Reading Comprehension Set I(Exams > Cat > Verbal ) Questions and answers for exam Preparation

Exams > Cat > Verbal

READING COMPREHENSION SET I MCQs

Total Questions : 290 | Page 3 of 29 pages

Question 21. The book Man-Eaters of Tsavo annoys some scientists because:

it revealed that Tsavo lions are ferocious.
Patterson made a helluva lot of money from the book by sensationalism.
it perpetuated the bad name Tsavo lions had.
it narrated how two male Tsavo lions were killed.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option C. -> it perpetuated the bad name Tsavo lions had.
:
C
Option (c)
The answer is (c) as the real reason behind the scientists’ annoyance is that they consider the Tsavo lions to be no more man-eaters than lions elsewhere, but the book has reinforced the view that they are more aggressive.

Question 22. Which one of the following CANNOT be reasonably attributed to the labelling strategy followed by wine producers in English-speaking countries?

Consumers buy wines on the basis of their familiarity with a grape variety's name
Even ordinary customers now have more access to technical knowledge about wine
Consumers are able to appreciate better quality wines
Some non-English speaking countries like Brazil indicate grape variety names on their labels.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option C. -> Consumers are able to appreciate better quality wines
:
C
Option (c)Only a connoisseur can appreciate better quality wines, taste is not written on labels

Question 23. According to the passage, the reason why we continued to be dependent on fossil fuels is that:

Auto executives did not wish to change.
No alternative fuels were discovered.
Change in technology was not easily possible.
German, Japanese and French companies could not come up with new technologies.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option A. -> Auto executives did not wish to change.
:
A
The answer is (a).
The answer can be inferred from the last paragraph 2ndline onwards – "in the 1960s, the German auto companies developed plansto scrap the entire combustion engine…..why didn’t it go anywhere?Because auto executive understood pistons and carburettors, and would beloath to cannibalize their expertise, along with most of their factories."

Question 24. Which of the following is cited in the passage as a goal of some professional service firms in offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction?

A limit on the firm’s liability
Successful competition against other firms
Ability to justify fee increases
Attainment of an outstanding reputation in a field
use its resources to prevent the passage of federal legislation that would have facilitated the formation of independent unions

Discuss Question

Answer: Option B. -> Successful competition against other firms
:
B
The best answer is B.
In the passage the author states that firms offering unconditional guarantees are “seeking a competitive advantage.” Choices A and C can be eliminated because no mention is made in the passage of liability limits or justification for fee increase.
Choice D is incorrect because the passage does not associate the offering of unconditional guarantees with the attainment of an outstanding reputation.

Question 25. The passage most clearly implies which of the following about the professional service firms mentioned in line indicated by: (**)

They are unlikely to have offered unconditional guarantees of satisfaction in the past.
They are usually profitable enough to be able to compensate clients according to the terms of an unconditional guarantee.
They usually practice in fields in which the outcomes are predictable.
Their clients are usually already satisfied with the quality of service that is delivered.
use its resources to prevent the passage of federal legislation that would have facilitated the formation of independent unions

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> Their clients are usually already satisfied with the quality of service that is delivered.
:
D
The best answer is D. The passage states that “professional service firms with outstanding reputations and performance to match have little to gain from offering unconditional guarantees.” If a firm has an outstanding reputation based on a high level of performance, it is likely that its clients are satisfied with the quality of service that is delivered.
Choice (A) is not implied: the passage indicates that the author believes that firms with outstanding reputations have little to gain from offering unconditional guarantees, but the passage implies nothing about whether such firms either currently offer guarantees or have offered them in the past. The passage does not provide information concerning the profitability (B). In addition, it does not suggest that such firms practice in fields in which outcomes are predictable (C).

Question 26. The author anticipates which of the following initial objections to the adoption of his proposal?

An oversupply of salable artifacts will result and the demand for them will fall.
Artifacts that would have been displayed in public places will be sold to private collectors.
Illegal excavators will have an even larger supply of artifacts for resale.
Counterfeiting of artifacts will become more commonplace.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option B. -> Artifacts that would have been displayed in public places will be sold to private collectors.
:
B
B is the best answer. The author begins the third paragraph by saying “you might object…” in order to anticipate possible objections to the adoption of his proposal. In the next sentence the author asserts that “ancient artifacts…should be available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder” (lines 29-33), acknowledging an opponent's fear that individuals might be allowed to purchase objects that ought to be displayed in public institutions. This objection is paraphrased in this choice.

Question 27. The author's argument concerning the effect of the official sale of duplicate artifacts on illegal excavation is based on which of the following assumptions?

Computers could be used to trace sold artifacts.
Prospective purchasers would prefer to buy authenticated artifacts.
Illegal excavators would be forced to sell only duplicate artifacts.
Money gained from selling authenticated artifacts could be used to investigate and prosecute illegal excavators.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option B. -> Prospective purchasers would prefer to buy authenticated artifacts.
:
B
Bis the best answer. The author's argument concerning the effect of the official sale of duplicate artifacts on illegal excavation appears in lines 74-75, in which the author predicts that such official sale would reduce demand for “the clandestine product.” The rhetorical question that follows (lines 76-80) indicates that the author finds it unlikely that any purchaser would prefer objects of unknown provenance to objects of known origin, or, to rephrase, the author assumes that most people would prefer to purchase objects of authenticated provenance, as this choice states.

Question 28. According to the passage, the MESBIC approach differs from the SBA approach in that MESBICs:

seek federal contracts to provide markets for minority businesses.
encourage minority businesses to provide markets for other minority businesses.
attempt to maintain a specified rate of growth in the minority business sector.
rely on the participation of large corporations to finance minority businesses.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> rely on the participation of large corporations to finance minority businesses.
:
D
D is the best answer. In the second paragraph, the author describes the MESBIC approach as one in which “large corporations participate in the development of successful and stable minority businesses by making use of government-sponsored venture capital” (lines 26-31). There is no indication in the passage that the SBA approach relies on the participation of large corporations.

Question 29. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a disadvantage of storing artifacts in museum basements?

Museum officials rarely allow scholars access to such artifacts.
Artifacts discovered in one excavation often become separated from one another.
Such artifacts are often damaged by variations in temperature and humidity.
Such artifacts' often remain uncatalogued and thus cannot be located once they are put in storage.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option D. -> Such artifacts' often remain uncatalogued and thus cannot be located once they are put in storage.
:
D
D is the best answer. The disadvantages of storing artifacts in museum basements are discussed in the fifth paragraph. Lines 56-60 state that “There is not enough money…to catalogue the finds” and declare that as a result stored objects cannot be located.

Question 30. In response to experimental results concerning IBMX, Snyder et al contended that it is not uncommon for psychoactive drugs to have:

mixed effects in the brain.
inhibitory effects on enzymes in the brain.
depressive effects on mouse locomotion.
the ability to dislodge caffeine from receptors in the brain.

Discuss Question

Answer: Option A. -> mixed effects in the brain.
:
A
A is the best answer. The effects of IBMX are discussed in the last paragraph of the passage. IBMX apparently binds to adenosine-specific receptors on neuronal membranes, but, in contrast to the other caffeine derivatives that Snyder et al experimented with, IBMX depresses rather than stimulates mouse locomotion. Snyder et al respond to this experimental result by stating that IBMX has “mixed effects in the brain, a not unusual occurrence with psychoactive drugs” .