Comprehension

Q. After several defeats in wars, Robert Bruce went in exile and wanted to commit suicide. Just before committing suicide, he came across a spider attempting tirelessly to have its net. Time and again, the spider failed but it did not deter it to refrain from making attempts. Such attempts by the spider made Bruce curious. Thus, Bruce started observing the near-impossible goal of the spider to have the net. Ultimately, the spider succeeded in having its net despite several failures. Such act of the spider encouraged Bruce not to commit suicide. And then, Bruce went back again and won many a battle, and the rest is history.
Which one of the following assertions is best supported by the above information?

1. Failure is the pillar of success
2. Honesty is the best policy
3. Life begins and ends with adventures
4. No adversity justifies giving up hope

Q. The dawn of the ${21}^{st}$ century witnessed the melting glaciers oscillating between giving too much and too little to billions of people who depend on them for fresh water. The UN climate report estimates that without deep cuts to man-made emissions, at least 30% of the northern hemisphere's surface permafrost could melt by the end of the century. Given this situation of imminent global exodus of billions of people displaced by rising seas, nation-states need to rethink their carbon footprint for political concerns, if not for environmental ones. Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the given passage?

1. Billions of people are affected by melting glaciers.
2. Billions of people are responsible for man-made emissions.
3. Nation-states do not have environmental concerns.
4. Nation-states are responsible for providing fresh water to billions of people.

Q. The old concert hall was demolished because of fears that the foundation would be affected by the construction of the new metro line in the area. Modern technology for underground metro construction tried to mitigate the impact of pressurized air pockets created by the excavation of large amounts of soil. But even with these safeguards, it was feared that the soil below the concert hall would not be stable.
From this, one can infer that

1. the foundations of old buildings create pressurized air pockets underground, which are different to handle during metro construction.
2. metro construction has to be done carefully considering its impact on the foundations of existing buildings.
3. old buildings in an area form an impossible hurdle to metro construction in that area
4. pressurized air can be used to excavate large amount of soil from underground areas.

Q. Congo was named by Europeans. Congo's dictator Mobuto later changed the name of the country and the river to Zaire with the objective of Africanising names of persons and spaces. However, the name Zaire was a Portuguese alternation of Nzadi o Nzere, a local African term meaning ‘River that swallows Rivers’. Zaire was the Portuguese name for the Congo river in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the paragraph above?

1. The term Nzadi o Nzere was of Portuguese origin
2. As a dictator, Mobuto ordered the Portuguese to alter the name of the river to Zaire
3. Mobuto’s desire to Africanise names was prevented by the Portuguese
4. Mobuto was not entirely successful in Africanising the name of his country

Q. Bhaichung was observing the pattern of people entering and leaving a car service centre. There was a single window where customers were being served. He saw that people inevitably came out of the centre in the order that they went in. However, the time they spent inside seemed to vary a lot: Some people came out in a matter of minutes while for others it took much longer.
From this, what can one conclude?

1. The centre operates on a first-come-first-served basis, but with variable service times, depending on specific customer needs.
2. Customers were served in an arbitrary order, since they took varying amounts of time for service completion in the centre.
3. Since some people came out within a few minutes of entering the centre, the system is likely to operate on a last-come-first-served basis.
4. Entering the centre early ensured that one would have shorter service time and most people attempted to do this.

Q. Few school curricula include a unit on how to deal with bereavement and grief, and yet all students at some point in their lives suffer from losses through death and parting.
Based on the above passage which topic would not be included in a unit on bereavement?

1. how to write a letter of condolence
2. what emotional stages are passed through in the healing process
3. what the leading causes of death are
4. how to give support to a grieving friend

Q. A coastal region with unparalleled beauty is home to many species of animals. It is dotted with coral reefs and unspoilt white sandy beaches. It has remained inaccessible to tourists due to poor connectivity and lack of accommodation. A company has spotted the oppotunity and is planning to develop a luxury resort with helicopter service to the nearest major city airport. Environmentalists are upset that this would lead to the region becoming crowded and polluted like any other major beach resorts.

Which one of the following statements can be logically inferred from the information given in the above paragraph ?

1. 
   The culture and tradition of the local people will be influenced by the tourists.
2. 
   The region will become crowded and polluted due to tourism.
3. 
   The coral reefs are on the decline and could soon vanish.
4. 
   Helicopter connectivity would lead to an increase in tourists coming to the region.

Q. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax introduced in India in 2017 that is imposed on the supply of goods and services, and it subsumes all indirect taxes except few. It is a destination-based tax imposed on goods and services used, and it is not imposed at the point of origin from where goods come. GST also has a few components specific to state governments, central government and Union Territories (UTs).
Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the given passage?

1. GST is imposed on the production of goods and services.
2. GST does not have a component specific to UT.
3. GST is imposed at the point of usage of goods and services.
4. GST includes all indirect taxes.

Q. A poll of students appearing for masters in engineering indicated that 60% of the students believed that mechanical engineering is a profession unsuitable for women. A research study on women with masters or higher degrees in mechanical engineering found that 99% of such women were successful in their professions.
Which of the following can be logically inferred from the above paragraph?

1. Many students have misconceptions regarding various engineering disciplines.
2. Men with advanced degrees in mechanical engineering believe women are well suited to be mechanical engineers.
3. Mechanical engineering is a profession well suited for women with masters or higher degrees in mechanical engineering.
4. The number of women pursuing higher degrees in mechanical engineering is small.

Q. "If you are looking for the history of India, or for an account of the rise and fall of the British Raj or for the reason of the cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts and the effects this mutilation will have in the respective sections, and ultimately on Asia, you will not find it in these pages: for though I have spent a lifetime in the country. I lived too near the seat of events, and was too intimately associated with the actors, to get the perspective needed for the impartial recording of these matters."
Which of the following statements best reflects the author's opinion?

1. An intimate association does not allow for the necessary perspective.
2. Matters are recorded with an impartial perspective.
3. An intimate association offers an impartial perspective.
   
4. Actors are typically associated with the impartial recording of matters.