READING COMPREHENSION

Year Reading Comprehension

2024 27

2023 27

2022 27

2021 27

2020 25

2019 30

2018 26

2017 30
Sample RC

Deforestation continues at an alarming rate in many tropical countries. Environmental scientists argue that
the long-term ecological damage - including loss of biodiversity, disruption of rainfall patterns, and
increased carbon emissions - outweighs the short-term economic benefits. However, supporters of economic
development claim that clearing forests is necessary to create space for agriculture, mining, and
infrastructure. Thus, any development strategy must balance economic goals with strict environmental
safeguards to ensure sustainable progress.
Assumption Based Question

In some places in the world, the productivity of

staples such as rice and wheat has reached a plateau.
Neither new strains nor fancy agrochemicals are
raising the yields. Nor is there much unfarmed
land left that is suitable to be brought under the
plough. If global temperature continues to rise,
some places will become unsuitable for farming.
Application of technology can help overcome these
problems. Agricultural technology is changing fast.
Much of this change is brought about by a?luent
farmers in the West/Americas. Techniques
developed in the West are being adapted in some
places to make tropical crops more productive.
Technology is of little use if it is not adapted. In
the developing world, that applies as much to
existing farming techniques as it does to the latest
advances in genetic modification. Extending to the
smallholders and subsistence farmers of Africa
and Asia the best of today’s agricultural practices,
in such simple matters as how much fertilizers to
apply and when, would lead to a greatly increased
availability of food for humanity. So would things
like better roads and storage facilities, to allow for
the carriage of surpluses to markets and reduce
wastage.

Q. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Development of agricultural technology is confined to developed countries,
2. Agricultural technology is not adapted in developing countries.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :
1. Poor countries need to bring about change in their existing farming techniques.
2. Developed countries have better infrastructure and they waste less food.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q. Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Growing enough food for future generations will be a challenge.
2. Corporate farming is a viable option for food security in poor countries.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
With respect to what are called
denominations of religion, if everyone is left to be
a judge of his own religion, there is no such things
as religion that is wrong; but if they are to be a
judge of each other’s religion, there is no such
thing as a religion that is right, and therefore all
the world is right or all the world is wrong in the
matter of religion.

Q. What is the most logical assumption that can be made from the passage given above?
(a) No man can live without adhering to some religious denomination.
(b) It is the duty of everyone to propagate one’s religious denomination.
(c) Religious denominations tend to ignore the unity of man.
(d) Men do not understand their own religious denomination.
Inference Based Question

The demographic dividend, which has begun in

India and is expected to last another few decades, is
a great window of opportunity. The demographic
dividend is basically a swelling in the working
age population, which conversely means that the
relative ratio of very young and very old will, for
a while, be on the decline. From the experience
of Ireland and China, we know that this can be
a source of energy and an engine of economic
growth. The demographic dividend tends to raise
a nation’s savings rate since in any nation, it is the
working age population that is the main saver.
And since the savings rate is an important driver
of growth, this should help elevate our growth
rate. However, the benefits of demographic
dividend depend on the quality of the working
age population. And this implies bringing back the
importance of education, acquisition of skills and
human capital.

Q With reference to the passage, which of the following inferences can be drawn?

1. Demographic dividend is an essential condition for a country to rapidly increase its economic
growth rate.
2. Promotion of higher education is an essential condition for a country for its rapid economic growth.

Select the correct answer using the code

given below.
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Computers increasingly deal not just with
abstract data like credit card details and databases,
but also, with the real world of physical objects
and vulnerable human bodies. A modern car is a
computer on wheels; an aeroplane is a computer
on wings. The arrival of the “Internet of Things”
will see computers baked into everything from road
signs and MRI scanners to prosthetics and insulin
pumps. There is little evidence that these gadgets
will be any more trustworthy than their desktop
counterparts. Hackers have already proved that
they can take remote control of internet connected
cars and pacemakers.

Q Which one of the following statements best reflects the most critical inference that can be made
from the passage given above?
(a) Computers are not completely safe.
(b) Companies producing the software do not take cyber security seriously.
(c) Stringent data security laws are needed.
(d The present trend of communication technologies will a?ect our lives in future
Crux/Summary/Main Theme/Central Idea

Aristocratic government ruins itself by limiting

too narrowly the circle within which power is
confined; oligarchic government ruins itself by
the incautious scramble for immediate wealth.
But even democracy ruins itself by excess of
democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right
of all to hold o?ice and determine public policy.
This is, at first glance, a delightful arrangement;
it becomes disastrous because the people are not
properly equipped by education to select the best
rulers and the wisest courses. The people have no
understanding and only repeat what their rulers are
pleased to tell them. Such a democracy tyranny or
autocracy. - Plato

Q. Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage given above?
(a) Human societies experiment with di?erent forms of governments
(b) Any form of government tends to deteriorate by excess of its basic principle.
(c) Education of all citizens ensures a perfect, functional and sustainable democracy.
(d) Having a government is a necessary evil because tyranny is inherent in any form of government.
“In simple matters like shoe-making, we
think only a specially trained person will serve
our purpose, but in politics, we presume that
everyone who knows how to get votes knows how
to administer a State. When we are ill, we call for
a trained physician, whose degree is a guarantee
of specific preparation and technical competence
we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or
the most eloquent one: well then, when the whole
State is ill should we not look for the service and
guidance of the wisest and the best ?”

Q. Which one of the following statements best reflects the message of the author of the passage?
(a) We assume that in a democracy, any politician is qualified to administer a State.
(b)Politicians should be selected from those trained in administration.
(c)We need to devise a method of barring incompetence from public o?ice.
(d)As voters select their administrators, the eligibility of politicians to administer a State cannot be
questioned.
Implication Based Question

In a democratic State, where a high degree

of political maturity of the people obtains, the
conflict between the will of the sovereign law-
making body and the organized will of the people
seldom occurs.

Q. What does the above passage imply?

(a) In a democracy, force is the main
phenomenon in the actual exercise of
sovereignty.
(b) In a mature democracy, force to
great extent is the main phenomenon
in the actual exercise of sovereignty.
(c) In a mature democracy, use of force
is irrelevant in the actual exercise of
sovereignty.
(d) In a mature democracy, force
is narrowed down to marginal
phenomenon in the actual exercise
of sovereignty
What climate change will undeniably do is
cause or amplifies events that hasten the reduction
of resources. Competition over these diminishing
resources would ensue in the form of political or
even violent conflict. Resource-based conflicts
have rarely been overt and are thus di?icult to
isolate. Instead they take on veneers that appear
mare politically palatable. Conflicts over resources
like water are often cloaked in the guise of identity

Q. What does the above passage imply?

(a) Resource-based always conflicts are politically motivated.
(b) There are no political solutions to resolve environmental and resource- based conflicts.
(c) Environmental issues contribute to resource stresses and political conflict.
(d) Political conflict based on identity or ideology cannot be resolved.
Corollary Based Questions

In India, the objective of macroeconomics

policy is to enhance the economic welfare of the
people, and any one wing of such macro policy,
monetary or fiscal, cannot independently work
without active support of another.

Q. Which one of the following statements best reflects the corollary to the passage given above?
(a) The central bank cannot work independently of the Government.
(b) Government should regulate financial markets and institutions closely.
(c) Market economy is not compatible with the socialist policies of the Government.
(d) Financial sector reforms are required for enhancing the economic welfare of the people.
With the digital phenomenon restructuring
most social sectors, it is little surprise that global
trade negotiations are now eyeing the digital area
in an attempt to pre-emptively colonies it. Big
Data is freely collected or mined from developing
countries, and converted into digital intelligence
in developed countries. This intelligence begins
to control di?erent sectors and extract monopoly
rents. A large foreign company providing cab
service, for instance, is not a network of cars and
drivers; it is digital intelligence about commuting,
public transport, roads, tra?ic, city events,
personal behavioural characteristics of commuters
and drivers and so on.

Q. Which one of the following is the most logical and rational corollary to the above Passage?
(a) Globalization is not in the interests of India as it Undermines its socio- economic structures.
(b) India should be careful to protect its digital sovereignty in global trade talks.
(c) India should charge monopoly rents from multinational companies in exchange for Big Data.
(d) The loss of Big Data from India is proportional to the degree/value of its foreign trade.