[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

Comprehension practice

01. Read the following passage and answer the questions

The weather can change day-to-day or even from hour-to-hour, whereas the climate in
an area usually takes long time to change. Climate does not change day-to-day or
even month-to-month, but usually takes hundreds, thousands, on millions of years to
change. In the world today, climate change is often heard. And it usually refers to the
process of the Earth heating up, which is often called global warming. Most people
can agree on the weather, but sometimes climate change or global warming leads to
disagreement. During its life, the climate of the Earth has changed quite often and has
experienced an lce Age, warming, and everything in between. It is a proven fact that
the Earth's average temperature has increased about 1.33°F over the past 100 years
between the 1900s and 2000s. The Earth is covered like a greenhouse, which is used
by some farmers, florists, and others to grow plants; it is a 'glass-covered' building
that absorbs the heat from the Sun. Greenhouse gases are very hot. The greenhouse
gases include mostly carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. An increase in the
greenhouse gases causes the Earth to become warmer. A warmer climate can affect
the planet negatively. It could lead to heavier precipitation, unusual season changes,
heat waves, etc. Farming in developing countries face increased rain, floods, and
droughts; plus, certain kinds of food items may become scarce, unavailable, or more
expensive for people to purchase. Many scientists believe it is a result of human
behavior, and changing some of those behaviors will have a positive effect on climate
change and global warming
Word meaning
Agree on = GKB g‰ZK¨ _vKv Florist = dzj Pvlx
Disagreement = Miwgj Precipitation = e„wócv‡Zi cwigvY
lce Age = Zzlvi hyM Drought = eb¨v
Absorb = ï‡l †bqv Expensive = e¨qeûj
Unavailable = AcÖvc¨ Scarce = AcÖZzjZv, Afve, `yj©f
Questions
a) What is the key difference between Climate and Weather?
b) What is a green house?
c) How did the Earth experience climate change over the years?
d) How is the Earth getting affected by greenhouse gases?
e) How is farming in developing countries getting affected by global warming?
f) What is your key lesson from the texts?
Answers
a) The difference between climate and weather is given below
Climate Weather
Refers the long term environmental Refers the short term environmental
condition of a particular region condition of a particular region
It changes over hundreds, thousands, It takes day-to-day or even from hour-
on millions of years to-hour to change
Global warming mostly effects the Several environmental events can the
climate change the weather
b) Green house is glass made house which can hold the heat inside it. Basically
the outsider heat enter into the glass and keep the inside environment hot.
Presently the earth is considered as green house as its atmosphere holds green
house gases.

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c) Climate refers the long term environmental condition of a particular region. It

changes over thousands or millions of years. The earth is getting warmer like
green house. Some particular gases are responsible for green house effect.
d) The earth is getting warmer day by day due green house effects. Green house
gases are largely increased due rapid industrialization and lack of forestation.
The gradually warmer earth faces heavier precipitation, unusual season
changes, heat waves, etc.
e) Green house gas that covers the earth, assist some farmers on developed
nations to grow plants but in developing countries, farmers face increased rain,
floods, and droughts; plus, certain kinds of food items may become scarce,
unavailable, or more expensive for people to purchase.
f) The earth in which we live in is a about to endanger because of global
warming. Globalization, industrialization as well as urbanization may pace
with well ordered ambient. A single step of everybody‟s can relief us from the
drastic and adverse affects of green house effect. Now, it is our crying need to
minimize the global warming confronting the global crisis of fundamental
demands.

02. Read the following passage and answer the questions

The green movement is getting recognition which is a diverse scientific, social,
conservation and political movement for addressing the concerns of
environmentalism. The drive is catching on in many pockets of the world. Today's
buzzwords, which include global warming and zero emissions, are causing everyday
people to look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Carbon footprint and
environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment,
most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation.
Building an environment - friendly home is a good investment for those who are
concerned about their own health and the well - being of our planet. Based on this
trend entire villages or localities, known as eco - communities or eco - villages are
being designed with green initiatives in mind. Several of these eco - villages are
small, self sufficient communities that live from and for their natural surroundings.
Most eco - villages are built in rural areas where their inhabitants build societies based
on cooperation, self - sufficiency, renewable energies and ecological materials. The
growing number of such eco communities attempt to become the zero - emission
neighborhood to save our mother nature.
Most of the eco - villages are traditional or intentional communities to become more
socially, culturally, and / or ecologically sustainable. Alongside residential facilities
eco - communities have offices and retail space with a variety of environmental
features, some of which are unprecedented. The planners and builders of these
villages have the environment in mind with every choice they make. They ensure
proper ventilation and guarantee residents clean air indoors. Interior and exterior
building materials, such as paints and wood are natural and non toxic. One of these is
bamboo which is used because it's very durable and can be grown without the use of
dangerous pesticides.
Energy efficiency and energy saving are among the top priorities in eco -
communities. Not only do energy efficiency appliances and light fixtures reduce the
environmental impact of heating cooking and lighting, they also save residents
money. Minimizing energy consumption is the effect of sustainable design techniques
among many others like designing buildings with solar access and natural ventilation,
using climate - responsive design materials, and effective insulation.

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

Eco - communities also take the future into account by recycling waste and reducing
carbon emissions. Wastewater is treated and reused on - site for flushing toilets, and a
biomass gas plant converts waste wood into a renewable form of gas for hot water
systems, stoves, and gas heaters. The community also reduces carbon emissions by
using local suppliers for all their transport and maintenance needs, and residents are
encouraged to use mini transit system and join the community's vehicle share
program. These initiatives are exemplary to reduce carbon footprints and create a
model for sustainable living in the future. However, it is not always easy to create
such a village or community. Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by anyone
attempting to create an eco village is that it requires changes in so many different
areas of life. All too often attempt to, or feel forced to, work on all aspects of these
changes simultaneously.
i ) What are the key intents of creating eco - villages or eco - communities ?
Answer: The eco - villages are traditional or intentional communities to become more
socially, culturally, and / or ecologically sustainable. Eco - communities also take the
future into account by recycling waste and reducing carbon emissions.
ii) What causes carbon footprint and environmental concerns?
Answer: Global warming and zero emissions are common phenomena in the world.
Carbon footprint and environmental issues are effects of human activity on the
biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause
environmental degradation.
iii) How do eco - villages contribute to waste management and energy efficiency?
Answer: Wastewater is treated and reused on - site for flushing toilets, and a biomass
gas plant converts waste wood into a renewable form of gas for hot water systems,
stoves, and gas heaters.
iv) What actions might contribute to reducing carbon emissions in a community?
Answer: The following actions might contribute to reducing carbon emissions in a
community: local suppliers for all their transport and maintenance needs, and
residents are encouraged to use mini transit system and join the community's vehicle
share program
V) What could be the key challenges on the way to creating an eco - community?
Answer The biggest challenge faced by anyone attempting to create an eco
community is that it requires changes in so many different areas of life. All too often
attempt to, or feel forced to, work on all aspects of these changes simultaneously.
vi) What is the key lesson from the texts?
Answer: The key lesson from the text are: Now Green movement is an unavoidable
fact which provokes the eco friendly living standard for mankind. Eco villages or
communities are one of them. Eco village is a small representative of environmental
pollution soothe ambience. To get a whole eco
friendly society eco community could be the pioneer.

3.Read the passage and answer the following questions:

All the pieces of good news that are pouring in from different international
organizations on the robust growth of Bangladesh's economy defying the pandemic
challenges tend to make us believe that we are on the right track to achieve the high-
income status by 2041. The IMF's world Economic Outlook projects Bangladesh's
economy to grow at the rate of 6.5% at the end of the current fiscal year. ADB has
already projected it to be 6.8%. Even some financial institutions projected it to be
higher. It is seen that during the pandemic the growth of nominal GDP per capital was
7.8%. Both rates were highest among the Asian emerging economies. Bangladesh has

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followed by China and India during both the periods. This means that Bangladesh's
economic growth has not only been robust but also sustainable. According to various
studies, Bangladesh's economy will remain on track to attain the size of a USD 500
Billion by 2025.
Word Meaning

Pour in = XvjvI
Robust = kw³kvjx
Defy = A¯^xKvi Kiv, Zz”QKiv
Tend to = প্রবণ
Nominal GDP = GDP of current market price = GDP deflator × Real GDP ×100%
Followed by = AbymiYKiv Emerging = D`xqgvb
GDP = C + I + G + (X – M)
C = Private Consumption
I = Gross Investment
G = Govt Investment
X = Exports
M = Imports
a) Account for the phrase “All the pieces of good news" in brief.
Answer:
The phrase “All the pieces of good news" means all major economic indicators, like GDP
growth, inflation, per capita GDP, budget, govt debt etc.
b) What does the word “robust" stand for?
Answer:
Robust stands for strong and vigorous. In economy, robust growth indicates the economic
status where the economy of a country remains stable against different odd situation.
c) What are your views about the economic projections stated in the passage?
Answer:
Economic projection indicates the changing pattern of economic indicator time to time.
Different international organizations state the strong GDP growth of Bangladesh during the
pandemic situation. Our GDP growth stands third highest among south east Asian countries.
d) Give a suitable title for the passage.
Answer:
Bangladesh, country of an emerging economy with robust growth.

4. Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Peace within the country and between nations have always been of great importance. Peace
and order (kvwšÍ I k„•Ljv) to secure (wbwðZ Ki‡Z) national and international progress (DbœwZ) and
development. Global economies are coming closer today due to faster means of transport and
communication. Economically, economies are becoming increasingly inter-dependent
(AvZ¥wbf©ikxj). If peace (kvwšÍ) is disturbed (e¨vnZ nIqv) in one part of the world, it has adverse
(wecixZ/cÖwZK‚j) effect in other parts of the world as well. If the conflicts (we‡iva) between
different nations are not settled (gxgvsmv) in time, they might culminate (P‚ovšÍ cwiYwZ) a nuclear
war (cvigvbweK hy×) destroying the whole world. It is, therefore, in our own interest that the
world is free of conflicts (Ø›Ø). Country needs the help and co-operation (mn‡hvMxZv) of other
countries for its scientific, industrial and economic development, especially in those fields
where a nation is yet to achieve self-sufficiency (¯^qsm¤c~Y©Zv). A nation should be keen on
(Drmvnx nIqv) maintaining friendly relations with other countries. Such friendly relations foster
(jvjb Kiv) international understanding. All nations should participate in the international

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

conferences on issues like energy crisis (R¡vjvwb msKU), environmental imbalance (cwi‡ekMZ
fvimvg¨nxbZv) nuclear arms race (cvigvYweK A‡¯¿i cÖwZ‡hvwMZv) etc. A nation should always offer a
helping hand to other nations affected by natural calamities such as famines (`ywf©¶),
earthquakes (f‚wgK¤c), floods (eb¨v) and so on.

Question Solution
a) What would be the outcome if conflicts between nations cannot be settled?
Answer: Conflict is always found in society; as the basis of conflict may vary to be personal,
racial, class, caste, political and international. If conflicts between nations cannot be settled,
they may lead to a nuclear war, which can have devastating effects on the whole world.
Moreover, if peace is disturbed in one part of the world, it will adversely affect other parts of
the world.
b) What kind of supports a country may need from other countries?
Answer: A non self sufficient country may depend on another country in different aspects. A
country may need support from other countries in its scientific, industrial, and economic
development, especially in areas where the nation lacks self-sufficiency.
c) What kind of support a friendly country should offer to other countries?
Answer: Man cannot live alone as well as a country also. There is no 100% self sufficient
country in the world. In this regard a country must have some friendly countries. A friendly
country should offer support to other nations affected by natural calamities such as famines,
earthquakes, floods, and so on. Such friendly relations foster international understanding
among those.
d) What is your key lesson from the texts?
Answer: The key lesson from the text is that peace and cooperation are essential for national
and international progress and development, and all nations should strive to maintain friendly
relations and participate in international conferences on global issues. Additionally, nations
should offer support to each other in times of need.

5. Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Plastics form an important part of synthetics plastics are also polymers. Since most plastics
can be easily molded into any shape after heating, they are used for making a variety of
objects of different shapes and sizes. Plastics are poor conductors of heat which makes them
suitable for making handles of cooking vessels, for use in refrigerators, and for making
containers in microwave ovens.
Plastics are also poor conductors of electricity and that is why they are used as covering
materials in electrical appliances, cords and wiring. Plastics are insoluble in water and,
therefore, used for making bottles, buckets and other containers. Most plastics are
inflammable. However, they do not corrode or rust and so mostly used in homes and
laboratories.
Despite many different uses of plastics, there are environmental and health hazards associated
with their disposal. This is because plastics are non-biodegradable.
Accumulation of plastics is considered a serious problem because most of the methods used
to dispose them result in some type of damage to the environment. Though somewhere
between 500 million to one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year, most
plastic wastes end up littering roadside and form ugly dumps that harbor many disease
causing organisms. Plastics dumped in water bodies pose a threat to aquatic life; plastics that
get buried prevent rain water from seeping into the ground. This affects the growth of plants.
When plastics are burnt, they produce toxic gases and smoke.
(a) How do the plastics affect the growth of the plants?
(b) What are the hazards associated with the disposal of plastics?

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

(c) What is produced when plastics are burnt?

(d) What does the word synthetic denote?
(e) What do you learn after reading the passage?

6. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

Artificial trans-fats rise had cholesterol levels in body with lowering good cholesterol levels.
There are two types of trans-fats - artificial and natural. Natural trans-fats are developed from
animal produced foods like beef, mutton, dairy milk and dairy products, butter oil or ghee and
butter Meanwhile, artificial trans-fats are produced by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils
(palm, soybean etc.), converting the liquid oil into semi-solid fats, resulting in Partially
Hydrogenated Oil (PHO), PHO‟s are the main source of artificially trans fats popularly
known as Dalda Banaspati Ghee.
The WHO estimated that 17.9 million people across the globe die of cardiovascular diseases
each year, while excessive trans-fat make is estimated to be responsible for more than
500,000 of such deaths. In Bangladesh, 277,000 deaths are occurred each year owing to a
variety of heart diseases. The total elimination of trans-fan is the only option to prevent the
rising menace of heart diseases as well as to effectively develop the public health.
Food manufacturers use Partially Hydrogenated Oils to preserve their manufactured foods
while it is also used in deep fried and baked foods for adding to the taste. Flavor and stability
of such processed foods. Artificial trans-fats are also produced while deep frying feeds using
the same oil repeatedly for a long time in high temperature. Usually restaurants use the same
oil for multiple cycles in order to reduce their cost for preparing Singara, Puri, Jilari. Chicken
Fries, French Fries and other fried foods and ultimately increase the amount of trans-fats
within these foods.
a) How do artificial and natural trans-fats differ?
b) What is Partially Hydrogenated Oil?
c) How is artificial trans-fat produced?
d)What is the health risk of having Puri and Jilapi?
e) What is your suggestion to reduce the death toll mentioned in the passages?
7. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:
Banknotes have a natural advantage over coins in that they are lighter to carry but are also
less durable. The durability of coins meant that oven if metal coins melt in a fire or are
submerged under the sea for hundreds of years they still have some value when they are
recovered. Gold coins salvaged from shipwrecks retain almost their entire original
appearance, but silver coins slowly corrode. The different disadvantages between coins and
banknotes imply that there may be an ongoing role for both loans of bearer money, each
being used were its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. Most banknotes are made from
cotton paper. Over the years a number of materials other than paper have been used to print
banknotes. This includes various textiles, including silk, and materials such as leather. Silk
and other fibers have been commonly used in the manufacture of various banknote papers
intended to provide both additional durability and security. Polymer banknotes were
developed to improve durability and prevent counterfeiting through incorporated security
features, such as optically variable devices that are extremely difficult to reproduce
a) What are the advantages and disadvantages of banknotes over coins?
b) How gold coins are more durable thing silver ones?
c) Which materials are used for making banknotes?
d) What are the advantages of polymer banknotes?
e) What is the précis of the passage?

8. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

Climate change may produce hundreds of millions of environmental refugees, which is an

environmental justice concern. Those refugees may be displaced by rising tides, storm
damage and changes in agricultural production. Residents of low-lying Islands and low flood-
prone countries may be dislocated as sea levels rise and river floods become harder to
control. Some skeptics dispute whether the changes are entirely man-made, but the vast
majority of experts believe that one of the major causes of climate change is the burning of
fossil fuels, which are the primary energy source for modern societies. The resulting gases
carbon dioxide, methane, fluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide, among others are released into the
atmosphere. There, these gases combine with water vapor and prevent the sun‟s infrared rays
from radiating back into space. The trapped solar radiation contributes to increased air
temperature. In this way gases function much as do the glass panes of a greenhouse. Newly
released gases will remain in the atmosphere for thirty to a hundred years; since greenhouse
gas emissions continue to rise; their buildup in the atmosphere is expected to increase over
time. Automobile exhaust, along with industrial power plants and agricultural operations,
produce most of the gasses that lead to climate change. Deforestation also contributes to the
warming because there are fewer trees and other plant life to absorb carbon dioxide before it
reaches the atmosphere.
a) Give a suitable title for the passage.
b) Explain the term „environmental refugee‟.
c) Why do many professionals disagree with some skeptics?
d) What are the consequences of emitting detrimental rays?
e) How does forestation contribute in decreasing the global warming?

9. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

Mother Teresa passed away on 5 December 1997. People all over the world mourned her
passing because she was such an enormous inspiration. Even after her death, there are people
everywhere continuing the work that Mother Teresa had started years ago. Mother Teresa
was born in Albania in 1910. Her real name was Agnes. From a young age, her parents taught
her and her siblings the importance of being charitable. Her mother taught her by example,
often welcoming the poor or sick into their home, or going out to help them. Mother Teresa
was also taught the importance of religion. As a child, she enjoyed going to church, even
joining the choir and learning how to play a musical instrument called the mandolin.
When Mother Teresa was twelve years old, she had the desire to dedicate her life to serve
God. However, being so young, she was not yet sure of what to do, After all, most children of
her age were only concerned with their school work and their friends. Thus, Mother Teresa
did not act at once. Instead, she waited until she was eighteen years old to decide that she
wanted to be a missionary in India, before going to India, however, she had to undergo
training first-learning about being a nun and learning to speak English. Even after reaching
India in 1929, Mother Teresa continued her training. By then, she had taken on the name of
Teresa.
In India, Mother Teresa had the first glimpse of the poverty of the people around her. She
started off as a teacher and the young children loved her for her kindness and patience. She
even took care of those who were sick. Soon, Mother Teresa felt that she had to do more.
What she really wanted to do was to care for the poorest of the poor people who were ... by
society. She understood that to help them, she had to experience there life. She was willing to
sacrifice all that she had to live among them. She ate only rice because that was all the poor
could afford. She even went for medical training so that she would know how to help the
sick.
All her life, Mother Teresa helped these people out of love and compassion for them. People
like mother Teresa are few and far between.

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

a) What do you understand by people „mourn her passing‟? Why are people still
continuing Mother Teresa‟s work after her death?
b) In what way did Mother Teresa‟s mother teach her by example?
(c) Referring to paragraph 3, gives evidence that Mother Teresa did not know English
initially. Give two qualities of Mother Teresa that made her well-loved.
(d) What motivated Mother Teresa to help those who were extremely poor?
(e) What did the writer mean when he wrote that people like Mother Teresa are „few
and far between‟ (last paragraph)?

10. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:
You may have heard mention of the word Holocaust in your History or English classes. The
Holocaust took place from 1939-1945. It was an attempt by the Nazi party to purify the
human race, by eliminating Jews, Gypsies, Catholics, homosexuals and others they deemed
inferior to their “perfect” Aryan race. The Nazis used Concentration Camps, which were
sometimes used as Death Camps, to exterminate the people they held in the camps. The
saddest fact about the Holocaust was the over one million children under the age of sixteen
died in a Nazi concentration camp. Just a few weeks before World War II was over, Anne
Frank was one of those children to die.
Before the Nazi party began its persecution of the Jews, Anne Frank had a happy life. She
was born in June of 1929. In June of 1942, for her 13th birthday, she was given a simple
present which would go onto impact the lives of millions of people around the world. That
gift was a small red diary that she called Kitty. This diary was to become Anne‟s
most treasured possession when she and her family hid from the Nazi‟s in a secret annex
above her father‟s office building in Amsterdam.
For 25 months, Anne, her sister Margot, her parents, another family, and an elderly Jewish
dentist hid from the Nazis in this tiny annex. They were never permitted to go outside and
their food and supplies were brought to them by Miep Gies and her husband, who did not
believe in the Nazi persecution of the Jews. It was a very difficult life for young Anne
and she used Kitty as an outlet to describe her life in hiding.
After 2 years, Anne and her family were betrayed and arrested by the Nazis. To this day,
nobody is exactly sure who betrayed the Frank family and the other annex residents.
Anne, her mother, and her sister were separated from Otto Frank, Anne‟s father. Then, Anne
and Margot were separated from their mother. In March of 1945, Margot Frank died of
starvation in a Concentration Camp. A few days later, at the age of 15, Anne Frank died of
typhus. Of all the people who hid in the Annex, only Otto Frank survived the Holocaust.
Otto Frank returned to the Annex after World War II. It was there that he found Kitty, filled
with Anne‟s thoughts and feelings about being a persecuted Jewish girl. Otto Frank
had Anne‟s diary published in 1947 and it has remained continuously in print ever since.
Today, the diary has been published in over 55 languages and more than 24 million copies
have been sold around the world. The Diary of Anne Frank tells the story of a brave young
woman who tried to see the good in all people.
a) From the context clues in the passage, what does the word Annex mean?
b) Why do you think Anne‟s diary has been published in 55 languages?
c) From the description of Anne and Margot‟s deaths in the passage, what can we
assume typhus is?
d) In the third paragraph, what does the word outlet mean?

11. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

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[CAREER AID FOR BANK AND BCS] Comprehension

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther
King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in
which he calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic
rights. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights
movement.
Beginning with a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed millions of slaves
in 1863, King observes that: "one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free". Toward the
end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on
the theme "I have a dream", prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry: "Tell them about the dream,
Martin!" In this part of the speech, which most excited the listeners and has now become its
most famous, King described his dreams of freedom and equality arising from a land of
slavery and hatred. Jon Meacham writes that, "With a single phrase, Martin Luther King Jr.
joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who've shaped modern America". The
speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of
public address.
a) What issues does Martin Luther King‟s speech address?
b) What pushes King to speak: “I have a dream”?
c) In front of whom does King speak?
d) What is the name of martin Luther King‟s famed speech?
e) From the last paragraph, give one word for “to leave”