English Reading Comprehension

The author is likely to agree with all of the following, except

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
To the east and west, there are wide stretches of woodland, rounded hill-summits, streams and torrents which pour through the valleys and glens. But towards the south the verdure grows sparse; arid mountain-tops appear, crushed down as blunted cones; the sterility of the desert becomes perceptible amid the wealth of vegetation. This full-foliaged land has its harsh and stern localities. The African light, however, softens all that. The deep green of the oaks and pines runs into waves of warm and ever-altering tints which are a caress and a delight for the eye. A man has it thoroughly brought home to him that he is in a land of the sun.
To say the least, it is a country of strongly marked features which affords the strangest contrast with the surrounding districts. This wooded Numidia, with its flowing brooks, its fields where the cattle graze, differs in the highest degree from the Numidia towards Setif – a wide, desolate plain, where the stubble of the wheat-fields, the sandy steppes, roll away in monotonous undulations to the cloudy barrier of Mount Atlas which closes the horizon. And this rough and melancholy plain in its turn offers a striking contrast with the coast region of Boujeiah and Hippo, which is not unlike the Italian Campania in its mellowness and gaiety. Such clear-cut differences between the various parts of the same province doubtlessly explain the essential peculiarities of the Numidian character. The bishop Augustine, who carried his pastoral cross from one end to the other of this country, and was its acting and thinking soul, may perhaps have owed to it the contrasts and many-sidedness of his own rich nature.

What is the tone of the author?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
We can imagine the respect accorded to the Chaldaean sages who first discovered that eclipses could be predicted, and how the philosophers of Mesopotamia must have sought eagerly for evidence of fresh periodic laws. Certain of the stars, which appeared to wander, and were hence called planets, provided an extended field for these speculations. Among the Chaldaeans and Babylonians the knowledge gradually acquired was probably confined to the priests and utilised mainly for astrological prediction or the fixing of religious observances. Such speculations as were current among them, and also among the Egyptians and others who came to share their knowledge, were almost entirely devoted to mythology, assigning fanciful terrestrial origins to constellations, with occasional controversies as to how the earth is supported in space. The Greeks, too, had an elaborate mythology largely adapted from their neighbors, but they were not satisfied with this, and made persistent attempts to reduce the apparent motions of celestial objects to geometrical laws. Some of the Pythagoreans, if not Pythagoras himself, held that the earth is a sphere, and that the apparent daily revolution of the sun and stars is really due to a motion of the earth, though at first this motion of the earth was not supposed to be one of rotation about an axis. These notions, and also that the planets on the whole move round from west to east with reference to the stars, were made known to a larger circle through the writings of Plato. To Plato moreover is attributed the challenge to astronomers to represent all the motions of the heavenly bodies by uniformly described circles, a challenge generally held responsible for a vast amount of wasted effort, and the postponement, for many centuries, of real progress.

What is the central theme of the passage?

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

It is likely that banks would put an end to their fixation with traditional way of interacting with customers. In many developed countries, the number of branches and branch usage has declined with the use of new technologies such as ATM (Automated Teller Machine), PTM (Personal Teller Machine) and other electronic channels. Personal Teller Machine uses video to connect to a bank employee in a remote call centre. With the availability of technology channels, banks recognise that customers have wider options in terms of accessing banking services wherever and whenever they desire.

 As a result, banks are attempting to differentiate in terms of superior customer service and the provision of new delivery channels. Alternate channels have impacted the usage of various products. As a result, the contribution of electronic products has increased in non-cash payments and settlement services. The study of non-cash payments like debit cards, online bill payments and automated clearing house payments, indicate that usage of non-cash payments depends on the infrastructure that is in place, end user education and user preferences. Despite the efforts to increase usage of electronic products, even in countries like Germany, 82 per cent of all transactions are still conducted in cash.

At a time when newer forms of electronic payments are present, banks are rediscovering branch networks. Even the pure internet players like ING Direct operate in small number of retail locations from where they can discuss matters with customers. Meanwhile, traditional brick and mortar institutions have invested heavily in digitization and technology. As a result, branch personnel are freed up for sales and advisory services. Banks are also investing in new interior design and interactive technology to encourage customers into branches after pushing them to use remote channels. For example, at Umpqua Bank free Umpqua branded coffee is offered and computer terminals are provided to surf the internet for better customer experience. Employees place a chocolate on a silver tray while presenting a bank receipt. The number of branches of the bank has increased from 5 in 1995 to 155 in 2006. These innovations are likely to make digital merchandising an essential tool for financial institutions. Banks are also learning from other industries like retailers to improve cross selling. Dynamic cubicles are placed in which customers can linger, browse and shop for new products, while employees are trained like retailers by offering on-boarding services. Priority is given to functionality over design, thus offering three methods to reduce waiting time which are central waiting points, queuing system and a decentralized waiting system. The intention is to serve 93 per cent of employees in 5 minutes. Branches have been designed with open plan layouts, touch screen displays, coffee bars and children’s play centres. The scheme has encouraged additional new retail customers to open accounts.

What prompts the author to say, ‘As a result, banks are attempting to differentiate in terms of superior customer service and the provision of new delivery channels’?

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

It is likely that banks would put an end to their fixation with traditional way of interacting with customers. In many developed countries, the number of branches and branch usage has declined with the use of new technologies such as ATM (Automated Teller Machine), PTM (Personal Teller Machine) and other electronic channels. Personal Teller Machine uses video to connect to a bank employee in a remote call centre. With the availability of technology channels, banks recognise that customers have wider options in terms of accessing banking services wherever and whenever they desire.

 As a result, banks are attempting to differentiate in terms of superior customer service and the provision of new delivery channels. Alternate channels have impacted the usage of various products. As a result, the contribution of electronic products has increased in non-cash payments and settlement services. The study of non-cash payments like debit cards, online bill payments and automated clearing house payments, indicate that usage of non-cash payments depends on the infrastructure that is in place, end user education and user preferences. Despite the efforts to increase usage of electronic products, even in countries like Germany, 82 per cent of all transactions are still conducted in cash.

At a time when newer forms of electronic payments are present, banks are rediscovering branch networks. Even the pure internet players like ING Direct operate in small number of retail locations from where they can discuss matters with customers. Meanwhile, traditional brick and mortar institutions have invested heavily in digitization and technology. As a result, branch personnel are freed up for sales and advisory services. Banks are also investing in new interior design and interactive technology to encourage customers into branches after pushing them to use remote channels. For example, at Umpqua Bank free Umpqua branded coffee is offered and computer terminals are provided to surf the internet for better customer experience. Employees place a chocolate on a silver tray while presenting a bank receipt. The number of branches of the bank has increased from 5 in 1995 to 155 in 2006. These innovations are likely to make digital merchandising an essential tool for financial institutions. Banks are also learning from other industries like retailers to improve cross selling. Dynamic cubicles are placed in which customers can linger, browse and shop for new products, while employees are trained like retailers by offering on-boarding services. Priority is given to functionality over design, thus offering three methods to reduce waiting time which are central waiting points, queuing system and a decentralized waiting system. The intention is to serve 93 per cent of employees in 5 minutes. Branches have been designed with open plan layouts, touch screen displays, coffee bars and children’s play centres. The scheme has encouraged additional new retail customers to open accounts.

What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

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

Stress has very ancient origin, starting from the pre-historic times. This reference, however, need not be taken to hint that today’s important people have any connection whatsoever to prehistoric men. The very thought is demeaning! The allusion occurs only because the way corporate honchos react to stress is reminiscent of the way Homo sapiens circa 5 mn BC reacted to their stress situations. No connection, whatsoever, just historical reference. So, the pre-historic man, when suddenly faced with, say, a wild bear, experienced a surge of blood pressure, faster heart rate, a tautness of muscles, a rush of adrenaline, release of cortisol in the blood and formation of acid in the stomach to digest food in a jiffy and create glucose and energy. These physiological changes in the body helped the pre-historic fellow out there to respond quickly and strongly to the threat from the grizzly and helped him either flatten the beast’s skull or to sprint away at top speed! As he fought the bear, all these physio-chemical changes and release were used to good effect by the club-wielding caveman, who then, perhaps dragged the bear to his cave and asked his mate to make a teeny-weeny wrap-around skirt for herself from the skin of the animal and a loincloth for him.  
Medically speaking, whenever living beings perceived threat, they quickly released hormones that helped them to survive. These hormones increased heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to give more energy and power to important muscles. Acid poured into the stomach to convert any food left there into energy quickly. All these physiological changes helped them to run faster and fight harder. Sweating helped cool the muscles. Blood from surface was moved to the core of their bodies, making the muscles more efficient and reducing blood loss in case of injury. The hormones focussed their attention on the threat, excluding everything else. This response was necessary whenever a living being faced physical threat. Making good use of these physiological changes, human being survived and thrived. He thrived, in fact, so well that he became a threat for the wild animals.
So, when man killed sufficient number of bears and other such dreadful beasts, the animals decided to move away from this ferocious being called man and retired peacefully to forests and jungles where they would only be killed by such animals that would not make loincloths out of them. Man gradually settled in settlements made by him. But his blood longed for the physical challenges of yore. He could not keep without fighting for long, and therefore started fighting his fellows. A long series of battles and wars ensued, ensuring man’s name to be remembered and commemorated in history. These physical challenges were aided and abetted by mental ones where one party had to outmanoeuvre the other through cunning. Victory received the old heady feeling of dragging the beast to the cave for the wrap-around skirt.
Then came the time when fighting physically was considered below dignity in certain human circles.  But human being still liked to fight. The desire for challenge and for winning over difficulties and adversaries is innate to human nature. Slowly, physical battles were becoming history, so, human beings created what they loved. They created someone or something to fight with; they created challenges, when they were already not there. They loved the adrenaline rush. So eventually, commercial, financial, psychological and other such warfare became fashionable among the educated class.

What, according to the passage, is the perennial problem that a tenant has to face?

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

Tenants are usually the accursed lot. They are forced by the circumstance to live in a house they do not own, for which they have to cough up a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money. But their travail does not end with just paying the rent. In fact, it begins from there. Of course, there are quite a few tenants who give a torrid time to their landlords. But such cases are more an exception than rule. A tenant is always at the mercy of his landlord or landlady. Landlords, it would seem, like to keep their tenants on a tenterhook.
Relation between a tenant and his landlord is rarely, if ever, a very cordial one. It may begin on a cordial note. But certainly does not end on the same note. Sometimes the process gets reversed too. But such occasions are few. For, if it did not begin on a cordial note, the deal would never be struck. The word cordial however is not appropriate here, because cordiality begins with the tenant and ends with him. It is not for him to expect that the landlord would return cordiality. It is the tenant who needs a roof over his head. The landlord can afford to ignore a number of tenants even for an indefinite period of time.
So, a prospective tenant makes a cautious approach to his prospective landlord who subjects him to a grilling interview before deciding to condescend a proper hearing. The prospective tenant answers every question in great trepidation, for he does not know which answer of his may disqualify him. The prospective landlord extracts every bit of information about his hapless victim, but reveals very little about himself. If the prospective tenant crosses the first hurdle successfully and unscathed, he then faces another crucial area of settling the rent. If this hurdle is also crossed successfully and without being bruised, then he faces the most crucial one. That is the area of do’s and don’ts.
These do’s and don’ts are like Ten Commandments. The tenant has no choice but to follow them meticulously. While listing all those do’s and don’ts here may not be desirable, we can afford to take a look at some of the queer conditions that bind a tenant to what may be called a tether post. One of such conditions must relate to rational (it is rationed, actually) use of water. At the time of striking a deal, water would usually not pose any problem at all and would hardly be a matter of discussion then. But once the house is occupied and the advance rent is paid, water becomes a perennial problem which is resolved always at the cost of the poor tenant. The poor tenant has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever arrangement is made, for he cannot afford to change house so quickly yet again. Besides, he can never be sure he will not be meted out the same or worse treatment elsewhere. So he stays put. If he has small children, he is specifically asked to keep them restrained. They must not make noise, nor must they pluck flowers, if there are any in the close vicinity. They must not dare to socialize with the landlord or his family. Landlords are a class apart. They would not approve of too many guests, or of parties. Ceremonies of all kinds are best avoided. Tenants must lead as sedate a life as can be possible.

Why does a tenant submit to those do’s and don’ts?

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

Tenants are usually the accursed lot. They are forced by the circumstance to live in a house they do not own, for which they have to cough up a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money. But their travail does not end with just paying the rent. In fact, it begins from there. Of course, there are quite a few tenants who give a torrid time to their landlords. But such cases are more an exception than rule. A tenant is always at the mercy of his landlord or landlady. Landlords, it would seem, like to keep their tenants on a tenterhook.
Relation between a tenant and his landlord is rarely, if ever, a very cordial one. It may begin on a cordial note. But certainly does not end on the same note. Sometimes the process gets reversed too. But such occasions are few. For, if it did not begin on a cordial note, the deal would never be struck. The word cordial however is not appropriate here, because cordiality begins with the tenant and ends with him. It is not for him to expect that the landlord would return cordiality. It is the tenant who needs a roof over his head. The landlord can afford to ignore a number of tenants even for an indefinite period of time.
So, a prospective tenant makes a cautious approach to his prospective landlord who subjects him to a grilling interview before deciding to condescend a proper hearing. The prospective tenant answers every question in great trepidation, for he does not know which answer of his may disqualify him. The prospective landlord extracts every bit of information about his hapless victim, but reveals very little about himself. If the prospective tenant crosses the first hurdle successfully and unscathed, he then faces another crucial area of settling the rent. If this hurdle is also crossed successfully and without being bruised, then he faces the most crucial one. That is the area of do’s and don’ts.
These do’s and don’ts are like Ten Commandments. The tenant has no choice but to follow them meticulously. While listing all those do’s and don’ts here may not be desirable, we can afford to take a look at some of the queer conditions that bind a tenant to what may be called a tether post. One of such conditions must relate to rational (it is rationed, actually) use of water. At the time of striking a deal, water would usually not pose any problem at all and would hardly be a matter of discussion then. But once the house is occupied and the advance rent is paid, water becomes a perennial problem which is resolved always at the cost of the poor tenant. The poor tenant has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever arrangement is made, for he cannot afford to change house so quickly yet again. Besides, he can never be sure he will not be meted out the same or worse treatment elsewhere. So he stays put. If he has small children, he is specifically asked to keep them restrained. They must not make noise, nor must they pluck flowers, if there are any in the close vicinity. They must not dare to socialize with the landlord or his family. Landlords are a class apart. They would not approve of too many guests, or of parties. Ceremonies of all kinds are best avoided. Tenants must lead as sedate a life as can be possible.

The passage leads to the conclusion that

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

Tenants are usually the accursed lot. They are forced by the circumstance to live in a house they do not own, for which they have to cough up a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money. But their travail does not end with just paying the rent. In fact, it begins from there. Of course, there are quite a few tenants who give a torrid time to their landlords. But such cases are more an exception than rule. A tenant is always at the mercy of his landlord or landlady. Landlords, it would seem, like to keep their tenants on a tenterhook.
Relation between a tenant and his landlord is rarely, if ever, a very cordial one. It may begin on a cordial note. But certainly does not end on the same note. Sometimes the process gets reversed too. But such occasions are few. For, if it did not begin on a cordial note, the deal would never be struck. The word cordial however is not appropriate here, because cordiality begins with the tenant and ends with him. It is not for him to expect that the landlord would return cordiality. It is the tenant who needs a roof over his head. The landlord can afford to ignore a number of tenants even for an indefinite period of time.
So, a prospective tenant makes a cautious approach to his prospective landlord who subjects him to a grilling interview before deciding to condescend a proper hearing. The prospective tenant answers every question in great trepidation, for he does not know which answer of his may disqualify him. The prospective landlord extracts every bit of information about his hapless victim, but reveals very little about himself. If the prospective tenant crosses the first hurdle successfully and unscathed, he then faces another crucial area of settling the rent. If this hurdle is also crossed successfully and without being bruised, then he faces the most crucial one. That is the area of do’s and don’ts.
These do’s and don’ts are like Ten Commandments. The tenant has no choice but to follow them meticulously. While listing all those do’s and don’ts here may not be desirable, we can afford to take a look at some of the queer conditions that bind a tenant to what may be called a tether post. One of such conditions must relate to rational (it is rationed, actually) use of water. At the time of striking a deal, water would usually not pose any problem at all and would hardly be a matter of discussion then. But once the house is occupied and the advance rent is paid, water becomes a perennial problem which is resolved always at the cost of the poor tenant. The poor tenant has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever arrangement is made, for he cannot afford to change house so quickly yet again. Besides, he can never be sure he will not be meted out the same or worse treatment elsewhere. So he stays put. If he has small children, he is specifically asked to keep them restrained. They must not make noise, nor must they pluck flowers, if there are any in the close vicinity. They must not dare to socialize with the landlord or his family. Landlords are a class apart. They would not approve of too many guests, or of parties. Ceremonies of all kinds are best avoided. Tenants must lead as sedate a life as can be possible.

The author’s approach appears to be

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

Tenants are usually the accursed lot. They are forced by the circumstance to live in a house they do not own, for which they have to cough up a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money. But their travail does not end with just paying the rent. In fact, it begins from there. Of course, there are quite a few tenants who give a torrid time to their landlords. But such cases are more an exception than rule. A tenant is always at the mercy of his landlord or landlady. Landlords, it would seem, like to keep their tenants on a tenterhook.
Relation between a tenant and his landlord is rarely, if ever, a very cordial one. It may begin on a cordial note. But certainly does not end on the same note. Sometimes the process gets reversed too. But such occasions are few. For, if it did not begin on a cordial note, the deal would never be struck. The word cordial however is not appropriate here, because cordiality begins with the tenant and ends with him. It is not for him to expect that the landlord would return cordiality. It is the tenant who needs a roof over his head. The landlord can afford to ignore a number of tenants even for an indefinite period of time.
So, a prospective tenant makes a cautious approach to his prospective landlord who subjects him to a grilling interview before deciding to condescend a proper hearing. The prospective tenant answers every question in great trepidation, for he does not know which answer of his may disqualify him. The prospective landlord extracts every bit of information about his hapless victim, but reveals very little about himself. If the prospective tenant crosses the first hurdle successfully and unscathed, he then faces another crucial area of settling the rent. If this hurdle is also crossed successfully and without being bruised, then he faces the most crucial one. That is the area of do’s and don’ts.
These do’s and don’ts are like Ten Commandments. The tenant has no choice but to follow them meticulously. While listing all those do’s and don’ts here may not be desirable, we can afford to take a look at some of the queer conditions that bind a tenant to what may be called a tether post. One of such conditions must relate to rational (it is rationed, actually) use of water. At the time of striking a deal, water would usually not pose any problem at all and would hardly be a matter of discussion then. But once the house is occupied and the advance rent is paid, water becomes a perennial problem which is resolved always at the cost of the poor tenant. The poor tenant has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever arrangement is made, for he cannot afford to change house so quickly yet again. Besides, he can never be sure he will not be meted out the same or worse treatment elsewhere. So he stays put. If he has small children, he is specifically asked to keep them restrained. They must not make noise, nor must they pluck flowers, if there are any in the close vicinity. They must not dare to socialize with the landlord or his family. Landlords are a class apart. They would not approve of too many guests, or of parties. Ceremonies of all kinds are best avoided. Tenants must lead as sedate a life as can be possible.

The objective of the writer in writing this passage seems to

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

Tenants are usually the accursed lot. They are forced by the circumstance to live in a house they do not own, for which they have to cough up a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money. But their travail does not end with just paying the rent. In fact, it begins from there. Of course, there are quite a few tenants who give a torrid time to their landlords. But such cases are more an exception than rule. A tenant is always at the mercy of his landlord or landlady. Landlords, it would seem, like to keep their tenants on a tenterhook.
Relation between a tenant and his landlord is rarely, if ever, a very cordial one. It may begin on a cordial note. But certainly does not end on the same note. Sometimes the process gets reversed too. But such occasions are few. For, if it did not begin on a cordial note, the deal would never be struck. The word cordial however is not appropriate here, because cordiality begins with the tenant and ends with him. It is not for him to expect that the landlord would return cordiality. It is the tenant who needs a roof over his head. The landlord can afford to ignore a number of tenants even for an indefinite period of time.
So, a prospective tenant makes a cautious approach to his prospective landlord who subjects him to a grilling interview before deciding to condescend a proper hearing. The prospective tenant answers every question in great trepidation, for he does not know which answer of his may disqualify him. The prospective landlord extracts every bit of information about his hapless victim, but reveals very little about himself. If the prospective tenant crosses the first hurdle successfully and unscathed, he then faces another crucial area of settling the rent. If this hurdle is also crossed successfully and without being bruised, then he faces the most crucial one. That is the area of do’s and don’ts.
These do’s and don’ts are like Ten Commandments. The tenant has no choice but to follow them meticulously. While listing all those do’s and don’ts here may not be desirable, we can afford to take a look at some of the queer conditions that bind a tenant to what may be called a tether post. One of such conditions must relate to rational (it is rationed, actually) use of water. At the time of striking a deal, water would usually not pose any problem at all and would hardly be a matter of discussion then. But once the house is occupied and the advance rent is paid, water becomes a perennial problem which is resolved always at the cost of the poor tenant. The poor tenant has no choice but to acquiesce to whatever arrangement is made, for he cannot afford to change house so quickly yet again. Besides, he can never be sure he will not be meted out the same or worse treatment elsewhere. So he stays put. If he has small children, he is specifically asked to keep them restrained. They must not make noise, nor must they pluck flowers, if there are any in the close vicinity. They must not dare to socialize with the landlord or his family. Landlords are a class apart. They would not approve of too many guests, or of parties. Ceremonies of all kinds are best avoided. Tenants must lead as sedate a life as can be possible.

The passage depicts a picture of

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

Imagination can scarcely compass the vastness of modern London whose population exceeds that of the whole of Scotland, or the kingdom of Holland, whose traffic and trade are almost fabulous, and whose wealth as displayed in the miles and miles of the richest shops in every direction, and in every part of the town, are almost beyond the dreams of Aladdin!
And yet there is a shady side to this picture. The cry of depression in trade has gone on increasing year after year, and the “better times” so hopefully prophesied and wished for have not come. There is capital in the country which can find no investment, there are goods produced year after year which find no market, there are millions of English labourers in the towns, and in the country willing to work for their bread, but who can find no work and are on the brink of starvation. Clear-sighted if somewhat pessimist thinkers and writers offer an explanation which is sufficiently intelligible, though one is loath to accept it as correct. They say that the insular position of England, her comparative freedom from revolutions and foreign invasions, and the wonderful enterprise of her sons gave them a start in the commerce of the world which cannot for ever be maintained. For a time Englishmen monopolised the carrying trade of the world, they manufactured goods for the great marts of the world, and they alone reaped the profits of this wonderful monopoly. Population multiplied accordingly in England more rapidly than anywhere else in Europe, and far exceeded what the produce of the little island could support. But this monopoly could not last forever. Other nations have waked to a consciousness of the benefits of trade—steady hard-working nations like the Germans, who deserve to succeed, are competing with Englishmen all over the world, are cutting out the English abroad, and even in England. London traders complain with a bitterness which one can understand, that in London itself there are many thousand Germans who have ousted so many Englishmen from work, who are daily ousting more because they can live on so much less than Englishmen of the same class. Frugal, abstemious, almost stingy in their habits, the Germans work hard and spend little—which even the London shopboy has not yet learnt to save, but must needs enjoy his holiday, and spend his little saving with his chums or his sweetheart in the Crystal Palace. Abroad, there is the same competition, continental labour is cheaper, continental goods compete with English goods even in English colonies and sell cheaper! At the same time all over Europe—the French, the Germans, and other nations are protecting their home industries against English products by heavy protective import duties, and England vainly asks them to be free traders, and to repeal these duties. The United States does just the same thing, and even the English Colonies, Canada, Cape Colony, and the Australian States protect their own goods and keep out English products by heavy duties, and England cannot ask them to repeal such duties as she had made India do. Thus the circle of foreign markets is gradually shrinking, the competition of other nations in the old markets is increasing, and even in England labourers are cutting out Englishmen…

The presentation of London in the opening paragraph of the passage is

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

Imagination can scarcely compass the vastness of modern London whose population exceeds that of the whole of Scotland, or the kingdom of Holland, whose traffic and trade are almost fabulous, and whose wealth as displayed in the miles and miles of the richest shops in every direction, and in every part of the town, are almost beyond the dreams of Aladdin!
And yet there is a shady side to this picture. The cry of depression in trade has gone on increasing year after year, and the “better times” so hopefully prophesied and wished for have not come. There is capital in the country which can find no investment, there are goods produced year after year which find no market, there are millions of English labourers in the towns, and in the country willing to work for their bread, but who can find no work and are on the brink of starvation. Clear-sighted if somewhat pessimist thinkers and writers offer an explanation which is sufficiently intelligible, though one is loath to accept it as correct. They say that the insular position of England, her comparative freedom from revolutions and foreign invasions, and the wonderful enterprise of her sons gave them a start in the commerce of the world which cannot for ever be maintained. For a time Englishmen monopolised the carrying trade of the world, they manufactured goods for the great marts of the world, and they alone reaped the profits of this wonderful monopoly. Population multiplied accordingly in England more rapidly than anywhere else in Europe, and far exceeded what the produce of the little island could support. But this monopoly could not last forever. Other nations have waked to a consciousness of the benefits of trade—steady hard-working nations like the Germans, who deserve to succeed, are competing with Englishmen all over the world, are cutting out the English abroad, and even in England. London traders complain with a bitterness which one can understand, that in London itself there are many thousand Germans who have ousted so many Englishmen from work, who are daily ousting more because they can live on so much less than Englishmen of the same class. Frugal, abstemious, almost stingy in their habits, the Germans work hard and spend little—which even the London shopboy has not yet learnt to save, but must needs enjoy his holiday, and spend his little saving with his chums or his sweetheart in the Crystal Palace. Abroad, there is the same competition, continental labour is cheaper, continental goods compete with English goods even in English colonies and sell cheaper! At the same time all over Europe—the French, the Germans, and other nations are protecting their home industries against English products by heavy protective import duties, and England vainly asks them to be free traders, and to repeal these duties. The United States does just the same thing, and even the English Colonies, Canada, Cape Colony, and the Australian States protect their own goods and keep out English products by heavy duties, and England cannot ask them to repeal such duties as she had made India do. Thus the circle of foreign markets is gradually shrinking, the competition of other nations in the old markets is increasing, and even in England labourers are cutting out Englishmen…

Which of the following aptly sums up the theme of the essay?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For decades, the working class in South Asia has been politically smothered by Stalinist parties. With ruinous results, the Stalinists have systematically subordinated the working class to one or another section of the national bourgeoisie on the grounds that the unresolved problems of the democratic revolution—including the eradication of landlordism and casteism and the establishment of genuine equality among the subcontinent’s myriad peoples—is possible only through a bourgeois-led ‘national’ movement.

On the basis of the suppression of an examination of the key strategic experiences of the international working class, those experiences that have formed the substance of the disputes between the various currents claiming to represent the continuation of the revolutionary Marxism, Stalinists, Maoists and Centrists for decades have subordinated the working class to bourgeois nationalism, social democracy and petty bourgeois radicalism.

The counter-revolutionary role of Stalinism on the world stage and all the variants of Indian Stalinism, from the CPI through the Naxalites for their adherence to the Menshevik-Stalinist theory of two-stage revolution, need to be laid bare and exposed as counter revolutionary currents inside the working class movement.

Failure of Stalinists and Maoists to present a real opposition and a viable alternative to the bourgeois rule has left the space open for bourgeois nationalist and reformist movements to occupy space.

We must therefore develop a systematic and historically-grounded critique of Stalinists, the role the Soviet Stalinist bureaucracy and its satellite Communist parties played in propping up world capitalism. But this is a complicated problem, because of the political-ideological domination the various Stalinist currents including its Maoist variant, have exerted, and continue to exert, over the working class and socialist-minded toilers and intellectuals in India. Such a critique is not only fundamental for understanding how capitalism survived the 20th century and the political problems that the working class now confronts, but also sheds critical light on the programme and perspective that must guide the working class in the next period of revolutionary upheavals.

Stalinism was the ideology of a privileged bureaucracy that succeeded in usurping power from the working class in the then USSR under conditions where the revolution (notwithstanding the post-World War I revolutionary upsurge of the German working class) had remained isolated in what was an extremely backward country. The bureaucracy with its doctrine of ‘socialism in one country’ repudiated the internationalist programme on which the revolution had been based and with increasing self-consciousness oriented toward securing a recognized placed in the capitalist-dominated world order, in the process, transformed the national Communist Parties into instruments of its counter-revolutionary foreign policy.
We must understand what Stalinism was and why it arose, the key revisions of Marxism with which it is associated (including socialism in one country, the two-stage theory of revolution, social fascism, popular frontism, and peaceful co-existence with world bourgeois), point to the key strategic experiences of the world working class that demonstrate the counter-revolutionary role of Stalinism, lay bare its destructive impact on the South Asian revolution, and indict the Soviet and Chinese bureaucracies for ultimately serving as the mechanism through which capitalism has been restored in the former USSR and the People’s Republic of China.

The Soviet Stalinist bureaucracy systematically strangled the world socialist revolution, promoted a nationalist-opportunist ideology and politics that acted, as Trotsky said, as the syphilis of the world labour movement, and mercilessly persecuted and sought to physically annihilate the revolutionary cadres of the Fourth international.
It is also necessary to review the record of Stalinism in India, tracing back to the origins and evolution of the CPI and its various offshoots including the Naxalite movement. This overview would clearly show how Stalinism systematically confused and disorganized the revolutionary-minded elements, making both the Stalinist parties—CPI and CPM—an integral part of the bourgeois order.

When the author writes about ‘ruinous results’, the reference is to

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

For decades, the working class in South Asia has been politically smothered by Stalinist parties. With ruinous results, the Stalinists have systematically subordinated the working class to one or another section of the national bourgeoisie on the grounds that the unresolved problems of the democratic revolution—including the eradication of landlordism and casteism and the establishment of genuine equality among the subcontinent’s myriad peoples—is possible only through a bourgeois-led ‘national’ movement.

On the basis of the suppression of an examination of the key strategic experiences of the international working class, those experiences that have formed the substance of the disputes between the various currents claiming to represent the continuation of the revolutionary Marxism, Stalinists, Maoists and Centrists for decades have subordinated the working class to bourgeois nationalism, social democracy and petty bourgeois radicalism.

The counter-revolutionary role of Stalinism on the world stage and all the variants of Indian Stalinism, from the CPI through the Naxalites for their adherence to the Menshevik-Stalinist theory of two-stage revolution, need to be laid bare and exposed as counter revolutionary currents inside the working class movement.

Failure of Stalinists and Maoists to present a real opposition and a viable alternative to the bourgeois rule has left the space open for bourgeois nationalist and reformist movements to occupy space.

We must therefore develop a systematic and historically-grounded critique of Stalinists, the role the Soviet Stalinist bureaucracy and its satellite Communist parties played in propping up world capitalism. But this is a complicated problem, because of the political-ideological domination the various Stalinist currents including its Maoist variant, have exerted, and continue to exert, over the working class and socialist-minded toilers and intellectuals in India. Such a critique is not only fundamental for understanding how capitalism survived the 20th century and the political problems that the working class now confronts, but also sheds critical light on the programme and perspective that must guide the working class in the next period of revolutionary upheavals.

Stalinism was the ideology of a privileged bureaucracy that succeeded in usurping power from the working class in the then USSR under conditions where the revolution (notwithstanding the post-World War I revolutionary upsurge of the German working class) had remained isolated in what was an extremely backward country. The bureaucracy with its doctrine of ‘socialism in one country’ repudiated the internationalist programme on which the revolution had been based and with increasing self-consciousness oriented toward securing a recognized placed in the capitalist-dominated world order, in the process, transformed the national Communist Parties into instruments of its counter-revolutionary foreign policy.
We must understand what Stalinism was and why it arose, the key revisions of Marxism with which it is associated (including socialism in one country, the two-stage theory of revolution, social fascism, popular frontism, and peaceful co-existence with world bourgeois), point to the key strategic experiences of the world working class that demonstrate the counter-revolutionary role of Stalinism, lay bare its destructive impact on the South Asian revolution, and indict the Soviet and Chinese bureaucracies for ultimately serving as the mechanism through which capitalism has been restored in the former USSR and the People’s Republic of China.

The Soviet Stalinist bureaucracy systematically strangled the world socialist revolution, promoted a nationalist-opportunist ideology and politics that acted, as Trotsky said, as the syphilis of the world labour movement, and mercilessly persecuted and sought to physically annihilate the revolutionary cadres of the Fourth international.
It is also necessary to review the record of Stalinism in India, tracing back to the origins and evolution of the CPI and its various offshoots including the Naxalite movement. This overview would clearly show how Stalinism systematically confused and disorganized the revolutionary-minded elements, making both the Stalinist parties—CPI and CPM—an integral part of the bourgeois order.

Directions: Read the paragraph and answer the question that follows.

Do you have difficulty keeping resolutions? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by a goal? Many people have unrealistic expectations of what they can accomplish within a period of time. The problem is that they usually have taken on too many responsibilities at once. Does this ever happen to you? You find yourself rushing around each day in order to get projects done.

In order to achieve success with your goals you need to narrow your scope of how many projects you can take on at a time. This requires prioritizing. In order to prioritize you must first get clear on what it is you truly want to achieve. When you pursue a goal you make a decision to put a certain amount of time, energy and effort into an endeavor. If that goal is not in line with what you truly want, you may find your inner self unconsciously sabotaging your efforts in some way.

What is the theme of the passage?