CBSE Class 12 English Unseen Passage Worksheet Set 02

PASSAGE 

1. Even before you are aware of it, retirement is around the corner and with it comes a sense of apprehension, trepidation and maybe a sense of anticipation. The first few days when you acquire the status of a Senior Citizen are full and the consequences of retirement have yet to sink in. A month passes and time hangs heavily, and in a sense you feel lost, but a change in attitude can alter all that. The Indian government has given many concessions to Senior Citizens and it would do you good if you focused on the advantages rather than the disadvantages. Even at a personal level, you can think of it as a new beginning rather than an end of a phase. Look around you, wake up to the things around you, have a new perspective and find time for all those things that you earlier wanted to do but could never get done.

2. Books and reading are all time favourite hobbies to indulge in. In India, subjects such as astrology, tarot reading and palm reading have attracted many. So serious do these Senior Citizens become that you would never guess they were novices. Heated discussions, as well as debates on politics and religion have also engrossed quite a few. Then there is this small segment which focuses on economy and finance. Many Indians who have never taken investment seriously start reading business magazines, and catch up on bullish and bearish trends in the market. Surprisingly, many of them become prudent about investment and offer a lot of advice to the so-called tyros. Listening to music, attending music festivals, and participating in musical activities, help to turn the focus from retirement to aesthetics. Many philanthropic Indians have been known to devote their attention to social causes and have been known to form clubs, which volunteer to help people. The sense of deep satisfaction that one gets from this is absolutely incomparable. Developing a passion for sports and evoking an interest in everything around you keeps you mentally healthy and emotionally fit.

3. There is a decline in mental abilities as one ages and this is mostly an offshoot of certain pathological changes in the human brain. While senior citizens become more mature in judgment, the ability to recall things declines. Doing crossword puzzles, solving things mentally and a conscious effort to relate and recall can greatly alleviate this decline. Aging is only in the mind: you are as old as you want to be. Reading spiritual books and committing the Saint Kabir's shlokas to memory is a wonderful exercise for the human brain, for it emphasises the fact that nothing, no matter however difficult, is unconquerable. A positive attitude and a desire to learn as many new things as possible is the key to a full and happy life. Many computer institutes in India conduct computer courses for Senior Citizens and they are able to use the Internet, send e-mails all over the world, store information relating to investments and handle their bank accounts. There are limited job openings for Senior Citizens but, ideally, they should take a job only if they have to.

4. Exercise, yoga and meditation keep Senior Citizens in good physical condition, as then they are less prone to ailments, which tend to dog their footsteps once they have crossed 60. Physical conditioning augurs emotional and mental well-being. Exercise tones muscles, improves circulation of blood, reduces stress and wards off depression. Joints remain flexible, the risk of arteriosclerosis is reduced, and muscle and bone loss is drastically reduced. In India, many old people have taken to doing pranayama on a regular basis.

5. For Senior Citizens, this is a period of growth and the proper time to attain the riches that life has to offer. This is the time in their lives when they can live their lives the way they actually want to. The concessions they are entitled to make it actually worth being a Senior Citizen. Airlines offer discounted fares and the Indian railways offer a discount on all tickets. There are separate queues for Senior Citizens at the post office, railway counters and some buses even have seats reserved for them. It all boils down to one thing - it can actually be quite appealing to be a Senior Citizen once you look at yourself with esteem and have confidence in your abilities. Eat healthily, exercise, sleep well and extract every ounce of the elixir that life has to offer.

Question. Within the first few days of retirement, the retired person acquires ............
(a) the status of being a Senior Citizen
(b) the status of being lonely
(c) another post in the same department
(d) a feeling of enjoyment
Answer: (a) the status of being a Senior Citizen

Question. The all time favourite hobby which Senior Citizens indulge in is ............
(a) swimming
(b) books and reading
(c) sleeping
(d) playing indoor games
Answer: (b) books and reading

Question. The person who devotes his attention to social causes and works as a volunteer to help people is called a ............
(a) misanthropist
(b) philanthropist
(c) recluse
(d) philanderer
Answer: (b) philanthropist

Question. The reason for the decline in mental abilities of Senior Citizens is ............
(a) aging
(b) retirement
(c) pathological changes in the brain
(d) loss of physical stamina
Answer: (c) pathological changes in the brain

Question. The concessions offered to Senior Citizens make being one ............
(a) interesting
(b) very tempting
(c) highly attractive
(d) quite appealing
Answer: (d) quite appealing

Question. What kinds of feelings accompany retirement?
Answer: Retirement is accompanied by a sense of apprehension, trepidation, and maybe anticipation. One might also feel lost as time hangs heavily.

Question. How can Senior Citizens prepare themselves for life after retirement?
Answer: They can prepare by focusing on the advantages, adopting a new perspective, and finding time for things they previously wanted to do but never got done.

Question. What can make life more appealing to Senior Citizens?
Answer: Looking at oneself with esteem, having confidence in one's abilities, and utilizing the concessions provided can make life more appealing.

Question. What keeps Senior Citizens in good physical condition?
Answer: Exercise, yoga, and meditation keep Senior Citizens in good physical condition.

Question. How can ageing people retain their mental abilities?
Answer: They can retain mental abilities by doing crossword puzzles, solving things mentally, making conscious efforts to recall, and reading spiritual books.

Question. What are the favourite pastimes of Senior Citizens in India? Mention any two.
Answer: Two favourite pastimes are books and reading, and studying subjects like astrology or tarot reading.

Question. Find the words in the given passage which convey the meaning similar to anxiety (para 1) and novices (para 2)
Answer:

• trepidation (para 1)
• tyros (para 2)

PASSAGE 

1. The kids at the top of the class get there by mastering a few basic techniques that others can readily learn. Here, according to education experts and the students themselves, are the secrets of high achieving students.

2. Set Priorities Top students brook no intrusions on study time. Once the books are open, phone calls go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks ignored. Study is business; business comes before recreation.

3. Study Anywhere and Everywhere Claude Olney, a university business professor assigned to tutor failing college athletes, recalls a cross country runner who worked out every day. Olney persuaded him to use the time to memorise Biology terms. Another student pasted a vocabulary list on the medicine cabinet. He learnt a new word every day while brushing his teeth. Some worked late at night when the house was quiet. Others woke up early. Still others studied as soon as they came home from school, when the work was fresh in their minds. All agreed, however, on the need for consistency. "Whatever I was doing, I reserved time every day for studying", says college student Ian Macray.

4. Get Organised In school, Macray took part in athletics, played rugby and was in the bank and orchestra. "I was so busy, I couldn't waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. I kept everything right where I could put my hands on it", he says. Even students who don't have a private study area remain organised. A bag or drawer keeps essential supplies together and cuts down on time-wasting searches.

5. Learn How to Read "The best class I ever took", says Christopher Campbell, "was speed-reading. I not only increased my words per minute but also learnt to look at a book's table of contents, graphs and pictures fast. Then, when I began to read, I had a sense of the material, and I retained a lot more." The secret of good reading, says an expert, is to be "an active reader-one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the author's message."

6. Schedule Your Time When a teacher assigns a lot of work, Domenica Roman draws up a time table, dividing the project into small pieces so it isn't too overwhelming. "It's like eating something", she says. "You chew it one bit at a time." Of course, even the best students procrastinate sometimes. But when that happens, they face up to it. "Sometimes it comes down to late nights. Still, if you want top marks, you make sure to keep to deadlines."

7. Take Good Notes and Use Them "Reading the textbooks is important, but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasised. That's what you find in your notes." The top student also takes notes while reading a text assignment. He draws a line down the centre of a notebook, then writes notes from the text on one side and those from the teacher's lecture on the other. This way he is able to review both aspects of the assignment at once.

8. Clean up Your Act Neat papers are likely to get higher grades than sloppy ones. "The student who turns in a neat paper", says professor Olney, "is already on the way to a top grade."

9. Speak up "If I don't understand the principle my teacher is explaining in economics, I ask him to repeat it", says Christopher Campbell. Class participation goes beyond merely asking questions, though. It's a matter of showing intellectual curiosity.

10. Study Together The value of hitting the books together can show results. On an average, Asian-Americans scored higher than other students from similar academic backgrounds. Treisman found that the Asian-Americans discussed homework problems together, tried different approaches and explained their solutions to one another. The others, in contrast, studied alone, spent most of their time reading and re-reading the text, and tried the same approach time after time even if it was unsuccessful.

11. Test Yourself As part of her note-making, Domenica Roman highlights points she thinks may be covered during exams. Later she frames tentative test questions based on those points and gives herself a written examination before test day. "If I can't answer the question satisfactorily, I go back and review", she says.

12. Do More than You're Asked If her maths teacher assigns five problems, Christi Anderson does ten. If the world history teacher assigns eight pages of reading, she reads twelve. "Part of learning is practising", says Anderson. "And, the more you practise, the more you learn."

13. The most important "secret" of the super-achievers is not so secret. For almost all, the contribution of their parents was crucial. From infancy, the parents imbibed in them a love for learning. They set high standards for their kids, and held them to those standards. They encouraged their sons and daughters in their studies but did not do the work for them. In short, the parents impressed the lessons of responsibility on their kids, and the kids delivered.

Question. An active reader is one who ............
(a) reads each paragraph 4-5 times
(b) reads slowly
(c) tries to understand the text while reading it
(d) continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding
Answer: (d) continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding

Question. The secret of high achieving students is to ............
(a) play outside
(b) sit for a long time with book open
(c) take good notes and use them
(d) avoid group study
Answer: (c) take good notes and use them

Question. 'Test yourself' shall help the students .............
(a) in preparing notes
(b) to give a written examination
(c) to revise the notes
(d) by adding to their worries
Answer: (b) to give a written examination

Question. A student learnt a new word every day while brushing his teeth by ............
(a) ignoring eating of snacks during study time
(b) memorising terms while working out
(c) pasting a vocabulary list on the medicine cabinet
(d) studying as soon as they came home from school
Answer: (c) pasting a vocabulary list on the medicine cabinet

Question. Asian-Americans scored higher than other students because they ............
(a) tried different approaches
(b) explained their solutions to one another
(c) discussed homework problems together
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options

Question. What did Claude Olney suggest to the athlete to use for memorising biology terms?
Answer: Claude Olney suggested the athlete use the time he spent working out every day to memorise biology terms.

Question. What is the expert advice on 'how to read'?
Answer: The expert advice is to be an active reader who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the author's message.

Question. What are the benefits we get when we are organised?
Answer: Being organised cuts down on time-wasting searches and ensures you have essential supplies ready when needed.

Question. How do the best students meet deadlines?
Answer: They face up to the work, sometimes putting in late nights to ensure they keep to deadlines.

Question. How does note-taking at the time of classroom teaching help the top students?
Answer: It allows them to capture what the teacher emphasised and review both the textbook material and lecture points at once.

Question. How does class participation help Christopher Campbell?
Answer: It helps him clarify principles he doesn't understand and show intellectual curiosity.

Question. Find the words in the given passage which convey the meaning similar to regularity (para 3) and postpone action (para 6)
Answer:

• consistency (para 3)
• procrastinate (para 6)

PASSAGE 

1. We have entered a new world. The fall of the Berlin wall put an end to the bipolar world and gave birth to hope for freedom and prosperity. There were many States that gained their independence. Most adopted the democratic model, which corresponds to our shared political values. Globalisation has further enhanced these changes. It offers extraordinary opportunities to individuals who are in a position to seize them; easier access to information, speedier communications and unimpeded travels. But it also develops new forms of vulnerabilities; a financial crisis can run from Thailand to Russia via Latin America. Epidemics spread faster and further, be it mad cow's disease or bird flu.

2. Therefore, our destiny is no longer shaped within safe frontiers but on an international scale. Given the extent of these changes, we must define our world's new principles of organisation. In this endeavour for a new order, India has a major role to play. First, because it is an example of dynamism and energy. Our country is one of youth; 33 per cent of the population is under the age of 15. You are aware of the tremendous asset and the immense responsibility that this represents. A young population is a guarantee of imagination, renewal, awakening and hope. But it is also a challenge in terms of education, health and training.

3. India has been able to make the most of globalisation and has gained a pivotal role. It provides the example of an economy which has allied dynamism and equilibrium. The past year offers the two-fold satisfaction of a spectacular 7.5 per cent growth rate and inflation under control. Thanks to the size and dynamism of its domestic market, it can project itself into the future with confidence.

4. India is now the biggest international service provider in information technologies, and this at a time when the Western countries are experiencing a real shortage of manpower in this very field. A scientific power, India, today, is also a key player in space research. Thanks to the excellence of the Indian Space Research Organisation, it is in the forefront of technologies for launchers and the construction of satellites.

5. This economic vitality has developed on the basis of a strong concern for social justice. In the face of inequalities that still remain and could be increasing, India has given priority to poverty reduction, job creation and support of the agricultural sector. Our country has shown that economic growth and concern for the greater good are not incompatible.

6. India, however, does not only offer an economic model. It stands as an example for nations that show due respect for cultural identities. This represents a major challenge, as globalisation has inherent in it a two-fold risk. First of all, there is the risk of domination of certain forms of thinking, and of certain ways of life and expression. The diversity of cultures, religions, traditions and memories is an essential component of the richness of our world. If we are not careful, it could die one day.

7. Then there is the risk of confrontation of identities. Lack of respect for what people stand for can nurture claims of nationalists and fundamentalists. The more an identity feels threatened, the more it tends to be inward looking, rejects diversity and finally gives in to confrontation. These are the patterns that we saw in action in the worst post cold war confrontations, from the explosion of the Balkans to the genocide in the Rwanda.

8. With 18 official languages and over 1652 dialects, India is at the forefront of cultural diversity. It is a proof that openness to the outside world and preservation of its own roots can go hand in hand. The movement of exchange between cultures must not lead to silencing the polyphony of voices and views.

9. In the heart of its democracy, India has been able to define an identity respectful of each and everyone's specificity. It is home to one of the largest Muslim communities of the world, with over 170 million believers. The religious patchwork of India offers to each minority, whether it be the 27 million Christians, the 21 million Sikhs or the Buddhists, Jains and Parsis, the possibility of keeping alive their own religious beliefs in harmony with the Indian identity.

10. This original and exemplary synthesis is difficult to achieve. Your will to promote democracy is undoubtedly the strongest political message of the Indian nation. At the heart of the new world geography lies the democratic challenge.

11. Thanks to you, we know that the size of the population, that the force of history and tradition is not an obstacle. India is a proof that the universality of Human Rights is a realistic emotion. It shows us that State Secularism can be reconciled with the vigour of identities and beliefs.

Question. The extraordinary opportunities globalisation offers to individuals includes ............
(a) shortage of manpower
(b) a hope for freedom and prosperity
(c) ruination due to a financial crisis
(d) easier access to information
Answer: (d) easier access to information

Question. A young population is an assurance of ............
(a) awakening and hope
(b) dynamism and energy
(c) imagination and renewal
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options

Question. The economic growth rate of India during the past year has been ............
(a) 15 per cent
(b) 7.5 per cent
(c) 33 per cent
(d) None of the options
Answer: (b) 7.5 per cent

Question. The basis of the development of the economic vitality in India is ............
(a) showing due respect for cultural identities
(b) dominance of certain forms of thinking
(c) a strong concern for social justice
(d) All of the options
Answer: (c) a strong concern for social justice

Question. When an identity feels threatened, it ............
(a) ultimately reacts with a hostile reaction
(b) develops lack of respect for others
(c) keeps alive its own religious beliefs
(d) tries to dominate other identities
Answer: (a) ultimately reacts with a hostile reaction

Question. What did the fall of the Berlin wall create?
Answer: The fall of the Berlin wall put an end to the bipolar world and gave birth to hope for freedom and prosperity.

Question. What dangers can globalisation cause?
Answer: Globalisation can develop new forms of vulnerabilities such as widespread financial crises and the fast spread of epidemics like mad cow's disease or bird flu.

Question. What challenges does a young population present?
Answer: While being an asset, a young population presents challenges in terms of providing education, health, and training.

Question. What is the expertise that the Indian Space Research Organisation has developed?
Answer: ISRO has developed expertise in the forefront of technologies for launchers and the construction of satellites.

Question. How can we say that India is at the forefront of cultural diversity?
Answer: India is at the forefront because it has 18 official languages, over 1652 dialects, and a variety of religious communities living in harmony.

Question. What is the strongest political message of the Indian nation?
Answer: The will to promote democracy is the strongest political message of the Indian nation.

Question. Find the words in the given passage which convey the meaning similar to unrestricted (para 1) and balance (para 3)
Answer:

• unimpeded (para 1)
• equilibrium (para 3)

PASSAGE 

1. According to some estimates, if we could compile the amount of food, land, water and energy used to raise the 10 billion animals slaughtered each year for meat, we could use those resources to feed every single starving person on earth. The majority of these resources are depleted by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). CAFOs are factory farms that mass produce livestock but, in the process, harm animals, the environment, and humans.

2. It is true that these farming methods provide an abundant source of food and employ thousands of workers across the country. However, CAFOs should be placed under more stringent restrictions because of their unfair treatment of animals and the harm they do to both the environment and humans.

3. One of the key controversies surrounding factory farms is animal rights. Factory farms raise livestock indoors, as opposed to allowing the animals to graze in fields and pastures. The farmers favour this overcrowded environment because it maximises profits. Providing less space for the animals costs less money; filling pens to their maximum capacity ensures that no space is wasted. Consequently, animal pens are often so small that larger animals cannot lie down or turn around. In some cases, these small cages are beneficial for more than just maximising capacity: calves, for instance, do not gain muscle mass in this environment. This keeps their meat more tender, which makes it more attractive to consumers.

4. Livestock in CAFOs are often found living in their own urine and faeces, stimulating the spread of diseases, such as avian flu, foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease, among other animals on the farm. In order to combat this, farmers must give the animals antibiotics. In many cases, however, antibiotics are used for disease prevention instead of treatment.

5. In addition to being used to combat the spread of diseases, antibiotics are also commonly used to encourage faster growth in livestock. This overuse increases the risk of livestock developing immunity to antibiotics, ironically making animals even more susceptible to disease. After being digested, these antibiotics are released back into the environment in the form of milk, meat, and waste, which can affect the people who eat these products or the environment that absorbs them.

6. CAFOs also negatively impact the environment in the form of air and water pollution. Factory farms contribute to air pollution issues in the USA through the release of toxic gases and vapours as well as by burning fossil fuels to run farm machinery.

7. These farms also have notable consequences for the environment in terms of water pollution. One characteristic of CAFOs that creates water pollution is the presence of a lagoon. Lagoons are artificial storage basins where animal excrement is temporarily contained; periodically, farmers flush this waste into ditches or nearby bodies of water. This waste combines with runoff from fertilised fields to pollute the water sources surrounding CAFOs. It adds excess nutrients, pathogens, veterinary pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and excreted hormones to the water sources. Such pollutants not only affect aquatic life, but can lead to severe impacts on human health.

8. Another negative environmental impact of factory farms is resource depletion. Factory farming uses more land than any other agricultural or industrial enterprise in the country. CAFOs consume a great deal of resources in terms of grain, energy and land. There are far more efficient ways of using these resources to feed people. For instance, it has been estimated that the grain used to feed livestock in the USA alone could feed up to 800 million people in one year. By contrast, the production of livestock in CAFOs is a wasteful use of energy. While both chicken meat and soyabeans are good sources of protein, producing equivalent amounts of protein from chicken meat and soyabeans does not require equivalent amounts of energy: chicken meat production consumes 14 times more energy than soyabean production. Consequently, grain and energy supplies should be used more efficiently to produce food sources other than livestock.

9. In order to combat the unfair treatment of animals and the risks to environmental and human health, CAFOs should be placed under stricter guidelines. One such regulation would force factory farms to adhere to air and water quality protection standards from which they have previously been exempted, such as those set forth by the Clean Water Act. Enforcing these standards would lead to banning environmental hazards such as waste lagoons, which in turn would reduce environmental pollution and human health liabilities.

10. Some have suggested that due to these environmental and human health concerns, factory farms should be banned outright. Advocates for CAFOs, however, argue that factory farming allows for lower production costs that translate into lower food prices for consumers. Organic and free-range products, they argue, do not allow for the large-scale production of livestock; prices for meat, eggs and dairy products would increase, should the country shift towards organic products. Although this would be an inconvenience to consumers, a price increase would encourage people to eat a diet of less meat.

11. This cultural change would assist in solving the broader resource crisis as fewer grain, energy and land resources would be needed to support smaller-scale production. Better treatment of animals and more responsible environmental practices would protect humans more from infectious diseases and the effects of air and water pollution, a benefit everyone should embrace.

Question. The primary purpose of the passage is to ............
(a) persuade readers that CAFOs should be more strictly regulated
(b) dissuade from the use of antibiotics for disease prevention in animals
(c) educate readers about the pros and cons of CAFOs
(d) suggest economic alternatives to CAFOs, such as organic farming and soyabean production
Answer: (a) persuade readers that CAFOs should be more strictly regulated

Question. We can infer that animals raised on CAFOs live indoors because ............
(a) they require less space than animals raised outside
(b) some of them produce more appealing meat
(c) they are less expensive to maintain
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options

Question. ............ is not the reason for CAFOs having a negative impact on the environment.
(a) Animal waste polluting water sources near factory farms
(b) Exhaust from farm machinery
(c) Antibiotics entering the human food supply through animal products
(d) Animals living in overcrowded environments waste energy
Answer: (d) Animals living in overcrowded environments waste energy

Question. The statistic that ............ strengthens the author's argument in para 9.
(a) people eating meat from CAFOs develop less high blood pressure and heart conditions
(b) CAFOs adhering to air and water quality protection standards report a 30% reduction in profits
(c) a town near an animal waste lagoon reported only half the respiratory illnesses after the lagoon was shut down
(d) the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1948 and expanded in 1972
Answer: (c) a town near an animal waste lagoon reported only half the respiratory illnesses after the lagoon was shut down

Question. The objection in para 10 that ............ is not countered in the passage by the author.
(a) not everyone wants to be a vegetarian
(b) if CAFOs move toward producing more organic products, food prices will go up
(c) the increase in food prices will reduce consumption of meat
(d) it is illegal to ban CAFOs on the basis of current laws
Answer: (b) if CAFOs move toward producing more organic products, food prices will go up

Question. What benefits do CAFOs provide?
Answer: CAFOs provide an abundant source of food and employ thousands of workers across the country. They also allow for lower production costs which translates to lower food prices.

Question. Why should the CAFOs be placed under more stringent restrictions?
Answer: They should be restricted because of their unfair treatment of animals and the harm they cause to the environment and human health.

Question. Besides maximising capacity, how are small cages housing animals beneficial?
Answer: In the case of calves, being in small cages prevents them from gaining muscle mass, which keeps their meat more tender and attractive to consumers.

Question. What are antibiotics used for in CAFOs?
Answer: Antibiotics are used to prevent and treat diseases stimulated by animals living in waste, and also to encourage faster growth in livestock.

Question. What statement of the author in para 8 represents an opinion and not a fact?
Answer: The statement "Consequently, grain and energy supplies should be used more efficiently to produce food sources other than livestock" represents an opinion.

Question. Why would the cultural change to eat less meat solve a broader resource crisis?
Answer: It would solve the crisis because fewer grain, energy, and land resources would be needed to support smaller-scale production compared to wasteful factory farming.

Question. Find the words in the given passage which convey the meaning similar to easily chewable (para 3) and microorganisms which can cause diseases (para 7)
Answer:

• tender (para 3)
• pathogens (para 7)