IPMAT 2021 - Verbal Ability

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

The writer of the passage suggests that

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

The passage points out that an important difference between traditional media and social media is that

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

Social media is dangerous in its ability to influence opinion in readers through

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

‘Vested interests' (Para 2) means

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

The antonym for ‘spurious' (Para 1) is

Directions for Qs. 1 - 6: Read the following passage and choose the answer that is closest to each of the questions that are based on the passage.

From ancient Rome up to the Victorian era, a training in logic and rhetoric was meant to help privileged young men recognize spurious arguments and facts. Times have changed, but contemporary Italy is determined that its youth are prepared, as their ancient counterparts were, to engage meaningfully with the present-day version of the Forum — social media. At the end of October, 8,000 Italian schools will teach their students how to spot fake news through a programmer developed with the help of journalists as well as tech giants Google and Facebook. In Israel, the University of Haifa is launching a course titled “Fake News.”
The purpose of these courses is to ensure that public debate, particularly during election campaigns, is not hijacked by vested interests. Since the US presidential election in 2016, the spectre of Russia and its use of online propaganda has loomed large over public discourse in the West. In other parts of the world too, doctored images and blatant lies have been published by “news” websites. Given the speed with which information is shared online, the damage is already done by the time a fake story is exposed. The voters of tomorrow certainly need to be armed with the ability to sift bare facts from motivated fiction. The effects of social media on the formation of opinion, however, go far beyond fake news.
Traditional or legacy media is ordered by a need for balance. A newspaper, for example, has sections that deal with politics, crime, sports, the arts et al. There is, at least in principle, an attempt to tell both sides of a story in each report. On social media, the only editor is the user herself. Algorithms ensure that people see more of what they “like”, that biases are reinforced rather than countered. Fake news is certainly a crucial aspect of online propaganda. But for young citizens to form opinions based on multiple viewpoints, they need to consciously seek out more than they are comfortable with.

The writer of the passage calls social media 'the present-day version of the Roman Forum' because it is a space for

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

The impatient and intolerant mother made every effort to

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

To avoid the ecological issues, scientists and government agencies consider how sustainable development 

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

I now have more productive time during the day because I keep the office gossips

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

We need to cut down on our expenses, so that we are able to

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

A portion of the house collapsed because the contractor _________and built it with very poor quality materials.

Directions for Qs. 7 - 12: Complete the following sentences by choosing the appropriate word/phrase from the options given below

Our team has won every single match that they have played since January. They seem to be.

Directions for Qs. 13 - 15: Choose the alternative so that the underlined part of the sentence is rendered correct.

Other politicians may have claims to seniority over their peers, based upon their accomplishments and their ability to lead campaigns, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, who is often described as merely being a junior member of the House of Representatives, has an unparalleled seniority over all of them by virtue of her prowess in social media management.

Directions for Qs. 13 - 15: Choose the alternative so that the underlined part of the sentence is rendered correct.

Although the coastal city of Kundapur was once home to a flourishing maritime trade, their economy has been dependent in more recent years on the cotton textile and sugar industries.

Directions for Qs. 13 - 15: Choose the alternative so that the underlined part of the sentence is rendered correct.

Due to the progress in the field of modern medicine and advances in nutrition and hygiene, less people die every year from infectious diseases then ever before.

Directions for Qs. 16 - 17: Each of the paragraphs given below has a sentence missing which is indicated by a blank. From the choices given below each paragraph, choose the sentence that seems most logically appropriate to complete the paragraph.

Captive breeding has helped revive wildlife such as the Eurasian beaver, the cheetah and the Arabian Onyx. Several species have been reintroduced into locations in order that the ecological balance is restored. When herbivorous bandicoots were set free in the wild, they dug the ground and redistributed dry leaves and branches, reducing the chance of bush fires. But some predators may overhunt or threaten other vulnerable species. _____________________

Directions for Qs. 16 - 17: Each of the paragraphs given below has a sentence missing which is indicated by a blank. From the choices given below each paragraph, choose the sentence that seems most logically appropriate to complete the paragraph.

Postponed from last year, the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin this year. The locals are wary, the athletes are anxious, training sessions are truncated, and restrictions are extensive. ________________Yet Japan, in many ways is seen as a safe choice, because of its past experience of hosting big events. It has an impeccable reputation for discipline and the ability to deliver the goods.

Directions for Qs. 18 - 22: The sentences below have words that are missing. Choose the best option from those given below to complete the sentence.

When we think about listening, we tend to assume that it is basically the same as hearing; this is a ________________because it leads us to believe that effective listening is____________. As a result, we make little effort to learn, or develop listening skills and thereby__________________ a vital communication function.

Directions for Qs. 18 - 22: The sentences below have words that are missing. Choose the best option from those given below to complete the sentence.

As vaccination rates rise and governments relax their pandemic ______________ the recovery of the event ecosystem is happening faster than expected. Event management _____________see the number of events and event attendance reaching and potentially ______________pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Directions for Qs. 18 - 22: The sentences below have words that are missing. Choose the best option from those given below to complete the sentence.

This _________, ________man was actually the ______________manager the company ever had.

Directions for Qs. 18 - 22: The sentences below have words that are missing. Choose the best option from those given below to complete the sentence.

The best strategy to give an ____________is to deliver it orally as well as in___________ It is also important to _________the employee's achievements in the same manner.

Directions for Qs. 18 - 22: The sentences below have words that are missing. Choose the best option from those given below to complete the sentence.

The Aravalli range is the oldest_________ geological feature anywhere in the world. These were once tall mountains, possibly as high as the Himalayas. Over hundreds of millions of years these tall mountains have been __________ to low hills and ridges. Yet, these diminutive hills have been____________ to many important events in Indian history.

Directions for Qs. 23 - 27: One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

Directions for Qs. 23 - 27: One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

Directions for Qs. 23 - 27: One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

Directions for Qs. 23 - 27: One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

Directions for Qs. 23 - 27: One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

One of the statements below contains a word used incorrectly. Choose the option which has the incorrect or inappropriate usage of the word.

Directions for Qs. 28 - 30: The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is  labelled with a number. Decide on the most logical order and enter the sequence of numbers in the space provided, for e.g., 1234.

Directions for Qs. 28 - 30: The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is  labelled with a number. Decide on the most logical order and enter the sequence of numbers in the space provided, for e.g., 1234.

Directions for Qs. 28 - 30: The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is  labelled with a number. Decide on the most logical order and enter the sequence of numbers in the space provided, for e.g., 1234.