Passage 1
Twenty-four-hour banking with an ATM or checking one’s account balance may not mean much to townspeople. But imagine these benefits being made available at the doorstep of someone who lives 100 km from the nearest town, earns less than Rs 500 per month and has never had access to a bank account. Six months ago, the Andhra Pradesh government decided to experiment with their technology outreach programmed and scored a hit.
In May this year, as the hinterland sizzled during the harsh summer, officials sent in some devices resembling cell phones and a bunch of smart cards. These phones use Near Field VA-5 (Reading Comprehension) Page 10 of 10 Communication technology and short-range RFID smart cards, based on a technology developed by NXP Semiconductors. The government hopes to touch 35 lakh people across the state under the project.
From pensioners to windows, the disabled and the marginalized, everyone entitled to the Rs200 pension will be the first recipient of the technology’s benefits. It’s the first time that such a high-end technology is being used at the grass-roots, claim its creators – Mumbai-based A Little World Pvt. Ltd. “The core technology is based on NXP Semiconductors and is used for very high-end work with this, all we need is a cell phone that can read a smart card with all the relevant data when it is held four inches away,” says Anurag Gupta, CEO, and A little World.
The technology has found a willing partner in the State Bank of India. Ramchandra Reddy, DGM (agriculture and rural markets), SBI, says, “I hail from a remote village in Cuddapah district, so I know the difference this will make. Today I can offer people in villages financial services ranging from microinsurance covers of Rs 25,000 to microloans and better cash management instruments.” The technology has succeeded in the middle of nowhere because it is simple to operate besides being secure, easy to upgrade, scalable, versatile and most importantly, low cost.
With 154 villages covered, the project is all set to roll out in the district of Medak, Karimnagar, East Godavari and Mahbubnagar. Some like Reddy insists that besides benefiting people, it has also saved the state government several lakh rupees spent in providing the same services through postal or other modes.
(Courtesy:https://magazine.outlookindia.com/story/electronic-nooks/236108)
Question
1. 24-hr banking (using core technology) provided by Andhra govt. is:
- A hit
- A big failure for government
- Non reliable
- Only for poor and marginalized people
Answer. (a)
2. The technique is covering
- 154 villages
- 135 lakh people
- 25 lakhs handicapped and poor people
- People living in towns only
Answer. (a)
3. The base of the core technology is
- Near field communication
- RFID smart cards
- NXP semiconductors
- None of the above
Answer. (c)
4. What is it that made SBI a willing partner of technology?
- DGM of SBI hails from a remote village
- The technology is simple to operate, scalable and versatile
- Technology is created by “A Little World Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai
- None of the above
Answer. (b)
5. Who will be priority of the government as recipient of technology?
- Pensioners, widows
- Landlords, citizens of town
- Handicapped and marginalized people
- Both a and c
Answer. (d)
6. What’s the meaning of ‘Hinterland’ in first stanza of passage?
- villages near to towns
- remote areas of a country away from coast
- districts near to livers
- area under survey
Answer. (b)
Passage 2
Our thinking about the dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) and their accompanying competencies has evolved and streamlined as new data has been analysed. Readers familiar with earlier versions of the emotional intelligence model will notice some changes here.
Where we formerly listed five domains of EI, we now have simplified the model into four parts: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management – with eighteen competencies instead of the original twenty-five. For instance, an EI domain would be social awareness; a competency in that domain would be empathy or service.
The result is an EI model that more clearly links specific clusters of competencies to the underlying brain dynamics that drive them. Recent findings of emotions and the brain make more precise the neurological basis of these competencies. This lets us sketch their dynamics more thoroughly while providing practical guidelines for building leadership skills. These EI competencies are not innate talents but learned abilities, each of which has a unique contribution to making leaders more resonant, and therefore more effective.
Guided by the neurology underlying EI framework, we can make a sharp distinction between what works and what does not when it comes to learning the art of leadership. The basic argument, in a nutshell, is that primal leadership operates better through emotionally intelligent leaders who create resonance.
Underlying that proposition is the theory of performance, one that surfaces the link between the neurology of the four fundamentals of emotional intelligence and the EI competencies that build on these fundamentals. These EI competencies are, in turn, the building blocks of the modes of leadership that foster resonance in the group.
Interestingly, no leader we have ever encountered, no matter how outstanding, has strengths across the board in every one of the many El competencies. Highly effective leaders typically exhibit a critical mass of strength in half a dozen or so EI competencies.
Moreover, there is no fixed formula for outstanding leadership: There are many paths to excellence, and super leaders can possess very different personal styles. Still, we find that influential leaders typically demonstrate strengths in at least one competence from each of the four fundamental areas of emotional intelligence.
(Courtesy:
- https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1204468.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230854764_Primal_Leadership_Realizing_the_Power_of_Emotional_Intelligence)
Question
1. Based on the new data, the following conclusion can be drawn about the new model of emotional intelligence.
- The new simplified model of EI has five domains with eighteen competencies instead of the original twenty-five competencies.
- Twenty-five competencies go to make four domains of emotional intelligence while the earlier model had five domains with eighteen competencies.
- Formerly, five domains of EI were listed, but the new simplified model has four domains with eighteen competencies instead of the original twenty-five competencies.
- While formerly five domains of El were listed with twenty-five competencies, the new model has also five domains, but with eighteen competencies.
Answer. (c)
2. Which of the following are domains of Emotional Intelligence according to the new research?
- Self-awareness, Self-control, Social awareness and Relationship management
- Relationship management, Self-management, Self-control and Self-awareness
- Self-management, Social awareness, Social control and Relationship management
- Relationship management, Self-management, Social awareness and Self awareness
Answer. (d)
3. Which inference can be made regarding the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence from the passage?
- Successful leaders have their own style of leadership; along with high emotional intelligence
- There is no clear relationship between successful leadership and emotional intelligence.
- All successful leaders possess at least one competency in each domain of emotional intelligence.
- None of the above is true
Answer. (c)
4. The passage talks about the relationship between leadership, emotional intelligence and neurology. Which of the following statements represents a valid relationship between the three?
- Because emotional intelligence has a neural base, the skills to be successful leaders cannot be learned.
- The linkage between emotional intelligence and neurology indicates that leadership skills are not entirely innate and can be learned.
- Both (a) and (b) are correct.
- Both (a) and (b) are incorrect.
Answer. (b)
