COMPREHENSION TEST
120. What value does the author want to build into the                                     PASSAGE-II
      educational system ?                                             The Indians as a group are not cohesive. There is a
      (1) Individuals must work for themselves.                 lack of ‘coordination’ among individuals, groups, institu-
      (2) Individuals must work for the benefit of the soci-    tions and states. This lack of ‘coordination’ may be traced
          ety without expecting any return or personal ben-     to selfishness, lack of trust and the inability to find joy in
          efits.                                                working together as a team for a common goal. This leads
      (3) Society must work for the benefit of the individuals. to divisiveness, asking for criticism, with the result images
                                                                are tarnished and the main purpose is defeated. This phe-
      (4) Side-benefit is a must for any social work.
                                                                nomenon is visible among the bureaucrats, the politicians,
      Directions (121-130) : You have two brief passages        the intellectuals, the business community and the sports
with five questions following each passage. Read the pas-       fraternity, all those who matter and who give a poor ac-
sage carefully and choose the best answer to each question      count of themselves as a group despite individual brilliance.
out of the four alternatives.                                   This contrast in human behaviour can perhaps be traced
               (SSC Tax Assistant (Income Tax & Central Excise) to age-old beliefs, religious tolerance, poverty and the di-
                                            Exam. 25.11.2007)   versity in day-to-day living conditions.
                          PASSAGE-1
                                                                                  SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
      Journalism means several things. First of all, it means
                                                                  cohesive       : forming a united whole.
the ability to write and convey thoughts in a way that peo-
ple will understand things quickly. It means being able to        divisiveness : splitting into groups that disagree with or
turn long articles into shape. It means knowing your gram-                         oppose one another.
mar and composition rules inside out and upside down. It         coordination : balanced and effective interaction of
also means a nose for news and feel for words, respect for                         movement, actions, etc
truth and a sense of mission. A journalist should be able to     criticism      :  the act of expressing disapproval
size up a situation on the spot. He should also develop a        tarnished      :  to spoil the good opinion people have of
deep insight into human conditions. Nobody can teach you
                                                                                   somebody/something
the finer aspects of journalism. No plastic surgeon can give
you a nose for news. No teacher can give you a feel for          bureaucrats :     an official working in an organisation/a
words.                                                                             government department
                                                                 fraternity     :  a group of people sharing the same pro-
                 SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
                                                                                   fessio, interests/beliefs
 nose for news :reading the news and giving it all your
                   attention; search for news                    despite        :  inspite of
                                                                 contrast       :  a difference between two/more people/
121. The passage is on
                                                                                   things
      (1) the journalists, surgeons and teachers.
      (2) the merits of journalism.                             126. Why are the Indians not cohesive as a group ?
      (3) what journalism is about.                                    (1) There is a lack of coordination between individuals.
      (4) the journalists’s feel for words.                            (2) There is a lack of coordination among individuals,
122. A journalist should be thorough with                                  groups and states.
      (1) all the rules of writing.                                    (3) There is a lack of coordination between individu-
      (2) the news.                                                        als and states.
      (3) grammar and composition.                                     (4) There is a lack of coordination among individuals,
                                                                           groups, institutions and states.
      (4) the insight into human conditions.
123. One of the main requirements for a journalist is to        127. What does lack of coordination lead to ?
      (1) edit articles.                                               (1) Divisiveness.
      (2) have a good nose for news.                                   (2) Divisiveness and asking for criticism.
      (3) respect everyone.                                            (3) Asking for criticism.
      (4) exploit a situation.                                         (4) Nothing in particular.
124. The ethics of journalism is                                128. Which word in the passage means loss of brightness
      (1) respect for truth.                                           or dull?
      (2) understanding people.                                        (1) Brilliance.              (2) Phenomenon.
      (3) ability to write.                                            (3) Visible.                 (4) Tarnish.
      (4) search for news.                                      129. To what can the contrast in human behaviour be traced
125. Which of the following statements is not true ?                   to ?
      (1) A plastic surgeon can help a journalist.                     (1) Age-old beliefs and diversity in day-to-day living.
      (2) A teacher can hardly assist a journalist.                    (2) Age-old beliefs and religious tolerance.
      (3) Everyone cannot be a journalist.                             (3) Age-old beliefs, religious tolerance, poverty and
      (4) A journalist should be able to convey his thoughts               diversity in day-to-day living.
          to his readers.                                              (4) Nothing in particular.
                                                           SEE–918