Read the following passage and answer the given subquestions.

The dog was sleeping nearby. He was stirred by the smell of food. He got up, came out of his shelter and stood before the blind man, wagging his tail and gazing expectantly at the bowl, as he was eating his sparse meal. The blind man swept his arms about and asked, 'Who is there?' at which the dog went up and licked his hand. The blind man stroked its coat gently tail to ear and said, 'What a beauty you are. Come with me—' He threw a handful of food, which the dog ate gratefully. It was perhaps an auspicious moment for starting a friendship. They met every day there, and the dog cut off much of its rambling to sit up beside the blind man and watch him receive alms morning to evening. In course of time, observing him, the dog understood that the passers-by must give a coin, and whoever went away without dropping a coin was chased by the dog; he tugged the edge of their clothes by his teeth and pulled them back to the old man at the gate and let go only after something was dropped in his bowl. Among those who frequented this place was a village urchin, who had the mischief of a devil in him. He liked to tease the blind man by calling him names and by trying to pick up the coins in his bowl. The blind man helplessly shouted and cried and whirled his staff. On Thursdays this boy appeared at the gate, carrying on his head a basket loaded with cucumber or plantain. Every Thursday afternoon it was a crisis in the blind man's life. A seller of bright-coloured but doubtful perfumes with his wares mounted on a wheeled platform, a man who spread out cheap storybooks on a gunny sack, another man who carried coloured ribbons on an elaborate frame—these were the people who usually gathered under the same arch. On a Thursday when the young man appeared at the eastern gate one of them remarked, 'Blind fellow! Here comes your scourge—'

Extract from: The Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan

Read the following exchange between an interviewer and an interviewee and answer the given subquestions:

Candidate: Good morning (Smiles at the interview panel.)

Interviewer 1: Good morning. _____

Candidate: Yes, sir. Siddhant Arora.

Interviewer 2: Please have a seat, Mr. Arora.

Candidate: Thank you, sir. (The candidate calmly takes his seat; he carries his certificates, testimonials, etc., in a well-organised folder which he places on the left side of his table.) (Interviewer 1 seems to whisper something to Interviewer 2, and they share a laugh while looking at the candidate. The candidate feels embarrassed, but hides his awkwardness and remains pleasant, but unaffected. The interviewers study him intently.)

Interviewer 1: Mr. Arora, where do you come from?

Candidate: I come from Uttar Pradesh, sir.

Interviewer 1: From where in UP do you hail?

Candidate: My hometown is Allahabad, sir.

Interviewer 1: _____

Candidate: Sir, Prayag is the same as Allahabad; Prayag was the ancient name of the city. Interviewer 1: Indeed. Can you tell us a little about your educational background?

Candidate: I did my primary education from Tagore Public School, Allahabad, and then went on to do my bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Delhi. I did my post-graduation in Human Resource Management from IIM Bangalore. _____

Interviewer 2: A Market Strategy Associate? Your career trajectory appears rather peculiar. _____ It is a strangely slavish choice, don’t you think, to learn something that may well be taken as a sign of colonial oppression?

Candidate: (Mildly puzzled for a moment, but quickly regains his composure) Sir, strategization, in the context of a multinational company that offers its services to a substantial and diversified client base, is as much a task of communication as it is one of ideation. English is no longer the language of a particular country or a people. Although we can trace it back to our nation’s colonial past, we can rest assured that it is a language that we have made our own. We leverage English and capitalise on it during our interactions with other international players and markets. Learning literature also impacts the manner in which one thinks because it puts one in intimate contact with some of the best thoughts and creations of humankind. One constantly learns from and draws from a large reservoir of experiences as made available through literature so as to be able to keenly understand the people that one works with, to optimally harness the strengths of those in one’s team and to comprehend and respond to clients’ expectations. My position also requires me to analyse and interpret large amounts of data and have a strong command over various analytical tools. _____ So, different as my qualifications might be, I do believe that they both equally contribute to the manner in which I dispense my duties as a Market Strategy Associate. Interviewer 1: Well put, Mr. Arora. Can you tell us about an experience where you had to collaborate with others because the project at hand required an expertise which you did not have? Candidate: Certainly, sir. What comes to my mind immediately is an instance when I needed legal consultation concerning corporate law both in our country and in the different sites where our client had established operations. _____ He also helped me negotiate transaction documentation and coordinated with external legal counsels.

Interviewer 1: Very well, Mr. Arora. _____

Candidate: Sir, I love to read and to go for walks. I also like to follow the latest news in astronomy with an amateurish interest (smiles).

Interviewer 2: Astronomy?

Candidate: Yes, sir. Like the James Webb Space Telescope’s recent discovery of enormous mature galaxies in its deep field images.

Interviewer 2: I see. Interesting (smiles).

Interviewer 1: That will be all for now, Mr. Arora. _____ Have a good day.

Candidate: Thank you, sir. Wish you a good day ahead too. (Exits after righting the position of the chair that he has vacated.)

Read the following email and answer the given subquestions.

From: Alicia Walker alicia.walker@gmail.com

To: ExpressEdits expressedits@gmail.com

Subject: ____________________

_________________,

I am writing to formally accept the job offer for the position of Digital Illustrator at ExpressEdits. I am genuinely thrilled about the prospect of joining your esteemed team and I am eager to make significant contributions, particularly in the area of visual storytelling. Thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity.

Warm regards,

Alicia Walker

Boston University

alicia.walker@gmail.com

Match the following

Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate options:

Shilpa decided to (1)_____ for a day in order to reduce her body fat. She recalled that the day went by much (2)_____ than usual. She also hit the gym at the end of that day, but didn't exert herself too (3)_____ due to her weakened state. She was really happy with the results, so she decided to engage in (4)_____ once a week. She decided that on every Saturday, she would (5)_____. Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.

Study the conversation given below and answer the subquestions that follow by filling in the blanks with the most contextually appropriate expressions.

Judge: Mr. Foreperson, is it correct that the jury has reached a verdict?

Foreperson: (i) _____

Judge: Will the Clerk of the Court please take the verdict? (ii) _____

Clerk: As to G.S.15A-2000 murder in the first degree, what is the jury’s verdict?

Foreperson (reads): We, the jury, find the defendant, Catherine Danielle Clark, not guilty of first- degree murder of Mr. Chase Andrews.

Clerk: Members of the jury, your foreperson has announced the following verdict: G.S.15A-2000, murder in the first degree, not guilty. (iii) _____

Jurors (collectively): Yes

Judge: If anyone said no, please raise your hand.

(Nobody raises their hand.)

Judge: Do you wish the jury to be polled?

(No party makes an application for a poll.)

Judge: (iv) _____ Ms. Clark, you are free to go, and I apologize on behalf of the State for the time that you have served. The jury is hereby discharged from the case. (v) _____

Based on the above data, answer the given subquestions.