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Multiple Choice Questions

What does the statement marked as B in paragraph 4 refer to ........

English Language (SBI-PO) Reading comprehension (P)

Direction (): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of these.

Paragraph 1: The distressing news of three young girls dying of starvation in the heart of New Delhi last week raises a number of questions; not only on the failure of the state to protect its citizens from hunger 70 years after independence but also on the development model that India seems to be following. (A) It is a paradox to note that India has moved into consumer capitalism from industrial capitalism.

Paragraph 2: The death of these children follows a series of reports of alleged starvation deaths over the last six months, mostly from Jharkhand but also from other states such as Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. In each of these cases, fact-finding reports and newspaper stories have documented failures of the system in reaching entitlements to the affected families. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) includes provisions for subsidised grains from the public distribution system (PDS), school meals for schoolgoing children, maternity entitlements and supplementary nutrition for young children through Anganwadi centres. A fact-finding report prepared by the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan revealed that while these services were available in the area, the girls and their parents did not have access to any of these in the months preceding their deaths. This was presumably because it was more difficult for them to get enrolled as they were migrants and did not have the necessary documents. Or, probably because the quota of ration cards in Delhi have already been distributed.

Paragraph 3: In all cases of alleged starvation deaths reported so far, there has been a documentation of denials of either NFSA entitlements or social security pensions (for the aged/single women) due to bureaucratic hurdles and/or resource constraints imposed by the state. These cases of deaths associated with protracted periods of hunger highlight the fact that despite the availability of such an elaborate system of social sector schemes, the most marginalised are being left out. Along with tightening the implementation mechanism for the existing schemes, other initiatives such as community kitchens in urban areas, diversified food baskets through the PDS particularly in tribal areas, provision of school meals during vacations and so on; that have been tried and found successful in different states need to be replicated across the country. Further, requirements such as mandatory Aadhaar authentication, which in a number of these cases, has been an underlying cause for exclusion should not be allowed. A truly universal system of social security that pays special attention to reaching out to the most vulnerable communities needs to be put in place.

Paragraph 4: The deep-rooted inequity in the current economic model which, while benefiting a few, is resulting in many being deprived of basic livelihood security and dignified employment opportunities, needs to be acknowledged. Cases like these expose the vulnerability of millions of Indians who are living such precarious lives in the absence of livelihood security. (B) The state is conspicuous by its absence. (C) There must be a national debate on issues of equitable distribution of resources. At the very least, what the state and political parties can do is to initiate such a discussion and offer creative solutions rather than spending their energy in trying to establish whether the deaths were due to starvation at all or not. There must be accountability for this state of affairs. It simply cannot be business as usual anymore.

What does the statement marked as (B) in paragraph 4 refer to?

The State was absent because it had some other important agenda to attend to.

The State was absent where it should have been.

The State made its agenda clear by not being present.

The State was unintentionally absent.

The State was attracting attention.

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Explanation:

The phrase ‘conspicuous by its absence’ in the given context of the passage means that the state is ‘obviously not present where one or it should be.’

Therefore, option 2 is the apt answer