Read the passage and choose the best answer to the questions.

It has often been said that the scale of natural phenomena in India and her total dependence on the monsoon, have helped to form the character of her people. Even today, major disasters, such as flood, famine and plaque, are hard to check, and in older times, their control was almost impossible. Many other ancient civilizations, such as those of the Greeks, Romans and Chinese, had to contend with hard winters, which encouraged sturdiness and resourcefulness. India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous nature, who demanded little of man in return for sustenance, but in her terrible anger could not be appeased by any human effort. Hence it has been suggested, the Indian character has tended to quietism, accepting fortune and misfortune alike without complaint.

The expression "India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous nature...." means

• Indian soil is fertile

• India is a land of flora and fauna

• Indian people have been rewarded more generously by nature in proportion to their efforts

• Indian soil is suited for growing a variety of crops

Read the passage and choose the best answer to the questions.

It has often been said that the scale of natural phenomena in India and her total dependence on the monsoon, have helped to form the character of her people. Even today, major disasters, such as flood, famine and plaque, are hard to check, and in older times, their control was almost impossible. Many other ancient civilizations, such as those of the Greeks, Romans and Chinese, had to contend with hard winters, which encouraged sturdiness and resourcefulness. India, on the other hand, was blessed by a bounteous nature, who demanded little of man in return for sustenance, but in her terrible anger could not be appeased by any human effort. Hence it has been suggested, the Indian character has tended to quietism, accepting fortune and misfortune alike without complaint.

Which trait of Indian character has been formed by the monsoon?

• Fatalism

• Sturdiness

• Asceticism

• Epicureanism

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

There was a farewell ceremony on her last day at school, to which my parents and I were invited. It was a touching ceremony in a solemn kind of way. The City Corporation sent a representative and so did the two main political parties. There were many speeches and my grandmother was garlanded by a girl from every class. Then the head-girl, a particular favourite of hers, unveiled the farewell present the girls had bought for her by subscription. It was a large marble model of the Taj Mahal; it had a bulb inside and could be lit up like a table lamp. My grandmother made a speech too, but she couldn't finish it properly, for she began to cry before she got to the end of it and to stop to wipe away her tears. I turned away when she began dabbing at her eyes with a huge green handkerchief, and discovered, to my surprise, that many of the girls sitting around me were wiping their eyes too. I was very jealous, I remember. I had always taken it for granted that it was my own special right to love her; I did not know how to cope with the discovery that my right had been infringed by a whole school.

The farewell ceremony described in the passage is for the

• author's mother used to teach at his/her school

• mother of head-girl teaching at her school

• grandmother of head-girl no longer teaching at her school

• Grandmother of the author who used to teach at his/her school.

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

There was a farewell ceremony on her last day at school, to which my parents and I were invited. It was a touching ceremony in a solemn kind of way. The City Corporation sent a representative and so did the two main political parties. There were many speeches and my grandmother was garlanded by a girl from every class. Then the head-girl, a particular favourite of hers, unveiled the farewell present the girls had bought for her by subscription. It was a large marble model of the Taj Mahal; it had a bulb inside and could be lit up like a table lamp. My grandmother made a speech too, but she couldn't finish it properly, for she began to cry before she got to the end of it and to stop to wipe away her tears. I turned away when she began dabbing at her eyes with a huge green handkerchief, and discovered, to my surprise, that many of the girls sitting around me were wiping their eyes too. I was very jealous, I remember. I had always taken it for granted that it was my own special right to love her; I did not know how to cope with the discovery that my right had been infringed by a whole school.

The farewell ceremony made everyone feel

• sad

• unhappy

• happy

• bad

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

There was a farewell ceremony on her last day at school, to which my parents and I were invited. It was a touching ceremony in a solemn kind of way. The City Corporation sent a representative and so did the two main political parties. There were many speeches and my grandmother was garlanded by a girl from every class. Then the head-girl, a particular favourite of hers, unveiled the farewell present the girls had bought for her by subscription. It was a large marble model of the Taj Mahal; it had a bulb inside and could be lit up like a table lamp. My grandmother made a speech too, but she couldn't finish it properly, for she began to cry before she got to the end of it and to stop to wipe away her tears. I turned away when she began dabbing at her eyes with a huge green handkerchief, and discovered, to my surprise, that many of the girls sitting around me were wiping their eyes too. I was very jealous, I remember. I had always taken it for granted that it was my own special right to love her; I did not know how to cope with the discovery that my right had been infringed by a whole school.

Before the writer attended the ceremony he/she had thought

• he/she was the only child who loved his/her grandmother

• all the girls in the school loved his/her grandmother

• only a few girls in the school loved his/her grandmother

• only his/her parents loved his/her grandmother

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It is no doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be so sunshine without shadow, we must not complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flower. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smiles; If you frown, it frowns back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.

The author says that we cannot go through life without sorrow because

• it is our fate

• we are always discontented

• life is a tragedy

• human life is very complex

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It is no doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be so sunshine without shadow, we must not complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flower. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smiles; If you frown, it frowns back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.

According to the author no man can be discontented with the world if he

• is determined to be happy

• is sincere in discharging his duties

• has a healthy attitude to life

• likes sunshine

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It is no doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be so sunshine without shadow, we must not complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flower. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smiles; If you frown, it frowns back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.

The expression "life is tragedy to those who feel" means that it is a tragedy to those who

• think about the world

• believe in fate

• do not understand the world

• are sensitive and emotional

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It is no doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be so sunshine without shadow, we must not complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flower. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smiles; If you frown, it frowns back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.

The author says, "There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room". The reason for this is that they

• have the capacity to love

• talk more of roses and less of thorns

• are happy and spread happiness

• look good and behave well

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

It is no doubt true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be so sunshine without shadow, we must not complain that roses have thorns but rather be grateful that thorns bear flower. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Yet it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking glass; if you smile, it smiles; If you frown, it frowns back. Always try, then, to look at the bright side of things. There are some persons whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine and brightens the whole room. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.

What is the author's message in the passage?

• Look at the bright side of things

• Our existence is so complex

• The world is a looking glass

• Expect much sorrow and suffering