Improve your English with English quiz. English Quiz to help you improve your score for exams like Bank, SSC, Railway, UPSC, UPSSSC, CDS, UPTET, KVS, DSSSB and other Government exams.
Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
The trouble started on May 4, 2004 only days after Google’s celebrated coming- out party. Geico, the giant automobile insurer, filed a lawsuit against the search engine for trademark infringement. The insurer claimed the Google’s advertising system unlawfully profited from trademarks that Geico owned. Since all of Google’s revenue and growth was from advertising, the disclosure of the lawsuit appeared ominous. “We are, and may be in the future, subject to intellectual property right claims, which are costly to defend, could require us to pay damages, and could limit our ability to use certain technologies,” Google disclosed in public filing outlining potential risks. Abroad, where Google had promising growth prospects, similar court challenges also arose. “A court in France held us liable for allowing advertisers to select certain trademarked terms as keywords,” the company declared. “We have appealed this decision. We were also subject to two lawsuits in Germany on similar matters.
To make matters worse, it turned out that prior to its IPO filing, Google had eased its trademark policy in the U.S., allowing companies to place ads even if they were pegged to terms trademarked and owned by others. That was a significant shift, and one, Google warned could increase the risk of lawsuits against the company. It was also a practice that Yahoo, its search engine rival, did not permit. Google claimed it made the policy change to serve users, but some financial analysts said it appeared designed to pump profits before the IPO.
And there was more. Competition from Yahoo and Microsoft posed a greater challenges to Google following the disclosure about its mammoth profitability. With so much money at stake, the intensity of the competition would heat up. Such competition might be good for computer users searching the Internet, but Google said it posed additional risk for potential shareholders. “If Microsoft or Yahoo are successful in providing similar or better Web search results compared to ours or leverage their platforms to make their Web search services easier to access than ours, we could experience a significant decline in user traffic,” the company disclosed. In addition, Google warned that its momentum seemed unsustainable due to competition and “the inevitable decline in growth rates as our revenues increase to a higher level.”
Then there was the question of Googles’s exclusive reliance on advertising, and one particular type of advertising, for all of its revenue. That was potentially quite one particular type of advertising, for all of its revenue. That was potentially quite problematic. If Yahoo or Microsoft gained ground on search, users could flock to their Web sites, and advertisers could follow, “The reduction in spending by; or loss of, advertisers could seriously harm our business,” the company disclosed in its SEC filing.
In the beginning, the firm, earned all of its money from ads triggered by searches on Google.com. But now, most of its growth and half of its sales were coming primarily from the growing network of Web sites that displayed ads Google provided. This self-reinforcing network had a major stake in Google’s successful future. It gave the search engine, operating in the manner of a television network providing ads and programming to network affiliates, a sustainable competitive advantage. But there was a dark side there too, because of the substantial revenue firm a handful of Google partners, notably America Online and the search engine Ask Jeeves. If at any point they left Google and cut a deal with Microsoft or Yahoo, the lost revenue would be immense and difficult to replace. “If one or more of these key relationships is terminated or not renewed, and is not replaced with a comparable relationship, our business would be adversely affected,” the company stated.
Google’s small, nonintrusive text ads wee a big hit. But like major television and cable networks, which were hurt by innovations that enabled users to tune out commercials, the company faced the risk that users could simply turn ads off if mew technologies emerged.
Going public also posed a potentially grave risk to Google’s culture. Life at the Google plex was informal. Larry and Sergey knew many people by their first names and still signed off on many hires. With rapid growth and an initial public offering, more traditional management and systems would have to be implemented. No more off-the shelf software to track revenue on the cheap. Now it was time for audits by major accounting firms. As Google’s head count and sales increased, keeping it running without destroying its culture was CEO Eric Schmidt’s biggest worry.
Google, the NOUN that became a verb, had built a franchise and a strong brand name with global recognition based entirely on word of mouth. Nothing like it had been done before on this scale. The Internet certainly helped. But Google’s profitability would erode if the company were forced to begin spending the customary sums of money on advertising and marketing to maintain the strength of its brand awareness. Marketing guru Peter Sealey said privately that the advice he gave Google to study consumer perception of the Google brand was rejected by the company and that they were unwilling to spend money on marketing.
Q1. Which of the following statement is true?
(a) Google’s growing popularity has been a threat to other players operating in that market segment like Yahoo and Ask Jeeves, as Google eroded their market share.
(b) According to Google its decision to considerably relax its industrial design policy in the US was geared to satisfy its clients.
(c) One of the major challenges for Peter Sealey has been to expand the Google Empire while keeping its existing internal work culture intact.
(d) Google’s business potential is likely to be threatened seriously if the accessibility and quality of the Web search offered by its competitors like Microsoft or Yahoo becomes superior than the same offered by it.
(e) None of the above.
Q2. Which of the following Statement is false?
(a) Google has been potentially vulnerable to external competition owing to its exclusive reliance on advertising for resource generation.
(b) By writing the “the noun that became a verb”, the author indicates the growing popularity of the search engine.
(c) “Non-intrusive” in the current passage refers to the advertisement format that does not directly hamper or distract the flow of operation of the person working in the computer.
(d) The legal dispute between Google and the automobile giant Geico during May 2004 centred on the advertising system and the trademark policy adopted by the latter.
(e) None of the above
Q3. What conclusion can you form about ‘Altavista’ from the passage?
(a) It has been a partner of Google.
(b) It has been a Competitor of Google.
(c) It cannot be concluded from the passage.
(d) It was a partner of Google initially, but later emerged as a major competitor.
(e) None of the above.
Q4. How can the Yahoo and Microsoft, search engine rivals, pose greater risks to Google’s business?
(a) Yahoo and Microsoft have built publishing platforms where content can be published on their proprietary platform.
(b) If Microsoft or Yahoo become successful in providing similar or better Web search results to make their Web search services easier to access than that of Google’s services.
(c) Both the rivals are trying to grow their video ad business by reaching out to YouTube’s biggest content producers and inviting them to test distributing their videos on its own platform.
(d) Both yahoo and Microsoft have had far more success getting customers to buy stuff with a couple clicks.
(e) None of the above
Q5. What is major source of revenue earned by the Google?
(i) The revenue comes from search terms.
(ii) By buying and selling websites.
(iii) High traffic websites of Google that display ads.
- Both (i) and (ii)
- Both (i) and (iii)
- Only (ii)
- Only (iii)
- None of the above
Q6. Which of the following sentence is false?
(a) Google has not been keen to undertake any major analysis on the popular impression about the Google brand.
(b) Google’s resolution to provide the search engine and programming to collaborators like America Online ensured significant revenue for bout sides involved.
(c) Google’s perceived concern over Intellectual Property issues in the passage has been quoted from a confidential company report.
(d) With increase in the volume of Google’s total annual revenue, it was anticipated by the management that the annual growth rate.
(e) None of the above.
Directions (7-8); Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Q7. Infringement
(a) Preservation
(b) Compliance
(c) Strengthening
(d) Violation
(e) Undermine
Q8. Mammoth
(a) Colossal
(b) Miniscule
(c) Stable
(d) Insignificant
(e) Variable
Directions (9-10): Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE, in meaning to the word/group of words printed in BOLD as used in the passage.
Q9. Prospects
(a) Anticipation
(b) Inspect
(c) Probability
(d) Panorama
(e) Reality
Q10. Nonintrusive
(a) Command
(b) Essential
(c) Annoying
(d) Interfering
(e) Involve
Table of Contents
Solutions
Ans.1.(d)
The fifth paragraph of the passage says: “But there was a dark side there too, because of the substantial revenue firm a handful of Google partners, notably America Online and the search engine Ask Jeeves. If at any point they left Google and cut a deal with Microsoft or Yahoo, the lost revenue would be immense and difficult to replace.” This makes option (d) correct.
Ans.2. (d)
The first paragraph of the passage says: “Geico, the giant automobile insurer, filed a lawsuit against the search engine for trademark infringement.” This makes option (d) correct.
Ans.3. (c)
Altavista is not mentioned in the passage. Hence, option (c) is correct.
Ans.4. (b)
Both the search engine rivals, Yahoo and Microsoft, pose greater risks to Google’s business if they become successful in providing similar or better Web search results to make their Web search services easier to access than that of Google’s services.
Ans.5. (d)
High traffic websites of Google that display ads is the major source of revenue earned by the Google. For this refer to the fifth paragraph of the passage.
Ans.6. (c)
In paragraph one of the passage it is mentioned that Google disclosed it in a public filing. Hence, option (c) is correct.
Ans.7. (d)
Infringement means the action of breaking the terms of a law, agreement, etc. So, Violation is the word which is similar in meaning to it.
Ans.8. (a)
Mammoth means huge. So, colossal is the word which is similar in meaning to it.
Ans.9. (e)
Prospects means the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring. So, reality is the word which is opposite in meaning to it.
Ans.10. (b)
Nonintrusive means coming without invitation or welcome. So, essential is the word which is opposite in meaning to it.]
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