Task reminder: Read the passage, then select the one correct answer. No negative marking. Read the question first, then skim for the relevant paragraph.

1. Sample Text 1

The concept of “brain drain” describes the emigration of highly trained or qualified people from one country to another, typically from developing to developed nations in search of better opportunities, higher salaries, and safer conditions. For source countries, losing educated doctors, engineers, and scientists can undermine the very institutions — hospitals, universities, research centres — that are essential to development. Some economists argue, however, that the prospect of international migration encourages more people to pursue education in the first place, and that remittances sent home by emigrants often exceed the value of the education investment made by the state.

Q. What argument do some economists make against the negative view of brain drain?

A. Developing countries benefit from educating future scientists even if they migrate.
B. The prospect of migration incentivises education, and remittances may offset costs.
C. Developed countries invest more in training migrants after they arrive.
D. Brain drain affects only medical professionals, not engineers or scientists.

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2. Sample Text 2

Tidal energy harnesses the kinetic and potential energy of ocean tides, which are driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun. Unlike solar and wind power, tidal energy is almost perfectly predictable — tides follow a known schedule — making it an attractive candidate for reliable baseload power generation. Tidal barrages and tidal stream generators are the two principal technologies: barrages trap water at high tide and release it through turbines as the tide falls, while stream generators function like underwater wind turbines in tidal channels. The principal barriers to wider adoption are the high upfront construction costs and the limited number of geographically suitable sites.

Q. What makes tidal energy particularly attractive compared to other renewable energy sources?

A. It can be deployed anywhere along a coastline at low cost.
B. It produces no greenhouse gases under any operating conditions.
C. Its output is highly predictable, enabling reliable power generation.
D. It is currently cheaper to build than solar or wind installations.

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3. Sample Text 3

The placebo-controlled randomised trial (RCT) is considered the gold standard for evaluating medical treatments. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either the active treatment or an identical-looking placebo, and neither participants nor researchers know who receives which — a design known as double-blinding. This methodology controls for the placebo effect and researcher bias, providing the most reliable evidence of whether a treatment works. Despite its strengths, the RCT has limitations: it is expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes ethically impractical when withholding treatment from a control group would cause harm.

Q. What is the main limitation of randomised controlled trials mentioned in the passage?

A. They cannot be used to test medications approved before their development.
B. They are expensive and ethically problematic in some circumstances.
C. Double-blinding is impossible to achieve in practice.
D. The placebo effect cannot be controlled for in double-blind studies.

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