Directions (11-20): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

As the government prepare to empty its filling candidates and heads for the hot and dusty plans to solicit votes. It is visibly exuding optimism about the economy. According to its non-elected representatives, all the lead indicators seem to be showing signs of a revival with the first glimmer' of some incipient growth pushing through the enveloping groom. Steel, cement, auto, fast moving consumer goods (such as soaps and detergents), food items. beverages, volume of goods moved by the railways have all shown some improvement in January after having shrunk in the previous two months.

But before we start congratulating the government for its excellent economic management, let's hit the pause button for a moment. How much of the Indian economy's resulence is owed to governmental intervention ? OK, is there a strategy at all ?

One of the economy's mainstays for over a decade has been services. This contributes to over 50% of the country's GDP and has been providing enormous growth impulse over the past few years. If you were to listen to the government representatives, it would seem as if they had foreseen the coming age of services and had designed that structure.

The truth is somewhat different. There are many reasons behind the extraordinary growth of services. One of the reasons is the kind of elaborate rent-seeking structures erected by the government in the manufacturing sector. Any person wanting to set up a manufacturing facility in India still has to fill a large number of outstretched palms, making the operations costly from day one. Here's another unique aspect of the economy for which politicians routinely take credit. One of the saving graces for the Indian economy during this episode of the downturn is the safety net expected to be provided by Indian consumers, even as the international economy winds down and eschews consumption of goods made in India.

This has had a deleterious impact on Indian exports, leading many exporters to scale down their operations and restructure their businesses. Fortunately, for

the planners and the administrators. the impact of the global slowdown is likely to be cushioned, to a large extent, by the gigantic Indian domestic market, 'which will continue consuming and providing the growth push to the economy. Again, it's not as if some wise person in the government woke up one morning and presciently decreed that henceforth the country would focus only on the domestic markets. The government has always felt that exports should be the apposite strategy for economic growth, just like some of the other emerging countries. . Guess what? Exporters also have to manufacture and that is quite an endurance test in India. Plus, the intricate structure built around promoting exports also worked as a huge deterrent. The government also did not quite see exports as an alternative, viable economic growth model till the Southeast Asian success story burst on to the scene. Hence, till then exports did not quite get the required push. So, no grand design here too.

Unlike in USA and various other European economies, where the government provides unemployment benefits as part of their social contract; Indians have to fend for themselves. In the current downturn, for example, many Indians especially in the urban and semi-urban settlements are wary of spending because of uncertainties surrounding their jobs. This has impacted consumption but, conversely is bound to improve the savings rate.

The credit, therefore should go to the Indian citizen who, despite the various hurdles and inconveniences, is using his ingenuity to improve his lot at all times. This collective strength has not been forged by some steely policy push, but has developed by default, almost in line with Charles Darwin's theory of survival.


According to the author, one of the reasons why India's economy managed to sail through the economic downturn was.........

A. There was demand for Indian goods from domestic consumers even when internationally it had declined.

B. The politicians had foreseen the trouble and could prepare the country to effiCiently deal with it.

C. It was least affected by the economic downturn.


A) Only B

B) Only C

C) Both A and B

D) Only A

E) Both A and C

Correct Answer:
A) Only B


Part of solved IBPS PO-Prelims1 questions and answers : Exams >> Bank Exams >> IBPS PO-Prelims1








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B). Hurdles created by the Government for the common man
C). Government's campaign to once again regain Confidence of the masses
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2). The author attributes the improvement (or maintenance] of the economic condition of the country to

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