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Question 1

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

What was the girl's reaction to leaving home?

  1. AOption (a)

    She was honoured to be serving the princess

  2. BOption (b)

    Sadness at leaving the master

  3. COption (c)

    She entrusted the task of looking after the music master to Kumarasen

  4. DOption (d)

    She was thrilled to be living in luxury

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

Sadness at leaving the master

Why this answer is correct

The ending lines of the 2nd paragraph clearly indicate that the girl was heavy at heart for leaving her master. There is no mention of the girl being happy on the news of her leaving home.

Question 2

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

What task was entrusted to the girl by the Queen?

  1. AOption (a)

    Seeing that her daughter reached Kambhoj safely

  2. BOption (b)

    Entertaining the princess on her journey to Kambhoj

  3. COption (c)

    Protecting the princess and reporting to the queen if she was unhappy

  4. DOption (d)

    Ensuring the princess' happiness

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

Ensuring the princess' happiness

Why this answer is correct

The last few lines of the 2nd paragraph clearly indicate that the queen asked the girl to ensure her daughter’s happiness after she is married. The statements mentioned in the rest of the options, except option 4, i.e. ‘Ensuring the princess' happiness’ has not been mentioned anywhere in the passage.

Question 3

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

What was the master's reaction to the girl's decision to marry his disciple?

  1. AOption (a)

    He was upset and cried

  2. BOption (b)

    He promised to give his permission if the couple sang well together

  3. COption (c)

    He was sad because she would be going to Kambhoj which was far away

  4. DOption (d)

    He was pleased with her choice of husband

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

He was pleased with her choice of husband

Why this answer is correct

In the 2nd paragraph, the master says 'she has chosen well'. So we can say that he was pleased with her choice of husband.

Question 4

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Which of the following is true in the context of the passage?

(1) The girl was leaving the master and going to Kambhoj with the princess

(2) The king sent for the girl because she was a good singer

(3) The master taught her music before she could talk

  1. AOption (a)

    only 1

  2. BOption (b)

    both 1 and 2

  3. COption (c)

    all 1, 2 and 3

  4. DOption (d)

    both 1 and 3

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (d)D.

both 1 and 3

Why this answer is correct

The passage says that she was accompanying the princess, who was getting married in Kambhoj. In addition to this information, there is also mention of the girl being able to sing before she could talk. So (1) and (3) statements are true in the context of the passage. While it is mentioned that the king sent for the girl, and it can be inferred that it was because she was a good singer, it hasn’t been explicitly stated in the passage. So we can’t conclude it to be definitely true in the context of the passage as we don’t know the real motive of the king.

Question 5

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Why was the princess going on a journey?

(1) She was going to her prospective husband's home to get engaged.

(2) Her parents wanted her to visit the kingdom of which she would be the future queen.

(3) To take expensive gifts for the rulers of the Kambhoj who were well known to her parents.

  1. AOption (a)

    None of the above given reasons

  2. BOption (b)

    only 2

  3. COption (c)

    only 1

  4. DOption (d)

    both 1 and 2

  5. EOption (e)

    both 2 and 3

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

None of the above given reasons

Why this answer is correct

The passage indicates that the princess was going to Kambhoj after being married, therefore, there is no mention of her engagement. The princess took with her silks, jewels and precious stones. But there is no indication that it was for the rulers of Kambhoj or that her parents In addition to that, there is no further information provided with regards to the journey knew them well. There is also no indication that the princess would be marrying the future King of Kambhoj, so we can’t say that the reason her parents wanted her to go there was to survey that land of which she would be future Queen. So none of the statements are true in the context of the passage.

Question 6

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Why was the master afraid?

  1. AOption (a)

    He felt the princess would treat the young girl unkindly

  2. BOption (b)

    He would be all alone after the girl's marriage

  3. COption (c)

    The girl may not be able to adapt to her new home

  4. DOption (d)

    He was slowly going blind

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

He would be all alone after the girl's marriage

Why this answer is correct

The passage does not indicate any fear of the girl being treated badly. We also understand from the reading that it was the princess getting married, and not the girl, when the master expressed his fears. In addition to that, while the master was indeed going slowly blind, there is no mention of the master being afraid of being distant from the girl for this reason. However, this exchange - This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” – indicates that the master was afraid of being alone.

Question 7

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Choose the word which is most similar in MEANING to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

fortunate

  1. AOption (a)

    rich

  2. BOption (b)

    liked

  3. COption (c)

    happy

  4. DOption (d)

    successful

  5. EOption (e)

    lucky

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (e)E.

lucky

Why this answer is correct

The word ‘fortunate’ means ‘having things be favourable towards you’. Out of all the given options, the only word  that comes closest similar to the word ‘fortunate’ is ‘lucky’.

Question 8

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Choose the word which is most similar in MEANING to the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

raised

  1. AOption (a)

    nurtured

  2. BOption (b)

    lifted

  3. COption (c)

    grew

  4. DOption (d)

    built

  5. EOption (e)

    high

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (a)A.

nurtured

Why this answer is correct

The word ‘raised’ has been used in the context of the master and the little girl, therefore, the words ‘lifted’, ‘built’ and ‘high’ get ruled out from the list as they do not indicate the upbringing of a child. Out of ‘grew’ and ‘nurtured’, ‘grew’ indicates a simple process of helping one to grow, while ‘nurturing’ means taking care of overall upbringing, which is reflected by the word ‘raised’. Therefore, ‘nurtured’ is the most similar in meaning to ‘raised’.

Question 9

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word Collective as used in the passage—

  1. AOption (a)

    alone

  2. BOption (b)

    seperately

  3. COption (c)

    united

  4. DOption (d)

    partial

  5. EOption (e)

    single

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (b)B.

seperately

Why this answer is correct

The word ‘collective’ has been used in the sentence ‘A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there..’, therefore, indicating that it refers to a united act. The word making most opposite to the word ‘united’ or ‘collection’ out of the options provided is ‘separately’ which means ‘each by themselves’. The reason it cannot be ‘alone’ or ‘single’ is because we know that there was more than one person sighing together. The opposite sense of this is not that each person was alone, but that all of them sighed by themselves, separately.

Question 10

ESIC MTS 2022• English Comprehension

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.

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, “One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a Pipal tree.” He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she were his daughter and taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and couldn’t see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear. “You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?” The girl replied, “I shall not be apart from you.” But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, “Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me.” The master's tears flowed freely, “She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together.” The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. “Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her,” the messenger said. At the palace the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, “I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home.” There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellery and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

Which of the following can be said about the girl?

(1) She was brought up by her father as her mother had died when she was a baby

(2) She was a talented singer who had learnt to sing at an early age

(3) She was only allowed to sing with the master's permission

  1. AOption (a)

    only 1

  2. BOption (b)

    both 1 and 2

  3. COption (c)

    only 2

  4. DOption (d)

    all 1 2 and 3

  5. EOption (e)

    none of these

View answer & explanation

Correct answer

Answer: (c)C.

only 2

Why this answer is correct

The reading of the passage indicates that the girl was a good singer, who started singing well from an early age. The first stanza mentions her being found by the master under a Pipal tree. Therefore, option 1, i.e. ‘She was brought up by her father as her mother had died when she was a baby’ is ruled-out. Option 3, i.e. ‘She was only allowed to sing with the master's permission’ has not been mentioned anywhere.

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