Total Questions: 31
11. The passage attempts to describe : [2011-II]
For fourteen and a half months I lived in my little cell or room in the Dehradun jail, and I began to feel as if I was almost a part of it. I was familiar with every bit of it, I knew every mark and dent on the whitewashed walls and on the uneven floor and the ceiling with its moth-eaten rafters.
In the little yard outside I greeted little tufts of grass and odd bits of stone as old friends. I was not alone in my cell, for several colonies of wasp and hornets lived there, and many lizards found a home behind the rafters, emerging in the evenings in search of prey.
- (a) the general conditions of the country's jails.
- (b) the prisoner's capacity to notice the minute details of his surroundings.
- (c) the prisoner's conscious efforts to overcome the loneliness.
- (d) the prisoner's ability to live happily with other creatures.
The impression that comes across through the narrator's description is his untiring efforts to adjust to extreme loneliness. It is quite obvious that he was very lonely and that he was making friends with various types of insects, flowers, etc. to retain his sanity.
(a) The general condition of the country jails is revealed in the passage but this is not the central idea of this passage. The same is true of options (b) and (d).
12. The author of the passage seems to suggest that : [2011-II]
For fourteen and a half months I lived in my little cell or room in the Dehradun jail, and I began to feel as if I was almost a part of it. I was familiar with every bit of it, I knew every mark and dent on the whitewashed walls and on the uneven floor and the ceiling with its moth-eaten rafters.
In the little yard outside I greeted little tufts of grass and odd bits of stone as old friends. I was not alone in my cell, for several colonies of wasp and hornets lived there, and many lizards found a home behind the rafters, emerging in the evenings in search of prey.
- (a) it is possible to adjust oneself to uncongenial surroundings.
- (b) the conditions in Indian prisons are not bad.
- (c) it is not difficult to spend one's time in a prison.
- (d) there is a need to improve the conditions in our jails.
(a) Since the central idea of the passage is loneliness and the author's struggle to adjust himself to rather difficult circumstances; option (a) is the right answer.
(b) This obviously not correct.
(c) This is true but it is not the central idea.
(d) This is also true but that is not just what the author wants to suggest.
13. What does the expression "pitching the highest camp" imply? [2011-II]
We started pitching the highest camp that has ever been made. Everything took five times as long as it would have taken in a place where there was enough air to breathe; but at last we got the tent up, and when we crawled in, it was not too bad.
There was only a light wind, and inside it was not too cold for us to take off our gloves. At night most climbers take off their boots; but I prefer to keep them on. Hillary, on the other hand, took his off and laid them next to his sleeping bag.
- (a) They reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world.
- (b) Those who climbed that far earlier did not pitch any camp.
- (c) So far nobody has ever climbed that high.
- (d) They were too many climbers and needed to pitch a big camp.
It can't be the summit because they are talking about the highest camp that has ever been made (by humans). (b) is also inappropriate. And (d) is an absurd statement. (c) is the right choice.
14. They took a long time to finish the work because : [2011-II]
We started pitching the highest camp that has ever been made. Everything took five times as long as it would have taken in a place where there was enough air to breathe; but at last we got the tent up, and when we crawled in, it was not too bad.
There was only a light wind, and inside it was not too cold for us to take off our gloves. At night most climbers take off their boots; but I prefer to keep them on. Hillary, on the other hand, took his off and laid them next to his sleeping bag.
- (a) they were very tired.
- (b) there was not enough air to breathe.
- (c) it was very cold.
- (d) it was very dark.
They took a long time to finish the work because there was not enough air to breathe at such a high altitude. All the other three options (a), (c) and (d) are true, but they are not clearly stated in the passage as in the case of option (b).
15. When they crawled into the tent : [2011-II]
We started pitching the highest camp that has ever been made. Everything took five times as long as it would have taken in a place where there was enough air to breathe; but at last we got the tent up, and when we crawled in, it was not too bad.
There was only a light wind, and inside it was not too cold for us to take off our gloves. At night most climbers take off their boots; but I prefer to keep them on. Hillary, on the other hand, took his off and laid them next to his sleeping bag.
- (a) they took off their gloves because it was not very cold.
- (b) they could not take off their gloves because it was very cold.
- (c) they took off their gloves though it was very cold.
- (d) they did not take off their gloves though it was not cold.
(a) When they crawled in the tent they took off their gloves since it was not very cold. (b) The narrator says that is was not very cold at such a high altitude. So this option is ruled out. (c) The same argument as in (b) holds true. (d) The narrator says they took of their gloves. So, this option is not correct.
16. The man went into another room because : [2012-II]
A local man, staying on the top floor of an old wooden house, was awakened at midnight by a fire. Losing his way in a smoke-filled passage, he missed the stairway and went into another room.
He picked up a bundle to protect his face from the fire and immediately fell through the floor below where he managed to escape through a clear doorway. The "bundle" proved to be the baby of the Mayor's wife. The "hero" was congratulated by all.
- (a) he did not know where exactly the stairway was.
- (b) the passage was full of smoke.
- (c) he was extremely nervous.
- (d) he stumbled on a bundle.
The man went into another room because the passage was full of smoke. It was an old wooden house. There was a fire at midnight. The man who was staying on the top floor of the house was caught unawares. He stumbled out into the smoke filled passage and lost his way.
So the root cause of his going into another room was the smoke filled passage. All the other three options (a), (c) and (d) are automatically cancelled in the height of the above context.
17. The man was called a hero because he : [2012-II]
A local man, staying on the top floor of an old wooden house, was awakened at midnight by a fire. Losing his way in a smoke-filled passage, he missed the stairway and went into another room.
He picked up a bundle to protect his face from the fire and immediately fell through the floor below where he managed to escape through a clear doorway. The "bundle" proved to be the baby of the Mayor's wife. The "hero" was congratulated by all.
- (a) expressed his willingness to risk his life to save others.
- (b) managed to escape from the fire.
- (c) showed great courage in fighting the fire.
- (d) saved a life.
The man was called a hero because he saved a life.
(a) In the context of the passage he saved the life of a baby accidentally. So there is no question of his expressing his willingness to risk his life for others.
(b) He did escape from the fire but that is no reason why he should be called a hero.
(c) He just kept stumbling and falling from one spot to another; this does not call for courage.
18. When Jim came home without his bicycle his parents : [2013-II]
Seven-year-old Jim came home from the park without his new bicycle. "An old man and a little boy borrowed it," he explained. "They are going to bring it back at four o'clock". His parents were upset that he had given his expensive new bicycle, but were secretly proud of his kindness and faith. Came four o'clock, no bicycle.
The parents were anxious. But at 4:30, the door bell rang, and there stood a happy man and a boy, with the bicycle and a box of chocolates. Jim suddenly disappeared into his bedroom, and then came running out. "All right," he said, after examining the bicycle. "You can have your watch back!"
- (a) were angry with him
- (b) were worried
- (c) did not feel concerned
- (d) were eager to meet the old man and the little boy.
His parents were worried because the cycle was new and expensive.
19. Jim returned the watch to the old man and the little boy because : [2013-II]
Seven-year-old Jim came home from the park without his new bicycle. "An old man and a little boy borrowed it," he explained. "They are going to bring it back at four o'clock". His parents were upset that he had given his expensive new bicycle, but were secretly proud of his kindness and faith. Came four o'clock, no bicycle.
The parents were anxious. But at 4:30, the door bell rang, and there stood a happy man and a boy, with the bicycle and a box of chocolates. Jim suddenly disappeared into his bedroom, and then came running out. "All right," he said, after examining the bicycle. "You can have your watch back!"
- (a) they gave him chocolates.
- (b) his father was proud of him.
- (c) he was satisfied with the condition of his bicycle.
- (d) they were late only by 30 minutes.
Jim has kept the watch from the old man and the little boy as a security for his new bicycle.
20. The author asked John to drive more slowly because : [2013-II]
It was already late when we set out for the next town, which according to the map was about fifteen kilometers away on the other side of the hills. There we felt that we would find a bed for the night. Darkness fell soon after we left the village, but luckily we met no one as we drove swiftly along the narrow winding road that led to the hills.
As we climbed higher, it became colder and rain began to fall, making it difficult at times to see the road. I asked John, my companion, to drive more slowly. After we had travelled for about twenty kilometers, there was still no sign of the town which was marked on the map. We were beginning to get worried. Then without warning, the car stopped and we found we had run out of Petrol.
- (a) the road led to the hills.
- (b) john was an inexperienced driver.
- (c) the road was not clearly visible.
- (d) they were in wilderness.
As it was raining. Moreover it was dark so visibility was a problem.