12th Class English Comprehension Question Bank

done MCQs - Unseen Passage - 1 Total Questions - 9

• question_answer1)

  Direction (1-9): Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions.

  Many of us believe that 'small' means 'insignificant'. We believe that small actions and choices do not have much impact on our lives. We think that it is only the big things, the big actions and the big decisions that really count. But when you look at the lives of all great people, you will see that they built their character through small decisions, small choices and small actions that they performed every day. They transformed their lives through step-by-step or day-by-day approach. They nurtured and nourished their good habits and chipped away their bad habits, one by one. It was their small day-to-day decisions that added up to make tremendous difference in the long run. Indeed, in matters of personal growth and character building, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

  Growth always occurs through a sequential series of stages. There is an organic process to growth. When we look at children growing up, we can see this process at work: the child first learns to crawl, then to stand and walk and then finally to run. The same is true in the natural world. The soil must first be tilled and then the seed must be sown. Next, it must be nurtured with enough water and sunlight and only then will it grow into trees laden with ripe fruits.

  Gandhi understood this organic process and used this universal law of nature to his benefit. Gandhi grew in small ways, in his day-to-day affairs. He did not wake up one day and find himself to be the 'Mahatma'. In fact, there was nothing much in his early life that showed signs of greatness. But from his mid-twenties onwards, he deliberately and consistently attempted to change himself, reform himself and grow in some small way every day. Day by day, hour by hour, he risked failure, experimented and learnt from mistakes. In small as well as large situations, he took up the responsibility rather than avoiding it.

  People have always marvelled at the effortless way in which Gandhi could accomplish the most difficult tasks. He displayed a great deal of self-mastery and discipline which was amazing. These things did not come easily to him. Years of practice and disciplined training went into making his success possible. Very few saw his struggles, fears, doubts and anxieties, or his inner efforts to overcome them. They only saw the victory, but not the struggle.

  This is a common factor in the lives of all great people: they exercise their freedoms and choices in small ways that make great impact on their lives and their environment. Each of their small decisions and actions, add up to have a profound impact in the long run. By understanding this principle, we can move forward, with confidence, in the direction of our dreams.

  Often when our 'ideal goal' looks too far from us, we become easily discouraged, disheartened and pessimistic. However, when we choose to grow in small ways, by taking small steps one at a time, our achievement becomes easy.

  Through the passage, the author had intended to state that
  A)
  big things, big actions and big decisions make a person great. done clear
  B)
  small actions and decisions are important in one's life. done clear
  C)
  overnight success is possible for all of us. done clear
  D)
  personal changes are not important. done clear
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• question_answer2)
  "You will see that they built their character through" Pick the option in which the meaning of 'character' is NOT the same as it is in the passage.
  A)
  Education has for its object the formation of character. done clear
  B)
  If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself. done clear
  C)
  Jason's character is a combination of wit and kindness. done clear
  D)
  Greeley says he's a genuinely reformed character. done clear
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• question_answer3)

  Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the correct sequence of the information.

  1. We can move forward, with confidence, in the direction of our dreams after understanding that small actions are important.

  2. Years of practice and disciplined training went into making his success possible.

  3. Gandhi grew in small ways, in his day-to-day affairs.

  4. The soil must first be tilled and then the seed must be sown.

  5. In matters of personal growth and character building, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

  A)
  1, 2, 3, 4, 5                               done clear
  B)
  4, 2, 1, 3, 5 done clear
  C)
  5, 3, 1, 2, 4                               done clear
  D)
  5, 4, 3, 2, 1 done clear
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• question_answer4)
  What according to the author is the 'universal law of nature'?
  A)
  Things take time to grow done clear
  B)
  Evolution done clear
  C)
  Success done clear
  D)
  Freedom done clear
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• question_answer5)
  Which of the following graphs correctly shows the process of transformation presented in the passage.
  A)
  done clear
  B)
  done clear
  C)
  done clear
  D)
  done clear
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• question_answer6)
  What does the writer mean by saying 'chipped away at their bad habits'?
  A)
  Steadily gave up bad habits. done clear
  B)
  Slowly produced bad habits. done clear
  C)
  Gradually criticized bad habits. done clear
  D)
  Did not like bad habits. done clear
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• question_answer7)
  Pick the option showing the CORRECT use of the word 'nurtured'.
  A)
  Winifred ambitions nurtured for her daughter to be a surgeon. done clear
  B)
  Was it a beneficent spell nurtured by our ancestors' good, obviously very good, karma? done clear
  C)
  The values that nurtured it were hierarchical, not popular; the authority on which it relied was sacral, not secular. done clear
  D)
  He has nurtured close relationships with presidents of both parties. done clear
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• question_answer8)
  Which of the following statements is true in the context of Gandhi?
  A)
  Gandhi became great overnight. done clear
  B)
  Gandhi showed signs of greatness in childhood itself. done clear
  C)
  Every day Gandhi made efforts to change himself in some small way. done clear
  D)
  Gandhi never made mistakes. done clear
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• question_answer9)

  Pick the option that correctly lists the ways in which one must initiate small changes.
  1. Deliberately	2. Consistently
  3. Responsibly	4. Repeatedly
  5. Grudgingly	6. Angrily

  A)
  4, 5, 6                           done clear
  B)
  1, 2, 3     done clear
  C)
  2, 3, 4                           done clear
  D)
  3, 4, 5 done clear
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