Also See : CTET 2014 Question Paper with Answers
Passage I
My heart grieved when I read the other day a news item that more than two-thirds of the elderly are being ignored in their twilight years. They are isolated by their own children and are experiencing loneliness in their present lives. Most of them say they are not being respected or given good treatment by their family or society and they are being discriminated against in their old age. Majority of the elderly attributed their loneliness to no or little interaction with family members. With fast changing socio-economic scenarios, growing nuclear families and changing value systems, the needs of the elderly have also changed. The most common problems that the elderly face are marginalization, lack of love and affection from their loved ones, little or no access to medicines and healthcare, finding it difficult to secure their life and property. They have no work opportunities as a result of which they face financial problems. They suffer from restricted mobility and have psychological problems on account of loneliness.
To improve the situation for the elderly, the Government of India may consider enacting a law like many other countries have, to make it compulsory for children to maintain and look after their parents and also establish the National Commission for Elderly Persons. At the same time, the fact remains that the real compulsion has to come out of the bonds of affection between parents and children. We would not be wrong in saying that in India the joint-family system has made a powerful contribution in cementing the bonds of affection between the old and the young.
1. The twilight years are when one is–
(a) middle-aged (b) a young man (c) old (d) a child (Ans : c)
2. The elderly do not feel–
(a) respected (b) ignored (c) discriminated against (d) lonely (Ans : a)
3. What the elderly do not lack–
(a) is security of life and property (b) are medicines and health care
(c) is loneliness in their lives (d) are love and affection (Ans : c)
4. Only …..can keep the old united with the family.
(a) courts (b) government rules (c) social compulsions (d) joint-family system (Ans : d)
5. Which of the following is false?
(a) The old love to live in extended families (b) Most old people are financially secure
(c) The old are not very mobile (d) One's needs change when one gets old (Ans : b)
6. Which word in the passage means the same as 'saddened'?
(a) isolated (b) ignored (c) restricted (d) grieved (Ans : d)
Passage II
The nation is proud of its scientists and scholars, though, of course, many of them would reply that they doubt whether the nation cares for them at all. When asked why many of our best and brightest have gone abroad to make a living, they opine that this is because as a nation we have not cared for the talented and meritorious.
There is some truth in what they say. However, by and large, compared to the situation before independence, government assistance has provided a tremendous opportunity for higher education. If today Indian scientists, technologists and scholars in different fields are respected worldwide, it is because of the education system we have built up.
Our excellence is evident within the confines of the limited opportunities which are available for research and development in the universities and the national R and D laboratories. We believe and appeal that scientists, researchers and scholars should shed their pessimism. There are many reasons for it.
We know the problems they face, especially the younger ones and also those who are not in positions of power in these institutions, the so-called middle levels and the lower levels. We appeal to these people to think big, because they are the only ones who understand the force of technological modernization and the new energies that can be unleashed through technologies. They also have the capability to absorb the knowledge base which is growing at an explosive rate.
7. What is ironic about our pride in our scientists?
(a) They go abroad to make a living (b) They are talented and meritorious
(c) They are held in high esteem (d) The nation cares for them (Ans : a)
8. What happens to our best scientists?
(a) They get government grants (b) They don't get respectable jobs here
(c) They start teaching in colleges (d) They start doing research (Ans : b)
9. After independence how has the situation changed in India?
(a) The government is sending scientists abroad (b) Our system of higher education has improved a lot
(c) Foreign scholars are teaching in our universities (d) The scientists are given Padma awards (Ans : b)
10. Our scientists have proved to be excellent even if
(a) we have excellent research centres (b) we offer them excellent opportunities
(c) we pay them well (d) we offer them limited opportunities (Ans : d)
11. The writer wants our scientists to.
(a) go abroad to make a living (b) be pessimistic in their approach
(c) be optimistic in their attitude (d) become part of the scientific community (Ans : c)
12. Which one of the following is true?
(a) Our scientists are respected allover the world (b) Our scientists are not talented
(c) We have the best research facilities in India (d) We care for our scientists (Ans : a)
13. The writer makes an appeal to–
(a) neither the middle nor lower level scientists (b) the lower level scientists only
(c) the middle and lower level scientists (d) the middle level scientists only (Ans : c)
14. The phrase, 'at an explosive rate' means–
(a) at an abnormal speed (b) with the help of an explosion
(c) at normal speed (d) at a great speed (Ans : d)
15. The word opposite in meaning to 'unleashed' is–
(a) controlled (b) uncontrolled (c) unfastened (d) inexpensive (Ans : a)
Directions (Q.Nos. 16-30) : Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option.
16. Scanning is a reading activity which helps the learners to …..from/of the text.
(a) draw out information (b) enrich the vocabulary
(c) develop competence in the linguistic items (d) know the meanings of the words (Ans : a)
17. Constructivist approach to language learning promotes–
(a) a child-centred approach (b) calssroom noise
(c) a teacher-centred approach (d) culture of silence (Ans : a)
18. A phoneme is a–
(a) technique to improve pronunciation (b) single sound unit
(c) sound pattern (d) lexical item (Ans : b)
19. For process writing, which one of the following points should be followed?
(a) Use of personal pronouns (b) Organization of points (c) Word limit (d) Logical sequence (Ans : d)
20. …..is a pre-requisite to learning a language.
(a) Motivation (b) Reading stories (c) Knowing words and their meanings (d) Knowledge of grammar (Ans : a)
21. According to which one of the following linguists, language cannot be sub-standard; it may be non-standard?
(a) William Labov (b) Basil Bernstein (c) Stephen Krashen (d) Chomsky (Ans : a)
22. Which one of the following is not a language component?
(a) Structure (b) Sound (c) Script (d) Vocabulary (Ans : c)
23. In order to improve the learners' pronunciation, a teacher first needs to–
(a) use recorded model of sounds (b) do pronunciation drills
(c) show the documentary/films of the target language (d) ask them to read more (Ans : a)
24. Problems of spelling errors of the students can be easily solved through–
(a) dictionary (b) textbooks (c) dictation (d) teaching aids (Ans : c)
25. Cognitive code approach focuses more on–
(a) vocabulary (b) pronunciation (c) spelling (d) grammar rules (Ans : d)
26. A good listener can–
(a) correctly respond to every question asked (b) recognize how intonation is used
(c) pronounce each and every word correctly (d) understand how to spell a word (Ans : a)
27. …..is the father of modern linguistics.
(a) Bloomsfield (b) Ferdinand de Saussure (c) Chomsky (d) Chaucer (Ans : b)
28. In order to have language proficiency, which one is not essentially required?
(a) Efficiency (b) Fluency (c) Appropriacy (d) Accuracy (Ans : a)
29. Intensive reading stands for…..
(a) reading for enrichment of vocabulary (b) reading for pleasure
(c) reading for developing literary sensitivity (d) reading the text in parts for details (Ans : d)
30. Decoding stands for…..
(a) deciphering the sounds in words and sentences (b) passing on a message to others
(c) only recognizing the difference between sounds (d) failure to understand the given text (Ans : a)
Also See : CTET 2014 Question Paper with Answers
