Directions:(1-10) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions which follow.

The founding of Rome can be investigated through archaeology, but traditional stories, handed down by the ancient Romans themselves, explain the earliest history of their city in terms of legend and myth. The most familiar of these myths, and perhaps the most famous of all Roman myths, is the story of Romulus and Remus, the twins who were suckled by a she-wolf. This story had to be reconciled with a dual tradition, set earlier in time.

Romulus and Remus were purported to be sons of Rhea Silvia and Mars, the god of war. Because of a prophecy that they would overthrow their great-uncle Amulius, who had overthrown Silvia’s father, Numitor, they were, in the manner of many mythological heroes, abandoned at birth. Both sons were left to die on the Tiber River, but were saved by a number of miraculous interventions. After being carried to safety by the river itself, the twins were nurtured by a she-wolf and fed by a woodpecker, until a shepherd, named Faustulus, found them and took them as his sons.

When Remus and Romulus became adults and learned the truth about their birth and upbringing, they killed Amulius and restored Numitor to the throne. Rather than wait to inherit Alba Longa, the city of their birth, the twins decided to establish their own city. They quarreled, however, over where to locate the new city, and in the process of their dispute, Romulus killed his brother. Thus Rome began with a fratricide, a story that was later taken to represent the city’s history of internecine political strife and bloodshed.

The national epic of mythical Rome, the Aeneid by Virgil, tells the story of how the Trojan prince, Aeneas, came to Italy. Although the Aeneid was written under the emperor Augustus between 29 and 19 BCE, it tells the story of the founding of Rome centuries before Augustus’s time. The hero, Aeneas, was already well known within Greco-Roman legend and myth, having been a character in the Iliad. But Virgil took the disconnected tales of Aeneas’s wanderings, and his vague association with the foundation of Rome, and fashioned it into a compelling foundation myth or national epic. The story tied Rome to the legends of Troy, explained the Punic Wars, glorified traditional Roman virtues, and legitimized the Julio-Claudian dynasty as descendants of the founders, heroes, and gods of Rome and Troy.

Virgil makes use of symbolism to draw comparisons between the emperor Augustus and Aeneas, painting them both as founders of Rome. The Aeneid also contains prophecies about Rome’s future, the deeds of Augustus, his ancestors, and other famous Romans. The shield of Aeneas even depicts Augustus’s victory at Actium in 31 BCE. Virgil wrote the Aeneid during a time of major political and social change in Rome, with the fall of the republic and the Final War of the Roman Republic tearing through society and causing many to question Rome’s inherent greatness. In this context, Augustus instituted a new era of prosperity and peace through the reintroduction of traditional Roman moral values. The Aeneid was seen as reflecting this aim by depicting Aeneas as a man devoted and loyal to his country and its greatness, rather than being concerned with his own personal gains. The Aeneid also gives mythic legitimization to the rule of Julius Caesar, and by extension, to his adopted son, Augustus, by immortalizing the tradition that renamed Aeneas’s son Iulus, making him an ancestor to the family of Julius Caesar.

According to the Aeneid, the survivors from the fallen city of Troy banded together under Aeneas, underwent a series of adventures around the Mediterranean Sea, including a stop at newly founded Carthage under the rule of Queen Dido, and eventually reached the Italian coast. The Trojans were thought to have landed in an area between modern Anzio and Fiumicino, southwest of Rome, probably at Laurentum, or in other versions, at Lavinium, a place named for Lavinia, the daughter of King Latinus, who Aeneas married. Aeneas’ arrival started a series of armed conflicts with Turnus over the marriage of Lavinia. Before the arrival of Aeneas, Turnus was engaged to Lavinia, who then married Aeneas, which began the conflict. Aeneas eventually won the war and killed Turnus, which granted the Trojans the right to stay and to assimilate with the local peoples. The young son of Aeneas, Ascanius, also known as Iulus, went on to found Alba Longa and the line of Alban kings who filled the chronological gap between the Trojan saga and the traditional founding of Rome in the 8th century BCE.

1. Which of the following is not true/not mentioned regarding Aeneid?

Ans: 5
The author has talked about Aeneid in the 4th, 5th and 6th paragraph. From the reading of these paragraphs, it can be seen that a, b, c and d are true. Aeneid was written by Virgil under emperor Augustus. Hence option e is not true.
Thus, e is the correct answer.

2. Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for this passage?

Ans: 2
In the given passage, the author has discussed two different propositions about how the Rome was founded. Hence, option B and D are close to the central idea of the passage. However, the author has mentioned in the beginning itself that these are mythological stories. Thus, option B is a better choice. Hence B is the correct answer.

3. Who was Rhea Silvia’s father?

Ans: 4
From the second paragraph of the passage, it is clear that Numitor was the father of Rhea Silvia. Hence, option D is the correct answer.

4. Who founded the Alba Longa?

Ans: 1
Refer to the last few lines of the passage. It is given that Alba Longa was founded by Ascanius. Hence option A is the correct answer.

5. Which of the following is not mentioned/ not true as per the passage?

Ans: 5

Options B and A are directly given in the second paragraph.

C is incorrect as per the passage as Aeneas was married not to Latinus but to his daughter Lavinia.

D is incorrect as per the passage since it is given that it was written between 29 BCE to 19 BCE. Hence the correct answer is option E.

6. Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the following word.
PROPHECY

Ans: 1
Prophecy is used in the second paragraph of the passage. It means to predict about future. Hence the nearest word is prognostication.

7. Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the following word.
RECONCILE

Ans: 4
Reconcile means to bring consonance or accord. Hence ‘accommodate’ is closest to ‘reconcile’. Thus, the correct answer is option d.

8. Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the following word.
INHERENT

Ans: 2
Inherent means something which is ‘intrinsic’ or ‘natural’. Hence option b is the correct answer.

9. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the following word.
GLORIFY

Ans: 3
Glorify means to praise or honor someone. Hence it’s opposite would be to malign someone. Thus, among the given choices, option C is the most appropriate choice.

10. Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the following word.
VAGUE

Ans: 3
Vague means something which is ambiguous or not very clear. Hence option C is the correct answer.

13 thoughts on “Reading Comprehension for Bank Exams, MBA, SSC and other exams”

  1. KSHITIJA Mishra

    Content relevant for rrb po
    Level and structure is same as banking exams ask for.
    Heartily thanks to the hardworking team who provided this content😊 🙏😇

  2. Kshitija Mishra

    Content relevant for rrb po
    Level and structure is same as banking exams ask for.
    Heartily thanks to the hardworking team who provided this content😊 🙏😇
    Thank you

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