1

We all make ethical choices, often without being conscious of doing so. Too often we assume
that ethics is about obeying the rules that begin with “You must not…” If that were all there
is to living ethically, then as long as we were not violating one of those rules, whatever we
were doing would be ethical. That view of ethics, however, is incomplete. It fails to consider
the good we can do for others less fortunate than ourselves, not only in our own community,
but anywhere within the reach of our help. We ought also to extend our concern to future
generations, and beyond our own species to nonhuman animals. 
Another important ethical responsibility applies to citizens of democratic society: to be an
educated citizen and a participant in the decisions our society makes. Many of these decisions
involve ethical choices. In public discussions of these ethical issues, people with training in
ethics can play a valuable role. In the 1960s, philosophers used to proclaim that it was a
mistake to think that they have any expertise that would qualify them to address substantive
ethical issues. They said that philosophy is concerned with the analysis of words and
concepts, and so is neutral on substantive ethical questions. 
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on
Things that Matter, by Peter Singer, Princeton University Press, 2016.]
1.1 Why does the author say that ethics is not just about obeying rules that forbid one
from doing certain things?
(a) Because ethics is not about doing anything; it only requires thinking about things.
(b) Because ethics requires that one poses questions to other people.
(c) Because ethics also requires that one does good for those who are not as fortunate as us.
(d) Because ethics requires that one follows rules that direct one to do certain things.
1.2 Which of the following is not an example of the important ethical responsibility that
the author says applies to citizens of a democratic society?
(a) Understanding one’s fundamental rights and participating in debates about how these
rights may have to change with the times.
(b) Closely tracking the performance of the national cricket team and commenting on
individual players’ performances.
(c) Finding out about the candidates in local elections and casting one’s vote.
(d) Staying abreast of news about legal matters and talking to other people about one’s
opinions on those laws.
1.3 Which of the following is similar to the reason philosophers gave in the 1960s for
claiming they were not qualified to comment on substantive ethical issues?
(a) Athletes are concerned with improving their physical performance, and so are qualified to
help others improve their physical abilities.
b) Engineers are experts in construction, and so should not build bridges.
(c) Lawyers are experts in understanding and explaining the law, and are not capable of
advising others on the law.
(d) Doctors are concerned with understanding how the chemistry of the body works, and so
are not qualified to advise patients on how to improve their health.
1.4 Which of the following can be inferred from the author’s description of ethics and
living ethically?
(a) The author thinks polluting the environment is bad as this may affect people who have not
been born yet.
(b) The author thinks hunting wild animals is bad as it is cruel and unnecessary.
(c) Neither of the above.
(d) Both (a) and (b).
1.5 Who amongst the following would be ‘living ethically’ if all there were to ethics was
following the rule “You must not kill other humans”?
(a) An alcoholic husband who beats his wife, causing her injuries.
(b) A factory owner who releases massive quantities of lethal pollutants in a town’s drinking-
water supply.
(c) A rash and negligent driver who causes the death of other people.
(d) Someone who adulterates life-saving medicines, rendering them ineffective.

2
The industrial nations which are adding alarming amounts of carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere will at some point need to go beyond today’s insufficient efforts to stop the
accumulation of this gas in the atmosphere. They will need to put the world machine into
reverse, and start taking carbon dioxide out. They are nowhere near ready to meet this
challenge. This is because of two problems, one technological, the other psychological. 
The technological one is that sucking tens of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere is an enormous undertaking for which the world is not prepared. In principle it is
simple to remove carbon dioxide by incorporating it in trees and plants. But planting trees on
a scale even remotely adequate to the task requires something close to a small continent. 
The psychological problem is that, even while the capacity to ensure negative emissions
languishes underdeveloped, the mere idea that they will one day be possible eats away at the
perceived urgency of cutting emissions today.
 This puts policymakers in a bind. It would be reckless not to try to develop the technology
for negative emissions. But strict limits need to be kept on the tendency to demand more and
more of that technology in future scenarios.
 [Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “Reverse Gear”, The Economist, Vol. 433, No.
9172.]
2.1 Which of the following situations is similar in nature to the ‘technological problem’
that the author describes?
(a) Global poverty can be reduced by lowering the income level below which people are
classified as living in poverty.
(b) Traffic jams in Mumbai can be eliminated by building more roads, but this will require
more miles of road area than the total surface area of Mumbai.
(c) Suffering due to illness can be reduced, but this will require investing more money in
medical research.
(d) Global warming can be reduced, but this will mean all of us will have to take steps to use
less fossil fuels.
2.2 Which of the following behaviours is unlike the psychological problem that the
author describes?
(a) College students spend all their money in the first week of term, because they think their
parents will send them more money the next week.
(b) Smokers do not stop smoking, because they think medical science will one day develop a
cure for all illnesses.
(c) Farmers use up all the water in reservoirs because they think there will be abundant
rainfall later in the year to refill the reservoirs.
(d) Some countries do not permit refugees to enter because they feel that they do not have
adequate resources to support them.
2.3 Based on the author’s arguments in the given passage, what would be the best way
for policymakers to make people reduce emissions today?
(a) They should tell people that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not a problem.
(b) They should tell people that emerging technologies will easily remove carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere.
(c) They should tell people that it is unlikely we will discover technologies that can remove
enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
(d) They should tell people that a heavy fine would be imposed on carbon dioxide emissions.
2.4 Which of the following, based on the author’s arguments, would be the best
approach for policymakers to ensure the reduction of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere?
(a) Remove aid for negative emissions technology research, so as to encourage people to
reduce emissions today.
(b) Provide aid for negative emissions technology research only if such research leads to
technology which removes extraordinary amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
(c) Provide aid for negative emissions technology research while giving people incentives to
reduce emissions today.
(d) Remove aid for negative emissions technology research and impose strict penalties on
carbon dioxide emissions today.
2.5 Which of the following can we infer from the given passage?
(a) Natural ways of reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not feasible since we do
not have enough resources to achieve the required level of reduction through such means.
(b) Technological progress in ways of reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been
insufficient, and we need to boost our efforts in this regard.
(c) Neither (a) nor (b).
(d) Both (a) and (b).

3
The magnetic North Pole, it turns out, is shifting eastwards at an unprecedented pace. About
15 years ago, this would have made little difference to the daily lives of people and even
Google Maps relies largely on satellite imaging, which is mostly unaffected by this shift. But
now, in addition to its implications for industries and sectors that rely on the magnetic north
— airports, defence, drilling — it will affect smartphones as well. Most contemporary phones
have three magnetic sensors that tell the direction the user is facing. This feature could be
compromised with the pole shifting, and people would be, quite literally, direction-less. They
will thus have to ask other people for directions. 
But learning to navigate by memory, and, more importantly, asking for directions may not be
a terrible development. In fact, in India, it is a necessary skill. The spate of frequent internet
shutdowns means that Google is of erratic help across cities in India. 
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “Where I Am”, Editorial, The Indian Express,
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/navigation-sytems-google-maps-where-i-
am-north-pole-shifting-6184815/.]

3.1 Which of the following best represents the main point of the given passage?
(a) Smartphones rely on magnetic sensors to tell the user which direction they are facing.
(b) The shifting of the North Pole may not be a bad thing, since asking for directions is an
important skill in India.
(c) Internet shutdowns are very frequent in India.
(d) The shifting of the North Pole will not affect Google Maps too much.
3.2 If the statements in the given passage are true, then which of the following would
also be true?
(a) The political maps of the world will have to be redrawn to reflect the new position of the
North Pole.
(b) Smartphone sales will reduce drastically.
(c) People will stop relying on their smartphones and instead ask other people for directions.
(d) Weather patterns across the world will change dramatically because of the shifting of the
North Pole.
3.3 Which of the following, if true, most weakens the author’s arguments in the given
passage?
(a) The drilling industry does not rely on the magnetic North Pole.
(b) People in India are very familiar with the streets close to their home.
(c) Road signs in India are very badly made and are of no help.
(d) Smartphones rely on satellite imaging rather than magnetic sensors to tell the user which
direction they are facing.
3.4 The author’s claim that smartphones rely on magnetic sensors to tell users the
direction they are facing plays which of the following roles in the author’s argument
that people will soon have to ask other people for directions?
(a) It forms the conclusion of the argument.
(b) It forms the premise of the argument.
(c) Neither (a) nor (b).
(d) Both (a) and (b).
3.5 Which of the following is an assumption, on which the argument that people will
have to ask others for directions since their smartphones will no longer be able to give
directions, is based?
(a) People rely on other people to get directions.
(b) People rely on their smartphones to get directions.
(c) Both (a) and (b).
(d) Neither (a) nor (b).

4
Research has now found that the key to a long life lies not in medicine but in museums. A
study conducted by researchers at University College London says on the basis of its
examination of a sample of 6,000 adults in the United Kingdom aged 50 years and above that
frequent trips to the museum and sites of art — concerts, opera, exhibition galleries — can
play an instrumental role in prolonging life. The findings complement earlier research, which
argued that engaging with community art projects helps battle serious health conditions such
as depression, chronic pain and even dementia. It seems that investments in creative pursuits
— watching, appreciating or critiquing art — could have therapeutic consequences for
cognitive ability. It would be unwise to scoff at these inferences. For data seem to bear out
the hypothesis. The life expectancy at birth in the UK is nearly 80 years for men and almost
83 for women, while the corresponding figures for India are 67.8 and 70.4. This difference
can be attributed to the fact that a lot many people visit the UK’s museums, which are
stupendous repositories of not just the past but also culture. 
[Extracted, with edits and revisions, from “History for health”, Editorial, The Telegraph,
https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/history-for-health/cid/1729241.]
4.1 If the author’s arguments in the given passage are true, which of the following must
also be true?
(a) Countries can increase the lifespan of their citizens by building more exhibition galleries
and opera houses.
(b) Countries can increase the lifespan of their citizens by prohibiting smoking.
(c) Regular exercise greatly increases lifespan.
(d) Eating fruits daily helps increase lifespan.
4.2 Which of the following, if true, most weakens the author’s conclusion?
(a) Indian prefer to spend money on going to restaurants rather than museums.
(b) India has more museums than exhibition galleries.
(c) The UK provides free medicines and medical advice at museums.
(d) People in the UK have access to better and cheaper healthcare than people in India.
4.3 What role does the author’s claim that a lot many people visit the UK’s museums
play in the argument in the passage?
(a) It is the conclusion that the author draws based on the findings of research studies.
(b) It supports the author’s conclusion as to why people in the UK have a longer lifespan than
people in India.
(c) It contradicts the claim that people in India have longer lifespans than people in the UK.
(d) It supports the findings of the earlier research about engaging with community art
projects.
4.4 Which of the following does not weaken the conclusions drawn by the researchers at
University College London?
(a) Data show that visiting museums frequently does not affect the lifespans of adults aged
25-40.
(a) Data show that people who visit museums and art sites are also better educated.
(c) Both (a) and (b) above weaken the conclusions.
(d) Neither (a) nor (b) weakens the conclusions.
4.5 Which of the following best expresses the main conclusion of the given passage?
(a) Universities in the UK conduct more studies on reasons affecting people’s lifespans.
(b) Engaging with community art projects can help treat dementia.
(c) People in the UK have longer lifespans because they visit museums more often.
(d) More people in the UK visit museums than in India.

5
One day, Ramesh tells all his friends that there is a ghost that makes strange screeching
sounds in the tree adjoining his house. When two of his friends, Suresh and Mahesh, visited
the spot where the tree was, they refuted Ramesh’s claim and told all their other friends that
the noise was made by an owl that lived in that tree. 
5.1 Which method did Suresh and Mahesh use to refute Ramesh’s claim?
(a) They refuted Ramesh’s claim by providing an alternate explanation.
(b) They established their conclusion by providing an explanation.
(c) They provided Ramesh information to support his claim.
(d) They provided support for Ramesh’s claim by providing a plausible explanation for it.