UPSC Mains Exam Paper - English Compulsory

 

CS (MAIN) EXAM:2020 English Compulsory

Marks: 250                             Time Allowed : Three Hours

Q1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics : 

(a) Indian Judicial System Needs Overhauling. 

(b) Not Rural or Urban, India Needs Rurban Growth. 

(c) Relevance of Hindi as the National Language. 

(d) COVID-19 Pandemic and the Indian Economy. 

Q2. Read the passage given below carefully and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language: 

When Tolstoy led a party composed of his family and visitors to harvest a field for a widow, he was doing two things. In part, he was saying that everyone ought to do his share of what he called “bread labour”, and earn his keep by the sweat of his brow. At the same time, he was affirming that each of us should help our less fortunate neighbours. Mahatma Gandhi agreed whole-heartedly with both these principles, but he linked them more closely than Tolstoy with what he saw as the decadence of industrial life that takes people away from the home and village crafts, which are varied and rewarding, to the soul-destroying monotony of machines. Even before either of these great men had given their philosophy to the world, an American author named Thoreau, had built himself a hut in the woods to prove that he could support himself by the simplest manual work; and in Britain, Ruskin had led his students out from Oxford to build a raised footpath across the water meadows to a village to demonstrate the dignity of labour. The path remains to this day, almost one hundred and fifty years later, lined with tall poplars, as a memorial to a fine ideal. 

One could trace the history of such ideas still further back, to the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who preached the dignity and equality of man and the educational value of Nature and manual work, from the Swiss city of Geneva in the eighteenth century. It was however, a Swiss called Pierre Ceresole, a contemporary of Gandhiji, who took these basic principles and used them to promote international reconciliation. 

Pierre was no ordinary Swiss, for it is rare for ordinary people to have the courage to dream dreams and attempt to put them into practice. Pierre's father's family originated in Italy, his mother's family came from France, he had a German grandmother and had relations in England. He used to point out the stupidity of frontiers. 

Pierre described how, at the age of seventeen, he was walking in the woods and experienced "something which seemed to me like a solemn dedication to truth ... in which the first necessity was to recognise one's own faults. In a blinding fashion there came to me the Vision of Truth amid Nature's mysteries and solitude.” He had the habit of keeping a pencil and a notebook with him for entering his stray thoughts, and from these notebooks, of which there are more than a hundred, it is seen that he fretted over the many failures of the Western way of life and yet was generous about the people he met. Despite being an engineer, Pierre, in order to work his way, took a job on a poultry farm and later in an oil-field. While he was in Honolulu, Hawaii, he earned his living by teaching French, but this resulted in his being paid more than he needed for his keep; he gave all his savings away to charity. 

From Hawaii he moved on to Japan, experiencing there an entirely new way of life which helped him to see more clearly the virtues and follies of European culture. Returning home at the outbreak of the war, in 1914, he gave all the money inherited from his father to the State, saying, “I believe that the teachings of Christ are superior to good business sense.” Later he wrote, “Two thousand years ago there came a radiant light, full of peace and loving kindness — and we immediately crucified it.” 

Pierre had been impressed with the sacrifice and heroism in war and wanted something equally positive mobilised in the cause of peace. He organised the first international work-camp at a war-devastated village in France. The idea was that people of different nationalities, including those whose countries had recently been enemies of one another, should be joined side by side in honest work to rebuild not only the concrete things but also the feelings of brotherhood that are shattered by war. The number of volunteers and the number of camps began to grow rapidly, and what had been the Swiss Service Civil became the Service Civil International (SCI). Pierre died in 1945 after World War II. 

Pierre Ceresole had the satisfaction of doing what he believed to be right. Each year a growing number of volunteers go to work-camps and there is scarcely a country that has not heard of them. Anyone can become a work-camper, and for many this is the place to start — planting young trees and crossing the frontiers. 

(a) What were the principles of Tolstoy with which Mahatma Gandhi agreed ? 
(b) How are Thoreau and Ruskin linked to Gandhi and Tolstoy in the passage ? 
(c) What was Pierre's philosophy of life ? 
(d) What is SCI and how did it come into existence ? 
(e) How is Pierre's work different from the work of those mentioned in the passage ? 

Q3.Make a précis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give a title to it. The précis should be written in your own language: 

Ashoka set an extraordinary example by making himself available at all times for consultation, whether he was relaxing, say, in the palace gardens, or even while being massaged. By hearing and settling disputes he kept in touch with the details of administration. The disputes over water rights and grazing rights, and the problem of money-lending were all familiar to him. To complete the picture of how the emperor and his people lived, it is essential to consider the castes which were already forming in India's first great empire. In Ashoka's empire there was first the priestly caste who lived as monks or holy men and performed the rites at the temples. They regarded themselves as superior to all others and their influence was so great that it was sometimes a threat to the power of the emperor himself. Next in importance came the three largest castes, the herdsmen, cultivators and craftsmen; while the soldiers, officials and councillors, who were less important, were relatively few. Finally there were slaves and others outside the caste system altogether. 

Thus the life of the emperor and his people can be made out from the legends and scraps of writing which have been preserved. It was the extraordinary empire that Ashoka crafted with new ideas which grew from his study of Buddha and his followers. 

Gautam, the Buddha, had lived nearly three hundred years earlier. Little is known with certainty about him as he grew up, but innumerable legends have formed around his life. Some of these are common to many religious leaders in Asia, such as a capacity for walking on water or multiplying food. Buddhism taught Ashoka the importance of the right way to live. According to a legend, talking to a victorious king, Buddha asked : 

“What would you do if you were told that a landslide was about to destroy you and your city ?" 

The king replied : “I would live righteously. There would be nothing else to do.” 

Gautam further asked : "Old age and death are rolling down upon you. What are you going to do ?”. 

The king smiled and answered : “Live righteously.” 

Gautam Buddha taught that the aim of life was to escape from the petty hopes, fears and hatreds which make people little-minded, and to become serene and happy by rising above them. Nothing was written down about him or his sayings until shortly before Ashoka's time, but then the tales began to accumulate as they were recounted in Buddhist monasteries where the monks gathered and lived. Gradually the Buddhist religion separated itself from Hinduism and spread to other countries – and Ashoka to an extent was responsible for this. 

He was alert to new religious ideas and he must have met and talked to Buddhist followers. However, his conversion was not sudden, like St. Paul's on the road of Damascus, nor did he have an experience such as Gautam had when the right way to live became suddenly clear as he sat meditating one day under a Banyan tree. The great event in Ashoka's reign was the Kalinga War. The Kalinga War was to Ashoka what the Banyan tree was to Gautam Buddha. 

Most men, when victorious, become so drunk with power that they will listen to good advice neither from statesmen nor prophets, but Ashoka was appalled at the contradiction between the cruelty he saw and the lessons of Buddhism he had learned. Ashoka's greatness can be measured by what he caused to be written on rocks after the victory. He got the inscriptions engraved so that any sons or great-grandsons that he might have would not think of gaining conquests but would live in peace and contentment. Ashoka denounced fame and glory and announced that to him the only glory was following Dhamma. 

Towards the end of his reign, he kept contact with a large number of Asian countries, but instead of sending only the usual sort of envoys, he sent missionaries to explain Dhamma in the countries they visited. His influence as a wise ruler was therefore spread far more widely than if he had marched with his victorious armies. Later, Buddhism spread to Burma, Thailand and China, where a standard of humility for great rulers and a belief in serenity, goodness and a reverence for life, were accepted and have still not died out. It is doubtful whether there can ever be peace between countries unless this first lesson is learned: the power of rulers must be guided by kindness and wisdom. Although Emperor Ashoka appeared to be a failure, since his subjects gave up Buddhism and within fifty years his empire fell to pieces; he was a man whose influence, like that of Jesus' or Socrates', was extended by his death. 

Q4.(a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence : 

(i) Have you brought some mangoes ?

(ii) The Ganga is the sacred river.

(iii) I and Chetan did all the work.

(iv) He said it himself.

(v) Blessed is he that has found a job.

(vi) He is much ill to do any work.

(vii) One of the boy was absent for a week.

(viii) Gopal came home lately.

(ix) She was sitting besides him.

(x) Our hoard is small and our hearts are large. 

(b) Supply the missing words : 

(i) I am going away ____ the end of January.

(ii) Our flat is the second floor of the building.

(iii) What time did they get the hotel ?

(iv) I've no idea who Tom Alter was. I've never heard The problem is getting serious; we've to do something it. 

(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets : 

(i) If you______ a wallet in the street what would you do with it ? (find)

(ii) We are late. The film ______ by the time we get to the cinema. (start)

(iii) What was wrong with you ? Why ______ to the hospital ? (go)

(iv) I am thinking_______ a house. (buy)

(v) She took a bottle from the bag she_________ all the way from home. (carry)

(d) Write the antonyms of the following: 

(i) Boring

(ii) Accept

(iii) Exit

(iv) Misanthropic

(v) Descent 

Q5.(a) Rewrite the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning : 

(i) He said to him, “Is your name not Ahmad ?” (Change into indirect speech)

(ii) Why did your brother write such a letter ? (Change into passive voice)

(iii) No sooner did he enter the house than he took off his coat. (Use “as soon as”)

(iv) Sohan doesn't smoke and he doesn't drink. (Use “neither ... nor")

(v) We must eat or we cannot live. (Change into a simple sentence)

(vi) Your sister helped you to do the assignment,_____________? (Add a question tag) 

(vii) The doctor will see you today only if it is an emergency. (Use "unless”).

(viii) You can borrow the book if you return it soon. (Use “provided that")

(ix) I can't explain the situation. It is too complicated. (Use “too ... to”)

(x) He owed his success to his father. (Change into a complex sentence)

(b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences.):

(i) Altruist

(ii) Senility

(iii) Glib

(iv) Ostensible

(v) Tortuous

(c) Choose the appropriate word(s) to fill in the blanks : 

(i) There are millions of stars in____________ . (space/the space)

(ii) Keats' poetry is full of ________imagery. (sensual/sensuous)

(iii) Leave aside the interest, she won't pay even the___________ amount. (principle/principal)

(iv) Research demands an___________ study of the subject. (intense/intensive)

(v) This is not an_____________ list at all but shows the kind of range that is available. (exhaustive/exhausting)

(d) Use the following idioms/phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words: 

(i) Cold comfort

(ii) End in smoke

(iii) Feather one's nest

(iv) Incumbent upon

(v) Laugh in one's sleeve 
 

---------------------------

UPSC Mains Exam Paper - 2019 : English Compulsory

·                         Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                           Maximum Marks : 300

Q1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics : 100 Marks

(a) Indian universities are Indian in their geographical locations only
(b) Journalism has been rendered into sensationalism
(c) Information is not knowledge
(d) Even a layman can transform a society

Q2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answer to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language: 15x5=75 Marks

History has a great variety of definitions and applications. In the broadest sense, it considers every thought that man has had since his first appearance and records every significant advance or recession. It attempts to evaluate all the developments in science, in art, in literature, in law. It sketches as complete a picture as possible of everything that has influenced man directly or indirectly.

History, more than any other subject, has been enslaved and distorted for selfish purposes. Members of the clergy have used it to glorify and to promote the interests of the church, statesman have utilized is to sway masses, and writers have distorted facts to substantiate their conclusions. War spirit them. The historian is likely to exaggerate the history of his own country- sometimes unintentionally --- because of his environment, and sometimes in order to facilitate the sale of his book. In all countries, there are zealots in responsible positions who cannot bear to have their fatherland criticized. Truth is frequently sacrificed at the altar of patriotism. Henry C. Lea, an outstanding American historian, declared that history should be "a serious attempt to ascertain the severest truth as to the past and set it forth without fear of favour." Michelet, a famous French historian, believed that "sacrilege and the mocking of false gods are the historian's first duty, his indispensable instrument for re-establishing the truth."

The slight progress that we have made in the direction indicated by Lea and michelet is rather discouraging, but there is a trend toward a broader and more inclusive point of view in the writing and teaching of history. World history, correctly interpreted, puts the individual state in the proper perspective and lessens the dangers of excessive nationalism. History has become more than war and politics. To make the story complete, the historian of the new school makes use of the work of the ethnologist, the anthropologist, the geographer, the archaeologist, geologist, the psychologist, the astronomer, the zoologist, the biologist, the chemist, the sociologist, and the economist. He is concerned with man's cultural advances and his society, as well as with charters, constitutions, and wars.

There are dangers, as well as virtues, in the vast scope of the "new history". Overpopulation and under specialization tend to cheapen history and to destroy some of its qualities as a basic and sober study. there are decided advantages in the comprehension of the broad scope of history, but, in addition, the student should be able to appreciate the depth of the subject. Years of research have been spent and volumes have been written on a single topic. Without these specialized works, surveys would be of no particular value. However, some of the historians of the "new history" have sacrificed important fundamental facts in order to make a chronicle of heroic persons and romantic occurrences. They have overstepped the point where history and fiction should meet. The historian should make his description of the past lifelike, hence, he should include grim realities as well as romantic incidents.

One of the important aspects of the "new history" is the emphasis upon man's cultural developments, popularly termed civilization. Civilization is difficult to define and evaluate. Just where it began and where man's actions and thoughts became human is impossible to determine. Man, like animals, has senses but some are less acutely developed; man has emotions, most of which are present, but latent, in animals. Comfort seems to be the chief goal of the lower forms of animal life, but man pushes beyond that toward something that he has difficulty in defining. This intangible something may be called civilization. Professor Lynn Thorndike believes that civilization "is the product of our higher qualities as exercised first by original and superior individuals and then accepted or followed by a sufficient number of human beings to make it a social fact. "Buckle held that moral and intellectual progress, and Bertrand Russell, a modern philosopher, thinks that it is the progress and predominance of science. Perhaps we can agree that knowledge of nature, progress in art, an ethical code, a government, and a degree of material prosperity are essential in any form of civilized society. Civilization became possible when chaos and insecurity were minimized. Curiosity and constructiveness were encouraged when fear was overcome and man turned his attention toward the understanding and embellishment of life.

Questions :

(a) Why does the author consider history an all-inclusive area of study ? 15 Marks
(b) According to the author, how has history suffered distortions and why ? 15 Marks
(c) How does the author, describe the new school of historians ? 15 Marks
(d) What are the dangers associated with "new history" ? 15 Marks
(e) Why is it difficult to define and evaluate civilization ? 15 Marks

Q3. Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give to it. The precis should be written in your own language. 75 Marks

In Hind Swaraj (), a text which is often privileged as an authentic statement of his ideology, Gandhi offered a civilisational concept of Indian nation. The Indians constituted a nation or praja, he asserts, since the pre-Islamic days. The ancient Indian civilisation -"unquestionably the best" - was the fountainhead of Indian nationality, as it had an immense assimilative power of absorbing foreigners of different creed who made this country their own. This civilisation, which was "sound at the foundation" and which always tended " to elevate the moral being", had "nothing to learn" from the "godless" modern civilisation that only "propagated immorality" Industrial capitalism, which was the essence of this modern civilisation, was held responsible for their enslavement, as they embraced capitalism and its associated legal and political structures. " The English have not taken India; we have given it to them." And now the railways, lawyers and doctors, Gandhi believed, were impoverishing the country. His remedy for this national inflication was moral and utopian. Indians must eschew greed and lust for consumption and revert to village based self-sufficient economy of the ancient times. On the other hand, parliamentary democracy - the foundational principle of Western liberal political system and therefore another essential aspect of modern civilisation - did not reflect in Gandhi's view the general will of the people, but of the political parties, which represented specific interests and constricted the moral autonomy of parliamentarians in the name of party discipline. So for him it was not enough to achieve independence and then perpetuate " English rule without the Englishmen"; it was also essential to evolve an Indian alternative to western liberal political structures. His alternatives was a concept of popular sovereignty where each individual controls or restrains her/his own self and this was Gandhi's subtle distinction between self-rule and more home rule. "Such swaraj", Gandhi asserted, "has to be experienced by each one for himself." If this was difficult to attain, Gandhi refused to consider it as just a "dream", "To believe that what has not occurred in history will not occur at all,'' Gandhi replied to his circle, " is to argue disbelief in the dignity of man." His technique to achieve it was satyagraha, which he defined as truth force or soul force. In more practical terms, it meant civil disobedience - nut something more than that. It was based on the premise of superior moral power of the protesters capable of changing the heart of the oppressor through a display of moral strength. Non-violence or ahimsa was the cardinal principle of his message which non-negotiable under all circumstances.

It is not perhaps strictly correct to say that Gandhi was rejecting modernity as a package. Anthony Parel noted in his introduction to Hind Swaraj that this text is presented in the genre of a dialogue between a reader and an editor, "a very modern figure", with Gandhi taking on this role. Throughout his career he made utmost use of the print media, editing Indian Opinion during his South African days, and then Young India and Harijan became the major communicators of his ideas. and then Young India and Harijan became the major communications of his ideals. And he travelled extensively contesting the moral legitimacy of the Raj that rested on a stated assumption of superiority of the West.

It will be, However, misleading to suggest that Gandhi was introducing Indians to an entirely new kind of politics. And so far as mass mobilisation was concerned, the Home Rule Leagues of Tilak and Annie Besant prepared the ground for the success of Gandhi's initial satyagraha movements. Indeed, When in 1914, Tilak was released from prison and Annie Besant, the world President of the Theosophical Society, then stationed in Madras, joined the Congress, they wanted to steer Indian politics to an almost similar direction. But although Tilak was readmitted to congress in 1915 due to Besant's intervention, they failed to reactivate the party out of its almost decade-long inertia.

Gandhi succeeded in uniting both the moderates and extremists on a common political platform. In the divided and contestable space of Indian politics, he could effectively claim for himself a centrist position, because he alienated neither and tactically combined the goal of the moderated with the means of the extremists. He adopted the moderates' goal of swaraj, but was "delightfully vague" (to borrow Nehru's expression) about its definition, as any specific definition, he knew, would alienate one or the other group. So each group could interpret it in their own ways. His method of satyagraha looked very much like the passive resistance of the extremists; but his insistence on non-violence alleviated the fears of the moderates and other propertied classes, apprehensive of agitational politics. There was also a rift in the Muslim community around this time, between the Aligarh Old guards and the younger generation of Muslim Leaders. Gandhi aligned himself with the younger leaders by supporting the khilafat issue. He highlighted its anti-British aspects and underplayed its pan-Islamic tendencies, and thus for the first time united the Hindus and the Muslims in a combined battle against the British.

Q4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence. 1x10=10 Marks

(i) The manager was angry upon the employee. 1 Marks
(ii) One of the answers was wrong.1 Marks
(iii) You should buy new furniture for your house. 1 Marks
(iv) They pitched the tent besides the lake. 1 Marks
(v) The wood-cutter was falling the trees in the forest. 1 Marks
(vi) The hens had stopped laying eggs. 1 Marks
(vii) The mother sings until the child does not go to sleep. 1 Marks
(viii) The was no one to look at the children in the hostel. 1 Marks
(ix) The reply is awaited for. 1 Marks
(x) The chairman flew the flag. 1 Marks

(b) Supply the missing words : 1x5=5 Marks

(i) Hard work is telling ______your health. 1 Marks
(ii) The book is hard to come________. 1 Marks
(iii) The lady is the heir _______ a large estate. 1 Marks
(iv) I was disgusted ________ his behaviour. 1 Marks
(v) He did not agree _________ my proposal. 1 Marks

(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets : 1x5=5 Marks

(i) The child (steal) the show last evening. 1 Marks
(ii) The man (read) the newspaper when I entered the room. 1 Marks
(iii) The teacher said that the sun (be) stationary. 1 Marks
(iv) You might (ask) her name. 1 Marks
(v) He (suffer) from fever for five days. 1 Marks

(d) Write the antonyms of the following : 1x5=5 Marks

(i) Noble 1 Marks
(ii) Loyal 1 Marks
(iii) Straight 1 Marks
(iv) Partial 1 Marks
(v) Sterile 1 Marks

Q5. (a) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed, without changing the meaning : 1x10=10 Marks

(i) The old man said, "I have been visiting this temple for many years." (Change into indirect speech) 1 Marks
(ii) Allow the pilgrims to pass. (Change into passive voice) 1 Marks
(iii) No sooner has she heard the news than she fainted. (Use As soon as') 1 Marks
(iv) He was not intelligent. He was not industrious. (Rewrite the sentences using 'neither ...nor') 1 Marks
(v) When the dog is sleeping, let it lie peacefully. (Turn into a simple sentence) 1 Marks
(vi) He only laughed. He did not do anything else. (Rewrite the sentence using 'but') 1 Marks
(vii) The evil practice will continue if the government does not adopt stringent measures. (Use 'unless') 1 Marks
(viii) He was allowed to go so that he might see his ailing mother. (Use 'in order that') 1 Marks
(ix) The burden was too heavy for the old man to carry. (Remove 'too') 1 Marks
(x) She was frightened by the man's glaring eyes. (Turn into a complex sentence) 1 Marks

(b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences) 1x5=5 Marks

(i) Disdain 1 Marks
(ii) Contagious 1 Marks
(iii) Stagger 1 Marks
(iv) Insular 1 Marks
(v) Didactic 1 Marks

(c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks : 1x5=5 Marks

(i) He remained _____ to his seat. (glowed/glued) 1 Marks
(ii) You should wear ________ garments in summer. (lose/loose) 1 Marks
(iii) He________before the boss. (coward/cowered) 1 Marks
(iv) The player was crying _______. (foul/fowl) 1 Marks
(v) The chief was ______ of the latest development. (apprised/appraised) 1 Marks

(d) Use the following idioms/phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. 1x5=5 Marks

(i) With a view to 1 Marks
(ii) Go berserk 1 Marks
(iii) Cut adrift 1 Marks
(iv) At sea 1 Marks
(v) Ins and outs 1 Marks

 

UPSC Mains Exam Paper - 2018 : English Compulsory

Maximum Marks : 300                                                                                                   Time Allowed : Three Hours

QUESTION PAPER SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Please read each of the following instructions carefully before attempting questions.

All questions are to be attempted.
The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it.
Answers must be written in ENGLISH only.
Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to and if answered in much longer or shorter than the prescribed length, marks will be deducted.
Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics :

(a) Impact of westernization on the Indian Family
(b) Literature Mirrors Society
(c) Women in Indian Politics
(d) Rural Urban divide in India

2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the Questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language :

It is often said that the Ghaznavid and Ghurid soldiers regarded death in a war against infidels as martyrdom in the cause of Islam. But it is more likely that the real draw was the attraction of plunder, the likes of which they had not seen in campaigns in more arid lands. For Indian Commanders, apart from plunder, battles incorporated the niceties of a sport with its own rules of play. Immortalizing the heroism of kings in battle, the poets and bards emphasized the rules of war and chivalry. To apply the chivalric code in minor campaigns may have relieved the tedium of war, but the campaigns against the Ghurids were of an entirely different nature and this may not have been realized initially. Notions of honour and devotion were often placed above expediency, and gradually the astrologically determined auspicious moment for attack took precedence over strategy and tactics. Inflated claims to valour, such as the hero who could defeat a thousand warriors simultaneously, began to enter the rhetoric of courtly literature.

The organization of Indian armies added to their weakness. Each army had as its permanent core the standing army, but many of the soldiers were local levies or soldiers supplied by Samantas where this was part of the latter's obligation to the suzerain. In addition, mercenaries were a visible section of the armies of these times. Such a collection of soldiers had not always been trained to fight as a consolidated army. It was possibly also the dispersed character of the army that gave it a license to plunder indiscriminately. Villagers were harassed and looted by armies on the march, particularly if the campaign coincided with the harvesting of the crop, as it often did. For peasants and merchants war was a nightmare that disrupted the routine of earning a livelihood. Laying waste vast tracts of inhabited and cultivated land, merely because it was part of the enemy's territory, was a proud boast attributed to Prithviraj Chauhan on defeating the Chandella ruler.

Historians have sometimes commented, perhaps more from hindsight, on why Indian rulers did not make a conjoint effort through the centuries to defend the North Western passes. Time and again invaders came through these passes, yet little was done to prevent this, the defence of the region lying arbitrarily in the hands of the local rulers. It appears the construction of a series of fortifications along the passes was not thought feasible. Perhaps the need for defence was not given priority, the area being viewed as a natural frontier. Alternatively, given the mountainous terrain the only routes for pastoralists and caravan were through the passes and it was therefore thought better to leave them open. The local kings and chiefs who controlled the passes derived an income from this trade. There would have been familiarity too with those coming across the passes and therefore a slow recognition that sometimes friendliness had turned into hostility. The effectiveness of mountains as a frontier was also thwarted by the many occasions when the Punjab was conquered from across the borders or was involved in the politics of Afghanistan and Central Asia. This closeness militated against a properly focused perspective on political developments across the borderlands and in Central Asia.

Invasions by outsiders are known in many parts of the world : the Huns attacking Rome, the Arabs invading Spain or the Spanish and Portuguese conquering Latin America. The potentialities of invasions were recognised only in Hindsight. These invasions were mounted by alien peoples who were little known, if at all, to the societies they invaded. But the Turks had been a contiguous people, familiar from trade in horses and other commodities and from the Turkish mercenaries employed in some Indian Armies. However, the historical scene in Central Asia and West Asia had now changed, with new political ambitions after the rise of Islam. For the rulers of Northern India, to recognize this would have required an understanding of a wider range of politics beyond the areas enclosed by the immediate frontiers. This does not appear to have been an Indian concern. Indians who travelled to different parts of Asia on a variety of assignments wrote little about what they observed, remaining silent on the politics of other lands. It was almost as if the exterior landscape was irrelevant Political interests therefore tended to be parochial. This marks a striking contrast to the world of the Chinese and the Arabs, both made aware of distant places through the the detailed accounts of travellers and traders. The Arabs had a fascination for the geography of other lands and the Chinese were wary of happenings in their neighbourhood in Central Asia.

3. Alberuni, in the opening chapter of his book om recording observations concerning the wider per ception of the w or may not agree with : "The Hindus he no nation like theirs, no king like their theirs ........ They are by nature niggardi. they take the greatest possible care to withhold it among their own people, still more of course from any foreigner".

(a) What was the nature of campaign against Ghurids ?
(b) According to the passage "the Indian rulers did not find it necessary to the North-Western Pass". Why?
(c) Explain the statement "The potentialities of invasions were recognized only in hindsight".
(d) Give your critical observations on Alberuni's comments on Hindus.
(e) Enumerate the major view points of the given passage.

4.(a) Make a Precise of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give a title to it. The Précis should be written in your own words:

The Renaissance in India was not like the Renaissance in Europe. It was not a return to India of the past. It was essentially a matter of spirit which produced striking changes in the realm of religion, society and culture along with a demand for natural regeneration. There arose a new self-consciousness among the people of India. The soul of India began to unfold itself and break the shackles of the past. It is maintained that the Renaissance in India stirred the Indian soul to its very depths n and Modern India owes everything to the Renaissance which was followed by $ reformation movements all over India. It also paved the way to national a regeneration. The spirit of Renaissance and the subsequent reform movements affected almost all the aspects of national life. There were new developments in religious, social and political life. There were new trends in the fields of education, literature, fine arts and science.

The view of Sir Jadunath Sarkar is that the Indian Renaissance was at first an intellectual awakening which profoundly affected our literature, education thought Sand art. In the next succeeding generation, it became a moral force and reformed the Indian society and religion. In the third generation it brought about the economic modernisation of India and ultimately political emancipation.

In his book entitled, “The Renaissance in India". Sri Aurobindo has attempted a new analysis of the Renaissance in India. He points out that the eighteenth and early go nineteenth centuries in India were periods of political decline, defeat and anarchy which practically killed the creative spirit in religion and art. India began to imitate Europe and forgot her own achievements in the past. However, the life-breath of the mination moved as a subordinate undercup 6, and Punjab, in the political aspirations of Maharashtra and the literary activity of Bengal.

Sri Aurobindo points out that the Renaissance in India in the nineteenth century had three aspects. In the first place , it aimed at a recovery of the old spiritual gospel contained in the sacred groups of the country The researches of European Indologists helped the people in the West and India to understand and appreciate the achievements of the Indians in the past . Philosophers and thinkers like Schopenhauer emerson Thoreau Royce highly praised India's wisdom in the past Indian saints and mystic leaders in India also helped the same process Secondly, this re-invigorated spirituality inspired fresh activity in the fields of philosophy, literature, art etc. Thirdly, an attemptwas made to deal in an original su way with modern problems in the light of the new inspiration.

Sri Aurobindo did not compare the Indian Renaissance with the European 36 Renaissance of the fifteenth century. He compared it with the Celtic Renaissance 37 when Ireland wanted to go back to the older culture after a long period of British domination. In his analysis of the Indian Renaissance, Sri Aurobindo put great ne emphasis on the recovery of the spiritual tradition and heritage of the past. 40 According to him, the establishment of new religious sects in India was a central A event in the Indian Renaissance. The Brahmo Samaj, the AryaSamaj, Ramkrishna 42 Paramhans and Vivekananda, the neo-Vaishnavism of Bengal and the Renaissance in 43 Islam tried to go back to the past and recover the light of old wisdom. Sri Aurobindo A4 referred to the cosmopolitanism, eclecticism, religious rationalism and logic of the 4€ Brahmo Samaj. Of all the leaders of the Renaissance in India, Dayananda appealed 4. most to Sri Aurobindo. He considered him as a unique personality which created a 69 Vigorous Aryan manhood in India. Aurobindo found a national instinct in the reliance of Dayananda on Vedic wisdom. To quote Aurobindo, Dayananda “brings 1. back an old Aryan element into the national character". Aurobindo gave credit to the Theosophical Society for getting some recognition in the West for some of the psychic, occult and esoteric achievements of the old Hindus. According toAurobindo, Ramkrishna Paramhams was "the man who had the greatest influence and 53 has done the most to regenerate Bengal”. Vivekananda proclaimed to the world thatIndia was awake not only to exist but also to conquer. In India itself, Vivekananda was a leader who wanted "preservation by reconstruction". Aurobindo also referred me to the achievements of J. C. Bose and Rabindranath Tagore in the field of Indian Renaissance. Aurobindo believed that the spiritual and intellectual advance of India he was bound to come. To quote him, “The Renaissance in India is as inevitable as the rising of tomorrow's Sun and the Renaissance of a great nation of three hundred million with so peculiar a temperament, such unique traditions and ideas of life, so powerful an intelligence and so great a mass of potential energies cannot but be oneof the most formidable phenomena of the modern world."

write the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence.]

(i) He died with fever
(ii) Ram acted with my proposal.
(iii) She Quarreled against me over the property the property issue.
(iv) Be careful for your mother's health
(v) A Sikh, tall than any of his
(vi) They cheated each another.
(vii) Old father looks to his children.
(viii) Many a man have been ruined by speculation.
(ix) Let him and I go together.
(x) The priest was very kind for all of us.

4.(b)Supply the missing words :

(i) The boy cannot cope-the pressure in the school.
(ii) Do not take law _your own hands.
(iii) The criminal was whisked _ to the court.
(iv) I want to push_as soon as I finish my work.
(v) The girl _ into depression two years ago.

4.(c)Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets :

(i) Her path was _ with flowers. (strew)
(ii) He had _ his speech before we arrived. (begin)
(iii) The book has__ the test of time. (stand)
(iv) Recently the price of petrol has- up. (go)
(v) The old beggar was- by a mad dog. (bite)

4.(d)Write the antonyms of the following:

(i) Sagacious
(ii) Attenuate
(iii) Bawdy
(iv) Dormant
(v) Dunce

5(a). Re write the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning :

(i) Rabi said, “I'll eat rice for lunch today". (Change into an indirect speech)
(ii) The man was running the shop for long. (Change into passive voice)
(iii) He was in Delhi. He did not meet his friend. (Rewrite by using though)
(iv) I landed at the airport. It started raining. (Rewrite by using ‘no sooner')
(v) Though we were under the British rule we had a rich cultural heritage. (Change into a simple sentence)
(vi) India can change only when education is reached to all. (Use 'unless')
(vii) People in a developing country are both rich and poor. (Rewrite by using 'either' and 'or')
(viii) If you work hard you will achieve success. (Rewrite by using 'in order to')
(ix) Most of the corrupt politicians do not find themselves in Jail. (Change into a complex sentence)
(x) He is old. He cannot climb stairs. (Rewrite by using 'too')

5.(b). Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words Se form of the words : (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences):

(i) Mandatory
(ii) Dilemma
(iii) Petrified
(iv) Obfuscate
(v) Diligent

5.(c). Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks :

(i) The terrorists __fear in the minds of the people. (install / instill).
(ii) The boy _ to the words of their teacher. (return / retort)
(iii) Ever since the dictator's _has arrived people are suffering. (rain /reign)
(iv) It is almost _ to suggest that he does not lie. (ascertain / ascetic)
(v) An individual's life is just a _ to the grand history of mankind. (preclude / prelude)

5.(d). Use the following idioms / phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words:

(i) Through Thick and Thin
(ii) Sitting on the fence
(iii) Threw Cold Water
(iv) Foot the bill
(v) Chapter and Verse

 

Mains Exam Paper - 2017 : English Compulsory

Time Allowed : Three Hours                                                                                           Maximum Marks : 300

All Questions to be attempted

The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it.

Answers must be written in ENGLISH only.

Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to and if answered in much longer or shorter than the prescribed length, marks will be deducted.

Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

SECTION-A

Q1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics :

(a) Recent Economic Relorens in India
(b) Threats to Environment
(c) Uses and Abuses of Social Networking
(d) Caring for the Aged

Q2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language :

Man, since antiquity, has been an inveterate traveller. Only the motivations for travel have changed. In ancient times, the main motivations for travel were trade, pilgrimage and conquest. It is not often realised how extensive among the peoples several thousand years ago. For instance, there was considerable interchange of ideas and knowledge between India and West Asia and the Graeco-Roman civilization.

Travel became the means of acquiring culture in Europe. The tradition of the Grand Tour which started in the 17th century was more firinly established in the 18th and the 19th centuries by the emergence of an affluent mercantile class. After the Second World War, Europe lay in ruins. The Marshall Plan which was introduced by the United States for the revival of the economies of European countries made tourism as one of its planks. It provided large amount of money for the reconstruction of hotels and tourism infrastructure of Western Europe. What was Inore significant was that for the first time tourism was viewed as an engine for economic development. This made the Governments start assuming responsibility for the promotion of tourism.

Three technological inventions have fuelled the growth of travel on a large scale in successive periods. First, the steam engine which made travel by rail and steamship possible before 1914; then the internal combustion engine which popularized travel by automobile in the inter-War years and lastly, the jet propulsion engine which has led to the international tourist explosion of the post-War era.

The Government of India also took note of the new phenomenon of tourism and its economic implications. In 1947, the private sector consisted of a number of hotels and travel agencies in the main cities mainly owned and operated by foreign interests. As it happened in other industries after Independence, the control of many of these hotels passed into the hands of Indian entrepreneurs. At the same time, a number of new indigenously owned and operated travel agencies and hotels started being set up. In the last 50 years, the Indian travel industry has shown remarkable enterprise. Some of the leading Indian hotel groups and travel agencies have branched out overseas and their performance is highly regarded in the international tourism markets. The tourism revolution which started in full measure 50 years ago has not run its course. There are several reasons for taking a long-term optimistic view of tourism. First, the increase in leisure time in industrialized societies; paid holidays which were introduced as a social welfare measure have now become an accepted feature not only in industrialized countries but also in many developing countries. The length of paid holidays has increased. The working week, both in public and private sectors, has come down to 40 hours, spread over 5 days. Evidently Governments will have to concern themselves with the quality of use of leisure. Tourism has become a preeminent form of recreation for the younger people. This is reflected in the increase in travel in the age group of 18 to 25 years. Second, the rise in literacy and educational standards. Third, better health care has made it possible for retired persons, above 60 years, to undertake travel for pleasure. Fourth, the increase in discretionary incomes in real terms in the last twenty years, partly due to two income families with fewer children. Tourism is highly susceptible to income elasticity. Many research studies have established that increase in income level in real terms results in increase in propensity for travel. And lastly, taking a vacation, generally twice a year, has become a way of life in modern societies.

(a) What, according to the author, were the main motivations for travel in ancient times?
(b) What was the state of tourism in Europe and the United States?
(c) What part did technology play in the growth of tourism?
(d) How does the author describe the state of tourism in the post-Independence India?
(e) Why does the author think that there is a bright future for tourisın in modern societies?

 

Q3. Make a précis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give a title to it. The précis should be written in your own language :

The work of a lawyer or a politician must contain in a more delectable form a great deal of the same pleasure that is to be derived from playing bridge. Here, of course, there is not only the exercise of skill but the outwitting of a skilled opponent. Even where this competitive element is absent, however, the performance of difficult seats is agreeable. A man who can do stunts in an aero plane finds the pleasure so great that for the sake of it he is willing to risk his life. I imagine that an able surgeon, in spite of the painful circumstances in which his work is done, derives satisfaction from the exquisite precision of his operations. All skilled work can be pleasurable, provided the skill required is either variable or capable of indefinite improvement. If these conditions are absent, it will cease to be interesting when a man has acquired his maximum skill. A man who runs three-mile races will cease to find pleasure in this occupation when he passes the age at which he can beat his own previous record. Fortunately there is a very considerable amount of work in which now circumstances call for new skill and a man can go on improving, at any rate until he has reached middle age. In some kinds of skilled work, such as politics, for example, it seems that men are at their best between sixty and seventy, the reason being that in such occupations a wide experience of other men is essential. For this reason, successful politicians are apt to be happier at the age of seventy than any other men of equal age. Their only competitors in this respect are the men who are the heads of big businesses.

There is, however, another element possessed by the best work, which is even more important as a source of happiness than is the exercise of skill. This is the element of constructiveness. In some work, though by no means in most, something is built up which remains as a monument when the work is completed. We may distinguish construction from destruction by the following criterion. In construction, the initial stage of affairs is comparatively haphazard, while the final state of affairs embodies a purpose; in destruction, the reverse is the case : the initial state of affairs embodies a purpose, while the final state of affairs is haphazard, that is to say, all that is intended by the destroyer is to produce a state of affairs which does not embody a certain purpose. Destruction, is of course necessary very often as a preliminary to subsequent construction; in that case it is part of a whole which is constructive. But not infrequently a man will engage in activities of which the purpose is destructive without regard to any construction that may come after. Frequently he will conceal this from himself by the belief that he is only sweeping away in order to build afresh, but it is generally possible to unmask this pretence, when it is a pretence, by asking him what the subsequent construction is to be. On this subject it will be found that he will speak vaguely and without enthusiasm, whereas on the preliminary destruction he has spoken precisely and with zest. This applies to not a few revolutionaries and militarists and other apostles of violence. They are actuated, usually without their own knowledge, by hatred; the destruction of what they hate is their real purpose, and they are comparatively indifferent to the question of what is to come after it. Now I cannot deny that in the work of destruction as in the work of construction there may be joy. It is a fiercer joy, perhaps at moments more intense, but it is less profoundly satisfying, since the result is one in which little satisfaction is to be found. You kill your enemy, and when he is dead your occupation is gone, and the satisfaction that you derive from victory quickly fades. The work of construction, on the other hand, when completed, is delightful to contemplate, and moreover is never so fully completed that there is nothing further to do about it. The most satisfactory purposes are those that lead on indefinitely from one success to another without ever coming to a dead end; and in this respect it will be found that construction is a greater source of happiness than destruction,

Q4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence :

(i) The older the wine, better it tastes.
(ii) You cannot cross the bridge until you do not come to it.
(iii) He asked me what was my profession.
(iv)  Give me a pencil to write.
(v) Netaji is one of the bravest patriot of the country.
(vi) I met an one-eyed beggar in the street.
(vii) The traders dealing with garments are jittery about the impact of GST.
(viii) His efficiency soon made him the boss's blue eyes boy,
(ix) She does not know cooking, doesn't she?
(x) No sooner the bell rang than the children rushed out of their classrooms.

(b) Supply the missing words :

(i) The quarrel was unnecessary as they were making a_ out of a molehill.
(ii) Let us ring_ the New Year with gaiety.
(iii) The custom of SATI was done away_ during the British period.
(iv) One should not always blow one's own_
(v) I cried myself_ to make him hear.

(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets :

(i) Bread and butter_ his usual breakfast.
(ii) Some of the protestors were_ by bullets.
(iii) When I came out of the building I saw that it_(rain)
(iv) Floods_if it continues to rain. (occur)
(v) I_for you since 10 o'clock. (wait)

(d) Write the antonyms of the following:

(i) Amateur
(ii) Heavenly
(iii) Perfect
(iv) Variable
(v) Vertical

Q5. (a) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning:

(i) The truth of the matter is too obvious to require any proof. (Remove 'too')
(ii) Radhika says, "I have pain in my Knee." (Change into indirect speech)
(iii) He is not hungry. He is not thirsty. (Combine the sentences using 'neither ... nor")
(iv) Give him a glass of water. (Change into passive voice)
(v) The prisoner was set free by the court. (Change into active voice)
(vi) He was ill. He came to school. (Rewrite as one sentence beginning with 'despite')
(vii) When the sun rises, the birds leave their nests. (Change into a compound sentence)
(viii) Those who come late shall be punished. (Change into simple sentence)
(ix) Both his parents died in a train accident,_? (Add a question tag)
(x) Gold is the costliest metal. (Use comparative degree)

(b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences):

(i) Evidence
(ii) Condemnation
(iii) Constitute
(iv) Territorial
(v) Unseemly

(c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks :

(i) He ran like a_ through the forest. (doe/dough)
(ii) The teacher encouraged the students to understand things and not learn by_. (wrote/rote)
(iii) Indians were determined to throw away the_ of foreign rule. (yolk/yoke)
(iv) After his morning prayers, the priest remained _for the rest of the day. (idle/idol)
(v) The hunter killed the bird sitting on the_. (bow/bough)

(d) Use the following idioms/phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words :

(i) Wild goose chase
(ii) Crocodile tears
(iii) Sea change
(iv) Fool's paradise
(v) On cloud nine

 

Mains English Compulsory Exam Paper - 2016

1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one topic : 100 marks

(a) Majoritarianism conflicting with the constitutional spirit, an unhealthy trend in true democracy.
(b) The Indian girl child — still a victim of exploitation.
(c) Industrialization should not affect but contribute to agricultural growth in India.
(d) Mass media has great responsibility in transforming the society.

2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language : 15x5=75 marks

The thought of Young Bengal (Peary Chand Mitra, one of the circle, called it in 1877 "Young Calcutta) flowed through the fourth decade of the 19th century, arising in the late twenties and ebbing away after the mid-forties. Its inspirer was Derozio (1809-31), competent scholar, gifted writer, radical thinker, and the most famous of our teachers in the new education. It will be unusual to link with Young Bengal a second name, that of David Hare (1775-1841) who seems so different from Derozio in So many ways. Hare was indeed no professional instructor or intellectual, no man of letters or of academic learning. Ile had neither the brilliance nor the waywardness of his contemporary; unlike him he had become in diet and habits alınost a half-Hindu. Yet between the two may be detected an underlying resemblance which furnishes a key to a proper estimation of Young Bengal. Common to both was the passionate conviction that for India nothing was more essential than a dissemination of European learning and science among her people." Both encouraged freedom of thinking and discussion and inspired a courage and personal integrity in their followers to throw off the fetters of that antiquated bigotry which still clung to their countrymen." And unlike other leaders around thcm, both were 'godless' secularists with little faith in denominations or religious instruction, and yet staunch idealists. Nor can one forget that in the hour of trial Hare tried to stand by Derozio and his maligned pupils about whom he declared - "your countrymen look upon you as - their reformers and instructors": while the Derozians were the first to honour Hare publicly, and after his death they were in the forefront in the endeavour to perpetuate his memory, in the unique First of June anniversaries for 25 years without a break. Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a Calcutta Eurasian of Portuguese-Indian ancestry, the son of an officer in an English mercantile firin. (In the Hindu College Records of 1831. the name is occasionally spell as De Rozio; Max Muller wrote D. Rozario). Ile was educated in one of the pioneer English-teaching private schools of the early 19th century, run by the Scotsman Drummond in the Dharmatala arca. Drummond was a scholar-poet, and as a notorious free-thinker an exile from his native land. It may safely be conjectured that Derozio derived from Drummond his taste in literature and philosophy, his love of Burns, his faith in the French Revolution and English Radicalism.

Derozio's youthful critique on Kant was considered as something which would not disgrace even gifted philosophers"; his translation of a French essay on Moral Philosophy was printed posthumously. The fame already won secured him an appointment as teacher to the senior classes in the Hindu College before he had.. ended his teens'.

Derozio's personality brought "a new era in the annals of the College", the youthful teacher drawing the senior boys like a magne" round him. According to his biographer "neither before, nor since his day has any teacher, within the walls of any native educational establishment in India, ever exercised such an influence over his pupils." Not alone in the classrooms, but outside the hours as well, he strove with success "to broaden and deepen the knowledge of his pupils" in Western thought and literature, the new fountain which constipated and intoxicated. The College students clustered round him and very many of them carried down to their last days the deep impress Stamped on them by their Master. This was the cementing link which held together the Young Bengal group. the memory which made a close-knit fellowship of affection and friendship even in later life. Unlike most teachers, Derozio encouraged his students to debate freely and question authority. He urged them to think for themselves, to be in no way by any of the idols mentioned by Bacon-to live and dic for truth." One of his pupils, Radhanath Sikdar, said of him : he has been the cause and the sole cause of that spirit of enquiry after truth, and that contempt of vice – which cannot but be beneficial to India." Another, Ramgopal Ghosh, held up the motto: "He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool, and he who does not is a slave."

(a) Which was the period when the thought of Young Bengal, the youthful band of reformers flourished in Bengal? Who were the two main teachers of the new education and in what ways were they different from each other?
(b) What was common to both these teachers ? How did they support each other?
(c) Comment on the education of Derozio. Did Drummond have any influence on him ? Justify your answer.
(d) What kind of influence did Derozio have on his pupils i.e., the Young Bengal group?
(e) "He has been the cause and the sole cause of the spirit of enquiry after truth." Explain the significance of the statement by Radhanath Sikdar.

3. Make a précis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give a title to it. The précis should be written in your own language. 75 marks

India is essentially a land of knowledge and it must rediscover itself in this aspect. Once this rediscovery is done, it will not require much struggle to achieve the quality of life, strength and sovereignty of a developed nation.

Knowledge has many forms and it is available at many places. It is acquired through education, information, intelligence and experience. It is available in academic institutions, with teachers, in libraries, in research papers, seminar proceedings and in various organizations and workplaces with workers, managers, in drawings, in process sheets and on the shop floors. Knowledge, though closely linked to education, comes equally from learning skills such as those possessed by our artists, craftsmen, hakims, vaidyas, philosophers and saints, as also our housewives. Knowledge plays a very important role in their performance and output too. Our heritage and history, the rituals, epics and traditions that form part of our consciousness are also vast resources of knowledge as are our libraries and universities. There is an abundance of unorthodox, earthy wisdom in our villages. There are hidden treasures of knowledge in our environment, in the oceans, bio reserves and deserts, in the plant and animal life. Every state in our country has a unique core competence for a knowledge society.

Knowledge has always been the prime mover of prosperity and power. The acquisition of knowledge has therefore been the thrust area throughout the world. Additionally, in India, there has been a culture of sharing it, not only through the traditions of guru-shishya but also by its spread to neighbouring countries through travellers who came to Nalanda and other universities drawn by their reputation as centres of learning. India is endowed with natural and competitive advantages as also certain distinctive competencies. But these are scattered in isolated pockets and the awareness of these is inadequate. During the last century the world has changed from being an agricultural society, in which manual labour was the critical factor, to an industrial society where the management of technology, capital and labour provide the competitive advantage. In the twenty-first century, a new society is emerging where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. Efficient utilization of this existing knowledge base can create wealth for us in the form of better health, education and other indicators of progress. The ability to create and maintain the knowledge infrastructure, to enhance skills and increase productivity through the exploitation of advances in various fields will be the key factors in deciding the prosperity of this society.

The knowledge society has two very important components driven by societal transformation and wealth generation. The societal transformation is in respect of education, healthcare, agriculture and governance. These will lead to employment generation, high productivity and rural prosperity.

The task of wealth generation for the nation has to be woven around national competencies. The TIFAC task team has identified core areas that will spearhead our march towards becoming a knowledge society. The areas are: information technology, biotechnology, space technology, weather forecasting, disaster management, telemedicine and tele-education, technologies utilizing traditional knowledge, service sector and infotainment which is the emerging area resulting from convergence of information and entertainment. These core technologies, fortunately, can be interwoven by IT, a sector that took off only due to the enterprising spirit of the young Thus there are multiple technologies and appropriate management structures that have to work together to generate a knowledge society. With India carving a niche for itself in information technology, the country is uniquely placed to fully capitalize on the opportunity to quickly transform itself into a knowledge society. The Planning Commission has taken a lead in generating a roadmap for transforming India into a knowledge society Evolving suitable policy and administrative procedures, changes in regulatory methods, identification of partners and most important, creation of young and dynamic leaders are the components that have to be put in place. In order to generate wealth, which is the second component for establishing a knowledge society, it is essential that simultaneously a citizen-centric approach to shaping of business policy, user-driven technology generation and intensified industry-academia linkages have also to be established.

A knowledge society has a two-dimensional objective of societal transformation and wealth generation, and a third dimension emerges if India is to transform itself into a knowledge superpower. This is knowledge protection and it entails a tremendous responsibility. It is very important that our communication network and information generators are protected from electronic attacks through surveillance and monitoring. There should be a focussed approach to intellectual property rights and related issues, and our ancient knowledge and culture too are part of our resource basic and need to be protected as such. (776 words)

4.(a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence. 1x10=10 marks

(i) I request your favour to grant me leave.
(ii) He lived there for a day.
(iii) He is the fastest runner and he came last.
(iv) They know each other since January.
(v) All the patients have been admitted and received attention.
(vi) They didn't see any movies since March.
(vii) We shall go on a tour as soon as the schools will close.
(viii) Each of the answers was not correct.
(ix) If we had had money we would go shopping,
(x) I wanted that lie should get leave.

4.(b) Supply the missing words: 1x5=5 marks

(i) The scene ……………………. us is magnificent, isn't it?
(ii).............................. your proposals, we shall meet later.
(iii) You can't climb…………………… that high roof.
(iv) He pushed his way…………………………..the crowd of people.
(v) She……………………………. in with the wrong group of friends in her teens.

4.(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets : 1X5=5 marks

(i) All our plans of starting a new venture…………………………. up in smoke. (end)
(ii) Men of straw are not…………………………..in the society. (respect)
(iii) He got angry before I…………………………….a word. (say)
(iv) Later on he…………………………….. his mistake. (realize)
(v) Television is a powerful means of……………………………. knowledge. (diffuse)

4.(d) Write the antonyms of the following: 1x5=5 marks

(i) Awkward
(ii) Diligently
(iii) Persist
(iv) Traitor
(v) Enrich

5.(a) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning: 1x10=10 marks

(i) I have many debts to repay. (Change into a complex sentence)
(ii) He hasn't been informed. (Change into active voice)
(iii) He wanted to get a raise. He had to study Accounting. (Use 'in order to')
(iv) He didn't complain at all. He was kind. (Rewrite the sentence starting with 'It')
(v) Arvind said, “I must write it" (Change into indirect speech)
(vi) I didn't meet the government official from France. I didn't meet his friend too. (Rewrite using 'neither ...... nor')
(vii) He didn't describe it well. He was very excited (Use 'too)
(viii) People respect politicians only when they change their ways. (Rewrite the sentence using 'unless)
(ix) We seldom see them nowadays, _? (Supply an appropriate question tag)
(x) The girl worked hard but she didn't succeed. (Change into a simple sentence)

5.(b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences.) 1x5=5 marks

(i) nebulous
(ii) expeditious
(iii) contiguous
(iv) fastidious
(iv) proscribe

5.(c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks : 1x5=5 marks

(i) We are………………………… to learn that the President has given his assent to the act. (gratified/grateful)
(ii) He did not make a single……………….to the examination results in his speech. (illusion/allusion)
(iii) Make a………………….selection of the books in this library. (Judicial/judicious)
(iv) The sight of home gave the boys the………………….to walk fast. (impetus/impetuous)
(v) The lawyer used many……………….arguments which did not deceive the Judge. (specious/spacious)

5.(d) Use these idioms/phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. 1x5=5 marks

(i) with impunity
(ii) under a cloud
(iii) loaves and fishes
(iv) a leap in the dark
(v) yeoman service

 

UPSC Mains 2015: English Compulsory Question Paper

Instructions

Please read each of the following instructions carefully before attempting questions:

·         All questions are to be attempted. Maximum Marks are 300

·         The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it.

·         Answers must be written in ENGLISH only.

·         Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to

·         Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

Q1. Write an essay in about 600 words on anyone topic

a.        Impact of politics on society

b.       E-commerce: a win-win situation for all. (Matter was covered in the Mrunal’s Mains revision Powerpoint ML4/P3).

c.        Harassment of women at workplaces

d.       Does the Indian cinema reflect social reality?

Q2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language – 15×5=75 marks

A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and living conditions are threatening for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the vulnerable surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid Deserts are usually hot and barren places; yet they are also beautiful. A few plants, rocks and dusty red-brown soil make up the ingredients of most North American deserts where there is sufficient food and water for certain animals to survive. Deserts cover more than one-fifth of the Earth’s land and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 10 inches of rain per year is normally considered a desert. They are part of a wider classification of regions called “dry land”. These areas exist under a moisture deficit, which means they repeatedly lose more moisture through evaporation than they receive from annual precipitation.

Deserts are biologically rich habitats with a vast array of animals and plants that have adapted to harsh conditions there. Some Deserts plants that have adapted to harsh conditions there. Some deserts are among the planet s last remaining areas of total wilderness. Yet more than one billion people, one-sixth of the Earth’s population, actually live in the desert regions.

Despite the common notion of deserts as dry and hot, there are cold deserts as well. One famous dry and hot place in the world with no visible rock or plant and barely any water is the Sahara desert. It is the largest hot desert in the world that reaches temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Some deserts are very cold, like the Gobi desert in Asia and the desert on the continent of Antarctica. Only about 10 percent of deserts are covered by sand dunes. The driest deserts get less than half an inch of precipitation each year and that is from condensed fog.

Desert animals have adapted ways to help them keep cool and The Animal when the going gets tough. Camels also have thick hair in their ears for keeping out sand; they also sport closable nostrils, an eye membrane, and wide feet that act like snow-shoes in the land. Desert plants may have to go without fresh water for years at a time. Some plants have adapted to the arid climate by growing long roots that tap water from deep underground. Other plants, such as cacti, have special means conserving years old.

Some of the world’s semi-arid regions are turning into deserts at an alarming rate. This process, known as desertification., is not caused by drought, but usually arises from the demands of human population that settles The soil by the hooves of livestock may degrade the soil and encourage (erosion warming deserts. Higher temperature may produce an increasing number of wildfires eliminating slow -growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses

Answer following questions, 15 marks each x 5 = 75 marks.

a.        Explain what you understand by barren and dry land.

b.       What do you understand by rich habitats?

c.        How have desert animals and plants in arid climate adapted themselves to the use of less water.

d.       Describe the process of desertification

e.       What are the camel’s two most visible features that make it perfect for deserts?

 

Q3. Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Do not give a title to it. The precis should be written in your own language

The means may be equated to a seed, the end to a tree; and there is just the same inviolable connection between the means and the end as there is between the seed and the tree. I am not likely to obtain the result flowing from the worship of God by laying myself prostrate before Satan. If, therefore, anyone were to say; ‘I want to worship God; it does not matter that I do so by means Satan’ , it would be set down as ignorant folly. We reap exactly as we sow.

If I want to deprive you of your watch, I shall certainly have to fight for it; if I want to buy your watch, I shall have to pay you for it; and if I want it as a gift, I shall have to plead for it; and according to the means I employ, the watch is a stolen property, different results from three different means. Will you still say that means do not matter ?

Let us proceed a little further. A well-armed anger argue that you want to punish that rogue the good of your neighbours; you have collected a number of armed men, you want to take his house by assault; he is duly informed of it, he runs away; he, too is increased. He collects his brother-robbers, and sends you a defiant message that he will commit robbery in broad daylight. You are strong, you do not fear him. You’re prepared to receive him. Meanwhile, the robber pesters complain before you. You reply that you are doing all their sake, you do not mind that your own goods have been stolen. Your neighbours reply that robber never pestered them before, and that he commenced his depredations only after you declared hostilities against hi. You’re between Scylla and Charybdis. You’re full of pity for the poor men. What they say is true. What are you to do? You’ll be disgraced if you now leave the robber alone. You, therefore, tell the poor men: ‘Never mind. Come, my wealth is yours. I will give you arms. I will train you how to use them; you should belabour the rogue; don’t you leave him alone.’ And so the battle grows. The robbers increase in numbers; your neighbours have deliberately put themselves to inconvenience. Thus the result of wanting to take revenge upon the robber is that you have disturbed your own peace; you are in perpetual fear of being robbed and assaulted; your courage has given place to cowardice. If you patiently examine the argument, you will see that I have not overdrawn the picture. This is one of the means.

Now let us examine the other. You set this armed robber down as an ignorant brother, you intend to reason with him at a suitable opportunity; you argue that he is? after all, a fellow man; you do not know what prompted him to steal. You, therefore, decide that when you can, you will destroy the mans motive for stealing. Whilst you are thus reasoning with yourself, the man comes again to steal. Instead of being angry with him, you take pity on him. Henceforth, you keep your doors and windows open, you change your sleeping place, and you keep your things in a manner most accessible to him. The robber comes again and is confused as ail this is new to him; nevertheless, he takes away your things. But his mind is agitated. He enquires about you in the village, he comes to learn about your broad and loving heart; he repents, he begs your pardon, returns you your things, and leaves off the stealing habit. He becomes your servant, and you find tor him honourable employment. This is the second method.

Thus, you see, different means have brought about totally different results. I do not wish to deduce from this that robbers will act in the above manner or that all will have the same pity and love like you. I only wish to show that fair means alone can produce fair results, and that, at least in the majority of cases, if not indeed in all, the force of love and pity is infinitely greater than the force of arms. There Is harm jn the exercise of force, never in that of pity.

Q4 (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary changes in the original corrections. Do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence (10 marks)

i.            He enjoyed during the holidays.

ii.            Whoever works hard he will win

iii.            The man who knocked at the door was stranger.

iv.            I asked my colleague when was he going to his home town

v.            Besides clothes, the shopkeeper deals with cosmetics too.

vi.            He is desirous for joining the army.

vii.            The judge said that the truth always triumphed.

viii.            one should help his friend in difficulty

ix.            Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman India has produced, isn’t it?

x.            More you read less you understand.

 

Q4 (b) Supply the missing words : 1×5=5

i.            Mr. Sharma is senior ______ Mr. Verma.

ii.            He is _____poor to afford travelling by air.

iii.            More than 160 million people suffer ________ malaria

iv.            Beware_________pickpockets.

v.            Time and _______wait for

Q4 (c) Use the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets 1×5=5

i.            Your friends ______ for you tor over an hour, (wait)

ii.            It is not worth_____ so much money for this concert (pay)

iii.            When I reached the station, the train______ (leave)

iv.            I_______ the TajMahal last month, (visit)

v.            The criminal _______the victim with a blunt object, (attack)

Q4 (d) Write the antonyms of the following : 1×5=5 marks

i.            Arrival

ii.            Introvert

iii.            Ascend

iv.            Save

v.            Mortal

Q5 (a) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning :1×10 =10 marks

i.            He is too arrogant to listen to advice (Change into a complex sentence)

ii.            He said to me, “What is your name? (Change into indirect speech)

iii.            My mother asked me if I had finished my breakfast (Change into direct speech)

iv.            The people will make him president (Change into passive voice)

v.            My pocket has been picked (Change into active voice)

vi.            He confessed that he was guilty (Change into a simple sentence)

vii.            He ran fast to reach the bus stop (Change into an interrogative sentence)

viii.            To the best of my knowledge, he is a vegetarian (Begin the sentence : As far as …)

ix.            A.R. Rehman is a versatile music composer (Supply an appropriate tag question)

x.            It is a pity that a noble person should Suffer (Change into an exclamatory sentence)

 

Q5 (b) Use the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences.)

i.            drought

ii.            profitable

iii.            plunge

iv.            deformity

v.            restraint

Q5 (c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks : 1×5=5

i.            Slow and _______ wins the race. (study/steady)

ii.            The farm scientists have discovered a new__________ to combat soil erosion. (device/devise)

iii.            Going back on your word is a _____ of trust (breach/break)

iv.            A ______of cars was following the minister. (fleet/float

v.            The businessman tried to a deal inspector. (strike/stroke)

Q5(d) Use these idioms/phrases their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words: 1×5=5

i.            in spite of

ii.            a bed of roses

iii.            cold war

iv.            to rule with an iron hand

v.            to make haste

 

UPSC Mains 2014: English Compulsory Question Paper

Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                                                  Maximum Marks : 300

1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one topic:

(a) What kind of crisis is India facing-moral or economic?
(b) Participating in sports helps develop good character.
(c) Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?
(d) Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

2. Read carefully the passage below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language:

A complete reading program, therefore, should include four factors: at least one good book each week, a newspaper or news magazine, magazines of comment and interpretation, and book reviews. If you keep feeding your intelligence with these four foods, you can be sure that your brain cells will be properly nourished. To this must be added the digestive process that comes from your own thinking and from discussion with individuals or groups.

It is often desirable to make books that you own personally part of your mind by underlining or by marking in the margin the more important statements. This will help you to understand the book as you first read it, because out of the mass of details you must have selected the essential ideas. It will help you to remember better the gist of the book, since the physical act of underlining, with your eyes on the page, tends to put the thought more firmly into your brain cells.It will save time whenever you need to refer to the book.

Above all, never forget that creative intelligence is correlation of facts and ideas, not mere memorizing. What counts is what you can do with your knowledge, by linking it with other things you have studied or observed. If you read Plutarch’s life of Julius Caesar, think how his rise to political power paralleled the technique of Adolf Hitler, or that of your local political boss. If you read a play by Shakespeare, think how his portrayal of the characters helps you to understand someone you know. In everything you read, keep at the back of your mind what it means to your life here and now, how it supports or challenges the things you were taught in school, in church and at home, and how the wisdom you get from books can guide you in your thinking, in your career, in your voting as a citizen and in your personal morals.

Questions:

(a) What are the four things required for a complete reading program and why?
(b) What else is required to feed your intelligence?
(c) Why does the writer recommend underlining or marking in the margin the more important statements?
(d) What use can you put your knowledge to?
(e) How can what you learn from books help you in your life?

 

3. Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Please do not give a title to it. Precis should be written in your own language.

If this century has, in the famous phrase, made the world safe for democracy, the next challenge is to make a world safe for diversity. It is in India’s interest to ensure that the world as a whole must reflect the idea that is already familiar to all Indians – that it shouldn’t matter what the colour of your skin is, the kind of food you eat, the sounds you make when you speak, the God you choose to worship (or not), so long as you want to play by the same rules as everybody else, and dream the same dreams. It is not essential in a democratic world to agree all the time, as long as we agree on the ground rules of how we will disagree. These are the global principles we must strive to uphold if we are to be able to continue to uphold them securely at home.

We want a world that gives us the conditions of peace and security that will permit us to grow and flourish, safe from foreign depredations but open to external opportunities. Whether global institutions adapt and revive will be determined by whether those in charge are capable of showing the necessary leadership. Right now many of us would suggest that there is a global governance deficit. Reversing it would require strong leadership in the international community by a number of powers, including the emerging ones. India is an obvious contender to provide some of that leadership. India should aim not just at being powerful – it should set new standards for what the powerful must do.

This is a huge challenge, and one to which India must rise. An analogy from another field is not encouraging; many would argue that India has not acquitted itself well when given the chance to have global impact in one domain – that of the sport of cricket, where India accounts for more that 80 percent of the game’s revenues and perhaps 90 percent of its viewership, giving it an impact on the sport that no country can rival. Clearly, international opinion does not believe that in its domination of world cricket, India has set new standards for what the powerful must do. Broadening the analogy to global geopolitics, one could well say : India, your world needs you.

SO India must play its due part in the stewardship of the global commons (including everything from the management of the Internet to the rules governing the exploitation of outer space). We can do it. India is turning increasingly outward as a result of our new economic profile on the global stage, our more dispersed interests around the world, and the reality that other countries, in our neighbourhood as well as in Africa, are looking to us for support and security. India has the ability and the vision to promote global partnerships across the broad range of its interests; it only needs to act.

The world economic crisis should give us an opportunity to promote economic integration with our neighbours in the subcontinent who look to the growing Indian market to sell their goods and maintain their own growth. But as long as South Asia remians divided by futile rivalries, and some ocntinue to believe that terrorism can be a useful instrument of their strategic doctrines, that is bound to remain a distant prospect. We in South Asia need to look to the future, to an interrelated future on our subcontinent, where geography becomes an instrument of opportunity in a mutual growth story, where history binds rather than divides, where trade and cross-border links flourish and bring prosperity to all our peoples.

 

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections. Please do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence.

1.       School is very near my home.

2.       They never fail who die n great cause.

3.       It rained an hour before.

4.       He wrote a most complete account of his travels.

5.       Either of the three answers is incorrect.

6.       You will be late until you hurry.

7.       He is seldom or ever absent from school.

8.       The colours so passed off one another that she could not distinguish them.

9.       The general as well as his soldiers were killed in the battle.

10.    The boat was drowned.

(b) Supply the missing words:

1.       If you see him give him ____ message.

2.       I hope to reach the station ___ an hour at the outside.

3.       ___ Rustam and Sohrab, there were three other boys present.

4.       Invalids are not capable ___ continued exertion.

5.       ____ he had not paid his bills, his electricity was cut off.

(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets:

1.       His company is greatly ___ after.(seek)

2.       His courage ___ him. (forsake)

3.       The terrified people ___ to the mountains. (flee)

4.       The police ____ no stone unturned to trace the culprits. (leave)

5.       The robber ___ him a blow on the head. (strike)

(d) Write the antonyms of the following:

1.       Ability

2.       Precise

3.       Constructive

4.       Extravagant

5.       Pretentions

5. (a) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning:

1.       He finished his exercise and put away his books. (Change into simple)

2.       In the event of his being late, he will punished. (Change into compound)

3.       He said to me, “I have often told you not to play with fire.” (Change into indirect speech)

4.       He said that he had come to see them. (Change into direct speech)

5.       He drove too fast for the police to catch. (Remove ‘too’)

6.       The audience loudly cheered the Mayor’s speech. (Change into passive voice)

7.       A reward was given to him by the Governor. (Change into active voice)

8.       Sita is not one of the cleverest girls in the class. (Change into comparative form)

9.       I was doubtful whether it was you. (Change into negative form)

10.    It is sad to think that youth should pass away. (Change into exclamatory sentence)

(b) Use each of the following words to make a sentence that brings out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words. (No marks will be given for vague and ambiguous sentences)

1.       gratitude

2.       flavour

3.       explosion

4.       dismal

5.       clumsy

(c) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blank:

1.       He got a ___ blow from his enemy. (deadly/deathly)

2.       The ____ of his speech was very lucid and natural.(delivery/deliverance)

3.       I do not know how to express my gratitude; you have been ____ to me. (beneficial/beneficent)

4.       My friend will ___ me to the hospital (accompany/escort)

5.       We sat in the ____ of a tree and relaxed a while. (shadow/shade)

(d) Use these phrases in sentences of your own to bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words.

1.       According to

2.       All of a sudden

3.       Ready money

4.       A burning question

5.       Ins and Outs

 

UPSC Mains 2013 : English Compulsory Exam Paper

Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                                                 Maximum Marks : 300

1. Write short essays in about 300 words on each of the following:

(a) We Indians are hypocrites
(b) Fitness and healthcare – latest fad in urban India.

2. Read carefully the passage given below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language of your own:

In barely one generation, we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives, to trying to get away from them – often, in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Like a teenager, we appear to have gone from knowing nothing about the world to knowing too much, all but overnight.

The average person spends at least eight and half hours a day in front of the screen. The average teenager spends or receives 75 text message a day. Since luxury, as any economist will tell you, is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow will crave nothing more than freedom, if only for a short while, from all the blinking machines, streaming videos and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty, and too full all at once. The urgency of slowing down – to find the time and space to think – is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. Even half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan warned, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.”

Yet few of those voices can be heard these days, precisely because ‘breaking news’ is coming through perpetually on the news channels, and Meena is posting images of her summer vacation and the phone is ringing. We barely have enough time to see how little time we have. And the more that floods in on us, the less of ourselves we have to give to every snippet.

We have more and more and more ways to communicate, as Thoreau noted, but less and less to say. Partly because we are so busy communicating. And – as he might also have said – we are rushing to meet so many deadlines that we hardly register that what we need most are lifelines. So what to do? The central paradox of the machines that have made our lives so much brighter, quicker, longer and healthier is that they cannot teach us how to make the best use of them; the information revolution came without an instruction manual. All the data in the world cannot teach us how to make the best use of them; the information revolution came without an instruction manual. All the data in the world cannot teach us how to sift through data; images don’t show us how to process images. The only way to do justice to our onscreen lives is by summoning exactly the emotional and moral clarity that cannot be found on any screen.

Maybe that is why more and more people, even if they have no religious commitment, seem to be turning to yoga or meditation, or tai chi; these are not New Age fads spo much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age. A series of tests in recent years has shown that after spending time in a quiet rural setting, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition, Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends on neural processes that are “inherently slow”. The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for.

Questions:

(a) According to the author, what is likely to become a scarcity in the future?
(b) What ability have people lost thanks to the constant inflow of data?
(c) Why does the author say, “We have more and more ways to communicate, but less and less to say”?
(d) Why are people making an active interest in old-age fads?
(e) Why is the modern man unable to empathise with others?

3. (a) Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Please do not suggest a title.

Honesty is business dealings or in other areas are not the only measures of morals and values. The strength of character of a person is also measured by uncompromising aversion to cowardice, intrigue, envy, ambiguity, falsehood, disloyalty, treachery, in short, all undignified actions. There are, in reality, few human beings endowed with a truly spotless character. This is because an almost immaculate character does not exist until the last lives human form. Educated individuals are not necessarily endowed with good morals and values. Infact, some of them use education and their intellect as a tool for deceit. However, the advantages and the need for education and culture cannot be denied. They contribute largely for the development of intellectual ability and the power to reason, which are the means by which the spirit analyses, compares, infers and arrived at conclusions in the search for truth about the meaning of life. The most precious assets of the soul are its morals and values, but they are not easy to build. The character of each person requires longer periods of thoughtfulness, reasoning and the practice of those values, during many reincarnations, in the course of which, ideas sink in under life experiences. It is only after enduring much disillusionment, grief, injustice and ingratitude for many successive corporeal lives, that a person will be able to measure, in the innermost recesses of his soul, the extent of human moral misery. Then, disgusted, he rebels against it and opens the door to more ethical and honorable life. Thus, having known and experienced suffering, the spirit, in countless reincarnations, gradually frees itself from evil actions and through enlightenment and conviction follows the rigid tracks of a flawless conduct. It is of great significance to talk about morals and values but it is also crucial to define the lines of character that everyone should consider in their lives. Some of the most important ones are: good judgement, fairness, common sense, punctuality,loyalty, courage, magnanimity, dignity, gratitude, politeness, faithfulness, moderation, truthfulness, self-respect for others, etc. All these qualities, if properly cultivated, compose a prime set of dignifying virtues which accounts for a refined character. For example, we all make mistakes and to err his human. However, once an honest person is advised and becomes convinced of his mistake, he should admit it and try not to repeat it. Unfortunately it s common practice to conceal one’s mistakes, instead of avoiding them. This is very detrimental to spiritual growth. Most people seldom use impartiality and justice in the innermost evaluation of their own actions. Even those who are too harsh in the judgement of other people’s actions, for whom they always have words of criticism and reproach, do not escape the usual tendency. When their own faults are concerned, they find a full, lenient, absolvement justification. In this way, not only it denotes lack of character, but mistakes often end up incorporated to human habits. By acting this way, an individual loses his self-respect and his sense of character and dignity and becomes corrupted. What everyone should do, is to face up his mistakes and avoid new mistakes, by improving his sense of morals and values, with the help of his will-power.

 (b) Make a precis of the following passage in about one-third of its length. Please do not suggest a title.

People write and publish autobiographies and autobiographical sketches for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is to put on record the events of a famous or influential career. But not all autobiographies, not even the autobiographies most frequently and widely read, are by famous or extraordinary men. Another reason is to hand on to others, wisdom won through experience and hard labour. Yet many fine autobiographers seem to have little concern to teach or to persuade. A third reason is to distill from past experience events, persons, and situations which hold a firm place in memory, and to put true values on them. In this sense, autobiography is, as Somerset Maugham has said, a ‘summing-up’, and its first utility is to its author himself.

Whatever its purpose or the fame of the man who writes it, autobiography is a thing created out of the recollections of life. It is not life itself. Whether it be valuable or useless depends upon whether it is well-or ill-made. Good autobiographies can be mined from inconspicuous lives.

For autobiography is the inclusive and summary form of what we call ‘themes of experience’. It may contain reminiscences, descriptions of places, of animals, of people, the identification of characteristic preferences and prejudices, and other matters as well. It has the traits of all these minor forms.

An autobiography is objectively true, but is not indiscriminately inclusive. It presents a selection of detailed episodes with sufficient fullness to preserve their essential qualities. It is usually written within the framework defined by a consistent point of vies. It presents its subject in more than two dimensions, fusing the person and his actions with setting, manner and purpose. One further trait of autobiographical writing raises a few special problems: by its nature autobiography tempts its author to proceed chronologically. The events sort themselves by the calendar, and it is a natural impulse of every autobiographer to begin with the words “I was born on …”

Strict chronological arrangement poses a discipline of some force. It is by no means easy to “begin at the beginning, go until you come to the end, and then stop.” Considerations other than the calendar have a way of forcing their way to notice. With due care, however, a chronological autobiography can be accomplished.

It is important to remember that chronology is not the only principle by which autobiography can be organized. Benjamin Franklin, whose procedure in his autobiography is basically chronological, does not hesitate to recognize the Philadelphia girl who laughed at his as the very one who subsequently became his wife. Joseph Conrad prefers the pattern of walking tour to that of the calendar, and his richly imaginative account is stored with pertinent associations of the past with the present and future. Often, to the autobiographer, it seems that life does not pass so much as it accumulates. Qualities emerge as identities independent of time. For this reason, we should not as we write feel compelled to maintain a steady rate of advance through the time marks of our stories. Like Hazlitt on his journey, we liner over a choice adventure or a valued friend, and then, if we choose, we skip a few years to catch up.

4. (a) Use each of the following words to make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Do not change the form of the words.

1.       desultory

2.       grapevine

3.       holistic

4.       insidious

5.       intransigence

6.       paradigm

7.       susceptible

8.       ubiquitous

9.       voracious

10.    venerable

(b) Correct the following sentences without changing their meaning. Please do not make unnecessary changes in the original sentence.

1.       One must do what he thinks best.

2.       He will surely not do that, did he?

3.       Can I leave the room now, Sir?

4.       My neighbour, along with two friends, were pushing his car which is stalled.

5.       I thought to help him, but he did not welcome my suggestion.

6.       When I was a child, I enjoyed to eat ice cream in the bench.

7.       The Principal, along with the teachers, are planning to apply for a leave.

8.       Do you have an idea who is that man?

9.       Unemployment as well as poverty influence the votes.

10.    When I woke up, the man already disappeared after committing murder in the running train.

(c) Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning:

1.       No one dares to criticize her for what she says. (Rewrite the sentence starting with ‘No matter’)

2.       Radah was the eldest. She had to look after her parents. (Combine to form a single sentence)

3.       She decorated the room. The purpose was to make it look beautiful. (Combine using ‘so that’)

4.       “What a beautiful day!”, said the young tourist. (Change the narration)

5.       The one-man committee determined there was no need to take action. (Rewrite using passive structure)

6.       The proud father remarked, ”What a wonderful batsman my son is!”

7.       My mother remarked, ”Aren’t the children lovely?” (Change into indirect speech)

8.       Cricket fans filled the streets during the World Cup. (Rewrite using passive structure)

9.       It would be wonderful if we could go to Shimla. (Change into an exclamatory sentence using ‘how’)

10.    I could have finished the work. But I would have had to go out early. (Combine into one sentence beginning with ‘Had’)

(d) Fill in the blanks using one of the following linkers:

[in case, but, even though, so, provided, as.]

1.       ____ he was late for the meeting, his boss didn’t get angry.

2.       ____ he was late for the meeting, his boss became angry.

3.       I’ll not get angry, ___ you are not late for the meeting.

4.       I started early ___ I was still late for the meeting.

5.       I’ll give you her telephone number ___ you have problems finding her place.

(e) Rewrite the following sentences using ‘it’ at the beginning of the sentence:

1.       Impressing Ramesh Mohan would be a piece of cake.

2.       Visiting old people in hospitals is a very good idea.

3.       To smoke 20 cigarettes a day is bad for your health.

4.       Chatting with strangers on the computer can be very dangerous.

5.       My father says, keeping the computer on all day is a waste of electricity.

(f) Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blanks.

1.       My teacher said that I need to ___ (practice, practise) more.

2.       The hot weather ____ (affects, effects) people in different ways.

3.       Wouldn’t it be nice if we had to work only on ___ (alternative, alternate) days?

4.       Our politicians are known to ___ (avoid, evade) taxes.

5.       The Principal ____ (complimented, complemented) the students on their fine performance.

(g) Write the opposite of the following words:

1.       Amateur

2.       Modesty

3.       Shallow

4.       Conceited

5.       Atheist

 

UPSC Mains 2012 : English Compulsory   Question Paper

Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                                              Maximum Marks : 300

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following:

(a) Indian women in international sports
(b) Cultivation of organic foods
(c) Foreign Direct investment in retail – boon or bane?
(d) How effective are our systems and institutions in dealing with disasters?
(e) Food security – legislation and implementation

2. Read carefully the passage below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language:

Oratory demands enthusiasm, which can spring only in an earnest soul; and neither beauty of composition nor graceful delivery can compensate for want of passion. To be able to interest people without tiring them is a prime test of oratory. It is a gift that may draw valuable aid from such natural advantages as a noble figure, handsome countenance, and pleasant voice. But there has been no lack of eminent orators of ungainly mien at any time. Few have equaled Sir Robert Peel in skillful management of the House of Commons, but the often assumed very undignified postures standing with his hands behind his coat trails, or thumbs buried in the pockets of his waistcoat, and thees one leg over the other in attitudes of nonchalance. The composition of his speeches was slovenly and they were noted for the disorder of their contents. Oliver Cromwell was one of the most influential speakers of his day, but he rarely wore clean linen and his voice was “harsh and untenable.”

The indispensable requisite of oratory is a mind well-stored with knowledge and information, sound well-stored with knowledge and information, sound reasoning, wit and humour, vehemence, fire, and imaginative insight all conductive to enhance the power of eloquence; but the same speakers are not able to make the same impression in all places, nor secure the same effect at all times. The pinnacle of triumph of oratory is reached when a speaker is able to magnetise his hearers into thinking as he thinks, and feeling as he feels. When Sheridan had concluded his famous speech in Parliament on the “Begum Charge”, so great was the excitement caused by it that the Minister concerned besought the House to adjourn the decision of the question, “as being incapacitated from forming a just judgement under the influence of such powerful eloquence.”

It is clear that there is a rivalry between the orator and the occasion and the dazzling effect of the moment does not always endure through later cool reflection.

The world moves in continual cycles of action and reaction, and the homage paid to speakers is followed by tests in the course of which there is unrelenting research as to what extent precept and example tally. When there is no wide gulf between the two, further speeches are listened to with increased respect.

Question:

(a) What are the most important qualities required for becoming a good orator?
(b) What was the effect created by Sheridan’s speech?
(c) How can one judge the true effect of a good oration?
(d) What research does the audience to when they listen to speakers?
(e) Which speeches are not taken seriously by an audience?

3. Make a precis of the following passage in about 200 words. It is not necessary to suggest a title. Failure to write within the word limit may result in deduction of marks. The precis must be written on the separate precis sheets provided, which must then be fastened securely inside the answer-book.

Taking into account the compelling and inescapable reality of an increasingly resource-constrained world, India needs to link the aspirations of the people and its prospects for accelerated growth to what I would call a “resource-frugal” instead of a “resource-intensive” strategy of development. I believe that such a strategy would enable India to sustain a high rate of growth over a more extended period of time, delivering affluence without waste, and current welfare without sacrificing the welfare of future generations. I will touch upon just a few illustrative examples.

The notion of frugality is current in some sectors of our economy and has been successful enough to attract international attention. “Frugal manufacture” is already acclaimed as Indian industry’s contribution to innovative production processes. This involves the stripping down of complex machinery or devices, to their most essential applications without frills. An example is the cost-effective, easy to use, hand-held ECG machine, which is a major contribution to public health. The other is the use of the mobile telephone to deliver information, services as well as funds on a low-cost and widely spread platform. Even in agriculture, there have been significant successes in promoting production processes which are dramatically economical in the use of water, dispense with the use of costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides or G.M. seeds and still deliver high agricultural output, ensuring food security. This is frugal agriculture. What should be appreciated is that these innovations, by making products affordable, lead to significant market expansion. This in turn brings economies of scale, further lowering of costs and generating even greater demand in a virtuous, self-reinforcing circle.

The hallmark of any modern society is its ability to deliver rapid affordable and efficient means of mobility to its people. Enabling people to exercise their right to mobility is a critical state responsibility. However, mobility is a critical state exercise their right to mobility is a linked to the use of energy and the use of scarce land, both of which are in short supply in our country. It follows, therefore, that we must have a transport strategy that ensures the most economical use of these resources. The continued expansion of private vehicular transportation is not sustainable. If the density of private car ownership in India were to approach U.S. or European levels, we would be using liquid fuels far in excess of the total consumption of all such fuels globally today. Just as the space required for parking a billion cars and constructing highways for them to run on, would occupy land on a scale that would leave little space for any other activity. Therefore, shifting resources from private transportation to public transportation and investing in the latter to make them convenient, comfortable and cost-effective is another essential component of a “resource-frugal” strategy. Greater mobility ensures a more productive population and a more efficient distribution of goods and services. This is what can ensure a sustained and high rate of growth.

What is more, each of these innovations enable inclusive growth, because they empower the poor; they profit from leveraging the power of numbers. What we need is to upscale these successes from the margin to the mainstream, from the local to the national level.

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections, if any:

1.       The vehicular pollution causes serious harm to human beings.

2.       Both a Ashish and Smita came late to college today.

3.       There is many problems relating to this matter.

4.       Not only David passed but got a distinction.

5.       We’d like some informations about the types of cars available.

6.       I prefer to pay by cash.

7.       My uncle has proposed me a job in his company.

8.       All of a sudden she burst in tears.

9.       I enjoy this type of music still now.

10.    The teacher said me to submit the assignment the next day.

(b) Rewrite the following sentences inserting suitable article(s), wherever necessary:

1.       Oranges and lemons are citrus fruits.

2.       Aijaz is tallest boy in class.

3.       She teaches at University in Indian but I don’t know which one it is.

4.       New teacher seems to be very strict.

5.       It was beautiful sight to see.

(c) Rewrite the following sentences inserting suitable prepositions in the blank spaces:

1.       The Minister gave ___ the prizes on the annual day.

2.       Seeing the children playing brought ___ memories of my childhood games.

3.       Randhir is always ready to take ___ any responsibility.

4.       The members decided to deal ___ the problem collectively.

5.       I hope the picnic will not be called ___.

(d) Give the antonyms of the following words:

1.       useful

2.       active

3.       encourage

4.       rational

5.       timely

5. (a) Rewrite the following sentences using the passive structure.

1.       They have permitted me to leave.

2.       The rains have completely ruined the roads.

3.       Why did you close the door?

4.       History records his great achievements.

5.       They awarded her the degree at the Convocation.

(b) Change the following sentences into indirect speech:

·         Anil to Ajay: “Why don’t you join us for a party on saturday?”

·         Mrs Nair to Mr Shah: “Good Morning! There’s a small problem I want to speak to you about.”

·         Jack to Parimala: “How was your trip to the National Park?”

·         Mr Patil to the Cashier: “Do you have change for five hundred rupees?”

·         Susil to Prasad: “Congratulations! I’m so glad to you receive the young scientists award.”

(c) Use the correct form of the verb in brackets to fill in the blanks:

1.       The first such prize ___ in 1999. (AWARD)

2.       The computer is a complex gadget and ___ of many parts. (CONSIST)

3.       I ___ the groceries for you tomorrow. (BRING)

4.       Jacob ___ his report already. (COMPLETE)

5.       The postman ___ his bag and left. (COLLECT)

(d) Supply the missing words:

1.       The music was too loud ___ she adjusted the volume.

2.       ___ the technician worked for an hour he was unable to repair the machine.

3.       ___ you pay attention you are likely to miss the important points.

4.       Raju calls his mother ___ he finds it difficult to manage on his own.

5.       Leave a wide margin ___ the tutor’s comments can be written in it.

(e) Rewrite the following sentences using ‘It’ in the beginning as a preparatory subject:

1.       Finding fault with someone is easy.

2.       For them to close down the family business would be right.

3.       To clean your car yourself would be a good idea.

4.       To eat alone was embarrassing for her.

5.       Shouting out to someone across the room is rude.

 

                          

 UPSC Mains English Compulsory 2011AS Mains 2011
English (Compulsory Paper)

Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                                              Maximum Marks : 300

 

Q1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following:

(a) The predicaments of Democracy.
(b) In India when inflation rises governance stalls.
(c) Modern world’s fears about nuclear energy.
(d) Information Technology transforming the Indian society.
(e) Inventions generate necessity.

Q2. Read carefully the passage below and write your answers to the questions that follow in clear, correct and concise language:

‘Water is the basis of all life. Every animal and every plant contains a substantial proportion of free or combined water in its body, and no kind of physiological activity is possible in which the fluid does not play an essential part. Water is, of course, necessary for animal life, while moisture in the soil is equally imperative for the life and growth of plants and trees, though the quantity necessary varies enormously with the species. The conservation and utilisation of water is thus fundamental for human welfare. Apart from artesian water the ultimate source in all cases is rain or snowfall. Much of Indian agriculture depends on seasonal rainfall and is therefore very sensitive to any failure or irregularity of the same. It is clear that the adoption of techniques preventing soil erosion would also help to conserve and keep the water where it is wanted. In other words, on and in the soil, and such techniques therefore serve a double purpose. It is evident, however, that in a country having only a seasonal rainfall an immense quantity of rain-water must necessarily run off the ground. The collection and utilization of water is therefore of vital importance. Much of it flows down into the streams and rivers and ultimately finds its way to the sea. The harnessing of our rivers, the waters of which now mostly run to waste is a great national problem which must be considered and death with on national lines. Closely connected with the conservation of water supplies is the problem of afforestation. The systematic planting of suitable trees in every possible or even in impossible areas and the development of what one can call civilized forests as distinguished from wild and untamed jungle is one of the most urgent needs of India. Such plantation would directly and indirectly prove a source of untold wealth to the country. They would check soil erosion and conserve the rainfall of the country from flowing away to waste and would provide the necessary supplies of cheap fuel and thus stop unnecessary waste of farmyard manure.

Questions:

1.       Where does the world get water from?

2.       What is the national problem relating to our rivers?

3.       What are the benefits of afforestation?

4.       What is fundamental for human welfare?

5.       What are the advantages of preventing solid erosion?

 

Q3. Make a precis of the following passage in about 204 words. It is not necessary to suggest a title. Failure to write within the word limit may result in deduction of marks. The precis must be written on the separate precis sheets provided, which must then be fastened securely inside the answer-book.

‘While all the religious teachers tell us that compassion gives us a movie for existence, a guide for action and a reason for courage and helps us to diminish the sum of human suffering, in the very name of God, who is all compassion, abominable crimes have been committed in the world. It is not enough to believe in a God of love but we must love. The rains that make the lower plains fertile are formed in the upper layers of the atmosphere. The saints are the masters who are not stained-glass figures, remote and ethereal in their sanctity. There is nothing in them, which we would like to spread everywhere in the world. It is there but what it is, we cannot say. It is there in their blood and bones, in the breath of their speech, in the lights and shades of their personalities, a mystery that can be lived but not spoken in words.’

On the rock of moral law and not on the shifting sands of political or economic expediency can be built a civilized society with individual freedom, social justice and political equality. Truth, freedom and righteousness are essential to peace. The Evangelist tells us how ‘the devil taken him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.’ And saith unto him, ‘All these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me.’ Then saith Jesus unto him, ‘Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship thy Lord, thy God and Him alone shalt thou serve’.

In the new society we need a new universal religion. By it we mean not a uniform religion but a religion of awareness and love of wisdom and compassion, prajna and karuna, of truth and love. Religions must be cured of their provincialism and made to reveal their universality. This does not mean spiritual vagueness or ambiguity.

Tolerance implies an elementary right belonging to the dignity of every man. The right to believe like the right to live a free, unfettered life is fundamental to the concept of brotherly love. We have had in our country peaceful co-existence of different religions. It is not mere passive coexistence but an active fellowship, a close interrelation of the best of different religions. Co-existence is the first step and fraternity is the goal. We have not adhered steadfastly to these ideals and have suffered often. Yet the ideas has been kept in view and supported by great leaders like Ram Mohan Roy, Ramkrishna, Tagore and Gandhiji.

The view of tolerance is based on the conviction that all transcendental use of the logical categories, all attempts to submit the transcendent to the finite, are wrong. Nature and history announce God’s presence but do not disclose his whole nature. Religions are cut off from one another by mutual in comprehensiveness. We are born or trained in certain traditions of religion. Loyalty to tradition does not mean imprisonment within it. We adopt different symbolic representations of the supreme determined by our age, circumstances, upbringing and by narrower loyalties of caste, class, race or nation. Whatever progress we make at the expense of those values is morally wrong.

The seers of all religions affirm that the various peoples of the world form a community with a common purpose and a common destiny. It is said that the whole world is the fatherland of a noble soul. The application of this universality of spit requires us to look upon our common enemies not as monsters of evil but as misled by their obsessions and as capable of change.

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections :

1.       Saints desire nothing ___ the society.

2.       I regret at the delay in doing this.

3.       I congratulate you for your success.

4.       Ram as well as Mohan have gone.

5.       He has passed order on my application.

6.       He is more intelligent than any boy.

7.       What will be ensued on this?

8.       This is high time that we should change the bike.

9.       I did nothing but laughed.

10.    I informed him, “Leave the room.”

(b) Supply the missing words:

1.       The wages of sin ___ death.

2.       I trust ___ God.

3.       I have no fondness ____ music.

4.       I have no doubt _____ your honesty.

5.       I am conscious ____ my duties.

(c) Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets:

1.       I remember ___ her when she was a little girls. (SEE)

2.       You will ____ twenty-four hours to consider your decision. (GIVE)

3.       Can you hear what he ___ ? (SAY)

(d) Write the opposites of the following:

1.       Notorious

2.       Legitimate

3.       Responsible

4.       Satisfaction

5.       Promotion

5. (a) Rewrite the following sentences removing ‘too … to’:

1.       He is too honest to steal.

2.       He is too weak to run.

3.       She is too shy to sing.

4.       He was too shocked to speak.

5.       The matter will be too complicated to resolve.

(b) Rewrite the following sentences using ‘It’ in the beginning as a subject.

1.       To scold the boys would be foolish.

2.       Smoking is bad for him.

3.       To call after ten was unusual for him.

4.       Keeping the windows open on the roadside does not look decent.

5.       To play games on Sundays is not allowed.

(c) Combine each pair of sentences using one of the words: ‘nor’, ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘if’ or ‘when’. Use each word only once:

1.       He turned pale. He saw me.

2.       They are poor. You consider their bank balance.

3.       She wanted to make a speech. She did not know how to begin.

4.       He took a pen. He started writing.

5.       She doesn’t like Rakesh. She doesn’t like Mohini.

(d) Change the narration of the following sentences:

1.       The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?”

2.       He said that his mother was just then absent from home.

3.       A wrote to N, “Your letter reached me here early this morning.”

4.       Ramesh requested his sister, “Please keep my things ready when I return from my trip tomorrow.”

5.       He said, “What a strange man you are!”

(e) Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice structure:

1.       He gave her a book to read.

2.       Even a child can handle this machine.

3.       Who has put the book on the shelf?

4.       Everyone rejected the bold idea.

5.       Ramesh is driving Sunita’s car.

 

UPSC Mains Compulsory English 2010
Time Allowed : Three hours                                                                                         Maximum Marks : 300

1. Write an essay in about 300 words on any one of the following:

a. Increasing consumerism in the middle class in India are traditional forms of protest no longer effective?
b. The nuclear civil liability bill
c. To feed our increasing population , forest areas need to be cleared to increase land area available for cultivation. Do you agree?
d. Need to check politicization of sports bodies in India

2. Read the following passage carefully & based on it, answer the questions given below it in clear , correct & concise language.

According to the findings of recent government survey there are an estimated of 3.3 million registered NGOs working in the country – one for every 400 Indians . not only has the number of NGOs in India risen dramatically but so has their influence. In some of India’s flagship development efforts – the national rural employment guarantee act, the national rural health mission, the right to education or even the draft right to food act – NGOs have been at forefront both in formulating in these laws & policies & in implementing them. NGOs have helped voice the concerns of some of the India’s most vulnerable groups & focus the attention of the government on critical, social & development issues. They have also spearheaded efforts to expose corruption & maladministration in government bringing in much needed transparency.

But despite the growing influence of NGOs in India today, we know very little about them, their structure, activities, sources of funding & more importantly, how accountable they are to the people they represent. This is alarming given the crores of rupees in development aid that NGOs receive from the government & from donors every year. Ironically, though NGOs have been watchdogs of the government for many years there has been little regulation or monitoring of their own activities. Leading many to ask a very fundamental question : who watches the watchers?

Interestingly, although India has probably the world’s highest NGOs population, the debate on NGO accountability is still in its nascent stages. Across the world NGOs have been experimenting with different ways of addressing the issue of accountability; Indian NGOs would do well by learning from these efforts. For example, NGOs in Kenya are legally required to comply with code of conduct for NGOs developed by the national council of NGOs a self regulatory body set up under the NGO coordination act in 1990. The code ensures that NGOs comply with basic ethical & governance standards. Similarly in Uganda, the NGO quality assurance mechanism (QuAM) certifies NGO against a set of quality standards designed to ensure NGO credibility. In Chile, chile transparent has developed transparency standards for NGOs which require organizations to establish online information about their mission, vision, activities, staff, details of funding etc.

Questions:

a. What are India’s important development schemes?
b. How do NGOs help ‘vulnerable groups’ in India?
c. What do we know about structure , activities & sources of funding of NGOs in India?
d. Whom does authors describes as watchers? Why?
e. How do the NGOs in other nations deal with the issue of accountability?

3. Make a precise of the following passage in about 210 – 230 words .

Failure to write within the stipulated word limit may result in deduction of marks. The precise must be written on the separate precise sheets provided which must be then fastened securely inside the answer book.

In many respects sakuntala is comparable to the more idyllic comedies of Shakespeare, & kanva’s hermitage is surely not far from the forest of arden. The plot of the play, like many of the Shakespeare plot, depends much on happy chances & on the super-natural , which, of course, was quite acceptable to the audience for which kalidasa wrote. Its characters , even to the minor ones , are happily delineated individuals. kalidasa makes no pretence to realism, but his dialogue is fresh & vigorous. In fact the dialogue of the better Sanskrit plays generally seems based on vernacular, & is full of idiomatic expressions. Indian playgoers did not demand the conflict of feelings & emotions which is the chief substance of serious European drama , but kalidasa was quite capable of portraying such conflict effectively. His beauties & merits are tarnished by any translation, but few who can read him in the original would doubt that, both as poet & dramatist , he was one of the great men of the world.

There were many other dramatist . sudraka , probably kalidasa’s approximate contemporary , has left only one play “the little clay cart” (Mricchakatika) . this is the most realistic of Indian dramas , unraveling a complicated story , rich in humor & pathos & crowded with action , of the love of a poor Brahman , charudatta, for the virtuous courtesan vasantasena; this story is interwoven with one of political intrigue, leading up to the overthrow of the wicked king palaka, & the play contains a vivid trial scene, after which the hero is saved from execution at the last moment. It is notable for its realistic depiction of city life , & for its host of minor characters, all of whom are drawn with skill & individuality. It has more than once been performed in translation on the European stage, &, to a western audience, is certainly the most easily appreciated of Indian plays.

Vishakadutta was the dramatist of politics. His only complete surviving play, “the ministers signet ring” (mudrarakshasa) deals with the schemes of the wily chanakya to foil the plots of rakshasa, the minister of the last of the nandas, & to place chandragupta maurya firmly on the throne. The plot is exceedingly complicated , but is worked out with great skill , & play is beautifully constructed to lead up, like “the little clay cart” , to a pathetic scene where one of the chief characters is saved from death by impalement at the last movement .

Second only to kalidasa in the esteem of the critics was bhavabhuti , who lived at kanyakubja in the early 8th c. three of his plays – malati & madhava , deeds of the great hero (mahaviracharita) & the later deeds of rama (uttararamacharita). The first is the love story with the pseudo-realistic background , full of incident of an exciting or horrific type, in which the heroine is more than one rescued from death , while the two latter plays tell the story of rama . by western standards as a dramatist bhavabhuti falls short of those we have mentioned earlier . his plots are weakly constructed & his characters lack individuality. His greatness rests on his deep understanding of sorrow; in his treatment of the pathetic & the terrible he perhaps excels kalidasa.

4. (a) Rewrite the following sentences after making necessary corrections , if any:

1.       I live half of a mile from here.

2.       Do you like music? I like.

3.       do you like some more coffee

4.       He worked like a waiter for two years.

5.       Like what does she look?

6.       I know him since 1960.

7.       I wasn’t use to drive big car.

8.       he suggested me to try the main car park

9.       I have never met so nice person

10.    Too many mathematics is taught in schools.

(b) Rewrite the following sentences inserting suitable article(s) , wherever necessary.

(i) My grandfather has hard life
(ii) She hit him in stomach
(iii) Queen had dinner with president
(iv) My friend is in hospital.

(c) Rewrite the following sentences inserting suitable prepositions in the blank spaces.

(i) I am angry ____ her ____ lying.
(ii) I was red ____ at his remarks
(iii) Could you explain this rule ____ me please?
(iv) People have always been kind ____ me.

(d) give the antonyms of the following adjectives.

(i) Common
(ii) Loyal
(iii) Formal
(iv) Mature
(v) Sensitive.

5. (a) Rewrite the following using passive structure.

(i) She gave her sister the car
(ii) I had already shown the suspect’s photograph to the policewomen
(iii) They believe him to be dangerous
(iv) They made him tell them everything
(v) They elected me president.

(b) Change the following sentence into indirect speech.

(i) He wrote in his letter , “ I saw poonam at the theater a couple of days ago”.
(ii) The forecast says , “it will rain tomorrow”
(iii) He said to me , “it would be nice if I could see you again”.
(iv) I said, “if I had any money I’d buy you a drink “
(v) The teacher said, “why don’t you work harder?”.

(c) Rewrite the following sentences, changing them into simple ones.

(i) I wonder who I should invite
(ii) Show him what he should do
(iii) She couldn’t decide whether she should answer his letter.
(iv) He dint know where he should park his car.
(v) Tell me why I should pay

(d) Add a question tag at the end of each of the following sentences. 5.

(i) Pooja can speak french
(ii) The meeting is at ten
(iii) You dint speak to mohan
(iv) She wouldn’t like a pet
(v) Harish gave you a cheque

(e) Rewrite the following sentences using ‘it’ in the beginning as a preparatory subject. 5

(i) To make mistakes is easy
(ii) To wait for people who were late made him angry
(iii) My ambition was to retire at thirty
(iv) Your task is to get across the river without being seen
(v) For you to ask Ramesh would be a big mistake.