Four Reading Comprehension Exercises

 

Q 1 Read the following passage carefully:                                                                            

We are in a rush. We are making haste. A compression of time characterises our lives. As time-use researchers look around, they see a rushing and scurrying everywhere.

Instant services rule, pollsters use electronic devices during political speeches to measure opinions before they have been fully formed; fast food restaurants add express lanes. Even reading to children is under pressure. The volume “One Minute Bedtime Stories” consists of traditional stories that can be read by a busy parent in only one minute.

Time is a gentle deity, said Sophocles. Perhaps it was, for him. These days it cracks the whip. We humans have chosen speed and we thrive on it – more than we generally admit. Our ability to work fast and play fast gives us power. It thrills us. And if haste is the accelerator, multitasking is the overdrive.

A sense of well being comes with this saturation of parallel pathways in the brain. We choose mania over boredom every time.  “Humans have never opted for slower,” points out the historian Stephen Kern. We catch the fever –and cramming our life feels good.

There are definite ways to save time, but what does this concept really mean? Does time saving mean getting more done? If so, does talking on a cellular phone at the beach save time or waste it? Does it make sense to say that driving saves ten minutes from your travel budget while removing ten minutes from your reading budget?

These questions have no answer. They depend on a concept that is ill formed; the very idea of time saving. Some of us say we want to save time when we really want to do more and faster. It might be simpler to recognize that there is time and we make choices about how to spend it, how to spare it, how to use it and how to fill it.

Time is not a thing we have lost. It is not a thing we ever had. It is what we live in.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate options from the ones given below:

1)      What Sophocles said is outdated because

a)      humans today believe in leading a fast paced life

b)      life today must be lived

c)      humans have no other choice but to chase time

d)      humans have admitted that time today is precious

 

2)      Electronic poll devices, instant services, fast food restaurants signify

a)      acceleration in life

b)      impatience of our times

c)      our need to work fast as it gives us power

d)      all of the above

 

3)      According to the author we wish to save time because

a)      we hope to be more efficient and capable

b)      we wish to accomplish more in a short period of time

c)      we wish to make appropriate choices

d)      time saved is time earned

 

 

 

4)      A word that means the same as ‘filled to capacity’ is

a)      mania

b)      saturation

c)      cramming

d)      bored

 

5)      The passage

a)      advocates the need to accelerate time so that we can meet our requirements

b)      recognizes the need to rush and scurry all the time

c)      advises us to recognize time and decide what to do with it

d)      appreciates those who invest time wisely

 

Q 2   Read the following passage carefully:                                                                                   (5 Marks)

 A recent trip to Lucknow was an instant eye-opener and a more instant stimulus to introspection.

The realization of self degradation started from the station itself. All set to fight the autowallah in Lucknow and accuse him of being a rude fleecer, I was stopped mid-sentence by his demeanour. He was mild, polished and totally agreeable to whatever I would pay him. He was sure I would not pay less than what the fare should be because he felt I had enough money to do so. Of course the respectful way he spoke to me took me completely off guard, and made me a wee bit ashamed. The aggression which one has to display all the time in Delhi, I realized was not needed here. In fact, it was shocking for the autowallah to encounter a presumptuous woman yearning for a fight.

That’s what Delhi does to you. It takes away your polish. Unlike Delhi, Lucknow prefers to stay away from hysterical momentum. It takes an easy pace of life, teaches  residents to stay cool, enjoy food, take siestas and work without hitting the breakneck speed barrier. It has set its priorities right. It nurtures its young and it loves its old.

In Delhi, morning walkers go for expensive paraphernalia. You need to drive at least five kms to hunt for a park. Back in Lucknow simply walk out of your house and your walk begins. No traffic and no pollution.

 

 

 

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate options from the ones given below:

1)      The author was all set to fight with the autorickshaw driver in Lucknow as

a)      he expected her to pay more than was due

b)      she was sure he would be unjust

c)      her experience in Delhi had taught her to mistrust autowallahs

d)      he was unbelievably discourteous

 

2)      Your personality in Delhi becomes

a)      negative and  aggressive

b)      agreeable and submissive

c)      polished and assertive

d)      negative and submissive

 

3)      Morning walkers in Lucknow require

a)      a park outside their house

b)      expensive paraphernalia

c)      good sports gear

d)      almost nothing

 

4)      The word ‘presumptuous’ in the passage means

a)      modest

b)      rude

c)      proud

d)      imaginative

 

5)      The trip to Lucknow was an eye opener for the author because

a)      she realized that every city in India needs to love its old and calm down its young

b)      she realized that she was full of negativity

c)      she had begun to doubt everyone around her

d)      all of the above

 

 

 

 

Q 3 Read the following passage carefully                                                                                

 Su means number and Duko means single. The game of Sudoku has many similarities to the game of life. The game consists of a 9x9 grid divided into 3x3 boxes in which a few numbers called “given”- the number of givens varies between 17 and 30 for a puzzle to be reasonably viable- are already in place.

In life, too, you start with a given set of notions and then work from thereon. In Sudoku, you need to follow a set of rules to build up the grid, filling each row, column and box with numbers ranging from one to nine, so much like in life where you have to go on your way without antagonizing anyone else. Respect every number (person) and things would be fine. While trial or error may or may not work, the correct technique is in eliminating numbers that don’t fit in a particular box.

In Sudoku, the arrangement of the given numbers is symmetrical. This is instructive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and equanimity despite situations when everything turns topsy-turvy.

There is a subtle difference between the two as well. Make a mistake and you can erase it and begin all over again in Sudoku. Not so in life. You can learn a lesson though, and avoid making the same mistake in future.

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate options from the ones given below:

1)      The given numbers in Sudoku are comparable to the -------------------------------in life.

a)      rules

b)      notions

c)      people

d)      respect

 

2)      In Sudoku, by eliminating numbers that do not fit we

a)      keep reducing errors to succeed in life

b)      keep adding the chances to solve the puzzle

c)      restrict our choices

d)      open new avenues

 

3)      In life, symmetry is maintained through

a)      patience and hard work

b)      balance inspite of hardships

c)      constant trust

d)       friends and enemies

4)       In life we can learn from our mistakes but we cannot

a)       begin afresh

b)      undo them

c)      relive them

d)      commit them again

 

5)      To ‘antagonise’ in the passage means

a)      to be determined

b)      to be noticeable

c)      to please

d)      to make someone angry

 

Q 4   Read the following passage carefully                                                                           

                                                THESE DREAMS

These dreams

Obstinate offspring of my wayward mind

Keep running out of my home

All too often.

 

Somewhat humiliated

Somewhat hurt

Somewhat angry

At times they even rush out barefoot.

 

It is difficult to pacify these stubborn kids or humour them

For theirs is a search for eternal spring

They wish to seek out the stars and talk to them

I am a tired traveller

And have not the will

To chase them anymore.

 

I have come to terms

With my wilderness but I do fear for

Those naïve ones

Come evening and they may seek solace

If they come to you even as you sleep

Do not push them away, tenderly hold them

In your lap like their fond mother

 

Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate options from the ones given below:

1)      The poet feels that he cannot control his dreams by saying that they

a)      are somewhat angry

b)      are obstinate offspring

c)      rush out barefoot

d)      keep running out of his home

 

2)      I do fear for these naïve ones means that his dreams

a)       need to be protected

b)       need love and care

c)       have become rebellious

d)       need a parent to look after them

 

3)      The message of the poem is

a)      one must never stop dreaming

b)      dreams distract you

c)      practicality is the way of life

d)      dream but know your limits

 

4)      The poetic device in the first stanza  is

a)      simile

b)      alliteration

c)      metaphor

d)      personification

 

5)      Like a fond mother we must

a)      nurture our dreams

b)      push our dreams to the limits

c)      hold them in our laps

d)      let them be free