Read the given passage and answer the questions.

'Jatra' is a musical folk theatre art form, popular in Bengali speaking areas of the Indian sub-continent including Bangladesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Bihar. The word 'jatra' means journey. While the original themes of 'jatra' were largely religious, by the end of the ${19}^{\text{th }}$ century, it began to include moral and later, even secular themes. The survival of this folk art form has been credited to its adaptability to changing social contexts.

The passage attributes the continued popularity of "jatra' to.

Hundreds of Shanty towns line the river banks, train tracks, and garbage dumps in the Filipino capital. Around a quarter of its $12$ million are considered 'informal settlers'. Manila is starkly representative of a global problem. Acoording to the United Nations, about a quarter of the World's urban population lives in slums. Slum tourism takes outsiders through their most impoverished marginalized districts. Slum tourism sparks considerable debate around an uncomfortable moral dilemma. Many consider the practice little more than slack-jawed privileged people gawking at those less fortunate. Others argue they raise awareness and provide numerous examples of giving back to the local communities.

Which of the following best justify 'Slum Tourism' in the above paragraph?

Read the given passage and answer the questions.

'Jatra' is a musical folk theatre art form, popular in Bengali speaking areas of the Indian sub-continent including Bangladesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Bihar. The word 'jatra' means journey. While the original themes of 'jatra' were largely religious, by the end of the ${19}^{\text{th }}$ century, it began to include moral and later, even secular themes. The survival of this folk art form has been credited to its adaptability to changing social contexts.

Which of the following is indicated in the given paragraph ?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.

Organised retail has fuelled recent growth categories like liquid hand wash, breakfast cereals and pet foods in the consumer goods industry, accounting for almost 50% of their sales, said data from market search firm Nielsen. The figure showed some of these new categories got over 40% of their business from modern retail outlets. The data also suggests how products in these categories reach the neighbourhood kirana stores after they have established themselves in modern trade. 

While grocers continue to be an important channel, for the new and growing categories we saw an increased presence of high-end products in modern trade. For example, premium products in laundry detergents, dishwashing, car air fresheners and surface care increased in availability through this format as these products are aimed at affluent consumers who are more likely to shop in supermarket/hypermarket outlets and who are willing to pay more for specialised products.

Some other categories that have grown exceptionally and now account for bulk of the sales from modern retail are frozen and ready-to-eat foods, pet food, diapers, pre- and post-wash products, hair conditioners, and high-end shaving products, besides others. "With the evolution of modern trade, our growth in this channel has been healthy, as it is for several other categories. Modern retail is an important part of our business" said managing director, Kellogg India. 

What modern retail offers to companies experimenting with new categories is the chance to educate customers, which was not the case with a general trade store. "Category creation and market development starts with modern trade but as more consumers start consuming this category, they penetrate into other channels, " said president, food & FMCG category, Future Group-the country's largest retailer which operates stores like Big Bazaar.

But a point to note here is that modern retailers themselves push their own private brands in these very categories and can emerge as an enormous threat for the consumers' goods and foods companies. For instance, Big Bazaar's private label Clean Mate is hugely popular and sells more than a brand like Harpic in its own stores. So, there is a certain amount of conflict and competition that will play out over the next few years which the FMCG companies will have to watch out for", said, KPMG's executive director (retail). 

In the past there have been instances of retailers boycotting products from big FMCG players on the issue of margins; but as modern retail becomes increasingly significant for pushing new categories, experts say we could see more partnerships being forged between retailers and FMCG companies. "Market development for new categories takes time so brand wars for leadership and consumer franchise will be fought on the modern retail platform. A new brand can overnight compete with established companies by tying up with few retailers in these categories," President of Future Group added.

Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold, as used in the passage.

Established

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of scepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards), SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the "securitisation" of the Rs. 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs. 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, which must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognized as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatization and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since the government will not distance itself from managing them, privatizing is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions were the means to bring about reforms to improve the financial viability of the power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on the purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognized electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

Why are the Central undertakings not capable of generating power at a low cost?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

Why have U.S. officials not paid attention to the food crisis?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Organized retail has fuelled new growth categories like liquid hand wash, breakfast cereals and pet foods in the consumer goods industry, accounting for almost 50% of their sales, said data from market search firm Nielsen. The figure showed some of these new categories got more than 40% of their business from modern retail outlets. The data also suggests how products in these categories reach the neighbourhood kirana stores after they have established themselves in the modern trade. 

While grocers continue to be an important channel, for the new and evolving categories we saw an increased presence of high-end products in the modern trade. For example, premium products in laundry detergents, dishwashing, car air fresheners and surface care increased in availability through this format as these products are aimed at affluent consumers who are more likely to shop in supermarket/hypermarket outlets and who are willing to pay more for specialized products.

Some other categories that have grown exceptionally and now account for the bulk sales from modern retail are frozen and ready-to-eat foods, pet food, diapers, pre-and post-wash products, hair conditioners, and high-end shaving products, besides others. “With the evolution of modern trade, our growth in this channel has been healthy as it is for several other categories. Modern retail is an important part of our business,” said the managing director of Kellogg's India. 

What modern retail offers to companies experimenting with new categories is the chance to educate customers which was not the case with a general trade store. “Category creation and market development starts with modern trade but as more consumers start consuming this category, they penetrate into other channels,” said president, food & FMCG category, Future Group-the country's largest retailer which operates stores like Big Bazaar.

But a point to note here is that modern retailers themselves push their own private brands in these very categories and can emerge as a big threat for the consumers' goods and foods companies. For instance, Big Bazaar's private label Clean Mate is hugely popular and sells more than a brand like Harpic in its own stores. So, there is a certain amount of conflict and competition that will play out over the next few years which the FMCG companies will have to watch out for said KPMG's executive director (retail). 

In the past there have been instances of retailers boycotting products from big FMCG players on the issue of margins; but as modern retail becomes increasingly significant for pushing new categories, experts say we could see more partnerships being forged between retailers and FMCG companies. “Market development for new categories takes time so brand wars for leadership and consumer franchise will be fought on the modern retail platform. A new brand can overnight compete with established companies by tying up with few retailers in these categories,” President of Future Group added.

Which of the following is being referred to as new growth category?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in the bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

With markets nearing saturation and brand promiscuity increasing, managing a brand identity in today's chaotic conditions had become a Herculean task. A brand identity imparts a human element to a brand. It is the marketer's perspective of how to project a brand publicly. It defines the brand truth. This can be a name, theme, location, personality or jingle, among other things. It has to bring human qualities to the brand.

If we think branding tells a story to customers, then core identity is its moral. It forms the brand's unique selling proposition (USP). It is an idea that differentiates a brand from others. The basic premise hinges on a few Questions. They are: What is the one thing you do best?, What is your major strength? As branding is a dynamic exercise, core identity can't be static. As has become apparent over the years, it is advisable not to violate your differentiating idea. Only a few cosmetic changes can be done over time. Ultimately, it is the core identity which helps achieve maximum brand equity. Yet in all this, honesty to the brand assumes paramount importance.

Supporting core identity is the concept of extended identity. It generates credibility, a sense of reality, and infuses a thrill in the marketplace. Extended identity refreshes and brings vitality to core identity. It is, in fact, the successful outcome of core identity.

Now comes the most vulnerable issue in branding brand image. This is the public perception of a brand. This is the customers' response to brand identity. Any experience with the brand can change the public perception, affecting brand image either favourably or unfavourably. There is no constant here. It is the ultimate experience with a brand that sets the tenor of a brand image. Naturally it cannot be overly associated with persons, celebrity or others. The panacea is to give clarity, not face, to your brand identity.

Every brand has its culture. A brand plays the role of an ambassador of its culture. Culture can be a powerful differentiating idea if nurtured properly. It is the brand's flag. Respect it. Explore brand culture to win customer mind share.

A brand is a relationship. Like any other, it has to be a two-way interaction. It has two facets relationship with customers (emotional link) and relationship with other brands (strategic link) within the entire brand system.

A brand is a reflection. By reflection, we mean the type of user that the brand appears to aspire for. It is the brand's image building exercise that clings on in the minds of people. Brand communication should show the sort of person who the user would like to be, or aspires to be.

A brand plays the role of a mirror. The brands we buy represent our view of ourselves. A Mercedes owner can state boldly that, "Look, I'm a successful person, I have achieved what I aspired for, and my brand helps me to differentiate myself from others". A diehard Pepsi believer can express his attitude towards the brand by saying, 'Hey guys, I belong to the Generation Next community'. To sum up, the rewards of having a strong brand identity are clear. To make a brand click, brand managers must: Pay more attention to developing a detailed identity for the brand. Ensure that it is coherent across all facets. Communicate the identity in a holistic manner.

Which of the following can be said about brand personality?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

What does the phrase 'new face of hunger' imply in the context of the passage?
(A) In some countries a large section of the middle class cannot afford food.
(B) Aid organisations themselves cannot afford local food prices in some countries and require increased aid.
(C) The number of people below the poverty line has drastically grown.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

Why has the area being utilised for biofuel cultivation increased?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

What have experts predicted about the current food crisis?
(A) They believe it will pose a severe security risk which they fear governments will not be able to handle.
(B) China and India will reduce their food exports drastically to feed their own population.
(C) It is unlikely that food prices will be reduced in the near future.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of scepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards), SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the "securitisation" of the Rs. 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs. 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, which must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognized as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatization and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since the government will not distance itself from managing them, privatizing is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions were the means to bring about reforms to improve the financial viability of the power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on the purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognized electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

Which of the following is/are considered necessary for improving performance of electricity enterprises?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

Which of the following cannot be considered as a cause of rising food grain prices?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of scepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards), SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the "securitisation" of the Rs. 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs. 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, which must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognized as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatization and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since the government will not distance itself from managing them, privatizing is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions were the means to bring about reforms to improve the financial viability of the power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on the purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognized electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

The example of "Delhi Model" quoted by the author underlines his feelings of

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food - especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

Which of the following is/are not impact/impacts of high food prices?
(A) Riots and destruction of property in many parts of the world.
(B) IFPRI has been boycotted by several governments.
(C) Officials have become rich by capitalising on high prices.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

How can small farmers benefit from high food prices?
(A) If their governments increase the subsidies offered on their agricultural produce.
(B) If rich countries participate in trade talks to set fixed export duties.
(C) If all governments agree to subsidise oil prices.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of scepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards), SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the "securitisation" of the Rs. 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs. 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, which must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognized as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatization and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since the government will not distance itself from managing them, privatizing is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions were the means to bring about reforms to improve the financial viability of the power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on the purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognized electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

Which of the following is the reason for the apathy of private investors in the power sector?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of scepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards), SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the "securitisation" of the Rs. 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs. 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, which must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognized as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatization and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since the government will not distance itself from managing them, privatizing is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions were the means to bring about reforms to improve the financial viability of the power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on the purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognized electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

What was the serious omission on the part of the State Government?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food - especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rises. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials -who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

What is the author's main objective in writing the passage?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it. 

Rocketing food prices have sparked riots in numerous countries recently. Millions are reeling from the price rise and governments are scrambling to halt a fast-moving crisis before it spins out of control. From Mexico to Pakistan, Senegal and Mauritania, protests have turned violent. In many poor countries, the protests have been fuelled by pent-up anger against authoritarian or corrupt officials, some of whom have earned fortunes from oil and minerals while locals are struggling to buy food. Protesters burnt hundreds of food-ration stores accusing the owners of selling government-subsidized food on the lucrative black market. This is a serious security issue," says Joachim von Braun, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington. He has been bombarded by calls from officials around the world, all asking one question: How long will the crisis last?

The forecast is grim. Governments might quell the protests, but bringing down food prices could take at least a decade, food analysts say. One reason: billions of people are buying ever-greater quantities of food- especially in booming China and India, where many have stopped growing their own food and now have the cash to buy a lot more of it. Increasing meat consumption, for example, has helped to drive up demand for grain, and with it the price. There are other problems too. The spike in oil prices, (an unbelievable $109 per barrel), has pushed up fertilizer prices, as well as the cost of trucking food from farms to local markets and shipping it abroad. In China, where food prices have soared 23% in a year, officials have frozen the price of fertilizer and boosted farm subsidies, in an effort to lower pork and wheat prices and avert possible protests. But the problems do not end there. Harvests have been seriously disrupted by freak weather, including prolonged droughts in Australia and Southern Africa, floods in West Africa, deep frost in China and record-breaking warmth in Northern Europe. The push to produce biofuels, as an alternative to hydrocarbons is further straining food supplies, especially in the U.S., where generous subsidies for ethanol have lured thousands of farmers away from growing crops for food and increasing the area used for biofuel cultivation. As always in a crisis, there are winners. The creeping fear that the world might actually run short of food has led speculators to pour billions into commodities further accelerating price rise. For the world's poorest people, the price spikes are disastrous. Aid officials say that millions who previously eked out enough to feed their families can no longer afford the food in their local stores, and are seeking help from relief organisations. We are seeing a new face of hunger," says the Executive Director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, People who were not in the urgent category are now moving into that category." Despite the widespread demonstrations, the food crisis has been largely ignored by North American and European officials- who pay for much of the world's food aid because no one is starving in rich countries." Several African countries have begun planting high-protein, pest-resistant rice crops, and aid organisations are beginning to recruit locals for new job programmes to help people pay their food bills. In the poorest parts of Asia and Africa, officials hope that sky-high food prices might lift out of poverty small farmers who have barely scraped by on low crop prices -a hope that would get a big boost if the rich world agreed to cut agricultural subsidies in the current round of trade talks.

Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

GRIM