The Global Nutrition Report (GNR) and India Health Report on Nutrition, 2015 (IHR), offer a critical analysis of the state of nutrition in India. The first report, the India Health Report: Nutrition 2015(IHR), provides easy-to understand, State - wise data dashboards that give a comprehensive view of nutrition and its determinants. It looks at disparities in these outcomes and their multiple determinants across geographical regions, socioeconomic classes, and demographic groups to help identify strategic choices for policy-making at the State level. In turn, GNR assesses progress in reducing malnutrition for all 193 countries. It concludes that while India is on track to meeting only two of the eight global targets on nutrition, it has significantly improved its nutrition performance in the past 10 years. GNR notes that there has been a big increase in the number of countries on track to me et global nutrition targets, and encourages countries, including India, to establish specific and time-bound targets for malnutrition reduction that are consistent with the new Sustainable Development Goals. Together, these reports paint several pictures about India, a data poor country. They portray one of great progress in improving nutrition across India; stunting among children, a marker of the most persistent types of malnutrition, has declined rapidly in the last ten years. And this decline has been faster than in many other countries. But as we dig deeper, there are diverse pictures about the life conditions of Indian children — positive stories about children’s lives and futures in Goa, Kerala, Manipur and Tamil Nadu, but dismal ones in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. What cannot be debated is the reality of deep, systemic inequality; of inequality in the circumstances that children are born into, that they live and grow in. For those of us who are worried about India’s economic growth, these are also pictures of inequality that point to how well these children will be able to contribute to India’s economic growth and their own prosperity. Their poor nutrition stunts more than their bodies. It stunts their well being, and, consequentially, that of their home States and their nation. Two other things, both related to inequality, stand out as well in the data. First, the data point to tremendous variability across States in delivering what should be universal, rights-based and already mandated health and nutrition services. For example, sample this for intra-State disparity. Food provided by the Integrated Child Development Services reaches barely 1 in 5 children in Uttar Pradesh but over 90 per cent in Odisha. Less than 33 per cent of children in Nagaland are fully immunised; in Goa, it is more than 90 per cent. Close to 80 per cent defecate in the open in Odisha; barely 2 per cent do so in Kerala. Why? These are disparities across States that operate in the same national framework, and there is, let’s face it, no good reason for this other than an inability or unwillingness to invest in changing ground realities, for everyone and everywhere. This is not an insurmountable challenge and it’s certainly an area where States can, if they want it, make dramatic change in short time frames. Examples abound from within India. The data in the reports show that, clearly, the imperative for introspection, and looking within for solutions was never clearer. No child should go without basic health care, food security and things like water and a toilet. Indeed, no adult should either. No society should condone such inequalities in the basics. And no society has progressed without addressing these basics.
1. The Global Nutrition Report focuses mainly on the
A. Sustainable Development Goals
B. Comprehensive view of nutrition and its determinants
C. India’s economic growth
D. Intra-State variability
E. Progress in reducing malnutrition
2. What are the disparities that statesare facing in the national framework?
I. Health and nutrition services
II. Variable food services
III. Inequality in education
A. III
B. II & III
C. I & II
D. I, II & III
E. None of the above
3. Which of the following is (are) NOT TRUE according to the above passage?
I. Food provided by ICDS reaches to only few children in UP.
II. Nearly 80 percent defecate in the open in West Bengal.
III. Less than 33 percent children in Nagaland are immunised.
A. III & II
B. I, II & III
C. I & II
D. I & III
E. II only
4. According to author what is the biggest challenge that India is facing?
A. Reducing progress in malnutrition
B. Inability to invest in education and health services
C. Unwillingness and inability to invest in basic facilities
D. High global nutrition targets
E. None of these
5. Which of the following would be the suitable title for the above passage?
A. State of nutrition in India
B. Global nutrition targets
C. Nutrition and its determinants
D. Progressive India
E. Inequality: A big challenge
Directions (6 to 8): Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word given in bold as used in the passage.
6. Mandate
A. Edict
B. Bidding
C. Order
D. Abide
E. Breach
7. Diverse
A. Varied
B. Assorted
C. Separate
D. Similar
E. Distant
8. Persistent
A. Assiduous
B. Unrelenting
C. Interrupted
D. Fixed
E. Dogged Directions
(9 10): Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word given in bold as used in the passage.
9. Condone
A. Condemn
B. Forbid
C. Regard
D. Forgive
E. Censure
10. Imperative
A. Trivial
B. Free
C. Obligatory
D. Avoidable
E. Assured
Directions (11 15): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is 'No error' the answer is (E). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any)
11. A. The Chairman of Tea Board inaugurated / B. the factory set up by a SHG of small / C. tea growers in Jalpaiguri district / D. of West Bengal. / E. No error
12. A. Talks between the Water Secretaries of India and Pakistan / B. scheduled to begin in Islamabad have been put off / C. due to the wake of tension / D. over ceasefire violations along the LoC. / E. No error
13. A. Now that the passing years have given me / B. plenty to say and the courage to say it, / C. I hope you can find something D. in my words that serve you. / E. No error
14. A. Before I start spouting off, / B. it’s only fair to bring you a little closer / C. into my confidence and let you D. know something about myself. E. No error
15. A. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ordered / B. the arrest of sixteen people / C. involved in the case / D. including prime minister. / E. No error Directions
(16 20): Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B), (C), (D) (E) and (F) to make a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions which follow.
A. However while reading they would not know when to pause and what to emphasize. B. Since then their use has been regularized and the punctuation rules have been followed by all. C. In earlier days, people learnt by reading out loud. D. But not everybody used the same punctuations for the same thing. E. To address this problem, various signs depicting various punctuations were introduced. F. Thus firmer guidelines regarding punctuations were framed so that everyone used them in similar way
16. Which of the following sentence should be the FIRST after rearrangement?
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
E. E
17. Which of the following sentence should be the SECOND after rearrangement?
A. A
B. B
C. D
D. E
E. F
18. Which of the following sentence should be the THIRD after rearrangement?
A. A
B. E
C. D
D. F
E. C
19. Which of the following sentence should be the FIFTH after rearrangement?
A. B
B C
C. A
D. E
E. F
20. Which of the following sentence should be the SIXTH (LAST) after rearrangement?
A. C
B. E
C. D
D. B
E. F
Directions (21 30) : In the following passage, some of the words have been left out, each of which is indicated by a number. Find the suitable word from the options given against each number and fill up the blanks with appropriate words to make the paragraph meaningfully complete. Given the state of
21. life in our country today-where corruption, violence and intolerance are increasingly
22. in day to day interactions-isn't it 23. time that
24. made a concerted effort to teach values? The very first
25. from many is that values cannot be taught, they need to be
26. Ideally, values must be taught by people who are
27. to lead by example. Fortunately for us, Indian culture has ensured that good role
28. can still be found
29. our midst. We only need to
30. in on them
21. A. my B. their C. social D. night E. Public
22. A. sordid B. practical C. evident D. theoretical E. tense
23. A. long B. high C. quantum D. quality E. depressing
