1. The dominant modern belief is that the soundest foundation of peace would be universal prosperity. One may look in vain for historical evidence that the rich have regularly been more peaceful than the poor but then it can be argued that they have never felt secure against the poor, that their aggressiveness stemmed from fear; and that the situation would be quite different if everybody were rich.It can be inferred from the above passage that

2. Whether we look at the intrinsic value of our literature, or at the particular situation of this country, we shall see the strongest reason to think that of all foreign tongues, the English tongue is that which would be the most useful to our native subjects.It can inferred that

3. Where the film Bombay loses out is where every commercial film congenially goes awry-becoming too simplistic to address serious issues and failing to translate real life to reel.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

4. Aspiration is nothing new. Neither is the debate over what the Indian middle class is, what it wants and what it buys. Since the mid-80s, that has been the focus of the economic policy papers, so called pro and anti-poor budgets and marketing strategies that have successfully broken the barrier of urban selling and reached deeper into rural India with increasing income levels and aspirations.Based on the above passage, it can be inferred that

5. Three airlines IA, JA and SA-operate on the Delhi-Mumbai route. To increase the number of seats sold, SA reduced its fares and this way was emulated by IA and JA immediately. The general belief was that the volume of air travel between Delhi and Mumbai would increase.Which of the following, if true, would add credence to the general belief?

6. According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It must have had a selective effect, since priests would have been recruited from those able or willing to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorised passage can be duplicated many times.Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

7. Developed countries have made adequate provisions for social security for senior citizens. State insurers (as well as private ones) offer Medicare and pension benefits to people who can no longer earn. In India, with the collapse of the joint family system, the traditional shelter of the elderly has disappeared. And the state faced with a financial crunch is not in a position to provide social security. So, it is advisable that the working population give serious thought to building a financial base for itself.Which one of the following, if it were to happen, weakens the conclusions drawn in the above passage the most?

8. Various studies have shown that our forested and hilly regions and, in general, areas where biodiversity…. (As reflected in the variety of flora) is high, are the places where poverty appears to be high. And these same areas are also the ones where educational performance seems to be poor. Therefore, it may be surmised that, even disregarding poverty status, richness in biodiversity goes hand in hand with educational backwardness.Which one of the following statements, if true, can be said to best provide supporting evidence for the surmise mentioned in the passage?

9. Cigarettes constitute a mere 20 percent of tobacco consumption in India, and fewer than 15 percent of the 200 million tobacco users consume cigarettes. Yet these 15 percent contribute nearly 90 percent of the tax revenues to the exchequer from the tobacco sector. The punitive cigarette taxation regime has kept the tax base narrow and reducing taxes will expand this base.Which of the following best bolsters the conclusion that reducing duties will expand the tax base?

10. Thomas Malthus, the British clergyman turned economist predicted that the planet would not be able to support the human population for long. His explanation was the human population grows at a geometric rate, while the food supply grows only at an arithmetic rate.Which one of the following, if true, would not undermine the thesis offered by Malthus?