UPSC CSAT : Reading comprehension Home Exercise – 07, PASSAGE A

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Reading comprehension Home Exercise – 07, PASSAGE A

4.       Provide a suitable title for the passage.
A.      Billie Holiday: Wreckage of a Great Singer
B.      Billie Holiday: A Great Singer
C.      Billie Holiday: A Lost Talent
D.      Billie Holiday: End of an Era

5.       Which of the following statements is beyond the scope of the passage?
A.      Billie Holiday would be remembered more than other persons who have long obituaries written about them.
B.      Pain, bitterness and surrender were reflected in Billie’s voice.
C.      Billie did not have the money to buy her drinks, which led her to depression and isolation.
D.      Billie had not accepted pain, sorrow and suffering present in her profession.

6.       According to the writer, why is her death a comfort more than a grievance?

A.      Because she was an intolerable singer.
B.      Because otherwise she would have had a miserable and ruined life.
C.      Because she was a failure in life.
D.      Because she was a competition for other singers.
7.       How can the passage best be described?

A.      It is a tribute.
B.      It is an obituary.
C.      It is an ode.
D.      None of the above.

8.       What is the antonym of the word “Scrupulous” mentioned in the passage?

A.      Meticulous
B.      Dishonest
C.      Fortunate
D.      Careless

ANSWER: 


4.       A    A is the correct answer since the passage is an account of Billie Holiday’s rise as well as fall as a singer, her ravaged life and her consequent death.

5.       C   option C is beyond the scope of the passage since it is not mentioned in the passage. The passage surely mentions that she did not have the money to buy drinks, but it does not mention her isolating herself due to depression. This is an overstated option.

6.       B    Option B is the most suitable answer. We come to this conclusion by the writer’s views expressed in the first paragraph. The writer expresses doubts of her leading a comfortable life without her talent, money and looks. Option A is rejected since; tough the writer holds that lately she did not sing as well as she sang in her yesteryears he does not mention this as a reason of her death being a source of comfort. Option D is obviously wrong as it finds no mention in the passage. Option C is also not a satisfactory answer, since her failure in life does not mean that she would not be grieved. It does not suggest why her death would be a relief.

7.       D   A tribute refers to a statement or account of admiration of a person in order to show respect to him, especially after death. We cannot call this passage a tribute since along with appreciation it also refers to Billie Holiday as an “artistic wreck”. Thus we reject A. We reject B since an obituary is a notice or announcement of someone’s death along with his achievements in life for the purpose of printing in the newspaper soon after the death. However, this passage is not in the form of a notice and the writer also mentions his delay in writing about her after a few weeks of her death. The passage is definitely not an ode, as an ode is essentially a poem dedicated to someone, thus we reject option C.

8.       D   the word “Scrupulous” means careful about paying attention to every detail. In the passage it refers to the nature and character of John Hammond who launches Billie Holiday in her career. Although the most acceptable opposite is unscrupulous it is not given as an option. Thus, we conclude that option D is the most appropriate answer.

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