Passage 1
Film scholars agree that Hollywood portrayals of America at war follow a cyclical pattern. During and immediately after a conflict, important films trumpet glory and sacrifice. Ten to fifteen years later, questioning and sometimes pacifistic movies about the conflict dominate. In the late 1960’s, “the raging bulls” of Hollywood—the young trendsetters rising to prominence—proclaimed this pattern obsolete. However, the passage of time has demonstrated this cultural pattern to be more resilient than it seemed in those days of social change. Throughout the majority of the last century, evidence of the cyclical portrayal of war in film abounds. After America declared war against Germany during World War I, the still infant film industry glorified the fight against “the Hun.” By the early 1930’s, major releases had changed their tone; for example, All Quiet on the Western Front put forth an anti-war message by displaying the horrors of combat. After World War II began, the industry shifted gears. Suddenly, important pictures again portrayed glories and courage without the questioning or despair. For example, Guadalcanal Diary, produced during the war, showed “the ultimate sacrifice” as a noble and undoubted good. Once again, though, by 1957, films such as The Bridge on the River Kwai won awards for depicting the moral confusion of war. Those who later declared this pattern dead based their conviction on their hearts rather than their minds. During the Vietnam War, the only major film about that conflict was The Green Berets, starring John Wayne and far closer in tone to Guadalcanal Diary than to The Bridge on the River Kwai. Similarly, years went by before more complex visions of war, such as Apocalypse Now, and then Platoon, emerged. While today’s film industry is more diverse and its audience more culturally fragmented, this cycle largely continues. Jarhead, a layered depiction of the first gulf war, premiered more than ten years after that conflict. Further evidence of this pattern can be seen in the release of Apocalypse Now Redux, which contained additional footage that the producers originally thought would repel audiences. Thus, the famous aphorism “The more things change, the more they stay the same” certainly applies to this aspect of the film industry.
1. According to the passage, Apocalypse Now Redux differed from Apocalypse Now in which of the following ways?
a· The added footage made it less appealing to a more culturally diverse audience.
b· The added footage made its portrayal of war less glorified and more ambiguous.
c· The added footage made its portrayal of war less harsh and more glorified.
d· The added footage made it more similar in tone to other war movies.
e· The removed footage made its portrayal of war less glorified and less appealing.
2. The passage implies that the combat depicted in All Quiet on the Western Front least resembles the depiction of combat in which of the following?
a· Jarhead
b· Apocalypse Now
c· The Bridge on the River Kwai
d· Platoon
e· Guadalcanal Diary
3. In the second paragraph, the author implies that “the Hun” refers to which of the following?
a· The Huns
b· The Hungarians
c· The Austro-Hungarians
d· The Germans
e· The Russians
4. What is the main point made by the author?
a· Hollywood has never fully supported America’s armed conflicts.
b· In the last century, the film industry has become more culturally diverse.
c· An established cultural pattern is more durable than was thought during a time of social upheaval.
d· The film industry has only supported American military efforts during the actual conflict.
e· Cyclical patterns determine the type of big budget films produced by Hollywood more than individuals do.
5. What is the function of the last paragraph of the passage?
a· It shows that, despite changes in the industry and audience, the pattern discussed still exists.
b· It points out that the film industry never changes.
c· It shows that changes in the film industry and its audience have made the pattern previously discussed obsolete.
d· It discusses how Jarhead and Apocalypse Now Redux are fundamentally different from all the war movies that preceded them.
e· It demonstrates that war movies have changed to reflect the more culturally diverse audience.
6. Which one of the following does the author believe is true about The Bridge on the River Kwai?
a· It deserved the awards that it won.
b· It is a more intelligent and well-crafted movie than The Green Berets.
c· It was the first movie to portray the moral confusion of war.
d· Its portrayal of war is more ambivalent than that in Guadalcanal Diary.
e· It was more financially successful than any war movie that came before it
Passage 2
Measuring more than five feet tall and ten feet long, the Javan rhinoceros is often called the rarest large mammal on earth. None exist in zoos. Like the Indian rhino, the Javan has only one horn; African and Sumatran rhinos have two. While the Javan rhino habitat once extended across southern Asia, now there are fewer than one hundred of the animals in Indonesia and under a dozen in Vietnam. Very little is known about Javan rhinos because they lead secretive and solitary lives in remote jungles. Until recently, scientists debated whether females even have horns, and most scientific work has had to rely on DNA garnered from dung. The near extinction of the Javan rhino is the direct result of human actions. For centuries, farmers, who favoured the same habitat, viewed them as crop eating pests and shot them on sight. During the colonial period, hunters slaughtered thousands. Now, human efforts to save them may well prove futile. The Vietnamese herd is probably doomed, as too few remain to maintain the necessary genetic variation. Rhinos from Java cannot supplement the Vietnamese numbers because in the millions of years since Indonesia separated from the mainland, the two groups have evolved into separate sub-species. In Indonesia, the rhinos are protected on the Ujung Kulon peninsula, which is unsettled by humans, and still have sufficient genetic diversity to have a chance at survival. Ironically, however, the lack of human disturbance allows mature forests to replace the shrubby vegetation the animals prefer. Thus, human benevolence may prove little better for these rhinos than past human maltreatment.
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
a· Javan rhinos are one of the most endangered animals on the planet.
b· More is known about the genetics of the Javan rhino than is known about its mating patterns.
c· Hunters killed more Javan rhinos in Vietnam than in Indonesia.
d· Most animal extinctions are the result of human actions.
e· Genetic diversity is the most important factor for the survival of a species.
2. The author’s attitude toward current human efforts to save the Javan rhino can best be described as
a· optimistic and worthwhile
b· pointless and doomed
c· idealistic but profitable
d· problematic and ironic
e· confused but heroic
3. The author mentions that the Javan rhino has only one horn in order to do which of the following?
a· explain why it is closer to extinction than the African rhino
b· contrast it to the number of horns that the Indian rhino has
c· demonstrate its evolution into a separate sub-species
d· describe the features of the animal
e· contrast it to the number of horns that females have
4. The purpose of the first paragraph is to
a· discuss the different types of rhinoceroses that populate the world
b· describe the ways in which human actions have brought the Javan rhino close to extinction
c· outline the few known facts about the Javan rhino
d· discuss the steps taken to save the Javan rhino
e· highlight the differences between the sub-species of Javan rhinos in Vietnam and Indonesia
5. According to the passage, which of the following best explains why the number of Javan rhinos in Vietnam cannot be increased by additions from those in the Ujung Kulon peninsula?
a· The Indonesian Javan rhinos constitute a separate sub-species.
b· The Javan rhinos cannot swim to Vietnam and have no land route available.
c· Neither Vietnam nor Indonesia has the funds for such a project.
d· Javan rhinos in the Ujung Kulon peninsula are almost impossible to capture.
e· Terrorist activity in Indonesia has made such a project too dangerous to attempt.
6. The author states that which of the following was most responsible for the near extinction of the Javan rhino?
a· farmers shooting them on sight
b· the separation of Indonesia from the mainland
c· hunters slaughtering thousands
d· current human efforts to save them
e· the cumulative effect of many past human activities4
Note:
Reading Comprehension asked under English section in CLAT can be assumed to be an easy and ‘ not to be left ‘ section (Easy because all the answers are contained in the passage itself). It all depends on your ability to read a particular passage in a given time (usually 5-7 minutes) and then answer the questions based on the passage. Those who have been scoring low in Reading Comprehension, it’s never too late. Become a voracious reader. Read anything (particularly standard newspapers) that your hands can lay on and then see the difference in your performance (Time management is also a must in this case.)
All the Best!
The above write-up has been contributed by The Knowledge Tree, Patna’s premier coaching institute for CLAT and other law entrance exams like AILET, SET, LSAT etc.