Reading Comprehension Sheet-VI

1. Read the passage given below.

Nothing better sums up the outdoors than the centuries-old human endeavor to scale
mighty peaks. Mountaineering involves hiking, climbing, or just simply walking, on hilly
or mountainous ground, with the help of technical equipment and support. In
mountaineering, you'll come across different types of terrain - mainly snow, glaciers, ice
or just naked rocks. The feats of the like* of Edmund Hilary and George Mallory to
mention just two legendary mountaineers, have contributed to making this activity a
popular one all around the world, one that has also been known to build a person's
character. One has to be physically robust, very fit and display a decent level of
athleticism and suppleness of body to climb mountains; training, conditioning and
preparation are essential if you are looking to attempt an ascent on a particularly
challenging peak. In addition, the mountaineer, often having to withstand extreme
climatic conditions, has to display a good degree of mental fortitude to survive and
succeed.
But in the end, all of this is worth your while - there is no better feeling than being out in
the open. In high nature's playground, breathing in the pristine mountain air, as close to
the sky as it's humanly possible to be.
Mountaineering is as old as the earth, as old as human life. In the 19th century, many
people would climb just for pleasure, for the sheer thrill of conquering peaks near and
far. But over time, the sport has split into separate disciplines, each of them calling for
varying degrees of skills and preparation. Today, climbers have the comfort of having
the most advanced equipment and gear at their disposal. In contrast, men in ancient
times had to rely on their feet, their legs, their arms and their hands - and their wits - to
climb mountains. These old climbing techniques are still very much relevant today (as
well as being utterly reliable and safe) but the 21st century mountaineer has the added
advantage of depending on hi-tech safety equipment. Closer home, the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute has played a big part in the conquest of the Greater Himalayas.
Many of the planet's mountaineering greats have tested their skills, and earned their
name, in the Himalayan theatre of dreams, considered the ultimate arena for dreams ,
considered the ultimate arena for climbing enthusiasts.
Mountaineering demands a lot of your physical fitness, and attempts on the highest
peaks can push your body to the limit. Before attempting any climb, make sure you are
fi t enough to endure everything that nature and the elements may throw at you.
Remember that mountaineering may be a very exhilarating activity but it is far from
being an easy sport! At high altitudes, it is important to give enough time for
acclimatization. And make sure you get a clean bill of health from your doctor before
embarking on an expedition.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight questions from
the nine given below.
(i) Cite a point in evidence, from the text, to suggest that mountaineering requires a
decent level of athleticism and suppleness of body.
(ii) State how the author feels about the feat of climbing mountains.
(iii) The author credits Edmund Hilary and George Mallory in the field of
Mountaineering. What does he credit them for?
(iv) How has mountaineering changed over the years?
(v) Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the underlined phrase/word with another
phrase/ word from the passage.
I pray we have the mental strength to carry on fighting
(vi) Mountaineering has become comparatively easy in the present times. Comment
(vii) Select the suitable phrase/word from the passage to complete the following
sentence appropriately.
Romantic comedies require some suspension of disbelief, but this ..
(viii) The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute has played a big part in the conquest of
the Greater Himalayas. How?
(ix) Mountaineering is not an easy sport. Substantiate.

2. Read the passage given below.

To supplement his family's income, Hatia started working in a highway dhaba when he
was just nine years old. Like Hatia, there are many children who are exploited and
forced to do menial labour. The most worrying thing is that their numbers keep rising
every year. The main reason behind this is lack of awareness and poverty. With low
levels of awareness and poor living conditions, parents who work as labourers cannot
afford to fund their children's education. Instead, they make them work from a tender
age to supplement family income. However, what they do not know is that child labour
creates a vicious cycle of illiteracy and low income. It exploits children and strips them
off numerous opportunities and deprives adults of better employment opportunities and
higher wages.
A survey conducted by the Odisha state labour department in 2013 found that Odisha
had 2.15 lakh child labour, of which 121,526 were boys and 93,696 were girls. A report
prepared by V. V. Giri National Labour Institute provides national and state level
statistics on Work Participation Rate (WPR) of children disaggregated by age group.
The survey reports of working children as young as five to nine years. Around 0.3%
children aged five to nine years in India and 0.5% in Odisha are working. It reported that
in the 5 to 14 year age group, Odisha has 4.9% working children as compared to 3.3%
in India.

In February 2019, a written reply by the Minister of Labour and Employment in the
Parliament disclosed that Odisha reported 4517 cases and accounts for almost 42% of
the cases reported nationally.
A substantial proportion of the child labour in the state is engaged in agriculture and
allied activities. This sector alone accounts for over two-thirds of child labour.
Manufacturing sector accounts for more than 15 percent of child workers followed by
trade, hotels, and restaurants. Many children are engaged in various hazardous
occupations such as tobacco rolling, labelling, and packaging; collection and assembly
of charcoal and coal; workhands in motor garages; labourers in brick kilns and stone
quarries; making and selling country liquor; and workers at matchbox and fireworks
factories. Such occupations not only snatch away their innocence and childhood, but
also endanger their health and lives.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any six out of the seven
questions given below

(i) What does the author mean by 'it creates a vicious cycle of illiteracy'?
(ii) What is the reason for the rise in child labour?
(iii) With reference to the figure, state any one conclusion regarding child labour in
Odisha.
(iv) What does the given data tell us about child labour in Odisha?
(v) Many children are engaged in various hazardous occupations. What are
occupations?
(vi) Why are many occupations called hazardous for children?
(vii) Identify the word from the passage which means to reveal.