AHSEC HS First year of English Paper Solution 2024.

HS First Year 2024
Sub : English

SECTION-A

(Reading)

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :

    i. The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived. Her shopping had tired her and her basket had grown heavier with every step of the way home. In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest; but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open. She was thinking that she must reprimand her daily maid the next morning for such a monstrous piece of negligence, when she remembered that she had gone shopping after her maid had left, and she had turned both the keys in their locks. She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open, yet following her regular practice, she had shut them before going out. Looking into the drawing room, she saw a scene of confusion over by her writing desk.

    ii. It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry in her absence. Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves, but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her, so she went to fetch the porter from the basement. By the time her legs were beginning to tremble, so she sat down and accepted a cup of very strong tea, while she telephoned the police. Then her composure regained, she was ready to set off with the porter’s assistance to search for any intruders who might be still lurking in her flat.

    iii. They went through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing, as they did not want to hinder the police in their search for fingerprints. The chaos was inconceivable. She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a veritable magpie at hoarding; and it seemed as though everything she possessed had been tossed out and turned over and over. At least sorting out the things she should have discarded years ago was now being made easier for her. Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of her ransacked flat. The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced, thereby proving that the burglars had either used skeleton keys or entered through the balcony.

    iv. There was no trace of fingerprints, but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers. So their entry into the flat was apparently not the burglars’ first job that day and they must have been disturbed. The inspector then asked the lady to try to check what was missing by the next day and advised her not to stay alone in the flat for a few nights. The old lady thought that he was a fussy creature but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.

Questions:

(a) Why did the old lady feel glad to be at her flat?     2

Ans:- Her shopping had tired her and she had thought of having lunch and a good rest back home. So she was glad to be at her flat.

(b) Why was the old lady surprised to find her front door open?     2

Ans:- She had locked the door when she had left her shop. So she was surprised to find her front door open when she came back.

(c) What made her realize that burglars had entered her flat?     2

Ans:- She noticed a scene of confusion near her writing desk. It made her realise that buglars had entered the flat.

(d) Why did she go to the basement?     1

Ans:- She went to the basement to fetch the porter.

(e) Why did the inspector conclude that the thieves had used the skeleton keys?     2

Ans:- The inspector concluded that the thieves had used the skeleton keys because there were no signs of forced entry, indicating that the buglars had used keys to gain access to the flat.

(f) What did the police inspector find while searching for or fingerprints?      1

Ans:- The police inspector found a dirty red bundle containing jewelry, which the old lady claimed was not hers.

(g) Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which Jer are the synonyms of the following:      2

(i) enormous (Para i)

Ans:- monstrous

(ii) indication (Para iv)

Ans:- Apparently

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

    Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. A key contributor to this success story is the growing middle class. The liberalization in 1990s opened the gates to foreign goods and services, investments and technologies. This led to a growth in disposable incomes and a burgeoning middle class with rising consumption levels.

    There are many aspects which can be looked at when discussing increasing consumption of the middle class. One of the key aspects is the rise in globalization and exposure to a vast range of products and services. In addition, access to telecommunications and internet has provided new avenues for consumers with online retailers offering a mindboggling choice at low prices. Moreover, a rise in incomes, social media and awareness is leading to an increased health, education, communication, transport and entertainment. Increasing urbanization too is a factor affecting increased to higher consumption. Another aspect leading to higher consumption is the rise in nuclear families, which spend more per person than joint families.

The growth of middle class and an increase in consumption is good news for economists as this leads to demand led growth resulting in creation of jobs and higher incomes. At the same time, increasing incomes and exposure to global media are leading to changes in consumption behaviours. The younger affluent middle class is spending more on aspirational goods such as branded apparel and gadgets leading to lesser investment in assets. Another fallout of the changing consumer behaviour is the increased use of online purchasing resulting in losses for small neighbourhood shops. 

While the industry continues to adapt to changes in consumption patterns, an increase in overall consumption by middle class is a sign of higher income and prosperity. Moreover, it can certainly lead to creation of more jobs and be an engine for growth in the future.

Questions:

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make note on it, and add a suitable title to it. 5

Title : The Role of India’s Middle Class in Economic Growth

India is among the world’s fastest-growing economics, with the middle class playing a pivotal role. Liberalization in the 1990s facilitated the influx of foreign goods, investments, and technologies, leading to increased disposable incomes and a burgeoning middle class. Factors contributing to rising middle-class consumption include globalization, access to telecommunications and the internet, higher by incomes, urbanization, and the rise of nuclear families. Increased consumption by the middle class drives demand-led growth, creating jobs and higher incomes. Changing consumption behaviors, influenced by global media and social media, include a shift towards aspirational goods and increased online purchasing. Despite challenges faced by traditional retailers, overall middle-class consumption signals economic prosperity and potential for future growth.

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

Summary: India’s rapid economic growth is largely attributed to its expanding middle class, fueled by liberalization policies since the 1990s. Globalization, access to telecommunications, and rising incomes have led to increased consumption, particularly in health, education, and entertainment. This trend spurs demand-led growth, creating jobs and higher incomes. However, changing consumption behaviors such as increased online shopping and focus on aspirational goods, pose challenges for traditional retailers. Nonetheless, overall, the growth of the middle class signals prosperity and potential for future economic expansion.

SECTION-B (Writing)

3. You are arranging a picnic party to Kaziranga next Sunday. Describe your arrangement of the picnic party to your classmates in about 100 words. 6

Ans:- Our Preparations For A Picnic.

A picnic is always a pleasurable experience. It is more so when organized with classmates. We, the students and teachers of Bilasipara Science Academy, have today decided to go on a picnic to Kaziranga National Park next Sunday. We have already made all necessary arrangements. We have booked a bus, a microphone set, the utensils and other necessary materials like gas stove, LPG cylinder, chairs, tents etc. Our class captain has agreed to bring along his personal camera to click the memorable moments during the picnic. We’ll purchase bread, bananas and jelly for breakfast on Saturday evening. We’ll board the bus at 4 AM on Sunday.

OR

You are Partha/Prarthana, Cultural Secretary of XYZ Public School, Tezpur. Your school observed National Unity Day to recognize the endeavours of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to unite the country. Prepare a report in about 100-125 words for your school magazine. 6

Ans:- National Unity Day Observance at XYZ Public School On October 31st, 2023:

XYZ Public School in Tezpur commemorated National Unity Day to honor the invaluable contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in unifying our nation. The event, organized by the Cultural Committee under my supervision as the Cultural Secretary, was marked by various activities emphasizing the importance of unity, integrity, and diversity in our country. The day commenced with a special assembly where students and teachers paid tribute to Sardar Patel through speeches, poems, and songs. A thematic skit depicting the integration of princely states into the Indian Union captivated the audience, highlighting Sardar Patel’s remarkable vision and leadership. Additionally, interactive sessions were conducted to educate students about the significance of national unity and the role they can play as responsible citizens in upholding it. The observance of National Unity Day served as a poignant reminder of the strength that lies in unity and inspired our school community to strive towards fostering harmony and solidarity in our diverse nation. Partha/ Prarthana,

Cultural Secretary,

XYZ Public School, Tezpur.

4. You are really worried about environmental degradation. Pollution is increasing day-by-day and is posing a great threat to the environment and mankind. Ozone layer is getting depleted. Write an article on ‘Environmental Pollution-a Global Problem’ for your school magazine in about 150-200 words.     6

Ans:- Environmental Pollution: A Global Problem

In today’s world, environmental pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing issues threatening the health of our planet and all its inhabitants. With each passing day, pollution levels continue to rise, posing significant risks to the environment and humanity alike. One of the most alarming aspects of pollution is its global reach. Pollution knows no borders; it transcends geographical boundaries, affecting every corner of the globe. The depletion of the ozone layer is a particularly concerning consequence of environmental pollution. The ozone layer acts as Earth’s natural shield, protecting us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. However, human activities such as the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances have led to its deterioration, resulting in increased UV exposure and its associated health risks. To address this global crisis, collective action is imperative. Governments, industries, communities, and individuals must work together to reduce pollution levels and safeguard the environment for future generations.

OR

To enforce strict discipline in schools and colleges is a great problem these days when cases of indiscipline have become quite frequent. Write a speech to be delivered at the morning assembly of your school/college on the topic, The importance of discipline in student’s life’. 6

Ans:- Respected the principal and teachers and dear students, I am (Raju Barman) going to deliver speech about discipline Today in this modern age, our students are betraying due to lack of discipline. It is not fair as the students of today will become the policy maker of the nation. It is the student life during which the character is formed. Strong character can be formed through discipline. Discipline is an ornament of the student. Every student must maintain discipline in his life as without it no one can shape his future. Discipline should be maintained in every span of life. Self-discipline is the key of success. Best education can be derived through discipline, it plays an important role in shaping bright future as it contains every success. Discipline makes a man great and respectable in society. Discipline develops the feeling of self-governs in the heart of the students so that they may serve the country. So we should work, study, live and talk with the feeling of discipline. Discipline always brings self-confidence.

5. You are Chetan/Chetana Sarma, a commerce graduate from Gauhati University. You are seeking a suitable job. You came across an advertisement in The Assam Tribune, inviting young and dynamic fresh graduate as sales assistant in a reputed company. Write an application with complete bio-data to the Manager of the company. 8

Ans:- 

To

The Manager of the Reputed Company, Guwahati 

Subject : Request for appointment as a Sales Assistant. 

Respected Sir,

This is response to your advertisement published in Assam Tribune (Newspaper Name, according to questions) of February 15, 2022 inviting application for the post of a receptionist/Sales Executive (Post Name, according to questions). I wish to apply for the same. I wish to state that I am a graduate/Master Degree in Commerce Stream. Presently, I am unemployed and wish to serve as a receptionist/Sales Executive and possess the requisite experience and qualifications to suit your requirement. I would require about a week’s time to join if selected by you.

I passed MBA Degree in 2022. I am a dynamic young man/girl of pleasant manners and good personality. I possess wonderful communication skills. I have reasonable command over above mention the subject. I have a diploma in computer also. I want to apply for the post of a receptionist/Sales Executive.

I enclose here a brief bio-data of myself to enable you to assess my suitability for the post. Enclose: Bio-data

BIO-DATA

1. Name of the candidate : XYZ

2. Father’s Name :

3. Permanent Address :

4. Date of birth :

5. Mobile No & email id :

6. Academic Qualifications : BA (English Major)-XXXX-XXXX-2016–79%

HS (Arts): XXXX–XXXX–XXXXX-2013–93%

7. Professional Qualification : B.Ed.

8. Religion : XXXXX

9. Experience : 3 years experience as Teacher at DPS

11. Languages known : Bengali, Hindi, English

12. Gender : Male/Female

13. Marital Status : Married/Unmarried

 

OR

Recently there have been a number of reports in newspaper about students of classes X and XII suffering from nervous breakdown. Write a letter to the Editor of The Assam Tribune, Guwahati, appealing to the authorities to ease the pressure on children. You are Pragyan/Pragati, a class XI student in New Guwahati HS School.   8

SECTION-C (Grammar)

6. (a) Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners (any two) :

(i) He thinks that he is ________ Sarat Chandra.

Ans:- He thinks that he is the Sarat Chandra.

(ii) Do you have _________ bun left?

Ans:- Do you have any bun left?

(iii) She gave a cookie to _________ child.

Ans:- She gave a cookie to the child.

(b) Rewrite any two of the following sentences with the correct forms of the verbs given in the brackets :

(i) If I (know) his address, I would have contacted him. 

Ans:- If I have known his address, I would have contacted him.

(ii) They (live) in Guwahati for five years.

Ans:- They have been living in Guwahati for five years.

(iii) Look, there (go) the bus.

Ans:- Look, there is going the bus.

(c) Fill in the blanks with appropriate modal auxiliaries:

(i) You _____ take regular exercise.  (advice)

Ans:- You should take regular exercise.

(ii) I ____ go out for a walk but now I don’t. (Past habit)

Ans:- I would go out for a walk but now I don’t. 

(d) Correct the following:

(i) There is no remedy of this.

Ans:- There is no remedy for this.

(ii) He was invited at the meeting.

Ans:- He was invited to the meeting.

7. (a) Complete the following piece of conversation by choosing the correct alternatives from the brackets: 2

He said, “Mother, (why/what) don’t you use the new woolen shawl? (Don’t/Haven’t) you like it?” Mother replied, “(Many/Much) of my sons haven’t got anything for use in winter. (How/Why) can I use mine?”

Ans:- He said, “Mother, why don’t you use the new woolen shawl? Don’t you like it?” Mother replied, “Many of my sons haven’t got anything for use in winter. How can I use mine?”

(b) Rearrange the words in the following to form meaningful sentences : 1×2=2

(i) this/is/buildings/that were/one of the/in/the/ earthquake/destroyed.

Ans:- This is one of the buildings that were destroyed in the earthquake.

(ii) his age,/considering/made/much/he/has/progress. 

Ans:- Considering his age, he has made much progress.

8. Rewrite the following sentences as directed :

(a) You must go there to escape being fined. (Change it into complex sentence)

Ans:- (i) Unless you go there, you wii be fined.

(ii) To escape being fined, it is necessary for you to go there.

(b) I am glad that you have come. (Change it into compound sentence)

Ans:- You have come and I am glad for this.

 SECTION-D

(Textual Questions)

9. Read any one of the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow :

(a) “Father and son, we both must live 

On the same globe and the same land, 

He speaks: I cannot understand 

Myself, why anger grows from grief. 

We each put out an empty hand, 

Longing for something to forgive.”

(i) Where must the father and son live together? 1

Ans:- Both the father and son must live together on the same globe or in the same world.

(ii) Can the father understand his son? Why? 1+1=2

Ans:- No, the father cannot understand his son because the generation gap.

(iii) What makes the father angry? 2

Ans:- The grief of the grieved father turns into angry.

(iv) How do they try to fill up the gap that separate them? 2

Ans:- They tried to bridge the gap between them by “Longing for something to forgive.” This implies a desire for reconciliation and understanding, despite their difference. 

(v) Find a word from the stanza that means ‘world’. 1

Ans:- Globe

OR

(b) “A sweet face,

My mother’s, that was before I was born. 

And the sea, which appears to have changed less,

Washed their terribly transient feet.”

(i) Whose sweet face is referred to here?  1

Ans:- The sweet face referred to here is that of the speaker’s mother.

(ii) Who is ‘I’ in the second line? 1

Ans:- The speaker is ‘I’ in the second line.

(iii) What is that has not changed? 1

Ans:- The sea is the entity that has not changed.

(iv) Find out the word in the stanza that means ‘transitory’.  1

Ans:- transient.

(v) Compare the change that comes in the mother and the sea.  4

Ans:- The comparison between the change that comes in the mother and the sea suggests that while the speaker’s mother’s face has undergone noticeable changes over time, marked by the phrase “that was before I was born,” the sea appears to have changed less. This comparison highlights the transient nature of human life, represented by the mother’s changing appearance, contrasted with the enduring and seemingly timeless nature of the sea. The sea’s apparent stability emphasizes the continuity and permanence of nature.

10. Answer any three of the following questions: 2×3=6

(a) Describe the three girls with particular reference to the ‘Big girl’ in the poem, A Photograph.

Ans:- 

(b) What does the poet mean by the line, “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”?

Ans:- The vacation spent on the beach and the laughter of the poet’s mother are nothing but memories of the past. The absence of these two has generated a feeling of loss and despair. The poet finds it difficult to miss those persons with whom he has a deep emotional attachment.

(c) What happens when the rain descends in the form of showers?

Ans:- 

(d) Describe the things that receive the blessings of the rain.

Ans:- 

(e) What is the central theme of the poem, Childhood?

(f) What does the poet realize of Heaven and Hell?

Ans:- 

(g) What is the father’s problem in the poem, Father and the Son?

Ans:- 

11. Answer any five of the following questions : 2×5=10

(a) What did Wu Daozi want to show the Emperor through his painting?

Ans:- 

(b) What is Nek Chand’s contribution to the world of art?

Ans:- 

(c) Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother had a divine beauty?

Ans:- 

(d) How did the sparrows mourn the grandmother’s death?

Ans:- 

(e) Why was a mirror put inside a cage in the zoo at Lusaka?

(f) How are croplands and grasslands being converted into wasteland and deserts?

Ans:- 

(g) Why, according to Verrier Elwin, should wood carving be taught and encouraged in our educational institutions?

Ans:- 

(h) Why did Verrier Elwin say that he was an unconventional visitor?

Ans:- 

12. What appeal does Verrier Elwin make to the scholars of Assam concerning the songs and poems of the State? Why does he make this appeal?  4+2=6

Ans:- 

OR

Give a character sketch of the author’s grandmother. 6

Ans:- 

13. Answer any one of the following questions : 6

(a) “The best way of getting to know a place is to visit it.” Which place does the narrator refer to? What does he say about the place?

Ans:- 

(b) What factors made Einstein’s life in Munich miserable? What did he realize after six months?

Ans:- 

14. Answer any two of the following questions in brief: 2×2=4

(a) How did Ranga and Ratna react at their unexpected encounter?

Ans:- 

(b) Why was the narrator impressed with Ranga?

Ans:-