Factual passages: convey information in a straightforward and direct manner about a particular subject. Usually, the language and style are simple and clear. Factual passages may give instructions or descriptions or report of an event or a new finding.
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Unseen Passage for Class 10 Factual CBSE With Answers
Unseen Passage With Answers for Class 10 CBSE
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 1
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
High-altitude climbing is still a very dangerous task in spite of the availability of oxygen masks and other protective equipment, which modern climbers take with them. These, of course, are indispensable accessories of climbing, but more important than these is the stamina of the climber, which ultimately determines the success of his attempt. Throughout his journey, death is his constant companion, which he can keep at a distance only with his superb presence of mind.
He has to tread every inch of the ground with utmost care, for a false step may not only strike him a fatal blow, but also bring disaster to the whole expedition. That is why all expeditions invariably take with them local guides who are experienced climbers and who have a thorough knowledge of the nature of the terrain. Moreover, a huge amount of capital is needed for financing these expeditions, and this is generally provided by governments or rich private organisations.
The primary object of a mountaineering expedition is to get to the top of a high mountain, which, in the past has withstood all attempts to conquer it. But it should not be presumed that the expedition is a complete failure if it does not reach its destination. Sometimes operations are temporarily suspended because of bad weather, loss of some valuable equipment or the sudden death of a very important member of the party.
Every big expedition takes with it men who are interested in botany, biology, geology and various other branches of science, and these men carry with them equipment for recording their observations concerning the weather, the terrain, and different forms of life in higher altitudes. Other scientists, explorers and expeditionists utilise the fruits of their observations. Thus, every unsuccessful expedition contributes to the success of later expeditions.
The British Expedition led by Colonel Hunt would have found their way to Everest much more difficult had not earlier expeditions armed them with useful knowledge about the death-dealing weather which they had to encounter in the vicinity of the summit.
To ordinary people, mountaineering need not be a fearfuljourney in the land of snowstorms, where the brave adventurer is always face to face with death. They can scale less ambitious heights, rest their weary limbs under a quiet shelter and feast their eyes in the distant landscape. In the company of friends they can enjoy an outing near a waterfall or cross into the next valley with haversacks full of provisions dangling from their shoulders. All those who can afford to go to hill station should seek this innocent pleasure, for it can be had without any risk to life or limb.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What determines the success of the climbers?
(ii) What accessories does a climber have to be equipped with?
(iii) How useful are the local guides in these expeditions?
(iv) How does an unsuccessful expedition contribute?
(v) How is mountaineering different for ordinary people?
(vi) Why are expeditions sometimes suspended?
(vii) How should the terrain climbers tread every inch of their climb?
(viii) What precautions should the climbers take during their journey?
Answer:
(i) The stamina of the climbers determines the success of their attempt.
(ii) A climber has to be equipped with oxygen masks and other protective equipment.
(iii) The local guides are experienced climbers and also have a thorough knowledge of the nature of the terrain.
(iv) An unsuccessful expedition contributes to the success of later expeditions.
(v) They can scale less ambitious heights, rest their weary limbs, feast their eyes in the distant landscape in the company of their friends.
(vi) They are suspended due to bad weather, loss of some valuable equipment or sudden death of a very important member.
(vii) Terrain climbers should tread every inch of their climb with utmost care.
(viii) They should seek guidance of local guides during their journey.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 2
Read the passage carefully.
We give undue importance to our health and the treatment of diseases. A large number of medicines treat only the symptoms of the disease, and not the root cause. In fact, the cause of many chronic ailments is still being researched. It is here that Yoga therapy comes to our assistance. Yoga emphasizes treatment of the root cause of an ailment. It works in a slow, subtle and miraculous manner. Modern medicine can claim to save a life at a critical stage, but, for complete recovery and regaining of normal health, one must believe in the efficiency of Yoga therapy.
The Yogic way of life includes a code of ethics, regulations, discipline, combined with prayer and meditation. Even a discussion of these subjects helps one relieve mental tensions and change attitudes. Simple Asanas help to stretch and relax the whole body and release tensions. The sincere practice of Yoga postures is beneficial , for the mind and body.
The continued practice of Yoga has a profound effect on the inner dimensions of life. Yoga aims at developing the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional facilities. Other formsof physical exercises, like aerobics, assure only physical well-being. They have little to do with the development of the soul and mind.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What do most of the medicines treat?
(ii) What does the phrase ‘Chronic ailments’ refer to?
(iii) How is yoga different from other forms of treatment?
(iv) What does the yogic way of life include?
(v) How does ‘Simple Asanas’ help?
(vi) How does sincere practice of yoga benefit us?
(vii) How does yoga therapy work?
(viii) Is yoga better than physical exercises? Why?
Answer:
(i) Most of the medicines treat only the symptoms and not the root cause.
(ii) They are Diseases that are recurrent and last, for a long time.
(iii) It emphasises on the treatment of the root cause of an ailment.
(iv) The yogic way of life code of ethics, regulations includes discipline, prayer and meditation.
(v) Simple asanas help to stretch and relax the whole body and release tensions.
(vi) Sincere practice of yoga is beneficial for the mind, body and concentration.
(vii) It works in a slow, subtle and miraculous manner.
(viii) Yoga aims at developing the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional faculties where as physical exercises only develop the body.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 3
Read the passage carefully.
Just by the use of colours you can balance your diet. All you need to do is to pay a little attention to the food you eat. Nutrition experts strongly recommend adding colours to your diet. Sweets and candy bars are generally colourful, but remember they do not contain natural colours and hence are not healthy. The key solution is a variety of naturally coloured foods. The deeper the colour, the greater the benefits.
Getting more colours in your diet doesn’t mean you have to drastically change your current eating habits. Have a glass of 100% juice in the morning. Keep a mix of dried fruits on hand for a quick snack. Grab an apple or banana on your way out. Include at least two vegetables in your dinner. Get into the habit of starting your dinner with a salad. Eat fruit for dessert. Always add greens to sandwiches.
Most red fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which offer protection against ultraviolet rays and cancer, and helps to prevent urinary tract infections and diseases related to the circulatory system. Green vegetables along with being appealing possess excellent antioxidant properties that protect the eyes by keeping the retina in good condition and reduce the risk of cancerous tumours.
The orange and yellow group is rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that improves cell communication and thereby helps to stop the spread of cancer. While the blue and purple group adds an element of richness to your plate, influences the pineal gland (the third eye) and the nervous system. The white group contains sulphur compounds that protect the DNA and flavonoids, an antioxidant that protects cell membranes.
Therefore, the more colourful your diet is, the better equipped your immune system would be to cope with diseases.
Complete the following sentences:
(i) ___________ can balance one’s diet.
(ii) Sweets and candy bars ___________ so they are unhealthy.
(iii) One should substitute ___________ for pudding at the end of a meal.
(iv) Antioxidants help to ___________.
(v) The word ‘drastically’ in Paragraph I means ___________
(vi) Green vegetables reduce the risk of ___________.
(vii) Blue aind purple vegetables add ___________ in plate.
(viii) Colourful diet helps our ___________ to cope with ___________.
Answer:
(i) use of colours.
(ii) do not contain natural colours.
(iii) fruits.
(iv) offer protection against ultraviolet rays and cancer and help to prevent urinary tract infection and circulatory system diseases
(v) sudden, serious or violent measures.
(vi) cancerous tumours and keep the retina in good condition.
(vii) an element of richness.
(viii) immune system; diseases.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 4
Read the passage carefully.
Spices bring to mind images of tempting cuisine, fascinating voyages and the bitter struggle for independence. Expressions like ‘variety is the spice of life’ and ‘sugar and spice and all that is nice’, explain how spices play upon the literary abilities of men of letters.
To orientals, spices are indeed the soul of their food. In the western world, it evokes dreams of exotic tropical islands, exciting expeditions, and the rise and fall of empires. Columbus went westwards in 1492, from Europe, to find a sea route to the land of spices, but found the New World. Eight years later, Vasco da Gama went round Africa and touched Kozhikode on the south west coast of India. Long before that, Arabs started trading with the Orients through land routes. During the 13th century, Marco Polo began the travelling and experienced attraction of spices. The European conquests and trade arrangement in India and the East Indies also have a lot to do with spices.
Thousands of years ago, great masters of Ayurveda notably Susruta and Charaka discussed in detail the uses of spices for culinary and medicinal purposes. Enterprising soldiers of fortune carried the knowledge of spices to Egypt. There they used spices and aromatic herbs in food, medicine, cosmetics and for embalming. The conquest of Egypt and Asia by Alexander the Great, made spices an article of commercial value in the Mediterranean countries and central and northern Europe. There are reports of pepper being used in the preservation of meat, and to mask the unpleasant odour of stale meat available after the long winter storage.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, and Theophrastus, a Greek scholar and botanist, wrote treatises on medicinal plants, including spices.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Why do spices fascinate people?
(ii) What does “Variety is the spice of life” mean?
(iii) Where did Columbus want to reach?
(iv) What is meant by ‘cuisine’?
(v) What did Susruta and Charaka discuss in detail?
(vi) What made spices an article of commercial value in Mediterranean countries?
(vii) Who have written treatises on medicinal plants, including spices?
(viii) The word in the passage that means ‘interesting’ is ___________.
Answer:
(i) They bring to mind images of tempting cuisine, fascinating voyages and the bitter struggle for independence.
(ii) It means that life becomes exciting when we adopt to change.
(iii) Columbus wanted to reach the land of spices.
(iv) Refers to different styles of cooking.
(v) They discussed the use of spices for culinary and medical purposes in detail.
(vi) The conquest of Egypt and Asia by Alexander the Great made species an article of commercial value in Mediterranean countries.
(vii) Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, and Theophrastus, a Greek scholar and botanist, wrote treatises on medicinal plants, including spices.
(viii) fascinating.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 5
Read the passage carefully.
Demonetization refers to an economic policy where a certain currency unit leases to be used as a legal tender. It occurs whenever there is a change in the national currency: The existing form or forms of money is pulled from circulation and retired, to be replaced with new notes or coins. Sometimes, a country completely replaces the old currency with new currency.
On 8 November, 2016, the Indian government decided to demonetize the 500 and 1000 rupee notes, the two biggest denominations in its currency system. These notes accounted for 86% of the country’s circulating cash. With little warning, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to the citizenry that these notes would be rendered immediately ineffective with immediate effect. People were given time till the end of the year to deposit or exchange them for newly introduced 2000 rupee and 500 rupee notes.
The government’s goal was to combat India’s thriving underground economy on several fronts: eradicate counterfeit currency, fight tax evasion (only 1% of the population pays taxes), eliminate black money accumulated from money laundering and terrorist¬financing activities, and to promote a cashless economy. Individuals and entities with huge sums of black money Acquired from parallel cash systems were forced to take their large- denomination notes to a bank, and account for them satisfactorily and submit proof if tax paid. If the owner could not provide proof of making any tax payments on the cash, he possessed a penalty of 200% on the tax due was imposed.
Demonetisation had a severe impact on the gold market. The extraordinary demand for the yellow metal, made a stiff hike in the cost. However, the Government made it mandatory that every buyer had to submit his/her PAN card details for purchases made. Erring jewelers were brought to book.
Many Indians switched to alternative payment methods. The biggest gainers \yere mobile wallet companies that offered easy transactions through a large network of partners. Alibaba-backed Paytm saw a sevenfold increase in overall traffic. Prepaid cash cards were another option that the customers found useful. Other alternatives were mobile payment systems linked to e-commerce businesses like Ola Money, FreeCharge, Flipkart Wallet.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What is meant by demonetization?
(ii) When did the government demonetize the 500-and 1000-rupee notes?
(iii) What announcement did Prime Minister Narendra Modi make on Nov. 8?
(iv) What did the government want to accomplish by the demonetization?
(v) When was a penalty of 200% imposed?
(vi) Explain the idiom, ‘brought to book’.
(vii) Find a word in the passage which means ‘to provide or supply’.
(viii) Which were the alternate payment methods available for Indians post demonetization?
Answer:
(i) Demonetization refers to an economic policy where a certain currency unit leases to be used as a legal tender.
(ii) The government demonetized the 500-and 1000-rupee notes on Nov. 8,2016.
(iii) Prime Minister Modi announced that the 500- and 1000- rupee notes would be rendered ineffective immediately. The Indian citizenry were given time till the end of the year to deposit or exchange them for the newly introduced 2000 rupee and 500 rupee notes.
(iv) The government wanted to eradicate counterfeit currency, fight tax evasion, eliminate black money amassed from money laundering and terrorist-financing activities, and to promote a cashless economy.
(v) If the owner could not provide proof of making any tax payments on the cash he possessed, a penalty of 200% on tax due was imposed.
(vi) to be punished officially under the law.
(vii) Furnish.
(viii) The Indians started using the services of mobile wallet companies (Alibaba-backed Paytm) and prepaid cash cards. The other alternatives include mobile payment systems linked to e-commerce businesses like Ola Money, FreeCharge, Flipkart Wallet.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 6
Read the passage carefully.
English is a West Germanic Language that was first spoken in the early medieval England. It has now acquired the status of being the 3rd most widely Spoken Language in the world.
Therefore, the need to be proficient in the language is becoming necessary for every one who has a dream.
How can one gain proficiency in any language? Most certainly by following the LSRW technique, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing. Engage with people who are conversant with the language and assimilate what you hear, one at a time. Do not let adversities dampen your progress. “Rome was not built in a day”. Develop your speaking skills gradually. To acquire mastery in the language, one needs to venture on to next step which is extensive reading.
Moving from simple to complex, according to personal preferences. This will help you learn more words and their meanings. Once your vocabulary is developed, experiment with your writing skills. Soon you will find yourself confident, comfortable and fluent with using the language.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Pen down two specialities of the English language?
(ii) How can we acquire proficiency in a language?
(iii) Explain “Rome was not built in a day”.
(iv) How can one build up one’s vocabulary?
(v) What can dampen your progress?
(vi) What is the strategy to be used to develop reading skills?
(vii) Find the synonym of – of the middle ages, (in Para 1)
(viii) Find the synonym of Skillfulness, (in Para 2)
Answer:
(i) English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in the early medieval England. It has now acquired the
status of being the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world.
(ii) Most certainly by following the LSRW technique, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing. Engage with people who are conversant with the language, and assimilate what you hear, one at a time.
(iii) This expression means that no task can be accomplished easily or in a short period of time.
(iv) Reading and understanding word meanings will develop one’s vocabulary.
(v) Adversities can dampen your spirits.
(vi) Moving from simple to complex, according to personal preferences. This will help you learn more words and their meanings.
(vii) Medieval
(viii) Proficiency
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 7
Read the passage carefully.
A Norwegian Mathematician Vejomo-Johansson of the KTH Royal Institute of Stockholm, Sweden developed an interest in a unique concept — the technique of knotting a tie and recorded 17,147 of doing so. It is curiosity on the subject increased after viewing a video on YouTube by a film celebrity, on the technique of knotting a tie adopted by the characters in the Matrix film series and in Merovingian series.
To gain further knowledge in the subject, his research led him to the earlier findings of 85 techniques that were recorded at the University of Cambridge, by the experts Yong Mao and Thomas Fink. They had not considered the fancy styles in their study which accounted for the poor count.
They had considered only the normal, traditional and conventional ways of knotting a tie and had used ordinary everyday language to define their work. Johansson discovered that this common methodology was not used in the Matrix series, that involved several tucks, many folds and edges. He eventually set about rewriting the process by including numerous expressions that explained more elaborately different ways of knotting a tie.
Subsequently, tie wearers have been provided with a variety of options to choose from to complete their office attire.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What is the researcher referring to in the passage?
(ii) To which faculty does the researcher belong and what is his name?
(iii) Who were the researchers from Cambridge?
(iv) Mention the drawbacks of their research.
(v) What inspired Johansson to do research?
(vi) What special technique was used in the Matrix series?
(vii) Identify the word that means special and unusual in para 1.
(viii) Identify the word need for ‘describe in a detailed manner,’ in para 3.
Answer:
(i) He is referring to the technique of knotting a tie.
(ii) He is a Mathematician by the name Vejomo Johansson.
(iii) the researchers from Cambridge were Yong Mao and Thomas Fink.
(iv) They had not considered the fancy styles of knotting a tie.
(v) The Cambridge researchers got a poor count, and had used everyday language to define their work. This discovery inspired Johansson to do research.
(vi) Matrix series included many tucks, several folds and edges.
(vii) Unique
(viii) Elaborately.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 8
Read the following passage carefully.
My grandmother’s house is like a chambered sea shell it has many rooms, yet it is not a mansion. Its proportions are small and its design simple. It is a house that has grown organically, according to the needs of its inhabitants. To all of us in the family it is known as la casa de Mama. It is the place of our origin ; the stage for our memories and dreams of Island life.
I remember how in my childhood it sat on stilts ; this was before it had a downstairs-it rested on its perch like a great blue bird-not a flying sort of bird, more like a nesting hen, but with spread wings. Grandfather had built it soon after their marriage. He was a painter and house builder by trade-a poet and meditative man by nature. As each of their eight children were born, new rooms were added. After a few years, the paint didn’t exactly match, nor the materials, so that there was a chronology to it, like the rings of a tree, and Mama could tell you the history of each room in her casa, and thus the genealogy of the family along with it.
Her own room is the hjeart of the house. Though I have seen it recently- and both woman and room have diminished in size, changed by the new perspective of my eyes, now capable of looking over countertops and tall beds-it is not this picture I carry in my memory of Mama’s casa. Instead, I see her room as a queen’s chamber where a small woman loomed large, a throne room with a massive four poster bed in its center, which stood taller than a child’s head.
It was on this bed, where her own children had been born, that the smallest grandchildren were allowed to take naps in the afternoons ; here too was where Mama secluded herself to dispense private advice to her daughters, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at whoever sat on the rocker where generations of babies had been sung to sleep. To me she looked like a wise empress right out of the fairy tales I was addicted to reading.
And there was the monstrous wardrobe she kept locked with a little golden key she did not hide. This was a test of her dominion over us ; though my cousins and I wanted a look inside that massive wardrobe more than anything, we never reached for that little key lying on top of her Bible on the dresser. This was also where she placed her earrings and rosary when she took them off at night. God’s word was her security system. This wardrobe was the place where I imagined she kept jewels, satin slippers, and elegant silk, sequined gowns of heartbreaking fineness.
I lusted after those imaginary costumes. I had heard that Mama had been a great beauty in her youth, and the belle of many balls. My cousins had ideas as to what she kept in that wooden vault : its secret could be money (Mama’s did not hand cash to strangers, banks were out of the question, so there were stories that her mattress was stuffed with dollar bills, and that she buried coins in jars in her garden under rose-bushes, or kept them in her untouched wardrobe there might be that legendary gun salvaged from the Spanish American conflict over the Island. We went wild over suspected treasures that we made up simply because children have to fill locked trunks with something wonderful.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What was the la casa de Mama in the family?
(ii) What did the changing face of the house reflect?
(iii) Briefly explain the structure of Grandmother’s house.
(iv) How did the narrator’s Grandmother assert herself?
(v) Why did Mama not keep the little golden key hidden?
(vi) What had the author heard of Mama as a young woman?
(vii) Find the word from the passage – authority/control (para 4)
(viii) Find the word from the passage – a string of beads to count prayers (para 4)
Answer:
(i) To all of us in the family it is known as la casa de Mama. It is the place of our origin; the stage for our memories and dreams of Island life.
(ii) In his childhood, it sat on stilts; this was before it had a downstairs—it rested on its perch like a great blue bird-not a flying sort of bird, more like a nesting hen, but with spread wings. As each of their eight children was born, new rooms were added. So that there was a chronology to it, like the rings of a tree.
(iii) My grandmother’s house is like a chambered sea shell; it has many rooms, yet it is not a mansion. Its proportions are small and its design simple. It is a house that has grown organically, according to the needs of its inhabitants.
(iv) There was the monstrous wardrobe Mama kept locked with a little golden key she did not hide. This was a test of her dominion over us.
(v) We never reached for tha) little key lying on the top of her Bible on the dresser. God’s word was her security system.
(vi) I had heard that Mama had been a great beauty in her youth, and the belle of many balls.
(vii) Dominion
(viii) Rosary.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 9
Read the passage carefully.
In the early 1920’s, settlers came to Alaska looking for gold. They travelled by boat to the coastal towns of Seward and Knik, and from there by land into the gold fields. The trail they used to travel inland is known today as the Iditarod Trail, one of the National Historic Trails designated by the Congress of the United States. The Iditarod Trail quickly became a major thoroughfare in Alaska, as the mail and supplies were carried across this Trail. People also used it to get from place to place, including the priests, ministers, and judges who had to travel between villages. In the winter, the settlers’ only means of travel down this trail was via dog sled.
Once the gold rush ended, many gold-seekers went back to where they had come from, and suddenly there was much less travel on the Iditarod Trail. The introduction of the airplane in the late 1920’s meant dog teams were no longer the standard mode of transportation, and of course with the airplane carrying the mail and supplies, there was less need for land travel in general. The final blow to the use of the dog teams was the appearance of snowmobiles.
By the mid 1960’s, most Alaskans didn’t even know the Iditarod Trail existed, or that dog teams had played a crucial role in Alaska’s early settlements. Dorothy G. Page, a self- made historian, recognized how few people knew about the former use of sled dogs as working animals and about the Iditarod Trail’s role in Alaska’s colourful history. To raise awareness about this aspect of Alaskan history, she came up with the idea to have a dog sled race over the Iditarod Trail. She presented her idea to an enthusiastic musher, as dog sled drivers are known, named Joe Redington, Sr. Soon the Pages and the Redingtons were working together to promote the idea of the Iditarod race.
Many people worked to make the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race a reality in 1967. The Aurora Dog Mushers’ Club, along with men from the Adult Camp in Sutton, helped clear years of overgrowth from the first nine miles of the Iditarod Trail. To raise interest in the race, a $25,000 purse was offered, with Joe Redington donating one acre of his land to help raise the funds. The short race, approximately 27 miles long, was put on a second time in 1969.
After these first two successful races, the goal was to lengthen the race a little further to the ghost town of Iditarod by 1973. However in 1972, the U.S. Army reopened the trail as a winter exercise, and so in 1973, the decision was made to take the race all the way to the city of Nome- over 1,000 miles. There were many who believed it could not be done and that it was crazy to send a bunch of mushers out into the vast, uninhabited Alaskan wilderness. But the race went on! Twenty-two mushers finished that year, and to date over 400 people have completed it.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Mention two ways by which the Iditarod trail was used.
(ii) How was the dog team replaced?
(iii) Who created an awareness of Alaskan history?
(iv) What was the role of the US army?
(v) Who is a musher? .
(vi) What is the role of the US army in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race?
(vii) Give the meaning of following word: Designated
(viii) Through fare (Para 1)
Answer:
(i) The Iditarod Trail quickly became a major throughfare in Alaska, as the mail and supplies were carried across this. Trail. People also used it to get from place to place.
(ii) The introduction of the airplane in the late 1920’s meant dog teams were no longer the standard mode of transportation. The final blow to the use of the dog teams was the appearance of snowmobiles.
(iii) Dorothy G. Page, a self-made historian, raised awareness about the Iditarod trail role of Alaskan history. She came up with the idea to have a dog sled race over the Iditarod Trail.
(iv) In 1972, the U.S. Army reopened the trail as a winter exercise, and so in 1973, the decision was made to take the race all the way to the city of Nome over 1,000 miles.
(v) A dog sled driver.
(vi) Cleared the entire trail of about 1,000 miles all the way to Nome.
(vii) Chosen/selected.
(viii) Main road.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 10
Read the passage carefully.
1. After water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. Its popularity has survived thousands of years and has played an important role in many cultures. It is enjoyed both hot and cold, as a refreshing drink, as part of a ceremony, or as a tonic for improved health.
2. The drink of Asia for hundreds of years, tea is believed to have been brought to Europe by the Dutch. Today, from remote Ladakh in India to Buckingham Palace in. London, tea is synonymous with cheer. It is rightly said that there will be no agreement on a perfect cup of Jea. Though for tea drinkers the brew is addictive, the preferred method of preparation and taste differ from person to person and region to region. From traditional black teas, to the newer, and extraordinarily healthy white teas, and recognisable flavoured teas such as Earl Grey, to exotic blends such as Rooibos Love, there is a flavour and a blend for everyone. Today many varieties of tea and tea brands are available in the market. An innovation is the tea-bag that is easy, quick and less messy than traditional ways of brewing tea. Green tea is popular in China and the Far East.
3. In Japan, the tea ceremony is a traditional way of greeting guests and is a social occasion. Unlike the tea we are familiar with, green tea is not drunk with sugar or milk. It is an olive-coloured liquid served in porcelain cups. In Morocco, green tea is infused with freshly plucked mint.
4. Some scientists believe tea prevents tooth decay because it is a rich source of fluoride.
5. Tea is also a folk remedy for stomach upsets, flu and diarrhoea. Tea is also said to have antioxidants that fight cancer and also has anti-ageing properties ‘that fight the free radicals in our bodies. Research suggests that drinking tea reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer and lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.
6. A welcome thought for inveterate tea drinkers. Tea is the new apple-a-day to keep the doctor away.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Who introduced tea to Europe?
(ii) What does the line “Tea is synonymous with cheer” mean?
(iii) What is the new and convenient way of making tea?
(iv) Where is the tea ceremony a way of greeting guests?
(v) How are the fluoride useful in tea?
(vi) Whom do you call ‘an inveterate tea drinker’?
(vii) What are the benefits of drinking tea?
(viii) Where is ‘Green tea’ popular?
Answer:
(i) The Dutch introduced tea to Europe.
(ii) A cup of tea makes people healthy and happy.
(iii) New and convenient way of making tea is by using tea bags.
(iv) In Japan tea ceremony is a way of greeting guests.
(v) Fluoride in tea prevents tooth decay.
(vi) An inveterate tea drinker is one who uses tea as a beverage habitually or is a habitual tea drinker.
(vii) It is a remedy for stomach upsets, flu and diarrhoea. It is an antioxidant that fights cancer and also has anti-ageing properties that fight the free radicals in our bodies.
(viii) Green tea is popular in China.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 11
Read the passage carefully.
Education of a child starts from the family and mother is the first teacher. But, the irony in India is that although the deity of education is a female i.e. Goddess Saraswati according to the Hinduism, innumerable number of women are illiterate. They do not remain uneducated by their own wish but they are forbidden from receiving education because of the patriarchal system in our society. Right from the early Vedic period people have been celebrating the birth of a son, but in those days daughters born into a family were not neglected but were educated properly.
However, the scene changed during the later Vedic Age and the daughters were considered a social burden. Only the girls belonging to upper class families enjoyed the right of education and got proper nourishment. In medieval period the conditions deteriorated for the females and even in royal families. Girl could not get the same status as the boys. In Muslim households they were taught at their homes while Hindu girls enjoyed the privilege of getting primary education along with the boys in schools. The prevalence of child marriage was excessively practised.
However, in the nineteenth century many social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Annie Besant, M. G. Ranade, Joytiba Phule, Swami Dayanand Saraswati etc. came forward for the emancipation of women in India. Especially Raja Ram Mohan Roy advocated female education.
Since then there has been tremendous progress in every field but unfortunately still the girls are neglected. In most of the families the birth of a girl child is not desired and if accepted they are thought inferior to boys and their education is not considered important because it seems a wastage of money to most of the parents. They think it unreasonable because afterwards they would be compelled to spend a heavy amount on their dowry.
So the female literacy rate is unsatisfactory and it has a direct impact upon the overall development of a nation and its population growth. If India wants to be one of the developed nations it must concentrate on female education because if we educate a man, we educate an individual but if we educate a woman we educate an entire family. Again the root cause of all problems facing the women is lack of education.
If all women are educated, then all problems like female infanticide, dowry, female suicides, domestic battering, malnutrition of women, child marriage and other related atrocities would vanish from India. Education provides an essential qualification to fulfill certain economic, political and cultural functions and improves women’s socio economic status. It brings reduction in inequalities. If their standard of living is improved, it will indirectly uplift the level of society. If they are financially strong they will take proper care of their children and provide them with good education.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Why were women not allowed to receive education?
(ii) Why was it considered unnecessary?
(iii) What are the advantages of educating a girl?
(iv) What are the problem that women face in India?
(v) What is the irony about education in India?
(vi) How can education help women?
(vii) Find the words from the passage which means the same as declined (para 2)
(viii) Find the words from the passage which means the same as cruelties (para 3)
Answer:
(i) They do not remain uneducated by their own wish but they are forbidden from receiving education because of the patriarchal system in our society.
(ii) They think it unreasonable because afterwards they would be compelled to spend a heavy amount on their dowry.
(iii) If we educate a man, we educate an individual but if we educate a woman we educate an entire family.
(iv) Women in India face problems like female infanticide, dowry, female suicides, domestic battering, malnutrition of women, child marriage and other related atrocities.
(v) the irony in India is that although the deity of education is a female i.e. Goddess Saraswati according to the Hinduism, innumerable number of women are illiterate.
(vi) Education of women can do away with the problems faced by women and also help in the development of the country.
(vii) Deteriorated.
(viii) Atrocities.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 12
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow.
On the door step of the temple
Under the hot sun
I see her everyday.
Her hands and feet are
Withered like limbs of a dead tree.
Her eyes tired of searching
For rays of hope
Are sunk deep like caves In a rock.
Neither they receive light
Nor give it.
Her three yard saree
Has torn in thirty places
Her body has absorbed.
Sixty years of dirt.
Her knotty matted hair
Is the abode of worm and lice
Here and there some black teeth,
Stand as guards in her open mouth.
The lines on her face.
Have spread far and deep.
Like the crow’s feet.
Raising her shaking hands
With hope in her eyes
She looks at me
And an electric current
joins together our two hearts
Time goes back fifteen years.
Her face changes, her eyes twinkle
When she smiles her teeth dazzle
In that one magic moment, I
I see the image of my dead mother
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Where does the poet see her?
(ii) What has happened to her hands and feet?
(iii) What do her eyes search for?
(iv) How does she look at the poet?
(v) What does he say about her dress and body?
(vi) Describe her teeth and mouth.
(vii) What happens when she looks at the poet?
(viii) What is the magic that follows?
Answer:
(i) The poet sees her on the door step of the temple under the hot sun.
(ii) Her hands and feet are withered like limbs of a dead tree.
(iii) Her eyes were searching for rays of hope.
(iv) She looks at the poet with hope in her eyes.
(v) He says that she is wearing a very dirty and tattered saree.
(vi) Her teeth have become black in colour and they stand as guards in her open mouth.
(vii) When she looks at the pqet, she experiences an electric current passing through her heart and her mind flashes back in time.
(viii) The poet sees the image of his dead mother in that magic moment.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 13
Read the following passage carefully:
The time is now to save these magnificent cats, before they vanish from the earth forever. There is little time left to preserve these animals; immediate action is required. The latest predictions state that tigers will be extinct in the wild by the year 2015. That is less than 04 short years from now. That’s less than 04 years to save a creature that has been around for longer than us.
I cannot imagine, nor would I wish to live in a world without tigers… without these magnificent creatures in our forests living free – without captive populations carrying on the gene pool. The power and beauty of these animals is indisputable. Tigers are an integral part of the ecosystem, as they are a major link in the food chain. Tigers have been bestowed magical and supernatural properties by many societies, and have also been revered as gods. All living creatures of mother earth depend on one another for survival. We as human beings are brothers and sisters to every living being, from the plants to the – animals to each other.
Crimes like these – the killing of tigers – must be stopped. They are often killed in the most barbaric, the most unbelievably cruel ways. I ask you- the reader – if learning of things like this moves you at all, then take that energy and do what you can to stop the killing of these magnificent animals. Write to your government, write to the governments of tiger countries and urge them to protect tigers. Penalties for killing tigers, and other protected wildlife need to be strongly enforced – and strong enough as to be a complete deterrent to the poaching of tigers, and also deter those who profit from such killings.
Extremist groups would ban all exotic animals from captivity because of small numbers of individuals that mistreat their animals, and unfortunately the whole zoo “industry” and caring private owners get painted with the same brush. The vast majority of zoos, big and small, treat their animals well, feed them well and give them proper environment and enrichment. The numbers of bad homes are small, but they do exist. The Animal Rights Organizations should make sure they target only the bad homes and leave those providing a good, happy and healthy home for animals alone.
They don’t realize that banning all exotics from captivity could spell the end for many species of animals. Species whose numbers in the wild are extremely low, such as the Clouded Leopard, Siberian tiger, South China tiger and so forth. Zoos, sanctuaries and responsible, knowledgeable and caring private owners are rapidly becoming the last havens to preserve ever – dwindling species of animals. These places may well, in the not so far future, hold the last remaining tigers – gems for the future who should be nurtured and protected.
Caring for a tiger is an immense responsibility. Not just to the single tiger in your care, but to his or her species, and all tigers. Simply to own a tiger and keep him or her in your backyard as a pet is not enough, nor is it acceptable to keep this animal to yourself. You, the owner, owe it to all tigers – wild and those held in captivity – and to the future generations of these animals to educate the public about tigers – and help to change people’s opinions about wildlife preservation. Education is key to developing sensitivity to and awareness of our environment. Our children hold the hope for the future of the tiger. Heightened awareness of environmental issues will help assure our children grow up to respect and care for our global environment.
Think Globally – Act Locally!
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) What is the need of the hour?
(ii) How can we save tigers from extinction?
(iii) Why should penalties be imposed?
(iv) What are tigers known for?
(v) How can you say that the tigers are on the verge of extinction?
(vi) What role can common people play in the conservation of tigers?
(vii) Find the word from the passage which means the same as hindrance (para 3)
(viii) Find the word from the passage which means the same as refuge (para 5)
Answer:
(i) It is the need of the hour to take immediate action to save magnificent cats.
(ii) Write to the governments of countries and urge them to protect tigers.
(iii) They are a deterrent to the poaching of animals.
(iv) Power and beauty.
(v) The latest predictions state that the tigers could get extinct by the year 2015 that is less than 04 short years now.
(vi) They can educate the public about tigers and change people’s opinion about wild life preservation.
(vii) Deterrent
(viii) Haven
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 14
Read the following passage carefully:
It’s not “cool” to be fat, but that has not prevented an obesity epidemic from occurring among America’s youth. Childhood obesity increased from 5 percent in 1964 to about 13 percent in 1994. Today, it is about 20 percent – and rising. Excessive time spent watching television, using the computer, and playing video games is partly to blame for this escalating rate. Children, on an average, spend up to five to six hours a day involved in these sedentary activities. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter if they were sufficiently active at other times, but most of them aren’t.
To make matters worse, children are bombarded with well – crafted TV ads from fast – food chains and other purveyors of high – fat, high – sugar meals and snacks. A recent study reported that two-to-six-year-olds who watch television are more likely to choose food products advertised on TV than children who do not watch such commercials. These highly effective advertising campaigns, combined with a physically inactive lifestyle, have produced a generation of kids who are at high risk for obesity-associated medical conditions.
The major health threat is the early development of Type 2 diabetes (adult onset), particularly in children with a family history of disease. Doctors are reporting a surge in young adolescents developing Type 2 diabetes – which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, limb amputations, and blindness. People who develop diabetes in adolescence face a diminished quality of life and shortened life span, particularly if the disease progresses untreated. It’s a scary prospect for our children but, in many cases, obesity and diabetes are preventable.
When children are spending most of their free time sitting in front of televisions and computers, they are not outside running, jumping or engaging in team sports that would keep their weight down. Parents need to set limits on the time their children are engaged in passive activities. Pediatricians recommend restricting children to one to two hours per day on TV and computers combined – though older children may need additional time for learning activities.
Parental involvement remains the most important key to our children’s healthy diets. Programs to educate parents about nutrition are essential. Fast foods should be consumed only in moderation. Caregivers, who are often busy and harried, must avoid the temptation to whisk their kids into fast-food restaurants or to pick up fast food for dinner at home. Changing eating habits and lifestyles is not easy, but the health benefit for our children is a wonderful payoff for parents willing to take on the task.
Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) What is the main cause of obesity?
(ii) Who does Type 2 diabetes normally affect and what does it lead to?
(iii) What should the parents do to check obesity?
(iv) What do pediatricians suggest?
(v) How are advertisements responsible for an obesity-associated medical problem?
(vi) How does diabetes affect adolescents?
(vii) Find the word from the passage which means as Inactive (para 1)
(viii) Find the word from the passage which means as Declined (para 3)
Answer:
(i) Sedentary life style.
(ii) With a family history of the disease. It leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, blindness, etc.
(iii) Set limits on the time their children are engaged in passive activities.
(iv) Paediatricians suggest that the most important factor to improve our children’s diet is to take healthy and balanced food.
(v) Children who watch advertisement on Television are more likely to choose advertised fast food products which lead to obesity associated medical problems.
(vi) They face a diminished quality of life and shortened life span. It can lead to many diseases also.
(vii) Sedentary
(viii) Diminished.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 15
Read the following poem carefully:
The Fallen Leaves
-Robert Service
Why should I be the first to fall
Of all the leaves on this old tree?
Though sadly soon I know that all
Will lose their hold and follow me.
While my birth brothers bravely blow,
Why should I be the first to go?
Why should I be the last to cling
Of all the leaves on this bleak bough?
I’ve fluttered since the fire of spring
And I am worn and withered now.
I would escape the Winter gale.
And sleep soft silvered by a Snail.
When swoop the legions of the snow
To pitch their tents in roaring weather
We fallen leaves will lie below
And rot rejoicingly together;
And from our rich and dark decay
Will laugh our brothers of the May.
Answer the following questions on the basis of your reading of the above poem:
(i) Who is complaining?
(ii) Which season is being referred to here?
(iii) What is the complaint of the last leaf?
(iv) From when have the leaves been fluttering?
(v) What does the snail do? Which season is mentioned?
(vi) How do the fallen leaves react now?
(vii) Why would they escape the Winter gale?
(viii) Explain the last 2 lines.
Answer:
(i) The 1st leaf to fall off the tree is complaining.
(ii) Autumn is the season mentioned in the poem.
(iii) The last leaf does not like being the last leaf on the bough.
(iv) They’ve been fluttering from the onset of spring.
(v) The snail sleeps beside the fallen leaves, looking like silver because of the snow on its shell.
(vi) They lie below the snow and rot rejoicingly together.
(vii) They would escape the Winter gale as they are already fallen and covered by the snow.
(viii) From the manure that is created by the rotten leaves, new plants will be born in May with the spring.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 16
Read the poem carefully:
The Shark
A treacherous monster is the
Shark He never makes the least remark.
And when he sees you on the sand,
He doesn’t seem to want to land.
He watches you take off your clothes,
And not the least excitement shows.
His eyes do not grow bright or roll,
He has astounding self-control.
He waits till you are quite undrest,
And seems to take no interest
And when towards the sea you leap,
He looks as if he were asleep.
But when you once get in his range,
His whole demeanour seems to change.
He throws his body right about,
And his true character comes out.
It’s no use crying or appealing,
He seems to lose all decent feeling.
After this warning you will wish
To keep clear of this treacherous fish.
Answer the following questions on the basis of your reading of the above poem:
(i) Why does the shark not make any remark?
(ii) How do you know he has self-control?
(iii) How does his demeanor change?
(iv) How does he appear when you leap into the sea?
(v) How does he react when you come into his range?
(vi) Can you appeal to him?
(vii) What is the meaning of demeanor on the basis of stanza?
(viii) What is the meaning of treacherous on the basis of stanza?
Answer:
(i) Because he is a treacherous Monster.
(ii) His eyes do not roll or become bright when you take off your clothes.
(iii) When you get into his range, his demeanour changes.
(iv) He appears to be asleep.
(v) He will throw his body right about.
(vi) Once he gets into his true character, there is no use of crying or appealing to him.
(vii) Behaviour
(viii) Deceit
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 17
Read the following passage carefully.
1. Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time remove of, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short-term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory.
2. There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short- term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short-term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long-term storage.
3. When making a conscious effort to memorise something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only; succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud.
If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will likely forget the number instantly. Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short-term to long¬term memory. A better way is to practise “elaborate rehearsal”. This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre¬existing long-term memories.
4. Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that are stored in the long-term memory and used often; however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple-choice tests are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorisation.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) According to the passage, how do memories get transferred to the STM?
(ii) Where can memory be stored?
(iii) Why does the author mention a dog’s bark?
(iv) What is rote rehearsal? Is it useful?
(v) How do theorists believe a person can remember more information in a short time?
(vi) How can a lost memory be retrieved?
(vii) What is ‘remove of rehearsal’?
(viii) What is an efficient way to pass information from the short-term to long-term memory and how is it efficient?
Answer:
(i) They are filtered from the sensory storage area.
(ii) Memory can be stored in the short-term memory, long-term memory, and sensory storage area.
(iii) It’s an example of a type of interruption.
(iv) When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”.. By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear.
(v) It can be done by organizing the information.
(vi) A lost memory can be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a – memory can be retrieved.
(vii) It is assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long¬term memories.
(viii) ‘Elaborate rehearsal’ is an efficient way to pass information from the short-term to long-term memory. This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long-term memories.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 18
Read the following passage carefully.
1. Walter Elias “Walt” Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois. He lived most of his childhood in Marceline, Missouri, where he began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbours and family friends. Disney attended McKinley High School in Chicago, where he took drawing and photography classes and was a contributing cartoonist for the school paper. At night, he took courses at the Chicago Art Institute.
2. When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the army but was rejected for being underage. Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year to drive an ambulance. When Disney returned from France in 1919, he moved back to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist. His brother Roy got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he met cartoonist Ubbe Eert Iwwerks, better known as Ub Iwerks. From there, Disney worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he made commercials based on cutout animation. Around this time, Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cel animation, and decided to open his own animation business. From the ad company, he recruited Fred Harman as his first employee.
3. Walt and Harman made a deal with a local Kansas City theater to screen their ‘ cartoons, which they called Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely popular, and Disney was able to- acquire his own studio, upon which he bestowed the same name. Laugh-O-Gram hired a number of employees, including Harman’s brother Hugh and Iwerks. They did a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined both live action and animation, which they called Alice in Cartoonland. By 1923, however, the studio had become burdened with debt, and Disney was forced to declare bankruptcy.
4. Disney and his brother, Roy, soon pooled their money and moved to Hollywood. Iwerks also relocated to California, and there the three began the Disney Brothers’ Studio. Their first deal was with New York distributor Margaret Winkler, to distribute their Alice cartoons. They also invented a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and contracted the shorts at $1,500 each.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) What did Walt Disney learn in his childhood?
(b) Why was Walt not selected in the army?
(c) How did Walt’s brother help him in Kansas?
(d) What did Walt learn at Kansas City Film Ad Company?
(e) Name the first employee of Ad Company.
(f) What deal was made with the Kansas City theatre?
(g) Write briefly about Alice in the Cartoonland.
(h) What was the deal made with Margaret Winkler?
Answer:
(a) In his childhood, Walt Disney learnt drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbours and family friends.
(b) Walt was not selected in the army because he was underage.
(c) Walt’s brother got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he met cartoonist Ubbe Eert Iwwerks, better known as Ub Iwerks.
(d) Walt learnt to make commercials based on cutout animation.
(e) Fred Harman was the first employee of the Ad company.
(f) The deal was to screen their cartoons, which they called Laugh-O-Grams.
(g) Alice in Cartoonland was a series of seven-minute fairy tales that combined both live action and animation.
(h) The deal made with Margaret Winkler was to distribute their Alice cartoons.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 19
Read the following passage carefully:
One of the greatest advances in modern technology has been the invention of computers. They are widely used in industries and in universities. Now there is hardly any sphere of human life where computers have not been pressed into service of man. We are heading fast towards the day when a computer will be as much part of man’s daily life as a telephone – or a calculator.
Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousands of unrelated facts in order. These machines can be put to varied uses. For instance, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic jams. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called ‘automation.’ In the future automation may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today. The coming of automation is bound to have important social consequences.
Some years ago an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could ‘think.’ There is no possibility that human beings will be “controlled by machines.” Though computers are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performance, they need detailed instructions from human beings to operate. They can never, as it were, lead independent lives or “rule the world” by making decisions of their own.
Sir Leon said that in future, computers would be developed which would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to obtain valuable information; Computers could be plugged into a national network and be used like radios. For instance, people going on holiday could be informed about weather conditions. Car drivers can be given alternative routes when there are traffic jams. It will also be possible ‘ to make tiny translating machines. This will enable people who do not share a common language to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) What is the greatest advancement in modern technology?
(b) What complicated works are computers capable of doing?
(c) Write one use of computers.
(d) Explain automation?
(e) Why can’t computers lead independent lives or rule the world?
(f) How would computers as translating machines help people?
(g) What was the prediction of Sir Leon about computers in future?
(h) How can computers help people going on holiday?
Answer:
(a) The greatest advancement in modern technology is the invention of computers.
(b) Computers are capable of doing complicated works like solve mathematical problems and put thousands of unrelated facts in order.
(c) Computers can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic jams. They can be used in industries, universities and to carry out complicated work in all branches of learning.
(d) Automation is the process by which machines can be used to work for us.
(e) Computers need detailed instructions from human beings to operate/ cannot make decisions of their own. Therefore computers cannot lead independent lives or rule the world.
(f) Computers as translating machines help people in many ways. They enable people who do not share a common language to talk to each other without any difficulty. They will also help to read foreign publications.
(g) Sir Leon predicted that in the future computers would be developed which would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would be able to use these pocket computers to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged in to a national network and be used like radios.
(h) Computers can help people going on holiday in numerous ways. They can be informed about weather conditions. They can also help car drivers by giving alternative roads when there are traffic jams. They can also make tiny translating machines.
Sample Unseen Passage for Class 10 CBSE – 20
Read the following passage carefully:
I was born in the small but beautiful mountain village of Nakuri near Uttarkashi in Garhwal, with the gurgling, playful Bhagirathi river flowing nearby. My parents were a hard-working and extremely self-contained couple. Even though our family was poor, barely managing the essentials, my father taught us how to live and maintain dignity and self-respect — the most treasured family value till today. At the same time my parents also practised the creed, “Kindness is the essence of all religion.” They were large-hearted, inviting village folk passing by to have tea at our home, and gave grain to the sadhus and pandits who came to the house. This characteristic has been ingrained in me so deeply that I am able to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives — whether it is in my home, in society or at the workplace.
I was the third child in the family — girl, boy, girl, girl and boy in that order — and quite a rebel. I developed a tendency to ask questions and was not satisfied with the customary way of life for a girl-child. When I found my elder brother, Bachchan, encouraging our youngest brother, Raju, to take up mountaineering I thought, why not me ? I found that my brothers were always getting preferential treatment and all opportunities and options were open to them. This made me even more determined to not only do what the boys were doing, but to do it better.
The general thinking of mountain people was that mountaineering as a sport was not for them. They considered themselves to be born mountaineers as they had to go up and down mountain slopes for their daily livelihood and even for routine work. On the other hand, as a student, I would look curiously at foreign backpackers passing by my village and wonder where they were going. I would even invite them to my house and talk to them to learn more about their travels. The full significance of this came to me later when I started working. The foreigners took the trouble to come all the way to the Himalayas in order to educate themselves on social, cultural and scientific aspects of mountaineering, as well as to seek peace in nature’s gigantic scheme of things.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) What does the author tell us about the financial condition of her parents?
(b) What is the most treasured value of the author’s family?
(c) Give an example to show that the author’s parents were very hospitable.
(d) What kind of girl was the author?
(e) How do you know that the author’s parents discriminated between sons and daughters?
(f) Why do the mountain people consider themselves to be born mountaineers?
(g) Why would the author invite foreign mountaineers to her house?
(h) Why were foreigners drawn to the Himalayas?
Answer:
(a) The author tells us that the financial condition of the author’s parents was not very good and they struggled to secure even the essentials.
(b) The most treasured family value, taught by the author’s father was, how to maintain one’s self-respect and dignity in life.
(c) The author’s parents were large-hearted. They were in the habit of inviting village folk home to have tea and giving alms in the form of grains to sadhus and pundits who stopped by their house.
(d) The author, third among five children, was a rebel. She had the tendency of asking questions and was not satisfied with the customary way of life that was specified for a girl-child.
(e) The author was discriminated against by her parents. Her brothers were being given preferential treatment and all opportunities and options were given only to the boys.
(f) The mountain dwellers considered themselves to be born mountaineers because they had to go up and down the mountains for their livelihood and routine work.
(g) The author invited foreign travellers to her house to talk to them and learn more about their travels.
(h) The foreigners came to the Himalayas to educate themselves on the social, cultural and scientific aspects of mountaineering, as well as to seek peace in nature’s gigantic scheme of things.