Daily Questions Challenge for IAS PRE (CSAT) Exam (17 December 2015)

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1. Consider the following statements and mark the option which is true..

(i) Lord Mahavira got Kaivalya at Jrimbhakgram and his disciples were called Ganadhara.
(ii) Gautami was the first woman who joined the Sangha of Buddha.
(iii) Dhammapad is known as the Bhagvatgita of Buddhism.

(a) all of the above
(b) ii & iii
(c) none of the above
(d) only i

2. Who patronised Mathura Art & built a stupa at Purushpur?

(a) Kijula Kadiphises
(b) Rudradaman
(c) Wima Kadiphises
(d) Moga

3. Arrange the following in their chronological order.

(i) Capture of Tanjore by Vijayalaya
(ii) Shankracharya & his philosophy of Advaitavada
(iii) Construction of Khajuraho Temples
(iv) Establishment of Monastry at Nalanda by King Balaputra of Sumatra.

(a) (i) (ii) (iv) (iii)
(b) (ii) (i) (iv) (iii)
(c) (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
(d) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

4. Consider the following statements and mark the option which is correct.

(i) Dhai-din Ka Jhopsa was originally a sanskrit college and temple built by the great chauhan emperor Vigrahraja Visaldeva.
(ii) Zakat was a religious tax, paid by Muslims as a charity for the Welfare of their coreligiones.
(iii) Amir Khusro’s real name was Abdul Hasan.

(a) all of the above
(b) i & ii
(c) iii
(d) none of the above

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:: CSAT (Paper -2) ::

In journalism, “bias” is a word with many meanings. It suggests a single explanation — a conscious, even willful preference for a selective portrayal of a situation - for a range of instances in which the message does not reflect the reality. But few objective observers of, for instance, the reporting of campaign finance would argue that conventional biases are operating there.

Journalists in general are not singling out Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, for praise or blame.Rather one has to look tomore intrinsic and ingrained factors - to the “structural biases” of American newspapers and the “politioal assumptions” of their reporters, editors, and headline-writers - to explain bias in the news.

Structural biases are rooted in the very nature of journalism - in its professional norms, in marketplaoe imperatives, in the demands of communicating information to an unsophisticated audience. Stories need identifiable actors, understandable activity, and elements of conflict, threat or menace. They cannot belong, and must avoid complexity — must focus on controversy, personalities and negative statistics rather than on conoepts. These define the “good” story.

As for political assumptions, all observers bring a “cognitivemap” to American politics - a critical posture toward politics, parties, and politicians. For some, it is as simple as “all politicians are crooks”; for others, it involves understanding the distribution of power and influence in America.

The media’s particular understanding of the ways of influence and decision-making in government colors the way they describe political reality. It also defines their responsibility in reporting that reality; contemporary reporters are in many ways the grandchildren of the Progressive muokrakers. Few aspects of American politics reinforce this Progressive world-view as effectively as the American way of campaign finance. Its cash is an easy measure of influence, and its PACs are perfect embodiments of vested, selfish interests. In assuming that public officials defer to contributors more easily than they do to their party, their own values, or their voting constituency, one has the perfect dramatic scenario for the triumph of wealthy special interests over the will of majorities and the public interest.

Structural bias and politioal assumption, finally, meet in an analytical conundrum. Structural biases dictate that newspapers print stories that will be read. But does the press publish a story because readers have been previously conditioned to accept and believe such accounts, or does it publish the story because of its conviction that it

1. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(a) Business decisions necessary in journalismlead to inherent biases
(b) The American public demands bad journalism
(c) Two factors influence journalists reporting on campaign financing
(d) Systematic bias and political assumption cause an analytical conundrum

2. According to the passage, which of the following would demonstrate structural biases inherent in journalists’work?

I. An artiole that adheres loyally to Progressivist dictates.
II. An article that successfully masks its biased opinions.
III. An article that is entertaining and easily understood.

(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) II only
(d) I and II

3. The author suggests in the passage that the American system of campaign finance

(a) is unjust and should be reformed
(b) has exclusively served the interests of the wealthy
(c) is an easy target for journalists
(d) has been unfairly singled out for criticism by politicians

4. Which of the following best describes the “analytical conundrum” referred to in the fourth paragraph?

(a) Newspapers cynically promote Progressive ideas in which they do not believe
(b) It is difficult to distinguish the roles of structural biases and political assumptions in publishing decisions
(c) Structural biases and political assumptions exert conflicting pressures on newspaper publishers
(d) Readers’ preferences for dramatic news accounts reflecting Progressive ideas determine what is published

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