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English — Set 29

10 Questions with Answers & Explanations

Set 29 of 38

1

The intense Middle Class intensely yearns for

Context: Study the following passage and answer the question which is based on it (10-14) The Indian middle class consist of so many strata that it defies categorisation under a single term class, which would imply a considerable degree of homogeneity. Yet two paradoxical features characterise its conduct fairly uniformly; extensive practice and intensive abhorrence of corruption. In the several recent surveys of popular perceptions of corruptions, politicians of course invariably and understandably top the list, closely followed by bureaucrats, policemen, lawyers, businessmen and others. The quintessential middle class. If teachers do not figure high on this priority list, it is not for lack of trying, but for lack of opportunities. Over the years, the sense of shock over acts of corruption in the middle class has witnessed a steady decline, as its ambitions for a better material life have soared but the resources for meeting such ambitions have not kept pace. What is fascinating, however, is the intense yearning of this class for a clean corruptionless politics and society, a yearning that has again and again surfaced with any figure public or obscure, focus on his mission of eradicating corruption. Even the repeated failure of this promise on virtually every man's part has not subjected it to the law of diminishing returns.

Questions

A

better material resources

B

extensive practice of corruption

C

clean honest society

D

law of increasing returns

Correct Answer

clean honest society

Explanation

The passage explicitly mentions the 'intense yearning of this class for a clean corruptionless politics and society'.

2

People who ...... on horses usually lose in the end.

Options

A

gamble

B

play

C

risk

D

place

Correct Answer

gamble

Explanation

The correct verb for betting money on results like horse racing is 'gamble'.

3

Choose the word which is the exact OPPOSITE of the given word: QUIESCENT

Context: In the following questions choose the word which is the exact OPPOSITE of the given words.

Options

A

ACTIVE

B

Dormant

C

Weak

D

Unconcerned

Correct Answer

ACTIVE

Explanation

'Quiescent' means being in a state of inactivity or dormancy. Its antonym is 'Active', which means being in a state of progress or motion.

4

Pick out the most effective word from the given words to fill in the blank to make the sentence meaningfully complete. During Diwali the shops are ...... of people.

Options

A

busy

B

full

C

crowded

D

bubbling

Correct Answer

crowded

Explanation

'Crowded' is the appropriate adjective to describe a physical location filled with a large number of people.

5

Choose the word which is the exact OPPOSITE of the given word. INDUSTRIOUS

Options

A

Indifferent

B

Indolent

C

Casual

D

Passive

Correct Answer

Indolent

Explanation

Industrious means hard-working or showing creative effort, and its exact opposite is indolent, which means lazy or wanting to avoid activity.

6

From the given alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the given sentence in Indirect speech. "If you don't keep quiet I shall shoot you", he said to her in a calm voice.

Options

A

He warned her to shoot if she didn't keep quiet calmly.

B

He said calmly that I shall shoot you if you don't be quiet.

C

He warned her calmly that he would shoot her if she didn't keep quiet.

D

Calmly he warned her that be quiet or else he will have to shoot her.

Correct Answer

He warned her calmly that he would shoot her if she didn't keep quiet.

Explanation

When converting to indirect speech, the reporting verb 'said to her in a calm voice' becomes 'warned her calmly'. The first person 'I' changes to 'he', 'shall' changes to 'would', and 'you' changes to 'her'.

7

Like any other country India has its ...... share of superstitions.

Options

A

proper

B

abundant

C

fair

D

peculiar

Correct Answer

fair

Explanation

The phrase 'fair share' is a standard English idiom meaning a reasonable or expected amount of something compared to others.

8

The bullet went straight....................him.

Options

A

to

B

through

C

in

D

her

Correct Answer

through

Explanation

The preposition 'through' is used to indicate movement from one side to the other of something, which fits the context of a bullet passing via a person.

9

The paths of glory lead ...... to the grave.

Context: Pick out the most effective word from the given words to fill in the blank to make the sentence meaningfully complete.

Options

A

straight

B

but

C

in

D

directly

Correct Answer

but

Explanation

This is a famous quote from Thomas Gray's poem 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard', where 'but' is used in the sense of 'only'.

10

The author tends to the senior managers as

Context: Study the following passage and answer the given questions (5 - 9). Organisations are institutions in which members compete for status and power. They compete for resource of the organisation, for example finance to expand their own departments, for career advancement and for power to control the activities of others. In pursuit of these aims, grouped are formed and sectional interests emerge. As a result, policy-decisions may serve the ends of political and career systems rather than those of the concern. In this way, the goals of the organisation may be displaced in favour of sectional interests and individual ambition. These preoccupations sometimes prevent the emergence of organic systems. Many of the electronic firms in the study had recently created research and development departments employing highly qualified and well paid scientists and technicians. Their high pay and expert knowledge were sometimes seen as a threat to the established order of rank, power and privilege. Many senior managers had little knowledge of technicality and possibilities of new developments and electronics. Some felt that close cooperation with the experts in an organic system would reveal their ignorance and show their experience was now redundant.

Questions

A

ignorant and incompetent

B

a little out of step with their work environment

C

jealous of their younger colleagues

D

robed of their rank, power and privilege

Correct Answer

ignorant and incompetent

Explanation

The text explicitly states that many senior managers had 'little knowledge of technicality' and that cooperation would 'reveal their ignorance'.

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