English I · End Term · Jan 2026 · FN
English I · End Term · Jan 2026 FN
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60 / 60 published solutions
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
During the Depression, the US government bought milk to support dairy farmers.
True
False
The opening paragraph explicitly says the government bought surplus milk to stabilize its price and support dairy farmers. Thus the statement reports the passage correctly. This is a question about the supplied historical account, not a requirement to infer an unstated motive.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** The support-and-price-stability purpose is explicitly stated.
B: **Incorrect:** The passage directly supports the statement.
Question 3 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
The US government stopped stockpiling cheese once it filled every cold storage in the country.
True
False
Published solution
After ordinary cold storage filled, the USDA rented space in a Kansas cave and filled it with cheese. Storage therefore continued beyond the existing facilities. The word stopped contradicts this additional step described in the next paragraph.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** The cave storage shows the stockpiling did not stop then.
B: **Correct:** The statement is contradicted by the later cave stockpile.
Question 4 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
At its height, the US had 2lbs of stored cheese for every resident.
What does the word resident mean in this context?
A person who is visiting the US
A person who has relatives residing in the US
A person who lives in the US permanently
A person who owns a milk farm
Published solution
Resident means a person who lives in the place being discussed. The per-resident figure expresses stored cheese relative to the US population, not just tourists, relatives of residents or dairy-farm owners. Strictly, residence need not imply permanent immigration status; C is the intended inhabitant meaning among these choices.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** A temporary visitor is not the intended population unit.
B: **Incorrect:** Having relatives there does not mean living there.
C: **Correct:** This best matches an inhabitant of the US in the passage.
D: **Incorrect:** Residents are not limited to dairy farmers.
Question 5 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
What was one reason the USDA stockpiled cheese?
Cheese was cheaper to produce than milk
Cheese lasts longer than milk
Cheese was a popular food item
Cheese was used to replace meat in diets
Published solution
The passage says cheese lasts longer than milk, making it a way to turn perishable surplus milk into a more storable product. Popularity, replacement of meat and a lower production cost are not the reasons supplied in this account.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** The passage does not claim cheaper production as the reason.
B: **Correct:** Longer keeping quality is explicitly given.
C: **Incorrect:** Popularity is not the stated storage rationale.
D: **Incorrect:** Replacing meat is not described as the purpose.
Question 6 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
Which of the following sentences best summarizes the purpose of the Dairy Distribution Program?
The program aimed to raise cheese prices by reducing supply
It was designed to dispose of cheese without affecting its demand
It focused on making cheese a more popular food item
The program intended to replace milk with cheese in diets
Published solution
The passage describes the programme as sending surplus cheese to poor neighborhoods while avoiding disruption to ordinary cheese demand or price. Its immediate goal was to dispose of the stockpiles through distribution, not simply to make cheese fashionable or substitute it for milk.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Raising cheese prices by a general supply reduction is not the stated programme summary.
B: **Correct:** This matches the described surplus-disposal goal and demand constraint.
C: **Incorrect:** Promoting popularity is not the main purpose.
D: **Incorrect:** The programme does not seek general replacement of milk in diets.
Question 7 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of milk by six cents a gallon in 1977
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "vowed"?
Hesitated
Promised
Ignored
Argued
Published solution
Vowed means made a serious promise or commitment. Carter committed to raising the milk price and buying dairy as needed. Hesitated, ignored and argued do not preserve that promise meaning.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Hesitated indicates uncertainty rather than commitment.
B: **Correct:** Promised is the closest synonym.
C: **Incorrect:** Ignored is the opposite of making the commitment.
D: **Incorrect:** Argued does not necessarily mean promised.
Question 8 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
What problem did the USDA face with the government-purchased cheese that began to mold?
Difficulty in transportation.
Difficulty in distribution
Low cheese quality
High cheese production costs
Published solution
The account emphasizes that distributing the vast stored supply was extraordinarily difficult, and mold increased the urgency of getting it out of storage. Transport can be part of distribution, but the quoted obstacle is the broader distribution problem.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Transportation is narrower than the problem explicitly identified.
B: **Correct:** The official calls the distribution problems incredible.
C: **Incorrect:** Mold is a condition of the cheese, but the question targets the difficulty of getting the stock distributed.
D: **Incorrect:** Production cost is not the stated obstacle.
Question 9 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
What did the Indian Country Today article observe about the cheese?
It was a high-quality product
It was seen as a valuable commodity
It was considered a valuable resource in exchange for gold
It was a disappointing substitute for gold
Published solution
The quoted comparison between a brick of gold and a brick of rationed cheese is ironic. It contrasts the wealth associated with the Black Hills with the limited commodity ration received by the Lakota. The article is not praising the cheese as an equivalent exchange for real gold.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** The remark is ironic rather than a product-quality endorsement.
B: **Incorrect:** The passage elsewhere mentions exchange value, but this quotation emphasizes the disappointing contrast with gold.
C: **Incorrect:** It does not describe an actual equal trade for gold.
D: **Correct:** The cheese brick is an ironic, inadequate substitute in the comparison.
Question 10 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
What does the passage suggest about the impact of government cheese on popular culture?
It was associated with poverty
It was seen as a luxury item
It was considered a status symbol
It was highly prized by all demographics
Published solution
The final sentence explicitly says government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty. Distribution to poor neighborhoods supplies the context for that association. The description does not make it a luxury or universally admired status symbol.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** The final sentence directly identifies the poverty association.
B: **Incorrect:** The cultural association is not luxury.
C: **Incorrect:** It is not presented as a sign of high social status.
D: **Incorrect:** No universal demographic approval is asserted.
Question 11 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
During the Depression, when milk supply exceeded demand, the US government bought milk to
keep its price stable and support dairy farmers. Then, trying to find a way to store or get rid of the
surplus, it started stockpiling cheese, which lasts longer than milk.
The government bought so much cheese that it eventually filled every cold storage in the country.
But there was still more excess milk. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rented half an acre
in a Kansas cave and filled it floor to ceiling with blocks of cheese. At its height, the US had 2lbs of
stored cheese for every resident.
Eventually, the USDA turned to its nutrition programs to dispose of excess cheese. Despite most
Indigenous peoples’ inability to digest milk, commodity cheese became the centerpiece of the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Musician Wade Fernandez, a member
of the Menominee nation, sings Commodity Cheese Blues, lamenting, “I went downtown to the
commod shop / Met the blues ’cause they were out of stock. Tell me please when I’ll get my
commod cheese.”
Nicknamed “pasteurized gold”, the bright orange cheese bricks sometimes operate as currency to
buy other foods or goods. The irony of this treasure is not lost on critics. In 2006, an Indian
Country Today article observed: “Some Lakota still say to this day that the only brick of gold the
Lakota people got out of the Black Hills is the brick of cheese rationed out on commodity day.”
Funneling surplus cheese into nutrition programs like FDPIR and school lunches was not enough
to save the dairy industry, which accounts for 3.5% of the US gross domestic product – half a
percentage more than the auto industry. President Jimmy Carter vowed to increase the price of
milk by six cents a gallon in 1977 and committed to buying as much dairy as necessary to prop up
the industry. When government-purchased cheese began to mold, the plan to get it out of storage
became urgent.
In 1981, a USDA official told the Washington Post: “We’ve looked and looked at ways to deal with
this, but the distribution problems are incredible ... Probably the cheapest and most practical thing
would be to dump it in the ocean.”
Instead, President Reagan’s administration came up with a way to solve the problem without
affecting the demand for or price of cheese. It created the Dairy Distribution Program, sending
truckloads of cheese blocks to poor neighborhoods around the country.
Inevitably, government cheese entered popular culture as a marker of poverty.
What does the author imply about the dairy industry’s situation despite the government’s efforts?
It improved significantly
It was eliminated
It remained challenging
It became less relevant
Published solution
Even sending cheese into nutrition programmes was not enough to save the industry, according to the passage, and further purchases and disposal measures followed. These continuing interventions show that the problem remained difficult rather than being fully resolved or eliminated.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** The need for further intervention contradicts a simple successful-resolution summary.
B: **Incorrect:** The industry was not said to disappear.
C: **Correct:** Continuing purchases, stockpiles and distribution difficulties show persistent challenges.
D: **Incorrect:** The economic-size reference does not suggest that the industry became irrelevant.
Question 12 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Fill in the blank with appropriate options.**
Raghu’s favourite hobby is photography. He enjoys capturing moments(1)________ his camera,
whether it is a (2)_________ sunset on the beach or the smile (3)__________ his daughter’s face. Last
summer, he travelled to Europe and photographed (4)________ landmarks (5)___________ Paris,
Rome, and London.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the correct preposition for blank (1).
In
With
Through
Published solution
With identifies the instrument used: Raghu captures moments with his camera. In would place something inside it, while through can describe a viewpoint but is not the ordinary instrument construction requested in this sentence.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** In would mean inside the camera rather than by using it.
B: **Correct:** With marks the camera as the instrument.
C: **Incorrect:** Through is not the most natural instrument preposition here.
Question 13 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Fill in the blank with appropriate options.**
Raghu’s favourite hobby is photography. He enjoys capturing moments(1)________ his camera,
whether it is a (2)_________ sunset on the beach or the smile (3)__________ his daughter’s face. Last
summer, he travelled to Europe and photographed (4)________ landmarks (5)___________ Paris,
Rome, and London.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the correct form of adjective for blank (2).
Beautiful
Beautifully
Published solution
Sunset is a noun needing a descriptive adjective. Beautiful modifies sunset; beautifully is an adverb that would describe an action, for example photographed beautifully. The blank is inside the noun phrase, not modifying the act of photography.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** Beautiful is the adjective modifying sunset.
B: **Incorrect:** Beautifully is an adverb, not the required adjective.
Question 14 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Fill in the blank with appropriate options.**
Raghu’s favourite hobby is photography. He enjoys capturing moments(1)________ his camera,
whether it is a (2)_________ sunset on the beach or the smile (3)__________ his daughter’s face. Last
summer, he travelled to Europe and photographed (4)________ landmarks (5)___________ Paris,
Rome, and London.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the correct preposition for blank (3).
Off
In
On
At
Published solution
The usual expression is 'a smile on her daughter's face'. On indicates the location of the visible expression. Off means away from, in does not fit this surface-expression phrase, and at would indicate a different relation.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** Off would suggest removal or absence.
B: **Incorrect:** In is not the conventional smile-location phrase.
C: **Correct:** On her face is the standard expression.
D: **Incorrect:** At does not mark the smile's location appropriately.
Question 15 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Fill in the blank with appropriate options.**
Raghu’s favourite hobby is photography. He enjoys capturing moments(1)________ his camera,
whether it is a (2)_________ sunset on the beach or the smile (3)__________ his daughter’s face. Last
summer, he travelled to Europe and photographed (4)________ landmarks (5)___________ Paris,
Rome, and London.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the correct form of adjective for blank (4).
Famous
Famously
Published solution
The blank describes the landmarks, so it needs the adjective famous. Famously is an adverb and could modify an action or an evaluative phrase in other settings, but not directly serve as this noun's descriptive modifier.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** Famous is the adjective modifying landmarks.
B: **Incorrect:** Famously is an adverb.
Question 16 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Fill in the blank with appropriate options.**
Raghu’s favourite hobby is photography. He enjoys capturing moments(1)________ his camera,
whether it is a (2)_________ sunset on the beach or the smile (3)__________ his daughter’s face. Last
summer, he travelled to Europe and photographed (4)________ landmarks (5)___________ Paris,
Rome, and London.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Choose the correct preposition for blank (5).
In
At
For
From
Published solution
Landmarks are located within the cities Paris, Rome and London, so in naturally introduces those city locations. At is more usual for a point or specific site, while for and from express purpose or origin rather than the location of the landmarks here.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** In marks location within the named cities.
B: **Incorrect:** At is not the intended general city-location preposition.
C: **Incorrect:** For would express a purpose or beneficiary.
D: **Incorrect:** From would mark origin rather than the described location.
Question 17 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Read the excerpt given below and fill in the blanks with those forms of the verbs which best fit the
passage from the options provided. Your chosen answer should maintain the tense consistency of
the excerpt.
The sun [i] _____ through the window, warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house
was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde—a
meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband”—was sowing his late
turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to [ii] _____ his on the
big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she [iii]
_____ him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he
meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter [iv] _____ him, of course, for Matthew
Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly
driving over the hollow and up the hill. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why [v] _____
there?
Excerpted from: Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. The Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, 2008. Project Gutenberg.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Find the appropriate verb form to fill in blank [i].
Were coming in
Is coming in
Will be coming in
Was coming in
Published solution
Sun is singular, and the surrounding story is past. 'The sun was coming in through the window' is past continuous, describing ongoing light as the scene is set. Were is plural; is and will be shift the time away from that past setting.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** Were does not agree with singular sun.
B: **Incorrect:** Is changes the scene to present time.
C: **Incorrect:** Will be changes it to future time.
D: **Correct:** Was coming in has singular agreement and past-progressive time.
Question 18 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Read the excerpt given below and fill in the blanks with those forms of the verbs which best fit the
passage from the options provided. Your chosen answer should maintain the tense consistency of
the excerpt.
The sun [i] _____ through the window, warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house
was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde—a
meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband”—was sowing his late
turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to [ii] _____ his on the
big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she [iii]
_____ him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he
meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter [iv] _____ him, of course, for Matthew
Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly
driving over the hollow and up the hill. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why [v] _____
there?
Excerpted from: Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. The Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, 2008. Project Gutenberg.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Find the appropriate verb form to fill in blank [ii].
Is sowing
Have been sowing
Will have sown
Had sown
Published solution
The words ought to already precede the blank. The completed phrase is 'ought to have been sowing', expressing an activity expected to be underway at that past moment but not occurring. The perfect progressive after the modal is have been + -ing; do not place a separately finite is or had after ought to.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Ought to is sowing is not a grammatical modal construction.
B: **Correct:** Ought to have been sowing gives the expected ongoing past activity.
C: **Incorrect:** Ought to will have sown incorrectly stacks a finite future modal.
D: **Incorrect:** Ought to had sown uses a finite had where base have is required.
Question 19 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Read the excerpt given below and fill in the blanks with those forms of the verbs which best fit the
passage from the options provided. Your chosen answer should maintain the tense consistency of
the excerpt.
The sun [i] _____ through the window, warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house
was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde—a
meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband”—was sowing his late
turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to [ii] _____ his on the
big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she [iii]
_____ him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he
meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter [iv] _____ him, of course, for Matthew
Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly
driving over the hollow and up the hill. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why [v] _____
there?
Excerpted from: Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. The Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, 2008. Project Gutenberg.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Find the appropriate verb form to fill in blank [iii].
Had heard
Hears
Will hear
Is hearing
Published solution
Mrs Rachel had heard Matthew's statement the evening before the present moment of the past narrative. Past perfect had heard marks that earlier event relative to the later past scene. The other forms are present or future and fail this time relation.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** Had heard correctly marks the previous-evening event.
B: **Incorrect:** Hears is present.
C: **Incorrect:** Will hear is future.
D: **Incorrect:** Is hearing is present progressive.
Question 20 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Read the excerpt given below and fill in the blanks with those forms of the verbs which best fit the
passage from the options provided. Your chosen answer should maintain the tense consistency of
the excerpt.
The sun [i] _____ through the window, warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house
was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde—a
meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband”—was sowing his late
turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to [ii] _____ his on the
big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she [iii]
_____ him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he
meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter [iv] _____ him, of course, for Matthew
Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly
driving over the hollow and up the hill. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why [v] _____
there?
Excerpted from: Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. The Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, 2008. Project Gutenberg.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Find the appropriate verb form to fill in blank [iv].
Was asking
Is asking
Had asked
Asks
Published solution
Peter's question preceded Matthew's reported information, both earlier than the narrative afternoon. Had asked is past perfect and makes that prior prompting explicit. It also explains why a normally reticent Matthew spoke; present forms or a past-progressive emphasis do not preserve the intended completed prior event.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** Was asking changes the event to an ongoing process rather than the intended completed earlier question.
B: **Incorrect:** Is asking shifts to present.
C: **Correct:** Had asked marks the earlier prompting question.
D: **Incorrect:** Asks is present.
Question 21 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Read the excerpt given below and fill in the blanks with those forms of the verbs which best fit the
passage from the options provided. Your chosen answer should maintain the tense consistency of
the excerpt.
The sun [i] _____ through the window, warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house
was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde—a
meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband”—was sowing his late
turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to [ii] _____ his on the
big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she [iii]
_____ him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he
meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter [iv] _____ him, of course, for Matthew
Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly
driving over the hollow and up the hill. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why [v] _____
there?
Excerpted from: Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. The Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, 2008. Project Gutenberg.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Find the appropriate verb form to fill in blank [v].
Will he be going
Has he gone
Would have he been going
Was he going
Published solution
The question asks about Matthew's ongoing journey at that past moment: 'why was he going there?' Use past-progressive was going, with auxiliary-subject inversion because it is a direct question. The future or present-perfect options change the time, and C has incorrect word order.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** Will shifts to future time.
B: **Incorrect:** Has gone is present perfect rather than the ongoing past question.
C: **Incorrect:** Would have he is not correct direct-question ordering.
D: **Correct:** Was he going has past-progressive time and correct inversion.
Question 22 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Complete the telephonic conversation given below with the most polite and correct**
**responses.**
Sumit: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for joining the call. I wanted to discuss the upcoming project deadline.
Rachel: Hi, Sumit. No problem. What's ……………..
Sumit: (1) __________________________
Rachel: Hello, am I audible now?
Sumit: (2) ______________________________
Rachel: Sumit, what is the current status of the work?
Sumit: The team is making good progress, but we might need an extra week to finalise everything.
Do you think we can get an extension?
Rachel: (3)_________________Let me check with the client and see if they can accommodate an
additional week.
Sumit: (4)______________________We want to ensure the quality is top-notch.
Rachel: Absolutely. I’ll update you once I get their response.
Sumit: (5) ____________________________________
Rachel: Bye, Sumit.
Based on the above conversation, answer the given subquestions.
Fill in blank (1) with the appropriate answer.
I can’t hear anything!
Hello, your voice is breaking.
Your voice is breaking up, speak properly!
I can’t hear!
Published solution
Rachel's sentence breaks off, and her next turn asks whether she is audible now. A polite report of the connection problem is needed. 'Hello, your voice is breaking' names the issue without blaming her or demanding that she speak properly.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** This is less specific and more abrupt.
B: **Correct:** It politely identifies the voice connection problem.
C: **Incorrect:** Speak properly wrongly blames the speaker for a technical issue.
D: **Incorrect:** This is abrupt compared with the specific polite report.
Question 23 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Complete the telephonic conversation given below with the most polite and correct**
**responses.**
Sumit: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for joining the call. I wanted to discuss the upcoming project deadline.
Rachel: Hi, Sumit. No problem. What's ……………..
Sumit: (1) __________________________
Rachel: Hello, am I audible now?
Sumit: (2) ______________________________
Rachel: Sumit, what is the current status of the work?
Sumit: The team is making good progress, but we might need an extra week to finalise everything.
Do you think we can get an extension?
Rachel: (3)_________________Let me check with the client and see if they can accommodate an
additional week.
Sumit: (4)______________________We want to ensure the quality is top-notch.
Rachel: Absolutely. I’ll update you once I get their response.
Sumit: (5) ____________________________________
Rachel: Bye, Sumit.
Based on the above conversation, answer the given subquestions.
Fill in blank (2) with the appropriate answer.
Yes, Rachel. I can hear you now
Yes, Rachel. The meeting is scheduled for the upcoming week.
No, Rachel. I will join the meeting
Yes, Rachel. I will call you back
Published solution
Rachel asks whether she can be heard now. Sumit's next line should directly confirm that audio has been restored. A answers that question before they resume project discussion. The alternatives introduce unrelated meeting or call plans rather than addressing audibility.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** This directly confirms that the audio is now clear.
B: **Incorrect:** Scheduling information does not answer audibility.
C: **Incorrect:** Joining a meeting does not answer whether she can be heard.
D: **Incorrect:** A future callback is not the direct audio confirmation.
Question 24 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Complete the telephonic conversation given below with the most polite and correct**
**responses.**
Sumit: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for joining the call. I wanted to discuss the upcoming project deadline.
Rachel: Hi, Sumit. No problem. What's ……………..
Sumit: (1) __________________________
Rachel: Hello, am I audible now?
Sumit: (2) ______________________________
Rachel: Sumit, what is the current status of the work?
Sumit: The team is making good progress, but we might need an extra week to finalise everything.
Do you think we can get an extension?
Rachel: (3)_________________Let me check with the client and see if they can accommodate an
additional week.
Sumit: (4)______________________We want to ensure the quality is top-notch.
Rachel: Absolutely. I’ll update you once I get their response.
Sumit: (5) ____________________________________
Rachel: Bye, Sumit.
Based on the above conversation, answer the given subquestions.
Fill in blank (3) with the appropriate answer.
I understand
Wow!
Amazing!
See ya!
Published solution
Rachel has just heard a reasoned request for an extension. 'I understand' acknowledges that explanation and leads into checking with the client. Exclamations of amazement do not match the practical professional issue, and See ya prematurely closes the conversation.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** This acknowledges the request before proposing a next step.
B: **Incorrect:** Wow is not the appropriate professional acknowledgement here.
C: **Incorrect:** Amazing expresses enthusiasm unrelated to the extension problem.
D: **Incorrect:** See ya is a farewell before the discussion has ended.
Question 25 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Complete the telephonic conversation given below with the most polite and correct**
**responses.**
Sumit: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for joining the call. I wanted to discuss the upcoming project deadline.
Rachel: Hi, Sumit. No problem. What's ……………..
Sumit: (1) __________________________
Rachel: Hello, am I audible now?
Sumit: (2) ______________________________
Rachel: Sumit, what is the current status of the work?
Sumit: The team is making good progress, but we might need an extra week to finalise everything.
Do you think we can get an extension?
Rachel: (3)_________________Let me check with the client and see if they can accommodate an
additional week.
Sumit: (4)______________________We want to ensure the quality is top-notch.
Rachel: Absolutely. I’ll update you once I get their response.
Sumit: (5) ____________________________________
Rachel: Bye, Sumit.
Based on the above conversation, answer the given subquestions.
Fill in blank (4) with the appropriate answer.
Ok!
Yeah, alright!
Whatever!
That would be great.
Published solution
Rachel offers to check whether the client can accommodate another week. 'That would be great' expresses positive appreciation while recognizing that approval is not yet certain. Whatever is dismissive, while the more casual options are less polished for the stated professional call.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** Okay is less appreciative than the offered professional response.
B: **Incorrect:** This is more casual and less clearly appreciative.
C: **Incorrect:** Whatever sounds dismissive.
D: **Correct:** This warmly acknowledges the proposed help without treating it as guaranteed approval.
Question 26 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Complete the telephonic conversation given below with the most polite and correct**
**responses.**
Sumit: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for joining the call. I wanted to discuss the upcoming project deadline.
Rachel: Hi, Sumit. No problem. What's ……………..
Sumit: (1) __________________________
Rachel: Hello, am I audible now?
Sumit: (2) ______________________________
Rachel: Sumit, what is the current status of the work?
Sumit: The team is making good progress, but we might need an extra week to finalise everything.
Do you think we can get an extension?
Rachel: (3)_________________Let me check with the client and see if they can accommodate an
additional week.
Sumit: (4)______________________We want to ensure the quality is top-notch.
Rachel: Absolutely. I’ll update you once I get their response.
Sumit: (5) ____________________________________
Rachel: Bye, Sumit.
Based on the above conversation, answer the given subquestions.
Fill in blank (5) with the appropriate answer.
I am not sure!
Fine!
Thanks, I guess
Thanks, Rachel. I will talk to you soon
Published solution
The discussion ends with Rachel promising an update. A polite closing thanks her by name and signals future contact, matching her following goodbye. Thanks, I guess sounds reluctant; Fine is curt, and uncertainty is not the purpose of this closing.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** This does not acknowledge the offered next step or close politely.
B: **Incorrect:** Fine is less courteous than explicit thanks.
C: **Incorrect:** I guess weakens and can undercut the gratitude.
D: **Correct:** It expresses clear gratitude and a natural call closing.
Question 27 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Fill in the blanks in List A using appropriate idioms from List B.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Soldiers _____ their lives _____ to protect the nation.
On the dot
Raining on his parade
Put…on the line
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Put…in the shade
Published solution
Protecting the country can require soldiers to risk their lives. Put their lives on the line expresses that risk; the two parts surround the object their lives.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** On the dot means at exactly the stated time.
B: **Incorrect:** Rain on someone's parade means spoil their enjoyment or enthusiasm.
C: **Correct:** Put something on the line means risk it.
D: **Incorrect:** Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means born into wealth or privilege.
E: **Incorrect:** Put something in the shade means surpass or overshadow it.
Question 28 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Fill in the blanks in List A using appropriate idioms from List B.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
He was not _____; everything he has is a result of his own hard work.
On the dot
Raining on his parade
Put…on the line
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Put…in the shade
Published solution
The contrast is between inherited privilege and self-earned success. Being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means being born wealthy or privileged, which the sentence explicitly denies.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** On the dot means at exactly the stated time.
B: **Incorrect:** Rain on someone's parade means spoil their enjoyment or enthusiasm.
C: **Incorrect:** Put something on the line means risk it.
D: **Correct:** Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means born into wealth or privilege.
E: **Incorrect:** Put something in the shade means surpass or overshadow it.
Question 29 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Fill in the blanks in List A using appropriate idioms from List B.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
The CEO walked into the meeting hall promptly at ten_____.
On the dot
Raining on his parade
Put…on the line
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Put…in the shade
Published solution
Promptly at ten on the dot means precisely at 10:00. The idiom reinforces punctuality rather than risk or superiority.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** On the dot means at exactly the stated time.
B: **Incorrect:** Rain on someone's parade means spoil their enjoyment or enthusiasm.
C: **Incorrect:** Put something on the line means risk it.
D: **Incorrect:** Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means born into wealth or privilege.
E: **Incorrect:** Put something in the shade means surpass or overshadow it.
Question 30 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Fill in the blanks in List A using appropriate idioms from List B.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
Michael Jackson’s stupendous success _____ the individual achievements of his siblings _____.
On the dot
Raining on his parade
Put…on the line
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Put…in the shade
Published solution
Jackson's exceptional success overshadowed his siblings' individual achievements. Put those achievements in the shade expresses that comparison; it does not mean their achievements did not exist.
**Answer: E.**
A: **Incorrect:** On the dot means at exactly the stated time.
B: **Incorrect:** Rain on someone's parade means spoil their enjoyment or enthusiasm.
C: **Incorrect:** Put something on the line means risk it.
D: **Incorrect:** Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means born into wealth or privilege.
E: **Correct:** Put something in the shade means surpass or overshadow it.
Question 31 MCQ · 2.0 marks
Fill in the blanks in List A using appropriate idioms from List B.
Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.
I do not mean to be _____, but don’t you think that he should be more responsible in life?
On the dot
Raining on his parade
Put…on the line
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Put…in the shade
Published solution
The speaker introduces a potentially unwelcome criticism while disclaiming any wish to spoil the person's enjoyment. Raining on his parade expresses dampening enthusiasm.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** On the dot means at exactly the stated time.
B: **Correct:** Rain on someone's parade means spoil their enjoyment or enthusiasm.
C: **Incorrect:** Put something on the line means risk it.
D: **Incorrect:** Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means born into wealth or privilege.
E: **Incorrect:** Put something in the shade means surpass or overshadow it.
Question 32 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
Which of the following is NOT true about the 14-year old boy who was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat?
He was influenced by the wildly popular Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa
He procured a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP
He was addicted to crime web series
He would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw armed protagonists
Published solution
The passage describes two separate incidents. Pushpa is associated with the Jahangirpuri killer; the Surat boy is associated with crime web series, buying a revolver and showing it off. A incorrectly transfers the first incident's film influence to the second boy, making it the NOT-true statement.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** This mixes up the two separate incidents.
B: **Incorrect:** The revolver purchase and price are stated for the Surat boy.
C: **Incorrect:** His crime-web-series addiction is explicitly stated.
D: **Incorrect:** The adrenaline-rush account is explicitly attributed to him.
Question 33 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
Who is a “delinquent”?
A person chosen or elected by a larger group to speak, vote, etc., for them,
especially at a meeting
A person, usually young, who behaves in a way that is illegal or commits
crimes
An official whose job is to represent one country in another, and who usually
works in an embassy
The character second in importance to the protagonist in classical Greek
drama
Published solution
A delinquent is a person, commonly a young person in this context, who commits offences or behaves unlawfully. A describes a delegate or representative, C a diplomatic official, and D a secondary dramatic character; similar-looking vocabulary should not replace the crime-related meaning.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** This describes a delegate/representative.
B: **Correct:** This matches the unlawful or offending behavior of a delinquent.
C: **Incorrect:** This describes a diplomatic representative.
D: **Incorrect:** This describes a deuteragonist rather than a delinquent.
Question 34 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
Which of the following is NOT true about the study, and the findings of that study, made by Dr.
Samir Parikh in 2008?
79% of respondents loved watching violent movies.
The people who participated in the study were aged 14-17
44% of the respondents had the urge to hit others.
The respondents procured their own weapons after watching armed
protagonists.
Published solution
The study concerns participants aged 14-17 and reports liking violent films, urges to hit others and knowing friends who carried weapons. It does not establish that respondents themselves procured weapons after watching armed protagonists; that detail belongs to the separate Surat incident. The source loosely calls the percentage group respondents even though the passage specifies boys for the 79% figure.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** The passage reports the 79% figure for boys in the study; this is the intended source-supported statistic.
B: **Incorrect:** The age range is directly stated.
C: **Incorrect:** The 44% urge-to-hit figure is reported.
D: **Correct:** The procurement claim is not a stated study finding and confuses the separate anecdote with the study.
Question 35 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
This idea of self-protection **stems** mostly from three sociopolitical contexts.
In this sentence, the word “stems” is:
A singular noun
A plural noun
A verb that agrees with a singular subject
A verb that agrees with a plural subject
Published solution
Stems is the finite verb in 'This idea ... stems ...'. Its subject head is idea, singular; of self-protection is a modifying phrase. Therefore the verb takes the third-person singular ending -s. The three contexts follow from and do not control that agreement.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** Stems is used as a verb here, not a singular noun.
B: **Incorrect:** It is not a plural noun in this construction.
C: **Correct:** The singular idea controls stems.
D: **Incorrect:** A plural subject would normally take stem.
Question 36 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
What, according to Sayandeb Chowdhury, is the difference between violence in early Indian
cinema and violence in current films?
Violence in early Indian cinema was negligible.
The impact of violence in early Indian cinema was measurable.
In current Indian cinema, armed protagonists do not use weapons to frighten
others in their locality.
Current films project violence as an acceptable and legitimate solution to a
problem.
Published solution
Chowdhury does not say earlier cinema had no violence. His distinction concerns its framing: current films increasingly present violence as an acceptable, legitimate solution to problems. That normalization, rather than mere presence or easy measurability, is the stated concern.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** He explicitly says early cinema was not nonviolent either.
B: **Incorrect:** Measurability is not the stated historical distinction.
C: **Incorrect:** This is not his claim about the newer films.
D: **Correct:** The source explicitly identifies legitimizing violence as a solution.
Question 37 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
Many of the people who participated in the study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in
2008 said that they knew of _____.
The “culture of fear” that was peddled by the media
The brutal stabbing of three children at Jahangirpuri in New Delhi
Friends who carried weapons for protection.
The 14-year old boy who had been arrested by the Gujarat police in Surat
Published solution
The study participants said they knew friends who carried weapons for protection. This is the precise reported observation. The 2022 incidents cannot be what respondents in a 2008 study were reporting, and the sociopolitical analysis is a different part of the passage.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** The culture-of-fear analysis is not the quoted acquaintance finding.
B: **Incorrect:** The 2022 event occurs long after the 2008 study.
C: **Correct:** This directly matches the reported friends-with-weapons observation.
D: **Incorrect:** This 2022 incident is not a finding reported by 2008 participants.
Question 38 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of transference,” says
Chowdhury.
What is being likened to osmosis?
The use of weapons to frighten others in one’s locality.
The slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time
Adrenaline rush
The idea of responsible citizenry
Published solution
The osmosis comparison describes cumulative influence: many films may affect attitudes slowly over time even when a single film cannot be directly blamed for a particular act. It is an analogy for gradual psychological transfer, not a literal biological process or just an immediate adrenaline rush.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** That is a particular behavior, not the cumulative process being compared.
B: **Correct:** The comparison is explicitly to slow accumulated influence across many films.
C: **Incorrect:** An adrenaline rush is immediate rather than the long-term influence described.
D: **Incorrect:** Responsible citizenry is a different part of the social explanation.
Question 39 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
Which of the following is a sociopolitical context that leads to a weaponized idea of self-protection?
The neo-liberal state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people and the state’s
failure to offer any perception of security.
The idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ in which protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed is seen as a sign of being responsible.
The peddling of a ‘culture of fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that
one is living through a crisis of safety.
All of these
Published solution
The passage lists all three contexts: perceived withdrawal of state protection, an armed ideal of responsible citizenship, and media-generated fear. They are presented as contributors to the weaponized idea of self-protection, so all of the listed factors match the account.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** This is the first context explicitly listed.
B: **Incorrect:** This is the second listed context.
C: **Incorrect:** This is the third listed context.
D: **Correct:** All three listed contexts appear in the passage.
Question 40 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
How many syllables are there in the word “juvenile”?
Three
Four
Five
None of these
Published solution
Juvenile normally has three syllables, ju-ve-nile. The final syllable varies somewhat by accent, but that does not make the standard word four or five syllables. Count its spoken vowel nuclei, not each written letter.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** The standard form has three syllables.
B: **Incorrect:** Four overcounts the usual spoken form.
C: **Incorrect:** Five overcounts the usual spoken form.
D: **Incorrect:** Three is already an appropriate listed answer.
Question 41 MCQ · 2.0 marks
**Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.**
An Audience for Violence
To what extent can portrayals of juvenile delinquency in films be held responsible for encouraging
youth along the same path? In January 2022, three children were brutally stabbed at Jahangirpuri
in New Delhi. Upon enquiry, the police found that the killer was influenced by the wildly popular
Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa. The same year in August, a 14-year old boy was arrested by the Gujarat
police in Surat for procuring a country-made revolver for Rs. 6,000 from UP. He also told the police
that he was addicted to crime web series and would “get an adrenaline rush” whenever he saw
armed protagonists, and would even show off or use the weapon to frighten others in his locality.
These incidents establish a direct connection between delinquent behaviour and violence shown
in films, an argument supported by a study conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Samir Parikh in 2008
with a sample size of 1,000 people aged 14-17. The study found that 79 per cent of the boys “loved
watching violent movies” and 44 per cent of them had the urge to hit others. Interestingly, many
of them said that they knew of friends who “carried weapons for protection.”
This idea of self-protection stems mostly from three sociopolitical contexts. Firstly, the neo-liberal
state’s withdrawal from the lives of the people where the state fails to offer any perception of
security. Secondly, the idea of ‘responsible citizenry’ who consider protecting one’s house from
‘invaders’ by being armed as a sign of being responsible. And lastly, the peddling of a ‘culture of
fear’ by the media that pushes one to believe that they are living through a crisis of safety.
Film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury, however, says, “A popular film is seen by thousands, but the
proportion of violence that can directly refer back to any particular film is usually negligible. At the
same time, the slow, immeasurable impact of many films over a period of time cannot be
overlooked. In other words, it is like osmosis, which in terms of psychology, can lead to a case of
transference,” says Chowdhury.
According to Chowdhury, while early Indian cinema was not non-violent either, there is a
perceptible difference in current films insofar as violence is projected as an acceptable and
legitimate solution to a problem. “The visceral violence that routinely masquerades as
entertainment may have unchained violence from the last bit of moral nudging that may have
existed, . . .” notes the author of Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema. “Like cinema, politics is also making
it legal to seek a solution in violence as an answer to complicated problems,” he adds.
Excerpted from:
Bhattacharya, Abhik. “An Audience for Violence.” Edited by Ramya Maddali, Outlook, vol. LXIII, no.
20, 01 Jul. 2023.
According to the article, what sphere of social activity other than cinema has begun to proffer
violent solutions as acceptable answers to complicated problems?
Business
Politics
Education
None of these
Published solution
Chowdhury says 'Like cinema, politics is also' legitimizing violence as a solution to complicated problems. The comparative phrase identifies politics as the other social sphere. The question asks for that explicit reference rather than a possible inference about other institutions.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Business is not the named comparison.
B: **Correct:** Politics is explicitly named in the final quotation.
C: **Incorrect:** Education is not the named sphere.
D: **Incorrect:** A matching sphere is listed.
Question 42 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Identify the **incorrect** sentence among the two based on the usage of the verb:
She is seeming happy today.
She seems happy today.
Published solution
Seem expresses appearance or impression and normally functions as a stative linking verb. The ordinary present statement is 'She seems happy today', not 'She is seeming happy today'. This is the standard stative-use rule intended by the exercise.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** The progressive is inappropriate for the ordinary stative seem construction here.
B: **Incorrect:** The simple present is the standard form.
Question 43 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Which of the following verbs have the same form in all tenses?
Sit
Cast
Walk
Throw
Published solution
The question intends the three principal verb forms. Cast has cast-cast-cast; sit changes to sat, walk to walked, and throw to threw/thrown. The wording all tenses is loose, because cast still becomes casts or casting in other constructions; its principal parts are the identical forms.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Sit changes to sat.
B: **Correct:** Cast has identical base,past and past-participle forms.
C: **Incorrect:** Walk changes to walked.
D: **Incorrect:** Throw changes to threw and thrown.
Question 44 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Choose the correct sentences based on the rules of countable and uncountable nouns:
i) The traffic in the city centre was unusually heavy this morning.
ii) This book is based on incorrect researches.
iii) There is some waters left in the bottle.
iv) She enjoys listening to classical music.
Only i)
Both i) and iv)
Both ii) and iii)
None of them
Published solution
Traffic and music are normally uncountable in these uses, and i and iv use them correctly. Research is usually a mass noun here, so use incorrect research, not incorrect researches in the ordinary intended sense. Water in a bottle is also a mass substance: some water, not some waters.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** This omits the also-correct music sentence iv.
B: **Correct:** Both i and iv use their uncountable nouns correctly.
C: **Incorrect:** Both ii and iii use nonstandard plurals for the intended mass-noun meanings.
D: **Incorrect:** Two of the statements are correct.
Question 45 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Identify the subject of the sentence.
The manager and her team are working on the project.
Manager
Team
Project
The manager and her team
Published solution
The complete subject is the coordinated noun phrase 'The manager and her team'. Both parts together are the people doing the work and explain the plural auxiliary are. Project is inside the object of the preposition on, not the subject.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** Manager is only one part of the full coordinated subject.
B: **Incorrect:** Team is only the other part.
C: **Incorrect:** Project is in the on-phrase and does not perform the action.
D: **Correct:** This is the whole subject noun phrase.
Question 46 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Choose the correct sentence.
They chose the least expensive option.
They chose the most least expensive option.
They chose least expensive option.
They chose the lesser expensive option.
Published solution
Least expensive is the superlative phrase for the smallest expense within the available choices. Use the determiner the: 'They chose the least expensive option'. Most least is contradictory double-superlative marking, and lesser expensive is not the ordinary comparative construction.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** The least expensive option is the standard complete phrase.
B: **Incorrect:** Most and least should not be stacked this way.
C: **Incorrect:** The singular noun phrase needs the before least here.
D: **Incorrect:** Use less expensive, not lesser expensive.
Question 47 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Choose the grammatically correct sentence.
Either Mohan or his friend are guilty.
Either Mohan or his friend is guilty.
Published solution
Either Mohan or his friend presents two singular alternatives. The nearer subject friend is singular, so use is guilty. The plural are does not agree with that singular alternative under the exercise's standard proximity-agreement rule.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Are is plural and does not agree here.
B: **Correct:** Is agrees with the singular alternative friend.
Question 48 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Choose the grammatically correct sentence.
There are plenty of space in the hall.
There is plenty of space in the hall.
Published solution
Space means available room and is uncountable in this sentence. The existential construction therefore takes singular is: 'There is plenty of space'. Plenty of does not automatically make the following noun plural; agreement follows the noun's number/countability.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** Are does not agree with uncountable space here.
B: **Correct:** Is matches the mass-noun phrase plenty of space.
Question 49 MCQ · 1.0 marks
The consonant cluster in the word trivial is an instance of _________.
Initial CC
Final CC
Initial CCC
Final CCC
Published solution
Trivial begins with /tr/, two consecutive consonants before its first vowel. This is an initial CC cluster. It is not a three-consonant onset or a final-position cluster. The number of syllables elsewhere in the word does not change this initial cluster classification.
**Answer: A.**
A: **Correct:** /tr/ is an initial two-consonant cluster.
B: **Incorrect:** The relevant cluster is at the start, not the end.
C: **Incorrect:** There are only two initial consonant sounds.
D: **Incorrect:** The word does not have the claimed final CCC cluster.
Question 50 MCQ · 1.0 marks
The /t/ sound in the word pilot is aspirated.
True
False
Published solution
The /t/ in pilot occurs at the end of the word in an unstressed syllable, not as the onset of a stressed syllable. In the aspiration rule targeted by this course, that does not receive the strong aspirated onset release. Therefore the proposed aspirated classification is false; detailed release realizations may vary by accent and speaking context.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** The target is not in the stressed-onset aspiration environment.
B: **Correct:** The ordinary course classification is unaspirated in this position.
Question 51 MCQ · 1.0 marks
The word ‘machine’ is a _____ word.
Monosyllabic
Polysyllabic
Disyllabic
Published solution
Machine has two syllables, ma-chine, and is therefore disyllabic. Monosyllabic means one syllable. Polysyllabic can be used broadly, but the exercise asks for the exact two-syllable category rather than a less specific label.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** Machine has more than one syllable.
B: **Incorrect:** This is less specific than the intended exact classification.
C: **Correct:** Disyllabic correctly means two syllables.
Question 52 MCQ · 1.0 marks
How many syllables are there in the word oily?
1
2
3
4
Published solution
Oily normally has two syllables, oil-y, with /ɔɪ/ as a diphthong in the first syllable and a final /i/ syllable. A diphthong is one nucleus rather than two separate vowel syllables. The final y adds the second nucleus.
**Answer: B.**
A: **Incorrect:** The final -y provides an additional syllable.
B: **Correct:** Oil-y gives two syllables.
C: **Incorrect:** The diphthong is not two separate nuclei.
D: **Incorrect:** Four greatly overcounts the spoken form.
Question 53 MCQ · 1.0 marks
You must go through the answers _________the end of the book.
In
On
By
At
Published solution
At the end of the book locates the answer section at an identifiable endpoint. By the end could mean before a completion deadline, but that is not the intended location of the printed answers. On and in are not the conventional end-of-object expression here.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** In the end means finally in another context, not this physical section location.
B: **Incorrect:** On the end is not the usual book-section phrase.
C: **Incorrect:** By would usually supply a deadline or a different proximity relation.
D: **Correct:** At marks the end as the location of the answers.
Question 54 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Which of the following has an aspirated stop?
Spreadsheets
Company
Improve
Both company and improve
Published solution
Company begins with /k/ at the start of a stressed syllable. Improve contains /p/ at the start of its stressed /pruːv/ syllable. Both have an aspirated voiceless stop in the intended pronunciation model. In spreadsheets, the /p/ follows /s/ in /spr/, which suppresses that aspiration.
**Answer: D.**
A: **Incorrect:** The /p/ after /s/ in the cluster is not aspirated under the standard rule.
B: **Incorrect:** Company has an aspirated initial /k/, but is not the only valid word.
C: **Incorrect:** Improve has an aspirated stressed-syllable /p/, but is not the only valid word.
D: **Correct:** Both company and improve have the relevant aspirated stop.
Question 55 MCQ · 1.0 marks
The word microbial is stressed as ______.
‘Microbial
Micro’bial
Mi’crobial
Mic’robial
Published solution
Microbial normally has primary stress on the cro syllable: mi-CRO-bi-al, commonly /maɪˈkrəʊbiəl/. The stress marker must precede that syllable, as in Mi'crobial. Do not assume every word beginning micro has the same stress as the independent word micro.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** This puts primary stress on the first syllable.
B: **Incorrect:** This puts primary stress too late.
C: **Correct:** The marker correctly precedes the stressed cro syllable.
D: **Incorrect:** This splits the stress notation at the wrong point.
Question 56 MCQ · 1.0 marks
The traffic in the city was so heavy. It took us two hours to drive __________it.
On
With
Through
Along
Published solution
Driving through traffic means moving within and across the area occupied by congested vehicles until one gets beyond it. Through expresses that passage. On, with and along do not capture the intended traversal of the congestion.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** On is not the appropriate movement relation with traffic here.
B: **Incorrect:** With does not express traversing the congestion.
C: **Correct:** Through describes movement through and beyond the traffic.
D: **Incorrect:** Along is more natural for a road or line, not this intended obstacle-like traffic.
Question 57 MCQ · 1.0 marks
In the following question, find out which part of the sentence has an error. If the sentence is
grammatically correct, mark your answer as ‘No Error’.
My favourite teacher has (A)/ taught me very well how to write and speak English (B)/ and French
in a very short (C)/ span of time (D)
A
B
C
D
No error
Published solution
The singular subject my favourite teacher correctly takes has taught. Teach someone how to write and speak is grammatical, English and French can share those infinitives, and in a very short span of time is a standard expression. None of the four marked portions introduces the claimed grammatical error.
**Answer: E.**
A: **Incorrect:** Has agrees with the singular teacher.
B: **Incorrect:** Taught me ... how to write and speak is grammatical.
C: **Incorrect:** English and French can be coordinated as the languages taught.
D: **Incorrect:** Span of time is a grammatical noun phrase.
E: **Correct:** The complete sentence is grammatical under the ordinary reading.
Question 58 MCQ · 1.0 marks
"The sun is setting"
What is the tense of the verb?
Present participle
Past participle
Present continuous
Simple present
Published solution
The complete verb phrase is is setting: present-tense be plus the -ing participle. This forms present continuous/progressive and presents the sunset as happening now. Setting alone is a participle, but the tense label applies to the full phrase, not that word in isolation.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** Setting is a participle, but this is not the tense of the complete phrase.
B: **Incorrect:** No past participle construction is used.
C: **Correct:** Is + setting forms present continuous.
D: **Incorrect:** Simple present would be sets.
Question 59 MCQ · 1.0 marks
"He jumped into the pool"
Which word in the sentence above is the preposition?
He
jumped
into
the
Published solution
Into introduces the destination of the movement and takes the pool as its object. He is a pronoun, jumped the main verb, and the a determiner. The contrast between in and into is useful: into emphasizes movement to the inside.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** He is a subject pronoun.
B: **Incorrect:** Jumped is the verb.
C: **Correct:** Into is the preposition introducing the destination.
D: **Incorrect:** The is a determiner.
Question 60 MCQ · 1.0 marks
In formal academic writing, to show cause which among the following phrases can be used?
In contrary
Likewise
Owing to
Published solution
Owing to introduces a cause and means because of, usually followed by a noun phrase: owing to heavy rain. Likewise marks a parallel or similarity, while the standard contrast phrase is on the contrary, not in contrary.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** The usual expression is on the contrary, and it marks contrast.
B: **Incorrect:** Likewise marks similarity rather than cause.
C: **Correct:** Owing to supplies the causal relation.
Question 61 MCQ · 1.0 marks
Despite, although, and nevertheless are transitional devices that are used to ____.
Add
Conclude
Contrast
Published solution
Despite and although introduce a concession: something happens contrary to what the other fact might lead one to expect. Nevertheless means in spite of that and links a contrasting continuation. They differ grammatically, but all express contrast rather than addition or a conclusion.
**Answer: C.**
A: **Incorrect:** These words do not primarily add a similar point.
B: **Incorrect:** They are not primarily conclusion markers.
C: **Correct:** Their shared semantic function is contrast/concession.