ST.

JOSEPH’S COLLEGE, PRAYAGRAJ

(Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper.
They must NOT start writing during this time.)
…………………………………………………………………………...................................................................
Attempt all four questions.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in the brackets [ ].
(You are advised to spend not more than 45 minutes on Question 1, 55 minutes on
Question 2, 30 minutes on Question 3 and 50 on Question 4.)
(You should begin each answer on a fresh page.)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

QUESTION 1

Write a composition (in approximately 400-450 words) on any one of the following subjects: [20]

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material,
use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.)

a) Though money can buy you a pedigreed animal with a rippling body and shiny fur, the
love of a stray animal comes for free. Imagine that you have adopted one such pet.
Describe the animal when it first came home, the reaction of your family members, the
care and the grooming, some memorable moments, the change that it has brought about
in you and how it transformed from a submissive weakling into a confident healthy adult.

b) Travelling by train is like finding yourself in a self-contained world, with all the people and
stories and intriguing spaces it might hold. Narrate an incident of one such journey that
takes off from the sound of the distant train whistle on the platform to your final destination.

(c) 'Nature can still heal itself'. Argue for or against the given statement.

(d) Home

(e) ‘Human ambition has destructive consequences’. Express your views on the given
statement.

(f) Write an original short story beginning with the following words: “The clouds wailed
shedding tears of tiny beads when suddenly the gentle pitter- patter turned into heavy
thuds and while a hail of bullets mercilessly thrashed the earth, a bent up figure…………….
QUESTION 2 [15]

(a) You wish to start applying to various colleges after your ISC examination. In about
300 words draft your Statement of Purpose using the guidelines given below:
Background - personality traits – interests – academic and non - academic profile-
career goals - reason for choosing a particular university – role of the university in
achieving your goals

(b) As a member of the Student Council, you have been given the responsibility of
arranging for a virtual COVID - 19 Awareness and Information Workshop for the
students of your school. Write a proposal in not more than 150 words, stating the
steps you would take to successfully establish this particular workshop. [10]

QUESTION 3

Answer sections (a), (b) and (c)

(a) In each of the following items, sentence A is complete, while sentence B is not.
Complete sentence B, making it as similar as possible to sentence A.
Write sentence A complete in each case. [05]

Example:

How long I shall stay in India is uncertain.

The……………………

Answer: (0) The duration of my stay in India is uncertain.

1 (A) If you do not love your neighbour whom you see, how can you love God
Whom you cannot see?
(B) Unless ……………………………………………………………

2 (A) They met with success in capturing the moment of the day.
(B) Their attempt. ……………………………

3 (A) Prevention is better than cure.

4 (A) Mr.Joshi said, “Let Daniel answer the question if he wants.”

5 (A) No sooner had he left the meeting than the boss called him back.
(B) As soon as ……………………………………………………….
(b) Fill in the blanks with a suitable word. (Do not write the sentence.) [05]

1. He apologised for breaking _____ on their conversation.

2. Unemployment figures have broken _____ the three million barrier.

3. Negotiations between the two sides dragged _____ interminably.

4. Carl was dragged _____ to the head teacher’s office.

5. Dr. Watson always holds _____ his principles.

6. Have they caught the people who held _____ the bank?

7. The suspect was picked _____ at an identity parade.

8. The wind seems to be picking _____.

9. There is a committee to watch _____ each area of government policy.

10. Watch _____ for their striker; he could cause all sorts of problems.

(c) Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the appropriate form of the verb given in
brackets. Do not write the passage, but write the verbs in the correct order. [05]

Dr. Edgar’s life_____ (1) (be) full of darkness. She_____ (2) (imprison) at Auschwitz when
she_____ (3) (be) just a teenager. Despite torture, starvation, and the constant threat of
annihilation, she_____ (4) (preserve) her mental and spiritual freedom. She was not_____ (5)
(broke) by the horrors she experienced; she_____ (6) (embolden) and _____ (7) (strengthen)
by them. In fact, her wisdom_____ (8) (come) from deep within the most devastating
episodes of her life. She is able to help others heal because she _____ (9) (journey) from
trauma to triumph herself. She_____ (10) (discover) how to use her experience of human
cruelty to empower so many.

QUESTION 4

Read carefully the passage given below and answer the questions (a), (b) and (c) that follow:

I was born with the winning ticket, a major reason I was able to live out my childhood dreams.

My mother was a tough, old-school English teacher with nerves of titanium. She worked her
students hard, enduring those parents who complained that she expected too much from kids.
As her son, I knew a thing or two about her high expectations, and that became my good fortune.
My dad was a World War Il medic who served in the Battle of the Bulge. He founded a non-profit
group to help immigrants' kids learn English.

I grew up comfortably middle class in Columbia, Maryland. Money was never an issue in our house,
mostly because they were frugal to a fault. We rarely went out to dinner. We'd see a movie maybe
once or twice a year. "Watch TV," my parents would say. "It's free. Or better yet, go to the library.
Get a book.”

When I was two years old and my sister was four, my mom took us to the circus. I wanted to go
again when I was nine. "You don't need to go," my mom said. "You've already been to the circus.”

It sounds oppressive by today's standards, but it was actually a magical childhood. I really do see
myself as a guy who had this incredible leg up in life because I had a mother and a father who
got so many things right.

We didn't buy much. But we thought about everything. That's because my dad had this infectious
inquisitiveness about current events, history, and our lives. In fact, growing up, I thought there were
two types of families:

1) Those who need a dictionary to get through dinner. 2) Those who don't.

We were No. 1. Most every night, we'd end up consulting the dictionary, which we kept on a shelf
just six steps from the table. "If you have a question," my folks would say, "then find the answer.”

The instinct in our house was never to sit around like slobs and wonder. We knew a better way:
Open the encyclopedia. Open the dictionary. Open your mind.

My dad gave me advice on how to negotiate my way through life. He’d say things like: “Never
make a decision until you have to.” He'd also warn me that even if I was in a position of strength,
whether at work or in relationships, I had to play fair. "Just because you're in the driver's seat," he'd
say, "doesn't mean you have to run people over.”

When I was studying for my PhD, I complained to my mother about how hard and awful the test
was, she leaned over, patted me on the arm and said, "We know just how you feel, honey. And
remember, when your father was your age, he was fighting the Germans." I'm grateful for that
now.

Many people who saw my last lecture were taken with one particular photo that I flashed on the
overhead screen: It's a photo in which I'm in my pajamas, leaning on my elbow, and it's so obvious
that I was a kid who loved to dream big dreams. The wood slat that cuts across my body is the
front of the bunk bed. My dad, a pretty able woodworker, made me that bed. The smile on that
kid's face, the wood slat, the look in his eyes: that photo reminds me that I won the parent lottery.

Adapted from: The Last Lecture by Randy Paush

(1) harsh
(2) lazy people
(3) skilled

(ii) For each of the words given below, write a sentence of at least ten words using
the same word unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which
it carries in the passage. [3]

(1) served
(2) current
(3) mean

(b) Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:

(i) Money was never an issue in the author’s home. Why? [2]

(ii) Why was it natural for the author to think about everything? [2]

(iii) What advice did the author’s father give him and what did he warn him
about?
[2]

(c) Summarise the author’s upbringing that led him to realise that he had indeed
won the parent lottery.
You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in not
more than 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. [8]