SSC EXAM MODEL TEST
Subject : English 1st paper
Part —A : Reading Text (50 Marks )
The pioneer of Bangladeshi modern art Zainul Abedin is widely acclaimed for his Bengal ‘Famine Sketches’. Through a series of sketches, Zainul not only documented the harsh famine of 1940 but also showed its sinister face through the skeletal figures of the people destined to die of starvation in a man-made plight. He depicted these extremely shocking pictures with human compassion. He made his own ink by burning charcoal and using cheap ordinary packing paper for sketching. He produced a series of brush and ink drawings, which later became iconic images of human sufferings. Zainul developed a knack for drawing and painting when he was a high school student. After completing high school, he got admission to the Government School of Art, Calcutta (now Kolkata). He graduated with the first position in first class in 1938. He was appointed teacher of the Art School while he was still a student there. He also attended the Slade School of Arts, London in 1951-52. Zainul Abedin is considered the founding father of Bangladeshi art. He was an artist of outstanding talent and earned international reputation. For his artistic and visionary qualities, he is referred to as Shilpacharya meaning ‘great teacher of art’ in
Bangladesh. He was the first Principal of the first art school in Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He organized the Nabanna (harvest) exhibition in 1969. In the exhibition, a 65-foot long scroll portraying the rural East Pakistan in phases from abundance to poverty. This intensified the already heightened non-cooperation movement against the Pakistan regime. The exhibition was symbolic of the artists’ protest and a milestone in demanding cultural and political freedom. Zainul’s English For Today
105 dynamic style of work is evident in a 30 foot long scroll painting called Manpura, which was done to commemorate the death of hundreds and thousands of people in the devastating cyclone of 1970.
He designed the pages of Constitution of Bangladesh. He founded the Folk Art Museum at Sonargoan, and also Zainul Abedin Shangrahasala, a gallery of his own works in Mymensing in 1975.
The river Brahmaputra plays a predominant role in his paintings and a source of inspiration all through his career. Much of his childhood was spent near the scenic beauty of the river Brahmaputra. A series of water colours that Zainul did as his tribute to the river earned him the Governor’s Gold Medal in an all-India exhibition in 1938. This was the first time when he came into spotlight and this award gave him
the confidence to create his own visual style. Zainul was born in Kishoreganj on 29 December 1914 and died on 28 May 1976.
1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives . 1×7=7
i). The meaning of the word ‘commemorate’ is _____.
a.celebrate b.recall c.respect d.memorise
ii.) Zainul developed a skill in ________ during his school life .
a. drawing b.painting c. drawing and painting d. art and craft
iii) Sinister means _____
a.ominous b.innocent c.blessed d.well
iv.) Zainul abedin used _____ paper for his art .
a.normal b.dull c.stale d.familiar
v.) He was the ____ of Bangladesh modern art .
a.forerunner b.colonizer c.explorer d.trailblazer
vi.) Famine is man made _____
a.dilemma b.difficulty c.scrape d.result
2. Answer the following questions. 2X5=10
a. Who is considered the founding father of Bangladeshi art ?
b. When did how many people die from starvation ?
c. What did Zainul Abedin use for his art ?
d. When did Zainul Abedin die ?
e.Which position did zainul attain in graduate ?
3. Fill in each gap with a suitable word of your own based on the information from the text in A . 1X5=5
Zainul is our a) __. He __ normal paper for his art . He is b)__ the founding father of Bangladeshi art . He graduated with the first position in first class in c)___. He was appointed teacher of the Art School while he was still a student there. He also d)______the Slade School of Arts, London in_ e)____. . He was an artist of outstanding talent and earned international reputation. For his artistic and visionary qualities, he is f)_____to as Shilpacharya meaning ‘great teacher of art’ in Bangladesh. He was the_ g)___ Principal of the first art school in Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He h)____-the Nabanna (harvest) exhibition in i)_____. Zainul was born in Kishoreganj on 29 December 1914 and died in _______
4. Read the following passage and complete the table below with information from the passage . 1×5=5
Thomas Alva Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio (pronounced MY-lan). In 1854, when he was seven, the family moved to Michigan, where Edison spent the rest of his childhood.
“Al,” as he was called as a boy, went to school only a short time. He did so poorly that his mother, a former teacher, taught her son at home. Al learned to love reading, a habit he kept for the rest of his life. He also liked to make experiments in the basement.
Al not only played hard, but also worked hard. At the age of 12 he sold fruit, snacks and newspapers on a train as a “news butcher.” (Trains were the newest way to travel, cutting through the American wilderness.) He even printed his own newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, on a moving train.
At 15, Al roamed the country as a “tramp telegrapher.” Using a kind of alphabet called Morse Code, he sent and received messages over the telegraph. Even though he was already losing his hearing, he could still hear the clicks of the telegraph. In the next seven years he moved over a dozen times, often working all night, taking messages for trains and even for the Union Army during the Civil War. In his spare time, he took things apart to see how they worked. Finally, he decided to invent things himself.
After the failure of his first invention, the electric vote recorder, Edison moved to New York City. There he improved the way the stock ticker worked. This was his big break. By 1870 his company was manufacturing his stock ticker in Newark, New Jersey. He also improved the telegraph, making it send up to four messages at once.
During this time he married his first wife, Mary Stilwell, on Christmas Day, 1871. They had three children — Marion, Thomas, Jr., and William. Wanting a quieter spot to do more inventing, Edison moved from Newark to Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876. There he built his most famous laboratory.
Who Event /activity Time Place/what
Thomas Alva Edison i…………………………. February 11, 1847 Ohio, America
He was seven ii………………………
He sold fruit, snacks and newspapers on a train as a “news butcher iii……………………..
He even printed his own newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, iv………………..
v……………………. married his first wife, Mary Stilwell, on Christmas Day, 1871
5.Write a summary of the passage in 90 to 100 words . 10
6. Match the parts of sentences given in column `A’ and column `B ‘ to write five complete sentences . There are more parts of sentences in column `B’ than required . 1X5=5
a) Water is an important
b) Water is essential
c) Polluted water is
d) Water can
e) Water is polluted
i)harmful
ii) be polluted in many ways
iii) element of our environment .
iv. for all
v. when wastes are thrown into it.
vi. can be polluted by smoke.
7. Re-arrange the following sentences in correct order to re-write the whole story : 1X8=8
a. Taimur’s soldiers were all killed but Taimur escaped with great difficulty .
b. One day he became very hungry and could not get anything to eat .
c. The area was surrounded on all sides .
d. It was situated far away from the capital .
e. Young Taimur once attacked a province of a powerful prince.
f. When the news reached the prince., he came with a large army .
g. Taimur was one of the greatest conquerors of the world
h. He disguised himself as apoor traveler and supported himself by begging .
8. Answer the following questions to write a paragraph on “Environment Pollution “ . 10
a. What is environment pollution ?
b. What are the elements of the ‘environment’ ?
c. How are the elements of environments being polluted ?
d. What is the affect of pollution ?
e. How are people responsible for environment pollution ?
f. What should we do to stop environment pollution ?
9. Read the beginning of a story . Write ten new sentences to complete the story . 1X10=10
There was a cow boy . He was a liar. He tended his cows by a forest . one day he cried out to make fun , “tiger, tiger, help, help.” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
10. The graph below shows the literacy rate of Bangladesh in different years . Now describe the information available in the graph 10
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11. Suppose , you are Moni/Monika. You have a friend named Ashamoni. Now , write a letter to your friend invitingl her to attend your birthday party . 10 12. Write a dialogue between you and your headmaster 0n the basis of issuing a T.C 10