General English (Navodaya) - 3

Directions: Below are given four sentences, (A), (B), (C) and (D). To make a stanza, arrange them in the correct order.

(A) It has proved quite disastrous.
(B) The unregulated spread of bore wells was an early form of water privatisation.
(C) Many poor farmers have seen their dug wells sucked dry as neighbours collar all the groundwater.
(D) The richer you are, the more wells you can sink, the deeper you can go.

Directions: Below are given four sentences, (A), (B), (C) and (D). To make a stanza, arrange them in the correct order.

(A) It is time we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and got over our doubts and fears to face the world.
(B) Fortune, after all, favours the brave, not the complainers.
(C) Perhaps we can replicate what they did for themselves.
(D) If we look around ourselves, we find people who had less than us but went on to make their fortunes.

'Then went away muttering to himself.' What does the underlined phrase mean?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds:
"Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.

What is the meaning of wits?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds:
"Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.

Why is the net important in the above passage?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds:
"Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.

The pigeons escaped the man by

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds:
"Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.

Why did the flock of pigeons swoop to the ground?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds:
"Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.

What was announced by Prime Minister Modi?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that greater access to financial services will be made available to India’s poor. This is expected to affect nearly 500 million Indians who do not have access to a bank account as well as those who are at the mercy of money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest.
While India has grown to become the third largest economy in Asia, there are still thousands of farmers who are poor that commit suicide every year because they cannot repay loans provided to them by loan sharks.
According to Modi, small farmers takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return and ends up taking his life as a result. Furthermore, Modi says, “For his daughter’s marriage, a poor man takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return.”
This initiative by Modi was announced during the landmark annual Prime Minister’s address that is delivered amongst the ramparts of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi and built during the 17th century. This annual address is held each year on Indian Independence Day. During this address, Modi offered several other initiatives, but he emphasized his desire for more Indian participation in the financial sector.
His other big announcement was the doing away of the Soviet-style State Planning Commission. This is part of his focus on overhauling the system of government. He stated when he took office in May that the system of government was peppered with competing “fiefdoms”.

What is the Prime Minister’s desire, according to the writer?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that greater access to financial services will be made available to India’s poor. This is expected to affect nearly 500 million Indians who do not have access to a bank account as well as those who are at the mercy of money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest.
While India has grown to become the third largest economy in Asia, there are still thousands of farmers who are poor that commit suicide every year because they cannot repay loans provided to them by loan sharks.
According to Modi, small farmers takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return and ends up taking his life as a result. Furthermore, Modi says, “For his daughter’s marriage, a poor man takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return.”
This initiative by Modi was announced during the landmark annual Prime Minister’s address that is delivered amongst the ramparts of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi and built during the 17th century. This annual address is held each year on Indian Independence Day. During this address, Modi offered several other initiatives, but he emphasized his desire for more Indian participation in the financial sector.
His other big announcement was the doing away of the Soviet-style State Planning Commission. This is part of his focus on overhauling the system of government. He stated when he took office in May that the system of government was peppered with competing “fiefdoms”.

Which of the following sentences impart the meaning of “changing the way government works”?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that greater access to financial services will be made available to India’s poor. This is expected to affect nearly 500 million Indians who do not have access to a bank account as well as those who are at the mercy of money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest.
While India has grown to become the third largest economy in Asia, there are still thousands of farmers who are poor that commit suicide every year because they cannot repay loans provided to them by loan sharks.
According to Modi, small farmers takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return and ends up taking his life as a result. Furthermore, Modi says, “For his daughter’s marriage, a poor man takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return.”
This initiative by Modi was announced during the landmark annual Prime Minister’s address that is delivered amongst the ramparts of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi and built during the 17th century. This annual address is held each year on Indian Independence Day. During this address, Modi offered several other initiatives, but he emphasized his desire for more Indian participation in the financial sector.
His other big announcement was the doing away of the Soviet-style State Planning Commission. This is part of his focus on overhauling the system of government. He stated when he took office in May that the system of government was peppered with competing “fiefdoms”.

Which words mean unable to pay?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that greater access to financial services will be made available to India’s poor. This is expected to affect nearly 500 million Indians who do not have access to a bank account as well as those who are at the mercy of money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest.
While India has grown to become the third largest economy in Asia, there are still thousands of farmers who are poor that commit suicide every year because they cannot repay loans provided to them by loan sharks.
According to Modi, small farmers takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return and ends up taking his life as a result. Furthermore, Modi says, “For his daughter’s marriage, a poor man takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return.”
This initiative by Modi was announced during the landmark annual Prime Minister’s address that is delivered amongst the ramparts of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi and built during the 17th century. This annual address is held each year on Indian Independence Day. During this address, Modi offered several other initiatives, but he emphasized his desire for more Indian participation in the financial sector.
His other big announcement was the doing away of the Soviet-style State Planning Commission. This is part of his focus on overhauling the system of government. He stated when he took office in May that the system of government was peppered with competing “fiefdoms”.

When the writer says, “money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest”, the writer means that

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that greater access to financial services will be made available to India’s poor. This is expected to affect nearly 500 million Indians who do not have access to a bank account as well as those who are at the mercy of money lenders who charge extortionary amounts of interest.
While India has grown to become the third largest economy in Asia, there are still thousands of farmers who are poor that commit suicide every year because they cannot repay loans provided to them by loan sharks.
According to Modi, small farmers takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return and ends up taking his life as a result. Furthermore, Modi says, “For his daughter’s marriage, a poor man takes a loan from a money lender that he cannot return.”
This initiative by Modi was announced during the landmark annual Prime Minister’s address that is delivered amongst the ramparts of the Red Fort, located in Old Delhi and built during the 17th century. This annual address is held each year on Indian Independence Day. During this address, Modi offered several other initiatives, but he emphasized his desire for more Indian participation in the financial sector.
His other big announcement was the doing away of the Soviet-style State Planning Commission. This is part of his focus on overhauling the system of government. He stated when he took office in May that the system of government was peppered with competing “fiefdoms”.

Why does the writer suggest that India needs an industrial revolution along with another green revolution?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Economic activity in India has one foot in the past and is poised to step forward into the future. Currently it seems that India prefers to grow crops and selling services rather than making and manufacturing goods. As it stands, manufacturing is about 15% of India’s output which is far below the norms of other Asian countries. India needs a big manufacturing base, especially because there is nothing else which will likely hire 250 million youngsters who are set to reach working age in the next 15 years. Mahatma Gandhi once complained that India was engaged in reckless industrialization, but this is exactly what India needs to compete with its neighbors. Along with another green revolution, an industrial revolution within India will be very beneficial for the country. The brain drain, in which educated Indians are leaving the country, is a symptom not only of an exploding population, but also of a very weak economy. The Indian government needs to provide a cure by promoting competition among companies and regulation in order to curtail corruption.

Why did the writer say that economic activity in India has one foot in the past?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Economic activity in India has one foot in the past and is poised to step forward into the future. Currently it seems that India prefers to grow crops and selling services rather than making and manufacturing goods. As it stands, manufacturing is about 15% of India’s output which is far below the norms of other Asian countries. India needs a big manufacturing base, especially because there is nothing else which will likely hire 250 million youngsters who are set to reach working age in the next 15 years. Mahatma Gandhi once complained that India was engaged in reckless industrialization, but this is exactly what India needs to compete with its neighbors. Along with another green revolution, an industrial revolution within India will be very beneficial for the country. The brain drain, in which educated Indians are leaving the country, is a symptom not only of an exploding population, but also of a very weak economy. The Indian government needs to provide a cure by promoting competition among companies and regulation in order to curtail corruption.

People are leaving the country not just because of its huge population, but because

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Economic activity in India has one foot in the past and is poised to step forward into the future. Currently it seems that India prefers to grow crops and selling services rather than making and manufacturing goods. As it stands, manufacturing is about 15% of India’s output which is far below the norms of other Asian countries. India needs a big manufacturing base, especially because there is nothing else which will likely hire 250 million youngsters who are set to reach working age in the next 15 years. Mahatma Gandhi once complained that India was engaged in reckless industrialization, but this is exactly what India needs to compete with its neighbors. Along with another green revolution, an industrial revolution within India will be very beneficial for the country. The brain drain, in which educated Indians are leaving the country, is a symptom not only of an exploding population, but also of a very weak economy. The Indian government needs to provide a cure by promoting competition among companies and regulation in order to curtail corruption.

What does the writer mean by “the brain drain”?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Economic activity in India has one foot in the past and is poised to step forward into the future. Currently it seems that India prefers to grow crops and selling services rather than making and manufacturing goods. As it stands, manufacturing is about 15% of India’s output which is far below the norms of other Asian countries. India needs a big manufacturing base, especially because there is nothing else which will likely hire 250 million youngsters who are set to reach working age in the next 15 years. Mahatma Gandhi once complained that India was engaged in reckless industrialization, but this is exactly what India needs to compete with its neighbors. Along with another green revolution, an industrial revolution within India will be very beneficial for the country. The brain drain, in which educated Indians are leaving the country, is a symptom not only of an exploding population, but also of a very weak economy. The Indian government needs to provide a cure by promoting competition among companies and regulation in order to curtail corruption.

The Indian government needs to

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Economic activity in India has one foot in the past and is poised to step forward into the future. Currently it seems that India prefers to grow crops and selling services rather than making and manufacturing goods. As it stands, manufacturing is about 15% of India’s output which is far below the norms of other Asian countries. India needs a big manufacturing base, especially because there is nothing else which will likely hire 250 million youngsters who are set to reach working age in the next 15 years. Mahatma Gandhi once complained that India was engaged in reckless industrialization, but this is exactly what India needs to compete with its neighbors. Along with another green revolution, an industrial revolution within India will be very beneficial for the country. The brain drain, in which educated Indians are leaving the country, is a symptom not only of an exploding population, but also of a very weak economy. The Indian government needs to provide a cure by promoting competition among companies and regulation in order to curtail corruption.