Reading Comprehension MCQ Quiz in मल्याळम - Objective Question with Answer for Reading Comprehension - സൗജന്യ PDF ഡൗൺലോഡ് ചെയ്യുക

Direction: Read the following passage to answer the given questions based on it. Some words/phrases are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. 

The decision of the Government of India to suspend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of the country's premier think tank, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is bad in optics and substance. The reasons that are being cited by the authorities include lapses in the income-tax paperwork of CPR's staff, lack of due process in the accounting process, and diversion of funds to the publication of books, which the authorities allege is not part of the CPR's objectives. An eagerness to drag the prestigious institution into a quagmire of legal processes is writ large over this entire exercise. The CPR has been working on improving governance and enhancing state capacity among other things, in collaboration with governments, and the public and private sectors. There are many advocacy and campaign groups that have been facing the wrath of the government in the recent past, but the action against the CPR lowers the bar of tolerance for the political establishment to an abysmal level. This betrays an inexplicable hostility towards knowledge creation of all kinds. The FCRA is a regulatory mechanism to ensure that foreign vested interests are not unduly influencing the domestic politics of India, but the sweeping application of the law in a manner that clearly disables the non-governmental sector suggests a thoughtless approach bordering on vindictiveness.
India's New Education Policy envisages (A)/ academic exchanges and cooperation (B)/ between Indian and global institutions (C)/ to raise the standard of higher education and research in the country (D)/. India also wants to emerge as a centre of technological excellence and manufacturing. Recently, two Australian universities announced their plans to have campuses in India. However, India's global ambitions are clashing with the insecure and reactionary state actions such as the restrictions on the CPR. Collaboration with the world requires the flow of information, personnel and funds in both directions. Restrictions ____(A)____all these for national security reasons are part of the rule everywhere and are acceptable. But these are to be exercised sparingly. To assume that Indian thinking should be insulated from foreign ones while seeking international technology and capital inflow at the same time is a paradox. At any rate, for a country growing as fast as India, a massive expansion in capacity for research is the need of the hour. Along with public funding, private and philanthropic funding are essential for India to continuously expand its knowledge horizons in all fields. The government should not merely tolerate, but facilitate the emergence of several more institutions such as the CPR.

Direction: Read the passage given and answer the following questions. Some words are given in bold. Pay careful attention.

Scientists from four Canadian universities used Fitbits and spy mics to record over 14,000 hours of sound from the secret lives of Canada lynx, a medium-sized cat-like North American predator. It is usually found across Canada and the north-American US region. Canada lynx are difficult to study for researchers because of their elusive nature. This led researchers to use the latest miniaturized technology to gain insights into their lives, a first in remote wildlife research. Researchers attached accelerometers and small audio recorders as collars to the animals, which are one of the top predators of the boreal forest of Canada.

On 26 lynx that were the subject of the study, researchers deployed a total of 39 collars with the recording devices that captured over 14,470 hours of data.

“The first time going through the audio files… you just hear the chaos. And then click a little bit further along and you hear what you think is bones cracking," said Emily Studd, the lead researcher and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, in an interview to CBS.

In the recorded audio, the animals can be heard bonding, fighting, cleaning themselves, and even whining after losing a meal. Studd and her colleagues spent five years on the study that offers the science community a peek into the animals’ lives."I spent three years in the field specifically tracking them, and rarely ever saw them," Studd underscores the challenges of studying the predators’ lives. According to her, because predators need to sneak up on their prey, they are naturally secretive animals.

The new study, which was published in the British Ecological Society’s journal Methods of Ecology and Evolution, opens up a new possibility of using such technologies to study and monitor the hunting behavior of predators. These technologies can make documentation of even the smallest activities of elusive animals possible.

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
A piano teacher described an interesting encounter she had had with a young lady who came to inquire about music lessons. The young lady asked her, “How long will this course take? My father tells me that it is in fashion now to be able to play musical instruments and that I should learn one quickly. I want something that will be quick, fast and easy like, like….” When the amused teacher explained that it would take a lifetime of meticulous practice to learn music, her face fell and, needless to say, she never came back.
The single most important factor that distinguishes those of us who succeed in any venture and those of us who don’t is this ‘instant coffee’ attitude. Most of us want results quickly. We want to reach the top immediately and get worked up when things go wrong. Perseverance and patience are forgotten words. We get upset, frustrated, and angry when a skill or activity requires us to put in a lot of effort and time. We get dejected and want to give it up.
But such thinking serves no good. For, it doesn’t solve the problem. Life is tough for those with an ‘instant coffee’ attitude.
Success, real success and happiness come to those who have a ‘bread-making’ attitude-those who are willing to knead the dough, wait for hours for it to rise, only to punch it down and knead some more, wait for another couple of hours for it to rise again, and then bake it before it is ready to be eaten. Nothing is instantaneous. For every endeavour – whether in the area of career, academics, music, sports, relationships, physical fitness or even in spirituality– it is a long, arduous journey.
Only if we are willing to put in the time, painstaking effort and have faith, can we get results. If we don’t accept this difficult-but-true fact of life, our lives will be far from being happy and fulfilling. For we may not make that extra effort which can change the course of life dramatically, for the good.
The major problems with these ‘instant coffee’ solutions are that they are invariably short-lived. If we stubbornly refuse to give up this search for quick solutions, all we do is end up on the wrong track.

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. 

It is well accorded that COVID-19 extracts a huge toll on the mental health of patients and leaves behind a slew of neurological sequelae in its wake. However, what is alarming is the wide gamut of mental and neurological disorders seen even in those with milder symptoms. Such patients frequently reported being anxious, depressed and having difficulty in sleeping. A higher incidence of frank psychosis manifesting as disorganization of thought processes and personality disorders was also reported. Many survivors of COVID-19 had to battle substance abuse in its immediate aftermath. There was a steep increase in the amount of alcohol consumed by regular drinkers. Persons who had stopped smoking and consuming alcohol resumed their habit in disconcerting numbers. 

The occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinsonism is concerning as this would bring long-term disability in the form of impaired mobility and memory decline. It has been hypothesized that the causative mechanism for many of the neurological conditions due to COVID-19 may be the direct invasion of the nervous system by the virus, an increased tendency to blood clotting or an exaggerated immune response by the body. Various other factors like pre-existing psychiatric illness, prolonged quarantine, perceived lack of organizational support, and social stigma are risk factors. Anxiety, Nervousness, and Post-traumatic stress disorder are often fuelled by fear of infecting other family members, physical distancing, loneliness, and ________ at home in cramped quarters. 

The pandemic has radically transformed the way businesses function and services delivered. Remote working disrupts a healthy-work life balance. Face to face contact and human interactions which were considered so essential for emotional well-being has taken a backseat. Lack of comforting physical contact like shaking hands and hugging friends is stressful and disconcerting. Online classes and home-schooling have placed a gargantuan burden both on students and parents. Lack of access to reliable computer hardware and spotty internet connections, particularly in rural areas and in the economically backward have created a new class divide. Children have been deprived of co-curricular activities, participation in group events and sports which is essential for their holistic development. Mental stress and fatigue have increased manyfold due to the rigours imposed by virtual learning.

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Some words are highlighted for your attention.

Amid naming and shaming of Bollywood celebrities, senior journalists and people from other sectors, the #MeToo campaign has become a platform for women to speak up about their ordeals. The platform, however, is being misused by many women, says former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Sujata Manohar.

Justice Manohar (retired), had in August 1997, penned down the Vishakha guidelines to ensure no working woman is subjected to sexual harassment. She, however, is not too impressed with the present #MeToo movement as she thinks women are misusing the forum.

In an exclusive conversation with the Free Press Journal, Justice Manohar underscored the need to bring in a law to deal with cases, as revealed by women in their #MeToo posts on social media.  “I do support the movement which I believe was started for women to come out and name the culprits public. But the result is not what I had expected back then while issuing the guidelines,” Justice Manohar said.

“The guidelines which I had penned down dealt only with contemporary cases where a woman is being harassed at her work field. The guidelines were not at all meant to look into cases wherein women come out after decades,” Justice Manohar said.  Justice Manohar explained that in cases where women have named their predators after decades, the police will face lots of difficulties while launching an investigation.

“The evidence of what took place some 20 to 25 years ago is obviously not going to remain as it is. There should be something reliable in place for the police to prosecute the named accused as there are always chances of some women merely naming others to settle personal scores. The police will, thus, find it difficult to verify the authenticity of the allegations leveled by these women,” Justice Manohar said.

“This is not the scenario in current cases where women are being harassed, as the police can easily cross-check the allegations,” Justice Manohar added.  According to Justice Manohar, women who are taking to social media accounts to name the perverts should instead approach the police.

“No purpose will be served if the woman limits themselves only to social media. They have the option to approach the police, instead of social media. Their failure to report the case also hints that the forum is being misused by many because of which genuine women might have to suffer,” Justice Manohar explained.

Taking note of the issues pertaining to the authenticity of such complaints, Justice Manohar said the government must think of formulating some law. “Unless there is a law to deal with cases as revealed through this movement, no one can do anything. The existing laws do not focus on such kind of complaints; thus, there is a need to formulate a law which can define the nature of the offense, and then what kind of punishment must be imposed, and so on,” Justice Manohar said

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct/most appropriate options:

The Central Water Commission (CWC)’s proposal to let the Mullaperiyar dam’s Supervisory Committee continue for a year essentially means the status quo continues. The proposal makes the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala accountable and provides for the participation of technical experts as panel members. The proposed arrangement, presented before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has become necessary as the CWC is of the view that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the regulatory body envisaged under the recently enacted Dam Safety Act, will require one year to become fully functional. On Thursday, the two States are expected to inform the Court of their response. Given the features of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam and the controversies surrounding its lime and mortar structure, both States would have nothing much to complain about regarding sticking to the existing arrangement for some more time although they differ in the way they approach the dam. Located in Kerala, it is _______ by TN for multiple purposes. While TN is keen on getting the strengthening work completed to raise the water level to 152 ft from 142 ft, Kerala wants a new dam built. In the backdrop of landslides in Kerala after heavy rain, fears, though misplaced, have arisen over the dam’s structural stability. Regardless of these apprehensions being addressed through technical and scientific bodies, the issue of safety crops up time and again. What this underlines is that there should be no room for complacency about the dam’s safety. It is for this purpose that the apex court too has been addressing the issue of having a stronger institutional mechanism than the existing Supervisory Committee which has been rendered almost toothless.

Ideally speaking, the authority would have been well suited to handle issues concerning the Mullaperiyar, as the Act empowers the body to perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) in this context because the NDSA assumes the role of SDSO for a dam located in one State and owned by another. But, as more time is required to have the authority fully in place, the Centre has chose to rely on the existing structure, with the respective Chief Secretaries being made accountable. With a sub-committee functioning under the Supervisory Committee and one more panel under the National Disaster Management Authority, the oversight mechanism appears to be fine. Still, however, well-designed the scheme might be, it is for the authorities to make sure their actions instill public confidence during the monsoon when the issue of safety in Kerala acquires precedence. It is also their duty to ensure there is no panic and to deal with scaremongers.

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct/most appropriate options:

The Central Water Commission (CWC)’s proposal to let the Mullaperiyar dam’s Supervisory Committee continue for a year essentially means the status quo continues. The proposal makes the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala accountable and provides for the participation of technical experts as panel members. The proposed arrangement, presented before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has become necessary as the CWC is of the view that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the regulatory body envisaged under the recently enacted Dam Safety Act, will require one year to become fully functional. On Thursday, the two States are expected to inform the Court of their response. Given the features of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam and the controversies surrounding its lime and mortar structure, both States would have nothing much to complain about regarding sticking to the existing arrangement for some more time although they differ in the way they approach the dam. Located in Kerala, it is _______ by TN for multiple purposes. While TN is keen on getting the strengthening work completed to raise the water level to 152 ft from 142 ft, Kerala wants a new dam built. In the backdrop of landslides in Kerala after heavy rain, fears, though misplaced, have arisen over the dam’s structural stability. Regardless of these apprehensions being addressed through technical and scientific bodies, the issue of safety crops up time and again. What this underlines is that there should be no room for complacency about the dam’s safety. It is for this purpose that the apex court too has been addressing the issue of having a stronger institutional mechanism than the existing Supervisory Committee which has been rendered almost toothless.

Ideally speaking, the authority would have been well suited to handle issues concerning the Mullaperiyar, as the Act empowers the body to perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) in this context because the NDSA assumes the role of SDSO for a dam located in one State and owned by another. But, as more time is required to have the authority fully in place, the Centre has chose to rely on the existing structure, with the respective Chief Secretaries being made accountable. With a sub-committee functioning under the Supervisory Committee and one more panel under the National Disaster Management Authority, the oversight mechanism appears to be fine. Still, however, well-designed the scheme might be, it is for the authorities to make sure their actions instill public confidence during the monsoon when the issue of safety in Kerala acquires precedence. It is also their duty to ensure there is no panic and to deal with scaremongers.

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct/most appropriate options:

The Central Water Commission (CWC)’s proposal to let the Mullaperiyar dam’s Supervisory Committee continue for a year essentially means the status quo continues. The proposal makes the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala accountable and provides for the participation of technical experts as panel members. The proposed arrangement, presented before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has become necessary as the CWC is of the view that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the regulatory body envisaged under the recently enacted Dam Safety Act, will require one year to become fully functional. On Thursday, the two States are expected to inform the Court of their response. Given the features of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam and the controversies surrounding its lime and mortar structure, both States would have nothing much to complain about regarding sticking to the existing arrangement for some more time although they differ in the way they approach the dam. Located in Kerala, it is _______ by TN for multiple purposes. While TN is keen on getting the strengthening work completed to raise the water level to 152 ft from 142 ft, Kerala wants a new dam built. In the backdrop of landslides in Kerala after heavy rain, fears, though misplaced, have arisen over the dam’s structural stability. Regardless of these apprehensions being addressed through technical and scientific bodies, the issue of safety crops up time and again. What this underlines is that there should be no room for complacency about the dam’s safety. It is for this purpose that the apex court too has been addressing the issue of having a stronger institutional mechanism than the existing Supervisory Committee which has been rendered almost toothless.

Ideally speaking, the authority would have been well suited to handle issues concerning the Mullaperiyar, as the Act empowers the body to perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) in this context because the NDSA assumes the role of SDSO for a dam located in one State and owned by another. But, as more time is required to have the authority fully in place, the Centre has chose to rely on the existing structure, with the respective Chief Secretaries being made accountable. With a sub-committee functioning under the Supervisory Committee and one more panel under the National Disaster Management Authority, the oversight mechanism appears to be fine. Still, however, well-designed the scheme might be, it is for the authorities to make sure their actions instill public confidence during the monsoon when the issue of safety in Kerala acquires precedence. It is also their duty to ensure there is no panic and to deal with scaremongers.

Direction: Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given five alternatives.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to retain the current numerical framework for the target and tolerance band for inflation — target of 4 per cent with a plus or minus two per cent tolerance band — for the next five years in the wake of the repetitive incidence of supply shocks, still elevated inflation expectations and projection errors.
It has also recommended refinements in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) framework to make it more relevant and operationally efficient. “The current tolerance band of plus or minus two per cent may be retained notwithstanding the central tendency emerging from the country experience of lowering targets and narrowing bands over time,” the RBI said in its Report on Currency and Finance. This means inflation can go up to 6 per cent and come down to two per cent.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had recently said the government would review the inflation target band as the five-year term for the MPC nears an end. The six-member MPC, headed by the RBI Governor, decides on the monetary policy keeping in mind this inflation target band. Retail inflation had fallen to a 16-month low of 4.06 per cent in January due to easing of food and vegetable prices.
The RBI has proposed to limit the shut period for the MPC to start seven days before policy announcement and end three days after the day policy is announced, staggering on boarding of external members on the Committee, an official communication policy document for the MP, releasing the minutes within a week of the policy announcement and releasing the policy at a prefixed and pre-announced time.
It has also proposed to maintain the transcripts of the MPC meetings and its release with a lag of 5-7 years at a future date and provide a more explicit forward guidance on the interest rate path at a future date, as the projection process is strengthened further over time. The RBI is also for modifying the definition of failure from the current three consecutive quarter’s norm of inflation remaining outside the tolerance band to four consecutive quarters.

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:

Mosquitoes can transmit pathogens that cause many human diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika fever. Many of these diseases can be physically devastating and even fatal. For example, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are over 200 million new cases of malaria per year worldwide, resulting in over 400,000 deaths, most of them children under the age of 5. Zika fever is caused by a virus transmitted to humans primarily by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Symptoms in infected human adults are typically mild, but if the virus infects a pregnant woman it can be transmitted to the developing fetus and affect brain development, causing a condition called microcephaly. To reduce the number of A. aegypti mosquitoes that may carry Zika virus, researchers at a biotechnology company called Oxitec have produced genetically modified (GM) A. aegypti mosquitoes that when released into the wild, mate with wild mosquitoes, and any offspring produced die before becoming adults.
The fluorescence gene is used to_________ GM mosquitoes. The lethality gene, which is more accurately called tetracycline transcriptional activator variant (or tTAV), encodes a protein that blocks transcription of several other genes that are essential to mosquito development. GM mosquito larvae that produce the tTAV protein die before reaching maturity. However, the tTAV protein cannot prevent the transcription of other genes when it is bound to the antibiotic tetracycline. Therefore, tetracycline acts as a repressor of the lethality gene, or, in other words, its antidote. In the lab, the GM mosquito larvae are reared in water containing tetracycline and develop normally into adult mosquitoes. When adult GM mosquitoes are released into the wild and breed with wild, non-GM mosquitoes, their offspring inherit the lethality gene. Without tetracycline in the environment to protect them, the offspring die. 

In one study, Oxitec scientists released GM mosquitoes into a neighborhood in Brazil. Sustained release over the course of a year led to a reduction of the local Aedes aegypti population by 80% to 95% according to different measures (Carvalho et al., 2015). The scientists chose densely populated neighborhoods for their study because mosquito-borne diseases can spread most easily in areas where lots of humans and mosquitoes are present. They hypothesized that if they could reduce both the population size of the A. aegypti mosquitoes and the mosquito population density, they would reduce the probability that a person becomes infected with a pathogen spread by these mosquitoes. (An activity that shows how scientists measure mosquito density, based on data from Oxitec scientists, is available on the BioInteractive website as “Tracking Genetically Modified Mosquitoes.”)