HSC Model Test 2020 (03)
Subject: English 1st Paper
Full Marks: 60 Time: 70 Minutes
1. Read the following text and answer the questions A and B. Kuakata, locally known as Sagar Kannya (Daughter of the Sea) is a rare scenic spot located on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Kuakata in Latachapli union under Kalapara Police Station of Patuakhali district is about 30 km in length and 6 km in breadth. It is 70 km from Patuakhali district headquarters and 320 km from Dhaka. An excellent combination of the picturesque natural beauty, sandy beaches, blue sky and the shimmering expanse of water of the Bay of Bengal and the evergreen forest makes Kuakata a much sought after tourist destination. The name Kuakata takes its origin from the story of a ‘Kua’—or well—dug on the seashore by the early Rakhaine settlers for collecting drinking water. The Rakhaines had landed on Kuakata coast after being expelled from Arakan by the Mughals. Following the first well, it became a tradition to dig wells in the neighbourhood of Rakhaine homesteads for fresh water supply. Kuakata is one of the unique spots which allow a visitor to watch both the sunrise and the sunset from the beach. That perhaps makes Kuakata one of the world’s most attractive beaches. The long and wide beach at Kuakata has a typical natural setting. This sandy beach slopes gently into the Bay and bathing there is as pleasant as is swimming or diving. Kuakata is truly a virgin beach and a sanctuary for migratory winter birds. Fishing boats plying in the Bay of Bengal with colourful sails, surfing waves and the lines of coconut trees add to the vibrant colours Kuakata. The indigenous culture of the Rakhaine community and hundred year old Buddhist temples indicate the age-old tradition and cultural heritage of this area.
A. Choose the correct option for each. 1×5= 5 (a) The word “scenic spot” in the passage stand for ——. (i) a place having multiple scenes (ii) a place having a calm atmosphere (iii) a place of unparalleled natural beauty (iv) a place having untidy spot (b) The word ‘shimmering’ in the text could be best replaced by ——. (i) shivering (ii) shining (iii) significant (iv) glaring (c) The Rakhaines originally came from ——. (i) Patuakhali district (ii) Latachapli union (iii) Kuakata coast (iv) Arakan district (d) The best synonym of ‘vibrant’ is ——. (i) thrilling (ii) colourful (iii) gorgeous (iv) brilliant (e) ‘Expanse’ refers to ——. (i) expenditure (ii) expense (iii) area (iv) width B. Answer the following questions. 2×5=10 (a) What does the expression ‘a much sought after tourist destinations’ mean? (b) What does the name Kuakata come from? (c) What makes Kuakata an attractive tourist spot? (d) Kuakata upholds an ancient tradition. How? (e) “Kuakata is truly a virgin beach” explain in your words. 2. Read the following text and make a flow chart showing how women in our country lose connection with the outside world and get confined in the household with no change of self-reliance. (No. 1 has been done for you). 2×5=10
In Bangladesh, the legal age of marriage for girls is 18. However, 33% of our girls get married before they are 15 years old and 60% of them give birth by the time they reach 19. When an adolescent girl gets married she usually drops out of school and thus loses her nobility. She gets confined to full-time work in her in-laws’ household. She loses social status and the opportunities for economic independence. In her in-laws’ house she gets marginalized. She becomes vulnerable to all sorts of abuse, including dowry-related violence. In our country it is still common for the bride’s family to pay dowry, despite the practice being illegal. Dowry demands can continue even years after marriage. An adolescent bride, even if her in-laws are supportive, faces enormous health risk during pregnancy and child birth. Majority of our people are uninformed or insufficiently informed about reproductive health. The maternal mortality rate among adolescents is double the national rate.
| 1. Getting Married early | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
3. Write a summary of the following text. 10
My name is Amerigo. I am 13 years old and I live on the street, alone. My mother, who is separated from my father, doesn’t want me. She told me to go away……… Now she is married to another man. My father lives very far away. I want to go to him, but he won’t take me either. The streets are now my home. Sometimes I find work. I used to collect trash and sell it to a vendor. I stopped doing that after I had a serious infection and a doctor told me to stay away from the trash dump. Once I worked for an ice cream shop owner and sold ice cream on the beach. But I got no money in return. The owner of the shop gave me something to eat, and let me sleep in his hut at night. The work was difficult and painful. The ice cream box is quite heavy when it is full. I had to walk for hours, offering my ice cream to whoever wanted to buy. There were days when I could not even sell one ice cream. In a way, I am lucky because I am alive. My friends who work sorting rubbish in dumps often suffer from serious diseases. One of them was recently killed after he fell into a hole that opened up in the pile of trash. Many of us work for 10 to 12 hours, and get so little in return that we can’t even buy food.
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
| capacity | during | adult | developments | develop | maturation | move | need | grow | be |
The time of adolescence (a) —- a period of preparation for (b) —- during which one experiences several key (c) —-. Besides physical and sexual (d) —-, these experiences include (e) —- toward social and economic independence, (f) —- of identity, the acquisition of skills (g) —- to carry out adult relationships and the (h) —- for abstract reasoning. While adolescence is a time of tremendous (i) —- and potential, it is also a time of considerable risks (j) —- which social contexts exert powerful influences.
5. Fill in the blanks with appropriate word in each gap. 1×10=10
It’s (a) —- adults’ world. They (b) —- the decisions, (c) —- the laws, make the money, and (d) —- all of the freedoms. But there (e) —- been exceptions. Take for example, these child visionaries-boys and girls (f) —- have changed our world (g) —- their good actions or examples. Some have mobilized millions for (h) —- good cause; others have moved (i) —- simply by their generous and hopeful view of (j) —-.
6. Rearrange the following sentences to make a coherent order. 10
(a) Once while lying in the cave, he saw a spider trying hard to reach the ceiling of the cave. (b) But it did not give up hope. (c) The spider failed again and again. (d) Bruce saw the spider climbing to the ceiling after some unsuccessful attempts. (e) He gathered an army of strong men and attacked his enemies and regained his kingdom. (f) This dauntless spider inspired Bruce to shake off the darkness of despair. (g) The king fought bravely but lost the battle. (h) Once enemies invaded the kingdom of Robert Bruce. (i) Fleeing from his kingdom, he took shelter in a cave. (j) The king was always in a gloomy state for his unhappy condition.
Arranged by Murad Sir
Answer Sheet
1. a) iii) a place of unparalleled natural beauty b) ii) shining c) iv) Arakan district d) i) thrilling e) iii) area
2. Try Yourself
3. Try Yourself
4. a) is b) adulthood c) developments d) maturation e) movement f) development g) needed h) capacity i) growth j) during
5. a) an b) make/take c) create d) have/get e) have f) who g) through/by h) a i) us j) humanity
6.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| h | g | i | j | a | c | b | d | f | e |