HSC Science (General) 12th Standard Board Exam - Maharashtra State Board Question Bank Solutions for English

Read the following extract carefully and present the information in the form of notes with the help of the given clues :
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President and second President of India.
He was a teacher, a philosopher and 'an author. He had introduced the thinking of Western idealist philosophers like Plato, Plontinus, Bergson into Indian thought.
He was born on 5th of September, 1888 in a poor Brahmin family. As his father could not afford his education expenses, Radhakrishnan supported most of his education
through scholarships. He completed his B.A. and M.A. with majors in philosophy. He went on to become a professor of philosophy. He showed that Indian Philosophy, once translated into standard academic jargon, is worthy of being called philosophy by Western standards.
He thus, placed Indian Philosophy on world map.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had established a strong relationship with the Soviet Union when he w Is appointed as the ambassador to the Soviet Union.
He has been honoured with many awards for his achievements nationally and internationally. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1954. He is also acknowledged with the Templeton Prize, Peace Prize of German Book Trade, Order of Merit and many other honours.
Title : Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Birth : 5th September, 1888
Qualifications : B.A. ___________
Introduced thinking of : _________,_________and ____ into Indian thought.
Work : Translated_____________ into standard____________
Ambassador : __________________________________
Honours : National___________
                International Order of Merit

Read the following extract and answer the questions given below :
They whisper like drizzle
as they roam the streets
with a lost gaze as though
something they had thrown up
never returned to earth.

They shiver like December nights
in their dreamless sleep
on shop verandahs.

(1) Why do the old women in this extract roam the streets?

(2) What would you like to do for the betterment of the old people? 

(3) Find out an example of 'onomatopoeia' from the first stanza of the extract.

(4) Pick out the expressions from the extract showing the sad situation of the old women.

Read the following extract and complete the note with the help of the clues provided : 
Vitamins are either fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) or water-soluble (B vitamins, including niacin, folic acid and riboflavin, and vitamin C). They consist mainly of the elements nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in bod)' fat, while water-soluble vita1nins are used or quickly excreted in the urine.
Vitamin A is essential for the eyes, skin, hair, and bones; the B vitamins help enzymes to function; C is essential for the formation of collagen; D helps the body absorb calcium; E prevents cell damage, and K helps blood clotting. Most vitamins cannot be produced by the body and so must be obtained directly from food.

VITAMINS

Write an application in response to the following advertisement using information given in the CV provided :

Suggest two measures to increase the number of birds.

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)

Complete the table :

Give your suggestions that will help the people to make Maharashtra prosperous.

Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) India and Maharashtra can progress only when there is oneness of interest.
(Rewrite it using ‘unless’)

     Have you are wondered why soldiers are always clad in green? This is to enable them to camouflage themselves during wartime. Hiding in the jungles, their green attire blends into the surrounding trees and shrubs, making it difficult for the enemies to spot them.

        Long before man-made use of camouflaging, insects have already adopted the tactic of disguise to escape from the clutches of their predators. By having body colour close to those of the rocks and dried leaves, they can escape from being pursued by the predators.

       Butterflies and moths have developed a variety of camouflage strategies since they are quite defenceless and their predators are abundant. Possessing wings which resemble dried leaves help certain butterflies and moths to hide among heaps of dried leaves when predators are around.

   Fortunately, not all insects choose the art of disguise to escape from their predators; otherwise, the world would be so dull and colourless. There are insects which assimilate the bright body colours of bees and wasps to escape from being pursued by their predator. Long ago, birds have already learnt to avoid brilliantly coloured wasps and bees in fear of their painful stings. Hence, over millions of years, many harmless insects have assimilated the bees and wasps by imitating. their bright body colours and shapes. In this way, they appear dangerous and hence ward them off.

      The beefy, not only appears like the bumblebee in terms of body colour, even its hums sound similar too. The only difference is that the beefy does not have a stirring and is hence harmless. The hoverfly is another insect which imitates. the body colours of the wasps. Their bodies are striped yellow and black. The only deviations are that hoverflies do not have stings, and they have only one pair of wings each while wasps have two pairs each. These variations are hardly noticed by the predators and hence help them to escape.

A1. Complete the table with the information from the passage : (2)

A2. Complete the tree diagram : (2)

A3. Find out : (2)

‘Nature has given a self-protection mechanism to insects’.
Find out at least two examples from the passage to prove this statement. 

A4. Vocabulary - (2)

Find the words from the passage for :
(i) animal or bird that hunts other for food
(ii) to get free from danger
(iii) to prevent something from harming
(iv) to make a copy

A5. Personal response - (2)

‘Soldiers disguise themselves to prevent enemies to spot them’.
Give two more examples when the disguising technique is used by humans.

A6. Grammar - (2)

Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) They have only one pair of wings.
(Make it negative without changing the meaning)
(ii) Insects have already adopted the tactic of disguise to escape from the clutches of their predators.
(Replace infinitive with gerund and rewrite)

(B) Summary : (3)

Summarise the above extract with the help of the points given and suggest a suitable title.
Camouflage of soldiers and insects - reason and ways for disguising - assimilation of insects - need of imitation.

A1. Choose two sentences that appropriately mention the theme of the passage :

(1) The extract deals with the writer’s concern over Chaitanya's handicap.
(2) The extract depicts the writer’s proud feelings towards her son’s achievement.
(3) The extract deals with how Chaitanya made the writer see positively towards life.
(4) The extract deals with how the writer helps Chaitanya to buy the bus ticket.

          Early in 1997-98, when he returned from state-level inter-school sports, he had two prizes to his credit and a silver medal. He had won his laurels in athletic events and the silver medal in a running race.
         When I saw the prizes and read the citation Chaitanya had received, I was stupefied, in total disbelief, then–hugged him, kissed him and cried unabashedly to my heart’s content. That day, I cried for the first time out of joy and a sense of being vindicated. Without practice, he had competed with approximately 1,800 children drawn from various schools all over the state. He was subsequently selected for the marathon race, but he could not participate due to a health problem. “Maybe next year, he would”, I assured myself. And I, as his proud mother, would proudly chronicle his future achievements and success to inspire other - mothers of the world.
                 Looking back at my own life, I feel that it is the spirit with which we can accept our life gracefully is what
matters ultimately; and it is love that nourishes us. All other things are unimportant. Chaitanya has made me look inwards. His handicap doesn’t disturb me any longer. He and I shall live with it and still be happy. The mental strength which he has given to me is inexhaustible.
         One day, as both of us got onto a public transport bus, Chaitanya offered to buy the tickets for us.
           “One full, one half ”, he said to the conductor beaming with joy.
               Looking at him, I wondered whether he was really only a half? An incomplete person? Was I really full?
Complete in all respects? Why do then normal people feel that they are ‘full’ and others like Chaitanya are ‘half’ or incomplete? Chaitanya’s world is complete in itself, pure and innocent while our lives are full of deceit, jealousies, ill-feelings. 

A2. Point out - 

Point out two instances where you find Chaitanya's victory over his disability. 

A3. Give reasons - 

Chaitanya’s silver medal in a running race was very special for the writer, because :
(i) __________________
(ii) __________________ 

A4. Vocabulary - 

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

A5. Personal response -

Explain, your views about the ill-treatment the special children receive in society. 

A6. Grammar - 

Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) He had won his laurels in athletic events and the silver medal in a running race.
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘not only...but also’.)
(ii) When I saw the prizes, I was stupefied.
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘No sooner.... than’.)

Point out - 
Point out two instances where you find Chaitanya's victory over his disability.

Give reasons -
Chaitanya’s silver medal in a running race was very special for the writer, because :
(i) __________________
(ii) __________________

‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’. Write two paragraphs – one for and another against this notion.

You are the class representative and you have been asked by the Principal to conduct an interview of a cop. Frame 8-10 questions with the help of the following points, give introduction and conclusion.

• reasons for joining the department
• special training
• developing the skill to identify and locate criminals
• dealing with criminals
• achievements and awards.

Make a list of jobs which would give you an opportunity to help the society or serve the country. Also mention the different ways in which they can be beneficial to the people and also the country.

Go to your school/college library and read some other stories by O’Henry like, ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The Last Leaf’ and ‘After Twenty years’. Write the stories in short in your notebook.

Interview the students of your class regarding the career they would like to pursue and the reason for selecting that particular career. Collect the data from your class and analyze the information you have collected.

Surf the net and obtain more information about the conservation work done by Shaaz. Prepare posters to inspire others and display them on your college noticeboard.