English Quiz - Reading Comprehension
Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ phrases have been
printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
Jagir Singh has sold red onions at a
market in south Delhi every day for the past half-century. Perched on an
upturned crate, wrapped tight against the chill air, he offers pyaz, a staple for
much Indian cooking, for 60 rupees a kilo, the most he can remember. Business
is brisk but most customers pick up only a small handful of onions. That is
just as well wholesale supplies are tight,
he says, and the quality is poor.
As India's economy grows by some 9% a year,
food prices are soaring. In late December
the commerce ministry judged that food
inflation had reached 18.3%, with pricey vegetables mostly to blame. Officials
have made some attempts to temper the
rise in the past month scrapping import taxes for onions, banning their export
and ordering low-priced sales at government-run shops. But there is no quick fix.
Heavy rain in the west of India brought a rotten,
harvest. Vegetables from farther a field including a politically sensitive
delivery from a neighbouring country - are costly to move on India's crowded,
potholed roads. Few refrigerated lorries and poor logistics mean that much of
each harvest is wasted. Newspapers allege hoarders are cashing
in.
The biggest problems are structural. Food producers,
hampered by land restrictions, archaic retail
networks and bad infrastructure, fail to meet extra demand from consumers. It
was estimated in October that a 39% rise in income per person in the previous
five years might have created an extra 220 million regular consumers of milk,
eggs, meat and fish. Supplies have not kept up with this potential demand.
The broader inflation rate may be a less eye-
watering problem than the onions suggest.
The central bank has lifted interest rates
steadily in the past year and is expected to do so again later this month.
Headline inflation fell to 7.5% in November, down by just over a percentage
point from October, though it is still above the central bank's forecast of
5.5% for March.
1. What is responsible for
the increased demand amongst consumers for certain food stuff?
1) There has been an increase in the
wholesale supplies of this food stuff.
2) The vegetables in the market are very highly
priced.
3) There has been an increase in the incomes
of people.
4) There is a lack of availability of
vegetables in the market.
5) There has been a surge in population.
2. Which of the following
is Not True in
the contest of the passage?
1) The overall inflation is not as bad as
the food inflation in India.
2) Help from other countries to counter
food inflation has proved to be quite encouraging.
3) Government is banning the export of
certain types of vegetables in order to check
the food inflation.
4) Highly priced vegetables are mostly responsible
for the increased food inflation.
5) All the above statements are true
3. Which of the following
is/ are the reason/s for increase in food/vegetable prices?
(A) Bad weather
(B) Land restrictions
C) Poor infrastructure for storage and transportation
1) Only (B)
2) Only (A) and (C)
3) (A) and (B)
4) (B) and (C)
5) All (A), (B) and (C)
4. Which of the following
is/ are True in the context of the
passage?
(A) The interest rates are being raised in
India.
(B) India is witnessing a steady economic growth.
(C) It has been proven that the food
inflation is mainly because of hoarding.
1) All (A), (B) and (C)
2) (A) and (B)
3) Only (C)
4) (B) and (C)
5) None is true
5. Which of the following
is possibly the most appropriate title for the passage?
1) Food Inflation In India
2) Of Onions And Vendors
3) Food Deficit Worldwide
4) Food Imports In India
5) Benefits To Indian Consumers
6. What can be said about
the sale of onions at present as given in the passage?
1) Vegetable vendors are unwilling to sell
onions
2) People are not buying as much as they used
to
3) The sale of onions has picked up and is
unprecedented
4) People are buying more onions than they
used to.
5) None of these
7. The usage of the phrase
'Cashing in' in the passage can possibly
mean .......
1) Profiting
2) Running Away
3) Paying Money
4) Bailing Out
5) Buffering
8. Which of the following
is most similar in meaning to the word 'Tight' as
used in the
passage?
1) Firm
2) Loose
3) Limited
4) Taut
5) Tense
9. Which of the following
is most similar in meaning to the word 'Temper' as
used in
the passage?
1) Displeasure
2) Anger
3) Rage
4) Harness
5) Control
10. Which
of the following is most opposite in meaning to the word 'Archaic'
as used in the passage?
1) Simple
2) Straightforward
3) Modern
4) Lively
5) Ancient
Answers:
1-3
2-2
3-5
4-1
5-1
6-2
7-1
8-3
9-5
10-3
