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”!

According to the passage, why even our amateurish attempts motivate 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.

The way criminal justice is designed and administered today _______________ serves any of the purposes for which it is set up: towards securing life and property. It does not ________________ criminals because of the delay and uncertainties involved in its processes and ridiculously ineffective punishments it imposes ____________________ those few who get convicted. It provides wide discretion to the police and the prosecution, __________________ the system vulnerable to corruption and manipulation and endangering basic ____________________ of innocent citizens.

it imposes ____________________ those few who get convicted.

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

A picture paints a thousand words

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 English language is ___________ complex in character that it can scarcely be learned by rule, and can __________ be mastered by the study of such idioms and phrases as are provided in this book; but just as care must be taken to place every accent or stress _________ the proper syllable in the ______________ of every word it contains, so must the stress or emphasis be placed on the proper word in ___________ sentence spoken.

and can __________ be mastered by the study

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 English language is ___________ complex in character that it can scarcely be learned by rule, and can __________ be mastered by the study of such idioms and phrases as are provided in this book; but just as care must be taken to place every accent or stress _________ the proper syllable in the ______________ of every word it contains, so must the stress or emphasis be placed on the proper word in ___________ sentence spoken.

accent or stress _________ the proper

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.

Worldwide, journalism and the news industry are struggling, in this digital age, to ________________ their relevance and value under profoundly changed and _________________ circumstances. In response ________________ the challenge, a strong view is forming within the profession that one way to ensure that the activities that __________________ journalism will continue to matter is to hone, strengthen, and develop its professional capabilities to perform certain __________________ tasks.

In response ________________ the challenge

The amount of Rs. 10,000 after 2 years, compounded annually with the rate of interest being 10% per annum during the first year and 12% per annum during the second year, would be (in rupees)

__ 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.