English Quiz for Upcoming Bank Exams 2017 – Set 7

Directions (Q. 1-15):
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of
the questions.

In any lively democracy the press
and the politician have a healthy mutual need. When politicians, political
parties and governments want to be heard they go in search of the press, among
other vital ingredients. With India’s highly politicised reading public and a
cynical middle class, unless there is a political twist given to a speech, an
iftar party or a meeting on the front page, the newspaper would fold up — or at
least so the media believes. If a political party is particularly idle it will
use a front-page twist to raise a storm in Parliament sometimes without
bothering to ascertain the facts.
All this is accepted as fair game as long as not much harm is done. However,
the very sine qua non of any story claiming to be news rather than views has to
be the unadulterated truth. Anything short of verified truth can only be
presented as opinion, speculation or allegation. Without this, the edifice of
credibility that a free press is accorded in a democracy would crumble.

In dictatorships or controlled
democracies the press must write the truth as the ruling establishment wishes
it to be written. The Big Lie comes from on high. The press can then rightly
claim that their freedom is curtailed
and disclaim responsibility for presenting the truth. However, in a democracy
in which the press has complete freedom to write about anything it pleases, the
responsibility for presenting the truth and nothing but the truth devolves on
the media. A journalist being human and fallible is subject to the same laws
and rights as any other citizen. There is no right given to him that overrides
the rights of other individuals and no law he need not bow before no matter
what the motivation for his story. It is only at the time of according
punishment to a lawbreaker that the judge can consider the circumstances under
which the crime was committed, but a journalist cannot quote public interest to
justify breaking a law. Even a person from a law enforcement agency has the
right to drive through a red light only if he is on an authorised mission to
chase a suspected criminal.

It is also important to remember
that freedom of expression is a right given by the Constitution as much to the
individual as it is to the press. The right of the press to write about persons
is no less than the right of those persons to give their version to the same
public through whatever means there are at their disposals, including through
the press. It is for the press to respect that right as a natural corollary of its own right. Just as a
reporter is unhappy if the proprietor is unhappy, if the ruling establishment
curtails the freedom of the press, the ordinary citizen, be he the reader or
the subject matter of a story in the media, has the right to uncurtailed and undiluted expression of his version and
view of events. If this two-way process did not exist and the press claimed the
unilateral right to freedom of expression in the garb of press freedom, it
would amount to the dictatorship of the press. In the age of media trials and
sensationalism it is even more important that those in the media who genuinely
believe that democratic and civil rights take priority over profits remember
their responsibility to adhere to
the truth, the law and specified journalistic ethics.

1. What makes the political leaders get closer to the media?

1) to obtain information about their adversaries

2) to voice their opinion on different matters in public and
gain publicity

3) to settle political scores

4) to interfere with the functioning of the media

5) None of these

2. Why is it that a political twist given to a speech, iftar
party or a meeting is published on the front page of a newspaper?

1) because politics has creeped into every area of human activity

2) because of growing competition among newspapers to make
political issues their first priority

3) because of the hold of political leader on the masses

4) because the reader has little interest in other issues

5) None of these

3. What do you mean by the expression sine qua non as used
in the passage?

1) essential condition

2) root of information

3) place of origin

4) after-effect

5) None of these

4. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?

1) A journalist has got more powers regarding the right to
information than an ordinary citizen.

2) A journalist has the authority to break the law only in matters
of public interest.

3) Press is not as free in a dictatorship as in a democracy.

4) Freedom of expression is only meant for the press and not
for people in general.

5) None of these

5. How can the credibility of a free press in a democratic setup
be ensured?

1) by the press providing information on aspects other than
mere political issues

2) by publishing human interest stories

3) by giving equal space to every political party

4) by exposing corruption and malpractices prevalent in the
system

5) None of these

6. What is the basic difference between the functioning of the
press in a dictatorial regime and in a democracy?

1) While in a dictatorship the rulers are the subject-matter
for the press, in a democracy it is the people.

2) While in a dictatorship the rulers sponsor the press, in
a democracy sponsorship comes from the people.

3) While in a dictatorship the press has to be loyal to the
ruling class in any condition, such is not the case in a democracy.

4) There is little public support to the press in a dictatorship
whereas it commands full public support in a democracy.

5) None of these

7. “Even a person from a law enforcement agency has the right
to drive through a red light only if he is on an authorised mission to chase a
suspected criminal.”

This means

1) Law can only permit one to break the law.

2) No one is above law and all are equal on the parameters of
law.

3) Law always takes its own course.

4) Only a person from a law enforcement agency has the right
to break the law.

5) One can break the law if situation demands.

8. Which of the following is false in the context of the passage?

1) Politicians approach the press to be heard.

2) Any news story has to be factual.

3) Press is a free institution whether in a democracy or in
a dictatorship.

4) Any item published without having truth in it may be considered
as views and not news.

5) None of these

9. What is the main theme of the passage?

1) responsibilities of a free media

2) media and politics

3) media and sensationalism

4) abuse of freedom of expression

5) None of these

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Directions (Q. 10-12): Choose the word which is the same in
meaning as the word given in bold as used in the passage.

10. ASCERTAIN

1) examine 2) scrutinise 3) discover

4) approve 5) dismantle

11. CRUMBLE

1) buckle 2) ruin

3) jolt 4) surrender

5) collapse

12. COROLLARY

1) occurrence 2) phenomenon

3) ingredient 4) subsequent

5) consequence

Directions (Q. 13-15):
Choose the word which is the opposite in meaning of the word given in bold as
used in the passage.

13. CURTAILED

1) guaranteed 2) extended 3) assured

4) allowed 5) paved

14. UNILATERAL

1) bilateral 2) multilingual 3) universal

4) global 5) basic

15. ADHERE

1) oppose 2) deny 3) counter

4) defy 5) criticism

1. 2; When politicians want to be heard by the people they
go in search of the media. They use media as the vehicle to gain publicity.

2. 4; Because it gains easy acceptability among India’s
highly politicised reading public and a cynical middle class and if political
twist is not there in a front-page story it may be rejected.

3. 1

4. 3; In a dictatorship the press has to oblise the rulers.

5. 5; Anything short of verified truth cannot be presented
as news and they can only be presented as views, ie opinion, speculation or
allegation.

6. 3; In a dictatorship the press must write the truth as
the ruling class wishes it to be written whereas in a democracy nothing
influences the reality.

7. 2

8. 3

9. 1

10. 1

11. 5

12. 5

13. 2

14. 1

15. 4

!!! m@umit@ !!! – 5.5/13