COMPREHENSION TEST
SOME IMPORTANT WORDS PASSAGE II
(1) suspiciously (Adv.) : in a way that shows you think We all know that Eskimos have 50 different words for
somebody has done something wrong, illegal/ ‘snow’. Or is it 500 ? Anyway, an awful lot. It is one of
dishonest those interesting little facts that says something about the
amazing ingenuity of humans. Whereas we see snow, the
(2) dreadful (Adj.) : very bad/unpleasant
Eskimos perceive an endlessly varying realm of white tex-
(3) flushing (V.) : to become red in the face because
tures and possibilities. Except that is not true. Talk to the
you are embarrassed/ashamed
average Eskimo and you’ll find he has about the same
631. The writer had plenty of time to spare because number of words for snow as we do. I discovered this
(1) he had arrived three days before when I took a sledge-dog team through the Russian Arctic
and asked the locals. And it gets worse: the Eskimo-Inuit
(2) he had arrived an hour earlier
do not live in igloos. They do not even rub their noses
(3) he had to collect his luggage
together! Hearing this I began wondering what other myths
(4) he needed to buy magazines
surround the world’s far flung places.
632. The writer needed the receipt
Shelters made out of snow are indeed constructed and
(1) to claim his suitcase fashioned from snowy bricks, just as we like to imagine.
(2) to pay at the luggage office Except the Eskimo-Inuit rarely lived in them for long peri-
(3) to prove that he had paid at the luggage office ods and disappointingly, the elders that I met had never
(4) to prove that he had bought the suitcase heard of them. In truth, these are coastal people who tra-
633. The writer felt foolish because ditionally foraged for driftwood, whalebones, stones and
(1) he could not find his receipt turf to construct their camps, saving snow-houses for hunt-
(2) he hadn’t really lost his receipt at all ing excursions or migrations.
(3) he had to fill in a form Chameleons also attract numerous myths. While many
(4) the assistant eyed him suspiciously of them change colour, this is often less to do with camou-
634. There weren’t ______ people waiting at the luggage flage and more to do with their mood and temperature. A
office. chameleon might, if too cold, turn a darker shade to ab-
(1) very much (2) a great deal of sorb more heat. Or it might turn a lighter colour to reflect
(3) lots of (4) very many the sun and so cool down. Moreover, chameleons often
635. wrote them down means change colour as a signalling device -some such as the
(1) copied them (2) signed them panther chameleon, transform into a vivid orange to scare
off predators, while others flash bright colours to attract a
(3) made a note of them (4) pointed at
mate. The brighter the colour a mate is able to display,
them
the more dominant. Thus the act of standing out can be
636. The writer found the receipt
more important than that of blending in.
(1) on the high shelf near the cases
(2) among the contents of his suitcase SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
(3) nestled with the money in his wallet (1) ingenuity (N.) : the ability to invent things/solve
(4) trapped between the photographs in his wallet problems in clever, new ways
637. The writer took out his wallet the first time to (2) perceive (V.) : see
(1) buy some magazines (3) realm (N.) : an area
(2) look for the receipt (4) foraged (V.) : to search for something
(3) fill out the form given by the assistant (5) driftwood (N.) : wood that the sea carries up onto
(4) pay the assistant land, or that floats on the water
638. The assistant asked the writer to make a list of the (6) turf (N.) : short grass and the surface layer of soil
contents to that is held together by its roots
(1) ascertain his ownership of the case (7) camouflage (N.) : the way in which an animal’s
(2) test his memory colour/shape matches its surroundings and makes
(3) charge him extra money it difficult to see
(4) embarrass the writer (8) predators (N.) : an animal that kills and eats other
639. I explained the situation sorrowfully to the as- animals
sistant means (9) stand out (Phr.V.) : to be easily seen
(1) the writer found the situation tragic (10) blend in (Phr. V.) : to match well with something
(2) he explained the situation to the assistant who
was very sorrowful 641. The author was surprised by the fact that
(3) with great distress the writer explained his un- (1) Eskimos have 500 words for ‘snow’
fortunate situation to the assistant (2) the ingenuity of humans
(4) the assistant found the situation tragic (3) the Eskimo-Inuit do not live in igloos
640. In this passage situation means (4) the Eskimo-Inuit rub their noses together
(1) place (2) event 642. The author discovered that
(3) condition (4) position (1) igloos are not fashioned from snowy bricks
SEE–967