Reading Comprehension Practice Test 5
Directions (Q. 1-9): Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option.
As I kept strict watch over my way of living, I could see that it was necessary to economize. I, therefore, decided to reduce my expenses by half. My accounts showed numerous items spent on fares. Again, my living with a family meant the payment of a regular weekly bill. It also included the courtesy of occasionally taking members of the family out to dinner, and likewise attending parties with them. All this involved heavy items for conveyances, especially as, if the friend was a lady, custom required that the man should pay all the expenses. Also, dining out meant extra cost, as no deduction could be made from the regular weekly bill for meals not taken. It seemed to me that all these items could be saved, as likewise the drain on my purse. So, I decided to take rooms on my own account, instead of living any longer in a family, and also to remove from place to place according to the work I had to do, thus gaining experience at the same time. The rooms were so selected as to enable me to reach the place of business on foot in half an hour, and so save fares. Before this, I had always taken some kind of conveyance whenever I went anywhere, and had to find extra time for walks. The new arrangement combined walks and economy, as it meant a saving of fares and gave me walks of eight or ten miles a day. It was mainly this habit of long walks that kept me practically free from illness throughout my stay in England and gave me a fairly strong body.
Thus, I rented a suite of rooms; one for a sitting room and another for a bedroom. This was the second stage. The third was yet to come.
1. The author could reduce his expenses by half by
(1) having only one meal a day
(2) renting rooms close to his office
(3) travelling in a bus
(4) cooking his own meals
Ans. 2
2. _______ constituted a major part of the author’s expenses.
(1) Meals (2) Fares
(3) Dining out (4) Entertainment
Ans. 2
3. The author’s choice of his new residence enabled him to
(1) be close to his friends
(2) work longer and harder
(3) save money on fares
(4) keeping things under control
Ans. 3
4. What gave the author a fairly strong body?
(1) Yogic exercises
(3) Nourishing food
(2) Self discipline
(4) Long walks
Ans. 4
5. The steps taken by the author to reduce his expenses show that he was
(1) frugal
(2) always short of money
(3) saving money for emergencies
(4) miserly
Ans. 1
6. The word ‘numerous’ most nearly means
(1) many
(2) enormous
(3) goodness
(4) politeness
Ans. 2
7. The word which is opposite in meaning to ‘courtesy’ is
(1) aggression
(3) immodesty
(2) vulgarity
(4) rudeness
Ans. 4
8. Which ‘part of speech’ is the underlined word in the sentences given below?
“I decided to reduce my expenses by half.”
(1) Preposition
(3) Adverb
(2) Adjective 1
(4) Noun
Ans. 1
9. “The new arrangement combined walks and economy.”
The voice in the above sentence has been correctly changed in
(1) The new arrangement had combined walks and economy.
(2) Walks and economy are combined in the new arrangement
(3) Walks and economy were combined in the new arrangement.
(4) Walks and economy have been combined by the new arrangement.
Ans. 3
