English Quiz for LIC Assistant Mains 3rd December

Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

One of the criteria by which we judge the vitality of a style of painting is its ability to renew itself- its responsiveness to the changing nature and quality of experience, the degree of conceptual and formal innovation that it exhibits. By this criterion, it would appear that the practice of abstractionism has failed to engage creatively with the radical change in human experience in recent decades. it has, seemingly, been unwilling to re-invent itself in relation to the systems of artistic expression and viewers’ expectations that have developed under the impact of the mass media.

The judgement that abstractionism has slipped into ‘inertia gear’ is gaining endorsement, not only among discerning viewers and practitioners of other art forms, but also among abstract painters themselves. Like their companions elsewhere in the world, abstraction lists in India are asking themselves an overwhelming question today: Does abstractionism have a future? The major- crisis that abstractionists face is that of revitalising their picture surface; few have improvised any solutions beyond the ones that were exhausted by the I 970s. Like all revolutions, whether in politics or in art, abstractionism must now confront its moment of truth: having begun life as a new and radical pictorial approach to experience, it has become an entrenched orthodoxy itself. Indeed, when viewed against a historical situation in which a variety of subversive, interactive and richly hybrid forms are available to the art practitioner, abstractionism assumes the remote and defiant air of an aristocracy that has outlived its age; trammelled by formulaic conventions yet buttressed by a rhetoric of sacred mystery, it seems condemned to being the last citadel of the self-regarding ‘fine art’ tradition, the last hurrah of painting for painting’s sake.

The situation is further complicated in India by the circumstances in which an indigenous abstractionism came into prominence here during the 1960s. From the beginning it was propelled by the dialectic between two motives, one revolutionary and the other conservative-it was inaugurated as an act of emancipation from the dogmas of the nascent Indian nation state, when an’ was officially viewed as an indulgence at worst, and at best, as an instrument for the celebration of the republic’s hopes and aspirations. Having rejected these dogmas, the pioneering abstractionists also went on to reject the various figurative styles associated with the Santiniketan circle and others. In such a situation, abstractionism was a revolutionary move, It led art towards the exploration of the subconscious mind, the spiritual quest and the possible expansion of consciousness. Indian painting entered into a phase of self-inquiry, a meditative inner space where cosmic symbols and non-representational images ruled. Often, the transition from figurative idioms to abstractionist ones took place within the same artist.

At the same time, Indian abstractionists have rarely committed themselves wholeheartedly to a nonrepresentational idiom. They have been preoccupied with the fundamentally metaphysical project of aspiring to the mystical- holy without altogether renouncing the symbolic) This has been sustained by a hereditary reluctance to give up the murti, the inviolable iconic form, which explains why abstractionism is marked by the conservative tendency to operate with images from the sacred repertoire of the past. Abstractionism thus entered India as a double-edged device in a complex cultural transaction. ideologically, it served as an internationalist legitimisation the emerging revolutionary local trends. However, on entry; it was conscripted to serve local artistic preoccupations a survey of indigenous abstractionism will show that its most obvious points of affinity with European and American abstract art were with the more mystically oriented of the major sources of abstractionist philosophy and practice, for instance the Kandinsky-Klee school. There have been no takers for Malevich’s Suprematism, which militantly rejected both the artistic forms of the past and the world of appearances, privileging the new- minted geometric symbol as an autonomous sign of the desire for infinity.

Against this backdrop, we can identify three major abstractionist idioms in Indian art. The first develops from a love of the earth, and assumes the form of a celebration of the self’s dissolution in the cosmic panorama; the landscape is no longer a realistic, transcription of the scene, but is transformed into a visionary occasion for contemplating the cycles of decay and regeneration. The second idiom phrases its departures from symbolic and archetypal devices as invitations to heightened planes of awareness. Abstractionism begins with the establishment or dissolution of the motif, which can be drawn from diverse sources, including the hieroglyphic tablet, the Sufi meditation dance or the Tantrie diagram. The third- idiom is based on the lyric play of forms guided by gesture or allied with formal improvisations like the assemblage. Here, sometimes, the line dividing abstract image from patterned design or quasi-random expressive marking may blur. The flux of forms can also be regimented through the poetics of pure colour arrangements, vector-diagrammatic spaces anti gestural design.

In this genealogy, some pure lines of descent follow their logic to the inevitable point of extinction, others engage in cross-fertilisation and yet others undergo mutation to maintain their energy. However, this genealogical survey demonstrates the wave at its crests, those points where the metaphysical and the painterly have been fused in images of abiding potency, ideas sensuously ordained rather than fabricated programmatically to a concept. It is equally possible to enumerate the troughs where the two principles do not come together, thus arriving at a very different account. Uncharitable as it may sound, the history of Indian abstractionism records a series of attempts to avoid the risks of abstraction by resorting to an overt and near-generic symbolism which many Indian abstractionists embrace when they find themselves bereft of the imaginative energy to negotiate the union of metaphysics and painterliness.

Such symbolism falls into a dual trap: it succumbs to the pompous vacuity of pure metaphysics when the burden of intention is passed off as justification; or then it is desiccated by the arid formalism of pure painterliness, with delight in the measure of chance or pattern guiding the execution of a painting. The ensuing conflict of purpose stalls the progress of abstractionism in an impasse. The remarkable Indian abstractionists are precisely those who have overcome this and addressed themselves to the basic elements of their art with a decisive sense of independence from prior models. In their recent work, we see the logic of Indian abstractionism pushed almost to the furthest it can be taken. Beyond such artists stands a lost generation of abstractionists whose work invokes a wistful, delicate beauty but stops there. Abstractionism is not a universal language; it is an art that points up the loss of a shared language of signs in society. And yet, it affirms the possibility of its recovery through the effort of awareness. While its rhetoric has always emphasised a call for new forms of attention, abstractionist practice has tended to fall into a complacent pride in its own incomprehensibility; a complacency fatal in an ethos where vibrant new idioms compete for the viewers’ attention. Indian abstractionists ought to really return to basics, to reformulate and replenish their understanding of the nature of the relationship between the painted image and the world around it. But will they abandon their favorite conceptual habits and formal conventions, if this becomes necessary?

Q1. Which one of the following is not stated by the author as a reason for abstractionism losing its vitality?

(a) Abstractionism has failed to reorient itself in the context of changing human experience.

(b) Abstractionism has not considered the developments in artistic expression that have taken place in recent times.

(c) Abstractionism has not followed the path taken by all revolutions, whether in politics or art.

(d) The impact of mass media on viewers’ expectations has not been assessed, and responded to, by abstractionism.

(e) All of these

Q2. Which one of the following, according to the author, is the role that abstractionism plays in a society?

(a) It provides an idiom that can be understood by most members in a society.

(b) It highlights the absence of a shared language of meaningful symbols which can be recreated through greater awareness.

(c) It highlights the contradictory artistic trends of revolution and conservatism that any society needs to move forward.

(d) it helps abstractionist invoke the wistful, delicate beauty that may exist in society. 

(e) None of these

Q3. According to the author, which one of the following characteristics the crisis faced by abstractionism?

(a) Abstractionists appear to be unable to transcend the solutions tried out earlier.

(b) Abstractionism has allowed itself to be confined by set forms and practices.

(c) Abstractionists have been unable to use the multiplicity of forms now becoming available to an artist.

(d) Both (a) and (b) 

(e) All of the above.

Q4. According to the author, the introduction of abstractionism was revolutionary because it:

(a) celebrated the hopes and aspirations of a newly independent nation.

(b) provided a new direction to Indian art, towards self- inquiry and non- representational images.

(c) managed to obtain internationalist support for the abstractionist agenda

(d) was an emancipation form the dogmas of the nascent nation state.

(e) All of the above

Q5. Which one of the following is not part of the author’s characterisation of the conservative trend in India abstractionism?

(a) An exploration of the subconscious mind.

(b) A lack of full commitment to non- representational symbols.

(c) An adherence to the symbolic while aspiring to the mystical.

(d) Usage of the images of gods or similar symbols.

(e) None of these.

Q6. Given the author’s delineation of the three abstractionist idioms in Indian art, the third idiom can be best distinguished from the other two idioms through its:

 (a) depiction of nature’s cyclical renewal.

(b) use of non-representational images.

(c) emphasis on arrangement of forms.

(d) limited reliance on original models.

(e) None of these

Q7. According to the author, the attraction of the Kandinsky-Klee school for Indian abtractionist can be explained by which one of the following?

(a) The conservative tendency to aspire to the mystical without a complete renunciation of the symbolic

(b) The discomfort of Indian abstractionists with Malevich’s Suprematism.

(c) The easy identification of obvious points of affinity with European and American abstract art, of which the Kandinsky-Klee school is an example.

(d) The double-edged nature of abstractionism which enabled identification with mystically-oriented schools.

(e) All of these.

Q8. Which one of the following, according to the author, is the most important reason for the stalling of abstractionism’s progress in an impasse?

(a) Some artists have followed their abstractionist logic to the point of extinction.

(b) Some artists have allowed chance or pattern to dominate the execution of their paintings.

(c) Many artists have avoided the trap of a near-generic and an open symbolism.

(d) Many artists have found it difficult to fuse the twin principles of the metaphysical and the painterly.

(e) All are correct

Directions (9): Choose the word/group of words which is most SIMILAR in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in passage.

Q9. Trammeled

(a)apportion

(b) encumber

(c) barren

(d) penurious

(e) swaddle

Directions (10): Choose the word/group of words which is most OPPOSITE in meaning to the word/group of words printed in bold as used in passage.

Q10. Prominence

(a)indigent

(b) relegate

(c) destitute

(d) nadir

(e) ordain

Direction (11-15): The following question consists of a sentence which is divided into three parts which contain grammatical errors in one or more than one part of the sentence. If there is an error in any part of the sentence, find the correct alternatives to replace those parts from the three options given below each question to make the sentence grammatically correct. If there is an error in any part of the sentence and none of the alternatives is correct to replace that part, then choose (d), i.e., None of the (I), (II) and (III) as your answer. If the given sentence is grammatically correct or does not require any correction, choose (e), i.e., No correction required as your answer.

Q11. The dark blue long coaches of Indian Railways will be a thing (I)/ of the past now as, the public transporter had been repainting (II)/ all Mail/Express trains in a new colour scheme. (III)

(I) The long dark blue coaches of Indian Railways will be a thing

(II) of the past now as, the public transporter would be repainting

(III) all Mail/Express trains in a new coloured scheme.

(a)Only (I)

(b)Both (I) and (III) 

(c)Both (I) and (II)

(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)

(e)No correction required

Q12. Aboriginal children born today (I)/ have a better start in life than ever before, (II)/ the latest Chief Health Officer’s report shows. (III)

(I) Aboriginally children born today

(II) has a better start in life then ever before,

(III) the late Chief Health Officers reports show

(a)Only (I)

(b)Both (I) and (III) 

(c)Both (I) and (II)

(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)

(e)No correction required

Q13. Having descended the hill to a trot, (I)/ he no longer saw either our own or the enemy’s fire, (II)/but heard the shouting of the French more loudly and distinctly. (III)

(I) Having descended the hill at a trot

(II) he no longer saw either our own or the enemy’s fires

(III) but hears the shouting of the French more loudly and distinctly

(a)Only (I)

(b)Both (I) and (III) 

(c)Both (I) and (II)

(d)None of the (I), (II) and (III)

(e)No correction required

Q14. Had I lend you this CD (I)/ on the condition that you would (II)/ return the same on Monday. (III)

(I) I will lend you this CD

(II) on the condition that you

(III) return it on Monday

(a) Both (I) and (III)

(b) only (I)

(c) Both (I) and (II)

(d) All (I), (II) and (III)

(e) no correction required

Q15. One in six Americans is expected to develop dementia, (I)/ and care can be enough costly to force even(II)/ middle-class families into poverty and onto the public payroll. (III)

(I) One in six American is expected to develop dementia,

(II) and care can be costly enough to force even

(III) middle-class families into poverty and public payroll.

(a) only (III)

(b) only (II)

(c) Both (I) and (II)

(d) None of  (I), (II) and (III)

(e) no correction required

SOLUTIONS:

S1. Ans.(c)

Sol. Refer to the last line of the 1st paragraph where it is written “By this criterion, it would appear that the practice of abstractionism has failed to engage creatively with the radical change in human experience in recent decades. It has seemingly been unwilling to re-invent itself in relation to the systems of artistic expression and viewers expectations that have developed under the impact of the mass media.”

This covers the option(a), (b) and (d) while the option (c) is nowhere mentioned.

S2. Ans.(b)

Sol. Refer to the lines of the last paragraph “Abstractionism is not a universal language; it is an art that points up the loss of a shared language of signs in society. And yet, it affirms the possibility of its recover through the effort of awareness. “

It clearly implies option (b) is the correct choice.

S3. Ans.(e)

Sol. The 2nd paragraph clearly mentions all the reasons. So the option (e) is correct.

S4. Ans.(b)

Sol. Refer to the lines of the 3rd para “In such a situation, abstractionism was a revolutionary move. It led art towards the exploration of the subconscious mind, the spiritual quest and the possible expansion of consciousness. Indian painting entered into a phase of self-inquiry, meditative inner space where cosmic symbols and non-representational images ruled. Often, the transition from figurative idioms to abstractionist ones took place within the same artist.”

This makes option (b) correct.

S5. Ans.(a)

Sol. Refer to the 4th para “At the same time, Indian abstractionists have rarely committed themselves wholeheartedly to non-representational idiom. They have been preoccupied with the fundamentally metaphysical project of aspiring to the mystical holy without altogether renouncing the symbolic. This has been sustained by a hereditary reluctance to give up the murti, the inviolable iconic form, which explains why abstractionism thus entered India as a double-edged device in a complex cultural transaction.”

This makes option (a) correct.

S6. Ans.(c)

Sol. Refer the lines “The third idiom is based on the lyric play of forms guided by gesture or allied with formal improvisations like the assemblage. Here, sometimes, the line dividing abstract image from patterned design or quasi-random expressive marking may blur. The flux of forms can also be regimented through the policies of pure colour arrangements, vector-diagrammatic spaces and gestural design.”

This makes option (c) correct.

S7. Ans.(a)

Sol. Refer to the part of 2nd paragraph “At the same time, Indian abstractionists have rarely committed themselves wholeheartedly to non-representational idiom. They have been preoccupied with the fundamentally metaphysical project of aspiring to the mystical holy without altogether renouncing the symbolic. This has been sustained by a hereditary reluctance to give up the murti, the inviolable iconic form, which explains why abstractionism thus entered India as a double-edged device in a complex cultural transaction. Ideologically it served as an internationalist legitimisation of the emerging revolutionary local trends. However, on entry, it was conscripted to serve local artistic preoccupations- a survey of indigenous abstractionism will show that its most obvious points of affinity with European and American abstract art were with the more mystically oriented of the major sources of abstractionist philosophy and practice, for instance, the Kandinsky Klee School. “

S8. Ans. (d)

Sol. Refer to the last paragraph “Such symbolism falls into a dual trap: it succumbs to the pompous vacuity of pure metaphysics when the burden of intention is passed off as justification; or then it is desiccated by the arid formalism of pure painterliness with delight in the measure of chance or pattern guiding the execution of a painting. The ensuing conflict of purpose stalls the progress of abstractionism in an impasse.”

S9. Ans. (b)

Sol. Trammeled means deprive of freedom of action. Hence it has similar meaning as encumber.

Apportion means assign.

Penurious means unwilling to spend money, mean.

Swaddle means wrap (someone, especially a baby) in garments or cloth.

S10. Ans. (d)

Sol. Prominence means the state of being important, famous, or noticeable. Hence it has opposite meaning as nadir.

Indigent means poor, needy.

Vagrant means migrant.

Relegate means assign an inferior rank or position to.

Ordain means order (something) officially.

S11. Ans. (c)

Sol. The error lies in parts (I) and (II) of the sentence. It is to be noted that to make the first part of the sentence grammatically correct, replace “dark blue long” by “long dark blue”, since while describing a noun with adjective of size and adjective of colour, then the chronological order of the adjectives should be size and then colour. In addition to, if more adjectives are used to describe the noun, then they should follow the following order: adjective of size, adjective of general description, adjective of age, adjective of shape, adjective of colour, adjective of general origin, adjective of material and lastly adjective of purpose. Moreover, part (II) of the sentence is in past continuous tense, while the activity of repainting the coaches is of future, therefore, ‘had been’ should be replaced with ‘would’. Hence, option (c) is the most suitable answer choice.

S12. Ans. (e)

Sol. All the given parts of the sentence are grammatically correct and do not require any replacement, hence, option (e) becomes the most suitable answer choice.

S13. Ans (c)

Sol. In the first part of the sentence, the word trot means run at a moderate pace with short steps, so the preposition ‘to’ should be replaced by ‘at’ because someone will run “at” a moderate pace not “to” a moderate pace. In the second sentence, the word ‘fire’ should be replaced by ‘fires’ because if two subjects are joined using “Either…or”, the verb agrees with its nearest subject, which in this case is ‘enemy’. The third part of the sentence is grammatically correct as given in the question, so, it does not need any replacement. Hence (c) is the correct option.

S14. Ans. (d)

Sol. All the three parts of the sentence contain errors in them. It is to be noted that the structure of the sentence is conditional. Conditional sentences are used to express an action [to lend the CD] in the main clause can only takes place if a certain condition [returning on Monday] is fulfilled. However, the structure is incorrect. The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the conditional clause is in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future. Moreover, in the third part of the sentence “the same” should be replaced by “it”, as the ‘the same’ is always used as an adjective, which is followed by a noun. Therefore, replace all the three expressions with the parts (I) (II) and (III) respectively, the correct grammatical sentence thus formed is “I will lend you this CD on the condition that you return it on Monday”. Hence, option (d) is the most viable answer choice.

S15. Ans. (b)

Sol. Only the second part of the sentence contains an error in it. It is to be noted that ‘enough’ should follow the adverb ‘costly’. Since whenever, ‘enough’ is used as an adverb of quantity, it is always followed to an associated adjective or an adverb with it. Hence, option (b) becomes the most suitable answer choice. 

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