Central Superior Services (CSS) Pakistan Competitive Examination Past Papers English (Precis & Composition)

English (Precis & Composition)

Read Online Past Examination Papers of Central Superior Services (CSS) Pakistan Competitive Examination.

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2015

Q1(a) - Synonyms

(1) Flagrant
a. Expensive b. Common c. Clerical d. Glaring

(2) Imminent
a.Important b. Historical c. Impending d. Inopportune

(3) Astute
a. Tedious b. Illogical c. Aggressive d. Shrewd

(4) Averse
a.Eager b. Reluctant c. Willing d. Unresponsive

(5) Prognosis
a. Offering b. Prediction c. Warning d. Advance

(6) Pungent
a. Sharp b. Disagreeable c. Smoky d. Anesthetizing

(7) Fiduciary
a. Trustee b. Assistant c. Notary d. Attorney

(8) Philandering
a. Spending b. Exaggerating c. Wandering d. None
(9) Poignant
a. Precious b. Tender c. Intense d. Sorrowful

(10) Contingent
a. Conditional b. Questionable c. Argued d. Rejected

Q1(b) - Antonyms

(1) Veteran
a. Novice b. Pious c. Intellectual d. Debutante

(2) Important
a. Trivial b. Clear c. Turning d. Wavy

(3) Irregular
a. Erratic b. Prevailing c. Difficult d. Enticing

(4) Spending
a. Sober b. Mute c. Revenue d. Spendthrift

(5) Clumsy
a. Foolish b. Inept c. Infer d. Dexterous

(6)Lauded
a. Disparage b. Applaud c. Settle d. Hesitate

(7)Cowardly
a. Bravely b. Poor c. Master d. Ignorant

(8) Praise
a. Censure b. Tickle c. Acclaim d. Skip

(9)Confuse
a. Lucid b. Extraordinary c. Dirty d. Muddle

(10) Neglect
a. Omit b. Destroy c. Mistake d. Nourish

Answers

Synonyms (1)D, (2)C, (3)D, (4)B, (5)B, (6)A, (7)A, (8)D, (9)C, (10)A
Antonyms (1)A, (2)A, (3)B, (4)C, (5)D, (6)A, (7)A, (8)A, (9)A, (10)D 

PART II

Q.2. Make précis of the following text and suggest a suitable title. (20)
In studding the breakdowns of civilizations, the writer has subscribed to the conclusion – no new discovery! – that war has proved to have been the proximate cause of the breakdown of every civilization which is known for certain to have broken down, in so far as it has been possible to analyze the nature of these breakdowns and to account for their occurrence. Like other evils war has no insidious way of appearing not intolerable until it has secured such a stranglehold upon the lives of its addicts that they no longer have the power to escape from its grip when its deadlines has become manifest. In the early stages of civilization’s growth, the cost of wars in suffering and destruction might seem to be exceeded by the benefits occurring from the wining of wealth and power and the cultivation of the “military virtues” ; and, in this phase of history, states have often found themselves able to indulge in war with one another with something like impunity even for the defeated party. War does not begin to reveal its malignity till the war making society has begun to increase its economic ability to exploit physical nature and its political ability to organize manpower; but, as soon as this happens, the god of war to which the growing society has long since been dedicated proves himself a Moloch by devouring an ever larger share of the increasing fruits of man’s industry and intelligence in the process of taking an ever larger toll of life and happiness; and, when the society’s growth in efficiency reaches a point at which it becomes capable of mobilizing a lethal quantum of its energies and resources for military use then war reveals itself as being a cancer which is bound to prove fatal to its victim unless he can cut it out and cast it from him, since its malignant tissues have now learnt to grow faster that the healthy tissues on which they feed.
In the past when this danger-point in the history of the relations between war and civilization has been reached and recognized, serious efforts have sometimes been made to get rid of war in time to save society, and these endeavours have been apt to take one or other of two alternative directions. Salvation cannot, of course, be sought anywhere except in the working of the consciences of individual human beings; but individuals have a choice between trying to achieve their aims through direct action as private citizens and trying to achieve then through indirect action as citizen of states. Personal refusal to lend himself in any way to any war waged by his state for any purpose and in any circumstances is a line of attack against the institution of war that is likely to appeal to an ardent and self-sacrificing nature; by comparison, the alternative peace strategy of seeking to persuade and accustom governments to combine in jointly resisting aggression when it comes and in trying to remove its stimuli before hand may seem a circuitous and unheroic line of attack on the problem. Yet experience up to date indicates unmistakably, in the present writer’s opinion, that the second of these two hard roads is by far the more promising.
Q.3. Read the following text carefully and answer the questions below: (20)
Experience has quite definitely shown that some reasons for holding a belief are much more likely to be justified by the event then others. It might naturally be supposed, for instance, that the best of all reasons for a belief was a strong conviction of certainty accompanying the belief. Experience, however, shows that this is not so, and that as a matter of fact, conviction by itself is more likely to mislead than it is to guarantee truth. On the other hand, lack of assurance and persistent hesitation to come to any belief whatever are an equally poor guarantee that the few beliefs which are arrived at are sound. Experience also shows that assertion, however long continued, although it is unfortunately with many people an effective enough means of inducing belief, is not an any way a ground for holding it.
The method which has proved effective, as a matter of actual fact, in providing of firm foundation for belief wherever it has been capable of application, is what is usually called the scientific method. I firmly believe that the scientific method, although slow and never claiming to lead to complete truth, is the only method which in the long run will give satisfactory foundations for beliefs. It consists in demanding facts as the only basis for conclusions, and inconsistently and continuously testing any conclusions which may have been reached, against the test of new facts and, wherever possible, by the crucial test of experiment. It consists also in full publication of the evidence on which conclusions are based, so that other workers may be assisted in new researchers, or enabled to develop their own interpretations and arrive at possibly very different conclusions.
There are, however, all sorts of occasions on which the scientific method is not applicable. That method involves slow testing, frequent suspension of judgment, restricted conclusions. The exigencies of everyday life, on the other hand, often make it necessary to act on a hasty balancing of admittedly incomplete evidence, to take immediate action, and to draw conclusions in advance of evidence. It is also true that such action will always be necessary, and necessary in respect of ever larger issues; and this inspite of the fact that one of the most important trends of civilization is to remove sphere after sphere of life out of the domain of such intuitive judgment into the domain of rigid calculation based on science. It is here that belief pays its most important role. When we cannot be certain, we must proceed in part by faith-faith not only in the validity of our own capacity of making judgments, but also in the existence of certain other realities, pre-eminently moral and spiritual realities. It has been said that faith consists in acting always on the nobler hypothesis; and though this definition is a trifle rhetorical, it embodies a seed of real truth.
Answer briefly in your own words the following questions:
1. Give the meaning of the underlined phrases as they are used in the passage. (04)
2. What justification does the author claim for his belief in the scientific method? (04)
3. Do you gather from the passage that conclusions reached by the scientific method should we considered final? Give reasons for your answer. (04)
4. In what circumstances, according to the author, is it necessary to abandon the scientific method? (04)
5. How does the basis of “intuitive judgment” differ from the scientific decision? (04)
Q.4. Write a comprehensive note (250 – 300 words) on any ONE of the following topics: (20)
(i) Education should be for life, not for livelihood
(ii) The art of being tactful
(iii) Human nature is seen at its best adversity
(iv) Spare the rod and spoil the child
Q.5. (a) Use only Five of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning (Extra attempt shall not be considered). (05)
(i) Itching palm
(ii) The primrose path
(iii) Break one’s fall
(iv) Wash one’s hands of
(v) To become reconcile to
(vi) To militate against
(vii) To be cognizant of
(viii) Wages of sin
(b) Explain the difference between the following word pairs by defining each word. (Do only five) (05)
(i) Plaintiff, plaintive
(ii) Valet, varlet
(iii) Monitor, mentor
(iv) Complacent, complaisant
(v) Penitence, penance
(vi) Crevice, crevasse
(vii) Beneficent, beneficial
Q.6. (a) Correct only Five of the following sentences: (05)
(i) Have either of you seen my pen?
(ii) On attempting to restore the picture to its original condition, almost irreparable change was discovered.
(iii) The child is the prettiest of the two.
(iv) I was annoyed arriving late, also his rather insolent manner put me out of temper.
(v) He is anxious not only to acquire knowledge, but also eager to display it.
(vi) If he was here now, we should have no difficulty.
(vii) Due to unforeseen environments, we shall have to leave early.
(viii) People have and still do disagree on this matter.
(b) Rewrite One of the following passages, converting what is in direct speech into indirect, and what is in indirect speech into direct. (05)
(i) Just as we came inside of the valley Jamil met us,--“yes, the valley is all very fine, but do you know there is nothing to eat?”
“Nonsense; we can eat anything here.”
“Well, the brown bread’s two months old, and there’s nothing else but potatoes.”
“There must be milk anyhow.”
“Yes, there was milk, he supposed.”
(ii) Miss Andleeb said she thought English food was lovely, and that she was preparing a questionnaire to be circulated to the students of the university, with the view to finding out their eating preferences.
“But the students won’t fill a questionnaire,” said Miriam.
“Won’t fill up questionnaire?” cried Miss Andleeb, taken aback.
“No”, said Miriam, “they won’t. As a nation we are not, questionnaire-conscious.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” said Miss Andaleeb.

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2014

Q 1. Choose the world that is nearly most similar in meaning.

1) Apropos
a) Regarding b) Unexpected c) Misspoken d) Idea

1) Bulwark
a) Conundrum b) Festival c) Rampart d) Confuse

3) Epitome
a) Volume b) Essence c) Summit d) Deliverance

4) Regurgitate
a) Assimilate b) Reproduce c) Exemplify d) Study

5) Plutocrat
a) Magnate b) Priest c) Judge d) Astronaut

6) Inebriate
a) Dreamy b) Stupefied c) Unsteady d) Drunken

7) Prodigious
a) Unacceptable b) Phenomenal c) Discouraging d) Vain

8) Nuance
a) New word b) Sense c) Interpretation d) Subtle meaning

9) Canny
a) Obstinate b) Handsome c) Clever d) Stout

10) Sonorous
a) Loud b) Heavy c) Sleepy d) Bright

Q 2. Choose the world that is nearly most opposite in meaning.
1) Extenuate
a) Alleviate b) Preclude c) Worsen d) Subdue
2) Inadvertent
a) Accidental b) Disingenuous c) Forthright d) Calculated
3) Ornate
a) Spartan b) Blemished c) Sturdy d) Counterfeit
4) Flagitious
a) Cardinal  b) Mercenary c) Meritorious d) Askew
5) Malediction
a) Blessing  b) Termination c) Parochial d) Simian
6) Brusque
a) Gold  b) Opulent c) Gracious d) Suspect
7) Verdant
a) Dishonest b) Suspicious c) Moldy d) Arid
8) Epicurean
a) Ascetic  b) Slovenly c) Imprecision d) Providential
9) Quiescent
a) Active  b) Dormant c) Weak  d) Unconcerned
10) Loquacious
a) Reticent  b) Talkative  c) Garrulous  d) Verbose

Part-II

Q 2. Write a Précis of the following passage and suggest a suitable heading to it:

Probably the only protection for contemporary man is to discover how to use his intelligence in the service of love and kindness. The training of human intelligence must include the simultaneous development of the empathic capacity. Only in this way can intelligence be made an instrument of social morality and responsibility — and thereby increase the chances of survival.

The need to produce human beings with trained morally sensitive intelligence is essentially a challenge to educators and educational institutions. Traditionally, the realm of social morality was left to religion and the churches as guardians or custodians. But their failure to fulfill this responsibility and their yielding to the seductive lures of the men of wealth and! pomp and power and documented by the history of the last two thousand years and have now resulted in the irrelevant “God Is Dead” theological rhetoric The more pragmatic men of power have had no time or inclination to deal with the fundamental problems of social morality. For them simplistic Machiavellianism must remain the guiding principle of their decisions-power is morality, morality is power. This oversimplification increases the chances of nuclear devastation. We must therefore hope that educators and educational institutions have the capacity, the commitment and the time to instill moral sensitivity as an integral part of the complex pattern of function human intelligence. Some way must be found in the training of human beings to give them the assurance to love, the security to be kind. and the integrity required for a functional empathy.


Q.3 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Use your own language.

In the height of the Enlightenment, men influenced by the new political theories of the era launched two of the largest revolutions in history. These two conflicts, on two separate continents, were both initially successful in forming new forms of government. And yet, the two conflicts, though merely a decade apart, had radically different conclusions. How do two wars inspired by more or less the same ideals end up so completely different? Why was the American Revolution largely a success and the French Revolution largely a failure? Historians have pointed to myriad reasons—far too various to be listed here. However, the most frequently cited are worth mentioning. For one, the American Revolution was far removed from the Old World; that is, since it was on a different continent, other European nations did not attempt to interfere with it.

However, in the French Revolution, there were immediate cries for war from neighboring nations. Early on, for instance, the ousted king attempted to flee to neighboring Austria and the army waiting there. The newly formed French Republic also warred with Belgium, and a conflict with Britain loomed. Thus, the French had the burden not only of winning a revolution but also defending it from outside. The Americans simply had to win a revolution.

Secondly, the American Revolution seemed to have a better chance for success from the get-go, due to the fact that Americans already saw themselves as something other than British subjects. Thus, there was already a uniquely American character, so, there was not as loud a cry to preserve the British way of life. In France, several thousands of people still supported the king, largely because the king was seen as an essential part of French life. And when the king was first ousted and then killed, some believed that character itself was corrupted. Remember, the Americans did not oust a king or kill him—they merely separated from him.

Finally, there is a general agreement that the French were not as unified as the Americans, who, for the most part, put aside their political differences until after they had already formed a new nation. The French, despite their Tennis Court Oath, could not do so. Infighting led to inner turmoil, civil war, and eventually the Reign of Terror, in which political dissidents were executed in large numbers. Additionally, the French people themselves were not unified. The nation had so much stratification that it was impossible to unite all of them—the workers, the peasants, the middle-class, the nobles, the clergy—into one cause. And the attempts to do so under a new religion, the Divine Cult of Reason, certainly did not help. The Americans, remember, never attempted to change the society at large; rather, they merely attempted to change the government.

1. Why and how did the Reign of Terror happen?
2. In what ways does the author suggest that the American Revolution was easier to complete than the French Revolution?
3. Of the challenges mentioned facing the French revolutionaries, which do you thing had the greatest impact on their inability to complete a successful revolution? Why?
4. Of the strengths mentioned aiding the American revolutionaries, which do you thing had the greatest impact on their inability to complete a successful revolution? Why?

Q 4. Write a comprehensive note (250-300) on any one of the following:
i) Actions speak louder than words
ii) Girls are more intelligent than boys
iii) First deserve, then desire
iv) Nothing is certain unless it is achieved.

Q 5. Use only five of the following in sentences which illustrate their meanings. (Extra attempt shall not be considered)
i) To bring grist to the mill
ii) To keep one's fingers crossed
iii) With one's tongue in one's cheek
iv) A storm in the tea cup
v) To talk through one's hat
vi) Hum and Haw
vii) To let the grass grow under one's feet
viii) Penny wise and pound foolish


Q 6. Correct only five of the following. Extra attempt shall not be considered.
i) Each furniture in this display is on sale for half price.
ii) He is abusing the money of his father.
iii) The duties of the new secretary are to answer the telephone, to type letters and bookkeeping.
iv) The new models are not only less expensive but more efficient also.
v) He complied with the requirement that all graduate students in education should write a thesis.
vi) No sooner we left the shop it began to rain.
vii) The population of Karachi is greater than any other city in Pakistan. 

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2013

(PART-I MCQs) (COMPULSORY)
Q.1. Choose the word that is nearly most similar in meaning to the Capitalized words:           (1 Mark each) (20)
 (1) BRISTLE:             (a) Regulate   (b)  Flare up (c) Frail     (d)      Exhilarate      (e)  None of these
 (2) DELUGE:             (a) Immerse   (b)  Rescue (c) Drown    (d)      Overflow       (e)  None of these
 (3) TIRADE:              (a) Argument  (b)  Procession (c) Angry Speech (d) Torture           (e)  None of these
 (4) QUASI:                 (a) Secret                (b)  Improper     (c) Seeming          (d) Whole           (e)  None of these
 (5) VILIFY:                (a) To Prove           (b)  Boast           (c) Defraud           (d) Defame          (e)  None of these
   (6) RIGMAROLE:    (a) Unnecessary      (b)  Disorder (c) Confused talk  (d) Game            (e) None of these
 (7) DEIGN:                 (a) Condescend  (b)  Pretend (c) Disparage        (d) Refuse           (e) None of these
 (8) PROLETARIAT: (a) Trade agreement (b)  Government Secretariat     (c)  Labouring Class
         (d) Wealthy Class (e)   None of these
 (9) LUDICROUS:      (a)   Liberal               (b)   Fearful (c)  Comic      (d) Praise Worthy (e) None of these
 (10) MALEFIC:           (a) Baleful  (b)   Belonging to a male person      (c)  Social
         (d) Fighting by nature   (e)   None of these
 Choose the word that is nearly most opposite in meaning to the Capitalized words: 
   (11) LANGUID:           (a) Feeble  (b)   Dull (c)   Vigorous         (d) Weak             (e) None of these
 (12) HIGH-STRUNG: (a) Nervous            (b)    Tense (c)   Costly      (d) Calm          (e) None of these
 (13) METTLE:             (a) Courage (b)    Boldness (c)   Cowardice       (d)   Spirit             (e) None of these
 (14) ABRIDGEMENT:(a) Epitome            (b)    Dissect (c)   Abstract           (d) Synopsis        (e) None of these
 (15) CAJOLE:              (a) Flaunt  (b)    Coax (c)   Beguile            (d) Flatter            (e) None of these
 (16) CELIBACY:        (a)   Virginity (b)    Wedlock   (c)   Chastity           (d) Single            (e) None of these
 (17) INCLEMENT:      (a) Rough              (b)    Unpleasant  (c)  Unfavourable  (d) Genial           (e) None of these
 (18) IRRESOLUTE:     (a) Ineffective (b)    Without resolution  (c)   Yielding   (d) Sturdy     (e) None of these
 (19) ANNEXATION:    (a) Supplement       (b)   Augmentation  (c) Appendix     (d)  Contraction   (e) None of these
 (20) INCUR:         (a) Shun              (b)   Run (c)    Blame          (d)   Meet            (e) None of these
 

 PART-II 

Q.2. Make a précis of the following passage and suggest a suitable heading.                                            (20+2=22)
 Culture, in human societies, has two main aspects; an external, formal aspect and an inner, ideological aspect.  The external forms of culture, social or artistic, are merely an organized expression of its inner ideological aspect, and both are an inherent component of a given social structure. They are changed or modified when this structure is changed or modified and because of this organic link they also help and influence such changes in their parent organism. Cultural Problems, therefore, cannot be studied or understood or solved in isolation from social problems, i.e. problems of political and economic relationships. The cultural problems of the underdeveloped countries, therefore, have to be understood and solved in the light of the larger perspective, in the context of underlying social problems.   Very broadly speaking, these problems are primarily the problems of arrested growth; they originate primarily from long years of imperialist – Colonialist domination and the remnants of a backward outmoded social structure.  This should not require
much elaboration European Imperialism caught up with the countries of Asia, Africa or Latin America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Some of them were fairly developed feudal societies with ancient traditions of advanced feudal culture.  Others had yet to progress beyond primitive pastoral tribalism.  Social and cultural development of them all was frozen at the point of their political subjugation and remained frozen until the coming of political independence.  The culture of these ancient feudal societies, in spite of much technical and intellectual excellence, was restricted to a small privileged class and rarely intermingled with the parallel unsophisticated folk
culture of the general masses.  Primitive tribal culture, in spite of its child like beauty, had little intellectual content. Both feudal and tribal societies living contagiously in the same homelands were constantly engaged in tribal, racial, and religious or other feuds with their tribal and feudal rivals. Colonialist – imperialist domination accentuated this dual fragmentation, the vertical division among different tribal and national groups, the horizontal division among different classes within the same tribal or national group.  This is the basic ground structure, social and cultural, bequeathed to
the newly liberated countries by their former over lords.   
Q.3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Use your own language.   (20)
 The civilization of China - as every one knows, is based upon the teaching of Confucius who flourished five hundred years before Christ.   Like the Greeks and Romans, he did not think of human society as naturally progressive; on the contrary, he believed that in remote antiquity rulers had been wise and the people had been happy to a degree which the degenerate present could admire but hardly achieve.  This, of course, was a delusion.  But the practical result was the Confucius, like other teachers of antiquity, aimed at creating a stable society, maintaining a certain level of excellence, but not always striving after new successes.  In this he was more successful than any other man who ever
lived.  His personality has been stamped on Chinese Civilization from his day to our own.  During his life time, the Chinese occupied only a small part of present day China, and were divided into a number of warring states.  During the next three hundred years they established themselves throughout what is now China proper, and founded an empire exceeding in territory and population any other that existed until the last fifty years.  In spite of barbarian invasions, and occasional longer or shorter periods of Chaos and Civil War, the Confucian system survived bringing with it art and
literature and a civilised way of life.  A system which has had this extra ordinary power of survival must have great merits, and certainly deserves our respect and consideration.  It is not a religion, as we understand the word, because it is not associated with the super natural or with mystical beliefs.  It is purely ethical system, but its ethics, unlike those of Christianity, are not too exalted for ordinary men to practise.  In essence what Confucius teaches is something is very like the old-fashioned ideal of a ‘gentleman’ as it existed in the eighteenth century. One of his sayings will illustrate this: ‘The true gentleman is never contentious………he courteously salutes his opponents before taking up his
position,……..so that even when competing he remains a true gentleman’.   
Questions:
(1) Why do you think the author calls Confucius’ belief about the progress of human society as a delusion? (04)
(2) How did Confucius’ thought affect China to develop into a stable and ‘Proper’ China?         (04)
(3) Why does the author think that Confucian system deserves respect and admiration?         (04)
(4) Why does the author call Confucian system a purely ethical system and not a religion?         (04)
(5) Briefly argue whether you agree or disagree to Confucius’ ideal of a gentleman.          (04)

Q.4. Write a comprehensive note (250 – 300 words) on any ONE of the following:                                   (20)
     (i) Revolution versus Evolution.            (ii) Let us agree to disagree in an agree-able way.
   (iii) Say not, the struggle not availth.       (iv) Beneath every cloud there is always a silver lining.
    (v) In democracy an ideal form of government?

Q.5.(a) Use ONLY FOUR of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning: (Extra attempt shall not be considered).                 (04)
      (i) The milk of human kindness   (ii) A rule of thumb      (iii) Out and out  
      (iv)   To wash one’s dirty linen in public (v)      To pay through the nose         (vi)    To lose face
(b) Use ONLY FOUR of the following pairs of words in sentences which illustrate their meanings. Extra attempt shall not be considered:             (04)
(i) Adjoin, Adjourn  (ii) Allay, Ally   (iii) Bases, Basis 
 (iv) Click, Clique   (v) Distract, Detract  (vi) Liable, Libel
Q.6. (a) Correct ONLY FIVE of the following: Extra attempt shall not be considered.                   (05) 
(i) My boss agreed with my plan.         (ii)   If he was here, he would be as wise as he was during the war. (iii) We have amusements in form of music.     (iv)  You get hungry for all the work you have to do. (v) We were glad for being there.         (vi)   I prefer the fifth act of Shakespeare King Lear the best of all.  (vii) After finishing my lecture, the bell rang.  (viii)  We needed not to be afraid.
 (b) Change the narration from direct to indirect or indirect to direct speech. (DO ONLY FIVE) Extra 
  attempt shall not be considered.             (05) 
(i) “If I had spoken to my father as you speak to me he’d have beaten me,” he said to me.
(ii) “How far is it”? I said, “and how long will it take me to get there”?
(iii) “Do you know any body in this area or could you get a reference from your landlady”?  he asked me.
(iv) She told me to look where I was going as the road was full of holes and very badly lit. 
(v) He wanted to know if I was going to the concert and suggested that we should make up a party and go  together. 
(vi) He said,  I must’nt mind if the first one wasn’t any good.
(vii)  “What a nuisance!  Now I’ll have to do it all over again”, he exclaimed.
(viii)  “I must go to the dentist tomorrow”,  he said. “I have an appointment”.

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2012

Objective Questions

Q1(a) - Synonyms
(1) Breach
a. Secret b. Reinforcement c. Difficulty d. Opening
(2) Gelid
a. Hot b. Soft c. Icy cold d. Hard
(3) Opulent
a. Corrupt b. Poor c. Proud d. Luxuriant
(4) Verisimilitude
a. Large number b. Variety c. Shades of colurs d. Being true
(5) Iota
a. Agreement b. Coin c. Column d. Small amount
Q1(b) - Antonyms
(6) Despise
a. Abhor b. Disdain c. Demolish d. Admire
(7) Lackey
a. Strange b. Poor c. Master d. Ignorant
(8) Egress
a. Decline b. Entrance c. Rude d. Angry
(9) Amalgamate
a. Punish b. Study c. Separate d. Reduce
(10) Insipid
a. Silly b. Tasty c. Active d. Thin
Q1(c) Complete the sentences
(11) Knowledge is like a deep well fed by _________ springs, and your mind is a little bucket that you drop in it.
a. External b. Perennial c. Immortal d. Lovely
(12) The unruly behaviour of children _________ their parents
a. Aggrieved b. Impeached c. Incensed d. Tempered
(13) He suggests that the meeting _______ postponed
a. Is b. Be c. Must d. Would be
(14) The landscape was truly_____, so arid that even the Hardest Plant could not survive
a. Lurid b. Parched c. Verdant d. Variegated
(15) His statement was so________ that everyone was left in doubt
a. Equitable b. Innocuous c. Dogmatic d. Equivocal
(16) I certainly do not______ your driving your car over the speed limit
a. Approve in b. Approve with c. Approve of d. Approve for
(17) The Eagle swooped and ______ a sleeping lizard
a. Carried down b. Carried up c. Carried off d. Carried in
(18) A young officer was _______ the task of taking prisoners to the rear
a. Charged by b. Charged in c. Charged for d. Charged with
(19) It seemed he was going to _____ him but he controlled himself
a. Lash out at *b. Lash out in *c. Lash out to *d. Lash out on
(20) I am not going to _____ this book at any cost
a. Part from b. Part up c. Part for d. Part with

ANSWERS:

1. d   2. c   3. d    4. d   5. d   6. d    7. c    8. b    9. c    10. c
11. b   12. c    13. b    14. b    15. d    16. c    17. c    18. d    19. a    20. d

PART-II

Note: (i) Part II is to be attempted on separate Answer Book.
(ii) Attempt all questions from Part II
(iii) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the attempted question will not be considered.

Q.2. Make a precise of the following passage and suggest a suitable heading. (20)

One of the most ominous and discreditable symptoms of the want of candour in present-day sociology is the deliberate neglect of the population question. It is or should be transparently clear that if the State is resolved, on humanitarian grounds, to inhibit the operation of natural selection, some rational regulation of population, both as regards quantity and quality, is
imperatively necessary. There is no self-acting adjustment, apart from starvation, of numbers to the means of subsistence. If all natural checks are removed, a population in advance of the optimum number will be produced, and maintained at the cost of a reduction in the standard of living. When this pressure begins to be felt, that section of the population which is capable of reflection, and which has a standard of living which may be lost, will voluntarily restrict its numbers, even to the point of failing to replace deaths by an equivalent number of new births; while the underworld, which always exists in every civilised society the failures and misfits and derelicts, moral and physical will exercise no restraint, and will be a constantly increasing drain upon the national resources. The population will thus be recruited, in a very undue proportion, by those strata of society which do not possess the qualities of useful citizens.

The importance of the problem would seem to be sufficiently obvious. But politicians know that the subject is unpopular. The unborn have no votes. Employers like a surplus of labour, which can be drawn upon when trade is good. Militarists want as much food for powder as they can get. Revolutionists instinctively oppose any real remedy for social evils; they know that every unwanted child is a potential insurgent. All three can appeal to a quasi-religious prejudice, resting apparently on the ancient theory of natural rights, which were supposed to include the right of unlimited procreation. This objection is now chiefly urged by celibate or childless priests; but it is held with such fanatical vehemence that the fear of losing the votes which they control is a welcome excuse for the baser sort of politician to shelve the subject as inopportune. The Socialist calculation is probably erroneous; for experience has shown that it is aspiration, not desperation, that makes revolutions.

Q.3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Use your own language. (20)

Human beings are afraid of death just as children feel afraid of darkness. The fear of darkness of kids increased by the stories of the heard ghosts and thieves. In the same way, the fear of human being is increased by the stories which they heard about the agony of dying man. If a human being regards death as a kind of punishment for his sins he has committed and if he looks upon death as a means of making an entry into another world, he is certainly taking a religious and sacred view of death. But if a human being looks upon death as a law of nature and then feels afraid of it, his attitude is of cowardice. However, even in religious meditations about death there is sometimes a mixture of folly and superstition. Monks have written books in which they have described the painful experiences which they underwent by inflicting physical tortures upon themselves as a form of self purification. Thus, one may think that the pains of death must be indescribably agonizing. Such books and such thoughts increase a man's fear of death.

Seneca, the Roman Philosopher is of the view that the circumstances and ceremonies of death frighten people more than death itself would do. A dyeing man is heard uttering groans; his body is seen undergoing convulsions; his face appears to be absolutely bloodless and pale; at his death his friends begin to weep and his relations put on mourning clothes; various rituals are performed. All such facts make death appear more horrible than it would be otherwise.

1. What is the difference between human beings' fear of death and children's fear of darkness?
2. What is a religious and sacred view of death?
3. What are the painful experiences described by the Monks in their books?
4. What are the views of Seneca about death?
5. What are the facts that make death appear more horrible than it would be otherwise?

Q.4 Write a comprehensive note (250 - 300) on any ONE of the following:

1. Self done is Well done
2. The Bough that bears most bend most
3. Nearer the Church, farther from God
4. Rich men have no fault
5. Cut your coat according to your cloth

Q.5 Use ONLY FIVE of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning. Extra attempt shall not be considered.

1. Wool gathering
2. Under the harrow
3. Cold comfort
4. A gold digger
5. Walk with God
6. On the thin ice
7. A queer fish
8. Unearthly hour

Q.6 (a) Correct ONLY FIVE of the following: Extra attempt shall not be considered.

1. A ten feet long snake made people run here and there
2. We are going to the concert, and so they are.
3. Enclosed with this letter was a signed Affidavit and a carbon copy of his request to our main office.
4. Fear from God.
5. Pakistan has and will support the Kashmiris.
6. He has come yesterday.
7. Arshad's down fall was due to nothing else than pride.
8. Do not avoid to consult a doctor.

(b) Change the narration from direct to indirect or indirect to direct speech (DO ONLY FIVE). Extra attempt shall not be considered.

1. He said to us, "You cannot do this problem alone".
2. The beggar asked the rich lady if she could not pity the sufferings of an old and miserable man and help him with a rupee or two.
3. The Commander said to the soldiers, "March on".
4. He entreated his master respectfully to pardon him as it was his first fault.
5. "Do you really come from America? How do you feel in Pakistan?" Said I the stranger.
6. The officer threatened the peon to come in time otherwise he would be turned out.
7. People wished that the Quaid e Azam had been alive those days to their fate.
8. They said, "Brave! Imran, what a shot".

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2011

(PART-I MCQs) (COMPULSORY)

Q.1. (a) Choose the word that is nearly similar in meaning to the word in Capital letters. (Do only FIVE)

Extra attempt of any Part of the question shall not be considered.    (05)

(i) CHRONICLE:
(a) Daily ritual (b) Widely held belief (c) Account of events.
(ii) FLUME:
(a) Sea bird with a wing span four times its body length
(b) Narrow gorge with a stream running through it
(c) Warm summer wind.
(iii) EPITAPH:
(a) Editorial (b) Clever head line (c) Tomb stone inscription.
(iv) LACONIC:
(a) Concise (b) Weekly (c) Circular.
(v) SHINGLE:
(a) Gravelly beach (b) Exposed sand bar (c) Group of dolphins.
(vi) FILIAL:
(a) Related by marriage (b) Of sons and daughters(c) Of brothers.
(vii) MISOPEDIA:
(a) A hatred for children (b) Middle age (c) Family history.
(viii) MENAGE:
(a) Marriage vow (b) Household (c) Golden years.

       (b) Choose the word that is nearly most opposite in meaning to the Capitalized words. (Do only FIVE)  Extra attempt of any Part of the question shall not be considered.          (05)

(ix) ANNIHILATE:
(a) Supplement (b) Augment (c) Append (d) Contract.
(x) BRACE:
(a) Prop (b) Knock (c) Invigorate (d) Refresh.
(xi) BRUSQUE:
(a) Gruff (b) Curt (c) Smooth (d) Discourteous.
(xii) CONCORD:
(a) Amity (b) Accord (c) Variance (d) Unity.
(xiii) CONSCIENTIOUS:
(a) Uncorrupt (b) Honourable (c) Principled (d) Profligate.
(xiv) DIPLOMATIC:
(a) Sagacious (b) Shrewd (c) Bungling (d) Prudent.
(xv) HYPOCRISY:
(a) Uprightness (b) Pretence (c) Cant (d) Deceit.
(xvi) ONEROUS:
(a) Burdensome (b) Wearing (c) Difficult (d) Fluent.
ANSWERS:
Q NO 01
i) C   ii) B  iii) C  iv) A  v) A  vi) A not sure  vii) A  viii) B

 PART-II

Q.2. Make a précis of the given passage and suggest a suitable heading:               (20 + 5 = 25)
The Psychological causes of unhappiness, it is clear, are many and various. But all have something in
common. The typical unhappy man is one who having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, has come to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has, therefore, given to his life a one-sided direction, together with a  quite undue emphasis upon the achievement as opposed to the activities connected with it. There is, however, a further development which is very common in the present day. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of “Pleasure”. That is to say, he seeks to make life bearable by becoming less alive. Drunkenness, for example, is temporary suicide; the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness. The narcissist and the megalomaniac believe that happiness is possible, though they may adopt mistaken means of achieving it; but the man who seeks intoxication, in whatever form, has given up hope except in oblivion. In his case the first thing to be done is to persuade him that happiness is desirable. Men, who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact. Perhaps their pride is like that of the fox who had lost his tail; if so, the way to cure it is to point out to them how they can grow a new tail. Very few men, I believe, will deliberately choose unhappiness if they see a way of being happy. I do not deny that such men exist, but they are not sufficiently numerous to be important. It is common in our day, as it has been in many other periods of the world’s history, to suppose that those among us who are wise have seen through all the enthusiasms of earlier times and have become aware that there is nothing left to live for. The man who hold this view are genuinely unhappy, but they are proud of their unhappiness, which they attribute to the nature of the universe and consider to be the only rational attitude for an enlightened man. Their pride in their
unhappiness makes less sophisticated people suspicious of its genuineness; they think that the man who enjoys  being miserable is not miserable.
Q.3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:           (5 x 4 = 20)
Knowledge is acquired when we succeed in fitting a new experience in the system of concepts based
upon our old experiences. Understanding comes when we liberate ourselves from the old and so make possible a direct, unmediated contact with the new, the mystery, moment by moment, of our existence. The new is the given on every level of experience – given perceptions, given emotions and thoughts, given states of unstructured awareness, given relationships with things and persons. The old is our home-made system of ideas and word patterns. It is the stock of finished articles fabricated out of the given mystery by memory and analytical reasoning, by habit and automatic associations of accepted notions. Knowledge is primarily a knowledge of these finished articles. Understanding is primarily direct awareness of the raw material. Knowledge is always in terms of concepts and can be passed on by means of words or other symbols. Understanding is not conceptual and therefore cannot be passed on. It is an immediate experience, and immediate experience can only be talked about (very inadequately), never shared. Nobody can actually feel another’s pain or grief, another’s love or joy, or hunger. And similarly no body can experience another’s understanding of a given event or situation. There can, of course, be knowledge of such an understanding, and this knowledge may be passed on in speech or writing, or by means of other symbols. Such communicable knowledge is useful as a reminder that there have been specific understandings in the past, and that understanding is at all times possible. But we must always remember that knowledge of understanding is not the same thing as the understanding which is the raw material of that knowledge. It is as different from understanding as the doctor’s prescription for pencitin is different from penicillin.
Questions:
(i) How is knowledge different from understanding?
(ii) Explain why understanding cannot be passed on.
(iii) Is the knowledge of understanding possible? If it is, how may it be passed on?
(iv) How does the author explain that knowledge of understanding is not the same thing as the
understanding?
(v) How far do you agree with the author in his definitions of knowledge and understanding? Give
reasons for your answer.
Q.4. Write a comprehensive note (250 – 300 words) on any ONE of the following:                  (20)
(i) Child is the father of man.
(ii) Life succeeds in that it seems to fail.
(iii) Yellow Journalism.
(iv) The violence of war can be diluted with love.
(v) Love is a beautiful but baleful god.
Q.5. (a) Use ONLY FIVE of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning: Extra attempt shall not be considered.                                (05)
(i) To eat one’s words. (ii) Dog in the manger (iii) A close shave
(iv) A Freudian Ship (v) A Gordian knot (vi) A cog in the machine
(vii) A sugar daddy (viii) A wet blanket.
(b) Use ONLY FIVE of the following Pairs of words in sentences which illustrate their meaning: Extra attempt shall not be considered.                      (10)
(i) Capital, Capitol (ii) Assay, Essay (iii) Envelop, envelope
(iv) Decree, Degree (v) Desolate, Dissolute (vi) Species, Specie
(vii) Tortuous, Torturous (viii) Wet, Whet
Q.6. (a) Correct ONLY FIVE of the following: Extra attempt shall not be considered.                 (05)
(i) Please speak to the concerned clerk.
(ii) You have got time too short for that.
(iii) Not only he was a thief, but he was also a murderer.
(iv) They thought that the plan would be succeeded.
(v) It is unlikely that he wins the race.
(vi) My uncle has told me something about it yesterday.
(vii) I hoped that by the time I would have got there it would have stopped raining.
(viii) They prevented the driver to stop.
(b) Change the narration from direct to indirect or indirect to direct speech. (DO ONLY FIVE) Extra
attempt shall not be considered.                        (05)
(i) “I couldn’t get into the house because I had lost my key, so I had to break a window”, he
said.
(ii) “Would you like to see over the house or are you more interested in the garden”? She asked
me.
(iii) “Please send whatever you can spare. All contributions will be acknowledged immediately”,
Said the Secretary of the disastrous fund.
(iv) She asked if he’d like to go to the concert and I said I was sure he would.
(v) I told her to stop making a fuss about nothing and said that she was lucky to have got a seat
at all.
(vi) The teacher said, “You must not forget what I told you last lesson. I shall expect you to be
able to repeat it next lesson by heart.”
(vii) He asked me if he should leave it in the car.
(viii) He said, “May I open the window? It’s rather hot in here.” 

CSS Past Papers English (Precis & Composition) 2010

PART – I (MCQs)
Q.1.(a) Pick the word that is nearly similar in meaning to the capitalized word.      (5)
(Do any
FIVE). Extra attempt of any Part of the question will not be considered.
(i) ACRIMONIOUS
(a) Bitter (b) Provocative (c) Cheap (d) Volatile
(ii) CALLIGRAPHY
(a) Computers (b) Handwriting (c) Blood pressure (d) Brain waves
(iii) UNEQUIVOCAL
(a) Variable (b) Plain (c) Unmistakable (d) Negligent
(iv) DEMISE
(a) Conclude (b) End (c) Affection (d) Death
(v) INCENDIARY
(a) Happy (b) Sneer (c) Causing fire (d) Jolly
(vi) TOUCHSTONE
(a) Remind (b) A hall (c) At rest (d) Criterion
(vii) VOID
(a) Emptiness (b) Lea (c) Anger (d) Trick
(viii) ESSAY
(a) Direct (b) Compose (c) Attempt (d) Suppose
(b) Indicate the most nearly opposite in meaning to the word in capital letters:      (5)
(Do only
FIVE). Extra attempt of any Part of the question will not be considered.
(i) IGNOBLE
(a) Lowly (b) Vile (c) Good (d) Noble
(ii) MELANCHOLY
(a) Sorrowful (b) Happy (c) Forbidden (d) Brisk
(iii) OBLITERATE
(a) Preserve (b) Destroy (c) Ravage (d) Design
(iv) ALLY
(a) Alloy (b) Foe (c) Partner (d) Accessory
(v) VULGAR
(a) Coarse (b) Gross (c) Exquisite (d) Obscene
(vi) PRETEND
(a) Sham (b) Substantiate (c) Feign (d) Fabricate
(vii) LIBERTY
(a) Permission (b) Licence (c) Serfdom (d) Bound
(viii) CONSCIENTIOUS
(a) Uncorrupt (b) Honourable (c) Principled (d) Profligate
ANSWERS:
Q1: Word meanings:
Acrimonius - a) bitter
Calligraphy- b) handwriting
Demise d) death
Incendiary c) causing fire
Essay - c) Attempt

Q2: opposites:
Melancholy - b - happy
Obliterate - a - preserve
Ally - b - foe
Vulgar - c - exquisite
Pretend - d- substantiate

 PART-II

Q2: Precise

Of all the characteristics of ordinary human nature envy is the most unfortunate; not only does the envious person wish to inflict misfortune and do so whenever he can with impunity, but he is also himself rendered unhappy by envy. instead of deriving pleausre from what he has, he derives pain from what others have. if he can, he deprives others of their advantages, which to him is as desirable as as it would be to secure the same advantages himself. if this passion is allowed to run riot it becomes fatal to all excellence,and even the most useful exercise of exceptional skill. why should a medical man go to see his patients in a car when the labourer has to walk to his work? why should the scientifc investigator be allowed to spend his time in a warm room when others have to face the inclemency of the elements? why should a man who possesses some rare talent of great importance to the world be saved fromt he drudgery of his own housework? to such questions envy finds no answer. fortunately, however, there is in human nature a compensating passion, namely that of admiration. whosoever wishes to increase human happiness must wish to increase admiration and to diminish envy. what cure is there for envy? for the saint there is the cure of selflessness, though even in the case of saints envy of other saints is by no means impossible. but, leaving saints out of account, the only cure of envy in the case of ordinary men and women is happiness, and the difficulty is that envy is itself a terrible obstacle to happiness. but the envious man may say: 'what is the good of telling me that the cure of envy is happiness? i cannot find happiness while i continue to feel envy, and you tell me that i cannot cease to be envious until i find happiness.' but real life is never so logical as this. mereley to realize the cause of one's own envious feeling is to take a long step towards curing them.

Question 3: Comprehension

And still it moves. the words of Galileo, murmured when the tortures of the Inquisition had driven him to recant the Truth he knew, apply in a new way to our world today. sometimes, in the knowledge of all that has been discovered, all that has been done to make life on the planet happier and more worthy, we may be tempted to settle down to enjoy our heritage. that would, indeed, be the betrayal of our trust.

These men and women of the past have given everything---comfort, time, treasure, peace of mind and body, life itself---that we might live as we do. the challenege to each one of us is to carry on their work for the sake of future generations.

The adventurous human mind must not falter. still must we question the old truths and work for the new ones. still must we risk scorn, cynicism, neglect, loneliness, poverty, persecution, if need be. we must shut our ears to easy voice which tells us that human nature will never alter as an exucse for doing nothing to make life more worthy.

Thus will the course of the history of mankind go onward, and the world we know move into a new splendour for those who are yet to be.

Questions:
1) What made Galileo recant the Truth he knew?
2) What is the heritage being alluded to in the first paragraph?
3)what does the 'betrayal of our trust' imply
4) Why do we need to question the old truths and work for the new ones?
Explain the words or expressions as highlighted/underlined in the passage.

Question 4: Write a comprehensive note on any one of the following
1) When flatterrers get together, the devil goes to dinner.
2) The impossible is often the untried.
3) A Civil servant is a public servant
4)Internet---a blessing or a bane
5) Hope is the buoy of life.

Question 5: Use Only Five of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning:

1) Make for
2) Yeoman's service
3) Discretion is the better part of valour.
4) Out of the wood
5) A casting vote
6) Look down upon
7) Iconoclast
8) A swan song

b) Five pairs of words in sentences:

1) Adverse, Averse
2) Maize, Maze
3) Medal, Meddle
4) Imperious, Imperial
5) Veracity, Voracity
6) Allusion, Illusion
7) Ordinance, Ordnance
8) willing, Wilful

Question 6:

a) Correct the following sentences

1) This house is built of brick and stone.
2) the climate of Pakistan is better than England?
3) He swore by God.
4) You ought to have regarded him your benefactor.
5) My friend is very ill, i hope he will soon die.
6) he is waiting for better and promising opportunity.
7) When I shall see her I will deliver her your gift.
8) Many a sleepless nights she spent.

b) Change the narration from Indirect to Direct or Direct to Indirect

1) On Monday he said, "My son is coming today."
2) they wanted to know where he was going the following week.
3) he said, "Did she go yesterday?"
4) 'By God', he said, "I do not know her nickname."
5) he says that we are to meet him at the station.
6) He said, "I don't know the way. ask the old man sitting on the gate."
7) My father prayed that i would recover from my illness
8) He said, "How will you manage it?"