SSC CGL Tier-2 13th September 2019 English

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow-
Comprehension:

Brain training is big business. From online websites to video games to mobile apps, it seems like there are plenty of ways to give your brain a bit of a boost. But does all this brain training really work? Can it increase your cognitive abilities or your IQ? According to a few recent
studies, while these brain training tools might help sharpen your abilities to retain information, they won't necessarily increase your intelligence or improve your ability to reason and think abstractly.

The parent company of one of the most prominent "brain training" websites was recently fined for deceptive advertising. According to the complainant, the company suggested its games could reduce or delay cognitive impairment such as one might find in Alzheimer's patients, which is false.

So while there may be some benefits to brain training, don't expect miraculous results. Earlier studies have found no link between increased intelligence and brain training exercises.

Same is the case with standardized tests. Students today take a wide variety of standardized tests, from assessments throughout elementary school to evaluations required for college admission. While test preparation for such assessments can increase factual knowledge, one study suggests that this preparation does little to increase overall IQ.

Why is it so? While test preparation increases what psychologists refer to as crystallized intelligence, it does not increase what is known as fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence includes facts and information, while fluid intelligence involves the ability to think abstractly or logically.

In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers looked at the IQ scores and test scores of approximately 1,400 eighth-grade students. While schoolwork helped increase the students' test scores, it had no effect on measures of fluid intelligence. The authors suggest that fluid intelligence is a much better indicator of abilities such as problemsolving ability, abstract thinking skills, memory capacity, and processing speed.

While the study found no indicator that test preparation improved IQ, that does not mean that this preparation has no value. Research clearly shows that having high scores on standardized tests is linked to having high scores on other important tests including Advanced
Placement tests, the SAT etc.

For the following questions answer them individually

Choose the most appropriate option to change the narration (direct / indirect) of the given sentence.

Identify the best way to improve the underlined part of the given sentence. If there is no improvement required, select ‘no improvement’-

Read the following passage and fill in each blank with words chosen from options given.
Comprehension:

It’s a magical sight: Just as the light begins to vanish, thousands of tiny penguins waddle ______ (1) the surf on an island in south-eastern Australia, then ______ (2) the beach and along well-worn paths toward ______ (3) burrows. The “Penguin Parade” has been a major attraction since the 1920s, when tourists ______ (4) by torchlight to view the nightly ______ (5) the birds — the world’s smallest penguin breed, with adults ______ (6) 13 inches tall. For much of that time, the penguins lived ______ (7) the residents of a housing development, in tight proximity to cars and pets. The penguins’ numbers fell ______(8) But in 1985, the state government decided to buy ______ (9) piece of property on the Peninsula and return the land to the penguins. Today there are about 31,000 penguins ______ (10) on the peninsula, up from 12,000 in the 1980s.