Cloze Test

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Cloze Test
The Hindu Editorial
The Economist Magazine
Feb - August
9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 1 of 54

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Cloze Test Exercises The Hindu Editorials Feb & March

Test 1
Our lives are being transformed by ___(1)___ daily. We are keenly aware of new ___(2)___
like smart phones and the Internet, but much more lies under the surface. Novel devices,
materials and technologies have ___(3)___ enormous benefits to our physical well-being in
the context of medicine, housing, nutrition, security and sanitation, and to our mental
well-being ___(4)___ transforming communication and socialisation. Though we are happy
to purchase smart devices and use medical equipment, we are less ___(5)___ about how
those technologies came into existence.
1. (a) developments (b) changes (c) progressing (d) technology

2. (a) Techniques (b) tools (c) things (d) trends
3. (a) been (b) mattered (c) brought (d) changed
4. (a) in (b) by (c) from (d) to
5. (a) curious (b) known (c) worried (d) aware
Test 2
There are a number of ways of looking at the International Cricket Councils newly
acquired __(1)__. By rolling __(2)__ the Big Three formula that gave India a little over 22%
of the revenue (it was 3% before that) from 2014, it struck when the iron was hot. The
BCCI is in a shambles, the Committee of Administrators is only a few days old, and this is
as good a time as any to cut Indias income by 34%.
You could argue about the actual percentages, but the attempt to __(3)__ India in is
understandable. Those who have been screaming about the unfair treatment need only
to __(4)__ that the self-designed jump in Indias share three years __(5)__ was equally
unfair. As the Indian representative at the ICC meeting in Dubai said last week, Two
wrongs do not make a right.
1. (a) spine (b) sense (c) trick (d) health

2. (a) out (b) back (c) in (d) to
3. (a) check (b) rein (c) take (d) stop
4. (a) recalled (b) remember (c) decide (d) think
5. (a) before (b) ago (c) past (d) that
Test 3
Under Indias constitutional structure, both the Central and State governments can make
laws on animal __(1)__, but if the latters statute is contrary to the formers, such an act
must secure the Presidents __(2)__. And this is precisely the approach adopted by Tamil
Nadu in __(3)__ its law last month. This Statute, which secured the Presidents assent on
January 31, amends the PCA Act and creates a specific __(4)__ for jallikattu. This means
that the petitioners in the Supreme Court have to do more than just show that the PCA
Act stands __(5)__ by jallikattu; they would have to prove that its practice infracts at least
one of the fundamental rights guraranteed by the Constitution.
1. (a) welfare (b) cruelty (c) problems (d) care

2. (a) consent (b) decent (c) assent (d) approved
3. (a) erecting (b) creating (c) enacting (d) enabling
4. (a) mention (b) exception (c) assumption (d) preparation
5. (a) break (b) supported (c) violated (d) challenged

Test 4
President Donald Trumps stated commitment to __(1)__ the One China policy signals a
softening of his administrations approach towards Beijing. Earlier, Mr. Trump had given
enough indications that he would pursue a radically different policy towards Beijing by
__(2)__ the One China policy, a cornerstone of Sino-U.S. relations. First, he __(3)__ a
congratulatory call from the Taiwanese President, breaking 37 years of American practice
and thereby __(4)__ Beijing. Later, in an interview, he declined to endorse the One China
policy unless he saw progress from Beijing in its trade and currency policies, triggering
__(5)__ that he would improve ties with Taiwan and use the policy as a bargaining chip.
1. (a) Honour (b) Claim (c) kill (d) supporting

2. (a) Finding (b) reviewing (c) declaring (d) saying
3. (a) called (b) asked (c) declined (d) accepted
4. (a) praising (b) infuriating (c) ignoring (d) signalling
5. (a) solution (b) speculation (c) clause (d) contract
Test 5
Several commentators have remarked that Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys budget for
2017-18 lacks much __(1)__. But everything has to be viewed in __(2)__. This years
Budget was presented at a time when there are several __(3)__ clouds hanging over the
economy. We are still reeling __(4)__ the effects of demonetisation, which must have
earned a prominent place in the record books as one of the biggest policy ____(5)___
disasters of all time.
1. (a) Confidence (b) Fizz (c) work (d) effort

2. (a) place (b) perspective (c) distance (d) mirror
3. (a) white (b) storm (c) clean (d) black
4. (a) to (b) off (c) of (d) from
5. (a) produced (b) induced (c) related (d) after
Test 6
In 1996, Subramanian Swamy filed a criminal complaint under the Act, __(1)__
accumulation of vast wealth __(2)__ corrupt acts by the __(3)__ Chief Minister abetted by
her close __(4)__. What is required under Section 13(1)(e) is for the prosecution to prove
that the assets of the public servant are disproportionate to his or her known __(5)__ of
income.
1. (a) creating (b) alleging (c) demanding (d) alleged
2. (a) with (b) of (c) through (d) to
3. (a) erstwhile (b) young (c) new (d) current
4. (a) aid (b) add (c) nemesis (d) aide
5. (a) reason (b) sources (c) places (d) ways

Test 7
The Indian Space Research Organisation boosted its reputation __(1)__ when it
successfully launched a record 104 satellites in one mission from Sriharikota on
Wednesday by __(2)__ on its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. An earth
observation Cartosat-2 series satellite and two __(3)__ nano satellites were the only Indian
satellites launched: the __(4)__ were from the United States, Israel, the UAE, the
Netherlands, Kazakhstan and Switzerland. __(5)__ the 101 foreign satellites launched, 96
were from the U.S. and one each from the other five countries.
1. (a) further (b) farther (c) ahead (d) more
2. (a) relaying (b) relying (c) depended (d) staying
3. (a) others (b) other (c) more (d) another
4. (a) back (b) last (c) remain (d) remaining
5. (a) from (b) to (c) of (d) by
Test 8
For an economy that relies on public __(a)__ and private consumption to __(b)__ private
investment and growth, the last round of official statistics on prices and industrial activity
signal testing times ahead. First, industrial output __(c)__ by 0.4% in December 2016, led
by a 2% decline in manufacturing (just five of 22 industries registered positive growth)
and a 6.8% decline in consumer goods. Now, wholesale prices have risen at the fastest
pace in two and a half years this January, at 5.25%. This is particularly __(4)__ since the
pace of price rise at the consumer level slowed to 3.2% in the __(5)__ month.
1. (a) conscience (b) demand (c) investment (d) relations

2. (a) do (b) clean (c) stay (d) revive
3. (a) fall (b) plummeted (c) felt (d) grown
4. (a) large (b) noteworthy (c) available (d) claimed
5. (a) exact (b) coming (c) same (d) new
Test 9
The extraordinary sight of a lake in Bengaluru on fire, with a massive __(1)__ of smoke
that could be seen from afar, is a __(2)__ sign that urban environments are crashing
__(3)__ the weight of official __(4)__. If wetlands are the kidneys of the cities, as scientists
like to describe them, Karnatakas capital city has entered a phase of __(5)__ failure.
1. (a) chain (b) plume (c) exhume (d) balloon

2. (a) warning (b) wearing (c) warned (d) bad
3. (a) to (b) under (c) before (d) for
4. (a) concern (b) letter (c) information (d) indifference
5. (a) such (b) big (c) likely (d) chronic

Test 10
The Trump administrations aggressive __(a)__ towards China, hesitations over extended
security guarantees in East Asia and the withdrawal from the TPP could __(2)__ a series of
geopolitical developments in the __(3)__. First, Chinese influence will increase __(4)__ its
smaller neighbours would have no option but to acquiesce. Second, the rise of Russian
and Chinese geopolitical influence and their bilateral partnership will __(5)__ the entire
region, including India. Third, with China and North Korea in their neighbourhood, both
South Korea and Japan will be forced to increase their own military build-up.
1. (a) pestering (b) posturing (c) posturing (d) playing

2. (a) trigger (b) started (c) close (d) derail
3. (a) reason (b) legion (c) areas (d) region
4. (a) and (b) but (c) however (d) farther
5. (a) effect (b) impact (c) play (d) find
Test 11
Sometimes, it seems that to understand our __(1)__ society, all that we need to do is to
understand our __(2)__ at traffic lights. Every day, I see countless people on bikes and
cars driving through red lights. Earlier, I used to get __(3)__ that these people were
blatantly flouting a rule that many others were __(4)__, more so when they did it right in
front of indifferent traffic police. Now I realise that while this might be just another __(5)__
of rule-breaking that seems to be an essential definition of being Indian, at a deeper level
it is also reflective of a far greater problem confronting our society.
1. (a) complete (b) own (c) complex (d) bad

2. (a) rules (b) behaviour (c) system (d) day
3. (a) angrily (b) annoying (c) upset (d) happy
4. (a) declining (b) following (c) asking (d) forgiving
5. (a) instance (b) chance (c) form (d) proud
Test 12
Just before he was __(1)__ as the U.S. President, Donald Trump __(2)__ out some
principles of what appeared to be his non-interventionist foreign policy. We will stop
racing to __(3)__ foreign regimes that we know nothing __(3)__, that we shouldnt be
involved with, he said in North Carolina. Instead our focus must be on defeating
terrorism and destroying ISIS, and we will. What Mr. Trump implied is that his
administration would not conduct regime-change operations such as against Iraq in
2003 during the George W. Bush administration and certainly not indulge in nation-
building outside the United States.
1. (a) appoint (b) inaugurated (c) electing (d) defined

2. (a) lay (b) laid (c) lain (d) lied
3. (a) topple (b) tackle (c) travel (d) talk
4. (a) to (b) for (c) from (d) about
5. (a) party (b) team (c) action (d) administration

Test 13
The __(1)__ to find life outside the solar system got a big __(2)__ with the discovery of seven
Earth-size extra-solar planets, or exoplanets, orbiting a dwarf star about 40 light __(3)__
away. Unlike __(4)__ discoveries of exoplanets, all seven planets could possibly have liquid
water a key to life as we know it on Earth with three planets having the greatest
__(5).
1. (a) request (b) plan (c) quest (d) jest
2. (a) boost (b) bang (c) best (d) boast
3. (a) year (b) years (c) lifes (d) time
4. (a) former (b) erstwhile (c) earlier (d) expunge
5. (a) earth (b) sand (c) water (d) chance
Test 14
Indians do not have the patience to focus on a problem for an __(a)__ period of time. We do
not think of institutions in the long __(b)__. We __(3)__ when there is a crisis but when a
crisis __(4)__, we lose our focus. As a result, we are __(5)__ at institution-building.
1. (a) extra (b) extending (c) extended (d) longest

2. (a) run (b) distance (c) time (d) act
3. (a) Laugh (b) panic (c) fall (d) fell
4. (a) dim (b) dims (c) dimming (d) dull
5. (a) less (b) good (c) poor (d) laughing
Test 15
There are many stories about the __(1)__ of Bengalurus name. One popular __(2)__
version recounts the tale of a king from the Hoysala dynasty coming to the city in the 12th
century on a hunting __(3)__ and losing his way. The hungry king, the story goes, was
given a traditional welcome __(4)__ an old woman, who offered him water and boiled
beansbenda kaalu in Kannada. The grateful king was supposed to __(5)__ the settlement
Bendakaaluru: The town of boiled beans. This evidently metamorphosed to Bengaluru in
due course of time.
1. (a) creating (b) search (c) making (d) origin

2. (a) apocryphal (b) famous (c) right (d) story
3. (a) space (b) spree (c) visits (d) trail
4. (a) to (b) by (c) from (d) for
5. (a) name (b) have named (c) for naming (d) naming
Test 16
Indias decision to __(1)__ its __(2)__ roads in Mizoram and Tripura to be used by
Bangladeshi forces __(3) they construct border outposts in the __(4)__ terrain of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts shows __(5)__ how far the two countries have come to bridging their
trust deficit.
1. (a) permitting (b) allow (c) give (d) access
2. (a) broader (b) border (c) own (d) bumpy
3. (a) for (b) as (c) while (d) whereas
4. (a) volition (b) inhospitable (c) quaint (d) laconic
5. (a) that (b) just (c) which (d) what

Test 17
Development in any field is closely __(1)__ with the growth of technology. Cricket is __(2)__
exception. Technological advancement is an __(3)__ part of the game now. Analytics and
numbers determine the __(4)__ of a player and every move is closely monitored __(5)__ his
strengths and weaknesses. A small fault can be easily exploited with the assistance of
sophisticated software.
1. (a) associated (b) relating (c) combined (d) connect
2. (a) not (b) any (c) some (d) no
3. (a) sacred (b) foment (c) indispensable (d) garrulous
4. (a) cost (b) price (c) value (d) rate
5. (a) to determine (b) in determining (c) to have determined (d) to determining
Test 18
The Economic Survey 2016-17 tabled in Parliament last month has proposed __(1)__ a
universal basic income in India, and has devoted an entire chapter to __(2)__ new idea. A
universal and unconditional income transfer to all citizens __(3)__ address the twin
problems of poverty and __(4)__ is undoubtedly a proposal that __(5)__ serious
consideration.
1. (a) inaugurating (b) introducing (c) enacting (d) talking
2. (a) bright (b) invent (c) this (d) brand
3. (a) for (b) to find the (c) in order to (d) catering
4. (a) Starvation (b) corruption (c) population (d) unemployment
5. (a) ask (b) merits (c) talks (d) issues
Test 19
In the early seventies, following the boom in the Arabian Gulf region, the State saw a new
form of __(1)__. While Kerala had long witnessed the migration of the educated ___(2)___
opportunities domestically, for the first time there was a significant outflow of ___(3)__
labour, some of it from agriculture. While it was only the men who migrated, the higher
incomes ___(4)___ the households socially, and the women too ___(5)___ from the labour
market. This hit paddy cultivation most as, in an age-old sexual division of labour, women
were disproportionately represented in the planting and harvesting of paddy. The sector
began to face severe labour shortage. Naturally, the wage rose and the cultivation of
paddy was no longer viable as cheaper rice came in from the rest of India.
1. (a) immigration (b) emigration (c) displacement (d) transportation

2. (a) with lack of (b) for want of (c) with full of (d) to need of
3. (a) skilled (b) manual (c) trained (d) required
4. (a) provided (b) transformed (c) educated (d) fulfil
5. (a) benefitted (b) withdrew (c) desisted (d) rejected

Test 20
A childhood at a home surrounded with lavish greenery, birds feeling welcome in open
spaces, lotuses ___(1)___ in little ponds; artiste Aasha Radhikas latest series Chalte
Chalte Udte Udte at Minaaz Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills ___(2)___ nostalgia for these and
more ___(3)___ the eyes of a girl. The fact that the exhibition is enveloped in similar
environs makes it more ___(4)___. The series mirrors an identity of a woman at several
___(5)___ of her life, as much as it glorifies nature. The soul of it lies in the intimate
conversations with a mother, both as a child and as a grown up woman. While one frame
is a witness to a pigeon coming out of its shell, another has a girl readying for a swim,
warming up to a peacock. One of the works shows her love for nose pins.
1. (a) bloom (b) blossoming (c) opening (d) decorating

2. (a) evokes (b) provokes (c) invokes (d) remember
3. (a) with (b) to (c) for (d) through
4. (a) better (b) look (c) fitting (d) glorifying
5. (a) steps (b) juncture (c) places (d) stages
Test 21
On 29 March, Samsung Electronics Co. will ___(1)___ its new Galaxy S8 phone. When you
release a new product, you want to show off its cool new features. But Samsungs launch
stands to be ___(2)___ by not one but two reputational fires the company is fighting
___(3)___.
And fire isnt just a ___(4)___: One of the companys problems is that its last smartphone
kept causing them. There were nearly 100 incidents in the US between August and
September 2016. When Samsung issued ___(5)___ phones, they started doing the same
thing.
1. (a) unveil (b) throw (c) launching (d) Unleashes

2. (a) taken over (b) Delayed (c) highlighted (d) overshadowed
3. (a) singlehandedly (b) occasionally (c) recently (d) simultaneously
4. (a) point (b) metaphor (c) figure (d) sign
5. (a) New (b) replacement (c) latest (d) good
Test 22
The Indian economy continues to outperform the ___(1)___ of its critics. This is clearly true
of the GDP growth estimates in the third quarter; ___(2)___ at variance with what the
critics of the demonetisation exercise had assumed. No doubt there could be correction in
the fourth quarter, primarily to factor the impact of the informal sector. It has never been
easy to ___(3)___ real time data on economic activity in the informal sector. It is recognised
that apart from leads and lags, the conclusions are derivative using ___(4)___ which
detract both from their timeliness and accuracy. This is not a new problem and past
estimates of GDP numbers have also suffered from multiple ex-post corrections as and
when data becomes ___(5)___.
1. (a) diagnosis (b) suggestions (c) prognosis (d) onerous
2. (a) quit (b) quiet (c) quieter (d) quite
3. (a) capture (b) capturing (c) collect (d) collecting
4. (a) abrogates (b) surrogates (c) premonition (d) subversion
5. (a) available (b) unavailable (c) dormant (d) redundant

Test 23
More than six months after the Constitution was ___(1)___ to enable the Goods and
Services Tax (GST), the Centre and States have managed to find considerable ___(2)___
ground on the long-debated indirect tax system, ___(3)___ seemingly irreconcilable
differences that cropped ___(4)___ along the way.
1. (a) changed (b) altered (c) amended (d) invoked

2. (a) middle (b) same (c) common (d) fair
3. (a) Changing (b) ensuring (c) overcoming (d) declining
4. (a) on (b) down (c) for (d) up
Test 24
North Koreas ___(1)___ action of launching four missiles into the Sea of Japan a few
hundred kilometres ___(2)___ the Japanese coastline has triggered fears of ___(3)___
tension between nuclear-armed powers. The launch seems timed to test the strategic
___(4)___ and tactical capabilities of new relationships in the broader power balance that
reins in Pyongyangs ___(5)___ ambitions.
1. (a) provocative (b) platitude (c) Wreck (d) fetter
2. (a) of (b) from (c) to (d) over
3. (a) provincial (b) manifold (c) renewed (d) reaction
4. (a) dialogue (b) mutual (c) rapport (d) fortitude
5. (a) war (b) nuclear (c) higher (d) quaint
Test 25
India has launched the second phase of the programme to ___(1)___ the use of
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) as part of its commitment under the Montreal Protocol,
which ___(b)___ the complete removal of chemicals that result in ozone ___(3)___ and aid
global warming. These are used mainly ___(4)___ the air-conditioning, refrigeration,
polyurethane foam manufacturing and cold chain sectors, and must be replaced with
better ___(5)___.
1. (a) reducing (b) eliminate (c) deletion (d) cut

2. (a) needed (b) demanding (c) requires (d) asked
3. (a) degrade (b) scarcity (c) depletion (d) deteriorate
4. (a) in (b) for (c) to (d) with
5. (a) option (b) alternatives (c) technology (d) innovation
Test 26
The ruling of the European Unions top court giving member-states the right to grant or
deny ___(1)___ has come as welcome news for populist hardliners ___(2)___ to the surge of
refugees desperate to escape the humanitarian ___(3)___ in West Asia. In a ____(4)___
verdict this week on the immigration crisis, of a magnitude not seen since World War II,
the final judgment of the European Court of Justice of the 28-nation bloc overturned the
opinion of its prosecutor, which is rather ___(5)___ for the institution.
1. (a) sheltering (b) asylum (c) access (d) entry

2. (a) inclined (b) insolent (c) hostile (d) connection
3. (a) catastrophe (b) revolution (c) movement (d) areas
4. (a) designing (b) defining (c) delicate (d) dedicate
5. (a) fairly (b) just (c) rather (d) still

Test 27
Providing benefits for women and children is a ___(1)___ responsibility which can be
___(2)___ in a large country ___(3)___ a combination of general taxation and contributory
payments from those who have the ___(4)___. Health care should be treated as a right and
deliveries handled without cost to women; the income guarantees during the 26-week
period can be ensured through a universal social insurance system.
1. (a) society (b) societal (c) community (d) groups

2. (a) funding (b) funded (c) found (d) providing
3. (a) with (b) to (c) for (d) through
4. (a) meaning (b) problem (c) stake (d) means
5. (a) cared (b) catered (c) distributed (d) treated
Test 28
Cloze Test Business Line, March 13 Economy Section
The near-normal monsoon in 2016 may have helped most parts of the country come out
of two successive ___(1)___ and perhaps propel foodgrain output to a new high, but not in
the South. The drought has ___(2)___ its grip in the South, with the South-West monsoon
falling significantly short and the North-East monsoon ___(3)___ a total failure. Reeling
under the impact of failed ___(4)___, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have
declared themselves as drought affected. Kerala and Karnataka, which are the worst
affected, are already contemplating actions such as cloud seeding to tide ___(5)___ the
situation.
1. (a) draughts (b) drought (c) droughts (d) deluge

2. (a) limited (b) extended (c) created (d) challenged
3. (a) proving (b) coming (c) finding (d) restricting
4. (a) crops (b) session (c) monsoons (d) actions
5. (a) up (b) in (c) over (d) through
Test 29
When ___(a)___ came on to the scene, Ponting and Kohli were a breath of fresh air to
countries that already ___(1)___ batting stars and legends. Ponting ___(3)___ his way into
the Australia line-up at a time when ___(4)___ the Australian second XI would have been
one of the strongest sides in world cricket. When he batted against Australia for Australia
A, he looked like a kid with serious weapons.
1. (a) these (b) he (c) they (d) you

2. (a) had (b) have (c) having (d) has
3. (a) bought (b) found (c) fought (d) asked
4. (a) if (b) even (c) that (d) as

Test 30
Apartheid is a powerful word, with ____(1)____ of the South African experience and with
implications of crimes against humanity. The United Nations does not use this word
___(2)___. It rarely enters UN reports, and is not heard from the lips of UN officials. But
now, in a report released on March 15 in Beirut, Lebanon, the UN has _____(3)____ that
Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid. This is a very significant judgment, one with
important ____(4)___ for the UN, for the International Court of Justice and for the
international community.
1. (a) evocations (b) explanations (c) mention (d) revision

2. (a) loosely (b) wisely (c) strongly (d) carefully
3. (a) proclaimed (b) programmed (c) derailed (d) order
4. (a) ramifications (b)/ solution (c) decision (d) aspects
Test 31
The U.S. Federal Reserve has resumed normal ___(1)___ service by raising interest rates
for the second time in three months. The Feds decision on Wednesday ___(2)___ its
confidence in the continuing expansion and signals that its efforts to reflate the worlds
largest economy are largely on track with overall inflation seen to be stabilising around
its longer-run target of 2% over the next couple of years. Significantly, Chair Janet Yellen
stressed that policymakers ___(3)___ the strengthening economy would warrant gradual
increases in the benchmark federal funds rate to ensure that the monetary policy stance
remains accommodative of ___(4)____, even as price stability is ensured.
1. (a) economy (b) financial (c) monetary (d) banking

2. (a) abject (b) reflects (c) brought (d) showed
3. (a) accept (b) except (c) expect (d) takeover
4. (a) globalisation (b) spirit (c) emotions (d) growth
Test 32
The National Health Policy 2017, which the Centre announced this week after a ___(1)___
from the Supreme Court last year, ___(2)___ the challenging task of ensuring affordable,
quality medical care ___(3)___ every citizen. With a fifth of the worlds disease burden, a
growing incidence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, and poor financial
arrangements to pay for care, India brings up the ___(4)___ among the BRICS countries in
health sector performance.
1. (a) force (b) plan (c) nudge (d) calling

2. (a) faces (b) see (c) confront (d) meet
3. (a) for (b) with (c) from (d) by
4. (a) gear (b) bear (c) rear (d) deer
5. (a) area (b) performance (c) evolution (d) evaluation

Cloze Test Answers for Feb & Mar 2017
Level Mixed (easy to difficult) in all the exercises.
Exams to practise for SBIPO, IBPS, SSC CGL Mains, Bank Clerk Mains level
1. DBCBA 2. ABBBB 3. BCCBC 4. ABDBB 5. BBBDB 6. BCAAB 7. ABBDC
8. CDBBC 9. BABDD 10. CADAB 11. CBCBA 12. BBADD 13. CABCD
14. CABAC 15. DABBB 16. BBBBB 17. ADCCA 18. BCCDB 19. BBBBB
20. BADCD 21. ADDBB 22. CCABA 23. CCCD 24. ABCDB 25. BCCAB
26. BCABC 27. BBDD 28. CBACC 29. CACB 30. AAAA 31. CBC
32. CAACB

Cloze Test (20 March-10th April)
Test 3
The Vodafone Groups decision to ___(1)____ its

Test 1 India unit with the Aditya Birla Group-
controlled Idea Cellular is a classic case of two
At its twelfth meeting last Friday, the Goods companies recognising truth in the ___(2)___
and Services Tax (GST) Council cleared all the that the whole is greater than the sum of its
requisite State and Central-level legislative parts. Of the two mobile operators, Idea
____(1)____ to ___(2)___ the indirect tax regime. functioned in its early years as a three-way
The State and Union Territories GST bills were joint venture involving the Tata Group, U.S.
approved ____(3)___ necessary corrections to telecommunications ___(3)___ AT&T, and the
the three other GST Bills the Council had Aditya Birla Group. The proposed
cleared previously for Central GST, deal represents a welcome chance to ___(4)___
Integrated GST and compensation to States its flagging fortunes. The last three quarters
through a ___(4)___. This paves the way for proved a brutal testament to the ravages that
State Assemblies and Parliament to ratify these heightened competition could wreak ___(5)___ a
laws quickly in order to meet the ___(5)___ July middle-of-the-pack firms operational finances.
1 rollout date for the system.
1. (a) join (b) merge
1. (a) measures (b) solution (c) gather (d) add
(c) rule (d) assembly 2. (a) age (b) adage
2. (a) control (b) implement (c) stage (d) clause
(c) discuss (d) derail 3. (a) child (b) company
3. (a) beside (b) along with (c) behemoth (d) giants
(c) for (d) through 4. (a) correct (b) state
4. (a) case (b) system (c) find (d) resurrect
(c) cess (d) point 5. (a) on (b) in
5. (a) proposal (b) proposing (b) to (d) for
(c) proposed (d) purpose
Test 4
Test 2
Indias rank of 131 among 188 countries on
the UNDPs Human Development Index for
Pakistans decision to launch a national
2015 and its medium performance pose the
___(1)___, after much delay, is a welcome step
uncomfortable question: ____(1)___ not the
that would allow it to ____(2)___ realistic
score have been significantly better if the
policies to address the challenges it ____(3)____.
higher economic growth trajectory of two and a
The data are critical as key federal decisions
half decades of ___(2)___ had been
such as resource allocation for provinces and
accompanied by a parallel investment in
____(4)___ of electoral constituencies are taken
people? Few will argue that the rise in incomes
based ____(5)_____ demographic numbers. This
that came with a more open economy has not
would be the first census in 19 years. The
translated into a higher quality of life for many
government is supposed to do it every 10
Indians and raised overall life ___(3)___ at birth
years, but Pakistani authorities, under
by more than 10 years from the 1990 level, to
pressure from political parties and ethnic
reach 68.3 years. Progress has also been made
groups, have delayed the process.
____(4)____ awareness about issues affecting
womens ____(5)___, such as public safety, acid
1. (a) consensus (b) referendum
attacks, discrimination in inheritance rights
(c) census (d) election
and lack of equal employment opportunity.
2. (a) ready (b) devising
(c) control (d) formulate
1. (a) would (b) will
3. (a) has (b) faces
(c) if (d) whether
(c) deal (d) provides
2. (a) privatisation
4. (a) elimination (b) location
(b) liberalisation
(c) conceive (d) delimitation
(c) globalisation
5. (a) in (b) on
(d) restriction
(c) up (d) to
3. (a) limit (b) value
(c) expectancy (d) lessons
4. (a) to raise (b) in raising
(c) spread (d) towards
5. (a) liberation (b) freedom
(c) empowerment (d) issues

Test 5 Test 7
It takes money to make ___(1)___. CSIR-Tech, The Finance Ministrys ____(1)____ missive to
the commercialisation arm of the Council of 10 state-owned lenders to submit time-bound
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ____(2)____ plans, or forsake any further capital
___(2)___ this the hard way when it had to shut _____(3)____ from the government, is a small
down its operations for lack of ___(3)___. CSIR yet timely step in the right direction. As the
has filed more than 13,000 patents 4,500 in Reserve Bank of India had flagged in its last
India and 8,800 abroad at a cost of 50 Financial Stability Report, _____(4)____ to the
crore over the last three years. Across years, banking sector remain worryingly high. The
thats a lot of taxpayers money, which in turn continuous ______(5)______ in asset quality,
means that the closing of CSIR-Tech is a especially at the public sector banks (PSBs),
___(4)___ admission that its work has been an has led to low profitability and substantial
expensive mistake a mistake that we tax- value erosion to the principal shareholder
paying citizens have paid ___(5)___. the government.
1. (a) time (b) life 1. (a) vague (b) implicit
(c) freedom (d) money. (c) unequivocal (d) vanguard
2. (a) knew (b) realised 2. (a) solid (b) turnaround
(c) known (d) indentify (c) turn up (d) relative
3. (a) time (b) resources 3. (a) collection (b) gain
(c) funds (d) permission (c) infusion (d) fund
4. (a) right (b) tacit 4. (a) risks (b) danger
(c) just (d) delayed (c) risking (d) fetid
5. (a) to (b) for 5. (a) plantation (b) progress
(c) with (d) by (c) impede (d) deterioration
Test 6 Test 8
The ___(1)____ in Londons Westminster that Ever since it was announced in 2005, the Indo-
left five persons dead, including the U.S. civil nuclear agreement has faced one
____(2)____, was the type of terror strike that ____(1)____ after another. So this weeks news
British security officials have been ____(3)____. that its operationalisation may be further
For almost three years, the threat level ____(2)____ owing to Westinghouses financial
____(4)____ international terrorism in Britain difficulties and Japans procedural issues in
has been severe, meaning an attack is ratifying the deal ____(3)____ India should come
deemed highly likely. This incident was as no surprise. This sets back work toward
different from a ____(5)____ terror strike, but finalising the contractual arrangements by June
bore similarity to attacks on European cities in 2017 for six reactors to be built in Andhra
recent years claimed by the Islamic State. Pradesh by Toshiba-owned Westinghouse and the
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL).
1. (a) chaos (b) problem But India has little control over both _____(4)____,
(c) attack (d) show and rather than seeing them as a _____(5)_____,
the government and officials should use this as
an opportunity to re-examine the countrys
2. (a) assault (b) assailant
engagement with nuclear energy for future needs.
(c) terror (d) police
1. (a) impede (b) hamper (c) obstacle (d) issues
3. (a) dealing (b) expecting 2. (a) agreed (b) asked (c) stated (d) delayed
(c) worrying (d) resting 3. (a) with (b) for (c) to (d) in
4. (a) situation (b) circumstances
4. (a) to (b) on (c) items (d) countries
(c) from (d) for 5. (a) opportunity (b) challenge
(c) setback (d) solution
5. (a) regular (b) conventional
(c) ISIS (d) threatening

Test 9 Test 11
Of all the arts of bowling, the most difficult In India, there is a relative ____(1)____ when it
and therefore the rarest and by extension, the comes to public acceptance of cyber breaches by
most exciting has to be left-arm wrist spin, individual companies though there is relentless
also known ___(1)____ the chinaman. ____(2)____ ambient noise about everything from the big
India, a country ____(3)____ for spin bowlers had Indian debit card hack to the ____(2)____ at
to wait over eight decades and more than 500 Yahoo. Dont be fooled by the silence. This is a
Tests before their first chinaman bowler made country that ranked fourth among countries
his ____(4)_____ tells its own story. Watching most ____(3)____ for Web application attacks, in a
Kuldeep Yadav bamboozle the batsmen in report by content delivery network services
Dharamshala ____(5)_____ one of the highlights of provider Akamai Technologies. _____(4)_____ this
the season. with the fact that India has been adding millions
of Internet users every year, who have been more
1. (a) like (b) for than nudged into the world of digital money in
(c) as (d) such recent months, and you know why Indians have
______(5)_____ to worry.
2. (a) In (b) this
(c) that (d) for 1) (a) worry (b) silence
(c) relation (d) cause
3. (a) reckoned (b) renowned
(c) acknowledge (d) marked 2) (a) theft (b) part
(c) breach (d) office
4. (a) starting (b) debut
(c) career (d) appear 3) (a) called (b) asked
(c) followed (d) targeted
5. (a) has (b) had
(c) has been (d) have
4) (a) jettison (b) juxtapose
(c) juncture (d) jaunt
Test 10
5) (a) faces (b) chosen
The recent ___-(1)___ of strikes by drivers of app- (c) reasons (d) places
based cab aggregator platforms, specifically Ola
and Uber, has unveiled some ____(2)____ of the
ugly underbelly of the ______(3)______ market for
Test 12
Six months from now, 43 cities will be ____(1)___
these platforms. While most of us have been
on Indias flight connectivity grid, an outcome of
happily indulging in the low cost and convenient
the Udan scheme launched to ____(2)_____
booking such platforms _____(4)_____, we as
regional flights covering distances up to 800 km.
consumers do not often think about some of the
These include a dozen airports _____(3)____
____(5)_____ implications of these models.
limited but irregular flights operate, and as many
as 31 destinations that are not connected at all
1. (a) part (b) spate
despite the _____(4)_____ of airport facilities. The
(c) group (d) fights
scale of Indias untapped civil aviation
opportunities can be gauged by the fact that
2. (a) fact (b) facets
these _____(5)_______ less than 10% of Indias
(c) talks (d) scene
inactive airports/airstrips 394 out of 450 are
dormant currently.
3. (a) growth (b) big
(c) burgeoning (d) proliferate
1. (a) delivered (b) mainstreamed
(c) chose (d) select
4. (a) deal (b) look
(c) offer (d) need
2. (a) steering (b) stare
(c) spur (d) star
5. (a) recent (b) right
(c) easy (d) adverse
3. (a) when (b) who
(c) which (d) where
4. (a) relevance (b) distance

(c) existence (d) present
5. (a) constitute (b) constraint

(c) consist (d) persist

Test 13 Test 15
Torrid summers, when the mercury soars 4C to A week after India clinched the Test series
6C above the average and produces heatwaves against Australia at Dharamsala, the memory of
in several States between April and June, may both the fine victory and the bad blood that
become ____(1)___ frequent in coming years. Not marred those matches can be pushed to the
only will there be more hot days, the spells of sidelines. Such is the ____(1)____ of frenetic
heat stress sweeping across much of India are cricket calendars that the Indian Premier League
likely to grow longer. The scientific consensus is has already rolled ____(2)____, its tenth
that heatwaves will grow stronger and ____(2)____ ______(3)_____ commencing with the match
their geographical spread in the south, between the defending champion, Sunrisers
influenced by the sea surface temperature in the Hyderabad, and last years runner-up, Royal
Indian and Pacific Oceans. With rising Challengers Bangalore, on April 5. Spread over
greenhouse gases, their impact can only 47 days and _____(4)_____ 60 matches, the IPL
___(3)___. Though the number of people dying has over the years blended the instant
due to heat stress last year was half of the gratification of the Twenty20 format with a sense
previous years toll of 2,040, the need to of ______(5)_____, having prospered since its
____(4)____ detailed action plans at the level of inception in 2008.
States, districts and cities is now critical. It is
encouraging that the National Disaster 1. (a) habit (b) scope
Management Authority is ____(5)___ States, in (c) scene (d) nature
partnership with the India Meteorological
Department, to evolve heat action plan protocols. 2. (a) in (b) out
(c) back (d) for
1. (a) much (b) more (c) many (d) big
2. (a) sell (b) expand (c) deal (d) effect 3. (a) expedition (b) edition
3. (a) intensify (b) worse (c) deter (d) defy (c) year (d) program
4. (a) understand (b) created
(c) evolve (d) thought 4. (a) initiate (b) include
5. (a) told (b) asking (c) sharing (d) guiding (c) featuring (d) deriving
Test 14 5. (a) creativity (b) activity

(c) practical (d) longevity
The decision by Venezuelas highest court on
Saturday to ___(1)___ its earlier move of nullifying Test 16
the elected legislature, the Congress, brings some The barbarism of Syrias civil war was on display
____(2)___ from the relentless attack on once again when at least 72 people were killed in
democratic institutions under President Nicols a chemical attack in Idlib province. The
Maduro. And the fact that last week the judges heartbreaking ____(1)____ of dead and injured
_____(3)_____ the process to strip the legislature children and desperate parents from Idlibs Khan
of all law-making powers, indicating _____(4)____ Sheikhoun _____(2)____ understandably
for the will of the people in pursuit of Mr. ____(3)____ global outrage and calls for
Maduros interests, also puts in sharp focus the international _____(4)____. Syrians have
severe _____(5)____ of the judiciarys _____(5)____ a lot over the past six years. There
independence. The attempted takeover marked have been multiple chemical attacks for which
the nadir in the months-long confrontation both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the
between the legislature and the courts, which are jihadists were held to blame.
packed with loyalists of Mr. Maduro.
1. (a) images (b) idea
1. (a) reject (b) reverse (c) war (d) deal
(c) align (d) destroy
2. (a) has (b) have
2. (a) thing (b) order (c) had (d) was
(c) respite (d) rescue
3. (a) guided (b) triggered
3. (a) start (b) initiated (c) initiated (d) liked
(c) tell (d) told
4. (a) reply (b) vision
4. (a) contempt (b) attempt (c) mission (d) action
(c) connect (d) direct
5. (a) endure (b) feeling
5. (a) erosion (b) eradication (c) suffered (d) took
(c) elaborate (d) elicit

Test 17 Answers:
Maintenance of good relations with the
neighbours, friendship to all, ____(1)____ to none 1.ABBCC 2. CDBDB 3. BBCDA 4. ABCBC
is the policy I ____(2)_____ throughout my life. 5. DBCBB 6. CBBCB 7. CBCAD 8. CDABC
My only desire in my political thought is to build 9. CCBBC 10. BBCCD 11. BCDBC
a society for common people where ____(3)____ 12. BCDCA 13. BBACD 14. BCBAA
will suffer from the curse of poverty while their 15. DABCD 16. ABBDC 17. CDDBB
basic _____(4)_____ will be met. In other words, 18. ABCBC
they will get the ______(5)______ to have the right
to food, clothing, shelter, medicare, education,
improved livelihood and a decent life.
1. (a) malaise (b) good

(c) malice (d) meek
2. (a) follow (b) back

(c) thought (d) pursue
3. (a) any (b) many

(c) one (d) none
4. (a) want (b) needs

(c) pay (d) home
5. (a) task (b) opportunity

(c) rest (d) respite
Test 18
South African President Jacob Zuma may not

have anticipated the strength of the
backlash when he decided last week to dismiss
his much-respected Finance Minister, Pravin
Gordhan, and various other colleagues in a
ministerial ____(1)_____. On Friday, thousands of
South Africans demonstrated peacefully across
cities against Mr. Zumas action, _____(2)_____
appears to have triggered concerns about
government corruption and a tottering economy.
Even _____(3)_____ Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu
made an appearance in _____(4)_____ of the
protesters, most of whom called for President
Zuma to _____(5)______.
1. (a) shuffle (b) scheme

(c) sense (d) list
2. (a) what (b) which

(c) who (d) when
3. (a) the (b) illing

(c) ailing (d) great
4. (a) with (b) support

(c) for (d) ground
5. (a) show (b) go

(c) resign (d) speak

Cloze Test (11

Test 3
Our ___(1)___ young population is clearly
April 30 April) struggling for jobs, ____(2)____ being in the

worlds fastest growing economy. More than
30% of Indians aged 15-29 are neither in
Test 1 employment nor in ___(3)___ training or
A picture of the globe under the hood of a education, according to a recent survey by the
cobra was a familiar symbol of the precarious OECD. This added to the ____(4)____ state of
state of international security till recently. employment, for only in March the All India
Accidental or _____(1)_____ pressing of the Council for Technical Education had said that
nuclear button was the nightmare that more than 60% of the eight lakh engineers
haunted _____(2)______. At the same time, graduating from technical institutions across
using the nuclear genie and _____(3)______ it the country every year ____(5)____ unemployed.
for prosperity was the best _____(4)_____.
Today, both the nightmare and the dream have 1. (a) new (b) proliferate
become _____(5)_____. Nuclear weapons have (c) burgeoning (d) increased
ceased to be viable as instruments of war 2. (a) instead (b) so
because of the unpredictability of the (c) therefore (d) despite
consequences of a nuclear war. 3. (a) to (b) some
1. (a) delegate (b) deliberate (c) any (d) with
(c) deteriorate (d) dawdle 4. (a) bright (b) exuberant
2. (a) humility (b) integrity (c) gloomy (d) burnt
(c) sovereignty (d) humanity 5. (a) remains (b) remain
3. (a) control (b) harnessing (c) remained (d) will remain
(c) forcing (d) throwing
4. (a) day (b) night
Test 4
(c) dream (d) plan
5. (a) led (b) rust
(c) jaded (d) useful The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill passed
Test 2. by the Lok Sabha this week will take a little
more time to come into ____(1)_____, since it
Prime Minister Narendra Modis assurance to
has not cleared the Rajya Sabha in the Budget
visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh
session. But the changes that it proposes to
Hasina of an early resolution to the Teesta
the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act of 1988 are
water ___(1)___ has firmly brought the elephant
____(2)____. The Centre assumes a direct role
in the room to the _____(2)___. Mr. Modis
in the ____(3)____, since it will introduce
statement, _____(3)_____ in the presence of
guidelines that ____(4)____ State governments
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,
in several areas, notably in creating a
has been widely welcomed. It defined
framework for taxicab aggregators, financing
_____(4)____ Indias commitment to the Teesta
insurance to treat the injured and to
water-sharing agreement and the Central
compensate families of the dead in hit-and-run
governments commitment to working with the
cases, prescribing standards for electronically
West Bengal government to conclude the
monitoring highways and urban roads for
agreement ____(5)_____ the framework was
enforcement and ____(5)_____ driver licensing.
initialled in 2011.
1. (a) scarcity (b) dispute
1. (a) affect (b) force (c) exist (d) India
(c) availability (d) dam
2. (a) significant (b) changing
2. (a) wire (b) live
(c) false (d) biggest
(c) back (d) fore
3. (a) Government (b) system
3. (a) make (b) making
(c) alteration (d) reforms
(c) makes (d) made
4. (a) directs (b) bind (c) release (d) dent
4. (a) both (b) if (c) whether (d) that
5. (a) modifying (b) monitoring
5. (a) for which (b) at which
(c) masking (d) security
(c) to which (d) who

Test 5 Test 7
The Challenger space shuttle ____(1)____ in

The Indian Railways (IR) plans to introduce
1986, killing all seven crew members. It
dedicated train services for domestic and
____(2)___ because of a design flaw in the
international tourists, _____(1)____ to
rocket boosters of the spacecraft. The U.S.
customers at all income levels. The proposal is
National Aeronautics and Space
part of the draft tourism policy which IR is
Administration (NASA) had sub-contracted the
______(2)______ for the first time in a bid to
design of the boosters to an _____(3)_____
increase private partnership in _____(3)_____
company. The company had noticed that the
tourist trains. A concept of tourist train with
putty used to seal rings on the boosters was
______(4)______ tariff will be worked out. The
forming bubbles that caused a heat jet
train will comprise different classes of
_____(4)_____ it could burn through the rings.
accommodation like Sleeper 3A, 2A and 1A
The engineers changed the putty. They knew
coaches, as per _____(5)_____, said IR.
that a putty erosion could still occur, but with
very low probability of a _____(5)______ disaster.
1. (a) carting (b) catering
(c) courting (d) creating
1. (a) exploded (b) explosion
2. (a) bringing out (b) bringing up
(c) exploited (d) explained
(c) bringing against (d) bringing to
2. (a) took (b) happens
3. (a) running (b) directing
(c) occurred (d) was identified
(c) pushing (d) speeding
3. (a) related (b) independent
4. (a) accidental (b) phenomenal
(c) connected (d) recommended
(c) differential (d) controversial
4. (a) so hot such (b) so hot that
5. (a) demand (b) need
(c) that heated much (d) so hot because
(c) request (d) cost
5. (a) Catalonia (b) catharsis
(c) catastrophic (d) canoe
Test 8
In recent months, ______(1)_______ rates of
glacier melts have been reported both in the
Test 6 Antarctic and the Arctic. A massive
______(2)_____ in Antarcticas fourth-biggest ice
shelf has surged forward by at least 10
With tensions in the Korean ____(1)____
kilometres since early January,
continuing to ____(2)____, Beijing took the said Nature magazine in a recent article.
rather extreme step on Friday of warning that Glaciers cover the terrain in both these
something needs to be done to wind ____(3)____ regions, which have the only permanent ice
the U.S.-North Korea confrontation, saying the sheets that still _____(3)______ on earth today.
the storm is about to _____(4)______. The The earth has enjoyed a more or less stable
heightened rhetoric of recent days follows temperature for the last 10,000 years. Prior to
that there were several ice ages and periods of
Washingtons display of naval power with the
warmer temperature, also known as inter-
despatch of a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group glacials. The ice ages are ______(4)______ to
to the waters ____(5)____ the Korean coast. have been caused by small shifts in the earths
orbit, but all the reasons for the temperature
1. (a) peninsular (b) peninsula ______(5)________ observed are not yet entirely
(c) recombinant (d) cite understood.
1. (a) unpredictable (b) inadvertently
2. (a) go (b) come
(c) unprecedented (d) unequivocal
(c) leave (d) escalate
2. (a) trek (b) crack
3. (a) up (b) down
(c) break (d) curtail
(c) of (d) from
3. (a) stand (b) extol
4. (a) carry (b) break
(c) exalt (d) exist
(c) started (d) last
4. (a) believed (b) find
5. (a) of (b) from
(c) discovered (d) targeted
(c) off (d) at
5. (a) ebb (b) fluctuations
(c) functions (d) factors

Test 9 Test 11
In the face of extreme and unreasonable While traditionally focussed on economics and
complaints against Electronic Voting Machines culture, today the EU and India are taking bold
by a number of political parties, the Election steps to also ____(1)___ the strategic
Commission perhaps had no ____(1)____ but to dimensions of their partnership. This weeks
have the working of the machines ____(2)____ visit to New Delhi of the EUs High
by a paper audit trail. To have ____(3)_____ a Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
facility ready for all constituencies by the 2019 Policy, Federica Mogherini, will likely
Lok Sabha election is expensive (an estimated _____(2)_____ a frank Indo-European dialogue
3,174 crore) and also ______(4)_______ (paper on the changing global and regional security
trails are at best required in a few ______(3)_______.
constituencies to corroborate results).
Its request to the Law Ministry to release funds While the EU and India share similar world
for the ______(5)________ of voter-verifiable views, especially on effective multilateralism,
paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines for the they have rarely found instruments to pursue
2019 Lok Sabha election should be interpreted ______(4)______ together and their relationship
in this context. has stumbled over many ______(5)_______ in
1. (a) plan (b) idea recent years.
(c) choice (d) content
2. (a) corporate (b) corroborated 1. (a) recognize (b) acknowledge
(c) collaborated (d) constructed (c) deepen (d) rotten
3. (a) this (b) so 2. (a) augur (b) witness
(c) like (d) such (c) seen (d) augment
4. (a) required (b) essential 3. (a) talks (b) environments
(c) basic (d) unnecessary (c) deals (d) economies
5. (a) addition (b) auction 4. (a) target (b) test
(c) repair (d) procurement (c) objectives (d) obligations
5. (a) issues (b) impediments
(c) hindered (d) measurements
Test 10
The countrys banking sector is severely Test 12
stressed with one-sixth of the gross advances Privatisation of water is unwarranted,
of public sector banks (around 7 lakh crore)
unjustified and _____(1)____. In pushing for it,
being non-performing assets (NPAs). Existing
____(1)____ remedies of insolvency, we are not really _____(2)_____ the key issue
restructuring of companies, securitisation of ______(3)______ the water sector, which is a
debts yield much ____(2)____ but insufficient need for better governance. We need a
recoveries. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) democratic, transparent, accountable and
____(3)____ a Corporate Debt Restructuring participatory ______(4)______ in a bottom-up
scheme for resolution of dues from the larger approach, on each aspect of the urban water
companies which account for 70% of the debt
portfolio; despite it being a well-structured sector ______(5)______ water privatisation is
system, it has ____(4)_____ to deliver advocated.
substantially. It, however, ______(5)_____ from
attention the smaller borrower with loans less 1. (a) requisite (b) unwanted
than 10 crore. (c) unnecessary (d) sanguine
1. (a) statutory (b) stationary 2. (a) grading (b) directing
(c) stationery (d) sustainable (c) progressing (d) addressing
2. (a) promotion (b) litigation 3. (a) planning (b) digging
(c) liabilities (d) efficacy (c) plaguing (d) ploughing
3. (a) brought up (b) brought down 4. (a) mechanism (b) treaty
(c) brought along (d) brought out
(c) governance (d) co-operation
4. (a) succeeded (b) failed
(c) passed (d) stop 5. (a) where (b) what
5. (a) included (b) restricted (c) why (d) who
(c) omitted (d) forfeit

Test 13 Test 15
North-east Germany is home to a number of April 26 is World Intellectual Property (IP) day.
neo-Nazi groups. They are small in number, Over the years, global IP standards have
yet their views on the _____(1)____ of the Aryan steadily expanded ____(1)____ World Trade
race are straight out of 1930s Germany. That Organisation (WTO) requirements, thanks to
they have lived in relative _____(2)____ for half a free ____(2)____ agreements such as the
century is due thankfully to the ____(3)____ of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
the Internet. However, for the last decade or (RCEP) which India is currently negotiating
so, their hateful presence is being felt not just with ____(3)____ trading partners. But there is
in a country ______(4)_____ with Syrian new cause ____(4)____ worry. Apart from
refugees, but on a host of websites too. increasing the scope of existing IP rights, there
Without digitisation, the _____(5)_____ they is a move to create new IP-like rights. A case in
perpetuated would never have appeared in point is data exclusivity over clinical trial data
public forums, and would have perhaps died submitted by drug companies to the regulatory
off in a few years. But the Internet gave them a authorities for market approval, the grant of
larger voice and the power to spew hate in an which could severely _____(5)_____ access to
altogether new medium. medicines.
1. (a) existence (b) purity 1. (a) beyond (b) over
(c) survive (d) identity (c) above (d) after
2. (a) obfuscate (b) ambiguity 2. (a) bilateral (b) trade
(c) obscurity (d) viability (c) peace (d) market
3. (a) their (b) his
3. (a) presence (b) absence
(c) its (d) Europe
(c) relevance (d) guidance 4. (a) of (b) for
4. (a) denuded (b) inundated (c) to (d) from
(c) defiled (d) presented 5. (a) understand (b) undergo
5. (a) ties (b) allies (c) undermine (d) underscore
(c) skies (d) lies
Test 16
Test 14 The major Indian stock indices have rallied
Farmers from Tamil Nadu were gathered in strongly despite ____(1)____ concerns over their
Delhi recently, carrying ____(1)____, apparently historically rich valuations. Both the BSE
belonging to those among them who had Sensex and NSE Nifty reached all-time
committed suicide. They were ______(2)____ ____(2)____ on Wednesday, up about 13% and
government assistance following the worst 14%, respectively, since the beginning of 2017
drought in the State in recent times. and well above the performance of developed
_____(3)____, there are several droughts in markets. The Sensex ____(3)____ its previous
many other parts of the world, including high to end the day at 30,133 while the Nifty
Bolivia and several regions of Sub-Saharan settled on a record closing high of 9,351.
_______(4)_____. Scorched lands have led to Investors have ____(4)____ the rally to the
dying livestock, withering crops, and parched better-than-expected earnings results of blue-
communities. chip companies (like Reliance Industries
Limited that posted record earnings this week),
Several recent extreme events such as strong fund ____(5)____ from foreign
wildfires, droughts, severe heatwaves and institutional investors (FIIs) and the
cyclones in other places have a clear strengthening of the rupee.
____(5)_____ of a changing climate, but in many
cases these are exacerbated by other 1. (a) faltering (b) lingering
institutional failures. (c) their (d) dramatic
2. (a) highest (b) highs
1. (a) skulls (b) skills (c) peaking (d) nadir
(c) mulls (d) pitfall 3. (a) achieved (b) received
2. (a) seeking (b) agitating (c) surpassed (d) selected
(c) complaining (d) receiving 4. (a) contributed (b) retreated
3. (a) contrarily (b) rigorously (c) repudiated (d) attributed
(c) concurrently (d) faithfully 5. (a) invests (b) inflows
4. (a) Africa (b) America (c) invites (d) inducement
(c) Europe (d) Asia
5. (a) intimation (b) intent
(c) signature (d) burden

Test 17
Answers
Beginning next year, the World Health 1. BDBCC 2. BDDAA 3. CDCCB
Organisation will begin ____(1)___ tests of the
4. BADBB 5. ACBBC 6. BDBBC
injectable malaria vaccine RTS,S (or Mosquirix)
on 750,000 children aged 5-17 months in 7. BAACA 8. CBDAB 9. CBDDD
Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The vaccine has 10. ABDBC 11. CBBCB 12. CDCCA
been successfully put _____(2)____ a Phase III 13. BCBBD 14. AACAC 15. ABCBC
trial, in which the drug is tested _____(3)_____ 16. BBCDB 17. CCBDC 18. ABBAD
safety and efficacy. Any decision on wider use
will be taken based on the results of the pilot
tests in the three countries. If the vaccine does
indeed _______(4)___ to be ready for large-scale
use, it will be a ______(5)____ in the fight
against malaria. Although the number of cases
globally and in the African region came down
by 21% between 2010 and 2015, in 2015 itself
the number of deaths worldwide on account of
the disease was as high as 429,000.
1. (a) acid (b) crucial
(c) pilot (d) real
2. (a) in (b) with
(c) through (d) against
3. (a) to (b) for
(c) of (d) in
4. (a) find (b) ready
(c) test (d) prove
5. (a) cornerstone (b) step
(c) milestone (d) achieve
Test 18
The Prime Ministers recent announcement on
making it ____(a)____ for doctors to ____(2)____
only the generic name, and not brand name of
a drug, has led to a flutter. If ____(3)____, the
move will make it illegal for Indian doctors to
write out a prescription for the trademark of
the drug, ____(4)____ them to mention the
chemical name instead. If implemented
properly, the hope is that pharmacists will fill
the prescription with the cheapest generic drug
in the market ____(5)_____ than being forced to
dispense a more expensive brand as
prescribed.
1. (a) mandatory (b) compulsory
(c) necessary (d) urgent
2. (a) describe (b) prescribe
(c) ascribe (d) subscribe
3. (a) affected (b) enacted
(c) imposed (d) directed
4. (a) forcing (b) guiding
(c) guided (d) forced
5. (a) better (b) other
(c) another (d) rather

Cloze Test
(c) ideas (d) atrocities
2. (a) delayed (b) destroyed
(c) dethroned (d) dismissed
May 17
3. (a) hut (b) venture
(c) adventure (d) way
4. (a) taboo (b) discussion
(c) prohibition (d) inhibition
5. (a) attributed (b) contributed
Test 1 (c) galvanised (d) statute
After 20 years in India, wearing a refugee tag
that ___(1)____ her from one camp to another, Test 3
it was only in December 2016 that Edward
Selyn, 55, returned home. _____(2)_____ a few
Two years after the World Health Organisation
days ago, she was among a group of people
(WHO) recommended that antiretroviral
seated under a tent in Mullikulam village in
therapy (ART) be ____(1)____ in people living
Mannar, in Sri Lankas Northern Province,
with HIV irrespective of the CD4 (a type of
_____(3)_____ in the scorching heat for a
white-blood cell) counts, India has
month, demanding that the Sri Lankan Navy
_____(2)_____ its policy with the guideline. In a
release her land.
major _____(3)______, Union Health Minister
She was displaced in 1996 with her entire J.P. Nadda had recently said that any person
family, after the civil war _____(4)_____. Now, who tests positive for HIV will be provided ART
eight years after the war ended and months as soon as possible and irrespective of the CD
after her return, Ms. Selyn has not stopped count or clinical stage. Nearly 4.5 lakh deaths
feeling ______(5)______. can be _____(4)_____ through this move. It was
in 2002 that the WHO first issued its ART
1. (a) held (b) fed guidelines. In the absence of AIDS-defining
(c) led (d) asked illnesses, the WHO set CD4 count less than
2. (a) for (b) until 200 cells per cubic millimetre _____(5)_____ the
(c) unless (d) because threshold to begin ART treatment. Over time, it
3. (a) enjoying (b) agitated changed its guidelines and, in 2013, increased
(c) reclining (d) protesting the threshold to CD4 count less than 500 cells
4. (a) broke in (b) broke out per cu. mm.
(c) broke off (d) broke with
5. (a) replaced (b) discard 1. (a) distributed (b) conducted
(c) displaced (d) tortured (c) initiated (d) formulated
2. (a) ascribed (b) negated
Test 2 (c) catapulted (d) aligned
3. (a) hiatus (b) subvert
A controversial proposal by Bibek Debroy, a (c) shift (d) breach
member of the government think tank NITI 4. (a) revelled (b) constrained
Aayog, to tax agricultural income above a (c) boosted (d) averted
particular threshold has led to a public 5. (a) as (b) because
exchange of ____(1)____. Finance Minister Arun (c) to (d) for
Jaitley quickly ____(2)_____ any plans to tax
farm income, but more policymakers have
begun to voice their opinion, the latest being
Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian
who made it clear that taxing farm income is a
State subject. The public image of farming
being a poor mans _____(3)______ and the
sizeable vote share that farmers enjoy have
made the idea of farm taxes a political
______(4)________. The frequent distress faced
by poor or marginal farmers, which could be
________(5)_________ to structural issues other
than taxation, hasnt helped matters either.
But India has a presence of rich farmers as
well and there exists as a strong justification
for taxing them in order to widen the countrys
embarrassingly narrow tax base.
1. (a) rules (b) views

Test 4 compelling _____(3)_______ that climate change
is the greatest and widest-ranging market
These are challenging times for journalism. failure ever seen, and there is a large chance of
Two things have disrupted the way - a global average temperature _____(4)_______
______(1)_____ people access information, and exceeding 2C by the end of this century. It has
therefore the practice of journalism itself: also been established in various scientific
social media and the mobile phone. These two studies that any such warming of the planet
in combination have disrupted the way in will lead to increased natural calamities such
which legacy newsrooms _____(2)______, forcing as floods and cyclones, declined crop yields
them to ______(3)______ to fast-changing and ecological ______(5)______. A large increase
technology. in global temperatures correlates with an
average 5% loss in global GDP, with poor
The Digital News Report 2016 by the Reuters
countries suffering costs in excess of 10% of
Institute for the Study of Journalism found
GDP.
that 51% of their sample use social media as a
_______(4)___________ of news. According to the 1. (a) shrink (b) stark
Global Web Indexs first-quarter report for (c) verging (d) brink
2017, 94% of digital consumers aged 16-64 say 2. (a) explanation (b) exploitation
they have an ________(5)_______ on at least one
social media platform and 98% have (c) exasperation (d) exuberance
visited/used one within the last month; 3. (a) system (b) force
(c) deal (d) evidence
1. (a) for which (b) at which 4. (a) rise (b) raise
(c) in which (d) to which
(c) increasing (d) limit
2. (a) create (b) make
(c) operate (d) act 5. (a) improvement (b) degradation
3. (a) adapt (b) adept (c) temperatures (d) terminology
(c) adopt (d) select Test 7
4. (a) source (b) course
The menacing spread, starting last Friday, of
(c) paradigm (d) imprint
the malicious software WannaCry, which has
5. (a) remedy (b) fallout
since infected thousands of computer systems
(c) rhetoric (d) account
in 150 countries, is a ____(1)____ reminder of
Test 5 the vulnerabilities of a ____(2)____ world. The
With the Genetic Engineering Appraisal cyber-attackers who unleashed it, as yet
Committee, an Environment Ministry body that unknown, have essentially used ____(3)____ in
____(1)___ genetically modified crops, approving Microsofts outdated software to remotely gain
transgenic mustard ____(2)____ environmental access to computers of unsuspecting users so
release, a key ____(3)____ remains before as to lock them out of their files. These attacks
farmers can _____(4)____ it: Environment have been in the nature of what are called
Minister Anil Daves approval, under a ransomware, wherein attackers demand a
procedure _____(5)____ by the UPA government. ____(4)____ (usually in Bitcoins, which are
In 2009 the GEAC approved Bt brinjal, tougher to trace than regular currency) to
developed by Mahyco and the Tamil Nadu _____(5)____ the files they have force-encrypted.
Agricultural University, for commercial release. Cyber risk modelling firm Cyence estimates the
economic damage to be $4 billion, a figure that
1. (a) guarantees (b) explains may not seem daunting for a global-scale
(c) evaluates (d) respects disruption such as this one. But its spread has
2. (a) by (b) to exposed the lack of preparedness among
(c) for (d) with government and private institutions.
3. (a) point (b) area 1. (a) frightening (b) irritating
(c) plan (d) hurdle (c) consuming (d) frightened
4. (a) alternate (b) ultimate 2. (a) globalized (b) conneced
(c) germinate (d) cultivate (c) wide (d) related
5. (a) set up (b) set for 3. (a) klins (b) chinks
(c) set against (d) set down (c) tilts (d) cracks
4. (a) blithesome (b) loathsome
Test 6 (c) venturesome (d) ransom
5. (a) encrypt (b) decrypt
We stand today on the ___(1)___ of a long-term (c) corrupt (d) delete
anthropogenic and ecological change, caused
not by the forces of nature but our own
____(2)____ of the planets resources. There is

Test 8 Test 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modis public rally on The long wait for the new indirect tax rates
May 12 with Sri Lankas hill-country Tamils, that will ___(1)____ to thousands of goods and
on the second day of his two-day visit to the services is finally over. The Goods and
country, was a success, if you went by Services Tax Council that met in Srinagar has
conventional markers such as the crowd he ____(2)_____ details of the rates at which over
___(1)___ or the cheers that arose from it. But 1,200 goods will be taxed when the GST
its real outcome is rather limited compared to regime ____(3)_____ effect. The rate
the wide-ranging needs of the historically _____(4)_____ process has been a subject
____(2)____ community. matter of speculation for months now,
accompanied by fears that the new tax rates
That an estimated 35,000 people from in and and slabs would be influenced by special
around the central highlands ______(3)____ on interest _____(5)_____. So it is welcome that
the small town of Norwood many walking the government has offered better clarity. The
over 5 km since buses clogged the narrow July 1 rollout of the tax also looks more likely
roads partly reflects the ______(4)_____ the now with the GST Council showing its intent
Tamils feel for India, from where their to get things going.
______(5)_____ moved to Sri Lanka about 200
years ago. Moreover, hill-country politicians
put in their might to mobilise workers, 1. (a) apply (b) applicable
campaigning widely across the tea estates that (c) supply (d) try
employ a fourth of the over one million-strong 2. (a) unleash (b) uncover
community. (c) released (d) revealed
3. (a) take (b) took
1. (a) threw (b) drew (c) has taken (d) takes
(c) gather (d) collect 4. (a) fitment (b) fissure
2. (a) oppress (b) neglected (c) foment (d) fatuous
(c) managed (d) forwarded 5. (a) lobbies (b) varandhas
3. (a) converted (b) converged (c) roofs (d) celing
(c) diverted (d) dedicated
4. (a) affinity (b) vicinity Test 11
(c) proximity (d) cavity It is arguably the logical consequence of the
5. (a) predators (b) invaders 2014 Supreme Court order declaring all coal
(c) ancestors (d) former block allocations made since 1993 illegal and
_____(1)_____. The conviction of three Coal
Ministry officials, including former Secretary
Test 9 H.C. Gupta, marks the first case in which
News reports over the last few weeks suggest individual criminal ____(2)_____ has been fixed
that the Central government may finally on public servants in the coal block scam. Two
_____(1)____ to think seriously about jobs. previous trials had ended in convictions, but
Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramaniam those held guilty were officials of private
recently pointed to the need _____(2)____ higher companies who had deceived the authorities
economic growth, in the range of 8% to 10%, to into allotting them blocks. Mr. Gupta was the
solve the problem of jobless growth. In chairperson of the screening committee that
particular, he _____(3)_____ the recommended allocations. It functioned for
underperformance of the information years without ____(3)_____ for guidelines,
technology, construction and agricultural norms or transparency, until the apex court
sectors, which earlier served ____(4)_____ huge halted its irregular ____(4)____. He and two
job-creators for the _____(5)_____. other public servants have been found guilty of
abusing their positions to _____(5)_____ a coal
block for Kamal Sponge Steel and Power
1. (a) start (b) be starting Limited.
(c) be starting (d) have started 1. (a) rational (b) arbitrary
2. (a) to achieve (b) achieving (c) possible (d) plausible
(c) achieved (d) for achieved 2. (a) liability (b) responsibility
3. (a) flagged (b) raised (c) capability (d) potential
(c) identify (d) asked 3. (a) regard (b) regards
4. (a) for (b) with (c) regarding (d) regard to
(c) as (d) against 4. (a) function (b) faction
5. (a) country (b) industry (c) run (d) action
(c) economy (d) youth 5. (a) accrue (b) occur
(c) procure (d) ensure

Test 12 (c) control (d) revive
The question of federalism or autonomy in 4. (a) set back (b) onset
Myanmar goes back to the pre-Independence (c) beset (d) behest
era. It is an important historical issue which 5. (a) external (b) instrumental
unified and divided the country. The idea of (c) structural (d) internal
____(1)_____ a union government that would
give equal status to all citizens ____(2)______ Test 14
different _____(3)_____ groups at the Panglong An iPhone used by Abu Dujana, said to be
conference of 1947. It has also divided the among the Lashkar-e-Taibas commanders in
country psychologically and emotionally when Kashmir, which ____(1)____ into the hands of
the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League, the security forces, could be a valuable source of
first elected government after Independence, information for the National Investigation
failed _____(4)_____ the political aspirations of Agency (NIA). The ____(2)_____ that the agency
the ethnic non-Burmans. is able to break into the device are, however,
slim. For now, the government has sent the
When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushed
iPhone to the U.S., ______(3)_____ assistance
for autonomy or federalism, alongside having a
from its federal agencies. The governments
weak civilian government at the centre, the
strategy of shipping it abroad to _____(4)_____
military leadership staged a coup dtat in
its contents is unsustainable. But for some
1962. Though ______(5)______ in the 1947
political agreements signed after the 26/11
Constitution, successive military governments
attacks, there is no legal obligation
construed the use of the term federalism as
_____(5)_____ the U.S. to provide any assistance
being anti-national, anti-unity and pro-
in this matter to India, even though the
disintegration.
company that manufactured the device is
1. (a) finding (b) forming American.
(c) framing (d) forging
2. (a) brought up (b) brought with 1. (a) falled (b) felled
(c) brought together (d) brought down (c) fell (d) fallen
3. (a) selected (b) chosen 2. (a) odds (b) ebb
(c) ethnic (d) original (c) counts (d) systems
4. (a) to fulfil (b) fulfilling 3. (a) requiring (b) asked
(c) in fulfilled (d) for fulfilling (c) seeking (d) sought
5. (a) interacted (b) incorporated 4. (a) prosper (b) decipher
(c) integrated (d) include (c) encrypt (d) encode
Test 13 5. (a) to (b) on
The reputation of Indias national air carrier (c) for (d) against
for making consecutive losses is closely
matched, and also linked, to its operational Test 15
efficiencies. The issue of whether the airline Even by the standards of Latin Americas
has a future has been frequently ____(1)___, relatively ____(1)_____ politics, there seem to be
but the question has a certain ____(2)____ few parallels in recent memory to the brutally
after the introduction and growth of private authoritarian rule of Venezuelan President
airlines. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Nicols Maduro, who has plunged a
Jayant Sinha, however, believes the prosperous nation into complete _____(2)______.
government can still _____(3)_____ the carrier, But Mr. Maduro seems in no mood to mend his
and grow it into Indias own great global ways, even after the controversial move in
airline to compete with the likes of Emirates March to nullify the popularly elected
and Lufthansa. In an interview to this Parliament _____(3)_____ strong rebuke from
newspaper, Mr. Sinha added that the regional allies as well as the international
government is working on a plan to improve community. Of course, few believed then that
the airlines financial position, corporate such condemnation of the Supreme Courts
governance, and management. But the main aborted dissolution of the nations highest
problems that _____(4)_____ Air India are democratic institution would result in a
_____(5)______, which is why efforts to revive rethink on Mr. Maduros overall approach. In a
the entity are unlikely to bear fruit. coldly calculated ____(4)_____, the government
in April disqualified Henrique Capriles, seen to
1. (a) posted (b) poised be a key contender for the 2018 presidential
(c) praised (d) posed election, from holding public office for 15
2. (a) age (b) belief years. The move was _____(5)_____ of the bar on
(c) sharp (d) edge another opposition politician by former
3. (a) survive (b) saved President Hugo Chvez.

1. (a) complex (b) volatile which, when effected, could have an extremely
(c) stubborn (d) unassumed serious _____(4)_____ on the meat and livestock
2. (a) paralysis (b) timbcktoo industry, not to mention the livelihoods and
(c) jurisprudence (d) reparation ______(5)_______ choices of millions of people.
3. (a) drew (b) oust 1. (a) ratify (b) justify
(c) suffocated (d) curtailed (c) specify (d) notify
4. (a) plan (b) move 2. (a) too much (b) so much
(c) rubric (d) conviction (c) as much (d) much too
5. (a) resonate (b) nostalgia 3. (a) done (b) inflicted
(c) dj vu (d) reminiscent (c) assuaged (d) coerce
4. (a) result (b) affect
Test 16 (c) damage
5. (a) daily
(d) impact
(b) dairy
Nearly four months after Finance Minister
(c) eatery (d) dietary
Arun Jaitley promised in his Budget speech to
____(1)_______ the Foreign Investment Test 18
Promotion Board, theUnion Cabinet has
approved its phasing out. The FIPB was set The use of moderation by the Central Board
up in the early 1990s as an inter-ministerial of Secondary Education while finalising Class
mechanism to _____(2)______ investment 12 marks under a Delhi High Court directive
proposals from abroad. The Department of poses the immediate question of how various
Industrial Policy and Promotion under the State boards of education that have not
Commerce Ministry is now expected to adopted the practice will ______(1)______. It
formulate a standard operating procedure to also points to the long-standing challenge of
process foreign direct investment applications achieving comparability while _____(2)_____
in 11 sectors that are still not in the automatic students for undergraduate studies from
FDI approval list. The department would have different systems. Some boards have already
________(3)_____ by line ministries, which have published the results without moderation,
been empowered to take independent while others will resort to the practice,
decisions on investments proposed ____(4)_____ making it necessary for college authorities to
their domains. The government believes that make offsets while fixing admission criteria.
once the Board is history, red-tapism will Another substantive concern is the pattern of
_____(5)_____, ease of doing business will testing procedures placing high importance
improve and investors will find India more on a single ______(3)_____ examination,
attractive. However, the decision is little more without an assurance to all students that the
than a symbolic gesture. same tasks are being assessed on the same
1. (a) abrogated (b) abolish standards. Across-the-board use of tools
(c) rescinding (d) reveal such as moderation also ______(4)_______
2. (a) scrutiny (b) vet questions on the actual scores. It is
(c) jest (d) spy extraordinary that tests for non-quantitative
3. (a) to consult (b) to be consulted subjects such as English and Political
(c) consulted (d) consulting Science yield perfect scores of 100% in the
4. (a) to (b) for CBSE examination and elsewhere, giving the
(c) by (d) in impression that the questions require to be
5. (a) shrink (b) shirk answered only within a limited framework
(c) protract (d) augment ______(5)_____ out in a textbook, leaving little
Test 17 scope for creative responses that reflect the
The Centres move to ____(1)_____ new rules to quality of teaching in the classroom.
regulate livestock markets under the 1. (a) relate (b) reiterate
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (c) respond (d) restrict
(PCA) is either extremely poorly thought out or 2. (a) judging (b) marking
____(2)_____ clever for its own good. In a way, (c) assessing (d) asking
both. On the surface, the notification, which 3. (a) regular (b) external
spans eight pages, reads like a general (c) ready (d) important
document on the regulation of the sale of all 4. (a) rises (b) arises
kinds of livestock bought and sold in animal (c) roses (d) raises
markets, with some welcome prohibitions on 5. (a) laid (b) lain
the cruelty _____(3)_____ in the transport and (c) lay (d) lied
treatment of animals. But parse the rules, and
it is evident that cattle a category that
includes cows, buffaloes, bulls and camels
come under a slew of special restrictions

Test 19
The arrival of the monsoon along Indias shores
on May 30, with a meteorological forecast for
rainfall that _____(1)______ almost match the
normal average of 89 cm, is cause for cheer. It
appears that the official forecaster, the India
Meteorological Department (IMD), is less
_____(2)______ now about the negative impact
of a late-onset El Nino phenomenon in the
Pacific Ocean, since it expects a favourable
______(3)______ in Indian Ocean sea surface
temperatures to act as a counter. This years
summer monsoon rainfall will be studied
closely for more than one reason. The IMD is
using an improved dynamic forecasting model
that relies on high-grade computing
______(4)_______ several years of off-the-mark
predictions, and its ______(5)_______ will be
tested. In the area of agricultural productivity,
a second consecutive year of normal rainfall
will improve the prospects of higher output
from the 60% of farmland that is without
irrigation facility.
1. (a) would (b) should
(c) could (d) have
2. (a) apprehensive (b) trustful
(c) uneasy (d) anxiety
3. (a) range (b) swing
(c) outcome (d) situation
4. (a) before (b) after
(c) moreover (d) although
5. (a) accuracy (d) dependency
(c) activity (d) reliable
Answers:
1. CBDBC 2. BDBAA 3. CDCDA 4. CCAAD
5. CCDDD 6. DBDAB 7. ABBDB 8. BBBAC
9. BAACC 10. ACDAA 11. BAACC 12. BCCAB
13. DDDCC 14.CACBB 15. BAABD 16. BBBDA
17. DDBDD 18. CCBDA 19. AABBA

Cloze Test
what Mr. Modi called a loosening of the world
order, while the U.S. has targeted Indian
professionals and businesses to _____(4)_____
June 17
American jobs. Another blow came from Mr.
Trumps comments on the Paris Accord when
he blamed India and China _____(5)____ he
called an unfair deal. Mr. Modis meetings with
Ms. Merkel and subsequently Spanish Prime
Test 1 Minister Mariano Rajoy and French President
There was a time in our country when Emmanuel Macron saw those issues raised
prejudice was not allowed to blatantly declare one way or another, as they tried to explore
_____(1)_____. There was a time when there was new ways to cooperate on multilateral issues,
something that was shameful about publicly including terror, trade and climate change.
stating ______(2)_____ prejudices. But in this 1. (a) dichotomy (b) oxymoron
increasingly angry age, prejudice has become a (c) dilemma (d) deal
matter of public entertainment. Repeatedly, we 2. (a) flux (b) alienate
hear _____(3)_____ about caste, religion, the (c) platitude (d) caveat
poor and the marginalised, in public domains
3. (a) forced (b) forged
and in public conversations as if they are
matters of fact and not _____(4)_____ of (c) deprived (d) afflicted
prejudice. 4. (a) create (b) save
(c) protect (d) foster
We hear far more strident voices against
5. (a) for what (b) to what
reservation, against allowing communities to
eat what they want, against norms of (c) at what (d) which
behaviour of women. Such voices are getting
normalised and have become part of our public Test 3
_____(5)______.
A strike by farmers in Maharashtra continues
1. (a) themself (b) themselves to _____(1)_____ normal life, despite the State
(c) itself (d) oneself governments announcement of an end to the
2. (a) ones (b) his strike last week. The farmers, whose demands
(c) their (d) our include full _____(2)______ of farm loans, hikes
3. (a) statements (b) arguments in the minimum support price for agricultural
(c) documents (d) ornaments produce and writing ____(3)____ of pending
electricity bills, have been on an indefinite
4. (a) fractions (b) fractures
strike since June 1. As the strike nears the end
(c) fissures (d) fictions of its first week, prices of essential goods such
5. (a) domain (b) gossip as milk, fruits and vegetables have
(c) jesting (d) mockery _____(4)_____ steeply, causing distress to
consumers. Some farmer groups agreed to call
off their strike after Chief Minister Devendra
Test 2 Fadnavis promised that his government would
Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to waive farm loans of small and marginal
Germany, Spain, Russia and France brings farmers worth about Rs. 30,000 crore, increase
into sharp focus the shared ____(1)_____ India power subsidies, hike the price for milk
and Europe face with Americas shifting procurement, and also set up a State
policies, and the resultant ____(2)_____ on the commission to _____(5)_____ the matter of
world stage. Mr. Modis first stop in raising the MSP for crops.
Germany came a day after Chancellor Angela
Merkels strong comments aimed at President 1. (a) affect (b) effect
Donald Trump, that Europe could no longer (c) impact (d) perfect
depend on traditional partners. Europes 2. (a) weaver (b) waver
disappointment with Mr. Trump at the G-7 and (c) waiver (d) weaving
NATO summits was three-fold: his refusal to 3. (a) off (b) on
reaffirm NATOs Article 5 on collective defence; (c) with (d) to
his warning on the trade deficit with Europe; 4. (a) risen (b) raised
and his expected decision to pull America (c) arose (d) increase
5. (a) look up (b) look into
out of commitments in the Paris Agreement on (c) look down (d) look for
climate change. For the past few months India
has faced a similar disappointment as the U.S.
has ____(3)___ closer ties with China, indicating

Test 4 3. (a) proposed (b) proposal
(c) proposing (d) purposed
The Indian Space Research Organisation has 4. (a) light (b) massless
crossed a significant milestone with (c) weightless (d) heavy
the successful developmental flight of the 5. (a) explosive (b) exploding
countrys heaviest Geosynchronous Satellite (c) colluding (d) exploiting
Launch Vehicle, the GSLV Mark-III. This is the
first time a satellite weighing _____(1)______ 3.1
tonnes has been launched from India to reach Test 6
the geostationary ____(2)_____ about 36,000 The phrase Where you stand depends on
km from Earth. The Mk-III can launch where you sit, also called Miless Law, was
satellites weighing up to four tonnes, which ____(1)___ by Rufus Miles, an American
almost doubles Indias ______(3)_____ launch bureaucrat who served as Assistant Secretary
capacity. With communication satellites to three U.S. Presidents (Eisenhower, Kennedy
becoming heavier (up to six tonnes), the and Johnson), essentially to describe
capability for larger ______(4)_____ is vital. This _____(2)____ policy changes according to ones
can be done by switching over to electric location and the company one _____(3)______.
propulsion for orbit rising and to keep the As India takes its place as a full member of the
satellite in the right position and orientation in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in
the orbit _____(5)____ its lifetime (that is, Astana, many are ______(4)_____ just where
station keeping). Indian foreign policy stands on the basis of
where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sitting,
1. (a) beyond (b) over along with Russia, China, Central Asian states
(c) of (d) with and Pakistan (which is also being admitted this
2. (a) ambit (b) orbit year).
(c) radius (d) circle An SCO membership has many obvious
3. (a) new (b) current advantages: being a part of a major security
(c) latest (d) developed coalition in Asia, with easy access to the
energy-rich stans, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
4. (a) payloads (b) workloads
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It is an important
(c) weightage (d) heavy forum on counter-terrorism ______(5)_____,
5. (a) in (b) through connectivity, and on resolving the situation in
(c) for (d) by Afghanistan.
1. (a) stated (b) coined
Test 5 (c) expressed (d) delivered
Indias wait to join the elite club of countries 2. (a) how to (b) how far
undertaking neutrino research ____(1)____ a (c) how dare (d) how ones
procedural delay in March this year when the 3. (a) keeps (b) have
National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the (c) plans (d) forms
environmental clearance (EC) granted to the 4. (a) wondered (b) wondering
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO), and (c) wandered (d) wandered
ordered it to file a ____(2)____ application for 5. (a) fight (b) cooperation
clearance. (c) help (d) initiative
The ____(3)_____ INO project primarily aims to
study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300-m
deep cavern in the Bodi West Hills in Theni
district, Tamil Nadu. If completed, the INO
would house the largest magnet in the world,
four times more massive than the European
Organization for Nuclear Research, CERNs
Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detectors
magnet. Neutrinos are tiny particles, almost
_____(4)______, that travel at near light speeds.
Born from violent astrophysical events such as
_____(5)____ stars and gamma ray bursts, they
are abundant in the universe, and can move as
easily through matter as we move through air.
1. (a) gathered (b) reprimanded

(c) suffered (d) receive
2. (a) renew (b) innovative
(c) fresh (d) onset

Test 7 of inputs and frequent _____(3)______ of natural
calamities. A prolonged unrest in rural India
Seven years of rollercoaster negotiations over an such as the decision of Andhra Pradesh
India-Japan civil nuclear energy deal came to farmers not to _____(4)_____ in the 2011 kharif
____(1)_____ on Wednesday when Japans season and ____(5)_____ a crop holiday protest
Parliament, the Diet, approved the pact. will have serious consequences for food
Opposition parties voiced ____(2)____ against the security.
deal, highlighting concerns that India has
provided insufficient guarantees for Japans right 1. (a) to (b) for
to _____(3)_____ the agreement in the event of (c) into (d) up
New Delhi conducting a nuclear test. 2. (a) cash (b) crash
Nonetheless, the ruling coalition pushed the (c) crisis (d) delay
______(4)______ through with a majority vote. The 3. (a) happen (b) occurrence
agreement is set to take _____(5)____ in early (c) take place (d) coming
July. 4. (a) sow (b) reap
(c) harvest (d) yield
1. (a) copious (b) curtail
5. (a) mark (b) check
(c) fruition (d) fissure
2. (a) agitate (b) protest (c) did (d) find
(c) approval (d) concerning
3. (a) germinate (b) incriminate
(c) authenticate (d) terminate
4. (a) accord (b) discord
(c) concord (d) record
5. (a) place (b) up Test 10
(c) off (d) effect U.S.-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational
Wave Observatory (LIGO)s detectors
have picked up signals of yet _____(1)_____
merger of two black holes that are three billion
Test 8 light years away ____(2)_____ have masses
India lost its tag as the worlds fastest-growing equal to 31 and 19 times the mass of the sun.
economy last month as its fourth quarter GDP
growth fell to 6.1%, the slowest in two years. With this discovery _____(3)______ not only a
Very few economists _____(1)____ the ____(4)_____ among black holes but also
slowdown. In fact, most _____(2)____ for the possibilities of gravitational wave astronomy,
economy to _____(3)_____ as it quickly detection of new heavenly bodies and gaining a
______(4)_____ from the impact of the better understanding of that most ____(5)____
demonetisation of high-value rupee notes in of theories Einsteins general theory of
November. Critics of demonetisation felt relativity, and the fundamental force of
_____(5)______, particularly after GDP figures gravitation.
for the third quarter suggested that the 1. (a) another (b) other
shocking, overnight move to demonetise had (c) one another (d) others
very little negative impact. 2. (a) and (b) but
1. (a) expected (b) accepted (c) or (d) whether
(c) predicted (d) analyzed 3. (a) arises (b) emerges
2. (a) waited (b) awaited (c) evolves (d) identifies
(c) wanted (d) worked 4. (a) sense (b) trace
3. (a) refine (b) confine (c) track (d) pattern
(c) rebound (d) refresh 5. (a) enigma (b) ennui
4. (a) headed (b) recover (c) elusive (d) famous
(c) healed (d) acted
5. (a) innocent (b) vindicated
(c) vindictive (d) harmless
Test 9
Agricultural distress is often viewed as a short-
term phenomenon in which farmers look
____(1)____ support from various quarters on
account of being unable to get a gainful return
due to price _____(2)_____, poor marketing
facilities, rising credit burden, increasing cost

body leave it to the member-states to
determine what constitutes acceptable or
unacceptable work for children at different
ages.
Test 11 1. (a) identified (b) qualified
Permanent laws cannot be made in response to (c) justified (d) ratified
transient trends, especially to create a power 2. (a) adopted (b) adapted
that is open to abuse. The Election (c) proposed (d) generated
Commission of Indias proposal to the Law 3. (a) compelled (b) create
(c) aroused (d) raised
Ministry that it be ____(1)_____ with the power
to punish for contempt is an _____(2)_____ and 4. (a) execution (b) finishing
poorly thought-out response to some strident (c) abolition (d) abolish
accusations of partisan functioning, mainly 5. (a) not (b) be
from political parties that had lost in the (c) so (d) ask
electoral arena. With democratic practices Test 13
_____(3)_____ over time, even the power to
punish for contempt _____(4)_____ in the Summer is one of the toughest periods of the
judiciary has come under question, with many year for anyone graduating from school. This
wondering whether this relic of a bygone age means we are talking about almost one crore
should be retained. Even superior courts, students who gave their class XII exam. With
empowered to act under the Contempt of an enrolment ratio of around 24.3%, we are
Courts Act, 1971, are often advised to use it looking at almost 30 lakh students desperately
only ______(5)______. _____(1)_____ to obtain good scores in their XII
board exams or sitting for entrance
1. (a) given (b) dealt examinations for various higher education
(c) armed (d) allowed institutions. If their scores are not good, their
2. (a) justified (b) unwarranted careers will be _____(2)_____ to be dead.
(c) unscrupulous (d) disinterested
3. (a) running (b) evolving Thirty lakh students! This is an astounding
(c) develop (d) flux figure for the Darwinian struggle they know
4. (a) rested (b) vested they will be getting ____(3)____. Why? Because
(c) given (d) provided the higher education system in India is a
5. (a) usually (b) rare binary phenomenon. You either have
(c) sparingly (d) dearly intellectually elite colleges, a handful of them,
or a vast majority of _____(4)____ ones which
have lost their ability to even signal the quality
of their students one of the most basic
purposes for an educational institution to
_____(5)_____. The trajectory to professional
success then crucially hinges on your ability to
secure a seat in one of the good colleges.
1. (a) try (b) tried
(c) trying (d) are trying
2. (a) planned (b) predicted
(c) perceived (d) perplexed
3. (a) with (b) into
Test 12 (c) for
4. (a) mediocre
(d)
(b)
done
genuine
In a welcome move this week, India has (c) pedigree (d) oxymoron
____(1)____ two key global conventions meant 5. (a) flourish (b) thriving
to keep children away from work, decades (c) exist (d) fail
since they were originally ____(2)____ by the
International Labour Organisation.
Nonetheless, the scepticism ___(3)___ by the
Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Amendment Act, 2016 over the governments
commitment towards complete ____(4)____ of
child labour will persist. The ILO treaties are
about the minimum age at which a person may
begin work and the hazardous industries
where she may ____(5)____. Crucially,
conventions 138 and 182 of the United Nations

2. (a) meet (b) encounter
(c) counterpart (d) tactics
3. (a) sealed (b) scaled
(c) dealed (d) delayed
4. (a) fallacy (b) blight
(c) plight (d) turmoil
5. (a) to (b) before
(c) after (d) for
Test 14 Test 16
Quantum mechanics (QM) is the dark arts of The question of whether India should allow
physics. Though physics in the Newtonian commercial production of GM crops has been
mould tells us how every object will one of the more enduring public policy debates
precisely ____(1)____ when pushed and hurled, over the last decade-and-a-half. After the
QM deals with the invisible world of subatomic _____(1)_____ of Bt cotton in 2002, the attempt
particles, _____(2)______ counter-intuitive rules to bring Bt Brinjal into commercial production
apply. faced serious _____(2)____ in 2010. After the
QM inhabitants such as electrons and photons GEAC approved Bt brinjal for commercial
live in zombie-like undead states. The very act production, the then Environment Minister,
of observing them makes them _____(3)_____ Jairam Ramesh, placed a _____(3)______ after
tricksters. Though not always understandable, undertaking extensive public consultation.
science knows, in bits and pieces, how they ____(4)____ of GM crops, including Noble
can be manipulated for _____(4)_____ that laureates, insist that opposition to GM crops is
benefit the visible world such as making driven by irrational fears of harm to human
integrated circuit chips and fibre-optic lines for health and having an environmental impact
global, instantaneous ______(5)______. and accuse opposing environmental groups of
misrepresenting facts. Such arguments,
1. (a) unleash (b) behave however, are unlikely to ____(5)____ the
(c) insist (d) emphasize opponents of GM crops.
2. (a) when (b) where
(c) that (d) which 1. (a) preservation (b) persuasion
3. (a) interesting (b) ordinary (c) approval (d) denial
(c) beguiling (d) intriguing 2. (a) resemblance (b) damage
4. (a) purposes (b) proposal (c) demand (d) resistance
(c) leader (d) understanding 3. (a) auditorium (b) moratorium
5. (a) safety (b) security (c) uphold (d) bet
(c) privacy (d) communication 4. (a) components (b) ingredients
(c) proponents (d) representatives
Test 15 5. (a) consider
(c) concourse
(b)
(d)
conceal
convince
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on the
most hazardous journey of his political-
diplomatic life towards the end of June for his
Test 17
A ghastly fissure ripped through Indian cricket
_____(1)____ _____(2)_____ with U.S. President
Donald Trump. Not only is Mr. Modis greatest as Anil Kumble quit as the national teams
head coach on Tuesday. Kumbles exit had
achievement, the new heights India-U.S.
seemed ______(1)______ _____(2)______ the
relations had _____(3)_____ in 2016, in jeopardy
Board of Control for Cricket in India called for
but also the White House itself is in
fresh applications for the post of head coach
____(4)_____ with former FBI director James
just as the Men in Blue flew to England for the
Comeys testimony ______(5)_____ the Senate
now-concluded ICC Champions Trophy. Until
Intelligence Committee and the Senates
invitation to Mr. Trump to testify. The results that moment on May 25, skipper Kohli and
coach Kumble had seemed to be a perfect
of Mr. Modis visit could be as unpredictable as
match. The duo oversaw five Test series
the personality of Mr. Trump, regardless of the
victories against opponents as diverse as the
charm offensive that the Prime Minister is
West Indies and Australia, besides winning
capable of.
one-day internationals and Twenty20s. The
1. (a) initial (b) maiden lone _____(3)______ was the loss to Pakistan in
(c) mere (d) debut the Champions Trophy final this Sunday.

Speculation that something was ____(4)___ got
stronger when leaks surfaced about the alleged
rift between Kohli and Kumble, a rumour that
was initially denied by the captain but has
become a fact following the coachs farewell
statement, in which he wrote: It was apparent
that the partnership was untenable.
1. (a) acceptable (b) possible

(c) inevitable (d) plausible
2. (a) after (b) with Test 19
(c) for (d) once The tragic death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-
3. (a) blip (b) fillip year-old American student who was
(c) pedigree (d) mediocre imprisoned and later released while in a state
4. (a) amiss (b) amass of coma by North Korea, is a huge setback to
(c) remiss (d) recant hopes for dialling ____(1)____ tensions between
Washington and Pyongyang. The Korean crisis
5. (a) rumour (b) message
has _____(2)______ since President Donald
(c) talk (d) argument Trump took office early this year. North Korea
Test 18 test-fired a number of missiles in _____(3)_____
of international pressure, while the United
Armed with the powers, a little over a month
States issued repeated warnings. Mr. Trump
ago, to get lenders and defaulting borrowers to had put pressure on Beijing to ____(4)____
sit down and address the messy task of Pyongyang in, and even ____(5)____ it for its
cleaning up toxic bad debts, the Reserve Bank efforts. But the pressure does not seem to be
of India (RBI) has decided to ______(1)______ the working, with North Korea continuing with its
whip. The central banks decision to act on the nuclear missile programme.
advice of its Internal Advisory Committee and 1. (a) up (b) against
(c) for (d) down
direct lenders to initiate insolvency
2. (a) worsen (b) worsened
______(2)_____ against 12 corporate borrowers (c) been worsening (d) been worsen
each owing in excess of Rs. 5,000 crore 3. (a) calibrating (b) purporting
has come not a day too soon. With gross non- (c) defiance (d) Ensued
performing assets (NPAs) at about 7 lakh 4. (a) vet (b) rein
crore, a regulatory intervention was imperative (c) ramshackle (d) drain
not only to safeguard the health of the banking 5. (a) criticized (b) denounced
(c) complemented (d) praised
system but also to ____(3)____ any wider
impact on the economy. RBI Governor Urjit
Patel _____(4)____ the importance of tackling Test 20
the bad loans problem as recently as The Centre would like us to believe that
the Smart Cities Mission will transform urban
____(5)____ the June 6-7 meeting of the
life in the agglomerations that _____(1)_______
Monetary Policy Committee when he said: The the elite club. With the latest inclusions, there
quiescent investment cycle remains a key are 90 cities in the list, each of which
macroeconomic concern. It is, therefore, ____(2)_____ to turn smart, utilising core
imperative to ensure resolution of stressed funding from the Centre and other resources.
assets of banks and timely recapitalisation [of ____(3)_____ accounts, the provision of basic
public sector lenders]. services in urban India has been worsening,
and this is clearly reflected in the winning city
1. (a) crack (b) break
proposals: 81 of the selected plans seek funds
(c) track (d) cracking for affordable housing, new schools and
2. (a) proceeds (b) proceedings hospitals, and redesign of roads. This is at best
(c) preceding (d) meddling a ____(4)_____ list, and there are many more
3. (a) cast off (b) ward off aspects to achieving inclusivity. There is a
(c) break off (d) back off high-visibility campaign around the Smart
4. (a) underpinned (b) underscored Cities Mission, but there is little evidence to
suggest that State and local governments have
(c) underlined (d) undergone either the fine-grained data or the capability to
5. (a) in (b) during analyse them in order to understand the
(c) for (d) while ______(5)_____ needs of their communities.

1. (a) enter (b) called

(c) allow (d) own Test 22
2. (a) promises (b) proposes Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis first
(c) ready (d) permits
meeting with President Donald Trump, concern
3. (a) By all (b) To all
(c) From all (d) For all had grown about the future course of the
4. (a) practical (b) partial bilateral relationship, particularly whether Mr.
(c) protected (d) preventive Trump would maintain his predecessors
5. (a) involving (b) evolving commitment to its _______(1)_____. These
(c) solving (d) necessity worries rested on Mr. Trumps rewriting the
equation with Europe, reversing the American
stand on China and in West Asia. They were
Test 21 also ____(2)_____ by his harsh words on trade
Sixteen years in the ____(1)____, India is finally tariffs, immigrants and climate change, an
set to roll out the Goods and Services Tax issue on which he specifically targeted India.
(GST) from July 1. Prime Minister Narendra Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump have put many fears
Modi will inaugurate the new indirect tax at to _____(3)____, their meeting marked by
the _______(2)______ of midnight in Parliament, personal bonhomie. This was reflected in Mr.
taking a ______(3)_____ out of Jawaharlal Modis attempt to engage Mr. Trumps family,
Nehrus book. A moment comes, which comes
______(4)_____ to be an important power centre
but rarely in history, when we step out from
the old to new, Nehru had said while ringing in the White House. He invited his daughter
in Indias independence. The two events are Ivanka Trump to an entrepreneurship summit
obviously not comparable nonetheless, the in India. Her husband Jared Kushner was a
GSTs introduction could have been a rare _____(5)_____ of the delegation-level talks.
transition, but is not.
The GST, _______(4)_______ on everything from 1. (a) strength (b) strengthening
matchboxes to gold, will touch everyone. A (c) promise (d) criteria
modern tax system should be fair, 2. (a) fuelled (b) criticised
uncomplicated, transparent and easy to (c) supported (d) practised
administer. It must yield revenues sufficient to 3. (a) come (b) go
cover the cost of government services and
(c) rest (d) arise
public goods. Indias GST does not pass these
tests _______(5)_______. It is too complex. We 4. (a) thinking (b) feeling
must collect it at fewer and lower rates, and on (c) perceived (d) contemplated
more items. 5. (a) part (b) player
(c) matter (d) hero
1. (a) running (b) waiting
(c) testing (d) making
2. (a) stake (b) moment
(c) start (d) stroke
3. (a) page (b) leaf
(c) paper (d) lesson
4. (a) to collect (b) to be collected
(c) having collected (d) to have collected
5. (a) carefully (b) convincingly
(c) directly (d) honestly

Test 23
The _____(1)_____ arm of the European Answers:
Commission has once again struck the 1. CAADB 2. CABCA 3. ACAAB 4. BBBAB
technology world with the imposition of 5. CCABB 6. BDABB 7. CBDAD 8. AACCB
a 2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) fine on Google for 9. BBBAA 10. AABDC 11. CBBBC 12. DACCA
the companys _____(2)_____ of its market 13. CCBAC 14. BBCAD 15. BBBDB
position. The Commission found that Google 16. CDBCD 17. CDAAA 18. ABBBB
abused its dominance in the Internet search 19. DBCBD 20. ABABB 21. DDBBB
market to give itself an ____(3)____ advantage 22. BACCA 23. BCCDD 24. CBADC
in another market comparison shopping
services. Googles comparison shopping service
disadvantaged competitors by ____(4)_____
them lower in its search results, systematically
giving Googles own services higher placement
and greater visibility, leading to more
____(5)____.
1. (a) short (b) long
(c) tight (d) big
2. (a) misuse (b) power
(c) abuse (d) activity
3. (a) due (b) valid
(c) unfair (d) clear
4. (a) deleting (b) choosing
(c) catering (d) placing
5. (a) action (b) coverage
(c) visibility (d) clicks
Test 24
With the Union Cabinets in-
principle approval for the sale of Air India and
five of its subsidiaries, a long-standing demand
on the reform checklist has been ____(1)____.
The rationale for the government to ____(2)____
in huge sums of money to keep the loss-
making airline afloat was _____(3)_____ by the
year. Today, such life support, as Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley recently noted, was being
given when competing private airlines already
_____(4)______ to well over 85% of the air travel
demand in the country. Government money
that keeps Air India from going ______(5)______
would be much better used to fund important
social and infrastructure programmes that are
starved of precious capital each year.
1. (a) passed (b) approved
(c) ticked (d) solved
2. (a) delve (b) shovel
(c) grovel (d) revel
3. (a) weakening (b) weakened
(c) aggravating (d) aggravated
4. (a) lead (b) air
(c) fit (d) cater
5. (a) digital (b) cashless
(c) bankrupt (d) places


Cloze Test
3. (a) no (b) from
(c) so (d) to
4. (a) address (b) amount
July 17
(c) assess (d) assimilate
5. (a) ready (b) poised
(c) continue (d) start
Test 1 Test 3
In a ____(1)____ reform, India today switches to Since Independence, between 25 and 60
a new indirect tax system, the Goods and million people have been displaced from their
Services Tax. The GST _____(2)____ the multiple homes and uprooted for Indias development
Central, State and local taxes and cesses levied projects. Most end up living in _____(1)_____
on goods and services, _____(3)_____ the poverty and ______(2)_______. That we do not
country into a single market, thereby making it even know the exact numbers of those affected
easier to do business and ensure tax in a country that prizes bureaucratic record
compliance. This will attract investors and keeping is a clear indication of the callous
more efficiently ____(4)_____ up revenues for ______(3)_____ we have for these lives.
the exchequer. The reform has been years in Disregarding years of sustained non-violent
the making, and _____(5)____ shown the protest and an iconic mass movement that
political will to finally pull it off, the Central drew national and global attention, the
government must work with the States to chart Narmada Control Authority decided on June
a road map to simplify the tax regime. 17, 2017 _______(4)______ the height of the
1. (a) landmark (b) milestone Sardar Sarovar dam to its full height, by
(c) giant (d) enormous ordering the closure of 30 gates. It was
2. (a) subsumes (b) presumes announced in time with the arrival of the
(c) assumes (d) consumes monsoon. Once the dam is at its full height, it
3. (a) certifying (b) indentifying will _____(5)_____ one town and at least 176
(c) pacifying (d) unifying villages, displace close to 20,000 families, flood
productive agricultural land, and destroy
4. (a) clean (b) wrap hundreds of acres of biodiverse forest.
(c) mop (d) make 1. (a) asylum (b) abysmal
5. (a) been (b) have (c) nuance (d) burgeoned
(c) being (d) having 2. (a) entrenched (b) uprooted
(c) protracted (d) subjugated
3. (a) attitude (b) ignore
Test 2 (c) disregard (d) concern
How will future climate change affect the poor 4. (a) to raise (b) to rise
and how does one address both poverty and (c) in raising (d) for rising
climate change? This is a ____(1)_____ faced by 5. (a) help (b) submerge
policymakers in India and other developing (c) reach (d)ruminate
countries. Moreover, climate-proofing
sustainable development efforts is important;
that is to say, current efforts should ____(2)____
relevant in the face of future climate impacts.
Among development practitioners, a paradigm
shift has taken place in the last three decades
or _____(3)____: income alone is no longer
considered as being sufficient to estimate and
_____(4)_____ poverty. One can have assets and
a reasonable income and yet be poor in terms
of education, nutrition, health and other living
conditions. Nevertheless, in India and many
other countries, governments _____(5)____ to
use income or consumption to estimate
poverty, with specified thresholds associated
with the poverty line.
1. (a) fervour (b) candour
(c) peccadillo (d) conundrum
2. (a) be (b) stayed
(c) remain (d) hide

Test 4 4. (a) careful
(c) central
(b)
(d)
critical
cohesive
China opened itself to foreign investors on
5. (a) vigour (b) valour
Monday by liberalising rules that regulate
(c) endeavour (d) fatuous
_____(1)_____ in its massive bond market. The
new Bond Connect scheme, which was
______(2)_____ awaited for months, allows large
foreign investors such as banks and pension Test 6
funds to buy and sell mainland Chinese bonds Brazil, Latin Americas largest economy, has
through _______(3)______ accounts in Hong been ____(1)____ along comfortably with record
Kong. Chinas bond market, the third largest in low inflation for a decade and healthy foreign
the world, _______(4)_______ to be over $9 direct investment to sustain the path of
trillion in value and is expected to double in recovery from a recent recession. But the Lava
size over the next five years. Yet foreign Jato anti-corruption movement that
investors own less than 2% of the overall bond _____(2)_____ it three years back seems to be a
market, ______(5)_____ to Chinas policy of long way from delivering on the promise of
raising significant barriers to the free entry and democratic and transparent governance.
exit of capital. Further, its central bank, the Inquiries into public fraud by politicians and
Peoples Bank of China, of late has been captains of business have brought
tightening monetary policy to squeeze out _____(3)_____ tumbling out of the cupboard.
liquidity, which has, in turn, led bond yields in When Dilma Rousseff, then President, was
China to be higher than in many developed _____(4)_____ last year, it had appeared that
economies. the worst was over. But now the _____(5)______
1. (a) participation (b) implementation President, Michel Temer, has been indicted by
(c) entrance (d) eligibility Brazils top prosecutor.
2. (a) keenly (b) really 1. (a) boasting (b) boosting
(c) broadly (d) certainly (c) coasting (d) going
3. (a) aboard (b) offshore 2. (a) defeated (b) won
(c) big (d) different (c) cracked (d) created
4. (a) expects (b) estimates 3. (a) files (b) issues
(c) is estimated (d) is expected
(c) skeletons (d) people
5. (a) because (b) reason
(c) thanks (d) rest 4. (a) preached (b) impeached
(c) found (d) deported
Test 5 5. (a) jettisoned (b) incumbent
(c) vicarious (d) incorporating
Democratic Centralism ___(1)____ popular
participation in formulating the plan at the
enterprise level. World Bank Romania
country report, 1979
The World Banks World Development Report
2017 is a remarkable document. Remarkable,
because it does not seem that the World Bank
authored this document titled Governance
and the Law. When the report ____(2)____
Michel Foucault, that incandescent French
thinker, who showed us how supposedly free
and rational institutions of modernity are
indissolubly linked with power and social
control, it is time to _____(3)______ and notice.
This is not an accident for the _____(4)_____
focus of the report is politics and power in
development policy, and the _____(5)______ is to
move politics and power from the margins to
the core of development thinking and action
and to development practice health and
education transportation and food (p.271).
1. (a) curtails (b) entails
(c) include (d) exclude
2. (a) asks (b) reminds
(c) cites (d) finds
3. (a) set up (b)sit up
(c) take (d) wake

Test 7 north after an Athens-backed coup in Cyprus
aimed at ____(5)____ the island. Among the
Cities in India are governed by multiple main challenges the two leaders face is the
organisations and authorities which have their demand for restitution of the property rights of
own jurisdictions; thus Indian cities are the Greek-Cypriots who had fled the north in
characterised by multiple boundaries. The the 1970s. The establishment of an
_______(1)_______ authorities in a city include institutional framework to secure the interests
urban local bodies (ULB) with the primary of both ethnic groups is another.
functions of service delivery, planning for 1. (a) identified (b) summoned
socio-economic development and regulation of
(c) deadlocked (d) deliberated
development. This results ______(2)______ their
subdivision into different wards. Large cities 2. (a) stalemate (b) alternate
also have development authorities, urban (c) checkmate (d) decimate
development authorities or improvement trusts 3. (a) pinned (b) leaned
responsible for planning and development that (c) found (d) depend
divide cities into various planning zones. Line 4. (a) sale (b) prosperity
departments, that is sector-specific (c) partition (d) liberation
organisations, deal with the _____(3)_____ of
5. (a) vexing (b) annexing
services in their respective sectors the water
supply agency has its own supply zones. (c) perplexing (d) creating
Sewage ______(4)______ is also done based on Test 9
various zones. The organisations responsible The gathering in Hamburg of the G20, a group
for safety and security _____(5)_____ another of twenty developed and developing countries,
set of zones. None of these zones is last week was not unlike a large family event:
coterminus, generating a maze of boundaries. some _____(1)____ up, some patching up, and
Since planning aims at achieving a shared that unpredictable, rich uncle who needs to be
vision, the different spatial entities of the city managed and kept in good humour. The
formed by non-coterminus boundaries deter success of summits such as this should be
effective planning and good governance. This is judged _____(2)_____ to the emerging global
exemplified in the case of Delhi, for example. context: with the worlds most powerful
1. (a) best (b) new country, the United States led by a President
(c) existing (d) governing who wants to redefine the world order in
2. (a) to (b) in narrow transactional terms; with economies
changing due to digitisation and _____(3)___;
(c) against (d) of
with the strength of a countrys electoral
3. (a) problem (b) provision process increasingly ____(4)______ to its
(c) situation (d) status cybersecurity; with migration on an
4. (a) clear (b) action unprecedented scale; and with terrorism
(c) disposal (d) plant decentralised and ______(5)____. The G20
5. (a) alienate (b) delineate meetings in Germany reflected all this, either
(c) alleviate (d) palliate through the dynamics between leaders or in
the wording of official statements that emerged
from them.
Test 8 1. (a) catching (b) growing
The failure in Geneva last week of a round of (c) meeting (d) mixing
talks on the reunification of Cyprus is by all 2. (a) for (a) against
measures a huge diplomatic setback. This is (c) with regard (d) with concern
not the first time the United Nations-backed 3. (a) climate (b) automation
dialogue between the breakaway Turkish- (c) industrialization (d) border conflicts
Cypriot state in the north and the Greek- 4. (a) tied (d) rooted
Cypriot Republic of Cyprus has been (c) asked (d) understood
____(1)____. Even so, the current ____(2)_____ is 5. (a) diverged (b) dispersed
disappointing as the prospects for a final deal (c) intimidating (d) targeted
had been _____(3)_____ on the two interlocutors
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and
Mustafa Akinci, his counterpart in Northern
Cyprus. Both represent a generation that
regards the status quo as an everyday
reminder of the memories of _____(4)_____ of
the island, whose combined population is just
about one and a half million. The split took
place in 1974 when Turkey invaded the

Test 10 bleeding Air India. Yet, the quantum of stake
Bond markets around the globe showed signs on offer made it clear that the government
of ___(1)___ last week, with major central banks intended to retain a crucial stake, appoint its
hinting at a possible end to years of ultra-loose own directors and continue to have a say in
monetary policy. The ____(2)___ on German running the business.
government bonds reached their highest level 1. (a) deleted (b)shelved
in 18 months, while that on the 10-year U.S. (c) cancel (d) considered
Treasury bonds reached its highest level in 2. (a) encumber (b) endanger
eight weeks. Results of the auction of 30-year (c) engender (d) excruciate
French government bonds were the immediate 3. (a) paper (b) books
trigger behind the _____(3)_____ as it pointed to (c) sheet (d) pages
a drop in excess demand; the bid-to-cover ratio 4. (a) to (b) for
dropped to 1.5 from 1.93 in January. Notably, (c) its (d) with
the ____(4)_____ of the European Central 5. (a) best (b) worst
Banks June meeting indicated that the bank (c) plans (d) hits
might walk back on its commitment to expand
its 60 billion bond purchase programme. The Test 12
U.S. Federal Reserve has already hiked rates
this year, and warned ____(5)_____ the risks The latest Consumer Price Index data show
posed by low rates. The Bank of England and headline retail inflation has decelerated to a
the Bank of Canada have shown signs of record low of 1.54% in June. That the reading
hawkishness. Bearish comments from has ____(1)____ below the 2% lower bound of
investors that the yield on the 10-year U.S. the Reserve Bank of Indias medium-term
Treasury bonds might head towards 3% did target for CPI inflation has understandably led
not help matters either. The Bank of Japan to calls for the RBI to _____(2)____ economic
has been the sole exception, promising to growth by cutting interest rates. Economists,
purchase unlimited amounts of government including Chief Economic Adviser Arvind
bonds at low rates. Subramanian, have openly _____(3)______ the
assumptions made by the majority of the
1. (a) strength (b) weakness members of the RBIs Monetary Policy
(c) deteriorate (d) prosperity Committee with regard to prices and have
2. (a) prospect (b) yield _____(4)______ a reboot of the policy
(c) encomium (d) riposte _____(5)_____. Core inflation, which strips out
3. (a) route (b) root the relatively volatile food and fuel prices, has
(c) rout (d) roulette also trended lower and eased below 4% for the
4. (a) finding (b) minutes first time in at least five years.
(c) research (d) development
5. (a) of (b) off 1. (a) glid (b) slid
(c) from (d) to (c) gelid (d) solid
2. (a) control (b) support
Test 11 (c) attract (d) insist
Air Indias disinvestment, first attempted by 3. (a) professed (b) supported
the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, is being (c) questioned (d) target
revived. The sale bid the last time was a flop, 4. (a) determined (b) cancelled
_____(1)_____ prematurely after all the bidders (c) co-ordinated (d) urged
were either disqualified or dropped out. The 5. (a) rationale (d) software
many factors that were and may still be at (c) ration (d) mentality
work against the sale are not widely
understood. Unless overcome, they may again
_____(2)______ the sale.
In May 2000, bids were invited for a 40% stake
in Air India, with a cap of 26% on foreign
investment. The airline had reported losses for
six straight years, had $70 million debt on its
______(3)____ and was fast losing traffic. More
than 18,000 workers were on ____(4)_____ rolls
for a fleet of just about two dozen planes. Its
employee-aircraft ratio, 750, was among the
_____(5)_____. Singapore Airlines, in contrast,
had 91 employees per aircraft. Inefficiency,
typical in a government-controlled set up, was

Test 13 2. (a) correct (b) find
The dramatic but inevitable calving of a (c) finish (d) handle
trillion-ton iceberg from the Larsen C Ice Shelf 3. (a) blamed (b) framed
in Antarctica _____(1)______ the question, did a (c) linked (d) toppled
warming atmosphere have a significant impact 4. (a) innovative (b) attractive
on the ____(2)_____? Scientists from Project (c) distribution (d) manipulation
MIDAS, a U.K.-based Antarctic research 5. (a) scale (b) elevate
project that has been looking at the ice (c) rate (d) intent
_____(3)____ for many years, have said the Test 15
formation of icebergs is natural, and no link to Wimbledons greatest illusion is the sense of
human-induced climate change was available timelessness it ____(1)_____. Over the past
in this case. Yet, the impact of such a loss on fortnight on its hallowed lawns, one of its finest
the stability of the ice shelf itself may not be champions managed to pull off a similar
benign. Should it _____(4)_____, glaciers _____(2)_______. At 35 years and 342 days,
normally feeding into the floating shelf may Roger Federer became the oldest man to win
have nothing to restrain them, and could then the singles title in the Open Era a full 14
contribute to sea level rise, possibly at a slow years after he first claimed the title as a
rate. Such fears are based on the ____(5)____ scruffy, ponytailed upstart. Sundays triumph
data on the thinning of the Larsen Ice Shelf. continued a dominant, magical 2017 for the
Researchers said in 2003 that Antarctic _____(3)_____, something no one saw coming.
Peninsula ice shelves retreated each year since When he limped off Centre Court with a knee
1980 by about 300 sq.km. This erosion has injury last year, beaten in the semi-finals by
been interspersed by two previous collapses of Milos Raonic, the future had looked bleak. But
smaller ice shelves, Larsen A in 1995 and two far-sighted decisions have proven life-
Larsen B in 2002, the latter providing strong ______(4)_____. Federer opted to take six
evidence of subsequent accelerated glacier flow months off to undergo surgery and regain his
into the sea. health. Then, after winning the Australian
Open, he _____(5)______ Roland-Garros, a
1. (a) raises (b) poses choice someone who lives for the Majors
(c) created (d) forwarded doesnt make lightly. He reasoned that his
2. (a) environment (b) ice body needed to be spared the exertions of a
(c) process (d) tender grinding clay-court season so he could arrive
3. (a) shelve (b) shelf in London ready for an uncompromising tilt at
(c) land (d) pattern a record eighth title.
4. (a) be melted (b) disintegrate 1. (a) invokes (b) evokes
(c) wait (d) not (c) revokes (d) provokes
5. (a) intense (b) appropriate 2. (a) criterion (b) importance
(c) unambiguous (d) paradox (c) impression (d) strident
Test 14 3. (a) maestro (b) meastro
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought (c) maaestro (d) maestrro
up the issue of food wastage on his Mann Ki 4. (a) catering (b) emanating
Baat programme about two months ago, he (c) deeming (d) altering
_____(1)_____ a valid point when he asked 5. (a) gripped (b) tripped
people not to waste food. Though he raised an (c) earmarked (d) skipped
extremely critical issue of national importance,
he could also have used the occasion to
propose some government-led mechanism to
_____(2)_____ it.
He was right to an extent when he _____(3)____
food wastage to peoples behaviour. However,
there are wastages which happen in any case
due to foods perishability and the absence of
an effective _____(4)______ mechanism and legal
framework. Looking at the _____(5)______ of
problems, it is wise to frame a comprehensive
strategy by combining the efforts of the
government and private sectors and civil
society.
1. (a) gathered (b) blustered
(c) pointed (d) endorsed

Test 16 (e) no change
The Doklam plateau has ____(1)______ the 2. (a) regularly (b) frequently
unlikely scene of the latest India-China (c) always (d) never
imbroglio. The region _____(2)_____ within (e) no change
Bhutanese territory, but this is now questioned 3. (a) density (b) weightage
by China. The Chumbi valley is vital for India, (c) tributaries (d) concern
and any change is fraught with _____(3)______ (e) no change
possibilities. The incident _______(4)_________ 4. (a) zenith (b) nadir
from differences between Bhutan and India on (c) session (d) section
the one hand and China on the other as to the (e) no change
exact location of the tri-junction between the 5. (a) via (b) by
three countries. (c) through (d) across
(e) no change
In 2007, India and Bhutan had negotiated a Test 18
Friendship Treaty to replace an earlier one. The Union Cabinets in-principle
According to the revised treaty, the two ______(1)___(Sop) to the purchase of Hindustan
countries are committed to coordinate on Petroleum Corporation Limited by the Oil and
issues _______(5)______ to their national Natural Gas Corporation has cleared the
interests. The terms of the 2007 Friendship ______(2)____(racks) for India to have its own
Treaty are somewhat milder than the one it oil giant. The decision follows the Finance
replaced, which provided India greater latitude Ministers announcement in this years budget
in determining Bhutans foreign relations, but that the government would seek to merge
there is little doubt about the import of the public sector oil companies to create larger
revised treaty. entities. The acquisition is expected to be
________(3) (consummated) over the next year
1. (a) been (b) creating
with ONGC buying the governments 51%
(c) become (d) found
stake in HPCL. This would offer ONGC access
2. (a) are (b) sit
to HPCLs refining and retail facilities. The
(c) falls (d) deals
rationale is that a bigger, vertically integrated
3. (a) numerous (b) enormous
oil company can help India _____(4)___(in
(c) dangerous (d) certain
achieving) the scale required to compete at the
4. (a) stems (b) spreads
global level, and help better absorb oil price
(c) occurs (d) ranges
shocks. In fact, it is expected that the Cabinet
5. (a) relating (b) related
may decide to consolidate more public sector
(c) containing (d) contained
oil companies. In addition, the sale of HPCL
could contribute almost Rs.30,000 crore to the
Test 17 exchequer and fulfil more than a third of the
Can droughts experienced centuries ago teach years _______(5)____(investment) target. All
us ways to handle the present ones? They can this, of course, makes the ONGC-HPCL deal
if we care to look in the right ____(1)___(area) look like a boon for the government, the oil
for instance, the walls of temples in Tamil sector and the overall economy.
Nadu. Temples today are primarily religious
monuments, ______(2)______(occasionally)
1. (a) vie (b) nod
visited for their art and architecture. However,
in the past, their walls served as record- (c) din (d) dip
keepers. Inscriptions on Tamil Nadus temples (e) No Change
record administrative and social decisions from 2. (a) decks (b) packs
a time when they were a seat of authority for (c) checks (d) house
the local community. Inscriptions connected to (e) No Change
irrigation in Tamil Nadu concern two broad
3. (a) consumed (b) completion
zones, the Cauvery delta and the Tamirabarani
delta. The Cauvery delta was more fertile and (c) explained (d) finished
larger with more ________(3)_____(water) (e) No Change
but the number of drought-related inscriptions 4. (a) to achieve (b) achieve
here are more in number than the (c) achieving (d) to have achieved
Tamirabarani delta. About 1,000 years ago, (e) No Change
during the ____(4)__(struggle) of the Chola 5. (a) successful (b) FDI
power, irrigation in the Cauvery delta was
(c) disinvestment (d) necessary
_____(5)___(from) the many tributaries of the
river and smaller canals. (e) No change
1. (a) place (b) space

(c) context (d) time

Test 19 Test 20
Negotiators for the proposed Regional Maharashtras new law prohibiting the social
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) boycott of individuals, families or any
treaty between ASEAN countries, China, India, community by informal village councils is a
Japan, South Korea, Australia and New step in the right direction, given the
Zealand are currently meeting in Hyderabad. ______(1)_____(pensive) nature of the
E-commerce will be a key focus. problem. The progressive legislation, which
received Presidential assent recently and was
While there are many contentious issues gazetted earlier this month, targets the
involved in the RCEP, countries at least know pernicious practice of informal caste
what they are negotiating about and their panchayats or dominant sections using
likely _______(1)____(benefits). However, it is _________(2)_____(ostracism) as a means of
not the case with e-commerce issues. In fact, enforcing social conformity.The Maharashtra
e-commerce is a _____(2)____(misnomer) here. Protection of People from Social Boycott
What is under discussion is placing great (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act,
limitations on digital policymaking by any 2016, may serve as a ______(3)_____(order) for
country in the name of promoting e-commerce. similar legislation in other States. The Act lists
Few understand the real nature of the digital over a dozen types of actions that may amount
issues involved and the relevant policy to social boycott, which has been made a
requirements of the present and the future. In criminal offence punishable with imprisonment
these circumstances, a blank up to three years or a fine of 1 lakh or both.
______(3)____(cheque) could possibly be made The _______(4)_______(practices) it prohibits
out to global digital corporations and the range from preventing the performance of a
countries _____(4)_____(sharing) them. social or religious custom, denial of the right to
perform funerals or marriages, cutting off
Lets consider the issue of the free global flow someones social or commercial ties to
of data something preventing _____(5)____(excess) to educational
______(5)____(increasingly) presented as being or medical institutions or community halls and
the same as the free flow of information. While public facilities, or any form of social ostracism
data that underpins global media, or on any ground.
personal/social communication networks is
one thing, data that today is increasingly basic 1. (a) pervasive (b) maudlin
to banking, retailing, the defence forces, public (c) tenuous (d) unusual
services, health and education services and so (e) No Change
on is an entirely different matter. 2. (a) socialism (b) ostracism
(c) spurious (d) aspersions
1. (a) takers (b) beneficiaries
(e) No change
(c) implications (d) problems
3. (a) rule (b) template
(e) no change
(c) temple (d) temptation
2. (a) disclaimer (b) propaganda
(e) No Change
(c) distraction (d) liability
4. (a) application (b) tradition
(e) no change
(c) customs (d) problems
3. (a) idea (b) proposal
(e) No change
(c) alternative (d) future
5. (a) approach (b) entry
(e) no change
(c) access (d) from
4. (a) insist (b) support
(e) No change
(c) having (d) backing
(e) no change
5. (a) wrongly (b) happily
(c) certainly (d) widely
(e) No change

Test 21 Test 22
Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit to Since December 2015, Chennai has limped
the U.S. is likely to deepen bilateral ties in from one extreme weather-related shock to
multiple strategic areas. Among them, science _______(1)_____(any other) the floods, the
and technology, a key driver for innovation and failed monsoon of 2016, Cyclone Vardah, and
job _____(1)_____(demand) in both countries, now the water crisis. Chennais defining
needs to take centre stage. The shared values element is water. But the city shows
and interests of both the countries provide the _____(2)______(its) regard for this precious but
essential underpinning for future dangerous resource. Located squarely in the
collaboration. Besides, India has the intervening floodplains of three rivers on a
_______(2)____(chance) of enjoying bipartisan high-energy coastline, Chennai is a disaster-
support in the U.S. in this regard. Over the _____(3)_____(based) location. Any badly
years, knowledge and technology have become located city can be vulnerable merely by virtue
central to most of the bilateral agreements and of its location. But only a special kind of city
strategic dialogues between the two countries. a city with a death wish actively makes a
Bilateral agreements such as the Partnership bad situation worse.
to Advance Clean Energy and joint
Nothing speaks more elegantly to Chennais
participation in mega projects in the areas of
death wish than what governments are doing
_____(3)______(root) science such as the High
to the wetlands in North Chennai. In June, the
Intensity Superconducting Proton Accelerator,
State government conceded the Government of
the Thirty Meter Telescope, the Laser
India-owned Kamarajar Port Ltds (KPL)
Interferometer Gravitational Observatory and
request to divert 1,000 acres of the
the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
hydrologically sensitive Ennore wetlands for
Mission will have a far-reaching impact. Going
industrial installations that are best built on
forward, we can _____(4)_____(receive) higher
dry land. The proposal is pending Central
pay-offs if collaborative engagements are
governments clearance. If _______(received) ,
focused on sector-agnostic technologies, such
KPLs dream will turn ____(5)_____(for) to be
as information technology, nanotechnology,
Chennais worst nightmare, far worse than the
and gene-editing technology. This will have
2015 floods.
positive impact on all ______(5)_____(features)
of collaboration such as education, economy 1. (a) other (b) another
and trade, defence and homeland security, (c) the other (d) the other
energy and climate, health, agriculture and (e) No Change
space. 2. (a) their (b) scant
(c) high (d) no
1. (a) application (b) selection
(e) No Change
(c) creation (d) opportunities
3. (a) prune (b) purge
(e) No Change
(c) related (d) prone
2. (a) advantage (b) key
(e) No Change
(c) importance (d) lead
4. (a) accessed (b) reached
(e) No Change
(c) gathered (d) permitted
3. (a) ruminate (b) physical
(e) No Change
(c) advance (d) fundamental
5. (a) up (b) off
(e) No Change
(c) down (d) out
4. (a) pay (b) get
(e) No Change
(c) reap (d) seal
(e) No change
5. (a) angles (b) spheres
(c) sector (d) place
(e) No Change

Test 23 ______(5)____(talked) money-laundering
The NITI Aayog has recently unveiled a grand allegations against Mr. Sharif and his children
plan to effectively privatise district hospitals in to the National Accountability Bureau, the
Tier-I and Tier-II towns. It has developed anti-corruption regulator. While Opposition
_____(1)_______ it calls a model concessionaire politicians, especially the Tehreek-e-Insafs
agreement for ____(2)_____ of healthcare Imran Khan who filed a petition in the
services for cardiac and pulmonary (lung) Supreme Court against the Sharif family, have
diseases and cancers. It is proposed that welcomed the ruling as an endorsement of
public facilities in district hospitals would be accountability, there are some worrying legal
outsourced to private providers. They would be and procedural questions about the Supreme
free to charge full treatment costs from Courts decision.
patients not covered by government schemes 1. (a) vacuum (b) maim (c) desolate
(such as the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) (d) disparation (e) No Change
and the providers _____(3)_____ be reimbursed 2. (a) down (b) off (c) short
by the government for treating patients (d) big (e) No Change
referred by the government 3. (a) with failing (b) in filing (c) in failing
(d) for failing (e) No Change
Private providers will be able to cherry-pick the 4. (a) start (b) stop (c) begin
most ______(4)____ districts where patients (d) continue (e) No Change
have a higher paying capacity. The scheme 5. (a) ordered (b) guided (c) directed
also provides for an escrow account that would (d) referred (e) No Change
_____(5)_____ the risk to private providers
posed by possible delays in reimbursement by
the government. Providers would also secure
access to public facilities such as ambulance
services, blood banks and mortuaries. Clearly Answers
no effort has been spared to roll out the red
1. AADCD 2. DCCAC 3. BBCAB 4. AABCC
carpet and ensure that private companies are
able to freeload on public assets. 5. BCBCC 6. CCCBB 7. DBBCB 8. CAACB
9. ACBAB 10. BBCBA 11. BBBCB 12. BBCDA
1. (a) that (b) which 13. ACBBC 14. DDCCA 15. BCADD 16.CCCAA
(c) what (d) who
17. AECAC 18. BAEBC 19. CEEDA 20. ABBEC
2. (a) discussion (b) deliverance
(c) provision (d) implementation 21. CADCB 22. ABDDD 23. CCADB
3. (a) would (b) should 24. ACCDD
(c) could (d) might
4. (a) innovative (b) profit
(c) attractive (d) lucrative
5. (a) upset (b) offset
(c) onset (d) reset
Test 24
The disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif from holding public office, by the
Pakistan Supreme Court in the Panama Papers
case, leaves a huge political
_______(1)______(space) in the country. This is
the third time Mr. Sharifs premiership has
been cut ______(2)_____(up). If his first two
terms were ended by the countrys powerful
military, first forcing him to resign and then
overthrowing his government in a coup, this
time it was through a formal legal process. The
Supreme Court invoked a controversial Article
of the Constitution that requires politicians to
be honest and righteous. The court ruled
that Mr. Sharif was dishonest ______(3)____(in
lacking) to disclose in his 2013 election
nomination papers his association with a UAE-
based company and therefore was unfit to
_____(4)____(staying) in office. The court also

Cloze Test
of these weapons of mass destruction has been
disentangled from the narrow focus on the
maintenance of a deterrent by the nuclear
August 17
weapons states against threats from one
another. Instead, the case for abolition, under
the treaty finalised in July, is
_____(3)____(promised) on the potential danger
Test 1 to the very survival of civilisation from another
holocaust. Such a position seems incontestable,
Practical men, who believe themselves to be as modern weapons are designed to
quite ____(1)____(consistent) from any ____(4)____(conflict) a great scale of destruction,
intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of without regard to national or geographic
some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, boundaries. The imperative, as the
who _____(2)____(call) voices in the air, are _____(5)_____(researchers) of the new treaty see
distilling their frenzy from some academic it, is an immediate legal prohibition leading to
scribbler of a few years back. These lines from the total elimination of nuclear weapons, given
John Maynard Keynes ____(3)____(arrive) to the impossibility of fashioning a humanitarian
mind when observing the recent performance of response to any future offensive.
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with respect to 1. (a) salvage (b) paradigm
the conduct of monetary policy. Strenuous effort (c) quick (d) unknown
has been made ____(4)____(before) the citizen to (e) No Change
believe that one of the many significant actions 2. (a) discourse (b) reiterate
of the government of the day is to have moved (b) rife (d) saga
monetary policy in India onto a modern plane. (e) No change
The centrepiece of this claim is that the central 3. (a) protected (b) pledge
bank will now be judged entirely in terms of its (c) premised (d) progressed
record on inflation. That is, the RBI has been (e) No Change
reconfigured as an inflation-targeting central 4. (a) inflict (b) refurbish
bank. As part of this arrangement, it has been (c) render (d) surmise
set an inflation target of 4%. Then, somewhat (e) No change
counter-intuitively, it has been given 5. (a) innovators (b) founders
_____(5)____(prey) in the form of a band within (c) originators (d) architects
which the inflation outcome may lie. This band (e) No Change
is wide, ranging from 2% to 6%.
Test 3
1. (a) happy (b) unaware
(c) off-guard (d) exempt
A foreign bureaucrat once told American
(e) No Change
economist Milton Friedman that workers in his
2. (a) has (b) have
country were given ____(1)____(shades) instead of
(c) hear (d) fear
tractors to build a canal because more jobs were
(e) No Change
created that way. Hearing this, Friedman is said
3. (a) come (b) came
to have quipped, If its jobs you want, then you
(c) comes (d) has come
should give these workers spoons, not shovels.
(e) No change
Union Minister for Road, Transport and
4. (a) lead (b) to lead
Highways Nitin Gadkaris justification for
(c) to guide (d) faux
____(2)___(highlighting) the entry of driverless
(e) No change
cars into India is based on grounds similar to
5. (a) choice (b) leeway
that of the foreign bureaucrat. The government
(c) way (d) discount
is not going to promote any technology or policy
(e) No Change
that will make people jobless, he said recently.
The Minister further stated that cab aggregators
Test 2 like Ola and Uber will not be allowed to use
driverless cars as it could _____(3)____(toast) the
The adoption of the historic United Nations pact economy as many as five million jobs.
to ban nuclear weapons underscores a The fear of _____(4)____(latest) technology
_____(1)____(pragmatic) shift in the causing massive job losses is nothing new.
_____(2)____(objective) on global disarmament. Economists have used the term lump of labour
Foremost, the universal goal of total elimination fallacy to characterise the common, albeit

mistaken, belief that there is only a limited of the policy of cutting the fuel subsidy. It
amount of work to be done in an economy. The should be noted that the fall in global crude oil
victims of this fallacy believe the available work prices, which has reduced the price difference
needs to be spread among the population to between subsidised and non-subsidised cooking
prevent unemployment. The Luddite movement gas in the local market, has already
of the 19th century even called for the ____(5)____(taken) the burden on the
destruction of machines to save jobs. The reality, government. In the latest Union budget, the
of course, is that technology has caused massive government allocated about Rs. 25,000 crore
job losses for centuries, yet new forms of work towards oil subsidy, which is a fourth of the
have always cropped _______(5)_____(up) to total oil subsidy bill (of almost Rs. 1 lakh crore)
absorb the displaced labour. This is for the incurred in fiscal year 2013.
simple reason that human needs are virtually 1. (a) asked (b) forced
unlimited compared to the supply of labour. (c) authorized (d) restricted
Nothing about artificial intelligence changes this (e) No change
basic fact of life. 2. (a) off (b) of
1. (a) shovels (b) shawls (c) away with (d) away
(c) shelves (d) shelter (e) No Change
(e) No Change 3. (A) interpretation (b) collaboration
2. (a) distracting (b) distorting (c) co-operation (d) speculation
(c) accepting (d) opposing (e) No Change
(e) No Change 4. (a) stance (b) pursuit
3. (a) lost (b) boost (c) idea (d) push
(c) cost (d) dust (e) No change
(e) No Change 5. (a) put (b) eased
4. (a) innovative (b) creative (c) helped (d) derive
(c) destructive (d) disruptive (e) No Change
(e) No Change
5. (a) down
(c) against
(b) for
(d) before
Test 5
This is not a normal business cycle; monetary
(e) No Change
policy will be a lot less effective in the future;
investment returns will be very low. These have
Test 4 come to be widely _____(1)_____(open) views, but
there is little understanding as to why they are
The government has informed Parliament about true. I have a simple template for looking at how
its decision to completely do away with the the economic machine works that helps
subsidy offered to cooking gas used for _____(2)____(create) some light. It has three
household purposes. In an order issued in May parts. First, there are three main forces that
this year, public sector oil companies were drive all economies: 1) productivity; 2) the short-
______(1)____(granted) to incrementally hike the term debt cycle, or business cycle, running every
effective price of LPG cylinders until the entire five to ten years; and 3) the long-term debt cycle,
subsidy is wiped ____(2)____(out) by March next over 50 to 75 years. Most people dont
year, the Union Minister for Petroleum and adequately understand the long-term debt cycle
Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, told because it comes along so infrequently. But this
Parliament. Interestingly, political pressure from is the most important force behind what is
Opposition parties following the announcement happening now. Second, there are three
forced the Minister a day later to argue that the equilibriums that markets
government is merely rationalising, rather than _____(3)_____(accelerate) towards: 1) debt
cutting, the subsidy. But the initial growth has to be in line with the income growth
announcement left very little to that services those debts; 2) economic operating
______(3)____(understand). Previously, in July rates and inflation rates cant be too high or too
last year, the oil companies were given the green low for long; and 3) the projected returns of
signal to increase the effective price of equities have to be above those of bonds, which
subsidised cylinders by Rs. 2 a month. So the in turn have to be above those of cash by
latest order to increase the effective price by Rs. appropriate risk premiums. Without such risk
4 a month, but with the clearly stated aim of premiums the transmission mechanisms of
eventually doing away with subsidies completely, capital wont work and the economy will grind to
signifies a more aggressive _____(4)____(hirsuit) a halt. In the years ahead, the capital markets

transmission mechanism will work more their colleagues describe in the Journal of the
______(4)_____(fast) than in the past, as interest American Chemical Society, they have discovered a
rates cant be lowered and risk premiums of compound, produced by another bacterial
other investments are low. Most people have pathogen, that kills resistant strains of M.
never experienced this before and dont tuberculosis. This compound, which they call
understand how this will cause low returns, gladiolin, is created by Burkholderia gladiolia
more debt monetisation and a pushing on a bacterium, generally rare, that
string situation for monetary policy. Third, _______(7)______(flourish) in the lungs of those
suffering from cystic fi- brosis. It is able to gain a
there are two levers that policy-makers can use
foothold there because the respiratory tracts of
to bring about these equilibriums: 1) monetary
such patients are clogged with mucus that inhibits
policy, and 2) fiscal policy. With monetary policy
actions of immune-system cells which would
______(5)_____(getting) relatively impotent, its otherwise _______(8)_____(diminish) the invaders.
important for these two to be co-ordinated. Yet What interested Dr Mahenthiralingam and Dr
the current state of political fragmentation Challis about B. gladioli was that, once established
around the world makes effective co-ordination in a patients lungs, it seems able to keep rival
hard to imagine. bacteria such as M. tuberculosis at
1. (a) help (b) regarded _____(9)_____(hay). This suggests it is engaging in
(c) considered (d) rejected chemical warfare. To isolate the agent that inhibits
(e) No change B. gladiolis competitors, the researchers cultivated
2. (a) get (b) throw samples from a patient with cystic fi-brosisand
(c) shine (d) bring analysed the chemicals secreted by bacteria
(e) No Change therein. It was thus they discovered gladiolin,
3. (a) link (b) focusing which shuts down bacterial versions of the gene for
(c) gravitate (d) leaning an enzyme called RNApolymerase that is crucial for
(e) No Change life. This was interesting. But it was also
4. (a) regularly (b) quickly ________(10)______(reason) of a false dawn involving
(c) poorly (d) strongly another substance, etnangien, which was
(e) No change discovered in 2007 and which also inhibits RNA
polymerase. Unfortunately, etnangien proved
5. (a) becoming (b) deteriorating
chemically unstable and thus impossible to use as
(c) declining (e) prospering
a drug.
(e) No Change
1. (a) take (b) buy (c) fight
(d) bring (e) No Change
2. (a) cleared (b)done (c)existed
Test 6 (d)did (e) No Change
TUBERCULOSIS has plagued humanity for 3. (a)up (b)down (c) back
thousands of years. The discovery in the 19th (d) renewed (e) No change
century of its cause, a bacterium (pictured above) 4. (a) affinity (b) content (c) resistance
called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the (d) fight (e) No Change
consequent development of better hygiene, helped 5. (a) commune (b) immune (c) new
____(1)____(see) that plague under control. Then, in (d) unknown (e) No Change
the mid-20th century, what many hoped would be 6. (a) potents (b) omen (c) portents
the final nail in its coffin ______(2)____(appeared): (d) auspicious (e) No Change
antibiotic drugs. Unfortunately, TB is 7. (a) thrives (b) thrusts (c) thirsts
____3____(right). After a few decades in which (d) survives (e) No Change
antibiotics did indeed seem to be working miracles, 8. (a) support (b) destroy (c) downplay
some strains of M. tuberculosis have evolved (d) encourage (e) No Change
_____(4)_____(persistence) to them. In 2015 5% of 9. (a) bay (b) day (c) rays
the worlds10m cases failed to respond to (d) play (e) No Change
treatment with isoniazid and rifampicin, the drugs 10. (a) creation (b) story (c) saga
of first resort. Half of those non-responders were (d) reminiscent (e) No Change
infected by strains of the bacterium
______(5)_____(known) to second-line treatments as
well. Most microbiologists regard these numbers as
______(6)_____(indicate) of worse to come. That is
driving a search for new antibiotics against which
M. tuberculosis has evolved no resistance. Eshwar
Mahenthiralingam of Cardiff University and Greg
Challis of the University of Warwick, both in
Britain, think they have found one. As they and

Test 7 (d) reputation (e) No Change
A LITTLE after midnight on June 14th, Londons 8. (a) after (b) from (c) to
fire brigade was called to a fire at Grenfell Tower, (d) before (e) No Change
a 24-storey apartment block ____(1)______(cut) in 9. (a) a little (b) little (c) a few
the 1970s. Before long, 250 firefighters were on (d) few (e) No Change
the scene. But the blaze was too fierce; hours 10. (a) across (b) through (c) beyond
later it had _____(2)_____(closed) to three sides (d) beneath (e) No Change
and gutted much of the interior. The upper
floors continued to burn into the afternoon. A
week later, as The Economist went to press, the
Test 8
AIRBAGS are meant ____(1)_____(making)
number confirmed dead, or missing and
driving safer. But for years, some made by
presumed dead, stood at 79. Such a fast-
Takata, a Japanese firm,
spreading and lethal fire should have been
_____(2)_____(insulated) with such vigour that
impossible. Because _______(3)_____(jumping)
shards of metal and plastic were launched at
from tall buildings is inherently difficult, strict
occupants of vehicles in even minor collisions,
fire safety is supposed to be designed
causing serious injury and in some cases death.
______(4)_____(from). Even as investigators
The costs of the biggest-ever recall of vehicles,
_____(5)_____(broke) to work out what had failed
hauled back to correct the problem, and the
so catastrophically, many wondered if other
associated lawsuits claimed another
tower residents were at risk, in Britain and else-
_____(3)_____(car) on June 26th. Takata itself
where. Sadiq Khan, Londons mayor, said the
filed for bankruptcy in America and Japan, and
capitals entire stock of 1960s- and 1970s-
sold its surviving operations to a competitor, Key
_____(6)____(vintage) tower blocks might have to
Safety Systems (KSS). It is the latest in a series
be demolished. Commentators on news
of self-inflicted wounds by Japanese corporate
programmes wondered whether the fire marked
giants. Takatas _____(4)____(experience) come
the end of high-rise living. That is unlikely,
on the heels of other disasters, including
even in Britain, where less than 2% of the
_____(5)____(proximity) at Sharp, a formerly
population lives in purpose-built blocks of at
dominant consumer-electronics firm, and
least six floors, and where poor planning and
massive losses at Toshiba, a nuclear power and
neglect have given high-rise living a bad
consumer-electronics empire. All suggest a
_______(7)_____(sign). In Eastings each flat is a
recurring pattern of lack of transparency and
single compartment, and building regulations
leadership. Takatas bankruptcy is due to its air-
state how long the compartmentation should
bags use of chemicals propellants which became
hold _____(8)____(ago) a fire spreads to adjacent
_____(6)____(manageable) after long-term
flats or adjacent floors (usually an hour). In
exposure to heat and humidity. But the crisis is
office buildings, compartmentation is usually by
also _____(7)_____(secretly) due to a lengthy
floor. Most of the time, compartmentation works.
______(8)_____(advancement) of a problem
Of the hundreds of fires in London flats every
during which faulty bags caused at least 17
year, ____(9)_____(such) spread. Fires in
deaths and ten times as many injuries globally.
American high-rise apartment buildings spread
The danger from exploding airbags was clear to
_____(10)____(with) the room they start in only
Takata long _____(9)____(stay) it came to wider
4% of the time, compared with 10% in other
attention, but instead of ______(10)____(washing)
flats. But when compartmentation fails, the
clean managers altered test results to hide it
result can be catastrophic.
from customers.
1. (a) to making (b) to have made (c) to making
1. (a) created (b) built (c) make
(d) to make (e) No Change
(d) started (e) No Change
2. (a) depleted (b) completed (c) declared
2. (a) threw (b) spread (c) catered
(d) inflated (e) No Change
(d) accessed (e) No Change
3. (a) victim (b) man (c) vehicle
3. (a) running (b) looking (c) escaping
(d) series (e) No Change
(c) reaching (d) No Change
4. (a) exposure (b) expenses (c) disaster
4. (a) in (b) at (c) for
(d) travails (e) No Change
(c) out (e) No Change
5. (a) bankrupt (b) insolency (c) insolvency
5. (a) wrote (b) bought (c) sought
(d) tendency (e) No Change
(d) wrought (e) No change
6. (a) suitable (b) playable (c) unstable
6. (a) vantage (b) vestige (c) vintage
(d) control (e) No Change
(d) voltage (e) No Change
7. (a) partly (b) largely (c) mainly
7. (a) challenge (b) risk (c) change

(c) just (e) No Change Test 10
8. (a) bereavement (b) concealment (c) cancel
(d) cancellation (e) No Change FOR all the sophistication of some of its
9. (a) ago (b) by (c) known financial centres, and despite the
(c) before (e) No Change _____(1)_____(sanity) of smartphones, the Middle
10. (a) running (b) going (c) showing East has been a late ______(2)_____(creator) of
(d) coming (e) No Change financial technology, or fintech. Of more than
$50bn in fintech investment globally since 2010,
according to Accenture, a consultancy, only 1%
Test 9 has gone to the Middle East and north Africa.
THROUGHOUT history, poverty is the normal Khalid Al Rumaihi, head of Bahrains Economic
condition of man, wrote Robert Heinlein, a Development Board, _____(3)_____(finds)
science-fiction writer. Until the 18th century, institutional foot-dragging and a lack of
global GDP per person was infrastructure and venture capital.
______(1)_____(stayed) between $725 and ______(4)_____(whereas) he insists innovation is
$1,100, around the same income level as the inherent to Islamic financial tradition. The
World Banks current poverty line of $1.90 a modern cheque ______(5)_____(drains) from an
day. But global income levels per person have Arabic instrument, a written ______(6)_____(sow)
since ______(2)_____(arranged), from around to pay for goods on delivery, to
$1,100 in 1800 to $3,600 in 1950, and over ______(7)_____(avoid) carrying money on
$10,000 today. Economists have long dangerous journeys. In the 9th century, he
____(3)____(talked) to explain this sudden says, a Muslim businessman could cash a
______(4)_____(indulge) in output. Most theories cheque in China drawn on his bank in
have focused on the factors driving long-term Baghdad. Several cities are now jockeying to
economic growth such as the quantity and establish themselves as fintech hubs. Last year
productivity of labour and capital. But a new Cairo launched two accelerators schools to
paper* takes a different tack: faster growth is ______(8)_____(grow) startups. AbuDhabi has
not due to bigger booms, but to less created the regions first regulatory sand-box,
_____(5)_____(shrieking) in recessions. allowing new products to be tested for two years
Stephen Broadberry of Oxford University and without full regulatory
John Wallis of the University of Maryland have ______(9)_____(commission). In March, the citys
taken data for 18 countries in Europe and the financial centre signed an agreement with the
New World, some _____(6)____(with) as far back Monetary Authority of Singapore, the island-
as the 13th century. To their surprise, they states central bank, to undertake joint fintech
found that growth during years of economic projects, for example in mobile payments and
expansion has fallen in the recent erafrom the blockchain. Dubais new fintech accelerator,
3.88% between 1820 and 1870 to 3.06% since the first in the Gulf region, has begun accepting
1950 even though average growth across all applications. Not to be
years in those two periods increased from 1.4% ______(10)_____(recognized), Qatar and Bahrain
to 2.55%. have held fintech conferences. Bahrain, too, has
teamed up with Singapore to develop a fintech
1. (a) struck (b) stuck (c) stroked ecosystem.
(d) stay (e) No Change
2. (a) excelled (b) proliferated (c) thrived 1. (a) ambiguity (b) proclivity (c) ubiquity
(d) accelerated (e) changed (d) equity (e) No Change
3. (a) fired (b) tired (c) weird 2. (a) promoter (b) recommended (c) gainer
(d) tried (e) No Change (d) adopter (e) No Change
4. (a) purge (b) dirge (c) urge 3. (a) blames (b) claims (c) flames
(d) surge (e) No change (d) slams (e) No Change
5. (a) drinking (b) escalating (c) expanding 4. (a) still (b) yet (c) till
(d) shrinking (e) No Change (d) Until (e) No Change
6. (a) of (b) from (c) to 5. (a) acquires (b) drives (c) derives
(d) for (e) No Change (d) derails (e) No Change
6. (a) vow (b) volition (c) tow
(d) kowtow (e) No Change
7. (a) devoid (b) asteroid (c) delay
(d) decline (e) No Change
8. (a) nurture (b) coterie (c) litany

(d) despise (e) No change ______(2)_______(regarded) amid the oil-price
9. (a) confident (b) confidence (c) call slump. Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm,
(d) compliance (e) No Change says only half in ______(3)______(mist) that it is
10. (a) outlier (b) outlaw (c) outdone evolving into an actual oil company. But a
(d) outstate (e) No Change cloud ______(4)_____(hanged) over the firm,
which is 30% state-ownedand over Mr Descalzi
personally. He is caught up in an Italian probe
Cloze Test 11 into alleged corruption in a deal Eni struck in
partnership with Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria,
WE are in a trade war, said Wilbur Ross, just as he is seeking reappointment as CEO in
Donald Trumps commerce secretary, on March April. The companys response to the scandal,
31st. That day Mr Trump especially ______(5)_____(to) treatment of
______(1)_____(belatedly) loosed off a couple of independent board members, raises questions
warning shots, announcing two trade-related about its commitment to good corporate
executive orders. (He forgot to sign them in the governance. In 2011, Eni and Shell jointly paid
ceremony itself.) As tactics go, this was hardly $1.3bn for a huge offshore oil block, known as
shock and awe. Rather, it was supposed to OPL 245, which has more than 9bn barrels of
suggest that nastier weaponry is probable reserves. Over $1bn of this flowed to a
_____(2)____(against) the way. The first executive shell company. That firm, Malabu, was widely
order was aimed at making trade rule breakers known to be owned by a former Nigerian oil
face the consequences. Some bits were minister, Dan Etete, who had
_____(3)_____(change): officials have 90 days to _____(6)_____(bought) the rights to OPL245 for a
develop and implement a plan to combat song while in office. The companies have always
customs violations. Others seemed insisted that their deal was with the government,
_____(4)____(trial). The government has lost not Malabu. However, it is clear that some
$2.3bn of revenue over 14 years from importers executives knew it was a two-part affair in which
going bankrupt before paying duties; almost half they paid the government, and the government
of this relates to imports of fresh garlic and ______(7)_____(intercepted) the money to
_____(5)_____(conserved) mushrooms. The Malabu. Nigerias then attorney-general has
second executive order seemed more in keeping since described the governments
with Mr Trumps (trade) warmongering. Officials ______(8)_____(call) as that of an obligor in a
have 90 days to produce an omnibus report, transaction between a unit of Shell, Eni and
naming the trading partners with which America Malabu. In January Nigerian authorities seized
had a significant trade deficit in goods in 2016 the OPL245 oil block, labelling it the proceeds
and shaming them if the reasons for that deficit of crime. The countrys anti-corruption
are unfair. commission alleges that Eni and Shell
conspired to send payment as a bribe, and is
seeking charges against their local subsidiaries.
1. (a) wryly (b) duly (c) unruly They ______(9)____(deny) wrongdoing and have
(d) fairly (e) No change appealed against the _____(10)____(seizure).
2. (a) by (b) to (c) on
(d) in (e) No Change 1. (a) flowing (b) glowing (c) shining
3. (a) aged (b) big (c) vague (d) going (e) No Change
(d) rock (e) No Change 2. (a) reduced (b) retrenched (c) reverted
4. (a) controversial (b) remedial (c) denial (d) returned (e) No Change
(d) trivial (e) No Change 3. (a) rest (b) test (c) jest
5. (a) preserved (b) reserved (c) degraded (d) vest (e) No Change
(d) stated (e) No change 4. (a) hanging (b) has hanging (c) hangs
(d) hung (e) No change
5. (a) for (b) about (c) its
Test 12 (d) their (e) No Change
WHEN Eni, Italys oil major, this week revealed a 6. (a) derived (b) procured (c) controlled
return to profit in the fourth quarter and a long- (d) acquired (e) No Change
term commitment to keep the barrels 7. (a) collected (b) receiving (c) channel
_____(1)_____(rowing), there was much to cheer. (d) funneled (e) No Change
Three years on from Claudio Descalzis 8. (a) plan (b) policy (c) role
appointment as CEO, Eni has made spectacular (d) intention (e) No Change
oil and gas discoveries even as its peers 9. (a) allege (b) refuted (c) rejected

(d) declined (e) No Change more productive utilization of ____(9)____(sets),
10. (a) closure (b) exposure (c) texture Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said at a
(d) gesture (e) No Change briefing on Wednesday. The state-owned
company was into so-called forestry activities
that the Supreme Court prohibited in 2002, and
Test 13 has been making losses since. According to the
cabinet, the company will offer a voluntary
retirement scheme (VRS) packages to willing
To speed up strategic disinvestment transactions
employees and retrench the rest under the
in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs), the
Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. At present, there
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
are 836 employees on the _____(10)____(rolls) of
_______(1)_____(cornered) by prime minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved setting the Corporation.
up of an alternative mechanism (AM). The AM
will be chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitley 1. (a) cared (b) centered (c) lead
with minister for road transport and highways (d) chaired (e) No Change
Nitin Gadkari and the minister of the 2. (a) bills (b) bids (c) bonds
administrative department as the members. The (d) terms (e) No Change
new mechanism will decide on matters relating 3. (a) execute (b) challenge (c) raising
to terms and conditions of the sale from stage of (d) implementation (e) No Change
inviting of express of interests till inviting of 4. (a) garnered (b) collection (c) getting
financial _____(2)____(debentures). The new (d) derived (e) No Change
mechanism will also empower the Core Group of 5. (a) completion (b) composition (c) complete
Secretaries (CGD) to take policy decisions with (d) comprehension (e) No Change
regard to procedural issues and to consider 6. (a) principle (b) principal (c) same
deviations as necessary from time to time for (d) best (e) No change
effective ______(3)_____(plantation) of decisions 7. (a) hiding off (b) hiking on (c) hastening
of CCEA. Government has shortlisted Bharat (d) writing off (e) No Change
Earth Movers Limited, Scooters India and Pawan 8. (a) adjunct (b) defect (c) defunct
Hans Ltd, three units of Steel Authority of India (d) compunct (e) No Change
Limited (SAIL) for strategic disinvestment this 9. (a) products (b) files (c) stocks
year. The government has set an ambitious (d) assets (e) No Change
target of Rs72,500 crore for disinvestment in 10. (a) books (b) papers (c) sheets
2017-18 including Rs 15,000 crore from (d) lists (e) No Change
strategic disinvestment. So far this year, the
government has ______(4)_____(acquired) around
Rs10,000 crore through stake sales. Earlier, Test 14
government had set up another alternative MUTUAL benefit, joint responsibility and shared
mechanism with same _____(5)____(competition) _______(1)_____(history), sings a
to decide on quantum of disinvestment in case ______(2)_____(choir) of enthusiastic schoolgirls
of minority stake sale in CPSEs. Jaitley is also in a music video called The Belt and Road, Sing
heading another alternative mechanism to Along from Xinhua, a news service run by the
decide on privatization of the national carrier Air Chinese government, that mixes shots of cranes
India. The CCEA has given in and shipping containers with people enjoying
_____(6)____(present) approval for the foreign landmarks. Western firms are
privatization and has asked the Jaitley panel to ______(3)_____(scarcely) less optimistic.
decide on treatment of unsustainable debt of Air Launched by China in 2013, the One Belt, One
India, _____(7)____(hiving off) of certain assets to Road policy, known as OBOR, has two parts.
a shell company, demerger and strategic There is a land-based belt from China to
disinvestment of three profit-making Europe, _____(4)_____(bringing) old Silk Road
subsidiaries and the quantum of disinvestment trade paths, then a road referring to ancient
and the universe of bidders. The cabinet also maritime ______(5)_____(plans). OBOR will span
approved the closure of the mostly 65 countries, and China has so far invested over
_____(8)____(profitable) Andaman and Nicobar $900bn in projects ranging from highways in
Islands Forest and Plantation Development Pakistan to railway lines in Thailand. Western
Corporation Limited (ANIFPDCL) at Port Blair. multinationals, spotting a ______(6)_____(sense),
The closure will help stop unproductive loans to are selling billions of dollars of equipment,
ANIFPDCL from the Centre and would enable a technology and services to Chinese firms
building along it. Americas General Electric(GE)

made sales of $2.3bn in equipment orders from Answer 1. DCABB 2. BACAD 3. ADCDE
OBOR projects in 2016, almost three times the 4. CAabb 5. BCCCA 6. DECCBCABAD
total for the previous year. John Rice, the firms 7. BBCACCDDDC 8. DDADCCABDD
vice-chair, _____(7)____(retrenches) the firm to 9. BDDDDB 10. CAABCAEADC
enjoy double-digit growth in revenues along 11. BCCDA 12. ABCCCDDCEE
OBOR in coming years. Other firms, such as 13. DBDABAECDE 14. BEEAACBDBB
Caterpillar, Honeywell, and ABB, global
engineering giants, DHL, a logistics company,
Linde and BASF, two industrial gas and
chemicals manufacturers, and Maersk Group, a
shipping firm, rattle off lists of OBOR projects.
Deutsche Bank has structured eight trade deals
around it and has an agreement with the China
Development Bank, one of Chinas policy
lenders, to _____(8)_____(lend) several OBOR
schemes. All the activity has confounded early
sceptics. They noted that in the past 15 years as
China industrialised, the countrys companies
ran construction projects over an expanse
approximately equivalent to the built area of all
western Europe with very little help from foreign
firms. Yet OBOR has highlighted that Chinese
groups have little experience abroad, and that
their Western counterparts offer a technological
edge and _____(9)____(big) knowledge of local
conditions across the OBOR region, from
Tajikistan to Thailand. Partnering with Western
multinationals also gives Chinese companies
credibility, particularly ______(10)____(of)
financial institutions. One Western executive
admits that Chinese companies make liberal use
of his firms
name in OBOR project presentations to raise
finance even though it is only marginally
involved.
1. (a) design (b) destiny (c) details

(d) destination (e) No Change
2. (a) assembly (b) congregation (c) flock
(d) group (e) No Change
3. (a) firmly (b) strongly (c) fairly
(d) rather (e) No Change
4. (a) evoking (b) revoking (c) knocking
(d) provoking (e) No Change
5. (a) routes (b) rotes (c) raut
(d) routines (d) No Change
6. (a) buzz (b) bizarre (c) bonanza
(d) profit (e) No change
7. (a) wishes (b) expects (c) buys
(d) hopes (e) No change
8. (a) find (b) found (c) fore
(d) fund (e) No change
9. (a) through (b) thorough (c) across
(d) such (e) No change
10. (a) to (b) with (c) from
(d) as (e) No Change

Cloze Test

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9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 1 of 54

Cloze Test Exercises The Hindu Editorials Feb & March

1. (a) developments (b) changes (c) progressing (d) technology

1. (a) spine (b) sense (c) trick (d) health

1. (a) welfare (b) cruelty (c) problems (d) care

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 2 of 54

1. (a) Honour (b) Claim (c) kill (d) supporting

1. (a) Confidence (b) Fizz (c) work (d) effort

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 3 of 54

1. (a) conscience (b) demand (c) investment (d) relations

1. (a) chain (b) plume (c) exhume (d) balloon

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 4 of 54

1. (a) pestering (b) posturing (c) posturing (d) playing

1. (a) complete (b) own (c) complex (d) bad

1. (a) appoint (b) inaugurated (c) electing (d) defined

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 5 of 54

1. (a) extra (b) extending (c) extended (d) longest

1. (a) creating (b) search (c) making (d) origin

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 6 of 54

1. (a) immigration (b) emigration (c) displacement (d) transportation

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 7 of 54

1. (a) bloom (b) blossoming (c) opening (d) decorating

1. (a) unveil (b) throw (c) launching (d) Unleashes

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 8 of 54

1. (a) changed (b) altered (c) amended (d) invoked

1. (a) reducing (b) eliminate (c) deletion (d) cut

1. (a) sheltering (b) asylum (c) access (d) entry

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 9 of 54

1. (a) society (b) societal (c) community (d) groups

1. (a) draughts (b) drought (c) droughts (d) deluge

1. (a) these (b) he (c) they (d) you

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 10 of 54

1. (a) evocations (b) explanations (c) mention (d) revision

1. (a) economy (b) financial (c) monetary (d) banking

1. (a) force (b) plan (c) nudge (d) calling

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 11 of 54

Cloze Test Answers for Feb & Mar 2017

Level Mixed (easy to difficult) in all the exercises.

1. DBCBA 2. ABBBB 3. BCCBC 4. ABDBB 5. BBBDB 6. BCAAB 7. ABBDC

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 12 of 54

The Vodafone Groups decision to ___(1)____ its

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 13 of 54

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 14 of 54

4. (a) relevance (b) distance

5. (a) constitute (b) constraint

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 15 of 54

Test 14 5. (a) creativity (b) activity

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 16 of 54

1. (a) malaise (b) good

2. (a) follow (b) back

3. (a) any (b) many

4. (a) want (b) needs

5. (a) task (b) opportunity

South African President Jacob Zuma may not

1. (a) shuffle (b) scheme

2. (a) what (b) which

3. (a) the (b) illing

4. (a) with (b) support

5. (a) show (b) go

9982019963 Gopal pura, Jaipur Page 17 of 54

Cloze Test (11

Our ___(1)___ young population is clearly

April 30 April) struggling for jobs, ____(2)____ being in the

The Vodafone Groups decision to _(1)__ its

Our _(1)_ young population is clearly

April 30 April) struggling for jobs, (2) being in the

The Challenger space shuttle (1) in