Reading Test-202 

1. Read the following passage and do the activities that are given below.

Yogmaya: A poet, teacher, and insurgent

"Yogmaya had a two-pronged agenda, not just one", explained Manamaya. "Her first target was the cultural and religious oppression of the time. Her second object was our ruler, the Prime Minister, who along with his generals allowed corruption and inequality to prevail. Our master, Shakti Yogmaya, showed us how these two evils are intertwined, and she feared neither." Yogmaya launched a brilliant and daring political campaign from her base in the hills of East Nepal. It took place during The 1930s, ended in 1940 with her death, along with sixty-eight of her followers who one by one followed her into the thundering current of the Arun River. After leading a campaign for reform and justice, we will die, "she declared ". Juddha Shamsher responded by sending his army to round up the protesters. The tragedy that resulted remains a stain on the government. The Nepalese authorities covered up the episode and banned all mention of her. Her campaign was thoroughly expunged from the nation's historical record and almost lost to its political consciousness. But the powerful verses composed by Yogmaya, the hazurbani, survived. And there lies the story:

  I am the child in your lap.

 You are the babe in mine;

There is nothing between us, nothing at all.

 Your eyes have tears, just like my own.

On the surface, these lines may appear to be politically innocent, they are not. They embody the very principle of equality. They call for parity and mutual respect. They are tender reminders of the sensitivity of all of our common needs, joys, and sufferings. Eventually, Yogmaya's teachings became a comprehensive utopian ideal, linked with a non-violent political strategy she devised to bring it about. It began four decades before the United Nations had sponsored an international convention on women before the current generation of American feminists was born, and even before Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent "Quit India" movement (a campaign to rid India of British occupation) was underway, but Yogmaya's movement went further because it included a call to end injustice against women and girls. (Credit source: CDC, Class:10)

A. Put the following in the correct order.

a. Ranas needed nearly ten years to sort out Yogmaya's trouble.

b. Yogmaya was brave enough to face evils.

c.  Modern Nepalese society owes her sacrifice.

d. Yogmaya lived through her hazurbani.

B. Answer the following questions.

a. Who is Manamaya?

b. Was Yogmaya right to revolt against Ranas?

c. What was Yogmaya's demand with the government?

d. Why do you think Yogmaya stopped her revolt?

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct information.

a.  Her poetry carries a message of ………and love of the land.

b.  Yogmaya devised a …….politcal strategy.

2. Read the following passage and answer the questions below.

Glowworm

The glow-worm belongs to a family of beetles known as the Lampyridae or fireflies. The fireflies are a huge group containing over 2000 species, with new ones being discovered all the time. The feature which makes fireflies and glowworms so appealing is their ability to produce an often dazzling display of light. The light is used by the adult fireflies as a signal to attract a mate, and each species must develop its own ' callsign' to avoid being confused with other species growing nearby. So within any one area, each species will differ from its neighbor in some way, for example in the color or pattern of its light, how long the pulses of light last, the interval between pulses, and whether it displays in flight or from the ground. The fireflies' almost magical light has attracted human attention for generations. It is described in an ancient Chinese encyclopedia written over 2000 years ago by a pupil of Confucius. Fireflies often featured in Japanese and Arabian folk medicine. All over the world, they have been the inspiration for countless poems, paintings, and stories. In Britain, for example, there are plenty of anecdotes describing how glowworms have been used to read by or used as emergency bicycle lamps when a cyclist's batteries have failed without warning. Early travelers in the New World came back with similar stories, of how the native people of Central America would collect a type of click beetle and release them indoors to light up their huts. Girls threaded them around their feet to illuminate the forest paths at night.

Fireflies very similar to those we see today have been found fossilized in rocks that were formed about 30 million years ago, and their ancestors were probably glowing long before then. It is impossible to be sure exactly when and where the first firefly appeared. The highest concentrations of firefly species today are to be found in the tropics of South America, which may mean either that this is where they first evolved, or simply that they prefer the conditions there. Wherever they first arose, fireflies have since spread to almost every part of the globe. Today members of the firefly family can be found almost anywhere outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles.

As with many insects, the glowworm's life is divided into four distinct stages: the egg, the larva (equivalent to the caterpillar of a butterfly), the pupa (or chrysalis), and the adult. The glow-worn begins its life in the autumn as a pale yellow egg. The freshly laid egg is extremely fragile but

with a day its surface has hardened into a shell. The egg usually takes about 35 days to hatch, but the exact time varies according to the temperature, from about 27 days in hot weather to more than 45 days in cold weather. By the time it is due to hatch, the glowworm's light organ is fully developed, and its glow signals that the egg will soon hatch. After it has left the egg, the larva slowly grows from a few millimeters into the size and shape of a matchstick. The larval stage is the only time the insect can feed. The larva denotes much of its life to feeding and building up its food reserves so that as an adult it will be free to concentrate all its effect on the task of finding a mate and reproducing. Throughout its time as a larva, approximately 15 months, the glowworm emits a bright light. The larva's light is much fainter than the adult female's but it can still be seen more than five meters away. In the final stage of a glowworm's life, the larva encases itself in a pupal skin while it changes from the simple larva to the more complex adult fly. When the adult fly emerges from the pupa the male seeks a female with whom it can mate. After mating, the female lays about 120 eggs. The adult flies have no mouthparts, cannot eat, and therefore only live a few days. When people talk of seeing a glowworm they normally mean the brightly glowing adult female.

In some countries, the number of glowworms has been falling. Evidence suggests that there has been a steady decrease in the British glowworm population since the 1950s and possibly before that. Possible causes for the decline include habitat destruction, pollution, and changes in climate. Thousands of acres of grassland have been built upon and glow-worm sites have become increasingly isolated from each other. The widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers may also have endangered glowworms. Being at the top of a food chain it is likely to absorb any pollutants eaten by the snails on which it feeds. The effect of global warming on rainfall and other weather patterns may also be playing a part in the disappearance of glowworms. A lot more research will be needed, however, before the causes of the glowworm's gradual decline are clear.

Although glowworms are found wherever conditions are damp, food is in good supply and there is an overhanging wall, they are most spectacular in caves. The more than 100 years the glow-worm caves in New Zealand have attracted millions of people from all over the world. The caves were first explored in 1887 by a local Maori chief, Tane Tinorau, and an English surveyor, Fred Mace. They built a raft and, with candles as their only light, they floated into the cave where the stream goes underground. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness they saw myriad lights reflecting off the water. Looking up they returned many times to explore further, and on an independent trip, Tane discovered the upper level of the cave and easier access. The authorities were advised and government surveyors mapped the caves. By 1888 Tinorau had opened the cave. (Credit source: John Tyler, a naturalist)

A. Answer the following questions.

a. What is the condition of glow-worms in Britain?

b. How is firefly used in various societies?

c. What is another name of glowworm?

d.  What is the role of Fred Mace?

B. Give words from the passage that are nearest in meaning to the following expressions.

1.Early   2. Exigency    3. Insight     4. Roll out    

C. Put the following in the correct order.

a.   Fireflies use their light for the purpose of attraction.

b. Heat affects the production of glowworm larvae.

c. Girls had it in their feet to walk at night.

d. Glowworms are usually found in wet areas.

 3. Read the following advertisement and answer the following.

The United States Peace Corps seeks experienced ad qualified applicants for the full time contracted position of Education Program and Training Specialist (EPTS). Personal Services Contractor working 40 hours per week. The EPTS will play a critical role in supporting a new Peace Corps TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) Education Project, project plan preparation and implementation, volunteer site development, monitoring and evaluation, volunteer technical training, ongoing volunteer support and developing technical resource networks.

The EPTS provides technical and cultural guidance to help Volunteers primarily self-sufficient in their work assignments. She /he serves as delegated:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION

University Bachelor's in Education -related field

TESOL/TEFL Certification

Minimum of 4 years of related work experience that includes English Teaching, Designing and Facilitating Training/ Workshops, Teacher Training, Education Project Design and Management.

Fluent, both in Nepali and English (Written and Oral)

Demonstrated good interpersonal skills and ability to take initiative and work with minimal supervision.

Must meet US Embassy security clearance requirements

DESIRED QUALIFICATION  

Work experience with American or international organizations, and preferably organizations that achieve their mission through volunteerism. Experience in designing and facilitating learning sessions that embrace student-centered learning, critical thinking, and the Experiential Learning Cycle. Experience supporting education projects that follow a Logic Model/Theory of Change. Ability to speak other languages spoken in Nepal. Supervisory experience with staff and preferably volunteers strongly desired. Strong knowledge of Peace Corps, its mission, and its approach to development. Highly organized, analytical and professional, with an ability to successfully network on behalf of the program.

For the full job advertisement, refer to http://np.usembassy.gov/embassy/jobs/

APPLY TO

The United States Peace Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Interested candidates should submit their CV and a cover letter in English with monthly salary requirements and addressing the qualification requirements by email to: nepaljobs@peacecorps.gov by 5pm on Friday, November 24, 2017.

(Credit source: https://np.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/79/Education-Program-and-Training-Specialist-EPTS.pdf)

A. Match the following.

Candidates	Having exposure
Details	8 hours a day
Priority	http:np.usembassy.gov
Workload	Graduates

B. State whether the statements are true or false.

a.Master in Education is directly selected.

b.The candidates can claim their perks and remuneration via the application.

c.English teachers might have a good chance to fit in the post.

C.  Answer the following questions.

a.What is the role of the candidates?

b.What is the purpose of listing two different qualifications?

c.How can candidates access information about the employer?

d.Can Nepalese with an extra native language fit in the above post? How?

The End