English Reading Comprehension

Who does the author refer to as enabling conduit and why?

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

With the whole world having converged into one market—the barriers, of whatever kind they may be, cannot persist for long. They must make way for the natural market forces.  It is these forces that will determine what will sell and what will not. It is these forces that will produce what consumers would want to consume. Only those who can read these forces will survive in the market. This market will not be local, but global. A successful entrepreneur has to dabble in this global market, in the international milieu, location notwithstanding. An individual’s traits and tenacity will, accordingly, be put to severe test. An institution can justify its existence only if it is able to hone and sharpen the skill of an individual to a level from where he or she can successfully dabble in international milieu. Several management schools are actually doing that while there are several others that are claiming to be doing that. We have set out on course to sift good from not-so-good.
Certain agencies examine these to provide necessary inputs on the mushrooming business schools so that one could take an informed decision on whether or not to choose them to hone entrepreneurial skill to enable them to dabble in any market. India is young. As part of that Young India and of the emerging economy, an academic stint with a quality institution, national or international, will expectedly give necessary tools to explore potential and develop market for India and Indian produce/services in the international arena and vice versa. This, in the process, will become an enabling conduit. 
Interactive sessions with international clientele—which these B-schools should enable —will give an insight into the basic needs of market and people who buy services and products. While smiles of the satisfied customers are rewards in themselves, they will constantly goad market people to keep upgrading their level of services. Frowns of dissatisfied/querulous customers will be lessons on how to deal with fastidious customers. Taking this as a challenge, ways and means of how to bring smile on the faces of the most fastidious of them all could and should be devised. Success or failure of an enterprise will largely depend on this. While life is changing fast, customer needs are changing faster still. This calls for constantly upgrading marketing skills to meet the requirements of ever changing facets of present day clientele. Change being the only constant, need to continuously upgrade individual skills and fine-tune them to understand and master nuances is imperative.

Which word in the passage means the same as 'adequate'?

A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development. Eating a balanced diet means choosing a wide variety of foods and drinks from all the food groups. It also means eating certain things in moderation, namely saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugar, salt and alcohol. The goal is to take in nutrients you need for health at the recommended levels. Your balanced diet must be planned at your own calorie level, and portion size is key. You want to get the most nutrients for the calories by choosing food with a high-nutrient density. Nutrient-dense foods provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and fish, and whole grains and beans. Low-nutrient dense foods have few vitamins but lots of calories, such as candy bars, soda, donuts and onion rings. Nutrition guidelines recommend eating a wide variety of foods. But, there's a school of thought that eating variety of foods leads to overeating. There is the tendency to stay hungry longer and eat more food when flavors are diverse and keep changing because we fill up on fewer calories when flavor variety is controlled. We have seen this principle in action when we come home with a load of groceries and want to sample the wide variety of tasty foods.

Find two words in the passage which are antonyms:

Even though we never actually digest roughage, it works wonders on our digestive system. Roughage, also known as dietary fiber, comes from the plant-based complex carbohydrates found in fruit, vegetables, grains, beans and nuts. Unlike fats or proteins, fiber is neither digested nor absorbed, but it helps carry the food through our system and keeps it running smoothly. Fiber can be soluble or insoluble, each of which affects our digestion differently. Most fiber-rich foods contains a mixture of both. Roughage is understood to be an essential part of any healthy diet plan. Its main function is to add bulk to the diet, which in turn aids in the digestion process and healthy function of the bowel system. There are many different sources of roughage like fruit, whole grains and every type of vegetables. There are two basic reasons that people should be sure that they have enough roughage in their diet. First, many of the foods that contain this bulk can help an individual to feel full more quickly. This can help to minimize the chances of overeating, and help people who are trying to lose weight. Second, because some types of fiber cannot be totally absorbed by the body, the unused portion of the material helps to clean out the digestive tract and bowel. The cleaning action helps to keep these vital areas less susceptible to infection and disease and aids in overall health.

Why King Lear wanted to divide his Kingdom?

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

King Lear, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to, nor words to properly express it; she speaks honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. In his anger he disinherits her, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to this unfair treatment. Lear is further enraged by Kent's protests, and banishes him from the country. Lear summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway.

Who does King Lear summon to marry Cordelia?

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

King Lear, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to, nor words to properly express it; she speaks honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. In his anger he disinherits her, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to this unfair treatment. Lear is further enraged by Kent's protests, and banishes him from the country. Lear summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway.

Who is banished from the country by King Lear?

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

King Lear, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to, nor words to properly express it; she speaks honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. In his anger he disinherits her, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to this unfair treatment. Lear is further enraged by Kent's protests, and banishes him from the country. Lear summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway.

Why does King Lear disinherit Cordelia?

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

King Lear, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to, nor words to properly express it; she speaks honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. In his anger he disinherits her, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to this unfair treatment. Lear is further enraged by Kent's protests, and banishes him from the country. Lear summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway.

From the words given below, find the word that best fits the meaning of 'Summons'?

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

King Lear, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, which pleases him. For Cordelia, there is nothing to compare her love to, nor words to properly express it; she speaks honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. In his anger he disinherits her, and divides the kingdom between Regan and Goneril. Kent objects to this unfair treatment. Lear is further enraged by Kent's protests, and banishes him from the country. Lear summons the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, who have both proposed marriage to Cordelia. Learning that Cordelia has been disinherited, the Duke of Burgundy withdraws his suit, but the King of France is impressed by her honesty and marries her anyway.

Why did the two families agree to end their violent feud?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant, Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two star-cross'd lovers. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud.

From whom did Romeo learn about Juliet's apparent death?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant, Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two star-cross'd lovers. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud.

Why did Juliet stab herself?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant, Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two star-cross'd lovers. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud.

Which of the following words is an antonym of "Reconciled"?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant, Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two star-cross'd lovers. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud.

Why does Paris confront Romeo?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given question.

The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant, Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt. He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two star-cross'd lovers. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud.

Which word in the passage means eager to learn or unduly inquisitive?

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

Albert Einstein is perhaps the most famous scientist of all time. Both his image and brilliant work on theoretical physics live on today and he serves as an inspiration to young scientists around the world. Albert Einstein was born on the 14^th of March 1879 and died on the 18^th of April 1955. Born in Germany to a Jewish family, Einstein made many contributions to the field of theoretical physics. Even when very young, Einstein showed great ability in both math’s and science. He was naturally curious and had a brilliant and analytical mind. He produced perhaps one of the most famous equations ever: E = mc² (energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared). He is also well known for his theory of relativity. Special relativity being introduced in his 1905 paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” before Einstein developed the theory of general relativity between the years of 1907 and 1915. Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on theoretical physics. He worked on many other influential theories and projects including: the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, Brownian motion, an explanation for capillary action and much more.