English (Reading and Writing)
Set: B
Candidates are required to answer the questions in their own words as far as practicable. Scribbling and overwriting is strictly prohibited and marks will be forfeited for such unattractive acts.
1. Read the given text carefully and complete the following exercises. [10]
I suppose every family has a black sheep. Tom had been a sore trial to him for twenty years. He had begun life decently enough: he went into business, married, and had two children. The Ramsays were perfectly respectable people and there was every reason to suppose that Tom Ramsay would have a useful and honorable career. But one day, without warning, he announced that he didn’t like work and that he wasn’t suited for marriage. He wanted to enjoy himself.
He would listen to no expostulations He left his wife and his office. He had a little money and he spent two happy years in the various capitals of Europe. Rumors of his doings reached his relations from time to time and they were profoundly shocked. He certainly had a very good time. They shook their heads and asked what would happen when his money was spent. They soon found out: he borrowed. He was charming and unscrupulous. I have never met anyone to whom it was more difficult to refuse a loan. He made a steady income from his friends and he made friends easily. But he always said that the money you spent on necessities was boring; the money that was amusing to spend was the money you spent on luxuries.
For this, he depended on his brother George. He did not waste his charm on him. George was a serious man and insensible to such enticements. George was respectable. Once or twice he fell to Tom’s promises of amendment and gave him considerable sums in order that he might make a fresh start. On these Tom bought a motor–car and some very nice jewelry. But when circumstances forced George to realize that his brother would never settle down and he washed his hands of him,
Tom, without a qualm, began to blackmail him. It was not very nice for a respectable lawyer to find his brother shaking cocktails behind the bar of his favourite restaurant or to see him waiting on the box–seat of a taxi outside his club. Tom said that to serve in a bar or to drive a taxi was a perfectly decent occupation, but if George could oblige him with a couple of hundred pounds he didn’t mind for the honour of the family giving it up. George paid. Once, Tom nearly went to prison.
George was terribly upset. He went into the whole discreditable affair. Really Tom had gone too far. He had been wild, thoughtless, and selfish, but he had never before done anything dishonest, by which George meant illegal; and if he were prosecuted he would assuredly be convicted. But you cannot allow your only brother to go to gaol. The man Tom had cheated, a man called Cronshaw, was vindictive. He was determined to take the matter into court; he said Tom was a scoundrel and should be punished. It cost George an infinite deal of trouble and five hundred pounds to settle the affair. I have never seen him in such a rage as when he heard that Tom and Cronshaw had gone off together to Monte Carlo the moment they cashed the cheque. They spent a happy month there.
A. Find the words and phrases that are similar in meaning to the following word(s). [4]
iii. deceitful
iv. sentenced
B. Write True or False against these statements. [2]
a) George had tried to chuck Tom out of the house several times before he left the house.
b) There was nothing greater than money and fun in Tom’s life.
C. Answer the following questions in a sentence only. [4]
a) In what way was Tom a Black sheep?
b) Why were Tom’s family profoundly shocked?
c) What does it mean by ‘washing one’s hands of somebody’?
d) What would you do if you were Tom’s Brother?
2. Read the poem below and do the activities that follow. [5]
Did I Miss Anything?
Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 per cent of the grade for this term
and assigned some reading due today
on which I’m about to hand out a quiz worth 50 per cent
Nothing. None of the content of this course has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose
Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
a shaft of light suddenly descended and an angel
or other heavenly being appeared
and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
to attain divine wisdom in this life and the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
before we disperse to bring the good news to all people on earth.
Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?
Everything. Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human experience
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been gathered
but it was one place
And you weren’t here
-Tom Wayman
A. Complete these statements with the correct words from the poem. [2]
i.The student missed ………………..the previous day.
ii.Nothing ……………………….. can occur in the classroom in the absence of a teacher.
B. Answer the following questions in a sentence only. [3]
a) What is the opinion of the absentee about the classroom studies?
b) What does ‘microcosm’ refer to according to the speaker?
c) What message does the speaker want to convey from the poem to the readers?
3. Read the given text and do the activities that follow. [15]
One autumn, my sister and I made a blunder. She was ten and I was sixteen. We planned to really enjoy our holiday because we were together but away from home. Our excitement lasted till the end of our journey and taught us an important lesson.
We felt very excited and grown up as we were on the way to the home town of our grandparents in a cart. Fresh and cool breeze touched our body and our soul. When we reached the lodge, we were disappointed. Although it was expensive, it was not clean and well furnished. It had a tin roof. The room where we were going to spend our night was small. I did not find it cozy. In spite of a small window that was facing towards the North, the room was not as airy as we expected. Both of us disliked it. We asked our granny “Is there any hotel? We like to stay somewhere else, but not here.” When we asked about another option, our grandfather replied, “No, there is not any guest house or hotel nearby. ” Their reply annoyed us but we could not make any further request further. After we unpacked our suitcases, our grandmother warned us not to go outside till their return. “We won’t,” my sister promised, but I knew that she was telling a lie. We had already decided to go out.
We went out of the lodge as soon as our grandparents were out of our sight. When we reached a narrow gravelled street it was already dusk. The view of the setting sun was very pleasant. Birds were returning to their nests. We could hear children playing soccer nearby, but the little street was quiet. There was no sign of any hotel. Suddenly, a thug stepped out from the bush. He growled, “Don’t move!” He was tall and lanky. His black beard and dirty, curly hair was disgusting. He was wearing a black face mask and spectacles. When he came very close to us, we could smell cigarettes and a terrible smell of alcohol in his breath. I shivered. My little sister was terrified. We were speechless. He said, “Give me your chain.” So I did. Then he turned to my sister and said, “Your earrings!” Without uttering any word, she gave her best gold earrings. Snatching my hand bag, he jumped into the bush and vanished. Then, we cried and cried.
After sometime we recollected ourselves and ran back to the lodge. We did not feel safe until we got into our room and locked the door behind us. Though the man looted our precious things, he taught us a good lesson. We had disobeyed our elders which we were not supposed to do. Despite their warning, we walked out in a place which was new for us. Before this horrible experience, we did not use to listen to our parents and elders. How stupid we were! We now learned that we should obey them because their experience and knowledge are our guidelines for a better life. After this incident, we became more obedient.
However, we decided not to tell the scary incident to our grandparents or even our parents. We knew that they would punish us even though we had learned a lesson. That dangerous adventure is still a secret that I only share with my sister.
A. Choose the best alternative, and fill in the blanks. [5]
a. The weather was ............... while they were travelling.
i. terrible
ii. cold
iii. gloomy
iv. pleasant
b. The sisters were not happy because the lodge was...............
i. dirty
ii. uncomfortable
iii. small
iv. all of the above
c. The ............... said, “We won’t.”
i. grandparents
ii. parents
iii. thug
iv. younger sister
d. The mugger said, “...............”
i. We won’t.
ii. Don’t move.
iii. Your earrings!
iv. None of the above
e. The two sisters learnt to be ............... after that incident.
- confident
- obedient
- Honest
- only ii and iii
B. Find the words from the text that are opposite in meaning to the following words. [4]
a) delighted
b) dawn
c) pleasing
d) safe
C. Answer the following questions in a sentence. [6]
a) What was the excitement for the sisters?
b)Why could the sisters not make any further requests to the grandparents?
c) What promise did the little sister break?
d) Why was the little sister terrified?
e) What do you mean by ‘recollecting oneself’?
f) Do you think the sisters were right in not confiding the incident to their elders? Why?
4. Read the given announcement and complete the exercises that follow. [10]
DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?
(First published on Aug 20, 2018)
We are Kathmandu based financial institution with proven track of excellence. We are looking for young dedicated, diligent individual with “Can do” attitude to join our team
1.Manager –Finance
The incumbent must be a graduate with at least three years of working experience preferably in financial institution. S/he has to perform the following tasks.
· Financial accounting and preparation of financials of the company independently
· NRB Reporting
· Preparation of liquidity and interest rate risk reports
· Other high level reporting to top management
· Treasury management, etc.
2. Manager—Marketing
The incumbent must be a graduate with at least three years of working experience preferably in financial institution. S/he has to perform the following tasks.
· As a frontline manager the incumbent would be a self-starter with keen business acumen.
· S/he shall possess the ability to motivate and innovate routinely in the development and marketing services of the company
· Able to generate good volume of business
· Able to keep the quality of assets intact by keeping the NPA at the lowest possible.
Interested candidates are requested to apply in person with their updated résumé, two passport size photos, referees and expected salary within seven days of the publication of this notice to the following.
Note: The candidate must be able to work in a team to meet the common organizational goals.
The Advertiser, GPO Box: 14947
Kathmandu
A. Answer the following questions in your own words. [5]
a) Who can apply for the first post?
b) What is the job description of the second candidate?
c) Why do you think a three-year experience in any financial institution is a must?
d) What is the due date of the application?
e) How can the candidates apply for the posts?
B. State whether the following statements are true or false. [5]
a.A financial company is looking for a marketing and a finance manager.
b.Team spirit is a mandatory attribute of the incumbent.
c.The interested candidate has to apply in person for the both the posts.
d.The due date of the application is November 23, 2008.
e.The second incumbent has a less challenging job than the second incumbent does.
5. Design and draft an invitation card using the following information. [5]
Bride: Mandakini
Parents: Mr. Prabhakar Tandon and Mrs. Lajawati Sharma
Bridegroom: Himalaya
Parents: Mr. Rmjulum Divedi and Mrs. Gitanjali Atreya
Date: December 10, 2018
Place: Royal Banquet Tinkune, Kathmandu
Hotel: Maharaja, Gaushala, Kathmandu
Time: 5:30 pm onwards
6. Write a set of rules and regulations for the visitors of a library. Include details like members, borrowers, time, silence, renewal, safety, photocopy, [ 5 ]
7. Suppose your paternal uncle is planning to go abroad. Your father advises him to follow a few do’s and don’ts. Prepare a one page dialogue between your father and paternal uncle using the given hints. You can add your own points if you like. [6]
better income, better and secured future, risk of fatal diseases, skillful manpower is highly paid, knowledge of different languages is beneficial, must go legally, get right information from the government offices, get help from the helpline…
8. Brainstorm and write an essay on Our Culture—Our Identity OR Youth in Community Service in about 300 words. [8]
9. Reproduce the following sentences as instructed in the brackets. [6] a) Who is ………… Romeo in our class? (supply a suitable article)
b) You’d better not tell a lie,………………….…? (add a suitable question tag)
c) She can’t be planting potatoes at this hour of the night. (change into affirmative sentence)
d)Has it stopped raining yet? (change into a statement)
e) He told Radha whether she was visiting his home in two days’ time. (change into direct speech)
f) I don’t like being called names. (change the voice in the sentence)
10. Rewrite the given story choosing the correct options from the brackets. [5]
Yesterday There lived…….. (a/an/the) farmer in a remote village. He…….. (has/have/had) three lazy sons. They neither worked nor obeyed their father. The old man feared that they…….. (will suffer/are suffering/would suffer) much after his death……..(However/So/Because), one evening, he thought of a plan to make them work hard in the field and thus he summoned them all together to his bed and said, “……...(treasure was buried/treasure has been buried/treasure is buried) in the field.” “Now”, the old man continued, “if you dug up the field, you…….. (will get/ would get/ would have got) it all.” At this, all the three lazy sons got tempted into getting the treasure. Soon they began to dig the field but they couldn’t find any treasure even after digging all the nooks and the corners of the filed ……...(In/At/While) the meantime the old man sowed the seeds of fine wheat. After a period of four months, the lazy sons had an unexpected harvest…….. (and/but/when) the old man was no more with them to celebrate the success of his sons’ hard work. However, he was able to…….. (make/have/get) them to understand the result of working together, …….. ? (wasn’t it/wasn’t he/isn’t it)
