Questions

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'.

Excessive use of pesticides (1)/ and contamination of soil (2)/ have negatively effected soil output. (3)/ No error (4)

A sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect Speech. Out of the four given alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.

She said, “I will visit the temple.”

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 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.

You need to offer them a better deal.

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.

and endangering basic ____________________ of innocent citizens.

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

Put one's foot down

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: All these factors together can help eradicate poverty, crimes and disease rates.
Q: Girls’ education is important from every perspective of life and society.
R: Not only do they take right decisions for themselves, but they also provide better education and health care options to their children.
S: Educated women lead a healthier life compared to the uneducated women; they participate in the family matters and in the formal labour markets too; earn well, marry at a considerable age and plan a family in a better manner.