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INFOSYS – Aptitude 1
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
On August 22, 1939, Adolf Hitler summoned his top military generals to Obersalzberg, where he delivered a
speech explaining his plans for war, first with Poland, then with the rest of Europe. Despite resistance from
those both inside and outside Germany, Hitler felt exceedingly confident that he could defy the will of the
international community and conquer vast amounts of land. In his speech at Obersalzberg, he laid out
numerous factors he believed would contribute to the success of his war plans. Chief among Hitler’s sources of
confidence in Germany’s brazen war plans was German military quickness. Hitler said, “Our strength lies in our
quickness.” On the advice of Colonel-General von Brauchitsch, Hitler believed Poland could be captured in a
few weeks, an astonishingly short amount of time given the recent history of trench warfare and the long
history of protracted European military engagements that resulted in minimal land gains and high casualty
counts. Hitler’s confidence in the ability of the German military to inflict considerable brutality further
strengthened his determination to pursue an exceedingly ambitious plan of territorial aggrandizement. He
said, “I shall shoot everyone who utters one word of criticism” and noted that “the goal to be obtained in the
war is not that of reaching certain lines but of physically demolishing the opponent.” In this vein, Hitler
ordered his military to “be hard, be without mercy, [and] act more quickly and brutally than others…for it
scares the others off.” Hitler believed that enemies, not used to this type of brutality, would surrender quickly.
In addition to speed and brutality, Hitler believed that, in the end, history would overlook his inhumane
conduct. To support this view, which turned out to be anything but prescient, Hitler invoked a Pollyannaish
view of Asian leader Genghis Kahn. In Hitler’s eyes, Kahn “sent millions of women and children into death
knowingly and with a light heart,” yet “history sees in him only the great founder of States.” Although Hitler
brimmed with confidence and experienced initial yet widely-expected success in Poland and then in Denmark,
he overlooked important considerations. In many ways, Hitler made the same mistake Napoleon Bonaparte
made years earlier. Hitler believed he could advance further and conquer Britain, yet, like Napoleon, Hitler did
not adequately foresee the insurmountable barrier posed by Britain’s island status. Despite the damage
inflicted at the hands of the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain (1940), British forces eventually won
this important battle. Nevertheless, Hitler pressed on and, in an even more fateful decision that carried echoes
of a Napoleonic tactical misstep, invaded the USSR where his forces suffered the decisive defeat of World War
II at Stalingrad in 1943. In the end, Hitler’s reputation in history proved to be as brutal and decisive as the
battle plans and philosophy he announced at Obersalzberg.
1. According to the passage, Hitler’s confidence in his military strategy stemmed from its:
a) Surprise invasions b) Emphasis on unconventional warfare
c) Reliance on air supremacy d) Swift brutality
2. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with explaining:
a) The logistics of Hitler’s war strategy and the mechanics of its failure
b) The philosophy of Hitler’s war strategy and the world’s reaction
c) Why Hitler believed his war plans would succeed and why they eventually failed
d) Hitler’s plans and their failure with an eye to pre-1900 history
3. Which of the following best characterizes the author’s view of the relationship between Hitler and
Napoleon?
a) Governed with similar styles b) Fought military conflicts with similar ideologies
c) In general, shared a legacy as overly ambitious leaders
d) At a high-level, some similarities in military missteps existed
4. According to the passage, what best describes the author’s understanding of why Hitler’s military campaign
eventually failed?
a) Failed to demoralize opponents
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b) Overlooked important tactical and geographic considerations
c) Underestimated international resolve
d) Fell behind technological advancements of European enemies
5. According to the passage, Hitler’s confidence in the war plans announced at Obersalzberg stemmed from
all of the following EXCEPT:
a) The speed of the German military b) The history of overlooking European military brutality
c) The plan to stifle dissent d) The belief that instilling fear weakened enemies
Find the one word substitution for the following sentences
6. A disease of mind causing an uncontrollable desire to steal
a) Schizophrenia b) Claustrophobia c) Kleptomania d) Megalomania
7. To take secretly in small quantities?
a) Robbery b) Pilferage c) Theft d) Defalcation
8. Detailed plan of a journey?
a) Travelogue b) Travel Kit c) Schedule d) Itinerary
9. Incapable of being seen through?
a) Ductile b) Opaque c) Obsolete d) Potable
Read the following sentences and fill in the blank with suitable words.
10. Government buildings are …… on the Republic day.
a) enlightened b) lightened c) illuminated d) glowed
11. The stenographer is very efficient. He is …… to his firm.
a) a boon b) a credit c) a blessing d) an asset
12. However, the group’s long-term strategy is to … on core business connected with infrastructure & energy.
a) breed b) develop c) concentrate d) depend
13. His conduct is bad, and his honesty is not …… suspicion
a) above b) beyond c) under d) in
Choose the word that completes the word analogy.
14. Fear : Panic :: Provocation : ?
a) Simulate b) Temper c) Angry d) Tension
15. Ornithologist : Bird :: Archealogist : ?
a) Islands b) Mediators c) Archeology d) Aquatic
16. Good : Bad : : Roof : ?
a) Window b) Floor c) Walls d) Pillars
17.Automobile : Petrol :: ?
a)Fire : Fuel b) Plane : Propeller c) Diesel : Gas d) Man : Food
Read the following sentences and select the appropriate option in case of an error.
18. The police has so far succeeded in recovering only a part of the stolen property.
a) so far succeeded to recover b) as for as succeeded in recovery of
c) so far succeeded in recovery of d) No correction required
19. He is too important for tolerating any delay.
a) to tolerate b) at tolerating c) to tolerating d) with tolerating
20. Identify which part of the question has error A property dealer was /shoot dead by four unidentified jacket
clad men /while taking a morning walk /in a park.
a) A property dealer was b) shoot dead by four unidentified jacket clad men
c) while taking a morning walk d) in a park.
21. The fact of me/ being a stranger/ does not excuse his conduct.
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a) The fact of me b) being a stranger c) does not excuse his conduct d) No error
Complete the following sentences using the appropriate options
22. The two boars standing silently next to the large tree…………………….not seen by the two hunters.
a) was b) were c) are d) have been
23. The government is encouraging village upliftment ………………in the country.
a) designs b) programmes c) propaganda d) talk
24. Challenges must be __________ to realize the _________ of a greater regional economic integration.
a) Overcome….Potential b) Suppressed….power
c) Ignored….benefits d) Sustained….Advantages
25. The Maruti has become so ______ that snobbish customers, who believe their tastes are superior to
others, are ________ buy this car of the masses
a) reputed….shirking from b) sought after…. queuing to
c) ubiquitous …. disinclined to d) affordable …. waiting to
Rearrange the following sentences to form a coherent paragraph.
26. 1. Picture a termite colony, occupying a tall mud hump on an African plain.
A. Hungry predators often invade the colony and unsettle the balance.
B. The colony flourishes only if the proportion of soldiers to workers remains roughly the same, so that
the queen & workers can be protected by the soldiers, and the queen & soldiers can be serviced by the
workers.
C. But its fortunes are presently restored, because the immobile queen, walled in well below ground level,
lays eggs not only in large enough numbers, but also in the varying proportions required.
D. The hump is alive with worker termites & soldier termites going about their distinct kinds of business.
6. How can we account for her mysterious ability to respond like this to events on the distant surface?
a) BADC b) DBAC c) ADCB d) BDCA
27. A. Since then, intelligence tests have been mostly used to separate dull children in school from average or
bright children, so that special education can be provided to the dull.
B. In other words, intelligence tests give us a norm for each age.
C. Intelligence is expressed as intelligence quotient, and tests are developed to indicate what an average
child of a certain age can do: what a 5-year-old can answer, but a 4-year-old cannot, for instance.
D. Binet developed the first set of such tests in the early 1900s to find out which children in school
needed special attention.
E. Intelligence can be measured by tests.
a) CDABE b) DECAB c) EDACB d) CBADE
28. A. A few months ago I went to Princeton University to see what the young people who are going to be
running our country in a few decades are like.
B. I would go to sleep in my hotel room around midnight each night, and when I awoke, my mailbox
would be full of replies—sent at 1:15 a.m., 2:59 a.m., 3:23 a.m.
C. One senior told me that she went to bed around two & woke up each morning at 7; she could afford
that much rest because she had learned to supplement her full day of work by studying in her sleep.
D. Faculty members gave me the names of a few dozen articulate students, and I sent them e-mails,
inviting them out to lunch or dinner in small groups.
E. As she was falling asleep she would recite a math problem or a paper topic to herself; she would then
sometimes dream about it, and when she woke up, the problem might be solved.
a) DABCE b) DACEB c) ADBCE d) AECBD

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