Reading Compreh...

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
We all love to wear our blue jeans but what do we know about them? It all began in the Nevada region of the United States. In the 1850s, there were many people searching for gold and mining. This was called the Gold Rush. Miners had to dig deep to find even a little gold. They had to work very hard and for a long time. Their clothes tore easily. A miner's wife decided to get a sturdy pair of trousers for her husband. So, she went to a tailor named Jacob W. Davis and told him what she wanted. He was not an ordinary tailor. He used to stitch horse blankets, wagon covers and tents. Jacob understood what his customer wanted. It had to be strong cotton cloth and should not tear easily. He found some material called denim with a man named Levi Strauss. He stitched the first pair of denim overalls. To make the pair last longer, Jacob decided to fix small metal pins or rivets near the pockets, zipper and other areas. The overalls were tough and looked strong. Soon, everyone wanted a pair of riveted pants!
Davis decided to own the design. So, he became partners with Levi Strauss. Together, they got the denim overalls patented on 20th May, 1873 and Levi Strauss Jeans was born. There was no looking back from then on. Hollywood cowboy movies cast their actors in Levi's and made them famous all across America. They soon became a symbol of young, American culture. Some people felt that denim overalls were 'workers clothes' and not right for school. Yet, in 1959, a newspaper reported that 90% of young Americans were wearing denim pants everywhere except to bed and church. By the 1960s, the name 'jeans' was given to the blue overalls. Europe and parts of Asia wanted them too and they became famous worldwide. Soon, people of all ages wore them. In 1969, a magazine reported that denim is one of the oldest fabrics but will remain eternally young. How true!

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]Daffodils, the trumpet-shaped flowers bloom during the spring. In fact, daffodils are the first sign of spring and they symbolize rebirth, new beginnings, and friendship. It is the flower of those born in March. Daffodils are native to the Mediterranean region but are cultivated all over the world. The flower is called Nargis in Hindi, perhaps because of its association with the egotistical Greek God Narcissus. Legend has it that Narcissus fell in love with his own image in a pool of water. He was so enamoured by his own image that he fell into the water and drowned. The flower, also called Narcissus, grew where he died. This led to it becoming a symbol of unrequited love. A gift of daffodil flowers is believed to ensure happiness. It is a common decoration flower during the Chinese New Year. Feng Shui experts believe that if a daffodil bulb blooms during the New Year it will bring good luck to your home. The flowers have been viewed as symbols of Christ's resurrection and the promise of eternal life. In Wales, it is a symbol of the patron saint, David. Daffodil bulbs, because of their astringent properties, are pounded and made into a paste to be applied to wounds. Pharma companies use daffodil extracts to make drugs that are used to treat Alzheimer's and Polio.

[passage-header]Read the following poem carefully and answer the question that follows:
[/passage-header]Early Memory.
I remember picking up a fistful of sand, smooth crystals, like hourglass sand and throwing it into the eyes of a boy. Johny or Danny or Kevin- he was not important.
I was five and I knew he would cry.
I remember everything about it-
The sandbox in the corner of the room
at Cinderella Day Care; Ms. Lee,
Who ran over after the boy wailed for his mother,
Her stern look as the words "no snack" formed on her lips.
My hands with their gritty, half-mooned fingernails.
I hid in the pockets of my blue and white dress.
How she found them and uncurled small sandy fists.
There must have been such rage in me, to give such pain to another person. This afternoon, I saw a man pull a gold chain off the neck of a woman as she crossed the street.
She cried out with a sound that bleached me.
I walked on, unable to help,
knowing that fire in childhood
clenched deep in my pockets all the way home.

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
We all love to wear our blue jeans but what do we know about them? It all began in the Nevada region of the United States. In the 1850s, there were many people searching for gold and mining. This was called the Gold Rush. Miners had to dig deep to find even a little gold. They had to work very hard and for a long time. Their clothes tore easily. A miner's wife decided to get a sturdy pair of trousers for her husband. So, she went to a tailor named Jacob W. Davis and told him what she wanted. He was not an ordinary tailor. He used to stitch horse blankets, wagon covers and tents. Jacob understood what his customer wanted. It had to be strong cotton cloth and should not tear easily. He found some material called denim with a man named Levi Strauss. He stitched the first pair of denim overalls. To make the pair last longer, Jacob decided to fix small metal pins or rivets near the pockets, zipper and other areas. The overalls were tough and looked strong. Soon, everyone wanted a pair of riveted pants!
Davis decided to own the design. So, he became partners with Levi Strauss. Together, they got the denim overalls patented on 20th May, 1873 and Levi Strauss Jeans was born. There was no looking back from then on. Hollywood cowboy movies cast their actors in Levi's and made them famous all across America. They soon became a symbol of young, American culture. Some people felt that denim overalls were 'workers clothes' and not right for school. Yet, in 1959, a newspaper reported that 90% of young Americans were wearing denim pants everywhere except to bed and church. By the 1960s, the name 'jeans' was given to the blue overalls. Europe and parts of Asia wanted them too and they became famous worldwide. Soon, people of all ages wore them. In 1969, a magazine reported that denim is one of the oldest fabrics but will remain eternally young. How true!

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

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the question that follows.[/passage-header]When people first started taking selfies on portrait-photograph themselves, they came under a lot of criticism. While smartphones and digital cameras have made selfies quite popular, the first self-portrait is said to have been taken in 1839 by Robert Cornelius who was considered a pioneer in photography. Taking pictures was no child's play in those days. The whole process was so slow that Cornelius had time to uncover the lens, run into the shot and then go back to cover the lens. This was before the self-timer came into the picture. More advanced versions of smartphones, especially those with front cameras made it quite easy to take one's own pictures. Before that, people were usually taking their pictures by standing in front of a mirror. But now they just had to extend Their hand and viola! They had a photo that captured the moment instantly. Soon people became interested in recording each remarkable and not so remarkable moment of their lives. While this started as a phenomena more suited to the tastes of the young, it soon gained wider popularity with men and women of all ages who started showing their love for themselves.
Selfies caught the world's attention in the mid 2000's when social networking sites such as Facebook made it quite popular. People's growing obsession with themselves, more importantly with their physical appearances did not go unnoticed by the scientific community also. Dr. Rutherfield, faculty director at one of the premier schools of psychology in the US observes that now there are more pictures available of real people than of models. Also, posting selfies online acts as an empowering act as it allows a person to control how the online world sees him. Feeling good about oneself and then having someone else endorse that feeling through likes and comments acts as an immediate self-confidence booster. It is normal for people to work for rewards and to repeat behaviour that would fetch them more rewards. However, psychologist Webber warns against the danger of how easily and intertwined our self-esteem may get to approval on social media. After all, selfies are only based on our physical appearance; they do not define who we are. The problem is that many teenagers and youngsters are seeking validation through positive responses on their selfies. Some people are fine with sharing their selfies and getting a few compliments but others check their social media accounts repeatedly to see how many comments and likes they have got. Webber says that often people who post selfies throughout the day have low self-esteem and are looking for social approval. In some countries, the public health departments have issued warnings to the public to highlight the negative effects of spending too much time obsessing about selfies. While opinions vary on the effects of taking selfies, it is up to the people to shape their habits and perspectives. Dr. Rutherfield recommends that if one is posting selfies only for comments, they should cut down on the number of posts. Our social media profile reveals something about us and what we share depends entirely on us. The bottom line is that we control how the world perceives us.

[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." 

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the question that follows.[/passage-header]When people first started taking selfies on portrait-photograph themselves, they came under a lot of criticism. While smartphones and digital cameras have made selfies quite popular, the first self-portrait is said to have been taken in 1839 by Robert Cornelius who was considered a pioneer in photography. Taking pictures was no child's play in those days. The whole process was so slow that Cornelius had time to uncover the lens, run into the shot and then go back to cover the lens. This was before the self-timer came into the picture. More advanced versions of smartphones, especially those with front cameras made it quite easy to take one's own pictures. Before that, people were usually taking their pictures by standing in front of a mirror. But now they just had to extend Their hand and viola! They had a photo that captured the moment instantly. Soon people became interested in recording each remarkable and not so remarkable moment of their lives. While this started as a phenomena more suited to the tastes of the young, it soon gained wider popularity with men and women of all ages who started showing their love for themselves.
Selfies caught the world's attention in the mid 2000's when social networking sites such as Facebook made it quite popular. People's growing obsession with themselves, more importantly with their physical appearances did not go unnoticed by the scientific community also. Dr. Rutherfield, faculty director at one of the premier schools of psychology in the US observes that now there are more pictures available of real people than of models. Also, posting selfies online acts as an empowering act as it allows a person to control how the online world sees him. Feeling good about oneself and then having someone else endorse that feeling through likes and comments acts as an immediate self-confidence booster. It is normal for people to work for rewards and to repeat behaviour that would fetch them more rewards. However, psychologist Webber warns against the danger of how easily and intertwined our self-esteem may get to approval on social media. After all, selfies are only based on our physical appearance; they do not define who we are. The problem is that many teenagers and youngsters are seeking validation through positive responses on their selfies. Some people are fine with sharing their selfies and getting a few compliments but others check their social media accounts repeatedly to see how many comments and likes they have got. Webber says that often people who post selfies throughout the day have low self-esteem and are looking for social approval. In some countries, the public health departments have issued warnings to the public to highlight the negative effects of spending too much time obsessing about selfies. While opinions vary on the effects of taking selfies, it is up to the people to shape their habits and perspectives. Dr. Rutherfield recommends that if one is posting selfies only for comments, they should cut down on the number of posts. Our social media profile reveals something about us and what we share depends entirely on us. The bottom line is that we control how the world perceives us.

[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." 

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