Unseen Passage For Class 11 Factual CBSE With Answers

Unseen Passage For Class 11 Factual

Factual passages convey information in a straightforward and direct manner about a particular subject. Usually, the language and style are simple and clear. Factual passages may give instructions or descriptions or report of an event or a new finding.

This grammar section explains English Grammar in a clear and simple way. There are example sentences to show how the language is used. Read all classes unseen passage with questions and answers in English

Students can also read NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English to get good marks in CBSE Board Exams.

Unseen Passage For Class 11 Factual CBSE With Answers

(a) Instructions

Instructions are a series of steps needed to be performed in order to complete a task. Instructions may be given casually or formally. They can be for any activity, simple or complex, regarding ordinary job or specialised task. Passages which give instructions are carefully structured to effectively communicate the complete process of performing an activity.

1. Read the passage given below.

1. Roshni Bairwa remembers running all the way from her home in Tonk’s Mahmoodnagar Dhani village to the room where the ‘bal samooh’ (children’s group) met. “My grandparents are getting me married, you have to do something,” the then 12-year-old told the 20 or so children sitting there.

2. The children, all aged between eight and 16, trooped up to Roshni’s house and urged her grandparents to stop the impending wedding. Others, including village elders and teachers, joined in. The wedding was stopped. She had discovered a way out of the quagmire with the help of a local NGO and the village children.

3. When she was in class XII, the pressure to get married returned. This time her uncle found a match for her. When she resisted, she was taunted and beaten. People would point to her as the girl who brought shame to her family and asked their children not to speak to her. “I was 16 years old and alone in the world. I walked to school with my eyes fixed to the ground. I would think sometimes, what have I done that is so terrible for everyone to hate me so much?

I would cry myself to sleep,” recalls Roshni, who lost her father when she was two and had been abandoned by her mother shortly after. But even in those dark moments, Roshni didn’t give up, moving out of the village to Peeplu tehsil in Rajasthan where she rented a room and attended college.

4. With education and independence came a sense of confidence. “I kept in touch with the children in the village. Every time there was child marriage, they would call me and I would go to stop it. I realised I had already been thrown out of the village, the worst had already happened, what else could the villagers do? So I went and fought with everyone who was getting their child married,” she says with a laugh. So far she has stopped over a dozen marriages.

5. Even without the support of the law, young girls have been crusading against the practice. Earlier this month, 19-year-old Sushila Bishnoi from Barmer succeeded in getting her marriage annulled, submitting photographs, and congratulatory messages from her husband’s Facebook account to the court. The court accepted these as evidence that the union took place when both the bride and groom were 12 years old and declared the marriage invalid.

6. Seema Bairwal (name changed) was 15 when she was married to a man a few years older. Later when she started attending ‘bal samooh’ meetings with NGO Shiv Shiksha Samiti and Save the Children, it dawned on her that she had a choice. “I learnt that my life is mine. I have the power to say no to marriage.

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)
The brides mentioned in the passage are rebels against
(i) the dowry system
(ii) child marriage
(iii) purdah system
(iv) arranged manages

Answer:
(ii) child marriage

Question (b)
When Roshni was twelve years old, she succeeded in her mission with the help of …………
(i) 20 children aged between eight and sixteen
(ii) her grandparents
(iii) 20 children, her grandparents, village elders and teachers
(iv) children and an NGO

Answer:
(iii) 20 children, her grandparents, village elders and teachers

Question (c)
When she Wps sixteen the people of the village …………………..
(i) taunted her and beat her up
(ii) boycotted her
(iii) were angry with her
(iv) were sympathetic and understanding

Answer:
(i) taunted her and beat her up

Question (d)
Roshni moved out of the village in order to
(i) seek a job
(ii) escape the villagers
(iii) attend college
(iv) marry a boy of her choice

Answer:
(iii) attend college

Question (e)
‘Give up’ in para 3 means
(i) stop attending classes
(ii) stop doing something
(iii) very eager
(iv) voluntary help

Answer:
(ii) stop doing something

Question (f)
‘Annulled’ in para 5 means
(i) To state officially that something is not legally valid
(ii) Help somebody
(iii) impending doom
(iv) social works

Answer:
(i) To state officially that something is not legally valid

1.2 Answer the following.

(a) The children, all aged between eight and 16, trapped to …………….. and urged her grandparents to stop the impending wedding.
(b) Roshni lost her father when she was only ……………. years old.
(c) Education and independence made Roshni confident. [True/False]
(d) ‘Bal Samooh’ meetings with NGO Shiv Shiksha Samiti and ‘Save the Children’ encouraged
child marriage. [True/False]

Answer:
(a) Roshini’s house
(b) two
(c) True
(d) False

1.3 Find words/expressions from the passage that have a meaning similar to the following.

(a) about to happen soon (paragraph 2)
(b) realised (paragraph 6)

Answer:
(a) impending
(b) dawned upon her

2. Read the passage given below.

1. White House security entrance at 2:15 PM on Tuesday, October 17: There are six Indians in immaculate sherwanis that the secret service is trying to clear through by matching their passports or drivers’ licences to the information they have on their computers. Four clear and two have problems. One of them is me. The problem is my passport has no last name. Even though I have met with candidate Trump, President-Elect Trump, and then President Trump, at least a dozen times, it’s never been at the White House.

2. Diwali at the White House was scheduled to begin at 3:15 pm. For 30 minutes four different White House officials tried to get me cleared, but these secret service guys refused to break the protocol no matter who the visitor. It is 3:00 PM now. Finally, seeing no solution in sight the Secret Service offer a way out – I could go in as long as I am escorted by an official all the time. Three members of our group of six had already gone in, and finally the rest of us dash to the Roosevelt room, right next to the Oval Office. Just in time at 3:30 pm.

3. There were a total of 26 guests, most of them currently working for the Trump administration such as Nikki Haley, Seema Verma, Ajit Pai, Raj Shah, Vanilla Singh, along with six members of the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) that had played a major role in the election of President Trump. I am the RHC India Ambassador.

4. After a 10-minute wait in the Roosevelt room, all 26 of us line up in the Oval Office. President Trump walks in, and comes over to us, the Kumar family which includes my dad Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, his son Vikram Aditya Kumar and of course me.

5. The President then proceeded to read his statement and light the diya with Nikki Haley and Seema Verma to his right and Shalabh Kumar and me to his left. (The writer is the RHC India Ambassador and winner of the Times of India Femina Miss India contest in 2010.)

2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.

Question (a)
The crisis the author describes in the opening paragraph in that the author and five other Indians
(i) do not have valid passports.
(ii) are not suitably dressed.
(iii) the information on their documents does not match with the information US security officials have.
(iv) they are late for the function.

Answer:
(iii) the information on their documents does not match with the information US security officials have.

Question (b)
Finally, the white House security officials allowed the author to enter the White House if

(i) she could prove that she had met President Trump several times earlier.
(ii) she went in without a camera or a microphone.
(iii) a security officer remained with her all the time.
(iv) her father Shalabh Kumar took guarantee of her behaviour.
Answer:
(iii) a security officer remained with her all the time.

Question (c)
The author was part of the 26 member team that celebrated Diwali with President trump
because she

(i) belonged to the Kumar family.
(ii) was the Ambassador of RHC.
(iii) Neither of these
(iv) both of these
Answer:
(iv) both of these

Question (d)
The Diwali celebrations were held
(i) on the lawns of the White House,
(ii) in the Roosevelt Room.
(iii) in the Oval Office.
(iv) in President Trump’s drawing-room.
Answer:
(iii) in the Oval Office.

Question (e)
‘Scheduled’ in para 2 means ……………………….
(i) arranged
(ii) decided
(iii) looked after
(iv) stationary
Answer:
(i) arranged

Question (f)
‘Dash’ in para 2 means ………………………
(i) reach on time
(ii) rush
(iii) wait
(iv) play colour
Answer:
True

2.2 Answer the following.

(a) The author’s problem was that her ……………… had no last name.
(b) After a 10-minute wait in the ………………. Room, all 26 of the guests lined up in the Oval
Office.
(c) Diwali at the White House was scheduled to start at 3:15 pm. [True/False]
(d) Six members of the Republican Hindu Coalition played a major role in the election of President Trump. [True/False]

Answer:
(a) passport
(b) Roosevelt
(c) False
(d) True

2.3 Find words that have meanings similar to these:

(a) extremely clean and tidy (paragraph 1)
(b) accompanied (paragraph 2)

Answer:
(a) immaculate
(b) escorted

3. Read the passage given below.

1. Delhi tried very hard but it wasn’t enough. In the run-up to D-Day, the sound of firecrackers had not been heard. The Supreme Court ban on sales had made procuring them difficult, but many people, including school children, had resolved to buck tradition for clean air. And till 7 pm on Diwali, most neighbourhoods were quiet. Around that time the first sound of firecrackers going off was heard, and gradually it rose to a crescendo. But it was nowhere near the blitzkrieg of the past, not even half of that. And well before midnight, it was all over.

2. The bad news broke at dawn. It was a visibly smoggy morning. Air pollution levels had peaked to “severe” on Diwali night and remained dangerously high till Friday afternoon as reflected in the real-time monitoring data of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

3. The CPCB, however, pointed out a silver lining. It said the air quality index (AQI) this year was better than the ones on Diwali in the past two years in spite of hostile meteorological conditions. On Diwali last year (October 30, 2016), the average AQI for the city was in the “severe” category at 426 while the year before that (November 11, 2015), it had been in the “very poor” category at 327. This time, it was marginally lower at 326.

4. There are so many factors impacting air quality – from the speed and direction of the wind to burning of crop stubble in neighbouring states – that it is difficult to definitively identify the main culprit. What, however, has to be acknowledged is that at least a majority of people have the will to stick to what may appear to be unpalatable decisions for better quality of life.

5 The data, however, is making informed observers worry-particularly the massive peaks in PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5 (fine, respirable pollution particles) and PM 10 (coarse pollution particles) levels on Thursday night after 10 pm. Delhi peaked to 656 micrograms per cubic metres around midnight.

6 However, the data also shows that in spite of unfavourable meteorological conditions, the air quality on Diwali this year was better than last year. It had not been so good in the two days preceding Diwali due to intrusion of humid air from the south-east coupled with prevailing calm wind conditions. The average mixing height (the height to which smoke or air will rise, mix and disperse) recorded on October 18 and 19 were 547 metres and 481 metres, respectively, according to CPCB. It should be at least 1000 metres for proper dispersal.

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)
In the run-up to D-Day, the sound of firecrackers had not been heard because the
(i) Supreme Court banned the sales of firecrackers.
(ii) children resolved to back tradition for clean air.
(iii) neighbourhoods did not like the sound of firecrackers.
(iv) children were afraid of the sound of firecrackers.
Answer:
(i) the Supreme Court banned the sales of firecrackers

Question (b)
The ‘bad news’ that broke at dawn was that
(i) there was smog in the sky.
(ii) the air pollution levels were dangerously high.
(iii) CPCB released real time figures that were alarming.
(iv) All of the above.
Answer:
(iv) All the above

Question (c)
The AQI levels after Diwali this year were
(i) the same as in other years.
(ii) higher than other years.
(iii) lower than other years.
(iv) could not be ascertained.
Answer:
(iii) lower than other years

Question (d)
There will be no air pollution if
(i) school children do not burst crackers on Diwali.
(ii) there is a strong wind on Diwali night.
(iii) if the motor vehicles do not run on Diwali.
(iv) None of the above.
Answer:
(iv) None of the above.

Question (e)
‘Crescendo’ in para 1 means
(i) to happen successfully
(ii) an increase in intensity
(iii) better quality of life
(iv) metrological conditions
Answer:
(ii) an increase in intensity

Question (f)
unpalatable in para 4 means
(i) 6,000 metres for proper dispersal
(ii) feeling happy
(iii) dispersal
(iv) not pleasant
Answer:
(iv) not pleasant

3.2 Answer the following.

(a) The massive peaks in PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5 and PM 10 (coarse pollution particles) on
the Diwali day made the observers worried. [True/False]
(b) Despite the Supreme Court ban on the sale of firecrackers, many people including school
children were adamant to burst firecrackers on the Diwali Day. [True/False]
(c) In the run-up to D-Day in Delhi the sound of firecrackers gradually rose to a ………………….
(d) Delhi peaked to 656 …………………. per cubic metres around midnight.

Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) crescendo
(d) micrograms

3.3 Find words from the passage which have a meaning similar to the following.

(a) unfavourable (paragraph 3)
(b) influencing (paragraph 4)

Answer:
(a) hostile
(b) impacting

(b) Descriptions

Factual description may be of events, places, traditions, people, activities, animals, happenings, inventions and discoveries, etc. Through description, sometimes, underlying values are explored and sometimes an aspect of life is highlighted. These passages are easy to understand.

4. Read the passage given below.

1. In six months, road users in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, have learned to cringe at using the car horn unnecessarily. “I feel embarrassed now when I occasionally blow the horn,” said Rajaram Dangal, a hotel manager. “I feel like people are staring at me from all around.” Clearly, the traffic police’s slogan of “Let’s be civilised, let’s not use the horn” is working.

2. Making Dangal give up his instinctive action at the wheel has not been easy. Like in most old South Asian cities, horns seem a matter of life and death in Kathmandu, with its narrow, congested, pot holed roads. Pedestrians-and animals-cross the roads at will. There are no traffic lights and road dividers. And yet today, you only hear a few stray beeps on the street. Even these sound tentative and have none of the aggressive, let-me-through tone that you find in, say, Delhi.

3 The induction of a no-nonsense officer to head the traffic police, a ban on horns, strict vigilance, a fine of ? 500 (? 315 in Indian currency) and threat of public ignominy have brought a degree of silence on the noisy streets. Noise pollution had reached unhealthy highs in the Nepalese capital.

4. After clamping down on honking, 15,500 people have been hauled up. Sarbendra Khanal, traffic police chief, said this was achieved despite the cops having no mechanical device to pinpoint the horn sound.

5. And yet, the quietude of sorts is holding out.” “It’s early days still, but I feel mindsets are changing,” Khanal was optimistic. The government’s intent to change the street ambience was enunciated in no less than Khanal’s selection to head the traffic police soon after the announcement of the ban. What did DIG Khanal bring to the table? He has little traffic experience. Rather, the officer has a reputation as an “encounter specialist”, having crushed 109 criminal outfits in the Terai.

6. It isn’t difficult to extrapolate Khanal’s renown as a tough cop to the willingness of the people to fall in line. Roads are dense with motorcycles since car prices are prohibitive there.

7. Reining in these weaving, wailing two wheelers was the biggest challenge for Khanal and his team. However, it isn’t all baton and threats. There is a continuing awareness drive, which to date has included 9,400 roadside gatherings, 1,230 sessions with bus and truck drivers and 1,680 visits to schools and colleges. The results are there to see or rather hear.

8 The success has proved that tough measures can be implemented.

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)
The traffic police in Kathmandu
(i) has linked not blowing car horns to being civilized.
(ii) made strict rules against blowing horns.
(iii) has used multi-pronged strategy for controlling horn blowing by car drivers.
(iv) All of the above
Answer:
(iv) All of the above

Question (b)
Not blowing horns on the streets of Kathmandu is a matter of life and death because
(i) it could lead to accidents.
(ii) the roads are narrow.
(iii) there are no road dividers.
(iv) None of these.
Answer:
(i) it could lead to accidents

Question (c)
That the people of Kathmandu are not blowing car horns shows that
(i) they are law abiding.
(ii) the strategy of strictness combined with educating the public has been successful.
(iii) the police chef’s reputation as an encounter specialist is justified;
(iv) All of the above.
Answer:
(ii) the strategy of strictness combined with educating the public has been successful.

Question (d)
Sarbendra Khanal was chosen to be the chief of traffic police in Kathmandu because
(i) he had experience in controlling traffic.
(ii) he was an encounter specialist.
(iii) he was popular among people.
(iv) he was a no-nonsense officer
Answer:
(iv) he was a no-nonsense officer

Question (e)
‘Extrapolate’ in para 6 means
(i) estimate
(ii) make known
(iii) cringe at the car horn
(iv) alert the pedestrians
Answer:
(i) estimate

Question (f)
‘Reining’ in para 7 means
(i) a lot of traffic
(ii) controlling
(iii) tough measures
(iv) intent to change
Answer:
(ii) controlling

4.2 Answer the following.

(a) Noise pollution had reached highs in the Nepalese capital.
(b) Roads are dense with motorcycles because car prices are there.
(c) The traffic police’s slogan was, “Let’s be civilised, let’s not use the horn.” [True/False]
(d) Khanal was a pessimistic, non-nonsense officer to head the traffic police in Kathmandu. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) unhealthy
(b) prohibitive
(c) True
(d) False

4.3 Find words from the passage which have a meaning similar to these:

(a) controlling (paragraph 6)
(b) short stick used by policemen, sportspersons (paragraph 7)
Answer:
(a) reining in
(b) baton

5. Read the following passage carefully.

1. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the eleventh president of India, was a great scientist, teacher and writer. He had written many books like ‘Ignited Minds,’ ‘India 2020,’ ‘Mission India’ and ‘Wings of Fire’. He was a source of inspiration for the young and old alike. Here is an extract from ‘Wings of Fire’ which depicts his early life in his own words.

2. My parents, Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma were widely regarded as an ideal couple. My mother’s lineage was the more distinguished, one of her forebears having been bestowed the title of ‘BAHUDUR’ by the British. I normally ate with my mother, sitting on the floor of the kitchen. She would place a banana leaf before me, on which she had ladled rice and aromatic sambhar, a variety of sharp home-made pickles and a dollop of fresh coconut chutney.

3. The famous Shiva temple, which made Rameshwaram so sacred to pilgrims was about a ten- minute walk from our house. Our locality was predominantly Muslim, but there were quite a few Hindu families too, living amicably with their Muslim neighbours. There was a very old mosque in our locality where my father would take me for evening prayers. I had not the faintest idea of the meaning of the Arabic prayers chanted, but I was totally convinced that they reached God. When my father came out of the mosque after the prayers, people of different religions would be sitting outside, waiting for him. Many of them offered bowls of water to my father who would dip his fingers in them and say a prayer. This water was then carried home for invalids. I also remember people visiting our home to offer thanks after being cured. My father always smiled and asked them to thank Allah, the benevolent and merciful.

4. The high priest of Rameswaram Temple, Pakshi Lakshmana, was a very ‘close friend of my father. One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is of the two men, each in his traditional attire, discussing spiritual matters.

5. When I was old enough to ask questions I asked my father about the relevance of prayer. “When you pray” he said “you transcend your body and become a part of the cosmos which knows no division of wealth, age, caste or creed”.

5.1 Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option from the given ones:

Question (a)
In early childhood, Abdul Kalam sang Arabic prayers because he
(i) had no idea about their message
(ii) his father would take him to old mosque
(iii) was sure that prayers reached God
(iv) was keen to learn them by heart
Answer:
(ii) his father would take him to old mosque

Question (b)
Abdul Kalam lived in an area where
(i) Muslims were in minority
(ii) Hindus were in a majority
(iii) Muslims and Hindus has hostility for one another
(iv) Muslims and Hindus lived in a friendly manner
Answer:
(iv) Muslims and Hindus lived in a friendly manner

Question (c)
………………… in traditional dress discussed spiritual matters with Pakshi Lakshmana.
(i) The high priest of Rameswaram Temple
(ii) Abdul Kalam’s father
(iii) Abdul Kalam
(iv) A very close friend of Kalam’s father
Answer:
(ii) Abdul Kalam’s father

Question (d)
Why, according to Jainulabdeen, were prayers important?
(i) Made one free from division of wealth.
(ii) Made one aware about one’s body and its limitation.
(iii) Made one wise enough to discuss spiritual matters.
(iv) They are recited in an old mosque.
Answer:
(i) Made one free from division of wealth.

Question (e)
‘Convinced’ in para 3 means …………………
(i) undoubtedly
(ii) completely sure
(iii) sacred
(iv) amicably
Answer:
(ii) completely sure

Question (f)
‘Attire’ in para 4 means …………………
(i) cosmos
(ii) clothes
(iii) creed
(iv) caste
Answer:
(ii) completely sure

5.2 Answer the following.

(a) Abdul Kalam’s father was a close friend of ……………….
(b) Abdul Kalam was the ………………. President of India.
(c) The Muslims offered their prayers in the Rameshwaram Temple. [True/False]
(d) Abdul Kalam wrote ‘Wings of Fire’ that depicts his early life in his own words. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) Pakshi Lakshmana
(b) eleventh
(c) False
(d) True

5.3 Find the words/phrases from the passage which mean the same as:

(a) member of family in the past (para 2)
(b) To rise above or go beyond the normal limits (para 5)
Answer:
(a) forbear
(b) transcend Read the passage given below.

6. Read the Passage given below.

1. Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousand unrelated data in order. These machines can be put to varied uses. For instance, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic accidents. They work accurately and at high speed.

2. They save research workers’ years of hard work. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called ‘automation’. In future automation may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today. The coming of automation is bound to have important social consequences.

3. Some years ago, an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could think. There is no possibility that human beings will be controlled by machines. Though computers are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performances, they need detailed instructions from human beings to be able to operate. They can never lead independent lives or rule the world by taking decisions of their own.

4. Sir Leon said that in future, computers would be developed which would be small enough to be carried in one’s pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged into a wireless network and can be used like radios. For instance, people, going on holiday, could be informed about weather conditions. Car drivers can be given an alternative route, when there is a traffic jam. It will also be possible to make tiny translating machines. This will enable people, who do not share a common language, to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications.

5. It is impossible to assess the importance of a machine of this sort, for many international misunderstandings are caused simply due to our failure to understand each other. Computers will also be used in ordinary public hospitals. By providing a machine with a patient’s systems, a doctor will be able to diagnose the nature of his illness. Similarly, machines could be used to keep a check on a patient’s health record and bring it up to date. Doctors will, therefore, have immediate access to great many facts which will help them in their work. Bookkeepers and accountants too could be relieved of dull clerical work. For the tedious task of compiling and checking lists of figures could be done entirely by machines. Computers are the most efficient servant man has ever had and there is no limit to the way they can be used to improve our lives.

6.1 Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options:

Question (a)
Write out the correct option:
(i) There is no possibility that human beings can be on their own with no need of machines.
(ii) Human beings are likely to be controlled by machines one day.
(iii) There is no possibility that human beings will ever be controlled by machines.
(iv) Machines can replace humans.
Answer:
(iii) There is no possibility that human beings will ever be controlled by machines.

Question (b)
Write out the correct option:
(i) Computers can solve only certain mathematical problems.
(ii) Computers can’t solve any mathematical problems.
(iii) Computers can solve the most complex mathematical problems.
(iv) Computers can solve only simple mathematical problems.
Answer:
(iii) Computers can solve the most complex mathematical problems.

Question (c)
Computers can be used to
(i) to find treatment for the pateint’s illness.
(ii) to prescribe a medicine for the patient.
(iii) to diagnose the nature of patient’s illness.
(iv) to keep the patient in good mood.
Answer:
(iii) to diagnose the nature of patient’s illness.

Question (d)
Many international misunderstandings are caused due to our failure to understand
(i) ourselves.
(ii) other nations.
(iii) our friends.
(iv) each other.
Answer:
(iv) each other.

Question (e)
The antonym of the word ‘complicated’ is
(i) difficult
(ii) simple
(iii) easy
(iv) strange
Answer:
(ii) simple

Question (f)
The verb form of the word ‘alternative’ is
(i) alternate
(ii) alter
(iii) late
(iv) elate
Answer:
(i) alternate

6.2 Answer the following.

(a) In future, ………………… may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today.
(b) Sir Leon Bagrit said that in future, ………………. would be developed which would be small enough to be carried in one’s pocket.
(c) Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. [True/False]
(d) Computers are the most inefficient servant that man has ever had. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) automation
(b) computers
(c) True
(d) False

6.3 Find the synonyms of the following words from the passage.

(a) results (para 2)
(b) monotonous (para 5)
Answer:
(a) consequences
(b) dull

7. Read the passage given below:

1. Delhi has grown into a city that shuns children. It is now an urban sprawl, its development model skewed in favour of motorised traffic and commercial capitalization. This has snatched play fields from kids. With vehicles both stationary and on the move occupying every inch of space available, the roads and even lanes and bylanes are out of bounds for the little ones unlike in American and European cities, there are few public spaces where one can hang out. No wonder, our children spend a lot of time indoors, glued to the TV, PC or mobile screens. ‘It’s time,’ urban planning experts say, ‘to reconsider Delhi’s growth with the welfare of its children in mind.’

2. Supreme Court Judge Kurian Joseph expressed his anguish at the shrinking playing space for children in Delhi. The condition of the parks in the city, he said in the letter, was a “serious violation of human rights of children” as it was “their right in their tender times to have a decent environment to play and frolic around.”

3. Kuldeep Singh, an architect and urban planner, who worked with DDA during 1956-57 to bring out Delhi’s first master plan, explained how initially children’s needs were the town planner’s priority. “Space standards were set very rationally, and in every neighbourhood, a huge open space was reserved for children which we called ‘tot-lots’. “This was the place where we thought children would get a space to play and mingle with each other and we kept it away from roads,” recalled Singh. However, due to administrative reasons, the idea of ‘tot-lots’ had to be dropped and regrettably, was never entertained again.

4. “Over the years, circumstances have changed and people are reluctant to let their children go out without some kind of security, as a result of which the children are now suffering.” says Mr. Singh. Before it’s too late, Mr. Singh hopes the few open spaces for kids are restored and protected from vehicles looking for parking lots. Another urban planning expert says the first rectification Delhi’s development model needs to carry out is to ensure mobility of children.

5. “Two thousand pedestrians die on Delhi’s roads every year of which several are children. There may not be a dearth of green spaces in Delhi, the city has a unique advantage on that front but kids have no safe means to reach their places independently,” says Manjit Rastogi, founder of architecture firm Morphogenesis. “It is catastrophic to learn about child mortality on Delhi’s roads, but, on the other hand, you have the tragedy of kids being confined to their homes,” points out Mr. Rastogi. “From a city of cars, Delhi needs to become a city of pedes trians where children can enjoy and identify themselves with their surroundings,” he adds.

6. Developing public spaces with colourful street furniture, swings, art instalations, etc., could draw in kids and bring them out of their homes. DDA officials say their focus is on balanced development of the city, which takes into account children’s recreational needs. “DDA is working on new policies like Transit Oriented Development which have sufficient provisions for taking care of pedestrians and movement of children and women safely. Their policies will guide the future development of the city,” said Neemo Dhar, Spokesperson, DDA

7.1 Select the correct option from the ones given below.

(a) The verb form of ‘priority’ is
(i) prior
(ii) priosy
(iii) prioritize
(iv) None
Answer:
(iii) prioritize

Question (b)
The phrasal verb ‘draw in’ means
(i) put in
(ii) draw a picture
(iii) draw a match
(iv) to persuade to join or entice
Answer:
(iv) to persuade to join or entice

Question (c)
The passage suggests that
(i) Delhi kids enjoy sitting in front of TV
(ii) Delhi has taken care of recreational needs of the kids
(iii) seveval children die on roads in Delhi
(iv) motorists are not favoured by the city planners
Answer:
(iii) seveval children die on roads in Delhi

Question (d)
Which of the following does not support the statement ‘Delhi shuns children’?
(i) Delhi’s development model is skewed in favour of motorised traffic.
(ii) Delhi kids have been deprived of play fields.
(iii) The few public places where children can hang out are not safe to reach.
(iv) DDA is working on Transit Oriented Development.
Answer:
(iv) DDA is working on Transit Oriented Development.

Question (e)
Which of the following statements is true?
(i) In past, children’s needs were a priority for city planners.
(ii) Delhi has an acute shortage of green spaces.
(iii) It is surprising that children spend much of their time in front of TV.
(iv) American and European cities don’t have many public spaces where children can hang out.
Answer:
(i) In past, children’s needs were a priority for city planners.

Question (f)
To …………… is the human right of children.
(i) have a good environment to play and enjoy
(ii) sit in front of TV screen
(iii) use a mobile phone
(iv) remain indoors
Answer:
(i) have a good environment to play and enjoy

7.2 Answer the following.

(a) Delhi is now an urban sprawl, its development model skewed in favour of motorised traffic
and capitalization. [True/False]
(b) Delhi’s first master plan explained how initially women’s needs were the town planner’s
priority. [IFue/False]
(c) According to urban planners it is time to reconsider Delhi’s growth with the ………………. of its children in mind.
(d) The TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) has sufficient ………………… for taking care of pedestrians and movement of children and women safely.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) welfare
(d) provisions

7.3 Find the words/phrases in the passage which mean the same as:

(a) mix
(b) correction or amendment
Answer:
(a) mingle
(b) rectification

8. Read the passage given below:

1. Life on our planet earth began with the sea; it is the birth place of life on the earth. The earth is the only planet of our solar system so far known which contains plenty of water and this water has made our earth colourful, pulsating with life of a vast variety.

2. At present sea occupies about 70 per cent of the earth’s surface. In the southern hemisphere it occupies more area than that in the northern. About 97% of the total water on the surface of the earth is found in the seas and the remaining three per cent, which is generally fresh, in lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.

3. Sea has given food and shelter to countless creatures. It is a potential source of protein. In 1900 the world was only 150 crore, now it is more than 560 crore and is increasing at a very fast rate. As a result, there is a terrible hunger in many parts of the world. In Africa, Asia and South America, millions of people do not get enough to eat. Many die of malnutrition. Sea, if used scientifically and judiciously, can meet most of our demands.

4. Plankton or algae mostly constitutes the plant life. Like plant plankton there are also animal plankton; the smallest living creature in the sea. These animal plankton feed on plant plankton and small fish. Thus, there is an unbroken chain of life in the sea.

5. Arctic and Antarctic seas abound in plankton and algae and so in fish also. Blue whales, the largest living creatures of the world, are also found here in great number.

6. Some countries have developed sea farming to a great extent. The Japanese and the Hawaiians relish eating sea plants but it is not so in other countries though some use them to feed their cattle or as manure in their fields. The fact is that sea plants contain rich nutrients not found in other vegetarian food. It is good that even in our country some scientists have developed some recipes for curries, jams, etc. to be made from algae.

7. But we must remember one thing that sea is not to be exploited immediately. For example, man in his greed has hunted whales and some other sea creatures so recklessly that some of their species have either become extinct or are on the verge of extinction. Now, nations of the world have realised their folly and have taken some joint decisions. For example, one such decision is that the size of the holes in fishing nets should be big enough to let baby fish escape through. Otherwise, killing of large quantities of very young fish would have an adverse effect on the fish population. In the same way another decision is for the protection of the blue whales.

8.1 Choose the most appropriate options:

Question (a)
Write out the correct option:
(i) Sky is the birth place of life on the earth.
(ii) Moon is the birth place of life on the earth.
(iii) Sea is the birth place of life on the earth.
(iv) Land is the birth place of life on the earth.
Answer:
(iii) Sea is the birth place of life on the earth.

Question (b)
Plankton or algae mostly constitutes:
(i) the wild life
(ii) the human life
(iii) the sea life
(iv) the plant life
Answer:
(iv) the plant life

Question (c)
The size of the holes in fishing nets should be big enough to let:
(i) big fish stay in
(ii) water flow out
(iii) baby fish escape through
(iv) more fish and water enter
Answer:
(iii) baby fish escape through

Question (d)
Sea plants contain rich nutrient not found in:
(i) other plants
(ii) other vegetarian food
(iii) non-vegetarian food
(iv) milk and milk products
Answer:
(ii) other vegetarian food

Question (e)
The antonym of ‘plenty’ is:
(i) little
(ii) inadequate
(iii) scarcity
(iv) minimal
Answer:
(iii) scarcity

Question (f)
The antonym of ‘active’ is
(i) plant plankton
(ii) vegetarian food
(iii) blue whales
(iv) extinct
Answer:
(iv) extinct

8.2 Answer the following.

(a) The earth is the only planet of our solar system that contains plenty of …………………
(b) …………………. is the largest living creature of the world.
(c) Arctic and Antarctic seas abound in plant and algae. [True/False]
(d) The animal plankton is the biggest living creature in the sea. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) water
(b) The blue whale
(c) True
(d) False

8.3 Find a word from the passage which means the same as the following:

(a) wisely (para 3)
(b) unfavourable (para 7)
Answer:
(a) judiciously
(b) adverse