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Financial Inclusion (FI) is an emerging priority for banks that have nowhere else to go to achieve business growth. The viability of FI business is under question, because while banks and their delivery partners continue to make investments, they haven't seen commensurate returns. In markets like India, most programmes are focused on customer on-boarding, an expensive process which people often find difficult to afford, involving issuance of smart cards to the customers. However, large-scale customer acquisition hasn't translated into large-scale business, with many accounts lying dormant and therefore yielding no return on the bank's investment. For the same reason, Business Correspondent Agents, who constitute the primary channel for financial inclusion, are unable to pursue their activity as a full-time job. One major reason for this state of events is that the customer on-boarding process is often delayed after the submission of documents (required to validate the details of the concerned applicant) by the applicant and might take as long as two weeks. By this time the initial enthusiasm of applicants fades away. Moreover, the delivery partners don't have the knowledge and skill to propose anything other than the most basic financial products to the customer and hence do not serve their bank's goal of expanding the offering in unbanked markets.
Contrary to popular perception, the inclusion segment is not a singular impoverished, undifferentiated mass and it is important to navigate its diversity to identify the right target customers for various programmes. Rural markets do have their share of rich people who do not use banking services simply because they are inconvenient to access or have low perceived value. At the same time, urban markets, despite a high branch density, have multitude of low wage earners outside the financial net. Moreover, the branch timings of banks rarely coincide with the off-work hours of the labour class.
Creating affordability is crucial in tapping the unbanked market. No doubt pricing is a tool, but banks also need to be innovative in right-sizing their proposition to convince customers that they can derive big value even from small amounts. One way of doing this is to show the target audience that a bank account is actually a lifestyle enabler, a convenient and safe means to send money to family or make a variety of purchases. Once banks succeed in hooking customers with this value proposition they must sustain their interest by introducing a simple and intuitive user application, ubiquitous access over mobile and other touch points, and adopting a banking mechanism which is not only secure but also reassuring to the customer. Technology is the most important element of financial inclusion strategy and an enabler of all others. The choice of technology is therefore a crucial decision, which could make or mar the agenda. Of the various selection criteria, cost is perhaps the most important. This certainly does not mean buying the cheapest package, but rather choosing that solution which by scaling transactions to huge volumes reduces per unit operating cost. An optimal mix of these strategies would no doubt offer an innovative means of expansion in the unbanked market.
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Qs.9/10: According to the passage, for which of the following reasons do the delivery partners fail to serve their bank's goal to expand in the unbanked markets?
(A) They do not have adequate client base to sell their financial products.
(B) They do not have adequate knowledge and skills explain anything beyond basic financial products to the customers.
(C) They do not have the skills to operate advanced technological aids that are a prerequisite to tap the unbanked-market.
AOnly (B)
BAll (A), (B) & (C)
COnly (A)
Answer: Option A
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Financial Inclusion (FI) is an emerging priority for banks that have nowhere else to go to achieve business growth. The viability of FI business is under question, because while banks and their delivery partners continue to make investments, they haven't seen commensurate returns. In markets like India, most programmes are focused on customer on-boarding, an expensive process which people often find difficult to afford, involving issuance of smart cards to the customers. However, large-scale customer acquisition hasn't translated into large-scale business, with many accounts lying dormant and therefore yielding no return on the bank's investment. For the same reason, Business Correspondent Agents, who constitute the primary channel for financial inclusion, are unable to pursue their activity as a full-time job. One major reason for this state of events is that the customer on-boarding process is often delayed after the submission of documents (required to validate the details of the concerned applicant) by the applicant and might take as long as two weeks. By this time the initial enthusiasm of applicants fades away. Moreover, the delivery partners don't have the knowledge and skill to propose anything other than the most basic financial products to the customer and hence do not serve their bank's goal of expanding the offering in unbanked markets.
Contrary to popular perception, the inclusion segment is not a singular impoverished, undifferentiated mass and it is important to navigate its diversity to identify the right target customers for various programmes. Rural markets do have their share of rich people who do not use banking services simply because they are inconvenient to access or have low perceived value. At the same time, urban markets, despite a high branch density, have multitude of low wage earners outside the financial net. Moreover, the branch timings of banks rarely coincide with the off-work hours of the labour class.
Creating affordability is crucial in tapping the unbanked market. No doubt pricing is a tool, but banks also need to be innovative in right-sizing their proposition to convince customers that they can derive big value even from small amounts. One way of doing this is to show the target audience that a bank account is actually a lifestyle enabler, a convenient and safe means to send money to family or make a variety of purchases. Once banks succeed in hooking customers with this value proposition they must sustain their interest by introducing a simple and intuitive user application, ubiquitous access over mobile and other touch points, and adopting a banking mechanism which is not only secure but also reassuring to the customer. Technology is the most important element of financial inclusion strategy and an enabler of all others. The choice of technology is therefore a crucial decision, which could make or mar the agenda. Of the various selection criteria, cost is perhaps the most important. This certainly does not mean buying the cheapest package, but rather choosing that solution which by scaling transactions to huge volumes reduces per unit operating cost. An optimal mix of these strategies would no doubt offer an innovative means of expansion in the unbanked market.
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Qs.10/10: Which of the following fact is true as per the passage?
APeople from rural areas have high perceived value of banking services
BCost is not a valid criterion for technological pack selection for financial-inclusion initiatives
CThe inclusion segment is a singular impoverished, undifferentiated mass
DThe branch timings of banks generally do not coincide with the off-work hours of the labour class in urban markets
Answer: Option D
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.He had little schooling, but studied law on his own. By nature, he was always jovial and was full of fun. Once he played a practical Joke upon a rich man who came to engage him for his case. Lincoln was then practicing as a lawyer. This man wanted Lincoln to take a poor neighbour to court for not paying back a small sum of two and a half dollars. The poor man had refused to pay it because, he said, he didn't really owe it. Lincoln had an idea. He a agreed to talk up the case if he was paid ten dollars, cash down. The rich man readily paid him the cash. Lincoln at once went and gave the other man five dollars and said, "Now go and pay two and a half dollars to that neighbour of yours and take two and a half dollars for yourself." Both Lincoln and the poor man gained some money and the rich man was completely satisfied.
Qs.1/5: Which word in the passage is the synonym of 'amount'?
AMoney
BDollars
CSum
DCash
Answer: Option C
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.He had little schooling, but studied law on his own. By nature, he was always jovial and was full of fun. Once he played a practical Joke upon a rich man who came to engage him for his case. Lincoln was then practicing as a lawyer. This man wanted Lincoln to take a poor neighbour to court for not paying back a small sum of two and a half dollars. The poor man had refused to pay it because, he said, he didn't really owe it. Lincoln had an idea. He a agreed to talk up the case if he was paid ten dollars, cash down. The rich man readily paid him the cash. Lincoln at once went and gave the other man five dollars and said, "Now go and pay two and a half dollars to that neighbour of yours and take two and a half dollars for yourself." Both Lincoln and the poor man gained some money and the rich man was completely satisfied.
Qs.2/5: On what condition did Lincoln agree to take up the rich man's case ?
AIf the poor man paid him ten dollars.
BIf the rich man paid him ?fty dollars.
CIf he was paid ten dollars, cash down.
DNone of the above.
Answer: Option C
Explanation:VVVVFF
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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.He had little schooling, but studied law on his own. By nature, he was always jovial and was full of fun. Once he played a practical Joke upon a rich man who came to engage him for his case. Lincoln was then practicing as a lawyer. This man wanted Lincoln to take a poor neighbour to court for not paying back a small sum of two and a half dollars. The poor man had refused to pay it because, he said, he didn't really owe it. Lincoln had an idea. He a agreed to talk up the case if he was paid ten dollars, cash down. The rich man readily paid him the cash. Lincoln at once went and gave the other man five dollars and said, "Now go and pay two and a half dollars to that neighbour of yours and take two and a half dollars for yourself." Both Lincoln and the poor man gained some money and the rich man was completely satisfied.
Qs.3/5: Why was the poor man refusing to pay the rich man ?
ABecause he didn't really owe it.
BBecause he had no money with him.
CBecause he had become greedy.
DBecause he wanted to rob the rich man.
Answer: Option A
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.He had little schooling, but studied law on his own. By nature, he was always jovial and was full of fun. Once he played a practical Joke upon a rich man who came to engage him for his case. Lincoln was then practicing as a lawyer. This man wanted Lincoln to take a poor neighbour to court for not paying back a small sum of two and a half dollars. The poor man had refused to pay it because, he said, he didn't really owe it. Lincoln had an idea. He a agreed to talk up the case if he was paid ten dollars, cash down. The rich man readily paid him the cash. Lincoln at once went and gave the other man five dollars and said, "Now go and pay two and a half dollars to that neighbour of yours and take two and a half dollars for yourself." Both Lincoln and the poor man gained some money and the rich man was completely satisfied.
Qs.4/5: How much money did the rich man say the poor man owed to him ?
AThree and a half dollars.
BTwo dollars and a half dollars
CTwo dollars
DThree dollars
Answer: Option B
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.He had little schooling, but studied law on his own. By nature, he was always jovial and was full of fun. Once he played a practical Joke upon a rich man who came to engage him for his case. Lincoln was then practicing as a lawyer. This man wanted Lincoln to take a poor neighbour to court for not paying back a small sum of two and a half dollars. The poor man had refused to pay it because, he said, he didn't really owe it. Lincoln had an idea. He a agreed to talk up the case if he was paid ten dollars, cash down. The rich man readily paid him the cash. Lincoln at once went and gave the other man five dollars and said, "Now go and pay two and a half dollars to that neighbour of yours and take two and a half dollars for yourself." Both Lincoln and the poor man gained some money and the rich man was completely satisfied.
Qs.5/5: Why did the rich man want to take his poor neighbour to court ?
AFor not paying back his money.
BFor not giving back his car.
CFor stealing his money.
DNone of the above.
Answer: Option A
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Public general hospitals originated in the almshouse infirmaries established as early as colonial times by local governments to care for the poor. Later, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the infirmary separated from the almshouse and became an independent institution supported by local tax money. At the same time, private charity hospitals began to develop. Both private and public hospitals provided mainly food and shelter for the impoverished sick, since there was little that medicine could actually do to cure illness, and the middle class was treated at home by private physicians.
Late in the nineteenth century, the private charity hospital began trying to attract middle-class patients. Although the depression of 1890 stimulated the growth of charitable institutions and an expanding urban population became dependent on assistance, there was a decline in private contributions to these organizations which forced them to look to local government for financial support. Since private institutions had also lost benefactors; they began to charge patients. In order to attract middle-class patients, private institutions provided services and amenities that distinguished between paying and non-paying patients and made the hospital a desirable place for private physicians to treat their own patients. As paying patients became more necessary to the survival of the private hospital, the public hospitals slowly became the only place for the poor to get treatment. By the end of the nineteenth century, cities were reimbursing private hospitals for their care of indigent patients and the public hospitals remained dependent on the tax dollars.
The advent of private hospital health insurance, which provided middle-class patients with the purchasing power to pay for private hospital services, guaranteed the private hospital a regular source of income. Private hospitals restricted themselves to revenue-generating patients, leaving the public hospitals to care for the poor. Although public hospitals continued to provide services for patients with communicable diseases and outpatient and emergency services, the Blue Cross plans developed around the needs of the private hospitals and the inpatients they served. Thus, reimbursement for ambulatory care has been minimal under most Blue Cross plans, and provision of outpatient care has not been a major function of the private hospital, in part because private patients can afford to pay for the services of private physicians. Additionally, since World War II, there has been a tremendous influx of federal money into private medical schools and the hospitals associated with them. Further, large private medical centres with expensive research equipment and programs have attracted the best administrators, physicians, and researchers. As a result of the greater resources available to the private medical centres, public hospitals have increasing problems attracting highly qualified research and medical personnel. With the mainstream of health care firmly established in the private medical sector, the public hospital has become a "dumping ground"
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Qs.1/10: Which of the following is the antonym of the word tremendous?
ABantam
BGalactic
CLeviathan
DHumongous
EAll the above.
Answer: Option A
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Public general hospitals originated in the almshouse infirmaries established as early as colonial times by local governments to care for the poor. Later, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the infirmary separated from the almshouse and became an independent institution supported by local tax money. At the same time, private charity hospitals began to develop. Both private and public hospitals provided mainly food and shelter for the impoverished sick, since there was little that medicine could actually do to cure illness, and the middle class was treated at home by private physicians.
Late in the nineteenth century, the private charity hospital began trying to attract middle-class patients. Although the depression of 1890 stimulated the growth of charitable institutions and an expanding urban population became dependent on assistance, there was a decline in private contributions to these organizations which forced them to look to local government for financial support. Since private institutions had also lost benefactors; they began to charge patients. In order to attract middle-class patients, private institutions provided services and amenities that distinguished between paying and non-paying patients and made the hospital a desirable place for private physicians to treat their own patients. As paying patients became more necessary to the survival of the private hospital, the public hospitals slowly became the only place for the poor to get treatment. By the end of the nineteenth century, cities were reimbursing private hospitals for their care of indigent patients and the public hospitals remained dependent on the tax dollars.
The advent of private hospital health insurance, which provided middle-class patients with the purchasing power to pay for private hospital services, guaranteed the private hospital a regular source of income. Private hospitals restricted themselves to revenue-generating patients, leaving the public hospitals to care for the poor. Although public hospitals continued to provide services for patients with communicable diseases and outpatient and emergency services, the Blue Cross plans developed around the needs of the private hospitals and the inpatients they served. Thus, reimbursement for ambulatory care has been minimal under most Blue Cross plans, and provision of outpatient care has not been a major function of the private hospital, in part because private patients can afford to pay for the services of private physicians. Additionally, since World War II, there has been a tremendous influx of federal money into private medical schools and the hospitals associated with them. Further, large private medical centres with expensive research equipment and programs have attracted the best administrators, physicians, and researchers. As a result of the greater resources available to the private medical centres, public hospitals have increasing problems attracting highly qualified research and medical personnel. With the mainstream of health care firmly established in the private medical sector, the public hospital has become a "dumping ground"
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Qs.2/10: Which of the following titles best describes the content of the passage?
APublic versus Private Hospitals: A Competitive Mismatch.
BHistorical and Economic Factors in the Decline of the Public Hospital.
CA Comparison of the Quality of Care Provided in Public and Private Hospitals.
DA Proposal for Revamping the Health Delivery Services Sector of the Economy.
EEconomic Factors That Contribute to the Inability of the Poor to Get Adequate Care.
Answer: Option B
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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Public general hospitals originated in the almshouse infirmaries established as early as colonial times by local governments to care for the poor. Later, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the infirmary separated from the almshouse and became an independent institution supported by local tax money. At the same time, private charity hospitals began to develop. Both private and public hospitals provided mainly food and shelter for the impoverished sick, since there was little that medicine could actually do to cure illness, and the middle class was treated at home by private physicians.
Late in the nineteenth century, the private charity hospital began trying to attract middle-class patients. Although the depression of 1890 stimulated the growth of charitable institutions and an expanding urban population became dependent on assistance, there was a decline in private contributions to these organizations which forced them to look to local government for financial support. Since private institutions had also lost benefactors; they began to charge patients. In order to attract middle-class patients, private institutions provided services and amenities that distinguished between paying and non-paying patients and made the hospital a desirable place for private physicians to treat their own patients. As paying patients became more necessary to the survival of the private hospital, the public hospitals slowly became the only place for the poor to get treatment. By the end of the nineteenth century, cities were reimbursing private hospitals for their care of indigent patients and the public hospitals remained dependent on the tax dollars.
The advent of private hospital health insurance, which provided middle-class patients with the purchasing power to pay for private hospital services, guaranteed the private hospital a regular source of income. Private hospitals restricted themselves to revenue-generating patients, leaving the public hospitals to care for the poor. Although public hospitals continued to provide services for patients with communicable diseases and outpatient and emergency services, the Blue Cross plans developed around the needs of the private hospitals and the inpatients they served. Thus, reimbursement for ambulatory care has been minimal under most Blue Cross plans, and provision of outpatient care has not been a major function of the private hospital, in part because private patients can afford to pay for the services of private physicians. Additionally, since World War II, there has been a tremendous influx of federal money into private medical schools and the hospitals associated with them. Further, large private medical centres with expensive research equipment and programs have attracted the best administrators, physicians, and researchers. As a result of the greater resources available to the private medical centres, public hospitals have increasing problems attracting highly qualified research and medical personnel. With the mainstream of health care firmly established in the private medical sector, the public hospital has become a "dumping ground"
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Qs.3/10: The author implies that any outpatient care provided by a hospital is ______________
Apaid for by private insurance.
Bprovided in lieu of treatment by a private physician.
Csupplied primarily by private hospitals.
Da source of revenue for public hospitals.
Eno longer provided by hospitals, public or private
Answer: Option B
Explanation:Here is no explanation for this answer
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