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 2022231)Select the word from the passage that means the same as ‘grit’.
Perseverance
Instructions:
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Comprehension:
What writers struggle to express through numerous newspaper columns, the cartoon manages in a pointed one-liner. Little wonder then , that the first thing most of us like to see when we pick up a newspaper is the cartoon.
Simple though it may seem, making a cartoon is an art that requires a combination of hard work , training and a good sense of humour. Cartoonists say that the cartoons that make us laugh the most are in fact the cartoons that are hardest to make. Even celebrated cartoonists like RK Laxman admit that making a cartoon is not a piece of cake. Laxman says he has to wait for over six hours , which includes spending a lot of time scanning newspapers and television channels before any idea strikes him.
So how does one become a cartoonist? Which one of us has the talent to make it? How can we master the ribtickling strokes and the witty one-liners? How can we make people smile or laugh? There are few colleges or schools for cartoonists. Most cartoonists come from art colleges, while some learn the craft on their own. Most established cartoonists are of the view that no institute can teach you to make a cartoon. “You can pick up the craft, you may learn to sketch and draw in institutes , but no one can teach anyone how to make a good cartoon,” says Uday Shanker, a cartoonist with Navbharat Times. While basics , like drawing and sketching can be learnt in an art college, and are important skills, these alone , do not make a good cartoonist. Because it’s a question of one’s creativity and sense of humour; two qualities one simply may not have. The advice that established cartoonists give is that just because you can sketch, don’t take it for granted that you will become a successful cartoonist.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022232)According to the author what is the first thing most of us like to see in a newspaper?
Cartoon
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022233)What is the advice given by established cartoonists?
Do not assume you can become a cartoonist just because you can sketch.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022234)“making a cartoon is not a piece of cake.” This means that creating cartoons is:
a tough challenge
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022235)It can be inferred from the passage that:
making cartoons is a combination of art and wit
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022236)Which of the following is most important in the making of a good cartoonist?
Sense of humour
Instructions:
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
Comprehension:
A hare was very popular with the other beasts who all claimed to be her friend. But one dayshe heard the hounds approaching and hoped to escape them with the help of her manyfriends. “What are friends for,” she asked herself, “if not to help out in time of need?”Furthermore, most of her friends were big and brave, so at least one should be able to help.First she went to the horse, and asked him to carry her away from the hounds on his back.But he declined, stating that he had important work to do for his master. ” I feel sure,” he said,“that all your other friends will come to your assistance.” She then applied to the bull, andhoped that he would repel the hounds with his horns. The bull replied: “I am very sorry, but Ihave an appointment. However, I feel sure that our friend the goat will do what you want.” Thegoat, however, feared that his back might be harmed if he took her upon it. The ram, he feltsure, was the proper friend to apply to. So she went to the ram and told him the case. Theram replied: “Another time, my dear friend. I do not like to interfere on the present occasion,as hounds have been known to eat sheep as well as hares.” The hare then applied, as a lasthope, to the calf, who regretted that he was unable to help her. He did not like to take theresponsibility upon himself, as so many older persons had declined the task. By this time thehounds were quite near, so the hare had to take to her heels. Luckily, she escaped.
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022237)“ take to her heels” means
run away quickly
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022238)Which of these was NOT the reason why the hare believed her friends would help her?
her friends had promised to help
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022239)Why did the horse refuse to help the hare?
He had work to do for his master
SSC Selection Post Matric 2022240)Who could force back the hounds with his horns?
bull