Monday 7 December 2015

LR 4

Directions for questions 10 to 12: These questions are based on the
following information.



Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F were compared in heights and weights.
No two persons are of the same height and weight. They were given the
ranks in each of these categories from the 1st to the 6th. The tallest
and the heaviest are given 1st rank and the shortest and the lightest
are given 6th rank. Further it is known that,

(i) The third tallest is the second lightest and the second shortest
is the heaviest person.

(ii) A is taller than C.

(iii) D is shorter than C and lighter than E.

(iv) F is shorter than D.

(v) E is the fourth shortest person and F is the third lightest person.



10.Who among them is the second heaviest person?
a)
A
b)
C
c)
E
d)
B


11.Who among them is the third shortest person?
a)
F
b)
B
c)
D
d)
Cannot be determined



12.Which among the following statement(s) is/are definitely true?
a)
F is heavier than B
b)
The second tallest is the third lightest person
c)
E is lighter than A
d)
Both (B) and (C)

LR 3

Six boys A, B, C, D, E and F are of different heights. B is not as
tall as C, who is not as tall as E who is not as short as D. A is not
as short as F who is not as tall as D and is not the shortest.



7.Who among them is the shortest?
a)
D
b)
E
c)
B
d)
Either B or D


8.It is also known that, A is not as short as E, then who is the
tallest among them?
a)
E
b)
D
c)
A
d)
Cannot be determined


9.If they are made to stand in the descending order of their heights
then which among the following is the possible order?
a)
A, D, E, C, B and F
b)
A, E, C, B, F and D
c)
E, D, A, F, C and B
d)
None of these

LR2

In an athletic event five sprinters Johnson, Bolt, Mathew, Jones and
Stephen secured top five positions in each of the four different
categories among 100m, 400m, 800m and 1000m rely. No two of them got
the same position in any category and no person got the same position
in any two categories. Further it is known that,

(i) Mathews is not the winner of 800m race.

(ii) In 400m race Johnson finished ahead of Mathews.

(iii) Mathews finished 4th in 100m race.

(iv) Jones always finished ahead of Johnson.

(v) Bolt and Stephen finished in the 4th and 5th position in 800m race
respectively


4.Who is the winner of 400m race?
a)
Stephen
b)
Bolt
c)
Jones
d)
Mathew


5.Who finished fourth in 1000m race?
a)
Mathews
b)
Bolt
c)
Stephen
d)
Jones


6.Who finished third in 400m race?
a)
Bolt
b)
Stephen
c)
Jones
d)
Johnson
.

LR1

Each of the six persons A, B, C, D, E and F belong to a different city
among Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata not
necessarily in the same order. Further it is known that

(i) Neither B nor E belongs to Chennai.
(ii) Either C or F belongs to Bangalore and E does not belong to Delhi.

(iii) D belongs to either Hyderabad or Kolkata.

(iv) F belongs to Hyderabad.


1.Who belongs to Delhi?
a)
A
b)
B
c)
D
d)
E



2.Who belongs to Kolkata?
a)
D
b)
B
c)
E
d)
C


3.Which among the following is definitely false?
a)
B belongs to Delhi
b)
E does not belong to Chennai
c)
C belongs to Bangalore
d)
E belongs to Kolkata

Saturday 5 December 2015

RC 2

Directions for questions 39 to 41: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the
most appropriate answer to each question.
A few weeks after local audiences saw mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves
withdraw from Opera New Jersey's
production of "Carmen," only to find substitute Kirsten Chavez singing
the role at least as well, the Metropolitan
Opera has had to contend with a last-minute cancellation of its own.
Last night at the premiere of the new production "Hamlet," soprano
Marlis Petersen took over the role of
Ophélie for the indisposed Met favorite Natalie Dessay. Petersen, who
had only a few days of rehearsal,
performed admirably. But one couldn't help but wonder what the
production might have been with the
original cast.
When the Metropolitan Opera decided to bring back Ambroise Thomas'
"Hamlet" after more than 100
years, the choice may have been less about recovering a forgotten
jewel from the vault and more about
showing off serious star power.
The French composer's 1868 opera provides a rangy showcase for the
title character and a highly affecting
mad scene for Ophélie – an ideal vehicle for baritone Simon
Keenleyside and Dessay. Keenleyside proved
an optimal choice. But his co-star was missed for her nuanced singing
and dramatic abandon as well as
her established connection to Keenleyside. The two had already
performed and recorded the work.
It's hard to say, though – if even all singers had fit perfectly in
their roles and if the chemistry had been
strong – whether or not the Keenleyside-Dessay pairing would have been
enough to carry the opera.
It would be easy to take issue with Thomas' "Hamlet," which doesn't
adhere to Shakespeare. There's no
Rosencrantz or Guildenstern, Ophélie stabs herself following a mad
scene, the ending has been changed,
and only the basic story of revenge and collapse remains.
But Thomas' music simply isn't as strong as music by other composers
who have taken on the Bard, from
the obvious Verdi, to Gounod, who, like Thomas, held fast to French
traditions, and Bellini, who, like
Thomas, presented a looser take. "Hamlet" drags, offering vocal lines
that usually suit the text but that don't tend to be especially
shapely or evocative. Drinking songs and rousing choruses — though
well sung
here — feel detached from the action and obligatory.
The exception is Ophélie's death, which receives its own Act. It
incorporates all the shuddering, high-lying
runs of a bel canto scena as well as touching passages from her
earlier duet with Hamlet and a kind of
ritualistic, tribal-sounding song as she contemplates the knife.
Petersen sang with pathos and impressive
agility. Her light, frothy soprano suited the character's fragility,
but Thomas' frequent leaps to the top of the
range sounded challenging.
Keenleyside made a star turn as Hamlet. His powerful presence and
full, hardy voice worked equally well
for fearsome confrontation and, scaled back, to convey fear or
introspection. He sang beautifully and
authoritatively — when the character exploded impulsively,
Keenleyside's portrayal seemed completely
genuine. If his scenes with Peterson were a little cool or forced in
their first show, that is likely to change
as the production continues. The production was subdued but with
memorable contributions from directors
Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, set designer Christian Fenouillat,
costume designer Agostino Cavalca
and lighting designer Christopher Forey.

39. All of the following can be inferred from the passage except:
(a) Denyce Gravings of the Metropolitan Orchestra was substituted by
Kirsten Chavez who was not
a better singer than Denyce.
(b) The showcasing of 'Hamlet' by the metropolitan Orchestra seems to
lack a genuine concern for
the revival of the ancient play.
(c) Keenleyside and Dessay shared a good chemistry as they had
performed together at least once
and had recorded a work together.
(d) The author feels that even the chemistry of the singers and the
strength of the Keenleyside –
Dessay pairing could not have brought about the desired impact in the
Thomas' Hamlet opera.


40. According to the author, which of the following is the central
reason for Thomas' take on hamlet not
being so effective?
(a) The Keenlyside-Peterson pairing was not strong enough to create an
effective impact.
(b) There were many changes in Thomas' Hamlet when we compare it with
the original version by
Shakespeare.
(c) Thomas' take on Hamlet was a very loose one when we compare it to
the original version.
(d) There was a definite lacuna in Thomas' music, which was not good
enough to bring out the
intricacies of the play.

41. Which of the following is a point of criticism by the author as
regards Thomas's play?
(a) Thomas's frequent leaps to the top of the range seem challenging
for Petersen.
(b) Keenlyside's scenes with Petersen were a bit forced or slow.
(c) Petersen's portrayal of the character Ophelia is not as effective
as Dessay's would have been.
(d) None of the above.

RC 01

Directions for questions 31 to 33: The passage given below is followed
by a set of questions. Choose the
most appropriate answer to each question.
The Metamorphosis is so canonical, it's hard to offer an honest (or an
interesting) review. A story like this
one especially, which is loaded with bizarre props in an otherwise
realistic story, drives academic types to
hunt hard for symbolism. The endnotes to the story contain the most
tedious sorts of observations, whether
offering strong hints that it's an allegorical story (the business
with the father throwing apples at Gregor), or
the cultural symbolism of open or closed doors and windows, or dreary
notes on technique (the three
boarders are indistinguishable, which cleverly adds to the spookiness
of the story (sorry, if I saw it used in
Bugs Bunny, then I refuse to be awestruck). It may all be true even,
but although Kafka is careful about the
mood he builds, the purpose of the story isn't quite that
mind-boggling. Importantly, the story holds up just
fine as a story. It's more an odd exhibit to be appreciated than it is
a puzzle to be solved, and Kafka
manages to evoke emotions and convey scenery with economy and skill,
and on the basic level, here's
one that doesn't shy from being read and enjoyed.
I'm sure that any pointy-headed academic would be the first to tell
you that the sturdy storytelling is part of
what makes this story so beguiling (and here I start off on my own
wacky over analysis). The style holds up
against, and cleverly contrasts, the giant absurdity of the premise.
Kafka avoids in his own language, as
does Gregor himself, the predictable hysteria that would surround the
appearance of a gigantic insect in
Gregor's bed one morning. Gregor has transformed into the insect. His
bugginess is by no means ignored,
but there is, in places you'd otherwise expect it, a big,
beetle-shaped hole in the exposition. (It's a shame
sometimes what breaks through into the vernacular. Wouldn't a
cockroach upstairs be more evocative than
proverbial family-room pachyderms?) It's a different sort of balancing
act than Robbins was into, one that
gets the very structure of the narrative up onto the tightrope with
everything else.
And as much as I hate to dig into the comparative meaning of
everything here, Kafka does choose his
language with precision. The opening, "as Gregor Samsa awoke from
unsettling dreams" sets up his
contrasting views splendidly. It's not just an opposition between the
concrete prose and absurd circumstances,
there's a deep division at work here between the intellectual (or
realist) and emotional planes. Gregor is the
thinker of the story, approaching his new body with (quite obtuse)
rationalism. How will he open the door,
he thinks, how will he explain to his boss that he's late? He's the
character that is shown trying (and failing)
to express himself with reason instead of the predictable alarm. But
Gregor's every action is verminous,
and without his point of view, would only be seen as mindless: he
exudes filth and craves garbage, scuttles
about the ceiling and stuffs himself into dark places. To his family,
he hisses uncontrollably in anger, and
creeps around stealthily surprising their conversations. The people in
the story act, by contrast, emotional
and un-intellectual when confronted with the monstrous Gregor. Their
actions are all expected and natural,
but Kafka robs them of their reason in the face of horror. Kafka pulls
all sorts of switcheroos with these
dichotomies, playing with Gregor's empathy (much stronger than his
family's, though his sister shows
glimmers of it), with physical strength (Gregor's and his father's
waxes and wanes), and morality.

31. Which of the following would best describe Gregor's actions?
(a) He acts like a disobedient family member.
(b) He expresses himself rationally.
(c) His behaviour is similar to that of a pest.
(d) He succeeds in gaining the empathy of his family.

32. The author would agree with which of the following?
(a) The Metamorphosis is a story skillfully woven by Kafka with
incidents, which drive home the
point that it is an allegorical story with subtle symbolism.
(b) The Metamorphosis is an example of an allegorical story, which
confounds academicians and
aims to pose a conundrum for the readers.
(c) The Metamorphosis, by Kafka, is a skillfully told story with
bizarre props and tedious notes,
which provoke academicians to hunt for allegories or symbolism in it.
(d) The Metamorphosis aims to confound readers and academicians alike
with bizarre props and
allegorical incidents in an otherwise realistic story.

33. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The way the story is narrated when contrasted with the absurdity of
the plot leads to an impression
of trickery.
B. Gregor shows an absolute disregard for reason when he finds himself
transformed into an insect.
C. Gregor's family members show more maturity and reason as compared
to Gregor after his
transformation.
(a) Only A (b) A and B (c) A and C (d) B and C