Reading Comprehension-3

The surge in global liquidity was the result of

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Global Financial Crisis which began in 2007 led to the Great Recession. It took some unconventional and radical steps such as quantitative easing and bank bailouts to ward-off the dreaded threat of a second Great Depression. The year 2010 witnessed a good recovery raising hopes that things were getting back to normal. However, the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in late 2010 cast a continuing doubt regarding the nature of the global economy in general and the Euro-Zone in particular. If the Great Recession had prompted a rethink regarding some of the established ideas in economics, finance and public policy, the Euro-Zone crisis has gone a step further in raising issues which are as much politico-socio-cultural as economic and financial. To assess where the Euro-Zone might go from here needs an examination of the basic fundamental factors leading to the crisis.
With the Euro-Zone crisis surfaced several deep-rooted problems that date back to the early years of this century, more or less the same period during which the excesses that resulted in the Great Recession were built up. The surge in global liquidity due to a prolonged period of easy monetary policy had led to a relentless rise in asset prices that encouraged not only sub-prime mortgage lending in USA but also a pile up of debt in the European countries. In the Western world, ‘unprecedented leverage, massive debt creation, and a seemingly infinite sense of credit entitlement prevailed. Financial excesses became the rule rather than the exception, facilitated by financial innovation and the erosion of lending standards and prudential regulation. High leverage was the common theme in the budges of individuals, companies, financial institutions and even governments. High leverage led to the near-collapse of several banks and financial institutions in 2008 and 2009. Although the Great Recession was overcome with a heavy dose of monetary easing by central banks and fiscal stimulus by governments, it ultimately prepared the ground for the sovereign debt crisis. When banks tottered on the brink of collapse, the central banks bailed them out as the lender of last resort. Moreover, the governments recapitalized the banks with tax-payers’ money which imposed a severe strain on their own fiscal health. The taking over of the bad debts of the banks by the governments weakened government finances and turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of governments itself. As economic growth turned negative due to the Great Recession, the debt burden of several European countries appeared even more onerous. Global markets became wary of their high levels of deficits and debt. As the leverage cycle turned after nearly one and half decades debt intolerance heightened with almost complete ‘risk-off’ in global markets. Greece with a current account deficit of 13.6 percent and a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 160 percent became the first target of international speculators. This signalled the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. By 2011 the debt super-cycle led to the debt-GDP ratio in G-7 countries crossing 100 percent for the first time after World War II. Thus, one way or the other the Great Recession paved the way for the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (Sourced from Whither Euro-Zone by Radha Shyam Rathor)

What turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of the governments?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Global Financial Crisis which began in 2007 led to the Great Recession. It took some unconventional and radical steps such as quantitative easing and bank bailouts to ward-off the dreaded threat of a second Great Depression. The year 2010 witnessed a good recovery raising hopes that things were getting back to normal. However, the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in late 2010 cast a continuing doubt regarding the nature of the global economy in general and the Euro-Zone in particular. If the Great Recession had prompted a rethink regarding some of the established ideas in economics, finance and public policy, the Euro-Zone crisis has gone a step further in raising issues which are as much politico-socio-cultural as economic and financial. To assess where the Euro-Zone might go from here needs an examination of the basic fundamental factors leading to the crisis.
With the Euro-Zone crisis surfaced several deep-rooted problems that date back to the early years of this century, more or less the same period during which the excesses that resulted in the Great Recession were built up. The surge in global liquidity due to a prolonged period of easy monetary policy had led to a relentless rise in asset prices that encouraged not only sub-prime mortgage lending in USA but also a pile up of debt in the European countries. In the Western world, ‘unprecedented leverage, massive debt creation, and a seemingly infinite sense of credit entitlement prevailed. Financial excesses became the rule rather than the exception, facilitated by financial innovation and the erosion of lending standards and prudential regulation. High leverage was the common theme in the budges of individuals, companies, financial institutions and even governments. High leverage led to the near-collapse of several banks and financial institutions in 2008 and 2009. Although the Great Recession was overcome with a heavy dose of monetary easing by central banks and fiscal stimulus by governments, it ultimately prepared the ground for the sovereign debt crisis. When banks tottered on the brink of collapse, the central banks bailed them out as the lender of last resort. Moreover, the governments recapitalized the banks with tax-payers’ money which imposed a severe strain on their own fiscal health. The taking over of the bad debts of the banks by the governments weakened government finances and turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of governments itself. As economic growth turned negative due to the Great Recession, the debt burden of several European countries appeared even more onerous. Global markets became wary of their high levels of deficits and debt. As the leverage cycle turned after nearly one and half decades debt intolerance heightened with almost complete ‘risk-off’ in global markets. Greece with a current account deficit of 13.6 percent and a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 160 percent became the first target of international speculators. This signalled the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. By 2011 the debt super-cycle led to the debt-GDP ratio in G-7 countries crossing 100 percent for the first time after World War II. Thus, one way or the other the Great Recession paved the way for the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (Sourced from Whither Euro-Zone by Radha Shyam Rathor)

From the accounts given of the economic slowdown and euro-zone crisis, it would seem

1. the crisis was blown out of proportion
2. it was a man made crisis, waiting to happen
3. the wrong economic policies largely contributed to it
4. the basic fundamental factors were grossly overlooked

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Global Financial Crisis which began in 2007 led to the Great Recession. It took some unconventional and radical steps such as quantitative easing and bank bailouts to ward-off the dreaded threat of a second Great Depression. The year 2010 witnessed a good recovery raising hopes that things were getting back to normal. However, the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in late 2010 cast a continuing doubt regarding the nature of the global economy in general and the Euro-Zone in particular. If the Great Recession had prompted a rethink regarding some of the established ideas in economics, finance and public policy, the Euro-Zone crisis has gone a step further in raising issues which are as much politico-socio-cultural as economic and financial. To assess where the Euro-Zone might go from here needs an examination of the basic fundamental factors leading to the crisis.
With the Euro-Zone crisis surfaced several deep-rooted problems that date back to the early years of this century, more or less the same period during which the excesses that resulted in the Great Recession were built up. The surge in global liquidity due to a prolonged period of easy monetary policy had led to a relentless rise in asset prices that encouraged not only sub-prime mortgage lending in USA but also a pile up of debt in the European countries. In the Western world, ‘unprecedented leverage, massive debt creation, and a seemingly infinite sense of credit entitlement prevailed. Financial excesses became the rule rather than the exception, facilitated by financial innovation and the erosion of lending standards and prudential regulation. High leverage was the common theme in the budges of individuals, companies, financial institutions and even governments. High leverage led to the near-collapse of several banks and financial institutions in 2008 and 2009. Although the Great Recession was overcome with a heavy dose of monetary easing by central banks and fiscal stimulus by governments, it ultimately prepared the ground for the sovereign debt crisis. When banks tottered on the brink of collapse, the central banks bailed them out as the lender of last resort. Moreover, the governments recapitalized the banks with tax-payers’ money which imposed a severe strain on their own fiscal health. The taking over of the bad debts of the banks by the governments weakened government finances and turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of governments itself. As economic growth turned negative due to the Great Recession, the debt burden of several European countries appeared even more onerous. Global markets became wary of their high levels of deficits and debt. As the leverage cycle turned after nearly one and half decades debt intolerance heightened with almost complete ‘risk-off’ in global markets. Greece with a current account deficit of 13.6 percent and a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 160 percent became the first target of international speculators. This signalled the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. By 2011 the debt super-cycle led to the debt-GDP ratio in G-7 countries crossing 100 percent for the first time after World War II. Thus, one way or the other the Great Recession paved the way for the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (Sourced from Whither Euro-Zone by Radha Shyam Rathor)

What comes out as the central theme of this essay?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The cat was made for love and warmth and softness. These bring out all her best qualities. She is nearest perfection sleeping in a fluffy coil by the fire, secure of the same warmth in one human heart. We must let sleeping dogs lie, but we can bury our face in a sleeping cat and she stirs only to purr. No waking thoughts were ever more innocent. She is as near as heaven as we can get on earth, blissful, quiet, content. She alone of animals knows how to luxuriate in perfect rest. As she lies in a bath of firelight, listening to the flames, breathing her low contented hum, she does not have to consider getting out and drying herself, but lays her mind to rock on a stream of gentle truthfulness. And when this beautiful petted cat awakes with a wide yawn, and stretches herself bit by bit as if to bring her wandering spirit back by some elaborate conjuror’s trick, she wakes to the life for which she is perfectly fitted. The cat needs human affection. It is not like a rabbit, pleased to eat and frisk in lonely nature and the farther from human notice the better, nor like a sparrow or a mouse, attracted to the haunts of man by crumbs. The wild domestic cat that dodges round corners or bolts up trees, whose claw is against every man and whom every dog chases, is not the natural un-reclaimed cat, but a poor outcast from its natural heritage. Deprived of its security in man’s love the cat becomes almost a nerve-shattered maniac; and yet a little affection will turn it into the fluffy darling.
Not instinct, but experience, makes animals afraid. The young thrush comes within a yard as we sit chatting on the garden seat. Old birds trust us less, except in a land of Buddha. The scared cat is circumstantial evidence of our brutality. Even cats and dogs have no natural antipathy. They get the reputation for it because their habits in the streets are complementary; the cat runs and the dog chases. Not once in a thousand dogs would know what to do with the cat if he caught her. When a cat strikes an attitude in his path, the dog draws round her a polite circle. In a state of nature they would live in perfect amity. A kitten and a puppy greet each other with unguarded trust. Dogs usually become catters only through thoughtlessness or the sporting instinct of their owners. Though always ready to chase anything that runs, they have much kindlier nature than men. A retriever puppy will watch a rabbit hop leisurely across the lawn within ten yards of him, who never saw one dart along the road without giving a chase. An Irish terrier was seen the other day playing with a mouse, and, till the little creature bit his too inquisitive nose, no instinct prompted him to kill it. The same terrier chased the flying beech leaves as if he would catch Autumn before he stopped. If dogs and cats are born with an ultimate hunting instinct, as many blue-eyed babies will ultimately have brown eyes, they certainly start life innocent.
Although cats do not learn tricks invented by their frivolous owners, they adapt themselves very quickly to strange circumstances. Cats imported into Jamaica cleared the country of vermin so effectively that they soon left nothing to eat but insects, and on these, an occasional appetizer in their natural diet, they now live. (The Cat by Katherine M. Wilson)

What is the conclusion drawn by the author about the Great Recession and about its impact on the economic slowdown?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Global Financial Crisis which began in 2007 led to the Great Recession. It took some unconventional and radical steps such as quantitative easing and bank bailouts to ward-off the dreaded threat of a second Great Depression. The year 2010 witnessed a good recovery raising hopes that things were getting back to normal. However, the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in late 2010 cast a continuing doubt regarding the nature of the global economy in general and the Euro-Zone in particular. If the Great Recession had prompted a rethink regarding some of the established ideas in economics, finance and public policy, the Euro-Zone crisis has gone a step further in raising issues which are as much politico-socio-cultural as economic and financial. To assess where the Euro-Zone might go from here needs an examination of the basic fundamental factors leading to the crisis.
With the Euro-Zone crisis surfaced several deep-rooted problems that date back to the early years of this century, more or less the same period during which the excesses that resulted in the Great Recession were built up. The surge in global liquidity due to a prolonged period of easy monetary policy had led to a relentless rise in asset prices that encouraged not only sub-prime mortgage lending in USA but also a pile up of debt in the European countries. In the Western world, ‘unprecedented leverage, massive debt creation, and a seemingly infinite sense of credit entitlement prevailed. Financial excesses became the rule rather than the exception, facilitated by financial innovation and the erosion of lending standards and prudential regulation. High leverage was the common theme in the budges of individuals, companies, financial institutions and even governments. High leverage led to the near-collapse of several banks and financial institutions in 2008 and 2009. Although the Great Recession was overcome with a heavy dose of monetary easing by central banks and fiscal stimulus by governments, it ultimately prepared the ground for the sovereign debt crisis. When banks tottered on the brink of collapse, the central banks bailed them out as the lender of last resort. Moreover, the governments recapitalized the banks with tax-payers’ money which imposed a severe strain on their own fiscal health. The taking over of the bad debts of the banks by the governments weakened government finances and turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of governments itself. As economic growth turned negative due to the Great Recession, the debt burden of several European countries appeared even more onerous. Global markets became wary of their high levels of deficits and debt. As the leverage cycle turned after nearly one and half decades debt intolerance heightened with almost complete ‘risk-off’ in global markets. Greece with a current account deficit of 13.6 percent and a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 160 percent became the first target of international speculators. This signalled the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. By 2011 the debt super-cycle led to the debt-GDP ratio in G-7 countries crossing 100 percent for the first time after World War II. Thus, one way or the other the Great Recession paved the way for the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (Sourced from Whither Euro-Zone by Radha Shyam Rathor)

A survey, however methodical and painstaking, can, according to the passage, also be

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A survey of language, however superficial, makes it evident that when we speak of style, we have to take into account those qualities of national character which are embodied in national speech. If two men could be born of precisely the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at precisely the same moment of history, and under precisely the same social conditions; and if these men learned different languages in the cradle, and used those languages in after life, they would be unable to deliver exactly the same message to the world through literature. The dominant qualities of each mother-tongue would impose definite limitations on their power of expressing thoughts, however similar or identical those thoughts might be.
We cannot conceive two men born with the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at the same moment, under precisely the same conditions, and using the same language. They would be identical; and everything they uttered would be clothed with exactly the same words. The absurdity of this conception brings home to us the second aspect of style. Style is not merely a sign of those national qualities which are generic to established languages, and which constitute the genius of a race. It is also the sign of personal qualities, specific to individuals, which constitute the genius of a man.  Whatever a man utters from his heart and head is the index of his character. The more remarkable a person is, the more strongly he is differentiated from the average of human beings, the more salient will be the characteristic notes of his expression. But even the commonest people have, each of them, a specific style. The marks of difference become microscopical as we descend from Dante or Shakespeare to the drudges of the clerk’s desk in one of our great cities. Yet these marks exist, and are no less significant of individuality than the variations between leaf and leaf upon the lime-trees of an avenue.
It may be asked whether the manner of expression peculiar to any person is a complete index of his character—whether, in other words, there is ‘an art to find the mind’s construction’ in the style. Not altogether and exhaustively. Not all the actions and the utterances of an individual betray the secret of his personality. You may live with men and women through years, by day, by night, yet you will never know the whole about them. No human being knows the whole about himself.
The deliberate attitude adopted by a literary writer implies circumspection; invites suppression, reservation, selection; is compatible with affection, dissimulation, hypocrisy. So much cannot be claimed for critical analysis as for that we should pretend to reproduce a man’s soul after close examination of his work. What we may assert with confidence is that the qualities of style are intimately connected with the qualities and limitations of the writer, and teach us much about him. He wrote thus and thus, because this or this. In the exercise of style it is impossible for anyone to transcend his inborn and acquired faculties of ideation, imagination, sense-perception, verbal expression—just as it is impossible in the exercise of strength for an athlete to transcend the limits of his physical structure, powers of innervations, dexterity, and courage. The work of art produced by a writer is therefore, of necessity, complexioned and determined by the inborn and acquired faculties of the individual. This is what we mean by the hackneyed epigram: ‘Le style c’est l’homme. ’ This means ‘style is the man.’ (From Personal Style by JA Symonds)

According to the passage, a mother tongue

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A survey of language, however superficial, makes it evident that when we speak of style, we have to take into account those qualities of national character which are embodied in national speech. If two men could be born of precisely the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at precisely the same moment of history, and under precisely the same social conditions; and if these men learned different languages in the cradle, and used those languages in after life, they would be unable to deliver exactly the same message to the world through literature. The dominant qualities of each mother-tongue would impose definite limitations on their power of expressing thoughts, however similar or identical those thoughts might be.
We cannot conceive two men born with the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at the same moment, under precisely the same conditions, and using the same language. They would be identical; and everything they uttered would be clothed with exactly the same words. The absurdity of this conception brings home to us the second aspect of style. Style is not merely a sign of those national qualities which are generic to established languages, and which constitute the genius of a race. It is also the sign of personal qualities, specific to individuals, which constitute the genius of a man.  Whatever a man utters from his heart and head is the index of his character. The more remarkable a person is, the more strongly he is differentiated from the average of human beings, the more salient will be the characteristic notes of his expression. But even the commonest people have, each of them, a specific style. The marks of difference become microscopical as we descend from Dante or Shakespeare to the drudges of the clerk’s desk in one of our great cities. Yet these marks exist, and are no less significant of individuality than the variations between leaf and leaf upon the lime-trees of an avenue.
It may be asked whether the manner of expression peculiar to any person is a complete index of his character—whether, in other words, there is ‘an art to find the mind’s construction’ in the style. Not altogether and exhaustively. Not all the actions and the utterances of an individual betray the secret of his personality. You may live with men and women through years, by day, by night, yet you will never know the whole about them. No human being knows the whole about himself.
The deliberate attitude adopted by a literary writer implies circumspection; invites suppression, reservation, selection; is compatible with affection, dissimulation, hypocrisy. So much cannot be claimed for critical analysis as for that we should pretend to reproduce a man’s soul after close examination of his work. What we may assert with confidence is that the qualities of style are intimately connected with the qualities and limitations of the writer, and teach us much about him. He wrote thus and thus, because this or this. In the exercise of style it is impossible for anyone to transcend his inborn and acquired faculties of ideation, imagination, sense-perception, verbal expression—just as it is impossible in the exercise of strength for an athlete to transcend the limits of his physical structure, powers of innervations, dexterity, and courage. The work of art produced by a writer is therefore, of necessity, complexioned and determined by the inborn and acquired faculties of the individual. This is what we mean by the hackneyed epigram: ‘Le style c’est l’homme. ’ This means ‘style is the man.’ (From Personal Style by JA Symonds)

Going by the author's exposition of the style, which of the following statements is untrue?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A survey of language, however superficial, makes it evident that when we speak of style, we have to take into account those qualities of national character which are embodied in national speech. If two men could be born of precisely the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at precisely the same moment of history, and under precisely the same social conditions; and if these men learned different languages in the cradle, and used those languages in after life, they would be unable to deliver exactly the same message to the world through literature. The dominant qualities of each mother-tongue would impose definite limitations on their power of expressing thoughts, however similar or identical those thoughts might be.
We cannot conceive two men born with the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at the same moment, under precisely the same conditions, and using the same language. They would be identical; and everything they uttered would be clothed with exactly the same words. The absurdity of this conception brings home to us the second aspect of style. Style is not merely a sign of those national qualities which are generic to established languages, and which constitute the genius of a race. It is also the sign of personal qualities, specific to individuals, which constitute the genius of a man.  Whatever a man utters from his heart and head is the index of his character. The more remarkable a person is, the more strongly he is differentiated from the average of human beings, the more salient will be the characteristic notes of his expression. But even the commonest people have, each of them, a specific style. The marks of difference become microscopical as we descend from Dante or Shakespeare to the drudges of the clerk’s desk in one of our great cities. Yet these marks exist, and are no less significant of individuality than the variations between leaf and leaf upon the lime-trees of an avenue.
It may be asked whether the manner of expression peculiar to any person is a complete index of his character—whether, in other words, there is ‘an art to find the mind’s construction’ in the style. Not altogether and exhaustively. Not all the actions and the utterances of an individual betray the secret of his personality. You may live with men and women through years, by day, by night, yet you will never know the whole about them. No human being knows the whole about himself.
The deliberate attitude adopted by a literary writer implies circumspection; invites suppression, reservation, selection; is compatible with affection, dissimulation, hypocrisy. So much cannot be claimed for critical analysis as for that we should pretend to reproduce a man’s soul after close examination of his work. What we may assert with confidence is that the qualities of style are intimately connected with the qualities and limitations of the writer, and teach us much about him. He wrote thus and thus, because this or this. In the exercise of style it is impossible for anyone to transcend his inborn and acquired faculties of ideation, imagination, sense-perception, verbal expression—just as it is impossible in the exercise of strength for an athlete to transcend the limits of his physical structure, powers of innervations, dexterity, and courage. The work of art produced by a writer is therefore, of necessity, complexioned and determined by the inborn and acquired faculties of the individual. This is what we mean by the hackneyed epigram: ‘Le style c’est l’homme. ’ This means ‘style is the man.’ (From Personal Style by JA Symonds)

What is the main idea of the passage?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

A survey of language, however superficial, makes it evident that when we speak of style, we have to take into account those qualities of national character which are embodied in national speech. If two men could be born of precisely the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at precisely the same moment of history, and under precisely the same social conditions; and if these men learned different languages in the cradle, and used those languages in after life, they would be unable to deliver exactly the same message to the world through literature. The dominant qualities of each mother-tongue would impose definite limitations on their power of expressing thoughts, however similar or identical those thoughts might be.
We cannot conceive two men born with the same physical, mental, and moral nature, at the same moment, under precisely the same conditions, and using the same language. They would be identical; and everything they uttered would be clothed with exactly the same words. The absurdity of this conception brings home to us the second aspect of style. Style is not merely a sign of those national qualities which are generic to established languages, and which constitute the genius of a race. It is also the sign of personal qualities, specific to individuals, which constitute the genius of a man.  Whatever a man utters from his heart and head is the index of his character. The more remarkable a person is, the more strongly he is differentiated from the average of human beings, the more salient will be the characteristic notes of his expression. But even the commonest people have, each of them, a specific style. The marks of difference become microscopical as we descend from Dante or Shakespeare to the drudges of the clerk’s desk in one of our great cities. Yet these marks exist, and are no less significant of individuality than the variations between leaf and leaf upon the lime-trees of an avenue.
It may be asked whether the manner of expression peculiar to any person is a complete index of his character—whether, in other words, there is ‘an art to find the mind’s construction’ in the style. Not altogether and exhaustively. Not all the actions and the utterances of an individual betray the secret of his personality. You may live with men and women through years, by day, by night, yet you will never know the whole about them. No human being knows the whole about himself.
The deliberate attitude adopted by a literary writer implies circumspection; invites suppression, reservation, selection; is compatible with affection, dissimulation, hypocrisy. So much cannot be claimed for critical analysis as for that we should pretend to reproduce a man’s soul after close examination of his work. What we may assert with confidence is that the qualities of style are intimately connected with the qualities and limitations of the writer, and teach us much about him. He wrote thus and thus, because this or this. In the exercise of style it is impossible for anyone to transcend his inborn and acquired faculties of ideation, imagination, sense-perception, verbal expression—just as it is impossible in the exercise of strength for an athlete to transcend the limits of his physical structure, powers of innervations, dexterity, and courage. The work of art produced by a writer is therefore, of necessity, complexioned and determined by the inborn and acquired faculties of the individual. This is what we mean by the hackneyed epigram: ‘Le style c’est l’homme. ’ This means ‘style is the man.’ (From Personal Style by JA Symonds)

What, according to the passage, could turn a nerve-shattering maniac into a fluffy darling?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The cat was made for love and warmth and softness. These bring out all her best qualities. She is nearest perfection sleeping in a fluffy coil by the fire, secure of the same warmth in one human heart. We must let sleeping dogs lie, but we can bury our face in a sleeping cat and she stirs only to purr. No waking thoughts were ever more innocent. She is as near as heaven as we can get on earth, blissful, quiet, content. She alone of animals knows how to luxuriate in perfect rest. As she lies in a bath of firelight, listening to the flames, breathing her low contented hum, she does not have to consider getting out and drying herself, but lays her mind to rock on a stream of gentle truthfulness. And when this beautiful petted cat awakes with a wide yawn, and stretches herself bit by bit as if to bring her wandering spirit back by some elaborate conjuror’s trick, she wakes to the life for which she is perfectly fitted. The cat needs human affection. It is not like a rabbit, pleased to eat and frisk in lonely nature and the farther from human notice the better, nor like a sparrow or a mouse, attracted to the haunts of man by crumbs. The wild domestic cat that dodges round corners or bolts up trees, whose claw is against every man and whom every dog chases, is not the natural un-reclaimed cat, but a poor outcast from its natural heritage. Deprived of its security in man’s love the cat becomes almost a nerve-shattered maniac; and yet a little affection will turn it into the fluffy darling.
Not instinct, but experience, makes animals afraid. The young thrush comes within a yard as we sit chatting on the garden seat. Old birds trust us less, except in a land of Buddha. The scared cat is circumstantial evidence of our brutality. Even cats and dogs have no natural antipathy. They get the reputation for it because their habits in the streets are complementary; the cat runs and the dog chases. Not once in a thousand dogs would know what to do with the cat if he caught her. When a cat strikes an attitude in his path, the dog draws round her a polite circle. In a state of nature they would live in perfect amity. A kitten and a puppy greet each other with unguarded trust. Dogs usually become catters only through thoughtlessness or the sporting instinct of their owners. Though always ready to chase anything that runs, they have much kindlier nature than men. A retriever puppy will watch a rabbit hop leisurely across the lawn within ten yards of him, who never saw one dart along the road without giving a chase. An Irish terrier was seen the other day playing with a mouse, and, till the little creature bit his too inquisitive nose, no instinct prompted him to kill it. The same terrier chased the flying beech leaves as if he would catch Autumn before he stopped. If dogs and cats are born with an ultimate hunting instinct, as many blue-eyed babies will ultimately have brown eyes, they certainly start life innocent.
Although cats do not learn tricks invented by their frivolous owners, they adapt themselves very quickly to strange circumstances. Cats imported into Jamaica cleared the country of vermin so effectively that they soon left nothing to eat but insects, and on these, an occasional appetizer in their natural diet, they now live. (The Cat by Katherine M. Wilson)

Which of the following observations is directly attributable to the author?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Global Financial Crisis which began in 2007 led to the Great Recession. It took some unconventional and radical steps such as quantitative easing and bank bailouts to ward-off the dreaded threat of a second Great Depression. The year 2010 witnessed a good recovery raising hopes that things were getting back to normal. However, the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe in late 2010 cast a continuing doubt regarding the nature of the global economy in general and the Euro-Zone in particular. If the Great Recession had prompted a rethink regarding some of the established ideas in economics, finance and public policy, the Euro-Zone crisis has gone a step further in raising issues which are as much politico-socio-cultural as economic and financial. To assess where the Euro-Zone might go from here needs an examination of the basic fundamental factors leading to the crisis.
With the Euro-Zone crisis surfaced several deep-rooted problems that date back to the early years of this century, more or less the same period during which the excesses that resulted in the Great Recession were built up. The surge in global liquidity due to a prolonged period of easy monetary policy had led to a relentless rise in asset prices that encouraged not only sub-prime mortgage lending in USA but also a pile up of debt in the European countries. In the Western world, ‘unprecedented leverage, massive debt creation, and a seemingly infinite sense of credit entitlement prevailed. Financial excesses became the rule rather than the exception, facilitated by financial innovation and the erosion of lending standards and prudential regulation. High leverage was the common theme in the budges of individuals, companies, financial institutions and even governments. High leverage led to the near-collapse of several banks and financial institutions in 2008 and 2009. Although the Great Recession was overcome with a heavy dose of monetary easing by central banks and fiscal stimulus by governments, it ultimately prepared the ground for the sovereign debt crisis. When banks tottered on the brink of collapse, the central banks bailed them out as the lender of last resort. Moreover, the governments recapitalized the banks with tax-payers’ money which imposed a severe strain on their own fiscal health. The taking over of the bad debts of the banks by the governments weakened government finances and turned the spotlight on the credit worthiness of governments itself. As economic growth turned negative due to the Great Recession, the debt burden of several European countries appeared even more onerous. Global markets became wary of their high levels of deficits and debt. As the leverage cycle turned after nearly one and half decades debt intolerance heightened with almost complete ‘risk-off’ in global markets. Greece with a current account deficit of 13.6 percent and a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 160 percent became the first target of international speculators. This signalled the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. By 2011 the debt super-cycle led to the debt-GDP ratio in G-7 countries crossing 100 percent for the first time after World War II. Thus, one way or the other the Great Recession paved the way for the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (Sourced from Whither Euro-Zone by Radha Shyam Rathor)

Why does the author say that the scared cat is circumstantial evidence of our brutality?
A. Experiences have taught them to be wary of men.
B. Experiences of our occasional brutality tend to scare them away.
C. It is not their instinct but experiences with humans that make them scary.

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The cat was made for love and warmth and softness. These bring out all her best qualities. She is nearest perfection sleeping in a fluffy coil by the fire, secure of the same warmth in one human heart. We must let sleeping dogs lie, but we can bury our face in a sleeping cat and she stirs only to purr. No waking thoughts were ever more innocent. She is as near as heaven as we can get on earth, blissful, quiet, content. She alone of animals knows how to luxuriate in perfect rest. As she lies in a bath of firelight, listening to the flames, breathing her low contented hum, she does not have to consider getting out and drying herself, but lays her mind to rock on a stream of gentle truthfulness. And when this beautiful petted cat awakes with a wide yawn, and stretches herself bit by bit as if to bring her wandering spirit back by some elaborate conjuror’s trick, she wakes to the life for which she is perfectly fitted. The cat needs human affection. It is not like a rabbit, pleased to eat and frisk in lonely nature and the farther from human notice the better, nor like a sparrow or a mouse, attracted to the haunts of man by crumbs. The wild domestic cat that dodges round corners or bolts up trees, whose claw is against every man and whom every dog chases, is not the natural un-reclaimed cat, but a poor outcast from its natural heritage. Deprived of its security in man’s love the cat becomes almost a nerve-shattered maniac; and yet a little affection will turn it into the fluffy darling.
Not instinct, but experience, makes animals afraid. The young thrush comes within a yard as we sit chatting on the garden seat. Old birds trust us less, except in a land of Buddha. The scared cat is circumstantial evidence of our brutality. Even cats and dogs have no natural antipathy. They get the reputation for it because their habits in the streets are complementary; the cat runs and the dog chases. Not once in a thousand dogs would know what to do with the cat if he caught her. When a cat strikes an attitude in his path, the dog draws round her a polite circle. In a state of nature they would live in perfect amity. A kitten and a puppy greet each other with unguarded trust. Dogs usually become catters only through thoughtlessness or the sporting instinct of their owners. Though always ready to chase anything that runs, they have much kindlier nature than men. A retriever puppy will watch a rabbit hop leisurely across the lawn within ten yards of him, who never saw one dart along the road without giving a chase. An Irish terrier was seen the other day playing with a mouse, and, till the little creature bit his too inquisitive nose, no instinct prompted him to kill it. The same terrier chased the flying beech leaves as if he would catch Autumn before he stopped. If dogs and cats are born with an ultimate hunting instinct, as many blue-eyed babies will ultimately have brown eyes, they certainly start life innocent.
Although cats do not learn tricks invented by their frivolous owners, they adapt themselves very quickly to strange circumstances. Cats imported into Jamaica cleared the country of vermin so effectively that they soon left nothing to eat but insects, and on these, an occasional appetizer in their natural diet, they now live. (The Cat by Katherine M. Wilson)

What lends support to the author’s assertion in the passage that dogs are not the natural enemies of cats?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The cat was made for love and warmth and softness. These bring out all her best qualities. She is nearest perfection sleeping in a fluffy coil by the fire, secure of the same warmth in one human heart. We must let sleeping dogs lie, but we can bury our face in a sleeping cat and she stirs only to purr. No waking thoughts were ever more innocent. She is as near as heaven as we can get on earth, blissful, quiet, content. She alone of animals knows how to luxuriate in perfect rest. As she lies in a bath of firelight, listening to the flames, breathing her low contented hum, she does not have to consider getting out and drying herself, but lays her mind to rock on a stream of gentle truthfulness. And when this beautiful petted cat awakes with a wide yawn, and stretches herself bit by bit as if to bring her wandering spirit back by some elaborate conjuror’s trick, she wakes to the life for which she is perfectly fitted. The cat needs human affection. It is not like a rabbit, pleased to eat and frisk in lonely nature and the farther from human notice the better, nor like a sparrow or a mouse, attracted to the haunts of man by crumbs. The wild domestic cat that dodges round corners or bolts up trees, whose claw is against every man and whom every dog chases, is not the natural un-reclaimed cat, but a poor outcast from its natural heritage. Deprived of its security in man’s love the cat becomes almost a nerve-shattered maniac; and yet a little affection will turn it into the fluffy darling.
Not instinct, but experience, makes animals afraid. The young thrush comes within a yard as we sit chatting on the garden seat. Old birds trust us less, except in a land of Buddha. The scared cat is circumstantial evidence of our brutality. Even cats and dogs have no natural antipathy. They get the reputation for it because their habits in the streets are complementary; the cat runs and the dog chases. Not once in a thousand dogs would know what to do with the cat if he caught her. When a cat strikes an attitude in his path, the dog draws round her a polite circle. In a state of nature they would live in perfect amity. A kitten and a puppy greet each other with unguarded trust. Dogs usually become catters only through thoughtlessness or the sporting instinct of their owners. Though always ready to chase anything that runs, they have much kindlier nature than men. A retriever puppy will watch a rabbit hop leisurely across the lawn within ten yards of him, who never saw one dart along the road without giving a chase. An Irish terrier was seen the other day playing with a mouse, and, till the little creature bit his too inquisitive nose, no instinct prompted him to kill it. The same terrier chased the flying beech leaves as if he would catch Autumn before he stopped. If dogs and cats are born with an ultimate hunting instinct, as many blue-eyed babies will ultimately have brown eyes, they certainly start life innocent.
Although cats do not learn tricks invented by their frivolous owners, they adapt themselves very quickly to strange circumstances. Cats imported into Jamaica cleared the country of vermin so effectively that they soon left nothing to eat but insects, and on these, an occasional appetizer in their natural diet, they now live. (The Cat by Katherine M. Wilson)