Direction (Q. 1 - 5) : In making decisions about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between "Strong" arguments and "Weak" arguments in sofar as they relate to the question. "Strong" arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. "Weak" arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the question or may be related to a trivial aspect of the question.
Instructions: Each question below is followed by two ar guments numbered I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a strong argument and which is a weak argument.

Statement: Should corporal punishment be banned in schools ?
Arguments: I. Yes, if a student fails to perform well it should be realised that it is due to the teacher's fault. Inculcation of value of ethics should be pre ferred to corporal punishment.
II. No an adamant child can't be forced to study unless he/she is treated with corporal punishment.

Statement: Should pension schemes in government ser vices be abolished ?
Arguments: I. Yes, this will reduce the number of aspiring candidates to a great extent and it will be easy for the common man to get into govt services.
II. No, this will destroy the very purpose of provid ing financial help to the employee so that they can sustain themselves in old age.

Statements: Should restrictions on rickshaw-pullers and prisoners be removed for donation of blood ?
Arguments: I. Yes, because of these restrictions, a large number of people are not able to donate their blood even to their own relatives in emergencies.
II. No, blood donation is meant to save people's life; if fingers are pointed towards someone's eligibility as a donor owing to possibility of nonsuitable or erroneous blood, then such persons must be restricted from doing so.

Statement: Is privatisation the best cure for the city's crumbling civic services ?
Arguments: I. Yes, nobody cares or takes responsibility in government departments. In order to improve its image in public life, the private sector does its best to improve existing civic services and remove the bottlenecks in the implementation of its policies.
II. No, the city's crumbling civic services are the result of a lack of will power of policy-makers to implement the policies with dedication as well as a lack of,rational co-operation and collaboration of people.

Statement: Should TV channels be allowed to telecast soft porn films ?
Arguments: I. Yes, this will help in satisfying young sters' aphrodosiomania, as a result of which cases related with woman's molestation will reduce to some extent.
II. No, this is against our tradition. Any such act will degrade our social values, especially for children, who use television as a medium of entertainment as well as education.

Direction (Q. 6 - 10) : In each question below is given a statement followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the following as sumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement.

Statement: "Unrestricted, free and fair competition is the only process to bring out the most competent and committed of the aspirants to political leadership." —Anote in a newspaper
Assumption: I. Political leadership is facing character crisis everywhere.
II. The existing condition of the country is conducive to unrestricted, free and fair competition so that the most competent and committed candidate can be found out.

Statements : "Readers are recommended to make appropriate enquiries before sending money, incurring any expenses or entering into any commitment in relation to any advertisement published in our newspaper . " — An instruction to readers through newspaper ' X '
Assumptions: I. Most of the readers can be persuaded easily by false and alluring advertisements.
II. Appropriate enquiries are likely to reduce the cases of fraud and other malpractices.

Statement: "Register as a voter and secure your voting right."—A notice issued in public interest by the Chief Electoral Officer
Assumptions: I. Some people still do not have the right to voting due to lack of proper registration.
II. Voting right is essential to make one's life more dynamic, comfortable and prosperous.

Statements: "We realise that your needs change over time. Our wide range of insurance solutions is designed keeping these changes in mind. So, whatever stage of life you are at, whatever your needs may be, you can count on us to have a solution." —An advertisement
Assumptions: I. People are attracted towards innova tions.
II. A wide range of insurance solutions is likely to garner more customers.

Statement: The Election Commission has deputed a ninemember high-level team of officials to assess the situation in state ' X ' and gauge the feasi bility of holding early Assembly elections.
Assumptions: I. State ' X ' has just got out of its predica ment as a result of communal riots.
II. People of state ' X ' will co-operate with the high-level team of officials in its objectives.