<div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <h5 id="logical-reasoning">Logical Reasoning</h5> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXII. Students decide to attend college for several reasons. These reasons include career opportunities and financial stability, intellectual growth, a time for self-discovery, norms, obligations, and social opportunities. Outside demands in society, such as technology changes, and increased educational demands also drive the need for more students to attend college. The students then spend the next few years trying to discover a path and find their way so they can become successful. The transition to college presents students with many new challenges, including increased academic demands, less time with family members, interpersonal problems with roommates and romantic interests, and financial stress. Competitive academic work and uncertainty about future employment and professional career were also noted as sources of stress. The transition to college represents a process characterized by change, ambiguity, and adjustment across all of life’s domains. The transition towards independence and self-sufficiency has been characterized as ‘stress-arousing’ and ‘anxiety-provoking’ by many college students. Failure to accomplish and develop these characteristics of development and maintain independence may result in life dissatisfaction. Emerging adulthood has also been noted to augment college students’ vulnerability to stress. Many students experience their first symptoms of depression and anxiety during this time, but a growing problem is that college campuses do not have enough resources to help all of these students. It has been noted that $75 %$ to $80 %$ of college students are moderately stressed and $10 %$ to $12 %$ are severely stressed.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="106"> <li>What according to you is the objective of the study of the present paragraph?</li> </ol> <p>(A) To map the various stages of pressure points of adulthood in the process of education.</p> <p>(B) To narrate the anti-family agenda in the current education system.</p> <p>(C) To pinpoint the obstacles targeted against meritorious students.</p> <p>(D) All of the above</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="107"> <li>Which factors as per the author cause more stress amongst college students?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Pressure from parents and society towards greater educational needs and increased competitive academic work.</p> <p>(B) Failure to develop successful romantic interests, financial constraints and interpersonal issues with room-mates.</p> <p>(C) Failure to adapt to the transition to college life and to adjust various life domains in tune with needs and requirements of college life.</p> <p>(D) Inability to manage time constraints and the uncertainty pertaining to their future.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="108"> <li>Which of the following fall closest to the underlying assumption in the present study?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Problem-solving ability amongst college students is negatively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety.</p> <p>(B) Students lean towards unhealthy coping skills in order to try to lower the stress that they experience.</p> <p>(C) Romantic interest is an anti-dote for stress amongst the students in the colleges.</p> <p>(D) Stress is subjective for each student.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="109"> <li>Suggest a suitable title for the paragraph from amongst the given titles:</li> </ol> <p>(A) Triumph and Turbulence of College Education System</p> <p>(B) Negative impact of College Education System</p> <p>(C) Negligence of Stress Management by parents</p> <p>(D) Unemployment and Mental Instability</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="110"> <li>With reference to the above paragraph, which of the following offers the most plausible solutions as a coping up mechanism for college students?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Individual students should approach counsellors for coping up with stress.</p> <p>(B) Keeping in view that large number of students are experiencing stress, colleges must take steps reduce course curriculum and peer pressures.</p> <p>(C) College authorities shall provide access to counselling and every student experiencing stress must engage in some form of coping mechanism to alleviate stress.</p> <p>(D) The students must learn to differentiate between short term and long-term stress.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXIII. Under the COVID-19 outbreak, universities and schools around the world had suspended face-to-face classes to prevent the rapid spread of the virus among students and staff. This sudden disruption to face-to-face education reshaped pedagogical practices and led to the rapid adoption of online teaching among universities. Subsequently, academics working at universities, at the frontline of those changes, faced enormous levels of pressure and disturbance to their professional roles and practices. For those without sufficient knowledge or experience for effective online teaching, this sudden transition was particularly challenging. In normal circumstances, designing an online course follows a systematic instructional design process with careful consideration of the unique characteristics of target learner groups and the chosen instructional medium. During the rapid adoption of online teaching in response to COVID-19, however, systematic instructional design procedures and team-based support for course development and preparation were unavailable. Instead, individual academics were given the challenge alone to teach online with a limited level of support and guidance from their school or university - the task was even more difficult in this situation where they were remotely working from home.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="111"> <li>The objective behind the information furnished in the passage is:</li> </ol> <p>(A) To examine the experiences faced by the teachers because of the sudden transition from offline to online mode of teaching due to outbreak of COVID-19.</p> <p>(B) To identify the differences between the online and offline mode of teaching.</p> <p>(C) To reveal the side-effects of COVID-19.</p> <p>(D) To understand the need to be able to cope up with crisis like situations even in the educational sector.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="112"> <li>Based on the ideas presented in the paragraph, it will not be possible to draw out useful recommendations for situations like the pandemic, unless :</li> </ol> <p>(A) The factors required to contribute to quality education by online and offline modes are examined.</p> <p>(B) Knowledge about the infrastructural availability in the schools or universities is crucial.</p> <p>(C) The faculty is given adequate training and experience in providing online education is taken into consideration.</p> <p>(D) A detailed analysis of the comparative performance in the online and offline modes is done.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="113"> <li>What can be most conveniently inferred from the given paragraph?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Whether online or face-to-face, university teaching activity is a genuinely complex task that involves multiple elements of interlinked activity systems.</p> <p>(B) It has been more challenging for both individual academics and institutions to quickly adopt to online teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic.</p> <p>(C) The object of the online teaching activity systems created a fundamental contradiction with the object of the previous teaching activity systems.</p> <p>(D) All the above.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="114"> <li>What suitable policy decision should be devised by the administrators of the schools and the universities, in the light of the facts presented in the paragraph?</li> </ol> <p>(A) There must be an insight into the complexity of online teaching and need to work for the capacity building of the teachers during such extra ordinary times and there is a greater need to create a teacher community and foster collaborative teaching relationships among the members, even if it takes time.</p> <p>(B) The faculty members must be oriented towards the lasting changes brought about to their roles and identities in teaching.</p> <p>(C) It is time to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges experienced by individual academics and the changes created by those academics.</p> <p>(D) There is a need to develop infrastructure in schools and universities.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="115"> <li>Which of the following points most closely supports the fact that the present education system lacks the structure to sustain effective teaching during and after the periods of lockdowns?</li> </ol> <p>(A) There are inadequate applications and platforms for effective online teaching.</p> <p>(B) Shift from offline to online was faced with resistance.</p> <p>(C) The academia’s long-established roles and identities have been completely altered by the pandemic.</p> <p>(D) The students are interested in online examinations and schools and universities are finding it difficult to shift to offline examination mode.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXIV. Biodiversity is being lost at a rate not seen since the last mass extinction. But the United Nations decade-old plan to slow down and eventually stop the decline of species and ecosystems by 2020 has failed. Most of the plan’s 20 targets - known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets - have not been met. The Aichi targets are part of an international agreement called the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and member states are now finalizing replacements for them. Currently referred to as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), its draft was published in July 2021. It aims to slow down the rate of biodiversity loss by 2030 . And by 2050 , biodiversity will be “valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”. The GBF is a comprehensive plan. But success will require systemic change across public policy. That is both a strength and a weakness. If systemic change can be implemented, it will lead to real change. But if it cannot, there’s no plan B. This has led some researchers to argue that one target or number should be prioritized and defined in a way that is clear to the public and to policy makers. It would be biodiversity’s equivalent of the $2^{\circ} \mathrm{C} climate target.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="116"> <li>As per the passage, which of the following is a challenge for implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Unfulfillment of the pre-2020 global biodiversity targets</p> <p>(B) Clarity of action plan for the society and government</p> <p>(C) Threat of mass extinction</p> <p>(D) Failure of plan to save ecosystems</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="117"> <li>According to the passage, why do some researchers advocate that one biodiversity target be prioritized?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Systemic policy change is difficult to implement</p> <p>(B) Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is comprehensive</p> <p>(C) The $2{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C} climate target needs to be prioritized</p> <p>(D) Biodiversity needs to be valued, conserved, restored and wisely used</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="118"> <li>Which of the following is correct expression of the author’s opinion as stated in passage?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) allows no middle ground for success or failure.</p> <p>(B) It is high time that countries re-evaluate the progress in achieving biodiversity targets.</p> <p>(C) Biodiversity conservation should be prioritized over climate change at the global level.</p> <p>(D) The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is the best way to prevent mass extinction.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="119"> <li>Which of the following is the central theme of the above passage?</li> </ol> <p>(A) The reason for failure of biodiversity conservation efforts at global level</p> <p>(B) The inter-relationship between biodiversity conservation and climate change</p> <p>(C) The future of biodiversity conservation efforts at global level</p> <p>(D) The role of United Nations in biodiversity conservation at global level</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="120"> <li>Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?</li> </ol> <p>(A) The holistic nature of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is a boon.</p> <p>(B) The holistic nature of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is a bane.</p> <p>(C) The holistic nature of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) can be a boon or a bane.</p> <p>(D) The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) includes the $2^{\circ} \mathrm{C} climate target.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXV. An unintended and unjust consequence of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 is its widespread persecution of teenage lovers. This law raised the age of consent from 16 to 18 years, while defining persons below 18 years as children. Consequently, when two 16-year-olds are romantically and sexually involved, but the girl’s family doesn’t approve the affair and files a police complaint, her consent has zero legal validity. And the consensual relationship morphs into a case of statutory rape. The Allahabad High Court has indicated how its “conscience” is concerned by such severe POCSO provisions being drawn by teenage lovers simply on the basis of family disapproval. The High Courts of Delhi, Madras and others have made similar observations in recent years and also pointed to amendments to the law that can help reduce its injustices. One suggestion that has gathered broad support is to push back both the cut-off for childhood and the age of consent to 16 years. Given that the NCRB data shows around half of POCSO cases falling in the 16-18 years age group, such an amendment is overdue. Minimizing the prosecution of consensual romances would also leave a logjammed system with more space to pursue actual sexual assault cases. The broader goal here is respecting the rights of adolescents and young adults. Their romantic and sexual autonomy needs greatly increased recognition in India.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="121"> <li>“Minimising the prosecution of consensual romances would also leave a logjammed system with more space to pursue actual sexual assault cases.”</li> </ol> <p>In the context of the statement, which of the following strengthens the author’s opinion?</p> <p>(A) There are many unreported sexual assault cases.</p> <p>(B) Speedy prosecution of sexual assault cases is desirable.</p> <p>(C) Consensual romance, in some cases, can amount to sexual assault.</p> <p>(D) Sexual assault and rape are different.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="122"> <li>What has the author conveyed regarding the prosecution of statutory rape in India?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Statutory rape does not violate the romantic and sexual autonomy of young adults.</p> <p>(B) Statutory rape must be met with stricter punishment.</p> <p>(C) Statutory rape must be abolished.</p> <p>(D) Statutory rape is a relic of Victorian morality.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="123"> <li>As per the above passage, which of the following does not correctly represent the author’s view regarding the widespread persecution of teenage lovers under the POCSO Act?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Teenagers have the right to love as much as adults.</p> <p>(B) Police complaints of teenage lovers may lead to their harassment.</p> <p>(C) Consent of minor girls do not have legal validity.</p> <p>(D) Consent of minor girls have legal validity.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="124"> <li>In the above passage, which of the following has concerned the “conscience” of the Allahabad High Court?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Carelessness of teenage lovers.</p> <p>(B) Threat to the safety of teenage lovers.</p> <p>(C) Impact on mental health of teenage lovers.</p> <p>(D) Harassment of teenage lovers by their families.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="125"> <li>As per the above passage, which of the following is a major challenge in implementation of the POCSO Act?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Speedy prosecution of cases.</p> <p>(B) Respecting the rights of adolescents and young adults.</p> <p>(C) Counselling of adolescents and young adults.</p> <p>(D) Imposition of stringent punishment.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXVI. A Madras High Court Judge’s suggestion to amend the Constitution of India mandating that every citizen also has a duty to laugh comes as a whiff of fresh air - something the country has been gasping for, of late. Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench has a remarkably refined sense of humour, but in quashing an FIR against a man arrested for an innocuous social media post, his insightful observations only highlight the idiocy and absurdity that surround the growth and normalisation of the offence-taking tribe. Written from the perspective of cartoonists and satirists, the judgment draws attention to how what ought to be a reasonable understanding of a situation is increasingly being influenced by impulses that border on the irrational and amount to an abuse of the legal process. The petitioner tried tongue-in-cheek wordplay while captioning photographs after a sight-seeing trip with family : ‘Trip to Sirumalai for shooting practice’. For the police, it appeared as a threat to wage war, though the Judicial Magistrate refused remand. ‘Laugh at what?’ is a serious question, the Judge said, using the ‘holy cow’ as a metaphor, which varies from person to person, region to region. Being funny is one thing, the Judge righty states, and poking fun at another is different altogether. Those who have been at the receiving end for their attempt at humour can draw strength from the ruling, but then, a creative process facing combative opposition because of its very nature is anything but funny.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="126"> <li>What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?</li> </ol> <p>(A) People need to be sensitive towards others’ sensibilities.</p> <p>(B) Humour is often used as a garb to offend others.</p> <p>(C) There is an unwelcome decrease in people’s sense of humour.</p> <p>(D) Judiciary should use humour to make judgments understandable to laypersons.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="127"> <li>According to the given passage, which of the following statements is true?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Social media often popularised insensitive and offensive posts.</p> <p>(B) It should be a right of every person to poke fun at others.</p> <p>(C) Creative expressions are bound to be offensive to some persons.</p> <p>(D) Every humorous expression should be understood reasonably and rationally.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="128"> <li>According to the given passage, which of the following statements is not true?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Each expression should be understood according to its context.</p> <p>(B) The word ‘shooting’ used in a sentence is indicative of waging war.</p> <p>(C) Legal process can be abused if the authorities act on their irrational impulses.</p> <p>(D) The expression ‘holy cow’ bears different meanings for different people.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="129"> <li>As per the passage, which of the following approaches can reduce the increasing ‘idiocy and absurdity’ in responding to expressions made in jest?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Apologising upon hurting another person’s sentiments.</p> <p>(B) Avoiding the use of controversial words and expressions.</p> <p>(C) Using humour as a means to mitigate conflict.</p> <p>(D) Understanding the difference between being funny and poking fun at another person.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="130"> <li>“Those who have been at the receiving end for their attempt at humour can draw strength from the ruling, but then, a creative process facing combative opposition because of its very nature is anything but funny.”</li> </ol> <p>Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statement?</p> <p>(A) Creativity and conflict go hand-in-hand.</p> <p>(B) Creative freedom should not be curbed unreasonably.</p> <p>(C) Creative expressions are strengthened due to challenges faced by their authors.</p> <p>(D) Creativity often leads to conflict.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <p>XXVII. Two recent developments have brought India’s reliance on fossil fuel into sharp focus. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the consequent surge in crude oil prices roiled the economy. Separately, the most recent IPCC report on climate highlighted the energy sector’s large contribution to global warming. Both these developments need to be located in the context of India’s pledge to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2070. Meeting this pledge requires an overhaul of both the logistics and electricity sectors to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Transitioning to renewables in energy is an important part of the solution. Within renewables, solar energy has been lavished with policy support. However, it won’t be enough to meet the targets. Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, had written that India can’t meet its net-zero commitment without nuclear power. He’s right. It’s an area where India was off to an early start, developed relatively high indigenous capabilities in relation to other sectors, but subsequently let the ball drop. Today, nuclear power contributes a mere $3 %$ of the total electricity generated, and has a capacity of $6780 \mathrm{MW}. After the early euphoria of the India-United States civil nuclear deal, progress has been disappointing. The deal did open the pathway to a stable supply of uranium ore from Kazakhstan and Canada. However, the design of the subsequent bill on civil liability for nuclear damage killed the prospect of participation of Western firms. India’s main partner today is Russia, which side stepped the bill through inter-government agreements.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="131"> <li>What is the central idea in the passage as conveyed by the author?</li> </ol> <p>(A) India needs to increase use of nuclear power.</p> <p>(B) India needs to increase production of fossil fuels.</p> <p>(C) India needs to enter into multilateral agreements addressing use of nuclear power.</p> <p>(D) Nuclear energy is a renewable source of power.</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="132"> <li>According to the author, which of the following measures will not help India achieve its pledge of net zero carbon emissions by 2070 ?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Logistical changes</p> <p>(B) Changes in electricity sector</p> <p>(C) Reduction in use of solar power</p> <p>(D) Increase in use of nuclear power</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="133"> <li>According to the author, which of the following is not the effect of India’s reliance on fossil fuels?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Global warming</p> <p>(B) Increase in crude oil prices</p> <p>(C) Relations with Middle East</p> <p>(D) Less reliance on renewable sources of power</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="134"> <li>According to the author, which of the following is the effect of the India-United States civil nuclear deal?</li> </ol> <p>(A) Export-Import target with United States</p> <p>(B) Removal of bottlenecks for self-reliance in power generation</p> <p>(C) Nuclear Defence Pact with Kazakhstan</p> <p>(D) Self-reliance in Solar Power</p> </div> <p>======</p> <div style = 'text-align:left; font-size:22px;'> <ol start="135"> <li>According to the author, Western firms lost the opportunity of doing business in the nuclear production in India because:</li> </ol> <p>(A) They had to pay hefty penalties for delay in supply</p> <p>(B) They do not find nuclear power profitable</p> <p>(C) They do not agree with India’s place of nuclear plants</p> <p>(D) They failed to circumvent internal laws by other bilateral instruments</p>