SNAP 2018 Previous Year Question Paper

Passage

For most of the late twentieth century, the direction of trade policy seemed settled: tariffs fell, supply chains stretched across continents, and the price of a shirt or a phone came to depend on a dozen countries at once. Lately the direction has wavered. Governments that once competed to sign trade agreements now speak of 'strategic autonomy' and impose duties in the name of security.

Supporters of the new barriers argue that cheap imports hollowed out factory towns and that a nation which cannot make essential goods is at the mercy of others. Critics reply that a tariff is a tax paid mostly by a country's own consumers, and that retaliation tends to hurt exporters who had nothing to do with the original dispute. Both sides are partly right, which is why the argument is unlikely to end soon.

1. According to the critics mentioned in the passage, who mainly bears the cost of a tariff?

   1. Foreign governments
   2. Factory towns that lost jobs
   3. The importing country's own consumers
   4. Multinational supply chains
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (The importing country's own consumers)

   The critics say 'a tariff is a tax paid mostly by a country's own consumers'.

2. What is the author's own position on the debate?

   1. Each side has some merit, so the debate is likely to continue.
   2. Trade barriers are essential for national security.
   3. Trade barriers are always harmful.
   4. The debate has already been settled in favour of free trade.
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (Each side has some merit, so the debate is likely to continue.)

   The last sentence says 'Both sides are partly right, which is why the argument is unlikely to end soon.'

Verbal ability

3. Choose the word closest in meaning to PRAGMATIC.

   1. Dogmatic
   2. Idealistic
   3. Practical
   4. Theoretical
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: C (Practical)

   Pragmatic means dealing with things sensibly and realistically, that is, practical. 'Dogmatic' is a sound-alike distractor.

4. Choose the meaning of the idiom 'to burn the midnight oil'.

   1. To work or study late into the night
   2. To celebrate wildly
   3. To waste resources
   4. To lose one's temper
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (To work or study late into the night)

   'Burning the midnight oil' means working late at night, originally by the light of an oil lamp.

5. Identify the part of speech of the capitalised word: 'She ran FAST to catch the bus.'

   1. Verb
   2. Noun
   3. Adjective
   4. Adverb
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: D (Adverb)

   'Fast' modifies the verb 'ran' (how she ran), so it is an adverb here. In 'a fast car' it would be an adjective.

6. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Despite his ______ wealth, he lived in a modest two-room flat.

   1. negligible
   2. dwindling
   3. meagre
   4. considerable
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: D (considerable)

   'Despite' signals a contrast with 'modest', so the wealth must be large: considerable. The other words describe little or falling wealth, which leaves no contrast.

7. Special question (type-in, 2 marks). The sentence below is split into four numbered parts. Type the number of the part that contains a grammatical error. (1) The number of applicants / (2) have increased sharply / (3) since the fee / (4) was reduced. (type in your answer)

   Answer and explanation

   Answer: 2

   The subject is 'The number' (singular), so the verb must be 'has increased'. The error is in part 2.

8. What is the volume of a cylinder with radius 7 cm and height 10 cm? (Take π = 22/7.)

   1. 1,540 cm³
   2. 440 cm³
   3. 3,080 cm³
   4. 770 cm³
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: A (1,540 cm³)

   V = πr²h = (22/7) × 49 × 10 = 1,540 cm³.

9. A right circular cone has base radius 6 cm and height 8 cm. What is its curved surface area?

   1. 48π cm²
   2. 60π cm²
   3. 80π cm²
   4. 96π cm²
   Answer and explanation

   Answer: B (60π cm²)

   Slant height l = √(6² + 8²) = 10. Curved surface area = πrl = π × 6 × 10 = 60π cm².

10. Special question (type-in, 2 marks). A solid metal sphere of radius 6 cm is melted and recast into solid cones, each of base radius 2 cm and height 6 cm. How many cones are obtained? (type in your answer)

    Answer and explanation

    Answer: 36

    Sphere volume = (4/3)π × 6³ = 288π. Cone volume = (1/3)π × 2² × 6 = 8π. Number of cones = 288π / 8π = 36.

11. If x + 1/x = 5, what is x² + 1/x²?

    1. 21
    2. 25
    3. 27
    4. 23
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (23)

    (x + 1/x)² = x² + 2 + 1/x², so x² + 1/x² = 25 − 2 = 23.

12. Given log₁₀ 2 = 0.3010, how many digits does 2⁵⁰ have?

    1. 16
    2. 15
    3. 14
    4. 17
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (16)

    log₁₀ 2⁵⁰ = 50 × 0.3010 = 15.05. The number of digits is the integer part plus 1: 15 + 1 = 16.

13. At what rate of simple interest per annum does a sum double itself in 8 years?

    1. 12.5%
    2. 15%
    3. 12%
    4. 10%
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (12.5%)

    Doubling means interest = principal, so P × r × 8/100 = P, giving r = 100/8 = 12.5%.

14. How many positive divisors does 360 have?

    1. 20
    2. 18
    3. 30
    4. 24
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: D (24)

    360 = 2³ × 3² × 5, so the number of divisors = (3 + 1)(2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 24.

15. Who assumed charge as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 12 December 2018, after Urjit Patel resigned?

    1. Raghuram Rajan
    2. Viral Acharya
    3. Shaktikanta Das
    4. N. S. Vishwanathan
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Shaktikanta Das)

    Shaktikanta Das, a retired IAS officer, became the 25th RBI Governor with effect from 12 December 2018.

16. In May 2018, which company agreed to buy a controlling stake of about 77% in Flipkart for roughly $16 billion?

    1. SoftBank
    2. Amazon
    3. Walmart
    4. Alibaba
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Walmart)

    Walmart announced on 9 May 2018 that it would pay about $16 billion for roughly 77% of Flipkart, its biggest foreign investment.

17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the UN's 2018 'Champions of the Earth' award in the Policy Leadership category with:

    1. Shinzo Abe
    2. Justin Trudeau
    3. Emmanuel Macron
    4. Angela Merkel
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Emmanuel Macron)

    Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were jointly honoured for championing the International Solar Alliance; Modi was also cited for his pledge to eliminate single-use plastic.

18. Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, launched on 23 September 2018 in Ranchi, offers health cover of up to how much per family per year?

    1. ₹2 lakh
    2. ₹5 lakh
    3. ₹1 lakh
    4. ₹10 lakh
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (₹5 lakh)

    PM-JAY provides health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year. It was launched by the Prime Minister at Ranchi, Jharkhand, on 23 September 2018.

19. Special question (type-in, 2 marks). The Statue of Unity, inaugurated at Kevadia, Gujarat, on 31 October 2018, is how many metres tall? Type the number. (type in your answer)

    Answer and explanation

    Answer: 182

    The Statue of Unity, honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is 182 m tall, the tallest statue in the world. It was inaugurated on his 143rd birth anniversary.

Circular arrangement

Six colleagues, A, B, C, D, E and F, sit around a circular table facing the centre. • D sits directly opposite A. • A sits immediately to the left of B. • C sits next to D. • F sits immediately to the right of D. • E does not sit next to B.

20. Who sits immediately to the right of E?

    1. A
    2. F
    3. C
    4. B
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (A)

    Number seats 0 to 5 clockwise. For people facing the centre, a person's left neighbour is the next seat clockwise. Put A in seat 0; D is opposite, in seat 3. A is immediately left of B, so B is in seat 5. F is immediately right of D, so F is in seat 2. C must sit next to D, so C takes seat 4, leaving E in seat 1, which is not next to B. Clockwise order: A, E, F, D, C, B. E's right neighbour (one seat anticlockwise) is A.

21. Who sits directly opposite F?

    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. E
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: B (B)

    F is in seat 2, and the seat opposite is seat 5, which is B.

Miscellaneous

22. Of A, B and C, exactly one always lies and the other two always tell the truth. A says, 'B is the liar.' B says, 'I am not the liar.' C says, 'A is the liar.' Who is the liar?

    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. Cannot be determined
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (A)

    If B lied, C's statement ('A is the liar') would be false, giving two liars. If C lied, A's statement ('B is the liar') would be false, again two liars. If A lies, B is truthful (consistent with B's claim) and C is right that A is the liar. Only A works.

23. Special question (type-in, 2 marks). Find the next number: 5, 11, 23, 47, 95, ? (type in your answer)

    Answer and explanation

    Answer: 191

    Each term is double the previous plus 1: 95 × 2 + 1 = 191.

24. What is Mohan's age? I. Mohan is 6 years older than Sohan. II. The sum of Mohan's and Sohan's ages is 40.

    1. Statement I alone is sufficient
    2. Statement II alone is sufficient
    3. Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone is
    4. Both statements together are not sufficient
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: C (Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone is)

    Neither statement alone fixes Mohan's age. Together, M − S = 6 and M + S = 40 give M = 23. So both are needed.

25. M is the brother of N. N is the daughter of O. P is the husband of O. How is M related to P?

    1. Son
    2. Brother
    3. Grandson
    4. Nephew
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (Son)

    N is O's daughter, and M is N's brother, so M is O's son. P is O's husband, so M is P's son.

26. If LAMP is coded as 12-1-13-16, how is DESK coded?

    1. 4-5-19-11
    2. 4-5-18-11
    3. 3-5-19-11
    4. 4-6-19-11
    Answer and explanation

    Answer: A (4-5-19-11)

    Each letter is replaced by its position in the alphabet: D = 4, E = 5, S = 19, K = 11.