CAT Mock Test - 17 - CAT MCQ
30 Questions MCQ Test - CAT Mock Test - 17
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Bill Gates is a lot luckier than you might realise. He may be a very talented man who worked his way up from geek to the top spot on the list of the world's richest people. But his extreme success perhaps tells us more about the importance of circumstances beyond his control than it does about how skill and perseverance are rewarded.
We often fall for the idea that the exceptional performers are the most skilled or talented. But this is flawed. Exceptional performances tend to occur in exceptional circumstances. Top performers are often the luckiest people, who have benefited from being at the right place and right time. They are what we call outliers, whose performances may be examples set apart from the system that everyone else works within.
Many treat Gates, and other highly successful people like him, as deserving of huge attention and reward, as people from whom we could learn a lot about how to succeed. But assuming life's "winners" got there from performance alone is likely to lead to disappointment. Even if you could imitate everything Gates did, you would not be able to replicate his initial good fortune.
For example, Gates's upper-class background and private education enabled him to gain extra programming experience when less than 0.01% of his generation then had access to computers. His mother's social connection with IBM's chairman enabled him to gain a contract from the then-leading PC company that was crucial for establishing his software empire.
This is important because most customers who used IBM computers were forced to learn how to use Microsoft's software that came along with it. This created an inertia in Microsoft's favour. The next software these customers chose was more likely to be Microsoft's, not because their software was necessarily the best, but because most people were too busy to learn how to use anything else.
Microsoft's success and market share may differ from the rest by several orders of magnitude, but the difference was really enabled by Gate's early fortune, reinforced by a strong success-breeds-success dynamic. Of course, Gates's talent and effort played important roles in the extreme success of Microsoft. But that's not enough for creating such an outlier. Talent and effort are likely to be less important than circumstances in the sense that he could not have been so successful without the latter.
One might argue that many exceptional performers still gained their exceptional skill through hard work, exceptional motivation or "grit", so they do not deserve to receive lower reward and praise. Some have even suggested that there is a magic number for greatness, a ten-year or 10,000-hour rule. Many professionals and experts did acquire their exceptional skill through persistent, deliberate practices. In fact, Gates' 10,000 hours learning computer programming as a teenager has been highlighted as one of the reasons for his success.
But detailed analyses of the case studies of experts often suggest that certain situational factors beyond the control of these exceptional performers also play an important role. For example, three national champions in table tennis came from the same street in a small suburb of one town in England.
This wasn't a coincidence or because there was nothing else to do but practise ping pong. It turns out that a famous table tennis coach, Peter Charters, happened to retire in this particular suburb. Many kids who lived on the same street as the retired coach were attracted to this sport because of him and three of them, after following the "10,000-hour rule", performed exceptionally well, including winning the national championship.
Their talent and efforts were, of course, essential for realising their exceptional performances. But without their early luck (having a reliable, high-quality coach and supportive families), simply practicing 10,000 hours without adequate feedback wouldn't likely lead a randomly picked child to become a national champion.
We could also imagine a child with superior talent in table tennis suffering from early bad luck, such as not having a capable coach or being in a country where being an athlete was not considered to be a promising career. Then they might never have a chance to realise their potential. The implication is that the more exceptional a performance is, the fewer meaningful, applicable lessons we can actually learn from the "winner".
When it comes to moderate performance, it seems much more likely that our intuition about success is correct. Conventional wisdom, such as "the harder I work the luckier I get" or "chance favours the prepared mind", makes perfect sense when talking about someone moving from poor to good performance. Going from good to great, however, is a different story.
Being in the right place (succeeding in a context where early outcome has an enduring impact) at the right time (having early luck) can be so important that it overwhelms merits. With this in mind there's a good case that we shouldn't just reward or imitate life's winners and expect to have similar success. But there is a case that the winners should consider imitating the likes of Gates (who became a philanthropist) or Warren Buffett (who argues that richer Americans should pay higher taxes) who have chosen to use their wealth and success to do good things. The winners who appreciate their luck and do not take it all deserve more of our respect.
Q. Which of the following examples best represent an outlier, as described in the passage?
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Bill Gates is a lot luckier than you might realise. He may be a very talented man who worked his way up from geek to the top spot on the list of the world's richest people. But his extreme success perhaps tells us more about the importance of circumstances beyond his control than it does about how skill and perseverance are rewarded.
We often fall for the idea that the exceptional performers are the most skilled or talented. But this is flawed. Exceptional performances tend to occur in exceptional circumstances. Top performers are often the luckiest people, who have benefited from being at the right place and right time. They are what we call outliers, whose performances may be examples set apart from the system that everyone else works within.
Many treat Gates, and other highly successful people like him, as deserving of huge attention and reward, as people from whom we could learn a lot about how to succeed. But assuming life's "winners" got there from performance alone is likely to lead to disappointment. Even if you could imitate everything Gates did, you would not be able to replicate his initial good fortune.
For example, Gates's upper-class background and private education enabled him to gain extra programming experience when less than 0.01% of his generation then had access to computers. His mother's social connection with IBM's chairman enabled him to gain a contract from the then-leading PC company that was crucial for establishing his software empire.
This is important because most customers who used IBM computers were forced to learn how to use Microsoft's software that came along with it. This created an inertia in Microsoft's favour. The next software these customers chose was more likely to be Microsoft's, not because their software was necessarily the best, but because most people were too busy to learn how to use anything else.
Microsoft's success and market share may differ from the rest by several orders of magnitude, but the difference was really enabled by Gate's early fortune, reinforced by a strong success-breeds-success dynamic. Of course, Gates's talent and effort played important roles in the extreme success of Microsoft. But that's not enough for creating such an outlier. Talent and effort are likely to be less important than circumstances in the sense that he could not have been so successful without the latter.
One might argue that many exceptional performers still gained their exceptional skill through hard work, exceptional motivation or "grit", so they do not deserve to receive lower reward and praise. Some have even suggested that there is a magic number for greatness, a ten-year or 10,000-hour rule. Many professionals and experts did acquire their exceptional skill through persistent, deliberate practices. In fact, Gates' 10,000 hours learning computer programming as a teenager has been highlighted as one of the reasons for his success.
But detailed analyses of the case studies of experts often suggest that certain situational factors beyond the control of these exceptional performers also play an important role. For example, three national champions in table tennis came from the same street in a small suburb of one town in England.
This wasn't a coincidence or because there was nothing else to do but practise ping pong. It turns out that a famous table tennis coach, Peter Charters, happened to retire in this particular suburb. Many kids who lived on the same street as the retired coach were attracted to this sport because of him and three of them, after following the "10,000-hour rule", performed exceptionally well, including winning the national championship.
Their talent and efforts were, of course, essential for realising their exceptional performances. But without their early luck (having a reliable, high-quality coach and supportive families), simply practicing 10,000 hours without adequate feedback wouldn't likely lead a randomly picked child to become a national champion.
We could also imagine a child with superior talent in table tennis suffering from early bad luck, such as not having a capable coach or being in a country where being an athlete was not considered to be a promising career. Then they might never have a chance to realise their potential. The implication is that the more exceptional a performance is, the fewer meaningful, applicable lessons we can actually learn from the "winner".
When it comes to moderate performance, it seems much more likely that our intuition about success is correct. Conventional wisdom, such as "the harder I work the luckier I get" or "chance favours the prepared mind", makes perfect sense when talking about someone moving from poor to good performance. Going from good to great, however, is a different story.
Being in the right place (succeeding in a context where early outcome has an enduring impact) at the right time (having early luck) can be so important that it overwhelms merits. With this in mind there's a good case that we shouldn't just reward or imitate life's winners and expect to have similar success. But there is a case that the winners should consider imitating the likes of Gates (who became a philanthropist) or Warren Buffett (who argues that richer Americans should pay higher taxes) who have chosen to use their wealth and success to do good things. The winners who appreciate their luck and do not take it all deserve more of our respect.
Q. Which of the following questions cannot be answered on the basis of the information given in the passage?
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Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Bill Gates is a lot luckier than you might realise. He may be a very talented man who worked his way up from geek to the top spot on the list of the world's richest people. But his extreme success perhaps tells us more about the importance of circumstances beyond his control than it does about how skill and perseverance are rewarded.
We often fall for the idea that the exceptional performers are the most skilled or talented. But this is flawed. Exceptional performances tend to occur in exceptional circumstances. Top performers are often the luckiest people, who have benefited from being at the right place and right time. They are what we call outliers, whose performances may be examples set apart from the system that everyone else works within.
Many treat Gates, and other highly successful people like him, as deserving of huge attention and reward, as people from whom we could learn a lot about how to succeed. But assuming life's "winners" got there from performance alone is likely to lead to disappointment. Even if you could imitate everything Gates did, you would not be able to replicate his initial good fortune.
For example, Gates's upper-class background and private education enabled him to gain extra programming experience when less than 0.01% of his generation then had access to computers. His mother's social connection with IBM's chairman enabled him to gain a contract from the then-leading PC company that was crucial for establishing his software empire.
This is important because most customers who used IBM computers were forced to learn how to use Microsoft's software that came along with it. This created an inertia in Microsoft's favour. The next software these customers chose was more likely to be Microsoft's, not because their software was necessarily the best, but because most people were too busy to learn how to use anything else.
Microsoft's success and market share may differ from the rest by several orders of magnitude, but the difference was really enabled by Gate's early fortune, reinforced by a strong success-breeds-success dynamic. Of course, Gates's talent and effort played important roles in the extreme success of Microsoft. But that's not enough for creating such an outlier. Talent and effort are likely to be less important than circumstances in the sense that he could not have been so successful without the latter.
One might argue that many exceptional performers still gained their exceptional skill through hard work, exceptional motivation or "grit", so they do not deserve to receive lower reward and praise. Some have even suggested that there is a magic number for greatness, a ten-year or 10,000-hour rule. Many professionals and experts did acquire their exceptional skill through persistent, deliberate practices. In fact, Gates' 10,000 hours learning computer programming as a teenager has been highlighted as one of the reasons for his success.
But detailed analyses of the case studies of experts often suggest that certain situational factors beyond the control of these exceptional performers also play an important role. For example, three national champions in table tennis came from the same street in a small suburb of one town in England.
This wasn't a coincidence or because there was nothing else to do but practise ping pong. It turns out that a famous table tennis coach, Peter Charters, happened to retire in this particular suburb. Many kids who lived on the same street as the retired coach were attracted to this sport because of him and three of them, after following the "10,000-hour rule", performed exceptionally well, including winning the national championship.
Their talent and efforts were, of course, essential for realising their exceptional performances. But without their early luck (having a reliable, high-quality coach and supportive families), simply practicing 10,000 hours without adequate feedback wouldn't likely lead a randomly picked child to become a national champion.
We could also imagine a child with superior talent in table tennis suffering from early bad luck, such as not having a capable coach or being in a country where being an athlete was not considered to be a promising career. Then they might never have a chance to realise their potential. The implication is that the more exceptional a performance is, the fewer meaningful, applicable lessons we can actually learn from the "winner".
When it comes to moderate performance, it seems much more likely that our intuition about success is correct. Conventional wisdom, such as "the harder I work the luckier I get" or "chance favours the prepared mind", makes perfect sense when talking about someone moving from poor to good performance. Going from good to great, however, is a different story.
Being in the right place (succeeding in a context where early outcome has an enduring impact) at the right time (having early luck) can be so important that it overwhelms merits. With this in mind there's a good case that we shouldn't just reward or imitate life's winners and expect to have similar success. But there is a case that the winners should consider imitating the likes of Gates (who became a philanthropist) or Warren Buffett (who argues that richer Americans should pay higher taxes) who have chosen to use their wealth and success to do good things. The winners who appreciate their luck and do not take it all deserve more of our respect.
Q. It can be understood that the main purpose of the author in the third paragraph is to:
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Bill Gates is a lot luckier than you might realise. He may be a very talented man who worked his way up from geek to the top spot on the list of the world's richest people. But his extreme success perhaps tells us more about the importance of circumstances beyond his control than it does about how skill and perseverance are rewarded.
We often fall for the idea that the exceptional performers are the most skilled or talented. But this is flawed. Exceptional performances tend to occur in exceptional circumstances. Top performers are often the luckiest people, who have benefited from being at the right place and right time. They are what we call outliers, whose performances may be examples set apart from the system that everyone else works within.
Many treat Gates, and other highly successful people like him, as deserving of huge attention and reward, as people from whom we could learn a lot about how to succeed. But assuming life's "winners" got there from performance alone is likely to lead to disappointment. Even if you could imitate everything Gates did, you would not be able to replicate his initial good fortune.
For example, Gates's upper-class background and private education enabled him to gain extra programming experience when less than 0.01% of his generation then had access to computers. His mother's social connection with IBM's chairman enabled him to gain a contract from the then-leading PC company that was crucial for establishing his software empire.
This is important because most customers who used IBM computers were forced to learn how to use Microsoft's software that came along with it. This created an inertia in Microsoft's favour. The next software these customers chose was more likely to be Microsoft's, not because their software was necessarily the best, but because most people were too busy to learn how to use anything else.
Microsoft's success and market share may differ from the rest by several orders of magnitude, but the difference was really enabled by Gate's early fortune, reinforced by a strong success-breeds-success dynamic. Of course, Gates's talent and effort played important roles in the extreme success of Microsoft. But that's not enough for creating such an outlier. Talent and effort are likely to be less important than circumstances in the sense that he could not have been so successful without the latter.
One might argue that many exceptional performers still gained their exceptional skill through hard work, exceptional motivation or "grit", so they do not deserve to receive lower reward and praise. Some have even suggested that there is a magic number for greatness, a ten-year or 10,000-hour rule. Many professionals and experts did acquire their exceptional skill through persistent, deliberate practices. In fact, Gates' 10,000 hours learning computer programming as a teenager has been highlighted as one of the reasons for his success.
But detailed analyses of the case studies of experts often suggest that certain situational factors beyond the control of these exceptional performers also play an important role. For example, three national champions in table tennis came from the same street in a small suburb of one town in England.
This wasn't a coincidence or because there was nothing else to do but practise ping pong. It turns out that a famous table tennis coach, Peter Charters, happened to retire in this particular suburb. Many kids who lived on the same street as the retired coach were attracted to this sport because of him and three of them, after following the "10,000-hour rule", performed exceptionally well, including winning the national championship.
Their talent and efforts were, of course, essential for realising their exceptional performances. But without their early luck (having a reliable, high-quality coach and supportive families), simply practicing 10,000 hours without adequate feedback wouldn't likely lead a randomly picked child to become a national champion.
We could also imagine a child with superior talent in table tennis suffering from early bad luck, such as not having a capable coach or being in a country where being an athlete was not considered to be a promising career. Then they might never have a chance to realise their potential. The implication is that the more exceptional a performance is, the fewer meaningful, applicable lessons we can actually learn from the "winner".
When it comes to moderate performance, it seems much more likely that our intuition about success is correct. Conventional wisdom, such as "the harder I work the luckier I get" or "chance favours the prepared mind", makes perfect sense when talking about someone moving from poor to good performance. Going from good to great, however, is a different story.
Being in the right place (succeeding in a context where early outcome has an enduring impact) at the right time (having early luck) can be so important that it overwhelms merits. With this in mind there's a good case that we shouldn't just reward or imitate life's winners and expect to have similar success. But there is a case that the winners should consider imitating the likes of Gates (who became a philanthropist) or Warren Buffett (who argues that richer Americans should pay higher taxes) who have chosen to use their wealth and success to do good things. The winners who appreciate their luck and do not take it all deserve more of our respect.
Q. Which of the following statements best sum up the author's view of Bill Gates and his success?
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
After many years of practising Buddhism in Thailand, my experience expands beyond the immediate community in Sri Racha. In recent years as I have visited the White Dragon Temple, the social unrest in Thailand has crept into the religious aspect of my trips.
Religion exists as an innate piece of the landscape that etches itself into the small details of Thailand. It occupies both a very physical presence within the community and also a mental one. According to the Office of National Buddhism, 40,717 Buddhist temples exist in Thailand. Of these temples, a large portion resides in Bangkok, Thailand's capital.
Aside from being an important tourist element, Buddhism plays an important part in the lives of Thai people - an estimated 94% of all Thai people practice Buddhism in the country according to a Central Intelligence Agency report. Time and time again, there have been movements - in 1997, 2007, and 2014 - to concretize Buddhism as the nation's official religion. The Thai Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) has, however, remained neutral in the relationship between the state and religion.
Though the government's ideological stance on religion is decidedly impartial, significant ripples exist in this seemingly placid surface, and religion morphs into a central focal point in many instances, whether the Thai government takes an intimate position on it or not. Faith remains a link to the personal lives of common citizens and royalty alike. King Bhumibol's funeral on October 14, 2016 featured traditional Buddhist funeral rites with the ritualistic bathing of the king's body and the chanting of orange-robed monks. Adding to this ceremonious burial, his body resided in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha so that people could pay their respects to the revered king, who provided stability for his country for 70 years. Though the king in Thailand did not hold any true, legislative power, he was a reverential symbol for the people of the country. His majesty's death occurred at a moment of tension in the country as a number of attacks rocked Thailand and has only caused this pressure to spill-over. Religion is something that connects people in Thailand yet, at the same time, can be a divisive element as is evident from attacks that have occurred in the nation over the last few years.
In the span of less than a day between August 11th and 12th of 2016, 11 bombings hit five provinces in Thailand, killing at least four Thai nationals and injuring 36. These bombings occurred almost a year after one of the most devastating attacks in Thai history in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and wounded 125 more. What's more, these attacks coincided with the Queen Sirikit's birthday. On August 17, 2015, Uighur militants splintered the Thai state as they bombed the Erawan Shrine. Though the motives for the attack were more aimed at the states' repatriation of Uighur refugees, the targeting of the temple was calculated: not only is the area around the shrine a densely populated area but also, it is frequented by many tourists. These acts of terrorism that assail the kingdom have left many Thais scared and unsure in a time, without a unifying leader. Known epithetically as the "land of smiles," Thailand has had little to smile about of late.
In light of this tumultuous time in the nation's history, religious institutions like the White Dragon Temple became integral in steadying the country's course. Through the diligent service that the temple provides for the community, it is a rallying point for many frightened Thais. See Knok, the central spiritual leader in the temple, and his followers have proved to be a "stabilizing element in the wake of the King's death," especially in Sri Racha, by continuing with their public works projects - providing educational help, burial services, food distribution, and a variety of other support structures. These actions from local community leaders have started to mend the fractures that occur on a national level.
I returned to Thailand in August of 2016, during the bombings in the southern provinces of the country. On one day during this visit, I bagged fruit and food for followers and local community members alike. The cadence of shifting palates of food and thump of vegetables into bags kept time with my human tempo. With each bag I loaded onto the palates, I could measure the burden on the community of Sri Racha lift slightly. In the glimmering eyes of the young men that I worked with, I could see the brightness of Thailand's future. Beneath me, I could feel the flexing and contracting of a nation, not torn by conflict but ready to rebuild and strive onward if only for a moment.
Q. Which of the following statement(s) is/ are confirmed from the facts provided in the passage?
I. The lack of a strong and unifying political leader in Thailand has made the country stagger further when it comes to dealing with the recent acts of terrorism that have struck the country.
II. The recent terrorist attacks in Thailand are an example of how religion can play a major role in bringing people of a common culture together in difficult times.
III. Efforts to make Buddhism as the official religion of Thailand have so far not panned out, as the government does not let religion interfere with state matters.
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
After many years of practising Buddhism in Thailand, my experience expands beyond the immediate community in Sri Racha. In recent years as I have visited the White Dragon Temple, the social unrest in Thailand has crept into the religious aspect of my trips.
Religion exists as an innate piece of the landscape that etches itself into the small details of Thailand. It occupies both a very physical presence within the community and also a mental one. According to the Office of National Buddhism, 40,717 Buddhist temples exist in Thailand. Of these temples, a large portion resides in Bangkok, Thailand's capital.
Aside from being an important tourist element, Buddhism plays an important part in the lives of Thai people - an estimated 94% of all Thai people practice Buddhism in the country according to a Central Intelligence Agency report. Time and time again, there have been movements - in 1997, 2007, and 2014 - to concretize Buddhism as the nation's official religion. The Thai Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) has, however, remained neutral in the relationship between the state and religion.
Though the government's ideological stance on religion is decidedly impartial, significant ripples exist in this seemingly placid surface, and religion morphs into a central focal point in many instances, whether the Thai government takes an intimate position on it or not. Faith remains a link to the personal lives of common citizens and royalty alike. King Bhumibol's funeral on October 14, 2016 featured traditional Buddhist funeral rites with the ritualistic bathing of the king's body and the chanting of orange-robed monks. Adding to this ceremonious burial, his body resided in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha so that people could pay their respects to the revered king, who provided stability for his country for 70 years. Though the king in Thailand did not hold any true, legislative power, he was a reverential symbol for the people of the country. His majesty's death occurred at a moment of tension in the country as a number of attacks rocked Thailand and has only caused this pressure to spill-over. Religion is something that connects people in Thailand yet, at the same time, can be a divisive element as is evident from attacks that have occurred in the nation over the last few years.
In the span of less than a day between August 11th and 12th of 2016, 11 bombings hit five provinces in Thailand, killing at least four Thai nationals and injuring 36. These bombings occurred almost a year after one of the most devastating attacks in Thai history in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and wounded 125 more. What's more, these attacks coincided with the Queen Sirikit's birthday. On August 17, 2015, Uighur militants splintered the Thai state as they bombed the Erawan Shrine. Though the motives for the attack were more aimed at the states' repatriation of Uighur refugees, the targeting of the temple was calculated: not only is the area around the shrine a densely populated area but also, it is frequented by many tourists. These acts of terrorism that assail the kingdom have left many Thais scared and unsure in a time, without a unifying leader. Known epithetically as the "land of smiles," Thailand has had little to smile about of late.
In light of this tumultuous time in the nation's history, religious institutions like the White Dragon Temple became integral in steadying the country's course. Through the diligent service that the temple provides for the community, it is a rallying point for many frightened Thais. See Knok, the central spiritual leader in the temple, and his followers have proved to be a "stabilizing element in the wake of the King's death," especially in Sri Racha, by continuing with their public works projects - providing educational help, burial services, food distribution, and a variety of other support structures. These actions from local community leaders have started to mend the fractures that occur on a national level.
I returned to Thailand in August of 2016, during the bombings in the southern provinces of the country. On one day during this visit, I bagged fruit and food for followers and local community members alike. The cadence of shifting palates of food and thump of vegetables into bags kept time with my human tempo. With each bag I loaded onto the palates, I could measure the burden on the community of Sri Racha lift slightly. In the glimmering eyes of the young men that I worked with, I could see the brightness of Thailand's future. Beneath me, I could feel the flexing and contracting of a nation, not torn by conflict but ready to rebuild and strive onward if only for a moment.
Q. Which of the following questions cannot be answered on the basis of the information given in the passage?
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
After many years of practising Buddhism in Thailand, my experience expands beyond the immediate community in Sri Racha. In recent years as I have visited the White Dragon Temple, the social unrest in Thailand has crept into the religious aspect of my trips.
Religion exists as an innate piece of the landscape that etches itself into the small details of Thailand. It occupies both a very physical presence within the community and also a mental one. According to the Office of National Buddhism, 40,717 Buddhist temples exist in Thailand. Of these temples, a large portion resides in Bangkok, Thailand's capital.
Aside from being an important tourist element, Buddhism plays an important part in the lives of Thai people - an estimated 94% of all Thai people practice Buddhism in the country according to a Central Intelligence Agency report. Time and time again, there have been movements - in 1997, 2007, and 2014 - to concretize Buddhism as the nation's official religion. The Thai Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) has, however, remained neutral in the relationship between the state and religion.
Though the government's ideological stance on religion is decidedly impartial, significant ripples exist in this seemingly placid surface, and religion morphs into a central focal point in many instances, whether the Thai government takes an intimate position on it or not. Faith remains a link to the personal lives of common citizens and royalty alike. King Bhumibol's funeral on October 14, 2016 featured traditional Buddhist funeral rites with the ritualistic bathing of the king's body and the chanting of orange-robed monks. Adding to this ceremonious burial, his body resided in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha so that people could pay their respects to the revered king, who provided stability for his country for 70 years. Though the king in Thailand did not hold any true, legislative power, he was a reverential symbol for the people of the country. His majesty's death occurred at a moment of tension in the country as a number of attacks rocked Thailand and has only caused this pressure to spill-over. Religion is something that connects people in Thailand yet, at the same time, can be a divisive element as is evident from attacks that have occurred in the nation over the last few years.
In the span of less than a day between August 11th and 12th of 2016, 11 bombings hit five provinces in Thailand, killing at least four Thai nationals and injuring 36. These bombings occurred almost a year after one of the most devastating attacks in Thai history in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and wounded 125 more. What's more, these attacks coincided with the Queen Sirikit's birthday. On August 17, 2015, Uighur militants splintered the Thai state as they bombed the Erawan Shrine. Though the motives for the attack were more aimed at the states' repatriation of Uighur refugees, the targeting of the temple was calculated: not only is the area around the shrine a densely populated area but also, it is frequented by many tourists. These acts of terrorism that assail the kingdom have left many Thais scared and unsure in a time, without a unifying leader. Known epithetically as the "land of smiles," Thailand has had little to smile about of late.
In light of this tumultuous time in the nation's history, religious institutions like the White Dragon Temple became integral in steadying the country's course. Through the diligent service that the temple provides for the community, it is a rallying point for many frightened Thais. See Knok, the central spiritual leader in the temple, and his followers have proved to be a "stabilizing element in the wake of the King's death," especially in Sri Racha, by continuing with their public works projects - providing educational help, burial services, food distribution, and a variety of other support structures. These actions from local community leaders have started to mend the fractures that occur on a national level.
I returned to Thailand in August of 2016, during the bombings in the southern provinces of the country. On one day during this visit, I bagged fruit and food for followers and local community members alike. The cadence of shifting palates of food and thump of vegetables into bags kept time with my human tempo. With each bag I loaded onto the palates, I could measure the burden on the community of Sri Racha lift slightly. In the glimmering eyes of the young men that I worked with, I could see the brightness of Thailand's future. Beneath me, I could feel the flexing and contracting of a nation, not torn by conflict but ready to rebuild and strive onward if only for a moment.
Q. Which of the following can be said to be the central idea of the sixth paragraph?
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
After many years of practising Buddhism in Thailand, my experience expands beyond the immediate community in Sri Racha. In recent years as I have visited the White Dragon Temple, the social unrest in Thailand has crept into the religious aspect of my trips.
Religion exists as an innate piece of the landscape that etches itself into the small details of Thailand. It occupies both a very physical presence within the community and also a mental one. According to the Office of National Buddhism, 40,717 Buddhist temples exist in Thailand. Of these temples, a large portion resides in Bangkok, Thailand's capital.
Aside from being an important tourist element, Buddhism plays an important part in the lives of Thai people - an estimated 94% of all Thai people practice Buddhism in the country according to a Central Intelligence Agency report. Time and time again, there have been movements - in 1997, 2007, and 2014 - to concretize Buddhism as the nation's official religion. The Thai Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) has, however, remained neutral in the relationship between the state and religion.
Though the government's ideological stance on religion is decidedly impartial, significant ripples exist in this seemingly placid surface, and religion morphs into a central focal point in many instances, whether the Thai government takes an intimate position on it or not. Faith remains a link to the personal lives of common citizens and royalty alike. King Bhumibol's funeral on October 14, 2016 featured traditional Buddhist funeral rites with the ritualistic bathing of the king's body and the chanting of orange-robed monks. Adding to this ceremonious burial, his body resided in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha so that people could pay their respects to the revered king, who provided stability for his country for 70 years. Though the king in Thailand did not hold any true, legislative power, he was a reverential symbol for the people of the country. His majesty's death occurred at a moment of tension in the country as a number of attacks rocked Thailand and has only caused this pressure to spill-over. Religion is something that connects people in Thailand yet, at the same time, can be a divisive element as is evident from attacks that have occurred in the nation over the last few years.
In the span of less than a day between August 11th and 12th of 2016, 11 bombings hit five provinces in Thailand, killing at least four Thai nationals and injuring 36. These bombings occurred almost a year after one of the most devastating attacks in Thai history in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and wounded 125 more. What's more, these attacks coincided with the Queen Sirikit's birthday. On August 17, 2015, Uighur militants splintered the Thai state as they bombed the Erawan Shrine. Though the motives for the attack were more aimed at the states' repatriation of Uighur refugees, the targeting of the temple was calculated: not only is the area around the shrine a densely populated area but also, it is frequented by many tourists. These acts of terrorism that assail the kingdom have left many Thais scared and unsure in a time, without a unifying leader. Known epithetically as the "land of smiles," Thailand has had little to smile about of late.
In light of this tumultuous time in the nation's history, religious institutions like the White Dragon Temple became integral in steadying the country's course. Through the diligent service that the temple provides for the community, it is a rallying point for many frightened Thais. See Knok, the central spiritual leader in the temple, and his followers have proved to be a "stabilizing element in the wake of the King's death," especially in Sri Racha, by continuing with their public works projects - providing educational help, burial services, food distribution, and a variety of other support structures. These actions from local community leaders have started to mend the fractures that occur on a national level.
I returned to Thailand in August of 2016, during the bombings in the southern provinces of the country. On one day during this visit, I bagged fruit and food for followers and local community members alike. The cadence of shifting palates of food and thump of vegetables into bags kept time with my human tempo. With each bag I loaded onto the palates, I could measure the burden on the community of Sri Racha lift slightly. In the glimmering eyes of the young men that I worked with, I could see the brightness of Thailand's future. Beneath me, I could feel the flexing and contracting of a nation, not torn by conflict but ready to rebuild and strive onward if only for a moment.
Q. What is the main purpose behind the author's words when he says: "Known epithetically as the "land of smiles," Thailand has had little to smile about of late"?
Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to spread. Internationally the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this, for increasingly English serves as the lingua franca of business and popular culture. It is dominant or at least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy, computing, medicine and education. A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates "Arabic is associated with tradition, home, religion, culture, school, arts and social sciences," whereas English "is symbolic of modernity, respect, work, higher education, commerce, economics and science and technology."
Wherever English has been used, it has lasted. Cultural might outlives military rule. In the colonial period, the languages of settlers dominated the languages of the peoples whose land they seized. They marginalized them and in some cases eventually drove them to extinction. All the while they absorbed from them whatever local terms seemed useful. The colonists' languages practised a sort of cannibalism, and its legacy is still sharply felt. English is treated with suspicion in many places where it was once the language of the imperial overlords. It is far from being a force for unity, and its endurance is stressful. In India, while English is much used in the media, administration, education and business, there are calls to curb its influence. Yet even where English has been denigrated as an instrument of colonialism, it has held on - and in most cases grown, increasing its numbers of speakers and functions.
Today it is English, rather than any created alternative, that is the world's auxiliary tongue. There are more people who use English as a second language than there are native speakers. Estimates of the numbers vary, but even the most guarded view is that English has 500 million second-language speakers. Far more of the world's citizens are eagerly jumping on board than trying to resist its progress. In places where English is used as a second language, its users often perceive it as free from the limitations of their native languages. They associate it with power and social status, and see it as a supple and sensuous medium for self-expression. It symbolizes choice and liberty. But while many of those who do not have a grasp of the language aspire to learn it, there are many others who perceive it as an instrument of oppression, associated not only with imperialism but also with the predations of capitalism and Christianity.
There are challenges to the position of English as the dominant world language in the twenty-first century. The main ones seem likely to come from Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Both have more first-language users than English. But at present neither is much used as a lingua franca. The majority of speakers of Mandarin Chinese live in one country, and, excepting Spain, most Spanish-speakers are in the Americas. Two challenges stand out. I have mentioned India already; English is important to its global ambitions. The language's roots there are colonial, but English connects Indians less to the past than to the future. Already the language is used by more people in India than in any other country, the United States included. Meanwhile in China the number of students learning the language is increasing rapidly. The entrepreneur Li Yang has developed Crazy English, an unorthodox teaching method. It involves a lot of shouting. This, Li explains, is the way for Chinese to activate their "international muscles." His agenda is patriotic.
The embrace of English in the world's two most populous countries means that the language is changing. Some of the changes are likely to prove disconcerting for its native speakers. The "English-ness" of English is being diluted. So, more surprisingly, is its American flavour. English's centre of gravity is moving; in fact, in the twenty-first century the language has many centres. As this continues, native English-speakers may find themselves at a disadvantage.
At the same time, native speakers of English tend to assume that their ability in this potent language makes it unimportant to learn other languages. The reality is different. British companies often miss out on export opportunities because of a lack of relevant language skills. Moreover, there is a chance that a command of English will within twenty or thirty years be regarded as a basic skill for business, and native speakers of the language will no longer enjoy any competitive advantage. The consequences are complex. Some, it would seem, are not as intended. Even as vast amounts are spent on spreading British English, the reality is that English is taking on more and more local colour in the different places where it is used. Accordingly, while the number of languages in the world is diminishing, the number of Englishes is increasing.
Q. It can be understood from the context of the passage that when the author says: "the number of Englishes is increasing", he means which of the following?
No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to spread. Internationally the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this, for increasingly English serves as the lingua franca of business and popular culture. It is dominant or at least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy, computing, medicine and education. A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates "Arabic is associated with tradition, home, religion, culture, school, arts and social sciences," whereas English "is symbolic of modernity, respect, work, higher education, commerce, economics and science and technology."
Wherever English has been used, it has lasted. Cultural might outlives military rule. In the colonial period, the languages of settlers dominated the languages of the peoples whose land they seized. They marginalized them and in some cases eventually drove them to extinction. All the while they absorbed from them whatever local terms seemed useful. The colonists' languages practised a sort of cannibalism, and its legacy is still sharply felt. English is treated with suspicion in many places where it was once the language of the imperial overlords. It is far from being a force for unity, and its endurance is stressful. In India, while English is much used in the media, administration, education and business, there are calls to curb its influence. Yet even where English has been denigrated as an instrument of colonialism, it has held on - and in most cases grown, increasing its numbers of speakers and functions.
Today it is English, rather than any created alternative, that is the world's auxiliary tongue. There are more people who use English as a second language than there are native speakers. Estimates of the numbers vary, but even the most guarded view is that English has 500 million second-language speakers. Far more of the world's citizens are eagerly jumping on board than trying to resist its progress. In places where English is used as a second language, its users often perceive it as free from the limitations of their native languages. They associate it with power and social status, and see it as a supple and sensuous medium for self-expression. It symbolizes choice and liberty. But while many of those who do not have a grasp of the language aspire to learn it, there are many others who perceive it as an instrument of oppression, associated not only with imperialism but also with the predators of capitalism and Christianity.
There are challenges to the position of English as the dominant world language in the twenty-first century. The main ones seem likely to come from Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Both have more first-language users than English. But at present neither is much used as a lingua franca. The majority of speakers of Mandarin Chinese live in one country, and, excepting Spain, most Spanish-speakers are in the Americas. Two challenges stand out. I have mentioned India already; English is important to its global ambitions. The language's roots there are colonial, but English connects Indians less to the past than to the future. Already the language is used by more people in India than in any other country, the United States included. Meanwhile in China the number of students learning the language is increasing rapidly. The entrepreneur Li Yang has developed Crazy English, an unorthodox teaching method. It involves a lot of shouting. This, Li explains, is the way for Chinese to activate their "international muscles." His agenda is patriotic.
The embrace of English in the world's two most populous countries means that the language is changing. Some of the changes are likely to prove disconcerting for its native speakers. The "English-ness" of English is being diluted. So, more surprisingly, is its American flavour. English's centre of gravity is moving; in fact, in the twenty-first century the language has many centres. As this continues, native English-speakers may find themselves at a disadvantage.
At the same time, native speakers of English tend to assume that their ability in this potent language makes it unimportant to learn other languages. The reality is different. British companies often miss out on export opportunities because of a lack of relevant language skills. Moreover, there is a chance that a command of English will within twenty or thirty years be regarded as a basic skill for business, and native speakers of the language will no longer enjoy any competitive advantage. The consequences are complex. Some, it would seem, are not as intended. Even as vast amounts are spent on spreading British English, the reality is that English is taking on more and more local colour in the different places where it is used. Accordingly, while the number of languages in the world is diminishing, the number of Englishes is increasing.
Q. The passage is most likely to be an excerpt taken from which of the following?
No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to spread. Internationally the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this, for increasingly English serves as the lingua franca of business and popular culture. It is dominant or at least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy, computing, medicine and education. A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates "Arabic is associated with tradition, home, religion, culture, school, arts and social sciences," whereas English "is symbolic of modernity, respect, work, higher education, commerce, economics and science and technology."
Wherever English has been used, it has lasted. Cultural might outlives military rule. In the colonial period, the languages of settlers dominated the languages of the peoples whose land they seized. They marginalized them and in some cases eventually drove them to extinction. All the while they absorbed from them whatever local terms seemed useful. The colonists' languages practised a sort of cannibalism, and its legacy is still sharply felt. English is treated with suspicion in many places where it was once the language of the imperial overlords. It is far from being a force for unity, and its endurance is stressful. In India, while English is much used in the media, administration, education and business, there are calls to curb its influence. Yet even where English has been denigrated as an instrument of colonialism, it has held on - and in most cases grown, increasing its numbers of speakers and functions.
Today it is English, rather than any created alternative, that is the world's auxiliary tongue. There are more people who use English as a second language than there are native speakers. Estimates of the numbers vary, but even the most guarded view is that English has 500 million second-language speakers. Far more of the world's citizens are eagerly jumping on board than trying to resist its progress. In places where English is used as a second language, its users often perceive it as free from the limitations of their native languages. They associate it with power and social status, and see it as a supple and sensuous medium for self-expression. It symbolizes choice and liberty. But while many of those who do not have a grasp of the language aspire to learn it, there are many others who perceive it as an instrument of oppression, associated not only with imperialism but also with the predations of capitalism and Christianity.
There are challenges to the position of English as the dominant world language in the twenty-first century. The main ones seem likely to come from Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Both have more first-language users than English. But at present neither is much used as a lingua franca. The majority of speakers of Mandarin Chinese live in one country, and, excepting Spain, most Spanish-speakers are in the Americas. Two challenges stand out. I have mentioned India already; English is important to its global ambitions. The language's roots there are colonial, but English connects Indians less to the past than to the future. Already the language is used by more people in India than in any other country, the United States included. Meanwhile in China the number of students learning the language is increasing rapidly. The entrepreneur Li Yang has developed Crazy English, an unorthodox teaching method. It involves a lot of shouting. This, Li explains, is the way for Chinese to activate their "international muscles." His agenda is patriotic.
The embrace of English in the world's two most populous countries means that the language is changing. Some of the changes are likely to prove disconcerting for its native speakers. The "English-ness" of English is being diluted. So, more surprisingly, is its American flavour. English's centre of gravity is moving; in fact, in the twenty-first century the language has many centres. As this continues, native English-speakers may find themselves at a disadvantage.
At the same time, native speakers of English tend to assume that their ability in this potent language makes it unimportant to learn other languages. The reality is different. British companies often miss out on export opportunities because of a lack of relevant language skills. Moreover, there is a chance that a command of English will within twenty or thirty years be regarded as a basic skill for business, and native speakers of the language will no longer enjoy any competitive advantage. The consequences are complex. Some, it would seem, are not as intended. Even as vast amounts are spent on spreading British English, the reality is that English is taking on more and more local colour in the different places where it is used. Accordingly, while the number of languages in the world is diminishing, the number of Englishes is increasing.
Q. Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the above passage?
No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to spread. Internationally the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this, for increasingly English serves as the lingua franca of business and popular culture. It is dominant or at least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy, computing, medicine and education. A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates "Arabic is associated with tradition, home, religion, culture, school, arts and social sciences," whereas English "is symbolic of modernity, respect, work, higher education, commerce, economics and science and technology."
Wherever English has been used, it has lasted. Cultural might outlives military rule. In the colonial period, the languages of settlers dominated the languages of the peoples whose land they seized. They marginalized them and in some cases eventually drove them to extinction. All the while they absorbed from them whatever local terms seemed useful. The colonists' languages practised a sort of cannibalism, and its legacy is still sharply felt. English is treated with suspicion in many places where it was once the language of the imperial overlords. It is far from being a force for unity, and its endurance is stressful. In India, while English is much used in the media, administration, education and business, there are calls to curb its influence. Yet even where English has been denigrated as an instrument of colonialism, it has held on - and in most cases grown, increasing its numbers of speakers and functions.
Today it is English, rather than any created alternative, that is the world's auxiliary tongue. There are more people who use English as a second language than there are native speakers. Estimates of the numbers vary, but even the most guarded view is that English has 500 million second-language speakers. Far more of the world's citizens are eagerly jumping on board than trying to resist its progress. In places where English is used as a second language, its users often perceive it as free from the limitations of their native languages. They associate it with power and social status, and see it as a supple and sensuous medium for self-expression. It symbolizes choice and liberty. But while many of those who do not have a grasp of the language aspire to learn it, there are many others who perceive it as an instrument of oppression, associated not only with imperialism but also with the predations of capitalism and Christianity.
There are challenges to the position of English as the dominant world language in the twenty-first century. The main ones seem likely to come from Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Both have more first-language users than English. But at present neither is much used as a lingua franca. The majority of speakers of Mandarin Chinese live in one country, and, excepting Spain, most Spanish-speakers are in the Americas. Two challenges stand out. I have mentioned India already; English is important to its global ambitions. The language's roots there are colonial, but English connects Indians less to the past than to the future. Already the language is used by more people in India than in any other country, the United States included. Meanwhile in China the number of students learning the language is increasing rapidly. The entrepreneur Li Yang has developed Crazy English, an unorthodox teaching method. It involves a lot of shouting. This, Li explains, is the way for Chinese to activate their "international muscles." His agenda is patriotic.
The embrace of English in the world's two most populous countries means that the language is changing. Some of the changes are likely to prove disconcerting for its native speakers. The "English-ness" of English is being diluted. So, more surprisingly, is its American flavour. English's centre of gravity is moving; in fact, in the twenty-first century the language has many centres. As this continues, native English-speakers may find themselves at a disadvantage.
At the same time, native speakers of English tend to assume that their ability in this potent language makes it unimportant to learn other languages. The reality is different. British companies often miss out on export opportunities because of a lack of relevant language skills. Moreover, there is a chance that a command of English will within twenty or thirty years be regarded as a basic skill for business, and native speakers of the language will no longer enjoy any competitive advantage. The consequences are complex. Some, it would seem, are not as intended. Even as vast amounts are spent on spreading British English, the reality is that English is taking on more and more local colour in the different places where it is used. Accordingly, while the number of languages in the world is diminishing, the number of Englishes is increasing.
Q. Which of the following questions cannot be answered on the basis of the information given in the passage?
Passage: In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander—in—Chief: to make a good plan for his army and to keep a strong reserve. Both of these are also obligatory for the painter. To make a plan, thorough reconnaissance of the country where the battle is to be fought is needed. Its fields, its mountains, its rivers, its bridges, its trees, its flowers, its atmosphere—all require and repay attentive observation from a special point of view. I think this is one of the chief delights that have come to me through painting. No doubt many people who are lovers of art have acquired it to a high degree without actually practicing.
But I expect that nothing will make one observe more quickly or more thoroughly than having to face the difficulty of representing the thing observed. And mind you, if you do observe accurately and with refinement, and if you do record what you have seen with tolerable correspondence, the result follows on the canvas with startling obedience. But in order to make his plan, the General must not only reconnoiter the battle—ground; he must also study the achievements of the great Captains of the past. He must bring the observations he has collected in the field into comparison with the treatment of similar incidents by famous chiefs. Considering that, the galleries of Europe take on a new—and to me at least a severely practical—interest. "This, then, is how —— painted a cataract.
Exactly, and there is that same light I noticed last week in the waterfall at ——. " And so on. You see the difficulty that baffled you yesterday; and you see how easily it has been overcome by a great or even by a skillful painter. Not only is your observation of Nature sensibly improved and developed, but also your comprehension of the masterpieces of art. But it is in the use and withholding of their reserves that the great commanders have generally excelled. After all, when once the last reserve has been thrown in, the commander's part is played.
If that does not win the battle, he has nothing else to give. Everything must be left to luck and to the fighting troops. But these last reserves, in the absence of high direction, are apt to get into sad confusion, all mixed together in a nasty mess, without order or plan—and consequently without effect. Mere masses count no more. The largest brush, the brightest colors cannot even make an impression. The pictorial battlefield becomes a sea of mud mercifully veiled by the fog of war. Even though the General plunges in himself and emerges bespattered, as he sometimes does, he will not retrieve the day. In painting, the reserves consist in Proportion or Relation.
And it is here that the art of the painter marches along the road which is traversed by all the greatest harmonies in thought. At one side of the palette there is white, at the other black; and neither is ever used ?neat.' Between these two rigid limits all the action must lie, all the power required must be generated. Black and white themselves placed in juxtaposition make no great impression; and yet they are the most that you can do in pure contrast.
Q. The existence of which of the following would most strongly challenge the author's conception of the process of painting?
Passage: In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander—in—Chief: to make a good plan for his army and to keep a strong reserve. Both of these are also obligatory for the painter. To make a plan, thorough reconnaissance of the country where the battle is to be fought is needed. Its fields, its mountains, its rivers, its bridges, its trees, its flowers, its atmosphere—all require and repay attentive observation from a special point of view. I think this is one of the chief delights that have come to me through painting. No doubt many people who are lovers of art have acquired it to a high degree without actually practicing.
But I expect that nothing will make one observe more quickly or more thoroughly than having to face the difficulty of representing the thing observed. And mind you, if you do observe accurately and with refinement, and if you do record what you have seen with tolerable correspondence, the result follows on the canvas with startling obedience. But in order to make his plan, the General must not only reconnoiter the battle—ground; he must also study the achievements of the great Captains of the past. He must bring the observations he has collected in the field into comparison with the treatment of similar incidents by famous chiefs. Considering that, the galleries of Europe take on a new—and to me at least a severely practical—interest. "This, then, is how —— painted a cataract.
Exactly, and there is that same light I noticed last week in the waterfall at ——. " And so on. You see the difficulty that baffled you yesterday; and you see how easily it has been overcome by a great or even by a skillful painter. Not only is your observation of Nature sensibly improved and developed, but also your comprehension of the masterpieces of art. But it is in the use and withholding of their reserves that the great commanders have generally excelled. After all, when once the last reserve has been thrown in, the commander's part is played.
If that does not win the battle, he has nothing else to give. Everything must be left to luck and to the fighting troops. But these last reserves, in the absence of high direction, are apt to get into sad confusion, all mixed together in a nasty mess, without order or plan—and consequently without effect. Mere masses count no more. The largest brush, the brightest colors cannot even make an impression. The pictorial battlefield becomes a sea of mud mercifully veiled by the fog of war. Even though the General plunges in himself and emerges bespattered, as he sometimes does, he will not retrieve the day. In painting, the reserves consist in Proportion or Relation.
And it is here that the art of the painter marches along the road which is traversed by all the greatest harmonies in thought. At one side of the palette there is white, at the other black; and neither is ever used ?neat.' Between these two rigid limits all the action must lie, all the power required must be generated. Black and white themselves placed in juxtaposition make no great impression; and yet they are the most that you can do in pure contrast.
Q. The passage suggests that having the finest art supplies at hand may NOT always be helpful to a painter because:
Passage: In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander—in—Chief: to make a good plan for his army and to keep a strong reserve. Both of these are also obligatory for the painter. To make a plan, thorough reconnaissance of the country where the battle is to be fought is needed. Its fields, its mountains, its rivers, its bridges, its trees, its flowers, its atmosphere—all require and repay attentive observation from a special point of view. I think this is one of the chief delights that have come to me through painting. No doubt many people who are lovers of art have acquired it to a high degree without actually practicing.
But I expect that nothing will make one observe more quickly or more thoroughly than having to face the difficulty of representing the thing observed. And mind you, if you do observe accurately and with refinement, and if you do record what you have seen with tolerable correspondence, the result follows on the canvas with startling obedience. But in order to make his plan, the General must not only reconnoiter the battle—ground; he must also study the achievements of the great Captains of the past. He must bring the observations he has collected in the field into comparison with the treatment of similar incidents by famous chiefs. Considering that, the galleries of Europe take on a new—and to me at least a severely practical—interest. "This, then, is how —— painted a cataract.
Exactly, and there is that same light I noticed last week in the waterfall at ——. " And so on. You see the difficulty that baffled you yesterday; and you see how easily it has been overcome by a great or even by a skillful painter. Not only is your observation of Nature sensibly improved and developed, but also your comprehension of the masterpieces of art. But it is in the use and withholding of their reserves that the great commanders have generally excelled. After all, when once the last reserve has been thrown in, the commander's part is played.
If that does not win the battle, he has nothing else to give. Everything must be left to luck and to the fighting troops. But these last reserves, in the absence of high direction, are apt to get into sad confusion, all mixed together in a nasty mess, without order or plan—and consequently without effect. Mere masses count no more. The largest brush, the brightest colors cannot even make an impression. The pictorial battlefield becomes a sea of mud mercifully veiled by the fog of war. Even though the General plunges in himself and emerges bespattered, as he sometimes does, he will not retrieve the day. In painting, the reserves consist in Proportion or Relation.
And it is here that the art of the painter marches along the road which is traversed by all the greatest harmonies in thought. At one side of the palette there is white, at the other black; and neither is ever used ?neat.' Between these two rigid limits all the action must lie, all the power required must be generated. Black and white themselves placed in juxtaposition make no great impression; and yet they are the most that you can do in pure contrast.
Q. Below are listed various opinions that might possibly be ascribed to the author. Based on the passage, which of the following could most reasonably be attributed to the author?
The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. However, such unbridled advancements have also escalated global issues like climate change, resource depletion, and significant socio-economic disparities.
2. The 21st century has been heralded as an era of technological marvels, transforming every facet of human life with unprecedented innovations.
3. These challenges necessitate a reconfiguration of global priorities towards sustainability and equitable progress, demanding collaborative, not isolated, innovation.
4. Consequently, the narrative of development has increasingly become a balancing act between embracing technological growth and acknowledging its consequential perils.
The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4) below, when properly sequenced, would yield a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper sequencing of the order of the sentences and key in the sequence of the four numbers as your answer:
1. As these narratives unfold, they often obscure the complex realities, offering instead a simplified, often sensationalized, version of events.
2. In an increasingly interconnected world, global crises are a focal point of media coverage, shaping public opinion and international policies.
3. This trend raises critical questions about the responsibility and role of journalism in presenting nuanced portrayals of global issues.
4. Consequently, the power to shape perceptions rests not just with policymakers but significantly with those controlling the flow of information.
Directions: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
1. Knowing how to tell different hard drive noises apart, and learning what they might mean, can save your computer.
2. No PC is truly silent, but your computer shouldn't be louder than your lawnmower.
3. If your computer is making a clicking or grinding sound, or any sort of low-pitched buzzing noise, it could indicate a dying disk—do not ignore it.
4. If you have to turn up your music just to drown out the whirring or grinding noises your machine is making, you may want to look into that—it could be the first signal of some serious problems.
Directions: The four sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3 and 4) given in this question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Decide on the proper order for the sentences and key in this sequence of four numbers as your answer.
1. A good example of this principle is a floating ship.
2. The first person to realise a concept that related to buoyant forces was Archimedes.
3. This buoyant force is what allows any object to float on the surface of any liquid as long as the buoyant force is large enough to counter the weight of the object; otherwise, it will sink.
4. Archimedes' Principle states that the weight of the fluid that anybody displaces when submerged either partially or fully, is equal to the buoyant force exerted on the said body.
There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: In this pursuit, the idea of establishing a human settlement on Mars has captivated scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs alike.
Paragraph: The final frontier, space, has always been a source of human fascination. Astronomers and space agencies have long directed their resources toward the exploration of this vast unknown. (1). The advancements in technology have enabled ambitious projects, such as probes sent to the farthest reaches of our solar system and telescopes peering into the depths of space and time. (2). Despite these technological leaps, space travel presents significant challenges, including the physiological effects on astronauts and the sustainability of life in hostile environments. (3). The prospect of interplanetary travel extends beyond scientific exploration, hinting at a potential future for humanity that could span multiple celestial bodies. (4).
There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.
Sentence: However, these advancements have also raised ethical concerns about data privacy and the potential loss of jobs due to automation.
Paragraph: Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a revolutionary leap in technology and has permeated every aspect of human existence. From predictive algorithms used in medical diagnosis to smart assistants in homes, AI's applications seem limitless. (1). As AI continues to evolve, experts predict a future where machines can surpass human intelligence, a scenario often referred to as the "singularity." (2). The implications of such a future are hotly debated, with many advocating for stringent controls on AI development and use. (3). Despite the potential downsides, the pursuit of advanced AI could herald a new era of unprecedented technological growth and societal change. (4).
The most momentous development of our era, precisely, is the waning of the nation state: its inability to withstand countervailing 21st-century forces, and its calamitous loss of influence over human circumstance. National political authority is in decline, and, since we do not know any other sort, it feels like the end of the world. This is why a strange brand of apocalyptic nationalism is so widely in vogue. The current appeal of machismo as political style, the wall-building and xenophobia, the mythology and race theory, the fantastical promises of national restoration – these are not cures, but symptoms of what is slowly revealing itself to all: nation states everywhere are in an advanced state of political and moral decay from which they cannot individually extricate themselves.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
For years, movies and television series like Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) paint an unrealistic picture of the “science of voices.” In the 1994 movie Clear and Present Danger an expert listens to a brief recorded utterance and declares that the speaker is “Cuban, aged 35 to 45, educated in the […] eastern United States.” The recording is then fed to a supercomputer that matches the voice to that of a suspect, concluding that the probability of correct identification is 90%. This sequence sums up a good number of misimpressions about forensic phonetics, which have led to errors in real-life justice. Indeed, that movie scene exemplifies the so-called “CSI effect”—the phenomenon in which judges hold unrealistic expectations of the capabilities of forensic science.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
As Soviet power declined, the world became to some extent multipolar, and Europe strove to define an independent identity. What a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point. It had in every century changed its internal structure and invented new ways of thinking about the nature of international order. Now at the culmination of an era, Europe, in order to participate in it, felt obliged to set aside the political mechanisms through which it had conducted its affairs for three and a half centuries. Impelled also by the desire to cushion the emergent unification of Germany, the new European Union established a common currency in 2002 and a formal political structure in 2004. It proclaimed a Europe united, whole, and free, adjusting its differences by peaceful mechanisms.
Directions: Read the information given below and answer the question that follows.
Five contestants, Danny, Elizabeth, Ashok, Ramesh and Franklin, entered in a puzzle show which had four puzzles – First puzzle, Second puzzle, Third puzzle and Fourth puzzle. Each puzzle had three checkboxes, Checkbox-1, Checkbox-2 and Checkbox-3, and each contestant had to choose one of the three checkboxes as his/her answer for each. The five contestants were sitting in a line, one behind the other, facing the same direction, not necessarily in the same order as mentioned above. During the show, except for the contestant sitting at the beginning of the line, each contestant copied the answer to exactly one puzzle from the contestant immediately in front of him. Further, for any pair of contestants sitting immediately next to each other, exactly one answer was the same (i.e. the answer that was copied).
It is also known that:
(i) The contestant sitting at the last position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Second puzzle and Franklin, who was not at the last position, did not mark the answer to Third puzzle as Checkbox-2.
(ii) Exactly two contestants marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for First puzzle and neither of the two was sitting at any of the ends.
(iii) Danny, who was sitting immediately in front of Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-3 for exactly two puzzles, while Ramesh marked the answer as Checkbox-3 only for First puzzle.
(iv) Each of the four contestants who copied the answer did so for a different puzzle and each contestant marked the answer as Checkbox-1 for at least one puzzle, as Checkbox-2 for at least one puzzle and as Checkbox-3 for at least one puzzle.
(v) The contestant sitting in the middle marked the answer to Second puzzle as Checkbox-3, which he did not copy.
(vi) The contestant sitting at the second position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Third puzzle, which he copied.
Q. What is the answer marked for Fourth puzzle by the contestant sitting in the last position?
Directions: Read the information given below and answer the question that follows.
Five contestants, Danny, Elizabeth, Ashok, Ramesh and Franklin, entered in a puzzle show which had four puzzles – First puzzle, Second puzzle, Third puzzle and Fourth puzzle. Each puzzle had three checkboxes, Checkbox-1, Checkbox-2 and Checkbox-3, and each contestant had to choose one of the three checkboxes as his/her answer for each. The five contestants were sitting in a line, one behind the other, facing the same direction, not necessarily in the same order as mentioned above. During the show, except for the contestant sitting at the beginning of the line, each contestant copied the answer to exactly one puzzle from the contestant immediately in front of him. Further, for any pair of contestants sitting immediately next to each other, exactly one answer was the same (i.e. the answer that was copied).
It is also known that:
(i) The contestant sitting at the last position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Second puzzle and Franklin, who was not at the last position, did not mark the answer to Third puzzle as Checkbox-2.
(ii) Exactly two contestants marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for First puzzle and neither of the two was sitting at any of the ends.
(iii) Danny, who was sitting immediately in front of Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-3 for exactly two puzzles, while Ramesh marked the answer as Checkbox-3 only for First puzzle.
(iv) Each of the four contestants who copied the answer did so for a different puzzle and each contestant marked the answer as Checkbox-1 for at least one puzzle, as Checkbox-2 for at least one puzzle and as Checkbox-3 for at least one puzzle.
(v) The contestant sitting in the middle marked the answer to Second puzzle as Checkbox-3, which he did not copy.
(vi) The contestant sitting at the second position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Third puzzle, which he copied.
Q. If the positions in which the contestants are sitting are represented as 1 to 5, from first to last, for how many contestants is their position the same as the number of the puzzle for which they copied the answer?
Directions: Read the information given below and answer the question that follows.
Five contestants, Danny, Elizabeth, Ashok, Ramesh and Franklin, entered in a puzzle show which had four puzzles – First puzzle, Second puzzle, Third puzzle and Fourth puzzle. Each puzzle had three checkboxes, Checkbox-1, Checkbox-2 and Checkbox-3, and each contestant had to choose one of the three checkboxes as his/her answer for each. The five contestants were sitting in a line, one behind the other, facing the same direction, not necessarily in the same order as mentioned above. During the show, except for the contestant sitting at the beginning of the line, each contestant copied the answer to exactly one puzzle from the contestant immediately in front of him. Further, for any pair of contestants sitting immediately next to each other, exactly one answer was the same (i.e. the answer that was copied).
It is also known that:
(i) The contestant sitting at the last position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Second puzzle and Franklin, who was not at the last position, did not mark the answer to Third puzzle as Checkbox-2.
(ii) Exactly two contestants marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for First puzzle and neither of the two was sitting at any of the ends.
(iii) Danny, who was sitting immediately in front of Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-3 for exactly two puzzles, while Ramesh marked the answer as Checkbox-3 only for First puzzle.
(iv) Each of the four contestants who copied the answer did so for a different puzzle and each contestant marked the answer as Checkbox-1 for at least one puzzle, as Checkbox-2 for at least one puzzle and as Checkbox-3 for at least one puzzle.
(v) The contestant sitting in the middle marked the answer to Second puzzle as Checkbox-3, which he did not copy.
(vi) The contestant sitting at the second position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Third puzzle, which he copied.
Q. For which of the following puzzles did both Ashok and the contestant sitting at the first position mark Checkbox-3 as their answer?
Directions: Read the information given below and answer the question that follows.
Five contestants, Danny, Elizabeth, Ashok, Ramesh and Franklin, entered in a puzzle show which had four puzzles – First puzzle, Second puzzle, Third puzzle and Fourth puzzle. Each puzzle had three checkboxes, Checkbox-1, Checkbox-2 and Checkbox-3, and each contestant had to choose one of the three checkboxes as his/her answer for each. The five contestants were sitting in a line, one behind the other, facing the same direction, not necessarily in the same order as mentioned above. During the show, except for the contestant sitting at the beginning of the line, each contestant copied the answer to exactly one puzzle from the contestant immediately in front of him. Further, for any pair of contestants sitting immediately next to each other, exactly one answer was the same (i.e. the answer that was copied).
It is also known that:
(i) The contestant sitting at the last position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Second puzzle and Franklin, who was not at the last position, did not mark the answer to Third puzzle as Checkbox-2.
(ii) Exactly two contestants marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for First puzzle and neither of the two was sitting at any of the ends.
(iii) Danny, who was sitting immediately in front of Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-3 for exactly two puzzles, while Ramesh marked the answer as Checkbox-3 only for First puzzle.
(iv) Each of the four contestants who copied the answer did so for a different puzzle and each contestant marked the answer as Checkbox-1 for at least one puzzle, as Checkbox-2 for at least one puzzle and as Checkbox-3 for at least one puzzle.
(v) The contestant sitting in the middle marked the answer to Second puzzle as Checkbox-3, which he did not copy.
(vi) The contestant sitting at the second position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Third puzzle, which he copied.
Q. Which checkbox was marked by the maximum number of contestants for Fourth puzzle?
Directions: Read the information given below and answer the question that follows.
Five contestants, Danny, Elizabeth, Ashok, Ramesh and Franklin, entered in a puzzle show which had four puzzles – First puzzle, Second puzzle, Third puzzle and Fourth puzzle. Each puzzle had three checkboxes, Checkbox-1, Checkbox-2 and Checkbox-3, and each contestant had to choose one of the three checkboxes as his/her answer for each. The five contestants were sitting in a line, one behind the other, facing the same direction, not necessarily in the same order as mentioned above. During the show, except for the contestant sitting at the beginning of the line, each contestant copied the answer to exactly one puzzle from the contestant immediately in front of him. Further, for any pair of contestants sitting immediately next to each other, exactly one answer was the same (i.e. the answer that was copied).
It is also known that:
(i) The contestant sitting at the last position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Second puzzle and Franklin, who was not at the last position, did not mark the answer to Third puzzle as Checkbox-2.
(ii) Exactly two contestants marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for First puzzle and neither of the two was sitting at any of the ends.
(iii) Danny, who was sitting immediately in front of Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-3 for exactly two puzzles, while Ramesh marked the answer as Checkbox-3 only for First puzzle.
(iv) Each of the four contestants who copied the answer did so for a different puzzle and each contestant marked the answer as Checkbox-1 for at least one puzzle, as Checkbox-2 for at least one puzzle and as Checkbox-3 for at least one puzzle.
(v) The contestant sitting in the middle marked the answer to Second puzzle as Checkbox-3, which he did not copy.
(vi) The contestant sitting at the second position, who was not Ashok, marked the answer as Checkbox-2 for Third puzzle, which he copied.
Q. Who among the following marked the answer to First puzzle as Checkbox-1?
Directions: Read the following and answer the question that follows.
Indra Co-operative Society began with a membership of three members on 1st January, 1900. The average age of this group was 18 2/3 years. Every year, a new member joined this society. The age of the individual person on 1st January of any year is an integer. The average age of the group as on 1st January, 1901 and on 1st January, 1902 was 20.75 years and 22.2 years, respectively. At any instance, the ages (in years) of the members of the group are all distinct. The eldest person in the group (of the five members) as on 1st January, 1902 was of 25 years of age. The age of any member cannot be less than 17 years on 1st January, 1900.
Q. If the eldest person among the ones, who first became members of the Indra Co-operative Society was only one year older than the other member, what was his age in years?
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