SECTION A - (READING)
1. Read the passage given below carefully:
1. Cricket in South Asia is a carnivalesque, festive game. It carries not merely the baggage of competition and achievement,but is also a participatory cultural event that invokes images of religious festivals, convivial social gatherings, picnics and theatre. It is now gradually becoming a substitute for war, a means of redeeming self-esteem and expressing xenophobia, and a depot of weird conspiracy theories. No country now loses a game because the other side is better; a country loses only because its cricketers and cricket-administrators are under patriotic, corrupt, greedy or
self-centered.
2. Unfortunately for ultra-nationalists and fortunately for the rest, cricket is one game in which the best training, organisation and preparation do not yield corresponding results. It is a subversive game that rebels against the productivity principle on which is built the world of globalized capitalism. Luck plays a major role in the final outcome of a match or series. In this respect, cricket is unlike football, tennis or chess. The grandeur of cricket and the clichéd reference to its glorious uncertainties come from a cultivated ignorance of this inner contradiction in the game. Cricketers and their fans, to say nothing of the experts, have to learn to live with the unpredictability without getting overly judgmental or paranoiac. All games have some built-in uncertainties; only cricket has turned the gracious acceptance of this into a measure of character.
3. Let us not forget that in cricket the 22 players involved are never on the field at the same time. Consequently, one team may play in full sunshine, while the other may have to play under an overcast sky when the ball begins to swing. One team may bat on a green top, the other on a wearing pitch. You can never truly equalize the outer conditions for the two teams. So a cricketer not merely plays against the opposition, but also against his own fate. That is one reason why it is a typically Indian or, if you prefer, South Asian game.
4. This is a cultural region that recognizes the role of destiny in human affairs. All cricketers are superstitious because of the nature of their job. Only South Asians are not embarrassed about it and have unashamedly built ritualized ways of dealing with destiny as a normal part of a cricketer‘s life. If you want a game where the investment of money, hard training and ruthless professionalism will pay predictable results, and the results will be a pure reflection of skill and talent, you should choose another game.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage answer the questions by choosing the best option:
a) 'Cricket in South Asia is a carnivalesque, festive game' means:
(i) that cricket is seasonal like festivals.
(ii) that a cricket match is a cultural event like a festival or a carnival.
(iii) that cricket is not a game but a carnival, a festival.
(iv) that cricket merely facilitates social gatherings and picnics.
b) Cricket is becoming a substitute for war as:
(i) countries slake their image and self-esteem on the outcome of the game.
(ii) political interests have invaded the game.
(iii) cricket teams receive massive international funding.
(iv) cricketers are considered more patriotic.
c) ‗It (cricket) rebels against the productivity principle‘ means that:
(i) the principles or cricket are rebellious and unproductive.
(ii) training and preparation do not necessarily bring success.
(iii) cricket is played by rebels.
(iv) luck is not an important aspect.
d) According to the author who should not choose cricket:
(i) the one who cannot invest a lot of money in the game.
(ii) the one who believes in role of destiny.
(iii) one who looks for result based on merit.
(iv) one who is a ruthless professional.
1.2 Answer the following questions briefly:
a) How can you say that cricketers are superstitious?
b) In what way is cricket unlike football or tennis?
c) ‗A cricketer not merely plays against the opposition, but also against his own fate.‘ Explain with an example from the passage.
d) Why does the author describe cricket as a typical South Asian game?
e) What factors in a game bring about predictable results?
f) How many players are there in one cricket team?
1.3 Find words from the passage that mean the same as the following:
a) Friendly or lively atmosphere (para 1)
b) To overthrow or cause downfall (para 2)
2. Read the passage given below carefully:
1. EdX, a system of education being introduced in India for the first time is altering education. The system provides a world school that is not stuck in time. It offers students who enroll access to a blue-chip faculty. The system offers an open online course to students, giving them direct access to teaching from blue-chip global universities. Also, EdX course credits are now being recognized by universities, reflecting its acceptability at traditional campuses. The course creates a new kind of university that is unparalleled. It is a university without borders that blends on-line learning with on-campus experience and gets the best of both.
2. The education layout has a number of programmes where one can take courses on EdX and get credits from an American university. Today, a student can take full first year of university education and if he/she passes the virtually proctored exam on EdX one can get credits with Arizona State University. So a student could be in High School and complete one year of college on EdX and then go to the US and transfer one year of credit wherever the student may go for further studies. Thus students taking the EdX system can save one year of stay and study in the United States.
3. Founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012, this online destination for learning is the provider for massive open online courses (Moocs). It offers courses from the world‘s finest universities and almost six lakh students hold EdX certificates. The biggest areas of focus in these courses are job focused and English language courses. The popularity of these courses stems from the fact that in this fast growing economy there is a huge skills gap.
4. On closer examination of the outreach of Moocs, it is established that the system has not been able to reach the lower strata of people, particularly the people with no degrees. Looking into the matter it has been found that these people are not taking the courses offered because the Moocs courses are of an advanced level. Thus in correctional mood, Moocs has now included courses that are of a high school level and these courses have now brought about an increase in students in the age group of 13-18.
5. To provide a wide spectrum of choices, EdX courses have been categorized into four steps. As a first step, the system moved from courses to complete programmes and branded certificate programmes. In the second stage the system moved to credible micro credentials called micro masters. The third system is for cheating prevention by launching virtual proctoring. And finally
there are programmes for collaboration and social learning. Not satisfied with streamlining their system, Moocs has moved a step further by making teams so that students can collaborate online.
6. The road ahead for EdX system for education is one of completely re-imaging education. While today, students go to a university or to some online courses, in the future these students will go back and forth between campus and online education. This method of learning is being called the porous university. A student pieces together a degree by taking the best from various places and getting some campus experience as well.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage answer the questions by choosing the best option.
a) The EdX system of education ……
(i) is being offered in India for the first time
(ii) has been offered at select places
(iii) is popular in south India
(iv) will take students to Harvard
b) Examinations at EdX are:
(i) state managed
(ii) Harvard control
(iii) at the school level
(iv) virtually proctored
2.2 Answer the following questions briefly.
a) What does the EdX system of education offer its students?
b) Why is this education termed ‗the best of both‘?
c) What is the advantage of passing the virtually proctored examination in the system?
d) What is the special advantage in it for high school students?
e) What are the corrections made in the Moocs system?
f) What does the concept of a porous university imply?
2.3 Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:
a) all teachers in school or college (para1)
b) joint venture (para5)
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