Comprehension

41 MPSC STI Mains English past-year questions from 5 papers, 2009 to 2017, with answers and worked solutions.

Difficulty: 31 easy · 10 moderate.
Most-asked subtopics: Passage (33), Passage vocabulary (8).
Updated 27 September 2026.

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#1Passage vocabulary
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
#2Passage vocabulary
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
#3Passage
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
#4Passage vocabulary
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
#5Passage
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
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#6Passage vocabulary
Read the passage and answer 168 to 173 : India's Poverty Index / India Shining ? India's poverty index presents a dismal picture, as its poverty figures hover around 42 per cent in the year 2005. This raises a serious question about India's rhetoric of 'inclusive growth' or 'reforms with a human face'. The graphic depict India's comparative position with that of the other countries fighting this social malady, spanning a period between 1980 and 2005. One cannot but laud the success achieved by China, which began at 84% in the year 1980, but has its poverty figures at 14% in the year 2005. The same is the case with other developing countries, which successfully fought the shameful figure of 60% to reduce poverty to 15% in 2005. India can draw solace from the fact that sub-sahran countries have done worse than her. One must ask who is responsible for this pathetic state of affairs ? What is shining ? India or its poverty ?
#7Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (196–200) : So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of Nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects', and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any values to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature and Nature's creatures, a view point which seems to assume Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be 'exploited' – take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes and to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered. There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into child by social forces, which can only be countered by environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is not done. What is done is talk about the food web and the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal of any element disrupts the whole system and how this can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is the essential interaction with Nature and with other humans. Indeed in many environmental activities the opposite takes place. A classic example of this is making of a herbarium, or even worse, and insect collection, as common in both formal and non-formal education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net and is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a patch of nature individual "specimens" pressed in the plant file or trapped in a jar. It is even worse when the activity is also competitive i.e. who collects the maximum. A lot of knowledge may be gained, but it is gained in a value system which emphasizes exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect. Learning under a tree, (Shantivan) rather than in a classroom, as is indeed the Indian tradition, is far more effective and long lasting. The alternative is to take up activities where ecobalances, ecological diversity, animal behavior, human plurality and other such concepts and systems are introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth. Materials, processes, living beings do not exist only for human use, but more importantly they are worthwhile in themselves. A frog is as much in love with its life as the human child is with its; the feeling of the frog must be respected. The final thrust of environment education seems to be embodied in the vital question: Am I doing something which disrespects or violates some other creature's right to live and live freely ? If I am, what can I do to minimize the damage I am causing ? Once again, the Indian tradition of ahimsa comes out as infinitely more relevant, than much of what we learn in modern education.
#8Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (196–200) : So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of Nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects', and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any values to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature and Nature's creatures, a view point which seems to assume Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be 'exploited' – take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes and to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered. There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into child by social forces, which can only be countered by environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is not done. What is done is talk about the food web and the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal of any element disrupts the whole system and how this can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is the essential interaction with Nature and with other humans. Indeed in many environmental activities the opposite takes place. A classic example of this is making of a herbarium, or even worse, and insect collection, as common in both formal and non-formal education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net and is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a patch of nature individual "specimens" pressed in the plant file or trapped in a jar. It is even worse when the activity is also competitive i.e. who collects the maximum. A lot of knowledge may be gained, but it is gained in a value system which emphasizes exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect. Learning under a tree, (Shantivan) rather than in a classroom, as is indeed the Indian tradition, is far more effective and long lasting. The alternative is to take up activities where ecobalances, ecological diversity, animal behavior, human plurality and other such concepts and systems are introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth. Materials, processes, living beings do not exist only for human use, but more importantly they are worthwhile in themselves. A frog is as much in love with its life as the human child is with its; the feeling of the frog must be respected. The final thrust of environment education seems to be embodied in the vital question: Am I doing something which disrespects or violates some other creature's right to live and live freely ? If I am, what can I do to minimize the damage I am causing ? Once again, the Indian tradition of ahimsa comes out as infinitely more relevant, than much of what we learn in modern education.
#9Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (196–200) : So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of Nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects', and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any values to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature and Nature's creatures, a view point which seems to assume Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be 'exploited' – take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes and to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered. There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into child by social forces, which can only be countered by environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is not done. What is done is talk about the food web and the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal of any element disrupts the whole system and how this can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is the essential interaction with Nature and with other humans. Indeed in many environmental activities the opposite takes place. A classic example of this is making of a herbarium, or even worse, and insect collection, as common in both formal and non-formal education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net and is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a patch of nature individual "specimens" pressed in the plant file or trapped in a jar. It is even worse when the activity is also competitive i.e. who collects the maximum. A lot of knowledge may be gained, but it is gained in a value system which emphasizes exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect. Learning under a tree, (Shantivan) rather than in a classroom, as is indeed the Indian tradition, is far more effective and long lasting. The alternative is to take up activities where ecobalances, ecological diversity, animal behavior, human plurality and other such concepts and systems are introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth. Materials, processes, living beings do not exist only for human use, but more importantly they are worthwhile in themselves. A frog is as much in love with its life as the human child is with its; the feeling of the frog must be respected. The final thrust of environment education seems to be embodied in the vital question: Am I doing something which disrespects or violates some other creature's right to live and live freely ? If I am, what can I do to minimize the damage I am causing ? Once again, the Indian tradition of ahimsa comes out as infinitely more relevant, than much of what we learn in modern education.
#10Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (196–200) : So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of Nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects', and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any values to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature and Nature's creatures, a view point which seems to assume Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be 'exploited' – take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes and to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered. There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into child by social forces, which can only be countered by environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is not done. What is done is talk about the food web and the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal of any element disrupts the whole system and how this can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is the essential interaction with Nature and with other humans. Indeed in many environmental activities the opposite takes place. A classic example of this is making of a herbarium, or even worse, and insect collection, as common in both formal and non-formal education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net and is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a patch of nature individual "specimens" pressed in the plant file or trapped in a jar. It is even worse when the activity is also competitive i.e. who collects the maximum. A lot of knowledge may be gained, but it is gained in a value system which emphasizes exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect. Learning under a tree, (Shantivan) rather than in a classroom, as is indeed the Indian tradition, is far more effective and long lasting. The alternative is to take up activities where ecobalances, ecological diversity, animal behavior, human plurality and other such concepts and systems are introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth. Materials, processes, living beings do not exist only for human use, but more importantly they are worthwhile in themselves. A frog is as much in love with its life as the human child is with its; the feeling of the frog must be respected. The final thrust of environment education seems to be embodied in the vital question: Am I doing something which disrespects or violates some other creature's right to live and live freely ? If I am, what can I do to minimize the damage I am causing ? Once again, the Indian tradition of ahimsa comes out as infinitely more relevant, than much of what we learn in modern education.
#11Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow (196–200) : So often these days we hear and speak of 'the conquest of Nature', 'the taming of a river', 'the war against insects', and so on. Often these phrases are used without consciously attaching any values to them, but they have underlying them an attitude of hostility towards Nature and Nature's creatures, a view point which seems to assume Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished. Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a 'resource' to be 'exploited' – take the maximum out of it, regardless of what this does to natural processes and to other creatures which depend on these processes. It is this attitude which sees fellow humans too as a resource to be exploited or other human communities as enemies to be conquered. There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into child by social forces, which can only be countered by environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is not done. What is done is talk about the food web and the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal of any element disrupts the whole system and how this can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is the essential interaction with Nature and with other humans. Indeed in many environmental activities the opposite takes place. A classic example of this is making of a herbarium, or even worse, and insect collection, as common in both formal and non-formal education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net and is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a patch of nature individual "specimens" pressed in the plant file or trapped in a jar. It is even worse when the activity is also competitive i.e. who collects the maximum. A lot of knowledge may be gained, but it is gained in a value system which emphasizes exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect. Learning under a tree, (Shantivan) rather than in a classroom, as is indeed the Indian tradition, is far more effective and long lasting. The alternative is to take up activities where ecobalances, ecological diversity, animal behavior, human plurality and other such concepts and systems are introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth. Materials, processes, living beings do not exist only for human use, but more importantly they are worthwhile in themselves. A frog is as much in love with its life as the human child is with its; the feeling of the frog must be respected. The final thrust of environment education seems to be embodied in the vital question: Am I doing something which disrespects or violates some other creature's right to live and live freely ? If I am, what can I do to minimize the damage I am causing ? Once again, the Indian tradition of ahimsa comes out as infinitely more relevant, than much of what we learn in modern education.
#12Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186–190) : Martin was tired after the long walk through the thick Brazilian jungle. As night fell, he came to a swampy place, where he decided to camp. He spread a blanket on the ground and stretched himself out on it. But the place was so full of mosquitoes that he found impossible to sleep. At last, in despair, he sprang into the branches of a nearby three and climbed to the top. Here, to his satisfaction, he found that there were hardly any mosquitoes. The breeze was delightfully cool at this height and he made up his mind to spend the night in the tree. He made a kind of rough couch for himself by tying several branches together, on which he lay down, using his coat as a pillow. The sun had set but there was still some light in the sky. Martin leaned on his elbow and looked down through the leaves. In the waters of the lake, close to the shore, he saw a number of alligators floating quietly. One of the creatures, a huge one, was lying on a high bank of sand, a few yards from the water. Suddenly, Martin heard a rusting near the foot of the tree. A jaguar was creeping stealthily through the bushes. When it reached the edge of the bushes, it halted and then with one great leap, seized the alligator by the soft flesh underneath its tail. The great beast struggled for a few seconds, trying to reach the water and then lay still while the jaguar tore savagely at its tough hide. Martin was surprised to see that the alligator allowed itself to be attacked without trying to fight back. He knew that it could not turn its stiff body around quickly enough to catch the jaguar in its jaws but he wondered how the great reptile could suffer pain so quietly. The alligator seemed to be completely paralyzed. In a few minutes the jaguar retreated a short distance. The alligator made a rush for the water, but the jaguar darted back and caught it again. Martin saw that the jaguar was actually playing with the alligator as a cat plays with a mouse before she kills it. The one-sided fight went on with short intervals and during one of these the alligator almost reached the water, before the jaguar seized it once more. In the short struggle that followed both animals rolled down the bank and fell into the lake. The tables were now turned. The jaguar tried to swim back to the shore, but before it had progressed a few feet the alligator wheeled round, opened its enormous jaws and caught its enemy by the middle. There was a huge splash as the alligator's powerful tail struck the water with great force and one terrible roar of pain, which was suddenly cut short as the alligator dived to the bottom with its prey. Then everything was silent, and only a few ripples in the water remained to tell of the battle that had been fought.
#13Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186–190) : Martin was tired after the long walk through the thick Brazilian jungle. As night fell, he came to a swampy place, where he decided to camp. He spread a blanket on the ground and stretched himself out on it. But the place was so full of mosquitoes that he found impossible to sleep. At last, in despair, he sprang into the branches of a nearby three and climbed to the top. Here, to his satisfaction, he found that there were hardly any mosquitoes. The breeze was delightfully cool at this height and he made up his mind to spend the night in the tree. He made a kind of rough couch for himself by tying several branches together, on which he lay down, using his coat as a pillow. The sun had set but there was still some light in the sky. Martin leaned on his elbow and looked down through the leaves. In the waters of the lake, close to the shore, he saw a number of alligators floating quietly. One of the creatures, a huge one, was lying on a high bank of sand, a few yards from the water. Suddenly, Martin heard a rusting near the foot of the tree. A jaguar was creeping stealthily through the bushes. When it reached the edge of the bushes, it halted and then with one great leap, seized the alligator by the soft flesh underneath its tail. The great beast struggled for a few seconds, trying to reach the water and then lay still while the jaguar tore savagely at its tough hide. Martin was surprised to see that the alligator allowed itself to be attacked without trying to fight back. He knew that it could not turn its stiff body around quickly enough to catch the jaguar in its jaws but he wondered how the great reptile could suffer pain so quietly. The alligator seemed to be completely paralyzed. In a few minutes the jaguar retreated a short distance. The alligator made a rush for the water, but the jaguar darted back and caught it again. Martin saw that the jaguar was actually playing with the alligator as a cat plays with a mouse before she kills it. The one-sided fight went on with short intervals and during one of these the alligator almost reached the water, before the jaguar seized it once more. In the short struggle that followed both animals rolled down the bank and fell into the lake. The tables were now turned. The jaguar tried to swim back to the shore, but before it had progressed a few feet the alligator wheeled round, opened its enormous jaws and caught its enemy by the middle. There was a huge splash as the alligator's powerful tail struck the water with great force and one terrible roar of pain, which was suddenly cut short as the alligator dived to the bottom with its prey. Then everything was silent, and only a few ripples in the water remained to tell of the battle that had been fought.
#14Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186–190) : Martin was tired after the long walk through the thick Brazilian jungle. As night fell, he came to a swampy place, where he decided to camp. He spread a blanket on the ground and stretched himself out on it. But the place was so full of mosquitoes that he found impossible to sleep. At last, in despair, he sprang into the branches of a nearby three and climbed to the top. Here, to his satisfaction, he found that there were hardly any mosquitoes. The breeze was delightfully cool at this height and he made up his mind to spend the night in the tree. He made a kind of rough couch for himself by tying several branches together, on which he lay down, using his coat as a pillow. The sun had set but there was still some light in the sky. Martin leaned on his elbow and looked down through the leaves. In the waters of the lake, close to the shore, he saw a number of alligators floating quietly. One of the creatures, a huge one, was lying on a high bank of sand, a few yards from the water. Suddenly, Martin heard a rusting near the foot of the tree. A jaguar was creeping stealthily through the bushes. When it reached the edge of the bushes, it halted and then with one great leap, seized the alligator by the soft flesh underneath its tail. The great beast struggled for a few seconds, trying to reach the water and then lay still while the jaguar tore savagely at its tough hide. Martin was surprised to see that the alligator allowed itself to be attacked without trying to fight back. He knew that it could not turn its stiff body around quickly enough to catch the jaguar in its jaws but he wondered how the great reptile could suffer pain so quietly. The alligator seemed to be completely paralyzed. In a few minutes the jaguar retreated a short distance. The alligator made a rush for the water, but the jaguar darted back and caught it again. Martin saw that the jaguar was actually playing with the alligator as a cat plays with a mouse before she kills it. The one-sided fight went on with short intervals and during one of these the alligator almost reached the water, before the jaguar seized it once more. In the short struggle that followed both animals rolled down the bank and fell into the lake. The tables were now turned. The jaguar tried to swim back to the shore, but before it had progressed a few feet the alligator wheeled round, opened its enormous jaws and caught its enemy by the middle. There was a huge splash as the alligator's powerful tail struck the water with great force and one terrible roar of pain, which was suddenly cut short as the alligator dived to the bottom with its prey. Then everything was silent, and only a few ripples in the water remained to tell of the battle that had been fought.
#15Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186–190) : Martin was tired after the long walk through the thick Brazilian jungle. As night fell, he came to a swampy place, where he decided to camp. He spread a blanket on the ground and stretched himself out on it. But the place was so full of mosquitoes that he found impossible to sleep. At last, in despair, he sprang into the branches of a nearby three and climbed to the top. Here, to his satisfaction, he found that there were hardly any mosquitoes. The breeze was delightfully cool at this height and he made up his mind to spend the night in the tree. He made a kind of rough couch for himself by tying several branches together, on which he lay down, using his coat as a pillow. The sun had set but there was still some light in the sky. Martin leaned on his elbow and looked down through the leaves. In the waters of the lake, close to the shore, he saw a number of alligators floating quietly. One of the creatures, a huge one, was lying on a high bank of sand, a few yards from the water. Suddenly, Martin heard a rusting near the foot of the tree. A jaguar was creeping stealthily through the bushes. When it reached the edge of the bushes, it halted and then with one great leap, seized the alligator by the soft flesh underneath its tail. The great beast struggled for a few seconds, trying to reach the water and then lay still while the jaguar tore savagely at its tough hide. Martin was surprised to see that the alligator allowed itself to be attacked without trying to fight back. He knew that it could not turn its stiff body around quickly enough to catch the jaguar in its jaws but he wondered how the great reptile could suffer pain so quietly. The alligator seemed to be completely paralyzed. In a few minutes the jaguar retreated a short distance. The alligator made a rush for the water, but the jaguar darted back and caught it again. Martin saw that the jaguar was actually playing with the alligator as a cat plays with a mouse before she kills it. The one-sided fight went on with short intervals and during one of these the alligator almost reached the water, before the jaguar seized it once more. In the short struggle that followed both animals rolled down the bank and fell into the lake. The tables were now turned. The jaguar tried to swim back to the shore, but before it had progressed a few feet the alligator wheeled round, opened its enormous jaws and caught its enemy by the middle. There was a huge splash as the alligator's powerful tail struck the water with great force and one terrible roar of pain, which was suddenly cut short as the alligator dived to the bottom with its prey. Then everything was silent, and only a few ripples in the water remained to tell of the battle that had been fought.
#16Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions (186–190) : Martin was tired after the long walk through the thick Brazilian jungle. As night fell, he came to a swampy place, where he decided to camp. He spread a blanket on the ground and stretched himself out on it. But the place was so full of mosquitoes that he found impossible to sleep. At last, in despair, he sprang into the branches of a nearby three and climbed to the top. Here, to his satisfaction, he found that there were hardly any mosquitoes. The breeze was delightfully cool at this height and he made up his mind to spend the night in the tree. He made a kind of rough couch for himself by tying several branches together, on which he lay down, using his coat as a pillow. The sun had set but there was still some light in the sky. Martin leaned on his elbow and looked down through the leaves. In the waters of the lake, close to the shore, he saw a number of alligators floating quietly. One of the creatures, a huge one, was lying on a high bank of sand, a few yards from the water. Suddenly, Martin heard a rusting near the foot of the tree. A jaguar was creeping stealthily through the bushes. When it reached the edge of the bushes, it halted and then with one great leap, seized the alligator by the soft flesh underneath its tail. The great beast struggled for a few seconds, trying to reach the water and then lay still while the jaguar tore savagely at its tough hide. Martin was surprised to see that the alligator allowed itself to be attacked without trying to fight back. He knew that it could not turn its stiff body around quickly enough to catch the jaguar in its jaws but he wondered how the great reptile could suffer pain so quietly. The alligator seemed to be completely paralyzed. In a few minutes the jaguar retreated a short distance. The alligator made a rush for the water, but the jaguar darted back and caught it again. Martin saw that the jaguar was actually playing with the alligator as a cat plays with a mouse before she kills it. The one-sided fight went on with short intervals and during one of these the alligator almost reached the water, before the jaguar seized it once more. In the short struggle that followed both animals rolled down the bank and fell into the lake. The tables were now turned. The jaguar tried to swim back to the shore, but before it had progressed a few feet the alligator wheeled round, opened its enormous jaws and caught its enemy by the middle. There was a huge splash as the alligator's powerful tail struck the water with great force and one terrible roar of pain, which was suddenly cut short as the alligator dived to the bottom with its prey. Then everything was silent, and only a few ripples in the water remained to tell of the battle that had been fought.
#17Passage vocabulary
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in the context of the passage. (questions 191 to 195) : I had now been jobless for nearly eighteen months. Disillusionment had given place to a deepening, poisoning hatred; slowly but surely I was hating these people who could so casually, so unfeelingly deny me the right to earn a living. I was considered too well educated, too good for the lowly jobs, and too black for anything better ......... Caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice, I felt myself striking out in unreasoning retaliation. I became distrustful of every glance or gesture, seeking to probe behind them to expose the antipathy and intolerance which, I felt sure, was there. I was no longer disposed to extend to English women or elderly people on buses and trains those essential courtesies which, from childhood, I had accorded them as a rightful tribute, and even found myself glaring in undisguised hostility at small children whose innocently enquiring eyes were attracted by my unfamiliar complexion. Fortunately for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly. Every now and then, and inspite of myself, some person or persons would say or do something so utterly unselfish and friendly that I would temporarily forget my difficulties and hurts. It was from such an unexpected quarter that I received the helpful advice which changed the whole course of my life. I had been sitting beside the lake in St. James's Park, idly watching the ducks as they dived for the bits of food thrown to them by passers-by. Near me was seated a thin, bespectacled old gentleman who occasionally commented on the colour or habits of various species. He sounded quite knowledgeable, but I was in no mood for that sort of thing, and mentally dismissed him as just a garrulous old crank. He did not seem to mind my unresponsive attitude, however, and presently addressed me directly. "Been in England long, young man ?" I turned to look at him with what I hoped was a sufficiently cutting glance to discourage his overtures ; I did not feel at all like conversation, especially on the very painful subject of being in England.
#18Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in the context of the passage. (questions 191 to 195) : I had now been jobless for nearly eighteen months. Disillusionment had given place to a deepening, poisoning hatred; slowly but surely I was hating these people who could so casually, so unfeelingly deny me the right to earn a living. I was considered too well educated, too good for the lowly jobs, and too black for anything better ......... Caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice, I felt myself striking out in unreasoning retaliation. I became distrustful of every glance or gesture, seeking to probe behind them to expose the antipathy and intolerance which, I felt sure, was there. I was no longer disposed to extend to English women or elderly people on buses and trains those essential courtesies which, from childhood, I had accorded them as a rightful tribute, and even found myself glaring in undisguised hostility at small children whose innocently enquiring eyes were attracted by my unfamiliar complexion. Fortunately for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly. Every now and then, and inspite of myself, some person or persons would say or do something so utterly unselfish and friendly that I would temporarily forget my difficulties and hurts. It was from such an unexpected quarter that I received the helpful advice which changed the whole course of my life. I had been sitting beside the lake in St. James's Park, idly watching the ducks as they dived for the bits of food thrown to them by passers-by. Near me was seated a thin, bespectacled old gentleman who occasionally commented on the colour or habits of various species. He sounded quite knowledgeable, but I was in no mood for that sort of thing, and mentally dismissed him as just a garrulous old crank. He did not seem to mind my unresponsive attitude, however, and presently addressed me directly. "Been in England long, young man ?" I turned to look at him with what I hoped was a sufficiently cutting glance to discourage his overtures ; I did not feel at all like conversation, especially on the very painful subject of being in England.
#19Passage vocabulary
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in the context of the passage. (questions 191 to 195) : I had now been jobless for nearly eighteen months. Disillusionment had given place to a deepening, poisoning hatred; slowly but surely I was hating these people who could so casually, so unfeelingly deny me the right to earn a living. I was considered too well educated, too good for the lowly jobs, and too black for anything better ......... Caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice, I felt myself striking out in unreasoning retaliation. I became distrustful of every glance or gesture, seeking to probe behind them to expose the antipathy and intolerance which, I felt sure, was there. I was no longer disposed to extend to English women or elderly people on buses and trains those essential courtesies which, from childhood, I had accorded them as a rightful tribute, and even found myself glaring in undisguised hostility at small children whose innocently enquiring eyes were attracted by my unfamiliar complexion. Fortunately for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly. Every now and then, and inspite of myself, some person or persons would say or do something so utterly unselfish and friendly that I would temporarily forget my difficulties and hurts. It was from such an unexpected quarter that I received the helpful advice which changed the whole course of my life. I had been sitting beside the lake in St. James's Park, idly watching the ducks as they dived for the bits of food thrown to them by passers-by. Near me was seated a thin, bespectacled old gentleman who occasionally commented on the colour or habits of various species. He sounded quite knowledgeable, but I was in no mood for that sort of thing, and mentally dismissed him as just a garrulous old crank. He did not seem to mind my unresponsive attitude, however, and presently addressed me directly. "Been in England long, young man ?" I turned to look at him with what I hoped was a sufficiently cutting glance to discourage his overtures ; I did not feel at all like conversation, especially on the very painful subject of being in England.
#20Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in the context of the passage. (questions 191 to 195) : I had now been jobless for nearly eighteen months. Disillusionment had given place to a deepening, poisoning hatred; slowly but surely I was hating these people who could so casually, so unfeelingly deny me the right to earn a living. I was considered too well educated, too good for the lowly jobs, and too black for anything better ......... Caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice, I felt myself striking out in unreasoning retaliation. I became distrustful of every glance or gesture, seeking to probe behind them to expose the antipathy and intolerance which, I felt sure, was there. I was no longer disposed to extend to English women or elderly people on buses and trains those essential courtesies which, from childhood, I had accorded them as a rightful tribute, and even found myself glaring in undisguised hostility at small children whose innocently enquiring eyes were attracted by my unfamiliar complexion. Fortunately for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly. Every now and then, and inspite of myself, some person or persons would say or do something so utterly unselfish and friendly that I would temporarily forget my difficulties and hurts. It was from such an unexpected quarter that I received the helpful advice which changed the whole course of my life. I had been sitting beside the lake in St. James's Park, idly watching the ducks as they dived for the bits of food thrown to them by passers-by. Near me was seated a thin, bespectacled old gentleman who occasionally commented on the colour or habits of various species. He sounded quite knowledgeable, but I was in no mood for that sort of thing, and mentally dismissed him as just a garrulous old crank. He did not seem to mind my unresponsive attitude, however, and presently addressed me directly. "Been in England long, young man ?" I turned to look at him with what I hoped was a sufficiently cutting glance to discourage his overtures ; I did not feel at all like conversation, especially on the very painful subject of being in England.
#21Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below in the context of the passage. (questions 191 to 195) : I had now been jobless for nearly eighteen months. Disillusionment had given place to a deepening, poisoning hatred; slowly but surely I was hating these people who could so casually, so unfeelingly deny me the right to earn a living. I was considered too well educated, too good for the lowly jobs, and too black for anything better ......... Caught like an insect in the tweezer grip of prejudice, I felt myself striking out in unreasoning retaliation. I became distrustful of every glance or gesture, seeking to probe behind them to expose the antipathy and intolerance which, I felt sure, was there. I was no longer disposed to extend to English women or elderly people on buses and trains those essential courtesies which, from childhood, I had accorded them as a rightful tribute, and even found myself glaring in undisguised hostility at small children whose innocently enquiring eyes were attracted by my unfamiliar complexion. Fortunately for me, this cancerous condition was not allowed to establish itself firmly. Every now and then, and inspite of myself, some person or persons would say or do something so utterly unselfish and friendly that I would temporarily forget my difficulties and hurts. It was from such an unexpected quarter that I received the helpful advice which changed the whole course of my life. I had been sitting beside the lake in St. James's Park, idly watching the ducks as they dived for the bits of food thrown to them by passers-by. Near me was seated a thin, bespectacled old gentleman who occasionally commented on the colour or habits of various species. He sounded quite knowledgeable, but I was in no mood for that sort of thing, and mentally dismissed him as just a garrulous old crank. He did not seem to mind my unresponsive attitude, however, and presently addressed me directly. "Been in England long, young man ?" I turned to look at him with what I hoped was a sufficiently cutting glance to discourage his overtures ; I did not feel at all like conversation, especially on the very painful subject of being in England.
#22Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions 196 to 200 given below : After lunch, without waiting to get permission from their parents, the two boys set off to explore the part of the beach, which lay beyond the head land. They persuaded their young sister to stay behind saying that the longwalk would be too tiring for her. Once they had passed beyond the head land, the beach stretched away endlessly in front of them. It was like discovering a new world. And what exciting things there were to do ! There were damp, dark cover to explore, in each of which they expected to come across smugglers hiding ; there were innumerable pools among the rocks, full of small fish and other sea creatures ; and scattered along the beach, there were all those strange, yet common place, objects which were washed up and left by the tide. The afternoon passed quickly, and the sun was going to set down, when the two boys reluctantly decided to turn back and make their way homewards. Long before they reached the head land, they could see that the tide had come in so far that they were now cut off from the other part of the beach. They looked at each other in dismay. It was useless to go on. Since clearly there was no way of getting beyond the head land. If on the other hand, they went back the way they had just come, the tide would come in long before they reached the end of the beach. Their only chance of escape was to find a way up the cliff, which in some places was not very steep. At least, they might be able to climb high enough to be out of reach of the waves, which were coming closer all the time. In less than ten minutes, they found a narrow path which seemed to head all the way to the cliff top. But their troubles were not yet over. The two boys at once again began shouting at the top of their voices, hoping that someone walking along the cliff top might hear them. They were both surprised, however, when their father's face appeared over the top of the rock. He told them not to move until he came back. In a short while, he reappeared with two policemen, one of them climbed down a rope which was lowered over the rock. The two boys were then pulled up to safety. At the top of the cliff they found their anxious mother and, with her, their young sister. She had told her parents where they had gone and thus saved them for spending a wet night on the cliff.
#23Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions 196 to 200 given below : After lunch, without waiting to get permission from their parents, the two boys set off to explore the part of the beach, which lay beyond the head land. They persuaded their young sister to stay behind saying that the longwalk would be too tiring for her. Once they had passed beyond the head land, the beach stretched away endlessly in front of them. It was like discovering a new world. And what exciting things there were to do ! There were damp, dark cover to explore, in each of which they expected to come across smugglers hiding ; there were innumerable pools among the rocks, full of small fish and other sea creatures ; and scattered along the beach, there were all those strange, yet common place, objects which were washed up and left by the tide. The afternoon passed quickly, and the sun was going to set down, when the two boys reluctantly decided to turn back and make their way homewards. Long before they reached the head land, they could see that the tide had come in so far that they were now cut off from the other part of the beach. They looked at each other in dismay. It was useless to go on. Since clearly there was no way of getting beyond the head land. If on the other hand, they went back the way they had just come, the tide would come in long before they reached the end of the beach. Their only chance of escape was to find a way up the cliff, which in some places was not very steep. At least, they might be able to climb high enough to be out of reach of the waves, which were coming closer all the time. In less than ten minutes, they found a narrow path which seemed to head all the way to the cliff top. But their troubles were not yet over. The two boys at once again began shouting at the top of their voices, hoping that someone walking along the cliff top might hear them. They were both surprised, however, when their father's face appeared over the top of the rock. He told them not to move until he came back. In a short while, he reappeared with two policemen, one of them climbed down a rope which was lowered over the rock. The two boys were then pulled up to safety. At the top of the cliff they found their anxious mother and, with her, their young sister. She had told her parents where they had gone and thus saved them for spending a wet night on the cliff.
#24Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions 196 to 200 given below : After lunch, without waiting to get permission from their parents, the two boys set off to explore the part of the beach, which lay beyond the head land. They persuaded their young sister to stay behind saying that the longwalk would be too tiring for her. Once they had passed beyond the head land, the beach stretched away endlessly in front of them. It was like discovering a new world. And what exciting things there were to do ! There were damp, dark cover to explore, in each of which they expected to come across smugglers hiding ; there were innumerable pools among the rocks, full of small fish and other sea creatures ; and scattered along the beach, there were all those strange, yet common place, objects which were washed up and left by the tide. The afternoon passed quickly, and the sun was going to set down, when the two boys reluctantly decided to turn back and make their way homewards. Long before they reached the head land, they could see that the tide had come in so far that they were now cut off from the other part of the beach. They looked at each other in dismay. It was useless to go on. Since clearly there was no way of getting beyond the head land. If on the other hand, they went back the way they had just come, the tide would come in long before they reached the end of the beach. Their only chance of escape was to find a way up the cliff, which in some places was not very steep. At least, they might be able to climb high enough to be out of reach of the waves, which were coming closer all the time. In less than ten minutes, they found a narrow path which seemed to head all the way to the cliff top. But their troubles were not yet over. The two boys at once again began shouting at the top of their voices, hoping that someone walking along the cliff top might hear them. They were both surprised, however, when their father's face appeared over the top of the rock. He told them not to move until he came back. In a short while, he reappeared with two policemen, one of them climbed down a rope which was lowered over the rock. The two boys were then pulled up to safety. At the top of the cliff they found their anxious mother and, with her, their young sister. She had told her parents where they had gone and thus saved them for spending a wet night on the cliff.
#25Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions 196 to 200 given below : After lunch, without waiting to get permission from their parents, the two boys set off to explore the part of the beach, which lay beyond the head land. They persuaded their young sister to stay behind saying that the longwalk would be too tiring for her. Once they had passed beyond the head land, the beach stretched away endlessly in front of them. It was like discovering a new world. And what exciting things there were to do ! There were damp, dark cover to explore, in each of which they expected to come across smugglers hiding ; there were innumerable pools among the rocks, full of small fish and other sea creatures ; and scattered along the beach, there were all those strange, yet common place, objects which were washed up and left by the tide. The afternoon passed quickly, and the sun was going to set down, when the two boys reluctantly decided to turn back and make their way homewards. Long before they reached the head land, they could see that the tide had come in so far that they were now cut off from the other part of the beach. They looked at each other in dismay. It was useless to go on. Since clearly there was no way of getting beyond the head land. If on the other hand, they went back the way they had just come, the tide would come in long before they reached the end of the beach. Their only chance of escape was to find a way up the cliff, which in some places was not very steep. At least, they might be able to climb high enough to be out of reach of the waves, which were coming closer all the time. In less than ten minutes, they found a narrow path which seemed to head all the way to the cliff top. But their troubles were not yet over. The two boys at once again began shouting at the top of their voices, hoping that someone walking along the cliff top might hear them. They were both surprised, however, when their father's face appeared over the top of the rock. He told them not to move until he came back. In a short while, he reappeared with two policemen, one of them climbed down a rope which was lowered over the rock. The two boys were then pulled up to safety. At the top of the cliff they found their anxious mother and, with her, their young sister. She had told her parents where they had gone and thus saved them for spending a wet night on the cliff.
#26Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions 196 to 200 given below : After lunch, without waiting to get permission from their parents, the two boys set off to explore the part of the beach, which lay beyond the head land. They persuaded their young sister to stay behind saying that the longwalk would be too tiring for her. Once they had passed beyond the head land, the beach stretched away endlessly in front of them. It was like discovering a new world. And what exciting things there were to do ! There were damp, dark cover to explore, in each of which they expected to come across smugglers hiding ; there were innumerable pools among the rocks, full of small fish and other sea creatures ; and scattered along the beach, there were all those strange, yet common place, objects which were washed up and left by the tide. The afternoon passed quickly, and the sun was going to set down, when the two boys reluctantly decided to turn back and make their way homewards. Long before they reached the head land, they could see that the tide had come in so far that they were now cut off from the other part of the beach. They looked at each other in dismay. It was useless to go on. Since clearly there was no way of getting beyond the head land. If on the other hand, they went back the way they had just come, the tide would come in long before they reached the end of the beach. Their only chance of escape was to find a way up the cliff, which in some places was not very steep. At least, they might be able to climb high enough to be out of reach of the waves, which were coming closer all the time. In less than ten minutes, they found a narrow path which seemed to head all the way to the cliff top. But their troubles were not yet over. The two boys at once again began shouting at the top of their voices, hoping that someone walking along the cliff top might hear them. They were both surprised, however, when their father's face appeared over the top of the rock. He told them not to move until he came back. In a short while, he reappeared with two policemen, one of them climbed down a rope which was lowered over the rock. The two boys were then pulled up to safety. At the top of the cliff they found their anxious mother and, with her, their young sister. She had told her parents where they had gone and thus saved them for spending a wet night on the cliff.
#27Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions from 91 to 95 : Nobody knows how speech was born, although many interesting theories have been put forward. There are some who believe that man first made vocal sounds as an accompaniment to physical efforts and that more complicated forms of speech grew out of the range of grunts and interjections produced by bodily activity. There are others who believe that movements of the organs of speech grew out of an attempt to imitate gestures made by the hand. Still others believe that speech was an attempt to imitate directly the action or the object or the emotion being described. Whatever the origin of speech, we can be certain that man did not begin to feel the need to speak until he began to live in communities, for speech is essentially social in character. It is, however, as difficult to explain the origins of speech as it is to explain why certain combinations of sounds came to be associated with certain objects. Many primitive peoples believed and some still believe, in the magical power of names. They believed, for example, that God's name was a part of him and therefore possessed some of the divine powers of God himself. A reflection of the same attitude may be seen in a child's unwillingness to tell a stranger his name, since he feels that with his name he is giving a part of himself. Similarly, parents give their children the names of gods or saints of famous men in the hope that the name will carry with it some of the great qualities of its original possessor. Most of us, too, feel annoyed or hurt if somebody mispronounces our name or calls us by the wrong name. Man first discovered that everything could be given a name and later found out that because words are really only symbols, the same object may be given several different names; to put it simply, that a cat may be called 'a cat', 'an animal', 'a mammal' or 'a feline'. Class words like 'animal', 'fruit', 'vegetable' must have appeared at a much later stage than words like 'lion', 'orange' or 'cabbage'. Names for abstract qualities such as 'patience' and 'courage' must have come much later.
#28Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions from 91 to 95 : Nobody knows how speech was born, although many interesting theories have been put forward. There are some who believe that man first made vocal sounds as an accompaniment to physical efforts and that more complicated forms of speech grew out of the range of grunts and interjections produced by bodily activity. There are others who believe that movements of the organs of speech grew out of an attempt to imitate gestures made by the hand. Still others believe that speech was an attempt to imitate directly the action or the object or the emotion being described. Whatever the origin of speech, we can be certain that man did not begin to feel the need to speak until he began to live in communities, for speech is essentially social in character. It is, however, as difficult to explain the origins of speech as it is to explain why certain combinations of sounds came to be associated with certain objects. Many primitive peoples believed and some still believe, in the magical power of names. They believed, for example, that God's name was a part of him and therefore possessed some of the divine powers of God himself. A reflection of the same attitude may be seen in a child's unwillingness to tell a stranger his name, since he feels that with his name he is giving a part of himself. Similarly, parents give their children the names of gods or saints of famous men in the hope that the name will carry with it some of the great qualities of its original possessor. Most of us, too, feel annoyed or hurt if somebody mispronounces our name or calls us by the wrong name. Man first discovered that everything could be given a name and later found out that because words are really only symbols, the same object may be given several different names; to put it simply, that a cat may be called 'a cat', 'an animal', 'a mammal' or 'a feline'. Class words like 'animal', 'fruit', 'vegetable' must have appeared at a much later stage than words like 'lion', 'orange' or 'cabbage'. Names for abstract qualities such as 'patience' and 'courage' must have come much later.
#29Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions from 91 to 95 : Nobody knows how speech was born, although many interesting theories have been put forward. There are some who believe that man first made vocal sounds as an accompaniment to physical efforts and that more complicated forms of speech grew out of the range of grunts and interjections produced by bodily activity. There are others who believe that movements of the organs of speech grew out of an attempt to imitate gestures made by the hand. Still others believe that speech was an attempt to imitate directly the action or the object or the emotion being described. Whatever the origin of speech, we can be certain that man did not begin to feel the need to speak until he began to live in communities, for speech is essentially social in character. It is, however, as difficult to explain the origins of speech as it is to explain why certain combinations of sounds came to be associated with certain objects. Many primitive peoples believed and some still believe, in the magical power of names. They believed, for example, that God's name was a part of him and therefore possessed some of the divine powers of God himself. A reflection of the same attitude may be seen in a child's unwillingness to tell a stranger his name, since he feels that with his name he is giving a part of himself. Similarly, parents give their children the names of gods or saints of famous men in the hope that the name will carry with it some of the great qualities of its original possessor. Most of us, too, feel annoyed or hurt if somebody mispronounces our name or calls us by the wrong name. Man first discovered that everything could be given a name and later found out that because words are really only symbols, the same object may be given several different names; to put it simply, that a cat may be called 'a cat', 'an animal', 'a mammal' or 'a feline'. Class words like 'animal', 'fruit', 'vegetable' must have appeared at a much later stage than words like 'lion', 'orange' or 'cabbage'. Names for abstract qualities such as 'patience' and 'courage' must have come much later.
#30Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions from 91 to 95 : Nobody knows how speech was born, although many interesting theories have been put forward. There are some who believe that man first made vocal sounds as an accompaniment to physical efforts and that more complicated forms of speech grew out of the range of grunts and interjections produced by bodily activity. There are others who believe that movements of the organs of speech grew out of an attempt to imitate gestures made by the hand. Still others believe that speech was an attempt to imitate directly the action or the object or the emotion being described. Whatever the origin of speech, we can be certain that man did not begin to feel the need to speak until he began to live in communities, for speech is essentially social in character. It is, however, as difficult to explain the origins of speech as it is to explain why certain combinations of sounds came to be associated with certain objects. Many primitive peoples believed and some still believe, in the magical power of names. They believed, for example, that God's name was a part of him and therefore possessed some of the divine powers of God himself. A reflection of the same attitude may be seen in a child's unwillingness to tell a stranger his name, since he feels that with his name he is giving a part of himself. Similarly, parents give their children the names of gods or saints of famous men in the hope that the name will carry with it some of the great qualities of its original possessor. Most of us, too, feel annoyed or hurt if somebody mispronounces our name or calls us by the wrong name. Man first discovered that everything could be given a name and later found out that because words are really only symbols, the same object may be given several different names; to put it simply, that a cat may be called 'a cat', 'an animal', 'a mammal' or 'a feline'. Class words like 'animal', 'fruit', 'vegetable' must have appeared at a much later stage than words like 'lion', 'orange' or 'cabbage'. Names for abstract qualities such as 'patience' and 'courage' must have come much later.
#31Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions from 91 to 95 : Nobody knows how speech was born, although many interesting theories have been put forward. There are some who believe that man first made vocal sounds as an accompaniment to physical efforts and that more complicated forms of speech grew out of the range of grunts and interjections produced by bodily activity. There are others who believe that movements of the organs of speech grew out of an attempt to imitate gestures made by the hand. Still others believe that speech was an attempt to imitate directly the action or the object or the emotion being described. Whatever the origin of speech, we can be certain that man did not begin to feel the need to speak until he began to live in communities, for speech is essentially social in character. It is, however, as difficult to explain the origins of speech as it is to explain why certain combinations of sounds came to be associated with certain objects. Many primitive peoples believed and some still believe, in the magical power of names. They believed, for example, that God's name was a part of him and therefore possessed some of the divine powers of God himself. A reflection of the same attitude may be seen in a child's unwillingness to tell a stranger his name, since he feels that with his name he is giving a part of himself. Similarly, parents give their children the names of gods or saints of famous men in the hope that the name will carry with it some of the great qualities of its original possessor. Most of us, too, feel annoyed or hurt if somebody mispronounces our name or calls us by the wrong name. Man first discovered that everything could be given a name and later found out that because words are really only symbols, the same object may be given several different names; to put it simply, that a cat may be called 'a cat', 'an animal', 'a mammal' or 'a feline'. Class words like 'animal', 'fruit', 'vegetable' must have appeared at a much later stage than words like 'lion', 'orange' or 'cabbage'. Names for abstract qualities such as 'patience' and 'courage' must have come much later.
#32Passage vocabulary
Question numbers 96 to 100 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Building a nation is a very complex, very different task. It requires different kinds of parameters, a different mindset. Building a company is easy. Productivity, efficiency, cost reductions, rules and regulations and so on and you can do it. Our collective task is very complex. When I say our task, I mean you all need to build a very strong, secular, united nation which gives direction not only to India but to the world. The world is looking and the world is interested in India's development. How do we get everybody to rally ? If we can't put our own house in order how do we get everybody to rally ? When you look at the media, you feel that everything is falling apart. Morals are going down, work ethics are going bad, and everybody is stealing everything. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are not being paid attention to and it is chaos, confusion and contradictions. But when you look at the young, at the tools and technology, you see great hope. You feel we can change the face of this country in twenty years, if we just turn it over to the young and that is the requirement of the day. So when I see these graduate students my message to them is - Build a very strong self. Build a self that is going to serve people. But first you have to serve yourself. If you can't serve yourself, you can't serve anybody. So get a good job, work hard - there is no substitute for hard work. Look beyond your personal interest - to community interests and really create hope.
#33Passage
Question numbers 96 to 100 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Building a nation is a very complex, very different task. It requires different kinds of parameters, a different mindset. Building a company is easy. Productivity, efficiency, cost reductions, rules and regulations and so on and you can do it. Our collective task is very complex. When I say our task, I mean you all need to build a very strong, secular, united nation which gives direction not only to India but to the world. The world is looking and the world is interested in India's development. How do we get everybody to rally ? If we can't put our own house in order how do we get everybody to rally ? When you look at the media, you feel that everything is falling apart. Morals are going down, work ethics are going bad, and everybody is stealing everything. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are not being paid attention to and it is chaos, confusion and contradictions. But when you look at the young, at the tools and technology, you see great hope. You feel we can change the face of this country in twenty years, if we just turn it over to the young and that is the requirement of the day. So when I see these graduate students my message to them is - Build a very strong self. Build a self that is going to serve people. But first you have to serve yourself. If you can't serve yourself, you can't serve anybody. So get a good job, work hard - there is no substitute for hard work. Look beyond your personal interest - to community interests and really create hope.
#34Passage vocabulary
Question numbers 96 to 100 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Building a nation is a very complex, very different task. It requires different kinds of parameters, a different mindset. Building a company is easy. Productivity, efficiency, cost reductions, rules and regulations and so on and you can do it. Our collective task is very complex. When I say our task, I mean you all need to build a very strong, secular, united nation which gives direction not only to India but to the world. The world is looking and the world is interested in India's development. How do we get everybody to rally ? If we can't put our own house in order how do we get everybody to rally ? When you look at the media, you feel that everything is falling apart. Morals are going down, work ethics are going bad, and everybody is stealing everything. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are not being paid attention to and it is chaos, confusion and contradictions. But when you look at the young, at the tools and technology, you see great hope. You feel we can change the face of this country in twenty years, if we just turn it over to the young and that is the requirement of the day. So when I see these graduate students my message to them is - Build a very strong self. Build a self that is going to serve people. But first you have to serve yourself. If you can't serve yourself, you can't serve anybody. So get a good job, work hard - there is no substitute for hard work. Look beyond your personal interest - to community interests and really create hope.
#35Passage
Question numbers 96 to 100 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Building a nation is a very complex, very different task. It requires different kinds of parameters, a different mindset. Building a company is easy. Productivity, efficiency, cost reductions, rules and regulations and so on and you can do it. Our collective task is very complex. When I say our task, I mean you all need to build a very strong, secular, united nation which gives direction not only to India but to the world. The world is looking and the world is interested in India's development. How do we get everybody to rally ? If we can't put our own house in order how do we get everybody to rally ? When you look at the media, you feel that everything is falling apart. Morals are going down, work ethics are going bad, and everybody is stealing everything. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are not being paid attention to and it is chaos, confusion and contradictions. But when you look at the young, at the tools and technology, you see great hope. You feel we can change the face of this country in twenty years, if we just turn it over to the young and that is the requirement of the day. So when I see these graduate students my message to them is - Build a very strong self. Build a self that is going to serve people. But first you have to serve yourself. If you can't serve yourself, you can't serve anybody. So get a good job, work hard - there is no substitute for hard work. Look beyond your personal interest - to community interests and really create hope.
#36Passage
Question numbers 96 to 100 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Building a nation is a very complex, very different task. It requires different kinds of parameters, a different mindset. Building a company is easy. Productivity, efficiency, cost reductions, rules and regulations and so on and you can do it. Our collective task is very complex. When I say our task, I mean you all need to build a very strong, secular, united nation which gives direction not only to India but to the world. The world is looking and the world is interested in India's development. How do we get everybody to rally ? If we can't put our own house in order how do we get everybody to rally ? When you look at the media, you feel that everything is falling apart. Morals are going down, work ethics are going bad, and everybody is stealing everything. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are not being paid attention to and it is chaos, confusion and contradictions. But when you look at the young, at the tools and technology, you see great hope. You feel we can change the face of this country in twenty years, if we just turn it over to the young and that is the requirement of the day. So when I see these graduate students my message to them is - Build a very strong self. Build a self that is going to serve people. But first you have to serve yourself. If you can't serve yourself, you can't serve anybody. So get a good job, work hard - there is no substitute for hard work. Look beyond your personal interest - to community interests and really create hope.
#37Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions (96 - 100) given below it : The forces that generate conditions conducive to crime and riots are stronger in Urban communities than in rural areas. Urban living is more anonymous living. It often releases the individual from community restraints more common in tradition-oriented societies. But more freedom from constraints and controls also provides greater freedom to deviate. And living in the more impersonalized, formally controlled urban society means that regulatory orders of conduct are often directed by distant bureaucrats. The police are strangers executing these prescriptions on an anonymous set of subjects. Minor offences in small town or village are often handled without resort to official police action. As disputable as such action may seem to be, it results in fewer recorded violations of the law compared to the big cities. Although perhaps causing some decision-difficulties for the police in small town, formal and objective law enforcement is not always acceptable to villagers. Urban areas with mass population, greater wealth, more commercial establishments and more products of our technology also provide more frequent opportunities for theft. Victims are impersonalized, property is insured, consumer goods in more abundance are vividly displayed and are more portable. The crime rate increases despite formal moral education given in schools.
#38Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions (96 - 100) given below it : The forces that generate conditions conducive to crime and riots are stronger in Urban communities than in rural areas. Urban living is more anonymous living. It often releases the individual from community restraints more common in tradition-oriented societies. But more freedom from constraints and controls also provides greater freedom to deviate. And living in the more impersonalized, formally controlled urban society means that regulatory orders of conduct are often directed by distant bureaucrats. The police are strangers executing these prescriptions on an anonymous set of subjects. Minor offences in small town or village are often handled without resort to official police action. As disputable as such action may seem to be, it results in fewer recorded violations of the law compared to the big cities. Although perhaps causing some decision-difficulties for the police in small town, formal and objective law enforcement is not always acceptable to villagers. Urban areas with mass population, greater wealth, more commercial establishments and more products of our technology also provide more frequent opportunities for theft. Victims are impersonalized, property is insured, consumer goods in more abundance are vividly displayed and are more portable. The crime rate increases despite formal moral education given in schools.
#39Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions (96 - 100) given below it : The forces that generate conditions conducive to crime and riots are stronger in Urban communities than in rural areas. Urban living is more anonymous living. It often releases the individual from community restraints more common in tradition-oriented societies. But more freedom from constraints and controls also provides greater freedom to deviate. And living in the more impersonalized, formally controlled urban society means that regulatory orders of conduct are often directed by distant bureaucrats. The police are strangers executing these prescriptions on an anonymous set of subjects. Minor offences in small town or village are often handled without resort to official police action. As disputable as such action may seem to be, it results in fewer recorded violations of the law compared to the big cities. Although perhaps causing some decision-difficulties for the police in small town, formal and objective law enforcement is not always acceptable to villagers. Urban areas with mass population, greater wealth, more commercial establishments and more products of our technology also provide more frequent opportunities for theft. Victims are impersonalized, property is insured, consumer goods in more abundance are vividly displayed and are more portable. The crime rate increases despite formal moral education given in schools.
#40Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions (96 - 100) given below it : The forces that generate conditions conducive to crime and riots are stronger in Urban communities than in rural areas. Urban living is more anonymous living. It often releases the individual from community restraints more common in tradition-oriented societies. But more freedom from constraints and controls also provides greater freedom to deviate. And living in the more impersonalized, formally controlled urban society means that regulatory orders of conduct are often directed by distant bureaucrats. The police are strangers executing these prescriptions on an anonymous set of subjects. Minor offences in small town or village are often handled without resort to official police action. As disputable as such action may seem to be, it results in fewer recorded violations of the law compared to the big cities. Although perhaps causing some decision-difficulties for the police in small town, formal and objective law enforcement is not always acceptable to villagers. Urban areas with mass population, greater wealth, more commercial establishments and more products of our technology also provide more frequent opportunities for theft. Victims are impersonalized, property is insured, consumer goods in more abundance are vividly displayed and are more portable. The crime rate increases despite formal moral education given in schools.
#41Passage
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions (96 - 100) given below it : The forces that generate conditions conducive to crime and riots are stronger in Urban communities than in rural areas. Urban living is more anonymous living. It often releases the individual from community restraints more common in tradition-oriented societies. But more freedom from constraints and controls also provides greater freedom to deviate. And living in the more impersonalized, formally controlled urban society means that regulatory orders of conduct are often directed by distant bureaucrats. The police are strangers executing these prescriptions on an anonymous set of subjects. Minor offences in small town or village are often handled without resort to official police action. As disputable as such action may seem to be, it results in fewer recorded violations of the law compared to the big cities. Although perhaps causing some decision-difficulties for the police in small town, formal and objective law enforcement is not always acceptable to villagers. Urban areas with mass population, greater wealth, more commercial establishments and more products of our technology also provide more frequent opportunities for theft. Victims are impersonalized, property is insured, consumer goods in more abundance are vividly displayed and are more portable. The crime rate increases despite formal moral education given in schools.

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