Attempt all questions
Read the following text and complete the tasks that follow.
The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so the day after is Friday. This day has come to be known as Black Friday. Because it is a holiday in the United States, it has long been a popular day for consumers to start shopping for Christmas. It has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005. Most stores offer great deals on Black Friday. They open their doors in the wee hours of the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store. A surprising fact is that people in the USA spent an estimated $86.6 billion from November 1 to 24 in 2023. Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The problem is that there are not enough low priced items to go around. Each store may only have a few. These items are in high demand. People stand in long lines to get such great deals. They may line up hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one will get one. Some people leave disappointed. Many of us love to get a bargain, but some feel that events like Black Friday encourage people to buy things that they don't really need and can't afford. Many people seem to completely lose control of both their spending and their tempers. The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events have been violent. Large eager crowds have trampled workers. Fights have broken out over toys or people cutting in line. People have shot one another over parking spots. It is easy to find video online of customers physically fighting each other over bargains. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds and a bit of shoving. It is also argued that Black Friday is bad for small shopkeepers, who cannot afford to offer the kinds of price cuts that the big companies can. So, where does the name "Black Friday" come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it drew. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day "Big Friday." It did not stick. The name "Black Friday" continued to spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay. Now, people all over the country take part in the event known as Black Friday. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the U.K., Australia and Brazil since 2012. In Costa Rica, Black Friday is known as "Viernes Negro." And in Mexico, stores offer an annual weekend of discounts. They call it "El Buen Fin" which means "the good weekend" in Spanish. A. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate words highlighted in the text. Two of those words are not necessary. [5×1=5]
a. I need more space to ........ my books out.
b. The average mean age of the respondents was six times the age ...... by the researcher.
c. The demand for a product is the sum of the demand of individual .......
d. The park has been the scene of ..... attacks in recent months.
e. His activities made the society feel.... B. Read the text again and write :
TRUE if the statements agree with the information given in the text.
FALSE if the statements contradict the information given in the text.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information in the text. [5×1=5]
a. Supermarkets and shopping Malls remain closed on Black Friday.
b. Stores may often sell TVs for less than their cost price on Black Friday.
c. Many People want to buy cheaper items on Black Friday.
d. People buy expensive things like cars on Black Friday.
e. Black Friday has a different name in Costa Rica. C. Answer the following questions. [5×1=5]
a. What is surprising about the sale of items in the USA in 2023?
b. Why is everyone not likely to buy cheaper items on Black Friday?
c. In what way is Black Friday not the choice of low scale shopkeepers?
d. Would you go shopping on Black Friday if you were in the USA? Why, why not? Give a reason.
e. What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
Write short answers to the following questions in about 75 words each. [5×2=10]
a) In your observation, how was Mrs. Yang's character? (My Old Home)
b) What was the atmosphere of the celebration in the Varma family? (A Devoted Son) OR Why is marriage better to men? (Marriage as a Social Institution)
c) What route did the Persona in the poem 'I was My Own Route' prefer? Why?
d) Why does the world need more wisdom than knowledge in the future? (Knowledge and Wisdom) OR What impression did the author have about the library at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine? (On Libraries)
e) What explanation related to the love letter helped the Famous Actress to convince the Earnest Young Woman? (A matter of Husbands)
Write long answers to the following questions in about 150 words each. [2×5=10]
a) The writer mentions the eyes of different places with their significance. What are those eyes and what do they symbolize? Do you also agree with their significance as mentioned in the story? Give reasons.
(The Half Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun) OR Describe the story 'An Old Man With Enormous Wings' as a story of realism and supernatural elements.
b) Explain the following lines of the poem, 'The Awakening Age' with reference to the context.
O ye who travel the meridian line,
May the vision of a new world with in you shine.
May eyes that have lived with poverty's rage,
See through to the glory of the awakening age.
Write a news story in about 150 words using the clues given below. [7]
Women's Demonstration
A large number of women .....demonstration in two places: Tinkune, Kathmandu and Mangal Bazaar in Lalitpur.... demanded ... speedy supply of water from Melamchi Project ..... project stopped in June 2023.... previously supplied in Dec. 2022 supported by ADB .... "Why the government turns deaf ear to our demand?" Said Parmila.
Write an email in about 180 words to the Dean of ABC University asking for a scholarship to study Bachelor's in Information Technology. Mention why you should receive the scholarship. [8]
Most societies are based on rules, regulations and laws. If individuals were free to do whatever they wanted, the society couldn't function well. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Write an essay in about 300 words for expressing your opinion. [10]
Do as instructed in the brackets and rewrite the sentences. [10×1=10]
a) Students did well on the Mid Term examinations. (Identify the adverb in this sentence.)
b) Bears belong .... . (in/on/to/with) the family of mammals. (Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence.)
c) At the moment, neither students nor their teacher ..... (is/are/has been/have been) participating in this play. (Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence.)
d) My fingernails .................. (will be/may be/need/must) cutting. They are so long. (Fill in the blanks with an appropriate auxiliary verb.)
e) Suddenly, the girl felt very disappointed and didn't know what to do while she is waiting. (Identify which bolded verb form is incorrectly written and correct it.)
f) I am thankful for his .......... (come/to come/coming/have come) in time (Fill in the blanks choosing appropriate infinitive or gerund to complete the sentence.)
g) I had to work until midnight. I was very tired. (Combine the pair of sentences using appropriate connective.)
h) The hotel was very comfortable. we stayed there. (Join the pair of sentences using appropriate relative pronoun)
i) It is winter. Everything..... (is covered/are covered/were covered/must be covered) with snow. (Choose the appropriate passive form of the verb and write it.)
j) He asked, "Did she agree with me?" (Report the speech using the verb 'wondered')
Choose and copy the correct alternatives. [5×1=5]
a) Which of the following words has a different initial consonant sound?
(i) knit
(ii) gnaw
(iii) gnash
(iv) snore b) They usually weed the flower beds and water them in the morning. In this sentence, the word "water" is a/an.......
(i) noun
(ii) verb
(iii) adjective
(iv) adverb c) Mr. Thompson is really good at conjuring so much that people enjoy how his quick flips seem to make coins appear and disappear. In this sentence, the word "conjuring" is similar in meaning to .....
(i) creating humour
(ii) doing tricks
(iii) frightening someone
(iv) confusing someone d) Choose the likely guidewords for the headword 'grunt' .....
(i) grudge/grungy
(ii) gruel/grumble
(iii) gruff/guard
(iv) grubby/grumpy e) The argument between the two friends continued for long, but finally one of them gave in as his points sounded too weak. In this sentence, the phrase "gave in" is close in meaning to .....
(i) admitted
(ii) conquered
(iii) rejected
(iv) defended