Direction. 1-10 Read the paragraph and answer the questions based on it.
The superiority of the West is due to its intellectual integrity, the sincerity of its pure suit of truth. From the times of Socrates, the seeker of truth down till today, western mind, with rare exceptions, has remarkably been free from self-complacency, intellectual laziness and blind faith in ancient wisdom. It has never lost the sense of wonder, the eager curiosity to know and find out for oneself by observation and experiment, the truth of the near and the far. Science had made life easier for millions of men and women. Our educators tried to impart to use the scientific mind. The possession of the scientific spirit is not the same as the capacity to use scientific devices. We may be able to use the telephone and the wireless, the railways and the aeroplane, and yet be lacking in the scientific mind which is something organic and structural and not merely outward and decorative. The scientific spirit must be applied not only to the ordinary arrangement of life and leisure, to the distribution of material goods, to the improvement of industry and agriculture, but also to the things which touch the mind and the' morals of the community. Our scientific conscience must be shocked not only by the contracts of fabulous wealth and growing poverty but also by those of intense holiness and diseased superstition. In our relations with one another, we have failed to apply scientific and social wisdom. The failure is writ large on our society. Social abuses like un-touch ability are tolerated simply because the spirit in us is suppressed by the force of custom. They are practised by otherwise kindly persons who have ceased to feel and whose understanding is petrified by tradition. There are millions in our country today who use scientific devices and yet never superstition as mystical revelation and adhere to absurd social customs in the name of tradition. We owe our reverence to the seekers of truth, who conquer our minds by the spirit of truth and not to the conformists, who enslave our minds in the Dame of tradition. Tradition cannot ever supersede truth, conscience cannot be silenced by scripture. We must clear our minds of the cobwebs which are found there.
1. The West owes its superiority over the East to its-
(a) belief in material values (b) dignity of the individual
(c) intellectual discipline and selfless search for truth
(d) belief in moral and spiritual Values
2. By self-complacency is meant
(a) vanity
(b) self-reliance
(c) self assurance
(d) tendency of giving importance to self
3. The stumbling block in the way of progress is-
(a) mental indolence
(b) blind belief
(c) paucity of funds
(d) over worldliness
4. Scientific spirit means-
(a) capacity to use scientific devices
(b) interest in the pursuit of truth for its own sake
(c) interest in the study of books on science
(d) capacity to think systematically
5. The main factor responsible for social abuses like untouchability in India is
(a) ignorance of the people
(b) economic backwardness
(c) interest in the study of books on science
(d) the force of custom
6. Scientific spirit and scientific mind are lacked by the people of-
(a) Western European countries
(b) India
(c) Japan
(d) Russia
7. Scientific conscience means
(a) conscience based upon science
(b) conscience which tends to look upon things systematically
(c) established habits of reading books on science
(d) mere belief
8. Our scientific conscience is shocked also by intense holiness and diseased superstition because-
(a) reason does not justify their reason
(b) these things are immoral
(c) these things are out of accord with our spiritual values of life
(d) superstition kills open enquiry and encourages the tendency of accepting things as they are
9. 'The failure is writ large on our society' means-
(a) the society is suffering the consequences of the lack of the scientific spirit on our part.
(b) not individuals but society has failed in coming out of grooves of dead habits.
(c) the failures are recorded in the history books.
(d) the account of failures of society is written in large letters.
10. 'Whose understanding is petrified by tradition means-
(a) The weight of customs and tradition is so great that their reason does not work to get at the reality.
(b) their understanding has left them and they have become totally insensitive to reason.
(c) they are too much given to the worship of old ways and customs.
(d) their common sense has been converted into stone.
Direction 11-17 Choose the word most opposite in meaning
11. Profound
(a) Less (b) Superficial (c) Vast (d) Sceptical
12. Edifice
(a) Ignorance (b) Ruin (c) Building (d) Corruption
13. Obstinate
(a) Docile (b) Flexible (c) Fragile (d) Eager
16. Theoretical
(a) Real (b) Practical (c) Hypothetical (d) Genuine
17. Isolation
(a) association (b) Society (c) Connection (d) Union
Direction 18-23 Choose the right meaning which best describes the phrase
18. to show the white feather
a. To act in a dull manner
(b) To show signs of cowardice
(c) To fly
(d) To cheat
19. To wrangle over an ass's shadow
(a) To act in a funny manner
(b) To quarrel over trifles
(c) To waste money
(d) To struggle
20. Flog a dead horse-
(a) To waste one's energy
(b) To waste one's money
(c) To kill someone
(d) To encourage
21. To fly off the handle
(a) To dislocate
(b) To lose one's temper
(c) To run away
(d) To cause ruin or destruction
22. Gift of the gab-
(a) Talent for speaking
(b) An unexpected gift
(c) To be lucky
(d) To achieve success
23. To set the Thames on fire
a. To do the impossible
(b) To make a vain effort
(c) To do a heroic deed
(d) To do the unexpected
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