Directions (1-10): Each of the following questions has a paragraph from which one sentence/phrase has been omitted. From the given options, choose the one that completes the paragraph in the most appropriate way.
Q1. Russia’s Foreign Ministry attributed its decision to ban UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson from entering the country to the “___________________________________________________________, expressed, in particular, in the imposition of sanctions against the top officials of the Russian Federation.”
(a) British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation around Ukraine
(b) unprecedented hostile actions of the British government
(c) remained “resolute” in its support for Ukraine despite the move
(d) supplying weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Ukraine
(e) None of these.
Q2. With Sri Lanka on the brink of bankruptcy and _________________________________________ and $25 billion in foreign debt, the CSE will remain temporarily closed for a week from April 18.
(a) saddled with dwindling foreign reserves
(b) state of emergency came into effect on April 1
(c) declaration follows violent protests Thursday night
(d) declined to comment on the number of protesters who were hurt
(e) None of these.
Q3. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that 40 lakh Indians died during the coronavirus pandemic due to the government’s “negligence” and once again demanded that families of those who died ______________________________________.
(a) stall the WHO’s efforts to make global Covid death count public
(b) questioned the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) methodology to estimate COVID-19 mortalities
(c) estimate the death figures for such a vast nation
(d) be given ₹ four lakh compensation each
(e) None of these.
Q4. A court __________________________________________________ and it should be left to the institutions to determine whether a candidate possesses requisite qualification or not, the Supreme Court has said.
(a) possesses the requisite qualification should better be left to the educational institutions,
(b) cannot act as an expert in the field of education
(c) trained teachers in the high school of Jharkhand for different subjects under different categories
(d) dismissing a batch of appeals challenging the order of the Jharkhand High Court
(e) None of these.
Q5. US President Joe Biden on Monday told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that importing more Russian oil was not in New Delhi’s interest, even as he asserted that Washington would continue “close consultations” with India to ____________________________________________________________________________.
(a) manage the “destabilizing effect” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
(b) increase its purchase of Russian crude to reduce the spiraling fuel import bill.
(c) its “established” economic relationship with Russia.
(d) for not taking a “one-sided view” on the Ukraine war during his visit.
(e) None of these.
Q6. A tendency to cut corners, electrical problems and using combustible materials make ______________________________________________________, an investigation by Scroll has found.
(a) hospitals must have “fire lifts for the fire brigade to use
(b) heavy electrical load in some wards, such as the intensive care unit
(c) government hospitals especially prone to fire hazards
(d) use of combustible materials such as plaster of Paris on walls or false ceilings
(e) None of these.
Q7. We’ve grown accustomed to____________________________________________, but the phrase “privatization of water” is one that many of us find particularly galling.
(a) capitalism’s insatiable drive to privatize everything
(b) climate change as a driving force behind the rising sea levels
(c) continuous supply of chemicals to test and treat wastewater
(d) climate vulnerable countries by ensuring commitments on adaptation
(e) None of these.
Q8. ________________________________________________________________ is now “unavoidable” if the world is to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to this week’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
(a) Sucking carbon pollution from the air
(b) Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage
(c) Direct air capture as a fancy machine
(d) Large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods
(e) None of these.
Q9. Built in the 1980s to ferry the Soviet space shuttle, Antonov An-225 Mriya, the plane, got ______________________________________________________________, achieving records of all kinds, before being destroyed at the end of February at its home base, Hostomel airfield near Kyiv.
(a) a second life after the Cold War as the world’s largest cargo transporter
(b) the Ukrainian company that owned the recently destroyed
(c) intense fighting between Ukrainians and invading Russian forces north of Kyiv
(d) NATO had warned the aircraft’s owners in January about Russia’s impending invasion
(e) None of these.
Q10. Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed Sunday that an ______________________________________________________________________in parts of the devastated southeastern city to surrender had been ignored.
(a) activity from Ukrainian forces in Mariupol
(b) attack in early hours of Sunday damaged infrastructure in the city of Brovary
(c) ultimatum for Ukrainian soldiers still resisting an unrelenting assault
(d) Ukraine as soon as this weekend or early next week
(e) None of these.
Solutions
S1. Ans. (b)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘unprecedented hostile actions of the British government’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘saddled with dwindling foreign reserves’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S3. Ans. (d)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘be given ₹ four lakh compensation each’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
S4. Ans. (b)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘cannot act as an expert in the field of education’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (b) is the most suitable answer choice.
S5. Ans. (a)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘manage the “destabilizing effect” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S6. Ans. (c)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘government hospitals especially prone to fire hazards’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.
S7. Ans. (a)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘capitalism’s insatiable drive to privatize everything’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S8. Ans. (d)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘Large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (d) is the most suitable answer choice.
S9. Ans. (a)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘a second life after the Cold War as the world’s largest cargo transporter’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (a) is the most suitable answer choice.
S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Among the given phrases, only ‘ultimatum for Ukrainian soldiers still resisting an unrelenting assault’ could fit in the given blank to make the statement grammatically correct and meaningful.
Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.