Read the poem and answer the questions that follow. 5×1=5
Who enjoyed, unmolested, the range of the house;
With plain food content, she would breakfast on cheese,
She dined upon bacon, and supped on grey peas.
A friend from the town to the cottage did stray,
And he said he was come a short visit to pay;
So the mouse spread her table as gay as you please,
And brought the nice bacon and charming grey peas.
The visitor frowned, and he thought to be witty:
Cried he, "You must know, I come from the city,
Where we all should be shocked at provisions like these,
For we never eat bacon and horrid grey peas.
(a) Where did the country mouse live?
(b) What were the daily meals of the country mouse?
(c) Why did the town mouse go to the country?
(d) Was the city mouse happy with the food in the village? Why, why not?
(e) Which mouse do you think has showed good behaviour?
Read the following text and do the tasks that follow. 10
An infrastructure of national pride, Kathmandu-Terai/Madhesh Fast Track (KTFT) is a mega highway project of strategic importance in Nepal. The 72.5 km long fast track will connect Khokana, Lalitpur with Nijgadh, Bara at the East West Highway junction. The project consists of road with the total length of 55.49 km, 87 bridges with the total length of 10.60 km, and three twin tunnels with the total length of 6.41 km. The total travel time is estimated as one hour.
Benefits
The fast track will enhance the country's economic growth and create job opportunities as well. There are so many benefits from KTFT which are the blessings that bring prosperity and progress. Here are several potential benefits that KTFT will bring to our nation.
A. Accelerate the country's economic growth
The construction of KTFT contributes to connect Kathmandu and Terai closer. Since the travel distance is lesser in KTFT, the daily fuel saving could potentially reach more than NRs. five billion. This proximity is sure to have several positive implications on the economic growth of our country.
KTFT - enhanced connectivity can open up a viable option to tourists that come to Nepal through the southern border. At the same time, many of the tourists beyond India will also have options to travel to Nepal via fast track.
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct information from the text. 5×1=5
(i) KTFT is a big highway project of ........... significance in Nepal.
(ii) The duration of travel time along the track is supposed to be .......
(iii) The total length of the three twin tunnels is ..............
(iv) The fast track will speed up the ............ of the country.
(v) The completion of KTFT will .... to connect Kathmandu and Terai.
B. Answer the following questions. 5×1=5
(i) What does KTFT stand for?
(ii) Which place of Terai will the fast track connect Lalitpur with?
(iii) How will the fast track help in saving the daily fuel consumption?
(iv) How will KTFT support tourists coming through the southern border?
(v) Do you agree that 'KTFT' is really a project of 'National Pride'?
Read the following text and do the tasks that follow. 10
Thursday, 27th May
Today school ended for summer vacation. I had a bit dreadful day because I fell out with my friend for a bit but now we are friends, so I am a happy human. Tomorrow it is mum's birthday. I am so excited as we might go out to dinner.
On Saturday, I am playing a football match. On Wednesday next week, perhaps I may go to cinema with Ayesha to watch Street Dance 3D. I have heard it is good. Another day next week, I might go to my cousin's house for sleep over. Another thing, we have got a project work from our Social Studies teacher. We've been told to collect information on historical and cultural sites of our district. So we are going to request our parents to drop us at the stops next weekends. I think we, the whole class are going together. How interesting!
Friday, 28th May
It's Mum's birthday! We are going to Shani Village Resort to have dinner. I can't tell you how old she is. I am afraid but I can tell you she doesn't look her age. Today, I went to temple early with Mum and dad. We prayed for the long life of mum. The whole day I was excited and thinking of dining at a restaurant. Late afternoon, I watched cricket match between Australia and England. The whole next week, I am planning to enjoy a lot with my family, relatives and friends. Right now, I am excited at the thought of delicious dinner after sometime. Mum's calling me. Sorry diary, see you tomorrow.
A. Write 'TRUE' for true and 'FALSE' for the false statements. Write NOT GIVEN if the information is not found in the text. 5×1=5
(i) The writer's mother's birthday is on 27th May.
(ii) The writer is not playing any games on Saturday.
(iii) The writer plans to buy a cake for mum's birthday.
(iv) The writer's family plans to have dinner at Shani Village Resort on Friday.
(e) The writer likes to watch cricket.
B. Answer the following questions. 5×1=5
(i) Why was 'Thursday' dreadful for the writer?
(ii) What project work was given to the writer?
(iii) What excited the writer most on Thursday and Friday?
(iv) What did the writer pray for on mum's birthday?
(v) What type of writing is the given text?
Read the following text and do the tasks that follow. 15
We have an old saying 'Beauty is only skin deep'. People generally praise, support and award those who look beautiful and attractive. In contrast, the less attractive, shorter, deformed and disable people are generally ill-treated, discriminated, insulted, less paid, less graded, etc.
People with deformities, scars and other physical defects are deprived of good jobs, considerable pay and handsome opportunities. Discrimination is everywhere for all-aged people. Prettier babies are treated better than plain or ugly looking ones. Not only strangers, even the parents love, kiss, talk and play more with their cute babies but give less attention to the plain babies. At schools, attractive children are likely to draw more attention of the teachers and get higher grades on their achievement tests. The reason may be that their good looks win praise, attention and encouragement from teachers. In a 1975 study, teachers were asked to evaluate some students based on their photos. It was found that the students with ugly looks were judged to be slow learners while the others with pretty photo were considered to be smart.
Conventionally people believe that people with good looks are smart. Even these days, outwardly unattractive and ugly people are teased and addressed as witches or monsters in many places. The cinemas and fairy tales seem to have been playing crucial roles in cultivating this kind of attitude. In such stories, the heroes are cast handsome and the heroines beautiful while the villains are ugly and unattractive. People with physical defects, disability, deformities, etc. are often discriminated. They are less privileged and deprived of their birth rights and opportunities and they have to face insult, discrimination, segregation, humiliation and harsh treatment.
We should judge human fellows not on the basis of how they look but on the ground of their knowledge, virtues, vision of life, inner beauty, humanity and their contribution to society. We can take the example of Socrates from the ancient Greece. He was physically very ugly. However, he is always respected for his vision, wisdom and beauty.
A. Match the meanings in 'Column A' with the correct words from the text in 'Column B'. One word does not have a match. 5×1=5
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct information from the text. 5×1=5
(i) Ugly people are ...... of good jobs.
(ii) Parents and strangers pay less ..... to the plain babies.
(iii) At school, students are likely to get good grades due to their ......
(iv) Cinemas present ugly and unattractive characters as .;........
(v) Socrates is .............. for his vision, wisdom and beauty.
C. Answer the following questions. 5×1=5
(i) How are less attractive people treated?
(ii) What were the teachers asked to do in the research?
(iii) Whom did the teachers judge as slow learners?
(iv) How are heroes presented in cinemas and fairy tales?
(v) How should we judge people, according to the writer?
Write a set of rules and regulations for the visitors of a library. Write it in about 100 words using the following clues. 5
Write a readable story in about 100 words with the help of the following clues. 5
There is growing trend of using smartphones by people these days. Write two paragraphs expressing your views on the effects of overuse of smart phones on human health. 6
A large number of youths, students and professionals are migrating to the city areas in Nepal. Write an essay in about 200 words on the causes and effects of this trend. 8
Reproduce the following sentences as indicated in the brackets. 6×1=6
(i) You'd better study English, ......... ? (Add a correct tag question.)
(ii) Manushi has already passed the exam. (Change into negative.)
(iii) Juny found a beautiful ring in the street. (Change into 'What' question.)
(iv) Our winter vacation......... (start) from tomorrow. (Use the correct form of the verb 'start' to complete the sentence.)
(v) My mom said to me, "Did you buy some oranges for me yesterday?" (Change into indirect speech.)
(vi) My brother told me a story. (Change into passive voice.)
Choose and copy the correct answer from the alternatives given in the brackets. Rewriting the text is not compulsory. (10×0.5=5)
Science has told us so much (a)...... (on/ about/ to/ at) the moon that it is fairly easy to imagine what it (b) ........ (was/ will be/ had been/ has been) like to go there. It is certainly not a friendly place, (c) ........ (isn't it/ is it/ does it/ doesn't it) ? There can be no life of any kind on the moon (d) ......... (because/ therefore/ although/ because of) there is no air or water. For mile after mile, there (e) .......... (are/ has/ is/ was) only the dust with mountains around. Above the moon, the sun and stars shine in (f) ........... (a/ an/ the/ no article) sky. If you step out of the mountain shadow, you (g) .......... (move/ will move/ would move/ would have moved) from severe cold to great heat. The moon is also a very silent world, for sound waves can only travel through air. But beyond the broken horizon, a friendly sight (h) ...... (is seen/ be seen/ was seen/ has been seen). The astronauts say the earth shines (i)............ (brightly/ as brightly as/ more brightly/most brightly) than the stars. From the distance, our earth looks like an immense ball, clouded blue and green, and brown. The flight of the heavenly bodies makes us (j) ......... (to wonder/ wonder/ wondered/will wonder) about the universe.