Placement of SCRA

Can you please forward me the placement papers of the SCRA and if it possible then share the placement papers with their solutions? I applied for the UPSC SCRA and I am prepared for the exam now. I would like to check my preparation by solving the papers.

Hello sir, Im looking for question papers for placement of SCRA. Is there any one can provide me here placement of SCRA question paper?

[pooja]

The Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) is course by the railways. One can also receive stipend every month while pursuing the course. On completion of UPSC SCRA one can immediately join in Mechanical Engineer post in railways.

The special class railway apprentice (SCRA) is one of the best exams being conducted by the UPSC.

This can be defined as a best job opportunity to all those candidates who have completed or doing their 10+2 with Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

Those who have qualified for SCRA course can join in the four years Mechanical Engineering course along with earning a stipend of Rs 9100 per month.

Placement of SCRA question paper:

Direction (For the 15 items which follow)

In this Section you have five short passages. After each passage, you will find several questions based on the passage. First, read a passage, and the answer the questions based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of the author only.

Example 'I' and 'J' are solved for you.

Passage (Example) In our approach to life, be it pragmatic or otherwise, a basic fact that confronts us squarely and unmistakably is the desire for peace, security and happiness. Different forms of life at different levels of existence make up the teeming denizens of this earth of ours. And, no matter whether they belong to the higher groups such as human being or to the lower groups such as animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort and security. Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Even the lowliest insect strives for protection against dangers that threaten its life. Just as each one of us wants to live and not to die, so do all other creatures.

I. The author's main point is that

(a) different forms of life are found on earth

(b) different levels of existence are possible in nature

(c) peace and security are the chief goals of all living beings

(d) even the weakest creature struggles to preserve its life



J. Which one of the following assumptions or steps is essential in developing the author's position ?

(a) All forms of life have a single overriding goal

(b) The will to survive of a creature is identified with a desire for peace

(c) All beings are divided into higher and lower groups

(d) A parallel is drawn between happiness and life and pain and death.



Explanation

I. The idea which represents the author's main point is 'peace and security are the chief goals of all living beings', which is response (c). So, (c) is the correct answer.

J. The best assumption underlying the passage is 'The will to survive of a creature is identified with a desire for peace', which is response (b). So, (b) is the correct answer.

Passage I

People start smoking for various reasons. Sometimes they get into this habit because they feel it makes then look sophisticated. People may get hooked to this habit. Then smoking becomes a part of their lifestyle. They become addicted to the nicotine in the cigarettes. However, there is a definite link between smoking and lung cancer, heart disease and chronic bronchitis. Besides heavy smokers wrinkle faster. Passive smoking is equally harmful. Non-smokers are cautioned not to stay around smokers. The inhalation of smoke by non-smokers is dangerous. Wives of smokers are more at risk of lung cancer than the wives of non-smokers.



1. In this passage, the expression "get hooked to" means to become

(a) dull-witted

(b) habituated and addicted (Ans)

(c) emotionally unpleasant

(d) completely committed

Solutions : In the passage ''get hooked to'' means to become habituated and addicted.



2. Smoking primarily causes

(a) lung cancer

(b) infectious diseases

(c) ageing

(d) nicotine addiction (Ans)

Solutions : The fifth sentence of the passage gives us the answer.



3. "Passive smoking" refers to

(a) people who smoke occasionally

(b) wives of smokers who inhale smoke

(c) non-smokers who inhale smoke (Ans)

(d) people who like to inhale smoke

Solutions : 'Passive smoking' refers to non-smokers who inhale smoke.

Passage II

My father wished me to become a carpenter like himself. For five generations we have carried on the same trade, from father to son. Perhaps that is the wisdom of life, to tread your father's steps, and look neither to the right nor to the left. When I was a little boy I said I would marry the daughter of the harness-maker who lived next door. She was a little girl with blue eyes and a flaxen pigtail. She would have kept my house like a new pin, and I should have had a son to carry on the business after me.



4. The author's father wished to author to become a carpenter because

(a) he himself was a carpenter

(b) he had great love for handicrafts

(c) the author was unfit for any other thing

(d) carpentry was their hereditary occupation (Ans)

Solutions : The first two sentence give us the answer.

5. The phrase "the wisdom of life" in the passage means
(a) the right way of leading one's life
(b) following the traditional way of life faithfully (Ans)
(c) not looking either to the right or to the left
(d) leading one's life in an independent manner

Solutions : The given phrase means (in the context of the passage) 'following the traditional way of life faithfully'.

6. From the passage, we can say that the author
(a) followed his father's occupation (Ans)
(b) did not follow the occupation of his family
(c) did not do anything
(d) became a harness-maker
Solutions : The answer can be inferred from the passage.

Passage III
Men and women should be treated primarily as people, and not primarily as members of opposite se Their shared humanity and common attributes should be stressed not their gender difference. Neither sex should be stereotyped or arbitrarily assigned to a leading or secondary role. Women and men should be treated with the same respect, dignity and seriousness. Women should not be described by physical attributes when men are being described by mental attributes of professional position. Instead, both sexes should be dealt with in the same terms. Reference to a man's or woman's appearance, charm or intuition should be avoided when irrelevant

7. Men and women should be treated first
(a) as human beings (Ans)
(b) as belonging to opposite sexes
(c) in terms of their physical attributes
(d) as stereotypes
Solutions : The first sentence of the passage gives us the answer

8. Dealing with both sexes "in the same terms" means
(a) stereotyping both men and women
(b) describing them by physical attributes
(c) treating them equally (Ans)
(d) describing women by mental attributes
Solutions : 'In the same terms' here means treating them equally.

9. All the suggestions in the passage are meant
(a) to make women more powerful
(b) to reduce the power of men
(c) to minimize the possibility of conflict between men and women
(d) to remove gender discrimination (Ans)
Solutions : The answer can be clearly inferred from the passage.

Passage IV
Socrates used to move about the roads or stand in the market place all day long. He talked to anyone who cared to greet him. He argued and asked many questions. Sometimes he left his listeners in a very confused state of mind because he seemed to be questioning, doubting or trying to change things about which people had never really though, but had taken for granted. Socrates believed that everyone should learn to think for himself. He believed that every one should have the power to see what was right, just, true and beautiful. He wanted Athens to be a perfect state and he believed that this could only happen if every citizen educated his own mind to see what was right and noble.

10. People were confused by Socrates' questions because
(a) he asked them in the market place
(b) the questions were addressed to anyone and everyone
(c) he was argumentative and asked too many questions
(d) the questions were on topics that people had never really though about (Ans)
Solutions : The fourth sentence of the passage gives us the answer.

11. Socrates believed that everyone should learn
(a) to read and write
(b) to be wise
(c) to think for himself (Ans)
(d) whatever was good and noble
Solutions : The fifth sentence of the passage gives us the answer

12. Socrates thought that Athens would become a perfect state if
(a) its people attained perfection
(b) everyone became educated in the arts
(c) its people did great things
(d) its people developed a sense of right and just (Ans)
Solutions : The last sentence of the passage gives us the answer

Passage V
The difficulty of keeping the glasses clean is one of the minor discomforts of glasses, but it is nevertheless a most annoying one. On damp and rainy days, the atmosphere clouds them. On hot days the perspiration from the body may have a similar effect. On cold days, they are often clouded by the moisture of the breath. Every day they are so subject to contamination by dust and moisture, the touch of the fingers and to unavoidable handling, that they seldom afford as absolutely unobstructed view of the objects regarded.


13. The reason why glasses seldom afford an absolutely clear view of objects is that
(a) glasses are always contaminated by the atmosphere
(b) people use them carelessly
(c) it is very difficult to keep them absolutely clear (Ans)
(d) of handling by dirty fingers
Solutions : The last sentence of the passage gives us the answer

14. What is the major cause of poor view afforded by glasses on a hot day ?
(a) Moisture in the atmosphere
(b) Dampness of the weather
(c) Perspiration from the body (Ans)
(d) Contamination by the touch of fingers
Solutions : The third sentence of the passage gives us the answer

15. What is the general effect produced on the reader on reading the passage above ?
(a) He knows more about weather
(b) He knows more about glasses
(c) He is warned against handling glasses carelessly
(d) He is persuaded not to use glasses, if avoidable (Ans)
Solutions : The answer can be easily inferred from the passage.

Rearranging Sentences into a Paragraph

Direction (For the 12 items which follow) In the following items, each passage consists of six sentences. The first sentence (S1) and the final sentence (S6) are given in the beginning. The middle four sentence in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labelled P, Q, R and S. You are required to find out the proper sequence of the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
Example 'X' has been solved for you.
S1 : There was a boy named Jack.
S6 : At last she turned him out of the house.
P : So the mother asked him to find work.
Q : They were very poor.
R : He lived with his mother.
S : But Jack refused to work.
Which one of the following is the correct sequence ?
(a) RQPS
(b) PQRS
(c) QPRS
(d) RPSQ

Explanation
(a) is the correct answer

16.
S1 : All men have some degree of physical courage.
S6 : We can use it up.
P : Courage, you know, is like having money in the bank.
Q : It is surprising how much courage we have.
R : But don't forget, courage is an expendable quality.
S : We start with a certain capital of courage, some large, some small, and e proceed to draw on our balance.
The proper sequence should be
(a) PQSR
(b) QPSR (Ans)
(c) PSQR
(d) SQRP
Solutions : The proper sequence should be QPSR.


17.
S1 : The distance between theatre and reality has stretched so far that when we come across a truly contemporary play, it is a cause for rejoicing.
S6 : But the question is, have we forgotten his legacy in modern India.
P : It searches our collective psyche like an unrelenting laser beam.
Q : Most importantly, the play questions whether religion and politics can fuse together in modern India.
R : Gandhiji had both the spiritual and political dimension that we so lack today.
S : Prasanna's 'Gandhi' staged recently by the National School of Drama is one such play.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQPS
(b) SRPQ
(c) PRSQ
(d) SPQR (Ans)
Solutions : The proper sequence should be SPQR.

18.
S1 : Professional education is to be distinguished from other forms of education
S6 : But it is not all that dissimilar either.
P : Students accepted the fee-increase readily because they knew that as soon as they graduated, they would start recovering the amount.
Q : Here, the pay off is more on less immediate.
R : The situation may not be as favorable in every branch of professional education.
S : When, for instance the Institutes of Management raised their fee from Rs.600 per year to Rs.6000 there was no resistance.
The proper sequence should be
(a) QSPR (Ans)
(b) PSRQ
(c) RSQP
(d) QRPS
Solutions : The proper sequence should be QSPR

19.
S1 : The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings.
S6 : The most alarming of all man's assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth and water with dangerous and even lethal material.
P : Only within the moment of time represented by the twentieth century has one species-man-acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.
Q : Considering the whole span of earthily time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight.
R : To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth's vegetation and its animal life have been moulded by the environment.
S : During the past few decades this power has not only increased to one of disturbing magnitude but it has changed in character.
The proper sequence should be
(a) RQPS (Ans)
(b) QPRS
(c) PRQS
(d) QRPS
Solutions : The proper sequence should be RQPS

20.
S1 : AIDS is the most dreaded disease of modern times, as it results in the slow and painful death of its victim.
S6 : As it is difficult to detect it early, the best method is to go in for a special AIDS test.
P : Of course, it is possible that a person with one or two or any of these symptoms may not have AIDS at all.
Q : The affected person seems to have nothing wrong with his body at the initial stages.
R : But as the disease takes root, he begins to suffer general weakness, loss of weight, a mild unidentified fever and night sweat.
S : It is difficult to detect the symptoms of AIDS at the outset.
The proper sequence should be
(a) S Q P R
(b) R P S Q
(c) S Q R P (Ans)
(d) P Q R S
Solutions : The proper sequence should be SQRP

Spotting Errors

Direction (For the 9 items which follow)
(i) In this section a number of sentences are given. The sentences are underlined in three separate parts and each one is labelled (a), (b) and (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any underlined part. No sentence has more than one error. When you find an error in any one of the underlined parts (a), (b) or (c), indicate your response on the separate Answer Sheet at the appropriate space. You may feel that there is no error in a sentence. In that case letter (d) will signify a 'No error' response.
(ii) You are to indicate only one response for each item in your Answer Sheet. (If you indicate more than one response, your answer will be considered wrong.) Errors may be in grammar, word usage or idioms. There may be a word missing or there may be a word which should be removed.
(iii) You are not required to correct the error. You are required only to indicate your response on the Answer Sheet.

Example 'P' and 'Q' have been solved for you.
P. The young child singed a very sweet song. No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Q. We worked very hard throughout the season. No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)

Explanation In item P, the word 'singed' is wrong. The letter under this part is (b); so (b) is the correct answer. Similarly, for item Q, (d) is the correct answer, as the sentence does not contain any error.
21. The hundred-rupees notes that the gave them for the goods bought from them looked genuine, but later they reliably learnt that the notes were all counterfeit.
No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Ans : a - Use 'rupee' in place of 'rupees'.

22. The books which you have given me are not enough and I request you to give me a little more No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Ans : c - Use 'a few' or 'some' in place of 'a little'.

23. When the Supervisor and his assistant were going for a walk the later slipped and fell into a pit. No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Ans : b - Use 'latter' in place of 'later'.

24. She says that she is living in the flat for ten years and does not want to leave. No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Ans : b - Use 'has been' in place of 'is'.

25. I'm having a motor cycle these days to go to work. No error
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Ans : a - Say 'I have a motor cycle'.