Monday 30 January 2017

English Important Reading Comprehension Set 14 Asked in Various Exams for IPPB and IDBI

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases in the passage are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Indra foresaw that a supreme contest was inevitable between his son Arjuna and Karna; and he put on the garb of a Brahmana and came to Karna, who was reputed for his charity, and begged of him his earrings and armour. The Sun god had already warned Karna in a dream that Indra would try to deceive him in this manner. Still, Karna could not bring himself to refuse any gift that was asked of him. Hence he cut off the earrings and armour with which he was born and gave them to the Brahmana.

Indra, the king of gods, was filled with surprise and joy. After accepting the gift, he praised Karna as having done what no one else would do, and shamed into generosity, bade Karna ask for any boon he wanted.

Karna replied: “I desire to get your weapon, the Sakti which has the power to kill enemies.” Indra granted the boon, but with a fateful proviso. He said : “You can use this weapon against but one enemy, and it will kill him whosoever he may be. But this killing done, this weapon will no longer be available to you but will return to me.” With these words Indra disappeared.

Karna went to Parasurama and became his disciple by representing to him that he was a Brahmana. He learnt of Parasurama the mantra for using the master weapon known as Brahmastra. One day Parasurama was reclining with the head on Karna’s lap when a stinging worm burrowed into Karna’s thigh. Blood began to flow and the pain was terrible, but Karna bore it without tremor lest he should disturb the master’s sleep. Parasurama awoke and saw the blood which had poured from the wound. He said: “Dear pupil, you are not a Brahmana. A Kshatriya alone can remain unmoved under all bodily torments. Tell me the truth.” Karna confessed that he had told a lie in presenting himself as a Brahmana and that he was in fact the son of a charioteer. Parasurama in his anger pronounced this curse on him: “Since you deceived your guru, the Brahmastra you have learnt shall fail you at the fated moment. You will be unable to recall the invocatory mantra when you hour comes.”

It was because of this curse that at the crisis of his last fight with Arjuna, Karna was not able to recall the Brahmastra spell, though he had remembered it till then. Karna was the faithful friend of Duryodhana and remained loyal with the Kauravas until the end. After the fall of Bhishma and Drona, Karna became the leader of the Kaurava army and fought brilliantly for two days. In the end, the wheel of his chariot stuck in the ground and he was not able to lift it free and drive the chariot along. While he was in this predicament, Arjuna killed him. Kunti was sunk in sorrow, all the more poignant because she had, at that time, to conceal it.

1. How did Parasurama find that Karna was not a Brahmana?
a) Karna himself confessed his identity before Parasurama.
b) Karna bore the sting of a worm without any tremor
c) Parasurama had acquire3d the ability to know everything through his third eye.
d) He asked Karna’s father about his identity.

2. Why did Karna decide toi become Parasurama’s disciple on the pretext that he was a Brahmana?
a) Because Parsurama was a Brahmana.
b) Parasurama hated Kshatriyas and Sudras.
c) Parasurama was a man who believed in strict notions of castes.
d) Not given in the passage

3. Why could Karna not refuse the demands for his earrings and armour made by Indra?
a) Because Karna was the son of Indra
b) Because Karna was known for his charity.
c) Karna, being the son of a charioteer, could not refuse Indra, the King of Gods.
d) Karna was deceived by Indra in the guise of a Brahmana.

4. Why did Parasurama curse Karna?
a) Because Karna decided to use the Brahmastra on Parasurama.
b) Because Karna failed to learn the techniques of a Kshatriya.
c) Because Karna concealed his identity and betrayed his master.
d) Because Karna had vowed to destroy the hermitage of Parasurama.

5. What would be the effect of the curse?
a) That Karna would not be able to recall the Brahmastra spell when his hour came.
b) That the invocatory mantra would cease to act on the person targeted.
c) That he would not be able to pass the spell to his friends.
d) That he would be killed by his own invocatory mantra of the Brahmastra.

6. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Tremor
a) Fear b) Trembling c) Offering
d) Sorrow

7. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Poignant
a) Defile b) Straight c) Foul
d) Painful

8. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Predicament
a) Difficulty b) Fancy c) Hurry
d) Emergency

9. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Reclining
a) Resting b) Standing c) Waiting
d) Thinking

10. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Torments
a) Suffering b) Pain c) Anxiety
d) Comfort


Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you to locate them, while answering some of the questions.

The wakeup call that China represents to India is not limited to its showpiece urban centres or that New Delhi hopes India will experience the benefits that the Olympic Games have brought to Beijing. More pertinent is the comparison of the agricultural sectors of the two countries. Why and how has China managed to outstrip India in agriculture when 25 years ago the two countries were on par on most parameters? Both have traditionally been agrarian economies and over half their populations continue to depend on the land for their livelihood. With large populations and histories of famine, India and China share concern on issues such as food security, however, while India’s agricultural sector is projected to grow by about 2.5% this year – a slide from the previous year’s growth. China’s has been steadily growing at between 4% and 5% over the last fifteen years. The widest divergence between India and China is in the profitable horticultural sector with the production of fruits and vegetables in China leaping from 60 million tonnes in 1980 compared to India’s 55 million tonnes at the same time, to 450 million tonnes in 2003 ahead of India’s corresponding 135 million tonnes. China’s added advantage lies in the more diversified composition of its agricultural sector with animal husbandry and fisheries which account for close to 45% of growth compared to 30% for India.

According to the latest report by Economic Advisory Council the traditional excuses for India’s substandard is placed favourably when compared to China in terms of quantity of arable land, average farm size, farm mechanization etc. The reasons for China having outperformed India are threefold : technological improvements accruing from research and development (China has over 1000 R and D centres devoted to agriculture), Investment in rural infrastructure and an increasingly liberalised agricultural policy moving away from self-sufficiency to leveraging the competitive advantage with a focus on “effieiency as much as equity”. Investment in rural infrastructure, roads, storage facilities, marketing facilities are also crucial but government support in India has been mainly been through subsidies, not investment. There has been much debate about sibsidies and their utility, the opposing view being that subsidies are against the market reforms and distort the market as well as reduce resource efficiency. In contrast to the 2046 applications for the registration of new plant varieties in China over the past few years data reveals that despite India having the largest number of agricultural scientists in the World India’s current research track record is abysmal, equivalent to what China achieved in the 1908s. Far from developing new strains, the number of field crop varieties fell by 50% between 1997 and 2001 despite the fact that there was sharp and sustained increase in funding. One reason is that majority of the budget is eaten up by staff salaries with only 3% being allotted for research. In contrast, most agricultural research centres in China must use Central Government funding purely for research. Funds relating to salareis and other administrative incidentals must be generated by the centres themselves. The centres and sci entists are thus, encouraged to engage in joint ventures witjh private sector compani es to form commercial signoffs from their research. In fact research staff are now being hired on a contract basis with pay based on performance and salaries raised proportionately for those who perform well. India needs to learn from China’s example and adopt a pragmatic approach if it has to meet its targets of the Eleventh five year plan.

11. What has been the major area of difference in the development of the agricultural sectors of India and China?
a) Quantity of arable land in China is far greater than in India
b) Food security is not a concern for China as the country is basically self sufficient
c) China has experienced substantial growth in production in allied agricultural activities like horticulture
d) India’s agricultural sector is too diversified so it is difficult to channel funds for development

12. How are Chinese agricultural research facilities governed?
a) Salaries of staff are linked to performance which hampers productive research
b) Their funding comes from the government alone to prevent private companies from manipulating the direction of their research
c) A fixed proportion of government grants is allotted to be utilized for administrative incidentals which cannot be exceeded
d) None of these

13. Which of the following is an advantage that India holds over China with respect to the agricultural sector?
a) Lack of diversification of the agricultural sector
b) Superior technology and farming practices
c) Greater prevalence of farm mechanisation
d) Provision of fertilizer and power subsidies

14. Why was there a drop in development of new crop varieties for five years from 1997?
a) Government funding for research fell during that period
b) Funds were diverted during this period to agricultural mechanisation
c) The private sector was not allowed to fund research
d) None of these

15. Which of the following is not true in the context of the passage?
a) Agricultural status of China and India was equivalent a quarter of a century ago
b) India’s current economic growth rate is half that of China
c) China is traditionally an agrarian economy
d) Agricultural research in India is inadequate

ANSWERS:

1. Option B
2. Option D
3. Option B
4. Option C
5. Option A
6. Option B
7. Option D
8. Option A
9. Option B
10. Option D
11. Option C
12. Option D
13. Option C
14. Option D

15. Option C


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