SBI PO 2021 PYQs

Question 1

Directions: Ques No: 1-10
Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention.
When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of
growth
and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater?
"Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal
Biotropica
.
The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts.
Eradication
of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a
resurgence
of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity.
But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra.
Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as
potential
shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.

Eradication of rats was conducted in which year?

Accepted Answer

The eradication of rats, specifically referring to a significant event like the South Georgia rat eradication project, was completed in 2011.

Question 2

Directions: Ques No: 1-7 Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. Since 2011, the world’s steelmakers have been feeling the heat. Prices for the metal have halved due to flatlining demand and rising exports from China, which now smelts 50% of the global output. Profits at steel firms around the world have fallen into a sea of red ink, shuttering plants and laying off workers. New measures designed to raise the price of carbon in the EU to help the bloc meet its climate-change targets, voted on by the European Parliament on February 15th, threaten to increase the pressure. The industry is a heavy user of carbon; responsible for 5% of global emissions. Some steel firms have responded by calling for carbon tariffs to prevent the measures undermining their international competitiveness. How do border taxes on carbon emissions work? And are they a good idea? The reforms the European Parliament passed this week are an attempt to increase the price of carbon by cutting the emissions allowances granted to firms. The measures include the EU’s first border tax on carbon, levied on cement imports. Steel firms, also heavy users of carbon, say their exclusion from this scheme is unfair. This week Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, offered his support for the tax. Similar proposals in America are also being mooted. This month a group of Republicans—including two former treasury secretaries, James Baker and George Shultz—proposed a similar levy on imports at the border, as well as for domestic production. Their plan includes a carbon tax on imports of up to 40 f o r e a c h t o n n e p r o d u c e d b y t h e i r m a n u f a c t u r e , w h i c h w o u l d i n c r e a s e o v e r t i m e . T h e i n c o m e f r o m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e n b e d i s t r i b u t e d t o A m e r i c a n h o u s e h o l d s o n a q u a r t e r l y b a s i s t o m a k e u p f o r h i g h e r c o n s u m e r p r i c e s . P r o p o n e n t s o f s u c h p o l i c i e s s a y t h a t t h e y r e m o v e t h e d i s t o r t i o n s c a u s e d b y c a r b o n t a x e s . U n d e r t h e E U ’ s r e f o r m s , s t e e l m a k e r s i n E u r o p e w o u l d p a y u p t o € 30 ( 40 for each tonne produced by their manufacture, which would increase over time. The income from the levy would then be distributed to American households on a quarterly basis to make up for higher consumer prices. Proponents of such policies say that they remove the distortions caused by carbon taxes. Under the EU’s reforms, steelmakers in Europe would pay up to €30 ( 40 f ore a c h t o nn e p ro d u ce d b y t h e i r man u f a c t u re , w hi c h w o u l d in cre a seo v er t im e . T h e in co m e f ro m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e nb e d i s t r ib u t e d t o A m er i c anh o u se h o l d so na q u a r t er l y ba s i s t o mak e u p f or hi g h erco n s u m er p r i ces . P ro p o n e n t so f s u c h p o l i c i ess a y t ha tt h eyre m o v e t h e d i s t or t i o n sc a u se d b yc a r b o n t a x es . U n d er t h e E U ’ sre f or m s , s t ee l mak ers in E u ro p e w o u l d p a y u pt o €30 ( 32) to emit a tonne of carbon, but foreign producers selling in the EU would not have to pay a cent. This harms the cost competitiveness of European producers. It also encourages firms to move production outside the bloc rather than prompt them to use cleaner methods. Taxing imports on their embodied carbon—where this has not already happened in their country of origin—would level the playing field between different systems, they say. It would also give an incentive to countries without controls on emissions to introduce their own carbon taxes, in order to grab a share of the revenues. Economists say the idea works in theory. But many think it would be much more difficult in practice. One big problem is the difficulty of calculating the embodied carbon in imports. This is not easy even for simple sheets of steel; for items made of several bits of metal from different sources, it is hellishly complex. Disputes over this could produce reams of litigation at the WTO between various systems. But the reason why trade economists are so squeamish about carbon tariffs is the fear that they could cause a tariff war. The EU and America are already in a politically driven tit-for-tat over steel duties with China; they have risen in some cases to over 500%. Rather than prod countries to tighten their own regulations, new carbon tariffs could make that battle more vicious . Worse still, lobby groups could easily pervert the charges into a form of quiet protectionism. Donald Trump’s presidency has already rattled free-traders’ nerves. Why risk giving the protectionists another opening? Ques No: 1-7 Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. Since 2011, the world’s steelmakers have been feeling the heat. Prices for the metal have halved due to flatlining demand and rising exports from China, which now smelts 50% of the global output. Profits at steel firms around the world have fallen into a sea of red ink, shuttering plants and laying off workers. New measures designed to raise the price of carbon in the EU to help the bloc meet its climate-change targets, voted on by the European Parliament on February 15th, threaten to increase the pressure. The industry is a heavy user of carbon; responsible for 5% of global emissions. Some steel firms have responded by calling for carbon tariffs to prevent the measures undermining their international competitiveness. How do border taxes on carbon emissions work? And are they a good idea? The reforms the European Parliament passed this week are an attempt to increase the price of carbon by cutting the emissions allowances granted to firms. The measures include the EU’s first border tax on carbon, levied on cement imports. Steel firms, also heavy users of carbon, say their exclusion from this scheme is unfair. This week Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, offered his support for the tax. Similar proposals in America are also being mooted. This month a group of Republicans—including two former treasury secretaries, James Baker and George Shultz—proposed a similar levy on imports at the border, as well as for domestic production. Their plan includes a carbon tax on imports of up to $40 for each tonne produced by their manufacture, which would increase over time. The income from the levy would then be distributed to American households on a quarterly basis to make up for higher consumer prices. Proponents of such policies say that they remove the distortions caused by carbon taxes. Under the EU’s reforms, steelmakers in Europe would pay up to €30 ($32) to emit a tonne of carbon, but foreign producers selling in the EU would not have to pay a cent. This harms the cost competitiveness of European producers. It also encourages firms to move production outside the bloc rather than prompt them to use cleaner methods. Taxing imports on their embodied carbon—where this has not already happened in their country of origin—would level the playing field between different systems, they say. It would also give an incentive to countries without controls on emissions to introduce their own carbon taxes, in order to grab a share of the revenues. Economists say the idea works in theory. But many think it would be much more difficult in practice. One big problem is the difficulty of calculating the embodied carbon in imports. This is not easy even for simple sheets of steel; for items made of several bits of metal from different sources, it is hellishly complex. Disputes over this could produce reams of litigation at the WTO between various systems. But the reason why trade economists are so squeamish about carbon tariffs is the fear that they could cause a tariff war. The EU and America are already in a politically driven tit-for-tat over steel duties with China; they have risen in some cases to over 500%. Rather than prod countries to tighten their own regulations, new carbon tariffs could make that battle more vicious . Worse still, lobby groups could easily pervert the charges into a form of quiet protectionism. Donald Trump’s presidency has already rattled free-traders’ nerves. Why risk giving the protectionists another opening? From the given options choose the correct synonym for the word 'undermining' in context of the given passage.

Accepted Answer

The word 'undermining' in the context of a passage often implies weakening or gradually eroding something. 'Sabotage' (option 1) is the closest synonym, meaning to deliberately destroy or obstruct.

Question 3

Directions: In the following sentence, one part of the sentence has an error, and the other parts are correct. Find out which part has an error and mark it as your answer. If there is no error, mark ‘No error’ as your answer. Ignore the error of punctuation, if any.Though the town found the prank hilarious. /(A) Taylor, the head of the town council posted a notice asking who the prankster is / (B) and why was he creating havoc in the town. /(C) I do not know what is wrong with him, he feels like whoever did this will come clean to him. /(D) No error. /(E)

Accepted Answer

The error is in part (C). The phrase 'why was he creating havoc' should be 'why he was creating havoc' to maintain the correct indirect question structure after 'asking'.

Question 4

Directions: Ques No: 1-7
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Some words may be highlighted. Pay attention.
Coal mines were the beating heart of Britain's industrial revolution. Their sooty, energy-dense output gave life to new-fangled factories and shipyards, fuelling the nation's march towards modernity. They helped shape a carbon-intensive economy and paved the way for a global dependence on fossil fuels, and in doing so, fired the starting pistol on the climate crisis that today confronts us all.
But what if, in a serendipitous circle of history, our
extractive
past could be repurposed for a greener, cleaner future? What if the vast maze of coal mines beneath our feet, now filled with naturally warm water, could help decarbonise the UK's – and the world's – herculean heating needs?
That was the question Adam Black, a renewable energy enthusiast employed by one of Britain's largest bottling firms, Lanchester Wines, asked himself a decade ago. "I had about 400,000 sq ft of warehouse that needed heating and it was right over four layers of mine workings, which had naturally flooded over time. I felt we could use this mine water for heating", he recollects.
With the help of a few geothermal experts from Iceland, Black sunk a borehole into the
murky
depths of the old High Main coal seam in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Warmed by natural geological processes, the water they pumped to the surface was a pleasant 15C (59F). With a little supplemental warmth from an electric heat pump – "a bit like a fridge in reverse" – it was perfect for keeping the company's warehouse, and the millions of wine bottles within, at the right temperature. "Nowadays we're heating a couple of warehouses, a distribution depot, a local bakery, and soon a nearby car showroom too!", says Black.
He's not the only one excited by the energy potential of mine water. The UK Coal Authority, which is responsible for the country's disused pits, has big plans for the coming decade. Its geologists believe one-quarter of British homes currently sit on a coalfield, stretching across Wales, central Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands. An estimated 2 billion cubic metres of warm water occupy the old mine shafts and these flooded shafts contain around 2.2 million GWh of heat, with the potential to store more. Researchers suggest that this makes mine water one of the UK's largest underused clean energy sources. Accordingly, to help meet the country's sweeping carbon-reduction target, the Coal Authority is exploring the feasibility of some 70 mine water heating projects across the country.
Yet, while there's mounting evidence of mine water's energy potential, the idea isn't without issue. Retrofitting houses with the means to tap into a geothermal district heating network isn't cheap and new builds aren't often sited next to
derelict
collieries. Further, there are technical hurdles like stability concerns around abandoned mine shafts which were simply left to collapse. The capital costs are much higher with mine water geothermal, though under the right conditions the energy generated can be cheaper than that from conventional sources.
Adam Black at Lanchester Wines hopes that the costs will fall as the technology develops and uptake increases, "and if the energy authorities do their bit with regulation".
Beyond doubt is that the resource is there and waiting: A labyrinth of warrens once laden with men and machinery, now flooded with naturally warm water, ready to be tapped.

The geologists of the UK Coal Authority believe one-quarter of British homes currently sit on a coalfield. This coalfield stretches across which of the following regions?

Accepted Answer

The UK's major coalfields are extensive, covering Wales, central Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands. This distribution supports the claim that a significant portion of homes are on coalfields.

Question 5

Directions (Qs 5-11): -:
Read the given passage carefully  and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some  of the questions.
In the 1800s it was the Luddites smashing weaving machines. These days retail staff worry about automatic checkouts. Sooner or later taxi drivers will be
fretting
over self-driving cars. The battle between man and machines goes back centuries. Are they taking our jobs? Or are they merely easing our workload?
A study by economists at the consultancy Deloitte seeks to shed new light on the relationship between jobs and the rise of technology by trawling through census data for England and Wales going back to 1871. ____________________________ . Findings by Deloitte such as a fourfold rise in bar staff since the 1950s or a surge in the number of hairdressers this century suggest to the authors that technology has increased spending power, therefore creating new demand and new jobs.
Their study, shortlisted for the Society of Business Economists’ Rybczynski prize, argues that the debate has been skewed towards the job-destroying effects of technological change, which are more easily observed than its creative aspects.
“The dominant trend is of contracting employment in agriculture and manufacturing being more than offset by rapid growth in the caring, creative, technology and business services sectors,” they write.
“Machines will take on more repetitive and laborious tasks but seem no closer to eliminating the need for human labour than at any time in the last 150 years.” The study reveals that in some sectors, technology has quite  clearly cost jobs, but Stewart and his colleagues question whether they are really jobs we would want to hold on to. Technology directly substitutes human muscle power and, in so doing, raises productivity and shrinks employment.
“Easy access to information and the accelerating pace of communication have revolutionised most knowledge-based industries,” say the authors. At the same time, rising incomes have raised demand for professional services.
The Deloitte economists believe these rising incomes have allowed consumers to spend more on personal services, such as grooming. That in turn has
driven
employment of hairdressers.

According to the passage, what does the author mean when he  says “The battle between man and machines goes back centuries” ?I. It has been around a century that the fight between man and  machine is on, offering no clear results.II. There seems to be no trace of any truce being reached in  near future that might end the war between man and machine.III. The emerging technologies and the effect on jobs have  been a reason for the tussle between man and machine since ages.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "goes back centuries" implies a long-standing historical conflict. Option III correctly links this to emerging technologies and their impact on jobs over a long period, aligning with the passage's theme.

Question 6

Directions: Ques No: 1-10
Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention.
When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of
growth
and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater?
"Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal
Biotropica
.
The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts.
Eradication
of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a
resurgence
of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity.
But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra.
Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as
potential
shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.

What is the tone of the passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage presents facts and details without expressing strong opinions or biases, indicating an informative tone. It aims to educate the reader.

Question 7

Directions: Ques No: 1-7 Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. Since 2011, the world’s steelmakers have been feeling the heat. Prices for the metal have halved due to flatlining demand and rising exports from China, which now smelts 50% of the global output. Profits at steel firms around the world have fallen into a sea of red ink, shuttering plants and laying off workers. New measures designed to raise the price of carbon in the EU to help the bloc meet its climate-change targets, voted on by the European Parliament on February 15th, threaten to increase the pressure. The industry is a heavy user of carbon; responsible for 5% of global emissions. Some steel firms have responded by calling for carbon tariffs to prevent the measures undermining their international competitiveness. How do border taxes on carbon emissions work? And are they a good idea? The reforms the European Parliament passed this week are an attempt to increase the price of carbon by cutting the emissions allowances granted to firms. The measures include the EU’s first border tax on carbon, levied on cement imports. Steel firms, also heavy users of carbon, say their exclusion from this scheme is unfair. This week Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, offered his support for the tax. Similar proposals in America are also being mooted. This month a group of Republicans—including two former treasury secretaries, James Baker and George Shultz—proposed a similar levy on imports at the border, as well as for domestic production. Their plan includes a carbon tax on imports of up to 40 f o r e a c h t o n n e p r o d u c e d b y t h e i r m a n u f a c t u r e , w h i c h w o u l d i n c r e a s e o v e r t i m e . T h e i n c o m e f r o m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e n b e d i s t r i b u t e d t o A m e r i c a n h o u s e h o l d s o n a q u a r t e r l y b a s i s t o m a k e u p f o r h i g h e r c o n s u m e r p r i c e s . P r o p o n e n t s o f s u c h p o l i c i e s s a y t h a t t h e y r e m o v e t h e d i s t o r t i o n s c a u s e d b y c a r b o n t a x e s . U n d e r t h e E U ’ s r e f o r m s , s t e e l m a k e r s i n E u r o p e w o u l d p a y u p t o € 30 ( 40 for each tonne produced by their manufacture, which would increase over time. The income from the levy would then be distributed to American households on a quarterly basis to make up for higher consumer prices. Proponents of such policies say that they remove the distortions caused by carbon taxes. Under the EU’s reforms, steelmakers in Europe would pay up to €30 ( 40 f ore a c h t o nn e p ro d u ce d b y t h e i r man u f a c t u re , w hi c h w o u l d in cre a seo v er t im e . T h e in co m e f ro m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e nb e d i s t r ib u t e d t o A m er i c anh o u se h o l d so na q u a r t er l y ba s i s t o mak e u p f or hi g h erco n s u m er p r i ces . P ro p o n e n t so f s u c h p o l i c i ess a y t ha tt h eyre m o v e t h e d i s t or t i o n sc a u se d b yc a r b o n t a x es . U n d er t h e E U ’ sre f or m s , s t ee l mak ers in E u ro p e w o u l d p a y u pt o €30 ( 32) to emit a tonne of carbon, but foreign producers selling in the EU would not have to pay a cent. This harms the cost competitiveness of European producers. It also encourages firms to move production outside the bloc rather than prompt them to use cleaner methods. Taxing imports on their embodied carbon—where this has not already happened in their country of origin—would level the playing field between different systems, they say. It would also give an incentive to countries without controls on emissions to introduce their own carbon taxes, in order to grab a share of the revenues. Economists say the idea works in theory. But many think it would be much more difficult in practice. One big problem is the difficulty of calculating the embodied carbon in imports. This is not easy even for simple sheets of steel; for items made of several bits of metal from different sources, it is hellishly complex. Disputes over this could produce reams of litigation at the WTO between various systems. But the reason why trade economists are so squeamish about carbon tariffs is the fear that they could cause a tariff war. The EU and America are already in a politically driven tit-for-tat over steel duties with China; they have risen in some cases to over 500%. Rather than prod countries to tighten their own regulations, new carbon tariffs could make that battle more vicious . Worse still, lobby groups could easily pervert the charges into a form of quiet protectionism. Donald Trump’s presidency has already rattled free-traders’ nerves. Why risk giving the protectionists another opening? Ques No: 1-7 Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. Since 2011, the world’s steelmakers have been feeling the heat. Prices for the metal have halved due to flatlining demand and rising exports from China, which now smelts 50% of the global output. Profits at steel firms around the world have fallen into a sea of red ink, shuttering plants and laying off workers. New measures designed to raise the price of carbon in the EU to help the bloc meet its climate-change targets, voted on by the European Parliament on February 15th, threaten to increase the pressure. The industry is a heavy user of carbon; responsible for 5% of global emissions. Some steel firms have responded by calling for carbon tariffs to prevent the measures undermining their international competitiveness. How do border taxes on carbon emissions work? And are they a good idea? The reforms the European Parliament passed this week are an attempt to increase the price of carbon by cutting the emissions allowances granted to firms. The measures include the EU’s first border tax on carbon, levied on cement imports. Steel firms, also heavy users of carbon, say their exclusion from this scheme is unfair. This week Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, offered his support for the tax. Similar proposals in America are also being mooted. This month a group of Republicans—including two former treasury secretaries, James Baker and George Shultz—proposed a similar levy on imports at the border, as well as for domestic production. Their plan includes a carbon tax on imports of up to $40 for each tonne produced by their manufacture, which would increase over time. The income from the levy would then be distributed to American households on a quarterly basis to make up for higher consumer prices. Proponents of such policies say that they remove the distortions caused by carbon taxes. Under the EU’s reforms, steelmakers in Europe would pay up to €30 ($32) to emit a tonne of carbon, but foreign producers selling in the EU would not have to pay a cent. This harms the cost competitiveness of European producers. It also encourages firms to move production outside the bloc rather than prompt them to use cleaner methods. Taxing imports on their embodied carbon—where this has not already happened in their country of origin—would level the playing field between different systems, they say. It would also give an incentive to countries without controls on emissions to introduce their own carbon taxes, in order to grab a share of the revenues. Economists say the idea works in theory. But many think it would be much more difficult in practice. One big problem is the difficulty of calculating the embodied carbon in imports. This is not easy even for simple sheets of steel; for items made of several bits of metal from different sources, it is hellishly complex. Disputes over this could produce reams of litigation at the WTO between various systems. But the reason why trade economists are so squeamish about carbon tariffs is the fear that they could cause a tariff war. The EU and America are already in a politically driven tit-for-tat over steel duties with China; they have risen in some cases to over 500%. Rather than prod countries to tighten their own regulations, new carbon tariffs could make that battle more vicious . Worse still, lobby groups could easily pervert the charges into a form of quiet protectionism. Donald Trump’s presidency has already rattled free-traders’ nerves. Why risk giving the protectionists another opening? From the given options choose the correct antonym for the word 'vicious' in context of the given passage.

Accepted Answer

The word 'vicious' means cruel or violent. 'Civilized' means polite and well-behaved, which is the direct opposite. Therefore, 'Civilized' is the correct antonym.

Question 8

Find out the most effective word from the given options to fill in the blanks of the following questions.The building was ________ with graffiti.She _________ the book by writing on it.

Accepted Answer

Graffiti typically damages or spoils a surface, and writing on a book also spoils it. 'Defaced' means to spoil the surface or appearance of something, fitting both contexts perfectly.

Question 9

Directions: Ques No: 1-7
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Some words may be highlighted. Pay attention.
Coal mines were the beating heart of Britain's industrial revolution. Their sooty, energy-dense output gave life to new-fangled factories and shipyards, fuelling the nation's march towards modernity. They helped shape a carbon-intensive economy and paved the way for a global dependence on fossil fuels, and in doing so, fired the starting pistol on the climate crisis that today confronts us all.
But what if, in a serendipitous circle of history, our
extractive
past could be repurposed for a greener, cleaner future? What if the vast maze of coal mines beneath our feet, now filled with naturally warm water, could help decarbonise the UK's – and the world's – herculean heating needs?
That was the question Adam Black, a renewable energy enthusiast employed by one of Britain's largest bottling firms, Lanchester Wines, asked himself a decade ago. "I had about 400,000 sq ft of warehouse that needed heating and it was right over four layers of mine workings, which had naturally flooded over time. I felt we could use this mine water for heating", he recollects.
With the help of a few geothermal experts from Iceland, Black sunk a borehole into the
murky
depths of the old High Main coal seam in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Warmed by natural geological processes, the water they pumped to the surface was a pleasant 15C (59F). With a little supplemental warmth from an electric heat pump – "a bit like a fridge in reverse" – it was perfect for keeping the company's warehouse, and the millions of wine bottles within, at the right temperature. "Nowadays we're heating a couple of warehouses, a distribution depot, a local bakery, and soon a nearby car showroom too!", says Black.
He's not the only one excited by the energy potential of mine water. The UK Coal Authority, which is responsible for the country's disused pits, has big plans for the coming decade. Its geologists believe one-quarter of British homes currently sit on a coalfield, stretching across Wales, central Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands. An estimated 2 billion cubic metres of warm water occupy the old mine shafts and these flooded shafts contain around 2.2 million GWh of heat, with the potential to store more. Researchers suggest that this makes mine water one of the UK's largest underused clean energy sources. Accordingly, to help meet the country's sweeping carbon-reduction target, the Coal Authority is exploring the feasibility of some 70 mine water heating projects across the country.
Yet, while there's mounting evidence of mine water's energy potential, the idea isn't without issue. Retrofitting houses with the means to tap into a geothermal district heating network isn't cheap and new builds aren't often sited next to
derelict
collieries. Further, there are technical hurdles like stability concerns around abandoned mine shafts which were simply left to collapse. The capital costs are much higher with mine water geothermal, though under the right conditions the energy generated can be cheaper than that from conventional sources.
Adam Black at Lanchester Wines hopes that the costs will fall as the technology develops and uptake increases, "and if the energy authorities do their bit with regulation".
Beyond doubt is that the resource is there and waiting: A labyrinth of warrens once laden with men and machinery, now flooded with naturally warm water, ready to be tapped.

The tone of the passage is-

Accepted Answer

Analyze the passage's language and purpose. If it focuses on detailing characteristics or events without taking a stance, its tone is descriptive.

Question 10

Directions (Qs 5-11): -:
Read the given passage carefully  and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some  of the questions.
In the 1800s it was the Luddites smashing weaving machines. These days retail staff worry about automatic checkouts. Sooner or later taxi drivers will be
fretting
over self-driving cars. The battle between man and machines goes back centuries. Are they taking our jobs? Or are they merely easing our workload?
A study by economists at the consultancy Deloitte seeks to shed new light on the relationship between jobs and the rise of technology by trawling through census data for England and Wales going back to 1871. ____________________________ . Findings by Deloitte such as a fourfold rise in bar staff since the 1950s or a surge in the number of hairdressers this century suggest to the authors that technology has increased spending power, therefore creating new demand and new jobs.
Their study, shortlisted for the Society of Business Economists’ Rybczynski prize, argues that the debate has been skewed towards the job-destroying effects of technological change, which are more easily observed than its creative aspects.
“The dominant trend is of contracting employment in agriculture and manufacturing being more than offset by rapid growth in the caring, creative, technology and business services sectors,” they write.
“Machines will take on more repetitive and laborious tasks but seem no closer to eliminating the need for human labour than at any time in the last 150 years.” The study reveals that in some sectors, technology has quite  clearly cost jobs, but Stewart and his colleagues question whether they are really jobs we would want to hold on to. Technology directly substitutes human muscle power and, in so doing, raises productivity and shrinks employment.
“Easy access to information and the accelerating pace of communication have revolutionised most knowledge-based industries,” say the authors. At the same time, rising incomes have raised demand for professional services.
The Deloitte economists believe these rising incomes have allowed consumers to spend more on personal services, such as grooming. That in turn has
driven
employment of hairdressers.

Which of the following statement(s) best fits the given blank in  the passage?I. Technological progress has cut the prices of essentials, such as food, and the price of bigger household items such as TVs and kitchen appliances.II. Their conclusion is unremittingly cheerful: rather than destroying jobs, technology has been a “great job-creating machine”III. “In the UK the first sector to feel this effect on any scale was  agriculture,” says the study.

Accepted Answer

The passage discusses technology's impact on jobs. Statement II directly addresses this by calling technology a 'job-creating machine,' fitting the context of the passage's theme.

Question 11

Directions: Ques No: 1-10
Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention.
When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of
growth
and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater?
"Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal
Biotropica
.
The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts.
Eradication
of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a
resurgence
of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity.
But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra.
Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as
potential
shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.

Why were Palmyra's managers removing island's millions of coconut palms?

Accepted Answer

Palmyra's managers removed coconut palms to restore the island's native ecosystem. This allowed indigenous plant species to thrive, promoting biodiversity and ecological balance.

Question 12

Directions: Ques No: 1-7 Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention. Since 2011, the world’s steelmakers have been feeling the heat. Prices for the metal have halved due to flatlining demand and rising exports from China, which now smelts 50% of the global output. Profits at steel firms around the world have fallen into a sea of red ink, shuttering plants and laying off workers. New measures designed to raise the price of carbon in the EU to help the bloc meet its climate-change targets, voted on by the European Parliament on February 15th, threaten to increase the pressure. The industry is a heavy user of carbon; responsible for 5% of global emissions. Some steel firms have responded by calling for carbon tariffs to prevent the measures undermining their international competitiveness. How do border taxes on carbon emissions work? And are they a good idea? The reforms the European Parliament passed this week are an attempt to increase the price of carbon by cutting the emissions allowances granted to firms. The measures include the EU’s first border tax on carbon, levied on cement imports. Steel firms, also heavy users of carbon, say their exclusion from this scheme is unfair. This week Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, offered his support for the tax. Similar proposals in America are also being mooted. This month a group of Republicans—including two former treasury secretaries, James Baker and George Shultz—proposed a similar levy on imports at the border, as well as for domestic production. Their plan includes a carbon tax on imports of up to 40 f o r e a c h t o n n e p r o d u c e d b y t h e i r m a n u f a c t u r e , w h i c h w o u l d i n c r e a s e o v e r t i m e . T h e i n c o m e f r o m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e n b e d i s t r i b u t e d t o A m e r i c a n h o u s e h o l d s o n a q u a r t e r l y b a s i s t o m a k e u p f o r h i g h e r c o n s u m e r p r i c e s . P r o p o n e n t s o f s u c h p o l i c i e s s a y t h a t t h e y r e m o v e t h e d i s t o r t i o n s c a u s e d b y c a r b o n t a x e s . U n d e r t h e E U ’ s r e f o r m s , s t e e l m a k e r s i n E u r o p e w o u l d p a y u p t o € 30 ( 40 for each tonne produced by their manufacture, which would increase over time. The income from the levy would then be distributed to American households on a quarterly basis to make up for higher consumer prices. Proponents of such policies say that they remove the distortions caused by carbon taxes. Under the EU’s reforms, steelmakers in Europe would pay up to €30 ( 40 f ore a c h t o nn e p ro d u ce d b y t h e i r man u f a c t u re , w hi c h w o u l d in cre a seo v er t im e . T h e in co m e f ro m t h e l e v y w o u l d t h e nb e d i s t r ib u t e d t o A m er i c anh o u se h o l d so na q u a r t er l y ba s i s t o mak e u p f or hi g h erco n s u m er p r i ces . P ro p o n e n t so f s u c h p o l i c i ess a y t ha tt h eyre m o v e t h e d i s t or t i o n sc a u se d b yc a r b o n t a x es . U n d er t h e E U ’ sre f or m s , s t ee l mak ers in E u ro p e w o u l d p a y u pt o €30 ( 32) to emit a tonne of carbon, but foreign producers selling in the EU would not have to pay a cent. This harms the cost competitiveness of European producers. It also encourages firms to move production outside the bloc rather than prompt them to use cleaner methods. Taxing imports on their embodied carbon—where this has not already happened in their country of origin—would level the playing field between different systems, they say. It would also give an incentive to countries without controls on emissions to introduce their own carbon taxes, in order to grab a share of the revenues. Economists say the idea works in theory. But many think it would be much more difficult in practice. One big problem is the difficulty of calculating the embodied carbon in imports. This is not easy even for simple sheets of steel; for items made of several bits of metal from different sources, it is hellishly complex. Disputes over this could produce reams of litigation at the WTO between various systems. But the reason why trade economists are so squeamish about carbon tariffs is the fear that they could cause a tariff war. The EU and America are already in a politically driven tit-for-tat over steel duties with China; they have risen in some cases to over 500%. Rather than prod countries to tighten their own regulations, new carbon tariffs could make that battle more vicious . Worse still, lobby groups could easily pervert the charges into a form of quiet protectionism. Donald Trump’s presidency has already rattled free-traders’ nerves. Why risk giving the protectionists another opening? Whose presidency has rattled the free - traders' nerves?

Accepted Answer

Donald Trump's presidency was marked by protectionist trade policies, tariffs, and renegotiation of trade agreements, which significantly concerned free-trade advocates.

Question 13

Directions: Ques No: 1-7
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Some words may be highlighted. Pay attention.
Coal mines were the beating heart of Britain's industrial revolution. Their sooty, energy-dense output gave life to new-fangled factories and shipyards, fuelling the nation's march towards modernity. They helped shape a carbon-intensive economy and paved the way for a global dependence on fossil fuels, and in doing so, fired the starting pistol on the climate crisis that today confronts us all.
But what if, in a serendipitous circle of history, our
extractive
past could be repurposed for a greener, cleaner future? What if the vast maze of coal mines beneath our feet, now filled with naturally warm water, could help decarbonise the UK's – and the world's – herculean heating needs?
That was the question Adam Black, a renewable energy enthusiast employed by one of Britain's largest bottling firms, Lanchester Wines, asked himself a decade ago. "I had about 400,000 sq ft of warehouse that needed heating and it was right over four layers of mine workings, which had naturally flooded over time. I felt we could use this mine water for heating", he recollects.
With the help of a few geothermal experts from Iceland, Black sunk a borehole into the
murky
depths of the old High Main coal seam in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Warmed by natural geological processes, the water they pumped to the surface was a pleasant 15C (59F). With a little supplemental warmth from an electric heat pump – "a bit like a fridge in reverse" – it was perfect for keeping the company's warehouse, and the millions of wine bottles within, at the right temperature. "Nowadays we're heating a couple of warehouses, a distribution depot, a local bakery, and soon a nearby car showroom too!", says Black.
He's not the only one excited by the energy potential of mine water. The UK Coal Authority, which is responsible for the country's disused pits, has big plans for the coming decade. Its geologists believe one-quarter of British homes currently sit on a coalfield, stretching across Wales, central Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands. An estimated 2 billion cubic metres of warm water occupy the old mine shafts and these flooded shafts contain around 2.2 million GWh of heat, with the potential to store more. Researchers suggest that this makes mine water one of the UK's largest underused clean energy sources. Accordingly, to help meet the country's sweeping carbon-reduction target, the Coal Authority is exploring the feasibility of some 70 mine water heating projects across the country.
Yet, while there's mounting evidence of mine water's energy potential, the idea isn't without issue. Retrofitting houses with the means to tap into a geothermal district heating network isn't cheap and new builds aren't often sited next to
derelict
collieries. Further, there are technical hurdles like stability concerns around abandoned mine shafts which were simply left to collapse. The capital costs are much higher with mine water geothermal, though under the right conditions the energy generated can be cheaper than that from conventional sources.
Adam Black at Lanchester Wines hopes that the costs will fall as the technology develops and uptake increases, "and if the energy authorities do their bit with regulation".
Beyond doubt is that the resource is there and waiting: A labyrinth of warrens once laden with men and machinery, now flooded with naturally warm water, ready to be tapped.

Why is the Coal Authority exploring the feasibility of some 70 mine water heating projects across the country?

Accepted Answer

Mine water heating projects utilize geothermal energy, a renewable source. This directly contributes to reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon-reduction targets.

Question 14

Directions (Qs 5-11): -:
Read the given passage carefully  and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some  of the questions.
In the 1800s it was the Luddites smashing weaving machines. These days retail staff worry about automatic checkouts. Sooner or later taxi drivers will be
fretting
over self-driving cars. The battle between man and machines goes back centuries. Are they taking our jobs? Or are they merely easing our workload?
A study by economists at the consultancy Deloitte seeks to shed new light on the relationship between jobs and the rise of technology by trawling through census data for England and Wales going back to 1871. ____________________________ . Findings by Deloitte such as a fourfold rise in bar staff since the 1950s or a surge in the number of hairdressers this century suggest to the authors that technology has increased spending power, therefore creating new demand and new jobs.
Their study, shortlisted for the Society of Business Economists’ Rybczynski prize, argues that the debate has been skewed towards the job-destroying effects of technological change, which are more easily observed than its creative aspects.
“The dominant trend is of contracting employment in agriculture and manufacturing being more than offset by rapid growth in the caring, creative, technology and business services sectors,” they write.
“Machines will take on more repetitive and laborious tasks but seem no closer to eliminating the need for human labour than at any time in the last 150 years.” The study reveals that in some sectors, technology has quite  clearly cost jobs, but Stewart and his colleagues question whether they are really jobs we would want to hold on to. Technology directly substitutes human muscle power and, in so doing, raises productivity and shrinks employment.
“Easy access to information and the accelerating pace of communication have revolutionised most knowledge-based industries,” say the authors. At the same time, rising incomes have raised demand for professional services.
The Deloitte economists believe these rising incomes have allowed consumers to spend more on personal services, such as grooming. That in turn has
driven
employment of hairdressers.

Which of the following is the MOST SIMILAR to the word  given in bold as per its usage in the passage?Fretting

Accepted Answer

Fretting means to be constantly or visibly worried or anxious. Therefore, 'Worrying' is the most similar in meaning and usage, reflecting a state of concern.

Question 15

Directions: Ques No: 1-10
Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention.
When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of
growth
and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater?
"Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal
Biotropica
.
The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts.
Eradication
of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a
resurgence
of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity.
But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra.
Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as
potential
shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.

Choose the synonym of the word 'Eradicate'

Accepted Answer

Eradicate means to completely destroy or put an end to something. Therefore, 'destroy' is the correct synonym.

Question 16

Directions: In a question given below an incomplete sentence that must be filled/ completed with one of the sentences/phrases given below i.e. one of the sentences/phrases can be fit into the given blanks. Choose the correct option and complete the given sentences.Cyber physical systems _______________________________ due to the destruction of conventional jobs and the mechanization of jobs.

Accepted Answer

The subject 'Cyber physical systems' is plural, so the verb must be 'deal'. Also, 'jobs' are 'created' (passive voice), not 'create' or 'have been created'. Option 4 correctly uses 'deal' and 'would be created'.

Question 17

In the following sentence, a part of the sentence is underlined. Below are given alternatives to the underlined part, which may improve the sentence. Choose the correct alternative. In case no improvement is needed, choose the option ‘No improvement.'People need not worry orthink outthe repercussions of complaining to the DA, if they find evidence.A Think upB Think throughC Think over

Accepted Answer

The phrasal verb 'think over' means to consider something carefully. This fits the context of considering repercussions. 'Think out' is incorrect here.

Question 18

Directions: Ques No: 1-10
Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted for you. Please pay attention.
When the atoll's managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Island Conservation, were planning to conduct a rat eradication project, UC Santa Barbara community ecologist Hillary Young and her research group saw it as an unusual opportunity. They had already been visiting Palmyra regularly to track another non-native species, the coconut palm, to see whether it was spreading invasively in the area, potentially impacting the nesting seabird population and changing the island's soil composition. They had plots where they were monitoring trees in various stages of
growth
and survival; how would the vegetation respond to the eradication of the island's main seed and seedling eater?
"Prior to the eradication, most of the understory of Palmyra was either bare ground, sandy soil or coral rubble or covered in a carpet of ferns," said Ana Millerter Kuile, a graduate student researcher in the Young Group and lead author of a study that appears in the journal
Biotropica
.
The rats _______quick to eat seeds and young plants coming out of the ground, and they frequented the canopy as well, often nesting in the coconut palms and eating coconuts.
Eradication
of the rats, which was conducted in 2011, did in fact result in a
resurgence
of vegetation in Palmyra. And not only that. The Asian tiger mosquito was wiped out, while two species of land crab emerged, adding to the atoll's biodiversity.
But rarely is ecology easily untangled. In the years that followed eradication, Palmyra's understory did indeed fill with juvenile trees as seeds that hit the ground was allowed to take root. Only they were often not the Pisonia or other native trees that would have been the more ideal forests for the native seabirds and animals of Palmyra.
Continuing their restoration of the island, Palmyra's managers were working to remove the vast majority of the island's millions of coconut palms to give local species a chance to dominate, a project that is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anticipating the indirect downstream effects, such as
potential
shifts in ecology toward other invasive species, could become part of a more holistic island rodent eradication effort, Millerter Kuile said.

Choose the most appropriate antonym of'growth'.

Accepted Answer

Growth means development or increase. 'Withering' means to decay or decline, which is the direct opposite of growth. Thus, it is the most appropriate antonym.

Question 19

Select the phrase/connector from the given three options which can be used to form a single sentence from the two sentences given below, implying the same as expressed in the statement sentence.Maxine was the topper in her class. Sasha was in the bottom three.1. Notwithstanding2. Whereas3. Unless

Accepted Answer

'Whereas' is the correct connector as it effectively shows a contrast between Maxine's top position and Sasha's bottom position. The other options do not convey this contrasting meaning.

Question 20

In the following sentence a part of the sentence has been underlined. Below are given alternatives to the underlined part, which might improve the sentence.Choose the correct alternative. In case no improvement is needed, choose option 5.It is clear that the accused has beenstrongly backed withthe politicians of the country.A. Strongly backed againstB.Strongly backed byC.Strongly supported by

Accepted Answer

The phrase 'backed with' is grammatically incorrect in this context. 'Backed by' or 'supported by' are the correct prepositions to indicate who is providing support. Both B and C are suitable improvements.