Question 1.
Read the following text :
(1) Creativity is our most precious resource and the most inexhaustible one. As anyone who
has ever spent any time with children knows, every single human being is born creative;
every human being is innately endowed with the ability to combine data and
perceptions,materials and ideas and devise new ways of thinking and doing.What fosters
creativity ? More than anything else : the presence of other creative people, contrary to that
creativity is the province of great individual geniuses. In fact creativity is a social process.
Our biggest creative breakthrough comes when people learn from, compete with, and
collaborate with other people.
(2)Cities are centres of creativity. With their diverse
populations, dense social networks and public spaces, people can meet spontaneously and
spark or catalyse new ideas. With their infrastructure for finance, organization and trade,
they allow the idea to swiftly reach its destination.
(3) A study tracking the decline of unconventional thinking ability as children age, states that
while 98 percent of 3 to 5 years olds exhibited creative thinking, this dwindled to 10 percent

among 13 to 15 years olds and a mere 2 percent among 25 years olds. Thus, adulthood
witnesses the erosion of innate creativity. There is a variance in creative vitality across cities.
Although all cities harbour creative individuals by default, some are saturated with
leaders,institutions, and people that inhibit creativity.
(4) Creativity (or the lack of it) follows the same general contours of the great
socio-economic divide - our rising inequality - that plagues us. According to estimates,
roughly one-third people are able to do work which engages our creative faculties to some
extent, whether as artists, musicians, writers, techies, innovators, entrepreneurs, doctors,
lawyers, journalists or educators. That leaves a group termed ”the other 66 percent”, in
which their creativity is subjugated, ignored or wasted.
(5)Creativity itself is not in danger. It is flourishing all around us - in science and technology,
arts and culture, in our rapidly revitalizing cities. But we still have a long way to go if we
want to build a truly creative society that supports and rewards creativity of each one of us.
(Created for academic usage / 410 words)

(a): The central idea of this passage is that:

• (A) social interaction is necessary to nurture creativity.
  (B) creativity and ideas are gradually declining in all societies.
  (C) the creativity divide is widening in societies in line with socio-economic trends.
  (D) more people should work in jobs that engage their creative faculties.

Select the option that is true for the assertion and reason given below:
Assertion: Creativity is the province of great individual genius is not true.
Reason: Creativity is a social process.

• (A) Both the Assertion and Reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.
  (B) Both the Assertion and Reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion.
  (C) The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
  (D) The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.

Identify the word in paragraph 1 which means something that cannot be used-up or depleted.

What important trends does a study tracking the decline in creative thinking ability in children reveal? Answer in about 40 words.
 

Read the given prompt and select the correct option in the brackets to fill in the blank.

Creativity is thus a _____ (economic, industrial, social) process.

According to the passage, where does creativity thrive apart from arts and culture?

Complete the following with a suitable reason:
About thirty-three percent citizens engage their creative faculties in tasks that use _____.

2. Read the following text:

(1) In today’s contemporary online shopping landscape, a perfect storm of choicen engulfs
consumers. Research consistently indicates that individuals presented with a limited
selection tend to make more confident and efficient decisions compared to those confronted
with overwhelming choices.
(2) Consequently, assisting consumers in navigating the vast expanse of options available
online has evolved into a thriving industry on a global scale. Many brands and retailers now
employ marketing strategies revolving around the aspects given in the table below:

(3) For a relatively new breed of consumer product startups, a different approach emerges
entirely. Rather than attempting to navigate the existing sea of products, these companies
claim to revolutionize conventional consumer choices. Some brands offer limited, functional,
mid-priced products, instilling customer confidence and breaking the cycle of consumerism.
(4) The global product abundance could be more equitable. Unfortunately, creators often
prioritize wealthier consumers.
(5) For startups promising accessible simplicity, their very structure may eventually lead
them back to an overwhelming array of choices. Most of these companies rely on hundreds
of millions of dollars in venture capital funding, and their investors typically expect rapid
growth. (Adapted for academic usage)

Question i:
What does the use of the phrase "a perfect storm of choice," by the writer, in paragraph 1, tell us about their feelings?

• (A) The consumers are elated
  (B) The consumers are confused
  (C) The consumers are confident
  (D) The consumers are decisive

Identify the word in paragraph 2 that indicates that the writer feels assisting consumers has become a profitable industry.

Based on the aspects mentioned in the table, mention the marketing approach that is primarily concerned with understanding consumers based on various factors.

Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of the table:
Cataloging people by gender, income level, personal interests etc. is to Data utilization as Algorithms, influencers, and ad tech are to _____.

Which aspect in the table pertains to presenting consumers with carefully selected choices to assist decision-making?

• (A) Challenge
  (B) Data utilization
  (C) Marketing trends
  (D) Retail assistance

Based on your understanding, fill the blank with the appropriate option:
The solution to combat choice fatigue is to _____ (follow / employ / recommend) lifestyle influencers on Instagram who provide self-improvement content and product references.

Complete the sentence suitably:
The different approach to revolutionise consumer choices is to _____.

Complete the following with a suitable reason:
The writer believes that the global product abundance cannot be equitable because _____.

SECTION B
Grammar and Creative Writing Skills
Grammar

Question 3:

Complete any ten of the following twelve tasks, as directed.
i: Read the given sentence from a story. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket:

As I entered the room, the first thing that struck me as odd, was the candle still _____ (burn) on the table. The curtains had been drawn back and the room was bright.

Complete the given statement, by filling the blank with the correct option:
A mask is used to hide the identity ____ a person.

• (A) of
  (B) for
  (C) being
  (D) at

Read the following conversation:
Student: Hello. I’ve come to ask about the English courses you run for international students.
Administrator: Are you a student at the university?
Select the correct option to complete the reporting of the above dialogue:

The student greeted and mentioned that she ____ to inquire about the English courses for international students. The administrator enquired if she was a student at the university.

• (A) has come
  (B) has came
  (C) had came
  (D) had come

Choose the correct statement:

• (A) He sweared that he had not stolen the bag.
  (B) He swore that he had not stolen the bag.
  (C) He was swearing that he had not stolen the bag.
  (D) He swears that he had not stolen the bag.

Writing

Note : All details presented in the questions in writing section are imaginary and
created for assessment purpose.
Attempt any one from (a) and (b) given below 

Question 4:

As a resident of B/66 Mall Road, Guwahati, and a parent of a Grade X student, you are deeply concerned about the declining writing habits among students in today’s digital age. This trend significantly impacts their academic performance.

Write a letter in 100–120 words to the editor of ‘The Geo Youth Times’ expressing your concern about this issue. Also, suggest measures to emphasize the importance of reading and writing skills in schools.

You are Vidhi/Vaibhav.

The pros and cons of using the internet in everyday life are numerous. The internet is like a double-edged sword. Based on the information provided in the table below, write an analytical paragraph on the topic ‘Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet’ in not less than 120 words.

Pros and Cons of Internet


 

Question 5(b):

Students today are becoming victims of cyber-crime and cyber bullying in schools, which is affecting the mental health of students.
Write an analytical paragraph in 120 words on the problems and causes of cyber-crimes.

SECTION C
Literature

Question 6:Read the given extracts and answer the questions for any one of the two given

(a) It is from these comrades in the struggle that I learned the true any one of the two
meaning of courage. Time and again, I have seen men and women risk and give up their lives
for an idea. I have seen men and women stand up to attacks and torture without breaking,
showing a strength and resilience that defies the imagination. I learned that courage was not
the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid,
but he who conquers that fear.
(Nelson Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom)

i: What effect does the experience as described in the lines below have on the speaker?
Time and again, I have seen men and women risk their lives for an idea.

Select one inference about the idea of courage from the given context:
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”

• (A) being fearless
  (B) absence of fear
  (C) feeding your fears
  (D) ability to overcome fear

Question 6:

(b): There was a fifty rupee note between his fingers. My heart sank. I thought I had been
discovered. ”I made some money yesterday,” he explained. ”Now you’ll be paid regularly.”
My spirits rose. But when I took the note, I saw it was still wet from the night’s rain. ”Today
we’ll start writing sentences,” he said.
He knew. But neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything.
(The Thief’s Story)

i:In the context of the given extract, what was the feeling UNLIKELY to have been on seeing “a fifty rupee note between his fingers”?

• (A) joyous
  (B) sad
  (C) unhappy
  (D) worried

Question 7:Read the given extracts and answer the questions for any ONE of the given two, given.

(a) My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent.
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak.
(The Trees)

Based on the tone, discuss how Adrienne Rich presents the conflict between man and nature.

What is the mood or atmosphere conveyed by the imagery in the passage?

• (A) Calm and tranquil
  (B) Eerie and foreboding
  (C) Joyful and celebratory
  (D) Melancholic and traumatic

Why would the whispers be silent tomorrow?

Question 7(b):

((I am Rapunzel, I have not care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair !)
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda !
You’re always so moody, Amanda !
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda !
(Amanda))
(Amanda! by Robin Klein)

i:Complete the following suitably:
Amanda sulked and became moody because ____.

What does the girl constantly yearn for? What do you pattern about Amanda from the poem?

What kind of picture is painted by the poet through the line,
“life in a tower is tranquil and rare”?

The tone of the speaker in the exclamation “Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!” is:
[1.] uncertain
[2.] aggressive
[3.] dominating
[4.] meek
[5.] moody

• (A) 1, 2, 4
  (B) 2 and 3
  (C) 2, 4 and 5
  (D) 4 and 5

(a): Examine the role of Nature in the poems ‘The Dust of Snow’ and ‘Fog’.

(b):
The journeys of Anne Frank and Valli teach us the vital lesson that optimism and self-assurance empower women to rise above circumstances and overcome obstacles. Examine the similarities.
(Diary of Anne Frank \& Madam Rides the Bus)