Reading Comprehension, Writng and Grammar Exercises

 Read the following passage carefully:

1. Maybe you’re bored of bananas, apples, and grapes and need a

fresh produce pick? A nutrient-rich serving of kiwifruit may be just

what you need. A serving of kiwifruit (2 kiwis) has twice the

vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana, and the

fiber of a bowl of whole-grain cereal–all for less than 100 calories!

2. The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, both

of which are essential for promoting heart health, regulating

digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels—that’s a winning

trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a “nutritional all-star,”

as Rutgers University researchers found that kiwifruit has the best

nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed fruits.

3. Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruit is rich in many bioactive

compounds that have the antioxidant capacity to help to protect against

free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If you

want clean energy, think of kiwifruit because they’re rich in

magnesium, a nutrient essential to convert food into energy.

4. A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes

with protective lutein, a carotenoid that’s concentrated in eye

tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals. Kiwifruit is

also packed with blood-pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-

gram serving of kiwifruit—that’s about one large kiwi—provides

15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium.

5. Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years.

Once the fruit gained popularity, other countries started to grow

them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South Korea, and Spain.

At first, kiwis were referred to as ‘Yang Tao’ or ‘Chinese

Gooseberry,’ but the name was ultimately changed to kiwifruit so

that everyone would know where the fruit came from.

6. A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of

wrinkles, bruises, and punctures. If you find that your kiwi is a little

too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature for

three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To

speed up the ripening process, you can also place kiwis in a paper

bag with an apple or banana. If you want to store the fruit longer,

you should keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

2.1Answer the following questions briefly:

(a) What does a serving of kiwi offer?

(b) Why has kiwi been considered a “nutritional all-star”?

(c)How is kiwi fruit helpful for the eyes?

(d) How can you make a kiwi fruit ripen?

2.2 Do as directed:

(a) The word ‘compound’ means:

 (i)calcium

 (ii)mixture

 (iii)texture

 (iv)vitamin

 (b) The word ‘concentrated’ means’:

 (i) strong

 (ii) liquid

 (iii) large

 (iv) replace

 (c) The word ‘ bruises’ means:

 (i) roughness

 (ii) desolation

 (iii) popularity

 (iv) discoloured

 (d) The word ‘tart’ means:

 (i) sweet

 (ii) salty

 (iii) bitter

 (iv) nutty

2 X 4 = 8

1 X4 = 4

Section B

Writing & Grammar – 25 Marks

Q3. Tourism is one of the biggest and fastest-growing industries globally

that affects the economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and educational

resources of nations. Improving the tourism industry in India would thus lead

to national development in many spheres. As Ankit/ Ankita, write a letter to

the Editor of The Times of India expressing your views on the same. You

may like to take ideas from the unit- Travel and Tourism besides your own

ideas. (about 100 -120 words )

 OR

Disposal of electronic goods, commonly termed as e-waste, in landfills lead

to toxic substances such as lead, mercury, etc. contaminating the land, air

and water. Its high time that countries take. A stock of the situation and

protect the environment. Write an article discussing the same. Also, suggest

some solutions. You are Neha / Nitin from XYZ School. You may use

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ideas from the unit- Environment besides your own ideas ( 100- 120 words )

Q4. Write a short story on the basis of the hints provided in about 150- 200

words:

Enjoyed going for long walks– a visit to Dehradun—huge forest - taking

shortcut through the woods, a tree toppled pinning me underneath.

Then……

Begin the story with:

I have always enjoyed taking long walks among the forests………..

 OR

loved reading about life on other planets----One day --walking in the

school. Suddenly heard a noise-----strange man, no creature –an alien

saying something---- then more came---abducted me…….

Begin the story with:

I loved reading about life on other planets………

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Q5. Complete the following passage by filling in one or two words each:

Most of us fail in our efforts (a) __________self improvement because our

schemes are too ambitious and we never have time (b) ________ carry

them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolution

to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back (c)

__________ our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted

(d) _________ keep my resolution to myself. I limited myself to two

modest ambitions, to do physical exercise every morning and to read more

(e) ________ the evening. An overnight party on New year’s eve provided

me with a good excuse (f) _________ not carrying out either of these new

resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself

assiduously to the task.

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Q 6. In the passage given below, one word has been omitted in each line.

Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and the

word that comes after it in your answer sheet. Ensure that the word

that forms your answer is underlined.

 The first one has been done as an example for you:

 Before Missing After

 Most people travel as part of their e.g. as a part

 daily routine because it enjoyable. (a) _______ _______ _______

 There are lots places to explore in (b) _______ _______ _______

 the world. Travelling worth every (c) _______ _______ _______

 penny you spend memories last forever (d) _______ _______ _______

 When travelling, one the opportunity (e) _______ _______ _______

 to meet different people from different (f) _______ _______ _______

 places. One the most important social (g) _______ _______ _______

 skills that we learn is how interact and (h) _______ _______ _______

 communicate with different people.

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Q 7. Rearrange the following words/phrases to form meaningful sentences:

1. is its / remarkable feature / preciousness / the most / of time

2. opportunities /of golden / every moment / thousands / brings

with it

3. slip away / not allow / we must / time to / such precious