SSC English 1st Paper Model Test 1

1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives1 × 7 = 7

Read the passage carefully and answer questions 1 and 2 · Unit 1, Lesson 1

Ameen is seventeen when the war breaks out. One Monday, after supper, he announces he will go to war. Sonabhan shrieks in surprise. You want to leave me alone? It won't take long, Ma, he assures her. I'll be back soon after the training. That night Sonabhan cannot sleep. After sun-up, she opens the duck coop. The flock streams out, stretches and quacks around her for their morning meal. She takes longer than usual. She mixes water with rice husks in an earthen bowl and puts it down. They gobble it up in five minutes and head for the pond. Ameen has let out the chickens by then. He lifts his 12-week-old cockerel, Moti, and sits on the veranda. During his breakfast he doesn't strike up any conversation. Having noticed Sonabhan's puffy eyes, he knows not to mention last night's subject. He casts his glance to the side, down at the cockerel eating rice in silence. Today is haat bar, market day. Sonabhan has arranged the things Ameen will take to the bazaar to sell. Two dozen eggs, a sheaf of areca nuts, a bottle gourd. The bazaar is about a mile away. Ameen wears his short-sleeved floral shirt over his lungi. He whistles as he looks into the cloudy mirror to comb his hair. Placing the rattan basket on his head before setting off, he hollers: I'm off, Ma. Sonabhan watches him go along the bank of the little river. For the first time it occurs to her that Ameen has grown up. He has reached the height of his dead father, has his long neck and straight shoulders. In that moment, Sonabhan realizes it's not the war, it's the fighting that Ameen is fascinated with. Like his dead father, he is crazy about bullfighting, cockfighting and boat racing. The same stubbornness flows in his blood. Once he decides on something, nothing can stop him. Her little son! Now a man. Even up to his fifteenth birthday barely a day passed without neighbours appearing with a slew of complaints. Sometimes one or two turned up from other villages. They peeked into the house and asked, Does Ameen live here? Sonabhan would sigh. What did he do? Your son stole my date juice! Emptied the juice pots hanging on the date trees! Sonabhan would sigh again. Then ask the visitor to pardon him. She hated saying that she'd raised her son alone. If she could spare them, she would bring half a dozen eggs and hand them to the visitor: Please take these for your children. At night, Sonabhan climbs out of her bed, clutches the hurricane lamp and tiptoes into Ameen's room. She stands by his bed, looks at her sleeping son. He snores like his father. He has her light skin and button nose. She touches his cheek. His broad forehead. She suppresses a desire to lie beside him. Like the old days, when she slept cuddling her baby.

1. (a) What is the meaning of "stubbornness" in the text?
   i. showing fear ii. refusal to change an opinion iii. kindness iv. to agree with others
2. (b) What does "veranda" refer to in the text?
   i. a garden ii. a bedroom iii. a kitchen iv. a balcony
3. (c) What does the word "gobble" mean in the text?
   i. to walk slowly ii. to eat quickly and greedily iii. to play happily iv. to cry loudly
4. (d) What is the meaning of "plod"?
   i. walks slowly and heavily ii. runs quickly iii. flies in the air iv. jumps around
5. (e) What does Sonabhan notice about Ameen as he walks away?
   i. He is scared ii. He has become tall like his father iii. He looks tired iv. He has gained weight
6. (f) What was Sonabhan doing when the story began?
   i. cooking food ii. taking supper iii. sleeping iv. cleaning the house
7. (g) What is "Moti" in the story?
   i. A duck ii. A goat iii. A rooster iv. A cow

2. Answer the following questions in your own words2 × 5 = 10

Answer from the passage above (Ameen and Sonabhan). Write 1–2 sentences for each.

1. (a) What does Sonabhan feed her ducks?
2. (b) What does Ameen wear to the bazaar?
3. (c) What does Sonabhan realize about Ameen?
4. (d) Why does Ameen not talk during breakfast?
5. (e) What does Sonabhan do at night?

3. Fill in each gap with a suitable word based on the information of the text1 × 5 = 5

Unit 6, Lesson 1(A)

Nepal is the holy land of Lord Pashupatinath and Gautam Buddha where the Hindus and Buddhists have lived together in harmony for centuries. In fact, many Nepalese combine Hindu and Buddhist practices; many temples and shrines are shared between the two faiths, and some deities are worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists. The Kathmandu Valley is the richest cultural heritage centre of Nepal. The three ancient cities of the Valley — Patan, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur — represent an epitome of harmony. The seven monument zones situated within the Valley have been named as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. In Nepal many festivals are celebrated throughout the year. Some Hindu festivals are the Haribodhini Ekadashi, Maha Shivaratri and the Krishna Jayanti. There are Buddhist celebrations too and those include Mani Rimdu, Buddha Jayanti and Losar, which marks the Tibetan New Year.

Type one word in each gap.

Nepal is an exemplary country for communal harmony. People of several religions live there peacefully and (a) ____ their religious festivals. They practise their religious (b) ____ in such a harmonious atmosphere that some prayer (c) ____ are shared between the Hindus and the Buddhists. Besides, there are also some common (d) ____ whom both Hindus and Buddhists worship. The people of Nepal are also fond of cultural functions. The (e) ____ culture of Nepal paves the way for frequent celebrations throughout the year.

4. Complete the following table with information from the passage1 × 5 = 5

Read the text carefully and answer questions 4 and 5 (unseen)

Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) aged 48 was an Indian nationalist whose attempt during World War II to rid India of British rule with the help of Germany and Japan left a troubled legacy. The honorific Netaji (Hindustani: "Respected Leader"), first applied to Bose in Germany by the Indian soldiers of the Indische Legion and by the German and Indian officials in the Special Bureau for India in Berlin in early 1942, was by 1990 used widely throughout India. Earlier, Bose had been a leader of the younger, radical wing of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become Congress President in 1938 and 1939. However, he was ousted from Congress leadership positions in 1939 following differences with Mohandas K. Gandhi and the Congress high command. He was subsequently placed under house arrest by the British before escaping from India in 1940.

5. Write a summary of the passage on "Subhas Chandra Bose" in your own words10

Write 5–7 sentences about the passage on Subhas Chandra Bose.

6. Match the parts of sentences in columns A, B and C to make five complete sentences1 × 5 = 5

Column A is given. Choose the right part from Column B and Column C.

• had thought of an unusual plan / wanted a man to marry Portia for herself / went to Belmont to visit Portia / had / had died
• grandly dressed, with many servants. / lately. / and not for her wealth. / to find a good husband for his daughter. / three caskets made, one of gold, one of silver and one of lead.

1. (a) Bassanio
2. (b) Portia's father
3. (c) Before his death he
4. (d) He
5. (e) He

7. Put the parts of the story in the correct order1 × 8 = 8

Type 1 to 8 beside each sentence to show its place in the story.

(a) The king asked him why he was making such a small boat. (b) Napoleon, the king of France, was a great hero. (c) One day he was walking along the sea-shore. (d) He won many battles and conquered many countries of Europe. (e) The boy said, "I shall cross the sea and go to my home." (f) Suddenly he noticed a wonderful thing. (g) The boy was brought before him. (h) An English boy was making a small boat.

8. Answer the following questions from the poems of your textbook2 × 5 = 10

Answer any 5 of the 8 questions — the best five self-marks count.

1. (a) What happens when one opens and looks at a book?
2. (b) How are the two mothers different from each other?
3. (c) How has the poet described the sea in the poem "The Sands of Dee"?
4. (d) What is the significance of "Last week in Babylon, Last night in Rome"?
5. (e) Why does the speaker stop by the woods?
6. (f) What happens when you fail, according to the poem "Solitude"?
7. (g) What feelings does the poem "O Me! O Life!" evoke?
8. (h) Guess what promises the poet had to keep before he could sleep in 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'.

9. Answer the following questions from the stories of your textbook2 × 5 = 10

Answer any 5 of the 8 questions — the best five self-marks count.

1. (a) Do you think that Rosamond should have examined the jar carefully before she bought it? Why / Why not?
2. (b) On what grounds didn't Rosamond's mother want to buy the jar as a flower pot?
3. (c) Why was Rosamond a little disheartened?
4. (d) Do you support that Shylock was right to claim the pound of flesh? Why or why not? Explain in 2 or 3 sentences.
5. (e) What was the conjecture of the prince of Morocco about Portia's portrait?
6. (f) What was Antonio's plan to return Shylock's money?
7. (g) What did Portia beg of Shylock?
8. (h) What was the outcome of the trial?

10. Write a story on "Sheikh Saadi and the King of Iran" from the outline, with a suitable title15

Outline: The King of Iran used to invite the great poet Sheikh Saadi to his court. Once on his way to ...

11. Write a dialogue on "The Benefits of Early Rising"15

Suppose you are Tasnim and your friend is Tanzim. Write a dialogue between you and your friend on the benefits of early rising.