ENGLISH QUIZ - 13

                                                 English Quiz For AAO | Bank Exams 

Directions (Q.1 - 10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words are given in bold in the passage to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

It is difficult to compare countries because various factors such as size, culture, history, geography, natural endowments, geopolitics and internal polity come into play. There are some goals, which can be achieved by smaller countries, but sometimes smaller countries find it difficult to embark upon certain big technological plans even if they have the funds, because the size of the domestic market if too small. If we consider the bigger countries, the closest comparison to India is China, though there are many crucial differences.

        The Chinese vision is to prepare the country for entry into the ranks of mid-level developed nations by the middle of the 21st century. Acceleration of the nation's economic growth and social development by relying on advances in science and technology is pivotal in this.

         Documents describing the Chinese vision state that science and technology constitute premier productive forces and represent a great revolutionary power that can propel economic and social development. It is interesting to note that the main lessons the Chinese have drawn form their past performance is their failure to promote science and technology as strategic tools for empowerment. They also point to the absence of mechanisms and motivational in their economic activity to promote dependence on science and technology. Similarly, they hold that their scientific and technological efforts were not oriented towards economic growth. As a consequences, they conclude, a large number of scientific and technological achievement were not converted into productive forces as they were too far removed form China's immediate economic and social needs. The Chinese vision is, therefore, aimed at exploiting state-of-art science and technology to enhance the nation's overall power and strength to improve the people's living standards, to focus on resolving problems encountered in large-scale industrial and agricultural production and to effectively control and alleviate pressures brought on by population, resources and the environment. By the year 2000, China had aimed at bringing the main industrial sectors up to the technological levels achieved by the developed countries in the 1970s or '80s and by 2020 to the level they would have attained by the early 21st century. The aim is to bridge the overall gap with the advanced world. There is a special emphasis on research and development of high technologies that would find defence applications. Some of these technologies are critical for improving the features of key conventional weapons. Some technologies are meant for enhancing future military capabilities. Other efforts are aimed at maintaining the momentum to develop capabilities for cutting-edge defence technologies. They call for unremitting efforts in this regard with the aim maintaining effective self-defence and nuclear deterrent capabilities and to enable parity in defence, science and technology with me the advanced world.

1. Comparison between two countries becomes difficult because

A. the countries differ in their internal political systems.

B. each country has its own culture and natural resources which differ from those of others.

C. the countries with homogenous backgrounds are many in number.

a) Only A

b) Only B

c) A and B

d) All of these

e) None of these

2. Why can't smaller countries take up big technological planning?
a) They have other goals to achieve 
b) They have smaller domestic market size
c) Smaller countries lack technological knowledge
d) Bigger countries do not permit them to do so
e) None of these

3. What is the goal of China to be accomplished by the middle of 21st century?
a) To become one of the most developed nations
b) To surpass the level of all middle-level developed nations by a good margin
c) To be the most influential superpower
d) To be the most developed nation
e) None of the above

4. What according to the Chinese vision, can boost socioeconomic development?
a) Science and Technology
b) Minds united with revolutionary powers
c) Premier productive forces
d) A vision which peoples development
e) None of the above

5. Which of the following have the Chinese identified as their pitfall(s) from their past?
A. Lack of orientation of science and technology towards economic growth.
B. Lack of mechanisms in their economic activities to promote use of science and technology.
C. Neglect of science and technology as a strategic measure for empowerment.
a) A and B
b) B and C
c) A and C
d) All of these
e) None of these

6. The scientific and Technological accomplishments of China could
a) remain dysfunctional
b) be transformed into productive forces
c) be utilized for motivating economic activities
d) be promoted through political will
e) None of these

Directions (Q.7 - 8): Choose the words which is most nearly same in meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.

7. Endowments
a) Powers
b) Measures
c) Habitats
d) Findings
e) Gifts

8. Oriented
a) Stated
b) Tempting
c) Deciding
d) Leaning
e) Sure

Directions (Q.9 - 10): Choose the word which is opposite in meaning to the word given in bold as used in the passage.

9. Crucial
a) Central
b) Trivial
c) Decisive
d) Fundamental
e) Imperative 

10. Pivotal
a) Irrelevant
b) Unmanageable
c) Irreparable 
d) Inauspicious
e) Irritating

Answers: 1- C, 2- B, 3- E, 4- A, 5- D, 6- B, 7- E, 8- D, 9- B, 10- A