Questions

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

The Amazon basin has been continuously inhabited for at least 10, 000 years, possibly more. Its earliest inhabitants were stone-age peoples, living in hundreds of far-flung tribes, some tiny, others numbering in the tens of thousands. It was from the west that Europeans explorers first arrived. In 1541 a Spanish expedition from Quito, led by Gonzalo Pizarro, ran short of supplies while exploring east of the Andes in what is today Peru. Pizarro’s cousin Francisco de Orellana offered to take 60 men along with the boats from the expedition and forage for supplies. De Orellana floated down the Rio Napo to its confluence with the Amazon, near Iquitos (Peru), and then to the mouth of the Amazon. Along the way his expedition suffered numerous attacks by Indians; some of the Indian warriors, they reported, were female, like the Amazons of Greek mythology, and thus the world’s greatest river got its name. No one made a serious effort to claim this sweaty territory, however, until the Portuguese built a fort near the mouth of the river at Belém in 1616, and sent Pedro Teixeira up the river to Quito and back between 1637 and 1639. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Portuguese bandeirantes (groups of roaming adventurers) penetrated ever further into the rain forest in pursuit of gold and Indian slaves, exploring as far as present-day Rondônia, and the Guaporé and Madeira river valleys. Amazonian Indians had long used the sap from rubber trees to make waterproof bags and other items. European explorers recognized the potential value of natural latex, but were unable to market it because it tended to grow soft in the heat, or brittle in the cold, and thus had limited appeal outside the rain forest. However, in 1842 American Charles Goodyear developed vulcanization (made natural rubber durable) and in 1890 Ireland’s John Dunlop patented pneumatic rubber tires. Soon there was an unquenchable demand for rubber in the recently industrialized USA and Europe, and the price of rubber on international markets soared. As profits skyrocketed, so did exploitation of the seringueiros, or rubber tappers, who were lured into the Amazon, mostly from the drought-stricken northeast, by the promise of prosperity only to be locked into a cruel system of virtual slavery dominated by seringalistas (owners of rubber-bearing forests). Rigged scales, hired guns, widespread illiteracy among the rubber tappers, and monopoly of sales and purchases all combined to perpetuate the workers’ debt and misery. In addition, seringueiros had to contend with jungle fevers, Indian attacks and all manner of deprivation.

From where did the Europeans explorers first arrive?

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.

Raising effective primary and district-level coverage of mental health services for the general population, without requiring people to travel long distances to see a specialist and get medicines, should be a priority. _________________ the base of psychiatrists is low in relation to the need, the use of trained general practitioners as the first line of contact assumes importance. Some studies show many of them are not confident ________________ with their training to detect, diagnose and manage mental illnesses. ______________ a concerted effort, primary care physicians can be trained to help people with mild and severe problems, ________________ from anxiety disorders to depression, psychoses and conditions arising from alcohol and substance _______________.

psychoses and conditions arising from alcohol and substance _______________.

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.

When the kerosene burned, the fuel in the tank below would be __________ pressure, and __________a small circular flame would appear in the burner.The valve had to be opened to let more kerosene vapour to the burner and pumping resumed. With the increase in pressure, the burner flame would spread _________ a loud noise. To lower the flame,the valve had to be _________ opened to reduce the pressure and then tightened until the desired flame size was achieved. _________ you wanted the flame to be bigger, you had to hit the piston again. Pump stoves are still in vogue.

and __________ a small circular flame

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.

Arun has written a newspaper report on the inaugration of Delhi Metro Railways.

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.

Equally disappointing is the court's ________________, one-paragraph dismissal of the claim that criminal ________________ creates a chilling effect upon speech. Such proclamations are easy _______________ from the high, secure, and insulated bench of the Supreme Court. It is journalists and newspapers, fighting hundreds of _____________ cases in court, _______________ have to deal with the very real consequences.

It is journalists and newspapers, fighting hundreds of _____________ cases in court

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.

The ______________ of gurudakshina is very ancient and it is ________________ to the Indian culture and tradition. If you are absolutely ______________ about India, then it's advisable that you first try to understand the meaning of a guru and the ________________ of his presence in the lives of those around him. This, in turn, will help you to understand what guru dakshina is. In ancient India, a teacher or a guru was a spiritually _____________ guide.

If you are absolutely ______________ about India

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.

The new claim that ______________ out of misplaced confidence that all that is in education can be ______________ is that the ‘per unit cost of outcome’ is lower in private schools. Meaning that even _________ the learning outcomes of private schools are not better _____________ the public schools, the cost _______________ running private schools is much lower.

The new claim that ______________ out of misplaced

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one, which best express the same sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.

"I don't know the way. Do you?" Vipul asked.