English Practice Set From The Hindu: Part 6

Reading Comprehension

The attack in London’s Westminster that left five persons dead, including the assailant, was the type of terror strike that British security officials have been expecting. For almost three years, the threat level from international terrorism in Britain has been “severe”, meaning an attack is deemed highly likely. This incident was different from a conventional terror strike, but bore similarity to attacks on European cities in recent years claimed by the Islamic State. As the Berlin and Nice assailants did last year, the London attacker, Khalid Masood, turned a vehicle into a lethal weapon by mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and later killed a police officer with a kitchen knife at the
Parliament compound. Britain has one of the best counter-terror police and intelligence agencies in Europe. Since the 2005 London bombings, the country has remained largely safe. In the last four years, British officials have reportedly thwarted at least 13 terror plots. The country has one of the strictest gun control laws, and its borders, unlike countries in the European Union, are not open. Still the Westminster attack shows how a “lone wolf” without any conventional weapons could bring terror even to the most guarded zones. This is the security challenge the British establishment as other governments face today. If terror plots are planned by networks that use modern communication systems and amass weapons, the chances of detecting them are higher. But after the rise of the IS, its followers, mostly radicalised youth, have used different tactics. They stay off the intelligence radar, wait, and use even commonly used public goods as weapons to kill.
It is still not clear if Masood had communicated with an international terrorist organisation. The IS, that claimed responsibility for the incident, described him as a “soldier” of the Caliphate who responded to the “call” to attack Western nations, but stopped short of saying it directed the attack. If such attackers do not have any contact with terrorist groups, it makes it difficult for intelligence communities to detect them. To its advantage, the IS has created a narrative where every ‘believer’ has the responsibility to take up weapons against the ‘crusaders’ and their allies. Given that the group also has a dynamic online propaganda system, the challenges of radicalisation it poses remain. Britain’s immediate response has been commendable. Both political and community leaders, barring the far-right fringe, sent out a message of unity. But the bigger challenge is to prevent more such non-conventional attacks, for which security officials need to have better human intelligence and community relations. Equally important is to deny the far right the opportunity to use such actions by a handful of individuals and target the majority of British Muslims, exactly what the terrorists want.

1. Which is the security challenge the British government face today?
A. Prevention attacks of terrorist groups like other governments.
B. Implementation of strict laws against terrorist groups
C. Frequent failure of the best counter-terror police and intelligence agencies.
D. Preventing attacks by individual attackers.
E. All of the above

2. Which action of the British government is appreciable?
A. Promoting a message of unity among the citizens.
B. Ability to prevent nonconventional attacks.
C. Both A and B
D. Not clearly mentioned in the passage.
E. None of these

3. Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?
I. The IS has claimed responsibility for the incident and said that it has directed the attack.
II. After the rise of the IS, its followers mostly use different tactics.
III. If attackers do not have any contact with terrorist groups, it makes it difficult for intelligence communities to detect them.
A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Only I and II
E. Only I and III

4. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
I. For almost three years, the threat level from international terrorism in Britain has been deemed highly likely.
II. In the last four years, British officials have faced at least 13 terror plots.
III. The IS has created a narrative where every believer has the responsibility to take up weapons.
A. Only I
B. Only II
C. Only III
D. Only I and II
E. Only I and III

5. What is the most suitable title of the passage?
A. Recent attacks in the London.
B. Challenges posed by individual attackers
C. The threat posed by IS and other terrorist groups
D. The inability of the governments to fight with terrorists.
E. None of these 

6. Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Thwarted
A. Faced
B. Resentment
C. Failure
D. Opposition
E. Successful

7. Choose the word most OPPOSITE in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Commendable
A. Disgraceful
B. Honorable
C. Diminish
D. Appreciable
E. Reputable

8. Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Tactic
A. Technology
B. Weapons
C. Ideas
D. Strategy
E. Foster

9. Choose the word most SIMILAR in meaning to the given word, as used in the passage.
Barring
A. Omitting
B. Inclination
C. Counting
D. Depressing
E. Fostering

Cloze Test

The Supreme Court on Monday (1) ……….that Aadhar card cannot stand in the way of citizens accessing the benefits of social welfare schemes of the government. However, it remarked that government can press for Aadhaar card for income tax filings. The court's oral observations came during a mentioning for an early date for hearing a batch of (2)……….petitions questioning the Aadhaar scheme and privacy issues emanating from the fact that biological, personal and bank details of citizens are shared at a large-scale. The court, however, did not (3)……… to any specific dates, but did not agree for an out-of-turn hearing. It's remarks is (4)……….to the Lok Sabha passing the Finance Bill which makes Aadhaar mandatory for filing tax returns and getting a permanent account number (PAN).
In October 2015, the Supreme Court had (5)……….the voluntary use of the card to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), all types of pensions schemes, employee provident fund and the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana. A Constitution Bench led by (6)………Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu had said that the use of the Aadhaar card was purely (7)……….and not mandatory. With this, the Supreme Court had (8)………. an August 11, 2015 order issued by its three-judge Bench restricting Aadhaar use to only PDS and LPG (cooking gas) distribution.

Fill in the blank 1.
A. observed
B. confirmed
C. said
D. raised 

Fill in the blank 2.
A. gathered
B. amassed
C. pending
D. filed
 

Fill in the blank 3.
A. sure
B. commit
C. stick
D. sticked

Fill in the blank 5.
A. denied
B. extended
C. provided
D. agreed 

Fill in the blank 6.
A. then
B. the
C. a
D. an

Fill in the blank 7.
A. necessary
B. voluntary
C. unnecessary
D. optional

Fill in the blank 8.
A. canceled
B. amended
C. rectified
D. modified

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