HSC -2014

Part A : Grammar (40 Marks)

come

invite

give

reach

be

cross

take place

1.      Fill in the blanks using the right form of verbs given in the box. You have to insert appropriate auxiliaries if needed. There are more verbs than necessary.

Yesterday I (a) ______ my college late because of road accident. It (b) ______ 9 am. When the accident (c) _______. A boy (d) ______ the college road. A speedy bus (e) ______ from the opposite direction.

2.      Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

You should abide (a) _______ the rules of your college. You should not be absent (b) ______ your classes. Your college is adjacent (c) ______ your house. So you may go to your college (d) ______ foot. You should concentrate (e) ______ your studies as well.

3.      Use articles where necessary. Put a cross (x) where an article is not needed.

Once there lived (a) ______ man in a village. He made caps with palm leaves and sold them in (b) _______ market to (c) ______ maintain his family. One day he was going to (d) _______ distant market. He had (e) _______ basket full of caps. He became tired. He saw (f) ______ apple tree. He sat under (g) ______ tree and fell asleep. Then (h) ______ strange thing happened, (i) _______ tree was full of (j) ______ monkeys.

4.      Make meaningful sentences with the following phrases and idioms (any five).

Chicken hearted, apple of discord, at sixes and sevens, by dint of, blue blood, in from of.

5.      Rewrite the following passage changing the form of speech.

“Could I help you, Sir?” said the receptionist. The man replied, “Sure, I want to meet the Managing Director of the company.” The receptionist said, “Do you have an appointment?” “Yes, I have,” he said.

6.      Transform the underlined sentences as directed in the brackets.

(a) Very few insects are as busy as a bee. (Comparative) It is known as an industrious creature. (b) It lives together. (Negative) (c) It flies from flower to flower and collects honey. (Simple) (d) It stores honey in the hive. (Passive) (e) In winter, it remains idle but it works hard in spring. (Complex) It leads a disciplined life.

7.      Fill in the blanks with tag questions.

a)      Let him do whatever he likes, _______?

b)      Don’t forget me, _______?

c)      Time and tide wait for none, _______?

d)     She has little idea about it, _______?

e)      Do sit down, ________?

8.      Complete the following sentences.

a)      It is high time ______.

b)      He did the work after _______.

c)      The poem is too difficult for ________.

d)     It was long since _______.

e)      Hasib behaves as if _______.

ANSWER

Part A : Grammar

1.      Right form of verbs

(a) reached; (b) was; (c) took place; (d) was crossing; (e) was coming.

2.      Appropriate prepositions

(a) by; (b) from; (c) to; (d) on; (e) on.

3.      Use of articles

(a) a; (b) the; (c) x; (d) a; (e) a; (f) an; (g) the; (h) a; (i) the; (j) x.

4.      Making sentences with phrases & idioms

Chicken hearted : Chicken hearted people cannot prosper in life.

Apple of discord : This land is an apple of discord between the two brothers.

At sixes and sevens : We should not keep our books at sixes and sevens.

By dint of : One should not boast of one’s blue blood.

In front of : I saw an accident in from of our college.

5.      Changing the form of speech

The receptionist respectfully asked the man if he (R) could help him. The man said that he (R) could surely help him (M). Then he (M) told that he (M) wanted to meet the Managing Director of the company. Then the receptionist asked the man if he (M) had an appointment. The man replied in the affirmative and said that he had an appointment.

6.      Transformation of sentences

a)      A bee is busier than most other insects.

b)      It does not live alone/ separately.

c)      Flying from flower to flower, it collects honey.

d)     Honey is stored in the hive by it.

e)      Though it remains idle in winter, it works hard in spring.

7.      Tag questions

a)      Let him do whatever he likes, will you?

b)      Don’t forget me, will you?

c)      Time and tide wait for none, do they?

d)     She has little idea about it, has she?

e)      Do sit down, will you/ won’t you?

8.      Completing sentences

a)      It is high time we left the place.

b)      He did the work after he had reached home.

c)      The poem is too difficult for me to memories.

d)     It was long since I had seen her last.

e)      Hasib behaves as if he were mad.