growth such as the quantity andproductivity of labour and capital. But a newpaper* takes a different tack: faster growth isnot due to bigger booms, but to less_____(5)_____(shrieking) in recessions.Stephen Broadberry of Oxford University andJohn Wallis of the University of Maryland havetaken data for 18 countries in Europe and theNew World, some _____(6)____(with) as far backas the 13th century. To their surprise, theyfound that growth during years of economicexpansion has fallen in the recent era—from3.88% between 1820 and 1870 to 3.06% since1950— even though average growth across allyears in those two periods increased from 1.4%to 2.55%.

1. (a) struck (b) stuck (c) stroked(d) stay (e) No Change

2. (a) excelled (b) proliferated (c) thrived(d) accelerated (e) changed

3. (a) fired (b) tired (c) weird(d) tried (e) No Change

4. (a) purge (b) dirge (c) urge(d) surge (e) No change

5. (a) drinking (b) escalating (c) expanding(d) shrinking (e) No Change

6. (a) of (b) from (c) to(d) for (e) No Change

Test 10

FOR all the sophistication of some of itsfinancial centres, and despite the_____(1)_____(sanity) of smartphones, the MiddleEast has been a late ______(2)_____(creator) offinancial technology, or fintech. Of more than$50bn in fintech investment globally since 2010,according to Accenture, a consultancy, only 1%has gone to the Middle East and north Africa.Khalid Al Rumaihi, head of Bahrain’s EconomicDevelopment Board, _____(3)_____(finds)institutional foot-dragging and a lack ofinfrastructure and venture capital.______(4)_____(whereas) he insists innovation isinherent to Islamic financial tradition. Themodern cheque ______(5)_____(drains) from anArabic instrument, a written ______(6)_____(sow)to pay for goods on delivery, to______(7)_____(avoid) carrying money ondangerous journeys. “In the 9th century”, hesays, “a Muslim businessman could cash acheque in China drawn on his bank inBaghdad.” Several cities are now jockeying toestablish themselves as fintech hubs. Last yearCairo launched two “accelerators”— schools to______(8)_____(grow) startups. AbuDhabi hascreated the region’s first “regulatory sand-box”,allowing new products to be tested for two yearswithout full regulatory______(9)_____(commission). In March, the city’sfinancial centre signed an agreement with theMonetary Authority of Singapore, the island-state’s central bank, to undertake joint fintechprojects, for example in mobile payments andthe blockchain. Dubai’s new fintech accelerator,the first in the Gulf region, has begun acceptingapplications. Not to be______(10)_____(recognized), Qatar and Bahrainhave held fintech conferences. Bahrain, too, hasteamed up with Singapore to develop a fintechecosystem.

1. (a) ambiguity (b) proclivity (c) ubiquity(d) equity (e) No Change

2. (a) promoter (b) recommended (c) gainer(d) adopter (e) No Change

3. (a) blames (b) claims (c) flames(d) slams (e) No Change

4. (a) still (b) yet (c) till(d) Until (e) No Change

5. (a) acquires (b) drives (c) derives(d) derails (e) No Change

6. (a) vow (b) volition (c) tow(d) kowtow (e) No Change

7. (a) devoid (b) asteroid (c) delay(d) decline (e) No Change

8. (a) nurture (b) coterie (c) litany

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(d) despise (e) No change9. (a) confident (b) confidence (c) call

(d) compliance (e) No Change10. (a) outlier (b) outlaw (c) outdone

(d) outstate (e) No Change

Cloze Test 11

“WE are in a trade war,” said Wilbur Ross,Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, on March31st. That day Mr Trump______(1)_____(belatedly) loosed off a couple ofwarning shots, announcing two trade-relatedexecutive orders. (He forgot to sign them in theceremony itself.) As tactics go, this was hardlyshock and awe. Rather, it was supposed tosuggest that nastier weaponry is_____(2)____(against) the way. The first executiveorder was aimed at making trade rule breakers“face the consequences”. Some bits were_____(3)_____(change): officials have 90 days todevelop and implement a plan to combatcustoms violations. Others seemed_____(4)____(trial). The government has lost$2.3bn of revenue over 14 years from importersgoing bankrupt before paying duties; almost halfof this relates to imports of fresh garlic and_____(5)_____(conserved) mushrooms. Thesecond executive order seemed more in keepingwith Mr Trump’s (trade) warmongering. Officialshave 90 days to produce an “omnibus” report,naming the trading partners with which Americahad a “significant” trade deficit in goods in 2016and shaming them if the reasons for that deficitare “unfair”.

1. (a) wryly (b) duly (c) unruly(d) fairly (e) No change

2. (a) by (b) to (c) on(d) in (e) No Change

3. (a) aged (b) big (c) vague(d) rock (e) No Change

4. (a) controversial (b) remedial (c) denial(d) trivial (e) No Change

5. (a) preserved (b) reserved (c) degraded(d) stated (e) No change

Test 12WHEN Eni, Italy’s oil major, this week revealed areturn to profit in the fourth quarter and a long-term commitment to keep the barrels_____(1)_____(rowing), there was much to cheer.Three years on from Claudio Descalzi’sappointment as CEO, Eni has made spectacularoil and gas discoveries even as its peers

______(2)_______(regarded) amid the oil-priceslump. Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm,says only half in ______(3)______(mist) that it is“evolving into an actual oil company”. But acloud ______(4)_____(hanged) over the firm,which is 30% state-owned—and over Mr Descalzipersonally. He is caught up in an Italian probeinto alleged corruption in a deal Eni struck inpartnership with Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria,just as he is seeking reappointment as CEO inApril. The company’s response to the scandal,especially ______(5)_____(to) treatment ofindependent board members, raises questionsabout its commitment to good corporategovernance. In 2011, Eni and Shell jointly paid$1.3bn for a huge offshore oil block, known asOPL 245, which has more than 9bn barrels ofprobable reserves. Over $1bn of this flowed to ashell company. That firm, Malabu, was widelyknown to be owned by a former Nigerian oilminister, Dan Etete, who had_____(6)_____(bought) the rights to OPL245 for asong while in office. The companies have alwaysinsisted that their deal was with the government,not Malabu. However, it is clear that someexecutives knew it was a two-part affair in whichthey paid the government, and the government______(7)_____(intercepted) the money toMalabu. Nigeria’s then attorney-general hassince described the government’s______(8)_____(call) as that of an “obligor” in atransaction between a unit of Shell, Eni andMalabu. In January Nigerian authorities seizedthe OPL245 oil block, labelling it the “proceedsof crime”. The country’s anti-corruptioncommission alleges that Eni and Shell“conspired” to send payment as a “bribe”, and isseeking charges against their local subsidiaries.They ______(9)____(deny) wrongdoing and haveappealed against the _____(10)____(seizure).

1. (a) flowing (b) glowing (c) shining(d) going (e) No Change

2. (a) reduced (b) retrenched (c) reverted(d) returned (e) No Change

3. (a) rest (b) test (c) jest(d) vest (e) No Change

4. (a) hanging (b) has hanging (c) hangs(d) hung (e) No change

5. (a) for (b) about (c) its(d) their (e) No Change

6. (a) derived (b) procured (c) controlled(d) acquired (e) No Change

7. (a) collected (b) receiving (c) channel(d) funneled (e) No Change

8. (a) plan (b) policy (c) role(d) intention (e) No Change

9. (a) allege (b) refuted (c) rejected

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(d) declined (e) No Change10. (a) closure (b) exposure (c) texture

(d) gesture (e) No Change

Test 13

To speed up strategic disinvestment transactionsin central public sector enterprises (CPSEs), theCabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)_______(1)_____(cornered) by prime ministerNarendra Modi on Wednesday approved settingup of an alternative mechanism (AM). The AMwill be chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitleywith minister for road transport and highwaysNitin Gadkari and the minister of theadministrative department as the members. Thenew mechanism will decide on matters relatingto terms and conditions of the sale from stage ofinviting of express of interests till inviting offinancial _____(2)____(debentures). The newmechanism will also empower the Core Group ofSecretaries (CGD) to take policy decisions withregard to procedural issues and to considerdeviations as necessary from time to time foreffective ______(3)_____(plantation) of decisionsof CCEA. Government has shortlisted BharatEarth Movers Limited, Scooters India and PawanHans Ltd, three units of Steel Authority of IndiaLimited (SAIL) for strategic disinvestment thisyear. The government has set an ambitioustarget of Rs72,500 crore for disinvestment in2017-18 including Rs 15,000 crore fromstrategic disinvestment. So far this year, thegovernment has ______(4)_____(acquired) aroundRs10,000 crore through stake sales. Earlier,government had set up another alternativemechanism with same _____(5)____(competition)to decide on quantum of disinvestment in caseof minority stake sale in CPSEs. Jaitley is alsoheading another alternative mechanism todecide on privatization of the national carrier AirIndia. The CCEA has given in_____(6)____(present) approval for theprivatization and has asked the Jaitley panel todecide on treatment of unsustainable debt of AirIndia, _____(7)____(hiving off) of certain assets toa shell company, demerger and strategicdisinvestment of three profit-makingsubsidiaries and the quantum of disinvestmentand the universe of bidders. The cabinet alsoapproved the closure of the mostly_____(8)____(profitable) Andaman and NicobarIslands Forest and Plantation DevelopmentCorporation Limited (ANIFPDCL) at Port Blair.“The closure will help stop unproductive loans toANIFPDCL from the Centre and would enable a

more productive utilization of ____(9)____(sets),”Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said at abriefing on Wednesday. The state-ownedcompany was into so-called forestry activitiesthat the Supreme Court prohibited in 2002, andhas been making losses since. According to thecabinet, the company will offer a voluntaryretirement scheme (VRS) packages to willingemployees and retrench the rest under theIndustrial Disputes Act, 1947. At present, thereare 836 employees on the _____(10)____(rolls) ofthe Corporation.

1. (a) cared (b) centered (c) lead(d) chaired (e) No Change

2. (a) bills (b) bids (c) bonds(d) terms (e) No Change

3. (a) execute (b) challenge (c) raising(d) implementation (e) No Change

4. (a) garnered (b) collection (c) getting(d) derived (e) No Change

5. (a) completion (b) composition (c) complete(d) comprehension (e) No Change

6. (a) principle (b) principal (c) same(d) best (e) No change

7. (a) hiding off (b) hiking on (c) hastening(d) writing off (e) No Change

8. (a) adjunct (b) defect (c) defunct(d) compunct (e) No Change

9. (a) products (b) files (c) stocks(d) assets (e) No Change

10. (a) books (b) papers (c) sheets(d) lists (e) No Change

Test 14“MUTUAL benefit, joint responsibility and shared_______(1)_____(history),” sings a______(2)_____(choir) of enthusiastic schoolgirlsin a music video called “The Belt and Road, SingAlong” from Xinhua, a news service run by theChinese government, that mixes shots of cranesand shipping containers with people enjoyingforeign landmarks. Western firms are______(3)_____(scarcely) less optimistic.Launched by China in 2013, the One Belt, OneRoad policy, known as OBOR, has two parts.There is a land-based “belt” from China toEurope, _____(4)_____(bringing) old Silk Roadtrade paths, then a “road” referring to ancientmaritime ______(5)_____(plans). OBOR will span65 countries, and China has so far invested over$900bn in projects ranging from highways inPakistan to railway lines in Thailand. Westernmultinationals, spotting a ______(6)_____(sense),are selling billions of dollars of equipment,technology and services to Chinese firmsbuilding along it. America’s General Electric(GE)

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made sales of $2.3bn in equipment orders fromOBOR projects in 2016, almost three times thetotal for the previous year. John Rice, the firm’svice-chair, _____(7)____(retrenches) the firm toenjoy double-digit growth in revenues alongOBOR in coming years. Other firms, such asCaterpillar, Honeywell, and ABB, globalengineering giants, DHL, a logistics company,Linde and BASF, two industrial gas andchemicals manufacturers, and Maersk Group, ashipping firm, rattle off lists of OBOR projects.Deutsche Bank has structured eight trade dealsaround it and has an agreement with the ChinaDevelopment Bank, one of China’s policylenders, to _____(8)_____(lend) several OBORschemes. All the activity has confounded earlysceptics. They noted that in the past 15 years asChina industrialised, the country’s companiesran construction projects over an expanseapproximately equivalent to the built area of allwestern Europe with very little help from foreignfirms. Yet OBOR has highlighted that Chinesegroups have little experience abroad, and thattheir Western counterparts offer a technologicaledge and _____(9)____(big) knowledge of localconditions across the OBOR region, fromTajikistan to Thailand. Partnering with Westernmultinationals also gives Chinese companiescredibility, particularly ______(10)____(of)financial institutions. One Western executiveadmits that Chinese companies make liberal useof his firm’sname in OBOR project presentations to raisefinance even though it is only marginallyinvolved.

1. (a) design (b) destiny (c) details(d) destination (e) No Change

2. (a) assembly (b) congregation (c) flock(d) group (e) No Change

3. (a) firmly (b) strongly (c) fairly(d) rather (e) No Change

4. (a) evoking (b) revoking (c) knocking(d) provoking (e) No Change

5. (a) routes (b) rotes (c) raut(d) routines (d) No Change

6. (a) buzz (b) bizarre (c) bonanza(d) profit (e) No change

7. (a) wishes (b) expects (c) buys(d) hopes (e) No change

8. (a) find (b) found (c) fore(d) fund (e) No change

9. (a) through (b) thorough (c) across(d) such (e) No change

10. (a) to (b) with (c) from(d) as (e) No Change

Answer 1. DCABB 2. BACAD 3. ADCDE4. CAabb 5. BCCCA 6. DECCBCABAD7. BBCACCDDDC 8. DDADCCABDD9. BDDDDB 10. CAABCAEADC11. BCCDA 12. ABCCCDDCEE13. DBDABAECDE 14. BEEAACBDBB

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· 2017-08-27 · 9982019963 gopal pura, jaipur page 1 of 54. cloze test the hindu editorial ......

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