Rajasthan Board Secondary Examination 2013 – English Paper

Rajasthan Board Secondary Examination 2013 – English Paper

SECTION — A
( Reading )
( Marks : 15 )

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
By instinct, most parents love and care for their children. Yet, very often, their expectations and ambitions put too much pressure on the children. When children cannot reach the level of their  parent’s ambition, they can suffer from tremendous frustration and stress.

This may lead to drug experimentation and other related behaviours as a way of avoiding the realities of the situation.

From the beginning, children should be allowed to develop in their own natural, happy way within the control of parental love, guidance and care and without too much pressure. A change of some conventional parental attitudes may help to prevent many cases of drug dependence and other adolescent problems.

We should also understand our parental responsibilities to the world environment. Remember that the living space of this world is limited and we must have enough space for our future generations to live happily.
(i) What is the basic nature of parents towards their children ? 1
(ii) Why are the children under pressure due to parents ? 1
(iii) What are the various problems children suffer from ? 1
(iv) How should the children be developed from the beginning ? 1
(v) What should we remember as a parent ? 1
(vi) Find out from the passage the word which means ‘starting’. 1
(vii) Give the word from the passage which is opposite of ‘solutions’. 1

2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Pandit Ravi Shankar, the brilliant sitarist, has done a signal service to the country by carrying the banner of Indian music across the world. He has done more than any other musician to arouse the interest of the westerners in Indian music, thus earning himself, the title, ‘India’s musical ambassador’.

Born in Varanasi in 1920, Ravi Shankar began as a ballet dancer with his elder brother Uday  Shankar’s troupe. But he left the troupe to learn the sitar under Ustad Allauddin Khan of Maihar. He underwent rigorous training practising for nearly eighteen hours a day to gain command over  the instrument.

Ravi Shankar toured Europe and America in the 1960’s, where he gave several sitar recitals. He has composed tunes for light music, choral singing and orchestra. The popular tune  of Saare Jahan Se Achchha, was composed by him in 1945. He composed music for films like Meera, Godaan and Anuradha.

His long list of awards includes the Padma Vibhushan, the Magsaysay Award (1992) and the 1998 Polar Music Prize considered the Nobel Prize of Music. In 1999 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

(i) What service has Pandit Ravi Shankar done for the country ? 1
(ii) What title has Pandit Ravi Shankar earned for promoting Indian music ? 1
(iii) When and where was Pandit Ravi Shankar born ? 1
(iv) Why did he leave his brother’s troupe ? 1
(v) Which tune was composed by him in the year 1945 ? 1
(vi) Write down the achievements of Pandit Ravi Shankar during his life time. 1
(vii) Find from the passage the word which is opposite to ‘dull’. 1
(viii) Write the word from the passage which means ‘singing in a group’. 1

SECTION — B
( Writing )
( Marks : 15 )

3. You are Zaara living in Pune. Your friend Radha has won a gold medal in the State English Debate Competition. Write a letter to congratulate her. You may take help of the following points : 5
(i) How did you come to know about it
(ii) Congratulate her on her success
(iii) How does she feel about her achievement
(iv) Good wishes for a bright future
(v) Invite her for a visit to your place

OR

You are Vikram, school captain of the football team of G.S.S.S., Alwar, Rajasthan. Due to some injury you are not able to play for the State Coaching Camp. Send an e-mail to your Principal  requesting him to give you relaxation from the camp. The e-mail address is principalgsss.alwar@yahoo.com. 5

4. Write a paragraph in about 60 words with the help of the outlines given below : 4
Annual Prize — Friday — chief guest — welcome song — report — cultural programme — prize distribution — shields — best in all — speech — National Anthem — cup of tea.

OR

Write a paragraph on ‘My Parents’ in about 60 words. 4

5. Write a paragraph in about 75 words on the natural scene given in the picture : 6

OR

Once, your mother was not at home. Suddenly some guests came to your house. Write in about 75 words how you welcomed and entertained the guests. 6

 

SECTION — C
( Grammar )
( Marks : 15 )

6. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in brackets : 8 × 12 = 4
(i) I …………… (watch) a very interesting film now.
(ii) My husband ………………. (like) tea for breakfast.
(iii) Many foreign birds …………….. (come) to India these days.
(iv) She …………… (write) twenty plays so far.
(v) I ……………. (get) a letter from him ten days ago.
(vi) Look ! It …………… (rain) now.
(vii) Every winter our school ……………. (go) on a trip.
(viii) Rohit ……………. (learn) Urdu for five years.
7. Put the most suitable words in the spaces to complete the following sentences choosing from the brackets given against each space : 4 × 1/2 = 2

The moon was coming up in the east, ……………… ( at /over / behind ) me and the stars were shining ………………. ( over / in / under ) the clear sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside. I thought about my father ……………….. ( who / which / whom ) always supported me so that I ……………… ( must / shall / might ) fulfil his dreams to become the best pilot.

8. Rearrange the following words and phrases in meaningful sentences : 2 × 1/2 = 1
(i) beautiful and sweet smelling / very useful / not only / flowers /are / but also.
(ii) prefer to go / on foot / to Vaishno Devi / most people.
9. Rewrite the following sentences by transforming from direct to indirect speech : 4 × 1 = 4
(i) Mother : Don’t go near the fire, children.
Children : O.K. Mama, we won’t.
The mother warned the children …………………….. .
The children replied in affirmation ………………….. .
(ii) Ram : I plan to leave for USA next week.
Raghav : Please bring a laptop for me.
Ram said that ………………………………… .
Raghav requested Ram …………………….. .
10. Complete the following sentences by choosing correct passive form of the verbs given : 2 × 1 = 2
(A) Ramayana ………………… by Tulsidas.
(a) are written (b) was written
(c) will be written (d) was been written.
(B) The sale of tickets for the show ……………….. from next week.
(a) is started (b) are started
(c) will start (d) was started.

11. Fill in the blanks with suitable modals given below : 4 × 12 = 2
( can, should, may, might, must, could )
(i) He …………………. swim very well in his youth.
(ii) You are not well at all. You ……………….. see a doctor at once.
(iii) Work hard lest you ………………… fail.
(iv) He is working hard so that he …………………. win a scholarship.

SECTION — D
( Text Book )
( Marks : 35 )

12. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :
Gautama Buddha (563 BC – 483 BC) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty five, the Prince, herefore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession and finally a monk begging for alms.
(i) What was Gautama Buddha’s name as a Prince ? 1
(ii) For what kind of schooling was Gautama Buddha sent for ? 1
(iii) What kind of sufferings did Gautama Buddha face while out for hunting ? 1
(iv) Find out the opposite of ‘happiness’ from the given passage. 1

13. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :
When she entered her house she found her mother awake and talking to one of Valli’s aunts, the one from South Street. This aunt was a real chatterbox, never closing her mouth once she started  talking. “And where have you been ?” said her aunt when Valli came in. She spoke very casually, not expecting a reply. So Valli just smiled, and her mother and aunt went on with their conversation.
“Yes you are right.” Her mother said, “so many things in our midst and in the world outside. How can we possibly know about everything ?”
(i) What was her mother doing when Valli entered the house ? 1
(ii) What kind of a lady was the aunt who was talking to her mother ? 1
(iii) What did her aunt ask Valli when she came in ? 1
(iv) Which word in the passage gives the meaning of ‘talk between two people’ ? 1
14. Answer any one of the following questions in about 60 words : 4
(i) Explain the first flight of young seagull when his mother tricked him for the fish food. ( His First Flight )
(ii) Where did Wanda sit in the classroom and why ? ( The Hundred Dresses )
15. Answer the following question in about 30 – 40 words : 3
(i) Draw a character sketch of Natalya. (The Proposal )

OR

(ii) The cause of the dispute was the ‘Oxen Meadows’. Comment. ( The Proposal )

16. Explain any one of the following stanzas with reference to the context : 4
The fog comes
On little can feet.
It sits looking
Over harbour and city
On silent haunches,
and then moves on

OR

The way a crow
shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a Hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood.
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
17. Answer any two of the following questions in about 30-40 words : 2 × 3 = 6
(i) Why is the dragon considered as a ‘cowardly dragon’ ? ( The Tale of Custard the Dragon )
(ii) What does the boy learn from the loss of the ball in the poem ? ( The Ball Poem )
(iii) How does Amanda behave in the poem throughout ? ( Amanda )

18. Answer any one question of the following in about 80 words : 5
(i) Discuss the role of Bholi’s teacher in changing her entire life. ( Bholi )
(ii) Give a character sketch of Matilda. ( The Necklace )

19. Answer any one question of the following in not more than 30-40 words : 3
(i) What are the aspects that a scientist should possess ?
( The Making of a Scientist )
(ii) According to Hari Singh, what would be the reaction of Anil when he found the money stolen ? ( The Thief’s Story )
20. Answer any one of the following questions in about 20-25 words : 2
(i) Why was the invisible man wandering in the streets ? ( Footprints without Feet )
(ii) What steps were taken by Mrs. Pumphrey when she found Tricki a little sick ? ( A Triumph of Surgery )