CDS Exam (II)- 2021 - English Defence Question Paper

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CDS Exam (II)- 2021 - English

CDS Exam (II)- 2021 - English Defence Questions

11.
COMPREHENSION
Directions (Next 10 Questions): In this section you have two short passages. After each passage, you will find some items based on the passage. Read the passage and answer the items based on it.

PASSAGE (Next 5 Questions)
As to happiness, I am not so sure. Birds, it is true, die of hunger in large numbers during the winter, if they are not birds of passage. But during the summer they do not foresee this catastrophe, or remember how nearly it befell them in the previous winter. With human beings the matter is otherwise. I doubt whether the percentage of birds that will have died of hunger during the present winter (1946-47) is as great as the percentage of human beings that will have died from this cause in India and central Europe during the same period. But every human death by starvation is preceded by a long period of anxiety, and surrounded by the corresponding anxiety of neighbours. We suffer not only the evils that actually befall us, but all those that our intelligence tells us we have reason to fear. The curbing of impulses to which we are led by forethought averts physical disaster at the cost of worry, and general lack of joy. I do not think that the learned men of my acquaintance, even when they enjoy a secure income, are as happy as the mice that eat the crumbs from their tables while the erudite gentlemen snooze. In this respect, therefore, I am not convinced that there has been any progress at all.

The birds die of hunger in winter because
A.
they do not move to warmer places
B.
people do not feed them
C.
they do not get the food of their choice
D.
they are too young to get the food
ANSWER :
A. they do not move to warmer places
12.
The birds do not foresee the catastrophe because they
A.
cannot predict an accident
B.
overlook a difficult situation
C.
cannot expect a sudden disaster
D.
ignore the problems
ANSWER :
C. cannot expect a sudden disaster
13.
Human beings cannot be happy because they
A.
do not get time to enjoy
B.
worry too much about their work
C.
are not healthy
D.
worry too much about future
ANSWER :
D. worry too much about future
14.
Which one of the following is the antonym of the word 'erudite' in the passage?
A.
Qualified
B.
Ill-educated
C.
Logical
D.
Learned
ANSWER :
B. Ill-educated
15.
Which one of the following is the central theme of the passage?
A.
Life of the birds and the mice
B.
Starvation in India and central Europe
C.
Progress of mankind
D.
Disasters in 1946-47
ANSWER :
C. Progress of mankind
16.
PASSAGE (Next 5 Questions)
More than eight months after the national lockdown was announced in late March, urban India is learning to live with the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, indicating a positive outlook for the future, many survey respondents in a recent survey say they plan to return to pre-lockdown levels of shopping, personal grooming, going to cinemas and socializing as pandemic fears continues to recede.
The survey findings highlight that the suppression of consumer demand because of fears of job losses and salary cuts could be coming to an end. Increasingly, urban Indians are showing increased confidence about the future of the economy. This could be an indicator of the possible 'pent-up demand' that several economists have been talking about - a demand that could be unleashed once a vaccine is developed and distributed, or when there are signs of the pandemic's spread reducing to negligible levels or vanishing totally.
Around 65 per cent of respondents said they had settled into new routines, or that they saw signs of the situation improving, or they had come to terms with the pandemic and were moving on with their lives. And since the survey was conducted before the news of the successful trials of the Pfizer vaccine for the coronavirus was announced, it is likely that the consumers are now even more positive in their outlook about the future.

The general tone of the passage is that of
A.
Optimism
B.
Pessimism
C.
Fatalism
D.
Defeatism
ANSWER :
A. Optimism
17.
The willingness of consumers to go back to normal lifestyle indicates their
A.
Casual attitude
B.
Change of moods
C.
Desire for future plans
D.
Sense of economic security
ANSWER :
D. Sense of economic security
18.
Which statement in the passage/phrase indicates that 'Life must go on'?
A.
They settled into their new routines
B.
Salary cuts could be coming to an end
C.
People are moving on with their lives
D.
'Pent-up demand'
ANSWER :
C. People are moving on with their lives
19.
What does the author mean by 'pent-up demand'?
A.
Desire (suppressed) to spend money once pandemic is controlled
B.
Economic normalcy of consumers
C.
Flamboyant shopping by consumers
D.
Criticism of the public on the pay-cuts
ANSWER :
A. Desire (suppressed) to spend money once pandemic is controlled
20.
What, according to the author, is the reason behind suppression of consumer demands?
A.
The lack of vaccine till date
B.
Professional insecurity
C.
Motive to save up some money
D.
Careful and calculative attitude of the general public
ANSWER :
B. Professional insecurity