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Character sketch of APJ Abdul Kalam from the chapter my childhood
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Who were the author’s colleagues at Amnesty?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Who were the author’s colleagues at Amnesty?
[2 Marks]
- Political prisoners who were in jail
- Ex-political prisoners who were displaced from their homes
- Ex-political prisoners who were part-time authors
Q. Read the passage given below.
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Which age group of males has shown the highest growth of literacy rate over the first decade?
[0.8 mark]
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
| Years | Age Group | 7-9 | 10-14 | 15-19 | All ages | 7 & above |
| 1991 | Male | 62.6 | 77.0 | 75.3 | 52.7 | 64.0 |
| Female | 51.0 | 59.7 | 54.9 | 32.2 | 39.0 | |
| Person | 56.9 | 68.8 | 65.8 | 42.8 | 52.0 | |
| 2001 | Male | 74.1 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 63.2 | 75.3 |
| Female | 67.7 | 77.0 | 72.7 | 45.2 | 53.7 | |
| Person | 71.0 | 81.7 | 79.3 | 54.5 | 64.9 | |
| 2011 | Male | 83.2 | 92.2 | 91.2 | 69.8 | 80.9 |
| Female | 81.2 | 90.0 | 86.2 | 56.0 | 64.6 | |
| Person | 82.2 | 91.1 | 88.8 | 63.1 | 73.0 |
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Which age group of males has shown the highest growth of literacy rate over the first decade?
[0.8 mark]
- 7-9
- 10-14
- 15-19
- All ages
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the quote that best captures the central idea of the passage.
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the quote that best captures the central idea of the passage.
[0.8 mark]
- We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
- Stacia Tauscher - Children need models rather than critics.
- Joseph Joubert - Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.
- Henry Ward Beecher - Children make your life important.
- Erma Bombeck
Q. Read the passage given below.
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Select the option that gives the correct meaning of the following statement.
The female literacy rate for the age group of 15-19 years in 2001 accounted for the reduction in the gender gap in literacy rate.
[0.8 mark]
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
| Years | Age Group | 7-9 | 10-14 | 15-19 | All ages | 7 & above |
| 1991 | Male | 62.6 | 77.0 | 75.3 | 52.7 | 64.0 |
| Female | 51.0 | 59.7 | 54.9 | 32.2 | 39.0 | |
| Person | 56.9 | 68.8 | 65.8 | 42.8 | 52.0 | |
| 2001 | Male | 74.1 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 63.2 | 75.3 |
| Female | 67.7 | 77.0 | 72.7 | 45.2 | 53.7 | |
| Person | 71.0 | 81.7 | 79.3 | 54.5 | 64.9 | |
| 2011 | Male | 83.2 | 92.2 | 91.2 | 69.8 | 80.9 |
| Female | 81.2 | 90.0 | 86.2 | 56.0 | 64.6 | |
| Person | 82.2 | 91.1 | 88.8 | 63.1 | 73.0 |
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Select the option that gives the correct meaning of the following statement.
The female literacy rate for the age group of 15-19 years in 2001 accounted for the reduction in the gender gap in literacy rate.
[0.8 mark]
- There was no major improvement in the literacy rate of children from 2001-2011.
- The ratio of male and female literacy rates is almost constant from 1991-2011 for the age group of 15-19 years.
- There was a major increase in the female literacy rate from 2001 to 2011.
- The female literacy rate increased the most for the age group of 15-19 years between 1991-2001.
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Being ________ and ________ are some effects associated with the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Being ________ and ________ are some effects associated with the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
[0.8 mark]
- aloof, emotionally indifferent
- independent and disciplined
- sociable, flexible
- confident, happy
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following is a possible negative consequence of being a boarding school learner?
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following is a possible negative consequence of being a boarding school learner?
[0.8 mark]
- Experimental learning opportunities
- Psychological splitting
- being well-behaved and disciplined
- Becoming independent
Q. Read the passage given below.
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Choose the option which makes an incorrect statement.
[0.8 mark]
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
| Years | Age Group | 7-9 | 10-14 | 15-19 | All ages | 7 & above |
| 1991 | Male | 62.6 | 77.0 | 75.3 | 52.7 | 64.0 |
| Female | 51.0 | 59.7 | 54.9 | 32.2 | 39.0 | |
| Person | 56.9 | 68.8 | 65.8 | 42.8 | 52.0 | |
| 2001 | Male | 74.1 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 63.2 | 75.3 |
| Female | 67.7 | 77.0 | 72.7 | 45.2 | 53.7 | |
| Person | 71.0 | 81.7 | 79.3 | 54.5 | 64.9 | |
| 2011 | Male | 83.2 | 92.2 | 91.2 | 69.8 | 80.9 |
| Female | 81.2 | 90.0 | 86.2 | 56.0 | 64.6 | |
| Person | 82.2 | 91.1 | 88.8 | 63.1 | 73.0 |
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Choose the option which makes an incorrect statement.
[0.8 mark]
- Female literacy rate is increasing at a lower rate than the male literacy rate.
- Gender gap in the literacy rate is gradually decreasing.
- Overall literacy rate is gradually increasing.
- Female literacy rate is lower than the male literacy rate.
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why does the author feel that imagination is important?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why does the author feel that imagination is important?
[2 Marks]
- It is the stepping stone to innovation and invention
- It helped her write bedtime stories which later became the Harry Potter series
- It enables humans to empathise with others without sharing their experience
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
The ultimate intention of the author is to _____ the reader of this passage about the effects of boarding schools on children.
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
The ultimate intention of the author is to _____ the reader of this passage about the effects of boarding schools on children.
[0.8 mark]
- justify
- threaten
- inform
- amuse
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
What did the author learn through her experience at Amnesty International?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
What did the author learn through her experience at Amnesty International?
[2 Marks]
- How to write stories from her imagination
- The lengths people went to gain and maintain power
- The evil humans inflict on one another for power, and the goodness of humans
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Envision
[1 Mark]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Envision
[1 Mark]
- To imagine
- To see
- To listen
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the option that uses the word “foster” as used in the passage.
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the option that uses the word “foster” as used in the passage.
[0.8 mark]
- To _____ knowledge should be the primary motive of a teacher.
- The facilities of this luxurious hotel _____ middle-class people from going there.
- The oppositions of the ruling party tried to _____ their work against corruption.
- The kidnapper tried to _____ the child from meeting his parents.
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why does the author think she is fortunate?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why does the author think she is fortunate?
[2 Marks]
- She has a job that enables her to pay rent.
- She can feel compassionate for other individuals through her imagination.
- She lives in a democratic country where everyone has equal rights.
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which type of child might develop social phobias in a residential school?
I. Flexible
II. Sensitive
III. Isolated
IV. Sociable
[0.8 Mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which type of child might develop social phobias in a residential school?
I. Flexible
II. Sensitive
III. Isolated
IV. Sociable
[0.8 Mark]
- I and IV
- II, III, and IV
- I, II, and IV
- II and III
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why will the author never forget the young man from Africa?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Why will the author never forget the young man from Africa?
[2 Marks]
- He was a survivor of torture in his homeland
- He was the same age as her
- He showed her immense kindness despite the pain he had been through
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following can lead parents to send their children to a boarding school?
I. Social conditions within the family
II. Provision of high-quality education
III. Intent to make the child independent and disciplined
IV. Exploration of new learning opportunities
[0.8 Mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following can lead parents to send their children to a boarding school?
I. Social conditions within the family
II. Provision of high-quality education
III. Intent to make the child independent and disciplined
IV. Exploration of new learning opportunities
[0.8 Mark]
- Only I
- Both I and II
- I, II, and IV
- All of the above
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Where did the author work in her early twenties?
[2 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
Where did the author work in her early twenties?
[2 Marks]
- African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters
- Asian research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters
- UK research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Temerity
[1 Mark]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Temerity
[1 Mark]
- Angry
- Fear
- Extremely bold
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Escorting
[1 Mark]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
For the word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided:
Escorting
[1 Mark]
- To accompany somebody to a location
- To force somebody into a location
- To protect somebody in danger
Q. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
What was the author exposed to, during her time at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London? Which of the following combination of sentences best summarizes the answer?
[5 Marks]
Now you might think that I chose my theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.
One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.
There in my little office, I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.
Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.
I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.
Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.
Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read. And yet I also learned more about human goodness than I had ever known before.
- Excerpt from a speech by J.K.Rowling
What was the author exposed to, during her time at the African research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London? Which of the following combination of sentences best summarizes the answer?
[5 Marks]
- She read hastily scribbled letters written by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them and read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. Many of her co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments. She can never forget the scream of a man who just heard about his mother’s death due to his outspokenness against his country’s regime.
- She read hastily scribbled letters written by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them and read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. She used the experience she gained while writing Harry Potter to more easily empathise with her colleagues who were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments.
- She read hastily scribbled letters written by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. She wrote stories about her experiences during her lunch hours. One such story is about a man who just heard about his mother’s death due to his outspokenness against his country’s regime. She can never forget the scream and pain of horror she heard as he was told about the unfortunate incident by her co-worker in a private room.
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the option that best summarises the passage.
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Select the option that best summarises the passage.
[0.8 mark]
- Boarding school is always a better choice than non-residential schools for the all-round development of a child.
- Boarding schools negatively affect the child’s psychology.
- Boarding schools offer a better education than day schools.
- Boarding schools impact different children differently.
Q. Read the passage given below.
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Which of the following statements best supports the author’s claim that the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually declining over the years?
[0.8 mark]
Education is the most powerful tool which can lead to positive changes in different sectors like economic development, improvement in health conditions, better environment, etc. School education lays the foundation stone for the child’s future. An assessment of the level of education in India is important while examining the conditions of children in India.
The literacy rate is one of the most important indicators of social development and is closely related to the socio-economic growth of any country. The literacy rate of the population is defined as ‘the percentage of literates to the total population age 7 years and above’. The literacy rate in India has been growing consistently over the years and stands at 73% as per the 2011 census. The female literacy rate (64.6%) is still much lower than the male literacy rate (80.9%). However, the increase in literacy rate is comparatively higher in the case of females in all age groups. Thus, the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually decreasing over the years and has come down from 21.6% in 2001 to 16.3% in 2011. However, the literacy rate among children (considering the age group 7-18 years) stands at 88.3%, and the gender gap observed for this age group was 2.9 percentage points in 2011. The percentage of literate by age and sex is tabulated as follows:
| Years | Age Group | 7-9 | 10-14 | 15-19 | All ages | 7 & above |
| 1991 | Male | 62.6 | 77.0 | 75.3 | 52.7 | 64.0 |
| Female | 51.0 | 59.7 | 54.9 | 32.2 | 39.0 | |
| Person | 56.9 | 68.8 | 65.8 | 42.8 | 52.0 | |
| 2001 | Male | 74.1 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 63.2 | 75.3 |
| Female | 67.7 | 77.0 | 72.7 | 45.2 | 53.7 | |
| Person | 71.0 | 81.7 | 79.3 | 54.5 | 64.9 | |
| 2011 | Male | 83.2 | 92.2 | 91.2 | 69.8 | 80.9 |
| Female | 81.2 | 90.0 | 86.2 | 56.0 | 64.6 | |
| Person | 82.2 | 91.1 | 88.8 | 63.1 | 73.0 |
The highest recorded literacy rate among the age group 7-19 years is in Kerala (97.9%) and the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh (78.8%) as per census 2011. Many States have achieved above 95% literacy rate for the population for the age group 7-19 years whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar have recorded literacy rates below 80% also.
Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and their sustainable development. Major progress has been made towards enhancing access to education at all levels and improving enrolment rates in schools, particularly for girls. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet further efforts are needed to make even greater strides for achieving universal education goals. India has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but still, there is much more to be achieved regarding quality and coverage at all levels of education.
(Source: http://mospi.nic.in)
Based on your understanding of the passage, attempt the questions that follow.
Which of the following statements best supports the author’s claim that the gender gap in literacy rate is gradually declining over the years?
[0.8 mark]
- The gender gap in literacy rate was 21.6% in 2011.
- The gender gap in literacy rate was 16.3% in 2001.
- The literacy rate among the female population was 32.2% % in 1991.
- The literacy rate gap between the genders decreased by 5.3% over ten years.
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
What is the tone of this passage?
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
What is the tone of this passage?
[0.8 mark]
- Provocative
- Humorous
- Cynical
- Reflective
Q. Read the passage given below.
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following will be the most appropriate title of the passage?
[0.8 mark]
Boarding schools are widely believed to foster discipline and growth in children, especially those with a low-income family environment at home or from local schools with poor education. Also called residential schools, boarding schools are known to offer healthier and sometimes more experimental learning options, which make them an attractive choice for parents. Amidst all the conversations about what’s best for a child, however, it’s not just a school's educational quality that needs to be considered. It should be imperative to consider a child’s mental health, which influences their learning ability when deciding to send them away.
A child can grow more independent, disciplined, and well-rounded after going away to learn at a boarding school — but this isn’t a universal phenomenon. If a child is inherently flexible, not highly sensitive, and has been in social circles before, boarding school can be a good experience. But if a child has an intricately sensitive personality, then boarding school can be toxic. In a sensitive, isolated, and emotionally scarred child, the chances of developing childhood depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobias are very high.
Children are often sent to boarding schools because the parents are not getting along well and need to distance the kid from problems at home. The kid could then feel guilty for causing problems and see being sent to boarding school as a punishment rather than a learning experience. Away from home, the child finds a lack of intimate contact and love, forcing them to construct an armour around themselves to protect them from the intensity of emotion they are not yet equipped to handle.
When a child grows at home, their environment and family adjust themselves around the child's evolving personality. At boarding school, however, the process is reversed, leading to a “psychological splitting”. While the child learns skills to be independent and disciplined at boarding school and appears to be well-adjusted, it’s merely a shield to protect the vulnerable self, which results in a cluster of symptoms called the “Boarding School Syndrome”.
The child then makes no emotional demands but also no longer recognizes the need for intimacy. This unconscious behavioural pattern can extend into adulthood. It is important to note that every child is different, and no two children will have the same reaction to boarding schools. For example, a child at 13 is more mature, psychologically and physically, than a preparatory school child. At 16, some make an informed choice to complete their education away from home. The ideal decision-making process should involve a medical health professional who can evaluate the child with the help of sessions and psychometric tests.
(Source: https://theswaddle.com/boarding-schools-are-only-advantageous-for-kids-equipped-to-handle-them/)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow.
Which of the following will be the most appropriate title of the passage?
[0.8 mark]
- Boarding schools: A second home to children
- Boarding schools: A need of our time
- Are boarding schools much-needed for our future generation?
- Boarding schools and children: A psychological approach
