Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

[sharmila banu.m]

      Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

Directions:
Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

   1. But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.

         1. The main point from the author's view is that
               1. Man's soul and spirit can not be destroyed by superpowers.
               2. Man's destiny is not fully clear or visible.
               3. Man's soul and spirit are immortal.
               4. Man's safety is assured by the delicate balance of power in terms of nuclear weapons.
               5. Human society will survive despite the serious threat of total annihilation.

            Ans : E
         2. The phrase 'Go to the brink' in the passage means
               1. Retreating from extreme danger.
               2. Declare war on each other.
               3. Advancing to the stage of war but not engaging in it.
               4. Negotiate for peace.
               5. Commit suicide.

            Ans : C
         3. In the author's opinion
               1. Huge stockpiles of destructive weapons have so far saved mankind from a catastrophe.
               2. Superpowers have at last realized the need for abandoning the production of lethal weapons.
               3. Mankind is heading towards complete destruction.
               4. Nations in possession of huge stockpiles of lethal weapons are trying hard to avoid actual conflict.
               5. There is a Silverlining over the production of deadly weapons.

            Ans : D
         4. 'Irrepressible' in the second line means
               1. incompatible
               2. strong
               3. oppressive
               4. unrestrainable
               5. unspirited

            Ans : D
         5. A suitable title for the above passage is
               1. Destruction of mankind is in evitable.
               2. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.
               3. Mounting cost of modern weapons.
               4. Threats and intimidation between super powers.
               5. Cowardly retreat by man

            Ans : B

 
- INTERVIEW GHOST

[sharmila banu.m]

       The Food and Drug Administration has formulated certain severe restrictions regarding the use of antibiotics, which are used to promote the health and growth of meat animals. Though the different types of medicines mixed with the fodder of the animals kills many microorganisms, it also encourages the appearance of bacterial strains, which are resistant to anti-infective drugs.

It has already been observed that penicillin and the tetracyclines are not as effective therapeutically as they once used to be. This resistance to drugs is chiefly caused due to tiny circlets of genes, called plasmids, which are transferable between different species of bacteria. These plasmids are also one of the two kinds of vehicles on which molecular biologists depend on while performing gene transplant experiments. Existing guidelines also forbid the use of plasmids, which bear genes for resistance to antibiotics, in the laboratories. Though congressional dabate goes on as to whether these restrictions need to be toughened with reference to scientists in their laboratories, almost no congressional attention is being paid to an ill advised agricultural practice, which produces deleterious effects.

   1. In the present passage, the author's primary concern is with:
         1. The discovery of methods, which eliminate harmful microorganisms without generating drug-resistant bacteria.
         2. Attempting an explanation of the reasons for congressional inaction about the regulation of gene transplant experiments.
         3. Portraying a problematic agricultural practice and its serious genetic consequences
         4. The verification of the therapeutic ineffectiveness of anti-infective drugs
         5. Evaluation of the recently proposed restrictions, which are intended to promote the growth of meat animals.

      Ans : C
   2. As inferred from the above passage, the mutual transfer of plasmids between different bacteria can result in which of the following?
         1. Microorganisms, which have an in-built resistance to drugs
         2. Therapeutically useful circlets of genes
         3. Penicillin like anti-infective drugs
         4. Viruses used by molecular biologists
         5. Carriers for performing gene transplant experiments.

      Ans : A
   3. According to the above passage the author believes that those who favor the stiffening of restrictions on gene transplant research should logically also.
         1. Approve and aid experiments with any plasmids except those, which bear genes for antibiotic resistance.
         2. Inquire regarding the addition of anti-infective drugs to livestock feeds
         3. Oppose the using of penicillin and tetracyclines in order to kill microorganisms
         4. Agree to the development of meatier live-stock through the use of antibiotics
         5. Approve of congressional debate and discussion regarding science and health issues.

      Ans : B
   4. The attitude the author has with reference to the development of bacterial strains that render antibiotic drugs in effective can best be described as
         1. indifferent
         2. perplexed
         3. pretentious
         4. insincere
         5. apprehensive

      Ans : E

[sharmila banu.m]

   Roger Rosenblatt's book Black Fiction, manages to alter the approach taken in many previous studies by making an attempt to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject. Rosenblatt points out that criticism of Black writing has very often served as a pretext for an expounding on Black history. The recent work of Addison Gayle's passes a judgement on the value of Black fiction by clearly political standards, rating each work according to the ideas of Black identity, which it propounds.

Though fiction results from political circumstances, its author react not in ideological ways to those circumstances, and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise. Affinities and connections are revealed in the works of Black fiction in Rosenblatt's literary analysis; these affinities and connections have been overlooked and ignored by solely political studies.

The writing of acceptable criticism of Black fiction, however, presumes giving satisfactory answers to a quite a few questions. The most important of all, is there a sufficient reason, apart from the racial identity of the authors, for the grouping together of Black authors? Secondly, what is the distinction of Black fiction from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous? In the work Rosenblatt demonstrates that Black fiction is a distinct body of writing, which has an identifiable, coherent literary tradition. He highlights recurring concerns and designs, which are independent of chronology in Black fiction written over the past eighty years. These concerns and designs are thematic, and they come form the central fact of the predominant white culture, where the Black characters in the novel are situated irrespective of whether they attempt to conform to that culture or they rebel against it.

Rosenblatt's work does leave certain aesthetic questions open. His thematic analysis allows considerable objectivity; he even clearly states that he does not intend to judge the merit of the various works yet his reluctance seems misplaced, especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results. For example, certain novels have an appearance of structural diffusion. Is this a defeat, or are the authors working out of, or attempting to forge, a different kind of aesthetic? Apart from this, the style of certain Black novels, like Jean Toomer's Cane, verges on expressionism or surrealism; does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate against which Black heroes are pitted, a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic modes of expressions?

Irrespective of such omissions, what Rosenblatt talks about in his work makes for an astute and worthwhile study. His book very effectively surveys a variety of novels, highlighting certain fascinating and little-known works like James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. Black Fiction is tightly constructed, and levelheaded and penetrating criticism is exemplified in its forthright and lucid style.

   1. The author of the passage raises and objection to criticism of Black fiction like that by Addison Gayle as it:
         1. Highlights only the purely literary aspects of such works
         2. Misconceive the ideological content of such fiction
         3. Miscalculate the notions of Black identity presented in such fiction
         4. Replaces political for literary criteria in evaluating such fiction
         5. Disregards the reciprocation between Black history and Black identity exhibited in such fiction.

      Ans : D
   2. The primary concern of the author in the above passage is:
         1. Reviewing the validity of a work of criticism
         2. Comparing various critical approaches to a subject
         3. Talking of the limitations of a particular kind of criticism
         4. Recapitulation of the major points in a work of criticism
         5. Illustrating the theoretical background of a certain kind of criticism.

      Ans : A
   3. The author is of the opinion that Black Fiction would have been improved had Rosenblatt:
         1. Undertaken a more careful evaluation of the ideological and historical aspects of Black Fiction
         2. Been more objective in his approach to novels and stories by Black authors
         3. Attempted a more detailed exploration of the recurring themes in Black fiction throughout its history
         4. Established a basis for placing Black fiction within its own unique literary tradition
         5. Calculated the relative literary merit of the novels he analyzed thematically.

      Ans : E
   4. Rosenblatt's discussion of Black Fiction is :
         1. Pedantic and contentious
         2. Critical but admiring
         3. Ironic and deprecating
         4. Argumentative but unfocused
         5. Stilted and insincere.

      Ans : B
   5. According to the given passage the author would be LEAST likely to approve of which among the following?
         1. Analyzing the influence of political events on the personal ideology of Black writers
         2. Attempting a critical study, which applies sociopolitical criteria to the autobiographies of Black authors
         3. A literary study of Black poetry that appraises the merits of poems according to the political acceptability of their themes
         4. Studying the growth of a distinct Black literary tradition within the context of Black history
         5. Undertaking a literary study, which attempts to isolate aesthetic qualities unique to Black fiction.

      Ans : C
   6. From the following options, which does the author not make use of while discussing Black Fiction?
         1. Rhetorical questions
         2. Specific examples
         3. Comparison and contrast
         4. Definition of terms
         5. Personal opinion.

      Ans : D
   7. The author makes a reference to James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man most probably to:
         1. Highlight the affinities between Rosenblatt's method of thematic analysis and earlier criticism
         2. Elucidate regarding the point made regarding expressionistic style earlier in the passage
         3. Qualify the assessment of Rosenblatt's book made in the first paragraph of the passage
         4. Demonstrate the affinities among the various Black novels talked of by Rosenblatt's literary analysis
         5. Present a specific example of one of the accomplishments of Rosenblatt's work.

      Ans : E

[sharmila banu.m]

       Roger Rosenblatt's book Black Fiction, manages to alter the approach taken in many previous studies by making an attempt to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject. Rosenblatt points out that criticism of Black writing has very often served as a pretext for an expounding on Black history. The recent work of Addison Gayle's passes a judgement on the value of Black fiction by clearly political standards, rating each work according to the ideas of Black identity, which it propounds.

Though fiction results from political circumstances, its author react not in ideological ways to those circumstances, and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise. Affinities and connections are revealed in the works of Black fiction in Rosenblatt's literary analysis; these affinities and connections have been overlooked and ignored by solely political studies.

The writing of acceptable criticism of Black fiction, however, presumes giving satisfactory answers to a quite a few questions. The most important of all, is there a sufficient reason, apart from the racial identity of the authors, for the grouping together of Black authors? Secondly, what is the distinction of Black fiction from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous? In the work Rosenblatt demonstrates that Black fiction is a distinct body of writing, which has an identifiable, coherent literary tradition. He highlights recurring concerns and designs, which are independent of chronology in Black fiction written over the past eighty years. These concerns and designs are thematic, and they come form the central fact of the predominant white culture, where the Black characters in the novel are situated irrespective of whether they attempt to conform to that culture or they rebel against it.

Rosenblatt's work does leave certain aesthetic questions open. His thematic analysis allows considerable objectivity; he even clearly states that he does not intend to judge the merit of the various works yet his reluctance seems misplaced, especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results. For example, certain novels have an appearance of structural diffusion. Is this a defeat, or are the authors working out of, or attempting to forge, a different kind of aesthetic? Apart from this, the style of certain Black novels, like Jean Toomer's Cane, verges on expressionism or surrealism; does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate against which Black heroes are pitted, a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic modes of expressions?

Irrespective of such omissions, what Rosenblatt talks about in his work makes for an astute and worthwhile study. His book very effectively surveys a variety of novels, highlighting certain fascinating and little-known works like James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. Black Fiction is tightly constructed, and levelheaded and penetrating criticism is exemplified in its forthright and lucid style.

   1. The author of the passage raises and objection to criticism of Black fiction like that by Addison Gayle as it:
         1. Highlights only the purely literary aspects of such works
         2. Misconceive the ideological content of such fiction
         3. Miscalculate the notions of Black identity presented in such fiction
         4. Replaces political for literary criteria in evaluating such fiction
         5. Disregards the reciprocation between Black history and Black identity exhibited in such fiction.

      Ans : D
   2. The primary concern of the author in the above passage is:
         1. Reviewing the validity of a work of criticism
         2. Comparing various critical approaches to a subject
         3. Talking of the limitations of a particular kind of criticism
         4. Recapitulation of the major points in a work of criticism
         5. Illustrating the theoretical background of a certain kind of criticism.

      Ans : A
   3. The author is of the opinion that Black Fiction would have been improved had Rosenblatt:
         1. Undertaken a more careful evaluation of the ideological and historical aspects of Black Fiction
         2. Been more objective in his approach to novels and stories by Black authors
         3. Attempted a more detailed exploration of the recurring themes in Black fiction throughout its history
         4. Established a basis for placing Black fiction within its own unique literary tradition
         5. Calculated the relative literary merit of the novels he analyzed thematically.

      Ans : E
   4. Rosenblatt's discussion of Black Fiction is :
         1. Pedantic and contentious
         2. Critical but admiring
         3. Ironic and deprecating
         4. Argumentative but unfocused
         5. Stilted and insincere.

      Ans : B
   5. According to the given passage the author would be LEAST likely to approve of which among the following?
         1. Analyzing the influence of political events on the personal ideology of Black writers
         2. Attempting a critical study, which applies sociopolitical criteria to the autobiographies of Black authors
         3. A literary study of Black poetry that appraises the merits of poems according to the political acceptability of their themes
         4. Studying the growth of a distinct Black literary tradition within the context of Black history
         5. Undertaking a literary study, which attempts to isolate aesthetic qualities unique to Black fiction.

      Ans : C
   6. From the following options, which does the author not make use of while discussing Black Fiction?
         1. Rhetorical questions
         2. Specific examples
         3. Comparison and contrast
         4. Definition of terms
         5. Personal opinion.

      Ans : D
   7. The author makes a reference to James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man most probably to:
         1. Highlight the affinities between Rosenblatt's method of thematic analysis and earlier criticism
         2. Elucidate regarding the point made regarding expressionistic style earlier in the passage
         3. Qualify the assessment of Rosenblatt's book made in the first paragraph of the passage
         4. Demonstrate the affinities among the various Black novels talked of by Rosenblatt's literary analysis
         5. Present a specific example of one of the accomplishments of Rosenblatt's work.

      Ans : E

[sharmila banu.m]

       Some modern anthropologists hold that biological evolution has shaped not only human morphology but also human behavior. The role those anthropologists ascribe to evolution is not of dictating the details of human behavior but one of imposing constraints - ways of feeling, thinking, and acting that ''come naturally'' in archetypal situations in any culture. Our ''frailties'' - emotions and motivs such as rage, fear, greed, gluttony, joy,lust, love-may be a very mixed assortment quality: we are, as we say, ''in the grip'' of them. And thus they give us oursense of constraints.

Unhappily, some of those frailties our need for ever-increasing security among them are presently maladaptive. Yet beneath the overlay of cultural detail, they, too, are said to be biological in direction, and therefore as natural to us as are our appendixes. We would need to comprehend throughly their adaptive origins in order to understand how badly they guide us now. And we might then begin to resist their pressure.

   1. The author implies that control to any extent over the ''frailties'' that constrain our behavior is though to presuppose
         1. That those frailties and adaptive are recognized as currently beneficial and adaptive
         2. That there is little or no overlay of cultural detail that masks their true nature.
         3. That there are cultures in which those frailties do not ''come naturally'' and from which such control can be learned
         4. A full understanding of why those frailties evolved and of how they function now
         5. A thorough grasp of the principle that cultural detail in human behavior can differ arbitrarily from society to society.

      Ans : D
   2. It can be inferred that in his discussion of maladaptive frailties the author assumes that
         1. Evolution does not favor the emergence of adaptive characteristics over the emergence of maladaptive ones
         2. Any structure or behavior not positively adaptive is regarded as transitory in evolutionary theory
         3. Maladaptive characteristics, once fixed, make the emergence of other maladaptive characteristics more likely
         4. The designation of a characteristic as being maladaptive must always remain highly tentative
         5. Changes in the total human environment can outpace evolutionary change.

      Ans : E
   3. The primary purpose of the passage is to present
         1. A position on the foundations of human behavior and on what those foundations imply
         2. A theory outlining the parallel development of human morphology and of human behavior
         3. A diagnostic test for separating biologically determined behavior patters from culture - specific detail
         4. An overview of those human emotions and motive's that impose constraints on human behaviour
         5. A practical method for resting the pressures of biologically determined drives.

      Ans : A
   4. Which of the following most probably provides an appropriate analogy from human morphology for the ''details'' versus ''constraints'' distinction made in the passage in relation to human behaviour?
         1. The ability of most people to see all the colors of the visible spectrum as against most peoples inability to name any but the primary colors
         2. The ability of even the least fortunate people to show compassion as against people's inability to mask their feelings completely
         3. The ability of some people to dive to great depths as against most people's inability to swim long distance
         4. The psychological profile of those people who are able to delay gratification as against people's inability to control their lives completely
         5. The greater lung capacity of mountain peoples that helps them live in oxygen-poor air as against people's inability to fly without special apparatus.

      Ans : E

[sharmila banu.m]

     The existence of mammals on the earth can be traced back to at least the Triassic time. The rate of development was retarded, till evolutional change suddenly accelerated in the oldest Paleocene. This resulted in an increase in average size, larger mental capacity, and special adaptations for different modes of life, during the Eocene time. Further improvement was seen during the Oligocene Epoch, with the appearance of some new lines and extinction of others. The Miocene and Pliocene times are especially significant as they mark the culmination of various groups and a continued approach toward modern characters. It is in the Miocene time that the mammals reached their peak with reference to variety and size.

The ability of the mammals to adapt to various modes of life finds a parallel in the reptiles of the Mesozoic time, and apart form their greater intelligence, the mammals apparently have not done much better than the corresponding reptilian forms. Undoubtedly the bat is a better flying animal than the pterosaur, but at the same time the dolphin and whale are hardly more fish like than the ichthyosaur. Quite a few of the swift-running mammals inhabiting the plains, like the horse and the antelope, must excel any of the dinosaurs. Although the tyrannosaur was a more weighty and robust carnivore than perhaps any carnivorous mammal, the lion and the tiger, by virtue of their superior brain are far more efficient and dangerous beasts of prey. It is significant to note that various species of mammals gradually adapted themselves to various kinds of lifestyles, some took to grazing on the plains and were able to run swiftly (horse, deer, bison), others started living in rivers and swamps (hippopotamus, beaver), inhabiting trees (sloth, monkey), burrowing underground (rodent, mole), feeding on flesh (tiger, wolf), swimming in the water (dolphin, whale, seal), and flying in the air (bat). Human beings on account of their superior brain have been able to harness mechanical methods to conquer the physical world and adapt to any set of conditions.

Such adaptation to different conditions leads to a gradual change in form and structure. This is a biological characteristic of the youthful, plastic stage of a group. It is seen that early in its evolutional cycle animals possess the capacity for change, but as the animal progresses in its cycle becoming old and fixed, this capacity for change disappears. The generalized types of organisms retain longest the ability to make adjustments when required, and it is from them that new, fecund stocks take origin-certainly not from any specialized end products. With reference to mammals, we see their birth, plastic spread in many directions, increased specialization, and in some cases, extinction; this is a characteristic of the evolution of life, which can be seen in the geologic record of life.

   1. From the following, choose the most appropriate title for the above passage?
         1. From Dinosaur to Man
         2. Adaptation and Extinction
         3. The Superior Mammals
         4. The Geologic Life Span
         5. Man, the Vanquisher of the Physical World.

      Ans : B
   2. According to the passage the chronological order of the geologic periods is:
         1. Paleocene, Miocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
         2. Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic, Miocene
         3. Miocene, Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
         4. Mesozoic, Oligocene, Paleocene, Miocene
         5. Mesozoic, Paleocene, Eocene, Miocene

      Ans : E
   3. From the above passage, we can infer that, the pterosaur
         1. resembled the bat
         2. was a Mesozoic mammal
         3. was a flying reptile
         4. inhabited the seas
         5. evolved during the Miocene period

      Ans : C
   4. As inferred from the passage, the largest number of mammals were found in which of the following periods?
         1. Triassic period
         2. Eocene period
         3. Oligocene epoch
         4. Pliocene period
         5. Miocene period

      Ans : E
   5. Among the following statements, which statement, if true, would weaken the argument put forth in the first sentence of Paragraph 1?
         1. It has been found that the tryannosaur had a larger brain, than was previously known.
         2. Within the next thousand years, mammals will become extinct.
         3. Recently certain forms of flying ichthyosaurs have been discovered.
         4. It has now been proved, that the tiger is more powerful than the carnivorous reptiles.
         5. It is now possible to double human mental capacity, by the use of certain recently developed computers.

      Ans : A
   6. It is clear from the passage, that the evidence used to discuss the life of past time periods
         1. was developed by Charles Darwin
         2. was unearthed by the author
         3. has been negated by more recent evidence
         4. was never truly established
         5. is based on fossilized remains

      Ans : E
   7. As inferred from the passage, which of the following proverbial expressions is the author most likely to agree with?
         1. It's a cruel world.
         2. All the world's a stage.
         3. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
         4. Footprints in the sands of time.
         5. A short life, but a merry one.

      Ans : D


- INTERVIEW GHOST

[sharmila banu.m]

    For a period of more than two centuries paleontologists have been intrigued by the fossilized remains of pterosaurs, the first flying vertebartes. The issues, which puzzle them, are how these heavy creatures, having a wingspan of about 8-12 meters managed the various problems associated with powered flight and whether these creatures were reptiles or birds.

Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a winglike membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaurs walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only urn upward in an extended inverted V- shape along each side of the animal's body.

In resemblance they were extremely similar to both birds and bats, with regard to their overall body structure and proportion. This is hardly surprising as the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. There is a difference, which is that the bones of the birds are more massively reinforced by internal struts.

Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hair like fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.

Some paleontologists are of the opinion that the pterosaurs jumped from s dropped from trees or perhaps rose into the light winds from the crests of waves in order to become airborne. Each theory has its associated difficulties. The first makes a wrong assumption that the pterosaurs hind feet resembled a bat's and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high aces to channel updrafts. The pterosaurs would have been unable to control their flight once airborne as the wind from which such waves arose would have been too strong.

   1. As seen in the above passage scientists generally agree that:
         1. the pterosaurs could fly over large distances because of their large wingspan.
         2. a close evolutionary relationship can be seen between the pterosaurs and bats, when the structure of their skeletons is studied.
         3. the study of the fossilized remains of the pterosaurs reveals how they solved the problem associated with powered flight
         4. the pterosaurs were reptiles
         5. Pterosaurs walked on all fours.

      Ans : D
   2. The view that, the pterosaurs rose into light winds from the crest of the waves to become airborne, is viewed by the author as
         1. revolutionary
         2. unlikely
         3. unassailable
         4. probable
         5. outdated.

      Ans : B
   3. As inferred from the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur is distinguishable from that of a bird by the
         1. length of its wingspan
         2. hollow spaces in its bones
         3. anatomic origin of its wing strut
         4. evidence of the hooklike projections on its hind feet
         5. location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body.

      Ans : C
   4. From the viewpoint of T.H.Huxley, as given in the passage, which of the following statements is he most likely to agree with?
         1. An animal can master complex behaviors irrespective of the size of it's brain.
         2. Environmental capabilities and physical capabilities often influence the appearance of an animal.
         3. Usually animals in a particular family group do not change their appearance dramatically over a period of time
         4. The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaption
         5. The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.

      Ans : B
   5. According to the passage which of the following is a characteristic of the pterosaurs?
         1. The pterosaurs were not able to fold their wings when not in use
         2. Like the bats, they hung upside down from branches
         3. They flew in order to capture prey
         4. They can be said to be an earlier stage in the evolution of the birds
         5. They lived principally in a forest like habitat.

      Ans : A
   6. The organization of the last paragraph of the passage can best be described as:
         1. New data is introduced in order to support a traditional point of view
         2. Three explanations are put forth and each of them is disputed by means of specific information
         3. An outline of three hypotheses are given and evidence supporting each of them is given
         4. Description of three recent discoveries is presented, and their implications for future study are projected
         5. The material in the earlier paragraphs is summarized and certain conclusions are from it.

      Ans : B
   7. According to the passage, some scientists believe that pterosaurs
         1. Lived near large bodies of water
         2. Had sharp teeth for tearing food
         3. Were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles
         4. Had longer tails than many birds
         5. Consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature.

      Ans : A

[sharmila banu.m]

      Certain scraps of evidence bear out those who hold a very high opinion of the average level of culture among the Athenians of the great age. Pericles's funeral speech is undoubtedly the most famous evidence from Athenian literature, that its level was indeed high. However, Pericles was a politician, and it is possible that he was flattering his audience. We know that thousands of Athenians sat hour after hour in the theater listening to the plays of the great Greek dramatists. The Greek plays, particularly the tragedies, maintained an extremely high intellectual level throughout, with no letdowns, no concessions to the lowbrows or to the demands of ''realism'', like the gravediggers scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet. The music and dancing seen in these plays were also of an equally high level. The best modern parallel can be seen in the restrained, difficult opera of the 18th century. The comparison is no doubt dangerous, but can you imagine almost the entire population of an American city (in suitable installments, of course) sitting through performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni or Gluck's Orpheus? Perhaps the Athenian masses went to these plays because of a lack of other amusements. They could at least understand something of what went on, since the subjects were part of their folklore. Undoubtedly the theme of grand opera is not part of the folklore of the American people.

   1. From the passage it is evident that the author seems to question the sincerity of
         1. politicians
         2. playwrights
         3. opera goers
         4. ''low brows''
         5. gravediggers.

      Ans : A
   2. According to the author the average American
         1. Enjoys Hamlet
         2. Loves folklore
         3. Is not able to understand grand opera
         4. Seeks a high cultural level
         5. Lacks entertainment.

      Ans : C
   3. From the passage, we can say that the author's attitude toward Greek plays is one of
         1. Qualified approval
         2. Grudging admiration
         3. Studied indifference
         4. Partial hostility
         5. Great respect.

      Ans : E
   4. The author makes a suggestion that Greek plays
         1. Were demanding on the actors
         2. Flattered their audiences
         3. Were focussed on a limited audience
         4. Were dominated by music and dancing
         5. Stimulated their audiences.

      Ans : E

[sharmila banu.m]

         Everyone conforms to infancy, infancy conforms to nobody, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who prattle and play to it. So God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself. Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! In the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then, he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary.

The healthy attitude of human nature can be seen in the nonchalance of boys who are sure of a dinner, and would disdain as much as a lord to do or say aught to conciliate one. A boy is in the parlor what the pit is in the playhouse; independent, irresponsible, looking out from his corner on such people and facts as pass by, he tries and sentences them on their merits, in the swift, summary way of boys, as good, bad, interesting, silly, eloquent, troublesome. He never cumbers himself regarding consequences, about interests and he gives an independent, genuine verdict. You should court him: he will not court you. But the man is, as it were, clapped into jail by his consciousness. As soon as he has once acted or spoken with eclat, he is a committed person, watched by the sympathy or the hatred of hundreds, whose affections must now enter into his account. There is no Lethe for this. Ah, that he could pass again into his neutrality.

These are the voices, which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Everywhere society is conspiring against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is joint - stock company, in which members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. It is averse to self-reliance. What it loves is names and customs and not realities and creators.

Whosoever is a man has to be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.

No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that to this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only right is what is after me constitution, the only wrong what is against it. A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition as if every thing were titular and ephemeral but he. I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions. Every decent and well-spoken individual affects and sways me more than is right. I ought to go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.

I shun father and mother and wife and brother, when my genius calls me. I would write on the lintels of the doorpost, whim. I hope it is somewhat better than whim at last, but we cannot spend the day in explanation. Except me not to show cause why I seek or why I exclude company. Then, again, do not tell me, as a good man did not to-day, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor? I tell thee, thou foolish philanthropist, that I grudge the dollar, the time, the cent, I give to such men as do not belong to me and to whom I do not belong. There is a class of person to whom by all spiritual affinity I am bought and sold; for them I will go to prison, if need be; but your miscellaneous popular charities; the education at collage of fools; the building of meeting - house to the vain end to which many now stand; alms to sots; and the thousandfold Relief Societies; - though I confess with shame I sometimes succumb and give the dollar, it is a wicked dollar which by and by I shall have the manhood to withhold.

If you refuse to conform, you can experience the displeasure of the world. Hence, a man should know how to estimate a sour face. The by - standers look askance on him in the public street or in the friend's parlor. In case this aversion originates from contempt and resistance similar to his own, it might result in a sad countenance; but the sour faces of the multitude, like their sweet faces, have no deep cause, but are caused by reasons as diverse as the direction of the wind and what he reads in the newspapers. Yet is the discontent of the multitude more formidable than that of the senate and the collage.

Another factor, which frightens us from self - trust in our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them.

But why should you keep your head over your shoulder? Why drag about this corpse of your memory, lest you contradict somewhat you have stated in this or that public place? Suppose you should contradict yourself; what then?

This is a rather silly consistency in our minds, which is adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. Uniformly a great soul has almost nothing to do, he could just occupy himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words; and to-morrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said to-day. - ''Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.'' - Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. What can be considered to be truly great is to be misunderstood.

   1. Which of the following statements would best describe the main theme of the above passage?
         1. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little mind."
         2. "Eternal youth means eternal independence."
         3. "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist."
         4. "Colleges are designed to educate fools."
         5. "Infancy conforms to nobody."

      Ans : C
   2. When is the period during which we are most nonconformist?
         1. infancy
         2. puberty
         3. youth
         4. manhood
         5. old age

      Ans : A
   3. In his statement ''What can be considered to be truly great is to be misunderstood'' the author means:
         1. One should refrain from saying, what one exactly means
         2. Being misunderstood, equals being great
         3. All great man have always been misunderstood
         4. Even though a person might be considered inconsistent, he shouldn't hesitate to change his mind if he feels the need to.
         5. It is seldom, that nice people succeed

      Ans : D
   4. As inferred from the passage, the refusal of young people to cater to accept public opinion is:
         1. A feature of the rebelliousness of youth
         2. A healthy attitude of human nature
         3. A manifestation of deep - seated immaturity
         4. Simply bad manners
         5. Part of growing up

      Ans : B
   5. "Society is a joint-stock company etc." is one way which the author shows
         1. The anti-culture attitude of the public
         2. Society is highly organized and structured
         3. The self-rejection of society
         4. The lack of room for solitude in our world
         5. The public's interest in the stock market

      Ans : C
   6. " I would write on the lintels of the doorpost, whim." What does the author mean by this statement:
         1. That one should renounce his immediate family
         2. That signposts have an important educational function in our society
         3. That an impulsive action may have a subsequent rational explanation
         4. That one must never be held responsible for what one says and does
         5. That everyone should do foolish things occasionally

      Ans : C
   7. Which of the following statements best summarizes the spirit and sense of the above passage?
         1. "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
         2. "With consistency, a great soul; has simply nothing to do."
         3. "Do not think the youth has no force, because cannot speak to you and me."
         4. "The virtue in most request is conformity."
         5. "A man must know how to estimate a sour force."

      Ans : A