Unseen Passage: Service Dogs

Reading Comprehension

For the mobility — impaired, highly trained canines called ‘service dogs’ can pick up dropped keys, open and close drawers, retrieve prepared meals, help a person in and out of bathtub, dial 911, push and pull wheelchairs, help operate a car or van and pull off gloves, shoes, socks and jackets. Other dogs provide specific assistance to those who suffer seizures (sudden attacks of illness) and require special medication. And, of course, the helping dogs provide companionship, play and give unconditional love to the people they assist.

It is thirty odd years now since the placement of the first assistance dog. But only in recent years, with the rising independent movement among disabled people has the idea begun to spread widely.

While most service–dogs are trained to work with people who rely on wheelchairs, other categories of helping dogs include hearing–dogs who alert their owners to sounds, such as doorbells, phones, cooking timers, alarm clocks, smoke alarms and seizure dogs which carry medication in their packs and are trained to dial 911 on large keypad phones.

Q. Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate option:

1. The service-dogs were:
   1. paid highly
   2. less in number
   3. multiple taskers
   4. employees
2. The idea of assistance dogs became popular due to the:
   1. independent movement among the disabled
   2. awareness by the hospitals
   3. independence of the country
   4. both (i) and (iii)
3. The categories of helping–dogs are:
   1. domestic dogs, service dogs and seizure dogs
   2. service, hearing and seizure dogs
   3. hunting and domestic dogs
   4. None of the above
4. There is a difference between:
   1. the service dogs and the helping dogs
   2. the serving dogs and canines
   3. the canines and ordinary dogs
   4. both (2) and (3)
5. Give the noun form of ‘trained’:
   1. train
   2. trains
   3. training
   4. trainee

Answer

1. multiple taskers
2. independent movement among the disabled
3. service, hearing and seizure dogs
4. the canines and ordinary dogs
5. trainee