English Quiz: Reading Comprehension

The Central government’s framework for 20 cities to become ‘smart’ over a five-year period can cover new ground if it makes intelligent use of information technology to deliver better civic services. Rapid and poorly regulated urbanisation has overwhelmed urban governments, rendering them incapable of providing even basic services such as clean water, sewerage, pedestrian-friendly roads, public transport, uninterrupted power, street lighting, parks and recreational spaces. So weak and uncoordinated is governance that commercial entities have wilfully violated building regulations and put up unauthorised structures — with severe impact on congestion, air quality and flood management — and governments have gladly regularised the violations later. The smart city plan now proposes to intervene and bring some order by upgrading the physical infrastructure in select enclaves, and incentivising the use of information and communication technologies. Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has come up with a generalised definition of a smart Indian city as one that “enables a decent life to the citizens, and green and sustainable environment, besides enabling adoption of smart solutions”, but the exercise should lead to measurable outcomes.

2. What is the appropriate title for the passage?
a) Giving Cities the smart edge
b) Urbanization a reality
c) Smart cities an area wise development approach
d) Smart cities a distant dream
e) none of the above


3. What is the generalized definition of Smart city?
a) Enables a decent life to citizens
b) One with a green and sustainable environment
c) smart and advanced solutions
d) all of the above
e) None of the above

Directions (Q. 6-8): Choose the word which is opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

4. imperative
a) secondary
b) inescapable
c) crucial
d) hanging by thread
e) None of the above

5.  rendering
a) misunderstanding
b) explanation
c) realization
d) comprehension
e) None of the above

6.  convergence
a) concurrence
b) synchronism
c) confluence
d) divide
e) None of the above


Directions (Q. 9-10): Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage

7. sustainable
a) imperishable
b) perishable
c) unendurable
d) temporary
e) None of the above

8. urbanisation
a) immunization
b) sophisticate
c) metropolitanize
d) down town
e) All of the above


9. renewal
a) reclamation
b) delayed
c) damage
d) break
e) destroy


10. Which of the following is not true from the passage?
1)  Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar have shown high ambition and dynamism by opting for a common travel card.
2) Technologies such as GPS to inform passengers in offline mode on their mobile phones, and common ticketing, increase the efficiency of transport use.
3) Rapid and poorly regulated urbanisation has overwhelmed urban governments, rendering them incapable of providing even basic services such as clean water, sewerage, pedestrian-friendly roads, public transport, uninterrupted power, street lighting, parks and recreational spaces.
4) Although it enjoys high visibility, the smart city programme is merely a framework for urban development aided by the Centre with a small initial seed fund of Rs.1000 crore, while additional finances have to come from public-private partnerships and local revenue.
5) none of the above


Answers:
1) b
2) a
3) d 
4) a
5) a
6) d
7) a
8) e 
9) a
10) a