Reading Worksheet III | English Core | Class XII | Board PYQs | CBQs
Reading Worksheet 1
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow
I know many friends of mine who drink coffee regularly but do not know that coffee exists in different forms other than instant coffee. There are many who swear by Flora café classic or Coco gold, which they consider premium coffee. I may sound offensive but instant coffee is not the only way; in fact it’s a very bad way of making coffee ! Instant coffee cannot match up to brewed coffee’s flavour nor does it have Arabica beans. It uses Robusta beans that are lower in flavour. Don’t know the difference ? ! Read on …
2. That plant might be a genius ! It created a chemical that would keep pests away. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for the plant – that plan did not work the way it was intended to. The chemical might have averted a few pest attacks, but attracted a far greater threat – human beings. The plant I am talking about is coffee and the chemical is caffeine.
3. To begin from the beginning – coffee is from a more mature part of the tree – the seed – unlike other stimulants. The ripe berry is picked and de-pulped leaving us with a seed called ‘green bean’ or ‘green coffee’. Green bean is uncharacteristically bland with a taste nowhere close to that of coffee, but it is valued for its higher antioxidant levels.
4. It’s an interesting phenomenon to see how this bland green bean turns to a flavourful coffee bean. Coffee bean is a seed and like any other seed is rich in proteins, fats and all necessary ingredients for giving birth to a new plant. When exposed to heat, the fats and carbohydrates in the bean turn into essential oils, which give the characteristic taste and aroma to the coffee bean. The degree of roasting depends on the need or purpose of use.
5. These beans are ground so that the surface area of the bean is increased, which makes extraction easier. The bean can be ground or crushed but making the particles uniform will ensure equal extraction, or else the smaller particle will get over extracted and the larger one under extracted. Hence, the burr grinder is used to ensure that the coffee bean gets ground in a uniform way in which all particles are of similar sizes.
6. Does under extraction give a lighter coffee and over extraction a stronger one ? No. For a lighter or stronger coffee less or more coffee powder has to be used. Why ? Under extraction will not get all the flavours of the coffee as the water runs too quickly. It will not get what you want – it will taste sour. Over-extraction will bring out all unnecessary flavours rendering the taste bitter.
(i) Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option. The author complained that his friends ________.
(a) consumed only Flora classics.
(b) were not aware of different forms of coffee.
(c) were severely addicted to drinking coffee.
(d) considered Coco gold as premium coffee.
(ii) Comment on the writer’s reference to the unique feature of coffee plant. (paragraph 2)
(iii) List the reason why the author refers to humans as ‘great threat to coffee’ plants.
(iv) Select an option that conveys the same meaning as ‘energiser’ from words used in paragraph 3.
(a) bland
(b) mature
(c) antioxidant
(d) stimulants
(v) Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference with respect to the following :
Fats and carbohydrates turn into essential oils leading to _____.
(vi) Comment on the writer’s reference to the interesting phenomenon in paragraph 4.
(vii) Over extraction does not give a stronger coffee. Based on your understanding of paragraph 6, list one method to get stronger coffee.
(viii) The writer would not agree with the given statements based on paragraph five EXCEPT
(a) The burr grinder grinds coffee beans uniformly.
(b) Less surface area makes extraction easier.
(c) Grinding gives stronger aroma.
(d) Good coffee is a mix of smaller and bigger particles.
(ix) Why is it fair to say that the right degree of extraction of coffee is important ?
(x) Select the most suitable title of the above passage.
(a) The Art of Coffee Making
(b) Benefits of Consuming Coffee
(c) Green Coffee – The perfect antioxidant
(d) The Coffee Addict
Answer Key
(i) (b) were not aware of different forms of coffee.
(ii) Not only a beverage but also created a chemical that would keep pests away / ended up getting humans attracted / addicted to caffeine. (any one)
(iii) large consumers / drink coffee regularly / a stimulant (any one)
(iv) (d) stimulants
(v) taste and aroma to the coffee bean
(vi) Suggested value points: - how a bland bean turns to a flavourful coffee bean. - when exposed to heat turn it to oil (any one)
(vii) add more coffee powder
(viii) (a) The burr grinder grinds coffee beans uniformly.
(ix) -under extraction will not get all the flavours / over- extraction will make coffee bitter.
(x) (a) The Art of Coffee Making
Reading Worksheet 2
(1) News If you can't remember the last time, you saw a teenager - reading a book, newspaper or magazine, you're not alone. In recent years, less than 20 percent of teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure. More than 80 percent say they use social media every day, according to research published by the World Psychological Association.
(2) "Compared with previous generations, teens in the 2010s spent more time online and less time with traditional media, such as books, magazines and television," said lead author of the book yGen and professor of psychology at ABC University. "Time on digital media has displaced time once spent enjoying a book or watching TV."
(3) Swaner and her colleagues analysed data concluded from an ongoing study of a nationally representative sample of approximately 50,000 eighth, tenth and twelfth grade students annually. They looked at survey results from 1976 to 2016, representing more than 1 million teenagers. While the study started with only twelfth-graders in the 1970s, eighth and tenth-graders were added in 1991.
(4) Use of digital media increased substantially from 2006 to 2016. Among twelfth-graders, internet use during leisure time doubled from one to two hours per day during that period. It also increased 75 percent for tenth-graders and 68 percent for eighth-graders.
(5) "In the mid-2010s, the average twelfth-grader reported spending approximately two hours a day texting, just over two hours a day on the internet which included gaming and just under two hours a day on social media," said Swaner. That's a total of about six hours per day on just three digital media activities during their leisure time."
(6) In comparison, tenth-graders reported a total of five hours per day and eighth-graders reported four hours per day on those three digital activities. Consequently the spent time in the digital world is seriously degrading the time they spend on more traditional media such as print book and newspapers.
(7) The decline in reading print media was especially steep. In the early 1990s, 33 percent of tenth-graders said they read a newspaper almost every day. By 2016, that number was only 2 percent. In the late 1970s, 60 percent of twelfth-graders said they read a book or a magazine almost every day; by 2016, only 16 percent did. Twelfth- graders also reported reading fewer books each year in 2016 compared to how much they read in 1976, and approximately one- third did not read a book (including e-books) for pleasure in the year prior to the 2016 survey.
(8) There's no lack of intelligence among young people. However due to over dependence on digital media they find it difficult to focus for long periods of time and to read long-form text. Subsequently they find it challenging to understand complex issues and develop critical thinking skills.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
(i) Does the following statement agree with the information given in paragraph 1?
The writer believes that very few teens indulge in reading as a pleasurable activity.
Select from the following:
True: if the statement agrees with the information.
False if the statement contradicts the information.
Not given if there is no information on this.
(ii) Select the option that displays the most likely reason for this research.
In order to find out
(a) reading choices of teenagers.
(b) digital competency of teenagers.
(c) speed of reading text.
(d) the decline of time spent on traditional media.
(iii) Complete the statement based on the following statement: Traditional media has been replaced by digital media, we can say this because
(iv) Do you think that the researchers of study added tenth and eighth graders to the survey deliberately?
Support your answer with reference to the text.
(v) 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 analysis and application.
(a) following social media
(b) reading long texts
(c) building focus and concentration
(d) developing constructive habits
(vi) Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option:
The digital activities that the twelfth-graders indulge in are
(a) texting, gaming, television
(b) texting, gaming, social media
(c) newspaper, books, magazine
(d) television, books, gaming
(vii) Complete the sentence appropriately with one/two words:
Teens today hardly read print media for
(viii) Based on the reading of the text, state a point to challenge the given statement:
Time on digital media has displaced time once spent enjoying a book or watching T.V."
(ix) What does the author mean by degrading the time' in para 62
(a) spending less time
(b) waste of time
(c) consuming more time
(d) saving time
(x) As per Fig. 1, the percentage of people above 50 yrs is percentage of teenagers using social media. the
(a) greater than
(b) less than
(c) equal to
(d) negligible to
Answer Key
(i) True
(ii) (d) the decline of time spent on traditional media.
(iii) time on digital media has displaced time once spent on reading or watching TV.
(iv) Suggested value points: ( any One)
Yes, because 75% of 10th graders and 68% of 8th graders spent their leisure time in the use of digital media
decline in reading print media was specially steep
to widen the scope of research (any one)
(v) (b) reading long texts / (c) building focus and concentration (any one)
(vi) (b) texting, gaming, social media
(vii) pleasure
(viii) time reduced but not completely displaced / any other relevant answer to be accepted
(ix) (a) spending less time / (b) waste of time
(x) (b) less than
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