Reading Comprehension (Unseen)
Reading Comprehension. How to do it?
Reading comprehension is most common question that is asked in every English Language examination. It tests your understanding of English e.g. word power and general knowledge and of course English grammar also. General perception about reading comprehension is that it tests word power only but if you do not have command over grammar, there are various usages in English that may become obstacle on the way of understanding the content of a passage. Besides this, you must have a general knowledge of subject matter being discussed in the passage. It will help you in anticipating every move the author is going to take in the passage. Additionally, keep the following precautions also in your mind for good comprehension of a passage:-
Correct visual perception: - You should make correct visual perception of the words. Many words are similar in spellings like except / expect and hair / heir. You should not perceive wrongly one for the other. If you go by the context of the passage, you will make correct perception.
Correct Context: - You should take the meaning of the words in the correct context of the passage that is being dealt. It will help you guess the direction where the author is trying to move and you will understand the passage completely.
Antonyms and synonyms: - You need to give the antonyms and synonyms of the words used in the passage. Generally, these words are printed in bold so that you may easily locate them. While giving their antonyms and synonyms, observe in what meaning they have been used in the passage.
Subject Knowledge and Related Vocabulary:- You must have proper subject knowledge which is being dealt in the passage. It may be any subject which you can think of. The most important subjects which are dealt in the reading comprehension are science and technology, recent technological developments, Economics, Politics, Philosophy, social issues, Ecology, and so on. There is no syllabus of what subjects will the reading comprehension shall be given. You need to keep your general knowledge updated and you must have the basic knowledge of all the subjects and the vocabulary related to that subject. If you don't possess such knowledge, you must work to improve it. You must make a habit to read newspapers and magazines which keep you updated about the developments in every field of knowledge. If you dont know the meaning of word, the best option is to look up the word in the dictionary. Guessing may mislead you. You cant risk guessing. When you look up the dictionary, you must see the synonyms and antonyms of the word also. It will give you a greater confidence to solve the questions related to vocabulary.
1. Read the .following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:-
The history of growth and development of industries in the private sector does not make a happy reading. Private sector has all along neglected social needs but always cared for maximum profits. It has been and continues to exploit the workers. It pays them much less than what is their due. With this sector welfare of the people and public interest has no meaning. During difficult days like war, fire, earthquakes and the like, it hoards essential commodities it creates artificial scarcity and tries to create problems it tries to black mail the government, the people and everyone else it corrupts government officials by bringing and giving, other inducements. It also ensures that every governmental activity should be in its favour e.g. no law should be passed which adversely effects private sector industries, no working hours should be fixed and the workers should not be given any legal protection. It is opposed to state intervention in their affairs by way of fixing minimum wages, compulsory providing of social securities etc.
Questions:-
(i) Why does author think that history and development of industries does not make a happy reading?
(ii) Why does author think that with private sector welfare of the people and public interest has no meaning?
(iii) Why does private sector want no working hours should be fixed and the workers should not be given any legal protection?
(iv) What type of legal protection should workers be given?
(v) Should private sector be given freedom to hire and fire? If so why? If not why?
Answers:-
(i) Author thinks that history and development of industries does not make a happy reading because private sector has always cared for maximum profits only from the customers but neglected its social obligations.
(ii) Author thinks that with private sector welfare of the people and public interest has no meaning because it has been and continuously exploiting the workers by paying them less than what is due. Besides this during difficult days like war, fire, earthquakes and the like, it hoards essential commodities it creates artificial scarcity and tries to create problems it tries to black mail the government,
(iv) Private sector wants no working hours should be fixed and the workers should not be given any legal protection because it will reduce its profit.
(iv) The workers must be given legal protection against exploitation like no fixed hours for working, not paying even minimum wages and firing the working for no reason.
(v) Yes private sector should be given freedom to hire and fire but there must be demand of work in the market. Then only hire and fire will achieve its purpose.
2. Read the .following passage carefully and answer the questions given below lt. _Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering ·some of the questions.
Capitalism is a great slave, but a pathetic master. This truth unfortunately gets lost in our chase for the elusive dream.....especially in the West, the land that has been marketed as the land of dreams- the great Western dream .It's the dream of being independent masters of our lives, of making big bucks and of being happy - even if that happiness is being bought by money which all of them chase out there. No doubt, the West, on its part, has been fairly successful in creating material comforts a plenty. It has improved the living standard of its average citizen. However It has been achieved as a result of more than 200 years of unbridled growth and exploitation. And that is what has made the rest of the world mindlessly chase Westernism not necessarily happiness or an ideal form of society. All because the shop window looks very impressive and it has been marketed very well. But a deep look inside the shop tells a different tale. A different world lies behind, a world that is not quite visible to the starry eyed millions- · for whom the Western way of life seems to be the ultimate dream. Thus, we have Indians dreaming to become one get married to an NRI and Indian middle class fathers dreaming of their sons reaching the Bay area and landing tech Jobs, unmindful of the second class life they end up leading in the West. What goes unseen and almost unheard is that the West also happens to be the land that is right among the top in terms of the number of divorces per thousand, the number of single parent families per thousand, the number of old people in old age homes, the number of suicides, homicides, and of course, the number of college/school shootouts. .. And why not! After all, such societies are constantly driven towards higher profits and materialism. Expectedly, this materialism comes at a cost that the world is paying today. This is the reason why we have millions dying of curable diseases in Africa and other underdeveloped· countries, while the rich grow richer. Their growth will be reduced if they were to start thinking of the poor. So what do they do to justify their greed for more? They most shrewdly propagate and market a ridiculously primitive law of the Jungle for our 21st century civilian, the 'Law of Survival of the Fittest' ! .The Interesting thing about material things is that they only give an illusion of happiness; however such happiness is always momentary in nature. Ergo, at this juncture, you feel you are the happiest person in the world, after buying your new car or flat screen TV, and just a few days later, these are the very possessions that cease to make you happy. While you chase the bigger car and spend that extra bit of the wealth, you intercept someone's share of the daily bread and also sacrifice those who have the maximum power to make you happy family, emotions and love. Prolonged abstinence in feeling emotions finally destroys bliss; and you don't even realize when you have become a dry-eyed cripple..... and then you land up in a sermon workshop to find out the real meaning of life-. Or whatever these workshops are capable of explaining. The truth is that such workshops are also driven by merchants who cash in on the dejected state of the people, a state created by their own fictional dreams. But by then it's really too late. ·. . By then, you have made profits out of arms, and engineered wars to keep that Industry alive. You ' have sold guns across counters at supermarkets and made more profits. You have lobbied that· guns should be made accessible to the common man, and all for the sake of profits. This makes you realize one day that they are your own children who are in the line of fire against the school goer who opens fire at his schoolmates. This is the society that finally creates an emotionless monster, who gets satisfaction in killing innocent adults and children alike for no cause, no reason and for none, for himself. It is the utter destruction of spiritualism and the total focus on endless self-gratification. Where so many single parent families and divorces exist, it is impossible to bring up children or influence the killers, any better. .
1. Who does the author hold responsible for the shooting spree in schools and colleges? ·
(A) Lack of love and emotion in the society, in general.
(B) Increased focus on self-gratification even when it comes at the cost of innocent lives.
(C) Deteriorating social structure leading to break up of families resulting in lack of moral development in children.
(1) Only A
(2) Only C
(3) Only B and C
(4) All of these
(5) None of .these
2. Why does the author refer to the law of survival of the fittest as ridiculous?
( 1) This law is primitive and holds good for developed nations
(2) This primitive law is often used to justify the accumulation of wealth by a selected few
(3) People from developing countries use it to rationalize their immigration to the western countries ·
(4) It does not lead to any material profits and material wealth
(5) None of these
3. According to the passage, which of the following is a reason for poverty and ·hunger in under developed countries?
(A) Mindlessly chasing the Western way of living.
(B) They have fallen prey to the idea of happiness through material comforts rather than love and emotional bond.
(C) They do not have marketing techniques as good ·as the western countries.
(1) Only (B)
(2) Only (C)
(3) Only (A)
(4) Only (B) and (C)
(5) Not mentioned in the passage
4. Why do the 'starry eyed millions’ harbour a wish to become an NRI?
(A) They are driven towards higher profits and materialism.
(B) They appreciate the western way of life as it appears to them:
(C) They have become emotionless and have lost any attachment to the motherland.
(1) Only (A)
(2) Only (B)
(3) Only (A) and (B)
(4) Only (C)
(5) All (A), (B) and (C)
5. Why does the author disregard the Western way of living even though an average citizen in the West enjoys better living standards?
( 1 ) Many Indians want to ape their life style leading to a cultural dilution of their own traditions
(2) The West has failed to market their lifestyle in an appropriate way
(3) According to him the law of ‘survival of the fittest' is now obsolete
(4) It only looks forward to material comfort rather than happiness within
(5) None of these
6. What does the author mean by intercepting someone's share of daily bread?
(1) Hindering the process of marketing in underdeveloped countries by the developed countries
(2) Denying material comfort to the Western world
(3) Affecting the social life of those working towards material comforts only
(4) Excess of wealth in western world while people in poorer nations struggle for survival
(5) None of these
7. What does the author mean by ‘shop window of the West' when he suggests to look inside the shop?
(A)The sprawling super markets have been making profits out of inhuman activities.
(B) To look closely at the existing societal structure rather than superficially appreciating the delusive dazzle.
(C) To study their marketing techniques closely, .
(1) Only A
(2) Only B
(3) Only A and B
(4} Only B and C
(5) Only c
8. The author's main objective in writing the passage is
(1) To explain that consumerist societies have their own drawbacks which are overlooked by those who are blinded by its material glare.
(2). to explain How too many material comforts have improved the living standard of common man in the west
(3) that young children should not be given access to guns and other ammunitions ,
(4) All NRI’s are leading unmindful, second class lives abroad
(5) None of these
9. Which of the following is not true according to the passage·?
(1) Over indulgence in accumulating material wealth has led to many problems on the social and emotional fronts ·
(2) People should visit the sermons more often since this is the only way to achieve peace and happiness
(3) For the sake of making profits, people have taken decisions which have proved to be harmful to the society.
(4) There are plenty of material comforts in the Western countries.
(5) None of these
Directions (10- 12) : Choose the word which is MOST similar inmeaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage:
10. SHREWDLY
( 1) Roughly
(2) Rightly
(3) Rudely
(4) Courteously
(5) Astutely
11. CHASE
(1) Follow
(2) Capture
(3) Run
(4) Catch
(5) Conquer
12. ELUSIVE
(1) Terrifying
(2) Unusual
(3) Unachievable ·
(4) Haunting
(5) Displeasing
Directions (13- 15) : Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as given in the passage.
13. DEJECTED
(1) Apologetic
(2) Anxious
(3) Accepted
(4) Elated
(5) Enlightened
14. UNBRIDLED
(1) Enthusiastic
(2) Controlled
(3) Rebellious
(4) Considerate
{5) Approved
15. MOMENTARY
·(1) Sporadic
(2) Futuristic
(3) Brief
(4) Homogeneous
(5) Perpetual
Answers:- 1- 4, 2- 2, 3- 1, 4- 2, 5 - 4, 6 -1, 7- 1, 8-1, 9- 2, 10- 5, 11-1, 12 -3, 13 -4, 14-2, 15-5
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