RC Step - 2

What has united people of different ideologies in contemporary America?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage:

In the mid-term elections this year, the focus has shifted from individual bashing to issue based bashing and for once, both the parties – the Democrats and the Republicans, have agreed upon an issue that they both want to take to the cleaners. Surprisingly however, both the parties are blaming each other for the present fiasco and the target is the same- the biggest trade partner of the USA, and also its biggest creditor- People’s Republic of China. What was being considered a howitzer that sputtered, the issue of trade relations and other issues- real and imagined- with China has suddenly taken the centre stage in the electoral campaigning with the xenophobes on both sides of the political divide pointing accusing fingers at each other for putting national interest in harm’s way. The situation has been further exacerbated by a futuristic advertisement that has been brought out by a citizen’s forum called Citizens Against Government Waste in which a Chinese professor is shown addressing a group of Chinese students in Beijing in the year 2030 and explaining why great nations like Ancient Rome, The British Empire, and The United States failed. Talking of misguided American policies the professor says that since they- the Americans- owed most of their debt to the Chinese, now they- the citizens of USA, work for them- the citizens of China. While the ordinary citizens are divided in their opinion about the authenticity of the facts claimed in the advert, with reactions as diverse as chalk and cheese, there is no doubt that the advert has touched a very raw nerve indeed. Acting as a catalyst, the so called advert of the season has brought into sharp focus the American trade policies and the public perception about the same. Jingoism has taken on a more rabid, more vocal avatar- fanned by the developments on the electoral front.

Incumbents and challengers on both the sides have suddenly found a new horse to flog and the speech writers and the think-tanks on both the sides are busy trying to find out in minutest detail anything and everything that they can pin on the other side with respect to them having sold the nation down the river and to the Chinese. It is hardly new for the political aspirants in any nation blame someone in another country for their nation’s woes but this time around, for the first time perhaps, the fall guy is common for both the sides and he also happens to own increasing stakes in the nation. It is not a Vietnam, where apart from lives of thousands of GIs and lots of money, nothing much was at stake. For the sake of sanity and reason, one hopes that the present tirades will be brushed under the carpet once the electioneering is over and also that the Chinese will be reacting with equanimity on all the rhetoric being thrown around as the relations between the two super powers are already strained over the stubborn refusal of the Chinese on the issue of currency revaluation and the increasing protectionism being seen as a part of the new United States policy. In a sign of the times, in a recent poll, more than fifty percent of the Americans polled said that they believed that free trade had been harmful for the country.

Why does the author contrast the current situation with a historical precedent?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage:

In the mid-term elections this year, the focus has shifted from individual bashing to issue based bashing and for once, both the parties – the Democrats and the Republicans, have agreed upon an issue that they both want to take to the cleaners. Surprisingly however, both the parties are blaming each other for the present fiasco and the target is the same- the biggest trade partner of the USA, and also its biggest creditor- People’s Republic of China. What was being considered a howitzer that sputtered, the issue of trade relations and other issues- real and imagined- with China has suddenly taken the centre stage in the electoral campaigning with the xenophobes on both sides of the political divide pointing accusing fingers at each other for putting national interest in harm’s way. The situation has been further exacerbated by a futuristic advertisement that has been brought out by a citizen’s forum called Citizens Against Government Waste in which a Chinese professor is shown addressing a group of Chinese students in Beijing in the year 2030 and explaining why great nations like Ancient Rome, The British Empire, and The United States failed. Talking of misguided American policies the professor says that since they- the Americans- owed most of their debt to the Chinese, now they- the citizens of USA, work for them- the citizens of China. While the ordinary citizens are divided in their opinion about the authenticity of the facts claimed in the advert, with reactions as diverse as chalk and cheese, there is no doubt that the advert has touched a very raw nerve indeed. Acting as a catalyst, the so called advert of the season has brought into sharp focus the American trade policies and the public perception about the same. Jingoism has taken on a more rabid, more vocal avatar- fanned by the developments on the electoral front.

Incumbents and challengers on both the sides have suddenly found a new horse to flog and the speech writers and the think-tanks on both the sides are busy trying to find out in minutest detail anything and everything that they can pin on the other side with respect to them having sold the nation down the river and to the Chinese. It is hardly new for the political aspirants in any nation blame someone in another country for their nation’s woes but this time around, for the first time perhaps, the fall guy is common for both the sides and he also happens to own increasing stakes in the nation. It is not a Vietnam, where apart from lives of thousands of GIs and lots of money, nothing much was at stake. For the sake of sanity and reason, one hopes that the present tirades will be brushed under the carpet once the electioneering is over and also that the Chinese will be reacting with equanimity on all the rhetoric being thrown around as the relations between the two super powers are already strained over the stubborn refusal of the Chinese on the issue of currency revaluation and the increasing protectionism being seen as a part of the new United States policy. In a sign of the times, in a recent poll, more than fifty percent of the Americans polled said that they believed that free trade had been harmful for the country.

Why does the author use the expression, “What was being considered a howitzer that sputtered” when talking about the issue in question?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage:

In the mid-term elections this year, the focus has shifted from individual bashing to issue based bashing and for once, both the parties – the Democrats and the Republicans, have agreed upon an issue that they both want to take to the cleaners. Surprisingly however, both the parties are blaming each other for the present fiasco and the target is the same- the biggest trade partner of the USA, and also its biggest creditor- People’s Republic of China. What was being considered a howitzer that sputtered, the issue of trade relations and other issues- real and imagined- with China has suddenly taken the centre stage in the electoral campaigning with the xenophobes on both sides of the political divide pointing accusing fingers at each other for putting national interest in harm’s way. The situation has been further exacerbated by a futuristic advertisement that has been brought out by a citizen’s forum called Citizens Against Government Waste in which a Chinese professor is shown addressing a group of Chinese students in Beijing in the year 2030 and explaining why great nations like Ancient Rome, The British Empire, and The United States failed. Talking of misguided American policies the professor says that since they- the Americans- owed most of their debt to the Chinese, now they- the citizens of USA, work for them- the citizens of China. While the ordinary citizens are divided in their opinion about the authenticity of the facts claimed in the advert, with reactions as diverse as chalk and cheese, there is no doubt that the advert has touched a very raw nerve indeed. Acting as a catalyst, the so called advert of the season has brought into sharp focus the American trade policies and the public perception about the same. Jingoism has taken on a more rabid, more vocal avatar- fanned by the developments on the electoral front.

Incumbents and challengers on both the sides have suddenly found a new horse to flog and the speech writers and the think-tanks on both the sides are busy trying to find out in minutest detail anything and everything that they can pin on the other side with respect to them having sold the nation down the river and to the Chinese. It is hardly new for the political aspirants in any nation blame someone in another country for their nation’s woes but this time around, for the first time perhaps, the fall guy is common for both the sides and he also happens to own increasing stakes in the nation. It is not a Vietnam, where apart from lives of thousands of GIs and lots of money, nothing much was at stake. For the sake of sanity and reason, one hopes that the present tirades will be brushed under the carpet once the electioneering is over and also that the Chinese will be reacting with equanimity on all the rhetoric being thrown around as the relations between the two super powers are already strained over the stubborn refusal of the Chinese on the issue of currency revaluation and the increasing protectionism being seen as a part of the new United States policy. In a sign of the times, in a recent poll, more than fifty percent of the Americans polled said that they believed that free trade had been harmful for the country.

What is the relationship between the two bold faced sentences?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Instant messengers have replaced emails to a great extent in today’s world. The youth now prefers on an instant messenger to an email to communicate. This has happened because of the animated nature of the messengers and various features blended in them. Users find it equally easy to use features like voice chat, conferencing, etc. However it is next to impossible to replace email with IM because the former still remains a formal and professional way to communicate and is less prone to unethical intervention.

The paragraph following the last one given here, if it were there, would LEAST likely discuss which of the following?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

In a major step toward helping paralytic victims walk again, Duke University researchers have announced that they had proved monkeys can use their brainpower to control the walking patterns of robots.

The investigators implanted Idoya, a rhesus monkey, with electrodes which gathered signals from her brain's motor and sensory cortex cells as she ambled along on a specially built child-size treadmill. The electrodes recorded the cells' responses as the monkey walked on the treadmill at different speeds; simultaneously, sensors on Idoya's legs tracked their patterns of movement. The information was transmitted real time from their lab in Durham, to control the commands of a humanoid robot in Kyoto, Japan.

Through the electrodes in her brain, the researchers discovered that some neurons fire at different phases and frequencies, depending on their role in the process. During the experiment, the robot continued to move for several minutes after Idoya stopped strolling on her treadmill indicating something else also.

The team’s goal is to finally enable real-time direct interfaces between a brain and electronic and mechanical devices that could be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost through injury or disease. The team hopes that one day soon, they will also master sufficient syntax to talk back to the brain, which would enable them, for instance, to build a human prosthetic arm laden with sensors to send tactile feedback into the somatosensory cortex of its user.

The experiment in monkey-to-robotic motion is the latest in a long series of studying the primate brain's ability to stimulate robotic arms through neural signals. In 2000 Nicolelis and his colleagues described how they had reliably translated the raw electrical brain activity of an owl monkey named Belle into signals that successfully directed the actions of robotic arms based both at Duke and at an MIT lab 965 kilometers away in Cambridge. Belle's tiny hand moved a joystick left or right to correspond with a horizontal series of lights on a display panel in a Duke lab; both robot arms followed suit.

A few years later, the team listened in on brain signals generated by a rhesus monkey named Aurora using a joystick to play a video game and translated them into commands for a mechanical arm to duplicate the motions. Aurora was ultimately able to move a robotic arm sans the joystick, using only her thoughts, an experiment that the team believes addresses fundamental questions about how brain circuits operate.

Choose the option that best catches the essence of the text.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

The senses are said to be greater than the body; but greater than the senses is the mind. Greater than the mind is the intellect; and what is greater than the intellect is the Self. Know that which is greater than the intellect and subdue the mind by reason, kill this enemy in the form of desire that is hard to overcome.

The author's use of the phrase 'indicating something else also' in the 3^rd paragraph, implies most likely which of the following?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

In a major step toward helping paralytic victims walk again, Duke University researchers have announced that they had proved monkeys can use their brainpower to control the walking patterns of robots.

The investigators implanted Idoya, a rhesus monkey, with electrodes which gathered signals from her brain's motor and sensory cortex cells as she ambled along on a specially built child-size treadmill. The electrodes recorded the cells' responses as the monkey walked on the treadmill at different speeds; simultaneously, sensors on Idoya's legs tracked their patterns of movement. The information was transmitted real time from their lab in Durham, to control the commands of a humanoid robot in Kyoto, Japan.

Through the electrodes in her brain, the researchers discovered that some neurons fire at different phases and frequencies, depending on their role in the process. During the experiment, the robot continued to move for several minutes after Idoya stopped strolling on her treadmill indicating something else also.

The team’s goal is to finally enable real-time direct interfaces between a brain and electronic and mechanical devices that could be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost through injury or disease. The team hopes that one day soon, they will also master sufficient syntax to talk back to the brain, which would enable them, for instance, to build a human prosthetic arm laden with sensors to send tactile feedback into the somatosensory cortex of its user.

The experiment in monkey-to-robotic motion is the latest in a long series of studying the primate brain's ability to stimulate robotic arms through neural signals. In 2000 Nicolelis and his colleagues described how they had reliably translated the raw electrical brain activity of an owl monkey named Belle into signals that successfully directed the actions of robotic arms based both at Duke and at an MIT lab 965 kilometers away in Cambridge. Belle's tiny hand moved a joystick left or right to correspond with a horizontal series of lights on a display panel in a Duke lab; both robot arms followed suit.

A few years later, the team listened in on brain signals generated by a rhesus monkey named Aurora using a joystick to play a video game and translated them into commands for a mechanical arm to duplicate the motions. Aurora was ultimately able to move a robotic arm sans the joystick, using only her thoughts, an experiment that the team believes addresses fundamental questions about how brain circuits operate.

The experiment described is ultimately an attempt to

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

In a major step toward helping paralytic victims walk again, Duke University researchers have announced that they had proved monkeys can use their brainpower to control the walking patterns of robots.

The investigators implanted Idoya, a rhesus monkey, with electrodes which gathered signals from her brain's motor and sensory cortex cells as she ambled along on a specially built child-size treadmill. The electrodes recorded the cells' responses as the monkey walked on the treadmill at different speeds; simultaneously, sensors on Idoya's legs tracked their patterns of movement. The information was transmitted real time from their lab in Durham, to control the commands of a humanoid robot in Kyoto, Japan.

Through the electrodes in her brain, the researchers discovered that some neurons fire at different phases and frequencies, depending on their role in the process. During the experiment, the robot continued to move for several minutes after Idoya stopped strolling on her treadmill indicating something else also.

The team’s goal is to finally enable real-time direct interfaces between a brain and electronic and mechanical devices that could be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost through injury or disease. The team hopes that one day soon, they will also master sufficient syntax to talk back to the brain, which would enable them, for instance, to build a human prosthetic arm laden with sensors to send tactile feedback into the somatosensory cortex of its user.

The experiment in monkey-to-robotic motion is the latest in a long series of studying the primate brain's ability to stimulate robotic arms through neural signals. In 2000 Nicolelis and his colleagues described how they had reliably translated the raw electrical brain activity of an owl monkey named Belle into signals that successfully directed the actions of robotic arms based both at Duke and at an MIT lab 965 kilometers away in Cambridge. Belle's tiny hand moved a joystick left or right to correspond with a horizontal series of lights on a display panel in a Duke lab; both robot arms followed suit.

A few years later, the team listened in on brain signals generated by a rhesus monkey named Aurora using a joystick to play a video game and translated them into commands for a mechanical arm to duplicate the motions. Aurora was ultimately able to move a robotic arm sans the joystick, using only her thoughts, an experiment that the team believes addresses fundamental questions about how brain circuits operate.

Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

What can be inferred about the author's take on the issue?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage:

In the mid-term elections this year, the focus has shifted from individual bashing to issue based bashing and for once, both the parties – the Democrats and the Republicans, have agreed upon an issue that they both want to take to the cleaners. Surprisingly however, both the parties are blaming each other for the present fiasco and the target is the same- the biggest trade partner of the USA, and also its biggest creditor- People’s Republic of China. What was being considered a howitzer that sputtered, the issue of trade relations and other issues- real and imagined- with China has suddenly taken the centre stage in the electoral campaigning with the xenophobes on both sides of the political divide pointing accusing fingers at each other for putting national interest in harm’s way. The situation has been further exacerbated by a futuristic advertisement that has been brought out by a citizen’s forum called Citizens Against Government Waste in which a Chinese professor is shown addressing a group of Chinese students in Beijing in the year 2030 and explaining why great nations like Ancient Rome, The British Empire, and The United States failed. Talking of misguided American policies the professor says that since they- the Americans- owed most of their debt to the Chinese, now they- the citizens of USA, work for them- the citizens of China. While the ordinary citizens are divided in their opinion about the authenticity of the facts claimed in the advert, with reactions as diverse as chalk and cheese, there is no doubt that the advert has touched a very raw nerve indeed. Acting as a catalyst, the so called advert of the season has brought into sharp focus the American trade policies and the public perception about the same. Jingoism has taken on a more rabid, more vocal avatar- fanned by the developments on the electoral front.

Incumbents and challengers on both the sides have suddenly found a new horse to flog and the speech writers and the think-tanks on both the sides are busy trying to find out in minutest detail anything and everything that they can pin on the other side with respect to them having sold the nation down the river and to the Chinese. It is hardly new for the political aspirants in any nation blame someone in another country for their nation’s woes but this time around, for the first time perhaps, the fall guy is common for both the sides and he also happens to own increasing stakes in the nation. It is not a Vietnam, where apart from lives of thousands of GIs and lots of money, nothing much was at stake. For the sake of sanity and reason, one hopes that the present tirades will be brushed under the carpet once the electioneering is over and also that the Chinese will be reacting with equanimity on all the rhetoric being thrown around as the relations between the two super powers are already strained over the stubborn refusal of the Chinese on the issue of currency revaluation and the increasing protectionism being seen as a part of the new United States policy. In a sign of the times, in a recent poll, more than fifty percent of the Americans polled said that they believed that free trade had been harmful for the country.

If true, which of the following statements would describe the citizen’s perspective?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Despite the repeated terror threats and activities in various parts of the country, the government has chosen not to take military action against the outfits across the border responsible for such heinous deeds. Commenting on this, spokesperson for the external affairs ministry said “By not launching an armed movement against the neighbor we are trying to maintain peace in the long run”.
The public is not satisfied with the statement and has demanded proactive action.

What is the function of the fourth paragraph in relation to the passage as a whole?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

In a major step toward helping paralytic victims walk again, Duke University researchers have announced that they had proved monkeys can use their brainpower to control the walking patterns of robots.

The investigators implanted Idoya, a rhesus monkey, with electrodes which gathered signals from her brain's motor and sensory cortex cells as she ambled along on a specially built child-size treadmill. The electrodes recorded the cells' responses as the monkey walked on the treadmill at different speeds; simultaneously, sensors on Idoya's legs tracked their patterns of movement. The information was transmitted real time from their lab in Durham, to control the commands of a humanoid robot in Kyoto, Japan.

Through the electrodes in her brain, the researchers discovered that some neurons fire at different phases and frequencies, depending on their role in the process. During the experiment, the robot continued to move for several minutes after Idoya stopped strolling on her treadmill indicating something else also.

The team’s goal is to finally enable real-time direct interfaces between a brain and electronic and mechanical devices that could be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost through injury or disease. The team hopes that one day soon, they will also master sufficient syntax to talk back to the brain, which would enable them, for instance, to build a human prosthetic arm laden with sensors to send tactile feedback into the somatosensory cortex of its user.

The experiment in monkey-to-robotic motion is the latest in a long series of studying the primate brain's ability to stimulate robotic arms through neural signals. In 2000 Nicolelis and his colleagues described how they had reliably translated the raw electrical brain activity of an owl monkey named Belle into signals that successfully directed the actions of robotic arms based both at Duke and at an MIT lab 965 kilometers away in Cambridge. Belle's tiny hand moved a joystick left or right to correspond with a horizontal series of lights on a display panel in a Duke lab; both robot arms followed suit.

A few years later, the team listened in on brain signals generated by a rhesus monkey named Aurora using a joystick to play a video game and translated them into commands for a mechanical arm to duplicate the motions. Aurora was ultimately able to move a robotic arm sans the joystick, using only her thoughts, an experiment that the team believes addresses fundamental questions about how brain circuits operate.

Which of the following is / are NOT correct in the context of this passage?

1. Fundamentally speaking, there appears to be great similarity at the functional level between the observations made in both the Bell and the Idoya cases.

2.     The Aurora experiment proves that thoughts can, on their own, enable robotic movement if the relevant signals duly reach the recipient part even in the absence of actual physical contact.
   

3.     It is only the signals that enable particular movements and it is the neurons that generate these signals.   
   

4.     Theoretically speaking at least, one should be able to enjoy music or dance even if the relevant signals are not sent to the recipient.
   

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

In a major step toward helping paralytic victims walk again, Duke University researchers have announced that they had proved monkeys can use their brainpower to control the walking patterns of robots.

The investigators implanted Idoya, a rhesus monkey, with electrodes which gathered signals from her brain's motor and sensory cortex cells as she ambled along on a specially built child-size treadmill. The electrodes recorded the cells' responses as the monkey walked on the treadmill at different speeds; simultaneously, sensors on Idoya's legs tracked their patterns of movement. The information was transmitted real time from their lab in Durham, to control the commands of a humanoid robot in Kyoto, Japan.

Through the electrodes in her brain, the researchers discovered that some neurons fire at different phases and frequencies, depending on their role in the process. During the experiment, the robot continued to move for several minutes after Idoya stopped strolling on her treadmill indicating something else also.

The team’s goal is to finally enable real-time direct interfaces between a brain and electronic and mechanical devices that could be used to restore sensory and motor functions lost through injury or disease. The team hopes that one day soon, they will also master sufficient syntax to talk back to the brain, which would enable them, for instance, to build a human prosthetic arm laden with sensors to send tactile feedback into the somatosensory cortex of its user.

The experiment in monkey-to-robotic motion is the latest in a long series of studying the primate brain's ability to stimulate robotic arms through neural signals. In 2000 Nicolelis and his colleagues described how they had reliably translated the raw electrical brain activity of an owl monkey named Belle into signals that successfully directed the actions of robotic arms based both at Duke and at an MIT lab 965 kilometers away in Cambridge. Belle's tiny hand moved a joystick left or right to correspond with a horizontal series of lights on a display panel in a Duke lab; both robot arms followed suit.

A few years later, the team listened in on brain signals generated by a rhesus monkey named Aurora using a joystick to play a video game and translated them into commands for a mechanical arm to duplicate the motions. Aurora was ultimately able to move a robotic arm sans the joystick, using only her thoughts, an experiment that the team believes addresses fundamental questions about how brain circuits operate.