Elitmus Verbal Ability 2

Elitmus Verbal Ability

Paragraph/Instructions

Choose the most appropriate choice to fill in the underlined portion(s) of the sentence below:

Question 1 of 20  

Katrina is exhausted. She ____________.

		A.	is running
		B.	has been running
		C.	had been running
		D.	was running

Question 2 of 20  

The least considered in latest Marxist attack________the innocent victims.

		A.	was
		B.	were
		C.	are
		D.	have been

Question 3 of 20  

You________drive any car. But you_________not drive mine.

		A.	can, will
		B.	will,can
		C.	can, may
		D.	may, can

Question 4 of 20  

The wages of sin __________ death.

		A.	is
		B.	are
		C.	has
		D.	have

Paragraph/Instructions

Delivering a speech at an institutional gathering recently on the topic of ‘Rethinking religions’, a prominent, MP, said that by the middle of this century religion would be very different, that its present form would be completely unrecognizable, given the changes brought about by an emerging information society. "Religion as we know it will not be the same in 50 years. There has been a rapid democratization of the world. The world is a much smaller place. The pronouncements of religions can therefore not remain the same," he said. More importantly, he maintained that some notions central to religion would not survive the future: "You have to stay with the times or you'll be left behind."

One wonders, if he had also been sitting in the audience listening to himself would his jaw have dropped‘? For if there's one thing we all know that doesn't change, it's religion. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc, have lived comfortably through many technological and other intellectual upheavals in the past such as the Renaissance, printing and the industrial revolution, for instance, and have emerged even more stubborn and ossified if anything afterwards. Sure, peripheral elements change —heretics are no longer burned at the stake, sati is outlawed — but "notions central to religion" not surviving, say, the Internet, is laughable. 

That's because the central notion of all religions, concepts that are cold welded to the first few pages of any scripture, is that there is a God who is the creator of all things including us, that we have a duty to love and worship Him and that He stands for everything which is good. These things have so far reliably demonstrated a sure fire ability to endure millennia.

On the other hand, consider Parsis. More and more members of these modern day descendants of migrants who fled persecution in Iran more than 1,000 years ago, are turning to new technology to keep their ancient Zoroastrian religion alive and kicking. "Websites, blogs, on line directories and match making portals are being used by the close knit but scattered and shrinking community to stay in touch and true to the 3,500 year old faith," reports AFP. In fact, they're doing exactly the opposite of what our prominent MP fears: they're staying with the times for fear of being left behind. It's what all religions have always done in order to keep the faith.

Question 5 of 20  

We can infer, from the use of the phrase "... rapid democratization of the world", in the first para, that:

		A.	the world is shrinking, thanks to improved communication.
		B.	countries prefer democracy as a form of government.
		C.	religion would have changed beyond recognition
		D.	people are accorded more freedom in terms of choices.

Question 6 of 20  

As understood from the passage, what does the phrase notion central to religion not surviving, say, the internet is laughable" in the 2"" para mean?

		A.	Central ideas of religion not able to outlast internet is ridiculous.
		B.	Central ideas of religion not able to overpower internet is silly.
		C.	As per information available on the internet, religion is not going to survive.
		D.	As per information available on the internet, the central ideas of religion, will not be pertinent to religion in future.

Question 7 of 20  

What is the primary reason for Parsis turning to new technologies?

		A.	To stay in touch
		B.	To perpetuate their faith
		C.	To increase their shrinking population by matchmaking
		D.	To influence the other communities

Question 8 of 20  

"...and have emerged even more stubborn and ossified." What has emerged more stubborn and ossified?

		A.	Religion
		B.	Christianity, Islam and Hinduism
		C.	Industrial revolution
		D.	Renaissance

Paragraph/Instructions

On the whole, the American population has very little taste for income redistribution as economic policy. Beginning in the 1930s, public opinion polls have rarely shown strong support for income redistribution; during times of economic hardship, the percentage of Americans in favor of such a system has barely crested 50 percent. Similarly, Americans have been reluctant to press for a limit on the profits of big corporations, with less than a third of those polled in the 20 year span between 1950 and 1970 favouring such a policy.

Even during the Depression, the populace was reluctant to embrace income redistribution as a solution to the country’s woes. In 1939, over 60 percent of respondents indicated that the government should not increase taxes on the wealthy and an overwhelming majority—over 80 percent—rejected the idea of the government confiscating wealth. Clearly, the American spirit of Lockean liberalism and rugged individualism runs deep. It appears that most people are content to trust income distribution to the private market.

Of course, while overall support for income distribution remains low on average, there are some significant differences in levels of support based on income levels. As expected, those in the lowest income bracket demonstrate the strongest support for employment and income maintenance programs. However, contrary to expectations, these differences in support were not largest during the volatile economic times of the 1930s and 1940s. Rather, the documented differences in support based on income have been relatively stable over time. On the whole, political scientists have noticed anywhere from a 22 percent to 34 percent difference between the opinions of those classified as "prosperous" and those classified as "poor" on the question of income redistribution.

Question 9 of 20  

The main point made by the passage is that:

		A.	Income redistribution is not viewed as the solution to economic difficulties by the majority of American citizens.
		B.	The American spirit of Lockean liberalism is primarily responsible for the population’s rejection of income redistribution.
		C.	Despite some variations in support based on income levels, the American population on the whole views income redistribution policies with disfavor, even during times of economic hardship.
		D.	Although polls have indicated some variation in response level, on the whole, less than 50 percent of Americans support income redistribution.
		E.	Poll results on government income redistribution policies have remained stable over time, even during periods of economic hardship.

Question 10 of 20  

The passage states that differences in support for governmental income redistribution policies:

		A.	defied expectations by showing that those in lower income brackets had less support for these programs than those in higher income brackets
		B.	vary greatly depending the income level of respondents and the economic conditions at the time the poll is taken
		C.	are not, for the most part, significantly affected by outside influences
		D.	are not significantly different due to the American ideal of rugged individualism
		E.	are based solely on differences in the income levels of respondents

Question 11 of 20  

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

I. During the Depression, a smaller percentage of Americans supported raising taxes than supported government confiscation of wealth

II. Today, about a third of Americans support limits on corporate profits

III. Before 1930, a majority of Americans supported income distribution

		A.	I only
		B.	I and II only
		C.	I and III only
		D.	I, II, and III
		E.	None of these

Explanation :

This is an inference question. None of the statements are true, although each of them is cleverly worded to make you believe they are. The first statement reverses the relationship in the passage.

During the Depression, around 60 percent of the people were against tax increases, which means about 40 percent supported them or had no opinion, while 80 percent were opposed to government confiscation of property, meaning 20 percent supported it or had no opinion. Thus, a larger percentage supported raising taxes.

The passage only gives data from 1950 to 1970 on corporate profits, so you can’t infer what people think today. And no information is provided on opinions previous to 1930. 

Thus, none of the statements can be properly inferred.

Question 12 of 20  

An assumption underlying the author’s assertion in the second paragraph is that:

		A.	the private market is the best way to distribute income in an economy
		B.	Americans had never experienced economic hardships as severe as those experienced during the Great Depression
		C.	Lockean liberalism and rugged individualism entail a reliance on private markets for income distribution
		D.	the government had no intentions of confiscating property during the Great Depression
		E.	income redistribution would be insufficient to solve the country’s economic woes during the Great Depression

Paragraph/Instructions

Economists have long recognized a persistent and unfounded belief among the population which has come to be known as the anti-foreign bias. As a result of this bias, most people systematically underestimate the economic benefits of interactions with foreign nations. Some psychologists believe that this bias is rooted in a natural distrust of the "other," while others believe that a form of folk wisdom, seemingly in accord with common sense but nonetheless incorrect, explains the bias. This wisdom asserts that in any transaction there is a winner and a loser and any foreign nation that wants to engage in trade must be doing so because it seeks its own advantage. But nothing could be further from truth.

No less an authority than Adam Smith, one of the fathers of the modern free market system, spoke glowingly of foreign trade in his influential treatise Wealth of Nations. "What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in a great kingdom," said Smith. His point is simple. A baker trades his bread to the cobbler for shoes and both men benefit from the trade because of the value of specialization. The same principle works for nations. Even more startling, a basic economic theorem, the Law of Comparative Advantage, states that mutually beneficial trade is possible even if one nation is less productive than the other.

Suppose a citizen of Country X can produce either 10 computers or five bushels of wheat and a citizen of Country Y can produce either three computers or two bushels of wheat. If one citizen from Country X switches from producing wheat to computers and three citizens from Country Y switch from producing computers to wheat, there is a net gain of one computer and one bushel of wheat.

Question 13 of 20  

As it is described in the passage, which of the following most closely resembles "folk wisdom?"

		A.	A farmer decides that it is going to rain after scanning the sky for dark clouds.
		B.	A child asks his parents why the sky is blue and the parents reply "because it is."
		C.	A driver believes taking local roads instead of the highway will allow her to reach her destination faster because there will be less traffic on the local roads.
		D.	A person spends 10 dollars on lottery tickets every week because he believes that "someone has to win."
		E.	A mother tells her child to put on a jacket so he won’t catch cold, even though colds are caused by viruses.

Question 14 of 20  

The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?

		A.	Arguing for an increase in trade with foreign nations.
		B.	Providing a historical context for a long-standing belief.
		C.	Demonstrating the fallacy of a particular way of thinking.
		D.	Illustrating an economic principle through an example.
		E.	Describing Adam Smith’s contributions to the theory of trade.

Question 15 of 20  

The author most likely mentions the "baker" and the "cobbler" in order to:

		A.	provide a concrete illustration of an economic principle
		B.	discuss the types of goods available during Adam Smith’s time
		C.	evaluate an example used in Smith’s Wealth of Nations
		D.	show that all trade is based on specialization
		E.	give a real world example of the importance of foreign trade

Question 16 of 20  

The author most probably uses the word "startling" in reference to the Law of Comparative Advantage because:

		A.	it is surprising that the general public is unaware of the Law of Comparative Advantage
		B.	the Law proves that all foreign trade is mutually beneficial
		C.	it is puzzling that no one before Adam Smith thought of the Law
		D.	the Law of Comparative Advantage holds even when there is an imbalance in the capabilities of the nations.
		E.	most countries do not consider the Law of Comparative Advantage when devising their trade policies

Paragraph/Instructions

There are two gaps in each of the following sentences. From the pair of words given, choose one that fills the  gaps most appropriately. The first word in the pair should fill the first gap.

Question 17 of 20  

Their achievement in the field of literature is described as ________ sometimes it  is even called _________.

		A.	magnificent, irresponsible
		B.	insignificant, influential
		C.	significant, paltry
		D.	unimportant, trivial

Question 18 of 20  

But ________ we are now regularly written not just for tools but well-established practices, organisations and institutions not all of which seem to be ________ away.

		A.	reports, withering
		B.	stories, trading
		C.	books, dying
		D.	obituaries, fading

Paragraph/Instructions

Sentences A,B,C and so on given in each question when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Choose the most logical ordeer of sentences from among the four given choices

Question 19 of 20  

A. It begins with an ordinary fever and a moderate cough.

B. India could be under attack from a class of germs that cause what are called  typical pneumonia.

C. Slowly a sore throat progresses to bronchitis and then pneumonia and respiratory complications.

D. It appears like the ordinary flu but baffled doctors find that the usual drugs don’t work.

		A.	ABCD
		B.	BDAC
		C.	ADCB
		D.	BCDA

Question 20 of 20  

A.  Good advertising can make people buy your products even if it sucks.

B.  A dollar spent on brain-washing is more cost-effective than a dollar spent on product improvement.

C.  That’s important because it takes pressure off you to make good products.

D.  Obviously, there is a minimum quality that every product has to achieve, it should be able to withstand the shipping process without becoming unrecognizable.

		A.	BACD
		B.	ACBD
		C.	ADCB
		D.	BCDA