English BOARD QUESTION PAPER : MARCH 2016
(ACTIVITY SHEET)
SECTION I
(Reading Skills, Grammar and Vocabulary (Prose))
Q.1. (A) Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below: [10 marks]
A1. Complete
Complete the web with words given in the passage: (2)
Ans.
During the devastating July 2005 floods that hit Mumbai, Rajen Dutia received an urgent call from a relative, Lopa Vyas, late in the evening, “A friend’s mother is stranded near your home, Rajen. Can you please take her home? Her name is Rashmi,” Vyas told him.
Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere. Despite power failure and raging rain, Dutia stepped out and made his way to the spot, where he found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people. They were stranded in the dark, shivering in the rain. They all lived far away and had no place to go for the night.
Rajen took all of them to his one-bedroom flat, where he served them dinner and invited them to spend the night.
“By doing so,” says Rajen, “I was simply fulfilling my karma, paying the universe back for the good it had done for me.”
“God is kind. My daughter had just started her new job that day, and had gone for her training. She was stranded too. While she was trying to get to our relatives, she almost drowned, but a young stranger saved her. He and his friends even dropped her to my relative’s place and phoned me to say she was safe. One good turn deserves another.”
A2. Order
Look at the following sentences from the passage and put them in the correct sequence: (2)
(a) He took them to his one-bedroom flat.
(b) Rajen found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people shivering in the rain.
(c) Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere.
(d) Rajen Dutia received an urgent call.
Ans. (a) Rajen Dutia received an urgent call.
(b) Mumbai had come to a halt and people were trapped everywhere.
(c) Rajen found Rashmi as well as a dozen other people shivering in the rain.
(d) He took them to his one-bedroom flat.
A3(i) Fill in the blanks:
Select the words given in the passage: (1)
(1) Thousands of pilgrims were _______ due to the cloud burst in Uttarakhand
Ans. Thousands of pilgrims were stranded due to the cloud burst in Uttarakhand.
(2) The tiger was _______ by the hunter.
Ans. The tiger was trapped by the hunter.
(ii) Antonyms:
Select the correct antonyms for the given words from the alternatives: (1)
(1) Please:
(a) unplease (b) displease (c) misplease
Ans. please x displease
(2) Safe:
(a) insafe (b) safeless (c) unsafe
Ans. safe x unsafe
A4(i) Tags: (1)
Select the correct tag from the alternatives given below:
One good turn deserves another.
(a) doesn’t it? (b) don’t it? (c) does it?
Ans. One good turn deserves another, doesn't it?
(ii) Guess: (1)
Choose the correct answer:
Rajen can you please take her home? ‘Can’ indicates:
(a) obligation (b) ability (c) permission
Ans. ‘can’ indicates obligation.
A5. Personal Response: (2)
‘One good turn deserves another.’ Explain with an example of you own.
Ans. My mother has always preached this philosophy to me since I was young. Always be kind to others. Even if others may not behave in a benevolent manner towards you, always respond with kindness. I will explain this with an anecdote, If you help a blind person to cross the road, the same favour may be done to someone in your family who might need help.
(B) Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below: [10 marks]
B1. Select
Look at the balloons. Which are the qualities inculcated in the author by her teacher? Write them. (2)
Ans. The qualities inculcated in the author by her teachers were kindness, hard work, regularity and tolerance.
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 had 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 actually 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 endeavours were undoubtedly meant to create.
B2. Answer:
(1) What kind of teachers are disliked by the author? (1)
Ans. (1) The author disliked those teachers who were unkind and intolerant to the children.
(2) What was Sudha Ramasubramanium’s advice to the author when she was going to miss her HSC exam.? (1)
Ans. Sudha Ramasubramanium advised the author to concentrate on her health.
B3. Match: Match the words with their appropriate meanings: (2)
Ans.
B4. (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).
Ans. What did she make me realise?
(ii) She taught me in college. (1)
(Begin the sentence with ‘I’ and rewrite).
Ans. I was taught in college by her.
B5. Personal Response (2)
Do you agree that a teacher should also be your good friends? Justify your answer.
Ans. Yes, I quite agree that a teacher should also be your good friend, as, A teacher should be able to come down to the level of a friend. Looking at a child’s perspective through and adult’s mindset creates a wide gap between the teacher and the student. Therefore, a teacher should become a friend of the students in order to understand the student better and be a positive influence. Children are able to express themselves freely only when they know that they are not being judged or suppressed.
Q.2. (A) Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below: [10 marks]
A1. Guess Select the correct alternatives from the boxes: (2)
(1) The Olympic Games were originally held in honour of:
Ans. The Olympic Games were originally held in honour of Zeus.
(2) The Olympics were held after every:
Ans. The Olympics were held after every four years.
(3) All came to know of Olympia from the:
Ans. All came to know of Olympia from the Olympics.
(4) Altis was the name of a:
Ans. Altis was the name of an enclosure.
Olympia, the original site of Olympic Games in ancient Greece is situated in a quiet, beautiful valley. The old ruins are shaded by evergreen oaks, pines and poplars, as well as olive trees. Olympia was never a city but a sacred ground occupied by temples and dwellings for the priests. At the centre was the enclosure known as Altis, dedicated to Zeus, the god of gods. It was in honour of Zeus that the quadrennial festival and the games were held.
The fame of Olympia rests largely upon Olympic Games. They were a great national festival of the entire Greek race. During the week of the festival the Athenians, the Spartans, the Syracusans and other groups, all forgot their narrow identities. They regarded an Olympic victory as the highest honour. The simple reward of a twig of wild olive immortalized the victor and his family.
The Olympic Games were held regularly in peace and in war at an interval of four years for over a thousand years from 776 B.C. till 393 A.D.
Originally, men who spoke Greek as their mother tongue were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. No married women were allowed to be present. The athletic programme was varied by the presence of historians, orators and writers. After each event a herald announced the victor’s name and handed him a palm. On the last day the successful competitors were each given a garland of wild olive.
A2. Select
Select one word each from the circle which mean the following: (2)
(1) Occurring at the interval of four years
(2) Wreckage
(3) Take part in a game
(4) One who wins.
Ans. (1) Occurring at the interval of four years - quadrennial
(2) Wreckage - ruins
(3) Take part in a game - compete
(4) One who wins. - victor
A3. Complete:
Complete the table and frame your sentence with any one word: (2)
Noun | Adjective | Verb |
beautiful |
Ans.
Noun | Adjective | Verb |
beauty | beautiful | beautify |
Sentences: (i) beauty : Inner beauty is always desirable as compared to external beauty.
(ii) beautiful: My cousin was presented with two beautiful sarees.
(iii) beautify: It is our duty to beautify our surroundings.
A4. (i) The old ruins are shaded by evergreen oaks, pines and poplars as well as olive trees. (Insert not only _______ but also and rewrite). (1)
Ans. Not only are the old ruins shaded by evergreen oaks, pines and poplars but also by olive trees.
(ii) No married women were allowed to be present. (Remove ‘No’ and rewrite the sentence without changing its meaning) (1)
Ans. Only unmarried women were allowed to be present.
A5. Personal Response (2)
How are the winners in Olympics rewarded today?
Ans. According to their positions of victory the winners of the Olympics are rewarded with gold, silver or bronze medals today. Thereafter, each country's Government felicitates and honours their winners in cash and kind.
(B) Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below: [10 marks]
B1. Choose
Choose the correct alternatives and complete the sentences (2)
(1) The narrator is:
(a) an astronaut (b) an engineer studying in BITS Pilani (c) in the team of astronauts.
Ans. The narrator is an engineer studying in BITS Pilani.
(2) Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind which means:
(a) one step on the moon means, many steps on the earth.
(b) he felt like a giant on the moon.
(c) one moon mission had opened up many avenues in science and technology for mankind.
Ans. Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind which means: one moon mission had opened up many avenues in science and technology for mankind.
It was late evening of July 20, 1969, when we turned up the hostel radio. I was an engineering student at BITS, Pilani. I still remember the feverish excitement that gripped up from July 16 when Apollo 11, the US space rocket, took off from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Neil Armstrong and his team of astronauts, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins, were to land on moon, for the first time in human history. We listened with rapt attention when Armstrong declared: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
His death on Saturday, August 25, is a moment to salute the romance of space science that Apollo 11 unleashed. It has changed forever the way we look at our planet Earth and its satellite, the moon.
Standing on powdery moondust, Armstrong put up his thumb, shut one eye and found his thumb blotting out the Earth. “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth,” he said later. “I felt very, very small.” But behind that humbling realization stood a giant truth: The effort to explore the universe united mankind in technology and knowledge. Each moon mission, about 110 till date, provided more confidence to take on bolder projects.
B2. Complete (2)
(1) Armstrong describes the earth as _______
(2) The effort to explore the universe has _______
(3) Apollo 11 unleashed and changed forever _______
(4) The author came to know about Apollo 11 mission when he _______
Ans. (1) Armstrong describes the earth as a tiny pretty blue pea.
(2) The effort to explore the universe has united mankind in technology and knowledge.
(3) Apollo 11 unleashed and changed forever the way we look at planet Earth and its satellite, the Moon.
(4) The author came to know about Apollo 11 mission when he turned on the hostel radio on the late evening of July 20, 1969.
B3. Solve
Solve the crossword with the clues given below. Refer to the passage for your answers: (2)
Ans.
Down: (1) The area beyond the earth’s atmosphere.
(2) The name of the spacecraft that Armstrong travelled.
Across: (3) A person trained to travel in space.
(4) A natural satellite of the earth.
B4. Begin the Sentence
(i) With For the first time _______ and rewrite (1)
Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins were, to land on the moon for the first time. |
Ans. (i) For the first time, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins were to land on the moon.
(ii) Insert ‘that’ appropriately and rewrite. (1)
Armstrong found his thumb blotting out the Earth.
Ans. (ii) Armstrong found that his thumb was blotting out the Earth.
B5. Personal Response (2)
Would you like to be an astronaut? Give reasons.
Ans. To be an astronaut is quite a difficult and challenging task. Even Though, I would love to be an astronaut. Astronauts get the opportunity to travel to space. They collect data and specimens needed for research work which is conducted for the benefit of the whole world.
(SECTION II : Poetry)
Q.3. (A) Read the following extract carefully and complete the activities given below: [5 marks]
A1. Saving Motherland
I can save my motherland by putting an end to …. (2)
Ans. I can save my motherland by putting an end to hatred, selfish aims and ends, exploitation, and tyranny
Republic Day ! We grow aware
That nothing can be wrought by prayer
– Prop of the credulous – until
It is supported everywhere
By an all-powerful people’s will !
We have been witness in the past to sights impossible to bear:
Famine and drought and dread and doom
Continue still to spread the gloom
Of humans turned to skeletons, to shriveled bags of naked bones
Who have not even strength to vent their suffering through sobs and groans…..
MAY EVERY Indian’s heart become
An unafraid announcing drum
Echoing and re-echoing a new hope and a new desire
To burn up rubbish-heaps of hate,
Once and for all. Time cannot wait!
Burn up all selfish aims and ends in a great nation’s cleansing fire!
Let India’s millions chant in chorus:
A mighty future stands before us–
Down with all ruthless tyranny, down with all exploitation which
Renders the poor the poorer–and renders the bloated rich, more rich!
A2. How does the poet express the condition of people during famines and droughts? (2)
Ans. The poet says that people who live in regions hit by famines and droughts turn into skeletons and shrivelled bags of naked bones. They do not even have the strength to vent their suffering through sobs and groans.
A3. Match: Match the line with the figure of speech: (1)
Ans. (i) Drought and dread and doom: Alliteration
(ii) Time cannot wait: Personification
(B) Read the following extract carefully and complete the activities given below: [5 marks]
B1. What does the poet want us to do in the following situation? (2)
(a) While struggling _______
(b) While making money _______
(c) While dreaming _______
(d) While losing _______
Ans. (a) While struggling, the poet wants us to have a will to win.
(b) While making money, the poet wants us to hold on to friends.
(c) While dreaming, the poet wants us to dream little and do much.
(d) While losing, the poet wants us to go on ward despite defeat.
It’s doing your job the best you can,
And being just to your fellow man;
It’s making money–but holding friends,
And being true to your aims and ends.
It’s figuring how and learning why,
And looking forward and thinking high;
And dreaming a little and doing much,
It’s keeping always in closest touch.
With what is finest in word and deed,
It’s being through, yet making speed;
It’s daring blithely the field of chance,
While making labour a brave romance.
It’s going onward despite defeat
And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet;
It’s struggling on with the will to win,
But taking loss with a cheerful grin.
B2. Achieving Success
Hints given by the poet to become successful are: (2)
(a) doing your job the best
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Ans. (a) Doing your job the best
(b) Being just to your fellow men
(c) Figuring how and learning why
(d) Looking forward and thinking high
(e) Dreaming a little and doing much
B3. Poetic Device
Select the appropriate rhyme scheme for the 3rd stanza. (1)
(1) abab
(2) aabb
(3) aaba
Ans. (2) aabb
(SECTION III : Rapid Reading)
Q.4. (A) Read the passage carefully and complete the activities given below: [5 marks]
A1. True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false: (1)
(1) The author’s new house was situated at Bangalore.
Ans. (1) False. The author’s new house was situated in Allahabad.
(2) The writer was delighted because their new house, was the biggest they ever lived.
Ans. (2) True
One of the advantages of growing up in an Army household was the frequency with which we move. ‘Postings’ came with predictable regularity every three years. What was unpredictable and therefore exciting was the suspense. Where would we go this time? Ambala, Pune, Dehradun, Allahabad, Tejpur, Bangalore, Yo! … In my short span of thirteen years we had moved lock, stock and barrel eleven times!
Every move meant a change. New journeys, new places, new schools, my new books, new uniforms, new friends and new houses. We lived in tents, bashas, Nissen huts, flats and bungalows. No matter what the shape and size of the dwelling, mother soon put her own special stamps on it and transformed it into a familiar place our home complete with bright yellow curtains, coffee-brown carpet, assorted pictures, hanging ferns and potted palms providing a comforting sense of continuity in our essentially nomadic life.
I was thirteen, the year we moved to the Cantonment at Allahabad. In stark contrast to the razzle-dazzle of the city’s commercial areas like Katra and Chowk, the cantonment was a quiet, orderly place with broad tree-lined roads that still carried the names of long-dead Britishers. Our bungalow was on a sleepy by-lane called MacPherson Road. When we first saw it, my brothers and I were delighted. It was by far the biggest house we had ever lived in. The task of furnishing those huge, echoing rooms daunted Mother.
A2. Complete (2)
(1) The broad tree-lined roads were named after _______.
(2) Katra and Chowk are _______.
(3) Mother was daunted with the task of _______.
(4) The suspense was exciting because the posting was _______.
Ans. (1) The broad tree-lined roads were named after long-dead Britishers.
(2) Katra and Chowk are long-dead Britishers.
(3) Mother was daunted with the task of furnishing those huge, echoing rooms.
(4) The suspense was exciting because the posting was unpredictable.
A3. Personal Response What do you think are the problems faced by those who change households frequently? (2)
Ans. Those who change households frequently could possibly face some common problems like packing, the transportation and then the unpackings. They also don’t experience a sense of stability. It is difficult for them to have a sense of belongingness to a location as they move frequently. They are unable to make permanent friends. Finally, their education experiences various ups and downs as they are transferred from one institution to the other from time to time.
(SECTION IV : Writing Skills)
Q.5. (A) Do any one of the following activities: [5 marks]
A1. Letter Writing
Look at the notice issued by the Supervisor of your school.
Picnic To Lonavale Contribution Rs. 500 Spots to be visited : Wax Museum, Narayanidham, Dams, Duke’s Nose Enjoy scenic beauty, pleasant weather. Need to carry : Water bottle, proper clothing, caps, essential medicines, snacks for your taste. Start : 7.30 a.m. from school Return : 9.30 p.m. to school. |
You stay in a Hostel. Write a letter to your daddy asking permission to go for the picnic. Also, request him to give you the necessary amount.
Ans.
7G, Rainbow hostel,
Dharavi Cross Road,
Dharavi,
Mumbai - 40017.
8th March, 2017.
Dear Father,
I am writing this letter to you to inform you about a day’s picnic that has been arranged by our school authorities to Lonavala next weak. I am wondering if you could allow me to go as well. We will be visiting the wax museum, Narayanidham, Dukes Nose, and some dams. The supervisor has allowed us to carry snack items of our choice too. We have been asked to carry warm clothing and essential medicines for the trip.
The contribution for the picnic is Rs 500 per student. If you don’t mind me going on the trip, could you please send across the money as soon as possible? Also, if Mother could prepare some of my favourite snack items, I will be able to enjoy them with my friends at the picnic. I have included a copy of the notice for the other details of the picnic. I will be waiting for your reply!
Hope all at home are well. Do convey my regards to them and I hope to see all of you soon.
Your loving son,
XYZ
OR
A2. 30% Water cut Mumbai: Due to major repairs of pipeline in Dadar and nearby areas, 30% water cut will be implemented for G (N) and (S) wards. Citizens are requested to use water carefully and store water for a day. Water supply will resume on Sunday night. Do not panic. |
Write a letter to the Secretary of your Housing Society informing him about the news and drawing his attention to the problem. Request him to take the necessary steps.
7G, Rainbow colony,
Dharavi Cross Road,
Dharavi,
Mumbai - 400017.
8th March, 2016.
To,
The Hon. Secretary,
Heaven Apartment,
New Mahim Road,
Mahim,
Mumbai - 400016
Subject: Restricted water supply due to repair work
Dear Sir,
It is with much regret that I have to draw your immediate attention to a matter of prime concern - The G (N) and (S) wards in the city will experience 30% water cut from Tuesday until Sunday night this week, as major repair work will be carried out of pipelines in Dadar and nearby areas. As our society is a part of the (S) wards. I
request you to take necessary measures to share this news with the other residents so that everyone can make arrangements to store water for the period.
I hope that you will give this matter its prompt and due attention so that we face no major problems during that time. It is very important that we insist on cautious use of water and minimum wastage, so that none of the residents face major inconvenience during the mentioned week.
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
XYZ.
(B) Do any one of the following activities: [5 marks]
B1. Report Writing
Human Rights department had arranged a programme to save the rights of a child in your locality. Write a report for the newspaper using the hints. |
Ans.
STREET CHILD GETS A NEW LEASE OF LIFE.
MUMBAI, 8TH MARCH.
In the wake of the recent reports on child abuse, the Human Rights department organized a programme to bring about awareness among the people about the lawful and legal rights that children is entitled to, under the provisions of Indian Constitution. The programme was held on Friday, on the Azad Maidan where large audience had gathered. Many personalities like officials of the Human Rights Commission were participated. The activists stressed on the fact that children should not be discriminated on any basis and that every child has an equal right to receive education and lead a good life.
Among the common issues, great emphasis was given to ‘free education’ and ‘free textbooks, notebooks, etc’ and ‘free medical treatment, that was available to all children. A leading hospital has offered to provide free medical aid to children. The human rights group has also offered the parents of the boy jobs in the city so that they do not have to live away from their son anymore. They also stressed on the fundamental rights of equality, justice, fraternity and liberty that the Indian Constitution is based on.
OR
B2. Dialogue writing Look at the following News Headline and develop a dialogue between you and your friend. Use the points given in the call-outs.
MASTER-blaster’s last innings.
Ans.
Me: Did you read the newspaper? It says: Master blaster’s last innings!
Friend: Yes, I did. Cricket is never going to be the same again. I just can’t believe that Sachin Tendulkar has retired from all forms of cricket.
Me: I agree with you. Do you know he is also the recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award?
Friend: Yes, Sachin is the youngest recipient to date and the first ever sportsperson to receive the award.
Me: Sachin made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989 when he was just 16. Where do you think we would be in a year?
Friend: I really don’t know! His versatility and perseverance not only enhanced his reputation as a fine batsman, but also made him a teenage icon. In fact, my older cousins still admire him and talk about his performances as a batsman, bowler, fielder and a captain. Me: When the legend walked down the ground for his last innings at Wankhede Stadium, the crowd rumbled with the chants of “Sachin! Sachin”.
Friend: There were mixed feelings pouring out from all corners of the stadium. Some people were happy to see their star cricketer come out to bat, while some were pondering over the fact that it was the last match in the illustrious career of Sachin Tendulkar.
Me: He has broken many records and won many awards and honours. It is sad indeed that fans have to see the game without him playing anymore.
Friend: Let us hope that India gets another player who is as committed and skilled as Sachin Tendulkar.
Q.6. (A) DO any one of the following activities: [5 marks]
A1. Information Transfer (Non-verbal to verbal)
Ans. THE JOURNEY OF MANUSCRIPT
From the given flow chart, it is very evident that the information pertains to the journey of a manuscript from its initial stage to the final printing of a book or a magazine.
Manuscripts are collected from both students and teachers. They are thoroughly screened and edited, where necessary additions, alterations and omissions are made to the copy. A rough draft is then prepared after which the manuscript is sent to the printer along with a dummy. Then comes the stage of proof correction. After the corrections are made and the manuscript is proofread, it is sent for final printing.
A2. Here are some tips about keeping healthy as given in a science magazine. Read and write in the form of Do’s and Don’ts (table):
You must include vegetables and fruits in your diet and drink a lot of water. You should avoid junk food and aerated water. You shouldn’t sit for long periods of time. Rather you should exercise regularly. You shouldn’t ignore the importance of good breathing habits. Try breathing deeply whenever you think of it. See to it that you sleep for at least 7 hours a day. In fact, you should avoid irregular timings.
Ans.
Do | Don’t |
Include vegetables and fruits in your diet. | Consume junk and unhealthy food especially street food. |
Drink plenty of water. | Drink aerated water. |
Exercise regularly. | Sit for lengthy periods of time. |
Try breathing deeply whenever possible | Ignore the importance of good breathing. |
Sleep for at least seven hours a day. | Sleep at irregualr times. |
(B) Do any one of the following activities: [5 marks]
B1. Speech Prepare a speech to be delivered by you on ‘Environment Day’ Celebration in your school, laying stress on conserving the environment. |
Ans. Speech.
Speech on Environment Day.
Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends, Today, as we celebrate World Environment Day, I’d like to share my views with you. The other day, I read that some region in Maharashtra received unseasonal heavy rains which damaged the harvest. Some days after that, there were reports of animals in the polar regions being found dead due to an increase in the polar temperature. It is June here but instead of us enjoying the first monsoon showers, we are profusely sweating and gulping down ice cold water because of the severe heat and humidity. It is time that we stop neglecting the threats of nature and take steps to conserve the environment. Cutting down forests is not a way of increasing accommodation or business capacities. A tree takes years to fully grow, but we ruthlessly cut it down to build infrastructures. This leads to increase in global temperatures and imbalance in the environment. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami is the best example of how exploitation of nature leads to irreparable damage. Even after 11 years, the event is still affecting the region and this has urged experts to continue studies both to support recovery efforts and to understand the science behind this devastating natural disaster. My point here is, if we had not violated nature’s laws in the first place, would the disaster take place? I strongly advocate cautious use of natural resources and respect towards natural beauty so that the world remains a beautiful place to live in.
B2. View and Counterviews
View: Progress of mankind depends on deforestation.
Counterview:
(a) Rising population
(b) wild-life affected
(c) Global warming
(d) Flora and fauna endangered.
Ans.
Counterview: I strongly oppose the conviction ‘progress of mankind depends on deforestation’. Forests are a home to diverse species of flora and fauna, and cutting them down to accommodate human greed is not justified. As the exploding population finds newer means to accommodate themselves and their businesses, deforestation renders animals homeless and endangers species. The imbalance in nature leads to global warming.
Q.7. (A) Do any one of the following activities: [5 marks]
A1. Expansion of ideas (any one)
(1) Dishonesty never pays in the long run.
Ans. Dishonesty never pays in the long run Dishonesty seems to a fundamental part of the world we live in. From political scams to the petty lies that we all tell to evade trouble, dishonesty is known to all. A school going child lies to his mother about his failed test scores, a worker lies to his boss about why he got late to work. Our minds are constantly overworking to cover up one lie with another. In the long run, our life becomes a heap of lies. We are deprived of a clear conscience, and we are penalizing our brains by asking it to remember all the lies that we have told so that we don’t get caught. Dishonesty never pays in the long run. One can cheat and clear an exam, or an interview, but is that going to help you in becoming the person you aspire to be one day?
(2) Time and tide wait for none.
Ans. Time and tide wait for none Very few people understand the importance of respecting time. Time is elusive, because we think that we will always have time but the reality is that time does not stand still even for a second. A moment lost is lost forever. We delay decisions and then one day realize that it is too late to do something. We must be aware that even the smallest degree of slackness can cost us dearly, because time and tide wait for none.
OR
A2. Develop a story having one of the above ideas as a moral. Give a suitable title to your story.
Ans. Dishonesty never pays in the long run.
Suresh was in desperate need of money to pay his son’s school fees. Just when he was on the verge of losing all hope, he found a 500 rupee note outside his Grocery shop. Without a second thought, he picked up the note and rushed home. He gave the money to his son and asked him to pay his school fees. As his son was on his way to the school, he tripped over and fell, his books and the money scattering around on the ground. A police constable, who saw him walking hurriedly, went to him and started helping him gather his belongings. He then noticed the 500 rupee among his things. He took out a chit from his pocket and matched the series of the note to the one he found with the boy. It belonged to the same series of notes that were robbed from an ATM next to the Grocery shop that belonged to the boy’s father. The poor boy paid the price of his father’s dishonesty.
