Reading
comprehension is the ability to process written
text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader
already knows. Reading
comprehension relies on two abilities that are connected to each other: word
reading and language comprehension. Comprehension specifically is a
"creative, multifaceted process" dependent upon four language
skills: phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
Reading Comprehension –
Passage types from which the topic for reading comprehensions may be picked:
Current Events: Mostly, the passage is picked from a
recent development across the world, which may be hype and is in the news.
Economy Related: Passage related to economic growth or the
development of a country may also be put up in the comprehension part.
Social Sciences: This is another sector from which the
passage may be put forth in the Verbal Ability section.
Philosophy &
Psychology: The comprehension
may deal with philosophy and psychology topics, making the topic moderately
complicated for the candidate.
Imaginary Events: It is also possible that the passage may
be based on fictitious information which may not be realistic and just be
imaginary.
The comprehension is
based on the current events maximum times because applicants may have come
across the news through various platforms and may be aware of the topic.
Important Rules to Follow
While Answering RC Passages-
One should understand
the author’s main point.
Identify the key
arguments being put forward to prove that point.
Identify the author’s tone,
which can be mocking, curious, respectful, condescending, etc.
Check for negative
conjunctions, and these words will definitely reveal a change in the tone of
the author. So, the implication of the author may not be what the initial
statement suggests. Examples are: But, nevertheless, however, in spite of, etc.,
See if there are
negative qualifiers words which create doubt about the fact being stated. E.g.
perhaps, appears, somewhat, seems like, etc.
Apart from the verbal
ability section, there are various other subjects which are included in the
Government exam syllabus.
Tips To Answer the Reading
Comprehension Questions
Given below are a few
tips to answer the reading comprehension questions quicker and more
efficiently.
Read Questions First: It is recommended that the candidate first
read the questions and then move towards reading the passage. This will help
the candidate to spot the answer within a shorter time span.
Do Not Assume
anything: For reading
comprehensions, a crucial point to be kept in mind is that assumptions should
not be formed. The data given in the passage is the only information that needs
to be used to answer the questions.
Solve the
vocabulary-based questions first: There may be questions like antonyms and synonyms or other
vocabulary-based questions. The candidate may not have to read the entire
passage to answer, so answer them first. This would save precious time.
Use the elimination
method: One of the major
reasons why candidates tend to make errors in the English section is because of
the confusing options given. If a candidate cannot answer the question, he/she
must start eliminating the options, which may not be the correct answer until
they reach one which they are most confident of.
Improvise your reading
skills: Try reading the
important words and phrases from the passage rather than reading each word in
the comprehension. This will help you save some time.
Focus on the first and
last passage: The introduction
and conclusion of the passage are the most important and may help you with
questions like giving a suitable topic for the passage, stating the passage’s
tone or summarising the passage.
Candidates appearing for
the exam must ensure that they do not spend excess time on any of the
comprehensions if they are not able to answer the questions. Time management
plays a crucial part in all major Government exams and spending too much time
on any question may affect their final scores.
Correcting Errors
Sometimes, you may have
to answer fact-based questions based on the passage. You may be required
to select the correct answer from a set of
options or correct errors. Now, there can be different kinds of
errors. They may be
factual errors or grammatical errors. Factual error means an error
(such as a spelling mistake), incorrect information (such as block location,
Opening number,
Passage: Many United States companies have,
unfortunately, made the search for legal protection from import competition
into a major line of work. Since 1980 the United States International Trade
Commission (ITC) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports
that benefit foreign governments’ subsidies. Another 340 charge that foreign
companies “dumped” their products in the United States at “less than fair
value.” Even when no unfair practices are alleged, the simple claim that an
industry has been injured by imports is sufficient grounds to seek relief.
Contrary to the
general impression, this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than
it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they develop
an intricate web of marketing, production, and research
relationships, The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a
system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units
under the same parent company.
Internationalization
increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against
the very companies the laws were designed to protect. Suppose a United
States-owned company establishes an overseas plant to manufacture a product
while its competitor makes the same product in the United States. If the
competitor can prove injury from the imports—and that the United States company
received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroad—the
United States company’s products will be uncompetitive in the United States,
since they would be subject to duties.
Perhaps the most
brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations that Canadian
companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping rock salt,
used to de-ice roads. The bizarre aspect of the complaint was that a foreign
conglomerate with United States operations was crying for help against a United
States company with foreign operations. The “United States” company claiming
the injury was a subsidiary of a Dutch conglomerate. In contrast, the “Canadian”
companies included a subsidiary of a Chicago firm that was the second-largest
domestic producer of rock salt.
Answer the following
questions based on the passage given above:
Q 1. Which of the following options is most similar
in meaning to the word: “Intricate” mentioned in the article?
1.
Twisted
2.
Straightforward
3.
Simple
4.
Advance
5.
Developed
Answer: (1) Twisted
Q 2. What is the full form of ITC as per the
passage?
1.
Imperial Tobacco
Company
2.
International Trade
Commission
3.
Indian Trade Company
4.
International Trade
Corporation
5.
Indo-Tibetan
Corporation
Answer: (2)
International Trade Commission
Q 3. Since 1980 the United States ITC has received
how many complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsidies by
foreign governments?
1.
180
2.
280
3.
340
4.
None of the above
5.
Not mentioned in the
Passage
Answer: (2) 280
Q 4. As per the passage, which of the following is
the second-largest producer of rock salt?
1.
A subsidiary of a
Canadian Firm
2.
A subsidiary of a
Chicago Firm
3.
A US Firm
4.
A Subsidiary of a
Dutch Conglomerate
5.
Canadian Firm
Answer: (2) A
subsidiary of a Chicago Firm
Passage: Many United States companies have,
unfortunately, made the search for legal protection from import competition
into a major line of work. Since 1980 the United States International Trade
Commission (ITC) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports
that benefit foreign governments’ subsidies. Another 340 charge that foreign
companies “dumped” their products in the United States at “less than fair
value.” Even when no unfair practices are alleged, the simple claim that an
industry has been injured by imports is sufficient grounds to seek relief.
Contrary to the
general impression, this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than
it has helped. As corporations begin to function globally, they develop
an intricate web of marketing, production, and research
relationships, The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a
system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units
under the same parent company.
Internationalization
increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against
the very companies the laws were designed to protect. Suppose a United
States-owned company establishes an overseas plant to manufacture a product
while its competitor makes the same product in the United States. If the
competitor can prove injury from the imports—and that the United States company
received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroad—the
United States company’s products will be uncompetitive in the United States,
since they would be subject to duties.
Perhaps the most
brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations that Canadian
companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping rock salt,
used to de-ice roads. The bizarre aspect of the complaint was that a foreign
conglomerate with United States operations was crying for help against a United
States company with foreign operations. The “United States” company claiming
the injury was a subsidiary of a Dutch conglomerate. In contrast, the
“Canadian” companies included a subsidiary of a Chicago firm that was the
second-largest domestic producer of rock salt.
Answer the following
questions based on the passage given above:
Q 1. What is the similar meaning to the word:
“Intricate” mentioned in the article?
Answer: Twisted
Q 2. What is the full form of ITC as per the
passage?
Answer: International Trade Commission
Q 3. Since 1980 the United States ITC has received
how many complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsidies by
foreign governments?
Answer: 280
Q 4. As per the passage, which is the second-largest
producer of rock salt?
Answer: A subsidiary
of a Chicago Firm
The majority of successful senior
managers do not closely follow the classical rational model of first clarifying
goals, assessing the problem, formulating options, estimating likelihoods of
success, making a decision, and only then taking action to implement the
decision. Rather, in their day-by-day tactical maneuvers, these senior
executives rely on what is vaguely termed “intuition” to manage a network of
interrelated problems that require them to deal with ambiguity, inconsistency,
novelty, and surprise; and to integrate action into the process to thinking.
Generations of writers on management
have recognized that some practicing managers rely heavily on intuition. In
general, however, such writers display a poor grasp of what intuition is. Some
see it as the opposite of rationality; others view it as an excuse for
capriciousness.
Isenberg’s recent research on the
cognitive processes of senior managers reveals that managers’ intuition is
neither of these. Rather, senior managers use intuition in at least five
distinct ways. First, they intuitively sense when a problem exists. Second,
managers rely on intuition to perform well-learned behavior patterns rapidly.
This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational, but is based on years of
painstaking practice and hands-on experience that build skills. A third
function of intuition is to synthesize isolated bits of data and practice into
an integrated picture, often in an “Aha!” experience. Fourth, some managers use
intuition as a check on the results of more rational analysis. Most senior
executives are familiar with the formal decision analysis models and tools, and
those who use such systematic methods for reaching decisions are occasionally
leery of solutions suggested by these methods which run counter to their sense
of the correct course of action. Finally, managers can use intuition to bypass
in-depth analysis and move rapidly to engender a plausible solution. Used in
this way, intuition is an almost instantaneous cognitive process in which a
manager recognizes familiar patterns.
One of the implications of the intuitive
style of executive management is that “thinking” is inseparable from acting.
Since managers often “know” what is right before they can analyze and explain
it, they frequently act first and explain later. Analysis is inextricably tied
to action in thinking/acting cycles, in which managers develop thoughts about
their companies and organizations not by analyzing a problematic situation and
then acting, but by acting and analyzing in close concert.
Given the great uncertainty of many of
the management issues that they face, senior managers often instigate a course
of action simply to learn more about an issue. They then use the results of the
action to develop a more complete understanding of the issue. One implication
of thinking/acting cycles is that action is often part of defining the problem,
not just of implementing the solution.
Based on the Passage, answer the
following questions:
According to the passage, senior
managers use intuition in all of the following ways EXCEPT to
(A) speed up of the creation of a
solution to a problem
(B) identify a problem
(C) bring together disparate facts
(D) stipulate clear goals
(E) evaluate possible solutions to
a problem
The passage suggests which of the following
about the “writers on management” mentioned in paragraph 2?
(A) They have criticized managers
for not following the classical rational model of decision analysis.
(B) They have not based their
analyses on a sufficiently large sample of actual managers.
(C) They have relied in drawing
their conclusions on what managers say rather than on what managers do.
(D) They have misunderstood how
managers use intuition in making business decisions.
(E) They have not acknowledged the
role of intuition in managerial practice
According to the passage, the classical
model of decision analysis includes all of the following EXCEPT
(A) evaluation of a problem
(B) creation of possible solutions
to a problem
(C) establishment of clear goals to
be reached by the decision
(D) action undertaken in order to
discover more information about a problem
(E) comparison of the probable
effects of different solutions to a problem
It can be inferred from the passage that
which of the following would most probably be one major difference in behavior
between Manager X, who uses intuition to reach decisions, and Manager Y, who
uses only formal decision analysis?
(A) Manager X analyzes first and
then acts; Manager Y does not.
(B) Manager X checks possible
solutions to a problem by systematic analysis; Manager Y does not
(C) Manager X takes action in order
to arrive at the solution to a problem; Manager Y does not.
(D) Manager Y draws on years of
hands-on experience in creating a solution to a problem; Manager X does not.
(E) Manager Y depends on day-to-day
tactical maneuvering; manager X does not
The passage provides support for which
of the following statements?
(A) Managers who rely on intuition
are more successful than those who rely on formal decision analysis.
(B) Managers cannot justify their
intuitive decisions.
(C) Managers’ intuition works
contrary to their rational and analytical skills
(D) Logical analysis of a problem
increases the number of possible solutions.
(E) Intuition enables managers to
employ their practical experience more efficiently.
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