SBI Clerk - Mock Test Paper 2 - English Questions and Answers

Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention.

Global growth again fell short of expectations in 2015,decelerating to 2.4 percent from 2.6 percent in 2014.The disappointing performance mainly reflected a continued growth deceleration in emerging and developing economies amid post-crisis lows in commodity prices, weaker capital flows and subdued global trade. Global growth is projected to edge up in the coming years,but at a slower pace than envisioned in June 2015, reaching 2.9 percent in 2016 and 3.1 percent in 2017-18.This pickup is predicated on continued gains in major high-income countries, a gradual tightening of financing conditions, a stabilization of commodity prices, and a gradual rebalancing in China.The forecast is subject to substantial downside risks, including a disorderly slowdown in major emerging market economies, financial market turmoil arising from sudden shifts in borrowing costs amid deteriorating fundamentals, lingering vulnerabilities in some countries, and heightened geopolitical tensions. Weakening growth and sharply lower commodity prices have narrowed the room for policy makers to respond, especially in commodity-exporting countries, should risks materialize.

Who Catches a Cold When Emerging Markets Sneeze?

Given the size and global economic integration of the largest emerging markets— Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)—the simultaneous slowdown underway in all but one of them could have significant spillovers to the rest of the world .Specifically, a 1 percentage point decline in growth in BRICS is associated with a reduction in growth over the following two years by 0.8 percentage points in other emerging markets, 1.5 percentage points in frontier markets, and 0.4 percentage points in the global economy. Spillovers could be considerably larger if the growth slowdown in BRICS were combined with financial market turbulence.

Since most BRICS are the largest and most integrated economies in their respective regions, they tend to generate larger spillovers than other major emerging markets. Strong within-region trade and remittance links are reflected in sizeable spillovers in Europe and Central Asia from a growth decline in Russia, and in East Asia and Pacific from a growth decline in China. In other regions, measured within-region spillovers are typically small, partly reflecting the lesser openness of major regional emerging markets or the prevalence of integration with major advanced economies. Many emerging market and developing countries are still most susceptible to growth spillovers from major advanced markets.

On October 4, 12 Pacific Rim countries concluded negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. if ratified by all, the agreement could raise GDP in member countries by an average of 1.1 percent by 2030. It could also increase member countries’ trade by 11 percent by 2030. A common regulatory approach could buoy trade provided it is not associated with excessively restrictive requirements on rules of origin and standards. As long as regulatory reforms benefit non-members, the detrimental effects of the agreement due to trade diversion and preference erosion on non-members would be limited.