Passage:
Kerala is the land of magic, ayurvedic massages, and Kathakali. Most visitors generally begin their sojourn in this lovely state with Kochi. This city reflects the eclecticism of Kerala. Here, you can see the oldest European-built church in India, a small 16th-century synagogue that serves a proportionate community of Jews, and a palace built by the Portuguese, given to the Raja of Cochin and renovated by the Dutch.
Kerala also offers world-class performances of the Kathakali dance drama. A boat trip on the Malabar Coast takes you to Dutch town and fort, an area with good bookshops. Alternatively, you could start with Thiruvananthapuram, which has a laid-back charm. Here, you can visit the Padmanabhaswamy temple, Napier Museum, Puttan Mallika Palace, and beaches like Kovalam.
The backwaters of Kerala, particularly in Alleppey and Allapuzha, are popular tourist attractions. They offer a unique network of canals with houseboat rides. Munnar, with its rolling tea plantations, cool mountain air, and wildlife, is another must-visit destination.
In Thekkady, visitors can explore cardamom, tea, and coffee plantations, along with the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Kerala offers cruises through backwaters, hill treks, Ayurveda retreats, and stunning beaches, making it a unique and refreshing holiday destination.
Complete the following table:
Complete the following table:
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Passage
- The passage describes Kerala as a diverse tourist destination offering historical, cultural, and natural attractions.
Step 2: Extracting Key Advantages
- Heritage Sites: Kochi has old European-built churches and synagogues.
- Backwaters & Beaches: Alleppey and Kovalam are perfect for leisure and relaxation.
- Health & Wellness: The state is famous for Ayurveda and rejuvenation therapy.
- Adventure & Wildlife: Thekkady has Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Munnar offers mountain treks.
Final Answer:
- Kerala provides a blend of culture, nature, relaxation, and adventure, making it an ideal tourist destination.
Complete the following table:
City Speciality (i) Kochi Historic city with European-built churches, Portuguese palace, and Dutch influence. (ii) Thekkady Famous for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and cardamom, tea, and coffee plantations. (iii) Thiruvananthapuram Known for Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum, and beautiful beaches like Kovalam. (iv) Alleppey Popular for its serene backwaters, houseboat rides, and picturesque canals.
Complete the following table:
| City | Speciality |
| (i) Kochi | Historic city with European-built churches, Portuguese palace, and Dutch influence. |
| (ii) Thekkady | Famous for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and cardamom, tea, and coffee plantations. |
| (iii) Thiruvananthapuram | Known for Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum, and beautiful beaches like Kovalam. |
| (iv) Alleppey | Popular for its serene backwaters, houseboat rides, and picturesque canals. |
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Identifying the Specialities of Each City
- Kochi is historically significant due to its European-built churches, Portuguese influences, and the Dutch-renovated palace.
- Thekkady is well-known for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuar, which houses diverse flora and fauna. It is also famous for spice plantations.
- Thiruvananthapuram is home to the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple, along with Napier Museum and scenic beaches.
- Alleppey is best known for its scenic backwaters and houseboat tourism, offering an unforgettable travel experience.
Match the words in Column 'A' with their meanings in Column 'B':
\[\begin{array}{|c|c|} \hline \textbf{Column 'A'} & \textbf{Column 'B'} \\ \hline \text{(i) Charm} & \text{(c) Magical spell} \\ \hline \text{(ii) Craggy} & \text{(d) Steep} \\ \hline \text{(iii) Reflect} & \text{(a) Throw back light or heat} \\ \hline \text{(iv) Spellbinding} & \text{(b) Enthralling} \\ \hline \end{array}\]
\[\begin{array}{|c|c|} \hline \textbf{Column 'A'} & \textbf{Column 'B'} \\ \hline \text{(i) Charm} & \text{(c) Magical spell} \\ \hline \text{(ii) Craggy} & \text{(d) Steep} \\ \hline \text{(iii) Reflect} & \text{(a) Throw back light or heat} \\ \hline \text{(iv) Spellbinding} & \text{(b) Enthralling} \\ \hline \end{array}\]
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the meanings of the words in Column 'A'
- Charm: Something that has a magical influence or attraction.
- Craggy: Rough, steep, or having many cliffs.
- Reflect: To throw back light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
- Spellbinding: Something so fascinating or enthralling that it holds full attention.
Step 2: Matching them with Column 'B'
- Charm matches with Magical spell because charm can refer to an object or action with magical influence.
- Craggy matches with Steep because craggy landscapes are rugged and have steep cliffs.
- Reflect matches with Throw back light or heat as this is the correct scientific definition.
- Spellbinding matches with Enthralling because something spellbinding captures full attention and is fascinating.
Replace the underlined word with a suitable synonym:
Sentence: The gigantic elephant moved slowly through the forest.
Replace the underlined word with a suitable synonym:
Sentence: The gigantic elephant moved slowly through the forest.
Solution and Explanation
- The word "gigantic" means very large. A suitable synonym is huge.
- Rewritten sentence: The huge elephant moved slowly through the forest.
Identify the adjective in the given sentence:
Sentence: The charming little house stood at the end of the street.
Sentence: The charming little house stood at the end of the street.
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Solution and Explanation
Why is the tourism industry important for the Indian Economy to flourish?
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Solution and Explanation
1. Employment Generation:
Tourism creates numerous job opportunities in various sectors such as hospitality, transportation, and handicrafts.
2. Foreign Exchange Earnings:
India attracts a significant number of international tourists, leading to an inflow of foreign currency, boosting the economy.
3. Promotion of Cultural Heritage:
Tourism helps in preserving and promoting India's diverse cultural and historical heritage, enhancing global recognition.
4. Infrastructure Development:
Tourism encourages the development of better infrastructure such as roads, airports, and hotels, benefiting both tourists and locals.
5. Growth of Local Businesses:
Tourists contribute to the growth of local markets by purchasing handicrafts, textiles, and regional products.
Conclusion:
The tourism industry significantly contributes to India's economic growth by creating jobs, generating revenue, and promoting cultural exchange.
Read the passage and write its summary in a paragraph.
Suggest a suitable title.
Suggest a suitable title.
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Passage
- Read the passage carefully and identify the main theme and key points.
- Focus on the most important ideas while removing unnecessary details.
Step 2: Writing the Summary
- Present the key points in a concise and logical order.
- Ensure that the summary is clear and does not include personal opinions.
Step 3: Suggesting a Suitable Title
- The title should reflect the main idea of the passage in a few words.
The Importance of Tourism in India
Tourism plays a vital role in India's economy by contributing to employment, foreign exchange earnings, and cultural promotion. It supports various sectors such as hospitality, transportation, and local businesses. Additionally, it encourages infrastructure development, benefiting both tourists and residents. The industry also helps preserve India's rich heritage and natural beauty, attracting global visitors. Overall, tourism is an essential factor in India's economic and cultural growth.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
- Shown below are letters ‘e’ taken from four popular logos, arranged in a sequence. Which of the options is the correct sequence?
- UCEED - 2026
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- Shown below are four options, each showing consecutive frames representing the movement of a pendulum of an old-style wall clock for an animation movie. Which is the correct option?
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- Acrucial moderating factor in how people experience comparisons is self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to interpret upward comparison as informative rather than threatening. They are more resilient in the face of others’ success and more likely to believe they can reach their own goals. In contrast, people with low self-esteem are more prone to interpret comparison as judgment, reinforcing negative self-views and triggering feelings of inadequacy.
This dynamic creates a self-reinforcing loop. People with high self-esteem are less vulnerable to upward comparison, which intensifies those doubts. Those with a secure sense of self are more likely to use comparison as a learning tool. The same external stimulus—a colleague’s achievements, a friend’s popularity—can have radically different effects depending on internal stability.
Self-esteem also influences how people choose their comparison targets. Research has found that individuals often engage in “selective comparison,” seeking out those who confirm their existing beliefs about themselves. This can become a subtle form of self-sabotage. Someone who feels unworthy may subconsciously seek out targets that reinforce that sense, perpetuating a narrative of inferiority. One of the most promising antidotes to social comparison is temporal comparison—evaluating oneself not against others, but against one’s own past. This method has been shown to increase motivation and satisfaction, especially when individuals can see concrete progress. Temporal comparison activates the same reward circuits as social comparison but avoids the threat systems associated with social ranking. It also reinforces agency: individuals focus on what they can control and improve rather than what others control. In therapeutic and coaching settings, temporal comparison is used to help clients build self-efficacy and track growth over time.
Moreover, people who focus on self-improvement rather than social dominance are less likely to fall into cycles of envy or self-pity. They can still use others as inspiration, but they do so without attaching their self-worth to the outcome. This is not to say they never compare—but that they focus on learning, rather than judgment. The most skilful approach to comparison may lie in eliminating it, but in reframing it as feedback. When we interpret comparison as information rather than a verdict, we can ask, “What can I learn from this?” This shift turns comparison into a growth tool. Teachers mentor their students, not as rivals. Psychologists emphasize that the key variable here is mindset.
A fixed mindset sees comparison as a threat. If someone else is better, it means we are worse. A growth mindset sees comparison as a map. If someone else has reached a certain level, it means the path exists. This reframing is not just a cognitive trick. It changes the emotional tone of comparison, making it more likely to inspire than to wound. Reframing also requires emotional regulation—the ability to notice an initial pang of envy or shame without reacting impulsively. With practice, individuals can learn to pause, reflect, and reinterpret their emotional responses. Over time, this builds resilience and self-trust, allowing comparison to become a learning tool rather than a cage.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Reading Comprehension
When people who are talking don’t share the same culture, knowledge, values, and assumptions, mutual understanding can be especially difficult. Such understanding is possible through the negotiation of meaning. To negotiate meaning with someone, you have to become aware of and respect both the differences in your backgrounds and when these differences are important. You need enough diversity of cultural and personal experience to be aware that divergent world views exist and what they might be like. You also need the flexibility in world view, and a generous tolerance for mistakes, as well as a talent for finding the right metaphor to communicate the relevant parts of unshared experiences or to highlight the shared experiences while demphasizing the others. Metaphorical imagination is a crucial skill in creating rapport and in communicating the nature of unshared experience. This skill consists, in large measure, of the ability to bend your world view and adjust the way you categorize your experiences. Problems of mutual understanding are not exotic; they arise in all extended conversations where understanding is important.
When it really counts, meaning is almost never communicated according to the CONDUIT metaphor, that is, where one person transmits a fixed, clear proposition to another by means of expressions in a common language, where both parties have all the relevant common knowledge, assumptions, values, etc. When the chips are down, meaning is negotiated: you slowly figure out what you have in common, what it is safe to talk about, how you can communicate unshared experience or create a shared vision. With enough flexibility in bending your world view and with luck and charity, you may achieve some mutual understanding.
Communication theories based on the CONDUIT metaphor turn from the pathetic to the evil when they are applied indiscriminately on a large scale, say, in government surveillance or computerized files. There, what is most crucial for real understanding is almost never included, and it is assumed that the words in the file have meaning in themselves—disembodied, objective, understandable meaning. When a society lives by the CONDUITmetaphor on a large scale, misunderstanding, persecution, and much worse are the likely products.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
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Later, I realized that reviewing the history of nuclear physics served another purpose as well: It gave the lie to the naive belief that the physicists could have come together when nuclear fission was discovered (in Nazi Germany!) and agreed to keep the discovery a secret, thereby sparing humanity such a burden. No. Given the development of nuclear physics up to 1938, development that physicists throughout the world pursued in all innocence of any intention of finding the engine of a new weapon of mass destruction—only one of them, the remarkable Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, took that possibility seriously—the discovery of nuclear fission was inevitable. To stop it, you would have had to stop physics. If German scientists hadn’t made the discovery when they did, French, American, Russian, Italian, or Danish scientists would have done so, almost certainly within days or weeks. They were all working at the same cutting edge, trying to understand the strange results of a simple experiment bombarding uranium with neutrons. Here was no Faustian bargain, as movie directors and other naifs still find it intellectually challenging to imagine. Here was no evil machinery that the noble scientists might hide from the problems and the generals. To the contrary, there was a high insight into how the world works, an energetic reaction, older than the earth, that science had finally devised the instruments and arrangements to coart forth. “Make it seem inevitable,” Louis Pasteur used to advise his students when they prepared to write up their discoveries. But it was. To wish that it might have been ignored or suppressed is barbarous. “Knowledge,” Niels Bohr once noted, “is itself the basis for civilization.” You cannot have the one without the other; the one depends upon the other. Nor can you have only benevolent knowledge; the scientific method doesn’t filter for benevolence. Knowledge has consequences, not always intended, not always comfortable, but always welcome. The earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth. “It is a profound and necessary truth,” Robert Oppenheimer would say, “that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it was possible to find them.”
...Bohr proposed once that the goal of science is not universal truth. Rather, he argued, the modest but relentless goal of science is “the gradual removal of prejudices.” The discovery that the earth revolves around the sun has gradually removed the prejudice that the earth is the center of the universe. The discovery of microbes is gradually removing the prejudice that disease is a punishment from God. The discovery of evolution is gradually removing the prejudice that Homo sapiens is a separate and special creation.- XAT - 2026
- Verbal and Logical Ability
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Questions Asked in Maharashtra Class X Board exam
- Pick out the infinitive from the following sentence :
He was asking to go for the concert.- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- Grammar and Language Usage
- Out of the following which is a Pythagorean triplet ?
In the following figure \(\triangle\) ABC, B-D-C and BD = 7, BC = 20, then find \(\frac{A(\triangle ABD)}{A(\triangle ABC)}\).
- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- Properties of Triangles
The radius of a circle with centre 'P' is 10 cm. If chord AB of the circle subtends a right angle at P, find area of minor sector by using the following activity. (\(\pi = 3.14\))
Activity :
r = 10 cm, \(\theta\) = 90\(^\circ\), \(\pi\) = 3.14.
A(P-AXB) = \(\frac{\theta}{360} \times \boxed{\phantom{\pi r^2}}\) = \(\frac{\boxed{\phantom{90}}}{360} \times 3.14 \times 10^2\) = \(\frac{1}{4} \times \boxed{\phantom{314}}\) <br>
A(P-AXB) = \(\boxed{\phantom{78.5}}\) sq. cm.
- Do as directed (Attempt any four). (1) Complete the following words by using correct letters:
br__ve
t__ach
box__r
fa__th- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2025
- Grammar and Language Usage