Unseen Passages are the inevitable part of each examination either it may be academic or competitive. So, it becomes important how to crack it. In this article, we shall discuss about the nature of the Unseen Passages and necessary steps to be taken to solve these.
Students who aim to score high marks in English must read this article and practise different types of unseen passages.
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Unseen Passage for Class 10
Students who are appearing in Class-10 Examination will get a thorough study and understanding of the comprehension passage. They can easily tackle the questions of unseen passages in their examination of English Reading Skills. Therefore, to lift students’ exam preparation level, we shall discuss the pattern of the unseen passages.
Marks Distribution of Unseen Passages
Two Unseen passages are asked in the reading section of the subject ‘English Language and Literature’ in 10th class examination of CBSE. Both of the passages carry twenty (20) Marks.
This article will help the students in fetching all 20 marks from the reading section of English Language and Literature.
Marks Distribution of these two unseen passages asked in 10th Class Examination of CBSE is as mentioned below:
There kinds of unseen passages are asked: –
- Discursive Passage of 400-450 words
- Case based factual passage of 300-350 words.
Discursive passage: –
A passage that discusses different subjects at random and gives a full picture of the subject being addressed through a detailed passage is known as a discursive passage.
A Discursive Passage of 400-450 words is given to test inference, evaluation and vocabulary. Multiple Choice Questions are asked. Twelve questions are given in the examination. Ten out of those twelve questions are to be answered. Each question carries one mark. Total Marks of this question are ten (10).
Case-based factual passage: –
A passage that provides clear clarification on the topic under discussion and the complete passage gives the reader a clear description of what is being discussed is called a factual passage.
A Case-based factual passage of 300-350 words is given to test analysis and interpretation. This passage is with visual input statistical data, chart, etc. Multiple Choice Questions are asked. Twelve questions are given in the examination. Ten out of those twelve questions are to be answered. Each question carries one mark. Total Marks of this question are ten (10).
The total length of the both passages is around 700-750 words. Marks distribution may vary but total marks of the reading section will remain twenty (20).
Tips to score Maximum Marks in Unseen Passages: –
To score maximum marks in the comprehension passage during the exam, follow these steps: –
- Read the entire passage thoroughly.
- Examination the passage quickly.
- Try to find the main idea and theme of the comprehension passage.
- Underline the significant information of the passage.
- Read the question properly.
- Read the passage again to find the answer of the questions.
- Don’t copy-paste the answers from the comprehension passage.
- Write the answer in your own words.
- There will be some vocabulary-based questions, like synonyms, antonyms, phrases, idioms etc. To answer these questions, replace the word with its meaning. If the meaning is the same, then the selected answer is correct.
- To answer multiple choice questions, read all the options carefully and then mark the correct answer.
Examples of Unseen Passage: –
To understand the pattern of unseen passages lets take the examples from a previous year question paper of CBSE. Follow the steps mentioned above and try to answer the questions asked at the end of each passage.
SECTION A – (Reading) 20 Marks
- Read the following passage carefully. 8 Marks
1 Caged behind thick glass, the most famous dancer in the world can easily be missed in the National Museum, Delhi. The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro is that rare artefact that even school children are familiar with. Our school textbooks also communicate the wealth of our 5000-year heritage of art. You have to be alert to her existence there, amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.
2 Most of us have seen her only in photographs or sketches, therefore the impact of actually holding her is magnified a million times over. One discovers that the dancing girl has no feet. She is small, a little over 10 cm tall ¾ the length of a human palm ¾ but she surprises us with the power of great art ¾ the ability to communicate across centuries.
3 A series of bangles ¾ of shell or ivory or thin metal ¾ clothe her left upper arm all the way down to her fingers. A necklace with three pendants bunched together and a few bangles above the elbow and wrist on the right hand display an almost modern art.
4 She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit. She reminds us that it is important to visit museums in our country to experience the impact that a work of art leaves on our senses, to find among all the riches one particular vision of beauty that speaks to us alone.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions. 1x8=8 Marks
(a) The Dancing Girl belongs to
(i) Mohenjo-Daro.
(ii) Greek culture.
(iii) Homo sapiens.
(iv) Tibet.
(b) In the museum she’s kept among
(i) dancing figures.
(ii) bronze statues.
(iii) terracotta animals.
(iv) books.
(c) Which information is not given in the passage?
(i) The girl is caged behind glass.
(ii) She is a rare artefact.
(iii) School books communicate the wealth of our heritage.
(iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
(d) ‘Great Art’ has power because
(i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
(ii) it is small and can be understood.
(iii) it is seen in pictures and sketches.
(iv) it is magnified a million times.
(e) The jewellery she wears
(i) consists of bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal only.
(ii) is a necklace with two pendants.
(iii) Both (i) and (ii) are correct.
(iv) Neither (i) nor (ii) is correct.
(f) She reminds us
(i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
(ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
(iii) why she will make us come into money.
(iv) of dancing figures.
(g) The synonym of the word ‘‘among’’ in paragraph 1 is _______ .
(h) The size of the dancing girl is equal to the length of the human palm. (True/False) .
- Read the following passage carefully. 12 Marks
1 As the family finally sets off from home after many arguments, there is a moment of lull as the car takes off. ‘‘Alright, so where are we going for dinner now?’’ asks the one at the driving wheel. What follows is a chaos as multiple voices make as many suggestions.
2 By the time order is restored and a decision is arrived at, tempers have risen, feelings injured and there is at least one person grumbling.
3 Twenty years ago, you would step out of home, the decision of meal and venue already made with no arguments or opposition and everybody looked forward to the meal with equal enthusiasm. The decision was made by the head of the family and the others fell in line. Today every member of the family has a say in every decision which also promotes a sense of togetherness and bonding.
4 We empower our kids to take their own decisions from a very early age. We ask them the cuisine they prefer, the movie they want to see, the holiday they wish to go on and the subjects they wish to study.
5 It’s a closely connected world out there where children consult and guide each other. A parent’s well-meaning advice can sound like nothing more than unnecessary preaching. How then do we reach our children through all the conflicting views and make the voice of reason be heard? Children today question choices and prefer to go with the flow.
6. What then is the best path to take? I would say the most important thing one can do is to listen. Listen to your children and their silences. Ensure that you keep some time aside for them, insist that they share their stories with you. Step into their world. It is not as complicated as it sounds; just a daily half an hour of quality time would do the trick.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions in 30 – 40 words each: 2 x 4= 8 Marks
(a) Write one advantage and one disadvantage of allowing every family member to be a part of the decision-making process.
(b) In today’s world, what are parents asking their kids?
(c) Which two pieces of advice does the writer give to the parents?
(d) The passage supports the parents. How far do you agree with the author’s views? Support your view with a reason.
2.2 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following: 1 x 4=4 Marks
(a) The synonym of ‘hurt’ as given in paragraph 2 is __________ .
(b) The word which means the same as ‘a style or method of cooking’ in paragraph 4 is
(i) cuisine
(ii) gourmet
(iii) gastric
(iv) science
(c) The antonym of ‘agreeable’ as given in paragraph 5 is __________ .
(d) The antonym of ‘simple’ as given in paragraph 6 is
(i) difficult
(ii) complicated
(iii) easy
(iv) tricky
Note:- Both of these examples have been taken from old question papers of CBSE.
