GENERAL ENGLISH

Time Allowed Three Hours Maximum Marks 300 j

QUESTION PAPER SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
Please read each of the following instructions carefully before attempting questions
All the questions are to be attempted. The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it. Answers must be written in ENGLISH only. Word limit in questions, if specified, should be adhered to. You must not disclose your identity in any of your answers.

1. Write an essay in about 600 words on any one of the following topics 100

India has a long history of tolerant secufarism
Women should find their voice for security, progress and empowerment
Negative impact of advertising on public life, especially teenagers
Deforestation A big disaster

2. Write a letter to the Wildlife Conservator complaining against the cruelty that the animals in the zoo are often subjected to, suggesting ways of protecting them from teasing spectators and indifferent keepers. 20
Write a report on the suicides of farmers due to crop unexpected rainfall and drought in parts of the country. failure caused by 30

3. Attempt a precis of the given passage in one-third of its length. Do not suggest a title. Write the precis, as far as possible, in your own words. State the number of words at the end of the answer 50
An issue to which insufficient attention has been paid over the past forty years concerns the nature of the 'universality' to which the very title of the Universal Declaration lays claim. The issue is as complex as it is sensitive and it is not possible to do justice to it in the space of a page or two. I will therefore, confine my observations to two points. The first is that the concept of human rights has to be seen as a dynamic one. In the past, there has been a tendency on the part of some commentators to treat the Universal Declaration almost as though it were the equivalent of the secret recipe for Coca-Cola. Several years back the manufacturers of that beverage decided to market an updated (probably even sweeter) version of the world's most successful soft drink. The new Coke failed to win consumer endorsement and the lesson was drawn by many that the 'Classic Coke' formula should never have been tampered with. In the human rights field, there is a considerable support for treating the Universal Declaration as a 'classic' and for insisting on a static approach to its interpretation. The challenge of mobilizing popular awareness of, and support for, human rights requires that the concept be presented in such a way that it strikes a chord in people's hearts, that it relates to local cultures and that it addresses the concerns of local communities. The concept of human rights needs to be dynamic, responsive and adaptable. This is not, as some 'hard-line' critics of the approach advocated here will inevitably argue, the same as saying that the concept needs to be manipulable, negotiable or as flexible as the proverbial rubber-man. Integrity and dynamism are in fact compatible. My second observation on this point is that we need to be clear and precise as to the nature of the claim to universality which can reasonably be made on behalf of the Universal Declaration. It is clear that the Declaration is universal, or very nearly so, in terms of its formal acceptance by governments and of its role as a generally applicable 'control standard' against which to determine the international 2
acceptability of particular forms of governmental behaviour. It is equally clear that we must not do anything which would undermine, or even cast doubt on the legitimacy of, that status. But on the other hand, we must not forget that any suggestion that all of the provisions of the Universal Declaration are universally accepted, either in philosophical or anthropological terms, is simply untenable. The international community needs to become infinitely more inventive in devising measures for the promotion and implementation of human rights which are less Western, more diverse, and more closely tailored to meet local cultures and traditions. (462 words)

4. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below 10x5= 50
All of us are now aware of the threats facing the earth of the degradation that man is causing to his own environment. We know that the global temperature is rising, that the ozone layer is being disrupted, that the groundwater level is going down alarmingly. We also know that our air, water and soil are being increasingly polluted, that our forests are being steadily depleted. Our earth is becoming more and more uninhabitable. Why is this so? The most important reason is that our concept of development is
unscientific and illogical. Our development has made life more complicated and difficult for us. In fact, it is over-exploitation of our natural wealth that has resulted in the many unsolvable problems we now have, problems of pollution of air, water and soil.
The natural resources of our earth are being exploited by the developed nations to such an extent that it becomes almost impossible for the rest of the world to meet even their basic needs. The developed nations do this for the sake of change and novelty and this craze has given rise to throwaway culture'. They throw away not only cups and plates, paper and clothes and foodstuffs, furniture and cars, but even their homes and old people. This attitude of the developed countries has wrought havoc not only to them but to the poor, backward nations too; for this is the model of development the developed countries place before them.
Development does not mean piling up luxuries; development does not mean having more and more automobiles on your roads; development does not mean making air, water and soil more polluted; development doesn't mean more and bigger buildings. The mad rush to catch up with the artificial speed of high competition is not development.
Let us take the example of a small State. Kerala was one of the most beautiful places on the earth, all lush green with the Sahya Mountains on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. Forty-four rivers and an intricate network of lakes and streams and backwaters and two regular rainy seasons kept this land cool and prosperous. Here we had our own system of agriculture, our own seed and manuring and our own watering methods.
Then came development. The groves were cut down and cash crops were sown. The ponds were filled up because it was considered wastage of land. The people were told that their local seeds were no good and were given high-yielding varieties.Cow dung and leaf manure were also considered primitive. At subsidized rates, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were given. The chemical manure was considered
excellent and pesticides a boon. It took time for the people to understand that the chemical fertilizers are not wonderful and that the pesticides do not know when to stop killing. Even the friendly moths, the beneficial bacteria, the earthworm, field spiders and the grasshoppers are wiped out. The soil and water and the network of streams and canals have become polluted.
Likewise, in the name of development we have cleared most of our precious lands. Felling and encroachment, the so-called developmental activities and big dams have almost wiped them out. We have at present not more than good forest in Kerala.


(a)What is the greatest danger which the earth is facing now? 10
(b}What does the author mean by 'throwaway culture'? 10
hat is the real meaning of the term 'development' as explained in the passage? 10
How did the so-called development affect the people of Kerala? 10
What caused deforestation in Kerala? 10

Rewrite the following sentences after correcting the grammatical errors in each 1xlO=lO
How long is he wearing glasses?

The new bridge had been opened six months ago.
afraid he did a mistake in the calculation.
His uncle did not arrive yet.
A good curry is my most favourite meal.
He asked the gardener whether either of the ladies were at home.
Every nation and every government are engaged in an economic war.
(viii) The sceneries of the Himalayas are unrivalled.
The patient died before the doctor arrived.
Though he was busy but he talked to me.

Make sentences using the following words in such a way that the meaning of each word is clear in the context 10
Rest Wrest
Precis Precise
Confident Confidant •
Glove Glow
Knotty Naughty

(c)Use the following idiomatic expressions in sentences in order to bring out their meaning: 2X5=10
To leave somebody in the lurch
To pay off old scores
To let the cat out of the bag
To smell a rat
At daggers drawn

Make adjectives from the following words 1X5=5
Devastate
Economics
Flow
Learn
Moron

Make nouns from the following words 1X5=5
Pretend
Phenomenal
Oriental
Neutral
Invade

Rewrite the following sentences as directed 2x5=10
The workers said, "We were repairing the road."(Change to indirect speech)
He learnt the alphabet before he could read.(Change to passive voice)
He felt confident to pass his driving test.(Change into a complex sentence)
It is very hot outside. You cannot go out. (Rewrite using
My brother is not a doctor. My sister is also not a doctor.
(Change the sentence using 'neither ... nor)