Daily Reads-42 (Level-1)

English Reading Comprehension: How to improve one’s English Language Skills?

Let’s first break down the term, English Reading Comprehension, English is the language, reading is the activity we are doing and to comprehend means to understand. The basic idea behind any English Reading Comprehension is to check whether the reader has understood what the author wants to convey or not. So, you may be doing an English Reading Comprehension exercise to improve your skills or English Reading Comprehension could be part of the syllabus of the competitive exam you are preparing for, the basic idea still remains: have you understood the main idea of the English Reading Comprehension given to you or not.
In this article of daily reads, you are provided with certain articles and they will help you in improving your English Reading Comprehension Skills. Keep one very important thing in mind while reading these articles: what is the author trying to convey through this article?

Reading Suggestion-1

Article Name: Is One Belt, One Road the Chinese ashwamedha? How China’s mythology influences its politics
Author Name: Devdutt Pattanaik
Source: Times of India
Category: Religion and Politics

Summary for this article:

Does mythology have an impact on politics? Is our culture responsible in shaping the way our politics functions? The answer lies in this article.
The writer in this article discusses the impact mythology has in shaping our culture which in turn influences politics.
He talks about the Chinese mythology and the Indian mythology and how everything fits so well in the way these countries politics has been shaping– The implementation of the OBOR project by the Chinese and the Indian withdrawal from it.
In Chinese mythology, geography plays a key role whereas in Hindu mythology, time plays a key role.
In Chinese mythology, there is authority and bureaucracy in heaven whereas Hindu Mythologies place great value on yoga and physical matters are given less importance.
In the Chinese worldview, India is seen in two ways – Firstly, it embodies chaos which threatens the Chinese leadership. Secondly, India is the western paradise in Chinese Buddhism.

Words to learn from this article :

Hegemony: Influence over a country or group of people
Wane: To decrease in strength or size
Occult: To cover or eclipse( *occulted their house from the preying eyes by planting trees*)
Trepidation: Apprehension
Evangelism: Crusading zeal ( crusading means something revolutionary)

Reading Suggestion-1: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-2

Article Name: Maharajah of debt: On Air India’s revival
Author Name: Editorial Team
Source: The Hindu
Category: Business and Economy

Summary for this article:

In this article the writer talks about the debt trap that Air India has set itself in and if there is a way that it can pull itself out of it.
He says that unless the government considers the change of ownership, it is doubtful that the issues surrounding Air India could be addressed. With the success of a lot of Private players, even the vacuum that would be created in the Market because of the Airline’s exit could be easily filled in.
He concludes by saying that no private players would come forward to buy the Airlines owing to the huge debt it carries along. Hence this leaves the government with two options. It can either force public sector lenders to incur more losses, or use public funds to pay them out. Either way, the taxpayers will be the losers.

Words to learn from this article:

Slew: Large no of people / to steer
Bloated: To inflate or be obnoxiously vain (bloated ego /bloated sense of importance)

Reading Suggestion-2: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-3

Article Name: Religious oppression: Communists have been as brutal as fundamentalists
Author Name: Ramachandra Guha
Source: Hindustan Times
Category: Religion and Politics

Summary for this article:

We have known what communism is and how a nation functions when under a communist regime but has History taught us enough about the dark side of communism?
Irrespective of what your answer might be, this article is a must read for everyone, in order to understand how the communist leadership has shown its black-hearted nature by its barbaric acts.
The writer says how Communist regimes the world over have sought to suppress not only rival political parties, but also religious institutions by adopting brutal methods such as murders, confiscation and destruction of religious properties thus serving the Communist desire to monopolise and dictate how citizens should think and act . When it comes to the treatment of rival worldviews, Communists have been as savage and brutal as religious fundamentalists says the writer.

Words to learn from this article:

Precepts: Basic tenets or laws of any religion
Compatriots: Fellow members of the same nation or community
Savagery: Cruel acts
Deranged: To disarrange or to get madden
Cadre: Group of people sharing something in common

Reading Suggestion-3: Click to read full Article

English Reading Comprehension: What should you keep in mind?

The one main learning or take away from this English Reading Comprehension that you should keep in mind is that regular reading of English Reading Comprehensions is the key to improve your language skills. The important point that you have to keep in mind while reading is that you keep noting down some difficult words and also keep noting down the main idea of each paragraph as these different ideas will culminate into the conclusion and give you a clear idea of what the author wants to convey through the particular English Reading Comprehension.