5ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

Name:

Class: Section:

Roll No.: Date:

UNIT ASSIGNMENT 1Marks:

Grade:

Teachers Sign

Section A : READING 15 Marks

1. Read the following passage carefully: (8 marks)Vegetarianism promotes a natural way of life. But despite its implicit message of universal loveand non-violence it has spread, as it should have. This may be because it usually is an inward-looking habit and is best cultivated in the mind. Leading a vegetarian way of life helps the animalkingdom to coexist with man. The animals supply milk, manure and energy. This has been centralto the Indian culture for thousands of years. A vegetarian lifestyle is natural, multifaceted andhelps self-preservation in a healthy way. Food and health are closely related. In India a vegetarianis usually a lacto-vegetarian. In the Western world vegetarians are sub-divided as vegans (purevegetarian who do not take any food coming from animal kingdom), lacto-vegetarians, who usedairy products of the animal kingdom and lacto-vegetarians. The last category includes eggs, inaddition to dairy products. The Western science of food considers food as something to sustainonly the human body, whereas the Indian science considers food as something which sustainsnot only the body, but also maintains the purity of heart, mind and the soul. Thus an item of foodwhich is injurious to the mind is not considered to be fit for consumption, even if it is otherwisebeneficial to the body or satisfies the taste. Indian food science does not give so much importanceto protein or even to the balanced diet but gives importance to food that increases the strength ofthe body and its virility. Vegetarian foods provide an infinite variety of flavours whereas non-vegetarian foods have hardly any taste of their own. In fact, non-vegetarian foods have to beseasoned with ingredients from the vegetable kingdom to make them palatable. In most sportsdisciplines, vegetarians lead in endurance tests. You are what you eat is an old saying and it isa fact that it is the food that makes the man. The food we eat, its quality, quantity, its timing andcombination is of utmost importance to healthy life. It is significant to note that in USA nearly 30to 40 million people have adopted vegetarianism in the last decade. More and more intellectualsin U.K, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, Mexico, Russia and its former allies aregradually turning to vegetarian diet not only on ethical and humanitarian grounds but also forhealth and ecological reasons. In UK, surveys have shown that the medical bills of vegetariansare considerably lower than the non-vegetarians. Further, the premium rates of insurance in somecategories are also lower than those of non-vegetarians. Extensive studies by a group of Mumbaidoctors have confirmed that non-vegetarianism offers protection from coronary diseases. Itprevents and helps management of most of the gastro-intestinal diseases and is suitable for allnon-insulin dependent and insulin-dependent diabetics. Nephrologists use the diet as a major partof their therapeutics. A vegetarian diet is more useful in the treatment of liver disorders includingthe last stage of liver failure, when the dietary intake of fat is to be reduced. Vegetarians tend tohave lower blood pressure. Lacto-vegetarian diets with their high fibre content, low acid and highvitamin and minerals prevent and to a certain extent relieve the pain felt with the progression ofarthritis.

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 ....................... .

6 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 ....................... .

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

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) ....................... betweenfood and health.

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

7ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

III. Find a word in the passage that means the following: (1 2 = 2 marks)(a) strength / energy (b) having a pleasant taste

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

2. Read the following passage carefully: (1 7 = 7 marks)Haridwar, like other places of Hindu pilgrimage, has become terribly commercialised. Apart fromcommon beggars and ash-smeared sadhus ever eager to receive dakshina, there are innumerablewell-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 everykind of ritual on the spot. Prices for participating in the aarti are graded according to the size ofyour purse. I was familiar with all that, yet some elementary force pulls me towards Haridwar towatch the ritual of sunset worship. Perhaps, because it was here that I immersed the ashes ofmy grandfather exactly 50 years ago.On the stand Har ki Paudi, we await the bewitching hour. Clouds gather over the Mansa Devi hilland a few big drops of rainfall. A strong wind picks up; perhaps we will get a hailstorm. I dontcare; 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 theritual. Priests come down the steps bearing candelabras of oil-lamps and stand with their feet inthe 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 beatingof gongs. Conch shells blow and over loudspeakers come the chant Jai Gangey Mata.

Source: Sights and Sounds of the World by Khushwant SinghAnswer 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 (b) very much modernised(c) isolated from other cities (d) cut-off from the main roads.

2. The author has come to Haridwar to(a) take a holy dip in the Ganga (b) meet his friend living there(c) take photographs of sunset aarti (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.

8 ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGLISH PLUS IX

Total/15 Marks

5. Pilgrimage is a(a) pleasure trip (b) religious journey(c) educational trip (d) world tour.

6. The temple going announces(a) the closure of temple (b) end of prayer(c) beginning of the ritual (d) start of the day.

7. The word accost means(a) to go up to somebody and speak to them (b) to help someone in need(c) to cheat (d) to grow up naturally.

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................