Reading Comprehension Test 45

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.[/passage-header]The dainty swallow is known to be a great airborne, acrobatic artist, but its eating habits may come as a surprise. It needs to devour nearly a thousand tiny insects each day to keep its supple body energized. These black and white birds are found in the countryside, especially near water bodies and human habitations. Unlike birds who peck at insects on trees or on the ground, swallows feed on flying insects, houseflies, mosquitoes, gnats, midges, etc. They spend most of the time in flight and are natural hunters of flying insects. They play a role in our health by reducing the numbers of malaria and dengue-causing mosquitoes. Their bodies and wings allow incredible maneuverability and precision in flight. Their short, wide bills help them to feed as they sweep through clouds of swarming insects near water and grassland bits and above trees.

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]Are the 1980s and 1990s the era of colour? According to some people, they are. Now you can buy radios and electric fans in lavender and pink. Restaurants have an emphasis on flowers and colourful plates. Cars are corning out in pink and aqua. Even bathroom fixtures are being made in "honeydew" and "blond". Part of the importance of the colour of an object is that the colour affects the way one feels about it. You want a vacuum cleaner to look light and easy, which is why it may be coloured in pastels and light colours. But gardening equipment should look powerful. You would never find a lawn mower in pink, but red would be fine. Not very long ago, sheets were always white and refrigerators commonly came in colours like "old gold", "avocado green" and "copper tone". Now those are thought of as old-fashioned. Popular colours change because fashion influences everything. In fact, new colours often spring from the fashion industry. It's a lot cheaper to make a blouse or skirt than a sofa. After people get used to seeing new colours on clothing or towels, they are ready to accept those colours in carpeting, refrigerators, or cars. Colour analysis consultants have been very successful in recent years. People want to choose the most flattering colours for makeup and clothing. Some car designers are even saying that people may begin buying cars of the colour that goes with their skin colouring. This sounds too extreme. It's hard to believe that people are that impressionable!

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

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]Each nation has its own peculiar character which distinguishes it from others. But the people of the world have more points in which they are all like each other than points in which they are different. One type of person that is common in every country is the one who always tries to do as little as he possibly can and to get as much in return as he can. His opposite, the man who is in the habit of doing more than is strictly necessary and is ready to accept what is offered in return, is rare everywhere. Both these types are usually unconscious of their character. The man who avoids effort is always talking about his 'rights'; he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his sheer talks of 'duties' feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual. As a result of their view, neither of these men thinks that he behaves at all strangely. 

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]It is said that wars are fought for the sake of peace. Many politicians justify wars as being the means of bringing about stability in the international relations. So far as the aim of those who are always busy in society is concerned, their motive is not always to achieve freedom from work. Their ultimate purpose is not to be idle. To be busy is a mode of life or habit. Those who are busy in society, say, businessmen, or people in authority, politicians or statesmen, officials or employees, are all part of the continuous machine which keeps the society going. People are busy so that different activities of a society are carried out and the wherewithals which mankind badly needs are provided. No society, however prosperous and endowed with bounties of nature, can afford to have the objective of being idle in the long run. No doubt, advanced countries ensure maximum facilities of living and amenities of work for their workmen; they even fix their working hours so that after their busy day's life they can have some leisure at their disposal for self-development or peace of mind. Yet, with the passage of time a busy society has the tendency to become busier. Even with the best computers and automation at the disposal of the modern technocrats manpower continues to remain busy, as one phase of achievement leads automatically to the second phase of work. War may have the intention of peace but business is unending so long as a society has the objective of progress and does not become stationary, stagnant or decadent.

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]It is said that wars are fought for the sake of peace. Many politicians justify wars as being the means of bringing about stability in the international relations. So far as the aim of those who are always busy in society is concerned, their motive is not always to achieve freedom from work. Their ultimate purpose is not to be idle. To be busy is a mode of life or habit. Those who are busy in society, say, businessmen, or people in authority, politicians or statesmen, officials or employees, are all part of the continuous machine which keeps the society going. People are busy so that different activities of a society are carried out and the wherewithals which mankind badly needs are provided. No society, however prosperous and endowed with bounties of nature, can afford to have the objective of being idle in the long run. No doubt, advanced countries ensure maximum facilities of living and amenities of work for their workmen; they even fix their working hours so that after their busy day's life they can have some leisure at their disposal for self-development or peace of mind. Yet, with the passage of time a busy society has the tendency to become busier. Even with the best computers and automation at the disposal of the modern technocrats manpower continues to remain busy, as one phase of achievement leads automatically to the second phase of work. War may have the intention of peace but business is unending so long as a society has the objective of progress and does not become stationary, stagnant or decadent.

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]English education, which was introduced in India in the earlier part of the nineteenth century, established India's cultural contact with the West. Prior to this, India had for centuries remained in a state of isolation, although in very early times she had sent out cultural missions to the other Asiatic countries. India really began to borrow from the West and assimilate new ideas on an extensive scale only after the British had taken up the direction of her educational policy. It is true that Western education at first exerted an unsettling influence on young men and led to errors in life and conduct. They hated everything Indian, aped western manners and modes of life, and forgot their glorious past. There were scholars who ignored modern Indian languages, avoided classical Indian literature, and made a fetish of speaking and writing English.

[passage-header]Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:
[/passage-header]Designing toys for children is challenging yet stimulating. Considering the low attention span of today's kids, toys with higher play value are able to engage them longer. Young minds are also quite impressionable. So toy design has to be conscious about ethics and values and also aid their cognitive, physical, emotional, and social skills. But above all, fun is the primary objective of play. Fun is what makes them come back for more; makes them learn and remember. Another crucial factor is eco-friendliness. Some of the best pro-environment design processes can actually be found in the Indian handicrafts industry. One such example is the lathe-turned toy craft of Channapatna - a town near Bengaluru. The age old craft uses wood and colors made completely from natural materials like turmeric, kumkum, indigo, etc. Creating modern designs based on such conventional techniques opens up a new range of products that are unique, educational, and organic.

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]Each nation has its own peculiar character which distinguishes it from others. But the people of the world have more points in which they are all like each other than points in which they are different. One type of person that is common in every country is the one who always tries to do as little as he possibly can and to get as much in return as he can. His opposite, the man who is in the habit of doing more than is strictly necessary and is ready to accept what is offered in return, is rare everywhere. Both these types are usually unconscious of their character. The man who avoids effort is always talking about his 'rights'; he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his sheer talks of 'duties' feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual. As a result of their view, neither of these men thinks that he behaves at all strangely.