UNSEEN PASSAGES

I .Read the passage given below.

1 )Ghost nets aren’t supernatural, but they are legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net
that’s been lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are one particularly appalling part of the global
ghost fishing problem, which includes fishing gear abandoned in the water. Any net or line left in
the ocean can pose a threat to marine life. Just because a net is no longer used by fishers doesn’t
mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major
problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.

2 )Ghost nets entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals and more, apart
from catching fish. The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries and keep mammals
and birds from rising to the surface for air. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single
net, this threat is monumental. The ghost nets harm coral reefs too—breaking corals, exposing
them to disease and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight.

3 )Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastics’ crisis. Most modern nets are
made of nylon or other plastic compounds that can last for centuries. According to a 2018 study
in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become
smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can
harm internal organs, keep them from eating and expose them to toxic chemicals.

4 )Exorcising ghost nets from our oceans will require commitment, cooperation and innovation.
Many groups are working to remove ghost nets from the sea and are collaborating with local
fishers and governments around the world to identify target areas and remove as many nets as
possible. In 2015, a single World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)-led mission in the Baltic Sea
hauled up 268 tons of nets, ropes and other material.

5 )To stop these nets from becoming ghosts in the first place, conservation organisations
advocate for fishing gear that can be traced to its owner so anyone dumping nets can be fined and
refundable deposits on nets to encourage returning or recycling rather than littering. Tools like
sonar reflectors that can make ghost nets easier to find and working with small-scale fisheries to
develop more sustainable fishing gear and practices are other suggestions. It is only by attacking
this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers and supporters, can we
banish ghost nets and protect our oceans.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. Complete the
sentence by choosing an appropriate option.

1) Ghost nets have been named so because they

A. cause much harm to the marine life. B. are functional though not in use by fishers.
C. are not owned by anyone. D. act as a snare for all animals in oceans.

ii Comment on the writer’s reference to the ghost nets in paragraph one, as a health problem for
the oceans.

iii List the two ways being entangled in a ghost net is likely to impact a walrus.

(Clue: Think about the type of animal a walrus is)

iv Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘negligible’, from words used in paragraph two.

A. unimpressive B. monumental C. exposing D.

v The writer would agree with the given statements based on paragraph three, EXCEPT: A. Most
ghost nets take a few years to completely disintegrate. B. Ghost nets contribute to the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch. C. Most ghost nets provide nutrition to marine animals, upon
disintegration. D. Ghost nets can curtail freedom of marine animals.

vi Some records share that fishing nets used to be made of common rope using natural fibres,
prior to the 1960s. Based on your understanding of paragraph three, list one major advantage that
these had over the fishing nets being used in present times.

vii Why is it fair to say that commitment and innovation have to go hand-in-hand to rid the
oceans of ghost nets?

viii Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the following:
The writer quotes the example of the WWF-led mission in the Baltic Sea (Paragraph 4), in order
to........................................................................................................................
ix How can the solutions, suggested in paragraph five, best be described?
A. practical B. presentable C. popular D. prejudiced

x Select the most suitable title for the above passage.

II Read the passage given below.

1 )It is generally accepted that leadership development should be a part of the education system's
responsibility for preparing individuals to participate in a democratic and progressive society.
Many schools, colleges and universities, across nations, provide their students with leadership
courses, curricular programs and co-curricular programs that are designed to develop students’
formal knowledge about leadership as well as opportunities and experiences to develop students
as leaders and actually practise leadership. Yet, only a handful of studies have sought to
understand leader development from the students’ point of view, with students describing their
own experiences and what they learned from them in their own words.

2 )A 2014 descriptive study sought to understand student leadership with research through key
events via the following research questions: Research Question 1: What key events do student
leaders in college, report as significantly impacting their development as a leader? Research
Question 2: What lessons do student leaders in college, report learning as a result of the key
events they have experienced? Research Question 3: Are certain key events more likely to be
linked to particular lessons? Approximately 130 students were contacted and the 72 interested,
were interviewed. Two members of the research team were present for each 15–45-minute
interview. One member served as the primary interviewer while the second ran the audio
equipment. The results for lessons learned (Table 1), were varied, but there were a few that were
frequently quoted.

3 )This study described the rich array of leadership lessons that students are learning through
their experiences. It revealed that student leaders are learning foundational leadership skills and
competencies that have positively impacted how to accomplish work, how to work with others
and how to be both supported by and support others.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. 1x10 i

1)Does the following statement agree with the information given in paragraph 1?

The researcher believes that educational institutions have ideal resources to study impact of
leadership skills on young adults.

Select from the following:

ii Do you think the researchers of the study aimed to change the students’ outlook towards the
development of leadership skills, directly or indirectly? Support your answer with reference to
the text.

iii Select the option that displays the most likely reason for including Research Question 3 in the
2014 study.

In order to find out if...

A. learning opportunities shape students’ overall personality. B. leadership lessons are the
result of the designed learning opportunities. C. all learning opportunities cater to a specific
lesson. D. certain lessons are common in more than one learning opportunity.

Iv . Complete the sentence based on the following statement. More than 50% of the identified
student respondents were keen to participate in the 2014 study.

We can say this because .

v Select the option that displays the key event designed with “Balancing Roles” (Table 1) as the
objective.

A. Students will be able to debate the issue at hand, with different teams. B. Students will be
able to manage the responsibilities of a mentor, planner researcher and presenter. C. Students
will be able to surmount minor problems and focus on the final goal. D. Students will be able to
explain concepts and clarify them for peers.

vi Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option. The 2014 study
attempts to understand student leadership by focussing on .

A. experiences that shaped students’ overall personality. B. lessons gained by students as they
grew up. C. relationship of key events with particular lessons . D. students in leadership roles.

vii The lessons for ‘Individual competencies’ had a range of responses. Give one reason why
having the least number of responses for ‘Decision Making’, is a matter that needs attention.

viii Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option.

The concluding sentence of the text makes a clear case for by listing it as a core competency for
student leadership.
A. collaboration B. flexibility C. hard work D. observation

ix Complete the sentence appropriately with one/ two words. In the context of “Working with
Others” in Table 1, the lesson of ‘Conflict’ refers to .

x Based on the reading of the text, state a point to challenge the given statement.

When theoretical knowledge about leadership suffices, it is a waste of funds by educational