Reading Comprehension | IAF AFCAT Past Year Papers PDF Download

 Page 1


Reading Comprehension A-25
Reading
Comprehension
4
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1- 5) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                       [2011-I]
We stand poised precariously and challengingly on the razor’s
edge of destiny . We are now at the mercy of atom bombs and the
like which would destroy us completely if we fail to control them
wisely . And wisdom in this crisis means sensitiveness to the basic
values of life; it means a vivid realization that we are literally living
in one world where we must either swim together or sink together.
We cannot afford to tamper with man’s single minded loyalty to
peace and international understanding. Anyone, who does it is a
traitor not only to man’s past and present, but also to his future,
because he is mortgaging the destiny of unborn generations.
1. From the tone and style of the passage it appears that the
writer is
(a) a prose writer with a fascination for images and
metaphors.
(b) a humanist with a clear foresight.
(c) a traitor who wishes to mortgage the destiny of future
generations.
(d) unaware of the global power situation.
2. The best way to escape complete annihilation in an atomic
war is to
(a) work for international understanding and harmony .
(b) invent more powerful weapons.
(c) turn to religion.
(d) ban nuclear weapons.
3. The phrase ‘razor’s edge of destiny’ means a/an
(a) enigma that cuts through the pattern of life like the
edge of a razor.
(b) critical situation that foreordains the future.
(c) sharp line of division that marks the alternative courses
of action in the future.
(d) destiny with sharp edges.
4. According to the writer, ‘wisdom’ on the razor’s edge of
destiny means
(a) awareness that we stand poised precariously on the
razor’s edge of destiny .
(b) determination to ban nuclear weapons.
(c) responsibility to the ‘unborn generations’.
(d) awareness of the basic values of life.
5. The author is concerned about the threat of nuclear
weapons because he feels that
(a) a nuclear war will destroy human civilization.
(b) all countries are interlinked and one cannot escape the
consequences of what happens to another country.
(c) the world is on the brink of disaster.
(d) his country is threatened by a nuclear war.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 6-9) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                      [2011-II]
Educational planning should aim at meeting the educational needs
of the entire population of all age groups. While the traditional
structure of education as a three layer hierarchy from the primary
stage to the university represents the core, we should not overlook
the periphery which is equally important. Under modern
conditions, workers need to rewind, or renew their enthusiasm, or
strike out in a new direction, or improve their skills as much as any
university professor. The retired and aged have their needs as
well. Educational planning, in other words, should take care of the
needs of everyone.
Our structures of educational have been built up on the
assumption that there is a terminal point of education. This basic
defect has become all the more harmful today. A UNESCO report
entitled ‘Learning to Be’ prepared by Edgar Faure and other in
1973 asserts that the education of children must prepare the future
adult for various forms of self-learning. A viable education system
of the future should consist of modules with different kind of
functions serving a diversity of constituents. And performance,
not the period of study, should be the basis for credentials. The
writing is already on the wall.
In view of the fact that the significance of a commitment of lifelong
learning and lifetime education is being discussed only in recent
years even in educationally advanced countries, the possibility
of the idea becoming an integral part of educational thinking seems
to be a far cry. For, to move in that direction means so much more
than some simple rearrangement of the present organisation of
education. But a good beginning can be made by developing
Open University programmes for older learners of different
categories and introducing extension services in the conventional
colleges and schools. Also, these institutions should learn to
cooperate with numerous community organisations such as
libraries, museums, municipal recreational programmes, health
services etc.
6. What is the main thrust of the author?
(a) Traditional systems should be strengthened.
(b) Formal education is more important than non-formal.
(c) One should never cease to learn.
(d) It is impossible to meet the needs of everyone.
7. What should be the major characteristic of the future
educational system?
(a) Different modules with same function.
(b) Same module for different groups.
(c) No modules but standard compulsory programme for all.
(d) None of the above
Page 2


Reading Comprehension A-25
Reading
Comprehension
4
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1- 5) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                       [2011-I]
We stand poised precariously and challengingly on the razor’s
edge of destiny . We are now at the mercy of atom bombs and the
like which would destroy us completely if we fail to control them
wisely . And wisdom in this crisis means sensitiveness to the basic
values of life; it means a vivid realization that we are literally living
in one world where we must either swim together or sink together.
We cannot afford to tamper with man’s single minded loyalty to
peace and international understanding. Anyone, who does it is a
traitor not only to man’s past and present, but also to his future,
because he is mortgaging the destiny of unborn generations.
1. From the tone and style of the passage it appears that the
writer is
(a) a prose writer with a fascination for images and
metaphors.
(b) a humanist with a clear foresight.
(c) a traitor who wishes to mortgage the destiny of future
generations.
(d) unaware of the global power situation.
2. The best way to escape complete annihilation in an atomic
war is to
(a) work for international understanding and harmony .
(b) invent more powerful weapons.
(c) turn to religion.
(d) ban nuclear weapons.
3. The phrase ‘razor’s edge of destiny’ means a/an
(a) enigma that cuts through the pattern of life like the
edge of a razor.
(b) critical situation that foreordains the future.
(c) sharp line of division that marks the alternative courses
of action in the future.
(d) destiny with sharp edges.
4. According to the writer, ‘wisdom’ on the razor’s edge of
destiny means
(a) awareness that we stand poised precariously on the
razor’s edge of destiny .
(b) determination to ban nuclear weapons.
(c) responsibility to the ‘unborn generations’.
(d) awareness of the basic values of life.
5. The author is concerned about the threat of nuclear
weapons because he feels that
(a) a nuclear war will destroy human civilization.
(b) all countries are interlinked and one cannot escape the
consequences of what happens to another country.
(c) the world is on the brink of disaster.
(d) his country is threatened by a nuclear war.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 6-9) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                      [2011-II]
Educational planning should aim at meeting the educational needs
of the entire population of all age groups. While the traditional
structure of education as a three layer hierarchy from the primary
stage to the university represents the core, we should not overlook
the periphery which is equally important. Under modern
conditions, workers need to rewind, or renew their enthusiasm, or
strike out in a new direction, or improve their skills as much as any
university professor. The retired and aged have their needs as
well. Educational planning, in other words, should take care of the
needs of everyone.
Our structures of educational have been built up on the
assumption that there is a terminal point of education. This basic
defect has become all the more harmful today. A UNESCO report
entitled ‘Learning to Be’ prepared by Edgar Faure and other in
1973 asserts that the education of children must prepare the future
adult for various forms of self-learning. A viable education system
of the future should consist of modules with different kind of
functions serving a diversity of constituents. And performance,
not the period of study, should be the basis for credentials. The
writing is already on the wall.
In view of the fact that the significance of a commitment of lifelong
learning and lifetime education is being discussed only in recent
years even in educationally advanced countries, the possibility
of the idea becoming an integral part of educational thinking seems
to be a far cry. For, to move in that direction means so much more
than some simple rearrangement of the present organisation of
education. But a good beginning can be made by developing
Open University programmes for older learners of different
categories and introducing extension services in the conventional
colleges and schools. Also, these institutions should learn to
cooperate with numerous community organisations such as
libraries, museums, municipal recreational programmes, health
services etc.
6. What is the main thrust of the author?
(a) Traditional systems should be strengthened.
(b) Formal education is more important than non-formal.
(c) One should never cease to learn.
(d) It is impossible to meet the needs of everyone.
7. What should be the major characteristic of the future
educational system?
(a) Different modules with same function.
(b) Same module for different groups.
(c) No modules but standard compulsory programme for all.
(d) None of the above
Reading Comprehension
8. According to the author, what measures should open
university adopt to meet modern conditions?
(a) Develop various programmes for adult learners.
(b) Open more colleges in traditional lines.
(c) Cater to the needs of those who represent ‘cone’.
(d) Primary education should be under the control of open
universities.
9. In the context of the passage, what is the meaning of the
sentence “The writing is already on the wall”?
(a) Everything is uncertain now-a-days.
(b) Changes have already taken place.
(c) The signs of change are already visible.
(c) You cannot change the future.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 10-14) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2012-I]
Pablo Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very
young age. His first word was lapiz (Spanish for pencil) and he
learnt to draw before he could talk. He was the only son in the
family and very good-looking, so he was thoroughly spoilt. He
hated school and often refused to go unless his doting parents
allowed him to take one of his father’s pet pigeons with him.
Apart from pigeons, his great love was art and when in 1891 his
father, who was an amateur artist, got a job as a drawing teacher at
a college, Pablo went with him to the college. He often watched
his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help. One evening
his father was painting a picture of their pigeons when he had to
leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the
picture, and it was so amazingly beautiful and lifelike that he gave
his son his own palette and brushes and never painted again.
Pablo was just thirteen.
10. As a boy Pablo Picasso was
(a) ordinary looking but talented.
 (b) handsome and talented.
(c) handsome and studious.
(d) handsome and hardworking.
11. He was spoilt mostly because he was
(a) a smart boy .
(b) loved by one and all.
(c) the only son in the family .
(d) always surrounded by notorious boys.
12. Picasso went to school only when
(a) his friends accompanied him.
(b) his father went with him.
(c) he was allowed to paint at school.
(d) he was allowed to carry a pet with him.
13. When his father painted in the college, Pablo
(a) occasionally helped him. (b) rarely helped him.
(c) always helped him. (d) invariably helped him.
14. Pablo’s father gave up painting because he
(a) did not like the job.
(b) retired from the college.
(c) was impressed by his son’s talent.
(d) lost interest in painting.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 15- 17) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below:        [2012-II]
The development and widespread use of computer technology
and the internet have transformed how we communicate, how
business is conducted, how information is dispersed, and how
society is organised. Prior to 1980, in-depth information about
any one subject matter was attained through laborious research
involving countless visits to libraries and via repeated interviews
with persons of known reputation and reputable expertise. Now , a
great deal of information is available at the click of a mouse button,
all attainable from within the confines of one's own home or from
the use of a computer in an office. Previous labour-intensive
 support Jobs. such as loading and unpacking of trucks', luggage
handling at airports, and food manufacturing, once performed by
a large middle-class workforce, are now performed routinely by
robots which are monitored by computer-controlled systems. Our
lives have been simplified but these benefits which have been
ushered in by the technology revolution have had an adverse
effect on the core of our interpersonal-relationships. Mere
communication is no longer via postal mail or face-to-face
contact, but rather via electronic email, personal internet message
boards and by virtue of hand-held personal electronic assistants.
Although computer technology has brought us to within a
mouse-click of any sought-after piece of information, this
technology boom has sequestered us to the confines of our
computer desks and homes and has removed us away from those
traditional settings where personal and communication skills are
developed.
15. The author's attitude the advent of computer technology
can be best summarised as
(a) optimistic and thankful
(b) appreciative but reserved
(c) candid and reverent.
(d) understanding and obsessive
16. The author would agree with which of the following
statements?
(a) The advent of computer technology has decreased
access to libraries
(b) Because of advancements in robotics, labour-inten-
sive jobs are more plentiful
(c) Although heralded as a great leap forward, the widespread
use of computer technology is not without its setbacks
(d) Of all the benefits ushered in by the use the internet.
electronic email is the most beneficial
17. The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is
most likely which of the following?
(a) To downplay the need for the internet
(b) To explain how robotics and the internet have had both
a positive and negative influence on how we live
(c) To pave way for the next great technology revolution
(d) To showcase the wonders of recent technology ad-
vancements
Page 3


Reading Comprehension A-25
Reading
Comprehension
4
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1- 5) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                       [2011-I]
We stand poised precariously and challengingly on the razor’s
edge of destiny . We are now at the mercy of atom bombs and the
like which would destroy us completely if we fail to control them
wisely . And wisdom in this crisis means sensitiveness to the basic
values of life; it means a vivid realization that we are literally living
in one world where we must either swim together or sink together.
We cannot afford to tamper with man’s single minded loyalty to
peace and international understanding. Anyone, who does it is a
traitor not only to man’s past and present, but also to his future,
because he is mortgaging the destiny of unborn generations.
1. From the tone and style of the passage it appears that the
writer is
(a) a prose writer with a fascination for images and
metaphors.
(b) a humanist with a clear foresight.
(c) a traitor who wishes to mortgage the destiny of future
generations.
(d) unaware of the global power situation.
2. The best way to escape complete annihilation in an atomic
war is to
(a) work for international understanding and harmony .
(b) invent more powerful weapons.
(c) turn to religion.
(d) ban nuclear weapons.
3. The phrase ‘razor’s edge of destiny’ means a/an
(a) enigma that cuts through the pattern of life like the
edge of a razor.
(b) critical situation that foreordains the future.
(c) sharp line of division that marks the alternative courses
of action in the future.
(d) destiny with sharp edges.
4. According to the writer, ‘wisdom’ on the razor’s edge of
destiny means
(a) awareness that we stand poised precariously on the
razor’s edge of destiny .
(b) determination to ban nuclear weapons.
(c) responsibility to the ‘unborn generations’.
(d) awareness of the basic values of life.
5. The author is concerned about the threat of nuclear
weapons because he feels that
(a) a nuclear war will destroy human civilization.
(b) all countries are interlinked and one cannot escape the
consequences of what happens to another country.
(c) the world is on the brink of disaster.
(d) his country is threatened by a nuclear war.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 6-9) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                      [2011-II]
Educational planning should aim at meeting the educational needs
of the entire population of all age groups. While the traditional
structure of education as a three layer hierarchy from the primary
stage to the university represents the core, we should not overlook
the periphery which is equally important. Under modern
conditions, workers need to rewind, or renew their enthusiasm, or
strike out in a new direction, or improve their skills as much as any
university professor. The retired and aged have their needs as
well. Educational planning, in other words, should take care of the
needs of everyone.
Our structures of educational have been built up on the
assumption that there is a terminal point of education. This basic
defect has become all the more harmful today. A UNESCO report
entitled ‘Learning to Be’ prepared by Edgar Faure and other in
1973 asserts that the education of children must prepare the future
adult for various forms of self-learning. A viable education system
of the future should consist of modules with different kind of
functions serving a diversity of constituents. And performance,
not the period of study, should be the basis for credentials. The
writing is already on the wall.
In view of the fact that the significance of a commitment of lifelong
learning and lifetime education is being discussed only in recent
years even in educationally advanced countries, the possibility
of the idea becoming an integral part of educational thinking seems
to be a far cry. For, to move in that direction means so much more
than some simple rearrangement of the present organisation of
education. But a good beginning can be made by developing
Open University programmes for older learners of different
categories and introducing extension services in the conventional
colleges and schools. Also, these institutions should learn to
cooperate with numerous community organisations such as
libraries, museums, municipal recreational programmes, health
services etc.
6. What is the main thrust of the author?
(a) Traditional systems should be strengthened.
(b) Formal education is more important than non-formal.
(c) One should never cease to learn.
(d) It is impossible to meet the needs of everyone.
7. What should be the major characteristic of the future
educational system?
(a) Different modules with same function.
(b) Same module for different groups.
(c) No modules but standard compulsory programme for all.
(d) None of the above
Reading Comprehension
8. According to the author, what measures should open
university adopt to meet modern conditions?
(a) Develop various programmes for adult learners.
(b) Open more colleges in traditional lines.
(c) Cater to the needs of those who represent ‘cone’.
(d) Primary education should be under the control of open
universities.
9. In the context of the passage, what is the meaning of the
sentence “The writing is already on the wall”?
(a) Everything is uncertain now-a-days.
(b) Changes have already taken place.
(c) The signs of change are already visible.
(c) You cannot change the future.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 10-14) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2012-I]
Pablo Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very
young age. His first word was lapiz (Spanish for pencil) and he
learnt to draw before he could talk. He was the only son in the
family and very good-looking, so he was thoroughly spoilt. He
hated school and often refused to go unless his doting parents
allowed him to take one of his father’s pet pigeons with him.
Apart from pigeons, his great love was art and when in 1891 his
father, who was an amateur artist, got a job as a drawing teacher at
a college, Pablo went with him to the college. He often watched
his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help. One evening
his father was painting a picture of their pigeons when he had to
leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the
picture, and it was so amazingly beautiful and lifelike that he gave
his son his own palette and brushes and never painted again.
Pablo was just thirteen.
10. As a boy Pablo Picasso was
(a) ordinary looking but talented.
 (b) handsome and talented.
(c) handsome and studious.
(d) handsome and hardworking.
11. He was spoilt mostly because he was
(a) a smart boy .
(b) loved by one and all.
(c) the only son in the family .
(d) always surrounded by notorious boys.
12. Picasso went to school only when
(a) his friends accompanied him.
(b) his father went with him.
(c) he was allowed to paint at school.
(d) he was allowed to carry a pet with him.
13. When his father painted in the college, Pablo
(a) occasionally helped him. (b) rarely helped him.
(c) always helped him. (d) invariably helped him.
14. Pablo’s father gave up painting because he
(a) did not like the job.
(b) retired from the college.
(c) was impressed by his son’s talent.
(d) lost interest in painting.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 15- 17) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below:        [2012-II]
The development and widespread use of computer technology
and the internet have transformed how we communicate, how
business is conducted, how information is dispersed, and how
society is organised. Prior to 1980, in-depth information about
any one subject matter was attained through laborious research
involving countless visits to libraries and via repeated interviews
with persons of known reputation and reputable expertise. Now , a
great deal of information is available at the click of a mouse button,
all attainable from within the confines of one's own home or from
the use of a computer in an office. Previous labour-intensive
 support Jobs. such as loading and unpacking of trucks', luggage
handling at airports, and food manufacturing, once performed by
a large middle-class workforce, are now performed routinely by
robots which are monitored by computer-controlled systems. Our
lives have been simplified but these benefits which have been
ushered in by the technology revolution have had an adverse
effect on the core of our interpersonal-relationships. Mere
communication is no longer via postal mail or face-to-face
contact, but rather via electronic email, personal internet message
boards and by virtue of hand-held personal electronic assistants.
Although computer technology has brought us to within a
mouse-click of any sought-after piece of information, this
technology boom has sequestered us to the confines of our
computer desks and homes and has removed us away from those
traditional settings where personal and communication skills are
developed.
15. The author's attitude the advent of computer technology
can be best summarised as
(a) optimistic and thankful
(b) appreciative but reserved
(c) candid and reverent.
(d) understanding and obsessive
16. The author would agree with which of the following
statements?
(a) The advent of computer technology has decreased
access to libraries
(b) Because of advancements in robotics, labour-inten-
sive jobs are more plentiful
(c) Although heralded as a great leap forward, the widespread
use of computer technology is not without its setbacks
(d) Of all the benefits ushered in by the use the internet.
electronic email is the most beneficial
17. The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is
most likely which of the following?
(a) To downplay the need for the internet
(b) To explain how robotics and the internet have had both
a positive and negative influence on how we live
(c) To pave way for the next great technology revolution
(d) To showcase the wonders of recent technology ad-
vancements
Reading Comprehension
DIRECTIONS  (Qs. 18-22) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2013-I]
We shall go on the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on
the seas and oceans, we shall fight with the growing confidence
and strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the
cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we
shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender, and even if this
island or a large part of it was subjugated and starving, then our
empire beyond the seas would carry on the struggle, until the
New World steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.
18. On the basis of the passage which of the following statements
may be said to be correct?
(a) The speaker is encouraging his men for the conquest
of France
(b) The speaker is an aggressive and maniacal war-monger
(c) The speaker is not satisfied with the conquest of the island
(d) The speaker is a patriot urging the defence of his
motherland
19. The speaker in the passage wants to go on fighting because
(a) he is a raving lunatic
(b) he is in a state of utter despair
(c) he expects help from other quarters
(d) he is the leader of a suicide squad
20. Which of the following pair of the phrases helps best to
bring out the intension of the speaker?
(a) “Go on to the end”, “shall never surrender”
(b) “Growing confidence”, “subjugated and starving”
(c) “Subjugated and starving”, “fighting and landing around”
(d) “Fighting in the streets”, “subjugated and starving”
21. The passage consists of repetitive patterns in syntax and
vocabulary. The effect of this style is that it
(a) reveals the speaker’s defects in giving a speech
(b) produces the impression of bad poetry
(c) conveys the speaker’s helpless situation
(d) reinforces the speaker’s basic intention
22. The tone of the speaker is
(a) pleading and urging
(b) inspiring and encouraging
(c) discouraging and gloomy
(d) menacing and bullying
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 23–26) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air
that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam
of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our
eyes, like a whirlwind that upset many things but most of all the
working of people’s minds. He did not descend from the top; he
seemed to emerge from the millions of India, speaking their
language and incessantly drawing attention to them and their
appalling condition. Get off the backs of these peasants and
workers, he told us, all of you who live by their exploitation; get
rid of the system that produces this poverty and misery.
[2014-I]
23. Gandhi came like a powerful current of fresh air and
(a) awakened us to the plight of the masses in the grip of
oppressors
(b) made us patriotic
(c) emboldened us to attack and destroy the oppressors
(d) praised our culture
24. The rise of Gandhi
(a) shocked people
(b) made India powerful
(c) made the condemnation of the exploiter final
(d) made women feel secure
25. Gandhi fought the
(a) rich (b) oppressor
(c) apathetic masses (d) unjust system
26. The conspicuous role of Gandhi is that of a
(a) father (b) reformer
(c) teacher (d) liberator
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 27–29) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
Language is often used for one of the following three purposes,
namely , to inform, to convince and to persuade. The first requiring
talent of telling what we know , is a matter of little difficulty . The
second demands reasoning. The third, besides reasoning,
demands all the aid that we can obtain from the use of figures of
speech or figures of rhetoric, which means the power of persuasion.
27. Rhetoric is the
(a) art of reasoning
(b) use of figure of speech
(c) power of persuasion
(d) means of communicating information
28. The art of persuasion requires the use of
(a) information and talent feels
(b) reasoning and information
(c) figure of speech
(d) reasoning and figure of speech
29. The above passage is
(a) informative (b) persuasive
(c) convincing (d) rhetorical
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 30–32) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it :                       [2015-I]
In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three months
old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months
but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to
her remaining  reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent
stands to gain an extra meal at the expense of others. The smallest
of the cubs forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are
protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family rivalry over
food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears. I have only once
seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.
30. With reference to the  passage, the following assumptions
have been made :
I. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non
availability of prey .
II. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are true?
(a) I only (b) II only
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
Page 4


Reading Comprehension A-25
Reading
Comprehension
4
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1- 5) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                       [2011-I]
We stand poised precariously and challengingly on the razor’s
edge of destiny . We are now at the mercy of atom bombs and the
like which would destroy us completely if we fail to control them
wisely . And wisdom in this crisis means sensitiveness to the basic
values of life; it means a vivid realization that we are literally living
in one world where we must either swim together or sink together.
We cannot afford to tamper with man’s single minded loyalty to
peace and international understanding. Anyone, who does it is a
traitor not only to man’s past and present, but also to his future,
because he is mortgaging the destiny of unborn generations.
1. From the tone and style of the passage it appears that the
writer is
(a) a prose writer with a fascination for images and
metaphors.
(b) a humanist with a clear foresight.
(c) a traitor who wishes to mortgage the destiny of future
generations.
(d) unaware of the global power situation.
2. The best way to escape complete annihilation in an atomic
war is to
(a) work for international understanding and harmony .
(b) invent more powerful weapons.
(c) turn to religion.
(d) ban nuclear weapons.
3. The phrase ‘razor’s edge of destiny’ means a/an
(a) enigma that cuts through the pattern of life like the
edge of a razor.
(b) critical situation that foreordains the future.
(c) sharp line of division that marks the alternative courses
of action in the future.
(d) destiny with sharp edges.
4. According to the writer, ‘wisdom’ on the razor’s edge of
destiny means
(a) awareness that we stand poised precariously on the
razor’s edge of destiny .
(b) determination to ban nuclear weapons.
(c) responsibility to the ‘unborn generations’.
(d) awareness of the basic values of life.
5. The author is concerned about the threat of nuclear
weapons because he feels that
(a) a nuclear war will destroy human civilization.
(b) all countries are interlinked and one cannot escape the
consequences of what happens to another country.
(c) the world is on the brink of disaster.
(d) his country is threatened by a nuclear war.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 6-9) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                      [2011-II]
Educational planning should aim at meeting the educational needs
of the entire population of all age groups. While the traditional
structure of education as a three layer hierarchy from the primary
stage to the university represents the core, we should not overlook
the periphery which is equally important. Under modern
conditions, workers need to rewind, or renew their enthusiasm, or
strike out in a new direction, or improve their skills as much as any
university professor. The retired and aged have their needs as
well. Educational planning, in other words, should take care of the
needs of everyone.
Our structures of educational have been built up on the
assumption that there is a terminal point of education. This basic
defect has become all the more harmful today. A UNESCO report
entitled ‘Learning to Be’ prepared by Edgar Faure and other in
1973 asserts that the education of children must prepare the future
adult for various forms of self-learning. A viable education system
of the future should consist of modules with different kind of
functions serving a diversity of constituents. And performance,
not the period of study, should be the basis for credentials. The
writing is already on the wall.
In view of the fact that the significance of a commitment of lifelong
learning and lifetime education is being discussed only in recent
years even in educationally advanced countries, the possibility
of the idea becoming an integral part of educational thinking seems
to be a far cry. For, to move in that direction means so much more
than some simple rearrangement of the present organisation of
education. But a good beginning can be made by developing
Open University programmes for older learners of different
categories and introducing extension services in the conventional
colleges and schools. Also, these institutions should learn to
cooperate with numerous community organisations such as
libraries, museums, municipal recreational programmes, health
services etc.
6. What is the main thrust of the author?
(a) Traditional systems should be strengthened.
(b) Formal education is more important than non-formal.
(c) One should never cease to learn.
(d) It is impossible to meet the needs of everyone.
7. What should be the major characteristic of the future
educational system?
(a) Different modules with same function.
(b) Same module for different groups.
(c) No modules but standard compulsory programme for all.
(d) None of the above
Reading Comprehension
8. According to the author, what measures should open
university adopt to meet modern conditions?
(a) Develop various programmes for adult learners.
(b) Open more colleges in traditional lines.
(c) Cater to the needs of those who represent ‘cone’.
(d) Primary education should be under the control of open
universities.
9. In the context of the passage, what is the meaning of the
sentence “The writing is already on the wall”?
(a) Everything is uncertain now-a-days.
(b) Changes have already taken place.
(c) The signs of change are already visible.
(c) You cannot change the future.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 10-14) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2012-I]
Pablo Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very
young age. His first word was lapiz (Spanish for pencil) and he
learnt to draw before he could talk. He was the only son in the
family and very good-looking, so he was thoroughly spoilt. He
hated school and often refused to go unless his doting parents
allowed him to take one of his father’s pet pigeons with him.
Apart from pigeons, his great love was art and when in 1891 his
father, who was an amateur artist, got a job as a drawing teacher at
a college, Pablo went with him to the college. He often watched
his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help. One evening
his father was painting a picture of their pigeons when he had to
leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the
picture, and it was so amazingly beautiful and lifelike that he gave
his son his own palette and brushes and never painted again.
Pablo was just thirteen.
10. As a boy Pablo Picasso was
(a) ordinary looking but talented.
 (b) handsome and talented.
(c) handsome and studious.
(d) handsome and hardworking.
11. He was spoilt mostly because he was
(a) a smart boy .
(b) loved by one and all.
(c) the only son in the family .
(d) always surrounded by notorious boys.
12. Picasso went to school only when
(a) his friends accompanied him.
(b) his father went with him.
(c) he was allowed to paint at school.
(d) he was allowed to carry a pet with him.
13. When his father painted in the college, Pablo
(a) occasionally helped him. (b) rarely helped him.
(c) always helped him. (d) invariably helped him.
14. Pablo’s father gave up painting because he
(a) did not like the job.
(b) retired from the college.
(c) was impressed by his son’s talent.
(d) lost interest in painting.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 15- 17) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below:        [2012-II]
The development and widespread use of computer technology
and the internet have transformed how we communicate, how
business is conducted, how information is dispersed, and how
society is organised. Prior to 1980, in-depth information about
any one subject matter was attained through laborious research
involving countless visits to libraries and via repeated interviews
with persons of known reputation and reputable expertise. Now , a
great deal of information is available at the click of a mouse button,
all attainable from within the confines of one's own home or from
the use of a computer in an office. Previous labour-intensive
 support Jobs. such as loading and unpacking of trucks', luggage
handling at airports, and food manufacturing, once performed by
a large middle-class workforce, are now performed routinely by
robots which are monitored by computer-controlled systems. Our
lives have been simplified but these benefits which have been
ushered in by the technology revolution have had an adverse
effect on the core of our interpersonal-relationships. Mere
communication is no longer via postal mail or face-to-face
contact, but rather via electronic email, personal internet message
boards and by virtue of hand-held personal electronic assistants.
Although computer technology has brought us to within a
mouse-click of any sought-after piece of information, this
technology boom has sequestered us to the confines of our
computer desks and homes and has removed us away from those
traditional settings where personal and communication skills are
developed.
15. The author's attitude the advent of computer technology
can be best summarised as
(a) optimistic and thankful
(b) appreciative but reserved
(c) candid and reverent.
(d) understanding and obsessive
16. The author would agree with which of the following
statements?
(a) The advent of computer technology has decreased
access to libraries
(b) Because of advancements in robotics, labour-inten-
sive jobs are more plentiful
(c) Although heralded as a great leap forward, the widespread
use of computer technology is not without its setbacks
(d) Of all the benefits ushered in by the use the internet.
electronic email is the most beneficial
17. The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is
most likely which of the following?
(a) To downplay the need for the internet
(b) To explain how robotics and the internet have had both
a positive and negative influence on how we live
(c) To pave way for the next great technology revolution
(d) To showcase the wonders of recent technology ad-
vancements
Reading Comprehension
DIRECTIONS  (Qs. 18-22) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2013-I]
We shall go on the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on
the seas and oceans, we shall fight with the growing confidence
and strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the
cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we
shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender, and even if this
island or a large part of it was subjugated and starving, then our
empire beyond the seas would carry on the struggle, until the
New World steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.
18. On the basis of the passage which of the following statements
may be said to be correct?
(a) The speaker is encouraging his men for the conquest
of France
(b) The speaker is an aggressive and maniacal war-monger
(c) The speaker is not satisfied with the conquest of the island
(d) The speaker is a patriot urging the defence of his
motherland
19. The speaker in the passage wants to go on fighting because
(a) he is a raving lunatic
(b) he is in a state of utter despair
(c) he expects help from other quarters
(d) he is the leader of a suicide squad
20. Which of the following pair of the phrases helps best to
bring out the intension of the speaker?
(a) “Go on to the end”, “shall never surrender”
(b) “Growing confidence”, “subjugated and starving”
(c) “Subjugated and starving”, “fighting and landing around”
(d) “Fighting in the streets”, “subjugated and starving”
21. The passage consists of repetitive patterns in syntax and
vocabulary. The effect of this style is that it
(a) reveals the speaker’s defects in giving a speech
(b) produces the impression of bad poetry
(c) conveys the speaker’s helpless situation
(d) reinforces the speaker’s basic intention
22. The tone of the speaker is
(a) pleading and urging
(b) inspiring and encouraging
(c) discouraging and gloomy
(d) menacing and bullying
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 23–26) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air
that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam
of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our
eyes, like a whirlwind that upset many things but most of all the
working of people’s minds. He did not descend from the top; he
seemed to emerge from the millions of India, speaking their
language and incessantly drawing attention to them and their
appalling condition. Get off the backs of these peasants and
workers, he told us, all of you who live by their exploitation; get
rid of the system that produces this poverty and misery.
[2014-I]
23. Gandhi came like a powerful current of fresh air and
(a) awakened us to the plight of the masses in the grip of
oppressors
(b) made us patriotic
(c) emboldened us to attack and destroy the oppressors
(d) praised our culture
24. The rise of Gandhi
(a) shocked people
(b) made India powerful
(c) made the condemnation of the exploiter final
(d) made women feel secure
25. Gandhi fought the
(a) rich (b) oppressor
(c) apathetic masses (d) unjust system
26. The conspicuous role of Gandhi is that of a
(a) father (b) reformer
(c) teacher (d) liberator
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 27–29) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
Language is often used for one of the following three purposes,
namely , to inform, to convince and to persuade. The first requiring
talent of telling what we know , is a matter of little difficulty . The
second demands reasoning. The third, besides reasoning,
demands all the aid that we can obtain from the use of figures of
speech or figures of rhetoric, which means the power of persuasion.
27. Rhetoric is the
(a) art of reasoning
(b) use of figure of speech
(c) power of persuasion
(d) means of communicating information
28. The art of persuasion requires the use of
(a) information and talent feels
(b) reasoning and information
(c) figure of speech
(d) reasoning and figure of speech
29. The above passage is
(a) informative (b) persuasive
(c) convincing (d) rhetorical
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 30–32) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it :                       [2015-I]
In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three months
old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months
but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to
her remaining  reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent
stands to gain an extra meal at the expense of others. The smallest
of the cubs forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are
protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family rivalry over
food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears. I have only once
seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.
30. With reference to the  passage, the following assumptions
have been made :
I. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non
availability of prey .
II. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are true?
(a) I only (b) II only
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
Reading Comprehension
31. Female polar bears give birth during
(a) Spring (b) Summer
(c) Autumn (d) Winter
32. Mother bear
(a) Takes sides over cubs
(b) Lets the cubs fend for themselves
(c) Feeds only their favourites
(d) Sees that all cubs get an equal share
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 33-35) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it : [2015- II]
Patience is better than wisdom; An ounce of patience is worth a
pound of brains. All men praise patience, but few can practise it. It
is a medicine which is good for all diseases, but it is not every
garden that grows the herbs to make it with. Many people are
born crying, live complaining and die disappointed. They think
every other person's burden to be light and their own feathers to
be heavy as lead, and yet if the truth were known, it is their fancy
rather than their fate that makes things go so hard with them.
Many would be well off than what they think of.
33. Which of the following is the most suitable explanation to
the author's remark that "anounce of patience is worth a
pound of brains"?
(a) Wisdom can only be attained by practising patience
(b) Patience comes first wisdom next
(c) Patience is essential for every achievement
(d) Without patience wisdom cannot be used in like
property
34. Which one is the most likely explanation, among the
following, of the author's metaphorical statement that "It is
not every garden that grows the herbs to make it with"?
(a) Patience is a must for solving all our problems in life
(b) Patience is a rare herb that cures all diseases
(c) Patience is virtue of a highest order
(d) It is only a small number of people that are found
observing patience in life
35. The writer's remarks, "They think every person's burden to
be light and their own feathers to be as heavy as lead" is
very significant. It means
(a) They are always worried and dejected
(b) They consider their own problems to be difficult to
solve as compared with problems of other people
(c) They feel that they alone face serious problems while
others have a nice time
(d) They remain very much worried about their own
problem.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 36-38) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it [2016 -I]
Recently , a newspaper article mourned the total disappearance of
the common house sparrow.
This was a comment on the city's perceptible move towards edging
out the flora and fauna of the city . In the rapid urbanization, multi-
storied apartments grew and large scale felling of trees became
necessary. Last week, however, seven pairs of these sparrows
were spotted in a suburb. Possibly the greenery of this place has
created a new habitat for these birds which like their proximity to
human beings, and have made a comeback. A systematic
development of trees and shrubs  all over the city could woo the
absentee house sparrow to our midst.
36. In the passage the term "urbanisation" has been used to
refer to
(a) the destruction of the greenery in the city
(b) construction of concrete structures on a large scale
(c) a change over from the rural life to the city life
(d) the movement of people from villages to cities
37. The phrase "absentee house sparrow" refers to
(a) the sparrow that makes infrequent visits
(b) the sparrow that has forgotten its habitat
(c) the sparrow that has gone away from the urban areas
(d) the sparrow that has become extinct
38. According to the passage, the birds have made a comeback
to the suburb because they
(a) have been hunted down by the village people
(b) Love to be amidst human beings
(c) get food only where human beings live
(d) they have been deliberately brought back by
biologists
DIRECTIONS (Os. 39–41)  Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it: [2016 - II]
The great Acharyas have said that having discovered a great
goal, surrender yourself to that goal and act towards it, drawing
your inspiration from that goal whereby you will get a new col-
umn of energy. Do not allow this energy to be dissipated in the
futile memories of past regrets of failure, not in the excitement of
the present, and thus bring that entire energy focussed into activ-
ity . That is the highest creative action in the world outside. Thereby
the individual who is till now considered as most inefficient finds
his way to the highest achievement and success. This is said very
easily in a second. But in order to train our mind to this attitude
needs considerable training because 7we have already trained
the mind wrongly to such an extent that we have become perfect
in imperfections. Not knowing the art of action, we have become
master artist in doing wrong things. The totality of activity will
bring the country to a wrong end, indeed. The point is, intellect is
very powerful and everyone is driving but nobody seems to know
how to control the mental energy and direct it properly , or guide it
to the proper destination.
39. Which of the following is the source of energy?
(a) A column that supports a building.
(b) Stimulation obtained from a set aim.
(c) Highest creative action.
(d) Proper training of the mind to achieve perfection.
40. The author's chief concern is
(a) Establishment of socialistic pattern.
(b) Discovery of great goal in the life.
(c) Regulation of energy in the proper direction.
(d) Training of the mind.
41.    What is the effect of training of the wrong mind?
(a) We have become perfect in all aspects.
(b) Art of action is too much emphasized.
(c) Each of us could become a master artist.
(d) None of these.
Page 5


Reading Comprehension A-25
Reading
Comprehension
4
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 1- 5) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                       [2011-I]
We stand poised precariously and challengingly on the razor’s
edge of destiny . We are now at the mercy of atom bombs and the
like which would destroy us completely if we fail to control them
wisely . And wisdom in this crisis means sensitiveness to the basic
values of life; it means a vivid realization that we are literally living
in one world where we must either swim together or sink together.
We cannot afford to tamper with man’s single minded loyalty to
peace and international understanding. Anyone, who does it is a
traitor not only to man’s past and present, but also to his future,
because he is mortgaging the destiny of unborn generations.
1. From the tone and style of the passage it appears that the
writer is
(a) a prose writer with a fascination for images and
metaphors.
(b) a humanist with a clear foresight.
(c) a traitor who wishes to mortgage the destiny of future
generations.
(d) unaware of the global power situation.
2. The best way to escape complete annihilation in an atomic
war is to
(a) work for international understanding and harmony .
(b) invent more powerful weapons.
(c) turn to religion.
(d) ban nuclear weapons.
3. The phrase ‘razor’s edge of destiny’ means a/an
(a) enigma that cuts through the pattern of life like the
edge of a razor.
(b) critical situation that foreordains the future.
(c) sharp line of division that marks the alternative courses
of action in the future.
(d) destiny with sharp edges.
4. According to the writer, ‘wisdom’ on the razor’s edge of
destiny means
(a) awareness that we stand poised precariously on the
razor’s edge of destiny .
(b) determination to ban nuclear weapons.
(c) responsibility to the ‘unborn generations’.
(d) awareness of the basic values of life.
5. The author is concerned about the threat of nuclear
weapons because he feels that
(a) a nuclear war will destroy human civilization.
(b) all countries are interlinked and one cannot escape the
consequences of what happens to another country.
(c) the world is on the brink of disaster.
(d) his country is threatened by a nuclear war.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 6-9) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it.                      [2011-II]
Educational planning should aim at meeting the educational needs
of the entire population of all age groups. While the traditional
structure of education as a three layer hierarchy from the primary
stage to the university represents the core, we should not overlook
the periphery which is equally important. Under modern
conditions, workers need to rewind, or renew their enthusiasm, or
strike out in a new direction, or improve their skills as much as any
university professor. The retired and aged have their needs as
well. Educational planning, in other words, should take care of the
needs of everyone.
Our structures of educational have been built up on the
assumption that there is a terminal point of education. This basic
defect has become all the more harmful today. A UNESCO report
entitled ‘Learning to Be’ prepared by Edgar Faure and other in
1973 asserts that the education of children must prepare the future
adult for various forms of self-learning. A viable education system
of the future should consist of modules with different kind of
functions serving a diversity of constituents. And performance,
not the period of study, should be the basis for credentials. The
writing is already on the wall.
In view of the fact that the significance of a commitment of lifelong
learning and lifetime education is being discussed only in recent
years even in educationally advanced countries, the possibility
of the idea becoming an integral part of educational thinking seems
to be a far cry. For, to move in that direction means so much more
than some simple rearrangement of the present organisation of
education. But a good beginning can be made by developing
Open University programmes for older learners of different
categories and introducing extension services in the conventional
colleges and schools. Also, these institutions should learn to
cooperate with numerous community organisations such as
libraries, museums, municipal recreational programmes, health
services etc.
6. What is the main thrust of the author?
(a) Traditional systems should be strengthened.
(b) Formal education is more important than non-formal.
(c) One should never cease to learn.
(d) It is impossible to meet the needs of everyone.
7. What should be the major characteristic of the future
educational system?
(a) Different modules with same function.
(b) Same module for different groups.
(c) No modules but standard compulsory programme for all.
(d) None of the above
Reading Comprehension
8. According to the author, what measures should open
university adopt to meet modern conditions?
(a) Develop various programmes for adult learners.
(b) Open more colleges in traditional lines.
(c) Cater to the needs of those who represent ‘cone’.
(d) Primary education should be under the control of open
universities.
9. In the context of the passage, what is the meaning of the
sentence “The writing is already on the wall”?
(a) Everything is uncertain now-a-days.
(b) Changes have already taken place.
(c) The signs of change are already visible.
(c) You cannot change the future.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 10-14) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2012-I]
Pablo Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very
young age. His first word was lapiz (Spanish for pencil) and he
learnt to draw before he could talk. He was the only son in the
family and very good-looking, so he was thoroughly spoilt. He
hated school and often refused to go unless his doting parents
allowed him to take one of his father’s pet pigeons with him.
Apart from pigeons, his great love was art and when in 1891 his
father, who was an amateur artist, got a job as a drawing teacher at
a college, Pablo went with him to the college. He often watched
his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help. One evening
his father was painting a picture of their pigeons when he had to
leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the
picture, and it was so amazingly beautiful and lifelike that he gave
his son his own palette and brushes and never painted again.
Pablo was just thirteen.
10. As a boy Pablo Picasso was
(a) ordinary looking but talented.
 (b) handsome and talented.
(c) handsome and studious.
(d) handsome and hardworking.
11. He was spoilt mostly because he was
(a) a smart boy .
(b) loved by one and all.
(c) the only son in the family .
(d) always surrounded by notorious boys.
12. Picasso went to school only when
(a) his friends accompanied him.
(b) his father went with him.
(c) he was allowed to paint at school.
(d) he was allowed to carry a pet with him.
13. When his father painted in the college, Pablo
(a) occasionally helped him. (b) rarely helped him.
(c) always helped him. (d) invariably helped him.
14. Pablo’s father gave up painting because he
(a) did not like the job.
(b) retired from the college.
(c) was impressed by his son’s talent.
(d) lost interest in painting.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 15- 17) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below:        [2012-II]
The development and widespread use of computer technology
and the internet have transformed how we communicate, how
business is conducted, how information is dispersed, and how
society is organised. Prior to 1980, in-depth information about
any one subject matter was attained through laborious research
involving countless visits to libraries and via repeated interviews
with persons of known reputation and reputable expertise. Now , a
great deal of information is available at the click of a mouse button,
all attainable from within the confines of one's own home or from
the use of a computer in an office. Previous labour-intensive
 support Jobs. such as loading and unpacking of trucks', luggage
handling at airports, and food manufacturing, once performed by
a large middle-class workforce, are now performed routinely by
robots which are monitored by computer-controlled systems. Our
lives have been simplified but these benefits which have been
ushered in by the technology revolution have had an adverse
effect on the core of our interpersonal-relationships. Mere
communication is no longer via postal mail or face-to-face
contact, but rather via electronic email, personal internet message
boards and by virtue of hand-held personal electronic assistants.
Although computer technology has brought us to within a
mouse-click of any sought-after piece of information, this
technology boom has sequestered us to the confines of our
computer desks and homes and has removed us away from those
traditional settings where personal and communication skills are
developed.
15. The author's attitude the advent of computer technology
can be best summarised as
(a) optimistic and thankful
(b) appreciative but reserved
(c) candid and reverent.
(d) understanding and obsessive
16. The author would agree with which of the following
statements?
(a) The advent of computer technology has decreased
access to libraries
(b) Because of advancements in robotics, labour-inten-
sive jobs are more plentiful
(c) Although heralded as a great leap forward, the widespread
use of computer technology is not without its setbacks
(d) Of all the benefits ushered in by the use the internet.
electronic email is the most beneficial
17. The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is
most likely which of the following?
(a) To downplay the need for the internet
(b) To explain how robotics and the internet have had both
a positive and negative influence on how we live
(c) To pave way for the next great technology revolution
(d) To showcase the wonders of recent technology ad-
vancements
Reading Comprehension
DIRECTIONS  (Qs. 18-22) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below:                           [2013-I]
We shall go on the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on
the seas and oceans, we shall fight with the growing confidence
and strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the
cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we
shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender, and even if this
island or a large part of it was subjugated and starving, then our
empire beyond the seas would carry on the struggle, until the
New World steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.
18. On the basis of the passage which of the following statements
may be said to be correct?
(a) The speaker is encouraging his men for the conquest
of France
(b) The speaker is an aggressive and maniacal war-monger
(c) The speaker is not satisfied with the conquest of the island
(d) The speaker is a patriot urging the defence of his
motherland
19. The speaker in the passage wants to go on fighting because
(a) he is a raving lunatic
(b) he is in a state of utter despair
(c) he expects help from other quarters
(d) he is the leader of a suicide squad
20. Which of the following pair of the phrases helps best to
bring out the intension of the speaker?
(a) “Go on to the end”, “shall never surrender”
(b) “Growing confidence”, “subjugated and starving”
(c) “Subjugated and starving”, “fighting and landing around”
(d) “Fighting in the streets”, “subjugated and starving”
21. The passage consists of repetitive patterns in syntax and
vocabulary. The effect of this style is that it
(a) reveals the speaker’s defects in giving a speech
(b) produces the impression of bad poetry
(c) conveys the speaker’s helpless situation
(d) reinforces the speaker’s basic intention
22. The tone of the speaker is
(a) pleading and urging
(b) inspiring and encouraging
(c) discouraging and gloomy
(d) menacing and bullying
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 23–26) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air
that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam
of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our
eyes, like a whirlwind that upset many things but most of all the
working of people’s minds. He did not descend from the top; he
seemed to emerge from the millions of India, speaking their
language and incessantly drawing attention to them and their
appalling condition. Get off the backs of these peasants and
workers, he told us, all of you who live by their exploitation; get
rid of the system that produces this poverty and misery.
[2014-I]
23. Gandhi came like a powerful current of fresh air and
(a) awakened us to the plight of the masses in the grip of
oppressors
(b) made us patriotic
(c) emboldened us to attack and destroy the oppressors
(d) praised our culture
24. The rise of Gandhi
(a) shocked people
(b) made India powerful
(c) made the condemnation of the exploiter final
(d) made women feel secure
25. Gandhi fought the
(a) rich (b) oppressor
(c) apathetic masses (d) unjust system
26. The conspicuous role of Gandhi is that of a
(a) father (b) reformer
(c) teacher (d) liberator
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 27–29) : Read the following passage
carefully and answer the questions given below it:     [2014-II]
Language is often used for one of the following three purposes,
namely , to inform, to convince and to persuade. The first requiring
talent of telling what we know , is a matter of little difficulty . The
second demands reasoning. The third, besides reasoning,
demands all the aid that we can obtain from the use of figures of
speech or figures of rhetoric, which means the power of persuasion.
27. Rhetoric is the
(a) art of reasoning
(b) use of figure of speech
(c) power of persuasion
(d) means of communicating information
28. The art of persuasion requires the use of
(a) information and talent feels
(b) reasoning and information
(c) figure of speech
(d) reasoning and figure of speech
29. The above passage is
(a) informative (b) persuasive
(c) convincing (d) rhetorical
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 30–32) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it :                       [2015-I]
In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three months
old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months
but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to
her remaining  reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent
stands to gain an extra meal at the expense of others. The smallest
of the cubs forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are
protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family rivalry over
food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears. I have only once
seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.
30. With reference to the  passage, the following assumptions
have been made :
I. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non
availability of prey .
II. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are true?
(a) I only (b) II only
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
Reading Comprehension
31. Female polar bears give birth during
(a) Spring (b) Summer
(c) Autumn (d) Winter
32. Mother bear
(a) Takes sides over cubs
(b) Lets the cubs fend for themselves
(c) Feeds only their favourites
(d) Sees that all cubs get an equal share
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 33-35) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it : [2015- II]
Patience is better than wisdom; An ounce of patience is worth a
pound of brains. All men praise patience, but few can practise it. It
is a medicine which is good for all diseases, but it is not every
garden that grows the herbs to make it with. Many people are
born crying, live complaining and die disappointed. They think
every other person's burden to be light and their own feathers to
be heavy as lead, and yet if the truth were known, it is their fancy
rather than their fate that makes things go so hard with them.
Many would be well off than what they think of.
33. Which of the following is the most suitable explanation to
the author's remark that "anounce of patience is worth a
pound of brains"?
(a) Wisdom can only be attained by practising patience
(b) Patience comes first wisdom next
(c) Patience is essential for every achievement
(d) Without patience wisdom cannot be used in like
property
34. Which one is the most likely explanation, among the
following, of the author's metaphorical statement that "It is
not every garden that grows the herbs to make it with"?
(a) Patience is a must for solving all our problems in life
(b) Patience is a rare herb that cures all diseases
(c) Patience is virtue of a highest order
(d) It is only a small number of people that are found
observing patience in life
35. The writer's remarks, "They think every person's burden to
be light and their own feathers to be as heavy as lead" is
very significant. It means
(a) They are always worried and dejected
(b) They consider their own problems to be difficult to
solve as compared with problems of other people
(c) They feel that they alone face serious problems while
others have a nice time
(d) They remain very much worried about their own
problem.
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 36-38) : Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it [2016 -I]
Recently , a newspaper article mourned the total disappearance of
the common house sparrow.
This was a comment on the city's perceptible move towards edging
out the flora and fauna of the city . In the rapid urbanization, multi-
storied apartments grew and large scale felling of trees became
necessary. Last week, however, seven pairs of these sparrows
were spotted in a suburb. Possibly the greenery of this place has
created a new habitat for these birds which like their proximity to
human beings, and have made a comeback. A systematic
development of trees and shrubs  all over the city could woo the
absentee house sparrow to our midst.
36. In the passage the term "urbanisation" has been used to
refer to
(a) the destruction of the greenery in the city
(b) construction of concrete structures on a large scale
(c) a change over from the rural life to the city life
(d) the movement of people from villages to cities
37. The phrase "absentee house sparrow" refers to
(a) the sparrow that makes infrequent visits
(b) the sparrow that has forgotten its habitat
(c) the sparrow that has gone away from the urban areas
(d) the sparrow that has become extinct
38. According to the passage, the birds have made a comeback
to the suburb because they
(a) have been hunted down by the village people
(b) Love to be amidst human beings
(c) get food only where human beings live
(d) they have been deliberately brought back by
biologists
DIRECTIONS (Os. 39–41)  Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it: [2016 - II]
The great Acharyas have said that having discovered a great
goal, surrender yourself to that goal and act towards it, drawing
your inspiration from that goal whereby you will get a new col-
umn of energy. Do not allow this energy to be dissipated in the
futile memories of past regrets of failure, not in the excitement of
the present, and thus bring that entire energy focussed into activ-
ity . That is the highest creative action in the world outside. Thereby
the individual who is till now considered as most inefficient finds
his way to the highest achievement and success. This is said very
easily in a second. But in order to train our mind to this attitude
needs considerable training because 7we have already trained
the mind wrongly to such an extent that we have become perfect
in imperfections. Not knowing the art of action, we have become
master artist in doing wrong things. The totality of activity will
bring the country to a wrong end, indeed. The point is, intellect is
very powerful and everyone is driving but nobody seems to know
how to control the mental energy and direct it properly , or guide it
to the proper destination.
39. Which of the following is the source of energy?
(a) A column that supports a building.
(b) Stimulation obtained from a set aim.
(c) Highest creative action.
(d) Proper training of the mind to achieve perfection.
40. The author's chief concern is
(a) Establishment of socialistic pattern.
(b) Discovery of great goal in the life.
(c) Regulation of energy in the proper direction.
(d) Training of the mind.
41.    What is the effect of training of the wrong mind?
(a) We have become perfect in all aspects.
(b) Art of action is too much emphasized.
(c) Each of us could become a master artist.
(d) None of these.
Reading Comprehension
DIRECTION (Qs. 42-44): Read the following passage and answer
the following questions: [2017 - I]
At this stage of civilisation, when many nations are brought in to
close and vital contact for good and evil, it is important, as never
before, that their gross ignorance of one another should be
diminished, that they should begin to understand a little of one
another's historical experience and resulting mentality. It is the
fault of the English to expect the people of other countries to react
as they do, to political and international situations.
Our goodwill and good intentions are often brought to nothing,
because we expect other people to be like us. This would be
corrected if we knew the history, not necessarily in detail but in
broad outlines, of the social and political conditions which have
given to each nation its present character.
42. According to the author, 'Mentality' of a nation is mainly
product of its
(a) Present character (b) International position
(c) Politics (d) History
43. According to the author, his countrymen should
(a) read the story of other nations
(b) not react to other actions
(c) have a better understanding of other nations
(d) have vital contacts with other nations
44. The need for a greater understanding between nations
(a) is more today than ever before
(b) was always there
(c) is no longer there
(d) will always be there
DIRECTIONS (Qs. 45-48): Read the following passage and
answer the following questions:  [2017 - II]
The most important reason for this state of affairs is that India
was the only country in the world to truly recognise the
achievements of the Soviet Union-rather than merely focus on
the debilitating faults that Communism brought to its people. The
people of India realised that the achievement of one hundred per
cent literacy in a country much, much larger than its own and with
similarly complicated ethnic and religious groupings, the rapid
industrialization of a nation that was a primarily agrarian society
when the Bolshevik revolution took place in 1917, the attendant
revolutionary steps in science and technology, the accessibility
of health care (primeval according to W estern standards, perhaps,
but not according to Indian ones) to the general population, and
despite prohibition of the government of the time the vast
outpourings in literature, music, art, etc. are momentous and
remarkable feats in any country .
In contrast, all that the West focused on were the massive human
rights violations by the Soviet State on its people, the deliberate
uprooting and mass migrations of ethnic peoples from one part of
the country to another in the name of industrialization, the end of
religion. In short, all the tools of information were employed to
condemn the ideology of Communism, so much at variance with
capitalist thinking. The difference with the Indian perception, I
think here is, that while the Indians reacted as negatively to what
the Soviet governments did to its people in the name of good
governance (witness the imprisonment of Boris Pasternak and
the formation of an international committee to put pressure for his
release with Jawaharlal Nehru at its head), they took the pain not
to condemn the people of that broad country in black and white
terms; they understood that mingled in the shades of grey were
grains of uniqueness (The Russians have never failed that
characteristic in themselves; they have twice experimented with
completely different ideologies, Communism and Capitalism both
in the space of a century).
45. Which of the following statements is correct according to
the passage?
(a) India focused on the weak faults of Russian policies
and system.
(b) India seriously commended the achievement of Russia,
i.e., 100% per cent literacy and rapid industrialization.
(c) The process of industrialization had already started
when Russian revolution took place in 1917.
(d) The literature, art and music received a setback during
the communist regime in Russia.
46. The West did not pay heed to:
(a) Rapid growth of nuclear weapons in Russia
(b) Massive human rights violation by the Soviet state
on its people
(c) Planned uprooting and mass migration of ethnic people
in the name of industrialization.
(d) Both b and c
47. India's perception towards USSR was always
(a) Negative (b) Counter-reactionary
(c) Applauding (d) Neutral
48. The passage given above is
(a) Descriptive (b) Paradoxical
(c) Analytical (d) Thought provoking
DIRECTIONS  (Qs. 49-52) : Read the following passage and
answer the questions given after it.     [2018 - I]
Dr. Carver was an American Negro slave, who by dint of his
ability became a scientist and educator of world-wide fame. A
national monument has now been erected to honour him. This
monument has been built at his birth place in the United States of
America. Carver's life and achievements prove the American saying
: "You can't keep a great man down." From childhood he showed
qualities which gave promise of his genius. He would get up
before sunrise to study the wonders of nature before the break of
dawn in the east. His guardians wanted to educate him, but were
too poor to do so. So he left home. He was hardly ten when he
began to work at small jobs to earn a little money for his school
expenses. He continued to do so even when he was at college.
Thus, he passed his M.Sc. examination and became a professor.
There he wrote several books on science subjects. His chief desire
was to do the greatest good to the greatest number of people. He
left all his life's savings to found scholarships for research in
Agricultural Chemistry. He knew this research, was bound to
benefit farmers all over the world. Though world famous, he never
felt proud of his discoveries. "I discovered nothing," he once
said, "I am God's agent—the instrument through which he works."
49. What can you say about the early life of Dr. Carver?
(a) He was born with silver spoon in his mouth.
(b) He was brought up in an orphanage.
(c) He had to struggle a lot as his parents were poor.
(d) He was brought up and educated by wealthy parents.
50. Which of the following statements show that he was a great
lover of mankind?
(a) He offered charitable services to the poor.
(b) He desired to do the greatest good to the greatest number
of people.
(c) He opened several colleges and institutes.
(d) He donated all his life savings.