SSC CGL Tier-2 21-February-2018 English

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Passage:

The Russian doping scandal continues to cast a long shadow over international sport as the 2018 Winter Olympics begin in Pyeong Chang, South Korea, on February 9. In December, the International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing in the Games following investigation into an alleged state-sponsored doping programme at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The decision to ban Russia came after the IOC’s Disciplinary Commission, headed by former president of the Swiss Confederation Samuel Schmid, confirmed “systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia”. The IOC had stated, however, that clean Russian athletes would be allowed to compete as neutrals and last month invited 169 of them - each to be known as Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) - to participate in the Pyeong Chang Games. The announcement did not go down well outside Russia, even though the IOC declared that “more than 80%” of those athletes had not competed in Sochi and had been carefully vetted. That the OAR will form one of the largest contingents at the Games, although there will be no place for the Russian flag and anthem, makes the ‘ban’ seem a bit of a farce. Further, Russian athletes could be allowed to march under their own flag at the closing ceremony if they comply with the IOC’s conditions during the Games. There is a sense that the IOC is not able to punish a sporting superpower like Russia.

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Passage:

Religious architecture forms a major portion of India’s built heritage. These structures are not only unwritten documents of history, they are also stamps of the might of the rulers who built them and articulations of grand visions.
Secular and religious structures are products of their location - the material used to build them depended on what was available to the kings and workers at that time. They were also a reflection of the piety of the artisans and workers, for nothing else can explain the hard work that went into cutting through solid natural rock to carve out temples and spectacular sculptures. Rock-cut architecture never fails to awe me with all its majesty, precision, and intricate detail.
The earliest rock-cut architecture is from the Mauryan dynasty, but the Ajanta caves, which I had visited a few decades ago and which left me awestruck, are among the earliest rock-cut temples.
The Udayagiri caves, in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, are not as popular but they are worth a visit, for they contain some of the oldest Hindu temples and iconography. They were built during the Gupta period (350-550 CE).
These caves were not just an expression of religious piety but also a political statement. They lie on two low sandstone hills between the rivers Betwa and Beas. It is possible that when these caves were carved out, they fell directly on the Tropic of Cancer and thus the name translates to Mount of Sunrise. On the day of summer solstice, the sun would have been directly overhead, making this a place of worship.

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Passage:

Malnutrition affects millions of people worldwide and is responsible for one-fifth of deaths in children under the age of five. Children can also experience impaired cognitive development and stunted growth.
According to Finlay and UBC PhD student Eric Brown, malnutrition can be difficult to treat because it affects the good bacteria that live in the gut. People suffering from malnutrition often show signs of a disease known as environmental enteropathy, which is an inflammatory disorder of the small intestine and is likely caused by ingesting pathogenic fecal bacteria early in life from a contaminated environment. This shifts the balance of the original healthy bacteria in the gut and leads to poor absorption of nutrients.
The study, published in Nature Communications, explains how the research team developed a mouse model to reproduce the symptoms of environmental enteropathy and malnourishment.
“We were able to see how a malnourished diet has a strong, measurable impact on the microbes in the small intestine,” said Brown. “This new model gives us the opportunity to examine the impact of malnutrition on gut microbiology and assess the role of infections.”
Pathogenic bacterial infections like salmonella and E. coli are huge problems in developing countries because they are much more harmful to people suffering from malnutrition, leading to chronic diarrhea and inflammation.
“Treatments and vaccines created in developed nations and tested on healthy people often don't work in malnourished populations,” said Finlay, distinguished professor at UBC's Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. “People suffering from malnutrition respond differently.”
With an animal model, Finlay said researchers will be better able to test treatments and understand how malnutrition impacts a child's development.