Directions: Below, a passage is given with five blanks labelled (A)- (E). Below the passage, five options are given for each blank. Choose the word that fits each blank most appropriately in the context of the passage, and mark the corresponding answer.

Tiny plastic particles washed off products like synthetic clothing and car tyres account for up to a third of the plastic polluting oceans, __ (A) __ eco-systems and human health, a top conservationist body warned. Unlike the __ (B) __ images of country-sized garbage patches floating in the oceans, the micro plastic particles that wash off textiles and roadways leave the waterways looking __ (C) __.

But they constitute a significant part of the “plastic soup” clogging our waters — accounting for between 15% and 31% of the estimated 9.5 million tones of plastic released into the oceans each year, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In its report “Primary Micro plastics in the Oceans”, the IUCN found that in many developed countries in North America and Europe, which have __ (D) __ waste management, tiny plastic particles are in fact a bigger source of marine plastic pollution than plastic waste.

In addition to car tyres and synthetic textiles, such particles stem from everything from marine coatings and road markings, to city dust and the micro beads in cosmetics. “Plastic waste is not all there is to ocean plastics,” IUCN chief Inger Andersen said in a statement, insisting that “we must look far beyond waste management if we are to __ (E) __ ocean pollution in its entirety”.

Which of the following words most appropriately fits the blank labelled (B)?

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank.

The first human beings to control fire gradually learned (1)______ many uses. Not only did they (2)______ fire to keep warm and cook their food; they (3)______ learned to use it in hunting or warfare, to kill insects, to (4)______ berries, and to clear forests of underbrush so that game (5)______ be better seen and hunted. Eventually they learned that the burning of brush produced better grasslands and therefore more game.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each number.

The endurance of the crowds lining the Coronation route was most commendable. Soaked, chilled and sleepless, (1)______ remained wonderfully good-tempered and when the procession finally (2)______ they cheered whole-heartedly. The great merit of a (3)______ crowd is that its members remain individuals. It is (4)______ characteristic of the British culture that British people can collect in crowds (5)______ do not turn into mobs.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank No. 3.

Comprehension: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. Digital India can be the prime (1)________ behind making a reality of the government’s promise of minimum government, maximum governance. Such a transformation requires technology to be firmly (2)_________ into government, something that the Digital India project lists as one of its foremost objectives. Embedding technology into government (3) _________ will do three things; transform the government and make it more transparent and efficient, transform the lives of citizens especially those at the bottom of the (4)_________ pyramid and make our economy more efficient and competitive. A 2014 McKinsey Global Institute report predicts that the large-scale (5) ________ of technology through Digital India positions India with the biggest opportunity yet to accelerate economic growth.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each number.

Antarctica is perhaps the one place on Earth no one would have expected (1)______ canyons. And yet, scientists were surprised to (2)______ deep crevices that run for hundreds of kilometres. (3)______ they are not visible at the snowy surface, (4)______ trenches cut deep into Antarctica. The biggest (5)______ canyon is over 350 km long. It’s called ‘Foundation Trough’. Other canyons are not as long, but they are impressive too. These canyons were found with the help of radars after scanning the wide expanse of the frozen continent. They are incredibly important because they help control the flow of the ice.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank No. 3.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

 The rise in the Irrawaddy dolphin (1) ______ in Chilika can be attributed to the eviction of (2) ______ fish enclosures. After thousands of hectares of Chilika lake were made (3) ______ free, Irrawaddy dolphins found unobstructed area for movement. (4) ______, due to the COVID-19 lockdown last year, there were comparatively fewer tourist boats on Chilika lake, which made it (5) ______ for dolphins to move from one part of the lake to another.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

Everything (1) _________ us makes our environment. Living and non-living things form the (2) _________ of our surroundings. Plants, animals and microbes are parts of our environment. Humans have affected the environment in multiple (3) ______ like clearing of forests, building houses and farms, making roads, etc. This is the root (4) _______ of air, water and land pollution on the planet. Ecologists across the globe are making efforts to educate mankind about the (5) _________ of nature, the crisis we face and the methods of managing these crises.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.

In the following passage some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each number.

The endurance of the crowds lining the Coronation route was most commendable. Soaked, chilled and sleepless, (1)______ remained wonderfully good-tempered and when the procession finally (2)______ they cheered whole-heartedly. The great merit of a (3)______ crowd is that its members remain individuals. It is (4)______ characteristic of the British culture that British people can collect in crowds (5)______ do not turn into mobs.

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank No. 4.