Reading Comprehension Test 11

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

When we see the ubiquity of the internet around us today, we find it hard to believe that it is barely 

thirty years old. It was invented in the USA to allow various computers to communicate with each 

other, an improvement upon the limited possibilities of the physical linking of computers prevalent 

then. Begun in 1990. the World Wide Web (www) is among the principal services available on the 

internet and has had a major impact on how we use this facility. with almost countless websites in 

numerous languages, www has become the most popular content provider in the world, with a host 

of search engines to facilitate navigation.

In fact, it is not uncommon today to even measure progress in a region or country, using the yardstick 

of internet access among the population. However, in this respect, India presents an interesting case 

where the soaring number of users often mask the digital divide between the literate minority and the 

large, illiterate masses.

Nonetheless, while educationists now have bold plans to exploit the internet to the hilt towards the 

spread of literacy in the country, the availability of hardware and IT skill are a stumbling block, 

compounded but the huge number of computer-illiterate that defies all planning within a foreseeable 

time frame.

Yet, we can only marvel at the internet for all that it can accomplish at the click of a mouse.

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

When we see the ubiquity of the internet around us today, we find it hard to believe that it is barely 

thirty years old. It was invented in the USA to allow various computers to communicate with each 

other, an improvement upon the limited possibilities of the physical linking of computers prevalent 

then. Begun in 1990. the World Wide Web (www) is among the principal services available on the 

internet and has had a major impact on how we use this facility. with almost countless websites in 

numerous languages, www has become the most popular content provider in the world, with a host 

of search engines to facilitate navigation.

In fact, it is not uncommon today to even measure progress in a region or country, using the yardstick 

of internet access among the population. However, in this respect, India presents an interesting case 

where the soaring number of users often mask the digital divide between the literate minority and the 

large, illiterate masses.

Nonetheless, while educationists now have bold plans to exploit the internet to the hilt towards the 

spread of literacy in the country, the availability of hardware and IT skill are a stumbling block, 

compounded but the huge number of computer-illiterate that defies all planning within a foreseeable 

time frame.

Yet, we can only marvel at the internet for all that it can accomplish at the click of a mouse.

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

When we see the ubiquity of the internet around us today, we find it hard to believe that it is barely 

thirty years old. It was invented in the USA to allow various computers to communicate with each 

other, an improvement upon the limited possibilities of the physical linking of computers prevalent 

then. Begun in 1990. the World Wide Web (www) is among the principal services available on the 

internet and has had a major impact on how we use this facility. with almost countless websites in 

numerous languages, www has become the most popular content provider in the world, with a host 

of search engines to facilitate navigation.

In fact, it is not uncommon today to even measure progress in a region or country, using the yardstick 

of internet access among the population. However, in this respect, India presents an interesting case 

where the soaring number of users often mask the digital divide between the literate minority and the 

large, illiterate masses.

Nonetheless, while educationists now have bold plans to exploit the internet to the hilt towards the 

spread of literacy in the country, the availability of hardware and IT skill are a stumbling block, 

compounded but the huge number of computer-illiterate that defies all planning within a foreseeable 

time frame.

Yet, we can only marvel at the internet for all that it can accomplish at the click of a mouse.

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

When we see the ubiquity of the internet around us today, we find it hard to believe that it is barely 

thirty years old. It was invented in the USA to allow various computers to communicate with each 

other, an improvement upon the limited possibilities of the physical linking of computers prevalent 

then. Begun in 1990. the World Wide Web (www) is among the principal services available on the 

internet and has had a major impact on how we use this facility. with almost countless websites in 

numerous languages, www has become the most popular content provider in the world, with a host 

of search engines to facilitate navigation.

In fact, it is not uncommon today to even measure progress in a region or country, using the yardstick 

of internet access among the population. However, in this respect, India presents an interesting case 

where the soaring number of users often mask the digital divide between the literate minority and the 

large, illiterate masses.

Nonetheless, while educationists now have bold plans to exploit the internet to the hilt towards the 

spread of literacy in the country, the availability of hardware and IT skill are a stumbling block, 

compounded but the huge number of computer-illiterate that defies all planning within a foreseeable 

time frame.

Yet, we can only marvel at the internet for all that it can accomplish at the click of a mouse.

    Some of the girls look really tough with their hair plaited, so it's also a psychological thing; a victorious thing. Sadly, victory wasn't tied up in those braids: the team lost to New Zealand in the September 5th final, but many of the players looked fierce, like warrior women going into battle. "Plaits are the earliest of hairstyles because before haircutting and hairdressing, people obviously had long hair and plaits were the simplest way of keeping it out of the way," says fashion historian Caroline Cox. "For that reason," she says, "we associate plaits with both women and men, and particularly those who are involved in athletic pursuits, such as war. Think of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, or the super strong Obelix in the Asterix cartoons." 

    For women, Boudicca or Valkyrie plaits seem to enhance their ferocity, says Cox. It was a practical hairstyle until we get to the 19th century when it begins to be associated with female children. Even now, plaits, on the whole, have the meaning of the youthful schoolgirl, not an image you will associate with England's nearly victorious rugby team.

    Some of the girls look really tough with their hair plaited, so it's also a psychological thing; a victorious thing. Sadly, victory wasn't tied up in those braids: the team lost to New Zealand in the September 5th final, but many of the players looked fierce, like warrior women going into battle. "Plaits are the earliest of hairstyles because before haircutting and hairdressing, people obviously had long hair and plaits were the simplest way of keeping it out of the way," says fashion historian Caroline Cox. "For that reason," she says, "we associate plaits with both women and men, and particularly those who are involved in athletic pursuits, such as war. Think of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, or the super strong Obelix in the Asterix cartoons." 

    For women, Boudicca or Valkyrie plaits seem to enhance their ferocity, says Cox. It was a practical hairstyle until we get to the 19th century when it begins to be associated with female children. Even now, plaits, on the whole, have the meaning of the youthful schoolgirl, not an image you will associate with England's nearly victorious rugby team.

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

Orang-utans require less food than humans, pound-for-pound, lead author Herman Pontzer said. When they do eat, orang-utans nibble mostly on ripe fruit, along with smaller portions of leaves and seed. Even in captivity, this diet doesn't diminish as orang-utans get up and go. They wake up early after a long night's sleep, explained Pontzer, an assistant professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. Then they spend the day socializing, exploring their indoor or outdoor enclosures. They also regularly engage in games with researchers. According to a study, published in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these activities of the orang-utans, taken together, add up to the same level of exercise performed by humans in physically demanding agricultural lifestyles. In the wild, orang-utans live in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra where food availability is highly variable and unpredictable, Pontzer added. Like fresh fruit from the garden, the pickings are often feast or famine. But the trade-off, he added, is that low energy throughout means less energy is available to do things like grow and reproduce. So orang-utans grow slowly and reproduce slowly, which is evolutionarily risky because an orang-utan might die before it passes on its genes. Human mothers can have a child every two to four years, but orang-utans in the wild only reproduce every seven to eight years. Orang-utans are highly endangered, with many lost due to human activities such as logging, mining, and the illegal pet trade. Pontzer hopes 

the study will highlight how much information we will lose about our closest relatives and our own evolutionary history if we let them go extinct.

Woodcraft, metal and clay products, textiles and jewellery are all displayed at the National Artisan Export exhibition. Here you can see the artisans at work and also buy products directly from them. Most of the artists have come from different parts of the country. However, the artists working on traditional pieces of jewellery are from South India.
Gold is the metal that is used most to all but you will also see silver, copper and platinum as well. The artists not only use expensive stones like diamonds but they also use shells and glass.
When an artist makes a piece of jewellery, they usually begin with the shape that they work from drawings. Then they have to select the colour and the material. Most of the artists get their idea from sculptures they see in temples and old monuments. Most of the artists make trial pieces before they get the design just right.
Although the artists make rings, necklaces and earrings like all jewellers, at this Export exhibition you can mainly see bracelets and bangles in all colours and designs.     

Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

Orang-utans require less food than humans, pound-for-pound, lead author Herman Pontzer said. When they do eat, orang-utans nibble mostly on ripe fruit, along with smaller portions of leaves and seed. Even in captivity, this diet doesn't diminish as orang-utans get up and go. They wake up early after a long night's sleep, explained Pontzer, an assistant professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. Then they spend the day socializing, exploring their indoor or outdoor enclosures. They also regularly engage in games with researchers. According to a study, published in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these activities of the orang-utans, taken together, add up to the same level of exercise performed by humans in physically demanding agricultural lifestyles. In the wild, orang-utans live in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra where food availability is highly variable and unpredictable, Pontzer added. Like fresh fruit from the garden, the pickings are often feast or famine. But the trade-off, he added, is that low energy throughout means less energy is available to do things like grow and reproduce. So orang-utans grow slowly and reproduce slowly, which is evolutionarily risky because an orang-utan might die before it passes on its genes. Human mothers can have a child every two to four years, but orang-utans in the wild only reproduce every seven to eight years. Orang-utans are highly endangered, with many lost due to human activities such as logging, mining, and the illegal pet trade. Pontzer hopes 

the study will highlight how much information we will lose about our closest relatives and our own evolutionary history if we let them go extinct.