Comprehension Comprehension means ‘power of understanding and grasping’. A comprehension exercise consists of a passage, upon which questions are set to test the student's ability to understand the contents of the given passage and to bring out the information and meanings from it How to Attempt the Questions? Here are a few hints + Read the given passage at a decent pace, to grasp the details of the passage. If required, read it again + Study the questions thoroughly and give answers precisely. : + Write answers in complete sentences and in your own words. + Give the answer in the same tense, in which the question is set. + Never add your own thought, view or opinion while answering any of the questions. + If you are asked to give synonyms or antonyms, the meaning of the word should be chosen in the context of the passage. + The title of the passage should be derived from the theme of the passage. The title should never be in the form of a sentence Practice Questions Directions (Passages 1-5) You have some brief passages with some questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives. Passage 1 Stammering is a habit disorder linked with lack of self-confidence. Basically for a child to understand a language, there are four stages. The first is learning to understand the spoken language and the second is speaking, Both of these usually develop around the age of two. The third stage is speaking complex sentences, which develops at around three and the fourth is when the child recognizes the wntten alphabet. In 80% of children while the third and fourth stage are at play. the first two get disturbed because something new is being incorporated in the mind. This is absolutely normal. But what over cautious mothers do is fret a lot and the child develops a fear which later manifests itself as stammering. In fact, most textbooks on stammering state in bold that "Had there not been any over cautious mothers, hardly any one would have suffered from stammering.” Fluency can be incorporated in the speech of such patients through hypnosis. 1, Stammering is caused because of 3. axe basically the reason for developing a (2) physical disorder fear in che child's mind, b) hindered growth (@) Parents ‘Over cautious mothers f lack of self-confidence (c) Fathers (d) Uncles (@) lack of understanding 4, Fluency in such patients can be incorporated in 2. The second stage of a child’s understanding the the speech of such patients through language is sla Hpnosis b) slap JA speaking (b) writing grein ment (d) symbiosis (c) listening (@) reading4 — Comprehension ‘and spoken language . the chi underst 5. By the time the child becomes two years old (b) only unders! pe simple language iste can Inderstand and si speak complex sentences (a) write the alphabets Passage 2 a hole in the ground and put Once there lived an old man had a gold. He was {galigh. He du the bag of gold no tyebalg, Then, faa. gale wom pote used fo na he place neatly everday He would tke SB} Then. he corrett hs igor into tre ioe. Then, he would fouch 'he ek and feel very happy One day he took the stone away and put his fingers into the hole. How anqry and sad he was when be discovered that his treasure was not there. The old man went to a friend and sadl told him the stot is friend said, “There is no reason, for you to be sad. Your gold was useless to you. To! | you have to do is to imagine that your treasure You can visit it whenever you like 6, The old man hid the gold 9. The friend's words possibly made the old man {a) ina secret chamber (b) in a bank locker (a) happy \inderground (d) in an unknown place (by angry i leased when hi relieved 7. The old man was pleased when he res (a) used the gold \Waf touched the gold (c) added to the gold (d) gave away the gold 10. The friend's told the old man ‘that he had not lost anything 8, The old ited the place where he had k ceadhen ce where he had Ket (b) he would get back his gots he {c) he should complain to the police J cet erate) ’ a eee sb {@) he should not have hidden it in a hole Passage 3 Those of us who already possess knives and use them as a matter of course at our meals can hardly ipSersland the longing of an infant to be given the freedom of so perilous an instrument. Man has been defined as a tool-using animal and there is no ‘another tool that appeals to the imagination so strongly as @ knife. It is through long months and years a forbidden thing and all the more fascinating on that count. There is no glory in using a spoon, There is no honour in holding a fork in the right hand and in taking up onitlitle squares of meat that have been cut with a knife by some more privileged hand. Fork and spoon ‘we little more than an extension of the fingers ‘and a spoon, atleast is so safe that it can be left in the hands of an infant in the cradle but knife is a danger against which constant warning 1s nocessary-something out of reach and waiting as a prize at the end of a long avenue of years 11. The ‘privileged hand’ in this passage refers to (c) use the knife to cut tough vegetables {a) the spoon (b) expert hand (d) wield power at the time ‘of meals (o-he adults (d) the children 14. The child 12, To the child, there is no glory in handling a {@) Jongs to be a tool using animal spoon because b)/desires the freedom to use the perilous instrument (©) wants to use the knife because he wants to become a soldier (a) the child does not find the spoon attractive (b) for the child it is nothing but the extension ott fingers ‘t is an extremely safe instrument (@) dreams of crime and adventure . (d) it is not as exciting as fork 15, The knife fascinates a child all the more because itis 13, Adults cannot understand why a child finds i out of his reach ) a precious prize (0) a strong weapon to defend oneself with knives so attractive because they (es knives routinely at the dining table }) have forgotten their childhood experiences (d) a very attractive toy Passage 4 ‘The important thing in life i not what you have been but whal you are reaching for and becoming, Bi Ty see hen can see the endo the road more clearly than moa. | can sit back and recollect in tranquility aoe ae Gauattudes of my ile end what it has taught me. When ! lock back, | find that the great andComprehension 5 glorious hours of my life were those when I gave gionevand nok when | sruggled and nucceeded ie pod oe who expe ne ad appreciate that in this world those alone live who |i ol the ie er eg me trae pk 89 16, What stage of life must the author be? When he could help others without ‘@) eles ence (b) Youth expecting an th ing back o) Alesce ‘anything bac ( le age (@) Old age 19, What, according to the author, is the most 17, What feelings does the author harbour about lf?" ) important thing in life? ta) Regret 4b) Gratitude, pp 1 (a) The achievements of one’s life upp faced in Ife {¢) Sadness ai Ecstasy 18, What, according to the author, were the most fulfilling moments of his life? (a), When he recollected his life in tranquility When he succeeded in gaining his own ends (c) When fe managed to struggle through the vicissitudes of life Passage 5 Every child is born, with some inherited characteristics, into a specific socio-economic ant environment and trained in certain ways ‘by figures of authority. (b) The struggles one has fF The thing one is striving tor /yY//" Ly (d) The memories ore has in Ife ‘ 20. What is the tone of the passage? \af Reflective 16) Argumentative (c) Opinionated (a) Satirical \d emotional ind selt | inherited honesty. ‘my three fjom my father: from my mother, | inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness and 30 © ‘haps contributed prothers-and-sister. But it was the time | spent with frost fo the uniqueness of my childhood and made’ all the difference in my later life jwsdom of Jallaluddin and Samsuddin was so intuitive and responsive to nor unhesitatingly attribute my subsequently ‘manifésted creativity to their company Thad three close friends in my childhood—Ramanadha Sastry. Ara ilies. As children, ‘amongst ourselves because of our religious differences ‘and upbringing. In fact. Lakshmana Sastry, the high pnegt of the Rameswaram ieipie. his father; Aravindan wei Fensport for visiting pilgrims and Sivaprakasan became a catering contrac were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin f the son of Pakshi priesthood ‘of the Rameswaram temple from 21 What qualities did the speaker inherit from his «mother? (a) Honesty and faith in goodness (b) Honesty and deep kindness (c)gmotion and self discipline ‘ith in goodness and deep kindness 98. Who were the speaker's close friends in his childhood? (a) Jallaluddin, Samsuddin (b) Sivaprakasan, Aravindan, Lakshmana Sastry __ |g) Aravindan, Ramanadha Sastry, Sivaprakasan {G) Jallaluddin, Samsuddin, Ramanadha Sastry 78. What made the speaker's childhood unique? {a) The teachings of his mother llaluddin and Semnsuddin that perhaps conto wr verbal messages, that in my childhood ndan and Sivaprakasan. All these me of us ever felt any difference Ramanadha Sastry was Later, ne took over the nt into the business of arranging. tor for the Souther Railways. ith Jalaluddin and (fe) The time spent wil Samsuddin (@ The company of his three close fends 9%. What kind of environment is 2 child born into? ay An inherited and emotional environment DA speciic ‘socio-economic and emotional environment (c) An honest and self-disciplined environment (6) A. specific socio-economic and honest environment _ 7%, Who was the high priest of Rameswaram Temple? (@) Ramanadha Sastry Lakshmana Sastry (c) Aravindan, (@) Sivaprakasan (b) The teachings of his father Answers | 1) 2 (a) 3 (b) 4 (a) 5 (ce) 6 c) 7b) 8. (c) 9. ; : ; . tc) 10. (a) 1. (b) 12, @ 13. (@) 14 (b) 15. (a) 16. @d) 17. (b) 1 21. (d) 22. (c) 23. (c) 24, (b) 25. (b) ie eee eeeQ2 Verb indicates thought and action, We cannot fra Verb can be classified as following Verb ‘Auxiliary Verbs Modal Main Verbs intransitive | Primary Transttive Look at the following sentences +1 am playing—am (auxiliary verb), play (main verb) 4 He is writing—is (auxiliary verb), write (main verb) + They are reading—are (auxiliary verb), read (main verb) / Main Verbs Transitive Verbs Transitive verbs take objects. These verbs carry the action of a subject and apply it to an object. They tell us what the subject does to something else / e.g. Ramesh hits a ball. // He rings the bell. ~~ Intransitive Verbs Intransitive verbs do not take an object. They express actions that do not require the agent's doing something to something else. e.g., He sleeps in the bed. ‘Shyam speaks loudly. Some verbs can function as both transitively and intransitively. Read the following sentences Verbs used Transitively (a) He speaks the truth (b) The students rang the bell. (c) He flies kites. Verb a sentence without a verb Vorbs used Intransitively (a) Sita speaks slowly. (b) The bell rang loudly (cA bird flies Auxiliary Verbs Auxiliary verbs can be divided into primary modal auxiliary verbs. and Primary Auxiliary Verbs Primary auxiliary verbs can as following 1. Verbs ‘to be’ 2. Verbs ‘to have" 3. Verbs ‘to do” Auxiliary Verb ‘to be’ (is/ Am/ Are/ Was/ Were) Is, am and are, are used in present tense while was/were are used in past tense. Am is used with I only, while is is used with other singulars ‘Are and were are used with plurals. Was is used in past with singular subject be further divided is, am, are, was, were have, has, had do, does, did Auxiliary Verb ‘to have’ (Have/Has/Had) Have, has and had are used in continuous tenses form in perfect structures. They are 2iso used to show possession or ownership. Have is used with plural and has is used with singular subject. Have and has refer to present while had refers to past tense e.g., I have a car. T have got a car. He has a book.Verb He has got a book He had a beautiful house. He had got several good opportunities. Auxiliary Verb ‘to do’ (Do/ Does/ Did) Do, does and did are used i framing negative interrogative sentences. in present and past tense. Modal Auxiliary Verbs Modal auxiliary verbs are special auxiliary verbs that express the degree of certainty of the action in the sentence or the altitude or opinion of the writer or speaker concerning the action Use of Some Modals May/Might + May is used to give or ask permission, ©. May 1 go now? Seeking Permission Yes you may. Giving Permission + May is used for informal request, e.g., May I have the salt, please? May I borrow your pen? + May and might are used for present or future Possibility. Might shows a remote possibility. e.g., The sky is cloudy, it may rain today. 7 Possibility The sky is not cloudy but a change in weather is always possible, it might rain today. Remote possibility ‘+ May is used for good wishes and desires. e.g., May God bless you! May you live long! Can ‘+ Can shows circumstantial possibility. e.g., You can ski on the hills now-a-days. (As there is enough snow.) You can go there by road now. {As the road is ok now.) + Can is used to express physical or mental ability, capacity or capability. e,g., 1 can solve this puzzle. Shall ‘The use of shall in first person denotes a pure future action, while the use of shall in second and third person denotes determination, promise, threat or warning. 7 ©g.,1 shall go to market tomorrow Future action You shall go to meet him tomorrow will Tho use of will in second and third person denotes pure future actions. With first person the will denotes threat, warning, promise or determination €.g., He will go tomorrow 1 will see you Threat, Warning Should Should can be used to express duty, responsibility advice, probability, expectation, presumption moral obligation and mild command €.g., One should obey one’s elders You should obey your parents Moral obligation The rich should help the poor. Expectation Duty You should work hard. Advice Would + Use of would shows more politeness in Comparison to will. Would is more commonly Used for requests. Would is also used to know the wishes of the others. @.g., Would you accompany me to the railway station? Polite request + Would is also used to express likelihood, presumption and probability. e.g., He would be in the field. Likelihood Id be in the club at this time She woul es She would be cooking now. Likelihood She would be about 80 now. Presumption Must Must is used to express present or future obligation. It has no past form. + Must is used to show command, compulsion or order. eg. Soldiers must obey orders without any question + Must is also used to express moral duty or obligation e.g., We must respect our elders.8 Verb + Must also expresses necessity, urgency or circumstantial compulsion eg.,1 must leave now otherwise 1 may miss the train Used to + Used to expresses a discontinued habit or a past situation which is no more in the present + It is also used od to drink daily, He used to drink 1 oes not drink is an adjective meaning og. ‘accustomend’ » morning: eg. Lam used tot in the mi ake tea il Practice Questions Directions (Q.Nos. 1-18) In the following questions, word. 1. We try again if they say. {a) should (b) can (c) will (d) would 2, Gold and silver ..... precious metals. (a) were (b) has been (©) have (@) are 3. She .. me stop the car. (a) ask (b) made (c) got (d) tell you, please, go there? (@) Ought to () Will (c) Should @ Must 5. You vase go and talk to tiem. (@) would (©) shall (© will (d) must G. The 100f .seseoee Tepait. (@) must (b) ought to (©) might (@) needs they rather have fish or chicken? 10. il. 12. 13. fill in the blanks with the most appropriate _. you be blessed with a daughter! (a) Must (o) Should (c) May (d) Can I thought it ....... Fain. (a) might (b) must (c) ought to (d) need They .. not panic, there is enough time. (a) would (b) should (c) dare (d) can Sugar is . scarcer. (a) growing (b) getting (c). make @ get Her sister ......... speak French. 14. 15. (a) could (b) shall (c) can (@) will I help her and you shall not stop me. (@) can (b) might (©) will (@) would wwe go to her house tomorrow? (a) Would (b) Can () May (@) Might (@) Shall (b) Should 8. She S00M wan. (©) May (@) Must (@) became (0) got 17. My brother .........- be twenty next week. (©) grown (@) had (a) could (b) would .. she walk when she was two? (¢) might (@) should (@) May (b) Can 18. He smoke two . He . years ago. (c) Could (@) Would (@) ought to (b) used to (c) might (d) could Answers L@ 2@ 3 4% 5 @ 6 . . (oT. : 11. (a) 12. (b) 13. (>) 14. (15. (© 16. (a) 17. i 1s o % © 10)Subject-Verb Agreement It must be ensured that the verb agrees with its subject in number and person Remember Noun + s/es = Plural Verb + sies ingular The following rules should be kept in mind while forming sentences Rule When two or more independent singular subjects are connected by ‘and’, a plural verb form is required. eg. + Deepak and Kapil are brothers. + She and her sister do not dance. Rule) If two subjects connected by ‘and’ express one idea or thing, the verb must be singular. eg, + Rice and curry is my favourite food. + The horse and carriage is at the gate, Rule(3 If two singular nouns connected by ‘and’ refer to the same thing or person, the verb must be singular. eg., + The writer and producer has gone. + My brother and guide is here. Rule() If two singular nouns connected by ‘and’ refer to two different things or persons, the verb must be plural. eg. + The writer and the producer have gone +A red and a black cow are grazing in the field Rule(5) If the subject is singular, the plural word that comes between the subject and its verb does not change the number of its verb. 2g., + A group of girls is dancing, + The quality of clothes was good Rule) When the words are added to a singular subject by with, together with, as well as, along with, in addition to, except, etc. a singular verb is required. eg. + The captain with his friends has come. ‘++ The leader with his followers was’ arrested. tule (7) A singular verb is required with the following words—every, each, someone, anyone, anybody, nobody, none, one, no one, somebody. eg. + Each of your relatives is present. ++ None of my brothers plays cricket.