Section A : READING

15 Marks

UNIT ASSIGNMENT 1
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1. Read the following passage carefully:

Grade:
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(8 marks)

Vegetarianism promotes a natural way of life. But despite its implicit message of universal love
and non-violence it has spread, as it should have. This may be because it usually is an inwardlooking habit and is best cultivated in the mind. Leading a vegetarian way of life helps the animal
kingdom to coexist with man. The animals supply milk, manure and energy. This has been central
to the Indian culture for thousands of years. A vegetarian lifestyle is natural, multifaceted and
helps self-preservation in a healthy way. Food and health are closely related. In India a vegetarian
is usually a lacto-vegetarian. In the Western world vegetarians are sub-divided as vegans (pure
vegetarian who do not take any food coming from animal kingdom), lacto-vegetarians, who use
dairy products of the animal kingdom and lacto-vegetarians. The last category includes eggs, in
addition to dairy products. The Western science of food considers food as something to sustain
only the human body, whereas the Indian science considers food as something which sustains
not only the body, but also maintains the purity of heart, mind and the soul. Thus an item of food
which is injurious to the mind is not considered to be fit for consumption, even if it is otherwise
beneficial to the body or satisfies the taste. Indian food science does not give so much importance
to protein or even to the balanced diet but gives importance to food that increases the strength of
the body and its virility. Vegetarian foods provide an infinite variety of flavours whereas nonvegetarian foods have hardly any taste of their own. In fact, non-vegetarian foods have to be
seasoned with ingredients from the vegetable kingdom to make them palatable. In most sports
disciplines, vegetarians lead in endurance tests. You are what you eat is an old saying and it is
a fact that it is the food that makes the man. The food we eat, its quality, quantity, its timing and
combination is of utmost importance to healthy life. It is significant to note that in USA nearly 30
to 40 million people have adopted vegetarianism in the last decade. More and more intellectuals
in U.K, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, Mexico, Russia and its former allies are
gradually turning to vegetarian diet not only on ethical and humanitarian grounds but also for
health and ecological reasons. In UK, surveys have shown that the medical bills of vegetarians
are considerably lower than the non-vegetarians. Further, the premium rates of insurance in some
categories are also lower than those of non-vegetarians. Extensive studies by a group of Mumbai
doctors have confirmed that non-vegetarianism offers protection from coronary diseases. It
prevents and helps management of most of the gastro-intestinal diseases and is suitable for all
non-insulin dependent and insulin-dependent diabetics. Nephrologists use the diet as a major part
of their therapeutics. A vegetarian diet is more useful in the treatment of liver disorders including
the last stage of liver failure, when the dietary intake of fat is to be reduced. Vegetarians tend to
have lower blood pressure. Lacto-vegetarian diets with their high fibre content, low acid and high
vitamin and minerals prevent and to a certain extent relieve the pain felt with the progression of
arthritis.
I. Answer the following questions briefly:
(1 4 = 4 marks)
1. Unlike the Western science of food the Indian science considers food as something which
sustains not only human body, but also ....................... .

ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

2. There is little consideration of protein or balanced diet in Indian food science as ................... .
3. Non-vegetarian foods lack taste of their own because ....................... .
4. People in many countries are gradually turning to vegetarianism in order to ....................... .
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II. Fill in the blanks with ONE word only:

( 4 = 2 marks)

Here the author highlights the advantages of (a) ....................... lifestyle which is (b) .......................
and keeps one (c) ....................... . One must not ignore that there is close (d) ....................... between
food and health.
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ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

III. Find a word in the passage that means the following:

(a) strength / energy
(b) having a pleasant taste

(1 2 = 2 marks)

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2. Read the following passage carefully:
(1 7 = 7 marks)
Haridwar, like other places of Hindu pilgrimage, has become terribly commercialised. Apart from
common beggars and ash-smeared sadhus ever eager to receive dakshina, there are innumerable
well-dressed men armed with receipt books who accost you for donations for unknown orphanages,
gowshalas or for guru-ka-langar. And pandas by the scores reveal your ancestry and perform every
kind of ritual on the spot. Prices for participating in the aarti are graded according to the size of
your purse. I was familiar with all that, yet some elementary force pulls me towards Haridwar to
watch the ritual of sunset worship. Perhaps, because it was here that I immersed the ashes of
my grandfather exactly 50 years ago.
On the stand Har ki Paudi, we await the bewitching hour. Clouds gather over the Mansa Devi hill
and a few big drops of rainfall. A strong wind picks up; perhaps we will get a hailstorm. I dont
care; come what may, I am determined to complete my pilgrimage. The sun goes behind the hills,
the shades of twilight gather the ghats in their fold. A temple gong announces the start of the
ritual. Priests come down the steps bearing candelabras of oil-lamps and stand with their feet in
the river. They wave their clusters of lamps in a circular motion touching their base to the stream.
The chanting begins. Every temple along the ghat resounds with the tinkling of bells and beating
of gongs. Conch shells blow and over loudspeakers come the chant Jai Gangey Mata.
Source: Sights and Sounds of the World by Khushwant Singh
Answer the following questions by choosing an appropriate option from those given below:
1. Once you visit Haridwar, you will find it
(a) very much commercialised
(c) isolated from other cities

(b) very much modernised

(d) cut-off from the main roads.

2. The author has come to Haridwar to

(a) take a holy dip in the Ganga
(c) take photographs of sunset aarti

(b) meet his friend living there

(d) watch the ritual of sunset worship.

3. The expression the bewitching hour here means

(a) very difficult time
(b) very interesting time
(c) very dull period of life
(d) a life of isolation.
4. Explain: I am determined to complete my pilgrimage.
(a) Inspite of bad weather the author goes to meet a panda on the bank of the Ganga
(b) Inspite of bad weather the author goes to immerse the ashes of his grandfather in the Ganga
(c) The author does not care the rainfall and goes to watch the sunset aarti
(d) The author decides to give dakshina to the priests.

ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

5. Pilgrimage is a
(a) pleasure trip
(c) educational trip

(b) religious journey

(d) world tour.

6. The temple going announces

(a) the closure of temple
(c) beginning of the ritual

(b) end of prayer

(d) start of the day.

7. The word accost means

(a) to go up to somebody and speak to them
(c) to cheat

(b) to help someone in need

(d) to grow up naturally.

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Total/15 Marks

ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX