Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers

Answer: D

The author is conveying that Indian IT firms are engaging in expanding their presence internationally.

The sentence opens a passage about the 'outsourcing giants' that are 'aggressively expanding beyond their usual stomping grounds into the developing world; setting up programming centres, chasing new clients and hiring local talent'. Having been created by the globalization of the American economy, the sector now spreads out itself, which is what 'some globalization of its own' means.

The other options misread it. India has not taken the leading position from the US: the US still supplies 60% of export revenue. The firms are not competing with other emerging nations for American business, since they are going into those nations to find new customers. And they are not 'considering outsourcing' to developing economies, because they are setting up operations and hiring locals there.

Answer: A

The answer is None: none of A, B or C is given as a reason.

The passage says Indian IT rose because American executives 'were quick to capitalize on the cost savings to be gained by outsourcing noncore operations, such as systems programming and call centres'. The attraction was therefore lower cost for routine work, so statement A, expertise in rare core operations, contradicts the text.

Statement B, that the US lacked infrastructure and personnel, is not claimed anywhere; the reason was saving money, not a shortage. Statement C is not in the passage either: other developing countries are said to be equally low cost today, and nothing is said about them failing to meet American policies. So 'Only A', 'Only A and B' and 'Only C' each include a claim the passage does not make.

Answer: B

The closest answer is the demands of these markets are different from those of India's traditional customers.

The passage says Indian firms 'can't compete on price alone' in emerging economies, so to adapt they set up 'major local operations', hire locals, and 'work extra hard to woo business' from companies 'unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing'. That is a change in how they do business, brought about by the character of these customers and markets, which the key states as different demands.

The other options are not supported. No shortage of capacity is mentioned. Wages are not higher: 'costs in other emerging economies [are] equally low'. And stringent laws are never mentioned. What could not be confirmed is that the passage itself states the cause in the key's words; option B is the best fit among four, not a quotation.

Answer: A

The key's answer is drop in demand for IT services by Europe and the US.

The passage says NASSCOM forecasts that the growth rate of India's exports of IT and other business services to the US and Europe 'will drop to at most 7% in the current fiscal year, down from 16% last year and 29% in 2007-08'. The statistics therefore show slowing demand from those two markets during the recession.

To be exact, the figures are a falling growth rate and not an absolute fall, so the option is the closest reading and not a precise one. The other options claim things the passage never says: that Indian firms overcharge, that India has lost out to other emerging IT hubs, or that the sector must be restructured.

Answer: C

The statement that is not a difficulty is that the US is their preferred outsourcing destination.

The passage lists three difficulties in emerging markets: companies there are 'unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing' (a mindset resistant to outsourcing), 'costs in other emerging economies [are] equally low' (local services are equally cost-effective, so price alone does not win business), and 'cultural conflicts arise at times while training new recruits'.

The US is the established market where the firms already do well, accounting for 60% of export revenue; that is why they are looking elsewhere, and it is not a difficulty of working in emerging markets.

Answer: B

Only statement A is not true, so the answer is Only A.

A says the recession severely hit the US but not India. The passage says the opposite for India: because of the recession NASSCOM forecasts export growth to the US and Europe to fall from 29% to at most 7%, and Indian firms are expanding in order to 'regain some momentum after the recession'.

B is true: the US is 'no longer the undisputed engine of growth' and the firms are moving into the developing world to depend less on it. C is true: 'if successful, the future of India's outsourcing sector could prove as bright as its past' when the firms succeed in tapping emerging markets. Options that include B or C as not true are therefore wrong.

Answer: B

The answer is emerging markets.

The passage says 'Factors other than the crisis are driving India's IT firms into the emerging world', and the factor it gives is that 'emerging markets are growing faster'. Those faster-growing, more dynamic economies are what pull the firms to look for other options.

The US supplying 60% of export revenue is stated with 'although': it is the reason these firms would stay with the US, not a driver away from it, so option A and the combined option D are wrong, and 'none of the above' is wrong because emerging markets are named.

Answer: B

The product that has not been made with Kevlar is bungee jumping cords.

The passage lists tennis racquets and body armour (A and D). It does not name brake pads, but Kevlar is a recognised asbestos substitute in brake pads (the chopped fibre is used in them), so option C is a real Kevlar product. Bungee cords are not: they need an elastic cord, and Kevlar is a strong fibre that hardly stretches.

The passage alone does not settle the question, since neither bungee cords nor brake pads appear in it. The answer depends on the outside fact about brake pads.

Answer: D

Kevlar is known for all of the above.

The first paragraph says the fabric is resistant to temperatures higher than 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is heat resistance, and five times stronger than steel, which is strength. The fourth paragraph calls it 'a remarkable fabric known for its strength and durability'.

All three characteristics are therefore named, and option D is right.

Answer: A

The search was caused by a shortage in the gasoline supply.

The passage says that in 1964 there were gasoline shortages due to conflict in the Middle East, and Kwolek's group was trying to make a light, durable fibre for tires so that vehicles could get better mileage.

Protecting police officers came later with the vest, and musical instruments are a use of the fibre. The passage does not mention asbestos.