Questions

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

What is Gandhian philosophy? It is the religious and social ideas adopted and developed by Gandhi, first during his period in South Africa from 1893 to 1914, and later of course in India. These ideas have been further developed by later "Gandhians", most notably, in India by, Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan. Outside of India some of the work of, for example, Martin Luther King Jr. can also be viewed in this light. Understanding the universe to be an organic whole, the philosophy exists on several planes - the spiritual or religious, moral, political, economic, social, individual and collective. The spiritual or religious element, and God, is at its core. Human nature is regarded as fundamentally virtuous. All individuals are believed to be capable of high moral development, and of reform. The twin cardinal principles of Gandhi's thought are truth and nonviolence. It should be remembered that the English word "truth" is an imperfect translation of the Sanskrit, "satya", and "non-violence", an even more imperfect translation of "ahimsa". Derived from "sat" - "that which exists" - "satya" contains a dimension of meaning not usually associated by English speakers with the word "truth". There are other variations, too, which we need not go into here. For Gandhi, truth is the relative truth of truthfulness in word and deed, and the absolute truth - the Ultimate Reality. This ultimate truth is God (as God is also Truth) and morality - the moral laws and code - its basis. Ahimsa, far from meaning mere peacefulness or the absence of overt violence, is understood by Gandhi to denote active love - the pole opposite of violence, or "Himsa", in every sense. The ultimate station Gandhi assigns non violence stems from two main points. First, if according to the Divine Reality all life is one, then all violence committed towards another is violence towards oneself, towards the collective, whole self, and thus "self"-destructive and counter to the universal law of life, which is love. Second, Gandhi believed that ahimsa is the most powerful force in existence. Had himsa been superior to ahimsa, humankind would long ago have succeeded in destroying itself. The human race certainly could not have progressed as far as it has, even if universal justice remains far off the horizon. From both viewpoints, non violence or love is regarded as the highest law of humankind.

What are the twin cardinal principles of Gandhi’s thought?

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.

the ________________ of his presence in the lives of those around him.

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.

For a minute, dispel all the mental images and stereotypes; ______________ the jargon of 'opening up,' 'flow,' 'nidra,' and 'balance'. Focus _______ what you need for your body. ___________ you aren't sure, begin here — with just one asana. It's one of the basic ones ___________ I lead every class with. You can do it as a stand-alone piece ____________ begin with it when you're at the gym.

mental images and stereotypes; ______________ the jargon of 'opening up

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.

This was enough ___________ the book store-owner-turned librarian Husain to asses its valuable contents. "The preface of the book read: 'painters __________ technical knowledge to paint, but lack to understand nature, ______________ they fail to create a masterpiece," points out Husain, adding, "All I ______________ in my life is about books and from books. The grand library ___________ the palace is a cache of knowledge."

to understand nature, ______________ they fail to create a masterpiece

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 reason is a fear that we will not ______________ find ourselves in that higher echelon of posts and achievements that get so many likes and reposts, a sign of success and ____________ in our binary outlook. A darker worry also exists at the back _______ our mind. What if we end __________ in the other group, an object of ridicule, derided as another in a long list of failures _________ embarrassments that go viral for all the wrong reasons?

we will not ______________ find ourselves in that

In the following question, the sentence given with blank to be filled in with an appropriate word. Select the correct alternative out of the four and indicate it by selecting the appropriate option.

Australia was discovered by Dutch ______ in 1606.

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.

As several studies shows over (1)/ the years, the annual data is useful in (2)/ reviewing trends of extreme events. (3)/ No error. (4)

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 ensure that the world we live in grows a new skin every few years.
Q: These influences do, of course, work on humankind but they have the greatest impact on that section of society which is on the threshold of discovery-discovery of the self, of life and of living.
R: The life and times of two generations cannot be identical or even similar, thanks to modern research, progress in science, faster and easier communications and even distasteful things like inflation and population explosion.
S: These changes in due course affect our thinking and influence our attitudes, expectations, behavioural patterns and values.