Direction: In the following questions, read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
PASSAGE
Flattery means ‘praising insincerely in order to please’. Every flatterer says words in which he himself does not believe. While flattering he is insincere to the man he is praising and to himself. In doing so he does not mind if he corrupts the minds of those whom he flatters. Flattery is immoral because it stains the human conscience. It creates a world of falsehood and thus an outrage of man’s sense of decency and gentlemanly behaviour. A man who feels happy when flattered lives in a fool’s paradise. Flattery is the ready weapon of the opportunist. This weapon easily conquers the weak willed man. It works on the general weakness of human beings. We all love to be told what we are not rather than what we are. Flattery is equally bad for him who is flattered and for him who flatters. Flattery deceives us by giving us false notions about ourselves. By falling a victim to it, we show lack of character.
By accepting flattery we make ourselves small beings. It is an evil which ruins social and moral values by claiming what is not rightfully its own. It thrives on corruption and leads to human bankruptcy. It is thus the greatest of disease which can plague humanity.

Direction: In the following questions, read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
PASSAGE
The destructive process of Mountain Top Removal mining (MTR) has caused permanent damage to Appalachia. Although the law requires that mining companies restore the mountaintops after the mining has been completed, the 1.5 million acres of mountains that have already been removed cannot be re-grown, re-built, or replaced. The companies do secure the rock formations to prevent erosion and landslides, but their efforts cannot recreate the once beautiful mountain landscape. Furthermore, while companies are usually vigilant about securing the rock formations, they seem less interested in restoring the native vegetation. MTR operations clear enormous tracts of forest. Environmental hazards are not only created in preparing a mountaintop for mining, they also continue once the coal has been extracted. After the blast, the excess mountaintop — which miners refer to as “overburden” — is usually dumped into nearby valleys or streams. The overburden contains a variety of toxic substances, including explosive residue, silica and coal dust.