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”?

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.

_____________ who argue in this way support their case by pointing to the lack of a general consensus of opinion which obtains in many parts of the field which the philosopher regards as his own; and also by ____________ out that, even within this field, there is a growing tendency ___________ the part of certain sciences to separate themselves from philosophy and _____________ independent. Thus the psychologist and the logician are sometimes very anxious to have it understood that they belong among the scientists and ___________ among the philosophers.

own; and also by ____________ out that, even within this field.

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

We said to her, "Don’t give up. You are almost there."

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 woodpeckers of the West (with one exception) are different _______________ those of the East, and so are the flycatchers, the grosbeaks, the orioles, the tanagers, the humming-birds, _____________ many of the sparrows. ____________ of the purple and bronzed grackles (the latter are _______________ seen on the plains of Colorado, but are not common), the Rockies boast of Brewer's blackbird, ______________ habits are not as prosaic as his name would indicate.

West (with one exception) are different _______________ those of the East

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'.

I was surprised (A)/ when the hostess smiled (B)/ as if she saw me before.(C)/ No error (D)

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

The boss said, "Please give me the latest reports."

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 :

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: This would bring a sense of closure to an issue that has seen about two decades of wrangling.
Q: By clearing the path for 49 percent foreign investment in Air India (AI), the Centre has finally decided to push ahead on its privatisation.
R: While the parliamentary standing committee on AI privatisation is yet to express its views, a sort of political consensus appears to be close at hand.
S: There cannot be a more opportune time to push ahead with disinvestment; this, ironically, is despite the fact that the airline has improved its operational  performance.