Directions (1 to 10): In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are oriented below the passage and against each, five words/phrases are suggested, one of which fits the blank approximately. Find out the appropriate word/phrase in each cast.
Fourteen centuries ago when the world was much younger, the ruler of all India, Rajah Balhait, was ...(1)... about his people. A new game of dice, called nard, had ...(2)... the imagination of his subjects. Teaching them that chance alone – a roll of the dice – guided the ...(3)... of men. All who played this game of fortune lost their ...(4)... in the virtues of courage, prudence, wisdom and hope. It bred a fatalism that was ...(5)... the spirit of the kingdom.
Rajah Balhait commissioned Sissa, an intelligent courtier, at his court, to find an answer to this ...(6).... After much ...(7)... the clever Sissa invented another game, chaturanga, the exact ...(8)... of nard, in which the four elements of the Indian army were the key pieces. In the game these pieces – chariots, horses, elephants and foot soldiers – joined with a royal counseller to defend their kind and defeat the enemy. Forceful ...(9)... was demanded of the players not luck. Chaturanga soon become more popular than nard, and the ...(10)... to the kingdom was over.
1.1) concerned
2) confident
3) ignorant
4) indifferent
5) partisan
2.1) propelled
2) enshrined
3) captured
4) activated
5) enhanced
3.1) communities
2) ways
3) abnormalities
4) destinies
5) groups
4.1) bravado
2) interest
3) peace
4) wealth
5) faith
5.1) appalling
2) crushing
3) moistening
4) promoting
5) overwhelming
6.1) apprehension
2) risk
3) problem
4) game
5) destiny
7.1) deliberation
2) absorption
3) insight
4) hesitation
5) reluctance
8.1) nature
2) equivalent
3) picture
4) opposite
5) replica
9.1) prediction
2) concentration
3) manipulation
4) attack
5) fortune
10.1) devastation
2) anxiety
3) impeachment
4) nuisance
5) threat
Answers
1.(5)
2.(4)
3.(1)
4.(3)
5.(3)
6.(5)
7.(2)
8.(1)
9.(2)
10.(2)
