The questions in this section are based on what is stated or implied in the passage given below. For each question, choose the option that most accurately and completely answers the question.
The words invention and Innovation are closely linked, but they are not interchangeable. The inventor is a genius who uses his intellect, imagination, time and resources to create something that does not exist. But this invention may or may not be of utility to the masses. It is the enterprising innovator who uses various resources, skills and time to make the invention available for use. The innovator might use the invention as it is, modify it or even blend two or more inventions to make one marketable product. A great example is that of the iPhone which is a combination of various inventions.
If an invention is the result of countless trials and errors, so can be the case with an innovation. Not every attempt to make an invention is successful. Not every innovation sees the light of the day. Benjamin Franklin had the belief that success doesn‘t come without challenge, mistake, and in a few cases failure.
One of the world‘s most famous innovators, Steve Jobs says, ―Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.
Thus, inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks; consider failures as stepping stones and not stumbling blocks.
Some inventions are the result of a keen observation or a simple discovery. The inventor of Velcro, also called the zipless zipper, is the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. He was hiking in the woods when he found burrs clinging to his clothes and his dog‘s fur. Back at home, he studied the burrs. He discovered that each burr was a collection of tiny hooks which made it cling on to another object. A few years later, he made and patented the strips of fabric that came to us as Velcro.
The world of inventions and innovations is a competitive one. But the race does not end here; it is also prevalent in the case of getting intellectual property rights. There have been inventors who failed to get a single patent while there have been some who managed to amass numerous patents in their lifetime. Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents to his credit!
We relate the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell. It is believed that around the same time, Antonio Meucci had also designed the telephone, but due to lack of resources and various hardships, he could not proceed with the patent of his invention. It is also believed that Elisha Gray had made a design for the telephone and applied for the patent at the U.S. patent office on the same day as Graham Bell did. By sheer chance, Graham‘s lawyer‘s turn to file the papers came first. Hence, Graham was granted the first patent for the telephone.
It is not easy, and at times almost impossible, for an inventor to be an innovator too. There are very few like Thomas Edison who graduated from being an incredible inventor to a successful manufacturer and businessman with brilliant marketing skills.
While innovations that have helped to enhance the quality of life are laudable, equally laudable are the inventions that laid the foundation of these very innovations.
The text in the passage can be best termed as ________.
Show Hint
- narrative
- descriptive
- persuasive
- expository
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The main idea of the author is to ________.
Show Hint
- highlight the difficulties faced by innovators.
- focus on the hardships of patent-seekers.
- compare innovators to inventors.
- reveal the importance of inventors.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The author believes that ________.
Show Hint
- innovators enhance the utility of inventions.
- innovators face fewer challenges than inventors do.
- every inventor has a patent for the invention.
- invention is the same as innovation.
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs, believe that ________.
Show Hint
- there is no place for mistakes in the process of making an innovation.
- making a mistake before finding success is not unusual.
- failure is a permanent stumbling block.
- all innovators have to go through failure.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Options (A) and (C) contradict the message, and while (D) is partially true, it’s less precise than (B), which captures the intended idea exactly.
Velcro can be best described as ________.
Show Hint
- a highly-planned and deeply researched invention
- the fruit of failure
- the need of the hour
- an accidental invention
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Options (A) and (C) imply deliberate planning, which was not the case. Option (B) does not fit because Velcro’s invention was not the direct result of a failed attempt but rather an unexpected discovery.
It is believed that Graham Bell became the first patent holder of the telephone because of ________.
Show Hint
- his ingenuity and good fortune
- the carelessness of Elisha’s lawyer
- the clever trick played by his lawyer
- the biased officials in the patent office
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
At the same time, the timeline shows that the patent application was filed in Bell’s name just hours before his rival Elisha Gray’s application reached the patent office. This narrow margin can be attributed to circumstances beyond pure skill — what we might describe as good fortune. The sequence of events suggests that while Bell was indeed a capable inventor, the fact that his application was processed first was partly due to timing and luck.
Why not option (B): The passage does not explicitly mention that Gray’s lawyer was careless. While timing played a role, there is no evidence presented that legal negligence on Gray’s side was the decisive factor.
Why not option (C): There is no clear indication that Bell’s lawyer played any underhanded or “clever” trick to outmaneuver competitors. Filing promptly is a standard legal process, not necessarily a trick.
Why not option (D): There is no suggestion in the text that patent officials were biased toward Bell. The decision appears to have been procedural, based on who filed first, not favoritism.
Therefore, the best answer is that Bell’s position as the first patent holder resulted from the combination of his inventive genius and fortunate timing — his ingenuity and good fortune.
Which of the following is Untrue?
Show Hint
- Inventors may not be innovators.
- Innovators are not expected to be enterprising.
- To get a patent, the applicant has to follow a legal process.
- Intellectual property rights are not always easy to get.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Options (A), (C), and (D) are consistent with the ideas presented: some inventors may not be innovators (A), a legal process is indeed necessary for patents (C), and intellectual property rights are challenging to obtain (D).
Which of the following texts from the passage clearly indicates failure?
Show Hint
- The world of inventions and innovations is a competitive one.
- Not every innovation sees the light of the day.
- Thus, inventors and innovators have to be intrepid enough to take risks;
- None of the above
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Option (A) talks about competition, not failure; (C) focuses on risk-taking, not failure; and (D) is incorrect because option (B) already indicates failure.
Which of these words can replace the word intrepid?
Show Hint
- hasty
- intellectual
- daring
- rich
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
“Hasty” means acting without thought (negative connotation), “intellectual” refers to mental capability, and “rich” refers to wealth — none of which match the meaning of “intrepid”.
Which of these words is the antonym of laudable?
Show Hint
- praiseworthy
- challenging
- tiring
- disgraceful
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Option (A) “praiseworthy” is a synonym, not an antonym; (B) “challenging” relates to difficulty; and (C) “tiring” refers to exhaustion — neither conveys the opposite meaning of laudable.
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
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True or False (ii) Many species have not become extinct
True or False (iii) Air and sound pollution are the main causes of animal extinction
True or False (iv) Animals live in forests and oceans
True or False- Maharashtra Class X Board - 2026
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Write any four problems faced by the animals that thrive in forests and oceans:
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A stain is an unwanted mark of discolouration on a fabric caused due to contact with another substance which cannot be removed by the normal washing process. Stains can be grouped on the basis of their origin, e.g. tea, coffee and fruits come from vegetable source. Stains from shoe polish, tar, oil paints come under grease stains. Animal stains comprise of stains formed by milk, blood and eggs, whereas marks on your clothes after sitting on an iron bench are those of rust and come under mineral stains. Then there are stains that are formed due to dye, into perspiration which can be categorised under miscellaneous stains. Read the given passage and complete the table. Suggest a suitable title.
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Some decisions will be fairly obvious "no brainers". Your bank account is low, but you have a two-week vacation coming up and you want to get away to someplace warm to relax with your family. Will you accept your in-laws' offer of free use of their Florida beachfront condo? Sure. You like your employer and feel ready to move forward in your career. Will you step in for your boss for three weeks while she attends a professional development course? Of course.- MAT - 2026
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- Shown below are letters ‘e’ taken from four popular logos, arranged in a sequence. Which of the options is the correct sequence?
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- In a language laboratory, students were given an interesting puzzle involving the word "ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH." The teacher explained that such exercises not only test logical skills but also sharpen attention to detail. According to the challenge, the word had to undergo a series of transformations. First, the class was asked to take the first half of the letters, reverse their order and make the arrangement of letters look quite different from the original. Next, the students were told to identify the last but one letter of the original word and place it at the very beginning, a step that changed the opening appearance of the sequence completely. Finally, as a finishing touch, they had to add the letter 'S' at the end. Following these steps carefully would lead them to the correct transformed word, and only those who adhered to each condition in the exact order could solve the puzzle successfully. (150 words)
- CLAT - 2026
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On the night of October 12th, the "Sunburst Medallion" was stolen from the highly secured display case in the city museum. The theft occurred sometime between the museum closing at 10:00 PM and the night guard, Mr. Hemant, completing his final round at 1:00 AM. Three primary suspects were identified, all of whom had recently been dismissed from their museum positions: Anjali, the former curator; Bharat, the former security expert; and Chitra, the former exhibits designer.
Here are the established facts and their alibis:
- The security system logs show that the display case was opened using a specific five-digit code, which only Anjali and the museum director (who was out of the country) knew.
- Bharat's alibi is that he was at a distant relative's birthday party from 8:00 PM to 1:30 AM. Multiple independent witnesses confirmed his presence throughout the entire period.
- Chitra's alibi is that she was working late at a downtown graphic design studio. A time-stamped security camera from the studio's entrance shows her entering at 7:00 PM and exiting at 11:45 PM. The studio is a 20-minute drive from the museum.
- Mr. Hemant, the night guard, stated he checked the medallion at 10:30 PM, and it was still there.
Further investigation revealed that a small, distinctive silver button was found near the display case. Anjali is known to frequently wear a coat with similar unique silver buttons. The security expert, Bharat, had previously boasted that he could remotely disable a certain type of magnetic lock—the same type used on the medallion's case—without needing the code, though the log suggests the code was used. (269 words)
- CLAT - 2026
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In a small town lived a close-knit family where every relation could be expressed through simple symbols. For instance, when they said \( A \times B \), it meant \( A \) is the father of \( B \), while \( A \div B \) meant \( A \) is the mother of \( B \). The younger ones were often introduced with \( A + B \), meaning \( A \) was the daughter of \( B \), and the bond of brotherhood was shown by \( A - B \) (A is brother of B).
One day, the children in the family turned these symbols into a playful code. Instead of introducing their parents and siblings in words, they spoke only in symbols. “Look,” giggled little Meena, “\( M + N \div O \)!” Everyone laughed, because they knew it meant Meena was the daughter of \( N \), and \( N \) was the mother of \( O \), making her \( O \)’s sister. What started as a code soon became a family game, making the bonds of father, mother, daughter, and brother not just relations, but symbols of love and togetherness. (165 words)
- CLAT - 2026
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Four teams – Red (R), Blue (B), Green (G), and Yellow (Y) – are competing in the final four rounds of the Inter-School Science Olympiad, labeled Round A, Round B, Round C, and Round D. Each round consists of one match between two teams, and every team plays exactly two matches. No team plays the same opponent more than once.
The final schedule must adhere to the following rules:
- Rule 1 (Consecutive Play): The Green team (G) must play their two matches in consecutive rounds.
- Rule 2 (Fixed Appearance): The Yellow team (Y) must play in Round B.
- Rule 3 (Positional Constraint): The Red team (R) must play against the Blue team (B) in a round that is immediately before a round in which neither R nor B is playing.
- Rule 4 (Timing): The Blue team's (B) first match must occur in an earlier round than the Green team's (G) first match.
- Rule 5 (Opponent Link): The team that plays against the Red team (R) in the round that is not against the Blue team (B), is the same team that plays in Round D.
(193 words)
- CLAT - 2026
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Health insurance plays a vital role in ensuring financial protection and access to quality healthcare. In India, however, the extent and nature of health insurance coverage vary significantly between urban and rural areas. While urban populations often have better access to organized insurance schemes, employer-provided coverage, and awareness about health policies, rural populations face challenges such as limited outreach of insurance schemes, inadequate infrastructure, and lower awareness levels. This urban-rural divide in health insurance coverage highlights the broader issue of healthcare inequality, making it essential to analyze the factors contributing to this gap and explore strategies for more inclusive health protection. A state-level health survey was conducted.
The survey covered 1,80,000 adults across urban and rural areas. Urban residents formed 55% of the sample (that is, 99,000 people) while rural residents made up 45% (that is, 81,000 people). In each area, coverage was classified under four heads – Public schemes, Private insurance, Employer-provided coverage, and Uninsured. In urban areas, Public coverage accounted for 28% of the urban population, Private for 22%, Employer for 18%, and the remaining 32% were Uninsured. In rural areas, where formal coverage is generally lower, Public coverage stood at 35%, Private at 10%, Employer at 8%, while 47% were Uninsured.
For this survey, “Insured” includes everyone covered by Public + Private + Employer schemes, and “Uninsured” indicates those with no coverage at all. Officials noted that public schemes remain the backbone of rural coverage, while employer and private plans are relatively more prevalent in urban centres. (250 words)
- CLAT - 2026
- Ratio and Proportion