Question : Comprehension:
India is a diverse nation with many different cultures. Although some eating habits are considered staples of Indian cuisine, these habits may not be practiced by all the cultures of India. Cuisine differs across India's diverse regions as a result of variations in local culture, geographical location (proximity to the sea, desert, or mountains), and economics. It also varies seasonally, depending on which fruits and vegetables are ripe. Also, Middle Eastern and Central Asian influences have occurred in North Indian cuisine since the years of Mughal rule. Indian cuisine is still evolving as a result of the nation's cultural interactions with other societies.
Historical incidents such as foreign invasions, trade relations, and colonialism have played a role in introducing certain foods to the country. For instance, potato, a staple of the diet in some regions of India, was brought to India by the Portuguese, who also introduced chilies and breadfruit. Indian cuisine has shaped the history of international relations; the spice trade between India and Europe was the primary catalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery. Spices were bought from India and traded around Europe and Asia. Indian cuisine has influenced other cuisines across the world, especially those from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the British Isles, Fiji, and the Caribbean.
Indian food is rich in flavor. However, spices do more than flavor a dish; they are also used to cool and warm the body during hot or cold weather. Yogurt is commonly used to flavor dishes or as a sauce to chill spicy dishes. Many Indian dishes are cooked in vegetable oil, but peanut oil is popular in northern and western India, mustard oil in eastern India, and coconut oil along the western coast, especially in Kerala. Gingelly (sesame) oil is common in the south since it imparts a fragrant, nutty aroma. In recent decades, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils have become popular across India. Butter-based ghee, or deshi ghee, is used frequently, though less than in the past.
Based on the passage above, choose the correct option for the following question.
Question
According to the passage, choose the correct synonym of the word 'catalyst'.
Option 1: Micro
Option 2: Disregard
Option 3: Activator
Option 4: Animosity
Correct Answer: Activator
Solution : The correct option is the third option.
In the context of the passage, the term 'catalyst' is used to describe the spice trade between India and Europe as the primary factor or force that accelerated Europe's Age of Discovery. Similarly, an 'activator' serves as a synonym in this context, emphasising the idea of initiating or setting into motion a significant historical event.
Therefore, the meanings of the other words are:
- Micro: That depicts something extremely small, about things on a very small scale.
- Disregard: This means to pay no attention; to ignore or neglect.
- Animosity: This means to have strong hostility or antagonism; intense dislike or hatred.
Therefore, the most appropriate synonym for catalyst is activator.
Question : What is the significance of kinship in the study of social history?
Option 1: It defines technological roles
Option 2: It influences economic policies
Option 3: It shapes social relationships and hierarchies
Option 4: It determines political alliances
Correct Answer: It shapes social relationships and hierarchies
Solution : The significance of kinship in the study of social history lies in its role in shaping social relationships and hierarchies, as it defines the connections and responsibilities within families and communities.
Question : Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the underlined word.
Built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty from 1238-1250 CE, the 13th century late-style Kalingan temple forms part of the golden triangle of Odisha, along with Puri and Bhubaneswar, and attracts tourists, pilgrims, and history and art lovers.
Option 1: Embodies
Option 2: Shrouds
Option 3: Elucidates
Option 4: Deters
Correct Answer: Deters
Solution : The correct choice is the fourth option.
The meaning of "deter" is to discourage or prevent someone from doing something, whereas the meaning of "attract" is to cause someone to come to a place or participate in a venture.
The meanings of the other words are as follows:
- Elucidate: This means to make something clear or explain.
- Shroud: It means a cloth that is used to cover a dead body.
- Embody: This means to be a very good example of something.
Therefore, the right answer is "deters".
Question : Choose the sentence that has a punctuation error.
Option 1: He said, "I am going to the market".
Option 2: Mary's favorite color is blue, green and yellow.
Option 3: The dog barked; the cat meowed.
Option 4: The book, which is about history, is very interesting.
Correct Answer: Mary's favorite color is blue, green and yellow.
Solution : The correct answer is option 2; Mary's favorite color is blue, green and yellow.
Explanation:
The correct way to punctuate this sentence is: Mary's favorite color is blue, green, and yellow.
Question : As a Morally and physically weak Roman empire crumbled, Morally and physically strong teutonic barbarians overran the lends that once were pride of the Latins. The visigoths overran Spain, And vandals overran North Africa. The Francs overran Gaul, the angels and saxons overran Britain and the ostrogroths overran Italy. These invasions brought about the lowest ebb in literature and learning known to history.
Out of pagan and immoral Rome, Christianity and asceticism grew and thrived, certain individuals became incensed with immorality and Worldliness that existed in Roman society. They would not worship the Roman gods attend the bath or visit the games. They thought that all sorts of physical activity were foolish pursuits in that they designed to improve the body. They preached that the body and mind were distinct and separate entities in man and one had no bearing on the other. The Christian imperial theodosius abolished the Olympic games A.D.394 as being pagan.
Christianity believed that evil exists in the body, therefore, it should be subordinated to the spirit, which is pure. The body is possessed of the devil and should be tortured. Sach practices led to poor health and shattered nervous system on the part of many. As Christianity spread monasteries were built where Christians could isolate themselves from the world and its evils. Later schools were attached to these monasteries but early Christianity would not allow physical education to become a part of the curriculum. The medieval University also frowned physical education.
Another influence that has had a major impact on the history of physical education is scholasticism-the belief that facts are the most essential items is one's education. The key to a successful life is knowing the facts and developing one's mental and intellectual powers. Scholasticism the emphasized the physical as an unimportant and unnecessary. The moment developed among the scholarship and the universities of the medieval ages.
The Olympic games were abolished by :
Option 1: Romans
Option 2: Greeks
Option 3: Christians
Option 4: Latins
Correct Answer: Christians
Solution : They preached that the body and mind were distinct and separate entities in man and one had no bearing on the other. The Christian imperial theodosius abolished the Olympic games A.D.394 as being pagan.
Question : Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Plato is the earliest important educational thinker, and education is an essential element in 'The Republic' (his most important work on philosophy and political theory, written around 360 B.C.). In it, he advocates some rather extreme methods: removing children from their mothers' care and raising them as wards of the state, and differentiating children suitable to the various castes, the highest receiving the most education, so that they could act as guardians of the city and care for the less able. He believed that education should be holistic, including facts, skills, physical discipline, music, and art. Plato believed that talent and intelligence are not distributed genetically and thus can be found in children born to all classes, although his proposed system of selective public education for an educated minority of the population does not really follow a democratic model.
Aristotle considered human nature, habit, and reason to be equally important forces to be cultivated in education, the ultimate aim of which should be to produce good and virtuous citizens. He proposed that teachers lead their students systematically, and that repetition be used as a key tool to develop good habits, unlike Socrates' emphasis on questioning his listeners to bring out their own ideas. He emphasized the balancing of the theoretical and practical aspects of subjects taught, among which he explicitly mentions reading, writing, mathematics, music, physical education, literature, history, and a wide range of sciences, as well as play, which he also considered important.
Question:
Which of these methods is NOT advocated in 'The Republic'?
Option 1: Differentiating children based on castes
Option 2: Imparting similar education to all children
Option 3: Bringing up children under state guardianship
Option 4: Keeping children away from mothers
Correct Answer: Imparting similar education to all children
Solution : The second option is the correct choice.
The method not advocated in The Republic is imparting similar education to all children.
Explanation:
In the given passage, it is mentioned that in The Republic, Plato advocates some rather extreme methods, including removing children from their mothers' care raising them as wards of the state and differentiating children suitable to the various castes.
Plato believed in a hierarchical system where the highest caste received the most education to act as guardians of the city.
Question : Directions: Five books of History, Mathematics, English, Hindi, and Science are kept on top of each other. English is kept between History and Mathematics. Hindi and Science are kept together. Science is kept above Mathematics. Which book is kept in the middle?
Option 1: Mathematics
Option 2: English
Option 3: Science
Option 4: Mathematics or English
Correct Answer: Mathematics
Solution : Given:
English is kept between History and Mathematics.
Mathematics/History |
English |
History/Mathematics |
Science is kept above Mathematics. Hindi and Science are kept together.
Hindi |
Science |
Mathematics |
So, the order becomes →
Hindi |
Science |
Mathematics |
English |
History |
Mathematics is kept in the middle. Hence, the first option is correct.
Question : Comprehension:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the question of where and when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic ever, originated is one of the biggest mysteries in human history. After all, the Black Death was the first wave of the second plague pandemic of the 14th to early 19th centuries. It killed some 50-60% of the population in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and an unaccountable number of people in Central Asia. Different proposals, based on competing theories, have been put forward. But in 2017, I came across some records describing an intriguing medieval cemetery in Kara-Djigach, Chüy Valley, northern Kyrgyzstan, which I suspected may hold the key. As part of a multidisciplinary team co-led by Maria Spyrou at the University of Tubingen, we have now investigated several specimens from individuals buried at that site – and come up with an answer. The idea that the Black Death originated in the east – territories overlapping, roughly speaking, Central Asia, Mongolia and China – dates back to the contemporaries of the pandemic in Europe and the Islamic world. The modern, academic Chinese origin theory dates back to at least 1756-8 and a publication about the history of Central Asia by French scholar Joseph de Guignes.
What is the tone of the speaker?
Option 1: Humorous
Option 2: Explanatory
Option 3: Pessimistic
Option 4: Informal
Correct Answer: Explanatory
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
The speaker is providing information and explanations about the origin of the Black Death, discussing different theories and their historical context. The passage is focused on presenting facts and research findings rather than using humour, expressing pessimism, or adopting an informal style.
Therefore, the tone of the speaker is explanatory.