Comprehension Passage CAT, Bank Solved Paper
English Lang. Passages Objective Test
This section comprises of questions based upon a brief passage usually consisting of one
or two paragraphs. The candidate is required to analyse -the contents of the passage and
then answer the questions that follow.
Passage I : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Many poor farmers had been compelled to take up indigo cultivation when the British
settlers were given the right to purchase and cultivate land in India. Many whites,
therefore, either acquired land or advanced loans to poor farmers and pressured them to
forsake the farming of foodgrains and other cash crops for indigo cultivation. Indigo export
to Europe was lucrative for the British settlers who held a monopoly of this business.
Within a few years, most of the fertile lands had undergone forcible indigo cultivation,
resulting in a famine situation in Bengal. When the farmers declined to cultivate indigo,
they were tortured, jailed and even killed.
1. The poor farmers in Bengal took up indigo cultivation because
(a) The government gave them subsidies for this purpose.
(b) It was a money earning crop.
(c) They were forced to do so.
(d) This was the only crop that would grow in this region.
Solution: 1. (c): The statement that ‘Many poor farmers had been compelled to take up indigo
Cultivation’ gives the answer.
ANSWER:(d)
2. Indigo export was profitable for the British settlers because
(a) Labour was cheap
(b) They had no competitors.
(c) The land was fertile.
(d) They could oppress the farmers.
Solution: 3. (b) : It is mentioned in the passage that the British held a monopoly of indigo business
and this indicates that they had no competitors.
3. British settlers bought land in Bengal in order to
(a) Cultivate indigo
(b) Grow crops for the poor farmers
(c) Own agricultural property
(d) Settle down in India
Solution: 2. (a) : Clearly the fact is evident from the statement ‘Many whites ....... cultivation.’
ANSWER:(c)
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Passage 2 : Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on it.
The Rajputs occupy an honoured place in the history of India. They were a war-like,
people, proud and patriotic. They were jealous of their honor, and would lay down their
lives- to uphold it. They loved their homes and fought bravely to defend the honor of
their women-folk. Nothing would take their spirits. Perils only called forth their courage
and poverty only increased their power of resistance. None could fight like them. Their
motto was ‘Better death than dishonor’.
4. Which of the following represents the central theme of the passage?
(a)The pride of the Rajputs
(b) Rajputs and their sacrifices
(c) The rise and fall ofthe Rajputs
(d) Rajputs - the spirited heroes of Indian history
Solution : 1. (d) : The passage talks about the qualities of the Rajputs which gave them an honorable
Place in history.
5. The expression ‘tame their spirits’ in the passage means'
(a) Suppress their ambitions
(b) Arouse their enthusiasm
(c) Develop their courage
(d) Curb their enthusiasm
Solution : 3. (d) : ‘tame’ means ‘domesticate’ or ‘curb’ and ‘spirits’ stands for ‘enthusiasm’.
6. According to the writer, the Rajputs occupy an honoured place in history, becuase
(a) They were fond of wars.
(b) They were proud of their war.
(c) They were jealous of people’s honor.
(d) They lived and died ,upholding their self respect.
Solution : 5. (d) : The statement (d) is clearly implied from the passage. '
7. Which of the following is opposite in meaning to the word ‘proud’ in the passage?
(a) Humble
(b) Kind
(c) Courteous
(d) Cowardly
Solution : 2. (a) : The opposite of ‘proud’ is ‘humble’.
8. Which of the following statements is not true in the context of the passage?
(a) The Rajputs achieved eminence in history due to their great bravery.
(b) They were homely people and would fight for upholding women’s honor.
(c) ln moments of danger they would exhibit great courage.
(d) They could not, however, face the challenge of poverty.
Solution : 4. (d) : The first sentence of the passage verifies
(a) The sentence ‘They loved ........ folk’ in the passage proves
(b) To be correct.’ The sentence ‘Perils ...... courage’ in the passage verifies the truth of (c).
The sentence ‘....... and poverty....... resistance’ in the passage indicates that
Rajputs were not afraid of poverty. Hence, (d) is not true.
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Passage 3: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
In the past thirty years, drugs have been discovered that prevent and cure physical
disease and reverse the disturbances that occur in some mental illness, Excitement over
what drugs can do has' led people to believe that any ailment, infective or psychic, can be
relieved by taking a pill. At the first sign of nervousness, they try pep pills. Medical
journals now advertise tranquillizers, and other mood-altering drugs; doctors prescribe
them; and the public expects miracles from them. In such an atmosphere, it is not
surprising that drug abuse has spread.
9. According to the author, in recent years there has been
(a) A misplaced trust in drugs
(b) A distrust of drugs
(c) Recognition of the ill-effects of medicine
(d) None of the above
Solution : 1. (a) : The author talks of the immense trust 'of people in drugs followed by the statement
‘ ........ drug abuse has spread’. This indicates a misplaced trust in drugs.
10. People often believe that
(a) Medicines cannot cure all the diseases,
(b) Doctors can cure all the diseases.
(c) Medicines can cure all the diseases.
(d) Doctors cannot cure all the diseases.
Solution : 3. (c) : The sentence *Excitement ...... pill' gives us the answer.
11. According to the passage, the medicines that have been discovered in, recent times
(a) Can cure mental illnesses
(b) Can help treat some symptoms of mental illnesses '
(c) Can reduce mental illnesses
(d) Cannot cure mental illnesses
Solution : 2. (b) : The statement ‘drugs ....... reverse the disturbances that occur in some mental illness’
give the answer.
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Passage 4: Read the following two letters carefully and answer the questions given below them.
Dear Shri Chhatre,
The umbrella, which you have forgotten 'during ‘your visit to our departmental
store day before yesterday, is still here. lt gives a very obnoxious look, besides emitting
some foul smell. Will you please take the trouble to collect it as early as possible?
Tomorrow it being our weekly off, our store is closed. You may collect your ‘precious’
umbrella day after tomorrow i.e. on Sunday.
Yours sincerely,
C.F. Francis
Dear Shri Francis,
Thank you for your letter. The time that I must spend to visit your store is much
more important than my precious umbrella. Also, you have now known the worth of my
umbrella. I, therefore, would like to donate it generously to a friend like you. You may
keep it on display in your big store as a historical monument. Thanking you once again
for your kindness to remind me of my lost property. .
Yours sincerely,
Akash Chhatre
12. Mr. Francis wrote to Chhatre because
(a) Chhatre was his close friend.
(b) Chhatre was a very busy man.
(c) The umbrella was really very precious.
(d) He was concerned about Chhatre love for the umbrella.
(e) Chatter’s umbrella was a nuisance to his store.
ANSWER:(d)
13. The author’s own' view of the world is that it is
(a) One of the loveliest and quietest places
(b) An unpleasant and turbulent place
(c) One’s own excessive sensitivity that makes it had a place
(d) A sordid place Har those who suffer in life
ANSWER:(c)
14. Which of the following is true about the umbrella, as mentioned by Mr. Francis?
(a) The umbrella was a problem to the customers' eyes only.
(b) The umbrella was a problem to the customers’ noses only
(c) The umbrella was a problem to the customers’ nose and eyes.
(d) The umbrella was a very expensive item.
(e) The umbrella was like a historical monument.
ANSWER:(b)
15. Shri Chhatre had visited the departmental store on which of the following days?
(a) Monday
(b) Wednesday
(c) Thursday
(d) Friday
(e) None of these
ANSWER:(c)
16. Chatter’s act of donating the umbrella to Francis reveals that
(a) Chhatre is a very generous person.
(b) Francis needed the umbrella very much.
ANSWER:(b)
17. The passage is about.
(a) Our disagreeable and hostile world
(b) A kindly and pleasant world
(c) Our indifferent and unresponsive world
(d) The world and what one makes of it
ANSWER:(d)
18. Which of -the following is opposite in meaning to the expression ‘thin-skinned’
as used in the passage?
(a) Insensitive
(b) Intelligent
(c) Awkward
(d) Obstinate
ANSWER:(a)
19. “....... They are seldom disappointed". The statement denotes that such men
(a) Welcome difficulties as a morale booster
(b) Do not have to face any trouble
(c) Manage to keep unruffled in the face of discomforts
(d) Generally do not fail to come across troubles
ANSWER:(d)
20. “Oni the other hand ..... unlikely quarters". The statement shows that
people’s reaction to our attitude is.
(a) Generally indifferent
(b) Surprisingly responsive
(c) Often adverse
(d) Mainly favorable.
ANSWER:(b)
21. As surprised at the kindness he meets even in the most unlike quarters. A smile is apt to
be met with a responsive smile while the sneer is just as apt to provoke a snarl. Men
living in the same neighborhood may live vastly different lives. But it is not the
neighborhood which is quarrelsome, but the man within us. And we have it in our
power to change our neighborhood into a pleasant one by simply changing our own ways.
ANSWER:(a)
Passage 5. Read the following passage and answer the following questions.
When our childhood has fallen behind us and taken on some of the glamour of distance, we often ransack our memories in order to call up to our mind’s eye the picture of the children we were. Then we are surprised to discover how little we remember of our earliest days: they have gone for ever and seemingly have left nothing behind them. All is lost in haze and no definite image rewards our efforts to recapture the incidents of infancy.
Some, however, can recall more than others: one man may remember something that happened when he was only a child of two while another may find his memory blank—a clean sheet of paper as far as anything is concerned which befell him before he was five yet perhaps. as regards things generally, the memory of the latter may be stronger than that of the former. It is only in regard to his early childhood that the first man’s memory is stronger.
22. The author wishes to say that
(A) childhood is an age of glamour
(B) people, generally forget childhood events
(C) there are variations in people’s memories of childhood events
(D) people have different kinds of experiences in their childhood
Ans:- ( c )
23. The most important factor that affects recall of childhood experiences according to the author
(A) age of the people
(B) insight and vision of the people
(C) rate of mental growth and development
(D) nature and circumstances under which childhood events take place
Ans:- (d )
24. The focus of the passage is on
(A) people desiring to recall events of childhood
(B) factors of. differences in childhood memories
(C) different types of memories
(D) characteristics of childhood memories
Ans:- (b )
25. According to the author
(A) we draw blank when and where our childhood memories are concerned
(B) those who have stronger memories of the childhood are stronger in their
latter memories also
(C) childhood memories can be called up by introspection
(D) it is not possible to recapture the incidents of infancy.
Ans:- ( c )
