Directions (Question: Following five questions) : In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words/ phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word/ phrase in each case.
There is a considerable amount of research about the factors that make a company innovate. So is it possible to create an environment (186) to innovation? This is a particularly pertinent (187 ) for India today. Massive problems in health, education etc (188 ) be solved using a conventional Approach but (189 ) creative and innovative solutions that can ensure radical change and (190 ). There are several factors in India's (191 ). Few countries have the rich diversity that India or its large, young population (192 ). While these (193 ) innovation policy interventions certain additional steps are also required. These include (194 ) investment in research and development by (195 ) the government and the private sector, easy transfer of technolgy from the academic world etc. To fulfil its promise of being prosperious and to be at the forefront, India must be innovative.
Directions (Question: Following five questions) : In each of the following questions four words are given, of which two words are most nearly the same or opposite in meaning. Find the two words which are most nearly the same or opposite in meaning and indicate the number of the correct letter combination, by darkening the appropriate oval in your answer sheet
Directions (Question: Following ten questions) : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in Bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
Jagir Singh has sold red onions at a market in south Delhi every day for the past half-century. Perched on an upturned crate, wrapped tight against the chill air, he offers pyaz a staple for much Indian cooking, for 60 rupees a kilo, the most he can remember. Business is brisk but most customers pick up only a small handful of onions. That is just as well. Wholesale supplies are tight, he says, and the quality is poor.
As India's economy grows by some 9% a year, food prices are soaring. In late December, the commerce ministry judged that food inflation had reached 18.3%, with pricey vegetables mostly to blame. Officials have made some attempts to temper the rise in the past month—scrapping import taxes for onions, banning their export and ordering low-priced sales at government-run shops. But there is no quick fix.
Heavy rain in the west of India brought a rctten harvest. Vegetables from farther afield—including a politically sensitive delivery from a neighbouring country—are costly to move on India's crowded, pot-holed roads. Few refrigerated lorries and poor logistics mean that much of each harvest is wasted. Newspapers allege hoarders are cashing in.
The biggest problems are structural. Food producers, hampered by land restrictions, archaic retail networks and bad infrastructure, fail to meet extra demand from consumers. It was estimated in October that a 39% rise in income per person in the previous five years might have created an extra 220 million regular consumers of milk, eggs, meat and fish. Supplies have not kept up with this potential demand.
The broader inflation rate may be a less eye-watering problem than the onions suggest. The central bank has lifted interest rates steadily in the past year and is expected to do so again later this month. Headline inflation fell to 7.5% in November, down by just over a percentage point from October, though it is still above the central bank's forecast of 5.5% for March.
