SCERT Maharashtra solutions for English 10 Standard SSC Maharashtra State Board chapter 2 - Section 2: Textual Passages [Latest edition]

Read the following passage and do the activities:

A1. Complete the following web:

We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in the concrete pavement. It left us thinking: however impossible things may look, there is always an opening......

We saw a tree bare of all leaves in the cold winter months. We thought its chapter was over. But three months passed, spring set in, and the tree was back to its green majesty once again, full of leaves, flowers, birds, and life. What if we too had the conviction that, however difficult things are right now, it will not remain so forever. Remember, this too shall pass.

We saw an army of ants lugging a fly which was at least ten times the ant’s size. The ants organized themselves around the fly, lifted it on frail feelers, and carried it to quite a distance. Their teamwork and perseverance were impressive. What if we too are consistent, organized focused.......
Spider webs are delicate, yet very strong. A rainbow colours the entire sky. Oysters take in a grain of sand they open up with a pearl. Innumerable stars shine across the infinite sky. Clouds take new shapes with every passing moment. The wind makes trees dance with unhindered passion. Water, without a hint of ego, changes its form according to the dictates of the sun and the wind. When we see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, a flower turns into a fruit, we experience the alchemy of nature… we touch it and become gold ourselves.

A2. What do the following things in nature teach us:      (02)

1. Ants ______
2. Grass ______

A3. Complete the following collocations with the help of the passage:       (02)

1. ............... winter
2. ................... moment
3. ………….passion
4. ……………. sky

A4. Do as directed:

1. Spider webs are delicate, yet very strong.                            (02)
   (Rewrite the sentence beginning with ‘Although ..........’)
2. We touch it and become gold ourselves.
   (Add a question tag and Rewrite the sentence)

A5. How do you deal with difficulties and problems in life? Explain in brief.   (02)

Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities:

B1. Arrange the following sentences according to their occurrences in the passage:    (02)

1. She went up the steps that led to the wings.
2. She listened to the unfolding ragas.
3. A daring thought came to her and she hurried home.
4. She sat beside her father in the gallery.

Suddenly a daring thought came to her and as she hurried home she said to herself. ‘Why not? There’s no harm in trying it.

‘It would be nice to go to the concert. I don’t know when we’ll get another opportunity to hear Pandit Ravi Shankar,’ she said to her mother later. And her father agreed to get the tickets.

The next day as Smita and her father were leaving for the concert, her brother smiled and said, ‘Enjoy yourself,’ though the words came out in painful gasps. ‘Lucky you!’

Sitting beside her father in the gallery. Smita heard as in a dream the thundering welcome the audience gave the great master. Then the first notes came over the air and Smita felt as if the gates of a land of enchantment and wonder were opening. Spellbound, she listened to the unfolding ragas, the slow plaintive notes, the fast twinkling ones, but all the while the plan she had decided on the evening before remained firmly in her mind.‘The chance of a lifetime.’She heard Anant’s voice in every beat of the tabla.

The concert came to an end, the audience gave the artists a standing ovation.

A large mustachioed having a long mustache man made a long boring speech. Then came the presentation of bouquets. Then more applause and the curtain came down. The people began to move towards the exits.

Now was the time. Smita wriggled her way through the crowds on the stage. Then she went up the steps that led to the wings, her heart beating loudly. In the wings a small crowd had gathered to talk about the evening concert, to help carry bouquets and teacups and instruments.

B2. Pick out two sentences which indicate Smita was enjoying the concert: (02)

1. ______
2. ______

B3. Match the columns to their correct meanings and rewrite it: (02)

B4. Do as directed: 

1. The concert came to an end; the audience gave the artists a standing ovation.
   (Begin the sentence with No sooner than)      (01)
2. In the wings a small crowd had gathered to talk about the evening concert
   (Pick out the determiners from the given sentence)     (01)

B5. Would you like to see a live concert or would you prefer to see it on Television? Why?  (02)

Read the following passage and do the activities.

A1. Complete the following statements with the help of the passage:

1. The heaviness of being successful was replaced ______.
2. The technology we developed at Next ______.

A2. The writer Steve Jobs gives the readers some advice for life, list at least two of the important advices given by him in the passage: 

1. ______
2. ______

A3. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words given below:

(devastating, renaissance, current, creative)

1. The invention of the internet has brought about a ______ in communication.
2. We should read the newspaper to keep ourselves updated on the ______ affairs.
3. The earthquake had a ______ effect on the life of the people.
4. The Art teacher is very ______, she always comes up with new ideas.

A4. Do as directed:

1. Pixar is the world’s most successful animation studio.
   (Rewrite the sentence in Positive degree)
2. Don’t lose faith.
   (Rewrite as an Assertive sentence)

A5. What does the second story of Jobs convey to you?

Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities:

B1. State True or False:     (02)

1. On the eighty-fifth day, the old man succeeds in hooking a salmon with his bait.
2. Mandolin was his apprentice.
3. The old man hardly had any experience in fishing.
4. During the First World War, the old man had worked with the Red Cross.

An old and experienced Cuban fisherman has a run of terrible bad luck and is unable to catch any fish for eighty-four days. His young and devoted apprentice, Manolin, has been forced by his parents to start working with another fisherman. The old man resolves to sail out farther than all the other fishermen and attempt to catch the really big fish. On the eighty-fifth day, he succeeds in hooking a marlin with his bait but the marlin is too strong for him and starts pulling the boat. ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is the story of the old man’s struggle with the marlin and his later battle against sharks.

Social/Historical context:

Hemingway’s novel is based on real events and it also draws heavily on his own life. He had the experience of fishing in the Cuban waters and like the old man he was also a fan of baseball. He worked for the Red Cross during the First World War and was injured by shrapnel when he was in Italy. Hemingway always talks about the need to struggle against defeat or death and how determination and endurance can help one to win this struggle The old man is at the end of the novel very near death, but we know that the story of his suffering and loss will live on in the memories of the people of his village. Ultimately his story becomes one of triumph because the tales of his life will on even after his death.

B2. Complete the following bubbles with the help of the passage: (02)

B3. Make meaningful sentences of your own using the below-given words or phrases: (02)

1. devoted
2. to be forced by.

B4. Do as directed: (02)

1. He is unable to catch any fish for eighty-four days.
   (Pick the infinitive in the sentence)
2. Hemingway always talks about the need to struggle against defeat or death.
   (Rewrite the sentence as a Negative sentence, without changing its meaning)

B5. Would you prefer to read a book or see a film based on the book? Give reasons for your answer: (02)