Reading Comprehension with Shortcut tricks Set 01

Answer: (a) a terrorist attack

Explanation:
1. The expert describes a person who secretly releases a deadly germ in a crowded place to kill and terrorise people.
2. A planned act of violence meant to spread fear and death is a terrorist attack, so (a) is correct.
3. An epidemic is only the possible result, and the act is not a natural calamity because a person causes it on purpose.

Teacher's Note:
1. Name the act first, then name its effect: the act here is terrorism, the effect would be an epidemic.
2. Reject options that describe a result when the question asks about the act.

Answer: (b) B and C only

Explanation:
1. A is wrong: the passage says new terrorism will be more deadly and also more elusive (harder to trace), so it is not “less baffling”.
2. B is right: Hoffman says new terrorists are ruthless and simply want to inflict the maximum pain on victims.
3. C is right: a test tube of fluid is far simpler for a terrorist than planting bombs or hijacking an aircraft, so (b) B and C only is the best choice.

Teacher's Note:
1. In statement questions, one wrong word (here “less baffling”) makes the whole statement wrong.
2. Check each statement separately, then pick the option that matches only the true ones.

Answer: (e) None of these

Explanation:
1. The passage says the session was held just a few days after the bombing of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.
2. None of the options (a)-(d) mentions these bombings, so (e) is correct.
3. The bio-attack was only a scenario described at the meeting, so (b) and (c) are not the provocation.

Teacher's Note:
1. “Immediate provocation” means the event that triggered something, not the topic discussed.
2. When the right answer is not listed, “None of these” is the key.

Answer: (e) All the three

Explanation:
1. The passage speaks of a horrible death within 5 days and of “immediate human tragedy”, so A is stated.
2. Such attacks would have dire long-term effects on the political and social fabric of a country, which covers B and C.
3. All three consequences are mentioned, so (e) is correct.

Teacher's Note:
1. Words like “political and social fabric” cover both political turmoil and social unrest.
2. Read each statement against the lines of the passage before ruling any out.

Answer: (c) the deadly strategies adopted by modern terrorists

Explanation:
1. Most of the passage describes a possible bio-attack and says new terrorism will be more deadly and more elusive.
2. So the purpose is to explain the deadly methods of modern terrorists, which is (c).
3. Methods of containing terrorism and African turmoil are never discussed; old terrorism is only used for contrast.

Teacher's Note:
1. The central idea covers most of the passage, not just one paragraph.
2. Eliminate options that mention things the passage never discusses.

Answer: (a) A only

Explanation:
1. The passage never lists causes in detail; the only cause-like idea it gives is religious intolerance and fanaticism of the perpetrators.
2. Socio-political changes and population growth are not mentioned at all, so B and C cannot be chosen.
3. Therefore (a) A only is the best answer.

Teacher's Note:
1. Choose only what the passage supports, not what you know from outside.
2. If a statement is not mentioned in the text, do not accept it.

Answer: (d) bio-attack manoeuvred by unscrupulous elements

Explanation:
1. The second paragraph describes a culprit secretly releasing germs in a crowded place.
2. So “such attacks” are deliberate bio-attacks planned by wicked people, which is (d).
3. The attacks target the public, not politicians (b), and the government’s reputation is only an indirect effect (c).

Teacher's Note:
1. For reference questions, read the sentences just before the phrase.
2. Look for the option that keeps both the weapon (bio-attack) and the intent (deliberate).

Answer: (b) remove colonial power or capitalist system

Explanation:
1. Hoffman says old terrorism generally had a specific manifesto: to overthrow a colonial power or the capitalist system.
2. That matches (b).
3. Old terrorists set limits to brutality and did not want many people dead, so (a) is wrong.

Teacher's Note:
1. The question asks for the stated aim, so look for the line with “manifesto” or “sought to”.
2. Do not pick an option that describes means (bombs) instead of the aim.

Answer: (c) bright

Explanation:
1. Gloomy means dark, depressing and without hope.
2. The opposite is bright, which is (c).
3. Discouraging and tragic are similar to gloomy, not opposite.

Teacher's Note:
1. For opposites, first fix the meaning of the given word, then cross out its synonyms.
2. Gloomy is both a mood word and a light word, so bright is its direct opposite.

Answer: (b) melodious

Explanation:
1. Cacophonous means having a harsh, jarring sound.
2. The opposite is pleasant to hear, that is melodious, which is (b).
3. Harsh (d) is a synonym; sonorous means deep and rich in sound and is not the opposite of harsh noise.

Teacher's Note:
1. Cacophony = harsh noise; euphony/melody = pleasant sound.
2. Remember the pair cacophonous - melodious for exams.

Answer: (e) manoeuvrers

Explanation:
1. Perpetrators are the people who plan and carry out a harmful act.
2. Of the options, manoeuvrers (schemers who carry out plots) comes closest, so (e).
3. Opponents, followers, sympathisers and leaders are about relationships to a cause and not about carrying out an act.

Teacher's Note:
1. Perpetrator = doer of a crime, not a supporter or opponent of it.
2. Choose the option that keeps the idea of action.

Answer: (d) baffling

Explanation:
1. Elusive means hard to find, catch or understand.
2. Baffling (puzzling and difficult to figure out) is the nearest meaning, so (d).
3. Harmful, fatal and destructive describe damage, which is already covered by the word “deadly” in the same sentence.

Teacher's Note:
1. If the sentence already uses a word for damage, the second word usually adds a new idea.
2. Elusive and baffling both describe something that escapes understanding.

Answer: (c) perseverance in raising quality of products.

Explanation:
1. The author says the Japanese came out of the ordeal of being derided for sub-standard goods and became an economic superpower.
2. He credits their doggedness, that is, perseverance in pursuing acceptable quality standards, which is (c).
3. In the fifties their products were sub-standard (a), and the ordeal itself (b) is the situation, not the quality being praised.

Teacher's Note:
1. Appreciation questions ask for the quality or effort praised, not the situation.
2. Doggedness = perseverance.

Answer: (a) very large scope of Indian market

Explanation:
1. The Ambassador acknowledged that the vastness of the Indian market is a great inducement for investment in manufacturing industry.
2. So (a) is correct.
3. Remittance of profit and continuity of policy are concerns or demands, and productivity only offsets high wages.

Teacher's Note:
1. “Inducement” means something that motivates, so look for that word in the passage.
2. Do not confuse what investors want to be assured of with what attracts them.

Answer: (b) critically examine Indian investment environment.

Explanation:
1. The passage reports the Ambassador’s frank comments on policy, remittance, exit rules and quality standards.
2. The author then comments on what India must do to attract investment, which is a critical examination of the investment environment, (b).
3. The tone is neither discouraging nor rosy, and the liberalisation policy itself is not criticised.

Teacher's Note:
1. Purpose questions need the overall tone: balanced and analytical here.
2. Extreme options such as “discourage” or “rosy picture” are usually wrong.

Answer: (e) None of these

Explanation:
1. The Ambassador said labour in India is expensive, so (a) and (b) are wrong.
2. He said wage levels are only offset by productivity to a large extent, which removes a disadvantage rather than creating an advantage; skilled workforce is not mentioned.
3. The advantage he names is the vastness of the market, which is not listed, so (e) is correct.

Teacher's Note:
1. Read the exact claim: “offset” means cancels out, not “gives an edge”.
2. Cheap labour options are traps when the passage says labour is expensive.

Answer: (d) raise the quality of product to match international standards.

Explanation:
1. The author says that to woo foreign investment we must meet exacting international standards.
2. That is (d).
3. He says we should cater only partially to collaborators’ idiosyncrasies, not fully (a), and not dismiss comments (b).

Teacher's Note:
1. Words like “fully” and “all” make options extreme and often wrong.
2. Look for the line starting with “we will have to”.

Answer: (a) a political commentator.

Explanation:
1. The author reports the Ambassador’s speech from outside, so he is not the Ambassador’s secretary or a Japanese investor.
2. He comments on government policy, investment conditions and standards, as a political commentator would, (a).
3. There is nothing to show he himself is investing money in India.

Teacher's Note:
1. Inference of the author’s role comes from what he does in the passage: reports and comments.
2. Do not choose a role that the text gives no evidence for.

Answer: (d) All the three

Explanation:
1. The passage says Japan came out of the ordeal of being derided as sub-standard to become a superpower, which shows A.
2. The author calls it “doggedness to pursue goals against all odds”, which is B.
3. Pursuing acceptable standards means adapting to globally acceptable quality levels, which is C. So all three apply, (d).

Teacher's Note:
1. Words like “doggedness” and “against all odds” match tenacity and perseverance.
2. Match each statement with a phrase from the passage before choosing.

Answer: (c) Only A

Explanation:
1. The author says it is easy to dismiss the comments contemptuously, but there is little doubt that we must meet exacting standards. So the comments carry weight and are hard to counter: A is true.
2. The passage reports only the Japanese Ambassador’s comments, not remarks from various international quarters, so B is not supported.
3. C is false because the author treats the comments as valid, not as biased. Only A is true, (c).

Teacher's Note:
1. Do not stretch one source (the Ambassador) into “various quarters”.
2. If the author asks us to act on a criticism, he is not calling it biased.

Answer: (a) persistently

Explanation:
1. Assiduously means with constant, careful effort.
2. Persistently has the same idea of steady effort, so (a).
3. Hastily and feebly are opposite in feel, and deliberately only means on purpose.

Teacher's Note:
1. Assiduous = diligent, persevering.
2. Hastily is a common opposite trap.

Answer: (c) deviations

Explanation:
1. An idiosyncrasy is a peculiar habit or way of behaving that differs from the usual.
2. Among the options, deviations (departures from the normal way) is closest, (c).
3. Demands and needs are requirements, and ideologies are systems of belief; none of these means a peculiarity.

Teacher's Note:
1. Idiosyncrasy = quirk or peculiarity.
2. Do not choose a word only because it looks similar in sound (ideologies).

Answer: (e) impediment

Explanation:
1. Inducement is something that encourages or attracts a person to act.
2. Its opposite is something that holds back, that is, an impediment, (e).
3. Incentive, motive and temptation are synonyms; breach means a violation and is not an opposite.

Teacher's Note:
1. Cross out the three synonyms first; the remaining two are the possible answers.
2. Impediment = obstacle.

Answer: (a) unreasonable

Explanation:
1. Justifiable means that can be defended as right and reasonable.
2. The opposite is unreasonable, which cannot be defended, (a).
3. Formidable (intimidating), irrevocable (cannot be undone), unscrupulous (dishonest) and inevitable (unavoidable) do not mean the reverse of justifiable.

Teacher's Note:
1. Justifiable = reasonable, so the opposite is unreasonable or unjustified.
2. Unscrupulous is a trap because it sounds negative, but it means dishonest.