HSC 2023- English 1st Paper Model Question and Solution-1

Model Question 1

Part-I : Marks 60

1. Read the passage and answer the questions A and B.

Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to a multi-racial democracy, as an icon of peace and reconciliation who came to embody the struggle for justice around the world.

Imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against white minority rule, Mandela never lost his resolve to fight for his people’s emancipation. He was determined to bring down apartheid while avoiding a civil war. His prestige and charisma helped him win the support of the world.

“I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I will fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days,” Mandela said in his acceptance speech on becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994, …….”The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.”

“We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation.”

In 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor he shared with F.W. de Klerk, the white African leader who had freed him from prison three years earlier and negotiated the end of apartheid.

Mandela went on to play a prominent role on the world stage as an advocate of human dignity in the face of challenges ranging from political repression to AIDS.

He formally left public life in June 2004 before his 86th birthday, telling his adoring countrymen: “Don’t call me. I’ll call you.” But he remained one of the world’s most revered public figures, combining celebrity sparkle with an unwavering message of freedom, respect and human rights.

“He is at the epicenter of our time, ours in South Africa, and yours, wherever you are,” Nadine Gordimer, the South African writer and Nobel Laureate for Literature, once remarked.

The years Mandela spent behind bars made him the world’s most celebrated political prisoner and a leader of mythic stature for millions of black South Africans and other oppressed people far beyond his country’s borders………………………….                                                                                       [Unit-1; Lesson-1]

A.   Choose the correct answer from the alternatives.                                                            1 ´ 5 = 5

(a)  What does ‘justice’ refer to in line 3?

      (i) impartiality              (ii) corruption                (iii) fair                         (iv) satisfy

(b)  Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with —.

      (i) Nadine Gordimer       (ii) Einstein                   (iii) F.W. de Klerk          (iv) Rontgen

(c)  What is the closest meaning of the word ‘advocate’?

      (i) proposition               (ii) pleader                     (iii) helper                     (iv) hater

(d)  Mandela suffered imprisonment for ¾.

      (i) nearly 15 years         (ii) nearly 20 years         (iii) nearly 25 years        (iv) nearly 30 years

(e)  “We have at last achieved our political emancipation.”¾ What does it imply?

      (i) South Africa was freed

      (ii) Racial discrimination was abolished

      (iii) Mandela became the President of South Africa

      (iv) Mandela drove away the white minorities from South Africa

      Extra Questions :

(f)   Nelson Mandela is a/ an — of peace and reconciliation.

      (i) embody                     (ii) maker                      (iii) thinker                    (iv) resolver

(g)  South Africa is a Black — country.

      (i) dominated                (ii) free                          (iii) inhabited                (iv) controlled

(h)  Mandela — himself from civil war to bring down apartheid.

      (i) avoided                     (ii) refrained                  (iii) escaped                   (iv) adopted

(i)   Nelson Mandela vowed to remove —.

      (i) white                        (ii) politicians                (iii) discrimination         (iv) oppresors

(j)   Which one of the following sentences is false?

      (i) Nelson Mandela is a peace maker      (ii) Mandela won Nobel Prize after he became president

      (iii) Mandela was in prison for nearly 30 years    (iv) Nadine Gordimer is a literary figure

(k)  South African white minority — the black majority.

      (i) was dominated by     (ii) destroyed                 (iii) struggled against     (iv) dominated

(l)   The word ‘chasm’ means —.

      (i) breach                      (ii) discipline                 (iii) loose                       (iv) gap

(m) The word ‘shackle’ in the text refers to —.

      (i) hamper                     (ii) bond                        (iii) iron                        (iv) rope

(n)  What does the word ‘reconciliation’ mean?

      (i) forgive                      (ii) separation                (iii) appeasement           (iv) allow

(o)  The phrase ‘bring down’ in the text means —.

      (i) abolish                     (ii) bring something close (iii) fight with             (iv) cancel

(p)  “We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation” — the line indicates —.

      (i) end of a political conflict                               (ii) victory of a election

      (iii) getting government power                            (iv) end of a long struggle for political rights

(q)  “We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation” What is meant by the ‘political emancipation’?

      (a) Religious freedom                                         (b) Geographical freedom           

      (c) Economic and social freedom                        (d) Political freedom

(r)   The term “apartheid” means —

      (a) anxiety                    (b) partition                  (c) preparation               (d) discrimination

(s)   The word “epicenter’ in the text means —

      (a) majestic                   (b) accusation               (c) reunion                    (d) focal point

(t)   “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all person live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” What do you understand by this statement?

      (a) to ensure a democratic and free society         (b) all people should live harmoniously

      (c) having equal facilities                                   (d) all of the above answers

(u)  What is the synonym of the word domination?

      (a) generosity                (b) humanity                 (c) submission               (d) autocracy

B.   Answer the following questions.                                                                                      2 ´ 5 = 10

(a)  What is apartheid? Do you support it? Why/ Why not?
(b)  Which words by Mandela inspire you most?
(c)   Why was Mandela awarded Nobel Peace Prize?
(d)  What is democracy? How do the people of the democratic world remember Mandela?
(e)   What is the significance and importance of 1993, 1994 & 2004?

      Extra Questions :

(f)   Who is Nelson Mandela? Why is he famous?
(g)  When did he become the first Black President of South Africa? What did he say in his inaugural speech as President?
(h)  What was Nelson Mandela’s dream? For whom did he fight and how?
(i)   Why does the author say Nelson Mandela an icon of peace?
(j)   How many years was Mandela imprisoned? What was his determination?
(k)  What do you mean by the sentence “The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come”?
(l)   In which field did Mandela play a prominent role?
(m) How did Mandela won the support of the world?
(n)  What does the sentence imply- “We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation”?
(o)  Why was Nelson Mandela imprisoned? How long did he remain in imprisonment?
(p)  Why was he well-known throughout the world as an icon of peace and reconciliation?

2.   Read the above text and make a flow chart showing the activities and achievements of Nelson Mandela. (One has been done for you.)                                                                                     2 ´ 5 = 10

Or, Read the above passage and complete the table below with the given information.   1 × 10 = 10

3.   Write a summary of the above text.                                                                             10

4.   Read the following text and fill in the blanks with suitable word from the box. There are more words than needed. Make any grammatical change if necessary.     0.5 x 10 = 5

      Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the undisputed leader of Bangladesh. He delivered an illustrious and epoch-making speech (a) –– 7 March in 1971. He made his (b) –– in the presence of a mammoth gathering (c) –– people at Suhrawardi Udyan (the then Race Course Maidan). Many events of (d) –– past led him to deliver the speech. (e) –– his speech he mentioned the history of (f) ­–– as a history of oppression and deprivation. (g) –– his speech he inspired the people of (h) –– to get ready for Liberation War. He (i) –– the people to fight against the rulers (j) –– West Pakistan. He declared the independence of Bangladesh.

5.   Fill in the blanks with appropriate word in each gap.                                       1 ´ 10 = 10

      Civility means polite (a) — or modesty. It also (b) — courteous manner. It is a great virtue (c) — a man. To be well-behaved, or good-natured we (d) — spend money or wealth. We have to (e) — willingness to attain civility. We have to (f) — some code of conduct and (g) — the norms of etiquette of the society. It (h) — from society to society. However, one has to (i) — good manner in one’s character from an early age. No expenditure (j) — consciousness is required.

6.   Rearrange the following sentences to make a coherent order.                                 10

(a)  Anne was sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
(b)  Her father, Otto Frank, was the only occupant of annex to survive.
(c)   She was born on 12 June 1929.
(d)  Unfortunately she was betrayed and discovered in 1944.
(e)   She hid for two years in a secret annex.
(f)   Anne Frank is perhaps the most well-known victim of the Nazi Holocaust.
(g)  In that diary, she chronicled her life from 1942 to 1944.
(h)  Anne’s diary was published by her father as The Diary of a Young Girl.
(i)   She died of typhus in 1945.
(j)   Anne’s diary is regarded as one of the world’s most widely read books.

Part–II : Writing Test (40 Marks)

7.   Write a paragraph on “Earthquake” in about 200 words based on the answers to the following questions.       10

(a) What is earthquake? (b) Why does it occur?
(c) What are the results of an earthquake?
(d) What will be the condition of our cities in an earthquake?
(e) How can we prepare to protect us from a great earthquake in future?
(f) What measures can the govt. take up to minimize the losses?

8.   The following is the beginning of a story. Complete it in your own words.                                   7

Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, fought several battles to regain his country’s freedom but was each time defeated. Naturally he was sad………………….

9.   Suppose, you are Rumana, a student of class 11. Recently you have visited Paharpur, a historical place at Naogaon. Now, write an email to your friend Kamal in Chittagong telling him about your recent visit to Paharpur.                                                                   5

10. The chart below shows the sources of air pollution in a city. Describe the chart in at least 80 words. You should highlight and summarise the information given in the chart.                                       1 ´ 10 = 10

11. Write down the theme of the following poem (Not more than 50 words).                 8

All people dream, but no equally,
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes.
And make them come true.

Solution to Model Question–01  

1.A. (a) (i) impartiality (b) (iii) F.W.de Klerk (c) (ii) pleader (d) (iv) nearly 30 years (e) (ii) Racial discrimination was abolished (f) (i) embody (g) (iii) inhabited (h) (ii) refrained (i) (iii) discrimination (j) (ii) Mandela won Nobel Prize after he became president (k) (iv) dominated (l) (iv) gap (m) (ii) bond (n) (iii) appeasement (o) (i) abolish (p) (iv) end of a long struggle for political rights (q) (iv) Political freedom (r) (iv) discrimination (s) (iv) focal point (t) (iv) all of the above answers (u) (iv) autocracy

B.   (a)  Apartheid is a political situation in which people of different races are separated. I don’t support apartheid because apartheid destroys the unity and harmony of a society and brings out civil war.

      (b)  Mandela’s words that inspire me most are that “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

      (c)   Mandela was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for keeping peace in South Africa as well as in the whole world by fighting against apartheid.

      (d)  Democracy is the belief in freedom and equality, between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves. The people of the democratic world remember Mandela with honour and respect.  

      (e)   The significance and importance of 1993, 1994 & 2004 is that in 1993 Nelson Mandela was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize, in 1994 Mandela became the first black President of South Africa and in 2004 Mandela left public life.

      (f)   Nelson Mandela is the most celebrated and undisputed Black African leader. He is famous for his life long struggle against apartheid to free the black people from the racial discrimination of the white people.

      (g)  He became the first Black President of South Africa in 1994. In his inaugural speech after accepting Presidency he said, “The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation.”

      (h)  Nelson Mandela’s dream was to gain freedom for the Black Africans of South Africa and to achieve political emancipation for them. He fought for the Black South Africans to bring down racial discrimination by avoiding a civil war through a non-violent movement.

      (i)   Throughout his life, Nelson Mandela struggled for the emancipation of black people. But during this time he was non-violent and avoided civil war. So the author says Nelson Mandela an icon of peace.

      (j)   Mandela was imprisoned for nearly 30 years. His determination was to bring down apartheid and the emancipation of black people from the domination of white minority.

      (k)  This sentence clarifies the bringing down of apartheid. Apartheid had created a big chasm between the black and the white in South Africa. But with the struggle of Mandela and his becoming President of South Africa there’s created a bridge to unite the South Africans.

      (l)   Mandela played a prominent role on the world stage as an advocate of human dignity in the face of challenges ranging from political repression to AIDS.

      (m) Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades. But undergoing such a suffering, he never lost his resolve to fight for his people’s emancipation and to bring down apartheid. Thus for his sacrifice, patience and non-violent attitude, he won the support of the world.

      (n)  The sentence indicates the successful end of a long struggle for achieving political rights of the black people of South Africa.

      (o)  Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for his undaunted determination to free the black Africans from the shackles of the white minority rule and to gain political emancipation. He remained in prison for nearly three decades.

      (p)  He was well known throughout the world as an icon of peace and reconciliation because of his indomitable courage to fight against the white minority rule and free the black Africans from racial discrimination.

2.   A flow chart showing the activities and achievements of Nelson Mandela is given below :

Or, (i) fighting against apartheid (ii) Nelson Mandela (iii) Africa’s first black President (iv) receive (v) 1993 (vi) Nelson Mandela (vii) for three decades (viii) Nadine Gordimer (ix) Mandela (x) June 2004

3.   Nelson Mandela was the most celebrated and undisputed Black African leader. He is famous for his life-long struggle against racial discrimination. He dreamt of gaining freedom for the black people of South Africa and to achieve political emancipation for them. He fought for the black South Africans to bring down apartheid through non-violent movement by avoiding a civil war. He lived behind bars for nearly three decades. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He became the first black president of South Africa in 1994. He formally left public life before his 86th birthday in 2004.