English Questions

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.

What is Gandhian philosophy? It is the religious and social ideas adopted and developed by Gandhi, first during his period in South Africa from 1893 to 1914, and later of course in India. These ideas have been further developed by later "Gandhians", most notably, in India by, Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan. Outside of India some of the work of, for example, Martin Luther King Jr. can also be viewed in this light. Understanding the universe to be an organic whole, the philosophy exists on several planes - the spiritual or religious, moral, political, economic, social, individual and collective. The spiritual or religious element, and God, is at its core. Human nature is regarded as fundamentally virtuous. All individuals are believed to be capable of high moral development, and of reform. The twin cardinal principles of Gandhi's thought are truth and nonviolence. It should be remembered that the English word "truth" is an imperfect translation of the Sanskrit, "satya", and "non-violence", an even more imperfect translation of "ahimsa". Derived from "sat" - "that which exists" - "satya" contains a dimension of meaning not usually associated by English speakers with the word "truth". There are other variations, too, which we need not go into here. For Gandhi, truth is the relative truth of truthfulness in word and deed, and the absolute truth - the Ultimate Reality. This ultimate truth is God (as God is also Truth) and morality - the moral laws and code - its basis. Ahimsa, far from meaning mere peacefulness or the absence of overt violence, is understood by Gandhi to denote active love - the pole opposite of violence, or "Himsa", in every sense. The ultimate station Gandhi assigns non violence stems from two main points. First, if according to the Divine Reality all life is one, then all violence committed towards another is violence towards oneself, towards the collective, whole self, and thus "self"-destructive and counter to the universal law of life, which is love. Second, Gandhi believed that ahimsa is the most powerful force in existence. Had himsa been superior to ahimsa, humankind would long ago have succeeded in destroying itself. The human race certainly could not have progressed as far as it has, even if universal justice remains far off the horizon. From both viewpoints, non violence or love is regarded as the highest law of humankind.

What are the twin cardinal principles of Gandhi’s thought?

In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If asentence is free from error, select 'No Error'.

She picked (1)/ on the (2)/ trail soon after. (3)/ No error (4)

In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

Many a travelogue I read nowadays are about how the traveller went on a road less travelled ___________ some off-the-track trek or to an unknown destination or simply into the wild. How no internet ________________ is what you need to reconnect with yourself! How leaving your watch and phone __________ and going into the world of no check-ins and no updates would bring you solitude! These write-ups are laced with adjectives describing the geography of the region and filled with__________ details of the author’s days in that remote place. And, ironically, they all end with a strange advice to travel, and tell no one. I beg to _________.

watch and phone __________ and going into

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/phrase.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

This was enough ___________ the book store-owner-turned librarian Husain to asses its valuable contents. "The preface of the book read: 'painters __________ technical knowledge to paint, but lack to understand nature, ______________ they fail to create a masterpiece," points out Husain, adding, "All I ______________ in my life is about books and from books. The grand library ___________ the palace is a cache of knowledge."

to understand nature, ______________ they fail to create a masterpiece

In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select 'No Error'.

You occasionally stop to admire the intellectual (1)/ scenery, or you sometimes retrace your steps (2)/ to make sure you had seen everything. (3)/ No error (4)

In the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

Life is full of ______ types of experiences.Strange, in fact, are the ways of God.If a man is happy today, he may be ______ unhappy the very next day.Some ______ are pleasant and joyful while others are full of ______ and pain.If at one time a person finds himself on top of the world, at the ______ time he is depressed and downcast.

others are full of ______ and pain.

The question below consists of a set of labelled sentences. These sentences, when properly sequenced form a coherent paragraph. Select the most logical order of sentences from among the options.

P: The Great Depression that began on Black Tuesday, 1929 plunged the worldwide recession.
Q: The years between the first and second world wars were a time of instability.
R: Coming to power in 1933, Hitler capitalized on this economic decline and the deep German resentment due to the emasculating Treaty of Versailles, signed following the armistice of 1918.
S: Declaring that Germany needed Lebensraum or “living space,” Hitler