MP Board Class 10th Special English Unseen Passages Factual
Passage-1
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (M.P. Board 2012)
1. The word ‘baby’ is used for a young human being below the age of one year or 18 months. After this age, words such as toddler’ and ‘child’ are used. The word ‘baby’ probably comes from ‘baba’, a sound made by many small babies.
2. Newborn babies may seem helpless, but they are not. They can suck strongly to drink milk from their mother’s breast. They cry if they are hungry or uncomfortable. They can hear well and usually recognize the voice of their mothers. However, a newborn baby depends on someone, usually the mother, for food and warmth and comfort.
3. Babies grow and change very quickly by six months. Most of babies have doubled their birth weight (around 3.5 kg to 7 kg). At one year, they may weigh 10 kg. Weight gain is quite a good indication of a baby’s health. If a baby is not gaining weight over a period of several weeks, it may be ill.
4. A newborn baby cannot even hold up its head and has to be supported at all times. At about six to eight weeks it is able to follow things with its eyes and starts to smile. At around three months it will be able to raise the head. By seven months it will be able to sit up with some support and hold things in the hand, and also babble simple sounds without any real meaning.
5. During the remainder of the year a baby learns to crawl and pull itself up into a standing position. By about 15 to 18 months a baby is able to walk by itself and say a few words, such as mamay’.
6. All the ages mentioned above are averages. Not all babies develop at the same speed. Some are able to crawl or walk earlier than usual, others are a little late. This is not important and has no bearing on how clever or athletic the baby will be in the future.
Questions:
(a) On the basis of your reading of the article, answer the following questions as briefly as possible.
(i) Find one paragraph from the article, which deals mainly with the weight gain of growing children. Write the first four words of the paragraph.
(ii) ‘This is not important’ (Para 6) what does ‘this’ here refer to?
(iii) What is the usual weight of a newborn baby?
(iv) Find a word in Para 1 which means ‘almost certainly’.
(v) Find a word in Para 3 which means sign’.
(vi) Find a word in Para 4 which means ‘talk’ in a way that is difficult or impossible to understand.
(vii) Find a word in Para 5 which means ‘remaining times’.
(viii) Should a mother be worried if her baby is not developing at the same speed as the baby of another woman? Why?
(ix) What is the surest indication of a child’s good health?
(b) Complete the following table by supplying the missing information:
Answers:
approximate weight of a one-year-old baby
(a)
(i) Paragraph No. 3 which starts as: ‘Babies grow and change’.
(ii) Here ‘this’ refer to the step by step growth of a baby.
(iii) The usual weight of a newborn baby is around 3.5 kg to 7 kg.
(iv) probably
(v) indication
(vi) babble
(vii) remainder
(viii) No, a mother should not be worried at all as not all babies develop at the same speed.
(ix) Weight gain is the surest indication of a child’s growth.
(b)
(i) gains weight
(ii) by about 15 to 18 months
(iii) 10 kg
(iv) Not all babies develop at the same speed
Passage-2
1. There is a myth that there is something magical about computers and those who run them. The legend has got about that computers are ‘electronic brains’ and that programmers are some sort of supermen. The facts are that Computers are very stupid and the people who program them are normal human beings. Anyone who can count from 0 to 7 on his or her fingers and make eight can leam to be a programmer. The business is not difficult, just tricky.
2. It is very misleading to imagine that computers can ‘think’ like people. They cannot. They have no more a mind of their own than a lawn-mower. However, they make it possible for people to ‘bottle’ thought. You work out how to do a particular job or solve a problem, write a program and the computer will apply your thinking to that job or problem as long and as often as you like. In this sense computers are half alive because they perpetuate the thinking of their creators. (167 words) (M.P. Board 2009)
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘a machine for cutting grass is
(i) computer
(ii) bottle
(iii) lawn-mower
(b) The fact is that computers are electronic brains. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘perpetuate’ is
(i) imagination
(ii) belief
(iii) fact
(d) What computers cannot do?
(e) Why are computers like lawn-mowers?
(f) What does the ‘bottle’ mean?
Answers:
(a) (iii) lawn-mower
(b) False
(c) (ii) belief
(d) Computers cannot think like human beings.
(e) Because both have no mind of their own.
(f) to store/to mug up.
Passage-3
1. “Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwaal, the tenth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar, Ramzaan, the ninth month is a month of daily fasts. Each daily fast is called Roza. Nothing is eaten or drunk between sunrise and sunset. Food is taken in the wee hours of the morning and again after night fall.”
2. Fasting helps one to experience pangs of hunger and thus, understand the plight of those who do not have enough to eat. The Muslims believe in offering alms to the poor on the sacred month of Ramzaan. It is necessary to give a minimum of two and a half kilograms of wheat, or any other grain, dates or grapes as Fitr or alms. The Quran, the holy book of the Muslims, was revealed in the month of Ramzaan.
3. It is a festival that symbolises goodwill and brotherhood. All feelings of enmity and malice are forgotten on this day and people greet each other warmly saying, ‘Eid-Mubarak’. It is a joyous occasion which reinforces the bond of humanity that we share with all fellow human beings, irrespective of caste, creed, state or religion. (M.P. Board 2011)
Questions:
(I) Choose the correct alternatives and write them in your answer book:
(i) The Quaran was revealed:
(a) in the sixth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar
(b) in the seventh Lunar month of the Islamic calendar
(c) in the ninth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar
(d) in the tenth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar
(ii) During Ramzaan, the Muslims, who fast, take food:
(a) at dusk
(b) at dawn
(c) in the afternoon
(d) at midnight
(II) Find out the word from the passage having similar meaning of the following:
(a) sorry circumstances
(b) desire to injure
(III) Give the Verb form of the following words
(a) food
(b) appreciative
(IV) What is the purpose of fasting during the month of Ramzaan?
(V) What is Eid-ul-Fitr’s significance?
Answers:
(I) (i) (c) in the ninth Lunar month of the Islamic calendar (ii) (b) at dawn
(II) (a) plight (b) malice
(III) (a) Feed (b) appreciate
(IV) The purpose of fasting during the month of Ramzaan is to experience the pangs of hunger and thus understand the plight of those who do not have enough to eat.
(V) It is a festival that symbolises goodwill and brotherhood. All feelings of enmity and malice are forgotten on this day and people greet each other warmly saying ‘Eid-Mubark’.
Passage-4
1. As the dreaded examinations crawl to a halt, students look forward to the much awaited “creative outlets”, the summer camps, to let off steam and spend their holidays. A summer camp is conducted over a short period of four to five weeks involving interesting and fun-filled activities. The colourful spectrum of summer camps provides a wide variety of activities which include artistic skills, such as painting, origami, art, music, craft and also spoken English, cookery and computer courses. Not only this, the summer camps keep the child “fit’ as a fiddle” by imparting lessons in yoga, cricket, tennis and swimming.
2. With changing times and trends parents have become productivity oriented. They want their children to learn through productive play unlike in the past when play was just play. Today, the parents want to tap the potential of their children to the fullest. To achieve this aim, the summer camps afford an ideal opening for children to develop their hobbies and talents. The importance of creative play is often underestimated whereas the fact is that art and craft projects can excite even a young child’s imagination and promote a sense of great achievement. The little things that children make and take home give them a sense of achievement and pride when they show them to their parents.
3. Summer camps develop a child’s confidence and his ideas. They also encourage children to do things on their own. The camps are beneficial for hyperactive and aggressive children as they help channel their energies fruitfully by drawing out the best in them. They also promote mutual understanding not only among teachers and children but also bring about interaction between the taught. This provides a good experience for a better future a future of confidence. (“The Young World” The Hindu)
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘virtues inherent in someone’ is
(i) spectrum
(ii) potential
(iii) hobbies
(b) Summer camps develop a child’s confidence and his ideas. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘agressive’ is
(i) violent
(ii) angry
(iii) dull
(d) What is a summer camp?
(e) What do the parents wish to tap?
(i) What is the role of art and craft projects in a child’s development?
Answers:
(a) (ii) potential
(b) True
(c) (i) violent
(d) A summer camp is conducted over a short period of four or five weeks involving interesting and fun-filled activities.
(e) Parents wish to tap the potential of their children to the fullest.
(ii) The art and craft project can excite even a young child’s imagination and promote a sense of great achievement.
Passage-5
1. Within the memory of the youngest child there was a family of rabbits who lived near a pack of wolves. The wolves announced that they did not like the way the rabbits were living. One night several wolves were killed in an earthquake and this was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that rabbits pound on the ground with their hind legs and cause earthquakes. On another night one of the wolves was killed by a bolt of lightning and this also was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that lettuce-eaters cause lightning.
2. The wolves threatened to civilise the rabbits if they did not behave, and the rabbits decided to run away to a desert island. But the other animals, who lived at a great distance, shamed them saying, “You must stay where you are and be brave. This is no world for escapists. If the wolves attack you, we will come to your aid, in all probability.” So the rabbits continued to live near the wolves. And one day there was a terrible flood which drowned a great many wolves. This was blamed on the rabbits, for it is well known that carrot nibblers with long ears cause floods. The wolves descended on the rabbits for their own good, and imprisoned them in a dark cave, for their own protection.
3. When nothing was heard about the rabbits for some weeks, the other animals demanded to know what had happened to them. The wolves replied that the rabbits had been eaten and since they had been eaten the affair was a purely internal matter. “They were trying to escape,” said the wolves, “and, as you know, this is no world for escapists.” —Jamey Thurber
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘earth’s inner activity which shakes it’ is
(i) earthquake
(ii) lightning
(iii) threatened
(b) The wolves threatened to civilise the rabbits if they did not behave. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘terrible’ is
(i) lovable
(ii) meek
(iii) ferocious
(d) What happened to the wolves?
(e) What was the accusation of the wolves?
(i) What did the wolves do with the rabbits?
Answers:
(a) (i) earthquake
(b) True
(c) ferocious
(d) One night several wolves were killed in an earthquake.
(e) The wolves accused the rabbits of having caused the earthquake by pounding on the ground with their hind legs.
(f) The wolves imprisoned the rabbits in a dark cave.
Passage-6
1. By the end of the 15th century, European explorers had considerable experience of long-distance ocean voyaging. In particular, they had learned that the greatest danger, apart from storms and hurricanes, was lack of food and water. If a ship was becalmed supplies could quickly run low.
2. European navigators had also learned that there were other problems besides hunger and thirst. They noticed that ships’ crews often became very sick, even though they were eating and drinking regularly, but they did not understand why this happened. In fact, the crews were suffering from a disease called scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C. As a result, their gums became sore, their teeth fell out and many eventually died.
3. Scurvy affected crews throughout the Age of Discovery and beyond. Not until the 18th century did the British navy discover an effective way of preventing scurvy—to issue a daily dose of lime juice, which is rich in vitamin C. This soon earned British sailors the nickname ‘Limeys’. (167 words)
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘a group of sailors’ is
(i) explorers
(ii) crew
(iii) navigators
(b) European explorers did not have any experience of long distance ocean voyaging. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘storm’ is
(i) a strong wind
(ii) flood
(iii) scurvy
(d) What experience did the European explorers gain by the end of the 15th century?
(e) What was the problem other than storm and hurricane?
(f) Which disease trapped the crews?
Answers:
(a) (ii) crew (b) False (c) (i) a strong wind
(d) The European explorers gained considerable experience of long distance ocean voyaging.
(e) The lack of food and water was the other problem.
(f) Scurvy trapped them.
Passage-7
1. Advertising is a close companion of market economy. Yet it is an unpleasant feature of modern life. Sometimes strange but sensational commercials on T.V. can cost heavily to one’s pocket. Not only do they cost heavily to one’s pocket, they also cost heavily to one’s life. Not long before, an innocent student tried to imitate the acrobatics of a young man in a commercial advertisement and lost his precious life for nothing.
2. In some cases advertising has started to erode individual privacy, in the name of educating and enlightening the consumer about his rights to choose the right product. The magazines, T.V. and movies keep dinning into the ears of everyone that material things are what life is about. Advertising has invaded every aspect of human existence. It includes sponsoring events like sports etc. on a global basis. Advertising sells not only goods; it sells ideas also. Ideas—good ideas, like national integration and communal harmony, have been spread through advertising.
3. In addition to commercial advertising, we have social advertising. Social advertising refers to advertisements which deal with social causes. They aim at the welfare and well-being of the people. Its target audience is not a specific class. It aims at masses who can be educated about issues like health, family welfare, literacy, national security etc. They are so important that even the government falls back upon them very often to highlight issues of immediate and national concern.
Questions:
(a) The word similar to ‘related to trade and commerce’ is
(i) economy
(ii) commercial
(iii) consumer
(b) Advertising is a close companion of market economy. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘target’ is
(i) global
(ii) crisis
(iii) aim
(d) How does advertising become dangerous to young children?
(e) What is the impact of advertising in our life today?
(f) What does social advertising refer to?
Answers:
(a) (ii) commerical
(b) True
(c) (iii) aim
(d) The young children imitate the acrobatics and dangerous acts.
(e) Advertising has invaded every aspect of human existence.
(f) Social advertising refers to the one that deals with social causes.
Passage-8
If we would see our dream of Panchayati Raj, i.e., true democracy realized, we would regard the humblest and lowest Indian as being the ruler of India with the tallest in the land. This presupposes that all are pure, or will become pure if they are not. And purity must go hand-in-hand with wisdom. No one would then harbour any distinction between community and community, caste and outcaste. Everybody would regard all as equal with oneself and hold them together in the silken net of love. No one would regard another as untouchable. We would hold as equal the toiling labourer and the rich capitalist. Everybody would know how to earn an honest living by the sweat of one’s brow, and make no distinction between intellectual and physical labour. To hasten this consummation, we would voluntarily turn ourselves into scavengers. No one who has wisdom will ever touch opium, liquor or any intoxicants. Everybody would observe Swadeshi as the rule of life and regard every woman not being his wife, as his mother, sister or daughter according to her age, never lust after her in his heart. He would be ready to lay down his life when occasion demands it, never want to take another’s life. If he is a Sikh in terms of the commandment of the Gurus he would have the heroic courage to stand single-handed and alone—without yielding an inch of ground-against the “one lakh and a quarter” enjoined by them. Needless to say, such a son of India will not want to be told what his duty in the present hour is.
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘a government of people’ is
(i) Democracy
(ii) Panchayati Raj
(iii) Community
(b) Purity need not go hand-in-hand with wisdom. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘toiling’ is
(i) doing hard labour
(ii) sitting idle
(iii) running
(d) What is Panchayati Raj?
(e) What would happen if purity and wisdom go hand-in-hand?
(f) What would a man of wisdom do?
Answers:
(a) (i) Democracy
(b) False
(c) (i) doing hard labour
(d) Panchayati Raj is a system of governance by common people.
(e) There would be no discrimination is society
(f) A man of wisdom will always live with harmony.
Passage-9
1. Getting a good night’s sleep can help you cope with stress more effectively. But not getting enough sleep can cause more stress. Insomniacs have higher concentrations of stress hormones than others.
2. Women are prone to sleep disturbances. Their sleep problems frequently interfere with their daily activities.
3. Experts believe that sleep, especially deep sleep, enables our nervous system to function well. Without it, we lose our ability to concentrate, remember or analyse. Some experts speculate that during deep, sleep, cells manufacture more proteins, which are essential for cell growth and repair of damage from things like stress and ultraviolet rays.
4. Scientists believe that activity in the area of the brain that controls emotions and social interactions lessens during sleep and that deep sleep may help people be emotionally and socially adept when awake.
5. Sleep may also help our brain to store a newly learned activity in its memory bank. In a study in Canada, students deprived of sleep after learning a complex logic game showed a 30 percent learning deficit when tested a week later compared with students not deprived of sleep.
6. The effects of sleep deprivation on other bodily functions are just as alarming. In studies from five medical centres across the country, researchers established that individuals with insomnia were also more likely to have poor health, including chest pain, arthritis and depression, and to have difficulty accomplishing daily tasks. Another breakthrough study revealed that even temporary loss of sleep can affect the body’s ability to break down carbohydrates, interfere with the function of various hormones and worsen the severity of ailments such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
7. So whatever works to help you sleep well, whether its regular exercise earlier in the day, weekly massages, yoga, meditation or a lavender-scented bath, make time for it today. (300 words)
Questions:
(a) The word which means inability to sleep is
(i) sleep disturbances ‘
(ii) insomnia
(iii) stress
(b) Women are prone to sleep disturbances. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘speculate’ is
(i) speak
(ii) imagine/believe
(iii) interact
(d) What can cope with stress more effectively?
(e) What is the effect of sleep disorder on women?
(f) What other ailments have the scientists and researchers found in the insomniacs?
Answers:
(a) (ii) insomnia
(b) True
(c) (ii) imagine/believe
(d) Getting a good night’s sleep can cope with stress more effectively
(e) Sleep disorder frequently interferes with the daily activities of women.
(f) Chest pain, arthritis, depression.
Passage-10
1. Papaya is the healthiest fruit with a list of properties that is long and exhaustive. Belonging to the family of Caricaceae fruit, it is commonly known as Papaw in Australia and Mamao in Brazil. It first originated in southern Mexico and neighbouring Central America, but is now available in every tropical and subtropical country. Papaya favours digestion as well as cures skin irritation and sun burns. You can munch on it as a salad, have it cooked or boiled or just drink it up as milkshake or juices. Modern science confirms the age-old beliefs that papaya has much to contribute to the health cause. The most important of these virtues is the protein-digesting enzyme in the milky juice or latex. The enzyme is similar to pepsin in its digestive action and is said to be so powerful that it can digest 200 times its own weight in protein. It assists the body in assimilating the maximum nutritional value from food to provide energy and body building materials.
2. Papain in raw papaya makes up for the deficiency of gastric juice and fights excess of unhealthy mucus in the stomach, dyspepsia and intestinal irritation. The ripe fruit, if eaten regularly corrects habitual constipation, bleeding piles and chronic diarrhoea. The juice of the papaya seeds also assists in the above-mentioned ailments.
3. The juice, used as a cosmetic, removes freckles or brown spots due to exposure to sunlight and makes the skin smooth and delicate. A paste of papaya seeds is applied in skin diseases like those caused by ringworm. The black seeds of the papaya are highly beneficial in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism, malnutrition, etc. A tablespoonful of its juice, combined with a hint of fresh lime juice, should be consumed once or twice daily for a month. The fresh juice of raw papaya mixed with honey can be applied over inflamed tonsils, for diphtheria and other throat disorders. It dissolves the membrane and prevents infection from spreading.
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘inherent features’ is
(i) properties
(ii) tropical
(iii) irritation
(b) The fact is that papaya favours digestion as well as cures skin irritation. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘enzyme’ is
(i) drug
(ii) powerful
(iii) digestive substance
(d) What name is given to papaya in Australia?
(e) Where is papaya available?
(f) How does papaya’s juice help us?
Answers:
(a) (i) properties
(b) True
(c) (iii) digestive substance
(d) It is known as Papaw in Australia.
(e) It is available in every tropical and substropical country.
(f) It removes freckles or brown spots and makes the skin smooth and delicate.
Passage-11
1. Set in the declining but still green Western Ghats in the southwest of Karnataka, Coorg is the heart of India’s coffee country, coffee being the world’s most heavily traded commodity after crude oil. Coorg boasts a land area four times larger than Hong Kong and seven times the area of Singapore, most of it is under tree cover because unlike tea plants, the coffee bush requires shade.
2. India is acknowledged as the producer of the finest mild cotfees. With their tropical climate, high altitude, abundant rainfall and fertile soil, Coorg and the neighbouring Chickmagalur districts in Karnataka have consistently produced and exported high quality coffee for over 150 years. The coffee output of these two districts accounts for 70 per cent of the total coffee produced in the coun-try. Coorg coffee is valued for its blue colour, clean beans and fine liquoring qualities and hence is in demand in the international markets.
3. In March and April is the coffee blossom time in Coorg. When blossoms transform into berries, the bushes are cropped. The cherry—red fruit is then pulped; the seeds separated, dried and sent for curing. Coorg or Kodagu is the district which is one of the largest producers of pepper, cardamom and honey in the world.
4. Not much is known about early history of Coorg. Recorded history is available only from 1600 AD onwards when Kodava rajas ruled over the region and established their capital at Mercara by constructing a mud walled fort. The martial Kodavas troubled Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan who ruled the Mysore region in the 18th century by way of sporadic rebellions. But in 1785, Tipu’s large army marched into Kodagu and devastated the kingdom. Fourteen years later, with the help of the British who defeated Tipu Sultan following the historic siege of Srirangapatanam in 1799, Coorg regained independence and under the leadership of Raja Veerarajendra rebuilt the capital. Later in 1834, the British exiled its ruler Chikkaveera Rajendra and assumed administrative charge of the district. The British left India in 1947, leaving behind a legacy of coffee plantations, colonial buildings and well- planned road networks.
Questions:
(a) The word similar to ‘talking high’ is
(i) boast
(ii) defeat
(iii) assume
(b) The fact is that Coorg is ten times larger than Hong Kong and hundred times the area of Singapore. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘acknowledged’ is
(i) unknown
(ii) recognised
(iii) matched
(d) Where is Coorg situated?
(e) What is India famous for?
(f) What did British leave in India as a legacy?
Answers:
(a) (i) boast
(b) False
(c) (ii) recognised
(d) Coorg is situated in the Western Ghats in the South-Wr.t of Karnataka.
(e) India is famous for producing the finest coffee.
(f) British left behind a legacy of coffee plantations, colonial buildings and well-planned road networks.
Passage-12
1. We’ve just left the dinner table, when I hear music coming from my daughter’s computer. It surprises me that my daughter Ida is listening to music from a time she refers to as the very old days. “What are you playing?” I ask. “It’s Phi Collins,” is her prompt reply, while she shows how, with a few strokes, she can download almost any song from the Internet. Times have certainly been changing since I scratched my first Beatles record. Tactfully I don’t mention that I had bought the record she’s listening to before she was born. The concept of a phonograph record belongs to a bygone age and I don’t want to spoil the pleasure she’ll get from discovering her “own” new favourite musician.
2. The music brings memories flooding back. I have a sudden urge to bring back my record collection from the attic, where it has mouldered for almost a decade. Only one thing stops me – my turntable succumbed to the damp air in a cellar where I stored it for. a good ten years. No, I don’t care if turntables are ancient technology: I will find one. And I will restore my long lost record collection—which took up a good amount of shelf space—to its former glory. Buying something as uncool as a turntable takes courage and planning. I find a promising TV and radio store in the phone book but I am expecting a mountain of questions from the clerk, who will most certainly have been born and raised after the demise of the turntable.
Questions:
(a) The word similar in meaning to ‘an electronic device that stores data’ is
(i) table
(ii) computer
(iii) phonograph
(b) The concept of a phonograph record belongs to a bygone age. (Say ‘True’ or ‘False’)
(c) The meaning of ‘concept’ is
(i) memories
(ii) ideas
(iii) discovery
(d) What does the narrator hear?
(e) How does the narrator’s daughter download music?
(f) What does music bring?
Answers:
(a) (ii) computer
(b) True
(c) (ii) ideas
(d) The narrator hears music coming from his daughter’s computer.
(e) The narrator’s daughter downloads music from Internet.
(f) Music brings memories flooding back.
Passage-13
“When Alexander Fleming was sixteen, he had to work to earn his living. He found a job in a shipping office in London. The wages were small and the work rather uninteresting. He also worked as a volunteer soldier on weekends and holidays. It was soon discovered that the sturdy young man from Scotland was a fine shot and a very good swimmer.
Just after wards, a relative died, leaving him a small but useful sum of money. His brother Thomas advised him to give up the job at the shipping office and spend the money on his training as a doctor. Alexander said later, “My brother Thomas pushed me into medicine.”
So he joined St. Mary’s hospital school. He attended lectures and watched operation, he also swam and acted in plays. Yet he was always the top student in the examination. He won many prizes and scholarships. It come to be known about his memory that he could remember the whole book after reading it just once.
Questions:
(I) Choose the correct answer from each of the following questions and write them in your answer book:
(i) Alexander Fleming was fond of:
(a) traveling
(b) hunting
(c) swimming
(d) music
(ii) He had to work to earn his living when he was in:
(a) his teens
(b) his twenties
(c) his thirties
(d) his forties
(II) “Thomas advised him to give up the job at the shipping office.” the meaning of the italicized phrasal verb is:
(a) to hand over
(b) to abandon
(c) to surrender
(d) to delay
(III) Name the place where Alexander was born.
(IV) How did Fleming like the job?
(V) What made possible for Fleming to become a doctor?
Answers:
(I) (i) (c) swimming
(ii) (a) his teens
(II) (b) to abandon
(III) (a) Scotland
(IV) He didn’t like it, as it was uninteresting and the wages were small.
(V) It was his brother Thomas whose advice made Alexander a doctor.
