Question 4. Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 2? A. The art of aura farming is a sophisticated strategy that allows gaining s...

Question 2. According to paragraph 1, how does Gen Alpha define “aura”?

A. A quantifiable assessment of spiritual depth.
B. The level of respect achieved effortlessly.

C. An association between colors and qualities.
D. The perceived coolness gained by trying.

Question 3. The phrase “that concept” in paragraph 2 refers to ____________.

A. the art of projecting a curated vibe
B. slaying low-level monsters for armor

C. the terminology of video game farming
D. the tasks gamers do to win video games

Question 5. Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

There is an inherent contradiction here, as aura farming is not always a negative thing.

A. [III]
B. [IV]
C. [II]
D. [I]

Question 6. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?

        A. Aura farming requires people to curate content to seem random in an ironic way.

        B. Irony comes from balancing an image of coolness with the pretense of randomness.

        C. People add irony to their image of coolness by carefully crafting content as random.

        D. The irony of aura farming lies in the fact that intentions are presented as accidents.

Question 7. Why is aura farming popular among Gen Alpha?

A. It allows them to impress others easily.
B. It is a great way to get compliments.

C. It offers a great sense of illogicality.
D. It demonstrates their sense of humour.

Question 8. Aura farming is compared with the social stock market to emphasize ____________.

        A. the significant financial reward gained from social media fame

        B. the contradiction Gen Alpha often faces in achieving popularity

        C. the unpredictable nature of exposing curated identity to the public

        D. the potential loss of respect due to careless creation of content

Question 9. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

        A. True aura can be acquired through accidents rather than intentional actions.

        B. The goal of aura farming is respect, but the process involves self-mockery.

        C. Michael Jackson publicly admitted that he was trying to farm aura points.

        D. The perception of whether someone is cool or trying too hard is subjective.

Question 10. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

A. Aura is a term for coolness that originated in video games, but it has now become a negative label for people who try too hard on social media.

B. Aura farming, derived from video games, provides a reliable and low-risk method for social media users to achieve massive viral success.

C. Gen Alpha uses the term aura to describe social status, and while trying to manufacture it carries risks, it can also lead to significant social rewards.

D. Gen Alpha’s “aura” is a flexible measure of social cool, requiring people to engage in “aura farming” the effortless creation of an ironic online image.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 11 to 18.

        Genetics has a much larger role in how long a person lives than previously thought, challenging decades of scientific consensus. About 55% of the human lifespan is heritable, meaning that more than half of the variation in longevity across a population is attributable to genetics. This is a much greater proportion than previous estimates of 10–25%, suggesting that genetics is a primary factor in the ageing process.

        Previous estimates were too low because they did not effectively separate deaths caused by extrinsic factors, such as accidents, from intrinsic ones inside the body. To tease out these factors, researchers re-examined data from twin studies in Denmark and Sweden. By comparing identical twins, who share all their DNA, with fraternal twins, the team could accurately model the portion of lifespan determined specifically by genes.

        Excluding deaths caused by extrinsic factors made the similarity in lifespans between genetically related individuals much clearer. This connection became more apparent over time owing to improved public-health measures. In data from the late 1800s, when people often died young from infections, the genetic signal was almost invisible. However, the calculated heritability rose naturally over the twentieth century as medical advancements reduced external risks.

        Not all intrinsic causes of death are equally heritable; while cardiovascular disease showed high genetic influence, cancer showed much lower heritability, likely driven by environmental triggers. These results do not indicate a genetically encoded “destiny,” because healthy living is still heavily influenced by lifestyle choices. You cannot change the genes you are born with, but you can change your lifestyle to ensure you live a longer, healthier life.

(Adapted from https://www.nature.com/)

Question 11. According to paragraph 1, genetic factors ____________.

        A. account for more than half of the variation in how long people live

        B. used to be widely overestimated among the scientific community

        C. play an important role in reducing the speed of the ageing process

        D. have various effects on longevity across different population groups

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 1 to 10.

        In Gen Alpha vernacular, aura has no color associated with it and is decidedly not a spiritual thing. In fact, the word is really just used as a way to quantify somebody’s “cool factor.” If someone has so much aura, they are effortlessly cool and exude a coveted social status without even trying. Conversely, if a quiet kid who usually flies under the radar spills his juice on a popular student in the cafeteria, his ‘aura points’ will take a big hit. It is essentially a measure of how much respect or “coolness” you possess in a social situation at any given moment.

        Pushing the strategy of being effortless too far brings us to the concept of aura farming. If you are hunting down aura points, flexing too hard, and inadvertently making a mockery of yourself by flaunting too much cool, you are in the business of aura farming. The terminology comes from the world of video games where “farming” refers to doing the same task over and over again to rack up points or rewards, such as slaying low-level monsters for better armor. Aura farming applies that concept to the social sphere, representing the subtle and exhausting art of projecting a curated vibe across your entire identity.

        [I] In fact, aura farming can win you actual aura points if you do it successfully on social media and garner a following as a result. [II] The concept originated with a kid who took his dance moves to the front of a boat in Indonesia and became the country’s tourism ambassador. [III] Other examples of admirable aura farming include Michael Jackson, who many dub the original aura farmer, and Timothée Chalamet. [IV] Ultimately, the concept is saturated with irony, involving a person trying to be cool while maintaining an air of randomness to their curated content.

        Gen Alpha loves this trend because they like to lean into absurdity, ambiguity, and randomness. It is difficult to say whether aura farming is a compliment or a dig because the impression is that it can go both ways. This trend requires a very delicate touch; do it right and you will go viral and become a really big deal, but do it wrong and you are just the butt of a joke. It is like a social stock market where anyone who goes public must be ready to take some risks and face the irony of their highly calculated yet seemingly random content.

(Adapted from https://www.purewow.com/)

Question 1. The word “coveted” can be replaced by ____________.

A. rather lowly
B. quite awful
C. strongly desired
D. slightly favoured