PAHUJA LAW ACADEMY

Lecture Note: ENGLISH

CLAT/ DU LLB

READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGES

DIRECTIONS: Read the given passages and choose the best option for each of the questions that follows:

PASSAGE-1

Keshava, the washerman had a donkey. They worked together all day, and Keshava would pour out his
heart to the donkey. One day, Keshava was walking home with the donkey when he felt tired. He tied the
donkey to a tree and sat down to rest for a while, near a school. A window was open, and through it, a
teacher could be heard scolding the students. "Here I am, trying to turn you donkeys into human beings,
but you just won't study! As soon as Keshava heard these words, his ears pricked up. A man who could
actually turn donkeys into humans! This was the answer to his prayers. Impatiently, he waited for school
to be over that day. When everyone had gone home, and only the teacher remained behind to check some
papers, Keshava entered the classroom. "How can I help you?" asked the teacher. Keshava scratched his
head and said, "I heard what you said to the children. This donkey is my companion. If you made it
human, we could have such good times together." The teacher decided to trick Keshava. He pretended to
think for a while and then said. "Give me six months and it will cost you a thousand rupees." The
washerman agreed and rushed home to get the money. He then left the donkey in the teacher's care. After
the six months were up, Keshava went to the teacher. The teacher had been using the donkey for his own
work. Not wanting to give it up, he said, "Oh, your donkey became so clever that it ran away. He is the
headman of the next village." When Keshava reached the next village he found the village elders sitting
under a tree, discussing serious problems. How surprised they were when Keshava marched up to the
headman, grabbed his arm and said. "How dare you? You think you are so clever that you ran away? The
headman understood someone had played a trick on Keshava. "I am not your donkey!" he said. "Go find
the sage in the forest." Keshava found the sage sitting under a tree with his eyes closed, deep in
meditation He crept up and grabbed the sage's beard. "Come back home now!" he shouted. The startled
sage somehow calmed Keshava. When he heard what had happened, he had a good laugh. Then he told
the washerman kindly. "The teacher made a fool of you. Your donkey must be still with him. Go and take
it. back from him. Try to make some real friends, who will talk with you and share your troubles. A
donkey will never be able to do that!" Keshava returned home later that day with his donkey, sadder and
wiser.

1. Which of the following can he said about the teacher?

(a) He had the ability to transform animals into human beings
(b) He took advantage of Keshava's simple nature
(c) He had plotted with the village headman to cheat Keshava
(d) He enjoyed teaching children though he was poorly paid

2. Why did Keshava talk to his donkey while working?

(a) He wanted to practice his communication skills because he wanted to make friends
(b) To entertain himself because he found his work monotonous

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 (c) The donkey helped him to find answers to his problems He regarded the donkey as his friend and
confided in him
(d) He believed the donkey to be a human being in disguise

3. Which of the following is NOT true in the context of the passage?

(I) The donkey was overburdened by the teacher.
(II) The teacher was cunning by nature.
(III) The sage laughed at Keshava and treated him unkindly.
(a) Both I and III
(b) Both II and III
(c) Only II
(d) All I, II and III
(e) None of these

4. Why did the teacher ask Keshava to leave to donkey with him for six months?
(I) He realised that the donkey would require a lot of training.
(II) He reduce Keshava's dependence on the donkey.
(III) He wanted to rescue the donkey from Keshava who did not know how to treat the donkey
properly
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) Both I and II
(d) Only III
(e) None of these

5. Why was Keshava keen to meet the teacher one day?

(a) Keshava wanted to ask the teacher low to make his donkey a better companion
(b) He wanted to learn more prayers as he was devout
(c) He had been reliably informed that the teacher had changed donkey into human beings
(d) He needed the teacher's words of advice and wanted to study
(e) None of these

6. How did Keshava get his donkey back?

(a) Ho threatened to take the teacher to the village elders
(b) The sage told Keshava the truth that donkey was with the teacher
(c) He asked the village headman for help
(d) The teacher returned it on learning that Keshava had not learnt his lesson
(e) None of these

7. Why did Keshava interrupt the discussion among the village elders?
(a) He did not agree with their views on different issues
(b) To confront the headman who had cheated him out of one thousand rupees
(c) He wanted them to get justice for him
(d) He was looking for the donkey and wanted to ask for directions
(e) None of these

DIRECTIONS for Questions 8 & 9: Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word
printed in bold as used in the passage.

8. REMAINED
(a) pending

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 (b) waited
(c) lasted
(d) survived
(e) continued

9. TRICK
(a) joke
(b) skill
(c) mislead
(d) technique
(e) funny

DIRECTIONS for Questions 10 & 11: Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word
printed in bold, as used in the passage.
10. DEEP
(a) below
(b) distracted
(c) flat
(d) awake
(e) asleep

11. Which of the following can be said about the woman?

(a) She was a widow two had brought up her children single handedly
(b) She was not a good mother since her children had left home at an early age
(c) She enjoyed sending her family gifts at festival time
(d) She gave expensive presents to show that she was wealthy
(e) She rarely visited her grandchildren because they all lived abroad

12. What did the boy receive from his mother?

(a) She encouraged him to grow up and live independently like his brother
(b) She showed him the importance of giving expensive gifts
(c) She gave him a hug to express her love
(d) None of these
(e) She taught him the value of patience

13. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?

(a) The woman usually ignored her youngest son. The woman's eldest son lived abroad
(b) The members of the woman's family did not care about her.
(c) The woman made all the preparations herself since she did not want to burden the servants.
(d) The woman sent gifts to her children to ensure that they visited her.

DIRECTIONS for Questions 14 & 15: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as
the word printed in bold as used in the passage:
14. left:
(a) gone
(b) quit
(c) remaining
(d) disappeared
(e) forgot

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15. packed
(a) filled
(b) squeezed
(c) crowd
(d) collected
(e) untidy

16. Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word dejectedly, as used in the
passage:
(a) calmly
(b) happily
(c) willingly
(d) fortunately
(e) softly

PASSAGE-3

Most of the declarations of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 have faded from
memory. But the linkage made there between women's rights and poverty and the assumption that
discrimination actually impedes progress-has survived. Since then the promotion of equal rights has
become a central economic priority for international aid agencies. The World Bank has declared the
enfranchisement of women, the single most important issue for effective development. A sweeping
statement, perhaps, but since 1805 the bank has lent billions of dollars on programmers that encourage,
girls' education, better maternal health and on micro-credit initiatives that funnel money directly into the
hands of women. This is a substantial sum dedicated to women. If not, most developing countries, women
produce more food than men and bear primary responsibility for feeding, sheltering and educating the
young. But lack of education coupled with social customs which treat women as second class citizens
restrict their participation in the economy. The figures are starting. Globally those women who do work
are concentrated at the bottom end of the labour market and receive far less pay. A significant proportion
of the world's illiterate are women and women account for half of all refugees. Anything that helps
women catch up with men should be welcomed on grounds of equity alone.

But fairer treatment of women is also one of the most effective ways to improve an economy's efficiency
as well. It is widely recognised educating more women in developing countries and specifically making
education available to men and women equally is likely to raise the productive potential of an economy
significantly. As education levels rise, so do household incomes. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance,
70% of young children whose mothers have secondary information receive their vaccinations, as opposed
to just 30% of those whose mothers have no formal schooling at all. A cross-country analysis concluded
that gains in women's education made the single largest contribution to declines in malnutrition in 13
countries between 1970 and 1995. Some researchers reckon that, if female farmers in places like Cameron
or Kenya were afforded the same schooling and other opportunities as male farmers, crop yields would
rise quite hefty. One economic analysis estimates that, if countries in South Asia, Africa and the Middle
East had closed the gender gap in schooling at the same rate as East Asia after 1960. Income per head
could have grown substantially over the actual growth rates achieved. But one country's gender bias is
another's ancient tradition, entrenched in laws and institutions. Some South American Countries, like
Bolivia and Guatemala restrict wives employment outside the home in South African nations like
Botswana, women have no independent right to manage of own land but now girls are offered stipends for
secondary education- a long standing programme now holstered by multilateral aid. Elsewhere in Africa
in Ghana, peripatetic bankers act as lenders and financial advisors, often helping women as particular to
set up small businesses. Part of the rationale for micro-finance (small icons) that caters to women is that
some studies have shown women tend to spend money more prudently on vital goods and services that

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benefit families, men often squander it. This finding may seem implausible to many men. Not many
women would be surprised.

17. Which of the following is an appropriate title for the passage?

(a) Enabling Asia- The Long Road Ahead
(b) Catching Lip with Africa
(c) Raising Children in the 21st Century
(d) Poverty-A Matter of Geography?
(e) Gender Fairness Equals Economic Development

18. Which of the following is/are (a) hindrance(s) in the economic development of the countries
mentioned in the passage?
(I) Time-honoured traditions in these countries
(II) Women's limited access to education
(III) Population explosion in the 1960s
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) All I, II and III
(d) Both I and III
(e) Both I and II

19. What do the statistics in the passage indicate?

(a) The female infanticide rate in African countries has dropped significantly.
(b) Maternal health and life expectancy of women has improved since 1995.
(c) Education of mothers has improved health and immunisation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
(d) Much of the World Bank aid for health has been
(e) Economic development in Africa is on the rise.

20. Which of the following best describes the author's opinion regarding international aid efforts?
(a) These have been ineffective on account of rampant corruption in aided countries.
(b) Aid will soon dry up as donors are facing economic troubles of their own.
(c) Aid should be withdrawn from countries which do not promote equal opportunities.
(d) The goals are unrealistic as many of aided countries are facing political conflicts.
(e) These are generous but effectiveness is hampered by prevailing local factors

21. Choose the word group of words which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word FADED
given in bold as used in the passage.
(a) Tainted
(b) Disappeared
(c) Darkened
(d) Drooped
(e) Deepened

22. Choose the word group of words which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word CATERS
given in bold as used in the passage.
(a) Is cooked
(b) Available
(c) Subjects
(d) Pampers
(e) Plans

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23. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?
(a) Women in Asia and Africa have access to primary but not higher education.
(b) International conferences on gender equality have not resulted in any concrete aid and action.
(c) There has been much focus on the issue of gender equality in the past two decades.
(d) Over half the women in sub Saharan Africa are illiterate."
(e) All of the given statements are true in the context of the passage.

24. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word FAIRER given in bold as used in the
passage.
(a) Dimmer
(b) Mysterious
(c) Depressing
(d) Biased
(e) Dusty

25. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word IMPLAUSIBLE given in bold as
used in the passage.
(a) Questionable
(b) Open
(c) Hypocritical
(d) Credible
(e) Fake

26. According to the passage, what can be said with regard to Africa?
(a) It is struggling to improve the situation with regard to discrimination against women.
(b) While cultural attitudes are changing fast, gender equal policies lag behind.
(c) Today there is parity between men and women in terms of property rights.
(d) Micro-credit programmes here have not enjoyed the same success as they did in Asia.
(e) None of the given options can be said.

PASSAGE 4

In a reversal of the norm elsewhere, in India policymakers and economists have become optimists while
bosses do the worrying. The country's Central Bank has predicted that the country's economy is likely to
grow at a double-digit rate during the next 20-30 years. India had the capability with its vast labour and
lauded entrepreneurial spirit. But the private sector, which is supposed to do the heavy lifting that turns
India from the world's tenth largest economy to its third largest by 2030, has become fed up. Business
people often carp about India's problems but their irritation this time has a nervous edge. In the first
quarter of 2011. GDP grew at an annual rate of 7.8 percent; in 2005-07, it managed 9-10 percent. The
economy may be slowing naturally as the low-interest rates and public spending that got India through the
global crisis are belatedly being withdrawn. At the same time, the surge in inflation caused by exorbitant
food prices has spread more widely, casting doubt over whether India can grow at 8-10 percent in the
medium term without overheating. In India, as in many fast- growing nations, the confidence to invest
depends on the conviction that the long-term trajectory is intact, and it

is that which is in doubt. Big Indian firms too. Sometimes, seem happier to invest abroad than at home, in
deals that are often hailed as symbols of the country's growing clout but sometimes speak to its
weaknesses purchases of natural resources that India has in abundance but struggles to get out of the
ground. In fact, a further dip in investment could be self- fulfilling: if fewer roads, ports and factories are
built, this will hurt both short-term growth figures and reduce the economy's long-term capacity. There is
a view that because a fair amount of growth is assured the government need not try very hard. The

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liberalisation that began in 1991 freed markets for products and gave rise to vibrant competition. At the
same time what economists call factor markets, those for basic inputs like land, power, labour, etc.,
remains unreformed and largely under state control, which creates difficulties. Clearances today can take
three to four years, and many employers are keen to replace workers with machines despite an abundance
of a labour force. This can be attributed to labour laws that are inimical to employee creation and an
education system that means finding quality manpower a major problem. In fact, the Planning
Commission concluded that achieving even nine per cent growth will need marked policy action in
unreformed sectors. Twenty years ago it was said that the yardstick against which India should be
measured was its potential, and it is clear that there remains much to do.

27. Why are employers reluctant to hire Indian labour force?

(I) India's labour force is overqualified for the employment opportunities available.
(II) High attrition rate among employees stemming from their entrepreneurial spirit
(III) Labour laws are not conducive to generating employment.
(a) Only III
(b) All I, II and III
(c) Only I and III
(d) Only 1 & 11
(e) None of these

28. What is the state of India's basic input sectors at present?

(a) These sectors attract Foreign Direct Investment because of their vast potential.
(b) These sectors are lagging as projects are usually awarded to foreign companies.
(c) These sectors are stagnating and badly in need of reforms.
(d) These sectors are well regulated as these are governed by the State
(e) None of these

29. Which of the following can be said about the Indian economy at present?
(a) It can comfortably achieve double-digit growth rate at present.
(b) High food prices have led to overheating of the economy.
(c) Citizens are affluent owing to laxity in regulation.
(d) Private sector confidence in India's growth potential is high.
(e) Unreformed sectors are a drag on economic growth.

30. What impact has the GDP growth of 7.8 percent had?
(I) Indian Industry is anxious about India's economic growth.
(II) India has achieved status as the world's third-largest economy at present.
(III) Foreign investment in India has drastically increased.
(a) Only 1
(b) All I, II and III
(c) Only I and III
(d) Only I and II
(e) None of these

31. Which of the following is most opposite in meaning of the word 'marked' given in bold as used in the
passage?
(a) Decreased
(b) Ignored
(c) Clear
(d) Assessed
(e) Imperceptible

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32. What is the author's main objective in writing the passage
(a) Showcasing the potential of India's growth potential to entice foreign investors
(b) Exhorting India to implement measures to live up to its
(c) Recommending India's model of development to other developing countries potential
(d) Berating the private sector for not bidding for infrastructure development projects
(e) Criticising the measures taken by India during the global economic crisis

33. What measures do experts suggest to be taken to ensure targeted economic growth?
(a) Lowering of interest rates to help industries hit by recession
(b) Prolonged financial support for basic input industries
(c) Incentives to Indian companies to invest in infrastructure
(d) Formulation of policies and their implementation in factor markets
(e) Stringent implementation of licensing system

34. Which of the following is most similar in meaning to the word "clout given in bold as used in the
passage?
(a) Strike
(b) Standing
(c) Force
(d) Launch
(e) Achieve

In many countries, a combustible mixture of authoritarianism, unemployment and youth has given rise to

disaffection with strongmen rulers, which has, in turn, spilled over into uprisings. Young people in these
countries are far better educated than their parents were. In 1990, the average Egyptian had 4.4 years of
schooling: by 2010, the figure had risen to 7.1 years. Could it be that education, by making people less
willing to put up with restrictions on freedom and more willing to question authority, promotes
democratisation? Ideas about the links between education, income and democracy are at the heart of what
social scientists have long studied. Since then plenty of economists and political scientists have looked for
statistical evidence of a causal link between education and democratisation. Many have pointed to the
strong correlation that exists between levels of education and measures like the pluralism of party politics
and the existence of civil liberties. The patterns are similar when income and democracy are considered.
There are outliers, of course-until recently, many Arab countries managed to combine energy-based
wealth and decent education with undemocratic political systems. But some deduce from the overall
picture that as China and other authoritarian states get more educated and richer, their people will agitate
for greater political freedom, culminating in a shift to a more democratic form of government. This
apparently reasonable intuition is shakier than it seems. Critics of the hypothesis point out that correlation
is hardly causation. The general trend over the past half-century may have been towards rising living
standards, a wider spread of basic education and more democracy, but it is entirely possible that this is
being driven by another variable. Even if the correlation were not spurious, it would be difficult to know
which way causation ran. Does more education lead to greater democracy? Or are more democratic
countries better at educating their citizens? A recent NBER paper compared a group of Kenyan girls in 69
primary schools whose students were randomly selected to receive a scholarship with similar students in
schools which received no such financial aid. Previous studies had shown that the scholarship programme
led to higher test scores and increased the likelihood that girls enrolled in secondary school. Overall, it
significantly increased the amount of education obtained. For the new study, the authors tried to see how
the extra schooling had affected the political and social attitudes of the women in question. Findings
suggested that education may make people more interested in improving their own fives but they may not

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necessarily see democracy as the way to do it. Even in established democracies, more education does not
always mean either more active political participation or greater faith in democracy. Poorer and less
educated people often vote in larger numbers than their more educated compatriots, who often express
disdain for the messiness of democracy. yearning for the kind of government that would deal strongly
with the corrupt and build highways, railway fines and bridges at a dizzying pace of authoritarian China.

35. Which of the following is most similar in meaning to the word 'promotes given in bold as used in the
passage?
(a) Upgrades
(b) Prefers
(c) Recommends
(d) Advocates
(e) Publicises

36. In the context of the passage, which of the following characterize (s) democracies?
(A) Active participation of majority of educated citizens in electoral process
(B) Fast, paced economic growth and accountability of those in power
(C) Better standards of living and access to higher education
(a) All (A), (B) and (C)
(b) Only (B) and (C))
(c) Only (C)
(d) Only (A) and (B)
(e) None of these

37. What, according to the author, has led to uprisings in authoritarian countries
(a) Lack of access to education
(b) Vast numbers of uneducated and unemployable youth
(c) Frustration with the existing system of governance
(d) Unavailability of natural energy resources like coal and oil
(e) Government's over-ambitious plans for development

38. What does the phrase "messiness of democracy" convey in the context of the passage?
(a) Democratic nations are chaotic on account of individual freedoms.
(b) Most democratic countries frequently have violent revolts among their citizens:
(c) The divide between the poor and the educated is growing wider in democracies.
(d) High levels of pollution on account of frantic pace of infrastructure development
(e) Resigned acceptance of intrinsic corruption in the education system

39. Which of the following is/are true about China in the context of the passage?
(I) China's citizens are in favour of a more representative form of government.
(II) China has made huge strides in infrastructure development.
(III) China is in the midst of a political revolution.
(a) None
(b) Only I
(c) Only I and III
(d) Only II
(e) All I, II and III

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40. What conclusion can be drawn from the statistics cited about Egypt's education system?
(a) Job prospects have been on the rise in Egypt in recent times.
(b) Authoritarian leaders have played a vital role in reforming Egypt's education system
(c) Egypt has one of the youngest and best educated demographies in the world.
(d) Egypt is likely to be a successful vibrant democracy.
(e) There has been a rise in education levels in Egypt in recent times.

41. Which of the following most aptly describes the central theme of the passage?
(a) Democratic nations are richer and have a better track record of educating their citizens.
(b) Education does not necessarily lead to greater enthusiasm for a democratic form of government..
(c) Educated societies with autocratic form of government enjoy a better quality of life than
democracies.
(d) Citizens can fulfill their personal aspirations only under a democratic form of government.
(e) Democracy makes citizens more intolerant as it does not restrict personal freedoms

The window offered a view of the house opposite. The two families did not speak to each other because
of a property dispute. One day, Ruchira's textbooks lay untouched as the young girl's gaze was on the
happening in the house opposite. There were two new faces in the neighbouring household- that of an
elderly widow and a girl, aged sixteen. Sometimes the elderly lady would sit by the window, doing the
young girl's hair. On other days she was absent. The new young neighbour's daily routine could be seen
through the window-she cleaned the rice, paddy: split nuts, put the cushions in the sun to air them. In the
afternoons while the men were all at work some of the women slept and others played cards. The girl sat
on the terrace and read. Sometimes she wrote. One day there was a hindrance. She was writing when
elderly woman snatched the unfinished letter from her hands. Thereafter the girl was not to be seen on the
terrace. Sometimes during the day sounds came from the house indicating that a massive argument was
going on inside. A few days passed. One evening Ruchira noticed the girl standing on the terrace in tears.
The evening prayer was in progress. As she did daily, the girl bowed several times in prayer. Then she
went downstairs. That night Ruchira wrote a letter to befriend her. She went out and posted it that very
instant. But as she lay in bed in the night, she prayed fervently that her offer of friendship wouldn't reach
its destination. Ruchira then left for Madhupur and returned when it was time for college to start. She
found the house opposite in darkness, locked. They had left. When she stepped into her room she found
the desk piled with letters-one had a local stamp on it with her name and address in unfamiliar
handwriting. She quickly read it. They continued to write to each other for the next twenty years.
42. Why did Ruchira write a letter to her new neighbour?
(a) She wanted to offer her help.
(b) She wanted to be friends with her.
(c) To apologise for her family's behaviour towards her family.
(d) To encourage her to continue learning to read and write,
(e) None of these

43. Which of the following can be said about Ruchira?

(I) She used to spy on her neighbours because she didn't trust them.
(II) She was at home because she was studying.
(III) She did not speak to her neighbours because they did not own property.
(a) None
(b) Only II
(c) Both I and II
(d) Only (I)

44. How did the new young neighbour spend her days?
(a) She was busy writing letters to Ruchira.

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 (b) She used to daydream about her past experiences.
(c) She would attend to the needs of the widow.
(d) She spent her time learning to read and write.
(e) None of these

45. Why was the young neighbour prevented from sitting on the terrace?
(a) She used to while away her time instead of working.
(b) The old woman could no longer keep an eye on her.
(c) She had not finished writing the letter she was asked to.
(d) She had been writing a letter which she wasn't supposed to.
(e) As a punishment for being disrespectful and arguing with her elders

46. What was the major argument in the house about?

(a) There were too many people living there, which resulted in arguments.
(b) The young girl was insisting on attending college.
(c) The young girl had been wasting her time instead of working
(d) The old woman did not guard the young girl closely.
(e) None of these

47. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?

(a) The young girl was very devout and prayed everyday.
(b) Only Two letters were exchanged between the two girls
(c) The new young neighbour was a servant.
(d) The afternoon was a time to relax for everyone.
(e) The two families had fought because of the letters the two girls wrote to each other.

48. Why did the young girl wish that the letter would not reach its destination?
(I) She was going away and would not be able to see if neighbour was glad to receive it.
(II) She was afraid that it would lead to a quarrel between the two families.
(III) She was afraid that her neighbour would be angry when she received her letter.
(a) None
(b) Only I
(c) Only III
(d) Both II and II
(e) Only II

DIRECTIONS for Questions 54 & 55: Choose the word which Is most nearly the SAME in meaning to
the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
49. Hindrance
(a) handicapped
(b) delay
(c) interruption
(d) difficult
(e) bar

50. Offered
(a) forward
(b) willing
(c) volunteered
(d) provided

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 (e) put

51. Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word "piled" as used in the passage.
(a) low
(b) empty
(c) full
(d) nothing
(e) fell

PASSAGE-7

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily
recall, "One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers. I found this baby under a pipal tree". He
picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she
spoke her first word. The music master grew old and didn't see too well. The girl tended to him caringly.
Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music
master's heart quake with fear. "You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me
?" The girl replied, "I shall not be apart from you". But on a full moon night during the harvest festival,
the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, "Master, grant me your permission for
your daughter has agreed to many me." The master's tears flowed freely." She has chosen well. Go and
fetch her let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together." The two began to
sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. "Your daughter is
very fortunate-the king has sent for her," the messenger said. At the palace the queen summoned the girl
to her and said, "I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her
husband's home." There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart
was heavy. That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led
the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silk, jewellery and
precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on the both sides. As theprocession
passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd
gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

52. Which of the following can be said about the girl?

(I) She was brought up by her father as her mother had died when she was a baby.
(II) She was a talented singer who had learnt to sing at an early age.
(III) She was only allowed to sing with the master's permission
(a) Only I
(b) Both I and II
(c) Only II
(d) All I, II and III
(e) None of these

53. What was the girl's reaction to leaving home?

(a) She was honoured to be serving the princess.
(b) Sadness at leaving the master.
(c) She entrusted the task of looking after the music master to Kumarasen.
(d) She was thrilled to be living in luxury.
(e) None of these

54. What task was entrusted to the girl by the queen?

(a) Seeing that her daughter reached Kambhoj safely.
(b) Entertaining the princess on her journey to Kambhoj

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 (c) Protecting the princess and reporting to the queen if she was unhappy.
(d) Entrusting the princess' happiness,
(e) None of these

55. What was the master's reaction to the girl's decision to marry his disciple?
(a) He was upset and cried.
(b) He promised to give his permission if the couple sang well together.
(c) He was sad because she would be going to Kambhoj which was far
(d) He was pleased with her choice of husband.
(e) None of these

56. Which of the following is not true in the context of the passage?
(I) The girl was leaving the master and going to Kambhoj once she was married.
(II) The king sent for the girl because she was a good singer.
(III) The master did not let the girl study any other subject except music.
(a) Only I
(b) Both I and II.
(c) All I, II and III
(d) Both I and III
(e) None of these

57. Why was the princess going on a journey?

(I) She was going to her prospective husband's home to get engaged.
(II) Her parents wanted her to visit the kingdom of which she would be the future queen
(III) To take expensive gifts for the rules of the Kambhoj who were well known to her parents.
(a) None
(b) Only 11
(c) Only I
(d) Both I and II
(e) Both II and III

58. Why was the master afraid?

(a) He felt the princess would treat the young girl unkindly
(b) He would be all alone after the girl's marriage.
(c) The girl may not be able to adapt to her new home.
(d) He was slowly going blind.
(e) None of these

DIRECTIONS for Questions 64 & 65: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME word
"primed" in bold as used in the passage.
59. Fortunate
(a) rich
(b) liked
(c) happy
(d) successful
(e) lucky

60. Raised
(a) nurtured
(b) lifted
(c) grew

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 (d) built
(e) high

61. Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word "collective" as used in the
passage
(a) alone
(b) separately
(c) united
(d) partial
(e) single

PASSAGE

At first glance the patriarchy appears to be thriving. More than 90% of presidents and prime ministers are
male. as are all nearly big corporate bosses. Men dominate finance, technology, films, sports, music and
even standup comedy. In much of the world they still enjoy social and legal privileges simply because
they have a Y chromosome. So it might seem odd to worry about the plight of men. Yet there is plenty of
cause for concern. Men cluster at the bottom as well at the top. Poorly educated men in rich countries
have had difficulty coping with the enormous changes in the labour market and the home over the past
half century. As technology and trade have devalued brawn, less educated men have struggled to find a
role in the workplace. Women, on the other hand, are surging into expanding sectors such as health care
and education, helped by their superior skills. As education has become more important, boys have also
fallen behind girls in school (except at the very top). Men who lose jobs in manufacturing often never
work again. And men without work find it hard to support a family. The result for low skilled men, is a
poisonous combination of no job, no family and no prospects. Some tend to focus on economics.
Shrinking job opportunities for men, they say, are entrenching poverty and destroying families. In
America pay for men with only a high school certificate fell by 215% in real terms between 1979 and
2013, for women with similar qualifications it raised by 3%. Around a fifth of working age American
men with only a high school have no job. But both economic and social changes are to blame, and the two
causes reinforce each other. Moreover, these problems are likely to get worse. Technology will disrupt
more industries, creating benefits for society but rendering workers who fail to update their skills
redundant. The OECD, a think tank, predicts that the absolute number of single parent households will
continue to rise in nearly all rich countries. Boys who grow up without fathers are more likely to have
trouble forming lasting relationships, creating a cycle of male dysfunction. What can be done? Part of the
solution lies in a change in cultural attitudes. Over the past generation, men have learned that they need to
help with child care and have changed their behavior. Women have learned that they can be surgeons and
physicists not at the cost of motherhood. Policymakers also need to lend a hand, because foolish laws are
making the problem worse. Governments need to recognise that boys' underachievement is a serious
problem and set about fixing it. Some sensible policies that are good for everybody are particularly good
for boys. Early Childhood education provides boys with more structure and a better chance of developing
verbal and social skills. Countries with successful vocational systems such as Germany have done a better
job motivating nonacademic boys and guiding them into jobs, but policymakers need to reinvent
vocational education for an age when trainers are more likely to get jobs in hospitals than factories. The
growing equality of the genders is one of the biggest achievements of the postwar era people have greater
opportunities than ever before to achieve their ambitions regardless of their gender. But some even have
failed to cope with this new world. It is time to give them a hand

62. What do the statistics in the passage with regard to America indicate?
(a) Pay and employment for men with low skills has fallen.
(b) Less than ten percent of American politicians are women.
(c) Men dominate most high paying professions such as surgery etc.

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 (d) Americans are protected from labour market disruptions by a strong social welfare system.
(e) At both the top and bottom of the job pyramid women are losing out to men

63. According to the passage, what can be said about families today
(a) It is difficult for families to survive on the earnings of one parent.
(b) The size of the family is shrinking which will cause a problem of an ageing population soon.
(c) Parents favour sons over daughters causing an unhealthy social mindset.
(d) Poverty and lack of education among men is putting the family structure at risk.
(e) None of the given options can be said.

64. Choose the word/group of words which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word ENJOY
given in bold as used in the passage.
(a) benefit from
(b) laugh with
(c) amused by
(d) prefer to
(e) liking for

65. Choose the word/group of words which is opposite in meaning as the word ENTRENCHING given in
bold as using the passage.
(a) hastening
(b) reducing
(c) stabilising
(d) hesitating
(e) digging

66. Which of the following best describes the author's opinion about vocational education?
(a) Germany's model of vocational guidance need not be adopted by other countries.
(b) Vocational education should equip men with better skills than they do at present.
(c) There should be less focus on vocational skills.
(d) Vocational education for women should be given more financial support.
(e) Rather than obtaining an unaffordable university education, vocational education is a practical

67. The word/group of words which is most nearly the same in meaning as the word STRUCTURE given
in bold as used in the passage.
(a) building
(b) order
(c) assembly
(d) layout
(e) procedure

68. Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?

(a) Underachievement of boys at school is a problem prevalent in Japan and America.
(b) Most of the government funds for vocational education are misused.
(c) Women are still not well represented in high positions.
(d) The number of children with learning disabilities is on the rise in rich countries.
(e) None of the given statements is true in the context of the passage

69. Which of the following factors has have an impact on the current state of male employment?
(A) Men's failure to update their skills
(B) Single parent households with an absent father.

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 (C) Adoption of technological changes in low skill jobs.
(a) Only (A)
(b) Only (B)
(c) All (A), (B) and (C)
(d) (A) and (C)
(e) (A) and (B)

70. Choose the word/group of words which is opposite in meaning as the word SURGING given in bold
as used in the passage.
(a) flowing
(b) delaying
(c) precipitating
(d) hollowing
(e) disappearing

PASSAGE-9

Governments have traditionally equated economic progress with steel mills and cement factories. While
urban centers thrive and city dwellers get rich, hundreds of millions of farmers remain mired in poverty.
However, fears of food shortages, a rethinking of antipoverty priorities and the crushing recession in 2008
are causing a dramatic shift in world economic policy in favour of greater support for agriculture. The last
time when the world's farmers felt such love was in the 470s. At that time, as food prices spiked, there
was real concern that the world was facing a crisis in which the planet was simply unable to produce
enough grain and meat for an expanding population. Governments across the developing world and
international aid organisations plowed investment into agriculture in the early 470s, while technological
breakthroughs, like high-yield strains of important food crops, boosted production. The result was the
Green Revolution and food production exploded. But the Green Revolution became a victim of its own
success. Food prices plunged by some 60% by the late 480s from their peak in the mid- 470s.
Policymakers and aid workers turned their attention to the poor's other pressing needs, such as health care
and education. Farming got starved of resources and investment. By 2004, aid directed at agriculture sank
to 3.5% and 'Agriculture lost its glitter. Also, as consumers in high-growth giants such as China and India
became wealthier, they began eating more meat, so grain once used for human consumption got diverted
to beef up livestock. By early 2008, panicked buying by importing countries and restrictions slapped on
grain exports by some big producers helped drive prices up to heights not seen for three decades. Making
matters worse, land and resources got reallocated to produce cash crops such as biofuels and the result
was that voluminous reserves of grain evaporated. Protests broke out across the emerging world and
fierce food riots toppled governments. This spurred global leaders into action. This made them aware that
food security is one of the fundamental issues in the world that has to be dealt with in order to maintain
administrative and political stability. This also spurred the U.S. which traditionally provisioned food aid
from American grain surpluses to help needy nations, to move towards investing in farm sectors around
the globe to boost productivity. This move helped countries become more productive for themselves and
be in a better position to feed their own people. Africa, which missed out on the first Green Revolution
due to poor policy and limited resources, also witnessed a 'change'. Swayed by the success of East Asia,
the primary poverty? fighting method favoured by many policymakers in Africa was to get farmers off
their farms and into modern jobs in factories and urban centers. But that strategy proved to be highly
insufficient. Income levels in the countryside badly trailed those in cities while the FAO estimated that
the number of poor going hungry in 2009. reached an all time high at more than one billion. In India on
the other hand, with only 40% of its farmland irrigated, entire economic boom currently underway is held
hostage by the unpredictable monsoon. With much of India's farming areas suffering from drought this
year, the government will have a tough time meeting its economic growth targets. In a report, Goldman
Sachs predicted that if this year too receives weak rains, it could cause agriculture to contract by 2% this

16
fiscal year, making the government's 7% GDP-growth target look a bit rich'. Another green revolution is
the need of the hour and to make it a reality, the global community still has much backbreaking farm
work to do.

71. What is the author's main objective in writing the passage

(a) Criticising developed countries for not bolstering economic
(b) Analysing the disadvantages of the Green Revolution growth in poor nations
(c) Persuading experts that a strong economy depends on industrialization and not agriculture
(d) Making a case for the international society to engineer a second Green Revolution
(e) Rationalising the faulty agriculture policies of emerging countries

72. Which of the following is an adverse impact of the Green Revolution"

(a) Unchecked crop yields resulted in large tracts of land becoming barren
(b) Withdrawal of fiscal impetus from agriculture to other sectors
(c) Farmers began soliciting government subsidies for their produce
(d) Farmers rioted as food prices fell so low that they could not make ends meet
(e) None of these

73. What is the author trying to convey through the phrase making the government's 7% GDP growth
target look a bit rich?
(a) India is unlikely to achieve the targeted growth rate
(b) Allocation of funds to agriculture has raised India's chances of having a high GDP
(c) Agricultural growth has artificially inflated India's GDP and such growth is not real
(d) India is likely to rave one of the highest GDP growth rates
(e) A large portion of India's GDP is contributed by agriculture

74. Which of the following factors was/were responsible for the neglect of the farming sector after the
green revolution?
(I) Steel and cement sectors generated more revenue for the government as compared to agriculture.
(II) Large scale protests against favouring agriculture at the cost of other important sectors such as
education and healthcare.
(III) Attention of policy makers and aid organizations was diverted from agriculture to other sectors.
(a) Only III
(b) Only II & III
(c) Only 1& II
(d) All I, II & III

75. What prompted leaders throughout the world to take action to boost the agriculture sector in 2008?
(a) Coercive tactics by the U.S. which restricted food aid to poor nations
(b) The realization of the link between food security and political stability
(c) Awareness that performance in agriculture is necessary in order to achieve the targeted GDP
(d) Reports that high-growth countries like China and India were boosting their agriculture sectors to
capture the international markets
(e) Their desire to influence developing nations to slow down their industrial development.

76. What motivated the U.S. to focus on investing in agriculture across the globe?
(a) To make developing countries become more reliant on U.S. aid
(b) To ensure grain surpluses so that the U.S. had no need to import food
(c) To make those countries more self sufficient to whom it previously provided food
(d) To establish itself in the market before the high-growth giants such as India and China could
establish themselves

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 (e) None of these

77. What impact did the economic recession of 2008 have on agriculture?
(a) Governments agriculture equated economic stability with industrial development and shifted
away from
(b) Lack of implementation of several innovative agriculture programmes owing to shortage of
funds
(c) It prompted increased investment and interest in agriculture
(d) The GDP as targeted by India was never achieved because of losses in agriculture
(e) None of these

78. What encouraged African policymakers to focus on urban jobs?

(a) Misapprehension that it would alleviate poverty as it did in other countries
(b) Rural development outstripped urban development in many parts of Africa
(c) Breaking out of protests in the country and the fear that the government would topple
(d) Blind imitation of western models of development

79. Which of the following had contributed to exorbitant food prices in 2008?
(I) Hoarding of food stocks by local wholesalers which inadvertently created a food shortage.
(II) Export of foodgrains was reduced by large producers.
(III) Diverting resources from cultivation of foodgrains to that of more profitable crops.
(a) None
(b) Only III
(c) Only II
(d) All I, II & III
(e) Only II & III

80. Which of the following is true about the state of agriculture in India at present?
(A) Of all the sectors, agriculture needs the highest allocation of funds.
(B) Contribution of agriculture to India's GDP this year would depend greatly upon the monsoon
rains.
(C) As India is one of the high-growth countries, it has surplus food reserves to export
(a) Only (A) and (C)
(b) Only (C)
(c) Only (B)
(d) Only (B) and (C)
(e) None of these

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