Time Left - 30:00 mins

Mega Quiz 14 and weekly revision || VARC || CAT 2021 || 20 June

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Question 1

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The dialectic of Means and Ends is of deep historical, ethical and political significance. The “Means” is the activity a subject engages in with the intention of bringing about a certain “End.” The “End” has initially only an ideal existence, and the Realised End – the actual outcome of the adopted Means – may be quite different from the abstract End for which the Means was adopted in the first place. Both Means and Ends are therefore processes which are in greater or lesser contradiction with one another throughout their development – constituting a learning process of continual adjustment of both Means and Ends in the light of experience – until, at the completion of the process, Means and End merge in a form of life-activity, which is both its own End and its own Means. The dialectic of Means and Ends is manifested in certain maxims which express aspects of the dialectic in a one-sided or limited way.
We do not have the means to achieve our ends” is something which radical socialist groups have been saying for more than a century, reflecting the absolute gulf between their capacity to imagine socialism and the smallness of their own resources. The problem here is simply to mistake the socialist imaginary for an End, and to understand the purpose of socialist agitation to be to bring into being a socialist utopia. The socialist utopia is an ethical precept rather then a state of affairs which has to be brought about. Thus, the perception that there is an impossible gulf between ends and means results from an abandonment of the critique of existing conditions, in favour of a hankering after a distant utopia, or simply a role far out of line with a group’s actual sphere of activity. Whenever a radical group finds itself with such an absolute contradiction between means and ends (perhaps resulting from a gradual change in conditions, a weakening of its base), then it should consider re-orienting itself towards the critique of existing conditions, since these conditions necessarily provide the means for their own critique.
Source: https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/m/e.htm

The following segment from the passage carries some grammatical error(s). Choose the correct alternative from the given options. If the sentence is correct, mark the last option, “No correction required” as the answer.

‘The socialist utopia is an ethical precept rather then a state of affairs which has to be brought about.

Question 2

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The dialectic of Means and Ends is of deep historical, ethical and political significance. The “Means” is the activity a subject engages in with the intention of bringing about a certain “End.” The “End” has initially only an ideal existence, and the Realised End – the actual outcome of the adopted Means – may be quite different from the abstract End for which the Means was adopted in the first place. Both Means and Ends are therefore processes which are in greater or lesser contradiction with one another throughout their development – constituting a learning process of continual adjustment of both Means and Ends in the light of experience – until, at the completion of the process, Means and End merge in a form of life-activity, which is both its own End and its own Means. The dialectic of Means and Ends is manifested in certain maxims which express aspects of the dialectic in a one-sided or limited way.
We do not have the means to achieve our ends” is something which radical socialist groups have been saying for more than a century, reflecting the absolute gulf between their capacity to imagine socialism and the smallness of their own resources. The problem here is simply to mistake the socialist imaginary for an End, and to understand the purpose of socialist agitation to be to bring into being a socialist utopia. The socialist utopia is an ethical precept rather then a state of affairs which has to be brought about. Thus, the perception that there is an impossible gulf between ends and means results from an abandonment of the critique of existing conditions, in favour of a hankering after a distant utopia, or simply a role far out of line with a group’s actual sphere of activity. Whenever a radical group finds itself with such an absolute contradiction between means and ends (perhaps resulting from a gradual change in conditions, a weakening of its base), then it should consider re-orienting itself towards the critique of existing conditions, since these conditions necessarily provide the means for their own critique.
Source: https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/m/e.htm
With reference to the passage, what does the following segment mean?
‘“We do not have the means to achieve our ends” …’
I. There are no resources to support the utopian ideals of socialist groups.
II. Limited resources are hampering the development of society as envisaged by the socialists.
III. The way that one achieves a specific objective, which is not an objective or ultimate goal itself.
IV. Existing conditions are not ideal for the growth and development of society as a whole as per the socialists.

Question 3

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The dialectic of Means and Ends is of deep historical, ethical and political significance. The “Means” is the activity a subject engages in with the intention of bringing about a certain “End.” The “End” has initially only an ideal existence, and the Realised End – the actual outcome of the adopted Means – may be quite different from the abstract End for which the Means was adopted in the first place. Both Means and Ends are therefore processes which are in greater or lesser contradiction with one another throughout their development – constituting a learning process of continual adjustment of both Means and Ends in the light of experience – until, at the completion of the process, Means and End merge in a form of life-activity, which is both its own End and its own Means. The dialectic of Means and Ends is manifested in certain maxims which express aspects of the dialectic in a one-sided or limited way.
We do not have the means to achieve our ends” is something which radical socialist groups have been saying for more than a century, reflecting the absolute gulf between their capacity to imagine socialism and the smallness of their own resources. The problem here is simply to mistake the socialist imaginary for an End, and to understand the purpose of socialist agitation to be to bring into being a socialist utopia. The socialist utopia is an ethical precept rather then a state of affairs which has to be brought about. Thus, the perception that there is an impossible gulf between ends and means results from an abandonment of the critique of existing conditions, in favour of a hankering after a distant utopia, or simply a role far out of line with a group’s actual sphere of activity. Whenever a radical group finds itself with such an absolute contradiction between means and ends (perhaps resulting from a gradual change in conditions, a weakening of its base), then it should consider re-orienting itself towards the critique of existing conditions, since these conditions necessarily provide the means for their own critique.
Source: https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/m/e.htm
Which one of the following statements points out the difference between ‘realised end’ and ‘abstract end’?

Question 4

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The dialectic of Means and Ends is of deep historical, ethical and political significance. The “Means” is the activity a subject engages in with the intention of bringing about a certain “End.” The “End” has initially only an ideal existence, and the Realised End – the actual outcome of the adopted Means – may be quite different from the abstract End for which the Means was adopted in the first place. Both Means and Ends are therefore processes which are in greater or lesser contradiction with one another throughout their development – constituting a learning process of continual adjustment of both Means and Ends in the light of experience – until, at the completion of the process, Means and End merge in a form of life-activity, which is both its own End and its own Means. The dialectic of Means and Ends is manifested in certain maxims which express aspects of the dialectic in a one-sided or limited way.
We do not have the means to achieve our ends” is something which radical socialist groups have been saying for more than a century, reflecting the absolute gulf between their capacity to imagine socialism and the smallness of their own resources. The problem here is simply to mistake the socialist imaginary for an End, and to understand the purpose of socialist agitation to be to bring into being a socialist utopia. The socialist utopia is an ethical precept rather then a state of affairs which has to be brought about. Thus, the perception that there is an impossible gulf between ends and means results from an abandonment of the critique of existing conditions, in favour of a hankering after a distant utopia, or simply a role far out of line with a group’s actual sphere of activity. Whenever a radical group finds itself with such an absolute contradiction between means and ends (perhaps resulting from a gradual change in conditions, a weakening of its base), then it should consider re-orienting itself towards the critique of existing conditions, since these conditions necessarily provide the means for their own critique.
Source: https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/m/e.htm
Based on the following statement from the passage:
The “Means” is the activity a subject engages in with the intention of bringing about a certain “End”. 
Which of the following arguments is stronger in its conviction?
Argument I – ‘Ends’ cannot be achieved without the support of ‘means’.
Argument II – Since ‘ends’ and ‘means’ are both processes, they can exist separately.

Question 5

Direction: In the given question, a statement has been divided into five segments, each of which is denoted by (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E). Rearrange all the segments to form a coherent statement.
A) modern–secular and cosmopolitan values
B) rationality and meritocracy
C) cities are
D) where people speak the language of
E) seen as representatives of

Question 6

Direction: Five statements labelled A, B, C, 1 and 2 are given below. Among them, statements A, B and C are in the correct order. Identify the positions of 1 and 2 so as to make a logically coherent paragraph.
A) This is exacerbated if the perceived cause of the casualty or damage is a large, well-recognised animal like a tiger.
B) Wildlife activists point out that it is difficult to ascertain that an animal is a man-eater—as this is a rare occurrence—and whether a particular tiger is a concerned killer.
C) At the other end of the spectrum is the very real fear that the locals may feel when living close to a dangerous animal.
1) The state forest department may end up shooting the man-eating tigress if efforts to capture her fail.
2) The issue of non-humans killing people is always clouded with both disbelief and panic.

Question 7

Direction: Five statements are given below, labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 which are supposed to be in a logical order. A statement labelled P is given thereafter. P can replace one of the five statements such that the four statements along with P would make a coherent paragraph. You have to identify which statement should P replace and then find out the correct sequence from the options. If the five options are in logical order and form a coherent paragraph/passage, choose the fifth option “12345”.
1) Santhosh, a resident of the ABC village and currently studying in Class IX, is seeking a bridge connecting his village to the mainland.
2) Currently, it takes at least one-and-a-half hour for the villagers to reach the mainland and a bridge could reduce that considerably.
3) But after frequent technical snags, there were disruptions in the boat service.
4) That's when Santhosh decided to protest against the local authorities and raise awareness about the issue that is a problem for most villagers. 
5) If the service is disrupted then the students have to rely on country boats to reach the mainland.
P. His school is located in XYZ, 3 km away from his village, and he has been traveling in the State Water Transport Department’s boat for the past nine years.

Question 8

Direction: A sentence divided into three parts I, II and III is given. Determine the part(s) which requires correction and mark it as your answer.
We have always said our recovery (I)/will be cost driven and not (II)/dependant on an upturn for market conditions. (III)

Question 9

Direction: A sentence divided into three parts I, II and III is given. Determine the part(s) which requires correction and mark it as your answer.
The colonial texts of the late 19th century have (I)/ bare seen any amendments, and caste-based (II)/labour remains an untouched part of these manuals. (III)

Question 10

Direction: A sentence divided into three parts I, II and III is given. Determine the part(s) which requires correction and mark it as your answer.
India Inc should do the right thing and put in (I)/place a template that resonates with the highest standards of (II)/corporate governance, and Indias’ civilizational ethos. (III)
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