SSC CPO Tier 2 English Reading Comprehension Quiz: 19 September

Direction (1-5): A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.

A classless society, however, does not mean a society without leaders. It means rather one in which every citizen becomes for the first time eligible for leadership, if he has the power to lead. It means a society in which everyone is given, as far as possible, the chance to develop this power by the widest diffusion of educational opportunities in the broadest sense, and by keeping the career wide open to talents of every useful kind. It is often said that a community of equals will not allow itself to be led. But in fact, most men are, in most things, very willing to be led, and more in danger of giving their leaders too much than too little authority, especially if they are free to choose them, and assured that the leaders cannot exploit them for personal economic advantage; leadership, so far from disappearing, will come intuits own in a truly democratic society. But it is likely to be a more diffused leadership than we are used to; for a better-nurtured people will have more citizens with strong wills and minds of their own, wishful to lead; some in politics, some in industry, and some in professions and arts of life.

This is the idea of a classless society. Some will reject it as contrary to their interest, some as utopian and against ‘Human nature,’ for there are some who deny, indeed if not in word, that the aim of society should be to promote the greatest happiness and welfare of the greatest number and others who hold, with pessimistic honesty, that most men must be driven and not led.

Q1. According to the passage, a classless society is _____
(a) A society in which there are no leaders
(b) A society where no one is willing to be led.
(c) A society where everyone would not give authority to their leaders
(d) A society where everyone can become a leader.
S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Refer to, “It means rather one in which every citizen becomes for the first time eligible for leadership, if he has the power to lead”.

Q2. What kind of leadership would a classless society have?
(a) Leaders would not exploit others for their personal advantage.
(b) Leaders would not have too much authority over people.
(c) Many would develop leadership in the field of their interest.
(d) Every person would have a reason to lead.
S2. Ans.(c)

Q3. What kind of people would be ideal for a classless society?
(a) People who are assertive enough to lead.
(b) People who book no opposition.
(c) People with conviction in their ideas.
(d) People willing to innovate.
S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. Refer to, “With strong wills and minds of their own, wishful to lead; some in politics, some in industry, and some in professions and arts of life”.

Q4. According to the passage, the kind of people who deny the idea of a classless society may be called ______
(a) Utopian
(b) Cynical
(c) Idealists
(d) Dictatorial
S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Cynical means believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity. Hence option (b) is the correct choice.

Q5.What is the tone adopted by the author in this passage?
(a) Expository
(b) Factual
(c) Critical
(d) Satirical
S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The tone adopted by the author in this passage is “expository” because he intended to explain or describe something.

Direction (6-10): A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.

A guest speaker was addressing the faculty and the students in the college auditorium. I had joined the faculty the year before, and was already drawing attention. I was 27, full of assumptions about myself, quick with a comment on everything, and expected people to pay attention to all that I had said. I listened to the talk for the first five minutes. By the seventh, I was looking around to check if others were listening. By the tenth, I had glanced at my watch three times, and yawned once. After twenty minutes I was thoroughly bored, and telling myself that it was difficult to sit through such an insipid talk. I wanted to share some of my expert comments with my neighbor. But he was completely sold out to the speaker, and looked like it was the greatest day of his life. I was disgusted. I tried to catch a word or phrase from the talk, only to convince myself that this should be his last talk ever.
The one-hour talk took ages to end, and before the thanks were said, I jumped to my feet with a sigh of relief. My neighbor smiled at me and said, “The talk was wonderful, wasn’t it?” I retorted, “It almost killed me with kindness”.

Q6. What do you understand about the narrator from the description in the first paragraph?
(a) He was a genius
(b) He was knowledgeable
(c) He was self-conceited
(d) He was charismatic
S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Refer to, “I was 27, full of assumptions about myself, quick with a comment on everything, and expected people to pay attention to all that I had said.” Hence option (c) is true.

Q7. How did the narrator respond to the speech?
(a) He was glued
(b) He was bored
(c) He did not mind it
(d) He was engrossed in it
S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. Refer to, “After twenty minutes I was thoroughly bored, and telling myself that it was difficult to sit through such an insipid talk.” Hence option (b) is correct choice.

Q8. The narrator was disgusted because
(a) His neighbor was engrossed in an insipid talk
(b) The talk was boring
(c) He could not understand it
(d) He was impatient
S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. Refer to, “I wanted to share some of my expert comments with my neighbor. But he was completely sold out to the speaker, and looked like it was the greatest day of his life. I was disgusted.” So option (a) is correct.

Q9. When the speech ended the narrator was
(a) Happy
(b) Relieved
(c) Exhausted
(d) Disgusted
S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Refer to, “The one-hour talk took ages to end, and before the thanks were said, I jumped to my feet with a sigh of relief.” Hence option (b) is true.

Q10. How long did the narrator listen to the speech without judgement?
(a) Seven minutes
(b) Ten minutes
(c) Five minutes
(d) Twenty minutes
S10. Ans.(c)
Sol. Refer to, “I listened to the talk for the first five minutes. By the seventh, I was looking around to check if others were listening.” Hence option (c) is correct.