ENGLISH QUESTION PAPER FOR HSC MAHARASHTRA STATE BOARD

AS PER BOARD'S NEW PAPER PATTERN 

Q1. (A) Read the following passage and answer the following questions. (11 marks)

Michael Dell's Two-Billion-Dollar Dream

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 dinnertime 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 tycoon. He has become the fourth-largest manufacturer of personal computers in America and the youngest man ever to head a Fortune 500 corporation.

Growing up in Houston, Michael and his two brothers were imbued by their parents with the desire to learn and the drive to work hard. Even so, stories about the middle boy began to be told early.

Like the time a saleswoman came asking to speak to "Mr. Michael Dell" about his getting a high-school equivalency diploma. Moments later, eight-year-old Michael was explaining that he thought it might be a good idea to get high school out of the way.

A few years later Michael had another good idea, to trade stamps by advertising in stamp magazines. With the $ 2000 profit he made, he bought his first personal computer. Then he took it apart to figure out how it worked.

In high school Michael had a job selling subscriptions to the Houston Post. Newlyweds, so he figured, were the best prospects, so he hired friends to copy the names and addresses of recent recipients of marriage licenses. These he entered into his computer, then sent a personalized letter offering each couple a free two-week subscription.

This time Dell made $18 000 and bought a BMW. The car salesman was flabbergasted when the 17-year-old paid cash.

Questions

1. Why was the car salesman flabbergasted?  (1)

Answer: When Dell was 17 years old, he made $ 18,000 and bought an expensive BMW car by watching this the car salesman was flabbergasted.

2. State whether the following statements are true or false. (2)

i. In high school, Michael had a job of selling newspaper subscriptions. (True)

ii. At 29, Dell bought an expensive BMW car. (False)

3. How did Michael succeed in catching more fish?    (2)

Answer: Michael Del had painstakingly put a trotline. He worked upto dinner time. He cast the trotline far into the water, anchoring it to a stick that he plunged deep in the sand. When he reeled in his trotline, and on the hooks were more fish than the others had caught all together.

4. What does Dell fondly say about any good idea?    (2)  

Answer: Dell has always been fond of saying, "If you think you have a good idea, try it!" about any good idea.

5. Do as directed:     (3) 

1. What do these words stand for?

OPEC, NASA, WHO

Answer: OPEC = Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

WHO = World Health Organization.

2. What are the above abbreviated forms called?

Answer: They are called acronyms.

3. Everyone else was ready to call it a day.

That has helped him rise in just a few years from teen to tycoon.  

(What do the underlined expressions mean?

Ans. Call it a day = stop doing something

from teen to tycoon = from a teenager to a wealthy businessman.

6. Write word from the passage which related to the phrase 'with great care of trouble'

Ans. Painstakingly 

B. Grammar:

Do as directed: (4 marks)

1.      Multani mitti takes its name from a place in Pakistan. (Rewrite using the Present perfect tense.)

Multani mitti has taken its name from a place in Pakistan.

2.      He was unable to see their act. (Rewrite using ‘could’)

He could not see their act.

3.      I’d see you and run to get in your path. (Rewrite using ‘used to’)

I used to see you and run to get in your path.

4.      He’d need a massive home library. (Add a question tag.)

He’d need a massive home library, wouldn’t he?

Q2 (A) : Read the following passage and answer the questions: (11)

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 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 could be done away with.
Thus, no need to welfare, or local welfare agencies, or the national welfare department.  No need for hand – outs, no sup – kitchens, no food stamps, no free schools, no free hospital care, no begging in the streets. 

State – run safety – net programme would have no rationale for existence because no one would live on charity any more. State – run social security programmes, 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.

Questions:

1. State whether the following sentences are true or false. (1)

(i) Today 25,000 children die daily around the world from hunger related diseases. (False)

(ii) Finally, a poverty – free world would he economically less stronger and far more stable than the world today. (False)

2. What, according to the writer, would the 'world without poverty' be like? (2)

Answer: According to the writer, the ' world without poverty' be economically much stronger and far more stable than the world today.

3. What would happen to the charitable trust and state organizations helping to poor, if there were no poverty? (2)

Answer: All state organizations created to provide free or subsidized services for the poor would no longer be required. Thus, no need for welfare, or local welfare agencies, or the national welfare department.

4. How does the social structure in poverty – free world look like? (2)

Answer: Social structures in a poverty – free world would, be quite different from those that exist in a poverty – ridden world. But in that world nobody would have mercy on anyone and it would make all the difference between a world without poverty and on riddled with it.

5. Do as directed: (3)

(i) It became too dark to read easily.(remove too)

Ans. It became so dark that one could not read easily.

(ii) I do not remember. (Make it affirmative)

Ans. I fail to remember.

(iii) They always come in time. (add a question tag)

Ans. They always come in time, don’t they?

6. .      Give noun forms of the following adding suffixes. (1)

a.       Enjoy   b. prefer          

Answer:

a.       Enjoyment             b. preference  

B. Note – making (4 marks)

Draw Tree Diagram with the help of following points. A Tissue may be defined as a group of cells having some shape, size, origin, function and the same type of development. Tissues are basically classified into two groups namely, meristematic tissues, and  permanent tissues. Meristematic tissues are divided into two, these are position based and origin based. Permanent tissues are further divided into two groups. They are simple tissues and complex tissues. On their basis of their position in the plant body meristematic tissues are classified as aplicle – intercalary, and lateral. On the basis of origin, meristematic tissues are divided into 3 groups; they are Pro – meristem, Primary – meristem and secondary – meristem. Simple tissues are classified into 3 groups, namely parenchyma, collechyma, sclerenchyma, The two complex tissues are found in vascular plant. They are xylem and phloem.

Answers: 

Q3. (A) Read the following passage and answer the following questions.        (11)

THE ANIMAL SCHOOL: A FABLE by George Reavis

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They had adopted an activity  curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to 

administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects. 

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had 

to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. 

But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck. 

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming. The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying 

class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in 

climbing and D in running. 

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there. 

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceeding well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian. 

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They 

apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school. 

Does this fable have a moral? 

Questions:

1. Why did the animals want to start a school? (1)

Answer: In order to meet the problems of the "new world" by doing something heroic.

2. Read the text carefully and say whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements. (2)

i. In the animal school, all the animals opted for their favourite subjects. (False)  

ii. The duck was better than his instructor in swimming. (True)

iii. The rabbit started at the top of the class in swimming. (False)

iv. The school administration would not add running and climbing. (False)

3. Why were the duck's webbed feet so worn out? (2)

Answer: By doing practice in running, the duck's webbed feet worn out.

4. Why did the rabbit face problems? (2)

The rabbit had faced the problems of nervous breakdown because of so much makeup in swimming.

5. Do as directed: (3)

1. Since he was tired he could not go to office. (Make it simple)

Answer. On account of his tiredness, he could not go to office

2. As I hearkened to the silence of the night, I heard the heavenly world talking. (use no sooner and rewrite the sentence)

Ans. No sooner did I hearken to the silence of the night than I heard the heavenly world talking.

3. The sky poured turbulent waters on Mumbai to transform lanes and streets into rivers. (Rewrite using gerund form of the underlined word)

Ans. The sky poured turbulent waters on Mumbai, transforming lanes and streets into rivers.

6. Why was the squirrel frustrated?

Ans. The squirrel frustrated because, in the flying class his teacher made him start from the ground to up instead of the tree top to down.

(B) Summary    (4 marks)

Write a summary of the main findings of the survey. Give it a suitable title. 

Answer:   Summary

Real World

When animal started their school to meet the criteria requirement of new changing world, they face some problems. When all animals are taught with same curriculum, the duck was excellent in swimming, but felt very difficult to get pass mark in running. In case of rabbit he topped in running but he lost in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class. The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian. 

This fable have a moral of "CUT YOUR COAT ACCORDING TO YOUR CLOTH" 

SECTION 'B' : POETRY

Q4. (A) Read the following poem and answer the questions given below: (4 marks)

We used to think seven generations ahead

Now we have become selfish

Only thinking about me, myself and I

Only thinking in the present, not learning from the past.

We used to stroll barefoot through the overgrown grass,

Its morning dew tickling our feet

Now we step outside onto the rugged concrete

No more natural than the over processed food we eat

We used to walk down the snow sprinkled trail,

Maybe catch a glimpse of a bobcat, playing eye tricks with its tail

Now there is only one type of bobcat we see

The one that is fur free, clearing the pavement of all debris

We used to walk through a footpath in a forest of pine

The smell intoxicating our lungs and mind

Now the only smell to be found comes from plastic trees.

Swaying on my rear – view mirror, labelled pine breeze

we used to watch the valley play hide and seek

Shadowed by the mountain's immeasurable peak

considered the largest think known to man.

Questions:

1. Why does the poet say that we have become selfish?

Ans. The poet says so, because now we have become selfish and we are thinking only about us and ourselves.

2. Complete the statement by choosing the best alternative.

The poet used to stroll barefoot because.

i. he had no footwear

ii. he wanted to enjoy morning walk over green grass.

iii. there were concrete roads everywhere.

Answer. The poet used to stroll barefoot because – he wanted to enjoy morning walk over green grass.

3. What was the largest thing known to man?

Answer: Shadowed by the mountain's immeasurable peak was considered the largest thing known to man.

4.  'Only thinking in the present, not learning form the past'

(Find out the figure of speech)

Answer: Antithesis: Two opposite ideas are placed side by side for poetic effect. 

Q4. (B)  Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below: (4 marks)

My father told the tenants to leave

Who lived on the houses surrounding our house on the hill

One by one the structures were demolished

Only our own house remained and the trees

Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say

Felling them is a crime but he massacred them all

The sheoga, the oudumber, the neem were all cut down

But the huge banyan tree stood like a problem

Whose roots lay deeper than all our lives

My father ordered it to be removed

The banyan tree was three times all as our house

Its trunk had a circumference of fifty feet

Its scraggly aerial roots fell to the ground

From thirty feet or more so, first they cut the branches

Sawing them off for seven days and the heap was huge

Insects and birds began to leave the tree 

And then they came to its massive trunk

Fifty men with axes chopped and chopped

The great tree revealed its rings of two hundred years

We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter

As a raw mythology revealed to us its age

Soon afterwards we left Baroda for Bombay

Where there was no tree except the one

Which grows and seethes in one`s dreams, its aerial roots

Looking for ground to strike.

Questions:

1. Why were the tenants asked to leave their houses?

Answers:  The tenants asked to leave their houses because they lived in the houses surrounding poet's house on the hill and these houses were demolished.

2. What did the poet's grandmother use to say about trees?

Answer:  Poet's grandmother used to say that trees are sacred.

3. What did the poet's father do with the trees?

Answer: The poet's father has ordered to remove the banyan tree which was huge and created a huge problem.

4. Why was the banyan tree a problem?

Answer: The huge banyan tree stood like a big problem because its root lay deeper than all their lives.

Section C: Rapid reading and composition

Q5.A. Rewrite the extract imagining yourself as the little daisy. ( 4 marks)

OW listen! In the country, close by the high road, stood a farmhouse; perhaps you have passed by and seen it yourself. There was a little flower garden with painted wooden palings in front of it; close by was a ditch, on its fresh green bank grew a little daisy; the sun shone as warmly and brightly upon it as on the magnificent garden flowers, and therefore it thrived well. One morning it had quite opened, and its little snow-white petals stood round the yellow centre, like the rays of the sun. It did not mind that nobody saw it in the grass, and that it was a poor despised flower; on the contrary, it was quite happy, and turned towards the sun, looking upward and listening to the song of the lark high up in the air.

The little daisy was as happy as if the day had been a great holiday, but it was only Monday. All the children were at school, and while they were sitting on the forms and learning their lessons, it sat on its thin green stalk and learnt from the sun and from its surroundings how kind God is, and it rejoiced that the song of the little lark expressed so sweetly and distinctly its own feelings. With a sort of reverence the daisy looked up to the bird that could fly and sing, but it did not feel envious. “I can see and hear,” it thought; “the sun shines upon me, and the forest kisses me. How rich I am!”

B. Convert the extract into a dialogue between the narrator and Roma:

We piled back into Sid's car, Roma and I sharing the backseat. As European Jews who had survived the war, we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us. She broached the subject, "Where were you, during the war?" she asked softly.

"The camps," I said, the terrible memories still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to forget. But you can never forget.

She nodded. "My family was hiding on a farm in Germany, not far from Berlin," she told me. "My father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers."

I imagined how she must have suffered too, fear, a constant companion. And yet here we were, both survivors, in a new world.

"There was a camp next to the farm." Roma continued. "I saw a boy there and I would throw him apples every day."

What an amazing coincidence that she had helped some other boy. "What did he look like? I asked.

He was tall. Skinny. Hungry. I must have seen him every day for six months."

My heart was racing. I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be.

"Did he tell you one day not to come back because he was leaving Schlieben?"

Roma looked at me in amazement.

"Yes."

"That was me!"

I was ready to burst with joy and awe, flooded with emotions. I couldn't believe it. My angel.

"I'm not letting you go," I said to Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I proposed to her. I didn't want to wait.

"You're crazy!" she said. But she invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the following week. There was so much I looked forward to learning about Roma, but the most important things I always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness. For many months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the fence and given me hope. Now that I'd found her again, I could never let her go. That day, she said yes.

And I kept my word. After nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, I have never let her go.

Convert the extract into a continuous write up.
                               OR

2. Add a paragraph of your own at the beginning of the extract of about 120 words.

Yes, there was a skeleton in the cupboard, and although I never saw it, I played a small part in the events that followed its discovery. I was fifteen that year, and I was back in my boarding school in Simla after spending the long winter holidays in Dehradun. My mother was still managing the old Green's hotel in Dehra - a hotel that was soon to disappear and become part of Dehra's unrecorded history. It was called Green's not because it purported to the spread of any greenery (its neglected garden was chocked with lantana), but because it had been started by an Englishman, Mr Green, back in 1920, just after the Great War had ended in Europe. Mr Green had died at the outset of the Second World War. He had just sold the hotel and was on his way back to England when the ship on which he was traveling was torpedoed by a German submarine. Mr Green went down with the ship.

The hotel had already been in decline, and the new owner, a Sikh businessman from Ludhiana, had done his best to keep it going. But post-War and post-Independence, Dehra was going through a lean period. My stepfather's motor workshop was also going through a lean period - a crisis, in fact - and my mother was glad to take the job of running the small hotel while he took a job in Delhi.

Section – D

Q6. (A) Letter writing: (4)1.                   Write an application letter for the post of Teacher

                                  (OR)

2.                   Letterto your friend explaining him about the importance of Joint family system.

(B) Read the following passage and prepare a factfile, taking into account at least five points.

          One of the most popular gateways from Mumbai and Pune is Lonavala, a beautiful hill station located in the Western Ghats and is about 106 kms from Mumbai. Lonavala is also called a the jewel  in the Sahayadri range. As monsoon rains come tumbling down the Sahayadri hills, the hill station shows its best colour green. Lonavala derived its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Lonavli’, which means ‘city surrounded by caves’. The region around Lonavala was once a popular Buddhist centre. The picturesque view of the Sahayadri range is one of the many highlights tat Lonavala has to offer. With its lush surroundings and peaceful environment, Lonavala is an ideal gateway from Mumbai’s concrete jungle and an ideal place for trekking. A leisurely walk along the waterfalls and other beautiful spots is what keeps most travellers busy in Lonavala. There are number of places around Lonavala to visit. The lakes around Lonavala worth visiting include Tungarli and Bhushi. Khandala, just five kilometres away, is another exciting hill resort that can be visited from Lonavala. Lonavala is a year round destination, however most people prefer to visit the hill station druing Sumer and the Monsoon. The nearest airport to Lonavala is Pune, which is about 64 kilometres from Lonavala. Lonavala lies on the main railway line between Pune and Mumbai and hence the train is one the most convenient ways to reach Lonavala. Lonavala is well connected by road and lies on the Mumbai – Pune highway.

Answers:

Fact file on Lonavala

Location                          :         Western Ghats 106 kms from Mumbai.

Distance from Important Places :         64 km from Pune.

Modes of Transport                   :         Roadways and railways.

Uniqueness                     :         Lush greenery all around and peaceful environment.

Best time of the year to visit      :         all year round, especially in summer and in monsoon.

What to see           :         Khandala, lakes, waterfalls

Anything special              : Picturesque view of the Sahayadri range.

(OR)

Read the following headlines of news items. Choose ONE of them and write the date line, into and short containing paragraph. (4) 

MASKED MEN SHOOT BANK MANAGER

MASKED MEN SHOOT BANK MANAGER

Mumbai, February, 21

By a Staff Reporter,

       In a daring daylight robbery, three masked men entered the Indian Bank, Mahim branch on Monday at 10 a.m. When the manager refused to cooperate, he was fired at chest from a N – 38 revolver and was seriously injured. The three masked escaped in a waiting Red Maruti Van with a loot of 5 lakhs.

       The Bank Manager Mr. Anbu Selvan, was rushed to Sion Hospital. He had sustained two bullet wounds on his chest. Doctors have reported that his conditions were critical. When contacted Mr. Ragavan, commissioner of Police said that certain important clues have been inspected which would definitely lead to the arrest of the bank robbers. 

(OR)

HEAVY RAINS DISTURBED NORMAL LIFE

HEAVY RAINS DISTURBED NORMAL LIFE

Mumbai, February, 21

By a Staff Reporter,

                       Heavy, rains which continued for the third day in Mumbai, brought all normal life to a stand still. The Central part of the city was the worst affected with the water level rising above 3 feet in some areas.

                       Most of the main roads were completely flooded. In many areas the electric poles had fallen down and thus the whole city faced darkness. The situation may improve by tomorrow. The Spokesman of B.E.S.T. said that, “All the city buses were cancelled, which leads to a major problem for a common man”

(C) Write a tourist leaflet of a place of your interest keeping in mind the following.  (4)a.       Name of Placeb.      Conveyancec.       Distance from Mumbai.d.      Climatee.       Things to do

Ans.

OOTY 

Introduction: Ooty is the queen of Hill with beautiful lakes, rivers, scenery, etc. It is situated in the heart of Tamil Nadu.

i.                     How to go there: Ooty is well connected with rest of India. One can go to Chennai by the way of Plane, Bus

      or Train:

      Plane: Daily two flights namely IA – 550 and IA – 330 from Mumbai to Ooty are available.

Bus: The State Transport Bus Services and many other private Bus Services are available from Mumbai to Ooty.

      Train: There are many trains available which can take you to Ooty. The most convenient is “Mumbai – Ooty Express”

ii.                    Where to Stay:     Accommodation is no problem in Ooty. The Government tourist Hotels and other Big and

                  Small hotels are available to suit ever one’s budget.

iii.                  When to Visit:      June to October is the best time of the year to visit Ooty.

iv.                  What to See:        The climate and scenery of Ooty is mind – blowing. It is a well planned hill station  with huge roads, parks, theatres, and gardens, there are many interesting places to see like Bull Temple, Lord Ganesh Temple, Dolphin Nose, Flower Garden,  Lord Murugan Temple, Palatial Buildings, etc,.

v.                   Shopping:             Shopping in Ooty is fun. One can buy very traditional and well as modern things from Ooty. Ooty is very famous for woollen clothes.     

vi.                  Anything Special As far as food is concerned Ooty is famous for Black tea, Idli, Vada, Sambar, Masala dosa, Idli fry, Prawns fry, Mugal Briyani, etc. The people are very culture oriented and highly intelligent. They give more importance to their education.

(OR)

Write a speech to be delivered among your class mates, regarding blood donation.

BLOOD DONATION

                              Dear friends, we have one life let us make our one life more meaningful by donating blood. Blood donation is the mother of all donations. Blood donation directly gives life to another human being. It is not only saves one individual but also the entire family of that individual. A person can donate blood thrice in a year. The donated blood will be thoroughly checked and stored up in a secured form. For donating blood a person must have a weight of at least 45 kg.

                              Many people have misunderstandings about bold donation. They feel by donating blood they will fall sick. But it is not like so, the donated blood will automatically regenerate by our body itself within four to five hours after donating the blood. A person will be prohibited from donating blood if he drank alcohol during the last six hours.

                              So friends, let us put our hands together and make a promise to donate blood at least once in a year. 

Q7.  (A) Prepare counterview for the following views:  (4 MARKS)

Views

• Villages have much lesser pollution and more greenery, hence cooler climate.
• Village life is slow, monotonous and non - trendy.  
• Better medical facilities and educational facilities are being offered in villages.
• Villages offer man the sight of natural landscapes and sceneries.
• Villages remain stagnant(stable)  over a period of time.

Answer:

Counterviews

• City life is a fast changing life, adaptable and trendy.
• City life offers a person more opportunities for growth and development.
• Man can make rapid progress in a city.
• Social life and entertainment is better and wider.
• In a city there are better medical and educational facilities.

(B) Prepare a set of ten questions they you would ask the winner of the overall championship at the state level. (3 MARKS)

The following questions forms part of the interview with the student who had won the Overall Championship at the State Level Cricket Tournament.

1.  How do you feel on receiving such a Championship?

2.  Have you received such recognition before? Please give details.

3.  How long has your career in the cricket been?

4.  Who do you attribute your success to?

5.  Who has inspired you to take up cricket?

6.  What were the reactions of your family to this championship?

7.  Who else do you think deserved such a championship?

8.  To what extent were your colleagues helpful in your success story?

9.  What is your plan for the future or your dream?

10.              What message would you like to give upcoming generation?