N.I.C.E.

Way
By SUMAN SHARMA
 Link Of The Editorial
https://www.livemint.com/opinion/quick-edit/opinion-
stop-snapping-off-the-internet/amp-
11576851690590.html
Stop snapping off the internet
According to the Internet shutdown tracker, a portal which
tracks these, the net has been switched off 95 times
already this year.
It is uncanny how India, the world’s most populous
democracy, resorts so frequently to shutting down the
internet and suspending mobile communication for millions
of citizens. As protests over the controversial new
citizenship law rages across the country, the government
has snapped off the net in various trouble spots. This
seems an almost uniquely Indian way to deal with unrest.
According to the Internet shutdown tracker, a portal
which tracks these, the net has been switched off 95
times already this year. The count was 134 in 2018.
The objective of such digital repression, as the
government often says, is to block the spread of fake
news and rumours, and thus any violence fomented by
them. But snap-offs impose economic costs. According
to a study by the Indian Council for Research on
International Economic Relations (ICRIER), between
2012 and 2017, India lost an average of $186,332 per
hour due to net shutdowns. For a country aiming to
become a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25, and wants to
ride the information wave, that’s not a good sign.
In recent years, internet blackouts have emerged as a
freedom-of-expression issue in the West, something that
democracies are expected not to trample upon. In 2016, the
United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution
affirming that people’s online rights would be afforded the
same degree of protection as those in the offline world. While
the state does have a responsibility to uphold law and order,
it may be time to examine ways of doing it that do not deprive
citizens of internet access.
1. The passage suggeste that
India, the world’s most populous
democracy, resorting so
frequently to shutting down the
internet is
A. Ordinary
B. Normal
C. Unremarkable
D. Strange
2. What is the object of such resort to
internet shutdown and digital
repression according to the
government??
A. To block the spread of fake news and
rumours
B. Impose economic costs
C. Aggravate violence fomented by fake
rumours
D. To protect the freedom of expression
3. Democracies are expected not to
trample upon?

A. Freedom of using internet

B. Freedom of using mobiles
C. Freedom of expression
D. Freedom of using social media
4. In 2016, the United Nations
Human Rights Council passed a
resolution affirming?
A. Equal treatment of peoples online and offline
rights
B. Marginal difference between people’s online
and offline rights
C. Remarkable difference between people’s online
and offline rights
D. More importance to people’s offline rights in
comparison to online rights.
5. Give a suitable title to the
passage above?

A. Sanctity of freedom of expression

B. Demerits of internet shutdowns
C. Objectives of digital suppression
D. Need for controlling fake rumours by
digital suppression.
6. What is the tone of the author in
the above passage ?
A. Sarcastic
B. Condescending
C. Candid
D. Didactic
Vocabulary
1. Snapping off : break a piece from a whole.
2. Uncanny : strange or mysterious, especially in an
unsettling way.
3. Resorts : turn to and adopt (a course of action,
especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as
to resolve a difficult situation.
4. Rages : violent uncontrollable anger.
5. Unrest : a state of dissatisfaction, disturbance,
and agitation, typically involving public
demonstrations or disorder.
Vocabulary
6. Repression : force to restrict and control a
society or other group of people.
7. Fomented : instigate or stir up (an undesirable
or violent sentiment or course of action).
8. Trample : to tread heavily so as to bruise,
crush, or injure.
9. Affirmation : emotional support or
encouragement
10. Deprive : lacking a specified benefit that is
considered important.
 Figure Of Speech
Irony
Irony is the use of words that mean the opposite of
what you really think especially in order to be
funny.
Example:
* “This is my brilliant son who failed out of college.”
* She’s a great singer who sings like a crow.
Types of Irony
1. Dramatic Irony :
* A contradiction between what a character
thinks and what the reader or audience knows to
be true.
2. Situational Irony :
* An event occurs that directly contradicts the
expectations of the characters, readers, or
audience.
3. Verbal Irony :
* Words are used to suggest the opposite of what
is meant (i.e. sarcasm, etc.)
 “Accept the challenges so that you
can feel the exhilaration of victory.”