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READING COMPREHENSION

Reading Comprehension is generally designed to test your much faster than others but if he is not able to answer the
ability to read a passage and understand its contents and questions pertaining to the passage, then the speed is of
your ability to draw inferences on the basis of what is read. no use at all. It is very essential to grasp the meaning of
In other words, your ability to grasp the contents of the the passage while reading. While you are reading, you
passage in a relatively short span of time is what is being should constantly think, evaluate, reason out, judge and
tested. correlate with what has already been read. This can be
developed by extensive reading practice as well as proper
The Reading Comprehension section in MBA entrance concentration at the time of reading the passage.
exams is no different in this respect i.e., you are expected You should also consciously develop the habit of
to read the given passage, understand its contents well correlating each new sentence read with the part of the
and answer the questions given at the end of the passage - passage already read and mentally form a linkage of all
all this to be completed in the limited time that is given. ideas expressed in the passage while simultaneously
weeding out redundant statements. A good vocabulary
Hence, the two important things in Reading Comprehension would enable you to understand the nuances and grasp
are the meaning of various issues discussed in the passage.
While an attempt can be made at pointing out various
Reading Speed and Comprehension of the Passage categories of questions that may be asked, you will have to
draw on the resources already built by wide and extensive
For good performance in RC area, you need a combination reading and rely on your own vocabulary. No coaching is
of the above. Let us look at the two aspects individually possible regarding understanding and analysing the
and understand them in detail before we get into the problem. However, we are going to take you through an
techniques of attempting Reading Comprehension. extensive set of tests on Reading to ensure that you get
thorough practice.
Slow reading speed could result in any (or both) of
2 problems – (i) if something takes too long to read, one Sometimes, while the student knows the meanings of the
could lose interest in it, and (ii) in an RC exercise or test, words used, he/she does not quite understand the
slow reading would not allow the reader adequate time to sentence. Absence of familiarity with grammatical tools can
answer questions. Strangely, even some persons who are result in this. When one is not able to make out how the
familiar with the language read slowly. This places them at words within a sentence, or different parts of a sentence,
a disadvantage when it comes to handling the RC segment relate to each other, understanding suffers and one loses
of a competitive exam. Going further, it would also come in interest in reading or becomes confused. Frequent and
their way in an academic programme (such as the MBA) careful reading will enable you to recognize the
where a lot of reference work is involved. grammatical tools that you have learnt, their functions, and
their relationship with each other within a sentence.
This difficulty arises, most often, for want of reading Initially, if necessary, refresh your memory about
practice (a habit of frequent and regular reading). grammatical tools and sentence structure by referring
to a basic grammar textbook and the relevant study
The remedy? Read more frequently. When you do, it material that you have. You will understand structure of a
becomes a familiar mental activity, you become more sentence better and will be able to interpret
attuned to it, and your speed increases. Speed will not sentences/ideas better.
increase exponentially, of course. Even the fastest readers
cannot go beyond a certain speed without sacrificing Pay attention to the way connectors are used. You will gain
comprehension. The optimum reading speed, in English, is familiarity with the way ideas are linked through these
about 400 words per minute. Those who are familiar with simple tools. Pay attention to the context as you read.
English as an academic medium but have not cultivated a You will recognize the importance of each idea, and its
habit of regular reading would find that they may be able to place in the context. This will enable you to understand the
read at about 250 words per minute – far lower than the idea-flow.
optimum speed.
The passages given in MBA entrance exams do not
A person who can read faster can answer more questions
conform to any pattern as regards the subject matter
in the given time than a person with a slower reading
or the length of the passage. While the subjects covered
speed, other things remaining equal. It is this reading rate
can be as wide-ranging as Sciences (like Botany, Zoology,
or your speed of reading that you have to aim at improving.
Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy), Social Sciences (like
There is no overnight solution to this. Constant and
Psychology, History, Economic, Politics, Sociology),
extensive reading will improve your reading speed. Check
Humanities (like Literature, Art, Music) or Current Affairs
your reading speed today (take any passage, count the
(Social, Political, Economic), the student is not expected to
number of words, note the time taken to read it and
have any prior knowledge of the topics given.
calculate the speed in words per minute) and keep a
record of it. Then, keep checking your speed once a week
and tabulate the same. Check whether your speed has As regards the length of each passage, it is normally in the
increased over time with practice. However, do not become range of 500 words to 1200-1300 words. However, there
complacent if your speed has increased. can be passages with 300-400 words each as well as
passages with more than 1400 words each, in the exams.
This brings us to the second point, i.e., understanding of For example, some exams like IIFT may have passages
the passage. A person may be able to read the passage with 1500 – 2000 words.
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The length of the Reading Comprehension section in known, when you go to the questions, depending on
different exams can also vary very widely. Amongst all what the question asked is, you can get back to the
the exams, CAT has been giving a lot of emphasis to relevant part of the passage and read that portion in
Reading Comprehension. Till CAT 1998, the RC was detail to understand what the author is saying and
a separate section with about 5-7 passages and around 50 then answer that particular question. To facilitate going
questions. Starting CAT 1999, the test-setters merged the back to the relevant portion of the passage easily, you
RC and Verbal sections. Roughly half of the questions should underline key words and phrases in the
were RC questions and the other half Verbal Ability. In passage when you are reading it the first time.
CAT 2016 and 2017, there were as many as 24 RC
questions with questions from Verbal Ability according for a 2. Where there is more than one passage in the test,
mere 10. It is important to understand that VA and RC are should I start with passages whose subject is familiar
not mutually exclusive areas. They are clearly to me and then move to passages where the topic is
interdependent. Grammar deals with sentence structure, less familiar?
vocabulary deals with meaning, and Reasoning with idea – We will discuss this particular issue in detail after you
flow. These add up to comprehension. Thus, improved VA take the first Reading Comprehension practice test in
facilitates RC, and practising RC improves VA further. class. We will also discuss the basis for selection or
Earlier, the combined length of all RC passages was in the leaving out of passages at that time. At this stage,
range of 5000 to 6000 words. However, there seems to be please see that you DO NOT leave out passages
a trend towards shorter passages in the last few papers, whose subject matter is not familiar to you.
particularly ever since CAT become an online test.
3. The following are the major categories of questions
A number of other MBA entrance exams, give 25 to that are asked:
30 questions in Reading Comprehension based on three to (a) Main idea of the passage/title for the passage
four passages. (b) Specific details given in the passage
(c) Drawing inferences/implications
Some passages can be very complex in nature while
(d) Determining the meaning of words/phrases as
others may be simple in nature and easy to understand.
used in the passage.
The number of questions asked also varies with the exam - (e) Application of the ideas expressed in the passage
sometimes going upto more than 10 questions for some of the to other situations
passages in some exams. (f) Tone of the passage
(g) From among a given set of statements, identifying
The questions can pertain either to parts directly contained a true or a false statement as per the passage.
in the passage or related to implications and inferences.
Sometimes, you may be asked to comment on the tone of Understand various types of questions asked in the
the passage or to choose a title for the passage or to practice tests and get a better grasp over answering
identify the main idea in the passage, but you are hardly the questions.
ever asked for your "opinion" on the passage. 4. Where you have to choose a title for the passage or
ASPECTS TO CONSIDER identify the main theme of the passage, check the
opening and closing sentences of each paragraph,
1. Should I read the passage first or the questions first? particularly the opening sentence of the first paragraph
and the last sentence of the last paragraph. At the
There are people who belong to both schools of thought. same time, be wary about answer choices that are too
There are also people who say that once you read the specific or too broad.
passage, you should remember all the points and answer
the questions without referring back to the passage. 5. The questions need not be in the order of the text
Such a thing is almost humanly impossible and hence given in the passage.
you should not keep that as your objective when you are
6. It will be a good idea to ask the questions "who, what,
reading a passage.
why, when and how" when you read the passage.
Let us discuss the issue of reading the questions first As already mentioned, you will be given a number of
before reading the passage. A passage is written in a practice tests in Reading Comprehension to enable you to
logical manner and hence when you read a passage, get sufficient practice in this important area. Please
you will be able to follow the ideas without great remember that in this area, unlike in other areas like
difficulty. Since questions will not be given in any Mathematics where you will be able to assess and see for
particular order, reading unrelated questions and yourself on a regular basis, how much knowledge you have
remembering them can pose difficulties. However, added and how much improvement in speed you have
scanning through the questions quickly can be helpful achieved, there will not be such clear indicators. However,
when the passage is very long (Even here, when you performance in Reading Comprehension will improve only
go through the questions, you need not remember the with practice and that requires a lot of effort and
questions or the answer choices because it may prove determination on your part.
counter productive).
In addition to the test papers you take, you will have to put
In general, you will do well if you first read the passage in at least 45 minutes of reading practice per day to improve
and then go to the questions. However, this "reading" your reading speed and comprehension. You need to take
is not detailed reading to understand all the points that up serious reading material for practice - newspaper
the author is making. It should be more of scanning in editorials, editorials in general magazines like Frontline or
nature. The main objective at this stage should be to business magazines like Business India or other articles in
KNOW what points the author is trying to make rather such magazines, general books on a wide variety of
than UNDERSTAND the points. Once the points are subjects like Psychology, Sociology, Technology, etc.
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Speed Table The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway
The Little Prince Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Make a list of 10 broad categories under which most The War of the Worlds H. G. Wells
pieces of writing can be classified, such as: The French Lieutenant’s Woman John Fowles
The Spy who came in from the Cold John le Carre
(i) History, archaeology, anthropology, etc. Sophie’s World Jostein Gaarder
(ii) Sociology, culture, social and cultural development.
(iii) Technology and related sciences. NON-FICTION :
(iv) Biological sciences and medicine.
(v) Economics and business. Title Author Subject
(vi) Law, politics and political thought, social welfare. Future Shock Alvin Toffler Society
(vii) Literature and the arts. The End of Work Jeremy Rifkin Society
(viii) Sports and entertainment. Entropy : A New World View do do
(ix) Philosophy, religion and spiritualism. Time Wars : The Primary Conflict in Human History do do
(x) Current affairs, international affairs. The Biotech Century do Science and society
Who should play God do do
For each article or piece of a book that you read, An American Dilemma Gunnar Myrdal Society
go through the following process: The Liberal Imagination Lionel Trilling Society
The End of History and the Last Man Francis Fukuyama
- Read the article/passage Society
- Write down 5 to 10 (or upto 20 for longer passages) Our Posthuman Future do Science and society
important points from the passage in a separate note The Open Society and its Enemies Karl Popper Sociology
book. The making of the English Working Class E P Thompson
- Compare the points that you have written down with Sociology
the text read to see whether you left out any important Working Studs Terkel Sociology
points. The strange death of liberal England George Dangerfield
- If you now find that a point that appeared in your Social history
summary/list was also given in the original text, it The Rise of the West William H McNeill Social history
means that you have been able to memorize what you The Great War and modern memory Paul Fussell do
have read. Children of Crisis Robert Coles Social psychology
- If you find that a point that is there in the text has not The Story of Philosophy Will Durant Philosophy
appeared in your summary, but you now consider it to Insight : A study of Human Understanding Bernard
be an important point, then spend a few moments
Lonergan Philosophy
trying to think about this point and as to why you could
The Proper Study of Mankind Isaiah Berlin Philosophy A
not recollect it as an important point when you were
Theory of Justice John Rawls Philosophy
doing this exercise.
The Nature and Destiny of Man Reinhold Niebuhr
- This exercise done regularly over a period of time will
Philosophy
certainly help you improve your reading speed as well
Principia Ethica G E Moore Philosophy
as your ability to understand and retain what you read.
But, as already mentioned, only regular practice can Philosophy and Civilisation John Dewey Philosophy
help you in this regard. Religion and the rise of Capitalism R H Tawney Philosophy
The varieties of Religious Experience William James
Chap 2 General reading – suggestions Religion
Millenium Felipe Fernandez-Armesto History
Students should read regularly and extensively. While they Pathfinders : A Global History of Exploration do do
may have their own list of must-read books, they should Civilisations : Culture, Ambition and the Transformation of
pick books that are well written, and in good English. Nature do
For those who would like some suggestions, the following Truth : A History and a Guide for the Perplexed do do
books are recommended. A Study of History Arnold J Toynbee History
The Art of Memory Frances A Yates Cultural history
FICTION : The Affluent Society John Kenneth Galbraith Economic
thought
Title Author Economics, Peace and Laughter do do
Animal Farm George Orwell The Liberal Hour do do
1984 George Orwell The General Theory of Employment, J M Keynes
Lord of the flies William Golding Economic thought
To kill a Mocking bird Harper Lee The Way the World works Jude Wanninski Economics
A town like Alice Nevil Shute The Abolition of Man C S Lewis Natural law
A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving The Constitution of Liberty F A von Hayek Political thought
The Secret Agent Joseph Conrad Capitalism and Freedom Milton Friedman do
The Call of the Wild Jack London Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Joseph A Schumpeter
Kim Rudyard Kipling do
Watership Down Richard Adams The American Political Tradition Richard Hofstader Political
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens thought
The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Homage to Catalonia George Orwell Critical essays
Kane and Abel Jeffrey Archer Collected Essays do
Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays Albert Camus
The Day of the Jackal Frederick Forsyth Critical essays
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Selected Essays T S Eliot Critical essays PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR
Essays of E B White E B White Critical essays READING COMPREHENSION
Main Currents in American Thought V L Parrington
Literature In order to facilitate your regular practice, take a fresh
Aspects of the Novel E M Forster Literature exercise note book, preferably with foolscap size pages in it.
The Double Helix James D Watson Science After reading the passage once, write down the time you
The Lives of a Cell Lewis Thomas Science have taken to complete the passage at the top of the page.
Ideas and Opinions Albert Einstein Scientific thought (Keep a separate page for each passage you read).
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Thomas S Kuhn Now count the number of words in the passage. Number of
Scientific thought words divided by the number of minutes taken to read the
The Taming of Chance Ian Hacking Scientific thought
passage gives you your speed of reading in "words per
Art and Illusion Ernest H Gombrich Psychology
minute" (WPM). After this calculation, enter the same in a
The American Language H L Mencken Etymology
Studies in Iconology Erwin Panofsky Art table. A format of this table is given to you below.
The City in History Lewis Mumford Architec. history Maintaining a record of your reading speeds will give you a
Six Easy Pieces Richard P Feynman Education clear picture of how you are progressing in your reading
The Sweet Science A J Liebling Sport practice over a period of time.

TABLE TO ENTER READING SPEEDS (in words per minute)


Reading Speed
(Enter your speed in WPM under the type of topic you have read)
Social Pure
Date Economic Political Others
Sciences Sciences

1.1.05 140 170 180

2.1.05 130 175 175

Make a conscious attempt to read a wide range of topics to PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR
develop your reading speed. You will note that your speeds READING SPEED
will be higher in areas/topics with which you are familiar.
Keep a copy of this table at the back of your exercise note First let us try to answer one question. Why does the
book and observe the gradual improvement. Make an entry reading speed differ from person to person? Let us take a
of at least two passages in this table daily. A sample entry statement "If you ask me to choose one important quality
of speeds of three passages read on two days is shown in that led me to success, I will choose PATIENCE."
the table. If a person whose reading habits are not honed reads the
above sentence, he will read one word at a time, i.e., his
After you read each passage and enter your speed in the
span of vision allows him to read only one word for each
table above, you should write down a few points eye movement he makes. This span of vision can be
summarising the passage you just read. We have already improved with conscious effort and can cover/ read three to
mentioned that you should use a separate page for each five or more words at once i.e., in one eye movement.
passage you read. You have already written down the So, the span of vision is one main reason for the difference
number of words the passage has on this page. Your in reading speeds. Naturally, you should be interested in
speed in WPM that you entered in the table should also be increasing your span of vision. Let us take the same
entered on this page because it pertains to this passage. statement considered above.
Now, write the following details on that page:
"If you ask me to choose one
- Title of the passage
- Main idea of the passage in one sentence
- Important points from the passage (as a summary of important quality that led me to
the passage)
- Words given in the passage whose meanings you do
not know (These should be used as a part of your success, I will choose PATIENCE".
vocabulary improvement exercise discussed
separately under Verbal Ability section. Try to focus your sight on the asterisk on the underlined set
These important points can range from 10 to 20 depending of words and make an attempt to read one complete set of
on the length of the passage. underlined words (on left and right side of asterisk) at one
time - without having to move your eye from left to right.
After the important points are written down, check back Initially, you might find it difficult to work with this
with the passage and see whether all important points technique. Regular practice will make you comfortable.
have been covered. Hold a pen or pencil in your hand when you are reading so
This exercise done regularly over a period of time will that it helps you concentrate better on the passage.
This habit also helps you to underline important points in
certainly help you improve your reading speed as well as
the passage while you are reading.
your ability to understand and retain what you read. But as
already mentioned, only regular practice can help you in Another simple technique which will develop your ability to
this regard. absorb written words is reading a page by inverting it.
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You will not be able to understand anything that is written While you should certainly adopt ways that improve your
but this exercise helps your mind to pick up words faster speed and reduce the "blocks" for improving your speed,
than it used to, as it develops acquaintance with words regular reading practice still remains the most important
from a different angle. You will experience it when you start factor in improving your performance in reading
reading the page in the ordinary reading position after such comprehension.
an exercise.
For exams like CAT, which emphasise on reading
When you are learning some good reading habits, you comprehension skills, a reading speed of about 350 to
should also unlearn certain bad reading habits. Over a long 400 words per minute is required. For most of you, the
period of time you might have acquired the habit of reading reading speed will be in the range of 120-150 words per
and re-reading the same set of words in the passage minute. It takes regular practice of three to four months for
thinking that it helps you understand the passage better. an appreciable increase in your reading speed.
This approach eats up your precious time in the exams.
Unless you make a conscious attempt to unlearn it, you will The different verbal abilities that help in
not be able to perform at your best. You should also keep Comprehension.
in mind the fact that the examiner is not going to ask you
As mentioned earlier Comprehension is clearly dependent
each and every detail in the passage. This means that you
on one’s verbal abilities, among other things. Proper
need to read it "THOROUGHLY" to answer the questions
understanding of the functions of different parts of speech
in this section. So, even if you do not understand a part of
and grammatical tools, and of the uses of punctuation,
the passage, you should continue reading the passage and
helps in working out the structure of a sentence, and
not stop there or go back to read the sentence again.
therefore in proper interpretation of the idea(s) that the
To develop the practice, however, a reader should shed sentence conveys. Familiarity with the use of connectives
certain habits that may have continued since childhood – i) also helps the reader recognize the links between ideas,
vocalizing, ie. muttering each word aloud, or softly, while A good vocabulary helps the reader know the proper
reading, and ii) sub-vocalising, ie. hearing each word meanings of words in context.
individually in the mind, even without muttering. iii)
pointing, i.e. running your fingernail, pen, etc. along lines Familiarity with standard phrases and their use, and with
as you read. This, in fact, amounts to sub-vocalising. idioms and figures of speech, helps in understanding ideas,
These habits may have been picked up in childhood while implications of meaning and figurative references. These
learning to read and may have continued during student are, therefore, essential for effective comprehension.
days as a means to memorise content. They can serve no Reasoning ability helps the reader distinguish between
other purpose. They adversely affect reading speed since, information and opinion, and recognize the flow of an
rather than taking in groups of words, each word is being argument or presentation.
pronounced. A reader can then manage only about 200
words per minute. (It is not possible to pronounce more Therefore, readers should, in their initial days of reading
than 3 or 4 words per second). Consequently, the very act practice, make an effort, through active reading, to
of reading may become tedious. Two conscious steps (i) identify grammatical tools and their use. This is a
during reading can therefore help in adopting an effective practical way of brushing up on their grammar
reading method, and achieving good reading speed – stop (ii) pay attention to new words and phrases, refer to a
vocalizing / sub-vocalising / pointing, and start taking in good dictionary to learn of the words and phrases and
groups of words. their uses and (with a thesaurus) identify other words
and phraseswith similar meanings.
Web pages, novels, textbooks, manuals, magazines, (iii) recognize opinions and viewpoints, and identify the
newspapers, and mail are just a few of the things that reasons for them.
people read every day. Effective and efficient readers
adopt different methods of reading for different purposes. As readers develop their abilities in this manner and
Skimming and scanning are two popular methods of practice the writing of summaries, they will find that their
reading and information processing. They are used, comprehension improves.
however, only for certain limited purposes. Introduction to the ideas of (i) writing style and (ii) tones.

Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a The style of a piece of writing is the way in which features
text, usually when there is a lot of material to read in a of the language are used to convey meaning, typically
limited amount of time. One could read the first paragraph, (but not always) within the constraints of more widely
the first sentence of each following paragraph, and then accepted conventions of grammar and spelling.
the last paragraph. This is useful when seeking specific
All writing has some style, even if the author is not thinking
information rather than when reading for comprehension,
about the style. It is important to understand that, from the
and works well to find dates, names, and places, and to
style of writing, one can often draw some understanding of
review graphs, tables, and charts. Scanning is a technique
the author’s purpose.
used when searching for key words or ideas, usually when
one knows what to look for. Scanning involves moving While there are a variety of styles, some of the elements
one’s eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words more commonly seen (sometimes in combination) are :
and phrases. Scanning is also used to look for details that Factual - Where the author’s purpose is, essentially, to
may help answer questions. present information. Narrative - Where the author’s
purpose is to present information and ideas in the manner
It must be borne in mind, however, that these are not of a sequential flow.
appropriate techniques for the effective comprehension of
content that one finds difficult. For difficult content, Descriptive - Where the author’s purpose is to hold the
skimming and scanning can, at best, help in doing reader’s interest. Analytical - Where the author’s purpose is
whatever is possible when one is running out of time. to examine aspects of issues through questions raised and
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to offer answers, prompt readers towards possible Idea-flow:
answers, or encourage readers to find answers. Abstract -
Where the author’s purpose is to present a main idea or - It is the sequence of presentation of the essentials and
theme that is broad in focus – contributed to by individual supporting features, and the way they are linked that
thoughts or ideas the significance of which may not be enables an author to deliver the Central Idea effectively.
evident except when viewed in the totality of the theme. (In other words if the key ideas are not in an appropriate
Tone is the sense that one draws from a piece of writing of sequence the Central Idea may not come through clearly).
the author’s attitude to, and interest in, the subject of the
piece – in other words, the author’s way of looking at his - Normally, an author deals with a key idea (or an idea set)
subject. A piece of writing may go through changes in tone, in a paragraph and then moves on, to the next idea
depending on the manner in which the author would like to (or idea set) in the following paragraph, and so on.
present the ideas, and the significance that they serve in
his overall purpose. While there are as many tones as - It is usually possible, therefore, to identify the key idea in
there are emotions (and in as many shades), some each paragraph, and the connection to the next, and the
examples (sometimes seen in combination) are : manner in which the entire presentation has been
- very negative (harsh, caustic, vicious, aggressive, strung together, paragraph by paragraph. With regular
contemptuous, inflammatory, and so on..) (and careful) reading practice, a student will be able to
- moderately negative (indifferent, biased, angry, develop the ability to recognize the structure of an essay,
condescending, skeptical, cynical, opinionated, critical, article or passage. This, in turn helps them to understand
sarcastic, pessimistic, and so on..) the ideas well and to identify the answers to questions.
- neutral (apologetic, emotional, romantic, and so on..) Summary writing is an activity that will facilitate and
- positive (optimistic, cheerful, humorous, contemplative, quicken the development of this ability.
laudatory, motivating, sympathetic, and so on..)
Critical Reading (or Active Reading)
It is important to understand style and tone, since they
indicate purpose and attitude, and can help the reader look In the examinations, indirect questions and inference-
at the content from the author’s point of view – thereby based questions are often asked, that require the test-
improving comprehension. takers to read between the lines, understand implications,
and draw inferences from the logical flow of the content.
Structure of passages/essays – Central idea, key ideas, Therefore, in addition to developing a good reading habit
idea-flow. and improving on their reading skills, students should also
focus on active reading - often referred to as Critical
Importance of summaries. Reading.
The essays and passages used for RCs in the CAT and Facts and Interpretation
other b-school entrance exams are drawn from a variety of
topics and often deal with complex issues. Such passages To non -critical readers, texts provide facts. Such readers
require a high level of intellectual involvement on the part gain knowledge by remembering the statements and
of the reader. Also, these passages are often such that details within a text. To the critical reader, however, the
they use complex vocabulary, figures of speech, and written text also provides a portrayal of the facts, i.e. the
metaphoric, historical, mythological or other references in author’s view of the subject matter.
the course of discussion. Readers who are unaware of, or
unfamiliar with such elements of language may not be able For instance, while a non-critical reader might read a
to get the most out of the written content, and would, history book to learn the facts of the situation or to discover
therefore, find comprehension difficult. an accepted interpretation of those events, a critical reader
might, on reading the same work, appreciate how a
As a first step, students should develop familiarity with particular perspective on the events and a particular
identifying the organisation or ‘physical structure’ of content selection of facts can lead to particular understanding.
that they read, especially with reference to passages. This Critical readers recognize the various ways in which each
is, usually, as follows: and every text is the unique creation of its author.
The Essentials: Interpretation : What a Text Says, Does, and Means
- Any essay or article is put together by an author to provide Non-critical reading is satisfied with recognizing what a text
the reader with a certain picture, a certain viewpoint, a says and restating the key remarks. Critical reading goes
certain understanding – the Central Idea (or Focus). two steps further. Having recognized what a text says, it
reflects on what the text does by making such remarks. Is it
- This Central Idea is a composite of different ideas or Key offering examples? Arguing? Appealing for sympathy?
Ideas, provided in a certain sequence. Making a contrast to clarify a point? Finally, critical readers
then infer what the text, as a whole, means, based on the
Supporting features: earlier analysis.
- Incidental ideas are sometimes provided, which may
embellish the key ideas, but may not add much to the The three steps or modes of analysis (thought related to
Central Idea. the reading done) are:

- Examples are sometimes provided, to illustrate one or What a text says – restatement – consider the same topic /
more of the key ideas. details as the original text What a text does – description –
- Quotations, where they appear, also serve the same look at aspects of the discussion itself What a text means –
purpose that examples do. interpretation – analyse the text and form an understanding
- Ideas may sometimes be repeated for emphasis. of the meaning of the text, as a whole.

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This process is greatly facilitated when the reader can Inferential Questions
make inferences from the evidence within the text to
recognize an author’s (i) purpose, and (ii) attitude. These questions ask the students to draw a conclusion or
Recognizing purpose involves understanding why a inference (logical understanding) from the facts or ideas
particular writing style is employed (choices of content and stated in the passage, as well as from the manner in which
language). Recognising attitude involves understanding the ideas are linked. They do not ask for those ideas
tone, persuasive elements and bias through the author’s themselves. Inferential questions can be phrased in a
choice of words and the nature of language used. So, variety of ways including:
critical reading is not simply close and careful reading. It is It can be inferred from the passage that…
active reading, when one must actively recognize and With which of the following statements would the author
analyse evidence upon the page. would most likely agree?”
Different question-types possible, and their focus The passage suggests that…
areas. The processes described in the passages most
resemble…
As reading practice helps in recognizing the organisation
(‘components’ and ‘structure’) of a passage, so also it Questions on Author’s logic and Logical parallels
helps in recognizing the type of RC question asked, and
These questions test the students’ ability to understand
the understanding that is to be used to answer the
(and to evaluate) the logic and reasoning of the author’s
question. The types of questions that usually follow an RC
opinions / arguments, and to identify similar opinions /
passage are discussed below.
arguments / situations / processes. Such questions can be
Theme Questions (also called Umbrella Questions) phrased in various ways including:

These general questions test the students’ recognition of The author’s view can be supported by which one of the
the central idea, or the author’s main idea, which is the following statements? (or, all of the following except)…
overall picture or viewpoint that the author would like to Which one of the following statements is/is not an
pass on to the reader. Theme questions can be phrased in assumption in the author’s argument?
any of several different ways including:
The author’s main purpose is… Which of the following is a statement that exhibits
The main idea of the passage is… logic/reasoning similar to that displayed by the author?
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
Which of the following questions does the passage Questions of Interpretation (or, questions on literary
answer? technique)

Questions on Details These questions test the students’ ability to interpret the
These are specific questions that test the students’ meaning of a certain word, phrase or sentence in the
recognition of the key ideas and ask for facts or ideas context of the passage. These questions can be phrased in
stated in the passage. a number of ways including:
‘…(Word or phrase)…’ is used as a metaphor for…
Questions on details can be phrased in any of several Which of the following words would be the best substitute
different ways including: for ‘…(Word or phrase)…’ in the context…
The passage states that… The author uses the term ‘…(Word or phrase)…’ to
According to the author… mean…
According to the passage… The author quotes ‘ … (so and so) …’ in order to…
Questions on organisation of the passage ‘Odd man’ questions (or, least / except / not questions)
These general questions test the students’ ability to Careless errors are often made while answering these
analyze the idea-flow, i.e. how the author organized his questions. When faced with such questions, students must
thoughts, facts, or arguments. Questions on idea-flow can remind themselves that the appropriate choice is the most
be phrased in any of several different ways including: inappropriate answer to the question statement. Some of
the ways that such questions are phrased are:
In which of the following ways does the author develop his
argument? Which of the following statements would the author be
least likely to agree with?
Which of the following best describes the relationship According to the passage, all of the following are true
between the first paragraph and the rest of the passage? except.
Which of the following does not support the authors
Tone Questions
argument that …”
Such questions ask the students to identify the author’s
tone, style, or overall point of view. Is the author being Questions with Multiple True/False Statements as
critical, neutral, or sympathetic? Is the passage subjective choices
or objective? These are also general questions and can be
phrased in any of several different ways including: These are time-consuming questions as they are multiple
The author’s tone is best described as… appropriate/inappropriate, true/false, right/wrong, questions
The author views his subject with… presented as one, with answer choices like – Only A, C
The author’s presentation is best characterized as… and D, A B and E, all of the above, none of the above.
The passage is most likely from … Ways of dealing with passages depending on content and
The author most likely thinks his audience is… question-types.

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The CAT has always presented RC passages from a Specifically, they should decide whether the author’s tone
variety of sources and on different topics. In recent years, is objective (neutral, unbiased, descriptive, nonpartisan) or
CAT RCs have been fairly difficult – to read (complex subjective (biased, impassioned, partisan, argumentative).
content) and to answer (deceptive questions). They should also attempt to recognize where the author’s
tone may change as the passage progresses.
From the point of view of reading difficulty, the types of
passages that may be encountered are: Inferential Questions

Where the topic is one with which the reader has some These questions do not ask for details or ideas presented
familiarity. This would mean that some of the words and in the passage. The students are required to draw
terms used, and some of the ideas expressed, would be conclusions or inferences (logical understanding) from the
easily understood by the reader, who would then find the facts or ideas stated in the passage, as well as from the
passage relatively easy to read. Where the content manner in which the ideas are linked. In dealing with such
comprises, essentially, of information and details. Even if questions, students should be careful about choices that
this is not from a familiar area, a reader may not find such contain substantial repetitions from the passage.
a passage difficult to read, since there may not be many
ideas to be grasped or understood. Interpreting statements They should make a deduction or inference from the
of information and detail would, however, require a passage, and should therefore consider those choices that
reasonable level of comfort with grammar and vocabulary. say more than the passage says. Usually, if a choice
Where the topic is unfamiliar, and the writer has been sounds too much like something read in the passage, it’s
subjective (presented own ideas and opinions). Such probably wrong.
passages need careful reading). The reader needs to pay
careful attention to the structure, thought-flow and central Questions on Author’s logic and Logical parallels
idea, and to the writer’s reasoning (i.e. the manner in which
the writer has used information and intermediate ideas to Since these questions test the students’ ability to
support the ideas and opinions expressed). understand (and to evaluate) the logic and reasoning of the
author’s opinions/arguments, and to identify similar
Ways of dealing with the different types of possible opinions/arguments/ situations/processes, students need
questions are: to read the content carefully and critically (as discussed in
chap.5). They would need to identify the information or
Theme Questions
ideas (premises) that the author has used in putting
These questions test the students’ recognition of the together and presenting his viewpoint, and the logical flow
central idea, and invariably have general answers, not too from these premises to the viewpoint or conclusion.
detailed or specific. In dealing with these, the students
should not refer back to the passage for details; specific Questions of Interpretation
details can lead them astray. Similarly, students should be
careful about answer choices that too closely resemble the These questions test the students’ ability to interpret the
first or last sentence of the passage. meaning of a certain word, phrase or sentence in the
context of the passage. The appropriate answer may not
Questions on Details be in just the exact word, phrase or sentence referred to.
The content referred to needs to be considered in the
These questions test the students’ recognition of key ideas. context in which it appears, i.e. the preceding and
If the passage has been read carefully, students will know succeeding lines, and punctuation also needs to be taken
roughly where to look, should be able to turn back to the into reckoning. Students need to be careful about choices
passage and scan quickly for the answer, and will usually that contain substantial repetitions from the passage, since
be able to eliminate two or three choices quickly. the answers are usually paraphrased content.

Sometimes, however, the question, or the appropriate ‘Odd man’ questions


choice that provides the detail sought, may be in words
other than those used in the passage. This, then, tests the When faced with such questions, students must remind
students’ ability to go beyond the mere words and themselves that the appropriate choice is the most
recognize the idea that is sought, or that answers the inappropriate answer to the question statement, and
question. should look for ‘correct’ statements, (i.e. those statements
supported by the passage) and eliminate them.
Questions on organisation of the passage
Questions with Multiple True/False Statements as
These questions test the students’ ability to analyze the choices
idea-flow. Again, in dealing with these, the students should
The ‘elimination process’ is a good way of dealing
not refer back to the passage for details. They should also
with these questions. Students should start with the
watch out for disputable answer choices.
shortest choice and check statements for elimination.
When a statement is eliminated, all choices in which that
Tone Questions
statement appears would also be eliminated.
Since such questions ask the students to identify the Style and Tone
author’s tone, style, or overall point of view, these, too, are
best answered without looking back at the passage. Style and Tone are important elements of writing that help
Students should make a quick mental assessment of the in determining an author’s intent (purpose) and attitude
author’s tone before looking at the answer choices. (nature and level of interest).

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Literary style is like the clothes that a text puts on. style of writing. Tone is an important element in literary and
By analogy, the information underneath is like the person's informational texts. It tells you what the author thinks and
body, and the specific words, structures, and arrangements helps to create atmosphere. Being able to identify the
that are used are like the clothes. Just as we can writer’s tone means that texts can be understood on
dress one person in several different fashions, we can a deeper level.
dress a single message in several different literary styles.
Let’s look at some comparisons: Tone shows you an author's opinion, Authors may use a
neutral tone if they are writing about factual events.
No such thing happened! (exclamatory) On other occasions, however, they would use the language
to show their opinion on the topic.
Nothing like that ever happened. (informal)
With great fortune, that happenstance did not become a PRACTICE PASSAGES
reality. (formal) It did not happen. (journalistic) Verily, it was
a circumstance, to be noted, that appeared not to so much In the first few pages, several passages are given which
have been a reality as to have evolved as a thing that had you can use for your basic reading practice. These will
not yet come to be. (archaic) serve only as a starting point - you have to supplement the
passages given here with passages selected from various
Style in writing is the literary element that describes the
ways that the author uses words — the author's word sources as mentioned in the earlier part of the chapter.
choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and You can use one or two passages per day for your
sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, practice.
images, and meaning in the text. Style describes how the
author presents events, objects, and ideas. Of these passages, passages 1 to 5 are printed with three
columns per page so that the width of each column is small
The style that an author uses is, for us (the readers), an enough to be used for practising eye-span improvement. In
indicator of the purpose(s) intended to be served through these passages, when you read the passage, try to read as
the writing and influences how we interpret the facts that follows: In the column that you are reading, read one
are presented. complete line at a time. Try taking in all the text in that line
at one time - without moving the eye across the line. Once
For instance you read one line, move your eye down to the next line and
take in the text in that line again at one go without any
Authors use factual styles to merely inform those who are horizontal movement of the eye. This way, you will be able
necessarily interested in the content, and are usually to improve your eye-span by training your eye to get used
bland, devoid of appealing structure. An instructive style is to the width of the column. In addition to these five
used to present information in a manner that would guide passages, you should also use newspaper columns for this
the reader. practice to improve your eye-span. Get enough practice to
ensure that you are able to read the text in one line at one
A narrative style is used to present content in a time.
“what happened and when” manner. A descriptive style is
used when the content is to be made appealing to the Passages 6 to 10 are printed in two columns. The column
reader, that is, to keep the reader attentive and interested. width here is more than in passages 1 to 5. You should
Regular readers also know that it is the descriptive style train your eye now for this column width - the same way
that lends itself to all but the most uninterested of tones you did with the earlier set of passages. Once you are sure
(a discussion on tones follows), since descriptive words that you are comfortable in reading one line at a time,
and terms are the ones that are the most expressive. i.e. your eye-span has improved to enable you take in the
entire text in one line without any horizontal movement of
An analytical style is used to present detailed examination the eye, then you can move to the last ten passages.
of the situation or issue. An introduction to the topic would
move on to a description or definition of the ideas in an Passages 11 to 20 are printed in full-page width. Now, train
analytical form, examining the ideas from all angles, as it the eye to take in the text in each line in two instalments
were. A persuasive style is used to draw readers to the (because your eye is already used to half the width of the
author’s points of view and to promote ideas. Usually, line).
a strong opening statement draws the reader’s attention
and the content then flows into the main focus of the All through the period when you are practising the above,
article. The central theme is often highlighted in the you should supplement the practice with regular reading of
introduction, in an interesting manner. The author would newspapers, magazines and books.
substantiate the positives that back his viewpoints. It is
usually attractive, so that the reader not only glances In the last section of the book, practice tests are given
through the article but is also inclined to accept the which you should take after your basic reading practice
content. mentioned in earlier sections is over. You should take each
test in the allotted time. While taking the test, you should
An expository style is used to explain content in detail and keep in mind all the points discussed in the test-taking
is very informative and analytical. Newspaper articles, as sessions for Reading Comprehension.
well as encyclopedia articles incorporate the expository

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 1
such conventional transistors altogether less than 1/500th the
A single electron makes the
together, because the abundance of distance across a human hair.
difference between "on" and "off" for electrons whizzing around would Researchers may someday
a new transistor made from a single ultimately produce too much heat for assemble these transistors into the
carbon nanotube, whose minute size the chip to function. SETs might molecular versions of silicon chips,
and low-energy requirements make it provide a means to avoid this but there are still formidable hurdles
an ideal device for molecular problem. to cross.
computers. Dutch researchers
introduced this nanotube single A SET is like a one-way bridge with One basic challenge to any
electron transistor, the first to operate tolls at each end that ensures that application will be producing the
efficiently at room temperature. cars cross, one by one. Specifically, devices more efficiently. It now takes
"We've added yet another important it consists of a metallic "island," a student all afternoon in the lab to
piece to the toolbox for molecular separated from "source" and "drain" make just one of the buckled
electronics," said author Cees electrodes by two barriers, through nanotubes. But, Dekker proposed that
Dekker of Delft University of which electrons can tunnel. A gate it might be possible to use a patterned
Technology, in the Netherlands. attached to the island tunes the substrate to physically induce buckles
voltage of the whole system. in many nanotubes at once, or to do
Used in all kinds of electronic Controlling the voltage on the gate this via chemical processes.
devices, transistors may be best regulates the number of electrons
known as the workhorses of the hopping on or off the island, one at a The authors also discovered some
computer industry. Working together, time. unusual physics when they
million of transistors on a single investigated how exactly their single
silicon chip help perform logic But, there's a catch: most previous electron transistor was working.
functions or store information. In their SETs could only operate at super- In most versions, the electrons hop
"off" state, transistors block the flow low temperatures, because heat can on and off the island independently,
of current, but when a small voltage also provide the energy necessary but this wasn't the case for Dekker's
is applied, they allow current to flow. to add electrons to the island. group. Instead, the electrons seemed
Now, Dekker's group has made a to have a type of quantum
As researchers make computer chips device so tiny that heat fluctuations connection that has not been
ever smaller, the idea of using a type are irrelevant, even at room observed before, in which they
of transistor called a "single electron temperature. That's because the hopped on and off in an intimately
transistor," or SET has become smaller the space in which electrons coupled way. "The present work
increasingly appealing. Like several are confined on the island, the more shows that short metallic nanotubes
other electronic devices, they can be energy it takes to add them. Dekker can be applied as RTSETs
made at a molecular-scale, and would and his colleagues started with [room temperature single-electron
take up far less space than their a single carbon nanotube, and used transistors]. It also exemplifies that
conventional silicon counterparts. the tip of an atomic force microscope the search for functional molecular
The particular advantage of SETs is to create sharp bends, or buckles, in devices often yields interesting
that they require only one electron to the tube. These buckles worked as fundamental science," the authors
toggle between on and off states. the barriers, only allowing single wrote in their paper.
In contrast, transistors in conventional electrons through under the right
microelectronics use millions. voltages. The whole device was only
Researchers currently foresee a limit 1 nanometer wide and 20 nm long,
to how densely they'll be able to pack

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 2
the world warms. This is an important have shown a similar increase since
In 1999, a joint US-French-Russian discovery because it proves that the the industrial revolution took off in the
team completed drilling at Vostok
greenhouse effect, and not some mid-1800s.
station in East Antarctica, one of the
coldest places on Earth. By other occurrence such as sunspots
analysing the composition of ice or changes in the Earth's orbit The majority of climatologists now
cores from many kilometres deep around the sun, is largely responsible agree that these two increases are
into the ice sheet, they have been for the current warming of the related in some way. Few assert that
able to build up a record of past climate. The results of drilling at humans are wholly responsible for
temperatures and levels of carbon Vostok station in East Antarctica global warming - and this is where
dioxide and methane- two of the have allowed the extension of the ice the scientific community is somewhat
most important greenhouse gases - record of atmospheric composition divided. But most scientists believe
in the atmosphere going back and climate to the past four glacial- that we are accelerating and
420,000 years. This period covers interglacial cycles. The succession of intensifying natural climatic
the last four glacial-interglacial changes through each climate cycle fluctuations by releasing greenhouse
cycles, where the Earth has cooled gases such as carbon dioxide and
and termination was similar, and
and then warmed over many
atmospheric and climatic properties methane into the atmosphere. As the
thousands of years.
oscillated between stable bounds. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Interglacial periods differed in Change announced in carefully
First, the scientists discovered that
temporal evolution and duration. chosen words in 1995: 'The balance
there is more CO2 and methane in
Atmospheric concentrations of of evidence suggests a discernible
the atmosphere than at any point
carbon dioxide and methane human influence on global climate.'
during the past 420,000 years. This
shows that despite volcanic eruptions correlate well with Antarctic
air-temperature throughout the This statement was reaffirmed in
and other natural phenomena which
record. Present-day atmospheric December 1999, when the heads of
release greenhouse gases into the
burdens of these two important the Meteorological Office in the U.K.
atmosphere, humans appear to have
greenhouse gases seem to have and the National Oceanic and
pushed CO2 and methane in the
been unprecedented during the past Atmospheric Administration of the
atmosphere to unprecedented levels.
4,20,000 years. U.S. made a joint declaration to the
The team then investigated the link world's media. A year ago, both
between the amount of CO2 and The strongest evidence that the organisations sat on the fence about
methane in the atmosphere with world is warming does not come from the human 'fingerprint' in climate
temperature fluctuations. They found any natural source: it comes from change. Now they are more
that during warm, inter-glacial land temperature records kept since emphatic: climate change is
phases such as the one we are 1860, which show a fluctuating but happening, and we are at least partly
currently in, greenhouse gases and steady rise in most parts of the world. responsible.
temperature are very closely and This temperature increase is closely
positively correlated. Basically, as correlated with levels of carbon
CO2 increases in the atmosphere, dioxide in the atmosphere, which

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 3
again, contaminants build up in the Netherlands, scientists fed two groups
A female polar bear and her cubs milk. Polar bear cubs contaminated of seals with herring originating from a
roam the Arctic in search of prey.
by their mother's milk, have a polluted and a non-polluted area.
The mother smells a distant ringed
seal, and slowly stalks it. From fifteen reduced immune function compared Their results conclusively showed that
metres away, she explodes in a burst with cubs from 'cleaner' mothers. the seals fed on polluted herrings had
of energy, her paw shattering the About 2 per cent of female polar less effective immune systems
seal's skull. The family feeds, bears at Svalbard appears to have compared with the other group.
enjoying the fat layer so vital for their both male and female sex organs. In
survival. Fat which is full of the Canadian Arctic, an area with The sensitive Arctic is an indicator of
pollutants, fat which is slowly but generally less pollution, these the health of our environment. We
surely poisoning the bears. hermaphrodites aren't found. mustn't ignore the warning signs. But
it's not all bad news. Most northern
The Arctic is Europe's last true We've found dead seabirds with high European countries, including the
wilderness. Yet today, pollutants are concentrations of Polychlorinated U.K., and some southern European
contaminating this unique Biphenyls (PCBs), and though we've ones, are signatories to the
ecosystem. Dying seabirds, seals no proof that this killed them, it's Convention for the Protection of the
with obstructed uteri, and polar bears fairly certain. Pollutants may also Marine Environment of the North-
with impaired immune systems may interfere with hormonal processes, East Atlantic (the OSPAR
just be the tip of the iceberg. Many causing reproductive abnormalities. Convention), which entered into force
pollutants can travel large distances. High levels of insecticides called on 25th March 1998. Its stated aim is
Air currents over Europe and Russia toxaphenes have been found in seal to "move towards the target of the
take the chemicals northwards, fat. Tests suggest that toxaphene cessation of discharges, emissions
where because of the low affects the enzymes regulating the and losses of hazardous substances
temperatures, they condense and seals' testosterone concentrations, by the year 2020."
are deposited in the Arctic Ocean. which could easily result in the seals'
The Arctic thus functions as Europe's reduced fertility. Recently, sperm One important feature of the
garbage can. whales in Europe and seals in convention is the recognition of the
Canada showed shockingly high need to provide information on
At the bottom of the Arctic food chain hazardous substances contained in
concentrations of flame retardant
is plankton, microscopic animals rich consumer goods, giving people the
chemicals. Flame retardants are
in fat, which absorbs pollutants from choice not to buy those products.
chemically related to PCBs, and
the sea. Plankton is eaten by small Greenpeace is compiling a list of
scientists suspect they have similar
crustaceans, which are food for products which contain chemicals
toxic effects.
fishes. Seals and seabirds prey on regarded as being the most
fish, and polar bears feed exclusively To prove the effects of pollution on dangerous. OSPAR lists both PCBs
on seals. The pollutants are wildlife is complex. In nature, many and brominated flame retardants as
transferred from prey to predator, factors are impossible to control. chemicals it wants to see banned or
accumulating in fat stores, and Therefore, differences between more tightly regulated.
increase in concentration at every polluted and non-polluted animal
step. Seal and polar bear milk is populations, though very suggestive,
more than 30 per cent fat to enable could be due to other factors. There
their young to develop rapidly. But, are ways round this. In the

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 4
The streets ran straight and at right Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia and the
Around 4 th
millennium BC, the early
angles to each other following the Samaritans. Trade was in the form of
nomadic villages began to settle in grid system and was unique to this 'barter '. There was a cleverly
more homogeneous style and this civilization. The roads were very wide organized system of weights and
led to the uniform growth of culture. and the houses, built of burnt bricks, measures. The script during this
Around the beginning of the third lined both sides of the street. The time, was pictographic. The writing
millennium BC, in the north-western houses were of varying sizes and was boustrophedon or from right to
parts of the Indian subcontinent, had a remarkable drainage system of left and from left to right in alternate
flourished a highly developed ceramic drain pipes, covered sewers lines. It has been referred to as being
civilization. It derived its name from and subterranean conduits. Proto-Dravidian.
the main river of that region, 'Sindhu'
or Indus. As in most other contemporary They knew mining, metal working
Discovered in the 1920s, it was civilizations, agriculture was the and the art of constructing well-
thought to have been confined to the backbone of the Indus economy. The planned buildings, some of which
Indus valley. However, subsequent people made extensive use of the were higher than two storeys. They
excavations established that, this wooden plough. Barley and wheat used gypsum cement which was
civilization was not restricted to the were the main food crops. Perhaps, used to join stones and even metals.
Indus valley but was spread across a the most remarkable achievement They knew about long lasting paints
wide area in northwestern and was the cultivation of cotton. The and dyes.
western India. The recent excavation people ate, besides cereals,
and satellite mapping shows that vegetables and fruits, fish, fowl, There is a striking contrast between
these areas were more prominent on mutton, beef and pork. There is also the rest of the civilizations and the
the banks of the erstwhile Sarasvati evidence of the domestication of Indus valley in the way it was
river, which later on dried and paved cats, dogs, goats, sheep and the managed. In other areas, money and
way for the Thar Desert. Since the elephant. thought were lavished on building
first excavation was on the site magnificent temples of Gods,
known as Harappa, it is also known The Indus people made extensive palaces and tombs of kings. The
as Harappan civilization. Some of the use of bronze and copper. However, common people seemingly had to
important cities of the civilization iron was not known to them. The content themselves with insignificant
were Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, people were very artistic. Evidence dwellings of mud. In the Indus valley,
Chandudaro, Kalibangan, Banavali, can be found in pottery, stone the picture is reversed. The finest
Lothal and Rupad. sculpture and seal making. The structures were erected for the
pottery was made up of well- convenience of the citizens.
The main characteristic feature of levigated and well-fired clay, with
this civilization was its urbanization. painting done in black pigment. During the period of late 2000 BC,
It was far more advanced than its People worshipped natural forces the main river Sarasvati, on which
counterparts in Egypt, Mesopotamia like the tree, humped bull and Mother this civilization flourished, slowly
or anywhere else in Western Asia. Goddess. Even amulets and charms started to dry. Decreasing fertility and
The cities show evidence of an were used by the people to ward off the expansion of the Thar desert,
advanced sense of planning and evil spirits. finally forced this civilization to move
organization. Each city was divided towards north and north-east of the
into the citadel area, where the Unlike their counterparts in the rest Indian sub-continent. The beautiful
essential institutions of civic and of the world, who were managed by cities were abandoned and thus
religious life were located, and the kings, the Indus people were ruled by became ruins.
residential area where urban groups of merchants. They had
population lived. commercial links with Afghanistan,

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 5
This is actually not a philosophical meaning (logos) of each individual life,
The single most important philosophy school, but one could generally action, and situation is determined by
in Rome was Stoicism, which group a number of Hellenistic its place in a larger whole, which is, of
originated in Hellenistic Greece. The schools under this rubric, including course, the whole course of history.
contents of the philosophy were the Second Academy (Hellenistic In this view, history becomes a kind of
particularly amenable to the Roman Platonists), the Second Sophistic, the speech by God.
world view, especially since the Stoic Cynics, the Sceptics, and so on, and,
insistence on acceptance of all for the most part, the Stoics as well. It is progressive, it is teleological, it is
situations, including adverse ones, What is important for our purposes is meaningful (but only when it's all
seemed to reproduce what the that all these schools, to some done: a sentence has no meaning
Romans considered their crowning degree or another, espoused the until it's completed). Each and every
achievement: virtus, or "manliness," idea that human beings cannot arrive event, physical and historical, has a
or "toughness." The centerpiece of at certain truth about anything (not all place within this larger rational order
Stoic philosophy was the concept of denied certainty was impossible, only or meaning. Since the order is
the logos. The universe is ordered by that human beings could never be rational and meaningful, that means
God and this order is the logos, certain). nothing happens which is not part of
which means "rational order" or some larger reason or good.
"meaning" of the universe. Basically, life became this great
guessing game: the lot of humanity is For the Roman, this larger good
After the death of Zeno of Citium, the to be cast into a twilight world in came to mean the spread of law
Stoic school was headed by which all that we know and think is across the face of the planet; this law
Cleanthes and Chrysippus, and its either false or occupies some middle was to be spread through Roman
teachings were carried to Rome in position between the false and the imperial conquest and was called the
155 by Diogenes of Babylon. There true (which was called the Law of Nations. The grand design for
its tenets were made popular by "probable," "readily believable," or history, then, was the spread of the
Panaetius, friend of the great general the "verisimilar"). This comes to Roman Empire and her laws.
Scipio Aemilianus, and by dominate thought in late antiquity;
Posidonius, who was a friend of the first philosophical attacks Therefore, each and every function a
Pompey Cicero. It drew heavily on Christianity levels against the thought Roman undertook for the state,
the works of both. Stoic ideas appear of antiquity are refutations of whether as a farmer or foot-soldier, a
in the greatest work of Roman sceptical principles. Of all the philosopher or emperor, partook of
literature, Vergil's Aeneid, and later philosophies of antiquity, this is this larger purpose or meaning of
the philosophy was adopted by perhaps the most familiar to you: the world history. The central values of
Seneca (c. 1-65 A.D.), Lucan (39-65; sceptic principle of doubting this complex are officium, or "duty,"
poet and associate of the Emperor everything became, in the modern which is the responsibility to perform
Nero), Epictetus (c. 55-135; and the era, the fundamental basis of the the functions into which you have
Emperor Marcus Aurelius (born 121, scientific method. been born to the best of your
Emperor 161-180; author of the abilities, and pietas, or "respect for
Meditations). Stoicism is perhaps the Logos is a linguistic term; it refers authority." Each station in life has its
most significant philosophical school particularly to the meanings of words. duties; every situation in life has
in the Roman Empire, and much of The meaning of an individual word all duties or obligations incumbent on it.
our contemporary views and popular by itself is semeion ; the meaning of an
mythologies about Romans are individual word in the context of a
derived from Stoic principles. sentence is logos. For the Stoic, the

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 6
to tighten the hooks of the bangles which had become
The first two experiences remembered as having occurred loose and gave a peremptory and authoritative direction to
in the third or fourth year of my life, are dreadful to think, as him to bring them back repaired without delay.
they were interwoven with temptation, greed, avarice,
deceit, groaning, loss, lamentation and the like. The man took my orders most obediently and took leave of
A 'mara naai' as they call it in Tamil or teddy cat (an animal me with the golden booty. In glee of having arranged for
which generally climbs on trees and destroys the fruits repairs to my ornament, I speeded to inform my people
during nights) somehow got into a room in the house and inside of the arrangement made by me with the man in the
thrust its head into a small copper pot containing jaggery. street who gave his name as Ponnusami. The people
The animal was not able to pull out its head and was inside hurried to the street to find out the culprit. But the
running here and there in the room all through the night booty had become his property true to his assumed name,
with its head stuck in the pot. Ponnusami (master of gold).

People in the house and neighbours were aroused by the These two experiences at a tender innocent age are
noise and thought that some thief was at his job. But, the recurring successively in some form or the other even at
incessant noise continued even till morning hours, and this tottering age, nearing seventy, reminding me of being
some bravados armed with sticks opened the door of the liable to be duped or eagerness to get by some short cut
room and found the greedy animal. It was then roped and some material gain.
tied to a pillar. Some experienced men were brought and In attempting to judge the objective world with this rod of
after being engaged in a tug-of-war, they ultimately selfishness and superficiality of mine which has rightly
succeeded in removing the vessel from the head of the earned for me the reputation of being a clever Swami, I am
animal. The animal was struggling for life. It was at last prone to come to the conclusion that there lives none
taken to some spot and set free, I presume. The first without predominantly selfish motives.
experience of my life was this dreadful demonstration born
out of greed causing all our neighbours to spend an But with years rolling on, an impression, that too a superficial
anxious and sleepless night. one true to my nature, is dawning upon me that there breathe
on this globe some souls firmly rooted in morals and ethics
The next experience relates to a man in the street who who live exclusively for others, voluntarily forsaking not only
entered the house seeing me alone with tiny golden their material gains and comforts but also their own sadhana
bangles upon which he began to lay his hands. I asked him towards their spiritual improvements.

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Brunner says: "Companies could carry on generating data
The way genetically-modified food is tested for safety in until they get the answer they want."
Europe must be improved before any new GM plants are
declared fit for human consumption, according to a report However, the report concludes that there is no reason to
by the Royal Society, the UK's foremost scientific society. doubt the safety of foods made from GM ingredients that
are currently available, nor to believe that genetic
"The battery of tests should be spelt out much more clearly," modification makes foods inherently less safe than their
says Eric Brunner at University College, London and one of conventional counterparts.
the authors of the report. Some animal testing may also be
required, he says. The UK Food Standards Agency welcomed the report but
said it was "satisfied that the current safety assessment
The testing regime must be independently scrutinised, procedures are sufficiently robust and rigorous to ensure
recommends the report, so that companies cannot submit that approved GM foods are as safe as their non-GM
selective data about their new GM products. Otherwise, counterparts".
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Adrian Bebb of Friends of the Earth believes that the report "Substantial equivalence is a very blunt instrument," says
will add to public scepticism about GM foods. "It confirms Brunner. "It is a flawed concept if used on its own." Animal
the public's suspicions," he says. "But the report leaves lots testing may be needed to explore particular safety aspects of
of questions unanswered." a new food, he adds.

At present, companies must demonstrate that a GM While the report's authors were sceptical about current
product is 'substantially equivalent' to its conventional testing arrangements, they saw no reason to believe that
version. This is a less rigorous standard than used, for current GM varieties are unsafe. They argue that if they
example, in testing new drugs. But the report accepts that were dangerous, problems would have emerged during
using such standards for foods would be impractical, given widespread consumption in the US.
the complexity of foodstuffs. Also, many traditional foods They also quash fears that engineered genes could
would fail such tests. incorporate into the human genome via the gut. We eat DNA
in our food all the time without any such problems, says Jim
The equivalence test compares, for example, protein, Smith, chairman of the Welcome Cancer Research
carbohydrate and fatty acid levels between the GM and Campaign Institute in Cambridge, who chaired the report.
non-GM plants. But there are no clear and universal
guidelines over exactly what to test and how similar the two Bebb counters that there has been no post-market
should be. Brunner says different interpretations of the monitoring of the long-term health effects of GM
regulations by different countries might leave a regulatory ingredients. So, problems caused by the foods might have
'back door'. "One country should not be used as a fast been missed.
route into the EU market." Such differences of
interpretation are already apparent between the EU and But the report does recommend that all new foods be
the US. For example, all products from a herbicide tested to see if they cause allergic reactions when particles
resistant variety of GM oilseed, rape, developed by Aventis are inhaled. GM foods are no more likely to trigger such
were approved in the US. In the EU, only the processed oil allergies than conventional crops, the report says, but they
was deemed safe. say that current regulation would miss these lung allergies.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 8
Sri Krishna is the Supreme enjoyer, controller and friend of
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
all. Nature (prakriti) is His energy. Jiva, the individual living
Bhagavan. He spoke Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna, who entity, is part and parcel of His spiritual (internal) energy.
is in a direct relationship with Krishna as his friend Material nature (constituted of three qualities or modes viz.,
and devotee. Only by the process of devotional service sattva, rajas, and tamas) consisting of eight elements
can one revive one's relationship with Krishna. namely earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and
Therefore, Bhagavad-Gita should be taken up in a spirit of false ego, is His external energy. By a combination of the
devotion. three modes of material nature and under the control of time
(which is another energy of Krishna) there are activities and
Everyone is full of anxiety because of material existence. resultant reactions. Material nature is real and eternal,
The cause of suffering and the actual destination of life are whereas the manifestation of the material world (of these
proper subjects of enquiry. Krishna answered these activities and reactions) is real but temporary.
questions, through Bhagavad Gita, and thus relieved
The Supreme conscious Lord Krishna, is conscious of all
Arjuna from all material miseries by making him
the bodies, everything and every atom. Even when He
understand his constitutional position.
appears within the material creation in any form, His
consciousness is never materially affected. Jiva is only
The following is a summary of Sri Krishna's explanations of conscious of his own body. Matter is unconscious, without
Absolute Truth in Bhagavad-Gita: the presence of jiva.
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Due to material pollution of the consciousness, the living Our thinking, which is now absorbed in material energy,
entity is entangled in bodily actions and reactions which must be transferred to the spiritual energy. This is made
are actually carried on by the modes of material nature. possible by practising to remember Sri Krishna by always
This pollution can be purified by dovetailing the activities in chanting His names (which are spiritual, non-different from
the Lord) and moulding our life's activities in such a way
full co-operation with the will of Krishna. These activities in
that we can remember Him always.
pure consciousness called bhakti are transcendental to the
three modes and thus the performer becomes free from It is Krishna's instructions that this process must be learnt
actions and reactions. In this liberated stage, one attains by rendering service to and enquiring submissively from a
his constitutional position as servant of Sri Krishna. self-realized soul, in an unbroken succession from Krishna.
Vedic knowledge is infallible, above all doubts and
All the planets within material existence have the material mistakes. The purpose of Vedic knowledge is to know the
miseries of repeated birth, death, old age and disease. The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna reveals this
spiritual world has no such inebrieties. Following in the knowledge through Bhagavad-Gita. Therefore, Bhagavad-
footsteps of Arjuna, if we act according to Krishna's Gita should be accepted 'as it is' without interpretation,
instructions, we can attain the abode of Krishna from deletion or addition.
where we never have to return to this material world.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 9
such as at what age can my child stay home on his own,
As your child changes and grows into a teenager, you'll when can he care for younger brothers and sisters or
be changing your approach and expectations along with babysit? There are no hard and fast answers to
him. You'll notice your child is working towards more these questions, much depends upon the maturity of your
independence from your family. He will make more of his 13-year old. Remember you are responsible for your child's
own decisions – from simple things like the clothes he supervision. If you have any doubt about how your
wears to the sports, clubs and hobbies he's interested in. teenager would react in an emergency or cope without you
His room will become his haven, his personal interests will for even a short time, then don't leave him without adult
show clearly in the posters on the wall, stickers on the supervision.
wardrobe door and the music trickling or blaring from the
CD or mini-disc player. Privacy becomes very important as You can expect to become an embarrassment to your child
your child moves through the pre-teen years. starting sometime between his ninth and 13th birthday.
You'll need to drop your child off round the corner from
Golden rules for you are - respect your child's privacy friends and he may begin to try to change how you look so
(knock and wait before going into his room, never read you don't stand out from other parents. Don't take this
your child's diary, e-mails, post or eavesdrop on phone personally. Pre-teens react this way because they're trying
conversations, try not to tidy your child's room unless there to appear independent yet still have to rely on you for all
is a health hazard, support your child's choices as much as sorts of things – permission to go out, transport and pocket
you can and try to be accepting, stick to your guns on money. This tension can result in your child both needing
issues important to your family. It's worth thinking through you but wishing he or she didn't have to.
your standpoint before controversial subjects are raised in
your family, take your child's problems and dilemmas When your child reaches adulthood you'll laugh together
seriously. You may feel your pre-teen's latest worry is trivial about these experiences. So, try to take them in your stride
but to him it's life and death, so listen and answer carefully. when you're in the middle of them. Becoming independent
Don't tell your child's worries to other people without his is the work of your pre-teen and teenage children but
permission. Trust can be broken easily and takes despite their mixed feelings about you, they still need your
enormous effort to rebuild. love and support with no strings attached. Your child may
not be too keen on a hug these days but will still appreciate
As your child approaches 13, your dilemma will be how
your interest and your love.
much independence to give. Common questions arise,
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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 10
windows 50 to 100 times when an obsession about
All of us can think of an occasion when an idea or mental security gets stuck in their head. Obsessive-compulsives
image has popped into our head without warning. These are completely powerless to control their compulsions.
might be completely senseless, or they might be things we
know we shouldn't do. But most of us are never bothered Most OCD compulsions are logically related to their
by these thoughts and we can easily forget them. But some obsession. Some of the compulsions are cleaning
people can't get rid of them as easily as the rest of us. (repeatedly washing hands or wiping household surfaces
People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder for hours on end), checking (repeatedly questioning
(OCD) are plagued by intrusive thoughts that they can't whether light switches are turned off, or appliances are
banish from their mind, no matter how hard they try. unplugged), counting strings of numbers for hours on end,
Obsessive-compulsives are tortured by these thoughts, arranging (cutlery or furniture in a certain way), repeating
which they find profoundly disgusting and distressing. words or sentences (performing a task in exact order again
The obsessions experienced by OCD sufferers can be and again until it is done perfectly), hoarding (collecting
grouped into several common themes, like fears of useless objects)
contamination by germs, dirt or chemicals, fears of flooding
the house, causing a fire, or being burgled, aggressive Perfectionism is one of the most common personality traits
thoughts about physically harming a loved one, concerns in OCD. Indeed, some researchers have described
about exactness or symmetry, intrusive sexual thoughts or obsessive-compulsives as the ultimate perfectionists.
urges, excessively doubting own morals or religious
convictions, a need to tell, ask or confess. Until the 1980s, about two in every 1,000 persons were
thought to be affected by OCD. Recent studies have revised
Many of us carry out daily rituals consisting of a series of this figure to two out of every 100. But it could be even more
tasks that we might otherwise forget. For example, common, because sufferers often conceal the disorder from
checking that all the doors and windows are locked before other people. Some OCD sufferers are so afraid of being
we go to bed at night is a routine that guards against misunderstood by others that they become very skilful at
burglary. But in OCD, these rituals spiral out of control. hiding their symptoms, and can appear entirely normal. In
OCD sufferers are driven to carry out complex rituals other cases, symptoms can be so severe that sufferers
known as compulsions, which are triggered by obsessions. receive disability compensation.
Obsessive-compulsives might check their doors and

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 11

Since the beginnings of the 20 th


century reports have filtered out of the remote Sumatran highlands of a shy ape-like
creature that walks on two legs like a human. Since then, a locally based research project has gathered extensive and
convincing evidence of orang pendek's existence. Researchers claim to have caught glimpses of the animal and have found
numerous footprints, tracks, hair and feeding sites.
The data painstakingly gathered in situ has allowed biologists to build up a picture of the ape, what it looks like and how it
behaves. Its footprints are unique, combining features found in humans with those of apes, and clearly showing a foot
designed for walking upright. Signs are often found in the vicinity of tigers. Might this ape have left the comfort of the tree
canopy and evolved the features needed to safely scavenge from their kills?
That a new species of ape might be discovered at the start of the 21st century is extraordinary enough. But orang pendek is far
more significant than that - it is the only primate apart from ourselves that is designed for walking bipedally. If it really is out there,
then its existence might even force scientists to rethink the story of human evolution!
Yet just as the evidence needed to scientifically verify the orang pendek is being collected, the forests in which it lives are
being destroyed. The search for it is a race against time, to produce the proof to save this remarkable animal and its home
before it is too late.
The jungles of Western Sumatra are one of the most remote and lush habitats on earth. They support a staggering array of
different species and unlike the region above the Himalayan snowline, home of the Yeti, food is available in abundance. So
perhaps there could be something to the centuries old rumour of a tribe of elusive ape-like creatures hiding deep within the
rainforest that stand upright and walk everywhere on just two feet.
Throughout the 19th century, numerous villagers claimed to have caught fleeting glimpses of elusive ape-like creatures
wandering on two feet through the mountainous jungles of western Sumatra. The locals named this immensely shy beast the
orang pendek which literally means 'short man'.
According to their reports, it could be anything up to 1.5 m tall, had a pinkish-brown skin and was covered with a darkish
black fur. They also added that the hair on its head was so long that it formed a mane all the way down its back and that it
walked with its feet reversed - that is, with its heels facing forwards. On top of all these fantastical features, orang pendek
was thought to possess immense strength, sufficient to allow it to overturn large rocks and even fallen trees in its search for
fresh water molluscs, worms and snakes.
Dutch settlers to the island had long been aware of the native's tales regarding the orang pendek, but had always regarded it
as little more than a myth. But all that changed when in 1917 an article on the orang pendek was published in the highly
reputable Dutch scientific journal 'Tropical Natuur'.
During the previous year, the author, Dr Edward Jacobson, camped out in the jungle collecting specimens of small animals
when two native hunters rushed up to him and excitedly told him how they had just seen an orang pendek searching for grubs in
a rotten tree stump from a distance of only 20 metres. When it saw them, it ran off on its hind legs. Dr Jacobson was convinced
that their story was true and that they had not confused their sighting with an orang-utan, as such an animal would undoubtedly
have made its escape through the tree canopy.
A little while later Jacobson came across a mysterious footprint which his guide informed him belonged to an orang pendek.
It was quite unlike any print that would be left by an orang-utan and more closely resembled that of a small human foot,
albeit markedly broader and shorter. He went on to conclude that Sumatra must be the home of a great ape new to science -
the others being the gorilla, the chimp and the orang-utan. At that time, such a bold claim raised few eyebrows, perhaps
because several other new species had recently been discovered on the relatively unexplored island

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 12

S ome of the learning disabilities caused by dyslexia that I have noticed in our 8-year old son are: difficulties with sounds,
reading fluently, spelling, printing, skipping lines while reading, acting frustrated, failing grades, and lack of attention or
staying focused.

Below is a little history:


When my son was 18 months old, I noticed secretion from his left ear. Little did we realize this would be the first of many ear
infections. At two different times, the infections were so severe that the left eardrum ruptured. My son, being the child that he
is, never complained about pain. However, that was not true if he didn't have a bowl of cereal in front of him the minute his
eye graced the morning sunlight!

As time passed, and pre-school rounded the corner, I started to see a change. The ear infections continued, and his hearing
faded. I agreed to have tubes placed in his ears to drain the fluid and restore the hearing. All seemed to be going well.
Kindergarten rounded the next bend. About 2-3 months into the school year, I again noticed something not exactly right.
My son was not able to hear me talking as well as he should, and he was 'ignoring' his teacher - so I thought.

I decided to take him back to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Much to my surprise, the tubes were infected. No fever, no
sign of pain. However, the hearing test showed 40% hearing loss in both ears. The tubes needed to be replaced and he
needed to go back on an antibiotic. At this stage my son, aged 6, could read lips, but could not read the word 'dog'. June
approached rather shockingly. First and Second grade came and went with very little incident. Don't get me wrong - reading
was an hour-to-hour, day-to-day struggle. Presently, in Third grade, I am learning that the ear infections and lack of hearing
have finally caught up. He is failing the third grade in reading and writing, but managing to get through science and social
studies.

His printing went from a 3rd grade level back to a first grade level, and he doesn't write on the line. His temper flares
frequently (it's usually over homework.) He has a strong desire one minute and total disregard for the correct way, the next.
He has the ability to answer questions, just as long as he doesn't have to put a pencil in his hand and put his thoughts on
paper. He constantly states:" I am stupid, this is stupid, why do I need to know this anyway, I want to play professional
baseball. I don't need this junk to be a professional baseball player. Why can't I read? Why did this happen to me? why?
why? why?"

As a parent, I often find myself questioning where did I go wrong? I doctored all his needs! Why is school becoming an issue?
He's a tremendous athlete; he's a caring, lovable child, and a kind 8-year-old boy. We have been told: auditory dyslexia -
meaning a disturbance of the ability to read; broadly: disturbance of the ability to use language.

Before being diagnosed, my son struggled: he struggled to the point of sheer frustration, he would rather not waste his time
on studying, because he would probably fail it anyway: he is only 8 years old. He struggles with reading simple basic sight
words, simple syllables, and the inability to vocalize a word without having to take time to decode the word. It is extremely
frustrating for a parent to watch a child have the anger and hostility that my son has, all because of an auditory processing
problem.

Dyslexia also runs in my family, I too have dyslexia, and was diagnosed in the 7th grade. My dyslexia, however, is a
comprehension issue causing me to stutter and become introverted (when I was younger), whereas my son's dyslexia has
affected his behaviour. I know and understand some of the feelings my son has. They are not pleasant! But an individual
with dyslexia is not stupid!

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 13

The Science of Architecture and Civil Construction was known in Ancient India as Sthapatya-Shastra. The word Sthapatya
is derived from the root word Sthapana i.e. 'to establish'. The technique of architecture was both a science and an art, hence
it is also known as Sthapatya-kala, the word 'Kala’ means an art.

From very early times the construction of temples, palaces, rest houses and other civil construction was undertaken by
professional architects known as Sthapati. Even during the Vedic times, there existed professionals who specialised in the
technique of constructing chariots and other heavy instruments of war. These professionals have been referred to in the
Rig Veda as Rathakara which literally means 'chariot maker'.

The excavations of the ruins at Mohenjodaro and Harrappa (today in Pakistan) proved the existence of a developed urban
civilisation in India. The Indus valley civilization is dated around 3000 B.C. Thus, for the last 5000 years, India has had an
urban civilisation. The existence of an urban civilization presumes the existence of well developed techniques of architecture
and construction.

These techniques would no doubt have had been systematically stated in record books for transmitting them to the later
generations and for being used as reference media for actual construction. Unfortunately, as far as the Indus Valley
civilization goes no such records have been preserved either as rock edicts, manuscripts, etc., or in folk tales and legends.
But the fact that cities on the scale of Mohenjodaro had been constructed bear testimony to the existence of a systematised
and highly developed technique of architecture 5000 years ago.
But in the later ages, from about the 7th century B.C., we have both literary references as well as archaeological evidences to
prove the existence of large urban civilizations in the Ganges Valley. Like in most other sciences even remotely connected
with religion, in architecture also the scientific ideas and techniques have been integrated with philosophy and theology. This
was so as the majority of the large constructions were temples. The construction of Hindu temples rarely used mortar but
used a technique where the stones could be affixed to one another with the force of gravity. The technique followed in doing
this was similar to the one used in the Roman Aquaducts. The exquisite carvings were engraved after the stones had been
fixed in their places. Thus the carving of figurines right upto the top of a temple’s roof must have been a demanding task.
Indian techniques of art and architecture spread both westwards and eastwards. During the reign of Ashoka, Afghanistan,
Baluchistan and Seistan were parts of the Mauryan empire. Buddhist Stupas were constructed in these Mauryan provinces.
Unfortunately, very few of them have survived.
However the huge Boddhisattvas (statues of Buddha) that were cut out of rock-faces covering entire mountain faces and
cliffs, have survived human and natural ravages and were seen till recently at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. During Kushana
times, Central Asia was a part of the Kushana empire. Indian art blended with Greek and Kushana styles, and spread into
Central Asia.
Thus India's cultural frontiers at one time extended upto Balkh (referred to as Vahalika in Vedic texts) on the river Oxus
(Akshu) and beyond, and played an important role in shaping the art traditions which flourished between the 1st and the
8th centuries in Central Asia.
The Gandhara school of art of Afghanistan and Central Asia was actually derived from Indian art styles. In fact, even the
portrait art of the Oxus region claimed by some scholars to have been an independent school is actually an extension of
Indian art forms. Besides Central Asia, the whole of Southeast Asia received most of its art and architectural traditions from
India. Along with Buddhism, Indian art and architecture also travelled to countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia, Thailand, Burma as also to China, Korea and Japan. Sri Lanka being on our back door was heavily influenced by
Indian art and architecture.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 14

They are still many years away, but infinitesimal molecular motors that could radically improve manufacturing and medicine
just took a step closer to reality. A University of Florida chemistry professor has made a “nanomotor” from a single DNA
molecule. The motor, so small that hundreds of thousands could fit on the head of a pin, curls up and extends like an
inchworm, said Weihong Tan, the principal investigator. While it was not the first such DNA motor, Tan said his nanomotor
was the first to be built from a single molecule rather than several different DNA molecules. This made it easier to use and
edged such motors closer to real-life applications in the rapidly emerging field of bio nanotechnology.

The first use of DNA motors is already beginning to emerge in the form of biosensors, said Hiroaki Yokota, a nanomotor
researcher at Osaka University in Japan. These are instruments that researchers use to detect a very specific piece of DNA
that may be related to disease. Such sensors “enable us to detect only a few DNA molecules that contain specific
sequences and thus possibly diagnose patients as having such specific sequences related to a cancer gene or not,” he said.

Down the road, it is anticipated that nanomotors will play an active role in clinical treatment. For example, these ultra-small
devices could be injected along with drugs that kill cancer cells or tumors. When the drugs reach the disease site, the
nanomotors would make the drug molecules attach and stick to the cancer cell membrane. Perhaps more importantly, the
motors’ precision would give them the ability to prevent the drugs from attaching to noncancerous molecules or healthy parts
of the body - eliminating the debilitating effects, for example, of chemotherapy drugs.

Some scientists believe that nanomotors could also be used in so-called “test-tube manufacturing.” This approach turns
traditional manufacturing on its head. Where traditional manufacturing creates structures from existing materials or parts,
test-tube manufacturing involves building structures from the smallest molecular or atomic components.

DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, holds the genetic keys to most living beings. In cell division, its double-helix structure
divides so that each new molecule is identical to its parent. As a result of division and recombination in nature, DNA
molecules have the capacity to recognize and bond with each other. Researchers tap this property when synthesizing new
DNA molecules for motors. Like all motors, nanomotors need power. DNA is useful because it gets its energy through
chemistry as opposed to traditional sources such as electricity.

According to Tan, the problem with the multiple-DNA strand motors already completed is that they are very difficult to control
because the pieces are so tiny - in the order of tens of nanometers, where one nanometer equals one billionth of a metre.
Each DNA strand requires an energy source, which also reduces the motors’ efficiency. With just one DNA strand, the UF
nanomotor is easier to control and more efficient. The one-molecule motors also are easier to visualize, adds Hiroaki.

Tan and colleague Jianwei Li, a UF chemistry research associate, synthesized the single molecule motor. They confirmed
that it worked by attaching a light-emitting organic molecule to one end and a light-quenching molecule to the other. When
the motor extended, separating the quencher and emitter, the light went on. When it curled up, the light went out. Tan said it
was difficult to predict when nanomotors, whether built from single or multiple molecules, would reach the stage when they
could be used along with a drug or clinical treatment. He said the next step in his research was to coax his nanomotor to
move a tiny particle from one place to another, demonstrating that it could perform a potentially useful task.

No. of words : 621 Time taken to read : minutes Reading speed: w.p.m.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 15

Recently, a visitor to the Canadian Politics forum asked about the differences between the Canadian and American political
systems. If you posed this question to someone on the street, they would probably say that Canada has a parliamentary
system of government, while the Americans have a presidential system. But what does this mean? One obvious difference is
that the Americans directly elect their president, while in Canada the Prime Minister is merely the leader of the party that
gains the most votes. But the differences between the two systems extend much further. In large part, it comes down to the
structure of the executive and the relationship between the executive and the legislature.

Let us begin with the American presidential system. It is based on the concepts of separation of powers, and checks and
balances. The idea of separation of powers was first developed by Montesque in The Spirit of the Laws. Originally published
in 1748, this is an enormous work that covers numerous aspects of how governments function. In it, Montesque argues that
concentrating all executive, legislative, and judicial power in one office is the very definition of tyranny.

Fresh from their fight for independence from Britain, it is clear that the founding fathers were very concerned about the
tyranny and abuse of power that can occur when one branch of government gains too much political power. As a result, in
the American system, power is divided among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government. A system
of checks and balances is in place through the powers given to each branch in the United States Constitution.

As a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, the Canadian system is quite different. To begin with, there is
no mention of the Prime Minister in the 1867 Constitution Act. Instead, executive power lies in the Queen, with the Governor
General “…carrying on the Government of Canada on behalf and in the name of the Queen, by whatever title he is
designated.” This reflects the fact that in Canada, there is a split between the formal and legislative roles of the Executive.
Today the Governor General’s role is primarily symbolic and ceremonial. As the Queen’s representative, he or she reads the
speech from the throne, opens and ends sessions of Parliament, and gives Royal Assent to bills. The Governor General also
attends numerous public functions and hands out several awards, including the Order of Canada. As for the political power
of the executive, this lies with both the Prime Minister and, since Canada has a federal system of government, the ten
provincial Premiers. While the Queen is the Head of State, the Prime Minister is the Head of Government.

In contrast to a separation of powers, the Canadian system of government is characterized by a fusion of the executive and
legislative powers. As Ronald Landes explains in The Canadian Polity: A Comparative Introduction: “Whichever party has a
majority of seats in the legislature also controls the executive branch; in other words, the same group of political leaders
operate both the executive and legislative institutions of government.” This fusion is accomplished mainly through the
cabinet, and is based upon the principle of responsible government. The Prime Minister and his cabinet are responsible to
the legislature, and maintain control only so long as they maintain majority support. This is completely different from the
American system, where each branch of government operates independently and the executive is not responsible to the
legislature.

A final difference between the two systems lies in the electoral process. In the United States, the President has no say in the
timing of elections, since they are held at a set time.

By contrast, there is no set time for elections in Canada, although they must be held within a five-year period. This allows the
Prime Minister considerable leeway in choosing when to call an election - presumably when the party is doing well in the
polls and victory is almost assured.

No. of words : 662 Time taken to read : minutes Reading speed: w.p.m.
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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 16

A new world energy source?


If you know anything about methane gas – it probably has something to do with swamp gas, and a faintly unpleasant
sulphurous smell that rises from country marshes on sultry, summer evenings, or perhaps – for more romantic types –
stories of Will-o’-the-Wisp, the flickering lights seen at night above that very same swamp (mundanely, methane igniting
spontaneously with traces of odorous hydrogen sulphide found in the bog’s rotting organic matter).

Forget it. Start thinking about methane hydrates - a crystalline form of methane gas and pure water that exists when
pressures are sufficiently high, or temperatures sufficiently low. If you manage to keep that pressure high or that temperature
low, it looks like a lump of ice. There are mega-tons of the stuff at the bottom of the ocean all over the world and in the Arctic
permafrost (about 300,000 trillion cubic feet of it) and it is the cleanest and most abundant source of energy in the world.
There is at least twice as much of it around as fossil fuels. And, when burned as a fuel, it releases less carbon dioxide
pollution than anything else around.

So why aren’t we using it? Plain and simple, methane hydrates are hard to get at, and once gotten at, hard to transport. Its
crystalline form will change to gas when pressures are lowered, or temperatures rise (like when it’s brought to the sea
surface) and in doing so it will expand 164 times, representing definite storage and transport issues. There are geo-political
considerations, too – who owns it? What about global warming (because extra methane, when released, is another addition
to the greenhouse gases)? And, naturally occurring submarine landslides, which in turn create tsunamis and cause costly
damage to pipelines and undersea cables, may be caused by hydrate dissociation and sediment failure; that is, landslides
may occur if the substrate becomes lubricated when the crystalline form reverts to gas and water. If we exploit the resource,
are we exacerbating the problem?

All these issues are being addressed in a series of international conferences entitled ‘Fiery Ice from the Sea.’ “Many
technological problems need to be resolved,” says Nick Langhorne, science officer in ONR’s London office, “And these need
a coordinated international effort. There will always be nuclear energy, of course, but nuclear power comes with a lot of
emotional baggage and, while it’s good for generating electricity, chances are you’ll never run your car on it. It’s time to put
the necessary resources toward methane hydrates R&D.” The world consumes 3 billion gallons of oil a day. Production and
supply of all the traditional hydrocarbon fuels – coal, gas and oil – are well established but will peak in the next two years.

“And there’s another bonus in all this,” says Rick Coffin, of the Naval Research Lab. “When methane, which is a gas,
combines with seawater to make methane hydrate, it rejects the salt in the water. Therefore, fresh water is produced when
the concentrated hydrates are melted. It’s a desalination process where the methane can be recycled to continue the
process. For areas thirsty for water, this could be a real windfall. Perhaps I should have said ‘waterfall’.”

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− 17
PRACTICE PASSAGE−

UCL scientists will be teaming up with colleagues at MIT to pull off the first transatlantic handshake over the internet.
Professor Mel Slater and his UCL team Jesper Mortensen and Joel Jordan will make tactile contact with Professor
Mandayam Srinivasan of the Touch Lab at MIT, Cambridge on the eve of a major conference -Internet2 - on the next
generation of internet technologies to be staged in Los Angeles, USA. Mel Slater – a professor of computer science and an
expert in virtual reality – has researched the creation of elaborate Virtual Reality (VR) worlds which closely reflect the feeling
and experiences we are acquainted with in real life. Having created realistic visual and auditory experiences, the next
challenge was to create a convincing sense of touch.

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Stemming from an earlier collaboration with the MIT Touch Lab in 1998, the UCL team has been working in developing
software for a HAPTIC interface - devices that simulates touch – over network paths of extremely long distances.
The MIT/UCL 'hand shake' will traverse a distance of over 3,000 miles, the first time this will ever have been publicly
demonstrated. The experiment, if successful, will see whether two subjects in Boston and London can manipulate and move
a cube. The subjects, although thousands of miles apart, will feel the force that the other exerts, and will have to work
co-operatively to manipulate it across a visual virtual environment.

The feeling of touch comes through a pencil like device called a PHANToM which sends small impulses at very high
frequencies - up to 1000Hz – down the internet. The impulse frequencies need to be very high to 'imitate' convincingly the
sense of touch. In much the same way that the brain re-interprets still images into moving pictures, the frequencies received
by the PHANToM are similarly integrated to produce the sense of a continuous sensation. The problem for the team was to
reduce the element of delay – or latency – in sending large chunks of data down the internet and receiving it promptly at the
other end.

Internet2 - the second generation of internet technologies – with its fibre optic cabling and higher bandwidths will allow the team
to send large amounts of data between the USA and Britain with minimal delay. It will also match the rapid speed of updating
information required to deliver a genuine sense of touch.

Speaking today on the eve of the experiment, Professor Slater said, that a PHANToM is a device which looks rather like a
pen which one can slide across a surface in a VR world and feel its texture and density. Pushing on the pen sends data
representing forces through the internet that can be interpreted by a PHANToM and therefore felt on the other end. One can
not only feel the resulting force, but can also get a sense of the quality of the object you're feeling – whether it's soft or hard,
wood like or fleshy.” Professor Slater continued; 'We've been interested in making the interactions between people in a VR
world as real as possible and clearly touch was a means by which you could enhance the sense of them feeling more
together. Working with colleagues at MIT, we developed the idea of seeing whether two PHANToMs connected over the
internet could create the effect of two fingers touching. If successful, this will be the first time that two PHANToMs have been
used to "touch" a human rather than a virtual object '

The applications of this technique, if it succeeds, are vast. There are possible applications in tele-medicine and training for
designers, artists and architects. Tasks requiring manual dexterity could be rehearsed in advance of executing them.
It enhances the sense of being together even though the physical distances involved are vast.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 18

O ne of modern science's most baffling mysteries may soon be solved by a North Carolina State University scientist and the
tiny fragments of DNA she's extracting from dried potato leaves. Dr. Jean Beagle Ristaino has extracted strands of DNA
from potato leaves preserved from the great Irish potato famine of the 1840s.

Using molecular tools only recently available, Ristaino, a professor of plant pathology at NC State, has deciphered a
fragment of DNA she's collected from blighted leaves stored as specimen at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England,
and other famous herbariums. Her findings should help historians and epidemiologists identify, once and for all, the source
of the potato late blight pathogen that decimated Irish potato harvests from 1845 to 1849, killing more than 1 million people
and forcing several million more to flee the island nation.

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Ristaino made a poster presentation about her findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., last week. This is the first time a disease pathogen has been identified using
DNA from a dried plant sample. "There are so many unsolved mysteries this DNA should finally help us answer," she says.
"Where did the late blight pathogen originate? How did it spread around the world? How has it evolved over the past
150 years? Are its new genotypes, or genetic forms, different from the old ones?"

The answers to those questions have more than just historical significance, she says, because the modern form of the late
blight pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, is still wiping out potato crops worldwide today, despite modern fungicides and
biosafety measures. Outbreaks occur each year in Mexico, Ireland, Ecuador, North Carolina and other potato growing
regions of the United States. "Ultimately, if we can learn how the late blight pathogen has evolved, we can develop new
control measures that could help eradicate future outbreaks," Ristaino says.

To conduct her research, Ristaino extracted and amplified ribosomal DNA fragments, 100 base pairs long, from 20 blighted
potato leaf specimens. The amplified DNA from the eight oldest specimens known to be infected with the late blight
pathogen was sequenced, allowing Ristaino to identify for sure that the pathogen involved was late blight. Next, she plans to
identify its genotype and track its historic route of migration around the world. She has devised new diagnostic tools, using
recombinant DNA techniques, that allow more rapid and accurate detection of the pathogen's presence in potatoes before
they are stored or planted. NC State has been issued a patent on Ristaino's technique.

Her research collaborators are Greg Parra of NC State and Dr. Carol Trout Groves, a former NC State postdoctoral fellow
now at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's New England Plant, Soil and Water Laboratory in Orono, Maine. Their
study is funded in part by the National Geographic Society.

Potatoes are one of the world's four leading food crops, along with rice, maize and wheat. Late blight poses an especially
great threat to potatoes in developing countries, where control measures may be too costly to use. "This research opens a
window to the past," Ristaino says. "We're excited about our results and believe these kinds of studies of epidemics could be
constructed for a range of plant pathogens."

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 19

T he rot in Enron started in August 2001 with the abrupt resignation of the chief executive officer, Jeffrey Skilling, who cited
"entirely personal reasons". At the time, Mr. Kenneth Lay the Chairman denied that there were any problems with the
company, but Mr Skilling's hasty exit set off alarm bells and Enron's shares started to drift downwards. The situation
deteriorated dramatically in October 2001 when Enron had to set aside $35m (£24m) to reflect losses in two complex
partnerships that had been set up in 1999 to conceal its large debt. Enron was also forced to knock $1.2bn off shareholder
equity at the time, a move that sent its share price into freefall.
It emerged that Mr Lay had conversations with Paul O'Neill, the treasury secretary, and Donald Evans, the commerce
secretary, just weeks before the company filed for bankruptcy. Mr Lay asked for help to stop a private credit rating agency
from downgrading Enron debt. Administration officials deny any intervention, but questions persist because of Enron's close
connections with the Bush administration. Mr Lay was an old Texas friend of the president, and Enron executives contributed
more than $500,000 to Mr Bush's various campaigns. More specifically, the White House faces questions about the
six meetings held between the vice-president, Dick Cheney, or his staff and Enron executives, as the Bush administration
was formulating US energy policy. Mr Cheney had refused to release records on those meetings, saying they involved
matters of policy.

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The general accounting office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, sued the White House in February 2001 for
refusing to disclose information on the Cheney meetings with Enron executives. It is the first time that Congress has taken
the White House to court. The administration claims it is withholding details as a question of principle, as otherwise it would
be impossible for the White House to hold confidential conversations with anybody.

The US justice department launched a criminal investigation and Mr Bush ordered sweeping reviews of pension and
financial disclosure rules. In July 2001, the president signed into law harsh penalties for anyone found guilty of corporate
wrongdoing. But that is small consolation for those who lost money through Enron. Many investors lost their shirts, and many
of Enron's 19,000 employees lost their savings because they belonged to retirement plans based on Enron shares. Yet top
executives were able to sell their Enron shares before they became worthless.

Arthur Andersen, Enron's auditor and itself under investigation for possible misconduct, admitted to destroying a "significant"
number of documents. Andersen practically ceased to exist as other accountancy companies have picked off different parts
of what was once America's eighth-largest company. Andersen, which is being closed down in the US, has agreed to pay
$60m to settle legal claims on its role in Enron's collapse.

The energy company has decided to sell off its most valuable assets, from pipelines to power stations. The company will
seek a first round of bids in the coming few months - a year after filing what was at the time the largest bankruptcy in US
history. Enron's chief executive, Stephen Cooper, originally wanted to preserve the company in much slimmed-down form.
In plans presented to a bankruptcy court in May 2001, he proposed a company of 12,000 people that would make profits of
$1.3bn in 2003. But pressure from creditors, who are owed $50bn, has forced Mr Cooper to change tack. If the sale goes
ahead as planned, Enron will cease to exist.

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PRACTICE PASSAGE − 20

We’re always competing, even when we least expect it. The will to win is an instinct that’s kept our species alive. In this
programme we discover why coming out on top feels so great and why losing feels so bad. For our ancient ancestors,
beating the opposition was important. It meant they were more likely to survive and have children. Those who got a kick out
of winning were more successful and passed the desire for victory on to their children. So over generations, our bodies have
evolved to give us a feeling of euphoria when we win.

As young children, we compete for the most useful resource available - our parents’ attention. At the University of Michigan,
Brenda Volling asks parents to concentrate their attention on the older of two siblings. Immediately, the younger children try
to force their way into the game. If they fail to get noticed they release a powerful and effective weapon: the temper tantrum.
This invariably gets them their parent's attention. But when the parent plays only with the younger child, things are quite
different. The older sibling is far more likely to try to impress by following the rules, patiently waiting their turn, offering to help
with the game, or even simply saying "I love you."

One study suggests this difference in strategies continues into later life. Frank Sulloway studied historical figures in science. He
found that first borns were far less likely to be radical thinkers than their younger brothers and sisters. Scientific revolutions such as
Darwinism are far more likely to have been started, and supported, by people with at least one elder brother or sister.
We don’t have the energy or resources to compete all the time, so we have evolved hierarchies to avoid this. We are much
more likely to feel competitive with our friends and colleagues - people we feel at par with - and therefore have a realistic
chance of beating. But we don’t bother to battle with those people we feel are much superior, giving way to avoid a fight
we would probably lose. We also, unknowingly, send signals about ourselves. For men, one signal to their place in the
hierarchy is in their faces. Larger, wider jaws and chins, and heavy-set brows, are the signs of a dominant face, while a
submissive face looks more like that of a child. Allan Mazur of Syracuse University and Ulrich Mueller of Marburg
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University put this theory to the test, by analysing the careers of the West Point Military Academy class of 1950. They found
that those who made it into the top ranks of the army were also disproportionately those whose face rated highly for
dominance. We also judge people on the way they act. Ellen Langer of Harvard University found that people would bet more
money against an opponent who appeared less confident and capable - even though the card game they played was
completely dependent on chance.

Our bodies also drive us on to win by making losing feel terrible. And we are more likely to remember our losses - to help us
try and avoid doing the same thing again. But losing is not just about feeling bad. In a hierarchical world, reputations are very
important - even more important than not losing is not being seen to be a loser. Nick Leeson discovered this to his cost.
He says his desire not to be unmasked as someone who had lost money led him on to take bigger and bigger risks - until his
losses brought down Barings Bank. But the most unusual thing about the way humans compete is that we are not just out for
ourselves. We team up with others. And we experience the joy of winning and the agony of defeat just as vividly when
watching our family, friends, or favourite team as if we were actually competing ourselves.

No. of words : 649 Time taken to read : minutes Reading speed: w.p.m.

Summary of the passage:

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Express the main idea of the passage in one sentence: ____________________________


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IDENTIFYING THE TONES OF PASSAGES
Introduction
The test setters of CAT and other management entrance examinations occasionally give questions that test the candidate’s
ability to discern the ‘tone’ of a passage.
Questions on the ‘tone’ of a passage can be worded in different ways. For instance
(1) Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?
(2) The tone of the passage is ………..
(3) The author’s approach / tone / style of writing can be best described as ……
On occasion, the question may require the test taker to identify the tone of a particular statement in the passage.
For instance
The tone that the author uses when making the statement ………. can be best described as.
Adjectives like ‘caustic’, ‘critical’, ‘satirical’ etc will be given as answer choices. The student is required to select the most
appropriate choice.

What does ‘tone’ mean?


The word ‘tone’ refers to the general attitude that the author displays towards the topic that is discussed in the passage.

Classification of tones

Tones of passages can be broadly classified as positive, negative and neutral. Negative tones can be further classified as
very negative and mildly negative.

Method of identifying the tone of a passage

The tone of a passage can be discerned by studying the nature of the adjectives / nouns / verbs that the author uses to
express his views on the topic under discussion.

Therefore, the reader should focus on the statements that the author makes, not on statements that the author quotes
somebody else as saying.

Once key adjectives / nouns / verbs are identified, they should be analysed carefully.

The following questions will be helpful


(1) Is it a negative word or a positive word?
(2) Is it a mild word or a strong word?
(3) Does the author mean what he says or is he being sarcastic or ironic?
(4) Is there a pattern in the nature of adjectives / nouns / verbs used in the passage? Are they all negative or positive? If all
the key adjectives / nouns / verbs used in the passage are negative, then it can be safely concluded that the overall tone
is negative.

Adjectives that describes various types of tones

Given below are adjectives that describe various types of tones of passages.

(1) Adjectives used to describe very negative tones

The tone of passage can be described as being ..….. if the adjectives / nouns / verbs used suggest that the author

Acerbic, scathing, cutting, biting, vituperative, vitriolic, is very harsh towards somebody.
searing, trenchant, harsh, vicious or caustic

belligerent, bellicose or aggressive is very hostile towards somebody or something.

derisive, contemptuous, ridiculing, scornful, mocking or is making fun of somebody or something with a view to
disparaging belittling it or showing it in poor light.
incendiary or inciting is trying to stir up strife.
provocative is trying to irritate or annoy somebody.

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(2) Adjectives used to describe moderately negative tones
The tone of a passage can be described as being …… if the adjectives / nouns / verbs used suggest that the author
angry or indignant is annoyed about something that he considers unjust or unfair.
apathetic or indifferent has adopted an uncaring attitude towards the issues
mentioned.
biased, coloured, partisan, prejudiced, bigoted or is partial to a certain viewpoint with inadequate justification.
chauvinistic
condescending, patronising, supercilious or disdainful thinks himself superior to others and tends to talk down to
them.
cynical believes that people are motivated in all their actions only by
selfishness; in other words denying the sincerity of people’s
motives and actions, or the value of living.
sceptical has his doubts about something (e.g. the motives behind
somebody’s actions, the fulfilment of a promise made, the
outcome of a course of action).
dogmatic, opinionated or peremptory is arrogantly and positively stating something as the truth
without caring to support his claim with evidence.
obsequious is overly submissive to a person or an organisation.
critical is finding fault with somebody or something.
hypocritical is pretending to be what he is not or being self-righteous
when discussing the issue on hand.
sarcastic or sardonic is jeering at or taunting somebody using ironic and biting
remarks.
satirical is using ridicule, sarcasm, irony, etc to expose, attack or
deride vices, follies, stupidities and abuses.
pessimistic, negative or gloomy expects misfortune or the worst possible outcome in the
given circumstance.
(3) Adjectives used to describe positive tones
The tone of a passage can be described as being ….. if the adjectives / nouns / verbs used suggest that the author
optimistic, positive, sanguine, cheerful or buoyant is hopeful of the prospects of something or somebody and
feels that good things are in store.
humourous has tried to present the topic in a funny and amusing
manner with an express view to entertain the reader.
introspective or contemplative has attempted to analyse his own mind, feelings, actions,
motives etc.
laudatory, acclamatory, complimentary or adulatory is praising something or somebody he considers
praiseworthy.
motivating, inspiring or encouraging has tried to encourage somebody to do something
constructive.
commiserating or sympathetic has pity or compassion for somebody’s suffering.
(4) Adjectives used to describe tones that are neither positive nor negative
The tone of a passage can be described as being …… if the adjectives / nouns / verbs used suggest that the author
neutral does not favour one point of view over another.
apologetic is expressing regret for something he has said or done.
emotional was moved at the time of writing.
(5) Other adjectives that can be used to describe the nature or type a passage
A passage can be said to be …… in nature if ……..
speculative it surmises or ponders over various aspects of a given
subject or various outcomes of a course of action.
romantic the views expressed are fanciful and impractical.
humanistic the author evinces keen interest in human affairs, nature,
welfare, values etc.
technical it extensively uses terminology that is specific to a certain
field.
didactic its author has attempted to instruct his readers through the
passage.
narrative it essentially details a story or incident.
descriptive it attempts to describe a person, place, thing or concept in
detail.
evocative it encourages the reader to construct a mental picture of a
place or an event.

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Exercise – 1
(Recommended Time: 60 Minutes)

Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each passage.

PASSAGE – I

P art of the social contract entails "fairness", that the poor share in the gains of society as it grows, and that the rich share in
the pains of society in times of crisis. The Washington Consensus policies paid little attention to issues of distribution or
"fairness". If pressed, many of its proponents would argue that the best way to help the poor is to make the economy grow.
They believe in trickle-down economics. Eventually, it is asserted, the benefits of that growth trickle down even to the poor.
Trickle-down economics, was never much more than just a belief, an article of faith. Pauperism seemed to grow in
nineteenth-century England even though the country as a whole prospered. Growth in America in the 1980s provided the
most recent dramatic example; while the economy grew, those at the bottom saw their real incomes decline. The Clinton
administration had argued strongly against trickle-down economics; it believed that there had to be active programs to help
the poor. And when I left the White House to go to the World Bank, I brought with me the same skepticism of trickle-down
economics; if this had not worked in the United States, why would it work in developing countries? While it is true that
sustained reduction in poverty cannot be attained without robust economic growth, the converse is not true; growth need not
benefit all. It is not true that "a rising tide lifts all boats." Sometimes, a quickly rising tide, especially when accompanied by a
storm, dashes weaker boats against the shore, smashing them to smithereens.

In spite of the obvious problems confronting trickle-down economics, it has a good intellectual pedigree. One Nobel Prize
winner, Arthur Lewis, argued that inequality was good for development and economic growth, since the rich save more than
the poor and the key to growth was capital accumulation. Another Nobel Prize winner, Simon Kuznets, argued that while in
the initial stages of development inequality increased, later on the trend was reversed.

The History of the past fifty years has, however, not supported these theories and hypothesis. East Asian countries - South
Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan - showed that high savings did not require high inequality, that one could achieve rapid growth
without a substantial increase in inequality. Because the governments did not believe that growth would automatically benefit
the poor, and because they believed that greater equality would actually enhance growth, governments in the region took
active steps to ensure that the rising tide of growth did lift most boats, that wage inequalities were kept in bounds, that some
educational opportunity was extended to all. Their policies led to social and political stability, which in turn contributed to an
economic environment in which businesses flourished. Tapping new reservoirs of talent provided the energy and human
skills that contributed to the dynamism of the region.

Elsewhere, where governments adopted the Washington Consensus policies, the poor have benefited less from growth.
In Latin America, growth has not been accompanied by a reduction in inequality, or even a reduction in poverty. In some
cases poverty has actually increased, as evidenced by urban slums that dot the landscape. The IMF talks with pride about
the progress Latin America has made in market reforms over the past decade (though somewhat more quietly after the
collapse of the star student Argentina in 2001, and the recession and stagnation that have afflicted many of the "reform"
countries during the past five years) but has said less about the numbers in poverty.

1. According to the passage, trickle down economics (B) Pauperism that grew in the 19C England even
(A) is just a theory and not actually friendly to the though the country prospered.
poor. (C) Greater equality that enhances growth, checks
(B) leads to steady reduction in poverty and benefits inequality and extends equal opportunities.
all. (D) New skills that reduce poverty and aid progress.
(C) brings equality which enhances growth and
extends opportunities to all. 4. Which of the statements is NOT true?
(D) causes economic growth followed by reduction in (1) The governments that adopted the Washington
inequality. consensus policies have progressed.
(2) The Washington consensus policies entails
2. It can be inferred from the passage that one of the fairness or equal distribution of wealth.
ways to help the poor is (3) The Washington consensus policies advocates
(A) to believe in trickle-down economics and to make capital accumulation.
the economy grow. (4) The Washington consensus policies asserted that
(B) to create equality to enhance growth, control the benefits of economic growth would trickle
wage inequality and extend educational down to the poor.
opportunities to all. (A) (1) and (2) (B) (2) and (3)
(C) to tap new talent and human skills that contribute (C) (1) and (3) (D) (3) and (4)
to the dynamism of the region.
(D) to let the economy grow and share the benefits 5. What do you think 'rising tide....' refers to in the phrase
with the poor. 'rising tide lifts all boats'?
(A) The trickle-down economics
3. What does social and political stability depend on? (B) Equality and distribution of benefits to the poor
(A) Inequality that is good for development and (C) Quick economic growth
economic growth. (D) Liberal policies of governments
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PASSAGE – II

The best known and probably the most common type of ocean-floor valley can properly be called the submarine canyon.
These formations have an extraordinary resemblance to river-cut land canyons. In addition to their V-shaped cross sections,
their floors slope outward as continuously as do land canyons. They have many entering tributaries that form the dendritic
(branching) pattern characteristic of land canyons. Their steep walls frequently have rock outcrops, although a sediment
cover is more common than in land canyons, and most of the sea canyons have similar winding courses.

The vertical dimensions of submarine canyons are surprising. Most of them have walls thousands of metres high, and the
highest, in the Bahamas, rises almost five kilometres (three miles) from the canyon floor - dwarfing, by comparison, the walls
of the Grand Canyon that are only about 1.6 kilometres (one mile) high. Some canyons have been traced for slightly more
than 320 kilometres (200 miles) in length, but most extend less than 48 kilometres (30 miles). Usually they can be traced as
far as the base of the steep part of the continental slopes, often more than 1.6 kilometres in depth. Their width varies in the
same manner as that of land valleys. A narrow gorge off La Jolla, California, is as deep as it is wide, but the more typical
canyons have widths of many kilometres. A five-kilometre-deep canyon in the Bahamas, for example is 37 kilometres
(23 miles) wide at its deepest point. By comparison, the Grand Canyon is about 19 kilometres (12 miles) wide. In both cases,
the average slope is small but photographs show vertical rock walls in the Bahama Canyon, and the Grand Canyon has
vertical walls interspersed with terraces and pyramidal buttes (flat-topped) and steep-sided hills. The seaward gradients of
the canyon floors are generally steeper than those of land canyons. The average floor slope is about 57 metres per kilometre
(300 feet per mile), but the numerous canyons that closely approach the coastline have high gradients at their heads,
sometimes as great as 45°. The gradients almost alw ays decrease in the outer portions.

The appearance of the canyons has been ascertained in recent years both by lowering cameras to the bottom and by
observation from deep-diving vehicles. The dives, which have penetrated to depths of more than 2,100 metres (roughly
7,000 feet) within a canyon, have been particularly useful in describing physical features. They have indicated that vertical or
even overhanging walls are commonplace, and that canyon walls often are grooved or polished as if they had been
smoothed by a glacier. The floors, while generally covered with cobbles and other marked surfaces, have been shown by
remote camera pictures to occur at depths of more than three kilometres (two miles). The floors may vary considerably in
gradient, ranging from a gentle slope to a steep drop-off, with the latter often occurring where boulders, fallen from the walls,
have allowed sediments to build up above this obstruction.

All of the preceding features suggest that canyons are subject to active marine processes and are by no means mere
remnants of long past erosional processes. Further evidence that conditions are far from static comes from repeated
soundings taken along the same ranges at the canyon heads. It has been known since the mid-20th century that the profiles
sometimes undergo radical changes. Apparently, depth increases very suddenly, but shoaling occurs at a more gradual
pace. This sudden deepening has broken cables - notably off the Congo, where a canyon extends seaward for
193 kilometres (120 miles). Piers and jetties built into submarine canyon heads have collapsed from the sudden removal of
sediment on which they were resting.

The nature of the rocks on the canyon walls has been determined by dredging and by observation from deep diving vehicles.
Most of it has proved to be relatively soft and hence rather easily eroded, but there are some canyons that have been cut
through very hard rock, even quartzite. Granite walls have been found in several places, and one vertical granite cliff was
discovered in a vehicle dive to 1,265 metres (4,150 feet) off the tip of Baja California. There, both walls of the canyon were
granite; in some areas only one of the walls is hard rock, whereas the other wall is relatively soft.

6. The feature more common to submarine canyons than 9. By "active marine processes", the author means
to land canyons is (A) marine life.
(A) entering tributaries. (B) sea flora.
(B) V - shaped cross-section. (C) sea fauna.
(C) sediment cover on rock crops. (D) dynamic forces of ocean.
(D) outward sloping floor.
10. The word "shoaling" in this context means
7. Observation by lowering cameras and deep diving (A) swarms of fishes found in the canyons.
vehicles helped in (B) shallowing of the steep gradient.
(A) ascertaining the appearance of canyons. (C) shovelling of the canyons.
(B) describing the physical features of the canyons. (D) further deepening of the canyon floor.
(C) counting the dendritic tributaries.
(D) both (A) and (B). 11. Dredging and observation from deep diving vehicles
indicated that
8. Steep drop-off of canyon floors often occurs when (A) the walls of the canyons are either grooved or
(A) sediments accumulate over boulders displaced polished.
from the canyon walls. (B) the gradient of the canyons floor may vary
(B) cobbles of floors are moved away by ocean considerably.
currents. (C) the walls of the canyons are vertical or even
(C) overhanging walls give that appearance. overhanging.
(D) terraces are formed. (D) all the above statements.

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12. The collapse of piers and jetties built into the 14. The canyon which is about 19 kms wide at its deepest
submarine canyon heads indicate that point is
(A) the dynamic forces of the ocean remove the base on (A) the canyon in the Congo.
which piers and jetties are built. (B) the Grand Canyon.
(B) the sea water erodes the material of piers and (C) the canyon in the Bahamas.
jetties. (D) the Baja California.
(C) the depth of canyon varies from place to place.
(D) these canyons are remnant of previous erosional 15. The length to which most of the submarine canyons
processes. extend is approximately
(A) 193 kms. (B) 4,150 ft.
13. The highest vertical dimension of the canyon wall (C) 48 kms. (D) 12 miles.
measures
(A) 6 kms. (B) 1.6 kms. (C) 3 miles. (D) 1 mile.

PASSAGE – III

Meats generally consist of about 20 percent protein, 20 percent fat, and 60 percent water; the amount of fat present in a
particular portion of meat varies greatly, not only with the kind of meat - pork, beef, lamb, etc. - but also with its quality; the
"energy value" varies in direct proportion with the fat content. Meat is valuable for its protein, which is of high biological
value. Meat is also an excellent source of B vitamins, including thiamine, one of the most important vitamins. Pork is the best
source of thiamine, liver is next, and skeletal muscle, from any meat source, is third. Liver is an excellent source of riboflavin,
another B vitamin that combines with protein in the body to form important oxidative enzymes. All meats supply niacin, which
helps to build and maintain a healthy skin, nervous system, and digestive system. Meat also provides other essential
B vitamins, such as pyridoxine, involved in amino acid metabolism, and vitamin B12, needed for formation of red blood cells.
Meat is also a good source of the essential minerals iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

Aquatic organisms are consumed in almost every area of the world. The muscular tissue of fish consists of 13 - 20 percent
protein; varying amounts of fat, ranging from under one to over 20 percent; and 60 - 82 percent water, varying inversely with
fat content. Exact proportions vary among different species, and seasonal and feeding variations result in differences among
individuals of the same species. The proteins and fats of both fishes and shell fishes are readily digested and compare
favourably in food value with other meats.

The composition of the diet affects nutritive content, as well as flavour, of the flesh of fish. For example, only eels and related
species deposit vitamin A in their flesh; it is not adequately synthesized by other species. However, fish liver contains
vitamin A as a result of the passing of this nutrient along the food chain, the sequence in which each organism uses the next
lower member as food. The halibut, for example, yields rich quantities of this vitamin, because it feeds mainly on Sebastes
species, redfish found in the deep waters of the North Atlantic that has great quantities of vitamin A in its liver oil.
The nutrient originates earlier in the food chain, starting with the drifting plant life called phytoplankton.

The nutritional value of milk fat is still unclear. It is the most complex of the natural fats, containing at least 142 fatty acids. Its
composition varies widely, depending upon such factors as the cow's intake of unsaturated fatty acids and the levels of dietary fat,
protein, and roughage eaten. Considerable research has been done on the possible involvement of milk fat in cardiovascular
disease in man but no conclusions can yet be drawn as to what effects this or other fats may have on this ailment.

Lactose, or milk sugar, is a product of mammalian metabolism secreted in milk for nourishment of the young. Its exact
nutritional function is not known, but its role in a number of metabolic processes has been studied. Lactose is hydrolysed in
the body to glucose and galactose. Glucose is absorbed directly. Galactose is considered a dietary essential because of its
occurrence in cerebrosides and mucopolysaccharides. A deficiency of these is thought possibly to lead to diseases of
structural and nervous tissue in later life. There is increasing evidence that a lactose intolerance produces mild or even
severe digestive disturbances and diarrhoea. Symptoms have been produced in individuals, most often of non-Caucasian
races, by feeding 50 grams of lactose in water or even in milk or whey. It is not known whether the intolerance is genetic or
whether it has been acquired by long omission of milk from the diet. Intolerance appears to be caused by the absence of the
enzyme lactase in the intestine.

There are interrelationships between milk minerals and other food nutrients that are still not clear. Many minerals are
involved in maintaining the balance of mineral ions in body fluids, in regulating the metabolism of enzymes, in keeping an
acid-base balance, and in facilitating membrane transfer of essential compounds. The mineral content of milk includes
calcium and phosphorous adequate for normal skeletal development. Milk contains all of the vitamins known to be required
by man. The vitamin C present in milk is destroyed by heating (pasteurization), which in many countries is required to
prevent the milk from spreading bacterial and other infections. Infants fed solely on boiled milk are likely to develop scurvy
unless given fruit juice or other sources of ascorbic acid. Ergosterol in milk may be converted to vitamin D by irradiation of
the milk. Milk contains the fat-soluble vitamin A and carotene, its precursor, but the amount varies considerably with the food
of the lactating animal. Since green food is the main source of this vitamin in the diet of cows, summer milk usually has more
than winter milk. Some commercial producers have fortified milk with the addition of vitamins and sometimes of iron.

Eggs have a deservedly high reputation as a food. The white is protein and the yolk is rich both in protein and vitamin A.
Eggs also provide calcium and iron; egg yolk, however, has a high cholesterol content.
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16. Regarding the nutritional value of milk-fat, the (C) long omission of milk in the diet.
statement which is NOT true is: (D) structural disorders.
(A) It is the most complex of the natural fats.
(B) Excessive consumption of milk by adults leads to 23. Many of the milk minerals are involved in
cardio vascular disease in them during old age. (A) maintaining the balance of mineral ions in
(C) The composition of milk fat does not remain body-fluids.
uniform. (B) keeping acid-base balance.
(D) Several researches have been done to ascertain (C) facilitating membrane transfer of essential
the role of milk fats in diseases. compounds.
(D) all the above functions.
17. The substance supplied by meat which helps to build
and maintain a healthy skin, nervous and digestive
24. Infants solely fed on boiled milk are likely to develop
systems is
scurvy because
(A) niacin. (B) riboflavin.
(A) the predisposing factors that cause scurvy are
(C) thiamine. (D) B12.
present in boiled milk.
18. Which of the following statements is true? (B) boiled milk is not a balanced diet.
(A) Irrespective of the source of meat, the fat content (C) vitamin - C, which is necessary to prevent scurvy,
remains the same. is destroyed by pasteurization.
(B) Riboflavin present in liver combines with protein in (D) it does not contain ascorbic acid.
the body to form important oxidative enzymes.
(C) Pyridoxine is needed for formation of red blood 25. Pick the odd man out.
cells. (A) Egg yolk has high contents of protein, Vitamin A
(D) Vitamin B12 is involved in amino acid metabolism. and Cholesterol.
(B) Milk is a balanced diet for both the young and the
19. The presence of vitamin A in fish liver indicates that old.
(A) the vitamin is being synthesized in its flesh. (C) Pasteurization of milk kills the spread of certain
(B) seasonal and feeding variations can affect the infection through it.
nutritional content of the fish. (D) The mineral content of milk may not support
(C) it is being assimilated in the body of the fish. proper skeletal development.
(D) it is feeding on the species that contains this
vitamin. 26. Which of the following options most appropriately
summarizes the content given in para 4 of the
20. In the case of fish, passage?
(A) the fat content and the water content in its flesh (A) Although the nutritive content of milk fat - the
are inversely related. most complex of fatty acids containing 142 fatty
(B) the nutrient content is affected by the composition acids - is unclear, research proved that its role in
of its diet. causing cardiovascular ailments is negligible.
(C) the protein and fats in it are easily digestible by (B) There is no conclusive evidence to prove the role
humans. of milk fat, the most complex of natural fats
(D) all the above hold good. comprising 142 fatty acids, in cardiovascular
21. The deficiency of galactose may affect diseases in man and its nutritive value remains
(A) cerebrosides and mucopolysaccharides thereby unclear.
leading to diseases of structural and nervous tissues. (C) Research has shown that milk fat which contains
(B) hydrolysis of lactose. 142 fatty acids is not as responsible for causing
(C) bone-formation. cardio vascular diseases as are fats from other
(D) cardiovascular condition. sources.
(D) The nutritive value of milk fat is unclear and
22. Mild or severe digestive disturbances and diarrhoea because it is the most complex of natural fats,
may occur due to containing 142 fatty acids, its involvement in
(A) one’s racial make up. cardiovascular diseases is suspected.
(B) absence of the enzyme lactase in the intestine.

PASSAGE – IV

Density currents are currents that are kept in motion by the force of gravity acting on a relatively small density difference
caused by variations in salinity, temperature, or sediment concentration. Salinity and temperature variations produce
stratification in oceans. Below the surface layer, which is disturbed by waves and is lighter than the deeper waters because it
is warmer or less saline, the oceans are composed of layers of water that have distinctive chemical and physical
characteristics.

An example of this type of density current, or stratified flow, is provided by the water of the Mediterranean Sea as it flows
through the Strait of Gibraltar out into the Atlantic. Because the Mediterranean Sea is enclosed in a basin that is relatively
small compared with the ocean basins and because it is located in a relatively arid climate, evaporation exceeds the supply
of fresh water from rivers. The result is that the Mediterranean contains water that is both warmer and more saline than
normal deep-sea water. The density contrast causes the lighter Atlantic water to flow into the Mediterranean in the upper
part of the Strait of Gibraltar and the denser Mediterranean water to flow out into the Atlantic in the lower part of the strait.
Because the strait is only 20 kilometres (12 miles) wide, both inflow and outflow achieve relatively high speeds. One result of the high

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current speeds in the strait is to cause a considerable amount of mixing, which reduces the salinity of the out flowing Mediterranean
water to about 37 parts per thousand. The out flowing water sinks to a depth of about 1.500 metres or more, where it encounters
colder, denser Atlantic water. It then spreads out as a layer of more saline water between two Atlantic water masses.
Density currents caused by suspended sediment concentrations in the oceans are called turbidity currents. They appear to
be relatively short-lived, transient phenomena that occur at great depths. Turbidity currents are thought to be caused by the
slumping of sediment that has piled up at the top of the continental slope, particularly at the heads of submarine canyons.
Although large-scale turbidity underflows have never been directly observed in the oceans, there is much evidence
supporting their occurrence. This evidence may be briefly summarized : (1) Telegraph cables have been broken in the deep
sea in a sequence that indicates some disturbance at the bottom moving from shallow to deep water at speeds of the order
of 10 to 40 knots (11 to 46 miles per hour). The trigger for this phenomenon is commonly, though not exclusively, an
earthquake near the edge of the continental slope. The only disturbance that seems capable of being transmitted downslope at the
required speed is a large turbidity current. (2) Cores taken from the sea bottom in the area downslope from cable breaks reveal layers
of sand interbedded with normal deep-sea pelagic or hemipelagic oozes (sediments formed in the deep sea by quiet settling of fine
particles). (3) Coring has revealed layers of fine-grained sand or coarse silt at many other localities in the abyssal plains of
the oceans. It is clear that the sand forming these layers has been moved down from shallow water, and in many cases the
only plausible mechanism appears to be a turbidity current. (4) At the base of many submarine canyons there are very large
submarine fans. Deep-sea channels on the fan surfaces extend for many tens of kilometres and have depths of over a
hundred metres and widths of a kilometre or more. Submarine levees are a prominent feature, and these project above the
surrounding fan surface to elevations of 50 metres (160 feet) or more. The gross characteristics of such channels suggest
that they were formed by a combination of erosion and deposition by turbidity currents. (5) Thick deposits of interbedded
graded sandstones and fine-grained shales are common in geological record. In some cases there is good fossil evidence
that the shales were deposited in relatively deep water, perhaps as much as several thousand metres deep.

27. The difference in characteristics between the upper (B) density currents.
and the deeper layers of oceans is due to the (C) turbidity currents.
(A) lower salinity of the upper layer. (D) earthquake triggered turbidity currents.
(B) lower temperature of the upper layer.
(C) lighter density of the upper layer. 33. Which of the following is NOT an evidence supporting
(D) higher stratification of the upper layer. the occurrence of large scale turbidity under flows?
(A) Telegraph cables being broken in the deep Sea.
28. The Mediterranean Sea water is both warmer and more (B) The existence of submarine levees.
saline than normal sea water because (C) Ancient sand stone deposits in relatively deep
(A) of the water from the Atlantic flowing into it. water.
(B) of the larger basin in which it is enclosed. (D) Turbidity underflows.
(C) the rate of evaporation exceeds the supply of
fresh water from rivers. 34. The cores taken from the sea bottom in the area
(D) of the semi-arid climate surrounding it. downslope from cable breaks show
29. In the case of turbidity currents, density difference (A) normal deep sea oozes and sandwiching layers of
arises due to the presence of sand.
(A) sedimentary rocks (B) suspended sediment. (B) sediments formed in deep sea.
(C) submarine canyons. (D) submarine fans. (C) normal deep sea oozes.
(D) pebbles and gravel.
30. The result of high current speeds in the strait is
(A) flowing of more water into the Atlantic. 35. Deep sea channels are believed to have been formed by
(B) the increase in salinity of the Atlantic water. (A) sub marine canyons.
(C) the eroding of the banks of the strait. (B) deep sea fans.
(D) the reduction of the salinity of the outflowing (C) erosions.
Mediterranean water. (D) a combination of erosion and deposition by
turbidity currents.
31. One of the following is NOT a predisposing factor for
density currents to move 36. The passage does NOT explain
(A) gravitational force. (B) density difference. (A) why the distinctive layers of water do not lose
(C) varying salinity. (D) hot arid climate. their individual identity.
32. The breaking of telegraph cables in the deep sea is (B) evidence for the occurrence of turbidity underflows.
due to (C) how the density currents arise.
(A) movement of ships and submarines. (D) how dense sediment is created.

PASSAGE – V
It was the buzz of boardrooms, power lunches and anxious phone calls from the freeway. It was debated by stockbrokers,
real estate agents, Hollywood producers and media Bigfeet. Mid-level executives who wouldn't leave home without a phone
in their pocket - or at their ear - were putting off calls or finding other ways to make them. Sales of cellular radio telephones -
which had been growing at a sizzling 20% to 70% a year for the past decade - were temporarily put on hold.
Do cellular phones really cause brain tumours? The safety of the ultimate yuppie accessory was called into question by the news in
the U.S. that two prominent executives had been stricken by brain cancer (though the connection to phone use is unclear) and by a
well-publicized lawsuit in which a Florida man charged that his wife's fatal brain tumour was caused by her cellular phone.

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It was not the kind of evidence that would be accepted by the New England Journal of Medicine, but it struck a nerve.
American viewers tuned in to hear David Reynard, the Florida widower, tell the story of his wife's death to Larry King, Bryant
Gumbel, Faith Daniels and dozens of radio talk-show hosts.

Even Wall Street took notice, knocking a couple of points off McCaw Cellular, Contel Cellular and Motorola the day after
Reynard's appearance on the Larry King Live show, and then extending the sell-off through much of last week. The Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association was finally forced to respond, announcing that it would fund new studies and ask
the government to review the findings.

The phone flap is the latest in a series of scares linking everyday electrical objects (hair dryers, electric razors, electric
blankets, home computers) to one dreaded disease or another. Most of the concern has focused on the low-frequency end
of the spectrum : the electromagnetic fields surrounding power lines, electric motors and video-display terminals. Cellular
phones occupy another part of the spectrum. They send their signals using very small bursts of high-frequency
electromagnetic waves or microwaves.

The low and high-frequency controversies have one thing in common. In each case, the electromagnetic waves are too
weak to affect human tissue in any well-understood mechanism. They are not known to disrupt living cells or alter DNA the
way X-rays and ultraviolet radiation do. If these fields do indeed cause cancer, it is by a mechanism yet to be uncovered.

Despite the panic, the case against cellular phones is nowhere near as strong as the ones mounted against electric power
lines, electric blankets or even hand held police radars. Dozens of highway patrol men have come forward to complain of
tumours of the eye, the cheek or the testicles (from jamming radar guns between their legs). And there is a growing body of
evidence showing that living near power lines can quadruple the risk of contracting childhood leukaemia.

Since 1982, 10 million cellular phones have been sold in the U.S. and so far there have been only a few anecdotal reports of
brain cancers among users. Given the gestation period for most cancers, it may be some time before the true effects
emerge.

Slesin recommends that cellular telephone owners practise what he calls prudent avoidance. "If you can use an ordinary
phone, do." If mobility is required, he suggests either a trunk-mounted car phone as a two-piece cellular model that
separates the hand-held receiver from the microwave transmitter (So called cordless portable phones use a different
frequency and far less power and they have not been associated with any adverse health effects).

Before consumers buy into a pervasive network of cellular phones, they might well demand some answers about the
controversy that is already in the news.

37. If the case against the cell phone, as the culprit behind (B) Cell phones use high-frequency electromagnetic
brain tumour in the users, is proved, waves.
(A) extensive research needs to be done by the (C) The case against cellular phones has proved that
cellular industry association. brain tumours are more probable among cellular
(B) the mechanism, if any, through which the phone users than among those living near power
electromagnetic waves affect the human tissue lines.
needs to be discovered. (D) The time from which the cellular phones are in
(C) the functioning of cell phones in low frequency operation is not sufficient for all the negative
fields needs to be studied. effects to come out.
(D) cell phones would be taken off the market.
40. Larry King is probably
38. According to the passage,
(A) a prominent personality of a popular T.V. channel.
Ι. Studies have proved that child leukaemia is more (B) the representative of the Republican party.
possible in people residing close to power lines. (C) a very famous criminal lawyer in U.S.A.
ΙΙ. The case against cellular phones is as strong as (D) the C.E.O of a cell phone manufacturing company.
the case against X-rays.
ΙΙΙ. Police handheld radars are considered worse
41. The controversy over cellular phones resulted in
than cell phones.
(A) the cellular telecom industry association agreeing
(A) Only Ι is correct (B) Only ΙΙ is correct
to fund new studies.
(C) Ι and ΙΙ are correct (D) Ι and ΙΙΙ are correct (B) The share value of the cell phone companies fell
in the stock market.
39. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
(C) adversely affecting the sale of cellular phones.
(A) Recent news on bad effects of cellular phones
(D) All the above.
affected the sales.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5

No. of words 584 716 883 671 621

No. of Qs. 5 10 11 10 5

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Exercise – 2
(Recommended Time: 60 Minutes)
Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each passage.

PASSAGE – I

I began the previous chapter by asking, how could an organization with such talented (and high paid) government
bureaucrats make so many mistakes? I suggested that part of its problems arose from the dissonance between its supposed
objective, the objective for which it was originally created, promoting global economic stability, and the newer objectives -
such as capital market liberalization - which did more to serve the interests of the financial community than of global stability.
This dissonance led to intellectual incoherency and inconsistencies that were more than just matters of academic interest.
No wonder, then, that it was hard to 'derive coherent policies. Economic science was too often replaced by ideology, an
ideology that gave clear directions, if not always guidance that worked, and an ideology that was broadly consonant with the
interests of the financial community, even if, when it failed to work, those interests themselves were not well served.

One of the important distinctions between ideology and science is that science recognizes the limitations on what one
knows. There is always uncertainty. By contrast, the IMF never likes to discuss the uncertainties associated with the policies
that it recommends, but rather, likes to project an image of being infallible. This posture and mind-set makes it difficult for it
to learn from past mistakes - how can it learn from those mistakes if it can't admit them? While many organizations would
like outsiders to believe that they are indeed infallible, the problem with the IMF is that it often acts as if it almost believes in
its infallibility.

The IMF has admitted to mistakes in the East Asia crisis, acknowledging that the contradictory fiscal policies exacerbated
the downturn, and that the strategy for reconstructing the financial system in Indonesia led to a bank run, which only made
matters worse. But, not surprisingly, the Fund - and the US Treasury, which was responsible for pushing many of the policies
- has tried to limit the criticisms and their discussion. Both were furious when a World Bank report touched on these and
other mistakes and got front-page coverage in the New York Times. Orders to muzzle the critics were issued. More tellingly,
the IMF never pursued the issues further. It never asked why the mistakes had occured, what was wrong with the models, or
what could be done to prevent a recurrence in the next crisis - and there surely will be another crisis in the future. (As of
January 2012, Argentina is going through a crisis. Once again, the IMF bailout policies failed to work, the contradictory fiscal
policies that it insisted upon pushed the economy into an ever deeper recession.) The IMF never asked why its models
systematically underestimated the depth of recession - or why its policies are systematically excessively contradictory.

The Fund tries to defend its stance of institutional infallibility, saying that if it showed it was wavering in its conviction that its
policies were correct, it would lose credibility - and the success of its policies requires that markets give it credibility.
Here again, there is real irony. Does the IMF, always praising the "perfection and rationality" of the market, really believe that
it enhances its credibility by making overly confident forecasts? Predictions that repeatedly don't pan out make the Fund look
rather less than infallible, especially if the markets are as rational as it claims. Today, the IMF has lost much of its credibility,
not only in developing countries but also with its cherished constituency, the financial community. Had the IMF been more
honest, more forthright, more modest, it would arguably be in a better standing today.

1. Why did the IMF lose credibility according to the (3) Economic science derives coherent policies
writer? (4) Economic science is replaced by ideology that
(A) Because any international economic institution agrees with the interests of the financial
has its own set of problems. community
(B) Because its policies and objectives did not match. (A) (1) and (2) (B) (2) and (3)
(C) Because it had chinks in its armour of infallibility. (C) (1) and (3) (D) (1) and (4)
(D) Because its policies are systematic and it was
convinced of its institutional success. 4. As used in the passage ‘infallible’ means all of the
following EXCEPT:
2. Why were orders to muzzle the critics issued? (A) impeccable.
(A) The IMF does not like to discuss its policies and (B) faultless.
their merits. (C) flawless.
(B) The IMF had made mistakes in East Asia and did (D) unscrupulous.
not want the world to know about them.
(C) The IMF was becoming infamous and did not 5. What do you think is the role of the US Treasury in
want the US Treasury to know about it. IMF?
(D) The IMF did not like the limelight and did not (A) The US Treasury guides the IMF and makes it
pursue issues further. infallible.
(B) The US Treasury helps the IMF to be systematic
3. As understood from the passage which of the following
and honest.
statements is NOT true of Economic science?
(C) The US Treasury pushes many of the policies that
(1) Economic science is ideological and gives clear
the IMF follows.
directions.
(D) The US Treasury aids the IMF to learn from its
(2) Economic science is replaced by ideology that
past mistakes.
gives clear directions.

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PASSAGE – II

The first Indian political organization to call for complete independence from British rule was the Ghadar (or Gadar) Party,
organized in 1913 by Indian immigrants in California. The Ghadar movement was remarkable for many reasons. Although
Sikhs from Punjab made up the majority of its founding members, the movement was completely devoid of any trace of
regional or religious chauvinism. Its platform was uncompromisingly secular and called for a total rejection of any form of
caste discrimination. And unlike the Congress, its membership was primarily drawn from the working class and poor
peasantry. Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus of all castes (including Dalits) were welcomed into the movement without bias or
discrimination.
The Congress failed to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity offered by First World War and leaders like Gandhi went as
far as campaigning for the British War effort, calling upon Indians to enroll in the British Army. This treacherous and sycophantic
policy of Gandhi not only drew biting criticism from Ghadar activists, but opposition from other quarters also emerged.

At a time when Gandhi was still addressing "War Recruitment Melas'', Dr. Tuljaram Khilnani of Nawabshah publicly
campaigned against War Loan Bonds. Sindh was then part of Bombay Presidency and the Sindh Congress, part of Bombay
Provincial Congress Committee. When Gandhi sought election to the AICC from Bombay PCC, the delegates from Sindh
opposed his election in view of his support to the British war effort.
The Congress was a relatively conservative organization at this time and drew stinging criticism from the Ghadarites.
Rejecting the notion that freedom could be won by participating in the oppressive bureaucracy of the British or by pleading
with the British for reforms or self-rule, the Ghadarites believed that only a militant mass movement that involved workers
and peasants and all other sections of Indian society on a non-sectarian basis could succeed. They envisaged an India that
would not only be free from exploitation by the British but would also be free from hunger, homelessness and disease. In
their vision of India, there would be no place for religious superstition or any socially sanctioned inequities.

The Ghadarites were especially successful in winning over Indian soldiers in the British Army and enticing them to revolt.
Soldiers in the Hongkong regiments were arrested and court-martialled for distributing Ghadar pamphlets and sent back to
India and imprisoned. Two Singapore regiments rebelled in Penang, but the rebellion was brutally crushed. In Rangoon in
January 1915, the 130th Baluchi regiment revolted. Two hundred soldiers of this regiment were court-martialled.
Four soldiers were hanged, 69 were given life imprisonment and 126 were given rigorous imprisonment for varying terms.
Pandit Sohan Lal Pathak, one of the outstanding leaders of the Ghadar Party was hanged on February 10, 1916 in
Mandalay jail for inciting rebellion against the British rule. The Party was also active amongst Indian soldiers in Iraq and Iran.
As a result of their work, the 15th Lancers, stationed in Basra revolted and 64 soldiers were court-martialled. Similarly, the
24th Punjabi and 22nd Pahari regiments also revolted.
But in spite of the tremendous repression unleashed by the British against the Ghadarites, the British were unable to stop a
mass wave of revolutionary unrest in 1919. The closing months of 1918 and the first months of 1919 saw the opening of a strike
movement on a scale never seen before. The Bombay mill strike extended to 125,000 workers. In spite of the Rowlatt Act of 1919
that sought to extend the provisions of martial law, a wave of mass demonstrations, strikes, and civil unrest confronted the British
authorities.
General Dyer's Jallianwala Bagh massacre followed the strike wave, when an unarmed crowd of 10,000 Baisakhi celebrators
was mercilessly attacked with over 1600 rounds of ammunition. Yet, Gandhi continued to advocate cooperation with the
British in December 1919, even as the resistance of ordinary Indians continued. The first six months of 1920 saw an even
greater level of mass resistance, with no less than 200 strikes taking place involving 1.5 million workers. It was in response
to this rising mass revolutionary tide that the leadership of the Congress was forced to confront it’s conservatism and give a
somewhat more militant face to it’s programme. The "non-violent non-cooperation" movement was thus launched under the
stewardship of Congress leaders like Lajpat Rai, Motilal Nehru and Gandhi.

6. According to the passage 8. According to the passage, which of the following was
Ι. Leaders like Gandhi campaigned for the British responsible for the shedding of conservatism by the
war effort calling upon Indians to enroll in the Congress?
British army. (A) Mass resistance in the first six months of 1920.
ΙΙ. Sikhs from Punjab made up the majority of the (B) Rowaltt Act
founding members of the Ghadar Party. (C) Jallianwala Bagh massacre
(A) Only Ι is true (D) The Ghadarites
(B) Both Ι and ΙΙ are true.
(C) Neither Ι nor ΙΙ is true. 9. According to the passage, the Congress is criticised
(D) Only ΙΙ is true. by the Ghadarites for
(A) not freeing the masses from hunger,
7. Which of the following is false, according to the homelessness and disease.
passage? (B) drawing its membership from the middle and
(A) 200 soldiers of the 130th Baluchi regiment were upper classes only.
court martialled for revolting.
(C) not responding appropriately to the Jallianwala
(B) Two Singapore regiments rebelled in Penang.
Bagh massacre.
(C) The 15th Lancers stationed in Basra revolted and 84
soldiers were court martialled. (D) believing that freedom could be won by pleading
(D) 22nd Pahari regiment also revolted. with the British for reforms or self-rule.

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10. Who among the following was one of the outstanding (B) Inspite of the Rowlatt Act of 1919 that sought to
leaders of the Ghadar Party? extend the provision of martial law, a wave of
(A) Dr. Tuljaram Khilnani mass demonstrations and civil unrest confronted
(B) Pandit Sohanlal Pathak the British authorities.
(C) Lajpat Rai (C) This was preceded by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
(D) Motilal Nehru (D) Both (A) and (B).

11. As understood from the passage, 13. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from
(A) The Ghadar Party discriminated against Dalits the passage?
vis-a-vis other members. (A) The Congress, a conservative organisation, was
(B) Gandhi's election to the AICC was opposed by forced to adopt a more revolutionary agenda
the delegates from Sindh because of Gandhi's because of the success of the Ghader Party in
support to the British war effort. inducing revolutionary unrest.
(C) The British Government did not react harshly to the (B) The Ghader Party was successful as long as its
attempts of the Ghadar Party to expand in India. activities were restricted to outside India but failed
(D) All of the above statements are true. when it tried to expand its activities in India.
(C) The sycophantic and treacherous policies of the
12. Which of the following is true about the revolutionary Congress in supporting the British war effort
unrest of 1919? strengthened the Ghadar Party in India.
(A) It extended to 125,000 workers. (D) None of the above.

PASSAGE – III

A dam Smith expressed his views on what would now be called public policy - on what stimulates economic growth. Not all
of his views on this are original; he is in the debt of such notable predecessors as the highly intelligent Sir William Petty
(1623-1687) in the attack on mercantile thought. He also draws on the essays of his great Edinburgh friend David Hume
(1711-1776). But many of his views are the product of his own observation, his common sense and his already noted
pleasure in undoing established belief.
His strongest recommendation on public policy urges the freedom of internal and international trade. Much, quite possibly
too much, of his reasoning derives from his fascination with the division of labour in the pin factory. Only if there is freedom
for barter and trade can some workers specialize on pins, others devote themselves to other requisites and all come
together for the exchange that satisfies the individual's several needs. If freedom of trade does not exist, each worker must
concentrate incompetently on making his own pins; the economies from specialization are gone. From this Smith concludes
that the wider the trading area the greater the opportunity for specialization - for the division of labour - and the greater the
efficiency or as would now be said, the productivity of labour. The division of labour is limited in another of Smith's famous
conclusions by the size of the market. Thus, the case for the widest possible area of free trade leading to the greatest
possible efficiency of labour.
That the application of power and machinery to production, even in Smith's day, might have been a far greater source of
efficiency than the specialized application of workers to a task is more than probable. And it has certainly been the case
since. To this day nonetheless Smith's division of labour remains a totemic source of efficiency, a cliche in all discussion of
international trade policy.
Smith's case for free trade extends to a direct assault on the mercantilist view of gold and silver as the foundation of national
wealth and to the belief that trade restrictions can enhance the stock of precious metals. In the very opening words of Wealth of
Nations, Smith proclaims that it is not its silver or gold that measures a nation's wealth. It is "the annual labour of every nation
[that] is the fund which originally supplies it with all the necessaries and conveniences of life." Wealth is enhanced by "the skill,
dexterity, and judgment with which its [the nation's] labour is generally applied; and secondly, by the proportion between the
number of those who are employed in useful labour and that of those who are not so employed."

These, then, are the matters that public policy must address; if they are addressed successfully, prices will be low, supplies of
marketable products abundant. Gold and silver will come in from abroad to purchase the products and the supply of precious metals
will take care of itself. In the Quantity Theory of Money he observes, "It is not by the importation of gold and silver that the
discovery of America has enriched Europe. By the abundance of the American mines those metals have become cheaper.”
Smith is not however, rigidly dogmatic on the matter of free trade, he would allow tariffs for industries essential for defence and
possibly in retaliation for tariff abuse abroad, and he would be gradual in withdrawing support to protected enterprises and their
workers. But not much else. "It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family never to attempt to make at home what it will
cost him more to make than to buy.... What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in that of a
great kingdom."
As Smith was averse to restraints on international trade, so also he was opposed to those on domestic commerce and with
colonies. In an age when restrictive preferences, privileges and state grants of monopoly were commonplace, he opposed
them all. He observes that people of the same trade seldom meet together even for merriment and diversion but the
conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible, he went on to
say "to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed or would be consistent with liberty and justice.
But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together it ought to do nothing to
facilitate such assemblies much less to render them necessary."

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14. According to Smith, the wealth of a nation is enhanced (C) Only ΙΙΙ
by (D) Ι and ΙΙΙ
(A) the specialisation of tasks.
(B) restricting flow of precious metals. 17. The views expressed by Smith in the passage
(C) the skill and dexterity and the judgement with (A) are entirely his.
which its labour is applied. (B) are partly drawn from the works of Sir William
(D) All the above. Petty and David Hume.
(C) did not find any supporters.
15. According to the passage, which of the following (D) are the product of his common sense, observation
statement(s) is/are true? and pleasure in undoing established belief.
Ι. Smith urges freedom of internal and international
18. According to the passage,
trade as a public policy.
Ι. application of power and machinery lead to higher
ΙΙ. Smith would not allow any trade tariffs and
efficiency.
protectionism.
ΙΙ. division of labour resulting in its specialisation is
ΙΙΙ. What holds true for a family may not be so for a
limited by the size of market.
nation.
ΙΙΙ. Smith attributed the prosperity of Europe to the
(A) Only Ι is true. (B) Only ΙΙ is true
abundance in America.
(C) Ι and ΙΙ are true. (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ are true.
(A) Only Ι is true.
16. Which of the following statements is correct? (B) Only ΙΙ is true.
Ι. According to Smith, association of people of same (C) Only ΙΙΙ is true.
trade can be prevented by prohibiting those (D) All the statements are true.
people from meeting.
19. Low prices and abundant supply of marketable
ΙΙ. Adam Smith was not averse to restraints on
product comes from
domestic commerce and with colonies.
(A) imports.
ΙΙΙ. Smith was in favour of restrictive preferences, (B) exports.
privileges and state grant of monopolies. (C) right policies of the government.
(A) None of the three statements. (D) trade in some products.
(B) Only ΙΙ

PASSAGE – IV
The processes of national struggle for freedom and consequential attainment of independence generated a social
awakening and revolutionary rise in the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. They recognised the potentialities of
education as an instrument that not only unlocks the doors of modernisation but facilitates social mobility. This generated
greater demand for education at all levels all over the country from among various sections of population. Consequently
there has been tremendous expansion in the educational system at all levels in terms of an ever increasing number of
educational institutions, enrolment of students, employment of teachers and amounts spent. There has been rapid growth in
higher education (more than six per cent per annum) in the number of colleges and the universities during the period
1950-90 catering to the higher educational needs of the students.
In India, there are 7,121 colleges and 194 universities. In Andhra Pradesh alone there are 469 degree colleges with 3,59,794
students and 11,762 teachers as of 1991. Besides, the higher education system offers opportunities to the motivated
students to pursue their studies through non-formal channels like distance education and external examinations. Most of the
universities in the country have taken the initiative to start non-formal courses to augment opportunities of higher education
to those who are not fortunate enough to continue further education through the formal system.
Though we have a large system of higher education in terms of absolute numbers, there has been a general criticism with
regard to the quality of education imparted in the colleges and the universities. The internal efficiency of the collegiate
education is extremely low. This is evident from the fact that the number of effective working days in a year even according
to the schedule is far below the desired levels. The quality of courses offered are far from satisfactory and the quality of
output is not up to the expectations. There are many drop outs and failures which together account for more than 59 per cent
of the students enrolled which represent a colossal waste of resources. A large number of those who pass the examinations
are classified under the third division who inflate the unemployment registers. College and university education is often
criticised because of an excessive emphasis on teaching which often degenerates into dictation of unrevised notes prepared
years ago. The efforts to bring out the latent talents in the students are minimal.
The higher costs involved in the collegiate education and its poor results prompt one to ponder whether it is worth the while
to invest on formal collegiate education when the external examinations, distance education, open university, etc. can deliver
the same goods with lesser costs. Even some of the exponents of non-formal system emphatically claim that the courses
offered and syllabi framed are more functional and pragmatic, students are better motivated and that they have opportunities
to earn while they learn and thus reduce opportunity costs.
The above proposition is rather challenging to teachers, administrators, planners and all others concerned with the formal
system of collegiate education. A proper response to this challenge lies in the careful examination of the advantages and
disadvantages that flow out of these two systems. When one considers the limited objective of collegiate education as mere
acquisition of a degree which serves as a passport to secure a job or promotion after going through the prescribed
examination, the two streams of formal and non formal may be the same. But the objective of collegiate education goes far
beyond the acquisition of "knowledge" in its limited sense i.e., cramming of facts, bits of information, theories, principles etc.,
and bringing them out in the examination to secure a degree. The objective of collegiate education is to develop
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'comprehension of subject/subjects chosen for specialisation, to enable the student to apply that knowledge in taking
appropriate decisions and solving the problems faced by him in his day to day life. Collegiate education therefore aims at
developing critical, analytical and innovative faculties. The student having gone through collegiate education is expected to
manifest competencies of broader understanding of the problems concerning not only of his specialised field of study but of
general issues confronted in everyday life. It is hoped that he/she would develop necessary communicative, organisational
and other social skills and imbibe in himself the desirable social attitudes and values. Thus, a college student would equip
himself fully with all these competencies to the requisite level worth to be called a graduate.
A student during the course of college education endeavours to acquire these cognitive, psychomotor and affective abilities to the
expected levels. The college system provides the necessary educational environment and opportunities to the students by exposing
them to varied curricular, co-curricular and extra curricular programmes planned and implemented through the period of study. The
students gain a lot in the processes of social interactions−students-teacher and student-student interactions in various educational
settings, participating directly and indirectly in the instructional programmes organised both within the classroom and
outside. Student participation in tutorials, seminars, debates, discussions, quiz, extension talks, literary, cultural, sports,
games, social service, National service, NCC and other activities bring out and nourish innate talents in them. These
programmes develop integrated personality of the youth, enrich the academic life in the college and promote excellence.

20. Which of the following systems of education have 28. The author feels that unemployment is inflated because
been termed non-formal by the author? (A) formal education has many drop outs.
(A) Open university (B) Distance education (B) a large number of those who pass examinations
(C) External education (D) All the above do so in the third division.
(C) the internal efficiency of collegiate education is
21. According to the author, the objective of collegiate
extremely low.
education is to
(D) the quality of courses offered in colleges is not
(A) develop an understanding of the subjects
upto the mark.
selected for specialization
(B) expose students to co-curricular and extra- 29. Which of the following statements is the author least
curricular activities. likely to agree with?
(C) provide a degree which would be of use to the (A) College and university education largely
student to secure lucrative jobs. degenerates into dictation of unrevised notes.
(d) acquire information, theories principles etc. (B) There has not been sufficient growth since
independence in the number of colleges and
22. An accusation which has NOT been levelled against universities in India.
the formal system of higher education is that (C) Students in the formal education system gain
(A) the internal efficiency of the system is low. through participation in instructional programmes
(B) the quality of courses offered is not satisfactory. both within and outside the classroom.
(C) the system is able to cater to too few students. (D) The quality of education in colleges and
(D) the quality of output is below expectations. universities is unsatisfactory.
23. The benefits of non-formal education as claimed by its 30. What is the indicator to the fact that the internal efficiency of
exponents are collegiate education is low?
Ι. more pragmatic syllabi. (A) The excessive emphasis on teaching.
ΙΙ. better ability to motivate students. (B) The poor motivation of students.
ΙΙΙ. better job-orientation. (C) The increasing tendency to go in for distance education
(A) Only ΙΙ (B) Ι and ΙΙ (D) The lower number of effective working days when
(C) Ι and ΙΙΙ (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ compared to the required minimum.
24. The percentage of failures amongst students 31. In which of the following does a student NOT
undertaking higher education is _________. participate while in college?
(A) not given in the passage (A) Military service
(B) 62% (B) Debates and discussions
(C) more than 50% (C) Literary and cultural activities
(D) less than 20% (D) Sports games and social service

25. The approximate teacher-student ratio in A.P. is 32. Which of the following is the best summary for para 4
(A) 3 teachers for every 1000 students. of the passage?
(B) 0.0327. (A) Non-formal education scores over formal collegiate
(C) 3.52%. education as it is less expensive, it helps students
(D) 1 teacher for every 300 students. earn as they learn, the syllabus is functional and
pragmatic making the students better motivated.
26. According to the author, education has the potential to (B) Exponents of non-formal education claim that its
(A) generate social awakening. syllabus is more functional and pragmatic, making
(B) fulfil the aspirations of the people. the students better motivated and provide them
(C) help in social mobility. with better employment opportunities.
(D) raise the hopes of the people. (C) Collegiate education is expensive when compared to
27. What common objective is shared by both the formal non-formal education in which the syllabus is
and non-formal channels of education? functional and pragmatic making the students
(A) Developing critical and innovative faculties more employable.
(B) Developing communication and social skills (D) Between formal collegiate education and non-formal
(C) To bring out the latent talents in the students education the latter is less expensive and provides the
(D) Acquiring a degree as a means of securing a job students with an opportunity to earn while they learn.

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PASSAGE – V

What happens if you take two mirrors and arrange them so that they are facing each other in empty space? Your first
reaction might be "nothing at all". In fact, both mirrors are mutually attracted to each other by the simple presence of the
vacuum. This startling phenomenon was first predicted in 1948 by the Dutch theoretical physicist Hendrik Casimir while he
was working at Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven on - of all things - colloidal solutions. The phenomenon is now
dubbed the Casimir effect, while the force between the mirrors is known as the Casimir force.
For many years the Casimir effect was little more than a theoretical curiosity. But interest in the phenomenon has blossomed
in recent years. Experimental physicists have realized that the Casimir force affects the working of micromachined devices,
while advances in instrumentation have enabled the force to be measured with ever-greater accuracy.
The new enthusiasm has also been fired by fundamental physics. Many theorists have predicted the existence of "large" extra
dimensions in 10- and 11-dimensional unified field theories of the fundamental forces. These dimensions, they say, could modify
classical Newtonian gravitation at sub-millimetre distances. Measuring the Casimir effect could therefore help physicists to test the
validity of such radical ideas.

Although the Casimir force seems completely counterintuitive, it is actually well understood. In the old days of classical
mechanics, the idea of a vacuum was simple. The vacuum was what remained if you emptied a container of all its particles
and lowered the temperature down to absolute zero. The arrival of quantum mechanics, however, completely changed our
notion of a vacuum. All fields - in particular electromagnetic fields - have fluctuations. In other words at any given moment
their actual value varies around a constant, mean value. Even a perfect vacuum at absolute zero has fluctuating fields
known as "vacuum fluctuations", the mean energy of which corresponds to half the energy of a photon.

However, vacuum fluctuations are not some abstraction of a physicist's mind. They have observable consequences that can
be directly visualized in experiments on a microscopic scale. For example, an atom in an excited state will not remain there
infinitely long, but will return to its ground state by spontaneously emitting a photon. This phenomenon is a consequence of
vacuum fluctuations. Imagine trying to hold a pencil upright on the end of your finger. It will stay there if your hand is perfectly
stable and nothing perturbs the equilibrium. But the slightest perturbation will make the pencil fall into a more stable
equilibrium position. Similarly, vacuum fluctuations cause an excited atom to fall into its ground state.
An important physical quantity when discussing the Casimir force is the "field radiation pressure". Every field - even the
vacuum field - carries energy. As all electromagnetic fields can propagate in space they also exert pressure on surfaces, just
as a flowing river pushes on a floodgate.
On balance, the attractive components have a slightly stronger impact than the repulsive ones. For two perfect, plane,
parallel mirrors the Casimir force is therefore attractive and the mirrors are pulled together. The force, F, is proportional to the cross-
sectional area, A, of the mirrors and increases 16-fold every time the distance, d, between the mirrors is halved: F ~ A/d4.
While the Casimir force is too small to be observed for mirrors that are several metres apart, it can be measured if the
mirrors are within microns of each other. For example, two mirrors with an area of 1 cm2 separated by a distance of 1 µm
have an attractive Casimir force of about 10-7 N - roughly the weight of a water droplet that is half a millimetre in diameter.
Although this force might appear small, at distances below a micrometre the Casimir force becomes the strongest force
between two neutral objects. Indeed at separations of 10 nm - about a hundred times the typical size of an atom - the
Casimir effect produces the equivalent of 1 atmosphere of pressure.
Although we do not deal directly with such small distances in our everyday lives, they are important in nanoscale structures
and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). These are "intelligent" micron-sized devices in which mechanical elements
and moving parts, such as tiny sensors and actuators, are carved into a silicon substrate. Electronic components are then
wired on to the device to process information that it senses or to drive the movement of its mechanical parts. MEMS have
many possible applications in science and engineering, and are already used as car air-bag pressure sensors.
As MEMS devices are fabricated on the micron and submicron scale, the Casimir force can cause the tiny elements in a device
to stick together - as reported recently by Michael Roukes and co-workers at the California Institute of Technology. But the
Casimir force can also be put to good use. Last year, Federico Capasso and his group at Lucent Technologies showed how the
force can be used to control the mechanical motion of a MEMS device. The researchers suspended a polysilicon plate from a
torsional rod - a twisting horizontal bar just a few microns in diameter. When they brought a metallized sphere close up to the
plate, the attractive Casimir force between the two objects made the plate rotate. They also studied the dynamical behaviour of
the MEMS device by making the plate oscillate. The Casimir force reduced the rate of oscillation and led to nonlinear
phenomena, such as hysteresis and bistability in the frequency response of the oscillator. According to the team, the system's
behaviour agreed well with theoretical calculations.
33. According to the passage, which of the following is a 34. For two perfect, plane parallel mirrors, the resultant
consequence of vacuum fluctuations? Casmir force is NOT
(A) An atom in an excited state returning to its ground (A) attractive.
state by spontaneously emitting a photon.
(B) repulsive.
(B) A pencil being held upright on the end of your
finger falling into a more stable equilibrium (C) amenable to measurement.
position at the slightest perturbation. (D) strong enough to produce any effect.
(C) Both (A) and (B).
(D) Neither (A) nor (B).
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35. Which of the following is true, according to the (A) Experimental physicists have realised that the
passage? Casimir force affects the workings of
(A) Casimir force is too small to be observed for the micromachined devices.
mirrors that are several nanometers apart. (B) Advances in instrumentation have enabled the
(B) Casimir force becomes the strongest force force to be measured with ever greater accuracy.
between two neutral objects at distances below a (C) Existence of large extra dimensions in 10 and 11
micrometre. dimensional unified field theories of the
(C) At separations of 100 nm, the Casmir effect fundamental forces.
produces the equivalent of one atmosphere of (D) None of the above.
pressure.
(D) Both (B) and (C). 39. Vacuum fluctuations
(A) are fluctuating fields associated with perfect
36. The Casimir effect is important in applications like vacuum at absolute zero.
(A) nanoscale structures. (B) have mean energy corresponding to half the
(B) MEMS. energy of a photon.
(C) car air-bag pressure sensors. (C) have observable consequences that can be directly
(D) All the above. visualized in experiments on a microscopic scale.
(D) can be associated with all the above statements.
37. Which of the following is true about the experiment
carried out by Federico Capasso and his group at 40. If the distance 'd' between two perfect, plane parallel
Lucent Technologies? mirrors is doubled, the Casimir force becomes
Ι. They brought a metallised sphere close to a _________ times its original value.
suspended polysilicon plate and the attractive (A) four (B) eight
Casimir force between the two made the plate (C) one by sixteen (D) thirty two
rotate.
ΙΙ. For the dynamical behaviour the experimental 41. Which of the following statements is false?
calculations did not agree well with the theoretical (A) Vacuum fields do not carry any energy.
calculations. (B) Casimir effect was predicted over 50 years ago by
(A) Only Ι (B) Only ΙΙ the Dutch Physicist Hendrik Casimir.
(C) Both Ι and ΙΙ (D) Neither Ι nor ΙΙ (C) Microelectromechanical systems are intelligent
micron sized devices in which tiny sensors and
38. Which of the following is NOT a reason for an actuators are carved into a silicon substrate.
awakening of interest in Casimir forces? (D) All the above.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5

No. of words 603 721 763 877 931

No. of Qs. 5 8 6 13 9

Exercise – 3
(Recommended Time: 60 Minutes)
Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each passage.

PASSAGE – I

The past is more complex and interesting than we might have imagined and that this complexity and interest come to light
when you look more closely, applies especially to my final topic, the longitude. In this case, it is astonishing that one can
imagine that the past can have as simple a story as has recently been told. While it is true that a popular book must be less
detailed and technical than a scholarly monograph, here it is the morality of the tale, rather than its technical content, that
has been simplified to an implausible extent.

One of the more prominent and enduring seventeenth-century responses to the inadequacy of astronomical tables - the
fourth source of error identified by Wright - was the foundation of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, whose immediate aim
was an astronomical solution to the problem of finding longitude at sea. In 1676 Bond published a book with the striking and
apparently authoritative title The Longitude Found. Examined by Six Commissioners Appointed by the King's Majesty.
The title was accurate in one respect - the method had been examined and recommended by a Royal Commission - but had
a technique for finding longitude at sea really been discovered?

Later a book by Peter Blackborrow appeared with the title The Longitude Not Found: or, an Answer to a Treatise by Henry
Bond. Despite the ruling of the distinguished commissioners, one commentator - the unknown Blackborrow remained
unconvinced. Hindsight seems to hand the verdict to him. Bond's theory involved magnetic poles rotating in the atmosphere,
lagging behind the motion of the earth and, for this reason, moving in a circle displaced from the geographical poles.
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What was in Bond's favour at the commission? Its members had some impressive evidence that the theory worked, namely,
the prediction of zero variation in London in 1657. Hazardous prediction and subsequent confirmation are said to be the
touchstone of the scientific method, but modern scientists might have difficulty subscribing to Bond's theory of rotating poles
in the atmosphere, despite its empirical success. In fact, the Royal Commission itself harboured serious doubts.
Robert Hooke confided to his diary that he, probably in collusion with other commissioners, 'Found it ignorant and
groundless and false but resolved to speak favourably of it.'
He, or they, may have adopted this less than candid policy as part of a more complex stratagem within the fractured
contemporary arguments over the longitude, and it is here that Wright's concern about astronomical tables is relevant.
While the Royal Commission was active, a proposal was made at court by a French associate of the King's mistress for a
lunar method for finding longitude, and Charles referred the matter to substantially the same commissioners as were
considering Bond's solution. They may have wanted to dispatch this foreign intrusion by supporting Bond's ineffectual theory.
It was in response to this interest in the lunar method, and the absence of the necessary astronomical data, that Charles was
moved to establish the observatory at Greenwich.
Was the otherwise obscure Blackborrow right? Did he see through an impossible theory? Had he detected a conspiracy of
vested interest that had resulted in a favourable account from a commission whose members did not believe their own
report? No. In fact, Blackborrow's main concern was to attack the Copernican theory, and Bond had assumed a moving
earth. Once we begin to look beneath the initial appearance, a story of simple virtue is rarely sufficient.
1. According to the passage, the Royal observatory was 4. Bond's theory of longitude talked of
founded as an upshot of one of the following: (A) the longitude at sea having been found, tried and
(A) finding longitude at sea. proved.
(B) finding errors in the book written by Wright. (B) magnetic poles circling the geographical poles.
(C) the inadequacy of astronomical tables. (C) magnetic poles circling in the atmosphere
(D) the simplicity of technical content. dispersed from the geographical poles.
2. According to the writer, what is a popular book (D) magnetic poles being measured while rotating in
expected to be? the atmosphere.
(A) Less detailed and technical than an erudite
monograph 5. Which one of the following statements is TRUE
(B) More detailed and moral than an erudite monograph according to the passage?
(C) Less detailed moral and more technical than an (A) Prediction and confirmation are the methods used
erudite monograph in longitude theory
(D) Less detailed and more implausible than technical (B) Bond's theory was predictable and accepted by
3. It can be inferred from the passage that all.
(A) a plausible theory about longitudes existed. (C) King Charles established the observatory at
(B) astronomical tables were plausible. Greenwich to prove Bond's theory.
(C) a theory for finding longitude at sea was necessary. (D) Modern scientists found it difficult to accept
(D) a theory for finding longitude at sea had been Bond's theory of rotating poles in the atmosphere.
discovered.

PASSAGE – II
The fundamental problem I propose to consider in these lectures is this: how can we combine that degree of individual
initiative which is necessary for progress with the degree of social cohesion that is necessary for survival? I shall begin with
the impulses in human nature that make social co-operation possible. I shall examine first the forms that these impulses took
in very primitive communities, and then the adaptations that were brought about by the gradually changing social
organisations of advancing civilisation. I shall next consider the extent and intensity of social cohesion in various times and
places, leading up to the communities of the present day and the possibilities of further development in the not very distant
future. After this discussion of the forces that hold society together, I shall take up the other side of the life of man in
communities, namely, individual initiative, showing the part that it has played in various phases of human evolution, the part
that it plays at the present day, and the future possibilities of too much or too little initiative in individuals and groups. I shall
then go on to one of the basic problems of our times, namely, the conflict which modern technique has introduced between
organisation and human nature, or, to put the matter in another way, the divorce of the economic motive from the impulses
of creation and possession. Having stated this problem, I shall consider as a matter of ethics the whole relation of individual
thought and effort and imagination to the authority of the community.
In all social animals, including man, cooperation and the unity of a group has some foundation in instinct. This is most
complete in ants and bees, which apparently are never tempted to anti-social actions and never deviate from devotion to the
group or the hive. Up to a point we may admire this unswerving devotion to public duty, but it has its drawbacks; ants and
bee do not produce great works of art, or make scientific discoveries, or found religions teaching that all ants are sisters.
Their social life, in fact, is mechanical, precise and static. We are willing that human life shall have an element of turbulence
if thereby we can escape such evolutionary stagnation.
Early man was a weak and rare species whose survival at first was precarious. At some period, his ancestors came down
from the trees and lost the advantage of prehensile toes, but gained the advantage of arms and hands. By these changes,
they acquired the advantage of no longer having to live in forests, but on the other hand the open spaces into which they
spread provided a less abundant nourishment than they had enjoyed in the tropical jungles of Africa. Sir Arthur Keith
estimates that primitive man required two square miles of territory per individual to supply him with food, and some other
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authorities place the amount of territory required even higher. Judging by the anthropoid apes, and by the most primitive
communities that have survived into modern times, early man must have lived in small groups not very much larger than
families − groups which, at a guess, we may put at, say, between fifty and a hundred individuals. Within each group, there
seems to have been a considerable amount of co-operation, but towards all other groups of the same species there was
hostility whenever contact occurred. So long as man remained rare, contact with other groups could be occasional, and, at
most times, not very important. Each group had its own territory, and conflicts would only occur at the frontiers. In those early
times, marriage appears to have been confined to the group, so that there must have been a very great deal of inbreeding,
and varieties, however original, would tend to be perpetuated. If a group increased in numbers to the point where its existing
territory was insufficient, it would be likely to come into conflict with some neighbouring group, and in such conflict any
biological advantage which one inbreeding group had acquired over the other might be expected to give it the victory, and
therefore to perpetuate its beneficial variation. All this has been very convincingly set forth by Sir Arthur Keith. It is obvious
that our early and barely human ancestors could not have been acting on a thought out and deliberate policy, but must have
been prompted by an instinctive mechanism - the dual mechanism of friendship within the tribe and hostility to all others. As
the primitive tribe was so small, each individual would know intimately each other individual, so that friendly feeling would be
co-extensive with acquaintanceship.

6. According to the passage, (C) in-breeding was highly prevalent in the society.
(A) progress is necessary for individual initiative and (D) man was innocent and not yet corrupted.
social cohesion for survival.
(B) social cohesion is necessary for survival and 12. Which of the following words has the author used to
individual initiative is necessary for progress. describe primitive man?
(C) individual initiative is necessary for progress and Ι. Rare
survival is necessary for social cohesion ΙΙ. Devoted
(D) individual initiative is necessary for survival and ΙΙΙ. Weak
social cohesion is necessary for progress.
(A) Only ΙΙΙ (B) Ι and ΙΙ
7. What has the author termed as one of the fundamental (B) Ι and ΙΙΙ (D) Only ΙΙ
problems of this age?
(A) The conflict between human nature and organisation. 13. Which of the following is NOT one of the tasks the
(B) The conflict between progress and survival. author set out to do through his lecture?
(C) The conflict between initiative and cohesion. (A) The separation of the economic motive from the
(D) The emergence of anti-social behaviour in human impulses of creation and possession.
communities. (B) Consider the intensity and extent of social
cohesion.
8. According to the passage, the practice of co-operation (C) Examine the form taken by impulses in human
in man has its basis in nature which result in social co-operation.
(A) authority. (B) genes. (D) Estimate the territory per individual required to
(C) initiative. (D) instinct. supply food to primitive man.

9. Based on the estimates of the group size of the 14. According to the passage, when group size increased
primitive man, what should have been the approximate and primitive man came into conflict with a
geographical area of a single group? neighbouring group, victory could be expected to be
(A) 2 sq.miles (B) 100 - 200 sq.miles based on
(C) 100 sq.miles (D) 10 sq.miles (A) numerical superiority.
(B) biological superiority.
10. In primitive man, it could be said that hostility came (C) co-operation within the group.
into play (D) the weapons he had devised
(A) when economic motives became dominant.
(B) only within the group. 15. When the ancestors of early man came down from the
(C) whenever contact occurred with other groups. trees,
(D) only when the frontiers were far away. Ι. he lost the advantage of prehensile toes.
ΙΙ. he gained the advantage of arms and hands.
11. For primitive man, acquaintanceship often meant
ΙΙΙ. he acquired the advantage of no longer having to
friendship because
live in forests.
(A) man was acting instinctively.
(B) the small size of his tribe facilitated intimate (A) All the three (B) Ι and ΙΙΙ
friendships. (C) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ (D) Only ΙΙ

PASSAGE – III

The real question, is whether it is morally and Biblically acceptable to create a new person from the genetic makeup of
another. Like most ethical problems, the Bible first deals with the motives for accomplishing such actions. It is in the purpose
of creating a clone that we find answers to most of the problems in cloning. Being aware that mankind has an incredible
capacity for evil, we must ask why would someone create a clone? Is it to get out of doing yard work? This is a fanciful
notion that is portrayed in movies, but not very realistic. One would have to wait twenty or so years for a clone to come of
age before he can be mistaken as the donor, but by then the donor would have aged himself. The motives that I can see
spending this much effort and money to acquire a clone are these: someone hopes to recreate a great individual; someone
whose mental or artistic prowess cause many to revere him or her, a person wishes to recreate himself or herself because of

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his ego, a person being ill hopes to receive some type of medical help from the genetically identical clone, (this may be as
innocuous as a bone marrow transplant or as great as a heart-lung transplant) an infertile couple wishes to have children,
but without any external genetic influences (i.e. sperm donors or egg donors).

In examining these motives we can more accurately understand the Bible's position. Someone who wishes to recreate a
person revered by culture or history has many problems. There is no guarantee that the psychological makeup of the clone
will be even close to that of the donor. God has created each person as a unique individual. To try and force a specific role
upon another is self-serving. Even if one's motives seem virtuous (like creating another Einstein to try and solve the world's
problems), at its base is a self motivation that this person can be our saviour (i.e. "He can save us from the problems that
I worry about'). To force someone else to grow into such a role to which you deem them worthy would be cruel. This is
contrary to the Bible's command. The Bible tells us to seek the good of the other individual first. Similarly, wishing to recreate
one's self is the ultimate act of selfishness, and really needs no further comment.

Creating a living being to use them for a medical necessity is at the least uncomfortable. If one is trying to save the life of a
daughter and clones her to extract biological material from the new life, isn't this a callous disregard for the personhood of the
clone? We would expect public outrage at cloning people as "biological warehouses" for spare parts, but what if the clone could
not be harmed by the procedure and grow to live a healthy life? Bone marrow transplants can save many lives, but the odds are
great to find someone who will match the patient's type. A clone could donate marrow and still live a happy, independent life.

Having a child to save the life of another is an ethical question with many thorns. Was the family planning on more children
anyway? Does the family have the means (physical and emotional as well as financial) to support a new baby? If a family
does try for another child to perhaps help their ill offspring, and they find that the new baby's an incompatible match
(or perhaps has the same problem), then how would they treat the child? If they found this out while the child is in-utero,
would they then consider abortion? Unless the new baby receives the same love and respect as any of the other children,
the motives are wrong and therefore immoral. If the child would be a clone, the difficulties for that child increase. Many
identical twins have struggled with a sense of non-individuality. They feel that people don't view them as a separate person,
but always part of a "pair". Also, because man is a sinful creature, I cannot help but believe the clone would undergo
taunting and even be considered an inferior human being by some of the public. The psychological factors that would affect
a clone could be enormous, and would parents really want to knowingly subject their child to such a situation?
Cloning an individual for procreative purposes without any other genetic input is a very weak reason. As with the previous
case, the child could be faced with emotional problems based on the fact that he is a clone. It seems to be a position that
also is self-centred. To be a parent is a great gift and a great blessing, but it is not the right of every individual. As painful as
it is, God has chosen some people to not bear children.
16. Which of the following is the author's view about (B) It is self-serving to force a specific role upon
parenthood? another.
(A) Parenthood is a blessing and the right of every (C) It is contrary to the Bible's command that we
individual. place others ahead of our selves.
(B) Parenthood is a great blessing but it is not the (D) It is disrespectful to the memory of the individual
right of every individual. cloned.
(C) Parenthood achieved by cloning and without any
other genetic input is not self-centered. 20. Which of the following can be inferred from the
(D) More than one of the above. passage?
(A) The Bible takes a view that if the motives are
17. Why is it impossible to create a clone to get out of pure, then the actions will always be good.
doing yard work? (B) The ends are more important than the means
(A) It is not possible to create a perfectly obedient according to the Bible.
clone. (C) According to the Bible, selfishness is evil, while
(B) The psychological make up of the clone would be placing the interest of others ahead of ourselves
different from the donor. is good.
(C) It is not likely to work out in practice. (D) The Bible places the good of the individual before
(D) The clone may try to control you. the common good.

18. According to the passage, what does ‘biological 21. As inferred from the passage, the author is most
warehouse' refer to? probably a/an ___________.
(A) The clones who have been created to supply (A) scientist (B) politician
organs or tissues. (C) theologian (D) academician
(B) The hospitals where clones are created.
(C) The donor who takes an organ from the clone. 22. Which of the following does the author NOT totally
(D) A system by which new tissues and organs can disapprove of?
be regenerated from old ones. (A) A person wishing to recreate himself because of
his ego.
19. Which of the following arguments has NOT been used (B) A person cloning himself to receive a bone
by the author while arguing against cloning with the marrow transplant from the clone.
hope to recreate a great individual? (C) Cloning an individual for procreative purposes
(A) There is no guarantee that the psychological without any other genetic input.
make up of the clone will be close to that of the (D) Cloning to extract biological material from the new
donor. life.

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23. According to the passage, which of the following 24. Many twins have struggled with a sense of non-
questions need not be considered while having a child individuality because:
that might save the life of another? Ι. Each one looks exactly like his or her twin.
(A) Was the family planning on more children anyway? ΙΙ. They feel that people view them always as part of
(B) Does the family have the means to support the a pair.
new baby? (A) Only Ι
(C) Would they abort the foetus if it became known that it (B) Only ΙΙ
would not fulfil the purpose for which it was created? (C) Both Ι and ΙΙ
(D) What would happen if the psychological make up (D) Neither Ι nor ΙΙ
of the clone is different from the donor?

PASSAGE – IV
In several respects we are at the nadir. Casualness and irresponsibility are noticeable in all public actions. The quality of
public life and civic services has touched an all-time low. Streets heaped with garbage, non-existent rural roads and urban
pathways in total disrepair, hospitals under-equipped, sanitation outlets choked to the brim, the quality and safety of defence,
railway and other infrastructural equipment mortgaged to the greed of middlemen out to make millions at the cost of precious
human lives, turbulence and insecurity in every sphere of life, the shocking complacency of the rulers and the even more
shocking apathy of the public to reform these are the tell-tale signs of our decadence as a nation.

Our inheritance tells us work is worship. Duty is prime virtue. Discipline, compassion and commitment to the common good are the
hall-marks of public conduct. We fought on these planks and won freedom from foreign rule. The same planks should have been
the foundation for a strong, forward looking and progressive nation. But freedom brought along with it a steady decline in values, an
adherence to aping materialism; a sense of permissiveness borrowed from Western culture, a shameful pride in the cult of violence
and the abrogation of the ancient values for which Western poets and philosophers had admired us.

In every sphere of human endeavour we see deterioration. The social fabric is riven with dissensions of caste, creed,
community, culture and educational equilibrium. A single Indian society is a non-existent phenomenon. The economic
divisions between man and man lead to the exploitation of one section by another. The inflammable co-existence between
whirlpools of stark poverty and dirt and the protected reservoirs of luxury make our countrymen live not as citizens of
one nation but as denizens of different and completely contrasting worlds. The disparities in the human element are
intense and infinite, breeding envy and hatred between sections of the human community. An old civilisation blossoming into
a new democracy faces both cultural and political shocks. The Indian Constitution, an eloquent document of equality,
liberty and human rights is trampled upon and torn by political marauders masquerading in the guise of protectors of the
human faith.

This is not a cynical outburst but the passionate lament of a tormented soul for introspection and reform before it is too late.
Changes are required in various spheres of human endeavour so that we may be able to face the challenge of decadence
and convert it into an opportunity for excellence.

The Government and the public sector are worst offenders. At the highest echelons, one can see either apathy or lack of
public accountability. Opulence in the style of management and living, extravagance in expenditure and, worse, open
indulgence in corrupt practices are the order of the day. These evils percolate to the lower levels and compound the
frustration of the public because of indiscipline, negligence, a tendency to shirk work and the behaviour of the staff as if they
were the masters of the public and not public servants.

A complete metamorphosis in attitude and work culture is required. This is possible only if our educational system is
transformed, in the words of Swami Vivekananda, into a "man-making education" rather than one which emphasises rights in
preference to duties, privileges in preference to responsibilities, and leisure rather than activity.

The work atmosphere also needs to be changed. By all means, let us use modern techniques for better communication, for a
more easy flow of work and for obtaining optimum results from any activity. But this should be compatible with simplicity in
procedure and arrangements in a work ethos of commitment to the common good and in the humility and courtesy towards
the public. To change the phrase which Mahatma Gandhi used in respect of consumers and business, the public servant
must realise that the public is not a nuisance to be tolerated but the justification for his existence.

We in India have too many public holidays. These should be rigorously cut down to three or four in a year including Republic
Day, Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday etc. To provide for rest and relaxation, one month in a year at
employee's choice should be allowed.

Example is always better than precept and, therefore, this reform should start at the highest level of the political, administrative or
managerial hierarchy. Only then can the influence of these reforms percolate to the lower strata. Several suggestions can
similarly be made with regard to the transformation of attitudes in educational institutions, in politics, and in social work.
It is in the sphere of politics however that a sea change is required. Though Dr. Johnson had said that "politics is the last
refuge of scoundrels," the heroes who fought for freeing India from foreign rule were essentially men of character, integrity,
and selflessness. The mighty British empire could not have been humbled and made to bite the dust but for the non-violent struggle
waged by such giants under the leadership of the tallest man of the 20th century and one of the greatest men of all times.
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25. The word "decadence" as used in the passage means (C) every sphere of human endeavour has seen
(A) omnipotence. (B) exhortation. deterioration.
(C) degeneration. (D) renunciation. (D) there is a vast disparity of wealth in the country.

26. According to the author, the symptom(s) of the 32. The author believes that
nation's decadence is/are (A) large scale admission to colleges and universities
(A) greed of the middlemen is needed.
(B) public indifference to reform. (B) our freedom fighters were men of character
(C) complacency of the government. integrity and selflessness.
(D) All the above. (C) a sea change is needed in all aspects of social
life.
27. The author does not accuse the government and (D) vocational training at college level is not required.
public sector of
(A) open indulgence in corrupt practices. 33. The essential pre-requisite for the change in work
(B) lack of public accountability. culture that is required in India is
(C) austerity in public projects which jeopardise their (A) a radical change in attitude culture and work culture.
efficacy. (B) the transformation of our education system.
(D) a tendency to shirk work. (C) a drastic reduction in the number of public holidays.
(D) All of the above.
28. The principles based on which we won our freedom, as
understood from the passage is/are 34. In order to pull our self out of deterioration, the author
(A) work is worship. addresses the fields of
(B) commitment to the public good. (a) education. (b) politics.
(C) discipline and compassion. (c) work culture. (d) ethics and values.
(D) All the above.
(A) Only b and c (B) Only a and d
(C) a, b, c and d (D) Only b and d
29. The author through the passage
(A) tries to nudge all the Indians to change for the better.
35. Which of the following options summarizes para 2 of
(B) cites the cause for our society's decline and
the passage most effectively?
suggests remedies.
(A) Aping materialism and adopting the
(C) expresses his cynicism that nothing can remedy
permissiveness of western culture, abandoning
the situation.
ancient values and taking pride in the culture of
(D) admonishes the people of the dire consequences
violence are the concomitant disadvantages of
of their behaviour.
freedom along with a disregard for the very ideals
which helped attain freedom.
30. For the reforms to be effective in reaching the people
(B) Freedom brought along with it several
of all strata
disadvantages like disregarding ancient values,
(a) people in the highest offices should set an
aping the western culture and pride in the cult of
example for others to follow.
violence, hence freedom did not prove to be
(b) the bosses in political, administrative or managerial
advantageous for us.
hierarchy should vociferously support them.
(C) Discipline, compassion and commitment to the
(c) the attitudes of the people need to be transformed.
common good – the ideals which helped attain
(d) a complete overhaul of attitude and work culture
freedom from foreign rule are now abandoned
is needed.
and materialism, pride in the cult of violence and
(A) a, c and d are needed.
decline in values have now become the order of
(B) Only b and d are needed.
the day thanks to freedom.
(C) Only a and b are needed.
(D) Freedom, has brought along with it several
(D) Only c and d are needed.
disadvantages like aping the materialism of the
west, pride in the cult of violence and the
31. Indians do not live as citizens of one nation but as
abrogation of ancient values that helped us earn
people from completely different worlds because
accolades from western poets and philisophers.
(A) of differences in caste, creed religion etc.
(B) envy and hatred have torn the nation apart.

PASSAGE – V

W hat is to happen about transport? Evidently there are huge and important changes in prospect. A decade or so from now,
there will have been yet another transformation in the way in which people and their goods are moved from place to place.
Old techniques are being faced with attenuation or even extinction, sometimes because better methods of travelling have
come along but sometimes simply because the old methods have become intolerable.

The development in recent decades most likely to continue is the tendency for alternative methods of travel to co-exist, and
so to offer potential travellers a choice. Within large cities, underground transport is usually an alternative to several ways of
travelling on the surface. Roads, railways and airlines are in competition, and still there are people who cross the North
Atlantic by sea. (Most freight goes that way, of course.) Choices between co-existing alternatives are usually made on
rational grounds, although this does not imply that cost is all that matters.

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In circumstances like these, even minor technical developments can trigger off marked changes in the pattern of transport. In
Britain, electric traction promises to increase the distance over which railways can win passengers from airlines. Quite
modest improvements of public transport in cities could do much to diminish congestion from motor cars. Oil tankers
displacing 300,000 tons like that ordered from a Japanese yard by Gulf Oil could decisively affect the pattern of petroleum
distribution from the major oilfields and at the same time encourage the pipeline operators, who offer the simplest and often
the cheapest means of bulk transport. Then, there is the Boeing 747 aircraft, which is likely to do for people what the huge
tankers will do for petroleum. Trunk route transport will flourish, but getting off the beaten track will be increasingly
troublesome. All these changes, promised or merely possible in the pattern of transport, have in common what is, in the
broadest sense, an economic stimulus.
From this point of view, the benefits of new technical developments may be different from what their supporters intend. Thus,
ironically, it could be that the first − and perhaps even the only − beneficial consequence of the Anglo-French project to build the
Concord supersonic airliner will be to ensure that the operating costs of slower aircraft are steadily reduced. More soberly, there
could well be a time, when huge subsonic aircraft ply across the North Atlantic and similar routes, and smaller and faster aircraft
travel less busy but longer routes. (It does not, of course, follow that the British and French Governments will recover their
expenditure on the Concord.) Yet again, diversity seems to promise that the pattern of transport will be helped to find its most
economic form. But what kind of diversity would be best?
Fast transport between cities separated by a few hundred miles is becoming increasingly necessary in densely populated
areas, particularly in Europe, North America and Japan. The United States Government is financing a number of exploratory
investigations bearing on specific problems such as linking the major cities on the Atlantic seaboard. However, it remains to
be seen whether the result will really reach beyond schemes for patching up the existing railway network to some of the
more ambitious schemes which are sometimes heard of − monorails, pneumatic tubes with trains inside, and deep - bored
tunnels intended to enable trains to oscillate from one city to another with no expenditure of energy except for overcoming
friction and air resistance. One difficulty is that these transport studies, although well supported, are not being given the kind
of attention lavished, for example, on getting to the Moon. In Britain, the some-what comparable development of hovercraft,
also likely to be important over distances of a few hundred miles, is not moving forward as vigorously as it might because of
the tendency to expect that this device should show a profit from the beginning. Then intra-city transport systems of radically
new design are being explored chiefly on the backs of envelopes.
There may eventually be even greater benefits to be won by planning cities, and indeed whole countries, in such a way that
the advantages of novel kinds of transport networks can be exploited to the full. If, within cities, populations were to be
gathered into a number of more or less separate concentrations, it might be possible to win great advantages from
potentially fast means of travel − monorails for example which are not likely to be economic as simple replacements for
existing underground railways. In other words, there is a strong case for asking that the fabric of a city and the means of
transport used within it be designed as a delicately integrated whole.

36. Basically, transportation plans for the future are made (C) is slow in development because returns are not
in the light of immediate.
(A) government regulations. (D) did not take off as well as it had been expected to.
(B) economic considerations.
(C) popular demands. 40. The author states or implies that
(D) political interrelations. (A) an innovator of a transportation technique may
find such a technique advantageous, but not in
37. The article brings out that the way originally anticipated.
(A) fast transport between cities separated by a few (B) the giant British jet planes are now actively
hundred miles is becoming increasingly transporting oil but ships are still being used by
necessary in densely populated areas. Britain for oil transportation.
(B) population increases as one leaves the centre of (C) profits from innovation seldom cover the costs
an average-sized city. even in the long run.
(C) eventually there will, for reasons of efficiency, be only (D) supersonic planes will, before long, carry freight
one mode of transportation rather than passengers.
(D) different kinds of transportation are necessary to
enable people to choose what suits them. 41. The writer would NOT agree that
(A) future communities should be planned with
38. The least expensive way to move oil is by/through transportation efficiency as a major consideration.
(A) freighter. (B) plane. (B) the replacement of current railways by monorails
(C) railroad. (D) pipelines. would be profitable in the short run.
39. The hovercraft type of transportation for distances (C) an oil company would do well to use more than
shorter than the customary jet plane flight one type of transportation for its product.
(A) is being developed with unexpected rapidity. (D) many changes in transportation are in the offing.
(B) has to face competition from developments in
other means of transport.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5


No. of words 576 771 812 846 784
No. of Qs. 5 10 9 11 6

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Exercise – 4
(Recommended Time : 60 Minutes)
Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each
passage.

PASSAGE – I

Regarding the role of revelation in science and religion Prof Townes shows in an illuminating account that scientific
discoveries are just like the religious truths, very much the result of revelations. 'Religious discoveries' he says, 'often come
by great revelations, scientific knowledge, in the popular mind, comes by logical deductions, or by accumulation of data or of
data which is analysed by established method in order to draw generalisations called laws. But such a description of the
scientific discovery is a travesty of the real thing. Most of the important scientific discoveries can come about very differently and are
much more closely akin to revelation'. Goutam Buddha had revelation after years of toil and enquiry. Similarly, according to Townes a
scientist after years of investigations regarding a troubling problem suddenly comes upon the answer. 'Such ideas' emphasizes Prof
Townes 'more often come during off-moments than while confronting data'. Citing an example he says A striking and well-
known discovery of the 'benzene ring' by Kekule, who while musing at his fireside was led to the idea of a vision of snakes
taking their tails in their mouths'. 'We cannot', he adds, commenting on the nature of such revelations leading to scientific
discoveries, ‘yet describe human process which leads to the creation of an important and substantially new scientific insight.
But, it is clear that the great scientific discoveries, the real leaps do not usually come from the so-called 'scientific method'
but rather more as did Kekule's - with perhaps less picturesque imagery, but by revelations which are just as real.
Are Scientific Postulates Proved And Religious Postulates Unproved? It is popularly held that scientific discoveries can be
definitely proved whereas religious ideas have only the faith of their prophets to support them. It is also a popular belief that
definite 'proof' gives the scientific ideas a certain king of absolutism and universalism which is lacking in the case of religious
ideas. According to Townes the entire process of 'proving' based on mathematical postulates and laws of logic are on shaky
grounds. 'Mathematical or logical proof', he goes on to state 'involves choice of some set of postulates, which hopefully are
consistent with one another and which apply to a situation of interest. In the case of natural science, they are presumed to
apply to the world around us. Next, on the basis of agreed on laws of logic, one can derive or 'prove' the consequences of these
postulates'. Some mathematics, it is fundamentally impossible to know whether or not the set of postulates chosen are even self-
consistent. Referring to this Townes observes 'only by constructing and using a new set of master postulates can we test the
consistency of the first set. But these in turn may be logically inconsistent without the possibility of our knowing it. Thus we
never have a real base from which we can reason with surety'. 'Godel doubles our surprises', adds D.Townes by showing
that …… there are mathematical truths which fundamentally cannot be proved by the approach of normal logic'. Thus Godel
has convincingly proved the limitations of human logic on which we depend for arriving at our so-called 'proof' of scientific
truth.

1. The main idea of the passage is (B) That human logic is tremendous
(A) How revealing religion can be in science. (C) That the process of 'proving' based on laws of
(B) How science has no scientific method. logic is on shaky ground
(C) How scientific and religious discoveries are (D) That we should depend on human logic to arrive
interlinked. at 'proof' of scientific truth.
(D) How revelations play an important role in
scientific and religious discoveries. 4. Which of the following does NOT support the author’s
argument?
2. "Such a description of the scientific discovery is a (A) Most scientific discoveries are arrived at differently.
travesty of the real thing." What do you think is the (B) Most scientific discoveries are logical as
meaning of 'travesty' from the context? commonly perceived.
(A) Subversion (B) Mockery (C) Scientific discoveries and religious discoveries
(C) Falseness (D) Betrayal come about similarly.
(D) Most scientific discoveries have nothing to do with
3. What do you think Godel says, about science, in the visions and images.
passage?
(A) That mathematical or scientific truths cannot be
proved by the approach of normal logic

PASSAGE – II

In the beginning of the year 1907, when I was studying in a Christian Mission School at Tindivanam, a town in the South
Arcot District, I heard one day that the Sankaracharya of Kamakoti Peetha who was amidst us in our town the previous year,
attained siddhi at Kalavai, a village about 10 miles from Arcot and 25 miles from Kanchipuram. We came to know that a
maternal cousin of mine who, after some study in Rig Veda, had joined the camp of the Acharya offering his services to him,
was installed on the Peetha. He was the only son of the widowed and destitute sister of my mother and there was not a soul
in the camp to console her.

My mother with myself and other children started for Kalavai to console her sister on her son assuming the Sannyasa Asrama.
We travelled by rail to Kanchipuram, and halted at the Sankaracharya Mutt there. A carriage of the Mutt had come there from

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Kalavai with persons to buy articles for the Maha Pooja on the 10th day after the passing away of the late Acharya Paramaguru.
But one of them, a hereditary maistri of the Mutt, asked me to accompany him. A separate cart was engaged for the rest of the
family to follow me.

During our journey, the maistri hinted to me that I might not return home and that the rest of my life might have to be spent in
the Mutt itself. At first I thought, that my elder cousin having become the Head of the Mutt, might have suggested that I was
to live with him. I was then only 13 years old and wondered as to what use I might be to him in the institution.

But the maistri gradually began to clarify as miles rolled on, that the Acharya, my cousin in the Poorvashram, had fever
which developed into delirium and that was why I was being separated from the family to be quickly taken to Kalavai.

My robes of Sannyasa were not the result of any renunciation on my part, nor had I the advantage of living under a Guru for
any length of time. I was surrounded from the very first day of Sannyasa by all the comforts and responsibilities of a
gorgeous court.

But, it so happened that Tummuluru Rama Krishnayya and Adayapalam Pasupati Iyer, both of them serving in the District
Court of South Arcot and ardent disciples of my Gurus, were there in Kalavai when I took Sannyasa Asrama. Later,
It became clear that they were determined to help me mould my life.

Ramakrishnayya being worried by a lot of family burdens, in spite of his detached mentality, it fell to the lot of Pasupati to
shoulder the task. Pasupati devoted most of his leisure to solitary meditation and reading Vedanta Prakaranas or treatises of
Sri Sankaracharya.

Such a man retired from Government service soon after my ascending the Gadi and lived with me always, watching my
every action, speech and twinkling of the eye. He even curtailed his mediation in order to devote some time to the
supervision of the secular administration of the Mutt.

He would meet me in private periodically, point out every item of weakness he had observed during the intervening period
and implore me to heed his suggestion to overcome them. When he had to be very harsh sometimes, he would tell me that
for all these aparadhas he was committing towards one of a higher Asrama, he would make amends when I grew up as a
full-fledged saint.

On tour in Tiruchy district in 1923, I halted at a village when I heard a girl of about 12 admonishing her younger brother for
his having uttered an untruth. Her advocacy of truth and her love for her brother which prompted her to see that he was not
spoiled, far surpassed a saint's direction. I cannot forget this incident even after the lapse of so many years.

When touring Kerala, I happened to camp in a public halting place where in one room some elderly Namboodri Brahmins were
talking together. One of them opened his Puja box in order to begin his Puja, but, nevertheless, took part in the gossip. After
some time, he realised his mistake then turned his attention to the Puja, but wound up the box and exclaimed that owing to his
having taken part in the gossip, his inner efforts to secure the mental equilibrium required for God's Puja had failed and rather
than making a show of Puja without inner equilibrium, he would not perform the Puja that day. This incident which is fresh in my
memory spells the need for honesty of purpose in one's own religious pursuits.

In 1929, I met a Sannyasi in a border village of North Arcot. He knew neither Tamil nor Telugu. He knew only Marathi and
Hindi. He told us that he travelled to Rameswaram by the Mail and lost his danda during the journey. He probably fasted till
the taking of a new danda. He was duly given a consecrated danda. From that time he regarded me as his guru, because
I saved his Asrama Dharma. He was then more than 80 years old. He refused to leave me till 1954 when he attained siddhi.
He was a very hot-tempered man. His voice was authoritative. He was dreaded by all in his vicinity. He had been in the
Revenue Department in the Dewas State in Central India. Neither Nanasaheb nor Jhansi Rani could compete with him in his
authoritativeness.

Once we had been to Tirupati. The aged Swami was then in our camp. I went up the hill to worship Balaji. Just as I was
returning from the temple after Balaji darshan, the aged Sannyasi who had managed to arrive at the top of the hill confronted
us. The temple authorities, in deference to his old age, Asrama and connection with our Mutt, offered to arrange for his
darshan of Balaji. He fell at my feet and exclaimed: "This is Balaji. Pardon me. I cannot accept your offer". He returned
without Balaji's darshan.

Two other persons were full of ecstasy in adoration of my feet, absorbed in thoughts of me all day and night, which, they told me,
gave them immeasurable strength to bear any calamity. But when they came to know of my shortcomings and natural
unsteadiness, not only did they discontinue their worship of my feet but also did their best to prevent anyone from gaining access to
my feet as they thought that adoration of my feet by devotees contributed in a degree to my limitation. They too renounced all other
responsibilities of their life and resolved to spend the rest of their lives in either entreating and imploring me or being engaged in
austerities and prayers for my correction. Life has taught me only this. "God has created some souls to live only for others."

5. According to the conversation between the author and Pasupati Iyer, which of the following can be concluded?
(A) The Asrama of the householder is higher than the Sannyasa Asrama.
(B) Sannyasa Asrama is higher than the Asrama of the householder.
(C) There is no hierarchy among different Asramas.
(D) The author had no interest in Sannyasa Asrama.

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6. Which of the following is the possible reason for the ΙΙΙ. illiterate menial workers.
author being initiated into Sannyasa? (A) Only Ι (B) Only ΙΙ
(A) The Sankaracharya of Kamakoti Petha had (C) Both Ι and ΙΙ (D) Ι and ΙΙΙ
attained siddhi.
(B) It was the wish of the author's cousin that the 12. The old Sannyasi was with the author for
author live with him. (A) 25 years. (B) 20 years.
(C) The author's cousin was seriously ill and the author (C) 30 years. (D) 35 years.
had to be installed as his successor.
(D) None of the above. 13. The two devotees of the author discontinued their
worship of the author's feet because
7. The Namboodri Brahmin did not perform the Puja (A) they felt it was hindering the spiritual progress of
because he the author.
(A) felt he had not been honest. (B) they realised that only God's feet should be
(B) did not want to perform the pooja without the worshipped and a man's feet should not be
inner mental equilibrium. worshipped.
(C) was more interested in the conversation than the (C) they felt no man is superior to another.
Puja. (D) they attained sufficient spiritual strength to
(D) wanted to make a mockery of the Puja. withstand calamities without having to continue
8. Which of the following best describes the aged Sannyasi worshipping his feet further.
who joined the author's camp in 1929?
(A) Calm and mild mannered 14. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the Balaji
(B) Meek and submissive temple authorities offering to arrange a special
(C) Energetic and good humoured darshan for the old Sannyasi?
(D) Hot-tempered and authoritative (A) In deference to the old age of the Sannyasi
(B) In deference to the Asrama of the Sannyasi
9. The incident in Tiruchy district illustrates the fact that (C) Due to his connection with the Kanchi mutt
(A) the girl's love for her brother and her advocacy of (D) Due to personal influence of the author
truth prompted her to admonish him and this
surpassed even a saint's guidance. 15. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn
(B) a person needs to be a saint to impart moral about the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha?
lessons. (A) Maternal cousins of the present Acharyas are
(C) even a saint can be moved by small incidents. installed on the Peetha as successors.
(D) inspite of her young age, the girl followed the (B) The successor is chosen by the present
saint's teachings and admonished her younger incumbent.
brother for not speaking the truth. (C) The person who ascends the Gadi of the mutt
must take the Sannyasa Asrama.
10. Which of the following is the reason for the aged (D) The successor must begin his training before the
Sannyasi to regard the author as his guru? age of 12.
(A) The saint had been in search of a guru.
(B) The aged Sannyasi was attracted by the author's 16. Which of the following statements is true, according to
feet. the passage?
(C) The author's saintly personality inspired the aged (A) Adayapalam Pasupati Iyer was worried by a lot of
Sannyasi. family burdens in spite of his detached mentality.
(D) The author saved his Asrama Dharma. (B) The author did not seek to head the Kanchi Mutt.
11. In the line, "God has created some souls to live for others (C) The author felt he was not the right person to
only", the phrase "some souls" refers to head the Kanchi Mutt
(D) The author refused to follow the guidance of
Ι. the author himself.
Rama Krishnayya.
ΙΙ. people like Pasupati Iyer, the old Sannyasi, the
two devotees.

PASSAGE – III

Ludwig Beethoven was furious when he did not hear the applause after a concert. The crowd was ecstatic but the maestro
was oblivious to the reception. He had gone stone deaf.
This was probably the most traumatic moment in Beethoven's life--to discover that he would never be able to hear the
classic he had composed. Little wonder, then, that Hellen Keller said deafness was possibly the most cruel physical
impairment that could affect anybody.
Today, ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons have found cures to varying forms of deafness. Even perforations in the
eardrum can be remedied through microsurgery. Yet, most people are reluctant to admit that they are hard of hearing.
One reason is that deafness still remains a social embarrassment. To be seen wearing a hearing aid, especially at a young
age, would seem terribly demeaning to many. To make things worse, society is hardly sympathetic to the problems of the
deaf. Still, it is dangerous to ignore such a problem as it could eventually lead to total deafness.
The first naive assumption among many is that it is only the eardrum that is responsible for all hearing ailments. A person
could have a perfect eardrum and still be deaf. This is because hearing is literally a three-tier process by which sounds pass
through the outer, middle and inner ear.
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The outer ear receives and canalises all sound waves to the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations are passed on
by the body's three tiniest bones in the middle ear – malleus (the hammer), incus (the anvil) and stapes (the stirrup) -- to the
cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is a system of fluid-filled channels with microscopic hair cells that translate sound
frequencies into electrical nerve impulses. The auditory nerve transmits these to the brain.

Now, even if the eardrum is in good shape, conductive deafness could occur. This is because of a condition termed
otosclerosis when excess growth of the stapes in the middle ear blocks the entrance to the inner ear. Therefore, vibrations in
the eardrum fail to reflect in the middle ear.

The condition can be remedied by an operation called a stapedectomy where the troublesome stapes is removed and
replaced by a teflon piston. Except in very rare cases, there is no fear of this material being rejected by the body. After the
operation, it is only a matter of some days before it integrates completely with the other parts in the body.

Now, how is stapedectomy performed? Though a minor surgery, it needs to be done very carefully. On the operating table,
the patient's ear is first cleared with spirit or an antiseptic. A local anaesthetic injection is given around the ear canal which is
then cleaned thoroughly to remove all the wax or dirt. Next, an incision is made in the skin of the canal using a special
stapes knife. The cut skin is then deflected and the eardrum folded forward. The entry to the middle ear is now clear.
No incision is made in the eardrum.

In the middle ear, the taste nerve for the tongue, Chorda tympani, is pushed slightly to make way for access to the stapes.
The surgeon first removes all the excess bone growth to bring the stapes into view. The diagnosis is confirmed when
attempts to move the stapes fail, indicating that it is diseased.

A hole is then made in the footplate of the stapes and the distance from the anvil measured in order to select the appropriate
piston. This is interposed through the hole. After this, the space around the piston is sealed, the skin and eardrum replaced
and the ear packed with cotton. The operation lasts 20 minutes.

Otosclerosis is more prevalent among women, almost twice that of men. It has generally been attributed to hereditary
factors. Yet again, it is 10 times more common among whites than blacks and virtually unknown in Japan and China.
Strangely, blondes are more prone to otosclerosis than brunettes.

Conditions like puberty, pregnancy and menopause only hasten this deafening process if it is uncared for. Apart from the obvious
hearing loss, another symptom of otosclerosis is tinnitus which is a ringing sound in the ears. This is the warning signal.

Otosclerosis, if ignored, can cause total deafness. If the nerve fibres in the inner ear are destroyed, then the cure could get a
lot more difficult. Modern technology has even introduced cochlear implants to restore complete hearing loss, but these are
very expensive and comparatively recent.

The biggest culprit for deafness is noise. Truck and bus drivers use the airhorn mercilessly. Music from tea shops is played
at nerve-racking levels and platform speeches delivered loudly into the mike. All these permanently damage the hair cells
lining the cochlea in the inner ear.

17. The most important cause of deafness is (C) people no longer need to shy away from coming
(A) ruptured ear drum. (B) noise pollution. out into the open about their auricular handicap.
(C) hereditary factors. (D) prolonged neglect. (D) nothing is beyond repair regarding ear problems.

18. Otosclerosis is more prevalent in 22. What part of the middle ear is hammer shaped?
(a) women. (b) blondes. (c) black men. (A) Incus (B) Stapes (C) Cochlea (D) Malleus
(d) brunettes. (e) whites
23. With reference to the facts mentioned in the passage,
(A) a, b and e (B) b and d
which of the following statements is / are NOT true?
(C) c, d and e (D) a and c
Ι. Hearing impairment is not a social embarrassment.
19. When the vibrations in the ear drum fail to reflect in the ΙΙ. Ear drum is solely responsible for hearing ailments.
middle ear, this is called _____. ΙΙΙ. Stapedectomy is a minor operation.
(A) deafness (B) otosclerosis (A) Only ΙΙ (B) Only ΙΙΙ (C) Ι and ΙΙ (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ
(C) Chorda Tympani (D) stapedectomy 24. A suitable title of the above passage would be
(A) Microsurgery Cures Deafness.
20. Conductive deafness is hastened by _____.
(B) Modern Science Makes itself Heard.
Ι. old Age.
(C) Noise Pollution: Its Impact on Hearing
ΙΙ. pregnancy & Menopause (D) Deafness: A Study of Causes and Cures.
ΙΙΙ. puberty
(A) Only ΙΙ (B) Ι and ΙΙΙ 25. Which of the following is/are not involved in the
(C) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ (D) Ι and ΙΙ hearing process?
Ι. The stapes
21. One point the passage tries to drive across is that ΙΙ. Chorda tympani
(A) prevention is better than cure. ΙΙΙ. The brain
(B) inspite of a perfectly hearing eardrum, deafness (A) Only ΙΙ (B) Only ΙΙΙ
can set in due to other reasons. (C) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ (D) Ι and ΙΙ
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PASSAGE – IV

Injections alarm some patients; they can also frighten doctors and nurses. In America several thousand health-care workers
contract hepatitis every year by pricking themselves with needles carrying contaminated blood. They run a risk of contracting
many other diseases too. Safer injections that cause less pain to patients are now available, but at a high price.

The "Biojector", made by Bioject of Portland, Oregon, is a hand-held device about 20 cm (8 inches) long. A plastic container
that looks like a syringe without a needle fits on to one end. The plunger on the syringe without a needle fits on to the other.
The plunger on the syringe is pressed, not by a finger, but by a blast of carbon dioxide (CO2), which works much quicker.
The drug gets squirted out of the fine, blunt nozzle at the end of the syringe at 800 km (500 miles) per hour; at that speed it
hardly notices when it hits the patient's skin and passes through. As the resulting hole is only a third of the area of a syringe
needle, and the whole process takes but a fraction of a second, the patient hardly notices either. Slip on a new sterile
syringe, and you are ready for the next patient, with almost no risk of infection.

Such Jet-propelled injections have been around for decades, often used in immunisation programmes. However, they were
administered by cumbersome, costly machines, with large tanks full of compressed CO2 and big unwieldy hand guns. The
nozzles were made of rubies, which were too expensive to change for each new immunisation. Fine control over the depth to
which the drug was injected was not possible. Some drugs must be delivered deep into the muscle; others, just under the skin.

Miniaturising the machines took Bioject seven years and $12 m. The company had to find a way of ensuring that the
pressure applied to deliver the medicine remains constant for each injection, even though the volume of CO2 within the
cannister is always changing. It also had to make sure that the syringe can deliver variable amounts of liquid, and that the
materials used to make the device do not buckle under the high pressure applied to them. The company developed a range
of five different syringes, each tailored to suit a particular need. Children, for example, have less fat under their skins, and so
the force with which the medicine is delivered should not be so great as for older, fattier adults.

Some snags remain. Although each Biojector can deliver up to 50,000 shots, they are costly–almost $1,000 a piece, and 90 cents
for each syringe. A disposable syringe with a needle typically costs 20 cents. Still, some American hospitals and private doctors
have started using the biojectors. If the company can get the price down, more may follow; in time, injections may be no more
traumatic than swallowing pills.
26. The primary benefit that the biojector offers is that 29. If the miniaturisation process of the Biojector had
Ι. it is painless. ΙΙ. it is inexpensive. started in 1983, it would have ended in
ΙΙΙ. it is probably safer. (A) 1990. (B) 1992.
(A) Only Ι (B) Ι and ΙΙ (C) 1993. (D) 1987.
(C) Ι and ΙΙΙ (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ
30. Which of the following statement(s) is/are not true?
27. How many different types of syringes has Biotech Inc Ι. Children are fatter than adults.
developed? ΙΙ. The Biojector makes a hole roughly 33% the size
(A) Three (B) Five (C) Seven (D) One of a syringe needle.
28. If the biojectors become cheaper ΙΙΙ. Drugs that have to be delivered deep into
(A) they can replace pills that are swallowed. muscles cannot be injected by biojectors.
(B) doctors will not prescribe any injection. (A) Only ΙΙΙ (B) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ
(C) nurses will have nothing to fear. (C) Ι and ΙΙΙ (D) Only ΙΙ
(D) taking an injection will not be a problem.

PASSAGE – V
M iddle level managers, such as department heads and workshop directors, can still earn bonuses at about 80% of the
factories surveyed. It is the middle managers who are usually the experts because of their formal education and training.
For middle managers to earn bonuses, the fulfilment of certain enterprise targets is a required condition at only about 20% of
the factories; they are more commonly evaluated for their "contributions" rather than on the basis of overall enterprise
performance. Where enterprise targets have to be fulfilled for bonuses to be paid, in most cases profit is not the only
success indicator. Quantity and value of production, sales, production costs, labour productivity, and /or quality are other key
success indicators at various enterprises.

During the past few years, directors, vice directors, and secretaries have not been eligible to receive bonuses at any
enterprises. Can top-level enterprise managers (or middle managers, too, for that matter) be adequately motivated over time
to perform efficiently without bonuses? I doubt it. At present there seems to be considerable dedication, zeal, patriotism, and
other non-material stimuli motivating many of them to do the best job they can. But these stimuli cannot do the job alone for
long. Compounding the difficulty is the fact that salaries, powers, and living conditions of top managers are relatively low in
relation to those of their subordinates.

Just as the non-manager is dependent on his boss for motivational opportunities, so is the manager dependent on his boss
for conditions of motivation which have meaning at his level. Since the motivation of an employee at any level is strongly
related to the supervisory style of his immediate boss, sound motivation patterns must begin at the top. Being closer to the
policy-making level, the manager has more opportunity to understand and relate his work to company goals. However, high
position alone does not guarantee motivation or self-actualization.
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Motivation for the manager, as well as the non-manager, is usually both a consequence and a symptom of effective job
performance. Job success is dependent on cyclical conditions created by interpersonal competence, meaningful goals, and
helpful systems. After sustained conditioning in the developmental cycle, an individual has amazing capacity and incentive to
remain in it. Moreover, if forced into the reductive cycle, unless he has pathological needs to remain there, organizational
conditions must be remarkably and consistently bad to suppress his return to the developmental cycle.

Sustained confinement of a large percentage of the work force in the reductive cycle is symptomatic of organizational illness.
It is usually a culmination of a chain of events beginning with top management, and is reversible only by changes at the top.
Consequences of reductive conditions such as militant unionism and other forms of reactive behaviour usually provoke
management into defensive and manipulative behaviour which only reinforces the reductive cycle. The vicarious pleasure
sought by the rank and file through seeing the management giant felled by their union is a poor substitute for the
self-actualization of being a whole person doing a meaningful job, but, in the absence of motivational opportunities, it is an
understandable compromise.

The seeds of concerted reactive behaviour are often brought to the job from broadly shared frustrations arising from social
injustice, economic deprivation, and moral decadence either to sprout in a reductive climate or become infertile in a
developmental climate. Hence, the unionization of a work group is usually precipitated by management failure to provide
opportunities for employees to achieve personal goals through the achievement of organization goals. Organizations survive
these failures only because most other companies are equally handicapped by the same failures.

Management failures in supervision do not, of course, stem from intentional malice. They may result, in part, from a lingering
tradition of "scientific management" which fractionated tasks and "protected" employees from the need to think, and
perpetrated management systems based on automation conformity. But more often such failures stem from the manager's
insensitivity to the needs and perceptions of others, particularly from his inability to see himself as others see him.

Insensitivity or the inability to empathize is manifested not only as interpersonal incompetence, but also as the failure to
provide meaningful goals, the misuse of management systems, or a combination of both. Style of supervision, then, is
largely an expression of the personality characteristics and mental health of the manager, and his potential for inducing
developmental or reductive cyclical reactions.

31. Which of the following views are strongly expressed by (C) the boss is not giving sufficient attention to the
the author? business.
(a) Conditions that facilitate motivation of employees (D) there is an unwholesome behaviour pattern
are very important to sustain superlative among the employees.
employee performance.
(b) Negative behaviour of a group is the 36. Middle managers, presently are being paid bonus
manifestation of its underlying frustrations.
based on their
(c) Managers unintentionally tend to adopt a non-
(A) individual performance appraisal.
facilitating supervisory style.
(d) A non-manager necessarily does not require (B) the performance of the top managers.
motivational climate to turn in optimal performance. (C) evaluation by their immediate boss.
(A) Only a and b (B) Only b and d (D) successful completion of the firm's targets.
(C) Only a, b, and c (D) Only b, c and d
37. What can you infer from the term "Scientific
32. The writer is especially critical of management"?
(A) automation. (B) unions. (a) Division of labour
(C) employees. (D) work culture. (b) Specialization of tasks
33. Regarding a reductive cycle, (c) No room for creativity or innovation
(A) it is the manifestation of changes at the top (d) Recognition of labour based on conformity to
management level. standards
(B) it reflects the level of the health of an organisation. (A) Only c (B) Only b and d
(C) it is to be expected when motivational climate is (C) a, c and d (D) b, c and d
not present in an organisation.
(D) all the above hold good. 38. The most likely place for this article to appear is
(A) on a company's notice board.
34. The passage brings out that job success is contingent (B) in a human resources magazine.
upon cyclical conditions created by which of the following? (C) in a text book dealing with organizational practice.
Ι. Interpersonal competence (D) in the thesis paper on Organizational Behaviour.
ΙΙ. Meaningful goals
ΙΙΙ. Monetary rewards 39. The origin of the failure of a manager's supervisory
(A) Only Ι (B) Only Ι and ΙΙ style is
(C) Only ΙΙ (D) Only Ι and ΙΙΙ (A) his inability to empathise.
(B) the incompatibility between the manager’s mental
35. If a substantial number of the employees remain in the
makeup and the job requirements.
reductive cycle, one may assume that
(A) the organization is enjoying increased business. (C) the lack of a capacity to induce a developmental
(B) the personnel department has been functioning cycle.
effectively. (D) his vindictive attitude.
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40. Employees will get together to seek an improvement (B) Based on a survey, fulfilment of enterprise targets
of conditions because of dissatisfaction stemming from is no longer a prerequisite for middle level
Ι. social injustice. managers, but it is their contributions like quality,
ΙΙ. economic deprivation. sales, production etc which entitles them for
ΙΙΙ. moral decadence. bonuses.
(A) Only Ι (B) Only ΙΙ (C) According to a survey, in 80% of factories middle
(C) Only Ι and ΙΙ (D) Ι, ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ level managers, whose expertise stems from their
formal education and training, are entitled for
41. Which of the following is the best summary for para 1 bonuses based on their contributions rather than
of the passage? on the fulfilment of enterprise targets.
(A) A recent survey shows that middle level (D) The performance of middle level managers is
managers, who are experts because of their evaluated in most orgaizations based on their
formal education and training are entitled for contributions towards sales, production costs,
bonuses based on parameters like sales, productivity, profit, quality rather than on overall
production costs, productivity etc. rather than on enterprise performance.
overall enterprise performance.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5


No. of words 528 1159 798 483 729
No. of Qs. 4 12 9 5 11

Exercise – 5
(Recommended Time: 60 Minutes)

Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each passage.

PASSAGE – I

A ll of the ancient empires, such as Rome and Byzantium, felt the seduction of death at the close of their long histories.
The people merely shrugged their shoulders when the final blow was struck. There is such a thing as imperial fatigue, and
servitude seems a light burden after the exhausting weight of power. But the Aztecs experienced the chill of death in their
youth, while they were still approaching maturity. The Conquest of Mexico is a historical event made up of many very
different circumstances, but what seems to me the most significant – the suicide of the Aztec people – is often forgotten.
We should remember that fascination with death is not so much a trait of maturity or old age as it is of youth. Noon and
midnight are the hours of ritual suicide. At noonday everything stops for a moment, vacillating; life, like the sun, asks itself
whether it is worth the effort to go on. At this moment of immobility, which is also the moment of vertigo, the Aztec people
raise their eyes toward the heavens; the celestial omens are adverse, and the people feel the attraction of death.

One part of the Aztec people lost heart and sought out the invader. The other, betrayed on all sides and without hope of
salvation, chose death. The mere presence of the Spaniards caused a split in Aztec society, a split corresponding to the
dualism of their gods, their religious system and their higher castes.

Aztec religion, like that of all conquering people, was a solar religion. The Aztecs concentrated all their aspirations and
warlike aims in the sun, the god who is the source of life, the bird-god who breaks through the mists and establishes himself
in the center of the sky like a conquering army in the center of a battle-field. But the gods were not mere representations of
nature. They also embodied the will and desire of society, which made itself divine in them.

The duality of Aztec religion, reflected in its theocratic-military division and its social system, corresponds to the contradictory
impulses that motivate all human beings and groups. The death-wish and the will-to-live conflict in each one of us. These
profound tendencies impregnate the activities of all classes, castes and individuals, and in critical moments they reveal
themselves in complete nakedness. The victory of the death-wish shows that the Aztecs suddenly lost sight of their destiny.
Cuauhtemoc fought in the knowledge that he would be defeated. The tragic nature of his struggle lies in this bold and
intimate acceptance of defeat. The drama of a consciousness that sees everything around it destroyed – even the gods –
appears to preside over our whole history. Cuauhtemoc and his people died alone, abandoned by their friends, their allies,
their vassals and their gods. They died as orphans.

1. What does the author want to convey through the 2. What does the phrase "At this moment of
phrase "........felt the seduction of death......." immobility.....' mean?
(A) The Romans were indifferent to death. (A) Celestial omens
(B) The Aztecs invited death. (B) The moment between life and death
(C) The Romans were afraid of death. (C) Moment of imperial fatigue
(D) The Aztecs were indifferent to death. (D) Noon day

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3. 'The conquest of Mexico' led to 4. What according to the passage are "contradictory
(A) the Aztecs losing their ideality. impulses that motivate all human beings"?
(B) the Aztecs losing their power. (A) Life and death
(B) Victory and defeat
(C) the Aztecs losing their will to live.
(C) Prosperity and poverty
(D) the Aztec peoples’ moment of immobility. (D) Morality and sin

PASSAGE – II

Chemical engineering was not originally science-based in the same sense as electrical engineering. Although the chemical
industry was firmly based on the science of chemistry, the role of the chemical engineer was originally merely to provide
vessels, pipes, pumps and so on to enable a reaction to be carried out under the conditions specified by the chemist. It is
true that there are early examples in which engineering interacted with science, and the scientist influenced the process - for
example, the lead-chamber sulphuric acid process, the Solvay ammonia-soda process and the Haber Bosch ammonia
synthesis. In general, however, the chemical engineer had little influence on the process, and there was very little science
involved in chemical engineering. The most difficult part of the job was the choice of the right materials of construction - but
until quite recently science has been of little help in this respect.

The type of chemical engineer I have just described - typical, perhaps of the year 1900 - has given way to someone who
occupies a very different position. The scientific and unspecialized nature of the training of the chemical engineer fits him for
employment in many industries apart from the chemical industry − for example, combustion engineering, food processing
and extraction metallurgy. The proportion of chemical engineers employed in non-chemical industries in our country has
risen steadily in the past decade, and now amounts to about 25 percent. This wider dissemination of the philosophy of
chemical engineering is an important feature of the development of the profession, and is likely to be of great benefit to
certain industries which have been somewhat isolated from the mainstream of technological development.
I shall use the phrase "chemical engineering science" to mean the science employed by chemical engineers in their various
activities. It is clear that the chemical engineer does not himself always have to develop scientific methods for solving the
problems which he encounters. For example, although he is professionally very deeply concerned with the properties of
materials, he is not usually thought to be responsible for developing the science and technology of materials - metallurgy,
corrosion, refractories, and so on. Other technologists have assumed this responsibility, which on the whole requires a
different scientific background from that of the chemical engineer. Chemical engineering science is, therefore developed by
chemical engineers for their own purposes, in fields not covered by other branches of technology. It would be a great
mistake to think of the content of chemical engineering science as permanently fixed. It is likely to alter greatly over the years
in response to the changing requirements of industry and to the occasional technological "breakthrough."
The functions of chemical engineering science are mainly economic. One is the development of quantitative design
procedures, so that full-scale plants can be designed by calculation, if necessary with the help of laboratory-scale
experiments, but if possible without the need for expensive and time-consuming pilot-scale experiments. The more precise
the design procedures which can be developed, the more precisely it is possible to optimize the design of plant, and the
narrower becomes the wasteful margin of safety imposed by ignorance. There is also the need to improve the efficiency of
processes and of the plant in which they are carried out − for example, to obtain a higher yield in a chemical reaction, a
higher plate-efficiency in a distillation column, or a machine which will produce granular material of a more nearly uniform
size. There is also the matter of true invention, leading to quite new processes and devices. Although science may not
always provide the inspiration for inventions, it must usually be called in to develop them properly. Finally, there is the need
to develop not only automatic but also self-optimizing processes and plants. In the chemical factory of the near future, we
shall have replaced not only the workman but the management by instruments.
5. The general tenor of the article is that 7. "The functions of chemical engineering science are
(A) the chemical engineer does not have the prestige mainly economic." This statement implies that
of the other engineers. (A) chemical engineering is concerned only with the
(B) great strides have been made − and will continue to monetary aspect of an issue.
be made − in the chemical engineering profession. (B) other engineering sciences are relatively
(C) engineering, in general, is a profession which uninterested in the profit motive.
does not receive adequate recognition financially (C) the chemical engineer is not concerned with
as well as socially. moral issues.
(D) chemical engineering is indispensable to the (D) chemical engineering by securing maximum
development of industries. efficiency will save money.
6. Chemical engineers developed chemical engineering 8. The author says that
science (A) faith plays as important a part as science in
(A) to solve their own problems and for their own chemical engineering.
purposes.
(B) the chemical engineer is not directly concerned
(B) to achieve breakthroughs in the problems
with developing the technology of materials.
encountered in industries.
(C) so that they need not use scientific methods (C) the science of chemical engineering is set in
developed by others. regard to its function.
(D) in response to the changing requirements of the (D) chemical engineering does not have anything to
industry. do with chemistry.
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9. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the chemical (C) the prototype of all engineers was the chemical
engineer engineer.
(A) knew little about science. (D) while the work man can be replaced by instruments
(B) was totally involved in processes. the management can never be replaced.
(C) merely assumed the role of a facilitator.
(D) frequently did the work of the electrical engineer. 11. According to the passage,
(A) chemical engineering can improve the efficiency
10. The passage indicates that of processes as well as plants.
(A) chemical engineering was an art rather than a (B) the future will see the automation of chemical
science in the earlier days. processes and plants.
(B) about one-fourth of the nation's engineers are (C) chemical engineering science will evolve continually.
chemical engineers (D) all the above will happen.

PASSAGE – III

According to Hegel, a conflict between a thesis and its antithesis produces a synthesis which partakes of the natures of
both. The general councils of the Church which so far number twenty-one may serve as an illustration of this philosophy. To
start from not very far away in the past, the Council Trent (1545-63) was a reaction to the Lutheran revolt. The first
Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (1869-70) was held in the shadow of the French Revolution of 1789, of the revolutions in
1848 and of the rationalist movement. The First Session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (1963) was
against the atheistic movement, mainly represented by communism, the new scientific irreligious trends and the fact that
"The World was too strong for a divided Christianity." The Second Session of this Council, which began on September 29,
1963, and culminated in Pope Paul's visit to the Holy Land in January 1964, is mainly a unitive council, to try to bring
together the various churches in Christendom and to try to have dialogues with other religions for a united stand against
disruptive forces in the world. This is the meaning of "ecumenism" in its Christian sense and in its wider and world-wide
sense. Islam is only concerned with the latter sense. The thaw which is taking place at the Vatican, a new synthesis, may be
regarded as a prelude to a wider thaw with the world religions through continuous dialogue with Islam, Judaism, and other
religions.

The dialogue with Islam has a long history. In its beginning, the conflict between Christianity and Islam was violent. One
could cite here the Muslim conquests in the seventh and eighth centuries, the Crusades, the Inquisition in Spain, religious
persecution and the missionary movements. But throughout this long period there were sometimes peaceful and more
rational dialogues and debates. Peter the Venerable in the twelfth century, for instance, wrote in his first book of Adversus
Nefandum Sectum Saracenorum (against the unspeakable sect of the Saracens) as follows, addressing Muslims : "It
appears odd and perhaps is actually so that a man so removed from you by great distance, speaking another Language, and
having a profession and customs and a manner of life so different from your own, should write from the furthest West to men
who live in the countries of the Orient, and should direct his attacks against a people whom he has never seen, and that he
assails you not with weapons, as Christians have often done, but by word, not by force but with reasons, not with hate but
with love." Peter then pleads with the Saracens to enter into discussion. He was indignant that the Latins were living in
ignorance of a religion so widespread as Islam. A century later, Roger Bacon condemned the method of the crusade and
wanted to see the intellectuals taking part in discussions. He gave an illustration from the King of Tartary, who gathered
before him people of differing beliefs in order that he might thereby come to a knowledge of the truth. This reminds us of
Akbar, the Mughal emperor of India. Raymund Lull appealed in 1312 to Frederick III of Sicily to make representations to the
King of Tunis whereby Christians versed in the literature and language of the Arabs might be sent to Tunis, and learned
doctors from among the Saracens of Tunis might be invited to Sicily where they could enter into discussion with Christians.
He also said, referring to the Crusades, that the Holy Land would never be conquered except by love and prayer. Thomas
Aquinas wrote his book 'Summa Contra Gentiles' in order to use reason and discussions, especially with Muslims in Spain.

But what has been the attitude of the Muslims to all such approaches? It is one which stems from the Prophet's example
given in his dealings with Christians and Jews in Arabia. He used to enjoin his followers not to enter into polemics with their
adversaries, but to content themselves with saying to them that they (the Muslims) neither believed nor disbelieved what the
others claimed in their Scriptures, but only believed in what was contained in the Quran. A verse in the Quran says: "Our
Lord, we believe in what thou hast revealed and we follow the Apostle." Another verse says: "O followers of the Bible! Come
to an equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not associate anyone with Him, and that some of us shall not
take others for Lords besides god: but if they [the Scriptuaries] turn back, then say: bear witness that we are Muslims" A third
verse says: "And do not dispute with the people of the Scriptures except by what is best, except those of them who act
unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is one,
and to him do we submit."

12. The "rationalist movement" indicates 13. The leaders of Islam


(A) coming to an understanding with people of other (A) have traditionally been averse to religious
religions. discussions with the Christians.
(B) the reorganization of religion in accordance with (B) know and care about Christians and followers of
up-to-date methods and practices. other religions.
(C) the removal of radicals not only from religion but
(C) are planning ecumenical councils of their own.
also from society.
(D) the reliance upon reason rather than religion as a (D) have had a continuously friendly relationship with
guiding principle of life. the Christians.

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14. The work, "Adversus Nefandum Sectum Saracenorum," (C) find common ground with the various churches in
(A) urges a final victory, bloody if necessary, over the Christendom.
followers of Islam. (D) arrive at the most efficient way of eliminating
(B) favours talks with the Saracens in order to arrive atheism.
at a peaceful settlement of their differences.
(C) presents ideas that could be employed in the 17. Peter the Venerable was scornful because
conversion of the Muslims. (A) the Muslims and the Christians indulged in violent acts.
(D) reaches out to people all over the world urging (B) no effort was being made to bury differences
them to adopt Christianity. between the two warring groups.
(C) the Christians used weapons to kill others while
15. The term `Saracens' refers to the Muslims did so with words.
(A) the Muslims. (D) the Latins did not make efforts to learn about a
(B) the people from Tunis. religion as widespread as Islam.
(C) the people who share a common ancestor with 18. The Prophet of the Muslims says that the best way to
the Christians. avoid conflict is
(D) the Muslims who are ready to come to an
Ι. not to enter into religious arguments with people
understanding with Christians.
of other religions.
ΙΙ. to remain neutral to what others say.
16. A major function of the ecumenical councils from the
Christian perspective has been to ΙΙΙ. to firmly believe in what the Quran says.
(A) discuss religious persecution and missionary (A) Only Ι
movements. (B) All the three are to be followed.
(B) determine how to rid the world of evils such as (C) Only Ι and ΙΙΙ
poverty, disease, and war. (D) Only ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ

PASSAGE – IV

An action of apparent social significance among animals is that of migration. But several different factors are at work causing such
migrations. These may be concerned with food-getting, with temperature, salinity, pressure and light changes; with the action of
sex hormones and probably other combinations of these factors.

The great aggregations of small crustaceans, such as copepods found at the surface of the ocean, swarms of insects about
a light, or the masses of unicellular organisms making up a part of the plankton in the lakes and oceans, are all examples of nonsocial
aggregations of organisms brought together because of the presence or absence of certain factors in their environment, such as air
currents, water currents, food or the lack of it, oxygen or carbon dioxide, or some other contributing causes.

Insects make long migrations, most of which seem due to the urge for food. The migrations of locusts is an example of that.
But return migrations are rare in insects, the only known instance being in the monarch butterfly. This is apparently due to
the fact that it is long-lived and has the power of strong flight. The mass migrations of the Rocky Mountain and the African
species of locust seem attributable to the need for food. Locusts live, eat, sun themselves and migrate in groups. It has been
suggested that their social life is in response to the two fundamental instincts, aggregation and imitation.

Migrations of fish have been studied carefully by many investigators. Typically the migrations are from deep to shallow waters,
as in the herring, mackerel and many other marine fish. Fresh-water fish in general exhibit this type of migration in the spawning
season. Spawning habits of many fish show a change in habitat from salt to fresh water. Among these are the shad, salmon,
alewife and others. In the North American and European eels, long migrations take place at the breeding season. All these
migrations are obviously not brought about by a quest for food, for the salmon and many other fish feed only sparingly during
the spawning season, but are undoubtedly brought about by metabolic changes in the animal initiated by the interaction of sex
hormones. If this thesis holds, then here is the beginning of social life.

Bird migrations have long been a matter of study. The reasons for the migration of the golden plover from the Arctic regions to the
tip of South America and return in a single year are not fully explainable. Several theories have been advanced, although none
have been fully proved. The reproductive "instinct," food scarcity, temperature and light changes, the metabolic changes brought
about by the activity of the sex hormones and the length of the day, all have been suggested, and ultimately several may prove to
be factors. Aside from other findings, it is interesting to note that bird migrations take place year after year on about the same dates.
Recent studies in the biochemistry of metabolism, showing that there is a seasonal cycle in the blood sugar that has a definite
relation to activity and food, seem to be among the most promising leads.

In mammals, the seasonal migrations that take place, such as those of the deer, which travel from the high mountains in
summer to the valleys in winter, or the migration of the caribou in the northern areas of Canada, are based on the factor of
temperature which regulates the food supply. Another mystery is the migration of the lemming, a small rat like animal found
in Scandinavia and Canada. The lemming population varies greatly from year to year, and, at times when it greatly
increases, a migration occurs in which hordes of lemmings march across the country, swimming rivers and even plunging
into the ocean if it bars their way. This again cannot be purely social association of animals. The horde is usually made up
entirely of males, as the females seldom migrate.

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19. The migration of the lemmings cannot be considered (C) the seasonal cycle in blood sugar levels.
one of social association since (D) purely social reasons.
(A) only the males migrate.
(B) migrations occur only when its population 25. According to the passage, the reproductive process
increases. seems to be a known factor in the migration of many
(C) the migrants plunge into the ocean ready to die. (A) crustaceans. (B) insects.
(D) the migrants do not return to the place of their (C) mammals. (D) fish.
origin.
26. Animals which migrate back and forth between the
20. Animals which apparently migrate in quest of food are same areas are
the (A) locusts and salmon.
(A) fish. (B) birds. (B) salmon and golden plover.
(C) mammals. (D) insects. (C) golden plover and lemming.
(D) monarch butterfly and golden plover.
21. Which of the following is the most recent leads
explaining bird migrations? 27. The thesis that the migration of fish is for reproductive
(A) Seasonal cycle in the blood sugar that has a reasons is strengthened by the fact that
definite relation to activity and food (A) salmon and many other fish feed only sparingly
(B) Metabolic changes brought about by the activity during the spawning season.
of the sex hormones (B) migrations are from deep to shallow water.
(C) Temperature and light changes (C) the population doubles after every migration.
(D) Food scarcity (D) migrations are seasonal.

22. The reproductive instinct is probably not a factor in the 28. The main purpose of the passage is to
actual migration of (A) show how a natural event effects change in
(A) shad. (B) lemming. different species.
(C) golden plover. (D) monarch butterfly. (B) present a new theory regarding biological evolution.
(C) teach the reader how to evaluate a natural
23. Several probable factors causing migrations phenomenon.
mentioned in the passage do not seem to explain the (D) describe a phenomenon that has not yet been
migrations of satisfactorily explained.
(A) salmon. (B) caribou.
(C) lemming. (D) locusts. 29. Return migrations are usually associated with insects
that
24. The migration of caribou in northern areas of Canada (A) make long migrations.
is based on (B) are long-lived.
(A) the reproductive instinct. (C) migrate to spawn.
(B) the factor of temperature which regulates the food (D) make short migrations.
supply.

PASSAGE – V

T he origin of continental nuclei has long been a puzzle. Theories advanced so far have generally failed to explain the first
step in continent growth, or have been subject to serious objections. It is the purpose of this article to examine the possible
role of the impact of large meteorites or asteroids in the production of continental nuclei.

Unfortunately, the geological evolution of the Earth's surface has had an obliterating effect on the original composition and
structure of the continents to such an extent that further terrestrial investigations have small chance of an unambiguous
answer to the question of continental origin. Paradoxically, clues to the origin and early history of the surface features of the
Earth may be found on the Moon and planets, rather than on the Earth, because some of these bodies appear to have had a
much less active geological history. As a result, relatively primitive surface features are preserved for study and analysis.

In the case of both the Moon and Mars, it is generally concluded from the appearance of their heavily cratered surfaces that
they have been subjected to bombardment by large meteoroids during their geological history. Likewise, it would appear a
reasonable hypothesis that the Earth has also been subjected to meteoroid bombardment in the past, and that very large
bodies struck the Earth early in its geological history.

The largest crater on the Moon listed by Baldwin has a diameter of 285 km. However, if we accept the hypothesis of
formation of some of the mare basins by impact, the maximum lunar impact crater diameter is probably as large as 650 km.
Based on a lunar analogy, one might expect several impact craters of at least 500 km diameter to have been formed on
Earth. By applying Baldwin's equation, the depth of such a crater should be about 20 km. Baldwin admits that his equation
gives excessive depths for large craters so that the actual depth should be somewhat smaller. Based on the measured depth
of smaller lunar craters, a depth of 10 km is probably a conservative estimate for the depth of a 500 km impact crater.
Baldwin's equation gives the depth of the zone of brecciation for such a crater as about 75 km. The plasticity of the Earth's
mantle at that depth makes it impossible to speak of "brecciation" in the usual sense. However, local stresses may be
temporarily sustained at that depth, as shown by the existence of deep-focus earthquakes. Thus, short-term effects might be
expected to a depth of more than 50 km in the mantle.
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Even without knowing the precise effects, there is little doubt that the formation of a 500-km crater would be a major
geological event. Numerous authors have considered the geological implications of such an event. Donn et al., have, for
example, called on the impact of continent-size bodies of sialic composition to form the original continents. Two major
difficulties inherent in this concept are the lack of any known sialic meteorites, and the high probability that the energy of
impact would result in a wide dissemination of sialic material, rather than its concentration at the point of impact.
Gilvarry, on the other hand, called on meteoroid impact to explain the production of ocean basins. The major difficulties with
this model are that the morphology of most of the ocean basins is not consistent with impact, and that the origin and growth
of continents is not adequately explained.
We agree with Donn et al., that the impact of large meteorites or asteroids may have caused continent formation. But would
rather think in terms of the localized addition of energy to the system, rather than in terms of the addition of actual sialic material.

30. A mare basin is 33. The writer does not believe that
(A) an area where animal life flourished at one time. (A) an asteroid is larger than a meteorite.
(B) a formula for determining the relationship (B) oceans were formerly craters.
between the depth and width of craters. (C) material from space, upon hitting the earth, was
(C) a valley that is filled in when a spatial body has eventually distributed.
(D) the earth, at one time, had craters.
impact with the moon or the earth.
(D) a dark spot on the moon, once supposed to be a 34. The article is primarily concerned with
sea, now a plain. (A) the origin of continents.
(B) analysing different types of craters.
31. The continental origin cannot be explained by studying (C) the differences of opinion among authoritative
the Earth's surface because geologists.
(A) the surface of the Moon and other Planets has not (D) the relationship between asteroids and meteorites.
altered considerably. 35. Sialic material refers to
(B) the evidence found on the earth's surface is not (A) the broken rock resulting from the impact of a
enough to explain the origin of continents. meteorite against the earth.
(C) of the complex process of its evolution that (B) the material that exists on planets other than the earth.
irreversibly altered its primitive features. (C) a composite of rocks typical of continental areas
(D) the origin of the earth is inextricably linked with of the earth.
those of the other planets. (D) material found only in meteorites.
36. In order to research how our continents came about,
32. Brecciation is not known to occur in a real sense at a
geologists would do well to devote a greater part of
depth of 75 kms in the earth's mantle because their study to
(A) of the presence of local stresses at that depth. (A) asteroids and meteorites.
(B) deep-focus earthquakes will not let that happen. (B) the earth.
(C) Baldwin's equation predicts a slightly inflated figure. (C) the stars and other planetary systems.
(D) the earth's core at that depth is not in solid state. (D) other planets and the moon.

PASSAGE – VI

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide;
that he must take himself for better or for worse as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of
nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given him to till. The power
which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.
Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company, in
which the members agree to surrender their liberty and culture for better securing their bread. The virtue in great demand is
conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.
Who so would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name
of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to
yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a
great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard
words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said today. "So, you shall
be sure to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo,
and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

37. According to the passage, the practice of adhering, at 38. The writer, in effect, is saying that one
all times, to the regulations is (A) must always change his opinions.
(A) praise worthy. (B) who agrees with the findings of Newton may also
agree with those of Copernicus, Pythagoras,
(B) characteristic of inadequate people. Socrates, Jesus, Luther, and Galileo.
(C) a matter of democratic choice. (C) must join a group to survive in our society.
(D) reserved only for the intelligent. (D) should continue to appraise the facts at the cost of
changing a previous conclusion.
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39. The author supports one of the following: (B) In order to survive in a tyrannical society one has
(A) education. (B) self-reliance. to surrender his individuality and creativity and
(C) non-conformism. (D) self-criticism. conform to the diktats of society.
(C) Society conspires against those individuals who
40. Society, so the selection implies, are creative and self-reliant, but it encourages
(A) does not encourage an individual to be creative. those who are docile and compliant.
(B) wants its members to be self-starters. (D) Society everywhere does not encourage people
(C) can thrive only under consistent rule. to be creative and self-reliant, it endorses
(D) has always criticised educated people. conformity and encourages individuals to
41. Which of the following options is the best summary of surrender their liberty.
para 2 of the passage?
(A) Only a person who conforms to the diktats of society
can earn his sustenance and survive in this world.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5 Passage 6


No. of words 469 646 824 652 619 313
No. of Qs. 4 7 7 11 7 5

Exercise – 6
(Recommended Time : 60 Minutes)
Directions for questions 1 to 41: Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow each passage.

PASSAGE – I

The possibility that carotenoids have roles in preventing cancer and other degenerative diseases has generated
considerable interest and activity within the carotenoid field. The primary degenerative diseases associated with aging are
cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune-system decline, brain dysfunction, arthritis, and cataracts. Epidemiological
investigations have shown that consumption of green and yellow vegetables is associated with reduced incidence of some
cancers. In fact, good dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables approximately halves the likelihood of developing cancer.
Research has supported the theory that life expectancy is related to oxidative damage of DNA, proteins, and lipids and that
natural anti-oxidants including carotenoids among other substances are important in the prevention of these oxidations.
An important factor in longevity appears to be the basal metabolic rate since metabolism produces oxidative by-products
which can cause extensive damage to cellular components. The primary oxidants generated in metabolism are superoxide
(O2 - hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, lipid epoxides, hydroperoxides, lipid alkoxyl and hydroperoxides and singlet
oxygen 1O2). All of these are products of normal metabolism and millions of each species are produced each day. Singlet
oxygen is formed from transfer of energy from light, the respiratory burst of neutrophils, lipid peroxidation, or other dark
reactions. Singlet oxygen has benefits as well as detriments; it acts as a mediator of the antibacterial action of leukocytes but
its reactivity with human tissues can cause damage and it probably contributes to acute and chronic health disorders.
Antioxidant defences against these damaging agents include ascorbate, tocopherol, and carotenoids. One of the first
classes of compounds demonstrated to effectively quench 1O2, was the carotenoids. Carotenoids physically quench O2,
generating ground state oxygen and carotenoid triplet which returns to its ground state with release of heat. Carotenoids
vary in their quenching capacity; 1O2 quenching capacity generally increases as the number of conjugated double bonds in
the carotenoid increases, but quenching also varies with chain structure, functional groups, cis/trans isomerism and the
technique used for determination.
β-Carotene has been proposed as an important dietary anticarcinogen, and evidence has been obtained that β-carotene
prevents cancers caused by chemicals and viruses. However, several other carotenoids occur in plant foodstuffs including
α-carotene, γ-carotene, lycopene, lutein, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and others. Murakoshi et al. presented evidence that
α-carotene was more effective than β-carotene in preventing lung and skin carcinogenesis in mice. Recently, it was shown
that astaxanthin but not canthaxanthin effectively prevented urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Since astaxanthin is not a
precursor to vitamin A in animals, the action of astaxanthin may have been related to suppression of cell proliferation.
Astaxanthin was shown in vitro to enhance antibody production to sheep red blood cells in normal mice. This
immunomodulating activity could reduce the chance of developing autoimmunity and malignancies by enhancing T-helper
functions and promoting specific antibody responses. Astaxanthin is an excellent quencher of O2 compared to several other
carotenoids tested, which may contribute to its anti-carcinogenic activity. Damage to ocular tissue occurs by radiant energy
and blue light and near UV-radiation damage is often increased by natural photosensitizers/in cells (i.e. riboflavin). Of the
mechanisms of which radiant energy damages ocular tissues, the involvement of 1O2 has been best documented. It is
possible that ocular tissue, damage could be lessened by carotenoids. Another example is the formation of oxidized low-
density plasma lipoprotein (LDL), which contributes to cardio-vascular disease. Carotenoids prevented oxidation of human
LDL. Other biological functions of carotenoids in humans have been proposed and are being investigated in animals and in
human clinical trials.

1. What is the role of carotenoids?


(A) Aid metabolic rate (B) Prevent oxidation (C) Aid aging (D) Prevent antioxidant
nd
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2. Which of the following statements is factually incorrect? 5. Which of the following options most appropriately
(A) Carotenoids are essential in the prevention of summarizes the first para of the passage?
(A) Research supports the theory that life expectancy
oxidation.
is related to the oxidative damage of DNA,
(B) Longevity depends on the metabolic rate of a person. proteins and lipids and that carotenoids present in
(C) β-carotene is more effective in the prevention of green and yellow vegetables prevents these
lung and skin cancer. oxidations, preventing the incidence of certain
cancers and degenerative diseases.
(D) Ocular tissue is damaged by radiation. (B) It has been experimentally proved that carotenoids
prevent cancer and other degenerative diseases
3. Which one of the following is a benefit of singlet oxygen? and hence consumption of green and yellow
(A) It acts as an intermediary of the antibacterial vegetables increases life expectancy as the
action of leukocytes. carotenoids present in them prevents the
(B) Its reaction with human tissue is beneficial. oxidation damage of DNA, proteins lipids.
(C) Research supports the theory that life expectancy
(C) It requires oxidants to nullify its effect. is related to the oxidative damage of DNA,
(D) It aids chronic health disorder. proteins and lipids and the consumption of green
and yellow vegetables, which contain carotenoids,
4. Find the odd statement. reduces this damage and increases life-expectancy.
(A) Carotenoids lessen eye damage. (D) Research has proved that primary degenerative
(B) β-carotene is important to fight chemicals and viruses. diseases associated with aging like cancer,
cardio-vascular diseases, brain dysfunction,
(C) Carotenoids are found in plants and food stuff. cataract etc can be prevented by the consumption
(D) Immunomodulating activity does not aid in of green and yellow vegetables which contain
promoting antibody responses. carotenoids that prevent oxidative damage.

PASSAGE – II

A vast health checkup is now being conducted in the western Swedish province of Varmland with the use of an automated
apparatus for high-speed multiple-blood analyses. Developed by two brothers, the apparatus can process more than 4,000
blood samples a day, subjecting each to 10 or more tests. Automation has cut the cost of the analyses by about 90 per cent.
The results so far have been astonishing, for hundreds of Swedes have learned that they have silent symptoms of disorders
that neither they nor their physicians were aware of. Among them were iron-deficiency, anaemia, hypercholesterolemia,
hypertension and even diabetes.
The automated blood analysis apparatus was developed by Dr. Gunnar Jungner, 49-year-old associate professor of clinical
chemistry at Goteborg University, and his brother, Ingmar, 39, the physician in charge of the chemical central laboratory of
Stockholm's Hospital for Infectious Diseases.
The idea was conceived when Dr. Gunnar Jungner was working as clinical chemist in northern Sweden and was asked by
local physicians to devise a way of performing multiple analyses on a single blood sample. The design was ready in 1961.
Consisting of calorimeters, pumps and other components, many of them American-made, the Jungner apparatus was set up
here in Stockholm. Samples from Varmland Province were drawn into the automated system at 90-second intervals.
The findings clatter forth in the form of numbers printed by an automatic typewriter.
The Jungners predict that advance knowledge about a person's potential ailments made possible by the chemical screening
process will result in considerable savings in hospital and other medical costs. Thus, they point out, the blood analyses will
actually turn out to cost nothing.
In the beginning, the automated blood analyses ran into considerable opposition from some physicians who had no faith in
machines and saw no need for so many tests. Some laboratory technicians who saw their jobs threatened also protested.
But the opposition is said to be waning.
6. Automation of blood analysis is viewed by the writer with (B) The idea of the apparatus needed an international
(A) reservation. (B) indecision. effort to take tangible form.
(C) remorse. (D) favour. (C) The system has met with opposition from
a section of physicians and technicians.
7. The results from the use of the Jungner apparatus (D) The machine is more efficient than other types of
indicate that analysis.
(A) a person may become aware of an ailment not
previously known. 9. The main purpose of the passage is to
(B) blood diseases can be cured very easily. (A) predict the future of medical care.
(C) diagnostic tests cost nothing. (B) show how machines are more efficient than
(D) practically all Swedish physicians have welcomed humans.
the invention. (C) warn about the dangers of undetected diseases.
(D) describe a health check-up system.
8. All of the following statements about automated blood 10. The prediction process that the Jungners use is
analysis are true EXCEPT: essentially
(A) The analysis is recorded immediately in (A) biological. (B) physiological.
a physical report. (C) chemical. (D) anatomical.
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PASSAGE – III

So, why is it that the new "Oasis" CD is so expensive?


In the early eighties, sales of vinyl cassettes, turntables and cassette players were "flat". This means that sales were stable,
not rising or falling. For the makers, that wasn't quite good enough. They needed a new angle. A new way to sell music and
the stuff you play it on. Luckily, someone at the Phillips Corporation had the bright idea that it would be good for their
stockholders and investors if they could get the music consuming public excited about buying music again by introducing a
new format and a new machine to play it on. Thus, was born the compact disc in all its shiny, aluminium, plastic and digital
glory. It's maximum playing time, about 75 minutes, was chosen because the president of the company wanted something
that could play his favourite piece of music, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, all the way through without stopping.
Well, compact discs weren't as successful as they had hoped. For one thing, their price was too high. The high price was
blamed both on the fact that they were mostly being made in Japan and that they had a high defect rate, with approximately
one out of every three discs being tossed out before even leaving the CD factory. Early on, the economics of this led to an
industry-wide decision to continue paying recording artists a royalty rate based on the sale price of vinyl instead of the higher
sale price of compact discs. And nobody was buying those new CD players either, because they were just too expensive.
But then, in the spring of 1989, something wonderful happened for the music industry. Everything changed! Almost
overnight, CDs were everywhere! Suddenly they were a huge success and suddenly it became almost impossible to get
anything on vinyl at all.. This change must have occurred because it was what the consumer wanted.....right? We live in a
market-driven economy and the market was demanding more compact discs.....right?
Wrong. What actually happened was this - a flexible return policy had always existed between record stores and the seven
major distributors, i.e. stores could "buy" something from a distributor, and if it didn't sell, they could return it. This allowed
stores to take more chances on new releases or on things they were not so familiar with, because if it didn't sell, they could
always send it back. Well, in the spring of 1989 all seven major label distributors announced that they would no longer
accept "returns" on vinyl and they also began deleting much of the vinyl versions of their back catalogue. These actions
literally forced record stores to stop carrying vinyl. They could not afford the financial risk of carrying those releases that
were on vinyl because if they didn't sell they would be stuck with them. Very quickly almost all record stores had to convert to
CDs. The net effect of this was that the consumer no longer had a choice because the choice had been made for us.
High priced compact discs were being shoved down our throats, whether we knew it or liked it or not.
As we mentioned earlier, record labels were paying artists a royalty rate on sales of CDs based upon the $8.98 or $9.98 list
price of vinyl (or achieved the same end result by using contractual tricks like "packaging deductions"). As CDs took over
and the majors all acquired their own domestic CD pressing plants and the defect rate dropped to almost zero, the cost of
manufacturing compact discs dropped dramatically as well. One would have expected the price of CDs to also drop and for
the profits to now be split evenly and fairly with the musicians who were making all the music.
This, of course, never happened. CD prices have continued to rise to a now unbelievable $16.98 list price while manufacturing
costs have now dropped to less than it costs to manufacture a $9.98 vinyl release. A CD, with its plastic jewel box, printed booklet
and tray card now costs a major label about 80 cents each to make (or less) and a small independent label between $1.50 and
$2.50. Meaning that CDs should now cost the consumer less than their original prices over a decade ago, not more. But the music
business got consumers used to the idea of paying the higher price and the labels got used to the idea of their higher profit margin,
and record labels continue to this day to pay almost all artists a royalty rate as if they're selling CDs for the list price of vinyl. That
extra 4 or 5 or 6 bucks goes right into the pockets of the record labels. It is not shared with musicians. And of course, we all had to
go out and buy a CD player (which had mysteriously dropped to a more reasonable price) if we wanted to hear any of the music on
this "popular" new format. So, all in all, it's no wonder that the record industry and stereo manufacturers loved the compact disc.
If any of this bothers you as much as it does us, then you might be wondering why you've never heard about any of this or why
no anti-trust action was ever taken against major labels and distributors. The answer to this is quite simple. Most of the reporting
on the inner workings of the record business comes from the music press and the music press is almost totally reliant on the
advertising dollars and good will of the business that they're writing about. So, in the interest of not wanting to "rock the boat" or
anger the folks who essentially bankroll their publishing ventures, this story would, and will continue to remain, unreported. And
with the coming "popularity" of DVD, the music industry looks like it is ready to try the same tricks all over again.
11. The tone of the passage can be described as 13. According to the passage, what is the list price of vinyl?
(A) laudatory. (A) $8.98 (B) $9.98
(B) cynical. (C) $16.98 (D) Both (A) and (B).
(C) pessimistic.
14. Why were the recording artists being paid a royalty
(D) gloomy.
rate based on the sale price of vinyl instead of on the
12. The maximum playing time of the compact disc was higher price of CDs?
chosen to be 75 minutes because (A) Vinyl releases were popular and so the artists’
(A) it was the most optimum time for economic reasons. wanted their remuneration based on it.
(B) that was the maximum duration that could be (B) The CDs were too expensive and had a high
fitted into a CD. defect rate.
(C) market research had shown that customers could (C) Nobody was buying the CD players as they were
not listen to more then 75minutes at a time. too expensive.
(D) Beethoven’s 9th symphony, a favourite of the (D) A high proportion of sales were still from vinyl and
president of Philips corporation, was this long. not from CDs.
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15. Which of the following statements is true, according to (B) The prices of both the CD player and the CDs are
the passage? low.
(A) All the major record labels have acquired their own (C) The price of CDs is reasonable while that of
domestic CD pressing plants and because the cost players is atrocious.
has dropped substantially, they have dropped the (D) The price of the CD player is reasonable while the
price of CDs and split the profit evenly with the price of the CDs is very high.
musicians.
(B) The fall in the manufacturing cost of CDs has led 19. According to the passage, why is the music press
to a decline in its market price. silent on the entire issue?
(C) All the major record labels have acquired their (A) The music press is dependent on the advertising
own domestic CD plants and although the cost dollars of the record labels and hence do not want
has dropped substantially, they have not dropped to rub them the wrong way.
the price of CDs nor have they shared the profits (B) The music press is too conservative and as a rule
evenly with the musicians. does not report on such sensational issues.
(D) All the major record labels have acquired their (C) The music press was unaware of the goings on in
own domestic CD plants but have failed to the record label industry.
achieve any cost reductions. (D) The music press is owned by the record labels
and hence not free to report on this issue.
16. The initial high price of the CDs was blamed on
(A) the fact that it was manufactured in Japan and the 20. According to the passage, what does it cost a small
high defect rate. independent label to manufacture a CD with its plastic
(B) the high cost of raw material and labour. jewel box, printed booklet and tray card?
(C) the high profit margins of the CD manufacturers. (A) $16.68.
(D) the expensive machinery and high lead times. (B) $9.98.
(C) 80 cents.
17. According to the author, why did CDs suddenly become
(D) between $1.50 and $2.50.
popular in the spring of 1989?
(A) The price of CDs dropped to a point where they
21. According to the author, with the coming popularity of
became cheaper than Vinyl, because of
DVDs
technological innovation.
Ι. the customer may be again taken for a ride.
(B) The record label companies refused to accept
returns on Vinyl and started to delete much of the ΙΙ. the artists may be cheated out of their royalty
Vinyl versions of their back catalogue. dues.
(C) The ingenius exchange offer - CD for Vinyl - of ΙΙΙ. the music industry may become more accountable.
the CD companies. (A) Only Ι (B) Only ΙΙ
(D) The artists decided to record their songs only on (C) Both Ι and ΙΙ (D) Only ΙΙΙ
CDs, as their royalty would be more.
22. According to the passage, the number of major record
18. Which of the following statements would the author labels is
agree with? (A) four. (B) seven.
(A) The prices of both the CD player and CDs are (C) eight. (D) ten.
very high.

PASSAGE – IV
Medical opinion on the effects of alcohol seems to sound somewhat inebriated. Some say a peg a day keeps the cardiologist
away, while those who refuse to temper intemperance thunder that a close association with spirits is guaranteed to ensure that
you will soon join them. For every eight octogenarians ready to testify that they owe their robust good health to abstinence on
this count, there are nine nonagenarians who will insist that the same is due to exactly the opposite. This is best illustrated by
that hoary story of the reporter who'd just finished interviewing a centenarian who had attributed his longevity to his abstemious
habits when a tremendous commotion was heard in the room upstairs. "What's that?" inquired the scribe, only to be told, "That's
dad, drunk as usual!" If it's art rather than the heart, there is not much cause for concern since the muse seems to have no
problem with booze, judging by the immortal works which also happen to be preserved in alcohol. The heart as metaphor,
however, is back on ambivalent territory, with wine also known to increase desire and decrease its fulfilment in sadistically equal
proportion. Two recent pronouncements on drinking are of piece with this singular double vision on the issue. Drs Omar
Bagasra and Roger Pomerantz of the University of Philadelphia have warned that even moderate intake not only increases
vulnerability to HIV, but also hastens progression to full-blown AIDS. Within days of this disheartening news, a U.S.-British
survey discovered, almost by accident, that the long-sought cure to the common cold might lie in the cocktail cabinet. Neither of
the two ailments is anything to sneeze at, but those clinging desperately to some pleasure still spared by the AIDS scare may
find some consolation; the research is confined to the laboratory and hasn't been proved on humans. Till such time, people can
convince themselves that this is just one more example of the scientists' foggy-headedness on the subject. They could continue
to quaff as they scoff, saying; "Drink to me only with thine lies."
23. By the statement "medical opinion on the effects of alcohol seems to sound somewhat inebriated", the author means to
say that
(A) there is no agreement regarding the effects of alcohol on its consumers.
(B) medical opinion on alcohol is incorrect.
(C) doctors have no idea what they are saying.
(D) it is not possible for medical research on alcohol to be sound.
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24. An octogenarian is a person who 28. According to the author, owing to which of the
(A) is older than a nonagenarian. following reasons can those worried about AIDS take
(B) drinks excessively some heart?
(C) is older than a septuagenarian. (A) The AIDS scare has spared alcoholics.
(D) is a volunteer in medical research on alcohol. (B) The link between wine and AIDS has not been
proved in humans.
25. Those who ‘temper intemperance’ are (C) The common cold is also not an ailment to be
(A) those who are moderate in alcohol consumption. sneezed at.
(B) those who get angry at alcohol abuse. (D) The spread of AIDS is showing signs of abating.
(C) those who rave and rant when they are inebriated.
29. The tone of the passage can best be described as
(D) those who are mild only when under the influence
(A) detailed and informative.
of drinks.
(B) measured and studied.
(C) light and bantering.
26. By the term "hoary story" the author means
(D) confusing and complicated.
(A) an extremely old story.
(B) a cheap story. 30. Those who would continue drinking even after reading
(C) a story of doubtful authenticity. the above passage could be said to belong to which of
(D) an apocryphal story. the following categories?
Ι. Those who believe scientists are lying.
27. According to the passage, alcohol serves to ΙΙ. Those who believe that medical opinion is
Ι. increase pleasure. inebriated.
ΙΙ. decrease desire. ΙΙΙ. Those who believe that the AIDS related tests on
ΙΙΙ. increase one's wish for it. the effects of alcohol on animals will show similar
ΙV. decrease satisfaction. results in human beings.
(A) Ι and ΙΙΙ (B) Ι, ΙΙ and ΙV (A) Only ΙΙ (B) Only ΙΙΙ
(C) ΙΙ, ΙΙΙ and ΙV (D) ΙΙΙ and ΙV (C) Ι and ΙΙΙ (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ

PASSAGE – V

Comfortably enclosed in his Rome hotel room, the tourist switches on the console by his bed, and dons a special helmet-
like head-set. He had to drop Paris from his tour programme - but that's no problem. He is about to "take" a personalised
tour of that city, walking under the Arc de Triomphe, travelling up by lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower and even boating past
Notre Dame on the Seine. If the fancy takes him, he can even zoom over the cathedral as if in a helicopter. Half an hour
later, he emerges from his helmet - back into the real world of his hotel room.

A new recruit to the instrument manufacturing company needs to get the feel of half a dozen items in their product line - but
none of them are presently available at this location. No problem. He sits in front of a high resolution computer screen and
puts on special gloves. At a flick of a button, one instrument after another jumps up in front of his eyes. What's more, his
fingers in the glove seem to be operating the controls; pushing buttons, flicking switches, turning knobs. In next to no time he
has "handled" a dozen different instruments - none of which were ever there.

On board a hunter-killer submarine, the sonar operator is on red alert. An unidentified frigate has been detected and is
closing in. The operator, again wearing special helmet-mounted display(HMD) and "tactile feedback gloves", operates the
sonar system, tracks the target, and computes a "firing solution" for his weapon -a torpedo. He can also "pull up" his
periscope and peer over the surface at the vessel closing in. His target "destroyed", the operator removes, helmet, gloves
and returns to the peaceful surroundings of his sub. There is no enemy anywhere around, indeed no alert of any kind.

The three scenarios - all of them based on fact - are only a few examples where users have been transported to the new
seamless wonder world of virtual reality (VR) - one of the hottest, most ubiquitous chunk of computer technology. Two
seemingly divergent interests - the military and entertainment industries - have been the most enthusiastic devotees of VR,
both for very sensible reasons. Using suitable computer hardware, both are able to put together systems where the user can
enter a 3-dimensional space, where he can be tricked into believing he is in some other place, and where his eyes, hands,
his very brain, seem to interact with a new virtual world.

The applications are endless - limited only by one's imagination. Today teleconferencing – linking up individuals in different
countries by TV – has become old hat. The "in" thing will be "televirtuality", where participants on different continents can be
brought together and will seem to hover in mid air - in the same room. It will allow two distant parties, for example, to edit a
document projected in the air, in front of them, make successive corrections which both can see in real time and to append
their signatures to it.

The Virtual Reality Research Team, VIRART, of Nottingham University, England, has exploited this new technological toy for a
worthy educational task. Over 150 kids in town - all physically handicapped spastics - being trained to associate hand signs
with familiar objects, now have the thrill of actually "handling", even playing with such objects as balls, balloons and other toys.
The entertainment industry has been quick to gallop into the VR arena. Pierce Brosnan and Jenny Wright appeared in
a landmark film, "The Lawnmower Man", where the audience was made to share their experience as they entered a virtual
world. Plenty of special effects wizardry was expended in the process.

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These products for the geeky-minded will inevitably proliferate, but this does not diminish the more serious applications. And
none are more serious than defence technologists in at least half a dozen countries, for whom VR spells a quantum jump in
the realism of simulation. The cost of weapon systems and munitions have soared so rapidly that any simulator even one
based on costly and hitherto esoteric technology like VR will always be cost effective.
Not surprisingly, the U.S. Congress has recently approved $500 millions in the military research budget for projects, in just
two fields - massively parallel programming and VR. And all three service wings have been swift to draw up plans to exploit
the technology. Advanced technology antisubmarine warfare displays for the Navy; visually coupled aircraft systems
simulators (VCASS) for the Air Force and for the Army, VR backed trainers, where the operator can fire a surface-to-air
missile or drive a main battle tank (MBT) across rough terrain in the teeth of enemy fire. "As military budgets for `real'
weapons shrink", said one cynical observer of the U.S. military scene, "VR budgets seem to soar."
Perhaps it will now be time enough to worry over something that is already bothering the medical profession in the West:
going where no man has gone before, software and hardware-wise may be fine: what happens to the "wetware" - the human
brain - and are there any long term dangers to the human user if he douses himself regularly in the unreal pleasures of VR?
31. According to the passage, which aspects of Virtual (C) physically handicapped spastic children could
Reality technology have been causing concern to the actually feel the thrill of handling and even playing
medical profession? with such objects as balls, balloons and other toys.
(A) Allowing people to experience hitherto unknown (D) televirtuality has become a reality.
feelings
(B) The effect of constant exposure to virtual reality 36. As mentioned in the passage, which of the following
on the human brain does NOT form a part of the defence applications that
(C) The delayed tactile response to virtual reality the U.S. armed force envisages on account of VR
images possibilities?
(D) The diversion of funds from medical research to Ι. Anti-submarine warfare displays
virtual reality research ΙΙ. MBT practice sessions
32. Which industries have thus far been most attracted by ΙΙΙ. Nuclear bomb fallout simulation
the prospects arising out of virtual reality technology? (A) Ι and ΙΙ (B) Only ΙΙ (C) Only ΙΙΙ (D) Only Ι
Ι. The medical industry
ΙΙ. The military industry 37. Which of the following best expresses the approach of
the entertainment industry to VR technology?
ΙΙΙ. The entertainment industry
(A) Futuristic (B) Innovative
(A) Only ΙΙ (B) Only ΙΙΙ (C) Only Ι (D) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ
(C) Opportunistic (D) Customer-oriented
33. Which of the following statements is true, according to
the passage? 38. How much money has the US Congress approved for
(A) Simulators based on costly technology like VR military research in VR technology?
are still cost effective because the cost of real (A) $500 million.
weapons has soared. (B) Less than $500 million.
(B) Simulators based on VR technology are costlier (C) About $ 500 million.
than the real weapons. (D) $ 250 million.
(C) Simulators based on VR technology are now
being used by defence technologists of at least 39. A new recruit at an instrument manufacturing company
half a dozen countries. uses VR technology for
(D) Both (A) and (C) (A) product knowledge.
(B) understanding VR.
34. Which of the following scenario(s) is/are possible in
(C) developing instrumentation based on VR.
view of the powers of televirtuality?
(D) testing VR equipment.
Ι. An inter-continental sales team meeting of a
multinational corporation from remote locations.
40. Which of the following application areas for VR
ΙΙ. A product launch presentation by a Japanese technology has not been mentioned in the passage?
company from Tokyo to its dealers in the U.S.A. (A) Medicine
ΙΙΙ. An International Monetary Fund - Indian Finance (B) Entertainment
ministry meeting with one team in Washington (C) Tourism
and the other in New Delhi. (D) Treatment of spastics
(A) Only Ι (B) Ι and ΙΙΙ
(C) ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ (D) Ι, ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ 41. Which of the following is most suitable as a title for the
35. Because of the work of the Virtual Reality Research passage?
Team (VIRART) of Nottingham University, England (A) US Military − Now a Virtual Reality
(A) the special effects of the movie 'The Lawnmower (B) Virtual Reality − a Boon or a Bane?
Man' were created (C) Seamless Magic of Virtual Worlds
(B) the Visually coupled aircraft systems simulators (D) Science Takes Another Quantum Leap
(VCASS) for the Royal Air Force could be
developed.

Passage 1 Passage 2 Passage 3 Passage 4 Passage 5


No. of words 576 317 985 343 875
No. of Qs. 5 5 12 8 11

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