Directions (1-10): Five statements are given below, labeled A, B, C, D, and E. Among these, four statements are in the logical order and form a coherent paragraph. From the given options, choose the option that does not fit into the theme of the paragraph.
1Q. (A) The 1.0% annual pace of expansion for the year compared with 1.2% growth in 2015.
(B) For all but one quarter of the year, private demand was flat or negative.
(C) Japan’s economy expanded at a steadily slowing pace in 2016, though a modest recovery in exports helped offset sluggish spending by households and businesses, according to data reported Monday.
(D) And quarterly growth slowed to 0.2% in October-December, down from 0.6% in January-March.
(E) The usual boost from increased government spending at the beginning of the April-March fiscal year will also likely sustain growth in the coming months.
Answer: Option (E)
Explanation: Option (E) is the correct choice and is not a part of this coherent paragraph, the other four options (A), (B), (C) and (D) are a part of the paragraph and their logical order is CABD. Sentence given option (E) is unfit as it manifests the boost that is expected from increased government spending while all other options tell the downfall in growth.
2Q. (A) The new DPP is a step in the right direction as it encourages private companies to conduct business in the defense space.
(B) We are particularly encouraged by the issue related to the single vendor situation, which will now be accepted under certain conditions.
(C) Secondly, it enables DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) to choose partners before they start to design and development, which means, if a private industry (firm) is chosen as a manufacturing partner, there will be reverse pressure from the industry on DRDO to speed up the development process.
(D) Apart from the industry, the new DPP will benefit the end user i.e. the Indian Army.
(E) While the initial order is of 3,192 units, we see a huge potential given over 35,000 Gypsies are due for replacement in the coming years.
Answer: Option (E)
Explanation: Option (E) is the correct choice and is not a part of this coherent paragraph, the other four options (A), (B), (C) and (D) are part of the paragraph and their logical order is ABCD. Option (E) is unfit with the paragraph because DPP is discussed in all four sentences except the sentence mentioned in option (E).
3Q. (A) No more fragmentation of responsibility across unaccountable and inept public sector agencies; no more election-focused short-termism; no more neglect of the commons within the city.
(B) A proprietary city is a community created and provisioned by a private developer under an arrangement in exchange for some kind of land tax.
(C) This overlapping social web is an important crucible for new ways of navigating a fast-changing world.
(D) The second, “proprietary cities”, tests the lengths people are willing to go to for more orderly cities.
(E) It’s essentially a mega land acquisition justified by the idea that the private developer has an incentive to innovate in infrastructure, services and (in some formulations) the regulatory environment to make the place clean, safe, attractive and economically vibrant enough to generate taxable value.
Answer: Option (C)
Explanation: Option (C) is the correct choice and is not a part of this coherent paragraph, the other four options (A), (B), (D) and (A) are a part of the paragraph and their logical order is DBEA. Option (C) answers because all four sentences talks about “proprietary city” except the sentence mentioned in option (C).
4Q. (A) The channel because of running foreign (Indian) content became very popular and received the highest viewership ratings across the country
(B) Shah passed the interim order on a petition filed by Leo Communication challenging the ban on airing Indian content on the cable television network.
(C) The report stated that television channels should be allowed to run Indian films as per clause 7.2 (ii) of License Establish & Operate Satellite TV Broadcast Channel Station.
(D) Lahore high court chief justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Monday granted the permission to private television channels in the light of the report put by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) before the court.
(E) A Pakistani court has allowed private television channels having valid licenses to show Indian films as per their terms of the agreement with the country’s regulatory authority.
Answer: Option (A)
Explanation: Option (A) is the correct choice and is not a part of this coherent paragraph, the other four options (B), (C), (D) and (E) are a part of the paragraph and their logical order is EDBC. Option (A) is the correct answer because all four sentences talks about the removal of ban an option (A) doesn’t.
5Q. (A) It clears the deck for the incumbent O. Panneerselvam to be in power.
(B) Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi gave an opinion to Tamil Nadu governor Rao on Monday advising him to hold the floor test within a week, citing Supreme Court judgment.
(C) The ruling bars Sasikala from becoming the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu as she can’t contest election for 10 years.
(D) The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a trial court order and found AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala guilty in an over 20-year-old disproportionate assets case and sentenced her to four years of imprisonment.
(E) The court also directed Sasikala to surrender immediately.
Answer: Option (B)
Explanation: Option (B) is the correct choice and is not a part of this coherent paragraph, the other four options (A), (C), (D) and (E) are a part of the paragraph and their logical order is DECA. Option (B) represents advice given by the Attorney general to the governor of Tamil Nadu, whereas all other sentences of the paragraph talks about the verdict of the Supreme Court and its consequences on O.Panneerselvam.
6Q. (A) At a time when there was a compelling need for a bold and pathbreaking budget to bring relief to tens of millions of people adversely affected by demonetization.
(B) Yet another area where it was relatively easy to provide relief was in increasing the allocation for providing pensions to elderly people from weaker sections, including widows and disabled people.
(C) The NDA government has come up with an ordinary, business-as-usual budget which fails to meet expectations of people and the needs of the economy in very critical times
(D) Even after the presentation of the budget, this light is not visible.
(E) The people have been repeatedly assured of light at the end of the tunnel but they have failed to see it after the much-publicised 50 days.
Answer: Option (B)
Explanation: Option (B) is not part of the coherent paragraph as in the paragraph, the author is sharing his views regarding budget presentation and people affected by demonetization but in option (B) there is information about allocation to weaker sections.
7Q. (A) The reference in the Union Budget to new elimination targets for some major communicable diseases barely hints at the enormous burden carried by millions in India with tuberculosis, kala-azar, filariasis, leprosy, and measles.
(B) It would appear incongruous that an emerging economy with no timetable for universal health coverage and a lack of political will to loosen its purse strings for higher government expenditure has set ambitious deadlines to rid itself of deadly scourges.
(C) The promise of a well-funded five-year scheme to meet the TB challenge beginning in 2017 is welcome, although steady progress towards the new elimination deadline of 2025 will also depend on improved capabilities in the health system to meet the daily drugs requirement and a feeling of ownership at the State level.
(D) If the good medical protocol is pursued, pockets of filariasis in many States can be removed.
(E) Having set concrete goals, the Centre must now demonstrate its seriousness by moving away from the flawed policies of the past.
Answer: Option (D)
Explanation: Option (D) is not a part of the coherent paragraph because, in the paragraph, there is information of contribution in the union budget for curing the diseases like tuberculosis, kala-azar and their logical sequence is ABEC, option(D) imparts information regarding filariasis in particular.
8Q. (A) The killing of seven policemen in a landmine blast has tragically buttressed their resolve to boycott the local elections in the absence of development and grinding poverty in a predominantly rural state.
(B) Juggling with alphabets such as GDP means little or nothing in rural Odisha in terms of the opening of bank branches, the “unbanked” gram panchayats, or even improvement in the quality of life of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
(C) A fortnight before the panchayat elections in Odisha, the Maoists are engaged in mortal muscle-flexing if last Wednesday’s outrage on the state’s border with Andhra Pradesh is an index to go by.
(D) A cruel irony when one reflects that Odisha has fared commendably in terms of industrial investment.
(E) This is the crux of the issue; it is public policy and development, and not ideology, that predominates over the current philosophy of the Left radicals as well as the reluctant revolutionaries of the Communist Party of India.
Answer: Option (B)
Explanation: Option (B) is the one that doesn’t fit the theme of the paragraph as other options tells us about the issue of Maoists and their role in violence and disruptions while option (B) which is also a part of the same article is explaining how Odisha is a fertile ground for the extremists to strike hence not in agreement to the theme of the passage.
9Q. (A) However, instead of taking steps to that end, India’s counter-terror agency, the National Investigation Agency, is investigating whether the traders from Kashmir have been providing money raised through the exchange of goods to separatist political parties, which are seeking the merger of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan.
(B) Mufti has asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the BJP for the barter system to be replaced with formal currency trade.
(C) Tensions escalated into attacks on Indian army facilities by militants, which India blamed on Pakistan.
(D) The NIA has seized the records of over 350 traders from Kashmir to investigate whether any money makes it to separatists.
(E) Kashmir government officials have also sought the balance sheets of their trade transactions and the details of bank accounts from the traders, looking for any violation of legal procedures.
Answer: Option (C)
Explanation: Option (C) is not in agreement with the theme of the paragraph as the paragraph is about the barter system in Kashmir while the option (C) is about the escalated tensions but we don’t know anything about tension (not specified).
10Q. (A) The biggest myth about the UBI, partly responsible for sections of the Left endorsing it, is that it is a redistributive policy that would reduce inequality.
(B) Simply put, a UBI is a sum of money provided by the State to all citizens to take care of the bare necessities of life.
(C) This measure is intended to provide a safety net preventing any citizen from sinking below a basic minimum standard of living.
(D) Ahead of the forthcoming budget on February 1, there is a buzz surrounding the feasibility of a universal basic income (UBI) in the Indian context.
(E) This idea has gained sufficient traction to reportedly feature in the Economic Survey that is released before the budget.
Answer: Option (A)
Explanation: Option (A) is not a part of a coherent paragraph. As other options tells us about the feasibility of UBI in union budget while option (A) tell the myths about UBI, hence option (A) is true

Directions (1-5): Five statements are given below, labeled A, B, C, D, and E. Among these, four statements are in the logical order and form a coherent paragraph. From the given options, choose the option that does not fit into the theme of the paragraph.
1Q. (A) The eight richest people in the world own half its wealth.
(B) India’s population has touched $1.3 billion marks and its economy is valued at up to $3 trillion.
(C) According to a study done by Oxfam, the richest 1 percent of Indians owns 58 percent of its economy.
(D) Now a wealthy person is idealized as a smart, intelligent person capable of making money.
(E) There was a time when a majority of the population used to believe that the disproportionate distribution of wealth was organized loot and there was regular rich-poor conflict.
Answer: Option (D)
Explanation: Read the sentences, CABE forms a coherent paragraph. The paragraph is about the richest people in the world that own half its wealth and the richest people in India that owns 58 percent of its economy. Sentence (D) is not part of the paragraph as it talks about a wealthy person that represent as a smart, intelligent person which fails to connect with the other sentences of the paragraph. Hence sentence (D) is the right option.
2Q. (A) Science fiction loves and fears the hardware littering its worlds.
(B) Actually, humankind has not evolved biologically in the last 20,000 years but surged ahead through mental products like politics, culture, and technology.
(C) Our fascination with labor-saving devices is reflected in machines which slavishly tend to humans.
(D) And there is the dark talk of the singularity — the point at which machine intelligence passeth human understanding and reality baffles us.
(E) But the possibility of machines replicating and taking control inspires anxiety.
Answer: Option (B)
Explanation: Going through all the sentences, we conclude that sentences aced forms a coherent paragraph. The paragraph is all about labor-saving machines that passeth human understanding. Sentence (B) talks about humankind that has not evolved biologically in the last 20,000 years, which is different in theme from the other sentences. Hence sentence (B) is the correct choice.
3Q. (A) The BJP’s astounding performance in the elections to the municipal corporations and other local bodies in Maharashtra and Odisha shows that the party’s juggernaut is simply unstoppable.
(B) The Maharashtra and Odisha results and other electoral successes in the recent past demolish the theory that the BJP’s electoral fortunes would dip in the wake of demonetization.
(C) There is overwhelming support, throughout the country, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his people-centric policies.
(D) The BJP’s electoral base has remarkably cut across the urban-rural divide.
(E) From Andaman and Assam to the latest round of local body polls, the narrative has been similar.
Answer: Option (E)
Explanation: Sentences ACDB forms a coherent paragraph. The paragraph is about BJP’s victory in recent polls demolishes theories that its fortunes would decline after demonetization. Sentence (E) is not part of the paragraph as it is about the states Andaman and Assam which fails to connect with other sentences. Hence sentence (E) is the correct option.
4Q. (A)”No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.”
(B) His executive order — now stayed by the courts — suspended the entry of all refugees for at least 120 days and those from Syria indefinitely.
(C) This protest anthem emanated from demonstrators gathered outside the White House, in front of the Statue of Liberty, and in airports across the United States, hours after President Donald Trump temporarily limited the entry of Muslims from seven Muslim-majority countries.
(D) The voices of public protest across India have been far too muted and infrequent.
(E) It also stipulated that among refugees let into the country, Christians will be prioritized over Muslims.
Answer: Option (D)
Explanation: After reading the sentences, it can be inferred that sentences ACBE forms a coherent paragraph. This paragraph revolves around the theme of banning the entry of all refugees in the U.S. and protests against Donald Trump’s decision whereas sentence (D) talks about protest across India that has been infrequent. Hence sentence (D) is not a part of the paragraph.
5Q. (A) It is worth checking out the number of Indian immigrants to these five countries
(B) If citizens are happier in a certain country, presumably people would want to migrate there, given a choice.
(C) Among India’s states, Madhya Pradesh was the first one to start a happiness department in 2016.
(D) The initial idea seems to have been to converge anti-poverty programmes directed at disabled, homeless, poor and old-age pensioners.
(E) In 2016, the top three countries were Denmark, Switzerland, and Iceland and both Nepal and Bangladesh have higher ranks than India.
Answer: Option (D)
Explanation: Sentences BEAC form a coherent paragraph while sentence (D) is not a part of the paragraph. The paragraph is about Happiness index which is topped by Madhya Pradesh in India and Denmark in the world while sentence (D) is about anti-poverty programmes. Hence sentence (D) fails to connect with other sentences and is the correct choice.