AVIGNA TUTORIALS

By Avantika Singh & Aditya Mahajan

ENGLSH
CLASS- 12
PASSAGE
PASSAGE-7
1. Giving soothes an individual with the vibration of joy. Unconditional giving
is a natural principle and evident everywhere in nature which gives us solids,
liquids and minerals. Water gives itself away for our agriculture and other
uses. Trees give flowers, fruits and wood. Air gives us the very life-breath
and the sun gives us light of life.
2. Even the animals give us milk, egg, meat, skin and various services. But
what do we humans contribute to the cosmos in return? Isn’t our role
predominately selfish and destructive? We expand civilization to disturb
ecological balance, spread pollution in the fresh natural natural atmosphere
indulge in ruthless deforestation, kill animals even for sport and consume all
natural resources for our own selfish interest.
3. It is always great to make donations, but what about giving your own time?
It’s wonderful to drop off used clothing, books and toys at a shelter for the
homeless, but what about spending an hour to each week reading and
playing with the deprived children? Come face with the person you are
helping. It will make your giving more meaningful.
4. It is not about just the time that you give to the deprived children, but what
you give to your family. Are you there when they need you? Or, is it always
you who demand help and cooperation from the rest of your family
members? How much do you care for the elderly that live with you or are far
away from you? How do you utilise your spare moments? Isn’t it that you
just sit before the television and keep on flipping the channels trying to find
something that suits your interest? Shut it down ǃ…..You can use these
precious spare moments making a ‘Get Well Soon’ card for your
grandfather, or someone dear to you not in good spirits, or send a letter via
Internet. Why be on the ‘Facebook’ all the time chatting with your friends
whom you already meet daily at school?
 5. The law of Karma is a natural law whereby we are paid back in the same
coin. We have added much for our comforts but we have not been able to
attain and tranquility. We are constantly haunted by excessive greed for
grabbing which is severely disturbing peaceful coexistence. We rarely do
what we can for preservation of nature and even our own fellowmen. We
have not moved much from the primitive selfish mentality where self-
preservation was the law for survival.
6. What can we give back to the cosmos? We humans are predominantly gifted
with mind and intellect. These are very sharp instruments indeed which can
be used as surgeon’s knife for healing or an instrument for killing. Instead of
nurturing anger, jealousy, hatred, selfishness and animosity, we can spread
love, care, kindness and benevolence to all the thereby transform the earthly
vibration into a heavenly one. If not anything else, we can at least pray for
the happiness and well being of all. We are here in the image of God. We
have divine inheritance of love, wisdom and self-transformation. We may
resolve to be engaged in divine enjoyment of nature and God’s creation with
love, Jesus said, “Those that give shall receive.”
7. Instead of being always at the receiving end, let us abide the principle of
giving by all means and see how things change for humanity at large.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer any eight question
from the eleven that follow:
(a) The principle which is seen everywhere in nature is of:
i. Law
ii. Discipline
iii. Love
iv. Unconditional giving
(b)Ecological imbalance is the result of:
i. Man’s growing needs
ii. Selfishness
iii. Cutting of trees
iv. Expansion of civilization
(c) Giving becomes worthwhile by:
i. Donating old clothes to the needy
ii. Donating books and toys to the homeless
iii. Spending an hour with the deprived children
 iv. None of the above
(d)It is good to utilize your spare moments in:
i. Watching your favourite channel on T.V.
ii. Chatting with your friend on facebook
iii. Making ‘Get well soon’ card for your grandmother
iv. None of the above
(e) Our peaceful co-existence is disturbed by:
i. Our karmas
ii. Our selfish nature
iii. Our excessive greed
iv. None of these
(f) The sharp instruments, human are gifted with are:
i. Jealously and anger
ii. Mind and intellect
iii. Hatred and animesty
iv. Love and care
(g) The natural principle of unconditional giving is:
i. Spread pollution in atmosphere
ii. Indulge in ruthless deforestation
iii. Nature gives solids, liquid and minerals
iv. None of the above
(h) Human’s attitude towards nature is:
i. Very kind
ii. Selfless
iii. Destructive
iv. All of these
(i) The ‘Law of Karma’ is:
i. We get the fruit of what we haven’t done
ii. We should do good deeds.
iii. A natural law whereby we are paid back in the same coin.
iv. None of the above
(j) The major reason of man not being able to attain peace and tranquility
is:
i. He doesn’t perform yoga or meditation
ii. He often gets involved in personal disputes
iii. He gets involved in unnecessary politics
iv. He is the victim of excessive greed
(k)We have divine inheritance of:
 i. Love, wisdom and self-motivation
ii. Wisdom, love and self-transformation
iii. Wisdom, care and self-realisation
iv. Care, love and self-transformation

PASSAGE-8
1. Given the standing of some of its institutions of higher learning the IITs and
IIMs India is a potential power. Realizing the potential, however, is not
going to be easy. The impressive strides made by the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA) notwithstanding, universal access to quality school
education-a minimum necessary condition for any progress towards making
India a ‘knowledge society.’ as the 2006 report of the National Knowledge
Commission (NKC) puts it-remains a distant goal. There is as yet no
legislation at the national level to affirm the right to education, a
fundamental right under the constitution. The number of school buildings for
elementary and secondary education falls far short of requirements and so
does the number of qualified teachers. The pressure on governments
budgets, which forces government to hire teacher on contract paying a
pittance, is playing havoc with quality. While the incursion of the private
sector in the field is providing some competition, mechanisms to enforce the
required standards are lacking. Not that there are no national standards or
standards-enforcing agencies. We have the National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCRT) to bring out textbook in various subject for
school education. The central government runs several model schools. The
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts examinations for
schools affiliated to it across the country. The states too have their school
boards to conduct exams and enforce minimum standards. However the
standards vary widely. In their anxiety to show spectacular performance,
some states are overly lenient in marking answer papers.
2. Questions since even over the standards applied by the CBSE. Going by the
number of students scoring 90% or more in their higher secondary exam, it
would appear that India is on the brink of a knowledge revolution. The
numbers are so large that the cut-off point for admission to top colleges is
now above 90%. However, admission to IITs and medical colleges are not
based only on the CBSE or state board exam results. Leading undergraduate
 colleges offering non-professional degree course hold their own admission
tests.
3. Obviously, higher secondary school results are not taken to be a reliable
index of the quality of a student’s learnings capability or potential.
4. It is not difficult to see why in the CBSE class XII exam, the number of
successful candidates securing more than 90% in Economics this year turned
out to be over 8000 in Delhi region alone, in English it was above 9000. The
numbers seem to be growing every year. If the country produces so many
children who attain very high levels of performance even before graduation,
we can expect India to produce Amartya Sens by the dozens.
5. While scoring high marks or even 100 out of 100 may not be out of a good
student’s reach in subject like Mathematics or Physics, it is good difficult to
figure out the quality of the answer that fetch 90% marks in Economics or
English. The standards applied by higher secondary boards like the CBSE
seem to have been diluted to the point that leaves a big gap between what
students learn at school and what they have to face on entering institutions
of higher learning. Thriving teaching shops around the country promise to
bridge that gap.
6. In an attempt to remedy the situation, the NCERT had recently
commissioned experts to rewrite textbooks on Macro and Micro Economics.
Though not entirely free from blemishes, these new texts should go some
way in helping beginners get acquainted with the basic concepts in the
subject and their applications. Not surprisingly, their introduction is facing
road blocks. Teacher don’t like to be compelled to look at textbook they are
not familiar with. Those who revel in seeing students score 90% are chary of
ushering in something that may stop the rush of such scores.
7. Lastly, even teaching shops see red they fear loss of business if the higher
secondary finalists can get their skills upgraded without buying their help.
One wonders if our Knowledge Commission is aware of these insidious
impendiments to India’s knowledge ambitions.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer any eight questions
from the eleven that follow.
(a) Why is quality school education a distant goal?
i. There are no fundamental rights.
ii. There is no legislation at the national level.
 iii. Measures to enforce the required standards are not there.
iv. There are no minimum necessary conditions.
(b)What is the tone of the writer when he remarks, ‘India is on the brink of
a knowledge revolution’?
i. Optimistic
ii. Imaginative
iii. Sarcastic
iv. Presumptuous
(c) What are some states doing for ensuring good performance?
i. Leniency in marking
ii. Following their own school boards.
iii. Following the CBSE.
iv. All of the above
(d)Why do teacher oppose the new textbooks?
i. They are not familiar with them.
ii. They want students to score good marks.
iii. They are happy with the old books.
iv. Teaching shops would lose their business.
(e) What remains a distant goal?
i. Realising the potential of the students
ii. Making India a ‘knowledge society’
iii. Making school education a quality education
iv. All of the above
(f) The main factor that has affected the quality of education is:
i. Gap between theoretical knowledge and the real life situations
ii. Lack of moral education in schools
iii. Teacher hired on contract basis on a pittance are underqualified
iv. All of above
(g) Name the standard enforcing agencies in India.
i. NKC
ii. SSA
iii. NCERT
iv. The CBSE for schools affiliated to it and state boards for other
schools in the states.
(h)Why do leading undergraduate colleges hold their own admission tests?
i. Because they distrust higher secondary school results
ii. Because the number of applicants is beyond the limit of available
seats
 iii. The money which comes from selling admission forms for tests adds
to their income
iv. None of the above
(i) What is the problem created by the results of the CBSE examinations?
i. The CBSE has created a gap between knowledge at the school level
and at the level of institution of higher learning.
ii. Several discrepencies are found in the CBSE examination
iii. High percentage is quite easy to score for students.
iv. None of the above.
(j) Why does the author state, “we can expect India to produce Amartya
Sens by dozens”?
i. The level of students is quit high even in school.
ii. The results of the CBSE class XII exam show (incorrectly) that many
children attain very high levels of performance even before
graduation.
iii. The teaching learning pattern is perfect
iv. None of the above
(k)What is the full form of NCERT?
i. National College of Research and Training
ii. National Centre for Research and Training
iii. National Council of Educational Research and Training
iv. None of the above.