PASSAGE-1
Food can maintain or save life. It can destroy life as well. Proper food serves the purpose of medicine. Improper food works as poison and causes diseases. We may take pride in calling ourselves civilized; but we flout all the norms about the quality or quantity of food. We mostly eat processed foods. We have drifted away from mother nature. Thus the incidence of diabetes has increased very much. According to a survey, diabetes was rare in the natives of Canada a few years ago. With the advent of processed and junk foods, the incidence of diabetes has shot up within a very short time. By offering ice-creams, chocolates and cakes too often to our children and by attending parties every other day, we, in fact invite obesity and diabetes.
Questions :
(a) What is improper food?
(b) What is the effect of improper food?
(c) “We flout all the norms about the quality and quantity of food.” What does this expression mean?
(d) How have we changed our food habits?
(e) What causes obesity and diabetes?
(f) What was the incidence of diabetes a few years ago in Canada?
Answer
(a) Food that does not serve the purpose of medicine is called improper food. (b) Improper food works as poison and causes diseases. (c) It means that our eating habits are not good. (d) We mostly eat processed food. (e) Processed and junk food cause obesity and diabetes. (f) A few years ago diabetes was rare in the natives of Canada.
PASSAGE-2
Language is a wonderful gift given to man. No animal possesses this gift, but they have their own way of expressing themselves. When a rabbit sees an enemy, it runs away into its hole. Its tail, which is white, bobs up and down as it runs. The other rabbits see it and they run too. They know that there is a danger. When a cobra is angry, it raises its hood and makes itself look fierce. This warns other animals. When a bee has found some food, it goes back to the hive. It cannot tell the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does a kind of dance in the air. Some animals say things by making sounds. A dog barks when a stranger comes near.
Questions :
(a) What is a wonderful gift to man?
(b) How does a rabbit express itself in case of danger?
(c) What does cobra do when it is angry?
(d) How does a bee inform about the presence of food?
(e) How does a dog communicate?
(f) Use the word “possess” in your own sentence.
Answer
(a) Language is a wonderful gift to man.
(b) When a rabbit sees an enemy, it runs away into its hole by bobbing up and down its tail as it runs.
(c) When a cobra is angry it raises its hood and makes itself look fierce.
(d) A bee does a kind of dance to tell the other bees where the food is.
(e) A dog communicates by barking.
(f) Weak boys do not possess the physical strength.
PASSAGE 3 Cheating in examinations is a major defect of our educational system. The cheating has become so common that students consider it their birthright to use unfair means in examination. The root cause of this evil lies in our schools. Short-cuts have replaced hard labour. Guides and notes are encouraged in place of text books. In all school examinations, except the middle and matric examinations, teachers show leniency to the students and pass most of them. Sometimes, even the parents are at fault. They get their undeserving wards promoted to higher class. The students don’t cultivate the habit of self study and hard work. Then in the board examinations, students resort to cheating. The teachers on duty encourage the students to use unfair means to pass the examinations. The desire to show good results motivates them to adopt wrong methods.
Questions : (a) What is the major defect of our examination system? (b) Where does the root cause of cheating in exams lie? (c) What do students feel about using unfair means in examination? (d) What is used in place of text books?
(e) Why do teachers encourage the students to use unfair means? (f) What do students fail to cultivate?
Answer
(a) Cheating in examination is the major defect of our examination system. (b) The root cause of cheating in examination lies in our schools. (c) Students consider it their birth right. (d) Guides and notes are used in place of text books. (e) The teachers encourage the students to use unfair means in examination because they desire to show good results. (f) Students fail to cultivate the habit of self study and hard work.
PASSAGE 4
For a student, walking is preferable to all exercises. The advantage of this mode of exercise is that it is simple. The apparatus is all at hand. You need not wait for the importation of machinery. It is in the air that the lungs can at once receive the pure air of heaven and the eyes gaze upon hill and dale, upon trees and flowers, upon the objects inanimate and animate. The very objects of sights and sounds cheer the mind and raise the spirit. Another advantage of walking is that you can have a friend to walk with the unbend the mind with pleasant conversation. Once try the method of walking with a friend regularly for a few weeks and you will be surprised at the marvellous results. On those afternoons when study is not required, be sure to take a long walk and lay up health for days to come.
Questions : (a) What is preferable to all exercises for a student? (b) What is advantage of walking? (c) What cheers the mind and raise the spirit? (d) What is the advantage of walking with a friend? (e) What will regular walk with friend give you? (f) What is the author’s advice to the people who are free?
Answer
(a) For a student walking is preferable to all exercises. (b) The advantage of walking is that it is simple. (c) The natural objects all around cheer the mind and raise the spirit. (d) The advantage of walking with a friend is that we can have pleasant conversation. (e) Regular walk with friend will give us marvellous results. (f) The author’s advice to the people who are free is that they must be sure to take a long walk.
PASSAGE 5
Subhash Chandra Bose was a great leader of India. He was born on 23rd January, 1896. People called him ‘Netaji’ because he led them to the right path. He went to jail many times. Soon he found out that more efforts should be made to make India free. The British power was getting weakened in the second world war. He thought of striking it from all sides. One day, he escaped from Kolkata in the guise of a Pathan and went to Germany. From there, he went to Japan. He organized the Indian National Army that fought many battles against the British armies. He said to his countrymen, ‘‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom.’’ At this appeal, hundreds of Indians abroad gave their all for the good of India. It was a bad day for India when Netaji died in an air crash. We shall always remember him as the greatest fighter for the freedom of India.
Questions : (a) Who was Subhash Chandra Bose and when was he born? (b) How was Subhash Chandra Bose addressed by people? Why? (c) Where did he escape and how? (d) What did he do to fight against British armies? (e) What slogan did he give to his countrymen? (f) What was the response of people at his call?
Answer
(a) Subhash Chandra Bose was a great leader of India. He was born on 23rd January, 1896.
(b) People called him ‘Netaji’ because he led them to the right path. (c) He escaped from Kolkata in the guise of a pathan. (d) He organized the Indian National Army to fight against British armies. (e) ‘‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom’’. (f) At his appeal, hundreds of Indians abroad gave their all for the good of India.
PASSAGE 6
Good manners are not inherited. And they don’t come naturally to intelligent people. They have to be learnt and practised. They are based upon the concept of consideration for others. They are easy to acquire and there is nothing more profitable. Good manners are a necessary complement in every walk of life, especially in business. Organisations with competent and well-mannered representatives enjoy a good reputation. The morale, productivity and profits of such an organization will be high. And this in turn will attract more business. There is no particular place or time when a person should show or begin his elementary courtesy. Courtesy, etiquette and manners are tools that one should always carry with oneself, wherever one goes. The first step to success in life is treating others as courteously as we would wish others to treat us.
Questions : (a) What is meant by good manners? (b) How are good manners acquired? (c) In what fields are good manners needed?
(d) How is a business organisation profited if it has well mannered staff ? (e) Where should we observe courtesy? (f) What is the first step for success in life?
Answer
(a) Good manners means courties of life.
(b) Good manners are acquired by learning and practising. (c) Good manners are needed in every field of life. (d) Such a business organisation will enjoy good reputation. (e) We should observe courtesy wherever we go. (f) Treating others courteously is the first step for success in life.
PASSAGE 7 A fuel is a material that is burned in order to get heat and light and also to generate power. The process of burning is a chemical reaction. A material combines with oxygen from the air and gives off energy. The energy is given off in the form of heat and light. Fuels can also be classified as solid; liquid and gaseous. Wood was one of the first fuels used by man. It was the easiest to get and the cheapest. After wood started becoming scarce, it was replaced by coal. Coal contains a high percentage of carbon. Carbon is the most important ingredient in most fuels. Fuels with a high percentage of carbon burn evenly and with a hot flame. The most important liquid fuels come from petroleum. However petroleum reserves are becoming exhausted with the passage of time.
Questions : (a) Why is the fuel burned? (b) What is the process of burning called?
(c) In which form is the energy released? (d) How has fuel been classified? (e) What does coal contain? (f) Which liquid fuel is mentioned in the passage?
Answer
(a) The fuel is burned in order to get heat and light and also to generate power.
(b) The process of burning is called a chemical reaction. (c) The energy is released in the form of heat and light. (d) Fuel has been classified as solid, liquid and gaseous. (e) Coal contains a high percentage of carbon. (f) Liquid fuel ‘petroleum’ is mentioned in the passage.
PASSAGE 8 Vidyasagar was a very generous and charitable man. From his earliest years he helped the poor and needy to the utmost of his power. As a boy at school he often gave some of the little food, he had, to eat to another boy who had none. If one of his school fellows fell ill, little Ishwar would go to his house, sit by his bed and nurse him. When he grew rich, hundreds of poor widows and orphans were supported by him. His name became a household word in Bengal. Rich or poor, high or low, all loved him alike. No beggar ever asked him for relief in vain. He would never have a porter at his gate, lest some poor man, who wished to see him, should be turned away.
Questions : (a) Who was Vidyasagar? (b) Whom did Vidyasagar help from his earliest years? (c) To whom did Vidyasagar support when he grew up? (d) Why did his name become a household word in Bengal? (e) To whom did he give food at school as a boy? (f) Did any beggar ask him for relief in vain?
Answer
(a) Vidyasagar was a very generous and charitable man.
(b) From his earliest years Vidyasagar helped the poor and needy to the utmost of his power.
(c) When he grew up he supported hundreds of poor widows and orphans.
(d) His name became a household word in Bengal because he helped the poor and needy.
(e) As a boy at school he often gave some of the little food, he had, to eat to another boy who had none.
(f) No beggar ever asked him for relief in vain.
PASSAGE 9 Trees give shade for the benefit of others, while they themselves stand in the sun and endure the scorching heat. They produce fruit by which others profit. The character of a good man is like that of trees. What is the use of this perishable body if it is not used for the benefit of mankind ? The more sandalwood is rubbed, the more scent it gives. The more sugar cane is peeled and cut into pieces, the more juice it produces. The more gold is burnt, the more brightly it shines. Noble people do not lose their qualities even by losing their lives. What does it matter whether man praises them or not ? What difference does it make whether riches abide with them or not? What does it matter whether they die at this moment or their lives are prolonged? Come what may, those who tread on the right path will not set foot on any other. Life itself is unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. To live for the sake of living one’s life is to live a worthless life.
Questions : (a) What do trees give us? (b) To whom is the character of a good man compared? (c) Who don’t lose their qualities even by losing their lives? (d) When is life unprofitable to man? (e) What kind of a life it is, if you live life for the sake of living your own life? (f) Give a suitable title to the passage.
Answer
(a) Trees give us shade and fruit.
(b) A good man’s character is compared to gold because they do not lose their qualities even when they suffer a lot.
(c) Noble people don’t lose their qualities even losing by their lives.
(d) Life is unprofitable to man who does not live for others.
(e) To live for the sake of living one’s life is to live a worthless life.
(f) Living a life for others.
PASSAGE 10 Yoga is the ancient Indian system to keep a person fit in body and mind. It is basically a system of self treatment. According to the yogic view, diseases, disorders and ailments are the result of some faulty ways of living, bad habits, lack of proper knowledge and unsuitable food. The diseases are thus the resultant state of a short or prolonged malfunctioning of the body system. Since the root cause of a disease lies in the mistakes of the individual, its cure also lies in correcting the mistakes by the same individual. Thus yoga relies entirely on the effort of the patient to cure himself. The yoga expert shows only the path and works no more than as a counsellor. The yogic practice of treatment comprises three steps namely proper diet, proper yogic practice and proper knowledge of things concerning the self.
Questions : 1. What is the benefit of yoga ? (A) keeps a person fit in body and mind
(B) provides a job to the person (C) provides entertainment to the person
(D) keeps a person rich 2. What causes diseases, ailments and disorders ? (A) bad habits
(B) labourful jobs (C) exercise
(D) good diet 3. What does yoga rely on entirely ? (A) allopathic treatment
(B) good diet (C) effort of the patient to cure himself
(D) medical treatment 4. How does a yoga expert work ? (A) guide
(B) teacher (C) physician
(D) counsellor 5. Which one is not the part of the yogic practice of treatment ? (A) proper diet
(B) proper yogic practice (C) proper knowledge of things
(D) proper medical treatment 6. Yoga is a system of : (A) medical treatment
(B) self treatment (C) surgical treatment
(D) homeopathic treatment
Answer
1. (A) keeps a person fit in body and mind
2. (A) bad habits
3. (C) effort of the patient to cure himself
4. (D) counsellor
5. (D) proper medical treatment
6. (B) self treatment
PASSAGE 11 Proper food is the basic requirement of health. Health does not mean absence of disease; it rather means the presence of energy and vitality. Most of the food we eat daily does not contain essential nutrients needed for the preservation of health and prevention of disease. There are various kinds of foods. Protective foods are essential for prevention of disease and are needed both by the healthy and the sick. They are rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Energy giving foods are rich in carbohydrates, and are needed by those who are engaged in hard physical labour. Body building foods are rich in proteins. Diet of growing children, adolescents and nursing mothers should contain sufficient quantity of protein for growth and for repair and maintenance of body tissues.
Questions : 1. The basic requirement of health is : (A) medicines
(B) proper food (C) new clothes
(D) air conditioned houses 2. The real meaning of health is : (A) absence of disease
(B) a fat body (C) presence of vitality and energy
(D) sharp memory 3. Which food is needed both for the healthy and sick ? (A) fast food
(B) junked food (C) protective food
(D) boiled food without fats 4. Protective foods are not rich in : (A) proteins
(B) vitamins (C) minerals
(D) carbohydrates 5. What are body building foods rich in ? (A) vitamins
(B) fats proteins minerals (C) proteins
(D) minerals 6. What is the main function of food ? (A) providing taste
(B) to quench our hunger (C) repair and maintenance of
(D) providing us time to rest and enjoy body tissue
Answer
1. (B) proper food
2. (C) presence of vitality and energy
3. (C) protective food
4. (D) carbohydrates
5. (C) proteins
6. (C) repair and maintenance of body tissue
PASSAGE 12
Of all the creatures living on earth, none causes more harm to man than the rats and mice. Their high rate of breeding beats all efforts at controlling them. The damage done by them to agriculture alone is enormous. Grains of all sorts are their chief and favourite food. Grave havoc is also caused to all kinds of fruits and vegetables and to poultry and other domestic stock. They are also the cause of dangerous diseases. Rat-tainted food causes disease to man and animal. Bubonic plague, the dreadful disease, is spread by rats. There are many kinds of rats and mice in India; first, those that live in fields, the common enemy of crops; the second, the wild species found in forests; and the last those which are household pests.
Questions : 1. Which creature do the most harm to man on earth ? (A) snakes
(B) lions (C) rats and mice
(D) elephants 2. To which sector do they make the most damage ? (A) agriculture
(B) animal-husbandry (C) heavy industry
(D) shipping
3. Which disease is spread by rats ? (A) malaria
(B) cholera (C) chicken-pox
(D) plague 4. Three species of rats are mentioned in the above passage. Which one species is not included of the following ? (A) field rats
(B) wild rats (C) pet rats
(D) household pests 5. What is the favourite food of the rats ? (A) ragged clothes
(B) foodgrains of all sorts (C) flesh
(D) human and animals refuse 6. Why is it not possible to control rats ? (A) they live underground
(B) we can’t kill them because they run fast (C) their life expectancy rate is high
(D) their breeding rate is high
Answer
1. (C) rats and mice
2. (A) agriculture
3. (D) plague
4. (C) pet rats
5. (B) foodgrains of all sorts
6. (D) their breeding rate is high
PASSAGE 13 The great advantage of early rising is the good start it gives us to our day's work. The early riser has done a large amount of hard work before other men have got out of bed. In the early morning the mind is fresh, and there are few sounds or other distractions, so the work done at that time is generally well done. In many cases the early riser also finds time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air, and this exercise supplies him with a fund of energy that will last until the evening. By begining so early, he knows that he has plenty of time to do thoroughly all the work he can be expected to do, and is not tempted to hurry over any part of it. All his work being finished in good time, he has a long interval of rest in the evening before the timely hour when he goes to bed. He gets to sleep several hours before midnight, at the time when sleep is most refreshing, and after a sound night's rest rises, early next morning in good health and spirits for the labours of a new day.
Questions : 1. How is early rising different from other hours of the day ? (A) there are few sounds and other distractions
(B) dull and boring other distractions
(C) polluted air
(D) stormy weather 2. Who finds time to take exercise in the fresh morning air ? (A) a late riser
(B) an early riser (C) a sick person
(D) an office going fellow 3. Work done in the early morning is generally : (A) not interesting
(B) dull and boring (C) well
(D) of poor quality 4. At what time sleep is most refreshing ? (A) during day
(B) after midnight (C) early in the morning
(D) before midnight 5. What gives a good start to our day’s work ? (A) early rising
(B) late rising (C) good health
(D) richness of a person
6. What provides us energy ? (A) richness of a person
(B) exercise early in the morning (C) good health
(D) good diet
Answer
1. (A) there are few sounds and other distractions
2. (B) an early riser
3. (C) well
4. (D) before midnight
5. (A) early rising
6. (B) exercise early in the morning
PASSAGE 14
Health of the citizens is the responsibility of the state. For this purpose the state sets up health services, health centres, hospitals, maternity and child welfare centres. But all this has only a curative value. Diseases are located and cured. But the public is hardly educated in hygienic living. Prevention is better than cure.
More attention should be paid towards the prevention of diseases than is being done. The preventive measures include vaccination, inoculation and above all instructing and educating the public in hygienic living.
The school can play an important role in instructing the parents and the pupils in healthy living. Through a programme of health instructions the pupils can have scientific knowledge about the body and its functioning, the principles of hygienic living, the advantage of healthful habits and the means of preventing diseases.
Health instruction is so important that it should form an integral part of school education.
Questions :
1. Whose responsibility is the health of the citizens ?
(a) self (b) state. (c) UNO (d) WHO
2. Which one is not the disease preventive measure ?
(a) vaccination (b) inoculation
(c) providing jobs to citizen (d) educating people about hygienic living
3. What should be an integral part of school education ?
(a) technical education (b) moral education (c) craft education (d) health education
4. What is public hardly educated in ?
(a) technical education (b) hygienic living conditions (c) medical education (d) craft education
5. On what should more attention be paid ?
(a) employment (b) rise in per capita income (c) holding fairs (d) prevention of disease
Ans.
1. (b) state 2. (c) providing jobs to citizen
3. (d) health education 4.(b) hygienic living conditions 5. (d) prevention of disease