Reading Comprehension Questions

Read the given passage and answer the question that follow.
[Same Passage as above]

Identify the structure of the passage.

Read the given passage and answer the question that follow.
[Same Passage as above]

Identify the most appropriate ANTONYM of the word 'ambitious'.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About $44trillionofeconomicvaluegenerationcomesfromsuchservices-theWorldBankfindstheircollapsecouldcausea$ 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for human-animal conflict?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About $44trillionofeconomicvaluegenerationcomesfromsuchservices-theWorldBankfindstheircollapsecouldcausea$ 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

How much forestland, according to the passage, is destroyed every year?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.Hunger is an emotive word. Most of us reading this are fortunate to have enough to eat. We find the idea that the other people live in hunger deeply unsettling. Hence, it is also unsettling that the well-publicised 2022 Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries. It has ranked India behind North Korea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and Congo. This doesn't seem to make much sense. But people don't really like digging through the actual reports and methodology. They read the headline and comment on that and move on.The GHI report is jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively. Both are good organisations with long and reputed track records. The report is a 60-page beautiful PDF document, with its heart in the right place. The formatting and language are perfect. It has beautiful pictures, such as of African farm women holding vegetables.At the same time, its rankings are highly questionable. Four criteria are used to determine the final index: prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting rate, child wasting rate, and child mortality. Thus, three of the four criteria are related to children. Child stunting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference height for a 5-year-old. Child wasting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference weight for a 5-year-old. The argument is that if our children are not tall enough or do not weigh enough, it is an indicator of national hunger. It is in these parameters that India scored poorly, hence the slippage in rank.The GHI report takes India's data from our own National Family Health Survey 2019-21. This in turn is prepared by the health and family welfare ministry, by surveying a sizable sample of over 61 lakh households. In this 700-plus page survey report also, there is data for India's child stunting and child wasting rates. It says 36% of Indian kids are stunted and 19% of the children are wasted. These are some of the highest values in the world. Plug these into the GHI criteria spreadsheet, India ranks low, behind even North Korea. We are a starving nation! Which of the following CANNOT be accepted by the general public in India regarding GHI?

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About $44trillionofeconomicvaluegenerationcomesfromsuchservices-theWorldBankfindstheircollapsecouldcausea$ 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

As per the World Economic Forum, half the world's GDP depends on _________.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.Hunger is an emotive word. Most of us reading this are fortunate to have enough to eat. We find the idea that the other people live in hunger deeply unsettling. Hence, it is also unsettling that the well-publicised 2022 Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries. It has ranked India behind North Korea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and Congo. This doesn't seem to make much sense. But people don't really like digging through the actual reports and methodology. They read the headline and comment on that and move on.The GHI report is jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively. Both are good organisations with long and reputed track records. The report is a 60-page beautiful PDF document, with its heart in the right place. The formatting and language are perfect. It has beautiful pictures, such as of African farm women holding vegetables.At the same time, its rankings are highly questionable. Four criteria are used to determine the final index: prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting rate, child wasting rate, and child mortality. Thus, three of the four criteria are related to children. Child stunting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference height for a 5-year-old. Child wasting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference weight for a 5-year-old. The argument is that if our children are not tall enough or do not weigh enough, it is an indicator of national hunger. It is in these parameters that India scored poorly, hence the slippage in rank.The GHI report takes India's data from our own National Family Health Survey 2019-21. This in turn is prepared by the health and family welfare ministry, by surveying a sizable sample of over 61 lakh households. In this 700-plus page survey report also, there is data for India's child stunting and child wasting rates. It says 36% of Indian kids are stunted and 19% of the children are wasted. These are some of the highest values in the world. Plug these into the GHI criteria spreadsheet, India ranks low, behind even North Korea. We are a starving nation! Select the tone of the last line 'We are a starving nation!'

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.Hunger is an emotive word. Most of us reading this are fortunate to have enough to eat. We find the idea that the other people live in hunger deeply unsettling. Hence, it is also unsettling that the well-publicised 2022 Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries. It has ranked India behind North Korea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and Congo. This doesn't seem to make much sense. But people don't really like digging through the actual reports and methodology. They read the headline and comment on that and move on.The GHI report is jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively. Both are good organisations with long and reputed track records. The report is a 60-page beautiful PDF document, with its heart in the right place. The formatting and language are perfect. It has beautiful pictures, such as of African farm women holding vegetables.At the same time, its rankings are highly questionable. Four criteria are used to determine the final index: prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting rate, child wasting rate, and child mortality. Thus, three of the four criteria are related to children. Child stunting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference height for a 5-year-old. Child wasting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference weight for a 5-year-old. The argument is that if our children are not tall enough or do not weigh enough, it is an indicator of national hunger. It is in these parameters that India scored poorly, hence the slippage in rank.The GHI report takes India's data from our own National Family Health Survey 2019-21. This in turn is prepared by the health and family welfare ministry, by surveying a sizable sample of over 61 lakh households. In this 700-plus page survey report also, there is data for India's child stunting and child wasting rates. It says 36% of Indian kids are stunted and 19% of the children are wasted. These are some of the highest values in the world. Plug these into the GHI criteria spreadsheet, India ranks low, behind even North Korea. We are a starving nation! Which of the following countries is NOT mentioned as better than India in GHI?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

Reorganisation of states in the 1950s was done based on ________.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.Hunger is an emotive word. Most of us reading this are fortunate to have enough to eat. We find the idea that the other people live in hunger deeply unsettling. Hence, it is also unsettling that the well-publicised 2022 Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries. It has ranked India behind North Korea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and Congo. This doesn't seem to make much sense. But people don't really like digging through the actual reports and methodology. They read the headline and comment on that and move on.The GHI report is jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively. Both are good organisations with long and reputed track records. The report is a 60-page beautiful PDF document, with its heart in the right place. The formatting and language are perfect. It has beautiful pictures, such as of African farm women holding vegetables.At the same time, its rankings are highly questionable. Four criteria are used to determine the final index: prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting rate, child wasting rate, and child mortality. Thus, three of the four criteria are related to children. Child stunting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference height for a 5-year-old. Child wasting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference weight for a 5-year-old. The argument is that if our children are not tall enough or do not weigh enough, it is an indicator of national hunger. It is in these parameters that India scored poorly, hence the slippage in rank.The GHI report takes India's data from our own National Family Health Survey 2019-21. This in turn is prepared by the health and family welfare ministry, by surveying a sizable sample of over 61 lakh households. In this 700-plus page survey report also, there is data for India's child stunting and child wasting rates. It says 36% of Indian kids are stunted and 19% of the children are wasted. These are some of the highest values in the world. Plug these into the GHI criteria spreadsheet, India ranks low, behind even North Korea. We are a starving nation! In which country is the organisation Welthungerhilfe based?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

Identify the most suitable title for the passage.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

What is the apple of discord (subject of dispute) mentioned in the passage?

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के रिक्त स्थानों की पूर्ति गद्यांश के नीचे दिए गए प्रश्नों के अनुसार कीजिए-
आप लोगों ने कभी शुद्ध हृदय से इस पर विचार किया है कि माता, मातृभूमि और ________ (1) का आप पर कुछ ऋण भी है या नहीं? एक जननी आपको जन्म देती है, एक की गोद में खेल-कूदकर और खा-पीकर आप पुष्ट होते हैं और एक आपको अपने भावों को प्रकट करने की ________ (2) दे, आपके सांसारिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाती है। जिसका आप पर इतना उपकार है, उसके लिए कुछ करना क्या आपका परम कर्तव्य नहीं है? प्यारे भाइयो ! उठो आलस्य छोड़ो, कमर कसो और अपनी मातृभाषा की सेवा में तत्पर हो जाओ, अपने को ________ (3) से मुक्त करो। संसार में ________ (4) कहलाओ और मातृसेवकों में अपनी कीर्ति छोड़ जाओ। परंतु ध्यान रहे, यह व्रत साधारण नहीं है। इस व्रत का पालन करना ________ (5) की धार पर चलने के समान है।

गद्यांश में संकेतित रिक्त स्थान (2) के लिए उपयुक्त शब्द होगा।

Indian rivers play an integral part in enriching the value and heavenly beauty of India. They are our greatest natural assets. There are hundreds of them watering our land and making it green and fertile; they even flow as natural highways linking the towns with the villages. The most eye-catching variety of these rivers is that there are navigable rivers, especially in Bengal and Kerala. Even raging torrents which leap from the mountains down to the deep gorges. Some huge rivers sometimes burst their banks and flood the countryside. And in tribute to their strength and beauty, we have always held them sacred. To love India is to love her rivers, big and small.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
I found it __________ that some people hate rivers.

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के रिक्त स्थानों की पूर्ति गद्यांश के नीचे दिए गए प्रश्नों के अनुसार कीजिए-
आप लोगों ने कभी शुद्ध हृदय से इस पर विचार किया है कि माता, मातृभूमि और ________ (1) का आप पर कुछ ऋण भी है या नहीं? एक जननी आपको जन्म देती है, एक की गोद में खेल-कूदकर और खा-पीकर आप पुष्ट होते हैं और एक आपको अपने भावों को प्रकट करने की ________ (2) दे, आपके सांसारिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाती है। जिसका आप पर इतना उपकार है, उसके लिए कुछ करना क्या आपका परम कर्तव्य नहीं है? प्यारे भाइयो ! उठो आलस्य छोड़ो, कमर कसो और अपनी मातृभाषा की सेवा में तत्पर हो जाओ, अपने को ________ (3) से मुक्त करो। संसार में ________ (4) कहलाओ और मातृसेवकों में अपनी कीर्ति छोड़ जाओ। परंतु ध्यान रहे, यह व्रत साधारण नहीं है। इस व्रत का पालन करना ________ (5) की धार पर चलने के समान है।

गद्यांश में संकेतित रिक्त स्थान (4) के लिए उपयुक्त शब्द होगा।

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.

In which year did the Hindi language receive official constitutional recognition in India?

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

Maybe you're bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of whole grain cereal-all for less than 100 calories! The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels-that's a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a 'nutritional all-star', as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they're rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that's concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit-that's about one large kiwi-provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as 'Yang Tao' or 'Chinese Gooseberry', but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

What has been referred to as a triple achievement (winning trifecta) of the kiwi fruit?

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

Indian rivers play an integral part in enriching the value and heavenly beauty of India. They are our greatest natural assets. There are hundreds of them watering our land and making it green and fertile; they even flow as natural highways linking the towns with the villages. The most eye-catching variety of these rivers is that there are navigable rivers, especially in Bengal and Kerala. Even raging torrents which leap from the mountains down to the deep gorges. Some huge rivers sometimes burst their banks and flood the countryside. And in tribute to their strength and beauty, we have always held them sacred. To love India is to love her rivers, big and small.
Why are the rivers called natural highways?

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

Indian rivers play an integral part in enriching the value and heavenly beauty of India. They are our greatest natural assets. There are hundreds of them watering our land and making it green and fertile; they even flow as natural highways linking the towns with the villages. The most eye-catching variety of these rivers is that there are navigable rivers, especially in Bengal and Kerala. Even raging torrents which leap from the mountains down to the deep gorges. Some huge rivers sometimes burst their banks and flood the countryside. And in tribute to their strength and beauty, we have always held them sacred. To love India is to love her rivers, big and small.
Select the most appropriate word from the passage to fill in the blank.
Why do Indians hold their rivers __________?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the given word.
Simultaneously

Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.

Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion metric tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or being dumped. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
UNEP’s body of work demonstrates that the problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics need to be assessed alongside other environmental stressors, like climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

Which of the following is the best description of the tone of the passage?

Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.

Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion metric tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or being dumped. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
UNEP’s body of work demonstrates that the problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics need to be assessed alongside other environmental stressors, like climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

Which of the following represents the structure of the passage?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Superstitions are a universal phenomenon having their own peculiar place in the cultural ethos and milieu of a people. They epitomise man's fear of the unknown, fear of evil, blind faith in omens and portents. Superstitions are interwoven with myth, legend, unnatural phenomena and disaster, customs and traditions, and are mainly the outcome of ignorance. They are unreasonable and irrational beliefs that gradually become matters of faith. When certain things and happenings are rationally inexplicable, people tend to assign mysterious and supernatural reasons for their operation. Thus, a natural disaster is explained in terms of God's wrath and the failure of one's project is assigned to the black cat which crossed the path just as one set out on the errand.

The primitive human beings were mainly governed by superstitions. Superstitions were widespread before the dawn of civilisation when science had not advanced. Thus, ignorance of the primitive people and the resultant growth of superstitions were the direct outcomes of the lack of scientific advancement. Unenlightened people always tend to be superstitious. The belief in the sanctity of time and old traditions of the ancestors bind the people into knots of superstitious thought. Besides, the unscrupulous priests and religious officials exercise a dominating, unhealthy effect upon the people believing in religious orthodoxy. They encourage superstitions for their own ulterior motives. Superstitions are not only universally prevalent but even have strikingly common features whether believed in India or in as far off a place as Canada. There are some common superstitions which are shared by people all over the world. Beliefs in spirits, ghosts and witches and reincarnation are quite common among all the peoples of the world. Belief in witches still prevails in India, France, Scotland, England, and many other countries. In countries of the East, especially in India, belief in ghosts and spirits still exists. The cries of certain birds like owls and ravens and the howl of cats are regarded with superstition as portents of evil throughout the world. Then there is a very common belief that the sighting of comets portends the death of kings or great men or some unforeseen catastrophe. Shakespeare refers to such a superstition in his play/tragedy, Julius Caesar. Halley's Comet in the twentieth century evoked a similar response in many a mind.

What does the phrase 'religious orthodoxy' mean?

Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.

Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion metric tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or being dumped. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
UNEP’s body of work demonstrates that the problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics need to be assessed alongside other environmental stressors, like climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the given word.
Alter

Comprehension:
Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.

Homeschooling, an alternative approach to education, is a way of learning outside the defined parameters of school education. It puts the parents/guardians in charge of their child's all-round development. What and how to teach is determined by the parents who might not follow the curriculum of any education board. Parents either choose not to enrol their children in schools or-as is most prevalent in India-when a school's approach doesn't align with a child's needs, they pull their children out of school.
While there are no estimates of the number of homeschooled children in India, the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad seem to have most of the homeschooling communities.
In India, the concept initially catered to specially-abled children who needed more parental support. But with the rise of concerns over a stringent education system, some parents started experimenting with the approach. Other reasons include concerns about bullying, child abuse, inefficient teaching practices and children wanting to build careers outside of academics.
"Ever since I was a child, like many other parents today, I have always questioned traditional schooling. But back then people didn't pay heed to my concerns. The questions resurged when I had children; they were curious about the world around them, and we noticed that even after enrolling them in the best of schools, their emotional intelligence wasn't being acknowledged," says Sharadha Gerg (36), who has been homeschooling her two daughters since 2015. She soon realized that they wanted to be in charge of their own learning. Like many other parents, she felt that pulling them out of school and giving them an all-round education through home schooling, was the ideal way for them to grow and learn.

Fill in the blank with the correct option.
Parents are opting for homeschooling because it _________.

[The same passage from Q.41 applies here] Select the most appropriate synonym of the word epidemic stated in para 2 of the given passage.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The same passage as above is provided here]

Superstitions are mainly the outcomes of ________.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

Where was the first printed book published?

Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Once, an old farmer named John lived in a village. Despite the arrival of young farmers with modern techniques, John stuck to traditional methods, believing in hard work and patience.One day, a group of young farmers came to the village and started using modern farming techniques and equipment. They boasted about their high yields and profits, and many of the villagers were impressed. Over time, the young farmers struggled while John's farm thrived, showcasing healthy crops and well-cared-for animals. Recognising his wisdom, the villagers sought John's guidance, and he became a respected elder. He taught them the importance of respecting nature, working with it, and embodying values like perseverance and hard work. John's farm became a model for sustainable and ethical practices, leaving a lasting legacy. He was remembered as a wise and humble man who dedicated his life to the land and community.

What can we infer about John's character from the story?

Sheena was an intelligent girl living in a small town of north India. She wanted to become a doctor, but her family's financial condition was not good. To pursue her dreams, she had to find out a way. She decided to work after school. She joined a restaurant where she would work till midnight. She started saving money for her education. But the salary was not enough to bear the expenses of medical studies. When her father came to know about her aspirations, he decided to sell his ancestral property without letting Sheena know about it. After completing her 12th, Sheena appeared for the joint medical entrance test and secured a 3rd all India ranking. She got admission in a government medical college.
What is the most appropriate connection to real-life situations?

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Sustainability is ____ (1) ____ longer just a buzzword. It ____ (2) ____ a necessity and the primary agenda of the world today. Like many other countries, India too is witnessing a growth of ____ (3)____ green economy. It ____ (4)____ estimated that India's renewable energy target will create more than 3.4 million new job opportunities ____ (5)____ 2030. In fact, a recent survey stated that a Sustainability Manager is going to be one of the top 10 jobs this decade.

In the context of the passage, select the most appropriate option to fill in blank (1)

Indeed, the path she had chosen was full of difficulties. It was almost an unimaginable thing in those days for a woman of means to live a life of independence, but the particular profession for which Florence had trained herself was a disreputable one. Thus, nurses in those days were noted for their immoral conduct. They could hardly be trusted to carry out the simple medical duties. No wonder, therefore, that Florence's parents did not like that their daughter should take up the profession. Florence, however, did not see eye to eye with them. She felt wretched. Her sadness increased.
Select the option that gives the closest meaning of the following phrase:
"A WOMAN OF MEANS"

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The same passage as above is provided here]

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT regarded as a superstition by people?

[The same passage from Q.46 applies here] Identify the style in which the given passage has been written.

Comprehension:
Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.

Homeschooling, an alternative approach to education, is a way of learning outside the defined parameters of school education. It puts the parents/guardians in charge of their child's all-round development. What and how to teach is determined by the parents who might not follow the curriculum of any education board. Parents either choose not to enrol their children in schools or-as is most prevalent in India-when a school's approach doesn't align with a child's needs, they pull their children out of school.
While there are no estimates of the number of homeschooled children in India, the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad seem to have most of the homeschooling communities.
In India, the concept initially catered to specially-abled children who needed more parental support. But with the rise of concerns over a stringent education system, some parents started experimenting with the approach. Other reasons include concerns about bullying, child abuse, inefficient teaching practices and children wanting to build careers outside of academics.
"Ever since I was a child, like many other parents today, I have always questioned traditional schooling. But back then people didn't pay heed to my concerns. The questions resurged when I had children; they were curious about the world around them, and we noticed that even after enrolling them in the best of schools, their emotional intelligence wasn't being acknowledged," says Sharadha Gerg (36), who has been homeschooling her two daughters since 2015. She soon realized that they wanted to be in charge of their own learning. Like many other parents, she felt that pulling them out of school and giving them an all-round education through home schooling, was the ideal way for them to grow and learn.

In homeschooling, the charge of education is in the hands of the:

[The same passage from Q.46 applies here] Which of the following inferences CANNOT be drawn from the given passage?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow
Why does a person become overconfident? The reason lies in over assessment of his capabilities. Sometimes people over assess their competence and jump into situations that are beyond their control.
Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor of France would say that the word ‘impossible’ was common only amongst fools. The overconfident Napoleon invaded Russia in the winter of 1812. This proved to be a big disaster.
Overconfidence generally leads people into misadventures, endangering their chances in life. It is wisely said that any achievement is a result of two factors – one’s personal planning and support from the external world. Overconfident people take into account only their planning, generally ignoring external factors. As a result they are unable to foresee future developments. Hence, there is a greater risk of failure.
Then there is the question: how can one manage overconfidence? The formula is very simple. Before taking a decision discuss the matter with other informed people with an objective mind and when it is proved that you are about to go off the path, accept reality and say without delay, “I was wrong”.
Overconfidence is a flaw characterising people who lack the virtue of modesty. Modesty makes you a realist; you become a person who is cut down to size. People of this kind become very cautious; before taking an action they assess the whole situation. They adopt a realistic approach.
Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but they are unaware of others. Living inside their own cell they are unable to make use of the experiences of others. This kind of habit is highly damaging to all concerned.
There is a saying that the young man sees the rule and the old man sees the exception. With a slight change, I would like to say that the overconfident person sees the rule and the confident person sees the exception. Overconfident people are always at risk. It is said that taking risk is good but it must be well calculated, otherwise it becomes very dangerous.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word erosion stated in para1 of the given passage.

Coral reefs are vital to both human societies and the ocean's ecosystem—they protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion and serve as nurseries for marine life. They're also frighteningly imperiled by warming waters, which produce conditions that turn them a ghostly white and expose them to a blanket of algae. That's what Kim Cobb saw one day in 2016 when she swam up to the reef in the central Pacific's Line Island chain that she'd been studying for 18 years. A heat wave had killed or bleached 95 per cent of the corals.
"It was carnage," the Georgia Tech climate scientist recalls. Disturbances like pollution and fishing are relatively limited in the vicinity of the research site, so Cobb felt rising ocean temperatures were the likely culprit. The impact has already been devastating, she says, adding, "I can't even imagine what it would look like at 2 degrees Celsius."

If warming can be limited, however, there might be hope for the corals that remain. Scientists like Hollie Putnam are engineering so-called super corals with the ability to withstand higher ocean temperatures and acidity levels. Putnam, a marine biologist at the University of Rhode Island, places coral species under climate change stressors and breeds those that survive best, creating hyper-resilient organisms. "They're really exciting and really hopeful," Putnam says, noting that super corals could help maintain the biodiversity and genetic diversity of already struggling reefs, like the ones in the Line Island Chain.

But super corals are more likely to survive if warming doesn't get much worse. "If we push the climate system to 2 degrees Celsius, we're talking about 1 per cent of reefs surviving," Cobb says. "That makes it less likely that coral-resilience engineering efforts will succeed." She says it's essential to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, a scenario in which up to 30 per cent of reefs could survive on their own. If that happens, one of the world's wildest reefs could be strengthened. If it doesn't, even the savviest engineering intervention won't be enough.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word bleached stated in para 1 of the given passage.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow
Why does a person become overconfident? The reason lies in over assessment of his capabilities. Sometimes people over assess their competence and jump into situations that are beyond their control.
Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor of France would say that the word ‘impossible’ was common only amongst fools. The overconfident Napoleon invaded Russia in the winter of 1812. This proved to be a big disaster.
Overconfidence generally leads people into misadventures, endangering their chances in life. It is wisely said that any achievement is a result of two factors – one’s personal planning and support from the external world. Overconfident people take into account only their planning, generally ignoring external factors. As a result they are unable to foresee future developments. Hence, there is a greater risk of failure.
Then there is the question: how can one manage overconfidence? The formula is very simple. Before taking a decision discuss the matter with other informed people with an objective mind and when it is proved that you are about to go off the path, accept reality and say without delay, “I was wrong”.
Overconfidence is a flaw characterising people who lack the virtue of modesty. Modesty makes you a realist; you become a person who is cut down to size. People of this kind become very cautious; before taking an action they assess the whole situation. They adopt a realistic approach.
Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but they are unaware of others. Living inside their own cell they are unable to make use of the experiences of others. This kind of habit is highly damaging to all concerned.
There is a saying that the young man sees the rule and the old man sees the exception. With a slight change, I would like to say that the overconfident person sees the rule and the confident person sees the exception. Overconfident people are always at risk. It is said that taking risk is good but it must be well calculated, otherwise it becomes very dangerous.

An overconfident person rates his abilities _______ they are.

No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage:

Sir Thomas amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some _______.

No other nation can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips (1792-1872), who in 50 years amassed the greatest private library the world has ever seen, spending on it some £250,000 (add two noughts for inflation). Few other nations can produce such dedicated book loonies as Bernard Levin, who has been advised that should he ever be rash enough to display on shelves the tons of books he has amassed so far, he would assuredly bring the walls of his London apartment crashing about his ears.
Read the passage and answer the following question:

Who can produce a book collector on quite the heroic scale of Sir Thomas Philips?

According to the passage, which Indian language has the highest probability of becoming a global language?

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Sustainability is ____ (1) ____ longer just a buzzword. It ____ (2) ____ a necessity and the primary agenda of the world today. Like many other countries, India too is witnessing a growth of ____ (3)____ green economy. It ____ (4)____ estimated that India's renewable energy target will create more than 3.4 million new job opportunities ____ (5)____ 2030. In fact, a recent survey stated that a Sustainability Manager is going to be one of the top 10 jobs this decade.

In the context of the passage, select the most appropriate option to fill in blank (2).

Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Once, an old farmer named John lived in a village. Despite the arrival of young farmers with modern techniques, John stuck to traditional methods, believing in hard work and patience.One day, a group of young farmers came to the village and started using modern farming techniques and equipment. They boasted about their high yields and profits, and many of the villagers were impressed. Over time, the young farmers struggled while John's farm thrived, showcasing healthy crops and well-cared-for animals. Recognising his wisdom, the villagers sought John's guidance, and he became a respected elder. He taught them the importance of respecting nature, working with it, and embodying values like perseverance and hard work. John's farm became a model for sustainable and ethical practices, leaving a lasting legacy. He was remembered as a wise and humble man who dedicated his life to the land and community.

What was the name of the old farmer in the story?

Sheena was an intelligent girl living in a small town of north India. She wanted to become a doctor, but her family's financial condition was not good. To pursue her dreams, she had to find out a way. She decided to work after school. She joined a restaurant where she would work till midnight. She started saving money for her education. But the salary was not enough to bear the expenses of medical studies. When her father came to know about her aspirations, he decided to sell his ancestral property without letting Sheena know about it. After completing her 12th, Sheena appeared for the joint medical entrance test and secured a 3rd all India ranking. She got admission in a government medical college.
Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the bracketed word segment.
Sheena's father decided to support her aspirations by selling his (ancestral property).

Read the following passage and answer the question given below.
A little bird was flying South for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and ______ to the ground into a large field.
While she was ______ there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on her. As the frozen bird lay there in the ______ of cow dung, she began to realize how warm she was.
The dung was actually ______ her out! She lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A ______ cat heard the bird singing and discovered the bird under the cow dung. The cat dug her out and ate her.

Choose the word from the given options which fits in the blank labelled 2 and gives correct meaning.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

Read the following passage and answer the question given below.
A little bird was flying South for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and ______ to the ground into a large field.
While she was ______ there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on her. As the frozen bird lay there in the ______ of cow dung, she began to realize how warm she was.
The dung was actually ______ her out! She lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A ______ cat heard the bird singing and discovered the bird under the cow dung. The cat dug her out and ate her.

Choose the word from the given options which fits in the blank labelled 4 and gives correct meaning.

Read the given passage and answer the question that follow.
Prime Minister Modi has recently declared Modhera, Gujarat as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village. It is an important marker in India's ambitious renewable energy vision. The aim is to increase installed capacity by more than three-fold to 500 GW by 2030. The commercial viability of solar power will have a say in realising this goal. Presently, India's electricity sector displays a dichotomy, representing the challenges facing the renewable sector.
Thermal power contributed 75%-85% of the power generated over the last three financial years. Its installed capacity, however, dipped from 62.3% to 59.6% over the same period. During the same phase, solar power installed capacity increased from 9.4% to 12.8% among renewables, its share in a generation increased. Therefore, among available sources of renewable energy, it's solar power that holds the brightest promise. Renewable energy consumption gets a big push from the Government of India in the form of legally binding purchases called Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). Despite this boost, renewables struggle to meet generation targets because states which have an incentive to keep costs low often fail to meet their RPO. A March 2021 parliamentary committee report showed that only four states met their entire RPO target in 2019-20.
Solar power trajectory is delicately poised despite the Government's move to increase the share of RPO till 2030. An increase in important tariff this year on inputs such as solar modules to boost domestic industry will in the near future push up project costs and, thereby, power tariffs. This is at odds with a separate move to nudge discoms to maintain financial discipline. Moreover, the renewable space itself is set to get more competitive with the advent of green hydrogen. The renewable energy is set for a churn with a complex set of factors at play.

Select the most appropriate title for the passage.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The food industry in India accounts for about 26 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and will be one of the 1) ________ growth areas in the years ahead. This has given 2) _________ to international trade but has also increased the responsibility to achieve the appropriate level of 3) _________ in terms of sanitary and phytosanitary protection. Further, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, reflects a major shift in food laws and seeks to provide greater consumer protection by 4) __________ the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages of the food chain. This changing scenario has widened the scope and 5)___________ career options in this area.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

Sheena was an intelligent girl living in a small town of north India. She wanted to become a doctor, but her family's financial condition was not good. To pursue her dreams, she had to find out a way. She decided to work after school. She joined a restaurant where she would work till midnight. She started saving money for her education. But the salary was not enough to bear the expenses of medical studies. When her father came to know about her aspirations, he decided to sell his ancestral property without letting Sheena know about it. After completing her 12th, Sheena appeared for the joint medical entrance test and secured a 3rd all India ranking. She got admission in a government medical college.
What is the message one gets from this story?

Maybe you're bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of whole grain cereal-all for less than 100 calories! The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels-that's a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a 'nutritional all-star', as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they're rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that's concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit-that's about one large kiwi-provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as 'Yang Tao' or 'Chinese Gooseberry', but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

The word 'kiwi' suggests that the fruit comes from:

Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Once, an old farmer named John lived in a village. Despite the arrival of young farmers with modern techniques, John stuck to traditional methods, believing in hard work and patience.One day, a group of young farmers came to the village and started using modern farming techniques and equipment. They boasted about their high yields and profits, and many of the villagers were impressed. Over time, the young farmers struggled while John's farm thrived, showcasing healthy crops and well-cared-for animals. Recognising his wisdom, the villagers sought John's guidance, and he became a respected elder. He taught them the importance of respecting nature, working with it, and embodying values like perseverance and hard work. John's farm became a model for sustainable and ethical practices, leaving a lasting legacy. He was remembered as a wise and humble man who dedicated his life to the land and community.

What did the young farmers do when they came to the village?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. It is a phenomenon that has been caused by human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. This has led to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. The consequences of climate change are far-reaching and can be felt in many different ways.
One of the most significant impacts of climate change is the rise in global temperatures. The average temperature of the Earth's surface has increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era, and this rise is expected to continue in the coming years. This increase in temperature is causing a range of changes in the Earth's climate, including more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, and floods.
Another consequence of climate change is the loss of biodiversity. As temperatures rise and weather patterns change, many species of plants and animals are struggling to adapt. This is leading to a decline in biodiversity, which is essential for maintaining the balance of ecosystems.
Climate change is also having a significant impact on human societies. Rising sea levels, for example, are putting millions of people at risk of flooding and displacement. In addition, changes in weather patterns are leading to crop failures and food shortages, particularly in developing countries where many people rely on subsistence agriculture.
To address the issue of climate change, there needs to be a concerted effort at the global level. Governments, businesses, and individuals all have a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the changes that are already taking place.
One of the most important steps that can be taken is to transition to renewable energy sources. This means reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and investing in technologies such as wind, solar, and hydropower. Governments can incentivise the adoption of renewable energy by providing subsidies and tax breaks, while businesses can invest in new technologies and sustainable practices.
Individuals can also play a role in reducing their carbon footprint. This can be achieved by using public transport instead of driving, reducing meat consumption, and reducing energy consumption at home. Small changes in individual behaviour can add up to make a significant difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In conclusion, climate change is a complex issue that requires a global response. The consequences of inaction are severe, and urgent action is needed to mitigate its impact. By working together, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, and create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently released its 'Living Planet Report 2022' - this finds a 69% decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018. 'Vertebrate wildlife groups have fallen by two-thirds globally while freshwater species have shrunk by 83%. One million planets and animals face extinction - about 2.5% of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish have gone forever. The crisis is caused by the Anthropocene, our era of sprawling human impacts, extending from heating Earth's atmosphere to making oceans acidic and destroying habitat. Many animals inhabit trees, nooks and crannies in forests across Earth - yet, every year, we destroy ten million hectares of forestlands. Our greenhouse gas emissions warm the world, causing extreme weather events, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and the collapse of productive plants. This forces wildlife to travel, seeking water and food. As they wander, they face human-animal conflicts over resources. We have a few consolations of metal and plastic to amuse ourselves with through this destruction - the animals of the Anthropocene have none.

However, losing them has huge implications for humanity. According to the World Economic Forum, an analysis of 163 industry sectors shows over half the world's GDP is dependent on nature and ecosystem services performed by animals. About $44trillionofeconomicvaluegenerationcomesfromsuchservices-theWorldBankfindstheircollapsecouldcausea$ 2.7 trillion annual decline in global GDP by 2030, South Asia among the worst-hit. Alongside, without our fellow species, we lose the wonders and beauty of the world. There are solutions to halt this growing loss. We can rejuvenate wild habitat, protect humans sharing lands with animals and respect wildlife's need or peace. Thinking about animals helps us understand the alchemy of existence.

Select the central theme of the passage.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The passage is the same as provided in previous questions]

Which of the following is NOT a potential consequence of climate change, discussed in the passage?

Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Once, an old farmer named John lived in a village. Despite the arrival of young farmers with modern techniques, John stuck to traditional methods, believing in hard work and patience.One day, a group of young farmers came to the village and started using modern farming techniques and equipment. They boasted about their high yields and profits, and many of the villagers were impressed. Over time, the young farmers struggled while John's farm thrived, showcasing healthy crops and well-cared-for animals. Recognising his wisdom, the villagers sought John's guidance, and he became a respected elder. He taught them the importance of respecting nature, working with it, and embodying values like perseverance and hard work. John's farm became a model for sustainable and ethical practices, leaving a lasting legacy. He was remembered as a wise and humble man who dedicated his life to the land and community.

What would be an appropriate title for this story?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The passage is the same as provided in previous questions]

How can individuals contribute to reducing their carbon footprint?

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic trait of a national language ('Rashtrabhasha'), according to the passage?

Maybe you're bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of whole grain cereal-all for less than 100 calories! The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels-that's a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a 'nutritional all-star', as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they're rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that's concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit-that's about one large kiwi-provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as 'Yang Tao' or 'Chinese Gooseberry', but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

A serving of kiwi fruit is rich in:

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The passage is the same as provided in previous questions]

What is one of the most important steps that can be taken to address climate change?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[The passage is the same as provided in previous questions]

What is the central theme of the passage?

Maybe you're bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of whole grain cereal-all for less than 100 calories! The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels-that's a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a 'nutritional all-star', as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they're rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that's concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit-that's about one large kiwi-provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as 'Yang Tao' or 'Chinese Gooseberry', but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Kiwi is considered a 'nutritional all-star' because:

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.Hunger is an emotive word. Most of us reading this are fortunate to have enough to eat. We find the idea that the other people live in hunger deeply unsettling. Hence, it is also unsettling that the well-publicised 2022 Global Hunger Index has ranked India at 107 out of 121 countries. It has ranked India behind North Korea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria and Congo. This doesn't seem to make much sense. But people don't really like digging through the actual reports and methodology. They read the headline and comment on that and move on.The GHI report is jointly released by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, non-government organisations from Ireland and Germany, respectively. Both are good organisations with long and reputed track records. The report is a 60-page beautiful PDF document, with its heart in the right place. The formatting and language are perfect. It has beautiful pictures, such as of African farm women holding vegetables.At the same time, its rankings are highly questionable. Four criteria are used to determine the final index: prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting rate, child wasting rate, and child mortality. Thus, three of the four criteria are related to children. Child stunting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference height for a 5-year-old. Child wasting rate is defined as the percentage of children that are two standard deviations below the reference weight for a 5-year-old. The argument is that if our children are not tall enough or do not weigh enough, it is an indicator of national hunger. It is in these parameters that India scored poorly, hence the slippage in rank.The GHI report takes India's data from our own National Family Health Survey 2019-21. This in turn is prepared by the health and family welfare ministry, by surveying a sizable sample of over 61 lakh households. In this 700-plus page survey report also, there is data for India's child stunting and child wasting rates. It says 36% of Indian kids are stunted and 19% of the children are wasted. These are some of the highest values in the world. Plug these into the GHI criteria spreadsheet, India ranks low, behind even North Korea. We are a starving nation! Select the correct summary of the given passage.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
A potential flashpoint in the long-running boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka was averted when the scheduled visit of two ministers in the Maharashtra government to Belgavi was called off. Unfortunately, this will not end the disruption endured by people in the area. Prohibitory orders have been imposed, public transport disrupted, and the atmosphere remains charged. The immediate trigger for this round of flare-ups is the conduct of senior functionaries in both governments and organisations with a stake in the issue.

The dispute goes back to reorganisation of states on linguistic lines in the 1950s. Multilingual regions were demarcated and Maharasthtra's governments have been unsatisfied with the allocation of Belgavi to Karnataka. A joint effort by governments in the two states in the 1960s to find a solution did not fructify. The dispute currently is in the Supreme Court. In other words, no amount of grandstanding by politicians on both sides is going to result in redrawing borders. However, that hasn't prevented them from periodically raking it up with the consequences borne by people in the region. As is the case with border areas, many inhabitants speak both languages even as politicians are ostensibly fighting the cause of speakers of one language.

India does need a more active national interstate council to manage tensions that arise out of disagreements over maps. However, an inactive council cannot condone the conduct of senior politicians as heated rhetoric causes collateral damage. India's painstaking transition to dismantling interstate fiscal barriers through the roll-out of GST is undermined when physical movement of goods and people get disrupted by escalating tension. The political class that set aside differences to arrive at a grand bargain and created a common market in India should not undo their achievement. One of India's strengths is the extent of multilingualism even when internal borders have been determined largely on linguistic basis. Politicians need to learn from common Indians.

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the word 'impose'.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you know that fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity?
It is imperative that we educate ourselves about the ways in which we can reduce the impact our wardrobe has on the climate.
We are a society that is addicted to mindless consumerism. Each of us needs to think deeply about the ways and means through which we can reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Let us begin with our wardrobe. What is it that leads us to over-purchase? Is there an underlying reason for our compulsive buying?
Psychologists say that underlying the impulse to buy is our need for self-esteem, status and belonging. They also say that the impulse to shop is difficult to control with the emergence of online shopping 24/7 over the internet.
One way to beat this is to simply ration the time you spend looking at clothes online. Another way is to open vintage or second-hand clothes stores. The latter can be more successful as it still gives the buyer the thrill of buying and experiencing the sense of reward and fulfillment. In doing so, one slows down the fast-fashion cycle by giving a second life to clothes. Besides buying less, one can extend the life of our clothes by mending and repairing them. Websites like Love your Clothes encourage this and also offer tips on how to do this. Finally, how one disposes one’s worn out clothes at the end of their useful life is also very important. Dumping them only adds to the huge landfills or to increased harmful emissions through incineration. The most environmentally sound way of disposing them is to send them for recycling. Some major manufacturers have now started using recycled fabrics, but it is often hard for consumers to find places to take their old clothes.

Love your Clothes is an organisation that works for a sustainable environment by teaching people how to _________ their clothes.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you know that fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity?
It is imperative that we educate ourselves about the ways in which we can reduce the impact our wardrobe has on the climate.
We are a society that is addicted to mindless consumerism. Each of us needs to think deeply about the ways and means through which we can reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Let us begin with our wardrobe. What is it that leads us to over-purchase? Is there an underlying reason for our compulsive buying?
Psychologists say that underlying the impulse to buy is our need for self-esteem, status and belonging. They also say that the impulse to shop is difficult to control with the emergence of online shopping 24/7 over the internet.
One way to beat this is to simply ration the time you spend looking at clothes online. Another way is to open vintage or second-hand clothes stores. The latter can be more successful as it still gives the buyer the thrill of buying and experiencing the sense of reward and fulfillment. In doing so, one slows down the fast-fashion cycle by giving a second life to clothes. Besides buying less, one can extend the life of our clothes by mending and repairing them. Websites like Love your Clothes encourage this and also offer tips on how to do this. Finally, how one disposes one’s worn out clothes at the end of their useful life is also very important. Dumping them only adds to the huge landfills or to increased harmful emissions through incineration. The most environmentally sound way of disposing them is to send them for recycling. Some major manufacturers have now started using recycled fabrics, but it is often hard for consumers to find places to take their old clothes.

The main idea of this text is that one must:

Based on the reading passage, which of the following statements is correct?

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के रिक्त स्थानों की पूर्ति गद्यांश के नीचे दिए गए प्रश्नों के अनुसार कीजिए-
आप लोगों ने कभी शुद्ध हृदय से इस पर विचार किया है कि माता, मातृभूमि और ________ (1) का आप पर कुछ ऋण भी है या नहीं? एक जननी आपको जन्म देती है, एक की गोद में खेल-कूदकर और खा-पीकर आप पुष्ट होते हैं और एक आपको अपने भावों को प्रकट करने की ________ (2) दे, आपके सांसարिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाती है। जिसका आप पर इतना उपकार है, उसके लिए कुछ करना क्या आपका परम कर्तव्य नहीं है? प्यारे भाइयो ! उठो आलस्य छोड़ो, कमर कसो और अपनी मातृभाषा की सेवा में तत्पर हो जाओ, अपने को ________ (3) से मुक्त करो। संसार में ________ (4) कहलाओ और मातृसेवकों में अपनी कीर्ति छोड़ जाओ। परंतु ध्यान रहे, यह व्रत साधारण नहीं है। इस व्रत का पालन करना ________ (5) की धार पर चलने के समान है।

गद्यांश में संकेतित रिक्त स्थान (1) के लिए उपयुक्त शब्द होगा।

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

What is the passage based upon?

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के रिक्त स्थानों की पूर्ति गद्यांश के नीचे दिए गए प्रश्नों के अनुसार कीजिए-
आप लोगों ने कभी शुद्ध हृदय से इस पर विचार किया है कि माता, मातृभूमि और ________ (1) का आप पर कुछ ऋण भी है या नहीं? एक जननी आपको जन्म देती है, एक की गोद में खेल-कूदकर और खा-पीकर आप पुष्ट होते हैं और एक आपको अपने भावों को प्रकट करने की ________ (2) दे, आपके सांसारिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाती है। जिसका आप पर इतना उपकार है, उसके लिए कुछ करना क्या आपका परम कर्तव्य नहीं है? प्यारे भाइयो ! उठो आलस्य छोड़ो, कमर कसो और अपनी मातृभाषा की सेवा में तत्पर हो जाओ, अपने को ________ (3) से मुक्त करो। संसार में ________ (4) कहलाओ और मातृसेवकों में अपनी कीर्ति छोड़ जाओ। परंतु ध्यान रहे, यह व्रत साधारण नहीं है। इस व्रत का पालन करना ________ (5) की धार पर चलने के समान है।

गद्यांश में संकेतित रिक्त स्थान (3) के लिए उपयुक्त शब्द होगा।

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural links between 1 parts of the world. The name 'silk routes' points to the 2 of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes along this route. Historians have identified several silk routes, over land and by sea, knitting together vast regions of Asia, and 3 Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They are known to have existed since before the Christian Era and 4 almost till the fifteenth century. But Chinese pottery also ________5________the same route, as did textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के रिक्त स्थानों की पूर्ति गद्यांश के नीचे दिए गए प्रश्नों के अनुसार कीजिए-
आप लोगों ने कभी शुद्ध हृदय से इस पर विचार किया है कि माता, मातृभूमि और ________ (1) का आप पर कुछ ऋण भी है या नहीं? एक जननी आपको जन्म देती है, एक की गोद में खेल-कूदकर और खा-पीकर आप पुष्ट होते हैं और एक आपको अपने भावों को प्रकट करने की ________ (2) दे, आपके सांसारिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाती है। जिसका आप पर इतना उपकार है, उसके लिए कुछ करना क्या आपका परम कर्तव्य नहीं है? प्यारे भाइयो ! उठो आलस्य छोड़ो, कमर कसो और अपनी मातृभाषा की सेवा में तत्पर हो जाओ, अपने को ________ (3) से मुक्त करो। संसार में ________ (4) कहलाओ और मातृसेवकों में अपनी कीर्ति छोड़ जाओ। परंतु ध्यान रहे, यह व्रत साधारण नहीं है। इस व्रत का पालन करना ________ (5) की धार पर चलने के समान है।

गद्यांश में संकेतित रिक्त स्थान (5) के लिए उपयुक्त शब्द होगा।

Indian rivers play an integral part in enriching the value and heavenly beauty of India. They are our greatest natural assets. There are hundreds of them watering our land and making it green and fertile; they even flow as natural highways linking the towns with the villages. The most eye-catching variety of these rivers is that there are navigable rivers, especially in Bengal and Kerala. Even raging torrents which leap from the mountains down to the deep gorges. Some huge rivers sometimes burst their banks and flood the countryside. And in tribute to their strength and beauty, we have always held them sacred. To love India is to love her rivers, big and small.
What are the two words highlighted in the passage that describe the vital role of rivers in the development of the agriculture sector?

What would be the most appropriate title for the given stanza beginning with "लक्ष्मी थी या दुर्गा थी वह स्वयं वीरता की अवतार..."?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you know that fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity?
It is imperative that we educate ourselves about the ways in which we can reduce the impact our wardrobe has on the climate.
We are a society that is addicted to mindless consumerism. Each of us needs to think deeply about the ways and means through which we can reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Let us begin with our wardrobe. What is it that leads us to over-purchase? Is there an underlying reason for our compulsive buying?
Psychologists say that underlying the impulse to buy is our need for self-esteem, status and belonging. They also say that the impulse to shop is difficult to control with the emergence of online shopping 24/7 over the internet.
One way to beat this is to simply ration the time you spend looking at clothes online. Another way is to open vintage or second-hand clothes stores. The latter can be more successful as it still gives the buyer the thrill of buying and experiencing the sense of reward and fulfillment. In doing so, one slows down the fast-fashion cycle by giving a second life to clothes. Besides buying less, one can extend the life of our clothes by mending and repairing them. Websites like Love your Clothes encourage this and also offer tips on how to do this. Finally, how one disposes one’s worn out clothes at the end of their useful life is also very important. Dumping them only adds to the huge landfills or to increased harmful emissions through incineration. The most environmentally sound way of disposing them is to send them for recycling. Some major manufacturers have now started using recycled fabrics, but it is often hard for consumers to find places to take their old clothes.

Manufacturers can contribute to the environment by motivating people to return their worn out clothes for:

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you know that fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity?
It is imperative that we educate ourselves about the ways in which we can reduce the impact our wardrobe has on the climate.
We are a society that is addicted to mindless consumerism. Each of us needs to think deeply about the ways and means through which we can reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Let us begin with our wardrobe. What is it that leads us to over-purchase? Is there an underlying reason for our compulsive buying?
Psychologists say that underlying the impulse to buy is our need for self-esteem, status and belonging. They also say that the impulse to shop is difficult to control with the emergence of online shopping 24/7 over the internet.
One way to beat this is to simply ration the time you spend looking at clothes online. Another way is to open vintage or second-hand clothes stores. The latter can be more successful as it still gives the buyer the thrill of buying and experiencing the sense of reward and fulfillment. In doing so, one slows down the fast-fashion cycle by giving a second life to clothes. Besides buying less, one can extend the life of our clothes by mending and repairing them. Websites like Love your Clothes encourage this and also offer tips on how to do this. Finally, how one disposes one’s worn out clothes at the end of their useful life is also very important. Dumping them only adds to the huge landfills or to increased harmful emissions through incineration. The most environmentally sound way of disposing them is to send them for recycling. Some major manufacturers have now started using recycled fabrics, but it is often hard for consumers to find places to take their old clothes.

According to the passage, we can all contribute towards a healthy environment by rethinking about our:

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Once the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to (1) ________ the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a (2) ________ of Buddhism. According to the prominent Indologist, AL Basham, the 'Dharma' officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the (3) ________ of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about 250 BCE. After the Kalinga War and Ashoka's conversion, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious (4) ________ and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the (5) ________ of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.

Indian rivers play an integral part in enriching the value and heavenly beauty of India. They are our greatest natural assets. There are hundreds of them watering our land and making it green and fertile; they even flow as natural highways linking the towns with the villages. The most eye-catching variety of these rivers is that there are navigable rivers, especially in Bengal and Kerala. Even raging torrents which leap from the mountains down to the deep gorges. Some huge rivers sometimes burst their banks and flood the countryside. And in tribute to their strength and beauty, we have always held them sacred. To love India is to love her rivers, big and small.
What are the characteristics of rivers in India?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Gutenberg Bible, also called 42-line Bible was the first complete book extant in the West and one of the earliest printed from movable type, so called after its printer, Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenbarg completed it in 1455 while working at Mainz, Germany. The three-volume work, in Latin text, was printed in 42-line columns and, in its later stages of production, was worked on by six compositors simultaneously. It is sometimes referred to as the Mazarin Bible because the first copy described by bibliographers was located in the Paris library of Cardinal Mazarin. The Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings (1377), also known as Jikji, was printed in Korea 78 years before the Gutenberg Bible and is recognized as the world's oldest extant movable metal type book.
Like other contemporary works, the Gutenberg Bible had no title page, no page numbers, and no innovations to distinguish it from the work of a manuscript copyist. This was presumably the desire of both Gutenberg and his customers. Experts are generally agreed that the Bible, though uneconomic in its use of space, displays a technical efficiency not substantially improved upon before the 19th century. The Gothic type is majestic in appearance, medieval in feeling, and slightly less compressed and less pointed than other examples that appeared shortly thereafter.
The original number of copies of this work is unknown; some 40 are still in existence. There are perfect vellum copies kept in the U.S. Library of Congress, the French Bibliothèque Nationale, and the British Library. In the United States almost complete texts are preserved in the Huntington, Morgan, New York Public, Harvard University, and Yale University libraries.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The Mazarin Bible derived its name from the ________.

Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Once, an old farmer named John lived in a village. Despite the arrival of young farmers with modern techniques, John stuck to traditional methods, believing in hard work and patience.One day, a group of young farmers came to the village and started using modern farming techniques and equipment. They boasted about their high yields and profits, and many of the villagers were impressed. Over time, the young farmers struggled while John's farm thrived, showcasing healthy crops and well-cared-for animals. Recognising his wisdom, the villagers sought John's guidance, and he became a respected elder. He taught them the importance of respecting nature, working with it, and embodying values like perseverance and hard work. John's farm became a model for sustainable and ethical practices, leaving a lasting legacy. He was remembered as a wise and humble man who dedicated his life to the land and community.

Why did John remain steadfast in his traditional farming methods?

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

Identify an appropriate title for the given passage from the following options.

Sheena was an intelligent girl living in a small town of north India. She wanted to become a doctor, but her family's financial condition was not good. To pursue her dreams, she had to find out a way. She decided to work after school. She joined a restaurant where she would work till midnight. She started saving money for her education. But the salary was not enough to bear the expenses of medical studies. When her father came to know about her aspirations, he decided to sell his ancestral property without letting Sheena know about it. After completing her 12th, Sheena appeared for the joint medical entrance test and secured a 3rd all India ranking. She got admission in a government medical college.
Select a suitable title for the given passage.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
[Same Passage as Above]

What is Jikji?

Maybe you're bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of whole grain cereal-all for less than 100 calories! The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels-that's a winning trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a 'nutritional all-star', as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they're rich in magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a carotenoid that's concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving of kiwi fruit-that's about one large kiwi-provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as 'Yang Tao' or 'Chinese Gooseberry', but the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Which of these is the quickest way to ripen a kiwi?

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Sustainability is ____ (1) ____ longer just a buzzword. It ____ (2) ____ a necessity and the primary agenda of the world today. Like many other countries, India too is witnessing a growth of ____ (3)____ green economy. It ____ (4)____ estimated that India's renewable energy target will create more than 3.4 million new job opportunities ____ (5)____ 2030. In fact, a recent survey stated that a Sustainability Manager is going to be one of the top 10 jobs this decade.

In the context of the passage, select the most appropriate option to fill in blank (3).

Sheena was an intelligent girl living in a small town of north India. She wanted to become a doctor, but her family's financial condition was not good. To pursue her dreams, she had to find out a way. She decided to work after school. She joined a restaurant where she would work till midnight. She started saving money for her education. But the salary was not enough to bear the expenses of medical studies. When her father came to know about her aspirations, he decided to sell his ancestral property without letting Sheena know about it. After completing her 12th, Sheena appeared for the joint medical entrance test and secured a 3rd all India ranking. She got admission in a government medical college.
Which rank did Sheena secure in the joint medical entrance test?

According to the essence of this passage, emphasis is placed mostly on which language?

Choose the most suitable title for this passage from the choices below.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you know that fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity?
It is imperative that we educate ourselves about the ways in which we can reduce the impact our wardrobe has on the climate.
We are a society that is addicted to mindless consumerism. Each of us needs to think deeply about the ways and means through which we can reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Let us begin with our wardrobe. What is it that leads us to over-purchase? Is there an underlying reason for our compulsive buying?
Psychologists say that underlying the impulse to buy is our need for self-esteem, status and belonging. They also say that the impulse to shop is difficult to control with the emergence of online shopping 24/7 over the internet.
One way to beat this is to simply ration the time you spend looking at clothes online. Another way is to open vintage or second-hand clothes stores. The latter can be more successful as it still gives the buyer the thrill of buying and experiencing the sense of reward and fulfillment. In doing so, one slows down the fast-fashion cycle by giving a second life to clothes. Besides buying less, one can extend the life of our clothes by mending and repairing them. Websites like Love your Clothes encourage this and also offer tips on how to do this. Finally, how one disposes one’s worn out clothes at the end of their useful life is also very important. Dumping them only adds to the huge landfills or to increased harmful emissions through incineration. The most environmentally sound way of disposing them is to send them for recycling. Some major manufacturers have now started using recycled fabrics, but it is often hard for consumers to find places to take their old clothes.

Select the option that does NOT correctly complete the given sentence.

Psychologists state that addictive buying can be a result of the ________.

The other day I received an unusual and very gratifying gift: I was given a tree or rather, I was given half-a-dozen trees which would be planted on my behalf. I had been invited to give a talk at an organisation. After such events the speaker is usually given a token gift. Sometimes the gift is that of a pen, or something useful. Often, the gift is in the form of a plaque or a similar token. However well-meant, such gifts are destined to gather dust in forgotten corners. Which is why I was agreeably surprised to be given a scroll which attested that, on a designated plantation established for the purpose, trees would be added in my name as part of the ‘green’ movement sponsored by the organisation.
In an increasingly environment conscious world, the gift of a living tree or plant makes for a perfect present. The tradition of giving and receiving gifts has increasingly become a highly evolved marketing exercise. Apart from festivals like Diwali, Holi, Christmas, Eid and others, a whole new calendar of celebration events has been created to promote the giving of gifts: Mother’s Day, Father’s day, Teacher’s day, Valentine’s Day and so on.
What do you give to people — friends, relatives, spouses, children, parents, employees, clients, well-wishers who more or less have everything or at least everything that you could afford to give them as a gift?
Another box of chocolates? Another bottle of scent or after-shave? Another shirt or a kurta? Another another?
Thinking of unusual and pleasing presents which are also affordable is a full-time job. Like wedding planners and planners of theme parties, gift planners who select and make up gift packages for you to give on occasions like marriages and corporate events—are doing increasingly good business.
However, the best planned gifts of mine and thine often go awry. How often particularly during the so called ‘festive seasons’ when gift giving and gift receiving reach epidemic proportions— have you had the embarrassing experience of getting back as a present a gift you yourself had given to someone who, having no use for it and not realising that it was you who had gifted it to begin with had unwittingly returned your gift to you? Like musical chairs, musical gifts only too often go round and round.
This is true not only at the individual but also at the level of the state. Diplomatic protocol also demands exchange of gifts according to culture and tradition. Such tokens like the numbers of crudely made miniature Taj Mahals that India has presented to the reluctant hands of foreign guests must fill entire godowns across the globe.
How much more preferable a living tree than a crude model of the Taj possibly made of marble from an unauthorised quarry? If the giving of tree sapling were to be institutionalised, it could lead to another green revolution in the lucrative and growing field of gift giving, with a new, eco-friendly industry taking root in plantations and nurseries specially created for the purpose. People could feel good looking at the certificate that trees had been planted in their names. Next birthday, give someone you love a tree and one day the two of you might sit under the shade of the same tree

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an occasion for giving gifts?