Directions (Q. 1-10): In the following passage, there are ten blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, five words are suggested. Select the one that fits the bank appropriately.
April 1 has for a __(1)__ time been called All Fools Day and jokers have had a __(2)__ day, fooling friends in all ways, sometimes __(3)___. Of late, the day has also been called Humour Day. The second chapter in the Vishnu Purana deals with a special avatar of the Lord as Maya Moha. The Rakshasas were performing a yagna which __(4)__ a __(5)___ future for the devas. Lord Narayana took the form of an elderly Brahmin called Maya Moha, came to the Rakshasas and asked them what they were doing. They said they were performing a yagna which would make them immortal and __(6)___ them to subdue the Devas. Also, a horse would be sacrificed in the yagna and its soul would __(7)__their father’s soul to Heaven when he died. Maya Moha said it was __(8)__ to make the horse’s soul wait till their father’s end came and then send him to Heaven. ‘Why don’t you get your father here and behead him in the yagna kundam so that he can go at __(9)__ speed to Heaven all by himself and reach that place quickly’, he advised. The Rakshasas got confused, stopped the yagna and said they would __(10)___ their Acharya, Sukra. Sukra was not available and that was the end of the yagna!
1.
(1) short
(2) broad
(3) long
(4) phenomenal
(5) some
2.
(1) field
(2) slow
(3) fast
(4) tired
(5) fearful
3.
(1) alone
(2) bizarre
(3) bright
(4) amazed
(5) many
4.
(1) renounced
(2) presented
(3) oversaw
(4) prohibited
(5) forebode
5.
(1) happy
(2) ecstatic
(3) mundane
(4) boring
(5) grim
6.
(1) capable
(2) provide
(3) prove
(4) enable
(5) stop
7.
(1) danced
(2) carry
(3) pride
(4) frolic
(5) dazzled
8.
(1) good
(2) approved
(3) silly
(4) amazing
(5) advised
9.
(1) funny
(2) laughable
(3) tall
(4) great
(5) mundane
10.
(1) talk
(2) brew
(3) consult
(4) read
(5) fly
1. 3 (2), (4) and (5) do not fit the sentence grammatically. Between ‘short’ and ‘long’, ‘long’ fits the sentence more appropriately.
2. 1 ‘field’ is the correct answer and makes better sense of the sentence. A field day is a day for demonstrating your skills and having fun.
3. 2 Here, we are talking about the way in which ‘jokers’ fool others, and ‘bizarre’ best fits the context.
4. 5 By reading the next line in the sentence, we can infer that the Rakshasas intend to bring misfortune to the Devas. Hence, ‘forebode’ best fits the blank.
5. 5 Like the previous answer, by reading the next line in the sentence, we can see that the Rakshasas intend to bring misfortune to the Devas. Therefore, ‘grim’ is best suited to fill the blank.
6. 4 Only ‘enable’ fits the blank. All the other options are grammatically incorrect and do not fit in the blank.
7. 2 While ‘danced’ and ‘dazzled’ are grammatically incorrect, of the remaining three options, ‘carry’ is the word which fits the blank most appropriately.
8. 3 Of all the given options, only ‘silly’ follows the passage contextually.
9. 4 Only ‘great’ goes with speed and hence, is correct.
10. 3 The blank needs a word that means that the Rakshasas wanted to discuss the matter with their guru. Only ‘consult’ suits the blank appropriately.
