Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension: English Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers, Sample Passages for Reading Comprehension Test for GRE, CAT, IELTS preparation
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English Reading Comprehension Test Questions and Answers. Improve your ability to read and comprehend English Passages
Q186. > Corruption is a broad term covering a wide range of misuse of
> entrusted funds and power for personal gain i.e. Theft, fraud,
> nepotism, abuse of power etc. A corrupt act is often - but not
> necessarily - illegal. In handling corruption, you will often face a
> Gray zones and dilemmas. In many countries, corruption is everywhere
> and daily life is riddled with situations in the Gray zone between
> legal and illegal. Many people accept petty corruption as a fact of
> life. But the causes might differ, however, whether corruption results
> from a need, a culture or simply from an opportunity too tempting not
> to exploit, it influences the way we deal with it - or don’t deal with
> it. Corruption can occur on different scales. There is corruption that
> occurs as small favors between a small number of people (petty
> corruption), corruption that affects the government on a large scale
> (grand corruption), and corruption that is so prevalent that it is
> part of the everyday structure of society, including corruption as one
> of the symptoms of organized crime (systemic corruption). The main
> reason for the spread of corruption is that the people in the highest
> seat of power are corrupt unless the people at the top rung of power
> are honest and free from corruption; there is absolutely no
> possibility of eradicating corruption. If there is widespread
> corruption in India , it is because the people at the top are really
> corrupt .No subordinate will have to guts to be corrupt if the people
> at the top of the administration are honest and take stern action
> against the corrupt people .They cannot be harsh to the corrupt people
> , since it is through the corrupt subordinates that the people at the
> top get their share of the bribes .If one can make a discrete enquiry
> with the pavement traders, he can find out how much the police and the
> corporation councilors collect from the pavement traders .They say
> that the money so collected is shared by people from the top to the
> bottom. If the head is corrupt, what will the limbs do? The causes of
> corruption in India also include excessive regulations, complicated
> taxes and licensing systems, numerous government departments each with
> opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly by government
> controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and
> the lack of transparent laws and processes. There are significant
> variations in level of corruption as well as in state government
> efforts to reduce corruption across India.
>
> A 2005 study done by Transparency International in India found that
> more than 62% of the people had firsthand experience of paying bribe
> or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office. Taxes and
> bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International
> estimates that truckers pay annually 22,200 crores (US$ 4.5 billion)
> in bribes. Government regulators and police share in bribe money, each
> to the tune of 43% and 45% respectively. The en route stoppages
> including those at checkpoints and entry-points take up to 11 hours in
> a day. About 60% of these (forced) stoppages on road by concerned
> authorities such as government regulators, police, forest, sales and
> excise, octroi, weighing and measuring department are for extorting
> money. The loss in productivity due to these stoppages is an important
> national concern. The number of truck trips could increase by 40%, if
> forced delays are avoided. According to a 2007 World Bank published
> report, the travel time for a Delhi-Mumbai trip can be reduced by
> about 2 days per trip if the corruption and associated regulatory
> stoppages to extract bribes was eliminated.
What is the main objective of writer behind writing the passage?
- It gives an idea of right and wrong judgement.
- To remove the corruption from top to bottom.
- To throw light on corruption.
- Both 1 and 2
- None of these
Solution : To throw light on corruption.
Q187. > Corruption is a broad term covering a wide range of misuse of
> entrusted funds and power for personal gain i.e. Theft, fraud,
> nepotism, abuse of power etc. A corrupt act is often - but not
> necessarily - illegal. In handling corruption, you will often face a
> Gray zones and dilemmas. In many countries, corruption is everywhere
> and daily life is riddled with situations in the Gray zone between
> legal and illegal. Many people accept petty corruption as a fact of
> life. But the causes might differ, however, whether corruption results
> from a need, a culture or simply from an opportunity too tempting not
> to exploit, it influences the way we deal with it - or don’t deal with
> it. Corruption can occur on different scales. There is corruption that
> occurs as small favors between a small number of people (petty
> corruption), corruption that affects the government on a large scale
> (grand corruption), and corruption that is so prevalent that it is
> part of the everyday structure of society, including corruption as one
> of the symptoms of organized crime (systemic corruption). The main
> reason for the spread of corruption is that the people in the highest
> seat of power are corrupt unless the people at the top rung of power
> are honest and free from corruption; there is absolutely no
> possibility of eradicating corruption. If there is widespread
> corruption in India , it is because the people at the top are really
> corrupt .No subordinate will have to guts to be corrupt if the people
> at the top of the administration are honest and take stern action
> against the corrupt people .They cannot be harsh to the corrupt people
> , since it is through the corrupt subordinates that the people at the
> top get their share of the bribes .If one can make a discrete enquiry
> with the pavement traders, he can find out how much the police and the
> corporation councilors collect from the pavement traders .They say
> that the money so collected is shared by people from the top to the
> bottom. If the head is corrupt, what will the limbs do? The causes of
> corruption in India also include excessive regulations, complicated
> taxes and licensing systems, numerous government departments each with
> opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly by government
> controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and
> the lack of transparent laws and processes. There are significant
> variations in level of corruption as well as in state government
> efforts to reduce corruption across India.
>
> A 2005 study done by Transparency International in India found that
> more than 62% of the people had firsthand experience of paying bribe
> or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office. Taxes and
> bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International
> estimates that truckers pay annually 22,200 crores (US$ 4.5 billion)
> in bribes. Government regulators and police share in bribe money, each
> to the tune of 43% and 45% respectively. The en route stoppages
> including those at checkpoints and entry-points take up to 11 hours in
> a day. About 60% of these (forced) stoppages on road by concerned
> authorities such as government regulators, police, forest, sales and
> excise, octroi, weighing and measuring department are for extorting
> money. The loss in productivity due to these stoppages is an important
> national concern. The number of truck trips could increase by 40%, if
> forced delays are avoided. According to a 2007 World Bank published
> report, the travel time for a Delhi-Mumbai trip can be reduced by
> about 2 days per trip if the corruption and associated regulatory
> stoppages to extract bribes was eliminated.
Why the corruption is increasing so rapidly?
- Because all the employees are interested in it.
- The people in the highest seat of power our involved in the corruption.
- Government is unable to control over the corruption.
- There is a lack of strict laws against it.
- None of these
Solution : The people in the highest seat of power our involved in the corruption.
Q188. > Corruption is a broad term covering a wide range of misuse of
> entrusted funds and power for personal gain i.e. Theft, fraud,
> nepotism, abuse of power etc. A corrupt act is often - but not
> necessarily - illegal. In handling corruption, you will often face a
> Gray zones and dilemmas. In many countries, corruption is everywhere
> and daily life is riddled with situations in the Gray zone between
> legal and illegal. Many people accept petty corruption as a fact of
> life. But the causes might differ, however, whether corruption results
> from a need, a culture or simply from an opportunity too tempting not
> to exploit, it influences the way we deal with it - or don’t deal with
> it. Corruption can occur on different scales. There is corruption that
> occurs as small favors between a small number of people (petty
> corruption), corruption that affects the government on a large scale
> (grand corruption), and corruption that is so prevalent that it is
> part of the everyday structure of society, including corruption as one
> of the symptoms of organized crime (systemic corruption). The main
> reason for the spread of corruption is that the people in the highest
> seat of power are corrupt unless the people at the top rung of power
> are honest and free from corruption; there is absolutely no
> possibility of eradicating corruption. If there is widespread
> corruption in India , it is because the people at the top are really
> corrupt .No subordinate will have to guts to be corrupt if the people
> at the top of the administration are honest and take stern action
> against the corrupt people .They cannot be harsh to the corrupt people
> , since it is through the corrupt subordinates that the people at the
> top get their share of the bribes .If one can make a discrete enquiry
> with the pavement traders, he can find out how much the police and the
> corporation councilors collect from the pavement traders .They say
> that the money so collected is shared by people from the top to the
> bottom. If the head is corrupt, what will the limbs do? The causes of
> corruption in India also include excessive regulations, complicated
> taxes and licensing systems, numerous government departments each with
> opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly by government
> controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and
> the lack of transparent laws and processes. There are significant
> variations in level of corruption as well as in state government
> efforts to reduce corruption across India.
>
> A 2005 study done by Transparency International in India found that
> more than 62% of the people had firsthand experience of paying bribe
> or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office. Taxes and
> bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International
> estimates that truckers pay annually 22,200 crores (US$ 4.5 billion)
> in bribes. Government regulators and police share in bribe money, each
> to the tune of 43% and 45% respectively. The en route stoppages
> including those at checkpoints and entry-points take up to 11 hours in
> a day. About 60% of these (forced) stoppages on road by concerned
> authorities such as government regulators, police, forest, sales and
> excise, octroi, weighing and measuring department are for extorting
> money. The loss in productivity due to these stoppages is an important
> national concern. The number of truck trips could increase by 40%, if
> forced delays are avoided. According to a 2007 World Bank published
> report, the travel time for a Delhi-Mumbai trip can be reduced by
> about 2 days per trip if the corruption and associated regulatory
> stoppages to extract bribes was eliminated.
What do you understand by Gray zones as used in the passage?
- Double meaning.
- A puzzled situation but can be solved.
- Lack of knowledge.
- A topic that is not clear or full of ambiguity.
- None of these
Solution : A topic that is not clear or full of ambiguity.
Q189. > In February 2010 the Medical Council of India announced a major
> change in the regulation governing the establishment of medical
> colleges. With this change, corporate entities were permitted to open
> medical colleges. The new regulation also carried the following
> warning: “permission shall be withdrawn if the colleges resort to
> commercialization”. Since the regulation does not elaborate on what
> constitutes “resorting to commercialization”, this will presumably be
> a matter left to the discretion of the Government. A basic requirement
> for a new medical college is a pre-existing hospital that will serve
> as a teaching hospital. Corporate entities have hospitals in the major
> metros and that is where they will have to locate medical colleges.
> The earlier mandated land requirement for a medical college campus, a
> minimum of 25 acres of contiguous land, cannot be fulfilled in the
> metros. Not surprisingly, yet another tweak has been made in the
> regulation, prescribing 10 acres as the new minimum campus size for 9
> cities including the main metros. With this, the stage is set for
> corporate entities to enter the medical education market. Until now,
> medical education in India has been projected as a not-for profit
> activity to be organised for the public good. While private bodies can
> run medical colleges, these can only be societies or trusts, legally
> non-profit organizations. In opening the door to corporate colleges,
> thus, a major policy change has been effected without changing the law
> or even a discussion in Parliament, but by simply getting a compliant
> MCI to change the regulation on establishment of medical colleges.
> This and another changes have been justified in the name of addressing
> the shortage of doctors. At the same time, over 50 existing medical
> colleges, including 15 run by the government, have been prohibited
> from admitting students in 2010 for having failed to meet the basic
> standards prescribed. Ninety per cent of these colleges have come up
> in the last 5 years. Particularly shocking is the phenomenon of
> government colleges falling short of standards approved by the
> Government. Why are state government institutions not able to meet the
> requirements that have been approved by the central government? A
> severe problem faced by government-run institutions is attracting and
> retaining teaching faculty, and this is likely to be among the major
> reasons for these colleges failing to satisfy the MCI norms. The
> crisis building up on the faculty front has been flagged by various
> commissions looking into problems of medical education over the years.
> An indicator of the crisis is the attempt to conjure up faculty when
> MCI carries out inspections of new colleges, one of its regulatory
> functions. Judging by news reports, the practice of presenting fake
> faculty – students or private medical practitioners hired for the day
> – during MCI inspections in private colleges is common. What is
> interesting is that even government colleges are adopting unscrupulous
> methods. Another indicator is the extraordinary scheme, verging on the
> ridiculous that is being put in place by the MCI to make inspections
> ‘foolproof’. Faculty in all medical colleges are to be issued an
> RFID-based smart card by th MCI with a unique Faculty Number. The
> card, it is argued, will eliminate the possibility of a teacher being
> shown on the faculty of more than one college and establish if the
> qualifications of a teacher are genuine. In the future, it is
> projected that biometric RFID readers will be installed in the
> colleges that will enable a Faculty Identification, Tracking and
> Monitoring System to monitor faculty from within the college and even
> remotely from MCI headquarters. The picture above does not even start
> to reveal the true and pathetic situation of medical care especially
> in rural India. Only a fraction of the doctors and nursing
> professionals serve rural areas where 70 per cent of our population
> lives. The Health Ministry, with the help of the MCI, has been active
> in proposing yet another ‘innovative’ solution to the problem of lack
> of doctors in the rural areas. The proposal is for a
> three-and-a-half-year course to obtain the degree of Bachelor of Rural
> Medicine and Surgery (BRMS). Only rural candidates would be able to
> join this course. The study and training would happen at two different
> levels – Community Health Centers for 18 months, and sub-divisional
> hospitals for a further period of 2 years – and be conducted by
> retired professors. After completion of training, they would only be
> able to serve in their own state in district hospitals, community
> health centres, and primary health centres. The BRMS proposal has
> invited sharp criticism from some doctors’ organizations on the
> grounds that it is discriminatory to have two different standards of
> health care – one for urban and the other for rural areas, and that
> the health care provided by such graduates will be compromised. At the
> other end is the opinion expressed by some that “something is better
> than nothing”, that since doctors do not want to serve in rural areas,
> the government may as well create a new cadre of medics who will be
> obliged to serve there. The debate will surely pick up after the
> government formally lays out its plans. What is apparent is that
> neither this proposal nor the various stopgap measures adopted so far
> address the root of the problem of health care. The far larger issue
> is government policy, the low priority attached by the government to
> the social sector as a whole and the health sector in particular,
> evidenced in the paltry allocations for maintaining and upgrading
> medical infrastructure and medical education and for looking after
> precious human resources.
What solution is being offered by the Health Ministry for the shortage of doctors in rural areas?
- Increase the number of government run hospitals in the rural areas thereby increasing the number of doctors catering to the people in these regions.
- Make it mandatory for doctors serving in the urban areas to serve in the rural areas for a specific number of years
- Set up increasing number of community health centers in rural areas
- Hire retired professors of medicine to offer medical help to people living in the rural areas till the time more doctors are appointed
- Run a separate medical course for three and a half years which can be taken up only by rural candidates who would ultimately serve in the rural areas
Solution : Run a separate medical course for three and a half years which can be taken up only by rural candidates who would ultimately serve in the rural areas
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Q190. > In February 2010 the Medical Council of India announced a major change
> in the regulation governing the establishment of medical colleges.
> With this change, corporate entities were permitted to open medical
> colleges. The new regulation also carried the following warning:
> “permission shall be withdrawn if the colleges resort to
> commercialization”. Since the regulation does not elaborate on what
> constitutes “resorting to commercialization”, this will presumably be
> a matter left to the discretion of the Government. A basic requirement
> for a new medical college is a pre-existing hospital that will serve
> as a teaching hospital. Corporate entities have hospitals in the major
> metros and that is where they will have to locate medical colleges.
> The earlier mandated land requirement for a medical college campus, a
> minimum of 25 acres of contiguous land, cannot be fulfilled in the
> metros. Not surprisingly, yet another tweak has been made in the
> regulation, prescribing 10 acres as the new minimum campus size for 9
> cities including the main metros. With this, the stage is set for
> corporate entities to enter the medical education market. Until now,
> medical education in India has been projected as a not-for profit
> activity to be organised for the public good. While private bodies can
> run medical colleges, these can only be societies or trusts, legally
> non-profit organizations. In opening the door to corporate colleges,
> thus, a major policy change has been effected without changing the law
> or even a discussion in Parliament, but by simply getting a compliant
> MCI to change the regulation on establishment of medical colleges.
> This and another changes have been justified in the name of addressing
> the shortage of doctors. At the same time, over 50 existing medical
> colleges, including 15 run by the government, have been prohibited
> from admitting students in 2010 for having failed to meet the basic
> standards prescribed. Ninety per cent of these colleges have come up
> in the last 5 years. Particularly shocking is the phenomenon of
> government colleges falling short of standards approved by the
> Government. Why are state government institutions not able to meet the
> requirements that have been approved by the central government? A
> severe problem faced by government-run institutions is attracting and
> retaining teaching faculty, and this is likely to be among the major
> reasons for these colleges failing to satisfy the MCI norms. The
> crisis building up on the faculty front has been flagged by various
> commissions looking into problems of medical education over the years.
> An indicator of the crisis is the attempt to conjure up faculty when
> MCI carries out inspections of new colleges, one of its regulatory
> functions. Judging by news reports, the practice of presenting fake
> faculty – students or private medical practitioners hired for the day
> – during MCI inspections in private colleges is common. What is
> interesting is that even government colleges are adopting unscrupulous
> methods. Another indicator is the extraordinary scheme, verging on the
> ridiculous that is being put in place by the MCI to make inspections
> ‘foolproof’. Faculty in all medical colleges are to be issued an
> RFID-based smart card by th MCI with a unique Faculty Number. The
> card, it is argued, will eliminate the possibility of a teacher being
> shown on the faculty of more than one college and establish if the
> qualifications of a teacher are genuine. In the future, it is
> projected that biometric RFID readers will be installed in the
> colleges that will enable a Faculty Identification, Tracking and
> Monitoring System to monitor faculty from within the college and even
> remotely from MCI headquarters. The picture above does not even start
> to reveal the true and pathetic situation of medical care especially
> in rural India. Only a fraction of the doctors and nursing
> professionals serve rural areas where 70 per cent of our population
> lives. The Health Ministry, with the help of the MCI, has been active
> in proposing yet another ‘innovative’ solution to the problem of lack
> of doctors in the rural areas. The proposal is for a
> three-and-a-half-year course to obtain the degree of Bachelor of Rural
> Medicine and Surgery (BRMS). Only rural candidates would be able to
> join this course. The study and training would happen at two different
> levels – Community Health Centers for 18 months, and sub-divisional
> hospitals for a further period of 2 years – and be conducted by
> retired professors. After completion of training, they would only be
> able to serve in their own state in district hospitals, community
> health centres, and primary health centres. The BRMS proposal has
> invited sharp criticism from some doctors’ organizations on the
> grounds that it is discriminatory to have two different standards of
> health care – one for urban and the other for rural areas, and that
> the health care provided by such graduates will be compromised. At the
> other end is the opinion expressed by some that “something is better
> than nothing”, that since doctors do not want to serve in rural areas,
> the government may as well create a new cadre of medics who will be
> obliged to serve there. The debate will surely pick up after the
> government formally lays out its plans. What is apparent is that
> neither this proposal nor the various stopgap measures adopted so far
> address the root of the problem of health care. The far larger issue
> is government policy, the low priority attached by the government to
> the social sector as a whole and the health sector in particular,
> evidenced in the paltry allocations for maintaining and upgrading
> medical infrastructure and medical education and for looking after
> precious human resources.
Why have some existing medical colleges been prohibited from admitting students?
- As these have adopted corrupt practices and have been taking huge donations from their students
- As all these colleges were illegally set up and were not approved by the government in the first place
- As the course offered by these colleges is not in line with the course offered by the government run colleges
- As these have failed to meet the norms set by the central government for running the college
- As there are absolutely no faculty members left in these colleges to teach students
Solution : As these have failed to meet the norms set by the central government for running the college
Q{{($index+1)+((page-1)*LIMITPERPAGE)}}.
Solution :
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