Questions

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

India’s title triumph in the Under-19 cricket World Cup at the Bay Oval in New Zealand seemed inevitable. Prithvi Shaw’s boys, astutely coached by Rahul Dravid, maintained an unbeaten record through their three-week sojourn. The rousing campaign commenced with a 100-run win against Australia on January 14; in subsequent games, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan were all emphatically defeated. There were no big-game nerves and even in the much- hyped semifinal against Pakistan, India pocketed a facile 203-run victory. In the summit clash against Australia, Shaw’s boys followed their template of dominance.

Australia was bowled out for 216 and India cruised home in 38.5 overs with eight wickets to spare, and enjoyed the added lustre of opener Manjot Kalra’s unbeaten 101. Through the tournament India found diverse heroes. Fittingly, its batting troika of Shaw, Kalra and Shubman Gill, along with seamer Kamlesh Nagarkoti and spinner Anukul Roy, found a berth in the International Cricket Council’s Under-19 World Cup team, essentially a tribute to the best players on view in the championship. Cricketing excellence allied with the resultant celebrity status, especially during the teenage years, can be a double-edged sword and it helped that in the dressing room there was the calming presence of Dravid. As the ecstatic players leapt and photo-bombed after clinching the trophy, Dravid cut through the hype and said that this win should not be the team’s defining memory as each individual cricketer has much more to achieve in his career. Dravid has a point. India has won the Under-19 World Cup on four occasions, including the previous golden runs in 2000, 2008 and 2012. From among these champion sides, only a few graduated to the big stage. Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli came through the under-19 ranks and managed to carve a niche for themselves, but Unmukt Chand, who led the team to the Cup in 2012, and then featured in a soft drink advertisement besides writing a book, has been unable to make it to the Indian senior team.

What does Rahul Dravid mean by saying that U-19 Cricket World Cup victory of India should not be the “team’s defining memory”?

Read the following passage carefully and choose the most appropriate answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

Implanting standards, right values, the science of good and evil are an essential part of education. Many forces thwart this to work, but two of the most serious hindrances to it are examinations and specialization. The examination system is both an opiate and a poison. It is an opiate because it lulls Man into believing that all is well when most is ill. It is a poison because it paralyses or at least slows down the natural activities of the healthy mind. Man finds himself a creature of unknown capacities in an unknown world, wants to learn what the world is like, what he should be and do in it. To help him in answering these questions is the one and only purpose of education. However, tests of progress are useful and necessary. Examinations are harmless when the examinee is indifferent to their result, but as soon as they matter, they begin to distort his attitude to education and to conceal its purpose. For disinterestedness is the essence of all good education and liberal education is impossible without it.

The author considers specialization as :

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.

Of the three activities of thought, word and deed, perhaps thought is the most ______ and powerful force, for it is the ______ of the other two. Success is achieved twice, once in the mind and the second time in the real world. No matter in whose mind thought occurs; its laser-like energy seeks a target. That’s why we give so much importance to ______, seeking divine blessings before ______ on any project as we know that positive thinking is a strong force that can be ______ for the welfare and success of all.

importance to ______, seeking

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive Voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice.

Had work been resumed by the labourers before the manager arrived?

In the following questions, one part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and click the button corresponding to it. If the sentence is free from error, click the “No error” option.

He is a saint (A) / and as such (B) / must be respected (C) / No Error (D)

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.

And then, a few glorious minutes ______________, it was time to reluctantly head ashore. ____________ time, the strokes were more fluid, the movements more relaxed. I turned back one last time ____________ hello to a clown fish, the reason why I came to the Andamans. As I watched, it played hide-and-seek _________ a sea anemone, before frisking away. Suddenly, I realised a kinship with the blue waters ___________ the Bay of Bengal.

hide-and-seek _________ a sea anemone, before frisking away.

A sentence has been given in Active/Passive Voice. Out of the four given alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence inPassive/Active Voice.

The workers are building the house.

In the following questions, one part of the sentence may have an error. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and click the button corresponding to it. If the sentence is free from error, click the "No error" option.

I don't have (A) / any money to (B) / spend for luxuries. (C) / No Error (D)