The results of elections to five State assemblies should put
to rest doubts, if there were any, on the decline of the Opposition Party as a
national party. The party was voted out of power in two States — Assam and
Kerala — and failed to make any impact in two others where (1) chief ministers have returned to power — West Bengal and Tamil
Nadu. Emerging as the largest single party in Puducherry where it has bagged
half of the 30 seats in the Assembly must be small (2) to a party that barely a decade ago counted almost two dozen
States in its kitty. That position has clearly reversed now, with the Ruling
Party surging forward leaving just half-a-dozen States in the control of the
grand old party.
If the (3)
decline of the Opposition is the first takeaway from this election season, the
second is the corresponding rise of the Ruling Party which appears determined
to make its slogan a reality. The Ruling Party’s show with alliance partners in
Assam where it has captured power for the first time is impressive but equally
so is its performance in West Bengal and Kerala, where it will have a
representative in the Assembly for the first time. The Ruling Party’s vote
share of 10.6 per cent is higher than the former Ruling Party’s 8.2 per cent
and puts it in the third place after the other two parties. In West Bengal as
well, it has grabbed three seats with a 10.2-per cent share of the votes. The
Ruling Party’s agenda of development and corruption-free governance continue to
resonate though communal politics in West Bengal might have played a role too.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister may have created history in Tamil Nadu becoming
the first chief minister to be voted back since her mentor in 1984 but she will
have to (4) with a much stronger
Opposition compared to her last term. The fractured Opposition seems to have
helped the Ruling Party combat the anti-incumbency factor with the anti-Ruling
Party votes getting split. The other CM to beat anti-incumbency, has decimated
the other Opposition Party which might find it difficult to re-emerge from the
ashes. The party can console itself though with its win in Kerala which ensures
that it has a toe-hold in the country’s politics.
The underlying message from the voter in all these States, though,
is clear. Voters have signalled their impatience with the endless cycle of
scams and corruption scandals gripping the polity. Instead, it is Prime
Minister’s promise— better days of faster growth and better governance — which
has (5) with the electorate and
driven the surge in the Ruling Party’s popularity. The five new governments
assuming power in the States need to absorb this message, as does the Ruling
Party’s government at the Centre. The time for promises is over. It is time now
to deliver.
Q-1 Choose the
correct option for (1).
01. incumbent
02. unnecessary
03. noncurrent
04. subjacent
05. discretionary
Q-2 Choose the
correct option for (2).
01. consolation
02. torment
03. anguish
04. angst
05. distress
Q-3 Choose the
correct option for (3).
01. pliable
02. doleful
03. inexorable
04. dolorous
05. flexible
Q-4 Choose the
correct option for (4).
01. disavow
02. dereliction
03. estimate
04. cancel
05. reckon
Q-5 Choose the
correct option for (5).
01. reverberate
02. resonated
03. pulsate
04. throb
05. boom
Q.6-10. Which of the
Phrases (1), (2) (3) and (4) given below each sentence should replace the
phrases printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct. If
the sentence is correct as it is given and no correction is required, mark (5)
as the answer.
Q.6. The flood water which had crossed the danger mark for
the third time recent brought huge
amount of silt and sludge
01. Brings recently huge amount
of
02. Recently brought huge
amount of
03.
Brought huge recent amount of
04. Recently brought huge amounts of
05. No correction required
Q.7. Steep rise in the price of essential commodities,
vegetables and chicken have drained much
of the daily earnings of eateries, especially small and medium ones.
01. Have drained much of
the daily earns
02. Has drained much of the daily earnings
03. Have drainage much of the daily earnings
04. Has drains much of the daily earnings
05. No
correction required
Q.8. Trucks drivers have resumed illegal parking of the
vehicles on roadsides citing dearth of parking space in the city, many to the dismay pedestrians and
commuters.
01. Much to the dismay of
02. Much dismayed
03. Much to the dismay
04. Much more to dismay
05. No correction required
Q.9. Last year, it was observed that farmers did not receive
the decided prices set by the government, because of more moisturized content in their food grain.
01. Moisture content in
there foodgrain
02. Moisturised foodgrain content
03. Moisture content in their foodgrain
04. Moisture foodgrain in there content
05. No correction required
Q.10. Token money charged by the police personnel from the
goods carriers is continuing openly despite the fact that there is no provision
by the administration for any such fee
for the tokens for entry into the one way zone
01. Any such fee for the tokens entry
02. Many such fee for the tokens for entry
03. Any such fee of the tokens in entry
04. No such fee for the tokens of entry
05. No correction required
ANSWERS
1. 1
2. 1
3. 3
4. 5
5. 2
6. 2
7. 5
8. 1
9. 3
10. 5
