Reading Comprehension

The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

India as a country has been bestowed with several nomenclatures. Right from unity in diversity to birthplace of Hinduism and Sanskrit, the land has always been admired and revered for its rich cultural legacy and variety that it offers. India is a story, a legend, folklore and an anecdote in itself. It needs no introduction, no specific mention. It has continued to thrive for centuries and there are bright chances of it being the next super power. The country has always nourished numerous cultures, traditions and religions. All the major religions thrive in India and none of them have ever felt insecure or unprotected. That's the beauty of the land.

Go to any part of rich India and you will find numerous temple and shrines and all of them contain their own unique stories. We have always believed in beautiful and fascinating description of Indian Gods and Goddesses. Many stories have been told and retold in different fashions about how particular God originated in a particular place. All the descriptions of deities are believable and they convey just one message of Good winning over the evil. Gods in Indian religion have always fought monsters and even taken human forms to conquer evils in convincing manner. Right from north India to southern and western states, everywhere one can find plenty of amazing tales about our religion and sustenance over the centuries. The essence remains the same, the versions differ.

Indian mythology has always been popular among masses. Its effect can be seen from different religious functions and tales told to the kids by their grandma. The virtues have always been exemplified by the conduct of the Gods. Many present day symbols have been born from our mythology and religious beliefs. For example, Om or Swastika or Trishul etc have always been revered. Religious beliefs are in tune with our traditional way of living and we as staunch believers still believe in following the rules and customs. When you hear of stories about our mythological characters like Ram, Sita, Hanuman, Ravana, Ganesha, Krishna and Bhima etc you get to know about what the essence of India is made of. These characters are now being used in animation movies that will be further helpful in making new generation aware of India's famous religions and mythology. Religion and mythology is no less than precious treasure that must be respected and preserved. India is a story in itself. There have been civilizations and archaeological facts that are constantly being researched about the birth place of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Though many times there are fake inventions, there seems a lot of history in the shrines and temples in India. Each depiction of God and villains seems appropriate with the truth winning over the evil. Each time and place has the new emergence of a Hindu God who takes care of the three worlds and slays the evil. A swastika or an Om is a revered sign and mentioned as prosperity. There are many symbols like the Trishul or the Trident which is not displayed everywhere as it is considered aggressive. It is customary to smear ash or sandalwood powder in the forehead as it cools the mind. These are beliefs turned to tradition and most of us follow the rules and codes. The latest generation is quite inquisitive about facts yet totally appreciates the quests of Lord Rama, the slaying of the ten headed Ravana, the piousness of Sita and the loyalty of Hanuman. Animation flicks are being created showing characters like Gathotkach the son of Bhima, Hanuman and Ganesha. Though these are kid specials, this would be the best way to teach them about Gods and religion. Dashavatar is a wonderful combination of story and the magnanimous nature of Lord Vishnu. Each avatar or creation has a set nature and character. It is mind blowing to see the story narration and is well received by the all of us. Our art and culture have direct relation with the mythology. The Shravan month is a holy time where people get religiously and maintain fasting. This is also the time for the beginning of all festivals. Magic or splendour is what we see at the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in India. The Durga Puja is another feat. South traditions relate to Lord Muruga( Karthik) or Lord Ayyappa. The shrine of Vaishnodevi in Jammu involves climbing a steep mountain of 14 kilometers bent and the mission seems accomplished once we see the holy pind. People hold allegiance and complete belief in miracles when life challenges them. Mythology is the treasure of Indian religion and must be given to our progeny.

The central idea of the passage is best explained by which of the following statements?

Direction for questions: The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.

Bioluminescence, emission of light by an organism or by a laboratory biochemical system derived from an organism. It could be the ghostly glow of bacteria on decaying meat or fish, the shimmering radiance of protozoans in tropical seas, or the flickering signals of fireflies. The phenomenon occurs sporadically in a wide range of protists and animals, from bacteria and fungi to insects, marine invertebrates, and fish, but it is not known to exist naturally in true plants or in amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals. 

Bioluminescence results from a chemical reaction (chemiluminescence) in which the conversion of chemical energy to radiant energy is direct and virtually 100 percent efficient; i.e., very little heat is given off in the process. For that reason, the emission is called cold light or luminescence.

The functional role of bioluminescence in lower organisms such as bacteria, dinoflagellates, and fungi is difficult to discern. Partly because the glow of luminous bacteria is extinguished when oxygen is removed, it has been suggested that the bioluminescent reaction was originally used to remove oxygen toxic to primitive types of bacteria that developed when oxygen was absent or very rare in Earth's atmosphere. The metabolic reaction that combines the oxygen with a reducing substance (luciferin) liberates sufficient energy to excite a molecule in the organism to emit visible radiation. Most of those luminous primitive organisms subsequently developed systems of using oxygen, but they have retained the luminescent capability as parts of related metabolic pathways or for some survival value that luminescence may confer on the organism.

 What can be the suitable title for the passage?

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: Soon it would be able to fly, how wonderful!

He began to feed the bird and ran out to collect grass to build a soft nest for it. He put the nest beside his bed. (1)_________.Now the boy and the bird were sleeping together and living together. Soon the boy and the bird became dear friends. (2)________. The bird was happy and thankful and the boy was happy too having a new friend. The bird got a name and became a dear family member to all. (3)________. In course of time it really recovered and started to hop and to jump a little bit and to exercise his wings. That made everyone even more happy. (4)_________.

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: After all, it was him who announced the 'special military operation' on February 24, 2022, that still continues.

(1)___________. With Ukraine making it clear that they are ready to battle it out and with the west pumping in military aid, Putin knows this is a long haul. (2)_________. At the same time, he wants to signal some kind of a decisive victory. (3)_________.The dilemma lies here—should Russia look for an honourable exit or escalate the game? Ideally, Putin would want an honourable exit but there is no clear outlet. (4)_________. Experts had not given a chance to Ukraine to withstand the Russian might.

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

 Sentence: Also, many people try to express themselves with the help of alcohol.

(1)__________. Alcohol refers to a group of neuro depressants – substances that impair the activity of the brain centres. (2)__________. Such substances reduce the flow of oxygen into the human brain relatively strongly, because of that the brain can only function with less activity: the person experiences coordination distortion, speech inconsistency, unclear thinking, loss of concentration and attention, inability to think logically and make reasonable decisions. (3)____________. The main factors that may cause alcoholism include domestic drunkenness with physical dependence on alcohol; unfavourable relations and conflicts in the family; traditions which imply alcohol consumption; unfavourable surroundings; low cultural level; high prosperity… etc. (4) ____________.

There is a sentence that is missing in the paragraph below. Look at the paragraph and decide in which blank (option 1, 2, 3, or 4) the following sentence would best fit.

Sentence: Further, the study highlighted specific floodplain alterations like the one they identified in the Amazon and Yangtze river basins.

(1)___________. According to the report titled Human alterations of the global floodplains 1992–2019, over 460,000 square kilometers of floodplain area was lost to agriculture, while another 140,000 square kilometers was redeveloped to new areas over the existing floodplain during the study period. (2)___________. Continent-wise, Asia lost the biggest area of floodplains — a little over 200,000 square kilometers — among all the continents. It was followed by South America (92,000 square kilometres) and Africa (73,000 square kilometres). (3)____________, which translates to proportional increase in agricultural extent and subsequent decrease in forest area. (4)___________.