Common Passage for AHSEC 2024

Common Passage for AHSEC 2024: In this article, we’re going to show you how to ace your next comprehension assessment. Here you will get an easy and simple trick to answer comprehension section's questions answers and Common Passage for AHSEC 2024.

HS 2nd Year Common Passage for 2024

What’s a comprehension section ?

A comprehension section is where you are given a feature article, an extract from a novel or short story, or a poem that you haven’t seen before. You need to read the text and then answer a series of questions on it.

How to answer comprehension questions (Reading Section)

To teach you how to answer comprehension questions, we will first walk you through the process and then we’ll work through an example with you.

The process we’ll look at is Step-by-step

Step 1: Read the questions

Step 2: Unpack the questions

Step 3: Read the text

Step 4: Identify and restate the keywords in the question

Step 5: Underline necessary information.

Step 6: Answer the questions – written responses

Common Passage for AHSEC 2024 Pdf

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (10 Marks)

1. In 1889, the fifth session of the Indian National Congress was held in Mumbai. Leaders from all over the country were in the packed hall.

2. A bright-eyed pretty young lady with a glowing, intelligent face rose to address the gathering. It was unprecedented.

3. There were no loud speakers and people at the back could not hear her. They started surging forward. "Brothers, excuse me, my voice cannot reach you. But I am not surprised. For centuries, did you ever try to listen to the voice of a woman ? Did you give her the strength to make her voice audible to you ?"

4. The delegates had no answer.

5. There was more to come from the courageous young lady known as Pandita Ramabai. Till that day women hardly ever attended Congress sessions. It was Pandita Ramabai's effort that resulted in nine women delegates attending the 1889 session of the Congress.

6. She was not content to be a dumb delegate. She made a forceful speech on the resolution about the practice of cutting off the hair of widowed women. "You men are demanding the right of representation in British Parliament, so that you can voice the opinion of Indians. You have been crying hoarse in this very pandal for freedom of expression. Then why don't you give the same freedom to women in your families ? Why do you force a woman to become ugly and dependent as soon as she becomes a widow ? Does a widower ever do that ? He has the freedom to do whatever he wants. Then why not the woman ?"

7. One can say that Pandita Ramabai laid the foundation of the movement of women's liberation in India.

8. Ramabai never minced words. She had the courage of her conviction and stood by it. She had inherited this courage to defy social injustice from her parents, Pandit Anantshastri Dongre and Laxmibai Dongre.

9. Anantshastri was a great scholar. He defied society and taught Sanskrit to his wife and two daughters. "There is nothing in Shastras which prohibits women from learning Sanskrit", he maintained, and proved his contention by giving more than 300 references. But the orthodox scholars were not convinced. They ostracized him. Anantshastri did not care. He established his Ashram in the wilderness of Gangamul in Andhra Pradesh. His generosity and the unscrupulous behaviour of his elder son-in- law deprived him of all his assets. He was forced to live the life of a nomad, reciting and interpreting Puranas, Bhagwat and other holy books to people. The family survived on whatever little cash or grain offered by the audience.

10. Ramabai wrote: "Two third of the audience consisted of women who never go empty-handed to a discourse. They always offer something to the diety as well as to the kirtankar or kathakar. Men just ring the bell and do Namaskar. Thus, half of the expenditure of these temples is met by the generosity of women. Even then these priests and so-called scholars consider women as obstacles in pursuit of knowledge. They deny women the right to learn. How ungrateful: what injustice!".

11. The family travelled around for sixteen years, and that helped to broaden Ramabai's outlook.

12. Right from childhood she could not stand injustice. One day she tried to save a little girl of nine from being burnt with the dead body of her husband. "If a women has to burn and become sati, does man become sata after his wife's death ?" She asked Indignantly, the young girl's mother has no answer and simply said. "It is man's world, they make laws: women have to obey." "Why do women tolerate such laws ?" countered Ramabai. "When I grow up, I will fight against these laws" And fight she did against every type of exploitation of women by men.

13. Perhaps it was to make her strong enough for her future mission that Providence made her go through one disaster after another.

14. Her father died when she was sixteen. They could not give sugar and water which he asked for on his deathbed. They were then travelling through the famine-affected area of Venkatgiri. With tears in their eyes and love in their heart, Ramabar's family could only give some water to the dying man. Nobody helped them in his burial. After great persuasion one Brahmin got a pit dug. Srinivas, Ramabai's brother, wrapped the dead body in a sheet and carried it to the pit. And the great scholarly sanyasi was buried.

Answer the following questions:

1. (i) Which session of the Indian National Congress was held in Mumbai in 1889 ? 1

Ans: In 1889, the fifth session of the Indian National Congress was held in Mumbai.

(ii) How many women delegates attend the 1889 session of the Indian National Congress ? 1

Ans: Nine women delegates attended the 1889 session of Indian national congress.

(iii) Who, according to the passage, laid the foundation of the women liberation movement ? 1

Ans: Pandita Rambai laid the foundation of the women liberation movement in India

(iv) How did Anant Shastri defy society ? 2

Ans: Anant Shastri Dongre was a Sanskrit scholar and social reformer who defied society by teaching Sanskrit to his wife and two daughters. He believed that there was nothing in the Shastras that prohibited women from learning Sanskrit. He provided more than 300 references to support his argument.

(v) "They ostracized him" (para 9) 1+1=2

(a) Who are 'they' referred to here ?

Ans: "They" refers to orthodox scholar

(b) Explain the meaning of the sentence.

Ans: The orthodox scholars boycotted him

(vi) Which incident made her fight against every type of exploitation of women by men ? 2

Ans: During her childhood days, one-day Pandita rambai saw a little of nine being burnt with the dead body of her husband. She questioned the girl's mother if a husband is burnt at his wife's death, to which she has to reply. This incident made her fight against any type of exploitation of women by men.

2. Find words from the passage which mean the same as: 1×3=3

(i) Crowd together (para 1)

(ii) Unable to speak (para 6)

(iii) refuse to obey (para 8)

Ans: (i) Crowd together - packed

(ii) Unable to speak - dumb

(iii) refuse to obey - defied

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