Reading Comprehension

In order to survive in the competitive world of today, students should learn the importance of

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
In this present world of technological development, Internet is a boon for all the students who are given assignments to complete or do a secondary research. Internet provides such students with all the relevant information on their fingertips. But most of the students just surf the net and easily copy and paste information directly into their paper and claim it as their own. Is this not cheating? To use the ideas, content of others without giving due attribution is considered illegal.
Students are pressurised to do well in their assignments and projects. But when they make honest effort, it is not appreciated. On the other hand, those who have copied and pasted from internet would be appreciated and awarded more marks. Instead of testing their ability to write, one's ability to search best article and paste it in their assignments would be tested. Even in exams, students are encouraged to learn by rote and write the answers as they occur in text book or in notes given by teacher.
A child would grow up copying and pasting and in later stages face difficulties when given individual projects to be handled in this competitive world. He/she would be unable to come up with innovative ideas. Creativity of the student would be curbed.

Computers act as new 'baby-sitters' because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

Some sort of guidance is required in the beginning before venturing into the world of internet because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

The last lines of the passage highlight

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

The reason for parental disappointment is that

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

The main idea conveyed in the passage is

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

One of the good old methods of teaching could be

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system. However, modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays computer and digital technologies are the ultimate extensions of fun.
Parents in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter and a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version – a TV-set.  They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging in some stupid shooters tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighbouring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager needs some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions. 
But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market.

It could be assumed from the passage that Cabot was forced to return before reaching Iceland in 1496 because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

Nobody remembers much about John Cabot mainly because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

The English government once again gave importance to Cabot because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

Cabot was declared ‘lost at sea’ because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

From the last lines of the passage it can be assumed that people will remember you if

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

From the information provided in the passage we can assume that John Cabot

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

JOHN CABOT

What is the initiative that has been taken by the UGC to clean up the unauthorised entrants?

Directions: The questions in this section are based on a single passage. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Kindly note that more than one of the choices may conceivably answer some of the questions. However, you are to choose the most appropriate answer; that is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question.

The decision of the University Grants Commission to defer a move to accommodate foreign higher educational institutions as deemed universities, is sensible, considering that starting universities generally requires Parliamentary sanction. Using the UGC to help entities from abroad make a covert entry would be grossly improper when the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010 has stalled in the Rajya Sabha. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development has raised several issues relating to the legislation and called for a centralised policy and regulatory regime. What needs to be done immediately is to curb the operation of many unauthorised entrants that are exploiting the prevailing policy vacuum. It is true that a large number of Indian students leave for foreign campuses every year to secure a degree. There is much to be gained, therefore, if the best universities abroad open campuses in India, and offer courses that live up to their reputation for academic rigour. For the student, such an option can mean much lower costs.

Evidently, the passing of a robust law is essential to make sure that exploitation of students by foreign institutions does not take place. What has happened so far in the area of technical education and management courses offered by foreign entities, under the rules of the All India Council for Technical Education, is far from encouraging. The Standing Committee says the AICTE rules have failed to regulate the activities of such institutions, and only a handful of unapproved entities have been proceeded against. A large number of foreign institutions operating twinning programmes partnered unaffiliated and unapproved domestic organisations.

As a result of such carpet bagging, the UGC has now initiated a clean-up by laying down that twinning or joint ventures can be undertaken only with the top 500 names in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and a similar list of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This is a welcome advance over the present situation but no substitute for hard decisions on issues such as registration, transparent accreditation, socially-relevant medical education, faculty training, mutual recognition of degrees by the respective countries, and crucially, a check on profiteering. It must be emphasised that while an international education can expose some of India's youth to global excellence, equitable access to higher education will depend on a rapidly expanding public university system.

What according to the author has been happening due to the prevailing policy vacuum?

Directions: The questions in this section are based on a single passage. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Kindly note that more than one of the choices may conceivably answer some of the questions. However, you are to choose the most appropriate answer; that is, the response that most accurately and completely answers the question.

The decision of the University Grants Commission to defer a move to accommodate foreign higher educational institutions as deemed universities, is sensible, considering that starting universities generally requires Parliamentary sanction. Using the UGC to help entities from abroad make a covert entry would be grossly improper when the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010 has stalled in the Rajya Sabha. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development has raised several issues relating to the legislation and called for a centralised policy and regulatory regime. What needs to be done immediately is to curb the operation of many unauthorised entrants that are exploiting the prevailing policy vacuum. It is true that a large number of Indian students leave for foreign campuses every year to secure a degree. There is much to be gained, therefore, if the best universities abroad open campuses in India, and offer courses that
live up to their reputation for academic rigour. For the student, such an option can mean much lower costs.

Evidently, the passing of a robust law is essential to make sure that exploitation of students by foreign institutions does not take place. What has happened so far in the area of technical education and management courses offered by foreign entities, under the rules of the All India Council for Technical Education, is far from encouraging. The Standing Committee says the AICTE rules have failed to regulate the activities of such institutions, and only a handful of unapproved entities have been proceeded against.

A large number of foreign institutions operating twinning programmes partnered unaffiliated and unapproved domestic organisations. As a result of such carpet bagging, the UGC has now initiated a clean-up by laying down that twinning or joint ventures can be undertaken only with the top 500 names in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and a similar list of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This is a welcome advance over the present situation but no substitute for hard decisions on issues such as registration, transparent accreditation, socially-relevant medical education, faculty training, mutual recognition of degrees by the respective countries, and crucially, a check on profiteering. It must be emphasised that while an international education can expose some of India's youth to global excellence, equitable access to higher education will depend on a rapidly expanding public university system.