CBSE Guess > Papers > Question Papers > Class X > 2009 > English > English Communicative

Q .2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : 12

OBESITY

1. An escalating epidemic of overweight and obesity is affecting many countries in the world; more than 300 million people are overweight or obese. Obesity could be reason specific. In India, some people tend to be overweight because of their high calorie diet and lack of physical activities. In the United States, obesity is more prevalent in lower economic groups. Obesity is now well recognized as a disease in its own right. Though obesity commonly means very overweight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscles, bone, fat and water. ‘Obesity’ specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people, such as body builders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese.
2. A certain amount of body fat is needed for stored energy, heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. Generally, women have more body fat than men. Usually men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 30% body fat are regarded as obese. Obesity tends to run in families, suggesting a genetic cause. Environmental factors mean lifestyle behaviours such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Although you cannot change your genetic make-up, you can change your eating habits and levels of activity. You can learn how to choose more nutritional meals which are low in fat, and become more active.
3. Then there are the psychological factors. Negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger, respond to people who overeat. There is also ‘binge eating’ when people eat large amounts of food thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are also likely to have symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. These people may have more difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off than people without binge eating problems.
4. Obesity is more than a cosmetic problem; it is a health hazard. Several serious medical conditions have been linked to obesity, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Obesity is also linked to higher rates of certain types of cancer. Other diseases and health problems linked to obesity include gall bladder disease and gallstones, liver disease, osteoarthritis which leads to deterioration of joints, gout which also affects the joints and reproductive problems in women.
5. As the trend is to equate attractiveness with slimness, especially for women, obesity makes people feel unattractive. There are many methods of treatment but the benefits of exercise are much more than any other way of losing weight. Not only does exercise help you to lose weight but it also improves your fitness and flexibility and improves skin texture. Exercises are also free from the harmful side effects of crash dieting, slimming capsules and the heat treatment used by slimming centres.

English Communicative 2009 Question Papers Class X
Delhi		Outside Delhi		Compartment Delhi		Outside Delhi		Foreign
	Set 1 (PDF)		Set 1 (PDF)		Set 1		Set 1		Set 1 (PDF)
					Set 2		Set 2
					Set 3		Set 3