Reading Comprehension Test 59

Directions For Questions

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

One of the mysteries and beauties of Sikkim is the Tshangu lake, high above the ground. At approximately 12,000 feet, up in the mountains, is this clean and serene lake. Hundreds of colourful Maruti vans (these seem to be the favourite cars here) flit up and down the mountains carrying excited tourists. Tshangu lake is absolutely clean and fresh. No one is allowed to enter it, no boating nor throwing anything. There is a small temple of Shiva (Shiva is known as Tshangu here, hence the name of the lake). The China border is just about thirty yards away but one is forbidden to take pictures of that side, nor is one allowed to go there. Army personnel man the border and they also keep track of the cars and the people who go up and down the mountains.
A thick mist suddenly flows at any time hence tourists are asked to go down to the plains before noon especially as winter sets in as it can be quite dangerous. The twists and turns on the mountain side are quite sharp.
The main animal here is the yak, a long haired placid animal, more a cousin of the horse and the donkey. Yak rides are the favourite pastime for children.

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Directions For Questions

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
[/passage-header]Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. Sure, there will be times when you feel like you're spinning your wheels, but you'll always get out of the rut with genuine perseverance. Without it, you won't even be able to start your engine.
The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started, although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination. Ask people why they procrastinate and you'll often hear something like, "I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and, of course, I have to be feeling well physically, too. I can't work when I have a headache."

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Directions For Questions

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.[/passage-header]

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.
All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realised what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!
Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. But each trouble can be a stepping stone. What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

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ii. health experts here say that
iii. exercise more and consume vitamins,
iv. they will live up to 100 years or more
v. if humans eat less,

vi. and be vigorous in their eighties and nineties.

Directions For Questions

Answer the question based on the following information. Indicate which of the statements given with that particular question consistent with the description of the unreasonable man in the passage below.

Unreasonableness is a tendency to do socially permissible things at the wrong time. The unreasonable man is the sort of person, who comes to confide in you when you are busy. He serenades his beloved when she is ill. He asks a man, who has just lost money by paying a bill for a friend to pay a bill for him.
He invites a friend to go for a ride just after the friend has finished a long out trip. He is eager to offer services which are not wanted, but which cannot be politely refused. If he is present at an arbitration, he stirs up dissension between the two parties, who were really anxious to agree. Such is the unreasonable man.

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Directions For Questions

Read the following passage carefully and choose the correct answer for each question:
The world we live in presents an endless
variety of fascinating problems which excite our
wonder and curiosity. The scientific worker
attempts to formulate these problems in accurate
terms and to solve them in the light of all the
relevant facts that can be collected by observation
and experiment. Such questions as What? How?
Where? and When? Challenge him to find the clues
that may suggest possible replies.
Confronted by many problems presented by,
let us say, an active volcano, we may risk; what are
the lavas made of? How does the volcano work
and how is the heat generated? Where do the lavas
and gases come from? When did the volcano first
begin to erupt and when is it likely to erupt again?
Here and in all such queries 'what' refers to
such things of which a phenomenon is made of,
and an answer can be given. In terms of chemical
compounds and elements, the question 'How',
refers to processes- the way things are made or
happen or change. The ancients regarded natural
processes as manifestatons of power by irresponsible
gods; today we think of them as manifestations of
energy acting on or through matter. Volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes no longer reflect the erratic
behaviour of the gods of the underworld; they arise
from the action of the earth's internal heat on and
through the surrounding crust. The source of the
energy lies in the material of inner earth. In many
directions of course, our knowledge is still
incomplete: only the first of the questions we have
asked about volcanoes, for example, can as yet be
satisfactory answers. The point is not that we now
pretend to understand everything but that we have
faith in the orderliness of natural processes. As a
result of two or three centuries of scientific
investigation in the sense that when we ask for
questions by way of appropriate observations and
experiments she will answer truly and reward us with
discoveries that endure.
Modern geology has for its aim the
deciphering of the whole evolution of the earth from
the time of the earliest records that can be
recognised in the rocks to the present day. Geology
is by no means without practical importance in
relation to the needs and industries of mankind.
Thousands of geologists are actively engaged in
locating and exploiting mineral resources of the
earth. The whole world is being searched for coal
and oil and for the ores of useful metals. Geologists
are also directly concerned with the vital subject
of water supply. Many engineering projects, such
as tunnels. canals, docks and reservoirs call for
geological advice in the selection of sites and
materials. In these and many other ways, geology
is applied to the service of mankind.
Although geology has its own laboratory
methods for studying mineral rocks and fossils, it
is essentially an open air science, It attracts its
followers to mountains and waterfalls, glaciers and
volcanoes, beaches and coral reefs in search of
information about the earth and her often puzzling
behaviour.
Whenever rocks are to be seen in cliffs and
quarries, their arrangement and sequence can be
observed and their story deciphered. With his hammer
and maps the geologist in the field leads a healthy
and exhilarating life. His powers of observation
become sharpened, his love of Nature is deepened,
and the thrill of discovery is always at hand.[passage-footer][/passage-footer]

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