Vocabulary Based Questions - 5 | English for CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Why did he not tell it? His father, who kept the racehorses, must be a magistrate too like Saurin’s father and Nasty Roche’s father. He thought of his own father, of how he sang songs while his mother played and of how he always gave him a shilling when he asked for sixpence and he felt sorry for him that he was not a magistrate like the other boys’ fathers.
Then why was he sent to that place with them? But his father had told him that he would be no stranger there because his granduncle had presented an address to the Liberator ay there fifty years before. You could know the people of that time by their old dress. It seemed to him a solemn time: and he wondered if that was the time when the fellows in Clongowes wore blue coats with brass buttons and yellow waistcoats and caps of rabbit-skin and drank beer like grownup people and kept greyhounds of their own to course the hares with.
He looked at the window and saw that the daylight had grown weaker. There would be cloudy grey light over the playgrounds. There was no noise on the playgrounds. The class must be doing the themes az or perhaps Father Arnall was reading out of the book. It was queer that they had not given him any medicine. Perhaps Brother Michael would bring it back when he came. They said you got stinking stuff to drink when you were in the infirmary. But he felt better now than before. It would be nice getting better slowly. You could get a book then.
There was a book in the library about Holland. There were lovely foreign names in it and pictures of strange-looking cities and ships. It made you feel so happy. How pale the light was at the window! But that was nice. The fire rose and fell on the wall. It was like waves. Someone had put coal on and he heard voices. They were talking. It was the noise of the waves.
Or the waves were talking among themselves as they rose and fell. He saw the sea of waves, long dark waves rising and falling, dark under the moonless night. A tiny light twinkled at the pierhead where the ship was entering: and he saw a multitude of people gathered by the waters’ edge to see the ship that was entering their harbour. A tall man stood on the deck, looking out towards the flat dark land: and by the light at the pierhead he saw his face, the sorrowful face of Brother Michael.
[Extract from A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce)]

Q1: In the context of the passage, what does the term 'magistrate' imply?
(a) A person who manages racehorses.
(b) A singer and musician.
(c) A legal officer with the power to administer the law.
(d) A person who presents addresses to liberators.
Ans: (c)
Sol: The term 'magistrate' in the passage is used in the context of the protagonist comparing his father with other boys' fathers, who are magistrates. This implies a position of legal authority, not related to managing racehorses or music.

Q2: What does the phrase 'solemn time' in the passage most likely mean?
(a) A time for celebration.
(b) A time of serious or earnest quality.
(c) A time for playful activities.
(d) A time of confusion and disorder.
Ans: (b)
Sol: 'Solemn time' suggests a period that is marked by seriousness or gravity. In the passage, it reflects the protagonist's introspective mood as he contemplates the past.

Q3: The word 'Liberator' in the passage can be best replaced with which of the following synonyms?
(a) Oppressor.
(b) Emancipator.
(c) Captor.
(d) Follower.
Ans: (b)
Sol: 'Liberator' refers to someone who sets others free from captivity or oppression. 'Emancipator' is a synonym that carries the same meaning.

Q4: In the passage, 'infirmary' is mentioned. What is an antonym for 'infirmary'?
(a) Hospital.
(b) Clinic.
(c) Wellness center.
(d) Prison.
Ans: (c)
Sol: An 'infirmary' is a place where the sick or injured are cared for, typically within an institution. A wellness center, conversely, is focused on maintaining or improving health, thus serving as an antonym in this context.

Q5: Choose the option that best forms an analogy with the use of 'pale' in the passage: Pale : Light :: ______ : Sound
(a) Loud
(b) Muted
(c) Harmonious
(d) Dissonant
Ans: (b)
Sol: In the passage, 'pale' describes light that is weak or subdued. In a similar sense, 'muted' refers to a sound that is softened or less intense. Both adjectives indicate a reduction in the intensity of their respective sensory experiences.