CLOZE TEST-TEST 17

The economics of owning and running a Ration Shop, the familiar name for the outlets in our Public Distribution System (PDS), are such that under normal business terms, the shop owner could never make a profit. Yet, whenever the government
announces that new permits for ration shops will be given out, there is frenzy in the market to grab one of these (A)? The answer is obvious, the business is not for the honest and if one knows the ropes, there is a fortune to be made. What are these tricks of the trade? Getting fake names into the user list is the most obvious option; the State seems to be a losing battle against this practice, judging by the endless  efforts to weed out bogus ration cards. The next is to get the ‘right customers’ on the list, not just more customers. These are people who are registered but who do not have any interest in (B) on their entitlements. In a system where caste and income certificates are for sale, it is not difficult to ‘produce’ these documents for mutual benefit. Receipts are duly made in their names, and the rations thus ‘drawn’ are (C) off into the open market. The sale price of an item like rice makes clear the underlying economics it costs Rs. 8 in a ration shop while in the latter it is Rs. 30 or above. There are also customers who would rather exchange their entitlements for hard cash at the beginning of the month. As the degradation progresses, the shopkeeper, in (D) with the official machinery, manages to withhold effectively the entitlements from even the genuine beneficiaries, and diverts them to the open market. The targeted group is usually not in a position to (E) itself to get its due. And thus one has all the ingredients of a good PDS business.

Which of the following words should fill in the blank (A) to make a contextually correct and meaningful sentence?

The economics of owning and running a Ration Shop, the familiar name for the outlets in our Public Distribution System (PDS), are such that under normal business terms, the shop owner could never make a profit. Yet, whenever the government
announces that new permits for ration shops will be given out, there is frenzy in the market to grab one of these (A)? The answer is obvious, the business is not for the honest and if one knows the ropes, there is a fortune to be made. What are these tricks of the trade? Getting fake names into the user list is the most obvious option; the State seems to be a losing battle against this practice, judging by the endless  efforts to weed out bogus ration cards. The next is to get the ‘right customers’ on the list, not just more customers. These are people who are registered but who do not have any interest in (B) on their entitlements. In a system where caste and income certificates are for sale, it is not difficult to ‘produce’ these documents for mutual benefit. Receipts are duly made in their names, and the rations thus ‘drawn’ are (C) off into the open market. The sale price of an item like rice makes clear the underlying economics it costs Rs. 8 in a ration shop while in the latter it is Rs. 30 or above. There are also customers who would rather exchange their entitlements for hard cash at the beginning of the month. As the degradation progresses, the shopkeeper, in (D) with the official machinery, manages to withhold effectively the entitlements from even the genuine beneficiaries, and diverts them to the open market. The targeted group is usually not in a position to (E) itself to get its due. And thus one has all the ingredients of a good PDS business.

Which of the following words should fill in the blank (B) to make a contextually correct and meaningful sentence?

The economics of owning and running a Ration Shop, the familiar name for the outlets in our Public Distribution System (PDS), are such that under normal business terms, the shop owner could never make a profit. Yet, whenever the government
announces that new permits for ration shops will be given out, there is frenzy in the market to grab one of these (A)? The answer is obvious, the business is not for the honest and if one knows the ropes, there is a fortune to be made. What are these tricks of the trade? Getting fake names into the user list is the most obvious option; the State seems to be a losing battle against this practice, judging by the endless  efforts to weed out bogus ration cards. The next is to get the ‘right customers’ on the list, not just more customers. These are people who are registered but who do not have any interest in (B) on their entitlements. In a system where caste and income certificates are for sale, it is not difficult to ‘produce’ these documents for mutual benefit. Receipts are duly made in their names, and the rations thus ‘drawn’ are (C) off into the open market. The sale price of an item like rice makes clear the underlying economics it costs Rs. 8 in a ration shop while in the latter it is Rs. 30 or above. There are also customers who would rather exchange their entitlements for hard cash at the beginning of the month. As the degradation progresses, the shopkeeper, in (D) with the official machinery, manages to withhold effectively the entitlements from even the genuine beneficiaries, and diverts them to the open market. The targeted group is usually not in a position to (E) itself to get its due. And thus one has all the ingredients of a good PDS business.

Which of the following words should fill in the blank (C) to make a contextually correct and meaningful sentence?

The economics of owning and running a Ration Shop, the familiar name for the outlets in our Public Distribution System (PDS), are such that under normal business terms, the shop owner could never make a profit. Yet, whenever the government
announces that new permits for ration shops will be given out, there is frenzy in the market to grab one of these (A)? The answer is obvious, the business is not for the honest and if one knows the ropes, there is a fortune to be made. What are these tricks of the trade? Getting fake names into the user list is the most obvious option; the State seems to be a losing battle against this practice, judging by the endless  efforts to weed out bogus ration cards. The next is to get the ‘right customers’ on the list, not just more customers. These are people who are registered but who do not have any interest in (B) on their entitlements. In a system where caste and income certificates are for sale, it is not difficult to ‘produce’ these documents for mutual benefit. Receipts are duly made in their names, and the rations thus ‘drawn’ are (C) off into the open market. The sale price of an item like rice makes clear the underlying economics it costs Rs. 8 in a ration shop while in the latter it is Rs. 30 or above. There are also customers who would rather exchange their entitlements for hard cash at the beginning of the month. As the degradation progresses, the shopkeeper, in (D) with the official machinery, manages to withhold effectively the entitlements from even the genuine beneficiaries, and diverts them to the open market. The targeted group is usually not in a position to (E) itself to get its due. And thus one has all the ingredients of a good PDS business.

Which of the following words should fill in the blank (D) to make a contextually correct and meaningful sentence?

The economics of owning and running a Ration Shop, the familiar name for the outlets in our Public Distribution System (PDS), are such that under normal business terms, the shop owner could never make a profit. Yet, whenever the government
announces that new permits for ration shops will be given out, there is frenzy in the market to grab one of these (A)? The answer is obvious, the business is not for the honest and if one knows the ropes, there is a fortune to be made. What are these tricks of the trade? Getting fake names into the user list is the most obvious option; the State seems to be a losing battle against this practice, judging by the endless  efforts to weed out bogus ration cards. The next is to get the ‘right customers’ on the list, not just more customers. These are people who are registered but who do not have any interest in (B) on their entitlements. In a system where caste and income certificates are for sale, it is not difficult to ‘produce’ these documents for mutual benefit. Receipts are duly made in their names, and the rations thus ‘drawn’ are (C) off into the open market. The sale price of an item like rice makes clear the underlying economics it costs Rs. 8 in a ration shop while in the latter it is Rs. 30 or above. There are also customers who would rather exchange their entitlements for hard cash at the beginning of the month. As the degradation progresses, the shopkeeper, in (D) with the official machinery, manages to withhold effectively the entitlements from even the genuine beneficiaries, and diverts them to the open market. The targeted group is usually not in a position to (E) itself to get its due. And thus one has all the ingredients of a good PDS business.

Which of the following words should fill in the blank (E) to make a contextually correct and meaningful sentence?