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AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION BOARD

HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
CLASS XI EXAMINATION
SEPTEMBER 2010

English Compulsory Paper I

Time allowed: 50 minutes

Marks 40

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read each question carefully.
2. Answer the questions on the separate answer sheet provided. Do NOT write your answers on
the question paper.
3. There are 100 answer numbers on the answer sheet. Use answer numbers 1 to 40 only.
4. In each question there are four choices A, B, C, D. Choose ONE. On the answer grid black out
the box for your choice with a pencil as shown below.

Correct Way
A B C D

Incorrect Way
A B C D

A B C D

A B C D

A B C D

5. If you want to change your answer, ERASE the first answer completely with a rubber, before
blacking out a new box.
6. Do NOT write anything in the answer grid. The computer only records what is in the boxes.
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Listening Comprehension Section

In this section you will hear two recordings. Each one will be played twice.
Listen carefully to the first recording then read the 10 questions. You will have two minutes reading
time.
The recording will then be replayed. You can make notes on your question paper.
When the recording has finished, enter your answers on your separate answer sheet. You will have
three and a half minutes to pencil in your answers.
Follow the instruction on the front page of paper 1 to show which of the options; A, B, C, or D you
have selected for each question.
Listening Passage I
The passage is about telescopes and their significance in astronomy.
Source: Encyclopaedia Americana

Now listen to the recording.

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Mark your responses to these questions on your multiple choice answer sheet.
1.

A telescope is an instrument which

enables us to
A.
B.
C.
D.

6.

A. brighten the image of objects.

B. magnify distant stars.
C. view smaller objects.
D. make planets invisible.

see nearby objects.

check blood pressure.
see distant objects.
check measurements.
7.

2.

The largest lens telescope is at

Yerkes Observatory in
A.
B.
C.
D.

The reflecting telescope mirror at

Palomar is
A.
B.
C.
D.

4.

5.

7 minutes
8 minutes
9 minutes
10 minutes

B.
C.
D.
9.

A.
B.
C.
D.

studies the origin of the earth.

records history.
studies heavenly bodies.
experiments in various
branches of science.

10.

To find facts about life on

other planets.
To study the earths
environment.
To search for new planets.
To discover the origin of the
universe.

Compared to the human eye, the

telescope at Yerkes Observatory
collects
A.
B.
C.
D.

An astronomer is a person who

that does not exist at all.

that exists for a few days.
that exists for few months.
that exists for a few years.

What did Sir Bernard Lovell, the

eminent astronomer expect from the
scientists?
A.

200 inches in diameter.

300 inches in diameter.
400 inches in diameter.
500 inches in diameter.

How much time does light take to

travel from the sun to the earth?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The word "non-existent" means

anything
A.
B.
C.
D.

Australia.
America.
China.
Japan.
8.

3.

A telescope does not

20,000 times more light.

40,000 times more light.
60,000 times more light.
80,000 times more light.

The given passage is a

A.
B.
C.
D.

historical narrative.
fictional narrative.
research article.
science article.

PLEASE DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD
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Now, we will play the second recording. It will also be played twice.
Listen carefully to the first playing, then read Questions 11 to 20. You will have two minutes
reading time. The recording will then be replayed.
When the recording has finished, enter your answers on your separate answer sheet. You will have
three and a half minutes to pencil in your answers.

Listening Passage II
This passage is about one of the famous wonders of the world, pyramids which is situated in Egypt and
its interesting history.
Source: National Geographic Magazine
Now listen to the recording.

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Mark your responses to these questions on your multiple choice answer sheet.
11.

The pyramids are believed to be

A.
B.
C.
D.

12.

17.

A.
B.
C.

tombs of Egyptian rulers.

the resting places of the Gods.
kings monument.
places to store monuments.

The term afterlife refers to

A.
B.
C.
D.

life after death.

Paradise.
a super- natural element.
a hypothetical idea of life.

Which of the following is UNTRUE?

D.

18.

The contents of pyramids

A.

13.

Pyramids served as houses for

A.
B.
C.
D.

14.

D.

flattened.
blew up.
demolished.
built.

19.

production accomplishments.
manufacturing experts.
creating huge buildings.
making a structure.

What does the writer say about pyramids?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Pharaohs were gods who had built

these pyramids.
Archaeologists have found the
wealth of pyramids.
How pyramids were built is
unknown.
Scientists have learnt how
pyramids were built.

20.

tells us about the life style of

ancient Egypt.
guides and sustains rulers in the
next world.
reveals the unhealthy conditions
of builders.
describes the architectural
grandeur of ancient Egyptians.

What word tells how the life of ancient

Egypt is portrayed on the walls of
pyramids?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The phrase engineering feats refers to

A.
B.
C.
D.

16.

C.

The word erected means

A.
B.
C.
D.

15.

B.

local inhabitants.
temple-makers.
Pharaohs.
evil gods.

Egyptians were skilled.

The builders lived near the site.
The builders were supported by
communities to build this
structure.
Pyramids reveal that ancient
Egypt was a poorly organized
country.

Inscriptions
Decorations
Depictions
Descriptions

The world of pyramids is called

A.
B.
C.
D.

a long-lost world.
a long-forgotten world.
a once-thriving civilization.
a long-vanished world.

PLEASE DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD
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Reading Comprehension Section

This section has two reading passages; each followed by 10 multiple choice questions. You have 25
minutes time for this section. You are advised to spend approximately 12 minutes on each of the given
passages.
Read the passages carefully and then answer the multiple choice questions which follow:
Passage I

10

15

20

25

30

40

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the
1500s. The Mayans were intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They
had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew a lot about
nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most
people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more comfortable and
rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more
productive.
In ancient Mexico, there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village
with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Mayans cut
down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed
sticks. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every
Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests.
The Maya believed in many gods, including rain gods, sun gods, and corn gods. The people built
large temples to honour the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was
difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone
they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today
many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the cities that the Maya built were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them,
very few of the people lived in them. Usually, only priests lived in the cities.
The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler than the
elaborate structures in the cities. They lived in small huts with no windows. The walls were made
of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made of grass or leaves. Most Maya lived a
simple life close to nature.
Measuring time was important to the Maya, so they developed a system for measuring it
accurately. Farmers needed to know when to plant and harvest their crops. Mayan priests made a
system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots () and bars (-). A dot was one and a
bar was five.
The Mayan priests studied the sun, moon, stars, and planets. They made a calendar from what
they learned. The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over. The
Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the time.
Around the year 800, the Mayans left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one
knows why this happened. They may have died from an infectious disease. They may have left
because the soil could no longer grow crops.
Archaeologists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Mayans. They are still one of our
greatest mysteries.
Source: www.interstingarticles.com

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Mark your responses to these questions on your multiple choice answer sheet.
21.

As used in line 2, which of the following is

a synonym for the word 'achievements'?
A.
B.
C.
D.

26.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Mistakes
Successes
Skills
Roads
27.

22.

The Mayans believed in

A.
B.
C.
D.

28.

they were well-built.

they were not very old.
they have been rebuilt.
there was never any bad weather in
Mexico.

29.

in caves.
in stone temples.
in beautiful cities.
in huts made of poles, mud, and
leaves.

As used in line 21, the word 'elaborate'

means
A.
B.
C.
D.

small.
plain.
complex.
old.

interesting.
mysterious.
frightening.
known.

What is the main idea of this article?

A.

B.
C.
D.

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

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small villages.
farming tools.
windows in their huts.
simple structures to maintain.

The archaeologists believed the Mayans

disappearance to be
A.
B.
C.
D.

30.

one god only.

two gods only.
three gods.
multiple gods.

The villagers had all of the following

EXCEPT
A.
B.
C.
D.

Most Maya lived

A.
B.
C.
D.

25.

only after the Spanish arrived.

at the same time as the Spanish.
only for a few years.
thousands of years before the
Spanish.

Many Mayan cities and temples are still

standing today because
A.
B.
C.
D.

24.

Farmers
Tool makers
Cloth makers
Priests

The Maya lived in Mexico

A.
B.
C.
D.

23.

Who used to inhabit cities if the builders

themselves did not live there?

The Mayan calendar was more

accurate than the European
calendar.
The Mayans were excellent
farmers.
The Mayans had a culturally rich,
advanced society.
The Mayan cities were difficult
to build.

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Now read the following passage carefully.

Passage II

05

10

15

20

25

30

Humankind has progressed a lot over the years. However, on many occasions, this progress has
come at a cost of the exploitation of nature. Humans are the main reason for the pollution in
nature.
Global warming has been a matter of concern for many years, with various man-made machines
now contributing to global warming. One of the main causes is the Greenhouse Effect. When the
emission of infra-red radiation in the atmosphere warms a planet's surface, it is known as the
Greenhouse Effect. The Greenhouse Effect is a natural phenomenon occurring on planet Earth.
There are natural as well as human-made causes of the Greenhouse Effect. The natural causes of
the Greenhouse Effect are the emissions of gases like nitrous oxide, carbon-dioxide, methane,
ozone and water vapour.
The life on Earth depends entirely on the Sun. The energy for life is supplied by the Sun. Out of
the total sunlight available; more than thirty percent is deflected into outer space. The rest is
reflected and converted into slow moving energy called infrared radiation. This radiation is then
trapped into the atmosphere by various gases like carbon-dioxide, methane, ozone and water
vapour. Therefore, its escape is slowed down. Out of these gases, carbon-dioxide itself is
responsible for the Greenhouse Effect.
The Greenhouse Effect is actually beneficial to the Earth. It is only when human-made processes
increase its speed that the problems occur. One main problem is the oft repeated 'global warming'.
One of the man-made causes of the Greenhouse Effect is deforestation. Deforestation increases
the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, due to the disappearance of trees,
photosynthesis cannot take place. Deforestation is rampant today due to the increase in human
civilization. The levels of deforestation have increased by about nine percent in recent times.
Also, the burning of wood causes it to decay, therefore releasing more carbon-dioxide into the
atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases also can be released into the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels, oil,
coal and gas. These materials are used increasingly and rampantly in industries.
Another man-made cause of the increase in the Green house Effect due to the emission of such
gases is some types of electrical appliances. Even the humble refrigerator in the house emits gases
which contribute to the Greenhouse Effect. These gases are known as Chloroflourocarbons
(CFCs) and are used in refrigerators, aerosol cans, some foaming agents in the packaging
industry, fire extinguisher chemicals and cleaners used in the electronic industry.
Source: www.voanews.com

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Mark your responses to these questions on your multiple choice answer sheet.
31.

The word exploitation in line 2 means

A.
B.
C.
D.

32.

33.

34.

35.

air pollution.
noise pollution.
land pollution.
emission of infra-red radiation.
39.

Disappearance of trees
Disappearance of wild life
Disappearance of photosynthesis
Disappearance of industrial waste

END OF PAPER
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They emit gases.

They emit carbon dioxide only.
They emit chloroflourocarbons.
They emit nitrogen.

In line 23, the word rampant means

A.
B.
C.
D.

40.

7%
8%
9%
10 %

How do electrical appliances cause the

greenhouse effect?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Ammonia
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Carbon dioxide

What does deforestation mean?

A.
B.
C.
D.

38.

vehicles.
demand for timbers.
industries.
pollution.

With what speed has the deforestation

increased lately?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Which gas does not cause the Greenhouse

Effect?
A.
B.
C.
D.

37.

Industrial waste
Man-made machines
Cars
Bio-fuel

The scientific reason for the Greenhouse

Effect is
A.
B.
C.
D.

The cause of deforestation is increase in

A.
B.
C.
D.

mistreatment.
development.
utilization.
operation.

What contributes to global warming?

A.
B.
C.
D.

36.

boundless.
infinite.
widespread.
limited.

According to the passage, which of the

following is not harmful for us?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Global warming
Deforestation
Greenhouse effect
Chemicals emitted from
refrigerator

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