NMAT Reading Comprehension Base

As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty,” as the saying goes. Most of them are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. But if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces, he will still be able to sleep without any degree of compunction. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

• The people who are flying overhead are called highly civilized because they

As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty,” as the saying goes. Most of them are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. But if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces, he will still be able to sleep without any degree of compunction. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

• The person who succeeds in killing the author will

As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty,” as the saying goes. Most of them are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. But if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces, he will still be able to sleep without any degree of compunction. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

• The reason why they are trying to kill the author is that

As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty,” as the saying goes. Most of them are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. But if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces, he will still be able to sleep without any degree of compunction. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

• In this passage, the author assumes that doing one’s duty to one’s country

As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty,” as the saying goes. Most of them are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. But if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces, he will still be able to sleep without any degree of compunction. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

• What is the author’s attitude towards the ways of civilized societies?

Many present-day boards now recognise the need for careful succession planning. The Chief Executive Officer’s succession plans are commonly part of his annual performance review, and most boards now devote several meetings a year to the subject. One crucial decision that boards face is whether to select one of their own or an outsider. Unsurprisingly, firms in trouble are much more likely to look for fresh blood. When the business is running smoothly, directors are more than happy to pick an experienced insider, who will continue along the present path. Whereas promising senior executives will often abandon a struggling company, successful firm stand to have a large pool of talented managers to choose from. Occasionally, even a successful company appoints an outsider who can introduce some particular expertise. Many utility companies seek outside Chief Executive Officers to shepherd them through the complexities of deregulation. Many boards do consider outsiders even when the existing Chief Executive Officer is planning a normal retirement.

• The passage conveys that an ailing firm can be revived by the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer who is an

Many present-day boards now recognise the need for careful succession planning. The Chief Executive Officer’s succession plans are commonly part of his annual performance review, and most boards now devote several meetings a year to the subject. One crucial decision that boards face is whether to select one of their own or an outsider. Unsurprisingly, firms in trouble are much more likely to look for fresh blood. When the business is running smoothly, directors are more than happy to pick an experienced insider, who will continue along the present path. Whereas promising senior executives will often abandon a struggling company, successful firm stand to have a large pool of talented managers to choose from. Occasionally, even a successful company appoints an outsider who can introduce some particular expertise. Many utility companies seek outside Chief Executive Officers to shepherd them through the complexities of deregulation. Many boards do consider outsiders even when the existing Chief Executive Officer is planning a normal retirement.

• Successful companies prefer to promote an inside executive as Chief Executive Officer for reasons of

Many present-day boards now recognise the need for careful succession planning. The Chief Executive Officer’s succession plans are commonly part of his annual performance review, and most boards now devote several meetings a year to the subject. One crucial decision that boards face is whether to select one of their own or an outsider. Unsurprisingly, firms in trouble are much more likely to look for fresh blood. When the business is running smoothly, directors are more than happy to pick an experienced insider, who will continue along the present path. Whereas promising senior executives will often abandon a struggling company, successful firm stand to have a large pool of talented managers to choose from. Occasionally, even a successful company appoints an outsider who can introduce some particular expertise. Many utility companies seek outside Chief Executive Officers to shepherd them through the complexities of deregulation. Many boards do consider outsiders even when the existing Chief Executive Officer is planning a normal retirement.

• Successful companies sometimes appoint Chief Executive Officers from outside because

Many present-day boards now recognise the need for careful succession planning. The Chief Executive Officer’s succession plans are commonly part of his annual performance review, and most boards now devote several meetings a year to the subject. One crucial decision that boards face is whether to select one of their own or an outsider. Unsurprisingly, firms in trouble are much more likely to look for fresh blood. When the business is running smoothly, directors are more than happy to pick an experienced insider, who will continue along the present path. Whereas promising senior executives will often abandon a struggling company, successful firm stand to have a large pool of talented managers to choose from. Occasionally, even a successful company appoints an outsider who can introduce some particular expertise. Many utility companies seek outside Chief Executive Officers to shepherd them through the complexities of deregulation. Many boards do consider outsiders even when the existing Chief Executive Officer is planning a normal retirement.

• What is the main issue in this passage?

Many present-day boards now recognise the need for careful succession planning. The Chief Executive Officer’s succession plans are commonly part of his annual performance review, and most boards now devote several meetings a year to the subject. One crucial decision that boards face is whether to select one of their own or an outsider. Unsurprisingly, firms in trouble are much more likely to look for fresh blood. When the business is running smoothly, directors are more than happy to pick an experienced insider, who will continue along the present path. Whereas promising senior executives will often abandon a struggling company, successful firm stand to have a large pool of talented managers to choose from. Occasionally, even a successful company appoints an outsider who can introduce some particular expertise. Many utility companies seek outside Chief Executive Officers to shepherd them through the complexities of deregulation. Many boards do consider outsiders even when the existing Chief Executive Officer is planning a normal retirement.

• Consider the following statements 1. Companies are too complacent and do not address the problem of succession of their Chief Executive Officers. 2. Even successful companies do not have enough talent in their ranks to pick incumbent to the post of Chief Executive Officer. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

My own recollection is that I had not any high regard for my ability. I used to be astonished whenever I won prizes and scholarships. But I very jealously guarded my character. The least little blemish drew tears from my eyes. When I merited, or seemed to the teacher to merit, a rebuke, it was unbearable for me. I remember having once received corporal punishment. I did not so much mind the punishment, as the fact that it was considered my desert. I wept piteously. That was when I was in the first or second standard.

There was another such incident during the time when I was in the seventh standard. Dorabji Edulji Gimi was the headmaster then. He was popular among boys, as he was a disciplinarian, a man of method and a good teacher. He had made gymnastics and cricket compulsory for boys of the upper standards. I disliked both. I never took part in any exercise, cricket or football, before they were made compulsory. My shyness was one of the reasons for this aloofness, which I now see was wrong. I then had the false notion that gymnastics had nothing to do with education. Today I know that physical training should have as much place in the curriculum as mental training.

• Why did the author weep piteously?

My own recollection is that I had not any high regard for my ability. I used to be astonished whenever I won prizes and scholarships. But I very jealously guarded my character. The least little blemish drew tears from my eyes. When I merited, or seemed to the teacher to merit, a rebuke, it was unbearable for me. I remember having once received corporal punishment. I did not so much mind the punishment, as the fact that it was considered my desert. I wept piteously. That was when I was in the first or second standard.

There was another such incident during the time when I was in the seventh standard. Dorabji Edulji Gimi was the headmaster then. He was popular among boys, as he was a disciplinarian, a man of method and a good teacher. He had made gymnastics and cricket compulsory for boys of the upper standards. I disliked both. I never took part in any exercise, cricket or football, before they were made compulsory. My shyness was one of the reasons for this aloofness, which I now see was wrong. I then had the false notion that gymnastics had nothing to do with education. Today I know that physical training should have as much place in the curriculum as mental training.

• Why did the author dislike gymnastics and cricket?

My own recollection is that I had not any high regard for my ability. I used to be astonished whenever I won prizes and scholarships. But I very jealously guarded my character. The least little blemish drew tears from my eyes. When I merited, or seemed to the teacher to merit, a rebuke, it was unbearable for me. I remember having once received corporal punishment. I did not so much mind the punishment, as the fact that it was considered my desert. I wept piteously. That was when I was in the first or second standard.

There was another such incident during the time when I was in the seventh standard. Dorabji Edulji Gimi was the headmaster then. He was popular among boys, as he was a disciplinarian, a man of method and a good teacher. He had made gymnastics and cricket compulsory for boys of the upper standards. I disliked both. I never took part in any exercise, cricket or football, before they were made compulsory. My shyness was one of the reasons for this aloofness, which I now see was wrong. I then had the false notion that gymnastics had nothing to do with education. Today I know that physical training should have as much place in the curriculum as mental training.

• What does the word ‘aloofness’ mean in context of the passage?

We should preserve nature to preserve life and beauty. A beautiful landscape, full of green vegetation, will not just attract our attention but will fill us with infinite satisfaction. Unfortunately, because of modernization, much of nature is now yielding to towns, roads and industrial areas. In a few places, some Natural reserves are now being carved out to avert the danger of destroying Nature completely. Man will perish without Nature, so modern man should continue this struggle to save plants, which give us oxygen, from extinction. Moreover, Nature’s essential to man’s health.

• What does ‘nature’ in the passage mean?

We should preserve nature to preserve life and beauty. A beautiful landscape, full of green vegetation, will not just attract our attention but will fill us with infinite satisfaction. Unfortunately, because of modernization, much of nature is now yielding to towns, roads and industrial areas. In a few places, some Natural reserves are now being carved out to avert the danger of destroying Nature completely. Man will perish without Nature, so modern man should continue this struggle to save plants, which give us oxygen, from extinction. Moreover, Nature’s essential to man’s health.

• Which one of the following is the correct statement?

We should preserve nature to preserve life and beauty. A beautiful landscape, full of green vegetation, will not just attract our attention but will fill us with infinite satisfaction. Unfortunately, because of modernization, much of nature is now yielding to towns, roads and industrial areas. In a few places, some Natural reserves are now being carved out to avert the danger of destroying Nature completely. Man will perish without Nature, so modern man should continue this struggle to save plants, which give us oxygen, from extinction. Moreover, Nature’s essential to man’s health.

• What does the writer suggest?

We should preserve nature to preserve life and beauty. A beautiful landscape, full of green vegetation, will not just attract our attention but will fill us with infinite satisfaction. Unfortunately, because of modernization, much of nature is now yielding to towns, roads and industrial areas. In a few places, some Natural reserves are now being carved out to avert the danger of destroying Nature completely. Man will perish without Nature, so modern man should continue this struggle to save plants, which give us oxygen, from extinction. Moreover, Nature’s essential to man’s health.

• What does ‘struggle’ in the passage mean?

Once upon a time I went for a week’s holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behavior was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much, but in me the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn’t as if we were parting forever or dying. “Buck up”, I said, “do buck up”. He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.

• What does the author mean by ‘buck up’?

Once upon a time I went for a week’s holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behavior was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much, but in me the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn’t as if we were parting forever or dying. “Buck up”, I said, “do buck up”. He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.

• Why was the Indian friend plunged in despair?

Once upon a time I went for a week’s holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behavior was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much, but in me the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn’t as if we were parting forever or dying. “Buck up”, I said, “do buck up”. He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.

• What does ‘but in me the Englishman came out strong’ imply?

Once upon a time I went for a week’s holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behavior was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much, but in me the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn’t as if we were parting forever or dying. “Buck up”, I said, “do buck up”. He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.

• What is the author’s intention in the passage?

Once upon a time I went for a week’s holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behavior was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was over all happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much, but in me the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn’t as if we were parting forever or dying. “Buck up”, I said, “do buck up”. He refused to buck up, and I left him plunged in gloom.

• What does the word ‘plunge’ mean in context of the passage?

The psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all have something in common. The typical unhappy man is one who, having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, comes to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has therefore given to his life a one-side direction, together with a quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of ‘pleasure’. This is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide – the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.

• Who is a typical unhappy man?

The psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all have something in common. The typical unhappy man is one who, having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, comes to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has therefore given to his life a one-side direction, together with a quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of ‘pleasure’. This is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide – the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.

• “One-sided direction” refers to the pursuit of which one of the following?

The psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all have something in common. The typical unhappy man is one who, having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, comes to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has therefore given to his life a one-side direction, together with a quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of ‘pleasure’. This is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide – the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.

• Which one of the following is the correct statement? Drinking helps the unhappy only to

The psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all have something in common. The typical unhappy man is one who, having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, comes to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has therefore given to his life a one-side direction, together with a quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of ‘pleasure’. This is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide – the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness.

• What does “becoming less alive” imply?

As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the points of supplying all the basic essentials of life, food, shelter, cloth, and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfil needs which have hitherto been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours. I shall take it as axiomatic that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment.

• Refer to the lines: “Then we are faced with a choice …”. What does ‘then’ refer to in the given sentence?

As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the points of supplying all the basic essentials of life, food, shelter, cloth, and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfil needs which have hitherto been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours. I shall take it as axiomatic that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment.

• What does the author mean by the word ‘axiomatic’ in the given passage?

As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the points of supplying all the basic essentials of life, food, shelter, cloth, and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfil needs which have hitherto been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours. I shall take it as axiomatic that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment.

• What does the author suggest?