General English Practice Question and Answer

Q:Direction (1-6): Read the passage carefully then answer the questions given below. 

People have long circulated news via word-of-mouth, and as language evolved into writing and literacy – and governments played larger roles in people’s lives – sharing information became a necessity. However, disseminating news and information on paper presented significant challenges. When each copy had to be handwritten, mass distribution was impossible. They were first chiseled in stone or metal; later, they were handwritten and distributed in public forums or read from scrolls by town criers. Though both ancient Romans and Chinese – as well as other ancient civilizations – had early forms of news media, they do not qualify as newspapers because they could not be mass-distributed.
 The first true newspapers arrived after Johannes Gutenberg introduced his movable type printing press to the European world around 1440. Though printing presses with movable type had existed in eastern Asia for around two centuries, they never made it to Europe; furthermore, Gutenberg’s version made it significantly faster to mass produce documents. By 1500, the printing press had made its way throughout Europe, and news sheets (or news books) were mass-distributed.
 The first weekly newspaper was published in Germany by Johann Carolus in 1604. Called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, the publication satisfied the four tenets of a “true” newspaper: Accessibility by the public, Published at a regular interval (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) ,Information is current ,Covers a variety of topics (politics, events, entertainment, sports, etc.) Despite meeting the requirements for a newspaper, there is some debate as to whether The Relation qualifies as the world’s first newspaper since it was printed in quarto, not folio, size. It’s worth noting the World Association of Newspapers considers The Relation the first true newspaper.’
 Other German newspapers followed, and in 1618 the world’s first broadsheet newspaper printed in folio size was published in Amsterdam, called Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. The newspaper format soon spread throughout Europe, with newspapers published in Spain, France, and Sweden. The first English newspaper was published in 1665 in Oxford, England. Known as the Oxford Gazette, the newspaper moved to London in 1666 and was renamed the London Gazette. It’s still being published today. Soon after, the newspaper became a staple in all major European countries. It then made its way to the New World. 

In ancient time what was the biggest challenge that the people had to face while circulating the news? 

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    Earlier each copy had to be handwritten; mass distribution was next to impossible.
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    It was a herculean task for the editors to get an affirmation by government for printing the news
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    The biggest challenge was of printing the news on a paper
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    Both (a) and (c)
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 5
    All are incorrect
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 1. "Earlier each copy had to be handwritten; mass distribution was next to impossible. "

Q:

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.

Limp

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    Hard
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    Usually
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    Rare
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    Mild
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 4. "Mild"

Q:

Directions (30): In each of the question given below a/an idiom/phrase is given in bold which is then followed by five options which then tries to decipher its meaning as used in the sentence. Choose the option which gives the meaning of the phrase most appropriately in context of the given sentence.
Shyam can’t afford to buy that car! It costs an arm and a leg.

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    something that can be found rarely
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    something very cheap
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    something very expensive
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    something that is easily available
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 5
    none of the above
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 3. "something very expensive"

Q:

Instructions Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given it. Certain word/phrases have been printed in ‘’bold’’ to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.
India is rushing headlong towards economic success and modernisation, counting on high-tech industries such as information technology and biotechnology to propel the nation to prosperity. India’s recent announcement that it would no longer produce unlicensed inexpensive generic pharmaceuticals bowed to the realities of the World Trade Organisation while at the same time challenging the domestic drug industry to compete with the multinational firms. Unfortunately, its weak higher education sector constitutes the Achilles’ heel.
of this strategy. Its systematic disinvestment in higher education in recent years has yield neither world-class research nor very many highly trained scholars, scientists or managers to sustain high-tech development. India’s main competitor especially China buts also Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea are investing in large and ‘’differentiated’’ higher education systems. They are providing access to large number of students at the bottom of the academic system while at the same time building some research-based universities that are able to compete with the world’s best institutions. The recent London Times Higher Education Supplement ranking of the world’s top 200 universities included three in China, three in Hong Kong three in South Korea. one in Taiwan, and one in India. These countries are positioning themselves for leadership in the knowledge based economies for coming era. There was a time when countries could achieve economic success with cheap labour and low-tech manufacturing. Low wages still help, but contemporary large-scale development requires a sophisticated and at least partly knowledge based economy. India has chosen that path, but will find a major stumbling block in its universities system. India has significant advantages in the 21st century knowledge race. It has a large higher education sector --- the third largest in the world in student numbers, after China and the United States. It uses English as a primary language of higher education and research. It has a long academic tradition. Academic freedom is respected. There are a small number of highly quality institutions, departments, and centres that can form the basis of quality sector in higher education. The fact that the States, rather than the Central Government, exercise major responsibility for higher education creates a rather cumbersome structure, but the system allows for a variety of policies and approaches. Yet the weakness far outweigh the strengths. India educates approximately 10 per cent of its young people in higher education compared with more than half in the major industrialised countries and 15 per cent in China. Almost all of the world’s academic systems resemble a pyramid, with a small high quality tier at the top and a massive sector at the bottom. India has a tiny top tier. None of its universities occupies a solid position at the top. A few of the best universities have some excellent departments and centres and there are a small number of outstanding undergraduate colleges. The university Grants Commission’s recent major support of five universities to build on their recognised strength is a step toward recognising a differentiated academic system and fostering excellence. These universities, combined, enroll well under 1 percent of the student population. 

Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning word printed in bold as used in the passage: 

PROPEL

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    drive
    Correct
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  • 2
    jettison
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    burst
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    acclimatize
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 5
    modify
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 1. "drive "

Q:

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

to move heaven and earth 

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    to pray to all Gods
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    to travel in ‘a rocket
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    to cause an earthquake
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    to try everything possible
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 4. "to try everything possible "

Q:

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 took out his wallet the first time to

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  • 1
    Buy some magazines
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    look for receipt
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    fill out the form given by the assistant
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    Pay the assistant
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 2. "look for receipt"

Q:

The sentences given with blanks are to be filled with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. For each question, choose the correct alternative and click the button corresponding to it
The man _____ for the purpose never did what was expected of him.

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    employed
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 2
    cited
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 3
    supplied
    Correct
    Wrong
  • 4
    favored
    Correct
    Wrong
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Answer : 1. "employed "

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