Friday, November 25, 2016

SSC Papers English


Q.1. Read the following passages and complete the activities: (10)


What I have been asked to do is to be a little anecdotal and take you through the journey that I have  myself gone through — share with you the lessons and the inspirations one can have from that journey of my  life.  Let me start with my journey of my life. Journey of my life has been challenging to put it simply. So  many great people have influenced my life and given me interesting lessons in my life and I would like to  remember and recognize them. May be some of you must have also met such individuals in your life, who  inspired you.  I start with my greatest guru — my mother. I was born in a very poor family and my father died when I  was six. We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work to bring me up. Two meals a day was a tough  challenge. I studied under street lights and I walked bare foot until, I think, I was twelve. I remember when  I passed the seventh standard and I wanted to go into the eighth standard, our poverty was such that even to  secure 21 rupees for secondary school admission became a big challenge. We had to borrow from a lady, who  was a housemaid in Chaupati in Mumbai. That was the tough life I had.  In fact, I remember, my passing the SSC Examination — i.e. 11*“ standard. Those days it used to be not  10”“ standard or 12” standard but 11"‘ standard. I stood 11*“ among 1,35,000 but I was about to leave higher  education and find a job. What helped me was the scholarship by Sir Dorab Tata Trust. It was just 60 rupees per  month and would you believe that 60 rupees per month from Tatas added so much value to my life that I have  been able to stand here today before you to speak to you. 

A.1. Name the following:                                                                     (2)
  1. Mashelkar’s greatest guru: ___________.
  2. The lady from whom Mashelkar had to borrow money in order to go to secondary school:

Mashelkar could continue his studies because………………………..
A household from Chaupati
…………..lent Mashelkar……………………………………
The Sir Dorab Tata Trust
…..awarded Mashelkar……………………………………






3. What Mashelkar was granted: a ___________ to continue with higher education.
4. The trust which granted a scholarship.

A.2. Complete the following:                                                              (2)

Difficulties faced by Mashelkar in his childhood:
1) He was born…..……………………..……………………
2) His father….………………………….…………………….
3) His mother has to do………………………..………..
4) It was difficult for his mother……………………..

A.4. (A) Use ‘when’:                                                                         (1)
My father died. We moved to Mumbai. (Combine using ‘when’.)

A.4. (B) Use ‘not only…..but also….:                                                 (1)
I would like to remember and recognize them. (Rewrite using ‘not only…..but also…..’)

A.5. Personal Response:                                                                     (2)
What kind of a life did Mashelkar live during his childhood?

[B] Read the following extract carefully and do the following activities (5)

The forests are dying
Wild life is crying
Millions of fish are dying
Mother earth is sighing

Tell me is it right
That we sleep well at night
Replenishing ourselves
For tomorrows greedy fight
Overcrowded trains
Overloaded brains
Where is the light? What is our plight? 
While rivers break their banks
And greedy industries play their polluted pranks


B.1. Fill in the blanks:                                                                     (1)
1. The poet does not consider it ___________ for us to sleep well at night.
2. Our trains are ___________and our brains are ___________.

B.2. 
1) What pranks are the greedy industries playing?                       (1)
2)Industries play their polluted pranks.  (Name and explain the figure of speech  (1)

B.3. Personal Response:                                                            (2)      
What is the message conveyed through the poem?

Q.2.A. Write a letterto the newspaper editor on the garbage dumps in your locality.

OR

Write a letter to your younger brother telling him to concentrate on his studies.

Q.2.B. Write a report on cleanliness drive conducted by your school for the school magazine.
OR

Prepare a dialogue between a passenger and a bus conductor regarding taking bus to the railway station.