All questions of Reading Comprehension for SSC CGL Exam

DIRECTIONS: Violence has played a great part in the world's history. It is today playing an equally important part and probably it will continue to do so for a considerable time. It is impossibe to ignore the importance of violence in the past and present. To do so is to ignore life. Yet violence is undoubtedly bad and brings an unending trail of evil consequences with it. And worse even than violence are the motives of hatred, cruelty, revenge and punishment which very often accompany violence. Indeed, violence is bad, not intrinsically, but because of these motives that go with it. There can be violence without these motives; there can be violence for a good object as well as for an evil object. But it is extremely difficult to separate violence from these motives, and therefore, it is desirable to avoid as far as possible.
In avoiding it, however, someone can not accept a negative attitude of submitting to bad and far greater evils. Submission to violence or the acceptance of an unjust regime based on violence is against the spirit of non-violence. The non-violent method, in order to justify itself, must be dynamic and capable of changing such a regime of social order.

Q. 'Violence without these motives' is possible only in : 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
In the history of Britain, the period from 1837 to 1901 is known as the Victorian Age.
The period saw the long and prosperous reign of Queen Victoria in England. Charles Dickens was the most popular novelist of this period. He became famous for his depiction of the life of the working class, intricate plots and sense of humour. However, it was the vast galaxy of unusual characters created by him that made him more popular than any of his contemporaries. Drawn from everyday life and the world around him, these characters were such that readers could relate to them. Beginning with The Pickwick Papers in 1836, Dickens wrote numerous novels, each uniquely filled with believable personalities and vivid physical descriptions. According to Dickens' friend and biographer, John Forster. Dickens made "characters real existences, not by describing them but letting them describe themselves."        (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. The period between 1837-1901 is known as the

Direction: It is sad that in country after country, progress should become synonymous with an assault on nature. We who are a part of nature and dependent on her for every need, speak constantly about 'exploiting' nature. When the highest mountain in the world was climbed in 1953, Jawaharlal  Nehru objected to the phrase 'conquest of Everest' which he thought was arrogant. Is it surprising that this lack of consideration and the constant need to prove one's superiority should be projected on to our treatment of our fellowmen? I remember Edward Thompson, a British writer and a good friend of India, once telling Mr. Gandhi that wildlife was fast disappearing. Remarked Mr. Gandhi: ‘It is decreasing in the jungles but it is increasing in the towns’ On the one hand, the rich look askance at our continuing poverty; on the other they warn us against their own methods. We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further and yet we cannot forget the grim poverty of large numbers of people.
Are not poverty and need the great polluters? For instance, unless we are in a position to provide employment and purchasing power for the daily necessities of the tribal people and those who live in and around our jungles, we cannot prevent them from combing the forest for food and livelihood, from poaching and from despoiling the vegetation.

Q. At the beginning of the passage, the writer expresses her opinion that in many countries progress is synonymous with 

DIRECTIONS: Self directed learning, in its broadest meaning, describes a process in which individuals take the initiative with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs formulating learning goals, identifying resources for learning, choosing and implementing learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes. Thus, it is important to attain new  knowledge easily and skillfully for the rest of his or her life.
What is the need for self directed learning? One reason is that there is convincing evidence that people, who take the initiative in learning, learn more things and learn better than people who sit at the feet of teachers passively waiting to be taught. The second reason is that self-directed learning is more in tune with our natural processes of psychological development; an essential aspect of maturing is developing the ability to take increasing responsibility of our own lives to become increasingly self-directed. The third reason is that many of the new developments in education put a heavy responsibility on the learners to take a good deal of initiative in their own learning. To meet the challenges in today's instructive environment, self-directed learning is most essential.

Q. In  self-directed learning, an individual

Direction: Street theatre in India is a well established ancient art form. Despite the proliferation of modern means of entertainment and communication, street theatre continues to flourish in India.
Street theatre as a channel of communication has for centuries been propagating reforms by highlighting social, economic and political issues present in the society. Unlike in the olden days, its performance is no longer restricted to villages or small localities of the city. Today small groups of performers including students, would stage performances to mobilize public opinion or to help create or raise awareness over a particular issue of public importance. Themes on substance abuse, AIDS awareness, and domestic violence are some of the areas highlighted by contemporary street theatre troupe. Unlike in regular drama street drama employ very little  props and images. The human body becomes the main tool in which choreography, mime, dialogues, songs and slogans are extensively used.
Street theatre is one of the most intimate media. Its appeal is to the emotions leading to quick psychological impact on audiences. By being local and live they also are able to establish not only direct contact with the audience but by being costeffective and flexible they are popular among all age  groups.       (SSC SI 2014)

Q. Street theatre creates an/a _______ impact on audiences. 

Direction: Street theatre in India is a well established ancient art form. Despite the proliferation of modern means of entertainment and communication, street theatre continues to flourish in India.
Street theatre as a channel of communication has for centuries been propagating reforms by highlighting social, economic and political issues present in the society. Unlike in the olden days, its performance is no longer restricted to villages or small localities of the city. Today small groups of performers including students, would stage performances to mobilize public opinion or to help create or raise awareness over a particular issue of public importance. Themes on substance abuse, AIDS awareness, and domestic violence are some of the areas highlighted by contemporary street theatre troupe. Unlike in regular drama street drama employ very little  props and images. The human body becomes the main tool in which choreography, mime, dialogues, songs and slogans are extensively used.
Street theatre is one of the most intimate media. Its appeal is to the emotions leading to quick psychological impact on audiences. By being local and live they also are able to establish not only direct contact with the audience but by being costeffective and flexible they are popular among all age  groups.       (SSC SI 2014)

Q. Street theatre usually _______ with issues of public importance.

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question, out of the four alternatives.
Long ago in Mongolia there lived an emperor who feared growing old. One day, he saw an old man in the street. Upset at being reminded that someday, he too, would age, he ordered all the old people to leave his land.
One day, a violent storm swept the kingdom. Nothing was safe from its fury. It roared into the palace and blew away the emperor’s belongings, including his priceless golden pitcher. When the storm ended, the emperor ordered that the pitcher be found and brought back to him.
People went in search of the pitcher. They saw it in a lake nearby. But no matter who tried, no one could get a grip on the pitcher. All they got was a handful of water. Yet it could be plainly seen, glittering and just below the water’s surface.       (SSC CHSL 2013)

Q. The emperor was upset to see the old man because 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Chameleons can make their skin colour change, but not because they decide to. The colour changes to help the chameleon avoid its enemies. It is a forth of camouflage, a disguise that lets it blend in with its surroundings. The determined by environmental factors, such as light and change is actually temperature.
Bright sunlight causes the skin to darken. On cool nights, the colour fades to a creamy changes chameleons are excited, angry or afraid. The colour, The colour change is rapid and increases when the chameleon is handled, injured, or approached by another chameleon.  There are many types of chameleons.
Almost half of them are found on the African island of Madagascar. The others mostly occur in the Sahara Desert, with few in Western Asia and Southern Europe. Chameleons live in trees, where they usually eat insects. Very large chameleons may even use their sticky tongues to catch birds.       (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. The colour changing ability of a chameleon is a form of camouflage which is a

DIRECTIONS: In these questions, you have a passage with 10 questions. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four.
The postmaster first took up his duties in the village of Ulapur. Though the village was a small one, there was an indigo factory nearby and the proprietor, an Englishman, had managed to get a post office established.
Our postmaster belonged to Calcutta. He felt like a fish out of water in this remote village. His office and living-room were in a dark thatched shed, not far from a green, silmy pond, surrounded on all sides by a dense growth.
The men employed in the indigo factory had no leisure, moreover they were hardly desirable companions for decent folk. Nor is a Calcutta boy an adept in the art of associating with others. Among strangers, he appears either proud or ill at ease. At any rate the postmaster had but little company, nor had he much to do.
At times he tried his hand at writing a verse or two. That the movement of the leaves and clouds of the sky were enough to fill life with joy - such were the sentiments to which he sought to give expression. But God knows that the poor fellow would have felt it as the gift of a new life, if some genie of the Arabian Nights had in one night swept away the trees, leaves and all, and replaced them with a macadamised road, hiding the clouds from view with rows of tall houses.        (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. What does the idiom 'fish out of water' suggest? 

Why don't I have a telephone? No because I pretend to be wise or pose as unusual. There are two chief reasons: because I don't really like the telephone, and because I find I can still work and play, eat, breathe, and sleep without it. Why don't I like the telephone? because I think it is a pest and time waster. It may create unnecessary suspense and anxiety, as when you wait for an expected call, that doesn't come; or irritating delay, as when you keep ringing a number that is always engaged. As for speaking in a public telephone booth, it seems to me really horrible. you would not use it unless you were in a hurry, and because you are in a hurry, you will find other people waiting before you. When you do get into the booth, you are half suffocated by the stale, unventilated air, flavored with cheap face powder and chain smoking; and by the time you have began your conversation your back is chilled by the cold looks of somebody who is moving about restlessly to make your place.
If you have a telephone in your house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you least want it to ring; when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are in your bath. Are you strong minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself." Ah well, it will be all the same in hundred years time". You are not. You think there may be some important news or message for you. Have you never rushed dropping from the bath, of chewing from the table, or dazed from bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number? You were told the truth. In my opinion all telephone numbers are wrong numbers. If, of course, your telephone rings and you decide not to answer it, then you will have to listen to an idiotic bell ringing and ringing in what is supposed to be the privacy of your own home. You might as well buy a bicycle bell and ring it yourself.

Q. The author does not have a telephone because :

Direction: Street theatre in India is a well established ancient art form. Despite the proliferation of modern means of entertainment and communication, street theatre continues to flourish in India.
Street theatre as a channel of communication has for centuries been propagating reforms by highlighting social, economic and political issues present in the society. Unlike in the olden days, its performance is no longer restricted to villages or small localities of the city. Today small groups of performers including students, would stage performances to mobilize public opinion or to help create or raise awareness over a particular issue of public importance. Themes on substance abuse, AIDS awareness, and domestic violence are some of the areas highlighted by contemporary street theatre troupe. Unlike in regular drama street drama employ very little  props and images. The human body becomes the main tool in which choreography, mime, dialogues, songs and slogans are extensively used.
Street theatre is one of the most intimate media. Its appeal is to the emotions leading to quick psychological impact on audiences. By being local and live they also are able to establish not only direct contact with the audience but by being costeffective and flexible they are popular among all age  groups.       (SSC SI 2014)

Q. Street theatre is _______ to stage.

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions. [SSC Steno-2018]
The general reader enjoys cartoons for two reasons. First, these cartoons make him smile because they draw his attention to something that is unusual and unexpected. The cartoonist highlights some aspects of a well-known personality in the field of politics, social work, cinema, sports, business etc. and criticises the person involved. Here, the purpose is not to offend but to make him understand that there is something funny about his actions or behaviour. Secondly, the cartoonist may target some wrong practices or situations from different walks of life. Here, his aim is to use humour to not only criticize but also correct the wrong practices. In other words, correction through entertainment. The cartoonist can never beat around the bush because he needs to make his point with just a few strokes of his pen.
Political cartoons, that is, cartoons making humorous comments on current political situations and events are a regular feature of both English newspapers and regional language newspapers. They can be found in the editorial pages of a daily newspaper, in news magazines and on political websites. Political cartoons can be very funny, especially if people can understand the message in the cartoon. Their main purpose, though, is not only to amuse him but also make him think about current events
and influence his opinion about the events. The best political cartoonist uses humour so skilfully that the reader’s own opinions on various political issues are formed even without him even realizing how it happened.

Q. What does the passage talk about?

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Like watering a plant, we grow our friendships [and all our relationships) by running them. Friendships need the same attention as other relationships. If they are to continue. These relationships can be delightfully non-judgemental, supportive, understanding and fun.
Sometimes a friendship can  bring out the positive side that you never show in any other relationship. This may be because the pressure of playing a 'role' (daughter, partner or child) is removed. With a friend you are to be yourself and free to change. Of course, you are free  to do this in all other relationships as well, but in friendships you get to have lats of rehearsals and discussion about changes as you experience them. It is an unconditional experience where you receive as much as you give. You can explain yourself to a friend openly without the fear of hurting a family member. How do friendships grow ? The answer is simple. By revealing yourself; being attentive: remembering what is most showing empathy; seeing the world through the eyes of your friend, you will understand the value of friendship. All this means learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or perhaps someone from a completely different cultural background. This is the way we learn tolerance. In turn we gain tolerance and acceptance for our own differences.         (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. In good friendships, we

DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Antarctica is a mostly unpopulated continent. It is the coldest, driest and most remote place in the world. And it is the world's only continent that does not have a native population. No single country owns the Antarctic. However a number of countries, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom, have already laid claim to the Antartic and others will probably follow. In some areas of the continent, two countries claim the same land.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and creates the rules for the exploration of the Antarctic. The treaty forbids military activity in the Antarctic, as well as mining. Many countries, however, think that there are valuable materials and minerals locked up under the frozen Antarctic ice, In addition, the treaty bans nuclear testing as well as dumping nuclear waste. The Antarctic. Treaty was made to protect the continent and avoid further disputes.
By 2048, the treaty must be renewed. New rules and regulations could be imposed by then.
Currently, almost all of the 70 bases in the Antarctic are used for research and scientific activity. The snow–covered continent is perfect for tracking satellites and space research because it offers clear blue, cloudless skies. Climatologists are studying the development of the ozone layer with growing concern. It was here that a hole in the layer was discovered for the first time.
More than 4000 scientists operate the research stations in the Antarctic summer, while only about a thousand populate the continent during the harsh and severe winters.
Environmentalists fear that exploiting Antarctica for military and economic reasons will damage the environment. At present, there is no economic activity in Antarctica, except for cruise ships that travel around the continent. This could change, if a new treaty allows mining in the Antarctic. As mineral resources are dwindling in other areas, nations could turn to Antarctica to find and exploit valuable raw materials.
Some geologists say that there are over 200 billion barrels of oil under the Antarctic ice. At the moment getting at these reserves would be very expensive. In addition, economic experts claim that there are large amounts of coal, nickel and copper under the Antarctic ice.      (SSC Sub. Ins. 2017)

Q. According to the passage, the reserves of which mineral is not found under the Antarctic ice?

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Chameleons can make their skin colour change, but not because they decide to. The colour changes to help the chameleon avoid its enemies. It is a forth of camouflage, a disguise that lets it blend in with its surroundings. The determined by environmental factors, such as light and change is actually temperature.
Bright sunlight causes the skin to darken. On cool nights, the colour fades to a creamy changes chameleons are excited, angry or afraid. The colour, The colour change is rapid and increases when the chameleon is handled, injured, or approached by another chameleon.  There are many types of chameleons.
Almost half of them are found on the African island of Madagascar. The others mostly occur in the Sahara Desert, with few in Western Asia and Southern Europe. Chameleons live in trees, where they usually eat insects. Very large chameleons may even use their sticky tongues to catch birds.       (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. The colour change is determined by 

DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Antarctica is a mostly unpopulated continent. It is the coldest, driest and most remote place in the world. And it is the world's only continent that does not have a native population. No single country owns the Antarctic. However a number of countries, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom, have already laid claim to the Antartic and others will probably follow. In some areas of the continent, two countries claim the same land.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and creates the rules for the exploration of the Antarctic. The treaty forbids military activity in the Antarctic, as well as mining. Many countries, however, think that there are valuable materials and minerals locked up under the frozen Antarctic ice, In addition, the treaty bans nuclear testing as well as dumping nuclear waste. The Antarctic. Treaty was made to protect the continent and avoid further disputes.
By 2048, the treaty must be renewed. New rules and regulations could be imposed by then.
Currently, almost all of the 70 bases in the Antarctic are used for research and scientific activity. The snow–covered continent is perfect for tracking satellites and space research because it offers clear blue, cloudless skies. Climatologists are studying the development of the ozone layer with growing concern. It was here that a hole in the layer was discovered for the first time.
More than 4000 scientists operate the research stations in the Antarctic summer, while only about a thousand populate the continent during the harsh and severe winters.
Environmentalists fear that exploiting Antarctica for military and economic reasons will damage the environment. At present, there is no economic activity in Antarctica, except for cruise ships that travel around the continent. This could change, if a new treaty allows mining in the Antarctic. As mineral resources are dwindling in other areas, nations could turn to Antarctica to find and exploit valuable raw materials.
Some geologists say that there are over 200 billion barrels of oil under the Antarctic ice. At the moment getting at these reserves would be very expensive. In addition, economic experts claim that there are large amounts of coal, nickel and copper under the Antarctic ice.      (SSC Sub. Ins. 2017)

Q. Why did environmentalists have fear of exploiting Antarctica for military and economic reasons?

Why don't I have a telephone? No because I pretend to be wise or pose as unusual. There are two chief reasons: because I don't really like the telephone, and because I find I can still work and play, eat, breathe, and sleep without it. Why don't I like the telephone? because I think it is a pest and time waster. It may create unnecessary suspense and anxiety, as when you wait for an expected call, that doesn't come; or irritating delay, as when you keep ringing a number that is always engaged. As for speaking in a public telephone booth, it seems to me really horrible. you would not use it unless you were in a hurry, and because you are in a hurry, you will find other people waiting before you. When you do get into the booth, you are half suffocated by the stale, unventilated air, flavored with cheap face powder and chain smoking; and by the time you have began your conversation your back is chilled by the cold looks of somebody who is moving about restlessly to make your place.
If you have a telephone in your house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you least want it to ring; when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are in your bath. Are you strong minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself." Ah well, it will be all the same in hundred years time". You are not. You think there may be some important news or message for you. Have you never rushed dropping from the bath, of chewing from the table, or dazed from bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number? You were told the truth. In my opinion all telephone numbers are wrong numbers. If, of course, your telephone rings and you decide not to answer it, then you will have to listen to an idiotic bell ringing and ringing in what is supposed to be the privacy of your own home. You might as well buy a bicycle bell and ring it yourself.

Q. 'All telephone numbers are wrong numbers', because :

DIRECTIONS: In questions, you have two brief passages with questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Two years later, in November 1895, he signed his final will. He left the bulk of his fortune, amounting to about £1,75,000 to a trust fund administered by Swedish and Norwegian trustees. The annual interest shall be awarded as prizes to those persons who during the previous year have rendered the greatest services to mankind.
The interest shall be divided into five equal parts– now amounting to about £8,000 each– one of which shall be awarded to the person who has made the most important discovery or invention in the realm of physics, one to the person who has made the most important chemical discovery or improvement, one to the person who has made the most important physiological or medical discovery, one to the person who has produced the most outstanding work of literature, idealistic in character, and one to the person who has done the best work for the brotherhood of nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, as well as for the formation or popularization of peace congress.        (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2012)

Q. Which is the prize that is referred to in the passage? 

DIRECTIONS : In question number you have two passages with questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The World health Organisation is briefly called W.H.O. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948.
International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconut groves, and rice fields. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health.
This global health team assists the local health workers in stopping the spread of what are called communicable diseases, like cholera. These diseases can spread from one country to another and so can be a threat to world health.
W.H.O. assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether. Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways.
Everyone knows how people, particularly children, are vaccinated against one disease or another. Similarly, most people are familiar with the spraying of houses with poisonous substances which kill disease-carrying insects.              (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. "International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings: in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconout groves, and rice fields". Here International means: 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
In the history of Britain, the period from 1837 to 1901 is known as the Victorian Age.
The period saw the long and prosperous reign of Queen Victoria in England. Charles Dickens was the most popular novelist of this period. He became famous for his depiction of the life of the working class, intricate plots and sense of humour. However, it was the vast galaxy of unusual characters created by him that made him more popular than any of his contemporaries. Drawn from everyday life and the world around him, these characters were such that readers could relate to them. Beginning with The Pickwick Papers in 1836, Dickens wrote numerous novels, each uniquely filled with believable personalities and vivid physical descriptions. According to Dickens' friend and biographer, John Forster. Dickens made "characters real existences, not by describing them but letting them describe themselves."        (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. Dickens became famous for depicting the life of

DIRECTIONS : In question, you have two brief passages with questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
“People very often complain that poverty is a great evil and that it is not possible to be happy unless one has a lot of money. Actually, this is not necessarily true. Even a poor man, living in a small hut with none of the comforts and luxuries of life, may be quite contented with his lot and achieve a measure of happiness. On the other hand, a very rich man, living in a palace and enjoying everything that money can buy, may still be miserable, if, for example, he does not enjoy good health or his only son has taken to evil ways. Apart from this, he may have a lot of business worries which keep him on tenterhooks most of the time. There is a limit to what money can buy and there are many things which are necessary for a man’s happiness and which money cannot procure.
Real happiness is a matter of the right attitude and the capacity of being contented with whatever you have is the most important ingredient of this attitude”.        (SSC CGL 2nd Sit. 2012)

Q. Which of the following statement is true? 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Like watering a plant, we grow our friendships [and all our relationships) by running them. Friendships need the same attention as other relationships. If they are to continue. These relationships can be delightfully non-judgemental, supportive, understanding and fun.
Sometimes a friendship can  bring out the positive side that you never show in any other relationship. This may be because the pressure of playing a 'role' (daughter, partner or child) is removed. With a friend you are to be yourself and free to change. Of course, you are free  to do this in all other relationships as well, but in friendships you get to have lats of rehearsals and discussion about changes as you experience them. It is an unconditional experience where you receive as much as you give. You can explain yourself to a friend openly without the fear of hurting a family member. How do friendships grow ? The answer is simple. By revealing yourself; being attentive: remembering what is most showing empathy; seeing the world through the eyes of your friend, you will understand the value of friendship. All this means learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or perhaps someone from a completely different cultural background. This is the way we learn tolerance. In turn we gain tolerance and acceptance for our own differences.         (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. Empathy means 

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it. [SSC Sub. Ins.-2018]
The ocean will not look the same color in the future.
Essentially, climate change will make the blues of the ocean bluer and the greens greener. Scientists from MIT. Boston, figured this out by creating a global model that simulates the growth of a tiny creature that lives in the oceans and affects the color we see. Their research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
The ocean looks blue or green to us because of a combination of how sunlight interacts with water molecules and with whatever else lives in that water.
The molecules in water absorb all but the blue part of the spectrum of sunlight, and the water reflects that blue color back. That’s the color we see.
The water looks greener when it has more phytoplankton, tiny, microscopic organisms that, like plants, can use chlorophyll to capture mostly the blue portions of the spectrum of sunlight.
They then use photosynthesis to create the chemical energy they need to live. When there are more of these creatures in the water absorbing sunlight, they make the water look greener. Conversely, if there are fewer phytoplankton, the water looks bluer.
The creatures’ growth is dependent on how much sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrients are around. Climate change is altering the ocean currents, meaning there will be fewer nutrients for phytoplankton to feed on in some areas, so there will be a decline in their number in those regions.
Since the 1990s, satellites have taken regular measurements of how much chlorophyll is in the ocean. Those levels can change because of weather events or because of climate change.
The study predicts that the blues will intensify, most likely in subtropical regions where phytoplankton will decrease. These are areas near the equator like Bermuda and the Bahamas that are already quite low in phytoplankton.
Regions where there are a lot of nutrients, like in the Southern Ocean or parts of the North Atlantic, will see even faster-growing phytoplankton because those waters are Warming with climate change. Those waters will look greener.
Climate change will bring a color change to half of the world’s oceans by the end of the 21st century, the study says. That’s bad on several levels: For one, phytoplankton remove about as much carbon dioxide from the air as plants and help regulate our climate, research shows. They are also key to other animals’ survival.” Phytoplankton are at the base, and if the base changes, it endangers everything else along the food web, going far enough to the polar bears or tuna or just about anything that you want to eat or love to see in pictures, “said Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a principal research scientist in MIT.

Q. Which statement is not true according to the passage?

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Like watering a plant, we grow our friendships [and all our relationships) by running them. Friendships need the same attention as other relationships. If they are to continue. These relationships can be delightfully non-judgemental, supportive, understanding and fun.
Sometimes a friendship can  bring out the positive side that you never show in any other relationship. This may be because the pressure of playing a 'role' (daughter, partner or child) is removed. With a friend you are to be yourself and free to change. Of course, you are free  to do this in all other relationships as well, but in friendships you get to have lats of rehearsals and discussion about changes as you experience them. It is an unconditional experience where you receive as much as you give. You can explain yourself to a friend openly without the fear of hurting a family member. How do friendships grow ? The answer is simple. By revealing yourself; being attentive: remembering what is most showing empathy; seeing the world through the eyes of your friend, you will understand the value of friendship. All this means learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or perhaps someone from a completely different cultural background. This is the way we learn tolerance. In turn we gain tolerance and acceptance for our own differences.         (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. Through strong friendships, we gain

DIRECTIONS : In question number you have two passages with questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The World health Organisation is briefly called W.H.O. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948.
International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconut groves, and rice fields. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health.
This global health team assists the local health workers in stopping the spread of what are called communicable diseases, like cholera. These diseases can spread from one country to another and so can be a threat to world health.
W.H.O. assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether. Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways.
Everyone knows how people, particularly children, are vaccinated against one disease or another. Similarly, most people are familiar with the spraying of houses with poisonous substances which kill disease-carrying insects.              (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health. here they stands for:

DIRECTIONS: Self directed learning, in its broadest meaning, describes a process in which individuals take the initiative with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs formulating learning goals, identifying resources for learning, choosing and implementing learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes. Thus, it is important to attain new  knowledge easily and skillfully for the rest of his or her life.
What is the need for self directed learning? One reason is that there is convincing evidence that people, who take the initiative in learning, learn more things and learn better than people who sit at the feet of teachers passively waiting to be taught. The second reason is that self-directed learning is more in tune with our natural processes of psychological development; an essential aspect of maturing is developing the ability to take increasing responsibility of our own lives to become increasingly self-directed. The third reason is that many of the new developments in education put a heavy responsibility on the learners to take a good deal of initiative in their own learning. To meet the challenges in today's instructive environment, self-directed learning is most essential.

Q. The modern environment according to the author is 

DIRECTIONS: In questions, you have two brief passages with questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking, as you do. If someone maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the Equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction.

Q. The second sentence in the passage

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions. [SSC Steno-2018]
The founder of the Bhoodan Yagna or the Land Gifts Mission was Acharya Vinoba Bhave, a close associate and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. This movement, which was one of the greatest land reform movements in Independent India, was started in the year 1951 in Pochampalli, Telangana.
In the spring of 1951 there was a meeting of rural workers in Hyderabad. Since Vinoba Bhave never used money, he decided to walk to this meeting which was some 300 miles away from where he lived. On the way. in every village through which he passed, he came face to face with the misery of the poor, landless farmers. He realized that he should leave no stone unturned in his mission to seek justice and land for his poor countrymen. When he reached Hyderabad he went straight to a village and in one of the prayer meetings he appealed to the landlords. He said. “If you had five sons and a sixth were born to you, wouldn’t you give him a portion of your estate? Treat me as your sixth son and give me one-sixth of your land for redistribution to the poor.” His words struck a chord among the landlords.
Land was voluntarily donated and within the two months that he spent in Hyderabad. Vinoba received nearly 12,000 acres in trust for the landless. Encouraged by this success, he travelled across India to convince the wealthy landlords to share a small area of their land with their poor, landless neighbours. By 1969, the Bhoodan movement had collected over 4 million acres of land for redistribution.

Q. How can it be said that Vinoba Bhave’s movement was successful?

DIRECTIONS: In questions, you have two brief passages with questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Two years later, in November 1895, he signed his final will. He left the bulk of his fortune, amounting to about £1,75,000 to a trust fund administered by Swedish and Norwegian trustees. The annual interest shall be awarded as prizes to those persons who during the previous year have rendered the greatest services to mankind.
The interest shall be divided into five equal parts– now amounting to about £8,000 each– one of which shall be awarded to the person who has made the most important discovery or invention in the realm of physics, one to the person who has made the most important chemical discovery or improvement, one to the person who has made the most important physiological or medical discovery, one to the person who has produced the most outstanding work of literature, idealistic in character, and one to the person who has done the best work for the brotherhood of nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, as well as for the formation or popularization of peace congress.        (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2012)

Q. The number of prizes in the field of science are

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The stunning Baltimore Oriole is a common summer visitor to eastern and mid western deciduous woodlands, neighbourhoods, and gardens. Baltimore Orioles winter in the tropics. About 7 inches in length, the male Baltimore Oriole has a black head, throat, back and wings. Its breast, stomach, and rump are bright orange. It also has an orange patch on the top of each wing and white wing bars. The tail is mostly black with orange fringes. The female is dull orange throughout.
Baltimore Orioles range throughout the eastern and mid western United States, and can be found as far west as the Dakotas. At the western edge of their range, Baltimore Orioles may breed with the Bullock’s Oriole (They were once considered the same species under the name Northern Oriole).
Baltimore Orioles build unusual pouch like nests that hang down from branches. They usually nest high in the trees, but often come down to lower heights, flashing bright orange and black feathers to delighted observers Active and acrobatic by nature, Baltimore Orioles may even feed upside down at time.
Baltimore Orioles eat insects and berries. They can easily be attracted to gardens by nailing orange wedges to tree branches. Baltirmore Orioles are also known to feed at hummingbird feeders and sapsucker wells.        (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. Which of the following is the closest in size to a Baltimore Oriole?

DIRECTIONS: In the following passage, you have questions following the passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Every profession of trade, every art and every science has its technical vocabulary, the function of which is partly to designate things or processes which have no names in ordinary English and partly to secure greater exactness in nomenclature. Such special dialects or jargons are necessary in technical discussion of any kind. Being universally understood by the devotees of the particular science or art, they have the precision of a mathematical formula.
Besides, they save time, for it is much more economical to name a process than to describe it. Thousands of these technical terms are very properly included in every large dictionary, yet, as a whole, they are rather on the outskirts of the English language than actually within its borders.
Different occupations, however, differ widely in the character of their special vocabularies. In trades and handicrafts and other vocations like farming and fishing that have occupied great numbers of men from remote times, the technical vocabulary is very old. An average man now uses these in his own vocabularly. The special dialects of law, medicine, divinity and philosophy have become familiar to cultivated persons.       (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2010)

Q. Special words used in technical discussion 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
In the history of Britain, the period from 1837 to 1901 is known as the Victorian Age.
The period saw the long and prosperous reign of Queen Victoria in England. Charles Dickens was the most popular novelist of this period. He became famous for his depiction of the life of the working class, intricate plots and sense of humour. However, it was the vast galaxy of unusual characters created by him that made him more popular than any of his contemporaries. Drawn from everyday life and the world around him, these characters were such that readers could relate to them. Beginning with The Pickwick Papers in 1836, Dickens wrote numerous novels, each uniquely filled with believable personalities and vivid physical descriptions. According to Dickens' friend and biographer, John Forster. Dickens made "characters real existences, not by describing them but letting them describe themselves."        (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. John Forster was Dickens'

DIRECTIONS: In the following questions, you have two brief passages with 5 questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Stuck with the development dilemma? Stay away from management courses. Seriously, one of the biggest complaints that organisations have about management courses is that they fail to impact the participants’ on-the-job behaviour. Some management trainers stress the need for follow-up and reinforcement on the job. Some go so far as briefing the participants’ managers on what behaviour they should be reinforcing back on the job. Other include a follow-up training day to review the progress of the participants. None of this is really going far enough.
The real problem is that course promoters view development as something which primarily, takes place in a classroom. A course is an event and events are, by definition limited in time. When you talk about follow-up after a course, it is seen as a nice idea, but not as an essential part of the participants’ development programme. Any rational, empowered individual should be able to take what has been learnt in a course and transfer it to the work place - or so the argument goes. Another negative aspect of the course mindset is that, primarily, development is thought to be about skill-acquisition.
So, it is felt that the distinction between taking the course and behaving differently in the work place parallels the distinction between skill-acquisition and skill-application. But can such a sharp distinction be maintained? Skills are really acquired only in the context of applying them on the job, finding them effective and, therefore, reinforcing them.
The problem with courses is that they are events, while development is an on-going process which, involves, within a complex environment, continual interaction, regular feedback and adjustment. As we tend to equate development with a one-off event, it is difficult to get seriously motivated about the followup. Anyone paying for a course tends to look at follow-up as an unnecessary and rather costly frill.      (SSC CGL 2nd Sit. 2012)

Q. What is the passage about? 

Why don't I have a telephone? No because I pretend to be wise or pose as unusual. There are two chief reasons: because I don't really like the telephone, and because I find I can still work and play, eat, breathe, and sleep without it. Why don't I like the telephone? because I think it is a pest and time waster. It may create unnecessary suspense and anxiety, as when you wait for an expected call, that doesn't come; or irritating delay, as when you keep ringing a number that is always engaged. As for speaking in a public telephone booth, it seems to me really horrible. you would not use it unless you were in a hurry, and because you are in a hurry, you will find other people waiting before you. When you do get into the booth, you are half suffocated by the stale, unventilated air, flavored with cheap face powder and chain smoking; and by the time you have began your conversation your back is chilled by the cold looks of somebody who is moving about restlessly to make your place.
If you have a telephone in your house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you least want it to ring; when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are in your bath. Are you strong minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself." Ah well, it will be all the same in hundred years time". You are not. You think there may be some important news or message for you. Have you never rushed dropping from the bath, of chewing from the table, or dazed from bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number? You were told the truth. In my opinion all telephone numbers are wrong numbers. If, of course, your telephone rings and you decide not to answer it, then you will have to listen to an idiotic bell ringing and ringing in what is supposed to be the privacy of your own home. You might as well buy a bicycle bell and ring it yourself.

Q. 'Ah well, it will be all the same in hundred years time'. This sentence means:

The crowd surged forward through the narrow streets of Paris. There was a clatter of shutters being closed hastily by trembling hands the citizens of Paris knew that once the fury of the people was excited there was no telling what they might do. They came to an old house which had a workshop on the ground floor. A head popped out of the door to see what it was all about "Get him! Get Thimonier! Smash his devilish machines!" yelled the crowd.
They found the workshop without its owner. M. Thimonier had escaped by the back door. Now the fury of the demonstrators turned against the machines that were standing in the shop, ready to be delivered to buyers. They were systematically broken up and destroyed – dozens of them. Only when the last wheel and spindle had "been trampled under foot did the infuriated crowd recover their senses.
"That is the end of M'Sieur Thimonier and his sewing machines," they said to one another and went home satisfied.
Perhaps now they would find work, for they were all unemployed tailors and seamstresses who believed that their livelihood was threatened by that new invention.

Q.The crowd was protesting against 

DIRECTIONS: In the following passage, you have questions following the passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Every profession of trade, every art and every science has its technical vocabulary, the function of which is partly to designate things or processes which have no names in ordinary English and partly to secure greater exactness in nomenclature. Such special dialects or jargons are necessary in technical discussion of any kind. Being universally understood by the devotees of the particular science or art, they have the precision of a mathematical formula.
Besides, they save time, for it is much more economical to name a process than to describe it. Thousands of these technical terms are very properly included in every large dictionary, yet, as a whole, they are rather on the outskirts of the English language than actually within its borders.
Different occupations, however, differ widely in the character of their special vocabularies. In trades and handicrafts and other vocations like farming and fishing that have occupied great numbers of men from remote times, the technical vocabulary is very old. An average man now uses these in his own vocabularly. The special dialects of law, medicine, divinity and philosophy have become familiar to cultivated persons.       (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2010)

Q. It is true that 

DIRECTIONS: In the following passage, you have questions following the passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Every profession of trade, every art and every science has its technical vocabulary, the function of which is partly to designate things or processes which have no names in ordinary English and partly to secure greater exactness in nomenclature. Such special dialects or jargons are necessary in technical discussion of any kind. Being universally understood by the devotees of the particular science or art, they have the precision of a mathematical formula.
Besides, they save time, for it is much more economical to name a process than to describe it. Thousands of these technical terms are very properly included in every large dictionary, yet, as a whole, they are rather on the outskirts of the English language than actually within its borders.
Different occupations, however, differ widely in the character of their special vocabularies. In trades and handicrafts and other vocations like farming and fishing that have occupied great numbers of men from remote times, the technical vocabulary is very old. An average man now uses these in his own vocabularly. The special dialects of law, medicine, divinity and philosophy have become familiar to cultivated persons.       (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2010)

Q. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of technical terms in the nomenclature of

DIRECTIONS : In question, you have two brief passages with questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
“People very often complain that poverty is a great evil and that it is not possible to be happy unless one has a lot of money. Actually, this is not necessarily true. Even a poor man, living in a small hut with none of the comforts and luxuries of life, may be quite contented with his lot and achieve a measure of happiness. On the other hand, a very rich man, living in a palace and enjoying everything that money can buy, may still be miserable, if, for example, he does not enjoy good health or his only son has taken to evil ways. Apart from this, he may have a lot of business worries which keep him on tenterhooks most of the time. There is a limit to what money can buy and there are many things which are necessary for a man’s happiness and which money cannot procure.
Real happiness is a matter of the right attitude and the capacity of being contented with whatever you have is the most important ingredient of this attitude”.        (SSC CGL 2nd Sit. 2012)

Q. It is true that: 

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Chameleons can make their skin colour change, but not because they decide to. The colour changes to help the chameleon avoid its enemies. It is a forth of camouflage, a disguise that lets it blend in with its surroundings. The determined by environmental factors, such as light and change is actually temperature.
Bright sunlight causes the skin to darken. On cool nights, the colour fades to a creamy changes chameleons are excited, angry or afraid. The colour, The colour change is rapid and increases when the chameleon is handled, injured, or approached by another chameleon.  There are many types of chameleons.
Almost half of them are found on the African island of Madagascar. The others mostly occur in the Sahara Desert, with few in Western Asia and Southern Europe. Chameleons live in trees, where they usually eat insects. Very large chameleons may even use their sticky tongues to catch birds.       (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. Chameleons change colour when they are 

DIRECTIONS: You have two brief passages with 5 questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate oval [•].
As I stepped out of the train, I felt unusually solitary  since I was the only passenger to alight. I was accustomed to arriving in the summer, when holiday-makers throng coastal resorts and this was my first visit when the season was over. My destination was a little village which was eight miles by road. It took only a few minutes for me to come to the foot of the cliff path. When I reached the top I had left all signs of habitation behind me. I was surprised to notice that the sky was already a flame with the sunset. It seemed to be getting dark amazingly quickly. I was at a loss to account for the exceptionally early end of daylight since I did not think I had walked unduly slowly. Then I recollected that on previous visits I had walked in high summer and how it was October.
All at once it was night. The track was grassy and even in daylight showed up hardly at all. I was terrified of hurtling over the edge of the cliff to the rocks below. I felt my feet squelching and sticking in something soggy. Then I bumped into a little clump of trees that loomed up in front of me. I climbed up the nearest trunk and managed to find a tolerabley comfortable fork to sit on. The waiting was spent by my attempts to identify the little stirrings and noises of animal life that I could hear. I grew colder and colder and managed to sleep only in uneasy fitful starts. At last when the moon came up I was on my way again.       (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2014)

Q. "I left all signs of habitation behind me." This means that he 

DIRECTIONS: You have two brief passages with 5 questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate oval [•].
As I stepped out of the train, I felt unusually solitary  since I was the only passenger to alight. I was accustomed to arriving in the summer, when holiday-makers throng coastal resorts and this was my first visit when the season was over. My destination was a little village which was eight miles by road. It took only a few minutes for me to come to the foot of the cliff path. When I reached the top I had left all signs of habitation behind me. I was surprised to notice that the sky was already a flame with the sunset. It seemed to be getting dark amazingly quickly. I was at a loss to account for the exceptionally early end of daylight since I did not think I had walked unduly slowly. Then I recollected that on previous visits I had walked in high summer and how it was October.
All at once it was night. The track was grassy and even in daylight showed up hardly at all. I was terrified of hurtling over the edge of the cliff to the rocks below. I felt my feet squelching and sticking in something soggy. Then I bumped into a little clump of trees that loomed up in front of me. I climbed up the nearest trunk and managed to find a tolerabley comfortable fork to sit on. The waiting was spent by my attempts to identify the little stirrings and noises of animal life that I could hear. I grew colder and colder and managed to sleep only in uneasy fitful starts. At last when the moon came up I was on my way again.       (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2014)

Q. The writer felt unusually solitary because 

DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :
A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.
Antarctica is a mostly unpopulated continent. It is the coldest, driest and most remote place in the world. And it is the world's only continent that does not have a native population. No single country owns the Antarctic. However a number of countries, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom, have already laid claim to the Antartic and others will probably follow. In some areas of the continent, two countries claim the same land.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and creates the rules for the exploration of the Antarctic. The treaty forbids military activity in the Antarctic, as well as mining. Many countries, however, think that there are valuable materials and minerals locked up under the frozen Antarctic ice, In addition, the treaty bans nuclear testing as well as dumping nuclear waste. The Antarctic. Treaty was made to protect the continent and avoid further disputes.
By 2048, the treaty must be renewed. New rules and regulations could be imposed by then.
Currently, almost all of the 70 bases in the Antarctic are used for research and scientific activity. The snow–covered continent is perfect for tracking satellites and space research because it offers clear blue, cloudless skies. Climatologists are studying the development of the ozone layer with growing concern. It was here that a hole in the layer was discovered for the first time.
More than 4000 scientists operate the research stations in the Antarctic summer, while only about a thousand populate the continent during the harsh and severe winters.
Environmentalists fear that exploiting Antarctica for military and economic reasons will damage the environment. At present, there is no economic activity in Antarctica, except for cruise ships that travel around the continent. This could change, if a new treaty allows mining in the Antarctic. As mineral resources are dwindling in other areas, nations could turn to Antarctica to find and exploit valuable raw materials.
Some geologists say that there are over 200 billion barrels of oil under the Antarctic ice. At the moment getting at these reserves would be very expensive. In addition, economic experts claim that there are large amounts of coal, nickel and copper under the Antarctic ice.      (SSC Sub. Ins. 2017)

Q. Which country's name is not being mentioned in the passage?

DIRECTIONS : In question number you have two passages with questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The World health Organisation is briefly called W.H.O. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948.
International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconut groves, and rice fields. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health.
This global health team assists the local health workers in stopping the spread of what are called communicable diseases, like cholera. These diseases can spread from one country to another and so can be a threat to world health.
W.H.O. assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether. Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways.
Everyone knows how people, particularly children, are vaccinated against one disease or another. Similarly, most people are familiar with the spraying of houses with poisonous substances which kill disease-carrying insects.              (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. "WHO assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether". The above sentence implies that : 

DIRECTIONS : In question number you have two passages with questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The World health Organisation is briefly called W.H.O. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948.
International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconut groves, and rice fields. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health.
This global health team assists the local health workers in stopping the spread of what are called communicable diseases, like cholera. These diseases can spread from one country to another and so can be a threat to world health.
W.H.O. assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether. Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways.
Everyone knows how people, particularly children, are vaccinated against one disease or another. Similarly, most people are familiar with the spraying of houses with poisonous substances which kill disease-carrying insects.              (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. "It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948". Here specialised means : 

DIRECTIONS : In question number you have two passages with questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
The World health Organisation is briefly called W.H.O. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations and was established in 1948.
International health workers can be seen working in all kinds of surroundings in deserts, jungles, mountains, coconut groves, and rice fields. They help the sick to attain health and the healthy to maintain their health.
This global health team assists the local health workers in stopping the spread of what are called communicable diseases, like cholera. These diseases can spread from one country to another and so can be a threat to world health.
W.H.O. assists different national health authorities not only in controlling diseases but also in preventing them altogether. Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways.
Everyone knows how people, particularly children, are vaccinated against one disease or another. Similarly, most people are familiar with the spraying of houses with poisonous substances which kill disease-carrying insects.              (SSC CGL 1st Sit. 2013)

Q. "Total prevention of diseases is possible in a number of ways". The author has given illustrations of : 

Direction: Street theatre in India is a well established ancient art form. Despite the proliferation of modern means of entertainment and communication, street theatre continues to flourish in India.
Street theatre as a channel of communication has for centuries been propagating reforms by highlighting social, economic and political issues present in the society. Unlike in the olden days, its performance is no longer restricted to villages or small localities of the city. Today small groups of performers including students, would stage performances to mobilize public opinion or to help create or raise awareness over a particular issue of public importance. Themes on substance abuse, AIDS awareness, and domestic violence are some of the areas highlighted by contemporary street theatre troupe. Unlike in regular drama street drama employ very little  props and images. The human body becomes the main tool in which choreography, mime, dialogues, songs and slogans are extensively used.
Street theatre is one of the most intimate media. Its appeal is to the emotions leading to quick psychological impact on audiences. By being local and live they also are able to establish not only direct contact with the audience but by being costeffective and flexible they are popular among all age  groups.       (SSC SI 2014)

Q. Modern means of entertainment and communi cation _______ street theatre.

Direction: It is sad that in country after country, progress should become synonymous with an assault on nature. We who are a part of nature and dependent on her for every need, speak constantly about 'exploiting' nature. When the highest mountain in the world was climbed in 1953, Jawaharlal  Nehru objected to the phrase 'conquest of Everest' which he thought was arrogant. Is it surprising that this lack of consideration and the constant need to prove one's superiority should be projected on to our treatment of our fellowmen? I remember Edward Thompson, a British writer and a good friend of India, once telling Mr. Gandhi that wildlife was fast disappearing. Remarked Mr. Gandhi: ‘It is decreasing in the jungles but it is increasing in the towns’ On the one hand, the rich look askance at our continuing poverty; on the other they warn us against their own methods. We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further and yet we cannot forget the grim poverty of large numbers of people.
Are not poverty and need the great polluters? For instance, unless we are in a position to provide employment and purchasing power for the daily necessities of the tribal people and those who live in and around our jungles, we cannot prevent them from combing the forest for food and livelihood, from poaching and from despoiling the vegetation.

Q. Gandhi's statement 'It is decreasing in the jungles but it is increasing in the towns.

DIRECTIONS: In the following questions, you have two brief passages with 5 questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Stuck with the development dilemma? Stay away from management courses. Seriously, one of the biggest complaints that organisations have about management courses is that they fail to impact the participants’ on-the-job behaviour. Some management trainers stress the need for follow-up and reinforcement on the job. Some go so far as briefing the participants’ managers on what behaviour they should be reinforcing back on the job. Other include a follow-up training day to review the progress of the participants. None of this is really going far enough.
The real problem is that course promoters view development as something which primarily, takes place in a classroom. A course is an event and events are, by definition limited in time. When you talk about follow-up after a course, it is seen as a nice idea, but not as an essential part of the participants’ development programme. Any rational, empowered individual should be able to take what has been learnt in a course and transfer it to the work place - or so the argument goes. Another negative aspect of the course mindset is that, primarily, development is thought to be about skill-acquisition.
So, it is felt that the distinction between taking the course and behaving differently in the work place parallels the distinction between skill-acquisition and skill-application. But can such a sharp distinction be maintained? Skills are really acquired only in the context of applying them on the job, finding them effective and, therefore, reinforcing them.
The problem with courses is that they are events, while development is an on-going process which, involves, within a complex environment, continual interaction, regular feedback and adjustment. As we tend to equate development with a one-off event, it is difficult to get seriously motivated about the followup. Anyone paying for a course tends to look at follow-up as an unnecessary and rather costly frill.      (SSC CGL 2nd Sit. 2012)

Q. Which of the following statements is false?

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and mark it by blackening the appropriate circle [•].
Like watering a plant, we grow our friendships [and all our relationships) by running them. Friendships need the same attention as other relationships. If they are to continue. These relationships can be delightfully non-judgemental, supportive, understanding and fun.
Sometimes a friendship can  bring out the positive side that you never show in any other relationship. This may be because the pressure of playing a 'role' (daughter, partner or child) is removed. With a friend you are to be yourself and free to change. Of course, you are free  to do this in all other relationships as well, but in friendships you get to have lats of rehearsals and discussion about changes as you experience them. It is an unconditional experience where you receive as much as you give. You can explain yourself to a friend openly without the fear of hurting a family member. How do friendships grow ? The answer is simple. By revealing yourself; being attentive: remembering what is most showing empathy; seeing the world through the eyes of your friend, you will understand the value of friendship. All this means learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or perhaps someone from a completely different cultural background. This is the way we learn tolerance. In turn we gain tolerance and acceptance for our own differences.         (SSC Stenographer 2016)

Q. When we are with a good friend, we tend

The crowd surged forward through the narrow streets of Paris. There was a clatter of shutters being closed hastily by trembling hands the citizens of Paris knew that once the fury of the people was excited there was no telling what they might do. They came to an old house which had a workshop on the ground floor. A head popped out of the door to see what it was all about "Get him! Get Thimonier! Smash his devilish machines!" yelled the crowd.
They found the workshop without its owner. M. Thimonier had escaped by the back door. Now the fury of the demonstrators turned against the machines that were standing in the shop, ready to be delivered to buyers. They were systematically broken up and destroyed – dozens of them. Only when the last wheel and spindle had "been trampled under foot did the infuriated crowd recover their senses.
"That is the end of M'Sieur Thimonier and his sewing machines," they said to one another and went home satisfied.
Perhaps now they would find work, for they were all unemployed tailors and seamstresses who believed that their livelihood was threatened by that new invention.

Q.The aim of the crowd was to