Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer for each question.
To teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced. Space may sound a vague, poetic metaphor until we realize that it describes experiences of everyday life. We know what it means to be in a green and open field; we know what it means to be on a crowded rush hour bus. These experiences of physical space have parallels in our relations with others. On our jobs we know what it is to be pressed and crowded, our working space diminished by the urgency of deadlines and competitiveness of colleagues. But then there are times when deadlines disappear and colleagues cooperate, when everyone has a space to move, invent and produce with energy and enthusiasm. With family and friends, we know how it feels to have unreasonable demands placed upon us, to be boxed in by the expectations of those nearest to us. But then there are times when we feel accepted for who we are (or forgiven for who we are not), times when a spouse or a child or a friend gives us the space, both to be and to become. Similar experiences of crowding and space are found in education. To sit in a class where the teacher stuffs our minds with information, organizes it with finality, insists on having the answers while being utterly uninterested in our views, and focus us into a grim competition for grades – to sit in such a class is to experience a lack of space for learning. But to study with a teacher, who not only speaks but also listens, who not only answers but asks questions and welcomes our insights, who provides information and theories that do not close doors but open new ones, who encourages students to help each other learn – to study with such a teacher is to know the power of a learning space.
A learning space has three essential dimensions: openness, boundaries and an air of hospitality. To create open learning space is to remove the impediments to learning that we find around and within us; we often create them ourselves to evade the challenge of truth and transformation. One source of such impediments is our fear of appearing ignorant to others or to ourselves. The oneness of a space is created by the
firmness of its boundaries. A learning space cannot extend indefinitely; if it did, it would not be a structure for learning but an invitation for confusion and chaos. When space boundaries are violated, the quality of space suffers. The teacher who wants to create an open learning space must define and defend its boundaries with care. Because the pursuit of truth can be painful and discomforting, the learning space must be
hospitable. Hospitable means receiving each other, our struggles, our new-born ideas with openness and care. It means creating an ethos in which the community of truth can form and the pain of its transformation be borne. A learning space needs to be hospitable not to make learning painless, but to make painful things possible, things without which no learning can occur, things like exposing ignorance, testing tentative hypotheses, challenging false or partial information, and mutual criticism of thought.
The task of creating learning space with qualities of openness, boundaries and hospitality can be approached at several levels. The most basic level is the physical arrangement of the classroom, Consider the traditional classroom setting with row of chairs facing the lectern where learning space is confined to the narrow alley of attention between each student and teacher. In this space, there is no community of truth, hospitality of room for students to relate to the thoughts of each other. Contrast it with the chairs placed in a circular arrangement creating an open space within which learners can interconnect. At another level, the teacher can create conceptual space-space with words in two ways. One is through assigned reading; the other is through lecturing, assigned reading, not in the form of speed reading several hundred pages but contemplative
reading which opens, not fills, our learning space. A teacher can also create a learning space by means of lectures. By providing critical information and a framework of interpretation, a lecturer can lay down boundaries within which learning occurs.
We also create learning space through the kind of speech we utter and the silence from which true speech emanates. Speech is a precious gift and a vital tool, but too often our speaking is an evasion of truth, a way of buttressing our self-serving reconstructions of reality. Silence must therefore be an integral part of learning space. In silence, more than in arguments, our mind made world falls away and we are open to the truth that seeks us. Words often divide us, but silence can unite. Finally teachers must also create emotional space in the class-room, space that allows feelings to arise and be dealt with because submerged feelings can undermine learning. In an emotionally honest learning space, one created by a teacher who does not fear dealing with feelings, the community of truth can flourish between us and we can flourish in it.
The best remedy for shortage lies in
Show Hint
- putting up more pumps in rural areas.
- cleaning up polluted water.
- reducing the waste level of 25-30 percent of the total flow of water.
- constructing large sized dams.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
but improving the usability of existing sources by cleaning up polluted water.
Polluted rivers, lakes, and groundwater cannot be consumed without treatment,
and with a significant portion of India's water bodies being contaminated,
restoring these to usable condition is the quickest and most sustainable solution.
Option (a) only extracts more water, not addresses usability.
Option (c) is important but doesn't recover already polluted sources.
Option (d) involves long timelines and massive ecological consequences.
Hence, option (b) is the most practical and immediate remedy.
The task of creating learning space with qualities of openness, boundaries and hospitality is multidimensional. It involves operating at
Show Hint
- psychological and conceptual levels.
- physical, perceptual and behavioral levels.
- physical, conceptual and emotional levels.
- conceptual, verbal and sensitive levels.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The physical level refers to the layout, accessibility, and design of the learning space.
The conceptual level involves the ideas, pedagogy, and structure of the learning approach.
The emotional level ensures psychological safety, warmth, and openness, fostering true hospitality.
Only option (c) acknowledges this comprehensive and multidimensional approach.
Option (a) misses the tangible and affective dimensions.
Option (b) does not fully capture the abstract (conceptual) or affective (emotional) components.
Option (d) is too limited in scope and less precise.
The statement ‘the openness of a space is created by the firmness of its boundaries’ appears contradictory. Which of the following statements provides the best justification for the proposition?
Show Hint
- We cannot have a space without boundaries.
- Bounded space is highly structured.
- When space boundaries are violated, the quality of space suffers.
- A teacher can effectively defend a learning space without boundaries.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
but in practice, it reflects a deeper truth about structure and freedom.
Well-defined boundaries provide a safe, predictable environment where expression can thrive.
When these are violated, chaos or intrusion can occur, disrupting the space’s purpose.
Thus, the integrity of a space relies on its limits to preserve quality and inclusivity.
Option (c) best explains this balance between structure (boundaries) and expression (openness).
According to the author, learning is a painful process because
Show Hint
- it exposes our ignorance.
- our views and hypotheses are challenged.
- it involves criticizing the views of other.
- All of the above reasons.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
It forces us to confront our ignorance (a), question what we previously believed (b),
and occasionally enter into critique and disagreement with others’ views (c).
This internal and external friction makes learning a painful but necessary process for growth.
Option (d) captures the full emotional and intellectual challenge that learning entails.
Understanding the notion of space in our relations with other is
Show Hint
- to acknowledge the beauty of a poetic metaphor.
- exclusively rooted in our experiences of physical space.
- to accept a spiritual dimension in our dealings with our peers.
- to extend the parallel of physical space to our experiences in daily life.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
but as a way to understand how boundaries, openness, and interaction work in human relationships.
By paralleling physical space with emotional or conceptual space,
we can reflect on how we create respectful, inclusive, and meaningful interactions.
Option (d) best expresses this extension from the physical to the experiential.
Which of the following statements best describes the author’s conception of learning space?
Show Hint
- Where the teacher is friendly.
- Where there is no grim competition for grades.
- Where the students are encouraged to learn about space.
- Where the teacher provides information and theories which open new doors and encourages students to help each other learn.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
It is not merely about teacher friendliness or lack of competition,
but about nurturing intellectual growth through openness, guidance, and shared inquiry.
The teacher's role is to offer frameworks and ideas that stimulate curiosity,
while also fostering a supportive space where students collaborate and learn from one another.
Option (d) captures the depth and multidimensional quality of this space.
According to the author, silence must be an integral part of learning space because
Show Hint
- silence helps to unite us with others to create a community of truth.
- silent contemplation prepares us to construct our mind–made world.
- speaking is too often an exercise in the evasion of truth.
- speaking is too often a way of buttressing our self–serving reconstruction of reality.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
but as a shared contemplative state that enables deeper connection and reflection.
In silence, learners can engage more honestly with themselves and with each other.
This unity through quiet introspection fosters a communal search for truth,
where words are used more responsibly and insightfully when spoken.
Option (a) captures the unifying and purposeful role of silence in building a learning community.
Another way of describing the author’s notion of learning space can be summarized in the following manner
Show Hint
- It is vital that learning be accompanied by unlearning.
- Learning encompasses such elements as courage, dignity and endeavour.
- An effective teacher recognizes the value of empathy.
- Encourage good learners, discourage indifferent ones.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
but emotional awareness and mutual understanding.
Empathy becomes central to this view—students and teachers must relate to one another’s feelings and struggles.
An empathetic teacher nurtures openness, supports vulnerability, and sustains genuine inquiry.
Option (c) best reflects this humanistic and emotionally honest learning environment.
According to the author, an effective teacher does not allow
Show Hint
- feelings to arise within the learning space.
- silence to become an integral part of the learning space.
- learning space to be filled by speed reading of several hundred pages of assigned reading.
- violation of learning space boundaries.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
An effective teacher prioritizes reflective learning, dialogue, and emotional presence
rather than cramming large volumes of text without understanding.
Option (c) highlights the author's concern about mechanized education lacking meaningful engagement.
An emotionally honest learning space can only be created by
Show Hint
- a teacher committed to joining the community of truth.
- a teacher who is not afraid of confronting feelings.
- a teacher who takes care not to undermine the learning process.
- a teacher who worships critical silence.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
A teacher must be willing to engage with the emotional aspects of learning—
to recognize discomfort, fear, confusion, and help students work through them with courage and empathy.
Option (b) best represents the courage and sensitivity needed to build such a space.
Conceptual space with words can be created by
Show Hint
- assigned reading and lecturing.
- speed reading and written comprehension.
- gentle persuasion and deliberate action.
- creative extrapolation and illustrations.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Assigned reading introduces foundational ideas, while lecturing helps in building organized understanding.
These methods are traditional yet effective in constructing the initial framework for concepts using language.
Option (a) emphasizes this disciplined approach to shaping thought and expression.
Options (b), (c), and (d) may support learning but don’t define the deliberate and structured nature
of creating conceptual clarity that the question highlights.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
As of 2009, there are 890 World Heritage Sites that are located in 148 countries (map). 689 of these sites are cultural and include places like the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Historic Center of Vienna in Austria. 176 are natural and feature such locations as the U.S.’s Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks. 25 of the World Heritage Sites are considered mixed i.e. natural and cultural Peru’s Machu Picchu is one of these. Italy has the highest number of World Heritage Sites with 44. India has 36 (28 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed) World Heritage Sites. The World Heritage Committee has divided the world’s countries into five geographic zones which include (1) Africa, (2) Arab States, (3) Asia Pacific (including Australia and Oceania), (4) Europe and North America and (5) Latin America and the Caribbean.
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- I give the biggest credit of this honour to my movement’s Kaalu Kumar, Dhoom Das and Adarsh Kishore from India and Iqbal Masih from Pakistan who made the supreme sacrifice for protect ing the freedom and dignity of children. I humbly accept this award on behalf of all such martyrs, my fellow activists across the world and my countrymen. My journey from the great land of Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahatma Gandhi; India to Norway is a connect between the two centres of global peace and brotherhood, ancient and modern. Friends, the Nobel Committee has generously invited me to present a “lecture.” Respectfully, I am unable to do that. Because, I am representing here — the sound of silence. The cry of innocence. And, the face of invisibility. I represent millions of those children who are left behind and that’s why I have kept an empty chair here as a reminder. I have come here only to share the voices and dreams of our children– because they are all our children– (gesture to everyone in the audience). I have looked into their frightened and exhausted eyes. I have held their injured bodies and felt their broken spirits.
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