English Verbal - 12
Read the following passage and then, answer the
questions that follow:
In Rome, defeated enemies were
generally put to death as criminals for having offended the emperor. In the middle
Ages, however, the practice of ransoming, or returning prisoners in exchange
for money, became common. Though some saw this custom as a step towards a more
humane society, the primary reason behind it was economic rather than
humanitarian. In those times, rulers had only a limited ability to raise taxes.
They could neither force their subjects to fight nor pay them to do so. The
promise of material compensation in the form of goods and ransom was
therefore the only way of
inducing combatants to participate in a war. In the middle Ages, the predominant
incentive for the individual soldier to participate in a war was the
expectation of spoils. Although collecting ransom clearly brought financial
gain, keeping a prisoner and arranging for his exchange had its costs.
Consequently, several procedures were devised to reduce transaction costs.
One such device was a rule
asserting that the prisoner had to assess his own value. This compelled the
prisoner to establish a value without much distortion; indicating too low a
value would increase the captive’s chances of being killed, while indicating
too high a value would either ruin him financially or create a prohibitively
expensive ransom that would also result in death.
A second means of reducing
costs was the practice of releasing a prisoner on his word of honour. This
procedure was advantageous to both parties since the captor was relieved of the
expense of keeping the prisoner while the captive had freedom of movement. The captor
also benefited financially by having his captive raises the ransom himself.
This ‘parole’ was a viable practice since the released prisoner risked recapture
or retaliation against his family. Moreover, in medieval society, breaking
one’s word had serious consequences. When, for example, King Francois I broke
his
word to the Emperor Charles V
in 1525, his reputation suffered immensely. A third method of reducing costs
was the use of specialized institutions to establish contact between the two
parties.
Two types of institutions
emerged: professional dealers who acted as brokers, and members of religious
orders who acted as neutral intermediaries. Dealers advanced money for the
ransom and charged interest on the loan. Two of the religious orders that
became intermediaries were the Mercedario’s and the Trinitarians who between
them arranged the ransom of nearly one million prisoners.
1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(a) discuss the economic basis of the medieval practice
of exchanging prisoners for ransom.
(b) examine the history of the treatment of prisoners of
war.
(c) emphasize the importance of a warrior’s ‘word of
honour’ during the Middle Ages.
(d) explore three ways of reducing the costs of ransom.
Ans: (b)
2. It can be inferred from the passage that a medieval
soldier
(a) was less likely to kill captured members of opposing
armies than was a soldier of the Roman
Empire.
(b) was similar to a 20th-century terrorist in that he
operated on a basically independent level and was motivated solely by economic
incentives.
(c) had few economic options and choose to fight because it was the
only way to earn an adequate
living.
(d) was motivated to spare prisoners’ lives by
humanitarian rather than economic ideals.
Ans: (c)
3. Which of the following best describes the change in
policy from executing prisoners in Roman times to ransoming prisoners in the
Middle Ages?
(a) The emperor of Rome demanded more respect than did
medieval rulers, and thus Roman subjects went to greater lengths to defend
their incentives.
(b) It was a reflection of the lesser degree of direct
control medieval rulers had over their subjects.
(c) It became a show of strength and honour for warriors
of the Medieval Ages to be able to capture
and return their enemies.
(d) Medieval soldiers were not as humanitarian as their
ransoming practices might have indicated.
Ans: (d)
4. The author uses the phrase ‘without much distortion’
in order
(a) to indicate that prisoners would fairly assess their
worth.
(b) to emphasize the important role medieval prisoners
played in determining whether they should be ransomed.
(c) to explain how prisoners often paid more than an
appropriate ransom to increase their chances
for survival.
(d) suggest that captors and captives often had
understanding relationships.
Ans: (a)
5. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as
actions that were taken to ensure that ransoming prisoners was a profitable
operation EXCEPT
(a) each prisoner was made to designate the amount of
ransom to be paid for his return.
(b) prisoners were released on the condition that they
guaranteed that their ransoms would be paid.
(c) professional intermediaries were employed to
facilitate the smooth exchange of prisoner and
ransom, at a price to the prisoner.
(d) medieval rulers promised to aid soldiers in their
efforts to collect ransom.
Ans: (d)
Direction for questions 6 to 9: Select the odd
word from the given set of four alternatives.
6. (a) juvenile (b)
immature (c) old (d) childish
Ans: (c) (All
the others means the same)
7. (a) slack (b)
draconian (c) rigorous (d) severe
Ans: (a) (All
the others have the same meaning)
8. (a) Achilles (b)
Thetis (c) Paris (d) Pandora
Ans: (c) (All
the others are Greek Mythological persons)
9. (a) divulge (b)
inform (c) secret (d) reveal
Ans: (c) ( All
the others means the same )
Direction for questions 10 to 14: Identify the
part of the sentence that has an error.
10. The reason (a) he has been (b) such a success is
because (c) he never gives up (d)
Ans: (a) The reason that
11. Consider all the possibilities; (a) I really believe (b)
that I would prefer not to (c) make any changes (d).
Ans: (a) Considering
all the possibilities
12. The fact that he was (a) disinterested in politics (b)
was clear from the way (c) he shunned political news (d)
Ans: (a) The
fact that he is
13. After every student (a) had turned in (b) their
paper, the teacher (c) dismissed the class (d).
Ans: (a) After
the students
14. Any help (a) that you can (b) give me (c) will be
appreciate (d)
Ans: (d) will
be appreciated
Direction for questions 15 to 19: Fill in the
blanks in the passage below with the appropriate choice.
For a novelist, a ... 15... call from Oprah Winfrey is
like a house...16... from the prize patrol: the big ... 17 ... has arrived. The
... 18 ... appears on Oprah’s show, and sales go through the ... 19...
15. (a) phone (b)
clarion (c) timid (d) cat
Ans: (a)
16. (a) check (b)
call (c) cheque (d) hold
Ans: (b)
17. (a) dog (b)
fire (c) cheque (d) girl
Ans: (c)
18. (a) police (b)
don (c)
manager (d) author
Ans: (d)
19. (a) door (b)
window (c) wall (d) roof
Ans: (d)
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