HCS (MAIN) EXAM 2009
ENGLISH AND ENGLISH ESSAY
Time : 3 Hours M. Marks : 100
NOTE : Attempt all questions. The marks
carried by each question are indicated
at the end of the question. The part of
the same questions must be answered
together and must not be interposed
between answers to other questions.
1. Make a precis of the following passage,
reducing it to one-third of its length. 20
A stamp is to many people, just a slip of
paper that takes a letter from one town or
country to another. They are unable to
understand why we stamp collectors find so
much pleasure in collecting them and how
we find time in which to indulge in our hobby.
To them, It seems a waste of time, a waste
of effort and waste of money. But they do
not realise that there are many who do buiy
stamps, many who find the effort worth-while
and many who would spend there time less
profitable if they did not collect stamps. An
album, a packet of hinges, a new supply of
stamps and the time passes swiftly and
plesantly.
Stamp collecting has not limits and
never has an end. Countries are always
printing and issuing stamps to celebrate
coronations, great events, anniversaries and
death. And fascination of collection is, trying
to obtain these stamps before one’s rival.
There is an history in every stamp. The
ancient Roman Empire and the constitution
of America, India’s Indipendence and the
Allied Victory all are conveyed to our mind’s
eye by means of stamps. A stamp has a
fascination of his own. Gazing at its little
picture, we are transported to the wild of
Congos, the home of the Arabs and the
endless tracks of Sahara Desert. We see
famous man, pictures, writer, scientist,
soilder, politicians and famous incidents on
these small bits of papers. Stamps, so small
and minute, contain knowledge that is vast
and important.
2. Read the following passage carefully
and answer the questions that follow,
in your own words. 20
All great thinkers live and move on a high
plane of thought. It Is only there they can
breathe freely. It is only in contact with spirits
like themselves they can live harmoniously
and attain that serenity which comes form
that companionship. The studies of all great
thinkers must range along the same altitude
of human thought. I cannot remember the
name of any illumative genius who did not
drink his inspiration from fountains of ancient
Greek and Herbrew writers; or such among
the mordern were pupils in ancient thought
and in turn, became masters in their own. I
have always thought that the strongest
argument in favour of the Baconian theory
was that no man could have written plays
ans sonnets that have come down to us
under Shakespear’s name who had not the
liberal education of Bacon. How this habbit
of intercourse with gods, make one impatient
of mere men? The magnificient ideals that
have ever haunted the human mind are
splintered into by contact with life’s realities.
You will notice that your first sensation after
reading a great book is one of melancholy

and dissatisfaction. The ideas, sentiments,
expressions, are so far beyond those of
ordinary working life that you cannot turn
aside from the concious ness of the contrast.
And the principals are so lofty, so super
human that it is a positive pain, to come down
and mix in the squalid surrounding of
ordinary humanity. A habitual meditation in
the vast problems that underline human life,
and are knit into human destiniews-thought
of immorality and the littleness of mere men,
the greatness of man’s soul the splendour
of the universe – these things do not fit men
to understand the average human being, or
tolerate with patience the sordid
wretchedness of the masses. It is easy to
understand, therefore why such thinkers fly
to the solitude of their own thoughts, or to
the silent companionship of the immortals.
And if they care to present their views and
prose to the worlds, that these views take a
sombre and malancholy setting from “the
pale cast of thought” in which they were
engendered.
Questions :
(a) On what plane should the thinkers
live and move?
(b) Is the liberal education necessarey
to produce a great literature?
(c) Why does the reading of a great
book make one melancholy and
dissapointed, according to the
author?
(d) What are the things that make it
hard to understand the average
human being?
3. Write an essay in about 300 words on
any ONE of the following : 30
(a) The influence of Television on our
lives.
(b) “The man who will suceed in life is
he, who can adapt himself easily.
(c) A thing of beuaty is joy forever.
(d) What can I do to save my planet?
4. Fill in the blanks with suitable form of
words from the list given below : 5
damage, terror, strike, nutrition,
measure
(a) The tailor took my ___________ for
stitching the suit.
(b) All my furniture was __________
by fire.
(c) He ____________ a match to lite
the candel.
(d) Today the whole world has becom
a victim of ___________.
(e) soyabeans are as ____________
as meat.
5. Rewrite the following scentences as
directed : 5
(a) The innocents were punished. The
guilty were punished. (Make a
compound scentence)
(b) The man carrying a hoe is a
gardener. (Convert into complex
scentence)
(c) I am writing a letter. (Change the
voice)
(d) You eat very quickly. (Add a suitable
question tag)
(e) He said to me “What are you
doing?” (Change the mode of
narration)
6. Suggest one suitable word for the
following : 5
(a) A protected forest where hunting is
banned.
(b) A person who makes statue out of
stone.
(c) Something that includes the whole
word.
(d) Something that never dies.
(e) The study of stars and planets.

7. Use the following idioms in your
ownscentes, bringing out the meaning:
5
(a) Sailing on the same boat
(b) Bag and baggage
(c) At the eleventh hour
(d) Put the hand together
(e) To turn the tables.
8. Correct the following scentences: 10
(a) He gave me a advice.
(b) Neither his father nor his mother
are alilve.
(c) Each of the girl has gone to the
library.
(d) Where are your luggage?
(e) He has eaten two breads.
(f) Suresh told to me about it.
(g) I don’t know nothing about the
matter.
(h) Its ten O‘clock in my watch.
(i) I bought a pen in ten rupees.
(j) Neha is senoir than Rita.
HCS (MAIN) EXAM 2009
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The caste system as a tradition has
grown and developed through many
centuries. It is firmly rootes in the Indian
social struture. The maintenance of the
caste system was backed by the
religious theory of karma. According to
this theroy man reaps the cumulative
fruit of his good and eveil deeds through
births and rebirths.The birth of an

individual in a particular caste is based
on his actions in his past life. Out of this
system has grown the greatest evil that
India has ever untouchbility.