Directions(1-5): In each of the following questions there are sentences. There is an error in one of the parts. Mark the option which contains error parts as your answer. If no part contains error mark option E as your answer.
- (A) If one word could best describe a man, then for Atal Bihari Vajpayee that would have to be compromise. /(B) Ever the contrarian, Vajpayee was equally the consensus-seeker and the alliance-builder who could traverse ideological divides and overcome political animosities with a skill set that was a throwback to the Nehruvian era. /(C) A brilliant parliamentarian and a shrewd politician who could demolish political opponents with his acerbic wit, Vajpayee was also the elder statesman who was never afraid to reach out and make peace with India’s neighbours. /(D) Without a doubt, he was born of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the torchbearer of Hindutva.
ABCDNEOption E
- (A) Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat’s view that it is not possible to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies soon is a realistic assessment of the humongous task /(B) ahead of the Election Commission before it can embarked on such an ambitious venture. /(C) Mr. Rawat has, in particular, ruled out the possibility of holding elections to the Lok Sabha this December along with polls to the Assemblies of four States. /(D) In addition to the basic requirement of a legal framework under which the extension or curtailment of the term of any Assembly is constitutionally permissible, simultaneous elections would demand a massive increase in the number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units.
ABCDNEOption B
embarked = embark - (A) The Asian Games begin in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang on Saturday, providing Indian sport a bracing opportunity to prove its composite progress on the global level. /(B) While confined to competition from within Asia, the Asiad is keenly contested, involving some of the best sportspersons in their respective disciplines. /(C) China continues to be the behemoth, and it is a pointer to its overall excellence that having finished at the top of the table in the last edition, in 2014, at South Korea’s Incheon, it also secured the third highest number of gold medals in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro. /(D) In fact, South Korea and Japan, which also finished in the top three at Incheon, were among the leading ten at the Olympics.
ABCDNEOption A
on = at - (A) The unprecedented deluge in Kerala unleashed by heavy rain, overflowing rivers, brimming dams and massive landslips have overwhelmed the State government and rescue agencies, /(B) as they struggle to make a complete assessment of the devastation. More than 160 people have died since August 8, and several are missing. /(C) The State government faces the challenging task of rescuing people who are marooned in far-flung houses in several districts and providing them food and water until the teams get to them. /(D) About 2,23,000 people had been moved to more than 1,500 relief camps as of Friday, with more waiting to join.
ABCDNEOption A
have = has - (A) Truly great sportspersons may have their ups and downs, but they rarely fade away, as Roger Federer and Serena Williams have reminded us. /(B) For almost a decade, the golfing world has debated whether the Tiger Woods fairy tale is really over. /(C) Having notched up 14 majors and looking as if he would overhaul Jack Nicklaus’s record 18, the story began to sour in November 2009, after Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant a couple of days after news of his infidelity became public. /(D) A broken marriage, four spinal surgeries, and an alarming drop of form left the former world number one’s ranking in tatters; he languished at 1,199 just last December. Last weekend, Woods hinted, and very strongly, that he still has what it takes to be amidst the best.
ABCDNEOption D
amidst = amongst - In a relative sense, 2018 has been a decent year for Woods. He played all four Majors and raised hopes of winning two of them, the other being the British Open, where he eventually finished in a ___________ sixth place. He had a poor start in the PGA before going on to shoot 64, his best score in the final round of a Major. When personal issues led to his form dropping a decade ago, it seemed as if what prevented him from returning to his winning ways lay entirely in the mind. Over the years though, the challenge also assumed physical proportions. What began as niggling injuries morphed into a major back problem. The spinal fusion surgery 16 months ago and the need to cope with excruciating pain forced Woods to overmedicate himself, after which he was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in 2017. An ___________ Woods had said, “I’m done with golf.”
linked, tranquiltied, exasperatedknotted, abundantchained, acceptableAll are CorrectOption B
- There is an outpouring of goodwill and support from across the country and even abroad, and the State government has acted quickly to make online contributions to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund possible through a dedicated portal. Liberal donations will help the government in large-scale relief and post-flood rehabilitation initiatives. Support groups from neighbouring States such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have begun sending relief material, although the ___________ to road connectivity has left a lot of it stranded at the inter-State borders. These volunteer efforts can be better targeted if the district authorities in Kerala put out advisories on the nature of relief needed, and the locations and the ___________ of transfer. More immediately, it is important to continue with the air-dropping of food, water, candles, matches and other essentials to the worst-hit areas.
disruption, modalitiesarray, conditionsamenity, configurationsconformity, circumstancesAll are CorrectOption A
- In badminton, India has never gone beyond the bronze at the Asian Games, but the presence of two Olympic medallists, Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, may well change that. India may not be a ___________ in track and field. All the same, athletics has brought the country more than half its golds across Asiads. Now, Chopra begins as the favourite to wrest the javelin gold. The 4×400 m relays — there are three, with the introduction of a mixed relay — may also bring some joy. Much depends on how the Athletics Federation of India handles the Nirmala Sheoran issue. The Asian women’s 400 m champion had stayed away from national camps. The AFI has a ___________ as in a crackdown on doping it had repeatedly stressed that non-campers would not be included. It is not clear if it will make an exception for Sheoran.
potent, boonmighty, advocacystalwart, resolutionpowerhouse, dilemmaAll are CorrectOption D
- The ___________ of the argument in favour of the concept is that the country is perpetually in election mode, resulting in a lack of adequate focus on governance. The second contention is that scattered polling results in extra expenditure. The question before India is, in order to address these two issues, can legislature terms be ___________ without undermining representative democracy and federalism? Given the procedural and logistical challenges that holding of simultaneous elections pose, it would be far more productive for political parties to focus on basic electoral reforms and find ways to curb excessive election expenditure.
core, scuttledessence, extendedcrux, curtailedgist, broadenedAll are CorrectOption C
- Vajpayee’s first hold on power was a ___________ as External Affairs Minister in the Janata government in 1977-79, where he made a bold effort to normalise relations with China. Subsequently, he had three stints as Prime Minister, a 13-day misadventure without the required support in 1996, a 13-month experiment with strange bedfellows in 1998-99, and a full term with a reasonably ___________ alliance during 1999-2004. The National Democratic Alliance that the BJP formed in 1998 would not have been possible without Vajpayee as the leader. His image as a moderate trying to rein in extremist elements in his party made it easier for others such as the Telugu Desam, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to join the NDA.
chore, solitarystint, cohesivescrimp, xenophobicassignment, chauvinisticAll are CorrectOption B
Direction (6-10): In each question below a sentence is given with two blanks in each. Each question is followed by four options with two words in each. You have to select that option as your answer which can fill both the blanks of the sentence.