Reading Comprehension

Which word in the passage can replace the expression 'a sudden intake of breath'?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

The earthly paradises of Bali and of the South Sea Islands, and the gentle, non-acquisitive civilization of Burma have been aptly described and romanticized. One can add to them the Nicobar Islands, where a small population lives happily on a very low cultural level. But perhaps the most remarkable and the least known of these earthly paradises is the small kingdom of Hunza in the Himalayas, which was recently visited and enthusiastically described by the journalist, Noel Barber (Daily Mail, 5, 6, 8 June 1962).

A fair-skinned population of 18,000,  live in a fertile and almost inaccessible valley not far from the Sinkiang border, 8,000 feet up. A legend has it that they are the descendants of three deserters from the army of Alexander the Great, who settled here with Persian wives - which make one inclined to believe that pacifism may be hereditary, because these people had no war in 2,000 years. They have no money, no crime, and no diseases, they rarely die before ninety. Their psychosomatic control is almost unbelievable, childbirth is painless and toothache, a joke. They keep their numbers stationary without contraceptives, and without abortion, but by sheer abstinence, though Noel Barber saw the new born son of a chuckling father aged eighty-nine. Their diet, which consists mostly of apricots and raw vegetables, may have something to do with their unshakeable serenity. It makes one gasp with surprise that human nature can be like this. One is reminded of Huxley's Island, but unlike the Palanese, the Hunza people have no art, only serenity.

The word in the passage that means ‘in body form' is _______.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

The great white shark is at the top of the marine food chain. In the shark family, it is the king that will eat anything, even other sharks. But as it gets older, bigger and slower, it develops a preference for seals, penguins and carrion - especially dead whales.

In locating their food, most sharks use all their senses including excellent vision. Their sense of smell is incredible and their ears are aided by pressure-sensitive cells along each side of their body. Nothing escapes this eavesdropping system, which is attuned to vibrations in the water. Sharks also have a sixth sense which enables them to detect the weak electrical fields emanating from the beating heart or the muscles of a potential prey.

The white shark's most fearsome assets are its huge head, its black eyes, and its razor-sharp, serrated teeth. The circulatory system of the white shark is different from that of most other sharks. Its blood temperature is about three to five degrees Celsius above water temperature. This speeds up digestion and adds to its strength and endurance.

It is known that the white shark spits out its wounded prey after an initial, powerful bite. Then it waits for the victim to die before eating it. Why does it use this bite-and­ spit strategy? Experts speculate that this is because of its eye. Unlike other sharks, the white shark has no eyelid like membrane to protect its eyes. Rather, it rotates them in their­ sockets when a collision is imminent. At the moment of impact, the eye is exposed, perhaps to the flaying, claws of a seal. "Therefore for the white shark a quick mortal strike and release is common behaviour.”

The public image of sharks has been greatly coloured by the novel Jaws which was turned into a popular movie. Overnight the white shark became evil incarnate. However, it is not a demon craving human flesh. The smell of blood does not drive it into a feeding frenzy as it does certain other sharks. Nevertheless it is the dangerous animal that should be treated with caution and respect.

The word in the passage that means ‘unbelievable' is _______.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

The great white shark is at the top of the marine food chain. In the shark family, it is the king that will eat anything, even other sharks. But as it gets older, bigger and slower, it develops a preference for seals, penguins and carrion - especially dead whales.

In locating their food, most sharks use all their senses including excellent vision. Their sense of smell is incredible and their ears are aided by pressure-sensitive cells along each side of their body. Nothing escapes this eavesdropping system, which is attuned to vibrations in the water. Sharks also have a sixth sense which enables them to detect the weak electrical fields emanating from the beating heart or the muscles of a potential prey.

The white shark's most fearsome assets are its huge head, its black eyes, and its razor-sharp, serrated teeth. The circulatory system of the white shark is different from that of most other sharks. Its blood temperature is about three to five degrees Celsius above water temperature. This speeds up digestion and adds to its strength and endurance.

It is known that the white shark spits out its wounded prey after an initial, powerful bite. Then it waits for the victim to die before eating it. Why does it use this bite-and­ spit strategy? Experts speculate that this is because of its eye. Unlike other sharks, the white shark has no eyelid like membrane to protect its eyes. Rather, it rotates them in their­ sockets when a collision is imminent. At the moment of impact, the eye is exposed, perhaps to the flaying, claws of a seal. "Therefore for the white shark a quick mortal strike and release is common behaviour.”

The public image of sharks has been greatly coloured by the novel Jaws which was turned into a popular movie. Overnight the white shark became evil incarnate. However, it is not a demon craving human flesh. The smell of blood does not drive it into a feeding frenzy as it does certain other sharks. Nevertheless it is the dangerous animal that should be treated with caution and respect.

The students of the class got annoyed with the new boy because

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Returning home after a decade-and-half abroad, our ge­ography master remained incurably addicted to foreign ways and ideas for years after landing here. He would forever stick to his theory of Africans suffering from a curse inflicted on them by the Almighty God for some heinous sins committed centuries ago. He would, in support of this theory ask listen­ers, “Why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the British mosquito does not bite? Why aren't there poisonous snakes in Britain whereas here most snakes are deadly? Why should the deadly sickle cell disease be peculiar to the black race?”

Of course, he would hardly wait for answers to these and similar questions before jumping to the same inevitable con­clusion. However, he met his match one day when a new student joined the class and heard the litany we were used to. The new boy calmly said. "Sir, I happened to know a few white men who suffer from the sickle cell disease: some are Italians and some are Spanish. The mosquito is equally deadly in India, South East Asian countries and South America. The United States and some other South American countries have their deadly snakes. And, sir, I know many white folks; some of them British, who would prefer our brilliant sunshine to their horribly cold winter." And he sat down.

I had never, before that day, seen our master so con­sumed with anger. He directed a burning look at the poor boy who had no answer to this new battle. Without as much as saying a single word, the master stalked out of the classroom. Needless to say, our anger was turned on the new boy, who had decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water. A delegation was sent to the master to apologise to him. He was appeased. But we all noticed something rather unusual thereafter; never again did he dwell on the issue of Africans being the accursed people.

The major difference between the kingdom of Hunza and the other earthly paradises described in the passage is that

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

The earthly paradises of Bali and of the South Sea Islands, and the gentle, non-acquisitive civilization of Burma have been aptly described and romanticized. One can add to them the Nicobar Islands, where a small population lives happily on a very low cultural level. But perhaps the most remarkable and the least known of these earthly paradises is the small kingdom of Hunza in the Himalayas, which was recently visited and enthusiastically described by the journalist, Noel Barber (Daily Mail, 5, 6, 8 June 1962).

A fair-skinned population of 18,000,  live in a fertile and almost inaccessible valley not far from the Sinkiang border, 8,000 feet up. A legend has it that they are the descendants of three deserters from the army of Alexander the Great, who settled here with Persian wives - which make one inclined to believe that pacifism may be hereditary, because these people had no war in 2,000 years. They have no money, no crime, and no diseases, they rarely die before ninety. Their psychosomatic control is almost unbelievable, childbirth is painless and toothache, a joke. They keep their numbers stationary without contraceptives, and without abortion, but by sheer abstinence, though Noel Barber saw the new born son of a chuckling father aged eighty-nine. Their diet, which consists mostly of apricots and raw vegetables, may have something to do with their unshakeable serenity. It makes one gasp with surprise that human nature can be like this. One is reminded of Huxley's Island, but unlike the Palanese, the Hunza people have no art, only serenity.

Which of the following is not an argument that the geography master used to substantiate his theory?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Returning home after a decade-and-half abroad, our ge­ography master remained incurably addicted to foreign ways and ideas for years after landing here. He would forever stick to his theory of Africans suffering from a curse inflicted on them by the Almighty God for some heinous sins committed centuries ago. He would, in support of this theory ask listen­ers, “Why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the British mosquito does not bite? Why aren't there poisonous snakes in Britain whereas here most snakes are deadly? Why should the deadly sickle cell disease be peculiar to the black race?”

Of course, he would hardly wait for answers to these and similar questions before jumping to the same inevitable con­clusion. However, he met his match one day when a new student joined the class and heard the litany we were used to. The new boy calmly said. "Sir, I happened to know a few white men who suffer from the sickle cell disease: some are Italians and some are Spanish. The mosquito is equally deadly in India, South East Asian countries and South America. The United States and some other South American countries have their deadly snakes. And, sir, I know many white folks; some of them British, who would prefer our brilliant sunshine to their horribly cold winter." And he sat down.

I had never, before that day, seen our master so con­sumed with anger. He directed a burning look at the poor boy who had no answer to this new battle. Without as much as saying a single word, the master stalked out of the classroom. Needless to say, our anger was turned on the new boy, who had decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water. A delegation was sent to the master to apologise to him. He was appeased. But we all noticed something rather unusual thereafter; never again did he dwell on the issue of Africans being the accursed people.

What does the author say about the complexion of Hunza population?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

The earthly paradises of Bali and of the South Sea Islands, and the gentle, non-acquisitive civilization of Burma have been aptly described and romanticized. One can add to them the Nicobar Islands, where a small population lives happily on a very low cultural level. But perhaps the most remarkable and the least known of these earthly paradises is the small kingdom of Hunza in the Himalayas, which was recently visited and enthusiastically described by the journalist, Noel Barber (Daily Mail, 5, 6, 8 June 1962).

A fair-skinned population of 18,000,  live in a fertile and almost inaccessible valley not far from the Sinkiang border, 8,000 feet up. A legend has it that they are the descendants of three deserters from the army of Alexander the Great, who settled here with Persian wives - which make one inclined to believe that pacifism may be hereditary, because these people had no war in 2,000 years. They have no money, no crime, and no diseases, they rarely die before ninety. Their psychosomatic control is almost unbelievable, childbirth is painless and toothache, a joke. They keep their numbers stationary without contraceptives, and without abortion, but by sheer abstinence, though Noel Barber saw the new born son of a chuckling father aged eighty-nine. Their diet, which consists mostly of apricots and raw vegetables, may have something to do with their unshakeable serenity. It makes one gasp with surprise that human nature can be like this. One is reminded of Huxley's Island, but unlike the Palanese, the Hunza people have no art, only serenity.

The geography master developed a special affinity to foreign ways and ideas because

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Returning home after a decade-and-half abroad, our ge­ography master remained incurably addicted to foreign ways and ideas for years after landing here. He would forever stick to his theory of Africans suffering from a curse inflicted on them by the Almighty God for some heinous sins committed centuries ago. He would, in support of this theory ask listen­ers, “Why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the British mosquito does not bite? Why aren't there poisonous snakes in Britain whereas here most snakes are deadly? Why should the deadly sickle cell disease be peculiar to the black race?”

Of course, he would hardly wait for answers to these and similar questions before jumping to the same inevitable con­clusion. However, he met his match one day when a new student joined the class and heard the litany we were used to. The new boy calmly said. "Sir, I happened to know a few white men who suffer from the sickle cell disease: some are Italians and some are Spanish. The mosquito is equally deadly in India, South East Asian countries and South America. The United States and some other South American countries have their deadly snakes. And, sir, I know many white folks; some of them British, who would prefer our brilliant sunshine to their horribly cold winter." And he sat down.

I had never, before that day, seen our master so con­sumed with anger. He directed a burning look at the poor boy who had no answer to this new battle. Without as much as saying a single word, the master stalked out of the classroom. Needless to say, our anger was turned on the new boy, who had decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water. A delegation was sent to the master to apologise to him. He was appeased. But we all noticed something rather unusual thereafter; never again did he dwell on the issue of Africans being the accursed people.

Which of the following, as per the author, is the so called compensation for all the disadvantages one faces in written communication?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Learning to speak one's language comes naturally to human beings; we learn it without formal instructions. But writing is an unnatural activity; it must be taught formally and studied deliberately. Indeed, many of the problems that arise in learning to write are simply problems of finding the proper written equivalent for the various features of speech.
The spelling of our words is a clumsy attempt to repro­duce the sound of our voices. The punctuation of our sen­tences and the setting of paragraphs are designed to give some approximation of the pauses and intonation we use automati­cally to give shape and point to our speaking.
The writer of English (or any other language) loses a whole world of gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice the minute he decides to write something rather than say it aloud. He loses the immediacy of direct contact with his audi­ence. If there were no compensation at all for all these disad­vantages, then communicating with other people through the medium of squiggles on paper would be as unsatisfactory as trying to wash your feet with your socks on,
Writing takes more effort than speech, but the effort we make simply to transfer our words to paper can also lead us to compose things that are worth the effort. The unusual energy that goes into achievement in any art or sport can and should function finally to help the individual increase his own powers and perfect his abilities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a clever man pointed out that practice in speaking makes a man ‘ready' or quick in his response. While practice in writing makes a man ‘exact’ and helps him to polish and perfect his thoughts.

Which of the following is not a disadvantage that we face in written communication?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Learning to speak one's language comes naturally to human beings; we learn it without formal instructions. But writing is an unnatural activity; it must be taught formally and studied deliberately. Indeed, many of the problems that arise in learning to write are simply problems of finding the proper written equivalent for the various features of speech.
The spelling of our words is a clumsy attempt to repro­duce the sound of our voices. The punctuation of our sen­tences and the setting of paragraphs are designed to give some approximation of the pauses and intonation we use automati­cally to give shape and point to our speaking.
The writer of English (or any other language) loses a whole world of gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice the minute he decides to write something rather than say it aloud. He loses the immediacy of direct contact with his audi­ence. If there were no compensation at all for all these disad­vantages, then communicating with other people through the medium of squiggles on paper would be as unsatisfactory as trying to wash your feet with your socks on,
Writing takes more effort than speech, but the effort we make simply to transfer our words to paper can also lead us to compose things that are worth the effort. The unusual energy that goes into achievement in any art or sport can and should function finally to help the individual increase his own powers and perfect his abilities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a clever man pointed out that practice in speaking makes a man ‘ready' or quick in his response. While practice in writing makes a man ‘exact’ and helps him to polish and perfect his thoughts.

According to the author, writing is an unnatural activity because

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Learning to speak one's language comes naturally to human beings; we learn it without formal instructions. But writing is an unnatural activity; it must be taught formally and studied deliberately. Indeed, many of the problems that arise in learning to write are simply problems of finding the proper written equivalent for the various features of speech.
The spelling of our words is a clumsy attempt to repro­duce the sound of our voices. The punctuation of our sen­tences and the setting of paragraphs are designed to give some approximation of the pauses and intonation we use automati­cally to give shape and point to our speaking.
The writer of English (or any other language) loses a whole world of gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice the minute he decides to write something rather than say it aloud. He loses the immediacy of direct contact with his audi­ence. If there were no compensation at all for all these disad­vantages, then communicating with other people through the medium of squiggles on paper would be as unsatisfactory as trying to wash your feet with your socks on,
Writing takes more effort than speech, but the effort we make simply to transfer our words to paper can also lead us to compose things that are worth the effort. The unusual energy that goes into achievement in any art or sport can and should function finally to help the individual increase his own powers and perfect his abilities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a clever man pointed out that practice in speaking makes a man ‘ready' or quick in his response. While practice in writing makes a man ‘exact’ and helps him to polish and perfect his thoughts.

The word in the passage that can replace 'intentionally' is __________.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Learning to speak one's language comes naturally to human beings; we learn it without formal instructions. But writing is an unnatural activity; it must be taught formally and studied deliberately. Indeed, many of the problems that arise in learning to write are simply problems of finding the proper written equivalent for the various features of speech.
The spelling of our words is a clumsy attempt to repro­duce the sound of our voices. The punctuation of our sen­tences and the setting of paragraphs are designed to give some approximation of the pauses and intonation we use automati­cally to give shape and point to our speaking.
The writer of English (or any other language) loses a whole world of gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice the minute he decides to write something rather than say it aloud. He loses the immediacy of direct contact with his audi­ence. If there were no compensation at all for all these disad­vantages, then communicating with other people through the medium of squiggles on paper would be as unsatisfactory as trying to wash your feet with your socks on,
Writing takes more effort than speech, but the effort we make simply to transfer our words to paper can also lead us to compose things that are worth the effort. The unusual energy that goes into achievement in any art or sport can and should function finally to help the individual increase his own powers and perfect his abilities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a clever man pointed out that practice in speaking makes a man ‘ready' or quick in his response. While practice in writing makes a man ‘exact’ and helps him to polish and perfect his thoughts.

According to the author, practice in writing has an edge over practice in speaking because

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Learning to speak one's language comes naturally to human beings; we learn it without formal instructions. But writing is an unnatural activity; it must be taught formally and studied deliberately. Indeed, many of the problems that arise in learning to write are simply problems of finding the proper written equivalent for the various features of speech.
The spelling of our words is a clumsy attempt to repro­duce the sound of our voices. The punctuation of our sen­tences and the setting of paragraphs are designed to give some approximation of the pauses and intonation we use automati­cally to give shape and point to our speaking.
The writer of English (or any other language) loses a whole world of gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice the minute he decides to write something rather than say it aloud. He loses the immediacy of direct contact with his audi­ence. If there were no compensation at all for all these disad­vantages, then communicating with other people through the medium of squiggles on paper would be as unsatisfactory as trying to wash your feet with your socks on,
Writing takes more effort than speech, but the effort we make simply to transfer our words to paper can also lead us to compose things that are worth the effort. The unusual energy that goes into achievement in any art or sport can and should function finally to help the individual increase his own powers and perfect his abilities. Three hundred and fifty years ago, a clever man pointed out that practice in speaking makes a man ‘ready' or quick in his response. While practice in writing makes a man ‘exact’ and helps him to polish and perfect his thoughts.

The author fears that fossil fuels will be exhausted in the near future because

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

If present trends continue, the world would face a major crisis by the end of this century; insufficient cheap, convenient energy. For without such energy, industrial production will fall, agricultural output will drop, transport will be restricted and standard of living in developed countries will plummet. At present, almost all our energy comes from fossil fuels. The earth’s reserves of fossil fuels have been formed from organic matter subjected to enormous heat and pressure for millions of years. But such reserves are finite. Because power demand is increasing very rapidly, fossil fuels will be exhausted with a relatively short time. We can estimate the amount of recoverable fuel under the surface of the earth and we know the rate at which it is being extracted. Fairly simple calculation can therefore determine its remaining life. If present trends continue, gas and oil reserves will be exhausted by the middle of the 21st century. Similar estimates for coal and wood reserves suggest a projected supply of 250-­300 years: of course, long before fossil fuels are exhausted, demand will greatly exceed supply. For too many years, the world has consumed fossil fuels with little thought for the future. In fact world energy consumption increased almost 600%: between 1900 and 1965 and by another 450% 1965 and the year 2000. Crude oil has been pumped out of the ground for about 100 years, but over half of it has been consumed in the past in 18 years. Coal has been mined for over 800 years, but over a half of it has been extracted in the past 37 years. To sum up, most of the world’s consumption of energy from fossil fuels throughout history, has taken place within.

The author warns that industrial and agricultural production would fall in the absence of

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

If present trends continue, the world would face a major crisis by the end of this century; insufficient cheap, convenient energy. For without such energy, industrial production will fall, agricultural output will drop, transport will be restricted and standard of living in developed countries will plummet. At present, almost all our energy comes from fossil fuels. The earth’s reserves of fossil fuels have been formed from organic matter subjected to enormous heat and pressure for millions of years. But such reserves are finite. Because power demand is increasing very rapidly, fossil fuels will be exhausted with a relatively short time. We can estimate the amount of recoverable fuel under the surface of the earth and we know the rate at which it is being extracted. Fairly simple calculation can therefore determine its remaining life. If present trends continue, gas and oil reserves will be exhausted by the middle of the 21st century. Similar estimates for coal and wood reserves suggest a projected supply of 250-­300 years: of course, long before fossil fuels are exhausted, demand will greatly exceed supply. For too many years, the world has consumed fossil fuels with little thought for the future. In fact world energy consumption increased almost 600%: between 1900 and 1965 and by another 450% 1965 and the year 2000. Crude oil has been pumped out of the ground for about 100 years, but over half of it has been consumed in the past in 18 years. Coal has been mined for over 800 years, but over a half of it has been extracted in the past 37 years. To sum up, most of the world’s consumption of energy from fossil fuels throughout history, has taken place within.