Section A

READING
Qs 1-3 The reading section will have three unseen texts as shown below.

Text Number Text Type Length Marks Type of Questions.

Text 1 Factual/Discursive/ Supply Type

Literary 450 - 500 words 10 marks (Gap filling, sentence
completion, Table completion,
word attack questions, short
answer questions and
Reference questions)
Text 2 Factual/Discursive/
Literary 200 - 300 words 5 marks Multiple Choice Questions
Text 3 Factual/Discursive/ 200 - 300 words 5 marks Multiple Choice Questions
Literary In case of a poem,
it may be shorter
than 200 words.

The total length of the three passages will be between 850 - 1100 words. The passages will be extracts
from poems/factual/literary/discursive passages. Questions will test inference, evaluation and
vocabulary. There will be at least 5 marks for assessing vocabulary skills. All questions on vocabulary will not
be from the same passage.

Reading A1
 1 COMPREHENSION
Comprehension of Unseen Passages
This section comprises three passages. A poem may or
may not be used as one of the three passage.
The first passage is of 450-500 words carrying 10
marks. The questions on this passage are of supply type
(Non-MCQs) like sentence completion, gap filling,
table completion, word attack questions, short answer
questions and reference questions. (The poem in this
section may or may not have the same number of
words.)
The other two passages carry 5 marks each. The
questions with each of these passages are multiple
choice (MCQs). The total length of all the three
passages is about 850-1100 words. There will be at
least 5 marks for assessing vocabulary, not necessarily
from the same passage. This section tests the
understanding of the students in a limited time-frame.
This ability can be inculcated by reading more and
more and focussing on specific information given in
the passage.
Types of Passages
The passage can be Factual, i.e., the passage may
contain factual information like description, report or
some instructions.
Discursive passages generally contain interpretative or
argumentative texts.
Literary texts are generally poems or extracts from
novels, plays or a biography.
Objectives
1. To identify the main points from the text at one
glance.
2. To understand the passage and pick out relevant
details.
3. To separate relevant information from irrelevant.
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4. Use word skills like word formation and inferring
meaning.
Steps to Tackle Unseen Passages
1. Read the passage very quickly to get the general
idea. Re-read the passage to get the relevant details.
2. Then read questions, and read the passage again
selectively to find answers to the questions.
3. Underline the right answer with a pen or pencil.
4. Now that you have located the answers, read the
underlined answers and write them in your own
words.
Ways to Score Well
1. Generally the answers in the passage are in
chronological sequence; so you will find answers
in the order of the questions.
2. While locating a synonym, in the word-attack
question, if you are not sure of the meaning, replace
the word with that meaning and if it means the
same then your answer is correct.
3. In case of a multiple choice question, the answer
can be confusing. So read the text twice to clear
the confusion.
Areas to Focus in a Passage
Dates and years, sequence of events, steps of a process,
names of people and countries, facts, features, origin,
causes and results.
Expected Type of Questions
The questions in the Reading Section are based on the
following categories :
(i) Sentence completion
(ii) Brief questions and answers
(iii) Gap filling
(iv) Match the columns
(v) Table completion
(vi) True or false
New Wave Communicative English X
 PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION (NON-MCQs)
PASSAGE A-1
Read the following passage and answer the questions
that follow :
As parents, we strive hard to give our children the best
of everything. We ensure to give them all the possible
comforts, facilities, education, pleasure and exposure so
that they can have a wonderful life. But the most important
thing parents forget to provide their children is self
worth. If your child doesnt love himself, he will not have
the ability to give love. If he keeps on demeaning himself,
he might become successful but will never feel powerful.
Give your child the gift of self worth and his life will be
a rocking affair.
Introspect, who do you think you are? Creative or
dull? Intelligent or good for nothing? Loving or
quarrelsome? Isnt it a fact that what you believe you are,
is something that your parents labelled you as? The label
you give to your child is the ultimate truth of his life. Your
child will identify himself by not what he feels he is, but by
what label his parents have given him. Tell your child he
is an achiever, and hell be. Tell him he is a loser, and hell
lose all the battles of his life. Even if he becomes the CEO
of a multinational, your label of being good for nothing
will always be at the back of his mind. So it is you, no one
outside or any achievement that can build your childs self
worth.
Every child is unique. Each child has his own set of
qualities, so there is no question of comparison. Dont
expect your child to have all the traits you want. Only
when you accept your child in totality, youll be able to
love him unconditionally. And your love will nurture his
self worth every moment of his life.
While helping our child identify what is wrong,
invariably we start criticising the child. If your child picks
up a fight, counsel him that fighting is something
unacceptable. Do make him know that you are hurt by his
actions but never condemn him for being aggressive or
insensitive. Motivate him to give up the wrong behaviour
and not discourage him into blaming himself.
Do you remember how you felt when you were last
appreciated at work or in a personal relationship? How
good it made you feel about yourself ? The same applies
to children. Appreciate your child whenever you see him
doing something right. Be lavish and honest in your
praise. Create opportunities to boost his self-esteem. Like,
Reading
seek his help in household chores and then reward him.
Enrol him into a recreation of his choice maybe dancing or
swimming and then applaud him. Remember, praise a
child on his progress and do not wait till he does it
perfectly.
Express your love for your child. Let him know how
much joy he has brought in your life. Hug him, spend time
with him, do little things to make him feel cherished. Let
your child always receive positive vibrations from you that
he is someone precious. Then your child will believe that
he is someone who is lovable and huggable.
1. Complete the following sentences.
[1/2 4 = 2 marks]
(a) The label you give to your child is the ultimate
truth of his life.
(b) If you tell your child he is an achiever, he will
be an achiever.
(c) If you tell your child he is a loser, he will lose
all the battles of his life.
(d) Label of being good for nothing, will always be
there at the back of his mind.
2. List four ways with which parents can help their
children to enhance their personality.
[1/2 4 = 2 marks]
Ans. (a) Appreciate your child whenever he does
something right.
(b) Be lavish and honest in your praise.
(c) Create opportunities to boost his self-esteem.
(d) Praise a child on his progress. Do not wait till
be does it perfectly.
3. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4 marks]
(a) Why do the parents strive hard?
Ans. Parents strive hard to give their children all
the possible comforts, facilities, education,
pleasure and exposure to lead to a wonderful
life.
(b) Why shouldnt children be compared to others?
Ans. Parents shouldnt do so because every child
is unique. Each child has its own set of
qualities.
(c) If your child misbehaves or does something
wrong, what should your attitude be?
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 Ans. Counsel him that his behaviour is unac-
ceptable. He should not be condemned for
his misbehaviour but he should be moti-
vated to give up his wrong doings.
(d) According to the author, when should par-
ents praise the child?
Ans. Parents should praise the child on his
progress and should not wait till he does
it perfectly.
4. Choose words from the passage which mean the
same as following : [1/2 4 = 2 marks]
(a) to struggle
(b) act of observing ones own mind
(c) to praise
(d) to entertain in the mind
Ans. (a) strive (b) introspect (c) appreciate (d)
cherish
PASSAGE A-2
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions
that follow :
It took the Portuguese five years to get over the
humiliation that Spain, their enemy, had discovered
America when it could have been theirs. In 1497, they sent
Vasco de Gama the other way round the world. He did
indeed find Indias legendary wealth. He informed
Portugals King Manuel of Indias large cities, large
buildings and rivers, and great populations. He spoke
about spices, jewels, and mines but added that Indians
were not interested in European trinkets and clothes. They
made far better fabrics and trinkets themselves. In the
European mind Golconda became the symbol of the
haunting wealth of India. The discovery of America and
the passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope
are the two greatest events in the history of mankind,
wrote Adam Smith.
At the end of the 16th century, economic historians tell
us, Indias wealth sustained more than a hundred million
people. With plenty of stable land, its agriculture was
vibrant with productivity comparable to the best in the
world. There was a vigorous and large skilled artisan
workforce that produced not only cottons but also
luxurious products for the zamindars and the courts. The
economy produced a great financial surplus, and the
annual revenues of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb
(1659-1701), were more than ten times those of his
contemporary Louis XIV, the richest king of Europe. This
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supported the growing Mughal empire and financed
spectacular monuments like the Taj Mahal.
When the English later got to this wealth they found
that India produced the worlds best cotton yarn and
textiles. To this huge industry they provided the powerful
stimulus of European demand, and made it even richer.
Thus, by the end of the 17th century, India had a
sophisticated market and credit structure and controlled a
quarter of the world trade in textiles, according to Paul
Bairoch. It had 22.6 per cent share of world GDP (or
roughly Americas share of the worlds wealth today),
confirms Angus Maddison. Indian cottons transformed the
dress of Europe, and cotton underwear changed the
standards of cleanliness and comfort in the west.
The Indian peasant, however, was very poor. Because
the rapacious Mughal State took away something like half
the agricultural product, there was little incentive to
improve the land. The merchants hid their wealth for fear
of the tax collector.
There is no easy answer to the problems that the
country was prosperous and the people were poor. Lest we
forget 250 years ago peasants everywhere were poor and
todays great disparities in income between nations did not
exist then. The difference between Europe and India (or
China) was around 2 to 1 versus 20 to 1 today.
The English, who learned about textiles from India,
soon turned the tables in the late 18th century. They began
making textiles with machines and this began the wests
industrial revolution, and brought it amazing prosperity.
As a result, handloom weavers were destroyed all over the
world, including India. We blamed Britain for
impoverishing us, but the question is why did India not
experience an industrial revolution. The truth is that pre-
British India was significantly behind Western Europe in
technology, institutions and ideas. A scientific revolution
had not occurred.
How to make a poor nation prosperous is a more
difficult question. The answer seems to lie in technology
and institutions. Since Britains industrial revolution there
has been for the first time in recorded history a continuous
flow of inventions. Moreover, these have been absorbed
commercially as profitable innovations. History teaches
that a nations ability to absorb these innovations and
create an industrial revolution depends on having the right
institutions in placefor example, property rights,
schools, and stable governance.
In the second half of the 20th century, the Far-Eastern
nations demonstrated that it can be donea poor nation
New Wave Communicative English X
can become rich, and very quickly. They took less than
thirty years to transform their societies, whereas the West
needed a hundred. After the reforms, India too is poised to
do it soonas long as we keep vigorously reforming our
damaging socialist institutions and investing in education.
(Courtesy : The Times of India)
1. Taking cues from the passage complete the
following sentences. [1 4 = 4 marks]
(a) At the end of 16th century Indias wealth
sustained more than a hundred million
people.
(b) By the end of 17th century India had a
sophisticated market and credit structure.
(c) In the late 18th century the English began
making textiles with machines and industrial
revolution brought amazing prosperity.
(d) In the second half of 20th century, the Far-
Eastern nations proved that a poor nation can
become rich very quickly.
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4 marks]
(a) Why did the Portuguese feel humiliated for five
years?
Ans. They felt humiliated because their enemy,
Spain, discovered America when it could
have been their discovery.
(b) How does the writer prove that Indias wealth in
the 16th century sustained more than a hundred
million people?
Ans. Writer proved it by pointing out that India
had plenty of stable land, vibrant
productivity, and vigorous and large skilled
artisan workforce. The economy produced a
great financial surplus, which financed
spectacular monuments like the Taj Mahal.
(c) What did the English discover later?
Ans. They discovered that India produced the
worlds best cotton yarn and textiles.
(d) Why was the Indian peasant poor?
Ans. This was because the greedy Mughal State
took away half the agriculture product and
there was little incentive to improve the land.
3. Choose words from the passage which mean the
same as following : [1/2 4 = 2 marks]
(a) shame (b) highly developed
(c) grasping (d) to flourish
Reading
Ans. (a) humiliation (b) sophisticated
(c) rapacious (d) prosper
PASSAGE A-3
Read the following passage carefully :
Conversation is indeed the most easily teachable of all
arts. All you need to do in order to become a good
conversationalist is to find a subject that interests you and
your listener. There are, for example, numberless hobbies
to talk about. But the important thing is that you must talk
about the other fellows hobby rather than your own.
Therein lies the secret of your popularity. Talk to your
friends about the things that interest them and you will get
a reputation for good fellowship, charming wit and
brilliant mind. There is nothing that pleases people so
much as your interest in their interests. A good
conversationalist can be effective only if he/ she is able to
blend humour, wit, topics of good interest, presence of
mind, knowledge of various things, logical thinking etc., in
fine proportion.
Praise and appreciate people, for nothing pleases a
man as mere appreciation.
It is just as important to know what subjects to avoid
as what subject to select for good conversation. If you
dont want to set down a wet blanket of bore, be careful to
avoid certain unpleasant topics. Avoid talking about
yourself unless you are asked to do so. Use simple words
and let the conversation be lucid. Avoid flowery use of
language, jargons etc. Do not beat about the bush or talk
boastfully about your ownself. Let the talk be exuberant,
lively and interesting. People are interested in their own
problems, not yours; sickness or death bores everybody.
Similarly age-old tales, happenings of the past even
though they may be real, will never interest the listeners.
The only one who willingly listens to such talk is the
doctor, may be sometimes even to nonstop nonsense,
because he gets paid for it.
1. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 6 = 6]
(a) The basic need of good conversation is to find
a subject that interests You and your listener.
(b) The most important thing in a good
conversation is that you must talk about the
other fellow's hobby rather than your own.
(c) The essential thing to be avoided in good
conversation is to avoid certain unpleasant
topics.
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 (d) If the conversation has to be efffective, the
speaker should blend humour, wit, interesting
topics, presence of mind, logical thinking,
etc., in fine proportion.
(e) One such thing which will never interest the
listener is age old tales, happenings of the
past, even though they may be real.
(f) The appropriate title for the passage is 'A good
Conversation'.
2. Fill in the blanks with ONE word only in each
blank : [ 4 = 2]
In order to attract the listerner, one should avoid
(a)________ about ones ownself, flowery use of
language, (b)________ etc. The talk has to be,
exuberant, (c)_______ and interesting. People are
not interested in others (d) __________.
Ans. (a) talking (b) jargons
(c) lively (d) problems
3. Find words in the passage that mean the
following : [ 2 = 2]
(a) fame (para 1)-
(b) happy, exciting (para 3)-
Ans. (a) reputation (b) exuberant
PASSAGE A-4
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
A stout old lady was walking with her basket down the
middle of a street in Petrograd to the great confusion of
the traffic and with no small peril to herself. It was pointed
out to her that the pavement was the place for foot-
passengers, but she repied : Im going to walk where I
like. Weve got liberty now. It did not occur to the dear old
lady that if liberty entitled the foot-passenger to walk
down the middle of the road it also entitled the cab-driver
to drive on the pavement, and that the end of such liberty
would be universal chaos. Everybody would be getting in
everybody elses way and nobody would get anywhere.
Individual liberty would have become social anarchy.
There is a danger of the world getting liberty-drunk in
these days like the old lady with the basket, so it is just as
well to remind ourselves of what the rule of the road
means. It means that in order that the liberties of all may
be preserved, the liberties of everybody must be curtailed.
When the policeman, say, at Piccadilly Circus steps into
the middle of the road and puts out his hand, he is the
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symbol not of tyranny, but of liberty. You may not think so,
you may, being in a hurry and seeing your motor-car
stopped by this insolence of office, feel that your liberty
has been violated. How dare this fellow interfere with your
free use of the public highway? Then, if you are a
reasonable person, you will reflect that if he did not
interfere with you he would interfere with no one, and the
result would be that you would never cross Piccadilly
Circus at all. You have submitted to a curtailment of
private liberty in order that you may enjoy a social order
which makes your liberty a reality.
Liberty is not a personal affair only, but a social
contract. It is an adjustment of interests. In matters which
do not touch anybody elses liberty of course, I may be as
free as I like. If I have a fancy for dyeing my hair, or
waxing my moustache, or wearing a tall hat or going to
bed late or getting up early, I shall follow my fancy and
ask no mans permission.
In all these and a thousand other details you and I
please ourselves and ask no ones leave. We have whole
kingdoms in which we rule alone, can do what we choose,
be wise or ridiculous, harsh or easy, conventional or odd.
But directly we step out of that kingdom, our personal
liberty of action is restricted by other peoples liberty. I
might like to practise on the trombone from midnight till
three in the morning. If I went to the top of a hill to do it,
I could please myself but if I do it out in the streets the
neighbours will remind me that my liberty to blow the
trombone must not interfere with their liberty to sleep in
quiet. There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to
accommodate my liberty to their liberties.
1. Answer the following questions. [1 6 = 6]
(a) Why does the writer think that the old lady with
the basket was wrong in her interpretation of
liberty?
Ans. The writer thought that if everybody would
be getting into everybody else's way, there
would be universal chaos resulting in a social
anarchy.
(b) The policeman at Piccadilly Circus is a symbol
of liberty and not tyranny. Explain.
Ans. The policeman stopping your car is a symbol
of liberty otherwise you won't be able to
cross the Piccadilly Circus. Your private
liberty is curtailed so that you may enjoys
real a social order which gives you liberty.
(c) What does the writer mean by the phrase
liberty drunk?
New Wave Communicative English X
 Ans. By this the writer means to point out the
people who make wrong use of the liberty
provided to them.
(d) How is liberty a social contract?
Ans. Liberty is a social contract in a way that to
preserve the liberties of all, the liberties of
everybody must be curtailed. Only then one
can enjoy a social order which makes one's
liberty a reality.
(e) Use the word reflect in a sentence of your
own.
Ans. The glass appears to reflect light naturally.
(f) When does individual liberty become an
anarchy? Give two examples.
Ans. If liberty drunk people would be getting in
everybody else's way, or start walking in the
middle of the road without respecting the
individual liberties of others, there would be
universal chaos resulting into social anarchy.
2. Find words in the passage which mean the same
as the following : [ 4 = 2]
(a) give or have a right
(b) complete neglect of laws and rules
(c) insulting or offensive behaviour
(d) adapt or reconcile
Ans. (a) entitle (b) anarchy
(c) insolence (d) accomodate
3. Complete the following sentences. [1 2 = 2]
(a) Liberty is not a personal affair but a social
contract.
(b) If I have a fancy for dyeing my hair I shall
follow my fancy and ask no man's per-
mission.
PASSAGE A-5
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
BRIDGE ACROSS ERAS
Long before the Chrysler or the Empire State
Buildings glinted in the Sun, and even before the Statue
of Liberty was unveiled, a marvel of modern
engineering became Big Apples most enduring and
appealing landmark, The Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Bridge, the oldest and longest
suspension bridge in the world and along with its two
Reading
Stately 275-foot stone towers, is often dubbed as the
Eighth Wonder of the World. It is a 1,825 meters
steel-wire engineering marvel that links Manhattan
with Brooklyn. On it, on an average 145,000 people
drive, walk or bike everyday. For long it has been one
of the citys most popular, recognisable and photogenic
sights. And yet, it is more than just a national
landmark.
At a time when American women were still
struggling for voting rights, equality etc., and when
everywhere they were asked to do more and talk less,
a spirited Ms. Emily Warren Roebling did exactly what
pleased her in the full glare of public gaze. She was
wife, mother, lecturer, student, world traveller and
club woman who, by chance, became the first woman
field engineer and pioneering example of
independence.
Emilys brilliant engineer father-in-law, John
Augustus Roebling designed the bridge. But during the
construction, a series of mishaps occurred including
his death due to tetanus. Emilys husband, Col.
Washington, who was familiar with his fathers bridge
construction projects, took over. However, while
working on the giant granite anchorages that were
being built in caissons or watertight chambers, he was
hit by a debilitating disease that paralysed him.
With that the onus fell on Emily to complete the
bridge. The intelligent lady was familiar with the
nuances of strength of materials, stress analysis, cable
construction and in calculating catenary curves
things she learnt from her father- in-law, brother and
husband. Then with Washington directing her, often
with spyglass trained out of the window, Emily
communicated with the project team, and with the
regulatory authorities, to bring the project to
completion. When the bridge finally opened in the
spring of 1883, it saw the most exuberant public
celebration of era. As thousands of citizens noisily
cheered and paparazzi were out in full force with their
new fangled photography half-tone engraving process,
US President Chester Arthur along with demure Emily
grandly led the first ceremonial ride across the bridge.
Today, as a symbol of the Roeblings legacy and
honour to this amazing woman, the bridge proudly
credits her on a plaque: Back of every great work we
can find the self sacrificing devotion of a woman.
Source - THE HINDU
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 1. On the basis of your reading complete the
sentences given below : [1 5 = 5]
(a) The Brooklyn Bridge has been one of the city's
most popular, recognisable and photogenic
sights.
(b) It was designed by John Augustus Roebling.
(c) Colonel Washington was not able to continue
with the work started by his father because
while working on the giant granite
anchorages, he was paralysed by a
debilitating disease.
(d) Emily Roebling had learnt from her father-in-
law, husband and brother the nuances of
strength of material, stress analysis, cable
construction and calculating catenary curves.
(e) The first ceremonial ride across the bridge was
led by US President Chester Arthur along
with demure Emily.
2. Answer the following questions briefly :
[1 3 = 3]
(a) When was the bridge opened for public?
It was opened in the spring of 1883.
(b) How was Emily honoured for her
accomplishment?
To honour Emily the bridge proudly credits
her on a plaque : "Back of every great work
we can find the self sacrificing devotion of a
woman."
(c) Why is the passage titled Bridge Across Eras?
The passage is about the oldest and the
longest suspension bridge in the world which
is a morvel of modern engineering.
3. Find the synonyms of the words given below,
from the passage : [1 2 = 2]
(a) responsibility (para 5)
(b) weakening (para 4)
Ans. (a) onus (b) debilitating
PASSAGE A-6
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
There is one big difference between two brothers
whom I shall call Tom and Jim. Tom holds grudges. Jim
does not. If Tom has a disagreement with someone, he
manifests ill-feeling toward the other party permanently. If
Jim clashes with another person, he speaks his mind, with
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certain reservations, then immediately proceeds to forget
about the unpleasant incident. To him, it is water under the
bridge. The affair is closed. There is no feeling of
resentment whatsoever.
This happy attitude of Jim enables him to have many
friends, to be successful in business, and, in general, enjoy
a more fruitful and sunnier life.
On the other hand, Tom has a sour disposition; he
repels people instead of attracting them to him; he has an
arduous time making ends meet, and is throughout
disliked.
How foolish it is to hold grudges! Not only does it
render the grudge-holder himself unhappy, but it causes
and perpetuates strained relationships. It affects adversely
the life of everybody with whom the grudge-holder has
contact. It may exert a damaging effect on the mental,
emotional, and physical life of all involved.
Grudge-holding can develop easily and insidiously
into a detrimental habit. It can dominate a persons life
and bring acute misery. Everyone who is inclined to
perpetuate disputes should guard against it.
The habit of holding grudges may be nipped in the bud
by the application of stern, clear-cut remedial measures.
Not nearly enough of us strive to see ourselves as others
see us. If we do this thoroughly and periodically without
shielding ourselves from unpleasant reality, much good
can be accomplished. We can make ourselves infinitely
better persons. But in order to get good results we must
not spare ourselves or seek to cover up our faults. We must
be honest, relentless, self-critics, and not assume the
attitude of a friend of mine who is fond of saying, I dont
see why other people cant see their faults. Im sure I could
see mine if I had any.
It is well to remember and never lose sight of the fact
that nobody is all good or all bad. We all have good points
as well as weaknesses.
No one should expect perfection in anyone. The man
or woman who places another on a sort of pedestal and
considers him incapable of doing any wrong may be in for
a surprise. Sooner or later, that person may do something
he should not do or fail to do something he should do.
Such an occurrence has unnecessarily shattered many a
friendship.
The best plan is to take both the good and the bad in
stride, overlook slight inconsistencies, and mildly
questionable behaviour in general. In order to get along
harmoniously with others, this is an absolute must.
New Wave Communicative English X
 The world would be a much happier place if we all
practised more consideration, understanding, and
forgiveness. These are some of the most wonderful words
in our language.
There would be less grudge holding, if we tried to see
matters from the other fellows viewpoint. Often there is a
strictly valid reason why an individual acts as he does.
When all the facts are known and properly evaluated,
behaviour patterns of other persons are better understood
and allowances can be made for them.
Snap judgement of others is frequently made without
all the factors involved being known and carefully
weighed. This, of course, can result in much discord,
unfriendliness, trouble, and hard feeling. It is much wiser
to reserve judgment. Jumping to conclusions is not a good
practice. It causes a great deal of heartache and many
ruptures that are difficult to heal.
When difficulties arise between two people, these
should be ignored and promptly forgotten, if definitely
trivial or minor in character. If the difficulties are really
important, the conflicting parties should discuss them
amicably, both keeping sweet tempered. Usually an
agreement can be reached and the incident closed for
good, with the clashing forces remaining firm friends.
It is vastly preferable to iron out our
misunderstandings and get rid of the real and fancied
offenses sent our way. Then everybody benefits. We owe it
to ourselves and our associates to do our utmost to get
along harmoniously. It helps to make life richer and
happier for us all.
(Courtesy : East & West Series)
1. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4]
(a) What is the difference between the attitude of
two brothers?
Ans. The difference between Tom and Jim is, Tom
hold grudges, has a sour disposition, repels
people and is disliked. Whereas, Jim has a
happy attitude, wins friends and leads a
successful life.
(b) How does the difference affect the life of Tom
and Jim?
Ans. Due to his grudge-holding attitude, Tom is
throughout disliked and has an arduous time
making ends meet. Whereas the happy
attitude of Jim enables him to win friends
and he leads a successful, more fruitful and
sunnier life.
Reading
(c) The writer gives suggestions for making the
world a happier place. Write any one.
Ans. The writer suggests that we can make the
world a happier place if we all practise
more consideration, understanding and
forgiveness.
(d) What harm can Snap judgements do to us?
Ans. Snap judgements can result in much discord,
unfriendliness, trouble and hard feelings.
They cause many ruptures that are difficult
to heal.
2. Complete the following sentences. [1 4 = 4]
(a) The happy attitude of Jim enables him to enjoy
a happy, fruitful and sunny life.
(b) Grudge-holding can develop into a detrimental
habit.
(c) The habit of holding grudges may be nipped in
the bud by the application of stern, clear-cut
remedial measures.
(d) Jumping to conclusions causes a great deal of
heartache and many ruptures that are
difficult to heal.
3. Give the meaning of the following words as used
in the passage. One word or phrase will be
accepted. [ 4 = 2]
(a) repels to provide aversion
(b) insidiously stealthily/treach rously
(c) trivial unimportant
(b) amicably in a friendly manner
PASSAGE A-7
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
Heroes are people who can overcome (or help others
overcome) fear. They are people who will dash into a
burning building to save someone or dive into water which
is full of sharks. Other heroes, like Stephen Hawking, live
life the way it is. He has faced terrible problems and has
become, without meaning to, part of the beginning of a
new scientific era. Stephen Hawking was born exactly
three hundred years after the death of Galileo. He was
born on 8th January 1942, in Oxford, England. As a child
he was always a bit too clumsy and a bit too smart his
clumsiness was to become a terrible disease and his
smartness a great intellect. He had no idea he would have
to overcome great fear and at the same time be celebrated
as one of the worlds smartest persons.
A9
 Stephen Hawking graduated from Oxford at the age of
twenty, in 1962, and took a trip to Persia with a friend.
During the visit, he got sick and, soon after returning, he
was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also
known as ALS, Lou Gehrigs disease or Motor Neutron
Disease). The doctor said he would live for only two and
a half years. He steadily grew crippled, and after a while
he was bedridden and could not walk.
Several times he caught serious cases of pneumonia.
The second serious case required an operation which,
along with saving his life, took his voice. He was in the
middle of writing his famous book, A Brief History of
Time, with no way to write or talk to other people except
by blinking. Fortunately, he loved his work so much that
he continued on with it despite the fear of dying.
Several years went by while Hawking lived with his
illness while keeping up with the world of Quantum
Physics. Later, he received a present from a college friend
- a new computer that could be attached to his wheelchair
and would talk for him. He now had a way to write his
paper and lecture to students. It seemed that his life was
now getting better.
After years of struggling with fear, he overcame it .
Stephen believes that he is not different from anyone else.
He also believes that Science is for everybody and not just
for a few scientists. If ever there is a complete theory of
the universe, he believes that it should be understandable
by everyone.
Stephen Hawking has made important contributions to
cosmology. He is an expert on BLACK HOLES, whose
intention is to unify QUANTUM MECHANICS with
Einsteins general Theory of Relativity forming a single
theory to explain the origin of the universe. He did
remarkable research in the field of THEORETICAL
COSMOLOGY, QUANTUM GRAVITY and BLACK
HOLES. He was honoured with the Albert Einstein award
in 1979, Prince of Asturias award in 1989 and Copley
medal of the Royal Society in 2006. He is the worlds
foremost living theoretical physicist and it is apt to call
him Living Einstein. He has, perhaps more than anyone
else alive, increased our understanding of the universe we
live in.
1. On the basis of your reading of the passage
answer the questions that follow : [1 8 = 8]
(a) How is Stephen Hawking different from other
heroes ?
Ans. Like other heroes Hawking could not do
A 10
dashing things like jumping into a burning
building or diving into water, full of sharks,
to save others. But he became a part of the
beginning of a new scientific Era, despite his
physical handicap.
(b) When and from where did he graduate ?
Ans. He graduated from Oxford at the age of
twenty in 1962.
(c) Give the other names for ALS.
Ans. The other names for ALS are : Amyobophic
Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease or
Motor Neutron Disease.
(d) What happens to a person who is affected by
ALS?
Ans. After a person gets affected by this disease,
he steadily grows crippled, gets bedridden
and in most cases dies in a few years.
(e) How did he lose his voice?
Ans. After an operation of a serious case of
pneumonia, Stephen lost his voice, although
his life was saved.
(f) Write the line which tells you that he risked his
life in order to complete A Brief History of
Time.
Ans. He was in the middle of writing 'A brief
History of Time,' when he lost his voice after
an operation. With no way to write or talk,
except blinking, he continued on with it
despite the fear of dying.
(g) The computer his friend gave him changed his
life thoroughly. How?
Ans. The computer was attached to his wheelchair
that could talk for him. It changed his life
because now he could write his paper and
lecture his students.
(h) Why is it apt to call Hawking Living
Einstein?
Ans. It is apt to call him 'Living Einstein' because
Hawking is the world's foremost living
theoretical physicist.
2. Find words from the passage which mean the
same as : [1 2 = 2]
(a) disabled, handicap (Para 2) crippled
(b) a terrible disease that affects the lungs (para 3)-
pneumonia
New Wave Communicative English X
 PASSAGE A-8
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
At school everybody seemed to be overwhelmed by the
thought of the examinations. It was weeks since anybody
had seen a smile on Sankars face. Somu had become brisk
and businesslike. The Pea took time to grasp jokes, and
seldom made any either. And as for Rajan, he came to
school at the stroke of the first bell, took down everything
the teacher said, and left at the stroke of the last bell,
hardly uttering a dozen words to anybody. Mani was
beginning to look worried and took every opportunity to
take Sankar aside and have his doubts (that arose from
time to time as he plodded through his texts) cleared. He
dogged the steps of the school clerk. There was a general
belief in the school that the clerk was omniscient and knew
all the question papers of all the classes.
One day Mani went to the clerks house and laid a
neat bundle containing fresh brinjals at his feet. The clerk
was pleased and took Mani in and seated him on a stool.
The clerk looked extremely amiable and Mani felt that
he could ask anything at that moment and get it. The clerk
was murmuring something about his cat, a lank ill-fed
thing, that was nestling close to him. Most of what he was
saying did not enter Manis head. He was waiting
feverishly to open the topic of question papers. The clerk
had meanwhile passed from cats to eye-flies; but it made
little difference to Mani, who was waiting for the other to
pause for breath to launch his attack. You must never let
these eye-flies buzz near your eyes. All cases of eyesore
can be traced to it. When you get eyesore the only thing
you can do is to take a slice of raw onion ...
Mani realized that the other would not stop, and
butted in, there is only a week more for the examinations,
sir ...
The clerk was slightly puzzled: Yes, indeed, a week
more ... You must take care to choose only the juicy
variety, the large juicy variety, not the small onion ...
Sir, Mani interrupted, ignoring the juicy variety, I
am much worried about my examination. He tried to look
pathetic.
I am glad. If you read well, you will pass, said the
Oracle.
You see, sir, I am so worried. I dont sleep at nights,
thinking of the examination . . . If you could possibly tell
me something important . . . I have such a lot to study
dont want to study unnecessary things that may not be
Reading
necessary for the examination. He meandered thus. The
clerk understood what he was driving at, but said, Just
read all your portions and you will pass. Mani realised
that diplomacy was not his line. He asked bluntly, Please
tell me, sir, what questions are we getting for our
examination?
The clerk denied having any knowledge of the question
papers. Mani flattered him by asking, if he did not know
the questions, who else would. By just a little more of the
same judicious flattery the clerk was moved to give what
Mani believed to be valuable hints.' In spite of the fact
that he did not know what the First Form texts were, the
clerk ventured to advise, You must pay particular
attention to Geography. Maybe you will have to practise
map-drawing a lot. And in arithmetic make it a point to
solve at least five problems every day, and you will be able
to tackle arithmetic as easily as you swallow plantains.
And what about English?
Oh, dont worry about that. Have you read all your
lessons?
Yes, sir, Mani replied without conviction.
It is all right then. You must read all the important
lessons again, and if you have time, yet again, and that
will be ample.
These answers satisfied Mani greatly. On his way
home, he smiled to himself and said that the four annas he
had invested on brinjals was not after all a waste.
1. Answer the following questions [1 4 = 4]
(a) Why did Mani dog the steps of the school clerk?
Ans. Mani dogged the steps of school clerk
because the examination was near and there
was a general belief that the clerk was
omniscient and knew the question papers of
all the classes.
(b) Describe the clerks behaviour when Mani went
to visit him.
Ans. The clerk looked extremely amiable that
encouraged Mani. But clerk kept on talking
about his cat, eye flies, eye sore, etc., without
asking the reason of Mani's visit.
(c) Why did the clerk look slightly puzzled?
Ans. When Mani told the clerk that there is only a
week more for examination, the clerk looked
puzzled. He could not guess Mani's intention
of telling all this.
(d) What made Mani realise that diplomacy was
not his line?
A 11
 Ans. When Mani asked the clerk to tell him about
some important questions, the clerk asked
him to read all the portions. Then Mani
realised that 'dipomacy will not work, he had
to be straightforward.'
2. Find words in the passage which mean the
opposite of the following [ 4 = 2]
(a) slow (b) hostile
(c) essential (d) dissatisfied
Ans. (a) brisk (b) amiable
(c) unnecessary (d) satisfied
3. Complete the following sentences. [1 4 = 4]
(a) At school everybody seemed to be overwhelmed
by the thought of the examinatons.
(b) There was a general belief in the school that the
clerk was omniscient and knew all the
question papers of all the classes.
(c) The clerk denied having any knowledge of the
question papers.
(d) By a little flattery the clerk was moved to give
Mani the so called 'valuable hints'.
PASSAGE A-9
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
1. Filmmaker Pankaj Johars new film, Still Standing,
is about his quadriplegic father, Rajinder Johar, who
has not only come to terms with his disability but is
a source of inspiration to many. The film is an
emotive tribute by a son to his father, a man of
immense courage.
2. I knew that this is a story that the world needs to
know, says Pankaj. My father has turned a
personal disaster into an opportunity to serve
society. This film is a dedication to the unbreakable
spirit of this man. Rajinder Johar has learnt to
accept his disability with stoic acceptance and good
cheer. Among the many case studies presented in the
film, is one of Sabina who was four years old when
she lost both her legs in a train accident. Life
became really tough for her. She went to Rajinder
Johar who had, in the meantime set up an NGO,
Family of Disabled (FOD). He helped her set up a
small shop and later gave her a tricycle which she
now used to go to work and ferry her children from
school.
A 12
3. The film also shows a talented painter, Seema, at
work. She lost both her hands in an accident at a
very young age. But she has trained herself to do a
lot of things with her feet, including painting. When
she came to meet my father, she was looking for a
platform to showcase her talent. My father helped
her but unfortunately she has not been able to find
buyers for her paintings. Says Pankaj. But other
painters like Imamuddin, who is speech and hearing
impaired, have been luckier.
4. Rajinder Johars family bore the brunt of his
disability. Pankaj recalls that the family would
never go on vacations and he was always
embarrassed to bring his friends home. Today
Pankaj considers himself lucky to have had the
opportunity of watching his inspiring father at close
quarters.
5. People have different celebrities as their role
models. I had one right at home, he says. It shows
in his loving portrayal of his father. Still Standing
is a moving film for the audience.
1. On the basis of the reading of the passage,
complete the following : [1 4 = 4]
Still Standing is a (a) __________ about a
quadriplegic man. 'Family of Disabled' has helped
Sabina to (b) __________________. The poor girl
(c) __________ has not been as lucky as
(d) __________
Ans. (a) film
(b) making her set a small shop
(c) Seema
(d) Imamuddin
2. Fill in the blanks : [1 4 = 4]
The point that the film maker wants to (a)
________ through Still Standing is that one
should never give up. There is always something
really (b) __________ one can do despite (c)
___________ disability. What is needed is a (d)
___________ attitude by the less fortunate.
Ans. (a) highlight (b) worthwhile
(c) one's (d) positive
3. Find words from the passage which mean the
same as : [1 2 = 2]
(a) very large (para 1)
(b) to feel ashamed or shy about something (para 4)
Ans. (a) immense (b) embarrassed
New Wave Communicative English X
 PASSAGE A-10
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
Delhiites will be looking up to the skies this month, but
for a different reason other than the rains. As
Independence Day approaches, the skyline of the capital
will become blurred with kites of all shapes, sizes and
colours. Rooftops, bylanes and fields will be chock-a-block
with children flying kites and baying for those of their
competitors. Cries of woh kata will rent the air as
hordes of urchins run and jostle to loot the cut-loose kites
that aimlessly glide with grace after being snapped off
their roots.
Though the origin of kite flying remains clouded in
obscurity, it is believed that the sport evolved after
children found joy in pulling multicoloured strips of cloth
or paper tied to a string. As they ran against the wind, the
strips became airborne. But no sooner did the runners stop
than the strips plummeted to the ground. Benjamin
Franklin is also known to have ingeniously flown a kite
during the rains to discover electricity in clouds. But by
then, kite flying had become popular. The credit goes to
the Mughal ruler Shah Alam for patronising kite flying.
Being a relatively new and inexpensive form of activity, it
drew the attention of the general public and became
popular.
Kites were initially bamboo and paper pyramids
called tikoni qandeel (triangular lamp). The vertically-
placed bamboo strips formed the thadda, with the prism-
like kaanp made of thin paper. Inside the pyramidal
hollow, rags soaked in oil were hung. When they were lit,
hot air from burning rags forced the qandeel to rise in the
air, much like a present-day hot air balloon or a Chinese
lantern. The flight of the kite was directly linked to the
duration of the burning rags. Further, innovations saw
kites resembling a human form called putla, which gave
way to the quadrangular chaang, a modified Indian
version of the mythological aakash diya.
With the shifting of the capital of Oudh (Awadh) from
Faizabad to Lucknow by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula,
entertainers, artists, artisans and prominent personalities
migrated to the promised land of Oudh. This cultural
exodus resulted in some prominent kite flyers shifting their
bases from Delhi to Lucknow. The expertise in kite flying
and, more importantly, the kite combat ( pench ladana)
in which the participants attempted to cut the thread of
their rivals kite by their kite shifted to Lucknow. Kite
combat necessitated the preparation of a specially
Reading
sharpened dor (thread). The thread was coated with layers
of finely-ground glass mixed with a paste of rice and gum,
and left to dry. When completely dry, the dor now known
as manjha, was wound on a charkhi or a cable drum, kind
of gadget to assist in flying the kite besides preserving the
cutting edge of the manjha.
Heavens became the cynosure of all eyes as deftly
moving fingers manoeuvred kites across the cerulean
wilderness. As the kites of the rival group lunged for the
jugular, a hush fell on those who were watching the battle
for supremacy being fought in the sky. Pounding hearts
and darting eyes watched every movement of the enemy
kite. Mouths went dry and suspense became palpable. The
sight of a kite suddenly cut loose, plummeting with gay
abandon was enough reason to shout in joy. It was then
left to the ingenuity of the hordes of children, and at times
adults, to loot the falling kite.
A royal touch to the sport was added by Nawab Asif-
ud-Daula of Oudh, accomplished patangbaaz himself. In
the days of yore, the royal kite was identified with the help
of a muqqaish jhuljhul (plume made of silver and gold
ribbons) attached to its tail. The finder of the royal kite
could either return it to the palace and receive a reward
or even sell it in the market.
1. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 6 = 6]
(a) Why will Delhiites be looking at the skies for a
different reason?
Ans. Other than rains, Delhiites will be looking at
the skies for the kites of all shapes, sizes and
colours being flown by the children on the
occasion of 'Independence Day'.
(b) How did the sport of kite flying evolve?
Ans. The sport evolved after children pulled strips
of paper or coloured clothes tied to a string.
As they ran against the wind, the strips
became airborne. It was Mughal ruler Shah
Alam who conceptualised the idea and
patronised kite flying.
(c) What were kites like in the beginning?
Ans. Initially the kites were bamboo and paper
pyramids called qandeels. Inside the
pyramidal hollow, oil soaked clothes were
hung. When they were lit, hot air from the
burning rags caused qandeel to rise in the air.
(d) Explain the sentence, Heaven became the
cynosure of all eyes, in your own words.
Ans. The blue sky became the source of attraction
A 13
 with multi-coloured kites of all shapes and
sizes, maneouvred by expert fingers, flying
across it.
(e) How was kite flying affected by the shifting of
capital from Faizabad to Lucknow?
Ans. With the shifting of capital, the entertainers,
artisans, prominent personalities also shifted
to Lucknow. With the result the expertise in
the kite flying also shifted there.
(f) How were the royal kites identified by the
people?
Ans. The royal kites were identified by the people
with the help of plume, made of silver and
gold ribbons, attached to its tail.
2. Fill in the blanks with one word each.
[ 4 = 2]
As the kites of the (a) __________ group lunged for
the (b) __________ a (c) __________ fell on those
who were watching the battle for (d) __________
being fought in the sky.
Ans (a) rival (b) jugular
(c) hush (d) supremacy
3. Find words from the passage which mean the
same as the following. [ 4 = 2]
(a) A young child who is dirty and poorly dressed
(b) A very large and unpleasant crowd
(c) To fall very fast towards the ground from great
height
(d) Fight between two people or groups
Ans. (a) urchins (b) horde
(c) plummet (d) combat
PASSAGE A-11
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow :
HOSPITALS THEN AND NOW
All of us have seen the inside of a hospital
sometime or the other. Hospitals have a special smell of
their own and seem very busy all the time. But how did
the idea of setting up a special place for sick people
ever come about ?
The ancient Greeks used the temples of their Gods
of healing as resting places for the sick. So too, did the
A 14
Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the ancient Indians.
The Romans especially, began to realise the need
for hospitals. They were always at war, and their
soldiers needed care and treatment.
The idea of hospitals caught on, and slowly they
passed into the charge of the Church. By the 4th
century, Church Hospitals had begun.
Centuries passed. By the 17th century, public
hospitals were founded in Britain by rich citizens who
wished to serve the public.
The hospital, as we see today, began to evolve only
around the 19th century. People began to live in better
conditions. They felt the need for more cleanliness and
better expert care. In the past, nuns and other members
of the Church had done the nursing.
It was Florence Nightingale who began to feel the
need for trained nurses to care for the sick. She began
the St.Thomass Hospital in England. This was the first
training college for nurses ever.
Hospitals soon began to have public wards and
private rooms.
Today, any hospital is a vast, complex organization.
There are doctors (Physicians & Surgeons) and nurses,
of course with a sweet smile like fairy godmothers. The
enduring patience, tolerance, round the clock service
etc., are all the hallmarks of an ideal doctor and nurse.
There are other staff like receptionists, records staff,
hospital managers etc. They even have a pharmacy.
Today many of the hospitals offer a homely
environment to the patients by providing T.V, Telephone
etc., in their rooms.
Big hospitals could have porters, orderlies,
electricians, carpenters, plumbers, Security - whew!
Doesnt that sound like a small town in itself ?
But whatever the case be, still visiting a hospital
remains nightmarish for some because waiting
anxiously to know what has gone wrong with our
system is a nerve-racking experience.
1. Answer the following questions briefly :
[1 6 = 6]
(a) The Romans were the first to realise the need
for hospitals as they were always at war and
their soldiers needed care and treatment.
(b) The need for more cleanliness and better expert
care was felt in the 19th century as the people
had begun to live in better conditions.
New Wave Communicative English X
 (c) In the past nursing was done by nuns and other
members of the church.
(d) Florence Nightingale started the first nursing
training college.
(e) The first nursing training college was started
because it was felt that to take care of the sick,
trained nurses were needed.
(f) The rich citizens in Britain founded the public
hospitals as they wanted to serve the public.
2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words/
phrases to complete the table : [ 4 = 2]
ERA FORM OF PLACE
FOR THE SICK
(a) The ancient Greeks Temples of Gods of
healing
(b) 4th century Church hospitals
(c) 17th century Public hospitals
(d) 19th century Hospitals began to have
better expert care
3. Find words in the passage that mean the same
as : [1 2 = 2]
(a) to develop (para 6) -
(b) ability to bear hardship (para 9) -
Ans. (a) evolve (b) endurance
PASSAGE A-12
Read the following passage carefully :
1. India sells the largest number of branded drugs in
the world, almost 60,000 in all. By volume India is
ranked 4th and comprises 8 percent of the global
pharma market. This scenario becomes scary given
that spurious and substandard drugs are a thriving
parallel industry in our country. When
manufacturers sell chalk as life-saving drugs, such
criminals should be given the death sentence, says
Dr. P.K. Dave, President of National Academy of
Medical Sciences, Delhi and former director of
AIIMS.
2. Self-medication with genuine drugs also has
disastrous fallouts. Ive lost count of how many
patients come to us, when water crosses head level,
says Dr. Dave. While Dr. Simran Nundy, consultant
gastro-intestinal surgeon at Delhis Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital, observes: Patients come to me, after six
Reading
months of taking antacids, to find theyre not suffering
from indigestion but cancer of the stomach or gastric
tract. Most medical experts say pill name-dropping
is common. But besides superficial awareness patients
know little about dosage, duration and more
importantly, side-effects. In Calcutta, Dr.
Krishnangshu Ray, head of pharmacology at NRS
Medical College and Hospital, agrees: Theres a
drug culture in our state where people assume they
know which drug to take. This is a dangerous habit
which accounts for atleast 15 to 20 percent of
complicated cases.
3. Besides, no drug, not even an over the counter (OTC)
medicine is totally safe. Aspirin on an empty stomach
may lead to severe gastritis. Even paracetamol,
considered the safest painkiller, when taken in high
doses or for prolonged periods, can cause liver
damage. Then theres carelessness. Dr. Gupta
observes : People take cough suppressant for a
cough with sputum, which in fact requires an
expectorant. Or, they consume antibiotics without a
doctors prescription for viral fever, allergic cold,
dry cough, flu or sore throat, which do not require
any antibiotic.
Self-medication of anti-bacterial drugs can be
dangerous. Frequent treatment with ciprofloxacin for
undiagnosed diarrhoea is one of the most common
reasons for emergence of typhoid germs that are
resistant to this drug.
4. What makes us such willing pill-swallowers ? Dr.
Wishvas Rane, Pune-based health activist, asserts :
Most viral conditions are self-limiting; 80 percent
get cured on their own. This pill-popping attitude is
nurtured by pharmaceutical firms. This is
particularly true in our unique pharma-sales culture
where pills are available without bills and bills can
be obtained without buying pills. Dr. Ashish
Sabherwal, Joint Secretary, Indian Medical
Association in Delhi, points out: Patients just want
momentary relief and arent willing to get to the root
of the problem, so pills are eaten like peanuts.
5. Another reason for spiralling self-treatment is that
general practitioners or GPs, doctors who have shone
the torch down our throats from our toothless
A 15
 babyhood to our ailing adulthood, are gradually
vanishing.
6. In real life, we patients do not have a family friend
and a philosopher - our GP who knew us by blood
group, allergies, medical history and emotional
upheavals. Hesitant about dashing off to intimidating
ENT specialist when we have throat trouble, we just
check with the chemist. That could be a dose for
disaster.
1. Based on the reading of the passage answer the
questions given below. [1 4 = 4]
(a) Why do people indulge in self-medication ?
People indulge in self-medication because
there is a drug culture in our state where
people assume that they know which drug to
take. Moreover, the pills are easily available
without prescriptions.
(b) Why self-medication can have dangerous
results?
It can have dangerous results because beside
superficial awareness of the medicine,
patients know little about dosage, duration,
and more importantly, side effects.
(c) In India why are the pills eaten like peanuts?
The pills are being eaten like peanuts because
patients just want momentary relief and are
not willing to get to the root of the problem.
(d) Describe the reason for spiralling self-treatment.
The main reason for spiralling self-treatment
is that General Practitioners, who knew our
medical history from the boyhood to
adulthood, are gradually vanishing.
2. Fill in the given blanks with appropriate words
from the passage : [1 4 = 4]
No drug not even an (a) __________ medicine
is totally safe. Aspirin on an empty stomach
may lead to severe (b) __________ Paracetamol
when taken for prolonged periods and in high
dosage can cause (c) __________. Self-
medication of antibacterial drugs can be
(d) __________
Ans. (a) over the counter (c) liver damage
(b) gastritis (d) dangerous
3. Give words from the passage which mean the
same as the following : [1 2 = 2]
A 16
(a) fake (para 1)
(b) most obvious/easily understood; (para2)
Ans. (a) spurious (b) assume
PASSAGE A-13
Read the given poem carefully.
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farm house near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
The only other sound, the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
by Robert Frost
1. Complete the following sentences. [1 4 = 4]
(a) The poet is passing through woods
(b) The poet thinks that he knows who is the owner
of these woods although at present the owner he
will not see him stopping there.
(c) The horse gave his harness bells a shake to ask
if there is some mistake.
(d) The poet did not stop there because he had to
fulfil some promises.
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4]
(a) Where does the owner of the woods live?
The owner of the woods lives in a village.
(b) Why does the horse find it queer to stop there?
The horse finds it queer to stop there because
there was no any farmhouse nearby.
(c) What kind of evening it was?
It was the darkest evening of the year.
(d) Why did the poet not stop there?
New Wave Communicative English X
 The poet did not stop there because he had
many other promises to be fulfilled before he
leaves this world.
3. Find words from the poem which mean the same
as the following : [ 4 = 2]
(a) strange
(b) saddle
(c) covered with soft feathers
(d) small thin pieces of something
Ans. (a) queer (b) harness
(c) downy (d) flakes
PASSAGE A-14
Read the given poem carefully.
What is this life, if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare,
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night
No time to turn at beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait, till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
1. Complete the following sentences. [1 4 = 4]
(a) The poets complaint is that this kind of life is
useless when. We have no time to enjoy it.
(b) The word in the poem that means forest is
woods.
(c) According to the poet a true smile begins from
the eyes.
(d) The poet calls such a busy life as a poor life.
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 3 = 3]
(a) In the first four lines, what is poets regret about
the busy life?
The poet regrets that the busy life is of no use
when you do not have time to enjoy the
bounties of nature.
Reading
(b) Where do the squirrels hide their nuts?
The squirrels hide their nuts in the grass.
(c) What does the poet call the busy life and why?
The poet calls the busy life a poor life
because one does not have the time to enjoy
it.
3. Pick out the words from the poem which mean
the same as the following : [ 4 = 2]
(a) to look for a long time
(b) long branches of trees
(c) quick look
(d) to make rich
Ans. (a) stare (b) boughs
(c) glance (d) enrich
4. Use stand as a verb in a sentence of your own.
[1]
Ans. "Stand Still!" ordered the captain.
PASSAGE A-15
Read the given poem carefully and choose correct
answer out of the given alternatives.
DAFFODILS
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high over vales and hills,
When all at once saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Besides the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way.
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance.
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed and gazed but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
A 17
 In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Read the given poem carefully.
Which is the bliss of solitude?
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
1. Fill in the following paragraph with one word
only. [1/2 6 = 3]
In the first line the poet has been compared to (a)
a_____ that floats (b) ____ over the (c) ____ and
hills and while floating he sees a host of golden (d)
_____ besides the (e) ____ and beneath the (f) ____.
Ans. (a) cloud (b) high
(c) vales (d) daffodils
(e) lake (f) trees
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4]
(a) While wandering as a cloud, what did the
poet see?
Ans. The poet saw a host of golden daffodils.
(b) Where did the poet see the daffodils and
what were they doing?
Ans. He saw them besides the lake and beneath
the trees : The daffodil were fluttering
and dancing in the breeze.
(c) How did the poet feel in their company?
Ans. In their jocund company the poet also felt
happy.
(d) What happens when the poet is in a pensive
mood?
Ans. In his pensive mood, the poet recollects
the sight of daffodils and his heart gets
filled with pleasure.
3. Find words from the poem which mean the same
as the following [1/2 4 = 2]
(a) to move about aimlessly wander.
(b) to extend stretch.
(c) lively and active jocund.
(d) state of complete happiness bliss.
4. Use the word crowd as a verb in a sentence of
your own. [1]
Ans. Some of you please go out, do not crowd the
room.
A 18
PASSAGE A-16
CONTENTMENT
I have no memory of the day I was born
It must have been a day of joy for others
Atleast that's what I heard
And that's what mattered to me.
It has been a long journey since
I have no clue how it will end
But one thing I am sure that one day I will go
The destination is one where everyone has gone
And others will follow
I don't want an audit on what I received
Or what 1 did not get
I have no remorse or regret
Because when I look back, I have learnt it for a fact
That life is the greatest leveller on earth,
Whosoever comes must depart
The ruling is the same for one and all
So, why should I grumble at destiny's call?
While passing through our planet
What I enjoy are life's glory
The experience is wonderful
And if such privilege lasts
As long as I live, why should I worry?
1. Complete the following sentences.
The poet says : [1 5 = 5]
(a) I have no memory of the day I was born.
(b) I am sure that one day I will go to the
destination where everyone is bound to go.
(c) I do not want an audit on what I received or
what I did not get.
(d) Life is a great leveller because whosoever takes
birth has to die one day.
(e) Why should I grumble at death because
whosoever takes birth has to die and the
ruling is same for all.
2. Fill in the blanks with one word only.
[ 6 = 3]
Life is (a) ______ journey. I do not want an
New Wave Communicative English X
 (b) ______ on what I (c) ______ and what I did not (b) Those people are unfortunate who are living
(d) ______ . Life is a greatest (e) ______ on earth. amidst jealousy, family feuds and religious
fights.
Whosoever comes must (f) ______ .
(c) Noble peace comes to those who follow the
Ans. (a) long (b) audit (c) received path of non-violence.
(d) get (e) leveller (f) depart (d) Peace loving hearts are the hearts that greatly
3. Find words from the passage which mean the adore, admire and worship peace.
same as the following : [1/2 4 = 2] (e) Holy mother in this poem refers to peace.
(a) evidence (b) end of a journey 2. Give the comparative and superlative degrees of
(c) to leave (d) special right the following adjectives. [1 3 = 3]
Ans. (a) clue (b) destination (a) noble nobler noblest
(c) depart (d) privilege (b) great greater greatest
(c) happy happier happiest
PASSAGE A-17
3. Find words from the passage which mean the
Read the given poem carefully. same as the following : [1/2 4 = 2]
PEACE (a) not tough (b) cherish
Peace, peace, where have you been (c) think highly of (d) pay respect
Ans. (a) tender (b) adore
Leaving us as distressed orphans in the streets?
(c) admire (d) worship
Are you disgusted and dejected
With our unsavoury present day state of affairs? PASSAGE A-18
Alas, unfortunate are we,
Read the given poem carefully.
To live amidst jealousy and family feuds
Religious fights and unending power struggle, A REAL CONCERN
or language crisis or river water disputes God gave us enough of wisdom
Bombs and blasts alone are tackling these issues Instead we employed it for own stardom
Never to be disheartened, noble peace, God gave us a thought of mercy
Determined are we to enthrone you Instead we made fun of it without trace
In Rama Rajya, with heavenly happiness God gave us an element of tender feelings
By trecking and treading on the path of Non- Instead we misused for selfish passions
violence. God gave us the light to protect justice
Never we leave you and holy mother, you are to us Instead we explored ways for injustice
We play on your lap with your great care and God gave us darkness to rest in peace
affection, Instead we chose to become slaves of bliss
Our tender hearts are temples to you God gave us nature as our shield
Where, we greatly adore, admire and worship you, Instead we destroyed it for personal ends
For God had given you, as gift, to us God provided us with option of amity
LONG LIVE PEACE Instead we opted ways for creating enmity.
C. Kuppuramiah
Yet, God gave us an another great chance
1. Complete the following sentences. [1 5 = 5] The greatest and most precious essence and
(a) Peace does not come to those who indulge in yes the essence of love towards one and all
jealousy, family feuds, religious fights,
Instead we created hatred for our own fall.
unending power struggle, etc.
by Dr. T. Ashok Chakravarthy
Reading A 19
 1. Complete the following sentences. [1 5 = 5]
(a) When God gave us wisdom we employed if for
our own stardom.
(b) When God gave us tender feelings we misused
them for our selfish passion.
(c) When God gave us nature as our shield we
destroyed it for our personel use.
(d) When God gave us love towards one and all we
created hatred for our own fall.
(e) When God gave us darkness to rest in peace we
chose to become slaves of bliss.
2. Give opposites of the following words.
[1/2 6 = 3]
(a) wisdom (b) mercy (c) tender
(d) slave (e) amity (f) hatred
Ans. (a) foolishness (b) cruelty (c) tough
(d) master (e) enmity (f) love
3. Find words from the poem which rhyme with the
following words. [1/2 4 = 2]
(a) wisdom (b) amity
(c) all (d) justice
Ans. (a) stardom (b) enmity
(c) fall (d) peace
PASSAGE A-19
Read the poem carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Piping down the valleys wild,
Piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me :
Pipe a song about a lamb!
So I piped with merry cheer.
Pipe, pipe that song again :
So I piped : he wept to hear.
Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
Sing thy songs of happy cheer:
So I sang the same again,
While he wept with joy to hear.
Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book, that all may read
So he vanished from my sight,
A 20
And I plucked a hollow reed,
And I made a rural pen,
And I stained the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.
William Blake.
1. Complete the following sentences [1 4 = 4]
(a) The child asked the poet to sing the songs of
happiness.
(b) When the poet sang the songs of happiness the
child started weeping out of joy.
(c) The poet wrote the songs with a rural pen
made out of a hollow reed.
(d) The poet wrote his songs in a book so that every
child may feel happy to read them.
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4]
(a) What type of songs was the poet piping?
Ans. The poet was piping the songs of happiness.
(b) What did he see in the clouds?
Ans. In the clouds he saw a child.
(c) What did the child ask the poet to sing?
Ans. The child asked the poet to sing the songs
about Jesus Christ.
(d) What did the poet make his pen and ink with?
Ans. The poet made his pen with a hollow reed
and stained the clear water to make ink.
3. Make sentences by using the following words
[1/2 4 = 2]
(a) pleasant It is always pleasant to do what you
are good at doing.
(b) weep There are times when I want to sit
alone and weep.
(c) vanish Do not disturb me, just vanish.
(d) sight What a pleasant sight it is!
PASSAGE A-20
Read the given poem carefully.
LAW OF THE JUNGLE
I have heard
There is a law of the jungle
I have heard when the lion has eaten his fill
New Wave Communicative English X
 He never attacks
He goes to lie under dense shady trees
And when the rough gusts
Shake branches of trees
The mynah leaving her own young
Covers the frail crow's eggs
With her protective wings.
I have heard
When any bird-young falls out of the nest
The entire jungle wakes to rescue.
I have heard
When the weaver bird's nest
Reflects on the lake
The silvery fishes adopt it as neighbour.
And if a rough storm breaks the foot-bridge.
Then on a wooden plank
Squirrel, snake, goat and cheetah walk in a file.
I have heard
There is a law of the jungle
O God. All Powerful. All Seeing. All Wise.
In this my city
Proclaim a law,
Even the law of the jungle.
Translated from Urdu by Syeda Hameed
1. Answer the following questions briefly.
[1 4 = 4]
(a) What does the poet mean to say by the law of
jungle?
Reading
Ans. By this the poet means to say that animals do
not unecessarily harass weaker animals.
(b) What happens when the strong wind blow in the
jungle?
Ans. When the strong wind blows, mynah leaves
her own young ones and covers the frail eggs
of a crow with her protective wings.
(c) What do the animals do when the foot bridge
breaks due to rough weather?
Ans. Squirrel, snake, goat and cheetah walk in a
file.
(d) What is the poets wish in the last lines?
Ans. The poet prays God to proclaim a law in his
city, even the law of the jungle.
2. Complete the following sentences with one word
only. [1 3 = 3]
When lion has eaten his (a) _____________, he
never attacks. When any bird-young falls out of
(b) _____________, entire jungle wakes to its (c)
_____________.
Ans. (a) fill (b) nest (c) rescue
3. Find words from the poem which mean the same
as the following : [1/2 4 = 2]
(a) tightly packed (b) to save
(c) flat piece of wood (d) in a line
Ans. (a) dense (b) rescue
(c) plank (d) file
4. Use the past tense form of hear in a sentence of
your own. [1]
Ans. I have never heard him playing a flute.
A 21
 PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION (MCQs)
PASSAGE B-1
Read the passage carefully. [C.B.S.E. 2011 (T-II)]
A young man was getting ready to graduate from
college. For many months he had admired a beautiful
sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing his father
could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As
the Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited
signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the
morning of his graduation, his father called him into his
private study. His father told him how proud he was to
have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him.
He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man
opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible,
with the young mans name embossed in gold. Angry, he
raised his voice to his father and said With all your
money, you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the
house, leaving the Bible.
Many years passed and the young man was very
successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a
wonderful family. Though he was still angry with his father
he realised that his father was very old, and thought
perhaps he should go to meet him. He had not seen him
since that graduation day. Before he could make
arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his
father had passed away, and had willed all his possessions
to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take
care of things. When he arrived at his fathers house,
sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to
search through his fathers important papers and saw the
still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears,
he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. And as
he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had
a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the
sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his
graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL. He then
realised his mistake but it was too late.
Word Notes :
l afford able to buy (iSlk [kpZ djus dh {kerk)
l approached came near (uknhd vkuk) l embossed
with raised design (mHkjk gqvk fMtkbu] uDdk'kh)
l arrangements plan a preparation (izca/] cankscLr)
Answer the following questions by selecting the most
A 22
appropriate options from the ones given below :
1. The secret desire of the young man was to
____________.
(a) be able to study well
(b) be able to possess a bike
(c) possess a sports car
(d) be a rich man
2. The word embossed means _______________.
(a) embroidered (b) raised design
(c) covered (d) painted
3. He left his house in anger as he _____________.
(a) wanted some other book
(b) wanted the money
(c) wanted a leather bound Bible
(d) expected the sports car
4. After having settled in life one day __________ .
(a) he decided to go to his college
(b) he thought of visiting his father
(c) he wanted to distribute gifts
(d) he wanted to buy a car
5. He opened the Bible with tears as ___________ .
(a) he found the car keys in it
(b) it was the Bible he had left long back
(c) his father was angry with him
(d) it was too late
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (b)
PASSAGE B-2
Read the passage carefully. [C.B.S.E. 2011 (T-II)]
Euthanasia is deliberately bringing about a gentle and
easy death making the last days of the patient as
comfortable as possible. This is to ensure a calm and
peaceful death, to relieve incurable suffering in terminal
illness or disability. Euthanasia is voluntary, when
requested by the sufferer. Here death is hastened by
deliberate withdrawal of effective therapy or nourishment.
The debate on euthanasia has again become a live
issue in India as the Supreme Court of India in 1994
passed a verdict that attempted suicide is not a crime. With
the recent medical knowledge, the judges in their verdict
were sympathetic to those who attempted suicide. They
gave the verdict that attempting suicide is a mental
derangement and hence not to be considered as a crime.
New Wave Communicative English X
This signifies social approval of suicide and euthanasia
which is assisted suicide.
This is often our dilemma. Should one prolong the act
of dying in a case of inevitable death or when a life is
effectively over? One of the achievements of modern
medical technology is the use of artificial life support
systems like artificial feeding, dialysis, controlled
respiration, pump circulation etc. In some cases it can be
so dehumanising, painful, hazardous or costly that other
considerations outweigh the aim to conserve life.
Word Notes :
l deliberately intentionally (tkucw>dj) l euthanasia
bringing about an easy death (bPNk e` R ;q ) l
withdrawl taking something away (ihNs gVkuk)
l therapy treating illness without drugs (mipkj)
l hazardous dangerous ([krjukd)
On the basis of your reading of the above passage,
complete the following statements :
1. Doctors administer euthanasia by ____________ .
2. The debate on euthanasia has restarted as
__________________.
3. One can say that euthanasia has gained social
approval as __________________.
4. Two reasons that support the cause of euthanasia
are __________________.
5. The word in paragraph III that means involving
risk or danger is __________________.
Ans. 1. bringing about a gentle and easy death
2. the Supreme Court of India in 1994 passed a
verdict that attempted suicide in not a crime.
3. judges in their verdict were favourable to those who
attempted it.
4. Life support system can be dehumanising and pain-
ful and to relieve incurable suffering.
5. hazardous.
PASSAGE B-3
Read the passage carefully. [C.B.S.E. 2011 (T-II)]
Zaheer, an MBA, credits his teachers for whatever he
has achieved. Interestingly, by teachers he does not mean
his school teachers but his peers, children only a few years
older than him who taught him under the Child to Child
programme. To cater to the educational needs of the slum
Reading
children students of various schools in the city turned peer
educators under an informal education system. On the
terrace of a health centre by St. Stephens hospital children
can be seen huddled around blackboards, listening intently
to their teacher, run a child only a few years older than
them.
The informal education model is a big hit as it has laid
the foundation of many youths who now aspire to be
artists, bankers and managers. The Child to Child
programme started ten years ago with only fifteen
children. The group grew to fifty and then more children
joined it. Today there are 1,200 children from the Sunder
Nagri area under the programme.
Under this programme, children in groups of ten to
fifteen are put under the care of a trained child volunteer
who is generally a student of VII or VIII. The class follows
the course content prescribed in schools for subjects like
English, Hindi and Mathematics, but the approach is
friendly and that of a caring peer.
The next stage is that of a young volunteer chosen
from teenagers, preferably a student who is in class X or
above. They teach students of senior classes and train the
child volunteers. To oversee the work of the youth
volunteers, there is a resource group of youngsters, again
chosen from among the students, many of whom have
passed out and are pursuing higher studies.
Word Notes :
l credits make somebody responsible for doing
something good (fof'k"V xq.k ekuuk) l achieved
accomplish (gkfly djuk) l volunteer do something
without payment (Lo;a l s o k os Q fy, vkxs vkuk)
l prescribed guidelines given (fu/kZfjr vkns'kksa osQ
vuqlkj)
Complete the statements given below by choosing the
correct options :
1. ____________ aims to achieve the educational
needs of the slum dwellers.
(a) The Child to Child programme
(b) The Child with Children programme
(c) The Child to Child studies
(d) The St. Stephens programme
2. The classes are conducted __________________ .
(a) in a hospital room
(b) in a terrace of a health centre run by St.
Stephens hospital
A 23
 (c) in Sunder Nagari area
(d) in a classroom with a blackboard
3. The programme began _____________ .
(a) fifteen years ago with five children
(b) ten years ago with five children
(c) ten years ago with fifty children
(d) ten years ago with fifteen children
4. The child volunteer teaches the course prescribed
in schools with a ___________________ approach
of a peer.
(a) friendly and caring (b) fun filled
(c) strict and disciplined
(d) loving and caring
5. The slum children dream of becoming
___________ .
(a) doctors (b) artists, bankers and managers
(c) MBAs (d) graduates
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (b)
PASSAGE B-4
Read the passage given below. On the basis of your
reading of the above passage, answer the following
questions by choosing the correct option from those
given below. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Nature and Man
So often these days we hear and speak of the conquest
of Nature, the taming of a river, the war against
insects, and so on. These phrases are often used without
consciously attaching any value to them, but they have an
underlying attitude of hostility towards Nature and
Natures creatures, a viewpoint which seems to assume
Nature as an enemy that needs to be vanquished.
Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a resource to be
exploited take the maximum out of it, regardless of
what this does to the natural processes and to other
creatures which depend on these processes. It is this
attitude which views fellow human beings as a resource to
be exploited, or other human communities as enemies to
be conquered.
There is a growing lack of sensitivity and respect for
our fellow creatures. This attitude is being drilled into a
child by social forces, which can only be countered by
environmental education. Yet, sadly, in most cases this is
not done. What is done is to talk about the food web and
the energy cycles and ecological balance and how removal
A 24
of any elements disrupts the whole system, and how this
can affect human beings too. What this approach lacks is
the essential interaction with Nature and with other human
beings. Indeed, in many environmental activities the
opposite takes place. A classic example of this is the
making of a herbarium, or even worse, an insect
collection, as common in both formal and non-formal
education in India. A child is often encouraged to pluck
leaves and flowers and run after butterflies with a net, and
is part of a large group of children similarly marauding a
patch of nature. It is even worse when the activity is also
competitive, that is, who collects the maximum. A lot of
knowledge may be gained, but this knowledge emphasises
exploitation and conquest, not sensitivity and respect.
Learning under a tree rather than in a classroom, is far
more effective and long lasting.
The alternative is to take up activities where
ecological balance, ecological diversity, animal behaviour,
human plurality and other such concepts and systems are
introduced with the stress on their intrinsic worth.
Materials, processes and living beings do not exist only for
human use they are worthwhile in themselves.
Word Notes :
l taming to bring under control (dkcw djuk)
l hostility enmity ('k=kqrk) l exploited take undue
advantage of ('kksf"kr djuk) l ecological connected
with plants and living creatures (i;kZoj.k) l marauding
attacking (geyk djuk)
1. Mans attitude towards nature shows his
__________ towards it.
(a) concern (b) feeling of superiority
(c) disregard (d) aggression
2. Environmental education can help people be
___________ towards nature.
(a) responsive (b) inattentive
(c) hostile (d) exploitative
3. Ecological balance implies ___________ .
(a) taking care of plants
(b) taking care of animals
(c) using nature to benefit man.
(d) maintaining a equilibrium in nature
4. Man has to realise that he has not been sent into
the world to ___________ .
(a) exploit things for his benefit (b) pluck flowers
(c) kill animals (d) tame nature
New Wave Communicative English X
 5. Man needs to ___________ .
(a) plant trees (b) take care of animals
(c) respect everything
(d) create an ecological balance
Ans. 1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (d)
PASSAGE B-5
Read the passage given below carefully. On the basis of
your reading of the above passage, answer the
following questions by choosing the correct option
from those given below : [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Eternal Voyager
Travelling in the weightlessness of space, Kalpana
Chawla once said with the poetic simplicity that comes
naturally to an intrepid explorer, You are just your
intelligence. On that brilliant, breezy blue day over Cape
Canaveral, Florida, as she hurtled back to Earth at 18
times the speed of sound, Chawla must have felt only brute
force as the magnificent flying machine with over 2.5
million parts miraculously held together till then by
magical dexterity burst apart.
As a white pulse of light shot through the sky 200,000
feet above the ground, the unassuming adventurer
achieved immortality in sudden death. By the time the
space shuttle Columbia or STS-107, to call it by its
prosaic name exploded over Texas, Arkansas and
Louisiana, Chawla had clocked an incredible 760 hours in
space. She had travelled 10.4 million kilometres, as many
as 252 times around the Earth,. Here was a brave heart,
who really had gone the distance to fulfil her motto:
Follow your dreams.
For her scores of admirers in India, a number swollen
by the tragedy of her death, 41 year old, Chawlas life was
an example of a small-town, middle-class success. Having
slept under a canopy of stars in Karnal, a sleepy town in
Haryana, Tagore Bal Niketan Schools most famous
student became the first woman to study aeronautical
engineering at the decidedly unfashionable Punjab
Engineering College (PEC). In a field where India had no
markers, Chawla winged it alone without the benefit of the
old school IIT tie or the comfort of a well-known career
path in Silicon Valley. An avid maker of aeromodels as a
child, she considered it her birthright to be a resident of
the Milky Way, becoming the second Indian after IAF
Officer, Rakesh Sharma, to cross the final frontier.
India Today
Reading
Word Notes :
l Poetic simplicity (dkO;kRed lknxh) l hurtled
move very fast ([krjukd <a x ls vkxs c<+ u k)
l dexterity skill in using your hands (fuiq . krk)
l incredible unbelievable (vk'p;Ztud)
l winged make it successful (fdlh dk;Z osQ fy, rS;kj
gksuk)
1. Kalpana Chawla once said, You are just your
intelligence as __________ .
(a) her flying machine had exploded
(b) she was experiencing weightlessness
(c) she felt intellectual pursuits were more
important than physical pleasures
(d) she thought intelligence was the key to success
2. Kalpana Chawla got immortality in death
because _____________.
(a) she was an astronaut
(b) she died suddenly
(c) of her contribution to the space programme
(d) her body remained in space
3. Kalpana Chawlas travel to space was a
consequence of her ___________ .
(a) hard work (b) being in the USA
(c) desire to touch the stars (d) ambition to fly
4. Kalpana Chawlas success helps us believe
______________ .
(a) anyone can be successful
(b) to be successful you have to go abroad
(c) to be successful you have to be an astronaut
(d) only middle class people are successful
5. ................ to cross the final frontier. Final frontier
here means ___________ .
(a) death (b) space
(c) space shuttle (d) borders of ones country
Ans. 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (a) 5. (b)
PASSAGE B-6
Read the given passage carefully. On the basis of your
reading of the above passage, answer the following
questions by choosing the correct option from those
given below: [C.B.S.E. 2010 (Term I)]
A 25
 Understanding Pain
Pleasure and pain are the inseparable facets of human
existence. While the experience of our well-being is rather
vague and intangible, experience of pain is real, and
affects our body, mind and spirit, altering our lives in
more ways than one. Pain is an unpleasant sensory and
emotional experience caused by tissue damage that results
from physical trauma, burns, illness, injury or surgery.
Despite the agony caused by pain, it is essential for our
survival. If you dont feel pain, you could cause great harm
to your body by inadvertently touching a hot iron or
jamming your finger in the drawer and not even know it.
Or you could rupture the appendix and be unaware of
what was going on inside your body. Pain rings an alarm
bell, alerting you to pay immediate attention and take
quick action.
Have you ever wondered why a severely wounded
soldier continues to battle on so defiantly or an athlete
injured during a race goes on to win it? It happens so
because the brain does not react immediately to the pain
signals, the sufferer just ignores them because there are
more important tasks to attend. The pain registers only
after the task or event is over. The perception of pain has
been studied extensively by psychologists who suggest that
there is a gating system in the central nervous system
that opens and closes to let pain pass through to the brain
or block it. Psychological factors such as attention to pain,
emotional state of a person, anticipation of pain and the
way that a person interprets a situation can both open and
close the gates. This is why when you are depressed or
anxious your pain seems worse and intolerablebecause
your feelings can open the pain gate. On the other hand,
when your attention is diverted or focussed on pleasant
tasks, your pain is almost imperceptible. Thus the physical
cause of the pain may be the same, the pain circuits
identical, yet the perception of pain is dramatically
different.
Word Notes :
l vague not clear (vLi"V) l intangible difficult to
describe (vklkuh ls le> u vkuk) l inadvertently
not intentionally (vutkus esa fd;k x;k) l jamming
getting struck (iQlk ysuk@tdM+ tkuk) l anticipation
expecting something to happen (iwokZHkkl] izR;k'kk) l
imperceptible not easily understandable (vklkuh ls
le> u vkus okyk)
1. Pain is unpleasant, yet _____________
(a) we need to experience it
A 26
(b) we cant escape it
(c) it gives us pleasure
(d) it is not real
2. Pain rings an alarm bell means that pain
_____________
(a) warns that something is wrong
(b) makes other people attend to us
(c) makes us scream
(d) warns us beforehand
3. Gating system in the central nervous system
_____________
(a) prevents pain
(b) changes our response to pain
(c) destroys the nervous system
(d) does not allow us to escape pain
4. Unhappiness or worry affects our system by
_____________
(a) blocking the pain gate
(b) diverting our mind away from pain
(c) causing depression
(d) making pain seem worse
5. The writer feels that pain is a _____________
(a) pleasurable experience
(b) figment of our imagination
(c) necessary evil
(d) source of great harm to the body
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (c)
PASSAGE B-7
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
options from the ones given below :
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Believe it or not, a fragile and tiny wisp of paper could
fetch millions of dollars! Considering their size and
weight, postage stamps are perhaps the costliest item in
the world.
A well informed buyer or seller, who knows the
intrinsic value of the postage stamp, can make this an
alternative investment. As an investment it may be slow
off-the-block as it is not guided by concept of stock and
exchange, but it does have a global market. In USA, China
and Europe, there are auction houses specialising in
auctioning of stamps. Stanley Gibbson Ltd and Solhbys
are some of the well known auction houses. The stamp
dealers and collectors purchase and resell stamps here.
Trading of stamps, like any other commodity, is a
New Wave Communicative English X
knowledge game based on the rules of demand and supply.
The stamps, which are rare, few in number or with error
in printing or old stamps with limited editions, are
valuable from auctioneers and collectors point of view.
The price depends on the condition of the stamps. They
have to be preserved in transparent pouches and handled
with great care. In India there is no organised sector for
stamp dealers and collectors, but there are a few auction
houses.
Stamp auctions are of two typesroom auction, the
traditional style where connoisseurs collect to bid for
items and post auctions in which auctioneer sends
catalogue to collectors and they bid via post, e-mail or
fax.
Author of books on Philately, Vishnu Saxena said,
Some of the most prestigious and popular stamps that
were auctioned at Rs. One lakh each are the American
cover known as Lady Mcgill printed in 1852, British
Guiana 1885, Swedish stamp of 3 shillings of 1885,
bicolour stamp and queens head in red with blue border
printed upside down.
Word Notes :
l fragile delicate (ukkqd) l fetch Sell for (fdlh
oLrq dk ewY;) l intrinsic real nature of something
(vkarfjd) l connoisseurs expert on matters of beauty
and quality (xq.k xzkgd) l auctioneer one who directs
an auction (uhykeh dk lapkyu djus okyk)
1. What amongst the following is not true about
stamp collection?
(a) It could fetch millions of dollars.
(b) It does have a global market.
(c) There is no auction house in India.
(d) Solhbys and Stanley Gibbson Ltd are well
known houses.
2. Stamp market is
(a) guided by concepts of stock and exchange
(b) a knowledge game based on concept of demand
and supply
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) none of the above
3. The word that does not have the same meaning as
intrinsic
(a) inherent
(b) essential
(c) carrying an underhand plot
(d) belonging naturally
Reading
4. One of the following stamps was not auctioned at
Rs. 1 lakh which one was that?
(a) Lady Mcgill printed in 1852
(b) British Guiana, 1885
(c) Sind Dak, 1852
(d) Swedish stamp of 3 shillings of 1885
5. Two types of stamp auctions are
(a) Room auction, the traditional type
(b) Post auction
(c) Open auction
(d) both (a) and (b)
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (c) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (d)
PASSAGE B-8
Read the passage carefully and answer the following
questions by selecting the right options from the ones
given below : [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Like millions of other teenagers my 14 years old
daughter Kitty is often to be found on sofa, laptop on her
knees, checking facts for the essay shes writing. The TV is
on and occasionally she scrolls through Face Book. She
sends SMSs, makes calls on her mobile and takes her iPod
headset on and off.
To me, and the most other parents, this seems an
impossible way to work. How can you think with all
noise? we yell. Homework used to be something to be
done in silence with all distractions firmly removed. Yet
for Kitty and her peers this is normal.
The question, a lot of experts, are now asking is : how
is this way of working affecting their brains?
Kitty and her friends arent the only ones exposed
daily to terabytes of information. Research shows that
office workers are interrupted every three minutes by their
phones, computers or colleagues. Self-styled road
warriors are permanently reachable through their
mobiles while they simultaneously (and illegally) drive,
talk and listen to the radio. Some felt silence and
undivided attention have become the most precious
commodities in the world.
But this isnt an old jogey moan at new fangled
inventions. In the last few years there has been a
revolution in the scientists understanding of what the brain
can do and how it can be changed by the world around us.
Textbooks more than a decade old will tell you that you die
with the same brain you were born with ; that growing new
brain cells is impossible. But High-tech scanners have
A 27
revealed that the brain is constantly changing, says
Alvaro Fernandes, cells die off, but new ones are created
all the time. These can be wired up in new and different
ways depending what your brain is doing.
But an even more dramatic break through came last
year. If you train using right software program its possible
to expand your working memory, the human equivalent of
computer ram.
Word Notes :
l Scroll to move text on computer (dE;wVj Lhu ij
ikB dks mQij&uhps ?kqekuk) l distractions things that
take your attention away from your work (Hkzkafr@;ku
fopfyr djus okyk) l peers people of same age (leku
oxZ ;k in okyk) l Simultaneously happening at the
same time (,d le; esa ?kfVr gksuk) l commodities
useful things (mi;ksxh oLrq,)
1. Teenagers of modern times dont have the habit
of
(a) keeping laptop on knees
(b) checking facts on net for any academic work
like essay
(c) scrolling through Face Book and sending SMSs
(d) doing work in silence
2. Kitty and her friends have enormous brain
powers to
(a) be exposed to terabytes of information
(b) self-styled road warriors to attend calls
(c) talk, drive and listen music simultaneously
(d) all the above
3. The dramatic breakthrough that came last year
revealed that
(a) right software training can expand brain
memory
(b) human brain is equivalent of computers ram
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) none of these
4. What is true of human brain?
(a) you die with the same brain you were born with
(b) growth of new brain cell is impossible
(c) new cells are created all the time in brain
(d) none of the above
5. The word that has the same meaning as the new-
fangled is
(a) old convictions (b) traditional thoughts
(c) objectionably new (d) none of the above
Ans. 1. (d) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (c)
A 28
PASSAGE B-9
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
option from the ones given below.
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Padam Vibhusan awardee Pt. Birju Maharaj, on a
recent visit and performance in Faridabad, has said that
the classical form of dance soothes his soul and is the
purest and most beautiful form of dancing. Any attempts to
fuse it with the Western style of dance form is bound to
adversely affect its impact. Moreover, the western form of
dancing tends to be more dramatic, show driven and
circus like. The classical form of dance, he added,
connects a dedicated performer with the Almighty and he
said he was feeling very sad that in India most dance
performances are being organised with the sole motto of
making quick money and commercial success. He is really
pained to see tiny tots and very young children being
trained to dance on vulgar gyrations and gestures. He still
is focussing on promoting education of Kathak dancing
amongst his 250 students at his dance institute. Punditji,
however, still hoped that the era of classical dance form
will return once again to be in the forefront of our cultural
performances as truth never dies, despite whatever
considerations might be pushing art forms in India today.
Punditji came here to perform at Lord Mahavira
Auditorium in a Charity Cultural programme christened
as Jhankaar, organised by RPS Group. The event also
witnessed an equally spirited live performance by
Punditjis son, Padamshri Pundit Deepak Maharaj.
Besides spiritual prayer, Senani based on an epic
scripted by Megh Raj Mukkal with drama direction by
Divya Vishisht, highlighting the supreme spirit of
patriotism and sacrifice of Chittorgarhs queen Hadda,
was also staged.
Word Notes :
l performance act of performing (izn'kZu dk rjhdk)
l adversely negatively (izfrowQy] gkfuizn) l dedicated
committed to (vfiZr) l vulgar obscene (v'yhy)
l gyrations to move a particular part of your body
('kjhj osQ fdlh Hkkx dks fgykuk)
1. According to Birju Maharaj, the attempts to mix
classical dance with western will
(a) create a more soothing brand of dance
(b) affect it adversely
(c) make it more dramatic
(d) make it show driven
New Wave Communicative English X
 2. Birju Maharaj says that classical form of dance Aruna Shanbaug, now 61, is being kept in a persistent
(a) soothes the soul of listeners vegetative state.
(b) is beautiful form of dancing that soothes his In the early 1980s, Pinki Virani started out as
soul journalist with The Times of India Group. She has been
(c) makes the mind think purest thoughts editor of Mid Day , a Mumbai afternoon newspaper, and
(d) does not have any effect on anyone. a Special Correspondent with Sunday. She is married to
3. Punditji is really pained to see Shankar Aiyar, also, a veteran journalist and editor.
(a) tiny tots choosing dance as a career Viranis fourth and most recent book, Deaf Heaven
(Harper Collins), is also her first work of fiction. Its been
(b) tiny tots dancing for charity
described by Khushwant Singh as ingenuously
(c) tiny tots and young children dancing on vulgar structured.
gyration and gestures
(d) young children focussing on kathak or other Word Notes :
classical dances l rampant existing unchecked, widespread (vfu;af=kr
4. Punditjis son is :i ls iSQyk gqvk) l poignantly deeply moving (n;
(a) Megh Raj Mukkal fonkjd) l trauma severe shock (ekufld vk?kkr]
(b) Jagjit Singh Maharaj lnek) l Incest sexual abuse between close relatives
(c) Maharaj Deepak Veer Singh (vukpkj) l comatose deeply unconscious/in a coma
(d) Padmashri Pundit Deepak Maharaj (izxk<+ csgks'kh) l ingenuously innocently/naive (lPpk
5. One of the following does not have the same fu"diV)
meaning as gyration :
(a) whirling (b) revolving 1. The book that speaks of Viranis own trauma of
childhood incest is
(c) spiral (d) giggling
(a) Arunas story (b) Deaf Heaven
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (d) (c) Bitter Chocolate (d) Bloody Hell
2. Bitter Chocolate does not reveal
PASSAGE B-10 (a) sexual abuse as a rampant crime
(b) causes and cases of child labour
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions by writing the option that you consider the (c) denial of Indians regarding sexual sins
most appropriate. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)] (d) child sexual-abuse to be common place

Journalist-turned-author Pinki Virani opened our eyes 3. Name the book / books written by Virani that
won the award
to a deeply painful truth sexual abuse of children in
middle and upper-class Indian homes. Her book Bitter (a) Arunas story (b) Bitter Chocolate
Chocolate (Penguin 2000) revealed how rampant and (c) Bloody Hell (d) Both (a) and (b)
perilous the crime is. It also dealt with how we Indians 4. One of the following is not related to Pinky
live in denial, believing that such sin are not the norm in Virani in any way
our culture (Indeed, a nationwide study published in 2007 (a) The Times of India (b) Sunday
by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (c) The Portrait of a Lady (d) Mid Day
describes child sexual abuse to be commonplace. In Bitter 5. The word that does not mean same as ingenuous
Chocolate award winning Virani poignantly talks of her (a) candid (b) straight-forward
own trauma of childhood incest, and underlines the (c) innocent (d) shrewd
importance of children being encouraged to speak up in
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (d)
order to overcome the shock and harm.
Earlier, Viranis first book, the award winning Arunas PASSAGE B-11
story, documented the tragedy of a nurse, who has been in
a semi - comatose state since 1973, after she was raped by Read the poem given below and complete the
a hospital employee while being strangled with a chain. In statements that follow by choosing the answers from
these 36 years of losing her speech, sight and movement, the given options. [C.B.S.E. 2011 (T-II)]

Reading A 29
 Memories from childhood stay with us forever,
Taking us where we have been and will go,
Pieces of life that live on and will never
Let us forget we were young long ago.
Sometimes I wander back into those shadows,
Quietly being who I used to be,
Bringing to life all the joys and the sorrows,
Days that cant die, while they still live in me.
Holidays linger and happy times glisten;
I can see everyone active and well.
I can still hear them if only I listen,
Feeling each motion and breathing each smell.
Life has such treasures that times always stealing;
Nothing can ever entirely stay.
While you are young, you can capture each feeling;
Make all the memories you can every day.
Word Notes :
l linger to remain longer (nsj rd #osQ jguk) l glisten
shine (peduk) l stealing taking something without
permission (pksjh djuk) l capture to take control of
(dCkk djuk) l memories recollections of things past
(fdlh ?kVuk vkfn dk laLej.k)
1. The poet is talking about someone who
___________.
(a) is very young
(b) has had a hard life
(c) cant remember much
(d) is elderly
2. According to the poem, our memories
___________.
(a) are lost as we age
(b) are an important part of who we are
(c) become less accurate over time
(d) are not worth recalling
3. The poet says that ___________.
(a) some memories are happy and some unhappy
(b) all memories should be happy
(c) you should forget the past
(d) we can change the past by forgetting something
4. The poet suggests that young people should
___________.
(a) ignore their friends and relatives if possible
A 30
(b) only think about the future
(c) appreciate the present to preserve it in their
minds
(d) try to help others, stay active and healthy as
they age
5. The rhyme scheme of the poem is :
(a) abab (b) aabb
(c) abcb (d) abba
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (a)
PASSAGE B-12
Read the following poem. Answer the questions given
thereafter by choosing the correct option :
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Engrossed in thought of life and death,
I sat beside the dying bed.
Of a stubborn soul that would not quit,
its frail and worn out aged shell,
though gripped in writhing pain,
My thoughts then lifted me above
the din of the gathered multitude,
that broke the sacred solitude.
Of the struggling human soul,
At war with death itself.
At every breath it strove in vain,
To fight that dreadful foe.
Then each new breath did weaker grow,
Yet till the very end of it fought,
And fighting fell before its deathless foe.
Word Notes :
l Engrossed deeply in thought (rYyhu) l stubborn
not giving up / obstinate (fkn~nh) l gripped take hold of
(dl osQ idM+uk) l solitude loneliness (vosQykiu)
1. The words Stubborn Soul refer to
(a) a person afflicted with a deadly disease and
fighting death in vain
(b) an argumentative person who does not accept
others points of view
(c) the soul which is stubborn and fighting
everything
(d) an adamant person who is refusing to take
medicines
2. Identify the figure of speech in the last line
New Wave Communicative English X
 (a) metaphor (b) simile
(c) alliteration (d) personification
3. The din of the gathered multitude means
(a) the noise of the people who have gathered round
the patient
(b) the noise made by a crowd is a busy place
(c) the sound made by the audience who have
gathered
(d) the sound that broke the silence in the room
4. that dreadful foe refers to
(a) a fierce animal
(b) a dangerous deadly illness
(c) death itself
(d) none of the above
5. The frail and worn out aged shell refers to:
(a) a weak, old mans body
(b) a weak, dilapidated shell
(c) a worn-out shell of an animal
(d) none of the above
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (c)
PASSAGE B-13
Read the poem carefully. Read the questions given
below and write the option you consider the most
appropriate. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
NIGHT
The Sun descending in the west,
The evening star does shine;
The birds are silent in their nest,
And I must seek for mine ?
The moon, like a flower,
In heavens high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.
Farewell, green fields and happy groves
Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves.
The feet of angels bright;
They look in every thoughtless nest,
Where birds are covered warm;
They visit caves of every beast,
To keep them from harm.
If they see any weeping
That should have been sleeping
They pour sleep on their head
And sit down by their bed.
William Blake
Word Notes :
l descending coming down (uhps vkuk) l bower a
pleasant place in shade (Nk;knkj txg) l delight joy
(izlUu gksuk) l groves a small group of trees (o`{kksa dk
lewg) l ceasing stopping from happening (lekIr
gksuk) l bud a small lump on the stem which develops
into a flower (dyh) l nibble take small bites (oqQrjuk)
Answer the questions by selecting the best option from
the ones given below.
5. (a)
1. The angels dont do one of following things
________________.
(a) They pour sleep in the eyes of weeping
creatures
(b) They keep beasts safe from harm
(c) They sit in heavens high bower and watch
everything delightfully without visiting
everyone
(d) They see that birds are warmly covered in their
nests.
2. The moon is compared to :
(a) green fields (b) flower
(c) grove (d) follower
3. The poem is beautiful impression of
________________ that falls over the landscape.
(a) piece and quiet
(b) peace and quiet
(c) tranquility and falseness
(d) silence and submissiveness

Unseen they pour blessing, 4. The poet conveys his ________________.

And joy without ceasing (a) truthfulness
(b) trust in Gods protection
On each bud and blossom,
(c) trust in mans accomplishments
And each sleeping bosom. (d) trust in his own deeds

Reading A 31
 5. Grove is _____________. (a) stanza 1 (b) stanza 3
(a) an area of land covered with thorny bushes (c) stanza 4 (d) stanza 5
(b) an area of land covered with rhododendron 2. According to the poet, we work according to
(c) an area of land covered with fruit trees of (a) our own will (b) others will
particular type (c) Gods will (d) what comes our way
(d) an area of land covered with cactus
3. To lead a peaceful life we should
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (b) 5. (c) (a) respect life (b) have good fate
(c) do good to others (d) accept life as it comes
PASSAGE B-14 4. The synonym of safe turn in the poem is
(a) cope (b) wrong
Read the poem carefully and answer the questions
(c) glow (d) immune
given thereafter, choosing from the options you
consider most suitable. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)] 5. Life can just go cool if
1. Life is complex, and full of shocks; (a) our hearts are ruled by others
And no one is immune; (b) we bow to Gods will
We have to live in grass or rocks; (c) we follow our heart
And dance to His sweet tune, (d) we act wisely
2. We seldom know, what next day brings; Ans. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (b)
Thus should not lose this day;
This gives us hope that we can cope;
PASSAGE B-15
The future shocks this way.
3. For what we sow, that will we grow; Read the poem carefully. Choose the right option from
And that we have to eat; the list of options given for each of the questions:
Then why we wait and get much late; [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
And why we ourselves cheat. When my shoulders are bent,
4. This day we got, and made it rot; Saddled
Then how our dreams can glow; With burdens
We cant reach home, if just we roam; Of life;
Or if go wrong or slow When I am tired
5. Thus, everyday, that comes our way; So tired
We give it due respect;
(And when) I think, now - that now
It builds good fate so makes us great
To get peace, do good act. my knees will give in,
6. Let world go wrong, let it hate song; a small little poem comes
Our heart no one can rule; and stands in front of me
So keep just going, to His will bowing holds my hand and says :
And just let things go cool. Give me your burden,
Come, give it to me,
Word Notes :
my poet.
l complex complicated (tfVy) l immune what
Word Notes :
cannot be affected by disease or otherwise (izfrjf{kr)
l saddled given unpleasant task (vfiz; nkf;Ro)
l seldom rarely (;nkdnk) l glow to shine (peduk)
l burdens loads (cks>) l bent not straight as a
l roam wander (Hkze.k) l fate destiny (HkkX;)
result of old age (>qdk gqvk) l holds grips (Fkkeuk)
1. The following message No one is used to the
complexities of life is given by 1. The burdens here refer to
(a) a heavy sack
A 32 New Wave Communicative English X
 (b) adversities that have plagued him
(c) his haversack
(d) none of the above
2. The word tired here refers to
(a) fatigue
(b) the loss of will to carry on any further
(c) disillusionment
(d) the result of being exposed to the scorching sun
3. The saviour that gives him temporary reprieve is
(a) God (b) a bystander
(c) outpourings of the heart in the form of a poem
(d) friendship
4. The central idea of the poem is
(a) when a person is down and out he can take
refuge in poetry
(b) he can unburden and give vent to his feelings by
penning a few lines
(c) he can curl up with a book of poems
(d) none of the above
5. An apt title would be
(a) Never lose hope (b) Fortitude
(c) Burden (d) Saviour
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (d)
PASSAGE B-16
Read the following poem. Answer the following
questions given thereafter by choosing the correct
option. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath neer within him burnd,
As home his footsteps he hath turnd
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
Reading
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonourd, and unsung,
Word Notes :
l Native original resident (ewy fuoklh) l footsteps
marks of ones feet (infpUg) l Boundless
unlimited (vlhfer) l wretch a miserable person
(vHkkxk) l forfeit have something taken away (vf/
dkj ls oafpr gksuk) l sprung appeared, developed
from (fdlh phk ls vkjaHk gksuk)
1. According to the poet, a mans soul is considered
dead because such men
(a) have great patriotic feelings
(b) sacrifice their lives for their country
(c) are never remembered by their countrymen
(d) do not have any feelings of love or gratitude for
their country.
2. Such men who abandon their motherland are
generally
(a) large-hearted and magnanimous
(b) self-centred
(c) very helpful to their countrymen
(d) helping in the developmental programmes of their
country
3. Titles, power and pelf refers to
(a) wealth and position acquired by vile means
(b) a place in the ministry
(c) a title and money bestowed on someone who
has great achievements to his credit
(d) a self-styled leader of a notorious gang
4. The word minstrel means
(a) a minister (b) a foreigner
(c) a patriot (d) a singer
5. What are the poets feelings about people who
betray their country?
(a) He feels they are an adventurous lot.
(b) The poet is full of admiration for their success
abroad.
(c) The poet calls such people wretches who
change their loyalty
(d) He would like to honour such people who bring
laurels to their country.
Ans. 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (c)
A 33
 PASSAGE B-17 Word Notes :
l jab push, prod with a knife (pkowQ dh uksd dh pqHku)
Read the following poem and answer the questions that
follow, choosing from the options given to you. l consuming taking in / filling in / using ([kkuk ihuk]

[C.B.S.E. 2010 (Term I)] 'kfDr ysuk) l leprous affected by leprosy (kCcsnkj]
dks<+h tSlh ) l hide skin of an animal (here outer
KILLING A TREE
covering of a tree ([kky] ;gk rus osQ mQij dh ijr) l
It takes much time to kill a tree sprouting producing new leaves (vaoqQfjr gksuk) l
Not a single jab of the knife miniature smaller than usual (y?kq:i)
Will do it. It has grown l scorching burning (>qyluk) l withering drying
Slowly consuming the earth and dying ({kh.k gksuk)
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing 1. It takes much time to uproot a tree because
Years of sunlight, air, water, _________________.
And out of its leprous hide (a) the person cutting it is weak
Sprouting leaves. (b) the axe is not sharp
So hack and chop (c) the tree is already dry
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it. (d) it has expanded its roots in the earth
The bleeding bark will heal
2. Hacking and chopping the tree is of no use
And from close to the ground
because _________________.
Will rise curled green twigs.
Miniature boughs (a) one can be punished for doing so
Which if unchecked will expand again (b) its bark will heal and grow again
To former size. (c) its wood cannot be used again
No. (d) the person cutting it can hurt himself
The root has to be pulled out 3. The tree sprouts new leaves because __________.
out of the anchoring earth:
It has to be roped, tied, (a) it is still young
And pulled out snapped out (b) the season is favourable
or pulled out entirely. (c) it is very well looked after
Out from the earth-cave, (d) it absorbs a great deal of water, air and sunshine
And the strength of the tree exposed.
4. The tree is finally killed because _____________
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden (a) it is exposed to air
For years inside the earth. (b) it remains wet and sensitive
Then the matter (c) its roots wither and harden in the sun
Of scorching and choking (d) the axe has been sharpened
In sun and air, 5. Scorching in the poem refers to
Browning, hardening,
(a) very thin (b) dry and barren
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done. (c) extremely hot (d) green with lots of branches
Gieve Patel Ans. 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (c)

A 34 New Wave Communicative English X

 PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION (MCQs)

PASSAGE C-1 (b) the absolute peace that was there in the rural
place
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate (c) the comfort of the multi-storeyed buildings in
option from the ones given below: the village
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)] (d) the school in the village
2. Who prepared the meals for the author and his
Back at the camp, as we rested for the night, I was
friends?
struck by the absolute calm of the place. Oh, what a great
(a) the villagers who were simple and helpful
bliss it was to get away from the unending stream of cars
(b) the village sarpanch
and trucks continuously blaring their horn even if it was
(c) the author himself with his friends
only for a few days! The peace and tranquility, we
(d) none of the above
experienced, was really welcome.
3. Why did the author feel that the villagers were
Next day, we awoke to the sound of the village cock. progressing towards a good future?
We washed at a brook rumbling nearby, with clear and
(a) because the villagers, both men and women,
cool water fit to drink and cook with. The villagers were hard working and each one contributed
insisted on cooking our meals for us and would not take his/her share to the family income
a no for an answer. (b) because the villagers were farmers but used
We toured the village again, visiting the Balwadi advanced technology intelligently
School. Then we went to a few houses and were really (c) because many houses had electricity, radio sets
surprised that they had electricity, radio sets and even a and even a community TV and a Balwadi
community TV provided by the government for the whole School to educate children
village. (d) all the above
The chief occupation of the villagers was, of course, 4. The meaning of the word rumble is
agriculture. A number of crops were grown and sold in the (a) move things about
cities. I was delighted to see tube wells, sprinklers and (b) crumble
fertilisers being used by the farmers. Truly, the village was (c) disturb the peace, around
progressing towards a good future. The men left their (d) make a deep, heavy, continuous sound
homes at dawn to work in the fields, coming home only for 5. The writer is a man from
lunch and some rest, returning again to till the soil until (a) a village (b) a city
dusk. The women helped them during the harvesting of the
(c) a forest (d) a foreign country
crops. They also sold their handicraft to a local cottage
industry, thus contributing their share to the family Ans. 1. (b) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (b)
income.

Word Notes :
l bliss extreme happiness (vkuUn) l tranquility
state of peacefulness (fuLrC/rk] 'kkafr) l sprinklers
a device for sprinkling (fNM+dko djus okyk ik=k)
l harvesting cutting and gathering crops (iQly
dkVuk) l dusk twilight (la;k le;) l handicrafts
to use the skill of hands to produce things (nLrdkjh)
l cottage industry small business done at home
(oqQVhj m|ksx)
1. What struck the author back at the camp?
(a) the unending stream of cars and trucks blaring
Reading
PASSAGE C-2
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by choosing the most appropriate
option from the ones given below:
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
The newspaper is one of the modern powerful mass
advertisement media. Free, impartial press is the first sign
of a healthy and welfare state. H.G. Wells regards the press
as the very backbone of enlightened citizenship.
The modern age is the age of democracy and
democracy depends upon public opinion. It is the
newspaper which is the greatest and most potent channel
A 35
of expressing the opinion of the public. It is the real
architect of public opinion. The leading articles of
newspapers go a long way informing public opinion and
guiding the people during critical periods. The editorial
also helps a lot in the forming of public opinion. The press
keeps the public in touch with the day-to-day political,
socio-economic changes all over the world. It instructs the
public as well as provides an opportunity for the
expression of public opinion.
Word Notes :
l mass a large number (vf/d ek=kk esa)
l advertisement a picture/notice display (foKkiu)
l Impartial neutral (fu"i{k) l architect a person
who plans and builds (f'kYih&cukus okyk) l provides
to make it available (miyC/ djkuk) l opportunity
chance (volj)
1. What is the true sign of a healthy, welfare state,
according to the author?
(a) a state devoid of diseases and full of
nourishment
(b) a state full of prosperity and good health
(c) a state where newspapers offer free and
impartial reports highlighting public opinion
(d) none of the above
2. How does a newspaper become the real architect
of public opinion?
(a) it helps in forming public opinion
(b) it guides the people during critical periods
(c) it remains a platform for social reform
(d) all of the above
3. Why does H.G. Wells call the press the very
backbone of enlightened citizenship?
(a) because it is the only mass medium of
knowledge
(b) because it highlights all the legal aspects of
citizenship
(c) because free, impartial press expresses public
opinion and highlights day-to-day political,
socio-economic changes all over the world
(d) all the above
4. What does the writer mean by critical periods?
(a) the period of conflict or difficulty in society
(b) the period of crisis in politics or socio-
economical problems
(c) the period of any kind of crisis which will disturb
the health and welfare of the state
A 36
(d) all the above
5. The word enlightened in the passage means
(a) made lively
(b) knowledge freed from ignorance,
misunderstanding or false beliefs
(c) cause to flare up
(d) expression of affection
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (b)
PASSAGE C-3
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
option from the ones given below:
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Smoking is the major cause of mortality with
bronchogenic carcinoma of the lung and is one of the
factors causing death due to malignancies of larynx, oral
cavity, oesophagus bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach and
uterine cervise and coronary heart diseases.
Nicotine is the major substance present in the smoke
that causes physical dependence. The additives do produce
damage to the body - for example, ammonia can result in
a two fold increase in the ability of nicotine to enter into
the smoke.
Levulinic acid, added to cigarettes to mask the harsh
taste of the nicotine, can increase the binding of nicotine
to brain receptors, which increases the kick of nicotine.
Smoke from the burning end of a cigarette contains
over 4000 chemicals and 40 carcinogens. It has long been
known that tobacco smoke is carcinogenic or cancer -
causing.
The lungs of smokers collect an annual deposit of 1 to
1 pounds of the gooey black material. Invisible gas
phase of cigarette smoke contains nitrogen, oxygen and
toxic gases like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, acrolein,
hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides.
These gases are poisonous and in many cases interfere
with the bodys ability to transport oxygen.
Word Notes :
l mortality number of deaths (u'ojrk)
l malignancies that cannot be controlled (?kkrd)
l additive added substances (fefJr inkFkZ )
l receptors a sense organ or nerve ending (xzg.k djus
okyh baf;k) l kick thrill (vR;ar izlUurk&mkstuk)
New Wave Communicative English X
 1. What in a cigarette makes people addicted to it ? Word Notes :
(a) ammonia (b) nicotine l hibernating spend winter in deep sleep ('khrdkyhu
(c) levulinic (d) bronchogenic carcinoma uha n ) l stirred moved about (b/j&m/j pyuk)
2. __________ in cigarettes helps the user to cover l phases different stages (fHkUu&fHkUu voLFkk, )
up the unpleasant taste of nicotine. l wakefulness state of being awake (tkxrs jgus dh
(a) smoke (b) ammonia fLFkfr) l sheltered protected (lqjf{kr)
(c) levulinic acid (d) none of the above
3. Find a word in the passage that means sticky or 1. We cant enjoy winter unless:
soft. (a) we didnt have ways to keep us warm
(a) substance (b) nicotine (b) we dont have ways to keep us warm
(c) toxic (d) gooey (c) we have ways of keeping our body warm
4. What is meant by kick of nicotine ? (d) we hibernate like animals
(a) harsh taste (b) smoke 2. What would have made winter uncomfortable for
(c) effect (d) unpleasant smell animals?
5. Find a word in the passage that means take (a) absence of feathers and fur
(b) presence of feathers
something from one place to another.
(c) extreme cold
(a) transport (b) interfere
(d) varying body temperature
(c) receptor (d) bind
3. Which of the following animals does not drop its
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (a) body temperature?
(a) frog (b) badger
PASSAGE C-4 (c) lizard (d) snake
4. Warm blooded hibernators wake up once in a
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
while to
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
(a) mate (b) drop temperature
option from the ones given below:
(c) feed (d) expose their body to sun
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
5. Find a word in the passage that means not
We enjoy winter only because we have ways of keeping
exposed to rain or wind
our body warm. But this season is not a comfortable one
(a) stirred (b) sheltered
for many animals. If they did not have enough fur or
(c) store (d) hibernate
feathers, they could not have borne the cold. Their body
temperature drops in winter and they keep alive by Ans. 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (b)
hibernating. Animals that are cold blooded, like frogs,
toads, lizards, snakes and turtles sleep through the winter PASSAGE C-5
and are stirred into activity only when the environment Read the following passage carefully and answer the
gets comfortably warm. Warm-blooded animals go through following questions by selecting the most appropriate
phases of sleep and wakefulness. They sleep through most option from the ones given below:
of the winter, but get up once in a while to feed or find [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
some food, which is usually stored up in their winter home. Hes a lover of languages, fluent in German, French
Hedgehogs, badgers, bears, bats and squirrels are some and English, and of course, his mother tongue Tamil.
warm-blooded hibernators. Teaching German at the Goethe Institute upto seven days
A number of insects die in winter while many others a week, and heading the long distance learning program in
survive the cold by hibernating in the form of eggs, larva cooperation with IGNOU, keep him very busy. As if his life
or pupa. Adult insects like butterflies, moths, houseflies wasnt hectic enough, P. Saralathan has translated Franz
and mosquitoes hibernate in storehouses, holes in the Kafkas Letter to the Father from the original German
ground, caves or other sheltered places. text into Tamil. The Tamil translation is entitled
Thandaiku. Saralathan says he was inspired to translate
Reading A 37
Letter to the Father for the potential of Kafkas words
make us look at the power wielded by Indian parents over
their children. In a rare departure for contemporary
Indian or Tamil literature, this book explores the sons pent
up remorse towards his father. It is not to say that a son
in India cannot feel for his father, but according to
Saralathan, its something that is not really discussed
openly in our patriarchal society.
Word Notes :
l cooperation work together (lg;ksx) l hectic very
busy (vR;ar O;Lr) l original a documentor work of
art produced for the 1st time (izFke@vkfne) l wielded
held and used (vf/dkj 'kfDr) l contemporary
belonging to the same time (ledkyhu) l explores
examine, analyse, learn about some thing ([kkst@Nku
chu) l patriarchal ruled by men (iq#"kiz/ku)
1. What makes Saralathan extremely busy?
(a) seven days teaching of German at Goethe
Institute
(b) heads distance learning programme of IGNOU
(c) translation into Tamil.
(d) all the above
2. Why was he inspired to translate Letter to the
Father into Tamil?
(a) to make us understand Kafkas words
(b) to make us understand the power Indian parents
hold over their children
(c) to educate Indian parents
(d) none of the above
3. What has this book tried to explore?
(a) sons anger towards his father
(b) sons remorse towards his father
(c) sons repressed remorse towards his father
(d) sons affection towards his father
4. The word pent up in the passage means
(a) cordial (b) impious
(c) great (d) repressed
5. A patriarchal society is headed by
(a) female (b) grown-up female
(c) male (d) all the three
Ans. 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (c)
A 38
PASSAGE C-6
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
questions that follow, choosing from the given options.
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
The Camera Can Lie Sometimes
1. Much to their annoyance, pen-pushers are routinely
reminded that a picture is worth a thousand words
except that sometimes they can be the wrong words
as happened last week when Reuters was forced to
withdraw more than 900 pictures taken by a freelance
photographer after it was suspected that he had
doctored two recent photographs of the Israeli-
Lebanon conflict.
2. In one picture, the smoke billowing from an
apartment block after an Israeli air strike was
allegedly thickened by the photographer, Adnan Hajj,
to dramatise the impact of the bombardment and in
another two flares were suspected to have been added
to an image of an Israeli jet in action over Lebanon.
3. The allegation of doctoring, first made by several
bloggers, was confirmed by Reuters after an in-house
investigation. Mr. Hajj, who has sold pictures to
Reuters for more than 10 years, denied manipulating
the two photographs and attributed the thick smoke in
the first picture to bad lighting and the fact that he
was trying to remove dust marks. As for the
second, he said, there was no problem with it not
at all.
4. But Reuters was not convinced and said it was
removing all of his pictures from its database and
would not be using his services any more. This
represents a serious breach of Reuters standards and
we shall not be accepting or using pictures taken by
him, the news agency said.
5. The idea that the camera never lies is as misleading
as the notion that all statistics are meant to mislead.
What the eye sees is not always what it looks like,
thanks to the many ways in which first the camera
and then the photograph can be and is often
manipulated. Indeed, a photograph can be
manipulated in more ways and more effectively
to convey a false reality than it is possible to do
through the written word. Ask any clever
photographer and he will tell you the tricks camera
can be made to play.
6. At a seminar recently, one journalist recalled how
there was a time when British photographers,
New Wave Communicative English X
 covering stories about famine or floods in Third PASSAGE C-7
World countries, would carry teddy bears with them
in order to use them as prop for pictures supposedly Read the following passage carefully and answer the
showing that all that was left in a household, stricken questions that follow, choosing from the options given
by death and destruction, were childrens toys. thereafter. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
The Hindu Rich Parents : Unhappy Children
Word Notes : 1. Well-off, smartly dressed and displaying an
l doctored falsified (/ks[kk nsus osQ fy, cnyuk) impressive array of talents in and out of school, they
seem to have perfect lives and be destined for
l billowing to rise and roll in waves (ygjkrk@mM+rk
exciting futures doing important things. Yet a
gqvk) l dramatise to make something more exciting growing number of children from wealthy
(ukVdh;) l flares flames (yiVsa) l bloggers people backgrounds are suffering stress, not because of their
who put record on their website (osclkbV ij fjdkMZ j[kus friends or worrying about whether they will get a
okys ) l attributed held responsible for doing boyfriend or girlfriend, but because of their
something (ftEesnkj Bgjkuk) l statistics cunningly overambitious parents.
collection of information (lkaf[;dh) l manipulated 2. A controversial new book which has sparked a
controlled/influenced (prqjrk ls lapkfyr fd;k gqvk) massive debate in America about the relationship
l stricken severely affected (vkkar@ihfM+r)
between money and parenting has blamed high
earning, high-achieving mothers and fathers for
1. Reuters was forced to withdraw the pictures inadvertently causing their childrens problems by
because pushing them so hard to succeed that they feel like
(a) they were not clear failures.
(b) some were authentic 3. Parents interfere in their childrens lives so much
(c) they were retouched that they cannot look after themselves. They give
(d) the journalist was charging too much them every gadget and luxury imaginable but far too
little time, love and affection.
2. Adnan Hajj was accused of
4. In The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure
(a) provoking anti-national sentiments
and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation
(b) treason (c) blackmail of Discontented and Unhappy Kids, American
(d) doctoring the photos clinical psychologist Dr. Madeline Levine accuses
3. Photography can be manipulated because middle-class parents who earn at least GBP 63,000
(a) the photographer has excellent skills a year of failing to prepare their offspring properly
for the adult world because they are so obsessed with
(b) it can convey a false sense of reality
ensuring that their sons and daughters excel at
(c) it can be used for blackmailing everything they do. While superficially well-
(d) it can lead to illegal practices developed, their children are actually sad, lonely,
4. Teddy bears were used as props confused and lack self-confidence because they have
(a) to promote their sale not fulfilled parental expectations, Dr. Levine says.
(b) to win prizes 5. Why are kids who have everything doing so
(c) to interest the children poorly? asks Dr. Levine. We know that this group
of kids has three times the rate of depression and
(d) to get a heart-rending response
anxiety, disorders as ordinary teenagers, as well as
5. doctored in the passage means substantially higher rates of substance abuse, and
(a) to adulterate (b) to falsify suicide. The most dangerous feeling a child can have
(c) improve is of self-hatred, yet middle-class parents are
(d) taking the help of a doctor unwittingly instilling that feelings by expecting so
much.
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (b)
Dennis Campbell
Reading A 39
 Word Notes :
l smartly fashionably/neatly (vkd"kZd)
l impressive array something good and skilful
(HkO;@izHkko'kkyh) l controversial debatable (fookn dk
fo"k;) l gadget device (midj.k) l privilege special
advantage (fo'ks " k vf/dkj) l Discontented
unsatisfied (vlarq"V) l Superficially on the surface/
shallow (lrg ij@udyh)
1. The stress among children of wealthy parents is
because of
(a) their spoilt nature (b) physical weakness
(c) overambitious parents (d) too much riches
2. Parents are pushing their children too hard so
that
(a) they excel in everything they do
(b) they dont lack anything
particular and some of them even seem to stick out of the
river waters for no discernible reason! The third thing is
the ads for underwear. It seems almost mandatory like a
dip in the river.
To take a dip in water hang on to chains that have
been fixed to the stairs, duck and pray that the slush
beneath your feet does not make you lose your balance.
That is the holy dip taken by 98% of visitors in a nutshell.
But I am one of the 2% who travel further upriver and
camp on white beaches. I go to sleep in a tent listening to
the tinkle of the river. Next morning, along with a few
other campers, we prepare to hand over our lives to
rubber dinghies, paddle muscles, and river guides, in a bid
to enjoy the white water rafting sport on the Ganga.
Word Notes :
l discernible perceptible, seen clearly (Li"V :i ls
fn[kus okyk) l mandatory compulsory (vko';d)

(c) they wish to fulfil their ambitions l slush Partly melted snow (fi?kyrh ciZQ) l rafting

(d) they can boast in society sport of travelling down the river (csMs+ ij unh ikj
djuk) l nutshell in a clear way using few words
3. Neglected children are often
(la{ksi esa)
(a) self-sufficient
(b) objects of self-hatred 1. Which of the following is not in your vicinity at
(c) conceited (d) shy Haridwar?
(a) the presence of the Ganga
4. Children are provided luxuries
(b) the amount of constructions on the riverside and
(a) due to peer pressure ghats
(b) to remain update (c) ads of reality shows, luxury hotels and guest
(c) to compensate for lack of time and love houses
(d) for the satisfaction of parents (d) bridges, pillars and staircases etc.
5. The term superficially means 2. 2% people ______________.
(a) very gifted (b) without depth (a) take a holy dip hanging on the chains
(b) go upriver and camp on white beaches
(c) suicidal (d) physically deformed
(c) feel afraid
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (b)
(d) dont sleep in tents
PASSAGE C-8 3. Which of the following may make you lose your
balance?
Read the following passage carefully. Read the (a) chains (b) slush beneath your feet
questions and answer them by choosing the best option (c) stairs (d) dinghies
given below : [C.B.S.E. 2010 (Term I)]
4. Which of the following has been considered by
At Haridwar, the first thing that hits the eye is the the author mandatory/almost mandatory?
presence of the Ganga. It certainly appears to be a big (a) ads of luxury hotels (b) ads of underwears
river. But look around and away from water and the (c) dip in the river (d) both (b) and (c)
second thing that will strike the eye is the amount of
5. The word that is same in meaning as visible/
constructions on the river side and the ghats. There are
noticeable?
bridges, pillars, staircases that seem to lead to nowhere in

A 40 New Wave Communicative English X

 (a) mandatory (b) slush
(c) discernible (d) appearing
Ans. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (b) 5. (c)
PASSAGE C-9
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
option from the ones given below:
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (Term I)]
Unfortunately the chances of any animal becoming a
fossil are not very great, and the chances of a fossil then
being discovered many thousands of years later are even
less. It is not surprising that of all the millions of animals
that have lived in the past, we actually have fossils of only
a very few.
There are several ways in which animals and plants
may become fossilised. First, it is essential that the
remains are buried, as dead animals and plants are
quickly destroyed if they remain exposed to the air. Plants
rot, while scavengers, such as insects and hyenas, eat the
flesh and bones of animals. Finally, the few remaining
bones soon disintegrate in the hot sun and pouring rain. If
buried in suitable conditions, however, animal and plant
remains will be preserved. The same chemicals which
change sand and silt into hard rock will also enter the
animal and plant remains and make them hard too. When
this happens we say that they have become fossilised.
Usually only the bones of an animal and the toughest parts
of a plant are preserved.
Word Notes :
l fossil remains of an animal or plant (ikS/s ;k i'kq osQ
vo'ks"k) l remains part of old building, dead animals
etc. (vo'ks"k) l disintegrate break into small parts
(VqdM+ksa esa VwV tkuk) l preserve to keep something in
its original state ([kjkc gksus ls cpkuk) l toughest
strongest (dM+k] l[r)
1. Why do we have fossils of only a few animals that
lived in the past?
(a) fewer animals lived in the past
(b) very few animals remains become fossils and
very few fossils are discovered years later
(c) the chemicals needed for making animal
remains into fossils are rare
(d) none of the above
2. Animal and plant remains get quickly destroyed
if they remain exposed to the air. How?
Reading
(a) plants rot
(b) Insects and hyenas eat the bones and flesh of
dead animals
(c) Few remaining bones soon break up into smaller
pieces in the hot sun and pouring rain
(d) all the above
3. What makes plant and animal remains become
hard?
(a) chemicals which change salt and silt into rock
(b) sunlight and pouring rain
(c) preservation of plant and animal remains
(d) none of the above
4. The word Scavenger means
(a) rascal, worthless person
(b) animal or bird that lives on decaying flesh
(c) person who constantly gets into trouble
(d) a person blamed for the mistake of another
5. Which part of an animal get fossilised?
(a) the chemicals inside an animal
(b) the bones of an animal and the toughest parts of
a plant
(c) the flesh of an animal
(d) none of the above
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (b)
PASSAGE C-10
Read the passage given below and answer the
questions that follow by choosing the answers from the
given options.
In modern times, we take mostly faulty and
unbalanced diet like refined, synthetic and processed foods
and also white flour, white sugar and foods with chemical
additives. As a result, the digestive system of our body gets
disturbed. Stomach, which is the most important part of
the digestive system, suffers mostly by the faulty diet. It
becomes inactive with the functioning of digestion in an
improper manner. Later on many diseases and disorders
appear in the body with the lost of health.
By the intake of faulty diet, the toxins start building up
in the body. Due to the presence of these toxins, the waste
matter gets blocked and the process of digestion and
assimilation slows down. The best remedy for this problem
is fasting. It is the oldest natural therapy which has been
practised since ancient times. Fasting, in simple words,
means living without food. The body also gets physical,
mental and psychological rest with less eating. Fasting for
a day is good for health.
A 41
 Fasting improves digestion, assimilation and cleaning
of all parts of the body. It tones up the entire system. The
liver becomes active to remove toxic matter. The digestive
system gets rest and starts functioning properly. It also
increases natural resistance to diseases.
Word Notes :
l synthetic not natural (o`Qf=ke) l toxin a poisonous
substance (fo"kSyk inkFkZ) l remedy something that
makes you better when you are ill (bykt] mik;) l
therapy treatment to help or cure mental or physical
illness without medicine (ekufld ;k 'kkjhfjd jksxksa dh
fpfdRlk (izk;% fcuk vkS"k/ osQ)) l resistance the power
in a person's body not to be affacted by disease (O;fDr dh
jksx&izfrjks/u 'kfDr)
1. Why does our digestive system get disturbed?
(a) due to diseases and disorders in the body
(b) due to intake of faulty and unbalanced diet
(c) due to inactivity
(d) due to the blockage of waste matter
2. How does stomach suffer if we consume faulty
diet?
(a) We suffer from stomachache.
(b) We suffer from vomittings.
(c) Stomach's functioning becomes slow.
(d) Stomach becomes inactive.
3. 'It is the oldest natural therapy.' (Paragraph 2).
Here 'it' refers to
(a) food (b) fasting
(c) diet (d) remedy
4. Which organ helps the body to get rid of toxic
waste?
(a) stomach (b) lungs
(c) liver (d) intestines
5. The words 'assimilation' (Paragraph 2) means
(a) dissimilarity (b) indigestion
(c) combination (d) absorption
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (d)
PASSAGE C-11
Read the following passage carefully. Based on your
reading the passage, complete the following
statements.
It was in Mumbai in the year 2001 where I started my
first cross-country motorcycle rally. A group of 30
A 42
youngsters on 15 bikes embarked on a four-day drive to
Chennai. Write your blood group on the back of your
palms so that we know it in case you meet with an
accident was the first instruction before we started. It was
enough to send shivers up the spine of a timid first-timer
like me. But, I decided to ride along for I had no train
ticket to get back to Chennai. But within a few minutes
fear gave way to a feeling of freedom and peace. Senior
Chyk member, Sunder Anna, a seasoned rider, took it upon
himself to enlighten me on the skills and nuances of
motorcycling the art of overtaking, the virtues of
patience, the joys of cruising, the wisdom of judgement,
the importance of safety and the love of comradeship.
After several hours of riding and countless tit-bits from
Sundar Anna, I realised that it is easy to travel but it takes
tremendous skill and maturity to be a seasoned rider.
Today biking for me is a form of Yoga skill in mindful
action.
Motorcycles dont just burn rubber on road, but also
hardwire some lifelong values in our brains. Like the
ability to focus, cruising at over 90 kilometres per hour,
one cannot afford to take ones mind off the road. With
little effort the mind is sharp and alert, attentive to the
heartbeat of the road. Motorcycling stretches and
challenges ones physical and mental limitation, building a
permanent thirst for adventure and challenges in our lives.
Word Notes :
l Shivers shaking movement (didih) l timid shy
and nervous (Hkh:) l enlighten to throw light an
something to make them understand better (iz c q
djkuk) l nuances change in sound/colour (lw{eHksn)
l cruising visiting different places on ship (vyx
vyx LFkkuksa osQ fy, leqh ;k=kk)
1. I started my first cross-country motorcycle rally
in ______________________________.
(a) Mumbai in the year 2001
(b) Mumbai in the year 2007
(c) In Mumbai in the year 2009
(d) In Mumbai in the year 2010
2. Motorcycles dont just burn rubber on road but
______________________________.
(a) instil wrong values in our brain
(b) instil life long values in our brain
(c) instil shortlived values in our brain
(d) All the above
New Wave Communicative English X
 3. Write your blood group on ____________ palms.
(a) the centre of your palm
(b) the right side of your palms
(c) the back of your palm
(d) the front of your palm
4. It was enough to send shivers _______________.
(a) on the back of a first timer
(b) in the stomach of the rider
(c) up the spine of a first timer
(d) under the neck of a first timer
5. Today biking for me is ____________________.
(a) very easy
(b) is not very easy
(c) is a form of Yoga
(d) is a form of regular exercise
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (c)
PASSAGE C-12
Read the passage given below and answer the
questions that follow by choosing the answers from
given options.
Modern food has become our enemy. We have become
so taken in by taste and presentation that we eat food for
its entertainment value, not for its nutritional benefit. Even
as health awareness is increasing, the variety of junk and
nutrition deprived food is also increasing. Each restaurant
boasts of a new cuisine, which is a mixture of refined flour,
oil and sugar. Pasta, noodles, white rice, white bread and
maida based products like pizzas, burgers, naan, and
rumali roti are the main options in Italian, Chinese, Indian
or Mexican cuisines. The vegetarian dishes are either over
cooked or have a lot of corn starch and fat. The non-
vegetarian dishes are either white-sauce based or made in
rich gravies.
People are trying to lose weight by eating less in the
day, so that they can accomodate such foods in the night.
They skip breakfast and lunch so that they can satisfy their
taste buds in the night with a family dinner.
Perfect health, however, cannot be achieved by a
process of deprivation and elimination. The idea is to
nourish the body. You might achieve some weight loss but
you will also lose out on your health.
Therefore, whilst embarking upon any weight loss
programme, remember that health is so much more than
just weight loss, at the same time achieving an ideal body
Reading
weight in a healthy way does provide a basis for achieving
perfect health.
Word Notes :
l presentation act of showing something to
somebody (izLrqrhdj.k) l entertainment to interest or
amuse (euksjatu) l nutritional good for health (iks"k.k
laca/h o iks"kd) l benefit advantage (ykHk) l junk
useless, of no value (dckM+) l cuisines style of
cooking of different countries (ikd 'kSyh) l gravies
thin sauce made from juices that come out of me at
while it is cooking ('kksjck) l deprivation taking
away something from someone (oapu] Nhu ysuk) l
elimination removing something that is unwanted
(cfg"dj.k) l embarking to start something new (u;k
dke 'kq# djuk)
Answer the following questions by selecting the most
appropriate options from the ones given below :
1. The writer calls modern food our enemy because
________________.
(a) food is eaten for taste not nutrition
(b) it causes diseases
(c) old people do not like it
(d) it is full of chemicals
2. People compensate for eating less during the day
by ________________.
(a) eating at restaurants everyday
(b) eating fruits and milk
(c) eating junk food at night
(d) by exercising before eating
3. According to the writer, restaurant food is not
good for health because ______________.
(a) it is made from sugar, oil and refined flour
which are bad for health.
(b) it is not made hygienically
(c) it does not have any nutrition
(d) it makes one fat
4. While losing weight one must not forget to
__________________.
(a) eat junk food (b) eat nourishing food
(c) eat fatty food (d) eat tasty food
5. The meaning of the word 'Cuisine is
(a) expensive and stylish food
(b) name of a medicine
A 43
 (c) junk food (a) he walked in the dark purposely
(d) detested billiard table (b) he liked darkness
(c) he wanted to see the last of it
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (a) (d) none of the above
3. The poets viewpoint was that ________________.
PASSAGE C-13
(a) it was never around when he needed it.
Read the poem carefully. On the basis of your reading (b) it was always around when he needed it.
of the poem answer the questions by choosing the (c) there was no trace of it.
correct options from the list of options given. (d) none of the above
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)] 4. The word__________ used in the extract means
We are rub off
These days, (a) Estranged (b) abandoned
Estranged,
(c) efface (d) alleged
My shadow and I.
It accused me 5. The narrator
Of walking in the dark. (a) has made up with his shadow
It alleged (b) is still cross with his shadow.
I walked in the dark (c) has no grouse against his shadow anymore.
In order to efface it (d) none of the above
So it wouldnt track me
I protested. Ans. 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (b)
I walked alone even in the light,
And in the dark. PASSAGE C-14
When I really needed it,
Read the poem carefully. Choose the right option from
It abandoned me.
the list of options given in each question :
It took off
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Leaving no trace....
No, dont erase them
My shadow, my partner.
Let these lines be.
We are these days,
The pink little hands
Estranged,
My shadow and I. Of my baby
Drew these lines,
Word Notes : Crooked little lines.
l Estranged separated (foeq[k] vyx) l accused to So what if she could not draw a face ?
hold some one responsible for a crime (nks"kh Bgjkuk) I see her in these lines
l alleged to say some one is responsible without I see myself in these lines.
giving proof (vkjksi yxkuk) l protested strongly Word Notes :
expressed disagreement (fojks/ djuk) l abandoned
l erase rub them off (feVkuk) l crooked not
forsake (NksM+ nsuk) l trace a mark that shows that
straight (Vs<+k es<+k) l Drew Past tense of draw (ykbusa
something existed (fpUg)
[khapuk)
1. The poet and his shadow in the present context
are __________________. 1. The lines in the poem are spoken
(a) in the throes of enmity (a) by a grandmother (b) by a mother
(b) great friends (c) by a poet (d) none of the above
(c) not in the good books of each other 2. The speaker wants the lines
(d) sharing a great camaraderie (a) to be erased (b) to be increased
2. The shadows grouse against the poet was that (c) to be decreased d) not to be erased
__________________. 3. The lines were drawn
A 44 New Wave Communicative English X
 (a) by her grown-up daughter Invert and multiply. My turn is through.
(b) by her baby She points at each and pokes us out,
(c) by her neighbours baby Now you. Now you. Now you.
(d) none of the above We all get nailed this awful day,
4. The lines drawn were Theres nowhere we can hide
(a) straight (b) at a tangent The lunch bell rings, we cannot eat,
(c) crooked (d) wavy We simply crawl outside.
Our world is not the same without our teacher
5. The speaker is
So listen to her and pray her health be fine,
(a) happy at the effort Or one day soon youll hear the words:
(b) dismayed at the effort My name is MRS STEIN.
(c) ashamed at the effort
(d) none of the above Word Notes :
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (a) l combat boots fighting boots (;q osQ twrs) l gasp
to take a quick deep breath with your mouth open
PASSAGE C-15 (gkiQuk) l growl make low sounds in the throat
(xqjxqjkuk) l substitute in place of someone regular
Read the following poem carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
(,okh) l whimpering weak crying noises (Bquduk]
option from those given below each question. fiufiukuk) l croak rough-low sound (cslqjh vkokk)
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-)] l nailed pinned down (fdlh dks ;kstukuqlkj ck;

Mrs Stein djuk)

Im so happy my teachers sick! 1. The poem is about
And, boy, Im feeling fine (a) the substitute teacher
When someone kicks the door right in, (b) the plight of the poet
And there stands FRANKENSTEIN.
(c) the condition of the children
Shes sixfooteight, her dress is black, (d) the day the regular teacher is absent
Shes wearing combat boots. 2. Mrs. Frankenstein is
I start to gasp, she growls and says,
(a) tall and strong
Ill be your substitute.
(b) dangerous and unkind
The teachers pet is whimpering; (c) strict and exacting
She doesnt stand a chance. (d) not like their regular teacher
The smart kid stares and points and faints.
3. To get nailed means
The bully wets his pants.
(a) be given a chance
My name is Mrs. Stein, she says, (b) be forced to give an answer
And every student cringes. (c) be severely punished
She leans the door against the wall, (d) be caught and made answerable
Shes knocked it off its hinges.
4. The moral of the poem is
Now lets begin. You there! Stand up! (a) humorous (b) sad
She looks me in the eye. (c) indirect but effective (d) to be regular
I try to move, my legs wont work.
5. The regular teacher is
I know Im going to die!
(a) kind
Now get up to the board, she says. (b) somewhat partial to good students
Id like to see some action. (c) not too strict
Pick up the chalk, explain to us (d) hardly ever absent
Division of a fraction.
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (c)
I think and think and croak,

Reading A 45
 PASSAGE C-16 (d) her sisters children will be sick

Read the following lines and answer the questions 5. The speaker wants to study in order to
thereafter by choosing the option most suitable to it. (a) lead a dignified, independent life
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)] (b) transform her life and others like her
(c) avoid getting married when she grows up
Song of the Girl Child (d) teach other illiterate girls like Kajori
Dont get me married when Im young, Ans. 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (b)
Let me study, let me study!
My sister Kajori is un-schooled, PASSAGE C-17
She has eight children,
and doesnt know how to raise them Read the poem carefully and answer the following
questions by selecting the most appropriate option
So the lot of them are sick.
from the ones given below. [C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
Let their sickness be less!
Dont get me married when Im young, Home they brought her warrior dead
Let me study, let me study! She nor swooned nor uttered a cry
Many literate sisters go to work at jobs, All her maidens, watching said,
But the illiterate sit, their veils pulled down, She must weep or she will die.
In their homes darkness and shadow. Then they praised him, soft and low
Let me bring the new light! Calld him worthy to be loved,
Dont get me married when Im young. Truest friend and noblest foe
Let me study, let me study! Yet she neither spoke or moved.
Stole a maiden from her place,
Word Notes : Lightly to the warrior slept
l raise rear or bring up a child (cPpksa dk iks"k.k djuk) Took the face-cloth from the face
l literate able to read and write (lk{kj) l illiterate yet she neither moved or wept.
not knowing how to read and write (vui<+) l veils Rose a nurse of ninety years,
covering of a transparent material (ijnk] ?kw?kV) Set her child upon her knee
Like summer tempests came her tears
1. The poem is addressed to
Sweet my child! I live for thee.
(a) Kajori (b) parents
(c) society (d) literate people Word Notes :
2. The poem describes the girl childs l swooned fainted (ewfNZr) l uttered spoke (dgk)
(a) helplessness in life l noblest endowed with good qualities (mPp xq.kksa
(b) appeal for a dignified life
okyk) l worthy capable (;ksX;) l maiden a young
(c) desire to grow up and get married
(d) dream of riches and education girl or woman (vfookfgr ;qorh) l tempests storms

3. Kajoris children are sick because

(rwiQku)
(a) she has too many of them to look after 1. Who is the Warrior here?
(b) she is illiterate and ignorant (a) Father (b) Husband
(c) she herself is sick and jobless (c) Brother (d) Friend
(d) she is un-schooled and was married off while a
2. What did her friends expect her to do?
child
(a) Cry and fall down unconscious
4. The speakers greatest fear is that (b) Swoon and fall down unconscious
(a) she will be married off as soon as she grows up (c) Cry and shout
(b) she will be forced to labour as a child (d) Weep and cry
(c) she will be unable to complete her studies
A 46 New Wave Communicative English X
 3. How did they try to make her cry?
(a) Praised him (b) Criticised him
(c) Spoke angrily (d) Spoke rudely
4. How did the maiden try to make her cry?
(a) Removed the shroud from his face
(b) Removed the shroud from the body
(c) Removed the flowers from his face
(d) Removed the garlands from the body
5. When did she start crying?
(a) When she saw his face
(b) When she saw his wounded body
(c) When they praised him
(d) When she saw her child
Ans. 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (a) 4. (a) 5. (d)
PASSAGE C-18
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
option from the ones given below:
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (T-I)]
A FRIEND FROM ABOVE.....
I prayed for you before we met,
Not knowing who youd be.
I asked the Lord to send a friend.
One chosen just for me.
I asked that theyd be Godly,
With wisdom of His ways.
A friend to help and guide me
In the troubles of these days.
So often in life, we need someone
To listen while we talk.
Someone who will not condemn or judge,
But encourage us as we walk.
The narrow road we choose to follow
May sometimes make us stumble.
But to have a friend to catch our fall,
Teaches us to be humble.
When I asked the Lord to send a friend,
Though many came and went.
He gave much more than I ever asked,
For you are the friend He sent.
Reading
Word Notes :
l chosen selected (pqus gq,) l troubles difficulties
(dfBukb;k) l condemn strongly disapprove (HkRlZuk)
l stumble trip (yM+[kM+kuk) l humble one who has
humility (fouez)
1. The title of the poem shows that the poet is
looking for __________________.
(a) a friend who can help him in his hour of need
(b) a friend as he is a loner
(c) a friend who has godlike qualities
(d) an alien friend from the extra terrestrial world
2. The narrow road indicated in the fourth stanza is
__________________.
(a) a narrow lane in one of the big cities
(b) a narrow path which leads up the hill
(c) negative thoughts which lead us to make wrong
decisions
(d) pride and high handedness.
3. To catch a fall means __________________.
(a) catch a falling object
(b) to make the best use of end of season sales
(c) to rescue a defeated soldier
(d) to prevent a person from coming to any harm
due to his insolence or false pride
4. The poet wants a friend who ________________.
(a) can sympathise with him in his hour of agony
(b) scolds him when he makes a mistake
(c) understands him and does not become
judgemental
(d) can transform his habits
5. The poets best friend is __________________.
(a) from amongst the many people he comes across
in life
(b) his reader
(c) a priest of the church
(d) a poor helpless man in the street.
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (b)
PASSAGE C-19
Read the following passage carefully and answer the
following questions by selecting the most appropriate
option from the ones given below.
[C.B.S.E. 2010 (Term I)]
A 47
 Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
What writest thou?- The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered The names of those who love the Lord.
And is mine one ? said Abou, Nay, not so,
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said I pray thee then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names who love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhems name led all the rest.
Word Notes :
l tribe people of same race (tutkfr) l exceeding
exceptionally great (vklk/kj.k) l presence state of
being present (mifLFkfr) l accord agreement (LosPNk
ls ) l vanished disappeared (xk;c gks tkuk)
l blessed endow with goodness (ifo=k@bZ'oj ik)
1. By saying, May his tribe increase the poet
wishes __________________.
A 48
(a) that there should be more good people like Abou
Ben Adhem on earth.
(b) that his tribe should multiply.
(c) no harm should come to his tribe.
(d) no one in his tribe should fall ill.
2. Abou Ben Adhems name topped the angels list
because __________________.
(a) he was a priest and had prayed hard everyday.
(b) he gave away a lot of money in charity to the
poor.
(c) he worked night and day to help the needy.
(d) he protected his people against all calamities.
3. The word presence in the room indicates the
presence of __________________.
(a) the priest. (b) an angel.
(c) the white light of the moon. (d) God.
4. The message we get from this poem is that
__________________.
(a) God loves those who are truthful.
(b) God loves those who pray sincerely everyday.
(c) God loves those who help their fellowmen in
need.
(d) God loves those who give freely in charity.
5. The expression like a lily in bloom means
__________________.
(a) pure and white light
(b) like the fragrance of a full bloom lily
(c) as beautiful as a lily in bloom
(d) spread happiness
Ans. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (c)
New Wave Communicative English X