To get good grades in English in any competitive test format speed is a must. But also required is comprehension power - the ability to understand accurately what is being said. To get selected you need to be able to read fast and at the same time understand, make a clear picture in your mind, what is being said. The trick is to read it all once and only once.
To build speed and comprehension you shall find here a few good articles for you to practice. If you are just starting out don't time yourself yet. Try to understand what is being said. Take your time. But slowly start to note the time you require to read a passage. At times you will find some very short articles here. These are meant to test your speed and I will also make a note of the time it took me to read these - your time should be similar.
In these practice articles you will find that certain words are given in bold while certain words or lines are underlined. You should know the definition of the words given in bold. The word/line underlined - spend a bit extra time on this portion. I underlined it because I found it interesting - either the language used or the way it was used.
Also, please note that all the articles that are given here are for practice purpose only and are rarely written by me. All I do is find a good article, edit it a little bit, maybe cut out a few lines here and there and then post it here. If you want to read the original article, which at times may also include multimedia like additional videos or photos, you will find a link to the original webpage at the start and the end of the practice article. Also, information regarding the original article like its author, date of publishing, source, original title etc can be accessed at the end of the practice article.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
English Comprehension - Moderate to Advanced level.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Answers to Cloze Test 1
Here are the answers to Cloze Test 1
1 – e – Surrounded |
2 – d – Imprinted |
3 – e – Cloth |
4 – a – Legend |
5 – a – Ripped |
6 – e – Shelter |
7 – d – Into |
8 – a – Gutted |
9 – c – Swatches |
10 – a – Fascination |
I hope you did well on the test.
Cloze Test 001
My Time: 2 min 43 sec
Almost everything about the shroud of Turin is ___(1)___ by mystery - its age, its authenticity and even the identity of the bearded man with the deep-set eyes whose image is ___(2)___ on the 14-foot length of the yellow linen still believed by many Catholics to be the burial ___(3)___ of Jesus.
Now to add to the ___(4)___, there is also the mystery of the fire that ___(5)___ through the 17th century baroque chapel built to ___(6)___ the shroud and that spread ___(7)___ the upper floors of the neighboring Royal Palace on the night of April 12. The shroud itself was saved but the chapel was ___(8___, just weeks before the scaffolding was to come down after a three year restoration.
Whether it dates back to the middle ages, as carbon dating done on tiny ___(9)___ of the shroud concluded in 1988, or to the time of Jesus, the centuries old ___(10)___ with the shroud has only increased since the fire.
1. a. Covered | b. Expelled | c. Painted | d. Flanked | e. Surrounded |
2. a. Soiled | b. Photographed | c. Reflected | d. Imprinted | e. Adhered |
3. a. Grave | b. Mound | c. Rite | d. Song | e. Cloth |
4. a. Legend | b. Story | c. Fable | d. Fiction | e. Fuel |
5. a. Ripped | b. Devastated | c. Annihilated | d. Exasperated | e. Pervaded |
6. a. Shelter | b. Reside | c. Refuge | d. Relish | e. House |
7. a. Over | b. About | c. Aside | d. Into | e. Out |
8. a. Gutted | b. Inflamed | c. Drowned | d. Attacked | e. Invaded |
9. a. Pieces | b. Rags | c. Swatches | d. Samples | e. Models |
10 a Fascination | b. Attachment | c. Affection | d. Affectation | e. Expectation |
Monday, March 4, 2013
Speed Test 002
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Q 1 In which city does Azim Premji live?
Q 2 What is the name of Kiran Majumdar Shaw's company?
Q 3 How much of her income from dividends from her company does Kiran M. Shaw donates?
Q 4 Including this present donation how many times has Azim Premji donated to his charity?
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Azim Premji Donates $2.3 Billion After Signing Giving Pledge, Forbes.com, By Naazneen Karmali, Forbes Staff 2/23/2013
http://goo.gl/klW0b
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Note: 1. I took a long time to read this article. Anything around 2 min is good for this article. I took a lot more than that.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Practice Article 2
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Speed Test 001
Mumbai (PTI): One of the game’s all-time greats, Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday 23 December announced his retirement from one-day cricket, bringing to an end a glorious 23-year-old career in the format during which he rewrote numerous batting records.
“I have decided to retire from the One-Day format of the game. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest,” the 39-year-old said in a statement released by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) on Sunday.
“I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years,” he added.
Tendulkar, considered the most complete batsman in modern cricket and one who was considered next only to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, retires from the ODI format at the top of the run-getters’ list.
Tendulkar goes out after amassing 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83. The diminutive right-hander has an astonishing 49 hundreds in the format, including a double hundred — the first in this form of the game.
Tendulkar made his ODI debut against Pakistan way back in 1989 and, interestingly, he is quitting the scene just ahead of another series against the arch-rivals.
The Mumbaikar, who made himself unavailable for Twenty20 after playing just one game in 2006, will now remain active in only the Test arena.
The brightest moment of his ODI career came last year when he finally became part of a World Cup winning Indian team after five previous appearances.
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Q1 In how many World Cups did Sachin play?
Q2 What is the age of Sachin when he declares his retirement as noted in the article ?
Q3 Sachin is compared to which other batsmen, in this article?
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Little Master Sachin Tendulkar announces one-day retirement, Tehelka (PTI)
http://goo.gl/NCJJn