Mixed English Questions for Mains Exam — Set 311

Directions(1-6): Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

In an attempt to deal with India’s open defecation problem, the National Democratic Alliance government has incentivised double-pit pour-flush toilets through the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Its cost-effectiveness and less hazardous sludge management system in comparison to the conventionally used septic tanks is common knowledge, and official estimates suggest a rapid diffusion of the technology under the mission. Within a span of merely four years (2014–17), household toilet availability has increased from 42% to 64%, with over five lakh villages across 25 states/union territories being declared open defecation free (ODF). But, all is not well behind these impressive numbers. Evidence shows that physical access alone is not enough to ensure usage, so much so that even the ODF-certified areas are not de facto ODF.
The razzmatazz for toilet construction/ODF certification has overshadowed the fact that the essence of universal water and sanitation coverage is derived from the right to life, guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. At the same time, India has ratified several international treaties that explicitly recognise the human rights to water and sanitation, and the human rights obligations of the states. Yet, there is no national legislation to protect these rights in the country. These are supported through legal jurisprudence, enabling the states to do just the “minimum” needed for ensuring legal clarity.
A WaterAid study in 2017 found that almost a third of the functional toilets under SBM failed to prevent human contact with faecal matter, either because these have no traps, and/or are located at susceptible distances from drinking water points. Though the government has launched various initiatives for waste management in rural and urban areas, the evidence of coverage is confounding. The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (2017–18) shows 70% of villages as having waste management systems in place, while studies by WaterAid in 2017 and World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund in 2015 found about 30% of the rural households and 9% of urban population, respectively, practising safe disposal of faecal waste.
Notwithstanding the glitches, Modi should be given credit for bringing a socially anathematised issue like “open defecation” to the centre stage of the Indian policy discourse. (But, this is a missed opportunity as his mission assumes the usual denial mode towards sanitation in India being more a matter of caste ethos than technology/infrastructure.) Building more toilets/introducing alternative sanitation technologies can elicit corporate investments, garner celebrity endorsements and, perhaps, brownie points with voters, too, but it cannot change the mindset that sanitisation is the work of the lower castes. On the one hand, his writing about the Valmikis that “At some point of time, somebody must have got the enlightenment that they have to do this job bestowed upon them by Gods” reinforces the association of the lower castes with manual scavenging. And, on the other, the construction of toilets, under SBM, without due consideration to sludge disposal and cleaning is indicative of the existence of discriminatory caste-based hiring practices in the government’s own backyard.
While a report mentions that the existing infrastructures are unsuitable for persons with disabilities, transpersons, and women, particularly with respect to the menstrual hygiene management of the latter, a study by the Aser Centre (2016) found only 62% schools having functional and usable girls’ toilets. Interestingly, among the numerous international treaties protecting human rights to water and sanitation that India has ratified from time to time are a plethora of agreements for ameliorating any forms of discrimination. But, these agreements, perhaps, only come in handy to project Modi as India’s poster boy of “cleanliness” in the international arena.

1. Which of the following statements should start the third paragraph to form a connection with the second paragraph?

   I. Be it applying aggressive and abusive practices for earning an ODF status, such as shaming/penalising for open defecation, or diverting funds earmarked for education and communication activities for behavioural change to building more toilets.
   II. In such a top-down system, violation of rights is rampant, primarily because of the beneficiaries’ lack of ownership and the consequent lack of accountability of the service providers.
   III. While the government vouches for a “safe” sanitation technology, on implementation it may not turn out so due to limited involvement/ knowledge of the beneficiary in the decision to build a toilet/choose a technology.

   Only II
   Both I and II
   Both II and III
   Only III
   All of the above
   Option A
   Statement I only connects with the last line of the second paragraph.
   The second paragraph is about the violation of human rights and not about “safe” sanitation technology.

    

2. Which of the following statements is false with respect to the passage?
   Double pit toilets are really helpful to fight with the open defecation.
   Under Swachh Bharat Mission, 25 States/Union Territories have declared themselves as free from open defecation.
   Modi’s writing about the Valmiki’s preaches ‘Cleaning’ as a voluntary service, ignoring the fact that only a particular caste is made to work in sanitation, reinforces the caste system.
   The existing infrastructure not only cuts across caste, but also gender and persons with special requirements.
   India’s poster boy of ”cleanliness” is Modi.
   Option
   Option A: It can be deciphered from the following line, ‘In an attempt to deal with India’s open defecation problem, the National Democratic Alliance government has incentivised double-pit pour-flush toilets through the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).’
   Option B: It can be deciphered from the following line, ‘Within a span of merely four years (2014–17), household toilet availability has increased from 42% to 64%, with over five lakh villages across 25 states/union territories being declared open defecation free (ODF).’
   Option C: It can be deciphered from the following line, ‘On the one hand, his writing about the Valmikis that “At some point of time, somebody must have got the enlightenment that they have to do this job bestowed upon them by Gods” reinforces the association of the lower castes with manual scavenging.’
   Option D: It can be deciphered from the following line, ‘While a report mentions that the existing infrastructures are unsuitable for persons with disabilities, transpersons, and women, particularly with respect to the menstrual hygiene management of the latter, a study by the Aser Centre (2016) found only 62% schools having functional and usable girls’ toilets.’

    

3. Which of the following best captures the essence of the second and third paragraph?
   
   Lack of sanitation is a pervasive human rights concern globally that impacts other rights.
   From the human right perspective, sanitation is not only concerned about the individual right to use facilities, but also the human rights of other people who can be negatively affected by inappropriate management of sanitary wastes.
   The right to sanitation can be undermined in a variety of contexts through government action and inaction.
   The Swachh Bharat Mission outwits rights-based development with lofty statistics.
   Both B and D
   Option B
   The third paragraph says that “a third of the functional toilets under SBM failed to prevent human contact with faecal matter, either because these have no traps, and/or are located at susceptible distances from drinking water points.” Thus, it is negatively affecting other humans due to inappropriate management of sanitary wastes.

    

4. Which of the following statements can replace the highlighted statement in the fourth paragraph?
   
   But his mission assumes that open defecation persists in India not because of a lack of infrastructure, but because of unique cultural practices concerning ritual impurity and a history of caste and untouchability.
   But, this is a missed opportunity as his mission does not identify with the fact that Bharat will not be Swachh unless the caste ethos is completely eradicated.
   But there is no mention of the casteism in his mission, which smacks of the usual denial mode of the elite that castes no longer exist – they are a non-issue.
   But his mission is missing the opportunity to address that open defecation is a matter of caste ethos than technology/infrastructure.
   But this is a missed opportunity as his mission assumes the collective ignorance of the causality of unclean India being rooted in the caste culture.
   Option C
   

    

5. Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
   Misnaming toilet building as ‘Swachhata’.
   Making India open defecation free.
   Sanitation summit in India overshadows problems that persist.
   ODF Status- claims vs reality of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
   Why Swachh Bharat is not working on the ground?
   Option A
   The passage revolves around Swachh Bharat Mission. The passage is in a negative tone. It states that SBM lacks in the waste segregation system and waste management. Not just open defecation, Swachh Bharat should also end India’s caste mess. Thereby, the most appropriate title for the passage is misnaming toilet building as ‘Swachhata.’

    

6. Which of the following statements can be derived from the second paragraph?
   Among the numerous international treaties protecting human rights to water and sanitation that India has ratified from time to time are a plethora of agreements for ameliorating any forms of discrimination.
   Article 21 of the Constitution of India recognizes universally adopted principles safeguarding the life and liberty of a man.
   As such Indian jurisprudence is not very well developed when it comes to assessing environmental damage.
   Both B and C
   None of these
   Option E
   None of the statements can be derived from the second paragraph.

    

Directions(7-10): Read the sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number corresponding to that part will be your answer. If the given sentence is correct as it is, mark the answer as ‘No error’. Ignore the errors of punctuation if any.

7. Daniel Marcus Macwan’s life often revolves around (1)/ buying endangered animals from the poachers and (2)/ taking them to his place, rehabilitate them and later (3)/ release them into their own world where they can actually belong. (4)/ No error (5)
   
   1
   2
   3
   4
   5
   Option D
   ‘Can’ is used to show capability of someone/ somebody. But the sentence doesn’t verify what the capability is.

    

8. In 1815, he represented himself (1)/ at the congress of Vienna, and succeeded in (2)/ obtaining for Netherlands (3)/ a considerable augmentation of territory. (4)/ No error (5)
   1
   2
   3
   4
   5
   Option C
   There should be ‘the’ before Netherlands because we include the before countries with plural names (the Philippines, the Maldives and the Netherlands).

    

9. The boys looked at him (1)/ and wondered if the master (2)/ would really as (3)/ good as his word. (4)/ No error (5)
   1
   2
   3
   4
   5
   Option C
   The modal verbs are always followed by an infinitive without “to”, .i.e., the bare infinitive or V1. In part 3, there is no V1 after modal ‘would’, hence an additional ‘be’ is required to make it grammatically correct.

    

10. The horse had especially (1)/ attracted their notice, (2)/ because it was the biggest and the (3)/ strangest creature they had ever seen. (4)/ No error (5)
    
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    Option C
    While talking about single entity, article is used only once but in the sentence only a single horse is talked about and there are two articles in part 3. So the second ‘the’ should be removed.