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Section A - Reading Section

1.(a)

1. . The role friends' play in our lives has become significantly greater than any other time because many of us live and work at great distances from where we were born or grew up and are separated from our original families. The pain of separation that we feel on being away from families is compensated by having friends.

2. Friendship is considered an essential human need because friendships form an essential human connection which is the requirement of any individual. In fact depression is more prevalent in those who do not possess friends.

3. Friendships do not have the pressure of playing a 'role' as other relationships do. For a friend you are just you. This helps an individual bring out the positive side of his personality. More importantly in a friendship one can be oneself and change.It is an unconditional experience which works very well in helping people grow.

4. The two essential values for friendship are-(any two) Being attentive and remembering what is important to your friend. Putting yourself in their position and showing empathy. Learning to accept a person from a completely different family to your own or even a completely different cultural background. This is called learning tolerance.

5. Communication skills are fundamental in all friendships. The following skills help in building friendships.

   • Actively listening to your friend, questioning him and making him aware at the right places.

   • Editing or correcting yourself to make for a great friendship.

1.(b)

Pick out words from the para which mean the same as the following
(i) Fundamental
(ii) Negotiation
(iii) Opportunity

2. (a) Note Making

Art of Listening

A. Incompetent Listeners

i. Drift
ii. Counter argnts of speaker
iii. Compete
iv. Fliter - msg to fit their frame
v. React-personal feelings override significance

B. Effective Listening- requires

1) Concentration

i. Determtn in follwg. speakers voice
ii. Determntn to concentrate on msg

2) Mental alertness

3) Phy. alertness

i. Positg of body
ii. Posture
iii. Helps listeners concentrn
iv. +ive impact on speaker

C. Note making

i. Helps concentration
ii. An aid to listener
iii. Provides confidence for speaker

Abbreviations Used

i. Arguments- argnts
ii. Message-Msg
iii. Determination- Determtn
iv. Following- follwg
v. Physical-Phy
vi. Positioning- Positg
vii. Positive- +ive

2.(b) Summary

Listening is an art and incompetent listeners fail to get the correct message. To be an effective listener one needs to have concentration which requires determination.

Concentration can be helped by alertness which is both mental and physical. Alertness could be your posture or how you position your body. It could also be making notes while listening.


While these help the listener to concentrate it also has a positive impact on the speaker also because he appreciates effective listeners.

Section B- Writing Skills

Ans. 3

For Sale Newly built, east facing flat in J.P Nagar, Bangalore, 4 beds/baths and balcony. Large terrace with servant quarter. Direct sale, price negotiable. Contact-Niranjan, 247, J.P Nagar, Bangalore

OR

St. Annie's School,Ahemdabad Notice Screening-'Inconvenient Truth' Al Gore's movie will be screened in the Audio Visual room from 11.00 am on the 12th of March, 2009. Only members of the Eco. Soc. are allowed to come for the screening. They are required to get permission from their teachers beforehand and hand them over to the undersigned. Anna Koshy Secretary Eco Soc

Ans. 4

Cleanliness Drive

By: Karan, H.M.M High School, Hyderabad

Students attired in bright orange clothes saying “my world a clean world” and with brooms in hand were seen all over the school and the neighborhood. Their aim- to remove ugliness in the form of garbage and make the surroundings cleaner and beautiful. After a motivating lecture from the Principal where he encouraged them in their initiative the members of the Eco Soc were ready to begin.

Armed with brooms and some with garbage bags they swept into classrooms and made sure there was no sign of garbage anywhere. They removed plastic bags from drains and paper from corners. After which they reached their neighborhood. There they met the President of the RWA and put up their posters on the cleanliness drive in the local market. The President of the RWA was very appreciative of the school and the Eco Soc for encouraging such initiatives.

OR

Scene at the Park

By Vidya

It is early morning in my neighborhood park. The birds are up and chirping but the suns rays have not made an appearance as yet, giving the old and the young a chance to walk and play before the onset of another hot day. Round the green of the grass there is a walking area. In one corner grow the beautiful flowers with the swings next to it. The other corner has the benches for the old where they also practice their yoga. Groups of senior citizens are waking with great zeal. Their enthusiasm and happiness evident in their long strides amidst the incessant talk. Politics, families the country are all discussed and discarded. Recipes exchanged plans made these people do their rounds eager to avail the benefits of the fresh air. Not many children have woken up before the sun. But like the early bird catches the worm, so the few that have managed to wake up have the swings all to themselves. Their peals of laughter match the chirping of the birds as they sail higher and higher on the swings.

Ans 5.

The Director
National Institute of Communication

Pune
234234

March 16, 2009

Sub: Inquiry about Media and Communication Course

Sir

With reference to your advertisement in the Hindu, dated March 14,2009, I am interested in the field of Visual Communication and am keen to find out details about your course in Media and Communication.

Please let me know the following details about the course
(i) the details of the course and it's relevance to visual communication
(ii) the fee structure for the coming year
(iii) the placement opportunities offered on the completion of the course
(iv) Possible opportunities for a scholarship for deserving students.

I am very enthusiastic about this field and eagerly await your reply.
Yours Sincerely
Jolly Gupta

OR

Class XII
St. Annie School
Hyderabad

The Principal
P.S Public School
Chennai-110099

The Manager
Furniture World
Chennai-1100776

16th March, 2009

Sub: Letter of Complaint, Invoice No.-3435

Sir

This is regarding the office furniture -2 Office Tables of Mahogany with Chairs, which we had purchased from your company, Invoice No-3435, dated-10th March 09, in the name of P.S Public School, Chennai.

The quality of the wood used is so bad that the office desk have already started chipping and the paint has also started wearing off.

Due to the poor quality of workmanship the leg of one of the chairs has also started to wobble dangerously.

We are very unhappy about the furniture specially when it had been praised so highly by you. Despite repeated attempts to get in touch with you telephonically we have not succeeded and therefore hope that a written complaint will get prompt action.

We would request you to get the furniture repaired immediately or better still to get it changed so as to maintain long term relations with us. Looking for an immediate reply.

Yours Sincerely

S.S Reddy

Principal P.S Public School, Chennai

Ans 6.

Need and Value of Outdoor Games
By Vidya

All children have the right to experience and enjoy the essential and special nature of being outdoors. Young children thrive and their minds and bodies develop best when they have free access to stimulating outdoor environments for learning through play and real experiences.

Being busy with attractions like the TV or computer city children today miss out on the essential joys of nature of playing outdoors in the open air. City children, surrounded by modern day gizmos have lost out on the ability of simple pursuits like outdoor play which are vital to all young minds.

The outdoor environment is the place to learn the skills of social interaction and friendship, care for living things and their environment.

It is the means through which they grow physically, intellectually and emotionally. The outdoors offers the freedom to move on a large scale, to be active, noisy and messy and to use all their senses with their whole body.

It cannot be the same indoors, a child cannot be the same indoors - outdoors is a vital, special and deeply engaging place for young children.

OR

Relevance of Newspapers
By Sunil

The newspaper is the harbinger of information. Lying rolled on our doorsteps; it is the means of communication to the world

Be it the IPL match or the terrorists' threat it is as vital as a life line and is what makes sense of our world today.Comparing it to the 24 hour TV is like comparing a world of chaos modeled on occupying time with breaking news, to an in depth study of an event. In a culture where the 24 hour TV is a medium of attaining increasing viewer ship, the quality of news is obviously not the best that could be. When anchors have to produce news that attracts, day after day, night after night what we are getting is not news but just spice talk

The newspaper on the other hand remains significant as before because even today the newspaper reaches out to more adults than the TV. Viewer ship on 24hour TV is severely divided with those watching serials,while discretionary adults who understand the value of good reporting still turn to the newspaper for their information.

The glitz of the TV anchorperson does not have the world sold on it. The relevance of the newspaper lies in its stolid reliability over the years of carrying fool proof well researched views and opinions as compared to the shoddy journalism we see on the 24 hour TV channels today, which will announce to attract and then retract.

The beauty of the newspaper has been it's relevance to the changing world. Providing news on all aspects of the market, from across the world, covering sports and entertainment it is relevant in its coverage of the daily events of our lives.

Section C- Literature

7
(A)

1. The new shed was put up outside the old house at the edge of the road, near the speeding traffic. The purpose was to sell something to get some money.

2. It was a sad looking stand the purpose of which was too clearly to get some money for the owner. That is why it is called pathetic.

3. The poor people who need to earn a living in the city.

OR

1. Just for one second.

2. A quiet introspection amongst all humans where we would all be at peace and reflect on things introspectively, thinking not about ourselves but about the good of all things

3. The actions of the selfish, the greedy of wanting and desiring and thrashing around for it.

(B)

1. The future of the children in the classroom is unclear and surrounded by misery. It has little hope and is a complete contrast to the brightness of the pictures with Shakespeares head or the map of the belled flowery Tyolese valley. Their future is bleak maybe as unhappy as their childhood, where as the maps and the pictures on the walls depict a far brighter world

2. Things of beauty move even the most despondent of us into feeling joy and happiness. They take away from us the pall of gloom and make us love life inspite of all the gloom and the misery. These are what bind us to the earth

3. Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel as a symbol of her fighting spirit against the constraints that bound her as a married woman. So that when she died her spirit would remain in the fierce energy of the prancing and unafraid tigers.

4. The parting words of the poet express the poetess's deep desire that nothing should happen to her mother. She understands that her mother is old and might die but that is so painful a thought and the pain of separation so haunting, that she hides it by telling her mother that she would see her soon.

8

1. No, Saheb probably does not like to work at the tea stall because he has lost his carefree look which he had when he was a rag picker. He is paid money now, but is probably made to work hard by the owner of the tea stall and also probably scolded a lot which is why he carries the canister of tea very carefully. This is child labor and life he is now living is a life decided by someone else for him.

2. Gandhiji helped the peasants at Champaran by liberating them of their fear of the British. He gave the British the message from the peasants of Champaran that their might which had till now been unquestioned could be challenged by Indians.

3. Douglas's fear of swimming terrorized him every time he went on his fishing trips. It also destroyed for him his joy at canoeing, boating and swimming. Therefore he wanted to overcome his fear.

4. Subbu was the one who gave direction to Gemini Studios during it's golden years and was therefore the 'number 2' there. Whenever the producer had a problem envisaging a scene Subbu would be able to help him with different alternatives on how to shoot it. He always remained cheerful even when there were flops.

5. 'Lost Spring' conveys the lost childhood of the poor children- the rag pickers and the slum dwellers described in the story "Lost Spring" . Anees Jung, the author, has evocatively and very powerfully brought out the grinding poverty of children like Saheb, Mukesh and Savita, which condemns them to a life of exploitation, their childhood becoming just moments of stolen happiness- like the spring that never came.

9

Sophie was a spirited girl who dreamt of a change in her life. She is quoted in the beginning as saying that she would one day have a boutique. In comparison Jansie was cautious and willing to accept her destiny. Sophie thought optimistically if fantastically that there was a vast world waiting for her and felt she would as much at home in the city as she was in her house.
She had dreams and her talk made her believe that her dreams might come true one day. In fact she tried to make Jansie believe that she had met Danny Casey. She made up the whole story to her brother Geoff about meeting Danny Casey and right till the end she belives in her fantasies.
Jansie on the other hand realizes the reality of their existence and does not want to believe that the unexpected ever happens or that their lives will be any different from what they are.

OR

Mr. Hamel the French teacher made the students realize the importance of not letting things be and thinking they could be put off till tomorrow when actually one day there might not be a tomorrow
He told them that the Germans who had invaded France had decided that only German must be taught and now these children,despite being French were not going to learn the best language in the world.
He told them that all these years they had been lazy and put working in the fields before learning the rules of French and even he as a teacher had at times taken it easy and given them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing.

The students were so touched by his words that like Franz they all listened carefully and worked diligently. Nobody was distracted even by the sounds of the bees that flew in.
The story raises the feelings of patriotism in France during the World War II. The sorrow of losing their country to the Germans makes these children realize the importance of their language and the significance of the last lesson

10

The 'Tiger King' was a crown prince and at his birth a prophecy had said that he would be killed by the hundredth tiger he tried to kill. As the King grew up he went about it systematically killing all tigers in and around his kingdom not sparing even those in his father in laws kingdom
He even risked telling a British official that he could not hunt in his kingdom because he did not want anyone else to kill the tigers there.
Until he supposedly killed his hundredth tiger also, which was actually killed by his hunters because the king thought he had killed the tiger and to spare them themselves the wrath.
After killing according to his belief the hundredth tiger, the king bought his young son a wooden tiger, playing with which a sliver of the wood went into his arm and infected it. The infection spread, became gangrene and despite an operation killed the tiger king. Therefore the prophecy had actually come true and tiger King had been killed by a tiger.

OR

The similarity in the stories of Bama and Zitkala is the theme of injustice and prejudice towards marginalized communities. Zitkala is a Native American woman is taken to study in a school. The prejudices that exist make her feel that she is being singled out and that if her hair is cut she is like a warrior who has lost to the enemy. When the teacher does that she becomes the powerful to whom Zitkala has to submit
Bama, the other woman is an untouchable who also exists in an unequal world. In her world untouchables are frowned upon and not allowed to walk with dignity or touch the things of the landlords. But her brother has guided by showing her that the way out is through education
Zitkals's and Bama's similarity ends here. Though victims of prejudice, Bama has found a way out through education while Zitkala feels that her spirit is lost.

11

(a) Antartica holds in it's ice cores, about half a million year old carbon records trapped in it's layers of ice. Climatic changes are now taking place rapidly because of human interventions and the survival of the Earth's depends on being able to control them. Which is why studying Antartica, the only place still untouched by humans becomes an integral part of the solution

(b) The old General was suffering a great deal and therefore forget that he had promised to send two assasins to Sadao's house to kill the American. He had done this because he was ailing and not because as he said, due to dereliction of duty or lack of patriotism.

© Derry likes Mr. Lamb because he does not make him conscious of his burned face. Despite talking about Derry's injury openly, he makes Derry realize that the world holds so much that Derry can't hide himself and live like that. This makes Derry feel important, he feels he has got a friend in Mr. Lamb, someone who understands him and is therefore attracted to meeting him again.

(d) The wizard helped Roger Skunk by making him smell better. By casting a magic spell on him, he made him smell of roses instead of him smelling like a skunk

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