CBSE Class 12 English Factual Passage MCQs Set B

WILL A ROBOT TAKE YOUR JOB?

About 35% of current jobs in the UK are at high risk of computerisation over the following 20 years, according to a study by researchers at Oxford University and Deloitte. What makes a job susceptible to automation? Certain aspects of a job are simpler to automate than others. Social workers, nurses, therapists and psychologists are among the least likely occupations to be taken over as assisting and caring for others, which involves empathy, is a crucial part of the job. Roles requiring employees think on their feet and come up with creative and original ideas, for example artists, designers or engineers, hold a significant advantage in the face of automation. Additionally, occupations involving tasks that require a high degree of social intelligence and negotiating skills, like managerial positions, are considerably less at risk from machines according to the study. In contrast, while certain sales jobs like telemarketers and bank clerks may involve interactive tasks they do not necessarily need a high degree of social intelligence, leaving them exposed to automation. As more advanced industrial robots gain improved senses and the ability to make more coordinated finger and hand movements to manipulate and assemble objects, they will be able to perform a wider range of increasingly complex manual tasks. However, manipulation in unstructured environments — like the tasks that must be performed by a house cleaner — are still beyond the scope of automation for foreseeable future. Sophisticated algorithms are challenging a number of office and administrative support work, particularly in legal and financial services. Machines are already beginning to take on a number of tasks carried out by legal professionals by scanning thousands of documents to assist in pre-trial research. (Source: BBC)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the passage and the graphics. Do any ten. About 35% of current jobs in the UK are at high risk of ______ over the following 2 decades.
(a) culling
(b) computerisation
(c) downsizing
(d) becoming obsolete
Answer: (b)

Question. ____________ are among the least likely occupations to be taken over by automatons.
(a) Social workers
(b) Therapists
(c) Psychologists
(d) all of the above
Answer: (d)

Question. What factors can save a job from being performed by robots?
(a) jobs that involve worry
(b) jobs that involve love
(c) jobs that involve empathy
(d) jobs that involve expertise
Answer: (c)

Question. Why do artists, designers or engineers hold a significant advantage over automation?
(a) thinking quickly and creatively
(b) hardwork
(c) working quickly
(d) learning fast
Answer: (a)

Question. On what basis are managerial positions too free of automaton takeover risk?
(a) thinking intelligence
(b) writing skills
(c) speech skills
(d) social intelligence and negotiating skills
Answer: (d)

Question. Which jobs do not necessarily need a high degree of social intelligence?
(a) Chief Operating Officers
(b) Telemarketers and bank clerks
(c) Finance officers
(d) People working in human resource
Answer: (b)

Question. What would it mean for the employment sector when robots can manipulate and assemble objects?
(a) they will be able to perform menial manual tasks
(b) they can think creatively
(c) they will be able to speak
(d) they will be able to perform a wider range of increasingly complex manual tasks
Answer: (d)

Question. Give an example of “manipulation in unstructured environments”.
(a) house cleaning
(b) road cleaning
(c) office cleaning
(d) field cleaning
Answer: (a)

Question. Which professionals have only 3 per cent likelihood of being replaced with automations?
(a) teachers
(b) doctors
(c) higher education teaching professionals
(d) drivers
Answer: (c)

Question. How are machines already beginning to take on a number of tasks carried out by legal professionals?
(a) scanning thousands of documents
(b) assembling multiple parts
(c) thinking
(d) interacting
Answer: (a)

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as, “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”?
(a) assisting
(b) empathy
(c) interactive
(d) unstructured
Answer: (b)

Question. Which word in the passage is opposite in meaning to “well-ordered/organised”?
(a) assisting
(b) empathy
(c) interactive
(d) unstructured
Answer: (d)

HAS THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER AFFECTED THE NUMBER OF NUCLEAR PLANTS BUILT?

Thirty years on from one of the worst radiation leaks in history, several countries have moved to phase out nuclear energy production altogether, and experts say another accident would kill the industry. This week marks 30 years since an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine led to a huge leak of radiation across eastern Europe. The disaster is thought to have caused thousands of cancer cases. It was the only event classed as a “major accident” by the International Atomic Energy Agency until the 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima, Japan. The data demonstrates its impact : In the 32 years before Chernobyl, 409 reactors were opened, but only 194 have been connected in the three decades since. There were other factors in play, too. Yes, some of the change was directly down to the disaster in Ukraine. Italy, for example, voted in a referendum soon afterwards to stop producing nuclear energy. However, consultant nuclear engineer John Large says that regulations and transparency demands introduced in the wake of a 1979 meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania actually had a bigger impact. “Fukushima will have the same effect,” he says. The disaster in Japan prompted the German government to phase out its plants, with the last one closing in 2022. “Nuclear energy is failing because it is simply too expensive,” says Dr. Paul Dorfman, senior research fellow at the Energy Institute, University College London. “If there’s another nuclear accident in the next five or 10 years, you can say goodbye to the industry.” (Source: The Guardian)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the passage and the graphics. Do any ten. How long did it take the countries to phase out nuclear energy production after the Chernobyl disaster?
(a) one decades
(b) two decades
(c) three decades
(d) four decades
Answer: (c)

Question. Until which disaster was the Chernobyl only event classed as a “major accident” by the International Atomic Energy Agency?
(a) until the 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima, Japan
(b) until the 2010 meltdowns in Fukushima, Japan
(c) until the 2011 meltdowns in Hiroshima, Japan
(d) until the 2011 meltdowns in Osaka, Japan
Answer: (a)

Question. How has Chernobyl affected the development of nuclear reactors?
(a) only 194 have been connected in the three decades since as opposed to 409 four decades before Chenobyl
(b) only 194 have been connected in the three decades since as opposed to 419 three decades before Chenobyl
(c) only 194 have been connected in the three decades since as opposed to 409 three years before Chenobyl
(d) only 194 have been connected in the three decades since as opposed to 409 three decades before Chenobyl
Answer: (d)

Question. Which country has the maximum number of active nuclear reactors?
(a) France
(b) US
(c) Japan
(d) UK
Answer: (b)

Question. How many nuclear reactors did India connect after Chernobyl?
(a) 13
(b) 10
(c) 15
(d) 5
Answer: (c)

Question. Italy voted to ____________ after the referendum.
(a) to stop producing nuclear energy
(b) to increase producing nuclear energy
(c) to stall producing nuclear energy
(d) to stop producing solar energy
Answer: (a)

Question. According to consultant nuclear engineer John Large which disaster had a bigger impact before Chernobyl?
(a) 1959 meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania
(b) 1979 meltdown at Four Mile Island in Minneapolis
(c) 1979 meltdown at Three Mile Island in Ottawa
(d) 1979 meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania
Answer: (d)

Question. When will the last nuclear reactor in Germany shut?
(a) 2020
(b) 2021
(c) 2022
(d) 2023
Answer: (c)

Question. Why is nuclear energy failing according to Dr. Paul Dorfman?
(a) not very useful
(b) useful but difficult to understand
(c) too risky
(d) too expensive
Answer: (d)

Question. Complete the statement: If there’s another nuclear accident in the next five or 10 years, _______________.
(a) you can say goodbye to the industry
(b) you can say welcome to the industry
(c) the industry is here to stay
(d) the industry will go from strength to strength
Answer: (a)

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as, “to discontinue the practice, production”?
(a) referendum
(b) transparency
(c) phase out
(d) regulations
Answer: (c)

Question. Which word in the passage is opposite in meaning to “ambiguity/secrecy”?
(a) referendum
(b) transparency
(c) phase out
(d) regulations
Answer: (b)

Which countries are the most (and least) committed to reducing inequality?

1. Researchers at Oxfam and Development Finance International have spent a year investigating 18 indicators across three policy areas that have a key impact on levels of inequality: taxation, social spending on sectors such as health, welfare and education, and labour rights. 2. Britain is ranked only 109th for the proportion of budget it spends on education – just below Kazakhstan and Cambodia. In 2014, the UK government spent 11.78% of its budget on education, while Zimbabwe, which came top, spent almost three times this amount. (As a benchmark, achievement of the UN’s sustainable development goals for education is calculated to require a 20% spend.) 3. While Britain’s tax structure is ranked only 96th in the new inequality index, it rises to 33rd on tax overall because of its relatively robust ability to collect tax revenues. This discrepancy mirrors a global trend: low-income countries tend to have more progressive tax structures but fewer resources to enforce them, while the inverse is true for high income countries. Overall, Britain is ranked 17th in the new index. 4. Sweden is named the country most committed to reducing inequality, and Nigeria – Africa’s richest country by GDP – the least committed of the 152 countries ranked. Despite having experienced strong growth for many years since the turn of the millennium, one in 10 Nigerian children still die before their fifth birthday, and an estimated 112 million people live in poverty 5. Inequality is notoriously difficult to measure. Countries are typically assessed using the Gini index, which measures the distribution of income and wealth, and ranks a country between zero (absolute equality) and one (absolute inequality). 6. But the Gini index gives users no sense of the root causes of inequality, which are complex and multiple. So for the new Commitment to Reducing Inequality index, researchers looked at how much governments set aside in their annual budgets for each of 18 key indicators. They believe this offers a more accurate picture of the root causes of inequality. (Source: The Guardian)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the above passage and graphics. Do any ten. Which indicators have a key impact on levels of inequality?
(a) taxation, and more investment in health
(b) taxation, and importance given to improving sectors like health, welfare and education, and labour rights
(c) taxation, and welfare and labour rights
(d) welfare and education, and labour rights
Answer: (b)

Question. How is Britain’s education in comparison to Kazakhstan and Cambodia?
(a) better; it ranks higher than these two countries
(b) disappointing; as these are not first world countries but spend more on education than Britain
(c) equivalent; they all spend the same
(d) data inconclusive
Answer: (b)

Question. How much of the UK budget was spent on education in 2014?
(a) 11.78%
(b) 12.78%
(c) 11.88%
(d) 17.81%
Answer: (a)

Question. Choose the option that lists the CORRECT answers for the following: 1. One in 10 children still die before their fifth birthday, and an estimated 112 million people live in poverty. Which country is being talked about here based on the passage? 2. The tax structure here is ranked only 96th in the new inequality index, it rises to 33rd on tax overall because of its relatively robust ability to collect tax revenues. Which country is being talked about here based on the passage?
(a) (1) is Sweden and (2) is a Nigeria
(b) (1) is Kazakhstan and (2) is Cambodia
(c) (1) is Nigeria and (2) is Britain
(d) (1) is Britain and (2) is Nigeria
Answer: (c)

Question. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the aspects of inequality.
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 6
(c) 2 and 4
(d) 3 and 5
Answer: (b)

Question. Which global discrepancy has been highlighted in the passage?
(a) low-income countries have progressive tax structures but fewer resources to enforce them but the opposite happens in high-income countries
(b) low-income countries have regressive tax structures but fewer resources to enforce them but the opposite happens in high-income countries
(c) low-income countries have progressive tax structures and better resources to enforce them but the opposite happens in high-income countries
(d) both low-income and high-income countries have regressive tax structures.
Answer: (b)

Question. Which country ranks the highest in labour market policies to address equalities?
(a) Ireland
(b) South Africa
(c) Austria
(d) Germany
Answer: (c)

Question. Where does India stand on spending on health, education and social protection?
(a) 148
(b) 152
(c) 150
(d) 149
Answer: (iv)

Question. Which country shows commitment as working on providing equal opportunities to all?
(a) Sweden
(b) Norway
(c) Japan
(d) Nigeria
Answer: (a)

Question. Nigeria shows alarming rate for which of the following?
(a) school dropouts
(b) high rate of child deaths
(c) mother mortality rate
(d) high illiteracy rate
Answer: (b)

Question. Which word in the passage is opposite in meaning to “vigorous”?
(a) benchmark
(b) discrepancy
(c) accurate
(d) robust
Answer: (d)

Question. Which word in the passage is opposite in meaning to “inexact”?
(a) benchmark
(b) discrepancy
(c) accurate
(d) robust
Answer: (iv)

THE RISING CASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS

The number of coronavirus cases in India neared one million on Thursday as infection numbers rose in the countryside, pushing authorities to reinstate lockdowns across several states. India reported a record 32,696 new cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 968,876 with 24,915 deaths, according to data from the federal health ministry. The country of 1.3 billion people is behind only the United States and Brazil in the number of confirmed infections and there is no sign yet of the curve flattening. India’s testing rate is also among the lowest in the world in relation to its population. While major cities such as Delhi and Mumbai were among the initial hotspots of the virus in India, newer cases are emerging in rural areas where healthcare infrastructure is much weaker. A fresh lockdown was imposed on Thursday in the largely-rural eastern state of Bihar, where cases have been rising after thousands of migrant workers returned from cities following a strict lockdown to contain the virus spread. “While the world’s attention has been focused on the unfolding crisis in the United States and South America, a concurrent human tragedy is fast emerging in South Asia,” John Fleming, the Asia Pacific head of health at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a statement. “We now need to urgently turn our attention to this region,” Fleming said, citing dire forecasts that predict thousands of more cases in India in the coming months. Indian authorities, however, have touted their efforts to contain the virus. “Despite being such a largely populated nation, we can perhaps claim to have performed better than any other country,” Indian Health Minister said on Thursday, citing a fatality rate of 2.57% and recovery rate of 63.25%. (Source: Reuters.com)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the passage and the graphics. Do any ten. What pushed the authorities to reinstate lockdowns across several states?
(a) infection numbers rose in the countryside
(b) people were not following pandemic rules
(c) WHO released an advisory
(d) the doubling rate of COVID-19 patients
Answer: (a)

Question. India reported a record _____________ new cases of the disease.
(a) 32,666
(b) 23,646
(c) 32,696
(d) 33,696
Answer: (c)

Question. How many deaths have happened according to the data from the federal health ministry?
(a) 23,315
(b) 24,915
(c) 34,915
(d) 24,815
Answer: (b)

Question. How many daily cases were reported in Mumbai on July 12 according to the graph?
(a) 2000
(b) 7000
(c) 5000
(d) 4000
Answer: (d)

Question. Which state was the second-worst hit by daily rises of COVID-19 patients after “other states”?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Delhi
(c) Karnataka
(d) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: (c)

Question. A fresh lockdown was imposed in the largely-rural eastern state of Bihar. Why?
(a) After thousands of migrant workers returned from cities
(b) people flouted the norms
(c) due to parties and functions being organised
(d) hospitals were out of bed
Answer: (a)

Question. “A concurrent human tragedy is fast emerging in South Asia”. After which two areas is this tragedy emerging in South Asia?
(a) Europe and Africa
(b) The United States and South America
(c) Oceania
(d) Polynesia
Answer: (b)

Question. What is the dire forecast of John Fleming?
(a) millions of more cases in India in the coming months.
(b) thousands of more cases in India in the coming months.
(c) thousands of more cases in the world in the coming months.
(d) lakhs of more cases in the world in the coming months.
Answer: (b)

Question. Which word in the passage means “praised, celebrated”?
(a) reinstate
(b) dire
(c) touted
(d) concurrent
Answer: (a)

Question. Which word in the passage is the antonym of “ousted”?
(a) reinstate
(b) concurrent
(c) touted
(d) dire
Answer: (c)

Question. What figures for fatality did the Indian Health Minister cite?
(a) 2.57%
(b) 2.55%
(c) 2.47%
(d) 2.56%
Answer: (a)

Question. According to the Health Minister, 63.25% is the rate of ______.
(a) stability
(b) recovery
(c) death
(d) doubling
Answer: (b)

HOW THE NEW VIRUS COMPARES TO PREVIOUS CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS?

International alarm over the coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in December is driven by its rapid spread and the fact that infectious disease experts cannot yet know how deadly or contagious it is. Within weeks, the virus has infected more people than Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) did in months. On January 30, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global emergency. The chart below shows the cumulative number of cases starting from the day that symptoms were documented for the first case. When compared to the new virus, the spread of SARS took much longer to gain momentum. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that first emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012, took eight years to infect almost 2,500 people. The latest statistics indicate a fatality rate of about 2.2%, but disease experts say the actual rate may be higher or lower as there are likely more unconfirmed cases. The SARS virus killed about 10% of all infected individuals, while the MERS outbreak identified in 2012 had a fatality rate of around 35%. Disease experts caution that it will take several more weeks to be confident of how the new virus behaves given how quickly it has spread and the fact that a reliable diagnostic test has only recently been introduced. “Not everybody is being seen, not everybody is being tested,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “All the experts, myself included, tell the public that there is much we don’t know about this virus and we are learning as we go along. That is not so reassuring.” Some experts question whether the new virus shares similarities with seasonal flu, which has a low mortality rate but infects so many people that more than half a million may die from it each year, according to global health estimates. In emerging infectious disease outbreaks, the most serious cases are identified first. Coronavirus infections can range from mild cold-like symptoms to severe cases that cause pneumonia, acute respiratory illness and death. About 20% of confirmed cases in the China coronavirus outbreak are classified as severe, similar to SARS and MERS, Schaffner said. (Source: Reuters.com)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the passage and the graphics. Do any ten. Where and when did the coronavirus emerge?
(a) Wuhan, China, in November
(b) Wuhan, China, in December
(c) Wuhan, Japan, in December
(d) Wuhan, China, in February
Answer: (b)

Question. Within weeks, the virus infected more people than ______ did in months.
(a) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(b) Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(c) Severe Acute Regurgitation Syndrome
(d) Severe Acute Respiratory System
Answer: (a)

Question. Early this year, what did the World Health Organisation declare as a global emergency?
(a) Plague
(b) MERS
(c) SARS
(d) Coronavirus disease
Answer: (d)

Question. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) first emerged in ______ in 2012.
(a) Saudi Arabia
(b) Oman
(c) Iran
(d) Kuwait
Answer: (a)

Question. How many people did MERS infect in eight years?
(a) almost 2,900 people
(b) total 2,500 people
(c) almost 2,550 people
(d) almost 2,500 people
Answer: (d)

Question. MERS took 12 months to infect ______ people.
(a) 208
(b) 108
(c) 180
(d) 100
Answer: (b)

Question. The SARS virus killed about 10% of all _______.
(a) individuals on ventilator support
(b) asymptomatic individuals
(c) infected individuals
(d) relapsed individuals
Answer: (c)

Question. In the first month, how many people did the “new virus” or coronavirus infect?
(a) 37,553
(b) 37,653
(c) 37,552
(d) 37,673
Answer: (a)

Question. Which word in the passage means increasing by successive additions?
(a) outbreak
(b) reassuring
(c) cumulative
(d) acute
Answer: (c)

Question. Which word in the passage is the opposite of “recklessness”?
(a) caution
(b) outbreak
(c) reassuring
(d) cumulative
Answer: (a)

Question. “That is not so reassuring” — Why does Dr. William Schaffner say this?
(a) the spread of the virus
(b) the lack of knowledge about the “new virus”
(c) the indifference of people for the virus
(d) the fatality rate of the virus
Answer: (b)

Question. What is identified first in any emerging infectious disease?
(a) the most serious cases
(b) the latest cases
(c) the number of deaths
(d) the symptoms
Answer: (a)

THE PLASTIC PANDEMIC

1. COVID-19 has hit plastic recycling, just as big oil firms are investing hundreds of billions of dollars to make new plastic. These investments massively exceed the industry’s spending to tackle plastic waste. The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a rush for plastic.
2. From Wuhan to New York, demand for face shields, gloves, takeaway food containers and bubble wrap for online shopping has surged. Since most of that cannot be recycled, so has the waste.
3. But there is another consequence. The pandemic has intensified a price war between recycled and new plastic, made by the oil industry. It’s a war recyclers worldwide are losing, price data and interviews with more than two dozen businesses across five continents show.
4. Already since 1950, the world has created 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, 91% of which has never been recycled, according to a 2017 study published in the journal Science. Most is hard to recycle, and many recyclers have long depended on government support. New plastic, known to the industry as “virgin” material, can be half the price of the most common recycled plastic.
5. Since COVID-19, even drinks bottles made of recycled plastic – the most commonly recycled plastic item – have become less viable. The recycled plastic to make them is 83% to 93% more expensive than new bottle-grade plastic, according to market analysts at the Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS).
6. Since the coronavirus struck, recyclers worldwide told Reuters, their businesses have shrunk, by more than 20% in Europe, by 50% in parts of Asia and as much as 60% for some firms in the United States.
7. Greg Janson, whose St. Louis, Missouri, recycling company QRS has been business for 46 years, says his position would have been unimaginable a decade ago: The United States has become one of the cheapest places to make virgin plastic, so more is coming onto the market. “The pandemic exacerbated this tsunami,” he said.
8. The oil and chemicals companies that Reuters surveyed said plastic can be part of the solution to global challenges related to a growing population. Six said they were also developing new technologies to reuse waste plastic. Some said other packaging products can cause more emissions than plastics; because plastic is light, it is indispensable for the world’s consumers and can help reduce emissions. A few called on governments to improve waste management infrastructure. (Source: Reuters.com)

Question. Choose the correct option to answer the questions based on the above passage and graphics. Do any ten. What has COVID-19 situation worsened in terms of the environment?
(a) ruined the air quality
(b) hit the plastic recycling situation
(c) more companies are having to make plastic
(d) ruined the water systems
Answer: (b)

Question. Why are the big oil firms investing in making new plastic?
(a) COVID-19 has increased the demand for plastic
(b) this new plastic is an upgraded and eco-friendly version
(c) the plastic production remains the same
(d) the plastic production decreased
Answer: (a)

Question. Consider the following statements: (A): Plastic production has increased world-wide. (R): People need more face shields, gloves and takeaway food containers. Which of the following options is correct with regards to Arctic warming?
(a) (A) is correct and (R) is the appropriate explanation of (A)
(b) (A) is incorrect and (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
(c) (A) is correct and (R) is incorrect
(d) (A) is incorrect and (R) is correct
Answer: (a)

Question. Why has the waste increased exponentially?
(a) less number of water recycling companies
(b) no government regulation
(c) most of the plastic products cannot be recycled
(d) both (i) and (ii)
Answer: (c)

Question. Who are the opposing parties in the “price war worldwide”?
(a) recyclers and consumers
(b) consumers and oil companies
(c) recyclers and oil companies
(d) oil companies and e-commerce giants
Answer: (c)

Question. What has the world created 6.3 billion tonnes of since 1950?
(a) plastic
(b) face shields
(c) plastic waste
(d) e-waste
Answer: (c)

Question. How much of a price difference exists between new plastic and recycled plastic?
(a) same price
(b) more than the recycled plastic
(c) one third
(d) almost half the amount
Answer: (iv)

Question. The recycled plastic is ____________ new bottle-grade plastic
(a) 83% to 93% more expensive
(b) 83% to 93% cheaper
(c) same priced
(d) 85% to 88% cheaper
Answer: (a)

Question. How much new plastic is in use according to the graph?
(a) 2900 MT
(b) 200 MT
(c) 2500 MT
(d) 2000 MT
Answer: (c)

Question. Which word in the passage means “make worse”?
(a) exacerbated
(b) intensified
(c) unimaginable
(d) emissions
Answer: (b)

Question. Which of the following options is CORRECT? Since the coronavirus struck, the recycling businesses have shrunk by
(a) more than 20% in Europe
(b) 50% in parts of Asia
(c) 60% in the United States
(d) all of these
Answer: (d)

Question. Which word in the passage is opposite to the meaning of ‘abate’?
(a) exacerbated
(b) intensified
(c) unimaginable
(d) emissions
Answer: (b)