Practice Questions Reading Comprehension - 2 - English Grammar Advanced

Passage 1

Read the passage given below:
Orangutans require less food than humans. When they do eat, orangutans nibble mostly on ripe fruit, along with smaller portions of leaves and seeds. Even in captivity, this diet doesn't diminish and orangutans' get-up-and-go attitude. They wake up early, after a long night's sleep, They then spend the day socializing, exploring their indoor and outdoor enclosures. They also regularly engage in games with researchers. These activities, taken together, add up to the same level of exercise performed by humans in physically demanding agricultural lifestyles. In the wild, orangutans live in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra where food availability is highly variable and unpredictable. Like fresh fruits from the garden, the pickings are often feast or famine. But the trade-off is, that low energy, means, less energy is available to do things like grow and reproduce. So orangutans grow slowly and reproduce slowly, which is evolutionarily risky because an orangutan might die before it passes on its genes. Human mothers can have a child every two to four years, but orangutans in the wild only reproduce every seven to eight years.
Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates; they use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. These apes have been extensively studied for their learning abilities. There may even be distinctive cultures within populations. Both orangutan species are considered to be endangered, with the Sumatran orangutans being critically endangered. Human activities have caused severe decline in the populations and ranges of both species. Threats to wild orangutan populations include poaching, habitat destruction, and the illegal pet trade. Several conservation and rehabilitation organizations are dedicated to the survival of orangutans in the wild. We will lose much information about our closest relatives and our own evolutionary history if we let them get extinct.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions that follow: 
Q.1. Orangutans live in ______.
(a) gardens
(b) forests
(c) rain forests
(d) anywhere
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The passage states that orangutans live in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra, so option (c) is correct.

Q.2. The word 'unpredictable' in the passage means:
(a) which cannot be seen
(b) which cannot be eaten
(c) which cannot be known in advance
(d) which can be changed
Ans: (c)
Explanation: 'Unpredictable' means something that cannot be known in advance; the passage uses it to describe variable food availability.

Q.3. We do not want the orangutans to become extinct as:
(a) we will lose information about our closest relative
(b) we will lose information about our evolution history
(c) they are very intelligent
(d) both (a) and (b)
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The passage explains that losing orangutans would mean losing information about our closest relatives and our evolutionary history, so both (a) and (b) apply.

Q.4. Orangutans are considered to be______ Species.
(a) endangered
(b) extinct
(c) healthy
(d) unhealthy
Ans: (a)
Explanation: The passage explicitly says both orangutan species are considered endangered, with one species critically endangered.

Q.5. Human activities like poaching, illegal pet trade are leading to______ in the Orangutan population.
(a) decline
(b) increase
(c) no effect
(d) healthy life
Ans: (a)
Explanation: The passage lists poaching, habitat destruction and illegal pet trade as threats that have caused a severe decline in orangutan populations.

Q.6. Orangutans are ______ primates.
(a) unintelligent
(b) sleeping
(c) unsophisticated
(d) intelligent
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The passage describes orangutans as among the most intelligent primates, so option (d) is correct.

Q.7. Several conservation organisation are dedicated to the survival of Orangutans.
(a) True
(b) False
Ans: (a)
Explanation: The passage states that several conservation and rehabilitation organisations are dedicated to the survival of orangutans, so this statement is true.

Q.8. According to Pontzer, Orangutans mostly eat ______.
(a) human diet
(b) ripe fruits with leaves and seeds
(c) cake
(d) carrot
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The passage explains that orangutans nibble mostly on ripe fruit along with smaller portions of leaves and seeds, matching option (b).

Q.9. How do they spend the day ______.
(a) engage in games
(b) research
(c) socializing and exploring indoor and outdoor enclosures
(d) doing nothing
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The passage says they wake early and spend the day socializing, exploring their indoor and outdoor enclosures and playing games, so option (c) best summarises this.

Q.10. Human mothers can have a child every two to four years but Orangutans reproduce ______.
(a) ten years
(b) every year
(c) five years
(d) seven to eight years
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The passage states that orangutans in the wild reproduce only every seven to eight years, so (d) is correct.

Q.11. Orangutans live in the rain forests of ______.
(a) India
(b) Africa
(c) Borneo and Sumatra
(d) America
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The passage names Borneo and Sumatra as the rain forests where orangutans live, so (c) is correct.

Q.12. Which quality of Apes and Orangutans are similar to human?
(a) construct nests
(b) learning abilities
(c) intelligent
(d) all of the above
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The passage mentions that orangutans construct nests, are intelligent and have learning abilities; therefore all the qualities listed apply.

Passage 2

Read the passage given below:
1. I was shopping in my home town, when I heard a young voice boom from across the aisle, "Mum, come here, there's a lady my size." The mortified mother rushed to the boy who looked about seven; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, "It's okay." Then I looked at her wide-eyed son. He studied me from head to toe and asked, "Why are you so little?" It's the way God made me. Some people are little, some are tall,'' I'm just not going to grow any bigger." After about five minutes of questioning he returned to his mother.
2. My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents. It has taken many years of developing my confidence to be able to do that. It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I am an achondroplasia dwarf, which is a person having very short limbs. When I was born, my mother was told I was a dwarf. Not knowing a lot about dwarfism my mum's main concern was my health. Our family doctor put her mind at ease when he told her that I would not have any major medical concerns. He was right.
3. When I was growing up, my parents encouraged me to do all the things the kids around me did. So when my neighbours got two-wheel bicycles, I got a two wheel bicycle. When they roller-skated, I roller-skated. Our neighbours treated me as a normal person. I didn't realise how short I was until I started school. There a few kids picked on me calling me names. After that I began to hate the first day of school each year. I didn't know who was new and would stare as I struggled to climb up the school-bus stairs. Some of the kids would point out and say, "Look at the kid. Look at her." Boys could be especially mean.
4. As time went on I tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed all my life. I was determined to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. My friends became increasingly protective. What I lacked in height I made up for in personality. I had the ability to laugh, even at myself. I am 47 now, and stares have not diminished, as I've grown older. People ask my friend if I live in a dollhouse. They look in disbelief when they see me get out of my car on the driver's side. During those times I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude I remind myself, "Look what else I have-a great family, nice friends." Children's questions make my life special. "Why are you so short? How old are you? Are you a mummy?" When I talk to children they leave content that their questions have been answered. My hope is that in taking time with them I will encourage them to accept their peers, whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions that follow:
Q.1. What difficulties the author had to face in school due to her size?
(a) honoured
(b) an object of fun
(c) every year new students stare at her
(d) both (b) and (c)
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The author says some children picked on her and new students would stare each year, so both (b) and (c) apply.

Q.2. What strength of the writer compensated for her size?
(a) fighting
(b) good speaker
(c) ability to laugh at herself
(d) none
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The author explains that she made up for lack of height with personality and the ability to laugh at herself, so option (c) is correct.

Q.3. What is the height of the writer?
(a) two feet
(b) three feet nine inches
(c) seven feet
(d) six feet
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The author states clearly that she stands three feet nine inches tall, so (b) is correct.

Q.4. How did the Parents of the writer behave?
(a) hate her
(b) discourage her
(c) neglect her
(d) encourage her
Ans: (d)
Explanation: The passage says her parents encouraged her to do what other children did, so option (d) is correct.

Q.5. Where was she considered to live in by people?
(a) Bunglow
(b) Doll house
(c) Hotel
(d) Boxes
Ans: (b)
Explanation: People even asked if she lived in a dollhouse, so (b) matches the passage.

Q.6. How did she grow up normally like other children?
(a) She also got two wheel bicycles.
(b) Got roller skates
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The author says she had the same toys and activities as neighbours, including two-wheel bicycles and roller-skating, so both (a) and (b) are true.

Q.7. The synonym of mortified in para 1 is:
(a) aisle
(b) humiliated
(c) apologies
(d) boom
Ans: (b)
Explanation: 'Mortified' means embarrassed or humiliated, so option (b) is the correct synonym.

Q.8. Which word in para 4 means the quality of being one of a particular kind.
(a) Glance
(b)  Achondroplasia
(c) Dwarf
(d) Uniqueness
Ans: (d)
Explanation: 'Uniqueness' means the quality of being one of a particular kind, so (d) is correct.

Q.9. Find a word from para 4 which means the same as 'reduced':
(a) determined
(b) diminished
(c) disbelief
(d) lacked
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The word 'diminished' in paragraph 1 means reduced, so option (b) is correct.

Q.10. A synonym for the word "apologies" in para 1 is ______.
(a) short
(b) scorn
(c) regret
(d) refuse
Ans: (c)
Explanation: 'Apologies' is closest in meaning to 'regret' among the given choices, so (c) is correct.

Q.11. Find the antonym word of 'decreasing' in para 4 ______.
(a) increasingly
(b) diminish
(c) none
(d) all
Ans: (a)
Explanation: 'Increasingly' is the opposite of 'decreasing', so option (a) is correct.

Q.12. What is the age of the writer?
(a) 74 years
(b) 47 years
(c) 17 years
(d) 37 years
Ans: (b)
Explanation: The author states "I am 47 now," so (b) is the correct age.