Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC in English, | PASSAGE – 5

  Read the following passages and answer the questions given below:

13. Global population was around 1.6 billion in 1990- today it is around 7.2 billion and growing. Recent estimates on population growth predict a global population of 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10. 9 billion in 2100. Unlike Europe and North America, where only three to four percent of the population is engaged in agriculture, around 47 percent of India’s population is dependent upon agriculture. Even if India continues to do well in the service sector and the manufacturing sector picks up, it is expected that around 2030 when India overtakes China as the world’s most populous country, nearly 42 percent of India's population will still be predominantly dependent on agriculture.

Which of the following reflects the most logical inference based on the passage above?

a. Indian economy greatly depends on its agriculture

b. Prosperity of agriculture sector is of critical importance to India

c. India’s farming communities should switch over to other occupations to improve their economic conditions

d. India should take strict measures to control its rapid population growth.

14. All political systems need to mediate the relationship between private wealth and public power. Those that fail risk a dysfunctional government captured by wealthy interests. Corruption is one symptom of such failure with private willingness-to-pay trumping public goals. Private individuals and business firms pay to get routine services and to get to the head of the bureaucratic queue. They pay to limit their taxes, avoid costly regulations, obtain contracts at inflated prices. If corruption is endemic, public officials - both bureaucrats and elected officials- may redesign programmes and propose public projects with few public benefits and many opportunities for private profit. Of course, corruption is only one type of government failure. Efforts to promote good governance must be broader than anti corruption campaigns. Governments may be honest but inefficient because no one has an incentive to work productively, and narrow elites may capture the state and exert excess influence on policy. Bribery may induce the lazy to work hard and permit those not in the inner circle of cronies to obtain benefits. However, even in such cases, corruption cannot be confined to ‘functional’ areas. It will be a reasonable response to a harsh reality but, over time, it can facilitate a spiral into an even worse situation.

Consider the following statements

I. Productivity linked incentives to public/private officials is one of the indicatives of an efficient government.

II. The governments which fail to focus on the relationship between private wealth and public power are likely to biome dysfunctional

Which of the statements given above is/are valid?

a. Only (I)

b. Only (II)

c. Both (I) and (II)

d. Neither (I) nor (II)

15. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital in order for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. The problem is more severe for developing countries like India, which would be one of the hardest hit by climate change, given its need to finance development. Most countries do indeed treat climate change as a real threat and are striving to address it in a more comprehensive and integrated manner with the limited resources at their disposal.

What implications can be drawn from the passage above?

a. Climate change is a complex issue that requires developing countries to adapt their financial policies

b. Climate change does not affect developed countries

c. Climate change will affect India more than other countries because of its tropical climate

d. Climate change is not taken seriously by most countries

Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC in English, | PASSAGE – 4

 Read the following passages and answer the questions given below:

 9. Books today have become mere adjuncts to the world of the mass media, offering light entertainment and reassurances that all is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds. The resulting control on the spread of ideas is stricter than anyone would have thought possible in a free society. The need for public debate and open discussion, inherent in the democratic idea, conflicts with the ever-stricter demand for total profit.

Which of the following implications is correct based on the passage above?

a. The false sense of security provided by conformist literature can be detrimental to free thought

b. Light entertainment can be harmful to the democratic idea of a free society in the long run

c. The most important idea in democracy is dissent

d. Books published earlier used to be more critical of society as opposed to the light entertainment we get today

10. Cause and effect assumes history marches forward, but history is not an army. It is a crab scuttling sideways, a drip of soft water wearing away stone, an earthquake breaking centuries of tension. Sometimes one person inspires a movement, or her words do decades later, sometimes a few passionate people change the world; sometimes they start a mass movement and millions of others; sometimes those millions are stirred by the same outrage or same ideal, and change comes upon us like a change of weather. What all these transformations have in common is that they begin in the imagination, in the hope.

What is the crux of the passage given above?

a. Imagination is the breeding ground for ideas that change the world

b. History is not a linear movement

c. Mass movements can be sparked by a single person

d. History should be approached in a holistic manner instead of a cause and effect manner

11. The concept of sustainability has often been distorted, co-opted, and even trivialised by being used without the ecological context that gives it its proper meaning. What is sustained in a sustainable community is not economic growth, competitive advantage, or any other measure used by economists, but the entire web of life on which our long-term survival depends. The first step toward a sustainable community, naturally, must be to understand how nature sustains life. This involves a new ecological understanding of life, or “ecoliteracy”, as well as a new kind of systemic thinking - thinking in terms of relationships, patterns and context.

What is the most plausible, logical inference drawn from this passage?

a. Ecoliteracy is essential to the understanding of climate change policies

b. Nature and naturalistic living needs to be given more importance over a demand for total profit

c. Separating sustainability from its ecological context has led to the reduction of its importance.

d. Ecological understanding of life is essential for a sustainable future.

12. Education plays a transformatory role in life, particularly so in this rapidly changing and globalising world. Universities are the custodians of the intellectual capital and promoters of culture and specialised knowledge. Culture is an activity of thought, and receptiveness to beauty and human feelings. A merely well informed man is only a bore on God’s earth. What we should aim at is producing men who possess both culture and expert knowledge. Their expert knowledge will give them a firm ground to start from and their culture will lead them as deep as philosophy and as high as art. Together it will impart meaning to human existence.

On the basis of the above passage the following can be said to be true

I. Without acquiring culture, a person’s education is not complete

II. A society of well educated people cannot be transformed into a modern society

III. It is essential that a society has cultured as well as intellectual people.

Which is/are valid?

a. I only

b. II only

c. I and II only

d. I and III only

Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC in English, | PASSAGE – 3

 Read the following passages and answer the questions given below:

6. Scientists have warned that global warming will keep getting worse until humanity reaches “net zero” emissions globally — that is, the point at which we are no longer pumping any additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. So in recent years a growing number of countries and businesses have been pledging to “go net zero” by various dates. But the concept can easily be abused. It’s one example of climate terminology that can be hard to decipher.

What are the most appropriate implications according to the passage given above?

I. The solution to global warming is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

II. The language surrounding climate change leaves room for loopholes that are misused.

III. Businesses and countries pledging environmental goals will help making lasting impact on climate change issues

IV. Climate change policies require cooperation on a global scale.

V. Businesses pledging “go net zero” are contributing to rising temperatures globally.

a. Only (IV)

b. (II), (IV) Only

c. (I),(II),(III),(V) Only

d. (II),(III),(V) Only

7. No superhuman brain is required to avoid the various foolish opinions that many of us hold. A few simple rules will keep you away not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one which can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple method of counting the teeth of Mrs. Aristotle. Thinking that you know, when in fact, you do not know, is a bad mistake to which many of us are prone.

Based on the passage above, which of the following assumptions has been made by the author?

a. Even great people like Aristotle can make a mistake

b. Silly mistakes can be avoided by resorting to thinking.

c. One does not have to be exceptionally clever to avoid making silly mistakes.

d. We are prone to making avoidable mistakes since we do not care to think for ourselves.

8. Those who pay attention to the Olympics tend to view them from one end of a telescope or the other. Most who tune in for the sporting event every couple of years love the suspense. They may know, in the recesses of their minds, that the spectacle disguises a rusty and corrupt system, prone to vote buying in the selection of host cities, appeasement of dictators and unkept promises. To the fans of the Olympics, the positives outweigh the negatives.

Those who analyse the Olympics more broadly see the balance in reverse. They may appreciate the athletic achievements, but not enough to outweigh concerns about damage inflicted by the Olympics.

Which of the following options best reflects the central message of the passage given above?

a. The Olympic games are a testament to the world’s athletic talent

b. Analyses of the Olympic games reveals a lot of corruption in the host cities

c. Despite the athletic marvels showcased in the Olympics, its many drawbacks cannot be ignored

d. The Olympics are a polarising event in today’s society

Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC in English, | PASSAGE – 2

 Read the following passages and answer the questions given below:

4. The plunder of Latin America left 70 million indigenous people dead in its wake. In India, 30 million died of famine under British rule. Average living standards in India and China, which had been on par with Britain before the colonial period, collapsed. So too did their share of world GDP, falling from 65 percent to 10 percent, while Europe’s share tripled. And mass poverty became an issue for the first time in history, as European capitalism - driven by the imperatives of growth and profit - prised people off their land and destroyed their capacity for self-sufficient subsistence. Development for some meant underdevelopment of others.

Consider the following statements

A. European capitalism is the root cause of mass poverty

B. Colonialism caused displacement of indigenous population.

C. Europe’s status as a wealthy nation is based on the destruction of third world countries.

Which of these statements can be inferred to be true based on the passage above?

a. A and B only

b. B only

c. A and C only

d. A, B, and C only

5. The world map of inequalities reveals that national average income levels are poor predictors of inequality — among high-income countries, some are very unequal (such as the US), while others are relatively equal (Sweden). "The same is true among low- and middle-income countries, with some exhibiting extreme inequality (Brazil and India), somewhat high levels (China) and moderate to relatively low levels (Malaysia, Uruguay)," stated the World Inequality Report. The report noted that income and wealth inequalities have been on the rise nearly everywhere since the 1980s, following a series of deregulation and liberalisation programmes which took different forms in different countries. "The rise has not been uniform: certain countries have experienced spectacular increases in inequality (including the US, Russia and India) while others (European countries and China) have experienced relatively smaller rises," it said.

The report pointed out that in 2021, after three decades of trade and financial globalisation, global inequalities remain extremely pronounced. "They are about as great today as they were at the peak of Western imperialism in the early 20th century," it said. Lucas Chancel, lead author of the report, said the COVID crisis has exacerbated inequalities between the very wealthy and the rest of the population. "Yet, in rich countries, government intervention prevented a massive rise in poverty, this was not the case in poor countries. This shows the importance of social states in the fight against poverty," he said.

What is the most logical inference that can be drawn from the above passage?

a. The involvement of the state is essential to the alleviation of the poor.

b. The COVID crisis has caused the rich to become richer and poor to become poorer.

c. High income countries are more unequal than low income countries

d. The World Inequality Report states that income levels are not good indicators of inequality.

Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers for UPSC in English, | PASSAGE – 1

 Read the following passages and answer the questions given below:

1. Though top leaders of the nationalist movement were the policy makers, the immediate day-to-day leadership was provided by the middle-class intellectuals. The rural origin of the industrial labour force together with rampant illiteracy and their simplistic docility attracted social workers, mainly drawn from the middle-class intellectuals. They had an obvious advantage. Not being employees, the leaders were free from fear of victimisation and immune towards the risks of leadership. Being generally well educated, they had a better perspective and sense of organisation. They could see the issue in a broader context. They belonged to a higher social plane than the workers and with good education and intellectual development comparable to the best among the employers they could meet the employers on their own plane and carry on negotiations on an equal footing. According to the Royal Commission on Labour in India, ‘the effect of this surge was enhanced by the political turmoil which added to the prevailing feelings of unrest and assured to provide willing leaders of a trade union movement’. But outside leadership had led to the politicisation of the movement.

What conclusion can be drawn based on the passage given above?

I. The middle class intellectuals were active participants in the Nationalistic movement because the workers did not want to choose a leader among themselves.

II. The integration of middle class intellectuals as political leaders caused the movement to become politicised.

a. Only (I)

b. Only (II)

c. Both (I) and (II)

d. Neither (I) and (II)

2. Inequality is visible, even statistically measurable in many instances, but the economic power that drives it is invisible and not measurable. Like the force of gravity, power is the organising principle of inequality, be it of income, or wealth, gender, race, religion and region. Its effects are seen in a pervasive manner in all spheres, but the ways in which economic power pulls and tilts visible economic variables remain invisibly obscure.

On the basis of the above passage, which of the following best articulates the crux of the passage?

a. Economic power can be analysed more through its effects than by direct empirical methods

b. Inequality of different kinds, income, wealth, etc. reinforces power.

c. The nature of economic power, the driving force behind all kinds of inequality, is obscurity.

d. Economics power is the only reason for the existence of inequality in a society.

3. A majority of the TB infected in India are poor and lack sufficient nutrition, suitable housing and have little understanding of prevention. TB then devastates families, makes the poor poorer, particularly affects women and children, and leads to ostracization and loss of employment. The truth is that even if TB does not kill them, hunger and poverty will. Another truth is that deep-sealed stigma, lack of counselling, expensive treatment and lack of adequate support from providers and family, couples with torturous side-effects demotivate patients to continue treatment- with disastrous health consequences.

On the basis of the passage above, which one of the following assumptions can be made?

a. The circumstances in India makes TB an incurable disease in India.

b. Basic amenities like proper nutrition, housing can alleviate the current TB situation in India.

c. The stigma caused by TB is worse than the disease itself.

d. The poverty stricken people of India are unwilling to seek medical help to cure TB because of the harmful side effects and high cost of treatment.

Useful Phrases and Idioms UPSC 2024 in English

‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.

‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually appears at that moment.

‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.

‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.

‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.

‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.

‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.

‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.

‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.

‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.

‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.

‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.

Vocabulary for UPSC 2024 in English

By now it should be clear to you how important having a strong vocabulary is.

To have even a basic understanding of comprehension passages it is important to first understand the words. However, building up one’s vocabulary requires rigorous practice.

Read, Rinse and Repeat: Reading is an essential, unavoidable step of the process. In order to get familiar with important words that might come up in comprehension passages, making a habit of reading newspapers is helpful. Some good examples include Indian Express, The Times of India and The Hindu. Everytime you come across a new word, it is a good idea to underline or highlight it and relate it to your own life. Make a note of each new word you come across to refer to later.

A Separate Notebook: It is a good idea to have a separate space to write down all the new words that you come across. As you come across more words, it is likely that some might escape your memory. Having them all written down in one place for reference later can be particularly helpful for active recall.

Construct Sentences: Memorising a list of new words will only get you so far. Writing sentences with unfamiliar words you come across makes you actively engage with each word, which each in turn helps retain it in your memory for much longer. It is also extra grammar practice that will help you write better essays in future.

Flashcards: Flashcards help in active recall which has been proven to improve one’s memory.

Word games: Playing word games could be a way to build your vocabulary while relaxing. However, be careful to not use this as an excuse to use your phone to procrastinate.

A List of Important Words

Abdicate: 1. (of a monarch) to renounce one's throne

2. to fail to fulfil a responsibility or duty

Synonyms: resign, retire, step down, disown, turn down

Antonym: Accept.

Abject: extremely unpleasant

Synonyms: wretched, miserable.

Abrade: scrape or wear away by friction or erosion

Synonyms: wear, erode

Antonym: rebuild

Abridged: A piece of writing that has been shortened.

Synonyms: Concise, shortened, condensed.

Antonyms: lengthened, expanded

Abundant: having large quantities

Synonyms: plentiful, ample, copious

Antonyms: scarce, sparse.