Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already—it had not been light all day—and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale.

The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, he failed.

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

Direction:Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

There are few things in this world that have caused more controversy, confusion, social challenges, chaos, pain and suffering than skin colour. But people seem enamoured with the desire to change their skin colour. Caucasians strive to darken their skin with the “perfect tan,” not acknowledging that they are increasing their risk for skin cancer and possible death. The problem of altering one’s skin colour is not just for those with light or Caucasian skin. In fact, it is a much bigger problem for persons of colour.

Science has made the simple discovery that skin colour is a reflection of how close you (your ancestors) lived to the equator. Ultraviolet radiation of the sun is damaging to skin and causes cancer. The closer to the equator, the more ultraviolet one is exposed to and the more protection your skin needs.Living farther away from the equator, one does not need as much sun protection. Our bodies have employed a standard pigment called melanin to filter out ultraviolet rays and protect us from the sun, much like opening up an umbrella. In fact, melanin production and release is triggered by sun damage. A tan is not a sign of good health, but rather a sign of severe skin damage.

In the United States, dark skin colour has been looked down upon. Back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, it was not uncommon on college campuses to have “brown paper bag parties” indicating if your skin was darker than a traditional brown paper grocery bag, you would not be allowed in. All of this ignorant and misguided thinking caused a significant rise in the market of products to lighten the skin. Although not as popular in African American culture today as it once was, skin lightening is extraordinarily popular in many communities across the world. Skin bleaching or lightening is a prevalent practice in many communities. Unfortunately, it is rarely discussed openly, and even worse, many of the products used to bleach the skin can contain toxic levels of heavy metals such as mercury and ultra-potent prescription-strength steroids, causing a multitude of skin problems. Another common ingredient in many lightening creams is hydroquinone. If this ingredient is applied too long to the skin, it actually has a paradoxical effect; that is, it causes dark brown-black stains on the skin! These products are often sold at cultural stores with little or no regulation, no prescription, and no oversight.

Many of the concepts of skin lightening are related to slavery and social structures and colonization. The attitude that the lighter the skin, the better the person is a poison that has been insidiously embedded into the thinking and beliefs of many cultures and societies and seemingly accepted as true without reflection or challenge.Changing attitudes towards skin colour is a considerable challenge. Many of the perceptions about skin colour have been ingrained for decades and are not easily adjusted. To make the issue even more complex, many women have been programmed, euphemistically, that lightening their skin only cleans and makes their skin look like it has a bright, healthy glow.

To break these perverse social attitudes and behaviors will take time and effort on all fronts. We must teach our children that all skin tones are beautiful. Media must portray all skin hues as beautiful. We need more people to keep the discussion going and make the truth available about skin lightening products: They are unnecessary and dangerous.

Direction:Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.

There are few things in this world that have caused more controversy, confusion, social challenges, chaos, pain and suffering than skin colour. But people seem enamoured with the desire to change their skin colour. Caucasians strive to darken their skin with the “perfect tan,” not acknowledging that they are increasing their risk for skin cancer and possible death. The problem of altering one’s skin colour is not just for those with light or Caucasian skin. In fact, it is a much bigger problem for persons of colour.

Science has made the simple discovery that skin colour is a reflection of how close you (your ancestors) lived to the equator. Ultraviolet radiation of the sun is damaging to skin and causes cancer. The closer to the equator, the more ultraviolet one is exposed to and the more protection your skin needs.Living farther away from the equator, one does not need as much sun protection. Our bodies have employed a standard pigment called melanin to filter out ultraviolet rays and protect us from the sun, much like opening up an umbrella. In fact, melanin production and release is triggered by sun damage. A tan is not a sign of good health, but rather a sign of severe skin damage.

In the United States, dark skin colour has been looked down upon. Back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, it was not uncommon on college campuses to have “brown paper bag parties” indicating if your skin was darker than a traditional brown paper grocery bag, you would not be allowed in. All of this ignorant and misguided thinking caused a significant rise in the market of products to lighten the skin. Although not as popular in African American culture today as it once was, skin lightening is extraordinarily popular in many communities across the world. Skin bleaching or lightening is a prevalent practice in many communities. Unfortunately, it is rarely discussed openly, and even worse, many of the products used to bleach the skin can contain toxic levels of heavy metals such as mercury and ultra-potent prescription-strength steroids, causing a multitude of skin problems. Another common ingredient in many lightening creams is hydroquinone. If this ingredient is applied too long to the skin, it actually has a paradoxical effect; that is, it causes dark brown-black stains on the skin! These products are often sold at cultural stores with little or no regulation, no prescription, and no oversight.

Many of the concepts of skin lightening are related to slavery and social structures and colonization. The attitude that the lighter the skin, the better the person is a poison that has been insidiously embedded into the thinking and beliefs of many cultures and societies and seemingly accepted as true without reflection or challenge.Changing attitudes towards skin colour is a considerable challenge. Many of the perceptions about skin colour have been ingrained for decades and are not easily adjusted. To make the issue even more complex, many women have been programmed, euphemistically, that lightening their skin only cleans and makes their skin look like it has a bright, healthy glow.

To break these perverse social attitudes and behaviors will take time and effort on all fronts. We must teach our children that all skin tones are beautiful. Media must portray all skin hues as beautiful. We need more people to keep the discussion going and make the truth available about skin lightening products: They are unnecessary and dangerous.