English Language

English Reading Comprehension

3,503 Questions

English reading comprehension questions assess the ability to understand, analyze, and interpret written passages. Formats include paragraph rearrangement, cloze tests, and fact finding from text. Regular practice is essential for scoring well in the English sections of banking, SSC, and railway exams.

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English Reading Comprehension Questions

Multiple choice

What does he do to protect himself in the future?

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the following question:

A jobless man applied for the position of an office boy at a very big firm. The HR manager interviewed him and said, “You are hired." He then said, "Give me your email address and I’ll send you the application to fill as well as the details of when you will start." The man replied, “I don’t have a computer, neither an email." "I’m sorry", said the HR manager, "if you don’t have an email, you cannot have the job.”  The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do. With a capital of only 10 US dollars in his pocket, he decided to go to the supermarket and buy a tomato crate of 10 kg. He sold the tomatoes door to door and made 60 US dollars. The man started the same business to survive. Soon he became one of the biggest food retailers in the US. One day he called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.” The broker replied curiously, "You don’t have an email and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" The man thought for a while and replied, "An office boy!” The moral of the story is that the internet is not the solution to your life.

  1. He calls an insurance broker and chooses a protection plan.

  2. He calls a broker.

  3. He goes to the insurance agency.

  4. He calls the police.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

How much money does the man have after selling tomatoes for the first time?

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the following question:

A jobless man applied for the position of an office boy at a very big firm. The HR manager interviewed him and said, “You are hired." He then said, "Give me your email address and I’ll send you the application to fill as well as the details of when you will start." The man replied, “I don’t have a computer, neither an email." "I’m sorry", said the HR manager, "if you don’t have an email, you cannot have the job.”  The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do. With a capital of only 10 US dollars in his pocket, he decided to go to the supermarket and buy a tomato crate of 10 kg. He sold the tomatoes door to door and made 60 US dollars. The man started the same business to survive. Soon he became one of the biggest food retailers in the US. One day he called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.” The broker replied curiously, "You don’t have an email and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" The man thought for a while and replied, "An office boy!” The moral of the story is that the internet is not the solution to your life.

  1. He has 3 times the money he had at first.

  2. He has 6 times the money he had at first.

  3. He has the same amount of money that he had at first.

  4. He has 4 times the money he had at first.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

What could the man have been if he had an email?

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the following question:

A jobless man applied for the position of an office boy at a very big firm. The HR manager interviewed him and said, “You are hired." He then said, "Give me your email address and I’ll send you the application to fill as well as the details of when you will start." The man replied, “I don’t have a computer, neither an email." "I’m sorry", said the HR manager, "if you don’t have an email, you cannot have the job.”  The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do. With a capital of only 10 US dollars in his pocket, he decided to go to the supermarket and buy a tomato crate of 10 kg. He sold the tomatoes door to door and made 60 US dollars. The man started the same business to survive. Soon he became one of the biggest food retailers in the US. One day he called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.” The broker replied curiously, "You don’t have an email and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" The man thought for a while and replied, "An office boy!” The moral of the story is that the internet is not the solution to your life.

  1. He could have been a businessman.

  2. He could have been an office boy.

  3. He could have been an agent.

  4. He could have been a manager.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

What happened to Twishar in the end when he had thought of a plan to dethrone Raja Shankara?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. He was beaten up by the King for having cheated him

  2. He was very apologetic for his behaviour

  3. He at last managed to be crowned the King after successfully implementing his plan

  4. He fell down a flight of steps and broke both his legs

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Given in the last paragraph

Multiple choice

What did Raja Shankara's wife think about the Raja's peculiar behaviour that particular day?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. She was afraid that something really bad had happened

  2. She was afraid that the Raja would beat her up because of his unusual mood

  3. She thought that he was in his usual sour mood

  4. She thought that the Raja had received threats to his life from his servants

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Given in the third paragraph.

Multiple choice

What plan did Twishar have with regard to the Raja?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. He planned to take over the Raja's throne through devious means

  2. He was a loyal servant to the Raja and always had his best interests in mind

  3. He had plans to provoking the Raja into ruling the Kingdom in more wicked ways

  4. He planned to kill the Raja with the help of the Raja's servants

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Given clearly in the second paragraph.

Multiple choice

What was the reason for Raja Shankara's change in behaviour?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. His advisor's words had made him realize his mistake

  2. He had felt bad for a poor family on his tour around his kingdom

  3. His wife had betrayed him and hence he was upset

  4. He had realized that doing good to people would bring good to him

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'Evil begets evil' in second-last paragraph defines the reason.

Multiple choice

What did the dog do to the cat?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. The dog chased the cat and sent it in the man's direction

  2. The dog bit the cat's leg and crippled her for life

  3. The dog killed the cat

  4. Not mentioned in the passage

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Given in the third-last paragraph of passage.

Multiple choice

What proclamation did the Raja make to his subjects?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. That he was giving up his throne for the betterment of the Kingdom

  2. That his advisor would be the King from then on

  3. That he would be a better King to them than he had been all this while

  4. That his subjects were not good enough to deserve better treatment than what was already being meted out to them

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Given explicitly in the fourth paragraph of the passage.

Multiple choice

How can Raja Shankara be described before his transformation? (A) He was unjust. (B) He was preoccupied with himself. (C) He was cruel.

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. Only (A)

  2. Only (B)

  3. Only (C)

  4. Only (A) and (B)

  5. All the three (A), (B) and (C)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The first paragraph gives a hint towards the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Why did Twishar think that this was the best time to dethrone the Raja?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. As the Raja was sick, ailing and was on his deathbed

  2. As he knew that the Raja had finally lost his mind

  3. As he knew that the Raja had become a soft-natured person and would not attempt to fight

  4. As he was sure that he would be able to convince the people of the kingdom that the Raja had become weak

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

First two lines of the last paragraph

Multiple choice

What can possibly be the moral of the story?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. Believe in yourself

  2. Money is not everything in life

  3. Don't trust people

  4. Better late than never

  5. As you sow so shall you reap
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Phrase 'Evil begets evil' and the incident that took place with the person who planned to dethrone explain the moral of the story to be 'as you sow so shall you reap'.

Multiple choice

How did Raja Shankara (before he changed into a good person) treat all his servants if they interrupted him?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering the question.

Once upon a time there lived a vicious king, Raja Shankara - short-tempered and temperamental. "God I am'", he said to his image as he stared into the mirror everyday, many times a day. He was obsessed with himself. He loved noone but himself. He was blinded towards the injustice in his kingdom because he had little time for his subjects. He wasted most of his time in pouring milk and honey over himself.

Interruption in his possessed life was dealt with stern reprimanding and sometimes on petty issues he would behead his servants. Provoked by his evil advisor Twishar, he went on with his self-indulged life, unaware of the plot his very devoted advisor was planning. A plot to dethrone the king, rule the kingdom with his wicked ways only to harness wealth and the reputation of a King.

 One morning the king was on his usual morning horseback rounds but returned to the palace with an intense look on his face. He locked himself inside his palatial room only to unlock it at sundown. Just as the doors cracked open and Raja Shankara emerged from it, his wife rushed to embrace him. She feared a damaging incident had occurred.

The king spoke seldom that day and awoke the next day to make a proclamation to his servants and subjects. The whole kingdom feared what was in store for them from their angry king. But to their surprise he said to all gathered, "From now on I will be a different king. A softer and a patient king.”

True to his words from that day onwards, the king had truly turned on a new leaf; he cleaned out the corruption and injustice in a tender manner with punishments aimed to renew the person from within.

One fine day his evil advisor gathered courage to ask the reason for his paradigm shift. And the king answered, "When I went on horseback that morning a month ago, I noticed a dog brutally chasing a cat. The cat managed to sneak into a hole only after the dog bit her leg, maiming her for life. Not far, the dog barked at a farmer who picked up a sharp stone and hit it straight in the dog's eye. Bleeding profusely, the dog yelped in pain. As the farmer walked on, he slipped on the edge of the road and broke his head.

All this happened in a matter of minutes before me and then I realized that evil begets evil. I thought about it deeply and was ready to give up my worldly life for the betterment of my subjects. I wanted to give up evil in me as I did not want evil to encounter me."

Sniggering away, the immoral advisor thought what a perfect time it was to dethrone the king, because the king had grown kind hearted and patient and would not endeavour a combat. Thinking how he would plan his attack, he stumbled over a step that took him hurling down the remaining steps, bringing him stop with a crash. He howled in pain only to discover he had broken the bones in both his legs.

  1. He treated all his servants with respect

  2. He would often scold them and sometimes cut their heads off over trivial issues

  3. He would often dismiss them from their duties never to be reinstated

  4. He would often rob them of all their possessions

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Given in the second paragraph - behead the servants.

Multiple choice

The author attributes emergence of the new class of customers to ‘this transformation’. According to the passage ‘this transformation’ is

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

Indian banking has undergone a total transformation over the last decade. Moving seamlessly from a manual, scale-constrained environment to a technology-lending tradition, it has been a miracle. Nowhere in the world has such a transformation taken place in such a short span of time at such a low cost. The process began in 1999-2000, when a couple of banks signed their first core-banking transformation deal with Infosys. By 2009, about 50 banks with about 55,000 branches had completed the migration, offering their customers anywhere, anytime banking through various channels. Today, a consumer can go to an ATM across more than 44,000 locations, operate the bank account through the web, with instant reconciliation facility and all information available in a single database to help the decision makers.
Banking industry has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% during the last decade. It has grown by a factor of five times. Total deposits have grown by 4.8 times, assets by 6.6 times, income interest by 9.5 times and net-worth by 4.5 times. Employee strength has grown by a mere 5%. This is an incredible transformation of an industry with no parallel in country. During 2000-2009, the gross domestic product (GDP) nearly trebled from Rs. 19,25,000 crore to Rs. 54,75,000 crore. Return on assets (ROA) which varies between 0.25% and 1.5% worldwide has risen from 0.87% to 1.0% in 2009 in the country.
In contrast to most countries, in India retail deposit forms a sizeable chunk of gross domestic savings, creating a large potential for investment. The ratio of the total deposit to GDP, which stood at 44% in 2000, has now climbed to 74%. However, the credit to GDP ratio presents an opposite picture and at 55% India lags behind many countries whose banks lend more than the size of their economies. We also have to catch up with the world’s best run banks in the area of cost management. India’s cost-income ratio lies anywhere between 37% and 66% and it is no match for international benchmark of 30-35%.
But the transformation is remarkable and this transformation has largely been enabled by indigenously developed information technology tools. Looking forward, the journey becomes even more remarkable, possibly because of the technology transformation that the banking sector has undergone. Although impressive, these numbers pale into insignificance when compared to the projected growth in the customer base. As per an estimate, Indian banks will add another 400 million customer accounts in the next decade. The focus on financial inclusion will deepen with the government and the industry working together. This has enormous implications for the industry, which must scale up systems, processes and infrastructure as well as boost the employee productivity to manage such growth. Likewise, the industry must change its mindset and innovate to cater to the unique needs of the next generation consumers when, according to a demographic projection for 2019, 450 million Indians will be below the age of 20.
The emergence of the new class of customers is the result of this transformation process of the last decade. The emerging challenges call for a new, more dynamic, and aggressive and challenging banking culture which meets the demands of customer relationships, product differentiation, brand values, reputation, corporate governance and regulatory prescriptions. Every bank, depending on its strategy, will have to migrate to its best position in this new structure from the branch level itself. The basic aim of the above strategies will have to be to improve the business performance of the banks. The size of ubiquitous and mass market retail banking and entry of non-traditional players will result in both seeking to collaborate more. And banking will wear a totally new look as urban consumers use their hand-held devices in lieu of cash and their rural counterparts discover the benefits of smart cards and other plastic technologies.

  1. financial inclusion and consequent changes

  2. the improved employee productivity

  3. shift from manual to a technology-lending tradition

  4. dynamic, aggressive and challenging banking culture

  5. mass market retail banking
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

It is the seamless movement from manual banking to a technology-lending regime or tradition that is referred as ‘this transformation’. This is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Which of the following demands, according to the passage, are required to be met by the challenging banking culture?

  1. Brand values
  2. Corporate governance
  3. Customer relationship
  4. Financial inclusion

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

    Indian banking has undergone a total transformation over the last decade. Moving seamlessly from a manual, scale-constrained environment to a technology-lending tradition, it has been a miracle. Nowhere in the world has such a transformation taken place in such a short span of time at such a low cost. The process began in 1999-2000, when a couple of banks signed their first core-banking transformation deal with Infosys. By 2009, about 50 banks with about 55,000 branches had completed the migration, offering their customers anywhere, anytime banking through various channels. Today, a consumer can go to an ATM across more than 44,000 locations, operate the bank account through the web, with instant reconciliation facility and all information available in a single database to help the decision makers.
    Banking industry has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% during the last decade. It has grown by a factor of five times. Total deposits have grown by 4.8 times, assets by 6.6 times, income interest by 9.5 times and net-worth by 4.5 times. Employee strength has grown by a mere 5%. This is an incredible transformation of an industry with no parallel in country. During 2000-2009, the gross domestic product (GDP) nearly trebled from Rs. 19,25,000 crore to Rs. 54,75,000 crore. Return on assets (ROA) which varies between 0.25% and 1.5% worldwide has risen from 0.87% to 1.0% in 2009 in the country.
    In contrast to most countries, in India retail deposit forms a sizeable chunk of gross domestic savings, creating a large potential for investment. The ratio of the total deposit to GDP, which stood at 44% in 2000, has now climbed to 74%. However, the credit to GDP ratio presents an opposite picture and at 55% India lags behind many countries whose banks lend more than the size of their economies. We also have to catch up with the world’s best run banks in the area of cost management. India’s cost-income ratio lies anywhere between 37% and 66% and it is no match for international benchmark of 30-35%.
    But the transformation is remarkable and this transformation has largely been enabled by indigenously developed information technology tools. Looking forward, the journey becomes even more remarkable, possibly because of the technology transformation that the banking sector has undergone. Although impressive, these numbers pale into insignificance when compared to the projected growth in the customer base. As per an estimate, Indian banks will add another 400 million customer accounts in the next decade. The focus on financial inclusion will deepen with the government and the industry working together. This has enormous implications for the industry, which must scale up systems, processes and infrastructure as well as boost the employee productivity to manage such growth. Likewise, the industry must change its mindset and innovate to cater to the unique needs of the next generation consumers when, according to a demographic projection for 2019, 450 million Indians will be below the age of 20.
    The emergence of the new class of customers is the result of this transformation process of the last decade. The emerging challenges call for a new, more dynamic, and aggressive and challenging banking culture which meets the demands of customer relationships, product differentiation, brand values, reputation, corporate governance and regulatory prescriptions. Every bank, depending on its strategy, will have to migrate to its best position in this new structure from the branch level itself. The basic aim of the above strategies will have to be to improve the business performance of the banks. The size of ubiquitous and mass market retail banking and entry of non-traditional players will result in both seeking to collaborate more. And banking will wear a totally new look as urban consumers use their hand-held devices in lieu of cash and their rural counterparts discover the benefits of smart cards and other plastic technologies.

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only

  2. 2, 3 and 4 only

  3. 1, 3 and 4 only

  4. None of these

  5. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The challenges which banks face as contained in the last paragraph, are to meet the demands of customer relationships, product differentiation, brand values, reputation, corporate governance and regulatory prescriptions. All 1, 2, and 3 are included. Only financial inclusion is excluded from the above list. Therefore, the correct answer is option 1.