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.
French President François Hollande’s presence as chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade today is an occasion not just to advance cooperation in economic and strategic fields, but also to reflect on republics as systems of government and how they continuously learn from each other.
France is a leading example of a republic among modern nation-states, boasting a philosophical tradition of limits on absolute state power, people’s participation in governance and promotion of enlightened citizenship. French républicanisme, enshrined in revolutionary mottos like “liberty, equality, and fraternity”, was a major inspiration for the founding fathers of the Indian republic.
The fundamental rights in our Constitution carry forward the legacy of the legendary 1789 document, ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen’, enacted by France’s National Constituent Assembly. In post-independence India assumed the mantle of a democracy which vested power in the will of the people rather than in the hands of a monarch or an organized religious entity, the conceptual origins of this model derived from the ideals of multiple French republics.
By sustaining a constitutionally governed liberal republic far better than fellow developing countries, India is living up to the eternal truths enunciated by French intellectuals. The doctrine of separation of powers among legislature, executive and judiciary, which has enabled India to avert excessive concentration of power in any one person or group, owes to the French thinker Montesquieu who advocated designing government such that “no man need be afraid of another”.
The checks and balances which helped India avoid destructive dictatorships and civil wars have a distinctly French feel, although they were adapted to suit a uniquely Indian context. On our Republic Day, we must take a bow to another pioneering mind of the French republic, Rousseau, whose concept of the “social contract” shaped republics worldwide by establishing the responsibility of rulers to the ruled as a fundamental principle of politics.
Rousseau’s call for people to obey only “legitimate powers” through direct democratic means and to oppose coercive rule was an emancipatory doctrine. The father of our Constitution, B R Ambedkar, often quoted Rousseau to amplify his vision of social justice in India and maintained that “everyone from the laboring classes should be acquainted with Rousseau’s The Social Contract”.
Rousseau’s early alarm bells about “a handful of people gorging themselves on superfluities, while the starving multitudes lack the basic necessities of life” set a benchmark of socioeconomic equality for republics to emulate. Radical French republicanism is the ancestor of President Hollande’s ruling Socialist Party. It is equally an influence on Indian political ideologies of various hues that claim to be devoted to the “poorest of the poor”.
Yet, despite the richness of ideas transferred from France to India, the land of Montesquieu and Rousseau faces arduous challenges for the future. The core pillar of France’s republican values – laïcité or constitutional secularism – has become so rigid that it is impeding the integration of Muslim immigrants who comprise 10% of the French population.
Islamophobia is on the rise in France, as evidenced by the growing popularity of extreme rightist political parties such as the National Front, which mask their xenophobia and racism by harking to French republicanism. The defense of the “French Republic” is nowadays a thinly disguised code to force Muslims in France to abandon expression of their cultural symbols and willingly conform to majoritarian ways of life.
Q1. According to the passage, What equally influenced Indian political ideologies?

A. France’s republican values. B. French republicanism C. Radical French republicanism. D. Dr. B R Ambedkar. E. All of Above

Answer - Option C
Explanation - Radical French republicanism.
Q2. Choose the word that is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word Harking in bold as used in the passage.

A. Forget B. Remember C. Repress D. Analysis E. Curious

Answer - Option B
Explanation - Harking - Remember
Q3. What is the central theme of the passage?

A. A tale of two Republics. B. Two largest democracy of the world. C. Our Republic day guest. D. Similarities between two countries. E. None of these

Answer - Option A
Explanation - A tale of two Republics.
Directions (4Q - 5Q): Read the following questions which are SENTENCE FILLERS and answer them below.
Q4. The spark for the week-long incidents of violence in downtown Shillong was a lie spread through WhatsApp, the ______ messaging platform that has increasingly become an unfiltered medium for hate and rumour______.

A. limelight, navigable B. ubiquitous, mongering C. shelter, mannerisms D. travel, kinesics E. proceed, gestures

Answer - Option B
Explanation - ubiquitous – present, appearing, or found everywhere.
mongering – to sell or peddle.
Q5. Today, there are enough ______ of ______ action for the tribal people - 80% reservation for the Khasi, Jaintia, Garo and other tribes in jobs and professional studies.

A. dying, airy B. provisions, affirmative C. support, extended D. surrender, emptied E. vanguard, dehiscent

Answer - Option B
Explanation - provisions – the action of providing or supplying something for use.
affirmative – agreeing with or consenting to a statement or request.

Directions (1Q - 2Q): Read the following questions which are SPOTTING ERRORS and answer them below.
Q1. The widely advertised manifesto 1) / of the new political party 2) / is not much different than ours 3) / No error 4)

A. to B. for C. from D. No Error E. None of these

Answer - Option C
Explanation - The correct usage is ‘different from ………’
Q2. The doctor referred 1) / the patient for the O.P.D. 2) / without examining him. 3) / No error 4)

A. with B. to C. of D. No Error E. None of these

Answer - Option B
Explanation - Replace ‘for’ by ‘to’. The verb ‘refer’ takes preposition ‘to’.
Directions (3Q - 4Q): Read the following questions which are ClOZE TEST and answer them below.
Optimists, both inside and outside Europe, often cite the example of Japan. It fell into deflation in the late-1990s, with unpleasant but not (3) consequences for both itself and the world economy. But the euro zone poses far greater risks. Unlike Japan, the euro zone is not an isolated case: from China to America inflation is worryingly low, and (4). And, unlike Japan, which has a homogenous, stoic society, the euro area cannot hang together through years of economic sclerosis and falling prices. As debt burdens soar from Italy to Greece, investors will take fright, populist politicians will gain ground, and—sooner rather than later—the euro will collapse.
Q3.

A. conditional B. incomplete C. apocalyptic D. veridical E. satisfactory

Answer - Option C
Explanation - apocalyptic – describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world.
Q4.

A. slipping B. acceptable C. precise D. equitable E. amen

Answer - Option A
Explanation - slipping – lose one’s footing and slide unintentionally for a short distance.
Directions (5Q): Read the following questions which are ANTONYMS and answer them below.
Q5. Comply

A. diligent B. relinquish C. retain D. challenge E. None of these

Answer - Option D
Explanation - Comply – act in accordance with a wish or command.
challenge – a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.

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

A. But that it took the government seven years to implement the BS IV standards across the country holds lessons for policymakers. B. A Supreme Court directive on Wednesday imposed a ban on the sale of the more polluting BS III vehicles from April 1. C. One of them being the cost incurred by refineries to make transition to BS IV compliant fuel D. Auto industry too had to incur an expenditure of Rs 50,000 crore E. The order clears the path for the adoption of BS IV standards (from BS III) throughout the country, seven years after they were put in place. F. For a country battling serious pollution problems, this will be a significant transition.

Q1. Which would be the LAST sentence after rearrangement ?

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

Answer - Option B
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BECAFD
Q2. Which would be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement ?

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

Answer - Option C
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BECAFD
Q3. Which would be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement ?

A. A B. F C. B D. D E. None of these

Answer - Option A
Explanation - The Correct Sequence is BECAFD
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. A sore point

A. The pursuit of pleasure B. Left no means of retreat C. Something which hurt D. Make a legitimate living E. None of these

Answer - Option C
Explanation - A sore point - Something which hurt.
Q5. Take up the cudgels

A. Found to be in keeping with B. To support somebody C. To be defeated D. To look at the goods displayed but not for buying E. None of these

Answer - Option B
Explanation - Take up the cudgels - To support somebody