Reading Comprehension Test 9

Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it:
Dr. Carver was an American Negro slave, who by dint of his ability became a scientist and educator of world-wide fame. A national monument had now been erected to honour him. This monument has been built at his birthplace in the United States of America. Carver's life and achievements prove the American saying: "You can't keep a great man down." From childhood, he showed qualities that gave promise of his genius. He would get up before sunrise to study the wonders of nature before the break of dawn in the east. His guardians wanted to educate him but were too poor to do so. So he left home. He was hardly ten when he began to work at small jobs to earn a little money for his school expenses. He continued to do so even when he was at college. Thus, he passed his M.Sc. examination and became a professor. There he wrote several books on science subjects. His chief desire was to do the greatest good to the greatest number of people. He left all his life's savings to found scholarships for research in Agricultural Chemistry. He knew this research was bound to benefit farmers all over the world. Though world famous, he never felt proud of his discoveries. "I discovered nothing," he once said, "I am God's agent -- the instrument through which he works."

The theory of natural selection was put forth by Charles Darwin in his book 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection', co-authored by Alfred Russel Wallace. According to Darwin, nature has its own ways of selecting the best from the available species for continuation of life. The mechanism of natural selection works as follows :
Individuals of a species produce more offspring than necessary to replace themselves. This results in competition and struggle for existence among the individuals. Within the species itself there is variation that results in minor differences between the individuals.
Thus in the struggle for existence only the ones with the variations best adapted to their environment survive. In this manner nature ensures survival of the fittest.

Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.

Freedom has assuredly given us a new status and new opportunities. But it also implies that we should discard selfishness, laziness and all narrowness of outlook. Our state of freedom implies toil and new values for old things. We should so discipline ourselves as to be able to discharge our new responsibilities satisfactorily. If there is any one thing that needs to be stressed more than any other in the new set-up, it is that we should put into action our full capacity, each one of us, in productive effort each one of us in his own sphere, however humble. Work, increasing work should be our watchword. Work is wealth and service is happiness. The greatest crime in India today is idleness. If we root our idleness, all our difficulties including our conflicts, will gradually disappear. Whether as a constable or as a high official of the state, whether as a businessman or industrialist or artisan or farmer, we should all discharge our obligations to the state and contribute to the welfare of the country. Honest work is the sheet anchor to v 'rich if we cling, we shall be saved in spite of every danger or difficulty. Honest work is the fundamental law of progress.

Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by tough, tile-like plate called sclerite. Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeleton of fleas are also waterproof and shock resistance, therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Fleas are some of the best jumpers in natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate-a rate which is over ten times what humans can withstand in an air plane. Fleas have very long real legs with huge thigh muscle and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on starting block. Several of their joints contain protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with naked eye, but they are about size of grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs begin to transfer into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediately if condition are favourable. 

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

Years ago, people woke up to find sparrows chirping in their backyard. A noisy lot, they took grains right from your hand if you had befriended them. They got over their fear easily and demanded food or water with their loud chirping if you had forgotten to give them their regular share of food. Tiny pink beaks opened to morsels of food or worms sometimes regurgitated by the parent birds. We had a splendid time watching the bird family bond and as children sat gazing at them as they picked up grain or splashed about us in muddy water. Many people have written poems and lyrics on sparrows, their noisy chirps, their friendly nature, and their spotty feathers. Sparrows were a menace on the fields. There were guards with slings and stones to chase them away as they ate grain from standing crops. Now people are trying to woo them back to nature.

Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by tough, tile-like plate called sclerite. Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeleton of fleas are also waterproof and shock resistance, therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Fleas are some of the best jumpers in natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate-a rate which is over ten times what humans can withstand in an air plane. Fleas have very long real legs with huge thigh muscle and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on starting block. Several of their joints contain protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with naked eye, but they are about size of grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs begin to transfer into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediately if condition are favourable. 

Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by tough, tile-like plate called sclerite. Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeleton of fleas are also waterproof and shock resistance, therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Fleas are some of the best jumpers in natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate-a rate which is over ten times what humans can withstand in an air plane. Fleas have very long real legs with huge thigh muscle and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on starting block. Several of their joints contain protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with naked eye, but they are about size of grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs begin to transfer into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediately if condition are favourable. 

[passage-header]Read the passage and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct option:[/passage-header]Hearing that a zookeeper has managed to train a lion to live in the same cage as a lamb, a man pays a visit to see if it's true. Amazingly, the man finds the animals lying next to each other. 'How did you do this?' he asks the keeper. 'Is this a trick?' 'No', replies the zookeepers, 'this has been going on for three months now. I don't mind telling you, though,' he confides, 'we've had to replace the lamb a few times'.

Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by tough, tile-like plate called sclerite. Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeleton of fleas are also waterproof and shock resistance, therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Fleas are some of the best jumpers in natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate-a rate which is over ten times what humans can withstand in an air plane. Fleas have very long real legs with huge thigh muscle and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on starting block. Several of their joints contain protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with naked eye, but they are about size of grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs begin to transfer into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediately if condition are favourable. 

Read the following passage and answer the question given after it.
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by tough, tile-like plate called sclerite. Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeleton of fleas are also waterproof and shock resistance, therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Fleas are some of the best jumpers in natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate-a rate which is over ten times what humans can withstand in an air plane. Fleas have very long real legs with huge thigh muscle and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on starting block. Several of their joints contain protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with naked eye, but they are about size of grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs begin to transfer into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediately if condition are favourable.