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Question 1

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

What exactly is stress in biological terms? The brain’s mood management centre can be divided into two parts – the decision-making part which regulates judgments and helps in solving problems, and Amygdala, the brain’s emotional core which raises alarm at every perception of threat. Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain. How? The answer lies in the emotional centre of the brain or the amygdala, whose job is to look for a match between the memory of past experience and an event now. If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match. Every negative match unleashes a reaction of roughly 1,400 biochemical changes – with cortisol, the stress hormone that is a major culprit in heart disease and diabetes, flooding the nervous system. Your body, over the years, adapts to living in a perpetual state of negative, stressful matching, which keeps the blood pressure and cortisol levels constantly set at high. The body’s natural feedback mechanisms breakdown. Even when you are not in a stressful situation, your body’s activation remains permanently on and at a higher level. It can lead to impulsive, short-sighted, aggressive behaviour as well as increased anxiety, depression and other stress-related diseases. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, sleep disorder and other stress-related problems.

Is stress the main villain in a CEO’s life? Not really. Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress “When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals – cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine – into the body”, says Dr Ambrish Mithal, the endocrinologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Instantly, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee. Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. Far from being something we need to eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us. “Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. No doubt you want some stress to help you do your best.

According to Dr. Ambrish Mithal, things get done only when: 

  1. AOption (a)

     a person is under excessive stress 

  2. BOption (b)

     the atmosphere is conducive 

  3. COption (c)

    a person is enthusiastic 

  4. DOption (d)

     there is a deadline

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

 there is a deadline

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 4 i.e. there is a deadline.

Key Points

  • The passage talks about the effect of stress on our body and mind.
  • Let us refer to this line from the passage, "Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. "
  • From the above line, we get to know that we do things when there is always time limit i.e. deadline.
  • If there is no deadline we tend to take things lightly thinking we have time to complete that work but on the other hand, if time is limited we get to work as soon as possible.

From the above lines, we can infer that according to Dr. Ambrish Mithal, things get done only when there is a deadline.

Question 2

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

What exactly is stress in biological terms? The brain’s mood management centre can be divided into two parts – the decision-making part which regulates judgments and helps in solving problems, and Amygdala, the brain’s emotional core which raises alarm at every perception of threat. Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain. How? The answer lies in the emotional centre of the brain or the amygdala, whose job is to look for a match between the memory of past experience and an event now. If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match. Every negative match unleashes a reaction of roughly 1,400 biochemical changes – with cortisol, the stress hormone that is a major culprit in heart disease and diabetes, flooding the nervous system. Your body, over the years, adapts to living in a perpetual state of negative, stressful matching, which keeps the blood pressure and cortisol levels constantly set at high. The body’s natural feedback mechanisms breakdown. Even when you are not in a stressful situation, your body’s activation remains permanently on and at a higher level. It can lead to impulsive, short-sighted, aggressive behaviour as well as increased anxiety, depression and other stress-related diseases. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, sleep disorder and other stress-related problems.

Is stress the main villain in a CEO’s life? Not really. Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress “When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals – cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine – into the body”, says Dr Ambrish Mithal, the endocrinologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Instantly, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee. Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. Far from being something we need to eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us. “Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. No doubt you want some stress to help you do your best.

Constant stress affects: 

  1. AOption (a)

    the total mood management centre of the brain 

  2. BOption (b)

    the decision-making part of the brain 

  3. COption (c)

    the emotional core of the brain 

  4. DOption (d)

    the Amygdala

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

the decision-making part of the brain 

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 2 i.e. the decision-making part of the brain.

Key Points

  • The passage talks about the effect of stress on our body and mind.
  • Let us refer to this line from the passage*, "Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain."*
  • From the passage, we get to know that our brain's mood management centre is divided into two parts. Sometimes one part affects the other so if there is constant stress then it will also affect the decision making part of the brain as they are parts of the same brain.

Other options are wrong:

  • ​Total mood management centre of the brain contains both emotional part and decision making part and here we are talking about the emotional part of the brain, not the whole centre.
  • Constant stress is handled by the emotional core.
  • Amygdala is the emotional core of our brain.

From the above lines, we can infer that constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain.

Question 3

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

What exactly is stress in biological terms? The brain’s mood management centre can be divided into two parts – the decision-making part which regulates judgments and helps in solving problems, and Amygdala, the brain’s emotional core which raises alarm at every perception of threat. Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain. How? The answer lies in the emotional centre of the brain or the amygdala, whose job is to look for a match between the memory of past experience and an event now. If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match. Every negative match unleashes a reaction of roughly 1,400 biochemical changes – with cortisol, the stress hormone that is a major culprit in heart disease and diabetes, flooding the nervous system. Your body, over the years, adapts to living in a perpetual state of negative, stressful matching, which keeps the blood pressure and cortisol levels constantly set at high. The body’s natural feedback mechanisms breakdown. Even when you are not in a stressful situation, your body’s activation remains permanently on and at a higher level. It can lead to impulsive, short-sighted, aggressive behaviour as well as increased anxiety, depression and other stress-related diseases. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, sleep disorder and other stress-related problems.

Is stress the main villain in a CEO’s life? Not really. Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress “When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals – cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine – into the body”, says Dr Ambrish Mithal, the endocrinologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Instantly, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee. Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. Far from being something we need to eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us. “Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. No doubt you want some stress to help you do your best.

 In the opinion of researchers like Dr. Ambrish Mithal: 

  1. AOption (a)

    one cannot perceive a stress-free life in the present days. 

  2. BOption (b)

     stress is the main villain in a CEO’s life 

  3. COption (c)

     stress is something that we have to eliminate from our life 

  4. DOption (d)

     moderate amounts of stress is beneficial

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

 moderate amounts of stress is beneficial

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 4 i.e. moderate amounts of stress is beneficial.

Key Points

  • The passage talks about the effect of stress on our body and mind.
  • Let us refer to this line from the passage*, "Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. "*
  • From the passage, we get to know that stress in moderate amounts makes us do our best because as there is a pressure which leads to work more efficiently.
  • We need to eliminate harmful stress which acts as the main villain. Stress in small amounts is necessary so we cannot have a totally stress-free life.

From the above lines, we can infer that in the opinion of researchers like Dr Ambrish Mithal  moderate amounts of stress is beneficial.

Question 4

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

What exactly is stress in biological terms? The brain’s mood management centre can be divided into two parts – the decision-making part which regulates judgments and helps in solving problems, and Amygdala, the brain’s emotional core which raises alarm at every perception of threat. Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain. How? The answer lies in the emotional centre of the brain or the amygdala, whose job is to look for a match between the memory of past experience and an event now. If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match. Every negative match unleashes a reaction of roughly 1,400 biochemical changes – with cortisol, the stress hormone that is a major culprit in heart disease and diabetes, flooding the nervous system. Your body, over the years, adapts to living in a perpetual state of negative, stressful matching, which keeps the blood pressure and cortisol levels constantly set at high. The body’s natural feedback mechanisms breakdown. Even when you are not in a stressful situation, your body’s activation remains permanently on and at a higher level. It can lead to impulsive, short-sighted, aggressive behaviour as well as increased anxiety, depression and other stress-related diseases. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, sleep disorder and other stress-related problems.

Is stress the main villain in a CEO’s life? Not really. Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress “When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals – cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine – into the body”, says Dr Ambrish Mithal, the endocrinologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Instantly, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee. Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. Far from being something we need to eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us. “Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. No doubt you want some stress to help you do your best.

Which of the following statement(s) is / are true from the given passage? 

  1. AOption (a)

     All the options

  2. BOption (b)

    Due to too much stress, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee 

  3. COption (c)

    The heart beats faster and the senses sharpen, when the blood pressure shoots up 

  4. DOption (d)

    When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals like cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine into the body

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

 All the options

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 1 i.e.  All the options​.

Key Points

  • The passage talks about the effect of stress on our body and mind.
  • By reading the above passage we get to know that all the statements in the given options are present in the passage so they are true.

So we can infer that all the options are true from the given passage.

Question 5

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

What exactly is stress in biological terms? The brain’s mood management centre can be divided into two parts – the decision-making part which regulates judgments and helps in solving problems, and Amygdala, the brain’s emotional core which raises alarm at every perception of threat. Constant stress affects the decision-making part of the brain. How? The answer lies in the emotional centre of the brain or the amygdala, whose job is to look for a match between the memory of past experience and an event now. If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match. Every negative match unleashes a reaction of roughly 1,400 biochemical changes – with cortisol, the stress hormone that is a major culprit in heart disease and diabetes, flooding the nervous system. Your body, over the years, adapts to living in a perpetual state of negative, stressful matching, which keeps the blood pressure and cortisol levels constantly set at high. The body’s natural feedback mechanisms breakdown. Even when you are not in a stressful situation, your body’s activation remains permanently on and at a higher level. It can lead to impulsive, short-sighted, aggressive behaviour as well as increased anxiety, depression and other stress-related diseases. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, sleep disorder and other stress-related problems.

Is stress the main villain in a CEO’s life? Not really. Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress “When the brain perceives physical or physiological stress, it starts pumping chemicals – cortisol, epinephrine and non-epinephrine – into the body”, says Dr Ambrish Mithal, the endocrinologist of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Instantly, the heart beats faster, blood pressure shoots up, senses sharpen, a rise in blood glucose invigorates us and we are ready to act – fight or flee. Research shows that moderate amounts of stress can help people perform tasks more efficiently. Far from being something we need to eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us. “Think about your daily life – when do you get things done?” asks Mithal “Only when you have a deadline”. No doubt you want some stress to help you do your best.

 Your brain misreads the intent of an e-mail sent by a colleague:

  1. AOption (a)

     when your brain remembers a negative experience you’ve had earlier with that colleague 

  2. BOption (b)

     when the mail is not phrased properly 

  3. COption (c)

     if you are not able to remember the person who has sent it 

  4. DOption (d)

    when you are stressed-out or depressed

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

 when your brain remembers a negative experience you’ve had earlier with that colleague 

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 1 i.e. when your brain remembers a negative experience you’ve had earlier with that colleague.

Key Points

  • The passage talks about the effect of stress on our body and mind.
  • Let us refer to this line from the passage*, "If a colleague ignores you or is curt with you, your amygdala remembers the negative experience; then, when you receive an e-mail from the same colleague you misread its intent because your brain finds a negative match."*
  • The emotional centre of our brain matches our past experiences with present events. So, when a colleague has a negative impression on you and if you read emails from the same colleague your brain remembers that negative impression and misreads the intent behind the email.

From the above lines, we can infer that your brain misreads the intent of an e-mail sent by a colleague when your brain remembers a negative experience you’ve had earlier with that colleague.

Question 6

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

A sentence with an underlined word is given below. Find the word which is opposite in meaning to the underlined word from the given options.

When the king learned of his brother's treachery, he quickly ordered his execution.

  1. AOption (a)

    Unreliability

  2. BOption (b)

    Loyalty

  3. COption (c)

    Disloyalty 

  4. DOption (d)

    Betrayal

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Loyalty

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 2 i.e. loyalty.

​The meaning of the given words are:

  • Unreliability means inability to be relied upon or trusted.
  • Loyalty means a strong feeling of support or allegiance.
  • Disloyalty means the quality of not being loyal to a person, country, or organization; unfaithfulness.
  • Betrayal means the action of betraying one's country, a group, or a person; treachery.

The underlined word 'Treachery' means betrayal of trust. So, the word that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word is 'Loyalty'.

Question 7

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word from among the four alternatives.

Ominous

  1. AOption (a)

    Transparent 

  2. BOption (b)

    Promising 

  3. COption (c)

    Linear

  4. DOption (d)

    Straightforward

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Promising 

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 2 i.e. Promising.

​The meaning of the given words are:

  • Transparent means easy to perceive or detect.
  • Promising means showing signs of future success.
  • Linear means progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential.
  • Straightforward means something that is uncomplicated and easy to do or understand.

The given word 'Ominous' means to give a worrying impression that something bad is going to happen; threateningly inauspicious.  So, the word that is opposite in meaning to the given word is 'Promising'.

Question 8

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom/phrase.

Beggar (all) description

  1. AOption (a)

    A poor account of something 

  2. BOption (b)

    Cannot be described 

  3. COption (c)

    A description of a beggar 

  4. DOption (d)

    Something described by a beggar

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Cannot be described 

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 2 i.e. Cannot be described.

  • The given idiom 'Beggar (all) description' means to defy or outdo any possible description.
  • So, the most appropriate meaning for the given idiom must be 'Cannot be described.'

Example: The stage set was so elaborate, it beggared description.

Question 9

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

Fill in the blank with a suitable option.

The fires raging in the Brazilian Amazon are likely to intensify over the coming weeks, ___________ leading environmental expert has warned, despite government claims that the situation had been controlled.

  1. AOption (a)

    the

  2. BOption (b)

    an

  3. COption (c)

    a

  4. DOption (d)

    of

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

a

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 3 i.e. a.​

  • Articles are: ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. ‘A’ and ‘An’ are definite articles whereas ‘The’ is an indefinite article.
  • ‘An’ is used before the word which starts with a vowel i.e. ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’ whereas ‘A’ is used before the word which starts with a consonant.
  • ‘The’ is an indefinite article which introduces a noun phrase and implies thing already mentioned or common knowledge.
  • In the sentence, the blank is before the word 'leading' which has a consonant sound. So, 'a' must be the most suitable article.

So the correct solution is, The fires raging in the Brazilian Amazon are likely to intensify over the coming weeks, a leading environmental expert has warned, despite government claims that the situation had been controlled.

Question 10

DMRC CRA 2020• General English

A sentence with an underlined word is given below. Find the word which is opposite in meaning to the underlined word from the given options. 

Her decision to live overseas grieved her mother.

  1. AOption (a)

    Regretted 

  2. BOption (b)

    Pleased 

  3. COption (c)

    Displeased 

  4. DOption (d)

    Annoyed

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Pleased 

Why this answer is correct

The correct solution is option 2 i.e. Pleased.

​The meaning of the given words are:

  • Regretted means feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over.
  • Pleased means feeling or showing pleasure and satisfaction, especially at an event or a situation.
  • Displeased means feeling or showing annoyance and displeasure.
  • Annoyed means slightly angry; irritated.

The underlined word 'grieved' means to feel intense sorrow. So, the word that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word is 'Pleased'.

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