Fill the suitable word in the blank given in the following sentences – 

The publisher has not seen me ………………………………Sunday. 

Select the most appropriate word which means the same as the group of words given.
A government run by a king or a queen

In the following question, out of the given four alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the Idiom/Phrase.

Be in the red

The conclusion of World Trade Organization’s 11th biennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss as status quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators to reach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTO’s efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of trade through consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in India’s best interest.
 Perhaps the biggest threat to WTO’s efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The world’s largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and has begun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half of all cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of trade obstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock at WTO.
 India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers to beneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But it’s important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, India’s plan to organise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of a diverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it.

According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT true?

Four words are given, out of which only one word is spelt correctly. Choose the correctly spelt word and click the button corresponding to it.

Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.

Tens of thousands of people who lost their homes in a catastrophic earthquake huddled around campfires in the bitter cold and clamoured for food and water on Thursday, three days after the temblor hit Turkey and Syria and killed more than 19,300 on Monday, 6th February, 2023.

Emergency crews used pick axes, shovels and jackhammers to dig through twisted metal and concrete - and occasionally still pulled out survivors. In the Turkish city of Antakya, dozens scrambled for aid in front of a truck distributing children's coats and other supplies. Many of those who lost their homes found shelter in tents, stadiums and other temporary accommodation, but others slept outdoors. In Antakya, over 100 bodies were awaiting identification in a makeshift morgue outside a hospital.

Authorities called off search-and-rescue operations in the cities of Kilis and Sanliurfa, where destruction was not as severe as in other impacted regions. The U.N. is authorised to deliver aid through only one border crossing, and road damage has prevented that thus far. U.N. Officials pleaded for humanitarian concerns to take precedence over wartime politics.

The scale of loss and suffering remained massive. Turkish authorities said on Thursday that the death toll had risen to more than 16,100 in the country, with more than 64,000 injured. In Syria, which includes government-held and rebel-held areas, more than 3,100 have been reported dead and more than 5,000 injured.

Rescue teams urged quiet in the hope of hearing stifled pleas for help, and the Syrian paramedic group known as the White Helmets noted that every second could mean saving a life. But more and more often, the teams pulled out dead bodies.

It was not clear how many people were still unaccounted for in both countries. Turkey's disaster-management agency said more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.

The Foreign Ministry said 95 countries have offered help. More than half of that number have sent a total of nearly 6,500 rescuers. Another 2,400 more are still expected to arrive. International aid for Syria was far more sparse.

Efforts there have been hampered by the civil war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border that is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces.

Match the words with their meaning.

Words meanings

a. clamoured 1. checked

b. scrambled 2. screamed

c. hampered 3. jostled

You have eight brief passages with 10 questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives 

A farmer accompanied by his young son was driving his ass to the market in the hope of selling the ass for a good price. On the road, they met a bevy of girls who laughed and exclaimed, “See this pair of fools ? They are trudging along the dusty road, when they can be riding !” The man thought that there was sense in what they were saying. So he mounted his son on the ass and he walked at the side. Presently, they met some of his old friends, who greeted him and said, “You’ll spoil your son, by letting him ride while you toil along on foot! Make him walk. It’ll be good for him.” The farmer followed their advice and took his son’s place on the back of the ass while the boy trudged along behind. They would not have gone far, they were seen by women and children. The farmer heard them say, “What a selfish old man ! He rides in comfort, but lets his poor little fellow walk the distance.” So he asked his son to get up behind him. Further along the road, they met some travellers. They asked the farmer whether the ass was his property or was it hired for the purpose. The farmer told them that he was taking his ass to the market to sell it. The travellers said, “Good Heavens ! With the load like this, the poor beast will look exhausted and no one would like to purchase him. Why don’t you carry him.” Immediately, the farmer got off the ass, tied its legs with the rope and slung him on a pole and carried him in between them. This was such an absurd sight that people laughed at it. They called the farmer and his son lunatics. They had then reached a bridge over a river. Frightened by the noise around, the ass struggled, kicked, broke the pole, fell into the river and died. The farmer returned home vexed and ashamed. In trying to please all, he in fact, had pleased none and he had lost the ass in the transaction. 

The word trudged means  

Direction: In the following questions, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word as your answer.

Fetch