One Word Substitution

Which word in the passage can replace 'vastly'?

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

Agatha Christie was probably the most successful writer in history. She wrote seventy-eight crime novels, six other novels, one hundred and fifty short stories, four non-fiction books and nineteen plays. That represents two billion books sold: more than William Shakespeare’s.

Christie became a writer by accident. She was bored when her husband was away in the First World War. Agatha was working in a hospital dispensary (which is where she learned all the information about poisons that she used in her books). She decided to write a novel to pass the time. She chose a detective novel because she loved reading them. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was an instant success. Each book had a new ingenious plot. Readers loved the books, particularly because Christie always gave the readers all the information they needed to find the solution.

Christie loved travelling. When she became rich she could go all over the world. She used the travels in her writing. Agatha Christie died in 1976, but her stories are still immensely popular. Many have been adapted into films or for television.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Find the word which means 'a place where there are no people'.

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

Rain in the countryside attracts the lovers of nature. It is pleasant and helpful. But rain in the city creates a different kind of sight. For some people, the heavy downpour may have a cooling effect, and it has its charm with the roar of thunder and the flash of lightening. On a rainy day, the lanes and the streets look like rivers and the entire city becomes magically converted into Venice. The street bears a deserted look. Occasionally, people try to plod their way. Their clothes are tucked up and they hold the umbrella in one hand and their bag in the other. A sudden gush of wind tilts their umbrella and they get drenched. If a vehicle passes speedily, it splashes muddy water on them. Sometimes, the streets become water-logged and traffic comes to a halt.

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.