Passage 1
1. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in 1925, in a Christmas story commissioned and published by the Evening News. Winnie-the-Pooh, the first collection of Pooh stories (1926), explained that Pooh was in fact Christopher Robin's Edward Bear, who had been renamed by the little boy after an American black bear at London Zoo called Winnie who got her name from the fact that her owner had come from Winnipeg, Canada.
2. The first time Pooh and all his friends appeared in colour was in 1932. Shepard had drawn Pooh with a shirt as early as the first book which was subsequently coloured red in later coloured editions. The BBC has included readings of Winnie-the-Pooh stories in its programmes since 1926 for children very soon after their first publication. Pooh made his US radio debut in 1932 when he was broadcast to 40,000 schools.
| The money made by Winnie-the-Pooh franchise | ||
|---|---|---|
| Franchise | Year of inception | Total revenue (est. USD) |
| Winnie the Pooh | 1924 | 73.7 billion |
| Pokemon | 1996 | 71 billion |
| Mickey Mouse & Friends | 1928 | 66.7 billion |
| Star Wars | 1977 | 65 billion |
3. One of the best-known characters in British children's literature, a 2011 poll saw 'Winnie the Pooh' voted onto the list of top 100 'icons of England.' Forbes business magazine ranked Pooh the most valuable fictional character in 2002, with merchandising products alone generating more than USD 5.9 billion that year. In 2005, Pooh generated USD 6 billion, a figure surpassed by only Mickey Mouse. In 2006, Pooh received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, marking the 80th birthday of Milne's creation. A street in Warsaw is named for him (Ulica Kubusia Puchatka) and another one in Budapest, Hungary.
4. Hanyu, a Japanese figure skater and Olympic champion, regards Pooh as his lucky charm and carries a doll during his competitions. Because of this, Hanyu's fans throw stuffed Winnie-the-Poohs onto the ice after his performance. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a spectator remarked that 'the ice turned yellow' because of all the Poohs thrown onto the ice.
Questions and Answers
(a). Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraphs 1 and 2.
We can say that Winnie-the-Pooh getting his name from a black bear Winnie, who in turn had got her name from the fact that her owner had come from Winnipeg, Canada, is comparable with Coffee Americano because ______.
Answer: it is named after America and their special way of making coffee.
Explanation: Paragraph 1 shows a name derived from a place, just as 'Americano' is derived from America.
(b). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding of paragraph 1.
The statement that Winnie-the-Pooh, the first collection of Pooh stories (1926), explained that Pooh was in fact Christopher Robin's Edward Bear, who had been renamed by the little boy after an American black bear at London Zoo, is a ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
Answer: fact, objective detail
Explanation: Paragraph 1 reports a verifiable detail from the book's history.
(c). Justify the following, in about 40 words.
Shepard (the illustrator of Winnie-the-Pooh) had drawn Pooh with a shirt as early as the first book, which was subsequently coloured red in later coloured editions.
Answer: Although Winnie and all his friends first appeared in colour in 1932, Pooh was illustrated with a shirt as far back as 1926 when the first collection of Pooh stories was published; later, the shirt was coloured red, which made him look distinct.
Explanation: Paragraph 2 says Pooh wore a shirt from the first book and it was coloured red when colour editions came.
(d). Based on the passage, which two irrefutable facts can be used to establish that Winnie-the-Pooh deserves to be voted onto the list of top 100 'icons of England'?
Answer: (i) Forbes ranked Pooh the most valuable fictional character in 2002, with merchandise alone generating more than USD 5.9 billion.
(ii) In 2006, Pooh received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 records the Forbes ranking and the Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
(e). State any one inference that can be drawn from this: After reading the passage, we can safely say that Pooh is also a talisman for some.
Answer: Hanyu, a Japanese figure skater and Olympic champion, regards Pooh as his lucky charm and carries a doll during his competitions.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 says Hanyu treats Pooh as his lucky charm.
(f). List any two examples to show that Winnie-the-Pooh has truly received immortal fame in the world.
Answer: 1. Ulica Kubusia Puchatka is a street in Warsaw named for him.
2. The same honour has been bestowed upon Pooh in Budapest, Hungary.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 mentions streets named after Pooh in Warsaw and Budapest.
(g). Which of the following is the main takeaway from the facts mentioned in the passage?
(a) Pooh received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on its 80th anniversary.
(b) Pooh merchandise generated USD 5.9 billion in 2002 and USD 6 billion in 2005.
(c) Pooh, a British icon, enjoys great popularity in the world even after 80 years.
(d) Since 1924, Pooh has generated revenue worth USD 73.7 billion.
Answer: (c) Pooh, a British icon, enjoys great popularity in the world even after 80 years.
Explanation: Every fact in the passage, from 1925 to 2018, points to Pooh's lasting worldwide popularity; the other options are single details.
Passage 2
1. Even though Antarctica is the world's most remote and desolate continent, the damaging effects of human activity have reached this distant and pristine place.
2. Antarctica is owned by no one. 43 nations are joined in an agreement which allows it to be used only for science and tourism. Ironically, these agreements may not withstand pressures to exploit the continent's mineral resources or prevent shipping accidents in the Southern Ocean leading to devastating oil spills. The U.K. is, therefore, trying to introduce a new 'Antarctic Code' for shipping.
3. Perhaps the most worrying threat to Antarctica's wildlife comes from the atmosphere. Air pollution has triggered the appearance of a vast hole in the ozone layer, which blocks out the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. The plankton in the sea, on which many fish depend, may also be killed off. This is a real cry for help.
4. Global warming could have an even more devastating effect. Average temperatures in Antarctica have risen by 2.5°C in the last 50 years, and the ice sheet is melting more rapidly than scientists anticipated. Large chunks of ice are now actually breaking off or 'calving' to create icebergs like those in the Arctic, disrupting penguins' breeding grounds in the process. The huge Larsen B Ice Shelf — a 200 metre thick sheet of floating ice as big as Jamaica — recently broke up, shocking scientists, who had not thought it would happen so soon. A 2018 study estimated that ice loss across the entire continent was 43 gigatonnes per year on average during the period from 1992 to 2002 but accelerated to an average of 220 gigatonnes per year during the five years from 2012 to 2017. The total contribution to sea level rise has been estimated as 8 mm to 14 mm.
Questions and Answers
(a). Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraph 1.
We can say that the situation of human activity having damaging effects on Antarctica, which is a distant and pristine place, is comparable with Mount Everest because hordes of mountaineers ______.
Answer: over the years have created tonnes of garbage and spoiled its beauty.
Explanation: Paragraph 1 says human activity has damaged even a remote, pristine place, as climbers have done to Everest.
(b). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding of paragraph 4.
The statement that the breeding grounds of the penguins are getting disrupted in Antarctica by calving icebergs is a ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
Answer: fact, objective detail
Explanation: Paragraph 4 reports the disruption of breeding grounds as an observed effect of calving.
(c). Justify the following, in about 40 words.
In the last thirty years, calving in Antarctica has turned the estimates of scientists upside down.
Answer: The scientists did not anticipate such rapid calving that has created icebergs like those in the Arctic. The huge Larsen B Ice Shelf, a 200-metre thick sheet of floating ice as big as Jamaica, recently broke up, shocking scientists, who had not thought it would happen so soon.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 says the ice is melting faster than anticipated and the Larsen B break-up shocked scientists.
(d). Based on the environmental changes, which two concerns are scientists worried about?
Answer: (i) Average temperatures in Antarctica have risen by 2.5°C in the last 50 years.
(ii) The ice sheet is melting more rapidly than scientists anticipated, contributing to rising sea levels.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 and the chart show rising temperatures and accelerating ice loss adding to sea level rise.
(e). Study the statement: 'Antarctica is co-owned by as many as forty-three countries, yet they have not been able to preserve it.'
State any one inference that can be drawn from this.
Answer: The co-ownership agreement which allows Antarctica to be used only for science and tourism has failed. The U.K. is, therefore, trying to introduce a new 'Antarctic Code' for shipping.
Explanation: Paragraph 2 says the agreement may not withstand exploitation pressures, so the U.K. is proposing a new code.
(f). Infer one benefit and one drawback of having Antarctica under co-ownership of 43 countries. Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: One benefit is that the co-ownership agreement allows Antarctica to be used only for science and tourism. The disadvantage is that despite the agreement, nations may not be able to avert the exploitation of mineral resources, shipping accidents, and oil spills.
Explanation: Paragraph 2 gives both the purpose of the agreement and its weakness.
(g). Which of the following is the main takeaway from the analysis of the climate changes happening in Antarctica as mentioned in the passage?
(a) Global Warming is a real threat to the world.
(b) The ozone layer becoming a sieve is a reality.
(c) Ice is melting and the sea-levels are rising.
(d) The sea plankton and penguins are suffering.
Answer: (a) Global Warming is a real threat to the world.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 calls global warming the most devastating threat; ozone damage, melting ice and suffering wildlife are its individual effects.
Passage 3
1. Your burger or pizza could be cooked anywhere by anyone — which is what makes the ghost kitchen concept so lucrative to both owners and investors.
2. The goal of these virtual restaurants (for the franchisor and the franchisee) is no different from any other business: to maximise profits and minimise overhead. Why operate one restaurant in your kitchen when you can operate many? The space, the equipment, and the cooks are there. Never mind if they suddenly have to execute all those extra menus. Does their pay increase? Will ghost kitchens add more staff to accommodate the increased volume? These questions are danced around.
3. An owner says, 'I want the franchisee to make money, so we need to optimise the cost to optimise the revenue. So if the franchisee needs a new chef or new equipment or more tools for prep, then for sure, they should invest to grow their revenue. But usually, my approach and the company's approach is to optimise the current needs and the current team. We are not here to invest in more space or in bigger teams.'
Visits declined across service modes, with on-premises declining at a faster rate.
4. A smartphone that stands between the diners and the cooks makes the workforce invisible (before anyone knew what a ghost kitchen was), and hides its exploitation in the form of low wages, long hours, and various forms of abuse. This was exacerbated during Covid, especially for non-whites. According to a study, Hispanic and Latino cooks and service workers in Massachusetts died of COVID-19 at a rate eight times higher than white workers. Add to that the well-documented exploitation of the countless drivers who work for the delivery apps. The apps invested USD 200 million into a ballot measure to deny drivers employment protections. Then, there are robotics companies that are trying to straight up replace workers in ghost kitchens entirely in future.
Questions and Answers
(a). Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraphs 1 and 2.
We can say that the staff of a ghost or a virtual kitchen are invisible to their customers like customer care executives who resolve your issues or complaints for you, and the kitchen where your order is executed is like a ______.
Answer: professionally run customer care cell.
Explanation: Paragraphs 1 and 2 describe food cooked anywhere by unseen staff, much like a call centre serving unseen customers.
(b). Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding of paragraph 4.
The statement that a smartphone that stands between the diners and the cooks makes the workforce engaged in the virtual kitchens invisible is a ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
Answer: fact, objective detail
Explanation: Paragraph 4 describes how ordering through an app means diners never see the cooks.
(c). Justify the following, in about 40 words.
The onus of running or expanding their business professionally and smoothly is completely on the shoulders of a franchisee of a ghost kitchen brand with no inputs or participation by the owner or investor.
Answer: Whether it is hiring new chefs, new equipment, or tools for the ghost kitchen, a franchisee is on his own to grow his revenue. The owner and the investor are only focussed on optimising the current needs and the current team.
Explanation: Paragraph 3 quotes the owner saying franchisees should invest themselves while the company only optimises current resources.
(d). Based on the passage, list two examples to showcase the advantages of owning or investing in a ghost kitchen.
Answer: (i) One can operate many restaurants in a single kitchen.
(ii) The existing space, equipment and cooks can execute different menus without extra investment.
Explanation: Paragraph 2 says the same space, equipment and cooks can run many virtual restaurants.
(e). Mention one reason why the author talks about the owners of the food delivery apps having unethical intentions as regards their employees.
'Add to that the well-documented exploitation of the countless drivers who work for the delivery apps.'
Answer: The app owners and investors have invested USD 200 million into a ballot measure to deny drivers employment protections.
Explanation: Paragraph 4 mentions the USD 200 million ballot measure against drivers' protections.
(f). Infer one benefit and one drawback of virtual kitchens where anything can be cooked and delivered by anyone. Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: An advantage is that virtual kitchens cook a range of dishes from different cuisines under one roof. A drawback is that a smartphone that stands between the diners and the cooks hides their exploitation in the form of low wages, long hours, and various forms of abuse.
Explanation: Paragraphs 2 and 4 give the many-menus advantage and the hidden exploitation of workers.
(g). Select the correct option to complete the following sentence about the main takeaway from the passage.
Typically, a franchise owner and the company that owns the franchise work on the principle of ______.
(a) maximise the cost to minimise the revenue
(b) maximise the cost to maximise the revenue
(c) minimise the cost to minimise the revenue
(d) minimise the cost to maximise the revenue
Answer: (d) minimise the cost to maximise the revenue
Explanation: Paragraphs 2 and 3 say the goal is to maximise profits and minimise overhead, optimising cost to grow revenue.