Practice Sheet
ReadingRead the passage and answer the questions that follow.
The cacao tree produces the cacao bean. The bean is referred to
as cocoa in trade circles. Ghana and the Ivory coast supply more
than 70% of the world’s cocoa to chocolate companies around the
globe. Hershey’s, Mars, Nestle are indirectly connected to the
horrible exploitation of children and slavery and it is time that these
companies listen to the voice of their conscience.
As the chocolate industry grows the demand for cheap cocoa also
grows. A cocoa farmer makes very little money from his export. He
tries to reduce his cost of production by using children to harvest the
beans. Most of the children working on these farms are between the
ages of 12 and 16 who work for twelve to fourteen hours a day.
Some farms have children as young as five working on them.
A child climbs the tree and cuts off the pod using a machete. He
then cracks open the pod with a couple of strikes from the
machete. The heavy machete can easily slice off the flesh from a
child’s hand. Many of these children’s hands and legs bear scars of
wounds from the machete. These children spray toxic chemicals on
the pods without wearing any protective clothing as African farms
regularly face the problem of infestations. Child labour is a universal problem:
children in Cambodia work in
brick factories, children in India roll beedies and firecrackers,
children work on tobacco farms of the United States of America.
Childhood is the great and happiest period of the lives of everyone
during which one learns about the basic strategy of the life from
parents, loved ones and nature. Child labour interferes with the
proper growth and development of the children in all aspects like
mentally, physically, socially and intellectually.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that number of
working children are about 250 million in the developing countries,
of whom at least 120 million are working full time. Children work
mainly due to poverty. Poor parents are forced to send their children
to work instead of school. Poverty reduction is the key to reducing
child labour. The government should provide some compensation to
poor parents for sending their children to school.
The government of India has plans to allow child labour for 'family
enterprises'. This is the result of the latest amendment to the Child
Labour Prohibition Act. There may be no hope to the problem of
child labour. As long as a factory owner finds it cheaper to hire a
child instead of an able-bodied worker this inhuman practice will
continue.
I Answer the following questions.
a. What is the basic raw material used to make chocolates?
b. Why does the cocoa farmer employ children on his farm?
c. What danger does a child worker face on the farm?
d. Why is child labour such a universal problem?
II Choose the correct option that is closest in meaning to the word
given below.
a. exploitation (para 1)
taking offence taking advantage
taking credit taking a stand
b. machete (para 3)
a sharp lance a pocket knife
a broad heavy knife a rifle
c. infestation (para 3)
state of being invaded by insects spraying of chemical fertilizers
spraying a potent pesticide invaded by disease
d. amendment (para 4)
a minor change in a law an addition to a law
a new law implementing a law
B. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru,
Machu Picchu is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred
religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped
out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. Until, the American
archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it in 1911, the
abandoned citadel’s existence was a secret known only to
peasants living in the region.
Hiram Bingham arrived in Peru with a small team of explorers hoping
to find Vilcabamba, the last Inca stronghold to fall to the Spanish.
Travelling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their
way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer
told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain.
The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which translates to
“old peak” in the native Quechua language. On July 24, after a
tough climb to the mountain’s ridge in cold and drizzly weather,
Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of
the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of
the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to
Machu Picchu.
There was a great flight of beautifully constructed stone terraces,
perhaps a hundred of them, each hundreds of feet long and 10 feet
high. The walls of the ruined houses were built of the finest quality of
Inca stonework. The ruins were overgrown by trees, bamboo thickets
and tangles of vines and covered with moss, but the white granite
walls were carefully cut and exquisitely fitted together.
The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a best- selling book,
“The Lost City of the Incas,” sending hordes of eager
tourists flocking to Peru to follow in his footsteps up the formerly
obscure Inca Trail. He also excavated artefacts from Machu Picchu
and took them to Yale University for further inspection, igniting a
custody dispute between Yale University and the Government of
Peru that lasted nearly 100 years.
a. What is believed to be the significance of Machu Picchu to the
Incas?
b. What led to the downfall of the civilisation of the Incas?
c. How did Bingham and his group get to know about Machu Picchu
when they landed in Peru?
d. How did the site get the name Machu Picchu?
e. What is special about the entrance to Machu Picchu?
f. What led to an onrush of tourists to Machu Picchu?
g. What did Bigham do with the products of his excavations of the site?
h. What is a custody dispute?
Writing
C. You are Danny / Della. You saw an advertisement in a magazine for
youth. Upset by the misleading language, you decide to write an
article entitled ‘Health is a treasure with no short cuts’ for publication
in your school’s magazine. Write in about 120 words.
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D. Given below is a newspaper report on the state of cancer prevailing
in India. Taking information from the clipping given below together
with your own ideas, write a article in about 120 words.
‘In India, cities are more cancer-prone than rural areas. In the early
1990s, we expected one out of 10-15 urban Indians to get cancer in
their life-time that is every second or third family would have to face
this disease. This is partly due to high levels of benzene in the air and
also their exposure to high levels of pesticide in their food.
In order to check the steady growth of cancer in the country, the
Government will have to give priority to preventive action. At the
same time measures to undertake improvement in facilities for the
treatment of cancer shall have to be adopted.
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E, Write a story that begins with these lines...
Last October, we decided to go for a trek. Mother, Rishabh my
cousin and I packed our small knapsacks and began our trek. We
had decided to climb to the top and watch the river cascading over
huge rocks down the steep sides of the valley. (150-200 words)
Grammar
F. Gap filling Conversation 4x4=16
I Sita: Hello can I speak to Rani?
Meera: I’m afraid, mother’s not at home. May i know who is
peaking?
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Sita: I am Sita. Please tell your mother that I will pick her up at 7 pm
on Wednesday for the lecture on ‘Yoga and your life’
Meera: Yes Ma’am. I will certainly tell her.
a. Sita said hello and asked ___________________ to Rani.
I. if I can speak
II. if she could speak
III. if I could speak
a. if I may speak
b. Hearing this Meera replied that her mother was not at home and
asked ____________________ speaking
I. if I know who is
II. if I know who was
III. if she might know who was
IV. if she might know who is
c. Sita introduced herself and told her to tell her mother that
_______________ on Wednesday for the Yoga lecture.
I. she should pick her up at 7 pm
II. I will pick her up at 7 pm
III. I will pick your mother up at 7 pm
IV. she would pick her up at 7 pm
d. Meera replied respectfully that she certainly _____________.
I. would tell her mother
II. will tell her mother
III. will tell
IV. will tell respectfully
II Attendant: A person wants to see you, Sir.
Principal: did you ask him his name?
Attendant: sorry, sir, I didn’t. I shall go and ask him.
a. The attendant told the principal respectfully that a person
_________________________.
I. wants to see him
II. wanted to see him
III. wants to see you
IV. wanted to see you
b. The Principal asked him ____________ the person his name.
I. if you had asked
II. if you had asked
III. if he asked
IV. if he had asked
c. The attendant regretted the error and told the Principal that ________________________.
I. he did not
II. he hadn’t done that
III. he did not do that
IV. he didn’t ask him
d. He further told the Principal that he ________________________.
I. would go and ask him
II. will go and ask him
III. will ask him
IV. would go and ask
III Father: Where did you go yesterday after school?
Rishabh: I went to the watch the Inter-school football final.
Father: why didn’t you tell us before you left home?
Rishabh: I’m sorry father. I called from school but nobody picked up
the phone.
a. Father asked Rishabh_______________________.
I. where did you go the day before
II. where he had gone the day before
III. where you had gone the previous day
IV. where did he go the previous day
b. Rishabh replied that he ____________________________the Inter-School
Football Final.
I. went to watch
II. had gone to watch
III. had been to watch
IV. was going to watch
c. Father asked him ___________________before he left home.
I. why he did not tell them
II. why you didn’t tell us
III. why he hadn’t told them
IV. why he had not told him
d. Rishabh replied that he _______________________up the phone.
I. had called from school but nobody picked
II. called from school but nobody picked
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III. had called from school but nobody had picked
IV. called from school but nobody had picked
IV Mrs Geeta: When did you pass your M. Sc.?
Mr Mrs Geeta: what were your subjects?
Mr Mukesh: Are you willing to go for training if it is required?
Mr Shah: What do your parents do?
a. Mrs Geeta asked Mohan ______________ M.Sc.
I. when did you pass your
II. when he had passed his
III. when you had passed
IV. when did you pass your
b. She further asked him ____________________in B. Sc.
I. what were your subjects
II. what were his subjects
III. what had been your subjects
IV. what his subjects had been
c. Mr Mukesh, the other member, asked him __________________
training if it was required.
I. are you willing to go for
II. if he is willing to go for
III. if you are willing to go for
IV. if he was willing to go for
d. Finally, Mr Shah asked him ________________.
I. what do your parents do
II. what did his parents do
III. what his parents did
IV. what your parents do
G. 1 Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful
sentences. The first one has been done as an example.
The/of/plight/ Tanzanians / would/ like/ know /the/you/about/to
Would you like to know about the plight of the Tanzanians?
a. Africa/in/Tanzanians/literacy rate/the /have/highest
b. read/hardly/have/to/they/anything/but
c. the/and/are/costs/soaring/paper/the/the/interest/rates/reasons/of
d. have/they/standstill/the/to/a/brought/publishing industry
G. 2.
a. the refrain/during their holidays/children hear/this is
b. play in the sun/in summer/since one cannot/things are worse
c. with a lot of time on their hands/the children/ to rest indoors/are
condemned
d. parents /this is/worries/what /the
H. Complete the following passage using the most appropriate options
from the ones given.
Is your glass half-full or half-empty? On (a) __________ days when
nothing in your life seems to be going right, it (b) __________ be really
tough to see the silver lining among all those clouds. However, It’s
during these times when the (c) __________to see the good in even
the worst situations is so important. An optimistic attitude (d)
__________not only __________your mental health, but your physical
well being as well.
a. i. some
ii. those
iii. few
iv. these
b. i. can
ii. might
iii. will
iv. must
c. i. wish
ii. desire
iii. chance
iv. ability
d. i. benefitted
ii. will benefit
iii. benefits
iv. benefitting
I. Indian American Wins Democratic Primary in Philadelphia
Thursday, May 20 Iraq. War-veteran, Indian American doctor Manan
Trivedi (a) __________ the Democratic Party nomination to contest
the November elections to the US House of Representatives from
Pennsylvania Congressional district. A doctor-turned war-veteran,
Tirvedi, 35 (b) __________ Dough Pike, a former local journalist, (c)
__________margin of 672 votes; thus earning the right to challenge
Republican incumbent Jim Geralch in the November polls for
Pennsylvania seat for the US House of representatives. Conceding
his defeat, Pike in a statement supported Trivedi. The elections (d)
__________ Tuesday.
a. i. won
ii. had won
iii. has won
iv. was won
b. i. had defeated
ii. been defeated
iii. was defeated
iv. defeated
c. i. through a narrow
ii. with a narrow
iii. to a narrow
iv. in a narrow
d. i. was held on
ii. were held on
iii. been held on
iv. had been held on
J. The following passages have not been edited. There is one error in
each line. Find the errors. Underline them and write the correct word.
1. Ordinary good looks depend on one’s sense
of humour – ‘a merry heart has its cheerful
countenance’. Joyfulness keeps the heart but face
young. Laughter helps us to become better friends to
ourselves and others with whom we interact.
It was worthwhile being happy. the sympathetic nerves are close connected: when one
set of nerves carries bad news with the head, the nerves
reaching the stomach is affected and indigestion
makes ones miserable and doleful.
2. Coorgi homes have a tradition in
hospitality and they are more to willing
at recount numerous tales of valour. The Coorgi Regiment is
one of the more decorated in the Indian Army, but the first Chief of the Indian Army,
General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even now, Kodavus
are only people in India
permitted to carrying firearms
without the licence.
K. Insert a ‘/’ where you think a word has been omitted in each line of
the paragraph. Then write the omitted word in the space provided.
Depending / the type of raptor, the birds may make
their nests with sticks / live in nests made by
other birds. They may also live and lay eggs / the
cavities of tree trunks or burrows that have been
made and left /other animals. Some raptors make nests
on treetops, some on / ground while some make them on the
faces / cliffs. Normally, the female bird makes the nest
while
the male bird gathers and brings the material for it.
Different types of raptors lay different types / eggs.
They may be round or oval shaped and even the colour
/vary
Where are the answers
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