A.
Main idea
1Determine the main idea
of a passage
B.
Audience, purpose and tone
1Which text is most
formal?
2Compare passages for
subjective and objective tone
3Identify audience and
purpose
4Compare passages for
tone
C.
Literary devices
1Identify the narrative
point of view
2Interpret the meaning of
an allusion from its source
3Recall the source of an
allusion
4Interpret the figure of
speech
5Classify the figure of
speech: euphemism, hyperbole, oxymoron, paradox
6Classify the figure of
speech: anaphora, antithesis, apostrophe, assonance, chiasmus, understatement
7Classify the figure of
speech: review
8Analyse the effects of
figures of speech on meaning and tone
D.
Analysing literature
1Analyse short stories:
set 1
2Analyse short stories:
set 2
E.
Analysing informational texts
1Analyse the development
of informational passages: set 1
2Analyse the development
of informational passages: set 2
3Trace an argument: set 1
4Trace an argument: set 2
5Analyse rhetorical
strategies in historical texts: set 1
6Analyse rhetorical
strategies in historical texts: set 2
Passage 1 - Opera
Opera refers to a
dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content is
conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as
it is through the lyrics. By contrast, in musical theatre an actor's dramatic
performance is primary, and the music plays a lesser role. The drama in opera
is presented using the primary elements of theatre such as scenery, costumes,
and acting. However, the words of the opera, or libretto, are sung rather than
spoken. The singers are accompanied by a musical ensemble ranging from a small
instrumental ensemble to a full symphonic orchestra.
1. It is pointed out in
the reading that opera ----.
A) has developed under the influence of
musical theatre
B) is a drama sung with the accompaniment of
an orchestra
C) is not a high-budget production
D) is often performed in Europe
E) is the most complex of all the performing
arts
2. We can understand from
the reading that ----.
A) people are captivated more by opera than
musical theatre
B) drama in opera is more important than the
music
C) orchestras in operas can vary considerably
in size
D) musical theatre relies above all on music
E) there is argument over whether the music is
important or the words in opera
3. It is stated in the reading
that ----.
A) acting and costumes are secondary to music
in musical theatre
B) many people find musical theatre more
captivating than opera
C) music in musical theatre is not as
important as it is in opera
D) an opera requires a huge orchestra as well
as a large choir
E) opera doesn't have any properties in common
with musical theatre
Passage 2 - Dolphins
Dolphins are regarded as
the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them helping drowning
sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins,
the more we realize that their society is more complex than people previously imagined.
They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for pregnant mothers and
protect the weakest in the community, as we do. Some scientists have suggested
that dolphins have a language but it is much more probable that they
communicate with each other without needing words. Could any of these mammals
be more intelligent than man? Certainly the most common argument in favor of
man's superiority over them that we can kill them more easily than they can
kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the more we discover about
these remarkable creatures, the less we appear superior when we destroy them.
4. It is clear from the
passage that dolphins ----.
A) don't want to be with us as much as we want
to be with them
B) are proven to be less intelligent than once
thought
C) have a reputation for being friendly to
humans
D) are the most powerful creatures that live
in the oceans
E) are capable of learning a language and
communicating with humans
5. The fact that the writer of the passage thinks that we can kill dolphins more easily than they can kill us ----.
A) means that they are better adapted to their
environment than we are
B) shows that dolphins have a very
sophisticated form of communication
C) proves that dolphins are not the most
intelligent species at sea
D) does not mean that we are superior to them
E) proves that Dolphins have linguistic skills far beyond what we previously thought
6. One can infer from the
reading that ----.
A) dolphins are quite abundant in some areas
of the world
B) communication is the most fascinating
aspect of the dolphins
C) dolphins have skills that no other living creatures have such as the ability to think
D) it is not usual for dolphins to communicate
with each other
E) dolphins have some social traits that are
similar to those of humans
Passage 3 - Unsinkable
Ship
Naval architects never
claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry
Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened. It was well
designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats.
It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later,
the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so quickly
that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no
chance to save themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139
survived. The rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them
from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to 912 souls. However, there
were an unpleasant number of questions about why the Estonia sank and why so
many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the dead were
women, children and the elderly.
7. One can understand
from the reading that ----.
A) the lifesaving equipment did not work well
and lifeboats could not be
lowered
B) design faults and incompetent crew
contributed to the sinking of the
Estonia ferry
C) 139 people managed to leave the vessel but
died in freezing water
D) naval architects claimed that the Estonia
was unsinkable
E) most victims were trapped inside the boat
as they were in their cabins
8. It is clear from the
passage that the survivors of the accident ----.
A) helped one another to overcome the tragedy
that had affected them
all
B) were mostly young men but women, children
and the elderly stood little
chance
C) helped save hundreds of lives
D) are still suffering from severe
post-traumatic stress disorder
E) told the investigators nothing about the
accident
9. According to the
passage, when the Estonia sank, ----.
A) there were only 139 passengers on board
B) few of the passengers were asleep
C) there were enough lifeboats for the number
of people on board
D) faster reaction by the crew could have
increased the Estonia's
chances of survival
E) all the passengers had already moved out
into the open decks
Passage 4 - Erosion in America
Erosion of America's
farmland by wind and water has been a problem since settlers first put the
prairies and grasslands under the plough in the nineteenth century. By the
1930s, more than 282 million acres of farmland were damaged by erosion. After
40 years of conservation efforts, soil erosion has accelerated due to new
demands placed on the land by heavy crop production. In the years ahead, soil
erosion and the pollution problems it causes are likely to replace petroleum
scarcity as the nation's most critical natural resource problem.
10. As we understand from
the reading, today, soil erosion in America ----.
A) causes humans to place new demands on the
land
B) is worse than it was in the nineteenth
century
C) happens so slowly that it is hardly noticed
D) is the most critical problem that the
nation faces
E) is worse in areas which have a lot of
petroleum production
11. The author points out
in the passage that erosion in America ----.
A) has damaged 282 million acres ever since
settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the plough
B) has been so severe that it has forced
people to abandon their
settlements
C) occurs only in areas with no vegetation
D) can become a more serious problem in the
future
E) was on the decline before 1930s
12. It is pointed out in
the reading that in America ----.
A) petroleum is causing heavy soil erosion and
pollution problems
B) heavy crop production is necessary to meet
the demands and to
prevent a disaster
C) soil erosion has been hastened due to the
overuse of farming lands
D) water is undoubtedly the largest cause of
erosion
E) there are many ways to reduce erosion
MORE READING
PRACTICE
QUESTION 1
1.
Today’s woman is a highly self-directed
person, alive to the sense of her dignity and the importance of her functions
in the private domestic domain and the public domain of the world of work.
Women are rational in approach, careful in handling situations and want to do
things as best as possible. The Fourth World Conference of Women held in
Beijing in September 1995 had emphasized that no enduring solution of society’s
most threatening social, economic and political problems could be found without
the participation and empowerment of the women. The 1995 World Summit for
Social Development had also emphasised the pivotal role of women in eradicating
poverty and mending the social fabric.
2.
The Constitution of India had conferred on
women equal rights and opportunities political, social, educational and of
employment with men. Because of oppressive traditions, superstitions,
exploitation and corruption, a majority of women are not allowed to enjoy the
rights and opportunities, bestowed on them. One of the major reasons for this
state of affairs is the lack of literacy and awareness among women. Education
is the main instrument through which we can narrow down the prevailing
inequality and accelerate the process of economic and political change in the
status of women.
3.
The role of women in a society is very
important. Women’s education is the key to a better life in the future. A
recent World Bank study says that educating girls is not a charity, it is good
economics and if developing nations are to eradicate poverty, they must educate
the girls. The report says that the economic and social returns on investment
in education of the girls considerably affect the human development index of
the nation. Society would progress only if the status of women is respected and
the presence of an educated woman in the family would ensure education of the
family itself. Education and empowerment of women are closely related.
4.
Women’s education has not received due
care and attention from the planners and policymakers. The National Commission
for Women has rightly pointed out that even after 50 years of independence,
women continue to be treated as the single largest group of backward citizens
of India. The role of women in overall development has not been fully
understood nor has it been given its full weight in the struggle to eliminate
poverty, hunger, injustice and inequality at the national level. Even when we
are at the threshold of the 21st century, our society still discriminates
against women in matters of their rights and privileges and prevents them from
participating in the process of national and societal progress.
Various
Committees and Commissions have been constituted before and after the
independence to evaluate the progress in women’s education and to suggest ways
and means to enhance the status of women. The female literacy rate has gone up
in the 20th century from 0.6 per cent in 1901 to 39.29 per cent in 1991 but
India still possesses the largest number of illiterate women in the world. The
female literacy index for the year 1991 shows that there are eight States which
fall below the national average. The most populous States of the country, UP,
MP, Bihar and Rajasthan fall in the category of most backward States as far as
female literacy is concerned.
5.
The prevailing cultural norms of gender
behaviour and the perceived domestic and reproductive roles of women tend to
affect the education of girls. Negative attitude towards sending girls to
schools, restrictions on their mobility, early marriage, poverty and illiteracy
of parents affect the girl’s participation in education.
6.
Women’s political empowerment got a big
boost with the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993 which gave them 30 per cent
reservation in Village Panchayats, Block Samities and Zila Parishads throughout
the country. The National Commission for Women was also set up in 1992 to act
as a lobby for women’s issues.
7.
The educational system is the only
institution which can counteract the deep foundations of inequality of sexes
that are built in the minds of people through the socialization process.
Education is the most important instrument of human resource development.
Educational system should be used to revolutionize the traditional attitudes
and inculcate new values of equality.
(a)
(i) Mention any two
attributes of a modern woman. 2
(ii) Why are women’s
participation and empowerment considered necessary? 2
(iii) Which factors
adversely affect the education of girls? 2
(iv) What benefits did
the women get with the enactment of the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993? 2
(v) By what process can
we remove the sense of inequality of sexes from the minds of the people? 1
Answer:
(i) The modem woman of
today is a highly self-dependent person alive to the sense of her dignity. She
is rational in her approach and handles situations carefully.
(ii) At the Fourth World
Conference of Women held in Beijing, it was emphasized that without women’s
participation and empowerment no enduring solution to society’s most
threatening social, economic and political problems could be found. Also
women’s empowerment is extremely important in eradicating poverty and mending
the social fabric.
(iii) The prevailing
cultural norms of gender behaviour and the perceived domestic and reproductive
roles of women tend to adversely affect the education of girls. Restrictions on
the mobility of girls, early marriage of girls, poverty and illiteracy of
parents affect the girl’s participation in education.
(iv) Women’s political
empowerment got a major boost with the Panchayati Raj Act of 1993 which gave
them 30 per cent reservation in Village Panchayats, Block Samities and Zila
Parishads throughout the country.
(v) The sense of
inequality of sexes can be removed from the minds of the people only through
the process of education.
(b) Pick out words from
the passage which mean the same as each of the following: 1×3=3
(i) cruel and unfair
(para 2)
(ii) remove (para 3)
(iii) full of people
(para 4)
Answer:
(i) oppressive
(ii) eradicate
(iii) populous
Question 2.
Read the passage given
below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2011)
1. For many years now the
Governments have been promising the eradication of child labour in hazardous
industries in India. But the truth is that despite all the rhetoric no
Government so far has succeeded in eradicating this evil, nor has any been able
to ensure compulsory primary education for every Indian child. Between 60 and
100 million children are still at work instead of going to school, and around
10 million are working in hazardous industries. India has the biggest child
population of 380 million in the world; plus the largest number of children who
are forced to earn a living.
2. We have many laws that
ban child labour in hazardous industries. According to the Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, the employment of children below the age
of 14 in hazardous occupations has been strictly banned. But each state has
different rules regarding the minimum age of employment. This makes the
implementation of these laws difficult.
3. Also, there is no ban
on child labour in nonhazardous occupations. The act applies to the organised
or factory sector and not the unorganized or informal sector where most
children find employment as cleaners, servants, porters, waiters, among other
forms of unskilled work. Thus, child labour continues because the
implementation of the existing law is lax.
4. There are industries,
which have a special demand for child labour because of their nimble fingers,
high level of concentration and capacity to work hard at abysmally low wages.
The carpet industry in U.P. and Kashmir employs children to make hand-knotted
carpets. There are 80,000 child workers in Jammu & Kashmir alone. In
Kashmir because of the political unrest, children are forced to work while many
schools are shut. Industries like gem cutting and polishing, pottery and glass
want to remain competitive by employing children.
5. The truth is that it
is poverty which is pushing children into the brutish labour market. We have
260 million people below the poverty line in India, a large number of them are
women. Poor and especially woman-headed families have no option but to push
their little ones in this hard life in hostile conditions, with no human or
labour rights.
6. There is a lobby which
argues that there is nothing wrong with children working as long as the
environment for work is conducive to learning new skills but studies have shown
that the children are made to do boring, repetitive and tedious jobs and are not
taught new skills as they grow older. In these hellholes like the sweet shops
of the old, there is no hope.
7. Children working in
hazardous industries are prone to debilitating diseases which can cripple them
for life. By sitting in cramped, damp and unhygienic spaces, their limbs become
deformed for life. Inside matchstick, fireworks and glass industries they are
victims of bronchial diseases and T.B. Their mental and physical development is
permanently impaired by long hours of work. Once trapped, they can’t get out of
this vicious circle of poverty. They remain uneducated and powerless. Finally,
in later years, they too are compelled to send their own children to work.
Child labour perpetuates its own nightmare.
8. If at all the
Government was serious about granting children their rights, an intensive
effort ought to have been made to implement the Supreme Court’s Directive of
1997 which laid down punitive action against employers of child labour. Only
compulsory primary education can eliminate child labour.
9. Surely, if 380 million
children are given a better life and elementary education, India’s human
capital would be greatly enhanced. But that needs, as former President Abdul
Kalam says, “a Second
(a)
(i) On which two counts
has the Government not succeeded so far in respect of children? 2
(ii) What makes the
implementation of child labour law difficult? 2
(iii) Why do industries
prefer child labour?
(iv) What are the adverse
effects of hazardous industries on children? Given any two. 2
(v) What does the Supreme
Court’s Directive of 1997 provide? 1
Answer:
(i) In respect to
children the Government has not yet succeeded in eradication of child labour in
hazardous industries and ensuring compulsory primary education.
(ii) Implementation of
child labour becomes difficult because each state has different rules regarding
the minimum age of employment and there is no ban on child labour in the
nonhazardous occupations.
(iii) Industries prefer
child labour because children have a capacity to work hard, a high level of
concentration and can be employed at low wages.
(iv) Children working in
hazardous industries are prone to debilitating diseases which can cripple them
for life. By sitting in cramped, damp and unhygienic spaces their limbs too
become deformed for life. In matchstick, fireworks and glass industries,
children become victims of bronchial diseases and T.B.
(v) The Supreme Court’s
Directive of 1997 provides punitive action against employers of child labour.
(b) Find words from the
passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) risky/dangerous (para
1)
(ii) very unfriendly
(para 5)
(iii) intended as
punishment (para 8)
Answer:
(i) hazardous
(ii) hostile
(iii) punitive
Question 3.
Read the passage given
below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2012)
1. While there is no
denying that the world loves a winner, it is important that you recognize the
signs, of stress in your behaviour and be healthy enough to enjoy your success.
Stress can strike anytime, in a fashion that may leave you unaware of its
presence in your life. While a certain amount of pressure is necessary for
performance, it is important to be able to recognize your individual limit. For
instance, there are some individuals who accept competition in a healthy
fashion. There are others who collapse into weeping wrecks before an exam or on
comparing marks sheets and finding that their friend has scored better.
2. Stress is a body
reaction to any demands or changes in its internal and external environment.
Whenever there is a change in the external environment such as temperature,
pollutants, humidity and working conditions, it leads to stress. In these days
of competition when a person makes up his mind to surpass what has been
achieved by others, leading to an imbalance between demands and resources, it
causes psychosocial stress. It is a part and parcel of everyday life.
3. Stress has a different
meaning, depending on the stage of life you are in. The loss of a toy or a
reprimand from the parents might create a stress shock in a child. An
adolescent who fails an examination may feel as if everything has been lost and
life has no further meaning. In an adult the loss of his or her companion, job
or professional failure may appear as if there is nothing more to be achieved.
4. Such signs appear in
the attitude and behaviour of the individual, as muscle tension in various
parts of the body, palpitation and high blood pressure, indigestion and
hyperacidity. Ultimately the result is self-destructive behaviour such as
eating and drinking too much, smoking excessively, relying on tranquilisers.
There are other signs of stress such as trembling, shaking, nervous blinking,
dryness of throat and mouth and difficulty in swallowing.
5. The professional under
stress behaves as if he is a perfectionist. It leads to depression, lethargy
and weakness. Periodic mood shifts also indicate the stress status of the
students, executives and professionals.
6. In a study sponsored
by World Health Organization and carried out by Harvard School of Public
Health, the global burden of diseases and injury indicated that stress diseases
and accidents are going to be the major killers in 2020.
7. The heart disease and
depression both stress diseases are going to rank first and second in 2020.
Road traffic accidents are going to be the third-largest killers. These
accidents are also an indicator of psychosocial stress in a fast-moving
society. Other stress diseases like ulcers, hypertension and sleeplessness have
assumed epidemic proportions in modern societies.
8. A person under stress
reacts in different ways and the common ones are flight, fight and flee
depending upon the nature of the stress and capabilities of the person. The
three responses can be elegantly chosen to cope with the stress so that stress
does not damage the system and become distressed.
9. When stress crosses
the limit, peculiar to an individual, it lowers his performance capacity.
Frequent crossings of the limit may result in chronic fatigue in which a person
feels lethargic, disinterested and is not easily motivated to achieve anything.
This may make the person mentally undecided, confused and accident-prone as
well. Sudden exposure of unnerving stress may also result in a loss of memory.
Diet, massage, food supplements, herbal medicines, hobbies, relaxation
techniques and dance movements are excellent stress busters.
(a)
(i) What is stress? What
factors lead to stress? 2
(ii) What are the signs
by which a person can know that he is under stress? 2
(iii) What are the different
diseases a person gets due to stress? 2
(iv) Give any two
examples of stress busters. 1
(v) How does a person
react under stress? 2
Answer:
(i) Stress is a body
reaction to any demands or changes in its external and internal environment. A
change in the external environments such as temperature, pollutants, humidity
and working conditions lead to stress.
(ii) Certain signs appear
in the attitude and behaviour of an individual under stress. These include
muscle tension in various body parts, palpitation, high blood pressure,
indigestion and hyperacidity. Other stress-related signs are trembling,
shaking, nervous blinking, dryness of throat and mouth and difficulty in
swallowing.
(iii) Heart disease and
depression are the two major stress-related diseases. Other stress diseases
include ulcers, hypertension and sleeplessness.
(iv) Herbal medicines and
relaxation techniques are two examples of stress busters.
(v) A person under stress
reacts in different ways, the most common ones being flight, fight and flee
depending upon the nature of the stress and capabilities of a person.
(b) Which words in the
above passage mean the same as the following?
(i) Fall down (para 1)
(ii) rebuke (para 3)
(iii) inactive (para 9)
Answer:
(i) collapse
(ii) reprimand
(iii) lethargic
Question 4.
Read the passage given
below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2013)
1. Air pollution is an
issue which concerns us all alike. One can willingly choose or reject a food, a
drink or a life comfort, but unfortunately there is little choice for the air
we breathe. All, what is there in the air is inhaled by one and all living in
those surroundings.
2. Air pollutant is
defined as a substance which is present while normally it is not there or present
in an amount exceeding the normal concentrations. It could either be gaseous or
a particulate matter. The important and harmful polluting gases are carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The common
particulate pollutants are the dusts of various inorganic or organic origins.
Although we often talk of the outdoor air pollution caused by industrial and
vehicular exhausts, the indoor pollution may prove to be as or a more important
cause of health problems.
3. Recognition of air
pollution is relatively recent. It is not uncommon to experience a feeling of
‘suffocation’ in a closed environment. It is often ascribed to the lack of
oxygen. Fortunately, however, the composition of air is remarkably constant all
over the world. There is about 79 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen in
the air the other gases forming a very small fraction. It is true that carbon
dioxide exhaled out of lungs may accumulate in a closed and overcrowded place.
But such an increase is usually small and temporary unless the room is really
airtight. Exposure to poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide may occur in a
closed room, heated by burning cctal inside. This may also prove to be fatal.
4. What is more common in
a poorly ventilated home is a vague constellation of symptoms described as the
sickbuilding syndrome. It is characterized by a general feeling of malaise,
headache, diiiiness and irritation of mucous membranes. It may also be
accompanied by nausea, itching, aches, pains and depression. Sick building
syndrome is getting commoner in big cities with the small houses, which are
generally overfurnished. Some of the important pollutants whose indoor
concentrations exceed those of the outdoors include gases such as carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and organic substances like
spores, formaldehydes, hydrocarbon aerosols and allergens. The sources are
attributed to a variety of construction materials, insulations, furnishings,
adhesives, cosmetics, house dusts, fungi and other indoor products.
5. Byproducts of fuel
combustion are important in houses with indoor kitchens. It is not only the
burning of dried dung and fuel wood which is responsible, but also kerosene and
liquid petroleum gas. Oxides of both nitrogen and sulphur are released from
their combustion.
6. Smoking of tobacco in
the closed environment is an important source of indoor pollution. It may not
be high quaniiiatively, but signiiicantly hazardous for health. It is because
of the fact that there are over 3,000 chemical consiiiuents in tobacco smoke,
which have been identiiied. These are harmful for human health.
7. Microorganisms and
allergens are of special signiiicance in the causation and spread of diseases.
Most of the infective illnesses may involve more persons of a family living in
common indoor environment. These include viral and bacterial diseases like
tuberculosis.
8. Besides infections,
allergic and hypersensitivity disorders are spreading fast. Although asthma is
the most common form of respiratory allergic disorders, pneumonias are not
uncommon, but more persistent and serious. These are attributed to exposures to
allergens from various fungi, moulds, hay and other organic materials. Indoor
air ventilation systems, coolers, airconditioners, dampness, decay, pet
animals, production or handling of the causative items are responsible for
these hypersensitivitydiseases.
9. Obviously, the
spectrum of pollution is very wide and our options are limited. Indoor
pollution may be handled relatively easily by an individual. Moreover, the good
work must start from one’s own house. (Extracted from The Tribune)
(a)
(i) What is an air
pollutant? 1
(ii) In what forms are
the air pollutants present? 2
(iii) Why do we feel
suffocated in a closed environment? 1
(iv) What is sick
building syndrome? How is it increasing? 2
(v) How is indoor smoking
very hazardous? 1
(vi) How can one overcome
the dangers of indoor air pollution? 2
Answer:
(i) An air pollutant is a
substance which is present while normally it is not there in an amount
exceeding the normal , concentrations.
(ii) Air pollutants are
present as gaseous or particulate matter. The harmful polluting gases are
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The
common particulate pollutants are the dusts of various inorganic or organic
origins.
(iii) We often feel
suffocated in a closed environment due to the lack of oxygen.
(iv) Sick building
syndrome is a vague constellation of symptoms in a poorly ventilated room. Sick
building syndrome is characterised by a general feeling of malaise, headache,
diiiiness and irritation of mucous membranes. It may also be accompanied by
nausea, itching, aches, pains and depression. This syndrome is increasing in
big cities which have an increasing number of small houses which are generally
overfurnished.
(v) Indoor smoking is
very hazardous because over 3,000 chemical consiiiuents are present in tobacco
smoke and these are harmful for human health.
(vi) The dangers of
indoor pollution can be avoided through well ventilated houses and improving
greenery around houses. Also, it can be avoided by not smoking tobacco inside
houses and by not burning coal inside closed rooms.
(b) Find the words from
the above passage which mean the same as the following: 3
(i) giddiness (para 4)
(ii) constant (para 8)
(iii) humidity (para 8)
Answer:
(i) diiiiness
(ii) persistent
(iii) dampness
Question 5.
Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2014)
1. Too many parents these
days can’t say no. As a result, they find themselves raising ‘children’ who
respond greedily to the advertisements aimed right at them. Even getting what
they want doesn’t satisfy some kids; they only want more. Now, a growing number
of psychologists, educators and parents think it’s time to stop the madness and
start teaching kids about what’s really important: values like hard work,
contentment, honesty and compassion. The struggle to set limits has never been
tougherand the stakes have never been higher. One recent study of adults who
were overindulged as children, paints a discouraging picture of their future:
when given too much too soon, they grow up to be adults who have difficulty
coping with life’s disappointments. They also have distorted sense of eniiilement
that gets in the way of success in the work place and in relationships.
2. Psychologists say that
parents who overindulge their kids, set them up to be more vulnerable to future
anxiety and depression. Today’s parents themselves raised on values of thrift
and selfsacriiice, grew up in a culture where no was a household word. Today’s
kids want much more, partly because there is so much more to want. The oldest
members of this generation were bom in the late 1980s, just as PCs and video
games were making their assault on the family room. They think of MP3 players
and flat screen TV as essential utilities, and they have developed strategies
to get them. One survey of teenagers found that when they crave for something
new, most expect to ask nine times before their parents give in. By every
measure, parents are shelling out record amounts. In the heat of this buying
blitz, even parents who desperately need to say no find themselves reaching for
their credit cards.
3. Today’s parents aren’t
equipped to deal with the problem. Many of them, raised in the 1960s and ’70s,
swore they’d act differently from their parents and have closer relationships
with their own children. Many even wear the same designer clothes as their kids
and listen to the same music. And they work more hours; at the end of a long
week, it’s tempting to buy peace with ‘yes’ and not mar precious family time
with conflict. Anxiety about future is another factor. How do well intentioned
parents say no to all the sports gear and arts and language lessons they
believe will help their kids thrive in an increasingly compeiiiive world?
Experts agree : too much love won’t spoil a child. Too few limits will.
4. What parents need to
find, is a balance between the advantages of an affluent society and the critical
life lessons that come from waiting, saving and working hard to achieve goals.
That search for balance has to start early. Children need limits on their
behaviour because they feel better and more secure when they live within a
secured structure. Older children learn selfcontrol by watching how others,
especially parents act. Learning how to overcome challenges is essential to
becoming a successful adult. Few parents ask kids to do chores. They think
their kids are already overburdened by social and academic pressures. Every
individual can be of service to others, and life has meaning beyond one’s own
immediate happiness. That means parents eager to teach values have to take a
long, hard look at their own.
(a) Answer the following:
(i) What values do
parents and teachers want children to learn? 2
(ii) What are the results
of giving the children too much too soon? 2
(iii) Why do today’s
children want more? 1
(iv) What is the balance
which the parents need to have in today’s world? 2
(v) What is the necessity
to set limits for children? 2
Answer:
(i) Parents and teachers
want children to learn values like hard work, contentment, honesty and
compassion.
(ii) When children are
given too much too soon, they grow up to be adults who have difficulty coping with
life’s disappointments. They also have distorted sense of eniiilement that gets
in the way of success in the work place and in relationships.
(iii) Today’s children
want more, partly because there is so much more to want.
(iv) The balance that
parents need to have in today’s world is between the advantages of an affluent
society and the critical life lessons that come from waiting, saving and
working hard to achieve goals.
(v) It is necessary to
set limits on the behaviour of children because they feel better and more
secure when they live within a secured structure.
(b) Pick out words from
the passage that mean the same as the following: 3
(i) a feeling of
satisfaction (para 1)
(ii) valuable (para 3)
(iii) important (para 4)
Answer:
(i) a feeling of
satisfaction contentment
(ii) valuable precious
(iii) important
essential/critical
Question 6.
Read the passage
carefully: (Delhi, Comptt. Delhi, Comptt. All India 2015)
1. For four days, I
walked through the narrow lanes of the old city, enjoying the romance of being
in a city where history still livesin its cobblestone streets and in its people
riding asses, carrying vine leaves and palm as they once did during the time of
Christ.
2. This is Jerusalem,
home to the sacred sites of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This is the place
that houses the church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus was finally
laid to rest. This is also the site of Christ’s cruciiixion, burial and
resurrection.
3. Built by the Roman
Emperor Constantine at the site of an earlier temple to Aphrodite, it is the
most venerated Christian shrine in the world. And justiiiably so. Here, within
the church, are the last five stations of the cross, the 10th station where
Jesus was stripped of his clothes, the 11th where he was nailed to the cross,
the 12th where he died on the cross, the 13th where the body was removed from
the cross, and the 14th, his tomb.
4. For all this weighty
tradition, the approach and entrance to the church is nondescript. You have to
ask for directions. Even to the devout Christian pilgrims walking along the Via
Dolorosathe Way of Sorrowsfirst nine stations look clueless. Then a courtyard
appears, hemmed in by other buildings and a doorway to one side. This leads to
a vast area of huge stone architecture.
5. Immediately inside the
entrance is your first stop. It’s the stone of anointing: this is the place,
according to Greek tradition, where Christ was removed from the cross. The
Roman Catholics, however, believe it to be the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared
for burial by Joseph.
6. What happened next?
Jesus was buried. He was taken to a place outside the city of Jerusalem where
other graves existed and there, he was buried in a cave. However, all that is
long gone, destroyed by
continued attacks and rebuilding;
what remains is the massiveand impressiveRotunda (a round building with a dome)
that Emperor Constantine built. Under this, and right in the centre of the
Rotunda, is the structure that contains the Holy Sepulchre.
7. “How do you know that
this is Jesus’ tomb?” I asked one of the pilgrims standing next to me. He was
clueless, more interested, like the rest of them, in the novelty of it all and
in photographing it, than in its history or tradition.
8. At the start of the
first century, the place was a disused quarry outside the city walls. According
to the gospels, Jesus’ cruciiixion occurred ‘at a place outside the city walls
with graves nearby. Archaeologists have discovered tombs from that era, so the
site is compatible with the biblical period.
9. The structure at the
site is a marble tomb built over the original burial chamber. It has two rooms,
and you enter four at a time into the first of these, the Chapel of the Angel.
Here the angel is supposed to have sat on a stone to recount Christ’s
resurrection. A low door made of white marble, partly worn away by pilgrims’
hands, leads to a smaller chamber inside. This is the ‘room of the tomb’, the
place where Jesus was buried.
10. We entered in a single
file. On my right was a large marble slab that covered the original rock bench
on which the body of Jesus was laid. A woman knelt and prayed. Her eyes were
wet with tears. She pressed her face against the slab to hide them, but it only
made it worse.
On the basis of your
understanding of this passage answer the following questions with the help of
the given options: 1×4=4
(a) How does Jerusalem
still retain the charm of the ancient era?
(i) There are narrow
lanes.
(ii) Roads are paved with
cobblestones,
(iii) People can be seen
riding asses.
(iv) All of the above.
(b) Holy Sepulchre is
sacred to
(i) Christianity
(ii) Islam
(iii) Judaism
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)
(c) Why does one have to
constantly ask for directions to the church?
(i) Its lanes are narrow.
(ii) Entrance to the
church is nondescript.
(iii) People are not
tourist-friendly.
(iv) Everyone is lost in
enjoying the romance of the place.
(d) Where was Jesus
buried?
(i) In a cave
(ii) At a place outside
the city
(iii) In the Holy Sepulchre
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
Answer the following
questions briefly: 1 x 6 = 6
(e) What is the Greek
belief about the ‘stone of anointing’?
(f) Why did Emperor
Constantine build the Rotunda?
(g) What is the general
attitude of the pilgrims?
(h) How is the site
compatible with the biblical period?
(i) Why did the pilgrims
enter the ‘room of the tomb’ in a single file?
(j) Why did ‘a woman’ try
to hide her tears?
(k) Find words from the
passage which mean the same as 1 x 2 = 2
(i) A large grave (para
3)
(ii) Having no
interesting features/dull (para 4)
Answer:
(a) (iv) All of the above
(b) (i) Christianity
(c) (ii) Entrance to the
church is non-descript.
(d) (iv) Both (z) and
(ii)
(e) According to Greek
belief the ‘stone of anointing’ is the place where Christ was removed from the
cross
(f) Emperor Constantine
built the Rotunda to venerate the place of burial of Jesus. He built this
structure to protect the Holy Sepulchre.
(g) The pilgrims are not
interested in the history or tradition of the place and the tomb where Jesus
was buried. They are more interested in the novelty of it all and in
photographing it.
(h) Archaeologists have
discovered tombs from that era. So this is compatible with the biblical period
according to which Jesus crucifixion occurred ‘at a place outside the city
walls with graves nearby.
(i) The pilgrims enter
the room of the tomb in a single file (line) because it has a narrow passage
and a low door which leads to a smaller chamber.
(j) ‘A woman’ tried to
hide her tears because she did not want anyone to see her crying. Like a true
Christian, she was overwhelmed as Jesus was buried there, while others seemed
unconcerned.
(k) (i) tomb (ii)
nondescript
Question 7.
Read the passage given
below: (Delhi 2015)
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 our needs, and we
do not want to make any special efforts even in our spiritual search. Our mind
is resourceful 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 or 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 imperfections. Indian culture, based on Vedic treatises;
assists in human evolution, but we are now 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 comer 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! On
the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer the questions that
follow with the help of the given options: 1 x 2 = 2
(a) How can a pilgrim
keep his body healthy?
(i) By travelling light
(ii) By eating a 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: 1 x 6 = 6
(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: 1 x 2 = 2
(i) made/turned (para 3)
(ii) very satisfied (para
4)
Answer:
(a) (iv) Both (i) and
(it)
(b) (i) By having a
special darshan
(c) During our
pilgrimages we have begun to look for whatever makes our heart happy, gives
comfort to our body and peace to the mind.
(d) When pilgrimages are
turned into picnics, we travel with a large group consisting of our relatives,
friends and associates. We live in comfort, pack in entertainment and tamper
with the environment.
(e) We have become
complacent in our spiritual efforts. We feel external solutions will fulfil our
needs, and we do not want to make any special efforts in our spiritual search.
We often make all things around us the way we want them.
(f) When we try to be
clever with nature it does a dance of destruction and we have to face the
fierce blows which will sooner or later comer us and wash away all
imperfections.
(g) In olden days when
people went on a pilgrimage, they created a feeling of belonging towards all,
conveying a message of brotherhood among all they came across.
(h) The passage conveys
the message that a pilgrimage symbolizes contemplation, meditation, acceptance
growth and love for nature. The message the passage conveys to pilgrims is that
we must embark on our spiritual journey by first understanding the grace and
significance of a pilgrimage and following it up with prescribed rules and
rituals.
(k) (i) rendered (ii)
complacent
Question 8.
Read the passage given
below: (Delhi, All India 2016)
1. Maharana Pratap ruled
over Mewar only for 25 years. However, he accomplished so much grandeur during
his reign that his glory surpassed the boundaries of countries and time turning
him into an immortal personality. He along with his kingdom became a synonym
for valour, sacrifice and patriotism. Mewar had been a leading Rajput Kingdom
even before Maharana Pratap occupied the throne. Kings of Mewar, with the
cooperation of their nobles and subjects, had established such traditions in
the kingdom, as augmented their magnificence despite the hurdles of having a
smaller area under their command and less population. There did come a few
thorny occasions when the flag of the kingdom seemed sliding down. Their flag
once again heaved high in the sky thanks to the gallantry and brilliance of the
people of Mewar.
2. The destiny of Mewar
was good in the sense that barring a few kings, most of the rulers were
competent and patriotic. This glorious tradition of the kingdom almost
continued for 1500 years since its establishment, right from the region of
Bappa Rawal. In fact only 60 years before Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga drove the
kingdom to the pinnacle of fame. His reputation went beyond Rajasthan and
reached Delhi. Two generations before him, Rana Kumbha had given a new stature
to the kingdom through victories and developmental work. During his reign,
literature and art also progressed extraordinarily. Rana himself was inclined
towards writing and his works are read with reverence even today. The ambience
of his kingdom was conducive to the creation of high-quality work of art and
literature. These accomplishments were the outcome of a longstanding tradition
sustained by several generations.
3. The life of the people
of Mewar must have been peaceful and prosperous during the long span of time;
otherwise, such extraordinary accomplishment in these fields would not have
been possible. This is reflected in their art and literature as well as their
loving nature. They compensate for lack of admirable physique by their firm but
pleasant nature. The ambience of Mewar remains lovely thanks to the cheerful
and liberal character of its people.
4. One may observe
astonishing pieces of workmanship not only in the forts and palaces of Mewar
but also in public utility buildings. Ruins of many structures which are still
standing tall in their grandeur are testimony to the fact that Mewar was not
only the land of the brave but also a seat of art and culture. Amidst
aggression and bloodshed, literature and art flourished and creative pursuits
of literature and artists did not suffer. Imagine, how glorious the period must
have been when the Vijaya Stambha which is the sample of our great ancient
architecture even today, was constructed. In the same fort, Kirti Stambha is
standing high, reflecting how liberal the then administration was which allowed
people from other communities and kingdoms to come and carry out construction
work. It is useless to indulge in the debate whether the Vijaya Stambha was
constructed first or the Kirti Stambha. The fact is that both the capitals are
standing side by side and reveal the proximity between the king and the
subjects of Mewar.
5. The cycle of time does
not remain the same. Whereas the reign of Rana Sanga was crucial in raising the
kingdom to the acme of glory, it also proved to be his nemesis. History took a
turn. The fortune of Mewarthe land of the brave, started waning. Rana tried to
save the day with his acumen which was running against the stream and the
glorious traditions for sometime.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage answer each of the questions given below
with the help of options that follow: 1 x 4 = 4
(a) Maharana Pratap
became immortal because:
(i) he ruled Mewar for 25
years.
(ii) he added a lot of
grandeur to Mewar.
(iii) of his valour,
sacrifice & patriotism.
(iv) both (ii) and (iii).
(b) Difficulties in the
way of Mewar were:
(i) lack of cooperation
of the nobility.
(ii) ancient traditions
of the kingdom.
(iii) its small area and
small population.
(iv) the poverty of the
subjects.
(c) During thorny
occasions:
(i) the flag of Mewar
seemed to be lowered.
(ii) the flag of Mewar
was hoisted high.
(iii) the people of Mewar
showed gallantry.
(iv) most of the rulers
heaved a sigh of relief.
(d) Mewar was lucky
because:
(i) all of its rulers
were competent,
(ii) most of its people
were competent.
(iii) most of its rulers
were competent.
(iv) only a few of its
people were incompetent.
Answer the following
questions briefly: 1 x 6 = 6
(e) Who is the earliest
king of Mewar mentioned in the passage?
(f) What was Rana
Kumbha’s contribution to the glory of Mewar?
(g) What does the writer
find worth admiration in the people of Mewar?
(h) How could art and
literature flourish in Mewar?
(i) How did the rulers
show that they cared for their subjects?
(j) What does the
erection of Vijaya Stambha and Kirti Stambha in the same fort signify?
(k) Find words from the
passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) surprising (para 4)
(ii) evidence (para 4) 1
x 2 = 2
Answer:
(a) (iv) both (ii) &
(iii)
(b) (iii) its small area
and small population.
(c) (i) the flag of Mewar
seemed to be lowered.
(d) (ii) most of its
rulers were competent.
(e) The earliest king of
Mewar mentioned in the passage is Bappa Rawal.
(f) Rana Kumbha gave new
stature to the kingdom through victories and developmental work. During his
reign, literature and art progressed extraordinarily.
(g) The writer finds the
cheerful and liberal character of the people of Mewar and their loving and
pleasant nature worth admiration.
(h) Art and literature
flourished in Mewar as the ambience of Rana Sanga’s Kingdom was conducive to
the creation of high-quality work of art and literature. Also, the people of
Mewar led peaceful and prosperous lives for a long period of time which helped
art flourish. The rulers were inherently inclined towards art and culture.
(i) The rulers of Mewar
created an atmosphere where cooperation existed between the nobles and
subjects. The people of Mewar lived peacefully and had prosperous lives. Not
just the palaces but public utility buildings built by the rulers had
astonishing workmanship.
(j) The erection of
Vijaya Stambha and Kirti Stambha in the same fort signifies how liberal the
then administration of Mewar was which allowed people from other communities
and kingdoms to come and carry out construction work. It also depicts the
proximity between the king and the subjects of Mewar.
(k) (i) astonishing (ii)
testimony
Question 9.
Read the passage given
below: (Delhi 2016)
1. To ensure its perpetuity,
the ground is well held by the panther both in space and in time. It enjoys a
much wider distribution over the globe than its bigger cousins, and procreates
sufficiently profusely to ensure its continuity for all time to come.
2. There seems to be no
particular breeding season of the panther, although its sawing and caterwauling
is more frequently heard during winter and summer. The gestation period is
about ninety to hundred days (Whipsnade, ninety-two days). The litter normally
consists of four cubs, rarely five. Of these, generally two survive and not
more than one reaches maturity. I have never come across more than two cubs at
the heels of the mother. Likewise, graziers in the forest have generally found
only two cubs hidden away among rocks, hollows of trees, and other impossible
places.
3. Panther cubs are
generally in evidence in March. They are born blind. This is a provision of
Nature against their drifting away from the place of safety in which they are
lodged by their mother, and exposing themselves to the danger of their being
devoured by hyenas, jackals, and other predators. They generally open their
eyes in about three to four weeks.
4. The mother alone rears
its cubs in seclusion. It keeps them out of the reach of the impulsive and
impatient male. As a matter of fact the mother separates from the male soon
after mating and forgets all about their tumultuous union. The story that the
male often looks in to find out how the mother is progressing with her cubs has
no foundation except in what we wish it should do at least.
5. The mother carries its
cubs about by holding them by the scruff of their neck in its mouth. It trains
them to stalk and teaches them how to deliver the bite of death to the prey.
The cubs learn to treat all and sundry with suspicion at their mother’s heels.
Instinctively the cubs seek seclusion, keep to cover and protect their flanks
by walking along the edge of the forest.
6. I have never had an
opportunity to watch mother panther train its cubs. But in Pilibhit forests, I
once saw a tigress giving some lessons to its little ones. I was sitting over
its kill at Mala. As the sun set, the tigress materialized in the twilight
behind my machan. For about an hour, it scanned and surveyed the entire area
looking and listening with the gravest concern. It even went to the road where
my elephant was awaiting my signal. The mahout spotted it from a distance and
drove the elephant away.
7. When darkness
descended upon the scene and all was well and safe, the tigress called its cubs
by emitting a low halogen. The cubs, two in number and bigger than a full-grown
cat, soon responded. They came trotting up to their mother and hurried straight
to the kill in indecent haste. The mother spat at them so furiously that they
doubled back to its heels immediately. Thereafter, the mother and its cubs sat
undercover about 50 feet (15 m) away from the kill to watch, wait, look, and
listen. After about half an hour’s patient and fidget less vigil the mother
seemed to say ‘paid for’. At this signal, the cubs cautiously advanced,
covering their flanks, towards the kill. No longer did they make a beeline for
it, as they had done before.
8. The mother sat
watching its cubs eat, and mounted guard on them. She did not partake of the
meal.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage complete the statements given below with the
help of options that follow: 1 x 2 = 2
(a) To protect its cubs
the mother panther hides them:
(i) among rocks
(ii) in the branches of
the trees
(iii) behind the tree
trunks
(iv) at its heels
(b) The male panther.
(i) is protective of its
cubs
(ii) trains its cubs
(iii) watches the
progress of the mother
(iv) is impulsive and
impatient
(c) How many cubs does
the mother panther rarely deliver?
(d) What may happen if
the panther cubs are not born blind?
(e) Why did the mahout
drive his elephant away?
(f) Why did the tigress
spit at its cubs?
(g) From the narrator’s
observation, what do we learn about the nature of the tigress?
(h) Why does the panther
not face the risk of extinction?
(i) Find words from the
passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) moving aimlessly
(para 3)
(ii) came down/fell (para
7) 1 x 2 = 2
Answer:
(a) (i) among rock
(b) (iv) is impulsive and
impatient
(c) The mother panther
rarely delivers five cubs.
(d) If the panther cubs
are not born blind they may drift away from the place of safety in which they
are lodged by their mother and expose themselves to the danger of being
devoured by hyenas, jackals and other predators.
(e) The mahout did not
want to disturb the tigress. Thus, on spotting the tigress the mahout drove his
elephant away because he knew the presence of his elephant there would deter
the tigress from summoning her cubs to devour the kill.
(f) The mother was furious
with its cubs and so she spit at them to discipline and train them to come back
to her heels. The mother spat at them as they hurried straight to the kill in
the indecent haste without watching, waiting, looking and listening.
(g) From the narrator’s observation,
we get to know the tigress was extremely concerned about the safety and
wellbeing of her cubs. She was protective and caring and yet remained on guard
and was vigilant.
(h) The panther does not
face the risk of extinction because it enjoys a much wider distribution over
the globe and procreates sufficiently profusely to ensure its continuity for
all times to come.
(i)
(i) drifting
(ii) descended
Question 10.
Read the passage
carefully: (Comput. Delhi 2016)
1. Can you imagine a
college without walls, professors or classrooms? Educator Bunker Roy can. More
than 40 years ago, Roy, now 69, founded the Barefoot College in Tilonia,
Rajasthan. His school admits rural women, often grandmothers and teaches them
the basics of solar engineering and freshwater technology. His efforts have
yielded enormous benefits. When the women return to their homes, they are
trained enough to provide their communities, some of the world’s most lonely
places, with electricity and clean water. They also gain something important: a
newfound self-confidence. The Barefoot model has already been used to empower
women throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Last year, former President,
Bill Clinton presented Roy with a Clinton Global Citizen Award, which honours
leaders who are solving the world’s problems in effective ways.
2. If you go all over the
world, to very remote villages, you will often find only very old people and
very young people. The men have already left. So two ideas were put into
practice in order to make the Barefoot Model work. First it was declared that
men are untrainable, restless, always ready to move, ambitious, and they all
want a certificate to show for their efforts. And the moment you give one of
them a certificate, he leaves the village looking for a job in the city. That
is how, the simple, practical solution of training grandmothers came up. They
are sympathetic, tolerant, willing to learn, and patient. All the qualities you
need are there. And the second idea was not to give out certificates. Because
the moment a certificate is given, a woman, like a man, will see it as a
passport for leaving rural areas and going to urban areas to find a job.
3. Barefoot College
follows the lifestyle of Mahatma Gandhi: Students eat, sleep, and work on the
floor. They can work for 20 years or they can go home the next day. As of
today, 604 women solar engineers from 1083 villages in 63 countries have been
trained. The engineers have given solar power to 45,000 houses. These were done
by women who had never left their homes before. They hate the idea of leaving
their families and getting on a plane. When they reach India, sometimes after
19 hours of travel, they are faced with strange food, strange people, and a
strange language. All the training is done in sign language. Yet in six months,
they will know more about solar engineering than most university graduates.
Some women face problems at home for attending college. Most of the husbands do
not like their wives going to these colleges and tell them not to come back if
they do so. But, on her return when she is able to help provide her village
with solar electricity, her husband wants her to get back home. The respect she
now has is enormous and she considers herself no less than solar engineers.
Bunker Roy dreams of providing the world’s 47 least developed countries with
Barefoot College trained grandmothers and solar electrify more than 1,00,000
houses.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage answer the questions that follow with the
help of the given options: 1 x 2 = 2
(a) Why did the promoter
of Barefoot Model decide to train grandmothers?
(i) Men do not want to be
trained.
(ii) Grandmothers were
patient, willing to learn and tolerant.
(iii) Men are lazy, want
to make money.
(iv) Men and women are
not skilled.
(b) The attitude of the
husbands to their wives on their return from training is different because
(i) of the respect they
gain from the villagers
(ii) they were away for a
long time
(iii) they will again be
looked after
(iv) they will not go
back
Answer the following
questions briefly:lx6=6
(c) How is Barefoot
College different from other colleges?
(d) What did the women
gain from the college apart from technology?
(e) Why were certificates
not given out after training?
(f) What are the
difficulties the women have to face during their travel and their life in
Tilonia, Rajasthan?
(g) How do the women
consider themselves professionally, after their training?
(h) What is the narrator’s
dream about solar electrification?
Find words from the
passage which mean the same as the following: 1 x 2 = 2
(i) many/great in size
(para 1)
(ii) far off (para 2)
Answer:
(a) (ii) Grandmothers
were patient, willing to learn and tolerant.
(b) (i) of the respect
they gain from the villagers.
(c) Barefoot college is a
college without walls, professors or classrooms. It admits rural women, often
grandmothers. Students eat, sleep and work on the floor. They can work for 20
years or they can go home the next day.
(d) Apart from technology
the women gain a newfound self-confidence and are trained enough to provide
their communities, some of the world’s most lonely places, with electricity and
clean water.
(e) Certificates were not
given out after training because the moment a certificate is given a person
sees it as a passport for leaving rural areas and going to urban areas to find
a job.
(f) The women hate the
idea of leaving their families and getting on a plane. When they reach India,
sometimes after 19 hours of travel they are faced with strange food, strange
people and a strange language. Some women also face problems at home for
attending the college as their husbands do not like their wives going to these
colleges.
(g) After their training,
the women professionally consider themselves no less than solar engineers. They
are able to help provide their village with solar electricity.
(h) The narrator’s dream
about solar electrification is to provide the world’s 47 least developed
countries with Barefoot college-trained grandmothers and solar electrify more
than 1,00,000 houses.
(i) many/great in size
enormous
(j) far off remote
Question 11.
Read the passage given
below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2017)
1. We sit in the last row,
bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of
the city, and we are soon in open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far
as the eye can see, their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the
land reverts to desert. While still on level ground, we see in the distance the
tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid horizontally on
the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under
permanent snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake
lies part of the way up this range, about 2,000 metres above sea level, at the
foot of one of the higher snow-peaks.
2. As the bus climbs, the
sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is
eating overpoweringly smelly goat’s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably
but reveals a beautiful view. We have passed quickly from desert through arable
land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the slopes dark with
pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it
is a Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we
climb higher I wish more and more that I had brought with me something warmer
than the pair of shorts that have served me so well in the desert. The stream
(which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our slow
ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake and look for a place to stay at
the foot, which is the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am
happy to note that there are thick quilts on the beds.
3. Standing outside the
cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine shaped and fed
by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded
on all sides by green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of
the lake, beyond the delta of the inflowing stream, is a massive snowcapped
peak which dominates the vista; it is part of a series of peaks that culminate,
a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself.
4. For those who live in
the resort, there is a small mess hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and
sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the
last buses leave. The kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are
particularly good; highly spiced and well done. Horse’s milk is available too
from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by the
cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare
pair of trousers, several sizes too large but more than comfortable. Once I am
warm again, I feel a predinner spurt of energy dinner will be long in coming
and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming in.
5. “Swimming ?” Mr. Cao
says. “You aren’t thinking of swimming, are you?”
6. ” I thought I might,”
I confess. “What’s the water like?”
7. He doesn’t answer me
immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with exaggerated
interest. Mr. Cao, with great offhandedness, addresses the air. “People are
often drowned here,” he says. After a pause, he continues. “When was the last
one ?” This question is directed at the cook, who is preparing a tray of mantou
(squat white steamed bread rolls), and who now appears, wiping his doughy hand
across his forehead. “Was it the Beijing athlete ?” asks Mr. Cao.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, complete the statements given below with
the help of the options that follow: 1 x 4 = 4
(a) One benefit of
sitting in the last row of the bus was that:
(i) the narrator enjoyed
the bumps.
(ii) no one stared at him
(iii) he could see the
sunflowers.
(iv) he avoided the
dullness of the city.
(b) The narrator was
travelling to:
(i) Mount Bogda
(ii) Heaven Lake
(iii) a 2,000 m high snow
peak
(iv) Urumqi
(c) On reaching the
destination the narrator felt relieved because:
(i) he had got away from
the desert
(ii) a difficult journey
had come to an end
(iii) he could watch the
snow peak
(iv) there were thick
quilts on the beds
(d) Mount Bogda is
compared to:
(i) a horizontal desert
surface
(ii) a shining prism
(iii) a Constable
landscape
(iv) the overcast sky
Answer the following
questions briefly: 1 x 6 = 6
(e) Which two things in
the bus made the narrator feel uncomfortable?
(f) What made the scene
look like a Constable landscape?
(g) What did he regret as
the bus climbed higher?
(h) Why did the narrator
like to buy food from outside?
(i) What is ironic about
the pair of trousers lent by Mr. Cao?
(j) Why did Mr. Cao not
like the narrator to swim in the lake?
(k) Find words from the
passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) sellers (para 4)
(ii) increased (para 7) 1
x 2 = 2
Answer:
(a) (ii) no one started
at him.
(b) (ii) Heaven lake.
(c) (iv) there were thick
quilts on the bed.
(d) (ii) a shining prism.
(e) The two things that
made the narrator feel uncomfortable in the bus were that the man behind him
was eating overpoweringly smelly goat’s cheese and the bus window leaked
inhospitably. Moreover, he had to endure a bumpy ride.
(f) The pasture green
with grass, the slopes dark with pine and the sight of a few cattle drinking at
a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones made the scene look like a
Constable landscape.
(g) The stream changed
into a white torrent as the bus climbed higher and the narrator regretted that
he had not brought something warmer than a pair of shorts with him.
(h) The narrator likes to
buy kababs and naan from outside as the kababs, cooked on skewer over charcoal
braziers, are rather good, highly spiced and well done.
(i) Though the pair of
trousers lent by Mr. Cao was several sizes too large for the narrator but they
were more than comfortable for him.
(j) Mr. Cao did not like
the narrator to swim in the lake as he says many people often drowned in it.
(k)
(i) sellers vendors
(ii) increased
exaggeratedly
Question 12.
Read the passage given
below: (Delhi 2017)
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 20th October, the British soldiers were busy making arrangements for
these camps.
2. On the 21st morning,
Thackeray sent his political assistants to Kittur fort to obtain a written
assurance from all the important officers of Kittur rendering them answerable
for the security of the treasury of Kittur. They, accordingly, met Sardar
Gurusiddappa and other officers of Kittur and asked them to comply with the
orders of Thackeray. They did not know that the people were in a defiant mood.
The commanders of Kittur dismissed the agent’s orders as no documents could be
signed without sanction from Rani Chennamma.
3. Thackeray was enraged
and sent for the commander of the Horse Artillery, which was about 100 strong,
and ordered him to rush his artillery into the fort and capture the commanders
of the Desai’s army. When the Horse Artillery stormed into the fort, Sardar
Gurusiddappa, who had kept his men on full alert, promptly commanded his men to
repel and chase them away. The Kittur forces made a bold front and overpowered
the British soldiers.
4. In the meanwhile, the
Desai’s guards had shut the gates of the fort and the British Horse
Artillerymen, being completely overrun and routed, had to get out through the
escape window. Rani’s soldiers chased them out of the fort, killing a few of
them until they retreated to their camps on the outskirts.
5. A few of the British
had found refuge in some private residences, while some were hiding in their
tents. The Kittur soldiers captured about forty persons and brought them to the
palace. These included twelve children and a few women from the British
officers’ camp. When they were brought in the presence of the Rani, she ordered
the soldiers to be imprisoned. For the women and children she had only
gentleness and admonished her soldiers for taking them into custody. At her
orders, these women and children were taken inside the palace and given food
and shelter. Rani came down from her throne, patted the children lovingly and
told them that no harm would come to them.
6. She, then, sent word
through a messenger to Thackeray that the British women and children were safe
and could be taken back any time. Seeing this noble gesture of the Rani, he was
moved. He wanted to meet this gracious lady and talk to her. He even thought of
trying to persuade her to enter into an agreement with the British to stop all
hostilities in lieu of an inam (prize) of eleven villages. His offer was
dismissed with a gesture of contempt. She had no wish to meet Thackeray. That
night she called Sardar Gurusiddappa and other leading Sardars, and after
discussing all the issues came to the conclusion that there was no point in
meeting Thackeray who had come with an army to threaten Kittur into submission
to British sovereignty.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, complete the statements given below with
the help of options that follow:
(a) Thackeray was a/an
(i) British tourist
(ii) army officer
(iii) advisor to the Rani
of Kittur
(iv) treasury officer
(b) British women and
children came to Kittur to
(ii) enjoy life in tents
(iii) stay in the palace
(iv) give company to
officers 1 x 2 = 2
Answer the following
questions briefly: 1 x 6 = 6
(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:
(i) entered forcibly
(para 3)
(ii) aggressiv^refusing
to obey (para 2)
Answer:
(a) (ii) army officer
(b) (iv) give company to
officers
(c) Thackeray had come
with an army to threaten the rulers and people of Kittur into submission to
British sovereignty and to crush the revolt.
(d) The Kittur officials
were in a defiant mood and declared that no document could be signed without
sanction from Rani Chennamma so they refused to give the desired assurance to
Thackeray.
(e) The Horse Artillery
was repelled and chased away by Sardar Gurusiddappa’s men who had been kept on
high alert by him. The Desai’s guards shut the gates of the fort and the
British Horse Artillerymen were thus completely overrun and routed and had to
get out through the escape window.
(f) The Rani was indeed a
noble queen. When the forty captured persons were brought in her presence, she
ordered only the soldiers to be imprisoned. For the women and children, she had
only gentleness and admonished her soldiers for taking them into custody. She
then ordered that they be given food and shelter. Moreover, she patted the
children lovingly and told them that no harm would come to them.
(g) The British women
must have felt very relieved and happy to meet the Rani who was a kind and
gentle queen. They must have been overwhelmed by her noble and gracious
gesture.
(h) The Rani felt there
was no point in meeting Thackeray who had come with an army to threaten Kittur
into submission to British sovereignty.
(i)
(i) entered forcibly
stormed
(ii) aggressive/refusing
to obeydefiant
Question 13.
Read the passage given
below and answer the questions that follow: (Comput. Delhi, Comput. All India
2017)
The Art Of Living
1. The art of living is
learnt easily by those who are positive and optimistic. From humble and simple
people to great leaders in history, science or literature, we can learn a lot
about the art of living, by having a peep into their lives. The daily routines
of these great men not only reveal their different, maybe unique lifestyles but
also help us learn certain habits and practices they followed. Here are some;
read, enjoy and follow in their footsteps as it suits you.
2. A private workplace
always helps. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky hinge should never be
oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was approaching the
room where she wrote. Willliam Faulkner, lacking a lock on his study door,
detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him. Mark Twain’s
family knew better than to breach his study door they would blow a horn to draw
him out. Graham Green went even further, renting a secret office; only his wife
knew the address and the telephone number. After all, every one of us needs a
workplace where we can work on our creation uninterruptedly. Equally, we need
our private space too!
3. A daily walk has
always been a source of inspiration. For many artists, a regular stroll was
essentially a creative inspiration. Charles Dickens famously took three hour
walks every afternoon, and what he observed on them fed directly into his
writing. Tchaikovsky made do with a two-hour jaunt but wouldn’t return a moment
early; convinced that doing so would make him ill. Ludwig van Beethoven took
lengthy strolls after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him in case
inspiration struck.
Nineteenth-century
composer Erik Satie did the same on his long hikes from Paris to the
working-class suburb where he lived, stopping under streetlamps to jot down
ideas that came on his journey; it’s rumoured that when those lamps were turned
off during the war years, his music declined too. Many great people had a
limited social life too. One of Simone de Beauvoir’s close friends puts it this
way. “There were no receptions, parties. It was an uncluttered kind of life, a
simplicity deliberately constructed so that she could do her work.” To Pablo,
the idea of Sunday was an “at home day”.
4. The routines of these
thinkers are difficult. Perhaps it is because they are so unattainable. The
very idea that you can organize your time as you like is out of reach for most
of us, so I’ll close with a toast to all those who worked with difficulties.
Like Francine Prose, who began writing when the school bus picked up her
children and stopped when it brought them back; or T.S. Eliot, who found it
much easier to write once he had a day job in a bank than he had as a starving
poet and even F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose early books were written in his strict
schedule as a young military officer. Those days were not as interesting as the
nights in Paris that came later, but they were much more productive and no
doubt easier on his liver.
5. Being forced to follow
someone else’s routine may irritate, but it makes it easier to stay on the
path. Whenever we break that trail ourselves or take an easy path of least
resistance, perhaps what’s most important is that we keep walking.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, complete each of the statements given below
with help of the options that follow: 1 x 4 = 4
(a) The passage is about:
(i) how to practise
walking
(ii) walking everyday
(iii) the life of a
genius
(iv) what we can learn
from the routines of geniuses
(b) The writers in the
past:
(i) followed a perfect
daily routine
(ii) enjoyed the
difficulties of life
(iii) can teach us a lot
(iv) wrote a lot in books
(c) In their daily
routines:
(i) they had unique
lifestyles
(ii) they read books and
enjoyed them
(iii) they did not get
any privacy
(iv) they did not mind
visitors
(d) Some artists resorted
to walking as it was:
(i) an exercise
(ii) a creative
inspiration
(iii) essential for
improving their health
(iv) helpful in
interaction with others
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions: 1×2=2
(e) What did Jane Austen
like?
(f) Why do you think
Graham Green hired a secret office?
(g) What was the rumour
about Erik Satie’s productivity?
(h) How did her limited
social life affect Simone de Beauvoir?
(i) In what way did T.S.
Eliot’s day job help him to write?
(j) What makes it easier
for one to stay on the path?
Find words from the
passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) glance/look (para 1)
(ii) noisy (para 2) 1×2=2
(a) (iv) what we can
learn from the routines of geniuses.
(b) (i) followed a
perfect daily routine.
(c) (i) they had unique
lifestyles.
(d) (ii) a creative
inspiration.
(e) Jane Austen liked a
private workplace. She did not want a certain squeaky hinge to be oiled so that
it warned her whenever someone was approaching the room where she wrote.
(j) Graham Green hired a
secret office because he needed a workplace where he could work on his creation
uninterruptedly.
(g) Erik Satie used to
stop under streetlamps on his long hikes from Paris to the place where he lived
in the working-class suburb, and jot down ideas that came to his mind during
the walk. It is rumoured that when those street lights were turned off during
the war years, his music too declined.
(h) Simone de Beauvoir
led a limited social life. There were no receptions or parties. It was an
uncluttered kind of life, a deliberately constructed simplicity so that she
could concentrate on her work.
(i) T.S. Eliot found it
much easier to write once he had a day job in a bank than he could as a
starving poet.
(j) Following a routine
and leading an organized life may be irritating but it makes it easier for one
to stay on the path.
(i) glance/look: peep
(ii) noisy: squeaky
Question 14.
Read the passage given
below: (Comput. Delhi 2017)
1. Ammon means “fragrant
spice plant” in Arabic and Hebraic and in Italian, canella means “little tube”.
These are a few of the many terms given to the popular spice known as cinnamon.
Dating back as far as 2800 B.C., Chinese writings describe cinnamon as an
important part of the culture, so much so that over the years this spice was
traded right up there with silver. Nowadays we find it in sweetened cereals,
baked goods and sprinkled on various foods such as yoghurt. Yet, many do not
consider its wealth of healing capabilities including the potential as a weight
loss remedy.
2. Cinnamon is derived
from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree grown and harvested mostly in Sri
Lanka but also found in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Burma. After a
cinnamon tree grows for about six to eight years it is cut down leaving a stump
to allow it to grow again making it a very sustainable practice. It is then
stripped from the bark, dried and packaged as sticks for export.
3. Several studies have
been published regarding the weight loss properties of cinnamon which include
its unique ability to be used for type 2 diabetes which is a disease often
resulting from obesity. When eaten, the spice seems to slow down glucose absorption
within the intestines while stimulating insulin production. This normalizes
blood glucose levels which in turn can indirectly decrease weight gain.
4. “The results of study
demonstrate that intake of 1, 3 or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum
glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in people with
type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of
people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes
and cardiovascular diseases”.
5. A study from the
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, called “Effect of ground cinnamon
on after-meal blood glucose level in normal-weight and obese adults” found that
cinnamon may be effective in moderating post-meal glucose level in normal
weight and obese adults.
6. Columbia University
nutritionist Tara Ostrowe comments to Reader’s Digest on the benefits of this
spice: ” Cinnamon really is the new skinny food ……………………………. Scientists already
credit cinnamon with helping lower blood sugar concentration and improving
insulin sensitivity. When less sugar is stored as fat, this translates into
more help for your body when it comes to weight loss”.
7. Talk to your doctor
about adding cinnamon daily into your healthy diet and exercise program. Add it
to your tea, oatmeal, fruit, toast or anything else you can think of, as a
small amount will go a long way and potentially assist in your weight loss
mission.
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, complete each of the statements given below
with the help of options that follow: 1 x 2 = 2
(a) Cinnamon is called
_______ in Hebraic.
(i) little tube
(ii) canella
(iii) Ammon
(iv) a fragrant spice
plant
(b) In ‘Yet, many do not
consider its wealth of healing capabilities ‘ The writer refers to the word
‘wealth’ to:
(i) the payment in silver
(ii) the cost of cinnamon
(iii) health of people
(iv) the healing power of
cinnamon
On the basis of your
understanding of the above passage, answer the following: 1 x 6 = 6
(c) Which country
produces most of the cinnamon in the world?
(d) Pick out the phrase
from the passage (para 1) which shows that cinnamon was much in demand in
China.
(e) From what is cinnamon
derived?
(f) How is it used today?
(g) In what way does
cinnamon help people suffering from type2 diabetes?
(h) How is cinnamon
helpful in weight loss?
Find words from the
passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) sweet-smelling (para
1)
(ii) reaped/cultivated (para
2)
Answer:
(a) (ii) Ammon
(b) (iv) the healing
power of cinnamon.
(c) Sri Lanka produces
most of the cinnamon in the world.
(d) Chinese writings
describe cinnamon as an important part of the culture, so much so that over the
years this spice was ‘traded right up there with silver’.
(e) Cinnamon is derived
from the inner bark of the Cinnamon tree from which it is stripped, dried and
packaged as sticks.
(f) Nowadays we find
cinnamon in sweetened cereals, baked goods and it is sprinkled on various foods
such as yoghurt.
(g) Cinnamon helps people
suffering from type 2 diabetes. It seems to slow down the glucose absorption
within the intestines while stimulating insulin production. This normalizes
blood glucose levels which indirectly decreases weight gain.
(h) Scientists credit
cinnamon with helping lower blood sugar concentration and improving insulin
sensitivity. When less sugar is stored as fat, it helps the body in terms of
weight loss.
(i) sweet-smelling
fragrant
(ii) reaped/cultivated
harvested
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