English Reading Comprehension

As in a voyage, when the ship is at anchor, if you go on shore to get water, you may amuse yourself with picking up a shellfish or a truffle in your way, but your thoughts ought to be bent toward the ship, and perpetually attentive, lest the captain should call, and then you must leave all these things, that you may not have to be carried on board the vessel, bound like a sheep; thus likewise in life, if, instead of a truffle or shellfish, such a thing as a wife or a child be granted you, there is no objection; but if the captain calls, run to the ship, leave all these things, and never look behind.

The first thing he wanted to do was get the lower part of his body out of the bed, but he had not seen this lower part, and could not imagine what it looked like; it turned out to be too hard to move; it went so slowly; and finally, almost in a frenzy, when he carelessly shoved himself forwards with all the force he could gather, he chose the wrong direction, hit hard against the lower bedpost, and learned from the burning pain he felt that the lower part of his body might well, at present, be the most sensitive.

He who can peruse it without a tearful eye, a heaving breast, an afflicted spirit, without being filled with an unutterable abhorrence of slavery and all its abettors, and animated with a determination to seek the immediate overthrow of that execrable system, without trembling for the fate of this country in the hands of a righteous God, who is ever on the side of the oppressed, and whose arm is not shortened that it cannot save, must have a flinty heart, and be qualified to act the part of a trafficker “in slaves and the souls of men.”

It was as if the plague had broken out in the country and news had been spreading around that in one or another place there was a man, a wise man, a knowledgeable one, whose words and breath was enough to heal everyone who had been infected with the pestilence, and as such news would go through the land and everyone would talk about it, many would believe, many would doubt, but many would get on their way as soon as possible, to seek the wise man, the helper, just like this the myth ran through the land, that fragrant myth of Gotama, the Buddha, the wise man of the family of Sakya.

Directions: In the question below, the 1^st and the last (correctly ordered) sentences are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the passage is split into four parts and named B, C, D and E. These four parts are not given in the proper order. Choose the correct combination among the four alternatives given.

1. Efforts to define the nature of an art or craft usually are based upon the masterpieces of that field. B. It is difficult to imagine what the present state of comprehension of music would be if only the music of today were available. C. Without that necessary reference point, vague speculations and generalizations—without proof of validity—are likely. D. Yet, this is precisely the situation that exists in acting. E. In the visual, musical, and literary arts, this foundation exists; the work of the great masters of the past and the present serves not only to elucidate the art but also to create standards to emulate.
2. The actor, in the words of the 19^th-century actor Lawrence Barrett, “is forever carving a statue of snow.”

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (ii) with the help of the alternatives given.

Though he loved all of his children, Baba Ayub privately had a (i) __________ fondness for one among them, his youngest, Qais, who was three years old. Qais was a little boy with dark blue eyes. He (ii) __________ anyone who met him with his devilish laughter; he was also one of those boys so bursting with energy that he (iii) __________ others of theirs. When he learned to walk, he took such delight in it that he did it all day while he was awake, and then, troublingly, even at night in his sleep. He would sleepwalk out of the family’s mud house and wander off into the moonlit darkness. Naturally, his parents were worried. They took stabs at many (iv) _______, none of which worked. In the end, the solution Baba Ayub found was a simple one, as the best solutions often are: he removed a tiny bell from around the neck of one of his goats and hung it instead around Qais’s neck. This way, the bell would wake up someone if Qais were to rise in the middle of the night. The sleepwalking stopped after a time, but Qais grew (v) _______ to the bell and refused to part with it.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (iii) with the help of the alternatives given.

Though he loved all of his children, Baba Ayub privately had a (i) __________ fondness for one among them, his youngest, Qais, who was three years old. Qais was a little boy with dark blue eyes. He (ii) __________ anyone who met him with his devilish laughter; he was also one of those boys so bursting with energy that he (iii) __________ others of theirs. When he learned to walk, he took such delight in it that he did it all day while he was awake, and then, troublingly, even at night in his sleep. He would sleepwalk out of the family’s mud house and wander off into the moonlit darkness. Naturally, his parents were worried. They took stabs at many (iv) _______, none of which worked. In the end, the solution Baba Ayub found was a simple one, as the best solutions often are: he removed a tiny bell from around the neck of one of his goats and hung it instead around Qais’s neck. This way, the bell would wake up someone if Qais were to rise in the middle of the night. The sleepwalking stopped after a time, but Qais grew (v) _______ to the bell and refused to part with it.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (iv) with the help of the alternatives given.

Though he loved all of his children, Baba Ayub privately had a (i) __________ fondness for one among them, his youngest, Qais, who was three years old. Qais was a little boy with dark blue eyes. He (ii) __________ anyone who met him with his devilish laughter; he was also one of those boys so bursting with energy that he (iii) __________ others of theirs. When he learned to walk, he took such delight in it that he did it all day while he was awake, and then, troublingly, even at night in his sleep. He would sleepwalk out of the family’s mud house and wander off into the moonlit darkness. Naturally, his parents were worried. They took stabs at many (iv) _______, none of which worked. In the end, the solution Baba Ayub found was a simple one, as the best solutions often are: he removed a tiny bell from around the neck of one of his goats and hung it instead around Qais’s neck. This way, the bell would wake up someone if Qais were to rise in the middle of the night. The sleepwalking stopped after a time, but Qais grew (v) _______ to the bell and refused to part with it.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (v) with the help of the alternatives given.

Though he loved all of his children, Baba Ayub privately had a (i) __________ fondness for one among them, his youngest, Qais, who was three years old. Qais was a little boy with dark blue eyes. He (ii) __________ anyone who met him with his devilish laughter; he was also one of those boys so bursting with energy that he (iii) __________ others of theirs. When he learned to walk, he took such delight in it that he did it all day while he was awake, and then, troublingly, even at night in his sleep. He would sleepwalk out of the family’s mud house and wander off into the moonlit darkness. Naturally, his parents were worried. They took stabs at many (iv) _______, none of which worked. In the end, the solution Baba Ayub found was a simple one, as the best solutions often are: he removed a tiny bell from around the neck of one of his goats and hung it instead around Qais’s neck. This way, the bell would wake up someone if Qais were to rise in the middle of the night. The sleepwalking stopped after a time, but Qais grew (v) _______ to the bell and refused to part with it.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (1) with the help of the alternatives given.

A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts, dating back over 1,000 years, has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, a find (1) __________ by experts as one of the country's most significant. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, uncovered the 100 items in a field in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in September. Amongst the objects is a solid silver cross thought to date from the 9^th or 10^th century, a silver pot of west European origin, which is (2) __________ to have already been 100 years old when it was buried and several gold objects. The Viking hoard is McLennan's second (3) __________ contribution to Scotland's understanding of its past. Last year, he and a friend unearthed around 300 medieval coins in the same area of Scotland. "The Vikings were well known for having (4) __________ these shores in the past, but today we can appreciate what they have left behind," said Scotland's secretary for cultural and external affairs. The Vikings of Scandinavian origin made (5) __________ raids on Britain from the 8^th to the 11^th centuries. They buried their valuables for safe-keeping, which have gradually been discovered by generations of treasure seekers.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (i) with the help of the alternatives given.

Though he loved all of his children, Baba Ayub privately had a (i) __________ fondness for one among them, his youngest, Qais, who was three years old. Qais was a little boy with dark blue eyes. He (ii) __________ anyone who met him with his devilish laughter; he was also one of those boys so bursting with energy that he (iii) __________ others of theirs. When he learned to walk, he took such delight in it that he did it all day while he was awake, and then, troublingly, even at night in his sleep. He would sleepwalk out of the family’s mud house and wander off into the moonlit darkness. Naturally, his parents were worried. They took stabs at many (iv) _______, none of which worked. In the end, the solution Baba Ayub found was a simple one, as the best solutions often are: he removed a tiny bell from around the neck of one of his goats and hung it instead around Qais’s neck. This way, the bell would wake up someone if Qais were to rise in the middle of the night. The sleepwalking stopped after a time, but Qais grew (v) _______ to the bell and refused to part with it.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (2) with the help of the alternatives given.

A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts, dating back over 1,000 years, has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, a find (1) __________ by experts as one of the country's most significant. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, uncovered the 100 items in a field in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in September. Amongst the objects is a solid silver cross thought to date from the 9^th or 10^th century, a silver pot of west European origin, which is (2) __________ to have already been 100 years old when it was buried and several gold objects. The Viking hoard is McLennan's second (3) __________ contribution to Scotland's understanding of its past. Last year, he and a friend unearthed around 300 medieval coins in the same area of Scotland. "The Vikings were well known for having (4) __________ these shores in the past, but today we can appreciate what they have left behind," said Scotland's secretary for cultural and external affairs. The Vikings of Scandinavian origin made (5) __________ raids on Britain from the 8^th to the 11^th centuries. They buried their valuables for safe-keeping, which have gradually been discovered by generations of treasure seekers.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (3) with the help of the alternatives given.

A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts, dating back over 1,000 years, has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, a find (1) __________ by experts as one of the country's most significant. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, uncovered the 100 items in a field in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in September. Amongst the objects is a solid silver cross thought to date from the 9^th or 10^th century, a silver pot of west European origin, which is (2) __________ to have already been 100 years old when it was buried and several gold objects. The Viking hoard is McLennan's second (3) __________ contribution to Scotland's understanding of its past. Last year, he and a friend unearthed around 300 medieval coins in the same area of Scotland. "The Vikings were well known for having (4) __________ these shores in the past, but today we can appreciate what they have left behind," said Scotland's secretary for cultural and external affairs. The Vikings of Scandinavian origin made (5) __________ raids on Britain from the 8^th to the 11^th centuries. They buried their valuables for safe-keeping, which have gradually been discovered by generations of treasure seekers.

Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and then try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (5) with the help of the alternatives given.

A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts, dating back over 1,000 years, has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, a find (1) __________ by experts as one of the country's most significant. Derek McLennan, a retired businessman, uncovered the 100 items in a field in Dumfriesshire, southwest Scotland, in September. Amongst the objects is a solid silver cross thought to date from the 9^th or 10^th century, a silver pot of west European origin, which is (2) __________ to have already been 100 years old when it was buried and several gold objects. The Viking hoard is McLennan's second (3) __________ contribution to Scotland's understanding of its past. Last year, he and a friend unearthed around 300 medieval coins in the same area of Scotland. "The Vikings were well known for having (4) __________ these shores in the past, but today we can appreciate what they have left behind," said Scotland's secretary for cultural and external affairs. The Vikings of Scandinavian origin made (5) __________ raids on Britain from the 8^th to the 11^th centuries. They buried their valuables for safe-keeping, which have gradually been discovered by generations of treasure seekers.