English Practice Set From The Hindu: Part 2

Reading Comprehension

It would be tempting, but dangerous, to see the deadly ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday as just a desperate act of a fading insurgent group. It must, instead, serve as a wake-up call for the security forces to beef up their standard operating procedures, especially intelligence-gathering capabilities, in the Maoist heartland in central India. Twelve personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed in Sunday’s attack, and four others sustained injuries. A road-opening party of the CRPF’s 219
road-opening party of the CRPF’s 219 battalion was ambushed about 450 km from the State capital Raipur. The insurgents used improvised explosive devices, country-made mortars and arrows mounted with explosive heads, and made off with some weapons and radio sets of the force. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha that extremist groups were restless because of the “unprecedented success of the forces against them” in 2016, especially in Chhattisgarh where there was a 15% drop in left-wing extremist incidents. However, the precision and scale of the attack are an indication that the Maoists continue to hold formidable sway in Sukma, their long-time stronghold. In 2013 they ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Sukma district, killing more than 25 persons, including former Union Minister V.C. Shukla.
There have been periodic Maoist attacks in the region. It is estimated that over the last two decades at least 15,000 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence. More than 3,000 of them were security personnel. And while violence is down from its peak in 2009-10, in 2016 official estimates put the toll at 213 civilians, 65 security force personnel and 89 Maoists. The government has over the past decade taken a patchy approach to bringing the so-called “red corridor” under its writ. The only presence of the state consistently visible across the region has been of the security forces, not of the civil administration. Counter-insurgency operations by the security forces have often been undermined by poor intelligence, flagging alertness of the security forces and the absence of a multi-layered political strategy. The Maoists do not survive merely on ideology; they have a well-oiled machinery providing protection to various interest groups in the absence of a robust state responsive to the security and welfare needs of the civilian population. Ultimately, any fight against non-state actors will be effective only when the state puts forward its combined might to exhibit what it can — and indeed must — provide to the people
(Source: The Hindu)

1. Why there is a need to pay more attention towards security measures?
A. Maoists are spreading their roots all over India
B. Maoists use explosive devices to attack.
C. Failure of the forces in preventing recent attack by Maoists in Sukma district.
D. Maoists are heading towards the western part of the country.
E. Not mentioned in the passage


2. According to the Home Minister Rajnath Singh, what is the cause of restlessness of extremist groups?
A. They have heartland in Central India
B. The success of the forces against extremist groups in 2016.
C. Fifteen percent drop in left-wing extremist incidents in Chattisgarh
D. Both B and C
E. None of these


3. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?
I. It is estimated that over the last two decades not less than 15,000 people have been killed in the Maoist-related violence.
II. Fifteen personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed in Sunday’s attack, and four others sustained injuries.
III. There have been periodic Maoist attacks in the region.
A. Only i
B. Only ii
C. Only iii
D. Only i and ii
E. Only i and iii

4. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
I. The government has over the past decade taken a patchy approach to bringing the so-called “red corridor” under its writ.
II. Counter-insurgency operations by the security forces have often been undermined by the presence of a multi-layered political strategy.
III. The Maoists do not survive merely on ideology; they have a well-oiled machinery providing protection to various interest groups
A. Only i
B. Only ii
C. Only iii
D. Only i and ii
E. Only i and iii


5. Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Insurgent

A. Loyal
B. Rebel
C. Agitator
D. Terrorist
E. None of these


6. Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Convoy
A. Together
B. Abandon
C. Group
D. Accompanying
E. None of these


7. Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Ambush
A. Dignity
B. Non- Violence
C. Diligent
D. Surprise Attack
E. None of these


8. Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Unprecedented
A. Known
B. Unmatched
C. Equaled
D. Paralled
E. None of these

Cloze Test

When Instagram was (1) ………, it was widely used to share photos of our fancy (or not-so-fancy) dinners. The filters made our selfies look more glam, and appropriate hashtags fetched ‘likes’ from across the world. In the six years since its launch, the photo-sharing app has (2)……… our lives. We can shop, stream live videos, and with the latest update, share up to 10 images at a time. Apart from this, over the past year, Instagram has become a place where people get (3) ………to get healthy. Search for “fitness” on the app, and you will never reach the end of the resulting list. From healthy recipes to teas that promise six-pack abs, you will find them all here. But there are an equal number of people who share their personal journeys to leading fitter lives. Each of them (4)……… their story about what started them off on their respective fitness journeys and the transformations are fantastic. They share weight loss (5)………, non-scale victories (like fitting into a smaller dress size) and basic motivation.
But before we could be inspired by these amazing people, we should know our (6)………. For example, Facebook memories remind of a pizza and we ended up ordering a chicken dominator, with garlic breadsticks and an jalapeño cheese dip. In this way we simply (7)……… extra pounds. We should challenge ourselves to go to the gym for 30 classes straight. Which would reminds us, it’s time to start a new (8)………. It’s easy to be inspired, but (9)……… to act. Perhaps you can (10)……… through your Instagram feed again to get another dose of inspiration.
(Source: The Hindu)

Fill in the blank 1.
A. Invented
B. Launched
C. Arrived
D. Innovative


Fill in the blank 2.
A. Pervaded
B. Disturbed
C. Invaded
D. Contented


Fill in the blank 3.
A. Inspired
B. Realized
C. Demotivated
D. Motivation


Fill in the blank 4.
A. Have
B. Tells
C. Has
D. Presents


Fill in the blank 5.
A. Measures
B. Ides
C. Memories
D. Victories


Fill in the blank 6.
A. Weaknesses
B. Motivation
C. Shortcomings
D. Limits


Fill in the blank 7.
A. Gain on
B. Put on
C. Put off
D. Gained


Fill in the blank 8.
A. Training
B. Exercise
C. Game
D. Challenge


Fill in the blank 9.
A. Impossible
B. Uneasy
C. Difficult
D. Challenging


Fill in the blank 10.
A. Skim
B. Find
C. Look
D. Mark