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PASSAGE 1
Let us look at samples of different styles of writing.
The large mansion of the first John Jacob Astor stood separated from the Library by a gateway and broad
alley reaching to the stables in the rear. Adjoining was a group of houses of the style of those in
Washington Square, broad and “high-stooped.” Opposite, on the corner of Fourth Street, stood a church
whose portico of granite Ionic columns (each a monolith brought with great trouble from Maine) was one
of the wonders of the town. Almost adjoining was the Swan residence, since converted into the Church
House of the diocese, and then the Colonnade with its long row of granite Corinthian columns, considered
a marvel in its day. Next to these was the “English basement” house of the late Charles Astor Bristed, with
arch and driveway leading to the rear, and on the corner the Langdon (Wilks) house, when it was built,
the finest in town. Being a short street, blocked at one end
Let us look at samples of different styles of writing.
and leading only to Astor Place at the other, the drivers of very few vehicles ever took the trouble to turn
into it, except the driver of a private carriage, perhaps a closed coach drawn by heavy horses (for the
cobble stones were rough); the coachman on a vast hammercloth embellished with fringes and tassels, as
was frequently seen forty years ago, the footman sometimes standing behind, his hands grasping two
leather loops to hold himself in place. So quiet was the street that on a pleasant afternoon the youngsters
who dwelt in the neighborhood carried on their game of ball undisturbed. Perhaps it was this feature of
quiet repose which suggested the suitability of establishing there the Library, the churches, the Columbia
College Law School, and the Church House.
From: The Project Gutenberg e-book of Old Buildings of New York, by Anonymous

1. How would you categorise this passage?

A. Narrative
B. Analytical
C. Descriptive
D. Argumentative
Ans. C

PASSAGE 2
Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and
looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day,
and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for
months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had
calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had
spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little
bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pierglass in an $8 flat.
A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips,
obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.
Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but
her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full
length.

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Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had
the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window
some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with
all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just
to see him pluck at his beard from envy.
So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached
below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and
quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant
sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.
Where she stopped the sign read: "Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All
Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting.
Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."
"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at
the looks of it."
Down rippled the brown cascade.
"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.
"Give it to me quick," said Della.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed
metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.
From
The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry

2. How would you categorize this passage?

A. Narrative
B. Analytical
C. Descriptive
D. Argumentative
Ans. A

PASSAGE 3
Closely allied to the thought that the painter creates beauty is the
ancient tradition that the artist is inspired to produce works of art.
...This conception of art doubtless grew out of the fact that the early art of the Egyptians and Greeks was
largely devoted to the representation of deities and to the erection of temples which should be their
shrines. This association of art with the gods doubtless contributed to the belief that the artist was inspired
or that he possessed a superior power.
Closely allied with this thought was the conception expressed by Hegel with reference to a distinction
between the external and material forms of art and the spirit which he suggests permeates the work and
of which it is a manifestation. Hegel, although accepting the theory that “art has the vocation of revealing
the truth in the form of sensuous artistic shape,” speaks of the union of the material with the spiritual in
a manner, which although quite true in abstract reasoning, contributes to this impression.
Hegel’s conception of a work of art was that the content or idea is the important thing. This conception
conformed to early art because painting and sculpture were employed primarily to express ideas.

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With the development of the Landscape School of Art and the enjoyment of art on the purely aesthetic
side, modern thought has materially changed. Gradually our appreciation of the beautiful for its own sake
has developed. The influence of this movement has reacted upon all phases of art expression, and even
those works which express ideas in the sense of subject matter have come to be judged upon the basis of
aesthetic beauty, rather than with reference to the idea or content as thus defined. Therefore what Hegel
says applies to the early conception of art rather than to that of the present time.
From
Project Gutenberg's The Relation of Art to Nature, by John W. Beatty

3. How would you categorize this passage?

A. Narrative
B. Analytical
C. Descriptive
D. Abstruse
Ans. B

PASSAGE 4
Adoration, or worship, is a direct result of one of the most universal of human instincts. After the instincts
which impel us to provide for the necessities of the body, and to satisfy the passion of love, there is
perhaps none more potent. Men are driven to pray by an irresistible impulse. Differing widely as to the
object of worship; differing not less widely as to its mode; differing in a minor degree as to the blessings
it secures; they are agreed as to the fundamental ideas which it involves. In the first place it presupposes
a power superior to, or at any rate different from, the power of man; in the second place it assumes a
belief that this superhuman or non-human power can be approached by his worshipers; can be induced
to listen to their desires, and to grant their petitions.
In a very early and primitive stage of man's existence, he begins to feel his dependence upon powers
invisible to his mortal eyes, whose mode of action he can but imperfectly comprehend. His way of
conceiving these beings will depend upon his mental elevation, upon historical influences, upon local
conditions, and other causes. Among very rude nations, the commonest and apparently most
unimpressive objects will serve as fetishes, or incarnations of the mysterious force.
Pieces of wood, stones, ornaments worn on the person, or almost anything, may under some
circumstances do duty in this capacity. It is a further stage of progress when the more conspicuous objects
of nature, lofty mountains, rivers, trees, fountains, and so forth, are deified, to the exclusion of more
insignificant things. Still higher is the adoration of bodies which do not belong to this earth at all, and
whose nature is, therefore, more mysterious—the sun, the moon, the planets or the stars, the clouds and
tempests, the winds, and similar imposing phenomena. And this stage passes naturally into one where
the gods, at first merely forces of nature personified, lose their character of forces, and become
exclusively persons.
They are then conceived as beings in human form, but endowed with much more than human faculties.
Actual persons, especially the ancestors of the living generation, are also the frequent recipients of
religious adoration. By other races, or by the same races at a later period, the numerous gods of
polytheism are merged in one supreme god, to whom the others are subordinated as agents of his will,
or before whose grandeur they disappear altogether; while this worship of powers conceived as
beneficent is very frequently accompanied, more or less avowedly, by a parallel worship of powers
conceived as malevolent, and whom, by reason of that very malevolence, it is occasionally deemed the
more needful to conciliate.
From An Analysis of Religious Belief, by John Russell Amberley

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Q4. What is the style of the passage?

A. Analytical
B. Argumentative
C. Abstruse
D. Narrative
Ans. C

PASSAGE -5
Economic inequality among countries has declined sharply in the past 20 years, owing partly to China’s
rise, as well as to economic development across Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere. By 2010, the UN had
already achieved its Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015, and recent projections
suggest that, by 2050, poverty will be eradicated everywhere except Africa.
This will not happen without globalization. African countries, in particular, will need to trade more with
one another, and there is talk of creating an African free-trade area. But this could prove difficult now
that anti-trade sentiment is on the rise. Are globalization’s critics—those who wrongly consider it a zero-
sum game—against eradicating global poverty?
Policymakers can take action to alleviate anxieties about globalization. For starters, the seemingly endless
growth of profits as a share of global GDP must stop. Anyone who thinks this sounds radical needs to
brush up on economics. Higher profits should attract new market entrants, which would then erode
incumbents’ profits through competition. The fact that this isn’t happening suggests that some markets
have been rigged, or have simply failed. Policymakers need to address this with stronger regulation. For
example, the current climate is far too permissive of share-repurchase programmes.
At the same time, policymakers need to pursue measures to increases wages for the lowest earners, which
could boost productivity as capital becomes less expensive relative to labour. And, as World Bank
president Jim Yong Kim pointed out to me, we need to strengthen enforcement of laws governing trade
deals, and do more to help challenged domestic sectors that lose out as a result of those deals.
Lastly, policymakers need to prioritize development projects such as the UK’s “northern powerhouse" and
“Midlands engine". And more such initiatives should be launched elsewhere.
Despite the many challenges it has created, globalization has made the world a better place than it
otherwise would have been. And we still need it to eradicate poverty and generate higher living standards
for all.
From: In defence of globalization/Jim O'Neill / Mint . 22 Jan 2017/PROJECT SYNDICATE

5. The style of the passage can be best described as:

A. analytical.
B. argumentative.
C. abstruse.
D. narrative.
Ans. B

Let's attempt some questions on tones.

6. What would you call the tone of a political campaign speech?
A. Inspiring
B. Trite
C. Pedantic
D. Dismal
Ans. A

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7. What would you call the tone of a poem or letter which extols the virtues of the beloved?
A. Verbose
B. Grandiose
C. Factual
D. Gloomy
Ans. B

8. The tone of a dialogue in a TV soap/serial where the character is known to be emotional is likely to
be:
A. factual.
B. dispassionate.
C. melodramatic.
D. sarcastic.
Ans. C

9. The tone of a speech at a funeral is likely to be:

A. sarcastic.
B. humorous.
C. sombre.
D. flippant.
Ans. C

10. The tone of a gruesome murder mystery is:

A. gloomy.
B. nostalgic.
C. inquisitive.
D. condescending.
Ans. A

11. What is the tone of these sentences?

‘Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.’
‘Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.’
A. Acerbic
B. Sarcastic
C. Scathing
D. Pessimistic
Ans. B

Mahler was an Austrian composer and conductor. After studying in Vienna, he conducted at numerous
prominent opera houses where his high standards became legendary, but his refusal to compromise
aroused intense personal opposition. He composed in his free time, mostly during the summer, and
completed nine symphonies in his lifetime. The biggest success of his career was the 1910 premiere of his
eighth symphony.

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12. Identify the tone of the passage.

A. Caustic
B. Objective
C. Sarcastic
D. Cynical
Ans. A

Harper Lee was a brilliant writer and an extraordinary woman. Barack Obama declared that Lee “changed
America for the better” with her work.
“When Harper Lee sat down to write To Kill a Mockingbird, she wasn’t seeking awards or fame. She was
a country girl who just wanted to tell an honest story about life as she saw it,” the Obama family said in a
statement.
“But what that one story did, more powerfully than one hundred speeches possibly could, was change the
way we saw each other, and then the way we saw ourselves,” they continued. “Through the uncorrupted
eyes of a child, she showed us the beautiful complexity of our common humanity, and the importance of
striving for justice in our own lives, our communities, and our country.”

13. Identify the tone of the passage.

A. Objective
B. Satiric
C. Laudatory
D. Analytical
Ans. C

According to Matt Ridley, “Innovation is the most important fact about the modern world, but one of the
least well understood.” Even as it functions as a powerful engine of prosperity — the accelerant of human
progress — innovation remains the “great puzzle” that baffles technologists, economists and social
scientists alike. In many respects, Ridley is on to something. After decades of careful study, we’re still not
entirely sure about innovation’s causes or how it can best be nurtured. Is innovation dependent on a lone
genius, or is it more a product of grinding teamwork? Does it occur like a thunderclap, or does it take years
or even decades to coalesce?
14. How would you categorise this passage?
A. Analytical
B. Philosophical
C. Sanguine
D. Belittling
Ans. A
15. No rational man, cognizant of the facts, believes that the average negro is the equal . . . of the white
man. And if this be true, it is simply incredible that, when all his disabilities are removed . . . he will be
able to compete successfully with his bigger-brained and smaller-jawed rival, in a contest which is to be
carried out by thoughts and not by bites.
What is the tone of this passage?
A. Descriptive
B. Narrative
C. Belittling
D. Tragic
Ans. C