COMPREHENSION TEST
      (1) role of women.                                            67. In addition to being socially responsible, what does
      (2) role of middle management.                                     the author want the banks to be ?
      (3) role of child labour.                                          (1) Customer friendly
      (4) role of foreign assistance.                                    (2) Able to attract foreign investors
64. Women have hardly                                                    (3) Financially healthy
      (1) any voice in family or community decisions.                    (4) Senseless risk-takers
      (2) any economic or legal status.                             68. How can the banks take risks without risking a fail-
      (3) any voice in family or community decision or legal             ure ?
         or economic status.                                             (1) By being innovative.
      (4) any voice to decide about themselves.                          (2) By soliciting the help of the government.
65. Woman power is                                                       (3) By being financially healthy.
      (1) an essential power in the development of the na-               (4) By being conservative.
         tion.
                                                                  69.What does the absence of any bad advance indicate ?
      (2) an essential power in child production.
                                                                         (1) A penchant for risks
      (3) an essential power in marriages.
                                                                         (2) Immense conservatism
      (4) an essential power in the death of children.
                                                                         (3) Financial independence
      Directions (66 – 70) : You have one brief passage with
five questions following the passage. Read the passage care-             (4) A deep-seated social commitment
fully and choose the best answer to each question out of          70.What would happen if novel and pragmatic techniques
the four alternatives.                                                   are ignored ?
                          (SSC Section Officer (Commercial Audit)        (1) Will put the banks in danger.
                                                 Exam. 5.09.2005)        (2) Will undermine the banks’ social commitment.
      The public sector banks are witnessing in India a pe-              (3) Will reveal the untapped talent.
riod of transition and are at crossroads, where they with-               (4) Will result in inefficient portfolio management.
out giving up social responsibility, should also remain healthy.
                                                                      Directions (71–80) : You have two brief passages with
They need to undertake risky experiments, yet perform it
                                                                  5 questions following each passage. Read the passages care-
innovatively in a way it does not fail. They should make
                                                                  fully and choose the best answer to each question out of
forays into new areas which are rarely tread by them and          the four alternatives.
lose no emerging opportunities. It should be understood
                                                                                  (SSC Tax Assistant (Income Tax & Central Excise)
that absence of any bad advance is no sign of efficient
                                                                                                                 Exam. 11.12.2005)
banking system. It only indicates immense conservatism.
However this is no guarantee for profit. There should be a                                   PASSAGE-I
balance between liquidity and risk. Past sins should be               In the past 50 years, doctors across the world have
forgotten. Novel and pragmatic techniques should be adopted       accepted the practice to prescribe antibiotics at the first
without which banks would be in danger.                           sign of a trivial infection or treat patients with a handful of
                                                                  antibiotics. These days it is not uncommon to see
                  SOME IMPORTANT WORDS                            practitioners prescribing multiple antibiotics without any
  transition     : the process/a period of changing from one      real indication or relevance for such a combination of drugs.
                   state or condition to another.                 Antibiotics have traditionally been known as miracle drugs,
  innovatively : using/introducing new ideas, ways of             but there is growing evidence that they are overworked
                   doing, etc.                                    miracles, especially in countries like ours where there is
  forays         : an attempt to become involved in a differ-     easy access to drugs across the counter, including
                   ent activity or profession.                    antibiotics. We cannot think of a return to pre-antibiotic
  tread          : used/tried/acted upon                          days. Yet the unbridled use of these agents is inexorably
                                                                  propelling us in that direction.
  conservatism : the tendency to resist great or sudden
                   change.                                                          SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
  liquidity      : the state of owning things of value that        unbridled : not controlled and therefore extreme.
                   can easily be exchanged for cash                inexorably : not stopping or changing.
 at the cross : the point at which an                              propelling : forcing somebody to move in a particular di-
 roads             important choice has to be made                                 rection or to get into a particular situation.
 novel          :  new interesting and different                   antibiotics : a substance (penicillin) that can destroy/
                                                                                     prevent the growth of bacteria and cure
 pragmatic      :  solving problems in a practical and sensible
                   way rather than by having fixed ideas/                            infections
                   theories                                        trivial        :  not important/serious
  66. What, according to the author, are the public sector         miracle        :  wonder
       banks witnessing ?                                          overworked :      made to work too hard/too much
       (1) A period of profit      (2) A period of change          access         :  the opportunity/right to use something/
       (3) A period of certainty (4) A loss-making period                            to see somebody/something
                                                             SEE–911