Passage 1
(1) One of the greatest advances in modern technology has been the invention of computers. They are widely used in industries and universities. There is hardly any sphere of human life where computers have not been pressed into the service of man. We are fast heading towards the day when the computer will be as much a part of man’s daily life as a telephone or a calculator is.
Uses of Computer
| Education field | Government offices |
| Business | Home |
| Hospital | Marketing |
| Banking | Students |
(2) Computers are capable of performing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousands of unrelated facts in order. These machines can be put to varied use. For instance, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic jams. This whole process, by which machines can be used to work for us, has been called ‘automation’. In the future, automation may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today. The advent of automation definitely has important social consequences.
(3) Some years ago, an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could think. There is no possibility that human beings will be controlled by machines. Though computers are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performance, they need detailed instructions from human beings to operate. They can never, as it were, lead independent lives or rule the world, by making decisions of their own.
(4) Sir Leon said that in the future such computers would be developed which would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged into a national network and be used like radios. For instance, people going on holiday could be informed about the weather conditions, a precursor of which is providing drivers with alternative routes when there are traffic jams.
Questions and Answers
(a). What is the greatest advancement in modern technology?
(a) The invention of computer
(b) The advent of automation
(c) The discovery of the wheel
(d) Providing drivers with alternative routes during traffic jams
Answer: (a) The invention of computer
Explanation: Paragraph 1 calls the invention of computers one of the greatest advances in modern technology.
(b). What is automation?
(a) The process by which autos are used for travelling.
(b) The process by which man can be used to work for machines.
(c) The process by which machines can be used to work for us.
(d) The process by which man can make machines.
Answer: (c) The process by which machines can be used to work for us.
Explanation: Paragraph 2 defines automation as the process by which machines can be used to work for us.
(c). What are computers capable of?
(a) To perform extremely complicated work in all branches of learning
(b) To give detailed instructions to human beings
(c) To make decisions of their own
(d) To control all the machines
Answer: (a) To perform extremely complicated work in all branches of learning
Explanation: Paragraph 2 says computers can perform extremely complicated work in all branches of learning.
(d). What did Sir Leon Bagrit point out about machines?
(a) That it was a mistake to believe that machines could think
(b) That it was a mistake to believe that machines could work
(c) That it was a mistake to believe that machines could solve complex mathematical problems
(d) That it was a mistake to believe that machines could control
Answer: (a) That it was a mistake to believe that machines could think
Explanation: Paragraph 3 says Sir Leon Bagrit pointed out it was a mistake to believe these machines could think.
(e). Computers can provide information on the best way to:
(a) prevent traffic jams
(b) enjoy more leisure
(c) make decisions of their own
(d) provide alternative routes
Answer: (a) prevent traffic jams
Explanation: Paragraph 2 says computers can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic jams.
Passage 2
India Appliances Market
1. The home appliance segment is one of the fastest-growing industries in the Indian market driven by both large and small appliances; in 2018, large appliances edged out small appliances. The sector has a vast untapped market for air conditioners, washing machines, and fridges. The air conditioner has a penetration of 4% in India as compared to the global average of 30%.
2. The emerging economy and changing lifestyles of Indian consumers have been leading to growth in the number of working people, nuclear families, single-person households, and working migrants. These developing households have an increasing need for accessibility and are looking for products that offer convenience and reduce the time and effort spent on everyday chores. The main growth drivers for this industry are increased affordability, focus on energy-efficient products, increasing digital penetration, and the rise in aspiration. India's smart TV market saw a sharp price drop and substantial investment flows by Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar leading to robust sales in urban and rural sectors.
3. India has seen significant changes in the regulatory and business environment. The upcoming national policy for electronics (NPE) may bring about significant policy changes for the industry. The burgeoning middle class in urban areas and aspirational demand from rural India, coupled with government reforms in the form of GST, are making the appliances industry look positively toward the next phase of exponential growth driven primarily by rising disposable incomes in Indian households and easy access to credit, which induces growing purchasing power.
4. Increasing the electrification of rural areas, along with the rising influence of social mass media and the popularity of online sales, is also likely to increase the demand. Two-thirds of the total revenue is generated from the urban inhabitants, and the rest is made from the rural inhabitants.
Questions and Answers
(a). Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraph 1.
We can say that the home appliance segment is one of the fastest-growing industries in the Indian market and is comparable with the growing number of sports enthusiasts or fans, and the large appliances edging out the small ones since 2018 can be compared to ______.
Answer: a competitive athlete who when driven to succeed would outrun his rivals.
Explanation: Paragraph 1 says large appliances 'edged out' small ones in 2018, like a competitor overtaking rivals.
(b). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets.
The air conditioner has a penetration of 4% in India as compared to the global average of 30%.
The inference that even today the common man in India is bothered by the unaffordability of an air conditioner because it is still considered a luxury item is a/an ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
Answer: opinion, subjective judgement
Explanation: Paragraph 1 gives only the penetration figures; the reason (unaffordability, luxury) is the reader's interpretation, not a stated fact.
(c). Justify the following, in about 40 words.
The Indian home appliances market is estimated to rise from 6.13 billion USD in 2019 to 7.35 billion USD in 2026.
Answer: The next phase of exponential growth in the home appliances market will be driven primarily by rising disposable incomes in Indian households and easy access to credit, which induces growing purchasing power for the common man.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 names rising disposable incomes and easy credit as the main drivers of the coming growth shown in the chart.
(d). Based on your understanding of the passage, list any 2 factors considered responsible for pushing the sales of home appliances in rural India.
Answer: (i) an increase in the electrification of rural areas
(ii) the rising influence of social mass media, advertising and online shopping
Explanation: Paragraph 4 lists rural electrification, social mass media and online sales as demand drivers.
(e). State any one inference that can be drawn from the following statement.
The appliances industry looks positively toward the next phase of exponential growth because of 'significant changes in the regulatory and business environment.'
Answer: The upcoming national policy for electronics (NPE) may bring about significant policy changes for the home appliances industry.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 links the regulatory changes to the upcoming NPE and GST reforms.
(f). Infer one benefit and one drawback of urban as well as rural Indians buying big home appliances and fuelling the growth of this sector. Answer in about 30-40 words.
Answer: The urban middle class has disposable incomes and easy access to credit, which induces growing purchasing power. The electrification of rural areas has fired the demand for appliances, unfortunately also pushing up the dependence on thermal power and thereby, fossil fuels.
Explanation: Paragraphs 3 and 4 describe urban purchasing power and rural electrification; more appliances also mean more power use.
(g). Which of the following is the main takeaway from the analysis of factors responsible for the consumption of home appliances in both urban and rural areas as mentioned in the passage?
(a) the lifestyles in urban and rural areas are changing
(b) online sales are greatly popular
(c) reforms in GST
(d) rise in the number of smartphone users even in the interiors
Answer: (a) the lifestyles in urban and rural areas are changing
Explanation: Paragraph 2 makes changing lifestyles the root cause of demand; the other options are only individual drivers.
Passage 3
1. That there's a gendered division of labour in India is something well known – and evident from looking around virtually every household, and to some extent, workplaces. But just how unequal it is was hard to quantify, until now.
2. Data shows women are overwhelmingly involved in work they do not get paid for. Some 84 per cent of women's working hours are spent on activities they do not get paid for, while for men, the reverse is true — 80 per cent of their work time is spent on activities they get paid for. Spending the majority of their time in employment does reduce the hours available for men to spend on unpaid domestic chores, but the problem goes beyond mere time availability.
3. Just 6.1 per cent men participate in cooking, even if only for a few minutes in a day, but 87 per cent men participate in leisure activities. In places where patriarchal norms around division of labour are rigid, they create gendered spaces within the household. In many such households, if a man walks into the kitchen, it is considered odd or wrong. It isn't paid work that is preventing them from sharing household work.
| Persons above 6 years (%) | Rural | Urban | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Share of unpaid activities in total working hours | 26.50 | 85.20 | 12.10 | 82.90 |
| Share of paid activities in total working hours | 73.50 | 14.80 | 87.90 | 17.10 |
| He Says, She Says (online survey, 5,000 respondents) |
|---|
| 83% of men and 82% of women agree that housework is not a woman's duty and chores should be shared. Let's hope the 17-18% holdouts on either side are with each other. |
| 69% of men say they now realise housework is tougher than they imagined; packing the kid's lunch is not child's play after all. 31% maintain it's not that hard: women on TV soaps are drying papad in chiffon saris and heels and still finding time to ruin someone. |
| 14% say they are working at home for the same reason they are WFH: because they have been told to. The 86% who are slogging at home voluntarily should be infecting the others! |
4. Among women aged 15-59, however, the vast majority participate in some cooking every day. Just 8 per cent men participate in house cleaning and just 3 per cent in washing clothes. This leaves women with little time to socialise – or even sleep. The average woman, aged 15-59, gets 13 minutes less sleep at night each day, but catches up by grabbing a nap at odd hours. Women in their working ages also get less time to socialise, eat and drink, and even bathe and get dressed.
Questions and Answers
(a). Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraphs 1 and 2.
We can say that in India the state of the gendered division of labour is particularly unfavourable to women than men and is comparable with bonded labour under the Zamindari system in the olden times because both are ______.
Answer: hard to quantify.
Explanation: Paragraph 1 says just how unequal the division of labour is 'was hard to quantify, until now'.
(b). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding of paragraph 3.
That only 6.1% men participate in cooking but 87% participate in leisure activities shows that men are reluctant to share household work because they are groomed to think it odd, is a ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
Answer: fact, objective detail
Explanation: Paragraph 3 supports the statement with measured percentages, so it rests on objective data.
(c). Justify the following statement from the passage in about 40 words.
Rigid gendered spaces within a household aid the interests of men and burden the women.
Answer: It isn't paid work that is preventing men from sharing household work; it is the bias ingrained in their upbringing that results in both men and women thinking that a man walking into the kitchen is wrong.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 says patriarchal norms make a man in the kitchen seem 'odd or wrong', so women bear the chores.
(d). Based on the passage, list any 2 examples to refute or support the given statement as referred to in Paragraph 2.
Spending the majority of their time in employment does reduce the hours available for men to spend on unpaid domestic chores, but the problem goes beyond mere time availability and ends up having an adverse effect on women.
Answer: Two examples to support or justify the statement are:
(i) it affects women's health adversely
(ii) it reinforces gender stereotypes
Explanation: Paragraphs 3 and 4 show women losing sleep and leisure time, and patriarchal norms keeping men out of the kitchen.
(e). State any one inference that can be drawn from the following.
List one major consequence of women in the age group of 15-59 getting cooped up at home day after day without a break.
Answer: Women hardly get any time to socialise or even sleep, thereby affecting their health.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 says women get 13 minutes less sleep and less time to socialise, eat and even bathe.
(f). Infer one benefit and one disadvantage of Work from Home (WFH) on both genders' perspective of household chores. Answer in about 30-40 words.
Answer: Whereas 83% of men and 82% of women agree that household chores are not just the domain of women and should be shared, there are still about 14% of men who help at home only because they have been told to. They do it involuntarily.
Explanation: The 'He Says, She Says' survey shows most people now favour sharing chores, though 14% help only when told.
(g). Which of the following is the main takeaway from the statement given below?
'31% men maintain that household chores are not hard and women on TV soaps are drying papads in chiffon sarees and heels and still finding time to ruin someone' shows ______.
1. deep-rooted prejudices of men
2. admiration for the abilities of women
3. the fashion sense of women
4. the ingrained patriarchal attitude of men
(a) 1 and 4
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 and 4
Answer: (a) 1 and 4
Explanation: The survey remark mocks housework as easy, which reflects prejudice and a patriarchal attitude rather than admiration.