English Language and Comprehension Passage For questions 57–61 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 need of the hour is to ______ value based education. The stress should be on the values such as patience, honesty, tolerance, sympathy, and love for fellow brethren and sisters. The students must be indoctrinated to keep values as ______ priority. The youngsters need not only to be taught how to develop their skills, talents, and abilities, they must also be taught how to use these skills, talents and abilities for the ______ and betterment of all. Once values become everyone's priority in life, all the negative aspects of life will automatically ______. The world ______needs people with high values to make it a better place to live in.
Passage For questions 62–66 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. Education is the most important and ______ tool for women empowerment. It makes women aware of their rights and responsibilities. Educational achievements of a woman can have ______ effects for the family and across generations. Most of the girls drop out of schools due to the unavailability of separate toilets for them. The recently launched ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ focusing on ______ sanitation facilities in schools and every rural household by 2019, can prove to be very ______ in bringing down the ______ of girls dropping out of school.
Passage For questions 67–71 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. When it comes to thinking about how to be happier, many of us ______ about taking more vacations or finding ways to avoid ______ tasks. We may dream about ______ housework and instead doing something fun and ______. However, tasks which don’t make us happy can, over the time, add up to a meaningful life. Even routine activities like talking on the phone, cooking, cleaning, housework, meditating, emailing, praying, waiting for others, and balancing finances appear to bring more ______ to people’s lives, but not happiness in the moment.
83 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: First, with the discovery of the planet Kepler 90i, orbiting the star Kepler 90, we now know of another star besides the Sun that has eight planets orbiting it. Q: But this announcement of the discovery of two new exoplanets, Kepler-90i and Kepler-80g by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration R: Second, Christopher Shallue, a software engineer at Google, and Andrew Vanderburg, of the University of Texas, Austin, have discovered it using a deep learning neural network — an artificial intelligence tool that mimics the workings of a human brain. S: Exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, are routinely being discovered, with the number of those that have already been found now standing at 3,567.
A SRQP B PQRS C QRSP D SQPR
Clear
91 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: Delhi’s air quality deteriorates with unfailing regularity, with large swathes of north India in the grip of suffocating smog, but the State governments that can make it easier for millions to breathe do not act with any sense of urgency. Q: The smog that envelops the region is exacerbated by the burning of biomass in Punjab and Haryana, and the winter atmosphere is marked by weak ventilation. R: It is unconscionable for governments, through indifference and inaction, to subject citizens to such toxic air, and cause extreme suffering especially among people with respiratory ailments and impaired lung function. S: It has turned into a public health emergency in the capital, with the air quality index touching extremely hazardous levels in some parts, necessitating the closure of primary schools, has further lowered its standing.
A RSQP B PSRQ C SRQP D RQPS
Clear
Passage For questions 114–118 A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. In 1979, there was no liberalisation; there were few multinationals and not many billionaires. ‘Social work’ was done by activists in the field, and affluent men and women in cities ‘gave to charity.’ The norm in the social sector was to look at everything from the lens of ‘but India is a poor country.’ Child labour, for example, was accepted as a necessary evil that helped poor families survive. Concepts like social entrepreneurship, philanthropy and impact investing were unknown. Into that world came Rippan — no connections, no wealth, not even a freedom struggle background, a regular middle-class guy, with a regular middle-class job but with an unshakeable conviction that Indian children were India’s responsibility. He was about to set up an organisation that would seek to engage every citizen in the struggle for justice for children. Here was a group of people who talked of large-scale impact, of funding individuals and groups that would work all over India. CRY not only survived Rippan’s premature death, it grew and changed. In 1989, CRY’s mission and values also struck a chord with top-notch professionals, who gave up jobs to take home salaries of ₹2,000 to ₹3,500 a month. Today, the development sector in India and abroad is full of people who grew up in what I like to call the CRY School of Social Work and Management. People who discovered their calling in CRY and have gone on to do seminal work across the globe with their own initiatives for change. Shantha Sinha, who pioneered work in eradicating child labour in Andhra Pradesh, came to Rippan after every funding door had closed. She got a ‘yes’ and an immediate cheque for the funds she needed to start her work which, today, has been replicated globally. Andal Damodaran of the Indian Council for Child Welfare in Chennai, Gloria D’Souza, who founded Parisar Asha in Mumbai, Zakiya and John Kurrien of The Centre for Learning Resources in Pune, innovators in transforming education for children from adverse backgrounds — all of them were similarly supported. Rippan’s approach was simple: “What I can do, I must do.” His allegiance clear: “CRY is my home, family and life.” His heart belonged to children. Just an hour or so before he died, when one of his oldest and dearest colleagues asked him how he was feeling, he said, “I can see the faces of smiling children outside my window.” I cannot think of a better way to leave the planet.
Passage For questions 119–123 A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. There is exciting news for butterfly enthusiasts. By studying 207 species of butterflies, scientists have created an evolutionary tree painting the detailed picture of butterfly relationships and evolution over time. An international team of lepidopterists carried out DNA studies and carbon dating analysis to understand the age and characteristics of butterflies. By comparing and merging previous studies on butterflies ,the researchers were able to create the new bigger and better evolutionary tree. “We still have a long way to go, but this is the first comprehensive map of butterfly evolution,” said Akito Y. Kawahara, associate professor at the Florida Museum of Natural History in a release. “Lots of previous studies cover butterfly evolution on smaller scales — by locality or taxon — but surprisingly few have reached across the breadth of butterfly diversity.” Dr. Kawahara is the corresponding author of the paper published in Current Biology. The report also supported previous studies that butterflies originated around 119 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period. After the mass extinction (65 million years ago), most of the butterflies diverged into many different groups. The butterfly species were placed in seven groups — Papilionidae, Hedylidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Riodinidae, Lycaenidae and Nymphalidae. “Our analyses support swallowtails (Papilionidae) as sister to all other butterflies, followed by skippers (Hesperiidae) and the nocturnal butterflies (Hedylidae) as sister to the remainder,” says the report. The whites (Pieridae) were supported as sister to brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae), blues and metalmarks (Lycaenidae and Riodinidae). Previously, swallowtails and birdwings were believed to have a common ancestor but the new study showed that they feed on different plants. “That tells us that butterflies and plants may have evolved together,” Dr.Kawahara added. They also studied the association of butterflies with ants. Some butterfly larvae secrete sugars that serve as a meal for ants and the ant in return protects the larva from other predators. This is a well-studied symbiotic relationship. The scientists report that most of the blue butterflies and hairstreaks and some of the metalmark butterflies exhibit this behaviour. “We [India] have about one fifth of the known moths and butterflies represented in Indian collections (3,800 out of an estimated 20,000 species). The only way they could undertake the study was the fact that they have access to a good collection. We lack this in India,” explained Smetacek.
Passage For questions 124–128 A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. A plant species that has outlived the dinosaurs, the Cycas circinalis, a ‘living fossil’ found only in the Western Ghats, faces the threat of extinction due to the overharvesting of its leaves for commercial purposes. While there are nine species of Cycas found across the country, almost all of which are classified as being endangered, the Cycas circinalis, found at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,800 meters, has traditionally been used by tribal communities for a variety of purposes. In the Nilgiris and other parts of the Western Ghats, where the plant is found, the seed is sometimes soaked in water (to remove a strong poison contained within) and ground into flour, after which it is eaten, while the seed is also said to be used in traditional, indigenous medicine. However, over the last few decades, the leaves of the circinalis, which are used for ornamental purposes like for setting up ‘pandals’ have been harvested in bulk from the remaining plants, often leading to them becoming stunted and unable to reproduce and increase in number. With a single leaf costing as much as ₹ 25, the economic incentive to completely strip the plant of all its leaves in one harvest remains high for most people. Shiny Miriam Rehel, Programme Co-ordinator for the Biodiversity Restoration Programme at Keystone Foundation, speaking to The Hindu, said that circinalis plants do not grow in large numbers in the wild, and the over exploitation of the leaves from the plant has caused a further decline over the last few decades. The Keystone Foundation has been trying to promote the conservation of the species by encouraging forest-dependent communities to sustainably harvest the leaves from the circinalis. “We collect the seeds from the wild and raise it at our nursery on the Keystone campus. We then encourage farmers and tribal communities to grow the plants near to their dwellings or land holdings,” said Ms. Rehel, who added that the conservation of the species needs to be assured through working with local communities, creating awareness of sustainably harvesting the leaves and ensuring that the plant itself remains healthy. Speaking of their importance, Ms. Rehel said that not only the conservation of the endangered circinalis important to protect the livelihood of tribal communities, but also for biodiversity. She said that the circinalis is an ideal host plant for ants, cupid butterflies and bats, and added that their protection will be a vital aspect of protecting the ecology of the Western Ghats in the long run.
Passage For questions 129–133 A passage is given with five questions following it. Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. It is interesting to note contemporary storytellers such as Vikram Sridhar have stepped out of the traditional boundaries of storytelling to embrace drama. While storytelling might bring to mind grandma’s tales complete with myths and morals, Sridhar believes these stories can be tweaked for a contemporary retelling. Sridhar, who has been a theatre practitioner for 15 years felt stories could be used to draw attention to social issues. “I had to think how I could be different from informal storytellers and mould my stories to interest adults and children. I had a strong theatre background, had worked in a corporate set-up and was deeply interested in heritage and conservation. I decided to bring my interests and strengths together into performance storytelling,” says Sridhar. Based in Bengaluru, Vikram followed his passion for storytelling after doing his engineering and MBA. “I used to travel a lot. In many places in Europe and Singapore, I witnessed ‘Open Night’ where a story, poetry or music was performed at public spaces or coffee shops in 10-minute slots. This made me think that we need larger versions of open night and stories are a strong medium to get a message across.” Sridhar is having a story session at Tipu’s armoury thanks to Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), who had done restoration work at the armoury more than 15 years ago. “The armoury is totally in neglect,” says Meera Iyer, Convenor, INTACH-Bangalore Chapter. “Storytelling is also a way to bring attention to the monument, and how it can be given a focus and use. A building that is used often, automatically has the greater chance of preservation.” “I will not be using mike or gadgets,” Sridhar says. “The audience will get stories of the armoury and more.
Passage For questions 181–185 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. Never write down a phonetic __________ without fully understanding its meaning in every detail. A key to the various marks will be _____________ at the bottom of every page of the dictionary, and the student should refer to this ______________. In the front part of the dictionary there will also be found an _______________ of all possible sounds that any letter may have; and every sound that any letter may have may be indicated by a peculiar mark, __________ several letters may represent the same sound there are a variety of symbols for the same sound.
Passage For questions 186–190 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. Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps ____________ directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over _________ over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in ___________ far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something ___________ of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk ___________ it, step by step.
Passage For questions 191–195 A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives. Volcanic eruptions create beautiful surreal panorama like the unique landscape in Turkey. Here, rock structures of different shapes and sizes are a result of volcanic outbursts. Called “Fairy Chimneys” of Goreme in the Cappadocia region, Turkey, these rock sites are a major tourist attraction. Cappadocia lies in Central Anatolia in Turkey with the Taurus Mountains in the south separating it from the Mediterranean Sea. The rock formations that we see today can be traced back to millions of years. Several volcanic eruptions through deep fractures threw up rocks, lava, ash and other materials. After the eruption, a dense ash covered the entire area. Soon the ejected ash solidified into a soft/porous rock called “tuff”. The soft rocks were exposed to sub aerial erosion by wind, water and climatic changes (temperature changes). The rocks expanded in summer as they heated up, and broke up in winter as they froze. Added to this, the icy water collected in the cracks led to disintegration. Cappadocia gets heavy rain, and this too has played its part in altering the landscape. Rainwater has created sweeping curves on the sides of the valleys. The rivers washed away the eroded pieces of rocks and the harder rocks stayed on. Today, you see them in different shapes — capped chimneys, pillars, mushrooms and conical formations. As erosion constantly changes the landscape of the rock structures in Cappadocia, it can pose a danger to the habitation.