While cement is the basic raw material for producing cement tiles and cement paint which are used extensively in building construction. The main consumers of white cement are, therefore, cement tile and cement paint manufacturing units. These consumers, mostly in the small scale sector, are today facing a major crisis because of a significant increase in the price of white cement during a short period. The present actual licensed production capacity of white and grey cement in the country is approximately 3.5 lakh tonnes. The average demand is 2–2.5 lakh tonnes. This means that there is idle capacity to the tune of one lakh tonnes or more. The price rise is, therefore, not a phenomenon arising out of inadequate production capacity but evidently because of artificial scarcity created by the manufacturers in their self-interest.
The main reason for the continuing spurt in cement price is its decontrol. As it is, there is stiff competition in the cement paint and tile manufacturing business. Any further price revision at this stage is bound to have a severe adverse impact on the market conditions. The government should take adequate steps to ensure that suitable controls are brought in. Else it should allow import of cement.
What is the crisis being faced by the cement tile manufacturers as described in the passage?
While cement is the basic raw material for producing cement tiles and cement paint which are used extensively in building construction. The main consumers of white cement are, therefore, cement tile and cement paint manufacturing units. These consumers, mostly in the small scale sector, are today facing a major crisis because of a significant increase in the price of white cement during a short period. The present actual licensed production capacity of white and grey cement in the country is approximately 3.5 lakh tonnes. The average demand is 2–2.5 lakh tonnes. This means that there is idle capacity to the tune of one lakh tonnes or more. The price rise is, therefore, not a phenomenon arising out of inadequate production capacity but evidently because of artificial scarcity created by the manufacturers in their self-interest.
The main reason for the continuing spurt in cement price is its decontrol. As it is, there is stiff competition in the cement paint and tile manufacturing business. Any further price revision at this stage is bound to have a severe adverse impact on the market conditions. The government should take adequate steps to ensure that suitable controls are brought in. Else it should allow import of cement.
Which of the following words has the same meaning as the word ‘artificial’ as used in the passage?
While cement is the basic raw material for producing cement tiles and cement paint which are used extensively in building construction. The main consumers of white cement are, therefore, cement tile and cement paint manufacturing units. These consumers, mostly in the small scale sector, are today facing a major crisis because of a significant increase in the price of white cement during a short period. The present actual licensed production capacity of white and grey cement in the country is approximately 3.5 lakh tonnes. The average demand is 2–2.5 lakh tonnes. This means that there is idle capacity to the tune of one lakh tonnes or more. The price rise is, therefore, not a phenomenon arising out of inadequate production capacity but evidently because of artificial scarcity created by the manufacturers in their self-interest.
The main reason for the continuing spurt in cement price is its decontrol. As it is, there is stiff competition in the cement paint and tile manufacturing business. Any further price revision at this stage is bound to have a severe adverse impact on the market conditions. The government should take adequate steps to ensure that suitable controls are brought in. Else it should allow import of cement.
Which of the following words has the opposite meaning as the word ‘basic’ as used in the passage?
While cement is the basic raw material for producing cement tiles and cement paint which are used extensively in building construction. The main consumers of white cement are, therefore, cement tile and cement paint manufacturing units. These consumers, mostly in the small scale sector, are today facing a major crisis because of a significant increase in the price of white cement during a short period. The present actual licensed production capacity of white and grey cement in the country is approximately 3.5 lakh tonnes. The average demand is 2–2.5 lakh tonnes. This means that there is idle capacity to the tune of one lakh tonnes or more. The price rise is, therefore, not a phenomenon arising out of inadequate production capacity but evidently because of artificial scarcity created by the manufacturers in their self-interest.
The main reason for the continuing spurt in cement price is its decontrol. As it is, there is stiff competition in the cement paint and tile manufacturing business. Any further price revision at this stage is bound to have a severe adverse impact on the market conditions. The government should take adequate steps to ensure that suitable controls are brought in. Else it should allow import of cement.
The passage focuses on how newly declassified documents correct or refute earlier understandings based mainly on personal memoirs and hearsay, providing more concrete and reliable evidence.
According to a recent newspaper report, an international team of astronomers studying nearly $446000$ galaxies via the Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. By utilising a technique known as "weak gravitational lensing" to observe how light is distorted by dark matter, researchers mapped the distribution of matter and the history of cosmic expansion, determining that an unknown force called "dark energy" has been driving this acceleration for the past two billion years. This study, which involved $1000$ hours of observation and $600$ Earth orbits by the Hubble telescope, marks the first time such measurements were successfully conducted using gravitational lensing alone, and it further reinforces the existence of an invisible web of dark matter that constitutes $80%$ of the universe.
Which of the following BEST summarises the main idea of the text above?
The main idea of the passage is that astronomers confirmed the accelerating expansion of the universe.
The passage also says that this acceleration is driven by "dark energy".
The study used "weak gravitational lensing" and involved nearly $446000$ galaxies, $1000$ hours of observation, and $600$ Earth orbits by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Option $1$ only talks about the study details but misses the main finding.
Option $2$ is incorrect because the passage does not say that dark matter was noticed for the first time.
Option $3$ wrongly says that weak gravitational lensing is the best technique to study dark matter, which is not the main idea.
Option $4$ correctly captures the main idea and includes the important method and observation details.
I do
not wish to cast aspersions on the corporate takeover. On the contrary, it is a
key facilitator of creative destruction and doubtless the most effective
remaining means by which shareholder voices can mold a corporation. But while
change in management is often necessary, you cannot effectively run a
corporation with differing authoritative i voices espousing opposing corporate
goals. It has to be one or the other. If the board s riven with conflicting
interests, corporate governance will suffer. If directors cannot agree with the
CEO's strategy, they should replace him. Corporate dissonance, of course, is
unavoidable in periods of transition. But it is not a value to be pursued for
its own sake. A cacophony produces only red ink.
What
according to the author facilitates creative destruction?
I do
not wish to cast aspersions on the corporate takeover. On the contrary, it is a
key facilitator of creative destruction and doubtless the most effective
remaining means by which shareholder voices can mold a corporation. But while
change in management is often necessary, you cannot effectively run a
corporation with differing authoritative i voices espousing opposing corporate
goals. It has to be one or the other. If the board s riven with conflicting
interests, corporate governance will suffer. If directors cannot agree with the
CEO's strategy, they should replace him. Corporate dissonance, of course, is
unavoidable in periods of transition. But it is not a value to be pursued for
its own sake. A cacophony produces only red ink.
Which
of the following words used in the passage reinforces the idea contained in the
word, 'DISSONANCE'?
I do
not wish to cast aspersions on the corporate takeover. On the contrary, it is a
key facilitator of creative destruction and doubtless the most effective
remaining means by which shareholder voices can mold a corporation. But while
change in management is often necessary, you cannot effectively run a
corporation with differing authoritative i voices espousing opposing corporate
goals. It has to be one or the other. If the board s riven with conflicting
interests, corporate governance will suffer. If directors cannot agree with the
CEO's strategy, they should replace him. Corporate dissonance, of course, is
unavoidable in periods of transition. But it is not a value to be pursued for
its own sake. A cacophony produces only red ink.
What according to the author makes corporate governance suffer?
The passage explains that in pterosaurs the wing is supported by an elongated fourth finger, while in birds the wing strut is different and consists primarily of feathers.
The passage explains that fungi decompose plant life, rely on other plants for energy, and differ from plants because they lack chlorophyll.
It states that resin-producing plants are toxic to fungi, not that fungi are poisonous to them.
So option (4) is not mentioned in the passage.
The passage mainly describes how fungi obtain energy, how they decompose plant matter, and how they act in nature.
So the main focus is describing the action of fungi.
