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Question

Read the following passage carefully and answer Questions Up to the age of 12 all the knowledge I gained was through Gujarati, my mother tongue. I knew then something of Arithmetic, History and Geography. Then I entered a High School. For the first three years the mother tongue was still the medium. But the schoolmaster's business was to drive English into the pupil's head. Therefore more than half of our time was given to learning English and mastering its arbitrary spelling and pronunciation. It was a painful discovery to have to learn a language that was not pronounced as it was written. It was a strange experience to have to learn the spelling by heart. For the first three years it was comparatively plain sailing. The pillory began with the fourth year of my school. Geometry, Algebra, Chemistry, Astronomy, History and Geography-all were to be learnt in English. The tyranny of English was so great that even Sanskrit or Persian had to be learnt through English, not through the mother tongue. It did not matter to the teacher if a boy spoke bad English which he could neither pronounce correctly nor understand fully. Why should the teacher worry? His own English was by no means without blemish. The result was chaos. I know now why I took four years to learn of Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Chemistry and Astronomy. If I had not to learn them through English but Gujarati, my grasp of the subjects would have been easier and clearer. My Gujarati vocabulary would have been richer. I would have made use of such knowledge in my own home. This English medium created an impassable barrier between me and the members of my family, who had not gone through English schools. I was fast becoming a stranger in my own home.

"His own English was by no means without blemish." This means

The correct answer is

the teacher made mistakes in English

The statement "His own English was by no means without blemish" implies that the teacher's English had imperfections. In the context of the passage, it suggests that even the teacher who was responsible for teaching English was not perfectly fluent and made mistakes in the language.

Given the provided options, the most accurate interpretation of the statement is:

  • the teacher made mistakes in English

This interpretation aligns with the passage, highlighting the difficulties and challenges faced due to the imperfections in language skills of both students and the teacher.

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Important Questions from Miscellaneous (APSC)

  1. On November 21, 2024, the Assam Government officially renamed the Karimganj district as Sribhumi, along with its headquarters town Karimganj, which will now be called Sribhumi town. The new name was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's description of the area over a century ago as 'Sribhumi'. As per Kabiguru Tagore's description, the word 'Sribhumi' is referred to as
  2. The Assam Government's decision to officially recognize 'Bathouism' in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) primarily aims to
  3. On February 24, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the largest Jhumur event in history, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Assam's tea industry. Consider the following statements : 

    (i) The tea garden community migrated from Central India in the 19th century to work in the tea gardens of Assam.

     (ii) Jhumur dance originates from the Sadan ethnolinguistic group of the Chota Nagpur region.

     (iii) The songs sung during Jhumur performances often depict the struggles of tea plantation workers. They narrate stories of migration and exploitation, depicting the community's socio-economic challenges.

     (iv) Jhumur dance plays a vital role in tea garden festivals, particularly during Tushu Puja and Karam Puja, which celebrate the harvest time. Which of the above statements is/ are not correct?

  4. Which of the following statements about Kaziranga National Park is incorrect?
  5. In February 2025, a significant conservation milestone was achieved in Assam concerning the Greater Adjutant Stork. Which of the following best describes this achievement?
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