CLASS 10 - UNSEEN PASSAGE [12 MARKS]

Q 2. Read the passage Carefully. [12]

Children in India live in diverse circumstances and have diverse needs and rights. Along with their need to be educated, healthy and skillful, they need, and have rights to adequate nutrition, to live in a safe and supportive environment, have opportunities to reach their optimal , potential and generally lead healthy, joyful and fulfilling lives so that they can be productive and well-adjusted citizens of tomorrow.

Children in our country face many challenges. Many of them are first generation learners and face myriad problems throughout their schooling. They, due to the socio-economic and cultural determinants may be vulnerable in many ways. Peer pressure and lack of positive role models may prompt them to make unsafe and unhealthy choices. Anxiety and depression amongst the students, to the point of turning them suicidal, have been a cause of concern in the recent past.

Girls are more vulnerable and face discrimination at many levels from being unwelcome since birth to being pulled out of school for a variety of reasons. Dropping out of school, low motivation for academics and general disinterest in sports and physical activities too are some of the problems that need to be addressed. Child malnutrition is rampant in most parts of the country. This has an adverse bearing on their cognitive capacities, learning performance and physical capacity.

Our children have a right to age appropriate education, skills building, a safe and supportive environment, positive role models, empowerment, and friendly health services and counselling. Well informed and skilled children are likely to make better decisions concerning not only their careers and relationships, habits, physical and mental health, but will be successful and an asset to the society.

They also need to understand and deal with emerging issues like newly available career choices, pollution, water and energy conservation, global warming, protection of environment, terrorism and disasters. Dealing with anxiety and depression, negative peer pressure, violence, accidents, are some other significant issues that impact individual’s health and also the social, economic and health indicators of the country. Gender sensitivity, prevention of female infanticide and good parenting are some important social issues that all children need to understand. Children require guidance and assistance- both covert and overt from their parents, teachers, peers and society in general to complete the various “tasks” of development and deal with such issues.

Difficult Words

Adequate-sufficient

Myriad-in-numerable

Peer-of same age

Vulnerable-weak

Rampant-out of control

Disasters-tragedies 

Infanticide-murdering of an infant

2.1 On the basis of your reading of the above extract, answer the following questions in 30-40 words each: [4 x 2 = 8]

a. What makes girls’ lives more challenging?

b. How does malnutrition affect the children?

c. How are well informed children better than the other children?

d. What are the social issues which the children have to deal with?

e. What can children expect while dealing with various social issues?

Answer:

a. Girls have to face discrimination at many levels from being unwelcome since birth to being pulled out of school for a variety of reasons. [2]

b. Malnutrition has an adverse bearing on their cognitive capacities, learning performance and physical capacity. [2]

c. Well informed children are likely to make better decisions concerning not only their careers, relationships, habits, physical and mental health, but will also be successful and an asset to the society. [2]

d. Gender sensitivity, prevention of female foeticide and good parenting are some important social issues that all children need to understand. [2]

e. Children can expect guidance and assistance—both covert and overt-from their parents, teachers, peers and society in general to complete the various “tasks” of development and deal with such issues. [2]

2.2 On the basis of your reading of the above extract, answer the following: [4 x 1 = 4]

a. Identify the meaning of the word ‘a great number’ (Para 2)

b. Identify a word which means same as “easily hurt”. (Para 3)

(i) vulnerable

(ii) discrimination

(iii) malnutrition

(iv) motivation

c. Identify a word which means the same as ‘a valuable person or thing’. (para 4)

(i) appropriate

(ii) asset

(iii) adverse

(iv) cognitive

d. Identify a word which means the opposite of ‘covered’. (para 5)

e. The antonym of sensitivity in para 5 is ……………………

 

Answer:

a. (iii) myriad

b. (i) vulnerable

c. (ii) asset

d. overt

e. indifference