In the following passage ten blanks are left out, each labeled with a number…
2025
In the following passage ten blanks are left out, each labeled with a number 1, 2, 3 and so on. You have to choose a set of words that is correct grammatically and contextually in order to fill the blank.
The Union Cabinet has approved a series of changes in foreign direct investment norms as the government prepares to enter the last lap of its economic policy-setting phase ahead of the 2019 election. Key among these was the decision to _____ 1 _____ up to 49% overseas ownership, including by a foreign airline, in Air India. This comes just a little more than six months after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its nod for a strategic _____ 2 _____ of the airline. The relaxation in ownership norms clears the decks for possible bidders such as the Singapore Airlines-Tata combine and Jet Airways — with its overseas equity and route partners — to make a more detailed commercial _____ 3 _____ of the investment opportunity the state-owned flag carrier presents. For the fiscally constrained government, the _____ 4 _____ couldn’t have come sooner. With the Union Budget due soon and the government _____ 5 _____ short of its budgeted strategic disinvestment goal for the current financial year — as of end-November, only 28% of the targeted ₹15,000 crore had been realised — the hope must be for an _____ 6 _____ timetable for the stake sale. Still, the fulfillment of a necessary condition for a strategic sale doesn’t automatically become sufficient grounds for a successful privatisation. Given the carrier’s accumulated debt of about ₹50,000 crore and the fact that the interest of potential investors is likely to be focused on Air India’s _____ 7 _____ long-haul international routes and its fleet of more than 40 wide-bodied aircraft, disinvestment will be neither easy nor guaranteed. At the very least, the government needs to set a distinct, _____ 8 _____ road map for the sale process. The other reform cleared by the Cabinet was the _____ 9 _____ decision to put 100% FDI in Single Brand Retail Trading under the ‘automatic’ route, accompanied by the long-sought relaxation of mandatory local sourcing norms. This had been a major issue with potential investors including Apple, which had repeatedly urged the government to take a more _____ 10 _____ view given the level of technological advancement incorporated in its products and the difficulty in finding local sources of supply at the requisite scale.
Choose a set of words that is correct grammatically and contextually in order to fill the blank 6
(question no 1 till 10 are linked together)
- A.
inexpedient, impolitic
- B.
accelerated, increased
- C.
sluggish, gradual
- D.
lethargic, plodding
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a 'set of words' cloze test, each option offers a PAIR of near-synonyms as one candidate answer for the blank. The correct set is the one whose SHARED MEANING DIRECTION — not necessarily equal standalone fluency for both words — matches both the grammar of the sentence and the tone the passage demands (urgency, delay, praise, caution, etc.). One word in the pair typically slots in most naturally; the second confirms the same meaning category rather than needing to be independently as smooth.
Application: The passage states the government is already running behind its own disinvestment target — only 28% of the targeted ₹15,000 crore stake-sale proceeds had been realised by end-November, with the Union Budget approaching. Given this shortfall, 'the hope must be for an ___ timetable for the stake sale' calls for a word meaning a FASTER pace. 'Accelerated' slots into 'an accelerated timetable' both grammatically and in meaning, and 'increased' shares that same faster-pace category even though it reads a shade less smoothly on its own — together the pair points to the same meaning direction the passage's urgency demands.
Cross-check: Testing each distractor pair against that same urgency requirement rules it out:
'inexpedient, impolitic' — both mean unwise or ill-advised, describing the QUALITY of a decision, not its speed; irrelevant to a 'timetable'.
'sluggish, gradual' — both describe a SLOW pace, the opposite of what a government already behind schedule needs.
'lethargic, plodding' — both also mean drawn-out or slow, again contradicting the need to speed up.
Result: Only the pair whose shared meaning points to 'faster / greater pace' fits both the grammar of 'timetable' and the passage's urgent tone, so the words that correctly fill blank 6 are 'accelerated, increased'.