Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Much to their annoyance, pen-pushers are routinely reminded that a picture is worth a thousand words—except that sometimes they can be wrong ‘words’ as happened last week when Reuters was forced to withdraw more than 900 pictures taken by a freelance photographer after it was suspected that he had ‘doctored’ two recent photographs of the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.
In one picture, the smoke billowing from an apartment block after an Israeli air strike was allegedly thickened by the photographer, Adnan Hajj, to dramatise the impact of the bombardment — and in another two flares were suspected to have been added to an image of an Israeli jet in action over Lebanon.
The allegation of doctoring, first made by several bloggers, was confirmed by Reuters after an inhouse investigation. Mr. Hajj, who had sold pictures to Reuters for more than 10 years, denied manipulating the two photographs and attributed the thick smoke in the first picture to “bad lighting” and the fact that he was “trying to remove dust marks.” As for the second, he said, “there was no problem with it — not at all.”
But Reuters was not convinced and said it was removing all of his pictures from its database and would not be using his services any more. “This represents a serious breach of Reuters’ standards and we shall not be accepting or using pictures taken by him,” the news agency said.
The idea that the camera never lies is as misleading as the notion that all statistics are meant to mislead. What the ‘eye’ sees is not always what it looks like, thanks to the many ways in which first the camera and then the
photograph can be — and is often — manipulated. Indeed, a photograph can be manipulated in more ways — and more effectively — to convey a false reality than it is possible to do through the written word. Ask any clever photographer and he will tell you the tricks the camera can be made to play.
At a seminar recently, one journalist recalled how there was a time when British photographers, covering stories about famine or floods in Third World countries, would carry teddy bears with them in order to use them
as props for pictures supposedly showing that all that was left in the household, stricken by death and destruction, were children’s toys.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022221)'a picture is worth a thousand words’ means that:
pictures express more effectively than verbal descriptions
Instructions:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Comprehension:
Happiness is the primary goal of human existence. Philosophers have wrestled with the concept of happiness. Legislators create laws to support citizens’ rights to pursue happiness. Television, radio, and print advertisers assure consumers that various products will guarantee happiness. Clearly, everyone, from writers and philosophers to legislators and the average person on the street thinks a great deal about happiness. What makes happiness so important to human existence?
ot only does happiness feel good, but it appears to provide a variety of psychological and physical benefits. Happiness plays a significant role in enhancing good health, strengthening the immune system, promoting longevity, improving productivity and performance, and increasing resilience. Happy people work hard, play hard, have an active social life, experience good health and live longer.
However, good news abounds in the study of happiness. Fortunately, humans experience happiness from a wide range of stimuli, from traveling to an exotic destination to redecorating one’s home or from winning a game of soccer to eating a delicious meal. Simply watching a favourite television show or laughing at a funny joke can boost a depressed mood. While the happiness produced by such experiences tends to be short lived, certain conditions do promote a more long-lasting and durable state of happiness as a lifestyle: a wide social network, believing in a meaningful reason for one’s existence, and establishing goals and achieving them.
Surprisingly, income is not a primary factor in determining a person’s level of happiness once the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter have been met. More important is one’s social network and having close friends and family is vital to one’s overall level of happiness. Even sharing one’s home with an animal companion can make a person happier.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022222)Which of the following can stimulate long lasting happiness?
Social networking
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022223)Which of the following statements is NOT true?
Achievement of goals provides momentary happiness.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022224)Which of the following quotes is most apt for the passage?
You can find happiness even in little things of life.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022225)Those who are happy ______.
lead a long and healthy life
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022226)According to the writer, what is the primary goal of human life?
Happiness
Instructions:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Comprehension:
Have you ever failed at something so miserably that the thought of attempting to do it again was the last thing you wanted to do?
If your answer is yes, then you are not a robot. Unlike robots, we human beings have feelings, emotions and dreams. We are all meant to grow and stretch despite our circumstances and our limitations. Flourishing and trying to make our dreams come true is great when life is going our way. But what happens when it’s not? What happens when you fail despite all your hard work? Do you stay down and accept the defeat or do you get up again and again until you are satisfied? If you have a tendency to keep going, then you have what experts call grit.
Falling down or failing is one of the most agonising, embarrassing and scariest human experiences. But, it is also one of the most educational, empowering and essential parts of living a successful and fulfilling life. Did you know that perseverance is one of the seven qualities that have been described as the keys to personal success and betterment in society? The other six are: curiosity, gratitude, optimism, self-control, social intelligence and zest. Thomas Edison is a model for grit for trying 1,000 plus times to invent the light bulb. If you are reading this with the lights on in your room, you know well he succeeded. When asked why he kept going despite his hundreds of failures, he merely stated that they were not failures. They were hundreds of ways not to create a light bulb. This statement not only revealed his grit but also his optimism for looking at the bright side.
Grit can be learnt to help you become more successful. One of the techniques that help is mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practice that helps the individual stay in the moment by bringing awareness of his or her experience without judgment. This practice has been used to quiet the noise of their fears and doubts. Through the simple practice of mindfulness, individuals have the ability to stop the self-sabotaging downward spiral of hopelessness, despair and frustration.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022227)Which of the following statements is NOT true?
One should give up if one fails repeatedly.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022228)Which of the following qualities would you find in a robot?
Precision
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022229)Thomas Edison is a role model for:
determination
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022230)What do you understand by ‘mindfulness’?
Awareness of experience without judgment