SBI PO Prelims Full Mock Test 06

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given after it. A generation ago, a broken radio was taken to the corner repair shop, opened with a screwdriver and fixed for the price of a spare part. Today, a cracked phone screen or a failed laptop battery often sends the owner straight to the showroom, not because repair is impossible but because it has been made difficult. Parts are glued rather than screwed, spare components are sold only to authorised centres, and software locks can refuse to recognise a replacement part fitted by an independent mechanic. Manufacturers defend these practices on grounds of safety, quality and the protection of their designs. A poorly fitted battery, they argue, can catch fire, and a careless repair can damage the brand's reputation. There is some truth in this. But critics point out that the same restrictions conveniently push customers towards buying new devices, and that the costs of this cycle are not borne by companies alone. Electronic waste is among the fastest-growing waste streams in the world, and only a small fraction of it is formally recycled. The right-to-repair movement asks for something modest: that owners and independent repairers have access to spare parts, manuals and diagnostic tools on fair terms, and that devices be designed so that common faults can be fixed. Several governments have begun to move in this direction, requiring manufacturers to make parts available for a minimum number of years and to publish repairability information at the point of sale. Such rules will not, by themselves, revive the corner repair shop. Consumers have grown used to replacing rather than mending, and a repair that costs half the price of a new phone can still seem poor value. What the rules can do is restore a genuine choice. When a buyer can compare two phones not only on camera and price but also on how easily they can be repaired, manufacturers have a reason to compete on durability, and the decision to throw something away becomes the owner's rather than the designer's.

   Q1.According to the passage, why do many owners of broken devices go straight to the showroom today?

   • A.Modern devices can never be repaired.
   • B.Spare parts are cheaper than new devices.
   • C.Repair shops have been banned by law.
   • D.Repair has been deliberately made difficult, not impossible.
   • E.Showrooms offer free replacements.

2. Q2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way in which repair is made difficult?

   • A.Making components hard to open and remove
   • B.Gluing parts instead of screwing them
   • C.Charging a higher price for devices that are easy to repair
   • D.Software that rejects parts fitted by independent mechanics
   • E.Selling spare parts only to authorised centres

3. Q3.How does the author treat the manufacturers' safety argument?

   • A.As completely false
   • B.As a reason to ban independent repair
   • C.As the only reason for repair restrictions
   • D.As irrelevant to consumers
   • E.As partly valid but also convenient for selling more devices

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