Discursive writing expresses opinions. It can be argumentative, i.e. may give reasons, explanations, or explore cause and effect relationship. Passages of this kind are analytical. Sometimes the author presents his views with great depth of reasoning or force of argument with the intention of convincing the reader to his point of view. Such texts have great persuasive power.
This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. Students can also read NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English to get good marks in CBSE Board Exams.
Unseen Passage For Class 11 Discursive CBSE With Answers
1. Read the passage given below.
1. Although pollution of land, sea, and air has been well documented, the latest and the least recognised version is the swelling tide of noise which is engulfing urban as well as rural areas. This has long-term implications on the ecology, health, and productivity of a fast developing country like India.
2. Unlike other pollutants, noise lacks visibility, seldom registering on the consciousness, except as a trifling irritant to be dismissed at will and therefore less likely to be perceived as a threat. Available data indicate that noise does pose a threat to health and is known to have caused a number of complications. Declining productivity among workers in certain industries has been directly correlated with noise levels, particularly those under constant exposure to the menace.
3. The first-ever survey of the impact of noise on health, conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, has established that noise not only impairs the physical and psychological functioning of the human organism but also causes nausea, vomiting, pain, hypertension, and a lot of other complications, including cardio-vascular complaints.
4. A study by Post Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, in Chennai, confirms such conclusions. In 50 percent of industries, it was found that workmen exposed to higher intensities of noise in occupational capacities, were often irritated, short-tempered, and impatient and more likely to resort to agitation and disrupt production. This was true of units in heavy industrial pockets in and around the four metropolitan centres.
5. Recreational noise, another ugly facet, is becoming more widespread in cities and towns.
Loudspeakers are turned at full volume during marriages, festivals, jagrans, musical programmes, particularly at night, without the least consideration for others. Even at 50 dB, sound can awaken a person from a deep slumber. As experiments have shown, loudspeakers with output from 60 to 80 dB cause the pupils of a slumbering person to dilate, with increasing intake of oxygen, resulting in palpitation. The effect is more pronounced in narrow lanes. TV sets are played at full volume at prime time, invariably disturbing neighbours. Noise making seems to have become the latest status symbol, be it an election campaign or slogan shouting or advertising ownership of a TV set.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
What is the difference between noise and other pollutants?
(i) Noise is not resented.
(ii) Noise is regarded as a small irritant and dismissed.
(iii) People are not aware of noise as a pollutant.
(iv) Noise can be found in rural as well as urban areas.
Answer:
(ii) Noise is regarded as a small irritant and dismissed.
Question (b)
What are the diseases connected with the impact of noise?
(i) hypertension and cardio-vascular problems.
(ii) nausea, vomiting, pain.
(iii) impaired physical and psychological functioning.
(iv) all of the above.
Answer:
(iv) all of the above.
Question (c)
Recreational noise is created during
(i) public speeches.
(ii) revelries and excursions.
(iii) sports’ events.
(iv) weddings, festivals and jagrans at night.
Answer:
(iv) weddings, festivals and jagrans at night.
Question (d)
In what way can creating noise be considered a status symbol?
(i) by playing loud music.
(ii) by showing off one’s TV with a loud sound.
(iii) by making speeches.
(iv) by talking loudly.
Answer:
(ii) by showing off one’s TV with a loud sound.
Question (e)
Invariably in paragraph 5 means
(i) often.
(ii) sometimes.
(iii) almost always.
(iv) rarely.
Answer:
(iii) almost always.
Question (f)
Engulfing in paragraph 1 means
(i) completely drown.
(ii) surrounded.
(iii) covered.
(iv) divided by a gulf.
Answer:
(ii) surrounded.
1.2 Answer the following.
(a) The swelling tide of noise pollution has long-term implications on the , health
and productivity of a fast developing country like India.
(b) Noise not only impairs the physical and functioning of the human organism, but also causes nausea and hypertension and other complications.
(c) Loudspeakers with output from 60 to 80 dB causes the pupils to dilate, with increasing intake of oxygen, resulting in palpitation. [True/False]
(d) TV sets played at full volume at prime time, invariably entertain neighbours. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) ecology
(b) psychological
(c) True
(d) False
1.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as ‘recorded’ (para 1).
(b) Find a word which means the same as ‘high blood pressure’ (para 3).
Answer:
(a) documented
(b) hypertension
2. Read the passage given below.
1. The Hangul deer or the Kashmiri stag is a species of red deer. The Hangul is one of the most famous animals of Jammu and Kashmir. It inhabits the dense forests of the state. Striking in appearance, the Hangul derives its name from ‘han’ which is the local name for the horse chestnut tree, the fruit of which the deer feed on.
2. Scientifically known as Cervuselaphus hanglu, Hangul is the only surviving race of the red deer family of Europe in the sub – continent. The Hangul deer’s coat is brown with slight speckles and each of its antlers consists of five points.
3. Much at home in the forest, the deer can be seen in the lower valleys of Dachigam National Park on the foothills of the Zabarwan range on the outskirts of Srinagar for most parts of the year, though a greater number of their species can be seen from October to March. Normally found in small groups of two to eighteen, Hanguls use the forests of the Dachigam Valley as an important feeding ground and move to the higher slopes to graze. Individual stags are more likely to be seen feeding on the hill slopes. They move about quite a lot from one area to another in their search for good forage. Hanguls eat various plants such as Fraximushockeri, Jasminum humile, Hemerocallisfulva and perennial herbs, depending on the season.
4. In March and April, the stags shed their antlers and begin moving up the mountains to the alpine meadows and pine forests of Upper Dachigam between 2500 to 3500 metres. They return to the lower valley in September, by when a new set of antlers begin to grow. The natural predators that attack Hanguls are leopards and Himalayan black bears.
5. In the past, Jammu and Kashmir had a large and vibrant population of Hangul deer. However, hunting and loss of habitat from deforestation and the building of dams has significantly curbed the wild population of Hangul deer. During the 1940s, their number was believed to be around 3,000 – 5,000. As per the latest census in 2008, only 160 are left. A captive breeding centre is planned to be commissioned at Shikargah, Tral in south Kashmir, for the captive breeding of Hangul, which will be eventually released in the wild.
6. In the last few years, the government has spent crores of rupees on different projects related to the conservation of Hangul in Jammu and Kashmir. A Habitat Research Study has been initiated in Kashmir in which satellite collaring of Hangul will be used in order to understand their movement patterns and habitat, both in and outside the Dachigam National Park. In addition, a massive improvement in conducting the census programme of Hangul has been undertaken whereby satellite telemetry and field cameras of high definition are being placed in the Park. Besides, an important research programme has been launched to study the relic population of Hangul outside Dachigam National Park in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India.
7. The strict enforcement of wildlife acts and the setting up of new initiatives are anticipated to replenish this highly endangered species.
2.1 Answer these questions briefly.
(i) What is the other name for the Hangul deer?
(ii) What makes the Hangul deer stand out from others of its species?
(iii) Why is the deer named so?
(iv) How is the deer’s habitat conducive to its existence?
(v) How does nature help prevent these stags from being preyed upon?
(vi) What are the factors which prevent the population of this species from growing?
Answer:
(i) Another name for the Hangul deer is the Kashmiri stag.
(ii) The Hangul deer stands out from others of its species in that it is the only surviving race of the red deer family of Europe in the Indian subcontinent.
(iii) The Hangul derives its name from the word ‘han’, which is the local name for the horse chestnut tree, the fruit of which the deer feed on.
(iv) The forests of the Dachigam valley are an important feeding ground for the Hangul, while the higher hill slopes provide grazing fields for them. Various plants such as the Fraximushockeri, Jasminum humile, Hemerocallisfulva and perennial herbs which the deer feed on grow in abundance in the forest, thus creating a suitable habitat for the Hangul.
(v) The natural migration pattern of the Hangul deer is such that they move up the mountains to the alpine meadows and pine forests of the Upper Dachigam around the same time as when they shed their antlers. They only return to the lower valley when a new set of antlers begin to grow. This prevents the Hangul deer from being preyed on by leopards and Himalayan black bears as it keeps them out of reach of these predators when they are defenseless without their antlers.
(vi) Hunting and loss of habitat from deforestation prevent the population of the Hangul deer from growing.
2.2 Choose the correct option.
(i) …………………………. is the scientific name of the Hangul deer.
a. Jasminum humile
b. Hemerocallisfulva
c. Cervuselaphus hanglu
d. Fraximushockeri
Answer:
c
(ii) The word …………………………., in paragraph 5, means the opposite of ‘free’.
a. captive
b. vibrant
c. curbed
d. deforestation
Answer:
a
(iii) The word “collaboration”, in paragraph 6, means ………………………….
a. calibration
b. partnership
c. initiated
d. none of the above
Answer:
b
(iv) Each of the Hangul deer’s antlers consists of …………………………. points.
a. three
b. four
c. five
d. two
Answer:
c
(v) The antonym for “dense” is:
a. heavily populated
b. sparse
c. abundant
d. inhibit
Answer:
b
(vi) The antonym for “conservation” is:
a. destruction
b. rehabilitation
c. civilization
d. creation
Answer:
a
3. Read the passage given below.
1. In the recent past, there has been a thought given to the several problems that the system of school education is facing. Starting with focus on the Delhi region, one of the first discussion points has been to find ways to bring the lakhs of children who have so far been denied education into a workable school system. A further aspect of the same problem is to ensure minimum dropout rate in school children (particularly girls). In Delhi, this has reached alarming proportions. Finding solutions for Delhi will help other areas as well.
2. A tool called ‘learning style inventory’ was used; it addressed to know how information of skills are learnt, which factor makes an individual comfortable with learning skills or acquiring declarative knowledge. Different answers emerged. In dealing with factual knowledge some people liked to experience first, others to observe, yet others to experiment and still some who preferred to plunge into learning, leaving analysis for later.
3. It then became easy to discover which of the attributes made for better learning for an individual. The learning situation will benefit by understanding these differences. Two major processes cover most people’s learning styles. These are as follows: Information gathering process and process of transforming information. The continuance of information gathering is bound by people who gather information through experiences at one end and by those who gather information through reading/listening, on the other. The continuance of transformation of information is bound by people who internalise through watching/observing, on the one hand, and by those who learn while applying knowledge and doing something with it, on the other. Others fall somewhere in between. All this has a bearing at school because children too have similar learning styles on these two axes.
4. There are four types of learners. Firstly, there are children who will absorb facts through experiences. They will readily share their thoughts with others. The second type of learners will take unrelated facts and tiy to seek order in them in using independent judgement. They will prefer to be exact in their knowledge and correctly apply as per their understanding. The next type of learner is the pragmatist. They use their abilities to problem solving. Such person – is a useful type to function in a group. The fourth type of learner belongs to the world of action. Everything is brought down to the level of concrete observation and doing.
5. With some awareness of how children react in different ways, teachers may find effective
methods of teaching.
3.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
Mention two major problems that the system of school education is facing.
(i) Enrolling children in school, promoting girls’ education.
(ii) Preventing dropping out, providing text books.
(iii) Enrolling children, preventing dropping out.
(iv) Providing school buildings, giving textbooks.
Answer:
(iii) Enrolling children, preventing dropping out.
Question (b)
What are the two main uses of learning style inventory?
(i) to know how information of skills are learnt and which factors lead to learning comfortably.
(ii) factual knowledge and experience.
(iii) analysis and observation.
(iv) experiment and hands-on learning.
Answer:
(iv) experiment and hands-on learning.
Question (c)
Information can be gathered
(i) through experience, reading and listening.
(ii) through applying knowledge.
(iii) through observing.
(iv) through doing something with knowledge.
Answer:
(i) through experience, reading and listening.
Question (d)
Which type of a learner tries to be exact in his knowledge and apply it correctly?
(i) First
(ii) Second
(iii) Third
(iv) Fourth
Answer:
(ii) Second
Question (e)
Addressed to in paragraph 2 means
(i) directed towards
(ii) send to
(iii) delivered a speech
(iv) ready to
Answer:
(i) directed towards
Question (f)
Factual in paragraph 2 is the opposite of
(i) based on experience.
(ii) told by knowledgeable people.
(iii) fanciful.
(iv) found in books.
Answer:
(iii) fanciful.
3.2 Answer the following.
(a) ‘Learning style inventory’ is addressed to know how information of skills is learnt. [True/False]
(b) The pragmatist type of learners are not capable of problem-solving. [True/False]
(c) The continuance of information gathering is bound by people who gather information through at one end and by those who gather information through reading/
listening, on the other.
(d) The transformation of information is achieved by through observation
and applying knowledge.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) experiences
(d) internalising
3.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as ‘qualities or features, especially one that is considered good’ (para 3).
(b) Find a word which means the same as ‘producing a successful result’ (para 5).
Answer:
(a) attributes
(b) effective
4. Read the passage given below.
1. In the days gone by, heroes emerged when wars broke out and messiahs appeared when decadence overtook societies. Through the centuries, adversities have inspired people to rise to the occasion and display special skills which have earned them the label of a leader.
2. The driving force behind a leader’s actions and behaviour is his instinct. It guides silently, telling him what to do, which way to go and how to develop skills that can enable him to overcome any challenge that life proposes. Abraham Lincoln failed in almost all his endeavours through his life. And yet his instinct urged him to keep trying, finally culminating in earning him the highest seat of political leadership in America.
3. So what is instinct? Is it genetic, or is it cultivated? Instinct is what drives a newborn into sensing that he is hungry or cold, making him cry for help.
4. It can be best described as a compass of objective observation, although born with it, we tend to lose touch with our instinct as we grow older.
5. If everybody is born with this sense, why is it that some people become leaders and others don’t? Firstly, external circumstances greatly dictate our evolution. All people who are deprived of opportunities to develop their latent abilities, fail to grow into leaders.
6. The second reason relates to internal attitude. There are many people who, despite being blessed with all the right opportunities, still fail. This is because they are insensitive to their own instincts, ignoring all the signals that can enable them to act appropriately. Listening is a critical skill that needs to be evolved over time. While our earlier experiences enable us to list and put evaluated choices, it is eventually our instinct that helps us in determining which one to go for. At such times, people who are tuned in to their instincts, are more likely to make the right decisions than those who are not. Instinct is like a psychometer. When a leader gives his team an emotionally charged speech in the attempt to motivate them into action, he can invariably tell even before he has completed it, whether or not he has succeeded. In fact, right through the process of speaking, he is constantly modulating his behaviour.
7. Leadership is a quest for doing the right things, a quest that is initiated not for fulfilling one’s own selfish needs but for the greater good of all concerned.
4.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
Leaders are born when ……………………….
(i) adversities strike people.
(ii) wars break out.
(iii) decadence invades societies.
(iv) all of these.
Answer:
(iv) all of these.
Question (b)
Instinct guides a person by ……………………..
(i) telling him what to do.
(ii) telling him what to say.
(iii) telling him whom to meet.
(iv) none of these.
Answer:
(i) telling him what to do.
Question (c)
Instinct can be best described as a compass of objective observation. This statement means that instinct ……………………..
(i) gives us the right direction.
(ii) tells us not to be subjective.
(iii) teaches us how to observe.
(iv) guides us in our observations of people.
Answer:
(iv) guides us in our observations of people.
Question (d)
Abraham Lincoln was greatly helped in achieving his goals by his ……………………….
(i) skills
(ii) instinct
(iii) vision
(iv) determination
Answer:
(ii) instinct
Question (e)
Modulating in paragraph 6 means ……………………………
(i) moving with words.
(ii) speaking in a model way.
(iii) copying a good speaker.
(iv) adjusting and changing.
Answer:
(iv) adjusting and changing.
Question (f)
The word having the meaning opposite to terminated in paragraph 7 is ……………………..
(i) enable
(ii) charged
(iii) initiated
(iv) evaluated
Answer:
(iii) initiated
4.2 Answer the following.
(a) The ………………….. force behind a leader’s actions and behaviour is his instinct.
(b) Listening is a …………………. skill that needs to be evolved over time.
(c) It was Abraham Lincoln’s instinct that helped him earn the highest seat of political leadership in America. [True/False]
(d) Leadership is a quest for fulfilling one’s selfish needs. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) driving
(b) critical
(c) True
(d) False
4.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as ‘fall to a lower level in morals, ethics, etc.’ (para 1).
(b) Find a word which means the same as ‘attempts’ (para 2).
Answer:
(a) decadence
(b) endeavours
5. Read the passage given below.
1. In the democratic countries, intelligence is still free to ask whatever question it chooses. This freedom, it is almost certain, will not survive another war. Educationists should, therefore, do all they can, while there is yet time, to build up in the minds of their charges, a habit of resistance to suggestion. If such resistance is not built, the men and women of the next generation will be at the mercy of that skilful propagandist who contrives to seize the instruments of information and persuasion. Resistance to suggestion can be built up in two ways. First, children can be taught to rely on their own internal resources and not to depend on incessant stimulation from without. This is doubly important.
Reliance on external stimulation is bad for the character. Moreover, such stimulation is the stuff with which propagandists bait their hooks, the jam in which dictators conceal their ideological pills. For a majority of people in the West, purposeless reading, purposeless listening-in, purposeless listening to radios, purposeless looking at films, have become addictions, psychological equivalents of alcoholism and morphinism. Things have come to such a pitch that there are many millions of men and women who suffer real distress if they are cut off for a few days or even few hours from newspapers, radio, music or moving pictures.
2. How can children be taught to rely upon their own spiritual resources and resist the temptation to become reading addicts, hearing addicts, seeing addicts? First of all, they can be taught how to entertain themselves by making things, by playing musical instruments, by purposeful study, by scientific observation, by the practice of some art, and so on. But such education of the hand and the intellect is not enough. The other method heightening the resistance to suggestion is purely intellectual and consists in training young people subject the diverse devices . of the propagandists to critical analysis. The first thing that educators must do is to analyse the words currently used in newspapers, on platforms by preachers and broadcasters. Their critical analysis and constructive criticism should reach out to the children and the youth, with such clarity that they learn to react to forceful suggestions the right way at the right time.
5.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
What does the author want educationists to do?
(i) Teach the students to use their freedom judiciously.
(ii) Build in the students’ minds a resistance to suggestion.
(iii) Seize the instruments of information and persuasion.
(iv) Teach students how to survive another war.
Answer:
(ii) Build in the students’ minds a resistance to suggestion.
Question (b)
Mention the two ways in which resistance to suggestion can be built up.
(i) Reliance on external stimulation to be promoted and teaching of art.
(ii) Reading and looking at films to be encouraged.
(iii) Rely on one’s own internal resources and intellectual analysis of the devices of propogandists.
(iv) Read newspaper, enjoy music or moving pictures.
Answer:
(iii) Rely on one’s own internal resources and intellectual analysis of the devices of propogandists.
Question (c)
If resistance to suggestion is not built
(i) people will lose their spirituality.
(ii) propagandists will acquire control of people’s minds.
(iii) individual creativity will be lost.
(iv) there will be no critical analysis.
Answer:
Question (d)
The spiritual resources of children consist of
(i) self-study
(ii) making things, playing musical instruments
(iii) listening to spiritual discourses
(iv) analysing everything critically
Answer:
(ii) making things, playing musical instruments
Question (e)
Contrives in paragraph 1 means ……………………..
(i) manages
(ii) controls
(iii) presents
(iv) dictates
Answer:
(i) manages
Question (f)
Distress in paragraph 1 means ………………………
(i) loss
(ii) anger
(iii) disappointment
(iv) suffering
Answer:
(iv) suffering
5.2 Answer the following.
(a) For a majority of people in the West, purposeless reading, listening to radio and looking at
films, have become addictions. [ True / False]
(b) The educator should teach the children and the youth how to get addicted to their minds. [ True / False]
(c) Reliance on external ……………….. is bad for the character.
(d) The first thing that the educators must do is to critically ……………….. the words currently used in newspapers.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) stimulation
(d) analyse
5.3 (a) Find the word which means the same as ‘continuing without interruption’ (para 1).
(b) Find the word which means the same as ‘having a useful purpose’ (para 2).
Answer:
(a) incessant
(b) constructive
6. Read the following passage carefully.
1. In my most frustrated moments of navigating chaotic Delhi traffic, I close my eyes in the back seat and imagine what it would be like if some day just a thought would transport me from one place to another.
2. At times, sitting relaxed on my terrace, I look at the green tree tops that I see every day and wonder if some day, just with the power of my thoughts I would be able to create the image of the most vivid blue ocean and a sandy beach in front of me? Then having had enough of that, could my thoughts switch the scene to that of snowy mountain peaks?
3. Just thinking of these seemingly impossible things gives me a sense of well-being, because I do believe that if you can think it, you can will it and achieve it. If it occurs as a thought, it is possible to fructify as reality. After all, everything big started with a thought. Looking at birds flying fre,ely in the sky, humans must have thought of the possibility of flying centuries before the invention of aeroplanes. The tallest skyscraper, the longest bridge across the ocean, the fastest train, the internet, cellphones-all are the end result of one thought.
4. As technology advances and we become more confident in our abilities to transform thoughts to reality, the gap between the ideas and implementation keeps shrinking. Today one of the biggest thrills of living is watching impossible-seeming thoughts turn to reality within one’s lifetime!
5. If with the power of his ‘big thought’ Donald Trump becomes the President of the USA, what then is impossible? As he says in his book, ‘Think Like a Billionaire’, “I like thinking big. To me it is very simple. If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”
6. True. None of the big achievements or discoveries in life happened by thinking small. To achieve big stuff, you have to think big. Most people avoid thinking big because of laziness, fear of extra work and the instinct to stay unnoticed – and hence out of trouble. A large part of the workforce just wants to do their designated work and get done with it.
7. And then there are those who let their own small success become the enemy of possible bigger success, later. Sitting back to celebrate a small achievement, they underestimate their own potential. Whoever said that aspirations or possibilities have any limitations? The most pleasurable moments can be spent imagining what seems the impossible – Come on, let your imagination run wild! Believe in yourself and your thoughts. Some of the tips Donald Trumps shares to mould yourself to think big are, “Walk softly but carry a big attitude, conquer your doubts and ditch them; be proud of your big ego, and get into the habit of speaking your mind.”
8. The power of thought is a form of energy that is impervious to time, space or present reality. It is important to hone and direct your thoughts towards bigger and better, impossible-to-imagine things. What you believe about yourself and what you believe about possibilities is crucial to not just what you become, but also critical to the world as we all experience it – now and in the future.
9. Dreams and thoughts must rule free without any limitations. Thoughts have to reach beyond and encompass the impossible, the unthinkable, the weird, the unheard-of and the shocking. Think beyond the realms of possibility and then aim to get there. Once there, think much beyond that possibility too. And then get going once again.
6.1 Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option from the given ones:
Question (a)
……………….. make(s) living more thrilling in modern times.
(i) Big thoughts
(ii) Watching impossible-seeming thoughts turn to reality within one’s life time
(iii) Thinking small
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Watching impossible-seeming thoughts turn to reality within one’s life time
Question (b)
The passage suggests that …………………..
(i) one should stop after making a seemingly-impossible, possible
(ii) dreams and thoughts should have limitations
(iii) dne should continue to think big for ever
(iv) time, space and present reality affect the power of thought
Answer:
(iii) dne should continue to think big for ever
Question (c)
……………………. stop(s) people from achieving big.
(i) Avoiding thinking big
(ii) Sitting back to celebrate small success
(iii) Underestimating their potential
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Sitting back to celebrate small success
Question (d)
The author’s wish list does not include …………………..
(i) just a thought transporting her from one place to another
(ii) creating the image of blue ocean in front of her
(iii) switching the blue ocean image into that of snowy mountain peaks
(iv) feeling frustrated while navigating chaotic Delhi traffic
Answer:
(iv) feeling frustrated while navigating chaotic Delhi traffic
Question (e)
‘Potential’ in para 7 means ……………………..
(i) ideas
(ii) qualities that can be developed
(iii) winning a game
(iv) important thoughts
Answer:
(ii) qualities that can be developed
Question (f)
‘Impervious’ in para 8 means …………………….
(i) not affected by something
(ii) affected by time
(iii) static
(iv) that can be changed
Answer:
(i) not affected by something
6.2 Answer the following.
(a) None of the big achievements or discoveries in life happened by thinking ……………….
(b) As ……………….. advances, we become more confident in our abilities to transform thoughts
to reality.
(c) Most people avoid thinking big because of laziness, fear of extra work and the instinct to stay unnoticed. [True/False]
(d) You should think beyond the realms of impossibility and then aim to get there. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) small
(b) technology
(c) True
(d) False
6.3 Find the word/phrases in the passage which mean the same as.
(a) qualities and abilities (Para 7)
(b) include, cover (Para 9)
Answer:
(a) potential
(b) encompass
7. Read the passage given below.
1. Each day is a chance to invest in life; a chance to renew yourself, to shed yesterday’s skin, to unburden yourself to get rid of yesterday’s hurt. Be glad of life each day as it gives you a chance to work, love and play, and to look at the sun. And then when the sun sets, don’t cry-the tears will make you miss the beauty of the stars.
2. Life moves, on and if you don’t stop and look at the wonders already present in your life, you will miss life altogether.
3. Think of big thoughts but relish the small joys life offers you each day. Maybe it’s as simple as smiling at someone. For, that could be the last day of life-for you or for the other person.
4. A small genuine act from you will cost you nothing but it could mean everything to somebody that day. Life is a succession of moments. Live each moment. Life has no romance without risk. All actions carry some amount of risk, may be less or more, but the element of risk is always present.
5. If there is no wind, row. Make things happen rather than let things happen. One can give nothing whatsoever without giving oneself, risking oneself. The most important thing in life is not what you get but what you give.
6. Once a preacher called at the home of a very poor family. When he came out, he found one son admiring his new car, so the preacher explained that he had received it as a gift from his brother.
7 Most lads would say, “I wish I had a brother like that,” But this one said, “Mister, I wish I
could be a brother like that.”
8 If you are not enjoying this journey, for sure you won’t enjoy the destination. It will become a moment to dread, not a moment you can actually look forward to. It’s not what happens that determines our future, but what you do about what happens that counts.
9. Conquer the mind and you conquer the world. Looking back strains your neck muscles. Similarly, living in the past strains your life. Don’t dwell on the past. Have faith in yourself and you will have faith in others. Fulfil your destiny. Remember, no one can make you unhappy without your consent.
10. The way you cope with life, is what makes the difference. Even peace of mind is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. You have to reach out to other people. That will teach you to forgive people and also forgive yourself.
11. Forgiveness means letting go of the past. Compassion is about stepping outside yourself. A kind compassionate act is often its own reward. Live your life without complaining, just like the tree.
7.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
Why should we be glad of each day?
(i) Because we are more mature each new day.
(ii) Because we have more energy.
(iii) Because we are free of yesterday.
(iv) Because we can live life, work and enjoy each new day.
Answer:
(iv) Because we can live life, work and enjoy each new day.
Question (b)
What is meant by make things happen?
(i) Take initiative, take risks, start things.
(ii) If you are in a boat, you must row.
(iii) Give whatever you wish to give.
(iv) Do not try to get things.
Answer:
(iv) Do not try to get things.
Question (c)
A small genuine act (para 5) could mean
(i) an act of kindness and love
(ii) a heroic act
(iii) a good piece of acting
(iv) a short scene in a play
Answer:
(i) an act of kindness and love
Question (d)
We should not dwell on the past because
(i) we should learn from our mistakes in the past
(ii) the past does not allow us to progress
(iii) our mistakes and failures in the past can depress us
(iv) the past will never come back
Answer:
(ii) our mistakes and failures in the past can depress us
Question (e)
Succession in para 5 means
(i) achievement
(ii) inheritance
(iii) happiness
(iv) series
Answer:
(iv) series
Question (f)
Romance in para 5 means
(i) a love affair
(ii) charm
(iii) an imaginative temperament
(iv) danger
Answer:
(ii) charm
7.2 Answer the following.
(a) When the sun sets, do not shed tears because you will miss the of the stars.
(b) Even the peace of mind is not the absence of but the ability to cope with it.
(c) Life has no romance without risk. [True/False]
(d) You should live your life always complaining, just like the tree. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) beauty
(b) conflict
(c) True
(d) False
7.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as fate (para 9).
(b) Find a word which means the same as to push a boat using oars (para 5).
Answer:
(a) destiny
(b) row
8. Read the following passage carefully.
1. Unfortunately, of late, we have not been able to recognise the concept of respecting, caring and helping older generations in a systematic way as some of the countries in the West have done. This is not to suggest that our culture and history do not recognize this phase of life. There have been many practices of caring and helping old people in our system. But, with the dismantling of the joint family system, the problem has assumed newer and complicated proportions. Although we have started recognising the needs of the young but when it comes to the old, we have blissfully chosen to ignore them and have left them to fend for themselves.
2. There are old age homes, residential units for lower income groups in particular districts where there is a.part-time medical officer to attend to the inmates. Then there are day-care centres and mobile medicare services besides other NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations).
3. Old age homes in the country are not only insufficient but are also ill-equipped to cater to old people. This should be the responsibility of the state since it needs close and regular monitoring. The social welfare departments in the Government have very little to boast when it comes to caring for older generation.
4. Society, too, has an important role to play. It must begin by respecting the aged and placing them before anyone else’s interest. In the West, if an old person is climbing down the stairs, he or she is helped. It is this kind of mindset, that is the need of the hour. Offering seats to the old, helping them cross the roads, assisting them carry their bags, fetching them water, etc. are some gestures which increase acceptability of old people.
5. In the family, senior citizens deserve a better deal. They have given everything to their families and have the right to be recognised as important members. Sending old parents to deposit electricity bills, asking them to fetch children from schools and to guard the house while the rest of the family is away, are some of the many tasks which are thrust upon them. These become nothing short of enslaving the weakest class of people.
6. Old people are not too demanding except in cases where there may be genuine reasons of health or constraints of family environments.
8.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
What is the general attitude of the people of our country towards senior citizens?
(i) of indifference
(ii) of love and respect
(iii) of hostility
(iv) none of these
Answer:
Question (b)
What has added to the problems of older generations in Indian social background?
(i) retirement of old people from their jobs
(ii) growing population of the young
(iii) breaking up of the joint family system
(iv) increasing financial tensions
Answer:
Question (c)
The dismantling of the joint family system has brought about ………………..
(i) the rise of ego in the young people
(ii) nuclear families
(iii) conflict and discord
(iv) neglect of the elderly
Answer:
(iv) neglect of the elderly
Question (d)
The care of the old people should be the responsibility of the state because …………………..
(i) it is quite expensive
(ii) it needs regular and close monitoring
(iii) it needs manpower
(iv) it should be made a law
Answer:
(ii) it needs regular and close monitoring
Question (e)
Blissfully in paragraph 1 means ……………………
(i) blindly
(ii) foolishly
(iii) happily
(iv) selfishly
Answer:
(iii) happily
Question (f)
Inmates in paragraph 2 means …………………..
(i) residents
(ii) insiders
(iii) invaders
(iv) inner group
Answer:
(i) residents
8.2 Answer the following.
(a) Old age homes in the country are not only ……………… but are also ill-equipped to cater to old people.
(b) Society has an important role to …………………. the aged and place them before anyone
else’s interest.
(c) The social welfare departments in the Government have a great deal to boast when it comes
to care for older generation. [True/False]
(d) In the family, senior citizens deserve a better deal. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) insufficient
(b) respect
(c) False
(d) True
8.3 (a) Find the word which means the same as ‘limitations’ (para 6).
(b) Find the word which means the same as ‘breaking down’ (para 1).
Answer:
(a) constraints
(b) dismantling
9. Read the following passage carefully:
1. The therapeutic value and healing powers of plants were demonstrated to me when I was a boy of about ten. I had developed an acute persistent abdominal pain that did not respond readily to hospital medication. In total desperation she took me to Egya Mensa, a well-known herbalist in my hometown in the Western province of Ghana.
2. After a brief interview, he went out to the field. He returned with several leaves and the bark of a tree and one of his attendants immediately prepared a decoction. I was given a glass of this preparation, it tasted extremely bitter, but within an hour or so I began to feel relieved. Within about three days, the frequent abdominal pain stopped and I recall gaining a good appetite. I have appreciated the healing powers of medicinal plants ever since.
3. In fact, demographic studies by various national governments and inter-governmental organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that for 75 to 90 per cent of the rural populations of the world, the herbalist is the only person who handles their medical problems.
4. In African culture, traditional medical practitioners are always considered to be influential, spiritual leaders as well, using magic and religion along with medicines. Illness is handled with the individual’s hidden spiritual powers and with application of plants that have been found especially to contain healing powers.
5. Over the years I have come to distinguish three types of medicinal practitioners in African societies and to classify the extent to which each uses medicinal plants. The first is the herbalist, who generally enjoys the prestige and reputation of being the real traditional medical professional. The second group represents the divine healers. They are fetish priests whose practice depends upon their purported supernatural powers of diagnosis. Thirdly, the witch doctor, the practitioner who is credited with ability to intercept the evil deeds of a witch.
6. From the drugstores in New Delhi, I picked up some well-packaged bark and roots of Rauwolfia Serpentina, a plant that was very well known in ancient Asiatic medicine. The storekeeper said that it cures hypertension.
7. For health, social and economic reasons, it seems clear that developing countries should begin an extensive programme aimed at an examination and research into the properties of the most important medicinal plants. In most countries, the information on such plants is dispersed and unorganised. Much of it is in the heads of aging herbalists, who represent a dying breed.
(Adapted from Edward S. Ayensu-Worldwide Role of the Healing Power of Plants)
9.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
What did Egya Mensa do to the author when his mother took him there?
(i) did not attend to them
(ii) gave him a concoction of leaves and bark
(iii) tested his appetite
(iv) advised the child not to take Western medicine
Answer:
(ii) gave him a concoction of leaves and bark
Question (b)
What do the WHO demographic studies indicate?
(i) the most of the rural populations depend on herbalists for health care
(ii) 75 to 90 per cent of rural populations were in poor health
(iii) urban population should also use herbal medicine
(iv) none of the above
Answer:
(i) the most of the rural populations depend on herbalists for health care
Question (c)
The author appreciates the healing powers of medicinal plants because ………………….
(i) he is an African
(ii) he did not believe in European medicines
(iii) he had been cured by herbal medicines
(iv) his friends had recommended herbal medicines to him
Answer:
(iii) he had been cured by herbal medicines
Question (d)
Traditional medical practitioners have influence on their communities because………………
(i) they successfully cure the sick
(ii) they control epidemics
(iii) they are inexpensive
(iv) they handle the patient’s sickness with his hidden spiritual powers
Answer:
(iv) they handle the patient’s sickness with his hidden spiritual powers
Question (e)
Divine healers in paragraph 5 means ……………….
(i) holy men
(ii) doctors
(iii) those who treat on the basis of faith
(iv) quacks
Answer:
(iii) those who treat on the basis of faith
Question (f)
Hypertension in paragraph 6 means
(i) high stress
(ii) high blood pressure
(iii) hyper activity
(iv) high fever
Answer:
(ii) high blood pressure
9.2 Answer the following.
(a) In African culture and tradition traditional medical practitioners are always considered to be …………………..
(b) Egya Mensa was a well-known ………………. in the Western province of Ghana.
(c) The author appreciated the healing powers of medicinal plants when his acute abdominal
pain was cured by it. [True/False]
(d) The bark and roots of Rauwolfia Serpentina cannot cure hypertension. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) influential
(b) herbalist
(c) True
(d) False
9.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as ‘pertaining to changes concerning people’ (para 3).
(b) Find a word which means the same as ‘finding and naming the problem’ (para 5).
Answer:
(a) demographic
(b) diagnosis
10. Read the following passage carefully:
1. Right from childhood, a human being starts enjoying the pleasure of reading. As a child, he learns the ways of life through reading and writing. He is thrilled by going through new little –
things and learning through them.
2. The pleasure one derives from reading, is indeed recreative as well as instructive. The mental effects of reading create a strange sense of pleasure. Reading provides an ecstasy and intellectual exertion. Reading of novels or interesting literature makes a person forget the worries and cares of life. The reading of a newspaper, periodical, journal, etc. which is light reading, gives the reader knowledge about human life around and solves his curiosity for knowledge about the world. Newspapers and journals give information about the events taking place in the world and happenings in the state and the locality a person lives in. The newspapers also publish important news and views in the fields of economics, politics and science. Reading of newspaper is indispensable for even a little educated citizen in modern society.
3 The reading of novels is the most popular pastime of a large number of people. The attraction of novel lies in its ability to create interest, to sustain it and take the reader to the heights of imagination and luxurious fiction. All fiction is somewhat connected with life and gives in words the pictures drawn from real life or from imagination.
4. Next, we come to the books of travel and adventure. The spirit of adventure is in the very blood of man. A man wants glamour and romantic life, full of adventure and the material spirit. Books of travel and adventure infuse a spirit of fearlessness which the travellers, who are heroes of the books, may inspire in us.
5. Whatever type of books one reads, reading is always a source of pleasure and enjoyment. The habit of reading is a sign of good culture. It is a source of knowledge and the best means of making use of one’s leisure. Books are, after all, a gold mine of knowledge, art, literature and science. Books are not only useful, instructive but also entertaining and recreative.
10.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (a)
How does a child leam the ways of his life?
(i) by imitating his elders
(ii) by observing
(iii) through reading and writing
(iv) through school education
Answer:
(ii) by observing
Question (b)
What are the two salient features of reading?
(i) recreative and instructive
(ii) pleasure and intellectual exertion
(iii) information and views
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(i) recreative and instructive
Question (c)
Which kind of reading can be called ‘recreativeV
(i) newspapers
(ii) journals
(iii) novels
(iv) periodicals
Answer:
(iii) novels
Question (d)
Reading of newspapers is absolutely essential for the common man because
(i) it gives local news
(ii) it gives news of economics and science
(iii) it gives political news
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(iv) all of these
Question (e)
Exertion in paragraph 2 means
(i) interest
(ii) exercise
(iii) stimulation
(iv) physical effort
Answer:
(iii) stimulation
Question (f)
Indispensable in paragraph 2 means
(i) important
(ii) primary
(iii) necessary
(iv) principal
Answer:
(ii) primary
10.2 Answer the following.
(a) A child is by going through new little things and learning through them.
(b) Newspapers and journals give about the events taking place in the world.
(c) Books are indeed a gold mine of knowledge, art, literature and science. [True/False]
(d) Books on travel and adventure also confuse travellers and misguide them. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) thrilled
(b) information
(c) True
(d) False
10.3 (a) Find the antonym of ‘rest’ in para 2.
(b) Find the antonym of ‘repulsion’ in para 3.
Answer:
(a) exertion
(b) attraction
