Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given after the passage. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
What precisely the focus of budgetary attention should be was not elaborated, except for the suggestion that Indian agriculture needs to be insulated from the vagaries of climate change, and the general imperative of reforming subsidy
administration. With government funds being spent on ill-administered and leakage-prone subsidy, at the expense of investment in agriculture, there is evidently much scope for revamping expenditure in the farm sector to boost productivity and production. However, equal emphasis must be placed on developing agriculture’s market linkages.
What precisely the focus of budgetary attention should be was not elaborated, except for the suggestion that Indian agriculture needs to be insulated from the vagaries of climate change, and the general imperative of reforming subsidy
administration. With government funds being spent on ill-administered and leakage-prone subsidy, at the expense of investment in agriculture, there is evidently much scope for revamping expenditure in the farm sector to boost productivity and production. However, equal emphasis must be placed on developing agriculture’s market linkages.
Four kinds of policy-induced distortions plague Indian agriculture, besides the subsidy-investment tradeoff. Skewed policy attention on grain via procurement at fancy prices is the first, leading to relative neglect of other crops. Institutional barricading of the farmer from the consumer, giving assorted intermediaries the power of pricing and profiteering is the second.
Low levels of processing and value addition, including storage, form the third, leading to wastage, low prices and loss of the farmer’s bargaining power. And the fourth is irrational policy on international trade, commodity markets and crop insurance.All these can and must be fixed — of course, with the full cooperation of the state governments. Now that electricity is widely available, potentially if not yet in practice, it is possible to create huge capacity in climate controlled storage and agro-processing in rural areas, both vastly enhancing the farmer’s pricing power.
This is essential, not just for the sake of the farmer, but also of industry: food inflation directly boosts industry’s cost of funds via the RBI’s monetary policy response.There is, in fact, no need for the government to wait for the Budget to tackle these problems. The sooner it gets going on fixing policy glitches in agriculture, the better for the economy in general.Cooperative federalism should be invoked to induce the states to make the needed changes in policy that is for them to make at their level.
1.What can be the suitable title of the above passage?
a.Budget:What it means to focus on agriculture
b.Government subsidies:A big failure
c.Agriculture malpractices
d.Food inflation:biggest challenge
e.None of these
2.According to the passage, what are the effects of the low level of processing?
a.It leads to wastage of government funds due to low pricing
b.It reduces the price and farmer's bargaining power
c.It reduces wastage and price
d.Both a and b
e.None of these
3.According to the author ,What step/steps should be taken to develop agriculture market?
I.There should be stoppage of distribution of government subsidies.
II.There should be equal distribution of funds in budget
II.There should be equal emphasis on developing agriculture's market linkages.
a.III and I
b.I and II
c.All the above
d.III only
e.None of the above
4.Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
I.There is negligance of other crops because of attention on grains at fancy prices.
II.Urgent attention should be given on fund allocation for agriculture in buget.
III.Indian agriculture needs favourable climate conditions to boost productivity.
a.I and II
b.II and III
c.I only
d.II only
e.III only
5.What are the policies that plague Indian agriculture?
a.Skewed policies for pricing, Low levels of processing
b.Barricading of farmers from the consumer
c.Irratinal policies on international trade
d.All the above
e.None of the above
Direction(6-8): Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
6.Vagaries
a.deprive
b.impulsive
c.bubble
d.vary
e.distinction
7.Evident
a.dubious
b.concealed
c.unknown
d.conspicuous
e.vogue
8.Assorted
a.similar
b.unvaried
c.diversified
d.mixed
e.kind
Direction(9-10): Choose the word which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage-
9.Vastly
a.largly
b.mainly
c.immensely
d.nominaly
e.notably
10.Plague
a.invasion
b.evil
c.disease
d.ravage
e.advantage
Answers
1.a
2.b
3.d
4.b
5.d
6.b
7.d
8.c
9.d
10.e
Answers
1.a
2.b
3.d
4.b
5.d
6.b
7.d
8.c
9.d
10.e
