SECONDARY SCHOOL
EXAMINATION APRIL 2021
Tested Paper
Grade: 10 English
Time: 2 hrs. 15 mins F.M.: 75 P.M.: 30
Candidates are required to answer in their own words as far as
practicable. Credit shall be given to clarity, creativity, and originality, not
to rote learning.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced:
But they outdid the sparkling waves in the glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -and gazed- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude:
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
(Credit source: The Daffodils by William Wordsworth)
A. Complete the following sentences using the
suitable ideas/information contained in the poem. [5]
a.
The speaker
compares himself with a ……………………
b.
The daffodils are
compared with ……………….
c.
The speaker
recollects……… …………………….in tranquility.
d.
His heart is filled
with………………………….
e.
The daffodils
outperformed …………………….
2. Read
the following text and do the activities that follow. [10]
“Yogmaya had a
two-pronged agenda, not just one,” explained Manamaya. “Her first target was
the cultural and religious oppression of the time. Her second object was our
ruler, the Prime Minister, who along with his generals allowed corruption and
inequality to prevail. Our master, Shakti Yogmaya, showed us how these two
evils are intertwined, and she feared neither.”
Yogamaya launched
a brilliant and daring political campaign from her base in the hills of East
Nepal. It took place during the 1930s, and ended in 1940 with her death, along
with sixty-eight of her followers who one by one followed her into the
thundering current of the Arun River. After leading a campaign for reform and
justice, Yogmaya finally confronted the ruler with an ultimatum: “If you do not
grant us justice, we will die,” she declared. Juddha Shamsher responded by
sending his army to round up the protesters.
The tragedy that
resulted remains a stain on the government. The Nepalese authorities covered up
the episode and banned all mention of her. Her campaign was thoroughly expunged
from the nation’s historical record and almost lost to its political
consciousness. But the powerful verses composed by Yogmaya, the hazurbani,
survived. And there lies the story.
I am the child in your lap.
You are the babe in mine;
There is nothing between us, nothing at all.
Your eyes have tears, just like my own.
On the surface, these lines may appear to be politically innocent, they are not. They embody the very principle of equality. They call for parity and mutual respect. They are tender reminders of the sensitivity of all of our common needs, joys and sufferings.
(Credit source: CDC,Grade-10)
A. Rewrite
the following sentences choosing the best alternative. [5]
a.
Yogmaya ……………….. a
traditional subservient role.
i.
accepted ii.
declined iii. set
b.
The agenda she raised
are still………………years after her demise.
i.
pertinent iii.
irrelevant iii. interesting
c. Her campaign………………. wide media coverage.
i.
received ii.
failed to receive iii. represented
d.
Her poems…………………..
deeper political implications.
i.
lack ii.
possess iii. hide
e. The national politics was ……………… of her
contribution for a long time.
i.
mindful ii.
oblivious iii.
jealous
B.
Answer
the following questions in short. [5]
a. How are the ‘two evils’ mentioned in the first
paragraph interlocked?
b. How did the Rana regime respond to her demand?
c. Why do you think Yogmaya, together with her
followers, killed herself?
d. What message do Yogmaya’s verses convey?
e. What do you think of the way Yogmaya sought to
reform her society?
3. Read the following text and do the activities that follow. [10]
THE WORLD BANK
Procurement Specialist
The World Bank Office, Kathmandu, Nepal seeks to recruit a dynamic
professional as Procurement Specialist for the World Bank’s South Asia Region’s
Procurement Service Unit (SARPS). This is a 2-year term appointment. The
interested candidate should have a Master’s Degree with a major in a relevant
discipline (e.g. Engineering, Law, Procurement, Finance, and Business
Administration) plus a minimum of five years of experience in procurement and
implementation of projects.
This is a country office position in Nepal subject to local
recruitment under the Nepal compensation plan.
The World Bank offers a locally competitive package.
Details (vacancy # 120565) are available on the World Bank Careers
website: www.worldbank.org/careers.
All applications must be submitted through this website. The World
Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality,
culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally
encouraged to apply.
The closing date is April 27, 2021
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Working for a World Free of Poverty
(Credit source: The World Bank Office, Kathmandu, Nepal)
A. State
whether the following statements are True or False. [5]
a.
The vacant position is a
permanent job position.
b.
One can apply by post.
c.
Freshers can also apply
for the vacant post.
d.
Local recruitment policy
does not determine the selection process.
e.
All the applicants will
be intimated for further procedure.
B.Answer
the following questions. [5]
a.
How long will be the
tenure of the successful incumbent?
b.
What are the eligibility
criteria for the advertised post?
c.
How can one apply for
the vacant post?
d.
What is the advertiser’s
commitment?
e.
What’s the World Bank
working for?
4. Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow. [15]
Television acts as
narcotic on children- mesmerizing them, stunting their ability to think, and
displacing such wholesome activities as book reading and family discussion.
Right?
Wrong, says researcher
Daniel Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Anderson doesn’t have any particular affection for Garfield and Friends, MTV
clips, or Gilligan’s Island reruns. But he does believe it’s important to
distinguish television’s impact on children from influences of the family and
wider culture. We tend to blame TV, he says, for problems it doesn’t really
cause. In the process, overlook our own role in shaping children’s minds.
One conventional belief
about television is that it impairs a child’s ability to think and to interpret
the world. But Anderson’s own research and reviews of the scientific literature
discredit this assumption. While watching TV, children do not merely absorb
words and images. Instead, they muse upon the meaning of what they see, its
plausibility, and its implications for the future- whether they’ve tuned in to
a news report of a natural disaster or an action show. Because television
relies on such cinematic techniques as montage and crosscutting, children learn
early how to draw inferences about the passage of time, character psychology,
and implied events. Even preschoolers comprehend more than just the information
supplied on the tube.
Another contention about
television is that it displaces reading as a form of entertainment. But
according to Anderson, the amount of time spent watching television is not
related to reading ability. For one thing, TV does not take the place of
reading for most children: it takes the place of a similar sort of recreation,
such as going to the movies, reading comic books, listening to the radio, and
playing sports. Variables such as socioeconomic status and parents’ educational
background exert a far stronger influence on a child’s reading. “Far and away,”
Anderson says, “the best predictor of reading ability, and of how much a child
reads, is how much a parent reads.”
A. From the text, write the words that are similar
in meaning to the following. [5]
a. healthy b.
differentiate c. traditional d. understand e. argument
B. State whether the following statements are true
or false. [5]
a.
Television supplants healthy
activities such as book reading and family discussion.
b.
Anderson blames TV for
spoiling children.
c.
Anderson’s own research
contradicts the common conventional belief.
d.
A child’s reading habit
is dependent on parents’ socioeconomic status and educational background.
e.
Anderson agrees with
many parents who worry about the impact of TV on their children.
C. Answer the following questions in short. [5]
a.
Why is it important to
distinguish television’s impact on children from influences of the family and
the wider culture?
b.
What does ‘this
assumption’ mean in the line: ‘………. discredit this assumption.’?
c.
What is the conventional
contention about TV’s role in relation to a child’s reading
ability?
d.
How does Anderson refute
the traditional argument about TV’s role in relation to a child’s reading
ability?
e.
Do you agree with Anderson’s
views? Why/why not?
Writing Section
5. As the Chairperson of the Selection Committee
of Soaltee Group of Hotels, Kalimati, Kathmandu, write a congratulation letter
to the candidate who has been selected to work in the capacity of Marketing
Manager. [5]
6. Design and draft an advertisement inviting
professionals to work for Imperial Trade Links (that deals in communication
electronics), Putalisadak, Kathmandu in the positions of an Assistant Manager,
a Salesperson, and an Office Secretary. (Reasonably include the required
qualifications, age, experiences, salary, and other criteria on your own.) [5]
7. Develop the given line into an interesting
story with a suitable title and a moral in not less than five short paragraphs.
[6]
One hot summer afternoon, Steve was fishing on
the bank of the River Dee when ……….
8. Every country makes a huge investment in
children’s health and education hoping that the future of the nation safely
rests in the hands of healthy and well-educated citizens. Do you think you, as
a child, are the future of the nation and can bring corresponding changes when
you grow up? Give specific reasons and examples to support your claim. [8]
Grammar Section
9.
Reproduce the following sentences as indicated in the brackets. [6]
i. She needn’t have walked so long, …………………...? (Add a suitable tag)
ii. Always tell the truth. (Change into interrogative sentence)
iii. Did anybody know the secret? (Affirmative sentence)
iv. You…………………. television. You shouldn’t be a couch potato. (Use the
correct tense ‘always watch’)
v. The teacher said, “I want peace in the classroom.” (Change into
the reported speech)
vi. The prosecution alleges that she was driving on the wrong lane.
(Change the voice)
10. Choose the correct
option from the brackets to complete the text below. [5]
A long time ago, there ……1…. (was/are/was) three
friends ….2……(who/that/whom) were walking….3……(in/through/along) a forest. On
their way, they….4…. (find/found/have found) a bag full of money. They agreed
to divide the money equally among themselves. They were hungry, ….5…… (weren’t
they/ don’t they/aren’t they). So one of them ….6…. (sent/was sent/ is sent) to
the market. He was asked ….7…. (buy/bought/to buy) food. But he wanted to take
all the money by himself. He even thought of killing the other friends. When he
reached the nearest shop, he …8… (had/got/made) the shopkeeper to put some
poison in the food giving him a different reason.
Unfortunately, the other friends were also
planning something equally evil against the first friend and divide the money
equally between themselves. .…9…. (A/An/The) one who had just come back from
the shop was killed in cold blood by the two before they sat to eat. The hunger
made them eat the food without even thinking what it was like. Soon they
started bleeding from their mouths and died. If they were true friends and
greed-free, they ….10…. (wouldn’t conspire/won’t conspire/wouldn’t have
conspired) against each other and lose precious lives.
The End
