Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

Survival is the most essential factor for every living organism. People resort to different tricks to make both ends meet. One such live instances is mentioned here. Villagers of Makhrada village believed that a witch lived in the denseforest near Makhrada. The passers by were much harassed by the witch who used to frighten them and also took their belongings. In the village there lived a young man named Dhiru who was fond of adventures. When he heard about the witch, he did not believe that it was one of the witches who ate flesh. But there was something elseabout the witch, which made Dhiru curious. She did not eat flest but took away the belongings of the people. Therefore, he was keen to solve this mystery.

He set out with a bag of mangoes. He walked through the forest till it was midway. He took shelter under a shady tree and pretended to be fast asleep. However, after some time, he really fell as leep. After a while, he felt that someone was trying to snatch his bag of mangoes, Suddenly, he woke up and caught hold of the person. It was the witch who tried to frighten Dhiru and run away. But Dhiru was strong and bold enough to hold the withc fast. The witch finally surrendered. Dhiru forced has to tell him who she really was. The witch removed her mask and narrated her and story. She told that she was a poor old widow and she had nobody to look after her. Therefore, she used to live in the forest, wearing a fearful-looking mask. People passing through the forest got frightened due to her appearance and took her for a witch. She then robbed the people of their belongings to make both ends meet. Dhiru took pity on her and gave her the bag of ranages.

Why did Dhiru enter the forest?

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands consist of mainly two groups of islands, with distinctive features of the original residents - Negroid and Mongolese. It is strange to see how these two different groups migrated to these islands so far from the mainland - from India and Myanmar. The aboriginals found in these islands are the Jarawas, Sentinelese, Onges, Shompenites, mainly found in Andaman and the Nicobarese in Nicobar. Of these the Nicobarese in general, and some of the Onges, have accepted that so-called modern civilization and learned the use of modern tools and facilities. They can be seen frequently in the Port Blair market. The aboriginals are looked after by the Anthropological Department of the Government, who make regular visits to their islands and supply them with food and other necessities.

These aboriginals still do not know how to use a matchbox and prepare fire by rubbing two pieces of wood; they also do not know the use of cloth. If the people from the Anthropological Department offer them clothes, they use them only as turbans and not to wrap their bodies

The aboriginals are looked after by

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.

What is the biggest threat to WTO’s efficacy today?

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The public sector banks are witnessing in India a period of transition and are at crossroads, where they without giving up social responsibility, should also remain healthy. They need to undertake risky experiments, yet perform it innovatively in a way it does not fail. They should make forays into new areas which are rarely tread by them and lose no emerging opportunities. It should be understood that absence of any bad advance is no sign of efficient banking system. It only indicates immense conservatism. However this is no guarantee for profit. There should be a balance between liquidity and risk. Past sins should be forgotten. Novel and pragmatic techniques should be adopted without which banks would be in danger.

How can the banks take risks without risking a failure?

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

Survival is the most essential factor for every living organism. People resort to different tricks to make both ends meet. One such live instances is mentioned here. Villagers of Makhrada village believed that a witch lived in the denseforest near Makhrada. The passers by were much harassed by the witch who used to frighten them and also took their belongings. In the village there lived a young man named Dhiru who was fond of adventures. When he heard about the witch, he did not believe that it was one of the witches who ate flesh. But there was something elseabout the witch, which made Dhiru curious. She did not eat flest but took away the belongings of the people. Therefore, he was keen to solve this mystery.

He set out with a bag of mangoes. He walked through the forest till it was midway. He took shelter under a shady tree and pretended to be fast asleep. However, after some time, he really fell as leep. After a while, he felt that someone was trying to snatch his bag of mangoes, Suddenly, he woke up and caught hold of the person. It was the witch who tried to frighten Dhiru and run away. But Dhiru was strong and bold enough to hold the withc fast. The witch finally surrendered. Dhiru forced has to tell him who she really was. The witch removed her mask and narrated her and story. She told that she was a poor old widow and she had nobody to look after her. Therefore, she used to live in the forest, wearing a fearful-looking mask. People passing through the forest got frightened due to her appearance and took her for a witch. She then robbed the people of their belongings to make both ends meet. Dhiru took pity on her and gave her the bag of ranages.

What did the witch do soon after Dhiru caught her? 

Read the following passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the five given alternatives.

Almost everybody allows himself or herself or herself some entirely unjustifiable generalizations on the subject of women. Married men, when they generalize on that subject, judge by their wives; women judge by themselves. It would be amusing to write a history of the views of men on women.

In antiquity, when male supremacy was unquestioned and Christian ethics were still unknown, women were harmless, rather silly, and a man who took them seriously was somewhat despised.

Plato’s great objection to the drama was that the playwright had to imitate women in creating his female roles. With the coming of Christianity, the woman took on a new part, that of the temptress; but at the same time, she was also found capable of being a saint.

Married men judge women by their

Read the passage carefully and give the answer of following questions.

Poverty can be defined as a social phenomenon in which a section of the society is unable to fulfil even its basic necessities of life. When a substantial segment of the society is deprived of the minimum level of living and continues at a bare subsistence level, that society is said to be plagued with mass poverty. The countries of the third world exhibit invariably the existence of mass poverty, although pockets of poverty exist even in the developed countries of Europe and America.

Attempts have been made in all societies to define poverty, but all of them are conditioned by the vision of minimum or good life obtaining in society. For instance, the concept of the poverty in the U.S.A. would be significantly different from that in India because the average man is able to afford a much higher level of living in the United States. There is an effort in all definitions of poverty to approach the average level of living in a society and as such these definitions reflect the coexistence of inequalities in a society and the extent to which different societies are prepared to tolerate them. For instance, inn India, the generally accepted definition of poverty emphasizes minimum level of living rather than a reasonable level of living. This attitude is borne out of a realization that it would not be possible to provide even a minimum quantum of basic needs for some decades and therefore, to talk about a reasonable level of living or good life may appear to be wishful thinking at the present stage. Thus, political considerations enter the definitions of poverty because programmes of alleviating poverty may become prohibitive as the vision of a good life widens.

What is poverty according to the writer?

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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