Around 15 to 20 questions based on comprehension are asked in CDS exam Every Year. And it is the easy-scoring portion. That’s why there are 10 important Reading Comprehension Questions are given for Practice with Answers.
Table of Contents
Comprehension Questions For CDS with Answers
Directions Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions that follow.
PASSAGE 01
As society becomes more and more affluent, people would prefer to work shorter hours at their regular employment so that they may enjoy longer hours of leisure during which they can indulge in more congenial activities. They will not like to waste their leisure time performing routine domestic
chores, which tend to sap their energy. The idea of a robot slave which would be capable of performing many of these monotonous chores is one that will appeal to many. Already robots are used in mines and factories to perform tasks which are too risky for human beings. It takes a lot of research by dedicated scientists and sufficient financial backing for a model to be developed to perform a new task. This in turn depends on the number of people who feel the need for a robot to perform these specific tasks.
The problem of designing a robot capable of performing various routine tasks around the house is not insurmountable. A domestic robot slave with its own computer and response mechanism and source of power, which can be programmed to perform certain specific tasks, is not an impossibility.
01. In an affluent society, people prefer to work shorter hours because
(a) they are lazy
(b) they do not have the strength to work
(c) they want time to carry out other activities
(d) they abhor their work
02. Domestic chores
(a) are welcome by housewives
(b) are too demanding
(c) lead to family discord
(d) are too time-consuming
03. Robots are already used in mines and factories to perform
(a) hazardous tasks
(b) tasks with greater efficiency than human beings
(c) tasks which lead to economy in the operations
(d) tasks which are forbidden by the labour laws
04. Developing a robot capable of performing a new task
(a) is difficult for the scientists
(b) is impossible for the scientists
(c) requires huge capital
(d) depends on the number of people who require it
PASSAGE 02
The energy crisis has been with us for a long time and will be with us even longer. Whether Arab oil flows freely or not, it is clear that the world industry cannot be allowed to depend on so fragile a base. The supply of oil can be shut off at whim any time. In any case, the oil wells will run dry in about 30 years. New sources of energy must be found and this will take time. But it is not likely to restore that sense of copious energy availability we had in the past.
01. In the writer’s opinion, the energy crisis
(a) is an outcome of unregulated supply of oil to industries
(b) will subside as soon as the Arab oil begins to flow again
(c) is very likely to lead to the world war
(d) will remain with us for an almost indefinite period of time
02. The phrase ‘so fragile a base’ refers to the
(a) current energy crisis in the world
(b) uncertainty about the flow of Arab oil
(c) delay in finding the new energy sources
(d) drying up of the oil wells in future
03. The type of writing in the given passage could be called
(a) official (b) scientific (c) popular (d) political
PASSAGE 03
All who have gone before you have submitted to the stroke of death. All who come after you shall undergo the same fate. The great and the good, the prince and the peasant, the renowned and the obscure travel alike the road which leads to the grave. At the moment when you expire, thousands throughout the world shall with you, be yielding up their breath. Can that be held to be a great calamity which is common to you with everything that lives on the Earth, which is an event as much according to the course of the nature, as it is that leaves shall fall in autumn or that fruit should drop from the tree when it is fully ripe.
01. Death is a natural phenomenon because
(a) the moment you die, thousands of people all over the world die with you
(b) it is as natural as the fall of leaves or fruits from the trees
(c) many people have died in the past
(d) the great and the good, the prince and the peasant, the renowned and the obscure, all die
02. The author compares death with the fall of the ripe fruit from a tree to show that death
(a) occurs in nature also
(b) is a kind of fall from a great height
(c) gives freedom from the ordeals of life
(d) occurs with the achievement of fullness
03. Which one of the following sentences shows that death is a great leveller?
(a) All who come after you shall undergo the same fate
(b) The great and the good, the prince and the peasant, the renowned and the obscure travel alike
the road which leads to the grave
(c) At the moment when you expire, thousands throughout the world shall with you, be yielding up their breath
(d) All who have gone before you have submitted to the stroke of death
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PASSAGE 04
I was late bloomer and always envied those people who stood out in high school because I didn’t. I
learned early on though that it’s essential to set yourself apart from the group. Life is one struggle
after another to succeed, particularly when you’re starting out. If your biodata is sitting at the bottom of a pile of junk mail, sometimes a distinctive approach will get you noticed, especially if the competition is fierce.
Once my partner Jerry and I asked the other freelance writers of a TV serial what characters they hated to write for the most. Everybody said the same thing–they disliked writing for the minor characters because they thought that writing for them wouldn’t help them get other jobs. Jerry and I decided that we would write scripts for the minor character because that’s what was needed and we needed to set ourselves apart.
In the first script, Jerry and I wrote a school girl falls in love with a boy in her class. The producers loved the story. And with that one script, Jerry and I were no longer just another comedy-writing team.
01. The author is of the opinion that
(a) one should be part of the group
(b) one should be different from others
(c) it is important to do well in high school
(d) one should heed to the advice of the seniors
02. Jerry and the author wrote scripts for the minor characters
(a) to realise their creative potential
(b) to earn more money
(c) to establish a different image
(d) because they did not have enough work
03. According to the author,
(a) one should be very meticulous in preparing his biodata
(b) competition in the job-market is very fierce
(c) one should follow a conservative approach in preparing his biodata
(d) one should try to get noticed by being innovative
04. The author had been
(a) into advertising business
(b) a comedy writer
(c) a music director
(d) a news reader
PASSAGE 05
Wind-power has obvious advantage as it is non-polluting, causes no ecological imbalance, requires no throughput fuel and has extremely low gestation period. After almost a decade of sporadic growth, wind energy finally seems to be stepping out from shadows of alternative technology into the commercial mainstream, worldwide. Even though, India now has an installed base of just over 1600 MW, this is nothing compared to countries such as Germany which meets around 20% of its energy requirements from wind energy. Wind-power offers long-term price stability too. Not only are generation costs of such projects low, the capital expenditure is comparable to fossil fuel based stations. Wind-power plants have low operating and maintenance costs. Long-term economics work out to be quite favourable for the wind energy. Infact, it is being seen as a solution to sustainable development. By the end of 2001, the installed wind-power was almost 25000 MW.
01. Which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) Wind-power plants take a long time to get commissioned
(b) Maintenance cost of wind-power plants is high
(c) Wind-power plants lead to violent vibrations
(d) Wind-power plants require no fuel
02. Which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) Installation of wind-power is resisted by environmentalists
(b) Generation cost of wind-power plants is high
(c) Installation cost of wind-power plants is much higher than of fossil fuel based plants
(d) Wind-power is now being commercially harnessed
03. Which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) In Germany, 25000 MW of electricity is generated by using wind-power
(b) Wind power plants offer no price stability
(c) Wind power is economically viable on a long-term basis
(d) In America, 20% of the power requirements are met through wind-power
PASSAGE 06
Personally, I have been very fortunate and almost inevitably, I have received courtesy from my own
countrymen as well as from the English. Even my goalers and the policemen, from place to place have been kind to me and much of the bitterness of conflict and the sting of goal-life has been toned down because of this human touch. It was not surprising that my own countrymen should treat me so for I had gained a measure of notoriety and popularity among them. Even for Englishmen, I was an individual and not merely one of the mass and I imagine the fact that I had received my education in England, brought me nearer to them.
01. The phrase ‘almost inevitably’ in this passage means
(a) without precedence (b) unexpectedly
(c) invariably (d) considerably
02. The writer is of the opinion that the bitterness of conflict has been toned down because of
(a) the adversary’s courteous behaviour
(b) the adversary’s diplomatic behaviour
(c) his good behaviour
(d) the writer being close to the Englishmen
03. The writer’s own countrymen treated him with love and regard because of
(a) a human touch in their nature
(b) his good political work
(c) his courage and generosity
(d) his widespread popularity among the masses
PASSAGE 07
English is generally acknowledged to be the world’s most important language. It is perhaps worth trying to understand briefly the basis for that evaluation. There are after all thousands of languages in the world and each seems to be uniquely important to those who speak it as their native language, the language they acquired at their mother’s knee. But there are some objective standards to judge their relative importance. One criterion is the number of speakers of the language. A second is an extent to which a language is geographically dispersed: in how many continents and countries is it used or its knowledge necessary? A third is its functional load: how extensive is the range of purposes for which it is used? In particular, to what extent is it the medium for highly valued cultural
manifestations such as science or literature? A fourth is the economic and political influence of the native speakers of the language.
01. The author wants to evaluate the importance of the English language because it is
(a) the language of the Britishers
(b) studied as second language in India
(c) the most important language of the world
(d) used in many countries
02. The speakers of every language
(a) consider their language as the most important
(b) do not like other languages
(c) treat all the languages alike
(d) want to learn English
03. The writer’s evaluation of the importance of the English language is based on
(a) general notions
(b) linguistic assumptions
(c) subjective feelings
(d) objective criteria
PASSAGE 08
The spectre of unemployment is looming large on almost every graduate with a general purpose degree. This education has very little relevance to life and therefore, the young generation is getting frustrated. If we look deeper into the problems of extremism and terrorism, perhaps unemployment and frustration of young people is one of the main reasons for this malaise. The most dangerous trend is the growing violence in the human heart. The first task of every university is to ensure that violence to each other does not become the new human culture. The sociologists have a lot to contribute by analysing the thought processes of the young persons and evolving the remedial measures.
01. The young generation is getting frustrated because
(a) they have taken general purpose degrees
(b) they remain unemployed
(c) they are drawn to terrorism
(d) there is violence around them
02. Enormous responsibility to comprehend the
problems of young generation lies with
(a) the press and TV media
(b) our political leaders
(c) the sociologists
(d) education administrators
03. The increase in violence in our society is
(a) a sign of revolutionary zeal
(b) the result of modern system of education
(c) the urge to surpass others in life
(d) the result of frustration in life
PASSAGE 09
There is a natural tendency in every animate being to resent restrictions. If you block the growth of a plant, it will try to pierce through the blockade. If you enclose a worm or fish in a glass jar, you will find it restlessly moving hither and thither to find a way out. Similarly, if you confine a bird or an animal in a cage or a room, you will find it gets constantly trying to break through the cage or the room in a fit of escape.
Only when it gets tired or identifies itself with the environment of the prison, will it get silent. Thus, the urge to be free is inborn in all animate beings. It gets suppressed only on its identification with the situation. The urge to be free is also reason present in inanimate objects but it is latent and ultimately gets fulfilled. It is for the very reason that matter constantly changes its shape. The charge is in a way a fulfillment of that urge.
01. The natural tendency among living beings is to
(a) submit to the circumstances
(b) strive for freedom
(c) place restrictions in the way of others
(d) create blockades
02. A worm in a glass jar first tries to
(a) adjust itself
(b) break the jar
(c) move out of it
(d) ignore the change
03. An animal will sit quietly in a cage after it has
(a) eaten well
(b) struggled enough
(c) identified itself with the changed circumstances
(d) given up hope of freedom
04. Matter constantly changes its shape because it
(a) is inanimate
(b) also has the urge to be free
(c) is molded into different shapes by men
(d) has not soul
PASSAGE 10
At what age should school begin? The answer must depend upon home, its topography rather than upon its oral or psychological character. A child who lives on a farm in the countryside can happily and profitably spend his time wandering about, watching animals, reaping, threshing, etc until the time comes when it is necessary to begin formal instruction. But for the urban child whose parents live in a cramped apartment, it is quite otherwise. For him, school is desirable as an escape into freedom—freedom of movement, freedom of noise and freedom of companionship.
01. Topography means the science of
(a) drawing maps
(b) description of features of a place
(c) shooting photographs
(d) description of topics
02. Formal instruction here implies
(a) school discipline
(b) rigid code
(c) regular education at school
(d) disciplined conduct at school
03. Here the author believes that
(a) a child in the countryside need not have formal instruction
(b) an urban child likes the freedom of all kinds
(c) a countryside child is benefitted from a free environment all over
(d) an urban child must begin formal instruction late
04. The author thinks that the problem as to when the children should go to school depends rather on the
(a) psychological character of home
(b) moral character of home
(c) topographical character of home
(d) spiritual character of home
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CDS (Combined Defence Service) All Syllabus PDF Download
Answer
| Passage 01 | 1 – [c] | 2 – [b] | 3 – [a] | 4 – [d] |
| Passage 02 | 1 – [d] | 2 – [b] | 3 – [b] | |
| Passage 03 | 1 – [b] | 2 – [d] | 3 – [b] | |
| Passage 04 | 1 – [b] | 2 – [c] | 3 – [d] | 4 – [b] |
| Passage 05 | 1 – [d] | 2 – [d] | 3 – [c] | |
| Passage 06 | 1 – [c] | 2 – [d] | 3 – [d] | |
| Passage 07 | 1 – [c] | 2 – [a] | 3 – [d] | |
| Passage 08 | 1 – [b] | 2 – [c] | 3 – [d] | |
| Passage 09 | 1 – [b] | 2 – [c] | 3 – [c] | 4 – [b] |
| Passage 10 | 1 – [b] | 2 – [c] | 3 – [c] | 4 – [c] |