MPSC State Service 2020 · CSAT · Question 46 of 77

Passage: Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions on the basis of the content of the passage. The richness of great books shows itself in the many levels of meaning they contain. They lend themselves to a variety of interpretation. This does not mean they are ambiguous or that their integrity is compromised. The different interpretations complement one another and allow the reader to discover the unity of the work from a they variety of perspectives. We need not read other books more than once to get all that they have to say. But we can always go deeper into great books. As sources of enlightenment, they are inexhaustible. The interest in many good books that are written is limited to a definite period of history. They do not exhibit the universal appeal that results from dealing with the fundamental questions which confront men in all times and places and in a way that men in all times and places can understand. Great books, on the contrary, transcend the provincial limits of their origin. They remain as world literature. The ones we are sure are great, are the once men everywhere turn to again and again through the centuries. In view of this, it is often said that great books must pass the test of time. This is quite true. But it is not the passage of time that makes the book great. They were great when they were written. An enduring interest in a book merely confirms its greatness. We may consider some contemporary books great, but we cannot be sure. Their excellence still remains to be proved before the tribunal of the ages. Mark Twain once remarked that “the great books are the books that everyone wishes he had read, but no one wants to read. ” People wish they had read them because they are the indispensible material of a liberal education. They shy away from reading them because these books require thought. And thinking is hard. It is probably one of the most painful things that human beings are called upon to do. The great books are not easy to read. No one should expect to understand them very well on a first reading, no even to master them fully after many readings. I have often said that they are the books which are over everyone՚s head all of the time. That is why they must be read and re-read. That is also why they are good for us. Only the thing which are over our head can lift us up. Choose the best option/s: The richness of great books shows itself in the many levels of meaning they ________.

Reading Comprehension

1. Acontrol
2. BenvelopCorrect
3. Cprevent
4. Dhave