Statement and Assumption Questions

• Statement & Assumption — “Nowadays some people have made it a business to organise rallies and demonstrations against big projects, citing environmental and social reasons.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Big projects are necessary. II. Environmental and social reasons attract people towards rallies.
• Statement & Assumption — “Various state governments will compete to announce cash prizes they intend to give Olympic medal-winners.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Such announcements will boost the morale of players. II. Winning an Olympic medal is a matter of pride for state governments.
• Statement & Assumption — “The textbook variety of the profession and practice of democracy has not worked in countries like India where ground realities are different.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Democracy is not suitable for poor countries. II. Ground realities differ from one country to another.
• Statement & Assumption — “The days of ghazal can never be over,” says a singer. Which assumptions are implicit? I. Aspiring singers should concentrate on ghazal rather than pop. II. Many people have written off ghazal as passé.
• Statement & Assumption — “Railway wagons of Eastern Railway will carry your message,” says an advertisement by Eastern Railway. Which assumptions are implicit? I. Other railways already run such schemes profitably. II. This advertisement will elicit responses (i.e., advertisers will come forward).
• Statement & Assumption — “Order can be maintained only when law is enforceable. Law is a corpus of rules to be obeyed by all without exception.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Acceptance of law by people is necessary for its effectiveness. II. There exists a section of people who act as a law unto themselves.
• Statement & Assumption — “Sanskrit is a ‘dead’ language and its study in school is obsolete.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Sanskrit has no utility in day-to-day life. II. Schools should teach students only what relates directly to their future pursuits.
• Statement & Assumption — “In India, the wheels of justice hardly move,” says an American newspaper. Which assumptions are implicit? I. Judicial process in India is dilatory, expensive, and beyond the reach of common people. II. A civilised society needs a prompt judiciary.
• Statement & Assumption — “To India and Indians, monsoon can be a bringer of bounty as well as a harbinger of death.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. India’s economy and most people still depend significantly on rainfall. II. In India, almost every year some region or the other is ravaged by floods.
• Statement & Assumption — “So long as society remains caste-based, there is no harm in having caste-based organisations to look after caste welfare.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. There is nothing wrong with religious organisations spreading their ideals. II. Political parties cannot look after caste welfare as well as caste-based organisations can.
• Statement & Assumption — “After destroying the Kshatriya kings, Parashurama asked the gods for a way of penance.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Parashurama considered the act of destroying the kings a sin. II. There exists a way of atonement even for ghastly acts.
• Statement & Assumption — “We grew up in joint families, which meant less space for the individual.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Big houses were unknown in the past. II. Living in a joint family entails significant personal adjustment.
• Statement & Assumption — “Our urban youth are less at ease with their own language than with English!” Which assumptions are implicit? I. One generally feels most comfortable in one’s mother tongue. II. English-language books outsell vernacular books.
• Statement & Assumption — “The average American can afford hobbies that a typical middle-class Indian can only dream of.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. Material circumstances differ greatly between India and the US. II. Economic prosperity enables diverse interests to flourish.
• Statement & Assumption — “Banking has traditionally been a highly sought-after career because it offers stability and growth prospects.” Which assumptions are implicit? I. People today no longer value stability. II. People value stability but not stagnation.
• Statement & Assumption — “If we accept all the demands, we’ll end up with 763 new states!” (caption in a cartoon) Which assumptions are implicit? I. There are demands for creating 763 states. II. Demands for new states are a topical, headline issue.
• Statement & Assumption — “I am actually enjoying my experience in the forest and my health is quite fine,” says a message from a hostage. Which assumptions are implicit? I. The hostage’s well-wishers may panic. II. The well-wishers may go into a frenzy.
• Statement–Assumption — “Keeping in mind the visual aspects of theatre, only selected incidents of Buddha’s life have been taken.” Assumptions: I. The romantic aspects of Buddha’s life will be shown in the play. II. Not every aspect of a person’s life is suitable or worthy for enactment on stage.
• Statement–Assumption — “If the play on Buddha is received well, we may stage plays on Lord Krishna and Lord Ram.” — a director Assumptions: I. If one play goes well, the others will automatically succeed. II. The current play’s reception is a reasonable indicator of audience taste and demand.
• Statement–Assumption — “To check fire incidents in the Walled City, godowns of hazardous chemicals and paper will be shifted to Narela and Ghazipur respectively.” Assumptions: I. Fires cannot occur in Narela or Ghazipur. II. Paper is a highly combustible material (and proximity to hazards elevates risk).