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.