Directions (1-8): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
There is a quotation by the great Greek philosopher, Socrates. Once he said, “Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.” This quote coincides with the prayer to God to give us whatever is good for us. Time and again, whenever we demand something from God that is continually denied to us, it is usually because we are asking for something that is not good for us ultimately. There have been many instances in which people prayed to God for something, and God did not grant their wish. Later they came to learn that receiving the wish would not have been a good thing after all. Will a mother allow the child to have poison? The child may cry for it and throw a tantrum, but if it is poison, the mother will not grant it. Instead, the mother will give the child what is best for him or her. The child may not realize it at the time, but as the child grows and learns, the child is grateful for all the things the mother denied him or her that were ultimately not good.
Many people are anxious about making choices. The way to be sure we make the right choices about what to pray for is to pray that God gives us what is best for us. God makes no mistake. Rather than pray for something that may or may not be the best for us, let us pray for God’s will for us. What are the spiritual pearls to enlightened living? If we relax and rest in God’s will, we will find that everything works out for the best in the long run. Meditation is a process of relaxing in God’s will. Meditation provides a time when we can let go of all clutching and praying for this thing and that. It is a time in which we sit in a state of stillness and surrender to God’s will. It is a chance to let go of all our wants and desires. We merely sit in a receptive mood and ask God to grant what is best for us. We will find that God will give us much more than we had expected. That is the secret to enlightened living.
Through meditation, we will find the treasure of spiritual pearls to enlightened living that will bring us peace, happiness, and bliss. God wants us to come home. God wants us to live in eternal peace and bliss in the spiritual realm. When we make the decision to go back to God, then God opens all the doors for us. Then, if we pray to God to give us what is best for us, God will give us the fastest route back to our eternal home. It is only we who delay our homecoming by praying for things that take us in the opposite or different directions.
Q1. What could be the reason, as per the passage, for certain demands made by people being continually denied to them by God?
(a) There was arrogance in the prayer while making the demand.
(b) God ultimately wants good for us and wishes which are not good for us are not granted.
(c) God is partial, and grants wishes only to his favourite people.
(d) God doesn’t grant the wishes that are made out of bribes.
(e) Options (a) and (d)
Q2. Why, as per the passage, a child, when it grows and learns, is grateful for all the things that the mother denied her or him of?
(a) The mother denied her child those things that were ultimately not good.
(b) A mother is a mother, and it is the duty of a child to be grateful of its mother.
(c) The school where the child studies teach her or him to be grateful of its mother.
(d) If the child won’t be grateful to its mother, then it would be outcasted in the society.
(e) None of the above.
Q3. According to the passage, what should be prayed to the God?
(a) We should pray to God for things we want.
(b) We should pray to God for things our mother wants.
(c) We should pray for God’s will for us.
(d) Options (b) and (c)
(e) Options (a) and (c)
Q4. What is the secret of enlightened living according to the passage?
(a) Sitting in a state of stillness and surrendering to God’s will.
(b) Letting go of all our wants and desires.
(c) Finding that God will give us much more than we had expected.
(d) All of the above
(e) None of these
Q5. Choose the correct antonym for the word “demand” highlighted in the passage.
(a) surrender
(b) challenge
(c) claim
(d) command
(e) None of these
Q6. Choose the option that correctly describes the tone of the passage in one word.
(a) profane
(b) reverential
(c) insolent
(d) heretic
(e) none of these
Q7. According to the passage, what is it that delays our coming back to eternal Home?
(a) Bad people around us.
(b) Our desires
(c) Our respect for certain things
(d) Options (b) and (c)
(e) None of these
Q8. Choose the correct synonym for the word “coincides” highlighted in the passage.
(a) addresses
(b) disputes
(c) believes
(d) ducks
(e) accompanies
Directions (9-10): In the following questions, a phrase is highlighted in a sentence followed by three alternatives that may replace the highlighted phrase given in the sentence. Choose the most suitable option reflecting the INCORRECT alternative(s) that fails to replace the highlighted phrase. If none of the given alternatives are appropriate to replace then, choose option (e) i.e. “all are incorrect” as your answer choice.
Q9. There are several things we can find out — what people ate, the kinds of clothes they wore, the houses on which they lived.
(i) in which they lived
(ii) in which they lives
(iii) in which they live
(a) Only (i)
(b) Both (ii) and (iii)
(c) Only (ii)
(d) Only (iii)
(e) All are incorrect
Q10. People have share new ways of carving stone, composing music, and even cooking food over several hundreds of years.
(i) People have been sharing
(ii) People have shared
(iii) Peoples will share
(a) Both (i) and (iii)
(b) Only (iii)
(c) Both (i) and (ii)
(d) Only (i)
(e) All are incorrect
Solutions
S1. Ans. (b)
Sol. The answer for the question can be derived from the first paragraph of the passage. The following sentence validates the correct answer: ‘Time and again, whenever we demand something from God that is continually denied to us, it is usually because we are asking for something that is not good for us ultimately.’
There is no reference of options (a), (c) and (d) in the passage, and we must give answers as per the passage.
So, the correct answer is the option (b).
S2. Ans. (a)
Sol. The hint for the answer can be derived from the first paragraph. To validate the correct answer, refer to the sentence given in the passage: ‘the child may not realize it at the time, but as the child grows and learns, the child is grateful for all the things the mother denied him or her that were ultimately not good’.
The mother denies certain things to her child because they aren’t ultimately good for her child.
Hence, the option (a) is the correct answer.
S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. The hint for the answer to the question can be derived from the second paragraph which is ‘Rather than pray for something that may or may not be the best for us, let us pray for God’s will for us’. Hence, the option (c) is the correct answer.
S4. Ans. (d)
Sol. The hint for the answer can be derived from the first paragraph. To validate the answer refre to the lines mentioned in the second paragraph “Meditation provides a time when we can let go of all clutching and praying for this thing and that. It is a time in which we sit in a state of stillness and surrender to God’s will. It is a chance to let go of all our wants and desires. We merely sit in a receptive mood and ask God to grant what is best for us. We will find that God will give us much more than we had expected. That is the secret to enlightened living. “
Hence, the correct answer to the question is the option (d).
S5. Ans. (a)
Sol. The correct antonym of the given word “demand” is “surrender”.
The word “demand” refers to something that someone insists upon having
(a) Surrender: Surrender is the act of yielding or giving up one’s control, authority, or possession, often in response to a request or demand from another party.
(b) Challenge: A challenge is a call to engage in a contest, test, or competition, or it can also refer to a questioning or contesting of something, often implying resistance or opposition.
(c) Claim: To claim is to assert or demand one’s right to something, often with the expectation of ownership or possession.
(d) Command: Command refers to giving an authoritative order or directive, typically expecting immediate obedience or compliance.
S6. Ans. (b)
Sol. The correct option is “Reverential”. This term accurately captures the tone of the passage, which conveys a deep respect, humility, and devotion in relation to God and spiritual matters. The passage emphasizes the importance of trusting in God’s wisdom and praying for what is best, reflecting a tone of reverence for a higher power.
The other options are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the tone of the passage:
(a) “Profane” means showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things, which is the opposite of the tone in the passage.
(c) “Insolent” means showing a rude and disrespectful attitude, which is not the tone conveyed in the passage.
(d) “Heretic” refers to someone who holds beliefs contrary to established religious doctrines, and it doesn’t describe the overall tone of the passage.Top of Form
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S7. Ans. (b)
Sol. The solution to the question can be derived from the last line of the last paragraph which is ‘it is only we who delay our Homecoming by praying for things that take us in the opposite or different directions.’
From the mentioned sentence, it can be understood that our own desires are delaying our coming back to our eternal Home.
S8. Ans. (e)
Sol. The correct synonym for the “coincides” is “accompanies”.
The word “coincide” means ‘go along with; coexist’.
(a) Addresses: means to deal with, discuss, or consider a particular topic or issue.
(b) Disputes: Disputes refer to disagreements or conflicts between individuals or groups, often involving differences in opinions, interests, or claims.
(c) Believes: To believe means to accept something as true or to have faith or confidence in something or someone.
(d) Ducks: In the context of the passage, “ducks” doesn’t refer to the animals but could potentially mean avoiding or evading something, although it’s an unusual choice in this context.
(e) Accompanies: To accompany means to go together with someone or something, often suggesting a connection or association.
S9. Ans. (b)
Sol. The usage of the preposition ‘on’ in the highlighted phrase is wrong because no one lives on a house but in a house.
Among the given alternatives, only alternative (i) is correct. The alternatives (ii) and (iii) are wrong.
In the alternative (ii), the usage of the verb ‘lives’ after the pronoun ‘they’ is wrong.
The alternative (iii) imparts a present tense to the clause consisting the highlighted phrase when the other clauses have a simple past tense. This is erroneous.
Hence, the correct answer is the option (b).
S10. Ans. (a)
Sol. There is an error in the highlighted phrase. Past-participle form of verb should be used after the auxiliary verb ‘have’.
In the alternatives, the alternative (ii), upon replacing the highlighted phrase, will impart grammatically correct and contextually meaningful sense to the sentence.
Thus, alternatives (i) and (iii) are incorrect.
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