Comprehension

30 MPSC PSI Mains English past-year questions from 4 papers, 2011 to 2017, with answers and worked solutions.

Difficulty: 23 easy · 6 moderate · 1 hard.
Most-asked subtopics: Passage (27), Passage vocabulary (3).
Updated 27 September 2026.

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#1Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186-190) : Why do most people heat their food and eat it while it is still hot ? There may be a number of explanations for this. One is that man, who once a hunting animal, likes his food to be at the temperature of a freshly killed prey. Although we no longer eat freshly killed meat, we still eat it at much the same temperature as other carnivorous animals. Their food is hot because it has not yet cooled down, ours is hot because we have re-heated it. Another explanation may be that since we have weak teeth, we are forced to cook the meat to make it tender. But this does not explain why we should want to eat it while it is still hot or why we should heat up many kinds of food that do not need tenderizing. The third explanation is that by increasing the temperature of the food we improve its flavour or taste. In fact, we do many things to improve the flavour of our food. This goes back not to our carnivorous nature, which is an adopted thing, but to our more ancient links with the apes. The foods of the apes have a much wider variety of flavours than those of carnivorous. Although a carnivore goes through a rather complex process in hunting and killing its food, the manner in which it actually eats the food is simple and crude. It quickly chews or swallows the food. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to the different flavours of food. They enjoy them and like to try out foods with different flavours. When we heat our food and put spices in it, we may be going back to the same love of tasty food that is found in the apes. Perhaps this is why man never became completely carnivorous. In this connection, there is something else about man's taste for food which needs to be considered. Why do most people have a sweet tooth - that is - why are they specially fond of sweet things ? This is something unknown in carnivorous animals, but typical of the apes. As the natural food of the apes becomes riper and more suitable for eating, it becomes sweeter. Monkeys and apes are very sensitive to a sweet taste. Like other members of the ape family, we find it hard to resist sweet things. Our relationship to the apes shows itself in spite of the fact that we have a strongly carnivorous nature in our seeking out specially sweetened substances. We have 'sweet shops' but no 'sour shops'. We usually end a meal with something sweet, so that this is the taste which remains in our mouths for a long time afterwards. Also when we feel the desire to eat something between meals – and this is another reminder of our links with the ape world – we usually choose something sweet : chocolates, ice cream or sweet drinks.
#2Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186-190) : Why do most people heat their food and eat it while it is still hot ? There may be a number of explanations for this. One is that man, who once a hunting animal, likes his food to be at the temperature of a freshly killed prey. Although we no longer eat freshly killed meat, we still eat it at much the same temperature as other carnivorous animals. Their food is hot because it has not yet cooled down, ours is hot because we have re-heated it. Another explanation may be that since we have weak teeth, we are forced to cook the meat to make it tender. But this does not explain why we should want to eat it while it is still hot or why we should heat up many kinds of food that do not need tenderizing. The third explanation is that by increasing the temperature of the food we improve its flavour or taste. In fact, we do many things to improve the flavour of our food. This goes back not to our carnivorous nature, which is an adopted thing, but to our more ancient links with the apes. The foods of the apes have a much wider variety of flavours than those of carnivorous. Although a carnivore goes through a rather complex process in hunting and killing its food, the manner in which it actually eats the food is simple and crude. It quickly chews or swallows the food. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to the different flavours of food. They enjoy them and like to try out foods with different flavours. When we heat our food and put spices in it, we may be going back to the same love of tasty food that is found in the apes. Perhaps this is why man never became completely carnivorous. In this connection, there is something else about man's taste for food which needs to be considered. Why do most people have a sweet tooth - that is - why are they specially fond of sweet things ? This is something unknown in carnivorous animals, but typical of the apes. As the natural food of the apes becomes riper and more suitable for eating, it becomes sweeter. Monkeys and apes are very sensitive to a sweet taste. Like other members of the ape family, we find it hard to resist sweet things. Our relationship to the apes shows itself in spite of the fact that we have a strongly carnivorous nature in our seeking out specially sweetened substances. We have 'sweet shops' but no 'sour shops'. We usually end a meal with something sweet, so that this is the taste which remains in our mouths for a long time afterwards. Also when we feel the desire to eat something between meals – and this is another reminder of our links with the ape world – we usually choose something sweet : chocolates, ice cream or sweet drinks.
#3Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186-190) : Why do most people heat their food and eat it while it is still hot ? There may be a number of explanations for this. One is that man, who once a hunting animal, likes his food to be at the temperature of a freshly killed prey. Although we no longer eat freshly killed meat, we still eat it at much the same temperature as other carnivorous animals. Their food is hot because it has not yet cooled down, ours is hot because we have re-heated it. Another explanation may be that since we have weak teeth, we are forced to cook the meat to make it tender. But this does not explain why we should want to eat it while it is still hot or why we should heat up many kinds of food that do not need tenderizing. The third explanation is that by increasing the temperature of the food we improve its flavour or taste. In fact, we do many things to improve the flavour of our food. This goes back not to our carnivorous nature, which is an adopted thing, but to our more ancient links with the apes. The foods of the apes have a much wider variety of flavours than those of carnivorous. Although a carnivore goes through a rather complex process in hunting and killing its food, the manner in which it actually eats the food is simple and crude. It quickly chews or swallows the food. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to the different flavours of food. They enjoy them and like to try out foods with different flavours. When we heat our food and put spices in it, we may be going back to the same love of tasty food that is found in the apes. Perhaps this is why man never became completely carnivorous. In this connection, there is something else about man's taste for food which needs to be considered. Why do most people have a sweet tooth - that is - why are they specially fond of sweet things ? This is something unknown in carnivorous animals, but typical of the apes. As the natural food of the apes becomes riper and more suitable for eating, it becomes sweeter. Monkeys and apes are very sensitive to a sweet taste. Like other members of the ape family, we find it hard to resist sweet things. Our relationship to the apes shows itself in spite of the fact that we have a strongly carnivorous nature in our seeking out specially sweetened substances. We have 'sweet shops' but no 'sour shops'. We usually end a meal with something sweet, so that this is the taste which remains in our mouths for a long time afterwards. Also when we feel the desire to eat something between meals – and this is another reminder of our links with the ape world – we usually choose something sweet : chocolates, ice cream or sweet drinks.
#4Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186-190) : Why do most people heat their food and eat it while it is still hot ? There may be a number of explanations for this. One is that man, who once a hunting animal, likes his food to be at the temperature of a freshly killed prey. Although we no longer eat freshly killed meat, we still eat it at much the same temperature as other carnivorous animals. Their food is hot because it has not yet cooled down, ours is hot because we have re-heated it. Another explanation may be that since we have weak teeth, we are forced to cook the meat to make it tender. But this does not explain why we should want to eat it while it is still hot or why we should heat up many kinds of food that do not need tenderizing. The third explanation is that by increasing the temperature of the food we improve its flavour or taste. In fact, we do many things to improve the flavour of our food. This goes back not to our carnivorous nature, which is an adopted thing, but to our more ancient links with the apes. The foods of the apes have a much wider variety of flavours than those of carnivorous. Although a carnivore goes through a rather complex process in hunting and killing its food, the manner in which it actually eats the food is simple and crude. It quickly chews or swallows the food. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to the different flavours of food. They enjoy them and like to try out foods with different flavours. When we heat our food and put spices in it, we may be going back to the same love of tasty food that is found in the apes. Perhaps this is why man never became completely carnivorous. In this connection, there is something else about man's taste for food which needs to be considered. Why do most people have a sweet tooth - that is - why are they specially fond of sweet things ? This is something unknown in carnivorous animals, but typical of the apes. As the natural food of the apes becomes riper and more suitable for eating, it becomes sweeter. Monkeys and apes are very sensitive to a sweet taste. Like other members of the ape family, we find it hard to resist sweet things. Our relationship to the apes shows itself in spite of the fact that we have a strongly carnivorous nature in our seeking out specially sweetened substances. We have 'sweet shops' but no 'sour shops'. We usually end a meal with something sweet, so that this is the taste which remains in our mouths for a long time afterwards. Also when we feel the desire to eat something between meals – and this is another reminder of our links with the ape world – we usually choose something sweet : chocolates, ice cream or sweet drinks.
#5Passage vocabulary
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186-190) : Why do most people heat their food and eat it while it is still hot ? There may be a number of explanations for this. One is that man, who once a hunting animal, likes his food to be at the temperature of a freshly killed prey. Although we no longer eat freshly killed meat, we still eat it at much the same temperature as other carnivorous animals. Their food is hot because it has not yet cooled down, ours is hot because we have re-heated it. Another explanation may be that since we have weak teeth, we are forced to cook the meat to make it tender. But this does not explain why we should want to eat it while it is still hot or why we should heat up many kinds of food that do not need tenderizing. The third explanation is that by increasing the temperature of the food we improve its flavour or taste. In fact, we do many things to improve the flavour of our food. This goes back not to our carnivorous nature, which is an adopted thing, but to our more ancient links with the apes. The foods of the apes have a much wider variety of flavours than those of carnivorous. Although a carnivore goes through a rather complex process in hunting and killing its food, the manner in which it actually eats the food is simple and crude. It quickly chews or swallows the food. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to the different flavours of food. They enjoy them and like to try out foods with different flavours. When we heat our food and put spices in it, we may be going back to the same love of tasty food that is found in the apes. Perhaps this is why man never became completely carnivorous. In this connection, there is something else about man's taste for food which needs to be considered. Why do most people have a sweet tooth - that is - why are they specially fond of sweet things ? This is something unknown in carnivorous animals, but typical of the apes. As the natural food of the apes becomes riper and more suitable for eating, it becomes sweeter. Monkeys and apes are very sensitive to a sweet taste. Like other members of the ape family, we find it hard to resist sweet things. Our relationship to the apes shows itself in spite of the fact that we have a strongly carnivorous nature in our seeking out specially sweetened substances. We have 'sweet shops' but no 'sour shops'. We usually end a meal with something sweet, so that this is the taste which remains in our mouths for a long time afterwards. Also when we feel the desire to eat something between meals – and this is another reminder of our links with the ape world – we usually choose something sweet : chocolates, ice cream or sweet drinks.
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#6Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below (191-195) : Every day now, when the tide was out, I went on board the ship. Gradually I brought away all the sails and the rigging. I even brought some iron cables, but these proved to be too heavy for my raft. On the way back to the shore, it turned over and the cables fell into the sea. However, when the tide was out, I was able to recover the cables one by one. On one of my trips I was very pleased to discover some more food, including sugar, flour and bread. Very soon I had been on the island for a fortnight and had made, eleven trips to the ship. On my last trip of all I noticed a cupboard which I had previously over-looked. In it were three razors, a large pair of scissors and a dozen good knives and forks. There was also some European money, worth about thirty six pounds in all. By now I had taken everything from the ship which was of value to me, and I began to consider where I should live on the island. My tent was on rather low ground near to the sea and I did not think that it would be healthy to live there for very long. There were four points that I had to bear in mind in choosing the site of my home. First of all, I needed to find a place which would be healthy and near some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, I had to be safe from attacks by wild animals. Last of all, I needed to have a view of the sea so that, if any ship should chance to come near to the island, I would not miss it.
#7Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below (191-195) : Every day now, when the tide was out, I went on board the ship. Gradually I brought away all the sails and the rigging. I even brought some iron cables, but these proved to be too heavy for my raft. On the way back to the shore, it turned over and the cables fell into the sea. However, when the tide was out, I was able to recover the cables one by one. On one of my trips I was very pleased to discover some more food, including sugar, flour and bread. Very soon I had been on the island for a fortnight and had made, eleven trips to the ship. On my last trip of all I noticed a cupboard which I had previously over-looked. In it were three razors, a large pair of scissors and a dozen good knives and forks. There was also some European money, worth about thirty six pounds in all. By now I had taken everything from the ship which was of value to me, and I began to consider where I should live on the island. My tent was on rather low ground near to the sea and I did not think that it would be healthy to live there for very long. There were four points that I had to bear in mind in choosing the site of my home. First of all, I needed to find a place which would be healthy and near some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, I had to be safe from attacks by wild animals. Last of all, I needed to have a view of the sea so that, if any ship should chance to come near to the island, I would not miss it.
#8Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below (191-195) : Every day now, when the tide was out, I went on board the ship. Gradually I brought away all the sails and the rigging. I even brought some iron cables, but these proved to be too heavy for my raft. On the way back to the shore, it turned over and the cables fell into the sea. However, when the tide was out, I was able to recover the cables one by one. On one of my trips I was very pleased to discover some more food, including sugar, flour and bread. Very soon I had been on the island for a fortnight and had made, eleven trips to the ship. On my last trip of all I noticed a cupboard which I had previously over-looked. In it were three razors, a large pair of scissors and a dozen good knives and forks. There was also some European money, worth about thirty six pounds in all. By now I had taken everything from the ship which was of value to me, and I began to consider where I should live on the island. My tent was on rather low ground near to the sea and I did not think that it would be healthy to live there for very long. There were four points that I had to bear in mind in choosing the site of my home. First of all, I needed to find a place which would be healthy and near some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, I had to be safe from attacks by wild animals. Last of all, I needed to have a view of the sea so that, if any ship should chance to come near to the island, I would not miss it.
#9Passage vocabulary
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below (191-195) : Every day now, when the tide was out, I went on board the ship. Gradually I brought away all the sails and the rigging. I even brought some iron cables, but these proved to be too heavy for my raft. On the way back to the shore, it turned over and the cables fell into the sea. However, when the tide was out, I was able to recover the cables one by one. On one of my trips I was very pleased to discover some more food, including sugar, flour and bread. Very soon I had been on the island for a fortnight and had made, eleven trips to the ship. On my last trip of all I noticed a cupboard which I had previously over-looked. In it were three razors, a large pair of scissors and a dozen good knives and forks. There was also some European money, worth about thirty six pounds in all. By now I had taken everything from the ship which was of value to me, and I began to consider where I should live on the island. My tent was on rather low ground near to the sea and I did not think that it would be healthy to live there for very long. There were four points that I had to bear in mind in choosing the site of my home. First of all, I needed to find a place which would be healthy and near some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, I had to be safe from attacks by wild animals. Last of all, I needed to have a view of the sea so that, if any ship should chance to come near to the island, I would not miss it.
#10Passage vocabulary
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below (191-195) : Every day now, when the tide was out, I went on board the ship. Gradually I brought away all the sails and the rigging. I even brought some iron cables, but these proved to be too heavy for my raft. On the way back to the shore, it turned over and the cables fell into the sea. However, when the tide was out, I was able to recover the cables one by one. On one of my trips I was very pleased to discover some more food, including sugar, flour and bread. Very soon I had been on the island for a fortnight and had made, eleven trips to the ship. On my last trip of all I noticed a cupboard which I had previously over-looked. In it were three razors, a large pair of scissors and a dozen good knives and forks. There was also some European money, worth about thirty six pounds in all. By now I had taken everything from the ship which was of value to me, and I began to consider where I should live on the island. My tent was on rather low ground near to the sea and I did not think that it would be healthy to live there for very long. There were four points that I had to bear in mind in choosing the site of my home. First of all, I needed to find a place which would be healthy and near some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, I had to be safe from attacks by wild animals. Last of all, I needed to have a view of the sea so that, if any ship should chance to come near to the island, I would not miss it.
#11Passage
Passage for (196-200) : As Shanta stood absorbed in thought, the squat school peon bustled up to her, settling his shoulder-belt that hung the opposite way to his sacred thread. He salammed Shanta and said, "The big Bai-Sahib wants you". "Big Bai-Sahib wants me ?" said Shanta to herself. Why was she being sent for ? Shanta had finally escaped the clutches of annual examinations; but all forms of school mechanics, from the annual inspections to summons from the "Big Bai-Sahib," she found as burdensome as the big examinations, She had never quite recovered from the giddy sensation it had given her to be caught up in the whirl of an educational machine from which not only spontaneous vocation but even sincere cordiality was wholly absent. As a pupil she had been on the first floor of this factory, now that she had taken her degree and attained to teacherhood, she was on the second floor; but that was all The same harsh, inharmonious clanging continued there; the same life impelled by forces extraneous. Nowhere did this life contain the joy of creation. There was nothing in it to make her inward life bloom. Shanta's inner faculties were drying up. They were becoming dry twigs that came near snapping at every strong gust of air. Being sent for by the Headmistress was an occasion of that sort. Bleakly, Shanta walked towards the school office. Cautiously she pushed open the spring half-door of the Headmistress's office and entered. The Headmistress sat at her desk, signing routine papers. A clerk stood by, bent deferentially, turning papers and indicating places for signature. As Shanta appeared at the door, she spoke loudly in an extremely artificial voice: "Come in, come in, Shantabai. Sit down here. I have almost finished. Well, no, quite a few papers yet. Mr. Kulkarni, will you wait a while, please ?" Kulkarni respectfully stepped away from the desk and stood staring in another direction. "Big Bai" delicately removed her glasses and held them by an earpiece in one hand as she spoke. "I wanted to say to you, Shantabai, that you must have your girls do a little more written work. I have been reviewing the work of the whole school for the last month, and that is what I think. Your class seems to be behind the others in written work. As a matter of fact, you have plenty of free time. No distractions at home. No pulls on you but school work. And can it be that you still think it tiresome to examine notebooks ?... No, no... You mustn't do that. It would be very bad for the class. The girls never get a firm grasp of any subject till they have written the thing out. One really must have them write out at least one question in each subject every week". And so forth.... for some time. Her voice was quite gentle; but the gentleness pricked. The face was smiling; but the screen of that smile hung thinner than muslin. She had, as well as she could, summoned up an air of authority and maturity; but through it showed clearly her sense of her own inadequacy.
#12Passage
Passage for (196-200) : As Shanta stood absorbed in thought, the squat school peon bustled up to her, settling his shoulder-belt that hung the opposite way to his sacred thread. He salammed Shanta and said, "The big Bai-Sahib wants you". "Big Bai-Sahib wants me ?" said Shanta to herself. Why was she being sent for ? Shanta had finally escaped the clutches of annual examinations; but all forms of school mechanics, from the annual inspections to summons from the "Big Bai-Sahib," she found as burdensome as the big examinations, She had never quite recovered from the giddy sensation it had given her to be caught up in the whirl of an educational machine from which not only spontaneous vocation but even sincere cordiality was wholly absent. As a pupil she had been on the first floor of this factory, now that she had taken her degree and attained to teacherhood, she was on the second floor; but that was all The same harsh, inharmonious clanging continued there; the same life impelled by forces extraneous. Nowhere did this life contain the joy of creation. There was nothing in it to make her inward life bloom. Shanta's inner faculties were drying up. They were becoming dry twigs that came near snapping at every strong gust of air. Being sent for by the Headmistress was an occasion of that sort. Bleakly, Shanta walked towards the school office. Cautiously she pushed open the spring half-door of the Headmistress's office and entered. The Headmistress sat at her desk, signing routine papers. A clerk stood by, bent deferentially, turning papers and indicating places for signature. As Shanta appeared at the door, she spoke loudly in an extremely artificial voice: "Come in, come in, Shantabai. Sit down here. I have almost finished. Well, no, quite a few papers yet. Mr. Kulkarni, will you wait a while, please ?" Kulkarni respectfully stepped away from the desk and stood staring in another direction. "Big Bai" delicately removed her glasses and held them by an earpiece in one hand as she spoke. "I wanted to say to you, Shantabai, that you must have your girls do a little more written work. I have been reviewing the work of the whole school for the last month, and that is what I think. Your class seems to be behind the others in written work. As a matter of fact, you have plenty of free time. No distractions at home. No pulls on you but school work. And can it be that you still think it tiresome to examine notebooks ?... No, no... You mustn't do that. It would be very bad for the class. The girls never get a firm grasp of any subject till they have written the thing out. One really must have them write out at least one question in each subject every week". And so forth.... for some time. Her voice was quite gentle; but the gentleness pricked. The face was smiling; but the screen of that smile hung thinner than muslin. She had, as well as she could, summoned up an air of authority and maturity; but through it showed clearly her sense of her own inadequacy.
#13Passage
Passage for (196-200) : As Shanta stood absorbed in thought, the squat school peon bustled up to her, settling his shoulder-belt that hung the opposite way to his sacred thread. He salammed Shanta and said, "The big Bai-Sahib wants you". "Big Bai-Sahib wants me ?" said Shanta to herself. Why was she being sent for ? Shanta had finally escaped the clutches of annual examinations; but all forms of school mechanics, from the annual inspections to summons from the "Big Bai-Sahib," she found as burdensome as the big examinations, She had never quite recovered from the giddy sensation it had given her to be caught up in the whirl of an educational machine from which not only spontaneous vocation but even sincere cordiality was wholly absent. As a pupil she had been on the first floor of this factory, now that she had taken her degree and attained to teacherhood, she was on the second floor; but that was all The same harsh, inharmonious clanging continued there; the same life impelled by forces extraneous. Nowhere did this life contain the joy of creation. There was nothing in it to make her inward life bloom. Shanta's inner faculties were drying up. They were becoming dry twigs that came near snapping at every strong gust of air. Being sent for by the Headmistress was an occasion of that sort. Bleakly, Shanta walked towards the school office. Cautiously she pushed open the spring half-door of the Headmistress's office and entered. The Headmistress sat at her desk, signing routine papers. A clerk stood by, bent deferentially, turning papers and indicating places for signature. As Shanta appeared at the door, she spoke loudly in an extremely artificial voice: "Come in, come in, Shantabai. Sit down here. I have almost finished. Well, no, quite a few papers yet. Mr. Kulkarni, will you wait a while, please ?" Kulkarni respectfully stepped away from the desk and stood staring in another direction. "Big Bai" delicately removed her glasses and held them by an earpiece in one hand as she spoke. "I wanted to say to you, Shantabai, that you must have your girls do a little more written work. I have been reviewing the work of the whole school for the last month, and that is what I think. Your class seems to be behind the others in written work. As a matter of fact, you have plenty of free time. No distractions at home. No pulls on you but school work. And can it be that you still think it tiresome to examine notebooks ?... No, no... You mustn't do that. It would be very bad for the class. The girls never get a firm grasp of any subject till they have written the thing out. One really must have them write out at least one question in each subject every week". And so forth.... for some time. Her voice was quite gentle; but the gentleness pricked. The face was smiling; but the screen of that smile hung thinner than muslin. She had, as well as she could, summoned up an air of authority and maturity; but through it showed clearly her sense of her own inadequacy.
#14Passage
Passage for (196-200) : As Shanta stood absorbed in thought, the squat school peon bustled up to her, settling his shoulder-belt that hung the opposite way to his sacred thread. He salammed Shanta and said, "The big Bai-Sahib wants you". "Big Bai-Sahib wants me ?" said Shanta to herself. Why was she being sent for ? Shanta had finally escaped the clutches of annual examinations; but all forms of school mechanics, from the annual inspections to summons from the "Big Bai-Sahib," she found as burdensome as the big examinations, She had never quite recovered from the giddy sensation it had given her to be caught up in the whirl of an educational machine from which not only spontaneous vocation but even sincere cordiality was wholly absent. As a pupil she had been on the first floor of this factory, now that she had taken her degree and attained to teacherhood, she was on the second floor; but that was all The same harsh, inharmonious clanging continued there; the same life impelled by forces extraneous. Nowhere did this life contain the joy of creation. There was nothing in it to make her inward life bloom. Shanta's inner faculties were drying up. They were becoming dry twigs that came near snapping at every strong gust of air. Being sent for by the Headmistress was an occasion of that sort. Bleakly, Shanta walked towards the school office. Cautiously she pushed open the spring half-door of the Headmistress's office and entered. The Headmistress sat at her desk, signing routine papers. A clerk stood by, bent deferentially, turning papers and indicating places for signature. As Shanta appeared at the door, she spoke loudly in an extremely artificial voice: "Come in, come in, Shantabai. Sit down here. I have almost finished. Well, no, quite a few papers yet. Mr. Kulkarni, will you wait a while, please ?" Kulkarni respectfully stepped away from the desk and stood staring in another direction. "Big Bai" delicately removed her glasses and held them by an earpiece in one hand as she spoke. "I wanted to say to you, Shantabai, that you must have your girls do a little more written work. I have been reviewing the work of the whole school for the last month, and that is what I think. Your class seems to be behind the others in written work. As a matter of fact, you have plenty of free time. No distractions at home. No pulls on you but school work. And can it be that you still think it tiresome to examine notebooks ?... No, no... You mustn't do that. It would be very bad for the class. The girls never get a firm grasp of any subject till they have written the thing out. One really must have them write out at least one question in each subject every week". And so forth.... for some time. Her voice was quite gentle; but the gentleness pricked. The face was smiling; but the screen of that smile hung thinner than muslin. She had, as well as she could, summoned up an air of authority and maturity; but through it showed clearly her sense of her own inadequacy.
#15Passage
Passage for (196-200) : As Shanta stood absorbed in thought, the squat school peon bustled up to her, settling his shoulder-belt that hung the opposite way to his sacred thread. He salammed Shanta and said, "The big Bai-Sahib wants you". "Big Bai-Sahib wants me ?" said Shanta to herself. Why was she being sent for ? Shanta had finally escaped the clutches of annual examinations; but all forms of school mechanics, from the annual inspections to summons from the "Big Bai-Sahib," she found as burdensome as the big examinations, She had never quite recovered from the giddy sensation it had given her to be caught up in the whirl of an educational machine from which not only spontaneous vocation but even sincere cordiality was wholly absent. As a pupil she had been on the first floor of this factory, now that she had taken her degree and attained to teacherhood, she was on the second floor; but that was all The same harsh, inharmonious clanging continued there; the same life impelled by forces extraneous. Nowhere did this life contain the joy of creation. There was nothing in it to make her inward life bloom. Shanta's inner faculties were drying up. They were becoming dry twigs that came near snapping at every strong gust of air. Being sent for by the Headmistress was an occasion of that sort. Bleakly, Shanta walked towards the school office. Cautiously she pushed open the spring half-door of the Headmistress's office and entered. The Headmistress sat at her desk, signing routine papers. A clerk stood by, bent deferentially, turning papers and indicating places for signature. As Shanta appeared at the door, she spoke loudly in an extremely artificial voice: "Come in, come in, Shantabai. Sit down here. I have almost finished. Well, no, quite a few papers yet. Mr. Kulkarni, will you wait a while, please ?" Kulkarni respectfully stepped away from the desk and stood staring in another direction. "Big Bai" delicately removed her glasses and held them by an earpiece in one hand as she spoke. "I wanted to say to you, Shantabai, that you must have your girls do a little more written work. I have been reviewing the work of the whole school for the last month, and that is what I think. Your class seems to be behind the others in written work. As a matter of fact, you have plenty of free time. No distractions at home. No pulls on you but school work. And can it be that you still think it tiresome to examine notebooks ?... No, no... You mustn't do that. It would be very bad for the class. The girls never get a firm grasp of any subject till they have written the thing out. One really must have them write out at least one question in each subject every week". And so forth.... for some time. Her voice was quite gentle; but the gentleness pricked. The face was smiling; but the screen of that smile hung thinner than muslin. She had, as well as she could, summoned up an air of authority and maturity; but through it showed clearly her sense of her own inadequacy.
#16Passage
(For Questions 96 to 100) Read the following passage and answer questions 96 to 100 : Everyone likes to blame his sense of defeat on someone else; and for some time scientists have been a favourite scapegoat. I want to look at their responsibility, and for that matter at everybody's rather closely. They do have a special responsibility; but it is a complicated one, and not the whole responsibility. For example, science obviously is not responsible for the readiness of people, who do not take their private quarrels beyond the stage of insult. to carry their public quarrels to the point of war. Many animals fight for their needs, and some for their mere greed, to the point of death. Bucks fight for females, and birds fight for their territories. The fighting habits of man are odd because he displays them only in groups. But they were not supplied by scientists. On the contrary, science has helped to end several kinds of group murder, such as witch hunting and the taboos of the early nineteenth century against disinfecting hospitals. Neither is science responsible for the existence of groups which believe themselves to be in competition; for the existence, above all, of nations. And the threat of war today is always a national threat. Some bone of contention and competition is identified with a national good, and in the end nations are willing to organize and to invite the death of citizens on both sides in order to reach these collective aims. Science did not create the nations - on the contrary, it has helped to soften those strong national idiosyncrasies which it seems necessary to exploit if war is to be made with enthusiasm. The sense of doom in us today is not a fear of science; it is a fear of war. And the causes of war were not created by science. No, science has not invented war; but it has turned it into a very different thing. Science has enlarged the mechanism of war, and it has distorted it.
#17Passage
(For Questions 96 to 100) Read the following passage and answer questions 96 to 100 : Everyone likes to blame his sense of defeat on someone else; and for some time scientists have been a favourite scapegoat. I want to look at their responsibility, and for that matter at everybody's rather closely. They do have a special responsibility; but it is a complicated one, and not the whole responsibility. For example, science obviously is not responsible for the readiness of people, who do not take their private quarrels beyond the stage of insult. to carry their public quarrels to the point of war. Many animals fight for their needs, and some for their mere greed, to the point of death. Bucks fight for females, and birds fight for their territories. The fighting habits of man are odd because he displays them only in groups. But they were not supplied by scientists. On the contrary, science has helped to end several kinds of group murder, such as witch hunting and the taboos of the early nineteenth century against disinfecting hospitals. Neither is science responsible for the existence of groups which believe themselves to be in competition; for the existence, above all, of nations. And the threat of war today is always a national threat. Some bone of contention and competition is identified with a national good, and in the end nations are willing to organize and to invite the death of citizens on both sides in order to reach these collective aims. Science did not create the nations - on the contrary, it has helped to soften those strong national idiosyncrasies which it seems necessary to exploit if war is to be made with enthusiasm. The sense of doom in us today is not a fear of science; it is a fear of war. And the causes of war were not created by science. No, science has not invented war; but it has turned it into a very different thing. Science has enlarged the mechanism of war, and it has distorted it.
#18Passage
(For Questions 96 to 100) Read the following passage and answer questions 96 to 100 : Everyone likes to blame his sense of defeat on someone else; and for some time scientists have been a favourite scapegoat. I want to look at their responsibility, and for that matter at everybody's rather closely. They do have a special responsibility; but it is a complicated one, and not the whole responsibility. For example, science obviously is not responsible for the readiness of people, who do not take their private quarrels beyond the stage of insult. to carry their public quarrels to the point of war. Many animals fight for their needs, and some for their mere greed, to the point of death. Bucks fight for females, and birds fight for their territories. The fighting habits of man are odd because he displays them only in groups. But they were not supplied by scientists. On the contrary, science has helped to end several kinds of group murder, such as witch hunting and the taboos of the early nineteenth century against disinfecting hospitals. Neither is science responsible for the existence of groups which believe themselves to be in competition; for the existence, above all, of nations. And the threat of war today is always a national threat. Some bone of contention and competition is identified with a national good, and in the end nations are willing to organize and to invite the death of citizens on both sides in order to reach these collective aims. Science did not create the nations - on the contrary, it has helped to soften those strong national idiosyncrasies which it seems necessary to exploit if war is to be made with enthusiasm. The sense of doom in us today is not a fear of science; it is a fear of war. And the causes of war were not created by science. No, science has not invented war; but it has turned it into a very different thing. Science has enlarged the mechanism of war, and it has distorted it.
#19Passage
(For Questions 96 to 100) Read the following passage and answer questions 96 to 100 : Everyone likes to blame his sense of defeat on someone else; and for some time scientists have been a favourite scapegoat. I want to look at their responsibility, and for that matter at everybody's rather closely. They do have a special responsibility; but it is a complicated one, and not the whole responsibility. For example, science obviously is not responsible for the readiness of people, who do not take their private quarrels beyond the stage of insult. to carry their public quarrels to the point of war. Many animals fight for their needs, and some for their mere greed, to the point of death. Bucks fight for females, and birds fight for their territories. The fighting habits of man are odd because he displays them only in groups. But they were not supplied by scientists. On the contrary, science has helped to end several kinds of group murder, such as witch hunting and the taboos of the early nineteenth century against disinfecting hospitals. Neither is science responsible for the existence of groups which believe themselves to be in competition; for the existence, above all, of nations. And the threat of war today is always a national threat. Some bone of contention and competition is identified with a national good, and in the end nations are willing to organize and to invite the death of citizens on both sides in order to reach these collective aims. Science did not create the nations - on the contrary, it has helped to soften those strong national idiosyncrasies which it seems necessary to exploit if war is to be made with enthusiasm. The sense of doom in us today is not a fear of science; it is a fear of war. And the causes of war were not created by science. No, science has not invented war; but it has turned it into a very different thing. Science has enlarged the mechanism of war, and it has distorted it.
#20Passage
(For Questions 96 to 100) Read the following passage and answer questions 96 to 100 : Everyone likes to blame his sense of defeat on someone else; and for some time scientists have been a favourite scapegoat. I want to look at their responsibility, and for that matter at everybody's rather closely. They do have a special responsibility; but it is a complicated one, and not the whole responsibility. For example, science obviously is not responsible for the readiness of people, who do not take their private quarrels beyond the stage of insult. to carry their public quarrels to the point of war. Many animals fight for their needs, and some for their mere greed, to the point of death. Bucks fight for females, and birds fight for their territories. The fighting habits of man are odd because he displays them only in groups. But they were not supplied by scientists. On the contrary, science has helped to end several kinds of group murder, such as witch hunting and the taboos of the early nineteenth century against disinfecting hospitals. Neither is science responsible for the existence of groups which believe themselves to be in competition; for the existence, above all, of nations. And the threat of war today is always a national threat. Some bone of contention and competition is identified with a national good, and in the end nations are willing to organize and to invite the death of citizens on both sides in order to reach these collective aims. Science did not create the nations - on the contrary, it has helped to soften those strong national idiosyncrasies which it seems necessary to exploit if war is to be made with enthusiasm. The sense of doom in us today is not a fear of science; it is a fear of war. And the causes of war were not created by science. No, science has not invented war; but it has turned it into a very different thing. Science has enlarged the mechanism of war, and it has distorted it.
#21Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer Q.No's 96 to 100 based on it. It is very important to remember especially now when we have regained our freedom from British rule, that it was contact with western ideas that made our own people wake up and work for a new India. Many great men and women have worked for the making of the new India in many different ways. They had different ideas of what the new India should be. Some wanted to reform the Hindu religion by getting rid of idol-worship, caste and other ideas which were not in the Hindu religion of ancient times. Swamy Dayanand, who founded the Arya Samaj, had this aim. Others wanted to get rid of old ideas completely and make India a modern country, with the help of scientific knowledge gained from the west. Some wanted to bring about changes more slowly, by spreading education through newspapers and schools. But all these people got their ideas through hearing or reading about the changes which had been taking place in Europe and America. They got to know about these changes from people who came to India from the west, first to trade with them, and then to rule over them. They did not like being ruled over by foreigners, but they could not help seeing that unless they got the new knowledge which the foreigners had, they would not be able to make a new India and rule it themselves.
#22Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer Q.No's 96 to 100 based on it. It is very important to remember especially now when we have regained our freedom from British rule, that it was contact with western ideas that made our own people wake up and work for a new India. Many great men and women have worked for the making of the new India in many different ways. They had different ideas of what the new India should be. Some wanted to reform the Hindu religion by getting rid of idol-worship, caste and other ideas which were not in the Hindu religion of ancient times. Swamy Dayanand, who founded the Arya Samaj, had this aim. Others wanted to get rid of old ideas completely and make India a modern country, with the help of scientific knowledge gained from the west. Some wanted to bring about changes more slowly, by spreading education through newspapers and schools. But all these people got their ideas through hearing or reading about the changes which had been taking place in Europe and America. They got to know about these changes from people who came to India from the west, first to trade with them, and then to rule over them. They did not like being ruled over by foreigners, but they could not help seeing that unless they got the new knowledge which the foreigners had, they would not be able to make a new India and rule it themselves.
#23Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer Q.No's 96 to 100 based on it. It is very important to remember especially now when we have regained our freedom from British rule, that it was contact with western ideas that made our own people wake up and work for a new India. Many great men and women have worked for the making of the new India in many different ways. They had different ideas of what the new India should be. Some wanted to reform the Hindu religion by getting rid of idol-worship, caste and other ideas which were not in the Hindu religion of ancient times. Swamy Dayanand, who founded the Arya Samaj, had this aim. Others wanted to get rid of old ideas completely and make India a modern country, with the help of scientific knowledge gained from the west. Some wanted to bring about changes more slowly, by spreading education through newspapers and schools. But all these people got their ideas through hearing or reading about the changes which had been taking place in Europe and America. They got to know about these changes from people who came to India from the west, first to trade with them, and then to rule over them. They did not like being ruled over by foreigners, but they could not help seeing that unless they got the new knowledge which the foreigners had, they would not be able to make a new India and rule it themselves.
#24Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer Q.No's 96 to 100 based on it. It is very important to remember especially now when we have regained our freedom from British rule, that it was contact with western ideas that made our own people wake up and work for a new India. Many great men and women have worked for the making of the new India in many different ways. They had different ideas of what the new India should be. Some wanted to reform the Hindu religion by getting rid of idol-worship, caste and other ideas which were not in the Hindu religion of ancient times. Swamy Dayanand, who founded the Arya Samaj, had this aim. Others wanted to get rid of old ideas completely and make India a modern country, with the help of scientific knowledge gained from the west. Some wanted to bring about changes more slowly, by spreading education through newspapers and schools. But all these people got their ideas through hearing or reading about the changes which had been taking place in Europe and America. They got to know about these changes from people who came to India from the west, first to trade with them, and then to rule over them. They did not like being ruled over by foreigners, but they could not help seeing that unless they got the new knowledge which the foreigners had, they would not be able to make a new India and rule it themselves.
#25Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer Q.No's 96 to 100 based on it. It is very important to remember especially now when we have regained our freedom from British rule, that it was contact with western ideas that made our own people wake up and work for a new India. Many great men and women have worked for the making of the new India in many different ways. They had different ideas of what the new India should be. Some wanted to reform the Hindu religion by getting rid of idol-worship, caste and other ideas which were not in the Hindu religion of ancient times. Swamy Dayanand, who founded the Arya Samaj, had this aim. Others wanted to get rid of old ideas completely and make India a modern country, with the help of scientific knowledge gained from the west. Some wanted to bring about changes more slowly, by spreading education through newspapers and schools. But all these people got their ideas through hearing or reading about the changes which had been taking place in Europe and America. They got to know about these changes from people who came to India from the west, first to trade with them, and then to rule over them. They did not like being ruled over by foreigners, but they could not help seeing that unless they got the new knowledge which the foreigners had, they would not be able to make a new India and rule it themselves.
#26Passage
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions no. 96 to 100. The plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered towards achieving particular emotional and artistic effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and dispositional qualities. Plot and character are therefore interdependent critical concepts- as Henry James has said, "What is character but the determination of incident ? What is incident but the illustration of character ?" Notice also that a plot is distinguishable from the "story"- that is, a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a work of literature. When we summarize the story in a literary work, we say that first this happens, then that, then that.... It is only when we specify how this is related to that, and in what ways all these matters are rendered, ordered, and organized so as to achieve their particular effects, that a synopsis begins to be adequate to the plot. There are a great variety of plot forms. For example, some plots are designed to achieve tragic effects, and others to achieve the effects of comedy, romance, satire, or of some other genre. Each of these types in turn exhibits diverse plot-patterns, and may be represented in the mode either of drama or of narrative, and either in verse or in prose.
#27Passage
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions no. 96 to 100. The plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered towards achieving particular emotional and artistic effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and dispositional qualities. Plot and character are therefore interdependent critical concepts- as Henry James has said, "What is character but the determination of incident ? What is incident but the illustration of character ?" Notice also that a plot is distinguishable from the "story"- that is, a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a work of literature. When we summarize the story in a literary work, we say that first this happens, then that, then that.... It is only when we specify how this is related to that, and in what ways all these matters are rendered, ordered, and organized so as to achieve their particular effects, that a synopsis begins to be adequate to the plot. There are a great variety of plot forms. For example, some plots are designed to achieve tragic effects, and others to achieve the effects of comedy, romance, satire, or of some other genre. Each of these types in turn exhibits diverse plot-patterns, and may be represented in the mode either of drama or of narrative, and either in verse or in prose.
#28Passage
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions no. 96 to 100. The plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered towards achieving particular emotional and artistic effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and dispositional qualities. Plot and character are therefore interdependent critical concepts- as Henry James has said, "What is character but the determination of incident ? What is incident but the illustration of character ?" Notice also that a plot is distinguishable from the "story"- that is, a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a work of literature. When we summarize the story in a literary work, we say that first this happens, then that, then that.... It is only when we specify how this is related to that, and in what ways all these matters are rendered, ordered, and organized so as to achieve their particular effects, that a synopsis begins to be adequate to the plot. There are a great variety of plot forms. For example, some plots are designed to achieve tragic effects, and others to achieve the effects of comedy, romance, satire, or of some other genre. Each of these types in turn exhibits diverse plot-patterns, and may be represented in the mode either of drama or of narrative, and either in verse or in prose.
#29Passage
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions no. 96 to 100. The plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered towards achieving particular emotional and artistic effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and dispositional qualities. Plot and character are therefore interdependent critical concepts- as Henry James has said, "What is character but the determination of incident ? What is incident but the illustration of character ?" Notice also that a plot is distinguishable from the "story"- that is, a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a work of literature. When we summarize the story in a literary work, we say that first this happens, then that, then that.... It is only when we specify how this is related to that, and in what ways all these matters are rendered, ordered, and organized so as to achieve their particular effects, that a synopsis begins to be adequate to the plot. There are a great variety of plot forms. For example, some plots are designed to achieve tragic effects, and others to achieve the effects of comedy, romance, satire, or of some other genre. Each of these types in turn exhibits diverse plot-patterns, and may be represented in the mode either of drama or of narrative, and either in verse or in prose.
#30Passage
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions no. 96 to 100. The plot in a dramatic or narrative work is constituted by its events and actions, as these are rendered and ordered towards achieving particular emotional and artistic effects. This description is deceptively simple, because the actions (including verbal discourse as well as physical actions) are performed by particular characters in a work, and are the means by which they exhibit their moral and dispositional qualities. Plot and character are therefore interdependent critical concepts- as Henry James has said, "What is character but the determination of incident ? What is incident but the illustration of character ?" Notice also that a plot is distinguishable from the "story"- that is, a bare synopsis of the temporal order of what happens in a work of literature. When we summarize the story in a literary work, we say that first this happens, then that, then that.... It is only when we specify how this is related to that, and in what ways all these matters are rendered, ordered, and organized so as to achieve their particular effects, that a synopsis begins to be adequate to the plot. There are a great variety of plot forms. For example, some plots are designed to achieve tragic effects, and others to achieve the effects of comedy, romance, satire, or of some other genre. Each of these types in turn exhibits diverse plot-patterns, and may be represented in the mode either of drama or of narrative, and either in verse or in prose.

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