English Reading Comprehension

According to the passage, Capek's play RUR is of special interest because _____________.

Directions: Read the following passage & answer the question. 
           
            During World War II, an inventor submitted a scheme for building a giant airship armed with death rays to the British government. He had provided details of the engines, navigational system, etc. when question about the death-ray themselves he exclaimed, “Oh, I thought the military had plenty of them available,”
            If a robot is defined, provisionally, as a machine made in the image of man, then it must be stated that like death – rays in 1940, robots in 1990 remain in the world of speculation not of established fact yet, just as the inventor took the existence of death – rays for granted and concentrated on putting them to use the popular imagination has been much more preoccupied by the question of what we should do when robots do arrive than with the business of actually making them , it is rather as if the Wright brothers first flight had been preceded by an extensive literature on air – traffic control .

Though the walking talking man model of the robot is misleading, it persists in science fiction because _____________.

Directions: Read the following passage & answer the question. 
           
            During World War II, an inventor submitted a scheme for building a giant airship armed with death rays to the British government. He had provided details of the engines, navigational system, etc. when question about the death-ray themselves he exclaimed, “Oh, I thought the military had plenty of them available,”
            If a robot is defined, provisionally, as a machine made in the image of man, then it must be stated that like death – rays in 1940, robots in 1990 remain in the world of speculation not of established fact yet, just as the inventor took the existence of death – rays for granted and concentrated on putting them to use the popular imagination has been much more preoccupied by the question of what we should do when robots do arrive than with the business of actually making them , it is rather as if the Wright brothers first flight had been preceded by an extensive literature on air – traffic control .

The word “recurrence“ does not mean

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

An earthquake is a tremor of varied intensity in the earth's surface caused by the action of the end genetic forces of the earth. It causes immense damage to life and property of the region if its intensity is measured over 7 on the Richter scale. Studies have shown that over 60% of the country's area comes under the moderate and high seismic zones. In the past, a number of devastating earthquakes have been caused. Tsunamis-Earthquake measuring more than 7 on Richter scale in the sea bed may produce high sea waves called tsunamis. Such tsunamis were caused due to the earthquake near Sumatra coast on 26^th Dec. 2004, which led to a loss of more than 1.5 lakh people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. In India, heavy damage to life and property was caused in Andaman-Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu coast. Severity of the tsunamis was a little minimised along the coasts having wider continental shelves and luxuriant growth of mangrove forests. Since Andaman area lies in the high seismic zone, the recurrence of tsunamis is not ruled out. The need is early warning system, planting of mangroves and building of protection walls.

In this paragraph, “luxuriant growth” pertains to

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

An earthquake is a tremor of varied intensity in the earth's surface caused by the action of the end genetic forces of the earth. It causes immense damage to life and property of the region if its intensity is measured over 7 on the Richter scale. Studies have shown that over 60% of the country's area comes under the moderate and high seismic zones. In the past, a number of devastating earthquakes have been caused. Tsunamis-Earthquake measuring more than 7 on Richter scale in the sea bed may produce high sea waves called tsunamis. Such tsunamis were caused due to the earthquake near Sumatra coast on 26^th Dec. 2004, which led to a loss of more than 1.5 lakh people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. In India, heavy damage to life and property was caused in Andaman-Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu coast. Severity of the tsunamis was a little minimised along the coasts having wider continental shelves and luxuriant growth of mangrove forests. Since Andaman area lies in the high seismic zone, the recurrence of tsunamis is not ruled out. The need is early warning system, planting of mangroves and building of protection walls.

The author is most likely to agree with the idea that:

While we have forgotten much of what Gandhi ji recommended regarding the use of Satyagraha against a foreign ruler, we see instances of it, day in and day out, in support of some cause or issue a group of people advocates. And this is happening 60 years after our country has had a fully democratic system with adult franchise. Whereas Satyagraha was intended to be peaceful, today's direct action is accompanied by threats and violence.

There have also been cases of direct action directed at private individuals or groups. Such action as practised today is openly coercive. A boycott of a play thought to be anti-Hindu or of a film thought to be obscene prevents those who disagree, from attending the performance and exposes the organisers to stone-throwing and arson, and, of course, financial loss. Gandhi ji was justified in breaking the salt law as it was passed by the British and we were powerless to rescind it. If we have a bad law today, the correct remedy can never be satyagraha or civil disobedience. The proper democratic course of action would be to campaign for its repeal. Similarly, if there is some evil which is rampant, the democratic course of action is to campaign for the enforcement of the law against it or, if there is no satisfactory law, for its enactment.

The right which democracy confers is to propound a particular view point; inherent in the right is the right of its opponents to disagree. The moment the proponents of a viewpoint adopt coercive tactics, not only are they acting unlawfully, they are also denying their opponents their democratic right to disagree. Every so often the morchas are organised by groups which either want disturbances or at least do not mind them. A morchais in these cases is accompanied by shattered windows, looted shops and smashed buses and cars. A more extreme form of such agitation is a bandh.  Even a peaceful bandh results in lakhs of people losing money.

No doubt the government ought to prevent such acts. But it is unsure of public support and afraid of the violence that often erupts if morchas or bandhs are sought to be prevented. It takes the easy path of inaction. At times, it is in sympathy with the cause and actively supports the agitation.

It is high time we woke up to what these pressure groups are doing and make them stop bullying the common man. If we keep on permitting interest groups to carry on as they have been doing, a day will come when we will witness the end of both the rule of law and democracy.

Which of the following statements would the author be most likely to disagree with?

1. The overall mood of the large Indian family businesses can be summed up in one word - insecure.
2. It is safe to say that nine out of ten Indian companies indulge in corrupt practices.
3. Given the poor management practices of Indian companies, foreign companies have nothing to gain from collaboration.

Directions: Read the following passages and answer the question that follows:

PASSAGE – II

The new takeover code, looks at first glance like a typically complicated bit of Indian rulemaking. But two incendiary charges are buried within its many pages. First, SEBI wants to make takeovers, including hostile bids, much easier. Second, it wants to protect the rights of minority shareholders. For instance, any investor who takes a stake of 10% in a company must then make an offer for a further 20%, after that, any substantial increase has to be by an open offer to all the shareholders.

Just possibly, the new takeover code may cause the very large house of cards that is corporate India to collapse. It provides a way for the families that control Indian businesses to be replaced by more widely held companies or even by corporate raiders. Their immediate problem is cash. With profits harder to make, credit hard to come by, and a relatively small equity market, many family firms are being forced to weed their portfolios, retiring from investments they rushed into, in easier times.

If the government relaxes rules requiring an Indian majority holding in any company holding a telecoms licence, the foreigners may use these loans as a springboard for a full takeover. Many foreign companies now favour full control, seeing it as a chance to impose their own standards. In the early stages, a foreign firm needs a local partner’s government contacts and distribution; but once established, foreign firms complain that local partners contribute little in the way of technology or capital. One of the advisors, McKinsey & Co., a management consultancy, points out in a forthcoming report that the government now allows foreign firms to set up wholly owned investment companies that can subsequently buy Indian firms.

In the past, the big families could count on the support of India's financial institutions, which own around 40% of most big companies. However, institutions such as the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India are now trying hard to prune non-performing assets. They have told families such as the Modis that they must sort out their run-down businesses or close them (which is difficult under India's restrictive labour laws) or sell. Before, we used to be benign investors. Now families will increasingly be asked to go when they don't perform, says one senior manager. Still, no family has yet been thrown to the wolves.

Choose the best alternative to fill in the blank (viii).

Directions: In the paragraph below  some words have been left out.

Our knowledge of ancient Greek music comes from actual ___(i)___ of musical scores, literary references, and the ___(ii)___ of musical instruments. Although ___(iii)___ musical scores are rare, incomplete, and of relatively late date, ___(iv)___ literary references ___(v)___ light on the practice of music, its social functions, and its perceived ___(vi)___ qualities. Likewise, ___(vii)___ provide information about the economics and institutional organisation of professional musicians, recording such things as prizes ___(viii)___ and fees paid for services. The archaeological record ___(ix)___ to monuments ___(x)___ in honour of accomplished musicians and to splendid roofed concert halls.

In her childhood, Mary Kom was very interested in

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.
 
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom was born on March 1, 1983. She is a five time World Amateur Boxing Champion and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six world championships for boxing. She is also called “Magnificent Mary”. This is largely due to her past performance in boxing, but also due to her being the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
During the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the flyweight (51 kg) category and won the bronze medal. She has been ranked number 4 in the AIBA World Women’s Ranking Flyweight category. After the 2012 Olympics, Kom wrote an autobiography titled “Unbreakable” in 2013. In 2014, a motion picture was produced starring Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra titled “Mary Kom”.
She has also started a female-only fight club in the city of Imphal to teach girls how to defend themselves against sexual assault and other types of violence. She has nominated Priyanka Chopra to serve as the brand ambassador to spread her academy all over the country.
Kom was born in Kangethei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur. Her parents worked the jhum fields in the area and are named Tonpa and Mangte Akham Kom. She was educated at Loktak Christian Model High School in Moraing where she completed her primary education. From there, she attended St. Xavier Catholic School in Moirang where she attended studies from class VI to class VIII standard. She then went on to attend Adimjati High School in Imphal for class IX and X. She was unable to pass her exam and as a result, she decided to quit school as she did not wish to reappear for the exams. Subsequently, she  gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduated from Churanchandpur College.
Kom had a very keen interest in athletics since childhood. It was Dingko Singh who inspired her to become a boxer in 2000. She began training under M. Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.
She is married to K. Onler Kom and they have twin sons. They first met in 2001, when Kom was in New Delhi on her way to the National Games in Punjab. At the time, Onler was studying at Delhi University. After 4 years of dating, they married in 2005.

How many times did Mary Kom win the World Amateur Boxing Championship?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.
 
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom was born on March 1, 1983. She is a five time World Amateur Boxing Champion and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six world championships for boxing. She is also called “Magnificent Mary”. This is largely due to her past performance in boxing, but also due to her being the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
During the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the flyweight (51 kg) category and won the bronze medal. She has been ranked number 4 in the AIBA World Women’s Ranking Flyweight category. After the 2012 Olympics, Kom wrote an autobiography titled “Unbreakable” in 2013. In 2014, a motion picture was produced starring Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra titled “Mary Kom”.
She has also started a female-only fight club in the city of Imphal to teach girls how to defend themselves against sexual assault and other types of violence. She has nominated Priyanka Chopra to serve as the brand ambassador to spread her academy all over the country.
Kom was born in Kangethei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur. Her parents worked the jhum fields in the area and are named Tonpa and Mangte Akham Kom. She was educated at Loktak Christian Model High School in Moraing where she completed her primary education. From there, she attended St. Xavier Catholic School in Moirang where she attended studies from class VI to class VIII standard. She then went on to attend Adimjati High School in Imphal for class IX and X. She was unable to pass her exam and as a result, she decided to quit school as she did not wish to reappear for the exams. Subsequently, she  gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduated from Churanchandpur College.
Kom had a very keen interest in athletics since childhood. It was Dingko Singh who inspired her to become a boxer in 2000. She began training under M. Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.
She is married to K. Onler Kom and they have twin sons. They first met in 2001, when Kom was in New Delhi on her way to the National Games in Punjab. At the time, Onler was studying at Delhi University. After 4 years of dating, they married in 2005.

What is the main aim of the author?

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

PASSAGE – III

The Bermuda Triangle has always been shrouded in mystery. The missing ships and planes have roused irrevocable inquisitiveness among people. Many theories pertaining to extraterrestrials, evil humans, anti gravity, magnetic field, oceanic flatulence and other technical sounding and weird hypothesis have been put forth. But a few investigators contrive ill luck, pirates, incompetence of navigators to be the cause of these missing  ships  and  planes.  A  few  diehard  rationalists  believe there is no mystery element that needs to be explained as the figures pertaining to wrecks is common when there is such exceeding traffic on sea. The missing ships perhaps had never touched Bermuda Triangle’s domain. No scientific derivations prove any aura of mystery enveloping Bermuda Triangle. The surprising subject rather is how Bermuda Triangle became so centralized a topic of mystery.

Probably it began with the disappearance of five Navy planes in 1945. Logic states they vanished due to bad weather and failure of compass field. The trainee pilots lacked the expertise to face the sudden ordeal. The other declaration was that the planes collapsed due to fuel shortage. But in no way any mystery element coincides. This has been a revered subject for writers as a lot of written material can be found about it. It’s perhaps surprising that no one took the investigation on the mystery. Rather they all cashed this mystery to write their best sellers. They passed these derivations of the past without pondering on them. Slowly Bermuda Triangle mystery evolved as a farce as these irresponsible authors did not foresee how their accounts would change a myth into a truth in public eye. The mass media too played in phlegmatic attitude in solving this. They plundered the mystery element to spice up their news items. Soon the superstitious called it the ‘Devil’s Triangle’. Some considered it to be the alien’s domain and some called the Atlantis the cursed water which gobbled whoever came across. But it’s a fact that all these exaggerations have helped to lend fear and fascination to the world’s greatest mystery the Bermuda Triangle.

When the writer says that India's Project Tiger established over 25 tiger reserves, he means that

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions given underneath.

India is home to the world's largest population of wild tigers but only 11% of the original Indian tiger habitat remains. From 1973, India's Project Tiger established over 25 tiger reserves, where human habitation was not allowed. The project was credited with tripling the number of wild Bengal tigers from some 1,200 in 1973 to over 3,500 in the 1990s, but a 2007 report showed that numbers had fallen down to about 1,400 tigers because of illegal hunting.

In the passage what does the phrase 'combating this trend' refer to?

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question given underneath.

Coral reefs are one of the Earth’s most beautiful, ancient and complex ecosystems. They play an essential role in sustaining life in the sea and serve as a source of food and protection for human communities. But coral reefs face an uncertain future. As a result of growing human and environmental assaults, reefs are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Ecological research provides information fundamental to understanding and combating this trend. Corals are actually animals with plants living inside them. A coral structure is actually composed of hundreds or thousands of tiny animals growing together as a colony which make a coral. Several polyps make a coral which together form a reef.
Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive marine communities on the planet. They play a critical role as habitat and nursery grounds for 10 to 20% of the world’s fisheries. They are intimately connected to other marine communities such as mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and the open seas as water currents transport larvae, plants, animals, nutrients, and organic materials. They play a significant role in the development of other ecosystems such as mangroves and wetlands and protect coastlines from wave and storm damage and erosion.

Why does the author think that coral reefs face an uncertain future?

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question given underneath.

Coral reefs are one of the Earth’s most beautiful, ancient and complex ecosystems. They play an essential role in sustaining life in the sea and serve as a source of food and protection for human communities. But coral reefs face an uncertain future. As a result of growing human and environmental assaults, reefs are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Ecological research provides information fundamental to understanding and combating this trend. Corals are actually animals with plants living inside them. A coral structure is actually composed of hundreds or thousands of tiny animals growing together as a colony which make a coral. Several polyps make a coral which together form a reef.
Coral reefs are the most diverse and productive marine communities on the planet. They play a critical role as habitat and nursery grounds for 10 to 20% of the world’s fisheries. They are intimately connected to other marine communities such as mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and the open seas as water currents transport larvae, plants, animals, nutrients, and organic materials. They play a significant role in the development of other ecosystems such as mangroves and wetlands and protect coastlines from wave and storm damage and erosion.

The phrase 'light up' as used in the passage implies

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question given underneath.

When you use tobacco products, nicotine is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. Within 10 seconds of entering your body, the nicotine reaches your brain. It causes the brain to release adrenaline, creating a buzz of pleasure and energy.
The buzz fades quickly though, and leaves you feeling tired, a little down, and wanting the buzz again. This feeling is what makes you light up the next cigarette. Since your body is able to build up a high tolerance to nicotine, you’ll need to smoke more and more cigarettes in order to get the nicotine’s pleasurable effects and prevent withdrawal symptoms.
This up and down cycle repeats over and over again, leading to addiction. Addiction keeps people smoking even when they want to quit. Breaking addiction is harder for some people than others. Many people need more than one try in order to quit. 
Research suggests that children and teens may be especially sensitive to nicotine, making it easier for them to become addicted. The younger the smokers are when they start, the more likely they are to become addicted. In fact, about three out of four high school smokers will become adult smokers.

Why did some families refuse vaccination for their children?

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the question given underneath. 

India’s polio-free certification, which was awarded by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014 for ensuring polio did not infect anyone in three straight years, took almost two decades of very hard work. Though vaccination against polio started in 1978 under India’s Expanded Programme in Immunisation, only about 40% children under five were being reached by 1984.
Following the WHO’s Polio Eradication Initiative, India launched its Pulse Polio Programme in 1995 with the target to vaccinate every child under five. It took some years, but it met targets. For successive years, each one of the country’s 26 million newborns was vaccinated against the paralysing infection, not once but repeatedly for the first five years of their lives. The biggest challenges were geography (for example, in the Kosi river belt in Bihar annual floods isolate several hundred families), work-related migration and ignorance: some families would refuse vaccination because they were convinced the drops would make their children impotent.
Ensuring these lifesaving drops reach around 800 million children each year — 172 million children are reached in each nationwide round of vaccination, and then there are sub-national rounds — is a spectacular feat by any standards.