CBSE Class 12 English Descriptive Passage Worksheet Set 04

Passage 

1. When we think of the game of cricket, we come to the conclusion that it is primarily a game that depends on outstanding physical activities, good hand-eye co-ordination, speed, skill and strength. It provides entertainment and generates strong feelings of excitement. A good match of cricket or of any other game neither adds to the existing stock of human knowledge nor reveals any secret of existence. It does not carry any deep meaning but most people, particularly the lover of sports, attach deep emotions and numerous meanings to it. Games are thought of as a metaphor for life. They are supposed to teach many lessons. In fact, more is said and written about a cricket match than about scientific findings or great philosophy.
2. This is because games, like a morality play, in which settings and rules are made by us can easily make people test their fair and foul conduct, principles of reward and punishment, and emotions of joy and disappointment. They can make us experience the thrill of war without exposing us to its dangers. A man watching a cricket match on T.V. and munching popcorn is like a surrogate warrior. In fact, games provide us with a safe outlet for our aggressiveness. If games become aggressive, they lose the very purpose of providing entertainment and purging us of our aggressiveness. They can calm our impatience without creating any conflict.
3. Commentators, journalists, politicians and analysts can do a great favour to the competing teams by keeping the excitement within limits. The teams should play without being dominated by feelings of national honour and shame. Excellent performance of the players of both teams should be enjoyed and appreciated. Winning or losing in a game should not be taken seriously. A game is fun if it is played with true spirit of sportsmanship.

Question. Comment on the writers reference to that cricket does not reveal any secret of existence.
Answer: The writer suggests that cricket is a physical sport played primarily for entertainment and emotional engagement. Unlike science or philosophy, it does not provide answers to the fundamental mysteries of the universe or human life; its value lies in excitement and its role as a metaphor for human conduct and life lessons.

Question. List two responses which watching a game of cricket gives rise to.
Answer: Watching a game of cricket gives rise to (1) strong feelings of excitement and (2) deep emotional attachment or the assigning of numerous meanings to the game.

Question. With reference to the passage, a spectator is compared to a ‘surrogate warrior’. Choose the option that best describes this phrase.
(a) A spectator who is paid to watch,
(b) A spectator who enjoys the match as an armchair soldier,
Answer: (b) A spectator who enjoys the match as an armchair soldier,

Question. Complete the sentence suitably. Most people conclude that cricket is primarily a game because .................
Answer: it depends on outstanding physical activities, good hand-eye co-ordination, speed, skill and strength.

Question. Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘destroy’ from words used in the passage.
(a) Reveals
(b) Experience
(c) Generate
(d) Purging
Answer: (c) Generate

Question. Why does the writer compare games to a morality play?
Answer: The writer compares games to a morality play because both have settings and rules created by humans that allow people to test their fair and foul conduct, and experience principles of reward, punishment, and complex emotions within a structured and safe environment.

Question. The writer says that games can calm our impatience. How?
Answer: Games can calm our impatience by providing a safe outlet for our inherent aggressiveness and feelings of war-like thrill without exposing us to actual danger or creating real-world conflict.

Question. The writer would agree with the given statements based on Paragraph 2,
(a) Rules of any game are made by people,
(b) Watching a cricket match makes the viewer believe that he is fighting a battle?
(c) It is necessary for a game to be aggressive in order to build excitement,
(d) A game can test peoples sense of fair judgement,
Answer: (c) It is necessary for a game to be aggressive in order to build excitement,

Question. Select the most suitable title for the above passage.
(a) Excellent Performance by Cricketers
(b) The Benefits of Playing Cricket
(c) Cricket-The King of Games
(d) The True Spirit of Playing Games
Answer: (d) The True Spirit of Playing Games

Question. A game is fun if it is played with true spirit of sportsmanship. How can this sportsmanship be maintained?
Answer: Sportsmanship can be maintained by commentators, politicians, and analysts keeping the excitement within healthy limits, ensuring teams play without being dominated by overwhelming feelings of national honour or shame, and appreciating the excellent performance of players from both teams rather than taking winning or losing too seriously.

Passage 

1. From the moment a baby first opens its eyes, it is learning. Sight and sensation spark off a learning process that will significantly shape the person they become. Among all the tools of learning, language stands out as the most crucial. It gives humans an edge in intelligence over other creatures. No other species can assemble ideas, consider them, draw conclusions and then explain their reasoning. Man can do all this because of language.
2. Even very young babies respond to human voices uttering comforting words close to them. This emotional response provides early evidence that feeling is a vital component of language learning. Children learn to use language through interaction with other human beings, especially against a backdrop of affectionate feedback from those closest to them. The interaction between parent and baby, with eyes locked together, sets the pattern for their relationship.
3. Before they can even speak, children engage in a two-way communication process that lays the foundation for their later use of language. Surrounded by language, they unconsciously build mental structures into which their speech and reading will later fit-grammatical constructions, tense sequences, and more. The forms of these structures depend on the complexity of the speech they hear. Children who listen to articulate adults expressing ideas and defending opinions are fortunate. They understand that relationships are forged through speaking and listening, where warmth, humour and other emotions play a role.
4. Using books is essential for a child’s language development. While adults can’t endlessly initiate and maintain speech with very young children, books provide a rich source of language exposure. Through reading, children absorb vocabulary, grammar and various forms of expression. Thus, language plays a critical role in shaping thought and understanding, making it a powerful tool for lifelong learning.

Question. Explain how humans can use language and do things that other species cannot.
Answer: Humans use language to assemble complex ideas, reflect on them, draw logical conclusions, and explain their reasoning, which are intellectual activities that no other species can perform.

Question. “Language plays a critical role in shaping thought and understanding, making it a powerful tool for lifelong learning.” Explain with examples from Paragraphs 3 and 4.
Answer: Paragraph 3 explains that by being surrounded by language, children build mental structures for grammar and logic. Paragraph 4 adds that through books, children absorb diverse vocabulary and various forms of expression. Together, these processes shape their ability to think and process information throughout their lives.

Question. In the line “This emotional response provides early evidence that feeling is a vital component of language learning.” What emotional response does the author refer to?
(a) Crying and Cooing
(b) Response to human voices uttering comforting words
Answer: (b) Response to human voices uttering comforting words

Question. Complete the following sentence with an appropriate word “Sight and sensation spark off a learning process that will significantly shape the person they become.” In the above sentence, the author talks about the ................. process in humans.
Answer: developmental

Question. Find the word in Paragraph 3 which means ‘express’.
(a) Process
(b) Articulate
(c) Construction
(d) Sequence
Answer: (b) Articulate

Question. Children engage in a two-way communication process that lays the foundation for their later use of language. Elaborate.
Answer: Even before speaking, babies interact with others through sight and sound. This early communication helps them unconsciously build the cognitive "mental structures" needed to later understand complex grammar, tense sequences, and structured speech.

Question. Share evidence from the text in about 40 words, to support the view that surroundings and external factors play an important role in language development.
Answer: The text states that the "forms of structures depend on the complexity of the speech they hear" from articulate adults. Additionally, books provide a "rich source of language exposure," allowing children to absorb vocabulary and grammar beyond direct speech.

Question. Read the five headlines (i)-(v) given below.
1. Language - The Key to Human Intelligence
2. Children - A Rebellious Generation
3. Early Language Development - From Infancy to Childhood
4. Teacher - A Nation Builder
5. The Role of Interaction in Language Acquisition
Identify the option that displays the headlines that correspond with the occurrences in the text.
(a) 1, 3 and 5
(b) 3 and 5
(c) Only 2
(d) 1 and 3
Answer: (a) 1, 3 and 5

Question. According to the passage, why do children who listen to articulate adults expressing ideas have an advantage?
(a) They learn to use language more quickly,
(b) They develop stronger relationships,
(c) They understand the importance of warmth and humour.
(d) They build complex grammatical structures.
Answer: (d) They build complex grammatical structures.

Question. Explain in about 40 words why books are essential for children’s language development.
Answer: Books are essential because they provide a "rich source of language exposure" that supplements spoken interaction. Through reading, children absorb diverse vocabulary and complex forms of expression that critically shape their lifelong thought and understanding.