English (Compulsory) Class 10 Chapter 1: Comprehension 1: Health, Well-being, SDGs and Society

Free chapter

• Class 10
• English (Compulsory)
• Unit 1
• Book pages Class 10 book U1 (pp 7-21), U11 (pp 134-145) - themes only
• FBISE SSC-II

This is the free study page for English (Compulsory) Class 10, Chapter 1: Comprehension 1: Health, Well-being, SDGs and Society. It follows the Federal Board (FBISE) SSC-II syllabus and takes about 14 minutes to read. After reading, tap Practice this chapter to answer questions with the answers shown at once.

Where this skill is tested

Question 2 of the Class 10 paper carries 18 marks and is worth more than any other single question. You get one unseen passage of 250-350 words. It may be about health, clean water, hunger, education or any other goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You cannot learn the passage, so you must learn the skills.

Three of the parts (ii) to (v) give you an internal choice, so read the choice carefully and pick the one you can answer best.

Step 1: Read the passage the smart way

Most marks are lost because students read once, fast, and then guess. Use this routine.

• Skim first (1 minute). Read the title (if any), the first sentence of each paragraph and the last paragraph. This tells you the topic and the direction.
• Read the questions next. Now you know what to look for.
• Read slowly with a pencil. Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph. Put a small tick beside numbers, names and reasons.
• Answer in the order that is easiest, but write the precis with a calm mind, not in the last five minutes.

Main idea, topic sentence and supporting details

A paragraph usually has one main idea. The sentence that states it is the topic sentence. It is most often the first sentence, sometimes the last. The other sentences give supporting details: reasons, examples, numbers or explanations.

Example

Clean drinking water saves lives. Every day many children fall ill from dirty water. A single filter in a village school can cut absences in half. Boiling water at home costs very little.

• Topic sentence: Clean drinking water saves lives.
• Supporting details: children fall ill from dirty water; a filter reduces absences; boiling is cheap.

Test for a main idea: ask, "If I removed this sentence, would the paragraph still make sense?" A detail can be removed; the main idea cannot.

Fact or opinion? Cause or effect?

Be careful: a sentence with a number can still be an opinion ("Ten hours of sleep is far too much"). Ask, "Can I prove this?"

Cause and effect

A cause is why something happens. An effect is what happens. Signal words show the link.

Because the river flooded, many villages lost their crops. Cause: the river flooded. Effect: villages lost crops.

Tip: In a question, the cause usually comes before the effect in time, even when the sentence is written the other way round (Crops were lost because the river flooded).

Inference, purpose and tone

An inference is a conclusion that you draw from clues. The writer does not say it openly. Your answer must always be based on words in the passage.

The clinic was crowded by six in the morning, and many patients had walked from distant villages. We can infer that there are very few clinics in that area.

Writer's purpose

Tone: the writer's attitude

Tone words are adjectives. Learn these common ones: serious, hopeful, worried, critical, cheerful, admiring, sarcastic, neutral. Decide by looking at the words the writer chooses. Words like "alarming" and "shocking" show a worried or serious tone. Words like "bright future" show a hopeful tone.

Contextual meanings of words

In part (v) three words are underlined. You must give the meaning as used in that sentence. The dictionary meaning may not fit.

• Step 1: Read the full sentence and the one before and after.
• Step 2: Decide the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective).
• Step 3: Look for clues: a synonym, an antonym ("but", "unlike"), an example or a definition nearby.
• Step 4: Replace the word with your meaning and check that the sentence still makes sense.

Because the hospital was scarce of beds, patients waited on the floor. Clue: patients on the floor. Meaning: not enough, in short supply.

How to write a precis (6 marks)

A precis is a short version in your own words. It keeps the main points and drops the rest. Aim for about one-third of the passage: for 300 words, write about 100.

Rules

• Write in your own words. Do not copy long phrases.
• Use third person and the same tense as the passage. If someone speaks, change it to indirect speech.
• Leave out examples, quotations, repetition, figures of speech and minor details.
• Keep the order of ideas.
• Add no opinion and no new information.
• Write one paragraph, with a clear beginning, middle and end.

Steps

• Read the passage twice.
• Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph.
• Write one line for each paragraph in simple words.
• Join the lines with linkers (also, however, as a result).
• Count the words and cut extras.
• Add a title of 3-6 words.

Title (1 mark)

A good title is short, catches the main idea and is not a full sentence. For a passage on school meals: Healthy Meals, Healthy Students. Do not use a title that is too wide ("Health") or too narrow ("A Lunch in Class 6").

Model precis (about one-third). Original passage idea: a village school begins a free lunch scheme. A village school started a free lunch scheme to help hungry children. Attendance rose, pupils concentrated better and parents supported the plan. However, the scheme needed funds, so volunteers cooked and local traders donated grain. The school hopes other villages will follow this simple, low-cost idea.

Exam tips for Q2

• Do the precis in rough first, then neat. Marks go for content, language and length.
• Answer every part in complete sentences unless the question asks for a word or phrase.
• For 3-mark parts, give two or three points, each in one clear sentence.
• Use words from the question in the start of the answer; then give your reason from the passage.
• Never write "not given in the passage" without checking twice.

Glossary

SDGs

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations for a better world by 2030

Precis

A short summary that keeps the main points in your own words

Inference

A conclusion drawn from clues in the text

Topic sentence

The sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph

Tone

The writer's attitude, such as serious or hopeful

Context

The words around a word that help to explain it

Objective

Based on facts, without personal feelings

Well-being

A state of being healthy, happy and comfortable