Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questi...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.

        Contemporary society is navigating an unprecedented epistemological crisis, propelled by the rapid proliferation of synthetic media, colloquially designated as deepfakes. Harnessing advanced artificial intelligence, these hyper-realistic digital forgeries can seamlessly graft an individual's visage onto an alternate body or clone their vocal patterns with uncanny accuracy. While initially relegated to the esoteric fringes of niche online communities, the advent of open-source software and highly intuitive, user-friendly applications has recently democratised access to these sophisticated tools. [I]

        The underlying mechanics facilitating this deception rely on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). Within this intricate framework, two algorithms are pitted against each other: a generator constructs fraudulent content, while a discriminator attempts to detect the forgery. [II] Through millions of rigorous iterations, the generator refines its output, learning to produce synthetic media so convincing that it frequently bypasses astute human scrutiny and conventional security filters. Although avant-garde advertising agencies and entertainment moguls fervently praise the creative potential of GANs, the malicious applications remain profoundly alarming. [III]

        The societal implications of deepfakes extend far beyond mere digital mischief. Financial markets have already witnessed millions of dollars systematically siphoned off by audacious fraudsters utilizing the AI-cloned voices of corporate executives to illicitly authorize urgent wire transfers. Furthermore, within the volatile political arena, deepfakes threaten to derail fragile democratic processes by fabricating scandalous, hyper-realistic videos of public figures shortly before pivotal elections. State-sponsored troll farms aggressively deploy these fabricated assets to sow discord, manipulate civic opinion, and insidiously erode the fundamental trust citizens place in journalistic institutions. [IV]

        Addressing this pervasive digital epidemic requires a comprehensively multifaceted approach. Legislators are scrambling to draft statutes criminalising the non-consensual distribution of synthetic media, though convoluted jurisdictional boundaries often hamper global enforcement. Simultaneously, tech giants are irrevocably engaged in a perpetual arms race, urgently developing sophisticated detection algorithms to analyse unnatural blinking patterns or microscopic pixel inconsistencies. However, as deepfake technology evolves, so too do its evasive capabilities. Ultimately, cultivating robust media literacy among the populace—teaching individuals to critically evaluate the provenance of digital content—remains our most formidable defence against algorithmic deception.

(From https://www.unesco.org)

Question 31. According to paragraph 1, what has contributed to the widespread availability of deepfake tools?

        A. The movement of deepfake technology from niche communities into mainstream online use

        B. The release of open-source software together with highly intuitive, user-friendly applications

        C. The growing demand for synthetic media in advertising and entertainment industries

        D. The increasing accuracy with which AI can clone faces and voices

Question 32. The word “pitted against” in paragraph 2 mostly means ____________.

        A. set in competition                                        B. secretly combined

        C. randomly removed                                        D. peacefully resolved

Question 33. Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?

A. AI-cloned voices are primarily used by corporate executives to authorize urgent financial transfers securely.

B. Deepfakes pose severe threats to society, ranging from sophisticated financial fraud to the manipulation of political processes.

C. State-sponsored troll farms are the only entities capable of deploying fabricated assets to erode trust in journalism.

D. The societal implications of digital mischief have caused financial markets to abandon wire transfers entirely.

Question 34. What challenge do legislators face in regulating synthetic media according to paragraph 4?

        A. The difficulty of gaining international agreement on whether all synthetic media should be banned

        B. The challenge of enforcing laws consistently across different legal jurisdictions

        C. The reluctance of technology companies to cooperate with lawmakers on detection systems

        D. The speed at which detection tools identify visual irregularities in manipulated videos

Question 35. The word “its” in paragraph 4 refers to ____________.

        A. the legislative response’s                                B. detection technology’s

        C. deepfake technology’s                                D. media literacy’s

Question 36. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

A. To defend against algorithmic deception, individuals must be taught to ignore all digital content regardless of its provenance.

B. The most powerful weapon against digital forgery is equipping the public with the critical skills needed to verify the origin of media.

C. Cultivating media literacy is a formidable task because the populace is unwilling to critically evaluate digital content.

D. Algorithmic deception can only be defeated if tech giants take full responsibility for evaluating the provenance of digital media.

Question 37. Which of the following can be inferred from the phrase "perpetual arms race" in paragraph 4?

A. Advances in deepfake detection are likely to be followed by equally rapid improvements in evasion techniques

B. Technology companies are expected to outperform lawmakers in every area of synthetic media regulation

C. Detection systems have already become sophisticated enough to neutralize most deepfake threats

D. The spread of deepfakes is slowing because developers now fear stronger legal consequences

Question 38. Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Consequently, what was once the exclusive domain of Hollywood special effects studios can now be executed by an amateur with a standard laptop.

        A. [I]                        B. [II]                                C. [III]                                D. [IV]

Question 39. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 3 as a consequence of deepfakes?

        A. Siphoning off millions of dollars in financial markets

        B. Causing physical damage to corporate headquarters

        C. Eroding the trust citizens place in journalistic institutions

        D. Fabricating scandalous videos of public figures

Question 40. Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A. Although deepfakes have creative uses in media production, their growing accessibility has created serious social risks that require legal, technological, and educational responses.

B. Deepfakes are primarily a technical problem caused by flaws in GANs, so improving detection software is the most realistic long-term solution.

C. The main danger of deepfakes lies in financial fraud, while concerns about politics and journalism are largely exaggerated.

D. Because deepfakes are now easy to create, governments should focus on banning open-source tools rather than improving media literacy.