Fill in the blanks with appropriate word:

Amongst the more prominent of the problems that (1)_____relations between India and Pakistan was the Indus Waters dispute. This was a legacy of the Partition. The line dividing the two Punjab’s cut right across the Indus canal systems developed (2)_____ a hundred years. Pakistan found that the headwaters of the main canals were on the Indian side of the border. All the five tributaries of the Indus also originated in India and flowed through Indian Territory in the upper reaches. Even before Partition, Sindh and Punjab had witnessed (3)______ over the sharing of the waters of these rivers.The situation worsened after the (4)_______ of the Partition. There were hysterical cries in Pakistan for taking up arms to defend their rights over the waters. Fortunately, an arbiter came forward in the garb of the World Bank that eventually succeeded in thrashing out a settlement. The main credit should go to Eugene Black, the World Bank president.While the negotiations about the sharing of the canal waters were going on, officials from both countries were (5)______ with the demarcation of boundaries that had defied solution all those years. These disputes had arisen over the interpretation of the award of Radcliffe. Two teams were sent out by India to tackle the thorny problem [in 1959]. The discussions the Indians held with their Pakistani counterparts were in a spirit of friendship and cordiality hitherto unheard of in Pakistan. To a large extent, this was due to the fact that the leaders of the respective teams were old friends and college mates from pre-Partition Lahore. The leader on the Indian side was Sardar Swaran Singh; General Khalid Shaikh led the Pakistani team. Once these two men established their (6)______, they left the details to their principal advisors: on the Indian side M.J. Desai, and on the other side Sikander Ali Baig. Once it was established that the main purpose of the exercise was to achieve maximum agreement and that neither side was out to steal an unfair advantage, it was easier to work out a solution. It was found that neither India nor Pakistan had an overwhelming case to be made on its stand on a particular dispute. One side gracefully conceded the other’s claim were valid, and that was that. In this way the two negotiating teams were able to settle a number of irritants in this field and pave the way for a period of real détente between the two countries.However, some [issues] proved to be(7) ________. One of these was the dispute regarding the Rann of Kutch. As neither side gave way, it was decided to leave it for further negotiations through routine diplomatic channels. Subsequently, Pakistan was to take the law into its own hands and send a raiding force into the territory only to be halted by Indian Army units. The dispute was then put to international arbitration, as a result of which India agreed to give up a part of the disputed area to Pakistan.Meanwhile, Ayub Khan had taken another bold step. This was the decision to stop over at Palam airport in New Delhi [in September, 1959] during one of his periodic visits to Dacca, to meet the Indian Prime Minister. He was no doubt prompted to do so by Rajeshwar Dayal, the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan who had received prior approval from Delhi. The Pakistani President deserves full credit for following it through with good grace and(8) ________. The Palam meeting, that lasted for nearly two hours, went well. At the end, a brief statement was issued in which the leaders emphasized the need to (9)_______ relations in a rational and planned manner. It was also agreed that outstanding issues should be settled in accordance with justice and fair play, in a spirit of friendliness and cooperation. Later, when speaking to the Press, Ayub Khan stressed the need for re-appraisals, for forgetting and forgiving, and for a more realistic and rational approach to settling disputes that had tarnished relations between the two neighbour states. For a few moments, the ice seemed to be (10)______. Right-thinking people on both sides appeared to heave a sigh of relief.

1. A.)Bedevilled 
   B.) won
    C.) weekened 
   D.) spoiled
2.  A.) upon
    b.) from 
    c.) since 
   d.) over
3. A.) rest
    b.) mayhem 
   c.) melees 
   d.) wrangles
4. A)Holocaust, 
   b)notation,
    c)deluge, 
    d)salvo
5. A)Enjoying, 
   b)prohibiting,
     c)denying, 
   d)grappling
6. A)Connection,
    b)clinch, 
   c)grapple,
   d) rapport
7. Intractable,
   b) boorish
    c)rude, 
   d) generous
8. A)Aplomb,
    b)ego,
   c) cognizance, 
   d) desore,
9. A)Deal, 
   b)respect,
    c)misbehave ,
   d) conduc
10.  A)Broken,

          b)melted, 

           c)frozen, 

           d)harden

Answer -

1.  BEDEVILLED
2. OVER
3. WRANGLES
4. HOLOCAUST
5. GRAPPLING
6. RAPPORT
7. INTRACTABLE
8. APLOMB
9. CONDUCT
10. BROKEN

Source - The Hindu

By- Avichal singh chauhan