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PASSAGE 1

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows:

1. New Delhi : It seems the common house sparrow has disappeared fromthe city. But ornithologists maintain that while sparrow numbers are dwindling,the bird has not disappeared entirely from the city and only shifted to moreinhabitable parts. Conservationists are now trying to understand why someareas have managed to hold back sparrows and what has driven themaway from others.

2. A recent countrywide survey initiative called ‘Citizen Sparrow’ is now ropingin residents who want to report about their experience with sparrows. So farthis unique sparrow survey organized by the Bombay National History Society(BNHS) and ministry of environment and forests (MOEF) has received closeto 410 responses from Delhi. Of these, 86 have claimed they have notseen any sparrows at all. But the majority seems to have sighted the bird,which gives new hope to conservationists.

3. “I have seen lots of sparrows in Ghaziabad, in Sheikh Sarai where I live buthardly any in say the Greater Kailash area. What is different in GK andother parts is still a mystery. But certain factors drawing the birds havebecome clearer, such as they nest more around old buildings, houses ormay be in houses where there are old electricity meters, kitchen gardens,shrubs,” says co-in-vestigator, BNHS Citizen Sparrow Project, KoustubhSharma.

4. Another conservationist and birder, Ananda Banerjee says she has seenlots of sparrows in parts of Lutyens’ Delhi, Mayur Vihar, parts of old Delhiand parts of Noida. He cites urban landscape to be the reason behind thedecline in the sparrow population.

5. "Urban architecture, tall glass buildings that lack nesting spaces for thesparrow, pesticides used in farming that kill the worms that sparrows feedon are some of the reasons. Even our markets have changed. There arenot many open markets where they can get grains. But you can see lotsof sparrows in Khari Baoli open grain market," he says.

6. But there is no doubt among conservationists that sparrows are fastdisappearing. Declining number of sparrows and their complete absencefrom some parts of the city isn't just about missing the tiny bird. It is anindicator of something much graver.

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7. Ecologist and forestry expert, Neeraj Khera, who has been studying thesparrow population in Delhi, feels that sparrows are an important indicatorspecies. "There is always a threshold level. Big changes like an epidemicoutbreak for instance will not happen overnight, but when we cross thebuffer line then changes take place in our ecosystem. Sparrows as anindicator species is very sensitive to change. So it's obvious that a lot musthave changed in our ecology to have driven them away," says Khera.

8. Some of the important factors responsible are air and water pollution, lossof native herbs and shrubs.

9. Another trend being noticed by experts is the increase of rock pigeons inmost parts of Delhi. They seem to have almost replaced the sparrows thatused to nest in the same places.

10. "Rock pigeons have almost grown out of proportion and taken up the spaceof sparrows. They can be seen nesting in houses and other buildings.Studies have shown that it is not a welcome change as the excreta of rockpigeon carries a lot bacterial pathogens," said Khera.

11. She says that sparrow population is moderate in places where there are oldgovernment buildings, water bodies or green spaces. Saving the sparrow,she says is not a lost cause yet. It is the right time to intervene and checkfurther decline. It will take 'Citizen Sparrow' survey a couple of more monthsto come up with the preliminary analysis of the results from their - surveyand may offer a stronger argument on why the sparrows are disappearingfrom the city

Source : The Times of india

A. (a) What is ‘Citizen’s Sparrow’ and who has initiated it? 2

(b) What has increased the hope of conservationists? 2

(c) According to survey study, which type of house is sparrow’s first choiceof nesting? 2

(d) How use of pesticides in farming responsible for decrease in sparrow’spopulation? 2

(e) What did the ecologist Neeraj Khera observe? 1

B. Find out words from the passage which means the same as the following:

(1x3) = 3

(a) becoming less or smaller (Para 1)

(b) secret/observe/impossible to understand (Para 3)

(c) picture of inland scenery (Para 4)

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PASSAGE 2

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions thatfollow :

1. Republic is essentially a nation-state in which supreme political power vestsin the people and in elected representatives given a mandate to govern,by those people. Most importantly–and this is the principal point of differencefrom a monarchy–republics have an elected or nominated head of state,usually a president, not a hereditary monarch. In effect, all sovereignty,power and authority in a republic are vested in the people.

2. ‘Republic’ is derived from the Latin phrase res publica—“a public thing”.Ancient Romans used this to describe the wellspring of their governancesystem for their city-state by about 500 BC. Inspired by notions of Atheniandemocracy, Rome’s republic was a noble experiment.

The inscription ‘SPQR’, emblazoned on all Roman standards and publicbuildings, expanded to ‘The Senate and People of Rome’. It touted to theworld that Roman political power was vested in a great many, notconcentrated in one ruler or family.

Rome’s republican tryst, sustained by public elections and classical debate,lasted until Julius Caesar seized control in 44 BC. Being succeeded by hiswily nephew, Augustus–who founded a famous empire that lasted a whilelonger–300 consigned the republican ideal to the dustbin of the world.

3. Rome took much of its republican template from Greece. In particular, fromAthens, most luminous of ancient Greece’s many city-states. The notion ofmoving political power away from an individual to the masses sparang fromthe need to safeguard the then ‘new’ notion of personal and individualfreedom. It meant citizens would willingly join any battle to safeguard thisfreedom from any aggressor. But it was a troubled ideal. Athens ran onslave labour, democracy became limited to narrower sections as time wentby. Tyranny and mobrule reared their ugly heads; Athenian imperialismoverstretched the city-state so much so that even Plato and Aristotle, ineffect, argued for enlightened oligarchies in their political philosophy.

4. Aristotle’s star pupil, Alexander of Macedon, soon put paid to all notions ofrepublicanism by conquering large parts of Eurasia to establish an empireso large that it would only truly be eclipsed by Rome’s later rise.

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5. Besides the many obvious fruits of Renaissance and Reformation–Europe’stwo most epochal events in the second millennium–the republican idealowes much to Niccolo Machiavellie and John Locke. Machiavelli, a 15thcentury Italian statesman-writer, located sovereignty in a collective exerciseof power. The governed would guide actions of their ideal governor, heargued forcefully. Little wonder that Rousseau later referred to Machiavelli’s‘The Prince’ as “a handbook for Republicans’.

6. Locks, 17th century England’s most notable philosopher, cut throughmythological mumbo-jumbo to argue that true power must formally lie withthe people. A ‘contract’ existed between rulers and people, that bound bothto establish “directed to no other end but the peace, safety, and publicgood of the people”.

7. The rise of England’s parliament soon after injected a strong republicanelement into its bodhpolitic Modern liberalism–which sprang from Locke’swork–did the same in most of the western world.

8. Two revolutions, one decade and two continents apart, brought forth tworepublican models the world still looks to. The American, in 1776, andFrench in 1789. The first saw England lose its earliest colony. Monarchywas sternly repudiated and the ideas behind the Declaration of Independenceexploded onto the western world as a serious alternative whose time hadcome.

9. The declaration laid the basis for much republican-democratic ideation.The US’s new constitution firmly located power with the people by statingthat governments derived “their just powers from the consent of thegoverned”.

10. The French Revolution brought French monarchy, and all its attendantpower structures, to a violent end, sending shockwaves through Europeankingdoms. The new republic’s bloody convulsions and military campaigns–for liberty, equality, and national self-aggrandizement–spread the spirit ofrevolution. Even under Napoleon Bonaparte. France would flirt with monarchyagain but remained firmly democratic and republican is spirit ever after.

11. Nationalism soon proved a potent new force, redrawing Europe’s map severaltimes over. Old power structures were found severely wanting. All bigEuropean monarchies made room for democratic representation.

12. Given India’s long history of fractious monarchies and mighty empires, thefreedom movement set itself in democratic tradition. That wish came to finalculmination of January 26th, 1950, when the nation was declared a republicand given the world’s most comprehensive Constitution to abide by. ButIndia may not be a stranger to this ‘western-inspired’ system. Historicalresearch has shown, but not proven, that some city-states in north India

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between 500 BC and 400 AD might have actually been ancient republicsof a sort. The Licchavi state, a Buddhist Kingdom with ganas and sang-has–normally translated as republics, but best referred to as ‘selfgovernmentmultitudes’–was the most prominent. A good to hold as India basks in 60years of republican glory. After all, that’s no mean achievement.

A. Questions

(a) How is a republican state different from Monarchy? 2

(b) How did Julius Caesar change the face of a republican state? 2

(c) What are the major gifts of French Revolution? 2

(d) Mention the different forms of Republics started. 2

(e) How did India get its first Republican state. 1

B. Find out the words which mean the same as the following : (1×3) = 3

(a) ruler (para 1) (b) student (para 4)

(c) powerful (para 11)

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PASSAGE 3

Rarely have homemakers found a place in India's policy. But an innovativescheme in Goa's budget introducing a grant for them, thereby officiallyacknowledging their invaluable contribution, could change all that.

The scheme, likely to be rolled out by July, proposes to give Rs 1,000 permonth to all homemakers with annual household income of below Rs 3 lakh,benefiting some 1.25 lakh families. "Homemakers are finding it difficult to managehouseholds in these times of inflation. This is meant to empower them," says anofficial of the women and child development ministry.

Bicholim-based Nutan Sakalkar, a homemaker, is overjoyed at the prospectof getting some money of her own. "We get scant respect in our society," shesays. "Working women are often absolved of household responsibilities, but noone gives a thought for the work we put in 24X7." She feels the grant will bringback her sense of independence. "Though he never refuses, I feel guilty askingmy husband for money."

The role of homemakers has been a contentious issue since the '70s.Can their contribution be regarded as work? Does it warrant monetarycompensation? While this is perhaps the first time a government scheme hasdirectly targeted homemakers, the struggle to bring them true dignity is a longway off.

"The profits of society today are subsidized by the unpaid work of womenall over the country. Not only do they form the care economy but they producethe workers of tomorrow," says economist Vibhuti Patel of Mumbai's SNDTWomen's University. A grant, she believes, would merely help some of themmove from starvation to subsistence. But what they should be given is a directstake in their husbands' pay cheques, she feels.

Madhu Kishwar, editor of women's journal 'Manushi' , too, doesn't believedoles can help empowerment. "Why should the government pay homemakers?I would consider it an insult. Women are the gruha lakshmis and should betreated as equals and given the charge of household finances," she says.

The struggle for gender equality is reflected in the National Family HealthSurvey III (2005-06 ). Not only are fewer women counted in the workforce ascompared to men (some 43% of married women in the 15-49 age group wereemployed as compared to 99% men), but one in four didn't receive any paymentas compared to 1 in 20 men.

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The crisis of dignity isn't restricted to India alone. In April, there was anoutcry against Democratic strategist Hillary Rosen's comments on Republicancandidate Mitt Romney's wife when she questioned the latter's status as anambassador on women's issues because she had "never worked a day in herlife" . Romney is a stay-at-home mum of five children. Rosen's comments wentviral with many on Twitter protesting, forcing an apology from her. Even MichelleObama tweeted, "Every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to berespected."

The Goa model is one among many social experiments underway globally.Venezuela recognizes housework as 'work' under its Constitution and payshomemakers 80% of minimum wages.

Whether such initiatives will bring respect to housework waits to be seen.

Source : The Times of India

A. Questions

(a) Which innovative scheme did Goa’s budget introduce recently? 2

(b) What does the scheme intend to? 2

(c) What do the housewives like Bicholim think of working women? 2

(d) What does Vibhuti Patel of SNDT women’s university advocate forhome makers? 2

(e) What does Madhu Kishwar suggest? 1

B. Find out the words from the passage which means same as the following:

(1x3) = 3

(a) new/changed (para 1)

(b) declared from (Para 3)

(c) money distributed in small amounts (Para 5)

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PASSAGE 4

1. This year marks a great milestone in the human saga, similar in magnitudeto the agricultural era and industrial revolution. For the first time in history,a majority of human beings will be living in vast urban areas, according tothe United Nations-many in mega cities and suburban extension withpopulations of 10 million people more. We have become Home Urbans.

2. Millions of people huddled together and stacked on top of each other ingigantic urban centres is a new phenomenon. Recall that 200 years ago,the average person on earth might have met 200 to 300 people in alifetime. Today, a resident of New York City can live and work amongst2,20,000 people within a 10 minute radius of his home or office in midtownManhattan. Only one city in all of history-ancient Rome-boasted a populationof more than a million inhabitants before the 19th century. London becamethe first modern city with a population of over one million people in 1820.Today, 414 cities boast populations of a million or more people and there’sno end in sight to the urbanisation process because our species is growingat an alarming rate. Around 3,76,000 people are born every day on earth.The human population is expected to increase to nine billion by 2042, mostliving in dense urban areas.

3. No one is really sure whether this profound turning point on human livingarrangements ought to be celebrated, lamented, or merely acknowledgedfor the record. That’s because our burgeoning population and urban wayof life has been purchased at the expense of the demise of the earth’s vastecosystems and habitats. Cultural historian Elias Canetti once remarkedthat each of us is a king in a field of corpses. If we were to stop for amoment and reflect on the number of creatures and earth’s resources andmaterials we have expropriated and consumed in our lifetime.

4. Large populations living in mega cities consume massive amount of theearth’s energy. To put this in perspective, the Sears Tower alone, one ofthe tallest skyscrapers in the world, uses more electricity in a single daythan a town of 35000 inhabitants. Even more amazing, our species nowconsume nearly 40 per cent of the net primary production on earth-netamount of solar energy converted to plant organic matter throughphotosynthesis-even though we only make up one half of 1 per cent of theanimal biomass of the planet.

5. It’s no accident that as we celebrate the urbanisation of the world, we arequickly approaching another historic watershed, the disappearance of the

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wild. Rising population, growing consumption of food, water and buildingmaterials, expanding road and transport, and urban sprawl continue toencroach on the remaining wild, pushing it to extinction. Our scientists tellus that within the lifetime of today’s children, the wild will disappear from theface of the earth after millions of years of existence, The Trans-AmazonHighway is hastening the obliteration of the last great wild habitat. Otherremaining wild regions from Borneo to the Congo Basin are fast diminishingwith each passing day. It’s no wonder that according to Harvard BiologistEQ Wilson, we are experiencing the greatest wave of mass extinction ofanimal species in 65 million years. By 2100, two-thirds of the earth’s remainingspecies are likely to become extinct.

6. Where does this leave us? Try to imagine 1,000 cities of nearly one millionor more inhabitants in 35 years from now. It boggles the mind and isunsustainable for the earth. Perhaps the commemoration of the urbanisationof the human race in 2007 might be an opportunity to rethink the way welive on this planet. Certainly there is much to applaud about urban life : itsrich cultural diversity and social inter course and dense commercial activitycome readily to mind. But the question is one of magnitude and scale. Weneed to ponder how best to lower our population and develop sustainableurban environments that use energy and resources more efficiently, areless polluting, as well as better designed.

7. In short, in the great era of urbanisation we have increasingly shut off thehuman race from the rest of the natural world in the belief that we couldconquer, colonise and utilise the rich largesse of the planet to ensure ourcomplete autonomy and without dire consequences to us and futuregenerations. In the next phase of human history, we will need to find a wayto reintegrate ourselves back into the rest of the living earth if we are topreserve our own species and conserve the planet for our fellow creatures.

A. Questions

(a) What is the significance of the present year in human history? 2

(b) How is life different today from the life in Past? 2

(c) Why should we lament at the growth of population and not celebratethe progress? 2

(d) How is the urbanization harmful for the natural resources? 2

(e) What is the warning given by our scientists for future? 1

B. Find out the words which mean just the opposite of the following: (1×3) = 3

(i) small (para 1) (ii) shrinking (para 5)

(iii) thin/scanty (para 6)

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PASSAGE 5

1. The first written public examinations were introduced over 2,000 years agowith the establishment of the imperial examination system in 606 AD inChina. By the middle of the 19th century, competitive examinations hadbeen introduced in Britain and India to select government officials. Publicexamination in schools have a shorter; but still considerable, history.

2. At present, the examination system in India in characterised by heterogeneity.They differ in their vintage, organisational design, financial stability, autonomy,organisational culture and credibility. For instance, the National Institute ofOpen Schooling is unique in conducting exams through the distance mode;the Indian School Certificate Examination confines itself to only privateschools; and the West Bengal Board of Madrasa Education is for Islamiceducational institutions only. In a situation where public funds are involved,the equity, efficiency and transparency of this expenditure need to beassessed to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is being spent with due careand concern. The Amrik Singh report (1997) on reorganising boardswondered, “Can there also be a system whereby it becomes possible tograde and categorise the boards in respect of how efficiently and honestlyexamination are organised?”

3. To do so, a set of parameters were chosen to measure effectiveness, quit,transparency and economic efficiency of the functioning of theseorganisations. These include indicators like cost incurred per students, feecharged per student, number of examinees per employee and number ofaffiliated schools per employee. An analysis was made of the boards chosenon the basis of these parameters. The functioning of a total of 20 boardswas analysed in terms of 18 performance indicators in 2005.

4. The data collected from the states shows that most boards have an operatingsurplus. However, the boards seem to be more sensitive to the needs of thedisabled. All of them have some special provisions for such candidates.While these provisions vary widely in scope, most provide for a longerduration of examination, concessions in the examination of languages. TheCBSE, along with the Maharashtra board, seem to fare the best.

5. Another important measure of effectiveness of the functioning of the boardsis the time taken for declaration of examination results. It was found thatthis ranged from a mere 26 days in the case of Karnataka SecondaryEducation Examination Board in 2005 to 48 days for class X in neighbouring

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Maharashtra. The Supreme Court has recently issued directions that resultsshould be declared within 45 days from the end of examinations. In 2005,10 of the 20 boards, which provided this information, could not declareresults within 45 days.

6. The reason for such a wide variation in performance in such a vital parameterwas the processes utilised. Boards, which have adopted a centralised systemof assessment in comparison to the earlier system of sending answer sheetsto examiners, have an obvious edge. Similarly many boards have outsourcedthe work of compilation of results faster and used technology extensively.These boards are also able to declare results. In addition, agencies, whichhave consciously designed question papers with a high proportion of multiple-choice responses, do not need much time for evaluation. In fact, theKarnataka board has 60 percent of all the questions as objective type.

7. The quality of assessments is measured by the reliability of results. Evenminor errors serve to destroy confidence in exams. Considerable variationwas found between boards on this measure. The criteria was the numberof applications made for scrutiny of marks after results had been declared,and the number of corrections made subsequently by the board. Of the 18boards for which such figures were available, over 40 per cent had morethan 10 per cent such corrections. The Council for the Indian SchoolCertificate Examinations reported the lowest number; the highest number ofmistakes found in the results declared was by the Bihar IntermediateEducation Council at a shocking 60.36 percent. Surprisingly, the BiharSchool Examination Board fared much better. It would be interesting toexplore the reasons for such as vast difference between the functioning oftwo similar organisation in the same state.

8. A similar discrepancy was noticed in Assam where the Higher SecondaryEducation Council reported an error level of 19.14 per cent while the Boardof Secondary Education had only 7.27 per cent errors. The third such casewas in West Bengal where the West Bengal Board of madrasa Educationhad an error rate of 8.81 per cent while the West Bengal Board of SecondaryEducation reported a much higher rate of corrections made in the resultsdeclared of only 24.92 per cent.

9. The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board exhibited interestin results. It has the lowest cost per examinee and also manages to declareresults the fastest.

A. On the basis of your reading of the above passage answer the following:

(a) How have the Chinese played an important role in enhancing theeducation system? 2

(b) Mention any four distinguishing features of examination in India? 2

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(c) What are the basic parameters to measure effectiveness in functioningof an organization? 2

(d) What is the time limit fixed by Supreme Court for declaring the results? 1

(e) What efforts are being made by different Boards to declare the resultsat the earliest? 1

(f) What factors make Karnataka secondary school examination Boardsuperior to the other Boards? 1

B. Find out the words which mean the same as the following : (1×3) = 3

(a) keep on hold/restrict (para 2)

(b) easily seen / clear (para 6)

(c) thorough and detailed examination (para 7)

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NOTE MAKING

Characteristics of Notes

q Short

q Include the important information in brief

q Logically presented in sequence

q Organised appropriately under Heading and Sub Heading.

Mechanics of Note-Making

(a) Use of Abbreviations :

(i) Capitalized first letter of words : UNO, CBSE, NCERT, etc.)

(ii) arithmatic symbols :

(><, ,↑↓, ∴ kg., % etc.)

(iii) Commonly used : (in newspapers, magazines etc.)

(sc., govt., Eng., Sans.)

(iv) Invented : First and last few letters of the words with a dot at theend (edul, poln., popn. mfg.).

(b) Proper Indentation

Heading (Title)

1. Sub Heading .................

a. — (Point)

b. — (Point)

c. — (Point)

c.i. — (Sub-point)

c.ii. — (Sub-point)

2. Sub-Heading

a. —

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(c) Make use of words and phrases only. Avoid full length sentences.

(d) Give appropriate Title. The title may be given at the starting of notesor before summary which is of 3 marks and should not be morethan 1/3 of the passage’s length.

Marking Scheme / Pattern for Note Making and Summarising

1. Notes — Heading / Title 1 Mark

2. Abbreviation / Contraction 1 Mark

(Minimum four)

3. Sub-Headings (Two-three as per the requirement) alongwith 2-3points. (1½×2) = 3

4. Summary — Content – 02

Expression – 01

(Standard word limit for Sumary is 80 words or around 1/3 of thepassage)

Note : In case a student uses his/her invented contraction, he/she isrequired to provide key for the same as —

prblm. = problem

trp’nt. = transparent

rqd. = required

dprsd. = depressed

* Notes / Points of students may vary from one another but one shouldensure that the main ideas/views are covered.

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PASSAGE 1

Q. 2. Read the passage given below :

In a very short period of time the internet has had a profound impact onthe way we live. Since the Internet was made operational in 1983, it has loweredboth the costs of communication and the barriers to creative expression. It haschallenged old business models and enabled new ones. It has provided accessto information on a scale never before achievable.

It succeeded because we designed it to be flexible and open. These twofeatures have allowed it to accommodate innovation without massive changes toits infrastructure. An open, borderless and standardized platform means thatbarriers to entry are low, competition is high, interoperability is assured andinnovation is rapid.

The beauty of an open platform is that there are no gatekeepers. Forcenturies, access to and creation of information was controlled by the few. Theinternet has changed that --and is rapidly becoming the platform for everyone,by everyone.

Of course, it still has a way to go. Today there are only about 2.3 billioninternet users, representing roughly 30% of the world's population. Much of theinformation that they can access online is in English, but this is changing rapidly.

The technological progress of the internet has also set social change inmotion. As with other enabling inventions before it, from the telegraph to television,some will worry about the effects of broader access to information -- the printingpress and the rise in literacy that it effected were, after all, long seen asdestabilising. Similar concerns about the internet are occasionally raised, but ifwe take a long view, I’m confident that its benefits far outweigh the discomfortsof learning to integrate it into our lives. The internet and the world wide web arewhat they are because literally millions of people have made it so. It is a grandcollaboration.

It would be foolish not to acknowledge that the openness of the internet hashad a price. Security is an increasingly important issue and cannot be ignored.If there is an area of vital research and development for the internet, this is oneof them. I am increasingly confident, however, that techniques and practicesexist to make the internet safer and more secure while retaining its essentiallyopen quality.

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After working on the internet and its predecessors for over four decades,I'm more optimistic about its promise than I have ever been. We are all free toinnovate on the net every day. The internet is a tool of the people, built by thepeople for the people and it must stay that way.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on itusing recognisable abbreviations (minimum four) wherever necesary.Use a format you consider appropriate. Supply a suitable title.

(5 marks)

(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 marks)

PASSAGE 2

A. Read the following passage for note-making.

For many of us, our lives are composed of millions of meaningless moments,all strung together–perhaps with a sprinkling of sacred moments mixed in. I amsure you can think of a few sacred moments in your own life.

Maybe your marriage, the birth of your child or perhaps a heartfelt momentof connection with good friends. These are the moments when we are consumedwith joy and awe. At these moments, we are fully present in the moment. Weare’t worrying about tomorrow, or trying to rush through he experience to get tothe next. We are in the now, and the now is amazing.

Why do we wait for major events to honour these sacred moments? Whycan’t every day be sacred? Every moment? Each moment is sacred, if wedecide to make it that way. I stated above that our lives are filled with meaninglessmoments, but hose moments are meaningless only because we don’t honourthem. We are hurrying along, focused on other things, not stopping to noticethem at all. They come and go without any acknowledgment from us.

Honoring the sacred means simply choosing to make each moment count.It is a tiny shift in perception that assigns meaning and importance to eachmoment. It means stopping to notice the beauty and love around us, and withinus. It means being fully present in each moment, because only the presentmoment truly exists.

So many of us worry about the future, hold regrets about the past, andcompletely ignore the present. When we give the now our full attention evenmundane tasks can take on an aura of holiness. Then our lives become millionsof meaningful moments. Nothing has changed except our perception, but itmakes all the difference.

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How do we change our perception to one of sacredness? What does itmean to stay in the present moment? Let’s use an example : washing dishes.When most of us wash dishes, we hurry through it, often thinking about themillion other things we need to get done that day (or the next day). Our mindsare scattered all over the place, focusing on everything but what we are doing.Who can blame us? Washing dishes is not the most exciting experience. However,if we choose to make it a sacred experience, we will want to focus on it.

We want to take our time and really pay attention to how the water feelson our hands, how the soap cleanses away the grease and grime, and thesense of satisfaction we get as each dish moves from the dirty pile to thestrainer, now clean and shiny.

Maybe that still doesn’t sound very thrilling. Let’s look at what else ishappening. As we give our full attention to washing the dishes, we are not onlydoing, we are being. Ah, that is the key. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing ornot doing in each moment of our lives, It matters only that we become aware ofour own state of Being. In those moments, we are fully alive and conscious. Weare connected to everything, and we are one with everything. We are.

Have you ever embarked on a walking meditation? This can be greatpractice to help you honour the sacred in your own life. Many of us walk forhealth or recreation, but we can also walk for spiritual awareness. A walkingmeditation is a slow. Focused walk where you give your full attention to eachstep you take, the feel of your muscles working, your breathing, and even yoursurroundings.

Especially if you walk someplace in nature, a place with lots of trees andwildlife. The trick is to not let your mind wander, but stay focused on the now.It can take practice, but once you accomplish it, you will return from your walksfully refresh and revitalised.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it usingrecognizable abbreviations (minimum 4) wherever necessary. Use a formatyou consider appropriate Supply a suitable Title. (5 Marks)

(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 Marks)

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PASSAGE 3

Excessive use of plastic bags and their unregulated disposal has beenchoking lakes, ponds and urban sewage systems, the Supreme Court said onMonday while warning that it posed a threat more serious than the atom bombfor the next generation.

This observation from a bench of Justices GS Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhayacame on a PIL filed by two Andhra Pradesh-based NGOs drawing the court'sattention to 30-60 kg of plastic bags recovered from the stomachs of cowsbecause of irresponsible disposal of plastic bags and defunct municipal wastecollection system.

The court issued notice to the Centre and state governments on the PILseeking ban on use of plastic bags in municipal areas which did not have aprompt garbage collection, segregation and disposal system. The NGOs saidabsence of a proper system allowed cows to rummage through garbage binsand eat foodstuff disposed of in plastic bags, which get stuck in their stomach."Apart from the plastic choking the digestive system of the plastic residues enterthe human food chain through dairy and animal products," he added.

But the bench wanted to address the larger questions arising fromindiscriminate use of plastic bags, which not only posed a grave threat to natureand environment but also to the human race itself. It suggested that the petitionermake the manufacturers and a television channel, which has been running acampaign against use of plastic, parties to the PIL for a wider scrutiny of theimportant issue.

“We want to expand the scope of this petition. Unless we examine a totalban on plastic bags or put in place a system for manufactuers mandating themto collect back all plastic bags, the next generation will be threatened withsomething more serious than the atom bomb,” the bench said. The court alsodrew the petitioner’s attention to large quantities of water packed in plasticpouches, which were thrown around in undisciplined manner across the countryevery day, “A rough estimate shows more than 100 million water pouches arethrownaway,” the bench said.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it usingrecognizable abbreviations (Minimum four) wherever necessary. Use a formatyou consider appropriate. Supply a suitable title. (5 marks)

(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words (3 marks)

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PASSAGE 4

A. Read the passage given below for Note making :

The Trail of smoke in most cases inevitably leads to school. And collegedays-those adolescent times when mere lighting up gave them the thrill ofindulging in the prohibited. And yes, they weren‘t mama’s boy (or girls) anymore;they were macho and grown up beyond listening to nannies. Or so they thought,till they got addicted.

There is a clear link between the youth and tobacco addiction. Statisticsreveal that many children are initiated into the habit of smoking at the tenderage of 10 years, according to Dr. Srinath Reddy, a researcher-activist.

That’s why it makes sense to stop them young, when they are vulnerableto peer pressure. Smoking, which often starts as an experiment in the companyof friends often transforms into addiction.

According to the Non-Smoker’s Health Protection Act 1997 nobody is allowedto store, sell or distribute cigarettes, beedies or any other tobacco productwithin an area of 100 m around colleges, schools and other educationalinstitutions. The Indian Parliament passed another comprehensive legislation,the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, a few years ago banning thesale of tobacco products to minors.

Has that made any difference? “You have to go to north campus to see ifany law is followed.’

Many students even argue that it is a matter of personal choice. “Once incollege, a student is old enough to take decisions. It is clearly mentioned oncigarette packs that ‘smoking is injurious to health’ and after that if someonesmokes, it is completely the individual’s choice,” says Manu Singh, a student atJNU.

Sad reality is that nothing has been able to stop students from smoking inschools and colleges. It’s fashion.

The law enforcement agencies takes refuge behind pleas like they havelargeareas to cover with a small term. Their strength, they say, is not adequateto enforce laws. “Sometimes people pay the fine (Rs 200), which is hardly a bigamount. It universities and colleges, raids are not possible. With just one personfrom the police, it becomes impossible to control them,” said Dr. M.D. Thapa,Chief District Medical Officer, Northwest district.

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Advocate Ashok Agarwal does not buy the argument According to him,there is a clear lack of interest on the part of the lawmakers. “The police andthe administration have their own priorities hence they have little time to lookinto these sensitive issues. The situation in this case is that of accepted andagreed violation where just nobody is bothered.” he says.

The one answer the experts agree on is; the government. “There is noeffort to implement the laws,” complains advocate Ashok Agarwal. When societydoes not care, the government becomes duty-bound to make them care. “Thereis a direct link between the youth and tobacco addiction. They are the keytargets for the MNCs,” says Bijon Mishra, a social activist involved with the NGO,Voice. While society and its institution ignore those mischievous puffs in schoolcanteens, the biggest beneficiaries are the tobacco companies.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it usingrecognizable abbreviations (minimum 4) wherever necessary. Use a formatyou consider appropriate Supply a suitable Title. (5 Marks)

(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 Marks)

PASSAGE 5

A. Read the passage given below carefully for Note-making :

There’s a part of India where the tiger may still have a fighting chance ; theWestern Ghats. The big cat roams free here and in goodly numbers, from thesouthern tip right up to Maharashtra, Eight tiger reserves–in Karnataka, TamilNadu and Kerala–have been rated ‘good’ to ‘satisfactory’ by the Centre’s 2009preliminary status report on the tiger. Experts say this is because of goodgovernances, constant surveillance and monitoring, pro-active local tribes azealous scientific community, habitat quality and contiguity and an excellent‘prey base’, which means plentiful supplies of deer.

In Mudumalal, for instance, tiger numbers are believed nearly to havedoubled in recent times. Field director Rajiv K Srivastava says anti-poachingwatchers patrol the deep deciduous forests round-the-clock. “The wireless networkhelps rush them to vulnerable areas when they receive information aboutmovement of suspected poachers,” he adds. Each watcher, mostly from a localtribe, covers 15-20 km daily.

The tiger has also returned to Sathyamangalam sanctuary–erstwhileVeerappan country–after two decades. Some say this is because the guns havefallen silent, along with rising tiger numbers in adjoining Mudumalal and Bandipur;which sends the animals looking for more area to roam. Scientists working in the

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field spotted two tigresses with five cubs at two different locations last year.Forest officers estimate that there are at least 10 tigers in the division.

The 2008 status report on tigers by the National Tiger Conservation Authorityand Wildlife Institute of India estimates tiger numbers in the Western Ghats ofKarnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala at 402, with a lower limit of 336 and upperlimit of 487. The Bandipur and Nagar-hole tiger reserves are almost full“Highquality research on tigers and their prey base has resulted in a pool ofscientific data which facilitates reliable monitoring” says Ravi Chellam, countrydirector, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), India programme, WCS staff rangeacross 22,00 sq km of forest in Karnataka, tracking tigers to gather data fromthe field. Every quarter, the WCS shares data with the Karnataka forestdepartment. “Strict protection of the forests by using science is the hallmark oftiger conservation in Karnataka,” says Chellam.

Recently, WCS scientists led by Ullas Karanth used high-tech fecal samplingto tally and assess numbers. Tiger scat is thought to provide a unique DNAsignature allowing researchers to accurately identify individual animals.

Another encouraging sign are tiger sightings in non-contiguous areas. Thisindicates the presence of a “meta-population,” i.e., tigers who move from onereserve to another, thereby improving the gene pool. This gives conservationistsreason to hope that another not waiting to happen in the south.

In the Eastern Ghats, the Nagarjunasagar-Srisilam Tiger Reserve in AndhraPradesh is back from the brink. The centre’s report damned the reserve as‘poor’. The naxalite presence threatened the tiger’s core habitat for more thana decade and foresters could not enter the area. But the tiger population inchedup to 53 in 2008 form just 34 in the nineties. “The Naxal presence is still there.But the forest field staff have started going inside for habitat improvement, avast change from the time when no kind of administration existed there,” saysAK Nayak, the field director.

But there are reasons to worry as well. At a recent seminar in Chennai, thechief wildlife wardens of the southern states admitted they did not have enoughtrained staff to take on poachers. In the rainforest habitats of Kalakad-Periyarand Anaimalal-Parambikulam, low tiger density can be reversed only if the preybase is protected. “The time has come for the foresters to go back to old-fashioned conservation, that is physical protection of forests, leaving developmentto other departments.”

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it usingrecognizable abbreviations (minimum 4) wherever necessary. Use a formatyou consider appropriate. Supply a suitable Title. (5 Marks)

(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 Marks)