Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers

Answer: A

Statements 1 and 4 are valid.

Statement 1 restates the opening sentence of the passage. Statement 4 follows from the passage's point that exploring the evolution of Carnatic music within its historical context is what lets scholars trace how styles migrated and changed.

Statement 2 contradicts the passage, which says musical traditions reflect societal changes, religious influences and the ebb and flow of dynasties. Statement 3 is wrong because the passage says the work highlights shared heritage while also acknowledging regional variations, not ignoring them. So 'All the above', '2 and 4' and '1 only' are wrong.

Answer: A

The correct inference is that interdisciplinary research can open multiple avenues for broadening the boundaries of diverse disciplines.

The passage presents the joining of history and music as enriching both and leading to new insights, so the general inference that interdisciplinary work widens what disciplines can do is supported.

The other options contradict the text: it says such research traces the impact of colonialism and resistance movements (not 'cannot contribute'); it speaks of cultural continuity and an art form's enduring heritage, so ancient art forms are not irrelevant; and it says the approach contributes to education, tourism and policy-making, so it is not limited to academics.

Answer: A

The passage says a political drama often turns out to be a drama with its own politics.

According to the passage, a political drama does not merely show readers how things are; it has fairly definite ideas of how things ought to be and tells the reader what to think and do. In other words, it carries a political position of its own, which is what 'a drama with its own politics' means.

'Portrayal of gloomy politics' is not what the passage says; it calls the practice of politics murky but does not describe the drama as a gloomy portrayal. 'Literary distaste for politics' names the attitude the passage is explaining, not what the drama turns out to be. 'Literary misrepresentation of politics' goes further than the passage, which speaks of how politics is depicted, not of a false picture of it.

Answer: A

According to the passage, a political drama reveals the writer's perception.

The passage says the political drama has fairly definite ideas about how things ought to be and about what one should think and do. Those ideas belong to the writer, so the drama reveals his own view of how things should be.

'Tensions of the world' and 'the theme of theatre' are not stated anywhere in the passage. 'Realistic perception of the reader' is the reverse of the passage, in which the drama seeks to convert and enlist the reader to a particular cause; it does not reveal what the reader already perceives.

Answer: D

By its nature politics is ideas and principles.

The passage says that politics by its very nature is constituted of ideas and ideologies. Ideas and ideologies correspond to ideas and principles, so this option restates that sentence.

The existing political scenario and the evaluation of human nature are not what the passage says politics is made of. Political propaganda is something the passage says a political drama may become when it seeks to convert the reader, not the nature of politics itself.

Answer: D

According to the passage, literature deals with the felt reality of human life.

The passage says literature is about human experiences rather than intellectual abstractions and that it deals in what is called the 'felt reality' of human flesh and blood. The felt reality of human life is that phrase put in short form.

Options that include intellectual abstractions contradict the passage, which sets abstractions against literature. 'Human experiences in politics' narrows the statement to politics, although the passage says literature is about human experiences in general, and 'individual experiences' is not the passage's term.

Answer: A

The observation of Mary McCarthy discloses 'unseen felt ideas of today in novel', the closest of the four to what the passage reports.

The passage says she observed that ideas are still today felt to be unsightly in the novel. The option is a loose, awkwardly worded rendering of that: it refers to ideas, to what is felt about them today and to the novel. 'Unseen' stands for 'unsightly', that is, ideas that are not welcome to be seen in the novel.

The observation does not concern drama, so 'unseen felt ideas in drama' is wrong. 'Endless ideas in novel' contradicts it, as she finds ideas unwelcome in the novel today. 'Compatibility between novel and drama' is not mentioned at all.

Answer: C

According to the author one should study for pleasure and enhanced capability.

The first sentence of the passage reads: Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Delight is pleasure, and ability is capability, so the option joins the first and last of the three uses the author names.

Gathering information about the world and worldly wisdom are not what the author names; he even says that the wisdom of using studies lies outside them, 'won by observation'. Passing time in a creative manner has no support, since the author calls spending too much time in studies sloth.

Answer: A

The author does not recommend too much study because it reflects idleness.

The passage states plainly: To spend too much time in studies is sloth. Sloth means laziness or idleness, so the objection to too much study is that it signals idleness, a neglect of action and of the business of life.

Nothing in the passage speaks of cost, so the costly-affair option is unsupported, and health and hygiene are never mentioned. The author also does not say that study promotes contradiction; his other two cautions are that too much use for ornament is affectation and that judging wholly by rules is the humour of a scholar.

Answer: D

The kind of people who denounce studies are the cunning.

The passage says: Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them. Crafty means cunning, so the men who condemn, that is denounce, studies are the cunning.

The wise are said to use studies, not to denounce them. 'Innocent' and 'stupid' stand near the passage's simple men, who admire studies, so neither of them condemns studies.