The history of Bengal is the history of a people - Multiple Choice & Short Question for HSC English First Paper - English for Today for Class 11 and 12 / Seen Passage for HSC

1.               Read the passage below and answer the questions following it.

The history of Bengal is the history of a people who have repeatedly made their highways crimson with their blood in 1952; even though we were the victors in the elections of 1954 we could not form a government then. In 1958 Ayub Khan declared Martial Law to enslave us for the next ten years. In 1966 when we launched the six point movement our boys were shot dead on 7 June. When after the movement of 1969 Ayub Khan feel from power and Yahya Khan assumed the reins of the government he declared that he would give us a constitution and restore democracy; we listened to him then. A lot has happened since and elections have taken place. I’ve met President Yahya Khan. I’ve made a request to him not only on behalf of Bengal but also as the leader of the party which has the majority in Pakistan; I said to him: ‘You must hold the session of the National Assembly on 15 January.’ But he did not listen to me. He listened to Mr. Bhutto instead. At first he said that the meeting would take place in the first week of March. We said, ‘Fine, we will be taking our seats in the Assembly then.’ I said we will carry out our discussions in the Assembly. I went so far as to say that if anyone came up with an offer that was just, even though we were in the majority we would agree to that offer. 1/2

A. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives: 5

a)  The word ‘enslave’ in the first paragraph refers to —

i. enchain ii. blanch iii. outface iv. Annihilate

b)  ‘Majority’ in the second paragraph could be replaced by

i. common ii. popular iii. mainstream iv. greater part

c)  Ayub Khan imposed Martial Law to — us.

i. protect ii. enslave iii. demolish iv. Grab

d)  The best synonym of ‘restore’ is —

i. keep under ii. re-establish iii. dissolve iv. Withdraw

e)  ‘Carry out’ refers to —

i. perform ii. complete iii. accomplish iv. all of them.

B.  Answer the following questions: 10

a)  When and why was the Six Point Movement launched?

b)  Why did General Ayub Khan declare Martial Law?

c)  What did Sheikh Mujibur Rahman say on behalf of Bengal and as a leader of the majority?

d)  Why is the history of 23 years of Bengal is the history of painting the roads with blood?

e)  Who is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman?

Ans. to the Ques

A.  Ans.: (a) i. enchain, (b) iv. greater part, (c) ii. enslave, (d) ii. re-establish, (e) iv. all of them.

B.  Ans.:

a)  On 25 March, 1966 the Six Point Movement was launched to get our due rights. The first point of it was to demand the autonomous system in Bengal.

b)  General Ayub Khan declared Martial Law to confine the people of East Pakistan with the bondage of slavery for the next ten years. He had an evil intention to impose Martial Law.

c)  As a leader of the majority an on behalf of Bengal, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman told Mr. Yahya Khan to hold the session of the National Assembly on 15 January.

d)  The 23 years history of Bengal is the history of painting the roads with blood because we shed blood in 1952, 1966 and 1969. In fact, we gave blood several times.

e)  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the father of the nation of Bangladesh. He is also the greatest Bengali of thousand years.

Answer:

Bangla Translation

সৌন্দর্য উপলব্ধি করা সহজ কিন্তু সংজ্ঞায়িত করা কঠিন। আমরা যখন চারপাশে তাকাই, তখন আমরা আনন্দদায়ক বস্তু এবং দৃশ্যের মধ্যে সৌন্দর্য আবিষ্কার করি - প্রকৃতিতে, শিশুদের হাসিতে, অপরিচিতদের দয়ায়। কিন্তু সংজ্ঞায়িত করার জন্য জিজ্ঞাসা করলে আমরা সমস্যার সম্মুখীন হই। সৌন্দর্যের কি একটি স্বাধীন বস্তুনিষ্ঠ পরিচয় আছে? এটি কি সর্বজনীন, নাকি এটি আমাদের ইন্দ্রিয় উপলব্ধির উপর নির্ভরশীল? এটি কি দর্শকের চোখে পড়ে? - আমরা নিজেদেরকে জিজ্ঞাসা করি। আরও একটি অসুবিধা দেখা দেয় যখন সৌন্দর্য কেবল তার উপস্থিতি দ্বারাই নয়, বরং তার অনুপস্থিতিতেও নিজেকে প্রকাশ করে, যেমন যখন আমরা কদর্যতা দ্বারা বিতাড়িত হই এবং সৌন্দর্য কামনা করি। কিন্তু তারপর কদর্যতা আমাদের জীবনে সৌন্দর্যের মতোই স্থান পায়, অথবা আরও বেশি হতে পারে - যেমন যখন একটি সমাজে ব্যাপক ক্ষুধা এবং অবিচার থাকে। দার্শনিকরা আমাদের বলেছেন যে সৌন্দর্য জীবনের একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অংশ, কিন্তু কদর্যতা কি জীবনের একটি অংশ নয়? এবং যদি শিল্পের সৌন্দর্য একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ উপাদান হিসাবে থাকে, তবে এটি কি কেবল সৌন্দর্যের অভিক্ষেপের মধ্যেই সীমাবদ্ধ থাকতে পারে? শিল্প কি যা সুন্দর নয় তা উপেক্ষা করতে পারে?

কবি এবং শিল্পীরা তাদের কাজে উভয়কেই অন্তর্ভুক্ত করে একটি উত্তর দিয়েছেন। এইভাবে, তারা প্রায়শই সৌন্দর্যকে সত্য এবং ন্যায়ের সাথে সংযুক্ত করেছেন, যাতে যা সুন্দর নয় তা সহনীয় অনুপাত ধরে নেয় যা জীবনের কিছু সত্যকে প্রতিনিধিত্ব করে। রোমান্টিক কবি জন কিটস তার বিখ্যাত 'ওড অন আ গ্রীসিয়ান আর্ন'-এ লিখেছেন 'সৌন্দর্য সত্য, সত্য সৌন্দর্য', যার অর্থ তিনি সত্যকে, এমনকি যদি তা মনোরম নাও হয়, তবে উচ্চতর স্তরে সুন্দর হয়ে ওঠে। একইভাবে, যা সুন্দর তা চিরকাল সত্য থাকে। গ্রীসিয়ান আর্ন - একটি শিল্প বস্তু - এর প্রেক্ষাপটে আরেকটি অর্থ হল সত্য শিল্পের একটি শর্ত।

প্রতিটি ভাষার কবিতা সৌন্দর্য এবং সত্যকে উদযাপন করে। শিল্পও তাই করে। এখানে দুটি ভিন্ন সময়ের দুটি কবিতা রয়েছে যা সৌন্দর্য এবং সত্য সম্পর্কে কিছু স্থায়ী ধারণা উপস্থাপন করে। কবিতাগুলি রোমান্টিক ঐতিহ্যের একজন ইংরেজ কবি লর্ড বায়রন (১৭৮৮-১৮২৪) এবং আমেরিকান কবি এমিলি ডিকিনসন (১৮৩০-১৮৮৬) এর লেখা, যিনি মানব দৃশ্য, প্রেম এবং মৃত্যু সম্পর্কে লিখেছিলেন।

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Passage-2

1.           Read the passage and answer the questions following it

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 manifestation. 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.

A.  Choose the correct answer from the alternatives 5

a) What could be the closest meaning for ‘shackles of apartheid’ in the first paragraph?

i. Tentacles of domination ii. Bondages of slavery

iii. Manacles of racial discrimination iv. Chains of exploitation

b)  The word ‘reconciliation’ in the first paragraph refers to

i. memorization ii. recall iii. reuniting iv. Change

c)  ‘Resolve’ in the second paragraph could be replaced by

i. dissolve ii. determination iii. hesitation iv. Solution

d) Mandela spent around years behind the bars.

i. twenty ii. thirty iii. forty iv. Fifty

e)  The best synonym of ‘chasm’ is

i. exposition ii. rift iii. harmony iv. union.

B.  Answer the following questions 10

a) What, according to text, is apartheid?

b)  Mention three great achievements in Mandela's life.

c)  Why did Mandela want to break the manacles of apartheid?

d)  What does the expression ‘I have fought it all during my life; I will fight it now, and I will do so until

the end of my days’ mean?

e)  Do you find any  similarity  between  Mandela  and  Sheikh  Mujibur  Rahman?  If  any,  mention. Ans. to the Ques. No. Set-1

1A. Ans.:

a.       iii. Manacles of racial discrimination, b.  iii.  reuniting,  c.  ii.determination,  d.  ii.  thirty,  e.  ii.  rift,

1B. Ans.:

a.  According to text apartheid means the racial segregation prevailing in South Africa. It means the domination of the white over the black people of South Africa. Nelson Mandela is famous for breaking the manacles of apartheid from South Africa.

b.  Though Mandela had to suffer a lot, his achievements were noteworthy. His frist achievement was to break the manacles of apartheid. His second achievement was to become the first black president of South Africa. His third achievement was to win the Nobel Prize.

c.  Mandela wanted to break the manacles of apartheid because this very evil practice was responsible for the racial bigotry in South Africa. The manacles of apartheid confined the black people of South Africa inside the four walls of oppression.

d.   This very statement is the expression of Mandela's firm resolution to fight against racial bigotry. Mandela had an absolute abhorrence towards race discrimination. He fought against it and was ready to fight against till his last breath.

e.   I see some similarities between Nelson Mandela and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman fought respective countries. Finally, Mandela fought against the white rulers of his country. In the same way, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman fought against the Pakistani rulers. Then both of them were undisputable a presidents in their respective countries. Finally, both of them were would famous leaders.

Passage-3

3. Read the passage below and answer the questions following it.

Beauty is easy to appreciate but difficult to define. As we look around, we discover beauty in pleasurable objects and sights – in nature, in the laughter of children, in the kindness of strangers. But asked to define, we run into difficulties. Does beauty have an independent objective identity? Is it universal, or is it dependent on our sense perceptions? Does it lie in the eye of the beholder? -we ask ourselves. A further difficulty arises when beauty manifests itself not only by its presence, but by its absence as well, as when we are repulsed by ugliness and desire beauty. But then ugliness has as much a place in our lives as beauty, or may be more-as when there is widespread hunger and injustice in a society. Philosophers  have told us that beauty is an important part of life, but isn’t ugliness a part of life too? And if art has beauty as an important ingredient, can it confine itself only to a projection of beauty? Can art ignore what is not beautiful?

Poets and artists have provided an answer by incorporating both into their work. In doing so, they have often tied beauty to truth and justice, so that what is not beautiful assumes a tolerable proportion as something that represents some truth about life. John Keats, the romantic poet, wrote in his celebrated ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,’ by which he means that truth, even if it’s not pleasant, becomes beautiful at a higher level. Similarly, what is beautiful forever remains true. Another meaning, in the context of the Grecian Urn-an art object-is that truth is a condition of art.

Poetry in every language celebrates beauty and truth. So does art. Here are two poems from two different times that present some enduring ideas about beauty and truth. The poems are by Lord Byron (1788-1824), an English poet of the Romantic tradition, and Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), an American poet who wrote about the human scene, love and death.

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

(a)     Which of the following has the closest meaning of the word “pleasurable”?

(i) dissatisfaction   (ii) pain             (iii) offend         (iv) delightful

(b)     What is the closest meaning of the word “incorporate”?

(i) embody (ii) corporation (iii) incorporeal (iv) intangible

(c)     ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is written by ——-.

(i) Lord Byron         (ii) John Keats (iii) Wordsworth (iv) PB Shelly

(d)                  What does the word ‘tolerable’ mean?

(i) not so good                    (ii) bad              (iii) moderately good    (iv) tolerant

(e)     Lord Byron is a ——– poet?

(i)     Revolutionary (ii) Romantic (iii) Classical (iv) Modern

 Answer the following questions. 2´5=10

(a)     How can we discover beauty in our surroundings?

(b)     How much place does ugliness have in our life?

(c)     What is the name of the poet of “Ode and a Grecian Urn”?

(d)     Do you get any definition of beauty from the poem ‘She Walks in Beauty’?

(e)     What was Byron’s intention?