Directions: Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted to help you answer some of the questions.
Amid the current surge in Covid infections, there should be consensus on one issue-a lockdown is not the solution to the crisis. Instead, states need to follow the micro-containment strategy, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear in his speech on Tuesday evening. The human cost of a lockdown is too huge for this country to bear, as it became painfully obvious last year.
Some have justified the lockdown last year as necessary, for it delayed the first wave and gave time to an unprepared health infrastructure to ready itself. However, the current move to impose lockdowns is not going to help because the second, more infectious, wave is already here. There is no scientific evidence to prove that a lockdown can prevent a surge in infections. Instead, a lockdown imposes a huge human and economic cost on a country. Last year, the massive movement of migrants out of the “industrialised” states to the poorer states took catastrophic proportions, leading to untold misery among the underprivileged. The economy took such a ____________ (I) that it required stimulus after stimulus and a “forward looking” budget by the Central government to give it a push towards a semblance of recovery.
The economy is still nowhere near normal, especially sectors such as hospitality.
With the economy being made to shut down once again, the lockdown is hitting different sectors hard, with the hospitality industry in particular crippled. According to the “Indian Hospitality: The Stats and Pulse Report” by Hotelivate, the hospitality sector may take four more years, until 2025, to go back to pre-Covid levels. From the sudden outflow of migrants taking place from Delhi and Maharashtra it is apparent that neither of the two governments has been able to instil confidence in them that the shutdowns will be short term. And now, chances are that these migrants are already carrying the virus from the hotspots to their respective states. (A)The migrants are the hardest hit during such/(B) calamities and a safety net is sorely needed/(C) for it, including provisions for interim/(D) payments in case of contingencies. Hence the Prime Minister is right when he speaks about the need for micro containment zones instead of lockdowns. Even Delhi does not have an even spread of the virus, while in Maharashtra, which is a much bigger state, it’s primarily in the congested urban areas that the virus is spreading like wildfire. A huge caseload does not justify blanket restrictions. In fact, it is surprising that amid all the horror stories about the second wave, not much attention is being given to the fact that 85%-90% of the cases are very mild and do not require any hospitalisation, but just home quarantine and medication. It is doctors who are saying this, but this fact is not being highlighted enough.
While following strict Covid appropriate behaviour is necessary, efforts should also be made to allay people’s fears. The hospital infrastructure needs a tremendous boost for the 10%- 15% cases who may require hospitalisation. But this is a long-term process. In this context, it is hoped that the 137% increase in the Budgetary allocation this year for health-from Rs 94,452 crore to Rs 223,846 crore- will go a long way in creating an infrastructure that not only delivers healthcare to the poorest, but also insulates the system from any corona-like outbreaks. In the meanwhile, the need is for responsible, Covid-appropriate behaviour. Also, will it be too much to ask our politicians to stop politicking(A) over a matter of life and death and instead concentrate on alleviating(B) this crisis? For this the states need to work in tandem with the Centre. Blame game is not helping anyone. Moreover, spreading misinformation(C) and even disinformation (D) about vaccines must stop. There are enough reports that vaccination is drastically reducing the risk of hospitalization even if one contracts Covid, post taking the vaccine. Now that the vaccination process has been opened for those above the age of 18 years, governments need to ensure maximum coverage in as short a span of time as possible.
1) Which is the following can fill the blank (I) as given in the passage
A.hard knock
B.adipose
C.gentrification
D.bastion
E.None of the above
Sol:
option A, hard knock(painful experiences or
circumstances)is the correct usage, adipose(fat),
gentrification(changing the character of
neighbourhood through the influx of more
affluent residents) bastion(organization/people
regarded for upholding principle)
2) What did the author mean by ‘A huge caseload does not justify blanket restrictions’ ? A.The snail’s pace of vaccination drive is clearly déjà vu in terms of sheer mishandling by the government in previous year.
B.Bad examples serve as good warning signs., This pandemic has made us more humane.
C.Amid the bad news of rising covid-19 deaths and dipping resources, India can heave a sigh of relief that the ruling regime has finally considered the suggestion of complete lockdown.
D.Despite imposing complete restrictions on several areas, the number of cases with which a doctor is dealing is concerning at the same time.
E.None of the above
Sol:
option D, even after imposing restrictions, a
huge caseload(the number of cases) does not
justify the trend and is correctly mentioned in
option d, all other options don’t reveal the actual
meaning of the statement.
3) Which of the following words is misspelt or wrongly used ?
A.politicking
B.alleviating
C.misinformation
D.disinformation
E.all are correct.
Sol:
option e, all are correct
4) Which of the following is true except ?
A. The lockdown last year was necessary for the health sector to do some preparations.
B. The one benefit of vaccines would be it reduces the hospitalisation if contracted the virus.
C. PM is right, lockdown is not the answer to the corona crisis.
D. The new budget allocation will create a infrastructure that will be able to handle covid like pandemic
E. All are correct
Sol:
option E, all are correct, from the lines of the second paragraph ‘the Prime Minister is right when he speaks about the need for micro
containment zones instead of lockdowns.
instead recommends micro-containment’ so
option C is correct, option a is correct since it is
given in the first paragraph, option b can be
validated from the lines of last paragraph,
‘vaccination is drastically reducing the risk of
hospitalisation even if one contracts Covid, post
taking the vaccine.’ option D is mentioned in the
last paragraph.
5) Find the error in the highlighted part ?
A. The migrants are the hardest hit during such
B. calamities and a safety net is sorely needed
C. for it, including provisions for interim
D. payments in case of contingencies
E. All are correct
Sol:
Option C, the pronoun ‘it’ used is incorrect because the subject is plural(migrants), so a plural pronoun that is ‘them’ should be used.
6) Which of the following words is most similar in meaning as catastrophic, highlighted in the given passage?
A. quaere
B.calamity
C.fatal
D.both b and c
E.all a,b,c
Sol:
option D, catastrophic(disaster/fatal/calamity)
quaere(to ask or query)
7) Which of the following words is most similar in meaning as allay, highlighted in the given passage?
A. alleviate
B.abate
C.quell
D.all a, b, c
E.both a and b
Sol:
option D and, all a, b, c are synonyms allay
(pacify/ alleviate/ abate/ quell/ subdue)
