TCI 28 MC Questions - India's Comparative Advantage

Which city on the map below is the main hub of IT work in India? A. Bangalore B. Chennai C. Hyderabad D. Mumbai

A. Bangalore

Which nation was responsible for making English the dominant second language for educated Indians? A. Great Britain B. the United States C. Canada D. Australia

A. Great Britain

How does fierce competition for jobs affect how much workers in India can earn? A. Job candidates often accept lower pay in order to get a job. B. Employers often have to pay more when there are so many job candidates. C. Strict labor laws regulate wages, so competition has little effect on earnings. D. Successful job candidates receive higher pay because of the competitive nature of the job search.

A. Job candidates often accept lower pay in order to get a job.

Why do some companies teach workers how to speak with American accents? A. They hope workers will be able to communicate better with American clients. B. They believe that American accents sound more sophisticated than British accents. C. They want to wipe out the traces of British colonial rule over India. D. They believe it is easier for Indians to learn an American accent than a British one.

A. They hope workers will be able to communicate better with American clients.

In the past, what resulted when many students with technical degrees could not find work in India? A. a brain drain B. outsourcing C. a comparative advantage D. illiteracy

A. a brain drain

How do millions of Indians view a good education? A. as a ticket to a good job B. as a sign of social inferiority C. as a waste of time D. as a step toward gaining citzenship

A. as a ticket to a good job

India attracts jobs like this one because it has a _____. A. comparative advantage. B. large workforce. C. brain gain. D. time zone advantage.

A. comparative advantage.

India is the world's largest _____. A. democracy. B. nation-state. C. cultural region. D. developed country.

A. democracy.

What is India's official national language? A. Urdu B. English C. Hindi D. India has no national language

C. Hindi

Which statement is an indication that the Indian IT industry is thriving? A. Indian IT workers are paid less than American IT workers. B. Many Indians with technical degrees leave India to work in the United States. C. Some Indian companies now outsource jobs to IT workers in China. D. Fewer opportunities are available for Indians with technical degrees.

C. Some Indian companies now outsource jobs to IT workers in China.

Which of the following statements is true? A. The majority of Indian young people are college graduates. B. India does not have any laws that require children to attend school. C. The number of Indians with college degrees was expected to double between 2003 and 2010. D. all of the above

C. The number of Indians with college degrees was expected to double between 2003 and 2010.

How is India's location an advantage for American companies? A. Shipping costs are minimized because of India's close location to the United States. B. Meetings are easy to schedule because India and the United States are in the same time zone. C. With workers in India and the United States, companies can have employees working around the clock. D. Workers can move easily between India and the United States because they are on the same continent.

C. With workers in India and the United States, companies can have employees working around the clock.

Why have engineering and IT educational opportunities expanded in India? A. the end of the caste system B. the government's need to fill technical jobs C. greater investment in education D. huge number of foreign students

C. greater investment in education

When a company outsources a particular job, _____. A. it increases the size of its staff. B. it eliminates that job in order to save money during difficult economic times. C. it hires someone outside the company to do work that was once done inside the company. D. it requires staff to do twice the work that they had once done.

C. it hires someone outside the company to do work that was once done inside the company.

Which inventions are not part of the global revolution in information technology? A. cell phones B. personal computers C. multifunctional platforms D. communication satellites

C. multifunctional platforms

A comparative advantage is the ability of one country to _____. A. use technology to move, record, and process information. B. hire people inside the country to do work that was once done outside the country. C. produce a good or provide a service more cheaply or effectively than another country. D. outsource jobs to businesses in other countries.

C. produce a good or provide a service more cheaply or effectively than another country.

Foreign investment is when people _____. A. move to another country when there are few job opportunities in their own country. B. spend money to become educated about other nations and their cultures. C. use their money to buy or create businesses in other countries. D. take money earned in other countries and use it to buy businesses in their own country.

C. use their money to buy or create businesses in other countries.

Which best describes how English became the main language of business in India? A. India has promoted English to benefit trade and commerce. B. It is similar to many local languages and easy to learn. C. India has used English to create a unified culture. D. It is a remnant of British colonialism.

D. It is a remnant of British colonialism.

Which of the following supports the statement, "Not all Indians have equal access to education"? A. Indian law says that all children up to the age of 14 must go to school. B. The number of Indians with college degrees was expected to double between 2003 and 2010. C. Millions of Indians see education as their ticket to a good job. D. Many Indians do not expect children who are born into low castes to be well educated.

D. Many Indians do not expect children who are born into low castes to be well educated.

What is a consequence of the low cost of living in India? A. Most Indians only have to work part-time in order to make a living. B. The average Indian lives at a higher standard of living than the average American. C. Many employers use the low cost of living as an excuse to pay workers too little to live on. D. Many Indians enjoy a high standard of living despite pay that seems low to Americans.

D. Many Indians enjoy a high standard of living despite pay that seems low to Americans.

Why is English a useful language in India? A. In a nation with more than 1,000 languages and dialects, English may help Indians communicate. B. English has become the main language of business and government. C. English gives India a comparative advantage in attracting business from American companies. D. all of the above

D. all of the above

Which of these is a comparative advantage that attracts foreign companies to the United States? A. low living costs B. long life expectancies C. many linguistic groups D. highly educated workers

D. highly educated workers

What factor is most important in attracting U.S. and other foreign companies to outsource to India? A. workforce size B. communications infrastructure C. lack of competition D. lower wages

D. lower wages

What comparative advantage does India have over many other countries in attracting IT jobs from the United States? A. brain gain B. modern transportation infrastructure C. many Hindi speakers D. many English speakers

D. many English speakers

Why do English-speaking Indians take classes before getting work in call centers? A. to learn to speak like an American B. to improve their knowledge of foreign slang C. to better understand a range of accents D. to learn to sound less Indian

D. to learn to sound less Indian

How many standard time zones are there in the world today? A. 12 B. 24 C. 30 D. 60

B. 24

Which of the following statements about India is true? A. India is twice the size of the United States. B. India is the second most populous country in the world. C. India's population is only half that of the United States. D. India is a rural country with no major cities at all.

B. India is the second most populous country in the world.

Why do many American companies outsource IT jobs to India? A. Indians are better qualified for those jobs than Americans are. B. Labor costs are lower in India. C. Few Americans want to do those kinds of jobs. D. Americans do not have the expertise for those jobs.

B. Labor costs are lower in India.

What does it mean when we say that about a third of India's population is illiterate? A. They cannot become Indian citizens. B. They cannot read or write. C. They cannot operate telephone equipment. D. They cannot rise above their caste.

B. They cannot read or write.

What is NOT a reason why India has a comparative advantage over some other countries in attracting IT jobs from the United States? A. low wages B. a mild climate C. English speakers D. an educated workforce

B. a mild climate

What attracts many Indian workers to jobs in call centers? A. opportunities to transfer to call centers in the United States B. good pay and pleasant working conditions C. lifetime job guarantees D. all of the above

B. good pay and pleasant working conditions

Which term best describes hiring someone outside a company to do work that was once done by the company's own workers? A. recycling B. outsourcing C. smart growth D. division of labor

B. outsourcing

When the IT industry took off in India, new opportunities for people with technical degrees _____. A. led to a decline in agricultural industries. B. turned a brain drain into a brain gain. C. prompted the government to make Hindi the official language. D. turned a brain gain into a brain drain.

B. turned a brain drain into a brain gain.