Solved Examples: Reading Comprehension | English Language & Comprehension for SSC CGL PDF Download

Rules for Reading Comprehension 

• Initially, review the questions before delving into the passage.
• Focus on identifying key sentences and words in the paragraph that provide hints relevant to the questions.
• Prioritize the questions over the given options to avoid being misled by irrelevant choices.
• Take a quick glance at the questions before attempting to find the answers.
• When dealing with lengthy passages, concentrate on grasping the main theme, as questions often revolve around outlining or summarizing it.
• Avoid overthinking options that are unconventional or unrelated to the context.
• The correct choice is typically linked to basic information provided in the passage, so refrain from getting distracted by confusing choices that are out of context.

Examples:

Passage - 1

Perhaps the most important insight to be gained from the perception demonstration is in the area of paradigm shifting, what we might call the "Aha!" experience when someone finally "sees" the composite picture in another way. The more bound a person is by the initial perception, the more powerful the "Aha!" experience is. It's as though a light were suddenly turned on inside.

The term Paradigm Shift was introduced by Thomas Kuhn in his highly influential landmark book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn shows how almost every significant breakthrough in the field of scientific endeavour is first a break with tradition, with old ways of thinking, with old paradigms.

For Ptolemy, the great Egyptian astronomer, the earth was the centre of the universe. But Copernicus created a Paradigm Shift, and a great deal of resistance and persecution as well, by placing the sun at the centre. Suddenly, everything took on a different interpretation.

The Newtonian model of physics was a clockwork paradigm and is still the basis of modern engineering. But it was partial, incomplete. The scientific world was revolutionized by the Einsteinian paradigm, the relativity paradigm, which had much higher predictive and explanatory value.

Until the germ theory was developed, a high percentage of women and children died during childbirth, and one could understand why. In military skirmishes, more men were dying from small wounds and diseases than from the major traumas on the front lines. But as soon as the germ theory was developed, a whole new paradigm, a better, improved way of understanding what was happening made dramatic, significant medical improvement possible.
Q1: In the above paragraph the word ‘perception’ means
(a) The ability to imagine
(b) The ability to dream
(c) The ability to see
(d) To create predictions
Ans: (c)
The perception describes that how an individual sees the world and understands his surroundings which depends on his opinion.

Q2: Why there was high percentage of deaths of women and children?
(a) Germ theory was not developed
(b) Germs had killed everyone
(c) War was declared
(d) Humans had no medicines
Ans: (a)
In the medieval era science was not so developed in detecting the serious viruses or diseases.

Q3: In the above paragraph ‘Paradigm shift’ means:
(a) Shifting of the planets
(b) Fundamental change in basic concepts
(c) A scientific endeavour
(d) Paragraph editing
Ans: (b)
Paradigm shift is the fundamental change in basic concepts and experiments conducted in a science discipline.

Q4: According to the paragraph above which scientific theory has more importance in the present The Newtonian model or the Einsteinian?
(a) Newtonian model is based on physics while Einsteinian is not based on physics
(b) Newtonian model was incomplete while Einsteinian was highly predictive.
(c) Both of them have less importance in the present world
(d) Neither of the model have ever worked.
Ans: (b)
Newtonian model was incomplete while Einsteinian was highly predictive

Q5: Find the correct synonym for the word ‘skirmish’
(a) Combat
(b) Victory
(c) Argue
(d) Lost
Ans: (a)
Skirmish means an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets which is same as Combat meaning related to warfare or any military based activity.

Direction for Question (6-10)

Passage - 2
There once lived a bird and her two new-born babies in a forest. They had a nest in a tall, shady tree and there the mother bird took care of her little ones day and night. One day, there was a big storm. There was thunder, lightning and rain and the wind blew down many trees. The tall tree in which the birds lived also came down. A big, heavy branch hit the nest and killed the bird. Fortunately for the baby birds, the strong wind blew them away to the other side of the forest. One of them came down near a cave where a gang of robbers lived. The other landed outside a rishi’s ashram a little distance away. Days passed and the baby birds became big birds. One day, the king of the country came to the forest to hunt. He saw a deer and rode after it. It ran deep into the forest followed by the king. Soon the king lost his way and didn’t know where he was. He rode on for a long time till he came to the other side of the forest. Very tired by now, he got off his horse and sat down under a tree that stood near a cave. Suddenly he heard a voice cry out, “Quick! Hurry up! There’s someone under the tree. Come and take his jewels and his horse. Hurry or else he’ll slip away.” The king was amazed. He looked up and saw a big, brown bird on the tree under which he was sitting. He also heard faint noises issuing from the cave. He quickly got on to his horse and rode away as fast as he could.

Soon, he came to a clearing which looked like an ashram. It was the rishi’s ashram. The king tied his horse to a tree and sat down in its shade. Suddenly he heard a gentle voice announce, “Welcome to the ashram, Sir. Please go inside and rest. The rishi will be back soon. There’s some cold water in the pot. Please make yourself comfortable.” The king looked up and saw a big, brown bird in the tree. He was amazed. ‘This one looks like the other bird outside the cave,’ he said to himself aloud. “You are right, Sir,” answered the bird. “He is my brother, but he has made friends with robbers. He now talks as they do. He doesn’t talk to me anymore.” Just then the rishi entered the ashram. “Welcome, Sir,” he said to the king. “Please come inside and make yourself at home. You look tired. Rest for a while. Then you can share my food.” The king told the rishi the story of the two birds and how each had behaved so differently though they looked so (B) “The forest is full of surprises,” he said. The holy man smiled and said, “After all, one is known by the company one keeps. That bird has always heard the talk of robbers. He imitates them and talks about robbing people. This one has repeated what he has always heard. He welcomes people to the ashram. Now, come inside and rest. I’ll tell you more about this place and these birds.”

Q6: Most appropriate title for the passage above can be?
(a) Forest Stories
(b) Hail the Wise King
(c) Robbers and Saint
(d) A Tale of two birds
Ans: (d)
The above passage describes the story of two birds and their existence in nature.

Q7: What did the rishi say to the king at first when they meet?
(a) Welcome to my place
(b) Your horse is beautiful
(c) You are our pride
(d) Make yourself comfortable
Ans: (d)
The above passage exhibits the nature of a rishi who is welcoming and kind hearted towards the king.

Q8: Choose the synonym for the word amazed
(a) Aloud
(b) Happy
(c) Believe
(d) Astound
Ans: (d)
Amazed is an expression of surprise which cannot be related to happy as happy means to feel contended or to believe as it means trust or aloud which means to say out loudly but it is relate able to astound as it means surprised.

Q9: Choose the correct meaning for the word ‘imitates’.
(a) Replicate
(b) Kill
(c) Exhausted
(d) Conveyed
Ans: (a)
The word imitates means to copy and which cannot be related to kill as kill means causing death or not even exhausted as it means to be tired neither conveyed as it means to send a message.

Q10: Who was killed by the big heavy branch?
(a) Mother of two baby birds
(b) Big birds
(c) Brown big birds
(d) No one was killed
Ans: (a)
In the given passage it is given that there was natural calamity like thunder, lightning and rain which blew down all the trees causing the death of mother bird as she was struck by big heavy branch.