Combined Competitive Examination, 2021
English (Précis and Composition)
Tuesday the 08th February, 2022.
Time: 02:00 pm to 05: 00 pm Maximum marks. 100
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Note: Attempt all Questions.
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Question No. Marks.
01 Make a précis of the following passage and give a suitable title: 20
Things change with the passage of time. There have been great many changes in the world. Most of thickly populated cities and towns that existed centuries ago are reduced to ruins and give a deserted look now. Cities and towns that were destroyed by natural calamities or razed to the ground by invaders long ago have again been populated thickly and become great trading centers and tourist places. Some of them afford breath-taking scenes and wonderful places ever seen on the earth. Small towns have been developed to be big cities and deserted places have become worth-seeing places. This all happens because change is a constant course of life.
It is but natural that man is attracted by innovations, discoveries, inventions, new creations and change in his life. That is why he has created wonderful things for his ease and comfort. Wonderful, magnificent and sky-high buildings reflect his tendency to high life, luxurious living and glorious and glamorous station of life. Gone are the days when man used to light oil lamp and cooked food by burning firewood and coal. Means of transport, communications and routes of conveyance have drastically changed. Modern inventions have brought wonderful change in our life-style and made our mobility frequent and speedy, and living amazingly convenient.
Some drastic and violent changes were brought by cruel and wicked invaders who not only plundered wealth and precious things, but also put tens of thousands of innocent people to sword. Genghis Khan and Hulagu Khan of Mongol stock are the worst examples of tyranny, scourge, mass killing of Muslims and hostility and ill-will towards Islam. They laid cities, crops and bazaars waste and set libraries and properties of Muslims on fire and reduced magnificent buildings to debris and dust and burnt thousands of precious and rare books to ashes. Their invasions came as wrath of God to teach transgressors a lesson.
Baghdad and Delhi are two glaring examples of brutality and maltreatment to innocent people whom attackers caught unawares and put them to sword mercilessly. However, things change with the passage of time. Desolate and destructed places were populated again. Life returned to these places. Markets bustling with life remained open for longer hours and sold wonderful things. Places of entertainment, show business, cinemas and theaters attracted more audience, spectators and visitors than ever. Culture, civilizations, old traditions and life were revived to afford the people an opportunity to enjoy exuberance, beauties of nature, insight, profound knowledge and innumerable worldly and divine blessings.
02 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions set below it.
We human beings are often too hasty to use our brains. Even in most important matters and critical junctures, we take a leap in the dark. We merely embark upon most important ventures without proper deliberation and planning. Sometimes we are least careful and forget a best proverb, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Like many hit and run drivers, we commit blunders and hurt ourselves and other innocent people. It is because of certain reasons. First, like a blacksmith, we have so many irons in the fire. We are overtaken by worldly affairs, and the world is too much with us. We are too busy to look behind and to and fro. Like a reckless driver, who just pulls out to gain a few minutes out of the required time, we hasten to do several things in a short time. Ambitions have overtaken us, and we feel overcome, lost and hollow. Second, we think that we can make most of our time by hurrying from our schedule. Third, there are many things that we miscalculate or underestimate. They take their due time to materialize. Nature has its own course, and when we humans go against it, suffer deservedly. Nature has its own laws, order and principles for we people to abide by. In most cases, we go against them or ignore them altogether. Fourth, we are too impatient to wait and see what way the wind blows. We become too optimistic to know the hard realities of life and hidden dangers lying in wait in our way. In addition, we don’t observe the things with clear head and observant eyes, and as a result, we are caught unawares in most of the things we do. Absence of proper deliberation leads us to limbo, chaos and confusion. Last, ignorance about dangers around, wishful thinking and building castles in the air come in our way and leave us in the lurch.
(i) In your own words mention some of the reasons why we face problems and failures in practical life? 04
(ii) Keeping in view the ideas mentioned in the passage, suggest some wise steps from your own knowledge for success and making our dreams come true. 04
(iii In the above passage the words in Italics, „overtaken’ has been used twice, „overcome’ has been used once. Are these words used subjectively or objectively? Write your answers separately for each word. 02
(vi) Identify the underlined words(In bold) ‘merely’, ‘altogether’ as words / parts of speech. 02
(vii) Define (give meanings) of the eight underlined proverbs, phrases, idioms and sentences in the passage above. 08
03 (A) Write appropriate Synonyms for any Five of the following words: 05
(i) Apprehension (ii) Sniff (iii) Although (iv) Persuade(v) Annoy(vi) Symphony (vii) Decrepit (viii) Devastating
(B) Write appropriate Antonyms for any Five of the following: 05
(i) Commission (ii) Infer (iii) Alien (iv) Befriend (v) Persuade (vi) Resolution (vii) Dormant (viii) Deceased (ix) Procrastinate (x) Chaos
04 (A) Do as directed: 20
(i) He is the tallest of all the other boys in the class. (Change to positive degree keeping the sense of comparison intact).
(ii) Despite of hard work, she failed the English once more again. (Rewrite the sentence omitting words that render it incorrect).
(iii) We ______ the founder of the nation’s death anniversary regularly. (Insert appropriate verb)
(iv) It has _____ a long time since we ______ last. (Insert appropriate verbs)
(v) Whats your name dear (Use punctuations marks)
(vi) ______ owner and ______ manager of _______ firm are in their offices. (Insert appropriate article(s)
(vii) My father left me the house ______ his will. (Use appropriate preposition).
(viii) JUI-Fazal _____ amid dismal PTI show in KPK Polls. (Use a phrasal verb and a noun)
(ix) We listened eagerly, ______ he brought news of our families. (Use conjunctions)(x) We cultivate some pieces of arable land. (Write synonym and antonym of the underlined word)
05 Give meaning of any Five of the following pairs of words and use them in your sentences. 10
Use each word of the pair separately. (In all ten sentences)
(i)Bolster (v), prop (v) (ii)Amateur, professional(iii) Sinecure, honorary (iv) Alteration, altercation (v) Deface, efface (vi) Moonlight, moonshine(vii) Martial (adj), marshal (N) (viii) Croak (V), crook (N) (ix) Creak (V+N), creek (N) (x) Affluent, effluent.
06 Correct any Five of the following sentences:10
(i) Children enjoy to play under the sun.
(ii) She watched me stealing from her purse and sneaking.
(iii) The khan Liaquat Ali khan first prime minister of Pakistan was assassinated in the Liaquat bagh Rawalpindi.
(iv) Above all you are my pal brother in law business partner and neighbour.
(v) Last, but not the least I’d like to thank all the catering staff.
(vi) After night came it started to rain a wall of our house fell and the roof of our room came down.
(vii) Having arrived there I found door stood open and valuable stole.
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