Directions (Q. 01 – 15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in COLORED to help you locate them while answering some of the questions
Though the U.S. prides itself on being a leader in the world community, a recent report shows that it lags far behind other industrialised countries in meeting the needs of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate, a higher proportion of low birth weight babies, a smaller proportion of babies immunised against childhood diseases and a much higher rate of adolescent pregnancies. These findings, described as a “quiet crisis” requiring immediate and far-reaching action appeared in a report prepared by a task force of educators, doctors, politicians and business people. According to the report, a fourth of the nation’s million infants and toddlers live in poverty. As many as half confront risk factors that could harm their ability to develop intellectually, physically and socially. Child immunisations are too low, more children are born into poverty, more in substandard care while their parents work and more are being raised by single parents. Taken together, these and other risk factors may lead to educational and health problems that are much harder and costlier to reverse. The crisis begins in the womb with unplanned parenthood. Women with unplanned pregnancies are less likely to seek pre-natal care. In the U.S., 80% of teenage pregnancies and 56% of all pregnancies are unplanned. The problems continue after birth where unplanned pregnancies and unstable e partnerships often go hand in hand. Since 1950, the number of single parent families has nearly tripled. More than 25 per cent of all births today are to unmarried mothers. As the number of single parent families grows and more women enter the work force, more and more infants and toddlers are increasingly being put in the care of people other than their parents. Most disturbingly, recent statistics show that American parents are increasingly neglecting or abusing their children. In only four years from 1987-1991, the number of children in foster care increased by over 50 per cent. Babies under the age of one are the fastest growing category of children entering foster care. This crisis affects children under the age of three most severely the report says. Yet, it is the period from infancy through pre-school years that sets the stage for a child’s future.
1. The main focus of the passage is on the plight of
1) Orphaned children
2) Teenage mothers
3) Unplanned babies
4) Unwed mothers
5) None of these
2. Children falling in which age group are most severely affected by the ‘quiet crisis’?
1) Below 1 year
2) Below 3 years
3) Below 2 years
4) Between 2 and 3 years
5) None of these
3. Which of the following does not constitute the ‘quite crisis’ in the U.S. as per the task force report?
1) Lower proportion of new born babies with normal weight.
2) Higher incidence of adolescent girls becoming mothers.
3) Lower rate of babies surviving childhood diseases.
4) Larger proportion of babies who are deprived of immunization
5) Increasing cases of teenage couples getting divorced.
4. Which of the following statements is not true in the context of the passage?
1) The number of single-parent families today is approximately three times than four decades ago.
2) The number of children in the U.S. entering foster care has decreased after 1991.
3) In the U.S.; the number of infants living in poverty is about 3 million.
4) Only 20 per cent of teenage pregnancies in the U.S. are planned.
5) About 6 million infants in the U.S. are likely to develop educational and health problems.
5. The number of children born to married mothers in the U.S. is approximately how many times the number of children born to unwed mothers?
1) 1.5 times
2) 2 times
3) 3 times
4) 4.5 times
5) Not mentioned in the passage
6. Children born out of the unplanned pregnancies are highly vulnerable because
1) They are raised by single parents
2) Their parents, are mostly poor
3) They are mostly malnourished
4) They are less likely to receive pre-natal care
5) Their parents are emotionally immature
7. Decide which of the following factors is / are responsible for the physical, intellectual and social under-development of infants in the U.S?
A) Illiteracy of parents.
B) Lack of parental care
C) Poverty
1) Only A
2) Only B
3) Only C
4) Both A and C
5) Both B and C
8. An increasing number of infants in the U.S. are in foster care on account of
1) An increasing number of single parent families with the female member working.
2) An increasing number of women maintaining the status of unwed motherhood and becoming economically independent.
3) An increasing number of employed couples who are required to stay apart.
4) An increasing number of women getting divorced and abandoning their babies.
5) An increasing number of parents who lack awareness about baby-care
9. The task force report seems to be based on the data pertaining to the period
1) 1978-91
2) 1950 onwards till date
3) 1987 onwards till date
4) 1950-91
5) 1991 onwards till date
Directions (Q. 10 – 12): Choose the word which is most nearly the same in meaning to the given word as used in the passage:
10. CONFRONT
1) Face 2) Tolerate 3) Succumb 4) Eliminate 5) Oppose
11. VULNERABLE
1) Insecure 2) Indispensable 3) Risky 4) Promising 5) Challenging
12. ABUSING
1) Cursing 2) Beating 3) Ill-treating 4) Accusing 5) Oppressing
Directions (Q. 13 – 15): Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the given word as used in the passage:
13. SEVERERLY
1) Drastically
2) Intensely
3) Minutely
4) Normally
5) Slightly
14. UNSTABLE
1) Changing
2) Steady
3) Stagnant
4) Confined
5) Accelerating
15. SUBSTANDARD
1) Impoverished
2) Compassionate
3) Excellent
4) Valuable
5) Beneficial
Directions (Q. 16-20): Rearrange the following six sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below:
A) And, to a great extent, the relevant factors can develop personality of an individual person at any point of time.
B) Therefore, it’s totally up to you how you develop pleasant personality in your own way and in your own style.
C) Age is no bar as a hurdle and can be applicable to either sex.
D) A pleasant personality is mainly and commonly a combination and sum of many vitally important factors.
E) In a simple way, we can say that pleasant personality has a good impact to go ahead in all walks of life with a set of principles and goals.
F) Moreover a pleasant personality can win the heart and capture the mind of everybody.
16. Which of the following sentences will come FIRST after rearrangement?
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
17. Which of the following sentences will come SECOND after rearrangement?
1) E
2) F
3) B
4) A
5) C
18. Which of the following sentences will come THIRD after rearrangement?
1) D
2) B
3) C
4) E
5) A
19. Which of the following sentences will come FOURTH after rearrangement?
1) A
2) B
3) C
4) D
5) E
20. Which of the following sentences will come LAST (SIXTH) after rearrangement?
1) B
2) F
3) A
4) C
5) D
Directions (Q. 21-30): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out, each of which is indicated by a number. Find the suitable word from the options given against each number and fill up the blanks with appropriate words to make the paragraph meaningful..
The Punjab and Haryana High Court said that the period spent (21) bars by a prisoner as an under trial will not be considered while (22) remission. At present, if an accused is held (23) and awarded sentence, the period spent by him in jail prior to his sentence is also counted at the time of giving (24). However, the period will be still “set off against the total period of sentence,” a division bench headed by Justice Surya Kant held. The Court also reiterated the jail (25) to make it clear that “remission shall not exceed one-fourth part of one’s sentence”. While an Inspector General of Prisons is (26) to grant remission, this could not be more than one-third of the total sentence. The directions were (27) on a petition (28) by a rape convict serving time in a Haryana jail, Dharam Pal Singh. He had (29) jail authorities should count and (30) remission on the period that he had already spent in prison as an under trail.
21. 1) in 2) behind 3) before 4) in front of 5) inside
22. 1) demanding 2) asking 3) granting 4) sanctioning 5) following
23. 1) guilty 2) defensive 3) offensive 4) victim 5) casualty
24. 1) excuse 2) award 3) pardon 4) prize 5) permission
25. 1) law 2) formalities 3) act 4) manual 5) book
26. 1) powerful 2) envisaged 3) punctual 4) empowered 5) ready
27. 1) caused 2) passed 3) created 4) decided 5) shown
28. 1) registered 2) lodged 3) submitted 4) deposited 5) filed
29. 1) told 2) regretted 3) allowed 4) sought 5) sanctioned
30. 1) award 2) permit 3) give 4) take 5) cause
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