VARC Test - 12

Flourish means to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly congenial environment.

Cease means come or bring to an end.

Batten means thrive or prosper at the expense of.

Blossom means mature and develop in a healthy way.

The error lies in part (C) of the sentence.

'Her age must have been mentioned at least a half-dozen times in the last six trips'.

Nouns like 'Water, memory, grass, time, etc' are known as uncountable nouns i.e their numbers cannot be counted.However when these nouns can be used in a countable sense when referring to a particular location or specific quantity.

The error lies in part (B) of the sentence.

The correct sentence is - Your application is bound to fail if you don't get the divisional director's approval.

In part (B) of the sentence, the usage of 'failing' is incorrect instead use 'fail'

• According to the rule of grammar, whenever we use 'Bound to/Certain to' it means 'we need to use an infinitive' because it means 'something is going to happen in near future.'
• Let's see an example -The new timetable is bound to annoy some of the teachers when they see it.

The error lies in part (C) of the sentence.

The error lies in the wrong usage of the pronoun ‘I’ in Part (C).

‘I’ should be replaced by ‘me’ because after the word ‘let’, pronouns that are used should be always in the objective case.

The correct sentence is-Robert Pattinson, the famous Hollywood actor, instructed the gatekeeper to let him and me enter the banquet hall.

Let's first learn the meanings of the words:

Recede (दूर जाना) = go or move back or further away from a previous position.

Advance (प्रगति) = to move or go ahead, to progress.

Retrograde (पीछे हटना) = directed or moving backwards.

Retreat (पीछे हटना) = to go away from a place or person in order to escape from fighting or danger.

Withdraw (वापस लेना) = remove or take away (something) from a particular place or position.

So, the correct antonym of the given word is "advance".

There is no error in the given sentence.

Blank (1):

The first sentence says that restricting an individual's choice is not a solution to fast foods. Then there is blank (1):

Sentence (B) tells us the impacts of restriction or prohibition that it's always going to backfire.

It's clear that 'B' fits in the blank.

Blank (2):

The blank is immediately followed by a sentence which provides the way to tackle a problem and this problem is obesity caused by unhealthy food habits.

Sentence (A) talks about this problem and terms it as a social problem.

Thus, it's clear that 'A' fits the blank.

Complete paragraph: Like most addictive substances, fast food targets the poor and vulnerable and the solution to it cannot just be restricting individual choice. Like most short-cuts in life, prohibition tends to backfire in the long run. What is more important is to ensure food habits and economies that do not make eating healthy a function of wealth, or something that requires intervention from the state. Obesity, like most public health issues, is a social problem. Tackling it requires expanding choice — especially the ability to make healthy ones — rather than restricting them.

Blank (1):

The sentences in the starting talks about rising kitchen budget due to LPG price hike. Then, there is blank (1)-

Sentence (A) describes the effects of this price hike as there are a large number of LPG consumers.

It fits in the blank contextually.

Blank (2):

The sentence following blank (1) explains the reason of this price rise and retail inflation.

Sentence in blank (2) should be 'B' which suggests an alternative policy step that should be taken.

Complete paragraph: The average India’s kitchen budget has been hit by rising retail inflation. LPG prices have risen sharply (almost 30 per cent between January and Oct 2021). With almost 300 million registered domestic LPG consumers, the impact on personal and fiscal finances has been significant. Some of this is also due to policy missteps — the state has pushed for greater adoption of LPG cook-stoves; instead, a push for electric cook-stoves could have helped reduce import demand and shielded the ordinary consumer from price hikes. Meanwhile, edible oil has seen significant hikes: Almost 30 per cent for packed mustard oil and vanaspati in Delhi between June 2020 and June 2021; almost 40 per cent for sunflower.

Blank (1):

The paragraph talks about suicide and fratricide in CRPF camps.

Sentence (C) fits the blank as it explains the reason and conclusion that the personnel on a short fuse.

A short fuse: a tendency to lose one's temper quickly.

It's clear that 'C' is the suitable sentence to complete the sentence.

Blank (2):

Blank (2) is preceded by sentence mentioning numbers of personnel who have committed suicide. In 2016, the figure is 29.

Sentence (B) mentions the figures for the following two years.

It's clear that 'B' fits in the blank.

Complete sentence: As many as 18 deaths due to incidents of fratricide in CRPF alone have been reported in the last four years. Coupled with a growing number of suicides, the conclusion drawn is that the personnel are on a short fuse that only needs a trigger. As many as 29 CRPF personnel committed suicide in 2016. The figure rose to 38 during the following two years. In 2019, 43 personnel committed suicide with the figure touching 60 last year. Brainstorming sessions held by senior officers in the past have resulted in decisions that have, to some extent, helped ameliorate the situation.

Blank (1):

We have to start the para; i.e. we need a introductory sentence.

The para given is related to discrimination at schools, so, 'C'; i.e. 'Now let us examine how schools treat their students'.

Blank (2):

Blank (1) is followed by description of how schools treat their students. The following sentence agrees that schools try to bring uniformity by a uniform and other things.

Sentence 'B' makes us see the other side of this; i.e. practices to separate students from each other.

It's clear that 'B' is correct to fill in the blank.

Complete paragraph: Now let us examine how schools treat their students. On the one hand, they have homogenising rituals such as mandating a school uniform, common assembly and common modes of teaching, evaluating and disciplining imposing the same code of conduct/expectations from everyone. On the other hand, there are rituals that are meant to mark/grade and separate students from each other. This is most evident in the way high achievers are rewarded, made to wear marks of distinction, sometimes even physically separating them from the so-called weaker sections.