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प्रश्न
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
Researchers recently announced the earth could actually withstand up to 200,000 times the current population. They arrived at this figure by calculating the amount of heat a human body emits, and only at 1.3 million billion would the earth be too hot to be habitable. And though it would feel like being in a can of sardines if that figure were ever reached, the earth is capable of comfortably sustaining a population several times the current 6.5 billion.
In fact, fertility is actually on the decline worldwide. Though the population has grown, the rate of growth has fallen sharply. Twenty years ago, the UN projected that the population would reach 11.16 billion in 2050, today they say it will reach only 9.3 billion. Moreover, the human population will stabilize at about 11.5 billion. While this figure is almost twice the current one, it is hardly claustrophobic.
True, the demands on resources are heavy even now, but this is more due to the manner in which these resources are being used. In fact, figures show that a bigger population does not amount to greater consumption. Over 20% of the world's people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditure - the poorest 20% a tiny 1.3%. With just 5% of the world's population, the US consumes about 40% of the world's resources. Would you say the US is overpopulated?
Concerns on the scarcity of food are equally baseless. In fact, global food production has actually kept up with population growth.
(1) What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
(2) What is the relationship between the population and the available resources?
(3) Why do the researchers claim that the earth is capable of sustaining a bigger population?
(4) What, according to you, are the problems caused by the increasing population?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) The earth would be too hot to be habitable. (Remove 'too'.)
(ii) Though the population has grown, the rate of growth has fallen sharply. (Rewrite it using 'but')
(iii) Moreover, the human population will stabilize at about 11.5 billion. (Make it 'less definite'.)
(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean :
(i) natural capacity to produce (ii) shortage
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उत्तर
(1) The main idea of the first paragraph is about the ability of the earth to sustain a population several times the current 6.5 billion.
(2) The relationship between population and the available resources is that the resources are used improperly. Over 20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditure, while the poorest 20% consumes a tiny proportion of 1.3%.
(3) The researchers claim that the earth is capable of sustaining a bigger population this is because they have calculated the average amount of heat a human body emits and found that only at 1.3 million billion would the earth be too hot to be habitable.
(4) Overpopulation may cause the following adverse effects.
(a) Depletion of natural resources
(b) Scarcity of quality goods.
(c) Increase in poor health conditions.
(d) Increase in unemployment. etc.
(5)
(i) The earth would be so hot that it would not be habitable.
(ii) The population has grown but the rate of growth has fallen sharply.
(iii) Moreover, the human population may stabilize at about 11.5 billion.
(6)
(i) natural capacity to produce - fertility
(ii) shortage - scarcity
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
During the devastating July 2005 floods that hit Mumbai, Rajen Dutia received an urgent call from a relative, Lopa Vyas late in the evening. “A friend’s mother is stranded near your home, Rajen. Can you please take her home? Her name is Rashmi,” Vyas told him.
Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere. Despite power failure and raging rain, Dutia stepped out and made his way to the spot, where he found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people. They were stranded in the dark, shivering in the rain. They all lived far away and had no place to go for the night.
Rajen took all of them to his one-bedroom flat, where he served them dinner and invited them to spend the night.
"By doing so," says Rajen, "I was simply fulfilling my karma, paying the universe back for the good it had done for me."
"God is kind. My daughter had just started her new job that day, and had gone for her training. She was stranded too. While she was trying to get to our relatives, she almost drowned, but a young stranger saved her. He and his friends even dropped her to my relative's place and phoned me to say she was safe. One good turn deserves another."
A2. Order
Look at the following sentences from the passage and put them in the correct sequence: (2)
(a) He took them to his one-bedroom flat.
(b) Rajen found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people shivering in the rain.
(c) Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere.
(d) Rajen Dutia received an urgent call.
A3
During the devastating July 2005 floods that hit Mumbai, Rajen Dutia received an urgent call from a relative, Lopa Vyas late in the evening. “A friend’s mother is stranded near your home, Rajen. Can you please take her home? Her name is Rashmi,” Vyas told him.
Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere. Despite power failure and raging rain, Dutia stepped out and made his way to the spot, where he found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people. They were stranded in the dark, shivering in the rain. They all lived far away and had no place to go for the night.
Rajen took all of them to his one-bedroom flat, where he served them dinner and invited them to spend the night.
"By doing so," says Rajen, "I was simply fulfilling my karma, paying the universe back for the good it had done for me."
"God is kind. My daughter had just started her new job that day, and had gone for her training. She was stranded too. While she was trying to get to our relatives, she almost drowned, but a young stranger saved her. He and his friends even dropped her to my relative's place and phoned me to say she was safe. One good turn deserves another."
A2. Order
Look at the following sentences from the passage and put them in the correct sequence: (2)
(a) He took them to his one-bedroom flat.
(b) Rajen found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people shivering in the rain.
(c) Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere.
(d) Rajen Dutia received an urgent call.
A3(i). Fill in the blanks :
Select the words given in the passage (1)
(i) Thousands Of pilgrims were …………….. due to the cloud burst in Uttarakhand.
(ii) The tiger was ……………… by the hunter.
(ii). Antonyms:
Select the correct antonyms for the given words from the alternatives :
(1) Please :
(a) unplease (b) displease (c) misplease
(2) Safe: '
(a) insafe (b) safeless (c) unsafe
A4(i) Tags :
Select the correct tag for the alternatives given below :
One good turn deserves another.
(a) Doesn’t it? (b) don’t it (c) does it?
(ii). Guess:
Choose the correct answer : (1)
Rajen can you please take her home? ‘Can’ indicates :
(a) Obligation (b) ability (c) permission
A5. Personal Response :
‘ one good turn
Deserves another.’
Explain with an
example of your own.
B1. Choose
Choose the correct alternatives and complete the sentences (2)
(1) The narrator is :
(a) an astronaut
(b) an engineer studying in BITS Pilani
(c) in the team of astronauts.
(2) Armstrong said, 'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind which means:
(a) one step on the moon means, many steps on the earth.
(b) he felt like a giant on the moon.
(c) one moon mission had opened up many avenues in science and technology for mankind.
It was late evening of July 20. 1969, when we turned up the hostel radio. I was an engineering student at BITS, Pilani. I still remember the feverish excitement that gripped us from July 16 when Apollo 11. the US space rocket, took off from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Neil Armstrong and his team of astronauts, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, were to land on moon, for the first time in human history. We listened 'with rapt attention when Armstrong declared: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
His death on Saturday, August 25, is a moment to salute the romance of space science that Apollo 11 unleashed. It has changed forever the way we look at our planet Earth and its satellite, the moon.
Standing on powdery moondust, Armstrong put up his thumb, shut one eye and found his thumb blotting out the Earth. "It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth” he said later. "I felt very, very small." But behind that humbling realisation stood a giant truth:
The effort to explore the universe united mankind in technology and knowledge. Each moon mission, about 110 till date, provided more confidence to take on bolder projects.
B2. Complete (2)
(1) Armstrong describes the earth as ……………
(2) The effort to explore the universe has ………………
(3) Apollo 11 unleashed and changed forever ………………
(4) The author came to know about Apollo 11 mission when he …………..
B3. Solve
Solve the crossword with the clues given below. Refer to the passage for your answers: (2)
Down : (1) The area beyond the earth's atmosphere .
(2) The name of the spacecraft that Armstrong travelled.
Across : (3) A person trained to travel in space.
(4) Y A natural satellite of the earth.
B4. Begin the sentence
(i) With-For the first time .......and rewrite [1]
Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins were, to land on the moon for the first time.
(ii) Insert 'that' appropriately and rewrite. [1]
Armstrong found his thumb blotting out the Earth.
B5. Personal Response
Would you like to be an astronaut? Give reasons.
AI. Who said to whom
(i) "Is he going to live, sir?"
(ii) "______ the struggle is too hard at the end ______.”
The doctor said to himself, "If my word can save his life, he shall not die.
The will be damned." He called, "Gopal, listen." This was the first time he was going to do a piece of acting before a patient, simulate a feeling and conceal his Judgement. He stooped over the patient and said, with deliberate emphasis, "Don't worry about the will now. You are going to live. Your heart is absolutely sound."
A new glow suffused the patient's face as he heard it. Be asked in a tone of relief,
"Do you say so? If it comes from your lips it must be true............ . "
The doctor said, "Quite right. You are improving ever second. Sleep in peace. You must not exert yourself on any account. You must sleep very soundly.
I will see you in the morning." The patient looked at him gratefully for a moment and then closed his eyes. The doctor picked up his bag and went out, shutting the door softly behind him.
On his way home he stopped for a moment at his hospital, called out his assistant and said, "That Lawley Extension case. You might expect the collapse any second now. Go there with a tube of .....................................'in hand, and give it in case the struggle is too hard at the end. Hurry up.”
Next morning he was back at Lawley Extension at ten. From his car he made a dash for the sick bed. The patient was awake and looked very well. The assistant reported satisfactory pulse. The doctor put his tube to his heart, listened for a while and told the sick man's wife, "Don't look so unhappy, lady. Your husband will live to be a ninety.’’ When they were going back to the hospital, the assistant sitting beside him in the car asked, "Is he going to live, sir?"
"I will bet on it. He will live to be ninety. He has turned at corner. How he has survived this attack will be a puzzle to me all my life," replied the doctor.
A2. Web
Complete the web:
A3. Personal Response
What is your opinion about the doctor and his behaviour?
The Perfect Dog
In the summer of 1967, when I was ten years old, my father caved into my persistent pleas and took me to get my own dog. Together we drove in the family station wagon far into the Michigan countryside to a farm run by a rough-hewn woman and her ancient mother. The farm produced just one commodity—dogs. Dogs of every imaginable size and shape and age and temperament. They had only two things in common: each was a mongrel of unknown and distinct ancestry, and each was free to a good home.
I quickly decided the older dogs were somebody else’s charity case. I immediately raced to the puppy cage. “You want to pick one that’s not timid,” my father coached. “Try rattling the cage and see which ones aren’t afraid.”
I grabbed the chain-link gate and yanked on it with a loud clang. The dozen or so puppies reeled backward, collapsing on top of one another in a squiggling heap of fur. Just one remained. He was gold with a white blaze on his chest, and he charged at the gate, yapping fearlessly. He jumped up and excitedly licked my fingers through the fencing. It was love at first sight.
I brought him home in a cardboard box and named him Shaun. He was one of those dogs that give dogs a good name. He effortlessly mastered every command I taught him and was naturally well-behaved. I could drop a crust on the floor and he would not touch it until I gave the okay.
Relatives would visit for the weekend and returned home determined to buy a dog of their own, so impressed were they with Shaun – or “Saint Shaun”, as I came to call him. Born with the curse of an uncertain lineage, he was one of the tens of thousands of unwanted dogs in America. Yet by some stroke of almost providential good fortune, he became wanted. He came into my life and I into his – and in the process, he gave me the childhood every kid deserves.
The love affair lasted fourteen years, and by the time he died I was no longer the little boy who had brought him home on that summer day. I was a man, out of college and working across the state in my first real job. Saint Shaun had stayed behind when I moved on. It was where he belonged. My parents, by then retired, called to break the news to me. My mother would later tell me, “In fifty years of marriage, I’ve only seen your father cry twice. The first time was when we lost Mary Ann” – my sister, who was still-born. “The second time was the day Shaun died.”
Saint Shaun of my childhood. He was a perfect dog. At least that’s how I will always remember him. It was Shaun who set the standard by which I would judge all other dogs to come.
(Marley and Me by John Grogan)
1.1 Based on your reading of the passage, complete the following statements.
(a) The dog farm was run by ________________________________.
(b) The author did not want an old dog because ______________________________.
(c) He fell in love with the dog the moment the latter _______________________.
(d) Shaun became so obedient that he ______________________ until the author allowed him.
(e) After visiting them, their relatives wanted ________________________.
(f) When Shaun died even _______________________.
1.2 Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following.
(a) urgent requests (para 1)
(b) falling (para 3)
He holds him with his skinny hand,
“There was a ship,” quoth he.
i. Who does ‘He’ refer to in the above extract?
ii. What do we know about the speaker’s feelings?
iii. Why is his hand called ‘skinny’?
1. Why does a person become overconfident? The reason lies in over assessment of his capabilities. Sometimes people over assess their competence and jump into situations that are beyond their control.
2. Napoleon Bonaparte who became Emperor of France would say that the word 'impossible' was common only amongst fools. The overconfident Napoleon invaded Russia in the winter of 1812. This proved to be a big disaster.
3. Overconfidence generally leads people into misadventures, endangering their chances in life. It is wisely said that any achievement is a result of two factorsone's personal planning and support from the external world. People, take into account only their planning, generally ignoring external factors. As a result they are unable to foresee future developments. Hence, a great risk of failure.
4. Then there is the question: how can one manage overconfidence? The formula is very simple. Before taking a decision discuss the matter with other informed people with an objective mind and when it is proved that you are about to go off the path, accept reality and say without delay, "I was wrong'.
5. Overconfidence is a flaw characterizing people who lack the virtue of modesty. Modesty makes you a realist; you become a person who is cut down to size. People of this kind become very cautious; before taking an action they assess the whole situation. They adopt a realistic approach.
6. Overconfident people live within their own thoughts. They know themselves but they are unaware of others. Living inside their own cell they are unable to make use of the experiences of others. This kind of habit is highly damaging to all concerned
7. There is a saying that the young man sees the rule and the old man sees the exception, with a slight change, I would like to say that the overconfident person sees the rule and the confident person sees the exception. Overconfident people are always at risk. It is said that taking risk is good but it must be well calculated otherwise it becomes very dangerous.
1) Answer the following :(8)
a. Why does a person become overconfident?
b. What does overconfidence generally lead people into?
c. How can one manage overconfidence?
d. What kind of person does 'modesty' make you?
2)Find meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow :(4)
a. Misadventure (Para 3)
(i) Mishap (ii) Unlucky (iii) Unhappy (iv) Unpleasant
b. Endangering (Para 3)
(i) Reckless (ii) Imperil (iii) Risky (iv) Threatening
c. Assess (Para 5)
(i) Assemble (ii) Acquire (iii) Evaluate (iv) Accept
d. Objective (Para 4)
(i) Obedient (ii) Servile (iii) Honest (iv) Impartial
Read the passage given below :
Kausani is situated at a height of 6,075 feet in the Central Himalayas. It is an unusally attractive little town. It covers just about 5.2 sq. kms. It lies to the north of Almora in Uttarakhand's picturesque kumaon region.
Kausani provides the 300-km wide breathtaking view of the Himalayas. It is the most striking aspect of the place. Snow-capped peaks are spread in a stately row. They stare at you in silvery white majesty. The most famous peak on view is Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India. It is situated at a height of 25.645 feet and 36 miles away as the crow files. The other famous peaks on view are choukhamba (23,420 feet) and Trishul (23,360 feet). Then there are also Nilkanth, Nandaghunti, Nandaghat and Nandakot. On a clear day, the blue of the sky makes a splendid background to these peaks. At sunrise and at sunset, when the colour changes to a golden orange, the scene gets etched in your memory.
When Gandhiji visited this place in 1929, its scenic beauty held him spellbound. He named it the 'Switzerland of Indian'. He prolonged his two-day stay to fourteen days, making time to write a book, 'Anashakti Yoga'. The place where he was staying was originally a guest-house of the tea estate. It was renamed 'Anashakti Ashram' after the book.
Kausani is the birthplace of Sumitranandan Pant, India's poet laureate. Its natural surroundings inspired many of his poems. Its tea gardens mingle with dense pine forests and fruit orchards. The area is also host to many fairs and religious caremonies. If Uttaranchal is the abode of gods, Kausani is God's own backyard. There is no traffic, no one is in a hurry. If serenity could be put on a canvas, the picture would resemble Kausani.
On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions :
(a) Where is Kausani situated ?
(b) What is the most striking aspect of Kausani ?
(c) Which is the most famous peak on view from Kausani ?
(d) How did Kausani influence Sumitranandan Pant ?
(e) When does the view of peaks become so memorable ?
(f) How can we say that Gandhiji was greatly charmed by the natural beauty of Kausani ?
(g) What makes Kausani a calm and quiet place ?
(h) Why, do you think, is Kausani known as 'God' s own backyard' ?
Read the passage given below:
1. I rested for a moment at the door of Anand Bhawan, on Market Road, where coffee-drinkers and tiffin-eaters sat still at their tables, uttering low moans on seeing me. I wanted to assure them, "Don't mind me, you hugging the cash box − you are a coward, afraid even to breathe. Go on, count the cash, if that is your pleasure. I just want to watch, that's all. If my tail trails down to the street, if I am blocking your threshold, it is because, I'm told, I'm eleven feet tip to tail. I can't help it. I'm not out to kill − I'm too full. I found a green pasture full of food on my way. I won't attack until I feel hungry again. Tigers attack only when they feel hungry, unlike human beings who slaughter one another without purpose or hunger."
2. To the great delight of children, schools were being hurriedly closed. Children of all ages and sizes were running helter-skelter, screaming joyously. "No school, no school. Tiger, tiger!" They were shouting and laughing and even enjoying being scared. They seemed to welcome me. I felt like joining them. So I bounded away from the restaurant door. I walked along with them, at which they cried, 'The tiger is coming to eat us; let us get back to school!"
3. I followed them through their school gate while they ran up and shut themselves in the school hall securely. I climbed up the steps of the school, saw an open door at the far end of a veranda, and walked in. It happened to be the headmaster's room. I noticed a very dignified man jumping on the table and heaving himself up into an attic. I walked in and flung myself on the cool floor, having a special liking for cool stone floors.
4. As I drowsed, I was aware of cautious steps and hushed voices all around. I was in no mood to bother about anything. All I wanted was a little moment of sleep; the daylight was very bright.
On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions:
(a) How did the diners at Anand Bhawan react on seeing the tiger?
(b) When do tigers attack? In this context, how are human beings different from tigers?
(c) Why were children happy and even enjoying being scared?
(d) What did the headmaster do on seeing the tiger? What did the tiger like to do in the headmaster's office?
(e) Identify the word which means the same as 'hugging'. (Para 1)
(i) counting
(ii) hiding
(iii) rubbing
(iv) holding tightly in the arms
(f) Identify the word which means the same as 'delight'. (Para 2)
(i) pleasure
(ii) fear
(iii) sorrow
(iv) nervousness
(g) Identify the word which means the same as 'dignified'. (Para 3)
(i) tall
(ii) honourable
(iii) terrified
(iv) tired
(ii) jumped forward
(iii) walked with heavy steps
(iv) ran lazily
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When I got to New Mullion, my eager expectations of a sweet and simple country village were severely disappointed. Its streets were rivers of mud, with rows of wooden shops, either painted a sour brown, or bare of any paint at all.
(a) Who is 'I'?
(b) Why was 'I' disappointed?
(c) What does the word 'expectations' mean ?
Read the passage given below :
1. When you grow up in a place where it rains five months a year, wise elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you that it is ignorant to think that it is the same rain falling every day. Oh no, the rain is always doing different things at different times. There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard and damages the crops. Hence, the prayer for the sweet rain that helps the crops to grow.
2. The monsoon in the Naga hills goes by the native name, khuthotei (which means the rice-growing season). It lasts from May to early or mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in October announces the end of rain. After that, one might expect a couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and April. Finally, comes the "big rain" in May; proper rainstorms accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I have stood out in storms looking at lightning are across dark skies, a light-and-sound show that can go on for hours.
3. This is the season when people use the word sezuo or süzu to refer to the week-long rains, when clothes don't dry and smell of mould, when fungus forms on the floor and when you can't see the moon or the stars because of the rainclouds. But you learn not to complain. Rain, after all, is the farmer's friend and brings food to the table. Rituals and festivals centre around the agricultural rhythm of life, which is the occupation of about 70 percent of the population.
4. The wise learn to understand its ways. I grew up hearing my grandfather say. "It's very windy this year. We'll get good rain." If the windy season was short and weak, he worried there might not be enough rain for the crops. I learned the interconnectedness of the seasons from childhood, and marvelled at how the wind could bring rain. Another evening, many rainy seasons ago, my paternal aunt observed the new moon and worried, "Its legs are in the air, we're in for some heavy rain." She was right. That week, a storm cut off power lines and brought down trees and bamboos.
5. Eskimos boast of having a hundred names for snow. Norwegians in the north can describe all kinds of snow by an equal amount of names : pudder, powder snow, wet snow, slaps, extra wet snow, tight snowfall, dry snow, and at least 95 more categories of snow. Likewise, in India we have names and names for rain. Some are common, some are passing into history.
6. The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoons set in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and transplanting paddy in flooded terrace fields is done. The months of hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogü plant begins to bloom, a rain will fall. this August rain, also called phrogü, is a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer's almanac.
7. The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of September can be depressing, when the rainfall is incessant and the awareness persists that the monsoons will last out till October. One needs to have the heart of a farmer to remain grateful for the watery days, and be able to observe – from what seems to the inexperienced as a continuous downpour – the many kinds of rain. Some of the commonly known rain-weeks are named after the plants that alternately bloom in August and September. The native belief is that the flowers draw out the rain.
8. Each rain period has a job to fulfil : October rain helps garlic bulbs to form, while kümünyo rain helps the rice bear grain. Without it, the ears of rice cannot form properly. End October is the most beautiful month in the Naga hills, as the fields turn gold and wild sunflowers bloom over the slopes, all heralding the harvest. Prayers go up for protecting the fields from storms, and the rains to retreat because the grain needs to stand in the sun and ripen. The cycle nears completion a few weeks before the harvest, and the rain does retreat so thoroughly from the reaped furrows that the earth quickly turns hard. The months of rain become a distant memory until it starts all over again.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete the statements given below with the help of options that follow:
a) The rains are called after flowering plants because
(ii) flowers grow in the rainy season.
(iii) it is believed that the plants bring the rain.
(iv) flowers grow all the year round.
b) The rain is like a calendar for farmers because
(ii) it tells them the birthdays of their children.
(iii) each month has a time for plantation.
(iv) different kinds of rain tell different things.
c) People who live in cities don't like rain because
(ii) they are not bothered about the farmers.
(iii) they don't like the plants that grow during the rain.
(iv) going shopping becomes difficult.
d) People pray asking the rain the retreat because
(ii) children don't get a chance to play.
(iii) the crops need the sun and heat to ripen.
(iv) they like to pray.
Answer the following questions briefly:
e) Why do the elders want you to understand the rains in the Naga hills?
f) What does Durga Puja mean to the farmers of the Naga hills?
g) What kind of rain is called sezuo?
h) What is the occupation of more than half the population of the Naga hills?
i) How is the heart of the farmer different from that of the city person?
j) When does rain becomes a memory in the minds of the of the Naga hills?
k) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:
(ii) nonstop (para 7)
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. Thackeray reached Kittur along with a small British army force and a few of his officers. He thought that the very presence of the British on the outskirts of Kittur would terrorise the rulers and people of Kittur and that they would lay down their arms. He was quite confident that he would be able to crush the revolt in no time. He ordered that tents be erected on the eastern side for the fighting forces and a little away on the western slopes tents be put up for the family members of the officers who had accompanied them. During the afternoon and evening of 20thOctober, the British soldiers were busy making arrangements for these camps.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage complete the statements given below with the help of options that follow:
(ii) army officer
(iii) adviser to Rani of Kittur
(iv) treasury officer
(ii) enjoy life in tents
(iii) stay in the palace
(iv) give company to officers
(c) Why did Thackeray come to Kittur?
(d) Why did the Kittur officials refuse to give the desired assurance to Thackeray?
(e) What happened to the Horse Artillery?
(f) How do we know that the Rani was a noble queen?
(g) How in your opinion would the British women have felt after meeting the Rani?
(h) Why did the Rani refuse to meet Thackeray?
(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following :
ii. aggressive/refusing to obey (para 2)
Read the passage given below:
People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. They can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to change house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards, and attics for years in the belief that they may one day need them. Old people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, perhaps with the relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a sentimental value.
Some things are collected deliberately in an attempt to avoid wastage. Among these are string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened. Collecting small items can be mania. A lady cuts out from newspaper sketches of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had money. As she is not rich, the chances are that she will never be able to afford such purchases. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk.
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one’s treasure is always a joy. One doesn’t have to go out for amusement as the collection is housed at home. Whatever it consists of - stamps, records, first editions of books, china – there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition to verifying facts in reference books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
There are other benefits also. One gets to meet like-minded collectors to get advice, compare notes, exchange articles, to show off one’s latest find. So one’s circle of friends grows. Soon the hobby leads to traveling, perhaps a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to one country. Over the years one may well become an authority on one’s hobby and will probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, if successful, to larger audiences.
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary-minimum four) and a format you consider suitable. Also, supply an appropriate title to it.
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words.
Read the passage given below :
1. We often make all things around us the way we want them. Even during our pilgrimages we have begun to look for whatever makes our heart happy, gives comfort to our body and peace to the mind. It is as if external solutions will fulfil or needs, and we do not want to make any special efforts even in our spiritual search. Our minds is resourceful − it works to find shortcuts in simple and easy ways.
2. Even pilgrimages have been converted into tourism opportunities. Instead, we must awaken our conscience and souls and understand the truth. Let us not tamper with either our own nature of that of the Supreme.
3. All our cleverness is rendered ineffective when nature does a dance of destruction. Its fury can and will wash away all imperfection. Indian culture, based on Vedic treatises, assists in human evolution, but we are not using our entire energy in distorting these traditions according to our convenience instead of making efforts to make ourselves worthy of them.
4. The irony is that humans are not even aware of the complacent attitude they have allowed themselves to sink to. Nature is everyone's Amma and her fierce blows will sooner or later corner us and force us to understand this truth. Earlier, pilgrimages to places of spiritual significance were rituals that were undertaken when people became free from their worldly duties. Even now some seekers take up this pious religious journey as a path to peace and knowledge. Anyone travelling with this attitude feels and travels with only a few essential items that his body can carry. Pilgrims traditionally travelled light, on foot, eating light, dried chickpeas and fruits, or whatever was available. Pilgrims of olden days did not feel the need to stay in special AC bedrooms, or travel by luxury cars or indulge themselves with delicious food and savouries.
5. Pilgrims traditionally moved ahead, creating a feeling of belonging towards all, conveying a message of brotherhood among all they came across whether in small caves, ashrams or local settlements. They received the blessings and congregations of yogis and mahatmas in return while conducting the dharma of their pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is like penance or sadhana to stay near nature and to experience a feeling of oneness with it, to keep the body healthy and fulfilled with the amount of food, while seeking freedom from attachments and yet remaining happy while staying away from relatives and associates.
6. This is how a pilgrimage should be rather than making it like a picnic by taking a large group along and living in comfort, packing in entertainment, and tampering with environment. What is worse is giving a boost to the ego of having had a special darshan. Now alms are distributed, charity done while they brag about their spiritual experiences!
7. We must embark on our spiritual journey by first understanding the grace and significance of a pilgrimage and following it up with the prescribed rules and rituals − this is what translates into the ultimate and beautiful medium of spiritual evolution. There is no justification for tampering with nature.
8. A pilgrimage is symbolic of contemplation and meditation and acceptance, and is a metaphor for the constant growth or movement and love for nature that we should hold in our hearts.
9. This is the truth!
One the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer the questions that follow with the help of given options:
(a) How can a pilgrim keep his body healthy?
(i) By travelling light
(ii) By eating small amount of food
(iii) By keeping free from attachments
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
(b) How do we satisfy our ego?
(i) By having a special darshan
(ii) By distributing alms
(iii) By treating it like a picnic
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
Answer the following as briefly as possible:
(c) What change has taken place in our attitude towards pilgrimages?
(d) What happens when pilgrimages are turned into picnics?
(e) Why are we complacent in our spiritual efforts?
(f) How does nature respond when we try to be clever with it?
(g) In olden days with what attitude did people go on a pilgrimage?
(h) What message does the passage convey to the pilgrims?
(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) made/turned (para 3)
(ii) very satisfied (para 4)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given
below:
Prominent among the urges that inspire and drive a person in life, is the mge to be a somebody. It is quite human, especially in the early stages of life, to want to do something to win laurels and admiration of all around. There's a pitfall though - the very process of becoming a somebody may subtly reduce yon to a nobody.
American poet Emily Dickinson, who lived in obscurity, has an interesting poem on this theme. "I'm nobody!" she declares, with apparent pride.
"Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?"
Why should anybody be happy about being nobody?
The poem explains :
"How dreaiy to he somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
The word 'bog' is significant. When you become a somebody, you invite adulation :
this then begins to bog you down. The moment you think you have arrived, you begin to stagnate, or, worse, your downslide begins. An endless list of writers, artists, sportsmen, politicians ..... fit this pattern of personal history.
To sustain your development in absolute terms, to become a true somebody, it is important to remain a temporal nobody. Even if destiny makes you a temporal somebody,
you should be able to see yourself as merely an agent of a superior power; no more. This requires an exercise of will. You have to constantly watch out and talk to yourself morning and evening.
(1) What is the main idea of the extract? (1)
(2) Why is it important for one to remain a temporal nobody? How? (1)
(3) What does Emily Dickinson declare with pride? Why? (2)
(4) What would you like to be in your life - Somebody or nobody? Why? (2)
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed
(i) This requires an exercise of will.
(Rewrite it using the Simple Future tense.) (1)
(ii) You have to constantly watch out and talk to yourself.
(Rewrite it using another modal auxiliary showing 'compulsion'.) (1)
(iii) You begin to stagnate.
(Rewrite it using the noun form of the word underlined.) (1)
(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean -
(i) danger (1/2)
(ii) praise (1/2)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
That day Reuben fold two sacks, which he took to the rambling wooden factory and sold to the man in charge of packing nails. The boy's hand tightly clutched the small five-cent pieces as he ran two kilometres home.
Near his house stood the ancient barn that housed the family's goats and chickens. Reuben found a rusty baking- soda tin and dropped his coins inside. Then he climbed into the loft of the barn and hid the can beneath a pile of sweet-smelling hay.
It was supper time when Reuben got home. His father sat at the big kitchen table, working on a fishing net. Dora was at the black kitchen range, ready to serve dinner as Reuben took his place at the table.
He looked at his mother and smiled. Sunlight from the window gilded her, shoulder-length blond hair. Five foot three, slim and beautiful, she was the centre of the home, the glue that held it together.
Her chores were never-ending. Sewing clothes for her family on the old Singer treadle machine, cooking meals and baking bread, planting a vegetable garden. milking the goats and scrubbing soiled clothes on a washboru·d. But she was happy. Her family and their wellbeing were her highest priority.
Every day after chores and school, Reuben scoured the town, collecting the burlap nail bags. On the day the two-room schoolhouse closed for the summer, no student was more delighted than Reuben. Now he would have more time to devote to his mission.
(1) What is the main theme of the extract? (1)
(2) Where did Reuben keep his savings? Why? (2)
(3) Describe Reuben's mother and her daily chores. (2)
(4) What would you like to present to your mother on Mother's Day? Why? (2)
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) He looked at his mother and smiled.
(Rewrite it as a Simple Sentence.) (1)
(ii) Her family and their well-being were her highest priority.
(Rewrite it in the Positive Degree.) (1)
(iii) She was the centre of the home. (1)
(Make it a Rhetorical Question)
(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean -
(i) dried grass (1/2)
(ii) routine tasks (1/2)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
Now, as I stood on the shore of that desolate Highland loch
I raised my voice in a surge of self-justification : ''By Heavens!
This is my opportunity. Gastric ulcer or no gastric ulcer, I will
write a novel.'' Before I could change 1ny mind I walked straight to the village and bot1ght myself two dozen penny exercise books.
Upstairs in my cold, clean bedroom was a scrubbed deal table and a very hard chair. Next morning, I found myself in this chair, facing a new exercise book open upon the table, slowly' becoming aware that, short of dog-Lati11 prescriptions, I had never composed a significant phrase in all my life. It was a discot1raging thought as I picked 11p my pen and gazed out of the window. Never mind, I would begin. Three hours later Mrs. Angus, the farmer's wife, called me to dinner. The page was still blank.
As I went dow-n to m:y milk and junket-they call this "curds'' in Tarbert - I felt a dreadful fool. I felt like the wretched poet in Daudet's Jack whose im1nortal masterpiece never progressed beyond its stillborn opening phrase : ''In a remote valley of Pyrenees ..... ". I recollected, rather gri111ly, the sharp advice with which my old schoolmaster had goaded me to action. ''Get it down!'' he had said. ''If it ~tops in your head it will always be nothing.
Get it down.'' And so, after lunch, I went upstairs and began to get it down.
(1) What is the main idea of the extract? (1)
(2) Why did the narrator buy two dozen penny exercise books? (2)
(3) How was the narrator unprepared for writing his novel? (2)
(4) Write in brief about what you will do in your forthcoming vacation. (2)
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) I stood on the shore of that desolate Highland loch.
(Rewrite it using 'used to'.) (1)
(ii) I went down to my milk and junket.
(Rewrite it in the Past Perfect Tense.) (1)
(iii) I walked straight to the village and bought myself
two dozen penny exercise books. (Make it simple). (1)
(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean:
(i) chance (1/2)
(ii) lake (1/2)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below :
Early risers clearly have the edge in life. By the time most of us wake up, they've been through their morning rituals, enjoyed their walk, had their tea and read the daily news. They're also likely to have made long-distance calls before dawn to those similarly inclined. Thus, by the time the sun warms up they're likely to have discussed all varieties of 'men, matters, and affairs' with a dozen people.
The upshot of these varying tendencies is that such extreme contrasts often exist in the same household. Weeks pass before the younger lot (typically late risers) and the older lot (normally early birds) come face to face. It's almost as if they live in different time zones and different countries.
All over the country, things are likely to be pretty much the same in this respect, one would think. If the man of the house, any house, decides to take a day off from work, he'd probably find his son emerging from his room at about I0 a.m. and that too in a 'rubbing-eyes' mode. After fooling around for a while the lad would probably dash off to college in a rush whilst simultaneously zipping up his jeans and sending text messages on his phone. His father would undoubtedly be left shaking his head and burying himself deeper into his newspaper.
(1) What is the extract about?
(2) How do the early risers get a headstart in life?
(3) What kind of lifestyle of the young son is reflected in the extract?
(4) According to you, why do the youngsters rise up late?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) He goes for his morning walk at 1 p.m.
(Rewrite it in the Present Perfect Continuous Tense.)
(ii) They live in different time zones.
(Make it a complex sentence.)
(iii) The man decides to take a day off from work.
(Rewrite it using the noun form of the underlined word.)
(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean:
(i) have a slight advantage over
(ii) coming out
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
Questions :
(2) What sort of patients did the doctor have?
(3) What were the reasons for the doctor's indigestion?
(4) “A doctor should have a pleasing personality and good manners.” Do you agree? Explain.
(ii) unsewn
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
So what is a city? It's a dense amalgamation of buildings and people. A city must provide equity and also be sustainable. As an architect who has been closely connected with Delhi and its planning, my wish list is more about the direction we need to take so that future generations don 't end up living in chaotic dysfunctional cities.
The first requirement for a city is a pragmatic plan. Many of our cities such.as Delhi and Bhubaneswar and even Port Blair in the Andamans have reasonably good master plans. Many also have City Development Plans which have been made an essential requirement to draw funds. from the government's Urban Renewal Programme (JNNURM). But they should be updated frequently based on the changing needs of its people.
And let's not forget its citizens - they need to be more pro-actively involved when evolving master plans. But often, there's lack of planning and inadequate implementation systems. This applies to all essential components of a city-streets, public transport system, traffic management, affordable housing, cars and parking, drainage. water supply, sewerage, and garbage. Any deficiency in these will lead to poor quality cities that won't be able to handle the pressure of increased population and changing needs.
The second require1nent of a good city is good social infrastructure such as parks and places for leisure such as rivers and seafronts. It needs to preserve and protect its heritage. We are a nation with a rich diversity in culture, arts, and crafts.
Questions:
(1) What issue is raised in the above extract?
(2) What are the requirements for a good city?
(3) Why is it necessary to update our city development plan?
(4) Do you think unplanned cities make the life of its people
miserable? How?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) A city must provide equity and also be sustainable.
(Rewrite the sentence using 'not only ...... but also'.)
(ii) Many of our cities have good master plans.
(Frame a Wh-question to get the underlined part as its answer.)
(iii) It needs to preserve and protect its heritage.
(Identify the tense used in the sentence.)
(6) Find out from the extract the words which mean:
(i) practical
(ii) blend
Read the following extract and answer the questions given
below:
Today, at 29, \.1.ichael has discovered the power of another good idea that has helped him rise in just a few years from teen to tycoon.He has become the fourth largest manufacturerof personal computers in America and the youngest man ever to head Fortune 500 Corporation.
Growing up in Houston, Texas. Michael and his two brothers were imbued by their parents. Alexander and Lorraine - he anorthodontist, she a stockbroker- with the desire to learn and the drive to work hard. Even so, stories about the middle boy began to be told early.
Like the time a saleswoman came asking to speak to "Mr. Michael Dell" about his getting a high school equivalency diploma. Moments later. eight-year-old Michael was explaining that he thought it might be a good idea to get high school out of the way.
A few years later Michael had another good idea, to trade stamps by advertising in stamp magazines. With the $2000 he made, he bought his first personal computer. Then he took it apart to figure out how it worked.
In high school Michael had a job selling newspaper subscriptions. Newlyweds, he figured, were the best prospects, so he hired friends to copy rhe names and addresses of recent recipients of marriage licences. These he entered into his computer, then sent a personalized letter offering each couple a free two-week subscription.
This time Dell made $ 18,000 and bought an expensive BMW car. The car salesman was flabbergasted when the 17-ycar-oJd paid cash.
(I) What details does the writer give about Dell's family in the
extract? (1)
(2) How did Dell succeed in earning S2QOQ? (2)
(3) Why was the car salesman flabbergasted? (2)
(41 What do you think you can learn from Dell's story? (2)
{5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instmcted:
{i) "He has discovered the power of another good idea."
(Rewrite it beginning with 'The power of another good
idea ...... ... .'.) (1)
.(if) "If you think you have a good idea, try it. "
(Use 'Unless' .) (1)
(iii) '"This time Dell made $18,000 and bought an expensive
BMW car." (1)
(Make it a simple sentence.)
CM Find out the words from the extract which mean :
(i) filled with a quality. (1/2)
(ii) understand. (1/2)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below.
|
I grew up in India in which telephones were both rare and virtually useless. When I left India in 1975 to go to the US for graduate studies, we had perhaps, 600 million residents in the country and just two million landline telephones. Having a telephone was a rare privilege: if you weren’t an important government official, or a doctor, or a journalist, you might languish in a long waiting list and never receive a phone.
Telephone were such a rarity (after all, 90% of population had access to a telephone line) that elected members of Parliament had amongst their privileges the right to allocate 15 telephone connections to whomever they deemed worthy.
And if you did have a phone, it wasn’t necessarily a blessing. I spent my high school years in Calcutta, and I remember that if you picked up your phone, you had no guarantee you would reach the number you had dialled. Sometimes you were connected to someone else’s ongoing conversation, and they had no idea you were able to hear them; there was even a technical term for it, the ‘cross - connection’ (appropriately, since these were connections that made us very cross). If you wanted to call another city, say Delhi, you had to book a ‘trunk call’ in the morning and then sit by the telephone all day waiting for it to come through; or you could pay eight times the going rate for a ‘lightning call’ = but even lightning struck slowly in India those days, so it only took half an hour instead of the usual three or four or more to be connected.
|
Questions:
(1). Why were telephones a rarity before 1975? (1)
(2) What special rights did elected members of Parliament use to have? (2)
(3) How did the author differentiate between a ‘trunk call’ and a ‘lightning call’? (2)
(4) Do you think the cellphone has made us global? (2)
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed. . (3)
(i) You could pay eight times the going rate for a ‘lighting call’. (Rewrite it using modal auxiliary showing compulsion)
(ii) I spent my high school years in Calcutta. [Rewrite it using past perfect tense]
(iii) Telephones were a rarity. [Make it a rhetorical question]
(6) Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings in column ‘B’. (1)
| Column A | Column B | ||
| (i) | Privilege |
(i)
|
means to reach or get |
| (ii) | Access |
(ii)
|
remedy |
| (iii) | special right |
Read the following extract and answer the questions given
below :
In 1945 in Bay Roberts, Canada, a 12-year-old boy saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. But the price -five dollars-was far beyond Reuben Earle's means. Five dollars would buy almost a week's groceries for his family.
Reuben couldn't ask his father for the money. Everything Mark Earle made by fishing, Reuben's mother, Dora, stretched like elastic to feed and clothe their five children.
Nevertheless, he opened the shop's weathered door and went inside. Standing proud and straight in his flour-sack shirt and washed out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, "but I don't have the money now. Can you please hold it for me?" ·
"I will try," the shopkeeper smiled. ''Folks around here don't usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while.,.
Reuben respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out into the May sunlight. The bay rippled in a freshening wind that ruffled his short hair. There was purpose in his loping stride. He
would raise the five dollars and not tell anybody.
Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea.
He ran towards the sound and stopped at a construction site. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails purchased in burlap sack from a local factory. Sometimes the sacks were discarded in the flurry of buildings, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece.
(1) What did Reuben decide to do to raise the required amount?
(2) How much money did Reuben need? Why?
(3) Why couldn't Reuben ask his father for the money?
(4) What is special about the gifts which are given on special occasions?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences as directed :
(i) Reuben couldn't ask his father for the money.
(Rewrite the sentence using ' be able to'.)
(ii) Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea.
(Rewrite the sentence using 'and'.)
(iii) He could sell them back to the factory.
·(Rewrite the sentence beginning with: 'They ..... ')
(6) Match the words in column 'A' with their meanings in
column 'B':
| column 'A' | column 'B' |
| folk | natural harbour |
| bay | sticks |
| people |
(A) Read the extract and do the activities that follows :
“Pluck the flowers off”, said the other boy and the daisy trembled for fear, for to be pulled off meant death
to it; and it wished so much to live, as it was to go with the square of turf into the poor captive lark’s cage.
“No, let it stay,” said the other boy, “it looks so pretty.” And so it stayed, and was brought into the lark’s cage. The poor bird was lamenting its lost liberty, and beating its wings against the wires; and the little daisy could not speak or utter a consoling word, much as it would liked to do so. So the forenoon passed. “I have no water,” said the captive lark, “they have all gone out and forgotten to give me anything to drink. My throat is dry and burning. I feel as if I had fire and ice within me and the air is so oppressive. Alas! I must die, and part with the warm sunshine, the fresh green meadows, and all the beauty that God has created.” And it thrust its beak into the piece of grass, to refresh itself a little. Then it noticed the little daisy, and nodded to it, and kissed it with its beak and said : “You must also fade in here, poor little flower. You and the piece of grass are all they have given me in exchange for the whole world, which I enjoyed outside. Each little blade of grass shall be a green tree for me, each of your white petals a fragrant flower. Alas! You only
remind me of what I have lost .
A1. True / False -
State whether the following statements are true or false :
(i) The boys had kept water in the cage for the lark.
(ii) The daisy had a desire to console the poor lark.
(iii) The lark was reminded of its lost liberty.
(iv) The daisy did not want to go into the lark’s cage.
A2. Write an imaginary ending :
Write an imaginary paragraph in about 50 words to give a different ending to the above extract.
Read the following passage and do the given activities :
A1. Fill up the blanks with virtues of dogs : (2)
(1) __________
(2) __________
(3) __________
(4) __________
| Human and dogs are inseparable for thousands of years and they are dependent on each other for protection and survival. Relationship between humans and dogs is often characterized by strong emotional bonds which run both way. Dogs are very popular as pets and companions. Dog is the ‘Man’s Best Friend’ and a family member. The dog is one of the most loyal, faithful and devotee animal. In earlier days dogs were kept mainly for hunting and guarding; now they are kept for companionship, protection and showmanship. There are millions of people all over the world who are dog lovers Puppies need more attention at the, early age. As much as possible try many methods of socialization, such as playing with them, taking them for walk, expose them to crowds, make them to obey the orders etc. |
A2. Methods of socialization of puppies are : (2)
(1) …......................
(2) …......................
(3) …......................
(4) …......................
A3. Cross out the odd man : (2)
(i) Inseparable, dependent, protection, popular.
(ii) Hunting. guarding, playing, petting.
(iii) Earlier, human, relationship, family
(iv) Often, mainly, now, emotional
A4.
(1) There are millions of people all over the world. (1)
(Pick out the determiners and write them)
(2) Puppies need more attention. (1)
(Rewrite the sentence without changing its meaning beginning with : Puppies don’t ….....)
A5. Should we ban keeping pets ? Justify. (2)
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
| 1 |
As a novelist and storyteller, I have always drawn upon my memories of places that I have known and lived in over the years. More than most writers, perhaps, I find myself drawing inspiration from the past — my childhood, adolescence, youth, early manhood ... But to talk of my early inspiration I must go back to my very beginnings, to the then small, princely state of Jamnagar, tucked away in the Gulf of Kutch. Here my father started a small palace school for princesses. I was there till the age of six, and I still treasure vivid memories of Jamnagar's beautiful palaces and sandy beaches. |
| 2 | Some of these landmarks are preserved for me in photographs taken by my father, which I have to this day. An old palace with pretty windows of coloured glass remained fixed in my memory and many years later gave me the story, “The Room of Many Colours”, which also inspired an episode in a TV serial called Ek Tha Rusty. I spent a memorable year and a half with him in New Delhi, then still a very new city — just the capital area designed by Edwin Lutyens and Connaught Place, with its gleaming new shops and restaurants and cinemas. I saw Laurel and Hardy films and devoured milkshakes at the Milk Bar, even as the Quit India Movement gathered momentum. |
| 3 | When I was seventeen, I was shipped off to the UK to “better my prospects” as my mother put it. Out of longing for India and the friends I had made in Dehra came my first novel — The Room on the Roof — featuring the life and loves of Rusty, my alter ego. In the 1950s everyone travelled by sea, as air services were still in their infancy. A passenger liner took about three weeks from Southampton to Bombay (now Mumbai). After docking in Bombay, I took a train to Dehra, where I stepped onto the platform of the small railway station and embarked on the hazardous journey of a freelance writer. Railway stations! Trains! Platforms! I knew as long as these were there I would never run out of stories. |
| 4 | I also looked for inspiration in tombs and monuments and the ever-expanding city, but did not find it, and my productivity dropped. Escape from Delhi had become a priority for me. I felt drawn to the hills above Dehra. On the outskirts of Mussoorie I found a small cottage, surrounded by oak and maple trees where the rent, thankfully, was nominal. : |
| 5 |
I'm of the opinion that every writer needs a window. Preferably two Is the house, the room, the situation ... important for a writer? A good wordsmith should be able to work anywhere. But to me, the room you live in day after day is all-important. The stories and the poems float in through my window, float in from the magic mountains, and the words appear on the page without much effort on my part. Planet Earth belongs to me. And at night, the stars are almost within reach. |
1. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer any four of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each:
- What does the writer remember about Jamnagar?
- How did he spend time in Delhi?
- What was the inspiration for the first novel and why?
- What was the importance of trains and railway stations in his life?
- What was the importance of a window in the writer’s life?
2. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, fill in any two of the following blanks with appropriate words/phrases:
- He was shipped off to UK for ______.
- Everyone travelled by sea because ______.
- The productivity dropped because ______.
3. Find out words/phrases from the passage that mean the same as the following. Attempt any two.
- gulped down/swallowed (para 2)
- early stage (para 3)
- attracted to (para 4)
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
To read a lot is essential. It is stupid not to venture outside the examination 'set books' or the textbooks you have chosen for intensive study. Read as many books in English as you can., not as a duty but for pleasure. Do not close the most difficult books you find, with the idea of listing and learning as many new words as possible. choose what is likely to interest you and be sure in advance, that it is not too hard. You should not have to be constantly looking up new words in the dictionary, for that deadens interest and checks real learning. Lookup a word here and there, but as a general policy try to push ahead. guessing what words mean from the context. It is extensive and not intensive reading that normally helps you to get interested in extra reading and thereby improve your English. You should enjoy the feeling which extensive reading gives. As you read, you will become more and more familiar with words and sentence patterns you already know, understanding them better and better as you meet them in more and more contexts, some of which may differ only slightly from others.
Some people say that we cannot learn to speak a language better with the help of a book. To believe that the spoken language and written language are quite different things. This is not so.
Questions:
(1) What does the author tell us about the importance of reading English?
(2) What different steps are suggested to improve reading?
(3) What do some people say about learning the spoken form of a language?
(4) What will you do to improve your English?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
i. To read a lot is essential.
(Rewrite using gerund form of the words underlined.)
ii. Some people say that we cannot learn to speak a language better with the help of a book.
(Rewrite it using 'be able to'.)
iii. It is extensive.
(Make it a Rhetorical question.)
(6) You should not have to be constantly looking up new words in the dictionary, for that deadens interest and checks real learning.
The underlined word here means:
(i) develops
(ii) deprives of
(iii) creates
(B) Write a summary of the above extract with the help of the outline given below and suggest a suitable title.
Read a lot --- outside the textbooks --- for pleasure --- avoid difficult books ---read interesting ones --- avoid dictionary --- guess meanings --- extensive and not intensive reading --- different opinions.
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below :
Reuben arrived at the factory. The sack buyer was about to lock up.
"Mister! Please don't close up yet." The man turned and saw Reuben, dirty and sweat-stained.
"Come back tomorrow, boy."
"Please, Mister. I have to sell the sacks now-please." The man heard a tremor in Reuben's voice and could tell he was close to tears.
"Why do you need this money so badly?"
"It's a secret."
The man took the sacks, reached into his pocket and put four nickels into Reuben's hand. Reuben murmured a quiet thank-you and ran home.
Then, clutching the tin can, he headed for the store.
"I have the money" he solemnly told the owner, pouring his coins onto the counter.
The man went to the window and retrieved Reuben's treasure. He wiped the dust off and gently wrapped it in brown paper. Then he placed the parcel in Reuben's hands.
Racing home, Reuben burst through the front door. His mother was scrubbing the kitchen range. "Here Mum!Here!" Reuben exclaimed as he ran to her side. He placed a small box in her work-roughened hand.
She unwrapped it carefully, to save the paper. A blue-velvet jewel box appeared. Dora lifted the did, tears beginning to blur her vision.
In gold tettering on a small, almond-shaped brooch was the word 'Mother'
It was Mother's Day, 1946
Dora had never received such a gift; she had no finery except her wedding ring. Speechless, she smiled radiantly and gathered her son into her arms.
(1) Why did Reuben insist on the sack buyer to buy his sacks that day only?
(2) How did the mother react when Reuben gave her the gift?
(3) In what way was Reuben's gift special to his mother?
(4) What do you plan to do on Mother's Day?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) I have to sell the sacks.
(Rewrite it replacing the underlined part with the modal auxiliary showing 'compulsion'.)
(ii) She smiled radiantly and gathered her son into her arms. (Use 'As soon as'.)
(iii) She unwrapped it carefully.
(Rewrite the sentences using the noun form of the underlined word.)
(6) Find out the words/phrases from the extract which mean:
(i) showing joy (ii) got back
Read the following extract and complete the table given below:
Children are perpetually asking questions. As adults, we are awkward with questions. We link the act of asking questions to ignorance. It indicates that we do not know; hence, we may look stupid while asking questions.
Children have no shame, whereas adults suffer from layers and layers of shame. Because children have no shame, they are more capable of failing at something and moving on from it. Our sense of shame makes us inhibited. So we do not try new things at work.
Children quickly make friends with strangers. Put two small kids alongside a few toys and they will start playing before they care to know about each other’s antecedents. As adults, we seek the false comfort of known relationships before we agree to play with each other.
Children freely express their emotions; adults learn to suppress their emotional side. We come to the workplace and are frequently counselled, “Do not get emotional.”
Children play. They find play in everything. Adults shun play and consider it the opposite of “serious work”. To a child, every act is an act of play.
Traits Delinking Childhood and Adulthood:
| Traits | Children | Adults | |
| 1 |
Asking Questions |
Perpetually ask questions freely |
(1) Feet awkward with questions (2) ___________ |
| 2 |
Feeling Shame |
(1) Feel no shame (2) ____________ |
(1) Suffer from shame (2) Inhibited to try new things at work |
| 3 |
Making friends |
(1) Quick in making friendship without knowing each other |
(1) ____________ |
| 4 |
Expressing emotions |
(1) ____________ |
(1) Suppress emotions. |
Read the first activity, read the extract and then do all the activities:
A1. Correct the following statements with the help of the facts from the extract :
(1) Everybody in every part of the globe would have access to administration and social care services because he or she would not be able to afford them.
(2) We would avoid boom and bust cycles and be able to surmount natural disaster with great ease.
|
To me, a world without poverty means that every person would have the ability to take care of his or her own basic life needs. In such a world, nobody would die of hunger or suffer from malnutrition. This is a goal world leaders have been calling for decades, but have never set out any way of achieving it. Today 40,000 children die each day around the world from hunger-related diseases. In a poverty-free world, no children would die of such causes. Everybody in every part of the globe would have access to education and health-care services because he or she would be able to afford them. Unlike today, the state would not be required to provide free or subsidized health-care or schooling. All state organizations created to provide free or subsidized services for the poor would no longer be required and welfare agencies, or the national welfare department. No free schools, no free hospital care, no begging in the streets. State-run safety-net programmers would have no rationale for existence because no one would live on charity anymore. State-run social security programmers, income-support programmes would be unnecessary. Social structures in a poverty-free world would, of course, be quite different from those that exist in a poverty-ridden world. But nobody would be at the mercy of anyone else, and that is what would make all the difference between a world without poverty and one riddled with it. Finally, a poverty-free world would be economically much Stronger and far more stable than the world today. one-fifth of the world's inhabitants who today live a life of extreme poverty would become income earners and income spenders. They would generate extra demand in the market to make the world economy grow. They would bring their creativity and innovations into the market-place to increase the world's productive capacity. Since nobody would ever become poor, except on a temporary and limited basis, the economy would probably not go through extreme swings. We would avoid boom-and-bust cycles and be able to surmount man-made disasters with greater ease. |
A2.
Complete the following statement :
The situation in the world without poverty would be different, because -
(1) the state need not ___________
(2) nobody __________
A3. Find out :
Find and write in the blank boxes :
One-fifth of the world's inhabitants today live a life of extreme poverty. How would they economically Stand in a poverty-free world?
| They would be income earners and income spenders |
A4. Vocabulary :
Find out the words from the extract that mean the following :
(1) calamity (2) overcome
(3) bringing new ideas (4) financially
A5. Personal Response :
Suggest at least four solutions to overcome the problems of increasing poverty.
A6. Grammar :
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(1) Nobody would die of hunger or suffer from malnutrition.
(Remove the negative and rewrite.)
(2) Everybody in every part of the globe would have accessed education and health-care services.
(Rewrite the above sentences beginning with 'Education'.)
A Read the first activity, read the extract and then do all the activities :
A1. Complete :
Complete the following sentences :
(1) The two organizations that conducted the research to develop a smartphone-based optical bio-sensor are _______ and __________ .
(2) The _________ and _________ methods were used in the research instead of the differential method.
|
Urea is a major product of nitrogen metabolism in humans. It is eliminated from the body mainly by the kidneys through urine. Urea levels in body fluids, such as blood and saliva, rise drastically under certain kidney dysfunctions. Heart failure, hypovolemic shock, gastrointestinal bleeding, and severe infections can also lead to a rise. Thus urea in blood and saliva provides key information on renal function and helps diagnose various disorders. Most methods for estimating urea in body fluids are based on colorimetry. These methods are time-consuming and involve painful blood extraction. Collecting saliva is non-evasive and research has correlated salivary and blood urea levels. Recently scientists from the IIT-D and the AIIMS, New Delhi successfully developed a smartphone-based optical biosensor to detect urea in saliva. To fabricate the sensor, they directly immobilised the urease enzyme with a pH indicator on a filter paper-based strip. As a response to the urea on saliva, the paper strip changes colour. The red, green and blue levels help measure urea concentration. The scientists used the slope method, sensor response change per unit time, instead of the differential method, the difference in sensor response between two-time intervals, to increase sensitivity and eliminate interference by variations in ambient light. The team clinically validated spiked saliva samples and samples from healthy volunteers. The smartphone application with paper strip can even be operated by non-professional with limited training. This saves time and cost spent on bulky spectroscopic procedures. The report can revolutionise the medical screening of large populations. And such mass screening of diseases would boost national health. |
A2. Complete the following sentence using the correct alternatives from those given below :
Two objectives to conduct the research are ___________ .
(i) The colorimetry method used to estimate urea in body fluids consumes more time.
(ii) Information obtained from the presence of urea in blood and saliva is not helpful to diagnose various diseases.
(iii) Collecting samples of saliva is a non-invasive procedure.
(iv) Blood extraction is the easiest and less painful exercise.
A3. Write two benefits of the smartphone-based optical biosensor.
A4. Find out similar-meaning words from the extract for the following words :
(1) specimen (2) extremely (3) focus (4) remove
A5. Personal Response :
'Research revolutionises the lifestyle of people in all spheres of life'-
Do you agree? Explain with an example in about 25 words.
A6. Grammar :
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(1) These methods are time consuming and painful.
(Rewrite the sentence using 'as well as'.)
(2) The smartphone application with paper-strip can be operated.
(Begin the sentence with 'They ___ .)
(B) Summerise the above extract with the help of the points given and suggest a suitable title::
Research by the organisations - methods adopted - reasons for the research - advantages.
(A) Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
One afternoon in 1977, as his parents and two brothers fished in the Gulf of Mexico, 12-year old Michael Dell sat on the beach. painstakingly putting together a trotline - a maze of ropes to ''which several fish hooks could be attached."You're wasting your time," the rest of the family called to Michael, as they pulled in fish. "Grab a pole and join in the fun."
Michael kept working. It was dinner time when he finished, and everyone else was ready to call it a day. Still, the youngster
cast the trotline far into the water. anchoring it to a stick that he plunged deep in the sand.
Over dinner, his family teased young Michael about coming away empty-handed. But afterward, Michael reeled in his trotline, and on the hooks were more fish than the others had caught all together!
Michael Dell has always been fond of saying, "If you think you have a good idea, try it!" And today, at 29 he has discovered the power of another good idea that has helped him rise in just a few years from teen to a tycoon. He has become the fourth-largest manufacturer of personal computers in America and the youngest man ever to head a Fortune 500 corporation.
(1) What were Michael Dell’s achievements at his age of 29?
(2) What is the secret of Michael Dell’s Success?
(3) How did Michael surprise his family members?
(4) Do you think trying new ideas can make your life successful? How?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) He has discovered the power of another good idea.
(Rewrite the sentence beginning with 'The power of ...' )
(ii) Michael Dell sat on the beach.
(Rewrite it using past perfect continuous tense.)
(iii) The youngster cast the trotline.
(Frame a Wh-question to get the underlined part as
its answer.)
(6) 'Grab a pole and join in the fun'.
Pick out the contextual meaning of the underlined word from
the options are given below:
(i) smash
(ii) hold firmly
(iii) throw away
Read the passage given below :
Globalization
Globalization is the way to open businesses, improve technological growth, economy, etc, at the international level for all countries. It is the way in which manufacturers and producers of the products or goods sell their products globally without any restriction. It provides huge profits to the businessmen as they get 1ow cost labor in poor countries easily. It provides a big opportunity for companies to„ deal with the worldwide market.
Globalization helps to consider the whole world 'as a single market. Traders are extending their areas of business by treating the world as a global village. Earlier till the 1990s, there was a restriction on importing certain products that were already manufactured in India like agricultural products, engineering goods, food items, and toiletries. However, during the 1990s there was pressure from. the rich countries on the poor and developing countries to allow them to spread their businesses by opening their markets. In India, the globalization and liberalization process was started in 1991.
After many years, globalization brought about a major revolution in the Indian market when multinational brands came to India and started delivering a wide range of quality products at cheap prices. Prices of good quality products came down because of the cutthroat competition in the market.
Globalization and liberalization of the businesses in India have flooded the market with quality foreign products but have affected the local Indian industries adversely to a great extent resulting in job loss to poor and uneducated workers. Globalization has been a bonanza for the consumers, however, a loss to the small-scale Indian producers.
Globalization has had some very positive effects on the Indian consumer in all sectors of society. It has affected the Indian students and education sector to a great extent by making study books and a lot of information available over the internet. The collaboration of foreign universities with Indian universities has brought about a huge change in the field of education.
Globalization of trade in the agricultural sector has brought varieties of quality seeds that have disease resistati8e; property. However, it is not good for the poor Indian farmers because the seeds and agricultural technologies are costly.
It has brought about a huge revolution in the employment sector by the spread of businesses like cottage, handloom, carpet, artisan carving, ceramic, jewelry, and glassware, etc
(a) What is globalization?
(b) Write any two advantages of globalization.
(c) What was the pressure from the rich countries in the 1990s?
(d) What is the effect of multinational brands entering the Indian market?
(e) How are the prices of quality products affected due to globalization?
(f) How have foreign products affected the local industry adversely?
(g) What has been the impact of globalization on Indian students?
(h) Why has globalization had a negative effect on the poor Indian farmer?
(i) How has the cottage industry benefited from globalization?
Read the passage given below :
Success
Everybody wants to succeed in life. For some, success means achieving whatever they desire or dream. For many, it is the name, fame, and social position. Whatever be the meaning of success, it is a success that makes a man popular.
All great men have been successful. They are remembered for their great achievements. But it is certain that success comes to those who are sincere, hardworking, loyal, and committed to their goals.
Success has been man's greatest motivation. It is very important for all. Success has a great effect on life. It brings pleasure and pride. It gives a sense of fulfillment. It means all-around development. Everybody hopes to be successful in life. But success smiles on those who have a proper approach, planning, vision, and stamina. A proper and timely application of all these things is bound to bear fruit. One cannot be successful without cultivating these certain basic things in life. It is very difficult to set out on a journey without knowing one's goals and purposes. The clarity of the objective is a must to succeed in life. A focused approach with proper planning is certain to bring success. Indecision and insincerity are big obstacles on the path to success.
One should have the capability, capacity, and resources to turn one's dreams into reality. Mere desire cannot bring you success. The desire should be weighed against factors like capability and resources. This is the basic requirement of success. The next important thing is the eagerness, seriousness, and the urge to be successful. It is the driving force that decides success. It is the first step on the ladder of success.
One needs to pursue one's goals with all one's sincerity and passion. One should always be in high spirits. Lack of such spirit leads to an inferiority complex which is a big obstruction on the path to success. Time is also a deciding factor. Only the punctual and committed have succeeded in life. The lives of great men are examples of this. They had all these qualities in plenty which helped them rise to the peak of success.
Hard labor is one of the basic requirements of success. There is no substitute for hard labor. It alone can take one to the peak of success. Every success has a ratio of five percent inspiration and ninety-five percent perspiration. It is patience, persistence, and perseverance which play a decisive role in achieving success. Failures are the pillars of success as they are our stepping-stones and we must get up and start again and be motivated.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each:
(a) To whom does success come certainly?
(b) What are the basic things in life we need to achieve success?
(c) What did great men have in plenty to rise to the peak of success? Give any two examples
(d) What is the one basic requirement of success?
(e) Explain: "Failures are pillars of success."
2.2 On the basis of your reading of the passage, fill in any two of the following blanks with appropriate words/phrase :
(a) ________________ plays a decisive role in achieving success.
(b) Goals have to be pursued with ________________ and ________________
(c) Ratio of success is ________________ inspiration.
2.3 Find out the words from the passage that mean the same as the following :
(a) endurance (para 2)
(b) obstruction (para 4)
(c) motivation (para 5)
Read the following passage carefully.
1. Few guessed that this quiet, parentless girl growing up in New York City would one day become the First Lady of the United States. Even fewer thought she would become an author and lecturer and a woman much admired and loved by people throughout the world.
2. Born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1884 to wealthy, but troubled parents who both died while she was young, Roosevelt was cared for by her grandmother and sent to school in England. In 1905, she married her distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She and her husband had six children. Although they were wealthy, her life was not easy and she suffered several personal tragedies. Her second son died when he was a baby. In 1921, her strong athletic husband was stricken with polio, which left him physically disabled for life.
3. Eleanor Roosevelt was a remarkable woman who had great intelligence and tremendous strength of character. She never let things get her down. She nursed her husband back to good health and encouraged him to remain in politics. She then helped him to become Governor of New York, and in 1933, President of the United States.
4. While her husband was President, she took a great interest in all the affairs of the country. She became her husband's legs and eyes; she visited prisons and hospitals; she went down into mines, up scaffoldings, and into factories. Roosevelt was tireless and daring. During the depression, she travelled all over the country bringing goodwill, reassurance, and help to people without food and jobs. During World War II she visited American soldiers in camps all over the world. The United States had never known a First Lady like her.
5. Roosevelt also kept in touch with the American people through a daily newspaper column called 'My Day'. She broadcast on the radio and delivered lectures, all first for a First Lady.
1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer the following questions: (any eight)
(a) How was Eleanor Roosevelt's personality in contrast to what she became?
(b) Apart from being the First Lady what else did she have to her credit?
(c) What challenges did she face in her personal life but remained unfazed?
(d) Eleanor was a strong woman who helped her husband become the President of America. How?
(e) What does the statement: 'she became her husband's legs and eyes' mean?
(f) What was her special contribution during the depression?
(g) How did she motivate soldiers during World War II?
(h) What did she do for the first time for a First Lady?
(i) What side of her personality is reflected in this passage?
Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. Overpowering prey is a challenge for creatures that do not have limbs. Some species like Russell's viper inject poison. Some others opt for an alternative non-chemical method – rat snakes, for instance, catch and push their prey against the ground, while pythons use their muscle power to crush their prey to death. But snakes can't be neatly divided into poisonous and non-poisonous categories.
2. Even species listed as non-poisonous aren't completely free of poison. The common Sand Boa, for instance, produces secretions particularly poisonous to birds. So the species doesn't take any chance – it crushes its prey) and injects poison as an extra step.
3. Do vipers need poison powerful enough to kill hundreds of rats with just one drop? After all, they eat only one or two at a time.
4. While hunting animals try their worst to kill most efficiently, their prey uses any trick to avoid becoming a meal, such as developing immunity to poison.) For instance, Californian ground squirrels are resistant to Northern Pacific rattlesnake poison.
5. Competition with prey is not the only thing driving snakes to evolve more and more deadly poison. Snakes also struggle to avoid becoming prey themselves.
6. Some snake killers have partial immunity to poison. Famously, mongooses are highly resistant to cobra poison, and with their speed and agility, kill snakes fearlessly. It would be the death of cobras as a species if they didn't evolve a more deadly poison to stop mongooses.
7. Poison has another important role. It's an extreme meat softener, specific enzymes break up the insides of the prey. Normally, a reptile depends on the sun's warm rays to aid digestion.
8. But I wonder if we cannot use venom in our favour. In remote parts of India, local hospitality often involves leather tough meat. I chew and chew until my jaws ache. If I spit it out or refuse, our hosts would be offended, I swallow like a python stuffing a deer down its throat and hope I don't choke. If only I had poison.
(b) How does Sand Boa kill its prey?
(c) There is a constant tussle between the hunting animal and its prey? Why?
(e) What difficulty does the writer face when he is entertained in the remote parts of India?
2.2 On the basis of your reading of the above passage fill in any two of the following blanks.
b. humans
c. a python
d. prey
b. hardens
c. softens
d. breaks down
iii. Californian squirrels are ______________ rattlesnake poison.
a. afraid of
b. helpless against
c. resistant to
d. indifferent to
a. Liquid substances released from glands (para 2)
c. Particular (para 7)
Read the following passage and complete the activities:
|
Time is the most valuable resource available to every individual. Time is a resource to measure quantitatively but its nature is unclear. Time is a fleeting, limited, and intangible human resource which is always calculated and used accordingly. The time of the day is as shown on the clock or announced on the media like radio, television constantly guides us in carrying out daily activities, distribution of time for work, rest, entertainment and checking the progress during the day. |
A1. State whether the following statements are True or False. (02)
- Time is the most valueless resource.
- The importance of time management is self-evident.
- Allow the time to flow and pass away.
- Time’s nature is clear.
A2. What are the secrets of a good time manager? (02)
A3.
- Pick out two adverbs from the given passage.
- Write the root word for the following:
- utilization
- entertainment
A4. Do as Directed: (02)
- Rewrite the sentence using ‘Not only ……. But also’
For the achievement of goals, proper planning and utilization of time are important. - Do not allow the time to flow. (Make the sentence assertive)
A5. “Time once lost, is lost forever.” Justify (02)
Read the extract and complete the activities given below :
Luxurious houses on the edge of a big city which one promoter sold with the tagline ‘‘Where Nature peeps through every window.’’ All the advantages of a modern lifestyle but with the added bonus of fresh air. But nature isn’t greenery alone; it also includes wild animals.
While the view from the picture windows was easy on the eye, occasionally, it made them gulp with nervousness. At dusk, wild cats leaped out of the adjoining forest on to the top of the peripheral walls and strolled nonchalantly. Sometimes, they lounged on ledges with their long tails swinging freely, oblivious of the many worried human eyes pinned on them. Their cold yellow aggressive eyes turned black as their pupils dilated with failing light.
Some Mumbaikars paid a lot of money to see leopards on safari in Africa. But to watch them from one’s own home was disconcerting. These predators were out of line, stepping off nature into the city. Why did the leopards not stay within the 100-square kilometre Sanjay Gandhi National Park? Perhaps, the leopards thought that if people could venture into nature to jog, walk and picnic, why couldn’t they hang around apartment blocks? If people could enjoy nature, couldn’t nature savour humanity’s offerings?
Capturing leopards is extraordinarily simple. These curious cats seem incapable of resisting a free meal, walking into baited traps without hesitation. The reason the felines are attracted to their residential community is prey : stray dogs that live on rubbish heaps. Taking care of the food source is the best course of action, the volunteers said.
A1. Rewrite the following sentences as per their occurrence in the extract :
- Instead of capturing leopards we can take care of their food.
- Leopards leave their habitat and enter the human habitat.
- Modern lifestyle and nature both attract the dwellers.
- Leopards can enjoy human surroundings by leaving nature.
A2. Complete the following sentences :
- Nature is a combination of ______ and ______
- The best of both the worlds include ______ and ______
- The wild animals are out of line as ______
- The wild cats are attracted towards residential areas because ______
A3. Find out the words for leopards used in the extract :
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
A4. ‘‘If people could venture into nature to jog, walk, and picnic, why couldn’t the wild animals hang around apartment blocks?’’ Express your opinion.
A5. Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
- Taking care of the food source is the best course of action.
(Use infinitive form of the underlined word and rewrite.) -
Nature isn’t greenery alone; it also includes wild animals.
(Rewrite it by using ‘not only ... but also’.)
A6. Find a word for each of the following expressions from the extract :
- Enjoy the taste of something
- Embarrassing and confusing to watch
- Not conscious or aware of something or someone
- Relaxed and in an unworried manner
Read the passage given below.
|
5 |
Technology is making advancements at a rapid rate but at the cost of a valued tradition - the crafts industry. The traditional crafts industry is losing a lot of its trained and skilled craftsmen. With that, the art of embellishing brass and copper utensils with fine engravings is also disappearing. The government has identified around 35 crafts as a languishing craft. |
|
10 |
The speciality of handcrafted items is their design, an association with long traditions belonging to a specific region. The word ‘handcrafted’ does not imply the involvement of dexterous human fingers or an agile mind with a moving spirit anymore. Lessening drudgery, increasing production and promoting efficiency have taken precedence. The labour-saving devices are taking the place of handcrafted tools and this has jeopardized the skills of these artisans. |
|
15 |
Mechanisation has made its way into everything - cutting, polishing, edging, designing etc. Ideally, the use of machinery should be negligible and the handicrafts should be made purely by hand with a distinguishable artistic appeal. However, with the exception of small-scale industries, the export units are mostly operated by machines. The heavily computerised designs contribute to faster production at lower costs. |
|
20 |
Although mechanization of crafts poses a challenge to safeguarding traditional crafts, the artisans are lured with incentives in order to impart handicrafts training. Some makers do see machines as a time-saving blessing since they are now able to accomplish difficult and demanding tasks with relative ease. These machines might give a better 25finesse to these products but they don’t stand out as handcrafted. The quantity has overtaken quality in this industry. |
|
30 |
A need to highlight the importance of the handmade aspect is required by both the government and private sectors, in order to amplify awareness and also support the culture of making handicrafts. A few artisans are still trying their best to rejuvenate and revive their culture and heritage but it’s an uphill task competing with the machine-made goods. A multitude of artisans have changed their professions and are encouraging their progeny to follow suit. There are others who have stayed their ground but are clearly inclined towards buying machines. |
|
35 |
Nearly two decades ago, there were around 65 lakh artisans in the country. Three years ago, when the government started the process of granting a unique number to the artisans based on the Aadhaar card, 25 lakhs were identified. Loss of traditional crafts is clearly a worrying issue, but it stands to reason that forcing any artisan to follow old ways when concerns of livelihood overrule other considerations, is unfair. |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
- What does the writer mean by calling handicrafts a ‘valued tradition’?
- Rewrite the following sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with a word that means the same from lines 5-15.
If it continues, the workcation (work + vacation) trend will be a powerful boost to domestic tourism operators failing to make progress in the economic slump caused due to the pandemic. - State any two reasons why artisans are choosing to work via machines rather than handcrafted tools.
- Why do the artisans need to be ‘lured with incentives’ to impart handicrafts training?
- List one likely impact of the support of government and private sectors towards the culture of making handicrafts.
- How does the writer justify an artist’s act of abandoning her/his traditional craft for a more lucrative option?
Read the following excerpt from a case study.
| Impacts of Festivities on Ecology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Festivals are synonymous with celebration, ceremony and joy. However, festivals bring to the fore the flip side of celebrations – pollution – air, water, soil and noise. This led to the need of assessing the awareness level among people about ecological pollution during festivals. So, a study was conducted by scholars of an esteemed university in India. This study was titled Awareness Towards Impact of Festivals on Ecology. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | There were two main objectives of the study. The first one was to assess the awareness level among people about ecological protection during festivities. Exploring solutions to bring awareness about celebrating festivals without harming ecology was the second objective. The method used to collect data was a simple questionnaire containing 6 questions, shared with 50 respondents across four selected districts of a state in the southern region of India. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 |
The research began by understanding the socio-economic conditions of the respondents before sharing the questionnaire. Once the responses were received, the data collected were tabulated (Table 1), for analysis. Table-1: Awareness level among respondents
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| 20 | The study recommended the imposition of strict rules and regulations as opposed to a total ban on all festive activities which have a drastic impact on our environment. The researchers believed that such measures would help in harnessing some ill-effects that add to the growing pollution and suggested further studies be taken up across the country to assess awareness about ecological degradation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | The observations made in the study pointed to the environmental groups and eco-clubs fighting a losing battle due to city traffic issues, disposal of plastics, garbage dumping and all sorts of ecological degradation. The researchers stressed that the need of the hour is increasing awareness among people to reduce environmental pollution which can be facilitated by celebrating all festivals in an eco-friendly manner. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
- Why do the researchers call pollution the ‘flip side’ of festivals?
- Comment on the significance of the second objective of the study with reference to lines 7-12.
- Justify the researchers’ recommendation for limiting the drastic impact of festival pollution on the environment with reference to lines 16-21.
- Why do the researchers feel that environmental groups and eco-clubs are fighting a losing battle in the given scenario?
- Even though a larger number of people say ‘no’ to bursting crackers than those who say ‘yes’, festival pollution persists. How does evidence from table 1 support this statement?
- What purpose does the ‘Can’t Say’ column serve in the questionnaire (table 1)?
II. Read the passage given below.
| 1 | The North-East of India is a melting pot of variegated cultural mosaic of people and races, an ethnic tapestry of many hues and shades. Yet, these states are lesser explored as compared to the rest of the country. The new generations of travellers who are ‘money rich and time poor’ are increasingly looking for unique experiences --a phenomenon being called the emergence of the ‘experience economy’. For this new and growing breed of tourists, the North-East with its variety and uniqueness holds immense attraction. |
| 2 | A study conducted in 2020 by Dr. Sherap Bhutia, revealed that the foreign tourist arrival in the North-East increased from 37,380 persons in 2005 to 118,552 in 2014. The overall growth rate of tourists (both domestic and foreign) in the North-East was as high as 26.44% during 2005-06. High and positive growth of 12.53% was registered in foreign tourist visits to North-East States of India during 2012 from 2011, which further rose to register a growth of 27.93% during 2013 from 2012. Foreign tourist arrivals in the North-East witnessed a growth of 39.77% during 2014 from 2013, according to data provided from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. |
| 3 | The study recommendations for tourism planners included the need to concentrate on some key areas like enhancement of tourist facilities, tourism financing, focus on community involvement and others for the formulation of a sustainable tourism strategy in the North-East States of India. |
i. Infer one reason for the following, based on information in paragraph 1. (1)
The rate of tourism in the North-East of India puzzles tourism officials.
ii. Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. (1)
From paragraph 1, we can infer that the ______ and ______ of the North-Eastern states aid attracting the ‘money rich and time poor’ tourists.
1. distinctiveness
2. conventionality
3. diversity
4. uniformity
5. modernity
- 1 & 3
- 2 & 4
- 2 & 5
- 1 & 4
iii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/ phrase from paragraph 1: (1)
aroma : cooking : : ______ : painting
(Clue: Just like aroma is integral to cooking, similarly, ______ is/ are integral to painting)
iv. Select the correct option to complete the following sentence: (1)
Travellers advocating the ‘experience economy’ seek a holiday package with ______ (Paragraph 1)
- grand facilities, expensive hotels and excellent services to pamper them.
- a wholesome experience within the budget they have planned for.
- places and cities to buy things from and opportunities to spend money.
- cost-effective services, affordable accommodation and many days of touring.
v. Select the chart that appropriately represents the trend of foreign tourist travels in the North-East, from 2011-2014, as per paragraph 2. (1)
 |
 |
 |
 |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) |
- Option 1
- Option 2
- Option 3
- Option 4
vi. Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option. (1)
The study of tourist travel statistics in the North-East, from 2005 to 2014 showed ______ results.
- expected
- encouraging
- inconsistent
- questionable
vii. Substitute the word ‘witnessed’ with one word similar in meaning, in the following, sentence from paragraph 2: (1)
Foreign tourist arrivals in the North-East witnessed a growth of...
viii. List any 2 examples of ‘tourist facilities’ as referred to, in Paragraph 3. (1)
ix. List one reason why the researchers recommend that the formulation of a tourism strategy in the North-Eastern States of India be sustainable. (1)
x. Select the option that titles paragraphs 1-3 appropriately, with reference to information in the text. (1)
- 1. Full Speed Ahead!
2. Ups and Downs
3. Cause for Concern - 1. Winds of Change
2. Numbers Don't Lie
3. Time for Action - 1. Inspecting Trends
2. Statistically Speaking
3. Let's Investigate - 1. Cause and Effect
2. Dynamic Data
3. Dependable Facts
Read the passage given below.
| 1 | Ghost nets aren’t supernatural, but they are legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net that’s been lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are one particularly appalling part of the global ghost fishing problem, which includes fishing gear abandoned in the water. Any net or line left in the ocean can pose a threat to marine life. Just because a net is no longer used by fishers doesn’t mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life. |
| 2 | Ghost nets entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals and more, apart from catching fish. The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries and keep mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, this threat is monumental. The ghost nets harm coral reefs too — breaking corals, exposing them to disease and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight. |
| 3 | Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastics crisis. Most modern nets are made of nylon or other plastic compounds that can last for centuries. According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can harm internal organs, keep them from eating and expose them to toxic chemicals. |
| 4 | Exorcising ghost nets from our oceans will require commitment, cooperation and innovation. Many groups are working to remove ghost nets from the sea and are collaborating with local fishers and governments around the world to identify target areas and remove as many nets as possible. In 2015, a single World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)-led mission in the Baltic Sea hauled up 268 tons of nets, ropes and other material. |
| 5 | To stop these nets from becoming ghosts in the first place, conservation organisations advocate for fishing gear that can be traced to its owner so anyone dumping nets can be fined and refundable deposits on nets to encourage returning or recycling rather than littering. Tools like sonar reflectors that can make ghost nets easier to find and working with small-scale fisheries to develop more sustainable fishing gear and practices are other suggestions. It is only by attacking this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers and supporters, can we banish ghost nets and protect our oceans. |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
(i) Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option. (1)
Ghost nets have been named so because they ______
- cause much harm to the marine life.
- are functional though not in use by fishers.
- are not owned by anyone.
- act as a snare for all animals in oceans.
(ii) Comment on the writer’s reference to the ghost nets in paragraph one, as a health problem for the oceans. (1)
(iii) List the two ways being entangled in a ghost net is likely to impact a walrus. (1)
(Clue: Think about the type of animal a walrus is)
(iv) Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘negligible’, from words used in paragraph two. (1)
- unimpressive
- monumental
- exposing
- threat
(v) The writer would agree with the given statements based on paragraph three, EXCEPT: (1)
- Most ghost nets take a few years to completely disintegrate.
- Ghost nets contribute to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
- Most ghost nets provide nutrition to marine animals, upon disintegration.
- Ghost nets can curtail freedom of marine animals.
(vi) Some records share that fishing nets used to be made of common rope using natural fibres, prior to the 1960s. Based on your understanding of paragraph three, list one major advantage that these had over the fishing nets being used in present times. (1)
(vii) Why is it fair to say that commitment and innovation have to go hand-in-hand to rid the oceans of ghost nets? (1)
(viii) Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the following: (1)
The writer quotes the example of the WWF-led mission in the Baltic Sea (Paragraph 4), in order to ______.
(ix) How can the solutions, suggested in paragraph five, best be described? (1)
- practical
- presentable
- popular
- prejudiced
(x) Select the most suitable title for the above passage. (1)
- The Scary Side of Ghost Nets
- Ghost Nets – A Result of Human Dominance
- Ghost Nets – A Menace to Marine Life
- Ways to Tackle the Problem of Ghost Nets
Read the passage given below.
| 1 | It is generally accepted that leadership development should be a part of the education system's responsibility for preparing individuals to participate in a democratic and progressive society. Many schools, colleges and universities, across nations, provide their students with leadership courses, curricular programs and co-curricular programs that are designed to develop students’ formal knowledge about leadership as well as opportunities and experiences to develop students as leaders and actually practise leadership. Yet, only a handful of studies have sought to understand leader development from the students’ point of view, with students describing their own experiences and what they learned from them in their own words. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 |
A 2014 descriptive study sought to understand student leadership with research through key events via the following research questions:
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| 3 | This study described the rich array of leadership lessons that students are learning through their experiences. It revealed that student leaders are learning foundational leadership skills and competencies that have positively impacted how to accomplish work, how to work with others and how to be both supported by and support others. |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
(i) Does the following statement agree with the information given in paragraph 1? (1)
The researcher believes that educational institutions have ideal resources to study impact of leadership skills on young adults.
Select from the following:
- True - if the statement agrees with the information
- False - if the statement contradicts the information
- Not Given - if there is no information on this
(ii) Do you think the researchers of the study aimed to change the students’ outlook towards the development of leadership skills, directly or indirectly? Support your answer with reference to the text. (1)
(iii) Select the option that displays the most likely reason for including Research Question 3 in the 2014 study. (1)
In order to find out if...
- learning opportunities shape students’ overall personality.
- leadership lessons are the result of the designed learning opportunities.
- all learning opportunities cater to a specific lesson.
- certain lessons are common in more than one learning opportunity.
(iv) Complete the sentence based on the following statement. (1)
More than 50% of the identified student respondents were keen to participate in the 2014 study.
We can say this because ______.
(v) Select the option that displays the key event designed with “Balancing Roles” (Table 1) as the objective. (1)
- Students will be able to debate the issue at hand, with different teams.
- Students will be able to manage the responsibilities of a mentor, planner researcher and presenter.
- Students will be able to surmount minor problems and focus on the final goal.
- Students will be able to explain concepts and clarify them for peers.
(vi) Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option. (1)
The 2014 study attempts to understand student leadership by focussing on ______
- experiences that shaped students’ overall personality.
- lessons gained by students as they grew up.
- relationship of key events with particular lessons.
- students in leadership roles.
(vii) The lessons for ‘Individual competencies’ had a range of responses. (1)
Give one reason why having the least number of responses for ‘Decision Making’, is a matter that needs attention.
(viii) Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option. (1)
The concluding sentence of the text makes a clear case for ______ by listing it as a core competency for student leadership.
- collaboration
- flexibility
- hard work
- observation
(ix) Complete the sentence appropriately with one/two words. (1)
In the context of “Working with Others” in Table 1, the lesson of ‘Conflict’ refers to ______.
(x) Based on the reading of the text, state a point to challenge the given statement. (1)
When theoretical knowledge about leadership suffices, it is a waste of funds by educational organisations, to organise leadership camps and programmes.
Read the passage given below-
| (1) | Milkha Singh, also known as The Flying Sikh, was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold in 400 metres at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in recognition of his sporting achievements. |
| (2) | The race for which Singh is best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games. He led the race till the 200 m mark before easing off, allowing others to pass him. Singh's fourth-place time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian national record for almost 40 years. |
| (3) | From beginning that saw him orphaned and displaced during the partition of India, Singh became a sporting icon in the country. In 2008, journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has ever produced". |
| (4) | He was disappointed with his debut performance at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. "I returned to India, chastened by my poor performance in Melbourne. I had been so excited by the prospects of being part of the Indian Olympics team, but, hadn't realized how strong and professional the competition would be. My success in India had filled me with a false sense of pride and it was only when I was on the track that I saw how inconsequential my talents were when pitted against superbly fit and seasoned athletes. It was then that I understood what competition actually meant, and that if I wanted to succeed on the international arena, I must be prepared to test my mettle against the best athletes in the world." |
| (5) | Then he decided to make sprinting the sole focus of his life. "Running had thus become my God, my religion and my beloved". "My life during those two years was governed by strict rules and regulations and a self-imposed penance. Every morning I would rise at the crack of dawn, get into my sports kit and dash off to the track, where I would run two or three miles cross-country in the company of my coach." |
| (6) | On how he pushed himself through the tough days of vigorous training. "I practiced so strenuously that often I was drained of all energy, and there were times when I would increase my speed to such an extent that after my rounds, I would vomit blood or drop down unconscious through sheer exercise. My doctors and coaches warned me, asked me to slow down to maintain my health and equilibrium but my determination was too strong to give up. My only focus was to become the best athlete in the world. But then images of a packed stadium filled with cheering spectators, wildly applauding me as I crossed the finishing line, would flash across my mind and I would start again, encouraged by visions of victory." |
Based on your reading answer any five questions from the six given below: (5)
- What is Milkha Singh known as? What realization did Milkha Singh have when he was on the track during the Melbourne Olympics?
- List any two of Milkha Singh's achievements.
- What strict rules and regulations did Milkha Singh follow?
- State two consequences of his hard and strenuous practice.
- What motivated Milkha Singh to become the best athlete in the world?
- Explain the phrase 'I would start again' in the last sentence.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
|
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
- When was King Tutankhamen burled? (1)
- 1717
- 1886
- 3300 years ago
- 1848
- Why did Egyptians hold gold in great esteem? (1)
- because it is a good conductor of electricity.
- because of its religious significance.
- for lovely gold ornaments.
- because it is indestructible.
- According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true? (1)
- Gold is the best conductor of electricity.
- Apart from gold, copper and silver are good conductors of electricity.
- Gold can be easily beaten, hence it is easy to work with.
- Gold plays an important role in the modern electronics industry.
- Select the option that displays what the writer projects, with reference of the following: (1)
The wandering Israelites worshipped a golden calf ______.- importance of religion
- importance of the metal
- good conductor
- can replace money
- How were the black labourers exploited? (1)
- Complete the following with the phrase from paragraph 1: (1)
Opinion Reason King Tutankhamen was buried in
a solid gold coffin 3300 years ago. - Based on your reading of the text list 2 reasons why the writer says that,
Not only is gold beautiful but it is virtually indestructible. (1) - Who launched South Africa into the gold age? (1)
- Issac Newton
- George Harrison
- George Bernard Shaw
- A farmer
- Select the option that corresponds to the following: (1)
The ancient Egyptians and the modern electronic industry both hold gold in high esteem.- The hardworking student came first because of his diligent practice.
- Honesty is underrated whereas strategy is appreciated.
- The vibrant colours made the interiors look luminous.
- The steaming food was both appetizing and tasty.
- Supply one point to justify the following: (1)
The desire to hoard gold at home has been primarily an occupation of the working and peasant classes.
Read the following text.
| (1) | As a high school student, studying poetry can be a rollercoaster ride. This journey is punctuated by moments of profound appreciation for simpler pieces and intermittent frustration with more complex works. Let's be real here -some poems are just plain confusing and no amount of re-reading seems to help decipher the intended meaning. The puzzlement that results from such instances can be both vexing and demotivating. If solving a riddle is what was intended, then playing Sudoku is a better option. One is led to ponder if obscurity was the goal. |
| (2) | Conversely, some pieces resonate with the reader's soul. Stirring feelings of warmth, happiness, and connection to the world. Often, these compositions centre on themes that are universally understood, such as love, nature, or faith. Being able to actually understand what the poet is trying to say can feel like a little victory and is a welcome relief after grappling with more perplexing poetry. |
| (3) | Then there are poems that are emotionally charged; the ones that make the reader curl up in a ball and cry or jump up and down with joy. One is left in awe of the poet's ability to convey emotion through words. Let’s not forget the downright weird poems. These are the ones that defy categorization and leave the reader to their own devices in attempting to interpret meaning. The author's use of figurative language and unconventional imagery can create a sense of bewilderment that is either intriguing or off-putting. Regardless, the reader can appreciate the uniqueness of the work. |
| (4) | Despite the wide range of emotions and reactions that come with studying poetry, it can be a rewarding pursuit. Not only does reading poetry allow one to appreciate the artistic beauty of the written word but also enables one to develop crucial critical thinking and analytical skills. The process of unlocking a poem's meaning can feel like cracking a code or solving a puzzle but the sense of accomplishment derived from mastering a challenging piece can be deeply gratifying. Finally, impressing an English teacher with a well-analysed poem can be a source of pride and validation. |
| (5) | Overall, studying poetry is like a box of mixed chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. But whether it's complex, emotional, simple, or just downright weird, there's always something to be gained from the experience. So, let's applaud all the poets out there, for making us laugh, cry, scratch our heads, and occasionally feel like a genius. |
Answer the following questions based on the passage above.
i. Which of the following statements best describes the author's attitude towards studying poetry? (1)
-
- Finds poetry to be a frustrating and meaningless endeavor.
- Believes that the emotional rollercoaster of studying poetry is not worth the effort.
- Recognizes the challenges of studying poetry but also acknowledges the rewards it offers.
- Feels that poetry is too obscure and abstract for the average person to appreciate.
ii. What is the tone of the writer in the given lines from paragraph (1)? Rationalise your response in about 40 words. (2)
If solving a riddle is what was intended, then playing Sudoku is a better option. One is led to ponder if obscurity was the goal.
iii. Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
The author's use of vivid imagery in the paragraph (3), such as "curl up in a ball and cry" and "jump up and down with joy", greatly affects the reader because ______.
iv. The passage includes some words that are opposites of each other. From the sets (a) - (e) below, identify two sets of antonyms: (1)
| (a) intriguing and off-putting | (b) deciphering and interpreting |
| (c) appreciate and applaud | (d) simple and challenging |
| (e) emotions and feelings | |
v. Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
We can say that the author's tone becomes more neutral and objective when discussing weird poems, compared to other types of poetry because ______.
vi. Based on the reading of the passage, examine, in about 40 words, how studying poetry can be like exploring a new city. (2)
vii. What is the message conveyed by Hina’s experience, in the following case? (1)
Hina spends hours trying to analyze a poem for her assignment and finally feels a sense of accomplishment and pride, once she understands.
- Only those with natural talent for poetry should engage with it.
- Persistence makes studying poetry a rewarding pursuit.
- Study of poetry is guaranteed to impress others.
- The efforts of studying poetry is inversely proportional to the rewards gained.
viii. State whether the following lines display an example of a simple/complex/emotionally charged/downright weird poem. (1)
| The sun rises in the east, A new day begins, a fresh start. Birds chirp, nature wakes up, A peaceful feeling in my heart. |
Read the passage given below:
| (1) | Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them a disgrace and a dishonour. But Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve – slowing, slowing, and stalling once more –was no ordinary bird. Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly. |
| (2) | This kind of thinking, he found, is not the way to make oneself popular with other birds. Even his parents were dismayed as Jonathan spent the whole day alone, making hundreds of low-level gliders, experimenting. "Why, Jon, why?" his mother asked. "Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can't you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? Why don't you eat? Son, you're bone and feathers!" "I don't mind being bone and feathers, Mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can't, that's all. I just want to know." "See here Jonathan," said his father, not unkindly. "Winter isn't far away. Boats will be few, and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. This flying business is all very well, but you can't eat a glide, you know. Don't you forget that the reason you fly is to eat?" |
| (3) | Jonathan nodded obediently. For the next few days, he tried to behave like the other gulls; he really tried, screeching and fighting with the flock around the piers and fishing boats, diving on scraps of fish and bread. But he couldn't make it work. It wasn't long before Jonathan Gull was off by himself again, far out at sea, hungry, happy, learning. The subject was speed and in a week's practice he learned more about speed than the fastest gull alive. Time after time it happened. Careful as he was, working at the very peak of his ability, he lost control at a high speed. The key, he thought at last, dripping wet, must be to hold the wings still at high speeds – to flap up to fifty and then hold the wings still. |
| (4) | From two thousand feet he tried again, rolling into his dive, beak straight down, wings full out and stable from the moment he passed fifty miles per hour. It took tremendous strength, but it worked. In ten seconds he had blurred ninety miles per hour. Jonathan had set a world speed record for seagulls! But victory was short-lived. The instant he began his pullout, the instant he changed the angle of his wings, he snapped into the same uncontrollable disaster, and at ninety miles per hour, it hit him like dynamite. Jonathan Seagull exploded in midair and smashed down into a brick-hard sea. As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There's no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by my nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I'd have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I'd have a falcon's short wings. Short wings. A falcon's short wings! That's the answer! What a fool I've been! All I need is a tiny little wing, all I need is to fold most of my wings and just fly on the tips along. Short wings! |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
- Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option: (1)
Majority of seagulls fly only short distances as ______.- they are more interested in food than flight
- they don't have energy
- they are not meant to fly low
- food is not available at high speed
- Why were Jonathan Livingston's parents' dismayed? (1)
- Give two reasons for Jonathan's unconventional behaviour. (1)
(Clue: think about Jonathan's point of view.) - Select the option that conveys the opposite of 'glory' from the words used in paragraph 1. (1)
- disgrace
- dishonour
- learning
- unashamed
- The writer would not agree with the given statements based on paragraph 2, EXCEPT (1)
- Jonathan could not fly but only glide.
- Jonathan wanted to be popular with other birds.
- Jonathan realised that even the albatross flew at high altitudes.
- The reason seagulls flew was to find food.
- Jonathan was different, from other seagulls. Based on your understanding of paragraph 2, list what Jonathan wanted to know. (1)
- What was the mother's concern about Jonathan? (1)
- Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference with respect to the following: (1)
Father reminds Jonathan that he 'can't eat a glide' in order to ______. - It, wasn't long before Jonathan Gull was off by himself again, far out at sea. Which trait of Jonathan does this statement reveal? (1)
- practical bird
- persistent learner
- lonely and sad
- carefree and irresponsible
- Was it fair to fly like a falcon when he was just a seagull? Why does he say so? (1)
Read the passage given below:
| (1) | Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) are products that sell quickly at relatively low cost. FMCG is the fourth-largest sector in the Indian economy. There are three main segments in the sector – food and beverages, which accounts for 19% of the sector; healthcare, which accounts for 31% of the share; and household and personal care, which accounts for the remaining 50% share. The urban segment contributes to about 55% of the revenue share, while the rural segment accounts for 45%. Rise in rural consumption will drive the FMCG market. The Indian processed food market is projected to expand to US\[\$\] 470 billion by 2025, up from US\[\$\] 263 billion in 2019-20. |
| (2) | The Indian FMCG industry grew by 16% in 2021, a 9-year high, despite nationwide lockdowns, supported by consumption-led growth and value expansion from higher product prices, particularly for staples. Real household spending is projected to increase 9.1% after 2021, after a decrease of 9.3% in 2020 due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Price increases across product categories will offset the impact of rising raw material prices, along with volume growth and a resurgence of demand for discretionary items. |
| (3) | The FMCG sector has received good investments and support from the Government in the recent past. The sector witnessed healthy FDI inflows from April 2000-March 2022. Furthermore, as per the Union Budget 2022-23, a substantial amount has been allocated to the Department of Consumer Affairs, and an increased amount has been allocated to the Department of Food and Public Distribution. In 2021-22, the Government approved the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme for the Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) with an outlay of a larger amount to help Indian brands of food products in the international markets. |
| (4) | The Government's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme gives companies a major opportunity to boost exports. The future outlook of the FMCG rural sector looks on track now. Rural consumption has increased, led by a combination of increasing income and higher aspiration levels. There is an increased demand for branded products in rural India. The growth of the organised sector in FMCG is expected to rise with an increased level of brand consciousness, augmented by the growth in modem retail. |
 |
|
| Table. FMCG Products | |
| 1. Processed foods: | Cheese products, cereals |
| 2. Prepared meals: | Ready-to-eat meals |
| 3. Beverages: | Bottled water, aerated drinks, and juices |
| 4. Baked goods: | Biscuits, bread |
| 5. Fresh foods, frozen foods, and dry goods: | Fruits, vegetables, milk, butter, frozen food, and nuts |
| 6. Medicines: | Aspirin, pain relievers, and over-the-counter medication that can be purchased without a prescription |
| 7. Cleaning products: | Baking soda, washing powder |
| 8. Cosmetics and toiletries: | Beauty products, soaps, toothpaste |
| 9. Office supplies: | Pens, pencils |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
- Does the following statement agree with the information given in para 1? (1)
Food and beverages segment dominates the Global FMCG market and is expected to retain its dominance.
Select from the following:- True - If the statement agrees with the information.
- False - If the statement contradicts the information.
- Not Given - If there is no information on this.
- What do you think gives opportunities to boost exports? (1)
- Select the option that displays the most likely reason for FMCG rural sector being on track. (1)
- FMCG sector has been unable to get investments from the government.
- PLI schemes don't reach the rural sector.
- Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of the online grocery segment in India is expected to double in the next five years.
- There is a desire to buy branded products in the villages too.
- Complete the sentence based on the following statement: (1)
The Indian FMCG industry grew by 16% in 2021, a 9-year high, despite nationwide lockdowns because ______. - From the given pie chart, which segment of FMCG accounts for the maximum percentage of the sector? (1)
- Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option: (1)
The combination of increasing income and higher aspiration levels in the rural areas has led to ______.- the Government taking a direct interest
- the demand for branded products
- price increases across product categories
- the fall of supply in urban areas
- How is the Government trying to help Indian brands of food products in the international markets? (1)
- Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option: (1)
The concluding paragraph of the passage makes a clear case ______.- that the rural people also want branded products
- that the FMCG industry will not focus on brand consciousness
- for the role of data analytics in the FMCG industry
- for the Government's role by providing incentives
- What will be the impact of the increased level of brand consciousness? (1)
- Based on the reading of the passage, correct the following statement: (1)
The urban segment contributes to about 45% of the revenue share, while the rural segment accounts for 55%.
Read the following passage carefully:
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(1) Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues, as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But the developed world, especially in countries with low recycling rates, also has trouble properly collecting discarded plastics. Plastic trash has become so ubiquitous that it has prompted efforts to write a global treaty negotiated by the United Nations. (2) Plastics made from fossil fuels are just over a century old. Production and development of thousands of new plastic products accelerated after World War II. It transformed the modern age so much that life without plastics is unrecognizable today. Plastics revolutionized medicine with life-saving devices, made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets-saving fuel and pollution- and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment for clean drinking water. (3) The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years. (4) Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. Trash is also carried to sea by major rivers, which act as conveyor belts, picking up more and more trash as they move downstream. Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. But once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the world. (5) Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabirds eats plastics. Most of the deaths of animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings. (6) The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place, many scientists and conservationists – including the National Geographic Society – say. This could be accomplished with improved waste management systems and recycling, better product design that takes into account the short life of disposable packaging, and reduction in manufacturing of unnecessary single-use plastics. |
Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:
- Which of the following statements best describes the reason why plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues?
- Plastic trash collection systems have become inefficient or nonexistent.
- Rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them.
- Some plastics have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.
- The developed world, especially in countries with low recycling rates, has trouble properly collecting plastics.
- What is the tone of the writer in the given lines from paragraph 2? Rationalise your response in about 40 words.
‘It transformed the modern age so much that life without plastics is unrecognizable today.' - The passage includes some words that are opposites of each other. From the sets (A) – (E) below, identify two sets of synonyms.
- garbage and trash
- starvation and strangled
- disposable and reductio
- persist and downstream
- transformed and revolutionized
- Complete the sentence appropriately:
The writer says that most of the plastic trash is found in the Earth’s last sink and the reason it is transported around the world is _______. - Based on the reading of the passage, examine, in about 40 words, the downside of the convenience that plastic offers.
- Complete the sentence appropriately:
According to conservationists, the two ways in which most of the deaths of animals are caused are _______. - Based on the passage, how can we contribute to the reduction of plastic waste?
- by internationalising the waste management system
- by minimizing the use of single-use plastics
- by not abandoning fishing gear
- by not using helmets made of plastic
- State one reason why plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations.
Read the following passage carefully:
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(1) Rotation of crops is a universal phenomenon which is practised by most of the farmers of the tropical and temperate countries. The main objective of rotation of crops is to obtain higher agricultural returns on the one hand, and to maintain the soil fertility on the other. (2) In other words, the rotation of crops helps in making agriculture more sustainable. The importance of crop rotation is more in the areas where farmers grow two, or more than two crops in the same field in a year. Irrigation facilities have also been appreciably developed in the country during the last three decades. The availability of water to the arable land has helped in the intensification of agriculture. (3) In the areas such as Punjab and Haryana, where the Green Revolution is a big success, one soil exhaustive crop (rice) is followed by another soil exhaustive crop (wheat). Subsequently, the field vacated by wheat is devoted to either rice or maize or cotton. Thus, in one year, the farmers are harvesting three soil exhaustive crops from the same field. Such a rotation of crops may fetch more income to the farmers, but depletes the soil fertility at a faster pace. (4) A number of field studies were conducted to assess the traditional crop rotation pattern. One such field study about the changes in the rotation of crops was conducted in the village Banhera (Tanda), Haridwar district. The main rotation of crops of the village is shown in the table below. |
| Traditional Rotation of Crops (1960-65) in Banhera (Tanda) | ||||
| Year | Kharif (mid-June to mid-October) | Rabi (mid-October mid-April) | Zaid (April to June) | No. of days land left fallow |
| 1960 | Millet/fodder/rice | Gram | Fallow | 90 |
| 1961 | Fallow | Wheat | Fallow | 210 |
| 1962 | Millet/fodder/rice | Gram | Fallow | 90 |
| 1963 | Fallow | Wheat | Fallow | 210 |
| 1964 | Millet mixed with urad/fodder/rice | Gram | Fallow | 90 |
| 1965 | Fallow | Wheat | Fallow | 210 |
Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:
- Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding of para 2.
One of the reasons that there has been an intensification of agriculture in the country is the development of irrigation facilities is a/an ______ (fact/opinion) because it is a/an ______ (subjective judgement/objective detail). - Based on your understanding of paras 1 and 2, state whether the following statement is true or false.
If proper irrigation facility is provided, higher agricultural returns can be obtained by making crop rotation more sustainable. - Justify the following in about 40 words.
Crop rotation may fetch more income to the farmers, but depletes the soil fertility at a faster pace. - Based on the table, mention the years when the land was left fallow for maximum number of days.
- The study conducted in village Banhera (Tanda) reflects that during the years 1960 to 1965, from April to June, the land was left fallow or uncultivated throughout. State any one inference that can be drawn from this.
- Select the option that correctly states the significance of crop rotation as given below:
- Crop rotation is done to obtain higher agricultural returns.
- Higher agricultural returns can be obtained by harvesting soil-exhaustive crops.
- Crop rotation demands that land should be left fallow for a few months to increase the fertility of soil.
- Better irrigation facility to the arable land has helped in the intensification of agriculture.
- If crops to be harvested are chosen wisely, crop rotation can help in maintaining fertility of soil.
- (1), (2) and (4)
- (1) only
- (3) and (5)
- (1) and (5)
- Crop rotation is helping in making agriculture more sustainable. Mention one benefit and one drawback of crop rotation. (Answer in about 40 words)
- Which of the following is the main takeaway from the study mentioned in the passage?
- The study needs to include more valid data to support the practice of crop rotation
- Crop rotation is a sustainable practice that can transform the agricultural sector.
- The impact of crop rotation on farmer’s upliftment has been thoroughly explained.
- Crop rotation is independent of the type of crops harvested and availability of water for irrigation.
Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1. Complete the following sentences from the passage: (2)
- Kalam earned a degree in ______ engineering.
- DRDO stands for ______.
- Kalam was ______ of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle.
- Kalam served as lecturer at ______.
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A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameshwaram, India - died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist who played a leading role in the development of India's missile and nuclear weapons programmes. He was President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in 1958 joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In 1969, he moved to the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he was project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and produced in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the programme that produced a number of successful missiles, which helped earn him the nickname “Missile Man”. Among those successes was Agni, India's first intermediate-range ballistic missile, which incorporated aspects of the SLVIII and was launched in 1989. Kalam remained committed using science and technology to transform India into a developed country and served as lecturer at several universities. Kalam wrote several books, including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). He received the Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), Indira Gandhi award for National Integration (1997) and the India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). |
A2. Complete the web diagram: (2)
A3. Fill in the blanks by using the suitable phrases/words from the bracket: (2)
[moved to, served as, launched, autobiography]
- Mr. Gunaji has ______ a Principal in this college.
- “The Story of My Experiments with Truth” is the ______ of Mahatma Gandhi.
- My teacher ______ to England for further studies.
- ISRO successfully ______ Chandrayaan-3 mission.
A4. Do as directed: (2)
- Kalam wrote several books. (Frame a Wh-type question to get the underlined part as answer)
- Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. (Begin the sentence with “A degree in…….)
A5. Who is your role model? Write few lines about him/her. (2)
