What does the author mean by the expression 'fixing the meaning of the words we use'?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

If our thoughts are to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating them to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which it belongs, and also the particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class. Thus, we may define a whale as a marine animal that spouts. “Marine animal” in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and spouts indicate the particular property that distinguishes whales from other such marine animals as fish, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two or democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways of course of indicating the meaning of words. We may for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited utility. If we indicated our use of the word animal as above, our hearers might, for example be doubtful whether a sea anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is however, a useful way of supplementing a definition, if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving it a distinguishing mark which either does not belong to all the things the definition intends to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition intends to exclude.

A definition needs to be supplemented with examples when

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

If our thoughts are to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating them to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which it belongs, and also the particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class. Thus, we may define a whale as a marine animal that spouts. “Marine animal” in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and spouts indicate the particular property that distinguishes whales from other such marine animals as fish, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two or democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways of course of indicating the meaning of words. We may for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited utility. If we indicated our use of the word animal as above, our hearers might, for example be doubtful whether a sea anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is however, a useful way of supplementing a definition, if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving it a distinguishing mark which either does not belong to all the things the definition intends to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition intends to exclude.

The expression 'we may well be asked' used in the first paragraph means that

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

If our thoughts are to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating them to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which it belongs, and also the particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class. Thus, we may define a whale as a marine animal that spouts. “Marine animal” in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and spouts indicate the particular property that distinguishes whales from other such marine animals as fish, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two or democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways of course of indicating the meaning of words. We may for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited utility. If we indicated our use of the word animal as above, our hearers might, for example be doubtful whether a sea anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is however, a useful way of supplementing a definition, if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving it a distinguishing mark which either does not belong to all the things the definition intends to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition intends to exclude.

The word used in the passage that can be a synonym of 'count' is

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

If our thoughts are to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating them to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which it belongs, and also the particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class. Thus, we may define a whale as a marine animal that spouts. “Marine animal” in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and spouts indicate the particular property that distinguishes whales from other such marine animals as fish, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two or democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways of course of indicating the meaning of words. We may for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited utility. If we indicated our use of the word animal as above, our hearers might, for example be doubtful whether a sea anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is however, a useful way of supplementing a definition, if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving it a distinguishing mark which either does not belong to all the things the definition intends to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition intends to exclude.

According to the author, which of the following is a disadvantage of defining by enumerating?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

If our thoughts are to be clear and we are to succeed in communicating them to other people, we must have some method of fixing the meaning of the words we use. When we use a word whose meaning is not certain, we may well be asked to define it. There is a useful traditional device for doing this by indicating the class to which it belongs, and also the particular property which distinguishes it from all other members of the same class. Thus, we may define a whale as a marine animal that spouts. “Marine animal” in this definition indicates the general class to which the whale belongs, and spouts indicate the particular property that distinguishes whales from other such marine animals as fish, seals, jellyfish and lobsters. In the same way, we can define an even number as a finite integer divisible by two or democracy as a system of government in which the people themselves rule.

There are other ways of course of indicating the meaning of words. We may for example, find it hard to make a suitable definition of the word ‘animal’, so we say that an animal is such a thing as a rabbit, dog, fish or goat. Similarly, we may say that religion is such a system as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. This way of indicating the meaning of a term by enumerating examples of what it includes is obviously of limited utility. If we indicated our use of the word animal as above, our hearers might, for example be doubtful whether a sea anemone or a slug was to be included in the class of animals. It is however, a useful way of supplementing a definition, if the definition itself is definite without being easily understandable. Failure of an attempt at definition to serve its purpose may result from giving it a distinguishing mark which either does not belong to all the things the definition intends to include, or does belong to some members of the same general class which the definition intends to exclude.

Which of the following is mentioned as a linguistic weapon possessed by the third variety of speakers?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

A study recently recognized three varieties of non-native spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of internal interpretation from their mother-tongue into English. Thought and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Therefore, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speaker. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother­ tongue to be maximally meaningful, and this makes statements slow, halting and jerky.

The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. Internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.
With the third variety, speaker’s thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from and the ability to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts comes quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word `rain', the speaker of variety recognizes distinctions between `shower', `downpour', `drizzle', 'mist', `deluge', etc., and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.
We need to recognise, however, that most non-native learners of English `graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety to the highest stratum of that variety, and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length or periods of education, exposure to Standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

Finally, we must recognise that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones if they choose to. Thus, we can find even an English language professor switching to the lowest stratum of variety if he feels so inclined when talking to a house-servant or a porter.

Which of the following is common for both the first and second variety of speakers?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

A study recently recognized three varieties of non-native spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of internal interpretation from their mother-tongue into English. Thought and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Therefore, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speaker. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother­ tongue to be maximally meaningful, and this makes statements slow, halting and jerky.

The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. Internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.
With the third variety, speaker’s thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from and the ability to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts comes quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word `rain', the speaker of variety recognizes distinctions between `shower', `downpour', `drizzle', 'mist', `deluge', etc., and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.
We need to recognise, however, that most non-native learners of English `graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety to the highest stratum of that variety, and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length or periods of education, exposure to Standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

Finally, we must recognise that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones if they choose to. Thus, we can find even an English language professor switching to the lowest stratum of variety if he feels so inclined when talking to a house-servant or a porter.

The word 'stratum' as used in the passage means

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

A study recently recognized three varieties of non-native spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of internal interpretation from their mother-tongue into English. Thought and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Therefore, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speaker. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother­ tongue to be maximally meaningful, and this makes statements slow, halting and jerky.

The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. Internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.
With the third variety, speaker’s thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from and the ability to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts comes quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word `rain', the speaker of variety recognizes distinctions between `shower', `downpour', `drizzle', 'mist', `deluge', etc., and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.
We need to recognise, however, that most non-native learners of English `graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety to the highest stratum of that variety, and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length or periods of education, exposure to Standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

Finally, we must recognise that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones if they choose to. Thus, we can find even an English language professor switching to the lowest stratum of variety if he feels so inclined when talking to a house-servant or a porter.

Which of the following statements is true about speakers of the first variety?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

A study recently recognized three varieties of non-native spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of internal interpretation from their mother-tongue into English. Thought and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Therefore, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speaker. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother­ tongue to be maximally meaningful, and this makes statements slow, halting and jerky.

The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. Internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.
With the third variety, speaker’s thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from and the ability to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts comes quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word `rain', the speaker of variety recognizes distinctions between `shower', `downpour', `drizzle', 'mist', `deluge', etc., and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.
We need to recognise, however, that most non-native learners of English `graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety to the highest stratum of that variety, and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length or periods of education, exposure to Standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

Finally, we must recognise that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones if they choose to. Thus, we can find even an English language professor switching to the lowest stratum of variety if he feels so inclined when talking to a house-servant or a porter.

While talking to a porter, an English language professor

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

A study recently recognized three varieties of non-native spoken English. Speakers of the first variety exhibit characteristics of a very long and difficult process of internal interpretation from their mother-tongue into English. Thought and expression do not go closely together. A listener would notice this from the way the speaker pauses before expressing himself, apparently deciding which words to use and how to arrange them. Therefore, thinking is exclusively through the medium of the mother-tongue and English is a poor shadow of the original thoughts of the speaker. Utterances heard invariably have to be translated silently into the mother­ tongue to be maximally meaningful, and this makes statements slow, halting and jerky.

The second variety speakers exhibit features described above but to a much lesser degree. Internal translations from the mother-tongue to English still take place during the speaker's expression of opinions and complex concepts but the process now takes a shorter span of time. With ordinary words or simple ideas, internal interpretations need not intervene between the points at which the thought is conceived and the time it is given verbal expression. Discussions are quicker and smoother though these might not always be entirely free from minor halting gaps.
With the third variety, speaker’s thought is almost entirely in English and translation is not needed. The speaker has a wealth of linguistic weapons to choose from and the ability to express the minute distinctions between similar concepts comes quickly and easily. Thus for instance, whereas speakers of the lower varieties have only the word `rain', the speaker of variety recognizes distinctions between `shower', `downpour', `drizzle', 'mist', `deluge', etc., and uses each in the appropriate context. Also, his mastery of the sounds and features of the English Language equips him to express the utterances accurately and automatically without having to pause and think of the correct version of a sound since he masters the various distinctions in the pronunciation of each vowel and each consonant.
We need to recognise, however, that most non-native learners of English `graduate' from one variety to another, from the lowest stratum of variety to the highest stratum of that variety, and then to variety II and so on until they achieve variety III. Length or periods of education, exposure to Standard English and a personal conscious effort play major roles in deciding what variety a particular speaker uses.

Finally, we must recognise that most speakers of the higher varieties are still capable of reverting to the lower ones if they choose to. Thus, we can find even an English language professor switching to the lowest stratum of variety if he feels so inclined when talking to a house-servant or a porter.

What does the poet mean by the expression 'as tight-closed as a tiny bud'?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

UNFOLDING BUD            
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day

Taking a richer colour
And new dimensions
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again

Naoshi Koriyama 

What is being compared to the unfolding bud in this poem?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

UNFOLDING BUD            
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day

Taking a richer colour
And new dimensions
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again

Naoshi Koriyama 

What, according to the poet, is the striking similarity between a good poem and an unfolding bud?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

UNFOLDING BUD            
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day

Taking a richer colour
And new dimensions
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again

Naoshi Koriyama 

Which word in the poem can replace the word 'developing'?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

UNFOLDING BUD            
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day

Taking a richer colour
And new dimensions
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again

Naoshi Koriyama 

What does the poet suggest in the closing lines?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

UNFOLDING BUD            
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day

Taking a richer colour
And new dimensions
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self
As one reads it
Again

Naoshi Koriyama