Question 2 - Unseen Passage (with Past Year Questions) - Reading Comprehension - English Class 12

Read the passage given below:

(1)“Who doesn’t know how to cook rice? Cooking rice hardly takes time,” said my father. So, I challenged myself.  I switched from news to You Tube and typed, “How to cook rice?” I took one and a half cups of rice. Since I didn’t have  access to a rice cooker, I put the rice in a big pot. Firstly, the rice has to be washed to get rid of dust and starch. I thought  I won’t be able to drain the rice and that it will fall out of the pot. I observed the chef as I swirled the rice around and used my dexterous hands to drain it, not once, not twice, but three times. I looked down at the sink and saw less than  50 grains that made their way out of the pot. Suffice to say, I was up to the mark. 

(2)The video stated that the key to perfect rice is equal amount of rice and water. I have heard that professionals  don’t need to measure everything; they just know what the right amount is. But as this was my first time in the kitchen,  I decided to experiment by not measuring the water needed for boiling the rice. I wanted the rice to be firm when bitten,  just like pasta. I don’t enjoy the texture of mushy rice. It has to have that chutzpah; it has to resist my biting power just  for a bit before disintegrating. 

(3)After what seemed like 10 minutes, all the water disappeared. I went in to give it a good stir. To my surprise,  some of the rice got stuck to the pot. I tried to scrape it off but to no avail. At the same time, there was a burning smell  coming from it. I quickly turned the stove off. “What have you done to the kitchen?” My mother shouted while coming  towards the kitchen. I managed to ward her off.

(4)Finally, when the time came to taste my creation, I was surprised! It wasn’t bad at all. The rice had the desired  consistency. Sure, a little more salt would’ve been better, but I just added that while eating. The experience was fairly  rewarding and memorable. It taught me a new sense of respect for those who cook food on a regular basis at home or  are engaged in gourmet creations professionally.

Question 2 ( i )

Father’s question to the narrator, about  knowing how to cook rice, was intended to

(A) criticize the narrator’s lack of abilities. 

(B) make the process sound simple. 

(C) encourage the narrator to take up  cooking 

(D) showcase his own expertise in cooking rice

Answer

Fathers question to the narrator was - “ Who doesn’t know how to cook rice? Cooking hardly takes time. ” 

The statement means that the task of cooking rice is pretty easy and simple and takes less time. It is not meant to make the narrator feel bad or to boast about the father’s cooking skills.

So, the correct answer is (B) .

Question 2 (ii)

“I switched from news to You Tube …”  Pick the option in which the meaning of  ‘switch(ed)’ is NOT the same as it is in the  passage. 

(A) He switched on the radio to listen to the  news while having dinner. 

(B) “Forget these diet supplements and  switch to yoga, if you want a true sense  of well-being.” 

(C) Mom switched to reading fiction recently  because she was bored with cook-books. 

(D) The company will switch the trucks to  other routes to bring down city pollution.

Answer

In the statement “I switched from news to YouTube '', the narrator means to say that she transferred from reading news to watching a Youtube video. 

The word ‘ switch(ed) ’ has various meanings.

• (A) He switched on the radio to listen to the  news while having dinner.   - It means that the person is turning on the radio. 
• (B) “Forget these diet supplements and  switch to yoga, if you want a true sense  of well-being.” - Shifting from supplements to yoga 
• (C) Shifted from cook- books to reading fictions - 
• (D) Shifting trucks to another route - 

Since options B, C, and D all talk about shifting from one mode to another , but in option A switch means to turn on something. 

So, the correct answer is (A) .

Question 2 (iii)

Based on your understanding of the passage,  choose the option that lists the correct  sequence of the process.

1. Use water to wash the rice.

2. Repeat the process three times.

3. Drain the water off.

4. Put rice in a utensil.

5. Swirl the rice around in water.

(A) 4,2,1,3,5  

(B) 1,3,2,5,4 

(C) 4,1,5,3,2  

(D) 5,1,2,4,3

Answer

With reference to paragraph 1 of the passage we follow the steps as:

1. Put rice in a utensil. (Option 4)
2. Use water to wash the rice. (Option 1)
3. Swirl the rice around in water. (Option 5)
4. Drain the water off. (Option 3)
5. Repeat the process three times. (Option 2) 

So, the correct answer is (C) .

Question 2 (iv)

The narrator says that he has dexterous  hands. He would have had a problem had it  been the opposite. NOT BEING dexterous  means, being _______________  . 

(A) uncomfortable  

(B) clumsy 

(C) unclear  

(D) clueless

Answer

The word: dexterous means having skills that involve using hands.

Let us first understand the meanings of the options:

• (a) uncomfortable - not pleasant
• (b) clumsy - careless and likely to knock into, drop or break things
• (c) unclear - not fully able to understand
• (d) clueless - unable to understand anything

Now, NOT BEING dexterous means not being able to use hands to do things.

Therefore, the closest word can be clumsy because if we don’t use hands things might fall down.

So, the correct answer is (B).

Question 2 (v)

Which option represents the correct ratio of  water to rice for cooking ‘perfect rice’?

(A) Image 1  

(B) Image 2

(C) Image 3 

(D) Image 4

Question 2 (vi)

According to the passage, the fact that the  narrator risked experimentation, on his maiden attempt in kitchen, shows that he was ____.

(A) conscientious     

(B) nervous 

(C) Presumptuous   

(D) courteous

Answer

Let us first understand the meanings of the options:

• (a) conscientious - wishing to do work well and thoroughly
• (b) nervous - worried or afraid
• (c) presumptuous - confident that something will happen
• (d) courteous - polite and showing respect to others

Therefore, the fact that the  narrator risked experimentation, on his  maiden attempt in the kitchen, shows that  he was presumptuous , as he seemed to be confident enough to make a pot of rice.

So, the correct answer is (C) .

Question 2 (vii)

Pick the option showing the CORRECT use of the word ‘chutzpah’.

(A) It is the court’s duty to dispense chutzpah  to everyone irrespective of caste or creed.

(B) The speaker may not have much of a stage presence, but you’ve got to admit  she’s got chutzpah. 

(C) I could crack the code easily which  proved me to be a chutzpah and I was  the only one who could do so

(D) After his father’s demise, the daughter  took over the family’s chutzpah to save  it from disaster.

Answer

The word ‘chutzpah’ means extreme self- confidence or audacity . 

• (A) It is the court’s duty to dispense chutzpah  to everyone irrespective of caste or creed - incorrect use of word
• (B) The speaker may not have much of a  stage presence, but you’ve got to admit  she’s got chutzpah - incorrect use of word
• (C) I could crack the code easily which  proved me to be a chutzpah and I was  the only one who could do so - incorrect use of word
• (D) After his father’s demise, the daughter  took over the family’s chutzpah to save  it from disaster - correct use of word; signifying that the speaker had the guts to speak even when she had less experience

So, the correct answer is (B).

Question 2 (viii)

Pick the option that correctly states what  DID NOT happen after the writer checked  on the rice. 

(A) Turning the stove off 

(B) Being taken aback at the condition of rice 

(C) Forgetting to scrape the stuck rice 

(D) Smelling the delicious aroma of cooked  rice

Answer

• Since the rice got stuck to the bottom of the pot, the author had to scrape off the bottom. 
• Because of this, he was taken aback. 
• There was no delicious aroma of cooked rice but the smell of burning gas.
• Because of this, the stove had to be turned off.

Since there was no delicious aroma, this means that it DID NOT HAPPEN as there was no good smell. So, the correct answer is (D).

Question 2 (ix)

Let us first understand the meanings of the options:

• 1. frustrating - feelings of anger

• 2. amusing - finding it funny

• 3. satisfying - being content

• 4. disillusioning - dissatisfied; with no hopes

• 5. exacting - requiring precision

• 6. enlightening - providing knowledge, insight

Answer

Being able to cook the rice finally made the author happy . He was satisfied and enlightened and not amused, frustrated, disillusioning and exacting because  he had successfully cooked a pot of rice.

So, the correct answer is (C).

Question 2 (x)

The narrator’s creation was 

(A) almost perfect to taste. 

(B) way off from what he wanted. 

(C) Overly

(D) quite distasteful.

Answer

Apart from having a little less salt , the rice was next to perfect in taste .

So, the correct answer is (A).