Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions. Certain words are given in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.
Akbar was the son of humble parents. His father was a school master. There was never very much money in the house so he didn’t enjoy any luxuries . All he wanted was to learn more and more. Books were not easily available then as they were handwritten and very expensive. Akbar read all the books he could lay his hands on. In due course, he mastered Arabic, Persian, Philosophy and Astronomy and dreamt of getting a position at court. But for this one had to really excel in some field. Also one needed a patron close enough to the Emperor to recommend a newcomer. It was a few months before he could find a patron and a few more months before he could find a suitable opportunity to recommend him to the Emperor who asked what he had learnt and what work he could do. On hearing the same, he said, " We are pleased to give the young man a chance. Let him take charge of the royal poultry house!" when he heard the news Akbar was heartbroken. He, a scholar, capable of debating with the most learned men asked to look after chicking hens! All the same he got down to work with great determination. His only concern was hens. He saw to it that they were well fed and had clean water, that their living quarters were clean and if a fowl took ill that it was separated from the others and given proper treatment. Meanwhile the Emperor had forgotten about the scholar he had packed off to mind the hens. But one day while his Finance Minister was reading out the palace accounts to tell the Emperor how much money had been spent can the royal house hold, he mentioned such a low figure that the Emperor sat up.
" Have most of the hens died?” he asked No your Majesty’, was the reply - " The hens are not only alive but are plump and fit.” Send for the scholar!” the Emperor demanded.
When Akbar came to the palace the Emperor demanded, “Aren’t you feeding the hens properly?” “I am sire, only the food is different! I’m feeding them what cannot be used in the royal kitchen, vegetable peels and dough used to seal the vessels while cooking for your Majesty . The hens not only enjoy it, but it is also very good for them. " Good work, we hereby promote you to the rank of royal librarian.” Akbar was bitterly disappointed. He had spent the first thirty years of his life gaining knowledge. How he wished to gain that knowledge and help people. Instead as head of the royal library he would be seeing only books and no people. But he buckled down to organising the library.  
A year later the Emperor came to visit the library. He was surprised to find each book covered with a packet of silk, velvet or brocade. There were hundreds of books and not one without a cover. “You have used expensive material to cover the books but have not charged us. Surely you are not spending your own money?” Akbar bowed low, “Your Majesty these covers did not cost anything. Every day dozens of people come to the court with humble grievances on sheets of paper which are folded and placed inside a bag of the most expensive material that they can afford.

Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?
 A. Akbar was aged when he was finally made a courtier.
 B. Akbar excelled at whatever job the Emperor assigned him.
 C. The Emperor did not value a person’s education but his family background.

When the family in the next house packed off at midnight, I began to smell a rat. 

Directions: In question four alternatives are given for the Idiom/Phrase underlined in the sentences. Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase and mark it is the Answer Sheet.

He rides the high horse because of his high connection.

Direction: In the following questions, a passage given in the below. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question.

As my train was not due to leave for another hour, I had plenty of time to spare. After buying some magazines to read on the journey, I made my way to the luggage office to collect the heavy suitcase I had left there three days before. There were only a few people waiting, and I took out my wallet to find the receipt for my case. The receipt did not seem to be where I had left it. I emptied the contents of the wallet, and the railway tickets, money, scraps of paper, and photographs tumbled out of it; but no matter how hard I searched, the receipt was nowhere to be found.

I explained the situation sorrowfully to the assistant. The man looked at me suspiciously as if to say he had heared this type of story many times and asked me to describe the case. I told him that it was an old, brown looking object no different from the many suitcases I could see on the shelves. The assistant then gave me form and told me to make a list of the contents of the case. If they were correct, he said, I could take the case away. I tried to remember all the articles I had hurriedly packed and wrote them down.

After I had done this, I went to look among the shelves. There were hundreds of cases there and for one dreadful moment , it occurred to me that if someone had picked the receipt up , he could easily have  claimed the case already , Fortunately this had not happened , for after a time , I found the case lying on its side high up in the corner . After examining the articles inside, the assistant gave me the case . 

I took out my walled to pay him. I pulled out a ten-shilling note and out slipped my “lost” receipt with it! I could not help blushing . The assistant noded his head knowingly, as if to say that he had often seen this happen too!!

The writer found the receipt

Direction: Select the correct or preferred spelling for each of these commonly misspelled words
Which of the following spellings is correct?

In each of the following questions, sentences are given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate word (s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. Choose the correct alternative out of the four and indicate your choice for the correct answer.

I was annoyed because the decision_____ without my knowledge.

Directions: In question four alternatives are given for the Idiom/Phrase underlined in the sentences. Choose the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase and mark it is the Answer Sheet.

If he phones again, I am going to give him a piece of my mind.

Directions : In these questions , a part of the sentence is given in bold . Below are given alternatives to the bold part at (A) , (B) and (C) which may improve the sentence . Choose the correct alternative . In case no improvement is needed you answer is (D ) .

The farmer are working in the field from sunrise and will continue to do so until sunset.