English 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.

_______________ the course of the development of different life-forms heredity—which, in plain English, is unconscious memory generated in the first life-form and ______________ through all the different species—is the sole factor in the ____________ of the parent properties; while adaptation to surrounding conditions and circumstances, natural selection in the struggle _____________ existence, and partner selection in the struggle of the males for ____________ are the principal factors in the differentiation of species.

in the first life-form and ______________ through all the

Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).

In the following question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.

She said to him, "I can run faster than you."

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. Vinoo was to leave for Hyderabad by the 5 o'clock train.
P. Quickly, both got the luggage in and the train began to move.
Q. He drove to the station and reached a few minutes before the train was to leave.
R. However, Vinoo had a busy schedule on that day and could leave the office only around 4:45 PM.
S. He rushed on to the platform and found his friend waiting near their compartment.

6. Vinoo heaved a sigh of relief and settled down to enjoy the journey.

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.

The abuse of phrases and the misuse of words rife among us can be checked __________ diligent exercises in good English, such as this book provides. ___________exercises, in conjunction __________ others to be found in different volumes by the same author, will serve to correct careless diction and slovenly speech, and lead to the art of speaking and writing correctly; for, after all, ___________ in the use of words is more a matter of habit than of theory, and once it is acquired it becomes just as easy to speak or to write good English _____________ bad English.

can be checked __________ diligent exercises

In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/phrase.

Back seat driver

The question below consists of a set of labelled sentences. Out of the four options given, select the most logical order of the sentences to form a coherent paragraph.
P: Yet making loans to poor people is hardly a Poverty cure.
Q: Segmenting the industry, might be worth while if it allows more of the poor to get access to credit.
R: Multinational corporations could take the top microfinance institutions to the next level, and the remainder could take the responsibility of development groups and
regional banks.
S: Property rights and the role of law matter too.