Reading Comprehension with Shortcut tricks Set 04

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This English Grammar page contains two bank-exam reading passages, one on power sector reforms and one on medical education and rural healthcare, with 27 questions in all, with answers and explanations. The questions practise statement-based options, inference, titles, main idea and vocabulary in context. Brief notes after each answer show how to spot the right choice quickly.

Passage 7: Reforms in the Power Sector

Directions (Qs. 74-81): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Amartya Sen wrote about the Indian tradition of skepticism and heterodoxy of opinion that led to high levels of intellectual argument. The power sector in India is a victim of this tradition at its worst. Instead of forcefully communicating, supporting and honestly and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them. It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs and must therefore build most of the required extra capacities. This is a delusion. They no longer have access to low-cost government funds.

Uncertainty about payment remains a reason for the hesitation of private investment. They had to sell only to SEBs (State Electricity Boards). SEB balance sheets are cleaner after the “securitisation” of the Rs 40,000 crore or so owed by SEBs to central government undertakings, now shown as debt instruments. But state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due. The current annual losses of around Rs 28,000 crore make repayment highly uncertain. The central undertakings that are their main suppliers have payment security because the government will come to their help. Private enterprises do not have such assurance and are concerned about payment security, that must be resolved.

By the late 1990s, improving the SEB finances was recognised as fundamental to power reform. Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatisation and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary for efficient and financially viable electricity enterprises. Since government will not distance itself from managing them, privatising is an option. The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.

The Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP (Accelerated Power Reform and Development Programme) with its incentives and penalties, and the creation of independent regulatory commissions, were the means to bring about reforms to improve financial viability of power sector. Implementation has been half-hearted and results disappointing. The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement. States are more responsive to populist pressures than the central government, and less inclined to take drastic action against electricity thieves.

Captive power would add significantly to capacity. However, captive generation, three years after the Act enabled it, has added little to capacity because rules for open access were delayed. Redefined captive generation avoids state vetoes on purchase or sale of electricity except to state electricity enterprises. Mandating open access on state-owned wires to power regardless of ownership and customer would encourage electricity trading. The Act recognised electricity trading as a separate activity. A surcharge on transmission charges will pay for cross-subsidies. These were to be eliminated in time. Rules for open access and the quantum of surcharge by each state commission (under broad principles defined by the central commission) have yet to be announced by some. The few who have announced the surcharge have kept it so high that no trading can take place.

Question 74: The author thinks it appropriate to
(a) discuss any policy in details and make it fool proof instead of implementing it hastily.
(b) follow Indian tradition meticulously as skepticism is essential for major decisions.
(c) divert our energies from fruitlessly contracting policies to supporting its implementation whole-heartedly.
(d) intellectual arguments and conceptualisation of every policy is definitely better than its enforcement.
(e) none of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (c) divert our energies from fruitlessly contracting policies to supporting its implementation whole-heartedly.

Explanation:
1. The author complains that, instead of communicating, supporting and firmly implementing policies, people just debate them.
2. So he wants us to stop fruitless arguments and support implementation whole-heartedly, (c).
3. Options (a), (b) and (d) all favour debate over action, which is the tradition he criticises.

Teacher's Note:
1. The opening lines of the passage show the author’s attitude: against endless debate.
2. An option that praises what the author criticises is wrong.

Question 75: Why are the central undertakings not capable of generating power at low cost ?
(a) Due to paucity of low-cost funds
(b) Due to their access to Government funds
(c) Due to their delusion about government funds
(d) Because of their extra capacities
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (a) Due to paucity of low-cost funds

Explanation:
1. The belief that central undertakings produce cheap power is called a delusion because they no longer have access to low-cost government funds.
2. So the cause is the lack of low-cost funds, (a).
3. Having access to government funds would help them, so (b) is wrong, and the delusion is the belief, not the reason.

Teacher's Note:
1. The sentence after “This is a delusion” gives the reason.
2. Do not mix up the wrong belief with the cause.

Question 76: Which of the following is the reason for apathy of private investors in power sector ?
(a) Their hesitation
(b) Uncertainty of their survival
(c) Cut-throat competition
(d) Lack of guarantee of timely returns
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) Lack of guarantee of timely returns

Explanation:
1. The passage says uncertainty about payment is why private investors hesitate, since they do not have the payment security that central undertakings have.
2. That means a lack of guarantee of timely returns, (d).
3. Hesitation is the effect, not the reason, and competition and survival are not mentioned.

Teacher's Note:
1. Reason questions need the cause, not the result (hesitation).
2. “Payment security” = guarantee of timely returns.

Question 77: What was the serious omission on the part of the State Government ?
(a) Agreement for late recovery of dues
(b) Reluctance to repay to private investors as per agreed plan
(c) Non-implementation of recovery due to unplanned and haphazard polices
(d) Lack of assurance from private enterprises
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) Reluctance to repay to private investors as per agreed plan

Explanation:
1. The passage says state governments have not implemented agreed plans to ensure repayment when due.
2. Not carrying out the agreed repayment plan is the reluctance to repay as agreed, (b).
3. The passage does not say the plans were haphazard, and lack of assurance is a worry of private firms, not an omission by the State.

Teacher's Note:
1. Pick the option closest to the phrase “not implemented agreed plans”.
2. “Omission” means something that was not done.

Question 78: Which of the following is/are considered necessary for improving performance of electricity enterprises ?
(A) Corporate work culture
(B) Privatisation
(C) Properly integrated state enterprises
(a) All the three
(b) (A) and (B) only
(c) (A) and (C) only
(d) (B) and (C) only
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) (A) and (B) only

Explanation:
1. The passage says unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatisation, and not vertically integrated state enterprises, are necessary.
2. So corporate work culture (A) and privatisation (B) are needed.
3. Integrated state enterprises (C) are what the author wants to move away from, so (b) is correct.

Teacher's Note:
1. Watch “and not” in the sentence: it rejects the last item.
2. Vertically integrated = properly integrated here, which is the thing to be avoided.

Question 79: The example of “Delhi Model” quoted by the author underlines his feelings of
A. happiness about its success.
B. unhappiness for lack of public support.
C. disgust towards privatisation.
(a) (A) and (B) only
(b) (B) and (C) only
(c) (A) and (C) only
(d) All the three
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (a) (A) and (B) only

Explanation:
1. The author writes, “The Delhi model has worked. But it receives no public support.”
2. So he is happy that it worked (A) and unhappy about the lack of support (B).
3. He accepts privatisation as an option, so C is wrong; the answer is (a).

Teacher's Note:
1. Tone words are hidden in short sentences such as “has worked. But ...”.
2. Do not add feelings that the passage does not show.

Question 80: Which of the following was/were not considered as the instrument(s) to accomplish financial well-being of power sector ?
(a) The Electricity Act 2003
(b) The APRDP with its incentives and penalties
(c) Setting up of independent regulatory commissions
(d) States vulnerability to populist pressures
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) States vulnerability to populist pressures

Explanation:
1. The passage names the Electricity Act 2003, the APRDP and independent regulatory commissions as the means of reform.
2. States’ vulnerability to populist pressures is a problem that blocks reform, not an instrument, so (d) is correct.
3. As (a), (b) and (c) were all instruments, “None of these” cannot be right.

Teacher's Note:
1. A “not” question asks for the odd one out.
2. Separate the tools of reform from the obstacles to reform.

Question 81: Why were the results of the power sector reforms NOT as had been anticipated ?
(a) The means to bring about reforms were illconceived.
(b) The enforcement of the reform means inadequate and apathetic.
(c) The Act and the reform measures were contradicting with each other.
(d) The incentives on the one hand and penalties on the other created dissatisfaction.
(e) None of these
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) The enforcement of the reform means inadequate and apathetic.

Explanation:
1. The passage says implementation has been half-hearted and the results disappointing.
2. That means the enforcement was inadequate and apathetic, (b).
3. The means (the Act, APRDP, commissions) are not called ill-conceived, and no contradiction or dissatisfaction is mentioned.

Teacher's Note:
1. “Half-hearted implementation” = inadequate enforcement.
2. Stick to the cause the passage names.

Directions (Qs. 82-83): Choose the word or group of words which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold.

Question 82: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word delusion as used in the passage: “It is argued that central undertakings produce power at lower tariffs ... This is a delusion.”
(a) proper understanding
(b) wrong prediction
(c) false belief
(d) unkind propaganda
(e) unrealistic optimism
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (c) false belief

Explanation:
1. A delusion is a belief that is held strongly but is false.
2. Here the belief about cheap power from central undertakings is false, so false belief, (c), is right.
3. Unrealistic optimism is about hope for the future, not about a mistaken belief.

Teacher's Note:
1. Delusion = false belief.
2. Do not choose “optimism”, which concerns the future.

Question 83: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word viability as used in the passage: “were the means to bring about reforms to improve financial viability of power sector”
(a) ability to reform
(b) ability to meditate
(c) power to bounce
(d) ability to spend
(e) capability to survive
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (e) capability to survive

Explanation:
1. Viability is the ability of something to work and survive successfully, especially financially.
2. That is capability to survive, (e).
3. Power to bounce means resilience, which is different.

Teacher's Note:
1. Viable = able to live or to work.
2. Financial viability means the business can sustain itself.

Directions (Qs. 84-85): Choose the word or group of words which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold.

Question 84: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word impede as used in the passage: “The concurrent nature of electricity in the Constitution impedes power sector improvement.”
(a) interferes
(b) grows
(c) excels
(d) promotes
(e) exaggerates
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) promotes

Explanation:
1. To impede is to hinder or block progress.
2. The opposite is to promote or help, (d).
3. Interferes is a synonym, so it cannot be the answer.

Teacher's Note:
1. Impede - hinder; promote - help.
2. Remove the synonym first.

Question 85: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word unbundling as used in the passage: “Unbundling SEBs, working under corporate discipline and even privatisation ... are necessary”
(a) disorganising
(b) reorienting
(c) segregating
(d) winding
(e) integrating
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (e) integrating

Explanation:
1. Unbundling means breaking up a combined whole into separate parts.
2. The opposite is putting parts together, that is, integrating, (e).
3. Segregating (separating) is a synonym.

Teacher's Note:
1. Un- is a negative prefix, so unbundling is the opposite of bundling (joining).
2. Segregate = separate, which is the same idea as unbundling.

Passage 8: Medical Education and Rural Healthcare

Directions (Qs. 86-93): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

In February 2010 the Medical Council of India announced a major change in the regulation governing the establishment of medical colleges. With this change, corporate entities were permitted to open medical colleges. The new regulation also carried the following warning: “permission shall be withdrawn if the colleges resort to commercialization”. Since the regulation does not elaborate on what constitutes “resorting to commercialization”, this will presumably be a matter left to the discretion of the Government.

A basic requirement for a new medical college is a pre-existing hospital that will serve as a teaching hospital. Corporate entities have hospitals in the major metros and that is where they will have to locate medical colleges. The earlier mandated land requirement for a medical college campus, a minimum of 25 acres of contiguous land, cannot be fulfilled in the metros. Not surprisingly, yet another tweak has been made in the regulation, prescribing 10 acres as the new minimum campus size for 9 cities including the main metros. With this, the stage is set for corporate entities to enter the medical education market.

Until now, medical education in India has been projected as a not-for-profit activity to be organised for the public good. While private bodies can run medical colleges, these can only be societies or trusts, legally non-profit organizations. In opening the door to corporate colleges, thus, a major policy change has been effected without changing the law or even a discussion in Parliament, but by simply getting a compliant MCI to change the regulation on establishment of medical colleges. This and other changes have been justified in the name of addressing the shortage of doctors. At the same time, over 50 existing medical colleges, including 15 run by the government, have been prohibited from admitting students in 2010 for having failed to meet the basic standards prescribed. Ninety per cent of these colleges have come up in the last 5 years. Particularly shocking is the phenomenon of government colleges falling short of standards approved by the Government. Why are state government institutions not able to meet the requirements that have been approved by the central government ? A severe problem faced by government-run institutions is attracting and retaining teaching faculty, and this is likely to be among the major reasons for these colleges failing to satisfy the MCI norms. The crisis building up on the faculty front has been flagged by various commissions looking into problems of medical education over the years.

An indicator of the crisis is the attempt to conjure up faculty when MCI carries out inspections of new colleges, one of its regulatory functions. Judging by news reports, the practice of presenting fake faculty – students or private medical practitioners hired for the day – during MCI inspections in private colleges is common. What is interesting is that even government colleges are adopting unscrupulous methods. Another indicator is the extraordinary scheme, verging on the ridiculous that is being put in place by the MCI to make inspections ‘foolproof’. Faculty in all medical colleges are to be issued an RFID-based smart card by the MCI with a unique Faculty Number. The card, it is argued, will eliminate the possibility of a teacher being shown on the faculty of more than one college and establish if the qualifications of a teacher are genuine. In the future, it is projected that biometric RFID readers will be installed in the colleges that will enable a Faculty Identification, Tracking and Monitoring System to monitor faculty from within the college and even remotely from MCI headquarters.

The picture above does not even start to reveal the true and pathetic situation of medical care especially in rural India. Only a fraction of the doctors and nursing professionals serve rural areas where 70 per cent of our population lives. The Health Ministry, with the help of the MCI, has been active in proposing yet another ‘innovative’ solution to the problem of lack of doctors in the rural areas. The proposal is for a three-and-a-half year course to obtain the degree of Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS). Only rural candidates would be able to join this course. The study and training would happen at two different levels – Community Health Centers for 18 months, and sub-divisional hospitals for a further period of 2 years – and be conducted by retired professors. After completion of training, they would only be able to serve in their own state in district hospitals, community health centres, and primary health centres.

The BRMS proposal has invited sharp criticism from some doctors’ organizations on the grounds that it is discriminatory to have two different standards of healthcare – one for urban and the other for rural areas, and that the healthcare provided by such graduates will be compromised. At the other end is the opinion expressed by some that “something is better than nothing”, that since doctors do not want to serve in rural areas, the government may as well create a new cadre of medics who will be obliged to serve there. The debate will surely pick up after the government formally lays out its plans. What is apparent is that neither this proposal nor the various stopgap measures adopted so far address the root of the problem of healthcare.

The far larger issue is government policy, the low priority attached by the government to the social sector as a whole and the health sector in particular, evidenced in the paltry allocations for maintaining and upgrading medical infrastructure and medical education and for looking after precious human resources.

Question 86: What solution is being offered by the Health Ministry for the shortage of doctors in rural areas ?
(a) Increase the number of government run hospitals in the rural areas thereby increasing the number of doctors catering to the people in these regions.
(b) Make it mandatory for doctors serving in the urban areas to serve in the rural areas for a specific number of years
(c) Set up increasing number of community health centres in rural areas
(d) Hire retired professors of medicine to offer medical help to people living in the rural areas till the time more doctors are appointed
(e) Run a separate medical course for three and a half years which can be taken up only by rural candidates who would ultimately serve in the rural areas
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (e) Run a separate medical course for three and a half years which can be taken up only by rural candidates who would ultimately serve in the rural areas

Explanation:
1. The Health Ministry, with the MCI, proposes a three-and-a-half year course for the degree of Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery.
2. Only rural candidates can join, and they will serve in their own state’s rural health centres afterwards, which is (e).
3. Retired professors will teach this course, not treat patients, so (d) is wrong.

Teacher's Note:
1. Look for the phrase “yet another innovative solution” to find the proposal.
2. Read each option fully, because a part of an option may be wrong (retired professors).

Question 87: Why have some existing medical colleges been prohibited from admitting students ?
(a) As these have adopted corrupt practices and have been taking huge donations from their students
(b) As all these colleges were illegally set up and were not approved by the government in the first place
(c) As the course offered by these colleges is not in line with the course offered by the government run colleges
(d) As these have failed to meet the norms set by the central government for running the college
(e) As there are absolutely no faculty members left in these colleges to teach students
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) As these have failed to meet the norms set by the central government for running the college

Explanation:
1. The passage says over 50 colleges have been prohibited from admitting students in 2010 for having failed to meet the basic standards prescribed.
2. That is (d).
3. Corruption, illegal setup and course differences are not mentioned, and the faculty crisis is only one likely reason, not a total absence of faculty.

Teacher's Note:
1. “For having failed to meet” gives the reason directly.
2. Extreme words such as “absolutely no” are warning signs.

Question 88: Which of the following is/are the change/s announced by the MCI in the regulation governing the establishment of medical college ?
(A) Allowing the commercialization of medical colleges.
(B) Reducing the earlier mandated land requirement for a medical college campus for metros.
(C) Allowing corporate bodies to open medical colleges.
(a) Only (B)
(b) Only (A) and (B)
(c) Only (C)
(d) Only (B) and (C)
(e) All (A), (B) and (C) are true
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) Only (B) and (C)

Explanation:
1. Corporate entities were permitted to open medical colleges, so (C) is true.
2. The land requirement for 9 cities including the metros was cut from 25 acres to 10 acres, so (B) is true.
3. The regulation warns that permission will be withdrawn if colleges resort to commercialization, so (A) is not allowed. The answer is (d).

Teacher's Note:
1. “Opening the door to corporates” is not the same as allowing commercialization.
2. Read warnings in the passage carefully.

Question 89: Which of the following are the different opinions regarding the BRMS proposal ?
(A) At least a small step has been taken to improve the healthcare facilities in the rural areas through this proposal.
(B) There should be uniform healthcare facilities available for people living in both rural and urban areas.
(C) The healthcare providers through this proposal would not be up to the mark.
(a) Only (A)
(b) Only (A) and (B)
(c) Only (B) and (C)
(d) Only (B)
(e) All (A), (B) and (C)
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (e) All (A), (B) and (C)

Explanation:
1. Some people say “something is better than nothing”, which matches (A).
2. Doctors’ organisations object that it is discriminatory to have two standards of healthcare, one for urban and one for rural areas, which matches (B).
3. They also say that the healthcare given by such graduates will be compromised, which matches (C). So all three are opinions, (e).

Teacher's Note:
1. Match each statement to a sentence in the last paragraphs.
2. “Something is better than nothing” = a small step is better than none.

Question 90: Which of the following is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage ?
(a) Healthcare in India – The Questionable Changes
(b) Medical Centres in Rural India
(c) Commercialization of Medical Education in India
(d) The Medical Council of India
(e) The BRMS Proposal – The Way Out for Rural India
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (a) Healthcare in India – The Questionable Changes

Explanation:
1. The passage covers several changes made by the MCI and the government: corporate colleges, land rules, smart cards for faculty and the BRMS course.
2. It questions all of them, so “Healthcare in India - The Questionable Changes” is the best title, (a).
3. The other options are too narrow, and (e) claims the BRMS is a way out, which the author denies.

Teacher's Note:
1. A good title covers the whole passage and the author’s tone.
2. Narrow titles cover only one paragraph.

Question 91: What is one of the major problems faced by the government-run medical institutions ?
(a) Dearth of land required for the setting up of medical institutions
(b) Lack of funds for running the colleges
(c) Dearth of teaching faculty
(d) Excessive competition from colleges run by corporate bodies
(e) Dearth of students opting for these colleges
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (c) Dearth of teaching faculty

Explanation:
1. The passage says a severe problem faced by government-run institutions is attracting and retaining teaching faculty.
2. So the problem is a dearth of teaching faculty, (c).
3. Land, funds, competition and student numbers are not named as the problem for them.

Teacher's Note:
1. Look for the phrase “severe problem faced by government-run institutions”.
2. Do not take the metro land problem of corporate colleges for this question.

Question 92: What is the idea behind the MCI putting in place the RFID-based smart card ?
(A) To monitor and track faculty from MCI headquarters in the future.
(B) To put a stop to the practice of colleges of presenting fake faculty members.
(C) To verify the authenticity of faculty member qualifications.
(a) Only (A) and (B)
(b) All (A), (B) and (C)
(c) Only (C)
(d) Only (B) and (C)
(e) Only (B)
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) All (A), (B) and (C)

Explanation:
1. The card is meant to stop a teacher from being shown on the faculty of more than one college, which stops fake faculty (B).
2. It will also establish if the qualifications of a teacher are genuine (C).
3. In future, biometric readers will let MCI monitor faculty even remotely from its headquarters (A). So all three, (b).

Teacher's Note:
1. When a sentence has a list (“eliminate ... and establish ...”), check each item.
2. The word “in the future” in (A) matches “it is projected”.

Question 93: What is the author’s main intention behind writing this passage ?
(a) To make the general public aware of the healthcare facilities available in India
(b) To bring to light the problems faced by the healthcare sector in India despite changes suggested and goad the government into attaching priority to the sector
(c) To bring to light the problems faced by rural people in terms of healthcare facilities and thus exhort urban doctors to serve in the rural areas
(d) To make the general public aware of the benefits arising from the changes brought about by the MCI in the healthcare sector
(e) To urge the corporate bodies to look into the matter of healthcare facilities in the rural areas
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) To bring to light the problems faced by the healthcare sector in India despite changes suggested and goad the government into attaching priority to the sector

Explanation:
1. The passage shows the problems behind the changes and ends by saying that the far larger issue is the low priority the government gives to the health sector.
2. So the aim is to bring out the problems despite the changes and push the government to give the sector priority, (b).
3. The author does not talk of benefits of the changes or ask urban doctors or corporates to act.

Teacher's Note:
1. The last paragraph often states the author’s real concern.
2. “Low priority attached by the government” = goad the government to give priority.

Directions (Qs. 94-97): Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

Question 94: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word flagged as used in the passage: “The crisis building up on the faculty front has been flagged by various commissions looking into problems of medical education”
(a) highlighted
(b) stopped
(c) bannered
(d) caused
(e) hoisted
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (a) highlighted

Explanation:
1. To flag a problem means to mark it or point it out so that people notice it.
2. Highlighted has the same meaning, (a).
3. Stopped and caused give a different sense, and bannered and hoisted are about raising banners or flags, not about pointing out an issue.

Teacher's Note:
1. “Flag an issue” = draw attention to it.
2. Do not take the literal meaning of a flag.

Question 95: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word falling short as used in the passage: “Particularly shocking is the phenomenon of government colleges falling short of standards approved by the Government”
(a) remaining tiny
(b) limiting
(c) stumbling upon
(d) just satisfying
(e) not meeting
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (e) not meeting

Explanation:
1. To fall short of a standard is to fail to reach it.
2. Not meeting is the nearest, (e).
3. Just satisfying means barely reaching the standard, which is the opposite idea.

Teacher's Note:
1. Fall short = fail to reach.
2. “Just satisfying” sounds close but means a pass.

Question 96: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word permitted as used in the passage: “corporate entities were permitted to open medical colleges”
(a) forbidden
(b) pressed
(c) allowed
(d) sent
(e) forced
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (c) allowed

Explanation:
1. Permitted means given permission.
2. Allowed is the same, (c).
3. Forbidden is the opposite and forced is a different idea.

Teacher's Note:
1. Permit = allow.
2. Forbid is the opposite.

Question 97: Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word shocking as used in the passage: “Particularly shocking is the phenomenon of government colleges falling short of standards”
(a) wicked
(b) pleasing
(c) appalling
(d) electrifying
(e) scandalous
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (c) appalling

Explanation:
1. Shocking here means causing great dismay or horror.
2. Appalling means shocking and horrifying, (c).
3. Scandalous is about public disgrace, a narrower idea, and electrifying means thrilling.

Teacher's Note:
1. Choose the word that matches both the meaning and the shade (dismay).
2. Pleasing is the opposite.

Directions (Qs. 98-100): Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.

Question 98: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word unscrupulous as used in the passage: “even government colleges are adopting unscrupulous methods”
(a) corrupt
(b) even
(c) constant
(d) honest
(e) measured
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (d) honest

Explanation:
1. Unscrupulous means dishonest and without moral principles.
2. The opposite is honest, (d).
3. Corrupt is a synonym.

Teacher's Note:
1. Scrupulous = honest and careful; un- makes it negative.
2. Remove the synonym (corrupt).

Question 99: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word sharp as used in the passage: “The BRMS proposal has invited sharp criticism from some doctors’ organizations”
(a) mild
(b) thin
(c) blunt
(d) rounded
(e) pointed
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (a) mild

Explanation:
1. Sharp criticism means strong, harsh criticism.
2. The opposite is mild criticism, (a).
3. Blunt, rounded and pointed refer to shapes, and blunt criticism actually means plain and direct, not gentle.

Teacher's Note:
1. A word has different opposites in different contexts; use the sentence.
2. Sharp criticism - mild criticism.

Question 100: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word compliant as used in the passage: “by simply getting a compliant MCI to change the regulation”
(a) fixed
(b) unyielding
(c) stagnant
(d) obedient
(e) negative
Show Answer & Explanation

Answer: (b) unyielding

Explanation:
1. Compliant means ready to obey or give in.
2. The opposite is unyielding, which does not give in, (b).
3. Obedient is a synonym.

Teacher's Note:
1. Comply = obey; compliant = obedient.
2. Unyielding = firm and not giving in.

CBSE English Grammar Worksheets for Reading Comprehension

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Review targeted practice exercises for English Grammar Reading Comprehension. Curated to match official CBSE guidelines, these printable problem sets support daily revision and improve overall test readiness.

Concept Clarification for Reading Comprehension

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