What, one wonders, is the lowest common denominator of Indian culture today? The attractive Hema Malini ? The songs of Vinidh Barati? The attractive Hema Malini? The sons of Vinidh Barati?
 Or the mouth-watering Masala Dosa? Delectable as these may be, each yield pride of place to that false (?) symbol of a new era-the synthetic fibre. In less than twenty years the nylon sari and the terylene shirt have swept the countryside, penetrated to the farthest corners of the land and persuaded every common man, woman and child that the key to success in the present day world lie in artificial fibers: glass nylon, crepe nylon, tery mixes, polyesters and what have you. More than the bicycles, the wristwatch or the transistor radio, synthetic clothes have come to represent the first step away form the village square. The village lass treasures the flashy nylon sari in her trousseau most delay; the village youth gets a great kick out of his cheap terrycot shirt and trousers, the nearest he can approximate to the expensive synthetic sported by his wealthy citybred contemporaries. And the Neo-rich craze for ‘phoren’ is nowhere more apparent than in the price that people will pay for smuggled, stolen, begged borrowed second hand or thrown away synthetics. Alas, even the uniformity of nylon. 

‘The lowest common denominator’ of the Indian culture today is – 

Direction: In the question, a sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct and mark your answer in the Answer Sheet.

He said to me, "I will have been digging the ground for half an hour" 

FIDELITY 

Direction: In the following questions, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word as your answer.

Siesta

Direction: In the following questions, out of the four alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word as your answer.

IMPROVEMENT

Direction (Q.131 to 140): In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage, against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

Once upon a time a foolish brahmin (131) to Birbal with a strange request. He wanted to be (132) as ' pandit’. Now, the term pandit ' (133) to a man of knowledge. But unfortunately, this poor brahmin was uneducated. Birbal tried to explain the difference to him saying that it was not correct to call an uneducated man a pandit and because of this very reason it would be improper to call him so . But, the silly brahmin had his heart (134) on this title. Birbal came up with a brilliant solution and said that as the brahmin was an uneducated man he should (135) abuses and stones at anyone who dared to address him by the very same title. Then Birbal called all his servants and ordered them to call this brahmin pandit. The brahmin was very pleased. But the moment the servants started calling out to him as ' pandit ' he pretended to be very angry and (136) abusing them loudly. Then he picked up a few stones and hurled them in their direction. All this shouting and screaming (137) a crowd. When people realised that this brahmin was erupting every time someone called him pandit’, they all started to (138 ) him. Over the next couple of days, he would constantly hear the word ' pandit ' wherever he went very soon the whole town started referring to him as ' pandit ' much to his (139). The foolish brahmin never realised why people were calling him a pandit. He was extremely pleased with the result. He (140) Birbal from the bottom of his heart.

She HAMMERED AWAY ON her PC all night and finished the project.

Directions: Choose the word which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 

CAPRICIOUS 

Select the most appropriate meaning of the given idiom.
Work against the clock