HSC Model Test 2020 (01)
Subject: English 1st Paper
Full Marks: 60 Time: 70 Minutes
1. Read the following text and answer the questions A and B. When you are in the driving seat of a car, you have the steering and the horn in your hands, the brake and accelerator under your feet, eyes open looking ahead, left and right. The same can be said about a motorcycle rider, with some modifications. These are all very visible. But, behind all, there is something that keeps working unseen. And that is the Central Processing Unit (CPU), your brain. CPUs are artificially intelligent machines that are programmed to do specific jobs under fixed conditions and judgement. But the human brain is intelligent by nature. It is the most sophisticated machine that is able to operate on ever-changing conditions and standards of judgement. As conditions in the traffic keep invariably changing, this virtue of sophistication of your brain must be at work when you are driving. The difference between traffic in the roads and highways and racing circuit must not be blurring inside you. Never imagine yourself to be a Michael Schumacher driving an F-1 at 300 mph. Leave no room for fantasy. You must always be ready to encounter unexpected behaviour from any vehicle or pedestrian. ‘Keep your cool’ is easy to advice but difficult to maintain. Still you must always restrain yourself because, at the end of the day, you don’t want to be regarded as a killer. Now you see, the last thing that differentiates you from a computer is your conscience.
A. Choose the correct option for each. 1×5= 5 (a) Traffic means ——. (i) traffic jam (ii) traffic police (iii) controller (iv) vehicles or pedestrians in transit (b) ‘Keep your cool’ is the advice that should be followed by ——. (i) the pedestrian (ii) the driver of a vehicle (iii) the traffic policeman (iv) the CPU (c) The word ‘modification’ means ——. (i) a light change (ii) a massive change (iii) qualification (iv) intelligence (d) The word ‘specific’ is ——. (i) a verb (ii) an adverb (iii) a noun (iv) an adjective (e) What is the function of the steering? (i) Speeding (ii) changing speed (iii) changing directions (iv) signalling
B. Answer the following questions. 2×5=10
(a) Why is human brain called ‘sophisticated machine’? (b) What makes human brain different from a computer? (c) What is the elaboration of CPU? (d) What is the function of accelerator in a car? (e) Why does the speaker advise a driver to keep his brain cool?
2. Read the following text and make a flow chart showing the life history of Nelson Mandela (No. 1 has been done for you): 2×5=10 He is at the epicenter of our time, ours in South Africa, and yours, wherever you are,” Nadine Gordimer, the South African writer and Nobel Laureate for Literature, once remarked. The years Mandela spent behind bars made him the world’s most celebrated political prisoner and a leader of mythic stature for millions of black South Africans and other oppressed people far beyond his country’s borders. Charged with capital offences in the 1963 Rivonia Trial, his statement from the dock was his political testimony. “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.” “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities,” he told the court. “It is an ideal I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Friends adored Mandela and fondly called him “Madiba,” the clan name by which he was known. People lauded his humanity, kindness and dignity.
| 1. A leader of mythic stature | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
3. Write a summary of the following text. 10
Valentina Tereshkova was born in the village Maslennikovo, Tutayevsky District, in Central Russia. Tereshkova’s father was a tractor driver and her mother worked in a textile plant. Tereshkova began school in 1945 at the age of eight, but left school in 1953 and continued her education through distance learning. She became interested in parachuting from a young age, and trained in skydiving at the local Aero club, making her first jump at age 22 on 21 May 1959. At that time she was employed as a textile worker in a local factory. It was her expertise in skydiving that led to her selection as a cosmonaut. After the flight of Yuri Gagarin (the first human being to travel to outer space in 1961), the Soviet Union decided to send a woman in space. On 16 February 1962, “proletaria” Valentina Tereshkova was selected for this project from among more than four hundred applicants. Tereshkova had to undergo a series of training that included weightless flights, isolation tests, centrifuge tests, rocket theory, spacecraft engineering, 120 parachute jumps and pilot training in MiG-15UTI jet fighters. Since the successful launch of the spacecraft Vostok-5 on 14 June 1963, Tereshkova began preparing for her own flight. On the morning of 16 June 1963, Tereshkova and her back-up cosmonaut Solovyova were dressed in space-suits and taken to the space shuttle launch pad by a bus. After completing her communication and life support checks, she was sealed inside Vostok-6. Finishing a two-hour countdown, Vostok-6 launched faultlessly. Although Tereshkova experienced nausea and physical discomfort for much of the fight she orbited the earth 48 times and spent almost three days in space. With a single flight she logged more flight time than the combined times of all American astronauts who had flown before that date. Tereshkova also maintained a flight log and took photographs of the horizon, which were later used to identify aerosol layers within the atmosphere.
4. Read the following text and fill in the blanks with suitable word from the box. There are more words than needed. Make any grammatical change if necessary. 0.5×10=5
| while | tell | discipline | considerable | teach | behaviour | speak | school | follower | deal |
As a child you must have been (a) —- to greet your elders and visitors to your home according to your culture and tradition. You must also have been (b) —- to be polite in company and keep quiet (c) —- others, especially your elders, (d) —-. Possibly, you at times grudged such (e) —-. Possibly, at times you even protested such (f) —-. Now, certainly you know that you can’t always (g) —- the way you want especially in the presence of others. There are rules of behaviour you have to (h) —- in a company. We are social beings and have to (i) —- the effect of our behaviour on others, even if we are at home and (j) —- with our family members. 5. Fill in the blanks with appropriate word in each gap. 1×10=10 The persona of a traffic policeman has always been a curious one. It has often (a) —- important space and close treatment in literature and (b) —- arts. Besides the many poems about this (c) —- character, there is at least one movie where the central character is a traffic policeman. In 1963, Greek film maker Filippos Fylaktos made this film (d) —- My Brother, the Traffic Policeman. It featured a slightly (e) —- traffic policeman, Antonis Pikrocholos, who is utterly (f) —- to service and duty, and applies the traffic code with unyielding severity. Tickets (g) —- down upon law-breakers in particular taxi-drivers and especially Lampros, who (h) —- to be in love with Pikrocholos’ sister, Fofo. In his (i) —-, the traffic policeman is in love with a businessman’s daughter, Kiki, who is afraid to (j) —- her feelings to her father. 6. Rearrange the following sentences to make a coherent order. 10
a) A number of people applied for the job. b) Once there lived a Sultan in a country. c) They came through a passage where gold coins were kept. d) Then he found the desired man. e) When they all arrived, the Sultan asked them to dance. f) He wanted to appoint an honest man as his tax collector. g) All the applicants blushed and refused except one. h) The applicants were asked to meet Sultan one by one. i) So he asked for the wise counselor’s advice. J) Then he invited applications.
Answer Sheet:
1(A) (a) (iv) vehicles or pedestrians in transit (b) (ii) the driver of a vehicle (c) (i) a light change (d) (iv) an adjective (e) (iii) changing directions
2. Try Yourself
3. Try Yourself
4. a) told b) taught c) while d) spoke e) schooling f) disciplining g) behaviour h) follow i) consider j) dealing
5. a) found b) other c) fascinating d) named e) manic f) devoted g) rain h) happens i) turn j) reveal
6.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| b | f | i | j | a | h | c | e | g | d |