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| In a village by the Ganges, there once lived a Brahmin. He was a religious and God-fearing man. He earned his living by performing prayers in other people's home. One day the Brahmin was called to the neighbouring village to perform some ceremony. In return for his services, he received a goat as a present. The Brahmin was very pleased and he set off for home with a goat on his shoulders, he thought to himself, “this was a generous family,” to have given me a goat. My wife and children will be very pleased. As he walked down the path to his village he did not notice that he, was being followed by three thieves. “We have to get that plump goat,” said the first thief. “It will make a great dinner for us,” said the second thief. “We need to think of a plan fast,” said the third. The three thieves then decided to fool the Brahmin. The first thief approached the Brahmin saying “Dear Brahmin, you are a holy man, Why are you carrying a dirty dog on your shoulders?” “A dirty dog,” can't you see that it is a poor little goat. “Are you blind ?” said the Brahmin angrily. The first thief laughed and walked away. The Brahmin looked at the goat, indeed it was a goat, and so he resumed his journey homeward. A little further down the path, the Brahmin came across the second thief. The second thief said in astonishment, “You are a holy man, why are you carrying a dead calf on your shoulders”? The Brahmin was furious, “This is a live goat and not a dead calf.” The Brahmin had barely walked some distance when the third thief came running waving his arm towards the Brahmin “Drop that donkey at once, If people see you carrying a donkey on your shoulders, what will they think of you?” By now the Brahmin was very confused. Three different people had told him that he was carrying an animal other than a goat. Something must be wrong he thought. “This is not a goat; this must be some monster that keeps changing its form.” The terrified Brahmin threw the goat and ran home as fast as he could. The three thieves had a great laugh. They had succeeded in their plan. They picked up the goat and left. How foolish the Brahmin had been to have believed them. |
The various forms taken by the goat were ______.
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Emma Raducanu had sprung from nowhere at Wimbledon, defeating a string of higher-ranked players in a startling run that captivated the nation. Promoted to No. 1 Court - and the front pages - for a fourth-round match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, the 18-years old suffered dizziness and breathing difficulties, and retired. "I think the whole experience caught up with me," she said later. Dr. Claire-Marie Roberts was watching with a pang of recognition. Roberts, 43, was a promising teenage swimmer, who once qualified for the lOOm breaststroke at the 1996 Olympics. But she had done so despite almost crippling competitive anxiety. "I'd be vomiting in the toilets before races with so many self-doubts and ridiculous scenarios playing out in my mind," she says. "I'd worry about letting my dad and coach down, and think everyone was much better than me. Sometimes I'd visualize myself with armbands on, struggling even to swim to the end of the pool." Happily, and unusually for the time, Roberts had a sports psychologist to turn to for help: "In the early 90s nobody really even knew what a sports psychologist was." It was only then that she was able to start managing her anxiety and qualify for Atlanta with Team Great Britain. Dr. Andrea Furst, a sports psychologist who works with England Rugby and the Australian sailing team, says the discipline to focus on what needs to be improved is what separates elite athletes and mortals. "Many of the things that are needed to be elite are not particularly complex, but it's the requirement for them to be done day after day that makes supreme performers," she says. "One of the best pieces of advice in everyday life would be to pick one thing to focus on to change and stick at it." "The performances we love the most are the ones where we can see huge hearts, deep character and the mastery of skill at an inspiring level; where we can see 'humanness' - not robotic perfection or emotionless 'execution'," psychologist Pippa Grange says. "There is something for all of us to take from that." When the recent England-Italy Euro final went to penalties, Dr. Geir Jordet, a sports psychologist, grabbed a notepad. His analysis, covering more than 45 years of shootouts, has revealed that when a team only needs one more successful penalty to win the match, the player who takes it will score 92% of the time. When a team loses the match by missing the next penalty (for example, Bukayo Saka's turn for England), the player taking that penalty scores only 62% of the time. "In life, it's about considering the positive consequences of what you're doing rather than dwelling on the negative consequences if you mess up," he says. |
When Dr. Roberts was a young swimmer, she was worried about:
- being injured in the match
- disappointing her father & her coach
- facing much stronger opponents
- being disqualified for some violation
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Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantelpiece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture marks. Finally, he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined armchair with a long sigh of satisfaction. Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance, but custom had not reconciled my mind to it. On the contrary, from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight, and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. Again and again, I had registered a vow that I should deliver my soul upon the subject, but there was that in the cool, nonchalant air of my companion which made him the last man with whom one would care to take anything approaching liberty. His great powers, his masterly manner, and the experience which I had of his many extraordinary qualities, all made me diffident and backward in crossing him. Yet upon that afternoon, whether it was the Beaune which I had taken with my lunch, or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner, I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer. "Which is it today?" I asked,-"morphine or cocaine?" He raised his eyes languidly from the old black letter volume which he had opened. "It is cocaine," he said,-" a seven-per-cent solution. Would you dare to try it?" "But consider!" I said, earnestly. "Count the cost! Your brain may, as you say, be roused and excited, but it is a pathological and morbid process, which involves increased tissue change and may at last leave a permanent weakness. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. Why should you, for mere passing pleasure, risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed? Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another but as a medical man to one for whose Constitution he is to some extent answerable." He did not seem offended. "My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants." |
What do you understand about the narrator's response to what he saw for many months?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Once upon a time, there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. Many fish swain past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help untie all those tentacles from all those suckers. The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish. A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him, That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering now the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish. and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down! Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very sensitive skin and the octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!! So the big fish swam away irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish that had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone to end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be friends with such a brave and honourable octopus. |
Which of the following characteristics CAN be attributed to the little fish from the story?
- Kind
- Persuasive
- Shy
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| Once upon a time, there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. Many fish swain past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help untie all those tentacles from all those suckers. The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish. A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him, That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering now the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish. and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down! Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very sensitive skin and the octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!! So the big fish swam away irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish that had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone to end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be friends with such a brave and honourable octopus. |
‘The octopus, remembering how the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid.’ What feeling of the octopus towards the little fish does this line signify?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Once upon a time, there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. Many fish swain past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help untie all those tentacles from all those suckers. The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish. A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him, That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering now the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish. and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down! Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very sensitive skin and the octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!! So the big fish swam away irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish that had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone to end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be friends with such a brave and honourable octopus. |
‘Now he really wanted to gobble them down!’ What emotion of the big fish does this sentence convey?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
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Each moment contains two phenomena, creation and dissolution, because opposites in life create the required cosmic balance. Just like our in-breath and outgoing breath, there is continuous rhythm in the cosmos. Day cannot exist without night and so too with all other things in life. Birth-death, male-female, peak-valley, good-bad, positive-negative, hot-cold, and so on may all seem like opposites but there is a definite interdependence between the two polarities that creates cosmic harmony. And this cannot be better explained than Shiva himself. Shiva essentially means 'that which is not'. He also embodies the concept of the union in his state of Ardhnarishwara, a blend of male and female energies and also of anger and compassion. Trinity of Gods in Hinduism is Brahma, the deity of creation; Vishnu, the deity of maintenance; and Shiva, of destruction or dissolution of the universe. Shiva is also infinite love and kindness, always ready to fulfil the wishes of devotees. Shiva is a reminder to devotees that without this dynamic balance of opposites, life would be chaos. Without the existence of night, a day would become dull; without woman, man would be incomplete. They seem like opposites, but are essentially one. Our mind often agitates as to why birth cannot be without death. But, it is equally true that birth and death are one and not separate from each other. And, that is what Shiva symbolizes. Every birth brings death and every death brings new life. Shiva represents the very peak of human evolution and the ultimate in life. To attain this, Shiva has given 112 methods of meditation. Life is a phenomenon of coming into form, and death is moving into the formless. Since, Shiva essentially means the formless, we do not keep pictures of Shiva in temples. Instead, we have him represented as Shivalinga. This aptly represents the merging of both form and formless, indicating the concept of Shiva. He makes us aware that all beings ultimately end up as non-beings and this world is a transit camp. Shiva brings this awareness for transformation, and turns the search within, so that seekers eventually move towards ultimate existence. If we realize this formless-form, then Shiva appears as a deity of compassion and liberation. The idea of oneness has always been emphasized by Indic sages. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that the one who perceives life in different forms is distanced from the inner reality of Self. This world, Gods, Vedas, beings, and everything present in existence are all part of our inner Self. Everything is united in one deep state of unity. The conch and drums are different instruments containing different kinds of notes. Together, they produce beautiful music. In the concept of Ardhanarishwara, Shakti is feminine and Shiva is masculine but both are inseparable and united in total unity and harmony. Every individual has the traits of Ardhanarishwara. Opposites give us a chance to do things right. If we move against nature, we become unhappy and miserable, and that is a warning to put our house in order, by bringing back balance. Misery is not separate from happiness, but rather the absence of the latter. We see them as two because our minds cannot see through opposites, but when the mind is dropped, we are simply looking at life with totality and unity. In Shiva, we see both, diversity and unity. |
How does the author describe the Lord Shiva?
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| Once upon a time, there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. Many fish swain past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help untie all those tentacles from all those suckers. The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish. A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him, That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering now the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish. and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down! Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very sensitive skin and the octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!! So the big fish swam away irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish that had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone to end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be friends with such a brave and honourable octopus. |
Which of the following can be the MOST APPROPRIATE TITLE for the passage/story?
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| Once upon a time, there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. Many fish swain past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help untie all those tentacles from all those suckers. The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish. A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him, That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering now the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish. and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down! Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very sensitive skin and the octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!! So the big fish swam away irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish that had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone to end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be friends with such a brave and honourable octopus. |
Why did the big fish swim away?
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Each moment contains two phenomena, creation and dissolution, because opposites in life create the required cosmic balance. Just like our in-breath and outgoing breath, there is continuous rhythm in the cosmos. Day cannot exist without night and so too with all other things in life. Birth-death, male-female, peak-valley, good-bad, positive-negative, hot-cold, and so on may all seem like opposites but there is a definite interdependence between the two polarities that creates cosmic harmony. And this cannot be better explained than Shiva himself. Shiva essentially means 'that which is not'. He also embodies the concept of the union in his state of Ardhnarishwara, a blend of male and female energies and also of anger and compassion. Trinity of Gods in Hinduism is Brahma, the deity of creation; Vishnu, the deity of maintenance; and Shiva, of destruction or dissolution of the universe. Shiva is also infinite love and kindness, always ready to fulfil the wishes of devotees. Shiva is a reminder to devotees that without this dynamic balance of opposites, life would be chaos. Without the existence of night, a day would become dull; without woman, man would be incomplete. They seem like opposites, but are essentially one. Our mind often agitates as to why birth cannot be without death. But, it is equally true that birth and death are one and not separate from each other. And, that is what Shiva symbolizes. Every birth brings death and every death brings new life. Shiva represents the very peak of human evolution and the ultimate in life. To attain this, Shiva has given 112 methods of meditation. Life is a phenomenon of coming into form, and death is moving into the formless. Since, Shiva essentially means the formless, we do not keep pictures of Shiva in temples. Instead, we have him represented as Shivalinga. This aptly represents the merging of both form and formless, indicating the concept of Shiva. He makes us aware that all beings ultimately end up as non-beings and this world is a transit camp. Shiva brings this awareness for transformation, and turns the search within, so that seekers eventually move towards ultimate existence. If we realize this formless-form, then Shiva appears as a deity of compassion and liberation. The idea of oneness has always been emphasized by Indic sages. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that the one who perceives life in different forms is distanced from the inner reality of Self. This world, Gods, Vedas, beings, and everything present in existence are all part of our inner Self. Everything is united in one deep state of unity. The conch and drums are different instruments containing different kinds of notes. Together, they produce beautiful music. In the concept of Ardhanarishwara, Shakti is feminine and Shiva is masculine but both are inseparable and united in total unity and harmony. Every individual has the traits of Ardhanarishwara. Opposites give us a chance to do things right. If we move against nature, we become unhappy and miserable, and that is a warning to put our house in order, by bringing back balance. Misery is not separate from happiness, but rather the absence of the latter. We see them as two because our minds cannot see through opposites, but when the mind is dropped, we are simply looking at life with totality and unity. In Shiva, we see both, diversity and unity. |
What is the idea of oneness that is discussed in the passage?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
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Each moment contains two phenomena, creation and dissolution, because opposites in life create the required cosmic balance. Just like our in-breath and outgoing breath, there is continuous rhythm in the cosmos. Day cannot exist without night and so too with all other things in life. Birth-death, male-female, peak-valley, good-bad, positive-negative, hot-cold, and so on may all seem like opposites but there is a definite interdependence between the two polarities that creates cosmic harmony. And this cannot be better explained than Shiva himself. Shiva essentially means 'that which is not'. He also embodies the concept of the union in his state of Ardhnarishwara, a blend of male and female energies and also of anger and compassion. Trinity of Gods in Hinduism is Brahma, the deity of creation; Vishnu, the deity of maintenance; and Shiva, of destruction or dissolution of the universe. Shiva is also infinite love and kindness, always ready to fulfil the wishes of devotees. Shiva is a reminder to devotees that without this dynamic balance of opposites, life would be chaos. Without the existence of night, a day would become dull; without woman, man would be incomplete. They seem like opposites, but are essentially one. Our mind often agitates as to why birth cannot be without death. But, it is equally true that birth and death are one and not separate from each other. And, that is what Shiva symbolizes. Every birth brings death and every death brings new life. Shiva represents the very peak of human evolution and the ultimate in life. To attain this, Shiva has given 112 methods of meditation. Life is a phenomenon of coming into form, and death is moving into the formless. Since, Shiva essentially means the formless, we do not keep pictures of Shiva in temples. Instead, we have him represented as Shivalinga. This aptly represents the merging of both form and formless, indicating the concept of Shiva. He makes us aware that all beings ultimately end up as non-beings and this world is a transit camp. Shiva brings this awareness for transformation, and turns the search within, so that seekers eventually move towards ultimate existence. If we realize this formless-form, then Shiva appears as a deity of compassion and liberation. The idea of oneness has always been emphasized by Indic sages. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that the one who perceives life in different forms is distanced from the inner reality of Self. This world, Gods, Vedas, beings, and everything present in existence are all part of our inner Self. Everything is united in one deep state of unity. The conch and drums are different instruments containing different kinds of notes. Together, they produce beautiful music. In the concept of Ardhanarishwara, Shakti is feminine and Shiva is masculine but both are inseparable and united in total unity and harmony. Every individual has the traits of Ardhanarishwara. Opposites give us a chance to do things right. If we move against nature, we become unhappy and miserable, and that is a warning to put our house in order, by bringing back balance. Misery is not separate from happiness, but rather the absence of the latter. We see them as two because our minds cannot see through opposites, but when the mind is dropped, we are simply looking at life with totality and unity. In Shiva, we see both, diversity and unity. |
Which of the following statements are true in the light of the passage?
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| The best man in the whole tribe is Manute the brave, everyone would say. You could see for yourself, at any time of the day, just how brave he was. He would jump to the ground from amazing heights, he would fight poisonous snakes, he would catch scorpions with his bare hands and could cut the palm of his own hand with a knife – without even a flinch. They said the exact opposite about Pontoma. No one had seen him catch even a monkey. One day, they happened upon each other in the forest, and Manute was showing Pontoma a coral snake he had just caught when there began a downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen. They both ran to shelter themselves under some thick foliage, and there they stayed until the rain had stopped. However, when they were about to leave the shelter, they heard the roar of a tiger, at a distance of only a couple of metres. The foliage was very thick and dense and the tiger wouldn't be able to get through it to attack them. However, the tiger was almost at the entrance hole. If it happened to come in and find the two tribesmen there, they certainly wouldn't get out alive. Manute was getting restless. He wanted to get out of that tight hole and confront the tiger in open space where he could fully use his great hunting skills. Pontoma was gesturing at him to keep still and be quiet, but Manute, tired of being stuck with a coward, leapt out of the thicket, surprising the tiger. The tiger suffered a couple of deep wounds, but soon recovered and hurt Manute with two swipes of its paw throwing him to the ground. The tiger took the initiative and leapt upon Manute, but Manute's spear, in the hands of Pontoma, interrupted the tiger's attack. The tiger turned away, wounded but the spear moved as fast as a beam of light, and with incredible precision, hurting animal again and again, until it fell to the ground, lifeless. Manute, shocked and bleeding freely from his injuries, witnessed all this while lying flat on his back on the ground. Never before had he seen anyone take on a tiger, and use the spear with such calmness and strength, as he had seen Pontoma do just now. Neither of them said a thing. Manute's grateful expression needed no words to be understood. Nor did they need words to know about Pontoma's wounded hand or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest. From that day on, people gradually remarked less on Manute's braveness. They thought may be he was less courageous than before. The strangest thing was that they now noticed that Manute's old spear was among Pontoma's things, But Manute just smiled and remembered the day he learned that true bravery lay not in seeking out danger, but in controlling one's fear when danger crosses your path. |
What did Manute learn from Pontoma?
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Each moment contains two phenomena, creation and dissolution, because opposites in life create the required cosmic balance. Just like our in-breath and outgoing breath, there is continuous rhythm in the cosmos. Day cannot exist without night and so too with all other things in life. Birth-death, male-female, peak-valley, good-bad, positive-negative, hot-cold, and so on may all seem like opposites but there is a definite interdependence between the two polarities that creates cosmic harmony. And this cannot be better explained than Shiva himself. Shiva essentially means 'that which is not'. He also embodies the concept of the union in his state of Ardhnarishwara, a blend of male and female energies and also of anger and compassion. Trinity of Gods in Hinduism is Brahma, the deity of creation; Vishnu, the deity of maintenance; and Shiva, of destruction or dissolution of the universe. Shiva is also infinite love and kindness, always ready to fulfil the wishes of devotees. Shiva is a reminder to devotees that without this dynamic balance of opposites, life would be chaos. Without the existence of night, a day would become dull; without woman, man would be incomplete. They seem like opposites, but are essentially one. Our mind often agitates as to why birth cannot be without death. But, it is equally true that birth and death are one and not separate from each other. And, that is what Shiva symbolizes. Every birth brings death and every death brings new life. Shiva represents the very peak of human evolution and the ultimate in life. To attain this, Shiva has given 112 methods of meditation. Life is a phenomenon of coming into form, and death is moving into the formless. Since, Shiva essentially means the formless, we do not keep pictures of Shiva in temples. Instead, we have him represented as Shivalinga. This aptly represents the merging of both form and formless, indicating the concept of Shiva. He makes us aware that all beings ultimately end up as non-beings and this world is a transit camp. Shiva brings this awareness for transformation, and turns the search within, so that seekers eventually move towards ultimate existence. If we realize this formless-form, then Shiva appears as a deity of compassion and liberation. The idea of oneness has always been emphasized by Indic sages. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that the one who perceives life in different forms is distanced from the inner reality of Self. This world, Gods, Vedas, beings, and everything present in existence are all part of our inner Self. Everything is united in one deep state of unity. The conch and drums are different instruments containing different kinds of notes. Together, they produce beautiful music. In the concept of Ardhanarishwara, Shakti is feminine and Shiva is masculine but both are inseparable and united in total unity and harmony. Every individual has the traits of Ardhanarishwara. Opposites give us a chance to do things right. If we move against nature, we become unhappy and miserable, and that is a warning to put our house in order, by bringing back balance. Misery is not separate from happiness, but rather the absence of the latter. We see them as two because our minds cannot see through opposites, but when the mind is dropped, we are simply looking at life with totality and unity. In Shiva, we see both, diversity and unity. |
What are the traits that each individual possess?
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| The best man in the whole tribe is Manute the brave, everyone would say. You could see for yourself, at any time of the day, just how brave he was. He would jump to the ground from amazing heights, he would fight poisonous snakes, he would catch scorpions with his bare hands and could cut the palm of his own hand with a knife – without even a flinch. They said the exact opposite about Pontoma. No one had seen him catch even a monkey. One day, they happened upon each other in the forest, and Manute was showing Pontoma a coral snake he had just caught when there began a downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen. They both ran to shelter themselves under some thick foliage, and there they stayed until the rain had stopped. However, when they were about to leave the shelter, they heard the roar of a tiger, at a distance of only a couple of metres. The foliage was very thick and dense and the tiger wouldn't be able to get through it to attack them. However, the tiger was almost at the entrance hole. If it happened to come in and find the two tribesmen there, they certainly wouldn't get out alive. Manute was getting restless. He wanted to get out of that tight hole and confront the tiger in open space where he could fully use his great hunting skills. Pontoma was gesturing at him to keep still and be quiet, but Manute, tired of being stuck with a coward, leapt out of the thicket, surprising the tiger. The tiger suffered a couple of deep wounds, but soon recovered and hurt Manute with two swipes of its paw throwing him to the ground. The tiger took the initiative and leapt upon Manute, but Manute's spear, in the hands of Pontoma, interrupted the tiger's attack. The tiger turned away, wounded but the spear moved as fast as a beam of light, and with incredible precision, hurting animal again and again, until it fell to the ground, lifeless. Manute, shocked and bleeding freely from his injuries, witnessed all this while lying flat on his back on the ground. Never before had he seen anyone take on a tiger, and use the spear with such calmness and strength, as he had seen Pontoma do just now. Neither of them said a thing. Manute's grateful expression needed no words to be understood. Nor did they need words to know about Pontoma's wounded hand or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest. From that day on, people gradually remarked less on Manute's braveness. They thought may be he was less courageous than before. The strangest thing was that they now noticed that Manute's old spear was among Pontoma's things, But Manute just smiled and remembered the day he learned that true bravery lay not in seeking out danger, but in controlling one's fear when danger crosses your path. |
‘or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest’. What event in the story does this line signify?
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| The best man in the whole tribe is Manute the brave, everyone would say. You could see for yourself, at any time of the day, just how brave he was. He would jump to the ground from amazing heights, he would fight poisonous snakes, he would catch scorpions with his bare hands and could cut the palm of his own hand with a knife – without even a flinch. They said the exact opposite about Pontoma. No one had seen him catch even a monkey. One day, they happened upon each other in the forest, and Manute was showing Pontoma a coral snake he had just caught when there began a downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen. They both ran to shelter themselves under some thick foliage, and there they stayed until the rain had stopped. However, when they were about to leave the shelter, they heard the roar of a tiger, at a distance of only a couple of metres. The foliage was very thick and dense and the tiger wouldn't be able to get through it to attack them. However, the tiger was almost at the entrance hole. If it happened to come in and find the two tribesmen there, they certainly wouldn't get out alive. Manute was getting restless. He wanted to get out of that tight hole and confront the tiger in open space where he could fully use his great hunting skills. Pontoma was gesturing at him to keep still and be quiet, but Manute, tired of being stuck with a coward, leapt out of the thicket, surprising the tiger. The tiger suffered a couple of deep wounds, but soon recovered and hurt Manute with two swipes of its paw throwing him to the ground. The tiger took the initiative and leapt upon Manute, but Manute's spear, in the hands of Pontoma, interrupted the tiger's attack. The tiger turned away, wounded but the spear moved as fast as a beam of light, and with incredible precision, hurting animal again and again, until it fell to the ground, lifeless. Manute, shocked and bleeding freely from his injuries, witnessed all this while lying flat on his back on the ground. Never before had he seen anyone take on a tiger, and use the spear with such calmness and strength, as he had seen Pontoma do just now. Neither of them said a thing. Manute's grateful expression needed no words to be understood. Nor did they need words to know about Pontoma's wounded hand or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest. From that day on, people gradually remarked less on Manute's braveness. They thought may be he was less courageous than before. The strangest thing was that they now noticed that Manute's old spear was among Pontoma's things, But Manute just smiled and remembered the day he learned that true bravery lay not in seeking out danger, but in controlling one's fear when danger crosses your path. |
What did Manute and Pontoma do when it started raining?
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| The best man in the whole tribe is Manute the brave, everyone would say. You could see for yourself, at any time of the day, just how brave he was. He would jump to the ground from amazing heights, he would fight poisonous snakes, he would catch scorpions with his bare hands and could cut the palm of his own hand with a knife – without even a flinch. They said the exact opposite about Pontoma. No one had seen him catch even a monkey. One day, they happened upon each other in the forest, and Manute was showing Pontoma a coral snake he had just caught when there began a downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen. They both ran to shelter themselves under some thick foliage, and there they stayed until the rain had stopped. However, when they were about to leave the shelter, they heard the roar of a tiger, at a distance of only a couple of metres. The foliage was very thick and dense and the tiger wouldn't be able to get through it to attack them. However, the tiger was almost at the entrance hole. If it happened to come in and find the two tribesmen there, they certainly wouldn't get out alive. Manute was getting restless. He wanted to get out of that tight hole and confront the tiger in open space where he could fully use his great hunting skills. Pontoma was gesturing at him to keep still and be quiet, but Manute, tired of being stuck with a coward, leapt out of the thicket, surprising the tiger. The tiger suffered a couple of deep wounds, but soon recovered and hurt Manute with two swipes of its paw throwing him to the ground. The tiger took the initiative and leapt upon Manute, but Manute's spear, in the hands of Pontoma, interrupted the tiger's attack. The tiger turned away, wounded but the spear moved as fast as a beam of light, and with in- credible precision, hurting animal again and again, until it fell to the ground, lifeless. Manute, shocked and bleeding freely from his injuries, witnessed all this while lying flat on his back on the ground. Never before had he seen anyone take on a tiger, and use the spear with such calmness and strength, as he had seen Pontoma do just now. Neither of them said a thing. Manute's grateful expression needed no words to be understood. Nor did they need words to know about Pontoma's wounded hand or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest. From that day on, people gradually remarked less on Manute's braveness. They thought may be he was less courageous than before. The strangest thing was that they now noticed that Manute's old spear was among Pontoma's things, But Manute just smiled and remembered the day he learned that true bravery lay not in seeking out danger, but in controlling one's fear when danger crosses your path. |
Which of the following can be the MOST APPROPRIATE TITLE for the passage/story?
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| The best man in the whole tribe is Manute the brave, everyone would say. You could see for yourself, at any time of the day, just how brave he was. He would jump to the ground from amazing heights, he would fight poisonous snakes, he would catch scorpions with his bare hands and could cut the palm of his own hand with a knife – without even a flinch. They said the exact opposite about Pontoma. No one had seen him catch even a monkey. One day, they happened upon each other in the forest, and Manute was showing Pontoma a coral snake he had just caught when there began a downpour, the likes of which no one had ever seen. They both ran to shelter themselves under some thick foliage, and there they stayed until the rain had stopped. However, when they were about to leave the shelter, they heard the roar of a tiger, at a distance of only a couple of metres. The foliage was very thick and dense and the tiger wouldn't be able to get through it to attack them. However, the tiger was almost at the entrance hole. If it happened to come in and find the two tribesmen there, they certainly wouldn't get out alive. Manute was getting restless. He wanted to get out of that tight hole and confront the tiger in open space where he could fully use his great hunting skills. Pontoma was gesturing at him to keep still and be quiet, but Manute, tired of being stuck with a coward, leapt out of the thicket, surprising the tiger. The tiger suffered a couple of deep wounds, but soon recovered and hurt Manute with two swipes of its paw throwing him to the ground. The tiger took the initiative and leapt upon Manute, but Manute's spear, in the hands of Pontoma, interrupted the tiger's attack. The tiger turned away, wounded. but the spear moved as fast as a beam of light, and with incredible precision, hurting animal again and again, until it fell to the ground, lifeless. Manute, shocked and bleeding freely from his injuries, witnessed all this while lying flat on his back on the ground. Never before had he seen anyone take on a tiger, and use the spear with such calmness and strength, as he had seen Pontoma do just now. Neither of them said a thing. Manute's grateful expression needed no words to be understood. Nor did they need words to know about Pontoma's wounded hand or the fact that they were leaving a tiger skin there in the forest. From that day on, people gradually remarked less on Manute's braveness. They thought may be he was less courageous than before. The strangest thing was that they now noticed that Manute's old spear was among Pontoma's things, But Manute just smiled and remembered the day he learned that true bravery lay not in seeking out danger, but in controlling one's fear when danger crosses your path. |
Which of the following characteristics CAN be attributed to Manute from the story?
- Energetic
- Evil
- Coward
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| We should recognise the indebtedness of the country to its farm families who toil to safeguard national food security. Loan waiver is the price we have to pay for the neglect of rural India over the past several decades. There has been a gradual decline in investment in key sectors related to agriculture such as infrastructure, marketing, post-harvest technology etc. The four crore farmers whose debt is to be relieved will be eligible for institutional credit for their cultivation expenses during Kharif 2008. The challenge is to prevent them from getting into the debt trap again. For this purpose the Central and various State governments should set up an Indebted Farmers' Support Consortium, comprising scientists, panchayat raj officials and others relevant to assist- ing farmers to improve the profitability and productivity of their farms in an environmentally sustainable manner. The smaller the farm the greater is the need for marketable surplus to reduce indebtedness. The Indebted Farmers' Support Consortium should aim to get all the four crore farmers all the benefits of the government schemes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Irrigation Benefit Programme and others. If this is done every farm family released from the debt trap should be able to produce at least an additional half tonne per hectare of food grains. This should help increase food production by about 20 million tonnes by 2008-10. At a time when global and national food stocks are dwindling and prices are rising, this will be a timely gain for our national food security. We need to ensure that the outcome of the debt waiver enhances farmers' income and production. The prevailing gap between potential and actual yields in the crops of rainfed areas such as pulses and oilseeds is over 200 percent even with the necessary technologies on the shelf. We are now importing without duty large quantities of pulses and oilseeds. If helped, farmers can produce these at a lower cost. Opportunities for assured and remunerative marketing are essential if loan waiver is not to become a recurring event leading to the destruction of the credit system. This is why the Minimum Support Price is necessary for all not just for a few crops which is the case at present. This is the single most effective step to make loan waivers history. There is another urgent step which needs to be taken. The loan waiver does not cover those who borrow from moneylenders. It will not be possible for the government to scrutinise the veracity of such private deals but steps can be taken such as giving them Smart Cards which will entitle them to essential inputs like seeds and fertilisers. The gram sabha can be entrusted with the task of identifying these farmers so that there is transparency in the process and elimination of the chances for falsification and corruption. Fear of occasional misuse should not come in the way of enabling millions of poor farmers who have borrowed from informal sources if we are to achieve the goal of four percent growth in agriculture. |
What is the likely impact of ensuring farmers benefit from government schemes?
- They can use the credit from these schemes to repay moneylenders.
- The government can control the price rise.
- Increased agricultural production.
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| We should recognise the indebtedness of the country to its farm families who toil to safeguard national food security. Loan waiver is the price we have to pay for the neglect of rural India over the past several decades. There has been a gradual decline in investment in key sectors related to agriculture such as infrastructure, marketing, post-harvest technology etc. The four crore farmers whose debt is to be relieved will be eligible for institutional credit for their cultivation expenses during Kharif 2008. The challenge is to prevent them from getting into the debt trap again. For this purpose the Central and various State governments should set up an Indebted Farmers' Support Consortium, comprising scientists, panchayat raj officials and others relevant to assist- ing farmers to improve the profitability and productivity of their farms in an environmentally sustainable manner. The smaller the farm the greater is the need for marketable surplus to reduce indebtedness. The Indebted Farmers' Support Consortium should aim to get all the four crore farmers all the benefits of the government schemes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Irrigation Benefit Programme and others. If this is done every farm family released from the debt trap should be able to produce at least an additional half tonne per hectare of food grains. This should help increase food production by about 20 million tonnes by 2008-10. At a time when global and national food stocks are dwindling and prices are rising, this will be a timely gain for our national food security. We need to ensure that the outcome of the debt waiver enhances farmers' income and production. The prevailing gap between potential and actual yields in the crops of rainfed areas such as pulses and oilseeds is over 200 percent even with the necessary technologies on the shelf. We are now importing without duty large quantities of pulses and oilseeds. If helped, farmers can produce these at a lower cost. Opportunities for assured and remunerative marketing are essential if loan waiver is not to become a recurring event leading to the destruction of the credit system. This is why the Minimum Support Price is necessary for all not just for a few crops which is the case at present. This is the single most effective step to make loan waivers history. There is another urgent step which needs to be taken. The loan waiver does not cover those who borrow from moneylenders. It will not be possible for the government to scrutinise the veracity of such private deals but steps can be taken such as giving them Smart Cards which will entitle them to essential inputs like seeds and fertilisers. The gram sabha can be entrusted with the task of identifying these farmers so that there is transparency in the process and elimination of the chances for falsification and corruption. Fear of occasional misuse should not come in the way of enabling millions of poor farmers who have borrowed from informal sources if we are to achieve the goal of four percent growth in agriculture. |
How can small farmers avoid debt?
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'At long last, I can say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak. A few hours ago, I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, and Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart. You know all reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to service. But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love. And I want you to know that the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course. I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all. This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long training in the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire. And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you, and not bestowed on me- a happy home with his wife and children. During these hard days, I have been comforted by her Majesty, my mother, and by my family. The ministers of the Crown, and in particular, Mr. Baldwin, the Prime Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise. Ever since I was Prince of Wales, and later on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For that, I am very grateful. I now quit altogether public affairs and I lay down my burden. It may be sometime before I return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empire with profound interest, and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to His Majesty in a private section, I shall not fail. And now, we all have a new King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness, and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all! God save the King!" |
Which blessing does the new king has but the old king didn't have?
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