Table of Contents
Directions (1-7): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
The very shape of man’s body is such that makes him a restless creature. He cannot do without work. It is truly said, “An idle man’s brain is the devil’s workshop.”
The whole civilization of man has evolved itself only through hard work. All the inventions and discoveries of science are the result of hard work. Constant work improving upon its own findings progressively, has enabled man to tread on the moon.
Even in our daily life we see that hard work pays dividends. A student who works regularly and systematically shows better results than the one who does not do so. Similarly, a player who practices regularly on the field is much better than the other one. Work not only leads to better results in the long run, but also increases our self- confidence. Work may be physical or intellectual. It is important in all its forms. But it must be constructive. Great nations of the world like Japan, Germany and China have emerged strong only through hard work put in individually and collectively.
In India we worship lord Vishwakarma, the great god of the workers but unfortunately, we are a nation of shirkers. We work little and we work even less for our country. One can work better and more efficiently if one is dedicated to some cause. Let us all be dedicated to the cause of our country. Then we shall be able to make great sacrifices as our freedom fighters did. Only then we can see our country great and strong. And we ourselves can be great and strong only if our country is so. There is no short-cut, no escape route. Hard work is the only way out. In whatever field we are, we must do our duty with utmost devotion and conscientiousness.
Q1. Which one of the following messages the author wants to convey through the passage?
(a) Follow the tenets of Indian civilization
(b) Respect all the inventions and discoveries
(c) Follow the footsteps of great nations
(d) Word hard for individual and national glory
(e) Learn while you earn
Q2. What, according to the passage, is the cause of our self-confidence?
(a) Our physical disposition
(b) The work that we carry out
(c) The lessons we learnt from our civilization
(d) All the inventions and discoveries our ancestors have made
(e) Our inner abilities and active mind
Q3. What, according to the passage, is necessary for the effective work?
(a) Following the principles of good workmanship
(b) Maintaining a balance between ability and motivation
(c) Dedication of work to some cause
(d) Worship of Lord Vishwakarma with selfless devotion
(e) Not allowing mind to engage in dreamy thoughts
Q4. Which of the following group of words is SIMILAR in meaning to the word ‘dividend’ as used in the passage?
(a) Produce an advantage
(b) Useful in the past
(c) Produce indolence
(d) Motivate hard work
(e) Brings devotion and conscientiousness
Q5. What, according to the passage, is important with regard to the work that we get involved in?
(a) It does not lead to idle brain.
(b) It does not disturb the shape of our body.
(c) It facilitates our evolutionary process.
(d) It is constructive.
(e) It must have intellectual aspect.
Q6. The great nations have become stronger as a result of
(a) their great civilization and culture
(b) their proactiveness and receptivity
(c) the rich physical resources they possess
(d) their efforts to drive away the reactive impulses
(e) individual and collective hard work
Q7. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
(a) The entire civilization has evolved through man’s hard work.
(b) Work increases self-confidence.
(c) India is a nation of hard working people.
(d) Germany has become a great nation through sheer hard work.
(e) The shape of human body facilitates hard work.
Directions (8- 15): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
We tend to be harsh on our bureaucracy, but nowhere do citizens enjoy dealing with their government. They do it because they have to. But they don’t mean that the experience has to be dismal. Now there is a new wind blowing through government departments around the world, which could take some of this pain away. In the next five years it may well not transform not only the way public services are delivered but also the fundamental relationship between governments and citizens. Not surprisingly, it is the internet that behind it. After e-commerce and e-business, the next revolution may be e-governance.
Examples abound. The municipality of phoenix, Arizona, allows its citizens to renew their car registrations, pay traffic fines, replace lost identities cards, etc, online without having to stand in endless queues in a grubby municipal office. The municipality is happy because it saves $5 a transaction. It costs only $ 1.60 to process an online transaction versus $ 6.60 to do it across the counter. In Chile, people routinely submit their income tax returns over the Internet, which has increased transparency, and drastically reduced the time taken and the number of errors and litigation with the tax departments. Both tax payers and the revenue department are happier.
The furthest ahead, not surprisingly, is the small, rich and entrepreneurial civil services of Singapore, which allows citizens to do more functions online than any other. As in many private companies, the purchasing and buying of Singapore’s government departments is own on the Web, and cost benefits come through more competitive bidding, easy access to global suppliers and time saved by online processing of orders. They can post their catalogs on their site, bid for contracts, submit invoices and check their payment status over the Net.
The most useful idea for Indian municipalities is gave works, a private sector-run site that collect local taxes, fines and utility bills for 3600 municipalities across the United states. It is a citizens site, which also provide information on government jobs, tenders, etc. The most ambitious is the British government, which has target to convert 100 per cent of his transactions with its citizens to the Internet by 2005.
Cynics in India will say, ‘Oh e-governance will never work in India. We are so poor and we don’t have computers. ‘But they are wrong! They are many experiments afoot in India as well. Citizens in Andhra Pradesh can download government forms and submit applications on the net without having to bribe clerks. In many district land records are online and this has created transparency. Similarly, in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, villagers have begun to file applications for land transfers and follow their progress on Net. In seventy villages in the Kolhapur and Sangli districts in Maharashtra, Internet booth have come-up where farmers can daily check the market rates of agricultural commodities in Marathi, along with data on agricultural schemes, information on crop technology, when to spray and plan their crops and bus and railway time tables. They also find vocational guidance on jobs, applications for rations cards, Kerosene/ gas burners and land record extracts with details of land ownership.
Sam Pitroda’s World Tel, Reliance Industries and the Tamil Nadu government are jointly laying 3000 km to optic fiber cables to create a Tamil Network which will offer rat on cards, school, college and hospital admission forms, land records, and pensions records. If successful, worldTel will expand the network to Gujarat, Karnataka and West Bengal. In Kerala, all the villages are getting linked online to the district headquarters, allowing citizens to compare the development priorities of their villages with other villages in the state.
Many are still skeptical of the real impact because so few Indians have computers. The answers in interactive cable TV and in Internet Kiosks. Although India has only five million computers and thirty-eight million telephones, it has thirty-four millions homes with cable TV and these are growing eight per cent a year. By 2005 most cable homes will have access to the Internet from many of the 700000 local STD/PCO booths. Internet uses may be low today, but it is bound to grow rapidly in the future, and e-governance in India may not be a dream.
Q8. According to the passage, which country has the most ambitious plan for e-governance?
(a) USA
(b) Chile
(c) Singapore
(d) India
(e) UK
Q9. Gov Works is working in which of the following countries?
(a) India
(b) UK
(c) Chile
(d) Singapore
(e) None of these
Q10. Choose the word that is opposite in meaning of the word “dismal” as used in the passage.
(a) grim
(b) approve
(c) pleasing
(d) better
(e) enrich
Q11. How can India overcome low penetration of computers for e-governance?
(a) By manufacturing more computers
(b) Through cable TV and internet Kiosks
(c) By opening more STD/PCO booths
(d) By making the internet free
(e) By putting more services on the internet
Q12. Which of the following has not been one of the effects of submitting income tax returns over the internet in Chile?
(a) Reduction of legal cases
(b) Reduction in errors
(c) Increase in transparency
(d) Increase in number of returns
(e) Reduction in time taken
Q13. Compared to across the counter, the cost of online transaction is-
(a) little less
(b) substantially less
(c) more or less the same
(d) little more
(e) Rs 4/- less per transaction
Q14. According to the author, e-governance in India-
(a) is a dream and may not succeed
(b) Will not successful unless more computers are owned by citizens
(c) has witnessed successful attempts and plans
(d) will not worked because the model is suited for developed countries
(e) though will bring transparency, will increase corruption
Q15. Choose the word that is same in meaning to the word ‘post’ as used in the passage.
(a) deliver
(b) put up
(c) send
(d) drop out
(e) later
Practice More Questions of English for Competitive Exams:
Solutions
S1. Ans. (d)
Sol. We can infer the answer from last sentence of the passage “In whatever field we are, we must do our duty with utmost devotion and conscientiousness.”
S2. Ans. (b)
Sol. Refer the fourth sentence of the third paragraph “Work not only leads to better results in the long run, but also increases our self- confidence.”
S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer the third sentence of the last paragraph “One can work better and more efficiently if one is dedicated to some cause.”
S4. Ans. (a)
Sol. Dividend means sum of money paid or profit made by someone, which has similar meaning as ‘produce an advantage’.
S5. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer the last few lines of the third paragraph “Work may be physical or intellectual. It is important in all its forms. But it must be constructive.”
S6. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer the last sentence of the third paragraph “Great nations of the world like Japan, Germany and China have emerged strong only through hard work put in individually and collectively.”
S7. Ans. (c)
Sol. Refer the first sentence of the last paragraph “In India we worship lord Vishwakarma, the great god of the workers but unfortunately, we are a nation of shirkers.”
S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. Refer the last few lines of the fourth paragraph where it has been mentioned that the most ambitious regarding e-governance is the British government.
S9. Ans. (e)
Sol. From the fourth paragraph of the passage, we can infer that Gov works which is a private sector-run site collects local taxes, fines and utility bills, works in USA.
S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Dismal means causing a mood of gloom or depression. Hence it has the opposite meaning to pleasing.
S11. Ans. (b)
Sol. Refer the second sentence of the last paragraph “The answers in interactive cable TV and in Internet Kiosks.”
S12. Ans. (d)
Sol. Refer the second last sentence of the second paragraph “In Chile, people routinely submit their income tax returns over the Internet, which has increased transparency, and drastically reduced the time taken and the number of errors and litigation with the tax departments.”
S13. Ans. (b)
Sol. Refer the fourth sentence of the second paragraph “It costs only $ 1.60 to process an online transaction versus $ 6.60 to do it across the counter.”
S14. Ans. (c)
Sol. From fifth paragraph of the passage, we can conclude that e- governance in India has witnessed successful attempts and plans as it has been mentioned in the paragraph that there are many experiments happening in India, villagers have begun to file applications on the Net.
S15. Ans. (b)
Sol. ‘Post’ and ‘put up’ are similar in meaning in the context of the passage that means to stay temporarily.
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