Practice Questions

The word "appealed" in the passage refers to making a sincere and earnest request or plea. Therefore, the nearly opposite meaning would be "commanded," which implies giving orders or demanding something rather than making a request.
appealed - അഭ്യർത്ഥിക്കുക
commanded - ആജ്ഞാപിക്കുക

The destruction of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in August 1945, by the use of atomic bombs shocked and horrified mankind beyond measure. Man had discovered a new energy of tremendous power but it was extremely tragic to use it for the destruction of human beings. The conscience of all right thinking persons was awakened and the problem of the proper use of the new energy became a subject for serious consideration. The World War ended, but experiments with atomic energy continued. Most of them were confined to the production of better and more powerful atomic weapons such as hydrogen bombs, cobalt bombs, transcontinental ballistic missiles, etc. A very large section of the people of the world stood against the mad race for nuclear armament. They demanded an immediate and complete ban on all kinds of nuclear tests and experiments for the purpose of war. Most people desired to stop the production of atomic weapons altogether. The late professor Einstein appealed to both politicians and scientists to save mankind and civilization from the unimaginable horrors of an atomic war. He also advocated the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, betterment of the poor, and enhancement of the total wealth of the world. His appeal was directed in particular to atomic scientists who should not allow their talents to be used for increasing the chance of war. They should rather use their brains for utilizing atomic energy for the good of humanity. The soundness of this view point has appealed to reasonable people and all lovers of peace.

Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 .

The phrase "extremely tragic" indeed refers to the use of atomic bombs against mankind.

Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

When children are given too much too soon, meaning they receive excessive material possessions, privileges, or indulgence without having to work for or earn them, it can have several negative consequences, one of which is their inability to cope with life's disappointments when they grow up (വളർന്നുവരുമ്പോൾ ജീവിതത്തിലെ നിരാശകളെ നേരിടാനുള്ള അവരുടെ കഴിവില്ലായ്മ).

They fail to cope with life’s disappointments when they grow up.

They become quarrelsome when they grow up.

Too many parents these days can’t say no. As a result, they find themselves raising ‘children’ who respond greedily to the advertisements aimed right at them. Even getting what they want doesn’t satisfy some kids; they only want more. Now, a growing number of psychologists, educators and parents think it’s time to stop the madness and start teaching kids about what’s really important : values like hard work, contentment, honesty and compassion. The struggle to set limits has never been tougher—and the stakes have never been higher. One recent study of adults who were overindulged as children, paints a discouraging picture of their future : when given too much too soon, they grow up to be adults who have difficulty coping with life’s disappointments. They also have distorted sense of entitlement that gets in the way of success in the work place and in relationships.
Psychologists say that parents who overindulge their kids, set them up to be more vulnerable to future anxiety and depression. Today’s parents themselves raised on values of thrift and self-sacrifice, grew up in a culture where ‘no’ was a household word. Today’s kids want much more, partly because there is so much more to want. The oldest members of this generation were born in the late 1980s, just as PCs and video games were making their assault’ on the family room. They think of MP3 players and flat screen TV as essential utilities, and they have developed strategies to get them. One survey of teenagers found that when they crave for something new, most expect to ask nine times before their parents give in. By every measure, parents are shelling out record amounts. In the heat of this buying blitz, even parents who desperately need to say no find themselves reaching for their credit cards.
Today’s parents aren’t equipped to deal with the problem. Many of them, raised in the 1960s and 70s, swore they’d act differently from their parents and have closer relationships with their own children. Many even wear the same designer clothes as their kids and listen to the same music. And they work more hours; at the end of a long week, it’s tempting to buy peace with ‘yes’ and not mar precious family time with conflict. Anxiety about the future is another factor. How do well intentioned parents say no to all the sports gear and arts and language lessons they believe will help their kids thrive in an increasingly competitive world? Experts agree: too much love won’t spoil a child. Too few limits will.
What parents need to find, is a balance between the advantages of an affluent society and the critical life lessons that come from waiting, saving and working hard to achieve goals. That search for balance has to start early. Children need limits on their behaviour because they feel better and more secure when they live within a secured structure.
Older children learn self-control by watching how others, especially parents act. Learning how to overcome challenges is essential to becoming a successful adult. Few parents ask kids to do chores. They think their kids are already overburdened by social and academic pressures. Every individual can be of service to others, and life has meaning beyond one’s own immediate happiness. That means parents eager to teach values have to take a long, hard look at their own.

When children live within a secured structure with clear boundaries and limits set by their parents or caregivers, they feel more secure (കൂടുതൽ സുരക്ഷിതത്വവും) and better for several reasons.

<ul style="color: rgb(255,255,255);">
<li>The passage highlights the importance of learning how to overcome challenges as essential to becoming a successful adult.</li>
<li>It mentions that older children learn self-control by observing how others, especially parents, handle challenges.</li>
<li>Overcoming challenges is crucial for personal growth, development, and success in life.</li>
<li>Therefore, learning how to overcome challenges is a critical aspect of becoming a successful adult, as emphasized in the passage.</li>
</ul>

The psychologists, educators, and parents want to teach the children about the values of life like hard work, contentment, honesty, and compassion. This is evident from the passage where it mentions that they believe it's time to start teaching kids about what's really important, such as values like hard work, contentment, honesty, and compassion.

To teach them about the values of life like hard work, contentment, honesty and compassion.

The encounter with Ghulamu Chacha and the youngsters primarily takes place on the road.

As soon as he arrived in the vicinity of the tea shop, the youngsters sitting in the shop would bestir themselves in the expectation of the ensuing fun and teasing remarks which would hover in the air. Ghulamu Chacha would flare up. He would call someone to hell; he would send someone’s father to the funeral pyre and someone else’s mother to no one knew where. Gradually, the intensity of the shock faded away and Chacha got inured to the jest. When people teased him, he would abuse them and move on. By now he had become quite old.

He walked with a stoop and all his front teeth had come off. His patients never paid up, which led to the stopping of his medical practice and the pension papers could not be made ready yet. The household articles got older and older still. Chacha’s life had no other charm except the teasing of the people in ever-inventive ways and his equally forceful and lively riposte. It had become almost a routine affair. As soon as he came on the road, his black coat and dirty pyjama on, vainly trying to straighten his bent waist, the youngsters of the ‘mohalla’ busy in their household chores would immediately guess that Chacha had set out on his daily odyssey on the road.

Throughout the passage, Ghulamu Chacha faces various challenges, including financial struggles and aging-related issues. Despite these difficulties, one aspect of his life remains consistent: the teasing he receives from the youngsters in the neighborhood (അയാൾക്ക് ലഭിക്കുന്ന കളിയാക്കലുകൾ). This teasing becomes almost a routine occurrence for him. Despite initially reacting strongly to the teasing, he eventually becomes accustomed to it and responds with wit and liveliness. Thus, the teasing from the people in the neighborhood serves as a constant element in Ghulamu Chacha's life, providing him with a source of interaction and engagement amidst his challenges.

The ultimate result of the cracking of jokes was that Ghulamu Chacha got used to them.

Chacha reacted to the teasing remarks by verbally abusing the people who teased him (അസഭ്യം പറഞ്ഞാണ് ചാച്ച കളിയാക്കലുകളോട് പ്രതികരിച്ചത്). Instead of ignoring or retiring from the scene, he responded with forceful and lively retorts.

The passage describes how the youngsters in the tea shop would bestir themselves in excitement upon seeing Ghulamu Chacha arrive. They anticipated the ensuing fun and teasing remarks that would occur when Ghulamu Chacha interacted with them (ഗുലാമു ചാച്ച അവരുമായി ഇടപഴകുമ്പോൾ സംഭവിക്കുന്ന തമാശകളും കളിയാക്കലുകളും അവർ മുൻകൂട്ടി കണ്ടു). Therefore, it was the expectation of the exchange of fun and teasing remarks that made the youngsters excited.

a likelihood of exchange of fun and curses

The author discusses the process of pressure welding, which involves heating the ends of metal pieces to a high temperature and then pressing or hammering them together to form a joint.

Towards the end of the passage, the author mentions that for fairly thick bars of metals, a vee-shaped weld should be used. This means that when welding thick metal bars together, it's recommended to create a vee-shaped joint.

a number of different types of weld may be used

The simplest method of welding two pieces of metal together is known as pressure welding. The ends of metal are heated to a white heat – for iron the welding temperature should be about 1300°C – in a flame. At this temperature the metal becomes plastic. The ends are then pressed or hammered together, and the joint is smoothed off. Care must be taken to ensure that the surfaces are thoroughly clean first, for dirt will weaken the weld. Moreover, the heating of iron or steel to a high temperature cause oxidation, and a film of oxide is formed on the heated surfaces. For this reason, a flux is applied to the heated metal. At welding heat, the flux melts, and the oxide particles are dissolved in it together with any other impurities which may be present. The metal surfaces are pressed together, and the flux is squeezed out from the centre of the weld. A number of different types of weld may be used, but for fairly thick bars of metals, a vee-shaped weld should normally be employed. It is rather stronger than the ordinary butt weld.

In the given passage, it's mentioned that when iron or steel is heated to a high temperature, oxidation occurs, resulting in the formation of a film of oxide on the heated surfaces. To address this issue, a flux is applied to the heated metal. At welding heat, the flux melts, and the oxide particles, along with any other impurities present, are dissolved in it. Therefore, the purpose of the flux is to dissolve oxide and other impurities from the metal surfaces during welding.

The simplest method of welding two pieces of metal together, as described in the passage, involves heating the ends of the metal pieces to a white heat in a flame. 
 ഈ ചൂടാക്കൽ പ്രക്രിയ ലോഹത്തെ പ്ലാസ്റ്റിക് ആക്കി മാറ്റുന്നു, allowing the ends to be pressed or hammered together.

The correct answer is:

"the pen that should stay still and the paper should move"

This is because the passage explains that the key to recording earthquake waves lies in the observation that when a sudden start is made (like in a bus or train), a person tends to fall because their feet move while their head stays still. Therefore, to effectively record earthquake waves, the pen (representing the head) should stay still while the paper (representing the moving ground) should move.

the pen that should move just as it moves when we write on paper

the pen that should stay still and the paper should move

An earthquake comes like a thief in the night, without warning. It was necessary, therefore, to invent instruments that neither slumbered nor slept. Some devices were quite simple. One, for instance, consisted of rods of various lengths and thicknesses which would stand up on end like ninepins. When a shock came it shook the rigid table upon which these stood. If it were gentle, only the more unstable rods fell. If it were severe, they all fell. Thus the rods by falling and by the direction in which they fell, recorded for the slumbering scientist, the strength of a shock that was too weak to waken him and the direction from which it came.
But, instruments far more delicate than that were needed if any really serious advance was to be made. The idea to be aimed at was to devise an instrument that could record with a pen on paper, the movements of the ground or of the table, as the quake passed by. While I write my pen moves but the paper keeps still. With practice, no doubt, I could, in time, learn to write by holding the pen still while the paper moved. That sounds a silly suggestion, but that was precisely the idea adopted in some of the early instruments (seismometers) for recording earthquake waves. But when table, pen-holder and paper are all moving how is it possible to write legibly? The key to a solution of that problem lay in an everyday observation. Why does a person standing in a bus or train tend to fall when a sudden start is made? It is because his feet move on, but his head stays still.

ഭൂകമ്പം കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാനുള്ള ഉപകരണങ്ങൾ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കുന്നതിനെക്കുറിച്ചാണ് ഈ ഭാഗം സംസാരിക്കുന്നത്. It mentions a simple observation: ഒരു ബസോ ട്രെയിനോ പെട്ടെന്ന് നീങ്ങാൻ തുടങ്ങുമ്പോൾ, നിൽക്കുന്ന ആളുകൾക്ക് ബാലൻസ് നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് വീഴാം. ഭൂകമ്പ ചലനങ്ങൾ കൃത്യമായി രേഖപ്പെടുത്താൻ കഴിയുന്ന ഉപകരണങ്ങൾ എങ്ങനെ നിർമ്മിക്കാമെന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കാൻ ഈ നിരീക്ഷണം ശാസ്ത്രജ്ഞരെ സഹായിക്കുന്നു. Just like people on a moving bus, the instruments need to move with the ground during an earthquake to record the movements correctly.  This idea helped in making better earthquake-detecting devices.

the tendency of a standing person to fall when a bus or train moves suddenly

The simple device consisting of rods that stood up on end like ninepins was replaced by a more sophisticated one because it failed to record the facts with a pen or paper.

So, the correct completion of the sentence is: "to record the facts with a pen or paper."

to record the direction of the earthquake

The phrase "like a thief in the night" means ഭൂകമ്പങ്ങൾ പെട്ടെന്ന് അപ്രതീക്ഷിതമായി സംഭവിക്കാം, catching people off guard. 
അതിനാൽ, ഭൂകമ്പങ്ങൾ നിരീക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള ഉപകരണങ്ങൾ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കേണ്ടത് ആവശ്യമായിരുന്നു, കാരണം അവ മുന്നറിയിപ്പില്ലാതെ സംഭവിക്കുന്നു, ഈ ഉപകരണങ്ങൾക്ക് അവയുടെoccurrence, strength, and direction എന്നിവയെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള valuable information  നൽകാനും and help people prepare and respond effectively.

Because an earthquake comes like a thief in the night .

To make people alert about earthquakes during their conscious as well as unconscious hours.

To prove that we are technically advanced.

To experiment  with the control of man over nature.

ആദ്യകാല ഭൂകമ്പം അളക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള ഉപകരണങ്ങൾ വേണ്ടത്ര സെൻസിറ്റീവ് ആയിരുന്നില്ല, കാരണം അവയ്ക്ക് ചെറിയ ചലനങ്ങൾ കൃത്യമായി രേഖപ്പെടുത്താൻ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല. ഭൂകമ്പങ്ങൾ കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാൻ അവർ falling rods  ആശ്രയിച്ചു, പക്ഷേ അവയ്ക്ക് സൂക്ഷ്മമായ ഭൂചലനങ്ങൾ പിടിച്ചെടുക്കാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല. ഭൂമിയുടെ ചലനങ്ങൾ കൂടുതൽ കൃത്യമായി രേഖപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിന് a moving pen on a stable surface instruments വികസിപ്പിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ശാസ്ത്രജ്ഞർ technology മെച്ചപ്പെടുത്തി.

In this context, "surprisingly responsive" implies that people's reactions to the person's attitude (kindness and brotherliness) are more positive and welcoming than initially expected (പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചതിലും കൂടുതൽ പോസിറ്റീവും welcoming ഉം ആണെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു).

There are some men who seem to be always on the lookout for trouble and, to tell the truth, they are seldom disappointed. Listening to such men one would think that this world is one of the stormiest and most disagreeable places. Yet after all it is not such a bad place and the difficulty is often in the man who is too thin-skinned. On the other hand, the man who goes out expecting people to be like himself, kind and brotherly, will be surprised at the kindness he meets even in the most unlikely quarters. A smile is apt to be met with a responsive smile while the sneer is just as apt to provoke a snarl. Men living in the same neighbourhood may live vastly different lives. But it is not the neighbourhood which is quarrelsome, but the man within us. And we have it in our power to change our neighbourhood into a pleasant one by simply changing our own ways.

<ul style="color: rgb(255,255,255);">
<li>thin-skinned - എളുപ്പത്തിൽ കോപിക്കുന്നു</li>
<li>Insensitive - നിർവ്വികാരമായ</li>
<li>sensitive - പെട്ടെന്നു പ്രതികരിക്കുന്ന
<ul style="color: rgb(255,255,255);">
<li><span class="Y2IQFc" lang="ml">Craig has always been very thin-skinned that way - he reacts very badly to criticism.<br>(ക്രെയ്ഗ് എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും ആ രീതിയിൽ വളരെ പെട്ടെന്നു ക്ഷോഭിക്കുന്ന ആളാണ് (sensitive) - വിമർശനങ്ങളോട് അദ്ദേഹം വളരെ മോശമായി പ്രതികരിക്കുന്നു).</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Intelligent - ബുദ്ധിശാലിയായ</li>
<li>Awkward - പരുങ്ങലുളവാക്കുന്ന</li>
<li>Obstinate - പിടിവാശിക്കാരൻ</li>
</ul>

ലോകം മൊത്തത്തിൽ അത്ര മോശം സ്ഥലമല്ലെന്ന് author സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. 
"too thin-skinned" or excessively sensitive ആയ വ്യക്തികളിൽ നിന്നാണ് പലപ്പോഴും negativity and trouble ഉണ്ടാകുന്നത്. 
The world is a beautiful and peaceful place, but individuals' perceptions and actions (ധാരണകൾക്കും പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങൾക്കും)  can shape their experiences within it.

one’s own excessive sensitivity that makes it a bad place

a sordid place for those who suffer in life

The phrase "they are seldom disappointed" suggests that these men often find what they are looking for—trouble. It means that they frequently encounter difficulties because they are always on the lookout for them. This aligns with the idea that they generally do not fail to come across troubles.

manage to keep unruffled in the face of discomforts

generally do not fail to come across troubles

The passage is about "The world and what one makes it." ഒരാളുടെ വീക്ഷണം, മനോഭാവം, പെരുമാറ്റം എന്നിവ ലോകത്തെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള അവരുടെ അനുഭവത്തെയും ധാരണയെയും എങ്ങനെ രൂപപ്പെടുത്തുമെന്ന് ഇത് ഊന്നിപ്പറയുന്നു. ലോകം തന്നെ inherently വിയോജിക്കുന്നതോ ശത്രുതാപരമായതോ അല്ല, മറിച്ച്, വ്യക്തികൾക്ക് അവരുടെ സ്വന്തം വഴികളും കാഴ്ചപ്പാടുകളും മാറ്റിക്കൊണ്ട് അവരുടെ പരിസ്ഥിതിയെ സ്വാധീനിക്കാൻ ശക്തിയുണ്ടെന്ന് ഇത് സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

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