Language2

 Language2

Write a composition (350-400) words on any one of the following:
Question 1(a).
It is said that laughter is the best medicine.Give your views in support of this statement.
Answer:
Laughter strengthens our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment. Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. Sharing laughter adds joy, vitality, and resilience. Humour is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.The ability to laugh, play, and have fun with others not only makes life more enjoyable but also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and be more creative. Some researchers think laughter just might be the best medicine, helping you feel better and putting that spring back in your step.

We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.People who believe in the benefits of laughter .say it can be like a mild workout — and may offer some of the same advantages as a workout. One pioneer in laughter research, William Fry, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.

Thus it would not be wrong to conclude that laughter has immense power to heal and renew, I and the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting  problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Question 1(b).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of internet?
Answer:
In the world today the internet is considered not only one of the most powerful tools but also one of the most indispensable one.However like for most things there are also two sides to the internet i.e. its advantages and disadvantages. Some people avoid the internet because they fear its disadvantages but today’s technological society must realize that it is up to them to protect themselves on the Internet, f      The internet has various advantages like immense information on everything,ability to research from the comfort of one’s home,ability to interact and get opinions,free and fast mail service,video conferencing and skype facility , easy access to international and national news etc.But on the flip side are the disadvantages like wrong information,predators waiting to lure people into dangerous situations, pornography, hackers, identity thefts, and risk of addiction to the net and wasting time, etc.

However a judicious use can overcome these disadvantages .No doubt the internet can pose a danger for children as they can easily be lured into something dangerous. Whether surfing i  the Web, reading newsgroups, or using email, children can be exposed to extremely inappropriate material. To keep children safe, parents and teachers must be aware of the dangers. They must actively guide and guard their children online. There are a number of tools available today that may help keep the Internet environment safer for children.

Another major disadvantage of the Internet is privacy. Electronic messages sent over the Internet can be easily tracked, revealing who is talking to whom and what they are talking about. As people surf the Internet, they are constantly giving information to web sites. People should become aware that the collection, selling, or sharing of the information they provide online increases the chances that their information will fall into the wrong hands. When giving personal information on the Internet, people should make sure the Web site is protected with a recognizable security symbol.

Besides humans computers are also prone to viruses. Computers are mainly getting these viruses from the Internet. Some of these dangerous viruses destroy the computer’s entire hard drive. Virus protection can remedy this.

No doubt there are terrible disadvantages of the Internet, but the numerous advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Internet is very effective and efficient in gathering huge information whether required for references or activities on any topic within seconds. It has benefited the education, travel and business sectors to a great level. It has made easy access to the online public libraries, textbooks or other resources to find relevant topics. . The most common thing the Internet is used for is research. Almost everyday, research on medical issues becomes easier to locate.

Internet is also a main source of entertainment. Downloading games, going into chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses people have discovered. Free games can be downloaded. People can interact and meet new and interesting people in the chat rooms. Internet can also be used to check out the news. Almost all local and international news can be obtained through the Internet. Sports scores are updated on the Internet as soon as the game ends. Weather is also a popular source to look up on the Internet.

Internet has made online communication very easy and simple. In Earlier days letters were the most common mode of communication but it was very time consuming.But now, we just need to connect our internet to open some social networking websites like Gmail or other accounts (Yahoo, etc.) to send messages within seconds. Internet is a global network which connects millions of computers all over the world.

It has reduced the usage of paper and paper works to a great extent by making everything computerized in the offices (governmental or non-governmental), schools, colleges, educational institutions, training centers, NGOs, universities, shops, business and industries,etc.One can book train online in just few clicks and get travel ticket through printout or get a soft copy in his/her mobile. In the internet world, one does not need to travel a long distance for his/ her meeting for business or other purposes. One can attend his/her meeting online through the use of video calling, conferencing, Skype or other such tools. It helps in getting admission online in desired school, college or universities, hiring highly skilled employees and teachers, business transactions, banking transactions, applying for driving license, money transfer, learning cooking recipes, bill payment, purchasing anything on free delivery and so many activities.

Undoubtedly the internet has many advantages to offer but it is important that one uses it judiciously. One must check the legitimacy of the information received via the net, and one must also treat it with some scepticism. It is also a good idea to use the Internet in order to stay in contact with people, as it is easy and convenient. However, online contact must not be allowed to replace physical contact. It is important to strike a balance between the two.Optimum and sagacious employing of the internet is beneficial to all members of society.

Question 1(c).
You recently visited your grandparents,who live in a town,away from the humdrum of city life.Narrate your own experience of living in the lap of nature.
Answer:
Living in a crowded urban town for most part of my life I had never enjoyed the bounties ;    of nature. It was only when 1 visited my grandparents who live in a beautiful small town of Himachal that I realised what we miss when we disengage from nature. Nestled in the hills on the banks of a beautiful river the small town seemed to me the Xanadu of Kubla Khan.Life seemed to have a pace of its own, unhurried and calm sometimes and full of activity at others. Everything in nature had its own power and uniqueness provided by God. It took many forms changing season to season and even from minute to minute such as the river water looking bright blue in the morning but by noon becoming a bright emerald green colour. The sky would change its colour all through the day from pale pink at sunrise,to dazzling blue in late morning, bright orange at sunset and purple by twilight. It would effect my mood also such as happy and hopeful at sunrise, lazy during the rain and frisky like adeer at springtime. The moonlight would seem enchanting and ethereal.In countryside, life was very peaceful and safe. I realised that people living in countryside did not have to worry much about how their life looked. They went go to work just to earn enough to support their family. Everyone was friendly and generous always willing to share everything such as fruits, foods, and clothing.

I have never written a poem but living in the lap of nature made me feels like a poet. The’ voice of fountain torrents, the sudden sight of the flowers by the lake the sloping pastures, the deep and gloomy woods, all seemed to uplift me from the mere plane of an ordinary world of physical delight to a higher plane where I could experience the sense of sublimity and total identification with something more than life. The beauties on Nature in that humble town helped me to establish a link with God. It purified he dross and the droll and made me a finer and nobler human being. I learnt to empathize with those who were not so blessed as myself with the gifts given by god like a healthy body,loving family and secure lifestyle.The time Is pent with my grandparents living amidst nature taught me the value of life and of the world God has created for us.

Question 1(d).
Write a short story which begins with “I do not believe in ghosts_________ ”
Answer:
Ido not believe in ghosts but I do know that cultures all around the world believe in spirits that survive death to live in another realm. Ghosts have been a popular subject for millennia, appearing in countless stories in haunted houses — and nearly half believe in ghosts., from the Bible to “Macbeth,” and even spawning their own folklore genre: ghost stories. Part of the reason is that belief in ghosts is part of a larger web of related paranormal beliefs, including near-death experience, life after death and spirit communication.

But according to me this is all a hoax. People have claimed to communicate with spirits for ages; in Victorian England, for example, it was fashionable for upper-crust ladies to hold seances in their parlours after tea with friends. In America during the late 1800s, many psychic mediums claimed to speak to’ the dead — but were exposed as frauds by skeptical investigators such as Harry Houdini. I believe that ghosts are just fanciful creations of our minds. All you need is some free time, a dark place and maybe a few gadgets from an electronics store. If you look long enough, any unexplained light or noise might be evidence of ghosts.

One of the reasons that people have started believing in the the existence of ghosts is the idea that the dead remain with us in spirit, and one that offers many people comfort; who doesn’t want to believe that our beloved but deceased family members aren’t looking out for us, or with us in our times of need? Most people believe in ghosts because of personal experience; they have seen or sensed some unexplained presence. So it is not that they exist but people create them as a figment of their imagination because of what they want to believe or due to fear of something.

But if one thinks logically it is not difficult to realise that ghosts do not exist.For example, are ghosts material or not? Either they can move through solid objects without disturbing them, or they can slam doors shut and throw objects across the room. Logically and physically, it’s one or the other. If ghosts are human souls, why do they appear clothed and with presumably soulless inanimate objects like hats, canes and dresses — not to mention the many reports of ghost trains, cars and carriages? Can anyone answer these logically and still believe in ghosts.

If ghosts are the spirits of those whose deaths were unavenged, why are there unsolved murders, since ghosts are said to communicate with psychic mediums, and should be able to identify their killers for the police. And so on; just about any claim about ghosts raises logical reasons to doubt it.Either ghosts exist and appear in our ordinary physical world and can therefore be detected and recorded in photographs, film, video and audio recordings, or they don’t. If ghosts exist and can be scientifically detected or recorded, then we should find hard evidence of that — yet we don’t. If ghosts exist and cannot be scientifically detected or recorded, then all the photos, videos and other recordings claimed to be evidence of ghosts cannot be ghosts. With so many basic contradictory theories — and so little science brought to bear on the topic — it’s not surprising that despite the efforts of thousands of ghost hunters on television and elsewhere for decades, not a single piece of hard evidence of ghosts has been found. Hence ,1 would only once again say that I am correct not to believe in the existence of ghosts.

Question 1(e).
Study the picture given below.Write a story or account of what the picture suggests to you .Your composition maybe about the subject of the picture or may take suggestions from it;but there must be a clear connection between the picture and the composition.

Answer:
The Christian gospel and all the texts of the religions of the world say, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but who ever is kind to the needy honours God.”And if one serves the righteous and even dies for the sake of the needy one does in fact die for God .But if taken in the Indian context I would say, :wrong, you die for the corrupt,ungrateful  and unconcerned bureaucrats and politicians. The government refuses to acknowledge the fact that malnutrition-related deaths are widespread in the country. The malnutrition issue has to do with unconcerned bureaucrats and politicians, the powerless poor who vote but cannot expect the rotting grain in State warehouses to be diverted to their homes and the citizen’s groups and the courts that have been unable to ensure that the 300 million undernourished must be fed on a priority basis.

Malnutrition in India has behind it a story of bad governance. More than 50 per cent of the country’s children women and men are malnourished. Western democracies introduced reforms in their governance decades ago, whereas India is not even thinking about them. Poverty and malnutrition are bad words in their dictionaries. Gone are the days of large-scale starvation deaths. Instead, we now keep people miserably alive as undernourished citizens.

Malnutrition compromises immunity and increases the vulnerability to fatal ailments. This  leaves room for governments and public health officials to argue that the cause of death was not malnutrition but poor hygiene, contaminated water, harmful cultural practices and so on.Therefore, an acceptable methodology for establishing malnutrition-related deaths is to compare two populations. If the one with a higher rate of malnutrition also has a higher child .death rate, it can be concluded that the deaths are malnutrition-related. Had malnutrition not prevailed, the rates of death would have been lower. Thus the politicians and bureaucrats need to take cognizance of malnutrition as a deadly killer in our country and not turn their faces the other side when they see a poor man dying due to poverty and malnutrition.

(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.)
Select one of the following:
Question 2(a).
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper showing your concern for the lack of safety of children in the school buses and vans.
Answer:
To,
The Editor The Indian Express Kasturba Gandhi Marg ’  New Delhi
Dear Sir,
I am writing to bring to your notice the deplorable safety measures that are existing regarding school buses and vans. There is a flagrant violation of rules and regulations.Most school buses and vans are operating illegally and violate traffic rules.

Schools must be required to pay special attention to check that all legal and other formalities connected with the safety of the students are fulfilled before outsourcing transport facility to private contractors. They must keep a check on the activities of the bus staff. Infact they should run their own bus service so that they are directly responsible. Small buses and rickshaws are not safe for school children and should not be allowed.

The schools must have full say in compliance of school buses and drivers and other staff must be employed after a go-ahead from school authorities.Only trained drivers and staff must be hired.

Traffic rules and road norms must be taken seriously. Seminars and conferences regarding safety rules must be organised from time to time.

School buses carrying children are not ordinary vehicles. Whatever happens during the transportation of children daily goes a long way in forming their attitudes which is a part of the informal educational process. School administration has a special responsibility in this regard.

I hope you will take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the children and bring awareness through your newspaper.

Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Rajeev Patil.

Question 2(b).
Write a letter to your friend inviting him to join you in an excursion to a place of historical importance during the next holidays.
Answer:
21, Lodhi Road
New Delhi.
Dear Manali
Dear Aashu,

I hope you must be enjoying Dussehra with your family. Since long we have not met, I have a plan for meeting. I am sure you would agree to this.

I have had a desire since a long time that we should celebrate Diwali together. So why don’t we decide to meet and go to visit a historical place i.e., the Sun temple at Konark, during our Diwali holidays. We would be killing two birds with one stone; meeting and visiting a historical place.

The Sun Temple at Konark is near the sea-shore in Orissa. It is one of the most beautiful temples. It was built in the thirteenth century by king Narsimha Deva in the honour of Surya, the Sun-God. Over 1200 sculptors worked day and night and it took twelve years to complete this temple.

The temple is designed as a Chariot for Surya. It has 24 huge stone wheels. Each wheel has 8 spokes and it is being driven by seven horses. The temple has beautiful carvings of different dance styles and different animals. The horses stand for 7 days of the week. The spokes stand for 8 prahars in a day and the wheels stand for 24 fortnights of the Indian year.

Hope you agree to my suggestion. Do let me know so that I can book for our tickets and accommodation. How are your parents. Convey my regards to them. Hope to see you soon.
Your loving friend Shalini

Question 3.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Answer:
“There are always legends hanging about the old castles,” said Baroness Grucebel to the banker and his wife. “Legends are not difficult to invent and they cost nothing.” In this context, she referred to a popular belief that when one of the Cernogratz family dies all the dogs bark and wolves in the village howl the night long. And as the soul of the dying one leaves its body, a tree would crash down in the park. But for a stranger dying here, of course, no wolf would howl and no tree would fall.

“It is true,” said Amalie, the old governess.
“You seem to know quite a lot about the Cernogratz legends, Amalie,” the Baroness said sharply.
“I am a Cernogratz myself,” said the old woman, “that is why I know the family history.”

“When we became very poor,” she explained, “and I had to go out and give teaching lessons, I took another name; I thought it would be more appropriate. But my grandfather spent much of his time as a boy in this castle, and my father used to tell me many stories about it, and, of course, I knew all the family legends and stories. I thought little when I took service with you that I should one day come with you to the old home of my family.”

When the old governess had slipped away quietly to her room, there arose a clamour of disbelief.

“Most annoying,” said the Baroness, “it is the intense cold, I suspect, that breaks the old people up. It has been unusually cold this year.”

At the same moment, an outburst of angry barking came from the dogs in the castle- yard. Then they heard a long-drawn whining howl of wolves coming from the foot of the castle walls.

Moved by some impulse, the Baroness made her way to the room, where the old governess lay. In spite of the biting cold of the winter night, the window stood open. The Baroness rushed forward to close it. “Leave it open”, said the old woman in a voice that for all its weakness carried an air of command such as the Baroness had never heard from her.
“But you will die of cold. Amalie!” she said.

“Hark! What is that sound?” asked the local banker, as a noise of splitting and crashing was heard. It was a tree falling in the park. There was a moment of constrained silence, and then the banker’s wife spoke, “It is the intense cold that is splitting the trees. It is also the cold that has brought the wolves out in such numbers. It is many years since we have had such a cold winter.”

The Baroness agreed that the cold was responsible for these things. And it was the cold of the open window, too, which caused the heart failure of the old governess.

Question 3(a).
Give the meanings of the following words as used in the passage. One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.

(1)Incredulous
Ans. Incredulous- unwilling or unable to believe something,disbelieving.

(2) Outburst
Ans. outburst- a sudden outbreak of a particular activity.

(3 ) Impulse
Ans. impulse- a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act, a driving or motivating force; an impetus

Question 3(b).
Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

Question 1.
What was the legend associated with the Cernogratz family?
Answer:
The legend associated with the Cernogratz family was the popular belief that when a member of the family died all the dogs in the village barked and the wolves howled all night long.And as the soul of the dying one left the body a tree would crash in the park.

Question 2.
Why did Amalie change her name?
Answer:
When the Cernogratz family became poor and Amalie had to go to work and give teaching lessons to earn money she decided to change her name as it would be more appropriate.

Question 3.
How did Amalie know the legends of the Cernogratz family?
Answer:
Amalie had heard the family legends and stories from her father who had been told by her grandfather as he had spent much of his boyhood in the old castle.

Question 4.
“When the old governess had slipped away quietly to her room,there arose a clamour of disbelief.” Give a reason for the clamour.
Answer:
There was a clamour because none of them could believe the poor.old governess, Amalie, could actually be a member of the reputed Cernogratz family who had been the original owners of the castle where the Baroness now lived .

Question 5.
What according to the banker’s wife were the consequences of the intense cold?
Answer:
According to the banker’s wife it was due to the intense cold that the wolves had come out in large numbers and were howling.She also believed that it was the bitter cold that was splitting the trees.

Question 6.
How does the death of Amalie apparently confirm that she was a member of the , Cernogratz family?
Answer:
The events that happen at the time of her death like the howling of the wolves and the splitting of the trees apparently confirm the legend regarding the death of any member of the Cernogratz family.

Question 3(c).
In not more than 60 words, state how the legend of the Cernogratz family had its origin in the natural phenomenon.
Answer:
The legend had its origin in the natural phenomenon because extreme cold makes the wood of the trees split and the wolves howl in the bitter cold just as it was popularly believed happened at the time of death of any member of the family.

Question 3(d).
Give a title to the passage and give a reason to justify your choice.
Answer:
The Cernogratz myth.This seems an apt title as myths are stories that people start believing in. Myths are generally based on some scientific facts which become popular beliefs in certain circumstances.

Question 4(a).
In the following passage,fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space.

Years ago, the Clark family in Scotland had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their children and themselves …1… (tavel O to the United States. It …2… (take) years, but they had finally saved enough money and had got passports and reservations for the family on a new ship to the United States.The family was filled with excitement at the thought of going to the US. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son …3… (bit) by a dog. The doctor …4… (hang) a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door to warn people of the possibility of rabies. The Clarks …5… (quarantine) for fourteen days.The family’s dreams …6… (shatter). They could hot make the trip to America as they …7… (plan). The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and the dog for their misfortune.

Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland-the mighty Titanic in which the Clarks were to travel, …8… (sink), taking hundreds of lives with it.
Answer:

1.    to travel

2.    took

3.    was bitten

4.     hung

5.    were quarantined

6.    were shattered.

7.    had planned

8.    had sunk.

Question 4(b).
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.

1.    The road goes through a tunnel to the city center.

2.    The President is standing beside his bodyguards.

3.    We’re going to drive across the country visiting many places.

4.    Temperatures fell below freezing.

5.    The water flows in the pipe.

6.    The police got in by breaking down the door.

7.    The bell rang, and out ran the children.

8.    Kevin and Diana have fallen down.

Question 4(c).
Combine each set of the following sentences without using and,but or so .

(1) She cannot , read English .She cannot write English.
Ans: She can neither read nor write English.

(2) We should obey our parents. We should honour them.
Ans: We should obey as well as honour our parents.

(3) The old man is very rich. He is not proud of his wealth.
Ans: Although the old man is very rich yet he is not proud of his wealth.

(4) He had left the country. His letter came late.
Ans: Either he had left the country or his letter came late.

Question 4(d).
Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.

1. Poverty does not embarrass the family.(Begin: The family………….. )
Ans. The family does not get embarrassed by poverty.

2. My cousin earns a lot but he spends a lot. (Begin: The more…………….. )
Ans. The more my cousin earns, the more he spends.

3. You should stay at home and complete your project.( Begin: It would……………. )
Ans. It would be better if you stayed at home and completed your project.

4.The film was discontinued because of several protests. (Begin: In view…………… )
Ans. In view of the several protests made,the film was discontinued.

5. I would advise you to take permission from the principal before you go out.(Begin: You had……… )
Ans. You had better take permission from the principal before you go out.

6. Smoking is prohibited here.(Begin:No one…………. ).
Ans. No one is allowed to smoke here.

7.‘If you don’t come out,we will break open the door,’ the police threatened.(Begin:Thepolice threatened them that………… )
Ans. The police threatened them that if they didn’t open the door then they would break it open,

8. He had hardly entered the hall when the audience began to clap.(Use: No sooner)
Ans. No sooner had he entered the hall than the audience began to clap.