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HCS Mains Exam-2023
English
 2023
English (including English Essay)

Time:3 Hours Maximum Marks:100

Note:

1. All questions are compulsory.

2. Number of marks carried by each question is indicated against the same.

3. Mention question number and the part number clearly before attempting the question.
4. the parts of the same question must bb answered together and must not be

interposed between answer to other questions.

English (including English Essay) / 2023 (1)

 Question 1.

Make a precis of the following reducing it to one-third of its length and assign a suitable
title: t20 marksl

lf we wish to maintaln democracy, not nearly in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The
first thing, in my judgement, we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of
achieving our social and economic objectives. lt means we must abandon the bloody
methods of revolution. lt means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience,
non-cooperation and Sothyograho. When there was no way left for constitutional methods
for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for
unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the
sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.
The second thing we must do is to observe the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all
who are interested in the maintenance of democracy, namely, not'to laytheir liberties at
the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their
institutions.'There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered life-
long services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness. As has been well said by
lrish patriot Daniel O'Connell, no man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, no woman
can be grateful at the cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its
liberty. This caution is far more necessary in the case of lndia than in the case of any other
country. For in lndia, Bhokti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship
plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in politics of any other

country in the world. Bhoktiin religion maybe a road to the salvation of the soul. But in
politics Bhokti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.
The third thing we must do is not to be content with mere political democracy. We must
make our political democracy a social democracy as well. Political democracy cannot last

unless there lies at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean? lt
means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality, and fraternity as the principles of life.
These principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity are not to be treated as separate items in

a trinity. Theyform a union of trinity in the sense that to divorce one from the other is to
defeat the very purpose of democracy. Liberty cannot be divorced from equality, equality
cannot be divorced from liberty. Nor can liberty and equality be divorced from fraternity.
Without equality, liberty would produce the supremacy of the few over the many. Equality
without liberty would kill individual initiative. Without fraternity, liberty and equality could
not become a natural course of things. lt would require a constable to enforce them.
(Approximately 486 Words)

(2)
Question 2. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Do not reproduce
sentences as it is found in the passage unless you are asked to.
Many senior citizens often tend to forget people whom they had known very well before,
but are puzzled and embarrassed when they meet and are asked, "How are you?" They
encounter dvents like, "Uncle, do you remember me, when I came to your house?" or,
"Hello my friend, how long has it been since we met! How are you?" This kind of temporary
blackout is common. Here l'm reminded of those humorous quotes: Sir Norman Wisdom.
wrote, 'As we get older, three things happen. First is, your memory goes, and I can't
remember the other two.' The American writer Mark Twain wrote, 'The older I get, the more
clearly I remember things that never happenedl'
ln stark contrast to this are some very old persons who distinctly remember every person
they interacted with and events in their lives. An excellent example was Dr. M S
Swaminathan, the scientist who recently passed away at the age of 98. He had a remarkable
memory of people and events.
Yet not every senior citizen is so gifted. So how can we deal with forgetfulness? Some useful
tips are - to learn a new skill; follow a daily routine; plan new tasks, make to-do lists, and use
memory tools such as calendars and notes; put your wallet or purse, keys, phone and glasses
in the same place each day; stay involved in activities that help both the mind and the body;
volunteer in your community to deal with memory loss- at a school or at your place of
worship; spend time with family and friends; get enough sleep, generally 7-8 hours each
night; exercise and eat well; prevent and control high blood pressure; avoid or limit drinking
alcohol; consult a doctor if you feel depressed for weeks at a time. Personally, I have
attempted to follow all these tips and I find them very useful.
What are the other ways in which we slow memory loss and keep our minds alert and
active? These are days of computer video games. But then, crossword puzzles actually beat
computer video games in slowing memory loss. Personally, I find it very useful to attempt
and solve crossword puzzles, unscramble five or six letter random combinations into
meaningful words.
So, my senior citizen friends, follow all the dozen tips above and solve whatever puzzles
appeal to you in order to slow your memory loss.

Questions:
(a) Which phrase in the first paragraph suggests that memory loss doesn't necessarily mean
complete loss of ability to remember anything or a permanent state? [1 mark]
(b) The writer says 'not many are so gifted.'To whom does the word 'so' here point to- Sir
Norman Wisdom, Dr M S Swaminathan or Mark Twain? 11 mark]

(c) The writer believes that video games slowly cause memory loss. (TRUE/FALSE) [1 mark]
(d) The writer seems to be in favour of complete ban on use of alcoholic drinks.
(rRUE/FALSE) t1 markl
(e) Whose humorous words does the writer cite to convince us that even listing two or
three points would be hard for the elders? [1 mark]

(f) Scientific/medical term for the loss of memory is - Amnesia/ Dementia/ Euthanasia/
Eurasia (Select the right word)
[1 mark]

(S) Of the remarks that the writer cites, which one'warns'us that even if you feel you do
remember things, it could be unreliable? (Reproduce the sentence) t2 marks]

(3)
 (h) Does the writer say that forgetfulness affects everybody without exception? Give
reasons to prove your point.

[2 marks]
(i) Which sentence in the passage gives you a hint that the writer prefers traditional games
to ones with modern gadgets? (Underline the relevant word/words after reproducing
the sentence from the passage)
[2 marks]

(j) To which age group does the writer belong? Support your answer by citing the words
from the passage. [2 marks]
(k) The writer talks about additional ways in excess of those dozen tips for dealing with
forgetfulness. Which are they?
[2 marks]
(l) Which are those dozen tips that the writer suggests to surmount the problem of
forgetfulness? Make a full list of them. Write them one below the other and number
them.
[4 marks]

Question 3. Write an essay in about 300-400 words on any one of the following topics:

[30 marks]
(a) Uniform Civil Codes -The needs and the challenges
(b) Extensive use of Artificial lntelligence (Al) - possible dangers
(c) lndia as a Developed Nation
(d) corruption in Government places - Measures to eradicate the evil

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences as directed:

[5 marks]
(a) I like reading novels more than watching TV. (Use ,prefer,to indicate your liking)
(b) The chief guest arrives at 4 o'clock... (Add a question tag)
(c) Pass on that water bottle. (Convert this into a polite request in question form)
(d) The officer had written a letter directly to the Managing Director. (Convert the sentence
into Passive Voice)
(e) 'Are you coming here for the first time?' asked the lady her friend. (Convert it into
lndirect Speech)

Question 5. Mention one-word substitutes to the following:

[5 marks]
(a) Ricture of somebody or something stressing certain features drawn to amuse or to
ridicule
(b) An imaginary name assumed by the writer for disguise
(c) paper or book written with hand (and not in print)
(d) Literary theft practised by borrowing words or ideas from other writers
(e) A hater of mankind

Question 6. Use the following idioms/phrases in sentences to bring out their meanings:
(a) in accordance with
[5 marks]
(b) a fish out of water
(c) leave no stone unturned
(d) to throw some light on
(e) pay back in one's owri coin

(4)
Question 7. Fill in the blanks with a suitable form of words provided below: [S marks]

democracy, brave, interact, optimistic, unfortunate

(a) my grandparents were not alive to tell me stories while I was growing up.
(b) Reading a good book is like _ with a brilliant mind.
(c) - alone is not enough. 'Discretron', they say,'is the best part of valour.,
(d) A healthy society functions on values.
-
(e) What we need in times of hardship is

Question 8. correct the following sentences: [5 marks]

(a) He had left a large number of money when he died.
(b) None of the brothers have shown any interest in saving the property.
(c) Does your son go to the school, now that he is 6 years old?
(d) I do not know who I can trust.
(e) However fastly you run, you will not be able to overtake a train.

Question 9. Fill in the blanks with antonyms of the word underlined in the sentences below:

(a) Sorry, I remember the arrival time of the flight, but not its _. [5 marks]
(b) while all my friends dislqlrarcd me, my parents me to appear for civil service
Exam.
(c) The ancestors of the family were always known for nqble acts, but what this person has
done is surely _,
(d) what with these reckless medical practitioners around, sometimes you feel
_ is
worse than the dis_ease.
(e) The v{Lic4 lines in the diagram indicate food grains output of the country, while
lines indicate the financial year.

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