HSC English Paper Maharashtra Board

HI I would like to have the sample question paper of English Subject for the Higher Secondary School Certificate examination conducted by Maharashtra State Board of Higher Secondary Education?

[sumit]

The sample question paper of English Subject for the Higher Secondary School Certificate examination conducted by Maharashtra State Board of Higher Secondary Education is as follows:

Q1. (A) Read the following passage and answer the following questions. (11 marks)

Michael Dell's Two-Billion-Dollar Dream

One afternoon in 1977, as his parents and two brothers fished in the Gulf of Mexico, 12-year-old Michael Dell sat on the beach, painstakingly putting together a trotline, a maze of ropes to which several fish hooks could be attached. "You're wasting your time," the rest of the family called to Michael, as they pulled in fish. "Grab a pole and join in the fun.”

Michael kept working. It was dinnertime when he finished, and everyone else was ready to call it a day. Still, the youngster cast the trotline far into the water, anchoring it to a stick that he plunged deep in the sand.

Over dinner his family teased young Michael about coming away empty-handed. But afterward Michael reeled in his trotline, and on the hooks were more fish than the others had caught all together!

Michael Dell has always been fond of saying, "If you think you have a good idea, try it!" And today, at 29, he has discovered the power of another good idea that has helped him rise in just a few years from teen to tycoon. He has become the fourth-largest manufacturer of personal computers in America and the youngest man ever to head a Fortune 500 corporation.

Growing up in Houston, Michael and his two brothers were imbued by their parents with the desire to learn and the drive to work hard. Even so, stories about the middle boy began to be told early.

Like the time a saleswoman came asking to speak to "Mr. Michael Dell" about his getting a high-school equivalency diploma. Moments later, eight-year-old Michael was explaining that he thought it might be a good idea to get high school out of the way.

A few years later Michael had another good idea, to trade stamps by advertising in stamp magazines. With the $ 2000 profit he made, he bought his first personal computer. Then he took it apart to figure out how it worked.

In high school Michael had a job selling subscriptions to the Houston Post. Newlyweds, so he figured, were the best prospects, so he hired friends to copy the names and addresses of recent recipients of marriage licenses. These he entered into his computer, then sent a personalized letter offering each couple a free two-week subscription.

This time Dell made $18 000 and bought a BMW. The car salesman was flabbergasted when the 17-year-old paid cash.

Questions

1. Why was the car salesman flabbergasted? (1)
Answer: When Dell was 17 years old, he made $ 18,000 and bought an expensive BMW car by watching this the car salesman was flabbergasted.

2. State whether the following statements are true or false. (2)
i. In high school, Michael had a job of selling newspaper subscriptions. (True)
ii. At 29, Dell bought an expensive BMW car. (False)


3. How did Michael succeed in catching more fish? (2)
Answer: Michael Del had painstakingly put a trotline. He worked upto dinner time. He cast the trotline far into the water, anchoring it to a stick that he plunged deep in the sand. When he reeled in his trotline, and on the hooks were more fish than the others had caught all together.

4. What does Dell fondly say about any good idea? (2)
Answer: Dell has always been fond of saying, "If you think you have a good idea, try it!" about any good idea.

5. Do as directed: (3)

1. What do these words stand for?

OPEC, NASA, WHO

Answer: OPEC = Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

WHO = World Health Organization.

2. What are the above abbreviated forms called?

Answer: They are called acronyms.

3. Everyone else was ready to call it a day.

That has helped him rise in just a few years from teen to tycoon.

(What do the underlined expressions mean?

Ans. Call it a day = stop doing something

from teen to tycoon = from a teenager to a wealthy businessman.


6. Write word from the passage which related to the phrase 'with great care of trouble'

Ans. Painstakingly

B. Grammar:

Do as directed: (4 marks)
1. Multani mitti takes its name from a place in Pakistan. (Rewrite using the Present perfect tense.)
Multani mitti has taken its name from a place in Pakistan.
2. He was unable to see their act. (Rewrite using ‘could’)
He could not see their act.
3. I’d see you and run to get in your path. (Rewrite using ‘used to’)
I used to see you and run to get in your path.
4. He’d need a massive home library. (Add a question tag.)

He’d need a massive home library, wouldn’t he?

Q2 (A) : Read the following passage and answer the questions: (11)


To me, a world without poverty means that every person would have the ability to take care of his or her own basic life needs. In such a world, nobody would die of hunger or suffer from malnutrition. This is a goal world leaders have been calling for decades, but have never any way of achieving it.

Today 40,000 children die each day around the world from hunger – related diseases. In a poverty – free world, no children would die of such causes.

Everybody in every part of the globe would have access to education and health – care services because he or she would be able to afford them. Unlike today, the state would not be required to provide free or subsidized health – care or schooling.

All state organizations created to provide free or subsidized services for the poor would no longer be required and could be done away with.
Thus, no need to welfare, or local welfare agencies, or the national welfare department. No need for hand – outs, no sup – kitchens, no food stamps, no free schools, no free hospital care, no begging in the streets.

State – run safety – net programme would have no rationale for existence because no one would live on charity any more. State – run social security programmes, income – support programmes would be unnecessary.

Social structures in a poverty – free world would, of course, be quite different from those that exist in a poverty – ridden world. But nobody would be at the mercy of anyone else, and that is what would make all the difference between a world without poverty and one riddled with it.

Finally, a poverty – free world would be economically much stronger and far more stable than the world today.


Questions:
1. State whether the following sentences are true or false. (1)
(i) Today 25,000 children die daily around the world from hunger related diseases. (False)

(ii) Finally, a poverty – free world would he economically less stronger and far more stable than the world today. (False)

2. What, according to the writer, would the 'world without poverty' be like? (2)
Answer: According to the writer, the ' world without poverty' be economically much stronger and far more stable than the world today.

3. What would happen to the charitable trust and state organizations helping to poor, if there were no poverty? (2)
Answer: All state organizations created to provide free or subsidized services for the poor would no longer be required. Thus, no need for welfare, or local welfare agencies, or the national welfare department.

4. How does the social structure in poverty – free world look like? (2)
Answer: Social structures in a poverty – free world would, be quite different from those that exist in a poverty – ridden world. But in that world nobody would have mercy on anyone and it would make all the difference between a world without poverty and on riddled with it.

5. Do as directed: (3)

(i) It became too dark to read easily.(remove too)
Ans. It became so dark that one could not read easily.
(ii) I do not remember. (Make it affirmative)
Ans. I fail to remember.
(iii) They always come in time. (add a question tag)
Ans. They always come in time, don’t they?


6. . Give noun forms of the following adding suffixes. (1)
a. Enjoy b. prefer
Answer:

a. Enjoyment b. preference

B. Note – making (4 marks)

Draw Tree Diagram with the help of following points. A Tissue may be defined as a group of cells having some shape, size, origin, function and the same type of development. Tissues are basically classified into two groups namely, meristematic tissues, and permanent tissues. Meristematic tissues are divided into two, these are position based and origin based. Permanent tissues are further divided into two groups. They are simple tissues and complex tissues. On their basis of their position in the plant body meristematic tissues are classified as aplicle – intercalary, and lateral. On the basis of origin, meristematic tissues are divided into 3 groups; they are Pro – meristem, Primary – meristem and secondary – meristem. Simple tissues are classified into 3 groups, namely parenchyma, collechyma, sclerenchyma, The two complex tissues are found in vascular plant. They are xylem and phloem.