Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions
given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them
while answering some of the questions.
(Canara Bank Clerk Exam. 29.03.2009)
Long ago, The Kingdom of Gandhara was ruled by a just and good King. His subjects were very
content, but as the King grew older, everyone wondered anxiously what would
happen to the Kingdom. After all the King did not have any children who could
take over the reins of the Kingdom.
Now, the King was
an avid gardener and put lots of time and effort into tending his garden and
planting the finest flowers, fruits, and vegetables. One day, he proclaimed,
“Tomorrow, I shall distribute seeds to the children of the Kingdom. The one who
is able to grow the biggest, healthiest plant within three months will be the
prince or the princess.” The next day, there was a long line of parents and
children outside the palace. Everyone was eager to get a seed and have the
opportunity to be the next King. A poor farmer’s son was among these children.
Like the King, he too was fond of gardening. His backyard was full of beautiful
plants. He took the seed from the King and planted it in a pot with great care.
The weeks passed and he piled it with water and manure, but no plant
appeared. He tried changing the soil and even transferred the seed to another
pot, but at the end of three months, nothing had grown.
At last, the day
came when the children had to go to the King to show him their plants. They
started walking to the palace, dressed in their best, holding beautiful plants
in their hands The farmer’s son stood sadly, watching them go by. His father
had watched him working hard with the seed and felt sorry for him. “Why don’t
you go to the King with the empty pot ?” he suggested. At least he will know
you tried your best. “So the farmer’s son too wore his best clothes and joined
the others outside the palace, holding his empty pot in his hand and ignoring
the laughter of those who saw him. Soon the King arrived and began his
inspection. “I have’ watered this beautiful flower with the water from the
sacred river," said one. “I have kept my plant in a beautiful glasshouse
to protect it from bad weather,” aid another. “I have spent all my spare time
caring for this plant,” said a third. Thus the children came forward one by one
holding flowers of different shades, which were both beautiful and healthy. The
King, however, did not look happy. At the end of the line stood the farmer’s son,
and when the King reached him he stopped in surprise “Child, why have you come
with an empty pot? Could you not grow anything?”
The boy looked down
and said, “Forgive me, Your Highness. I tried my best, I gave it the best soil
and manure I had, but the plant would not grow. ‘The King’s face broke into a
smile. He enveloped the farmer’s son in his arms and announced, “Here is the crown
prince! I had given everyone roasted seeds, which would never grow. 1 wanted to
see which child would admit he or she had not been able to grow anything. Only
this boy told the truth. I am sure he will rule our Kingdom with integrity.”
And that was what happened. When the King grew old and died many years later,
the farmer’s son, who had learned everything from him, came to the throne and
ruled Gandhara justly.
Questions and Answers for Reading Comprehension passage given in
previous Bank Clerk Exams :
1.
Which of the following can be said about the King’s subjects?
(A) They were all prosperous and could afford
fine clothes.
(B) They had lost confidence in the King’s
ability to rule because he had grown old.
(C) They often requested the King to marry and
start a family.
a)Only
(A)
b)Both
(A) and (B)
c)Only
(C)
d)All
(A), (B) and (C)
e)None
of these
Answer: E
Explanation :
None of the above
2. Which
of the following describes the farmer’s son?
a) He
was persevering by nature
b) He
spent his spare time gardening instead of playing
c) He
loved gardening but was no good at it
d) He
wasted his opportunity to be King
e) He
was the King’s favorite subject.
Answer : A
Explanation:
The farmer’s son
can be described as: He was preserving by nature
3. Why
did the King choose the farmer’s son as Gandhara’s future King?
a) The
King realized that he had a good character and would make a worthy ruler
b) He
knew that he could easily manipulate the farmer’s son
c) He
felt sorry for the farmer’s son and wanted to give him an opportunity
d) To
reward his honesty in not asking his parents for help to grow the plant
e) He
was the one who pointed out the King’s mistake of distributing roasted seeds.
Answer: A
Explanation :
The reason why did King choose the farmer’s as
Gandhara's future king is: The king realized that he had a good character and
would make a worthy ruler.
4. Why
did the King distribute seeds to the children of his Kingdom?
a) To
share his love of gardening with them
b) To
make sure that the future ruler had respect for all living things
c) It
was a test to select the child most suited to be the next ruler.
d) To
see if they were ambitious and competed fairly
e) None
of these
Answer :C
Explanation :
The reason why
King distributed seeds to the children of his Kingdom is: It was as a test to
select the child most suited to be the next ruler.
5. Why
did the children bring beautiful plants to the palace?
a) They
wanted to gift them to the King for his garden
b) It was a sign of affection for the King who
was retiring
c) Their parents had forced them to present
flowers to the King
d) To show the King they were more suited than
the farmer’s son to rule
e) None of these
Answer : D
Explanation: The
children brought beautiful plants to the palace because To show the King they
were more suited than the farmer’s son to rule
6. What excuse did the farmer’s son give for not
being able to grow a plant successfully?
a) His
father had refused to help him
b) The
soil and fertilizer he had used were not suitable
c) He
had shifted the seed while it was growing
d) There
was something wrong with the seed
e) None
of these
Answer : E
Explanation: Son
of the farmer did not give any reason for his inability to grow plant
successful. So None of these is the correct option.
7. What
was worrying about the King’s subjects?
a) The
King was too old to bear the burden of running a kingdom
b) The
King devoted too much time to gardening
c) The
King was sick and could die at any time
d) The
King had no heir to the throne
e) The
King had selected a farmer’s son to be their King
Answer :
Explanation: The worrying subject of King: The king has no heir to the throne
8. Which
of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?
a) The King deliberately roasted the seeds
as he did not want to give up his throne
b) The King regarded honesty as an important
trait for a ruler
c) Only boys were given the opportunity to
prove they were worthy to rule
d) The King was angry that the farmer’s son
had come empty-handed
e) The farmer knew why the seed was given to his son would not grow.
Answer: B
Explanation :
True in the following options in the context
of the passage: The king regarded
honesty as an important trait for a ruler
9. What made the King unhappy with the children
?
(A) They had not realized that the seeds he had
given them were roasted.
(B) They had cheated by allowing their parents
to grow their plants.
(C) Since they had successfully grown plants he
was forced to choose one of them as King.
a)
Only (B) b) Both (A) and (B) c) Only (C) d)Only (A)
e)
None of these
Answer : D
Explanation :
Kind unhappy with
the children because they had not realized that the seeds he had given them
were roasted
10. How
did the farmer deal with the fact that his son had not been able to grow
anything?
a) Being a farmer, he was ashamed that his
son could not cultivate a healthy plant
b) He was understanding, as it was
impossible to grow a plant in three months
c) He was disappointed because his son would
not get the chance to be King
d) He was sympathetic because his son had
worked very hard
e) None of these Directions
Answer : D
Explanation :
Farmer dealt with
that fact that his son had not been able to grow anything: He was sympathetic
because his son had worked very hard
(11 TO 13): Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning
as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.
11. IGNORING
a) unaware
b) delaying c) disregarding d)
humiliating e) lacking
Answer : c
Explanation: Ignore
is a verb. In the given passage, the word IGNORE used is to pay no attention
to something.
The word which is
most nearly the Same in the meaning is DISREGARDING.
Examples :
He chose to ignore
the problem.
Just ignore Ramya. She
always seems to be complaining about something
Some more words
similar in meaning of ignoring are: avoid, Neglect, overlook, disregard,
pretermit.
12. ENVELOPED
a).
Unaware b) included c)
wrapped d)closed e) hid
Answer: C
Explanation:
Envelope is a verb.
In the above passage, the word ENVELOPE as used in the passage is: to wrap
something or somebody or cover them or it completely.
Example sentences:
It suffused her,
seized her, and enveloped her completely.
I could have been
enveloped in love.
Synonyms of
ENVELOPED are Capsule, Enfold, Enshroud
13. PILED
a)handled b) poured c) utilized d)
provided e)drowned
Answer : D
Explanation:
The word PILED used
in the given passage in the meaning of to give something more or too much of
something.
The similar meaning
is PROVIDED
Other synonyms of
PILED are aggregated, mounded, batched, bunched
Directions (14-15)
: Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word printed in bold
as used in the passage.
14. CONTENT
a) pitying b)
miserable c) sorrow d) unlucky e) unfortunate
Answer : B
Explanation :
Content is an adjective. The meaning of the content as used in the passage: a
state of satisfaction with what you have.
Example Sentences :
I am content with
my salary.
Rich as Gupta is,
he is not contented.
The word which is most
OPPOSITE in meaning to the word Content is: Miserable
The meaning of
miserable: unhappy or uncomfortable.
Some more antonyms
of Content: discontent, unhappy, unsatisfied, Dissatisfied, disturbed
15. AVID
a) Unenthusiastic b) efficient c) boring d) impartial e)
incompetent
Answer : A
Explanation :
Avid is an adjective. The meaning of
AVID as used the given passage is :
Eager to do something great or very
enthusiastic about something that they do
Example Sentences:
Mr. Sharma is an avid reader of biographies.
My maternal uncle
was an avid collector of coins.
Opposite word to
AVID is UNENTHUSIASTIC.
Some more antonyms
of AVID are: DISINTEREST, UNEXITED , DISPASSIONATE