NAT IIA Arts & Humanities Verbal Preparation Online Test for Pakistani Students

The Romans – for centuries is the masters of war and polities across Europe, Northern Africa and Asia Minor – have often been criticized for producing few original thinker outside the realm of positive. This criticism, while in many ways true, is not without its problems. It was, after all the conquest of Greece that provided Rome with its greatest influx of educated subjects. Two of the great disasters intellectual history – the murder of Archimedes and the burning the Alexandria’s library – both occurred under Rome’s watch. Nevertheless, a city that was able to conquer so much of the known world could not have been devoid of the creativity that characterizes so many other ancient emprises.

Engineering is one endeavor in which the Romans showed themselves capable. Their aqueducts carried water hundreds of miles along the tops of vast arcades. Roman roads built for the rapid deployment of troops, criss-cross Europe and still form the basis of numerous modern highways that provide quick access prominence to Rome’s economic and political influence.

Many of these major cities lie for beyond Rome’s original province, and Latin-derived languages are spoken in most Southern European nations. Again a result of military influence the popularity of Latin and its off spring is difficult to overestimate. During the centuries of ignorance and violence that followed Rome’s decline, the Latin language was the glue that held together the identity of an entire continent. While seldom spoken today, it is still studied widely, if only so that such master or rhetoric as Cicero can be read in the original.

It is Cicero and his like who are perhaps the most overlooked legacy of Rome. While far from being a democracy, Rome did leave behind useful political tool that serve the American republic today. “Republic” itself is Latin for “the people’s business,” a notion cherished in democracies worldwide. Senators owe their name to Rome’s class of elders; Representatives owe theirs to the Tributes who seized popular prerogatives from the Senatorial class. The veto was a Roman notion adopted by the historically aware framers of the Constitution, who often assumed pen names from the lexicon of Latin life. These accomplishments, as monumental as any highway or coliseum, remain prominent features of the Western landscape.

The author describes "two of the great disasters in intellectual history" in order to

The history of literature can be traced to the earliest forms of the arts. Man danced for joy round his primitive camp fire after the defeat and slaughter of his enemy. He yelled and shouted as he danced and gradually the yells and shouts became coherent and caught the measure of the dance and thus the first war song was sung. As the idea of God developed, prayers were framed. The songs and prayers became traditional and wee repeated from one generation to another, each generation adding something of its own.

As man slowly grew more civilized, he was compelled to invent some method of writing due to three urgent necessities. There were certain things that it was dangerous to forget and which, therefore, had to be recorded. It was often necessary to communicate with persons who were some distance away and it was necessary to safeguard one’s property by making appropriate tools and taking protective measure in a distinctive manner. So man taught himself to write and having learned to write, purely for utilitarian reasons, he used this new method for preserving his was songs and his prayers. Of course, among these ancient peoples, there were only a very few individuals who learned to write, and only few could read what was written.

Q: Man invented writing because he wanted

The public distribution system, which provides food at low prices, is a subject of vital concern. There is a growing realization that though Pakistan has enough food to feed its masses three square meals a day, the monster of starvation and food insecurity continues to haunt the poor in our country.

Increasing the purchasing power of the poor through providing productive employment, leading to rising income, and thus good standard of living is the ultimate objective of public policy. However, till then, there is a need to provide assured supply of food through a restructured, more efficient and decentralized public distribution system (PDS).

Although the PDS is extensive – it is one of the largest such systems in the world – it has yet to reach the rural poor and the far off places. It remains an urban phenomenon, with the majority of the rural poor still out of its reach due to lack of economic and physical access. The poorest in the cities and the migrants are left out, for they generally don not possess ration cards. The allocation of PDS supplies in big cities is large than in rural areas. In view of such deficiencies in the system, the PDS urgently needs to be streamlined. In addition, considering the large food grains production combined with food subsidy on one hand and the continuing slow starvation and dismal poverty of the rural population on the other, there is a strong case for making PDS target group oriented.

The growing salaried class is provided job security, regular income, and percent insulation against inflation. These gains of development have not percolated down to the vast majority of our working population. If one compares only dearness allowance to the employees in public and private sector and looks at its growth in the past few years, the rising food subsidy is insignificant to the point of inequity. The food subsidy is a kind of D.A. to the poor, the self-employed and those in the unorganized sector of the economy. However, what is most unfortunate is that out of the large budget of the so-called food subsidy, the major part of it is administrative cost and wastages. A small portion of the above budget goes to real consumer and an even lesser portion to the poor who are in real need.

It is true that subsidies should not become a permanent feature, except for the destitute, disabled, widows and the old. It is also true that subsides often create a psychology of dependence and hence are habit-forming and killing the general initiative of the people. By making PDS target group oriented, not only the poorest and neediest would be reached without additional cost, but it will actually cut overall costs incurred on large cities and for better off localities. When the food and food subsidy are limited, the rural and urban poor should have the priority in the PDS supplies. The PDS should be closely linked with programs of employment generation and nutrition improvement.

Q: What, according to the passage, would be the outcome of making the PDS target group oriented?

The public distribution system, which provides food at low prices, is a subject of vital concern. There is a growing realization that though Pakistan has enough food to feed its masses three square meals a day, the monster of starvation and food insecurity continues to haunt the poor in our country.

Increasing the purchasing power of the poor through providing productive employment, leading to rising income, and thus good standard of living is the ultimate objective of public policy. However, till then, there is a need to provide assured supply of food through a restructured, more efficient and decentralized public distribution system (PDS).

Although the PDS is extensive – it is one of the largest such systems in the world – it has yet to reach the rural poor and the far off places. It remains an urban phenomenon, with the majority of the rural poor still out of its reach due to lack of economic and physical access. The poorest in the cities and the migrants are left out, for they generally don not possess ration cards. The allocation of PDS supplies in big cities is large than in rural areas. In view of such deficiencies in the system, the PDS urgently needs to be streamlined. In addition, considering the large food grains production combined with food subsidy on one hand and the continuing slow starvation and dismal poverty of the rural population on the other, there is a strong case for making PDS target group oriented.

The growing salaried class is provided job security, regular income, and percent insulation against inflation. These gains of development have not percolated down to the vast majority of our working population. If one compares only dearness allowance to the employees in public and private sector and looks at its growth in the past few years, the rising food subsidy is insignificant to the point of inequity. The food subsidy is a kind of D.A. to the poor, the self-employed and those in the unorganized sector of the economy. However, what is most unfortunate is that out of the large budget of the so-called food subsidy, the major part of it is administrative cost and wastages. A small portion of the above budget goes to real consumer and an even lesser portion to the poor who are in real need.

It is true that subsidies should not become a permanent feature, except for the destitute, disabled, widows and the old. It is also true that subsides often create a psychology of dependence and hence are habit-forming and killing the general initiative of the people. By making PDS target group oriented, not only the poorest and neediest would be reached without additional cost, but it will actually cut overall costs incurred on large cities and for better off localities. When the food and food subsidy are limited, the rural and urban poor should have the priority in the PDS supplies. The PDS should be closely linked with programs of employment generation and nutrition improvement.

Q: The word "square" as used in the passage means