English Passage

A little man beside me was turning over the page of a magazine quickly and nervously. Opposite me there was a young mother who was trying to restrain her son from making a noise. The boy had obviously grown weary of waiting. He had placed on ashtray on the floor and was making aeroplane-noises as he waved a pencil in his hands. Near him, and old man was fast asleep, snoring quickly to himself and the boy’s mother was afraid that sooner or later h ere son would wake the gentleman up.

QUESTIONS:

1. The noise was made by

(A)  the old man

(B)  the aeroplane 

(C) the little man 

(D) the boy 

Show Answer

2. The person who was the least disturbed was the

(A) observer

(B) son

(C) old man 

(D) little man 

Show Answer

3. The factor common to all the people was that they were all

(A) watching a film 

(B) waiting for something

(C) looking at the little boy’s playfulness 

(D)  reading magazine 

Show Answer

4. Among those present the one who appeared to be the most bored was the

(A) child

(B) little man 

(C) old man 

(D) mother

Show Answer

(Source: CDS I 2015 English Paper)

PASSAGE-14

The dog is a very intelligent animal and it can be trained for many duties. Some dogs work with the police and the army as sentries and trackers, and there are medals that are awarded to dogs for bravery in action. Other dogs act as seeing-eyes for the blind, and some breeds are specially trained for rescue work among mountains and snow. Jobs like herding sheep and cattle and guarding homes are also done by them. Whenever man lives and works in the Arctic Circle, I the desert, in the jungle, in the moors or mountains, the dog is his faithful companion and help. A common mongrel may possess these qualities just as much as the aristocratic bloodhound.

QUESTIONS:

1. The passage tells us that dogs

(A) can be trained to do different kinds of work 

(B) are capable of difficult work 

(C)  are of different types 

(D)  alone are a great help to man 

Show Answer

2. Medals are awarded to some dogs for

(A)  their brave deeds working with the police 

(B)  working with the police 

(C)  serving as sentries 

(D)  being able to perform difficult work 

Show Answer

3. The passage implies that

(A)  only dogs are faithful but not man 

(B) man would have felt helpless without dogs 

(C) the dog has certain qualities that make it man’s trustworthy companion 

(D) dogs can do almost anything 

Show Answer

4. The phrase ‘aristocratic bloodhound’ in the passage means

(A) the dog kept by wealthy people 

(B) a pedigree dog 

(C) a dog fond of blood 

(D) any big dog 

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2014 GAT Question Paper)

In a free country, the man who reaches the position of leader is usually one of outstanding character and ability. Moreover, it is usually possible to foresee that he will reach such a position, since early in life one can see his qualities of character. But his is not always true in the case of a dictator; often he reaches his position of power through chance, very often through the unhappy state of his country. It is possible that Hitler would never have become the leader of Germany if that country had not been drive to despair.

QUESTIONS:

1. In a free country, one who becomes a leader

(A)  must be of outstanding character and ability 

(B)  must show qualities of character from an early age 

(C)  is generally of a remarkable character and ability 

(D)  must be see that his country is free from despair 

Show Answer

2. Hitler became a leader  because

(A)  he exhibited leadership qualities 

(B)  Germany was free country 

(C)  Germany was in despair 

(D)  Germans wanted a dictator 

Show Answer

3. The passage seems to suggest that

(A)  despair sometimes lads to dictatorship 

(B)  Hitler was no leader 

(C)  a leader is chosen only by a free country 

(D)  a leader foresees his future position 

Show Answer

[LDAdvQuiz 1453]

(Source: NDA I 2014 GAT Question Paper)

It is not doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be no sunshine without shadow, we must no complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flowers. Our existence there is so complex that we must except much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smile; if you frown, it frown back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very as a comedy to those who think and  tragedy to those who feel.

1. The author says that we cannot go through life without sorrow because

(a)   it is our fate

(b)   we are always discontented

(c)   life is a tragedy

(d)   human life is very complex

Ans: ()

2. According to the author no man can be discontented with the world if he

(a)   it determined to be happy

(b)   is sincere in discharging his duties

(c)   has a healthy attitude to life

(d)   likes sunshine

Ans: ()

3. The expression “life is a tragedy to those who feel” means that it is a tragedy to those who

(a)   think about the world

(b)   believe in fare

(c)   do not understand the world

(d)   are sensitive and emotional

Ans: ()

4. The author says. “There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room”. The reason for this is that they

(a)   have the capacity to love

(b)   talk more of roses and less of thorns

(c)   are happy and spread happiness

(d)   look good and behave well

Ans: ()

5. What is the author’s message in this passage ?

(a)   Look at the bright side of things

(b)   Our existence is so complex

(c)   The world is a looking glass

(d)   Expect much sorrow and suffering

Ans: ()

(Source: NDA II 2012 GAT Question Paper)

There was a farewell ceremony on  her last day at school. to which my parents and I were invited. It was a touching ceremony in a solemn kind of way. The City Corporation sent a representative and so did the two main political parties. There are many speeches and my grandmother was garlanded by a girl from every class. Then the head-girl, a particular favourite of hers, unveiled the farewell present the girls had bought for  her by subscription. It was a large marble model of the ‘Taj Mahal; it had a bulb inside and could be lit up like a table lamp. My grandmother made a speech too, but she couldn’t finish it properly, for she began to cry before she got to the end of it and to stop to wipe away her tears. I turned away when she began dabbing at her eyes with a huge green handkerchief and discovered, to my surprise, that many of the girls sitting around me ere wiping their eyes too. I was very jealous, I remember. I had always taken it four grated that it was my own special right to love her; I did not know how to cope with the discovery that may right had been infringed by a whole school.

1. The farewell ceremony described in the passage is for the

(a)   author’s mother used to teach at his/her school

(b)   mother of head-girl teaching at her school

(c)   grandmother of head-girl no longer teaching at  her school

(d)   grandmother of the author who used to teach at his/her school

Ans: ()

2. The farewell ceremony made everyone feel

(a)   sad

(b)   unhappy

(c)   happy

(d)   bad

Ans: ()

3. Before the writer attended the ceremony he/she had thought

(a)   he/she was the only child who loved his/her grandmother

(b)   all the girls in the school loved his/her grandmother

(c)   only a few girls in the school loved his/her grandmother.

(d)   only his/her parents loved his/her grandmother

Ans: ()

(Source: NDA II 2012 GAT Question Paper)

It has often been said that the scale of natural phenomena in India and her total dependence on the monsoon, have helped to form the character of her people. Even today, major disaster, such as flood, famine and plaque, are hard to check and in older times, their control was almost impossible. Many other ancient civilizations, such as those of the Greeks, Romans and Chinese, had to contend with hard winters, which encouraged sturdiness and resourcefulness. India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous nature, who demanded little of man in return for sustenance, but in her terrible anger could not be appeased by any human effort. Hence it has been suggested, the Indian character has tended to quietism, accepting fortune and misfortune alike without complaint.

QUESTIONS:

1. The author’s main argument is

(A) description of natural phenomena of India 

(B)  unpredictability of Indian monsoon 

(C)  correlation between the climate and the character of the inhabitants of a region 

(D)  hardships caused by natural calamities 

Show Answer

2. Which one of the following civilization did not have to face hardships due to bad winter ?

(A) Indian

(B) Greek

(C) Chinese

(D) Roman

Show Answer

3. The expression “India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous nature ……..’ means

(A)  Indian soil is fertile 

(B)  India is a land of flora and fauna 

(C)  Indian people have been rewarded more generously by nature in proportion to their efforts 

(D)  Indian soil is suited for growing a variety of crops 

Show Answer

4. Which trait of Indian character has beer, formed by the monsoon ?

(A) Fatalism

(B) Sturdiness

(C) Asceticism

(D) Epicureanism

Show Answer

(Source: NDA II 2013 GAT Question Paper)

Directions for the Close Comprehension Passage (For the 20 items which follow) :

Supply suitable word in the blank of each item which is followed by four words groups of words.

In a few second we ran the boat into a little bay, where we made her fast to a piece of coral, and running up the beach, entered the ranks of the penguins armed with our sticks and spears. We are greatly surprised to 1. that instead of attacking us or 2 sings of fear at our 3 these strange birds do not have 4 their places until we took hold 5 them, merely 6 their eyes on us 7 wonder as we passed. There 8 one old penguin, however that 9 to walk slowly towards the sea, and Peterkin 10 it into his head that he 11 try to stop it, so he 12 between it and the sea and 13 his tick in its face. But this 14 to be a determined old 15 It would not go back; in fact, it 16 not cease to advance, but 17 with Peterkin bravely, and 18 him before it until it 19 the sea Had Peterkin used his 20

QUESTIONS:

1. 

(A) find

(B) learn

(C) hear

(D) understand

Show Answer

2. 

(A) showing

(B) giving

(C) revealing

(D) conveying

Show Answer

3. 

(A) arrival

(B) entry

(C) approach

(D) alight

Show Answer

4. 

(A) in

(B) at

(C) from

(D) on

Show Answer

5. 

(A) off

(B) of

(C) from

(D) on

Show Answer

6. 

(A) opened

(B) turned

(C) closed

(D) showed

Show Answer

7. 

(A) with

(B) out of

(C) in

(D) on

Show Answer

8. 

(A) lived

(B) existed

(C) was

(D) persisted

Show Answer

9. 

(A) commenced

(B) began

(C) continued

(D) stalked

Show Answer

10. 

(A) carried

(B) bore

(C) took

(D) thought

Show Answer

11. 

(A) would

(B) could

(C) should

(D) won’t

Show Answer

12. 

(A) interposed

(B) ran

(C) arrived

(D) jumped

Show Answer

13. 

(A) moved

(B) pointed

(C) waved

(D) watched

Show Answer

14. 

(A) appeared

(B) happened

(C) proved

(D) seemed

Show Answer

15. 

(A) bird

(B) animal

(C) creature

(D) pet

Show Answer

16. 

(A) should

(B) would

(C) could

(D) must

Show Answer

17. 

(A) battled

(B) struggled

(C) contested

(D) snugged

Show Answer

18. 

(A) chased

(B) drove

(C) moved

(D) lashed

Show Answer

19. 

(A) touched

(B) arrived at

(C) reached

(D) jumped

Show Answer

20. 

(A) baton

(B) stick

(C) spear

(D) club

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2013 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-8

“The doctor’s coming in a minute, Inspector”, said Miss Smith.

“Yes, thank you for phoning, Miss Smith. It was very kind of you …… the lady’s name is Mrs. West, you say, …..”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And what about Mr. West ?”

“Doctor West, Inspector. ”

“Oh, I see …. Well, Doctor West, then. Do you know where he is ?”

“Not exactly, Inspector. He never told Mrs. West where he was going You see, then hated each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Doctor West thought that Mrs. West was in move with another man, and everyone knows Doctor West went to see another woman.”

QUESTIONS:

1. The conversation appears to be taking place

(A) in a street where an accident has just occurred

(B) in a hotel where Mrs. West suddenly became ill

(C) in Mrs. West’s hose where the police are enquiring into lady’s murder

(D) in Mrs. West’s house where a theft has taken place the night before

Show Answer

2. The questions the Inspector ask are

(A) inquisitive

(B) foolish

(C) disturbing

(D) searching

Show Answer

3. “You see, they hated each other.” “What do you mean?”

The Inspector seems

(A) to know Doctor West’s secret

(B) surprised to get the information

(C) not to have understood Miss Smith

(D) not impressed by Miss Smith’s information

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2012 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-7

What interests many people is the possibility of finding an Earth-like planet, and many science fiction stories have been woven around the possibility of there existing a planet somewhere in the  universe which is an exact replica of the Earth. There are too many variable quantities for this to be a possibility worth considering. What is possible, if planetary systems are common as they seem to be, is the existence of planets where the conditions are similar to conditions on the Earth and to which our form of lie could rapidly adapt. If life had gained a foothold on such a planet, it is possible that life closely paralleling our own planet could have developed.

What sort of conditions is necessary for life as we know it to develop? First of all of course a suitable planetary body is essential. Given this, then two vital conditions must be satisfied. The temperature must be neither too hot nor too cold, since intense heat breaks down organic molecules and severe cold prevents activity from going on. Too much short-wave radiation also upsets living organisms. The other prerequisite is a suitable atmosphere sufficiently dense to give protection from radiation and meteorites and containing oxygen and water vapour in reasonable quantities.

QUESTIONS:

1. This passage suggests that there

(A) cannot be another planet like the Earth

(B) are other planets like the Earth mentioned only in stories

(C) may be other planets like the Earth in this universe

(D) is a planet which is exactly like the Earth

Show Answer

2. The hypothesis about the possibility of planets parallel to the Earth gets its strength from the fact that

(A) the scientists have discovered them

(B) books have been written about them

(C) the planetary system exists

(D) many people have shown interest in it

Show Answer

3. The statement, “If life had gained a foothold on such a planet” means that

(A) if there is life on the planet, it would be like hours

(B) if we go there, we can develop it like this Earth

(C) even if we try, we cannot go and live there

(D) it is impossible for life to develop there

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2012 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-6

Even in the most primitive societies, the great majority of people satisfy a large part of their material needs by exchanging goods and services. Very few people indeed can make for themselves everything they need-all their food, their clothes, their housing, their tools. Ever since men started living in communities, they have been satisfying their needs by means of specialization and exchange; increasingly each individual has concentrated on what he can does best, and has produced more of the special goods or services in which he has concentrated, than he can consume himself. The surplus he has exchanged with other members of the community, acquiring, in exchange the things he needs that others have produced.

QUESTIONS:

1. According to the passage, the great majority of people can satisfy their needs today by

(A) providing things for themselves

(B) exchanging goods and services

(C) concentrating on what they can do best

(D) individual specialization

Show Answer

2. Exchange of good becomes possible only when

(A) there is no specialization

(B) goods are produced in surplus

(C) primitive societies become modern

(D) individuals make things for themselves

Show Answer

3. Specialization and exchange began when men started

(A) big industries

(B) concentrating on their work

(C) producing things for individual use

(D) living in communities

Show Answer

4. Exchange of goods and services becomes necessary because

(A) man is a social being

(B) reciprocity is the law of life

(C) trade and commerce are means of progress

(D) we cannot produce everything we need ourselves

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2012 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-5

One-day my brother brought home a new song-bird. It was the smallest of them all, a tiny creature of a blue and a red that sparkled when brushed by this sun. But there was a problem : while the other sang, this new  bird remained silent. My brother tried coaxing music out of him, in vain. He tried attacking with a stick, but the bird was unmoved. My brother first tried withholding food, but later when the incentive was offered the bird ignored it, an twice the knocked over his dish, scattering the seed.

QUESTIONS:

1. One day the writer’s brother brought home a bird

(a) which never ate food

(b) which flew so high it seemed to touch the sun

(c) whose colours shone brightly in the sunlight

(d) which was the largest of all the birds in his collection

Show Answer

2. At first his brother tried to get the bird to sing by

(a) tempting with food

(b) placing it in the company of the other birds while they sang

(c) singing to the bird himself

(d) withholding food

Show Answer

3. What does the word “coaxing” mean ?

(a) to behave rudely

(b) to use violent means

(c) to gently persuade.

(d) to beg repeatedly

Show Answer

(Source: NDA II 2011 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-4

Elephants spray water over their ears to stay cool. The rhythm of an elephant’s day is set largely by its watering routine. An adult needs about thirty gallons of water a day. When water is abundant there is no problem. But during droughts, elephants resort to an intriguing technique : digging wells. In a dried-up river bed they scoop out holes with their forefeet until they reach water. After waiting patiently for the sand to settle, they drink in order of seniority, calves last.

QUESTIONS:

1. According to the passage, water is

(a) quite important for the elephant

(b) vital for the elephant’s survival

(c) occasionally useful for the elephant

(d) often a problem for the elephant

Show Answer

2. According to the passage, elephants spray water over themselves

(a) to have fun

(b) to ward off the heat

(c) to cool their heels

(d) to quench their thirst

Show Answer

3. During droughts, elephants

(a) burrow in the sand to avoid heat

(b) find water in rivers

(c) dig holes in the river bed to reach the water

(d) find new water holes

Show Answer

4. When the elephants in water

(a) the baby elephants drink first

(b) the oldest adult drinks first

(c) the larges elephant drinks first

(d) the youngest adult drinks first

Show Answer

(Source: NDA II 2011 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-3

Not all nocturnal animals have good eyesight. Many of them concentrate on the other senses for finding their way about and for finding food. The sense of touch is very well developed in many nocturnal animals, whether they have good eyes or not. The large hairs or whiskers on the faces of cats and mice are sense organs and the animals react rapidly if these whiskers are touched. The sense of smell is also very important for nocturnal animals such as hedgehogs and field mice. The moist night air holds scent much better than dry air does.

QUESTIONS:

1. Which one of the following statements is correct ?

(a) All nocturnal animals are blind

(b) Many nocturnal animals do not have good eyesight

(c) Most nocturnal animals can not see any thing in the dark

(d) No nocturnal animal has good eyesight

Show Answer

2. The cat’s are organs associated with the sense of

(a) taste

(b) touch

(c) hearing

(d) smell

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2011 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-2

The dog fence in Australia has been erected to keep out hostile invaders, in this case hordes o f yellow dogs called dingoes. The empire it preserves is that of wool growers. Yet the fence casts a much broader ecological shadow For the early explorers, a kangaroo or a wallaby slighting marked a noteworthy event. Now try not to see one. Without a native predator there is no check on the marsupial population. The kangaroos are now cursed more than the dingoes. They have become rivals of sheep, competing for water and grass. The State Governments now cull more than three million kangaroos a year to keep Australia’s natural symbol from over running the pastoral lands.

QUESTIONS:

1. The Fence is mean to keep the :

(a) kangaroo in and the dingo out.

(b) kangaroo in and the sheep out.

(c) sheep in and the kangaroo out.

(d) sheep in and the dingo out.

Show Answer

2. Australia’s national symbol is :

(a) Kangaroo

(b) Wallaby

(c) Sheep

(d) Dingo

Show Answer

3. What has led to the unchecked growth of the marsupial population ?

(a) The building of fences

(b) The absence of native predator

(c) The culling of kangaroos

(d) The availability of water and grass

Show Answer

4. The marsupial population is up in Australia because :

(a) both wallaby and kangaroo count as marsupials.

(b) the kangaroo consumes the water and grass of the sheep.

(c) the dingo cannot get at the kangaroo.

(d) the kangaroos are fenced out.

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2011 GAT Question Paper)

PASSAGE-1

Gandhi was not born great. He was a blundering boy, a mediocre student, a poor lawyer, an ordinary individual until he remade himself. He was a self-remade man. He had faith in himself. But above all, he had a deep, touching faith in the peasants, miners, labourers, and young unformed men and women whom he drew into his work. He fed them al an elixir of growth which often transformed nameless, uneducated people into leonine heroes. The elixir was fearlessness.

QUESTIONS:

1. Consider the following assumptions :

1. Gandhi was a great man throughout his life.

2. Men are not born great, but they are made great by self effort.

3. Gandhi liked the ordinary people and neglected the rich.

4. Gandhi transformed the ordinary masses into great heroes.

Which of the above assumptions can be drawn from the above passage?

(a) 2 and 4 

(b) 1 and 2 

(c) 3 and 4 

(d) None of the above 

Show Answer

2. Gandhi transformed the uneducated people by teaching them

(a) work-mindedness

(b) self confidence

(c) fearlessness

(d) heroism

Show Answer

3. Gandhi’s attitude to the labour class was one of

(a) generosity

(b) pity

(c) compassion

(d) fearlessness

Show Answer

4. The world ‘leonine’ in the passage means

(a) lean

(b) courageous

(c) timid

(d) learning

Show Answer

(Source: NDA I 2011 GAT Question Paper)