JSC English First Model 2

English First Paper

Time: 2.30 Full Marks: 100

Part A: Reading Test -60

Read the text and answer the questions 1, 2 and 3:

Thousands of years ago, the first pearl was probably discovered while human beings were searching for food at the sea shore. Throughout history the pearl with its shine has been one of the most highly valued gems. Pearls have been mentioned many times in religious texts and mythologies from the earliest times. The ancient Egyptians valued pearls so much that they were buried with them. It is said that, the famous queen of Egypt Cleopatra would dissolve a pearl in a glass and drink it as a sign of love and respect for the entire nation. The Greeks thought the pearls as a sign of wealth and social position. The beauty of pearls was associated with love and marriage. In ancient Rome, pearls were considered the greatest sign of wealth and social status. At that time the young women of noble families loved to wear beautiful pearl necklaces. The brave knights used to wear them in the battles for good luck.

1. Guess the meaning of the following words and choose the correct meaning closest to the text: 1×5=05

i. The word 'Status' means___

a. ravishing b. depression c. exertion d. position

ii. Women like to wear necklaces in ___.

a. Ancient Rome b. Egyptian

c. Bangladesh d. all ages & places

iii. The word 'Value' means'___

a. image b. construct c. currency d. validity

iv. The word 'Dissolve' stands for___

a. soften b. separate c. break d. absolve

v.The word 'Beauty' means___

a. smart b. attractiveness c. gorgeous d. natural

2. Answer the following questions: 2×5=10

a. How did people discover the pearls?

b. Why is pearl one of the most valuable gems?

c. How did the Egyptians value it?

d. Why did Cleopatra dissolve the pearls?

e. Why were pearls considered as the greatest sign of social status?

3. Summaries the text in section A in your own words (around 60 words) 10

Read the text below and answer the questions (4 & 5) that follow.

Bird-watching has been a favourite pastime for many nature-lovers. People’s interest in birds goes way back into the past when some birds were actually worshipped as messengers of the gods in ancient Egyptian as well as in other cultures. Bird-watching these days is done for the fun of finding out more about our feathered friends and contributing to our knowledge about them. In recent years, birds have become the barometers of ecological changes around us. Bird-watchers have made important contributions towards providing information about which birds have vanished from which areas or become extinct altogether, what factors are contributing towards their extinction, or what factors are having bad effects on their habitation. Bird-watching requires a lot of perseverance and might cover days, months or years, through summer or winter, heat or rain to observe the seasonal habits of birds. Real enthusiasts have even gone to remote islands to observe birds. Bird-watching is quite well-known in the western world now and many travel agencies can also provide information on regions which are good for bird-watching.

4. Complete the following table with the information given in the passage. 1×5=05

Who, what	Description
Bird-watching
Egyptian
	extinct
Real enthusisasts
	western world

5. Write True/False, If false give the correct information. 1×5=05

(a) It is very easy to observe the habits of bird watching.

(b) Most of the birds are now under the threat of extinction.

(d) Bird-watching is very popular in western world.

(e) Bird-watching needs a lot of perseverance.

6. Fill in the gaps with appropriate word. 1×5 = 5

Trees are our best (a) —–. They are a great (b) —– of food and vitamins, shelter and oxygen. They make the (c) —– fertile. Trees make the (d) —– strong. Trees save us from (e) —– and many natural calamities.

7. Rearrange the following sentences in correct order. 1×10 = 10

a) Dickens had to work in a factory at the age of twelve.

b) He could not go to school and receive education.

c) Even during his life time he was very popular.

d) He wrote some of the best novels in English literature.

e) Charles Dickens was one of the greatest English novelists of the 19th century.

f) Dickens died on June 9, 1870.

g) When he was a small boy, his father was sent to prison for debt.

h) He was born on February 7, 1812.

i) He became well-known as a writer when he was only twenty-five.

j) He never forgot the hard experiences of his boyhood.

8. Fill in the gaps using clues from the boxes. There are more words than necessary. 1×5 = 5

patriot	unique	love	and	of	Civilization
human	progress	does	the	it	older

Patriotism is an inherent quality of a) ____being. It creates in man a b) ____love for his motherland, the land c) ____ his birth. Patriotism is older than d)____. Any man who loves his country e) _____his own duty and works for f) ____ progress of his country is a g) _____. Even the ancient tribes had great h) _____ for the land where they lived i) _____ they sacrificed their lives to preserve j) _____.

9. Match the phrases in column A with the phrases in column B to make the sentences complete. 1×5 = 5

Column A	Column B
(i) Every country has a	(a) in size and is very nice to look at.
(ii) We achieved it after nine months	(b) national flag of her own.
(iii) Our national flag is rectangular	(c) and the remaining portion is bottle green in color.
(iv) It may be of different sizes but its length	d) war of liberation in 1971.
(v) The round middle portion is red	(e) And breadth must be in the ratio 1: 6.