English (Second/Third Language) Official 2023-2024 SSC (English Medium) 10th Standard Board Exam Question Paper Solution

         The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.

         He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still, they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again to whet it.

Twenty years ago, in the foothills of the Himalayas, I met a small, skinny child labourer. He asked me : “Is the world so poor that it cannot give me a toy and a book instead of forcing me to take a gun or a tool?”

I met with a Sudanese child soldier. He was kidnapped by an extremist militia. As his first training lesson, he was forced to kill his friends and family. He asked me: “What is my fault?”

Friends, all the great religions teach us to care for our children. Jesus said: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to them.” The Holy Quran says: “Kill not your children because of poverty.”

Friends! There is no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our children. Therefore ... I refuse to accept that all the temples and mosques and churches and prayer houses have no place for the dreams of our children.

I refuse to accept that the world is so poor, when just one week of global military expenditure can bring all the children to classrooms.

Today on a bus, I saw a lovely girl with silken hair
I envied her, she seemed so gay, and I wished I was so fair
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle
She had one leg and wore a crutch, but as she passed - a smile
O God, forgive me when I whine
I have two legs, the world is mine.
And then I stopped to buy some sweets, The lad who sold them had such charm
I talked with him, he seemed so calm, and if I were late, it would do no harm,
And as I left he said to me “I thank you, you have been so kind”
It’s nice to talk with folks like you. You see, I’m blind
O God forgive me when I whine
I have two eyes, the world is mine

You Start Dying Slowly...

If you do not travel, If you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly...

When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.
You start dying slowly...

If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.
You start dying slowly...

If you avoid to feel passion 
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.
You start dying slowly...

If you do not change your life
when you are not satisfied with your job,
or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe, for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…

-Pablo Neruda

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameshwaram, India - died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist who played a leading role in the development of India's missile and nuclear weapons programmes. He was President of India from 2002 to 2007.

Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in 1958 joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In 1969, he moved to the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he was project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and produced in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the programme that produced a number of successful missiles, which helped earn him the nickname “Missile Man”. Among those successes was Agni, India's first intermediate-range ballistic missile, which incorporated aspects of the SLVIII and was launched in 1989.

Kalam remained committed using science and technology to transform India into a developed country and served as lecturer at several universities. Kalam wrote several books, including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). He received the Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), Indira Gandhi award for National Integration (1997) and the India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997).

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameshwaram, India - died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist who played a leading role in the development of India's missile and nuclear weapons programmes. He was President of India from 2002 to 2007.

Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in 1958 joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In 1969, he moved to the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he was project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and produced in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the programme that produced a number of successful missiles, which helped earn him the nickname “Missile Man”. Among those successes was Agni, India's first intermediate-range ballistic missile, which incorporated aspects of the SLVIII and was launched in 1989.

Kalam remained committed using science and technology to transform India into a developed country and served as lecturer at several universities. Kalam wrote several books, including an autobiography, Wings of Fire (1999). He received the Padma Bhushan (1981), Padma Vibhushan (1990), Indira Gandhi award for National Integration (1997) and the India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997).

Developing Writing Skills

• Read prose and poetry lessons purposefully and loudly.
• Enrich your vocabulary by reading newspapers and story books.
• Try to converse in simple English with your friends and teachers.
• Write down new words and find out their meanings from the dictionary.
• Write your thoughts, ideas and feelings neatly in your own words.
• Review your studies regularly.

Poster prepared by:
The Incharge,
Eng. Club, Satara

Developing Writing Skills

• Read prose and poetry lessons purposefully and loudly.
• Enrich your vocabulary by reading newspapers and story books.
• Try to converse in simple English with your friends and teachers.
• Write down new words and find out their meanings from the dictionary.
• Write your thoughts, ideas and feelings neatly in your own words.
• Review your studies regularly.

Poster prepared by:
The Incharge,
Eng. Club, Satara

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first mission to the moon. It launched on Oct. 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Its scientific goals are to study the chemical, mineralogical and photogeological mapping of the moon. In addition to find out water on the moon. Then to perform high resolution remote sensing of the moon’s surface.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission was successfully launched on 22nd July, 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The primary objectives were to demonstrate the ability to soft land and operate a robotic rover on the lunar surface.

The mission was arranged to study the lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance and the lunar ecosphere, conduct a detailed search for water and ice in polar region. Chandrayaan 2’s objectives are to find Chandrayaan-1 as reported by the ISRO. The mission targeted the “South Polar region” of the moon which was completely unexplored. The mission focused on the extensive mapping of the lunar surface for studying variations in its composition and tracing the moon's origin and evolution.

Chandrayaan-3 launched to the moon on July 14, 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, the medium-life launch vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket. The three main objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are to land safely on the surface, to demonstrate rover operations and to perform scientific experiments on site, according to the official website.