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Letters to the editor
on this matter in the last edition of
Prep Talk, with interest. At the other
end is the issue of the delay in the
grant of bail to persons without being
subjected to trial proceedings. The
Supreme Court intervened and threw
light on the matter. The ground for
grant of bail is humanitarian.
Change is the way of life
No one is indispensable. No one
can permanently be in the coveted
position for long. The write-up on the
take-over of the Supreme Office in
Tata Sons amply illustrates this truth
(PrepTalk last edition). The profile of
Cyrus Mistry was enlightening. Here
is one of those rare instances where
dynastic succession is done away with.
The issue elucidated on the state of
affairs prevailing in the Tata Empire. I
was made aware of the ticklish issues
surrounding the 3G licensing subject,
which is taxing the incumbent
government. The matter of the falling
rupee made me sit up and think
deeply on the ever-changing
scenarios in the world of finance and
commerce.
The magazine was abounding in
articles of varied interests, ranging
from best-selling books to facets of
MHCET, interspersed with the
thoroughly enjoyable fare on the
Tintin saga. The coverage on the
various happenings, nationally and
globally, enhanced my awareness.
– Gurbaksh Singh Bhalla,
Chandigarh
The division of UP is not
warranted
UP is already split into
Uttaranchal and Uttarakhand areas.
The division has not brought in any
appreciable change in the quality of
administration. The proposal to
further divide the state is harebrained. I gather these views after
reading the thought-provoking article
02 PT’s PrepTalk – Dec 2011 - Jan 2012
on the subject in the last edition of Prep
Talk. The Winter Session of Parliament
did not bid good farewell to the year
gone by. Many key items on the agenda
were unattended. I shudder to think of
the criminal wastage caused as a result
of this. However, some landmark bills
were tabled.
The plight of Kingfisher is manmade, although critical. It is a classic
case of being recklessly indulgent. The
edition gave exhaustive coverage on the
cause and the repercussions of such a
situation. The issue of Prep Talk came
out with useful stuff on vocabulary.
– Pradip Mohanty,
Raipur
The entrepreneurial drive of
Vikram Akula is inspiring
Although he left the company that
he founded, Vikram Akula is not the
person to be inactive. I read the article
The cover story was readable.
Times ahead for Cyrus Mistry are
daunting. Yet like his eminent
predecessor, he would steer the
company to greater heights. The issue
also did justice in covering subjects
like Parliamentar y proceedings,
aspects of various entrance tests and
events in national and international
spheres. The feature on English
usage and vocabulary was enjoyable.
Kaushika Subbarayudu,
Bhopal
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Dear Readers,
2011 was an eventful year, with Ups and Downs taking place in various fields
and sectors of significance for the nation, and for the planet at large. While
happenings, developments and achievements were a matter of cheer, heralding
promising projections for 2012, some were accompanied by disappointment and
apprehension, with grim portents in the year just begun.
A graphic overview of incidents and events of 2011, which happened in a large
spread of areas ranging from Economy to Entertainment, with prospects, portents
and projections for 2012, forms the Cover Story of this edition of Prep Talk.
Problems of Naxalism, inland, and Euro crisis, overseas, which are festering in
nature and threatening in impact, would require an in-depth knowledge and
understanding. Sufficient thought is suffused in order to create the desired
sensitization towards them. The tremor that jolted Reliance Industries Limited
(RIL) and the state of the yuan are described in this issue of Prep Talk. 2012 would
also be dotted with elections, be they taking place in our country for State
Assemblies or for the President in the U.S.A., with the citizens all out to assert the
power of Vox Populi. Some space is devoted towards speculation of the outcome of
the U.S. Presidential elections.
Many among you would be preparing for the next phase of selection, for seeking
admission in the coveted institutions and centres of learning. In order to
strengthen your Current Awareness and power of expression, with due emphasis
laid on the usage of English, a section is devoted towards them.
Many among you would be focusing and working out strategies on ‘Call
Conversion’, using every possible arsenal provided to you. Effective
Communication is the tool needed, to create the desired impact and impression
during the crucial and decisive phase of the Selection Process.
Positive outlook, poise, adaptability, fortitude and courage should be the virtues
accompanying you in the journey ahead. Treat setbacks and failures as minor
irritants, ensuring that some learning is acquired. Each
stumble and each slippage is a Stepping Stone towards the
attainment of success.
Move on fully charged and energized! Kar Ke
Dikhayenge!
With truckloads of luck,
Sandeep Manudhane
“When one door of happiness
closes, another opens; but often we
look so long at the closed door that
we do not see the one which has
been opened for us.”
– Helen Keller
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It
can only be achieved by
understanding.”
– Albert Einstein
“Leave nothing for tomorrow which
can be done today.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“Meditation is not a means to an
end. It is both the means and the
end.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti
“Some people are so afraid to die
that they never begin to live.”
– Henry Vandyke
“Faith furnishes prayer with wings,
without which it cannot soar to
Heaven.”
– St. John Climacus
“No one can make you feel inferior
without your consent.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
“It is my conviction that it is the
intuitive, spiritual aspects of us
humans-the inner voice-that gives
us the ‘knowing,’ the peace, and the
direction to go through the
windstorms of life, not shattered but
whole, joining in love and
understanding.”
– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
PT's PrepTalk – Dec 2011 - Jan 2012 03
Contents
Simplifying knowledge dissemination
Managing Editor
Sandeep Manudhane
Marketing and Sales :
Cover Story:
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Portending 2012 : a panorama ..............................................
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Amit Garg - 97555-99510
Volume 10. Edition 06. Dec 2011 - Jan 2012
Editorial Office
PT education Headquarters,
Yeshwant Plaza,
Opp. Railway Station Indore - 452001
Current Events
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India ........................................................................................
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World ......................................................................................
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Business and Economy..........................................................
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© 2008 All rights reserved.
Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in
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Published by Manish Saraf on behalf of PTETSL,
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Disclaimer :
The information given in this magazine is true to the best of
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“To be a world class training and education organisation
shaping careers through innovative products and
services & the use of human technologies.”
Regulars
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In the wonderful world of words ..........................................
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Reliance is jolted....................................................................
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Ramble through para jumble ...............................................
25
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What is Holistic Healing?......................................................
30
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Current Awareness ................................................................
31
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Bollywood Films of 2011........................................................
41
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English’s acid test!.................................................................
44
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Insurgency in India – Naxalism............................................
51
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The race to the White House-the
U.S. Presidential elections ....................................................
53
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Thought Stimulant................................................................
55
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Yuan’s Appreciation ...............................................................
57
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Understanding the Euro crisis .............................................
59
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Grey-headed Flying Fox ........................................................
64
Cover Story
Portending 2012 : a panorama
A
t the beginning of the year, it is always fashionable to look
ahead and crystal-gaze what will happen in the coming
months. Also, given the kind of volatility one has seen
both in the economic numbers and the projections made by
analysts, it makes an interesting exercise to do so. We can try and
assess intelligently what things will look like in 2012.
Most likely, 2012 will be the year in which the Indian
economy may slip into a minor abyss. There will be fewer job
opportunities for those seeking high-value work and lower
increments for those who are already employed. Inflation will
remain high-around 7 per cent, eroding the standards of living of
the middle class. If inflation doesn’t go away, interest rates will
continue to remain high, making car loans and home loans
unaffordable. Overall, consumption, a key driver of the economy,
will slow down sharply. Faced with low demand and a high cost of
borrowing, India Inc, which is more confident after two decades
of liberalisation, will continue to look for greener pastures
abroad. Investment in India will crumble.
Globally, job markets are trapped in clouds of uncertainty
owing to credit crisis in US and Europe. The Indian
employment market, too, has gone in a state of cautiousness.
Industry experts constantly try to figure out what may happen.
As the economy grows (may not be at the pace of 2011), the
recruitment will continue to see upward trend. Hiring at entry
and junior levels will probably grow at a higher pace than the
recruitment for senior positions.
JOB MARKET IN 2012
A self-perpetuating vicious cycle may be set in motion. That
may result in 6 per cent growth and above 7 per cent inflation,
something that has not happened in any single year, in more than
a decade. The prosperity of the middle class acquired through
the 2000s will be seriously dented.
Service sector including IT and ITes and BPO/ KPO will
continue to grow in 2012
thereby being one of the key
contributors to the growth
in employment. Retail
services, Food Processing
and Packaging, Energy,
Infrastructure, Utilities, and
Chemicals will be some
other sectors where we may
see good growth in the
employment. Agriculture
and related industries,
being the largest employment sectors, will probably see
stagnation and may not add large numbers.
This scenario will unfold not because of possible double dip
recession in the US or an imminent collapse of the Eurozone. It
will more likely unveil itself courtesy the UPA government. Its
dithering, nearly paralytic style of governance over the last 12
months has cost the country high. Its continued state of denial
about the precarious state of the economy and its own role in
bringing things to such a pass could damage the economy deeply
in 2012. After all, if the government does not accept that things
are broken, it will make no attempt to fix them. Everything that
has derailed the India story is known. But the govt fears even
acknowledging the known. The 2010s should have been the
decade when India attained 10 per cent growth. It may slide to 6
per cent instead.
“In 2012, the first six months may not be very good for
hiring.” Says V. Suresh, Executive Vice-president of naukri.com,
“There is already a clear slowdown at the middle and higher
levels. So far, campus recruitment prospects seem okay.” Says
Gaurav Lahiri, Managing Director of management consulting
firm Hay Group, “The first quarter of 2012 is extremely
uncertain, all companies are on wait and watch. A lot of
companies are also choosing to hire as and when a requirement
comes in. They are not hiring in anticipation.” Goel says that he
expects salary hikes to be between zero and 15 per cent. With
inflation hovering at close to 10 per cent, most employees can
expect a fall in their real income in 2012. Goel is hopeful the
second half of 2012 may be better for the job market. But that
depends on a recovery in growth.
2012 TO BOOST SERVICE FRANCHISE FORTUNE
The year 2012 is set to immensely increase the popularity of
the concept of franchising. A detailed survey by Francorp
brings out the facts and figures about the expected growth of
franchising especially in the service sector during 2012.
Franchising business growing by an estimated 25-30 per
cent in 2012 can be seen as a sign of high optimism in both the
franchisors and investors alike. To cross check the confidence of
the industry stakeholders, brands and investors in franchising, a
survey was conducted by Francorp India. The study revealed
that 2012 is predicted to be a boom for franchising in Indian
service sector, with new and exclusive opportunities.
The year 2012 will see a shift towards enhanced capacities
and structured approach, accommodating the varied interests of
the stakeholders. The focus would be more on efficiency and
effectiveness.
ROARING SERVICE SECTOR
The year 2012 will see the horizontal expansion of the
service sector, with many new and unique services being offered
for the first time, on that scale and level. Over 62 per cent brand
franchisors in the survey were from the service segment and 38
per cent from the products segment. Amongst the products
segment, food and beverage is the single largest segment with
over 16 per cent of the franchisors.
However, there are certain categories in this wide service
sector which are predicted to be more successful than the other
segments. These are:
Education sector: Over 68 per cent of the brands in the
survey were related to education sector alone.
Beauty and wellness: Grabbing the second position,
beauty and wellness sector saw over 11 per cent of the
franchisors.
Business services: This sector followed at the third place,
with eight per cent.
Health-care: Around over four per cent covered by healthcare, this segment is included in the list of top service sectors.
The franchising industry in India is set for an above average
growth rate in 2012, with the stakeholders confident about the
06 PT's PrepTalk – Dec 2011 - Jan 2012
immense potential of the model. Moreover, with the recent
policy, economic and socio-cultural developments in India,
there are unbounded opportunities, both for the franchisors as
well as the investors.
As India’s government prepares to submit its approach
paper for its 12th five-year plan (a plan which covers years 2012
to 2017), the Planning Commission’s focus on instilling
“inclusive growth” is making headway.
“Rural infrastructure, which serves 70 percent of the
population, doesn’t get the attention it deserves. As the Planning
Commission sets out to draft the country’s planned investments
for the next five years, it is important to take note of this gap, and
the innovative solutions needed to fill it.”
INNOVATION IN 2012
In 2011, we saw amazing growth in the number of
organizations pursuing Innovation Excellence around the world.
Clearly, the innovation movement is picking up momentum,
with companies of every stripe and from every industry trying to
bring in innovation into the DNA of their organizations and
make it a deep enterprise capability.
2012 will be the Year of Open Innovation. As more and
more organizations build their internal innovation capabilities
and feel comfortable soliciting ideas from employees, we will see
more organizations in 2012 open up their quest for continuous
innovation to ideas from suppliers, partners, and even
customers or the general public. This will cause an increase in
the competition for ideas, which means that organizations must
be much more deliberate and systematic in how they approach
their community of potential open innovation partners.
In 2012, companies that failed to innovate in 2011 will
continue to fail. In 2011, we saw the acquisition of Motorola
Mobility by Google and of Blockbuster by Dish Network, the
absorption of Sony-Ericsson into Sony after a buyout,
accompanied by the failure of Borders. All of these companies
were once very successful and even innovative, but missed a
wave of innovation in their industries and left themselves weak
and vulnerable. All successful companies were innovative at one
time. The trick is to create an organization with the ability to
continuously renew, reinvent, and reconsider what will make the
organization successful and innovative in the future.
In 2012, eBooks will reinvent the traditional book
publishing industry
Of course, we don’t doubt for a moment that 2012 will
continue to see traditional print sales collapsing and bookstores
closing, while e-books’ sales rise exponentially and selfpublishing becomes more popular with both new and veteran
authors. But there’s also a chance that traditional publishers will
finally start to catch up, learning to embrace the “strange new
digital world” instead of denying that it’s actually destroying
them. Having seen the future, in the shape of the iPad and the
growing array of multimedia eBook apps on Apple iTunes, not to
mention the array of new SW tools now available to the selfpublishing crowd for creating more sophisticated ebooks, the
publishing industry will be forced to use its financial muscle to
innovate and improve the quality of its own products.
2011 was a tough year for many in talent management, but
despite compressed budgets, organizations continued to hire
and develop talent. One factor that seemed to invade nearly every
high-level functional discussion was social media. It’s clear that
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter will play a dominate role in
recruiting and development best practices, in years to come.
2012 Will Be “The Year of the Mobile Platform”
By the end of 2012,
even the skeptics will
have to admit that the
mobile platform will have
become the dominant
communications and
interaction platform by adopting best-practice organizations
early. Users of smartphones and tablet devices are growing
immensely day by day. Long after unified in-boxes have existed
for the desktop, smart device users would see all incoming email, social messaging, text messaging, and voice and video
messaging in a single place.
Tablets will become the virtual classroom, and an emerging
class of tools will let employees manage almost every aspect of
their professional life digitally. During the next year, talent
management leaders need to invest heavily, supporting
execution of talent management initiatives across mobile
telephony.
Mobile phones will penetrate deeper into the villages.
Indians are hungry to learn and grow. They will embrace the
iPad, Facebook and miscellaneous electronic toys avidly. Rural
markets will grow, albeit slowly.
INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY IN 2012
Indian foreign policy is
l i ke l y t o f a c e s e v e r a l
challenges in 2012 arising
out of a swiftly changing
global security environment,
the global economic
slowdown and an
unpredictable neighbourhood. Dealing with them will become
that much more difficult against the backdrop of India’s own
economic slowdown.
CHALLENGES BEFORE INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY
As we prepare for the year ahead, the concern is how India
would acquit itself in dealing with the formidable challenges
looming on the foreign front.
On present reckoning, the big tests for India in 2012 would
be relations with China and the United States, and
neighbourhood ‘management’.
Against the above geopolitical backdrop, Indian foreign and
security policies will face several challenges. Foremost among
them would be managing relations with an assertive China;
safeguarding national security against a backlash from an
unstable Pakistan; calibrating policies towards a restive West
Asia; rejuvenating Indo-US relations; stepping up engagement
with ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, and Australia; and playing an
effective and constructive role at multilateral fora on issues of
global governance. While India’s ability to handle the challenges
may be constrained by a slowing economy, it would need to
manage them through requisite diplomatic skill and finesse.
The success of Indian foreign policy is clearly linked with
continuing high economic growth. India is also currently facing
the prospects of an economic slowdown. A slowdown in
economic growth could have an impact on India’s standing
abroad. The lack of resources could also constrain spending in
the defence sector.
Domestic factors are becoming increasingly important in
India’s foreign policy. For example, the government was unable
to sign the Teesta water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh
because of domestic factors. The decision to permit FDI in the
retail sector had to be reversed due to the lack of domestic
political consensus. There are also doubts whether foreign
investment in the nuclear energy sector would materialize on
account of protests against nuclear energy. India may face
serious power shortages in the near future. This will further
impact the economy.
New challenges are arising on the global governance front.
India played an active role in the UN Security Council during
2011. It is under pressure from Western countries to align its
positions on critical global issues with theirs. The Durban
conference on Climate Change concluded with mixed results. A
notable development at Durban was that parties to the UNFCC
have agreed to negotiate a legally-binding emissions reduction
agreement by 2017. India may be compelled to show flexibility in
its negotiating stance shown at the Durban platform on climate
change negotiations.
INDIA AT THE 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS
India is scheduled to
compete at the 2012 Summer
Olympics in London, United
Kingdom from 27 July to 12
August 2012.
Indian government has
allocated a sum of Rs 60.85
million to train 22 sports
persons of different individual disciplines to ensure that India is
able to get maximum possible medals in this event.
Having had great achievements in the field of athletics,
archery, boxing, shooting and swimming, glorious victories are
expected within the same periphery.
LOKPAL IN 2012
If a Lokpal is finally
appointed in 2012, it will
be after numerous failed
attempts, stretching
back decades, to bring in
the institution. If not, it
will still be a raging topic
as it was for most of
2011. The protagonists,
Team Anna and the
political parties, will make sure of that. At a time when
corruption dominates the headlines, from the 2G case to mining
scams, a powerful institution whose single-point agenda is to
uncover and act against corrupt bureaucrats and politicians will
be a much-watched one. The performance of whoever is
appointed will be tracked minutely and constantly over the year.
As regards the passage of the bill, much depends on
Congress’ reading of the public mood. The educated guess is
that the political class won’t dismissively put Lokpal in the
freezer. But the final contours of this institution will call for
plenty of more negotiations. If Lokpal bill is passed, then begins
the equally fascinating and crucial process of selecting the head
and other members.
WORLD ECONOMY IN 2012
The world economy will lose momentum in 2012 but it will
keep moving in the right direction, according to Reuters polls of
around 600 economists which said that crisis-hit Europe would
drag on global growth.
Asian economies will again power the expansion of the world
economy in 2012, but with relatively subdued performances.
The United States, meanwhile, should continue to
contribute modest growth that will easily outpace its recessionhit European peers.
Brazil will be one of the few big economies that will pick up
steam this year, outshining slower Latin American stablemates
Mexico and Argentina.
A Reuters poll that covers all of the top 20 developed and
emerging economies, as well as some others in Asia, suggests
that global economic growth will slow to around 3.3 percent this
year from an estimated 3.7 percent in 2011.
before it can repay 14.5 billion euros ($18.5 billion) of bonds
falling due in March 2012.
That is more optimistic than the latest forecast from the
World Bank, which predicted that the world GDP would rise only
2.5 percent this year.
“The seeming inability of euro zone policymakers to get on
top of the region’s sovereign debt crisis is threatening to exact a
toll on economic growth well beyond its peripheral economies,”
said Mark Cliffe, Chief Economist of ING Group.
Although the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis represents a
huge risk to the world’s economic health, there have at least
been promising signs of life from the United States.
“We’re fairly optimistic on the U.S., and we’re in the softlanding rather than the hard-landing camp for China,” said
Investec economist Victoria Cadman, whose forecast for global
growth in the high-three percent range is slightly more
optimistic than the consensus.
“(That’s) notwithstanding the huge risks that the euro crisis
poses if a more disorderly fallout results.”
China will again top the economic growth charts this year
with growth of 8.4 percent, although that is only a little over the 8
percent mark which economists deem necessary to create
enough jobs to satisfy the country’s fast-growing population.
India’s economy will not be far behind, expanding 7.0
percent in the 2012 fiscal year, although that would still be its
worst showing in two years, thanks to tight monetary policy and
political deadlock.
Brazil’s fervent domestic demand and credit growth should
propel the economy to growth of around 3.3 percent in 2012, and
4.5 percent in 2013.
DIFFICULT TIMES
This year looks certain to be difficult for the rich developed
economies. The world’s largest, the United States, should grow
around 2.2 percent in 2012.
While fairly modest by historical standards and compared to
its emerging peers, that would be vastly better than the 0.3
percent contraction expected for the euro zone economy.
The immediate risk to Europe’s economy would be a
disorderly sovereign debt default from Greece that would
hammer the European financial system. Athens is bargaining
with its private creditors on a bond swap deal which is needed
Germany will probably be the only major economy in Europe
to rise above stagnation this year, although not by much economists expect its economy to expand by 0.5 percent in 2012.
Even Japan, mired in deflation and struggling to overcome
the economic shock of the earthquake and tsunami last March,
will easily outstrip European economies, with growth of around
1.8 percent in its fiscal year 2012-13.
That is the lowest forecast since the aftermath of last year’s
natural disasters, however, underscoring how over-optimistic
some commentators were in expecting reconstruction to fuel a
rapid expansion.
Backed by a mining boom, Australia’s resource rich economy
should lead the developed world in terms of growth, with a
hearty 3.4 percent expansion this year.
CONCLUSIVE NOTE
Whether the world economy will recover
The answer is yes, but it will be a slow one, since it has to be
driven by the US in the west and the emerging markets on the
other side of the ocean. The American economy is currently
chugging along but would be constrained on the fiscal side with
a distinct conflict between the Republicans and Democrats, who
separately favour expenditure cuts and tax increases.
The euro region, especially the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland,
Italy, Greece and Spain), will have to resort to austerity to ensure
that their budgets are under control -— or else could be
repercussions in terms of the financial assistance that other
nations are willing to provide. Therefore, growth has to be from
within rather than any kind of fiscal stimulus.
Whether inflation will come down
Inflation will move downwards, as can be seen from recent
food inflation numbers. However, sticky issues still remain for
the government. This year, the Food Security Bill could be
passed in the Indian Parliament, which means there will be more
However, there is no certainty about the pace of recovery.
Lower interest rates should aid investment. A lot will also
depend on whether the government will return to the path of
reforms this year. While there will be opposition to some of the
reforms like retail FDI, some other action may be expected.
Whether liquidity will be adequate
demand for foodgrain procurement. Can this be inflationary?
The present stocks with the Food Corporation of India can
actually meet this target (for one year) and hence need not be an
immediate concern.
Further, will the Indian government raise prices of petroproducts this year? Probably it will do so once the elections are
over, which will have an impact on prices. Lastly, core inflation
today is up more due to rupee depreciation as global prices are
benign and there are no signs of excess demand in an
environment of lower industrial growth. Therefore, there can
still be pressures on prices. The comfort is that two successive
high base years will lead to lower inflation numbers. But, price
levels will still be high and affect household spending.
Whether the industrial climate will improve
Interest rates are one part of the story, but more importantly,
there has to be movement on both demand and supply. India has
not really been hit by the global slowdown directly in a significant
manner, which means that the recovery will be a tad easier.
Therefore, consumer demand should pick up along the way
while investment activity should be buoyed by lower rates.
Greater demand from the government as well as the private
sector will put pressure on banks. Banks will also have to brace
themselves for meeting Basel III standards, which involve
building Tier I capital. This sector holds the clue to future
growth of the country, as banks have to not only finance growth
but also meet their capital norms. Liquidity will, therefore,
continue to be under pressure and government bond yields will
remain in the range of 8-8.5 percent for 10-year securities even if
the RBI lowers rates.
Whether the Indian economy will perform better in
2012
There is a strong reason to believe that the Indian economy
will do better this year relative to 2011, as some of the daunting
issues like inflation seem to be moderating. The Reserve Bank
and the government can now focus on bringing the economy
back on rails. Growth should pick up, albeit gradually, and one
can actually see us move towards the 7.5 percent mark in terms
of GDP growth, provided the external environment remains
stable.
With the state elections out of the way, we may see Parliament
debating economic issues and passing some of the more
pressing bills. As usual, a lot will depend on how the monsoon
directs farm prospects, the policies pursued by the government
in its budget and the RBI’s policy stance.
Facts to feed upon
Business
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q
q
q
q
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When Scott Paper Company first started manufacturing toilet paper, they did not put their name on the product
because of embarrassment.
7-11 sells 10,000 pots of coffee an hour, every hour, every day.
90% of all restaurants fail during their first year of operation.
Colgate's first toothpaste came in a jar.
Cow is a Japanese brand of shaving foam.
If Wal-Mart was classified as a country, it would be the 24th most productive country in the world.
Walt Disney World generates about 120,000 pounds of garbage every day.
a
Current Events
India
COMPANIES BILL
The Union Cabinet approved the Companies Bill, 2011,
which aims to update corporate laws in the country and
introduce modern concepts like mandatory CSR and class
action suits. Intended to replace the existing half-a-century-old
Companies Act, the Bill has undergone several modifications, in
view of the Rs 14,000-crore Satyam accounting fraud.
Besides strengthening the provisions to check fraud, the Bill
has introduced ideas like mandatory Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), class action suits and a fixed term for
independent directors. Among other things, it also proposes to
tighten laws for raising money from the public. The Bill also
seeks to prohibit any insider trading by company directors or key
managerial personnel by treating such activities as a criminal
offence.
Further, it has proposed that companies should earmark two
per cent of their average profits of the preceding three years for
CSR activities and make a disclosure to shareholders about the
policy adopted in the process.
PENSION BILL GETS CABINET NOD
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Pension
Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, which seeks
to establish an authority that will develop, promote and regulate
old-age income security. The Bill doesn’t mention the extent of
foreign ownership to be allowed in Indian pension funds and in a
central record-keeping agency. But in August 2011, the Finance
Ministry had proposed to cap foreign investment in the pension
sector at 26%, a suggestion
accepted by a Parliamentary
panel that was examining the
Bill.
Allowing 26% foreign direct
investment in pension
management would help the
government claim its economic
liberalization in proceedings. The process, begun in 1991, has
dramatically changed India by allowing formerly State-owned
industries to flourish in private hands. But many restrictions
remain in place in key sectors, including finance, where
restrictions on foreign ownership remain.
India also is eager to expand pension coverage to more of its
1.2 billion citizens and to create a market for longer-term debt
that pension funds often like to hold.
INDIA RANKED 134TH ON UN HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT INDEX
India is ranked
134th among the 187
countries assessed for
their performance in
three key areas of
human development –
education, health and
income. The UNDP
Global Human
Development Index
(HDI) 2011 places
Norway, Australia and The Netherlands on top of the charts,
while Congo, Niger and Burundi fare the worst in the annual
rankings.
India’s place remains unchanged because the index includes
18 new countries this time as against just 169 in 2010, when
India stood at rank 119. This year, though, India is placed behind
all its partners in BRICS, where Russia is the leader at number
66, followed by Brazil at 84; China at 101 and South Africa at 123.
Within the South Asian Region, too, India is not in the lead,
whereas Iran, at 88th position, fares at the top. Bhutan, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan are placed below India in
HDI rankings and values.
On Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is ranked a poor
129th in the world. It is ahead of only Afghanistan in South Asia
on an indicator which measures gender parity in education,
reproductive health (maternal mortality and adolescent fertility
rate) and representation of women in national Parliaments and
participation of women aged above 25 years in the country’s
labour force.
Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at her daily
news conference last evening. Her remarks came as she
announced the posting of the new and corrected maps of India
on the website of the State Department and its travel-related
sites.
On the inequality-adjusted indices for education and health,
India fares poorly in BRICS nations and South Asia’s Sri Lanka
and Bangladesh. It loses substantial HDI value – 28.3 per cent –
when internal inequalities in health, education and income are
calculated.
The previous controversial maps, which showed portions of
Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan, were removed by the
State Department after India’s strong objection. India
maintains that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an
integral part of the country. “I’m thrilled and relieved to tell you
that we have now put the revised maps up on our website,”
Nuland said.
ROADMAP TO BOOST TIES WITH MALDIVES
During his visit
to Male, viewing the
Indian Ocean
region as part of
India’s “extended
neighbourhood”,
Pr i m e M i n i s t e r
Manmohan Singh spelt out initiatives spanning student
scholarships, banking and finance credit lines worth $100
million, infrastructure projects and security and climate change
cooperation in his address to People’s Majlis, the Maldivian
Parliament.
Making clear India’s interests in this strategic chain of
islands straddling key shipping and trade routes, Prime Minister
Singh told People’s Majlis that “The President and I have signed
a historic framework agreement on cooperation for
development”. The 70-odd members of Maldivian Parliament
heard Singh in pin-drop silence as he outlined a powerful vision
to integrate India and Maldives politically and economically.
With China also perusing aggressive diplomacy in the island
nation, India’s footprint in this archipelago has vital foreign
policy dimensions.
US STATE DEPT POSTS NEW INDIA MAP ON ITS WEBSITE
The US State Department has posted on its website a new
map of India reflecting its long- standing position on the
country’s geographical boundaries, acknowledging that it had
earlier made a “goof up” that triggered strong protest from New
Delhi.
“We made a goof up and we fixed it and we’re now back in
compliance with our own cartographical policy,” State
“What you will see when you look at these maps is that they
reflect the fact that the United States takes no position on the
dispute and urges all the parties to seek a peaceful resolution to
resolving the claims,” she said. “What you’ll see on the maps is
consistent with what the US geographic position has been
consistently: that there is a dashed line representing the 1972
Line of Control, reflecting Kashmir’s unresolved status,”
Nuland said.
“We neglected to actually label that dotted line in the last
round of maps. It has now been labeled. The maps also add to
our standard disclaimer with regard to Kashmir that says that
names and boundary representations are not necessarily
authoritative. As I said, that reflects the fact that this is in dispute
and the US takes no position on the dispute,” she said.
a
q The Union Finance Ministry has increased the
investment limit for Foreign Institutional Investors
(FII) in government securities (G-secs) and
corporate bonds by $5 billion each, a move that will
enhance capital flows and increase the availability of
resources for Indian corporate. FIIs can now invest up
to $15 billion in G-secs and $20 billion in corporate
bonds.
q According to a global survey, “Quality of living survey,
2011” Bangalore has emerged as the best city to live in
India. Vienna has been ranked as the world’s best city
to live in, followed by Zurich, Auckland, Munich and
Dusseldorf.
q The island nation of Kirabati has become the first to
declare that its territory has become uninhabitable
due to global warming. They have asked for help to
evacuate the population.
Current Events
World
TUNISIA ENTERS NEW ERA OF DEMOCRACY
Tunisia entered a new era of democracy with the inaugural
session of its democratically-elected Constituent Assembly, ten
months after a popular uprising ended years of dictatorship.
The 217-member Assembly is the first elected body
produced by the Arab Spring. At the inauguration, the
lawmakers, who will be tasked with drafting a new constitution
and paving the way to fresh elections, sang the national anthem
as the session got under way in the Bardo palace.
“This event is like a second independence for Tunisia,” said
Ahmed Mestiri, an iconic figure in the struggle for Tunisia’s
1956 independence from France.
Despite assurances, some Tunisians have expressed
concern that an Islamist-dominated Tunisia could roll back
hard-earned rights such as the Code of Personal Status, seen
notably as one of the Arab world’s most progressive sets of laws
on women.
US SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY ON
HISTORIC VISIT TO MYANMAR
US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton was in
Myanmar, on the first toplevel US visit for half a
c e n t u r y, s e e k i n g t o
encourage a “movement for
change” in the militarydominated nation.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has surprised
observers with a series of reformist moves in the past year,
including releasing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from
house arrest and nominally ending decades of military rule.
President Barack Obama had personally announced
Clinton’s trip during a visit to Asia earlier, citing “flickers” of
hope. But his administration sought to keep expectations low,
mindful of other false dawns in Myanmar. Hillary said that the
United States and other nations hoped that the flickers “will be
ignited into a movement for change that will benefit the people
of the country.”
INDIA PIPS CHINA TO UN POST
India beat China fair and square in a rare direct fight for a key
post in the UN, signalling that for all the display of Chinese hard
power, India retains a fair bit of international clout. India will
now serve a five-year term in the Joint Inspection Unit, the UN’s
only external oversight body.
India’s candidate, A. Gopinathan, envoy to the UN in
Geneva, convincingly defeated the Chinese candidate, Zhang
Yan, China’s envoy to New Delhi, winning 106 votes against
Zhang’s 77. China has held the post for the past 10 years. India
will get the post after 35 years.
The vote was a shot in the arm for India’s multilateral
diplomacy, but, more specifically, for India’s UN diplomats,
particularly the UN mission in New York, under Hardeep Puri.
India had put a well-oiled election and lobbying machine to
work, told all its heads of missions to go all out to pitch for its
candidate and demarched other missions at least three times.
Gopinathan is one of India’s finest diplomats and he enjoys a
great deal of support within the cadre.
China is ready for ‘code of conduct’ in South China Sea. On
the back-foot after most ASEAN countries, including India
pressed for a discussion on the South China Sea disputes at the
East Asia Summit in Bali, China said that it was willing to work
out a code of conduct with them, pending settlement of the row.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signalled the climb-down after
two days of wrangling, which included unsuccessfully
pressuring India to resolve the issue bilaterally. The topic had
been a thorny issue, with China laying claim to all of the
resource-rich South China Sea, while Vietnam, Philippines and
Malaysia, among others, claim parts of it.
Australia, had met Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and
unveiled plans to station 2,500 US marines in the Northern
Territory within five years.
China and ASEAN countries signed the Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, testifying to the fact
that the freedom of navigation in the area “has not been affected
whatsoever”, Wen said. In a remark aimed at keeping US out,
Chinese assistant foreign minister Liu Zhenmin said that China
insisted the issue to be confined to talks between the parties
directly involved, through negotiation.
He confirmed Australia’s strategic importance in an AsiaPacific century, dominated by the growing power of China and
India.
ASEAN REWARDS MYANMAR FOR REFORMS
Myanmar won approval of ASEAN to chair Southeast Asia’s
regional bloc in 2014, in a reward for hints of reform from its new
government, after decades of military rule. Despite warnings
from the US that the move was pre-mature, leaders of ASEAN
handed Myanmar the diplomatic prize at their summit held on
the Indonesian island of Bali.
In 2006, Myanmar was forced to renounce the ASEAN
rotating presidency in the face of criticism over its human rights
record and the ruling junta’s failure to shift to democracy. But
since elections a year ago, the military-backed government held
direct talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed 200
dissidents and froze work on an unpopular mega-dam.
Rights campaigners feared that the reform drive could be
reversed, now that the government had won the coveted
chairmanship, removing the incentive for more fundamental
change. Malaysian Prime Minister NajibRazak, however, said
that Southeast Asian leaders were satisfied with the momentum
in Myanmar.
Along with the ASEAN chairmanship, the decision means
Myanmar will host the East Asia Summit in 2014, which brings
ASEAN members together with US, China and Russia, among
others.
CHINA WARNS AUSTRALIA AGAINST
MILITARY PACT WITH US
China warned Australia that it might be “caught in the
crossfire” if the US used new Australia-based military forces to
threaten its interests, a day after Canberra and Washington
renewed a defence pact.
US President Barack Obama, on his first official visit to
SAARC SUMMIT, 2011
The 17th summit of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held at the Addu atoll, in
Maldives.
In its 26th year, SAARC has finally taken the shape of a
cohesive grouping of nations willing to cooperate in key areas to
boost their economic clout. The Addu Declaration that the
leaders agreed upon focused on the theme of “Building
Bridges.” The leaders committed to work towards a huge boost
in intra-SAARC trade, improving air, rail, motor and water
transport connectivity between member countries and putting
their heads together to solve common developmental concerns.
Four agreements were also signed that included a rapid
response mechanism to deal with natural disasters, an
agreement to establish a SAARC Seed Bank and two agreements
on harmonising regional standards for goods and products.
Yet, SAARC still has a long way to go. Many of the leaders
complained that while there were plenty of big ideas to move
ahead, implementation of these had been slow. As Pakistan’s
Gilani said, “The gap between the promises made at SAARC
and the reality needs to be bridged.”
Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa echoed similar sentiments when he
said at the plenary, “What is evident around us is a mood of
urgency and even impatience. This is especially so because a
large and influential part of our societies consists of young
people inspired by new ideas and looking forward with
enthusiasm to a promising future for themselves. They cannot
be kept waiting for long. Their patience is not infinite.”
Sensing the mood, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
announced that in a major effort to liberalise trade in the region,
India had issued a notification to reduce the sensitive list under
the South Asian Free Trade Area Agreement (SAFTA) from 480
tariff lines to just 25 for the five Least Developed Countries
(LDC) of the region – Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
and Maldives. He said that zero- basic customs duty access will
be given to all items removed with immediate effect.
The main reason why SAARC has met with only moderate
success is that it has tried to do many things that has resulted in
somewhat diffusing its focus. Experts feel that it should focus on
key areas such as trade liberalisation and making SAFTA a
reality, improving connectivity through transport by having air,
rail and motor vehicles agreements and taking steps to enhance
agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. The Addu
declaration rightly emphasises these priorities and needs to be
urgently implemented.
SUPREME COURT ORDERS PROBE INTO MEMOGATE
In a major setback to
Pa k i s t a n ’ s e m b a t t l e d
government, the Supreme
Court ordered a time-bound
probe into the memo scandal,
a decision that could add
more pressure on President
Asif Ali Zardari and Premier
Yousuf Raza Gilani.
“The court has established a commission for the
investigation into the memo case. The Chief Justice of the
Baluchistan High Court will lead this commission,” Attorney
General Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq told reporters outside the
Supreme Court building. The scandal had exposed the deep
fissures between the Pakistani civilian government and the
powerful Army.
The memogate scandal pertains to a memo delivered by
Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz to the Pentagon,
with a plea for U.S. help to stave off a feared military coup after
the raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. The former
Pakistani envoy to U.S., Husain Haqqani, was forced to resign
over the issue.
Pakistan’s political system was caught in whirlpool on
October 10, 2011, after Ijaz wrote that a senior Pakistani
diplomat had asked that a memo be delivered to the Pentagon.
Ijaz claimed that Zardari feared that the military might
overthrow his government and accused Haqqani of crafting the
memo with the President’s support.
Since then, both the government and the military were seen
to be at loggerheads, with rumours of coup also coming into play
after Zardari suddenly left for medical treatment in Dubai,
earlier this month. Reacting to the order, Haqqani’s lawyer Asma
Jehangir said, “This is a black day. This is very disappointing
judgment”.
“Today we feel that the military authority is superior to the
civilian authority. Today, the struggle for the transition to
democracy has been blocked,” she said. The powerful security
establishment and the government had also taken diabolical
stands over a number of petitions filed before the Supreme
Court, seeking a probe. The government had opposed a probe
saying that it was unnecessary since Parliament was already
looking into it.
On the other hand, Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani and ISI head Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha wanted a
thorough probe into the entire matter. While ordering the
setting up of the commission, the court asked them to complete
the probe in four weeks.
ISTANBUL CONFERENCE ON AFGHAN SITUATION
A decade after the Taliban government was ousted from
power, regional leaders pledged to find ways to improve security
and economic development in Afghanistan, as international
combat forces prepare to leave by the end of 2014.
The one-day conference in Istanbul followed the September
2011- assassination of an Afghan peace envoy and other highprofile assaults in Afghanistan that diminished prospects for a
negotiated settlement and intensified suspicion of Pakistani
support for the insurgency, an allegation that the Pakistan’s
government denied.
In an opulent hall on the shores of the Bosporus Strait,
delegates delivered speeches, promising support for Afghan
sovereignty, and endorsed a transition to Afghan security
leadership, efforts for a political solution to the war and
economic development.
As a show of solidarity, the meeting was a success, but it was
also a reminder of how much remained unsolved. In all, 14
countries agreed at the conference to cooperate in building the
future of war-torn Afghanistan. Among the countries involved
are Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia and India, and several
Arab States.
Demanding an end to external interference in Afghan
internal affairs, India stressed on the need to eliminate safe
havens and sanctuaries, a stand that was reflected in the
outcome document. On its part, Afghanistan termed the
cooperation with New Delhi as a “turning point” and pitched for
a bigger role for India in the region for desirable reasons.
PAKISTAN WOULD SUPPORT AN AFGHAN-LED
RECONCILIATION
aimed at allowing Pakistanis to mollify their inflamed public
opinion.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that his country will
support any reconciliation process in Afghanistan that is
Afghan-led and Afghan-owned and does not destabilise
Pakistan.
SUDANESE ARMY KILLS LEADER OF
DARFUR REBEL GROUP
Pakistan does not want a repeat of the situation at the time of
the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gilani said during a
meeting with Tholhath Ibrahim, the Defence Minister of
Maldives. At that time, Pakistan was “left alone in the lurch to
bear the burden of three million Afghan refugees whom the
world had forgotten”, he said.
Gilani said that Pakistan was keen to see Afghanistan as a
stable, prosperous and independent country because
“Pakistan’s stability was intertwined with the stability of our
western brotherly neighbour”. He further said that Pakistan
wanted to improve its relations with its neighbours, especially
the SAARC countries.
IN A FRESH SALVO, US BLAME PAK FOR NATO AIR STRIKE
Any hope that the US military would temper its aggressive
approach towards Pakistan as a matter of courtesy or tactical
need in Afghanistan was again laid to rest when the Pentagon
insisted that it respected all “rules of engagement” and
“international law of conflict” during the border spat, in which
NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Washington came close to casting the incident as an act of
war. “You misbehaved and provoked us and we shot you. If you do
that again, the response will be the same” might well have been
the summation of the US investigation report into the incident.
Pentagon spokesman captain John Kirby said that the report
was delivered to General Kayani by a US officer in Islamabad,
who explained the findings to the general. “We wanted General
Kayani to be able to see the entire thing,” he said.
But aghast Pakistani officials, evidently stung by the blunt
and unapologetic tone of the report, plus its content being
leaked to the American media beforehand, told a wire service
that no such report had been delivered to Kayani, nor any
briefing given to him personally.
“The report was delivered to the concerned department (of
army headquarters) but not to the chief,” one official was quoted
as saying. The report was unsparing in its defence of US tactics,
while largely blaming Pakistan, despite some acknowledgement
about misunderstanding and miscommunication, evidently
The Sudanese army said that its forces
had killed Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the
main Darfur rebel group, in an attack west of
the capital Khartoum. Ibrahim led the
Darfur-based Justice and Equality
Movement, or JEM, which did not join a
peace deal with Khartoum.
The army statement, said that Ibrahim
was killed in North Kordufan state, at Wad
Banda, a town 440 miles (700 kilometres) west of the capital
Khartoum. It said that Ibrahim was killed “with a group of his
leadership.”
The army said that the Darfur rebels attacked three areas in
North Kordufan, killing an unspecified number of civilians. The
U.N. says 300,000 people have died in the government’s war on
Darfur since 2003.
RIOTS ROCK OIL-RICH KAZAKH REGION
Unprecedented riots in Kazakhstan’s oil-producing western
region have claimed at least 12
lives and left dozens injured.
Eleven people died and almost
90 were wounded in the town
of Zhanaozen, near the
Caspian Sea, said the office of
K azakhstan’s Prosecutor
General.
Unrest flared up in Zhanaozen, a town of 80,000, when a
group of people wearing oil workers’ uniform stormed an
outdoor stage and smashed sound equipment, set up to mark
the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. The rioters
then went on to set on fire the city hall and the local office of the
KBM oil company. Troops rushed to the city, opened fire and
dispersed the rioters.
Hundreds of KBM workers were fired in May after they had
struck for months, demanding higher pay. However, Kazakh
prosecutors said that the riots were started by a group of
“hooligans” dressed in oil workers uniform.
President NursultanNazarbayev declared a 20-day state of
emergency and a curfew in Zhanaozen.
a
Current Events
Business and economy
WORLD THIS MONTH
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Cyrus Mistry, the younger son of construction tycoon
Pallonji ShapoorjiMistry, was chosen to succeed Ratan Tata
as the Chairman of the Tata group. He took over in
December 2011. He is the sixth and the youngest
Chairman of the Tata group, and only the second non-Tata,
after Sir Nowroji Saklatvala, to head the group.
Jaxtr Inc., founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Yogesh Patel,
announced the launch of JaxtrSMS, a cross-platform,
open-texting application to send SMSs to anyone in the
world for free.
The Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges have agreed to
merge in 2013 to create the world’s third-biggest bourse,
with listed stocks worth around $3.6 trillion. The
combined value of stocks listed on exchanges would trail
only NYSE Euronext, at $12 trillion, and NASDAQ OMX
Group Inc, at nearly $4 trillion.
Adidas, the German sportswear and equipment maker, is
set to launch a shoe costing one dollar a pair in India. The
shoe will be sold in villages through a distribution network.
California-based mobile video service provider, Vuclip,
launched India’s first independent mobile movie portal —
Starlight Cinema. This would offer users the options of
watching shortened feature films, movie clips, songs,
reviews and trailers.
Titan Industries, India’s largest organised watches retailer,
decided to acquire heritage Swiss watch brand, Favre
Leuba, for two million euros. Created in 1737, Favre Leuba
is one of the very first watch making companies in
Switzerland.
Professional social networking site LinkedIn has opened a
Research and Development (R&D) centre in Bangalore.
This is the California-based company’s first R&D centre
outside North America.
Tropicana 100%, the juice brand from PepsiCo, launched a
new campaign—Now Breakfast shall Win. The new
campaign metamorphically depicts everyday battles
between breakfast and the interruptions that lead to a
rushed morning.
q
q
In the Fortune list of most powerful business women in
India, ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar was listed as the
most powerful business woman in India. Former ICICI
executive and Axis Bank MD and CEO, Shikha Sharma,
was at the second spot.
Mukesh Ambani-owned Infotel acquired a 38.5% stake in
digital learning solutions from Extramarks Education.
Reliance Brands, a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd, struck a
deal with NYSE-listed American fashion retailer Kenneth
Cole to open stores in top Indian metros.
BOARD FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC SECTOR
ENTERPRISES RECOMMENDS RS 257 CR
PACKAGE FOR NEPA
The Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises
(BRPSE) recommended a financial package of Rs. 257 crore to
nurse back to health the sick newsprint unit NEPA. The
suggestion was made to NEPA’s administrative ministry, the
Department of Heavy Industry. The move came after the
government shelved its plan to divest majority stake in the
company and revive it through a joint venture with the private
sector. The government holds 97.75 per cent in NEPA.
The Board suggested to the department to infuse Rs 175
crore in the form of fresh equity to meet part-finance of total
expenditure of Rs 318 crore for Revival and Mill Development
Plan (RMDP).
RELIANCE TO FUND NEW-GENERATION NUCLEAR
REACTOR ALONG WITH GATES, VINOD KHOSLA,
EX MS HONCHO
Reliance Industries has joined hands with Bill Gates, Vinod
Khosla and Nathan Myrvhold - the former Microsoft tech
honcho, maths whiz and master French chef - to fund the
development of a nuclear reactor, with the potential to
revolutionise power generation.
The MukeshAmbani-promoted company bought a minority
stake in Terra Power LLC, based in Washington, US, and
founded by Myrvhold’s Intellectual Ventures. Gates is the
primary investor and chairman in the company, and Khosla and
Charles River Ventures are investors.
Terra Power is developing an ultra-modern reactor, using the
‘travelling wave’ technology. Traditional reactors need to be
refuelled every few years, generate enormous amounts of waste
and feed on enriched uranium. Travelling wave reactors, on the
other hand, use depleted uranium and don’t need to be refuelled
for at least 40-60 years.
Reliance Industries, through one of its subsidiaries, made a
minority investment in Terra Power LLC. This is one of the
various investments that Reliance made in the broader energy
sector. Terra Power is a nuclear design and engineering firm.
Mr. Ambani was personally invited by Bill Gates to join the
company. “He is on the board,” said a person familiar with the
matter.
March 2010’s horrific nuclear accident off Japan’s west coast
triggered worldwide concerns over the safety of nuclear plants in
general, and the role played by nuclear reactors, many of which
were developed more than 20 years ago. Germany became the
first big country to scrap plans for nuclear power plants, while
some other countries did extensive safety reviews.
The Kudankulam nuclear power plant on the eastern coast
in Tamil Nadu - the first nuclear project to come up after the
Fukushima accident - has been hobbled by strident protests
from local villagers. All this has come at a time of worsening
global power shortages.
With coal being shunned due to its impact on climate, and
gas not available in abundance, N-power is one of the few
alternatives that could ensure steady electricity supply, experts
said. As an energy player with global ambitions, Reliance has
been eager to understand and capitalise on new energy
technologies being developed around the world. In the past one
year, it has agreed to invest $3 billion in shale gas joint ventures
in the US. The new technologies of fracking and horizontal
drilling have completely changed the global energy dynamics,
turning America into the world’s biggest producer of natural
gas, with potential geopolitical implications.
“Everything depends on how nuclear energy capacity grows
in India. If it comes back on track, in the long term perspective,
the acquisition is a good idea,” said Amol Kotwal, Deputy
Director, Energy and Power Systems Practice, at Frost &
Sullivan. Terra Power, if successful, would enable Reliance to
understand and get access to fourth-generation nuclear reactor
technology. But it will have to wait quite a bit, as the prototype is
expected to be built only after 2015, and commercial generation
may happen by 2020.
“It is too far off,” said Sudhinder Thakur, Executive
Director, Corporate Planning, Nuclear Power Corporation of
India (NPCIL). “I don’t see it making much of an impact as far
as India is concerned,” he added. NPCIL runs some of its plants
using the fast breeder reactor technology, which relies on
thorium instead of uranium.
SONY TO SELL LCD STAKE TO SAMSUNG FOR $940M
Sony Corp agreed
to sell its nearly 50 per
cent stake in an LCD
joint venture with
Samsung Electronics
to the South Korean
company, for $940
million, as it struggles
to reduce huge losses at
its TV business. The
seven-year-old venture cut its capital by 15 percent in July 2011
and industry sources had said that Sony had negotiated an exit,
aiming to switch to cheaper outsourcing for flat screens for its
TVs, while Samsung pushed ahead with next-generation
displays.
“In terms of direction, it was a positive (for Sony),” said
Keita Wakabayashi, an analyst at Mito Securities in Tokyo, about
the deal. “But if they were making a loss on the sale, one could
ask why they didn’t make this decision sooner. Their biggest
problem is that they are not making a profit even though they
don’t have many plants,” he said. In November, 2011, Sony, the
world’s third largest flat panel TV maker, had warned of a fourth
straight year of net losses for the financial year to March, 2012,
with its TV unit alone set to lose $2.2 billion, on tumbling
demand and a surging yen.
The company said that it would review its earnings forecast
to reflect 66 billion yen in impairment losses from the
transaction, as well as expected future cost savings. While the
sale is seen as a move in the right direction for Sony, it would not
be good for Samsung, analysts said. Sony may shift to Taiwanese
LCD makers should they offer cheaper prices,” Song Myung-
sup, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities, said in Seoul.
Shares in Sony ended 1.6 percent higher, compared with a 1
percent gain in Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei average, while
Samsung Electronics shares fell 0.2 percent.
Sony’s panel venture with Samsung, S-LCD, was
established to secure stable supplies for Sony’s flat-screen TVs
at a time of shortages. Once a symbol of Japan’s high-tech might,
Sony sold off TV factories in Spain, Slovakia and Mexico in the
past few years and outsourced more than half of its production to
companies including Hon Hai Precision Industry, the contract
electronics maker, that also counts iPhone maker Apple Inc as a
key customer.
Sony retains four TV plants of its own – in Japan, Brazil,
China and Malaysia. Some analysts say that the $100-billion
LCD TV market peaked last year and had forecast that it will
shrink 3 to 4 percent annually, as consumers in advanced
countries had already traded in their bulky cathode-ray tube TV
sets for flat screens, while the LCD market was in a glut since
last summer.
WORLD ECONOMY TO TRUDGE ON IN 2012
DESPITE EUROPE CRISIS
Europe faces
another year of dismal
economic performance
in 2012 that will weigh
on global growth, but
emerging markets and
the United States
should at least keep the
world economy moving
in the right direction.
There are several reasons why 2012 may be nothing to look
forward to. Many of the world’s biggest developed economies
are heading into recession, global stock markets look set to
recoup only a fraction of their heavy losses in 2011, oil prices will
head lower, and asset managers are unsure where best to invest.
And these could be the best-case scenarios.
Most economists base their assumptions on the hope that
the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis will not boil over into a new
global economic crisis, having already dented growth in major
exporters to Europe. Still, most of the major emerging market
economies like Brazil and China should pick up speed later in
2012. All of them have suffered from slowing economies in
recent months, caused mainly by tightening monetary policy in
the face of high inflation. “It’s important to stress that the world
economy is still growing. But it’s a tale of two worlds,” said
Gerard Lyons, Chief Economist at Standard Chartered Bank.
“The storyline for 2012 is that Europe drags the world down
in the first half of the year, and China drags it up in the second
half of the year.” Enormous political risks cloud the outlook
further, with elections and leadership changes in the most
powerful countries and the prospect of continuing turmoil in the
Middle East.
Still, there are glimmers of hope. The United States’
economy has performed better than most had hoped over the
last quarter, and economists show it growing around 2.2 percent
in 2012, compared with zero growth in the euro zone. “The big
unknown in Europe and the U.S. is that big companies, with
balance sheets in good shape, have the ability to invest at home if
they want. It’s more likely that will take place in the U.S. rather
than Europe,” said Lyons.
European Union leaders took a historic step towards greater
fiscal integration earlier in December, 2011, but economists
have been clear that this would not ease a debt crisis entering its
third year and still hogging the headlines in 2012. Polls show real
concern that leaders are doing far too little to stimulate growth,
with the likes of Spain and Italy destined for long and painful
recessions. The euro zone as a whole, meanwhile, is probably in
a moderate recession right now that will last midway into 2012.
“The euro area continues to be a source of economic and
financial instability for the rest of the world,” said Juan PerezCampanero, economist at Santander, in a research note. “We
could be facing a more permanent and lasting decline in growth
capacity in developed economies and, particularly, the euro
area.”
Whether Spain and Italy will need to seek funding from the
euro zone’s bailout facility next year is open to question, with a
very slim majority of economists polled this month - 27 out of 56
- saying not. And a November 2011 survey of 20 top economists
and former policymakers in academia and respected research
institutes showed that 14 of them do not expect the euro zone to
survive in its current form.
Even in Japan, where economists have downgraded growth
forecasts relentlessly, the economy is expected to pick up in the
fiscal year from April 2012 and expand 1.8 percent. Japan should
narrowly avoid a recession, but polls show little hope that it will
emerge from deflation any time soon.
The severe uncertainty surrounding 2012 is perhaps best
reflected by Reuters’ asset allocation poll of more than 50
leading investment houses in the United States, Europe and
Japan. Investors raised their cash balance to the highest in a year
in December 2011, as they prepared for a jittery 2012, although
they also moved back into cheap equities.
OREO, SUNFEAST BITE INTO BRITANNIA MARKET SHARE
The Rs 3,600-crore premium cream biscuit market has
turned hyper
competitive, with
Cadbury’s Oreo and
ITC’s Sunfeast brands
biting into the share of
Britannia Industries,
and Parle Products
planning to enter
super-premium
creams.
The numbers reveal how Oreo and Sunfeast( DarkFantacy,
Dream Cream and Premium Cream) creamed Britannia to
garner shares of 6% and 10.6%, respectively, during January
2011 to September 2011. The Sunfeast portfolio gained the
most, with 7% jump in value share. Britannia’s combined value
share of the premium cream biscuit portfolio (Bourbon and
Treat) declined from 18% in January 2011 to 14.7% in
September 2011. This has narrowed the share gap in premium
creams between Britannia and ITC.
“The cream category contributes less than 20% to the
overall Britannia business. However, in the recent past, key
brands like Bourbon and Treat have found much stronger
traction and appeal with consumers and have grown faster than
the overall biscuit market. Bourbon, in fact, has almost doubled
and held on to its share of 9% year-to-date (9.2% last year),” said
a Britannia spokesperson.
“Competitive activity has also been there in different
categories including a high decibel launch of Oreo, which has a
share of 1 % in the biscuit market year to date,” the Britannia
spokesperson said, adding, “with innovative and superior
consumer delivery, Britannia creams will sustain pricing.”
Oreo, which was launched early this year, is said to have
clocked in sales on the back of high consumer spends, which
went up by 51% in the second quarter ended September 30,
2011, as compared to the first quarter. ITC investments behind
Sunfeast premium cream biscuits were even higher at 114% in
the last two sequential quarters. In contrast, Britannia’s spends
on the premium cream biscuits increased just 6%.
Oreo hit the market with an aggressive introductory offer of
Rs. 10 per pack, a level most Indian households can afford to
splurge on. Cadbury India, which is now owned by Kraft,
adopted a strategy to drive awareness and rapid trials. “We
reached out to consumers across 14 cities through our ‘Oreo
Togetherness’ campaign. We also leveraged the digital medium
in a big way,” said Chandramouli Venkatesan, Director,
Snacking and Strategy, Cadbury India. Oreo’s price was
gradually upped to Rs. 12, based on the consumer response.
ITC too upped the ante with its premium range of cream
offerings, receiving “positive response from consumers, with
sales volumes recording impressive growth”, according to
Chitranjan Dar, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Foods division.
Parle Products, the largest domestic biscuit maker, plans to
enter the super-premium cream segment.
BEARING MAKER SKF GETS 5.2 BILLION
SEK CHINA DEAL
World number one
bearing maker SKF said
that it had signed a deal
with a Chinese truck
group, worth around 5.2
billion crowns ($752
million), sending its
shares higher.
The company said that
it would supply SKF truck
hub units, tapered roller
bearings and seals for the
latest models produced by China National Heavy Duty Truck
Group Co, Ltd, one of China’s top three truck manufacturers.
The bearings and units will be manufactured in a factory
currently under construction in Jinan, Shandong.
“China is a key growth market for the SKF Group and we
continue to make significant investments in manufacturing,
research and development and in our employees,” Tom
Johnstone, SKF’s CEO, said in a statement.
Shares in SKF were up 1.4 per cent at 137.90 crowns.
Industrial firms in general have been doing strong business over
the last year, but debt problems in Europe and sluggish US
growth have dimmed global economic prospects.
In October, 2011, SKF, the Swedish bellwether whose
bearings are used in products from aircraft to hairdryers, said
that it expected slightly lower demand in the fourth quarter,
compared with the third.
FOOD SUBSIDY OF RS 45,125 CR RELEASED
TILL DEC 15, 2011
Against the food subsidy budget of Rs 60,572 crore for the
current fiscal, the government released Rs 45,125 crore towards
it by December 15, 2011, the Rajya Sabha was informed. The
Food Subsidy Bill was Rs 62,929,56 crore in 2010-11 and Rs
58,242.45 crore in the previous fiscal, Food and Public
Distribution Minister K V Thomas said.
The difference between economic cost of food-grains and
Central Issues prices fixed for Targeted Public Distribution
System (TPDS) and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) is incurred
by the central government as food subsidy. Food subsidy is
released to Food Corporation of India and state governments
undertaking procurement of food-grains under Decentralised
Procurement Scheme.
During the current fiscal, 488.74 lakh tonnes food-grains
have been allocated to the beneficiaries under the TPDS, the
Minister said. The Centre provides food-grains at subsidised
prices to the targeted population under TPDS and OWS.
The Minister said that Uttar Pradesh had given the highest
quantity of subsidised food-grains (71.13 lakh tonnes) followed
by Maharashtra (46.47 lakh tonnes).Talking about leakages, the
Minister said that strengthening and streamlining of the system
was done on a continuous basis.
“The government also issues instructions from time to time
to states/union territories to strengthen the functioning of
TPDS by improving monitoring mechanism and vigilance,
increase on a regular basis,” he added.
RUSSIA’S WTO ENTRY POSITIVE IMPACT
FOR INDIA TRADE
Russia’s membership of WTO will have a “positive impact”
in boosting its bilateral trade with India, which is currently
hovering around 10 billion dollars a year, far below their
potential, according to Indian officials. The officials said that
Russia’s formal accession into the World Trade
Organization(WTO) after 18 years of negotiations was a bright
spot amid the turbulence in the European economy.
The Russian entry into WTO will have a “positive impact” on
bilateral trade and investment with India and also be “a
considerable positive enabler”, according to Foreign Secretary
Ranjan Mathai. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed
Russia’s entry into the WTO but he voiced concern over the
current level of Indo-Russian trade volume. By contrast, the
Russia-China trade is around 60 billion dollars each year.
Indian and Russian officials during talks between Prime
Minister Singh and President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow
were one in agreeing that there was a huge potential to expand
bilateral trade for which an ambitious target of 20 billion dollars
has been set for 2015. Pharmaceuticals is one area which India is
targeting for greater exports to Russia.
While closer integration with the global trading system will
bring economic benefits to Russia, some estimates claim that it
will give the economy a boost equivalent to the value of 1 percent
of GDP per year; the rest of the world also stands to gain.
Although the tariff rates for imported goods have been declining
ever since Russia first began its transition to a market economy
20 years ago, WTO membership will further accelerate the
process of trade liberalization.
Tariffs on over 700 categories of products will be abolished or
reduced, with the average import tariff rate expected to fall from
10 percent to 7 percent. India expressed its readiness to enter
into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with
the Customs Union comprising Russia, Belarus and
Kazakhstan and has already decided to set up a Joint Study
Group in this regard.
a
In the wonderful world of words
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
a
~ Answers ~
a
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
2.
This word of Greek origin describes a handsome young
man. What is the word?
One who stays calm in any situation is said to be …………
(P........c)
The four-lettered word means “of ”, “like” or relates to the
wing. What is the word?
This six-lettered word describes a strong, tall and
masculine woman. What is the word?
One who speaks learnedly is said to be ………
The science of causes of diseases is called ……..
A mock sea battle is called ……..
The doctrine that personal liberty is the highest value, is
called ……..
What name do we give to the origin and evolutionary
development of plants?
A vegetable which is in the same category as eggplant,
brinjal, guinea squash and melon gene is …….
A jazz dance featuring rapid shaking of the body is called
……..
A person who has acquired wealth recently but lacks the
social skills to go with the new status, is called ……..
Find the odd word out among Bilious, Bilk, Visceral, Lipid,
Detritus
What is common among Rite, Shibboleth, Bibelot, Totem
and Consanguinity?
When a person comes across words like Colophon,
Denouement and Missive, he is being exposed to the world
of ……..
Words like Ludic, Caprice, Euphoria, Empathy and
Sublimation would be in the lexicon of a person hailing
from the field of ……..
What is the expression of Latin origin which stands for an
auspicious or a wonderful year, with great happenings?
Any high-class dress maker, a trend- setter of high-class
fashion will have this word of French origin tagged with his
or her enterprise. What is the word?
This is a German word used for a person of integrity and
honour. What is the good word?
Adonis, who was loved by the Greek goddess of love.
Phlegmatic
Alar
Amazon
Doctiloquent
Etiology
Naumachy
Libertarianism
Phytogenesis
Aubergine
Shimmy
Parvenu
Bilk, which relates to Civil Law, while the remaining
words relate to Biochemistry.
They pertain to Anthropology.
Literature.
Psychology
Annus Mirabilis
Haute Couture
Mensch
Bravado
Cantina
Arrivederci
Passe
Rucksack, of German origin
1.
20. This word of Spanish origin is bravery which is not
genuine. What is the word?
21. What is the seven-lettered word of Spanish origin meaning
a bar or a wine shop?
22. What is the word of Italian origin standing for a farewell
remark?
23. What is the five-lettered word of French origin which
stands for something outdated?
24. This word stands for a bag carried by a strap around the
back or shoulder. What is it?
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions, as directed, as per the
clues.
Reliance is jolted
T
he last stock
market session of
the year 2011
delivered an unexpected
headline: Mukesh Ambani
no longer runs India’s most
valuable company.
Reliance Industries
Ltd., his oil-to -retail
conglomerate, was stripped
of that title by Tata
Consultancy Services, the
outsourcing behemoth that is part of the Tata Group, according
to data released by SMC Global Securities Ltd. Reliance’s
market value reached 2.269 trillion rupees (about $42.8 billion)
while TCS’s market value touched 2.272 trillion rupees in the
Friday trading of the week in question.
Of course, on Monday, the second of January, 2012, Reliance
would have regained the crown. But the news nonetheless
caused a slightly anticlimactic end of the year 2011 for
Mr. Ambani, after glowing news reports in the preceding week
about the possibility that he and his brother, Anil, had settled
their famous differences. The two men, and their mother
Kokilaben, attended a celebration in Gujarat for the 80th
anniversary of the birth of their late father – a rare show of family
unity. Talk of Ambani brothers’ reunion had been percolating for
months and speculation had grown that they would once again
team up in business.
But the market’s numbers were clear. Ratan Tata, the head of
India’s flagship conglomerate,
became the ultimate overseer
of India’s most valuable firm.
It’s perhaps ironic that
Mr. Ambani was not knocked
from his perch by a young
upstart but by a man many
years his senior. Indeed, it
meant that Mr. Tata went into his final year at Tata’s helm, with
the imaginary trumpets blaring. It’ll fall to TCS’s management
and Mr. Tata’s chosen successor, Cyrus Mistry, to ensure that
TCS stays where it is.
NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
Reliance Industries (RIL) wanted a hike in the price of
natural gas to resume drilling in the KG-D6 fields, which had
seen a sharp drop in output due to drilling of less wells than
committed, investment research group Sanford Bernstein & Co
said. “We believe that RIL doesn’t believe it is worth its while to
invest additional capital in drilling wells when the price at the
beach remains at US $4.20 per million British thermal units,”
Neil Beveridge, a Hong Kong-based analyst for Bernstein, said
in a report.
Gas output from the Dhirubhai-1 (D1) and D3 fields in the
KG-D6 block had steadily risen to 53 million standard cubic
metres per day (mmscmd) in March 2010, but had dropped to
below 42 mmscmd, instead of rising to the projected level of 61
mmscmd. Another 8 mmscmd was produced from the MA field
in the same block, taking the total output from KG-D6 to about
50 mmscmd.
The fall in output due to drilling of fewer wells had earned
RIL the ire of the government and the regulator DGH. While the
DGH pressed RIL to drill more wells outside the main channel
that is currently producing, the government put pressure on RIL
by directing it to supply gas to priority sectors like fertiliser and
power and cut off sales to refineries and petrochemical plants,
including its own.
“We believe that this is a proxy fight between the government
and RIL,” Bernstein Research said. “Lower production output
is primarily a function of the hiatus in development drilling,” it
said. While it seems likely that the reservoir is more complex
than originally anticipated, performance on a per well basis has
not been too dissimilar to the original field development plan.
“Instead, the lower number of development wells drilled
(18 versus 22 planned) is primarily the reason for the underperformance,” it said.
regulator, had said. RIL was to have submitted a drilling plan in
two weeks, he had said on May 2, 2011.
Bernstein said that completion of Phase-I drilling plus
initiation of Phase-II drilling, when the total number of wells
could reach up to 50, would restore output growth. “We believe
that the natural rate of the decline in production for the KG-D6
wells is around 20 per cent annually, or around 5 per cent per
quarter, not substantially different from similar fields around
the world,” it said.
The government had in 2007 fixed the price of gas produced
from the KG-D6 block, at $4.205 per mmBtu for the first five
years of production. RIL began output on April 2, 2009, and the
price is valid till March 31, 2014. “Though Dhirubhai (gas
fields) are turning out to be more complex than originally
anticipated, there is a broader problem – gas pricing,” Bernstein
said. “While there are technical issues with D6, what is being
played out is a negotiation by proxy between RIL and the
government on gas pricing.”
“In case RIL doesn’t take any more action on the drilling of
wells and connecting those to the reservoir and continues
operating with 18 wells, we expect the production to reach a level
of around 37-38 mmscmd by FY13,” Bernstein said.
“The government has asked the company to drill 11 wells by
the fiscal-end to take the total number to 31, as had been
planned, when RIL won approval for investing US $8.8 billion,”
SK Srivastava, the Director General of the country’s oil
Lower gas output is not good for RIL shareholders as well as
India Inc, which has to import more gas in the form of liquefied
natural gas (LNG).
Reliance Industries Limited has received a dent which
would need to be removed in order to salvage its reputation and
credibility.
Facts to feed upon
Country
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia, and only some 20 million people
Singapore has only one train station
The United States consumes 25% of all the world's energy
There is a town called Paradise and a town called Hell in Michigan!
There are more female than male millionaires in the United States
Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada!
The Zip Code 12345 is assigned to General Electric in Schenectady, New York
The United States produces more tobacco than it does wheat
The city of Las Vegas has the most hotel rooms in the world
The average U.S. farm has 467 acres; the average Japanese farm has 3 acres
Mexico City is sinking at a rate of 18 inches per year!
It is illegal for tourists to enter Mexico with more than 2 CDs!
India has a Bill of Rights for cows
In which country will you find the most Universities? India
In Kentucky, 50% of the people who get married for the first time are teenagers
Politics
q
q
q
President George W. Bush and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner are cousins!
Jimmy Carter is the first U.S. President to have been born in a hospital
When George W. Bush was 30 years old, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol
a
Ramble through para jumble
All questions are based on latest pattern of questions set in national-level MBA entrance tests
DIRECTIONS: Choose the option which has the sentence which
does not fit in the arrangement of each of the sentences A, B, C, D
andE,givenbelow,informingacogentparagraph.
1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
3.
A.
B.
C.
D.
A village merchant trusted him and gave him a bag to
keep, which contained some silver coins.
From that day, the poor farm worker’s happiness
vanished.
He was involved in some unethical practice and
wanted his act to be unnoticed.
There was a hardworking and poor, but wellcontended farm worker.
He buried the silver coins, under the ground.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) D
(4) A
In fact, never choose an activity just because it is good
for you.
Anything you do that gives you some form of mental
relaxation and peace will benefit your heart and body.
If you can combine these with enjoyment as a routine,
then so much the better.
By all means, do some relaxing exercises, even tiring
yourself to some extent perhaps, though not indulging
in too hard exercises, taking care to pay heed to the
warning signals from your body.
Thus you will be freed from the boredom that follows.
(1) D
(2) A
(3) B
(4) E
The father felt the need of company for his son.
A few days later, all the bananas got spoiled.
His father was much worried that his son fell into bad
company of village boys.
The boy understood the required lesson which his
father wanted to give him.
4.
E.
In order to teach a lesson to his son, he gave him a few
good bananas along with a rotten one.
(1) A
(2) C
(3) D
(4) E
A.
B.
She thought of a plan to get the monkey over her place.
One day she pretended to be very ill and started
shedding tears.
She said to her crocodile husband, “The doctor says
that I can get well only if I can eat the monkey’s heart.”
The crocodile was very sad when she heard this. She
could not think of doing her friend any harm.
Lady crocodile was cruel and wicked.
(1) B
(2) A
(3) D
(4) E
C.
D.
E.
5.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The rich analyses of Fernand Braudel and his fellow
‘Annales’ historians have made significant
contributions to historical theory and research.
Braudel was the first ‘Annales’ historian to gain
widespread support for the idea that history should
synthesize data from various social sciences,
especially economics, in order to provide a broader
view of human societies over time.
Braudel has been faulted for the imprecision of his
approach.
In a departure from traditional historical approaches,
the ‘Annales’ historians assume (as do Marxists) that
history cannot be limited to a simple recounting of
conscious human actions, but must be understood in
the context of forces and material conditions that
underlie human behaviour.
However, Febvre and Bloch, founders of the ‘Annales’
school, had originated this approach.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) D
(4) A
6.
7.
A.
You are afraid of an automobile coming rapidly down
the street.
B. The only fears you need to avoid are heavy fears which
urge you to do what you should do.
C. You need some fears to keep you from doing foolish
things, which is sensible.
D. You wait until it is out of the way, before crossing.
E. Of course, it is silly to try to overcome fears that keep
us from destroying ourselves.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) B
(4) A
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
8.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
9.
A.
The company mattered less than its stock.
The era of long-term investing ended sometime in
the 1970s, and we are still recovering.
What that meant, from the perspective of big picture,
was that ability to trade rapidly grew in importance.
For the first time, it was no longer important how a
company made money, only that it was able to do so.
Switching in and out of risk groups became the
newest investment fashion.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) D
(4) A
They make their decisions by touching the cursor
arrow to the icon on the screen.
Nevertheless, these equations increasingly are behind
the movement of money, since the equations, not the
traders, are the drivers, as finance becomes more high
tech.
It actually takes very little time.
More and more, as traders enter electronic space from
their computers, they are conducting their business
with the aid of Nobel Prize-winning equations.
Traders do not necessarily know what the equations
are doing or how they work, just as most drivers do not
know how the engines of their cars operate.
(1) D
(2) A
(3) B
(4) C
Computer programs are not trading currencies, since
the currencies the programs buy and sell are simply
monies to be turned over, in order to gain a certain rate
of return.
B.
C.
D.
E.
10. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
11. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The futures markets are only convenient places to
shop.
And they are not trading futures products.
The computers are simply making transactions,
moving tokens across the megabyte economy.
The global electronic economy has made this
possible.
(1) A
(2) E
(3) D
(4) C
But what about the fallacy of composition?
They don’t wonder about how their actions will affect
the overall economic organization of society, as they
are not programmed to do so.
The machines of the information age are not
contemplating investments but only trying to match
random numbers strewn across the global landscape
by looking at quick fixes and high rates of return.
They don’t question the overall impact of such a move.
When something fits their terrain maps, they buy it.
(1) A
(2) B
(3) D
(4) E
According to the report, the six countries Brazil,
China, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Russia will
grow on average by 4.7% annually between 2011 and
2025.
The projected changes in the global economy are
fundamental.
To sustain growth and cope with more complex risks,
economies that are home to emerging growth poles
need to reform their domestic institutions, including
those in the economic, financial and social sectors.
China, Indonesia, India and Russia all face
institutional and governance challenges, with human
capital and ensuring access to education becoming a
matter of concern in some potential growth poles,
particularly Brazil, India and Indonesia.
The most-likely global currency scenario in 2025 will
be a multi-currency one, centred on the dollar, the
euro and the reminbi.
(1) A
(2) B
(3) D
(4) E
12. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
13. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
14. A.
This will dismantle rigid hierarchies and
conventional protocols.
How will it change?
This would also build networks of self-managing
teams with access to whatever information they may
need in order to respond as quickly as possible to
customers and colleagues.
The measure of success is defined by outcomes, not
obedience.
First, efficiency of resource use, speed of innovation,
responsiveness to customer and employee needs,
intentional knowledge management and distribution
will be essential.
(1) E
(2) D
(3) B
(4) A
A related argument centres on the demand side of the
economy.
One can imagine that these obstacles are imposing in
industries such as steel production, automobiles,
electronics and parts of the textile industry.
There are arguments relating to the state
participation in economic development.
In many underdeveloped countries, the state plays an
important and an increasingly-varied role in
economic development.
The entrance requirements in terms of financial
capital and capital equipment are very large in certain
industries, and the size of these obstacles will serve as
barriers to entry on the part of private investors.
(1) A
(2) D
(3) B
(4) C
Many animal species disappeared as the food chain
was snapped at its base.
B. Palaeontologists initially dismissed the theory,
arguing that existing dinosaur records showed a
decline, lasting millions of years.
C. Since 1980, the notion that mass extinctions at the
end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago
resulted from a sudden event has slowly gathered
support, although even today, there is no scientific
consensus.
D. Beyond the immediate effects of fire, flood and storm,
dust darkened the atmosphere, cutting off plant life.
E.
In the Alvarez scenario, an asteroid struck the earth,
creating a gigantic crater.
(1) A
(2) E
(3) D
(4) B
15. A.
This kind of incompetence will disappear only when
the curricula of our architecture schools devote less
time to so-called artistic considerations and more
time to the basics of good design.
Our architecture schools must be doing something
wrong.
In their pursuit of some dubious aesthetic, architects
design buildings that sway, crumble and even shed
windows into our cities’ streets.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of
schools that give valuable training and exposure to
those interested in pursuing the discipline of
architecture.
Almost monthly, we hear of domes and walkways
collapsing in public places, causing great harm to
human life.
(1) A
(2) B
(3) D
(4) E
B.
C.
D.
E.
16. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Granted, coffee shops, especially multinational
chains, do give you good value for money, depending
on the way you like your coffee to taste.
Coffee today seems to be all about the big brands.
Some coffee aficionados swear by smaller, more
intimate establishments, which may just be coffee
snobbery, or imply a genuine difference in the quality
of the coffee available at a big chain café or a smalltown, single outlet one.
If you’re out on a cold day and all you want is
something to warm you up, you have a choice between
Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Nero’s and whatever local
chain is brave enough to attempt to get into the game
with these giants of the coffee shop industry.
The brand is especially popular in Australia, enjoying
a significant presence in all the major towns and
cities.
(1) A
(2) C
(3) E
(4) B
17. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
18. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
19. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Nor was death always unexpected.
Nonetheless, most people are more likely to fear being
killed by a stranger in an unfamiliar situation than by a
friend or relative at home.
In one study, about half the murder victims in a
particular city had called for police protection at least
five times during the 24 months before they were
murdered.
Statistics show that more than half of the nation’s
murder victims knew their assailants; in fact, 24
percent last year were killed by relatives.
Murders and organized crimes have been on the rise
since the influx of immigrants.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) B
(4) A
It will increase the load-carrying capacity of these
freight-only lines.
It will help finance the 343- kilometre Khurja-Kanpur
section.
The 1,800-kilometre Eastern Dedicated Freight
Corridor (DFC) is being constructed for freightspecific transport of commodities by Indian Railways,
between Delhi and Howrah.
It will further allow enhanced speeds of up to 100
kilometres per hour.
The current loan has a maturity of 22 years, with a
grace period of seven years.
(1) A
(2) E
(3) D
(4) C
This group will gain by increasing the size of their
share of the nation’s wealth.
Generally, the pattern of income distribution tends to
become more unequal than it was before inflation.
The savers lose purchasing power; their ability to buy
things falls.
These often increase in value faster than the rate of
inflation.
If the rate of inflation is high, individuals with money
tend to buy real assets such as property, gold and
antique.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) D
(4) A
20. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
21. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
22. A.
B.
C.
D.
Millions of computers threaded together through ten
of millions of miles of cable make up the neural
network of money.
This information, along with other information, is
sent out along the world’s data highways.
It is complicated and complex.
That system resembles a snowflake, an elaborate
fibre-optic pattern of connections, with nothing at the
centre.
Paradoxically, it is both strong and fragile.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) B
(4) A
Among currencies with distinctive identities, only the
pound sterling has its symbol printed on the notes.
The symbol would lend a distinctive character and
identity to the currency and further highlight the
strength and global face of the Indian economy.
Though the symbol will not be printed or embossed
on currency notes or coins, it would be included in
the ‘Unicode Standard’ and major scripts of the world
to ensure that it is easily displayed and printed in the
electronic and print media.
Besides this, state governments would be asked to
proactively promote the use of the new symbol.
It is a big statement on the Indian currency.
(1) D
(2) E
(3) C
(4) A
Scientists at the University of Sheffield found the
stellar giant- named R136a1- using the European
Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in
Chile and data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The biggest star, with a mass 320 times greater than
the sun’s, has been discovered at the edge of our
galaxy by British astronomers.
Previously, the heaviest known stars were around 150
times the mass of the sun, and this was believed to be
close to the cosmic size limit.
The star is located in the Tarantula Nebula in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, a small “satellite” galaxy,
which orbits the Milky Way.
C.
D.
E.
The phrase “human rights” is relatively modern.
The modern concept of human rights developed in
the aftermath of the Second World War.
Respect and realization of human rights requires
evolving a culture that is more sensitive to the basic
needs of every human being.
However, respect for human rights as a part of its
social philosophy has existed in the Indian ethos for a
long time.
Its intellectual foundations can be traced through
philosophy and time-honoured concepts of natural
law and liberty.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) D
(4) A
24. A.
This interest subvention is provided to those
farmers who pay their short-term crop loans on
time.
B. The government has been providing crop loans at
concessional interest rates since 2006-2007.
C. Over the years, agriculture credit flow has registered
significant jump.
D. In the current financial year (2011-12), the
government has provided interest subvention by 3%,
thus bringing down the effective rate of interest to 4%
per annum.
E. In 2009-10, the subvention rate for timely repayment
of crop loans was 1%, which was raised to 2% in 201011, and further to 3% this year.
(1) D
(2) A
(3) B
(4) C
25. A.
Where the socio-economic pressures on the country’s
forests are tremendous, India has instituted a treeplanting system to combat land degradation and
desertification, including windbreaks and shelter
belts to protect agricultural land.
C.
D.
E.
At the dawn of human history, the forests did not offer
favourable conditions for the development of
civilization.
India is a country of 1.2 billion people who continue to
put pressure on forests especially in densely
populated areas, where people are cultivating on
marginal lands and where overgrazing is contributing
to desertification.
Three-fourth of this loss occurred in the last two
centuries, as land was cleared for farming and to meet
demand for timber.
The world’s forests have shrunk by 40%, since
agriculture began.
(1) E
(2) C
(3) B
(4) A
a
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Ans(2). DAEB is the sequence.
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Ans(1). CEBD is the sequence .
Ans(3). EABC is the sequence.
Ans(2). ADBE is the sequence.
Ans(3). ECAD is the sequence.
Ans(3). BEAC is the sequence.
Ans(4). DAEB is the sequence.
Ans(2). ACBD is the sequence .
Ans(1). CEDB is the sequence.
Ans(1). ECDB is the sequence.
Ans(2). BEAC is the sequence.
Ans(1). DCEB is the sequence.
Ans(4). CEDA is the sequence .
Ans(3). BECA is the sequence.
Ans(3). BDAC is the sequence.
Ans(1). DACB is the sequence.
Ans(2). CBAD is the sequence .
Ans(2). BEDA is the sequence.
Ans(3). ADCE is the sequence.
Ans(1). EBCA is the sequence.
Ans(4). BADC is the sequence .
Ans(3). BAEC is the sequence.
Ans(4). BDAE is the sequence.
Ans(3). CAED is the sequence.
23. A.
B.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
E. As the stars get more massive, the amount of energy
created in their cores grows at a faster rate than the
force of gravity, which holds them together.
(1) C
(2) D
(3) B
(4) E
What is Holistic Healing?
WHAT HOLISTIC HEALING MEANS
Holistic healing means taking a holistic approach when
seeking treatment for imbalances and choosing to live a
more balanced lifestyle. What primarily distinguishes
holistic healing apart from alternative medicine,
complementary medicine and integrative medicine is
that physical health is not necessarily the main focus.
Even so, it is often the experience of physical
discomfort that will first prompt a person’s pursuit
of holistic healing.
It is true that our pains and other
physical discomforts demand our
attention. This is where the saying
“sticking out like a sore thumb”
originated from. It is difficult to ignore the
obvious when we are physically hurting. Common
sense tells us that we should seek help to alleviate our
discomforts. Holistic healing is not an “alternative” to
conventional medical care. Sometimes, going to a medical
professional is the best solution to addressing a disease.
Physical illnesses are the symptoms of a greater imbalance
that may or may not have a root cause in the physical.
Holistic or “wholistic” healing addresses all parts of the
individual, not just the physical aspect of a person, where
manifested illnesses are most apparent. Holistic healing is not
intended to serve as a band-aid or a one-time fix. It is an ongoing
journey of discovery in search of more answers and ultimately;
living better, being healthier and striving for wholeness.
HOLISTIC HEALING GOES BEYOND THE MIND-BODY
CONNECTION
Holistic healing is really a lifestyle approach. The holistic
approach goes far beyond the Mind-Body connection of finding
and maintaining wellness. Overall wellness and “wholeness” is
highly valued. All parts of a person’s life (physical healing,
mental health and wellness, emotional well-being, and spiritual
beliefs and values) are considered. Taking a holistic approach
involves seeking the tools that will help us attract our desires and
find personal power.
A person who embraces the desire to find wholeness within
his own being soon learns the importance of tending to
relationships, caring for the planet and our
environments, having compassion for
humankind in general, and accepting and
tolerating differences among a diverse
population of people.
ROLE OF THE HOLISTIC HEALER
The holistic healer recognizes that our
discomforts or pains are merely symptoms
of an imbalance. The imbalance could be
a physical issue, the result of abusing
the physical body through an unhealthy
diet, lack of exercise, or too little sleep.
Or, the imbalance may be the result of
mental, emotional, or spiritual needs
not being met. No aspect (mind, body,
spirit, or emotions) of a person is overlooked when a
holistic treatment is sought.
The holistic healer looks at the “whole person” in order to
make his or her complete evaluation and uses all information
gathered before suggested treatments to the client are offered.
Not all holistic healers are equal; each has his or her own
speciality or expertise to offer. It will benefit one to shop around
for a good fit. Choosing to go to a holistic healer is no different
from choosing a medical professional.
TYPES OF HOLISTIC HEALING THERAPIES AND
TREATMENTS
The types of holistic therapies available are extensive.
Among them are:
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
aromatherapy
Ayurveda medicine
natural diet
exercise
counseling
herbal remedies
homeopathy
acupuncture
naturopathic medicine
bodywork
energy-based therapies
prayerful intention
Chinese medicine
a
Current Awareness
Very useful for GK section of entrance tests, especially for CMAT etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Libya was in news in 2011 because of
(1) natural disasters that devastated the country.
(2) Western powers and vested interests that conspired to
upset the establishment.
(3) depletion of resources that resulted in the falling of
the country’s economy.
(4) Gadaffi deciding to step down but with no successor.
(5) None of these.
6.
Which of the following reasons were responsible for the
fear of the radioactive leak in Japan, in March 2011?
(1) Japan had become the nuclear state.
(2) High traces of radioactive iodine were found, which
could debilitate the sea-food industry, besides
affecting marine life.
(3) Neighboring countries were provoked to indulge in
retaliatory measures.
(4) There was a fall in the number of tourists that visit
Japan during the period in question.
(5) Mounting costs to repair and maintain the damaged
reactors had crippled the Japanese economy.
Which of the following statements about the Indian
Economy is correct?
(1) Indian economy is as developed as that of China.
(2) About 70% Indians are involved in some type of selfemployment and are the owners of some or the other
micro or small enterprise.
(3) In India, the single biggest employment is agriculture
and allied activities.
(4) About 48% Indian workforce is employed in foreign
countries or in organizations assisted by foreign
capital.
(5) None of these.
7.
Growth plan of the State Bank of India for the financial year
2011-12 would be funded mainly by
(1) hike in interest rates.
(2) Government borrowings.
(3) bonds from overseas markets.
(4) coming out with public issues.
(5) exercising credit control and going in for selective
credit.
DRDO conducts successful maiden flight test of Kaveri
Engine, which is developed for fighter aircraft, at Gas
Turbine Research establishment in
(1) Baikanur.
(2) Bangalore.
(3) Pune.
(4) Hyderabad.
(5) Sriharikota.
8.
The Railway Board came out with a new computerized pass
system. It is named as
(1) AAS
(2) PRAYAS
(3) KARAWAS
(4) ATITHI
(5) PRAVAS
9.
To track the movement of Naxalities in the Naxaliteaffected areas, ISRO would deploy which satellite?
(1) SAT NAX
(2) SAT MOB
(3) SAT NAV
(4) SAT RED
(5) SAT TRA
“Sedition as a charge cannot be whimsically instituted; it
has to be imputed judiciously”. This observation of the
Supreme Court was made in April 2011, with reference to
the case concerning
(1) Afzal Guru
(2) Binayak Sen
(3) Sohrabuddin
(4) Aseemanand
(5) Charles Sobhraj
With a view to grapple with high inflation in property and
food prices, the Chinese government implemented
tightening measures in 2011, which resulted in
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the slowing down of the country’s property price.
the migration of rural people to cities.
the overproduction of automobiles.
the middle-class people being out of jobs.
the large-scale exodus of Chinese to Europe and
Australia.
10. Which one of the following is not matched correctly?
(1) Georgia = Rose revolution
(2) Tunisia = Jasmine revolution
(3) Ukraine = Orange revolution
(4) Serbia = Tulip revolution
(5) None of these.
11. Who is the founder of the country’s first and the only
Sanskrit daily Sudharama?
(1) Nadadur Varadaraja Iyengar
(2) K.V. Sampath Kumar
(3) Pandit Jasraj
(4) Chidananda Sharma
(5) Annappa Shastri
12. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the legendary Indian Classical
Singer, who passed away on January 24, 2011, was conferred
the Bharat Ratna in the year
(1) 2001
(2) 2003
(3) 2006
(4) 2007
(5) 2008
13. As per the statement of the government made in February
2011, what amount has been offered as compensation to
the states for transiting to the GST regime by April 1, 2012?
(1) Rs. 17000 crore per year
14. Who among the following has been honoured with the 2011
Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, South Korea’s most
prestigious award for those working on peace, democracy
and justice in Asia?
(1) Anna Hazare
(2) Binayak Sen
(3) Aung San Suu Kyi
(4) Irom Sharmila
(5) Xanana Gusmao
15. Endosulfan, the pesticide, was in news during April 2011,
for
(1) its exorbitant price, pinching the farmers and
agriculturists.
(2) its ban on its use by environment activists and political
parties, in view of its adverse effect on health.
(3) its constitution, which is disapproved on grounds of
baneful effects it would have on crops.
(4) being contested by foreign firms over patents.
(5) the scientists doubting over its potency to kill pests.
16. The Chinese government’s move to boost the number of
“blue sky” days would be best achieved through which of
the following?
(1) Banning the setting up of industries that give out
harmful effluents.
(2) Removing 4,00,000 polluting cars from the roads of its
cities, by 2015.
(3) Planting trees and creating botanical parks at some
places.
(4) Control on noise pollution by restricting the use of
public address systems.
(5) All of these.
17. With what do we associate the Cauvery Polar basin?
(1) Residents of Machilipatnam who became adaptive to
rages of the river.
(2) Reliance group that discovered gas in it.
(3) Excavationists who unearthed traces of Vijay Nagar
during the period of Krishnadevaraya.
(4) Agitators of the Sanketi community, opposing the
construction of Chinchinkatte dam.
(5) Members of the Gampradaya tribe who were
evacuated by the prosperous Rayadus.
18. Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the state-owned
carrier Air India, opened its first Gulf base in
(1) Bahrain.
(2) Dubai.
(3) Muscat.
(4) Doha.
(5) Riyadh.
19. Identify the correct statements relating to Apple.
(1) Close to oblivion in 1997, it is now the second-most
valuable company after Exxon Mobil Corporation.
(2) Its net income was $5.99 billion for the period
January-March, 2011.
(3) It shipped a record of 18.65 billion iPhoneS during
January-March, 2011.
(4) It surpassed Microsoft both in technology and
income.
(5) All of these.
20. Identify the statements which are true, relating to Afzal
Guru.
A. He is the disciple of Osama bin laden of Al Qaida.
B. He is the main accused in the attempt to blast
Parliament on December 13, 2001.
C. Although awarded death sentence, his mercy petition
for President’s Amnesty is yet to be decided.
(1) B, C
(2) A, C
(3) A, B
(4) All of A, B, C
(5) None of A, B, C
21. Jastropha holds potential of
(1) being a right medicine for those struck with migratory
arthritis.
(2) being an effective catalyser in the synthesis of
aromatic compounds.
(3) being a sustainable aviation fuel.
(4) being a forceful laxative.
(5) being an effective mosquito repellent.
22. Which of the following isn’t characteristic of Fairy Bridge in
China?
(1) It spans the Buliu River in Guangxi.
(2) It is the world’s largest natural bridge.
(3) It has a width of 400 feet.
(4) None of these.
(5) All of these.
23. Why was the Indian government not in favour of an
immediate ban on endosulfan even though the Stockholm
convention had abolished or restricted in using this
harmful chemical?
(1) Rise in food prices could result from such a ban.
(2) Chemicals are needed for efficient agriculture.
(3) The country’s economic interests would be hurt on
account of the ban.
(4) Only overuse of endosulfan would be harmful whereas
endosulfan would not be that harmful, when safely
handled.
(5) All of these.
24. “Dreams from my father- A story of Race and Inheritance”
is the autobiography of
(1) Abraham Lincoln.
(2) Marthin Luther King.
(3) Barack Obama.
(4) George W Bush.
(5) Mao Zedong.
25. The 25th anniversary of the Chermobyl disaster was
marked by
(1) prayer and solemn religious ceremonies in Greece
and Malta.
(2) appeal from victims of the Chernobyl disaster to heads
of government to go for safety measures.
(3) statement of pledges by world leaders to uphold
scientific pursuits without putting the lives of citizens
in danger.
(4) anti-nuclear protests in western Europe.
(5) None of these.
26. Why was Abbotabad in news during May 2011?
(1) It was frequented by tourists on account of it being a
summer resort of Pakistan.
(2) It was home to military men in Pakistan who served in
the then British Government, as it was close to
Islamabad, 60 kilometres north.
(3) It was the place where Osama bin Laden was given
shelter by the Pakistan government.
(4) The university, which was founded by Lord Abbot,
celebrated its second centennial.
(5) The place was struck by a disastrous earthquake in
March 2011.
27. Which of the following is true of Arunachal Pradesh, with
respect to flyers?
(1) Flying across the state has been a thrilling experience
for many trainee pilots.
(2) The state has a training academy which addresses the
skills and training needs of the pilots.
(3) The state has become a graveyard for flyers since
World War II.
(4) Many eminent pilots both in defence and commercial
sectors had their careers begun in this state.
(5) None of these.
28. After Greece and Ireland,------- became the third country
to get financial help, with a 7.8 billion euro bailout.
(1) Germany
(2) Spain
(3) Turkey
(4) Portugal
(5) Italy
29. Which of the following isn’t among the blocks which the
coal ministry cancelled in their allocation to the state-run
power producer NTPC?
(1) Chatti Bariatu
(2) Chichiro Pastimal
(3) Kerandari
(4) Brahmani
(5) None of these.
30. Which of the following is not characteristic of “Picasso”,
the robot used by a team of Japanese and Australian
researchers to bring to light the marine life and organisms
in the Great Barrier Reef in Antarctic waters?
A It is 220 kg in weight.
B It is 2.2 long and 0.8 m high.
C It can be submerged in the oceanic bed.
(1) A
(2) B
(3) C
(4) All of these
(5) None of these
31. According to scientists, unlike their parents who wielded
their massive strength and size to kill large prey, young
tyrannosaurs were careful predators, which relied on
………….. rather than power.
(1) herd instinct and blind following
(2) quickness and agility
(3) precise attack and forceful blow
(4) stealthy movement and lightning attack
(5) None of these.
32. Which country is also known as the ‘Rainbow Nation’?
(1) Australia
(2) United Kingdom
(3) Switzerland
(4) South Africa
(5) New Zealand
33. LinkedIn Corporation increased its planned IPO, valuing
the largest professional social networking website at more
than
(1) $ 2 bn
(2) $ 3 bn
(3) $ 4 bn
(4) $ 5 bn
(5) $ 6 bn
34. Which Asian city was formerly known as ‘Batavia’?
(1) Yangon (Myanmar)
(2) Hanoi (Vietnam)
(3) Jakarta (Indonesia)
(4) Beijing (China)
(5) Manila(The Philippines)
35. On account of its numerous temples, which city is also
known as the ‘Cathedral City of India’?
(1) Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
(2) Haridwar (Uttarakhand)
(3) Bhubaneswar (Orissa)
(4) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
(5) Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)
36. ……. was initially convicted by a German Court of Nazi war
crimes, especially the killing of 27,900 Jews in Sobibor, but
was later released, seeing his advanced age of 91 years.
(1) Edmund Filbritch
(2) Desmond Karman
(3) John Demjangjuk
(4) Theodore Fluviello
(5) Isaac Gowlie
37. Which of the following is true for Rome, when 22 quakes hit
Italy in May 2011?
(1) Heavy destruction
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
High exodus of citizens
Education coming to be affected.
Economy Suffered
There was no effect.
38. The ‘Python goods train’, which is a milestone
achievement for Railways to combine two container loaded
trains into one ‘python train’, was in news in May 2011, for
(1) its journey from Wadi Bunder, in Mumbai, to Kandla
Port, in Gujarat, carrying a load of 70 containers
wagons.
(2) its journey from Paradip Port, in Orissa, to Kakinada
port, on the Circar coast, carrying a load of 80
container wagons.
(3) its journey from Mangalore Port, in Karnataka, to
Pamban, in Tamil Nadu, carrying a load of 85
container wagons.
(4) its journey from Gogha in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat,
to Porbandar, Gujarat, carrying a load of 87 container
wagons.
(5) its journey from Mundra Port in Kachh district,
Gujarat to Bhildi, in Rajasthan, carrying a load of 90
container wagons.
39. The Supreme Court in May 2011 slapped exemplary costs
for
(1) motivated PILS.
(2) contempt of Court.
(3) untrue testifications.
(4) harassment of witnesses and people giving evidences.
(5) loiterers and jay-walkers in court premises.
40. As per the report of Falcon and Associates, an independent
strategic implementing company, which of the following
regions would usher in the new world economy?
(1) Dubai
(2) Malaysian
(3) Uruguay
(4) Toronto
(5) Zimbabwe
41. On the lines of New Delhi-Jaipur expressway, which was
fast tracked by Planning Commission and Ministry of
Highways, a similar expressway costing Rs. 8000 crores
would connect which of the following places?
(1) Delhi with Chandigarh, along the Yamuna.
(2) Delhi with Lucknow, along the Gomti.
(3) Delhi with Allahabad, along the Ganges.
(4) Delhi with Haridwar, along the Sirhind.
(5) Delhi with Kanpur, along the Kosi.
42. As per news of May 2011, Samoa’s decision to move its
clocks 24 hours forward, would
(1) in effect change the Pacific region’s international date
line, which is already zigzagging.
(2) bring the island chain onto the same business day as
Australia, New Zealand and the trading partners in
Asia.
(3) reverse its decision, which it made 119 years ago to
align with the American trading hours.
(4) None of these.
(5) All of these.
43. British scientists, along with those of NASA, planned to
build the first “extra terrestrial boat” to sail on the
………….. lake of Saturn’s largest moon……….. to explore
chances of life there.
(1) Salt ; Neon
(2) Propane ; Frens
(3) Ethane ; Titan
(4) Benzene ; Orchid
(5) Toluene ; Zion
44. Formula One is the premier international motor racing
championship. Identify which of the following is true about
Formula One.
(1) Fiat is the controlling share holder in Ferrari, which
runs the race.
(2) Formula One is owned by CVC Capital Partners, a
private equity firm.
(3) Bernie Ecclestone turned the sport into a global hit.
(4) News Corporation and Exor, the investment company
of Fiat’s founding Agnelli family, set up a consortium
for developing Formula One.
(5) All of these.
45. After being in power for twenty years, Idriss Derby was reelected as President of Chad for the fourth term, with
……………… of votes cast.
(1) 89
(2) 90
(3) 93
(4) 94
(5) 97
46. For what reasons were Banks of Britain in news, during
May 2011?
A For giving up their legal challenge to claims that they
had miss-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI),
covering sickness and unemployment, on credit cards
and mortgages.
B They compensated customers, for which Lloyd’s
Banking Group set aside $ 5.2 billion to settle its
Payment Protection Insurance complaints.
C
For moving UK courts for defending the allegations
made.
(1) A, B
(2) A, C
(3) B, C
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
47. In the wake of worldwide protests, the Ugandan
Parliament, in May 2011,
(1) approved the bill that called for death penalty for
homosexuals.
(2) rejected the bill that called for death penalty for
homosexuals.
(3) suspended the bill that called for death penalty for
homosexuals.
(4) sought the opinion of the electorate, as regards the bill
that called for death penalty for homosexuals.
(5) None of these.
48. Why were Fatah and Hamas in news during May 2011?
(1) For continuing their feud for over five years.
(2) For sustaining the feud between Israel and Arabs.
(3) For signing an agreement to back a government of
national unity, much to Israeli Prime Minister’s
annoyance.
(4) For resolving to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden
at the hands of the US.
(5) None of these.
49. Why was Deutsche Bank in news during April 2011?
(1) America’s Justice Department filed a lawsuit against
it for reportedly concealing the poor quality of some of
the mortgages, which it submitted to be covered by a
federal mortgage insurance scheme.
(2) It failed pay $ 386 million to the American
government, as part of its contractual obligations.
(3) Many of its customers were persons of controversial
background.
(4) Its bad loans increased and became unmanageable.
(5) All of these.
50. Myanmar’s military did which of the following in May
2011?
(1) Handed over power to the nominally elected civilian
government, after being almost 50 years in power.
(2) Denied power to the duly elected party and insisted on
continuing the rule.
(3) Strengthened itself to counter rebellions and
resistances from the opposition.
(4) Asked the United Nations to intervene to help resolve
the stalemate that had affected the nation.
(5) Clamped the emergency, which prevented citizens to
express their views in a free and democratic way.
51. Consider the following statements relating to Dominique
Strauss-Kahn.
A. Strauss-Kahn was arrested but released on bail.
B. Strauss-Kahn resigned as IMF Chief.
C. Strauss-Kahn was contender for the post of President
of France in the elections, along with Sarkrozy.
Which of the following statement (s) is / are correct?
(1) B, C
(2) A, B
(3) A, C
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
52. As per news of 2011, India and Bangladesh were jointly
involved in which of the following acts?
(1) Celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of
Rabindranath Tagore.
(2) Felicitating one another for successfully hosting the
Cricket World Cup 2011.
(3) Commemorating Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the
founder president of Bangladesh, who had his initial
education in Kolkata.
(4) Organising a musical programme of Rabindra
Sangeet and folk songs.
(5) None of these.
53. Identify the statement which is incorrect, as regards Tiger
Paradox?
A. Tigers have increased from 1411 to 1706, in number.
B. Tiger areas have decreased from 9 million hectares to
7 million hectares.
C. Tigers are vulnerable to weather changes, despite
their massive build.
(1) A
(2) C
(3) B
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
54. One of American’s most prolific and controversial novelists
won the Man Booker International Prize of 60,000 pounds
but stirred the judge’s wrath. Identify the person from
among the following.
(1) Zen Robinson
(2) Philip Roth
(3) Sarah Balmer
(4) Frank Domsdell
(5) Eric Clayton
55. Which of the following isn’t true about Kim Davy, who was
in news during 2011?
(1) He was the main accused in the 1995-Purulia-armsdrop case.
(2) The CBI team went to Denmark to apprehend him.
(3) The warrant for his arrest had expired, thus the CBI
could not arrest him.
(4) The Danish government did not show the required
cooperation.
(5) None of these.
56. Why was Ras Al Khaimah in news during May 2011?
(1) For its proximity with Dubai, it being barely 100 kms.
(2) For its possibility to serve as a bridge between West
and East markets.
(3) For its invitation to India to invest in infrastructure.
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
57. Which of the following isn’t among the symptoms that
characterize Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)?
(1) Numbness felt in hands and fingers.
(2) Shooting pain up from the wrists to the arms is felt.
(3) Burning sensation is felt in fingers.
(4) Cramps are felt in hands.
(5) None of these.
58. Which of the following is characteristic of the Economy
Class Syndrome, experienced when undertaking long air
journeys?
(1) Stiff, throbbing limbs and numb lifeless feet.
(2) Itchy scalp, with hair-fall.
(3) Tiring eyes, with burning sensation felt in them.
(4) Gastric disorders, with bouts of vomiting.
(5) Unbearable headache and high palpitation.
59. During May 2011, which of the following was short-listed
by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organisations (UNESCO) into its World Heritage list?
(1) The Sunderbans
(2) Western Ghats
(3) Coal mines of Dhanbad
(4) Red Hills of Coimbatore
(5) Imam Baras of Lucknow
60. The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize was won by Aminatta
Forna, the British-born novelist from ……… , for the novel
“The Memory of Love”, written in the aftermath of the
country’s civil war, in which many people were killed.
(1) Lisbon
(2) Chechen
(3) Croatia
(4) Sierra, Leone
(5) Egypt
61. Identify the incorrect statement with respect to Intel, the
computer chip manufacturer.
A. It has planned to come out with a new transistor, called
TriGate.
B. TriGate would be a 3-D structure.
C. It invited skilled technologists and IT wizards to come
out with their ideas, designs and plans.
(1) C
(2) B
(3) A
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
62. China’s soaring economy has created a class of wealthy
entrepreneurs who have plenty of money to spend on one of
the ultimate symbols of success, which is
(1) Jet travel in Executive Class.
(2) A night out in the famous Shanghai Night Club.
(3) Owning a luxurious dwelling in the posh localities of
Beijing.
(4) Farming on a large scale.
(5) Proprietor of a diamond store.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Praveen Kumar Arora
Sushil Kumar Roongta
Praful Parikh
Chuni Dastidar
Gaurang Sawant
67. In order to help them tide over the financial crisis, builders
in big cities have turned to being
(1) commission agents of wholesale grain merchandise.
(2) smalltown brokers and small entrepreneurs.
(3) promoters of educational and vocational institutes.
(4) politicians, confined to regional domain.
(5) speculators in stocks and shares.
68. As per Thai scientists, recent research on fossil found in
the North-east Thailand suggested a ………, which might
have roamed the region 10 million years ago.
(1) mastodon- like Jumbo
(2) water-consuming dinosaur
(3) flying horse-like animal
(4) slimy crocodile-like animal
(5) None of these.
63. According to researchers of Montreal University, under the
influence of the drug metyra phone, the recalling of painful
memories ……. the brain’s ability to re-record the negative
emotions that are associated with them.
(1) enhances
(2) diverts
(3) reduces
(4) has no effect on
(5) No conclusive findings have been arrived as yet
69. According to scientists, ……… may be harnessed more
easily to generate energy after finding about how they
naturally let off tiny electrical charges.
(1) microbes
(2) bacteria
(3) stem-cells
(4) zygotes
(5) pulsars
64. In order to attract the African youth, India is making use of
its
(1) IT sector.
(2) agricultural sector.
(3) sports and games.
(4) rich forests and attractive landscapes.
(5) sanctuaries and wildlife reserves.
70. The use of Global Positioning System (GPs) in …….
demands higher accuracy and reliability in determining
position than a mobile phone user would need.
(1) marine navigation
(2) space expeditions
(3) military encounters
(4) civil aviation
(5) oceanographic explorations
65. As per the study conducted by the Pampa Parirkashana
Samiti (PPS), the river Pampa is threatened by which of the
following?
(1) People pollute the river.
(2) Aquatic life has reduced.
(3) Cadomba weeds have spread fast.
(4) The river is in spate.
(5) None of these.
66. Former chairman of SAIL, …….., became the Managing
Director of Vedanta Aluminum, a group firm of London
Stock Exchange-listed Vedanta Resources.
71. Identify the correct statements.
A Video games, by themselves, result in unproductive
man hours.
B Relaxing video games can make people happy and kind
C Violent video games lead people towards more
aggression and anger.
(1) A, C
(2) A, B
(3) B, C
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
72. Twitter is in tight-spot in England over issues of
(1) obscenity.
(2) privacy.
(3) subject content.
(4) maturity of users of the social site..
(5) cyber regulations.
73. Stock markets in USA showed lack of stability, with Dow
Jones Industrial Average showing its biggest single day
drop, on account of which of the following?
(1) Unemployment.
(2) Weak data on economy and housing.
(3) Political changes in Obama’s administrative set up.
(4) Storms and tornadoes attacking some states.
(5) Outsourcing of Jobs.
74. Which of the following isn’t among the predictors which are
used to forecast monsoon?
(1) Surface temperatures of the North Atlantic Ocean,
equatorial South East Indian Ocean and Central
Pacific Ocean.
(2) Air temperatures of North-West Europe.
(3) Warm water volume of the equatorial pacific, air
pressure over the North Atlantic and East Asia.
(4) Wind patterns over the North-Central Pacific Ocean.
(5) None of these.
75. Why was the thirteen year-old by boy Hamza al-Khatib in
news during June 2011?
(1) For resisting the Syrian forces in his native town.
(2) For being tortured and killed at the hands of the
security service.
(3) For being the youngest hacker, affecting many
persons.
(4) For being a prodigy in being able to interpret ancient
Egyptian works.
(5) None of these.
76. Jack Kevorkian, who died on June 3, 2011, was which of the
following?
(1) Crusader for renewal of corruption.
(2) One who encouraged unconventional enterprises.
(3) Motivator of underdogs.
(4) One who discouraged tobacco consumption.
(5) Champion of Voluntary euthanasia.
77. With attrition becoming a critical issue, many
multinationals use social networks, blogs, online
communities, gaming and other collaborative learning
technologies to create a learning and comfortable work
atmosphere to …………… talent.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
retain
improve
remove
expose
understand
78. India urged its neighbours to sign an MOU to protect
dugongs (commonly known as sea cow) in its waters, as its
numbers are less than …………………….
(1) 300
(2) 250
(3) 200
(4) 150
(5) 100
79. According to International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), the Great Indian Bustard is ……………..
(1) thriving, with more birds spotted.
(2) on the brink of extinction.
(3) shifting its habitat to less cold places.
(4) adapting to different life styles.
(5) None of these.
80. According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture
Organization (FAO), climate change will make
……………… less available for farmers to produce food
crops, in years to come.
(1) Soil
(2) Fertilisers
(3) Water
(4) Sunlight
(5) None of these.
81. Chamber of Small Industry Association (COSIA) asked the
RBI to put a ceiling on the interest rates charged by banks
on ……
(1) Corporate borrowers
(2) Small and medium enterprises
(3) Priority sector lending
(4) Professional and Self employed people
(5) Export business
82. As regards the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS),
which is not widely believed to be fool-proof among the
cricketing fraternity, the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) has …… it
(1) supported
(2) opposed
(3) Neither supported nor opposed.
(4) Not taken any decision on it.
(5) There is no such stand taken by the Board.
83. …… governments are turning to more sophisticated
techniques to block internet sites and bloggers, who they
perceive to be a threat.
(1) South African
(2) South American
(3) South Asian
(4) South Korean
(5) South Chinese
84. As per study, a daily cup of …… helps shrink cancer cells.
(1) orange juice
(2) gingered lemonade
(3) peppered honey
(4) black tea
(5) carrot juice
85. For what reasons was Gyanesh Pandey in news, in June
2011?
(1) For helping his company Husk Power Systems, Bihar,
build 65 power plants across the state.
(2) For making these plants run on gasified rice husks and
embedded local grids.
(3) For hiring in people to help in the operation of these
plants.
(4) None of these.
(5) All of these.
86. Which of the following holds true for Spider Man, the
character of Marvel Comics?
(1) He is the alter ego of Peter Parker, the high school
student bitten by a radio-active spider.
(2) His wall-climbing and web-clinging antics have made
him the touchstone of Marvel Comics’ universe of
heroes and villains.
(3) He met his end, succumbing to one of his most
pernicious toes, the Green Goblin, in the final issue of
Ultimate Spider Man, which was out on 22 June 2011.
(4) None of these.
(5) All of these.
87. Which of the following isn’t among the Indian languages
which the internet search-engine giant Google included
when expanding its translation services?
(1) Bengali and Gujarati
(2) Kannada, Tamil and Telugu
(3) Malayalam and Sindhi
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
88. The International Merlin Award or the Magicians Oscar
Award for 2010-11 was won by
(1) Gopinath Muthukad.
(2) Gogia Bashir.
(3) Mondla Sen.
(4) Brajesh Gunjal.
(5) Yogesh Jain.
89. As part of its centenary celebrations, ………….. joined
hands with Retina India, an organization of persons with
retinal impairment to create a technology, which would
help visually-challenged students find suitable volunteers
to write their exams, read books and other study materials
for them.
(1) IBM
(2) Wipro
(3) Infosys Technologies Limited
(4) TCS
(5) Cognizant
90. The illness Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which is
widespread in Andhra Pradesh, is caused by mosquitoes
which are infected by which of the following?
(1) Horses
(2) Goats
(3) Pigs
(4) Bulls
(5) Dogs
91. As per news of June 2011, the International Cricket
Conference (ICC), relenting after severe criticism,
decided to include 4 associate nations in the 2015 World
Cup. This would make the marquee event a ….. team
tournament.
(1) 16
(2) 15
(3) 14
(4) 13
(5) 12
92. In June 2011, which of the following countries banned
female genital Mutilation?
(1) India
(2) Sri Lanka
(3) Nepal
(4) Bhutan
(5) South Africa
93. According to the scientists, insomnia can lead to …..
(1) amnesia
(2) constipation
(3) depression
(4) hyperactivity
(5) phantasmagoria
94. Scientists have stated that the breast cancer “wonder-pill”
is effective against all types of …..
(1) clot
(2) septic
(3) malignancies
(4) infection
(5) tumor
95. In June 2011, Pandit Amardeva was in news for which of the
following reasons?
(1) For being the doyen of modern Sinhala music.
(2) For being a celebrated musician and Magsaysay award
winner.
(3) For being honoured by India, as part of celebration of 6
decades of excellence in music and to underline the
deep cultural and civilization links which the two
countries share.
(4) All of these.
(5) None of these.
96. Within a week of arrest of 14 Somali pirates in ….., in
Junagadh’s district of Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, 18 more
Somali pirates, along with three other African nationals,
were located and arrested.
(1) Una
(2) Keshod
(3) Delvada
(4) Khijadiya
(5) Dhasa
97. The organization of Islamic Conference, an umbrella
organization, representing 57 Muslim nations, would
change its name to Organization of Islamic ….., retaining
the same acronym, OIC.
(1) Confederation
(2) Cooperation
(3) Conclave
(4) Corporation
(5) Conglomeration
98. With what do we associate Christiane Desroches Noble
Court, who was in news in June 2011?
(1) She died on 25 June 2011, at the age of 97 years.
(2) She was a pioneering French Egyptologist.
(3) She persuaded General Gamal Abdel Nasser to help
salvage Nubia’s vaunted antiquities.
(4) None of these.
(5) All of these.
99. The tyre and rubber manufacturer Bridgestone decided to
expand its concept stores in …….
(1) China
(2) Bangladesh
(3) Myanmar
(4) India
(5) Kazakhstan
100. The region of Southern Pacific had its airspace obscured,
resulting in the grounding of flights in the far south of the
world, on account of a volcanic eruption in …….. which
sent plumes of ash.
(1) Peru
(2) Argentina
(3) Chile
(4) Uruguay
(5) The Andes
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Bollywood Films of 2011
B
ollywood is increasingly getting cosmopolitan. It is
ready to shed inhibitions and embrace the approach to
cater to the entertainment needs of every strata of
society.
grossing film of all time. At the time of release, it became
Salman Khan’s second back-to-back <100-crore-plus film.
q
Ra.One has netted <114,78,00,000, making it the fourth
highest-grossing film of all time. It set the record for a
single-day collection, netting <22.8 crore on its second day.
Upon release, the film became the first <100-crore-plus
film for Shah Rukh Khan, his highest-grossing film till date
and Kareena Kapoor’s fourth straight <100-crore-plus
film. In the process, Kapoor equaled yesteryear superstar
Hema Malini‘s record of four back-to-back films in the top
ten highest-grossing Bollywood films of her time.
q
Don 2 has netted <103,18,00,000 in its three weeks (and is
still running at theaters). This marked Shah Rukh Khan’s
second back-to-back <100-crore-plus film, and he joined
Salman Khan to become the only actors who have delivered
two <100-crore-plus films in a single year. This film also
marked Priyanka Chopra’s first <100-crore-plus film.
q
Singham has grossed
<97,87,00,000, making
its eighth highestgrossing film of all
time. The film became
Ajay Devgan’s biggest
commercial success till
date.
It feels as if the so-called intellectual and perennial
supporters of coochie-cooing and lovey-dovey cinema are too up
for variety of cinema.
Evocative, vivid and authentic portrayal, which is neither
euphemistically shown nor sugar-coated but presented with
genuine crux, refurbished with aesthetically appealing
histrionics.
Several commercially and critically successful films were
released during the year. Six releases of 2011 have made it into
the List of highest-grossing Bollywood films
A film-by-film analysis for the most financially successful
films is given below:q
q
Bodyguard is the year’s highest grosser, with a total net of
<140,95,00,000. Within the first day of its release, it became
the highest opening day grosser as well as the biggest
grosser ever for a single day, breaking the records earlier
held by Dabangg. The film went on to break many
collection records, netting <21.25 crore on its opening day,
<85.50 crore in its extended opening weekend and <109.47
crore in its extended first week of
business, and is currently the second
highest-grossing Bollywood film of all
time. This film marked the third straight
<100 crore-plus film for Salman Khan and
Kareena Kapoor. It is Bollywood’s second
highest-grossing film ever, after 2009’s 3
Idiots.
Ready has netted <121,26,00,000 in its
theatrical run, making it the third highest-
But that is a strange irony that Indian
audience still does not have an eye for wellmade and sensible cinema even if it is a low
budget film. Hardly few takers one gets for the
gritty authenticity and real performances
because of the predominance of glam and
glitter and cash in on brand-cum-snob-value
mentality.
Salman Khan has become an epidemic.
Shahrukh Khan is born with the tactic to
bold journalist and Vidya Balan for playing the real fighter,
seeking justice for her murdered sister Jessica, are worthy of
applause. Indian audience really needs to pull up their socks in
order to afford (mentally) to understand such movies.
ZindagiNa MilegiDobara - The film beautifully captures
man’s true affinity towards nature and soulful indulgence in
nature activities is given more importance over materialistic
prosperity and earthly pleasures.
Hostel – Although the star cast was ordinary, the story, plot,
execution and narration was outstandingly great. People will only
understand this kind of film when they have the ability to identify
substance even in the de-glamorized setting.
popularize his mannerisms and hypnotize the beguile world.
No One Killed Jessica (moderately hit) Aarakshan
(moderately hit) Murder 2 (moderately hit) and Hostel (flop)
were such movies which deserved far more accolades than the
so-called hit movies as Bodyguard, Ready, Don 2 or Ra.One.
We are picking up a few movies that actually were worthy of
much attention.
Turning 30 - How a single career-oriented and maverick
woman has to fight the odds of life, cunning sharks, on her way to
corporate hierarchy, and social pressure and topsy- turvy love
life. Gul Panag deserves standing ovation for portraying a gogetter, gutsy, flamboyant lady who too gets down, upset and
emotionally drained at times because of the insurmountable
troubles but rebounds as well seeming.
No One Killed Jessica – Women of prowess with great
substance and power pack performance was a unique element to
be influenced over. Rani Mukherjee for playing a role of real and
Singham - A very justified success that the finest, seasoned
and high quality actor like Ajay Devgan truly deserves, for
playing the role of an intrepid officer perfectly.
Murder 2 - Prashant Narayanan for playing the role of a
psychopath killer and misogynist should be given standing
ovation. Imran Hashmi has grown and gone an extra mile as an
actor. Mohit Suri, the director, deserves accolades for giving a
macabre and repulsive subject a stylishly glamourised look and
keeping audience glued till the end with the riveting execution,
situationally permeated music, action, thrill and suspense.
Aarakshan - Cogent and situation appropriate dialogues.
The real issues smoldering in society for decades are clamoring
to be talked about. Prakash Jha deals with the topic very sincerely
and seriously doing justice with the subject, narration,
execution and climax. Amitabh Bachchan proves his substance
once again by getting in to the skin of the character.
DirtyPicture - The protagonist does not have any qualms in
bring explicitly raunchy/sexually outrageous.
Gone are the days of coy
mannerisms, bashful sensuality when
females were never vocal about their
sensuous side, but now the upright
raunchy attitude is in, and they are
merrily and honestly unbridled.
One cannot maliciously bask in the
glory of acclaimed cinema, as there is a
flip side as well. The industry is mired
with mediocrity big time. Run-of –themill and cliché cinema, rampant
nepotism, plastic dolls donning fashion
levels touted as actresses without any
substance, amateurish lads publicizes as
hunks have become the norm.
The much-patient audience has to
acquiescently glorify them too and far
better real talents die the death of dogs
on Mumbai streets.
Therefore, we would love to hurl our
sarcasm on the making of the following
movies:
Rockstar - How long will we simply
keep on tolerating this anorectic kid
(Ranbeer Kapoor) to be touted as the
ever flamboyant hunk with star appeal
and acting skills?
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
- The
ever celestial beauty (Katrina Kaif) but
alas! The dumbest actress of the history
of Indian film industry is striving so hard
to make people laugh but she miserably
fails. We sympathise.
Dhobi Ghat - The most intellectual
couple of the industry (Aamir Khan and
Kiran Rao) do not have the right to potray
themselves as super abstract and
enigmatic and leave it on the audience to
understand that what the movie was all
about (Poor audience overburdened with
the supremely intellectual aura of the
couple).
PLAGIARISM
Imitating blindly from the west and then
making an inferior version of the same had been
the practice last year. The outcome was sheer
fiasco. Such films could not even recover their
costs of making.
Dil Bole Hadippa inspired from Hollywood
film “She is man” could not be digested by the
audience.
Aabra ka Dabra inspired from Harry Potter
miserably failed to catch the fancy of viewers.
Tees Mar Khan directed by Farah Khan ,
which was inspired from British-Italian film
“After the fox” collapsed completely.
Director Harry Baweja made a frivolous
remake of the Hollywood science fiction film
Time as Love Story 2050. But the change in the
basic story and bad special effects led to its
inevitable disaster.
The movie “Killer” was a remake of a hit
Hollywood movie “Collateral” but it could not
stand anywhere. The 30-crore budget film could
not even recover its cost.
We can conclusively say that the finest lead
actors of the year were Ajay Devgan and Vidya
Balan, taking acting to new heights and
corroborating their stature as highly versatile and
enormously talented actors to register their
presence and single handedly pull off the movie
and leave the audience enthralled. A big salute
indeed goes to them. There has to be an equally
rewarding recognition for the musicians,
choreographers, writers, cinematographers,
sound recordists, singers and various significant
artists behind the curtain. We wish filmmakers
for coming up with more authentic, artistic, real
and creative issues and justifying them with gritty
vividness, creative imagination and originality. We
do not require replicating the West. India offers a
fascinating potpourri of elements that can be
captured by the directors.
a
English’s acid test!
All questions are based on latest pattern of questions set in national-level MBA entrance tests
DIRECTIONS:Choose the best option which logically completes
thepassage.
1.
2.
Nehru’s was a many-sided personality. He enjoyed reading
and writing books as much as he enjoyed fighting social and
political evils or resisting tyranny. In him, the scientist and
the humanist were held in perfect balance. While he kept
looking at social problems from a scientific standpoint, he
never forgot that we should nourish the total man. As a
scientist, he refused to believe in a benevolent power
interested in men’s affairs, but as a self-proclaimed nonbeliever, he loved affirming his faith in life and the beauty of
nature. Children he adored. Unlike Wordsworth, he did not
see them as trailing clouds of glory from their recent
sojourn in heaven but saw them as blossoms of promise and
renewal.
(1) He was of the opinion that they should be handled
delicately.
(2) He never underestimated the worth and potential of
children.
(3) He was childlike in nature and was attracted to the
company of children.
(4) He saw them as the only hope for mankind.
The train was on time. Mrs. Tickoo picked up her suitcase
and got into a first-class compartment. There was a woman
with a baby in the compartment. Mrs. Tickoo put her
suitcase under the seat and sat near the window. Just then, a
boy and a girl rushed up. The girl cried,”We nearly missed
saying goodbye to you”. The boy said, “Our car broke down
fifty yards from the station and we ran all the way.” “Where
is your mother?” asked Mrs. Tickoo. “She can’t run like
us,” said the boy. At that moment, the guard blew the
whistle and waved the green flag. “Thank you very much
for seeing me off,” said Mrs. Tickoo.
(1) “Had you informed me that you would be coming to
the station, I would have caught the next train and
would have spent some time with you all”.
(2) Now you go and attend to your mother, who must be
struggling to keep pace with you”.
(3) But you shouldn’t have run all the way; say goodbye to
your mother for me”.
(4) However, I would have been happy if I had met your
mother”.
3.
Laws of nature are not commands but statement of acts.
The use of the word “law” in this context is rather
unfortunate. It would be better to speak of uniformities of
nature. This would do away with the elementary fallacy that
a law implies a law-giver. If a piece of matter does not obey a
law of nature, it is not punished.
(1) This is the paradox which cannot be explained.
(2) On the contrary, we say that the law has been
incorrectly stated.
(3) Rather, ways are shown by nature to entities to comply
with her requirements.
(4) On the other hand, such entities face the
consequences of such non-compliances.
4.
Harold, a professional man who had worked in an office for
many years, had a fearful dream. In it, he found himself in a
land where small slug-like animals with slimy tentacles
lived on people’s bodies. The people tolerated the
loathsome creatures because after many years, they grew
into elephants, which then became the nation’s system of
transport, carrying everyone to the desired destination.
Harold suddenly realized that he himself was covered with
these things, and he woke up screaming. In a vivid
sequence of pictures, this dream dramatized for Harold
what he had never been able to put into words. He saw
himself as letting society feed on his body in his early years.
(1) He hoped to be carried by it when he retired.
(2) He was apprehensive that society would get the better
of him in his waning years.
(3) He was gratified to find that he was of some use to
society.
(4) He knew that he would be discarded by society when
he would be in a state of disuse.
5.
6.
7.
Providing economic access to food is the second part of the
concept of food security. This can be best obtained by
adopting a cost-effective technology in production so that
the real price of food grains come down and more people
have access to it. In case it still fails to reach the larger
sections of the population, the government can directly
subsidize food for the poor, launch a drive to augment their
incomes, or try a combination of the two strategies.
(1) India does not attach importance to these measures.
(2) India would find it difficult to implement these
policies, given her diverse set up.
(3) India has followed both these policies.
(4) India should learn from the experiences of the
western nations, as regards this.
Gandhiji recognized that while all men should have equal
opportunity, all did not have the same capacity. Some had
the ability to earn more than others. But he believed that
those who had talent would be performing the work of
society if they used their talent wisely and well. Gandhiji
said that he would allow a man of intellect to earn more and
not suppress his talent. But it was his view that the bulk of
his larger earnings should go to the common fund. Those
with talent and opportunity would find their fulfillment as
trustees.
(1) Gandhiji, however, had misgivings and reservations
as regards the role of the trustees.
(2) Gandhiji, thus, outlined the importance of
trusteeship, which, as a notion, was unprecedented.
(3) Gandhiji extended this concept of trusteeship to
cover all fields of life.
(4) Gandhiji did not want those talented to be isolated
and exclusivists.
Nationalism, of course, is a curious phenomena, which at a
certain stage in a country’s history, gives life, growth and
unity at the same time. It has a tendency to oneness,
because one thinks of one’s country as something different
from the rest of the world. A person’s perspective changes,
making him think continuously of his own struggles and
virtues and making him fall to the conclusion of others’
thoughts. The result is that the same nationalism, which is
the symbol of growth for people, becomes a symbol of
cessation of that growth in the mind. Nationalism, when it
becomes successful, sometimes goes on spreading in an
aggressive way and becomes a danger internationally.
Whatever line of thought you follow, you arrive at the
conclusion that some kind of balance must be found.
(1) Otherwise, people will become impulsive both in
thought and action.
(2) Otherwise, people will be zealots in and for situations,
unwarrantedly.
(3) Otherwise, people will cease to appreciate the
goodness and niceties of other nationalities.
(4) Otherwise, something that was good can turn into
evil.
8.
Since the world has become industrialized, there has been
an increase in the number of animal species that have
become either extinct or have neared extinction. Bengal
tigers, for instance, which once roamed the jungle in vast
numbers, now number only 2300 and by the end of the year
2025, their population is estimated to be down to zero.
What is alarming about the case of Bengal tiger is that this
extinction will have been caused almost entirely by
poachers, who, according to some sources, are not
interested in material gain but in personal gratification.
This is an example of human callousness.
(1) This causes human insensitivity, which is vitiating in
effects, ecologically.
(2) This is part of what is causing the problem of
extinction. .
(3) No amount of laws and legislations can address this
state of affairs.
(4) Appropriate awareness campaigns and activisms are
called for.
9.
In the final analysis, the new vision of development we are
imagining would refuse to be measured, quantified and
controlled by the State. Instead, concrete and creative
humans as collective subjects would come forward to
decide their own fates. It is high time we began to realize
that socialism-a lofty goal that we often envisage-is
impossible to achieve, unless each and every individual is
endowed with the creative right to prevent the expert-no
matter, whether he is a technocrat, an economist, a
statistician –from denying his or her uniqueness, identity
and authenticity. There is fear of freedom everywhere.
Perhaps the time has come to celebrate what Gandhi
intended to communicate.
(1) There is thus to be created a Utopian order where
such a chord is possible.
(2) History has shown that such a state is difficult to
establish, although it is not impossible.
(3) There have been instances where such a state did not
sustain for long, when established.
(4) There is no dichotomy between a democratic,
egalitarian social order and a gentle humane anarchy.
10. Through the break between the trees, she looked into one
of the lighted windows above the shop. She could see the
cartons of biscuits neatly piled near the far wall. Against her
conscious wishes, Cissy’s salivary glands started pumping
fluid into her mouth. She felt her heart beating strongly
from the top of her throat into the back of her mouth.
“There is nobody,” she thought. “I can dash in, take a box
and dash out again. I know it is a sin.
(1) But the lord will not punish us if we are so hungry.”
(2) But the laws and the authorities would take a lenient
view of my act.”
(3) But I can justify and defend my act on grounds of
hunger.”
(4) But I am not the only sinner in this planet to feel heavy
in my heart for my act.”
11. Nehru, as well as his daughter and successor, Smt. Indira
Gandhi, was well aware that only a firm anchorage in the
Indian identity could unite the nation and enable it to make
an impact on the world. In these days of mutual interdependence, the western powers and America cannot
afford to ignore what is happening in this region. It is
possible that the fate of the Asian democracies would one
day be decided on the banks of the Ganges. If India fails to
remain a democracy, this would trigger the fall of the whole
of South and South-east Asia. That is why the Indian Prime
Minister has to play a role which goes well beyond duties
related to internal affairs only.
(1) Hence only persons of sound credentials and
antecedents should occupy this august office.
(2) Thus the choice of the Indian Prime Minister poses
challenges and is daunting.
(3) It has to align with the secular and harmonious feature
of the polity.
(4) It is of international political significance.
12. Everybody knows that success does not go to those who
never struggle. The point to be noted here is that one
should always be ready to put in hard work. The attitude for
hard work cannot be cultivated by spending money. Will
power emanates from the soul and a confident heart is
needed for that. Success demands hard work, struggle and
sacrifice in almost equal measure. Emily Dickinson
famously said, “Success is counted sweetest by those who
never succeed.” While this is true, success is counted
sweetest also by those who struggle, and there can be no
exception. Nothing is impossible because if one’s will is
strong, one can achieve almost anything.
(1) Faith can move mountains.
(2) Faith in God is meaningless if there be no faith in one
self.
(3) After all, where there is a will, there is a way.
(4) Nothing can undermine the strength of a person who
has loads of self-esteem.
13. The primary reason for the poor state of the nation in
sports is the apathy on the part of the sports-governing
authorities. One key reason for this is that most of the top
positions in such governing bodies are occupied by
bureaucrats rather than those who know about sports. This
results in very poor coordination between the top- l e v e l
and the grassroots-level sports authorities. Lack of funds is
invariably cited as the prime factor; but the fact is that no
amount of funds can be adequate for the purpose, due to
the burgeoning corruption in these bodies. In fact, it is not
the lack of funds but the lack of responsibility on their part.
They go about their job in a casual manner.
(1) They do not feel the urge to be specialists or trained
personnel.
(2) Yet they have some social respectability and enjoy
eminence.
(3) Hence, they need to be dealt with tactfully and wisely.
(4) They never care for the national pride associated with
sporting glory.
14. Consider first, what a better life and death would look like,
then how to get there. There are five main types of misery
that make old age worse than it need be, and win less
attention from researchers than the big killers. Alzheimer's
disease and other brain disorders can slowly rob life of all
meaning by disintegrating the mind. Osteoarthritis can
mean almost permanent pain. Osteoporosis - thinning of
the bones - makes stumbling a serious danger and so
makes the old less active because of their fear. Deafness is
deeply isolating in another way. Incontinence is a
humiliating reminder of the loss of control. Research into
the killers obviously needs to continue - for one thing;
cancer is the- second biggest killer of children in rich
countries. But the misery makers need more attention too.
And the use of new medical techniques and devices should
be guided by a simple principle:
(1) Do not make life too comfortable that pain is not
realized.
(2) Do not extend life at the cost of worsening it.
(3) Do not experiment with human lives at the cost of
permanently damaging it.
(4) Do not underestimate the power of human will.
15. The branding opportunities are staggering and the
marketing blitzkrieg is a sure sign of the potential the sport
could unleash for sponsors. Formula One, with all its
luxury trappings, could well be a game-changer for Indian
brands that are keen to be seen as inventive and
progressive. The Commonwealth raised the bar for India in
2010 and the inaugural Grand Prix goes a step further in
promoting India as a viable international sporting venue.
(1) Formula One, however, would face difficulty in
promoting India on the lines as stated afore.
(2) Let Formula One take place, with people expecting
and waiting with their fingers crossed.
(3) The country can ill-afford such an extravaganza.
(4) Formula One would, however, not enjoy wholehearted support from the sports lovers.
16. This is exactly what Chetan Bhagat is doing. You could well
conclude that he is desecrating literature as we
know it.
Or you could simply sit back and have fun reading what he
writes with such amazing conviction, and
commercial success. You can also marvel at the kind of
readership he is bringing to Indian fiction in English. No,
these are no longer old-fashioned lovers of literature like
you and I. These are real people looking for a quick, fun
reading that does not test your intelligence.
(1) But which artfully tells you a story that you can identify
with.
(2) But which goads a person given to no reading to read.
(3) But which compels you to read for extracting the value
of the money put in to buy it.
(4) But which nevertheless makes you rich in vocabulary
and way of expressing.
17. There is not much of the modern King, but we do see a
cheeky side. There is a picture of a young girl wearing a
necklace with miniature phalluses to ward off the evil eye
and the door to a village home with a gigantic phallus drawn
on it. There is the red-carpet being rolled out for him at the
airport as a sign of welcome as he descends from the plane
and a buffalo with his mouth open, probably in
astonishment that he is a royal subject. The King can rule
as well as he shoots.
(1) Only that he would do well to apportion the time for
these two areas.
(2) The country is in safe hands.
(3) But the people would need something more than just
these skills.
(4) The King would need to do something more broad
and deep to leave behind as a legacy for his successors.
18. Another kind of stress is subjective. In the outer world,
there are only situations; in the physical world, there is no
stress, no tension. The strain that we feel, which is so
exhausting, is not because of the outer situation but
because of our inner reaction to that situation. When does
the outer situation become a problem, a threat? Worry and
anxiety arise from our inability to face a particular situation
and to deal with it effectively. This is the stress we feel in
many forms and we try to relieve in many ways. Anxiety
comes when we are unprepared. If a student has studied
well, is the examination a problem for him?
(1) No, because he would have become familiar with the
trend of questions set.
(2) No, because he would have developed the knack of
outsmarting the system.
(3) No, because he is well prepared.
(4) No, because he would have become used to the system
of evaluation.
19. The negation of the active participation by concrete
humans in the process of development has led to three
major crises in our society. Firstly, the feeling that the world
is beyond one’s understanding gives birth to a survival
mentality. Everyone tends to think of his or her limited and
fragmented existence. Since things are beyond one’s
control, the urge to get adjusted to the status quo becomes
the primary motive. Today, there is enough knowledge and
information about corruption, violence and moral decay.
But what is lacking is a sense of inspiration. This is
understandable; a sense of powerlessness and impotence
has entered deep inside our psyche and the initiative
required to give a jump into the realm of creative action is
hard to recover. What destroys everything is a growing
sense of insecurity. As Raymond Williams said “It is very
difficult, for example, to live in a modern industrial society
and not feel the force of the individual and society
distinction. There is a deeply felt discontinuity for most of
us, between what we as individuals desire to do, and what,
by some apparently mysterious process, actually happens
‘out there’ in society … individuals feel radically insecure
when their lives are changed by forces which they cannot
easily see or name.
(1) This is made worse by their urge to be pretentious and
in contrast with their innate nature.”
(2) This is self-made or artificially induced, for which a
way to come out of this state has to be worked.”
(3) This is further compounded by societies becoming
larger and more complicated.”
(4) This is further complicated by the isolation and
estrangement of man from his true self.”
20. In industrial items, India is nowhere near the top, being No.
11 in cement, No.7 in iron ore and No.5 in manganese ore,
though we are supposed to be among the top 15 industrial
countries of the world. In per capita terms, the picture is
even more depressing. Nearly every country in the world,
with the exception of Burma, Bangladesh and China,
consumes more sugar per head than we do, and also more
energy (in terms of coal equivalent). In terms of crude
steel, we do a little better, but not much, and even Egypt
consumes nearly three times as much steel per head as we
do. Whether it is passenger cars, radio sets or telephones,
only Burma and Bangladesh seem to be doing worse than
us, which is not much of a consolation for a country of our
size and potential. Most of us tend to blame the general
sluggishness in development on the abnormal increases in
population, which devours whatever is produced and leaves
next to nothing for development.
(1) But this may not be entirely true.
(2) But this gives rise to contention and is needlessly
disturbing.
(3) But this needs to be taken bravely.
(4) But the findings reveal a situation that does not call for
a lame-duck attitude on part of the administration.
21. If the above arguments are valid for the primary sector,
similar arguments, hold good for the secondary or
industrial sector. Improving the quality, setup cost, and
efficiency of production of manufactured goods would very
obviously have far-reaching effects. No one can argue that
we don’t need more and better cement, paper, or fertilizer
that computerized factories would give us. This might in
fact make the difference between deficit and surplus in
s e v e r a l e s s e n t i a l c o m m o d i t i e s . To s u m u p ,
computerization of the service sector is important.
(1) However, there would need to be great efforts to
implement this idea.
(2) Strangely, planners and administrators are inspired by
t h e re j e c t i o n o f t h i s i d e a b y d e v e l o p e d
economies.
(3) But no less important is the need for computerization
in the first two sectors.
(4) But computerization isn’t a solution to cater to the
problems and constraints faced by the different
sectors.
22. The final stage in writing came when people learned to
draw pictures to express their ideas. In Ideography, each
picture conveyed an idea. Ideography enabled people who
do not speak the same language to communicate with each
other. Then people learned Logography, expressing ideas
indirectly by using science to stand for words of the idea.
Gradually, people learned to use a syllabic system in which
a sign that stood for one word could be used not only for that
word but also for any phonetic combination that sounded
like that word. That is what we call ‘rebus’ writing. If we
used rebus writing in English, we could draw a sign for the
word ‘bee’, followed by a sign for ‘leaf ’ to stand for the word
‘belief ’. Finally, people developed alphabets.
(1) In these, individual signs stood for particular
sound.
(2) In these, the ability to draw free strokes became the
guiding principle.
(3) In these, the ambiguities that arose from incoherent
sound utterances were done away with.
(4) In these, there was some logic and intelligible basis.
23. Around 1500 A.D., the power centres of the time were Ming
China; the Ottoman Empire and its Muslim offshoot in
India, the Moghul Empire; Muscovy; Tokugawa Japan; and
the cluster of states in west central Europe. At the
beginning of the sixteenth century, it was by no means
apparent that the last-named region was destined to rise
above all the rest. But, however imposing and organized
some of those oriental empires appeared by comparison
with Europe, they all suffered from the consequences of
having a centralized authority, which insisted upon a
uniformity of belief and practice, not only in official state
religion but also in such areas as commercial activities and
weapons development. The lack of any such supreme
authority in Europe and the warlike rivalries among its
various kingdoms and city states stimulated a constant
search for military improvements, which interacted
fruitfully with the newer technological and commercial
advances that were also being thrown up in this
competitive, entrepreneurial environment. Possessing
fewer obstacles to change, European societies entered into
a constantly upward spiral of economic growth and
enhanced military effectiveness.
(1) This was the biggest blunder, which was the undoing
of the act of the rise to power by them.
(2) This over time was to carry them ahead of all other
regions of the globe.
(3) This, however, gave rise to instability and unrest
among them.
(4) This necessitated an aggressive and an imperious
approach among members of those societies.
24. Life is dearest most to all living beings. Notwithstanding
age, ailment or deformity, nobody wants to die and longs to
live till eternity. May be, human beings want to enjoy the
marvels of the universe to its maximum, over the longest
period of life. There have been instances when people took
recourse to all sorts of potions and medications, including
sorcery, to stretch life span.
(1) There were no laws or legislations which encouraged
people doing this.
(2) People went to far-flung places to seek guidance and
assistance.
(3) Centres of learning and educational institutions had
courses which enabled people to specialize in these
areas.
(4) This was irrespective of their age or indisposition.
25. As people, we seem to be content with marginal rates of
growth, 1 per cent here, 2 per cent there, and we crow with
delight at the slightest sign of a shift in the decimal point.
This attachment to decimals is a peculiar Indian
phenomenon. There is something in the Indian soul and
possibly in the Indian soil which seems to be deeply
dedicated to stability, another word for stagnation. Nearly
everything is stable or stagnant, depending upon how you
view it. Our growth rate has been stagnant at 3: 5 per cent a
year, a rate that is lower than the rate of 90 other countries.
All over the world and all over Asia, the percentage of
workers in agriculture has been steadily coming down but
not in India; it was 72 per cent in the census of 1911, that is
70 years ago, when the British were very much here, and it
was 72 per cent in the 1981 census, 35 years after they had
left our country. The number of the poor has remained at a
steady level of 50 per cent all these years, though the
planners keep on fiddling with the figures. The number of
the unemployed has also remained stable at 8 per cent, year
in and year out, no matter how you choose to define
unemployment. "We are a very stable society," said a former
Planning Commission member, "anything which is
unstable somewhere, bring it here, we will make it stable."
Is it too much to ask that a country of India's size and
potential should aim, as a matter of natural right, at 10 gold
medals, if not more, twice as many silvers and thrice as
many bronzes in the international economic Olympics?
India should be exporting at least 20 million tonnes of foodgrains a year after feeding every Indian at a much higher
level of nutrition than at present. And it should be in a
position to pepper the whole country with steel plants, for it
has iron ore, coal and technical manpower to do so. There is
surely something we can excel at, something we can do
better than the rest of the world, something that can bring
us more than a couple of piffling gold medals in nuts and
tea.
(1) Bricks, indeed.
(2) Bolts, indeed.
(3) Nuts, indeed.
(4) Screws, indeed.
26. Whose obligation is it to secure adequate health care for
those without it? There are several reasons to believe that
the obligation rests with the federal government. First, the
obligation to secure a just distribution of benefits and
burdens across society is a general societal obligation.
Second, the federal government is the institution which
society employs to meet society-wide distributive
requirements. It has the capacities to finance a hugely
expensive program for guaranteed adequate health care.
The government’s taxing power also allows the burden of
financing health care to be spread across society and not to
depend on the vagaries of how wealthy or poor a state or
local area may be. The government also has the power to
coordinate health care programs across local and state
boundaries. This would reduce inefficiencies that allow
people to fall between the cracks of the patchwork of local
and state programs.
(1) This would also ensure that there is no administrative
sternness.
(2) This would also ensure that no populist measures are
resorted to by the government.
(3) This would also ensure that there would be freedom
of thought among party functionaries and politicians.
(4) This would also ensure that there are not great
differences in the minimum of health care guaranteed
to all in different locales.
27. It is believed that interstellar gas is heated through two
mechanisms: the motions of stars and matter ejected from
them, and gravitational in-fall. Hot gas has been observed
on a smaller scale, between stars in our galaxy, and in largescale structures (clusters of galaxies). On a smaller scale,
supernovae, or exploding stars, probably create an
interstellar medium of hot gas within galaxies; they may
also drive gas out of galaxies. On a larger scale, gravitational
in-fall may play a role in the heating of gas.
(1) During this, gas escapes from the heavenly
body.
(2) During this, gas undergoes fission.
(3) During this, gas slumps towards the center of a galaxy.
(4) During this, gas synthesizes and becomes
inflammable.
a
1. Ans.(4). This is contextually most apt to end the passage. While (3) is most distant from the context, (1) and (2) are
less precise than the chosen one.
2. Ans.(3). This is most appropriate to end the passage. The rest do not relate to the context.
3. Ans.(2). This is best to end the passage. The rest do not align with the contents of the passage.
4. Ans.(1). This is most appropriate to end the passage. (3) is next best while (2) and (4) do not align with the passage.
5. Ans.(3). This is most apt to end the passage, although the remaining options would seem to complete the passage
fairly well.
6. Ans.(3). This logically extends the idea contained in the text and is apt to end the passage. (2) is next best; (1) goes
against the context while (4) is not relevant.
7. Ans.(4). This is most appropriate to end the passage, although the remaining options align with the context.
8. Ans.(2). This would best end the passage, as it is an extension of the preceding thought. The remaining options are
weak general statements, which pale out before the chosen one.
9. Ans.(4). Among the options, this is best to end the passage logically. Other options do not relate with the context.
10. Ans.(1). This ends the passage most aptly. While (4) is out of context, (2) and (3) are next best.
11. Ans.(4). This is most apt to end the passage logically. (1) is next best; (2) is not a bad choice, while (3) irrelevantly
adds a new thought.
12. Ans.(3). This best ends the passage convincingly. (4) and (2) are not bad, only they are not that strong when
compared with the chosen one. (1) is general and is no apt to end the passage.
13. Ans.(4). This is in immediate alignment with the context and is apt to end the passage. (3) is slightly close to the
context, while (1) and (2) show no relevance to the context.
14. Ans.(2). This is most apt to end the passage. (1) is against the sense intended to be conveyed. (4) is a bit extreme
when compared with the chosen one. (4) is out of context.
15. Ans.(2). This would best end the passage, as it aligns with the context in a matter-of-fact manner. The remaining
options are not appropriate as they are negative in connotation, which the text does not suggest.
16. Ans.(1). This is best to end the passage, as it relates to the context. Remaining options are isolated from the context
17. Ans.(2). The simple thought contained in this option makes it apt to end the passage. The remaining options may be
correct in themselves but are not appropriate to end the passage, as they have something additional, which does not
align with the context.
18. Ans.(3).This is apt to end the passage, other options are needlessly complicated, containing ideas that are not
relevant.
19. Ans.(3). Among the options, this is best to end the passage logically. Other options do not relate with the context.
20. Ans.(1). This option has a simple thought and is appropriate to end the passage. Other options are needlessly
complicated and are unfit to end the passage.
21. Ans.(3). This is apt to end the passage. Other options have no relevance.
22. Ans.(1). This is apt to end the passage, as it functions as a sequel to the thought expressed all this while. (4) is next
best; other options contain ideas that are not relevant.
23. Ans.(2). This option has a simple thought and is appropriate to end the passage. Other options are unfit to end the
passage, as they go against the flow of thought and are contextually inappropriate.
24. Ans.(4). This is most apt to end the passage. (1) does not make sense. (2) and (3) are far-fetched and are not fit to
end the passage
25. Ans.(3). This is apt to end the passage. Other options have no relevance.
26. Ans.(4). This is apt to end the passage, as it functions as a sequel to the thought expressed all this while. The
remaining options contain ideas that are not relevant.
27. Ans.(3). This option has logic and is appropriate to end the passage. Other options are unfit to end
the passage, as they are contextually inappropriate.
~ Answers ~
Insurgency in India – Naxalism
THE BIRTH AND SPREAD OF NAXALISM
‘Naxal’, the name of the movement that
is run by revolutionary communists born
out of a split in the Indian communist
movement, started as a proletariat
movement in Naxalbari, a small village in
West Bengal, where 49-year old Charu
Mazumdar and Kanu Sanyal of Communist
Party of India (Marxist) led a militant
peasant uprising in 1967. Their aim was to promote and build a
“revolutionary opposition” in order to establish “revolutionary
rule” in India. Largely influenced by Mao Zedong (Mao Tsetung), father of the modern republic of China, Charu
Mazumdar advocated that the peasants and lower classes must
overthrow the government and upper classes that pursue a
capitalistic culture in India by putting the proletariat in a state of
plight.
Under the leadership of Charu Mazumdar, the objective set
by the Naxalite cadres was ‘seizure of power through an agrarian
revolution’. Their motto was to replace the old feudal order with
one that would implement land reforms and free the poor from
the clutches of landlords. The tactics adopted to achieve their
objective was guerilla warfare. The movement was planned as,
almost, a replica of the communist movement under the
leadership of Mao Zedong in China. They visualized ‘liberation’
of territories and they thus hoped to set up ‘liberated zones’
gradually in different parts of the country that would eventually
merge into a territorial unit under Naxalite hegemony.
It was the ineffectiveness of the communist movement and
the callous attitude of the then communist leaders in
highlighting and fighting for the issues and problems of the
downtrodden classes like peasantry, dalits and tribal
communities that insisted the young radicals in the left parties
break out of the Marxist fold and form their own group on Maoist
line of Revolutionary Communism.
Born in a small village of West Bengal, the Naxalite ideology
gained popularity among youth and intellectual circle in many
parts of India within a few years. The Naxalites organized the All
India Coordination Committee of
Communist Revolutionaries
(AICCCR) and peasants’ uprisings
were organized in several parts of the
country. On April 22, 1969, the
Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) was formed by AICCCR to
give the radical factions believing in
the Naxal ideology a political platform
to highlight various issues for political
mobilisation. By the early 1970s, Naxalite movement had its
presence in many states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh etc. For some time, the Naxalite guerillas had
virtually set up alternate administrative machinery in
Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh, to which they referred to as
`liberated zone’. In parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the
Naxalites succeeded in mobilizing the peasantry to recover
lands they had lost to the moneylender-cum-landlords whom
they had mortgaged their properties in lieu of money. In Punjab,
rich landlords and policemen were targeted by bands of
Naxalites. In Midnapur and Birbhum of West Bengal, armed
peasants’ struggle broke out. In Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and
West Bengal, the Naxalites found their main support among the
peasantry and the aboriginal tribal communities, who had been
the most oppressed and marginalized segment of Indian society.
TACKLING THE NAXALITE MENACE
The popularity of Naxalbari movement and growing
strength of Naxal groups alarmed the government of India to set
up a committee for looking into the matter. The committee, in
its report, revealed that the basic cause of unrest was the
defective implementation of laws enacted to protect the
interests of the poor farmers and tribals. But, instead of taking
measures to safeguard the rights of farmers and tribals and
make them believe the democratic system of governance, the
government, worried over the law and order situation in the
areas of Naxal influence, took reactionary steps by raising strong
police action against the Naxalites. Through this, the
government succeeded in weakening the Naxalite rebellion to
some extent. Charu Mazumdar was
captured from a Calcutta hideout in July
1972 who died in police custody 12 days
after his arrest. This incident raised
suspicion about the treatment meted
out to him by the police in the custody
and the allegation of the ill-treatment
meted to the detainees was made by
intellectuals across the country, left
wing politicians and scholars. However,
these developments had a great role in
carrying the Naxal message to people at the grass-root level of
Indian society.
The next hammer on Naxal movement and its cadres was the
emergency imposed in 1975. Most of the elite members as well
as grass-root level leaders of the movement were either put in
jails; many veterans went underground to escape arrest. For
some time, it seemed, Naxal movement would die in India. But it
entered a new phase with the end of the Emergency and a new
government came into power at the center after the 1977 general
elections. The new and first non-congress government released
Naxal leaders from jails, following a nationwide movement
organized by various human rights groups in the country and
abroad.
ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONING
A series of developments linked to the Naxal movement
caused fragmentation in the ranks of Naxalism. But almost all
the groups committed to the ideology of the movement traced
their origin to the common political forum CPI (ML), which was
not directly involved in armed rebellion but in propagating the
ideology of Naxalbari movement and mobilising people in favour
of it. On the other hand, the People’s War Group (PWG) in
Andhra Pradesh and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in
Bihar preferred to go on the path of guerilla warfare. During the
last two decades since the 1980s, these two different streams of
the Naxalite movement have been staging armed resistance and
rebellion in their respective zones against police force,
administration, landlords and business communities.
During the past years, the armed Naxalite groups have
emerged as the main challenge to the government of India.
These groups have largely expanded their influence zone and
Naxal movement in India is now recognised as a part of the
Maoist activism world over. Organizations like, PWG, MCC etc.
have established a network with ideologically similar
organizations in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka,
under the aegis of the Coordination Committee of Maoist
Parties and Organizations of South Asia (CCMPOSA).
Moreover, all these South Asian Maoist organizations and
parties are also members of an
international organization, called the
Revolutionar y Internationalist
Movement (RIM).
As MCC is banned in Bihar and
Jharkhand and PWG is banned in
O r i s s a , A n d h r a Pr a d e s h a n d
Chhatishgarh, all the groups believing
in Naxal ideology of liberation through
guerrilla warfare have been united
under one banner ‘Communist Party
of India (Maoist) since September 2004. Now operating in West
Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in
full force, they have come out stronger. Now, the red cadres are
trying to intensify their activities in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Uttranchal and the already affected states.
After the merger into CPI (Maoist), Naxalites have
consolidated their front organizations into ‘Revolution
Democratic Front’ (RDF) to intensify their mass contact
programme. Creating new fronts and banners frequently and
merging the groups into their fold has been the major
instrument of the Maoists to escape from police action and
political aggression. This has put the Police and the
governments in confusion and a net of troubles on the way of
curbing the Naxal movement. On the other hand, under new
banners and fronts, the Naxal groups are making regular
recruitment of cadres as armed Naxals, techie Cadres,
informers, etc., on salary basis. An armed cadre joins at a
monthly remuneration between 6000 and 10000 rupees whereas
a qualified techie cadre starts at a salary between 8000 and 15000
per month, depending on their qualification, expertise and area
of operation. Unlike other regular jobs, there is set an effective
and lucrative system of incentives and cadre promotion based
upon the performance and capability in handling different
operations. As per the widespread belief, initial salary goes
double in only three years for a cadre with a good performance
record. Even, a number of children and women are engaged as
cadre messengers.
The Naxalite movement owing to its rightful cause and wide
spread support has become very significant surpassing in scale
and magnitude of freedom movements in Indian Held Kashmir
(IHK) and northeastern states of India. Out of 630 districts the
Indian government has declared 220 districts as the Maoist
affected areas. As per government announced figures, more
than 200 security personnel have been killed during the past six
months, however, there is no official mention of collateral
damage, civilian causalities and or losses suffered by Maoists
guerillas. The fact of the matter is that India is fighting a bloody
war against Naxalite freedom fighters.
a
The race to the White House-the
U.S. Presidential elections
T
hough it is distressing to be
enduring such a dismal election
campaign, it is not unprecedented.
As both parties prepare to spend a billion
dollars either re-electing a president most
Americans do not think deserves to be reelected, or a challenger most of his fellow
Republicans don’t think can win (and as in
most things, the public may well be right on
both counts), it is easy to find the whole
process discouraging.
The liberal national media took dead aim
at Mitt Romney when he emerged from the
debacle of the 2008 McCain campaign as this
year’s front-runner. Their great achievement has not been the
serial assassinations of the non-Mitts, who were sitting ducks —
Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich — but rather the deterrence of
the people who could have generated real enthusiasm and have
been in a position to exercise choice among stronger candidates
than Romney: Jeb Bush, Daniels, Ryan, Rubio, Christie and
Barbour.
And their second great achievement has been responding to
the meteoric rise of Newt Gingrich like Nike Zeus missiles,
getting from the ground to 60,000 feet in three heartbeats. If
Newt had lasted another
month and won a couple of
primaries before
imploding, he might have
deadlocked the
convention and enabled
R e p u b l i c a n re g i o n a l
leaders to get behind one
of the non-candidates. As
a bonus, Newt, who
professed to be surprised
by the negative comments
on some of the less
salubrious aspects of his
career, replied, and was
joined by Governor Perry Newt Gingrich
as he ramped up to his 1 percent finish in New
Hampshire, by attacking Romney’s business
record. Asset-stripping and the
reconfiguration and re-launch of companies
isn’t industrialism and job-creation like
building Microsoft, but it is part of legitimate
corporate rationalization, produced strong
gains for Romney’s investors, and is a more
estimable career than that of most politicians.
Obama would have made the same points, but
Newt’s gibbering will make excellent fodder
for the president’s re-election advertisements
against Romney, and an unseemly swan song
Obama for Gingrich’s active political career.
LOSER BEARS THE BRUNT
The point is there are unimpressive candidates waging
campaigns that duck the main issues. Obama is cranking up to
inflict a class war on the country, with the assistance of the
egregious huckster Warren Buffett, Omaha’s most overworked
aphorist and noisiest municipal export since the B-29. The
prospect is too much even for William Daley, outgoing White
House chief of staff and scion of a family that has brought
political chicanery and skullduggery in Chicago to the verge of
immaculate corruption.
Of course, there were other candidate droughts in the past.
Most contestants for national office between Lincoln and
Theodore Roosevelt were estimable Civil War generals who were
not ambitious, but were prudent presidents who let America be
America. Immigrants poured into the United States, commerce
boomed, and what was already the world’s largest national
economy put up staggering rates of GDP and productivity
growth (i.e., a rate of about 8.5 percent economic growth in the
1880s). Innovative and imaginative presidents need not have
applied, and didn’t.
Despite the recent attempts to glamorize Calvin Coolidge
(largely by the same people who have propagated the fraud that
FDR exacerbated the Depression), the Twenties can be seen as a
America, though still the world’s
greatest country, is in decline and retreat.
Some of that may be prudent retrenchment,
but it is overcommitted to the fraud of the
service-industry economy that adds no
value, and so conventional economic
recovery won’t be enough. America has shot
the spending bolt for inducing traditional
economic recovery. And the administration
is shrinking defense spending, the best form
of economic stimulus, instead of reforming
entitlements. It is chasing votes with a
tawdry fable of redistribution. And the
presumptive challenger came late and halfheartedly to tax simplification and is dancing
around entitlement reform like a flameseeking moth, without alighting on it.
time of inadequate leadership, though
Herbert Hoover and his 1928 opponent,
four-term New York governor Alfred E.
Smith, were outstanding men in very
different ways.
Having defeated Woodrow Wilson’s
attempt to bring America into the world and
make it safe for democracy, and, through
Prohibition, having handed one of America’s
largest industries (alcoholic beverages) to
the underworld, the Republicans allowed
the growth of such a gigantic speculative
bubble, especially in equity values, that
when the bust came, a system that did not Mitt Romney
guarantee bank deposits and had no direct
relief for the unemployed could not withstand it.
And in foreign affairs, the great vision of international
organizations and collective security having been dismissively
rejected, much was made of mindless naval disarmament (that
greatly advantaged our subsequent enemies) and the
harebrained Kellogg-Briand Pact that purported to outlaw war.
Then as now, the reward for such vapid posturing was the Nobel
Peace Prize, and Frank Kellogg’s was as dubiously earned as
have been those given to Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Barack
Obama. In foreign as in domestic matters, the price of poor and
evasively procrastinating government proved to be desperately
steep when the reckoning came.
INDISCRETION IN THE FACE OF SLIDE
So will it be again. It looks like Barack Obama and Mitt
Romney: an incumbent who has the country hemorrhaging debt
that has all the characteristics of massive money-supply
increases versus an opponent whose plan to improve the
economy is 59 clichés. Romney ran four years ago as someone
who famously repeated, “I love data.” The data are simple and
they are grim.
Public education is in shambles; medical care is a feast for
two-thirds and a famine for the rest. American lawyers are a
steroid-bloated cartel and criminal justice is presided over by a
judiciary that has been preening itself while the Bill of Rights
has been shredded by the prosecutocracy. The financial
industry is in a pale of disgrace as profound and richly deserved
as the contempt almost uniformly attached to the political class.
Everyone believes in the Constitution, but it isn’t working very
well and none of the candidates is seriously addressing these
points.
Mitt Romney would be among the most improbable saviors
any important country ever sent for. But he may now be all that
stands in the way of an accelerating descent into nether regions.
Certainly, the United States will revive and go on to great things.
But while awaiting the gladsome day of that re-launch, it may be
advisable to defy the national media’s ostentatious atheism and
recognize the truth of the last czar’s last prime minister that “it
is time to pray.” Voting seems not to be working. So, fingers are
kept crossed till November 2012, when the U.S.A. would elect its
next President.
Facts to feed upon
Celebrities
q
q
q
q
q
Oprah Winfrey makes $10 per second
Virginia Woolf wrote all her books standing
Brad Pitt has been smoking since the sixth grade!
During his lifetime, Herman Melville's Moby Dick sold only 50 copies
Albert Einstien never wore any socks
a
Thought Stimulant
FDI IN RETAIL
FDI POLICY WITH REGARD TO RETAILING IN INDIA
In November 2011,
to boost the economy
and investor confidence,
the government
announced its big ticket
reform - 51 per cent FDI
in multi-brand retail.
The doors were finally to
be opened to the world’s
biggest retailer WalMart, which boasts of sales of over US $ 400 billion through
9,600 retail units, operating in 28 countries. The government’s
sale pitch was focussed - jobs will be created and the much
needed investment in food processing and establishment of cold
chains in agriculture will take place.
It will be prudent to look into Press Note 4 of 2006, issued by
DIPP and consolidated FDI Policy issued in October 2010,
which provides the sector-specific guidelines for FDI with
regard to the conduct of trading activities.
But what the government was unable to foresee was the
magnitude of the political storm over its decision. The principal
opposition, the BJP, the Left Front parties and even UPA allies
like the Trinamool Congress, aggressively protested against FDI
in multi-brand retail.
The entry of Wal-Mart was seen as a threat, not an
opportunity. India’s manufacturing sector and millions of small
jobs both in agriculture and retail were at grave risk, opposition
parties countered. Why couldn’t the government invest in
setting up cold chains, they asked? For the agriculture sector,
the specific example of administered minimum support price
protecting the interests of sugarcane farmers was highlighted.
The Government seemed unable to defend its position.
Even the UPA’s perennial trouble shooter, Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee, was unable to get protesting allies back on
board or opposition parties to end the logjam in Parliament. The
FDI decision was finally put on hold, in a state of induced coma,
at least till the completion of the politically important
forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other
states.
(A) FDI up to 100% for cash and carry wholesale trading and
export trading allowed under the automatic route.
(B) FDI up to 51 % with prior Government approval (i.e. FIPB)
for retail trade of ‘Single Brand’ products, subject to Press
Note 3 (2006 Series).
(C) FDI is not permitted in Multi Brand Retailing in India.
FACTS AND FIGURES TO CONSIDER
Consumption leads to demand, which encourages
manufacturing and supply. This eventually leads to growth. And
debt or borrowing is an integral requirement for boosting
growth. Without capital, there can’t be growth. That’s basic
economics.
A cursory glance through the table published in the Website
of the Global Finance Magazine, is fascinating, especially in the
context of household debt, and is also of relevance to the India
story.
A basic analysis of the data reveals the following:
1.
2.
Some of the most developed countries having large
and industrialised economies are also countries with
very high household debt. These include Germany,
Japan, South Korea, Spain, Canada, USA, UK and
Switzerland.
The BRIC countries uniformly have significantly
lower levels of household debt - Brazil, China,Russia
and India.
Given the facts, one is tempted to conclude the following the consumption-driven model of growth logically leads to high
levels of debt at the government, business and finally the
Countries
Government
Nonfinancial
business
Households
Financial
Institutions
1
Japan (2009)
197%
95%
69%
110%
471%
2
UK (2009)
59%
110%
103%
194%
466%
3
Spain (2009)
56%
141%
87%
82%
366%
4
South Korea
(2009)
31%
116%
78%
107%
333%
5
France (2009)
80%
114%
44%
84%
323%
6
Italy (2009)
109%
83%
41%
82%
315%
7
Switzerland
(2007)
37%
75%
118%
84%
313%
8
USA (2009)
67%
79%
97%
53%
296%
9
Germany (2009)
73%
69%
64%
80%
285%
10
Canada (2009)
65%
56%
88%
50%
259%
11
China (2008)
32%
96%
12%
18%
159%
12
Brazil (2008)
66%
30%
13%
33%
142%
13
India (2008)
66%
42%
10%
11%
129%
14
Russia (2008)
5%
40%
10%
16%
71%
household levels. Conspicuous consumption or demand for
lifestyle goods and services can be a serious contributor in
raising the level of household and individual debt.
WHY INDIA SEEMS ATTRACTIVE
India has traditionally been a savings-driven society and
that’s one of the reasons why, many experts opine, we have sailed
relatively smoothly as compared to others during periods of
economic crises. This was true during the South East Asian
crisis in 1997, then the economic embargo after the Pokhran
Nuclear Tests, and the most recent one in 2008.
Our middle class is huge (estimated at over 350 million), and
we are traditionally a country with high savings. This makes us
attractive to any multinational business house. Therefore, at the
individual level, if we dramatically increase consumption and
expenses primarily on lifestyle choices, logically we would be
contributing to national and even international economic
growth.
So if we buy goods at Wal-Mart and enjoy the shopping
experience, in reality, we would be actively contributing towards
significant money transfer to a multinational based out of the
Total
USA, which after retaining
profits, would end up
sending majority of this
money to China, where
most goods are being
manufactured. The
government appears to be
cognizant of this very issue,
which is why they proposed
that at least 30 per cent of
the procurement of
manufactured / processed
products shall be from
“small industries”
(presumably this refers to
“small industries” in
India). However, the 30 per
cent requirement, on the
face of it, appears to be
grossly inadequate to deal
with the issue of foreign
manufactured goods
flooding the Indian markets
through multinational
retail chains.
POINTS FOR QUICK GLANCE
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
An estimated 40 million Indians work in the Retail outlets
whereas half a million work in the unorganized sector.
Trade has 14% share in GDP and hence, can’t be avoided
Our youthful and growing workforce is over 430 million
Retail chains like Metro and Reliance fresh are
encouraging kirana stores and vegetable vendors to buy in
bulk from it for eventual retailing
A decade ago, coffee growers earned $ 10 billion from the
global market of over $ 30 billion but now they receive less
than $ 60 billion out of a global market of $ 60 billion
The cocoa farmers of Ghana now receive only 3.9% of the
price of a typical milk chocolate bar but the retail margin
hovers around 34.1%
Top 5 retail brands and their investments:
S.No.
Retail chain In million US $ Domestic Foreign
1
Wal-Mart
2,56,329
79.10%
20.90%
2
Carrefour
79,609
50.70%
49.30%
3
Ahold
63,325
15.80%
84.20%
4
Metro Group
60,532
52.90%
47.10%
5
Kroger
53,791
100%
0
a
Yuan’s Appreciation
W
ith a China currency bill having made its way through
Congress, the debate over whether America ought to
get tough with China was in news. The case for an
aggressive American approach was a very weak one. It was
believed that Chinese inflation had much of an effect on its
export competitiveness – that is, it contributed to a real
adjustment much larger than what’s observed in the nominal
exchange rate. Economists compared CPI data in America and
China and figured that Chinese prices had risen just 6.7% more
than American prices since 2005 – less of a contribution to
adjustment, in other words, than one might have assumed.
from appreciation. It’s that an aggressive
American approach seemed unlikely to
generate appreciation over and above the
current rate, at an acceptable cost.
Based on IMF figures on consumer prices and GDP
deflators, the differential in inflation between 2005 and 2011 was
observed to be about 7 percentage points, according to the
former, and 20 percentage points by the latter. An analysis of the
real yuan-dollar rate revealed that real appreciation was
significantly greater than nominal appreciation. From 2009 to
early 2011, the analysis found, the yuan appreciated by just 4% in
nominal terms, but by 17% in real terms, after accounting for
inflation. The differential in wage growth was significant. A
Bureau of Labour Statistics report found that between 2002 and
2008, American manufacturing wages rose by just 20%, while
Chinese manufacturing wages doubled.
Data released by the People’s Bank of China showed that
Chinese financial institutions were net sellers of the yuan in
October 2011 by a margin of 24.9 billion yuan ($3.9 billion), a
reversal from September 2011’s net purchases of 247.3 billion
yuan.
For only the second time in more than
a decade, China posted a net outflow of
foreign currency, a fact that signaled an
impending end of days for the Chinese
yuan’s gradual appreciation, according to
analysts.
The net outflows were the first on a monthly basis since
December 2007 and only the second recorded since December
2000, according to Credit Agricole CIB, which said that the shift
hinted at major changes.
BUSINESS IN CHINA IS NOT EASY
A section of economists is of the opinion that a yuan
appreciation would benefit both America and China. Another
section is of the opinion that a dearer yuan might not lead to a big
increase in Chinese imports and might not have much of an
effect, in the absence of a broader Asian appreciation. A yuan
appreciation would likely have little impact on American
employment.
The PBOC reports on changes in yuan holdings of the
Chinese banking sector on a monthly basis, although the data
don’t provide a detailed breakdown.
Meanwhile, the yuan appreciated by a meaningful amount in
nominal terms and by even more in real terms. Some set of
potentially serious risks to America
getting tough with China were perceived,
which included the possibility of a major
trade dispute between the world’s two
largest economies, at a time of significant
global uncertainty and broadly declining
industrial output.
“The Chinese yuan is vulnerable to global capital flows, and
upward pressure is not as strong as it used
to be,” Kowalczyk said, noting that the
outflow came even as trade and fixed-asset
investments were in surplus during the
month.
The issue is not that there’s no gain
Credit Agricole CIB analyst, Dariusz Kowalczyk , said that
the yuan selling by Chinese banks was a likely indication of
investors pulling portfolio investments out of China.
Funds that had been invested in
China’s domestic debt and equity markets,
and which exited the country, made up a
chunk of the outflows, said Kowalczyk.
Average annual inflation rate 2000-10%
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
China’s yuan-dollar exchange rates
Q1 2005-100
Russia
150
Argentina
140
Indonesia
India
130
Brazil
Real*
South Africa
120
Nominal
Mexico
110
Chile
South Korea
100
Poland
Thailand
China
Sources : IMF; Bureau of Labour Statistics; CEIC;
Investors cashing out of real estate, even though foreigners
were technically not allowed to invest in such asset classes, made
up another portion of the outflows, he said.
90
2005 06
07
08
09
10
* Using relative unit labour costs in industry
exporters,” Standard Chartered analysts, headed by Robert
Minikin in Hong Kong, said.
YUAN’S FALL PREDICTED
While inflation was a major concern for Beijing earlier in the
year 2011, making a rising yuan beneficial for China, economic
growth and maintaining strong exports came into the spotlight.
The upshot, Kowalczyk said, is that the Chinese yuan’s 5.5%
annualized rise against the U.S. dollar since June 2010 was
predicted to end. Instead, the Chinese currency was perceived to
become more volatile, making it more risky for investors betting
on appreciation.
HSBC reported a preliminary reading of its monthly
Chinese manufacturing survey, which showed a contraction for
the key sector. The weak result “means China will be more
concerned about its growth,” Kowalczyk said.
Credit Agricole said that it was still revising its forecasts for
the yuan’s future appreciation rate, and would take into account
China’s slowing export growth and declining trade surplus, as
well as easing inflation.”There’s less rationale for an
appreciation in the currency, and there seems to be less market
demand for it,” Kowalczyk said.
Standard Chartered agreed, saying that yuan appreciation
was set for a “significant slowdown” in the first half of next year,
as inflation cools.
The yuan was projected to rise only 3.3% in 2012, down from
an expected 4.5% rise this year, Standard Chartered said. The
bank expected the dollar to end 2012 at 6.12 yuan, as compared
with its previous level around 6.36 yuan.
“The pace of appreciation will be fast enough to appease
overseas pressure, but not fast enough to damage China’s
Export growth, though still positive, had slowed in recent
months due to weakness in the global economy. The economic
softness, coupled with the possibility of more net fund outflows,
also had implications for monetary policy, with Credit Agricole’s
Kowalczyk saying that odds were growing for some easing.
In particular, the PBOC was likely to reduce in the coming
weeks, the ratio of funds that banks are required to set aside as
reserves.
Deutsche Bank analysts said that a multiplier effect meant
that liquidity in the banking system was expected to fall by
roughly 3.7 times the nominal net outflows.
A report from the state-run Xinhua news agency confirmed
that the central bank had cut the reserve requirement for six
small rural lenders, but also quoted a bank economist as saying
further easing looked unlikely for the rest of the year.
a
Understanding the Euro crisis
OBJECTIVES BEHIND THE FORMATION OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION
Since the coronation of Charlemagne as
Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D., there have
been numerous attempts to unify Europe.
Philip II of Spain, Louis XIV, Napoleon and
Hitler all came very close to success, but all
ultimately failed. Currently, a fifth attempt is
under way through the European Union (EU).
Though not associated with a single great or
powerful man, the ultimate objective of the EU
is otherwise more or less familiar to students of
European empires: no internal boundaries; a
single currency; one parliament; one central
government; one army; one foreign policy and a
single political unit stretching from the Atlantic to the Urals.
The 27 nations that currently comprise the EU would merge
into one huge state, accounting for a population of some 500
million, approximately one fifth of global wealth and an even
higher percentage of the world’s trade. Such a nation would take
its place alongside the United States and China, as a
superpower.
This project, in its way both noble and visionary, is
surprisingly close to being a reality. However, this point is not
considered because there have been distractions by the
headlines on financial pages, signalling daily woe and disaster
for the euro zone countries.
But these setbacks were long ago foreseen by the architects
of the EU. Jacques Delors, the French politician, who, more than
anyone else, was the architect of the single currency that is used
today, is a highly intelligent man. He was warned many times by
critics such as Margaret Thatcher that it was hopelessly
premature to set up a monetary union without full political
unification. He knew very well that there would be problems.
But Mr Delors saw these problems as opportunities, that is,
“beneficial crises”. These economic crises, he believed, could
be exploited by the European governing class to expedite with
extra urgency and dynamism their over-riding project of
integration, and the creation of a single European state.
An understanding of this background is essential for anyone
wishing to come to terms with the speech in the City of London
by the French Prime Minister, François Fillon. Most of the
guests listening to Mr. Fillon would surely have expected at the
very least, a substantial measure of alarm and contrition, in the
wake of the devastating setbacks for euro zone countries such as
Greece and Ireland, over recent months.
Yet there was no sign of retreat, or even judicious
contemplation. Mr. Fillon could hardly have been more bullish,
upbeat or confident. “Europe is at a historic turning point,”
declared the unaffected French premier. “The real question
right now is whether to keep building on this adventure, or
whether we leave it at that.”
His answer could not have been clearer: “We are going to
move towards greater integration.” That means a deepening of
the common social and economic regime which already binds
Europe – as well as one potent extra element. Governments are
to be stripped of their ability to tax and spend according to the
democratic demands of their own voters. Instead, their budgets
will be set for them by a greatly empowered common European
government in Brussels.
It must be acknowledged that, strictly within his own terms,
Mr. Fillon is right. There is only one way to save the euro, and it is
finally to resolve the problem so lucidly analysed by Mrs
Thatcher in her conversations with Mr. Delors 20 years ago.
Europe cannot survive with a single currency but a pluralist and
diverse political system. So long as member states enjoy local
autonomy, the currency is guaranteed to collapse. The euro will
only survive if the power of national governments is destroyed.
It is this basic fact which made the year 2011 such a critical
year in the history of Europe – or “a historic turning point”.
European leaders have no choice but to act at once. If they leave
political and economic structures as they are, the single
currency will collapse very quickly and the European project will
fall.
THE DELIBERATIONS AND BRAINSTORMING OF THE
THINK-TANK
European leaders are fully aware that they face this moment
of decision. Two of the most basic ingredients of this new order
were first discussed at a meeting between Angela Merkel and
Nicolas Sarkozy in October 2011, as the scale of the Irish
financial crisis was starting to become apparent.
Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy accepted that it was no longer
possible to respond to euro zone crises in the ad hoc way with
which they had responded to the Greek meltdown of May 2010.
They recognised the need to create a new and more enduring
structure. They decided that this meant, first, the creation of a
massive fund to bail out failing members of the euro zone.
Second, they discussed (but did not agree) the creation of
common euro zone government bonds. These would prevent
the markets focusing on the solvency of embattled individual
states. Instead, traders would be obliged to focus on the
creditworthiness of the euro zone as a whole. As a result, the
kind of crisis which afflicted Greece and Ireland previous year,
and threatens Portugal presently, would be prevented.
In theory, these new structures would have worked easily.
But they marked a fundamental and revolutionary change in the
structure of the EU. Mr. Delors’s Maastricht Treaty envisaged
each member state taking responsibility for its debts. The
common bail-out fund and euro-bond set out by Mrs. Merkel
and Mr. Sarkozy abandon that principle, though Germany has
yet to fully acknowledge this killer point.
Once implemented, all member states will take
responsibility for each others’ debts. From that moment, Europe
will transform once and for all into one country. This is the
historic turning point that Mr. Fillon discussed, and he asked for
Britain’s assistance. David Cameron pledged that Britain “will
be a helpful partner”.
However, the dogmatic adherence of the European elite to
the single currency has had a devastating impact on many euro
zone countries, converting Greece and Ireland into economic
protectorates of Brussels, a fate likely to befall Portugal and
Spain.
THE EURO CRISIS IS NO LESS THAN A FESTERING,
MALIGNANT WOUND
With the euro staggering from one crisis to the next, the 17
euro-zone nations are facing some tough questions, but the
most pressing one seems to be about scheduling: is it serious
enough to warrant an emergency summit meeting? Plans for a
gathering in Brussels were hastily rolled out, but when German
Greek 10-year yields, from Bloomberg
30
30
25
25
20
20
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10
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/H=FD Chancellor Angela Merkel nixed them soon, they were just as
sharply postponed. If the euro zone’s leaders can’t even agree
when to meet, what hope is there for the euro itself?
think tank, says that Athens might
ultimately require more than €400 billion
($565 billion) in official support — almost
200% of its GDP presently. But if Greece
were forced to abandon the euro after a
messy default, its nominal GDP would likely
be halved. “In that case, the Greek
government’s debt to its euro-zone partners
would be equivalent to 400% of its GDP, very
little of which would be repaid,” he says. On
July 11, 2011, euro zone finance ministers all
but conceded that Greece was likely to
default as they tried to agree a scheme to
encourage private and public sector bondholders to swap existing Greek bonds for
new, longer-maturing bonds, thereby giving
the country more time to pay them back.
But the Greek default that they are
hoping to head off is just part of the crisis that is threatening to
contaminate other euro-zone members. Borrowing costs have
soared for Italy and Spain — respectively the third and fourth
largest economies in the euro zone — despite hasty pledges
from their finance ministers to take further debt-cutting
measures. Italy and Spain insist that they are secure, but their
economies are increasingly seen by markets as the next in a line
of dominos: yields on both of their 10-year bonds are now
hovering around 6%, meaning that the interest rates on their
debts are twice as high as those on Germany’s. They are nearing
the unaffordable levels that could trigger talk of default. Despite
With every passing day bringing ever-worse news, the
leaders will doubtless be wondering how bad it can get. Crisis
management is the euro zone’s current default mode — if the
word “default” is not such a loaded term when it comes to the
debts of certain embattled members of Europe’s single
currency. Greece narrowly passed an austerity law aimed at
securing key funding and buying precious time for the
embattled euro zone, which struggled to put
together a second Greek bailout package. Yet
Portuguese 10-year yields, from Bloomberg
the respite lasted only a brief moment before
14
the euro once again tumbled into a downward
spiral that has shown no sign of recovering.
Credit-rating agency Moody’s downgraded
Irish government debt to junk status, following
similar downgrades for Portugal previously and
Greece the preceding year. Thanks to the
growth-choking austerity demands of their
bailouts, none of the three countries is
expected to see a quick turnaround in their
fortunes. According to analysis by Citigroup
banking group, Greece’s ratio of gross debt to
output will have risen to 180% by 2014, while
Ireland’s will grow to 145% and Portugal’s
135%. Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for
European Policy Studies, a Brussels-based
14
12
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8
8
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6
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Italian 10-year yields, from Bloomberg
7
7
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2011
this, Spain’s Finance Minister Elena Salgado has insisted that
Italy and Spain had “strong economies” and that there was no
logic to them being affected by market instability.
The case of Italy is particularly worrisome for the euro zone:
the country is a founding member of the European Union, a
member of the G-8 and, by most accounts, the world’s eighth
biggest economy. Italian officials point to their large, diversified
economy and their high savings rate as reasons to dismiss the
market jitters. But not only does the country have a debt-toGDP ratio of 120%, economic growth is anemic: In the first
quarter of 2011, it was just 0.1%, well below the euro zone
average of 0.8%. That helps explain why the odds have
shortened on Italy being the next European economy to receive a
bailout. Similar concerns are echoed by heavyweight financial
institutions like the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is also
critical of vacillation by Europe’s politicians. “We expect the
crisis to continue deteriorating and threaten the entire euro area
as European policy makers still misunderstand market
dynamics,” RBS said in a July 13, 2011 briefing note. The bank is
urging leaders to almost triple the €750 billion ($1.06 trillion)
euro-zone bailout fund to some €2 trillion ($2.8 trillion). “A
euro-wide policy response is required to address powerful
contagion channels which are threatening the stability of the
whole region,” it says.
Such a response could mean the euro zone shifting towards
fiscal unity. The bailout fund, set up in May 2010, is run under
unanimity rules but is paralyzed by political interference,
according to Paul De Grauwe, professor of international
APR
JUL
economics at Leuven University in Belgium.
“Each euro-zone member has a veto on the
fund,” De Grauwe says. To act decisively, the
euro zone needs to accept some transfer of
sovereignty, like the IMF.”
OCT
But De Grauwe has doubts about whether
the euro zone is ready for that step. “Our leaders
have not been able to cope with this crisis,” he
says. Until now, Europe’s leaders have navigated
a tricky passage through a succession escalating
crises. If they fail to take decisive action, they
risk bringing the euro to its breaking point, De
Grauwe warns: “This is a dangerous moment.
One should be afraid for survival of the euro
zone.”
THE EURO CRISIS HAS BLOWN UP IN 2011
The borrowing rates of several peripheral Euro zone
countries have surged from 2010 levels and have become simply
unsustainable.
At the end of 2010, the yields of the Greek 10-year debt were
about 12 percent. At the end of 2011, they have doubled to 24
percent. Portuguese 10-year yields surged from six percent to 12
percent. Graphs 1 and 2 show these.
These levels are clearly unsustainable, meaning
governments cannot afford them.
Governments get money to run their operations from two
primary sources: taxation and borrowing.
Under the rates of Greece or even Portugal, however, the
interest payments alone would consume most or all of the tax
revenues. It would also preclude these countries from borrowing
for a while because their debt load would rapidly soar.
Greece’s debt to GDP ratio was 140 percent at the end of
2010. Assuming the average interest rate of its debt is close to 24
percent, interest payments alone would account for 33 percent
of GDP. Greece tax revenues at the end of 2009, however, were
only 20 percent of GDP.
In other words, this back-of-the-envelope calculation shows
that Greece’s interest payments alone would exceed all of its tax
revenues.
7
Greece and Portugal are way past six
percent. Spanish and Italy yields have climbed
close to six percent. Graphs 3 and 4 reflect
these.
6
Contrastingly, the German and U.S. 10year yields are just a tad above two percent.
Spanish 10-year yields, from Bloomberg
7
6
5
Woolfolk, like many other analysts, think
Greece is beyond salvation and will default.
5
PORTENTS AND PROJECTIONS
4
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The key question for the euro crisis,
however, is whether or not yields will rise to
unsustainable levels for Italy and Spain, the
third and fourth largest economies
respectively of the Euro zone.
Using the same back-of-the-envelope calculation for
Portugal, interest payments would account for 11 percent of
GDP while tax receipts are only 19 percent of GDP.
Woolfolk’s central thesis is that Greece will default but the
other peripheral countries – Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Spain –
will not.
Contrastingly, the U.S. interest expense on outstanding debt
was $413 billion in 2010, which was only 2.8 percent of GDP
compared to tax revenues of nine percent of GDP.
He thinks the actions of Euro zone policy makers will
eventually ring fence Greece and save the other peripheral
countries.
Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at Bank of New
York Mellon, said that while each country has a different
tolerance level for borrowing costs, a 10-year rate above six
percent could potentially be damaging to the economy.
However, there is always the possibility that the “animal
spirits” of investors will reject the government’s bailout
measures and take the world to the break of another financial
crisis, he said. Grim times ahead, indeed.
a
Shakespearean Sonnet
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee.
Grey-headed Flying Fox
GREY-HEADED FLYING FOX
FEEDING
Grey-headed Flying Fox is Australia’s
largest bat (also one of the most common)
and its scientific name is Pteropus
poliocephalus.
Grey-headed flying foxes feed on flowers and fruit. Though
sometimes referred to as “fruit bats”, flying foxes mainly eat
nectar and pollen, especially from native trees and shrubs such
as Gum (Eucalyptus blossom), banksias, native figs, tic-trees,
native fruits, and also orchard fruits, if necessary. To eat, the
flying fox uses its strong teeth to crush the pollen, flowers and
fruit, (but spits out fruit seeds). Flying foxes will do a lot of
moving around to find these seasonal food sources, and often fly
over 50 kms in one night to feed and then return to their camp.
When food in that region becomes scarce, they will move camp to
a new food source, and in this way, they are considered
“Nomadic”. The transporting of seeds and pollen etc (from
parent tree to trees many kilometres away) and dispersal over a
wide region means flying foxes play a vital part in the diversity of
our forests and wild flowers and forest regeneration.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
The grey-headed flying fox is found
along Australia’s east coast from
Rockhampton, Queensland in the North
to Melbourne, Victoria in the south. The grey-headed flying fox
is very mobile and migrates in search of food. It likes to “camp
out” in trees, eucalyptus forests, rainforests, sclerophyll
vegetation and usually near water or in mangroves. It will often
share its camp with bat species like the black flying-fox and little
red flying-fox.
DESCRIPTION
What makes this species easily identifiable is their grey head
(fox-like, hence their name) with reddish (rusty brown)
coloured fur around their neck. They are also the only species of
flying foxes in Australia, with fur on their legs down to their toes.
Dark fur covers their body, which is around 25cm long and their
leathery wingspan can be up to 1 meter. The weight of this flying
fox can range from 600gm to 1kg. One of the reasons flying foxes
hang upside down is that their leg muscles are not very strong, so
they do not support their body weight easily when standing
upright. Bat wings and flying fox wings are made up of a twolayered, almost see-through able flap of skin, stretched between
the lightweight bones of the hind limb, forelimb and tail.
ROOSTING & CAMPING
During the day, flying foxes literally “hang out” by roosting in
trees, often in large numbers, hanging upside down with their
wings wrapped around their body. These “camps” can be made
up of thousands of individual flying foxes. These camps are
normally in trees near water and grey-headed flying foxes often
make joint camps with “black” and “little red” flying foxes.
BREEDING
Female grey-headed flying foxes reach maturity at the age of
3 years, and mate in April/May. Six months later, they give birth
to one baby in October/November. The young Flying fox is born
already totally furred, and will feed on milk from nipples near her
mother’s wing-pits. For the first month or so, the baby stays
constantly with the mother, even clinging onto its mothers belly
whilst the mother forages for food. Then it will be left in camp
when the mother goes out at night for more food, and the mother
upon returning, can locate her infant by smell. The young flying
fox learns to fly at around 3 months, and will remain dependent
on its mother for 4 to 5 months, before joining her on food flights
to learn the skills of feeding for itself.
CONSERVATION THREATS
The grey-headed flying fox is listed as Vulnerable under the
Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act (1999). Loss of feeding and roosting areas due
to forest clearing, commercial, agriculture and housing estates
are of major concern to this animal, both for food and housing.
Due to this, they are sometimes forced to feed off “Orchard
fruits” and are then seen as pests by farmers and killed. It is sad
that these agents of pollination and forest regeneration are
treated thus. Hence there is need to protect these animals.
a

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