PAPER : L.I.C. (ADO) Recruitment Exam Solved Paper (Held on 10-6-2007)
English Language
Directions(Q. 1 to10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.
Politicians and generals talk of military strategies and manoeuvers but something completely different is needed. Stability will come only when economic opportunities exist, when youth can find jobs and support families rather than seeking their livelihood in violence. Peace can only be achieved with a withdrawal of foreign troops, sanctions and peace-keepers and the arrival of jobs, productive farms and factories, healthcare and schools. Repeatedly the fragile peace in impoverished countries has broken down because of the lack of economic follow-up. Despite promises of aid, the actual record of international aid to post war reconstruction is deficient.
Once the war ends agencies involved in post war relief efforts fail to understand how to start or restart economic development in a low income setting. They squander time, surplus aid funds and opportunities because they are not familiar with local conditions and do not under-stand their point of view. There are distinct phases of outside help to end a conflict. In the first phase focus is on providing food, water, shelter and medicine to refugees i.e., humani-tarian. In the second, emphasis is on the refugees returning home while in the last phase long term investments and strengthening of courts is the main focus.
However once a conflict is over aid agencies sanctioned by the World Bank send study groups instead of requisite personnel. There is a gap of several years before moving from humanitarian relief to economic deve-lopment. By the time such help arrives the war has restarted. It is possible to restart economic develop-ment through targeted ‘quick impact’ initiatives. Most economies in post conflict countries are based on agri-culture. Providing free packages of seeds, fertilizers and low cost equip-ment quickly will ensure that former soldiers will return to their farms and establish their livelihood. But the window of opportunity closes quickly and one has to implement these measures almost immediately.
1. Which of the following is a reason, post conflict reconstruc-tion efforts have failed ?
(A) Aid organizations do not understand issues from the pers-pective of the poor
(B) Rapid economic develop-ment in low income countries
(C) World Bank studies are not valid
(D) International aid organiza-tions become too involved in reconstruction efforts
(E) None of these
2. Where does the problem lie in implementing post war relief measures ?
(A) Aid agencies fail to study the situation
(B) Economic development measures are too rapid
(C) Focus on economic deve-lopment not humanitarian aid
(D) Lack of funds to implement programmes
(E) Lack of essential and quali-fied personnel
3. According to the author how can political stability be achieved ?
(A) Increasing the number of foreign troops in areas of conflict
(B) Depending more on foreign aid
(C) Following recommendations given by the World Bank
(D) Providing economic oppor-tunities
(E) None of these
4. Which of the following is not true in the context of the pas-sage ?
(A) Focus in the first phase of a war is on providing humani-tarian aid
(B) Sanctions are not a means to ensure peace
(C) Adequate time must be taken to plan and implement quick impact strategies
(D) Providing employment to the younger generation will prevent wars
(E) Focus on delivering justice through courts should be in the last phase of conflict aid
5. How can economic development be restarted in an impoverished country ?
(A) Long term studies should be commissioned
(B) Retaining soldiers in the army to ensure law and order
(C) Restrict number of aid agencies to avoid waste
(D) Focusing on agricultural ini-tiatives
(E) Deploying peace keepers in the country
6. What is the benefit of ‘quick impact aid ?
(A) Soldiers earn income from the army and their farms
(B) Providing alternate liveli-hood to soldiers before war can restart
(C) Free land is given to soldiers
(D) Price of equipment is low
(E) None of these
Directions(Q. 7 and 8) Choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
7. exist
(A) live (B) fit
(C) create (D) occur
(E) survive
8. squander
(A) lavish (B) spend
(C) displace (D) lose
(E) misuse
Directions(Q. 9 and 10) Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
9. fragile
(A) weak (B) lasting
(C) long (D) strong
(E) unstable
10. deficient
(A) surplus (B) valued
(C) short (D) secure
(E) repaired
Directions(Q. 11 to 15): Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below it—
A. Strict obedience to these rules is called discipline.
B. In the same way, a society where rules are not followed cannot survive for long.
C. Only then a society can be run in an orderly fashion.
D. A society can exist properly only when men living in it agree upon certain rules of conduct.
E. For example, if the people on the road do not obey traffic rules there will be complete disorder and con-fusion.
F. Students must obey their teachers, children their parents, citizens the laws and so on and so forth.
11. Which of the following is the fifth sentence ?
(A) A (B) B
(C) C (D) E
(E) F
12. Which of the following is the sixth (Last) sentence ?
(A) A (B) B
(C) C (D) D
(E) E
13. Which of the following is the second sentence ?
(A) A (B) B
(C) C (D) D
(E) E
14. Which of the following is the first sentence ?
(A) A (B) B
(C) C (D) D
(E) E
15. Which of the following is the third sentence ?
(A) A (B) B
(C) C (D) E
(E) F
Directions(Q. 16 to 20): Pick out the most effective word from among the given words to fill in the blank to make the sentence meaningfully com-plete.
16. She did not like her decision like a dictator on her subordinates.
(A) divulge (B) prompt
(C) enforce (D) deploy
(E) make
17. People unfortunately that money brings happiness.
(A) assume (B) deny
(C) object (D) rely
(E) conscious
18. The public have a protest against the new rules of the budget.
(A) organize
(B) demonstrated
(C) compiled
(D) pursued
(E) launched
19. Sarojini Naidu will always be remembered for here to the national cause.
(A) blessing
(B) involvement
(C) pursuit
(D) dedication
(E) command
20. Poverty has to be and the basic necessities of life should be made available to everyone.
(A) destroyed (B) eliminated
(C) finished (D) magnified
(E) considered
Directions(Q. 21 to 25) In each of these questions, two of the words are related in some way i.e., they are similar or opposites. Pick out the option which represents that pair.
21. 1. moderate 2. easy
3. significant 4. strenuous
(A) 2“4 (B) 1–2
(C) 1–3 (D) 2–3
(E) 3–4
22. 1. focus 2. trivial
3. vital 4. site
(A) 1–2 (B) 2–4
(C) 1–3 (D) 3–4
(E) 2–3
23. 1. defer 2. dispute
3. prefer 4. challenge
(A) 2–3 (B) 1–3
(C) 2–1 (D) 2–4
(E) 3–4
24. 1. consequence
2. potential
3. influence
4. ability
(A) 4–3 (B) 2–4
(C) 2–3 (D) 1–3
(E) 4–1
25. 1. rebuke 2. oppose
3. praise 4. distrust
(A) 1–2 (B) 2–3
(C) 1–3 (D) 3–4
(E) 2–4
Directions—(Q. 26–35):In the following passage there are blanks each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each five words are suggested, one of which fills the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Delinking of jobs from degrees is one of the …(26)… features of our education …(27)…. There has been a …(28)… fall in …(29)… in the acade-mic field in recent years. There is a …(30)… of degree holders in the country, as a result, university degrees have …(31)… their value and charm while the number of students in colleges and universities of the country has been …(32)… rising. Consequently thousands of graduates and post graduates come out of these institutions and stand in queues waiting to get some …(33)… jobs …(34)… in the country. Moreover, these degree holders do not have any technical or vocational knowledge needed for a particular job. As a result, the number of educated unemployed has been rising …(35)…. It has created a very serious problem.
26. (A) minor
(B) trivial
(C) unachievable
(D) irrelevant
(E) salient
27. (A) process
(B) policy
(C) development
(D) guideline
(E) procedures
28. (A) expected (B) sheer
(C) rough (D) steep
(E) gentle
29. (A) assessment
(B) evaluation
(C) competence
(D) fees
(E) value
30. (A) flood (B) class
(C) party (D) mob
(E) rabble
31. (A) mislaid (B) lost
(C) increase (D) found
(E) establish
32. (A) slowly (B) hastily
(C) deeply (D) waiting
(E) out
33. (A) suitable (B) remain
(C) study (D) live
(E) place
34. (A) frequency
(B) occurrence
(C) event
(D) chance
(E) blocking
35. (A) fever (B) outshine
(C) lean (D) dwarfed
(E) horribly
Answers With Explanations
1. (A) 2. (A) 3. (D) 4. (E) 5. (D)
6. (E) 07. (D) 8. (B) 9. (D) 10. (A)
11. (D) 12. (A) 13. (A) 14. (E) 15. (E)
16. (C) 17. (A) 18. (E) 19. (D) 20. (B)
21. (A) 22. (E) 23. (B) 24. (B) 25. (C)
26. (E) 27. (B) 28. (D) 29. (C) 30. (A)
31. (B) 32. (B) 33. (A) 34. (D) 35. (E)
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
