Passage 1
Nature writing is nonfiction or fiction prose or poetry about the natural environment. Nature writing encompasses a wide variety of works, ranging from those that place primary emphasis on natural history facts (such as field guides) to those in which philosophical interpretation predominate. It includes natural history essays, poetry, essays of solitude or escape, as well as travel and adventure writing.
Nature writing often draws heavily on scientific information and facts about the natural world; at the same time, it is frequently written in the first person and incorporates personal observations of and philosophical reflections upon nature.
Modern nature writing traces its roots to the works of natural history that were popular in the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 19th. An important early figure was the "parson-naturalist" Gilbert White (1720 – 1793), a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist. He is best known for his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789).
Read the passage and choose the most appropriate option
Q1. Nature writing emphasizes on
i. Historical facts about the nature
ii. Philosophical interpretations of the nature
iii. Scientific information and facts
Choose the most appropriate
a) None of the above
b) Only (i) and (ii)
c) All the above
d) Only (i) and (ii)
Q2. Based on the passage what is period to which the modern nature writing can be traced to
a) 1850 till 1999
b) 1850 to 1899
c) 1750 till 1899
d) 1750 till 1900
Q3. Which statement summarizes the above passage
a) The passage talks about the life and lessons of Gilbert White, a profound naturalist and ornithologist.
b) The passage talks about how the nature writing is missing in the modern era and needs to be revived.
c) The passage talks about from where the writers draw inspiration for nature writing, and how its importance is diminishing in the modern era.
d) The passage talks about what nature writing is, the different types of nature writing, its style, and about the roots and pioneer of modern nature writing.
Q4. Which word aptly describes the word “reflections” as used in the passage
a) Opinion
b) Reproduction
c) Images
d) None of the above
Q5. According to the passage, what kind of works are written as part of nature writing?
i. Natural history essays and essays of solitude or escape
ii. Poetry
iii. Travel and adventure writing
Choose the correct options
a) Only (i)
b) Only (i) and (ii)
c) Only (ii) and (iii)
d) All the above
Answers
1 – c
2 – c
3 – d
4 – a
5 – d
Passage 2
The Himalayas, or Himalaya, form a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.
The Himalayan range has many of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. The Himalayas include over fifty mountains exceeding 7,200 m (23,600 ft) in elevation, including ten of the fourteen 8,000-metre peaks. By contrast, the highest peak outside Asia (Aconcagua, in the Andes) is 6,961 m (22,838 ft) tall.
Lifted by the subduction of the Indian tectonic plate under the Eurasian Plate, the Himalayan mountain range runs west-northwest to east-southeast in an arc 2,400 km (1,500 mi) long. Its western anchor, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost bend of Indus river. Its eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, is just west of the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (upper stream of the Brahmaputra River). The Himalayan range is bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges. To the north, the chain is separated from the Tibetan Plateau by a 50–60 km (31–37 mi) wide tectonic valley called the Indus-Tsangpo Suture. Towards the south the arc of the Himalaya is ringed by the very low Indo-Gangetic Plain. The range varies in width from 350 km (220 mi) in the west (Pakistan) to 150 km (93 mi) in the east (Arunachal Pradesh). The Himalayas are distinct from the other great ranges of central Asia, although sometimes the term 'Himalaya' (or 'Greater Himalaya') is loosely used to include the Karakoram and some of the other ranges.
Read the passage and choose the most appropriate option
Q1. How long is the Himalayan mountain range?
a) 2400 mi
b) 2400 kms
c) 1500 mi
d) 15000mi
Q2. What is the northwest border of the Himalayas?
a) Hindu Kush & Nanga Parbat
b) Indus-Tsangpo Suture
c) Karakoram & Hindu Kush
d) Karakoram & Nanga Parbat
Q3. How many peaks in the Himalayas are above 8000 meter above the sea level?
a) Ten
b) Fifty
c) Five
d) Fourteen
Q4. Which word in the passage means “the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate.”
a) Tectonic
b) Anchor
c) Subduction
d) Valley
Q5. Which statement summarizes the information given in the passage
a) The passage talks about how the Himalayas act as a barrier to icy winds for India
b) The passage talks about the Mount Everest in the Himalayas
c) The passage talks only about the geographic boundaries of the Himalayas
d) The passage talks about the geographic boundaries and the might of the Himalayas
Answers
1 – b
2 – c
3 – a
4 – c
5 - d
Passage 3
The rivers of India play an important role in the lives of the Indians. They provide potable water, cheap transportation, electricity, and the livelihood for a large number of people all over the country. This easily explains why nearly all the major cities of India are located by the banks of rivers. The rivers also have an important role in Hindu Religion and are considered holy by all Hindus in the country.
Seven major rivers along with their numerous tributaries make up the river system of India. The largest basin system of the rivers pours their waters into the Bay of Bengal; however, some of the rivers whose courses take them through the western part of the country and towards the east of the state of Himachal Pradesh empty into the Arabian Sea. Parts of Ladakh, northern parts of the Aravalli range and the arid parts of the Thar Desert have inland drainage.
All major rivers of India originate from one of the following main watersheds:
1. Aravalli range
2. Himalaya and Karakoram ranges
3. Sahyadri or Western Ghats in western India
4. Vindhya and Satpura ranges
Himalayan glaciers in the Indian subcontinent are broadly divided into the three river basins, namely the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. The Indus basin has the largest number of glaciers (3500), whereas the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins contain about 1000 and 660 glaciers, respectively. Ganga is the largest river system in India. However these rivers are just three among many. Other examples are Narmada, Tapi, and Godavari.
Read the passage and choose the most appropriate option
Q1. According the passage, the major rivers in India
a) Pour only into Bay of Bengal
b) Pour only into Arabian Sea
c) Pour either into Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea or have inland drainage
d) Pour either into Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea
Q2. How many glaciers are there in each of the river basins in India?
a) Brahmaputra, Ganga, Indus – 1000, 660, 3500 respectively
b) Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganga – 1000, 660, 3500 respectively
c) Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra – 1000, 660, 3500 respectively
d) Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus – 1000, 660, 3500 respectively
Q3. According to the passage the rivers in India play a pivotal role because:
i. They provide potable water
ii. They are important only to the Hindus
iii. They provide cheap transportation & electricity
iv. They are located near all major cities in India
v. They are means to earn livelihood for a large number of people
Choose the correct options
a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)
b) (iii) (i) (v)
c) (v) (iii) (i) (iv)
d) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)
Q4. All the major Indian rivers originate from the following watersheds
a) Himalaya, Karakoram, Aravalli, Western Ghats, Sahyadri, Vindhya
b) Karakoram, Aravalli, Himalaya, Hindu Kush, Vindhya, Satpura, Sahyadri
c) Himalaya, Karakoram, Aravalli, Nanga Parbat, Vindhya, Satpura, Western Ghats
d) Aravalli, Himalaya, Karakoram, Sahyadri, Vindhya, Satpura
Q5. Which all rivers are mentioned in the entire passage
a) Ganga, Bay of Bengal, Indus, Narmada, Tapi, Godavari
b) Tapi, Ganga, Bay of Bengal, Indus, Arabian Sea, Godavari
c) Brahmaputra, Indus, Ganga, Narmada, Tapi, Godavari
d) Narmada, Tapi, Godavari
Answers
1 – c
2 – d
3 – b
4 – d
5 – c