Question Paper from: RBI Assistant Prelims 2016

Rearrange the following six sentences (A), (B),(C),(D),(E) and (F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answers the questions given below them.

A) While the overall gross value added (GVA) in the third quarter is estimated to have increased by 6.6%, agricultural GVA in the period is projected to have surged 6%, a sharp quickening from the second quarter’s 3.8% pace and in stark contrast with the 2.2% contraction in the earlier year, as the near-normal monsoon in 2016 helped lift kharif crop output substantially.

B) Notably, this expansion occurred in the October-December quarter, when about 86% of the currency in circulation in the form of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes were abruptly sucked out of the system, potentially resulting in what the Economic Survey termed an “aggregate demand shock” and the Reserve Bank of India referred to as “demand compression associated with adverse wealth effects”.

C) The resilience of India’s economy has been reaffirmed by the latest data, with both the third quarter and full-year growth estimates belying widespread concerns that the November 8 decision to withdraw high-value currency notes would significantly dampen momentum.

D) While the Central Statistics Office stuck with its January advance estimate for the gross domestic product in the 12 months ending March 2017 to post a healthy 7.1% growth, it projected GDP to have expanded 7% in the fiscal third quarter, reflecting only a marginal slowdown from the 7.3% registered in the preceding three-month period.

E) Undergirding this better-than-expected performance were the agriculture, mining and manufacturing sectors and, interestingly, government expenditure.

F) Mining and manufacturing GVA too appear to have done far better than in the preceding quarter, bucking the so-called ‘demonetisation drag’ to post 7.5% and 8.3% growth, respectively. Public administration, defence and other services clocked double-digit GVA growth: at 11.9%, a robust acceleration from the 7.5% in the third quarter of 2015-16.

Which of the following sentences should be the FOURTH after rearrangement?