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प्रश्न
'Appearances can be deceptive'. Give your views on this topic.
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उत्तर
This proverb unearths a hidden truth, ironically to the old one we were used to, that had earlier said, “Face is the index of the mind.” Previously people were taken by the look of a person. If one dressed neatly and appeared to be very nice and decent, especially – if that person is very handsome – people were influenced by his look and instantly fell for him like a hypnotized. It was only when that good looking person had cheated the believer he/she learned a bitter lesson.
Nevertheless, this proverb, ‘Appearances can be deceptive’ cannot be taken as one hundred percent true. It has a mixture of both good and bad. Good people, of course, look good. At the same time, bad ones also wear the guise of good people, knowing that their appealing appearances would have a sway over the onlookers.
Hence, under this tricky situation, one has to be cautious as to how far that person is trustworthy. By casual conversation, how that person reacts to different situations, what he/she laughs at that can betray his/her mental maturity, his kindness, his anger, his way of cracking jokes, how he behaves in public places, how he respects the fellow citizens as well as the aged, how he/she spends money and so on. These are some of the yardsticks for assessing a person.
Some of the decent looking people behave in an odd way, while some others, though ugly looking, behave very well. Therefore, it is not possible to judge a person by his/her external look. A variant of this proverb says, “Not to judge a book by its cover.”
George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare were not handsome. But their writings have portrayed their high intellect. Great writer Helen Keller was not a beautiful lady. She was deprived of sight, hearing impaired, unable to speak when she was just a two-year-old child.
But fighting all odds, she had become a celebrity author!
Contrary to this, Walt Disney was not only handsome but had an international reputation by his steadfast work, devotion, and dedication. So, one must not come to a conclusion by mere external look of a person or a thing, be it a book or any commodity for that matter. A spurious product can be more attractive than a genuine one. Some substandard quality products, mostly from China, look good. After some time, they are tending to develop problems beyond salvage.
One can hear a politician talk for a long time, making all false promises. If the voters believed him and elected him, his true color would be exposed. Remember it is also said that, “All that glitter is not gold.” A very well polished brass would pass upon more people than rough genuine gold. Similarly, gold-coated jewels. Do not judge a person by his look. It is said that “All men have eyes, but only a few have the gift of penetration.”
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संबंधित प्रश्न
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It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad;
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
By which flower was the patriot welcomed?
The Little Match Girl can be viewed as a work of opposites. Justify.
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(B) Little……………………………
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What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
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Match the words and phrases with their meanings in the box below.
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paragraph numbers |
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1. |
homesick |
(3) |
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2. |
practically |
(4) |
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3. |
it pains me |
(7) |
|
4. |
appreciate |
(9) |
|
5. |
thoughtless |
(10) |
|
6. |
exercise |
(11) |
|
7. |
relief |
(13) |
|
8. |
ghastly |
(14) |
|
Almost |
it hurts me |
terrible |
|
test the strength of |
understanding the difficulties |
|
|
wanting to be home |
a welcome change |
not very caring |
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The cobra struck the crow, his snout th___ing against its body.
‘My Favourite Place’
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- where it is
- what you do there
- why you like it
You may instead write about a place you dislike, or are afraid of.
List the reactions of the agricultural officer to the author’s inquiry about Kasbai rice seeds. One is done for you.
(a) He had not heard of Kasbai.
(b) ___________________________
(c) ___________________________
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| Life on earth began with unicellular I organisms known as protozoa. The following are the stages of evolution of animals. Invertebrates are animals without a backbone, for e.g., a snail. The vertebrates are animals which have a backbone. E.g., Aquatic animals like fish. Animals which: live in water and also on land are called amphibians. E.g. A frog. A few invertebrates are worms and mosquitoes and a few I vertebrates are reptiles. |
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Write about the following in your message.
- You ate lunch______.
- What you liked______ (mention the dish).
- You have cleaned the kitchen ______.
- You are going out to play. ______(mention when you will be back).
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Installing a computer
The description of installing a computer in your study room is given in the form of jumbled sentences. Rearrange the sentences in the right order and form a coherent paragraph.
| 1. | Once you connect the CPU, connect the keyboard and mouse. |
| 2. | Before turning on the power, check that all parts are connected to the CPU. |
| 3. | First, open the box and take out the computer parts. |
| 4. | Plug both the computer and the monitor with a power cord. |
| 5. | Set the computer on a table or flat surface. |
| 6. | Finally, turn on the power. |
Answer the following question as briefly as possible and with close reference to the relevant text.
Discuss how in the poem Dover Beach the poet, Mathew Arnold, reposes faith in love as a beam of hope amidst the surrounding despair.
Which one of the following is correctly matched?
What makes you laugh?
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow.
| (1) | “Can I see the Manager?” I said, and added solemnly, “Alone.” I don't know why I said “Alone.” “Certainly,” said the accountant and fetched him. | |
| (2) | The Manager was a grave, calm man. I held my fifty-six dollars clutched in a crumpled ball in my pocket. “Are you the Manager?” I asked. God knows I did not doubt it. “Yes,” he said. “Can I see you …. alone?” I asked. |
5 |
| (3) | The Manager looked at me in some alarm. He felt that I had an awful secret to reveal. “Come in here,” he said, and led the way to a private room. He turned the key in the lock. “We are safe from interruption here,” he said; “Sit down.” We both sat down and looked at each other. I found no voice to speak. “You are one of Pinkerton’s men, I presume,” he said. |
10 |
| (4) |
He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. I knew what he was thinking, and it made me worse. |
15
20
|
| (5) | The Manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant. “Mr. Montgomery,” he said unkindly loud, “this gentleman is opening an account, he will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.” I rose. A big iron door stood open at the side of the room. “Good morning,” I said, and stepped into the safe. “Come out,” said the Manager coldly and showed me the other way. |
30 |
| (6) | I went up to the accountant’s wicket and poked the ball of money at him with a quick convulsive movement as if I were doing a conjuring trick. My face was ghastly pale. “Here,” I said, “deposit it.” The tone of the words seemed to mean, “Let us do this painful thing while the fit is on us.” He took the money and gave it to another clerk. |
35 |
| (7) | He made me write the sum on a slip and sign my name in a book. I no longer knew what I was doing. The bank swam before my eyes. “Is it deposited?” I asked in a hollow, vibrating voice. “It is,” said the accountant. “Then I want to draw a cheque.” My idea was to draw out six dollars of it for present use. Someone gave me a chequebook through a wicket and someone else began telling me how to write it out. The people in the bank had the impression that I was an invalid millionaire. I wrote something on the cheque and thrust it in at the clerk. He looked at it. |
40
45 |
| (8) | “What! Are you drawing it all out again?” he asked in surprise. Then I realised that I had written fifty-six instead of six. I was too far gone to reason now. I had a feeling that it was impossible to explain the thing. I had burned my boats. All the clerks had stopped writing to look at me. Reckless with misery, I made a plunge. “Yes, the whole thing.” “You withdraw all your money from the bank?” “Every cent of it.” “Are you not going to deposit anymore?” said the clerk, astonished. “Never.” |
50
55 |
| (9) | An idiot hope struck me that they might think something had insulted me while I was writing the cheque and that I had changed my mind. I made a wretched attempt to look like a man with a fearfully quick temper. | |
| (10) | The clerk prepared to pay the money. “How will you have it?” he said. This question came as a bolt from the blue. “What?” “How will you have it?” “Oh!”— I caught his meaning and answered without even trying to think— “in fifties.” He gave me a fifty-dollar bill. “And the six?” he asked dryly. “In sixes,” I said. He gave it to me and I rushed out. As the big door swung behind me. I caught the echo of a roar of laughter that went up to the ceiling of the bank. Since then, I bank no more. I keep my money in cash in my trousers pocket and my savings in silver dollars in a sock. |
60
65
70 |
| Adapted from: My Financial Career By Stephen Leacock |
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- Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentences. [3]
- The kind stranger went and got back the ball from where it had rolled into the bush.
- I took offence at the expression on his face that was clearly meant to insinuate I was a liar.
- The firm experienced a financial loss when the contract went to a contender who had just entered the business.
- For each of the words given below, choose the correct sentence that uses the same word unchanged in spelling, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage. [3]
- alarm (line 8)
- The silence from the other end set off alarm bells in her head.
- The pallor of his skin alarmed those standing around.
- I set my alarm for six o’clock but slept through it.
- The sound of the approaching jets caused some alarm in the war room.
- wicket (line 44)
- The wicketkeeper was the true saviour of the day for that one match.
- The team wanted to bat while the wicket was still dry.
- The man at the window handed us our tickets through the wicket.
- The quick loss of wickets demoralised the team.
- reason (line 48)
- After the tragedy, his ability to reason is severely diminished.
- They reasoned they could get better seats if they arrived early.
- Recipients of funds were selected without rhyme or reason.
- We have every reason to celebrate.
- alarm (line 8)
- Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentences. [3]
- Answer the following questions as briefly as possible in your own words.
- With reference to the passage, explain the meaning of the expression of the ‘I had burned my boats?’ [2]
- Cite any two instances of the behaviour of the bank employees that indicate the insignificance of a deposit of fifty-six dollars. [2]
- Why do you think the people in the bank thought of the narrator as an “invalid millionaire?” [2]
- Summarise why the narrator decided ‘to bank no more’ (paragraphs 6 to 10). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. [8]
