Reading Comprehension

The original meaning of the word 'neta' refers to

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions.

Passage I
Mahatma Gandhi exercised leadership through his personal example and influence rather than through power. But would his style of leadership have worked in the West? Gandhi's example, even more than those of Lincoln, de Gaulle and Hitler, reveals the extent to which leadership is bound up with culture. For a long time the word 'culture' was used mainly as a synonym for Western civilization - the secular process of human development. In England it acquired definite class associations. But in the late eighteenth century the German writer Johann Herder challenged this view, 'Nothing is more indeterminate than this word, 'he wrote, 'and nothing more deceptive than its application to all nations and periods. 'Herder attacked the comfortable assumption that the self-development of humanity had moved in a unilinear progression to flower in the European culture around him. Indeed, he attacked the European assumption of cultural superiority.

The main objective of the passage is

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions.

Passage II
Two recent publications offer different assessments of the career of the famous British nurse Florence Nightingale. A book by Andy Summers seeks to debunk the idealization and present a reality at odds with Nightingale's heroic reputation. According to Summers, Nightingale's importance during the Crimean War has been exaggerated: not until the War's end did she become supervisor of the female nurses. In addition, Summers writes that the contribution of the nurses to the relief of the wounded was at best marginal, The prevailing problems of military medicine were caused by army organizational practices, and the addition offered by few nurses to the medical staff could be no more than symbolic. Nightingale's place 'in the national pantheon, Summers asserts, is largely due to the propagandistic efforts of contemporary newspaper reporters.

By contrast, the editors of a new volume of Nightingale's letters view Nightingale as a person who significantly influenced not only her own age but also subsequent generations' They highlight her ongoing efforts to reform sanitary conditions after the War. For example, when she learned that peacetime living conditions in British barracks were so horrible that the death rate of enlisted men far exceeded that of the neighbouring civilian population, she succeeded in persuading the government to establish a Royal Commission on the Health of the Army. She used sums raised through public contributions to found a nurses training hospital in London. Even in administrative matters, the editors assert, her practical intelligence was formidable: as recently as 1947 the British army's medical services were still using the cost accounting system she had devised in the eighteen sixties.

What seems to have been the immediate cause of writing the passage?

Read the following passage & answer the question that follows:
 A nine member international task force on conservation of forests has identified India as one of 56 countries of the world which are critically affected by widespread deforestation and steady destruction of natural watersheds: it has also warned that unless urgent conservation measure are taken the country will face a serious food crisis in the next century. the report correctly describes the Himalayan ecosystem as the most critical watershed in the world , the degradation of which now threatens the very processes of life in the indo – gangetic plain , the report documents some aspects of the process of environment destruction that is at work in this country and calls for an expenditure of about Rs 1,450 crores over the next five year period to reverse some of the damage that has taken place while the task force ‘s report is a welcome reminder of the urgency of the task of halting and rolling back the most awesome form of destruction that this country has ever witnessed , it regrettably underestimates the magnitude of the effort involved and hence falls short of suggesting a comprehensive solution to the problem . For instance the five – year programme it recommends bears no relationship to the resources that will be actually needed even to reach a zero net rate of deforestation, which is proceeding at the furious pace of 1.3 million hectares a year
Past experience shows that more than Rs 300 crores in government expenditure alone are needed over four to five years at today‘s prices merely to plant less than a million hectares of land with fuel wood trees . Realistically speaking, resources of the order of Rs.1,000 crores a year will be necessary for the next five years to sustain a plan that actually provides a forest cover to badly denuded land promotes the planning of fuel wood trees on a sizeable scale and involves proper conservation measures and an underestimation of the magnitude of such a plan is not the only flaw in the report . An even more serious one related to the first, lies in its failure to establish a coherent set of priorities among the different functions that an afforestation programme must perform. to take just one example , the vital task of planning fuelwood and fodder trees is put on part with the planning of trees to meet the aw materials requirements of industries. Owing to this confusion the task force falls short of recommending the kind of radical measures that are really needed including a moratorium in on the development of and in some areas phasing out of wood based industries: steps against the spreading of monocultures and entrusting afforestation programmes to the people in the affected regions rather than the government machinery.

According to the passage all of the following would prove radical measures to boost up the forestation programmes, except

Read the following passage & answer the question that follows:
 A nine member international task force on conservation of forests has identified India as one of 56 countries of the world which are critically affected by widespread deforestation and steady destruction of natural watersheds: it has also warned that unless urgent conservation measure are taken the country will face a serious food crisis in the next century. the report correctly describes the Himalayan ecosystem as the most critical watershed in the world , the degradation of which now threatens the very processes of life in the indo – gangetic plain , the report documents some aspects of the process of environment destruction that is at work in this country and calls for an expenditure of about Rs 1,450 crores over the next five year period to reverse some of the damage that has taken place while the task force ‘s report is a welcome reminder of the urgency of the task of halting and rolling back the most awesome form of destruction that this country has ever witnessed , it regrettably underestimates the magnitude of the effort involved and hence falls short of suggesting a comprehensive solution to the problem . For instance the five – year programme it recommends bears no relationship to the resources that will be actually needed even to reach a zero net rate of deforestation, which is proceeding at the furious pace of 1.3 million hectares a year
Past experience shows that more than Rs 300 crores in government expenditure alone are needed over four to five years at today‘s prices merely to plant less than a million hectares of land with fuel wood trees . Realistically speaking, resources of the order of Rs.1,000 crores a year will be necessary for the next five years to sustain a plan that actually provides a forest cover to badly denuded land promotes the planning of fuel wood trees on a sizeable scale and involves proper conservation measures and an underestimation of the magnitude of such a plan is not the only flaw in the report . An even more serious one related to the first, lies in its failure to establish a coherent set of priorities among the different functions that an afforestation programme must perform. to take just one example , the vital task of planning fuelwood and fodder trees is put on part with the planning of trees to meet the aw materials requirements of industries. Owing to this confusion the task force falls short of recommending the kind of radical measures that are really needed including a moratorium in on the development of and in some areas phasing out of wood based industries: steps against the spreading of monocultures and entrusting afforestation programmes to the people in the affected regions rather than the government machinery.

Shortage of which of the following will be most severe in India in future, if proper measures are not taken in order to stop degradation of the Himalayan ecosystem?

Read the following passage & answer the question that follows:
 A nine member international task force on conservation of forests has identified India as one of 56 countries of the world which are critically affected by widespread deforestation and steady destruction of natural watersheds: it has also warned that unless urgent conservation measure are taken the country will face a serious food crisis in the next century. the report correctly describes the Himalayan ecosystem as the most critical watershed in the world , the degradation of which now threatens the very processes of life in the indo – gangetic plain , the report documents some aspects of the process of environment destruction that is at work in this country and calls for an expenditure of about Rs 1,450 crores over the next five year period to reverse some of the damage that has taken place while the task force ‘s report is a welcome reminder of the urgency of the task of halting and rolling back the most awesome form of destruction that this country has ever witnessed , it regrettably underestimates the magnitude of the effort involved and hence falls short of suggesting a comprehensive solution to the problem . For instance the five – year programme it recommends bears no relationship to the resources that will be actually needed even to reach a zero net rate of deforestation, which is proceeding at the furious pace of 1.3 million hectares a year
Past experience shows that more than Rs 300 crores in government expenditure alone are needed over four to five years at today‘s prices merely to plant less than a million hectares of land with fuel wood trees . Realistically speaking, resources of the order of Rs.1,000 crores a year will be necessary for the next five years to sustain a plan that actually provides a forest cover to badly denuded land promotes the planning of fuel wood trees on a sizeable scale and involves proper conservation measures and an underestimation of the magnitude of such a plan is not the only flaw in the report . An even more serious one related to the first, lies in its failure to establish a coherent set of priorities among the different functions that an afforestation programme must perform. to take just one example , the vital task of planning fuelwood and fodder trees is put on part with the planning of trees to meet the aw materials requirements of industries. Owing to this confusion the task force falls short of recommending the kind of radical measures that are really needed including a moratorium in on the development of and in some areas phasing out of wood based industries: steps against the spreading of monocultures and entrusting afforestation programmes to the people in the affected regions rather than the government machinery.

In order to reverse the damage caused by deforestation, the international task force has estimated that India, in a period of five years, will be required to incur a total expenditure of about Rs.

Read the following passage & answer the question that follows:
 A nine member international task force on conservation of forests has identified India as one of 56 countries of the world which are critically affected by widespread deforestation and steady destruction of natural watersheds: it has also warned that unless urgent conservation measure are taken the country will face a serious food crisis in the next century. the report correctly describes the Himalayan ecosystem as the most critical watershed in the world , the degradation of which now threatens the very processes of life in the indo – gangetic plain , the report documents some aspects of the process of environment destruction that is at work in this country and calls for an expenditure of about Rs 1,450 crores over the next five year period to reverse some of the damage that has taken place while the task force ‘s report is a welcome reminder of the urgency of the task of halting and rolling back the most awesome form of destruction that this country has ever witnessed , it regrettably underestimates the magnitude of the effort involved and hence falls short of suggesting a comprehensive solution to the problem . For instance the five – year programme it recommends bears no relationship to the resources that will be actually needed even to reach a zero net rate of deforestation, which is proceeding at the furious pace of 1.3 million hectares a year
Past experience shows that more than Rs 300 crores in government expenditure alone are needed over four to five years at today‘s prices merely to plant less than a million hectares of land with fuel wood trees . Realistically speaking, resources of the order of Rs.1,000 crores a year will be necessary for the next five years to sustain a plan that actually provides a forest cover to badly denuded land promotes the planning of fuel wood trees on a sizeable scale and involves proper conservation measures and an underestimation of the magnitude of such a plan is not the only flaw in the report . An even more serious one related to the first, lies in its failure to establish a coherent set of priorities among the different functions that an afforestation programme must perform. to take just one example , the vital task of planning fuelwood and fodder trees is put on part with the planning of trees to meet the aw materials requirements of industries. Owing to this confusion the task force falls short of recommending the kind of radical measures that are really needed including a moratorium in on the development of and in some areas phasing out of wood based industries: steps against the spreading of monocultures and entrusting afforestation programmes to the people in the affected regions rather than the government machinery.

What is the root cause of alterations in manufacturing?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question on the basis of the content of the passage.
Manufacturing industries are a vital component of all modern economies and all of them require employees who are skilled - in and knowledgeable about - manufacturing processes. Manufacturing is undergoing major transformation due to the unforeseen challenges arising from the current trend of miniaturisation, the emergence of new materials and the growing interaction between biologists and engineers to learn more from nature and living objects. Traditionally, a "top-down" approach has been used in manufacturing. Recently, “bottom-up" approaches have begun for manufacturing today's highly complex products. For small to mid-size manufacturers, a well constructed manufacturing process that maximises the capabilities of your tools, parts and available labour is an essential part of an efficient go-to-market strategy.

What is not included as the efficient part of go-to-market strategy?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question on the basis of the content of the passage.
Manufacturing industries are a vital component of all modern economies and all of them require employees who are skilled - in and knowledgeable about - manufacturing processes. Manufacturing is undergoing major transformation due to the unforeseen challenges arising from the current trend of miniaturisation, the emergence of new materials and the growing interaction between biologists and engineers to learn more from nature and living objects. Traditionally, a "top-down" approach has been used in manufacturing. Recently, “bottom-up" approaches have begun for manufacturing today's highly complex products. For small to mid-size manufacturers, a well constructed manufacturing process that maximises the capabilities of your tools, parts and available labour is an essential part of an efficient go-to-market strategy.

Which of the following options connects with the term ‘bottom-up’?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question on the basis of the content of the passage.
Manufacturing industries are a vital component of all modern economies and all of them require employees who are skilled - in and knowledgeable about - manufacturing processes. Manufacturing is undergoing major transformation due to the unforeseen challenges arising from the current trend of miniaturisation, the emergence of new materials and the growing interaction between biologists and engineers to learn more from nature and living objects. Traditionally, a "top-down" approach has been used in manufacturing. Recently, “bottom-up" approaches have begun for manufacturing today's highly complex products. For small to mid-size manufacturers, a well constructed manufacturing process that maximises the capabilities of your tools, parts and available labour is an essential part of an efficient go-to-market strategy.

Give a suitable heading to the passage.

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

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 passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

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 passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

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.

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

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

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.

Trying to improve your talk is generally considered

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

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.

__________ would never be the main objective of a well educated or a brave man.

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