Reading Comprehension

“MK launched a sabotage campaign against the government.” What does the word 'sabotage' stands for?

Direction: Read the following passage and the question.

In 1961, Nelson Mandela co-founded and became the first leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), also known as MK, a new armed wing of the ANC. Several years later, during the trial that would put him behind bars for nearly three decades, he described the reason for this radical departure from his party’s original tenets: “[I]t would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and nonviolence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle. ”Under Mandela’s leadership, MK launched a sabotage campaign against the government, which had recently declared South Africa a republic and withdrawn from the British Commonwealth. In January 1962, Mandela traveled abroad illegally to attend a conference of African nationalist leaders in Ethiopia, visit the exiled Oliver Tambo in London and undergo guerilla training in Algeria. On August 5, shortly after his return, he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison for leaving the country and inciting the 1961 workers’ strike. The following July, police raided an ANC hideout in Rivonia, a suburb on the outskirts of Johannesburg, and arrested a racially diverse group of MK leaders who had gathered to debate the merits of a guerilla insurgency. Evidence was found implicating Mandela and other activists, who were brought to stand trial for sabotage, treason and violent conspiracy. Mandela and seven other defendants narrowly escaped the gallows and were instead sentenced to life imprisonment during the so-called Rivonia Trial, which lasted eight months and attracted substantial international attention. In a stirring opening statement that sealed his iconic status around the world, Mandela admitted to some of the charges against him while defending the ANC’s actions and denouncing the injustices of apartheid. He ended with the following words: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

“He described the reason for this radical departure from his party’s original tenets.” What does it mean by 'radical departure'?

Direction: Read the following passage and the question.

In 1961, Nelson Mandela co-founded and became the first leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), also known as MK, a new armed wing of the ANC. Several years later, during the trial that would put him behind bars for nearly three decades, he described the reason for this radical departure from his party’s original tenets: “[I]t would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and nonviolence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle. ”Under Mandela’s leadership, MK launched a sabotage campaign against the government, which had recently declared South Africa a republic and withdrawn from the British Commonwealth. In January 1962, Mandela traveled abroad illegally to attend a conference of African nationalist leaders in Ethiopia, visit the exiled Oliver Tambo in London and undergo guerilla training in Algeria. On August 5, shortly after his return, he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison for leaving the country and inciting the 1961 workers’ strike. The following July, police raided an ANC hideout in Rivonia, a suburb on the outskirts of Johannesburg, and arrested a racially diverse group of MK leaders who had gathered to debate the merits of a guerilla insurgency. Evidence was found implicating Mandela and other activists, who were brought to stand trial for sabotage, treason and violent conspiracy. Mandela and seven other defendants narrowly escaped the gallows and were instead sentenced to life imprisonment during the so-called Rivonia Trial, which lasted eight months and attracted substantial international attention. In a stirring opening statement that sealed his iconic status around the world, Mandela admitted to some of the charges against him while defending the ANC’s actions and denouncing the injustices of apartheid. He ended with the following words: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Many people, who converse well, sometimes become dull due to lack of

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

Really good talk is one of the greatest pleasures and yet how rarely one comes across it. There are a good many people among my acquaintances who, on occasions, are capable of talking well. But what they seem to lack is initiative and deliberate purpose. If people would only look upon conversation in a more serious light, much would be gained. I do not of course mean, heaven forbid, that people should try to converse seriously; that results in the worst kind of dreariness in feeling, as Stevenson said that one has the brain of a sheep and the eyes of a boiled codfish. What I mean is that the more seriously one takes an argument, the more amusing it becomes. What I wish is that people would apply the same sort of seriousness to talk that they apply to golf and bridge, just as they desire to improve their game, brood over their mistakes, try to do better. Why is it that so many people would think it effeminate to try to improve their talk, yet think it manly and rational to try to shoot better? Of course, it must be done with a natural zest and enjoyment or it is useless. It is all very well to know before hand the kind of line you would wish to take; but spontaneity is a necessary ingredient to talk and to make up one's mind to get certain stories in, is to deprive talk of its fortuitous charm.

Really good talk, even though it is rare, is always very

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

Really good talk is one of the greatest pleasures and yet how rarely one comes across it. There are a good many people among my acquaintances who, on occasions, are capable of talking well. But what they seem to lack is initiative and deliberate purpose. If people would only look upon conversation in a more serious light, much would be gained. I do not of course mean, heaven forbid, that people should try to converse seriously; that results in the worst kind of dreariness in feeling, as Stevenson said that one has the brain of a sheep and the eyes of a boiled codfish. What I mean is that the more seriously one takes an argument, the more amusing it becomes. What I wish is that people would apply the same sort of seriousness to talk that they apply to golf and bridge, just as they desire to improve their game, brood over their mistakes, try to do better. Why is it that so many people would think it effeminate to try to improve their talk, yet think it manly and rational to try to shoot better? Of course, it must be done with a natural zest and enjoyment or it is useless. It is all very well to know before hand the kind of line you would wish to take; but spontaneity is a necessary ingredient to talk and to make up one's mind to get certain stories in, is to deprive talk of its fortuitous charm.

The applying of seriousness to talk has been compared with something in the passage. What is it?

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

Really good talk is one of the greatest pleasures and yet how rarely one comes across it. There are a good many people among my acquaintances who, on occasions, are capable of talking well. But what they seem to lack is initiative and deliberate purpose. If people would only look upon conversation in a more serious light, much would be gained. I do not of course mean, heaven forbid, that people should try to converse seriously; that results in the worst kind of dreariness in feeling, as Stevenson said that one has the brain of a sheep and the eyes of a boiled codfish. What I mean is that the more seriously one takes an argument, the more amusing it becomes. What I wish is that people would apply the same sort of seriousness to talk that they apply to golf and bridge, just as they desire to improve their game, brood over their mistakes, try to do better. Why is it that so many people would think it effeminate to try to improve their talk, yet think it manly and rational to try to shoot better? Of course, it must be done with a natural zest and enjoyment or it is useless. It is all very well to know before hand the kind of line you would wish to take; but spontaneity is a necessary ingredient to talk and to make up one's mind to get certain stories in, is to deprive talk of its fortuitous charm.

Give a suitable heading to the passage.

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

Really good talk is one of the greatest pleasures and yet how rarely one comes across it. There are a good many people among my acquaintances who, on occasions, are capable of talking well. But what they seem to lack is initiative and deliberate purpose. If people would only look upon conversation in a more serious light, much would be gained. I do not of course mean, heaven forbid, that people should try to converse seriously; that results in the worst kind of dreariness in feeling, as Stevenson said that one has the brain of a sheep and the eyes of a boiled codfish. What I mean is that the more seriously one takes an argument, the more amusing it becomes. What I wish is that people would apply the same sort of seriousness to talk that they apply to golf and bridge, just as they desire to improve their game, brood over their mistakes, try to do better. Why is it that so many people would think it effeminate to try to improve their talk, yet think it manly and rational to try to shoot better? Of course, it must be done with a natural zest and enjoyment or it is useless. It is all very well to know before hand the kind of line you would wish to take; but spontaneity is a necessary ingredient to talk and to make up one's mind to get certain stories in, is to deprive talk of its fortuitous charm.

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question.

Who slumped forward with a dull thud?

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-IV

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question.

For what crime had the prisoner been punished?

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-IV

Directions: Read the passage and complete the sentence.

Computer training for the villagers was arranged through

Directions: In this section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based on the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-I

As a farmer, I was determined that we should get on the computer bandwagon, says Krishnappa Jagannath , the 40-year old head of the Gram Panchayat who initiated the whole process three years ago. With tips from a computer-savvy brother in the US. Jagannath drew up a plan and convinced others of its merit. Within no time, he was able to raise Rs 65,000 from the public, enough for the purchase of two assembled Pentium II computers.

That was easy enough. But who would operate these machines? Jagannath decided that it had to be the villages themselves. He got in touch with a software company, which agreed to train the villages. Although wary initially, the people knew it was worth a try. As they realised it was not so difficult, more and more villages joined in. Those like TS. Shobha who showed a greater aptitude were sent for extensive training.

Directions: Read the passage and complete the sentence.

Engineers India Limited handles

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-II

Directions: Read the passage and complete the sentence.

Krishanappa Jagannath is a

Directions: In this section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based on the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-I

As a farmer, I was determined that we should get on the computer bandwagon, says Krishnappa Jagannath , the 40-year old head of the Gram Panchayat who initiated the whole process three years ago. With tips from a computer-savvy brother in the US. Jagannath drew up a plan and convinced others of its merit. Within no time, he was able to raise Rs 65,000 from the public, enough for the purchase of two assembled Pentium II computers.

That was easy enough. But who would operate these machines? Jagannath decided that it had to be the villages themselves. He got in touch with a software company, which agreed to train the villages. Although wary initially, the people knew it was worth a try. As they realised it was not so difficult, more and more villages joined in. Those like TS. Shobha who showed a greater aptitude were sent for extensive training.

Directions: Read the passage and complete the sentence.

Engineers India Limited provides specialist services in

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-II

Directions: Read the passage and complete the sentence.

Engineers India Limited is

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-II

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question.

When had the crime been committed?

Directions: In this Section you have six short passages. After each passage you will find several questions based pm the passage. First, read Passage- I, and answer the questions based on it then go on the other passages.
PASSAGE-IV