New Pattern English Practice Questions with Explanation
Odd One Out in Sentence of Paragraph
Direction (1-10): Ten statements are given below, labelled a, b, c, d and e. Among these, four statements
are in logical order and form coherent paragraph. From the given options, choose the option the does not
fit into the theme of the paragraph.
1). a) To gain some perspective on the Centre’s decision to divest 25% of its stake in five public sector general
insurers, consider these numbers.
b) Last year, the gross premium income of four of these companies - New India Assurance, United India Insurance,
Oriental Insurance and National Insurance - increased by over 12%.
c) The companies whose stake would be offloaded, as per stock market watchdog Securities and Exchange Board
of India’s listing norms, are The New India Assurance Company, United India Insurance Company, Oriental
Insurance Company, National Insurance Company, and General Insurance Corporation of India.
d) But their profits after tax fell by more than half from a year earlier, from Rs.3,094 crore in 2014-15 to just
Rs.1,499 crore in 2015-16.
e) A closer scrutiny reveals that high underwriting losses, which increased 55% in the year, were largely
responsible for profits falling at these firms even as revenues rose.
Answer: c)
Explanation: Option c) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the disinvestment in rebooting in public sector insurers. But option c) is defining the list of five
insurance companies.
2). a) The world has turned the page on 2016 with the worrying revelation that it was the warmest year on the
instrumental record since the late 19th century, and the hottest of three record-breaking years in a row.
b) While the rise in global average surface temperature by about 1.1º C last year over the pre-industrial era was
aggravated by the El Nino phenomenon of 2015-16, the trend is a warning to all countries that they cannot afford
to rely on carbon-intensive growth any longer.
c) Explaining the scientific view, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies points to the rise in temperature as
being driven “largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.”
d) The global average temperature last year was 1.69°Fahrenheit (0.94°C) above the 20th century average, and
0.07°F (0.04°C) warmer than in 2015, the last record-setting year, according to NOAA. A separate analysis by the
U.S. space agency NASA also found that 2016 was the hottest on record.
e) The warming pattern must be seen in the context of declining sea ice cover in the Arctic, compounding the loss
of ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic.
Answer: d)
Explanation: Option d) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the living in the place which is hotter in the world. But option d) is defining the record of the hottest
year 2016.
3). a) Mr. Obama said on Wednesday that he granted clemency to Ms. Manning because she had gone to trial, taken
responsibility for her crime and received a sentence that was harsher than other leakers have received.
b) Chelsea Manning, the American whistle-blower slapped with a 35-year sentence for leaking classified State
Department documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, has had her sentence commuted by the outgoing
President, Barack Obama.
c) Earlier known as Bradley, she has gender dysphoria, is undergoing hormone therapy for gender reassignment,
and has twice attempted suicide while being held at a men’s prison.
d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented, could hope to be freed by May 2017.d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented,
could hope to be freed by May 2017.
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures. d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented,
could hope to be freed by May 2017.
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures..
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures.
ee) Mr. Mulayam Singh was averse to a tie-up, but Mr. Akhilesh Yadav seems to enjoy a better rapport with the
Congress leadership.
Answer: d)
Explanation: Option d) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the communication that happened after the retention of election symbol. But option d) is defining
about the allocation of election symbol.
7). a) The suspense over the timing of the Union Budget for 2017-18 finally ended on Monday with the Election
Commission and the Supreme Court scotching calls, in the light of upcoming elections for five State Assemblies, to
defer the February 1 date proposed by the Centre.
b) The NDA government has been keen to abandon the tradition of presenting the next financial year’s Budget on
the last working day of February, citing the potential benefits for the economy from faster spending of the
approved public expenditure.
c) With a February-end Budget, transmission of funds, and thereby meaningful implementation, seldom starts
before June, by which time the monsoon sets in.
d) This leaves just about two quarters to spend a whole year’s funding for projects involving physical
infrastructure capacity-creation, for instance.
e) Noting that there is “nothing concrete” to back the notion that presentation of the annual budget can sway the
minds of people during the State Assembly polls, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking the
postponement of the Central budget till the Assembly elections in five States.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the budgeting in elections. But option e) is defining about the budget before polling.
8). a) Everybody loves a good protest — an orderly, self-limiting protest at iconic landmarks organised with state
sanction and police protection.
b) But what began as a people’s protest on Chennai’s Marina beach against the ban on jallikattu quickly descended
into chaos and confusion when the protesters stood their ground even after the government came up with a
practical, legislative Explanation to the judiciary-imposed prohibition of the annual bull-taming ritual.
c) As the police resorted to force, violence broke out in several parts of Tamil Nadu.
d) Unfortunately, some in the police not only used excessive force but also tried to match the rioters in
lawlessness by attacking two-wheelers and setting fire to auto rickshaws.
e) The State prepared itself for a shutdown on Friday as trade unions, traders, hoteliers and others in the service
sector announced a dawn-to-dusk bandh in support.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the jallikattu protest and its ending. But option e) is defining about the shutdown of power during
the protest.
9). a) The number of unemployed people in India is expected to rise by 1 lakh in 2017 and another 2 lakh in 2018,
according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
b) The mismatch between the number of people who annually reach working age and the availability of jobs has
been a matter of constant concern globally during the better part of the period since the global financial crisis of
the last decade.
c) The International Labour Organisation’s latest forecast that a few more millions are set to join the pool of the
jobless during this year and the next, is in line with its own previous estimates.
d) In any case, with the growth in global gross domestic product registering a six-year low in 2016, expectations of generation of new jobs were always going to be low.
e) But a no-less-serious concern in the ‘World Employment and Social Outlook 2017’ pertains to the stubborn
challenge of reducing the extent of vulnerability that currently affects about 42 per cent of the total working
population.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the job market vagaries. But option a) is defining about the jobless peoples in India.
10). a) That India’s economic momentum has slowed down is now beyond doubt.
b) Advance GDP estimates and gross value added (GVA) for the current fiscal year from the Central Statistics Office
clearly reveal the extent of the slowdown.
c) India’s gross domestic output is expected to grow at a slower pace of 7.1 per cent in 2016-17 compared to the
7.6 per cent clocked in the previous year, Chief Statistician TCA Anant said.
d) While GDP growth is now pegged at 7.1 per cent, compared with a 7.6 per cent pace in 2015-16, GVA is forecast
to expand at 7 per cent this year, easing from the 7.2 per cent posted 12 months earlier.
e) And as the Chief Statistician emphasised, these projections were based solely on data from the first seven
months through October and do not factor in the impact from the withdrawal of high-value banknotes and the
consequent cash crunch.
Answer: c)
Explanation: Option c) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the decreasing nature of economy. But option c) is defining about the GDP growth.
Odd One Out in Sentence of Paragraph
Direction (1-10): Ten statements are given below, labelled a, b, c, d and e. Among these, four statements
are in logical order and form coherent paragraph. From the given options, choose the option the does not
fit into the theme of the paragraph.
1). a) To gain some perspective on the Centre’s decision to divest 25% of its stake in five public sector general
insurers, consider these numbers.
b) Last year, the gross premium income of four of these companies - New India Assurance, United India Insurance,
Oriental Insurance and National Insurance - increased by over 12%.
c) The companies whose stake would be offloaded, as per stock market watchdog Securities and Exchange Board
of India’s listing norms, are The New India Assurance Company, United India Insurance Company, Oriental
Insurance Company, National Insurance Company, and General Insurance Corporation of India.
d) But their profits after tax fell by more than half from a year earlier, from Rs.3,094 crore in 2014-15 to just
Rs.1,499 crore in 2015-16.
e) A closer scrutiny reveals that high underwriting losses, which increased 55% in the year, were largely
responsible for profits falling at these firms even as revenues rose.
Answer: c)
Explanation: Option c) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the disinvestment in rebooting in public sector insurers. But option c) is defining the list of five
insurance companies.
2). a) The world has turned the page on 2016 with the worrying revelation that it was the warmest year on the
instrumental record since the late 19th century, and the hottest of three record-breaking years in a row.
b) While the rise in global average surface temperature by about 1.1º C last year over the pre-industrial era was
aggravated by the El Nino phenomenon of 2015-16, the trend is a warning to all countries that they cannot afford
to rely on carbon-intensive growth any longer.
c) Explaining the scientific view, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies points to the rise in temperature as
being driven “largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.”
d) The global average temperature last year was 1.69°Fahrenheit (0.94°C) above the 20th century average, and
0.07°F (0.04°C) warmer than in 2015, the last record-setting year, according to NOAA. A separate analysis by the
U.S. space agency NASA also found that 2016 was the hottest on record.
e) The warming pattern must be seen in the context of declining sea ice cover in the Arctic, compounding the loss
of ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic.
Answer: d)
Explanation: Option d) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the living in the place which is hotter in the world. But option d) is defining the record of the hottest
year 2016.
3). a) Mr. Obama said on Wednesday that he granted clemency to Ms. Manning because she had gone to trial, taken
responsibility for her crime and received a sentence that was harsher than other leakers have received.
b) Chelsea Manning, the American whistle-blower slapped with a 35-year sentence for leaking classified State
Department documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, has had her sentence commuted by the outgoing
President, Barack Obama.
c) Earlier known as Bradley, she has gender dysphoria, is undergoing hormone therapy for gender reassignment,
and has twice attempted suicide while being held at a men’s prison.
d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented, could hope to be freed by May 2017.d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented,
could hope to be freed by May 2017.
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures. d) She has served more than six years of her sentence and, assuming Mr. Obama’s commutation is implemented,
could hope to be freed by May 2017.
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures..
e) Even as White House officials underscored that the 44th President had commuted the sentence, not pardoned
her, and thus had not removed a federal crime from her record, Mr. Obama insisted that “justice has been served”.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the deserved commutation by Chelsea Manning. But option a) is defining the defending by Obama
over Chelsea Manning.
4). a) The Tamil Nadu government may have had few political options but to go in for an ordinance to facilitate the
conduct of jallikattu once the surge in popular sentiment in favour of the traditional bull-taming sport gathered an
enormous, unstoppable momentum.
b) The State amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, seeks to exempt jallikattu from the
purview of the law.
c) With the implacable mass movement demanding a legal Explanation to overcome the judicial ban on jallikattu
on the one side, and related litigation pending in the Supreme Court on the other, there was little that the Union
government could have done on its own.
d) For the Centre to bring in an amendment would have incurred the wrath of the Supreme Court, which stayed a
January 2016 notification and will rule on its validity soon.
e) Youths protesting at Tamukkam ground here are determined to continue with their agitation till permanent
measures for the regular conduct of jallikattu are taken.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the coherent paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the permanence of jallikattu. But option e) is defining the about the protesters.
5). a) President Xi Jinping’s message to the World Economic Forum in Davos was timely and perhaps visionary as
well, in this time of extraordinary global uncertainty.
b) There is "no point in blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems," he said, saying that the process
was not at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008 financial crisis.
c) It is no surprise if, as in the case of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential leadership of the Western
alliance, questions have arisen at this juncture about Mr. Xi’s willingness to take up cudgels on behalf of broader
internationalism and against the rising tide of inward-looking nationalism.
d) His address at the opening plenary before captains of business and industry could not have been a more robust
and reassuring defence of the current world economic order, perceived to be at its most fragile in the post-War era
with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President.
e) Foremost is Mr. Xi’s caution against attempts to prevent the free flow of goods, services, capital and people as
running counter to the historical trend.
Answer: b)
Explanation: Option b) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the conversation between President Xi Jinping and WEF. But option b) is defining the message by Xi
Jinping to the word.
6). a) The split, and the retention of the election symbol, appear to have compensated in some measure for the
party’s failings on the governance front over the last five years.
b) Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is now able to seek a fresh mandate on his own terms; moreover, he can, with some degree
of credibility, blame the shortcomings on the party’s old guard.
c) Also, an alliance with the Congress is now very much within the realm of possibility.
d) The Election Commission on Monday allotted the “bicycle” symbol to the Akhilesh faction of the Samajwadi
Party as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister enjoyed majority in the party’s organisational and legislative structures.
ee) Mr. Mulayam Singh was averse to a tie-up, but Mr. Akhilesh Yadav seems to enjoy a better rapport with the
Congress leadership.
Answer: d)
Explanation: Option d) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the communication that happened after the retention of election symbol. But option d) is defining
about the allocation of election symbol.
7). a) The suspense over the timing of the Union Budget for 2017-18 finally ended on Monday with the Election
Commission and the Supreme Court scotching calls, in the light of upcoming elections for five State Assemblies, to
defer the February 1 date proposed by the Centre.
b) The NDA government has been keen to abandon the tradition of presenting the next financial year’s Budget on
the last working day of February, citing the potential benefits for the economy from faster spending of the
approved public expenditure.
c) With a February-end Budget, transmission of funds, and thereby meaningful implementation, seldom starts
before June, by which time the monsoon sets in.
d) This leaves just about two quarters to spend a whole year’s funding for projects involving physical
infrastructure capacity-creation, for instance.
e) Noting that there is “nothing concrete” to back the notion that presentation of the annual budget can sway the
minds of people during the State Assembly polls, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking the
postponement of the Central budget till the Assembly elections in five States.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the budgeting in elections. But option e) is defining about the budget before polling.
8). a) Everybody loves a good protest — an orderly, self-limiting protest at iconic landmarks organised with state
sanction and police protection.
b) But what began as a people’s protest on Chennai’s Marina beach against the ban on jallikattu quickly descended
into chaos and confusion when the protesters stood their ground even after the government came up with a
practical, legislative Explanation to the judiciary-imposed prohibition of the annual bull-taming ritual.
c) As the police resorted to force, violence broke out in several parts of Tamil Nadu.
d) Unfortunately, some in the police not only used excessive force but also tried to match the rioters in
lawlessness by attacking two-wheelers and setting fire to auto rickshaws.
e) The State prepared itself for a shutdown on Friday as trade unions, traders, hoteliers and others in the service
sector announced a dawn-to-dusk bandh in support.
Answer: e)
Explanation: Option e) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the jallikattu protest and its ending. But option e) is defining about the shutdown of power during
the protest.
9). a) The number of unemployed people in India is expected to rise by 1 lakh in 2017 and another 2 lakh in 2018,
according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
b) The mismatch between the number of people who annually reach working age and the availability of jobs has
been a matter of constant concern globally during the better part of the period since the global financial crisis of
the last decade.
c) The International Labour Organisation’s latest forecast that a few more millions are set to join the pool of the
jobless during this year and the next, is in line with its own previous estimates.
d) In any case, with the growth in global gross domestic product registering a six-year low in 2016, expectations of generation of new jobs were always going to be low.
e) But a no-less-serious concern in the ‘World Employment and Social Outlook 2017’ pertains to the stubborn
challenge of reducing the extent of vulnerability that currently affects about 42 per cent of the total working
population.
Answer: a)
Explanation: Option a) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the job market vagaries. But option a) is defining about the jobless peoples in India.
10). a) That India’s economic momentum has slowed down is now beyond doubt.
b) Advance GDP estimates and gross value added (GVA) for the current fiscal year from the Central Statistics Office
clearly reveal the extent of the slowdown.
c) India’s gross domestic output is expected to grow at a slower pace of 7.1 per cent in 2016-17 compared to the
7.6 per cent clocked in the previous year, Chief Statistician TCA Anant said.
d) While GDP growth is now pegged at 7.1 per cent, compared with a 7.6 per cent pace in 2015-16, GVA is forecast
to expand at 7 per cent this year, easing from the 7.2 per cent posted 12 months earlier.
e) And as the Chief Statistician emphasised, these projections were based solely on data from the first seven
months through October and do not factor in the impact from the withdrawal of high-value banknotes and the
consequent cash crunch.
Answer: c)
Explanation: Option c) is the one which is not part of the logical paragraph as we see that other options are
talking about the decreasing nature of economy. But option c) is defining about the GDP growth.