Reading Comprehension for class 12 Passages and Excercises
Reading Comprehesion for class 12
- Step:1 Skim once as rapidly as possible to determine the main idea before you look at the questions. Do not worry about words you do not know at this stage.
- Step:2 Underline the words that you do not understand to facilitate a complete understanding of the passage. This will enable you to solve the vocabulary questions quicker.
- Step:3 Look through the words carefully. You are advised to maintain the order in which the questions appear in the test paper. Read intensively the portion relevant to the answer.
- Step:4 Concentrate on the vocabulary items and puzzle out from the context the meanings of those words you do not know.
Ideas To follow while skimming
- Read the title of the passage/ poem very carefully, if given. Determine what clues it gives you about the passage/poem.
- Watch for keywords like causes, results, effects etc. Do not overlook signal words such as those suggesting controversy (e.g., versus, pros and cons), which indicate that the author is intending to present both sides of an argument.
- Concentrate on the main ideas and ignore details. Most passages require at least two readings. Before writing the answer, check the questions again to be sure you have understood them.
Guidelines to attempt comprehension passage
- First of all, read the passage quickly study the questions given at the end of your passage.
- start your second reading of the passage.this reading should be through. underline key sentences or word related to the given questions.
- An alternate method could be to go through the questions first, which gives a rough idea about the content or subject of the passage. It becomes easier to underline the keywords while going through the passage and will help to reach the answers faster.
- While answering the questions, try not to give vague or general answers; be specific; sometimes students use one general description when four or five points have to be made. Avoid general answers.
- Write in short, simple sentences unless required to do otherwise
- Do not repeat yourself. This is a waste of time. Avoid using slang. Do not use vague words when a precise one will do.
- Make sure that you use your own words as far as possible. This means that you must summarise and’ interpret information; never copy whole ‘chunks’ from the passage.
- When answering factual questions, i.e., questions that involve words like ‘what7, ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘why’, do not include information not given in the passage. While answering the ‘why’ question, you may begin your answer with ‘This is because of a similar phrase.
- While answering vocabulary questions, determine the part of speech of the word. Your answer should have the same part of speech. ,
Reading Comprehesion for class 12
Question:1 Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. (Delhi, all India 2011)
- For many years now the Governments have been promising the eradication of child labour in hazardous industries in India but the truth is that despite all the rhetoric no Government so far has succeded in eradicating this evil, nor has any been able to ensure compulsory primary education for every Indian child, between 60 and 100 million children are still at work instead of going to school. and around 10 million are working in hazardous industries. india has the biggest child population of 380 million in the world. plus the largest number of children who are forced to earn a living.
- we have many laws that ban child labour in hazardous industries. according to the child labour ( Prohibition and Regulation ) Act 1986, the employment of children below the age of 14 in hazardous occupations has been strictly banned. but each state has been different rules regarding the minimum age of employment. this makes the implementation of these laws difficult.
- Also, there is no ban on child labour in nonhazardous occupations. the act applies to the organised or factory sector and not the unorganized or informal sector where most children find employmet as cleaners, servants porter, waiter among other forms of unskilled work. thus, child labour continues because the implementation of the existing law is lax.
- There are industries. which have a special demand for child lalour because of their nimble fingers, high level of concentration and capacity to work hard at absymally low wages. the carpet industry in U.P and Kashmir employs children to make hand-knotted carpets. there are 80, 000 child workers in jammu and kashmir alone. In Kashmir because of the political urest. children are forced to work while many schools are shut. Industries like gem cutting and polishing pottery and glass want to remain competitive by employing children.
- The truth is that it is poverty which is pushing children into the brutish labour market. we have 260 million people below the poverty line in India. a large number of them are women. poor and especially women-headed families have no option but to push their little ones in this hard life in hostile conditions, with no human or labour rights.(Reading Comprehesion for class 12)
- There is a lobby which argues that there is nothing wrong with children working as long environment for work is conductive to learning new skills but studies have shown that the children are made to do boring, repetitive and tedious jobs and are not taught new skills as they grow older. in these helloholes like the sweet shops of the old, there is no hope.
- Children working in hazardous industries are prone to debilitating dissaeses which can cripple then for life. by sitting in cramped, damp and unhygienic spaces. their limbs become deformed for life. Inside matchstick, firework and glass in dustries they are victims of bronchial diseases and T.B their mental and physical development is permanently impaired by long hours of work. once trapped they can’t get out of this vicious circle of poverty. they remain uneducated and powerless. finally in later years, they too are compelled to send their own children to work .
- if at all the Government was serious about granting children their rights an intensive effort ought to have been made to implement the supreme court’s directive of 1997 which laid down puntive action against employers of child labour. only compulsory primary education can eliminate child lanour.
- Surely, if 380 million children are given a better life and elementary education. India’s human capital would be greatly enhanced. but that needs, as former president abdul kalam says, s second
Reading Comprehesion for class 12
(A) (i) On which tow counts has the Government not succeeded so far in respect of children ?-2
(ii) what makes the implementation of child labour law difficult ?-2
(iii) why do industries preter child labour.?
(iv) what are the adverse effects of hazardous industries on children? Given any two. 2
(V) what does the supreme court’s directive of 1997 provide ? 1
Answers (i) In respect to children the Government has not yet succeeded in eradication of child labour in hazardous industries and ensuring compulsory primary education.
(ii) Implenetation of child labour becomes difficult because each state has different rules regarding the minimum age of employment and there is no ban on child labour in the nonhazardous occupations.
(iii) Industries prefer child labour because children have a capacity to work hard, a high level of concentration and can be employed at low wages.
(iv) Children working in hazardous industries are prone to debiliating disease which can cripple them for life. by sitting in cramped, damp and unhygienic spaces their limbs too become deformed for life. in matchstick, fireworks and glass industriesm children become victims of bronchial diseases and T.B
(V) The supreme court’s directive of 1997 provides punitive action against employers of child labour.
(B) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following :
(i) risky/dangerous (para 1)
(ii) very unfriendly (para 5)
(iii) Intended as punishment ( para 8)
Answers
(i) hazardous
(ii) hostile
(iii) punitive