Reading Comprehension - Previous Year CUET Questions
You can practice all previous year CUET questions from the topic Reading Comprehension. This will help you understand the type of questions asked in CUET. It would be best if you clear your concepts before you practice previous year CUET questions.
Read the passage and answer the following questions.
There is a lovely story of a tree and a little boy who used to play in its shade. They had become friends. One day, the boy sat leaning against the trunk of the tree, crying. He was hungry. "Eat my fruit" said the kind tree bending down one of its branches. The boy ate the fruit and was happy. The boy grew up. One day, he sat under the tree with an anxious look on his face. "What is the matter?" asked the tree. "I am going to marry and I want a house to live in," said the young man. "Cut down my branches and build your house." said the tree. The young man built a house with the branches of the tree. The young man became a sailor. One day, he sat under the tree with a worried look. "What is the matter?" asked the tree. "My captain is a cruel fellow. I want a ship of my own." said the sailor. "Cut down my trunk and build a ship." The sailor lost his ship and returned home as a helpless old man. On a cold winter's day, he stood where the tree once was, leaning on his stick and trembling with cold. "Make a fire of me, and warm yourself' said the stump of the tree. The stump of the unselfish tree burnt in the fire, softly humming a tune.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- A.
A - IV, B - III, C - II, D - I
- B.
A - III, B - II, C - I, D - IV
- C.
A - I, B - III, C - II, D - IV
- D.
A - II, B - I, C - IV, D - III
Solution
Ask Your Doubt
ReportThe two protagonists of the story are ________ (Select the correct option)
- A.
Both innocent and naive
- B.
One is intelligent and the other a fool
- C.
Both cunning and selfish
- D.
One of them is demanding and greedy, the other always generous, sensitive and supportive
How were the tree and the little boy related to each other ? (Select the correct option)
- A.
They were close contenders in their race to survive
- B.
They were very close friends due to their very long association
- C.
They were colleagues as they work together
- D.
They were competitors in their need to fulfill their own needs
The story highlights a typical selfish human nature we are all familiar with. Identify it from the options given below:
- A.
Compassion and benevolence
- B.
Conservation of forests
- C.
Mindless greed to possess more and more wealth
- D.
Heartless and foolish exploitation of nature
"The stump of the unselfish tree burnt in the fire, softly humming a tune.” means:
(Select the right options from the given options)
- A.
Every tree sings when it is burnt
- B.
The selfless tree felt no pain even in its accute suffering while dying, caring for others
- C.
The frail and wonderful tree tried to forget its pain by humming
- D.
The tree was a fool and was humming as it did not realize that it was dying
How would you define the relationship that the story illustrates. Select the correct answer from the following options.
- A.
It was a mutual symbiotic relationship
- B.
It was a relationship based on deceit and treachery
- C.
It was an one sided relationship where the tree loved, cared for and supported the boy till its end
- D.
It was a disguised enmity
After reading the following passage, answer the questions which follow:
I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no great disadvantage to me. In fact, I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest pleasure has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now, give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes of my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word.
The expression, "my constitutional shyness” in the given passage would mean ______
(Select the right answer from the options given below):
- A.
Shyness mentioned in Article 1 in the Indian Constitution
- B.
Shyness prescribed as a mark of our democracy in the preamble of our Constitution
- C.
The innate and natural shyness in the author
- D.
A shyness that the author pretends to derive some evil advantages in life.
The author as a matured individual believes that his shy nature brought him ________
(Select the right answer from the options given below):
- A.
Great advantage in life
- B.
Unmatched joy and enchantment in life
- C.
Disadvantage while performing rituals
- D.
Media coverage
From the options given below, select the one which will appropriately answer the following question:
The author due to his shy nature _______
- A.
Would aggressively attack any and every crowd around him
- B.
Worked hard to hide his stammer
- C.
Naturally formed the habit of restraining his thoughts
- D.
Became an ascetic.
The author claims that _______
(Select the right answer from the options given below):
- A.
He has rarely even spoken a thoughtless word due to his shy nature
- B.
He always speaks without thinking because he is shy
- C.
As a shy individual, he has become prone to nightmares
- D.
His shy nature helped him become a great cricket player.
From the options given below, select the one which will answer the following question:
Experience has taught the author that _______
- A.
Silence is better than laughter to stay fit
- B.
Silence is part of the spiritual discipline
- C.
Silence is to be avoided at all costs
- D.
Silence can never be attained by man
Match List I with List II
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- A.
A - IV, B - III, C - II, D - I
- B.
A - II, B - I, C - IV, D - III
- C.
A - III, B - IV, C - I, D - II
- D.
A - I, B - II, C - III, D - IV
After reading the passage, answer the questions that follow:
Unhappiness and discontent spring not only from poverty. Man is a strange creature, fundamentally different from other animals. He has far horizons, invincible hopes, creative energies, spiritual powers. If they are left undeveloped and unsatisfied, he may have all the comforts which wealth can give, but will still feel that life is not worthwhile. The great humanist writers, Shaw and Wells, Arnold Bennett and Galsworthy, who are regarded as the prophets of the dawn, expose the foibles, inconsistencies and weaknesses of modern life, but they ignore the deeper currents and sometimes misrepresent them. At any rate, they give nothing in their place. In the void left by the removal of tradition, morality and religion, others are putting in vague sentiments of race and power. The modern mind is shaped by Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Capital, Darwin's On the Origin of Species and Spengler's The Decline of the West. The outward chaos and confusion of our life reflect the confusion of our hearts and minds. Constitutions, says Plato, "are but the reflections in the outside world of the values which prevail in men's minds." There must be a change in the ideals we cherish, in the values we adopt, before we can give social expression to them. We help to secure the future only to the extent to which we ourselves are changed. What is missing in our age is the soul; there is nothing wrong with the body. We suffer from sickness of spirit. We must discover our roots in the eternal and regain faith in the transcendent truth which will order life, discipline discordant elements, and bring unity and purpose into it. If not, when the floods come and the winds blow and beat upon our houses, it will fall.
The author implies that if the eternal values and ideals are not regained, then ______
(Select the right option)
- A.
The world will be flooded
- B.
The sky will fall
- C.
The human civilization and society will be ruined forever
- D.
The earth will get sucked into a black hole
According to the author, the humanist writers have ignored ______
(Select the correct option)
- A.
The spiritual aspect of life
- B.
Religion and rituals
- C.
Cultural progress
- D.
Material welfare
According to the author, how is man different from other animals?
(Select the correct option)
- A.
Because of his unique power of speech
- B.
In his hopes, creative-energies and spiritual powers
- C.
In money and the material achievements of man
- D.
In his physical prowess
According to the author, unhappiness and discontent spring from _______
Select the right option.
- A.
Poverty alone
- B.
Ignorance
- C.
Poverty along with the moral and spiritual degradation of man
- D.
Mental turmoil
Match List I with List II
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- A.
A - III, B - IV, C - I, D - II
- B.
A - I, B - II, C - III, D - IV
- C.
A - II, B - III, C - IV, D - I
- D.
A - IV, B - III, C - II, D - I
Despite enjoying all comforts that wealth can provide, man will still feel incomplete and unhappy if _______
(Select the right option)
- A.
He is prevented from mingling in the society
- B.
His hopes, creative energies and spiritual powers are unsatisfied
- C.
He is deserted by his friends
- D.
He had failed to enroll in a Central University in India