MBSE HSSLC Sample Question Paper English

Total number of printed pages – 7 HSS/001

ENGLISH
(CORE)
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER
Full Marks – 80
Time – 3 hours

General Instructions :
(i) The paper is divided into three sections: A, B & C. All the sections are compulsory.
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question wherever necessary. Read these
instructions very carefully and follow them.
(iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
(iv) Marks for each question are indicated against it.

SECTION - A : Reading (15 marks)
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

While there is no denying that the world loves winners, it is important that you recognize the
signs of stress in your behaviour and be healthy enough to enjoy your success. Stress can strike
anytime, in a fashion that may leave you unaware of its presence in your life. While a certain
amount of pressure is necessary for performance, it is important to be able to recognize your
individual limit. For instance, there are some individuals who accept competition in a healthy
fashion. There are others who collapse into weeping wrecks before an exam or on comparing
marksheets and finding that their friend has scored better.

Stress is a body reaction to any demand or change in its internal and external environment.
Whenever there is a change in the external environment such as temperature, pollutants, humidity
and working conditions, it leads to stress. In these days of competition when a person makes up his
mind to surpass what has been achieved by others, leading to an imbalance between demands and
resources, it causes psycho-social stress. It is a part and parcel of everyday life.

Stress has a different meaning, depending on the stage of life you are in. The loss of a toy or
a reprimand from the parents might create a stress shock in a child. An adolescent who fails an
examination may feel as if everything has been lost and life has no further meaning. In an adult, the
loss of his or her companion, job or professional failure may appear as if there is nothing more to be
achieved.

Such signs appear in the attitude and behaviour of the individual, as muscle tension in
various parts of the body, palpitation and high blood pressure, indigestion and hyper-acidity.
Ultimately, the result is self-destructive behaviour such as eating and drinking too much, smoking
excessively or relying on tranquilisers. There are other signs of stress such as trembling, shaking,
nervous blinking, dryness of throat and mouth and difficulty in swallowing.

The professional under stress behaves as if he is a perfectionist. It leads to depression,
lethargy and weakness. Periodic mood shifts also indicate the stress status of students, executives
and professionals.

In a study sponsored by the World Health Organization and carried out by Harvard School
of Public Health, the global burden of diseases and injury indicated that stress diseases and
accidents are going to be the major killers in 2020.

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Heart disease and depression - both stress diseases - are going to rank first and second in
2020. Road traffic accidents are going to be the third largest killers. These accidents are also an
indicator of psycho-social stress in a fast moving society. Other stress diseases like ulcers,
hypertension and sleeplessness have assumed epidemic proportions in modern societies.
A person under stress reacts in different ways and the common ones are flight or fight
depending upon the nature of the stress and capabilities of the person. These responses can be
elegantly chosen to cope with stress so that stress does not damage the system and become stress.
When a stressful situation crosses the limit peculiar to an individual, it lowers his
performance capacity. Frequent crossings of the limit may result in chronic fatigue in which a
person feels lethargic, disinterested and is not easily motivated to achieve anything. This may make
the person mentally undecided, confused and accident prone as well. Sudden exposure to unnerving
stress may also result in loss of memory. Diet, massage, food supplements, herbal medicines,
hobbies, relaxation techniques and dance movements are excellent stress busters.
A. Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions: 2x2=4
(a) What is stress? What factors lead to stress?
(b) How does a person react under stress?
B. Select the appropriate answer from the given options: 2x1=2
(a) Stress impairs.....
(i) death
(ii) the performance of an individual
(iii) hypertension
(iv) none of the above
(b) Sudden exposure to unnerving stress may also result in -
(i) indigestion
(ii) dryness of throat
(iii) difficulty in swallowing
(iv) loss of memory
C. Find the words in the passage which convey similar meanings as the given words.
Select the appropriate answer from the given options. 2x1=2
(a) Rebuke
(i) competition
(ii) reprimand
(iii) imbalance
(iv) tension

(b) inactive
(i) self-destructive
(ii) chronic
(iii) lethargic
(iv) sudden
2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
There is nothing more frustrating than when you sit down at your table to study with the
most sincere of intentions and instead of being able to finish the task at hand, you find your
thoughts wandering. However, there are certain techniques that you can use to enhance your
concentration. “Your concentration level depends on a number of factors,” says Samuel Ghosh, a
social counsellor. “In order to develop your concentration span, it is necessary to examine various
facets of your physical and internal environment,” he adds.

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To begin with, one should attempt to create the physical environment that is conducive to
focused thought. Whether it is the radio, TV or your noisy neighbours, identify the factors that
make it difficult for you to focus. For instance, if you live in a very noisy neighbourhood, you
could try to plan your study hours in a nearby library.
He disagrees with the notion that people can concentrate or study in an environment with
distractions like a loud television, blaring music etc. “If you are distracted when you are
attempting to focus, your attention and retention powers do not work at optimum levels,”
cautions Ghosh. “Not more than two of your senses should be activated at the same time,” she
adds. What that means is that music that sets your feet tapping is not the ideal accompaniment to
your books.

Also, do not place your study table or desk in front of a window. “While there is no cure for a
mind that wants to wander, one should try and provide as little stimulus as possible. Looking out
of a window when you are trying to concentrate will invariably send your mind on a tangent,”
says Ghosh.
The second important thing, he says, is to establish goals for oneself instead of setting a
general target and then trying to accomplish what you can in a haphazard fashion. It is very
important to decide what you have to finish in a given span of time. The human mind recognizes
fixed goals and targets and appreciates schedules more than random thoughts. Once your
thoughts and goals are in line, a focused system will follow.
He recommends that you divide your schedule into study and recreation hours. When you
study, choose a mix of subjects that you enjoy and dislike and save the former for the last so that
you have something to look forward to. For instance, if you enjoy verbal skill tests more than
mathematical problems, then finish Maths first. Not only will you find yourself working harder,
you will have a sense of achievement when you wind up.
Try not to sit for more than 40 minutes at a stretch. Take a very short break to make a cup of
tea or listen to a song and sit down again. Under no circumstances should one sit for more than
one and a half hours. Short breaks build your concentration and refresh your mind. However, be
careful not to overdo the relaxation. It may have undesired effects.
More than anything else, do not get disheartened. Concentration is merely a matter of
disciplining the mind. It comes with practice and patience and does not take very long to become
a habit for life.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it in points only, using
abbreviations, wherever necessary. Also suggest a suitable title. 4

(b)Write a summary of the above passage in about 80 words. 3

SECTION - B : Writing (25 marks)

3. You want to rent out your newly constructed house in the heart of the city. Draft an
advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in the classified columns of a local
newspaper. Give all the necessary details. You are Thansanga of Khatla, Aizawl.
(Word limit : 50 words) 5

4. With the COVID – 19 pandemic on the rise, the need of the hour is adoption of safety
measures. As the Principal of Freedom High School, write a notice for your School notice
board giving instructions for safety measures to be followed inside the school campus.
(Word limit:50Words) 5

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5. (a) You are Zothani/Zothana of C - 16, Dawrpui, Aizawl. You have seen an advertisement in a
local newspaper inviting applications for the post of English Lecturer in ZM Higher Secondary
School, Republic, Aizawl. Write a letter to the Principal, applying for the vacant post. Include
your detailed bio-data. 10
OR
(b) You bought a refrigerator two months ago from Silo Sales, Dawrpui, Aizawl. It has
developed certain problems regarding its functioning. Cooling has stopped and it is making a
lot of noise. Write a letter of complaint to the manager asking him for immediate repair or
replacement of the same. You are Hminga of Rahsi Veng, Lunglei. 10

6. (a) Cancer Society of Mizoram recently organised a 'No Tobacco' workshop in your school in
order to create awareness regarding the harmfulness of tobacco products among school
children. Write a report on the same to be published in the newspaper in about 120 words. 5
OR
(b) On Teacher's Day, the class captains of your school organized a grand celebration
to honour the teachers. As the school captain, write a report on the celebration in about
120 words. 5
SECTION – C : Literature (40 marks)
7. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 4x1=4
I. On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world.

(a) The name of the poem is -
(i) A Roadside Stand
(ii) Keeping Quiet
(iii) An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum
(iv) Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

(b) The colour of the classroom walls suggest -
(i) hope and happiness
(ii) decaying aspect and pathetic condition
(iii) anger and frustration
(iv) determination

(c) 'Open - handed map'means -
(i) map of the world drawn by a great artist
(ii) map of the world which becomes an opening of new opportunities for the slum
children
(iii) map of the world drawn at will by powerful people
(iv) map of the world which assure the slum children that they are saved from their
miserable condition
(d) The classroom walls have -
(i) pictures of Shakespeare
(ii) buildings with domes
(iii) world maps and beautiful valleys
(iv) all of the above
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OR
II Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
(a) Keeping Quiet is written in blank verse by
(i) Stephen Spender
(ii) Pablo Neruda
(iii) Louis Fischer
(iv) John Keats

(b) Keeping Quiet is a simple poem about
(i) greed
(ii) not speaking in any language
(iii) self introspection
(iv) relaxing

(c) Man is 'single minded' about
(i) being a better human being
(ii) his own selfish motives
(iii) helping his brothers
(iv) total inactivity

(d) The 'sadness' refers to
(i) man not understanding his own fellow man
(ii) man not working
(iii) the killing of whales
(iv) man not keeping quiet

8. Answer the following questions in about 30 words : 3x2=6

(a) What is the kind of pain and ache that Kamala Das feels?
(b) Why does Stephen Spender say that the pictures and maps in the elementary school
classroom are meaningless?
(c) How is a thing of beauty a joy forever?

9. Answer the following questions in about 30 words : 4x2=8

(a) What was the sudden announcement made by M.Hamel?
(b) What was the first thing Douglas did to overcome his fear of water?
(c) Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
(d) Why is Raj Kumar Shukla described as being resolute?
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10. Choose the correct answer from the given options : 2x1=2

(a) Saheb was paid............. rupees for working in a tea stall -
(i) 600
(ii) 700
(iii) 800
(iv) 900

(b) The back benches in the classroom were occupied by
(i) weak students
(ii) Germans
(iii) senior students
(iv) village elders
11. Answer any one of the following questions in about 100 - 120 words each:

(a) What is Mukesh's dream? How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream? 1+4=5
OR
(b) “His was not a loyalty to abstractions : it was a loyalty to living human beings.”
Explain the statement with reference to Gandhi’s actions in Champaran. 5
12. Answer the following questions in about 30 words: 2x2=4
(a) How does Charley describe himself?
(b) What 'new phase' had come in Jo?

13. Choose the correct answer from the given options : 6x1=6

(a) Charley found out that Sam bought..........worth of old-style currency -
(i) five hundred dollars
(ii) six hundred dollars
(iii) seven hundred dollars
(iv) eight hundred dollars

(b) "The best thing that we could do would be to put him back in the sea". Who said this
and to whom ?
(i) Hana to Dr.Sadao
(ii) Dr. Sadao to Hana
(iii) Dr.Sadao to himself
(iv) Dr.Sadao to the wounded soldier

(c) Adults in 'Should Wizard Hit Mommy' signify ―
(i) maturity and experience
(ii) understanding
(iii) cruelty
(iv) indifference

(d) Bama was a victim of
(i) gender prejudice
(ii) violence
(iii) caste system
(iv) child abuse

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(e) In Zitkala's tribe short hair was worn by
(i) mourners
(ii) warriors
(iii) the elderly
(iv) paleface

(f) Derry felt the things Mr. Lamb said were ―
(i) peculiar
(ii) sad
(iii) funny
(iv) profound

14. Answer any one of the following questions in about 100 - 120 words :

(a) How did Mr.Lamb's meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry's life? 5

OR

(b) Describe the Grand Central Station at the third level. 5

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