Q. In the immediate future, we will see the increasing commodification of many new technologies –

artificial intelligence and robotics, 3D manufacturing, custom made biological and pharmaceutical products, lethal autonomous weapons and driverless cars. This will pose conundrums. The moral question of how a driverless car will decide between hitting jaywalker and swerving and damaging the car has often been debated. The answer is both simple- save the human life- and complex. At which angle should the car swerve- just enough to save the jaywalker or more than enough? If the driverless car is in Dublin, who would take the decision ? The Irish Government, or the car’s original code writer in California, or a software programmer in Hyderabad to whom maintenance is outsourced ? If different national jurisdictions have different fine print on prioritizing a human life, how will it affect insurance and investment decisions, including transnational ones?

Q 1. Which of the following statements best reflect the rational, plausible, and practical implications that can be derived from the passage given above?
1. Too much globalization is not in the best interests of any country.
2. Modern technologies are increasingly blurring the economic borders.
3. Innovation and capital have impinged on the domain of the state.
4. Public policy of every country should focus on developing its own supply chains.
5. Geopolitics will have to reconcile to many ambiguities and uncertainties.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 4 and 5 only
(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Q. Nothing can exist in a natural state,

which can be called good or bad by common assent, since every man who is in natural state consults only his own advantage, and determines what is good or bad according to his own fancy and insofar as he has regard for his own advantage alone, and holds himself responsible to no one save himself by any law; and therefore sin cannot be conceived in a natural state, but only a civil state, which is decreed by common consent what is good or bad, and each one holds himself responsible to the state.

Q 1. Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage given above?
(a) The conceptions of what is right or wrong exist due to the formation of a state.
(b) Unless a ruling authority decides as to what is right or wrong, no man would be morally right.
(c) Man is inherently immoral and selfish in a natural state.
(d) The idea of what is right or wrong is necessary for the survival of human species.

Q. Our cities are extremely vulnerable to climate change because of large concentrations of populations and poor infrastructure.

Moreover, population densities are increasing in them but we have not yet developed the systems to address climate change impacts. Our cities contribute to 65 percent of the GDP, but there are not enough facilities to cater to the needs of the people. It is important to address the issues of air quality, transport, etc., that are vital to identifying sustainable solutions. We need to involve citizens in city planning and create an ecosystem that meets the needs of people.

Q 1. Which among the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the passage given above?
(a) Our cities need to have well-defined administrative set-up with sufficient autonomy.
(b) Ever increasing population densities is a hindrance in our efforts to achieve sustainable development.
(c) To maintain and develop our cities we need to adopt sustainability related interventions.
(d) Public-Private Partnership mode of development is the viable long-term solution for the infrastructure and sustainability problems of India.

Q. The best universities like Harvard and MIT,

despite having the luxury of having some truly excellent teachers on their payroll, are increasingly embracing the “flipped classroom” format, where students listaen to video lectures at home, and spend class time applying their knowledge, solving problems, discussing examples etc. professors guide that discussion and fill in wherever necessary, explaining those bits that seem to be eluding the students and throwing in advanced ideas that happen to be topical. These universities have made their video lectures available free for anyone in the world. They are also encouraging colleges and universities all over the world to integrate these online courses into their own pedagogy, picking the pieces that are appropriate for their needs and building a package around them.

Q 1. Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage given above?
(a) Efficacy of universities would be better in online mode of conducting classroom tuition as compared conventional method.
(b) Availability of higher education can be made easier and cheaper without diluting the content.
(c) We need not invest much in infrastructure related to higher education and yet develop better human and social capital.
(d) Private sector institutions in higher education as well as coaching institutes can take advantage of this opportunity and thrive well.

Q. In our schools, we teach our children all that is there to know no about Physics, maths and history and what-have you.

But do we teach them about the bitter caste divide that plagues the country, about the spectre of famine that stalks large part of our land, about gender sensitivity, about the possibility of atheism as a choice, etc.? Equally important, do we teach them to ask question, or do we teach them only to passively receive our wisdom? From the cocooned world of school, suddenly, the adolescent finds himself/herself in the unfettered world of university. Here he/she is swept up in a turmoil of ideas and influences and ideologies. For someone who has been discouraged from asking questions and forming an opinion, this transition can be painful.

Q 1. Which one of the following best reflects the central idea of the passage given above?
(a) School curriculum is not compatible with the expectations of children and parents.
(b) Emphasis on academic achievements does give time for development of personality and skills.
(c) Preparing the children to be better citizens should be the responsibility of the education system.
(d) To be a better citizen, the present world order demands societal and life-coping skills in addition to academic content.

Q. Can a democracy avoid being a welfare state for long?

Why cannot mass welfare be left entirely to the markets? There is a built-in tension between markets and democracy. Markets do not work on a one-person-one-vote principle as democracies do. What one gets out of the market place depends on one’s endowments, skills, purchasing power and the forces of demand and supply. Markets reward individual initiative and skill, and may also lift many from the bottom rungs of society, but some people never get the opportunity to develop skills that markets demand; they are simply too poor and too handicapped; or skill formation takes too long. By creating jobs, markets may be able to help even unskilled people, but capitalism has always witnessed bursts of unemployment.

Q 1. With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :
1. Modern democracies rely on the market forces to enable them to be welfare states.
2. Markets ensure sufficient economic growth necessary for democracies to be effective.
3. Government programmes are needed for those left behind in economic growth.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. …….. most people would agree that telling deliberate lies is wrong, except perhaps in certain special situations where more harm will be done by telling the truth.

Even the most truthful people probably tell a good many more lies that might be regarded as semantic lies; their use of words contains some measure of falsehood, more or less deliberate.

Q 1. The idea which the first part of the passage mentions is
(a) agreement about telling lies.
(b) disagreement about telling lies.
(c) disagreement about telling the truth.
(d) disagreement about the harm in telling the truth.

Q 2. Which one of the following habits is found more often in good people?
(a) Mixing up the true and false
(b) Intentional mixing up of truth with the false.
(c) Falsification of facts
(d) Complete concealment of truth

Q. Medieval merchants risked the hazards of the Silk Road to reach the markets of China; Portuguese caravels in the 15th century sailed beyond the bounds of the known world, searching less for knowledge than for gold and spices.

Historically, the driver for opening frontiers has always been the search for resources. Science and curiosity are weaker drivers. The only way to open up space, whether the space of solar system or interstellar space is to create an economic engine and that engine is resource extraction.

Q 1. Which one of the following statements best sums up the passage given above?
(a) Wealth generation is the primary motive for any human endeavour.
(b) Space, whether space in solar system or interstellar space, will govern our future economy.
(c) Human beings are motivated to explore new frontiers principally by economic considerations.
(d) Wealth generation is based on the risk-behaviour of some men.

Q. Researchers were able to use stem cells to gauge the neurotoxic effects of the environmental pollutants Bisphenol A (BPA).

They used a combination of biochemical and cell-based assays to examines the gene expression profile during the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells upon treatment with BPA, a compound known to cause heart diseases, diabetes, and developmental abnormalities in humans. They were able to detect and measure BPA toxicity towards the proper specification of primary germ layers, such as endoderm and ectoderm, and the establishment of neural progenitor cells.

Q 1. On the basis of the passage given above, the following assumptions have been made:
1. BPA may alter embryonic development in vivo.
2. Biochemical and cell-based assays are useful in finding out treatments for pollution-induced diseases.
3. Embryonic stem cells could serve as a model to evaluate the physiological effects of environmental pollutants.
Which of the above assumptions are valid?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. A study conducted on the impacts of climate change over the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu using regional climate models showed an increasing trend for maximum and minimum temperatures, and a decrease in the number of rainy days.

These climatic shifts will have an impact on the hydrological cycles in the region, lead to more run-off and less recharge, and affect the groundwater tables. Further, there has been an increase in the frequency of droughts in the State. This has driven farmers to increase dependency on groundwater resources to secure their crops.

Q 1. Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage given above?
(a) Development of regional climate models helps in choosing climate-smart agricultural practices.
(b) Heavy dependence on groundwater resources can be reduced by adopting dry-land cropping systems.
(c) Climate changes increase the criticality of water resources while simultaneously threatening it.
(d) Climate changes cause the farmers to adopt unsustainable livelihoods and risky coping strategies.