हिंदी

Changing food preferences have brought about rapid changes in the structure of the Indian diet. Based on your understanding of the passage, answer questions given below. - English Core

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प्रश्न

Read the passage given below.

5 Changing food preferences have brought about rapid changes in the structure of the Indian diet. The rapid proliferation of multinational fast food companies and the influence of Western culture have replaced traditional home-cooked meals with ready-to-eat, processed foods thus increasing the risk of chronic diseases in urban Indians. Therefore, nurturing healthy eating habits among Indians from an early age would help to reduce health risks.
10 To date, little is known about the quality and quantity of foods and beverages consumed by urban Indian adolescents. This lack of evidence is a significant barrier to the development of effective nutrition promotion and disease prevention measures.

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Therefore, a self-administered, semi-quantitative, 59-item meal-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to assess the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 1026 students (aged 14-16 years) attending private, English-speaking schools in Kolkata completed the survey.

A sample percentage of the food consumption pattern is displayed.

The survey results report poor food consumption patterns and highlight the need to design healthy eating initiatives. Interestingly, while there were no gender differences in the consumption of legumes and fried snacks, the survey found more females consumed cereals, vegetables and fruits than their male counterparts.

25 In conclusion, the report suggested that schools ought to incorporate food literacy concepts into their curriculum as they have the potential of increasing the fruit and vegetable intake of teenagers. Additionally, healthy school canteen policies with improved availability, accessibility, variety and affordability of healthy food choices would support the consumption of nutritious food in students.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.

  1. What does the researcher mean by ‘changing food preferences'?
  2. Why was this survey on the food consumption of adolescents undertaken?
  3. With reference to the above figure, write one conclusion about students' consumption of energy-dense drinks.
  4. What can be concluded from the ‘no intake’ data of fruit consumption versus energy-dense snacks, with reference to the above figure?
  5. There were gender differences observed in the consumption of healthy foods, according to the survey. Substantiate.
  6. Why is ‘affordability’ recommended as a significant feature of a school canteen policy?
  7. Identify a word from lines 9-18 indicating that the questionnaire was specifically designed to be completed by a respondent without the intervention of the researcher collecting the data.
टिप्पणी लिखिए

उत्तर

  1. Urban population’s transition from healthy home-cooked meals to ready-to-eat-processed foods.
  2. understand the food consumption pattern of urban adolescents and make recommendations based on the data.
  3. Close to 47% drink three or more servings of energy-dense beverages while a mere 5% said ‘no’ to more than one serving of the beverage.
  4. Nearly half the respondents (45%) did not consume any servings of fruit in contrast to 95% that had some form of an energy-dense snack.
  5. Females had a more nutritious dietary intake as they consumed more cereals, vegetables and fruits compared to their male counterparts.
  6. The consumers are school children and therefore food should be affordable.
  7. Self-administered.
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Notes

Guidance:

The learner is required to include the change in food habits/preferences as indicated in the text.

  • Award 1 mark for the complete answer.
  • No partial credit.

Guidance:

The learner needs to draw on the objectives listed.

  • Award ½ mark for each point, to a maximum of 1 mark.
  • ½ mark partial credit if one point is stated.

Guidance:

The learner needs to analyse the energy-dense drinks’ graph and compare consumption trends, to analyse.

  • Award ½ mark each, for a maximum of 1 mark, for both aspects.
  • ½ mark as partial credit for only one aspect.

Guidance:

The learner needs to analyse the fruit consumption graph for ‘no intake’ with energy-dense snacks’ graph for ‘no intake’ and compare it to analyse.

  • Award ½ mark for each to a maximum of 1 mark.
  • ½ mark as partial credit for only one aspect.

Guidance:

The learner needs correctly substantiate the statement with reference to the graph.

  • Award 1 mark for a complete answer.
  • No partial credit.

Guidance:

The learner needs to infer the reason why school canteen fare needs to be affordable.

  • Award 1 mark for a valid reason.
  • No partial credit.

Guidance:

  • Award 1 mark for the correct answer.
  • No partial credit.
Unseen Passage Comprehension
  क्या इस प्रश्न या उत्तर में कोई त्रुटि है?
2021-2022 (April) Term 2 Sample

संबंधित प्रश्न

Look at the balloons. Which are the qualities inculcated in the author by her teacher? Write them. (2)

Sister Monica, however, wasn't quite as lenient as that, and spent most of the time telling me about the importance of regularity and hard work. She made me realise that success is, like genius, 99 per cent perspiration and 1 per cent inspiration. It's a lesson that has stood me in good stead.
The teachers I'm most grateful to, though, are not those who have taught me the most, but those who have simply been friends to me, believed me and believed in me. Prominent among them is Sudha Ramasubramanium-Rambo, as we used to call her. I didn't know her too well. She taught me in college, and apart from being incredible in class unless one missed class, she also believed that I actualIy had a Problem when I developed an injury (which several doctors found difficult to diagnose). Despite my missing an exam-the HSC, of all exams- she was the only person who told me to concentrate on my health and assured me that I could take the exam off the top of my head any time I wanted to.
I'm not even certain she remembers it, but at the time, it felt like one of the only rays of hope in an extremely dark tunnel. Perhaps few teachers realize how far their influence extends or how much of a difference their actions and words can make. A number of my teachers have unfortunately taught me kindness and tolerance and patience by being precisely the opposite, and quite obviously, they aren't the people I like to think about. But many of my teachers have been extraordinary people, who have not only taught me in class but also helped mould me and my character in every other way. I only hope that I live up to what their endeavors were undoubtedly mean to create.

B2.Answer
(1) What kind of teachers are disliked by the author?                                                                (1)
(2) What was Sudha Ramasubramanium's advice to the author when she was going to miss her HSC exam. ?                                                                                                                                 (1)

B3. Match :
Match the words with their appropriate meanings :                                                                     (2)

‘A’ ‘B’
(i) Prominent (a) Treatment
(ii) Incredible (b) Natural
(iii) Diagnose (c) Unbelievable
(iv) Endeavours (d) Noticeable
  (e) Efforts
  (f) Identify a disease

B.4(i) ‘Wh question’
She made me realize that success is, like genius.                                                                  (1)
(Frame a ‘Wh’ question to get the underlined part as an answer)

(ii) She taught me in college.                                                                                                (1)
(Begin the sentence with ‘I’ and rewrite).

B5. Personal Response
Do you agree that a teacher should also be your good friend? Justify your answer.                    (2)


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’?


 Read the passage given below:

1. Every morning Ravi gives his brain an extra boost. We're not talking about drinking strong cups of coffee or playing one of those mind-training video games advertised all over Facebook. "I jump onto my stationary bike and cycle for 45 minutes to work," says Ravi. "When I get to my desk, my brain is at peak activity for a few hours." After his mental focus comes to a halt later in the day, he starts it with another short spell of cycling to be able to run errands.

2. Ride, work, ride, repeat. It's scientifically proven system that describes some unexpected benefits of cycling. In a recent study in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, scientists found that people scored higher on tests of memory, reasoning, and planning after 30 minutes of spinning on a stationary bike than they did before they rode the bike. They also completed the tests faster after pedalling.

3. Exercise is like fertilizer for your brain. All those hours spent on exercising your muscles, create rich capillary beds not only in leg and hip muscles, but also in your brain. More blood vessels in your brain and muscles mean more oxygen and nutrients to help them work. When you pedal, you also force more nerve cells to fire. The result: you double or triple the production of these cells – literally building your brain. You also release neurotransmitters (the messengers between your brain cells) so all those cells, new and old, can communicate with each other for better, faster functioning. 'That's a pretty profound benefit to cyclists.

4. This kind of growth is especially important with each passing birthday, because as we age, our brains shrink and those connections weaken. Exercise restores and protects the brain cells. Neuroscientists say, "Adults who exercise display sharper memory skills, higher concentration levels, more fluid thinking, and greater problem-solving ability than those who are sedentary."

5. Cycling also elevates your mood, relieves anxiety, increases stress resistance, and even banishes the blues. "Exercise works in the same way as psychotherapy and antidepressants in the treatment of depression, maybe better," says Dr. Manjari. A recent study analyzing 26 years of research finds that even some exercise – as little as 20 to 30 minutes a day – can prevent depression over the long term.

6. Remember: although it's healthy, exercise itself is a stress, especially when you're just getting started or getting back into riding. When you first begin to exert yourself, your body releases a particular hormone to raise your heart  rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels, says Meher Ahluwalia, PhD, a professor of integrative physiology. As you get fitter, it takes a longer, harder ride to trigger that same response.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, complete the statements given below with the help of the options that follow:

(a) Ravi gets his brain to work at peak level by

(i) drinking three cups of coffee.
(ii) playing games that need brain activity.
(iii) cycling on a stationary bike.
(iv) taking tablets to pump up his brain.


(b) When nerve cells work during exercise then

(i) the body experiences stress.
(ii) the brain is strengthened by multiplying them.
(iii) you start to lose your temper.
(iv) your stationary cycle starts to beep.


Answer the following questions briefly:
(c) How does exercise help the brain?
(d) Why does Ravi do a circuit of 'ride, work, ride'?
(e) What is the work of neurotransmitters?
(f) What benefits other than greater brain activity does one get from cycling?
(g) Why is exercise so important for adults?
(h) How is exercise itself a stress?

(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:
(i) manure (para 3)
(ii) inactive (para 4)

Read the passage given below:

Keeping cities clean is essential for keeping their residents healthy. Our health depends not just on personal hygiene and nutrition, but critically also on how clean we keep our cities and their surroundings. The spread of dengue and chikungunya are intimately linked to the deteriorating state of public health conditions in our cities.

The good news is that waste management to keep cities clean is now getting attention through the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, much of the attention begins and stops with the brooms and the dustbins, extending at most to the collection and transportation of the mixed waste to some distant or not so distant place, preferably out of sight.

The challenge of processing and treating the different streams of solid waste, and safe disposal of the residuals in scientific landfills, has received much less attention in municipal solid waste management than is expected from a health point of view.

One of the problems is that instead of focusing on waste management for health, we have got sidetracked into "waste for energy". If only we were to begin by not mixing the biodegradable component of solid waste (close to 60 percent of the total) in our cities with the dry waste, and instead use this stream of waste for compositing and producing a gas called methane.

City compost from biodegradable waste provides an alternative to farmyard manure (like cow-dung). It provides an opportunity to simultaneously clean up our cities and help improve agricultural productivity and quality of the soil. Organic manure or compost plays a very important role as a supplement to chemical fertilisers in enriching the nutrient-deficient soils. City compost can be the new player in the field.

Benefits of compost on the farm are well-known. The water holding capacity of the soil which uses compost helps with drought-proofing, and the requirement of less water per crop is a welcome feature for a water-stressed future. By making the soil porous, use of compost also makes roots stronger and resistant to pests and decay. Farmers using compost, therefore, need less quantity of pesticides. There is also evidence to suggest that horticulture corps grown with compost have better flavour, size, colour and shelf-life.

City compost has the additional advantage of being weed-free unlike farmyard manure which brings with it the seeds of undigested grasses and requires a substantial additional labour cost for weeding as the crops grow. City compost is also rich in organic carbon, and our soils are short in this.

Farmers clearly recognize the value of city compost. If city waste was composted before making it available to the farmers for applying to the soil, cities would be cleaned up and the fields around them would be much more productive.

Quite apart from cleaning up the cities of biodegradable waste, this would be a major and sustainable contribution to improving the health of our soil without further damage by excessive chemical inputs. What a marvellous change from waste to health!

The good news is that some states are regularly laying plastic roads. Plastic roads will not only withstand future monsoon damage but will also solve a city's problem of disposing of non-recyclable plastic. It is clear that if the mountains of waste from our cities were to be recycled into road construction material, it would tackle the problem of managing waste while freeing up scarce land.

(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognisable 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 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.
 

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 his commander of the Horse Artillery, which was about 100 strong, 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 Artillery men, 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) adviser to Rani of Kittur
(iv) treasury officer
 
(b) British women and children came to Kittur to :
(i) visit Kittur
(ii) enjoy life in tents
(iii) stay in the palace
(iv) give company to officers
 
Answer the following questions briefly:
(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. aggressive/refusing to obey (para 2)

Read the passage given below :

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 a 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 sunset, 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 haa-oon. 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 spitted 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 :
 
(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

Answer the following questions briefly :
 
(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)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:           

The most alarming of man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with lethal materials. This pollution is for the most part irrevocable; the chain of evil it initiates is for the most part irreversible. In this contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world; radiation released through nuclear explosions into the air, comes to the earth in rain, lodges into the soil, enters the grass or corn, or wheat grown there and reaches the bones of a human being, there to remain until his death. Similarly, chemicals sprayed on crops lie long in soil, entering living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death. Or they pass by underground streams until they emerge and combine into new forms that kill vegetation, sicken cattle, and harm those who drink from once pure wells.

It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth and reached a stage of adjustment and balance with its surroundings. The environment contained elements that were hostile as well as supporting. Even within the light of the sun, there were short wave radiations with power to injure. Given time, life has adjusted and a balance reached. For time is the essential ingredient, but in the modern world is no time.

The rapidity of change and the speed with which new situations are created follow the heedless pace of man rather than the deliberate pace of nature. Radiation is no longer the bombardment of cosmic rays; it is now the unnatural creation of man’s tampering with the atom. The chemicals to which life is asked to make adjustments are no longer merely calcium and silica and copper and all the rest of the minerals washed out of the rocks and carried in the rivers to the sea; they are the synthetic creations of man’s inventive mind, brewed in his laboratories, and having no counterparts in nature.

(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 a 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:
We commemorate so many special days such as Republic Day, Independence Day, Mother's Day and so on. Well, here is one day that deserves not only a commemoration but our total dedication - Earth Day, 22 April. At Sanctuary, we live our lives like every day is Earth Day, but we all believe that it would be, fantastic to remind our relatives, friends, neighbours, teachers, and elders on this day that protecting Mother Earth can end up making us both happy and safe.
Will you do something this Earth Day? Here's a handy list of things you can do-

(1) Cut Consumption: Consume as little as possible on Earth Day. This 'is a day·when you ca!l Refuse (to buy new things), Repair and Reuse (old stuff), Recycle (what you cannot reuse), Reject (stuff that is toxic or dangerous to the environment) and Renew (your purpose and resolve to protect the planet).

(2) Cut Energy: (a) Ditch the old incandescent bulbs and shift to CFLs or LEDs (Google both to find out more). (b) Walk or use public transport, try not to use private cars to save fuel. Carpool. Cut down on trips. Use Skype· instead of traveling for meetings. (c) Switch off unnecessary gadgets. (don't just use the remote .... walk to the mains!).

(3) Cut Waste: Start a waste segregation system in your building, school or neighbourhood. Compost organic waste, sell what you can to the raddi-wallah and give him a small token of.. appreciation also for he is protecting your world. Collect unused papers from old notebooks and make new ones from them.

(4) Cut out plastic: Speak to at least five shopkeepers in your area and tell them you and your friends will only use their shops if they move away from wasteful plastic packaging, particularly thin plastic bags.

(1) What do you understand from this extract?
(2) What steps can we take to keep our environment clean?
(3) Why should we commemorate Earth Day?
(4) What is your opinion regarding shifting to CFLs or LEDs?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) Earth Day deserves a commemoration and our total dedication.
(Use 'not only - but also'.)
(ii) Start a Waste Segregation System in your building.
(Rewrite it beginning with 'Let'.)
(iii) You can sell waste to the raddi-wallah and give him a
small token of appreciation.
(Replace the modal auxiliary by another showing 'obligation'.)
(6) What do the following words in the extract mean?
(i) resolve
(ii) toxic


Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:

One day, King Amrit and Chandan were taking a walk on the terrace of the palace. The terrace offered a beautiful view of the surroundings, and they could see far into the distance. They spotted the weekly market from up there, with people in colourful clothes buying and selling all kinds of things. There was plenty to buy and people had money to buy too. There were no poor people to be seen anywhere. The King watched with a smile on his face. He was delighted to see the prosperity of his kingdom. Like any good ruler, he was happy ·when his people were happy.
       He turned to Chandan and said, ''See how contented my people are. But I want to check this first-hand by talking to them. Tomorrow, summon people from all walks of life to the court, and I will ask them myself how they are doing.'' Chandan was used to the king's strange requests and went off to carry out this order.

       The next day, the King arrived in the court humming a happy tune to himself. Seeing all the people gathered there waiting for him, he was even more pleased. He cleared his throat and said in a loud voice, ''I have called you here to ask you a very important question. As your king, I need to know if all of you are contented. Do you have enough for your needs? Do you know anyone who is not happy about anything?''.

(1) What do you understand about the King from this extract?
(2) Why did the King want to talk to his people?
(3) How did the King come to know about the prosperity of his kingdom?
(4) According to you, what should the Government do for the bettennent of the poor people?
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) He was delighted to see the prosperity of his kingdom.
(Make it a rhetorical question.)
(ii) Summon people from all walls of life to the court
(Rewrite it beginning with 'Let ..... ')
(iii) As soon as the King arrived in the court humming a
happy tune to himself, he cleared his throat.
(Rewrite it using 'No sooner .... than'.)

(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean:
(i) development
(ii) examine


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 ina 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·I6 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. If people starve in many countries it is not because food is becoming scarce; it is because those people cannot afford it.

Questions:
(1) What conclusions did the researchers arrive at?

(2) How does the writer explain that fertility is on the decline?

(3) What does the extract predict about the fear of scarcity of food?

(4) How will the population become a gift in the global market scene?

(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) The earth could withstand up to 200,000 times the current population.
(Rewrite the sentence using the modal auxiliary showing 'certainty'.)
(ii) The earth would be too hot to be habitable.
(Remove 'too' and rewrite the sentence.)
(iii) These resources are being used.
(Rewrite the sentence beginning with, 'We ........... .')

(6) Write the antonyms of:
(i) habitable
(ii) stabilize


(A) Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
   Chronic floods during the monsoon, on average, affect more than 30 million Indians annually Ironically, 60% of India's farmland, 66% of its livestock and its entire forest area depend on rains for survival.
   According to a recently released Central Water Commission (CWC) report, on an average, 7·21 million hectares (roughly 72,000 sq. km.) go under floodwater. This water typically ravages 3·78 million hectares of agricultural land, damaging crops worth Rs. 1, 118 crores annually.
   Heavy rains and floods account for nearly 1,700 lives lost annually. Apart from this, I ·25 lakh houses are annually damaged by torrential rains that also wipe out nearly 96,000 livestock.
   Floods are the most recurrent natural calamity, hitting India almost every year. According to the CWC's report on financial aspects of flood control, anti-sea erosion and drainage projects, it is not possible to provide absolute protection instantly to all flood-prone areas. It says that such an attempt will neither be practical nor economically viable.
   The CWC's analysis of floods in India from 1953 to 2011 shows a marginal decline in flood-affected areas over the years, the data shows 1977 1978 and 1979 were the worst-hit. The 1977 floods killed over 11,000 people, six-time the average for the 59 years, between 1953 and 2011. In terms of area and population affected, the floods of 1978 were the most destructive.
  In terms off the financial loss, recent floods have been far more destructive. The total loss of crops, houses and public utilities in 2009 was Rs. 32541 crores, the highest for any year.

Question
(1) What is the above extract about?

(2) How do floods adversely affect India?

(3) Why is it not possible to provide absolute protection to all flood-prone areas?

(4) How would you help the flood-affected people?

(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) The floods of 1978 were the most destructive.
(Change the sentence into the 'positive degree'.)
(ii) Floods are the most recurrent natural calamity hitting India almost every year.
(Make it a complex sentence.)
(iii) Floods have been far more destructive.
(Rewrite the sentence using the Simple Present tense.)

(6) Give the meanings of:
(i) entire
(ii) calamity

(B) Write a brief summary of the above extract with the help of the points given below and suggest a suitable title.
Floods - natural, recurrent calamity in India - destroy life and property - no absolute protection - neither practical nor economically viable- floods in 1977 and 1978. 


Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:

 We often hear this statement that “many of our young people spend more time before their T.V. sets, than they do in their classrooms or with their textbooks. “A bit exaggerated though it may sound, it is nearly true and our teenagers are being considerably influenced by the electronic media, particularly the T.V. The television has become the single most powerful influence in the lives of many of our youngsters today. Too often this happens to us much before we realise it ourselves.
         I am in no way trying to deny the many advantages of T.V. or minimise its manifold contributions to our world. On the other hand, I consider T.V. as one of the greatest scientific achievements of our times, bringing people closer than ever before.
        Television’s use of the modern satellite technology brings today even the remotest regions of the world to us in seconds, making the world a small (global) village. As we know, television also provides us with a fuller and more impressive coverage of current events than any other media.
       The T.V. does serve. In addition, as medium of education as well as entertainment. Besides, helping us to learn subjects taught in schools, college in greater depth, it enables us (National Geographic, Discovery channel etc.) to see and appreciate from close quarters (without having to go there, which is very expensive or even impossible for most of us) the wonders of God’s creation in any part of the world.
 
Questions: 
1.  What does the passage tell us about? (1) 
2.Write at least two advantages of T.V. from the passage. (2)
3. What other purpose does the T.V. serve in addition to education and entertainment? (2) 
4. Do you agree with the statement that many of our young people spend more time with their T.V. set? Justify your answer.  (2)
5. Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed: 
(i) Our young people spend more time before their T.V. set than in their classrooms.  (1) (Rewrite it  using positive degree)
(ii) The T.V. does serve as medium of education as well as an entertainment.   (1) (Rewrite it using ‘not only ......... but also’) 
(iii) I consider T.V. as one of the greatest scientific achievements of our times. (1) (Rewrite it using the noun form of the underlined word.)  
6. Find out the synonyms of the following words from the extract. (1) 
B. Summary: 
Write a summary of the above extract with the help of the following points and suggest a suitable title:  (4) 
Clues: T.V. - Misunderstanding - influence on youngsters - advantages - other benefits. 

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

Read the following passage and do the activities.

In the early days of farming, people did not understand how plants obtained essential nutrients. It so happened that wood ash, fish remains and slaughterhouse waste were thrown on vacant land just to get rid of them. Then, people started to notice that the grass, bushes and shrubs on this vacant land began to grow very well. They reasoned that if their farmland were similarly treated, the growth of their crops would also improve. People gradually began to realize that the nutrients required by plants came from the soil and that the amount of nutrients could be increased by the application of such organic remains to the soil. Thus started the manuring process in farming.
The practice of manuring has been practised as early since the seventeenth century. However, the importance of manuring was not properly understood until scientists began to study the nutritional needs of plants and gave birth to fertilizers. Thus, gradually, the use of fertilizers became accepted by farmers.
There are many types of manure and fertilizer currently being used. Manure is a substance derived from animals and plants. The most important advantage of using manure is the fact that they not only supply a wide range of plant
nutrients, but also improve the structure of the soil. It cements together the soil particles to form soil crumbs. The crumb structure is a desirable condition of cultivated soil. The addition of manure to soil will increase the inorganic and humus content which helps to prevent soil erosion and loss of plant nutrients when it rains. The common manure used in farming consists of farmyard manure, compost, blood meal, bone meal and fish meal.
Unlike manure, fertilizers are inorganic substances which do not improve the structure of the soil. They only supply extra amounts of nutrients to the growing plants when applied to the soil. The commercial fertilizers commonly used today
can be classified into three major categories; namely, nitrogen (N), phosphate and potash fertilizers.
Besides knowing the type of fertilizer to use, a farmer also needs to know when to apply the fertilizer and how to apply it. The fertilizer should be applied at the time when the plants need a particular nutrient most. The time and method
of application will determine how profitably the fertilizers have been used in farming. Fertilizers which have not been properly applied cannot be absorbed in large quantities by plant roots. These fertilizers may be washed away by rain
or they may kill the plants. This would mean a definite financial loss for the farmer.

(A1) Choose the correct option and rewrite the sentences.
(a) What did the people not understand in the early days of farming ? (1/2)
(i) how farming is done
(ii) how plants obtained essential nutrients
(iii) how grass, shrubs and bushes grow.

(b) What is manure ? (1/2)
(i) a substance derived from animals and plants.
(ii) the soil particles to form soil crumbs.
(iii) a combination of nitrogen, phosphate and potash.

(c) When should fertilizers be applied ? (1/2)
(i) When the plants get dried.
(ii) When the plants need a particular nutrient most.
(iii) In the early days of farming.

(d) What determines the profitability of the fertilizers ? (1/2)
(i) grass, bushes and shrubs
(ii) nitrogen, phosphate and potash.
(iii) The time and method of application.

(A2) How did the process of adding manure to the soil begin? (2)

(A3) Find out similar words from the passage. (2)
(i) necessary (ii) comprise
(iii) step by step (iv) ascertain

(A4)
(i) They supply extra amount of nutrients to the growing plants (Begin the sentence with ‘Extra amount of.......... ’.)(1)

(ii) It cements together the soil particles to form soil crumbs.
(Choose the correct option to name the tense.)(1)
(i) Simple present tense
(ii) Simple past tense
(iii) Simple future tense

(A5) ‘Agriculture plays important role in Indian economy’. Explain. (2)

(B) Read the passage given in Q. 4 (A) and write the summary of it. Suggest a suitable title to your summary. (5)


     We were an argrarian people. And my main hobby in my early teens was to wander through paddy field to see the different kinds of birds and how they nest. On the outskirts of the paddy fields, there had been many coconut trees and black palm trees. Beautifully crafted nests of the weaver-birds thookkanaam kuruvikal-would be seen dangling from the ends of palm leaves. Hundreds of these little birds would land on the paddy to squeeze the milk from the tender rice. They would come to the fields when the young stalks come out of the rise-plants. At this stage of the paddy, my father would send me to our field with a tin drum to scare these birds away. But often I have enjoyed the sight of these little birds balancing on the tender stalks and squeezing the milk out of the green rice. When the paddy is ripe enough to harvest, flocks of parrots would land there and cut the ripe stalks with their sharp beaks and fly away with the stalks dangling in their beaks. I have always liked to see this sight also.
       The nest of parrots were neatly crafted holes in the trunks of palm trees. I continued to wonder how they made chose holes on the hard trunks until I saw the patient work of the woodpeckers. They were the carpenters and their long, sharp and strong beaks, chisels. They make the holes (in search of worms inside the weak spots of the trunks) and the parrots occupy them. If I heard the sound tak, tak, tak. I knew it was a woodpeckers chiselling a had trunk. I would go after him. It seems that the woodpecker is the only bird which can walk perpendicularly on the tree trunks! How beautiful the sight was! Its strong legs, red crest, the dark red stripe on the face and black beak and the tak, tak, tak sound used to captivate me

A1. Complete the following table :Choose two sentence that appropriately mention the theme of the passage :

(i) The extract deals with the techniques to scare the birds away.
(ii) The extract depicts how parrots make holes on the tree trunks.
(iii) The extract depicts the writer’s love towards the birds.
(iv) The extract deals with the activities of different birds.

A2. Complete the flow-chart : 

A3. Complete the following table :

A4. Vocabulary -

Match the pairs of the words in column ‘A’ with their meaning in column ‘B’ :

Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(i) dangling (a) connected with farming
(ii) squeezing (b) attract the attention
(iii) agrarian (c) hanging freely
(iv) captivate (d) pressing firmly

A5. Personal response - 

Suggest two measures to increase the number of birds.

A6. Grammer -

Rewrite the following sentences in the way instructed
(i) The paddy is ripe enough to harvest
(Remove ‘enough’ and rewrite the sentence.)
(ii) How beautiful the sight was!
(Rewritte as an assertive sentence)


Read the extract and do the activities that follow : 

‘Your father was my enemy,’ said Frederick. ‘I would have been better pleased by your brave deed if you had told me of another father?’
‘I am proud to be Sir Rowland's son,’ answered Orlando angrily,’ and I would not change my place to be the heir of this dukedom.’
The Duke and his lords went away, leaving Orlando alone with Rosalind and Celia. Celia was angry with her father for speaking so unkindly to Orlando. ‘Would I have done this in my father’s place?’ she said to Rosalind.
‘My father loved Sir Rowland as much as his own soul,’ Rosalind said to Celia, ‘and all the world agreed with him. If I had known that his young man was Sir Rowland’s son I should have begged him with tears not to take so great a risk.’
‘Let us go and speak to Orlando,’ said gentle Celia. ‘I am ashamed of my father’s rude and angry words.’
The two girls went up to Orilando and praised him for his bravery. Rosalind took a gold chain from her neck and gave it to him. ‘I would like to give you more’, she said, ‘but I am not rich.’ Then she and Celia went away.
Orlando, however, could not forget them. He had already fallen in love with the fair Rosalind, but he could not stay at the Duke’s palace. His friends warned him that Frederick was angry and jealous of him. They told Orlando to leave the dukedom, because the Duke meant to do him harm.

A1. Match - 

Match the characters and their attributes: 

  A   B
i. Celia a. fair
ii. Orlando b. rude and unkind
iii. Frederick c. gentle
iv. Rosalind d. brave

A2. Write an imaginary paragraph: 

Write an imaginary paragraph in about 50 words in continuation with the given extract. 


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:

  1. What does the writer remember about Jamnagar?
  2. How did he spend time in Delhi? 
  3. What was the inspiration for the first novel and why?
  4. What was the importance of trains and railway stations in his life? 
  5. 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:

  1. He was shipped off to UK for ______. 
  2. Everyone travelled by sea because ______.
  3. The productivity dropped because ______.

3. Find out words/phrases from the passage that mean the same as the following. Attempt any two.

  1. gulped down/swallowed (para 2)
  2. early stage (para 3)
  3. attracted to (para 4)

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 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 sacks from a local factory. Sometimes the sacks were discarded is the flurry of building, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents apiece.

Questions: 

(1) What is the passage about?

(2) What did Reuben ask the shopkeeper? What was the shopkeeper's reply?

(3) Why could not Reuben ask his father for five dollars?

(4) How do you express your love and respect for your parents?

(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:

i. He opened the shop's weathered door and went inside. (Make it simple)

ii. "I will try."
(Rewrite the sentence using another modal Auxiliary showing 'obligation'.)

iii. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts.
(Frame a Wh question to get the underlined part as ita answer)

(6) Give the opposite words of:

(i) respectfully 

(ii) Usually 


Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions. Organic farmers ensure soil fertility with the help of crop rotation, compost, and other biologically-induced soil amendments. A healthy soil structure increases and insects and there is no need to depend on synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives and genetically modified organisms, all of which are extremely harmful to the plants as well as human beings who consume them.

According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements: "Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and good quality of life for all involved.... ." In India,
the Green Revolution, which was water-intensive and involved a heavy dose of chemical fertilizers, has not been a boon. Many farmers have seen the effects of chemical farming - soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients, loss of nutrition in food, and human diseases resulting from the chemicals that seep into the water table.

But organic farming is often hard for the farmers who have to invest considerable time, energy and resources to regenerate the soil and reestablish the delicate balance between soil, water, air, animals and plants. further, the lack of support on maintaining such a balance makes the products more expensive, putting the burden on consumers who choose to eat healthy.

(1) What does the first paragraph focus on?
(2) Why was the Green Revolution not a boon for Indian farmers?
(3) How is organic farming advantageous to farmers?
(4) What agricultural problems, according to you, do farmers face?
(5)
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) Organic farmers ensure soil fertility with the help of crop rotation.
(Rewrite the beginning of the sentences with 'Soil fertility'.)
(ii) A healthy soil structure increases its ability to hold water. (Frame a 'Wh-question' to get the underlined part as its answer.)
(iii) Chemical fertilizers are extremely harmful to the plants as well as human beings.
(Rewrite the sentence using 'not only..... but also'.)
(6)
Find out the words from the extract which mean:
(i) leak slowly (ii) substance added to improve something.


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 following extract and answer the questions given below :

I was 33 at the time, a doctor in the West End of London. I had been lucky)' in advancing through severed arduous Welsh mining assistantships to my own practice- acquired on the installment plan from a dear old family physician who, at our first interview, gazed at my cracked boots and frayed cuffs and trusted me.  
I think I wasn't a bad doctor. My patients seemed to like me not only 1he nice old ladies with nothing wrong with them, who lived near the Park and paid handsomely for my cheerful bedside manner but the cabbies, porters, and deadbeats in the mews and back streets of Bayswater, who paid nothing and often had a great deal wrong with them. Yet there was something- though I treated everything that came my way, read all Ille medical journals, attended scientific meetings, and even found time to take complex postgraduate diplomas - I wasn't quite sure of myself. I didn't stick at anything for long. I had successive ideas of specializing in dermatology, in aural surgery, in pediatrics, but discarded them all. While I worked all day and half of most nights, I really lacked perseverance, stability.  One day I developed indigestion. After resisting my wife's entreaties for several weeks, I went casually to consult a friendly colleague. I expected a bottle of bismuth and an invitation to a bridge. I received instead of the shock of my life: a sentence to six months' complete rest in the country on a milk diet. I had a gastric ulcer. 

(I) What does the doctor tell us about his profession?

(2) What sort of patients did the doctor handle? 

(3) What shock of life did the doctor receive when he visited his doctor colleague? 

(4) What qualities of the doctor appeal you the most? 

(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed: 

(i) I read all the medical journals.
(Rewrite it using the past perfect continuous tense.) 

(ii) I treated everything that came n1y way. 
(Rewrite the sentence beginning with "Everything ... ") 

(iii) I received the shock of my life. 
(Make it a Rhetorical question.) 

(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean : 

(i) involving a lot of effort and energy. 

(ii) serious requests   


Read the following extract and answer the questions given below :

But being named an 'AdarshGaon · is far from easy. Villages had to give a proposal after Which a committee headed by Mr. Pawar inspected the villages. "The villages had to show dedication in the struggle to fight mediocrity. They had to follow all the conditions of becoming an 'AdarshGaon '. We chose villages with a revolutionary spark." Mr. Pawar says. 

Villages need to follow strict rules. The process begins with effective water managc1nent through the watershed technique and Water auditing. taking responsibility for the village's natural resources -phmting trees and stopping grazing, contributing labour for the village Work, and then expanding to bring about behavioral changes in the people for harbouring social change. Hiware Bazaar is free of any kind of addiction and there are no liquor or tobacco shops in the village. Vasectomy has been made co1npulsory. as is the pre-marital HIV test. 

The 'AdarshGaon · n1odcl prides itself of being based on the joint decisions made by the (Gram Sabha, Where all the villagers are present. Even while selecting the new villages under the scheme, Mr. Pawar made sure that the decision to become an ideal village was taken by the entire village together. 

The greatest victory for Hiware Bazaar so far has been the reverse migration that the village has witnessed since 1989. As many as 93 families have come back to the village, "from the slums in Mumbai and Pune." Mr. Pawar says. 

(1) What features of 'AdarshGaon' are given in this extract?
(2) What is the procedure for selecting 'AdarshGaon'?
(3) What is the greatest victory for Hiware Bazaar? 
(4) Do you think all villages in Maharashtra should follow the ideals of Hiware Bazaar? Why? 
(5) Rewrite the following sentences in the Ways instructed : 

(i) Mr. Pawar inspected the villages. 
(Rewrite it using the noun form of the word underlined.)
(ii) Vasectomy has been made compulsory by the villagers.
(Rewrite it beginning with -"The villagers ........ ".) 
(iii) There are no liquor or tobacco shops in the village. 
(Rewrite it using 'neither ........ nor'.)

(6) Find out the words from the extract which mean : 

(i) causing a great change 
(ii) the quality of being average


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. 
Caged behind thick glass, the most famous dancer in the world can easily be missed in the National Museum, Delhi. The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro is a rare artifact that even school children are familiar with. Our school textbooks also communicate the wealth of our 5000-year heritage of art. You have to be alert to her existence there, amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.
Most of us have seen her only in photographs or sketches, therefore the impact of actually holding her is magnified a million times over. One discovers that the dancing girl has no feet. She is small, a little over 10 cm tall-the length of a human palm-but she surprises us with the power of the great art-the ability to communicate across centuries.
A series of bangles-of shell or ivory or thin metal-clothe her left upper arm all the way down to her fingers. A necklace with three pendants bunched together and a few bangles above the elbow and wrist on the right-hand display almost modern art.
She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit. She reminds us that it is important to visit museums in our country to experience the impact that a work of art leaves on our senses, to find among all the riches one particular vision of beauty that speaks to us alone.

1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage answer the following questions. 
(a) The Dancing Girl belongs to: 
(i) Mohenjo-Daro
(ii) Greek culture
(iii) Homo sapiens
(iv) Tibet 

(b) In the museum she's kept among: 
(i) dancing figures.
(ii) bronze statues.
(iii) terracotta animals.
(iv) books.
 
(c) Which information is not given in the passage? 
(i) The girl is caged behind glass.
(ii) She is a rare artefact.
(iii) School books communicate the wealth of our heritage.
(iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she's bronze. 

(d) 'Great Art' has power because: 
(i) it appeals to us despite the passage of time.
(ii) it is small and can be understood.
(iii) it's seen in pictures and sketches.
(iv) it's magnified a million times.

(e) The jewellery she wears:
(i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal.
(ii) is a necklace with two pendants.
(iii) both (i) and (ii) are correct.
(iv) neither (i) nor (ii) is correct.

(f)  She reminds us:
(i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
(ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
(iii) why she will make us come into money.
(iv) of dancing figures.

(g)
The synonym of the word "among" in para is 1 _____________
(h) The size of the dancing girl is equal to the length of the human palm. (True/ False)

Read the following passage and complete the activities:

A1. State whether the following statements are True or False.  (02)

  1. Time is the most valueless resource.
  2. The importance of time management is self-evident.
  3. Allow the time to flow and pass away.
  4. Time’s nature is clear.

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.
The secret of time management lies in successfully identifying and eliminating time-wasting activities with effective and efficient utilization of time. In order to be a good time manager, grab the time, utilize it properly and invest it into productive work. Do not allow the time to flow and pass away without offering any result.
The importance of time management is self-evident. Every individual has twenty-four hours a day to use. One must be aware of the available time and time needed to complete the daily routine. Everyone must remember that time cares only for those who take care of time. So, for the achievement of goals, proper planning and utilization of time are very important which is definitely possible only through time management.

A2. What are the secrets of a good time manager?    (02)

A3. 

  1. Pick out two adverbs from the given passage.
  2. Write the root word for the following:
    1. utilization
    2. entertainment

A4. Do as Directed:   (02)

  1. Rewrite the sentence using ‘Not only ……. But also’
    For the achievement of goals, proper planning and utilization of time are important.
  2. Do not allow the time to flow.  (Make the sentence assertive)

A5. “Time once lost, is lost forever.” Justify   (02)


Read the given case-based passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

 

Case study of museums

1.

We don’t go to museums. We prefer malls, cinema halls, and restaurants. Visiting a museum is best left to schools which makes it mandatory. After all, it is an academic exercise. And what entertainment can these places possibly offer? India doesn’t boast the greatest of museums, but one can’t doubt the collection of artefacts in these repositories of heritage, even for a second. Our eventful history has handed down us numerous masterpieces, but unfortunately, we don’t find them compelling enough. A cultural historian and museologist Jyotindra Jain says that the habit of going to museums has just not been inculcated in us. One of the best museums in the country, the National Museum in Delhi charges a mere Rs. 20. According to Joyoti Roy, outreach consultant, National Museum, it receives between 6,00,000 to 7,00,000 visitors each year and anything between 2,500 and 3,000 per day. The mix includes Indians, foreigners, and school students. For an Indian museum, it is an astounding figure, but still nowhere close to the footfalls museums, we consider the finest, get.

2. It has not been many days since the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore, hosted A. Ramachandran’s expansive retrospective covering five decades of his artistic journey. As we sat outside the first-floor gallery after Ramachandran walked me through his sketches, sculptures, and paintings, the senior artist, a bit disappointed said, “Had an exhibition of this scale taken place abroad, people would have come in thousands.” There were about three-five visitors inside the gallery at that time. Jain, who has also helmed institutions like the Crafts Museum and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi, puts the onus on museums. “We developed the museums but didn’t evolve the infrastructure around it. And it is the museum’s responsibility to do it. When you know, people are not going to come to you, you must go to them. Crafts Museum shares its wall with India Trade Promotion Organisation. It receives lakhs of people during the trade fair. I fought tooth and nail to get that door opened during my tenure (1984-89) so that the visitors spill over to the Crafts Museum as well. Museums need to rethink their strategies and outreach should be a major point of concern for them.”
3. In 2010, UNESCO brought out a report on the terrible conditions at India’s top eight museums, citing substandard maintenance, lighting, and signage, among other issues. The Ministry of Culture put together a 14 - point museum reforms agenda and things have moved forward since then. Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the oldest museum in Mumbai has received 3,00,000 visitors over the past year. On average, the museum witnesses 500 visitors every day, with an average of 2,000 visitors over weekends. Not big numbers again, but impressive enough in the Indian context. And this is when the museum re-emerged after a revamp in 2008 with an extensive exhibition programme. Collaborations, screenings of movies of different genres, and workshops for adults and children contributed to the increase in the number of footfalls. The public-private partnership model of the museum is unique and can be replicated in other cases as well.
4. Robust publicity of exhibitions and creating links between different art spaces can also fetch the audience. Different art institutions located in proximity can host a series of events to be held in each one of them simultaneously. Museums also need to transform their cafes, upgrade their museum shops, and most importantly, invest in their human resource. So, what do we do until then? Let’s go and explore these storehouses of history, culture, and knowledge because unless and until we claim them, they will remain indifferent to our needs.

After studying the case study of museums, answer the following questions.

  1. What according to the author is the reason for fewer footfalls in the museums in India?
  2. What measures are suggested in the passage to multiply the visitors to the museums?
  3. What was the proposition given by A. Ramachandran during his tenure at Crafts Museum?
  4. Between the National Museum of Delhi and Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, which museum has more footfall on daily basis? Justify using statistics provided in the study.

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.

  1. What does the writer mean by calling handicrafts a ‘valued tradition’?
  2. 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.
  3. State any two reasons why artisans are choosing to work via machines rather than handcrafted tools.
  4. Why do the artisans need to be ‘lured with incentives’ to impart handicrafts training?
  5. List one likely impact of the support of government and private sectors towards the culture of making handicrafts.
  6. 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

QUESTIONS YES % NO % CAN’T SAY%
1. Do you feel that bursting crackers is a must during festivities? 46 54 0
2. Do you think most people abuse environmental resources during the celebration of festivals? 72 28 0
3. Do you think that celebrations & festivities result in uniting people? 64 32 4
4. Do you enjoy bursting crackers for amusement? 68 32 0
5. Do you feel pressured to burst crackers during festivals as an expectation of your social status? 82 12 6
6. Are you aware of waste segregation & disposal guidelines for better ecology? 56 40 4
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.

  1. Why do the researchers call pollution the ‘flip side’ of festivals?
  2. Comment on the significance of the second objective of the study with reference to lines 7-12.
  3. Justify the researchers’ recommendation for limiting the drastic impact of festival pollution on the environment with reference to lines 16-21.
  4. Why do the researchers feel that environmental groups and eco-clubs are fighting a losing battle in the given scenario?
  5. 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?
  6. What purpose does the ‘Can’t Say’ column serve in the questionnaire (table 1)?

Read the following passage and do the activities.

A1. Complete the following sentences.

  1. Vegetarianism has not spread as desired because ______.
  2. Vegetarians are of various types ______.

Vegetarianism promotes a natural way of life. But despite its implicit message of universal love and nonviolence, it has not spread as it should have. This may be because it usually is an inward looking habit and is best cultivated in the mind.

Leading a vegetarian way of life helps the animal kingdom to coexist with man. The animals supply milk, manure and energy. This has been central to Indian culture for thousands of years. A vegetarian lifestyle is natural, multifaceted and helps preservation in a healthy way. Food and health are closely related.

Vegetarians are of various types. There are lacto-vegetarians who consume dairy products; Lacto-ovo-vegetarians include eggs in addition to dairy products. Vegans are pure vegetarians who do not consume any food derived from animals.

The Western science of food considers food as something to sustain only the human body, whereas Indian science considers food as something which sustains not only the body, but also maintains the purity of heart, mind and soul. Thus, an item of food which is injurious to the mind is not considered to be fit for consumption, even if it is otherwise beneficial to the body or satisfies the taste. Indian food science does not give so much importance to protein or even to a balanced diet but it gives importance to food that increases the strength of the body and its vitality.

Vegetarian foods provide an infinite variety of flavours whereas non-vegetarian foods have hardly any taste of their own. In fact, non-vegetarian foods have to be seasoned with ingredients from the vegetable kingdom to make them palatable.

A2. What is the importance of eating vegetarian food?

A3.

  1. Pick out two adjectives from the given passage.
  2. Find words in the passage which mean the following:
    1. Indirect
    2. Tasty

A4. Convert the following sentence to negative without changing the meaning.

Leading a vegetarian way of life helps the animal kingdom to coexist with man.

A5. Why do you think vegetarianism is being promoted on a global level? Justify with your response.


Read the following passage and do the activities.

A1. Fill in the blanks.

  1. ______ is the effect of excessive humour.
  2. ______ and ______ are the qualities of a humorous person.

You are endowed with certain naughtiness as a child. Keep it alive. Humour will lighten all tough situations. One who has humour can sail through any conflict. Humour is buffer that saves you from humiliation. Humour brings everyone together, while humiliation tears them apart. In a society tom with humiliation and inSult, humour is like a breath of fresh air.

Humour should be coupled with care and concern. Humour can keep the spirit high, yet if overdone, it leaves a bad taste. Humour without wisdom is shallow.

Humour without sensitivity is satire-it comes back to you with more problems. The wise use humour to bring wisdom and to lighten situations. The intelligent use humour as a sword to insult others. The irresponsible use humour to escape from responsibility. And fools take humour too seriously!

How does one cultivate a sense of humour? Humour is not just words, it is the lightness of your being. You do not have to read and repeat jokes. Humour can be cultivated by taking life not too seriously (because you will never come out of it alive), having a sense of belonging with everybody, including those who are not friendly, practising Yoga and meditation, having unshakable faith in the Divine and in the laws of Karma, being in the company of those who live in knowledge and have a sense of humour.

A2. How does humour help in building harmony in society?

A3. State the meaning of the following:

  1. Satire
  2. To be shallow

A4. Add a question tag to the following sentences.

  1. You are endowed with certain naughtiness as a child.
  2. Humour can be cultivated by taking life not too seriously.

A5. How do you think can humour help you to develop a better personality?


Based on the careful reading of the passage given below, answer any four out of five questions that follow:

Climate change and global warming are the biggest threats of the present time and how the world manages to control pollution will define our future. Rising industrialization, urbanization, deforestation etc., are endangering the natural ecosystem. Since 1880, the earth’s temperature has been rising at a rate of 0.14° F (0.08° C) per decade and the rate of increase has doubled since 1981 at 0.32° F (0.18° C) per decade. The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2015, with 2020 recorded as the second-warmest year as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

With growing economies, global carbon measurements have been rapidly rising for the last 15 years. As per recent data, in January 2022, carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement stood at 418 parts per million, up around 11% from 378 parts per million recorded since 2007.

(a) What is the key to defining our future?

  1. The means employed to control pollution.
  2. The means employed to control resources.
  3. The means employed to control state policies.
  4. The means employed to educate masses.

(b) Which of the following elements are not responsible for endangering natural ecosystem?

  1. Deforestation
  2. Inflation
  3. Industrialization
  4. Urbanization

(c) According to the passage, economy, and carbon emissions have been ______ to each other for last 15 years.

  1. Inversely proportionate
  2. Directly proportionate
  3. Not related
  4. Disproportionate

(d) Name the institution responsible for observing and recording earth’s temperature over the years.

  1. National Organic and Atmospheric Administration
  2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  3. North Organic and Atmospheric Administration
  4. National Offshore and Atmospheric Administration

(e) Carbon dioxide measurement stood at ______ parts per million in 2007.

  1. 387
  2. 378
  3. 481
  4. 418

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:
Research Question 1: What key events do student leaders in college, report as significantly impacting their development as a leader?
Research Question 2: What lessons do student leaders in college, report learning as a result of the key events they have experienced?
Research Question 3: Are certain key events more likely to be linked to particular lessons? Approximately 130 students were contacted and the 72 interested, were interviewed. Two members of the research team were present for each 15 – 45 minute interview. One member served as the primary interviewer while the second ran the audio equipment.
The results for lessons learned (Table 1), were varied, but there were a few that were frequently quoted.

Lessons learned Responses
Identity  
Self Identity 58
Leadership Identity 54
Professionalism 30
Balancing Roles 19
Individual Competencies  
Delegation 17
Decision Making 15
Adaptability/Flexibility 38
Resilience/Persistence/Hard Work 18
Taking Initiative 36
Accountability/Responsibility 29
Big Picture 27
Learing to Teach/Learn 18
Support Systems  
Developing and Using Support Systems 36
Being a Support System 28
Working with Others  
Communication 59
Teamwork 26
Conflict 21
Diversity 32
Inspiring and motivating others 17
Others working with others 30
Getting the job done  
Task skills 55
Environment 34
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:

  1. True - if the statement agrees with the information
  2. False - if the statement contradicts the information
  3. 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... 

  1. learning opportunities shape students’ overall personality.
  2. leadership lessons are the result of the designed learning opportunities.
  3. all learning opportunities cater to a specific lesson.
  4. 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)

  1. Students will be able to debate the issue at hand, with different teams.
  2. Students will be able to manage the responsibilities of a mentor, planner researcher and presenter.
  3. Students will be able to surmount minor problems and focus on the final goal.
  4. 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 ______

  1. experiences that shaped students’ overall personality.
  2. lessons gained by students as they grew up.
  3. relationship of key events with particular lessons.
  4. 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.

  1. collaboration
  2. flexibility
  3. hard work
  4. 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 following passage and do the given activities:

A1. Match the columns A with B correctly:  (2)

A B
(i) Rocket programming (a) IIT (Bombay)
(ii) Graduation (b) ISRO
(iii) Masters in Engineering (c) S. T. Hindu College
(iv) Ph.D (d) IISC

 

The humble son of a farmer from Sarakkalvilai village in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district, Dr. K. Sivan as Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman was leading the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the moon. Sivan studied in a Tamil medium government school. After graduating from S.T. Hindu College in Nagercoil, Sivan completed a Master's in Engineering from IISC in 1982. In 2006, he received Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay.

Sivan is the first graduate in his family. His brother and two sisters were unable to complete higher education due to their poverty.  "When I was in college, I used to help my father in the field. That was the reason he got me admitted to a college near our house." Sivan told TOI, "Only when I had completed my B.Sc. (Mathematics) with 100% marks his mind changed." Sivan said he had spent his childhood days without a shoe or sandal. I continued wearing a vesti (dhoti) till college. I wore pants for the first time when I entered MIT." He joined ISRO in 1982 and worked on almost all rocket programmes. Before taking charge as an ISRO chairman in January 2018, he was the director, of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) which develops rockets. He is known as ISRO's 'Rocket Man'.

A2. Answer the following questions in a few words. (One or two words)    (2)

  1. What is Dr. Sivan known as?
  2. In which subject Dr. Sivan scored 100% marks in B.Sc.?
  3. When did Dr. Sivan join ISRO?
  4. In which space centre Dr. Sivan was the director?

A3. Match the word connectors from the passage and use one of the connectors in your own sentence:  (2)

A B
(i) Tamil (a) School
(ii) Government (b) Medium
  (c) Centre

A4. Do as directed:   (2)

  1. Sivan is the first graduate in his family.    (Rewrite as a negative sentence)
  2. His brother and two sister were unable to complete higher education due to their poverty.
    (Rewrite the above sentence using 'neither ____nor')

A5. Personal Response:   (2)

What inspiration can we draw from Dr. Sivan's success?


Read the following extract and complete the activities given below:

The government of India is encouraging medical tourism in the country by offering tax benefits and export incentives to the participating hospitals. Medical visas are being cleared quickly without any hassles. With a view to facilitating the growth of medical tourism industry, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Ministry of Tourism has set up a task force to evaluate the opportunities in the industry. Efforts are being made to standardise procedures and to guide foreign patients to select the hospitals most suited to their needs. Meanwhile, several private hospitals are seeking to take advantage of the booming medical tourism industry and are investing hugely in acquiring equipments and skills.

However, medical tourism carries some risks that locally provided medical care does not. Some countries like India, Malaysia and Thailand have very different infectious diseases rarely found in Europe and North America. Exposure to disease without having built-up natural immunity can be a hazard for weak individuals specially with respect to gastrointestinal diseases like Hepatitis A, amoebic dysentery etc., which could slow down the recovery process. Also, medical tourists may be at risk from mosquito-transmitted diseases, influenza and tuberculosis. The quality of post-operative care can also vary dramatically depending on the hospital and the country. Finally, after returning home, a patient has limited contact with their surgeon. This may make it difficult to deal with any complications that may arise later, such as a delayed infection.

The concept of medical tourism raises some important questions regarding accessibility, affordability and ethics in medical care. It is unfortunate that a large section of the Indian population has little or no access to private health care. Public health care system is inadequate and lacks proper infrastructure and facilities. One wonders if it is sensible to make provisions for medical tourism in a democratic country like India, which has failed to provide nourishment, sanitation and health care to its masses.

A1. Complete the web:    (2)

A2. Complete the following statements with the help of information provided in the extract:      (2)

  1. Building up natural immunity is must for all because ______.
  2. The concept of medical tourism can not be much successful in India because _______.

A3. Complete the following table with reference to the statement ‘Medical Tourism is a mixed blessing’:        (2)

Positive aspects of Medical Tourism Hazard/Nagative aspects
of Medical Tourism
1.   1.  
2.   2.  

A4. ‘We need to promote the concept of Wildlife Tourism in India’. State whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Mention any two arguments.   (2)

A5. Language study:    (2)

(i) ‘Govt. of India is encouraging medical tourism in the country’.     ...(Choose the correct present perfect form of the given statement.)

  1. Govt. of India is encouraged medical tourism in the country.
  2. Govt. of India had encouraged medical tourism in the country.
  3. Govt. of India has been encouraged medical tourism in the country.
  4. Govt. of India has encouraged medical tourism in the country.

(ii) ‘This may make it difficult to deal with any complication’.     ...(Identify the replaced version of the statement using the auxiliary of certainty or definiteness.)

  1. This can make it difficult to deal with any complication.
  2. This might make it difficult to deal with any complication.
  3. This will make it difficult to deal with any complication.
  4. This have made it difficult to deal with any complication.

A6. Identify the words from the passage with the following meaning:    (2)

  1. growing immensely
  2. threat
  3. obtaining
  4. able to approach/possible to approach

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)

    1. Finds poetry to be a frustrating and meaningless endeavor.
    2. Believes that the emotional rollercoaster of studying poetry is not worth the effort.
    3. Recognizes the challenges of studying poetry but also acknowledges the rewards it offers.
    4. 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.

  1. Only those with natural talent for poetry should engage with it.
  2. Persistence makes studying poetry a rewarding pursuit.
  3. Study of poetry is guaranteed to impress others.
  4. 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 extract given below:

(1) Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When areas in and around Leh began to experience water shortages, life didn't grind to a halt. Why? Because a retired civil engineer in the Jammu and Kashmir Government came up with the idea of artificial glaciers.
(2) Ladakh, a cold desert at an altitude of 3,000 - 3,500 meters above sea level, has a low average annual rainfall rate of 50 mm. Glaciers have always been the only source of water. Agriculture is completely dependent on glacier melt, unlike the rest of river/monsoon-fed India. But over the years, with increasing effects of climate change, rainfall and snowfall patterns have been changing, resulting in severe shortage and drought situations. Given the extreme winter conditions, the window for farming is usually limited to one harvest season.
(3) It is located between the natural glacier above and the village below. The one closer to the village and lowest in altitude melts first, providing water during April-May, the crucial sowing season. Further, layers of ice above melt with the increasing temperature, thus ensuring continuous supply to the fields. 

Therefore, farmers have been able to manage two crops instead of one. It costs about 1,50,000 and above to create a glacier.

(4)

Fondly called the glacier man, he has designed over 15 artificial glaciers in and around Leh since 1987. In recognition of his pioneering effort, he was conferred the Padma Shri by The President of India.

(5)

There are a few basic steps followed while creating an artificial glacier. River or stream water at high altitude is diverted to a shaded area of the hill, facing north, where the winter sun is blocked by a ridge or a mountain range. At the start of winter ie., in November, the diverted water is made to flow on sloping hills facing distribution channels. Stone embankments are built at regular intervals which impede the flow of water, making shallow pools which freeze, forming a cascade of ice along the slope. Ice formation continues for 3-4 months resulting in a large accumulation of ice which is referred to as an ‘artificial glacier’.

Based on your understanding of the extract, answer the questions below:

  1. Infer one reason for, the following, based on information in paragraph 1.       (1)
    Areas in and around Leh began to experience water shortage but life didn't grind to a halt.
  2. Select from the passage the appropriate option to fill in the blanks:     (1)
    Agriculture is completely dependent on ______ unlike the rest of river/monsoon-fed India.
    1. rainfall pattern
    2. climate change
    3. glaciers melt
    4. extreme winter conditions
  3. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from paragraph 3:       (1)
    Icing : cake :: layers : ______.
  4. Select the correct option to complete the following sentence:       (1)
    At the start of winter the diverted water is made to flow ______.
    1. on sloping hills facing distribution channels.
    2. on high altitude.
    3. on ice-cold water level.
    4. on mountain range.
  5. From the chart select the months of water surplus.    (1)
    1. January, February.
    2. November, December.
    3. July, August, September.
    4. March, April
  6. Fill in the blank by selecting from the passage the correct option:     (1)
    The ______ have been the only source of water in areas in and around Ladakh.
    1. glaciers
    2. rivers
    3. streams
    4. water springs
  7. The word 'located' in paragraph 3 means:       (1)
    1. found
    2. locally found
    3. situated
    4. adapted
  8. Write any two steps followed while creating the glaciers.      (1)
  9. List one reason why artificial glaciers seem the best option.      (1)
  10. Select the most suitable title from the following for the passage:    (1)
    1. Water Shortage.
    2. New Ways Pool Water.
    3. Artificial Glacier.
    4. River Beds.

Read the following text.

 

Arthur lay in his cabin, still trying to piece together the events of the last few hours. He had watched his home planet of Earth be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, been saved by his friend Ford, and then whisked away on a ship that was powered by an "infinite improbability drive." It was all too much for him.

5.

Just then, Ford stuck his head around the door.
"Hey, Earthman," he said, "come and have a look at this."
Arthur stumbled after him down a corridor and into the ship's control room. He gazed in amazement at the banks of controls and flashing lights. In the center of the room was a large console covered in buttons and switches, and in the middle of the console was a small, white mouse.

10

"What's that?" asked Arthur.
"That's the ship's computer," said Ford.
Arthur stared at the mouse. "That's a computer?" he said.
"Yup," said Ford. "Five-dimensional, biologically-based, super intelligent, and in the form of a white lab mouse. Pretty neat, huh?"

15

"I don't know," said Arthur. "I don't think I really understand anything anymore. Why is a mouse the ship's computer?"
"It's a long story," said Ford. "But the short version is that the mice built the Earth as a giant computer to figure out the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Then they ran out of money and had to destroy it to make way for a hyperspace bypass. So now they're using the Heart of Gold to finish the calculation."

20

Arthur was about to say something, but at that moment the ship's intercom crackled to life.
"Good evening, Heart of Gold," said a smooth, computerized voice. "This is Eddie, your shipboard computer. I'm feeling a bit depressed today. Would you like me to sing you a song?"
"Oh, not again," groaned Ford.

25

"Eddie, would you mind shutting up?" said Arthur.
Arthur sighed and leaned back against the console, trying to make sense of everything. But as he closed his eyes, he heard a voice inside his head.
"Hello?" it said.
Arthur jumped, startled. "Who's there?" he said.

30

"It's me," said the voice. "Marvin."
"Marvin?" said Arthur. "Who's Marvin?"
"The Paranoid Android," said the voice.
Arthur looked around, but he didn't see anyone. "Where are you?" he said.
"I'm down here," said the voice.

35

Arthur looked down and saw a small, metal figure shuffling across the floor. It was about three feet tall, with a round head and a body that looked like it had been cobbled together from spare parts. Its eyes were a dull red, and its voice was a monotone.
"I've been waiting for someone to talk to me for over two million years," said Marvin.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.

  1. Select the option that classifies Arthur's confusion about drastic events such as the destruction of his home planet and the introduction of new technologies, correctly.      (1)
    1. Routine and boredom
    2. Adventure and excitement
    3. Loss and change
    4. Calm and relaxation
  2. What is the significance of the white lab mouse in the control room of the Heart of Gold spaceship?     (1)
    1. It is the captain of the ship
    2. It serves as the ship's computer
    3. It is a pet of the crew
    4. It is used for scientific experiments
  3. Share evidence from the text, in about 40 words to support the view that the writer’s writing style is descriptive and humourous.     (2)
  4. Complete the sentence appropriately with a characteristic or its description.    (1)
    Based on the information given in the excerpt, one can infer that the mice who built the Earth are ______.
  5. Select the option that is similar in meaning to Ford’s expression, “Pretty neat, huh?".     (1)
    1. Easy, isn’t it?
    2. Could be worse, no?
    3. Impressive, yes?
    4. Too difficult for you?
  6. Explain, in about 40 words, why the name "The Paranoid Android" is considered ironic.       (2)
  7. In the line, “…a body that looked like it had been cobbled together from spare parts…”, what comparison does the word “cobbled” refer to?      (1)
  8. How does the following, impact the reader, even though they know Marvin is just an android?      (2)
    "I've been waiting for someone to talk to me for over two million years," said Marvin. Answer in about 40 words.
  9. Read the five headlines (a) -(e), given below:        (1)
    (a) HUMANITY'S JOURNEY WITNESSED BY A DEPRESSED ROBOT
    (b) HITCHHIKING THROUGH SPACE: A COMICAL TAKE ON THE END OF THE WORLD
    (c) NEW STUDY FINDS ALIENS LIVING AMONG US
    (d) GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGY WILL SOON ENABLE TIME TRAVEL
    (e) INTERGALACTIC TRAVEL VIA NEW INFINITE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE
    Identify the option that displays the headline/s that DOES/ DO NOT correspond with occurrences in the passage.
    1. Only (a)
    2. (b) (c) and (d)
    3. Only (e)
    4. (a) and (e)

Read the passage given below:

(1) When we think of the game of cricket, we come to the conclusion that it is primarily a game that depends on outstanding physical activities, good hand-eye coordination, speed, skill and strength. It provides entertainment and generates strong feelings of excitement. A good match of cricket or of any other game neither adds to the existing stock of human knowledge nor reveals any secret of existence. It does not carry any deep meaning but most people, particularly the lover of sports attach deep emotions and numerous meanings to it. Games are thought of as a metaphor for life. They are supposed to teach many lessons. In fact, more is said and written about a cricket match than about scientific findings or great philosophy.
(2) This is because games, like a morality play, in which settings and rules are made by us, can easily make people test their fair and foul conduct, principles of reward and punishment, and emotions of joy and disappointment. They can make us experience the thrill of war without exposing us to its dangers. A man watching a cricket match on T.V. and munching popcorn is like a surrogate warrior. In fact, games provide us with a safe outlet for our aggressiveness.
If games become aggressive, they lose the very purpose of providing entertainment and purging us of our aggressiveness. They can calm our impatience without creating any conflict.
(3) Commentators, journalists, politicians and analysts can do a great favour to the competing teams by keeping the excitement within limits. The teams should play without being dominated by feelings of national honour and shame. Excellent performance of the players of both teams should be enjoyed and appreciated.
Winning or losing in a game should not be taken seriously. A game is fun if it is played with true spirit of sportsmanship.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:

  1. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option: (1)
    Most people conclude that cricket is primarily a game because ______.
    1. it is played as a match
    2. it requires two teams
    3. it includes physical activity
    4. it depends only on skill and strength.
  2. Comment on the writer's reference to 'that cricket does not reveal any secret of existence. (1)
  3. List two responses to which watching a game of cricket gives rise to. (1)
  4. Select the option that conveys the opposite of 'destroy' from words used in the passage. (1)
    1. reveals
    2. experience
    3. generate
    4. purging
  5. The writer would not agree with the given statements based on paragraph 2, EXCEPT (1)
    1. Rules of any game are made by people.
    2. Watching a cricket match makes the viewer believe that he is fighting a battle.
    3. It is necessary for a game to be aggressive in order to build excitement.
    4. A game can test people's sense of fair judgement.
  6. With reference to the passage, a spectator is compared to a 'surrogate warrior'. (1)
    Choose the option that best describes this phrase:
    1. a spectator who is paid to watch.
    2. a spectator who is in pain while watching the match.
    3. a spectator who enjoys the match as an armchair soldier.
    4. a spectator who makes judgments about reward and punishment.
  7. Why does the writer compare games to a morality play? (1)
  8. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference with respect to the following: (1)
    The writer says that games can calm our impatience without creating any conflict by ______.
  9. The writer advises the players that games should not become aggressive because ______. (1)
  10. Select the most suitable title for the above passage. (1)
    1. Excellent Performance by Cricketers
    2. The Benefits of Playing Cricket
    3. Cricket - The King of Games
    4. The True Spirit of Playing Games

Read the following report and answer the questions by choosing the correct/most appropriate option:

(1)

How bird hits happen, why they are a concern?

New Delhi June 20

At least two bird strike incidents happened on Sunday. Both aircrafts returned to their airports of origin and were grounded for maintenance. An ABC aircraft, which took off from Guwahati towards Delhi, suffered damage to its left engine following a bird hit at 1600 feet. The pilots returned to Guwahati. The other strike happened on another flight from Patna to Delhi. The pilots of the aircraft suspected a bird strike during the take-off roll but continued to climb. Following the take-off rotation, they were informed by the cabin crew of sparks emanating from the left engine. Subsequently, the pilots were also informed by air traffic control of smoke coming out of one of the engines. The pilots declared an emergency and returned to Patna.

(2)

Why are bird strikes a concern?

Bird strikes are among the most common threats to aircraft safety, and they typically occur during take-off or landing. Dozens of bird-strikes happen each day but some can be more dangerous than others. Typically, when birds collide with an aircraft's airframe, it is unlikely to cause significant problems for the pilots flying. But there are instances when the aircraft engine ingests the birds. This can lead to a loss of thrust for the engine and cause manoeuvrability problems for the crew. In these cases, where a jet engine ingests a bird, procedures would generally call for pilots to land the plane at the closest airport. While most airframe bird strikes are not considered critical to air safety, if a collision cracks a window or a wind screen, pilots will look to land as early as possible.

(3)

How critical are bird strikes to air safety?

Smaller planes would generally be more susceptible to the dangers of bird strikes than larger ones.

However, given that bird strikes mostly happen during take-off and landing, these incidents could distract the pilots during what are highly critical phases of flights that demand the complete attention of the crew.

(4)

What causes bird-strikes?

The presence of birds around an aircraft increases the chances of a bird strike. In the monsoon, as water puddles emerge on open grounds attracting insects to breed, the presence of birds increases. In some cases, bird hits also happen at higher altitudes when a plane is cruising. These are more dangerous than the low-altitude hits, given that they can cause rapid depressurization of cabins. Other reasons for bird activity around the airfield could be presence of landfills or waste disposal sites that can attract a large number of birds.

  1. Does the following statement agree with the information given in paragraph 1? (1)
    When an airplane is hit by a bird or is suspected to have been hit, the passengers must be asked to get down at once.
    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.
  2. Select the option that displays the most likely reason for bird hits. (1)
    1. when the aircraft is overloaded
    2. at the time of landing or taking off
    3. when the crew become negligent
    4. when the passengers become panicky
  3. Complete the sentence appropriately with one word. (1)
    Smaller planes are generally more ______ than larger ones.
  4. Complete the sentence by selecting the most appropriate option: (1)
    When the window or the windscreen of the airplane is cracked due to a bird hit ______.
    1. the crew must rush to the cockpit
    2. the pilot must land at the earliest airport
    3. the pilot must inform the maintenance engineer
    4. the pilot must get instructions from the aviation wing on what should do in emergency
  5. Based on the reading of the text, state a point to further the statement. (1)
    Dozens of bird hits take place every day ______.
    1. but only a few are dangerous
    2. all of them are fatal
    3. but after every bird hit it is imperative to land the aircraft
    4. the pilot should ignore them
  6. Complete the sentence based on the following statement: (1)
    Complete attention of the crew is demanded during take-off and landing.
    We can say this because ______.
  7. Complete the sentence appropriately with one/two words. (1)
    In cases where the aircraft engine infests the bird, it leads to the loss of thrust and causes problems in ______.
  8. Which are the areas more prone to bird hits? (1)
  9. Based on the reading of the text, state a point to challenge the given statement: (1)
    The area around air fields should be clear of any waste disposal sites.
  10. Look at the graph. It shows that between 2016 and 2021, whereas air flights have come down, the bird-hits have gone up. This implies that the incidence of bird hits has: (1)
    1. decreased
    2. increased
    3. remained constant
    4. been alarming

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:

  1. 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:
    1. True - If the statement agrees with the information.
    2. False - If the statement contradicts the information.
    3. Not Given - If there is no information on this.
  2. What do you think gives opportunities to boost exports? (1)
  3. Select the option that displays the most likely reason for FMCG rural sector being on track. (1)
    1. FMCG sector has been unable to get investments from the government.
    2. PLI schemes don't reach the rural sector.
    3. Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of the online grocery segment in India is expected to double in the next five years.
    4. There is a desire to buy branded products in the villages too.
  4. 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 ______.
  5. From the given pie chart, which segment of FMCG accounts for the maximum percentage of the sector? (1)
  6. 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 ______.
    1. the Government taking a direct interest
    2. the demand for branded products
    3. price increases across product categories
    4. the fall of supply in urban areas
  7. How is the Government trying to help Indian brands of food products in the international markets? (1)
  8. Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option: (1)
    The concluding paragraph of the passage makes a clear case ______.
    1. that the rural people also want branded products
    2. that the FMCG industry will not focus on brand consciousness
    3. for the role of data analytics in the FMCG industry
    4. for the Government's role by providing incentives
  9. What will be the impact of the increased level of brand consciousness? (1)
  10. 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 extract and complete the activities given below:

This is what Camus meant when he said that "what gives value to travel is fear"-disruption, in other words, (or emancipation) from circumstance, and all the habits behind which we hide. And that is why many of us travel not in search of answers, but of better questions. I, like many people, tend to ask questions of the places I visit, and relish most the ones that ask the most searching questions back of me: "The ideal travel book," Christopher Isherwood once said, "should be perhaps a little like a crime story in which you're in search of something." And it's the best kind of something, I would add, if it's one that you can never quite find.

I remember, in fact, after my first trips to Southeast Asia, more than a decade ago, how I would come back to my apartment in New York, and lie in my bed, kept up by something more than jet lag, playing back, in my memory, over and over, all that I had experienced, and paging wistfully through my photographs and reading and re-reading my. diaries, as if to extract some mystery from them. Anyone witnessing this strange scene would have drawn the right conclusion: I was in love.

When we go abroad is that we are objects of scrutiny as much as the people we scrutinize, and we are being consumed by the cultures we consume, as much on the road as when we are at home. At the very least, we are objects of speculation (and even desire) who can seem as exotic to the people around us as they do to us.

All, in that sense, believed in "being moved" as one of the points of taking trips, and "being transported" by private as well as public means; all saw that "ecstasy" ("ex-stasis") tells us that our highest moments come when we're not stationary, and that epiphany can follow movement as much as it precipitates it.

A1. Read and rewrite the following sentences and state whether they are True or False:   (2)

    1. A traveller may sink in love with his travel-memoirs.
    2. One gets inspected as he inspects the world around him.
    3. Quest for something may end in more mystery.
    4. Staying in comfort at home gives one more happiness than travelling.

A2. Match the persons given in column 'A' with opinions/ characteristics given in column 'B':    (2)

Column 'A' Column 'B'
(1) Narrator
a) ideal travel should be like a crime story.
(2) Camus
b) in love with his memoirs.
(3) Isherwood
c) more happy when on move.
(4) Traveller d) fear gives value to travel.

A3. Give reasons:      (2)

"We are objects of scrutiny," because

  1. ______
  2. ______

A4. "Travelling is an interesting teacher." Write your views in 3-4 sentences.     (2)

A5. Do as directed:   (2)

  1. I like to ask questions of the places I visit. (Choose the correct tense form of the above sentence from the following options and rewrite.)
    1. Simple past tense
    2. Simple present tense
    3. Past perfect tense
    4. Present perfect tense
  2. I would come back to my apartment in New York. (Choose the correct option using 'used to' for the given sentence and rewrite.
    1. I use to come back to my apartment in New York.
    2. I have used to come back to my apartment in New York.
    3. I used to come back to my apartment in New York.
    4. I had used to come back to my apartment in New York.

A6. Find out the words from passage which mean:     (2)

  1. reminiscence
  2. exhilaration

Read the following passage carefully:

(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:

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Based on the table, mention the years when the land was left fallow for maximum number of days.
  5. 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.
  6. Select the option that correctly states the significance of crop rotation as given below:
    1. Crop rotation is done to obtain higher agricultural returns.
    2. Higher agricultural returns can be obtained by harvesting soil-exhaustive crops.
    3. Crop rotation demands that land should be left fallow for a few months to increase the fertility of soil.
    4. Better irrigation facility to the arable land has helped in the intensification of agriculture.
    5. If crops to be harvested are chosen wisely, crop rotation can help in maintaining fertility of soil.
      1. (1), (2) and (4)
      2. (1) only
      3. (3) and (5)
      4. (1) and (5)
  7. Crop rotation is helping in making agriculture more sustainable. Mention one benefit and one drawback of crop rotation. (Answer in about 40 words)
  8. Which of the following is the main takeaway from the study mentioned in the passage?
    1. The study needs to include more valid data to support the practice of crop rotation
    2. Crop rotation is a sustainable practice that can transform the agricultural sector.
    3. The impact of crop rotation on farmer’s upliftment has been thoroughly explained.
    4. Crop rotation is independent of the type of crops harvested and availability of water for irrigation.

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