Comprehension

The world dismisses curiosity by calling it idle or mere idle curiosity even though curious persons are seldom idle. Parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children because it makes life difficult to be faced everyday with a string of unanswerable questions about what makes fire hot or why grass grows. Children whose curiosity survives parental discipline are invited to join our university. With in the university, they go on asking their questions and trying to find the answers. In the eyes of a scholar, that is what a university is for. Some of the questions which the scholars ask seem to the world to be scarcely worth asking, let alone answering. They ask questions too minute and specialized for you and me to understand without years of explanation. If the world inquires one of them why he wants to know the answer to a particular question he may say especially if he is a scientist, that the answer will in some obscure way make possible a new machine or weapon or gadget. He talks that way because he knows that the world understands and respects utility.

But to you who are now part of the university, he will say that he wants to know the answer simply because he does not know it, the way the mountain climber wants to climb a mountain, simply because it is there. Similarly a historian asked by an outsider why he studies history may come out with the argument that he has learnt to respect to report on such occasions, something about knowledge of the past making it possible to understand the present and mould the future. But if you really want to know why a historian studies the past, the answer is much simpler, something happened and he would like to know what. It is true that scholars can be put to work answering questions for sake of the consequences as thousands are working now, for example, in search of a cure for cancer. But this is not the primary for scholars. For the consequences are usually subordinate to the satisfaction of curiosity.

Question: 1

Children whose curiosity survives parental discipline means

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Look at the sentence right after the passage says parents try to extinguish curiosity in their children.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Children retaining their curiosity in spite of being discouraged by their parents
  • Children pursuing their mental curiosity
  • Children's curiosity subdued due to parents intervention
  • Children being disciplined by their parents
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need to work out what the passage means by children whose curiosity "survives parental discipline."

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Go back to the exact line in the passage that uses this idea and see what happens to the curiosity in that line.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The passage opens by saying parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children.
Right after that, it says children whose curiosity survives parental discipline are invited to join the university.
So the children being described are the ones whose curiosity did not get killed off, even though their parents tried to stop it.
Option A says exactly this: the children keep their curiosity despite their parents discouraging it.
Option B talks only about pursuing curiosity, with no mention of parents trying to stop it, so it is incomplete.
Option C describes curiosity being subdued, which is the reverse of "surviving."
Option D describes the discipline itself, not what happens to the curiosity, so it misses the question.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The children retain their curiosity despite their parents' efforts to discourage it, so option A is correct.
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Question: 2

Pick out the word which is a close synonym of 'Extinguish' as used in the passage.

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Check the sentence about parents trying to extinguish curiosity in their children; find a word meaning to end or remove something.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Embrace
  • Nurture
  • Remove
  • Sow
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests vocabulary in context. We must find the word closest in meaning to "extinguish" as it is used in the passage, not its meaning in every context.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Read the exact sentence that contains the word, then check which option can replace it without changing the meaning of that sentence.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The sentence reads: "Parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children."
Here "extinguish" means to put an end to something completely, to make it stop existing.
"Embrace" means to welcome or accept, which does not fit, since parents are not welcoming curiosity.
"Nurture" means to help something grow, which is again the opposite sense.
"Remove" means to take something away or eliminate it, and this fits the sentence well: parents want to take curiosity away from their children.
"Sow" means to plant, which is unrelated to ending something.

Step 4: Final Answer:
"Remove" is the closest synonym of "extinguish" as used here, so option C is correct.
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Question: 3

According to their passage, the children make life difficult for their parents by

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Find the line that says curiosity itself, not the questions, is what the passage blames for the difficulty.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Their ceaseless curiosity
  • Unceasing bombardment of questions
  • Asking irrelevant questions
  • Raising doubts
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We must find what the passage says actually makes life difficult for the parents.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Locate the sentence that links "life difficult" to its cause and identify exactly what word the passage uses for that cause.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The line is: "Parents do their best to extinguish curiosity in their children because it makes life difficult."
The word "it" here stands for curiosity, so the passage is saying curiosity is what makes life difficult.
The string of unanswerable questions that follows is only an example of how that curiosity shows itself day to day.
Option A names curiosity directly as the cause, matching the passage's own wording.
Option B picks out just the example, the questions, instead of the actual named cause.
Option C changes "unanswerable" to "irrelevant," which the passage never says.
Option D is not supported anywhere in the passage.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The children's ceaseless curiosity is what the passage names as the source of the difficulty, so option A is correct.
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Question: 4

The common people consider unimportant some of the questions that the scholars ask, as

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Look at the line describing the scholars' questions as too minute and specialized to understand without years of explanation.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • They are too lazy and idle
  • They are too modest
  • It's beyond their comprehension
  • It is considered a waste of time
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need the passage's own reason for why common people find some scholarly questions unimportant.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Find the sentence right after "scarcely worth asking" and see what quality of the questions is being described.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The passage says these questions are "too minute and specialized for you and me to understand without years of explanation."
This tells us the problem is not the people's attitude, it is the difficulty and specialization of the questions themselves.
Option A about laziness is contradicted elsewhere in the passage, which says curious people are seldom idle.
Option B about modesty has no support in the text at all.
Option C, "beyond their comprehension," directly restates "too specialized to understand," so it fits.
Option D about wasted time is not what the passage says either.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The scholars' questions look unimportant because they are beyond ordinary comprehension, so option C is correct.
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Question: 5

A historian studies the past

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Find the historian's own explanation for studying history, given in his argument to an outsider.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • To comprehend the present and to reconstruct the future
  • To explain the present and plan the future
  • To understand the present and make fortune
  • To understand the present and mould the future
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need the exact purpose the passage gives for why a historian studies the past.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Quote the relevant sentence from the passage and match its wording to the closest option, rather than a paraphrase that changes the verbs.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The passage states the historian's argument as "knowledge of the past making it possible to understand the present and mould the future."
Option A swaps in "comprehend" and "reconstruct," which are near synonyms but not the passage's own words.
Option B swaps in "explain" and "plan," again changing the sense slightly.
Option C introduces "make fortune," which the passage never mentions.
Option D reads "to understand the present and mould the future," matching the passage exactly.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Since option D repeats the passage's own words without alteration, it is the correct answer.
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Question: 6

Pick out the statement, which is true.

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Check each option against the passage's exact wording; only one is stated directly in the text.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Scientists know that the world understands and respects utility
  • The world encourages curiosity
  • Parents always encourage curiosity of their children
  • In the university questions are rarely asked to find out answers
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This is a fact check question, we must pick the one statement that the passage actually supports.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Go through each option and check it against the specific line in the passage it relates to, ruling out any option the passage contradicts.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Option A matches the line "he knows that the world understands and respects utility," said of the scientist, so it is confirmed true.
Option B is ruled out because the passage opens by saying the world dismisses curiosity as idle, not that it encourages curiosity.
Option C is ruled out because the passage says parents try to extinguish curiosity in their children.
Option D is ruled out because the passage says that within the university, people keep asking questions to find answers, which is the opposite of "rarely."

Step 4: Final Answer:
Only option A is confirmed by the passage's own wording, so it is correct.
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Question: 7

It may be inferred from the passage that curiosity

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Notice the passage's opening line that curious persons are seldom idle.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Results in Boredom
  • Breeds inefficiency
  • Results in action
  • Is liked by the society
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This is an inference question about what curiosity leads to, based on the overall passage, not one single line.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Collect every example of curious behaviour mentioned in the passage and see what they have in common.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The passage opens by saying curious persons are seldom idle, which already points away from boredom or inefficiency.
Students within the university keep asking questions and trying to find answers, which is active work.
The mountain climber wants to climb simply because the mountain is there, again showing action driven by curiosity.
Scholars are described working on real problems such as finding a cure for cancer, more active effort.
Option A and option B both describe passivity or poor output, which contradicts every example given.
Option D is not supported either, since the passage says the world dismisses curiosity rather than liking it.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Every example in the passage shows curiosity leading people to act, so option C is correct.
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Question: 8

According to the passage, parents do their best to discourage curiosity in their children, because they

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Focus on the word 'unanswerable' used to describe the children's questions.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • have no time
  • are unable to answer all the questions
  • feel that their children ask stupid questions continuously
  • have no patience to answer them
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need the passage's stated reason for parents wanting to discourage their children's curiosity.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Focus on the exact adjective the passage uses to describe the children's questions, since that word carries the reason.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The passage says life becomes difficult "with a string of unanswerable questions about what makes fire hot or why grass grows."
"Unanswerable" means the parents cannot answer these questions, not that they lack time or patience.
Option A brings in "no time," which the passage does not mention anywhere.
Option C calls the questions stupid, but the passage's own word is "unanswerable," a different idea.
Option D brings in "no patience," again not the word or idea the passage uses.
Option B, "unable to answer all the questions," matches "unanswerable" precisely.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The passage's word "unanswerable" directly supports option B as the correct reason.
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Top Questions on Reading Comprehension

Questions Asked in IBSAT exam

Although cynics may like to see the government’s policy for women in terms of the party’s internal power struggles, it will nevertheless be churlish to deny that it represents a pioneering effort aimed at bringing about sweeping social reforms. In its language, scope and strategies, the policy document displays a degree of understanding of women’s needs that is uncommon in government pronouncements. This is due in large part to the participatory process that marked its formulation, seeking the active involvement right from the start of women’s groups, academic institutions and non-government organizations with grass roots experience.
The result is not just a lofty declaration of principles but a blueprint for a practical programme of action. The policy delineates a series of concrete measures to accord women a decision-making role in the political domain and greater control over their economic status. Of especially far-reaching impact are the devolution of control of economic infrastructure to women, notably at the gram panchayat level, and the amendments proposed in the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 to give women coparcenary rights.
 An enlightened aspect of the policy is its recognition that actual change in the status of women cannot be brought about by the mere enactment of socially progressive legislation. Accordingly, it focuses on reorienting development programmes and sensitizing administrations to address specific situations as, for instance, the growing number of households headed by women, which is a consequence of rural-urban migration. The proposal to create an equal-opportunity police force and give women greater control of police stations is an acknowledgement of the biases and callousness displayed by the generally all-male lawenforcement authorities in cases of dowry and domestic violence. While the mere enunciation of such a policy has the salutary effect of sensitizing the administration as a whole, it does not make the task of its implementation any easier. 
This is because the changes it envisages in the political and economic status of women strike at the root of power structures in society and the basis of man woman relationships. There is also the danger that reservation for women in public life, while necessary for their greater visibility, could lapse into tokenism or become a tool in the hands of vote seeking politicians. Much will depend on the dissemination of the policy and the ability of elected representatives and government agencies to reorder their priorities.
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Generally, people experience stress in their day-to-day lives, but more than thirty million Americans suffer from something more intense than that. Anxiety disorders are the second-most-common mental health problem in the country, and they can be paralyzing. Sometimes, day-to-day stress and anxiety are hard to tell apart, but the easiest way to distinguish them is that stress is brought on by actual events, and then dissipates, whereas anxiety is a more pervasive worry, that often attaches itself to specific areas of your life, like your relationship, job or health, says psychologist Terry Mooney.
This anxiety does not dissipate, and in fact, it can increase to the level where it begins to change your behavior. That’s when it’s characterized as an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can keep you safe, helping you recognize danger, and cope with it, says Mooney. But if you begin to see danger lurking around every corner, or worry over and over again about the same events, then you might be dealing with something more substantial, like an anxiety disorder. 
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I am the family face; flesh perishes. I live on, projecting trait and trace through time to times anon, and leaping from place to place over oblivion.
So wrote Thomas Hardy in his poem, Heredity, describing direct descent of life from one generation to the next. Indeed, the poem reflects the DNA in our genome. Dr.Drew Endy of MIT quoted this when he described how people at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) bypass nature’s constraint of direct descent. Scientists there have used chemistry and biochemistry to produce the first synthetic genome in the laboratory. They chemically synthesized many fragments of the DNA, encoding the 582,970-units-long genome of a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium. Next, they assembled these fragments in perfect order to generate the genome of the bacterium.
The DNA sequence of the synthetic one was confirmed to be identical to the natural one. While the DNA pieces were synthesized chemically, the stitching together was done using the biochemical machinery of a host cell. About 100 pieces of the genome, each 5000-7000 units long in DNA sequence, were first joined to produce 25 sub-assemblies, each about 24000 base pairs long. These were then introduced into the bacterium E. coli to produce sufficient DNA for the next steps. Next, they repeated the procedure to generate large fragments comprising l/4th of the whole genome of M.genitalium.
Now, they used the clever trick of exploiting the process called homologous recombination. This is a basic essential process in every cell, which physically rearranges the two strands of DN The JCVI researchers inserted the synthesized DNA fragments into yeast and utilized its homologous recombination ability to generate the whole 580,000 long genome of M.genitalium in one step. 
This is clearly a landmark work that leads into the brave new world of synthesizing life itself in the laboratory. It was hardly 200 years ago when Friedrich Wohler synthesized urea, an organic molecule, in the chemical laboratory, thus throwing out the notion of ‘vital forces’ involved in the components of living organisms. What is the next step, making life itself in the lab, bypassing nature? With single cell organisms like M.genitalium, it might not be far away. It is now possible in the lab to do so, by inserting the genome into a ‘host’ cell and asking the latter to make the bacterium of your choice. If only we find a way to insert the bacterial genome into this proto-cell, and somehow trigger it to make the bacterium itself! We would have chemically created life in the la This is not a pipedream; JCVI scientists are already on the job, and my bet is they will do it within a few years. 
This surely raises ethical questions, a matter that JCVI is keenly aware of and is already engaged in with ethicists. Even their present work on M.genitalium was done with prior approval of ethical experts. But then, today it is M.genitalium, tomorrow it could be a more advanced, multi-cellular organism, and that could flummox even the ethicist. Assisted reproduction, which is the other side of the coin and truly a recently initiated technology, has become ethically and morally acceptable. Cloning of Dolly, the sheep, has not raised any outrage, but cloning a human certainly does.
  • IBSAT
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