SSC

PASSAGE ON FREE SPEECH   It is worth spelling out why free expression is the bed" rock of all liberties. Free speech is the best defense against bad government Politicians who err (that is, all of them) should be subjected to unfettered criticism. Those who hear it may respond to it; those who silence it may never find out how their policies misfired. As Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate, has pointed out, no democracy with a free press ever endured famine. In all areas of life, free debate sorts good ideas from box ones. Science cannot develop unless old certainties are queried. Taboos are the enemy of understanding. When China's government orders economists to offer optimistic forecasts, it guarantees that its own policymaking will be ill informed,, When American social-science faculties hire only left-wing professors, their research deserves to be taken less seriously.. The more...

PASSAGE ON DANCING MONK   "The duty of the dancer is to involve the audience in his performance" starts Astad Deboo. From his graceful animation to his quick demonstrations, this dancing monk's passion for the art form is infectious. He is in the city, almost after a decade; to present his latest creation-Eternal Embrace-composed by Japanese musician Yukio Tsuji The 60-mi.nute solo will be performed on December 16 at The Collection, UB City. "My preparation for Eternal Embrace started last year when I was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), New York, to create a piece for its Islamic Wing. I explained the essence of Bulleh Shah's Maati to Yukio and he created the music in my presence in accordance to my movements"   "This contemporary dance explores the tension, between the ephemeral and material worlds. It puts forth the cycle of more...

PASSAGE ON HARAPPAN MAN   What did the Harappan man look like? Was he well built? How tall was he? What were his facial features? Was the color of his skin eyes and hair? What were the dietary habits of the Harappan   The answers to these questions, winch have been puzzling archaeologists for several decades, he in the DNA test results of four skeletons excavated from Rakhigarhi a Harappan site in Haryana. The results are expected m July. The tests are Jointly conducted archaeologists of the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institution of Sue and forensic scientists from Seoul National University, South Korea. Two of the Sectors belonging to the Mature Harappan period (2600-1900 BPE) are of adult males, one is of an adult female, and the fourth is of a child.   The growth and development of the Harappan civilization can be divided more...

PASSAGE ON MALARIA ERADICATION   The global fight against malaria is in "urgent need" of more funding, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday while releasing the latest World Malaria Report.   According to the report, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 4,29,000 deaths worldwide in 2015. Further, nearly 78% of Plasmodium vivax malaria cases in 2015 occurred in just four countries' Ethiopia, India. Indonesia and Pakistan.   Despite the billions of dollars spent on malaria programmers, the U.N. health agency said too many people are missing out on available resources like medicines and bed nets that protect against mosquitoes that spread the disease.   WHO had set a goal of cutting malaria cases to "near zero" by the end of last year. It fell far short, and now is aiming to reduce malaria cases and deaths by at least more...

PASSAGE ON PAHAL   Pahal, the remarkable educational NGO that runs ASER, not only exposes the deficiencies of the educational system but also tries to fix them. We have been working with them for the last ten years, evaluating almost every new edition of their program for teaching children arithmetic and reading. Our association started in the year 2000 in western India, in the cities of Nagpur and Rewari, where Pahal was running what they called the Balsaheli (meaning "children's friend") program.   The program took the twenty children in each classroom that needed help and sent them to work with the Balsaheli, a young woman from the community, on their specific areas of weakness. Despite a drought and communal riots, the program generated very large gains in test scores for these children-"in Nagpur, about twice the magnitude of the average gains from private more...

PASSAGE ON MY LIBRARY   The key to create my life the way I want it-that's what library is to me. Right from the day when I was introduced into the world of books by my English teacher, the love of learning has always remained with me.   People with books have always fascinated me even from my childhood but I never felt like touching one for I was afraid that my linguistic skills were so poor that I won't be able to understand a word of it. The words of my English teacher who appreciated me after seeing my short essay made me rethink.   Classics used to inspire me when I was in my schooldays, though I must say that I couldn't understand those books then the way I understand it now. This makes me feel that one reads a book differently more...

  Letter Writing   LETTER WRITING -INTRODUCTION   Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Byron, Jane Austen, Sigmund Freud, Gertrude Stein, H.G. Wells, Mahatma Gandhi. Do you know what these people have in common? They were all ardent letter writers. If you go deep into history; you will be able to find that the persons who were called great minds of all times were also great letter writers. They shared their ideas with their contemporaries through letters, and even replied to their followers who kept those letters like treasures. Before the advent of social networking, people used to communicate with each other through letters. The ability to communicate instantly almost put an end to the art of letter writing. There are different kinds of letters, depending on the purpose for which one is writing the letter. They are:  

Informal

These are personal letters, or more...

                                                                                                          Personal Letter -1

WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR COLLEGEMATE CONGRATULATING HIM ON HIS SUCCESS IN CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION.

  18, Dr. Mukherjee nagar Delhi 27th June 2016 Dear Madhav,   I read about your success in the civil services examination, and felt extremely happy. I think you also must be exalted with the results, and so must be everyone related to you. Congratulations, my friend. You really made it. Right from the college days when all of us were wasting time roaming around, you spent your time among books in the library. You had big dreams at that time too, and we were amazed at your determination. Holding on to the same all this time, and working hard to reach it, you have proved again that it's not social or economic status, but one's hard work that matters.   I know that you will be an asset to this more...

                                                                                              Personal Letter - 2

WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER THANKING HIM FOR THE LESSONS 1HE GAVE, WHICH BROUGHT YOU SUCCESS IN LIFE.

  16, Batra road Bangalore 16th December 2015 Dear Sir,   I, Divyanshu, was your student when you taught at Sri Chitra High school, Kanpur. I do not know if you remember me, but I'd like to express my gratitude to you for the lessons you'd given.   I was afraid of English before you taught us. Your simple presentation of the language and the way you introduced us to the world of literature was what made me love English and thus, English literature. Even though many teachers have taught me after that, the structure of English that remained in my mind was constructed by you.   Yesterday, it was announced that I will be awarded with this year's Man Booker prize. This prize belongs more...

                                                                                Personal Letter - 3

WRITE A LETTER TO A FRIEND EXPRESSING CONDOLENCE ON HIS MOTHER'S DEATH.

  56, Bhavesh Nagar Allahabad   17th September 2016   Dear Manu,   I came to know of the death of your mother from Vivek. I'm sorry for your loss, my friend. Your mother had been like a mother to me too, when I was away from my own family during our college days. I still remember the taste of aloo paranthas she used to make. She knew I loved them and made it whenever I came to your home. I even used to tease my mom that she couldn't make it as good as your mom used to.   Tears fill my eyes too, as I write this letter. Memories other are still fresh in my mind. I hope you're able to cope with her loss, for no matter what happens life more...