Section-A

(Reading)
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions given below :-

Man has through the ages sought in vain for an imaginary elixir
of life, the
divine Amrita, a draught of which was thought to confer
immortality. But the
true elixir of life lies near to our hands. For it is the commonest
of all liquids,
plain water! I remember one day standing on the line which
separates the
Libyan Desert from the valley of the Nile in Egypt. On one side
was visible a
sea of billowing sand-without a speck of green or a single living
thing
anywhere visible on it. On the other side lay one of the
greenest, most fertile
and densely populated areas to be found anywhere on the
earth, teeming with
life and vegetation. What made this wonderful difference?
Why, it is the water
of the River Nile, flowing down to the Mediterranean form its
sources a couple
of thousands of miles away. Geologists tell us that the entire
soil of the Nile
valley is the creation of the river itself, brought down as the
finest silt in its
flood waters, from the highlands of Abyssinia and from remote
Central Africa
and laid down through the ages in the trough through which
the Nile flows into
the sea. Egypt, in fact, was made by its river. Its ancient
civilization was
created and is sustained by the life-giving waters which come
down year after
year -with unfailing regularity.
There is nothing which adds so much to the beauty of the
countryside as
water, be it just a little stream trickling over the rocks, or a
little pond by the
wayside where the cattle quench their thirst of an evening. The
rain fed tanks
that are so common in South India - alas! often so sadly
neglected in their
maintenance are a cheering sight when they are full. They are
of course,
shallow but this is less evident since the water is silt-laden and
throws the light
back, and the bottom does not therefore show up. These tanks
play a vital role
in South Indian agriculture. In Mysore, for example, much of
the rice is grown
in them. Some of these tanks are surprisingly large and it is a
beautiful sight to
see the sunrise or set over one of them. Water in the
landscape may be
compared to the eyes in a human face. It reflects the mood of
the hour, being
bright and gay when the sun shines, turning to dark and
gloomy when the sky
is overcast.
Questions :-
A. What is the elixir of life ? (1)
B. Which two distinct geographical regions are mentioned in
the passage ? (1)
C. How is Libyan Desert described ? (1)
D. Why is Valley of the Nile fertile and densely populated ? (1)
E. Which country is made by its river ? (1)
F. What plays a vital role in South Indian agriculture? (1) G.
Find out the words from the passage which mean: -
(i) A liquid which is considered essential for immorality. (1)
(ii) The sky covered with clouds. (1)
(iii) To satisfy the feeling of thirst. (1)

2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the

questions given below :-

The elements of Nature have the ability to purify not only

things but also
beings as well. Man makes use of the elements to purify his
body. Very often,
for want of proper and pure environment many a gem remains
hidden in sands,
and many a flower withers away unseen in thorns. Sometimes
insufficient and
improper training spoils the inborn traits of virtue. Even if the
inborn nature is
a little impure, we can purify it and make it perfect through
nurture. Dogs in
the street are dirty with dirty habits. But a well brought up dog
is not only
clean, but behaves very methodically and decently. Man does
inherit the traits
of animals. But through training, he becomes man. Through
samskaras and
Nature, the impure legacy from the animals is washed off and
the latent purity
in man is made to shine.
Parrots speak, if trained. They can imitate human speech. Two
parrots
were brought up by two people: One was a hunter, the other a
scholar. They
both trained their pets in speech. The first parrot brought up
by the hunter
spoke words of harshness. Its expressions were crude, rude
and uncivilized.
The second bird had acquired softness in speech. It spoke with
refinement and
culture. The first one learnt the vulgar slang of the cruel hunter
and his
customers. The latter was quick in repeating the kind words of
affectionate
welcome and farewell in the scholar's house. Both the parrots
were brothers
born to the same mother bird. But on account of the bringing
up and the
atmosphere available around, their expressions and behaviour
differed very
greatly. It is not enough, if we are born pure. We should also
be brought up in
a pure atmosphere among the cultured people. Else, the
inborn purity will
wither away or will get eclipsed by the contaminating time and
place of impure
environment.
Questions :-
A. What is the ability of the elements of Nature ? (1)
B. What spoils the inborn traits of virtue ? (1)
C. How does our latent purity shine ? (1)
D. What is the effect of atmosphere ? (1)
E. Find out the opposite word for 'softness'. (1)
F. Find out the same word for 'the virtue, we get by birth'. (1)

[Link] the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Prince Siddhartha, the son of king Shuddhodan, lived a very happy life in the
pleasure-palace. He was married to a beautiful princess, Yashodhara. There
were music, dancing and pleasure all around him.
He knew nothing of want, pain, disease, old age or death. One day a veena
was put on the window sill. The wind touched the strings and it produced
music. The prince heard that the Devas were playing on the veena. He heard
them giving a message. The voices of the wind told the prince that he was
born to
save mankind. The world was waiting for him. He should leave worldly love to
save humanity from miseries of life. He felt a great desire to see the vast
world outside the pleasure-palace. When the king came to know of the
prince’s desire, he ordered that the whole city should be decorated beautifully.
The prince should not see any ugly and painful sight. No blind, sick, old
person or a leper should come out. So the city of Kapilvastu was decorated in
a very fine way. It looked quite clean and attractive – ‘a capital of some
enchanted land’. The people welcomed the prince joyfully. The prince also felt
happy
to see people’s joy. Then the prince saw an old man. He was wearing dirty
and torn clothes. He was very lean and thin. He looked very tired and weak.
He had no teeth. The prince asked his charioteer, Channa, who that man was.
Channa told him that he was an old man. The prince asked if old age
would come to all. Channa told him that it would. This made the prince very
sad. He ordered Channa to return to the palace. He did not take food. The
entire night he was sleepless, uncomforted. That night the king saw a very
fearful dream. He dreamed seven signs of fear. He was much disturbed. He
lost all peace of mind. He called dream-readers to explain the meaning of the
seven visions but none of them could explain the meaning. At last, an old
hermit came to the palace. He said that the seven fears were seven joys. The
prince would shine like the sun. He would leave the world and give a new
message of hope and love for the suffering of humanity. The king became
very sad. For the prince’s second trip, he doubled the number of guards at all
the doors of the palace. He tried his best to divert the mind of the prince but
his efforts were of no use. The Prince desired to see the city once more. The
king gave permission for it. The next day, the prince dressed like a merchant
and Channa in the dress of his clerk went out to see the city once more. The
prince saw all kinds of people and all the common things. The prince saw a
sick man. He was painfully crying for help. He asked Channa why the man
was crying.
Channa told him that he (the sick man) was suffering from a fatal disease.
The disease would destroy all his powers. Then he would die. Channa further
told the prince that all grow old, fall sick and die. Then the prince saw a dead
body being carried towards the river bank. He saw a group of people. They
were crying, ‘Ram, Ram Satya hai’. The sight of the dead man and his
cremation moved the prince deeply. Channa told him that no man is immortal.
All must die. The prince was greatly troubled in mind. He said that he would
try to remove suffering from the world. He then asked Channa to return home
as he had seen enough.

Question 1. What did the prince not know initially?

Question 2. What was the king’s dream about ?
Question [Link] did the king order to decorate the whole city beautifully?
Question 4. How was the old man looking?
Question [Link] did the old hermit say?
Question [Link] did the voices of the wind tell the prince?
Find out a word from the passage which means:
Question 7. Restless
Question 8 The incineration of a dead body
Question 9. Influenced as by charms

Every moment of life is precious. Time is the essence of life. It is the wealth
given to us by Nature. Everyday all of us get 24 hours; nothing less, nothing
more. Now, it is up to us how we use it. People who know how to make the
best use of every moment easily open the doors of success in their lives and
those who misuse time get failures one after the other. There is a saying that,
“Spent time and spent words cannot come back.” Everybody is tied by the
limits of time; even God respects the boundaries of time. Work wins
appreciation only when it gets completed in a requisite time frame. Beyond
the time allotted, work loses all its utility however good may have been its
quality. Just as falling of rains after the crops have dried up have no use;
likewise,
when the time has passed the deadline, the work loses its importance and
value. When iron is hot it can be cast into whichever shape we want. Once it
gets cold nothing can be made out of it, however, much we may beat the
same. In the same way, a person who has learnt to wisely use his time and
has understood how to cast himself according to the need of the time has
actually learnt the true mantra of life. Shakespeare wrote in one of his plays, “I
wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” It is true that a person who
wastes even a little bit of time loses wonderful opportunities that he could
have otherwise
availed of by utilizing that time. All the great leaders have one thing in
common. They wisely utilize every moment of their time. When other people
are busy in wasting time in laziness, great men are busy in making plans for
the future. There is no person in history who wasted his time and still
managed to achieve greatness. Therefore, there is great need to manage
time wisely. “Careful Time Management” refers to careful planning of time and
sincere execution of this plan. This is the only mantra to attain success in any
endeavour. A simple change in outlook and some modification in one’s daily
routine can result in a big jump forward towards greater achievements.

Questions
(1)What is the essence of life?
(2) What kind of work loses its utility?
(3) What is needed for careful time management ?
(4) What kind of people open the doors of success of their life ?
(5) Write the word from the passage which means : limitations
( 6) Write the opposite of ‘waste’ from the passage.