S.S.C. 2023 English Practice Paper No.02

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S.S.C. 2023 English Practice Paper No.02

SECTION I : LANGUAGE STUDY

Q.1 A) Do as directed. (Attempt any four) [8]

A1) Fill in the missing letters to complete the words. 2

i) rema_n

ii) Whisp_r

iii) pop_lar

iv) relat_on

Ans:

i) remain

ii) Whisper

iii) popular

iv) relation

A2) Put the words in alphabetical order. 2

i) practice, never, resistance, difficulty

ii) inspire, insulation, instructor, invisible

Ans:

i) difficulty, never, practice, resistance

ii) inspire, instructor, insulation, invisible

A3) Punctuate the following. 2

i) yes certainly his wife said

ii) shall I accept his proposal

Ans:

i) “Yes, certainly”, his wife said.

ii) Shall I accept his proposal?

A4) Make four words (minimum 3 letters) using the letters in the word 2

Bridegroom

Ans:

ride, room, broom, bride , moor, dried, red

A5) Write related words as shown in the examples. 2

Ans:

A6) Complete the word chain of “Verbs”. Add four words, each beginning with the last letter of 2 the previous word.

Plant, 1. _________, 2._________, 3. _________, 4. ___________

Ans: Plant – 1. Tie, 2. Express, 3. Swim, 4. Mix

Q.1 B) Do as directed. [2]

1. (Attempt any one)

a) Make a meaningful sentence using the phrase

‘co-operate with’ 1

Ans: We must co-operate with our teachers.

b) Add a clause to expand the sentence meaningfully.

1 We will meet you

Ans: We will meet you after the party is over.

2. (Attempt any one) 1

a) Add a prefix or suffix to make words.(2 words)

i) success ii) act

Ans: i) Successful ii) action

b) Use any one of the following words in your own sentence. 1 i) success ii) act

Ans: If you want success in your life, you must work hard.

SECTION II: TEXTUAL PASSAGES

Q.2 A) Read the passage and carry out the activities. [10]

A1) State whether the following statements are True or False. 2 i) He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards.

ii) His mother had picked a piece of the fruit.

iii) Maddened by hunger the seagull dived at the fish.

iv) The wind rushed against his breast feathers.

Ans: i) True ii) False iii) True iv) True

His mother had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly, tapping the rock with his feet, trying to get nearer to her as she flew across. But when she was just opposite to him, she halted, her wings motionless, the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak. He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. “Ga, ga, ga, Ga, ga ga, Gaw-col-ah,” his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with another scream. Then his father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister flying around him curveting and banking and soaring and diving.

A2) Rewrite the following in a sequential order. 2

i) He was no longer afraid.

ii) He answered her with another scream.

iii) His mother had picked up a piece of fish.

iv) Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still.

Ans:

iii) His mother had picked up a piece of fish.

iv) Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still.

i) He was no longer afraid.

ii) He answered her with another scream.

A3) List four verbs from passage which are in past form. 2

Ans: 1) leaned , 2) seized , 3) rushed , 4) felt

A4)

i) He was no longer afraid. (Choose the correct tail tag) 2

a) was he? b) wasn’t he? c) did he?

Ans:

a) was he?

He was no longer afraid, was he?

ii) He answered her with another scream. (Rewrite using simple present tense)

Ans: He answers her with another scream.

A5) What do you do when you feel hungry? 2

Ans: When I feel hungry, I ask my mother to prepare something yummy for me. She always cooks something quickly and then both of us enjoy the dish together.

Q.2 B) Read the passage and carry out the activities. [10]

B1) Complete the sentences. 2

i) I bow to my late parents, to my mother land India, and ______________.

ii) I am deeply honoured to recite a mantra from ______________.

Ans:

i) I bow to my late parents, to my mother land India, and to the mother earth.

ii) I am deeply honoured to recite a mantra from the ancient text of wisdom Vedas.

My dear children of the world … Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dear brother Tom Harkin, brothers and sister, and my dear daughter Malala. From this podium of peace and humanity, I am deeply honoured to recite a mantra from the ancient texts of wisdom, Vedas. This mantra carries a prayer, an aspiration and a resolve that has the potential to liberate humanity from all man-made crises.

Let’s walk together. In the pursuit of global progress, not a single person should be left out or left behind in any corner of the world, from East to West, from South to North.

Let’s speak together, let our minds come together! Learning from the experiences of our ancestors, let us together create knowledge for all that benefits all.

I bow to my late parents, to my motherland India, and to the mother earth. With a warm heart I recall how thousands of times, I have been liberated, each time I have freed a child from slavery. In the first smile of freedom on their beautiful faces, I see the Gods smiling.

B2) Complete the following web chart. 2

‘A’

‘B’

1. aspiration

2. resolve

3. podium

4. slavery

a) state of being under someone’s control

b) a platform to give performance

c) to bring to an end

d) desire

Ans:

‘A’

‘Answer’

1. aspiration

2. resolve

3. podium

4. slavery

d) desire

c) to bring to an end

b) a platform to give performance

a) state of being under someone’s control

B4) Do as directed.

i) I have freed a child from slavery. (Change the voice)

ii) Let’s walk together. (Add a question tag) 2

Ans:

i) A Child has been freed from slavery by me.

ii) Let’s walk together, shall we?

B5) What did the speaker feel honoured to recite? Why? 2

The speaker Kailash Satyarthi felt deeply honoured to recite a mantra from the ancient texts of wisdom, Vedas because it carries a prayer, an aspiration and a resolve that has the potential to liberate humanity from all man made crises.

SECTION III : POETRY

Q.3 A) Read the extract and answer the questions given below. [5]

A1) Complete the following: 2

i) When all others are losing theirs, ______________

ii) When others doubt us, _______________

iii) When we are being lied about, _______________

iv) When we are being hated, ______________

Ans:

i)When all others are losing theirs, we must keep our heads,

ii) When others doubt us, we must trust ourselves,

iii) When we are being lied about, we must not deal in lies,

iv) When we are being hated, we must not give way to hating.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

A2) What advice does your father give you? Write about it

in 5-8 lines.

Ans: My father tells me to study regularly and not just at the time of exams. My father advises me to wake up early in the morning and take exercise. He also advises me to choose my friends carefully because he believes that man is known by the company, he keeps.

A3) Give two pairs of rhyming words. 1

Ans:

i) you – too

ii) waiting – hating

iii) lies – wise

Q.3 B) Read the poem. Write critical appreciation of the poem in about 12 to 15 sentences with the help of following points.

Stopping by woods on a snowy evening

Whose woods these are I think I Know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost

i) Title of the poem – 1/2

ii) Poet of the poem – 1/2

iii) Rhyme Scheme – 1

iv) Figures of speech (Any one) 1

v) Central idea of the poem – 2

Ans:

i) Title of the poem – Stopping by Woods on a snowy evening.

ii) Poet of the poem – Robert Frost

iii) Rhyme Scheme – aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd

iv) Figures of speech (any one) – alliteration, Repetition,

Personification, inversion.

v) Central idea of the poem – In this poem poet has described a little incident happening in a Snowy evening. Poet is a traveler, he is fascinated by the beautiful nature in the woods. Although he stops to enjoy this moment, his mind reminds him that he is a traveller and he has to go on.

SECTION IV : NON TEXTUAL PASSAGE

Q.4 A) Read the passage and carry out the activities. [10]

A1) List different purposes for which human beings use animals. 2

Ans:

i)for food

ii) for entertainment

iii) pleasure i

v) convenience

Animals have been a neglected lot all over the world. God must have been very angry over the way men and women treat animals! God created all life forms with equal care and love. As man loves freedom, so do all forms of animals. Man uses animals for his pleasure, entertainment and convenience. This is man’s cruelty to animals! Have animals ever encroached into man’s world and hunted him? Has any animal ever encaged any man? Animals are equally precious and should equally share God’s earth and should not be caged at all. They should be in the wilderness with their families. Animals should live in their natural habitat and be allowed to roam freely because animals’ natural instincts will vanish if they are caged in zoos. Also, some animals are forced to live in climates that they are not accustomed to and this is cruel. For example, the elephant is accustomed to live in tropical climates but is forced to live in zoos in cold countries like Canada.

There are many real life incidents in all parts of the world that are touching examples of animals’ understanding and care towards human beings. Some famous books such as ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘The War Horse’, and certain movies such as ‘The Eight Below’, ‘War Horse’, ‘Jungle Book’, etc. endorse the argument that animals are not only emotional, they are intelligent also.

We must stop exploiting and killing them for fun and food. Besides, it is not morally and ethically right to deprive someone of the right of living in their own home. Forests and their other habitats are the natural home of animals.

We must let them live there. We must follow the precept of ‘Live and let live’. Being the most intelligent animal, it is man’s responsibility to take care of the less endowed animals.

A2) Complete the following web. 2

Ans: Cruelty of man towards animals:

i) exploiting them for fun

ii) killing them for food

iii) taking away their freedom

iv) putting them in cages

A3) Make four words of minimum 3 letters each using the letters in the given word. 2

ENCROACHMENT

Ans: create, mean, coat, more, tear, mere

A4) 2

i) Animals are not only emotional but also intelligent. (Rewrite the sentence using ‘as well as’)

Ans: Animals are intelligent as well as emotional.

ii) Animals should live in their natural habitat. (Add question tag)

Ans: Animals should live in their natural habitat, shouldn’t they?

A5) “Live and let live”. Expand this idea on the basis of the passage. 2

Ans: Just as we have a right to live on this earth, animals, birds and all living creatures have a right to live on this earth. Forests are the natural habitats for wild animals. We are destroying their natural habitats by cutting trees in the forest. We catch animals, train them to work for us, put them in a cage and use them for our benefits. Animals also deserve freedom. We have no right to imprison them and take away their freedom. Hence, we should live our own life and allow animals also to live their life in their own natural way. We should not ill-treat animals or be cruel to them. We should not interfere with the lives of animals. We should follow the policy of ‘Live and let live”.

Q.4 B) Write a summary of the above passage and suggest a suitable title for it. [5]

Ans: Live and Let Live

Animals have been neglected all over the world. God created all life forms with equal care and love. Everyone loves freedom. Using animals for pleasure, entertainment and convenience shows man’s cruelty. Animals should live in their natural habitat and be allowed to room freely. They should not be forced to live in climates that they are not accustomed to. We can see many incidents showing how understanding and caring animals are towards human beings. It is not morally and ethically right to deprive someone of the right of living in their own home. Being the most intelligent animal, it is man’s responsibility to take care of the less endowed animals.

SECTION V : WRITING SKILL

Q.5 A) Do any one of the following – A1 or A2. [5]

BRAVERY DESERVES REWARD

Shivapur, August 31: Two days ago, the local grocer’s daughter, Reena, was saved from almost certain in death. At about 9 am she accidently fell into the well.

The entire village came to the spot in response to her screams. No one dared to jump in. Rohan Mithi, 12 year old son of the local sweetmeat shop owner, who happened to pass by, jumped in and without heeding warnings or caring for personal safety, saved the drowning girl.

A1) Informal Letter:

Imagine you were an eye witness to the incident. Write a letter to your friend describing the incident in detail.

Ans:

Sai Krupa chawl,

Thangewadi,

Shivapur – 416519,

Dist. Sindhudurg.

8 September, 2019.

Dear Ravi,

Only the other day I was eye- witness to an incredible act of bravery in our village, you may have read about it in the newspaper, but I must narrate to you what I saw in my own words! Reena Yadav is the little four-year-old daughter of our local grocer. On 29th August 2018, at about 9 a.m., she accidentally fell into a well near her house. There were screams and confusion all round. I do not know how to swim. The entire village had gathered there, but no one dared to dive in to save the girl. The girl’s head was bobbing in and out of the water.

Then twelve-year-old Rohan Miti happened to pass by. He is the son of Shivram, the local sweetmeat shop owner. He pushed his way through the crowd and without heeding warnings or caring for personal safety jumped into the well. He caught little Reena by her shoulders and kept her head above water until a rope was thrown in.

The entire village of Thangewadi feels that Rohan deserves a special award for bravery if possible, at the hands of the Chief Minister of our state. We have written a letter to the local MLA, signed by all those present at the scene. We hope that Rohan would be rewarded for his grand act of courage.

Will let you know if there are further developments.

Your affectionate friend,

X.Y.Z

A2) Formal Letter:

Write a letter to your local MLA asking him/her to recommend Rohan’s name for an award for bravery.

Ans:

Sai Krupa Chawl,

Thangewadi,

Shivpur – 416 519,

Dist. Sindhudurg

1^st September, 2019

Shri K.P. Pawar (MLA)

Pawar Niwas,

Shantinagar

Shivpur – 416 519,

Dist. Sindhudurg.

Subject: Recommendation for Bravery Award ( for Rohan Mithi)

Dear Sir,

This is to bring to your attention the fact that Rohan Mithi, a resident of this town has just recently performed a feat exceptional for its bravery and selflessness. The incident was recently featured in the local newspaper. I am enclosing a news clipping with this letter.

On 29th August 2018, at about 9 a.m. Reena Yadav, the four – year- old daughter of our local grocer, accidentally fell into a well near her house. There were screams all around and a lot of confusion. No one, dared to do anything to save the girl. Precious minutes were slipping away. Then twelve – year old Rohan Mithi happened to pass by. He is the son of Shivram, the local sweetmeat shop owner. He rushed through jumped into the well. He caught the girl by her shoulders and kept her head above water until a rope was thrown in. Then with the girl on his back, he came out of the well.

The entire village was witness to this act of bravery and we feel that Rohan deserves a special Award for Bravery, if possible, at the hands of the Chief Minister of our state. I have enclosed a letter signed by all those present at the scene. Kindly consider our fervent request.

Yours sincerely,

XYZ

Q.5 B) Do any one of the following – B1 or B2. [5]

B1)

(a) Prepare a dialogue by arranging the given sentences in proper order.

• How do you start writing a story?

• I would like to know how you decide to write.

• I wait till something inspires me.

• I start with creating the characters.

Ans:

_ I would like to know how you decide to write.

_ I decide to write when something inspires me.

_ How do you start writing a story?

_ I start with creating the characters.

(b) Complete the following dialogues.

Karuna : I don’t know how I can spend my free time.

Payal : ____________________________________

Karuna : How do I get a library membership?

Payal : ____________________________________

Ans:

Karuna: I don’t know how I can spend my free time.

Payal: You can join a library and go there after school.

Karuna: How do I get a library membership?

Payal: You just need to fill a form and pay the fees.

(c) Complete the dialogue on the given theme.

Write a dialogue of minimum six meaningful exchanges on the career path you would like to follow.

Ans:

Mahesh: What do you wish to become in life?

Tanmay: I wish to become a soldier like my Uncle.

Mahesh: Really? Not many people opt for military jobs.

Tanmay: Yes, I know. I think of it as my responsibility towards my country.

Mahesh: Well, in that case, I wish you all the best. May you be the best you can!

Tanmay: Thank you, Mahesh!

B2) Speech Writing.

You have to deliver a speech in the class on ‘How to achieve great success’. Prepare a speech with the help of the points given below:

Points: success – 1% inspiration and 99% Perspiration; no achievement without hard work; no success by neglecting duties; examples; daily study, revision, practice required for success in the SSC; no study – no success; life is a challenge; face it boldly and be successful.

Ans: HOW TO ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESS

Dear teacher and fellow students,

Edison, the great scientist, said that success is 1% inspiration and 99% Perspiration. How true it is! Without hard work, toil, perseverance, there can be no achievement. Take the life of any great person and you will see the truth of it. Success does not come by neglecting our duties or shirking our responsibilities or lazing away all the time. Great heights can only be achieved by constant climbing. Sherpa Tenzing and Edmund Hillary did not fly to the top of mount Everest. They climbed. It took them days and they had to face many difficulties.

Without regular and hard study no students of the SSC can hope to do well, even the most brilliant. Constant study, revision, practice – all these are necessary. Then only can one hope to make it into the Merit list. It can never be that a student who doesn’t study at all achieves a distinction in the Board examinations.

So, let us then be up and doing. Let us face the challenges of the life boldly; let us be successful!

Thank you.

Q.6 A) Do any one of the following – A1 or A2.

A1) Information transfer:

The table given below shows features of an I-phone and an I-pad. Develop a paragraph based on the information given. You may begin as I phone is basically a Smartphone, whereas….

I phone

I pad

Smartphone
small screen 3.5 inches
allows to make and receive calls
Can view videos but on small screen difficult to operate, quite different from iPad.

– Tablet pc

– 9.7 inch screen

– cannot make calls

– Good to view videos, allow better computer work, closer to netbooks and laptops.

Ans:

An iPhone is basically a smartphone whereas and iPad is a tablet PC. An iPhone allows one to make and receive calls. Both have small screens. The screen of the iPad is a mere 9.7 inches. However, one can watch videos on both instruments. The iPad, particularly, is good to view videos. An iPhone is difficult to operate while an iPad allows better computer work. An iPhone is quite different from an iPad. In fact, the iPad is closer to netbooks and laptops

A2) Prepare a tree diagram by using given information. [5]

In order to provide a nation with an adequate supply of social necessities government must have a permanent source of income. It gets its essential income by the device of taxation. Government must increase its income and the only way to do this is by devising further means of taxation. Two types of taxes are exist that are direct and Indirect. Direct taxes are those such as income tax, excess profit tax and death duty, in which the taxpayers pay his contribution direct to the government. Indirect taxes such as tobacco sales tax and entertainment tax are paid by the taxpayer when he buys certain goods or services.

Ans:

Read Also: Grammatical Examples for Class 12th Board Exam

Q.6 B) Do any one of the following – B1 or B2. [5]

B1) Read the following headline. Write the date-line, introduction and short continuing paragraph.

Women’s organizations start tree plantation programme.

Ans: Women’s organizations start tree plantation programme.

Navi Mumbai, 15 June: The Navi Mumbai Women’s Organization conducted a Tree Plantation Programme at New Panvel yesterday. 770 saplings of various types were planted at the sides of the road and in the premises of local industries.

“Though people are aware of the importance of trees, they are too lethargic to actually plant trees,” said Ms. Shilpa Marathe, the president of the Organization. “But now that we have done the initial job, the people have promised to look after the saplings and water them regularly.” All the saplings belong to tough and fast-growing species and require little maintenance. Tree guards, donated by the local industries, have also been put round the saplings. We hope that the next monsoon brings us a green and clean New Panvel!

B2) Write a story of 180 – 200 words ending with ‘______ that is how Kunal got what he had always wanted’. Give it a suitable title. Ans:

Flight of Fancy

Kunal was a smart and sincere boy, who loved airplanes more than any other thing. Since his early childhood, he had been attracted to them and his interest kept growing with time. He dreamt ofbecoming a military pilot when he grew up and that was the only thing he wanted. He balanced his studies with his passion, and continued learning as much as he could about flying. In order to stay fit, he exercised and even played on the football team of his college. In spite of achieving other awards, he kept training hard and preparing so he could enroll at the flight training academy. However, during a match, he hurt himself and told that he wouldn’t qualify for the Air Force with his injury. He had to give up his dream with a heavy heart. However, he chose to serve his country by becoming an IAS officer. Despite becoming a successful official, he never forgot his old dream. On the day of his retirement, he was offered to fly in a jet fighter for his service. This was a mark of honour as well as appreciation for Kunal and he couldn’t be any happier.

Moral: Man proposes, but God disposes.