English Language Quiz: Paragraph Completion

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1. Alphabet Inc's YouTube is creating scripted series and another original programming for international markets including France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and India to try to draw new customers to its paid subscription service. _________________. It will be produced in local languages and subtitled or dubbed for other markets. Some of the programming will appear on YouTube Premium, the monthly subscription service formerly called YouTube Red. Other content will be available on YouTube's free service with advertising. YouTube will be competing with companies including Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc that are investing in local language programming for online audiences around the world. _________________.

A. YouTube already has released a handful of original shows in South Korea and one in India, a talk show in Hindi about cricket. / There are no current plans for more original children's programming as the company does not believe children's content will drive subscriptions to YouTube Premium at this time.
B. The programmes will come in the form of multiple genres such as music documentaries, reality series, talk shows and scripted series/ In its bid to gain an edge over other streaming platforms YouTube has decided to collaborate with local streaming services.
C. It's no secret that streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are spending large sums of money to strengthen their footholds in the digital video landscape./ The first original shows from YouTube debuted on its premium service in 2016, starting with series from some of the platform's most popular video creators.
D. Both A and C
E. None of the above

2. The Doklam plateau has become the unlikely scene of the latest India-China imbroglio. _________________. The Chumbi valley is vital for India, and any change is fraught with dangerous possibilities. The incident stems from differences between Bhutan and India on the one hand and China on the other as to the exact location of the tri-junction between the three countries. In 2007, India and Bhutan had negotiated a Friendship Treaty to replace an earlier one. China’s current claims over the Doklam plateau should be seen as yet another instance of cartographic aggression, which China often engages in. It is, however, China’s action of building an all-weather road on Bhutan’s territory, one capable of sustaining heavy vehicles, that has prompted Bhutan and India to coordinate their actions in their joint national interests. _________________.

A. The Doklam plateau has indirectly figured in the several rounds of border talks that have been held between China and Bhutan./ Reliable reports suggest that China is not unwilling to make generous concessions to Bhutan in return for a mutually acceptable border settlement.
B. China has long eyed this area and it has been keen to establish its physical presence in a region that it claims belongs to China according to the 1890 Convention. / With China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) gaining momentum, and completion of infrastructure programmes such as the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, China appears to have turned its attention to the Doklam plateau.
C. The region falls within Bhutanese territory, but this is now questioned by China./ Many of the points involved in the current stand-off are disputed or disputable and the Sikkim (India)-China border was the only settled segment of the nearly 4,000-km-long India-China border.
D. Both A and C
E. None of the above

3. On the surface, United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer appears to have made an ironclad case against China in his report. _________________. It has quickly been accepted as foundational evidence in support of the tariffs and other punitive trade measures that President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated against China in recent months. It is powerful ammunition in a potential trade war. But don’t be fooled. The report is wide off the mark in several key areas. First, it accuses China of “forced technology transfer,” arguing that US companies must turn over the blueprints of proprietary technologies and operating systems in order to do business in China. _________________.

A. The USTR’s indictment of China on charges of unfair trading practices regarding technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation seems both urgent and compelling./ This transfer is alleged to take place within the structure of joint-venture arrangements with domestic counterparts in China.
B. Portraying US companies as innocent victims of Chinese pressure is certainly at odds with the predatory practices of the US corporate world. /Significantly, the US and other multinational corporations willingly enter into legally negotiated arrangements for commercially sound reasons.
C. For the USTR to claim that China alone relies on the industrial policy as a means towards achieving a competitive edge is the height of hypocrisy/ Like the rest of the world, the Chinese are tough competitors, and they do not always play by the rules.
D. Both A and C
E. None of the above

4. It may have been fitting that Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted a football to his American counterpart, Donald Trump, as they held their summit in Helsinki earlier this week. ____________________. Propaganda and psychological operations have been part of the artillery of warring nations forever. But technological enhancers like social media platforms and military-grade hacking have taken such machinations to another plane, with artificial intelligence poised to add another dimension to it. After all, how many countries would launch an actual conventional war over a cyber conflict that doesn’t occupy real territory but encroaches upon mind-space? That immunity breeds a sort of impunity.____________________.

A. Trump, of course, scored the perfect own goal. / It isn’t just Russia alone, even China has repeatedly hacked America, as during the theft of nearly 21.5 million records of personnel between 2014 and 2015, to the recent stealing of naval data.
B. This is the problem that democracies face since they cannot build their own versions of the Great Firewall to prevent such incursions, or shut down foreign platforms, or virtual private networks./ And, copying the Russian playbook, it is undertaking political in Cambodia, and other obvious targets like Taiwan and Tibetan activists.
C. This is where the United States needs to step up. Instead, Trump has dumped the country’s cyber-security czar. /At the United Nations, for instance, as the Council on Foreign Relations noted last year, the group of government experts that attempted to draft global norms including, holding a nation responsible for attacks that originated from its territory, was appreciated.
D. Both A and C.
E. None of the above

5. JBL has a new pocket-sized speaker in its ranks. It is called the JBL Go 2 (Rs 2,999) and is the successor to the JBL Go, which was launched three years ago. The JBL Go 2 retains the match box-like form factor of the predecessor, yet looks more refreshing with the curved edges and the soft plastic finish that almost feels like rubber._________________________. It also comes in 12 eye-catching colour options such as ruby red, coral orange, deep sea blue and ash grey for buyers who like to flaunt their gadgets. The speaker grille is on the front panel with a light indicator towards the top. It glows when the speaker is switched on. The control panel, which includes buttons to switch on/off the device, adjust volume and initiate Bluetooth pairing, have been carved at the top for quick access. The buttons are soft and responsive, but have not been highlighted prominently using backlighting or a distinct colour.­­­­­­­_________________________. There is a flap cover on the side panel. It covers the micro USB slot (for charging) and the 3.5 mm jack (for wired playback).

A. It weighs just 184g and is small enough to fit into a pocket or small handbag comfortably/ As a result they are barely visible until you look closely.
B. JBL Go 2 also comes with IPx7 certification, which makes it waterproof up to 1 meter, meaning users won’t have to put it away if it’s raining./ The audio quality is crisp with a decent amount of bass, which is more than adequate for casual use.
C. It works wirelessly, last up to 10 hours and is water-proof. The icing on the cake is the 360-degree speaker design which projects sound in all directions./ The speaker can connect to any Android smartphone or Apple iPhone via Bluetooth and can play non-stop music wirelessly for 4-5 hours, which is not much considering that it takes about 2.5 hours to charge.
D. Both A & B
E. None of the above

Answers:
B
C
A
A
A