Ans plz

Directions (Q. 1-7): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given
below it Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

In many countries, a combustible mixture of authoritarianism, unemployment and youth has
given rise to disaffection with strongmen rulers, which has, in turn, spilled over into uprisings. Young people in these countries are far better educated than their parents were. In 1990, the average Egyptian had 4.4 years of schooling; by 2010, the figure had risen to 7.1 years. Could it be that education, by making people less willing to put up with restrictions on freedom and more willing to question authority, promotes democratisation? Ideas about the links between education, income and democracy are at the heart of what social scientists have long studied. Since then plenty of economists and political scientists
have looked for statistical evidence of a causal link between education and democratisation.

Many have pointed to the strong correlation that exists between levels of education and measures
like the pluralism of party politics and the existence of civil liberties. The patterns are similar when income and democracy are considered.

There are outliers, of course—until recently, many Arab countries managed to combine energy- based wealth and decent education with
undemocratic political systems. But some deduce from the overall picture that as China and other
authoritarian states get more educated and richer, their people will agitate for greater political freedom, culminating in a shift to a more democratic form of government.This apparently reasonable intuition is shakier than it seems.

Critics of the hypothesis point out that correlation is hardly causation. The general trend over the past half-century may have been towards rising living standards, a wider spread of basic education and more democracy, but it is entirely
possible that this is being driven by another variable. Even if the correlation were not spurious,
it would be difficult to know which way causation ran. Does more education lead to greater democracy? Or are more democratic countries better at educating their citizens? A recent NBER paper compared a group of Kenyan girls in 69 primary schools whose students were randomly selected to receive a scholarship with similar students in schools which received no such
financial aid. Previous studies had shown that the scholarship programme led to higher test scores
and increased the likelihood that girls enrolled in secondary school.

Overall, it significantly increased the amount of education obtained. For
the new study, the authors tried to see how the extra schooling had affected the political and social attitudes of the women in question.
Findings suggested that education may make people more interested in improving their own fives but they may not necessarily see democracy
as the way to do it. Even in established democracies, more education does not always mean either more active political participation or greater faith in democracy. Poorer and less
educated people often vote in larger numbers than their more educated compatriots, who often express disdain for the messiness of democracy, yearning for the kind of government that would deal strongly with the corrupt and build highways,
railway fines and bridges at a dizzying pace of authoritarian China.

1 Which of the following is most similar in meaning to the word ‘promotes’ given in bold as used in
the passage?
1) Upgrades
2) Prefers
3) Recommends
4) Advocates
5) Publicises

2 In the context of the passage, which of the following characterize (s) democracies?
(A)Active participation of majority of educated citizens in electoral process
(B) Fast, paced economic growth and accountability of those in power
(C) Better standards of living and access to higher education
1) All (A), (B) and (C)
2) Only (B) and (C)
3) Only (C)
4) Only (A) and (B)
5) None of these

3 What, according to the author, has led to uprisings in authoritarian countries?
1) Lack of access to education
2) Vast numbers of uneducated and unemployable youth
3) Frustration with the existing system of governance
4) Unavailability of natural energy resources like coal and oil
5) Government’s over-ambitious plans for development

4 What does the phrase “messiness of democracy” convey in the context of the passage?
1) Democratic nations are chaotic on account of individual freedoms.
2) Most democratic countries frequently have violent revolts among their citizens.
3) The divide between the poor and the educated is growing wider in democracies.
4) High levels of pollution on account of frantic pace of infrastructure development
5) Resigned acceptance of intrinsic corruption in the education system

5 Which of the following is/are true about China in the context of the passage?
(A) China’s citizens are in favour of a more representative form of government.
(B) China has made huge strides in infrastructure development.
(C) China is in the midst of a political revolution.
1) None
2) Only (A)
3) Only (A) and (C)
4) Only (B)
5) All (A), (B) and (C)

6 What conclusion can be drawn from the statistic cited about Egypt’s education system?
1) Job prospects have been on the rise in Egypt in recent times.
2) Authoritarian leaders have played a vital role in reforming Egypt’s education system.
3) Egypt has one of the youngest and best educated demographies in the world.
4) Egypt is likely to be a successful vibrant democracy.
5) There has been a rise in education levels in Egypt in recent times.

7 Which of the following most aptly describes the central theme of the passage?
1) Democratic nations are richer and have a better track record of educating their citizens.
2) Education does not necessarily lead to greater enthusiasm for a democratic form of government.
3) Educated societies with autocratic form of government enjoy a better quality of life than democracies.
4) Citizens can fulfill their personal aspirations only under a democratic form of government.
5) Democracy makes citizens more intolerant as it does not restrict personal freedoms.

Ans :
1 - 3)
2 - 5)
3 - 3)
4 - 1)
5 - 4)
6 - 4)
7 - 2)