Born out of the forces of globalisation, India's IT sector is undertaking some globalisation of its own. In search of new sources of rapid growth, the country's outsourcing giants are aggressively expanding beyond their usual stomping grounds into the developing world; setting up programming centers, chasing new clients and hiring local talent. Through geographic diversification, Indian companies hope to regain some momentum after the recession. This shift is being driven by a global economy in which the US is no longer the undisputed engine of growth. India's IT powers rose to prominence largely on the decisions made by American executives, who were quick to capitalise on the cost savings to be gained by outsourcing noncore operations, such as systems programming and call centers, to specialists overseas. Revenues in India's IT sector surged from $4 billion in 1998 to $59 billion last fiscal, but with the recession 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 years and 29% in 2007-08. Factors other than the crisis are driving India's IT firms into the emerging world. Although the US still accounts for 60% of the export revenue of India's IT sector, emerging markets are growing faster. Tapping these more dynamic economies won't be easy, however. The goal of Indian IT firms for the past 30 years has been to woo clients outside India and transfer as much of the actual work as possible back home, where lower wages for highly skilled programmers allowed them to offer significant cost savings. With costs in other emerging economies equally low, Indian firms can't compete on price alone.
To adapt, Indian companies which are relatively unknown in these emerging nations are establishing major local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of locals. Cultural conflicts arise at times while training new recruits. In addition, IT firms also have to work extra hard to woo business from emerging-market companies still unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing. If successful, the future of India's outsourcing sector could prove as bright as its past.

Which of the following is/are not true in the context of the passage?
A. The recession severely impacted the US but not India.
B. India is trying to depend less on the US as a source of growth.
C. The future success of Indian IT firms depends on emerging markets.

• Only B and C
  
  

• Only A
  
  

• Only B
  
  

• All A, B, and C

Born out of the forces of globalisation, India's IT sector is undertaking some globalisation of its own. In search of new sources of rapid growth, the country's outsourcing giants are aggressively expanding beyond their usual stomping grounds into the developing world; setting up programming centers, chasing new clients and hiring local talent. Through geographic diversification, Indian companies hope to regain some momentum after the recession. This shift is being driven by a global economy in which the US is no longer the undisputed engine of growth. India's IT powers rose to prominence largely on the decisions made by American executives, who were quick to capitalise on the cost savings to be gained by outsourcing noncore operations, such as systems programming and call centers, to specialists overseas. Revenues in India's IT sector surged from $4 billion in 1998 to $59 billion last fiscal, but with the recession 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 years and 29% in 2007-08. Factors other than the crisis are driving India's IT firms into the emerging world. Although the US still accounts for 60% of the export revenue of India's IT sector, emerging markets are growing faster. Tapping these more dynamic economies won't be easy, however. The goal of Indian IT firms for the past 30 years has been to woo clients outside India and transfer as much of the actual work as possible back home, where lower wages for highly skilled programmers allowed them to offer significant cost savings. With costs in other emerging economies equally low, Indian firms can't compete on price alone.
To adapt, Indian companies which are relatively unknown in these emerging nations are establishing major local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of locals. Cultural conflicts arise at times while training new recruits. In addition, IT firms also have to work extra hard to woo business from emerging-market companies still unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing. If successful, the future of India's outsourcing sector could prove as bright as its past.

Which one of the following words is most similar in meaning to the word 'chasing' as used in the passage?

• Harassing
  
  

• Pestering
  
  

• Pursuing
  
  

• Running

Born out of the forces of globalisation, India's IT sector is undertaking some globalisation of its own. In search of new sources of rapid growth, the country's outsourcing giants are aggressively expanding beyond their usual stomping grounds into the developing world; setting up programming centers, chasing new clients and hiring local talent. Through geographic diversification, Indian companies hope to regain some momentum after the recession. This shift is being driven by a global economy in which the US is no longer the undisputed engine of growth. India's IT powers rose to prominence largely on the decisions made by American executives, who were quick to capitalise on the cost savings to be gained by outsourcing noncore operations, such as systems programming and call centers, to specialists overseas. Revenues in India's IT sector surged from $4 billion in 1998 to $59 billion last fiscal, but with the recession 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 years and 29% in 2007-08. Factors other than the crisis are driving India's IT firms into the emerging world. Although the US still accounts for 60% of the export revenue of India's IT sector, emerging markets are growing faster. Tapping these more dynamic economies won't be easy, however. The goal of Indian IT firms for the past 30 years has been to woo clients outside India and transfer as much of the actual work as possible back home, where lower wages for highly skilled programmers allowed them to offer significant cost savings. With costs in other emerging economies equally low, Indian firms can't compete on price alone.
To adapt, Indian companies which are relatively unknown in these emerging nations are establishing major local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of locals. Cultural conflicts arise at times while training new recruits. In addition, IT firms also have to work extra hard to woo business from emerging-market companies still unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing. If successful, the future of India's outsourcing sector could prove as bright as its past.

Which one of the following words is most opposite to the meaning of the word 'undisputed' as used in the passage?

• Doubtful
  
  

• Deprived
  
  

• Emphasised
  
  

• Challenging

Born out of the forces of globalisation, India's IT sector is undertaking some globalisation of its own. In search of new sources of rapid growth, the country's outsourcing giants are aggressively expanding beyond their usual stomping grounds into the developing world; setting up programming centers, chasing new clients and hiring local talent. Through geographic diversification, Indian companies hope to regain some momentum after the recession. This shift is being driven by a global economy in which the US is no longer the undisputed engine of growth. India's IT powers rose to prominence largely on the decisions made by American executives, who were quick to capitalise on the cost savings to be gained by outsourcing noncore operations, such as systems programming and call centers, to specialists overseas. Revenues in India's IT sector surged from $4 billion in 1998 to $59 billion last fiscal, but with the recession 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 years and 29% in 2007-08. Factors other than the crisis are driving India's IT firms into the emerging world. Although the US still accounts for 60% of the export revenue of India's IT sector, emerging markets are growing faster. Tapping these more dynamic economies won't be easy, however. The goal of Indian IT firms for the past 30 years has been to woo clients outside India and transfer as much of the actual work as possible back home, where lower wages for highly skilled programmers allowed them to offer significant cost savings. With costs in other emerging economies equally low, Indian firms can't compete on price alone.
To adapt, Indian companies which are relatively unknown in these emerging nations are establishing major local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of local operations around the world, in the process hiring thousands of locals. Cultural conflicts arise at times while training new recruits. In addition, IT firms also have to work extra hard to woo business from emerging-market companies still unaccustomed to the concept of outsourcing. If successful, the future of India's outsourcing sector could prove as bright as its past.

Other than crisis, what is driving IT companies to seek other options?

• Emerging markets
  
  

• The US makes more than 60% of India's export revenue
  
  

• None of the above
  
  

• Both (1) and (2)

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

What is 'breaking' in 'Break, Break, Break'?

• Poet's heart
  
  

• The wind
  
  

• The sunshine through the clouds
  
  

• The sea

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

The mood of the speaker in 'Break, Break, Break' is

• lighthearted
  
  

• somber and grieved
  
  

• energised
  
  

• contemplative and hopeful

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

The speaker in 'Break, Break, Break' observes all the following, except

• a sailor boy singing
  
  

• a lady in a tower
  
  

• ships coming in
  
  

• children playing

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

The speaker of 'Break, Break, Break' cannot

• see
  
  

• speak
  
  

• hear
  
  

• feel

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

In the first two lines of the poem, the poet uses

• apostrophe
  
  

• assonance
  
  

• metaphor
  
  

• simile

30.

Break, Break, Break,
On thy cold gray stones, 0 Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.
0, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay!
And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish's hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still!
Break, Break, Break,
At the foot of thy crags, 0 Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me.

The phrase 'haven under the hill' is an example of

• metaphor
  
  

• personification
  
  

• alliteration
  
  

• simile