l checked and rechecked my calculations. We had lost our main compass and I was using a spare which had not been corrected for magnetic variation. I made an allowance for this and another estimate of the influence of the westerly currents which flow through this part of the Indian Ocean. About 2 p.m., I went on deck and asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. If we were lucky. I told him with a conviction I did not feel, he could expect to see the island at about 5 p.m. Then with a heavy heart, I went below, climbed on my bunk and amazingly, dozed off. When I woke it was 6 p.m., and growing dark. I knew we must have missed the island, and with the sail we had left, we couldn’t hope to beat back into the westerly winds. At that moment, a tousled head appeared by my bunk. “Can I have a hug?” Jonathan asked. Sue was right behind him. “Why am I getting a hug now?” I asked. “Because you are the best daddy in the whole world and the best captain,” My son replied. Questions: Q.1. What was not right of the spare compass? A. It was not checked and rechecked thoroughly. B. It had not been corrected for magnetic variation. C. It did not show the exact time. D. All of these three Q.2. Here the meaning of the phrase ‘make an allowance for’ is ……………. A. To attract attention B. To relieve somebody from tension C. To prepare adequately for someone or something D. To make excuses

1.B. It had not been corrected for magnetic variation. 2.C. To prepare adequately for someone or something

l checked and rechecked my calculations. We had lost our main com…

The notion of ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’, was of works that were in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences. Anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car could be material for a work of art, something Nek Chand has taken to dizzying heights. Recognising his art as ‘an outstanding testimony of the difference a single man can make when he lives his dream’, the Swiss Commission for UNESCO will be honouring him by way of a European exposition of his works. : The five-month interactive show, ‘Realm of Nek Chand’, beginning October will be held at leading museums in Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy. ‘The biggest reward is walking through the garden and seeing people enjoy my creation.’ Nek Chand says.
BRINDA SURI ’
Hindustan Times, 28 August 2005

Questions:
Q.1. What are ‘Art brut’ or ‘Raw art’?
A. ‘Graffitti’
B. ‘Naive art’.
C. ‘Fine art’
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’

Q.2. What could be material for ‘art brut’ as given in the passage ?
A. A tin
B. A sink
C. A broken down car
D. All of these three

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Prank: I believe there is a rule that form results should only be announced by the headmaster on the last day of term.
Taplow: Yes – but who else pays attention to it-except Mr Crocker-Harris?
Prank: I don’t, I admit – but that’s no criterion. So you’ve got to wait until tomorrow to know your fate, have you?
Taplow: Yes, sir.
Frank: Supposing the answer is favourable – what then?
Taplow: Oh – science, sir, of course.
Prank: (sadly) Yes. We get all the slackers.

Questions:
Q.1. When should results be declared ?
A. When the headmaster decides.
B. Soon after the exam.
C. On the last day of the term.
D. At the end of the month.

Q.2. Here the word ‘fate’ refers to ……………….
A. the result he is going to get.
B. good luck.
C. bad luck.
D. his miserable life.

→

Unexpectedly, my head popped out of the water. A few metres away, Wavewalker was near capsizing, her masts almost horizontal. Then a wave hurled her upright, my lifeline jerked taut, I grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom. Subsequent waves tossed me around the deck like a rag doll. My left ribs cracked; my mouth filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, I found the wheel, lined up the stern for the next wave and hung on.

Water, Water, Everywhere. I could feel that the ship had water below, but I dared not abandon the wheel to investigate. Suddenly, the front hatch was thrown open and Mary appeared. “We’re sinking!” she screamed. “The decks are smashed; we’re full of water.” “Take the wheel”, I shouted as I scrambled for the hatch.

Questions:
Q.1. When the head of the writer popped out, he saw…………..
A. his ship turning over.
B. a huge water-snake.
C. the masts of his ship were almost horizontal.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘C’

Q.2. The writer got injured as……………
A. his ship was greatly hurled upright.
B. he struck with the mast.
C. he struck with guard rails.
D. he lost his balance.

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Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. “I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my meal. I had intended to return it the next morning. But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this torn-off page remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.”

Rajendra again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bullet; and how that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in their favour.

“Now look at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The account ran thus:

………….And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting, and he attacked them. And God expressed his displeasure. He was hit by the bullet.

“Prof. Gaitonde, you have given me food for thought. Until I saw this material evidence. I had simply put your experience down to fantasy. But facts can be stranger than fantasies, as I am beginning to realise.”

Questions:
Q.1. The meaning of the phrase ‘pressed home’ in this extract is ……………
A. ‘went home’.
B. ‘returned to his country’.
C. ‘make clear by special emphasis’.
D. ‘make something avail of’.

Q.2. The meaning of the word ‘inadvertently’ is …………..
A. ‘carefully’. B. ‘unknowingly’.
C. ‘deliberately’. D. ‘desperately’.

→

When the time came for me to tell him what brought me to Darchen, his eyes lit up. “We could be a team,” he said excitedly. “Two academics who have escaped from the library.” Perhaps my positive thinking strategy was working after all.

My initial relief at meeting Norbu, who was also staying in the guesthouse, was tempered by the realisation that he was almost as ill-equipped as I was for the pilgrimage. He kept telling me how fat he was and how hard it was going to be. “Very high up,” he kept reminding me, “so tiresome to walk.” He wasn’t really a practising Buddhist, it transpired, but he had enthusiasm and he was, of course, Tibetan.

Although I’d originally envisaged making the trek in the company of devout believers, on reflection I decided that perhaps Norbu would turn out to be the ideal companion. He suggested we hire some yaks to carry our luggage, which I interpreted as a good sign, and he had no intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain. “Not possible,” he cried, collapsing across the table in hysterical laughter. It wasn’t his style, and anyway his tummy was too big.

Questions:
Q.1. The meaning of the phrase ‘his eyes lit up’ is ………………
A. ‘he was surprised.’ B. ‘he got excited.’
C. ‘he was shocked.’ D. ‘he became serious.’

Q.2. The meaning of the word ‘transpired’ is …………….
A. ‘was disclosed.’ B. ‘was forgotten.’
C. ‘was decided.’ D. ‘was ignored.’

→

A three-year study using satellites and aerial photography conducted by the United Nations, warns that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty- eight countries investigated.

There can be no doubt that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society. It took mankind more than a million years to reach the first billion. That was the world population around the year 1800. By the year 1900, a second billion was added, and the twentieth century has added another 3.7 billion. The present world population is estimated at 5.7 billion. Every four days the world population increases by one million.

Fertility falls as incomes rise, education spreads and health improves. Thus, development is the best contraceptive. But development itself may not be possible if the present increase in numbers continues.

Questions:
Q.1. We have come to know about the deterioration of environment through ……………..
A. satellites.
B. aerial photography.
C. survey conducted in the U.S.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’

Q.2. ………………..is one of the strongest factors which has distorted the future of human society.
A. The growth of world population
B. Use of satellites
C. Environmental threat
D. Fall of fertility

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At dawn on January 2, the waves were gigantic. We were sailing with only a small storm jib and were still making eight knots. As the ship rose to the top of each wave we could see endless enormous seas rolling towards us, and the screaming of the wind and spray was painful to the ears. To slow the boat down, we dropped the stõrm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope In a loop across the stern. Then we double-lashed everything, went through our life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets – and waited.

The first indication of impending disaster came at about 6 p.m. with an ominous silence. The wind dropped, and the sky immediately grew dark. Then came a growing roar, and an enormous cloud towered aft of the ship. With horror, I realised that it was not a cloud, but a wave like no other I had ever seen. It appeared perfectly vertical and almost twice the height of the other waves, with a frightful breaking crest.

Questions:
Q.1. ‘We were sailing with only a small jib’. In this sentence, the word shows ……………….
A. distance.
B. time.
C. a sail.
D. a type of boat.

Q.2. …………… and spray was painful to the ears’ means ………………….
A. the sound rising from the spray was too loud.
B. the water of the spray entered the ears and caused great pain.
C. the spray hit very hard causing pain.
D. None of these three

→

In fifteenth century Antwerp, a master blacksmith called Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. The father would not accept a son-in-law in such a profession. So Quinten sneaked into the painter’s studio and painted a fly on his latest panel, with such delicate realism that the master tried to swat it away before he realised what had happened. Quinten was immediately admitted as an apprentice into his studio. He married his beloved and went on to become one of the most famous painters of his age. These two stories illustrate what each form of art is trying to achieve : a perfect, illusionistic likeness in Europe, the essence of inner life and spirit in Asia.

Questions:
Q.1. The girl’s father was not ready to get his daughter married with Quinten Metsys because ……………….
A. he was a road side painter.
B. he was a low-profile blacksmith.
C. he was not rich.
D. Both A’ and ‘B’

Q.2. The fly on the panel looked ……………….
A. so dirty that the master tried to swat it away.
B. so nice that the master wanted to get it painted on every wall of the palace.
C. so real that the master tried to swat it away.
D. All of these three

→

Frank: I’m sure you’re exaggerating.
Taplow: No, sir. I’m not. In form the other day he made one of his classical jokes. Of course nobody laughed because nobody understood it, myself included. Still, I knew he’d meant it as funny, so I laughed. Out of ordinary common politeness, and feeling a bit sorry for him for having made a poor joke. Now I can’t remember what the joke was, but suppose I make it. Now you laugh, sir. (Frank laughs)
Taplow: (in a gentle, throaty voice) “Taplow-you laughed at my little joke, I noticed. I must confess that I am pleased at the advance – your Latin has made since you so readily have understood what the rest of the form did not. I Perhaps, now, you would be good enough to explain it to them, so that they too can share your pleasure.”

Questions:
Q.1. Nobody laughed at the joke made by Mr Crocker-Harris because …………………
A. it was not so funny.
B. everybody was scared of being punished if laughed.
C. nobody understood it.
D. they had heard that joke previously.

Q.2. Only Taplow laughed at the joke made by Mr Crocker-Harris …………….
A. for he wanted to please him.
B. out of ordinary common politeness.
C. for feeling sorry as he had made a poor joke.
D. Both ‘B’ and ‘C’

.

→

Prank: Look, what time did Mr Crocker- Harris tell you to be here?
Taplow: Six-thirty, sir.
Frank: Well, he’s ten minutes late. Why don’t you cut? You could still play golf before lock-up.
Taplow: (really shocked) Oh, no. I couldn’t cut. Cut the Crock-Mr Crocker- Harris ? I shouldn’t think it’s ever been done in the whole time he’s been here. God knows what would happen if I did. He’d probably follow me home, or something.
Frank: I must admit I envy him the effect he seems to have on you boys in the form. You all seem scared to death of him. What does he do – beat you all, or something ?
Taplow: Good Lord, no. He’s not a sadist, like one or two of the others.

Questions:
Q.1. What do the words, “Why don’t you cut?” mean?
A. Protest B. Make an argument
C. Steal time D. Appreciate

Q.2. “……………. before lock-up” means …………..
A. ‘before he takes you under his control.’
B. ‘before you go in his custody.’
C. ‘before somebody coupels you to follow his orders.’
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’

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