English First Paper , Chittagong Board-2017

Chittagong Board-2017                                               English First Paper

Part A : Reading Test (50 Marks)

Read the passage. Then answer the question no. 1, 2 and 3.

Patriotism is a noble virtue. It inspires a man to do everything just and fair for the well being and betterment of the country. It is the quality that impels a man to sacrifice his own interest, comfort, pleasure and even his life for the sake of his country. Patriotic zeal makes a man dutiful, energetic and enthusiastic. He obeys the law, pays taxes and thinks for the country. Patriotism teaches a man fellow-feeling, fraternity and love and sympathy for the countrymen. A patriot is also praised and honoured by his countrymen. On the other hand, an unpatriotic man is an ignoble person. He is self-centered. He engaged all his time in achieving his mean end. He causes harm to the country by his unyielding and reckless activities. He is an enemy to the liberty and sovereignty of the country. He feels no scruple plot against the country. He gets his return in the same way. He may have high titles, immense wealth, high social prestige and noble birth. But despite his worldly achievements, he remains a worthless person. His power and pelf fail to bring him any glory. Because during his life time such a man is never honoured by anybody. Rather he is despised because of his treachery. No minstrel ever sings for him. Such a man dies a double death. During his life time he possesses a dead soul and he remains completely forgotten by the people. This is his first death. Then comes the natural demise. After expiring, his body mixed with the vile dust from which it sprang. Nobody remembers him or shows any honour to him. Nobody sheds tears for him. He sinks into oblivion.

1.     Choose the correct answer from the alternatives.     1´7=7

(a)   What inspires a person to die for the country?

        (i) power and pelf

        (ii) name and fame

        (iii) patriotic zeal

        (iv) pleasure and comfort of life

(b)   A man without patriotism spends all his time for¾

        (i) the well-being of the state

        (ii) his personal interest

        (iii) promoting the peace of the country

        (iv) collecting taxes

(c)   The word 'impel' stands for¾

        (i) misguide                   (ii) divert

        (iii) inspire                      (iv) impact

 (d)  Patriotism makes a person¾

        (i) fanatic                      (ii) extremist

        (iii) selfish                      (iv) loyal

 (e)  An unpatriotic man is always¾

        (i) self-sacrificing         (ii) hateful

        (iii) submissive              (iv) sympathetic

 (f)   The word 'demise' has the closest meaning to ¾

        (i) death                         (ii) decay

        (iii) decline                     (iv) wither

 (g)  A minstrel is a person who¾

        (i) sings praising others

        (ii) criticizes others

        (iii) writes the biography of the patriots

        (iv) makes the list of the patriots

2.     Answer the following questions.                     2´5=10

(a)   Why do people love and respect a patriot?

(b)   What sort of man is an unpatriotic man?

(c)   How does patriotism motivate the countrymen?

(d)   'An unpatriotic man is an enemy to the liberty and sovereignty of the country' ¾ Do you agree with the statement? If yes, why?

(e)   What happens to an unpatriotic man after his death?

3.     Write a summary of the passage in not more than 90 to 100 words.            10

        Read the passage carefully and answer the question nos. 4 and 5.

        John Milton was one of the famous poets in English literature. He was born on December 9, 1609 in London. At the age of 17, he went to Cambridge University for study and after seven years of study, he obtained his M.A. degree from that university. The next six years he spent at Horton in unprofessional study. In 1638 he started his foreign tour. In 1640 he married Mary Powell, a young girl of seventeen. But his wife died in 1652 leaving him with three daughters. So, he married second time in 1656 but two years after this second wife also died. Of all his works "Paradise Lost" is said to be the greatest. He finished composing this great epic in 1664. But it was published three years later. By this time he lost his eyesight. At the age of 66, he died on November 8, 1674.

4.     Complete the table below with the information from the passage 'B'.         5

Who/ What	Date/ Year	Event/ Purposes	Where/ from
Milton	December, 1608	(i) .....	London
Milton	1625	went to study	(ii) ......
Milton	1640	(iii) .....
Mary Powell	(iv) .....	died
(v) .....	1667	published	London

5.     From your reading of the above passage B, fill in the blanks with suitable words. Use one word only in each blank.   1´5=5

        Very few (a) ¾ in the word are as great as John Milton. He is regarded as a versatile (b) ¾ for his outstanding works in English literature. He took his (c) ¾ on December 9, 1608 in the city of London. He was engaged in marriage (d) ¾ Mary Powell. His wife died a premature (e) ¾ leaving three daughters with him.

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.           1´5=5

Column A	Column B
a.  Garment industries are	i.     to be self-reliant.
b.  The remuneration paid to the garments workers	ii.    in the lives of upper class women.
c.  Garments industries have brought a great change	iii.   the women working in garments industries are happy.
d.  In spite of getting poor salary	iv.  is very poor.
e.  A job in a garment industry helps a woman	v.   a major source of earning foreign currency.
	vi. in the lives of poor women.
	vii. is very high.

7.     Put the following parts of the story in correct order to rewrite the whole story.      1´8=8

(a)   One day, he became very hungry and could not get anything to eat.

(b)   The food was very hot.

(c)   He came to a house and asked an old woman to give him something to eat.

(d)   As a result, he burnt his finger.

(e)   He hurriedly dug his fingers right at the middle of the dish.

(f)    Then he disguised himself as a poor traveller and supported himself by begging.

(g)   Once young Taimur attacked a province of a powerful prince but unfortunately all his soldiers were killed.

(h)   The old woman fell pity for him and quickly gave Taimur a dish full of food.

Part B : Writing Test (50 Marks)

8.     Answer the following questions to write a paragraph on 'Our National Flag'.         10

(a)   What does national flag symbolize?

(b)   What is its size?

(c)   What are its colours?

(d)   What do the colours indicate?

(e)   Where is it hoisted?

(f)    When is the national flag kept half mast?

(g)   How can we uphold its honour?

9.     Read the beginning of a story. Write new ten sentences to complete the story.          10

        One day two rats stole a piece of bread. They tried to divide it into two equal parts but failed. Because each rat wanted the larger part of the bread. They even fought for that. Lastly, they agreed to put up their problem to the monkey who was considered the wisest animal in the forest. They went.........

10.  Look at the following pie-chart. It shows the choice of professions by different educated youth in Bangladesh. Now, describe the pie-chart in about 150 words. You are advised to high-light and summarize the information given in the pie-chart.    10

       

11.  Suppose, you are Rupam/Rupama living at Mirpur, Dhaka. Your friend Rana/Rina lives at College Road, Rajshahi. He/She wanted to know how you spent your last summer vacation. Now, write a letter to your friend describing your experiences during the summer vacation.                                                 10

12.          Suppose, you are Adib/Adiba and your friend is Farsin/Farisha. You and your friend feel the necessity of planting trees. Now, write a dialogue between you and your friend about the necessity of Tree Plantation.