Rajshahi Board-2016 , English First Paper

Rajshahi Board-2016                                               English First Paper

Part A : Reading Test (50 Marks)

Read the passage. Now, answer the questions below.   

It is said that the crown and glory of life is character. As a king cannot be a king without a crown, similarly a man cannot be a man without character. A man without character is very much near to a beast and he is hated by everybody. On the other hand, a man of character is admired and loved by everybody. Now a question comes "What is character"? Briefly speaking, character is sum total of all the good qualities of human life. These qualities are not bought and sold in a super market, these qualities are to be achieved and vigorously practiced in practical life. Only good words cannot make a good character, words and deeds together make a man's character. A man of character must be honest, truthful, polite, gentle, amicable, dutiful and respectful to other people. He must not have any jealousy, hatred and evil feelings. He must love all. He must perform his duties to self and society. That is why, a man of character should have a strong sense of patriotism. He must check all evil sentiments and false vanity. Fellow feelings, friendship, love for mankind, respect for opposite sex, sense of proportion and balance¾ these are also some other characteristics of a man of good character. He must have a good heart and a balanced mind. The major hurdles in the way of becoming a man of good character are evil passions and tendencies, prejudice, superstition and selfishness. These bad traits must be kept in check. It would be better if these bad traits could be killed. However, the importance of good character can be best illustrated by the following sentences : "If wealth is lost, nothing is lost If health is lost, something is lost If character is lost, everything is lost."

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

(a)   Which of the following has the closest meaning of the word 'practiced' in line 6?

        (i) Admired                    (ii) Applied

        (iii) Praised                    (iv) Exclaimed

(b)   What does the expression 'a king cannot be a king without a crown' mean?

        (i) Character is the crown of life.

        (ii) Kinghood was appreciated in the past.

        (iii) Crown is the symbol of kingliness.

        (iv) A king without a crown is like a wealthy man.

(c)   Which of the following best narrates the definition of character?

(i)    Character to a man is as important as the crown.

(ii)   A man without character is very much near to a beast.

(iii)  A man of character is admired and loved everywhere.

(iv)  Character is a sum total of all the good qualities of human life.

(d)   Which of the following words describes the character of a man without character best?

        (i) Crown                       (ii) Friendship

        (iii) Tenderness             (iv) Beast

(e)   Which of the following statement is true about a man of character?

(i)    Human qualities are hardly practised in practical life.

(ii)   Words and deeds together make a man's character.

(iii)  He must have a little jealousy, hatred and evil feeling.

(iv)  He must perform his duties to self only.

(f)    In paragraph 3 it is said, "Respect for opposite sex"¾What does it mean?

(i)    Male must have a sense of respect to female.

(ii)   Opposite sex is always honoured by civilized people.

(iii)  Male and female must have a sense of respect for each other.

(iv)  Female must respect male.

(g)   What is the main purpose of the author of this passage?

(i)    To highlight the importance of good character.

(ii)   To highlight the evils of a man without character.

(iii)  To draw a strong sense of patriotism.

(iv)  To realize the importance of character.

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

(a)   From your reading, mention the reasons why it is said that the crown and glory of life is character.

(b)   What will be the traits of a man of character?

(c)   "These qualities are not bought and sold in the super market."¾Explain it in 2/3 sentences.

(d)   Write down the major hurdles in the way of becoming a man of good character in 2/3 sentences.

(e)   Do you support these following verses ¾

                "If wealth is lost, nothing is lost,

                If health is lost, something is lost,

                If character is lost, everything is lost."

                mentioned in the passage? Why/Why not? Explain in 2/3 sentences.

3.     Write a summary of the above passage in no more than 90 to 100 words. 10

Read the passage on the Geographical information of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan.

Sri Lanka is an Asian country. It is in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean. Naturally it is very beautiful. Travellers from all over the world come here and spend a relaxed time. The total land area of Sri Lanka is 65,000 square kilometres. It is a land of different religions. Sri Lanka has a population of 20 million. The Maldives is also a South Asian country. It is a very small country. It is the smallest country in Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean. It is an Island country. It is a good tourist destination. It looks like a pearl in the Indian Ocean. Its area is only 300 square kilometres. It is also the lowest country in the world. Bhutan is also a small country of South Asia. It is bordered with India and China. It is located in the slopes of the Himalayan range. Its land area is 38,394 square kilometres. It is the happiest country in Asia. It has a population of 7,16,896. It protects its environment and culture nationally.

4.     Now Complete the table below with information from the above passage. Write only the answers serially.    1 ´ 5 = 5

Name of countries	Location	Area	Population
Sri Lanka		(i) ......
The Maldives	(ii) .....	(iii) ....
Bhutan	(iv) .....		(v) ....

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

        Both Sri Lanka and Maldives (a) ¾ in the Indian Ocean. Both of them are (b) ¾ as tourist destinations. The people of different (c) ¾ live in Sri Lanka. But the Maldives is a (d) ¾ country. It is the (e) ¾ country in Asia.

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. Write only the answers.    1 ´ 5 = 5

Column A	Column B
a. Paper is the most useful	i.     China though some believe that it was first invented in Egypt.
b. In fact, it contributes largely	ii.    our best daily companion.
c. It was first invented in China though	iii.   so it is named from the word papyrus.
d.  Actually, they made it from the leaves of papyrus and	iv. we cannot do for a moment without it.
e.  it is a part and parcel of life and so	v.   creation of man's inventive power.
	vi. is made from straw, grass, wood etc.
	vii. to the spread of education and culture, the base of human development.

7.     Put the following parts of the story in correct order to re-write the whole story. Write the sequence only.      1 ´ 8 = 8

(a)   But water was at the bottom and out of its reach.

(b)   It flew from one place to another in search
of water.

(c)   As each pebble went down, the water in the jar rose up little by little.

(d)   A crow was very thirsty and wanted to
drink water.

(e)   It took some pebbles and then it dropped them into the jar.

(f)    Then it hit upon a plan.

(g)   At last, it found a jar in a garden.

(h)   When the water came to the mouth of the jar, the crow drank and quenched its thirst.

Part B : Writing Test (50 Marks)

8.     Answer the following questions to write a paragraph on 'Water Pollution'.             10

(a)   What is environment pollution?

(b)   Why is water called life?

(c)   How is water polluted?

(d)   What are the effects of water pollution?

(e)   What measures should we take to prevent water pollution?

9.     Read the beginning of the story. Write ten new sentences to complete the story. Give a suitable title to it.        10

        Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, fought several battles to regain his country's freedom but was each time defeated. Naturally he was very sad............ .

10.  Look at the following graph. It shows a comparative selling rates of four types of books in Ekushey Boi Mela, 2013. Now describe the graph in 150 words.                                                                   10

       

11.  Suppose, you are Mollick/Mollicka. You have recently visited a new place with some of your friends and family members.    10

        Now, write a letter to your friend Asif/Asifa who lives in another city, describing your experience of the visit.

12.  At present, the necessity of reading newspaper is quite vast. Now, write a dialogue between you and your close friend Rimon about the necessity of reading newspaper.            10