Directions (1Q - 3Q): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain parts are given in bold to answer some of the questions based on the passage.
The pilot phase of the much-publicized odd-even scheme in Delhi is now over. Besides Delhi, comprehensive plans are urgently needed to improve air quality across several Indian cities, such as Patna, Gwalior, Raipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, and Amritsar. Although policy interventions primarily target air pollution, it is important to note that traffic congestion has significant economic costs to society. How did Delhi fare on metrics of air quality and congestion – and what lessons should other cities draw from the experiment?
The stationary air pollution monitors of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) indicate that average (ambient) PM 2.5 levels increased from 216 µg/m3 (26 – 31 Dec) to 331 µg/m3 (1 – 6 Jan) and subsequently declined to 308 µg/m3 (7 - 11 Jan). As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) PM 2.5 levels that exceed 250 µg/m3 correspond to an Air Quality Index of ‘Severe’. These levels affect healthy people and cause greater distress to those with existing heart or lung disease.
However, a spike in air pollution is not a predictor of failure just as a decline does not indicate policy success. This is because, in the short term, air pollution levels are dominated by meteorological conditions such as winds, rain, and temperature.
While establishing a relationship between reduced car numbers and pollution levels is tenuous, the impact on traffic and congestion is purely a function of compliance levels. In order to understand the traffic mix during the odd-even experiment, the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) monitored traffic volumes at five important stretches across New Delhi for three weeks (the week before and two weeks of the implementation).
In the morning peak (9 am – 11 am) we observed that overall vehicle counts increased (by 10%) in the two weeks of January, as compared to the last week of December. However, taxis, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and private buses contributed significantly to this increase. The increase ranges from 12% for 3-wheelers to 138% for private buses. This does suggest increased use (or availability) of these alternate modes of transport.
However, the number of private cars remained unchanged. Anecdotal experiences (documented in social media) suggest that commuters experienced lesser congestion on the roads. Congestion data (as recorded from Google Maps), on the other hand, suggests that the travel times were not statistically different between the last week of December and the first week of January. The available metrics are confounding and no definitive conclusion can be made, on the impact of the scheme on traffic and congestion as well. One conjecture is that the baseline chosen for comparison (last week of December) does not represent typical Delhi traffic.
Despite the short lead time available to prepare for full-scale monitoring, we also installed low-cost pollution sensors at five locations. We find that the readings (for PM2.5) closely follow those from DPCC (located in the vicinity of our sensors). There is a need to create a network of such low-cost sensors across our cities, and to make residents aware of pollution levels in their respective localities.
Q1. Which of the following cities are needed comprehensive plans urgently to improve air quality?

A. Gwalior B. Raipur C. Ahmedabad D. All of above E. None of these

Answer - Option D
Explanation - All of above
Q2. Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word 'interventions' as used in the passage?

A. Bounty B. Aid C. Assistance D. Merge E. Interference

Answer - Option E
Explanation - Interference
Q3. According to the author, what we need to installed in our cities for traffic control?

A. Pollution control machines B. Pollutions reading sensors C. Low-cost pollution sensors D. High quality Cameras E. None of these

Answer - Option C
Explanation - Low-cost pollution sensors
Directions (4Q - 5Q): Read the following questions which are SENTENCE FILLERS and answer them below.
Q4. Going forward, domestic policy has to evaluate the impact of factors such as____________ of safeguard duty and anti-dumping duty on imports, and levy of the goods and services tax on photovoltaic modules.

A. inelastic B. instrumental C. accumulate D. stiff E. imposition

Answer - Option E
Explanation - imposition – the action or process of imposing something or of being imposed.
Q5. Major solar projects that connect to the grid often face the challenge of land ____________ and transmission connectivity.

A. propitious B. convenient C. acquisition D. encourage E. taut

Answer - Option C
Explanation - acquisition – an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum.

Directions (1Q - 2Q): Read the following questions which are SPOTTING ERRORS and answer them below.
Q1. The latest case in point was a scare that President Donald Trump’s / administration was toying with the idea of new / regulations that would restrict extension / of the visa by which awaiting a green card.

A. The latest case in point was a scare that President Donald Trump’s B. administration was toying with the idea of new C. regulations that would restrict extension D. of the visa by which awaiting a green card. E. No error

Answer - Option D
Explanation - Replace ‘which’ with ‘those’, ‘those’ – We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular. These and those are plural. We use them as determiners and pronouns.
Q2. It should have constituted a direct attack on free / public-spirited journalism and dissuaded attempts to / hold public authorities and institutions / accountable for shortcomings and promises.

A. It should have constituted a direct attack on free B. public-spirited journalism and dissuaded attempts to C. hold public authorities and institutions D. accountable for shortcomings and promises. E. No error

Answer - Option A
Explanation - Replace ‘should have’ with ‘would have’, would have; indicating a non-occurring action or state that was conditional on another non-occurring event in the past. We would’ve been warmer if you had closed the window. I would’ve gone if it hadn’t rained.
Directions (3Q - 4Q): Read the following questions which are ClOZE TEST and answer them below.
Since the Agrarian Revolution, technological progress has always fueled opposing forces of diffusion and concentration. Diffusion as old powers and corrode; concentration occurs as the power and reach of those who control new capabilities expands. The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will be no exception in this regard.
Already, the tension between and concentration is (3) at all levels of the economy. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, trade grew twice as fast as GDP, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. Thanks to the globalization of capital and knowledge, countries were able to shift resources to more productive and higher-paying sectors. All of this contributed to the diffusion of market power.
But this diffusion occurred in with an equally stark. At the sectoral level, a couple of key industries – most notably, finance and information technology – secured a growing share of profits. In the United States, for example, the financial sector generates just 4% of employment, but accounts for more than 25% of corporate profits. And half of US companies that generate profits of 25% or more are tech firms.
The same has at the organizational level. The most profitable 10% of US businesses are eight times more profitable than the (4) firm. In the 1990s, the multiple was only three.
Such concentration effects go a long way toward explaining rising economic inequality. Research by Cesar Hidalgo and his colleagues at MIT reveals that, in countries where sectoral concentration has declined in recent, such as South Korea, income inequality has fallen. In those where sectoral concentration has intensified, such as Norway, has risen.
Q3.

A. delegate B. intensifying C. inconstancy D. congregation E. converging

Answer - Option B
Explanation - intensifying – become or make more intense.
Q4.

A. consolidation B. flocking C. flippancy D. average E. abscond

Answer - Option D
Explanation - average – a number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number.
Directions (5Q): Read the following questions which are ANTONYMS and answer them below.
Q5. Boisterous

A. inexorable B. restrained C. skimpy D. exiguous E. None of these

Answer - Option B
Explanation - Boisterous – noisy, energetic, and cheerful.
restrained – characterized by reserve or moderation; unemotional or dispassionate.

Directions (1Q - 3Q): Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph then answer the following questions.

A. Therefore, our personal evolution can proceed only when we start working with our thoughts in a conscious and active manner. B. For most of us, thoughts are random and automatic, but they are powerful, too. C. We feel somewhat passive in relation to our thoughts as they can quickly change our mood for better or worse, alter the crucial decisions of our life and so have a strong impact on our current and future reality. D. These are often misleading because they are based on the ignorance of our present and previous lifetimes as well as the collective ignorance of humanity. E. However, once we start observing our thoughts and introspecting deeply, there comes the realization that they are not alien at all. F. Thoughts mirror our deep-seated formations about who we are and what the world is. G. They seem to come from a certain depth in our being and influence our feelings and actions.

Q1. Which would be the Second sentence after Rearrangement?

A. B B. A C. D D. G E. E

Answer - Option D
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BGCEFAD
Q2. Which would be the Fifth sentence after Rearrangement?

A. D B. F C. E D. C E. B

Answer - Option B
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BGCEFAD
Q3. Which would be the Third sentence after Rearrangement?

A. E B. A C. D D. F E. C

Answer - Option E
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BGCEFAD
Directions (4Q - 5Q): In each of the following questions, one phrase has been given and it has been followed by four sentences. And answer them.
Q4. To bring one’s egg to a bad market

A. To take reckless risks B. To remove a misapprehension C. To fail in one’s plan because one goes to the wrong people for help D. To suffer humiliation E. Absence without permission

Answer - Option C
Explanation - To fail in one’s plan because one goes to the wrong people for help
Q5. To get cold feet

A. To have a slight encounter B. To try hard C. Narrowly D. To be afraid E. To be inconsistent

Answer - Option D
Explanation - To be afraid