SSC CGL Tier-2 2010 English

Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Passage III:

Most authorities agree that St. Valentineis “the lover's saint”.

However, somewriters are inclined to believe that no such person existed, though there appears to be proof that he was a Christian Bishop and that he suffered martyrdom under the Roman EmperorClaudius on February 14, 271 (A.D.).

The story is that Emperor Claudius issued a decree forbidding marriage. Married men disliked leaving their families to go to war and they did not make good soldiers, according to the Emperor's notion. Since good soldiers were needed, he decided that marriage had to be abolished.

The good priest Valentine heard this and was sad. He invited younglovers to come to him and secretly got them married. The emperor learnt of this and had Valentine putin prison. There the“friend of lovers” languished and died martyr to love. The Church made him a Saintand allotted the day of his death February 14, to him. Soit is not surprising that youngsters in Rome madethis day a special one in honour of the Saint; St. Valentine's Day came to be known as “the dayfor all true lovers.”

Three Egyptian words will tell us more aboutthe customs of Valentine's Day than all the falsehoods concerning the Saint. In Egyptian language, Va or Fa means “to bear", Len is “the name” or “to name”. Ten means “to determine”. Thus the day or Valentine is that which determines whose name shall be borne byeach personin this mode of marriage by drawinglots. The custom points to the time when chance,
rather than choice, was the law. Marriage is still said to be a lottery. The custom of sending caricatures on Valentine’s Day is probably based on asserting the freedom of choice, and making a mock of chance.

If one decides to entertain people at a supper or dinner on Valentine's Day, the decoration and even the food should follow thespirit of the day. Invitations are usually heart-shaped-a custom that originated with thefirst manufactured Valentines which were usually in the shape of hearts-darted through with arrows.

Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
Passage IV:

The ease with which democratic Governments have given way to authoritarian regimes in one Asian Country after another has made any persons ask in despair whether the parliamentary system based on the Western model is suited to under- developed countries. People who do not know how to read and write, they argue, can hardly know howto vote. Popular elections often bring incompetent men to the top, they contend, and the division of party spoils and breeds corruption. What is worse, the system of perpetual party warfare obstructs the business of Government.

They point to the dismal results of the last ten years. The pace of social and economic change has been far too slow and the Governments in most of the underdeveloped countries have failed to come to grip with the problems which face the people. What they
say is no doubt true to some extent but it is pertinent to remember that every alternative to democracy, while it in no way guarantees greater integrity or efficiency in the administration, lacks even the saving merit of regimes which, based on the suffrage of the people, leave it to the people to find out, by trial and error, who is their best friend. The people can peacefully get rid of a democratic Government which has failed to keep its promise, they can overthrow a dictatorial regime only through a violent revolution. Those who feel sore over the ills from which democratic regimes suffer should be wary therefore suggesting a cure which is likely to undermine the democratic structure of the state. The people can at least raise their voice of protest against the injustices of a democratic Government: they can only suffer in silence the tyranny of a regime which is responsible to no one but itself.