Blog

MARCH 2022

ENGLISH (FIRST LANGUAGE)

(REVISED COURSE)

Section I : Language Study

Q. 1. (A) A1. Do as directed (any four) :

(1) Punctuate the following:

you have never heard of bach he asked.

(2) Find out 4 hidden words having at least four letters from the given word:

‘Proclamation’

(3) Spot the error and rewrite the correct sentence :

All the great religions teaches us to care for our children.

(4) Arrange the following words in the alphabetical order :

invention, indisputable, interactions, inquisitive.

(5) Complete the word chain of verbs :

Call, ………………………… , ………………………… , ………………………… , …………………………

A2. Do as directed (any two) :

(1) Prepare the word register of four words related to the given word :

MUSIC

(2) Dr. Kalam’s own life was nourished by multiple faiths.

(Begin the sentence with ‘Multiple faiths…………………….)

(3) Rewrite the sentence by using ‘No sooner ……………. than’ :

As soon as we went to a rocky beach, we saw the spread of the majestic ocean.

(B) Do as directed (any one) :

B1. (1) Pick out the modal auxiliary and state its function :

Could I use your computer for surfing net?

(2) Name and identify the subordinate clause :

When we were designing the first Macintosh Computer, it all came back to me.

Ans. 1. A1.

1. ‘You have never heard of Bach ?’, he asked.

2. (i) roam (ii) impact (iii) motion (iv) claim

1. All the great religions teach us to care for our children.
2. indisputable, inquisitive, interactions, invention.
3. love, eat, take, engage.

A2.

1. song-lyrics – singer – classical – instrument.

1. Multiple faiths nourished Dr. Kalam’s own life.
2. No sooner did we go to a rocky beach than we saw the spread of the magestic ocean.

B1.

1. could-permission.

1. When we were designing the first Macintosh Computer.

Adverb clause of time.

Q 2. (A) Read the following passage and do the activities.

A1. Complete the given boxes with who said to whom :

I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand.

Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached him. He was about 25- a tall, lean fellow – and he looked easy-going, kind and simple enough for my purpose. I hadn’t had much luck of late and thought I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.

“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends.

“So do you,” he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin.

“Well,” I said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.”

“What’s your name ?”

“Hari Singh,” I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former employers.

After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn’t have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually.

“Hello again,” he said.

I gave him my most appealing smile. “I want to work for you.” I said.

“But I can’t pay you.”

I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man.

I asked, “Can you feed me ?”

“Can you cook ?”

“I can cook,” I lied again.

“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.”

A2. Complete the cluster diagram mentioning the characteristics of the main character of the passage :

A3. Choose the correct meanings of the following words from the given options :

(i) Flattery :

(a) insincere praise

(b) appreciation

(c) creating false impression

(d) unfaithful behaviour

(ii) Appealing :
(a) good conduct
(b) attractive
(c) charming
(d) beautiful

A4. Do as directed :

(i) I took a new name every month.

[Frame ‘ ‘ question to get the underlined part as an answer.]

(ii) I was an experienced hand.

[Underline the determiners from the given sentence.)

A5. Why do you think Hari Singh gave his most appealing smile?

Q. 2. (B) Read the following passage and complete the activities :

B1. Complete the given sentences by choosing the correct option :

(i) The ……………………….. on monuments and sites initiated a draft convention to create an international organisation responsible for protecting cultural heritage.

(a) International Peace Committee

(b) International Council

(c) International Health Committee

(d) World Heritage List

(ii) The famous dam situated in Egypt on River Nile is ……………………….

(a) Buzwaa High Dam

(b) Rizwa High Dam

(c) Aswan High Dam

(d) Kalwa High Dam

(iii) The idea of protecting cultural and natural heritage sites around the world began in the early century.
(a) twentieth
(b) nineteenth
(c) eighteenth
(d) fifteenth

(iv) The project cost an estimated US million, million which came from different countries.
(a) 35
(b) 55
(c) 25
(d) 50

Although the idea of protecting cultural and natural heritage sites around the world began in the early twentieth century, momentum for its actual creation was not until the 1950s. In 1954, Egypt started plans to build the Aswan High Dam to collect and control water from the Nile River. The initial plan for the dam’s construction would have flooded the valley containing the Abu Simbel Temples and scores of ancient Egyptian artefacts. To protect the temples and artefacts, UNESCO launched an international campaign in 1959 that called for the dismantling and movement of the temples to higher ground. The project cost an estimated US million, million of which came from 50 different countries. Because of the project’s success, UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites initiated a draft convention to create an international organisation responsible for protecting cultural heritage.

Shortly thereafter in 1965, a White House Conference in the United States called for a “World Heritage Trust” to protect historic and cultural sites but to also protect the world’s significant natural and scenic sites. Finally, in 1968, the International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar goals and presented them at the United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972. Following the presentation of these goals, the Convention concerning the Protecting of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO’s, General Conference on November 16, 1972.

B2. Complete the following information from the passage :

B3. Pick out and write any four adjectives from the passage :

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

B4. Do as directed :

(i) UNESCO and International Council on Monuments initiated a draft convention to create an international organisation responsible for protecting cultural heritage.

(Use ‘not only ……………………. but also’ in the above sentence.)

(ii) In 1968, the International Union for conservation of nature developed similar goals and presented them at the United Nations Conference on Human Environment is Stockholm, Sweden in 1972.

(Identify whether the above sentence is simple, compound or complex.)

B5. What measures will you adopt for prevention of any historical site?

Ans. 2 (A) A1.

A2.

A3. Flattery : insincere praise

Appealing: attractive

A4. (i) What did you do to hide your identity?

(ii) I was an experienced hand.

A5. Hari Singh had planned to find his next victim to steal money. He found Anil to be a simple, easy going and kind man. A perfect target to victimise. So he gave his most appealing smile to win his confidence. The deception that he planned was to find employment with him and then steal his money when the opportunity came his way.

(B) B1.

(i) (a) International Council

(ii) (b) Aswan High Dam

(iii) (c) twentieth

(iv) (d) 50

B2.

B3. (i) cultural

(ii) historic

(iii) natural

(iv) scenic

B4. (i) Not only, UNESCO but also International Council on monuments initiated a draft convention to create an international organisation responsible for protecting cultural heritage.

(ii) Compound sentence.

B5. For preventing damage to old monuments and preventing buildings from collapse really means protecting our culture and identity. We will use technology such as installing camera, awareness in public, brighten them with modern lighting system, and mark them as places to visit in tourist brouchers.

Section III : Poetry

Q. 3. (A) Read the following extract and do the given activities.

A1. State whether the following statements are true or false:

(i) Animals show their relations to us.

(ii) Humans have given up many good qualities.

(iii) Animals sweat and whine about their condition.

(iv) Animals are placid and self-contained.

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d, I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things.

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth,

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession.

I wonder where they get those tokens,

Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

A2. Answer the following question with the help of the given extract :

(i) What craze do animals never display? Why?

A3. Pick out one example of Rhetorical question from the extract.

Q. 3. (B) Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format :

Night of the Scorpion

I remember the night my mother

was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours

of steady rain had driven him

to crawl beneath a sack of rice.

Parting with his poison – flash

of diabolic tail in the dark room –

he risked the rain again.

The peasants came like swarms of flies

And buzzed the name of God a hundred times

to paralyse the Evil One.

With candles and with lanterns

throwing giant scorpion shadows

on the mud-baked walls

they searched for him : he was not found.

They clicked their tongues.

With every movement that the scorpion made his poison

moved in Mother’s blood, they said.

May he sit still, they said

May the sins of your previous birth

be burned away tonight, they said.

May your suffering decrease

the misfortunes of your next birth, they said.

May the sum of all evil

balanced in this unreal world

against the sum of good

become diminished by your pain.

May the poison purify your flesh

of desire, and your spirit of ambition,

they said, and they sat around
on the floor with my mother in the centre,
the peace of understanding on each face.
More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the
poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
And spared my children.

Points:

• The title and the poet of the poem 1
• Rhyme scheme 1
• Figures of speech 1
• Central Idea/Theme 1

Ans. 3. (A) A1. (i) True, (ii) True, (iii) False, (iv) True.

A2. (i) Animals never display a craze or mania of owning things. They are happy with what they have. They are self contained and therefore, happy.

A3. Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them ?

(B) Poem appreciation :

The poem is enriched by using various figures of speech such as :

Alliteration : More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours, more insects; parting with his poison; flame feeding; herb and hybrid

Simile : The peasants came like swarm of flies.

Personification : “Thank God, the scorpion picked on me and spared my children,” “flame feeding my mother” “diabolical tail”.

Metaphor: Scorpion is the ‘evil one’ + Giant scorpion shadows

Imagery : They clicked their tongue (sound imaginery)

Hyperbole: A hundred times

Irony: The ironic twist comes at the end. The poet’s mother around whom the whole narrative develops, opens her mouth. She says, ‘Thank God’, the scorpion picked on me and spared my children. The mother, thanks God for the scorpion sparing her children. I like this poem for the innocent anxiety and show of care of the peasants and the mother’s virtue of being uncaring about her own pain and thanking God, that her children were spared.

Q. 4. (A) Read the following passage and complete the activities:

A1. Complete the chart on the life stages of fireflies :

Fireflies are beetles and go through several life stages, starting out as an egg, then hatching into larvae. At the juvenile stage, they turn into pupae and then, finally adults. Fireflies spend most of their lives in a larval stage, hidden away. There are 2000 different species of fireflies. But they all go through a long juvenile stage and a short adult life, which is mainly about courtship, mating and reproduction. The juveniles living underground or underwater, are very different though-they’re hunters, they eat snails and soft-bodied insects and they have very different habitats.

Conserving them is essential for human life as fireflies are a key part of the food web. They are predators of agricultural pests. In turn, they are prey for spider and other insects. They are completely enmeshed in the web of life. In addition, about 70 years ago, scientists unravelled the mystery of fireflies’ light-producing talents. Since then, the bio-chemical reactions that fireflies experience have been used in detecting bacterial contamination in foods, testing drugs against cancer, developing drought-resistant crops. They have been used in space exploration. So fireflies give us beauty and inventions. Fireflies carry oxygen, calcium, magnesium and a natural chemical called luciferin. These react together to produce the photons. This is how the fireflies glow.

Firefly tourism is growing across the world. In Maharashtra, for example, a particular species monsoon fireflies, emerge before the rains. They’re beautiful and a festival is held in Purushwadi, encouraging firefly tourism. Its wonderful that people around the world go to see fireflies in their natural habitat. We need to be cautious. Too many people can disturb adult and larval habitats. Fireflies need darkness to communicate with each other and we need fireflies because they are harbingers of hope.

A2. Write two reasons for the conservation of fireflies.

A3. Make antonyms of the following words using prefix :

(i) different

(ii) experience

(iii) bacterial

(iv) natural

A4. Do as directed :

(i) Too many people can disturb adult and larval habitat.

(Rewrite using ‘as well as’)

(ii) These react together to produce photons.

(Pick out the infinitive from the given sentence)

A5. Can you think of any other insect that teaches us some values of life? Explain with examples.

(B) Summary Writing

Read the above passage given in Q. No. and write a summary of it in a paragraph. Suggest a suitabe title.

Ans. 4. (A) A1.

A2. Fireflies are conserved because bio-chemical reactions that fireflies experience are used in bacterial contamination in foods, testing drugs against cancer, etc. Fireflies also carry oxygen, cakium, magnessium and luciferin.

A3. (i) different – same

(ii) experience – inexperience

(iii) bacterial – anti-bacterial

(iv) natural – unnatural

A4. (i) Many people can disturb adult as well as larval habitat.

(ii) to produce

A5. Insects like bees, are beneficial as pollinators, facilitating propagation and fruit production. They are also predators or parasites of pests. Apart from this they also provide honey. Bees are very hard-working. Very often they work to death. This is an inspiration to humans. They teach us to never give up even if odds are against us.

(B)

Fireflies are one among the most celebrated insects. They have immense cultural, biological and economic importance and are important components of natural ecosystems. Their public appeal also makes them ideal species for conservation. This extract has shown the importance of five flies and described their life histories and also the threats to their population.

Section V : Writing Skill

Q. 5. (A) Letter writing :

Imagine you are Manav/Mira Sharma residing at B/12 ‘Snehkutir’, M.G. Road, Nashik-422003.

Read the given news extract:

CELEBRATING THE GIRL CHILD

-by a Staff Reporter

12th Oct, Nashik :

Yesterday, the city celebrated International Girl Child Day. Various programmes were organized across the city to felicitate girls who are young achievers. Speaking on the occasion the Governer said that as a nation we should educate and empower the girl child…………..

Q. 6. (A) Information Transfer.

A1. Verbal to Non-Verbal :

Read the following information and complete the table given below. Give a suitable title :

Turtles and tortoises are closely related. They are both reptiles from the same family (Testudines or Chelonian). The main difference between the two is that turtle is the name given to water-dwellers and tortoise is the name given to land-dwellers. They are easily identified by the presence of a shell, from which their head and limbs protrude.

Turtles are found in Africa and America. Its shell is lighter and more streamlined than that of a tortoise. To enable swimming, it has webbed feet with long claws. Turtles are omnivores, eating both vegetation and meat. Their lifespan is shorter than that of the tortoise with an average of years and a maximum of 86 years.

Tortoises are found mainly in Asia and Africa, but also in America. It has a rounder, bumpier, heavier shell than a turtle. Its bent legs are short and sturdy. Tortoises are usually herbivores, but some eat meat, their lifespan is longer than that of the turtle with an average of years and a maximum of 188 years.

OR

A2. Non-Verbal to Verbal

Transfer the information into a paragraph :

Observe the chart and write a paragraph on it. Suggest a suitable title :

(B) B1. Prepare a speech to be delivered in your school assembly on the topic :

‘Giving is Receiving’

Use the following points :

• makes us feel happy.
• promotes co-operation and social connection.
• develops feeling of contentment.
• develops feeling of empathy.

OR

B2. Write your counterview in a paragraph on the topic ‘Short cuts to success is not a wrong choice’ : Use the following points :

• Followed by people with wrong principles.
• Quality of work will suffer.
• The result will not last long.
• Limitations to creative thinking.

Ans. 5.

A1. Letter Writing :

B/24 Shaktikunj,

M.G. Road,

Nashik – 422003

October 31, 2021.

To,

The Chairman,

Rotary Club,

D. C. Road,

Nashik – 432003

Subject : To arrange an event for felicitation of young girl achievers.

Respected Sir,

I am Mira Sharma, a social worker of this area. I have been staying here from many years As per the subject mentioned above, I would like to request you, that we should arrange a small ewent for the young girls, who are achievers, to felicitate them with a token of love and appreci-tion

It would be an excellent job to appreciate these young achievers which will encourage them to excel in their respective area of expertise and make invaluable contribution for the betterment of our society.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Mira Ghosh

OR

A2.

B/12, Snehkutir

M. G. Road,

Nashik-422003

March 30, 20XX

Dear Neha,

I hope my letter finds you well. Neha, my intention to write a letter was to apprise you about an event called International Girl Child Day. In Nashik, it was a great event across the academia. We got to know many youngsters who have excelled in their respective areas of expertise. There was a happy exchange of ideas and information between the achievers and the general public. In fact, it opened floodgates of awareness of new opportunities in various areas of science and technology. We also came to know about the budding talents in our city. Not only this, even the onlookers were encouraged to bring in more information about new areas of research and application that could benefit our country.

I especially wanted to talk about young girls from extremely poor background who were great repository of accumulated knowledge about our environment and the age old traditions attached to it. It was the eye-opener for us to know the utility of our traditions which are getting lost. Could you share some of your experience from your city? I would really like to share it here, in the heart of Nashik. I will send you some beautiful brochures with loads of information.

Convey my regards to uncle and aunty. Till then a good bye !

Yours lovingly,

Manav

Ans. 6.

(A) A1.

A2.

Modern Teenagers – New Problems

The Tsunami of technology has inundated the society with problems and issues which are truly unprecedented. Especially the teenagers, who have to face a truly new level of mental challenge. The overwhelming presence of digital technology has changed the way the teens interact with their peers and their romantic inclinations. As a result many teenagers lack the essential interpersonal communication skills. On an average a teenager spends over nine hours a day using his/her smartphones.

A technically created sense of isolation leads to depression and teenagers fear new conditions like “fear of missing out”. A teenager feels withdrawn and experiences a change in sleep patterns too. It also leads to eating disorders. In some cases they adopt a false pretention of ‘stylish image’, smoking and drinking.

Another problem that has emerged is cyber bullying. Exchanging provocative photographs can lead to cyber blackmailing, very often leading to horrible cyber crimes. This very often happens when teenagers start lacking self-esteem and adopt immoral ways to generate and garner attention. They very often post things to seek attention.

Peer pressure and competition and the inability to face them by working hard is the root to evil ways. Social media provides an escape route in the most undesired direction which is detrimental to the teenagers, to their families and a scare to the society in general.

(B) B1. Speech Writing :

‘Giving is Receiving’

Dear friends,

Good morning. Today I have been given the privilege to put my viewpoints on the topic ‘Giving is Receiving.’ It is a universal truth from which none can escape nor evade. The Americans say ‘there is no free meal, one has to earn it’. Even while I am standing in front of you all, I know, each one of us has to pay for the education that we receive. The hard work of our teachers has to be appreciated. It is their livelihood. They impart us their knowledge, they teach us, that is a wonderful act of giving. At the same time we are receiving. Apart from the three R’s that we learn, I mean reading, writing and recitation, they teach us much more. It is about the importance of being good human beings, who understand the human values that sustains and nurtures our modern society. It is in human nature, that we feel extremely happy to receive our due, very often overlooking the fact that there is someone who is a generous giver. There is a feeling of happiness for both the receiver as well as the giver. The society has become a huge stage of ‘give and take’, without which no one can survive. We know that ‘man is a social animal’, it becomes quite apparent that this act of ‘giving and receiving’ promotes co-operation and social connection. In our imagined world of satisfaction, we feel content to find that through our hard work we are able to lead a decent life. But there are too many underclass and underprivileged in the society who need help.

It is here that our true human values are tested. The selfless act of charity to ease the pain of the downtrodden becomes the most humane act in the society. Very often, even a well to do person falls into such adversities, where he finds himself utterly helpless despite all his riches. A surprise, momentary help from unexpected quarters brings him to learn humility.

I had the opportunity to see how a very rich man, after meeting with an accident had to take blood transfusion from a low caste ward boy to save himself. Blood is pretty expensive if it has to be bought from the ‘blood bank’. It wasn’t available and the timely donation from the ward boy helped save his life. Prior to this humbling experience he used to behave rudely with poor people. He wanted to reward the ward boy, but the boy refused! He just told him that it was his moral duty to save a life and he was content to see him safe and sound. Now the rich man sent the child of the ward boy to the same school where his own children are studying and he has promised to bear the expense of the school education till he completes his education. It is the human values like this that sustains the good vibes in the society and generates a feeling of empathy. This is the true essence of the topic ‘Giving is receiving’.

Thank you for hearing me out.

Have a nice day.

B2.

Short Cuts to Success is not a Wrong Choice

Counterview :

It was on March 24, 2020 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown of the entire country to halt the spread of corona virus. It was unprecedented. While it was for the good of the nation, but the shutdown of educational institutions, another problem rose up. Online classes and online examinations came as a pathfinder in the lockdown as a panacea for all the problems that came with it. Students found it easy to forget the ethics of ‘hard learning’ and took recourse to cheating to come out with flying colours. Short cuts to decorative success in the report card became the norm. Talent, intelligence, test of memory, understanding and qualities of recalling learning outcomes took a battering. It shows that anything which is memory based, based of cramming without understanding has few takers. How will such a generation of students be expected to excel in future in vital professions lime engineering and medical stream ? Factually, the genuine students too became victims of wrong principles to stay ahead in terms of marks. The victim no doubt was ‘the quality of education’. The core competency in vital areas of growth will suffer. There is no doubt about it. Very often even the parents too, freely offered help to their wards to achieve better marks. Will this sham result last to serve where competence is needed ? Only future can tell. But yes, this ease of online examination has severely limited the creative thinking of students when it was the most opportune moment for them to cultivate their creative thinking. Therefore, such short cuts, despite being enticing, can leave most of the future citizens with inherent capabilities getting severely handicapped. Such incompetence was acquired during the period of growth due to the ease of online examination.

Section VI : Creative Writing

Q. 7. (A) Do any one of the following:

A1. Expand the theme :

Expand the following idea into 100 words :

‘The time to be happy is now’.

OR

A2. News Report :

Prepare a news report based on the following :

‘Government encourage classrooms to go digital’.

(B) Developing a story/Narrating experience :

B1. Develop a story in about words with the following beginning. Give a suitable title :

Raj was thrilled a get a VIP pass for the concert of his favourite singer…………………

OR

B2. Narrate an experience in about 80-100 words with the following ending. Give a suitable title.

……………………………..and hence I decided never to leave my home without a mask.

Ans. 7. (A) A1.

‘The Time to Be Happy is Now’

It is a rare quality for us to stay happy in the present. It is true that during moments of adversity none can stay happy. But too very often we spoil our present by regretting the past and worrying for the future. A story of two boys will clarify how living in the present helps one to succeed and the other unsuccessful.

Raphael and Martin were two brothers. Raphael being the elder wasn’t quite pampered as his younger brother Martin. The qualities of the two brothers were of two opposite extremes. Raphael always kept his work updated and even went that extra mile to foresee what could be done beforehand so that he could remain in the good books of his teachers and his parents. He always kept a cheerful demeanour, and felt at ease only after all his work was done. Martin, on the other hand, was a day dreamer. He dreamt of doing something great in future, never stayed in the present as Raphael would. As time passed on, Raphael was quite prepared to crack a professional examination test, later he was successful. Martin, the day dreamer, never in the habit of living happily in the present, fretted for the workload of homework, wasn’t ever happy for the evaluation of his work at school, could never bring himself to a preparedness that is so essentially required to succeed. He still regrets his past and is worried about his future, quite unlike his brother who still remains happy with his present and measures each ladder of success with a finesse that Martin lacks.

A2

‘Government Encourage Classrooms to go Digital’

As our Honourable Prime Minister laid emphasis on digital classrooms, there is a wide range of viewpoints that are bringing forth the pro and the cons of digital education.

Major pros: Both the teachers and the students can attend classes from any location they are in. It saves the cost and time to commute to schools. Moreover it is also cost effective. No need of commuting, it saves fuel and time too.

Most online lectures can be easily recorded and the students can re-watch them as many times as they need to. It is handy for slow learners and those whose writing is slow. Absentees too won’t miss their studies, because they can watch the recorded lessons.

Online classes can easily be personalised, according to the student’s needs. For some too many visual aids distracts them, while for others, it makes then understand things in a better way.

Big institutions need huge monetary inputs. Big auditoriums are needed to accommodate students. Online classes help to save the cost of electricity, gas and paper. Thus digital education is environmentally friendly.

Traditional way of teaching cannot accommodate animated videos to make the concepts clear.

Major cons: Unfortunately the biggest setback for digital education is internet connectivity. Most students struggle due to lack of proper internet connectivity. For some poor households it is not possible to afford more than one laptop or even a smartphone. How can a house having more than one child afford such an education?

It leaves the children isolated and lonely. Help from classmates too becomes difficult to resolve problems. Lack of social contact doesn’t lead to proper development of personality as a result the children lose the capability to connect socially.

Remote learning needs time management and self- motivation to stay hooked. The personal appreciation of the teacher in catechism helps a lot to re-energise the students to put that extra effort which is very often needed.

However with its relative advantages digital education is here to stay and improvisation will come along with the awareness of the shortcomings that are faced on ground zero. There are always methods of restructuring to remove the drawbacks.

With the wonderful initiatives being taken up, it will help in a great way to save our trees and waste of fuel while commuting to school. Therefore digital technology is here to stay for the benefit of our nation.

Raj was himself an accomplished singer and he loved the voice of Udit Narayan. He was ecstatic when he got a VIP pass for the concert of his favourite singer Udit Narayan. He felt very lucky that he could get a VIP pass because the tickets for the general public sold out like hot cakes. He never knew that his beloved singer had such fan following. But he was glad to find that he was not the only one to love his mellifluous voice.

He loved his first successful debut in Hindi films with Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, a 1988 blockbuster. Moreover, he came from a very humble background. He was impressed by the fact that his father was a simple farmer and his mother Bhuvneshwari Devi was a folk singer who encouraged his career. This left Raj with a long cherished hope of meeting his favourite singer. What impressed him was the humility of the great singer. He never forgot his humble roots despite all the accolades he got with one hit song after the other.

Raj knows that music cannot be an exclusive preserve of anyone, whether born high or low. His talent was all that he had to spearhead his wonderful career. It is this fact that motivates him to pursue his hobby of singing and to make it a career. He hopes to sing a duet with his favourite singer some day.

(B) B2.

An Unforgettable Moment of My Life

I will never forget the evening of March, 2020 when the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting the movement of the entire 1.38 billion population of India as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 pandemic in India. An unprecedented move, that India had never witnessed in its entire history since its Independence. This was because the developed nations with best medical facilities could not contain it. The only option, according to our Honourable Prime Minister was social distancing and wearing of mask. Many lost their jobs and livelihood and had a very difficult time in managing even their basic needs. Being young and reckless, I never wore a mask and tried in my best possible way to show that all this was a hoax. Providence or God or luck, whichever way you may take it, I wasn’t affected by this scare mongering. I willfully broke all the rules to show that this lockdown was a hoax. But some shocking events thereafter changed me and my rebellious ways forever.

Acute shortage of vegetables in our vicinity forced me and a young friend of mine to go to a wholesale vegetable market to buy vegetables that could last at least for a week. We did take necessary precaution to put our helmets on. Later in the vegetable market my friend took off his helmet to go along the long line of vendors to buy vegetables. The policeman couldn’t notice him in the crowd. I couldn’t take off my helmet for the fear of being lathicharged. This kept me angry and sullen. But it was a blessing in disguise. We came back safely. Suddenly that night we were woken up by shrieks and cries in our neighborhood. We rushed out to see what the commotion was all about. I was shocked to see a crowd in front of my young friend’s house. I rushed in to see what had happened. My friend was complaining about breathlessness, his eyes popping out. His parents had called in an ambulance to take my friend to the nearby hospital. In my shock I accompanied them to the hospital on my two-wheeler. It was in the hospital, that I understood what the matter was. My friend was diagnosed as infected by the deadly corona virus. Three more cases came in front of me as confirmed cases of corona virus infection. None survived. I prayed to God for my friend’s life. After a tense wait for 72 hours, my friend was declared out of danger. I thanked God a million times. At the core of my heart I knew that I was safe just because I didn’t takeoff my helmet. After this horrible experience I decided never to leave my home without a mask.