Q.1-10. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some questions.
The aftermath of the Brexit referendum has caused significant global market volatility. The suddenness and speed of change in the UK’s circumstances has shaken the comfortable certainties of the post-credit-crisis recovery path. Post-traumatic stress disorder is grounded in a growing body of research showing that individuals who live through periods of significant and prolonged economic disruption are irremediably altered by these experiences. A prolonged period of uncertainty following Brexit might lead the shell-shocked “Brexit generation” to shy away from investments in risky enterprises or entrepreneurial activity, and cause capital for UK firms to become more expensive.
There are already signs of stress in capital markets, with gold and government bond prices spiking upwards as investors rush towards what they perceive to be safe assets.
The consequences of economic post-traumatic stress disorder and the associated desire for safety are equally important for countries, where macroeconomic quantities such as growth and inflation can be volatile for long intervals, and policy changes are often subject to prolonged uncertainty. In particular, the concept may provide insights to help address the important and longstanding problem of excessive gold holdings.
Policymakers have long been frustrated by the fact that Indian household savings are disproportionately directed towards unproductive assets such as gold, rather than channelled into formal financial markets. An investigation of the most recent All-India Debt and Investment Survey reveals that on average, households in India hold more gold than they do financial assets, and the median gold holding is roughly ten times the median holding of financial assets. For one, Indian households stand to reap numerous benefits from redeploying resources from gold to formal markets, including a more favourable risk-return profile, diversification benefits, and liquidity. On a more macro level, there are potentially big wins from a tilt away from gold towards more productive assets, such as a reduction in the current account deficit from declining gold imports, and the mobilisation of much-needed funds for uses such as infrastructure. This is where the notion of post-traumatic stress disorder becomes useful.
A frequent explanation for high allocations to gold is that Indian households use it as “inflation insurance,” seeking an alternative store of value to cash. This approach allows a clearer view — the data reveals that households in states with historically high levels of inflation volatility tend to hold significantly higher amounts of gold. Digging deeper, it turns out that this connection is especially strong if the head of the household experienced high levels of inflation when they were young— such households turn out to hold particularly high levels of gold.
This finding of “post-traumatic inflation disorder” is intriguing. Over and above a host of other factors, experiencing periods of high and volatile inflation when young is associated with households’ propensity to hoard gold. The effect of this experience is considerable, comparable in magnitude to the effect of having children. Gold holdings appear to have deep roots in household fears and expectations arising from lived experiences of high and volatile inflation. The long-lasting nature of the impact on asset allocation, considerably strengthens the case for a strong inflation target to tackle inflation volatility at its source, in addition to solutions already in place such as gold monetisation and gold bond schemes. A broader lesson to be drawn is that uncertainty per se can have undesirable effects many years into the future — meaning that the costs of delay in policy implementation may be significantly higher than previously thought.
Q.1. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according the passage?
1. On a more macro level, there are potentially big wins from a tilt away from gold towards more productive assets.
2. A reduction in the current account deficit from declining gold imports and the mobilisation of much-needed funds for uses such as infrastructure.
3. The notion of post-traumatic stress disorder becomes waste.
4. A frequent explanation for high allocations to gold is that Indian households use it as “inflation insurance,” seeking an alternative store of value to cash.
5. The approach allows a clearer view — the data reveals that households in states with historically high levels of inflation volatility tend to hold significantly higher amounts of gold.
Q.2. What Indian households reap from redeploying resources from gold to formal markets?
A. A more favourable risk-return profile
B. Diversification benefits and Liquidity
C. Liability and accessibility
1. Only (A)
2. Only (B)
3. Only (C)
4. Only (A) and (B)
5. Not given in the passage
Q.3. Which kind of solutions are already in place to tackle inflation volatility at its source?
A. Masala bonds
B. Gold monetisation
C. Gold bond schemes
1. Only (A)
2. Only (B)
3. Only (A) and (B)
4. Only (B) and (C)
5. All (A), (B) and (C)
Q.4. What is actually strengthened by the long-lasting nature of the impact on asset allocation?
A. The case for a strong inflation target to tackle inflation volatility at its source.
B. To tackle political disruptions at its source.
C. To tackle diversification in various trades.
D. To elucidate the meaning of the costs of delay in policy implementation.
1. Only (A)
2. Only (B)
3. Only (C) and (D)
4. Only (B) and (D)
5. All (A), (B), (C) and (D)
Q.5. What does Post-traumatic stress disorder show, which is grounded in a growing body of research?
A. Individuals who live through periods of economic disruption are altered by some of their experiences.
B. It shows that households in states with historically high levels of inflation volatility tend to hold significantly higher amounts of gold.
C. Individuals who live through periods of significant and prolonged economic disruption are irremediably altered by these experiences.
1. Only (A)
2. Only (B)
3. Only (C)
4. Only (A) and (C)
5. All (A), (B) and (C)
Q.6. For which kind of countries the consequences of economic post-traumatic stress disorder and the associated desire for safety is important?
(A) Macroeconomic quantity such as growth can be volatile for long intervals.
(B) Macroeconomic quantity such as inflation can be volatile for long intervals.
(C) Policy changes are often subject to prolonged uncertainty.
1. Only (A)
2. Only (B)
3. Only (C)
4. Both (A) and (B)
5. All (A), (B) and (C)
Q.7. Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the word printed in bold, as used in the passage.
Disruption
1. Interruption
2. Exhausted
3. Ferment
4. Clamor
5. Solitude
Q.8. Choose the word which is most nearly the SIMILAR in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
Diversification
1. Heterogeneity
2. Refinement
3. Tempering
4. Medley
5. Melange
Q.9. Choose the word which is the most opposite in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
Productive
1. Selfless
2. Limitless
3. Hapless
4. Effortless
5. Worthless
Q.10. Choose the word which is the most opposite in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
Q.10. Volatility
1. Predictability
2. Notify
3. ability
4. Impossibility
5. Thought
ANSWERS
Q.1. Option (3) (Answer lies in the last of the third paragraph.)
Q.2. Option (4) (Answer is given in the middle of the third paragraph.)
Q.3. Option (4) (Answer is given in the middle of the last paragraph.)
Q.4. Option (1) (Answer is given in the middle of the fifth paragraph.)
Q.5. Option (3) (Answer is given in the starting of the first paragraph.)
Q.6. Option (5) (Answer is given in the beginning of the second para.)
Q.7. Option (1)
Q.8. Option (1)
Q.9. Option (5)
Q.10. Option (1)
