The Chairman
CBSE, New Delhi
Dear Mr Joshi
Once again, I am writing to bring to
your notice a glaring language error in the pledge of 31st October used
in schools in India and abroad and put on your website http://cbse.nic.in/attach/38_Pledge.pdf
“...actions of late
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.” The correct English is actions of the late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Look at
the following example sentences from the Oxford Dictionaries: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/late
the
late Francis Bacon
If the late princess were still
alive...
He was
husband of the late Kathleen
and was a...
Thank you for your attention.
http://eduspiritual.blogspot.com/Written and sent on 26 September, 2014
Dear Mr Joshi
Once again I feel called upon to write
to you and bring to your notice grave errors in the CCE poster poem/song titled
Naya Aagaz that pervades all CCE documents as well as manuals/books for
teachers available online on various locations including http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/cceresources/cce-poster-final.jpg
Before I proceed to point out
glaring errors in the CCE poem/song, I feel sorry for those hundreds of
thousands of students who, in spite of pursuing CBSE education particularly in
the schools in the South, are not able to appreciate this beautiful song because
they don’t speak and write Hindi nor is Hindi their second language in their
class 10 studies. In all fairness, the song should have either been written in
English or an English composition with the same theme should have coexisted
with the Hindi one. Isn’t it true that almost all CBSE documents originally
exist in English?
Anyway, look at the following errors in the song: नया आगाज़
आज समय की माँग पर
आगाज़ नया इक होगा
निरंतर योग्यता के निर्णय से……
आगाज़ नया इक होगा
निरंतर योग्यता के निर्णय से……
इस नए प्रयास को हमने सफल बनाना है
इस नए प्रयास को हमें सफल बनाना है
My
Comment: This is grammatically incorrect and is one of the common
errors in Hindi. This usage, which has originally come from Pakistan's
Punjab, is seen in informal conversation in Delhi and Punjab, but should not be used in formal and written Hindi.
बेहतर शिक्षा से बदले देश, ऐसे इसे अपनाए
बेहतर शिक्षा से बदले देश, ऐसे इसे अपनाएँ
शिक्षक, शिक्षा और शिक्षित...
बस आगे बढते जाएँ
बस आगे बढ़ते जाएँ
My
Comment: There should be a dot below ढ
Yours sincerely
H. Pd. Singh
http://eduspiritual.blogspot.
Emailed on 16 December, 2013
The Chairman
CBSE
New Delhi
Dear Mr Joshi
In the wake of my letter (emailed
on 22 September) showing glaring anomalies, omissions and ambiguities in the
English Core syllabi of classes 11 and 12 for 2013—2015, I am glad to see the FEEDBACK QUESTIONNAIRE (English Syllabus: Classes IX – XII) put
up on your website http://www.cbseacademic.in/ As I had also suggested in the same
letter ‘...it will be in the best interests of the students to put a sample
paper...’ on your website, I am equally delighted to see Modified syllabus and Sample Question Papers for Class XII,
March 2014 for various subjects available on your website since November.
However, I must be forgiven—unless thanked—for pointing out
several errors in the Modified syllabus and sample question paper for Class XII
English Core, Annexure ‘D’ posted and available on http://www.cbseacademic.in/web_material/Circulars/2013/74_ClassXII/English_Core_XII.pdf
As evident from my following
analysis, the above document has been poorly word-processed and, worse still,
the editor or moderator has done precious little to improve its inferior
quality:
- First and foremost, the page 2 of the document is not downloadable, and as a result, after the first page one comes straight to page 3 which is unfortunately not numbered—unlike page 1 which is numbered. Numbered or not numbered, please arrange to get the technical problem addressed ASAP so that we are able to read and print all the pages of the document without inconvenience.
- Since there is now only one novel (long reading text) for class 12, the statement on page 3, unnumbered, under Q. 12 & 13 ‘Schools can choose any one out of the two novels prescribed’ should be altogether deleted. The use of ‘OR’ towards the end of the text on this page is meaningless.
- There is no book in the English language and literature titled Hound of Baskervilles as mentioned on the same page. The exact title of the novel is The Hound of the Baskervilles. [The same should replace the title on the last page of the sample question paper wrongly worded as The Hound of Baskerville.]
- On the same page 3 the sentence ‘With a view to instil the habit of reading...’ should be corrected and written as ‘With a view to instilling the habit...’
Errors in the question paper:
Q. No.
|
Error
|
Correction Suggested
|
Q 1. Comprehension passage, para. 4
|
...it was then he would
reiterate...
|
...it was then that he would reiterate...
|
Q 1. Comprehension passage, para. 6
|
Napoleon, who has
always been considered the idol of France, was placed fifth.
|
Napoleon, who had
always been considered the idol of France, was placed fifth.
|
Q
1.1 c.
|
How did Pasteur engage himself in
the estate?
|
…himself on the
estate?
|
Q 2 Comprehension passage, 1st
line
|
Ustad Bishmillah
Khan
|
Ustad Bismillah
Khan
|
2nd para, 1st
line
|
He was very keen to play
shehnai...
|
...keen to play the shehnai...
|
3rd para, 6th
line
|
...playing from Red Fort.
|
...playing from the Red Fort.
|
Q 3 second option
|
…cleared the Pre-Medical
Pre-Dental entrance examination. (Comment: exam
doesn’t collocate with the verb ‘clear’. Nowadays many prefer to use ‘crack’.
)
|
(Since one doesn’t pass or fail a
competitive exam) …did/fared well in the Pre-Medical /
Pre-Dental entrance examination and qualified for admission to…
|
Q 5 OR
|
...at least 05 years experience of...
|
...at least 5 years’ experience of...
|
Q 6 2nd line
|
Multiple
reasons have been attributed to the havoc caused by heavy rains.
Comment:
The paper setter should distinguish
between ‘reason’ and ‘cause’. It is usually not the reason that is
attributed to something; when a phenomenon is attributed to something, the
latter itself becomes the reason (cause).
|
One solution could be ‘The havoc in the wake of heavy rains
has been attributed to multiple factors.’
|
Q 6 3rd line
|
Interested candidates should...
|
Candidates
interested in the post
should...
|
Q
7
Do
|
...chivalric
certainly
1x4=4
|
...chivalric
certainty
2+1+1=4 (Because there are only 3
questions: a, b, and c
|
Q
7 c.
|
What
do you understand by ‘chivalric certainty’?
|
What
is meant by ‘chivalric certainty’? OR What does ‘chivalric certainty’ mean
to you? OR How do you interpret ‘chivalric certainty’? OR What do you infer from ‘chivalric certainty’? OR How do you explain ‘chivalric ...’?
|
Q
7 OR c.
|
What
does poet mean ...
|
What
does the poet mean ...
|
Q
8
|
Subdivided
into 1, 2 and 3
|
Like
Q 7 and 9, it should ideally be subdivided into a. b. and c.
|
Q
9 c.
|
How
did Douglas overcome the old terror?
|
...
the old terror? (There is
no justification for italicizing the phrase as it does not appear exactly
like this in the lesson.)
|
Q
9 d.
Do
|
The
crofter can be called as a
...
Comment: ‘call’ doesn’t collocate with ‘as’.
Give Reason
|
The
crofter can be called a ...
Give reasons OR a reason.
|
Q
9 e.
|
...three
lakhs of rupees...
Comment: Interestingly, a/one lakh of ruppes/people
etc is correct but not the above.
|
...three
lakh rupees...
Refer to OALD OR a good grammar book for
the relevant rules.
|
Q
9 g.
|
...two
reasons because of which it
would take...
Comment: ‘reason’ doesn’t collocate with ‘because’.
|
...two
reasons why it would
take...
|
Q
10
|
...
reference to the The Last Lesson.
|
...
reference to The Last Lesson.
|
Q
10 OR
Do
|
beckoned
Dr Sadao in helping the...
...helping
the injury soldier.
...Hana
empathies with...
|
beckoned
Dr Sadao to help ...
...helping
the injured soldier.
...Hana
empathise with...
|
Q
11
Do
Do
|
...
a human-being.
...fellow-feeling...
It
is through fellow ... and
trust in others that can
help reform the society.
|
...
a human being.
...fellow feeling...
It
is fellow ... and trust in
others that can help
reform...
OR It is through fellow ... and trust in others that we can help reform ...
|
Q
12
Do
|
What
is the role Dr J Watson in
the novel ...
What
characteristics make him a real assistant
as a private investigator?
|
What
is the role of Dr J Watson
in the novel...
OR What is the role
played by Dr J Watson in the novel...
What
characteristics make him a real assistant
to a private investigator?
|
Please note that I have enumerated above only those
errors that are glaring and disconcerting. It is ironical that in the last few
years it is the English syllabus that has undergone most of the drastic changes
and experimentation and yet one can’t get to see a decent sample paper. I do
not mean to demean your achievements as the Head of CBSE; in fact I am all
praise for all the good work done by you including involving Trinity College
London in the Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills. (I had suggested
such a move in my letter to the Hon. Minister of HRD in my email dated 4 March,
2013.) I think it is time you involved this London-based organization in the
editing and supervision of all your English work. I don’t see any reason why a
country which can afford to send Moon and Mars Missions can’t afford to hire
best English language experts from England for the academic well-being of its
millions of students.
With regards
Yours sincerely
H. Pd. Singh
My Letter to the CBSE Chairman
Dear
Mr Joshi
I
am writing to draw your attention to a serious error found on the hall tickets
issued to class 12 students taking their final board exam that is usually held
in the month of March every year. As a rule, roll numbers of examinees are
written in both figures and words. I have noticed a glaring error in the roll
numbers written in words. For instance, someone’s roll number is 530319. This
number will be written in words on the CBSE-issued cards as five lacs
thirty thousand three hundred nineteen. Please note that the word lacs
should be written as lac—just as the words thousand
and hundred are written without the letter ‘s’. Please let me add that
the use of lacs is, however, justified in a sentence like
“Lakhs of people, including Shiv Sena
supporters, thronged the funeral procession of party
chief Bal Thackeray in Mumbai on
Sunday.” (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-mourns-bal-thackeray-death/1/229680.html)
Whether the CBSE spells this word as lac or lakh, this word can only be written in its singular form on the hall tickets issued to the examinees. I presume this error has remained unnoticed all these years by academics and academicians including experts in mathematics and English. If one may as well point out, neither lac nor lakh is basically an English word, though it has entered English dictionaries as a legitimate Indian English word. I am also writing to the HRD Ministry to request them to take steps to standardize the spelling of this word, if possible.
I wonder if you are aware of my correspondence with Mr M K Arora, Deputy Secretary (coord) and Mr Navin Maini, Research Officer (Technology). Although I have never been thanked by your organization for giving extensive feedback on your English exam papers, as a patriotic Indian I am happy to contribute my bit to the cause of quality education in India.
Whether the CBSE spells this word as lac or lakh, this word can only be written in its singular form on the hall tickets issued to the examinees. I presume this error has remained unnoticed all these years by academics and academicians including experts in mathematics and English. If one may as well point out, neither lac nor lakh is basically an English word, though it has entered English dictionaries as a legitimate Indian English word. I am also writing to the HRD Ministry to request them to take steps to standardize the spelling of this word, if possible.
I wonder if you are aware of my correspondence with Mr M K Arora, Deputy Secretary (coord) and Mr Navin Maini, Research Officer (Technology). Although I have never been thanked by your organization for giving extensive feedback on your English exam papers, as a patriotic Indian I am happy to contribute my bit to the cause of quality education in India.
Yours
sincerely
cc. Rajarshi Bhattacharya, Secretary, Department of
School Education & Literacy
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