Questions

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

Doing an internship at the University of Lille in France, I almost always found myself stuck whenever I had to speak to non-Indians about India or on anything 'Indian'. This was more because of the subtle differences in the way the French understood India in comparison to what I thought was 'Indian'. For instance, when I, or any Indian for that matter, say 'Hindi' is an Indian language, what it means is that it is one of the languages widely spoken in India. This need not be similar to the understanding that the French would have when they hear of 'Hindi' as an Indian language. Because for them Hindi then becomes the only language spoken in India. This is a natural inference that the French, Germans, Italians and many other European nationals would tend to make, because that is generally how it is in their own respective countries. The risk of such inappropriate generalisations made about 'Indian' is not restricted to language alone but also for India's landscape, cuisine, movies, music, climate, economic development and even political ideologies. The magnitude of diversity of one European country can be easily compared to that of one of the Indian State, isn't it? Can they imagine that India is one country whose diversity can be equated to that of the entire European continent? The onus is upon us to go ahead and clarify the nuances in 'Indianness' while we converse. But why should one do so? How does it even matter to clarify?

The writer was working at a university in which country?

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

Many plays and films have depicted the life story of Gautama Buddha, but what made the musical play The Way Across unique was its regional focus. Directed by G. Kumara Swamy, the play adapted from the book Telangana lo Buddhism focused on the enlightenment of a cursed Brahmin Bawari and his 16 curious disciples willing to understand the deeper truths of birth, death, rebirth and brotherhood.

From the impressive use of projector visuals, music and shadow-play, there was every effort to lend authenticity to the theme. Despite the play's focus on Telangana, the native essence was compromised, due to the English rendition (done for a wider reach). The lines appeared jaded with literal translations. The honest performances from the crew impacted only on a surface-level. Kiran Kumar's Bawari act and Krishna Chaitanya Joshi as Pingiya (said to have propagated Buddhism from Telangana to several regions across South India) grab your attention.

Who directed the play, 'The Way Across'?

Which of the statement(s) about the reaction given below is/are INCORRECT?

2PbO (s) + C (s) ⟶ 2Pb (s) + CO2 (g)

I. Lead is getting reduced.

II. Carbon is getting reduced.

III. Lead oxide is getting reduced.

Select the antonym of

offensive

Select the synonym of

proximity

What is the national flower of Bangladesh?

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

Prebiotics are the lesser-known gut-health promoters which serve as food for good bacteria inside the gut. "We found that dietary prebiotics can improve non-REM (random eye movement) sleep, as well as REM sleep after a stressful event," said Robert Thompson, a PhD researcher at University of Colorado Boulder in the U.S. Prebiotics are dietary fibres found naturally in foods like artichokes, raw garlic, leeks and onions.

When beneficial bacteria digest prebiotic fibre, they not only multiply, improving overall gut health, but they also release metabolic by-products. Researchers fed three-week-old male rats a diet of either standard chow or chow that included prebiotics. They then monitored the rats' body temperature, gut bacteria and sleep-wake cycles — using electroencephalogram (EEG), or brain activity testing over time. Findings revealed that the rats on the prebiotic diet spent more time in non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, which is restful and restorative, than those on the non-prebiotic diet.

How can sleep wake cycles be monitored?

Improve the bracketed part of the sentence.

Many such mishaps can be avoided if we (are) careful.