Directions: For the given question, select one entry for the blank from the given choices, to best complete the text.

The late Tudor and early Stuart polity was held together by careful negotiation, qualified tolerance and mobile networks of allegiance. What's remarkable is not how ________ the European society was, but on the contrary, how accommodating.

Directions: For the given question, select one entry for the blank from the given choices, to best complete the text.

They set down the unapologetic “money-is-all” credo of the low-level street hustler, in which drug dealing, guns and the police swirl about in a ferocious urban storm. Like other popular representations of American gangsterism—The Godfather, Scarface—it was a vision of ________ free market enterprise.

Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

No ready solutions were available; so, Walters assembled two dozen experts worldwide who began to make the nearly invisible ink on Archimedes' palimpsest (written over manuscript) visible, aided by technologies being ________ as they worked.

Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

From the moment Kael began as a film critic at The New Yorker, at the start of 1968, she presided over the movies in the manner of Béla Károlyi watching a gymnast on the balance beam-shouting directives, ________ every flub, and cheering uncontrollably when a filmmaker stuck his landing.

Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

Those kids include college students, who have been animated by ________ over mounting student-loan debt and declining job prospects, and have become visible participants in the protests.

Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

This is a more than usually germane point since the Tolstoy estate stretches away in all directions around us: heavily wooded and undulating with scattered, scruffy villages and sudden long-grassed fields that put me in mind of those scenes in Anna Karenina when Levin goes out scything crops with his serfs and resolves to eschew all human falsity in favour of a sweat-drenched ________ redemption.

The author uses the opening sentence, “Life, they say, is the constant oscillation between the two horns of a dilemma” to imply that:

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Life, they say, is the constant oscillation between the two horns of a dilemma. Going by the history of the Gold Standard, the quotation seems to be worth its weight in gold! Gold Standard allows the governments to sell gold bullion in exchange for circulating currency. Starting somewhere in 610 BC, gold has been the most trusted currency for trade and for determining the value of goods. Since the fascination with gold is rooted in the farthest reaches of recorded human history, it comes hardly as a surprise that alchemists tried for hundreds of years to find a touchstone that could convert base metals into gold. In the Middle Ages, gold coins issued by the Byzantine Empire were found throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.  The decline of the Byzantine Empire saw a decline in the use of gold as currency and silver became the de-facto medium for trade. However, Sir Isaac Newton, while the master of the Royal Mint, effected a new standard that put gold firmly in the driving seat, once again, as the choice medium for trade.
The Gold Standard, in effect, was the practice of backing circulating currency with full convertibility to gold. Since trade with China involved primarily imports, the cost had to be paid in precious metals, mainly silver. This led to an unprecedented shortfall in the availability of silver as a currency in Europe during the late eighteenth century. This prompted the central banks of European nations to substitute the coins with paper notes (also called bank notes). Since these notes were nothing but a substitute for the silver currency, they continued to be backed by their worth in gold. The first big body blow for the Gold Standard, which proved to be decisive in the long run, was the First World War. Faced with increasingly draining war effort, governments temporarily suspended the convertibility of the bank notes. Germany, after losing the war, could not move back to the gold standard as it had lost all its gold reserves towards war reparations. The process of printing deutschemarks, without backing of gold reserves, lead to hyperinflation in Germany, and drove the first nail in the coffin of Gold Reserve.

Select the sentence in the second paragraph that points towards Knights of Columbus being an organization being deeply rooted in religion despite being a philanthropic body.

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney founded the order of the Knights of Columbus in 1881 at a time when America was witnessing a renewed interest in the intrepid explorer who had discovered the country. Founded ten years prior to the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America, this organization, by its very name sought to bridge the ideological gap between the Irish American Catholics who founded the fraternity, and the immigrant Catholics of other nationalities. Another reason for the formation of this establishment was that the Catholics were either barred from other fraternities like the Freemasons, or were asked to give up their religious roots before being considered for membership. Father McGivney believed that Catholic belief and fraternization were not mutually exclusive, and that one did not have to give up his faith to do good for the community.
The fraternity works on the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity, the principles that were the very bedrock of its foundation. Knights of Columbus organize blood donation camps, raise money for charity, and offer annuity and insurance to millions in the nations that they operate in. According to one estimate, the Knights gave away more than one billion dollars in direct charity and through millions of manhours of volunteer work in 2010. Also, the Order takes special interest in supporting those with physical and mental disabilities, and has given away nearly $400 million towards the cause in the last three decades. Raising money for papal edicts is another focus area for the Order. The Order also helps those pursuing studies in theology to cover part of their tuition and other expenses. What started off as a concentrated effort to help its members have a fall back option in the time of ill health, and to replace the economic loss to a family in the event of one of its member brother dying, the Order is now ranked among Fortune 1000 companies in terms of annual turnover.

What of the following best describes the relationship between the two boldface sentences in the passage?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney founded the order of the Knights of Columbus in 1881 at a time when America was witnessing a renewed interest in the intrepid explorer who had discovered the country. Founded ten years prior to the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America, this organization, by its very name sought to bridge the ideological gap between the Irish American Catholics who founded the fraternity, and the immigrant Catholics of other nationalities. Another reason for the formation of this establishment was that the Catholics were either barred from other fraternities like the Freemasons, or were asked to give up their religious roots before being considered for membership. Father McGivney believed that Catholic belief and fraternization were not mutually exclusive, and that one did not have to give up his faith to do good for the community.
The fraternity works on the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity, the principles that were the very bedrock of its foundation. Knights of Columbus organize blood donation camps, raise money for charity, and offer annuity and insurance to millions in the nations that they operate in. According to one estimate, the Knights gave away more than one billion dollars in direct charity and through millions of manhours of volunteer work in 2010. Also, the Order takes special interest in supporting those with physical and mental disabilities, and has given away nearly $400 million towards the cause in the last three decades. Raising money for papal edicts is another focus area for the Order. The Order also helps those pursuing studies in theology to cover part of their tuition and other expenses. What started off as a concentrated effort to help its members have a fall back option in the time of ill health, and to replace the economic loss to a family in the event of one of its member brother dying, the Order is now ranked among Fortune 1000 companies in terms of annual turnover.

As per the passage, which of the following CANNOT be true about the Knights of Columbus Order?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

The Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney founded the order of the Knights of Columbus in 1881 at a time when America was witnessing a renewed interest in the intrepid explorer who had discovered the country. Founded ten years prior to the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America, this organization, by its very name sought to bridge the ideological gap between the Irish American Catholics who founded the fraternity, and the immigrant Catholics of other nationalities. Another reason for the formation of this establishment was that the Catholics were either barred from other fraternities like the Freemasons, or were asked to give up their religious roots before being considered for membership. Father McGivney believed that Catholic belief and fraternization were not mutually exclusive, and that one did not have to give up his faith to do good for the community.
The fraternity works on the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity, the principles that were the very bedrock of its foundation. Knights of Columbus organize blood donation camps, raise money for charity, and offer annuity and insurance to millions in the nations that they operate in. According to one estimate, the Knights gave away more than one billion dollars in direct charity and through millions of manhours of volunteer work in 2010. Also, the Order takes special interest in supporting those with physical and mental disabilities, and has given away nearly $400 million towards the cause in the last three decades. Raising money for papal edicts is another focus area for the Order. The Order also helps those pursuing studies in theology to cover part of their tuition and other expenses. What started off as a concentrated effort to help its members have a fall back option in the time of ill health, and to replace the economic loss to a family in the event of one of its member brother dying, the Order is now ranked among Fortune 1000 companies in terms of annual turnover.

In the context in which it appears, “touchstone” in sentence 4 most nearly means

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Life, they say, is the constant oscillation between the two horns of a dilemma. Going by the history of the Gold Standard, the quotation seems to be worth its weight in gold! Gold Standard allows the governments to sell gold bullion in exchange for circulating currency. Starting somewhere in 610 BC, gold has been the most trusted currency for trade and for determining the value of goods. Since the fascination with gold is rooted in the farthest reaches of recorded human history, it comes hardly as a surprise that alchemists tried for hundreds of years to find a touchstone that could convert base metals into gold. In the Middle Ages, gold coins issued by the Byzantine Empire were found throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.  The decline of the Byzantine Empire saw a decline in the use of gold as currency and silver became the de-facto medium for trade. However, Sir Isaac Newton, while the master of the Royal Mint, effected a new standard that put gold firmly in the driving seat, once again, as the choice medium for trade.
The Gold Standard, in effect, was the practice of backing circulating currency with full convertibility to gold. Since trade with China involved primarily imports, the cost had to be paid in precious metals, mainly silver. This led to an unprecedented shortfall in the availability of silver as a currency in Europe during the late eighteenth century. This prompted the central banks of European nations to substitute the coins with paper notes (also called bank notes). Since these notes were nothing but a substitute for the silver currency, they continued to be backed by their worth in gold. The first big body blow for the Gold Standard, which proved to be decisive in the long run, was the First World War. Faced with increasingly draining war effort, governments temporarily suspended the convertibility of the bank notes. Germany, after losing the war, could not move back to the gold standard as it had lost all its gold reserves towards war reparations. The process of printing deutschemarks, without backing of gold reserves, lead to hyperinflation in Germany, and drove the first nail in the coffin of Gold Reserve.

All of the following could be characteristic of film noire, EXCEPT:

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Film Noir is the collective classification given to movies that characterized the cynicism of the world in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. The films delved into the dark emotions of its characters and were often shot in dark locations to augment the dark, brooding nature of the movies. Pessimism, mistrust, insecurity, and even fear were the emotions that the film makers of the era tried to bring forth in their most primeval form. The main protagonists, the anti-heroes of the age were killers, sociopaths, and even the innocent fall-guys. The movies rarely had happy endings, and frequently ended with the anti-hero dying an un-glorious death. In spite of the age of film noir spanning more than two decades from the years of World War 2 to the 1960s, many critics and commentators do not ascribe the tag of a genre to the film noir age. They say that the movies just depict a mood and set the tone for the film.

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

Which of the following are true as per the passage?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

In the eighteenth century, the relationship between a writer and his publisher could hardly be called a monochromatic one. The two were dependent upon each other for not only for their livelihood, but also for survival, almost in the most literal manner. Charles Baudelaire, whose poem- Les Fleur du Mal (Flowers of Evil) was banned in France because of its references to drugs, sex, and satan, is just one of the examples of how the lives of two were interconnected to an almost masochistic level. He and his publisher were both successfully prosecuted for printing a poem that allegedly offended public sentiments. Queen Mab, a controversial poem by Percy Shelley, which promoted the idea of a utopian world, un-marred by violent and bloody revolutions like the French Revolution, was deemed illegal in England. Though un-printed, the poem became the cause of the imprisonment of both Percy and William Clark, in whose bookstore a few of the copies of the poem were stored. Although the poem was meant for private circulation only, just the fact that the poem was stolen, pirated, and sold in the market by an unscrupulous shopkeeper, was enough to put both the men behind bars.
Today, the poet and the publisher are a part of a bigger system, small cogs in a big machine. Though persecution of a poet or a writer for ‘felt’ blasphemy is not unheard of- a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against Salman Rushdie for sacrilege is a prime example- the very fact that they are both a part of a system that runs on money gives them certain immunity at the cost of taking away some of the liberty they enjoyed. As long as they need the money, they would stay close at heels, seemingly nipping at them, but not quite.

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

In context of the passage, historically speaking, which of the following could be attributed to being a characteristic of following the Gold Standard?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Life, they say, is the constant oscillation between the two horns of a dilemma. Going by the history of the Gold Standard, the quotation seems to be worth its weight in gold! Gold Standard allows the governments to sell gold bullion in exchange for circulating currency. Starting somewhere in 610 BC, gold has been the most trusted currency for trade and for determining the value of goods. Since the fascination with gold is rooted in the farthest reaches of recorded human history, it comes hardly as a surprise that alchemists tried for hundreds of years to find a touchstone that could convert base metals into gold. In the Middle Ages, gold coins issued by the Byzantine Empire were found throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.  The decline of the Byzantine Empire saw a decline in the use of gold as currency and silver became the de-facto medium for trade. However, Sir Isaac Newton, while the master of the Royal Mint, effected a new standard that put gold firmly in the driving seat, once again, as the choice medium for trade.
The Gold Standard, in effect, was the practice of backing circulating currency with full convertibility to gold. Since trade with China involved primarily imports, the cost had to be paid in precious metals, mainly silver. This led to an unprecedented shortfall in the availability of silver as a currency in Europe during the late eighteenth century. This prompted the central banks of European nations to substitute the coins with paper notes (also called bank notes). Since these notes were nothing but a substitute for the silver currency, they continued to be backed by their worth in gold. The first big body blow for the Gold Standard, which proved to be decisive in the long run, was the First World War. Faced with increasingly draining war effort, governments temporarily suspended the convertibility of the bank notes. Germany, after losing the war, could not move back to the gold standard as it had lost all its gold reserves towards war reparations. The process of printing deutschemarks, without backing of gold reserves, lead to hyperinflation in Germany, and drove the first nail in the coffin of Gold Reserve.

Which of the following, if true, would create most doubt about film noir not being a legitimate genre?

Directions: Answer the given question based on the following passage:

Film Noir is the collective classification given to movies that characterized the cynicism of the world in the immediate aftermath of World War 2. The films delved into the dark emotions of its characters and were often shot in dark locations to augment the dark, brooding nature of the movies. Pessimism, mistrust, insecurity, and even fear were the emotions that the film makers of the era tried to bring forth in their most primeval form. The main protagonists, the anti-heroes of the age were killers, sociopaths, and even the innocent fall-guys. The movies rarely had happy endings, and frequently ended with the anti-hero dying an un-glorious death. In spite of the age of film noir spanning more than two decades from the years of World War 2 to the 1960s, many critics and commentators do not ascribe the tag of a genre to the film noir age. They say that the movies just depict a mood and set the tone for the film.