Model 31 GE PreFinal HS 2ndYr Dec 2023
H.S Pre-Final Examination - 2023
M. C. Das College, Sonai
Subject - English
HS 2nd Year
Full Marks - 90
Pass Marks -
Time - 3 Hours
SECTION-A
(Reading Skills: 10 marks)
1. Read the following passage carefully : Among the natural resources which can be called upon in national plans for development, possibly the most important is human labour Since the English language suffers from a certain weakness in its ability to describe groups composed of both male and female members, this is usually described as 'manpower'.
Without a productive labour force, including effective leadership and intelligent middle management, no amount of foreign assistance or of natural wealth can ensure successful development and modernization.
The manpower for development during the next quarter century will come from the world's present population of infants, children and adolescents. But we are not sure that they will be equal to the task. Will they have the health, the education, the skills, the socio- cultural attitudes essential for the responsibilities of development?
For far too many of them the answer is no. The reason is basic. A child's most critical years, with regard to physical, intellectual, social and emotional development, are those before he reaches five years of age. During those critical formative years he is cared for almost exclusively by his mother, and in many parts of the world the mother may not have the capacity to raise a superior child. She is incapable of doing so by reason of her own poor health, her ignorance and her lack of status and recognition of social and legal rights, of economic parity, of independence. One essential factor has been overlooked or ignored. The forgotten factor is the role of women. Development will be handicapped as long as women remain second-class citizens, uneducated, without any voice in family or community, married when they are still practically children, and henceforth producing one baby after another, often to see half of them die before they are of school age.
We can enhance development by improving 'women power', by giving women the opportunity to develop themselves. Statistics show that the average family size increases in inverse ratio to the mother's years of education is lowest among college graduates, highest among those with only primary school training, or no education.
Malnutrition is most frequent in large families, and increases in frequency with each additional sibling. The principle seems established that an educated mother has healthier and more intelligent children, and that this is related to the fact that she has fewer children. The tendency of educated, upper class mothers to have fewer children operates even without access to contraceptive services.
The educational level of women is significant also because it has a direct influence upon their chances of employment, and the number of employed women in a country's total labour force has a direct bearing on both the Gross National Product and the disposable income of the individual family. Disposable income, especially in the hands of women, influences food purchasing and therefore the nutritional status of the family.
The fact that the additional income derives from the paid employment of women provides a logical incentive to restrict the size of the family.
On the basis of your reading of the passage answer the following questions :
(A) Choose the most appropriate option: - 1×4=4
(a) Among the natural resources which can be called a upon in national plans for development?
(i) The most important is certainly human labour.
(ii) The most important is possibly human labour.
(iii) The least developed is certainly human labour. (iv) The least developed is undoubtedly labour.
(b) Without a productive labour force, including effective leadership and intelligent middle management
(i) no productive work is possible.
(ii) entrepreneurs will incur heavy loss.
(iii) economic development will not keep pace with national movements. (iv) no amount of foreign assistance or of natural wealth can ensure successful development and modernization.
(c) The manpower development during the next quarter century (i) will be adversely affected by the threat of war.
(ii) will come from the world's present population of infants, children and adolescents.
(iii) will be taken care of by the current emphasis on free education for women. (iv) will be adversely affected by the country's economic losses and political instability.
(d) 'Women power' means
(i) giving women the opportunity to develop themselves.
(ii) giving women the opportunity to fight themselves.
(iii) giving women the opportunity to dominate others. (iv) giving women the opportunity to befool others.
(B) Answer the following questions briefly : 1×6=6
(a). What will be the source of the manpower development during the next quarter century?
(b) During which period is a child's growth maximum?
(c) Why can't the first teacher be effective in some of the regions of India ?
(d) What will happen to development if the womenfolk are neglected?
(e) How can we accelerate the rate of progress?
(f) What is the difference between an educated mother and an illiterate mother?
SECTION - B
2. You are Gautam/Guta, General Secretary of Cachar College , Silchar. Your College is going to organize a cultural programme on 5th of September 2023. Write a notice inviting the students
to participate in the programme . 5
Or
Design a poster in net more then 50 words to create awareness about water conservation. 5
3. You are Imran/ Rita of Sunrise Academy, Guwahati. Recently your school celebrated the World Environment Day. Giving details of the celebration. Write a report in 100-125 words for your school magazine.
4. You are Anil/Anita you have seen an advertisement for the post of English teacher at N.G
High School,Soani. Write an application applying for the post. Give your detailed Bio Data. 10 Or
You are Arun/Aruna, Write a letter to the Manager of a bank reporting the loss of your
passbook and requesting him to issue a duplicate passbook . 10
SECTION – C
5. Change the form of narration of any two of the followings – 2x2=4
a) I asked the lady where the Professor Sarmah lived, The Lady replied regretfully that she didn’t know .
b) “Let’s buy some milk and prepare milkshake for us” said Aruna. “The milkshake we are drinking now is utterly tasteless.”
c) Alesander said to porus, “How do you desire to be treated?”
He answered , “Like a King”
6. Change the voice of any 3 of the following sentences – 1x3=3 a) Morning shows the day .
b) The Governor gave him a reward.
c) Rome was not built in a day .
d) The girl is reading a novel.
7. Rewrite any 5 of the following sentences using the verbs given in brackets in their correct
tense forms – 1x5=5 a) We alredy ____ ( have) breakfast.
b) We reached the stadium after the match ______ ( start)
c) He ______ ( work) here since 2011.
d) The first world war _______ ( last) for four years and ebded in 1918.
e) We _____ (visit) the Taj Mahal Last year.
f) My Brother _______( practise) law these days.
g) They ________(win) the match.
8. Attempt any four of the following – 1x4=4
a) You should take proper care _______ your books .
b) India is rich ________ minerals.
c) I am sorry _________ what I have done .
d) I congratulate you ________ your success.
e) The work should be finished _______ next Friday.
f) He is fond _______ playing cards.
g) She was annoyed ________ missing the bus.
9. Rewrite any four of the sentences as directed - 1x4=4
a) This is one of the best college in the North . ( Change it into Comparative Degree)
b) These is no smoke without fire . (
c) You are richer then I .
d) Atul is the best boy in the class. ( Change into positive degree)
e) It is often difficult to speak the truths.
( Make it negative without changing the meaning)
SECTION-D
(Text Book: 45 marks)
10. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:- (a) "Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing." Questions:
(i) What are the different kinds of wars mentioned by the poet in the passage? 1
(ii) What kind of victory do they achieve? 1
(iii) What should the warmongers do? 1
(iv) Find words in the passage that mean 'those left alive' and 'win'. 1
Or,
(b) "The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead, Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts.
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Offered for sell wild berries in wooden quarts,
Or crook-necked golden squash with silver warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene, You have the money, but if you want to be mean, W hy keep your money (this crossly) and go along." Questions:
(i) How did the traffic pass? 1
(ii) Why did one turn out of sorts? 1
(iii) What are the two things that were sold in that stand? 1
(iv) What should one do if one wants to be mean? 1
11. Answer any three of the following questions in 30-40 words: 2×3-6
(i) Describe the things that cause suffering and pain mentioned by Keats in A Thing of Beauty.
(ii) What childhood fear did Kamala Das refer to in her poem? How did she hide it? (iii) What is the significance of the parting words of the speaker and her smile in My Mother at Sixty-six?
(iv) What is the 'sadness' that the poet refers to in the poem, Keeping Quiet?
(v) According to Pablo Neruda, what important lesson can the Earth teach us?
(vi) Why do the people who are running the roadside stand ask for some city money? (vii) What increases continuously in A Thing of Beauty?
12 . Answer any five of the following questions: 1x5=5
(a) How long did M. Hamel teach in his school?
(b) Where does Mukesh live?
(c) What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?
(d) Whom did Gandhi and Shukla want to meet in Patna?
(e) Who is Derek?
(f) What does Sophie want to have when she grows up?
(g) Name the book from where the chapter Memories of a Chota Sahib has been taken.
(h) Why did Gandhi visit Lucknow in 1916?
(i) What is the name of the blacksmith in The Last Lesson? (j) What is the 'great trouble with Alsace'?
13. Answer any five in 30-40 words: 2×5=10
(a) What lesson do you learn from the story The Last Lesson?
(b) What kind of person was Geoff?
(c) Why did Jansie feel sad hearing about Sophie's dream?
(d) Why was Gandhi impressed with Shukla?
(e) Why was Professor Malkani's action of offering shelter to Gandhi 'extraordinary'?
(f) Who was John Rowntree?
(g) What character of the North bank of the Brahmaputra did John Rowntree refer to?
(h) Was Saheb happy with his job at the tea stall?
(i) What would Franz love to do on that sunny morning instead of going to school?
14. Answer any one of the following questions in 80-100 words : 5 (a) Describe the bangle-makers of Firozabad. How does the vicious circle of the Sahukars, the middlemen never allow them to come out of their poverty?
(b) How different from usual was the atmosphere at school on the day of the last lesson?
15 . Answer any one of the following questions in 125-150 words. 7x1=7 (a) Compare and contrast the stories of Zitkala-Sa and Bama . Or,
(b) Give an elaborate account of the celebration associated with Uruka, the important part of Magh Bihu.
16. Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words: 2x4=8
(a) How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the tiger king?
(b) Why did the messenger come to Dr. Sadao?
(c) How did Mr. Lamb try to give courage and confidence to Derry?
(d) Why did it take Bama to reach home in 30 minutes instead of 10 minutes?
(e) How did Annan explain the elder man's action to Bama?
(f) What are the different sports held on the occasion of Magh Bihu or Maghar Domahi?