List of practice Questions

Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’.
1. to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit
2. to take ill: to suddenly become ill Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.
Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.
1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words
2. count while reciting
3. be sure
4. give information to somebody
Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.
1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
2. I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning.
3. At her age one could never tell.
4. She told us that her end was near.
How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?
Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.
‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.
Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?
The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in another sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?
knot     stern     boom     hatch     anchor
The following three compound words end in -ship. What does each of them mean?
airship     flagship     lightship
The following are the meanings listed in the dictionary against the phrase ‘take on’. In which meaning is it used in the third paragraph of the account:
take on sth:to begin to have a particular quality or appearance;
to assume sth
take sb on:to employ sb;
to engage sb to accept sb as one’s opponent in a game, contest or conflict
take sb/sth on:to decide to do sth;
to allow sth/sb to enter e.g. a bus, plane or ship;
to take sth/sb on board
Scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries.
Traditions, rituals and funerary practices must be respected.
Here are some commonly used medical terms. Find out their meanings.
CT scan MRI tomography autopsy dialysis ECG post mortem angiography biopsy
Given below are some interesting combinations of words. Explain why they have been used together.
(i) ghostly dust devils
(ii) desert sky
(iii) stunning artifacts
(iv) funerary treasures
(v) scientific detachment
(vi) dark - bellied clouds
(vii) casket grey
(viii) eternal brilliance
(ix) ritual resins
(x) virtual body
In what ways do you think we could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects?
Do you think it is important to preserve languages?
What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages?
Tick the statements that are true
Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases
to give vent to
to be physically strong
Locate the lines in text that support the title. 'The Ailing Planet'.
What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?