Questions

In the context of elections in India, which one of the following is the correct full form of VVPAT?

'Gallon' is commonly used

Which one of the following Amendments to the Constitution of India has prescribed that the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15 percent of total number of members of the House of the People or Legislative Assembly in the States?

Under which article, President of India can proclaim constitutional emergency?

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.

The conclusion of World Trade Organization’s 11th biennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss as status quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators to reach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTO’s efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of trade through consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in India’s best interest.

Perhaps the biggest threat to WTO’s efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The world’s largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and has begun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half of all cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of trade obstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock at WTO.

India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers to beneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But it’s important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, India’s plan to organise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of a diverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it.

Which of the following is the most successful segments of the WTO mentioned in the passage?

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/phrase.

Have a blast

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

The human eye is a complex part of the body that is used for seeing. Eyes enable people to perform daily tasks and to learn about the world that surrounds them. Sight, or vision, is a rapidly occurring process that involves continuous interaction between the eye, the nervous system, and the brain. When someone looks at an object, what he really sees is the light reflected from the object. This reflected light passes through the lens and falls on the retina of the eye. Here the light induces nerve impulses that travel through the optic nerve to the brain and then over other nerves to muscles and glands.

The eye is similar to a television camera. Both the eye and the television camera convert light energy to electrical energy. The eye converts light to nerve impulses that are interpreted by the brain as the sense perception called sight. A television camera converts light to electronic signals that are broadcast and transformed into light images in a television receiver. It is wonderful that human eyes blink an average of once every six seconds. This washes the eye with the salty secretion from the tear or lachrymal glands. Each tear gland is about the size and shape of an almond. These glands are situated behind the upper eyelid at the outer corner of the eye. After passing over the eye, the liquid from the gland is drained into the nose through the tear duct at the inner corner of the eye.

Lachrymal glands or tear glands are situated

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the word opposite in meaning to the word given.

Supple