Test: Content Development

The test consists of five questions. All questions are compulsory Time Allotted: 2hrs

1. Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Write in points. (10 marks)

The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury, a weekly newspaper: Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, was started five years ago, The Mercurys circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle, at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper. The line of reasoning the above argument has certain gaps that need to be addressed to make it rounded. These include: Reduced price of The Bugle as the sole reason for The Mercurys decline in readership. There might be other newspapers that have eaten into the market. The Mercury has been a popular paper and the 10,000 readers who have chosen another paper over The Mercury might have done so because they have found more interesting read feed in other sources. Given this, The Mercury may not only have to consider the price factor but also what it delivers in terms of content. A case in point is the ad-war between TOI and The Hindu on the quality of content each paper carried. Increased circulation will attract more advertisers; however, advertisers do bear in mind the criteria of audience before selecting a particular space to advertise. Price change alone in The Mercury may not facilitate a change in the spread of audience reach out. So the changes that The Mercury needs to incorporate to attract more advertisers, besides lowering its price, need to be considered.

2. Write your opinion on the following topic in less than 250 words. (10 marks)

Education and success: Is there a correlation? Education and success do correlate with each other. However, it is not a simple, straightforward association. First of all, research in educational psychology and other such domains have identified various factors that contribute to the nature of this association. Intellectual ability,
Aspiring Minds Assessment Pvt. Ltd.

learning style, personality, motivation and socio-demographic background are among a few key factors that cannot be discounted while assessing their correlation. These factors in themselves are often multidimensional. For instance motivation could be internal or external. The manner in which an individual controls the operation of these key factors in his life is decisive. For instance, stories of first-generation learners from underprivileged backgrounds who make it to the top in competitive examinations and further in their career vis--vis stories of individuals from sophisticated urban families who inherit success with top class education accentuate the reality that it is individual experience that decide the nature of correlation between education and success. Another pertinent point here is the operational sense of success and education that varies from individual to individual. Nevertheless, going by popular definitions of success as upward mobility economically and socially; and education as a knowledge building, enriching experience in either formal or informal settings or both, there is definitely a possibility of positive correlation. A person with sound technical know-how of his domain will stand a better chance at succeeding in an endeavor than a person minus that knowledge or experience. Education and success thus do have a correlation which is composite and dynamic in nature.

3. In Logical Ability section, we have Inference based questions where-in a passage would be

given and four inferences would be provided as answer options. You have to choose which of the given inferences could be drawn from the passage. One such passage is given below as an example. Example: With new seasons of reality shows being telecast every month, the viewership of these shows has increased. Viewership and participation in reality TV shows is mostly induced by two common motivators: fame and money. The shows transform common people who are otherwise obscure figures to household names. A few successfully maneuver their small stint with fame to become celebrities. Winners of Reality TV shows reap huge financial rewards for acts including eating large insects, marrying someone they barely know, and revealing their innermost thoughts to millions of people.
a. Reality shows owe their popularity to the fact that all their participants become rich and

famous

b. There are more reality shows on TV than regular shows as viewership of reality shows is

higher
Aspiring Minds Assessment Pvt. Ltd.

c. The participation money in reality shows is linked to the bizareness of the acts on the

show
d. The main attraction behind viewership of reality shows is to see unknown people

become rich and famous

Now read the passage given below. Similar to the above example, you are required to provide four possible answer options for the following passage. Also mark the correct answer. Please note that the answer options should not be easy to eliminate. They have to be shades of grey (distracters) and not black and white that the answer is easily spotted. (10 marks) Seasoned pilots are more familiar with flying heavy aircrafts. Therefore, they face more trouble in mastering the flight of newly developed, extremely light weight aircrafts. Amateur pilots are relatively more competent when it comes to flying the light weight aircrafts with ease. The reason why professional pilots are not good enough at this, is that they give little regard to the wind.

Seasoned pilots do not at all consider wind as a factor while flying. Lightweight aircrafts are easier to fly than heavy aircrafts. In flying heavy aircrafts skillfully, wind is not a crucial factor . Amateur pilots face more trouble flying heavy aircrafts.

4. Read the passage given below and frame two questions - one each of easy and hard

difficulty. (20 marks) The questions should not be simply search-and-find type. They should not have any assumptions. Restrict yourself to four answer options and mark the correct answer. Answer options should be shades of grey and not black and white i.e. one should not be able to eliminate the wrong answer options easily. Many companies of the present times are confronted by difficult decisions- What first? Spend on advertising or launch the product? The strategies differ from case to case depending on the characteristic features of the product or service, the quoted price of the product, the demographics and taste of target group and not to forget the competition faced. Post liberalization, there has been a massive growth in the number of television channels in India. Many innovative advertisements flood the Entertainment box now.

Aspiring Minds Assessment Pvt. Ltd.

With competition at its peak, marketers are challenged by this constant need of attention from the consumers and need for more shelf space at distribution outlets. Advertising and sales promotion activities play a crucial role in helping marketers achieve these goals.

Advertisements are believed to influence the perception of consumers. A recently launched economical car chose not to have a celebrity ambassador because the marketers wanted the masses to perceive the car as the peoples car rather than creating a brouhaha about which celebrity likes to drive it. It has been noticed that the advertising and PR campaigns also help in gaining confidence, besides boosting sales. For instance, recently, a famous chocolate company was belittled due to some worms that were observed in the chocolate bars. No doubt the issue was a very detracting one, but even after taking corrective measures, it was difficult to re-establish its reputation in the market. Revamping the brand and advertisements featuring one of the most famous celebrities in the world helped the company, win back the confidence of the people. The time has come when people dont switch over to the next channel when advertisements are shown in between programmes. In fact, there is a crazy lot who are more keen on watching advertisements rather than the regular television programmes unlike the ones who wait for the TV show to begin. It is not just the innovation or creativity of the advertisements that appeal to the people. It is the demiurgic way of showing day-to-day activities of the common man, latest events and developments around the world in the most noticeable and witty way that help companies be in constant limelight. Of course everyone remembers the famous butter advertisement which is one of the best examples for the given fact. Advertisements are inevitable for products and services to get a desired outcome in the marketplace. However, whether to spend on advertising first or launching the product first, is an ongoing, debatable issue.
1. Read the excerpt from the passage above: It is the demiurgic way of showing day-to-day activities of the common man, latest events and developments around the world in the most noticeable and witty way that helps companies be in constant limelight. What does the word demiurgic mean in this context? Obvious Simplistic Mundane Imaginative

2. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? Advertising strategies adopted by various companies depend on product related factors. Advertisements are required to satisfy the continuous craving for attention by consumers. There is no conclusive stance on whether a product needs to be first marketed or launched.

Aspiring Minds Assessment Pvt. Ltd.

Promotional techniques besides facilitating the achievement of market goals also aid in fostering a brand image.

5. Identify errors in the following passage (10)

Why are great numbers of students choosing to pursue their college degrees using their home computers. Benjamin Franklin said; A penny saved is a penny earned. This principle applies to the american and foreign online student. Todays students chose to take online courses to save money on transportation, books, babysitters, and supplies. The fluctuating cost of gasoline in the united states is one reason online courses appeal to axia college students. They would rather cushion there financial nest eggs than to spend money on replacing worn tires or risking icy road conditions. Students also realize that a traditional college require them to purchase numerous books however, online courses provide the majority of their course materials within the virtual classroom. A student may save hundreds of dollars on textbooks during one block of courses. Additionally online courses are convenient for parents and caregivers. College students who are responsible for children or aging parents must rely on outside help. An online student is able to avoid the high costs of hiring people to take care of their loved ones. Lastly, an online student does not have to purchase supplies. Pencils, pens, paper, erasers, backpacks staplers and paper clips are all needed in traditional courses. The online student needs only one tool to complete their college degree; a home computer. A computer is an online students conduit to class and to all the materials he or she needs. Franklin D. roosevelt exclaimed that, Happiness is not the mere possession of money. He wanted Americans to understand that the joy of achievement is the path to happiness. Yet, even President Roosevelt would agree that earning an online college degree is a financially wise decision.

Aspiring Minds Assessment Pvt. Ltd.