| Question Based on Unread Passage |
Directions Passage : You have some brief passages with 5 questions following each passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Passage-1
The superintendence, direction and control of preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, elections to Parliament and State Legislatures and elections to the offices of the President and the Vice -President of India are vested in the Election Commission of India. It is an independent constitutional authority.
Independence of the Election Commission and its insulation from executive interference is ensured by a specific provision under Article 324 (5) of the Constitution that the Chief Election Commissioner shall not be removed from his office except in like manner and on like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court and conditions of his service shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.
In C.W.P. No. 4912 of 1998 (Kushra Bharat Vs. Union of India and Others), the Delhi High Court directed that information relating to Government dues owed by the candidates to the departments dealing with Government accommodation, electricity, water, telephone and transport etc. and any other dues should be furnished by the candidates and this information should be published by the election authorities under
the commission.
1. The text of the passage reflects or raises certain questions:
(A) The authority of the commission cannot be challenged.
(B) This would help in stopping the criminalization of Indian politics.
(C) This would reduce substantially the number of contesting candidates.
(D) This would ensure fair and free elections.
2. According to the passage, the Election Commission is an independent constitutional authority. This is under Article No.
(A) 324
(B) 356
(C) 246
(D) 161
3. Independence of the Commission means:
(A) have a constitutional status.
(B) have legislative powers.
(C) have judicial powers.
(D) have political powers.
4. Fair and free election means:
(A) transparency
(B) to maintain law and order
(C) regional considerations
(D) role for pressure groups
5. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office under Article:
(A) 125
(B) 352
(C) 226
(D) 324
Passage-2
Every society must develop in its people a social responsibility. This is something that we, in India, have been falling short of. We are very individualistic and don’t relate ourselves to our society as such. Very seldom do we actually go out and do something, which is beneficial to the society and which does not have a side-benefit for ourselves, as individuals and this is another thing that must be built into the education system. Our young boys and girls coming out must have a feeling for our society. There is a special responsibility that you have, that we all have in building up the spirit. We have to see that what we learn is not used only for our own personal benefits, that every task we do is such that it benefits the weak and the poor, as Gandhiji has said.
India, today, is striving out into the modern world. We are looking ahead to new technology, to high technology, new methods, new types of employment and a new dynamism in our economic growth.
But while we look ahead, we must not forget the millions who are still below the poverty line. When we look at technology, when we look at science, when we look at development, our attention must not be diverted from what is still a major block in India — the poor and deprived groups and everything we do must be targetted in a manner that the benefit will flow to the weak, the deprived and the depressed.
1. According to the author, the Indian people
(A) are socially very responsible
(B) lack social responsibility
(C) have several responsibilities
(D) are highly irresponsible
2. Indians do not do anything beneficial to society unless
(A) there is a benefit for themselves
(B) it involves personal sacrifices
(C) other individuals are benefitted
(D) the whole society benefits by it
3. The author says that India
(A) wants to acquire new technology
(B) does not want new technology
(C) already has sufficient new technology
(D) can export technology to other countries
4. The author suggests that
(A) the poor and the weak must benefit from new technology
(B) the poor and the weak produce new technology
(C) the new technology must help the rich
(D) the new technology is useless to the poor and the weak
5. What value does the author want to build into the educational system?
(A) Individuals must work for themselves
(B) Individuals must work for the benefit of the society without expecting any return or personal benefits
(C) Society must work for the benefit of the individuals
(D) Side-benefit is a must for any social work
Passage-3
The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of do’s and don’ts. The same old favourites recur year in and year out with monotonous regularity. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.
If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out.
We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our old bad ways.
1. What does it mean by the phrase ‘Formidable lists of do’s and don’ts’ as used in passage?
(A) The realisation that we are so imperfect is frightening
(B) The bad points of our character are formidable
(C) The list is so long that it is frightening
(D) The things that need to be included is frightening
2. Why does the author imply that many are inveterate smokers?
(A) Because they want to forget the frustration of not smoking
(B) Because they believe that it is almost impossible to give it up
(C) Because they have not tried to give it up
(D) Because they do not have will power to do so
3. What does the author say regarding self-improvement?
(A) The author says that we fail in our efforts at self-improvement because of high ambitions
(B) The author says that we cannot become perfect
(C) The author believes that imperfections are part of our lives so it is not possible to improve ourselves
(D) None of the above
4. What is the fundamental error about resolution that we make?
(A) We do not make announcement publically
(B) We never try to make them possible
(C) We make the announcement publically and look even more foolish
(D) We complete them without realising the effect
5. Which of the following words means the same as ‘deep-rooted’ as used in the passage?
(A) formidable
(B) attainment
(C) ambitious
(D) inveterate
Passage-4
Lorde : I keep a journal and write in it fairly regularly. I get a lot of my poems out of it. It’s like the raw material for my poems. Sometimes I’m blessed with a poem that comes in the form of a poem, but other times I’ve worked for two years on a poem.
For me, there are two very basic and different processes for revising my poetry. One is recognising that a poem has not yet become itself. In other words, I mean that the feeling, the truth that the poem is anchored in is somehow not clearly clarified inside of me and as a result it lacks something.
Then, it has to be re-felt. Then, there’s the other process which is easier. The poem is itself, but it has rough edges that need to be refined. That kind of revision involves picking the image that is more potent or tailoring it so that it carries the feeling. That’s an easier kind of re-writing and re-feeling.
1. From where could this account have been taken?
(A) A journal
(B) A newspaper
(C) An interview
(D) An essay
2. The person named Lorde in the passage writes in a journal
(A) very regularly
(B) rarely
(C) all the time
(D) fairly regularly
3. Lorde is probably a
(A) poet
(B) novelist
(C) dramatist
(D) painter
4. Another word in the second paragraph that mean ‘rewriting’ is
(A) re-feeling
(B) recognising
(C) picking
(D) revising
5. According to the writer the two processes involved in revising her work are
(A) complex and confusing
(B) clear yet different
(C) difficult and complex
(D) easy and anchored
Passage-5
The important thing in life is not what you have been but what you are reaching for and becoming. At my age, when I can see the end of the road more clearly than most, I can sit back and recollect in tranquility the varying vicissitudes of my life and what it has taught me. When I look back, I find that the great and glorious hours of my life were those when I gave a helping Practice Questions hand to others without expecting anything in return and not when I struggled arid succeeded to gain my own ends and I can well imagine and appreciate that in this world those alone live who live for others. I have no regrets for the past. Life has been kind to me My only regret is that I received more from life than I gave.
1. What stage of life must the author be?
(A) Adolescence
(B) Youth
(C) Middle age
(D) Old age
2. What feelings does the author harbour about life?
(A) Regret
(B) Gratitude
(C) Sadness
(D) Ecstasy
3. What, according to the author, were the most fulfilling moments of his life?
(A) When he recollected his life in tranquility
(B) When he succeeded in gaining his own ends
(C) When he managed to struggle through the vicissitudes of life
(D) When he could help others without expecting anything back
4. What, according to the author, is the most important thing in life?
(A) The achievements of one’s life
(B) The struggles one has faced in life
(C) The thing one is striving for
(D) The memories one has in life
5. What is the tone of the passage?
(A) Reflective
(B) Argumentative
(C) Opinionated
(D) Satirical