Class: Eleven/Twelve English First Paper

SUB.CODE:107

                        

Class: Eleven/Twelve

English First Paper

Time: 3 hours                                                                                                            Full marks: 100

[N.B:- The figures in the right margin indicate full marks.]

            Part-I

1.      Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.

 Kuakata, locally known as Sagor Kannya (Daughter of the Sea) is a rare scenic spot located on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. Kuakata in Latachapali 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 headquaters 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 hemesteads 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.

A.   Choose the correct answer from the alternatives.                                                      1×5 = 5

(a)    “Scenic spot” refers to------

(i) a place having beautiful natural scenery                    (ii) a place decorated with flowers

(iii) a place full of trees                                                   (iv) a place looking like a desert

(b)   The word “Picturesque” stands for -----

(i) auditorially impressive                                                          (ii) mentally depressive

(iii) visually charming                                                               (iv) physically attractive        

(c)    Kuakata ------ tourists from home and abroad. 

(i) distructs                     (ii) attracts                   (iii) retracts                   (iv) detracts

(d)   Drinking water was not ----- in the neighbourhood of Kuakata.

(i) inconvenient             (ii) free                         (iii) unavailable            (iv)available

(e)    “This sandy beach slopes gently into the Bay “………”  ----- What does it imply?

(i)The beach inclines gradually into the sea                    (ii)The beach beats a retreat

(iii) The beach moves away from the sea                        (iv) The beach gets through a test

B.   Answer the following questions.                                                                                2×5 = 10

(a)    How do you differentiate Kuakata from other beaches?

(b)   What features make Kuakata a tourist attraction?

(c)    Why is Kuakata a unique spot?

(d)   How did Kuakata come to be named?

(e)    “The long and wide beach at Kuakata has a typical natural setting.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons.

2.      Read the following text and  make short notes in each of the boxes in the flow-chart showing the background of Liberation War. ( No. 1 has been done for you.)    2×5 = 10

The history of Bengal is the history of a people who have repeatedly made their highways crimson - with their blood. We shed blood in 1952; even though we were the victors in the elections of 1954 we could not form a government then. In 1958 Ayub Khan declared Martial Law to enslave us for the next ten years. In 1966 when we launched the six point movement our boys were shot dead on 7 June. When after the movement of 1969 Ayub Khan fell from power and Yahya Khan assumed the reins of the government he declared that he would give us a constitution and restore democracy; we listened to him then. A lot has happened since and elections have taken place.

B

3.      Summarise the following text.                                                                                              10

Beauty is easy to appreciate but difficult to define. As we look around, we discover beauty in pleasurable objects and sights – in nature, in the laughter of children, in the kindness of strangers. But asked to define, we run into difficulties. Does beauty have an independent objective identity?  Is it universal or is it dependent on our sense perceptions? Does it lie in the eye of the beholder? – we ask ourselves. A further difficulty arises when beauty manifests itself not only by its presence, but by its absence as well, as when we are repulsed by ugliness and desire beauty. But then ugliness has as much a place in our lives as beauty, or may be more – as when there is widespread hunger and injustice in a society. Philosophers have told us that beauty is an important part of life, but isn’t ugliness a part of life too? And if art has beauty as an important ingredient, can it continue itself only to a projection of beauty? Can art ignore what is not beautiful?

Poets and artists have provided an answer by incorporating both into their work. In doing so, they have often tied beauty to truth and justice, so that what is not beautiful assumes a tolerable proportion as something that represents some truth about life. John Keats, the romantic poet, wrote in his celebrated ‘Ode On a Grecian Urn’ ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,’ by which he means that truth, even if it is not pleasant, becomes beautiful at a higher level. Similarly, what is beautiful forever remains true. Another meaning, in the context of the Grecian Urn – an art object – is that truth is a condition of art.

4.      Read the following text and fill in the blanks with suitable word from the box. There are more words than necessary. Make any grammatical changes if necessary.      0.5 × 10 = 5

show	Muslims	people	barrier	flee	health
new	atrocities	recognize	humanity	achieve	persecute

Some 620,000 Rohingya (a) ––– , a religious and ethnic minority community in Myanmar,                                  have (b) ––– to neighboring Bangladesh since August this year. The United Nations has called the Rohingya the world’s most (c) ––– minority group and described the (d) ––– by Myanmar’s authorities as “ethnic cleansing”. But the persecution of the Rohingya is not (e) ––– . Research on the Rohingya Muslim in Myanmar (f) ––– that this pattern of persecution goes back to 1948 – the year when the country (g) ––– independence from their British colonizers. The government of Myanmar does not (h) ––– the Rohingya as citizens. They face many (i) ––– , including on their movement, access to the economy, education, (j) –––  and other rights.

5.      Fill in the gaps using suitable words.                                                                     1×10 = 10

Migration from Bangladesh to Britain started in 1930s and was (a) ----- a Sylheti (b) ----- . Men of this particular (c) ----- area employed by the British ship companies first started the process of (d) ----- . These men were (e) ----- illiterate and belonged to the landless (f) ----- . After the World War II, due to labour shortages, British government (g) ----- labour migration from its former colonies. The post-war British economy demanded cheap and (h) ----- labour, much of which was (i) ----- from South Asia. Since Sylhet had already (j) ----- a strong link with the UK, most new labour was drawn from there.

6.      Rearrange the following sentences to make a coherent order.                            1×10 = 10

(a)    My mother separated from my father does not want me.

(b)   Now she is married to another man.

(c)    I begged him to send me some money so that I could buy a bus ticket.

(d)   My father lives very far away.

(e)    He hasn’t answered.

(f)    I want to go to him, he won’t take me either.

(g)   My name is Amerigo.

(h)   I am still waiting.

(i)     She told me to go away.

(j)     I am 13 years old and I live on the street alone.

Part II

7.      Write a paragraph on “The Uses and Abuses of Mobile Phone” in about 200 words based on the answers to the following questions: –                                                          10

(a)    What is a mobile phone? (b) How does it function? (c) Who are the users of it?

(d) What are its uses? (e) What are its abuses?

8.      The following is the beginning of a story. Complete it in your own words. Give a title to it: –                                                                                                                                          7

One day a crow stole a piece of meat. It flew away and sat on the branch of a tree. Suddenly a fox ---------

9.      Suppose, you are a student of class XII. Now, write a letter to your younger brother advising him to refrain from mobile games.                                                                       5

10.  The graph below shows “The number of people living below the poverty line from 1995 to 2010”. Describe the graph in 150 words. You should highlight and summarise the information given in the graph.                                                                                         10

11.  Write down the theme of the following poem (Not more than 50 words): –                   8

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,

Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,

For they dream their dreams with open eyes,

And make them come true.