You are Manager, Infocom Network C-3 Main Shopping Center, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. Draft an advertisement offering office furniture for sale. Give details.

OR

You are the President, Literary Society of Sunshine International School. Draft an invitation to author, Ms Manjul Bajaj requesting her to conduct a workshop on creative writing in your school. You are Romi/Rohit of Zenith Public School.

Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. I‟ve always held the belief that rationale or logic has no place in faith. If you have faith in the Supreme then you must also accept that you are not out there to defend your faith based on any scientific evidence. Those who don‟t share your belief have an equal right to their opinion. What matters is your personal stand. If you feel peaceful and joyous, if you feel inspired to do good deeds by having your faith, then by all means keep it, there‟s no reason to abandon it.

2. Einstein once got a letter asking if he believed in the Supreme. Einstein sent a telegram in response stating, “I believe in Spinoza‟s idea of the Supreme whoreveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in someone who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.” In case you are not familiar, Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 1677) was a Dutch philosopher (yes, not just brilliant engineers, they have philosophers too). An unorthodox and independent thinker, his views were revolutionary at the time. His philosophy is thought-provoking. So, where does that leave us in regards to faith?

3. To me, faith is a sentiment, it‟s an emotion. Just like you fall in love and you surrender in love and you find yourself willing to do anything for the person you love, same is with faith. Faith is love. When you have faith, you let go off your worries of the future, you let go of your guilt of the past, because you have surrendered to the divine will. You remain committed to a life of goodness and action. But, you also recognize that there are other bigger forces, of immense scale, in play in the grand scheme of things and it‟ll do you much good to play along.

4. You gain this courage, zest and zeal to work hard, to excel, to serve. Life looks beautiful and everything looks priceless then, because it truly is. Even our suffering is priceless. It gives you strength, it makes you reflect on you. It is priceless because you appreciate life more, it brings you closer to you, the real you. Don‟t limit yourself by asking petty things from the Supreme. Trust the immensity of nature. Faith does not mean all your dreams will come true, it simply means you look upon everything that‟s granted to you as a blessing. Just focus on your deeds, and before long, you‟ll be filled beyond measure

5. Accepting the transient nature of this world, and its eternal impermanence, is the definitive path to inner peace. Either live in complete surrender or exercise total control. If your boat is neither anchored nor guided, it‟ll just drift then. It‟ll drift in the direction of your thoughts, desires and emotions. Here today, there tomorrow.

6. Cosmic intelligence is infinitely more subtle, smart, organized and selfless than individual intelligence. Anchor your ship if you are tired of rowing. Have faith. (499 words)

A Mystic‟s Viewpoint-Blog by Om Swami

2.1 On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option:

a) Faith

i. does not depend on rationale and logic

ii. is a personal stand

iii. fills us with joy and peace

iv. All of the above

b) “Here today, there tomorrow‟ (Para 5) refers to

i. our thoughts

ii. our faith

iii. our emotions

iv. our desires

2.2 Answer the following briefly:

A) What was Einstein‟s belief about faith?

B) What does one gain from having faith?

C) In what way does suffering become priceless?

D) Why does the writer compare life to a birthday party?

E) What is the definitive path to inner peace?

F) How is cosmic intelligence superior to individual intelligence?

G) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:

i)proof (para 1):

ii) celestial (para 7):

Read the following passage carefully:

1. Classical dance evolved from Tamil Nadu‟s temples across centuries. The revived and reformed Bharatanatyam keeps the art born of these ancient temples alive even to this day. Once sustained and nurtured in temples as part of a rich and vibrant temple tradition, classical dance in South India has remained over centuries a dynamic, living tradition that is continuously renewed.

2. Even 2000 years ago, dance in India was a highly evolved and complex art. It was an integral part of ancient Indian theatre as established by the Natya Shastra, the oldest and exhaustive treatise on theatre and dramaturgy. Dance dramas were performed in temple precincts. Dance movements were crystallised in stone as karanas in temple sculpture. Following the Bhakti movement in the 6th century, dance and music became powerful vehicles of veneration. The deity was treated like a much-loved king, praised and royally entertained with music and dance, as part of the daily sacred rituals of worship. Gifted, highly educated temple dancers or devadasis were supported by the temples that were richly endowed by the rulers. Some 400 temple dancers were dedicated to and maintained by the Brihadeswarar Temple in Thanjavur. Dance evolved as a composite art in temples as dancers, nattuvanars (dance gurus), musicians, poets, composers, architects, sculptors and painters shared a holistic approach to all the arts.

3. The evolution of Bharatanatyam derives from the invaluable contribution of The Tanjore Quartet. The four Pillai brothers – Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu – served as court musicians at the kingdom of Maratha king, Serfoji II in the early 19th century. Their legacy to Bharatanatyam has been their restructuring of the dance repertoire into the margam format and their vast and diverse music compositions set specifically for dance. Some of their descendants like Guru Meenakshisundaram Pillai evolved the famous Pandanallur bani (style) and trained many eminent dancers.

4. From the temples, dance made its way into the courts of kings and dancers were not just devadasis, but also rajanartakis. By the early 17th century dance forms like sadir or chinna melam, precursors to Bharatanatyam as we know it today had become popular in the courts of the Maratha rulers in Thanjavur. However, in the 19th century, colonial propaganda perceived such dance as vulgar and immoral. It led to the Anti-Nautch Movement and legislation against temple dance and dancers. Divested of all patronage and temple support, devadasis were thrown into dire straits. In the early 20th century, thanks to enlightened visionaries like EV Krishna Iyer and later, Rukmini Devi Arundale, and the dedication of a handful of devadasis and nattuvanars, classical dance was resuscitated and revived as bharatanatyam. Today, apart from a few cultural festivals in some temples, dance has left the temple for the proscenium stage. (454 words)

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. Give an appropriate title.

(b) Write a summary of the above in 80 words using the notes.

Draft an application with bio-data in about 120-150 words for the post of the
Librarian in Vision Senior Secondary School, Calicut. You are Radhika/Rajeev from
21, Cherry Road, Madurai.

OR

You are Seetha / Surya living in Bangalore. You and your friends are planning a week
long holiday to a hill station. Write a letter making necessary enquiries from the tour
operator before you make your final decision.

The use of tobacco in cigarettes and other forms is a great health hazard. People do not pay much heed even to the statutory warning on cigarette packs. On the occasion of
No Tobacco Day write a speech in about 150-200 words about the hazards of tobacco,
giving arguments for your stand. You are Shalini/Suraj of Greenfields Public School.

OR

Due to incessant rains during the past few weeks, the Army has launched

'Operation Megh Rahat' in Naoshera, Rajouri, Thanamandi and Poonch districts of

Jammu and Kashmir in coordination with the civil authorities for search, rescue

and relief of people. Taking cue from the above picture write a speech in about

150-200 words to be given at the Republic day programme in your school,

applauding the role of the army and the need to boost their morale. You are Shalini/Suraj of Greenfields Public School.