Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.
The menopause is a puzzle. Why do women, unlike most female mammals, stop reproducing decades before they die? Analyzing birth and death records shows that the assistance they give in bringing up grandchildren does have a measurable effect on those grandchildren’s survival. But that does not prove such assistance is more valuable in evolutionary terms than continued fertility would be.
Two other mammals undergo menopause, however. These are killer whales and short-finned pilot whales. And a long-term analysis of killer-whale populations, by Darren Croft of the University of Exeter, in England, and his colleagues, just published in Current Biology, suggests the missing part of the explanation may be that the menopause not only frees a female to help raise the grand offspring but also reduces competition between her and her gravid and nursing daughters.
Dr. Croft’s killer whales swim off the coasts of British Columbia, in Canada, and its southern neighbor, the American state of Washington. They have been monitored by marine biologists every year since 1973. They live in pods of 20-40 animals and are now so well known that individual animals can be identified by the shapes of their fins, the patterns of their saddle patches and from scratches that they have picked up in the rough and tumble of oceanic life. Their sexes are known, too. Though killer whales’ genitalia is not visible from the outside, distinctive pigmentation patterns around their genital slits distinguish males from females. And which calves belong to which mothers can be deduced by seeing who spends the most time with whom.
The data thus collected let Dr. Croft analyze the lives of 525 calves born into three of the pods. He found that if an elderly female gave birth at around the same time as a youngster, her calf was, on average, 1.7 times more likely to die before the age of 15 than the youngsters were. This was not caused directly by the mother’s age. In the absence of such coincidence of birth, the calves of elderly mothers were just as likely to live to 15 as those of young mothers. But when it came to head-to-head arrogation of resources for offspring, the youngsters out-competed their elders, and their offspring reaped the benefits.
Plugging these numbers into his model, Dr Croft showed that the diminution of fecundity in elderly females that this intergenerational competition creates, combined with the fact that the youngsters an elderly female is competing with are often her own daughters (so it is her grand offspring that are benefiting), means it is better for her posterity if she gives up breeding altogether, and concentrates her efforts on helping those daughters. Whether women once gained the same sorts of benefits from the menopause as killer whales do remains to be determined. But it is surely a reasonable hypothesis.
1. Which of the following is true about Dr. Croft?
a. he analyzed that the offsprings of his killer whales reaped the benefits b. marine biologists moniter his killer whales since 1973 c. he published his analysis in Current Biology

A. Only b B. Only a & c C. Only b & c D. Only c E. All are correct

Answer: Option C
2. Why do women, unlike most female mammals, stop reproducing decades before they die?

A. the menopause not only frees a female to help raise the grand offspring but also reduces competition between her and her gravid and nursing daughters. B. it is better for her posterity if she gives up breeding altogether, and concentrates her efforts on helping those daughters. C. the youngsters an elderly female is competing with are often her own daughters D. genitalia are not visible from the outside, distinctive pigmentation patterns around their genital slits distinguish males from females. E. Not mentioned in the passage

Answer: Option E
3. What is the most appropriate synonym of “gravid”:

A. expectant B. fertile C. preggers D. enceinte E. All are correct

Answer: Option E
Explanation: gravid = carrying eggs or young; pregnant.
4. How do the marine biologists determine which calves belong to which mothers?

A. by the patterns of their saddle patches B. by seeing who spends the most time with whom C. by the same sorts of benefits they gain from each other D. by competing between her and her nursing daughters E. All are correct

Answer: Option B
5. What is the hypothesis of Dr. Croft?

A. killer whales compete for resources with their offsprings B. the assistance they give in bringing up grandchildren does have a measurable effect on those grandchildren’s survival. C. killer whales give up breeding to help their daughters to nurture. D. Both A & C E. All are correct

Answer: Option C
6. What is the meaning of phrase swim-off?

A. to move along in the water B. a distance or stretch of water C. to race in the water D. Both A & C E. All are correct

Answer: Option D
7. What is the most appropriate antonym of “fecundity”:

A. abundancy B. aridness C. creativity D. prolificacy E. All are correct

Answer: Option B
8. Who among the following undergoes a menopause?

A. Short-finned pilot whales B. Killer whales C. Human females D. None of these E. All are correct

Answer: Option E
9. What is the tone of the passage?

A. Analytical B. Caustic C. Contemptous D. Apathetic E. All are correct

Answer: Option A
10. What is the most appropriate title of the passage?

A. Whales versus Females B. Reproduction in whales C. A whale of a tail D. Females & Whales E. All are correct

Answer: Option C

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.
WHEN investors gathered in Amsterdam in late 2016 for perhaps the largest annual conference on “impact investing”, the mood was upbeat. The concept of investing in assets that offer measurable social or environmental benefits as well as financial returns has come a long way from its modest roots in the early 2000s. Panelists at the conference included, among others, representatives of two of the world’s largest pension funds, TIAA of America and PGGM of the Netherlands, and of the asset-management arm of AXA, a French insurance behemoth. A niche product is inching into the mainstream.
In the past two years BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, launched a new division called “Impact”; Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, acquired an impact-investment firm, Imprint Capital; and two American private-equity firms, Bain Capital and TPG, launched impact funds. The main driver of all this activity is investor demand. Deborah Winshel, boss of BlackRock Impact, points to the transfer of wealth to women and the young, whose investment goals, she says, transcend mere financial returns. Among institutions, sources of demand have moved beyond charitable foundations to hard-bitten pension funds and insurers.
The sector has also been boosted by increased attention from policymakers and the development of industry standards. International organizations—such as the UN, and a global taskforce founded under the aegis of the G8—have promoted impact investment. Bodies such as the council of investors and borrowers that sets the Green Bond Principles, guidelines for bonds earmarked for environmental projects, have helped set common standards.
Definitional squabbles still plague the impact community. For sticklers, investment only deserves “impact” status if it delivers both near-market level returns and strict measurement of the non-financial impact: eg, of the carbon emissions saved by a renewable-energy project; or of the number of poor people who borrow from a microcredit institution. Others, however, include philanthropic investment, where financial returns are sacrificed for greater social benefits; or less rigorous types of do-good investments.
Such disagreements make it hard to gauge the true extent of impact investment. For instance, BlackRock Impact and Goldman both also offer two looser investment categories: “negative screening” (ie, not investing in “bad” sectors—say, tobacco or oil); and “integrated” investments that take environmental, social or governance (ESG) considerations into account (eg, by selecting for firms with, say, good working conditions). Neither firm, however, provides a complete breakdown of these categories by assets under management.
The industry is also held back by a restricted choice of asset classes, and by the limited scale of investment opportunities. According to a survey by the Global Impact Investing Network, which organized the conference in Amsterdam, investors were managing $36bn in impact investments in 2015. But the median size of investment remained just $12m. Urban Angehrn, a chief investment officer of Zurich Insurance, says the Swiss firm has had trouble fulfilling its pledge to commit 10% of its private-equity allocation to impact investments.
Cynics may still dismiss impact investing as faddish window-dressing. Of Zurich’s $250bn-plus in assets under management, only $7bn-worth are classified as impact investments. At Goldman’s asset-management arm, impact and ESG-integrated investments combined only makeup $6.7bn out of a total $1.35trn in assets under management.
But that is to ignore the scale and progress that large institutional investors have brought to impact investing. Although $7bn is a tiny slice of Goldman’s portfolio, it is huge compared with the investments of even well-established impact specialists, such as LeapFrog, whose commitments total around $1bn. And the entry of hard-nosed financial giants sends an important message about impact investing: that they see it as profitable for themselves and their clients. It is not enough to make investors feel good about themselves; they also want to make money.
1. What is true about “impact investing”:
a. it is profitable for financial giants and their clients b. it has the limited scale of investment opportunities c. it helps investors to make money.

A. Only a B. Only b C. Only c D. Both a & b E. Both b & c

Answer: Option A
2. Why the industry is held back?
a. limited scale of investment opportunities b. a restricted choice of asset classes c. the number of poor people who borrow from a microcredit institution

A. Only a & c B. Only a & b C. Only b & c D. All of these E. None of these

Answer: Option B
3. How has the impact investing sector been boosted?
a. by founding a global task force under the aegis of the G8 b. by setting guidelines for bonds earmarked for environmental projects c. by increased attention from policymakers and the development of industry standards

A. Only a & b B. All a, b & c C. Only b & c D. All except a E. None of these

Answer: Option B
4. What is the appropriate synonym of “squabbles”:

A. Disputation B. Agreements C. Altercations D. Deviations E. All of these

Answer: Option C
5. What is true about BlackRock?
a. acquired an impact-investment firm, Imprint Capital; b. and two American private-equity firms, Bain Capital and TPG, launched impact funds. c. it launched a new division called “Impact” and impact funds

A. Only a B. Only b C. Only c D. All of these E. None of these

Answer: Option D
6. define the term “faddish window-dressing”:
a. a strategy used by the mutual fund to improve the appearance of a fund’s performance b. the stylish arrangement of an attractive display in a shop window. c. the display of merchandise in a retail store window

A. Only a & b B. All except b C. Only b & c D. All of these E. None of these

Answer: Option D
7. Write the most appropriate antonym of “hard-nosed”:

A. Tough B. Stubborn C. Uncompromising D. Hard-headed E. All of these

Answer: Option E
8. Why the mood of the investors was upbeat?
a. Investing in assets has offered them good financial returns. b. It has offered them social and environmental benefits. c. Investors like TIAA of America and PGGM of the Netherlands were also benefitted from the scheme

A. Only a & b B. Only b & c C. Only c & a D. Only a E. None of these

Answer: Option A
9. What is the tone of the passage?

A. Informative B. Acerbic C. Critical D. Both a & c E. None of these

Answer: Option A
10. What is the suitable title of the passage?

A. Impacted wisdom B. Impacted niche C. Impacted inches D. All of these E. None of these

Answer: Option A

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows.
TRUE! –nervous –very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses –not destroyed –not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily –how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me an insult. For his gold, I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture –a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees –very gradually –I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded –with what caution –with what foresight –with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it –oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly –very, very slowly so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously –cautiously (for the hinges creaked) –I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights –every night just at midnight –but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.
Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers –of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea, and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back –but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
I had my head in and was about to open the lantern when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out –“Who’s there?” I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour, I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime, I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; –just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief –oh, no! –it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself –“It is nothing but the wind in the chimney –it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel –although he neither saw nor heard –to feel the presence of my head within the room.
1. What is True about the author’s view of the Old man?
i. The old man wouldn’t be able to sleep since the eighth-night incident. ii. The old man guarded himself with guns and rifles. iii. The old man’s fears had been ever since growing upon him

A. Only i B. Only ii C. Both i & ii D. Both ii & iii E. Both i & iii

Answer: Option E
2. What, according to the context, is false about Eighth night?

A. old man’s room was pitch black B. the shutters were closed C. the speaker is sure about his triumph D. Both B & C E. None of these

Answer: Option E
3. What is the appropriate meaning of “sagacity”:

A. having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense B. used to express exasperation or boredom C. impatient and somewhat bad-tempered D. the quality of having keen mental discernment and good judgment E. difficult and much debated

Answer: Option D
4. What, according to the context is true about old man’s eyes?

A. he had pale blue eyes B. eyes had filmed over it C. he had vulture eyes D. Both B & C E. All of the above

Answer: Option E
5. What haunted the author day and night?

A. the old man’s appearance B. the old man’s property C. his on stupidity D. the old man’s eyes E. Not mentioned

Answer: Option D
6. What is the most appropriate synonym of “dissimulation”:

A. integrity B. hypocrisy C. veracity D. probity E. verity

Answer: Option B
7. How did the author managed to get inside the old man’s room?

A. through his hand B. through his body C. through his head D. through his legs E. None of these

Answer: Option C
8. Why did the author trespassed into the old man’s house?

A. to keep a check on him B. to rob him C. to provide him with food D. to take revenge on the old man E. None of the above

Answer: Option D
9. What is the most appropriate antonym of “vexed”:

A. peeved B. chagrined C. serene D. exasperated E. afflicted

Answer: Option C
10. What is the tone of the passage?

A. Acerbic B. Aggressive C. Revengeful D. Cynical E. Critical

Answer: Option D