COMPREHENSION TEST
       (3) The people of India need to labour and hard work          Entertainments London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its
            to give reality to their dreams.                         official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a
       (4) The people of India need to work with more                three-year sponsorship deal.
            responsibility now which has been brought by                   The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee
            power and freedom.                                       Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames between
963. Which of the following is the most suitable title for           Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, in the London
       this passage?                                                 Borough of Lambeth. The site is adjacent to that of the
       (1) A star of hope rises                                      former Dome of Discovery, which was built for the Festival
       (2) A fateful moment for India                                of Britain in 1951.
       (3) The success and failures of India                         966. The structure built for the Festival of Britain in 1951
                                                                            was
       (4) Challenges facing the Indian economy
                                                                            (1) London Eye               (2) Dome of Discovery
964. Which of the following statements best describes the
       message of the passage?                                              (3) Jubilee Gardens          (4) Millennium Wheel
       (1) India’s future is filled with incessant striving and      967. The tallest Ferris wheel in the world is
            providing services to millions of sufferers.                    (1) Singapore Flyer          (2) Dome of Discovery
       (2) India needs to wake up to the call of future and                 (3) London Eye               (4) Star of Nanchang
            end her sorrows of the past.                             968. The London Eye is situated on the banks of
       (3) The independence of India is being celebrated as                 (1) Hungerford Bridge        (2) The Thames
            it has opened the door to the triumphs and                      (3) London Borough           (4) Westminster Bridge
            achievements that have long awaited us.                  969. Which of the following does not mean the same as entire?
       (4) The birth of freedom has brought in its wake more                (1) Total                    (2) Partial
            responsibility of fulfilling our pledges and creating           (3) Whole                    (4) Complete
            a new history.                                           970. The highest viewing point is provided by
965. As per the passage, which of the following statements                  (1) Hungerford Bridge        (2) Dome of Discovery
       best compares India’s pre-independence (past) period                 (3) Millennium Wheel         (4) Westminster Bridge
       to the post-independence (future) period?
                                                                                                 Passage II
       (1) India’s past was a period of poverty and ignorance
                                                                                       (Question Nos. 971–975)
            while its future will be a period of adventure.
                                                                           Not all that glitters is gold. Not all that is white is milk.
       (2) India’s past was a period of slumber while its future
                                                                     Not all people who wear saffron clothes are sages. These
            will be a period of triumphs.
                                                                     age-old sayings hold true even now, especially the last one.
       (3) India’s past was a period of struggle while its future
                                                                     We see a lot of people wearing saffron clothes, but not all of
            will be a period of hope, triumphs and
                                                                     them are sanyasis in the true sense of the word. A sanyasi
            achievements.
                                                                     is one who guides his followers on the right path.
       (4) India’s past was a period of criticism while its future
            will be a period of peace.                                     Recently, I attended the inaugural function of a home
                                                                     for destitute women in Mysore. In most cases, the women
      Directions (966–980) : In the following questions, you
                                                                     were there because they were either harassed by their in-
have three brief passages with 5 questions following each
passage. Read the following passage carefully and choose             laws or tortured by drunken husbands. Owing to their socio-
the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.       economic conditions, even the parents of the victims were
                                   (SSC (10+2) Stenographer Grade    unable to take them in and care for their hapless children.
                                         "C" & "D" Exam. 31.07.2016) There had also been instances when young girls, lured by
                             Passage I                               romance, had run away from their homes and had been
                                                                     deserted by their lovers after the honeymoon. These girls
                    (Question Nos. 966–970)
                                                                     usually did not dare return to their parents.
       The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on
                                                                           The saying that ‘success has many fathers, but failure
the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The
                                                                     has none’ is true indeed. We get to see only the distressed
entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel
                                                                     women and their children, while the main cause of their
has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft).
                                                                     problems remains hidden in the background. So the victims
       It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe and the most         cannot be blamed altogether. Often it is circumstances that
popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited       force them into such drudgery. These women and girls
by over 3.5 million people annually. When erected in 1999            need to be psychologically strong and determined to face
it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed        difficulties with courage and go on with their lives.
first by the 160 metres (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006
and then the 165 metres (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008.                             SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller            (1) destitute (Adj.) : without money, food and the other
Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by                      things necessary for life
its operators as “the world’s tallest cantilevered observation         (2) hapless (Adj.) : not lucky; unfortunate
wheel”. It provides the highest public viewing point and is
                                                                       (3) lured (V.) : to persuade/trick somebody to go
the 20th tallest structure, in London.
                                                                            somewhere/to do something by promising them a
       The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially                  reward
called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin
                                                                SEE–1000