COMPREHENSION TEST
not commit myself until I had seen one enjoying this diet. (3) get distracted when reading your letter
Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medi- (4) find it difficult to understand your letter
eval writers knew all about unicorns and salamanders; not 1320. Carlyle’s mother was ________.
one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic state-
(1) a regular letter writer
ments about them because he had never seen one of them.
(2) not confident at letter writing
1313. The author portrays mankind as
(3) always eager to write letters to Alec
(1) superhuman (2) by and large ignorant
(4) old and enjoyed writing letters
(3) intelligent (4) ancient
1321. ‘Scouring up things’ means ________.
1314. According to the author, unicorns and salamanders
(1) cleaning pans with a small ball of wire or plastic
(1) have existed in the past
(2) to search a place thoroughly in order to find some-
(2) are invisible
thing
(3) caused writers to write strange stories.
(3) to put something in liquid for a time so that it
(4) never really existed
becomes completely wet
1315. The author implies that
(4) writing something quickly and carelessly
(1) he has never seen hedgehogs eating beetles
1322. Subdued tone means _______.
(2) hedgehogs eat only black beetles
(1) not very loud
(3) they do not eat black beetles
(2) unusually quiet and possibly unhappy
(4) he is writing a book on hedgehogs.
(3) not very busy
1316. The author is in favour of drawing conclusions on
(4) not very bright
the basis of
Directions (1323-1327) : In the following questions,
(1) discussion (2) consultation
read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to
(3) observation (4) reasoning each question out of the four alternatives.
1317. The attitude of the author is (SSC Multi-Tasking Staff
(1) cultural (2) scientific Exam. 30.04.2017 (Ist Sitting)
(3) cynical (4) philosophical Radium is a while powder that looks like table-salt. A
Passage-VI pound of it is worth a thousand pounds of gold. Radium is
(Q. Nos. 1318-1322) very costly because it is so scarce. A mere pinch of it is
worth a small fortune. There are only a few spoonfuls in all
In short, to write a good letter you must approach the
the world. But radium is so powerful that too much of it
job in the lightest and most casual way. You must be per-
would be dangerous. If a pound or two could be gathered
sonal, not abstract. You must not say, ‘This is too small a
at one spot it would kill people who came near. Through
thing to put down’. You must say, ‘This is just the sort of
radium, scientists hope to learn how to change one ele-
small thing we talk about at home. If I tell them this they
ment into another. It would be interesting and profitable to
will see me, as it were they’ll hear my voice, they’ll know
change other metals into gold. But it would be worth more
what I’m talking about’. That is the purpose of a letter.
to man to learn how to get all the power from the atoms to
Carlyle had the trick to perfection. He is writing from
do man’s work.
Scotsbrig to his brother Alec in Canada and he begins talk-
ing about his mother. Good old Mother, he says, ‘she is 1323. Radium is considered dangerous because
even now sitting at my back, trying at another table to (1) it would help us to turn other metals into gold.
write you a small word with her own hand; the first time (2) it would kill millions due to its radioactivity.
she has tried such a thing for a year past. It is Saturday (3) it is so scarce.
night, after dark; we are in the east room in a hard, dry (4) it would tell us how to get power from radium.
evening with a bright fire to our two selves; Jenny and her 1324. The antonym of ‘scarce’ is
Barns are ‘scouring up things’ in the other end of the house;
(1) insufficient (2) abundant
and below stairs the winter operations of the farm go on, in
a subdued tone; you can conceive the scene! How simple it (3) wealth (4) rare
is and yet how perfect. Can not you see Alec reading it in 1325. What is the main subject of discussion in the pas-
his far-off home and his eyes moistening at the picture of sage ?
his old mother sitting and writing her last message to him (1) Silver (2) Radium
on earth? (3) Salt (4) Gold
1318. ‘Abstract’ in the passage means 1326. The world ‘fortune’ here means
(1) a summary (1) wealth (2) freedom
(2) not paying attention (3) power (4) inheritance
(3) concrete 1327. Why is radium very costly ?
(4) not having a physical reality (1) It is powerful and dangerous.
1319. The recipient of your letter should ________. (2) It is found in small quantities.
(1) use a lot of imagination. (3) It helps man do his work.
(2) know what you are talking about (4) It is very useful.
SEE–1033