CUET: Reading Comprehension Questions with Answers- 2 | English Language Preparation for CUET UG PDF Download

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Passage: Coffee’s Genetic Makeup

Coffee’s genetic make-up is no trivial concern; 10 million tonnes of the crop were grown and sold in 2022–23. The coffee that we drink comes from two species: Coffea Canephora, which is also known as Robusta, and Coffea Arabica, known as Arabica. In many cases, beans from the two species are blended to make a brew. But the beans of single species are also roasted and sold. Overall, Arabica beans represent around 56% of all coffee sold. 

Most genetic variation in living organisms comes from hybridization with other species. However, this is a relatively rare event for Coffea Arabica because it has more than two copies of each chromosome — a phenomenon called polyploidy. Coffea Canephora has two copies of each chromosome, but Coffea Arabica contains multiple copies. This makes it much more difficult for Arabica to interbreed with other species. 

As a result, Coffea Arabica’s main source of single nucleotide variation is mutation, which occurs at a steady rate over time. However, the species is also relatively young, having formed as a hybrid of Robusta and Coffea Eugenioides — another coffee species that is not widely cultivated — within the past 50,000 years. From that single plant, which has basically no variation, you create the whole species, and then the variation is only the novel mutations that have occurred since that event. 

Despite this, there is substantial variation in the physical characteristics of the Arabica coffee plant, including different flavour profiles in the beans and variations in disease resistance, says emeritus geneticist Juan Medrano at the UC Davis Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis. “We’re always talking about low variability at the DNA level, but there is variability at the structural level, at the chromosomal level, at the level of deletions ... and insertions,” Medrano says.

Questions 

1. Which of the following statements is true about Coffea Arabica?
(1) Hybridization is the main source of its genetic variation.
(2) It has only two copies of each chromosome.
(3) It displays the phenomenon of polyploidy.
(4) It is easily interbred with other species.

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2. Which of the following varieties of coffee is the most sold in the world?
(1) Coffea Canephora
(2) Coffea Arabica
(3) Coffea Eugenioides
(4) A blend of Coffea Canephora and Coffea Arabica

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3. Which of the following species of coffee has more than two copies of each chromosome?
(1) Arabica
(2) Robusta
(3) Coffea Eugenioides
(4) A blend of Arabica and Robusta

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4. Which of the following types of variability is not very high for Coffea Arabica?
(1) Variability at the structural level.
(2) Variability at the chromosomal level.
(3) Variability at the level of deletions and insertions.
(4) Variability at the DNA level.

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5. Choose the statement that is factually incorrect from the options given below.
(1) It is possible to roast the beans of a single species of coffee.
(2) Two species of coffee can be blended to make a brew.
(3) Due to its genetic makeup, novel mutations do not occur in the species Coffea Arabica.
(4) Variations in disease resistance can be seen in the Arabica coffee plant.

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Passage 2:  The Unhappy Life of a Literary Genius

Unquestionably a literary life is for the most part an unhappy life; because, if you have genius, you must suffer the penalty of genius; and, if you have only talent, there are so many cares and worries incidental to the circumstances of men of letters, as to make life exceedingly miserable. Besides the pangs of composition, and the continuous disappointment which a true artist feels at his inability to reveal himself, there is the ever-recurring difficulty of gaining the public ear. Young writers are buoyed up by the hope and the belief that they have only to throw that poem at the world’s feet to get back in return the laurel-crown; that they have only to push that novel into print to be acknowledged at once as a new light in literature. You can never convince a young author that the editors of magazines and the publishers of books are a practical body of men, who are by no means frantically anxious about placing the best literature before the public. Nay, that for the most part they are mere brokers who conduct their business on the hardest lines of a Profit and Loss account. But supposing your book fairly launches, its perils are only beginning. You have to run the gauntlet of the critics.

A time comes in the life of every author when he regards critics as formidable rather than formidable, and goes his way unheeding. But there are sensitive souls that yield under the chastisement and, perhaps after suffering much silent torture, abandon the profession of the pen forever. Keats, perhaps, is the saddest example of a fine spirit hounded to death by savage criticism; because, whatever his biographers may aver, that furious attack of Gifford and Terry undoubtedly expedited his death. But no doubt there are hundreds who suffer keenly hostile and unscrupulous criticism, and who have to bear that suffering in silence, because it is a cardinal principle in literature that the most unwise thing in the world for an author is to take public notice of criticism in the way of defending himself. Silence is the only safeguard, as it is the only dignified protest against insult and offence.

Questions 

1. What is the primary reason the passage suggests that a literary life is often unhappy for young writers?
(1) They lack the financial resources to sustain their career.
(2) They face the constant pressure of competition and disappointment.
(3) They are unable to write poetry that gains public attention.
(4) They are overly influenced by the opinions of editors and publishers.

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2. What does the word "formidable" most likely mean in the context of the passage: "A time comes in the life of every author when he regards critics as formidable rather than..."?
(1) Inspiring and motivating
(2) Harsh and intimidating
(3) Knowledgeable and insightful
(4) Fair and constructive

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3. Which of the following statements is factually incorrect based on the passage?
(1) Young authors often hope to gain public recognition through their work.
(2) Critics are always regarded as formidable by authors throughout their careers.
(3) Some authors abandon their writing career due to harsh criticism.
(4) Silence is considered the safest response to criticism by some authors.

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4.According to the passage, what is the "cardinal principle in literature" that contributes to an author’s suffering?
(1) The need to constantly produce new and innovative work.
(2) The pressure to achieve financial success through writing.
(3) The fear of public criticism and the inability to defend oneself.
(4) The expectation to conform to the standards set by publishers.

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5. Who does the passage cite as an example of a writer who suffered due to criticism?
(1) A young author who abandoned writing after facing rejection.
(2) An editor who struggled to publish books due to harsh reviews.
(3) Keats, whose biographers noted his death was hastened by criticism.
(4) A publisher who faced financial ruin after a failed book launch.

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