Preparation Material for Federal Board HSSC - I

ENGLISH COMPULSORY HSSC–I

QUESTION 02 – COMPREHENSION PASSAGE:

Q. 2 Read the following passage carefully and answer any SIX questions including Question No. (i) Appended to it.

Note: Question no. (i) About summary writing is compulsory carrying 08 marks while rest of the questions carry 04 marks each. (8 + 5 × 4 = 28)

2025 - LOCAL:

2024 - SECOND ATTEMPT:

2024 - LOCAL:

The young seagull was alone on his ledge. He had been afraid to fly. When he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings, he became afraid. He felt that his wings would never support him. So, he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. He failed to muster up courage to take a plunge in the air. His father and mother had come around but he could not move. The previous day, he had watched his parents flying with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to dive for fish. He had seen his older brother catching his first herring. Next morning, he stepped slowly to the brink of the ledge. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him because he had not eaten anything since yesterday. How he loved to tear food that was scrapping his beak now and again. His mother had picked up a piece of fish and flew across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly. But when she was waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. Then a monstrous terror seized him. His heart stood still. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. His family was praising him. He was no longer afraid. He had made his first flight.

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

(ii). Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? OR

How did the seagull feel when he looked at the food? Explain.

(iii). How did his mother made him to fly? OR

What were his feelings when he dived at the fish?

(iv). What did the seagull watch the previous day? OR

What lesson do you learn from this story?

(vi). Write the meaning of the underlined words from the context. (Any four) OR

In the given passage distinguish between what is clearly stated and what is implied?

2024 - HARD:

I grew up in the south of Spain in a little community called Estepona. I was 16 when one morning, my father told me I could drive him into a remote village called Mijas, about 18 miles away, on the condition that I take the car in to be serviced at nearby garage. Having just learned to drive and hardly ever having the opportunity to use the car, I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas and promised to pick him up at 4 p.m., then drove to a nearby garage and dropped off the car. Because I had a few hours to spare, I decided to catch a couple of movies at a theatre near the garage. However, I became so immersed in the films that I completely lost track of time. When the last movie had finished, I looked down at my watch. It was six O’clock. I was two hours late!

I knew Dad would be angry if he found out I’d been watching movies. He’d never let me drive again. I decided to tell him that the car needed some repairs and that they had taken longer than had been expected. I drove up to the place where we had planned to meet and saw Dad waiting patiently on the corner. I apologised for being late and told him that I’d come as quickly as I could, but the car had needed some major repairs. I’ll never forget the look he gave me. “I’m disappointed that you feel you have to lie to me, Jason”. “What do you mean? I’m telling the truth”.

QUESTIONS:

(i) Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

(ii) Why did the writer accept his father’s offer? OR

How did the writer decide to do spend his spare time?

(iii) What in your opinion could be so interesting about the films that made writer to lose track of time? OR

What could be really upsetting penalty for the writer? Would it be sufficient?

(iv) What lame excuse, the writer had made to avoid trouble? Was his reason justified?

(v) What does writer infer by the sentence: “I’ll never forget the look he gave me”? Explain.

(vi) How did writer’s father respond to writer’s narrative? Describe the manner. OR

Write the meanings of any four of the underlined words.

2023 – SECOND ATTEMPT:

You may object, “All of this is well enough in theory but unfortunately in fact, for many people, the family was vicious trap and a cruel destiny. The place that should have been a sanctuary was often torture house. The arms that should have helped us, often pushed us away. Many flee the family because it was the place of injury, captivity, disappointment and abuse. The children of alcoholics and abusive parents fear marriage and family and often find their solace in becoming solitary. There are so many bad marriages and dysfunctional families, it sometimes seems only reasonable to junk the institution or invent a replacement. True enough, but hopes of replacing the family with some more perfect institution, like hi-tech pipe dreams of creating space colonies into which we can escape, when we have polluted the earth, have proven to be both dangerous and deluded. It is within the bonds of what is familial that we must live or perish.

Fortunately, the profusion of dysfunctional families does not necessarily predict a grim future for the family. One of the standard themes in mythology is the promise of wounded healer. In our hurt lies the source of our healing. The bird with the broken and mended wings soar the highest. Where you stumble and fall, there you find the treasure. One of man's greatest resources for change is our wound and our longing for the missing father. We can heal ourselves by becoming the kind of fathers we wanted but did not have Create out of the void, out of the absence.

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

(ii). What are the responsibilities of men for the smooth functioning of family bond?

(iii). Why does family become source of trouble for some people?

(iv). What are the reasons of fear regarding marriage and family among some children?

(v). How is in our hurt lies the source of our healing? Justify your answer.

(vi). Can we heal ourselves by becoming the kind of fathers we wanted but did not have? Why or Why not?

(vii). What is the implied theme of the passage? Elaborate.

(viii). Write down the Synonyms for the underlined words (Any Four).

2023 – FINAL MODEL PAPER:

The only revolution that will heal us is one in which men and women come together and place the creation of rich family life back in the centre of horizon of our values. A letter I got recently from a woman makes the point: "Perhaps the real shift will come when men fully realize, in the gut and not just in the head, that they are equally responsible, with women for the creation, nurturing, and protection of children." You may object, "All of this is well enough in theory, but unfortunately in fact, for many people the family was vicious trap and a cruel destiny. The place that should have been a sanctuary was often torture house. The arms that should have helped us often pushed us away.

Many flee the family because it was the place of injury, captivity, disappointment, abuse. The children of alcoholics and abusive parents fear marriage and family and find their solace in becoming solitary. There are so many bad marriages and dysfunctional families, it sometimes seems only reasonable to junk the institution or invent a replacement. True enough but hopes of replacing the family with some more perfect institution, like hi-tech pipe dreams of creating space colonies into which we can escape when we have polluted the earth, have proven to be both dangerous and deluded. It is within the bounds of what is familial that we must live or perish. Fortunately, the profusion of dysfunctional families does not necessarily predict a grim future for the family. One of the standard themes in mythology is the promise of the wounded healer. In our hurt lies the source of our healing. The bird with the broken and mended wings soars the highest. Where you stumble and fall, there you find the treasure.

QUESTIONS:

i. Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

ii. Explain the expressions ‘vicious trap’ and ‘cruel destiny’ in the context of the given text. OR How will the ‘only revolution’ suggested in the text heal the ills of our society? iii. Explain whether the thesis statement of the 2nd paragraph is implied or stated. How does its contents relate to the thesis statement? OR

Explain what does the author means by dysfunctional families?

iv. What should be the attitude of men and women towards the creation of a rich family life? v. How can essence of the given text be a journey from ‘pessimism’ to ‘optimism’? vi. Why are some people not interested in family life? OR

How do you look at your family in the light of the views expressed in the passage?

2023 - HARD:

Kathy, twenty-four, is the oldest child and the only daughter. She is now a Roman Catholic nun doing graduate study in Dubuque, Iowa. But, like her brothers, she grew up farming, and she still misses it. Kathy called this May during her final exam and said, "I'd give anything to be ploughing instead!'

As the youngest, Joel has at times had more farming "teachers' than he's wanted. One night he sat at the kitchen table listening to his dad and brothers talk about the rewards of farming. 'It's good, independent life,' said Bill. 'You're your own boss'.

'I wouldn't know", said Joel, grinning. "I've got bosses.” “Who” asked his dad. Joel pointed to each one around the table. They all laughed!

Joel used to be largely at somebody's side, watching and listening, lending a hand, or going on the run for a tractor or forgotten tool. He took the occasional bossing he got in stride. Now, he is so busy with this own work that he is no longer available to be everybody's 'go-fer'.

“If I had just one word to describe Joel, it would be enthusiasm," says Betty. He uses his youthful energy indiscriminately. On one summer day, he just jumped 15 fences, drove farm machinery 25 miles, fed 320 animals, opened and closed 8 gates, walked and ran about 8 miles, jumped on and off the tractor 26 times, lifted 900 pounds of grain, shovelled 4.000 pounds, ate about 2600 calories!

On weekends and during the summer, Joel works outdoors anywhere from eight to fifteen hours a day. The only time he minds it is during early spring. Then the snow melts and rain often pours down daily, turning the farmyard into a swamp. Mud sucks at his boots, making walking itself a tedious chore. More than the bother, though, Joel hates the ugliness. “When it rains, everything seems so awful."

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title. (Compulsory)

(ii). Why does Kathy think that she can give away anything for this life of a farmer?

(iii). How has Joel more farming teachers than his liking?

(iv). “I've got bosses”, Why do all the members of his family laugh at this response of Joel?

(v). ‘He took the occasional bossing he got in stride’. What does it reflect upon Joel as a teenager?

(vi). Do you think that the word ‘Enthusiasm’ used by his mother, is an apt description of Joel?

(vii). When is Joel reluctant to work outdoors and why?

(viii) Give the meanings of any four of the underlined words.

2023 - LOCAL:

Time dragged on endlessly The lights went on in the village, and the houses took on a cosy look The street noises were dying down soon The only sound was that of dogs barking mournfully in the distance Arshak had still not retuned The fire died down, leaving a mound of ashes in the fireplace, while the lamb lay on the grass chewing its cud. Navasard was all ears as he peered into the darkness. His eyes became strained and started to tear, his head felt heavy. He rose, but his feet refused to budge. 'Why should I go begging to him', I'm older than he is He should come to me'. He began to grumble but then consoled himself once again by saying 'Well, he's an important man Maybe he has some important business to discuss with the chairman. He’ll come home in the morning’.

But still, he waited. He waited far into the small hours. The autumn night was drawing to a close. The old man's eyes grew dim from peeping intently into the darkness. Slumber gradually lulled him to sleep at the table.

He did not know how long he had slept. He was awakened by the neighbour woman’s voice calling from the yard. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the first rays of the sun peeping into the window. 'Navasard! Hey Navasard!” the neighbour called.

He rushed out of the house. His neighbour was looking over the fence 'How come you've slept so late today?”

“What is it? Is Arshak on his way here?”

'No: she said and shook her head 'Your Arshak is leaving. Look at the road'.

Navasard felt as if the roof had come down on his head. He ran over to the low shed and climbed to the roof. Arshak’s car was speeding along the road, glittering in the sun, quickly becoming smaller and smaller.

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title. (Compulsory)

(ii). What do the expressions, “time dragged on” and “dogs barking mournfully” reflect about the theme of the passage?

(iii). How is phrase “all ears” an illustration of Navasard being so desperate to have his son with him without any further delay?

(iv). Why did the old man decide not to go and ask Arshak to come home?

(v). How did the old man console himself after grumbling for a while?

(vi). Why was Navasard surprised to see the first rays of the sun peeping into the window? (vii). Why was it so painful for the old man to hear that Arshak was leaving without visiting him? (viii). Write the meanings of the underlined words (Any Four)

2022 - HARD:

The young seagull was alone on his ledge. He had been afraid to fly. When he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings, he became afraid. He felt that his wings would never support him. So, he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. He failed to muster up courage to take a plunge in the air. His father and mother had come around but he could not move. The previous day, he had watched his parents flying with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to dive for fish. He had seen his older brother catching his first herring. Next morning, he stepped slowly to the brink of the ledge. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him because he had not eaten anything since yesterday. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again His mother had picked up a piece of fish and flew across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly. But when she was just opposite to him, she halted. The piece of fish in her beak was almost within the reach of his beak. He waited a moment in surprise wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. Then a monstrous terror seized him. His heart stood still. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. His family was praising him. He was no longer afraid. He had made his first flight.

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title. (Compulsory) (ii). Why was the young seagull afraid to fly?

(iii). Why did the sight of the food madden him?

(iv). What did his mother do to force him to fly?

(v). What were his feelings when he dived at the fish?

(vi). What had happened the previous day?

(vii). What lesson do you learn from this story?

(viii). Write the meaning of the underlined words from the context. (any four)

2022 - LOCAL:

I passed all the other courses that I took at my university, but I could never pass Botany. This was because all botany students had to spend several hours a week in a laboratory looking through a microscope at plant cells, and I could never see through a microscope. I never once saw a cell through a microscope. This used to enrage my instructor. He would begin patiently enough, explaining how anybody can see through a microscope, but he would always end up in a fury; claiming that I could see through a microscope but just pretended that I couldn't. He would say. "We are concerned solely with what I may call the mechanics of flowers". 'Well", I'd say. "I can't see anything". 'Try it just once again", he'd say, and I would put my eye to the microscope and see nothing at all, except now and again a nebulous milky substance —a phenomenon of maladjustment. You were supposed to see a vivid, restless clockwork of sharply defined plant cells. 'I see what looks like a lot of milk". I would tell him.

The professor explained cell-structure again in his classes. He said to me, cheerily when we met in the first laboratory hour that semester, "We're going to see cells this time, he said to me, grimly, -with every adjustment of the microscope known to man. As God is my witness, I'll arrange this glass so that you see cells through it or I'll give up teaching. So we tried it with every adjustment of the microscope known to man. With only one of them did I see anything but blackness or the familiar lacteal opacity, and that time I saw, to my pleasure and amazement, a variegated constellation of flecks, specks and dots. These I hastily drew. The instructor's head snapped up. "That's your eye!" he shouted. "You've fixed the lens so that it reflects! You've drawn your own eye!"

QUESTIONS:

(i). Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title. (Compulsory)

(ii). What was the attitude of Botany teacher towards the narrator?

(iii). Why was the narrator not able to pass Botany in the university?

(iv). What did the narrator finally see through the microscope?

(v). Why was the instructor irritated with the narrator?

(vi). Write the meanings of the underlined words (any four).

(vii). What was the narrator supposed to see through the microscope?

(viii). Do you like the story? Why or why not?

MODEL PAPER #: 03.

By the age of six the average child will have completed the basic education and be ready to enter school. If the child has been attentive in these pre-school years, he or she will already have mastered many skills.

From television, the child will have learned how to pick a lock, commit a fairly elaborate bank holdup, prevent wetness all day long, get the laundry twice as white and kill people with a variety of sophisticated armaments.

From watching his parents, the child, in many cases, will already know how to smoke, how much falsehood to mix with facts to be pragmatic and shrewd, what kind of language to use when angry and how to violate the speed laws without being caught.

At this stage, the child is ready for the second stage of education which occurs in school. There, a variety of lessons may be learned in the very first days.

The teacher may illustrate the economic importance of belonging to a strong union by closing down the school before the child arrives. Fathers and mothers may demonstrate to the child the social cohesion that can be built on shared hatred by demonstrating their dislike for children whose pigmentation displeases them. In the latter event, the child may receive visual instruction in techniques of stoning buses, cracking skulls with a nightstick and subduing mobs with teargas. Formal education has begun.

During formal education, the child learns that life is for testing. This stage lasts twelve years, a period during which the child learns that success comes from telling testers what they want to hear.

QUESTIONS:

i. Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title

ii. What does the writer mean when he uses the expression of formal education? Do you agree with the writer’s opinion on the existing system of formal education?

iii. What can be inferred about the author’s attitude towards television? Do you share his opinion on television and other such gadgets?

iv. What is the tone of the given excerpt? Elaborate it briefly.

v. How do you look at our exam system? Do you agree with the author’s views on tests?

vi. What, according to the author, does a child learn at the earliest stage of his “formal education?”

vii. What do children learn from their parents in pre-school stage? How does the author criticize the role of parents in inculcating criminal habits or derogatory moral values in children?

viii. Deduce meaning of the underlined words.

sophisticated, armaments, pragmatic, demonstrating

MODEL PAPER #: 02.

Fortunately, the profusion of dysfunctional families does not necessarily predict a grim future for the family. One of the standard themes in mythology is the promise of the wounded healer. In our hurt lies the source of our healing. The bird with the broken and mended wings soars the highest. Where you stumble and fall, there you find the treasure.

QUESTIONS:

i. Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

ii. Explain the expressions ‘vicious trap’ and ‘cruel destiny’ in the context of the given text.

iii. How will the ‘only revolution’ suggested in the text heal the ills of our society?

iv. Explain whether the thesis statement of the 2nd paragraph is implied or stated. How does its contents relate to the thesis statement?

v. What should be the attitude of men and women towards the creation of a rich family life? vi. How can essence of the given text be a journey from ‘pessimism’ to ‘optimism’? vii. Why are some people not interested in family life?

viii. How do you look at your family in the light of the views expressed in the passage?

MODEL PAPER #: 01.

It should, however, be kept in mind that nothing is constant except change. Everybody changes, as do our likes and dislikes. Something we loved doing two years ago may now give us displeasure. Always take time to reflect on the things in your life that you feel most strongly about. Make a list of your likes and dislikes, needs and wants. Reflect on your current career path. If your job and career fall under ‘Like,’ you know that you are still on the right path. Take time to understand your interest and the motives that drive your sense of success and happiness.

After you've identified your interests, search for occupations. For example, if you like children or reading, explore a career in early education or library sciences. Careers such as day care worker or paediatric nurse, elementary or Montessori teacher are also options that allow you to work with children. Similarly, if you take initiative in helping others and assist people in their critical state, you can opt for medical profession and so on.

Now that you've focused on a specific career based on your interests, identify the education, knowledge and skills it requires. Some careers may be started with a high school diploma; others may require a two-year or four-year degree. Some fields require certification for your chosen path. For example, if you chose a career in project management, you may find that certain positions require a certification. If you want to be engineer you will have to plan your career accordingly. Moreover, if you are good at Mathematics and numeracy better to opt for management accounting or finance.

It is worth noting that you should consider factors beyond personal preferences. What is the current demand for the field that you have chosen? If the demand is low or entry is difficult, are you comfortable with risk? Gather advice from friends, colleagues, and family members and also interact with those who are already in this field. Consider potential outcomes and barriers for each of your final options.

QUESTIONS:

i. Write down the summary of the given passage and suggest a suitable title.

ii. What is the significance of change in real life?

iii. Why is it necessary to know about your needs and wants before deciding on a profession?

iv. Explain why it is important to identify your interests before choosing an occupation?

v. What are the requirements for joining a specific profession?

vi. How can it be beneficial to gather advice from friends, colleagues and family members?

vii. Write the underlying message conveyed through the paragraph.

viii. Deduce meaning of the underlined words from the context.

paediatric, initiative, critical, interact

HSSC - I : Federal Board

Q: 02 - Comprehension Passage

Preparation Material for Federal Board HSSC - I