IBPS PO Prelims Full Mock Test 02

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given after it. In many Indian cities, the morning commute has become a test of patience. Roads built for a few thousand vehicles now carry several lakh, and every new flyover seems to fill up within months of opening. Transport experts have a name for this: induced demand. When a road is widened, driving becomes easier for a while, so more people choose to drive, and the congestion soon returns. The lesson many planners have drawn is that cities cannot build their way out of traffic jams. Instead, they must give people good alternatives to the private car. A reliable bus service, safe footpaths and cycle lanes, and metro lines that connect to where people actually live and work can move far more people using the same amount of road space. Yet alternatives succeed only when they are convenient. A metro station that is two kilometres from a residential area, with no bus or footpath to reach it, will be used by few. Planners increasingly speak of the last mile, the short distance between a station and a person's front door, as the point where public transport wins or loses passengers. Pricing also matters. In some cities, parking on the street is free or almost free, which quietly encourages people to drive. Charging a fair price for parking, and using the money to improve buses and pavements, can shift behaviour without banning anything. None of these measures is dramatic on its own. Together, however, they can make the choice to leave the car at home a sensible one, rather than a sacrifice.

   Q1.What is meant by induced demand as used in the passage?

   • A.Wider roads encourage more people to drive, so congestion returns
   • B.Flyovers reduce traffic permanently
   • C.People stop commuting in the morning
   • D.Buses create more traffic than cars
   • E.Demand for cars falls when roads are widened

2. Q2.According to the passage, what lesson have many planners drawn?

   • A.Footpaths waste road space
   • B.More flyovers are the only answer
   • C.Private cars should be banned
   • D.Cities cannot solve traffic jams simply by building more roads
   • E.Metro lines are useless

3. Q3.Why might a metro station be used by few people, according to the passage?

   • A.If it is close to offices
   • B.If it is far from homes with no easy way to reach it
   • C.If it has too many buses nearby
   • D.If the trains are too fast
   • E.If tickets are free

Start the test to answer these. Correct answers and explanations are shown after you submit.