Reading Comprehension

What according to the author does not constitute natural market forces?

1. Forces that are part of the global market.
2. Forces that determine the globalized economy.
3. Forces that go by the consumers’ choice.

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.

Several management schools are actually doing that while there are several others that are claiming to be doing that. What does 'that' refer to?

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.

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.

Does this article appear to be seeking some action from government/schooling authorities/consuming public/guardians? If yes, what are they?

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

Since the governments have failed to provide good schools for the ever growing population, there is a mad rush for admission to public schools or what are popularly known as English medium schools. English is supposed to be the medium of instruction in these schools and these institutions are doing great business. Even if some guardians grumble about the ever mounting charges of these academics, they are more or less reconciled to it for lack of better alternatives. Indeed, some of these are making sincere efforts to improve the quality of their product. And yet, there is much that is distasteful. 
I must hasten to add that I do not entertain great hopes from schools as I know a great number of teachers are there in these schools not because they have any love for the profession, but because they could not find a better outlet for their talent or let us say their free time.
For instance, the modern grammarians divide noun into three parts: proper noun, countable noun and uncountable noun. But it was a revelation to me when I saw the notebook of my ward where he had noted only four types of noun and it was duly endorsed by the teacher. It had proper noun, common noun, collective noun and abstract noun with requisite illustrations. I was frantically looking for a material noun, but it was not to be found anywhere. Thereafter, I became a little more inquisitive and circumspect and decided to scan through all the pages. I was horrified, to say the least, at the discoveries I made. I shall refrain from illustrating all of them, but this one should serve as an eye opener. It is amusing too. There was a sign of delta ‘s’ and the sentence written was: It is a Greek ‘world’. And it was marked right. When I visited the school, I drew the attention of the vice-principal and then of the principal to this. They looked concerned that their teachers should commit these silly mistakes, but they said that so far as the noun was concerned, they abided by the CBSE syllabus and that they could not help the matter. The book had only four types of noun listed, and so they taught only four types. Then I showed them the delta thing.  The vice-principal saw it and said it should have been ‘word’ which has been erroneously spelt as ‘world’. The principal went a step further and corrected it with his own pen and made it ‘word’. When I suggested that ‘delta’ was the fourth ‘letter’ of Greek and not a ‘word’ at all, the principal hurriedly rewrote it as ‘letter’ and said sheepishly that he did not know Greek. Nor did I. But was it necessary to know Greek to know delta was a letter, not a word?
Most of the guardians take it for granted that their wards are receiving the best schooling and do not care to see what actually is happening to their wards. Nor for that matter it is expected of all guardians to know the correct answers. So what happens to their wards? When teachers commit mistakes, you go to the principal. But where would you go if the principal himself is ill-informed?

Does a reading of this article lead to the conclusion that public schools have no redeeming features and that the writer wholly condemns them?

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

Since the governments have failed to provide good schools for the ever growing population, there is a mad rush for admission to public schools or what are popularly known as English medium schools. English is supposed to be the medium of instruction in these schools and these institutions are doing great business. Even if some guardians grumble about the ever mounting charges of these academics, they are more or less reconciled to it for lack of better alternatives. Indeed, some of these are making sincere efforts to improve the quality of their product. And yet, there is much that is distasteful. 
I must hasten to add that I do not entertain great hopes from schools as I know a great number of teachers are there in these schools not because they have any love for the profession, but because they could not find a better outlet for their talent or let us say their free time.
For instance, the modern grammarians divide noun into three parts: proper noun, countable noun and uncountable noun. But it was a revelation to me when I saw the notebook of my ward where he had noted only four types of noun and it was duly endorsed by the teacher. It had proper noun, common noun, collective noun and abstract noun with requisite illustrations. I was frantically looking for a material noun, but it was not to be found anywhere. Thereafter, I became a little more inquisitive and circumspect and decided to scan through all the pages. I was horrified, to say the least, at the discoveries I made. I shall refrain from illustrating all of them, but this one should serve as an eye opener. It is amusing too. There was a sign of delta ‘s’ and the sentence written was: It is a Greek ‘world’. And it was marked right. When I visited the school, I drew the attention of the vice-principal and then of the principal to this. They looked concerned that their teachers should commit these silly mistakes, but they said that so far as the noun was concerned, they abided by the CBSE syllabus and that they could not help the matter. The book had only four types of noun listed, and so they taught only four types. Then I showed them the delta thing.  The vice-principal saw it and said it should have been ‘word’ which has been erroneously spelt as ‘world’. The principal went a step further and corrected it with his own pen and made it ‘word’. When I suggested that ‘delta’ was the fourth ‘letter’ of Greek and not a ‘word’ at all, the principal hurriedly rewrote it as ‘letter’ and said sheepishly that he did not know Greek. Nor did I. But was it necessary to know Greek to know delta was a letter, not a word?
Most of the guardians take it for granted that their wards are receiving the best schooling and do not care to see what actually is happening to their wards. Nor for that matter it is expected of all guardians to know the correct answers. So what happens to their wards? When teachers commit mistakes, you go to the principal. But where would you go if the principal himself is ill-informed?

What purpose, if any, does the unfurling of delta episode serve?

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

Since the governments have failed to provide good schools for the ever growing population, there is a mad rush for admission to public schools or what are popularly known as English medium schools. English is supposed to be the medium of instruction in these schools and these institutions are doing great business. Even if some guardians grumble about the ever mounting charges of these academics, they are more or less reconciled to it for lack of better alternatives. Indeed, some of these are making sincere efforts to improve the quality of their product. And yet, there is much that is distasteful. 
I must hasten to add that I do not entertain great hopes from schools as I know a great number of teachers are there in these schools not because they have any love for the profession, but because they could not find a better outlet for their talent or let us say their free time.
For instance, the modern grammarians divide noun into three parts: proper noun, countable noun and uncountable noun. But it was a revelation to me when I saw the notebook of my ward where he had noted only four types of noun and it was duly endorsed by the teacher. It had proper noun, common noun, collective noun and abstract noun with requisite illustrations. I was frantically looking for a material noun, but it was not to be found anywhere. Thereafter, I became a little more inquisitive and circumspect and decided to scan through all the pages. I was horrified, to say the least, at the discoveries I made. I shall refrain from illustrating all of them, but this one should serve as an eye opener. It is amusing too. There was a sign of delta ‘s’ and the sentence written was: It is a Greek ‘world’. And it was marked right. When I visited the school, I drew the attention of the vice-principal and then of the principal to this. They looked concerned that their teachers should commit these silly mistakes, but they said that so far as the noun was concerned, they abided by the CBSE syllabus and that they could not help the matter. The book had only four types of noun listed, and so they taught only four types. Then I showed them the delta thing.  The vice-principal saw it and said it should have been ‘word’ which has been erroneously spelt as ‘world’. The principal went a step further and corrected it with his own pen and made it ‘word’. When I suggested that ‘delta’ was the fourth ‘letter’ of Greek and not a ‘word’ at all, the principal hurriedly rewrote it as ‘letter’ and said sheepishly that he did not know Greek. Nor did I. But was it necessary to know Greek to know delta was a letter, not a word?
Most of the guardians take it for granted that their wards are receiving the best schooling and do not care to see what actually is happening to their wards. Nor for that matter it is expected of all guardians to know the correct answers. So what happens to their wards? When teachers commit mistakes, you go to the principal. But where would you go if the principal himself is ill-informed?

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.

Which word in the passage means 'easy to damage or break'?

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body They help shore up bones, heal wounds and bolster our immune system. They also convert food into energy, and repair cellular damage. They are known mainly by their initials (such as vitamins A,B,C,D,E, and K—to name just a few). Vitamins and minerals are often called micronutrients because our body needs only tiny amounts of them. Yet failing to get even those small quantities virtually guarantees disease. Although they are all considered micronutrients, vitamins and minerals differ in basic ways. Vitamins are organic and can be broken down by heat, air or acid. Minerals are inorganic and hold on to their chemical structure. It means the minerals in soil and water easily find their way into our body through the plants, fish, animals and fluids we consume. But it’s tougher to shuttle vitamins from food and other sources into our body because cooking, storage and simple exposure to air can inactivate these more fragile compounds. There is a fine line between getting enough of these nutrients (which is healthy) and getting too much (which can end up harming you). Eating a healthy diet remains the best way to get sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need.

Which two categories of food mentioned in the passage are opposite to each other in nutritional values?

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.

Directions: Select the option that is the best substitute for the parenthesis given in the passage.

Indian capital goods industry is passing through a period of deep crisis.(.) With the drastic reduction of customs duties on capital goods, imported goods have flooded the Indian market. Indian industry is finding it very difficult to compete with the technologically superior plant and machinery from the developed countries. Naturally, in the times of globalization, every one has doubts about Indian competitiveness.

Directions: Select the option that is the best substitute for the parenthesis given in the passage.

Adding to the difficulty are the different priorities of the central government. The emphasis in Beijing is on necessity of economic performance; all the talk is of the need for more profit, higher productivity, more plant discipline. For the central government, a vastly increased supply of consumer goods and of goods of improved quality must be the first priority. Without the incentives that only an increased consumer oriented good supply can provide, (.) It shows signs of slowing down now.

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.