General Knowledge Questions

Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives.

One should consciously engage in activities that will nourish your soul. Just as we nourish the body, we need to nurture the soul to connect to the creative power of the universe and to manifest joy in our lives. Often, we forget to address the soul, lost as we are in a jungle of material and sensual pleasures. But the more you embrace what feeds your soul, the happier you become. So if you want to enjoy the abundance of life, engage in what enriches your soul. Nurturing the soul is all about finding calm amidst chaos. There are a number of practices that empower people towards this end including silent contemplation, various forms of meditation, yoga and tai chi However, the rigor and discipline involved in the pursuit of such practices often seems to discourage people. Add to this, the temptations of the material world that leave little time and motivation for anyone to pursue the spiritual path. Poet Walt Whitman declared: “Whatever satisfies the soul is truth”. The good news is that simple, everyday activities can also nutrify the soul — like spending time in the midst of nature, dancing in the rain or just putting thoughts on paper. Do whatever is calming and pleases you. Creative pursuits are particularly appealing as inside each one of us, there is an artist craving for release and awaiting an opportunity for expression. One of the ways to indulge the artist within is to get started with the practice of any one or more of the creative art forms such as music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction or essay writing.

When you engage in such soul nourishing activities, all thought and energy gets focused toward goal accomplishment. At this point, you will find that even unknown forces of the universe are conniving to assist you in your amateurish but sincere attempts. As you progress, you are motivated to do better. You touch and access a faculty, a part of you that you never knew existed. Your inner artist is unleashed, baring the beauty of your soul that has found a fond medium of expression. For instance, a sculptor’s soul is seen in his artwork; a musician’s in his compositions; an actor’s in his acting, a painter’s in his paintings and so on. It is immaterial whether your effort is an immaculate artwork or just a clumsy attempt by a layperson. The idea is to try, be inspired and to create giving free rein to the mind. As Michelangelo remarked: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”!

According to the passage, why even our amateurish attempts motivate us?

In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

Violence takes a heavy toll and affects public life ______. High or low, known or unknown, rich or poor, popular or unpopular, no one is safe or secure today. It
appears that one can harm anybody at any time and at ______. A mad and sad rat race is on to make money and ______ power at any cost and by any means. The
result is that no political party or group can now ______ into claim to total innocence in so far as ______ of violence against innocent person for personal or political
gains is concerned. Violent demonstrations, rallies, hartals have become the order of the day.

no political party or group can now ______ into claim.

In the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

We have rich cultural _____ . Its roots go into _____. Ours has never been a closed ______. It has _______ just like a tree, ______ to external ______ but holding its roots _______. But one wonders today whether it will be able to hold its _____. The ______ of our cultural heritage has come under the _____ of western culture.

Ours has never been a closed ______

In the following passage some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.

The conditions ______ which democracy can _______ are _______ to ________ ; but one thing is _______ that democracy is always a slow growth, whereas dictators may _____ to ______ and _______ a new _______ with dramatic success, under _______ conditions.

whereas dictators may _____

In the following question the 1st and the last part of the sentence/passage are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the sentence/ passage is split into four parts and named P, Q, R and S. These four parts are not given in their proper order. Read the sentence/ passage and find out which of the four combinations is correct.

1. Making ropes is one of the oldest trades in the world.
P. People used them for tethering animals, for drawing water from wells and for dragging large stones which were used in building.
Q. We know that people made ropes several centuries back.
R. They made them from camel hair and from twisted grass.
S. We have found pieces of rope in very old Egyptian tombs.
6. We have found too, ropes which were made of thin copper wire in the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcano 2000 years ago.

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the word similar in meaning to the word given.

Perseverance

In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of thefour alternatives.

Enterprising skill is the ______________ of a teacher to see the perspective of the entire institution and the inter-relationships _____________ and between its parts. Itincludes the ability of a teacher to visualise the academic pursuit ___________ a holistic manner and consider a situation in totality. These skills involve _______________abstract and innovative ideas, constructing models and relationships, and anticipating the implications ________ actions.

anticipating the implications ________ actions

In the following question, some part of the sentence may have errors. Find out which part of the sentence has an error and select the appropriate option. If a sentence is free from error, select 'No Error'.
The task of(A)/writing a autobiography(B)/is a difficult one.(C)/No error(D)