HSC English 1st Paper Combined Board(All) 2026 CQ Question Bank & Solution

Read the text and make a flow chart showing the bad effects of overspending. (No. 1 has been done for you)

We spend money for different reasons. We buy foods, clothes or everyday essentials, pay for different services, entertain people, travel to places, help others in need or invest in business and thus spend money everyday. In fact, spending is a part of our life.

Spending may make us happy or unhappy depending on how and why we spend. When we spend money on things that we need and within our limit, it is good. When it becomes a compulsive behaviour, it makes life stressful. Unnecessary spending or spending beyond one's means has some bad effects. For one thing, it may lead to financial ruin or debt, and for another, it may create unhappiness within families. People who overspend are never satisfied with what they have. They always rush for brands, fashion items, designer clothes, etc. Over a period of time it becomes an addiction which may eventually create psychological problems.

Write a summary of the following text :

For the first time the streets of Gaza were clean, there wasn't a paper or cardboard. People were collecting the paper from the streets to use it for baking, because the electricity was disconnected. My mum did not want to bake and she asked me to bring bread from the oven. The queue at the oven stretched from Gaza to the West Bank. People would line up of hours to get to their turn and take half a pack of bread.

In seconds, a Palestinian rocket launcher was erected in the area and in less than one second the Israeli planes started bombing it. People began running in all directions and the ambulances came.

People started falling dead others were injured. I was in shock, and people in the street started telling me: “Thank God, You're safe.” Anyway, I went back home without the loaf of bread. And my mum yelled at me but still today, she doesn't know why I didn't bring the bread.

Read the following text and fill in the blanks with suitable words from the boxes. There are more words than necessary. Make any grammatical changes if needed :

Butterflies are (a) ____ as powerful symbols in many (b) ____ and contexts. They are often (c) ____ with change and growth, (d) ____ their fascinating transformation from caterpillar to (e) ____ and finally into a graceful (f) ____. In Greek mythology, psyche (meaning 'Soul') is often depicted with butterfly (g) ____ Butterflies are thus (h) ____ to the soul and the quest for love and (i) _____ In some cultures, particularly in Asia, butterflies appear in art as (j) ____ of love, romance, beauty and freedom.

Fill in the gaps with appropriate words in each gap :

Air and water are two important (a) ____ of the environment. These elements are (b) ____ for life on earth. They are often (c) ____ in many ways. Air is polluted mostly by (d) _____ , water by different (e) ____ of waste. If we want to live a (f) _____ life, we should (g) _____ the pollution of the environment. Total prevention may be (h) ____ but we can certainly (i) ____ pollution by raising (j) ____ among people.

The following sentences are jumbled. Rearrange them in proper sequence :

(a) The grapes were too high for him to reach.
(b) Oneday, he was very hungry.
(c) Again and again, he jumped.
(d) At last, he entered a vineyard.
(e) Once upon a time, there lived a fox in a forest.
(f) At last, being tired, he went away saying that the grapes were sour.
(g) But each time he failed to reach the grapes.
(h) He took a run and jumped to reach the bunch of grapes but could not reach it.
(i) He searched for food everywhere but he did not get any food.
(j) There were ripe grapes hanging up on the vine.