Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
In ancient times, Hieun Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during the (1)______ of King Harsha. He praised the Indians (2)______ 'people with pure moral principles’. In 2014, India (3)______ 85th in the corruption perception index of the Transparency International. What (4)______ downfall! Isn’t it ironical that we Indians (5)______ by the ideals of honesty and integrity, self-denial and (6)______ but in practice willingly resort to the (7) ______ forms of corruption to promote our interests? The (8)______ of corruption is eating into the (9) ______ of our society and we have become helpless (10)______ of our own degradation.
Question:
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank no. 8.
Option 1: melancholy
Option 2: malaise
Option 3: despair
Option 4: deficiency
Correct Answer: malaise
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
Malaise means a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is difficult to identify. It helps convey the intended meaning that corruption is a disease that is eating society.
Question : Ten thaats or scales, belong to which system of music?
Option 1: Hindustani music
Option 2: Folk music
Option 3: Chinese music
Option 4: Western music
Correct Answer: Hindustani music
Solution : The correct option is Hindustani music.
Ragas are derived from a set of ascending notes known as thaats. The 'thaat' method was developed in Hindustani music to categorise the enormous number of ragas that are present in the genre. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, a significant musicologist in the field of classical music in the early twentieth century, developed the modern thaat system.
Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
In ancient times, Hieun Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during the (1)______ of King Harsha. He praised the Indians (2)______ 'people with pure moral principles’. In 2014, India (3)______ 85th in the corruption perception index of the Transparency International. What (4)______ downfall! Isn’t it ironical that we Indians (5)______ by the ideals of honesty and integrity, self-denial and (6)______ but in practice willingly resort to the (7) ______ forms of corruption to promote our interests? The (8)______ of corruption is eating into the (9) ______ of our society and we have become helpless (10)______ of our own degradation.
Question:
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank no. 1.
Option 1: authoritative
Option 2: reign
Option 3: command
Option 4: vigour
Correct Answer: reign
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
Reign means to hold royal office, or rule as a monarch. It helps convey the intended meaning that a Chinese traveller came to India during the rule of King Harsha.
Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
In ancient times, Hieun Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during the (1)______ of King Harsha. He praised the Indians (2)______ 'people with pure moral principles’. In 2014, India (3)______ 85th in the corruption perception index of the Transparency International. What (4)______ downfall! Isn’t it ironical that we Indians (5)______ by the ideals of honesty and integrity, self-denial and (6)______ but in practice willingly resort to the (7) ______ forms of corruption to promote our interests? The (8)______ of corruption is eating into the (9) ______ of our society and we have become helpless (10)______ of our own degradation.
Question:
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank no. 2.
Option 1: as
Option 2: by
Option 3: like
Option 4: such
Correct Answer: as
Solution : The correct choice is the first option.
In the given sentence, there needs to be a preposition since the blank is followed by a noun. The preposition as is used when we are describing the role or purpose of a person or thing in a sentence.
Question : Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the question of where and when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic ever, originated is one of the biggest mysteries in human history. After all, the Black Death was the first wave of the second plague pandemic of the 14th to early 19th centuries. It killed some 50–60% of the population in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and an unaccountable number of people in Central Asia. Different proposals, based on competing theories, have been put forward. But in 2017, I came across some records describing an intriguing medieval cemetery in Kara-Djigach, Chüy Valley, northern Kyrgyzstan, which I suspected may hold the key. As part of a multidisciplinary team co-led by Maria Spyrou at the University of Tubingen, we have now investigated several specimens from individuals buried at that site and come up with an answer. The idea that the Black Death originated in the east—territories overlapping, roughly speaking, Central Asia, Mongolia, and China—dates back to the contemporaries of the pandemic in Europe and the Islamic world. The modern, academic Chinese origin theory dates back at least to 1756–8, and a publication about the history of Central Asia by French scholar Joseph de Guignes.
Which of the following may be the probable origin of the Black Death, according to the passage?
Option 1: Kyrgyzstan
Option 2: India
Option 3: Mongolia
Option 4: China
Correct Answer: Kyrgyzstan
Solution : The first option is correct.
The probable origin of the Black Death, according to the passage, is Kyrgyzstan. The passage mentions the discovery of an intriguing medieval cemetery in Kara-Djigach, Chüy Valley, northern Kyrgyzstan, in 2017. The speaker suspected that this site may hold the key to the origin of the Black Death. The subsequent investigation of specimens from individuals buried at that site led to the conclusion discussed in the passage.
Therefore, the correct answer is Kyrgyzstan.
Question : Find the part of the given sentence that has an error in it. If there is no error, choose 'No Error'.
Where can I find a good Chinese restaurant about here?
Option 1: where can I find
Option 2: a good Chinese
Option 3: restaurant about here?
Option 4: No Error
Correct Answer: restaurant about here?
Solution : The correct choice is the third option.
The preposition about means on the subject of or concerning, and it should be replaced with the preposition around to make the sentence grammatically accurate. Around means on every side, and in this context it helps convey the intended meaning that the speaker is trying to find a good Chinese restaurant near him.
Therefore, the correct sentence is: Where can I find a good Chinese restaurant around here?
Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
In ancient times, Hieun Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during the (1)______ of King Harsha. He praised the Indians (2)______ 'people with pure moral principles’. In 2014, India (3)______ 85th in the corruption perception index of the Transparency International. What (4)______ downfall! Isn’t it ironical that we Indians (5)______ by the ideals of honesty and integrity, self-denial and (6)______ but in practice willingly resort to the (7) ______ forms of corruption to promote our interests? The (8)______ of corruption is eating into the (9) ______ of our society and we have become helpless (10)______ of our own degradation.
Question:
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank no. 9.
Option 1: threats
Option 2: vitals
Option 3: necessity
Option 4: imperative
Correct Answer: vitals
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
Vitals mean essential, and it helps convey the intended meaning that corruption is eating away the essential aspects of the society.
Question : Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the question of where and when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic ever, originated is one of the biggest mysteries in human history. After all, the Black Death was the first wave of the second plague pandemic of the 14th to early 19th centuries. It killed some 50-60% of the population in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and an unaccountable number of people in Central Asia. Different proposals, based on competing theories, have been put forward. But in 2017, I came across some records describing an intriguing medieval cemetery in Kara-Djigach, Chüy Valley, northern Kyrgyzstan, which I suspected may hold the key. As part of a multidisciplinary team co-led by Maria Spyrou at the University of Tubingen, we have now investigated several specimens from individuals buried at that site – and come up with an answer. The idea that the Black Death originated in the east – territories overlapping, roughly speaking, Central Asia, Mongolia and China – dates back to the contemporaries of the pandemic in Europe and the Islamic world. The modern, academic Chinese origin theory dates back to at least 1756-8 and a publication about the history of Central Asia by French scholar Joseph de Guignes.
Select the suitable word given in the passage which means ‘areas of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state’.
Option 1: Territories
Option 2: Contemporaries
Option 3: Population
Option 4: Mysteries
Correct Answer: Territories
Solution : The correct choice is the first option.
The passage mentions, "The idea that the Black Death originated in the east—territories overlapping, roughly speaking, Central Asia, Mongolia, and China." Here, territories refers to regions or areas under consideration.
The meanings of other options are as follows:
- Contemporaries are people who lived during the same time period.
- Population is the total number of people living in a particular area.
- Mysteries mean puzzling or unexplained events or phenomena.
Therefore, the correct answer is territories.
Question : Comprehension:
Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.
From January 28 to February 4, 2023, a Chinese-operated, large white high-altitude balloon was seen in North American airspace, including Alaska, western Canada, and the contiguous United States. The American and Canadian militaries asserted that the balloon was for surveillance, while the Chinese government maintained it was a civilian meteorological research airship that had been blown off course. Analysts said that the balloon's flight path and structural characteristics made it dissimilar from those which have typically been used for meteorological research. The U.S. Department of State said that the balloon was capable of locating electronic communication devices, including mobile phones and radios, and that
American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft deployed to track the balloon in the air revealed that the balloon carried antennas and other equipment "clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment on board weather balloons." The State Department said that the spy balloon was part of a global Chinese military-directed surveillance effort in which Chinese spy balloons have flown over more than 40 nations in five continents.
On February 4, the U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina, on the order of U.S. President Joe Biden. Debris from the wreckage was recovered and sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
The incident increased U.S.-China tensions. The incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to delay a diplomatic visit to Beijing, which was set to be his first since 2018. It also further strained Canada-China relations, as Canada summoned the Chinese ambassador because of the violation of Canadian airspace. On February 3, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that a second Chinese balloon was passing over Latin America, which China also said belonged to it. On February 10, the Air Force shot down another aerial object over U.S. territory at the order of President Biden.
Question:
The passage is mainly about
Option 1: the strained relations between US and China
Option 2: a Chinese spy balloon flying over US and Canadian territories
Option 3: China's global military-directed surveillance
Option 4: Chinese balloons flying all over the world
Correct Answer: a Chinese spy balloon flying over US and Canadian territories
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
Explanation:
The passage centres around the events related to a Chinese-operated balloon observed in North American airspace, emphasising its surveillance nature and the subsequent actions taken by the U.S. Air Force. The key details involve the balloon's purpose, the reactions of the American and Canadian militaries, the shooting down of the balloon, and the impact on international relations. Therefore, the primary focus is on the Chinese spy balloon and its activities.
Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
In ancient times, Hieun Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during the (1)______ of King Harsha. He praised the Indians (2)______ 'people with pure moral principles’. In 2014, India (3)______ 85th in the corruption perception index of the Transparency International. What (4)______ downfall! Isn’t it ironical that we Indians (5)______ by the ideals of honesty and integrity, self-denial and (6)______ but in practice willingly resort to the (7) ______ forms of corruption to promote our interests? The (8)______ of corruption is eating into the (9) ______ of our society and we have become helpless (10)______ of our own degradation.
Question:
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank no.4.
Option 1: a
Option 2: the
Option 3: some
Option 4: any
Correct Answer: a
Solution : The first option is correct.
In the given sentence, the sentence needs an article a, as the word downfall is singular. We use the article a before consonant sounds.