Directions: Read the following sentences and choose the option that best arranges them in a logical order.
1. Finally he took a wrong turn and ran a few steps past me, towards the hamlet, crying, "Johnny, black Dog, Drik," and other names, "you won't leave old Pew, mates–not old Pew!"
2. This quarrel was the saving of us, for while it was still raging, another sound came from the top of the hill on the side of the hamlet – the tramp of horses galloping.
3. And that was plainly the last sign of danger, for the buccaneers turned at once and ran, separating in every direction, one seaward along the cove, one slant across the hill, and so on, so that in half a minute not a sign of them remained but Pew.
4. Him they had deserted, whether in sheer panic or out of revenge for his ill words and blows I know not: but there he remained behind, tapping up and down the road in a frenzy, and groping and calling for his comrades.
5. Almost at the same time a pistol-shot, flash and report, came from the hedge side.
Direction: Read the passage given and select an appropriate answer for the question that follows.
Deborah Mayo is a philosopher of science who has attempted to capture the implications of the new experimentalism in a philosophically rigorous way. Mayo focuses on the detailed way in which claims are validated by experiment, and is concerned with identifying just what claims are borne out and how. A key idea underlying her treatment is that a claim can only be said to be supported by experiment if the various ways in which the claim could be at fault have been investigated and eliminated. A claim can only be said to be borne out by experiment, and a severe test of a claim, as usefully construed by Mayo, must be such that the claim would be unlikely to pass it if it were false.
Her idea can be explained by some simple examples. Suppose Snell's law of refraction of light is tested by some very rough experiments in which very large margins of error are attributed to the measurements of angles of incidence and refraction, and suppose that the results are shown to be compatible with the law within those margins of error. Has the law been supported by experiments that have severely tested it? From Mayo's perspective, the answer is “no” because, owing to the roughness of the measurements, the law of refraction would be quite likely to pass this test even if it were false and some other law differing not too much from Snell's law true. An exercise I carried out in my school-teaching days serves to drive this point home. My students had conducted some not very careful experiments to test Snell's law. I then presented them with some alternative laws of refraction that had been suggested in antiquity and medieval times, prior to the discovery of Snell's law, and invited the students to test them with the measurements they had used to test Snell's law; because of the wide margins of error they had attributed to their measurements, all of these alternative laws pass the test. This clearly brings out the point that the experiments in question did not constitute a severe test of Snell's law. The law would have passed the test even if it were false and one of the historical alternatives true.
Q. Which of the following conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
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Directions: In the following question, five statements have been provided. These statements form a coherent paragraph when properly arranged. Select the alternative representing the proper and logical sequencing of these statements.
A. The migrations of mankind from that original home cannot be intelligently mapped until that home has been discovered, and, further, until the geology of the globe is so thoroughly known that the different phases of its geography can be presented; and these must be settled upon purely geologic and paleontological evidence.
B. Since that time, the surface of the Earth has undergone many and important changes.
C. If we accept the conclusion that there is but one species of man, we may reasonably conclude that the species has been dispersed from some common centre; but this original home has not yet been ascertained with certainty.
D. All known camp and village sites, graves, mounds, and ruins belong to that portion of geologic time known as the present epoch, and are entirely subsequent to the period of the original dispersion as shown by geologic evidence.
E. The dispersion of man must have been anterior to the development of any but the rudest arts.
Direction: Read the passage given and select an appropriate answer for the question that follows.
Deborah Mayo is a philosopher of science who has attempted to capture the implications of the new experimentalism in a philosophically rigorous way. Mayo focuses on the detailed way in which claims are validated by experiment, and is concerned with identifying just what claims are borne out and how. A key idea underlying her treatment is that a claim can only be said to be supported by experiment if the various ways in which the claim could be at fault have been investigated and eliminated. A claim can only be said to be borne out by experiment, and a severe test of a claim, as usefully construed by Mayo, must be such that the claim would be unlikely to pass it if it were false.
Her idea can be explained by some simple examples. Suppose Snell's law of refraction of light is tested by some very rough experiments in which very large margins of error are attributed to the measurements of angles of incidence and refraction, and suppose that the results are shown to be compatible with the law within those margins of error. Has the law been supported by experiments that have severely tested it? From Mayo's perspective, the answer is “no” because, owing to the roughness of the measurements, the law of refraction would be quite likely to pass this test even if it were false and some other law differing not too much from Snell's law true. An exercise I carried out in my school-teaching days serves to drive this point home. My students had conducted some not very careful experiments to test Snell's law. I then presented them with some alternative laws of refraction that had been suggested in antiquity and medieval times, prior to the discovery of Snell's law, and invited the students to test them with the measurements they had used to test Snell's law; because of the wide margins of error they had attributed to their measurements, all of these alternative laws pass the test. This clearly brings out the point that the experiments in question did not constitute a severe test of Snell's law. The law would have passed the test even if it were false and one of the historical alternatives true.
Q. The author's use of Snell's law of refraction to illustrate Mayo's perspective can best said to be
Directions: The sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. The sentence does not contain more than one error. If the sentence contains an error, select the underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice (E). In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.
(A) I met him (B) as soon as he arrived at the Art gallery (C) and told him that I was (D) too glad to meet him. (E) No error
Direction: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
As Xenophanes recognized as long ago as the sixth century before Christ, whether or not God made man in His own image, it is certain that man makes Gods in his. The Gods of Greek mythology first appear in the writings of Homer and Hesiod, and, from the character and actions of these picturesque and, for the most part, friendly beings, we get some idea of the men who made them and brought them to Greece.
But ritual is more fundamental than mythology, and the study of Greek ritual during recent years has shown that, beneath the belief or skepticism with which the Olympians were regarded, lay older magic, with traditional rites for the promotion of fertility by the celebration of the annual cycle of life and death, and the propitiation of unfriendly ghosts, Gods or demons. Some such survivals were doubtless widespread, and, prolonged into classical times, probably made the substance of Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries. Against this dark and dangerous background arose Olympic mythology on the one hand and early philosophy and science on the other.
In classical times the need for a creed higher than the Olympian was felt, and Aeschylus, Sophocles and Plato finally evolved from the pleasant but crude polytheism the idea of a single, supreme and righteous Zeus. But the decay of Olympus led to a revival of old and the invasion of new magic cults among the people, while some philosophers were looking to a vision of the uniformity of nature under divine and universal law.
Q. The author states that "ritual is more fundamental than mythology" (opening of the second paragraph) in order to:
Directions: Choose the set of prepositions whose meaning and sequence best fits the three given sentences.
1. When we got talking, I remembered that I had been at school with her 15 years _______.
2. The raids which started this morning went on _________the filing of this report.
3. Unfairness at the workplace is an ordeal that every professional has faced ________ some point of his career.
(A) before
(B) by
(C) away
(D) at
(E) till
(F) in
Direction: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
As Xenophanes recognized as long ago as the sixth century before Christ, whether or not God made man in His own image, it is certain that man makes Gods in his. The Gods of Greek mythology first appear in the writings of Homer and Hesiod, and, from the character and actions of these picturesque and, for the most part, friendly beings, we get some idea of the men who made them and brought them to Greece.
But ritual is more fundamental than mythology, and the study of Greek ritual during recent years has shown that, beneath the belief or skepticism with which the Olympians were regarded, lay older magic, with traditional rites for the promotion of fertility by the celebration of the annual cycle of life and death, and the propitiation of unfriendly ghosts, Gods or demons. Some such survivals were doubtless widespread, and, prolonged into classical times, probably made the substance of Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries. Against this dark and dangerous background arose Olympic mythology on the one hand and early philosophy and science on the other.
In classical times the need for a creed higher than the Olympian was felt, and Aeschylus, Sophocles and Plato finally evolved from the pleasant but crude polytheism the idea of a single, supreme and righteous Zeus. But the decay of Olympus led to a revival of old and the invasion of new magic cults among the people, while some philosophers were looking to a vision of the uniformity of nature under divine and universal law.
Q. All the following are mentioned in the passage except:
Directions: Choose an option that completes a relationship similar to that in the given pair of words.
Astronaut : Space : : _________ : Sea
Rearrange the following sentences (A), (B),(C), (D) and (E) to make a meaningful paragraph and accordingly select the correct option :
(A) He simply woke, looked out the open door at the moon and unrolled his trousers and put them on
(B) He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach.
(C) He never dreamed about the boy
(D) He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish,
nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife
(E) They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.
Directions: Choose the option that completes a relationship similar to that between the given pair of words to the left of (: :).
Genuine : Simulated : : Unaffected : ____________
Each sentence below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The popularity of interactive media such as World Wide Web (www) has been growing at a rapid pace. From a marketing perspective, this has __________ itself in two ways: firstly, a ________ increase in the number of companies that seek to use the www to communicate with (potential) customers, and secondly, the rapid adoption of the www by broad consumer segments for a variety of purposes.
Directions: The question below has one blank, which is indicating that something has been omitted. Find out which option can be used to fill up the blank to make the sentence meaningfully complete.
The Uttar Pradesh town of Rampur is renowned for its Nawabi cuisine, which includes delectable preparations that are ______ to resist.
Each question below has blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank which best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Hands went up in the air, applause broke ____ spontaneously, and almost every move of hers was mirrored with resounding chorus ____ the hall full of kindergarten children was listening ____ how the little frog learnt to sing
Directions: The sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. The sentence does not contain more than one error. If the sentence contains an error, select the underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice (E). In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.
(A) The goal of unemployment insurance is to support workers who have lost their (B) jobs until they are (C) reabsorption into (D) industry. (E) No error
Each question below has blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank which best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
A hot tear rolled ____ her lap, and formed itself into a pearl, glowing with all the colours ____ the rainbow.
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.
Technological change is recognised as one of the main drivers of long-term growth. In the coming decades, radical innovations such as mobile internet and cloud computing are likely to revolutionise production processes, particularly in developing countries.
It is undebatable that technology makes production processes more efficient, thereby increasing the competitiveness of countries and reducing their vulnerability to market fluctuations. Structural change, i.e. the transition from a labour-intensive to a technology-intensive economy, drives economic upgrading. Low income countries thus acquire the necessary capabilities to catch up and reduce the gap with per capita incomes in high income countries.
Catching up, unfortunately, does not occur frequently. In the last 50 years, only a few countries were successful in rapidly industrialising and achieving sustained economic growth. Technology was always a key driver in these cases and they successfully developed an advanced technology-intensive industry.
Though technology is linked to sustainable growth, it is uncertain whether it can simultaneously create social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Technological change also requires the labour force to be prepared to use increasingly complex machinery and equipment, which widens the inequality between highly skilled and unskilled workers in terms of wage distribution. Industrialisation has historically been accompanied by increasing pollution and the depletion of natural resources. Economic growth also entails a rise in the use of inputs, materials and fossil fuels, which generate environmental pollution and degradation, especially in low income countries.
From an economic point of view, globalisation and the fragmentation of production at international level have facilitated the diffusion of new technologies through the intensification of trade in sophisticated manufacturing goods. However, this diffusion of technology has in many cases not translated into concrete growth opportunities due to the lack of technological capabilities and the capacity of countries to promote innovation systems. Innovation needs to be supported by appropriate interventions that strengthen the process from technology invention to adoption by firms as was the case in benchmark countries such as China and the Republic of Korea.
Even though technology and automation generally improve people's working conditions, the number of jobs may decrease as a result, with workers being replaced by machines. But, the technological change itself can mitigate this effect. New technologies also generate new markets, for example the waste and recycling industry, reduce the prices of consumer goods and provide opportunities for new investments with higher levels of profitability. Most importantly, the expansion of new technologically-intensive industries absorbs those workers who have lost their jobs to machines.
Despite these positive dynamics, the current trend of technological change does not guarantee that we will follow a sustainable path in the future.
Q. According to the passage, which of the following is a key benefit of adopting technology?
In each of the questions below, five sentences, labeled A, B, C, D and E, are given. They need to be arranged in a logical order to form a coherent paragraph/passage. From the given options, choose the most appropriate option.
(A) Higgs continues: "Such attenuations can arise from many sources, ranging from simple tax-rate increases to the imposition of new kinds of taxes to outright confiscation of private property.
(B) Regime uncertainty is a situation in which investors are "distressed that [their] private property rights in their capital and the income it yields will be attenuated further by government action" (Higgs).
(C) Many intermediate threats can arise from various sorts of regulation, for instance, of securities markets, labor markets, and product markets.
(D) In any event, the security of private property rights rests not so much on the letter of the law as on the character of the government that enforces, or threatens, presumptive rights".
(E) This definition emphasizes the institutional framework within which economic activity takes place.
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.
Technological change is recognised as one of the main drivers of long-term growth. In the coming decades, radical innovations such as mobile internet and cloud computing are likely to revolutionise production processes, particularly in developing countries.
It is undebatable that technology makes production processes more efficient, thereby increasing the competitiveness of countries and reducing their vulnerability to market fluctuations. Structural change, i.e. the transition from a labour-intensive to a technology-intensive economy, drives economic upgrading. Low income countries thus acquire the necessary capabilities to catch up and reduce the gap with per capita incomes in high income countries.
Catching up, unfortunately, does not occur frequently. In the last 50 years, only a few countries were successful in rapidly industrialising and achieving sustained economic growth. Technology was always a key driver in these cases and they successfully developed an advanced technology-intensive industry.
Though technology is linked to sustainable growth, it is uncertain whether it can simultaneously create social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Technological change also requires the labour force to be prepared to use increasingly complex machinery and equipment, which widens the inequality between highly skilled and unskilled workers in terms of wage distribution. Industrialisation has historically been accompanied by increasing pollution and the depletion of natural resources. Economic growth also entails a rise in the use of inputs, materials and fossil fuels, which generate environmental pollution and degradation, especially in low income countries.
From an economic point of view, globalisation and the fragmentation of production at international level have facilitated the diffusion of new technologies through the intensification of trade in sophisticated manufacturing goods. However, this diffusion of technology has in many cases not translated into concrete growth opportunities due to the lack of technological capabilities and the capacity of countries to promote innovation systems. Innovation needs to be supported by appropriate interventions that strengthen the process from technology invention to adoption by firms as was the case in benchmark countries such as China and the Republic of Korea.
Even though technology and automation generally improve people's working conditions, the number of jobs may decrease as a result, with workers being replaced by machines. But, the technological change itself can mitigate this effect. New technologies also generate new markets, for example the waste and recycling industry, reduce the prices of consumer goods and provide opportunities for new investments with higher levels of profitability. Most importantly, the expansion of new technologically-intensive industries absorbs those workers who have lost their jobs to machines.
Despite these positive dynamics, the current trend of technological change does not guarantee that we will follow a sustainable path in the future.
Q. In many countries, the desired results of technology could not be achieved due to
Arrange the sentences A, B, C and D to form a logical sequence between sentences 1 and 6.
1. Intensity of competition in an industry is neither a matter of coincidence nor bad luck.
A. The collective strength of these forces determines the ultimate profit potential in the industry where profit potential is measured in terms of long run returns on invested capital.
B. Rather, competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economic structure and goes well beyond the behaviour of current competitors.
C. Not all industries have the same potential.
D. The state of competition in an industry depends on five basic competitive forces.
6. They differ fundamentally in their ultimate profit potential as the collective strength of the forces differ.
Directions: In the following question, five statements have been provided. These statements form a coherent paragraph when properly arranged. Select the alternative representing the proper and logical sequencing of these statements.
A. Humanity does not yet say, I am God: such a usurpation would shock its piety.
B. In the days of the patriarchs, God made an alliance with man; now, to strengthen the compact, God is to become a man.
C. Then, after this humiliation of the infinite, man will still pretend that he has elevated the ideal of his God in making, by a logical conversion, him whom he had always called creator, a saviour, a redeemer.
D. He will take on our flesh, our form, our passions, our joys, and our sorrows; will be born of woman, and die as we do.
E. In making himself like God, man made God like himself: this correlation, which for many centuries had been execrated, was the secret spring which determined the new myth.
Directions for Questions: In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words/ phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately.
Mobile banking (M banking) involves the use of a mobile phone or any other mobile device to (A) financial transactions linked to a client's account. M banking is new in most countries and most mobile payments models even in developed countries today operate on a (B) scale. A mobile network offers a (C) available technology platform onto which other services can be provided at low cost with effective results. For example, M banking services which use (D) such as SMS can be carried at a cost of less than one US cent per message.
Q. Find out the appropriate word/phrase at (B) .
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the following question.
"Character" is named as the single most important factor for employers recruiting school and college leavers, above qualifications, work experience and even basic numeracy and literacy, according to a survey for the Confederation of British Industry, one of the U.K.'s largest employer organisations.
But two in five (40%) employers said they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with wider character behaviours and attributes. This includes the ability to deal with set-backs at work, reflect on areas for improvement and displaying an inclusive and compassionate outlook.
And it contrasts with just a quarter saying they are unhappy with school and college leavers' academic results and qualifications, the level of digital skills or the standard of numeracy and literacy, according to the survey, the 12th annual education and skills report carried out by the CBI and global learning company Pearson.
"Firms are generally happy with the academic knowledge of young people applying for jobs in the past year but prioritise 'work readiness' when recruiting school and college leavers," said Matthew Fell, CBI chief policy director. "It's clear that more emphasis is needed on ensuring young people have the character, behaviors and attributes to succeed in the world of work."
One in three employers said they were unhappy with the level of relevant work experience among school and college leavers. Work experience was cited as the third most important factor in recruitment, according to the survey of 200 business and trade associations.
Businesses still have work to do to increase the availability of work experience placements, however. Almost seven out of 10 (69%) said they offer placements, but that still leaves almost a third who do not. But almost all businesses (95%) said they had ____ with local high schools, and more than half (56%) said this was increasing.
"Businesses place a high value on young people having relevant work experience, and are stepping up to provide this, for example, by increasing their presence in secondary schools and colleges," Mr. Fell said.
"A powerful partnership between business, government and education institutions is essential if we are to ensure that our education and skills system is fit for the modern world – companies stand ready to play their full role," he added.
While education is not and should not be purely about preparing young people for the workplace, the results do raise concerns that formal education may be focusing too much on qualifications and not enough on character skills such as resilience and perseverance.
Although developing character has been given greater priority in schools in recent years, while exam performance remains the yardstick by which school leaders are judged, it is unlikely to get the attention it requires.
The survey also found that more than half of businesses had created new apprenticeship programs in the last year. And, hearteningly for students used to hearing about the excess of graduates over graduate job openings, almost nine out of 10 businesses (85%) said they were maintaining or increasing their level of graduate recruitment.
Q. Why are businesses increasing their presence in secondary schools and colleges?
Direction: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank.
Mobile banking (M banking) involves the use of a mobile phone or any other mobile device to ___(A)___ financial transactions linked to a client's account. M banking is new in most countries and most mobile payments models even in developed countries today operate on a ___(B)___ scale. A mobile network offers a ___(C)___ available technology platform onto which other services can be provided at a low cost with effective results. For example, M banking services that use ___(D)___ such as SMS can be carried at a cost of less than one US cent per message.
Q. Which of the following option most appropriately fits the blank labelled (D)?
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the following question.
"Character" is named as the single most important factor for employers recruiting school and college leavers, above qualifications, work experience and even basic numeracy and literacy, according to a survey for the Confederation of British Industry, one of the U.K.'s largest employer organisations.
But two in five (40%) employers said they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with wider character behaviours and attributes. This includes the ability to deal with set-backs at work, reflect on areas for improvement and displaying an inclusive and compassionate outlook.
And it contrasts with just a quarter saying they are unhappy with school and college leavers' academic results and qualifications, the level of digital skills or the standard of numeracy and literacy, according to the survey, the 12th annual education and skills report carried out by the CBI and global learning company Pearson.
"Firms are generally happy with the academic knowledge of young people applying for jobs in the past year but prioritise 'work readiness' when recruiting school and college leavers," said Matthew Fell, CBI chief policy director. "It's clear that more emphasis is needed on ensuring young people have the character, behaviors and attributes to succeed in the world of work."
One in three employers said they were unhappy with the level of relevant work experience among school and college leavers. Work experience was cited as the third most important factor in recruitment, according to the survey of 200 business and trade associations.
Businesses still have work to do to increase the availability of work experience placements, however. Almost seven out of 10 (69%) said they offer placements, but that still leaves almost a third who do not. But almost all businesses (95%) said they had ____ with local high schools, and more than half (56%) said this was increasing.
"Businesses place a high value on young people having relevant work experience, and are stepping up to provide this, for example, by increasing their presence in secondary schools and colleges," Mr. Fell said.
"A powerful partnership between business, government and education institutions is essential if we are to ensure that our education and skills system is fit for the modern world – companies stand ready to play their full role," he added.
While education is not and should not be purely about preparing young people for the workplace, the results do raise concerns that formal education may be focusing too much on qualifications and not enough on character skills such as resilience and perseverance.
Although developing character has been given greater priority in schools in recent years, while exam performance remains the yardstick by which school leaders are judged, it is unlikely to get the attention it requires.
The survey also found that more than half of businesses had created new apprenticeship programs in the last year. And, hearteningly for students used to hearing about the excess of graduates over graduate job openings, almost nine out of 10 businesses (85%) said they were maintaining or increasing their level of graduate recruitment.
Q. Which of the following words means the same as 'reflect', as highlighted in the passage?
Direction: In the following question, some parts of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select the 'No Error' option.
No man-made disaster(A)/ can surpass the fury of nature.(B)/ He is the most powerful.(C)/ No error(D)
Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:
History of British parliament should not be seen as history alone, but as a historical account of certain of its leading principles and features. It is an extraordinary history. It is certainly not the tale of steady constitutional advances to which our schoolmasters have accustomed us. Looking back on the long-drawn-out processes by which each advantage was won, we cannot but be struck, not only by the intense conservatism of Englishmen in constitutional matters, but by the apparent indifference to the value of the progress already achieved. It is understandable perhaps that contemporaries should not be able to see which way the road must lead and excusable that they should tread it with hesitation. But to refuse to exploit, and to neglect and even to throw away the advantage already gained, seems to be a folly of the worst kind.
At the very moment when the Commons had secured for themselves the most fruitful of the principles of Magna Carta – the principle of consent to taxation – they minimised its power for constitutional progress by exercising it as rarely as possible. When they discovered the value of the right to petition and seemed well on the way to a monopoly of legislation, they surrendered the initiative to the Crown without a struggle. Their very privileges they owed as much to the artful complaisance of a tyrant as to their own exertions.
Even the aggressive political consciousness of the seventeenth century seems almost to have been ashamed of its exuberance and shrank from using the opportunities for reform which the ascendancy of parliament conferred. Such admirable proposals for electoral reform as those of 1647 and 1653 came to nothing and the anomalies of the system continued, or rather increased, for the best part of two centuries. Cromwell's brave experiment of the 'Other House' was received without enthusiasm, and the constitution of the House of Lords still awaits reform.
Later centuries showed hardly more sense of the future. The principles of ministerial responsibility and party government, those twin pillars of the modern parliamentary system, were abhorred by most respectable statesmen of the eighteenth century. The tradition of the Speaker's neutrality, of which British parliamentarians are justly proud, is hardly a century old and owes more to the outstanding character of one or two holders of the office than to any general recognition of its necessity. It would seem indeed as if the Commons had made progress in spite of themselves.
Certainly the constitutional conservatism has its compensations. As Lord Action said, 'the one thing that saved England from the fate of other countries was not her insular position, nor the independent spirit, nor the magnanimity of her people…but only the consistent, uninventive, stupid fidelity' to the political system. We have had a civil war without a proscription and a revolution without bloodshed. We have had our share of demagogues, but no one has succeeded in establishing a tyranny. For all this we may be justly thankful and take a share of the credit. Nevertheless, when we look back over the story, we cannot but recognise how much more we owe to our good fortune than to our own exertions. (History of British Parliament by Harold Laski)
Q. Which of the following is definitely not true in the context of the passage?
Direction: Read the sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number corresponding to that part will be your answer. If the given sentence is correct as it is, mark the answer as ‘No error’. Ignore the errors of punctuation if any.
Though John and (1)/ Andrew look exactly (2)/ alike but they (3)/ act quite differently. (4)
Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:
History of British parliament should not be seen as history alone, but as a historical account of certain of its leading principles and features. It is an extraordinary history. It is certainly not the tale of steady constitutional advances to which our schoolmasters have accustomed us. Looking back on the long-drawn-out processes by which each advantage was won, we cannot but be struck, not only by the intense conservatism of Englishmen in constitutional matters, but by the apparent indifference to the value of the progress already achieved. It is understandable perhaps that contemporaries should not be able to see which way the road must lead and excusable that they should tread it with hesitation. But to refuse to exploit, and to neglect and even to throw away the advantage already gained, seems to be a folly of the worst kind.
At the very moment when the Commons had secured for themselves the most fruitful of the principles of Magna Carta – the principle of consent to taxation – they minimised its power for constitutional progress by exercising it as rarely as possible. When they discovered the value of the right to petition and seemed well on the way to a monopoly of legislation, they surrendered the initiative to the Crown without a struggle. Their very privileges they owed as much to the artful complaisance of a tyrant as to their own exertions.
Even the aggressive political consciousness of the seventeenth century seems almost to have been ashamed of its exuberance and shrank from using the opportunities for reform which the ascendancy of parliament conferred. Such admirable proposals for electoral reform as those of 1647 and 1653 came to nothing and the anomalies of the system continued, or rather increased, for the best part of two centuries. Cromwell's brave experiment of the 'Other House' was received without enthusiasm, and the constitution of the House of Lords still awaits reform.
Later centuries showed hardly more sense of the future. The principles of ministerial responsibility and party government, those twin pillars of the modern parliamentary system, were abhorred by most respectable statesmen of the eighteenth century. The tradition of the Speaker's neutrality, of which British parliamentarians are justly proud, is hardly a century old and owes more to the outstanding character of one or two holders of the office than to any general recognition of its necessity. It would seem indeed as if the Commons had made progress in spite of themselves.
Certainly the constitutional conservatism has its compensations. As Lord Action said, 'the one thing that saved England from the fate of other countries was not her insular position, nor the independent spirit, nor the magnanimity of her people…but only the consistent, uninventive, stupid fidelity' to the political system. We have had a civil war without a proscription and a revolution without bloodshed. We have had our share of demagogues, but no one has succeeded in establishing a tyranny. For all this we may be justly thankful and take a share of the credit. Nevertheless, when we look back over the story, we cannot but recognise how much more we owe to our good fortune than to our own exertions. (History of British Parliament by Harold Laski)
Q. The author alludes to something when he says 'our schoolmasters have accustomed us'. The allusion is to
For each of the following questions select the answer pair that expresses a relationship most similar to that expressed in the capitalized pair.
ALUMINIUM: LIGHT WEIGHT