The Ultimate Guide to Solve Reading Comprehension

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Practice Sets For Reading Comprehension

Directions (Q.1–6): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.

A state of emergency can be directly imposed or it can creep up on you in unexpected ways. Following the Narendra Modi government’s decision to ban the Hindi news channel NDTV India for an entire day (now put on hold) as punishment for its coverage of the terror attack on the Pathankot military base, the question being asked is whether the cumulative actions of this government reflect the same mentality that led Indira Gandhi to impose a state of emergency in 1975—an inability to tolerate opposition or dissent.

The government justifies its action against NDTV India on the grounds that its coverage of the Pathankot anti-terror operation gave away vital information that could have been used by those directing the attack on the military base. It claims the channel contravened rule 6(1)(p) of the programme code under the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2015. But the rule itself is problematic as is the mechanism for enforcing it. The body tasked with deciding whether a channel has transgressed the rule is the Inter-Ministerial Committee. No one with a journalistic background or knowledge of how 24-hour news networks function is on the committee. Yet, the committee judges and pronounces punishment without any judicial oversight.

The provision under which NDTV India has been hauled up is the end result of a process that began after the 26 November 2008 terror attack on Mumbai. Leading television channels, including NDTV, were criticised by the government for helping the minders of the terrorists by giving away precise information even as the attack was on. No action was taken against these channels but discussions began about bringing in a provision prohibiting live coverage of such operations. A committee headed by former Chief Justice J S Verma formed by the News Broadcasters Association, a self-regulatory body, formulated guidelines on coverage of such attacks. However, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the time was not convinced that this would suffice and instead came up with amendments to the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 that would have given the police and government officials arbitrary powers to block live transmission and confiscate equipment if they concluded that the network was going against “national interest.” Fortunately, the government heeded the strong objections of the networks and backed down. In 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured heads of news channels that no changes would be made without consultations. Yet, within a year of the Modi government assuming power, rule 6(1)(p) was added to the program code under the Cable Television Networks Rules.

The Modi government appears to have temporarily backed down in the face of strong protests from many journalistic associations and bodies and possibly also because NDTV has moved the Supreme Court. Yet, the threat remains. By picking on NDTV India, known for its critical coverage of the ruling party and government compared to other channels, the government is clearly seeking to send out a message. It is smarting from the media questioning of its recent actions such as the “surgical strikes” across the Line of Control in Kashmir. So, perhaps, it has decided that a dose of indirect censorship will have the “chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression”.  The arbitrary use of power against NDTV India ought to be a wake-up call for the Indian media. Governments that invoke freedom of the press and national security in the same breath cannot be trusted.

1. Yet, the threat remains what threat does the author talk of here?
   1.The threat of adding 6 (1) (p) to the program code under Cable Television Rules
   2.The threat of banning NDTV for an entire day
   3.The threat of arbitrary powers being used by Modi govt.
   4.The threat from terrorists attacking India again
   5.The threat from media covering other terrorist attacks and showing sensitive information on TV
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 3
   Explanation :
   Last para initial lines state that the govt has backed down temporarily now. Backed down from banning NDTV for an entire day. But in the larger context, ‘threat remains’ refers to use of arbitrary powers in future by the govt.
2.  What problems are cited with using of the rule 6 (1) (p)?
   1.It has to be added to the program code under Cable Television Rules
   2.The Committee enforcing it does not have any journalist on the panel
   3.The Committee members use it without any judicial supervision
   4.Both 2 & 3
   5.All 1, 2 & 3
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer –4
   Explanation :
   Para 2 discusses issues with the rule. Both 2 and 3 are stated in the paragraph. 1 is wrong. Last line, para 3 states that it was added when Modi govt came to power.
3. Which of the following is incorrect according to the passage?
   1.NDTV was being punished for its coverage of Pathankot attack
   2.UPA govt was contended with the formation of rules under by JS Verma Committee
   3.Author has been very critical of the working of Modi govt
   4.Modi govt does not like being asked questions by media for its actions
   5.None of the above
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 2
   Explanation :
   UPA govt was not contended with the work done by Verma committee, that is why they came up with amendments to Cable TV rules. Hence 2 is incorrect.
4.  Why has ‘’Mumbai terror attacks’ been indicated in the passage?
   1.To show that NDTV is habitual of breaking the law as it was responsible in the past also for covering the Mumbai attacks in a wrongful manner
   2.Discussion regarding formation of stringent rules against coverage of live attacks were initiated after this attack
   3.It was the first major attack on an Indian base before Pathankot
   4.Both 1 and 2
   5.All 1, 2 and 3
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 2
   Explanation :
   Para 3 discusses the Mumbai attacks. Different media channels gave vital information to terrorists during their coverage of the incident. Due to this, govt had to take some step and initiated the formation of laws.
5. What type of govt cannot be trusted?
   1.One who curbs the freedom of speech
   2.One who invokes freedom of the press and national security in the same breath
   3.One who uses arbitrary powers to curb media
   4.Both 1 and 2
   5.Both 1 and 3
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 2
   Explanation :
   Last line of the passage states that govt which invokes freedom of the press and national security in the same breath can’t be trusted. Hence 2
6. Why the ban on NDTV could not be carried out?
   1.Due to public protests against the govt
   2.The committee does not have any journalist member and hence did not make sound decision
   3.NDTV exercised judicial rights and the ban was lifted
   4.Other channels showed solidarity with NDTV and threatened to stop their coverage also for a day
   5.None of the above
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 3
   Explanation :
   NDTV moved supreme court – implies that it exercised its judicial rights- and govt had to back down, given in last para. Hence 3

Directions (Q.7–11): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.

Among the initiatives launched with much fanfare by the NDA government is the one titled “Digital India”, which is slated to use high speed internet as a core utility and provide citizens entitlements, documents and a host of services on the cloud. While digital literacy is crucial for the success of such an initiative, a more fundamental requirement is access to and use of the Internet. How far does the government have to go to ensure access and use to be successful with this digital mission?

According to recently released survey results from India’s official National Sample Survey (NSS) Organisation, the proportion of Indian households in which at least one member had access to the Internet was 16.1 per cent in rural areas, 48.7 per cent in urban areas and 26.7 per cent in rural and urban areas combined. Needless to say, this is far short of the near universal connectivity envisaged by the Digital India mission. If yet there is an unstated belief in certain circles that the foundations for a Digital India already exist, it is partly attributable to India’s success as an Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services provider to the rest of the world. The oft-quoted website (www.internetworldstats.com) reports that the number of Internet users in India rose from around 5 million in 2000 to 243 million in June 2014, which makes the 300-million December 2014 figure quite plausible.

However, before launching celebrations based on these figures, a degree of caution is called for. These high and rising figures conceal the fact that in relation to India’s population, Internet penetration is still low. If we go by the figures from Internet World Stats, Internet penetration within the population in India amounted to 19.7 per cent at the end of June 2014, as compared with 86.9 per cent in the U. S., 86.2 per cent in Japan, and 47.4 per cent in China. One problem is, of course, that of providing access to the hardware through which individuals get access to the Internet. Options here have increased hugely in recent years, but few seem to be willing to pay for access. Thus, the ITU estimates that only 3.1 per cent of Indian households had access to the Internet at home in 2011, whereas that figure for China in 2012 was 23.7 per cent. Thus, Indian internet users would have to rely on connections of friends and acquaintances, or at the work place or in cyber cafes to access the internet.

Even here the government has made an effort. Almost a decade back it announced a policy initiative to bridge India’s widening digital divide by increasing physical access to computers connected to the Internet. As part of that initiative it had promised to put in place in rural India a hundred thousand Common Service Centres (CSCs) – broadband-enabled computer kiosks that will offer a range of government-to-citizen and business-to-customer services, besides providing sheer access to the Internet. The CSCs were expected to begin servicing all of India’s 600,000 villages by mid-2008. However successful the government has been, it does not seem to have helped universalise access.

The challenge here seems enormous. The NSS survey quoted earlier suggests that there is an unusual relationship between internet access, computer access and literacy. As is to be expected the extent of literacy across the states of India is higher than the extent of access to the Internet through at least a single member of the household. That suggests there is still some slack in terms of getting literate people to take to the Internet. However, there is a strong association between household access to computers (or proportion of households with access) and household access to the Internet. While one survey may be inadequate to arrival at any causal suggestions let alone conclusions, if this relationship proves robust it could imply that increasing internet access is predicated on increasing hardware access to a far greater degree than the CSC programme envisaged. That makes the Digital India challenge not just more difficult, but more expensive.

7. Why only a very small percentage of Indian households have Internet?
   1.Rural areas have no access to Internet
   2.Internet is costly and only few rich people can afford it
   3.Few people are willing to pay for access to the Internet
   4.It is cheaper to use Internet at cafes
   5.Both 1 & 2
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 3
   Explanation :
   3rd paragraph – “Options here have increased ……………..Internet at home in 2011”. None of the other options are justified to provide answer to our question, hence 3.
8. Why does the author of the passage infer that Digital India challenge will be expensive?
   1.Govt has to spend a lot of money on increasing hardware access
   2.Broadband-enabled computer kiosks or CSCs require huge expenditure
   3.Govt will incur lot of expenditure on spreading computer literacy
   4.Increasing internet penetration has always been expensive
   5.Both 2 & 3
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 1
   Explanation :
   Last paragraph, second last line “increasing internet access is ………………. but more expensive”. Hence option 1.
9.  Why do people believe that foundations for a Digital India already exist?
   1.Previous govts. have already popularized internet to citizens
   2.Internet penetration is increasing in India at a rapid pace
   3.Computers as a subject has been taught in every school
   4.India’s success as an Information Technology services provider to the rest of the world
   5.Not mentioned in the passage
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 4
   Explanation :
   2nd paragraph “If yet there ………………………………… rest of the world.” Hence 4
10.  How does the author view the ‘300-million December 2014’ figure?
    1.It is too low considering Indian population
    2.Author is completely pessimistic about the future of Internet penetration
    3.Author is optimistic but also cautionary
    4.Author is optimistic because of such a rapid increase in number
    5.Figure is deceiving and author does not pay any attention to it
    Answer & Explanation

    Answer – 3
    Explanation :
    Last line, para 2 – author is very optimistic about reach the 300 million mark. Hence 1 and 2 can be eliminated. In the next paragraph, author cautions about focusing too much on the figure only. Hence the answer 3. 5 would be next best choice.
11. Which of the following is true about ‘Digital India’ initiative?
    1.High speed internet will be used as a core utility
    2.It will provide many a service to the citizens online
    3.More broadband-enabled computer kiosks need to be installed
    4.Both A & B
    5.Both B & C
    Answer & Explanation

    Answer – 4
    Explanation :
    1&2 have been discussed in the first paragraph. 3 is wrong because author has criticized this strategy of govt to increase internet penetration. Last paragraph – “if this relationship proves …………………………… the CSC programme envisaged.”

The impact of technical advancement in armaments on man, needs to be analyzed with a rational mind, and heart free from prejudices of any kind towards modernisation. The most noticeable impact of this development certainly has been the loss of immunity from violence for successive generations ever since the invention of gunpowder. In modern times, the presence of technically advanced arms, not only at the fronts but also among the civilian population, has vastly undermined the value of human life, and endangered the very entity of those virtues of self-restraint and discretion, on which. a peaceful and amiable society rests. However, an unbiased view of the present scenario, would refrain one from attributing the rising trends of violence to the availability of technically superior weapons, for one must not overlook the fact that Necessity is the mother of invention. Every stage in the development of armaments has been marked by its distinct impact on society. When man fought with stones and his bare hands, the society was not yet compact. The discovery of metal and the use of spears, knives and arrows indicate the stage of the formation of small kingdoms. Fire continued to be an effective weapon of destruction. When man introduced the cavalry into the army and improved the strategies of making war, some small kingdoms gave away to form empires, but with no revolutionary advances in armaments forthcoming, the political structure of society remained mare or less stagnant for the many coming centuries. The next significant development was the use of gunpowder, which could be used to perform acts which were then thought to be impossible. Gunpowder was used to form the ammunition of several guns and canons. This sudden advances in weaponry not only facilitated the control of a large mass of people by relatively few armed men that helping to form strong empires, but the availability of the new technology to a select few nations enabled the formation of colonies in continents which did not have access to the modernized technologies of warfare. Modern technological advances in armaments aided the formation of nation states in Europe. The extensive use of the fire-power lent a lethal edge to the naval power which proved to be the greatest asset to any nation in the 19th century. Small United Nations States of Europe with strong navies, modern arms and disciplined men gained control of lands in foreign continents far greater in areas than the parent countries.

1. Necessity is the mother of invention means
   1) where there is mother there IS invention
   2) when necessity arises invention IS done
   3) most of the invention are preplanned
   4) nothing happens without creating congenial environment
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 2)
2. The invention of modern weapons have resulted into
   1) loss of immunity from war in the society
   2) successive wars for the last two centuries.
   3) arms race among the nations
   4) loss of life and property every now and then
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 1)
3. Small kingdoms turned into big empires, after
   1) the invention of cavalry and canons and its introduction into the army
   2) the introduction of nuclear arms into the army
   3) the end of the use of knives, arrows and swords
   4) the end of the 19th century
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 1)
4. The style of the passage is
   1) informative
   2) analytical
   3) retrospective
   4) provocative
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 3)

   Some religious teachers have taught that Man is made up of a body and a soul: But they have been silent about the Intellect. Their followers try to feed the body on earth and to save soul from perdition after death: But they neglected the claims of the mind. Bread for the body and Virtue for the soul: These are regarded as the indispensable requisites of human welfare here and hereafter. Nothing is said about knowledge and education. Thus Jesus Christ spoke much of feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and converting the sinners: But he never taught the duty of teaching the ignorant and increasing scientific knowledge. He himself was not a well-educated man, and intellectual pursuits were beyond his horizon. Gautam Buddha also laid stress on morality, meditation and asceticism, but he did not attach great importance to history, science, art or literature. St. Ambrose deprecated scientific studies and wrote, Tel discuss the nature and position of the earth does not help us in our hope for life to come. St. Basil said very frankly and foolishly, It is not a matter of interest for us whether the earth is a sphere or a cylinder or disc. Thomas Carlyle also followed the Christian traditions when he declared that he honoured only two men and no third: The manual labour and the religious teacher. He forgot the scientist, the scholar and the artist. The cynics of Greece despised education at last?

5. What have the religious teachers taught in the past?
   1) That man is made up of body only
   2) That man is made up of soul only.
   3) That man is made up of bubbles
   4) That man is made up of body and soul together
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 4)
6. What is food for the soul?
   1) Bread
   2) Virtue
   3) Vice
   4) Education
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 2)
7. The following philosophers occur in the passage. But they are not in correct order. Correct the order (l). Jesus Christ (II). Gautam Buddha (III) St. Ambrose (IV). Thomas Carlyle M St. Basil
   1) I, II, III, IV, V
   2) I, III, IV, V, II
   3) I, II, III, V, IV
   4) II, I, III, IV, V
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 3)
8. Intellectual pursuits have been neglected because: (I) they are unnecessary and superfluous (II) they make people dwarf (III) they lead people to hell
   1) Only I is correct
   2) Only II is correct
   3) Only III is correct
   4) Only I and II are correct
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 1)
9. The style of the passage is
   1) narrative
   2) expository
   3) critical
   4) Analytical
   Answer & Explanation

   Answer – 1)

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.

It was telling that Germany, a country with a phobia of rising prices, in the first week of 2017 reported a jump in inflation. Its headline rate rose from 0.8% to 1.7% in December. After two years of unusually low price pressures, inflation across the rich world is set to revive this year. Much of this is because of the oil price, which fell below $30 a barrel in the early months of 2016 but has recently risen above $50 . Underlying inflation, too, seems poised to drift up. That is good news. The story for 2017 is not of inflation running too hot but rather of a welcome easing of fears of deflation.

To understand why, consider the three big drivers of inflation in the rich world: the price of imports, capacity pressures in the domestic economy and the public’s expectations. Start with imported inflation. A year ago, global goods prices were falling because of a slide in aggregate demand and a seemingly endless glut of basic commodities and manufactures. China’s economy wobbled. Emerging markets in general were in a funk; two of the largest, Brazil and Russia, were deep in recession.

Things look perkier now. Emerging markets still have plenty of trouble spots, but the bigger economies are stabilising. After falling for 54 months, producer prices in China are climbing at last. Prices at the factory gate rose by 5.5% in the year to December. China’s supply glut, though still vast, is shrinking. An improving demand climate is reflected in upbeat surveys of manufacturing purchasing managers across Asia and in the rich world. It is also visible in a revival in commodity prices.

So rich countries are importing a bit more globally made inflation. How big an impact that has depends on the exchange rate. And in much of the rich world, currency markets are proving helpful. In America, where underlying inflation is close to 2%, the Federal Reserve’s goal, the dollar has risen. In Japan and the euro area, where underlying inflation is lower, the yen and euro have weakened.The second big influence on inflation is the amount of slack in the domestic economy. The unemployment rate, measuring labour-market slack, is often a convenient gauge. On that basis, America’s economy, with unemployment at 4.7%, is close to full capacity. Average wages rose by 2.9% in the year to December, the highest rate since 2009. Assuming that trend productivity growth is around 1%, then wage growth of around 3% is consistent with a 2% rise in unit-wage costs, in line with the Fed’s inflation target.

The picture is cloudier in other parts of the rich world. Euro-area jobs markets are more rigid and run into bottlenecks more readily than America’s. Even so, the euro-area economy has far greater slack. The unemployment rate is 9.8%. The big southern euro-zone economies, such as Italy and Spain, have ample spare capacity. So if inflation is to get back to the European Central Bank’s target of close to 2%, it will require other economies, notably Germany, to generate inflation rates well above 2%.

That is not as implausible as the form book suggests. Germany has a tight labour market. The unemployment rate is just 4.1% and the workforce has shrunk as the population ages. And after a decade or more of restraint, wages have picked up a bit. Compensation per employee has risen at an average annual rate of 2.5% since 2010, according to the OECD, a rich-country think-tank. That is faster than in any other G7 country, but still not enough to drive German inflation up to the sorts of levels needed to push euro-zone inflation close to 2%. Faster wage growth has not fed through to higher consumer-price inflation, notes Ralf Preusser of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Average core inflation has been around 1.1% since 2010. German firms have absorbed rising wage costs without increasing prices. In Japan, where the jobs market is even tighter, wage growth has struggled to reach even 1%.

That wages have not risen faster owes much to the third big determinant of inflation—expectations. Firms will feel freer to push up prices, and employees to bargain for bigger wage rises, if they expect higher inflation. In theory expectations are in the gift of central banks. If they can convince the public that they have the tools to regulate aggregate demand, and thus the level of slack, expectations should converge on the central bank’s inflation target, usually 2% in rich countries. But expectations are also influenced by what inflation has been recently. In rich countries, it has fallen short. Inflation expectations in financial markets have recently perked up, but in the euro area are still well shy of the target. In Japan, two decades of deflation have taught firms and wage-earners to expect a lot less than 2%.

Headline inflation in the rich world is likely to rise quickly in early 2017, thanks largely to rising oil prices and a generally firmer global backdrop. Underlying inflation will grind up more slowly as above-trend growth eats away at available slack. A burst of stronger headline inflation this year might drive up inflation expectations and set the stage for bolder wage claims in northern Europe and Japan in 2018.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase expect higher inflation to add one percentage point to global nominal GDP in 2017, spurring a revival in profits and setting the scene for a recovery in capital spending (even without tax cuts in America). Forecasters often now look for extreme outcomes, but rich-world inflation this year may turn out to be a tale of moderation: enough to grease the wheels, but not enough to upset the cart.

1. What , according to the passage, are the causes of global inflation?
   A) Sluggish domestic economy
   B) Expectations of market
   C) Global economies were importing a little more
   D) Both A and C
   E) All of these
   View Answer

     Option E
   
2. What is JP Morgan Chaste?
   A) A group of Pros
   B) An analysts association
   C) A market determinant
   D) Both A and C
   E) Not mentioned.
   View Answer

     Option E
   
3. Why easing of deflation is a welcome step?
   A) availability of commodities
   B) wobbling of China’s economy
   C) Russia was in recession
   D) Only B and C
   E) All of these
   View Answer

     Option D
   Explanation: 
   commodities are scarce
   
4. Write the most appropriate synonym for “funk”:
   A) achieve
   B) confidence
   C) defy
   D) fluster
   E) security
   View Answer

     Option D
   Explanation: 
   funk = state of great fear 
   
5. What according to the passage is true about China?
   i. China’s supply is shrinking
   ii.China’s economy was unstable
   iii.China was in Recession
   A) Only i
   B) Only ii
   C) Only iii
   D) All of these
   E) None of these
   View Answer

     Option B
   Explanation: 
   wobble = moving unsteadily
   
6. Write the most appropriate antonym for “glut”:
   A) nibble
   B) famine
   C) surfeit
   D) munch
   E) diet
   View Answer

     Option C
   Explanation: 
   glut = excess, surplus
   
7. Explain the term ‘ a tight labour market’:
   A) labours are scarce
   B) labours are abundant
   C) severe competition for labour
   D) severe demand for labour
   E) None of these
   View Answer

     Option C
8. Write the meaning of the phrase “to grease the wheels”:
   A) blight
   B) expedite
   C) check
   D) thwart
   E) balk
   View Answer

     Option B
   Explanation: 
   to help something to go smoothly
   
9. What is the cause of rise in inflation in Germany?
   A) Increasing imports
   B) Increasing jobs
   C) Rising oil prices
   D) Growing demands
   E) All of the above
   View Answer

     Option C
   
10. What is the suitable title of the passage?
    A) Poised economy
    B) Global trends
    C) Inflation trends.
    D) A welcome revival.
    E) Slackened convergence
    View Answer

    Option D

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.

America’s original map-based cruise-missile guidance system came in two parts. The first, Terrain Contour Matching or TERCOM, took a missile to the general area of its target using a radar altimeter and a series of digital maps that showed the elevation of the ground under sections of the planned route. By comparing the missile’s actual altitude above this terrain with its expected altitude, TERCOM could follow contours and find its way. Once it was close to the target, a second system, the Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC), compared the view from a video camera with a set of stored images, in order to locate the bullseye. Such a combined system was awkward and expensive, but at least it was the best available before GPS. Now, though, huge improvements in electronics have turned the tables. Israel is in the forefront, with a system which it calls Spice. Like JDAM, Spice is an add-on kit that turns unguided bombs into smart ones. It is designed and built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli weapons company, and comes into service this month.

Spice contains an “electro-optical scene matching system” that resembles DSMAC’s in as much as its memory is loaded with pictures of the target area, taken beforehand by aircraft (piloted or unpiloted) or by satellite. Spice’s pictures, though, are of much higher resolution than those of DSMAC. On top of this the cameras that generate the real-time images with which those pictures are compared as the bomb falls towards its target work both in the visible and the infra-red parts of the spectrum. That means Spice can operate in darkness, and can penetrate smoke and fog. Moreover, unlike DSMAC, Spice stores enough data to cover the entire route to a target. It has no need of an accompanying system similar to TERCOM. Instead, it picks out and compares, en route, features like roads and buildings to find its way. Spice’s claimed performance is impressive. Rafael says it can guide a bomb released 100km from a target to a strike point within two metres of that target. The firm says, too, that its device is not confused by minor changes in the scenery around a target, which it can find even if some nearby areas have been obscured—say, by camouflage. Spice also has the advantage over GPS-guided weapons of working when a target’s exact position is unknown, or if the co-ordinates have been misreported. All you need is a picture of what is to be hit, and an approximate location, for Spice to find and hit it.

Other countries, in particular America, are following Israel’s lead. In January of this year, America’s air force signed a contract with Scientific Systems, a firm in Woburn, Massachusetts, to develop what that company calls its Image-Based Navigation and Precision Targeting (ImageNav) system. Like Spice, this is a bolt-on system that works by comparing images from a camera with those in a database on board. If all goes well, development and testing should be completed by January 2018 and the result will, its makers hope, be able to strike within three metres of its intended target. The initial plan is to fit ImageNav to the air force’s Small Diameter Bomb, a free-fall weapon at present guided by GPS. If this is successful, deployment on cruise missiles and drones will follow. Meanwhile Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest aerospace firm, is working on an optical-navigation system called Northstar. This is based on a piece of non-military software called Hydra Fusion, which was developed by Lockheed Martin’s Canadian subsidiary. Hydra Fusion creates a high-resolution, three-dimensional terrain map from ordinary video, by comparing successive frames of that video in light of information about how fast the vehicle carrying the camera was travelling. Though this is a trick which has been managed in the past, Hydra can do it on the fly, on a laptop computer. Previous systems have required hours of processing on high-end machines. Once an area has been mapped, Northstar provides precise navigation information for bombs or missiles (or, indeed, for manned or unmanned aircraft). Crucially, the intelligence can be fresh because of the system’s rapid processing time. Fitting bombs and missiles with vision in this way thus looks like the future. That does not mean GPS will not be used as well—a belt-and-braces approach is often wise in war. But bombs that can see their targets, rather than blindly following their noses to a set of co-ordinates, are always likely to have the edge.

1. What, according to the passage, is true about The Spice System?
   A) It is loaded with pictures of targeted area.
   B) It can operate in darkness and penetrate in smog.
   C) It can compare en-route features.
   D) Only A and B
   E) All of these.
   View Answer

     Option E
2. What is the meaning of the phrase “turn the tables”?
   A) to overcome hurdles
   B) to put impedements
   C) to cause reversal
   D) to betray someone
   E) to knock
   View Answer

     Option C
3. Optical navigation system Northstar based on Software Hyrda Fusion. What is true about hydra?
   (i) It creates 3D terrain map
   (ii) It is versatile enouh to capture images from videos
   (iii) It is a part of Hi-tech defense system
   A) Only (i)
   B) Both (i) and (ii)
   C) Only (ii)
   D) All (i) ,(ii), (iii)
   E) None of these.
   View Answer

     Option B
4. Write the appropriate sysnonym of “camouflage”:
   A)  Uncover
   B)  Divulge
   C)Betray
   D) Facade
   E) Exhibit
   View Answer

     Option D
5. What is the similarity between Spice and “DSMAC & TERCOM”?
   A) add-onkit and unguided system
   B) Scene matching and accompanying system
   C) picture capturing and en-route features
   D) Only A and B
   E) Not mentioned in the passage
   View Answer

     Option B
6. Write the appropriate antonym for “Co-ordinate”:
   A) key
   B) groove
   C) consert
   D) jar
   E) schadenfreude
   View Answer

     Option D
7. What is true according to the given passage ?
   A) Northstar provides precise navigation information
   B) Hydra captures images from the vehicle carrying the camera was travelling
   C) Spice can guide a bomb released 100km from a target
   D) Only A and C
   E) All of the above
   View Answer

     Option E
8. Write the meaning of the phrase “a belt-and-braces approach”
   A) approach based on belts
   B) using belts and bracelets
   C) using approaches  with tools
   D) using two belts
   E) using more than one method
   View Answer

     Option E
9. Write the synonym of “Obscured”:
   A) agleam
   B) unlit
   C) lambent
   D) moony
   E) beamy
   View Answer

     Option B
10. What is the appropriate title of the given passage?
    A) Advance Intelligence
    B) Cyber security
    C) Smart Weapons
    D) Defensive Weapons
    E) The vision thing
    View Answer

      Option C