Read carefully the passages given below and answer the questions.
Although the camel caravan is recognized as the best means of transport for valuable goods over great distances, yet, for local journeys or when, owing to the perishable nature of the cargo, time is of great importance, the Turki with his drove of little donkeys is the man. He is met on every road of Turkestan, always hustling his beasts through a cloud of dust and lashing them right and left to keep them up to speed. He is a great burly fellow, dressed in loose clothes which increase his bulk, and his baggy trousers are stuffed in to high leather boots. His chapan (coat) is tied in with a thick belt, and he wears a round hat with a sheepskin border which mixes with his loose hair to form a shaggy frame to the weather-beaten face. One man, or at the most two, will drive twenty donkeys, riding behind them, shouting incessantly, and never letting them slacken to normal walking-pace.
He mainly conveys melons, early vegetable and fruits — apricots peaches, grapes and pears according to season — but makes up his load with rolls of loosely woven, undyed cotton. He knows no organization of travel life, but pushes on from stage to stage with restless energy. When the donkeys must be fed he drives them in to an inn-court, tosses the panniers from their backs, carelessly throws fodder in to the manger, pulls some hard cakes of bread from his own food-bag and sits down to a meal of bread soaked in tea. He carries with himself what he will need to eat on the road. He takes a short sleep while the animals finish their grain, then he flings himself on to his beast’s back and urges the drove on for as far as he dare before feeding them again.
The donkeys are small and cheap, so he is careless of life and sacrifices them in large numbers to his passion for speed and his reckless output of strength. He will use dangerous short-cuts over which no other class of transport-man will use venture, and in bad weather many beasts die by the roadside. This does not trouble him, and he just lifts the load from the exhausted creature and divides its weight among the others, then pushes on again, regardless of suffering, to deliver the cargo at market, for he has a master as impatient as himself waiting at the other end. He will normally do five stages in three days and nothing may stand in his way, but when the goods are handed over and he can lodge in an inn, he enjoys twenty-four hours of sheer luxury. There is hot, greasy pilau to eat, women to wait on him, and long carefree hours of sleep to enjoy before he stars again on the hectic return journey.
The Chinese method of transport is quite different. Great carts which cross the Gobi link the commercial life of China proper with the raw material markets of Turkestan, and a carter who leaves Kashgar in February will swing through the gates of his Honan home town in August without having shifted his splendidly packed cargo. In the course of this phenomenal journey he will only need to change the axle a few times in order to adjust the cart to the wider desert gauge or the narrowing Kansu or Honan ruts. The widest axle is required between Suchow and Hami, and the narrowest in Honan.
The Chinese transport agent makes constant use of the words ta-suan, which mean to compute, calculate, think out, arrange ahead, organize and consider carefully. It represents a characteristic so much admired by the Chinese as to be regarded by them almost as a virtue, and is an integral part of their economy of life. The man who can ta-suan gets full value from time, strength, capacity and money, and anyone who has not the intelligence to ta-suan is, in Chinese eyes, an uncivilized barbarian. The classic example of ta-suan is the incident of a Chinese general who, centuries ago, was sent out with an expeditionary force to conquer the land beyond the deserts. He sat down to ta-suan, and doing so he realized that it might be all too easy to conquer the land yet lose the campaign through inability to feed his own troops He therefore selected bodies of men versed in agriculture, and sent them ahead with supporting forces to select suitable sites where they must plough and sow, then reap the harvest. If the grain were carefully stored against the arrival of his troops, it would support them through the following year. Thanks to such good ta- suan, he carried the campaign to a successful issue.
The Chinese transport system across the Gobi has been built up on the principle of ta-suan, and in entire contrast with the native genius of the reckless Turki driver. The distances which make a possible stage for man and beast have been meticulously calculated, as well as the equipment necessary to ensure reasonable ease on the journey. The Chinese understand the art of elimination and how not to encumber themselves with superfluous impedimenta. Before leaving home the Chinese carter has thought out where he can exchange his money to best advantage, what goods can be bought and sold most profitably in each place, and where money invested in an extra horse or mule will bring in most profit. He leaves Central China with large sleek mules for which he himself has paid a good price, but which he sells to rich Tungans at Suchow at tremendous profit, and himself buys rough but desert-hardened beasts. For the return journey he will invest some of his depreciated paper taels in good Turkestan horses, which are very cheap in Dzungaria but fetch a big price in Central China.
By this means his round trip has brought in many advantages apart from the straightforward profit of his hire. In manipulating each exchange, this seemingly simple creature shows himself to be actually a financier of no means order, and handles the complicated money market of Central Asia like on his hands, for he has always exchanged it in time for carefully selected goods, and if he has an employer he will stipulate that his wages be paid at the place and in the coin most to his advantage.
Explanation: Para 5, first few lines clearly says that Chinese use ta-suan in all spheres of life.
Read carefully the passages given below and answer the questions.
Although the camel caravan is recognized as the best means of transport for valuable goods over great distances, yet, for local journeys or when, owing to the perishable nature of the cargo, time is of great importance, the Turki with his drove of little donkeys is the man. He is met on every road of Turkestan, always hustling his beasts through a cloud of dust and lashing them right and left to keep them up to speed. He is a great burly fellow, dressed in loose clothes which increase his bulk, and his baggy trousers are stuffed in to high leather boots. His chapan (coat) is tied in with a thick belt, and he wears a round hat with a sheepskin border which mixes with his loose hair to form a shaggy frame to the weather-beaten face. One man, or at the most two, will drive twenty donkeys, riding behind them, shouting incessantly, and never letting them slacken to normal walking-pace.
He mainly conveys melons, early vegetable and fruits — apricots peaches, grapes and pears according to season — but makes up his load with rolls of loosely woven, undyed cotton. He knows no organization of travel life, but pushes on from stage to stage with restless energy. When the donkeys must be fed he drives them in to an inn-court, tosses the panniers from their backs, carelessly throws fodder in to the manger, pulls some hard cakes of bread from his own food-bag and sits down to a meal of bread soaked in tea. He carries with himself what he will need to eat on the road. He takes a short sleep while the animals finish their grain, then he flings himself on to his beast’s back and urges the drove on for as far as he dare before feeding them again.
The donkeys are small and cheap, so he is careless of life and sacrifices them in large numbers to his passion for speed and his reckless output of strength. He will use dangerous short-cuts over which no other class of transport-man will use venture, and in bad weather many beasts die by the roadside. This does not trouble him, and he just lifts the load from the exhausted creature and divides its weight among the others, then pushes on again, regardless of suffering, to deliver the cargo at market, for he has a master as impatient as himself waiting at the other end. He will normally do five stages in three days and nothing may stand in his way, but when the goods are handed over and he can lodge in an inn, he enjoys twenty-four hours of sheer luxury. There is hot, greasy pilau to eat, women to wait on him, and long carefree hours of sleep to enjoy before he stars again on the hectic return journey.
The Chinese method of transport is quite different. Great carts which cross the Gobi link the commercial life of China proper with the raw material markets of Turkestan, and a carter who leaves Kashgar in February will swing through the gates of his Honan home town in August without having shifted his splendidly packed cargo. In the course of this phenomenal journey he will only need to change the axle a few times in order to adjust the cart to the wider desert gauge or the narrowing Kansu or Honan ruts. The widest axle is required between Suchow and Hami, and the narrowest in Honan.
The Chinese transport agent makes constant use of the words ta-suan, which mean to compute, calculate, think out, arrange ahead, organize and consider carefully. It represents a characteristic so much admired by the Chinese as to be regarded by them almost as a virtue, and is an integral part of their economy of life. The man who can ta-suan gets full value from time, strength, capacity and money, and anyone who has not the intelligence to ta-suan is, in Chinese eyes, an uncivilized barbarian. The classic example of ta-suan is the incident of a Chinese general who, centuries ago, was sent out with an expeditionary force to conquer the land beyond the deserts. He sat down to ta-suan, and doing so he realized that it might be all too easy to conquer the land yet lose the campaign through inability to feed his own troops He therefore selected bodies of men versed in agriculture, and sent them ahead with supporting forces to select suitable sites where they must plough and sow, then reap the harvest. If the grain were carefully stored against the arrival of his troops, it would support them through the following year. Thanks to such good ta- suan, he carried the campaign to a successful issue.
The Chinese transport system across the Gobi has been built up on the principle of ta-suan, and in entire contrast with the native genius of the reckless Turki driver. The distances which make a possible stage for man and beast have been meticulously calculated, as well as the equipment necessary to ensure reasonable ease on the journey. The Chinese understand the art of elimination and how not to encumber themselves with superfluous impedimenta. Before leaving home the Chinese carter has thought out where he can exchange his money to best advantage, what goods can be bought and sold most profitably in each place, and where money invested in an extra horse or mule will bring in most profit. He leaves Central China with large sleek mules for which he himself has paid a good price, but which he sells to rich Tungans at Suchow at tremendous profit, and himself buys rough but desert-hardened beasts. For the return journey he will invest some of his depreciated paper taels in good Turkestan horses, which are very cheap in Dzungaria but fetch a big price in Central China.
By this means his round trip has brought in many advantages apart from the straightforward profit of his hire. In manipulating each exchange, this seemingly simple creature shows himself to be actually a financier of no means order, and handles the complicated money market of Central Asia like on his hands, for he has always exchanged it in time for carefully selected goods, and if he has an employer he will stipulate that his wages be paid at the place and in the coin most to his advantage.
According to the passage, all of the following are necessarily true except
1] The Chinese carter benefits more from the trade of his modes of transport than the trade of actual goods.
2] By buying certain class of transport vehicles (animals) in places where they cost lesser, it is possible to make profits by selling them where demand for the same is higher.
3] The Chinese are good at planning their resource requirements and eliminate non-beneficial resources or tasks.
4] If the goods are of higher value, then the preferred mode of transport across the Gobi is the camel caravan.
Explanation: No where it is said that the profits from trade of animals is higher, though it is mentioned that it is substantial.
Read carefully the passages given below and answer the questions.
Some 200 years ago, Charles Darwin declared that man evolved from apes. Some 2000 years before the English biologist put his thought to paper, the origin of species, as he described it, was already in place in our ancient scriptures such as the Puranas.
There is a curious parallel between the scientific concept and the Hindu theological interpretation of evolution. While the former, as evident from the works of Darwin, assumes that the civilized man evolved through gradual modification of life forms, starting with the fish - a process he called evolution by natural selection - the latter, as evident from the Dasha Avatar, or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, also suggests that the human form descended from the sea. Further, according to Hindu theology, the Supreme Being is present in both the living and non-living on earth. And without God, the universe could never have come into existence.
Since ancient times, the ten avatars of Vishnu have been interpreted as the various stages in evolution, ultimately culminating in the emergence of the human being. According to Hindu theologists, the process of evolution started with the sea creature, thereafter progressing through the amphibian, the reptile, the mammal, the half- man, the dwarf, finally ending up as man. People who believe in the Puranic concept of evolution would agree with Darwin.
Another area where both concur is the process of creation (kalpa) and dissolution (pralaya) of the universe, which is said to occur through time-stages, known in Hindu mythology as the yugas (ages). It is in the fourth age, the Kali-Yuga, or the Age of the Unknown, that man self- destructs, thus repeating the cycle of life. Darwin too believed in a similar order and reorder of evolution.
Vedic history is replete with fascinating tales from the Dasha Avatar where Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos and protector of life, battles with the forces of evil. He does this by descending from his home in Vaikuntha and assuming the incarnation of man or beast to set things right in the mortal world.
The first of the ten incarnations, as told in the Dasha Avatar, is the Matsya Avatar where Vishnu assumes the form of a fish to retrieve the Vedas from an evil asura, and preserve them for the next spell of creation. As the poet Jayadeva sang- “All glories to you, O Lord of the Universe, who took the form of a fish. When the sacred hymns of the Vedas were lost in the waters of universal devastation, you swam like a boat in that vast ocean to rescue them.” Science too agrees that the fish was the first advanced life form to inhabit the earth during the later part of the Ice Age.
Thereafter follow the other nine avatars of Vishnu: Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (wild boar), Vamana (dwarf), Narasimha (half man-half beast), Parashurama (the warrior, Rama (the king), Krishna (the cowherd), Buddha (the teacher) and Kalki (the slayer). Of these, the fourth avatar, Vamana, or the dwarf-like monkey, comes closest to resembling the ape-man in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Another interesting point is that Hanuman is often considered to be the missing link between ape and man. The monkey king and his tribe were, perhaps, the last but one stage in the evolution of the civilized human being. Hanuman, as we know, is considered athletic and intelligent, one capable of great physical feats.
Equally fascinating is the tale revolving around Kalki, the still-to-come tenth avatar of Vishnu. In the Puranas, Kalki is depicted as a proud warrior, riding a white horse, with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other, who slays the forces of evil as the present, Kali-Yuga, nears its end, and thus restarting the cycle of life. According to neo-Darwinists, the selfish man of today is already in the self-destructing mode. This theory has been put forth by biologists who say that human beings are so hell-bent on competing with one another in the race for supremacy that they will one day destroy themselves. Thus, ending one cycle of evolution and restarting another from the first living organism.
What is the evidence given by the author to show that the theory of evolution lies in ancient scriptures?
Explanation: Second paragraph. The author cites the Dasha Avatar as the evidence of his belief.
Read carefully the passages given below and answer the questions.
Some 200 years ago, Charles Darwin declared that man evolved from apes. Some 2000 years before the English biologist put his thought to paper, the origin of species, as he described it, was already in place in our ancient scriptures such as the Puranas.
There is a curious parallel between the scientific concept and the Hindu theological interpretation of evolution. While the former, as evident from the works of Darwin, assumes that the civilized man evolved through gradual modification of life forms, starting with the fish - a process he called evolution by natural selection - the latter, as evident from the Dasha Avatar, or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, also suggests that the human form descended from the sea. Further, according to Hindu theology, the Supreme Being is present in both the living and non-living on earth. And without God, the universe could never have come into existence.
Since ancient times, the ten avatars of Vishnu have been interpreted as the various stages in evolution, ultimately culminating in the emergence of the human being. According to Hindu theologists, the process of evolution started with the sea creature, thereafter progressing through the amphibian, the reptile, the mammal, the half- man, the dwarf, finally ending up as man. People who believe in the Puranic concept of evolution would agree with Darwin.
Another area where both concur is the process of creation (kalpa) and dissolution (pralaya) of the universe, which is said to occur through time-stages, known in Hindu mythology as the yugas (ages). It is in the fourth age, the Kali-Yuga, or the Age of the Unknown, that man self- destructs, thus repeating the cycle of life. Darwin too believed in a similar order and reorder of evolution.
Vedic history is replete with fascinating tales from the Dasha Avatar where Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos and protector of life, battles with the forces of evil. He does this by descending from his home in Vaikuntha and assuming the incarnation of man or beast to set things right in the mortal world.
The first of the ten incarnations, as told in the Dasha Avatar, is the Matsya Avatar where Vishnu assumes the form of a fish to retrieve the Vedas from an evil asura, and preserve them for the next spell of creation. As the poet Jayadeva sang- “All glories to you, O Lord of the Universe, who took the form of a fish. When the sacred hymns of the Vedas were lost in the waters of universal devastation, you swam like a boat in that vast ocean to rescue them.” Science too agrees that the fish was the first advanced life form to inhabit the earth during the later part of the Ice Age.
Thereafter follow the other nine avatars of Vishnu: Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (wild boar), Vamana (dwarf), Narasimha (half man-half beast), Parashurama (the warrior, Rama (the king), Krishna (the cowherd), Buddha (the teacher) and Kalki (the slayer). Of these, the fourth avatar, Vamana, or the dwarf-like monkey, comes closest to resembling the ape-man in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Another interesting point is that Hanuman is often considered to be the missing link between ape and man. The monkey king and his tribe were, perhaps, the last but one stage in the evolution of the civilized human being. Hanuman, as we know, is considered athletic and intelligent, one capable of great physical feats.
Equally fascinating is the tale revolving around Kalki, the still-to-come tenth avatar of Vishnu. In the Puranas, Kalki is depicted as a proud warrior, riding a white horse, with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other, who slays the forces of evil as the present, Kali-Yuga, nears its end, and thus restarting the cycle of life. According to neo-Darwinists, the selfish man of today is already in the self-destructing mode. This theory has been put forth by biologists who say that human beings are so hell-bent on competing with one another in the race for supremacy that they will one day destroy themselves. Thus, ending one cycle of evolution and restarting another from the first living organism.
Explanation: Second last paragraph - the author cites Hanuman as the missing link.
Read carefully the passages given below and answer the questions.
Some 200 years ago, Charles Darwin declared that man evolved from apes. Some 2000 years before the English biologist put his thought to paper, the origin of species, as he described it, was already in place in our ancient scriptures such as the Puranas.
There is a curious parallel between the scientific concept and the Hindu theological interpretation of evolution. While the former, as evident from the works of Darwin, assumes that the civilized man evolved through gradual modification of life forms, starting with the fish - a process he called evolution by natural selection - the latter, as evident from the Dasha Avatar, or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, also suggests that the human form descended from the sea. Further, according to Hindu theology, the Supreme Being is present in both the living and non-living on earth. And without God, the universe could never have come into existence.
Since ancient times, the ten avatars of Vishnu have been interpreted as the various stages in evolution, ultimately culminating in the emergence of the human being. According to Hindu theologists, the process of evolution started with the sea creature, thereafter progressing through the amphibian, the reptile, the mammal, the half- man, the dwarf, finally ending up as man. People who believe in the Puranic concept of evolution would agree with Darwin.
Another area where both concur is the process of creation (kalpa) and dissolution (pralaya) of the universe, which is said to occur through time-stages, known in Hindu mythology as the yugas (ages). It is in the fourth age, the Kali-Yuga, or the Age of the Unknown, that man self- destructs, thus repeating the cycle of life. Darwin too believed in a similar order and reorder of evolution.
Vedic history is replete with fascinating tales from the Dasha Avatar where Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos and protector of life, battles with the forces of evil. He does this by descending from his home in Vaikuntha and assuming the incarnation of man or beast to set things right in the mortal world.
The first of the ten incarnations, as told in the Dasha Avatar, is the Matsya Avatar where Vishnu assumes the form of a fish to retrieve the Vedas from an evil asura, and preserve them for the next spell of creation. As the poet Jayadeva sang- “All glories to you, O Lord of the Universe, who took the form of a fish. When the sacred hymns of the Vedas were lost in the waters of universal devastation, you swam like a boat in that vast ocean to rescue them.” Science too agrees that the fish was the first advanced life form to inhabit the earth during the later part of the Ice Age.
Thereafter follow the other nine avatars of Vishnu: Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (wild boar), Vamana (dwarf), Narasimha (half man-half beast), Parashurama (the warrior, Rama (the king), Krishna (the cowherd), Buddha (the teacher) and Kalki (the slayer). Of these, the fourth avatar, Vamana, or the dwarf-like monkey, comes closest to resembling the ape-man in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Another interesting point is that Hanuman is often considered to be the missing link between ape and man. The monkey king and his tribe were, perhaps, the last but one stage in the evolution of the civilized human being. Hanuman, as we know, is considered athletic and intelligent, one capable of great physical feats.
Equally fascinating is the tale revolving around Kalki, the still-to-come tenth avatar of Vishnu. In the Puranas, Kalki is depicted as a proud warrior, riding a white horse, with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other, who slays the forces of evil as the present, Kali-Yuga, nears its end, and thus restarting the cycle of life. According to neo-Darwinists, the selfish man of today is already in the self-destructing mode. This theory has been put forth by biologists who say that human beings are so hell-bent on competing with one another in the race for supremacy that they will one day destroy themselves. Thus, ending one cycle of evolution and restarting another from the first living organism.
The theory of self-destruction:
Explanation: Last paragraph - “This theory has been put forth by biologists who say that…”