Reading Comprehension – Test 117

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives.<br><br> Since 1985 when the SAARC charter was signed, the organisation has developed common cause in several fields: agriculture, education, health, climate change, science and technology, transport and environment. Each area has seen modest but sustainable growth in cooperation. For example, from 2010, when the South Asian University began in Delhi, the number of applicants for about 170 seats has more than doubled. SAARC's biggest failure, however, comes from the political sphere, where mainly due to India-Pakistan tensions, heads of state have met only 18 times in 34 years; it has been five years since the last summit in Kathmandu. <br><br> BIMSTEC, on the other hand, is not moored in the identity of the nations that are members. It is essentially a grouping of countries situated around the Bay of Bengal, and began in 1997 (Bhutan and Nepal joined in 2004), a decade after SAARC. The organisation did not even have a secretariat until 2014. While it has made some progress in technical areas, leaders of BIMSTEC nations have held summits just four times in 22 years. With India's growing frustration over cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, it hopes to build more on BIMSTEC's potential. But the organisation is unlikely to supplant SAARC for a specific reason. <br><br> One of BIMSTEC's two founding principles is: "Cooperation within BIMSTEC will constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States." Its official literature describes it as "a bridge between South and South East Asia" and a "platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] members." It is significant that two of the leaders at Mr. Modi's swearing-in on Thursday - Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena - have also emphasised that BIMSTEC would not replace SAARC.

Which of the following statement is false according to the passage?

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives.<br><br> Since 1985 when the SAARC charter was signed, the organisation has developed common cause in several fields: agriculture, education, health, climate change, science and technology, transport and environment. Each area has seen modest but sustainable growth in cooperation. For example, from 2010, when the South Asian University began in Delhi, the number of applicants for about 170 seats has more than doubled. SAARC's biggest failure, however, comes from the political sphere, where mainly due to India-Pakistan tensions, heads of state have met only 18 times in 34 years; it has been five years since the last summit in Kathmandu. <br><br> BIMSTEC, on the other hand, is not moored in the identity of the nations that are members. It is essentially a grouping of countries situated around the Bay of Bengal, and began in 1997 (Bhutan and Nepal joined in 2004), a decade after SAARC. The organisation did not even have a secretariat until 2014. While it has made some progress in technical areas, leaders of BIMSTEC nations have held summits just four times in 22 years. With India's growing frustration over cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, it hopes to build more on BIMSTEC's potential. But the organisation is unlikely to supplant SAARC for a specific reason. <br><br> One of BIMSTEC's two founding principles is: "Cooperation within BIMSTEC will constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States." Its official literature describes it as "a bridge between South and South East Asia" and a "platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] members." It is significant that two of the leaders at Mr. Modi's swearing-in on Thursday - Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena - have also emphasised that BIMSTEC would not replace SAARC.

What has been the biggest failure of SAARC?

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the questions out of five alternatives.<br><br> Since 1985 when the SAARC charter was signed, the organisation has developed common cause in several fields: agriculture, education, health, climate change, science and technology, transport and environment. Each area has seen modest but sustainable growth in cooperation. For example, from 2010, when the South Asian University began in Delhi, the number of applicants for about 170 seats has more than doubled. SAARC's biggest failure, however, comes from the political sphere, where mainly due to India-Pakistan tensions, heads of state have met only 18 times in 34 years; it has been five years since the last summit in Kathmandu. <br><br> BIMSTEC, on the other hand, is not moored in the identity of the nations that are members. It is essentially a grouping of countries situated around the Bay of Bengal, and began in 1997 (Bhutan and Nepal joined in 2004), a decade after SAARC. The organisation did not even have a secretariat until 2014. While it has made some progress in technical areas, leaders of BIMSTEC nations have held summits just four times in 22 years. With India's growing frustration over cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, it hopes to build more on BIMSTEC's potential. But the organisation is unlikely to supplant SAARC for a specific reason. <br><br> One of BIMSTEC's two founding principles is: "Cooperation within BIMSTEC will constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States." Its official literature describes it as "a bridge between South and South East Asia" and a "platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] members." It is significant that two of the leaders at Mr. Modi's swearing-in on Thursday - Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena - have also emphasised that BIMSTEC would not replace SAARC.

What is not true about BIMSTAC?