Passage 1 (P.1)
My family has always been on intimate terms with medical error. My brother lived with myotonic dystrophy for two decades before anyone gave it a name. My twin sister, by luck, was diagnosed sooner by a visiting locum. Before that, she was handed a grab bag of incorrect labels by her doctors: depressed, tired like everyone else, or simply suffering from ‘wear and tear’. It seemed she was offered anything but the truth, including candour from the physicians who didn’t know. Luck, in medicine, can also be oddly cruel. My late partner’s stomach cancer was discovered only after years of missed signals about his congenital heart condition. By the time doctors recognised the heart problem, they discovered his cancer had already taken root.
For me, these are not abstract stories about system failure – they are family history. But they are also part of a wider, more astonishing reality: medical error is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In the US, it is estimated that around 800,000 people die or become permanently disabled each year from diagnostic error alone.
At this point, many argue that the solution lies with technology. If errors are inevitable in human hands, perhaps machines can steady them, or even replace them altogether. Enter Dr Bot. Depending on who you ask, the machine is either a saviour or a saboteur. Most commonly, the vision is one of man and machine working side by side: the algorithm whispering in the doctor’s ear, the human hand guiding the treatment. A doctorly duet, not a duel.
Questions (Passage .1)
- What is the tone of the passage? A. Analytical B. Satirical C. Explanatory D. Reflective
- What is the main idea of the passage? A. To call out doctors for being reckless and negligent B. To inculcate AI in medical cases for assistance of doctors and not replacement C. To show the amount outrage author is having because of the medical system failure D. To show how inculcation of AI can make doctors more depressed and exhausted
- Why does the author mention his personal experiences within the passage? A. To show how much he has suffered due to medical negligence B. To blame the doctors and the system for his loss C. To make this problem of medical system more vivid and emotionally compelling D. To show that these personal stories though many in his life represent only a small fraction of the countless cases in a much larger pool
- What does “Saviour or Saboteur” as given in the passage mean? A. Something that guarantees to improve healthcare outcomes B. Something that could greatly help or can harm depending upon its usage C. Something morally correct to be too wrong D. A machine whose effectiveness depends entirely on how doctors use it
Passage 2 (P.2)
Recently, I visited a part of my neighbourhood where there’s a park. The green space was hived off by concrete walls, iron railings and barbed wire. From inside came the sound of laughter and the happy voices of men and boys. Outside, I saw women of all ages walking on the dusty road, banned from entering the park. I spotted some school-age girls carrying books and pens, talking together and walking the same path I once walked. Something about their seriousness threw me back to my own youth.
I was fortunate enough to attend school, study in the faculty of my choice and eventually build a career in a field that I loved – despite my path being filled with challenges. But I felt such sorrow for these girls, unable to pursue higher education or the jobs that they’d be passionate about. Afghanistan is facing a dark time, identical to the one I faced at the beginning of my own career.
Once more, Afghan women and girls are being forced to pay the price of their freedom for the country’s uncertain future. I know exactly how they must feel. I faced the same struggle more than 30 years ago.
June 1992. Until that moment, I would not have left my job if it cost me my life. Despite the constant bombings and the daily hailstorm of bullets and rockets, I always showed up at work. But I had little choice.
It started like this: it was the early days of the mujahideen government. I was preparing to record a show at the studios of the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA), papers spread in my hands, when the new head of television, who had links to the mujahideen, walked in, saw me, and quickly looked away, muttering under his breath in disgust.
He had a quiet word with the producer before leaving the studio. When I asked why the TV director had reacted that way, the producer told me that the director opposed women working and that, by refusing to look at me, he’d shielded himself from sin.
That day I carried a strange feeling home. How could I continue to work with people who looked upon women with such loathing? There’s a Persian proverb: The pride of the poor is the death of the poor.
Although I desperately needed my job, I was so furious I could think of nothing except resigning. I had no idea who I would become without work and the freedom it gave me, a freedom I wanted all women to enjoy.
But it hardly mattered, since very soon after I quit, most of the female employees at the television station were fired. I would never have imagined then that, 30 years later, the situation for women in Afghanistan would be far worse.
Now, as I approach the end of my working life, amid the most extreme and far-reaching oppression of women I have yet witnessed in this country, I am overwhelmed by a sense of déjà vu, as if the past is doomed to repeat itself.
Questions (P.2)
- What is the meaning of “deja vu” as given in the passage? A. The feeling that a situation you are experiencing right now has happened before, even though is has not happened before B. A clear memory of a past event C. A repeated experience happening again D. A moment of anticipation about what will happen next
- What is the main idea of the passage? A. To show that in older times, situation of Afghanistan was way better than the current Afghanistan B. To show that women were given way much autonomy before compared to what they are getting in the current scenario C. Drawing contrast between the past and the present scenario to show how situation in Afghanistan is getting worse lately D. To support women to do protest against the anti-women laws
- How has the situation of women in Afghanistan changed over time? A. Women were given a lot of freedom back then but overtime their freedom has been curtailed B. Mostly women suffered a lot in past and now are in a better condition C. The situation was not very uplifting back then and over time it has deteriorated D. Women evolved with time
- What literary device does the author use to compare the current situation in Afghanistan with her past experiences as given “Afghanistan is facing a dark time, identical to the one I faced at the beginning of my own career.”? A. Juxtaposition B. Imagery C. Metaphor D. Analogy
Passage 3 (P.3)
By 8:30 a.m., panic was spreading through Paradise, and thousands of people began to evacuate. Parents raced to schools to pick up their children. Kids whose parents couldn’t get to the schools were put on buses.
Driver Kevin McKay left one of the town’s elementary schools with 22 children and two teachers on his bus. The sky was black, and now he could see fires burning all around.
“I thought to myself, ‘This could be it,’” he remembers.
Very quickly, the few main streets of Paradise became jammed with traffic. Lucas was lucky; he, his mom, and his sister made it to Chico quickly.
But with every minute that passed, escaping by car became more difficult on roads jammed with traffic.
Eleanor and her dad had gone to Eleanor’s school. But they quickly returned home and prepared to evacuate to Chico, where Eleanor’s mom, Nicole, was working. Her father grabbed the computer hard drive and photo albums. Eleanor went into her room.
“Dad told me to get my most beloved things,” she says.
She chose the stuffed rabbit she’d had since she was a baby and a 3-D printed cat her best friend, Isla, had given her. She tried to bring all her stuffed animals. But there wasn’t enough room in the car—and time was running out.
By now streets were even more clogged. Some roads were completely blocked by burning tree limbs, electrical wires, and cars abandoned by terrified drivers.
Eleanor and her dad inched along in their car. Across town, Kevin McKay’s bus was also crawling through smoke, flames, and traffic.
Kevin kept his mind clear as he passed burning houses and flaming trees. He tried not to think about how he and two teachers would keep 22 kids safe if they had to leave the bus. Instead, he thought of his mother and son, grateful that they were safe in Chico. But would he ever see them again?
As the morning ticked by, the people of Paradise were facing up to the shocking truth: Their beautiful town would soon be gone. And with escape routes blocked, many were facing a fight for their very survival.
Questions (P.3)
- What is the antonym of the word “abandoned” as given in the passage? A. Derelict B. Inhabited C. Forsaken D. Desolate
- What is the central idea of the passage? A. To show how the fast moving wildfire turned Paradise into a scene of chaos and survival B. To portray the fear experienced by children during a natural disaster C. To focus on the courage and responsibility of a school bus driver during a wildfire D. To show how families suffer so much in such natural calamities
- What did the underlined quote in the passage refers to? A. It showed how she took both the items that her father asked to B. It talked about how there were 2 of beloved items along with few stuffed animals she had, but due to paucity of time and space, she probably would not have able to carry all of those stuffs C. She did not took anything with her D. She felt a sort of pressure from the saying of her dad, so she packed two beloved items only
- What is the tone of the passage? A. Reflective and Nostalgic B. Optimistic and Hopeful C. Informational and detached D. Tense and Urgent
- Who was the narrator in the passage? A. Eleanor B. Nicole C. Kevin D. None of the above
Answers & Explanations
- D – The author here is reflecting on what happened back then and is connecting it with how medical system is failing us. Since there is no analysis, satire or explanation of anything, option d stands as best of all.
- B – The author via the given passage is trying to paint an idea of how AI can be inculcated in the medical field as an assistance to the doctors and not replacement of doctors. All other options are just one aspect of the main idea, and option d is wrong.
- C – The author has inculcated his stories so that he can make the audience emotionally connected to the passage so that they can feel the pain of the author/victim and can think according to his/her pov.
- B – “Saviour or Saboteur” means either one will be saved or sabotaged/ruined. Usage of direct meaning.
- C – “Duel” refers to contrast between opposing parties, all other options except “Duet” is a synonym to the Duel. Whereas Duet means composition of two people.
Subscribe for updates
Join 10,000+ subscribers.
AD
Adtiya Aryan
Contributing author
Have a doubt about this?Ask Doubts
