Direction: In the following questions, you have two passages with 5 questions in each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.
PASSAGE
The reports published by a Delhi based nongovernmental organization working for the elimination of child labour in India suggest that there is no end in sight to the sordid saga of child labour. The studies conducted reveal the nightmarish ordeals that a vast majority of children undergo for getting the basic necessities of life. One of the activists narrated the heart-rending and shocking stories of many hapless children. He accused the society of insensitivity towards this vulnerable section. It is said that more than five percent of the total Indian population are child workers. Tens of thousands are chiefly engaged in agriculture in rural areas and in a variety of industries in urban areas. Children as young as seven years of age spend days stitching footballs, boxing and cricket gloves for export. Many children spend their entire childhood making carpets with their dexterous hands. Unofficial figures suggest that as many as 40 to 100 million children work in hazardous industries like glassware, fireworks, quarries etc. Many of them have been forced to work in unhygienic conditions often on a casual basis.
SOME IMPORTANT WORDS
(1) sordid (Adj.) : very dirty and unpleasant
(2) saga (N.) : a long series of events/adventures and/ or a report about them
(3) nightmarish (Adj.) : very frightening and unpleasant
(4) ordeals (N.) : a difficult/unpleasant experience
(5)heart-rending (Adj.) : causing feelings of great sadness ; heart-breaking
(6) hapless (Adj.) : not lucky ; unfortunate
(7) vulnerable (Adj.) : weak and easily hurt physically/ emotionally
(8) dexterous (Adj.) : skilful with your hands; skilfully done
(9) hazardous (Adj.) : involving risk/danger, especially to somebody’s health/safety