Questions

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

One should consciously engage in activities that will nourish your soul. Just as we nourish the body, we need to nurture the soul to connect to the creative power of the universe and to manifest joy in our lives. Often, we forget to address the soul, lost as we are in a jungle of material and sensual pleasures. But the more you embrace what feeds your soul, the happier you become. So if you want to enjoy the abundance of life, engage in what enriches your soul. Nurturing the soul is all about finding calm amidst chaos. There are a number of practices that empower people towards this end including silent contemplation, various forms of meditation, yoga and tai chi However, the rigor and discipline involved in the pursuit of such practices often seems to discourage people. Add to this, the temptations of the material world that leave little time and motivation for anyone to pursue the spiritual path. Poet Walt Whitman declared: “Whatever satisfies the soul is truth”. The good news is that simple, everyday activities can also nutrify the soul — like spending time in the midst of nature, dancing in the rain or just putting thoughts on paper. Do whatever is calming and pleases you. Creative pursuits are particularly appealing as inside each one of us, there is an artist craving for release and awaiting an opportunity for expression. One of the ways to indulge the artist within is to get started with the practice of any one or more of the creative art forms such as music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction or essay writing.

When you engage in such soul nourishing activities, all thought and energy gets focused toward goal accomplishment. At this point, you will find that even unknown forces of the universe are conniving to assist you in your amateurish but sincere attempts. As you progress, you are motivated to do better. You touch and access a faculty, a part of you that you never knew existed. Your inner artist is unleashed, baring the beauty of your soul that has found a fond medium of expression. For instance, a sculptor’s soul is seen in his artwork; a musician’s in his compositions; an actor’s in his acting, a painter’s in his paintings and so on. It is immaterial whether your effort is an immaculate artwork or just a clumsy attempt by a layperson. The idea is to try, be inspired and to create giving free rein to the mind. As Michelangelo remarked: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”!

Why do creative pursuits appeal us?

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.

Anti­apartheid activist Desmond Tutu is even more hard­headed when he says, "In almost ____________ language, the most difficult words are 'I am sorry’." Mr. Tutu adds that ______________ reconciliations can only lead to spurious healing. _____________ him forgiveness is a wager, an ethical wager on the future of ______________ relationship. This is why the few events of apology which stand up to _____________ scrutiny deserve to be treasured.

an ethical wager on the future of ______________ relationship.

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 answer to the third question is __________________ answered; State leaders ___________________ great willingness to play into the hands of the Central government, presumably for a price. ________________ the process, representatives have forgotten the history of their own societies. But they fail to ________________ that history cannot be disremembered, it constantly nudges us to recollect past struggles ___________________ injustice in these States.

________________ the process, representatives have forgotten the history of their own societies.

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'.

She was so much overwhelmed with her (1)/ sons’ devotion and affection that she (2)/ did distributed all her wealth and property among them. (3)/ No error (4)

In the following question the 1st and the last part of the sentence/passage are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the sentence/ passage is split into four parts and named P, Q, R and S. These four parts are not given in their proper order. Read the sentence/passage and find out which of the four combinations is correct.

1. The biggest villain in Deadwood has always been one thing: Fire.

P. In less than an hour the flames were leaping through the tree-tops.

Q. In our own times, a great fire threatened the town yet again.

R. The wind roared through the forest carrying the flames almost to the edge of town.

S. It all began when some waste-paper caught fire at the foot of the valley.

6. Fire-brigades arrived from all parts of the country to save Deadwood.

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.

To know ______ reality, the powers of the mind need to be turned back upon itself. With concentration, the mind can ______ its innermost secrets, just as the darkest places reveal their secrets to the penetrating rays of light. We can then ______ soul truths, whether life exists for five minutes or for ______, and whether there is a God. To go beyond the mind and our present reality, we need to use the mind itself as a tool. Patanjali, in his Hatha Yoga Pradipika, stated, “Yoga is the ______ of the modifications of the mind.”

We can then ______ soul truths

Which of the following is a temple built out of marble by Vimal Shah?

__ was a Chinese Buddhist monk, who studied Buddhist Scriptures at Nalanda and is famous for his 17 year long trip to India between AD 627 to 643.