Directions: Study the given information carefully to answer the questions that…

2026

Directions: Study the given information carefully to answer the questions that follow.

A reputed educational foundation is to select meritorious students for scholarships for higher studies abroad who fulfill the following criteria:

  1. Age – More than 22 years but less than 27 years as on 1.4.2017

  2. Minimum percentage of marks – B.Sc. with 65% or B.A. with 55% or B.Com. with 60%

  3. Prizes/Awards – Should have at least one in Essay, Debate or Sports

  4. Annual family income – Not more than Rs. 2,50,000

  5. Domicile – Must be staying in India for the last 15 years or more as on 1.4.2017

Concessions: One has to fulfill the above conditions. However, certain concessions are available to the following categories:

  • Wards of Farmers – Relaxation in the maximum age limit (criterion 1) up to five years

  • SC/ST applicants – Relaxation in percentage of marks (criterion 2) up to 5%

Considerations:

  • Not fulfilling criterion 3 (Prizes/Awards) – the case may be referred to the Secretary of the Foundation

  • Not fulfilling criterion 4 (Annual Family Income) – the case may be referred to the Chairperson of the Foundation

You have to study the information provided for a candidate in each of the following questions and decide the course of action.

Gaurav, who will be 23 years old on 1.1.2016, passed B.Com. with 57% marks. His father, a Government employee, has been working in Delhi since 1989, whose present monthly income is Rs. 28,200. Gaurav got the 3rd prize in the State Essay Competition.

  1. A.

    Candidate is to be selected.

  2. B.

    Candidate is to be selected under any concession.

  3. C.

    Case is to be referred to the Chairman.

  4. D.

    Candidate is not to be selected.

Attempted by 3 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

In a selection decision-table item, a candidate qualifies only by meeting every listed mandatory criterion. A concession can relax exactly one named criterion for a matching category of applicant, and a "consideration" converts a shortfall on one specific criterion into a referral — but only when every other criterion is otherwise met. A referral therefore cannot rescue a candidate who also fails a separate mandatory criterion for which no matching concession exists.

  1. Age: Gaurav will be 23 years old on 1.1.2016; by the reference date 1.4.2017 (about 15 months later) he is 24 — within the "more than 22 but less than 27" window, so criterion 1 is satisfied.

  2. Marks: He passed B.Com. with 57%, but B.Com. requires 60%. He is not an SC/ST applicant, so the 5% marks concession does not apply to him — criterion 2 is NOT satisfied, with no exception available.

  3. Prizes/Awards: He won the 3rd prize in the State Essay Competition, satisfying the "at least one in Essay, Debate or Sports" requirement — criterion 3 is satisfied.

  4. Annual family income: His father's monthly income is Rs. 28,200, so the annual income is Rs. 28,200 × 12 = Rs. 3,38,400, which exceeds the Rs. 2,50,000 ceiling — criterion 4 is NOT satisfied. Ordinarily, failing only this criterion triggers a referral to the Chairperson.

  5. Domicile: His father has been working (and residing) in Delhi since 1989 — well over 15 years before 1.4.2017 — so criterion 5 is satisfied.

Cross-check: Gaurav fails both criterion 2 (marks) and criterion 4 (income). The Chairperson-referral provision applies only when income is the one unmet criterion; since he separately fails the marks criterion — for which no concession applies to him — the referral route cannot be used, and the marks shortfall alone, with no exception, is decisive.

Result: Candidate is not to be selected.

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