eBOOK

INDEX

RC II – E-Book
Topic Pg. No.
Chapter 1 Introduction & Overview 1
1.1 Recap& Overview
Chapter 2 Types of questions 3
2.1 Types of questions
2.2 What is the main idea?
2.3 What is the meaning of Description based questions?
2.4 What is an inference?
2.5 What is application question?
2.6 What is Tone?
2.7 Title question
2.8 Structure based question
Chapter 3 Golden Rules of RC 18
3.1 Pay attention
3.2 Stop talking to yourself when you read
3.3 Read in thought groups
3.4 Don't keep re-reading the same phrases
3.5 Vary your reading rate
Chapter 4 RC Practice& Answer keys 20

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Chapter 1 – Introduction & Overview

1.1 Recap& Overview

In the RC-I E –book, you learnt the three important aspects of RCs and they were:

1. Overview of reading comprehensions in terms of format and what it takes to read well
2. RC process: Steps to be kept in mind to understand the passages well.
3. Reading Faster and Better : approaches to read fast and methods to improve accuracy

The CAT reading comprehension passages are about 300 to 700 words long. The subject matter of a passage
can be almost anything, but the most common themes are politics, history, culture, science , and business.

The passages will not always be interesting or fun to read; as a matter of fact some of them will be downright
boring and difficult to understand. The language of the passages will be similar to what you are likely to see in
publications such as The Economist and The Guardian etc. Generally, passages from Physical Sciences and
Business & Economics subject areas are more detail-oriented and easier to understand than passages from
Social Sciences and Humanities, which mostly tend to be of an abstract nature. The problem most students
face on RC is that they have to go through text from areas they aren't conversant with and answer questions
based on this. The moment you see a passage from an unfamiliar area such as History or Women‘s Suffrage,
you immediately start telling yourself that you will do badly on this passage because you have no idea about
the subject area. If you start with this negative thought process, things will obviously only go downhill for
you. P lease keep in mind that you are not expected to have any prior knowledge of the topic in the first place.
All the information that you need to answer the questions is given to you in the passage. You just need to
comprehend the passage and select the correct answer from the options provided.

Whenever we read some text, it is human tendency to focus on the facts provided. We tend to focus on
specific details, numbers, and dates but in the process we end up missing out on the big picture, which
provides the answer to the question 'WHY'. Why has the author provided these figures or details? This is the
purpose of the author in writing this paragraph. If you concentrate on the details and miss out on this 'WHY'
aspect, then you will always struggle to answer RC questions correctly.

This is because most questions will not directly ask you something that is clearly mentioned in thepassage;
rather the questions will be more roundabout and indirect in nature. The answer to most of t he questions will
not be clearly stated in the passage so it does not make sense to spend valuable time trying to absorb all the
details mentioned in the passage.

As reading style of the given text varies from person to person so reading styles are subjective—there is no
best method for approaching the passages. However there are few better approaches than others. You should,
read somewhat faster than you normally do, but not to the point that your comprehension suffers. You will
have to experiment to find your optimum pace.

One method that you may find helpful is to preview the passage by reading the first sentence of each
paragraph. usually, the topic of a paragraph is contained in the first sentence. Reading the first sentence of
each paragraph will give an overview of the passage. The topic sentences act as a summary of the passage.
Moreover, since each passage is only three or four paragraphs long, previewing the topic sentences will not
use up an huge amount of time.

Even as reading the passage, be careful to differentiate between when the author is stating something and
when is the author attributing a comment to somebody else. For example, if the author were to make a
statement such as ‘Critics of the Theory of Gravitation believe that the theory is incorrect’ – do not interpret
this as the author criticizing anything. The author is merely providing you the opinion of the critics and is
neutral by himself. This is especially true in the case of passages in which the author is reviewing the work of
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some other author or individual. In such passages make sure that you also read the questions properly because
some questions could be from the point of view of the author of the passage while some others could be from
the point of view of the author or scholar whose work is being evaluated.

While reading, try to engage with the passage. This will also help prevent your concentration from wandering.
The best way to get yourself involved with the passage is to try to predict what will come next in the passage.
When you do this, you are essentially putting yourself in the author's shoes and thinking like him, which will
help you get a great understanding of the passage. Use the last sentence of a paragraph to predict what will
come in the next paragraph.

In nutshell:

1. Reading styles are subjective—so no need to worry too much about your style as long as you are
understanding the passage and scoring well in this section

2. Don‘t speed read, or skim, the passage. Instead, read at a faster than usual pace, but not to the point
that your comprehension suffers.

3. Read the first sentence of each paragraph before you read the passage and you will get the idea of
author‘s mindset towards the subject he has presented.
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Chapter 2 – Types of questions

2.1 Types of questions

The solution to performing well on the passages is not the particular reading technique you use. Rather the
answer is to become completely familiar with the question types—there are only 6-8—so that you can
anticipate the questions that might be asked as you read the passage and answer those that are asked more
quickly and efficiently. As you become familiar with the following question types, you will be more confident
and will be able to score well.

Following are types of question you will come across in RCs:

1. Main Idea
2. Factual or description question
3. Inference question
4. Application question
5. Tone question
6. Title question
7. Structure based question
8. Vocabulary based question

2.2 What is the main idea?

The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It's the big picture - the Solar
System vs. the planets, Football game vs. the fans, cheerleaders, quarterback, and uniforms. It's the brief, but
all-encompassing summary. It covers everything the paragraph talks about, but nothing in particular.

A) How to Find the Main Idea

Summarize the Passage

After you've read the passage, summarize it in one sentence that includes the gist of ever idea from the
paragraph. A good way to do this is to pretend you have just ten words to tell someone what the passage was
about.

You'd have to think broadly, so you could included every detail in just a short statement.

B) Main Idea Questions: Points to be kept in mind

 Correct answer obscured by close answer-choices

 These either overstate or understate the author's main point.
 Answer-choices that stress specifics tend to understate the main idea.
 Choices that go beyond the scope of the passage tend to overstate the main idea.

Let us try to apply the learning: what is the main idea of the given passage?

Passage A

The health-care economy is replete with unusual and even unique economic relationships. One of the least
understood involves the peculiar roles of producer or ―provider‖ and purchaser or ―consumer‖ in the typical
doctor-patient relationship. In most sectors of the economy, it is the seller who attempts to attract a potential
buyer with various inducements of price, quality, and utility, and it is the buyer who makes the decision.
 4
Where circumstances permit the buyer no choice because there is effectively only one seller and the product is
relatively essential, government usually asserts monopoly and places the industry under price and other
regulations. Neither of these conditions prevails in most of the health-care industry.

In the health-care industry, the doctor-patient relationship is the mirror image of the ordinary relationship
between producer and consumer. Once an individual has chosen to see a physician—and even then there may
be no real choice—it is the physician who usually makes all significant purchasing decisions: whether the
patient should return ―next Wednesday,‖ whether X-rays are needed, whether drugs should be prescribed, etc.
It is a rare and sophisticated patient who will challenge such professional decisions or raise in advance
questions about price, especially when the ailment is regarded as serious.

This is particularly significant in relation to hospital care. The physician must certify the need for
hospitalization, determine what procedures will be performed, and announce when the patient may be
discharged. The patient may be consulted about some of these decisions, but in the main it is the doctor‘s
judgments that are final. Little wonder then that in the eyes of the hospital it is the physician who is the real
―consumer.‖ As a consequence, the medical staff represents the ―power center‖ in hospital policy and
decision-making, not the administration.

Although usually there are in this situation four identifiable participants—the physician, the hospital, the
patient, and the payer (generally an insurance carrier or government) —the physician makes the essential
decisions for all of them. The hospital becomes an extension of the physician; the payer generally meets most
of the bona fide bills generated by the physician/hospital; and for the most part the patient plays a passive
role. In routine or minor illnesses, or just plain worries, the patient‘s options are, of course, much greater with
respect to use and price. In illnesses that are of some significance, however, such choices tend to evaporate,
and it is for these illnesses that the bulk of the health-care dollar is spent. We estimate that about 75-80
percent of health-care expenditures are determined by physicians, not patients. For this reason, economy
measures directed at patients or the general publicare relatively ineffective.

1. The author’s primary purpose is to

(A) speculate about the relationship between a patient‘s ability to pay and the treatment received
(B) criticize doctors for exercising too much control over patients
(C) analyze some important economic factors in health care
(D) urge hospitals to reclaim their decision-making authority
(E) inform potential patients of their health-care rights

Answer: option 3, throughout the passage the author is analyzing a few important economic factors related to
health care and it is clear from the first few lines of the passage.

2.3 What is the meaning of Description based questions?

Often the questions provide a clue as to where the answer may be found (caveat when the question specifies a
certain line number, be sure to check out the 5 lines preceding and following that line number) It could be in
the form of some text that links up in the passage structure.

A) Description Questions

 Description questions refer to a minor point or to incidental information, not to the author's main
point.
 The answer to a description question must refer directly to a statement in the passage, not to
something implied by it.
 In fact, exact quotes (‗Same language‘ traps) are often used to bait wrong answers.
Caution: When answering a description question, you must find the point in the passage from which
 5
the question is drawn. Don't rely on memory too many obfuscating tactics are used with these
questions.

Let us try to apply the learning

Passage B

DIRECTIONS for questions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow

There are two major systems of criminal procedure in the modern world--the adversarial and the inquisitorial.
The former is associated with common law tradition and the latter with civil law tradition. Both systems were
historically preceded by the system of private vengeance in which the victim of a crime fashioned his own
remedy and administered it privately, either personally or through an agent. The vengeance system was a
system of self-help, the essence of which was captured in the slogan "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
The modern adversarial system is only one historical step removed from the private vengeance system and
still retains some of its characteristic features. Thus, for example, even though the right to institute criminal
action has now been extended to all members of society and even though the police department has taken over
the pretrial investigative functions on behalf of the prosecution, the adversarial system still leaves the
defendant to conduct his own pretrial investigation. The trial is still viewed as a duel between two adversaries,
refereed by a judge who, at the beginning of the trial has no knowledge of the investigative background of the
case. In the final analysis the adversarial system of criminal procedure symbolizes and regularizes the punitive
combat.

By contrast, the inquisitorial system begins historically where the adversarial system stopped its development.
It is two historical steps removed from the system of private vengeance. Therefore, from the standpoint of
legal anthropology, it is historically superior to the adversarial system. Under the inquisitorial system the
public investigator has the duty to investigate not just on behalf of the prosecutor but also on behalf of the
defendant. Additionally, the public prosecutor has the duty to present to the court not only evidence that may
lead to the conviction of the defendant but also evidence that may lead to his exoneration. This system
mandates that both parties permit full pretrial discovery of the evidence in their possessio n. Finally, in an
effort to make the trial less like a duel between two adversaries, the inquisitorial system mandates that the
judge take an active part in the conduct of the trial, with a role that is both directive and protective.

Fact-finding is at the heart of the inquisitorial system. This system operates on the philosophical premise that
in a criminal case the crucial factor is not the legal rule but the facts of the case and that the goal of the entire
procedure is to experimentally recreate for the court the commission of the alleged crime.

1. According to the passage, the inquisitorial system differs from the adversarial system in that

1. it does not make the defendant solely responsible for gathering evidence for his case
2. it does not require the police department to work on behalf of the prosecution
3. it does not allow the victim the satisfaction of private vengeance
4. it requires the prosecution to drop a weak case
5. a defendant who is innocent would prefer to be tried under the inquisitorial system

Answer: A
A-this is the major shift in the orientation of the inquisitorial system as opposed to the adversarial system.
B is factually incorrect.
C lies outside the logical domain.
D is secondary in terms of import.
E is a matter of inference, not directly supported by the passage.
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2.4 What is an inference?

It is a conclusion based on the given fact/facts in the passage. An inference is something that is certainly true,
based on the passage. Inferences require ―reading in between the lines‖. The author hints at certain things
without explicitly stating them. So here you have to translate the information in the passage to a situation
presented in the question

A) Inference questions

 They require you to go beyond what is stated in the passage, asking you to draw an inference from the
passage, to make a conclusion based on the passage, or to identify one of the author's tacit
assumptions.
 The correct answer must say more than what is said in the passage.
 Beware of same language traps with these questions

B) What cannot be an answer to an inference based question?

 It should not be direct line picked up, as it is, from the passage.
 It should not be the restatement of one of the lines from the passage.

Let us try to apply the learning

DIRECTIONS for questions: Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow

Passage C

A few years ago, it was call centers that were outsourced to India, then came the technical and animation
outsourcing phase. The last year has seen a rapid growth in a new form of outsourcing – Education Process
Outsourcing (EPO) or online tutoring.

Indian teachers are being looked upon by countr ies like US, UK and Australia to groom their students.
With rapid development in online learning, tutoring companies have also got a boost.

Many are investing in technologies like multimedia chat rooms, Interwise Enterprise Conferencing (IEC),
Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VOIP) and so on.

Students, from anywhere, across the globe can log on to a website at a pre-determined time for a particular
course. An Indian teacher logs on to the same website at the same time. The technology used in IEC, which
integrates web video and voice in an IP-based software platform. While it is a one-on-one session for a
student, the teacher usually attends to multiple students simultaneously on different links. The session is
generally of an hour, providing sufficient times to even ask questions.

There can be three methodologies to conduct online tutoring. The most expensive but beneficial is the one -to-
one session, which allows tutoring companies to create customized tutoring solutions to suit individual needs
as well. The second is virtual classroom which is ideal for small group learning around the world or limited to
a classroom. The third can be web seminars which are for large group presentations that aim to build
awareness and transfer knowledge to a segment of students.

For online tutoring, 24 x 7 learning is now a norm, especially with learners living in practically every time -
zone and having unpredictable learning habits. For teachers, apart from being competent in their fields, they
need to have experience in tutoring over the web. The major subjects are Maths, English grammar,
comprehension and writing, Science, Social Studies and Engineering.
 7
1. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

1. there is no scope for the EPOs in India due to technological incompetencies.

2. online tutoring is student friendly.
3. there has been an increase in the number of internet subscribers in the country.
4. the concept of EPO is only a fantasy and cannot be practically supported by India.

Answer: B
The passage clearly states that Indian teachers are being looked upon by foreign countries for grooming their
students with the help of EPO. Thus, the concept of EPO cannot be said to be merely a fantasy. Also, the
passage does not mention anything about technological incompetencies in India that may stop it from entering
into an EPO business. Option C is outside the context of the passage.
The passage repeatedly mentions that online tutoring is extremely customized and also takes care of the
unpredictable learning habits of the students. Hence B

2.5 What is application question?

The question in which one has to apply the learning/understanding of the passage to a hypothetical situation,
which is relevant to the given passage.

A) Application Questions

 Inference questions ask you to apply what you have learned from the passage to derive new
information about the same subject,
 Whereas application questions go one step further, asking you to apply what you have learned from
the passage to a different or hypothetical situation.
 To answer an application question, take the author's perspective.
 Ask yourself: What am I arguing for? What might make my argument stronger? What might make it
weaker?

Let us try to apply the learning

Passage D

There are two major systems of criminal procedure in the modern world--the adversarial and the inquisitorial.
The former is associated with common law tradition and the latter with civil law tradition. Both systems were
historically preceded by the system of private vengeance in which the victim of a crime fashioned his own
remedy and administered it privately, either personally or through an agent. The vengeance system was a
system of self-help, the essence of which was captured in the slogan "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
The modern adversarial system is only one historical step removed from the private vengeance system and
still retains some of its characteristic features. Thus, for example, even though the right to institute criminal
action has now been extended to all members of society and even though the police department has taken over
the pretrial investigative functions on behalf of the prosecution, the adversarial system still leaves the
defendant to conduct his own pretrial investigation. The trial is still viewed as a duel between two adversaries,
refereed by a judge who, at the beginning of the trial has no knowledge of t he investigative background of the
case. In the final analysis the adversarial system of criminal procedure symbolizes and regularizes the punitive
combat.

By contrast, the inquisitorial system begins historically where the adversarial system stopped its development.
It is two historical steps removed from the system of private vengeance. Therefore, from the standpoint of
legal anthropology, it is historically superior to the adversarial system. Under the inquisitorial system the
public investigator has the duty to investigate not just on behalf of the prosecutor but also on behalf of the
defendant. Additionally, the public prosecutor has the duty to present to the court not only evidence that may
lead to the conviction of the defendant but also evidence that may lead to his exoneration. This system
 8
mandates that both parties permit full pretrial discovery of the evidence in their possession. Finally, in an
effort to make the trial less like a duel between two adversaries, the inquisitorial system mandates t hat the
judge take an active part in the conduct of the trial, with a role that is both directive and protective.

Fact-finding is at the heart of the inquisitorial system. This system operates on the philosophical premise that
in a criminal case the crucial factor is not the legal rule but the facts of the case and that the goal of the entire
procedure is to experimentally recreate for the court the commission of the alleged crime.

1. Based on the information in the passage, it can be inferred that which one of the following
would most logically begin a paragraph immediately following the passage?

1. Because of the inquisitorial system's thoroughness in conducting its pretrial investigation, it can be
concluded that a defendant who is innocent would prefer to be tried under the inquisitorial system,
whereas a defendant who is guilty would prefer to be tried under the adversarial system.
2. As the preceding analysis shows, the legal system is in a constant state of flux. For now the
inquisitorial system is ascendant, but it will probably be soon replaced by another system.
3. The accusatorial system begins where the inquisitorial system ends. So it is three steps removed
from the system of private vengeance, and therefore historically superior to it.
4. Because in the inquisitorial system the judge must take an active role in the conduct of the tria l, his
competency and expertise have become critical.
5. The criminal justice system has evolved to the point that it no longer seems to be derivative of the
system of private vengeance. Modern systems of criminal justice empower all of society with the r ight
to instigate a legal action, and the need for vengeance is satisfied through a surrogate --the public
prosecutor.

Answer: A
C is rejected because the very first line shows that the author intends to focus primarily on just two systems of
criminal procedure.
D is rejected because under the inquisitorial system, it is the prosecution who assumes a very active role.
E is rejected because the need for vengeance is something that the author wants to move ahead of, not retain
as the fountainhead of criminal procedure systems.
Between A and B, A is a better choice because it once again affirms the superiority of the inquisitorial system-
something that the author has been striving for all along the passage.

2.6 What is Tone?

It is the attitude of the author towards the subject presented in the passage or the way the author has treated the
subject/content in passage.Tone is an integral part of a work‘s meaning because it controls the reader‘s
response which is essential to fully understand literature. To misinterpret tone is to misinterpret meaning.
In order to recognize tonal shift and to interpret complexities of tone , the reader must be able to make
inferences based on an active reading of the work. The author's tone or voice is revealed by organization,
choice of detail, and sentence structure, but word choice is probably the strongest indicator of tone.

A) Tone Question

 Tone questions ask you to identify the writer's attitude or perspective.

 Is the writer's feeling toward the subject positive, negative, or neutral? Does the writer give his own
opinion, or does he objectively present the opinions of others?
 Before you read the answer-choices, decide whether the writer's tone is positive, negative, or neutral.
It is best to do this without referring to the passage.
 Check the adjectives that he chooses.
 For instance, if we agree with a person who holds strong feelings about a subject, we may describe his
opinions as impassioned. On the other hand, if we disagree with him, we may describe his opinions as
excitable, which has the same meaning as "impassioned" but carries a negativeconnotation.
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B) Possible tone meaning of the word

Tone Meaning
Acerbic Harsh/ severe; bitter
Aggressive Forceful; tending towards unprovoked offensiveness
Angry indignant
Apathetic Emotionless; not interested/ concerned; indifferent; unresponsive
Apologetic Expressing remorse, regret, sorrow for having failed, injured, insulted or wronged
another
Belligerent Aggressively hostile; bellicose
Biased Favouring one thing/person/group over another for personal reasons
Caustic Biting; acerbic
Commiserating Feeling/ expressing sorrow for; empathizing with; pity
Condescending Patronizing; showing/implying patronising descent from dignity/ superiority
Contemptuous Expressing contempt/ disdain
Cynical displaying a belief that people are always self-seeking and never altruistic in their
actions
Derisive Unkind and displaying contempt
Disparaging Speak slightingly; depreciating; belittling
Dogmatic Asserting opinions in an arrogant manner; imperious; dictatorial
Emotional Easily affected by feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear and the like
Ethical Dealing with principles of morality; honest; righteous
Euphemistic Substitution of mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh
or blunt
Grandiose More complicated/ elaborated than necessary; pompous
Humanistic Evincing keen interest in human affairs, nature, welfare, values
Humourous Funny and amusing
Introspective Consider one's own internal state of feelings
Incendiary Causing strong feelings
Laudatory Praising; extolling; applauding
Motivating Impelling; inciting
Obsequious Fawning; showing servile complaisance; flattering; deferent
Pedestrian Lacking vitality, imagination, distinction
Populist Egalitarian; pertaining to the characteristics of common people/ working class
 10
Provocative Inciting; stimulating; irritating; vexing
Romantic Fanciful; impractical; unrealistic; extravagant; exaggerated
Sarcastic Harsh, bitter derision; taunting; sneering; cutting remarks
Satirical Ironical; taunting; human folly held up to scorn/ derision/ ridicule
Speculative Theoretical rather than practical; thoughtful; reflective; hypothetical
Technical Using terminology or treating subject matter in a manner peculiar to a particular field, as
a writer or a book
Vitriolic Full of anger and hatred
Vituperative Cruel and angry criticism

C) The different types of Styles and certain keywords, by which, to remember them are:

Tones for RC Passages Where it can be found

Factual/Event Based Newspaper Article
Descriptive Author‘s description
Data Driven Numbers, statistics, figures
Narrative Story, First-Person Narration
Abstruse/Abstract Metaphoric, Symbolic, Philosophical
Analytical Analysis, Problem Solving
Argumentative Debate, pros, and cons

D) Here are a few important tones with examples so that you have clear understanding of them and
are able to identify while solving reading comprehensions

Irony:

In a general sense, irony is a rhetorical device that is characterized by incongruity in the real situation and
what is expected.

Examples

I. A man looked out of the window to see the storm intensify. He turned to his friend and said
―wonderful weather we‘re having!‖
II. Simple phrases, usually in the form of similes, with obvious incongruities ie: clear as mud, smooth as
sandpaper, friendly as a coiled rattlesnake
III. In Shakespeare‘s Oedipus Rex, the audience is aware that Oedipus‘s journey to find the murderer will
be fruitless because he himself is the murderer
IV. In Romeo and Juliet, the former thinks Juliet is dead, buy the audience know that she only took a
sleeping potion
V. In Othello, audiences know that Iago is plotting the downfall of Othello while Othello himself is
unaware.
Sarcasm:

Sarcasm is an ironic or satirical remark that seems to be praising someone or something but is really taunting
or cutting. Sarcasm can be used to hurt or offend or can be used for comic affect.
 11
Examples

I. I‘m trying to imagine you with a personality.

II. I work 40 hours a week to be this poor.
III. Is it time for your medication or mine?
IV. Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.
V. When something bad happens - That's just what I need, great! Terrific!
VI. When you expected something to happen, especially after warning someone about it - Well what a
surprise!
VII. When someone says something that is very obvious - Really Sherlock, No! You are clever
VIII. When someone does something wrong - Very good, well done, nice!
IX. When something happens that you don‘t want or need - That's just what we need!
X. "Honesty is the best policy -- when there is money in it." - Mark Twain

Satire:

Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or
a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its
follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and
condemn their corruption.

A writer may point a satire toward a person, a country or even the entire world. Usually, a satire is a comical
piece of writing which makes fun of an individual or a society to expose its stupidity and shortcomings. In
addition, he hopes that those he criticizes will improve their characters by overcoming their weaknesses.

Example

Most political cartoons which we witness every day in newspapers and magazines are examples of satire.
These cartoons criticize some recent actions of political figures in a comical way.

―If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn‘t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was
just as selfish as we are, or we‘ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the
needy without condition and then admit that we just don‘t want to do it.‖

Example

Alexander Pope‘s The Rape of the Lock is an example of poetic satire in which he has satirized the upper
middle class of eighteenth century England. It exposes the vanity of young fashionable ladies and gentlemen
and the frivolity of their actions. For example, Pope says about Belinda after losing her lock of hair:
―Whether the nymph shall break Diana‘s law,Or some frail china jar receive a flaw,Or stain her honor, or her
new brocade‖

The line mocks at the values of the fashionable class of that age. The trivial things were thought of as equal to
significant things. For Belinda, the loss of her virtue becomes equal to a China jar being cracked.

Concern:

When the author is showing concern about the subject or the topic he has presented.

Example

A favorite hobby of many people for the last few decades is to bemoan the moral decay of the younger
generation. Like most topics that get a lot of people hot under the collar, this of course relates primarily to sex.
 12
A lot of other moral issues get discussed; dishonesty, rudeness, the drug prob lem, and so forth. But talk to
anyone who is concerned about moral decay and pretty soon they will start to focus on sex-related matters; the
high teen pregnancy rate, abortion, single parenthood, and so on.

Not a lot is given as the cause for moral decay. Most so-called causes are either very nebulous or not easily
definable. The closest that any commonly cited "reason" comes to being even somewhat concrete is the idea
that moral decay is caused by "the media". Movies, television shows, popular novels, e t cetera glorify non-
marital sex, which causes the younger generation (anyone more than twenty years younger than yourself) to
act in a like manner.

Here the author is showing his concern for the moral decay in the society.

Didactic:

Didactic describes a type of tone that is written to inform or instruct the reader, especially in social or political
lessons.

Example

Every textbook and ―how-to‖ book is an example of didacticism, as their explicit purpose is to instruct and
educate. Books written for children also often have a didactic intent, as they are often created to teach children
about moral values. Religious sermons are also usually examples of didacticism, as the preacher is intending
to use the religious text to give the congregation moral guidance.

Here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the City of Destruction, but am going to Mount Zion, that I may
be delivered from the Wrath to come; I would therefore, Sir, since I am informed that by this Gate is the Way
thither, know if you are willing to let me in?
(The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan)

John Bunyan‘s novel The Pilgrim’s Progress is a famous didacticism example. Bunyan makes the allegory
and lesson he is trying to impart clear: the main character‘s name is Christian and he travels from the City of
Destruction on his way to Mount Zion. Along the way, Christian comes up against many obstacles, and his
journey through and around these obstacles helps to instruct the reading audience how to overcome obstacles
themselves by leading moral lives. Bunyan makes the references to Biblical stories obvious so that readers
could more easily grasp the moral lessons he was trying to teach therein.

Cynical:

A cynical tone is seen when the author is disposed to find fault with everything and to rant about it to
everyone. A cynic trusts no one‘s sincerity or good intentions.

Example

Bill Maher is a playful microphone-toting cynic, roaming the landscapes of Christianity, with a few references
to Judaism, Islam, and Scientology.

Social cynicism results from excessively high expectations concerning society, institutions and authorities:
unfulfilled expectations lead to disillusionment, which releases feelings of disappointment and betrayal.

Analytical writing:

Analytical writing is commonly required in academic writing to show relationships between pieces of
information. It is used to compare and contrast, assess or evaluate (for example, a number of approaches,
theories, methodologies or outcomes). It has a structure based on the ordering of main ideas in relation to each
 13
other and uses evidence from various sources. However, analytical writing does not present a position to be
argued.

Example

Australian mothers from a low-income background were less likely to utilise preventative services . . . but
they were more likely to be hospitalised and visit the out-patient clinic. It seems these families put off . . .
seeking medical treatment for their children until their condition was much progressed. Similarly, report that
...‖ Learning how to ‗fit in‘ seemed to capture the overall theme of this discussion and that the struggle was
about navigating a relationship around the presences of an invisible barrier‖

(In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Myrtle Wilson demonstrates how members of the
lower class cannot achieve the American Dream. Myrtle, a working class citizen, associates herself with the
wealthy in order to appear rich demonstrates how simply associating with the wealthy is not enough for
Myrtle to actually obtain the American Dream. Her attempt to transcend class structures ultimately leads to
her death, which reveals that the working class cannot grasp the American Dream. )

Argumentative :

An argumentative or persuasive paragraph is one in which you try to convince the reader of something. You
state your reasons for believing something and try to get the reader to agree.

Example

The divisiveness between the states was another major obstacle to national unity. Despite sharing a
common heritage such as the Roman Empire, the Renaissance and Catholicism, many divisions were evident
between the Italian states. One example of these divisions was that the majority of the population only spoke
the dialect of their own region. In fact, when Italy was unified, only four per cent of the population had
knowledge of the official Italian language. The enormous differences between the regions w ere exacerbated
by the keen political and commercial rivalry that existed between these states: Guise Mizzen, the leading
agitator for the unification of Italy at this period, declared:

We have no flag, no political name, no rank among European nations. We have no common centre, no
common fact, no common market. We are dismembered into eight states... all independent of one another,
without alliance, without unity of aim, without connection ... (these factors) divide us and render us as much
possible strangers to each other (1845:36).

A striking example of the commercial division and rivalry between the states which impeded the national
economic interest was the existence of as many as twenty two customs' barriers around the Po River region of
Italy. In addition to these divisions between the states, mistrust of each other's economic and political motives
was also evident.

Patronizing:

If someone is patronizing, they speak or behave towards you in a way that seems friendly, but which shows
that they think they are superior to you.

Example

A colleague came to the desk of a new clerk, saying, "Hey, I've heard that you're new here. I'm Sam, and I'm
very experienced in this department; so if there's anything you don't understanding, you can ask me... you
wouldn't want to step into the same landmine your predecessor did, right

Conjectural:
In this tone, the author gives an opinion or a judgment based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence;
guesswork. This style is used when Author has no knowledge of t he subject he is writing about.
 14
Example
The commentators made various conjectures about the outcome of the next election.

To judge or conclude by conjecture; guess: "From the comparative silence below ... I conjectured that Mr.
Rochester was now at liberty"

Equivocal:

When a writer writes subject in which there are two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or
confuse

Example
The bark was painful. (Could mean a tree’s bark was rough or a dog’s bark communicated pain or hurt the
listener’s ears).
When President Bush was asked about finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he said, ―But for those
who say we haven‘t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they‘re wrong, we found
them.‖ In this case, ―them‖ could refer to either the manufacturing devices or the banned weapons, and
therefore skates around the issue of whether the actual weapons were found.

Euphemism:

A euphemism is a polite or mild word or expression used to refer to something embarrassing, taboo, or
unpleasant. Euphemisms are especially common in reference to bodily functions and illegal behavior, and to
substitute for curse words.

Example
The Ministry, of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts.The
Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war.The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and
order.And the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs. Their names, in Newspeak:
Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, and Miniplenty.(1984 by George Orwell)

George Orwell made much use out of the significance of euphemisms, and their potential danger, in his
masterpiece dystopian novel 1984. The ―Party‖—the ruling government organization to which it seems no
individual really belongs—has created four main ministries, as described in the excerpt above. Each one has a
name that is directly opposed to the true nature of the ministry. This is just one way in w hich the Party uses
language to confuse and distort reality. In fact, Orwell‘s creation of the term ―doublethink‖ has become a
well-known euphemism for the types of distortions that many politicians and media personalities use to
explain their positions, which may be hypocritical.

Paradox:

When used as a literary device, a paradox is the juxtaposition of a set of seemingly contradictory concepts that
reveal a hidden and/or unexpected truth. The paradox may be hard or even impossible to believe, yet usually
the contradiction can be reconciled if the reader thinks about the juxtaposition more deeply.

Example

Zeno‘s Paradox: You can never get from point A to point B, as first you must travel half the distance, and then
half the distance left, ad infinitum.

 Barber Paradox: A male barber shaves all and only those men who don‘t shave themselves. Does he
shave himself?
 Schrödinger‘s Cat Paradox: A cat is in a box with a small amount of radioactive substance that could
kill it. The cat could be either alive or dead while the box is closed; until someone opens the box to
 15
check, the cat exists in both states. (Note: Schrödinger created this thought experiment to display what
he considered the absurdity of quantum mechanics).

Before anyone crosses this bridge, he must first state on oath where he is going and for what purpose. If he
swears truly, he may be allowed to pass; but if he tells a lie, he shall suffer death by hanging on the gallows
there displayed, without any hope of mercy…Now it happened that they once put a man on his oath, and he
swore that he was going to die on the gallows there—and that was all. After due de liberation the judges
pronounced as follows: ―If we let this man pass freely he will have sworn a false oath and, according to the
law, he must die; but he swore that he was going to die on the gallows, and if we hang him that will be the
truth, so by the same law he should go free.‖

(This excerpt from Cervantes‘s masterpiece Don Quixote is a complex example of the liar‘s paradox. The
prisoner who crosses the bridge tells the truth, and thus the judges feel required to let him go free on account
of that. If he had lied he would have been hung on the gallows, but as that was already his fate the judges
reverse his fortunes by honoring his truth telling.

2.7 Title question

A) What is title?

A title, in effect, is the main idea summed up in a brief, catchy way.

B) Tips to find the most appropriate title

Be sure not to go with a choice that aptly describes only the latter half of the passage. A valid title, like amain
idea, must cover the entire passage. The title has to be catchy, short, and should be able to capturethe essence
of the content of the passage.

Let us try to apply the learning

Passage E

Through the thin haze of my cigar-smoke I noted the details of a face which was already familiar to me from
many photographs – the strongly-curved nose, the hollow, worn cheeks, the dark, ruddy hair, thin tuft upon
his projecting chin. Something there was of Napoleon III, something of Don Quixote, and yet again something
which was the essence of the English country gentleman. The keen, alert, open-air lover of dogs and of horses.
His skin was of a rich flower-pot red from sun and wind. His eyebrows were tufted and over-hanging, which
gave those naturally cold eyes an almost ferocious aspect, an impression which was increased by his strong
and furrowed brow. In figure he was spare, but very strongly built-indeed, he had often proved that there were
few men in England capable of such sustained exertions. His height was a little over six feet, but he seemed
shorter on account of a peculiar rounding of the shoulders. Such was the famous Lord John Roxton as he sat
opposite to me, biting hard upon his cigar and watching me steadily in a long and embarrassing silence.

Lord John Roxton has some points in common with Professor Summerlee, and others in which they are the
very antithesis to each the same spare, scraggy physique. As to his appearance, I have, as I recollect, described
it in that portion of my narrative which I have left behind me in London. He is exceedingly neat and prim in
his ways, dresses always with great care in white drill suits and high brown mosquito-boots, and shaves at
least once a day. Like most men of action, he is laconic in speech, and sinks readily into his own thoughts, but
he is always quick to answer a question or join in a conversation, talking in a queer, jerky, half-humorous
fashion. His knowledge of the world, and very especially of South America, is surprising, and he has a whole
hearted belief in the possibilities of our journey which is not to be dashed by the sneers of Professor
Summerlee.

He has a gentle voice and a quiet manner, but behind his twinkling blue eyes there lurks a capacity for furious
wrath and implacable resolution, the more dangerous because they are held in leash. He spoke little of his own
 16
exploits in Brazil and Peru, but it was a revelation to me to find the excitement which was caused by his
presence among the riverine natives, who looked upon him as their Champion and Protector.

What would be a suitable title for the passage?

1. Lord John Roxton

2. Lord John Roxton in South America
3. Lord John Roxton and I
4. The exploits of Lord John Roxton.

ANSWER: 1
The passage is all about Lord John Roxton and his personality.

2.8 Structure based question

A) What is the structure of the passage?

The term ―structure‖ refers to how information is organized in a passage.

Commonly used patterns of organization,

 Cause and Effect:The results of something are explained.

 Chronological: information in the passage is organized in order of time.
 Compare and Contrast: two or more things are described. Their similarities and differences are
discussed.
 Order of Importance: information is expressed as a hierarchy or in priority.
 Problem and Solution: a problem is described and a response or solution is proposed or explained.
 Sequence / Process Writing: information is organized in steps or a process is explained in the order
in which it occurs.
 Social Science structures: - Make comparisons; Describe cause and effect relationships; opinionate
or reason
 Science: Problem solving, cause and effect, classification of things and events; experimentation
 Literature:Create moods, Narrate events, describe settings and characters.
 Possible ways are: A hypothesis is stated and then analyzed; A proposal is evaluated and alternatives
are Explored; A viewpoint is set forth and then subsequently defended.

2.9 Vocabulary based question:

These questions are based on the meaning of the vocabulary or the phrase within the context of the passage.
Sometimes these questions test your understanding of the meaning of a complicated sentence or an important
comment or idea expressed in a paragraph.

A) Tips to solve vocabulary based questions

Use context clue to guess the meaning of the words or phrases tested in the reading comprehension passages.
 17
 From the four answer choices given, choose the word or the phrase that is closest in meaning, or is a
synonym, to the vocabulary or the phrase. Some of the choices might have similar meanings, but only
one will be the most appropriate meaning within the context.

 If you do not know the meaning of a word or a phrase, read the entire sentence because the sentence
may provide additional clues. The se ntences used before or after the sentence in which the word or
phrase appears often supply clues to the meaning of the word or phrase.

Let us try to apply the learning

Passage F

DIRECTIONS for the question: Read the passage and answer the question base d on it.

It is undeniable that some very useful analogies can be drawn between the relational systems of computer
mechanism and the relational systems of brain mechanism. The comparison does not depend upon any close
resemblance between the actual mechanical links which occur in brains and computers; it depends on what the
machines do. Furthermore, brains and computers can both be organized so as to solve problems. The mode of
communication is very similar in both the cases, so much so that computers can now be designed to generate
artificial human speech and even, by accident, to produce sequences of words which human beings recognize
as poetry. The implication is not that machines are gradually assuming human forms, but that there is no sharp
break of continuity between what is human, what is mechanical.

The author uses the word ‗recognize‘ in relation to computer poetry to convey a

1. sense of sorrow at the reluctant admission of the superiority of machines by mankind.

2. feeling that computers have yet to conquer the emotional heights that man is capable of attaining.
3. feeling of derision for the popular faith in the omnipotence of the computer
4. feeling of a fatalistic acceptance of the computer‘s encroachment upon human bastions

Answer Key: B
The author implies that computers are not yet capable of producing poetry.
 18
Chapter 3 – Golden Rules of RC

3.1 Pay attention

When you read one should read as if it really matters. Most people read in the same in which they watch
television, i.e. in an inattentive, passive way. Reading requires effort and you must make the effort. A wise
teacher once told me that you can learn anything if you do three things:

 PAY ATTENTION
 PAY ATTENTION and
 PAY ATTENTION

There are some simple methods that you can use to pay better attention and get more out of your textbook
reading time. Different authors call it different things, but many researchers say that you will improve your
comprehension if you somehow "preview" the passage before you actually sit down and read every word.

To do a preview you:

 take 30 to 60 seconds.
 look over the title of the chapter.
 look at all the headings, subheadings marked, italic or dark print.
 look at any pictures or illustrations, charts or graphs.
 quickly skim over the passage, reading the first and last paragraph and glancing at the first sentence of
every other paragraph.
 close the book and ask yourself:
 ---What is the main idea?
 ---What kind of writing is it?
 ---What is the author's purpose?

You might think that you could possibly answer these questions with so little exposure to the material, but if
you do the preview correctly, you should have some very good general ideas. If you have a general idea of
what the passage is about before you really read it, you will be able to understand and remember the passage
better.

When you finally get to the point where you are actually slowly reading the passage, read in a ‘questioning’
manner -as if you were ‗Searching for Something‘. It sometimes helps if you take the heading or title of a
chapter and turn it to a question.

For example, if the heading of a section in the te xt is "The Causes of the Civil War", take that title and switch
it into a question like: "What are the causes of the Civil War?". Now you have a goal; something to look for;
something to find out. When you are goal-oriented, you are more likely to reach the goal. At least you'll
remember one thing about the text which you have just read.

3.2 Stop talking to yourself when you read

People talk to themselves in 2 ways, by:

1. vocalizing, which is the actual moving of your lips as you read, and
2. subvocalizing, which is talking to yourself in your head as you silently read.

Both of these will slow you down to the point in which you find that you can't read any faster than you can
speak. Speech is a relatively slow activity; for most, the average speed is about 250 WPM (words per minute).
 19
Reading should be an activity which involves only the eyes and the brain. Vocalization ties reading to actual
speaking. Try to think of reading as if you were looking at a landscape, a panorama of ideas, rather than
looking at the rocks at your feet.

3.3 Read in thought groups

Studies have shown that when we read, our eyes must make small stops along the line. Poor readers make
many, many more fixations (eyestops) than good readers. Not only does this slow you d own, but it inhibits
comprehension because meaning is easier to grasp from groups of words rather than from individual words or
even single letters. Try to read in phrases of three or four words, especially in complete clauses and
prepositional phrases. Your mind may internalize them as if the whole phrase is like one big meaning-rich
word.

3.4 Don't keep re-reading the same phrases

Poor readers habitually read and re-read the same phrase over and over again. This habit of making
"regressions" doubles or triples reading time and often does not result in better comprehension. A single
careful, attentive reading may not be enough for full comprehension, but is often more effective than constant
regressions in the middle of reading. It is best to work on paying closer attention the first time though. Do a
preview first before careful reading and try the tips. You'll remember better without rereading.

3.5 Vary your reading rate

To suit the difficulty and type of writing of the text, poor readers always read at the same slow rate. An
efficient reader speeds up for easier material and slows down for the difficult. Some things were not mean t to
be read quickly at all. Legal material and very difficult text should be read slowly. Easier material and
magazines and newspapers can be read quickly. Poetry and plays were meant to be performed, and if not acted
out, then at least, spoken out aloud. This obviously will conflict with good speed reading method which
forbids vocalization. Religious writings and scripture were originally written to be recited and listened to by
an audience which was likely to be intelligent, but illiterate. The "fun" of poetry, plays, or prayer is not really
experienced if you ‘Speed Read’ the text.

Ove ral l St rate gy

I. Answer passages with familiar subject matter first.

II. Attack the key sentences of the passage first; viz: The first sentence of every paragraph, the last
sentence of the last paragraph.

III. Skim through the rest.

IV. Attempt questions in an efficient order - The thematics first, then the factuals, save the inferentials
for the last. Read the question, and not the answer alternatives, then read the passage and try to
frame an answer. Reading the passage is time consuming. If you skip questions and move on to
another passage, you‘ll spend a lot of time in re-reading it. So answer all the questions that you want
to answer without leaving anything for later – take those educated guesses right away.
 20
Chapter 4 –RC Practice

PASSAGE A

In the Indian case, economic development policies, specially in the guise of the Soviet inspired five-year plans
[FYP], traced a particular lineage to the world of science, not least through figures such as the physicist and
statistician P C Mahalanobis (1893-1972), an active BrahmoSamaji, keen researcher of anthropometry,
founder of the Indian Statistical Institute, and a leading influence upon the formulation of the Second Five -
Year Plan. One of the ways in which the scientific nature of the FYP hero and Mahalanobis is perhaps the
most obvious real life example of this post-colonial figure came to be represented on the screen was through
the operation of very spatial strategies. An important aspect of this strategy was the iconic use of roads and
highways in Hindi films of the 1950s and 1960s. My gesture is to the bitumen road as a place of encounter
between the hero and the heroine, as a backdrop to crucial song sequences, and as the linear space which
provided the musical interlude for the display of the FYP hero's technological aptitude as he deftly handles
that epitome of modernist desire – the motor car. Indeed, roads and highways in these films seem to carry such
an aura of a planned modernity – all those aspirations of 'progressing' in both literal and figurative senses that
the Women at the steering wheel and women on bicycles r iding along the open highway became one of the
most powerfully evocative representations of 'modern' Indian Womenhood; 'these' women come to embody a
manual dexterity which marks them as visibly different.

1. According to the author, roads and highways were used in Hindi films

1. To represent the scientific nature of the FYP hero.

2. To provide a musical interlude to the movie.
3. To project an aura of planned modernity.
4. To depict literal and figurative progress.
5. To depict the success of the Soviet-model.

2. The most powerful representation of modern Indian Womanhood in Hindi films was

1. Showing women at the steering wheel and riding bicycles along the highways.
2. Embodying women with a manual dexterity which marked them as visibly different
3. in the encounters with the hero on the linear space of the highway
4. By admiring the hero's handling of the epitome of modernist desire.
5. None of the above.

PASSAGE B

Generally, it is believed that the farmers' perception of excessively subsidized surface irrigation water as a
public good induces them to maximize output per unit of water rather than to maximize water per unit of
output, leading to over use. In economic terms, the persistence of an incentive gap between the scarcity value
of water and the value of the underlying pattern of utilization and management creates ecological damage like
waterlogging, soil salinity and alkalinity. These economic degradations are often attributed to a phenomenon
known in economic literature as 'market failure'. However, market failure itself is caused by the absence,
failure or even the inability of the legal framework to establish and enforce an effective property rights regime
in natural resources. Evidence in regard to existing zero pricing of irr igation water, central planning, poor
design, mismanagement and the lack of responsibility of farmers has led to sub -optimal, unsustainable
patterns of water use and environmental degradation.

3. The author focuses on what aspect of water use?

1.The economics of degradation of farmlands 2.Ways to improve land quality

3.Environmental costs of free water 4.The root causes of market failure.
5.Rationale behind excessive subsidization of water supply for farmers.
 21
4. Market failure, as used in this passage, is caused by

1.Over dependence on subsidized surface irrigation water.

2.The lack of an effective property rights regime in natural resources
3. Suboptimal and unsustainable patterns of land use.
4.All of the above
5.Water logging and similar problems.

PASSAGE C

CHARLES MCGRATH is identified in The Times as a ―Writer At Large‖ a description derived from
academe‘s ―Poet In Residence‖ and the Justice Department‘s ―Financier On The Large‖. The former Book
Review editor we call Chip recently cast a critical eye on ―that always fashionable literary enterprise,
marvelling at the excesses and abandon of the rich. In a couple of these books there is as much apartment
porn (breathless description of Fifth Avenue penthouses and ‗classic sevens‘ on Park) a s there is porn of the
other variety.‖

As a kind of nominative suffix, porn is in. (In is not a dirty word. Nor is porn. This will be a hard column to
write, as lascivious phrasedicks will detect double meanings in the most innocent sentence.) ―Personal
financial magazines are purveying what I call investment Jane Bryant Quinn.‖ ―Ten Funds sure to Go Up!
Safe ways to Make 10% ! ‗Dial Hot –Stox ! We are getting these stories because we love them. They tickle
our prurient financial interest.‘‘

Ann Wort, a former researcher for this column, writes that ―my favorite kitchen pornographer is Ina Garten,
the Barefoot Contessa,‖ and sends in this citation demonstrating the suffixation of porn from a recent New
Yorker article on ―the rise of food television‖ by Bill Buford.

―I had fallen victim to what is called, by its detractors, food porn … the shows made now are full of the
exciting, intimate, amplified and erotic, I can confirm – that‘s not why it is called food porn. It‘s just unreal.
You will never meet a P laymate of the Month: you will never eat the red, juicy tomato that you see on
‗Barefoot Contessa.‖ Thus has the Greek word porne, meaning ―whore‖ – first combined into pornography in
an 1857 medical lexicon to urge public hygiene for prostit utes – returned to its root as an extension of
obsessive obscenity of any kind.

The historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. led the way in the 1970s by noting that ―the movies and television have
developed a pornography of violence far more demoralizing than the pornography of sex.‘‘ Who‘d think it:
Not until our time has the ancient word porn - in the verb used by Shakespeare‘s Lady Macbeth - been
―unsexed‖.

Usually I grit my teeth when making a correction, but not when it comes to etymological antedating.
Discovering earlier citations seems never to end. In an archaeological dig for the source of Islamofascism, I
offered a British usage in 1990 that has held up so far. But of greater import to the Phrasedick Brigade was a
passing reference in my article about cold war crediting coinage to Herbert Bayard Swope, the publicist and
three –time Pulitzer winner who used that seminal phrase in a speech he wrote for Bernard Baruch in 1947.
That was a coinage I dug up for my political dictionary a dozen years ago, attested by a letter that Swope had
elicited from Baruch giving him credit for originating the phrase. ―The first time I ever heard the expression
‗cold war‘‖, wrote the elder statesman in 1949 ―was when you first said it sometime about June 1946. We
decided not to use it at that time. I first used the phrase in April 1947.‖ Baruch was unequivocal in his
crediting: ―you coined the phrase, and I gave it currency.‖ Now comes an e -mail message from Neal
Rosendorf, a history professor at Long Island University, directing me to an essay by George Orwell titled
―You and the Atomic Bomb‖ in an October 19, 1945, London newspaper.

The author of such classics as Animal Farm and the essay Political and the English Language wrote that ―H.G.
Wells and others have been warning us that man is in danger of destroying himself with his own weapons ….
We may be heading not for general breakdown but for an epoch as horribly stable as the slave empires of
 22
antiquity… the social structure that would probably prevail in a state which was at once unconquerable and in
a permanent state of ‗Cold War‘ with its neighbors.‘‘

Orwell, now remembered mostly for the gloomily prescient novel 1984, put cold war in print one year before
Swope mentioned it. There may be an equal coinage find in other famous phrases, but some equal discoveries
are more equal than others.

5. According to the passage, the phrase ―cold war‖ was coined and popularized by which set of writers
respectively?

1. George Orwell; Herbert Swope 2.Herbert Swope; Arthur Schlesinger

3. Herbert Swope; Bernard Baruch 4.Bernard Baruch; Neal Rosendorf
5. Bernard Baruch; George Orwell

6. According to the passage, which of the following is not authored by George Orwell?

1. 1984 2. You and the Atomic bomb 3. Animal Farm

4. Islamofascism 5. Politics and the English language

7. Why does the author mention while concluding the passage that ―some equal discoveries are more
equal than others‖?

1. Because although the phrase – cold war – was believed to be discovered and coined by Swope in
1947, it was put in print by Orwell in 1945 itself.
2. Because although the phrase – cold war – was given wide currency by Baruch in 1942, it was put in
print by Orwell in 1945 itself.
3. Because although the phrase – cold war – was believed to be discovered and coined by Swope in
1947, it was widely used by Baruch 1949 onwards.
4. Because although the phrase – cold war – was believed to be discovered and coined by Swope in
1947, it was put in print by Baruch in 1949 itself
5. Because although the phrase – cold war – was believed to be coined by Swope in 1947, it was put
in print by Orwell in 1949.

8. According to the passage, which of the following in not an example of prurient financial interest?

1. Ten funds sure to go up 2. Dial Hot Stox

3. Safe ways to make 10% 4. The barefoot Contessa 5.1 and 3

9. Which of the following serves as an apt title for the passage?

1. Cold War Discoveries 2. In From The Cold

3. Porn Beyond Sex 4. Obsessive Obscenity
5. Etymology of Porn

PASSAGE D

SIFTING through the political tea leaves of the stunning democratic victory is now America‘s favorite sport.
One man, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsank, already believes they show him the way to the White House. Less
than 24 hours after the polls ended, he declared that he would run the presidency in 2008. Barely had one
ended when the next began. Along with many other Democrats, Vilsank thinks the clear message from
Republican defeat is that America wants decisive change. But that change needs to come from a cons ervative
Democrat, a man with a record of governing in the heartland and someone who is hard to paint as a liberal. As
a popular democrat Governor in the Midwest, Vilsack would seem to fit the bill. ―We‘re jumping in with both
feet,‘ he told reporters on his first conference call as an official 2008 presidential candidate.
 23
That sums up the triumphalist mood in the new Democratic Party settling down into real power for the first
time since Bill Clinton‘s presidency. They have a board agenda for change. At the same time, many of the
senior figures in the Bush administration are on the way out. Defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld has already
gone. United Nations Ambassador John Bolton is certain to follow him. The once –feared campaign
mastermind Karl Rove has the whiff of the fading rock star about him. And of course, President George Bush
himself has been reduced to a lameduck.

There is a new landscape in American politics where the Republicans have lost ground in the north-east,
becoming more a southern party. At the same time, the democrats have marched into the south–west and the
mid-western heartland. The democrats as a whole are already looking past the midterm elections at the biggest
political prize of all, the White House. They think America is turning their color, blue democrats are busy
dividing up positions of power in the Senate and House of Representatives. New figures are stepping onto the
political stage. Chief among them is Nancy Pelosi, the new speaker of the House. She is a liberal from San
Francisco who has slammed Bush as an emperor with no clothes and once labelled him dangerous. Senator
Harry Reid, a veteran politician, will now be the most powerful man in the Senate. Howard Dean, the
firebrand former presidential winnable, has been refashioned as a kingmaker.

As head of the Democratic National Committee, he is overseeing a party being reborn just as his career has
been. And there are other emerging power players, too. Chief among them is Rahm Emanuel, a Congressman
from Chicago, whose inspiring leadership kept the Democrats together in a bitter campaign and ushered in
victory. Some in the party are whispering that his genius for organization could see him become a Democratic
version of Rove, the President‘s strategist.

The Democrats will now control all key committees in Congress and be able to appoint investigative panels
with the power of subpoena to look at all the events of the past six years. Though they have said they have no
plans to impeach Bush, they will aggressively look for ant i-Republican ammunition that will help any
democratic candidate in 2008. Given the sheer volume OF recent scandals in Washington, they are likely to
find a lot of things to keep them busy,‘‘ ―I am sure shredder sales have gone up in Washington D.C this
week,‖ said professor Shaun Bowler of the University of California.

Many experts agree that it is the Republicans who lost the election, not really the Democrats who won. They
just had to sit back and capitalize on anger against the war and a series of scandals from Hurricane Katrina to
Mark Foley.‘‘ It was related to the war and to corruption. The Republicans have essentially just governed
themselves out of power, ―said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University and co-author of The
Rise of Southern Republicans.

The Democrats have ridden the anti-Iraq sentiment, yet they have no united policy on the conflict. In fact, the
Democratic leadership‘s position mirrors that of the Bush administration. Both are said to be waiting for
James Baker‘s Iraq Study Group to report amid expectations that it will recommend the start of a slow
withdrawal. That could provoke anger among the democratic base, which is split between its anti-war
supporters and its more moderate leadership. They are also split at the top. Dean and Emanuel advocate
radically different Democrat election strategies and both have loyal supporters. And then, looming above it all
is the specter of a Hillary Clinton run for the presidency. It will also open deep chasms in her own party.
But there is little doubt that the brand of radical Republicanism preached by Bush and Rove lies in tatters. Its
chief architects are already shuffling out of the door. At his first post- election news conference, Bush was
forced to defend the position of Vice–President Dick Cheney. He did so forcefully, but the mere fact that the
question was asked shows how much has changed. Rave‘s dream of creating a permanent Republican majority
stretching into the future has ended. After a string of victories, his party and his machine have run into defeat.
His style of political campaigning has energies and with its evangelical base, it could split the electorate with
wedge issues such as abortion and marriage. It worked in 2002 and 2004. It did not work this time. The
democrat share of the vote among evangelicals rose dramatically.

The Republicans ran a campaign that was just against gays, against evolution. America has become tired of
that message,‖ said Bowler. Perhaps most of all, it is Bush himself who is on the way o ut. His second–term
domestic agenda of tax reform and social security changes was already stalled. His name is toxic, even
 24
tomany Republicans. The President campaigned for 58 different Republican candidates. A stunning 29 of
them lost.

The relationship between Bush and his father, George Bush Sr, has also taken another psychological twist.
Men loyal to his father, such as Baker and the new Defense Secretary Robert Gate, are now charged with
sorting out a mess the younger Bush has created. It is an ironic twist as the invasion of Iraq was often
portrayed as the son completing his father‘s unfinished business with Saddam Hussein. Now the elder Bush
has stepped into rescue his errant child.

Yet just as Democrats should temper their joy, so Republican should not be too gloomy. A defeat for the
radical, religious right and their neo-conservative for Republicanism as a whole. America remains a socially
conservative country.‖ These guy are still out. They are not going away‖, said Bowler. Many of the new
breed of Democrats coming into Congress have strongly conservative leanings and are anti- abortion and anti-
gun control. Senator Bob Casey, who defeated the conservative hero Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, is anti –
abortion and anti–gay marriage. In fact, there are still more Republicans now in the House of representatives
that there were when Reagan was the President. ―America is not a liberal majority country. If Democrats
behave in a liberal way they will discover that,‖ said Black.

But the republicans will have to change their tactics to deal with the new, changed landscape of American
politics. ―The one thing certain about 2008 is that the Republicans will choose someone who does not look
like George. The 2008 nomination is clearly a job for which Texans and oil men should not apply.‖ But this
moment is the Democratic party moment. It has been a long time coming. But amid all the deserved
celebrations, there should be a note of caution too. The race for the White House has now begun. That race is
still wide open.

10. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true? After the recently held elections
________

1. Republicans lost ground in the south east whereas the Democrats marched ahead in North west and
mid-western heartland
2. Republicans marched ahead in the south east whereas the Democrats lost ground in North west and
mid-western heartland
3. Republicans marched ahead in the north east whereas the Democrats lost ground in South west and
mid-western heartland
4. Republicans lost ground in the south east whereas the Democrats marched ahead in South east and
mid-western heartland
5. Republicans lost ground in the north east whereas the Democrats marched ahead in South west and
mid-western heartland

11. Why, according to the author, are the republicans identified with the radical religious right and the
neo-conservatives?

1. Because they have been espousing causes like anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage and anti-gun control
which have been on the agenda of the religious right and the neo-conservatives since long.
2. Because the religious right and the neo-conservatives have been vehement votaries of the Iraq war
3. Because they have been strongly advocating abortion, gay marriages, gun control which have been
on the agenda of the religious right and the neo-conservatives since long.
4. Because the religious right and the neo-conservatives have been strong proponents of evangelism,
which is part of the Republican ideology.
5. Because the Republicans have a signif icant number of religious leaders in their ranks.
 25
12. According to the passage, which of the following was not a reason for the defeat of Republicans in the
elections?

1. War against Iraq

2. Scandals like hurricane Katrina and Mark Foley
3. Campaign against anti abortion, anti-gun control and anti gay marriages
4. Infighting and dissidence in the Republican party
5. A strong anti Bush sentiment across a majority of states

13. According to the passage, what was the primary reason for a rise in the evangelical vote in favour of
Democrats?

1. Rightist leanings of the democrats

2. Strong advocacy by democrats of issues close to the religious right i.e. anti abortion and anti-
evolution and anti-gay marriage
3. A feeling of apathy amongst Americans in general towards issues like abortion and gay marriage
which have become trite over time
4. A feeling of antipathy amongst Americans in general towards issues like abortion and gay marriage
which have become trite over time
5. A feeling of empathy amongst Americans in general towards issues like abortion and gay marriage
which have become trite over time

14. In the context of the passage, which of the following can be termed as application of the ―power of
subpoena‖, which the Democrats possess after defeating the Republicans in the polls?

1. The power to call back troops from Iraq

2. The power to impeach President Bush
3. The power to appoint persons in key positions in the Senate and the House of Representatives
4. The power to veto actions of the Democrats
5. The power to pardon Prisoners of War (PoWs)

PASSAGE E

The foundations of public interest litigation were laid in the late 1970s with cases like the Ratlam
Municipality Case. The scope and breadth of public interest litigation was expanded in the 1980s from the
initial environmental concerns, to others like bonded labour, child labour, the rights of detenues, inmates of
various asylums, the rights of the poor to education, to shelter and other essential amenities which would
enable them to lead a life of dignity. Article 21 was expansively interpreted to include all these rights and the
rule of locus standi was relaxed to enable any public spirited citizen to move the courts on the behalf of a
person or persons, who may not have the social or financial capacity to move the courts themselves.
Subsequently, in the early 1990s the courts also took up as public interest litigation, cases involving
corruption in high places and the accountability of public servants.

15. All of following can be inferred from the passage, EXCEPT

1. The first cases considered under PIL's were concerned with environmental issues.
2. In the 1980's, the courts did not entertain corruption cases under PIL
3. PIL is governed by Article 21 of the constitution.
4. PIL's can be filed only by those affected by the concerns raised in them.
5. Article 21 does not clearly mention those rights which have been granted as a consequence of PILs.
 26
16. The principal purpose behind the passage is to

A. to chronicle the development of PIL

B. to justify the need for PIL's in India
C. to catalog the areas covered by PIL's

1. A and B 2. A, B and C 3.A Only 4. C Only 5. B, C only

PASSAGE F

What is India? That is a question which has come back again and again to my mind. The early beginnings of
our history filled me with wonder. It was a part of a virile and vigorous race with a questioning spirit and an
urge for free inquiry and, even in its earliest known period, gave evidence of a mature and tolerant
civilization. Accepting life and its joys and burdens, it was ever searching of the ultimate and the universal. It
built up a magnificent language, Sanskrit, and through this language, its arts and architecture, it sent its vibrant
message to far-off countries. It produced the Upanishads, the Gita and the Buddha.

Hardly any language in the world has probably played that vital part in the history of a race that Sanskrit has.
It was not only the vehicle of the highest thought and some of the finest literature, but it also became the
uniting bond for India, in spite of its political divisions. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata were woven into
the texture of millions of lives in every generation for thousands of years. I have often wondered, if our race
forgot the Buddha, the Upanishads and the great epics, what then it will be like! It would be uprooted and
would lose the basic characteristics that have clung to it and given it distinction throughout these long ages.
India would cease to be India.

Gradually deterioration set in. Thought lost its freshness and became stale, and the vitality and exuberance of
youth gave place to a crabbed age. Instead of the spirit of adventure, there came lifeless ro utine, and the broad
and exciting vision of the world was cabined and confined and lost in caste divisions, narrow social customs
and ceremonials. Even so, India was vital enough to absorb the streams of people that flowed into her mighty
ocean of humanity and she never quite forgot the thoughts that had stirred her in the days of her youthful
vigour.

17. All of the following describe or imply ancient India‘s features, EXCEPT

1. It was woven into the texture of a million lives for thousands of years
2. It was in an eternal search for the ultimate and the universal
3. It was a mature and tolerant civilization
4. It sent a vibrant message to far-off countries
5. India had enviable achievements in the arts.

18. The importance of Sanskrit in the history of India is that

1. It produced the Upanishads, the Gita and the epics.

2. It uprooted the basic characteristics of narrow social customs and ceremonials
3. It was vital enough to absorb the streams of people that flowed into India.
4. It became the uniting bond for India in spite of its political divisions.
5. It was the language of the courts in those days.

PASSAGE G

This is turning out to be a season of great protests and indefinite hunger-strikes over the raising of the height
of the SardarSarovar Dam (SSD), justice for the victims of the Bhopal gas disaster, and against the arbitrary
sacking of hundreds of workers of Kamani Engineering International in Jaipur. All three struggles are led by
some of India‘s most inspiring social activists, all with decades– long history of dedication to their cause,
 27
including MedhaPatkar and her colleagues from the Narmada Valley, SatinathSarangi and Rashida -Bi from
Bhopal, and D. Thankappan of the Kamani Employees, Union and New Trade Union Initiative.

It is an unprecedented coincidence that all three struggles should occur simultaneously, cutting across
concerns and agendas such as environmental protection, resistance to displacement of worker‘s right at a time
of an employer‘s offensive, and fight against corporate criminality. The impressive solidarity they have
generated with one another and with kindred movements is even more unprecedented. This is for the first time
that Narmada BachaoAndolan (NBA) activists were joined in their indefinite fast by a nationa l profile
member of the Communist Party of India (Kamal MitraChenoy) and activists of the CPI (ML) Liberation.
Polit Bureau members of the CPI (M) identified themselves closely with the agitation, lending full-throated
support to the demand for half dam construction until rehabilitation is completed.

Equally remarkable is the active support the NBA receives on a daily basis from such diverse groups as
victims of eviction from different cities, slum- dwellers, agricultural laborers, forest workers,
environmentalists, feminists, right-to-information activists, civil liberties campaigners, global justice activists,
progressive lawyers, peaceniks and students even from elite colleges and schools. There have been sympathy
fasts in more than 10 cities.

This massive expression of solidarity is one of the greatest gains of India‘s many progressive movements for
social transformation. It signifies their advance and intensification – albeit in adverse circumstances. The
single biggest achievement is the evolution of a common focus in the form of opposition to elitist ―free–
market‖ policies.

As the first two struggles enter their third and fourth week respectively, there are few signs of resolution of
issues. Only the Kamani dispute has been referred to compulsory arbitration, thanks to the Union Labour
Minister‘ intervention.MedhaPatkar‘s health is sinking as I write this on the 15th day of her fast. The Cabinet
has done well to convene a meeting of the Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority. But it is not
clear what this will yield and whether the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government will muster the
courage to halt the raising of the SSD‘s height.

The issue is not whether one is for or against the SSD, but whether extremely vulnerable flesh-and blood
people will be rehabilitated in keeping with the Narmada Disputes Tribunal‘s award, confirmed by Supreme
Court orders. This mandates that the rehabilitation of people liable to be displaced by the dam must be
completed before its height is raised from one level to the next – in the present case, from 110.64 metres to
121.92 metres.

Yet, construction is proceeding furiously round the clock despite solid evidence that the oustees have not even
been resettled, leave alone rehabilitated. Thousands of families in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
have not received land-for-land. Many have not even been ―declared‖ (identified) oustees. A group of
Ministers visited the affected villages and was besieged by complaints and protests. Although the contents of
its report are not public, the review decision suggests that rehabilitation is inadequate.
At the time of writing, the Supreme Court has not heard the petition filed by a displaced people‘s group.
Irrespective of the court‘s verdict, one hopes that the government will not sacrifice its legal, moral and
political obligations to the people and surrender to the blackmailing tactics of NarendraModi, who has
launched a hysterical counter–agitation demanding that the dam‘s height be raised – no matter what the
human cost. The dam has acquired mystical or divine importance in the Gujarat elite‘s irrational way of
thinking.

The Bhopal victims have heroically fought for over two decades to demand accountability and justice from
Union Carbide (and its successor, D ow Chemicals). They are demanding the criminal prosecution of Warren
Anderson and other executives of Union Carbide and its subsidiaries, in keeping with Supreme Court orders.
They also want Dow to clean up the polluted Bhopal plant site and a water supply contaminated by a host of
toxic chemicals produced, stored and released from the pesticides factory. This too was mandated by the
Supreme Court in 2004. But the government has shown no will to ask Dow to do this.
 28
It bears stating that a Dow official is on the Indo – U.S. Chief Executive Officers‘ Forum, which figured
prominently in George W. Bush‘s recent visit. The Bush – Manmohan Singh Joint Statement commits itself to
the economic agenda laid down by the Forum. Inaction on Dow is a piece with the despic able treachery of
successive governments in India in failing to serve an arrest warrant on Anderson on the ground that he is
―untraceable‖ although his address in a posh New York suburb is public knowledge.

SarderSarovar is at a critical stage. If its final height is reduced against the original design, there will be a loss
in its Gujarat irrigation potential (9 million acre-feet).But the gain in averting displacement - over 60 percent
of the project‘s total – will be huge. The reduction can only happen if design changes are made now. Once the
height is raised, it would be too late.

Suspension of construction offers a superb opportunity to prune the project‘s size and cut losses. The SSD is a
white elephant. It has bled Gujarat‘s treasury, while sending irrigation costs sky– high, so high as to make
agriculture unviable without massive subsidies. Halting construction would be in keeping with a 1981
agreement between the-then Members of Parliament and Gujarat Chief Ministers Arjun Singh and
MadhavsinhSolanki. If the UPA government squanders this chance, it will have callous developmentalism that
crushes people‘s rights – in keeping with neoliberalism‘s dictates.

One stark truth emerges from all three struggles and solidarity movements. Neoliberalism ―with a human
face‖ is an oxymoron. This avatar of capitalism must alienate people from their means of survival and life
resources, uproot them from their habitat, grind their rights into the ground, and impoverish, marginalise,
disempower and disenfranchise them. Neoliberalism is irredeemable, extremely predatory and cannot
countenance public control even over gifts of nature like water, land and forests. It eviscerates governments
and undermines democracy.

Every major policy and scheme of the UPA government (with the honorable exception of the Rural
Employment Guarantee Act), and most of its plans, whether in urban development, transportation, telecom,
retail trade or health care, increasingly bear a neoliberal impress. As does its macroeconomic approach.
Whenever the government meets with popular resistance to its policies, it takes recourse to devious means.
Among the most devious is the proposed creation of special economic zones (SEZs), scores of which are on
the anvil.

There is a strident demand that SEZs be exempted from labour laws, including regulations on working hours
and minimum wages, and with total freedom to hire and fire workers. These will become nightmarish zones of
labour enslavement. They must be resisted. The trade union movement and the left parties have a high stake in
doing so. So do all those who stand for democratic freedoms and rights.
Contrary to propaganda in the corporate media, such resistance is not part of some retrograde, outmoded,
backward-looking agenda. On the contrary, it is part of a modern, contemporary, forward-looking sensibility.
The French students‘ successful moblilisation of millions in mass demonstrations against the obnoxious ―first
employment contract‖ bears eloquent testimony to this.

Similarly, defending the rights of the thousands who are being evicted from our cities to facilitate the
construction of shopping malls and Commonwealth games villages is part of a foundational democratic
agenda. The time has come for all progressive movements and parties to develop a sharply focused collective
charter of demands - against neoliberal policies and for people–centred alternatives. Such alternatives exist, at
least in an embryonic from. These need to be fleshed out and integrated into people‘s movements. This task
can no longer wait.

19. According to the passage, the Supreme Court has passed orders on all of the following, EXCEPT

1. Narmada Disputes Tribunal Award for rehabilitating oustees.

2. Criminal prosecution of Union Carbide‘s Warren Anderson
3. Raising the height of the SardarSarover Dam (SSD) from 110.64 to 121.92 metres
4. Kamani Engineering International Workers Union‘s dispute with their employers
5. Cleaning up of the polluted Bhopal plant site
 29
20. What, according to the passage, is an example of the ―despicable treachery‖ of successive
governments?

1. Raising the height of the SSD

2. Lack of proper resettlement and rehabilitation of oustees of the SSD project
3. Ill-treatment meted out to MedhaPatkar and SatinathSarangi for protesting against the Narmada
project
4. Failure to bring Warren Anderson to book and serve an arrest warrant on him
5. Inadequate compensation to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy

21. Why, according to the author is, ―Neoliberalism with a human face‖ is an oxymoron‖?

1. Because it is capitalism with communist leanings

2. Because it is communism with a capitalist hue
3. Because it is capitalism with an imperialist hue
4. Because it is totalitarianism blended with humanism
5. Because it is a new form of capitalism that alienates people from their means of livelihood and
emasculates them economically

22. According to the passage, what has been the most important achievement of the coming together of
protestors espousing different causes in different parts of the country?

1. Increase in the bargaining power of protestors vis-à-vis the government

2. Intensification of opposition to elitist neo-liberal free market policies of the government
3. Enhanced public participation in protest movements
4. Increase in the bargaining power of protestors in Supreme Court
5. Greater publicity in the international media to causes championed by the protest movements

23. What, according to the author, is the central theme of the passage?

1. That the displaced families affected by the SSD must be rehabilitated before the dam‘s height is
raised further
2. That the only way to make the government listen to workers‘ demands is by adopting a
confrontationist attitude bordering on rank non-cooperation
3. That the defenders of people‘s rights must collectively fight to halt the neo-liberal juggernaut in
India
4. That the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy should be adequately compensated and Warren
Anderson should be brought to justice.
5.That the way forward is to embrace neo-socialism wherein egalitarian principles are enshrined as
the cornerstone of governmental intervention.
 30
Answers

Q. No. Ans. Explanation

1. 1 See the line starting 'One of the ways in which scientific nature…..'
2. 1 Read the line '...that a woman at the steering wheel'
3. 1 The passage looks at the environmental effects of water use from an economist's point of
view.
4. 2 See 'However market failure itself....'
5. 3 Refer to the middle portion of the passage
6. 4 By elimination of choices
7. 1 The last para of the passage clarifies the fact that though the phrase was purportedly
coined by Swope in 1947, it had already been discovered and put in print by Orwell in
1945.
8. 4 By elimination (refer to para 4)
9. 3 Option C qualifies as the best fit because after reading the passage it becomes
abundantly clear that the usage of the word porn is not confined to obscenity related to
sex but that it refers to obsessive obscenity of any kind – be it in finance magazines, or
food or politics.
10. 5 It is clearly mentioned in para 5 of the passage that the Republicans lost ground in the
North east whereas the Democrats advanced in south west and mid-western heartland.
11. 1 After a careful reading of the latter part of the passage, it can be easily inferred that
option 1 is the best choice
12. 4 By elimination since all other options find a mention in the passage.
13. 3 Refer to the middle portion of the passage.
14. 2 Refer to para 8 of the passage wherein it can be inferred that subpoena means the power
to investigate or the power to critically examine and actions of the past.
15. 4 See ..any public spirited citizen....courts themselves.'
16. 3 The passage details the development of PIL in India from the late 1970's to the early
1990's. Answer A outweighs the rest in this question.
17. 1 The ‗ woven into the texture of millions of lives in every generation for thousands of
years‘ talks about the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and not of India.
18. 4 See 'It was not only the vehicle....political division'.
19. 4 By elimination, all others are explicitly mentioned in the passage.
20. 4 Refer to the latter part of the passage wherein despicable treachery has been connected
with the option 4.
21. 5 Refer to the relevant part wherein the symptoms of capitalism have been enumerated.
22. 2 Refer to the 4th and 5th paragraphs wherein the free market policies have been mentioned
as the biggest cause of concern among protestors.
23. 3 Although options 2 and 5 are close choices, 3 is a better choice as it carries the leitmotif
of the passage and sums it up aptly.