Reading comprehension aptitude

Question 1

Passage: Software teams often borrow against the future. When a deadline looms, an engineer may hard-code a value or skip a test, knowing the shortcut will need to be revisited. This borrowed time is called technical debt, and like financial debt it charges interest: every later change to that code takes a little longer and carries a little more risk. A small amount of debt is not a failure; taken on deliberately, it can help a team ship a product and learn from real users sooner. The danger lies in debt that nobody records. When shortcuts are forgotten, the interest compounds silently until even simple features take weeks. Teams that keep a visible list of known shortcuts, and set aside regular time to repay them, tend to move faster over the long run.

Question: Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

Accepted Answer

Technical debt is acceptable if it is taken on knowingly, tracked and repaid.

Answer

Engineers should never take shortcuts, even under tight deadlines.

Answer

Software projects fail mainly because of missing tests.

Answer

Financial debt and technical debt are managed in exactly the same way.

Question 2

Passage: Software teams often borrow against the future. When a deadline looms, an engineer may hard-code a value or skip a test, knowing the shortcut will need to be revisited. This borrowed time is called technical debt, and like financial debt it charges interest: every later change to that code takes a little longer and carries a little more risk. A small amount of debt is not a failure; taken on deliberately, it can help a team ship a product and learn from real users sooner. The danger lies in debt that nobody records. When shortcuts are forgotten, the interest compounds silently until even simple features take weeks. Teams that keep a visible list of known shortcuts, and set aside regular time to repay them, tend to move faster over the long run.

Question: According to the passage, the "interest" on technical debt refers to:

Accepted Answer

the extra time and risk added to every later change

Answer

overtime payments made to engineers

Answer

the number of tests that were skipped

Answer

the delay in releasing the first version of a product

Question 3

Passage: Software teams often borrow against the future. When a deadline looms, an engineer may hard-code a value or skip a test, knowing the shortcut will need to be revisited. This borrowed time is called technical debt, and like financial debt it charges interest: every later change to that code takes a little longer and carries a little more risk. A small amount of debt is not a failure; taken on deliberately, it can help a team ship a product and learn from real users sooner. The danger lies in debt that nobody records. When shortcuts are forgotten, the interest compounds silently until even simple features take weeks. Teams that keep a visible list of known shortcuts, and set aside regular time to repay them, tend to move faster over the long run.

Question: As used in the passage, the word "compounds" most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

builds up

Answer

mixes

Answer

settles

Answer

disappears

Question 4

Passage: Software teams often borrow against the future. When a deadline looms, an engineer may hard-code a value or skip a test, knowing the shortcut will need to be revisited. This borrowed time is called technical debt, and like financial debt it charges interest: every later change to that code takes a little longer and carries a little more risk. A small amount of debt is not a failure; taken on deliberately, it can help a team ship a product and learn from real users sooner. The danger lies in debt that nobody records. When shortcuts are forgotten, the interest compounds silently until even simple features take weeks. Teams that keep a visible list of known shortcuts, and set aside regular time to repay them, tend to move faster over the long run.

Question: According to the author, which kind of technical debt is the most dangerous?

Accepted Answer

Debt that nobody records

Answer

Debt taken on to meet a deadline

Answer

Debt that helps a team learn from real users

Answer

Debt created by hard-coding a value

Question 5

Passage: In many parts of India, farmers still water their fields by flooding them, letting water run across the soil until it is soaked. The method is cheap to set up, but much of the water evaporates or drains below the reach of the roots. Drip irrigation takes the opposite approach: thin pipes deliver small amounts of water directly to the base of each plant. Studies of sugarcane and vegetable farms have found that drip systems can cut water use by a third or more while maintaining, and sometimes raising, yields. Yet adoption has been slow. The pipes and filters cost money up front, they must be cleaned to prevent clogging, and small farmers often lack access to credit. Government subsidies have helped, but where they are delayed or hard to claim, many farmers stay with the old method.

Question: According to the passage, why does flood irrigation waste water?

Accepted Answer

Much of the water evaporates or drains below the roots.

Answer

The equipment it needs often clogs.

Answer

It can only be used for sugarcane.

Answer

Farmers need credit to set it up.

Question 6

Passage: In many parts of India, farmers still water their fields by flooding them, letting water run across the soil until it is soaked. The method is cheap to set up, but much of the water evaporates or drains below the reach of the roots. Drip irrigation takes the opposite approach: thin pipes deliver small amounts of water directly to the base of each plant. Studies of sugarcane and vegetable farms have found that drip systems can cut water use by a third or more while maintaining, and sometimes raising, yields. Yet adoption has been slow. The pipes and filters cost money up front, they must be cleaned to prevent clogging, and small farmers often lack access to credit. Government subsidies have helped, but where they are delayed or hard to claim, many farmers stay with the old method.

Question: Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a barrier to adopting drip irrigation?

Accepted Answer

A shortage of trained technicians

Answer

The upfront cost of pipes and filters

Answer

The need to clean the system to prevent clogging

Answer

Small farmers' limited access to credit

Question 7

Passage: In many parts of India, farmers still water their fields by flooding them, letting water run across the soil until it is soaked. The method is cheap to set up, but much of the water evaporates or drains below the reach of the roots. Drip irrigation takes the opposite approach: thin pipes deliver small amounts of water directly to the base of each plant. Studies of sugarcane and vegetable farms have found that drip systems can cut water use by a third or more while maintaining, and sometimes raising, yields. Yet adoption has been slow. The pipes and filters cost money up front, they must be cleaned to prevent clogging, and small farmers often lack access to credit. Government subsidies have helped, but where they are delayed or hard to claim, many farmers stay with the old method.

Question: The tone of the passage is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Balanced and informative

Answer

Strongly critical of farmers

Answer

Enthusiastically promotional

Answer

Pessimistic and dismissive

Question 8

Passage: In many parts of India, farmers still water their fields by flooding them, letting water run across the soil until it is soaked. The method is cheap to set up, but much of the water evaporates or drains below the reach of the roots. Drip irrigation takes the opposite approach: thin pipes deliver small amounts of water directly to the base of each plant. Studies of sugarcane and vegetable farms have found that drip systems can cut water use by a third or more while maintaining, and sometimes raising, yields. Yet adoption has been slow. The pipes and filters cost money up front, they must be cleaned to prevent clogging, and small farmers often lack access to credit. Government subsidies have helped, but where they are delayed or hard to claim, many farmers stay with the old method.

Question: Based on the passage, which step would most likely increase the use of drip irrigation?

Accepted Answer

Making subsidies faster and easier to claim

Answer

Raising the price of drip equipment

Answer

Encouraging more farmers to flood their fields

Answer

Reducing the number of crops each farmer grows