Question : Comprehension:
Read the following passage and answer the questions.
For birds to survive, they must learn to live with and off humans, and those birds, like crows, sparrows, and mynahs, who do this to perfection, continue to thrive as our cities grow, whereas the purely wild birds, who depend on forests for life, are rapidly disappearing because forests are disappearing. If you have just a bit of garden and perhaps a guava tree, you will be visited by innumerable bulbuls, mynahs, tailor birds, parrots, etc. Or, if you own an old house, you will have to share it with pigeons and sparrows. And, if you have neither a garden nor a rooftop, you will still be visited by the crows.
Where man goes, the crow follows. He has learned to perfect the art of living off of humans. He will, I am sure, be the first bird on the moon, scavenging among the paper bags and cartons left behind by untidy astronauts. Crows favour the densest areas of the human population, and there must be one for every human. Many crows seem to have been humans in their previous lives; they possess all the cunning and sense of self preservation of man. At the same time, there are many humans who have obviously been crows, we haven't lost their thieving instincts.
Watch a crow sidling along the garden wall with an eye at the kitchen door and any attendant humans. He waits in the background till his chance comes, and then he pounces! I have even known a crow to make off with an egg from the breakfast table. The mynah, however, is more of a gentleman. He prefers fruit on the tree to scraps from the kitchen and visits the garden in expectation of handouts. He is quite handsome, too, with his bright orange bill. Although the blue jay is quite capable of making his living in the forest, he seems to show a preference for human haunts. He would rather perch on a telegraph wire because he finds it a better launching pad for his sudden rocket flights and aerial acrobatics!
Question:
Which of these birds has been called a ‘thief’ by the narrator?
Option 1: parrot
Option 2: crow
Option 3: mynah
Option 4: bulbul
Correct Answer: crow
Solution : The correct choice is the second option.
Explanation: The bird that has been called a 'thief' by the narrator is the crow. The passage mentions the cunning and thieving instincts of crows, describing how they sidle along walls, wait for opportunities, and even make off with items such as eggs from breakfast tables. The specific lines, (watch a crow sidling along the garden wall... I have even known a crow to make off with an egg from the breakfast table) highlight the crow's thieving behaviour.
Therefore, the correct answer is crow.
Application | Eligibility | Dates | Syllabus
The mynah has been referred to as a ‘gentleman’ because he:
Option 1: accepts food that is handed out
Option 2: is an expert in acrobatics
Option 3: flies off with kitchen scraps
Option 4: looks handsome with an orange beak
What is the theme of the passage?
Option 1: Receding forests
Option 2: Survival of the birds in cities
Option 3: Alarming crow population
Option 4: Migration of birds
The narrator thinks that some crows must have been humans in previous births because of their:
Option 1: city dwelling
Option 2: selfish ways
Option 3: large numbers
Option 4: untidy habits
According to the narrator, where can birds survive the longest?
Option 1: in the forests
Option 2: in gardens
Option 3: in human habitations
Option 4: in old houses
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
One month ago, he had lost his (1) __________ in a car crash. He had suffered from head injuries that had sent him into a coma for two weeks. With the crash, his (2) _________career as an F1 racer ended and all his ambitions tied to the sport were (3) __________. He was one of the youngest racers to have made it to the F1 (4) __________ and his skills were (5) _______ by any other racer in his country, they say.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank number 5.
Option 1: upheld
Option 2: unmatched
Option 3: matched
Option 4: snatched
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