English

1. Read the following poem and answer the questions given.                        5 

The Road not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and, I

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost    

A.     Answer the following questions.                                                             5

a)       What kind of dilemma is the traveler feeling in the poem? 

b)      Which road the poet takes and why?

c)       What do you think, "the roads" refer to?

d)      Is the poet optimistic in the poem? Give your perspective.

e)       Explain the verse, "I doubted if I should ever come back", in your own words.

2. Read the following passage and do the activities.                                      10

We are what we repeatedly do. “Excellence is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle. We are all born to lead successful lives, but our conditioning leads us to failure. We are born to win but are conditioned to lose. We often hear comments like “This person is just lucky, he touches dirt and it turns to gold” or “He is unlucky; no matter what he touches, it turns to dirt.” These comments are not true of anyone.

If you were to analyse the lives of lucky and unlucky individuals being commented on, you’d find that the successful person is doing something right in each transaction, and the failure is repeating the same mistake time and again. Practice does not make perfect - only perfect practice makes perfect. Practice makes permanent whatever you do repeatedly. Some people keep practising their mistakes and they become perfect in them. Their mistakes become perfect and automatic.

Cultivating a habit is like plowing a field. It takes time. Habits generate other habits. Inspiration is what gets us started, motivation is what keeps us on track, and habit is what makes it automatic.

The ability to show courage in the face of adversity; show self-restraint in the face of temptation, choose happiness in the face of hurt, show character in the face of despair, and see opportunity in the face of obstacles are all valuable traits to possess. But these traits do not just appear; they are the result of constant and consistent training, both mental and physical. In the face of adversity, our behavior, whether positive or negative can only be what we have practised. When we practise negative traits such as cowardice or dishonesty in small events, and hope to handle the major events in a positive way, it won’t happen because that’s not what we have practised.

If we permit ourselves to tell a lie once, it is a lot easier to do it a second and a third time until it becomes a habit. Success lies in the philosophy of “sustain and abstain.” Sustain what needs to be done and abstain from what is detrimental until this becomes habitual. Human beings are more emotional than rational. Honesty and integrity are the result of both our belief system and practice. Anything we practise long enough becomes ingrained into our system and becomes a habit. A person who is honest most of the time gets caught the first time he tells a lie, whereas a person who is dishonest most of the time gets caught the first time he tells the truth.

Honesty or dishonesty to self and others becomes a habit. The choice is ours as to what we practise. Whatever response we choose, our thinking pattern becomes habitual. We form habits, and habits form character. Before we realise that we have got the habit, the habit has got us.

Someone once said, “Our thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to habits, and habits form character.” Character leads to destiny. Therefore, you should try to form character building habits.

(Source: You Can Win by Shiv Khera)

A. Answer the following questions.                                                                 5

a)       What do you think about Habits? Write in context to the text given. 

b)      How do some people become perfect in making mistakes?

c)       How can you form a good habit?

d)      What are valuable traits that human beings have to possess?

e)       Refer to the text again and write three statements of your own on cultivating good habits.

B. Find the synonyms of the following words from the text.                            5

1. damaging             2. refrain          3. misfortune                4. truthfulness  

5. motivation            6. deep-rooted 7. deal/give-take           8. wise

9. cultivate               10. Qualities

3. Read the following text and do the activities that follow.                             15

Genocide is a crime on a different scale to all other crimes against humanity and it implies an intention to completely exterminate the chosen group; genocide is therefore the greatest of the crimes against humankind. The massacres that transpired in Rwanda less than four years ago possess every quality attributed to the ramifications of genocide. There, in the clearest case of genocide since Hitler, a cast slaughter occurred which claimed the lives of more than 8000,000 Rwandans. This genocide is probably the greatest and gravest crime against humanity in the second half of the twentieth century; and no group whether foreign or indigenous executed enough force to prevent this from occurring. The United States stood by and watched the horrific events unfold. The Clinton administration, facing what was the clearest case of genocide in 50 years, responded by downplaying the crisis diplomatically and impeding effective intervention by U.N forces to stop the killing. A great crime against humanity did exist through the individual tortures, rapes, and slaughters of the Rwandans; but hidden in all of the turmoil and rage, was the crime of passivity and evasion in the United States' response towards all of the crimes and suffering. One million Rwandan civilians were left to die, but that could have been significantly reduced with the initial intervention and aide of the U.S government. Rwanda has been subjected to a number of historical events that have led up to their genocide. After WW I, they were put under Belgian Trusteeship that imposed a rigid plan of racial classification, dividing the Rwandans into three distinct groups; the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The Hutu composed of about 84 percent of the total population in Rwanda while

Tutsi was 15 percent and the Twa represented a meager 1 percent of the population. The Belgians' racist ideals provided a framework for the social classes that would exist in Rwanda. The Tutsi were deemed superior in all aspects to the Hutus and Twa due to their facial features and manner in which they lived and presented themselves. "Their racialization of the political reality was exploited." According to the Belgians, they possessed a politeness and greater intelligence that surpassed the levels that were inherent among the other tribes. The "whiteness", including facial features, behavioral tendencies, and personality, reflected many characteristics of the white race. The Belgians presented them with an opportunity for education and a Christian upbringing. It was this intervention that sowed the seeds for the future resentment among the clans. Disgruntled by their new low-level social status, resentment began to grow amongst the Hutu clan towards the Tutsi. 

A.  Answer the following questions.                                                           5

a)    What is genocide?

b)   How many people lost their lives in the massacres of Rwanda?

c)    How did the rigid plan of racial classification divide the Rwandans?

d)   What is the claim of Belgians about Tutsi?

e)    How did the Clinton administration respond to the killing?

B. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.            5

Column A                                             Column B

a.       ramification            i.  originating naturally in a particular place

b.       Indigenous              ii. displeasure of having been treated unfairly

c.       Turmoil                   iii. a complex consequence of an action

d.       Surpassed                iv. a state of great disturbance

e.    Resentment             v.  be greater than

C.  Write T for true and F for false statements.                                          5

a)    Greatest genocide occurred in Hitler's time.

b)   Initially, America just witnessed the events.

c)    Rwandans were put under Belgian Trusteeship after WW II. 

d)   The greatest population was of Twa.

e)    The Belgians provided Twa with educational opportunities.

4. Read the following passage and do the activities.                                    10

Fuel is a material that is used to produce heat or other form of energy. Energy is vital to almost every human activity, from cooking to building a skyscraper. Nearly all fuels produce heat by being burned. Most of the world's energy comes from the so called "fossil fuel"- coal, oil and natural gas. These are the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Fossil Fuels won't last forever. It is estimated that the world's supply of oil will only last for between another 30 and 60 years and coal for 250 years Fossil fuels will eventually run out. There is a critical need to develop something to replace them.

At present about 14% of the world's energy is believed to come from burning wood. Wood is the main source for fuel for about 2 billion people. Most of them are in developing and underdeveloped countries. In some areas whole forests have been cut down for fuel. Unlike coal, oil or natural gas, new wood can be grown quite quickly. Unfortunately, not enough trees are being planted. Trees are being but cut down faster than new one can grow, causing a severe deficiency of wood.

At present only 4% of the world's energy comes from sources other than wood and fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is the most essential of these and so it is the most conspicuous power source to expand. However, nuclear power stations are extremely pricey. If an accident occurs at one, there can be great dangers as was shown by the fire that occurred a t the Chernobyl reactor in the Ukraine in 1986. Getting rid of nuclear waste materials is also very costly and it can escort to serious pollution.
There are numbers of new fuels which could be developed. Many countries simply burn their household rubbish. In Britain, for example, 70 million tons of household rubbish are thrown away every year. This rubbish contains the same amount of energy as 20 million tons of coal. A number of cities including London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris, now have power stations that burn household rubbish to produce electricity.

 A.  Answer the following questions.                                                            5

a.    What is the major source of energy for the people? 

b.    What is fossil fuel?

c.    Why should the replacement of fuel be developed? 

d.    What is the population that depends on wood as fuel?

e.    What is causing the deficiency of wood? 

B. Put the sentences in the chronological order as you see in the text:          5

a.    A number of cities have power stations that burn household rubbish.

b.    Fuel is vital to every human activity.

c.    70 million tons of rubbish is equal to 20 million tons of coal energy.

d.    4% of the world's energy comes from sources other than wood and fossil fuels.

e.    There is a critical need to develop something to replace them.

5. Write a newspaper article on the topic, "Necessity of Political Consciousness Among Youths". Imagine you are Mr. Sandesh Joshi from The Himalayan Times.         5

6.  One of your classmates has got a scholarship for his/her study. Write a message of congratulation to be published in a newspaper on behalf of your class. 5

7. The following table shows average rainfall in Pokhara during the Monsoon. Study the table and write the interpretation of it.                                     6

 

May	June	July	August	September
75.4 MM	125 MM	281.4 MM	229.7 MM	46.8 MM

 

8. Write an essay on the topic- Increasing Criminal Activity in Nepal.            8

9. Reproduce the following sentences as directed in the brackets.             6

a.    Everybody celebrated well _____? (correct tag)

b.    Nobody hinders in development work. (affirmative)

c.    We _____(taste) the Kashmiri apple yet. (correct verb)

d.    He asked, "Why are you crying?" (into indirect)

e.    The school has forbidden the staff to consume tobacco. (into passive)

f.     Economic condition of Nepalese has deteriorated. (whose question)

10. Completing the sentences below choosing suitable alternatives from the brackets. (Rewriting the whole passage is not necessary)                        5

Once there lived an old king with _____(1) prince (a/an/the) who was supposed to be the heir to the throne. The prince, however, did not pay any
attention _____(2) (for/in/to) state affairs. He, with his friends _____(3) (is/was/were) involved in the activities that _____(4) (are/will be/ were) not suitable for a prince. He was hardly involved in the affairs that were good for the well being of the people, _____(5) ? (was he/ wasn't he/didn't he). The king forbade him _____(6) (to involve/not to involve/to involve not) in unwanted activities. _____(7) (Although/In spite of/ Because of) his father's warning, the prince did not give up his bad habits. As a result, one day a big protest _____(8) (organized/was organized/will be organized) against him. This made the king _____(9) (dismiss/to dismiss/dismissed) him from the crown prince. If the prince _____(10) (listens/ listened/ had listened) to the king's warning in time, he would have been enthroned to kingship.