ENGLISH 21 TO 40

      Directions (21-30): In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has been numbered.  These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words/phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately.  Find out the appropriate word/phrase in each case.

            Once upon a time, Amarasankti ruled the city-state of Mahilaropyam in the south of India.  He had three witless sons who became a matter of endless (21) for him (22) that his sons had no interest in learning, the king summoned his ministers and said, “You know I am not happy with my sons.  According to men of learning, an unborn son is better than a son who is a (23) .  A son who is stupid will bring dishonor to his father.  How can I make my sons fit to be my (24)?  I turn to you for advice.”

             One of the ministers (25) the name of Vishnu Sharman, a great scholar enjoying the (26) of hundreds of his disciples.  “He is the most (27) person to tutor your children.  Entrust them to his care and very soon you will see the change,”

            The king summoned Vishnu Sharman and pleaded with him “Oh, venerable scholar, take pity on me and please train my sons .  Turn them into great scholars and  I will be (28) to you all my life.”  Vishnu Sharma said “Oh, king, count six months from today.  If I do not make your children great scholars, you can ask me to change my (29).”  The king immediately called his sons and handed them over to the care of the learned man.  Sharman took them to his monastery where he (30)  teaching them.  Keeping his word, he finished the task the king entrusted to him in six months. Thus, the king, now had scholars for sons.

21. a) ache                   b) worry                     c) joy               d) pity                         e) hazard

22. a) fact                    b) Belief                      c) Since           d) Realizing                e) Being

23. a) stupid                b) brilliant                    c) fool              d) uneducated             e) scholar

24. a) self                    b) place                        c) successors   d) level                        e) siblings       

25. a) suggested          b) requested                c) called           d) pointed                   e) said

26. a) teachings           b) attendance              c) glamour       d) rights                       e) respect

27. a) competent        b) right                         c) easy             d) actual                      e) skill

28. a) happy                b) oblige                      c) beside          d) indebted                 e) disciple

29. a) importance        b) name                      c) clothes         d) location                   e) life

30. a) embark              b) mustered                 c) begun          d) decided                   e) started

            Directions (31-40):  Read the following passage carefully and answer the question given below it.  Certain words, have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

            A long time ago, on a big tree in the lap of the mountain, lived a bird named Sindhuka.  It was a rather special bird because its droppings turned into gold as soon as they hit the ground.

            One day, a hunter came to the tree in search of prey and he saw Sindhuka’s droppings hit the ground and turn into gold.  The hunter was struck with wonder.  He thought, “I have been hunting birds and small animals since I was a boy, but in all my 80 years, I have never seen such a miraculous creature.  “He decided that he had to catch the bird somehow.  He climbed the tree and skillfully set a trap for the bird.  The bird, quite unaware of the danger it was in, stayed on the tree and sang merrily.  But it was soon caught in the hunter’s trap.  The hunter immediately seized it and shoved it into a cage.

           

            The hunter took the bird home joyfully.  But as he had time to think over his good fortune later he suddenly realized, “If the king comes to know of this wonder, he will certainly take away the bird from me and he might even punish me for keeping such a rare treasure all to myself.  So it would be safer and more honourable if I were to go to the king and present the unique bird to him.”

            The next day, the hunter took the bird to the king and presented it to him in court with great reverence.  The king was delighted to receive such an unusual and rare gift.  He told his courtiers to keep the bird safe and feed it with the best bird food available.

            The king’s prime minister though, was reluctant to accept the bird.  He said “O Rajah, how can you believe the word of a foolish hunter and accept this bird?  Has anyone in our kingdom ever seen a bird dropping gold?  The hunter must be either crazy or telling lies.  I think it is best that you release the bird from The cage.”

            After a little thought, the king felt that his prime minister’s words were correct.  So he ordered the bird to be released.  But as soon as the door of the cage was thrown open, the bird flew out, perched itself on a nearby doorway and defecated.  To everyone’s surprise, the dropping immediately turned into gold.  The king mourned his loss.

31. Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the story?

        a) The Skilled Hunter     

        b) The King’s Prime Minister     

        c) The King’s Defeat      

        d) The Bird with The Gold Dropping

        e) The Trials And Tribulations of The Foolish Bird Sindhuka

32. Which of the following emotions made the hunter gift the bird to the king?

        a) Respect                        b) Joy              c) Pride            d) Fear             e) Awe

33. Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

        a) Birds like Sindhuka were very common in the area near the mountain.

        b) Sindhuka remained caged for the rest of its life.

        c) Sindhuka was unaware of the trap laid by the hunter.

        d) The king, when told not to accept the bird, did not listen to his prime minister.

        e) All are true

34. Why was the King’s prime minister reluctant to accept the bird?

        a) He believed that the bird would die if caged

        b) He knew about the hunter’s habit of lying

        c) He believed that the bird would bring bad luck to the king

        d) His sources had informed him that the hunter was crazy      

        e) None of these

35. How did the hunter find Sindhuka?

        a) He had read stories about the bird and had set traps at various locations in the city.

        b) He followed the bird’s droppings.

        c) He was on the looking for a prey when he chanced upon it.

        d) People from the city had informed him about the bird’s whereabouts.

        e) He was attracted by the bird’s calls.

Directions (36-36):  Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

36. RATHER

        a) Regular                        b) Quite          c) Instead                    d) But              e) Known

37. RELEASE

        a) Free                             b) Vacate         c) Vent                                    d) Let expire   e) Make public

38. REVERENCE

        a) Respect                       b) Detail          c) Astonishment          d) Hope           e) Remembrance

            Directions (39-40):  Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

39. RELUCTANT   

        a) True                             b) Clever                     c) Averse         d) Hesitant      e) Keen

       

40. SKILLFULLY

        a) Angrily             b) Haphazardly         c) Highly         d) Cheaply      e) Deftly

Answers

 21.b     22.d     23.c     24.c     25.a     26.e     27.a     28.d

29.b      30.e     31.d     32.e     33.c     34.e     35.c     36.b     37.a     38.a     39.e     40.b