English Language

Reading Comprehension

7,656 Questions
All Explicit Fact Retrieval 2427 Inference and Logical Deduction 1147 Contextual Vocabulary Meaning 845 Main Idea and Title Selection 781 Cause and Effect Extraction 699 Synonym and Antonym Identification 692 Sentence Structure and Discourse Function 336 Author Tone and Perspective 194 Interpretation of Figurative Language 190 Passage Style and Organization 173 Pronoun Referent Identification 49

Reading Comprehension Questions

Multiple choice

Where was Raju sitting when he was called for the interview?

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

The manager of a firm published an advertisement for a night watchman. He called many people for the interview. All the applicants were present. He interviewed almost everybody. But, the manager was not satisfied. He found something dubious with each man. There was Raju, an applicant. He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview. Manager found nothing wrong in his appearance. He questioned about his health. He got the reply that he was suffering from sleeplessness. Manager was happy and appointed him. Be real in life.

  1. He was sitting in the balcony.

  2. He was not sitting.

  3. He was sitting with the manager.

  4. He was sitting in a corner of the room.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The passage says, "He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview."

Multiple choice

What did one of the men call the tree?

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

Two men were treading along one summer day. Soon it was too hot to go any further and seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade. Gazing up into the branches, one man said to the other, “What a useless tree this is! It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.” “Don’t be so ungrateful”, rustled the tree in reply. “I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun and you call me a good-for-nothing! All of God’s creations have a good purpose. We should never belittle God's blessings."

  1. He called it very nice.

  2. He called it fruitful.

  3. He called it useful.

  4. He called it useless.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

“What a useless tree this is!"

Multiple choice

What advertisement was published by the manager of the firm?

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

The manager of a firm published an advertisement for a night watchman. He called many people for the interview. All the applicants were present. He interviewed almost everybody. But, the manager was not satisfied. He found something dubious with each man. There was Raju, an applicant. He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview. Manager found nothing wrong in his appearance. He questioned about his health. He got the reply that he was suffering from sleeplessness. Manager was happy and appointed him. Be real in life.

  1. It was about the post of a watchman.

  2. It was about the post of a night watchman.

  3. It was about the post of a gatekeeper.

  4. It was about the post of a peon.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

Which word in the passage is the synonym of “speechless”?

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

A milkman became very rich and prosperous through dishonest means. Every day, he had to cross a river to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day, he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected, he bought many rich clothes and sparkling gold ornaments. But, while crossing the river, the boat got inverted and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk vendor was dumb with grief. At that time, he heard a voice that came from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating your customers."

  1. Deaf

  2. Dumb

  3. Blind

  4. Helpless
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Concept based

Multiple choice

How did the milkman become rich?

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

A milkman became very rich and prosperous through dishonest means. Every day, he had to cross a river to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day, he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected, he bought many rich clothes and sparkling gold ornaments. But, while crossing the river, the boat got inverted and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk vendor was dumb with grief. At that time, he heard a voice that came from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating your customers."

  1. By expanding his business across the river

  2. By selling other dairy products along with milk

  3. By working hard day and night

  4. By cheating his customers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

"A milkman became very rich and prosperous through dishonest means."

Multiple choice

The milkman was collecting the dues because he wanted to

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

A milkman became very rich and prosperous through dishonest means. Every day, he had to cross a river to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day, he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected, he bought many rich clothes and sparkling gold ornaments. But, while crossing the river, the boat got inverted and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk vendor was dumb with grief. At that time, he heard a voice that came from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating your customers."

  1. celebrate his son's wedding

  2. become richer

  3. buy cows

  4. buy his own boat
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

What happened to the boat while crossing the river?

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

A milkman became very rich and prosperous through dishonest means. Every day, he had to cross a river to reach the city where his customers lived. He mixed the water of the river generously with the milk that he sold for a good profit. One day, he went around collecting the dues in order to celebrate the wedding of his son. With the large amount thus collected, he bought many rich clothes and sparkling gold ornaments. But, while crossing the river, the boat got inverted and all his costly purchases were swallowed by the river. The milk vendor was dumb with grief. At that time, he heard a voice that came from the river, “Do not weep. What you have lost is only the illicit gains you earned through cheating your customers."

  1. It got broken.

  2. It sank in the river.

  3. It turned upside down.

  4. It floated away.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

How was the tree helpful to the men?

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

Two men were treading along one summer day. Soon it was too hot to go any further and seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade. Gazing up into the branches, one man said to the other, “What a useless tree this is! It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.” “Don’t be so ungrateful”, rustled the tree in reply. “I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun and you call me a good-for-nothing! All of God’s creations have a good purpose. We should never belittle God's blessings."

  1. It gave them relief from the sun.

  2. It gave them fruits.

  3. It gave them nothing.

  4. It gave them water.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage says, "I am extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun."

Multiple choice

Why had he not selected anybody before Raju?

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

The manager of a firm published an advertisement for a night watchman. He called many people for the interview. All the applicants were present. He interviewed almost everybody. But, the manager was not satisfied. He found something dubious with each man. There was Raju, an applicant. He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview. Manager found nothing wrong in his appearance. He questioned about his health. He got the reply that he was suffering from sleeplessness. Manager was happy and appointed him. Be real in life.

  1. It is because nobody was healthy.

  2. It is because he found everybody dubious.

  3. It is because he wanted to select Raju.

  4. It is because he wanted to give less salary.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The passage says, "He found something dubious with each man."

Multiple choice

How many men were walking along?

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

Two men were treading along one summer day. Soon it was too hot to go any further and seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade. Gazing up into the branches, one man said to the other, “What a useless tree this is! It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.” “Don’t be so ungrateful”, rustled the tree in reply. “I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun and you call me a good-for-nothing! All of God’s creations have a good purpose. We should never belittle God's blessings."

  1. Two

  2. Three

  3. One

  4. Four
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage says, "Two men were treading along one summer day."

Multiple choice

Which word in the passage is the synonym of “doubtful”?

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

The manager of a firm published an advertisement for a night watchman. He called many people for the interview. All the applicants were present. He interviewed almost everybody. But, the manager was not satisfied. He found something dubious with each man. There was Raju, an applicant. He was sitting in a corner waiting for his turn of interview. Manager found nothing wrong in his appearance. He questioned about his health. He got the reply that he was suffering from sleeplessness. Manager was happy and appointed him. Be real in life.

  1. Happy

  2. Dubious

  3. Present

  4. Wrong
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Concept based

Multiple choice

Which word in the passage is the synonym of “unthankful”?

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

Two men were treading along one summer day. Soon it was too hot to go any further and seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade. Gazing up into the branches, one man said to the other, “What a useless tree this is! It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.” “Don’t be so ungrateful”, rustled the tree in reply. “I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun and you call me a good-for-nothing! All of God’s creations have a good purpose. We should never belittle God's blessings."

  1. Large

  2. Good

  3. Ungrateful

  4. Useless
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Concept based

Multiple choice

Why could they not go any further?

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

Two men were treading along one summer day. Soon it was too hot to go any further and seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade. Gazing up into the branches, one man said to the other, “What a useless tree this is! It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.” “Don’t be so ungrateful”, rustled the tree in reply. “I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun and you call me a good-for-nothing! All of God’s creations have a good purpose. We should never belittle God's blessings."

  1. Because it was very hot.

  2. Because they were tired.

  3. Because they were thirsty.

  4. Because they wanted to eat fruit.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

It matches with the information given in the passage.

Multiple choice

What is the author's view about companies' documentation of CSR initiatives?

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

“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals. We now know that it is bad economics,” said American President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 in the midst of the Great Depression. And the world has learnt that enlightened self-interest is good economics all over again after the Great Recession of 2009. Americans are entering a period of social change as they are recalibrating their sense of what it means to be a citizen, not just through voting or volunteering but also through commerce. There is a new dimension to civic duty that is growing among Americans – the idea that they can serve not only by spending time in communities and classrooms but by spending more responsibly. In short, Americans are beginning to put their money where their ideals are.
In a recent poll most said they had consciously supported local or small neighbourhood businesses and 40 percent said that they had purchased a product because they liked the social or political values of the company that produced it. People were alarmed about ‘blood diamonds’ mined in war zones and used to finance conflict in Africa. They were also willing to pay \$2000 more for a car that gets 35 miles per gallon than for one that gives less, though the former is more expensive but environment friendly. Of course consumers have done their own doing-well-by doing-good calculation – a more expensive car that gives better mileage will save them money in the long run and makes them feel good about protecting the environment. Moreover since 1995, the number of socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds, which generally avoid buying shares of companies that profit from tobacco, oil or child labour has grown from 55 to 260. SRI funds now manage approximately 11 percent of all the money invested in the US financial markets – an estimated \$2.7 trillion. This is evidence of a changing mindset in a nation whose most iconic economist Milton Friedman wrote in 1970 that a corporation’s only moral responsibility was to increase shareholder profits.
At first the corporate stance was defensive : companies were punished by consumers for unethical behaviour such as discriminatory labour practices. The nexus of activist groups, consumers and government regulation could not merely tarnish a company but put it out of business. But corporate America quickly discerned that social responsibility attracts investment capital as well as customer loyalty, creating a virtuous circle. Some companies quickly embraced the new ethos that consumers boycotted products they considered unethical and others purchase products in part because their manufacturers were responsible. With global warming on the minds of many consumers lots of companies are racing to ‘outgreen’ each other. The most progressive companies are talking about a triple bottom line-profit, planet and people – that focuses on how to run a business while trying to improve environmental and worker conditions.
This is a time when the only thing that has sunk lower than the American public’s opinion of Congress is its opinion of business. One burning question is how many of these Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are just shrewd marketing to give companies a halo effect? After all only 8 percent of the large American corporations go through the trouble of verifying their CSR reports, which many consumers don’t bother to read. And while social responsibility is one way for companies to get back their reputations consumers too need to make ethical choices.

  1. Since it is not certified by the government it cannot be considered authentic.

  2. It is the ideal way to earn customer loyalty and set a good example for small businesses

  3. It is a waste of time as neither consumers nor companies bother to determine their validity

  4. It should be mandatorily incorporated in the statement of accounts of any firm.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage expresses skepticism about CSR reports, noting that only 8% of large corporations verify their CSR reports 'which many consumers don't bother to read.' The author questions how many CSR initiatives are 'just shrewd marketing' to create a 'halo effect.' Option C captures this cynical view that documentation efforts are largely ignored by both parties.

Multiple choice

What can be inferred from the statistics mentioned about SRI mutual funds in the passage? (A) The percentage of child labourers has fallen since 1995. (B) At present tobacco companies are making huge losses. (C) The government needs to regulate SRI mutual funds as they handle vast amounts of funds.

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

“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals. We now know that it is bad economics,” said American President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 in the midst of the Great Depression. And the world has learnt that enlightened self-interest is good economics all over again after the Great Recession of 2009. Americans are entering a period of social change as they are recalibrating their sense of what it means to be a citizen, not just through voting or volunteering but also through commerce. There is a new dimension to civic duty that is growing among Americans – the idea that they can serve not only by spending time in communities and classrooms but by spending more responsibly. In short, Americans are beginning to put their money where their ideals are.
In a recent poll most said they had consciously supported local or small neighbourhood businesses and 40 percent said that they had purchased a product because they liked the social or political values of the company that produced it. People were alarmed about ‘blood diamonds’ mined in war zones and used to finance conflict in Africa. They were also willing to pay \$2000 more for a car that gets 35 miles per gallon than for one that gives less, though the former is more expensive but environment friendly. Of course consumers have done their own doing-well-by doing-good calculation – a more expensive car that gives better mileage will save them money in the long run and makes them feel good about protecting the environment. Moreover since 1995, the number of socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds, which generally avoid buying shares of companies that profit from tobacco, oil or child labour has grown from 55 to 260. SRI funds now manage approximately 11 percent of all the money invested in the US financial markets – an estimated \$2.7 trillion. This is evidence of a changing mindset in a nation whose most iconic economist Milton Friedman wrote in 1970 that a corporation’s only moral responsibility was to increase shareholder profits.
At first the corporate stance was defensive : companies were punished by consumers for unethical behaviour such as discriminatory labour practices. The nexus of activist groups, consumers and government regulation could not merely tarnish a company but put it out of business. But corporate America quickly discerned that social responsibility attracts investment capital as well as customer loyalty, creating a virtuous circle. Some companies quickly embraced the new ethos that consumers boycotted products they considered unethical and others purchase products in part because their manufacturers were responsible. With global warming on the minds of many consumers lots of companies are racing to ‘outgreen’ each other. The most progressive companies are talking about a triple bottom line-profit, planet and people – that focuses on how to run a business while trying to improve environmental and worker conditions.
This is a time when the only thing that has sunk lower than the American public’s opinion of Congress is its opinion of business. One burning question is how many of these Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are just shrewd marketing to give companies a halo effect? After all only 8 percent of the large American corporations go through the trouble of verifying their CSR reports, which many consumers don’t bother to read. And while social responsibility is one way for companies to get back their reputations consumers too need to make ethical choices.

  1. None

  2. Only (A)

  3. Only (A) & (B)

  4. Only (C)

  5. Only (B) & (C)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states SRI funds avoid companies profiting from 'tobacco, oil or child labour' but does not provide statistics on child labour reduction (A) or tobacco industry losses (B). It mentions SRI funds manage $2.7 trillion but doesn't call for government regulation (C). None of these inferences are directly supported by the passage.