Reading Compreh...

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the given question:[/passage-header]In 1933-34, I got my first chance to play in Test cricket in India. The MCC team under Douglas Jardine was in our country to play three test matches. Fortunately, I was able to do sufficiently well to retain my place in all the three tests.
During the test matches, my younger sister, Laxmi had given me an autograph book to get the autographs of visiting players. I had carefully put down MCC touring team in 1933- 34 on one of the pages. Under the heading, I took autographs of all the 16 players who visited India.
Two months later, I had an occasion to approach Gandhiji for his autograph, which my sister was very keen to have. There were quite a few people present when I made my request. Gandhiji smiled and leafed through the pages of the autograph book and then underneath the names of the MCC players wrote -'17- M.K Gandhi'. I immediately understood the greatness of the man and what had prompted him. By that unforgettable signature as the seventeenth man of the MCC team he showed that although he was prepared to fight the British Government tooth and nail for the independence of India, he had nothing against the common man of England and was prepared to put himself down as the seventeenth man of the English Cricket team.   

[passage-header]Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]In the history of mankind, dance as an artistic form of expression is extremely old. Evidence of dance as a creative form is available in ancient literary text, painting and sculpture from prehistoric times to the medieval period. There are now seven major classical dance styles-Bharatnatyam, originated from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerala, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Odissi from Orissa, Manipuri from Manipur, Kathak from Northern Region and Satriya from Assam. Most of these classical dances trace their roots to the grammar and techniques of movement codified in the Natya Shastra compiled by Bharat Muni, sometimes between 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. Dance, according to Bharat Muni, is classified into two main aspects, Nritta and Nritya. Nritta in the broadest sense is 'Pure abstract dance', which basically does not interpret or communicate a specific theme. It is the movement of limbs and body to the accompaniment of percussion instruments playing a specified rhythmic cycle. Nritya is the aspect of dance which is expression and which communicates the meaning or theme of a song through gestures of the hands, facial expression and body movements. Stylized interpretation when conveyed through body movements and facial and hand gestures is known as Angika Abhinaya, through words as Vachika Abhinaya and through costumes and makeup as Acharya Abhinaya.

[passage-header]Read the following passage carefully and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]In the history of mankind, dance as an artistic form of expression is extremely old. Evidence of dance as a creative form is available in ancient literary text, painting and sculpture from prehistoric times to the medieval period. There are now seven major classical dance styles-Bharatnatyam, originated from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerala, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Odissi from Orissa, Manipuri from Manipur, Kathak from Northern Region and Satriya from Assam. Most of these classical dances trace their roots to the grammar and techniques of movement codified in the Natya Shastra compiled by Bharat Muni, sometimes between 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. Dance, according to Bharat Muni, is classified into two main aspects, Nritta and Nritya. Nritta in the broadest sense is 'Pure abstract dance', which basically does not interpret or communicate a specific theme. It is the movement of limbs and body to the accompaniment of percussion instruments playing a specified rhythmic cycle. Nritya is the aspect of dance which is expression and which communicates the meaning or theme of a song through gestures of the hands, facial expression and body movements. Stylized interpretation when conveyed through body movements and facial and hand gestures is known as Angika Abhinaya, through words as Vachika Abhinaya and through costumes and makeup as Acharya Abhinaya.

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the given question:[/passage-header]In 1933-34, I got my first chance to play in Test cricket in India. The MCC team under Douglas Jardine was in our country to play three test matches. Fortunately, I was able to do sufficiently well to retain my place in all the three tests.
During the test matches, my younger sister, Laxmi had given me an autograph book to get the autographs of visiting players. I had carefully put down MCC touring team in 1933- 34 on one of the pages. Under the heading, I took autographs of all the 16 players who visited India.
Two months later, I had an occasion to approach Gandhiji for his autograph, which my sister was very keen to have. There were quite a few people present when I made my request. Gandhiji smiled and leafed through the pages of the autograph book and then underneath the names of the MCC players wrote -'17- M.K Gandhi'. I immediately understood the greatness of the man and what had prompted him. By that unforgettable signature as the seventeenth man of the MCC team he showed that although he was prepared to fight the British Government tooth and nail for the independence of India, he had nothing against the common man of England and was prepared to put himself down as the seventeenth man of the English Cricket team.   

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the given question:[/passage-header]In 1933-34, I got my first chance to play in Test cricket in India. The MCC team under Douglas Jardine was in our country to play three test matches. Fortunately, I was able to do sufficiently well to retain my place in all the three tests.
During the test matches, my younger sister, Laxmi had given me an autograph book to get the autographs of visiting players. I had carefully put down MCC touring team in 1933- 34 on one of the pages. Under the heading, I took autographs of all the 16 players who visited India.
Two months later, I had an occasion to approach Gandhiji for his autograph, which my sister was very keen to have. There were quite a few people present when I made my request. Gandhiji smiled and leafed through the pages of the autograph book and then underneath the names of the MCC players wrote -'17- M.K Gandhi'. I immediately understood the greatness of the man and what had prompted him. By that unforgettable signature as the seventeenth man of the MCC team he showed that although he was prepared to fight the British Government tooth and nail for the independence of India, he had nothing against the common man of England and was prepared to put himself down as the seventeenth man of the English Cricket team.   

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question selecting the most appropriate option.[/passage-header]    Mother was surprised looking at the stranger. He was Bishamber, Phatik's maternal uncle. She welcomed him and touched his feet. Bishamber came to see his sister after many years.
    The brother asked about studies of the two boys. The sister said that Phatik was a nuisance to her. He was disobedient and wild. But Makhan was very good and gentle and very fond of reading. Bishamber kindly offered to take Phatik to Kolkata and educate him there with his own children. The widowed mother agreed readily.
Phatik agreed to go to Kolkata joyfully. He was very eager for that. At night he lay awake most of the time. As a parting gift he gave Makhan his finishing-rod, his big kite and his marbles.
    Phatik reached Kolkata with his uncle. He met his aunt for the first time. She was not happy seeing Phatik. Her own three boys were difficult to manage. Phatik soon realized that he was an unwelcome guest at his aunt's house. His cousins mocked at him and his aunt always found fault with him.

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question selecting the most appropriate option.[/passage-header]    Mother was surprised looking at the stranger. He was Bishamber, Phatik's maternal uncle. She welcomed him and touched his feet. Bishamber came to see his sister after many years.
    The brother asked about studies of the two boys. The sister said that Phatik was a nuisance to her. He was disobedient and wild. But Makhan was very good and gentle and very fond of reading. Bishamber kindly offered to take Phatik to Kolkata and educate him there with his own children. The widowed mother agreed readily.
Phatik agreed to go to Kolkata joyfully. He was very eager for that. At night he lay awake most of the time. As a parting gift he gave Makhan his finishing-rod, his big kite and his marbles.
    Phatik reached Kolkata with his uncle. He met his aunt for the first time. She was not happy seeing Phatik. Her own three boys were difficult to manage. Phatik soon realized that he was an unwelcome guest at his aunt's house. His cousins mocked at him and his aunt always found fault with him.

[passage-header]Read the extract and answer the following question choosing the appropriate option.[/passage-header]You are young, I should like you to have the pride of youth and the ambition of youth to do something worthwhile and big. All of you may not be geniuses, but some of you might yet do worth while things in some department of human activity or other. I do not like people who have no pride and ambition and are just sloppy people. I am not using the words pride and ambition in a small personal sense. I do not mean the pride of getting money, which is the silliest of all types of pride. Pride should consist in doing your job in the best possible manner. If you are a scientist, think of becoming an Einstein, not merely a reader in your university. If you are a medical man, think of some discovery which will bring healing to the human race. If you are an engineer, aim at some new invention. The mere act of aiming at something big makes you big. If my colleagues and I and others who function on the public stage today appear big leaders to you, look back on how we became so. We may have had some virtue and some ability, but essentially we became what we were because we had some ambition and pride, because we hitched our wagon to a star, because we tried to do big things and in trying so our stature increased a little.

[passage-header]Read the extract and answer the following question choosing the appropriate option.[/passage-header]You are young, I should like you to have the pride of youth and the ambition of youth to do something worthwhile and big. All of you may not be geniuses, but some of you might yet do worth while things in some department of human activity or other. I do not like people who have no pride and ambition and are just sloppy people. I am not using the words pride and ambition in a small personal sense. I do not mean the pride of getting money, which is the silliest of all types of pride. Pride should consist in doing your job in the best possible manner. If you are a scientist, think of becoming an Einstein, not merely a reader in your university. If you are a medical man, think of some discovery which will bring healing to the human race. If you are an engineer, aim at some new invention. The mere act of aiming at something big makes you big. If my colleagues and I and others who function on the public stage today appear big leaders to you, look back on how we became so. We may have had some virtue and some ability, but essentially we became what we were because we had some ambition and pride, because we hitched our wagon to a star, because we tried to do big things and in trying so our stature increased a little.

There was once a bundle of matches, who were all extremely proud of their high descent, for the tall fir tree, from which each of them was a splinter, had been a tree of great antiquity and distinguished by his height from all the other trees of the forest. The matches were now lying on the mantlepiece between a tinder-box and an old iron saucepan, and to these two they often talked about their youth. "Ah, when we were upon the green branches", said they, when we really lived upon green branches- that was a happy time! Every morning and evening we had diamond tea: that is dew; the whole day long we had sunshine, at least whenever the sun shone, and all the little birds used to tell stories to us. It might easily be seen, too, that we were rich for the other trees were clothed with leaves only during the summer, whereas our family could afford to wear green cloths in both summer and winter. But at last came the woodcutters: then was the great revolution, and our family was dispersed. The father trunk obtained a situation as main-mast to a magnificent ship, which could sail round the world if it chose, the bough were carried off to various places, and our work was henceforth to kindle light for low, common people. Now you will understand how it comes to pass that persons of such high descent as we should be living in a kitchen.