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Odisha BSE HSC English (FLE) study materials
Odisha BSE HSC English (FLE) study resources

Odisha BSE HSC English (FLE) practice questions

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Question 1Reading Comprehension

In a reading passage, a sentence reads: 'The villagers had scarcely finished harvesting when the first monsoon clouds appeared over the hills.' Which reading skill is most directly tested by asking what this sentence suggests about the timing of the rains?

  1. Locating a stated fact by scanning
  2. Recognising the writer's use of dialect
  3. Drawing an inference from a time relation Correct answer.
  4. Identifying the passage's central theme

Explanation

The word 'scarcely...when' signals that the rains came almost immediately after the harvest, so the reader must infer timing rather than find it stated plainly. Inference from a relation between clauses is a core comprehension skill in the HSC reading section.

Question 2Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The temple car festival draws thousands, yet the narrow lanes of the old town strain under the crowd.' Which option best captures the contrast the writer draws?

  1. Decline of the festival against the growth of the town
  2. Age of the temple against the newness of the lanes
  3. Wealth of visitors against the poverty of residents
  4. Popularity of the festival against the limitations of the town Correct answer.

Explanation

The conjunction 'yet' sets the festival's large attendance against the town's inability to cope with it. The contrast is between attraction and capacity, not between decline and growth or wealth and poverty.

Question 3Reading Comprehension

Read the sentence: 'Having walked for hours under a pitiless sun, the pilgrims finally reached the shrine, their exhaustion forgotten in the sudden hush of the courtyard.' Which word most strongly conveys that the sun's effect was harsh?

  1. hush
  2. pitiless Correct answer.
  3. finally
  4. forgotten

Explanation

The adjective 'pitiless' personifies the sun as merciless, directly conveying harshness. The other words describe arrival, silence, and relief rather than the severity of the heat.

Question 4Reading Comprehension

A notice in a comprehension passage reads: 'Visitors are requested to refrain from feeding the animals in the sanctuary, as this alters their natural foraging habits.' What reason does the notice give for the request?

  1. Feeding changes the animals' natural ways of finding food Correct answer.
  2. Feeding attracts animals away from the sanctuary
  3. Feeding makes the animals aggressive towards visitors
  4. Feeding causes litter to accumulate near the gates

Explanation

The clause beginning 'as this alters their natural foraging habits' states the reason explicitly. Foraging refers to how animals search for food, so feeding disturbs that natural behaviour.

Question 5Reading Comprehension

In a passage about rural Odisha, the writer says: 'The bicycle, once a luxury for the village teacher, is now a commonplace sight on the mud tracks.' What change does the sentence record?

  1. The village teacher has stopped using a bicycle
  2. The mud tracks have been replaced by paved roads
  3. A bicycle has moved from rare privilege to ordinary possession Correct answer.
  4. The bicycle has become more expensive for villagers

Explanation

The contrast between 'once a luxury' and 'now a commonplace sight' marks a shift from rarity to ordinariness. The sentence traces changing ownership, not the teacher's abandonment of the bicycle.

Question 6Reading Comprehension

A passage opens: 'Every year, as the paddy ripens, the people of the hamlet prepare for Nuakhai with a quiet urgency.' Which detail from the opening best indicates the festival is tied to the agricultural cycle?

  1. the ripening of the paddy Correct answer.
  2. every year
  3. the quiet urgency
  4. the people of the hamlet

Explanation

The ripening paddy is the agricultural event that triggers the preparations, showing the festival follows the harvest cycle. The other details describe mood, place, or repetition but not the link to farming.

Question 7Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage contains the line: 'The old weaver's fingers moved with the certainty of one who has measured a thousand threads.' What does the comparison chiefly suggest about the weaver?

  1. The weaver has recently learnt the craft
  2. Long practice has made the work effortless and assured Correct answer.
  3. The weaver is nervous about finishing the cloth
  4. The weaver is counting threads to check their quality

Explanation

The phrase 'certainty of one who has measured a thousand threads' links assurance to long experience. The comparison emphasises practised skill rather than counting, anxiety, or inexperience.

Question 8Reading Comprehension

A passage about a school library says: 'The shelves are modest, but the librarian knows every spine by heart.' Which reading of the sentence is best supported by the text?

  1. The collection is small yet thoroughly known to the librarian Correct answer.
  2. The library has recently received many new books
  3. The librarian has memorised the books without reading them
  4. The shelves are broken and need repair

Explanation

'Modest' describes a small collection, while 'knows every spine by heart' shows intimate familiarity with it. The sentence contrasts limited size with complete knowledge, not disrepair or expansion.

Question 9Reading Comprehension

Read the sentence: 'The river, swollen by three days of rain, crept silently towards the sleeping village.' Which technique is chiefly used in the description of the river?

  1. Repetition of an initial consonant sound
  2. Exaggeration for comic effect
  3. Personification through words like 'crept' and 'sleeping' Correct answer.
  4. Direct comparison using 'like' or 'as'

Explanation

Verbs and adjectives such as 'crept' and 'sleeping' give the river and village human qualities, which is personification. The sentence contains no simile, deliberate alliteration, or comic hyperbole.

Question 10Reading Comprehension

A passage says: 'Though the scheme was announced with much fanfare, few farmers in the block have actually enrolled.' Which inference is best supported?

  1. There is a gap between the scheme's promotion and its uptake Correct answer.
  2. The scheme has been cancelled by the government
  3. Farmers are unaware that the scheme exists
  4. The scheme offers no benefits to farmers

Explanation

The contrast between loud announcement and low enrolment points to a gap between publicity and actual participation. The passage does not state cancellation, ignorance, or absence of benefits.

Question 11Reading Comprehension

In a passage on migration, the writer notes: 'The young leave for the cities not because the village has nothing to give, but because the city promises more.' What is the writer's attitude towards the village?

  1. Sympathetic, seeing the village as still valuable Correct answer.
  2. Hostile, blaming the village for the migration
  3. Indifferent, treating the village as unimportant
  4. Contemptuous, viewing the village as worthless

Explanation

The construction 'not because the village has nothing to give' defends the village's worth, suggesting the writer values it. The fault is placed on the city's greater promise rather than on the village itself.

Question 12Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The tribal painter mixes her colours from earth and stone; no shop-bought pigment ever touches her brush.' What does the second clause chiefly emphasise?

  1. Her preference for painting stones
  2. Her complete reliance on natural materials Correct answer.
  3. Her inability to afford shop-bought pigments
  4. Her distrust of modern brushes

Explanation

'No shop-bought pigment ever touches her brush' reinforces that all her colours come from natural sources. The emphasis is on self-sufficiency in materials, not poverty or a dislike of brushes.

Question 13Reading Comprehension

A passage describes a market scene: 'Above the din of bargaining rose the rhythmic clang of the blacksmith, steady as a temple bell.' What is the effect of comparing the blacksmith's sound to a temple bell?

  1. It implies the blacksmith is competing with the temple
  2. It lends the workshop a sense of order and reverence Correct answer.
  3. It shows that the market is quieter than the temple
  4. It suggests the blacksmith is ringing a bell for worship

Explanation

A temple bell is regular and respected, so the simile gives the blacksmith's rhythm a dignified, almost sacred steadiness amid noise. The comparison is figurative and does not describe an actual bell or a contest.

Question 14Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage reads: 'The teacher's question hung in the air; no hand rose, and the fan above seemed suddenly loud.' What does the mention of the fan chiefly convey?

  1. The teacher's decision to end the lesson
  2. The students' interest in machinery
  3. A fault in the classroom's electric fan
  4. An uncomfortable silence in the classroom Correct answer.

Explanation

When no hand rises, ordinary background noise like the fan becomes noticeable, a common way of rendering silence. The detail conveys atmosphere rather than a mechanical problem or a change of lesson.

Question 15Reading Comprehension

A passage on handicrafts states: 'Each appliqué panel is stitched by hand, and a single bedspread may take a family three months to complete.' Which conclusion about the craft is best supported?

  1. The craft is unprofitable for the family
  2. The craft uses machine-made panels
  3. The craft is practised only by elderly women
  4. The craft demands considerable time and manual skill Correct answer.

Explanation

Hand-stitching and a three-month completion time together indicate labour-intensive, skilled work. Profitability, the age of the makers, and machine production are not stated.

Question 16Reading Comprehension

Read the sentence: 'The new bridge is a boon to the traders of the riverside, who once waited for the ferry with their perishable goods.' Which word would best replace 'boon' without changing the meaning?

  1. warning
  2. burden
  3. blessing Correct answer.
  4. mystery

Explanation

'Boon' means a benefit or blessing, which fits the traders' relief at no longer waiting for a ferry. 'Burden' would reverse the meaning, while 'mystery' and 'warning' are unrelated in sense.

Question 17Reading Comprehension

A passage says: 'The elders speak of the forest as a ledger, in which every felled tree is entered and must one day be repaid.' What does the metaphor of the ledger chiefly imply?

  1. The forest is owned by moneylenders
  2. Trees should never be cut for any purpose
  3. The elders keep written accounts of timber sales
  4. Using forest resources creates an obligation to restore them Correct answer.

Explanation

A ledger records debts, so describing the forest this way implies that cutting trees creates a debt to be repaid. The metaphor is about accountability in nature, not literal accounts or a total ban on felling.

Question 18Reading Comprehension

A passage notes: 'Little has changed in the village since the road came, except that the young men now leave and return with city accents.' What is the writer's tone in this sentence?

  1. Nostalgic for the loss of the village road
  2. Openly angry at the young men
  3. Quietly ironic about the limited impact of the road Correct answer.
  4. Enthusiastic about urban influence

Explanation

Saying 'little has changed... except' undercuts the road's promise, and the detail about accents gently mocks its chief effect. The tone is dry and ironic rather than angry, enthusiastic, or nostalgic for a road that has just arrived.

Question 19Reading Comprehension

A passage describes a character: 'She listened to every complaint, noted each one in her register, and answered none of them that day.' What does this behaviour most suggest about the character?

  1. She has forgotten how to write
  2. She is eager to argue with the complainants
  3. She is patient and methodical, choosing when to respond Correct answer.
  4. She is careless about the villagers' problems

Explanation

Listening carefully and recording each complaint shows diligence, while declining to answer immediately suggests deliberate timing. The behaviour points to method rather than neglect, forgetfulness, or quarrelsomeness.

Question 20Reading Comprehension

In a passage, a speaker remarks: 'Give a child a book, and you have given the whole family a future.' Which feature makes this an effective persuasive line?

  1. It quotes an expert on child education
  2. It presents both sides of the argument
  3. It provides statistical evidence about literacy rates
  4. It links a small, concrete act to a large, valued outcome Correct answer.

Explanation

The line pairs an inexpensive, everyday action with a sweeping benefit, a common persuasive technique. It offers no statistics, no expert citation, and no counter-argument.

Question 21Reading Comprehension

A passage contains: 'Not a single lamp burned in the hamlet; the darkness was so complete that the stars seemed to have descended among the roofs.' Which effect is created by the final image?

  1. A suggestion that the roofs are on fire
  2. A sense of vast, almost magical darkness Correct answer.
  3. A claim that the hamlet has no electricity
  4. A hint that morning is approaching

Explanation

Stars appearing to descend among the roofs heightens the impression of overwhelming darkness in a striking, imaginative way. The image is figurative, so it does not report fire or a factual claim about electricity.

Question 22Reading Comprehension

A passage reads: 'The clerk's pen scratched on, indifferent to the petitions it recorded, while the petitioners themselves were anything but indifferent.' What is the effect of repeating 'indifferent' in contrasting ways?

  1. It sharpens the contrast between the bureaucrat's detachment and the people's anxiety Correct answer.
  2. It indicates that the pen is writing about indifference
  3. It suggests the petitions are of no importance to anyone
  4. It shows that the clerk and the petitioners share the same feelings

Explanation

The same word applied to the pen and then negated for the petitioners sets bureaucratic detachment against human urgency. The repetition highlights difference, not similarity or the subject matter of the petitions.

Question 23Reading Comprehension

A passage states: 'The museum's collection of palm-leaf manuscripts is priceless, though the room that houses it leaks whenever it rains.' Which inference about the institution is most reasonable?

  1. It considers the manuscripts to be of little worth
  2. It has sold most of its collection to fund repairs
  3. It values the manuscripts but lacks the resources to protect them properly Correct answer.
  4. It has deliberately allowed the roof to leak

Explanation

Calling the collection priceless while describing a leaking room implies that preservation falls short of the collection's value. The passage does not suggest deliberate neglect, low valuation, or a sale.

Question 24Reading Comprehension

Read the sentence: 'The monsoon, late by a fortnight, was greeted not with the usual songs but with anxious glances at the sky.' What does the reaction of the people reveal?

  1. Their dependence on timely rain has made them watchful Correct answer.
  2. They believe the monsoon will not arrive at all
  3. They prefer anxious glances to traditional songs
  4. They no longer enjoy singing during the monsoon

Explanation

Replacing songs with anxious sky-watching shows that the delay has made people uneasy about their crops and livelihood. The change of behaviour reflects dependence on timely rain, not a loss of taste for song or disbelief in the monsoon.

Question 25Reading Comprehension

A passage observes: 'In the village council, the oldest member rarely speaks, yet when he does, the others fall silent as though a lamp had been lit in a dark room.' What does the simile chiefly suggest about his words?

  1. They bring sudden clarity to a confused discussion Correct answer.
  2. They are old-fashioned and out of date
  3. They remind the council of a religious ritual
  4. They are spoken in a very quiet voice

Explanation

A lamp in a dark room dispels confusion, so the simile suggests his rare remarks illuminate the issue under debate. The comparison concerns clarity and authority, not volume, age, or ritual.

Question 26Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage begins: 'The bus to Berhampur was late, and the platform slowly filled with vendors, students and porters.' Which detail from this opening sentence helps the reader infer the setting of the passage?

  1. The fact that the bus was late that morning
  2. The word 'slowly' describing how the crowd gathered
  3. The name of the town given in the sentence
  4. The mention of a platform filling with vendors, students and porters Correct answer.

Explanation

Setting is inferred from details of place and the people who belong to that place. A platform with vendors, students and porters signals a bus stand or railway station, so this detail does the most to establish where the scene occurs.

Question 27Reading Comprehension

In a passage, a boy is described as follows: 'He read the notice twice, folded it into his pocket, and said nothing to anyone at home.' What does this detail most strongly suggest about the boy?

  1. He is deciding to keep the news to himself for the moment Correct answer.
  2. He is careless about important papers
  3. He has not understood what the notice says
  4. He has already forgotten the notice

Explanation

The sequence of actions - reading twice, folding, silence - points to deliberate concealment or delay rather than confusion. Reading twice suggests he understood the notice well enough to weigh its effect.

Question 28Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage on rural health says: 'The sub-centre has a nurse but no doctor; for a fever the villagers walk four kilometres, and for a fracture they wait for the weekly jeep.' Which statement best summarises the main idea of this sentence?

  1. The nurse at the sub-centre is poorly trained
  2. Villagers prefer walking to travelling by jeep
  3. Basic health care is available locally but serious cases depend on rare transport Correct answer.
  4. Fever is the most common illness in the village

Explanation

The sentence contrasts a minor service (a nurse for fevers) with a major gap (no doctor, transport only weekly). The main idea is therefore limited local care plus dependence on infrequent transport for serious injury.

Question 29Reading Comprehension

A passage contains the sentence: 'The canal, once the pride of the block, now carries more silt than water.' Which word in this sentence carries the strongest sense of lost glory?

  1. block
  2. once Correct answer.
  3. silt
  4. carries

Explanation

The word 'once' sets up a contrast between past pride and present decline, and that contrast is what conveys lost glory. The other words describe the canal or its location without marking any change over time.

Question 30Reading Comprehension

A passage reads: 'The postman knows which houses have sons abroad, because those are the houses where the letterbox is emptied first.' Which inference is best supported by this sentence?

  1. Letters from abroad are awaited with particular eagerness in those homes Correct answer.
  2. The letterboxes in other houses are never used
  3. Sons abroad write more often than anyone else
  4. The postman delivers only to houses with sons abroad

Explanation

The sentence links houses with sons abroad to letterboxes emptied first, which implies those households check for post anxiously. The comparison is about eagerness, not about the postman's route or the habits of other families.

Question 31Reading Comprehension

A comprehension passage says of a village teacher: 'He taught the same forty children in the same single room, and yet each one remembered a different lesson.' Which technique does the writer use in this sentence?

  1. A contrast between a uniform situation and individual outcomes Correct answer.
  2. A direct quotation from one of the pupils
  3. A comparison using 'like' or 'as'
  4. A list of the subjects the teacher taught

Explanation

The sentence balances sameness (same room, same children) against difference (each remembered a different lesson). This deliberate contrast is the stylistic device, and it also conveys the teacher's individual attention.

Question 32Reading Comprehension

Read this extract: 'The rains failed again. The seed lay in the sack, the plough stood in the yard, and the men sat under the tamarind tree saying nothing.' What is the effect of the final clause?

  1. The silence conveys helplessness more forcefully than complaint would Correct answer.
  2. It proves that the tamarind tree gave good shade
  3. It indicates that the men had finished their work
  4. It shows that the men were lazy

Explanation

After the failed rains and unused seed and plough, the men's silence communicates resignation. Showing them saying nothing is more powerful than describing their distress directly, which is the effect of the clause.

Question 33Reading Comprehension

A passage on a weavers' cooperative states: 'The members fixed the price of a saree among themselves, so that no buyer could set one weaver against another.' What is the main purpose of the arrangement described?

  1. To increase the cost of raw silk for the cooperative
  2. To prevent new weavers from joining the cooperative
  3. To allow buyers to choose the cheapest saree
  4. To protect the weavers from being undercut by bargaining between buyers Correct answer.

Explanation

The stated aim is that no buyer could 'set one weaver against another', which means preventing buyers from playing members off against each other to lower prices. The fixed price is a collective protection, not a restriction on membership or a tax on materials.

Question 34Reading Comprehension

In a passage, a character says: 'I did not leave the village; the village left me.' Which reading of this remark is most reasonable?

  1. The speaker is complaining about the roads in the village
  2. The speaker believes the village physically moved to another place
  3. The speaker feels that changing conditions, not personal choice, pushed him out Correct answer.
  4. The speaker is describing a journey he chose to make

Explanation

The reversal of the expected phrase shifts blame from the speaker to the circumstances around him. It expresses a sense of being displaced by change rather than choosing to go, which is a figurative, not literal, statement.

Question 35Reading Comprehension

A passage reads: 'The health worker's register was neat, complete and three months out of date.' Which comment best explains the irony in this sentence?

  1. The register is out of date because the worker was ill
  2. Neatness and completeness are the same quality
  3. The health worker is praised for keeping careful records
  4. The record looks perfect precisely where it has stopped being useful Correct answer.

Explanation

Irony arises from the clash between the appearance of good record-keeping and the fact that the record no longer reflects reality. The neatness and completeness make the staleness more pointed, not less.

Question 36Reading Comprehension

In a comprehension passage, the writer says: 'A library card costs nothing, but it asks for something rarer than money - the habit of sitting still.' What does the writer mean by this statement?

  1. Money is more valuable than any habit
  2. The real requirement for using a library is patient attention, not payment Correct answer.
  3. Library cards are issued only to people who can pay a deposit
  4. Sitting still is a skill that libraries teach through classes

Explanation

The sentence contrasts a free card with a cost that is not financial, namely the habit of sitting still. The writer's point is that attention, not money, is the true condition of benefiting from a library.

Question 37Reading Comprehension

A passage on migration states: 'The remittances arrive on the fifth of every month, and on the sixth the moneylender's boy is at the door.' Which conclusion is best supported by the sentence?

  1. The moneylender's boy delivers money to the family
  2. The family has no debts to repay
  3. Earnings sent home are quickly absorbed by existing debts Correct answer.
  4. Remittances arrive irregularly each month

Explanation

The near-immediate arrival of the moneylender's boy after the remittance implies that the money is claimed by debt almost as soon as it comes. The timing, not any explicit statement, supports this conclusion.

Question 38Reading Comprehension

A passage describes a district office: 'Every file that entered the room was stamped, numbered and shelved, and every file that left it was a decision already taken elsewhere.' What does the second half of the sentence imply about the office?

  1. It has stopped processing files altogether
  2. It takes decisions without keeping any record
  3. It processes paperwork but does not itself make the decisions Correct answer.
  4. It sends files out before stamping them

Explanation

The contrast between busy processing and decisions 'already taken elsewhere' implies the office is a channel for decisions made by others. The first half shows the paperwork is done, so the point is about authority, not activity.

Question 39Reading Comprehension

Read this extract: 'The fair had come and gone. The trampled field, the paper flags on their sticks, and the sweet smell of jaggery were all that remained.' Which statement best describes how the writer conveys the passing of the fair?

  1. By stating directly that the fair was a failure
  2. By quoting a trader's account of the fair's profits
  3. By listing lingering traces that stand for the event now ended Correct answer.
  4. By describing the crowds still moving through the field

Explanation

The writer uses concrete remnants - a trampled field, paper flags, the smell of jaggery - to evoke what has just gone. This is the technique of conveying an absent event through its surviving traces.

Question 40Reading Comprehension

A passage observes: 'The panchayat meeting ended at noon, but the argument continued in the shade of the banyan tree until the light failed.' What does the sentence suggest about how decisions are actually reached in the village?

  1. Formal meetings settle less than the informal discussion that follows Correct answer.
  2. Arguments in the village are always quickly resolved
  3. The banyan tree is the official place for village meetings
  4. The panchayat members dislike meeting indoors

Explanation

The sentence contrasts the short formal meeting with a discussion that outlasts it, implying that real persuasion happens informally. The banyan tree is a setting for continued debate, not an official venue.

Question 41Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

In the composition section of the Odisha BSE HSC English paper, a candidate is asked to write a paragraph on 'The Value of Discipline'. Which opening sentence best establishes a clear topic sentence for such a paragraph?

  1. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment, shaping both character and conduct. Correct answer.
  2. I once saw a boy standing in a queue at the railway station last Tuesday.
  3. In this paragraph I will write many things about discipline and its value.
  4. Discipline, discipline, discipline - that is what everyone keeps saying these days.

Explanation

A topic sentence states the controlling idea of the paragraph in a complete, focused statement that the rest of the paragraph can develop. It should name the subject and indicate the writer's stand without announcing the act of writing or drifting into anecdote.

Question 42Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

A question asks you to write a notice for the school notice board informing students about an inter-house debate competition. Which element is essential in the notice but usually absent from a personal letter?

  1. A request for a reply by return post
  2. A friendly enquiry about the reader's health and family
  3. A boxed layout with the word NOTICE, the issuing authority's name and a date Correct answer.
  4. A long narrative account of past competitions

Explanation

A notice is a formal, impersonal display communication; convention requires the heading NOTICE, the name and designation of the issuer, and a date, all set out compactly in a box. Personal letters instead carry salutation, enquiry and leave-taking formulae.

Question 43Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

While drafting a letter to the editor of an English daily about the poor condition of roads in your town, which salutation and subscription pair is appropriate?

  1. Respected Sir / Yours affectionately
  2. Dear Editor / With warm regards to all
  3. My dear friend / Yours lovingly
  4. Dear Sir / Yours faithfully Correct answer.

Explanation

When the recipient is unnamed, as with 'The Editor', the correct formal pairing is 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam' with 'Yours faithfully'. Named recipients take 'Dear Mr X' with 'Yours sincerely'.

Question 44Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

Which sentence from a school report uses the most appropriate impersonal, past-tense reporting style?

  1. Our exhibition was inaugurated and everybody was praising everybody else's models.
  2. I think the Principal said some nice things about our models on that day, I forget when.
  3. The Principal was very happy, very happy indeed, and he said many things to us all.
  4. The Principal inaugurated the science exhibition on 12 August and praised the students' models. Correct answer.

Explanation

A report records events objectively in the third person and simple past, naming the agent, the action and the date. Vagueness, first-person comment and loose repetition weaken reportorial tone.

Question 45Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

In a formal letter, which of the following is placed immediately after the sender's address?

  1. The date Correct answer.
  2. The complimentary close
  3. The subject line
  4. The signature

Explanation

The standard order of a formal letter is sender's address, date, receiver's address, salutation, subject, body, complimentary close and signature. The date follows the sender's address so the letter is on record.

Question 46Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

A notice must announce a lost library book. Which wording best suits the formal, impersonal register required?

  1. Somebody took my book, please give it back, I am begging you all.
  2. I misplaced the book, I think, maybe yesterday, or the day before, I am not sure.
  3. Oh no, I have lost my library book and I am simply panicking about it!
  4. A copy of 'Panchatantra' borrowed from the school library has been misplaced; the finder is requested to return it to the librarian. Correct answer.

Explanation

Notices are written in the third person or impersonal passive, stating the facts and the required action politely and briefly. Emotional exclamations, pleading and vague time references are unsuitable.

Question 47Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

Which sentence is the most suitable closing line for a report on an inter-school quiz contest held in your school?

  1. The quiz was nice and everyone was happy and it ended nicely.
  2. So this is all about the quiz contest that we had in our school, thank you for reading.
  3. I hope you liked my report on the quiz contest, please excuse my mistakes.
  4. The contest concluded with the distribution of trophies, and the event was widely appreciated by all present. Correct answer.

Explanation

A report closes with a factual statement summarising the outcome, keeping the third-person objective tone. Addressing the reader, apologising or offering personal opinions breaks report conventions.

Question 48Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

In the body of a letter placing an order for sports goods, which expression is the most appropriate?

  1. Please, please send my items soon, I am requesting you very much.
  2. Give me the things fast, otherwise I will buy from someone else.
  3. I want those things which I saw in your shop last week, you know which ones.
  4. Kindly supply the following items at your earliest convenience and send the bill by VPP. Correct answer.

Explanation

Business letters use courteous, precise language, naming the goods, the mode of dispatch and the payment arrangement. Threats, pleading and vague reference are all inappropriate in commercial correspondence.

Question 49Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

A candidate must write a paragraph on 'Save Water' in about 100 words. Which sentence would function best as the concluding sentence?

  1. In my village there is a pond near the temple where we used to play.
  2. Every drop conserved today is a guarantee of life for the generations that follow us. Correct answer.
  3. For example, a leaking tap can waste many litres of water in a day.
  4. Water is used for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and watering plants.

Explanation

A concluding sentence rounds off the paragraph by restating the central idea in a fresh, forward-looking way. Supporting examples and stray anecdote belong in the middle of the paragraph, not at its end.

Question 50Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)

Read this draft notice: 'All students are informed that the annual sports will be held. Interested students should give their names.' Which improvement makes it a complete, usable notice?

  1. Add a sentence praising the school's sports tradition.
  2. Add a friendly greeting such as 'Hello friends!' at the beginning.
  3. Add the date, venue, time and the name of the teacher to whom names must be given. Correct answer.
  4. Add an exclamation mark after 'sports' to show excitement.

Explanation

A notice must answer what, when, where and whom to contact; the draft omits the date, venue, time and recipient of names. These facts are essential for the notice to serve its practical purpose.