Subject: English, asked on 7/9/21

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. (10)
1. Spare the rod, but in its place, insist on an undertaking of child’s good behavior from the
parents. This is what private schools in Kerala are now doing. The institutions are asking parents
to put their signature on a code of good conduct which promises that their children will maintain
discipline in school. This is the school’s attempt at keeping order at a time when caning and
other forms of physical punishment have been banned by the Centre.

2. “We are making parents sign a code of good behaviour. It is an alternative to corporal
punishment. Children have to abide by the rules set by schools till the time they are in uniform. It
acts as a deterrent, as parents play an important role in the education of their children by
supporting the school staff in maintaining a good learning environment for all students,” says
TPM Ibrahim Khan, President of the Kerala CBSE School Management Association.

3. The ministry of women and child development issued guidelines banning physical
punishment of students in 2010. A first violation could lead to up to one year in jail or fine of
Rs.50000 or both. For subsequent violations, imprisonment could extend to three years with an
additional fine of Rs. 25000. The ministry guidelines put the onus of preventing corporal
punishment on the heads of schools. Teachers found guilty of imposing physical penalties could
be denied promotion and increment. But there is no statutory definition of corporal punishment.
The Right to Education Act, 2009, merely states: “No child shall be subjected to physical
punishment or mental harassment.”

4. “School is a place where the transformation of a child takes place, and the grooming of

children is the joint effort of the school and parents. Also, parents are now keenly interested in
their children’s development and behaviour. It helps both parties and children benefit,” says NM
George, Principal of Toc H Public School in Ernakulam.

5. Parents are made to sign the bond either at the time of their ward joining school or every
year at the annual parent-teacher meet or during open house. In it, they are asked to ensure
that their children don’t disrupt school or violate its rules. They have to promise that their
children will not damage or steal school property, assault fellow students, and rise up in
insubordination, indulge in any disgraceful act, use obscene language or possess
dangerous weapons, tobacco, narcotic drugs and alcohol. The students must stick to a
proper dress code in school and are prohibited from using cell phones inside the
institution or in school buses.

6. Repeated violations of the code by children may lead to immediate suspension,
expulsion,or permanent exclusion from the school. “This document comes in handy if
the school authorities have to take harsh steps against a student for misbehaving in
school,” says K Unnikrishnan, President of the Confederation of Kerala Sahodaya
Complexes. A Sahodaya school complex is a group of neighbourhood CBSE school that
share innovativeeducation practices.
7. Psychiatrists, though, do not endorse the idea and believe that both corporal punishment
and getting parents to endorse a code of good conduct are signs of laziness. They say
these are shortcuts that schools adopt instead of identifying a child’s real problem and
working to correct it. “Discipline is a dedicated and committed mission and it should be
the joint effort of the teacher and parent. By putting the onus on parents for their child
breaking rules, schools are indulging in blame-games,” says Dr. CJ John, a psychiatrist.
8. Though corporal punishment is banned in schools, it usually exists in one form or
theother. The Kerala government has in the past issued a circular banning corporal
punishment using class representatives and monitors.
9. Making it clear that no class should remain without a teacher, the state has asked schools
to stop “the system of using monitors and leaders for preparing the list of students and
punishing them in the absence of a teacher in the class.”
10. “We want to ensure that schools don’t indulge in corporal punishment in any form
andtherefore issued the circular,” says the Director of Public Instruction, A Shahjahan.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following
questions by choosing the correct option.
i) What are the private schools of Kerala now doing to maintain discipline?
a) They are giving corporal punishment to the children.
b) They are making them stand outside the classroom.
c) The institutions are asking parents to sign a code of good conduct or behaviour of
the child.
d) They are rewarding the children for their good behaviour.
ii) How do parents play an important role in the education of their children?
a) By supporting the staff in maintaining a good learning environment for
allstudents.
b) By taking their children to picnic and outings.
c) By giving them friendly support.
d) By giving their wards required punishment.
iii)The violation of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Women
and ChildDevelopment includes the punishment of
a) one year in jail or fine of Rs. 50000 or both.
b) six months of jail with a fine of Rs. 50000
c) three years of jail with a fine of Rs. 50000
d) No punishment is given
iv) The bond which parents sign with school includes which of the following?
a) The child will indulge in no disgraceful act.
b) The child will not possess a cell phone
c) The child will give an application for absence due to illness.
d) All of the above
v) The circular that the Kerala Government has issued in the past includes that
a) corporal punishment should be given.
b) the system of using monitors and leaders for preparing the list of studentsand
punishing them in the absence of a teacher should be followed.
c) no class should remain without a teacher
d) All of the above

vi) Which of the following is supported by psychiatrist?

a) Schoolsshould not indulge in blame-games.
b) Asking parents to sign a bond of their children’s good conduct is a sign of
the schools not doing their job.
c) Corporal punishment is adopted as a shortcut method by work-shy teachers for
correcting problems of children.
d) All of the above
(b) Choose the most appropriate word to answer the following:

i)What synonym of the word ‘break’ is used in para 5?

a) assault b) disgraceful c) violate d) prohibited

ii) What antonym of the word ‘expulsion’ is used in para 6?

a) misbehaving b) inclusion c) exclusion d) innovation

iii) What synonym of the word ‘physical’ is used in para 2?

a) corporal b) deterrent c) abide d) alternative

iv) What antonym of the word ‘apathetic’ is used in para 7?
a) laziness b) endorse c) onus d) dedicated

Subject: English, asked on 3/5/21

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