Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
The term ‘dietary fibres’ refers collectively to indigestible carbohydrates present in plant foods. The importance of these dietary fibres came into the picture when it was observed that the people taking a diet rich in these fibres had low incidence of coronary heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries and gall stones. The foodstuffs rich in these dietary fibres are cereals and grains, legumes, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, carrots, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, apples, melons, peaches, pears etc. These dietary fibres are not digested by the enzymes of the stomach and the small intestine. They have the property of holding water and because of it, these get swollen and behave like a sponge as these pass through the gastrointestinal tract. The fibres add bulk to the diet and increase transit time in the gut and decrease the time of release of ingested food in the colon. These fibres hold water so the stools are soft, bulky and readily eliminated.
In recent years, it has been considered essential to have some amount of fibres in the diet. Their beneficial effects lie in preventing heart disease and decreasing cholesterol level. The fibres like gum and pectin are reported to decrease post prandial (after meals) glucose level in blood. They are also recommended for the management of certain types of diabetes. The fibres increase motility of the small intestine and the colon and so there is less time for exposure of the mucosa to harmful toxic substances. Therefore, there is a less desire to eat and the energy intake can be maintained within the range of requirement. This phenomenon helps in keeping a check on obesity. The dietary fibres may have some adverse effects on nutrition by binding some trace metals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and others and therefore preventing their proper absorption. This may pose a possibility of nutritional deficiency especially when diets contain marginal levels of mineral elements. This may put constraints on increasing dietary fibres. It is suggested that an intake of 40 gram dietary fibres per day is desirable.
SSC CPO 20211)The dietary fibres behave like a sponge because they:
can absorb water and swell up
SSC CPO 20212)What are dietary fibres?
Indigestible carbohydrates in plant foods
SSC CPO 20213)Which of the following is NOT rich in dietary fibres?
Glucose
SSC CPO 20214)Which of the following statements is NOT true?
Dietary fibres help in absorption of trace metals.
SSC CPO 20215)What is the theme of the passage?
Importance of dietary fibres
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
When Tao Ying rides on the bus alone, quite often she does not bother to buy a ticket. Why should she? Without her, the bus would still be stopping at every stop, a driver and a conductor would still have to be employed, and the same amount of petrol used. Clearly Tao Ying has to be astute. When the bus conductor looked like the responsible type, she would buy a ticket as soon as she got on board. But if he appeared to be casual and careless, she would not dream of paying, considering it a small punishment for him and a little saving for herself.
Today she is with her son Xiao Ye. She follows him onto the bus. As the doors shut her jacket is caught, ballooning up like a tent behind her. She twists this way and that, finally wrenching herself free. ‘Mama, tickets!’ Xiao Ye says. Children are often more conscious of rituals than adults. Without a ticket in his hand, the ride doesn’t count as a proper ride. On the peeling paint of the door somebody has painted the shape of a pale finger. It points at a number: 1.10 m. Between Xiao Ye ’s round head and the tip of the painted digit setting out the height requirement for a ticket rests the beautiful slender fingers of Tao Ying. ‘Xiao Ye, you are not quite tall enough, still one centimetre away,’ she tells him softly.
‘Mama! I’m tall enough, I’m tall enough!’ Xiao Ye shouts at the top of his voice, stamping on the floor as if it were a tin drum. ‘You told me the last time I could have a ticket the next time, this is the next time. You don’t keep your word!’ He looks up at his mother angrily. Tao Ying looks down at her son. A ticket costs twenty cents. Twenty cents is not to be scoffed at. It can buy a cucumber, two tomatoes or, at a reduced price, three bunches of radishes or enough spinach to last four days. But Xiao Ye’s face is raised up like a half-open blossom, waiting to receive his promise from the sun. She says, ‘Two tickets, please.’ The fierce conductor has beady eyes. ‘This child is one centimetre short of requiring a ticket.’
Xiao Ye shrinks, not just one but several centimetres— the need for a ticket has all of a sudden become interwoven with the pride of a small child. To be able to purchase self-esteem with twenty cents is something that can only happen in childhood and certainly no mother can resist an opportunity to make her son happy. ‘I would like to buy two tickets,’ she says politely.
SSC CPO 20216)For the child, the ticket was a symbol of:
self-esteem
SSC CPO 20217)Why does Tao Ying buy two tickets?
To make her son happy
SSC CPO 20218)“Xiao Ye shrinks, not just one but several centimetres” – Why?
He feels humiliated and hurt
SSC CPO 20219)Which of the following statements is NOT true?
Tao Ying actually needed to buy two tickets.
SSC CPO 202110)Xiao Ye was eager to buy a bus ticket because he:
wanted to feel like a grown-up