MP Board · Class 8 · English Grammar · Unseen PassageRead the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: "Health is wealth is a famous proverb that highlights the supreme importance of good physical and mental health. A healthy body houses a healthy mind. In modern times, the lifestyle of people has changed drastically due to rapid urbanization and technological advancement. People, especially children, are becoming increasingly dependent on fast food, packaged snacks, and sugary beverages. These foods lack essential nutrients and contain harmful additives, leading to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues at a young age. To maintain good health, one must consume a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. A balanced diet provides all necessary nutrients like vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins required for proper bodily functions. In addition to a nutritious diet, regular physical exercise, adequate sleep of 7-8 hours, and drinking plenty of water are vital for maintaining physical fitness. Exercise improves blood circulation, strengthens muscles, and releases endorphins that keep mental stress away. Therefore, staying healthy requires conscious effort, discipline, and healthy choices." Questions: Why is a balanced diet essential for maintaining good health? Describe the negative impacts of fast food on modern youth as mentioned in the passage. Find words from the passage which mean: (i) Extreme fatness / Excessive weight (ii) Essential / Crucial Suggest a suitable title for the passage and explain its central moral message.
Answers:
1. Importance of a Balanced Diet:\nA balanced diet is vital for maintaining optimal health because it supplies the human body with all necessary nutrients in appropriate proportions. These nutrients include essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. Consuming a balanced diet containing fruits, green vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources supports effective bodily functions, boosts the immune system, provides sustained daily energy, prevents nutritional deficiencies, and protects against chronic diseases.
2. Negative Impacts of Fast Food:\nModern youth are increasingly consuming fast food, packaged snacks, and sugary drinks due to changing lifestyles. These food items lack essential nutritional value and contain excessive refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives. Consequently, regular consumption of fast food leads to serious health issues at a young age, such as childhood obesity, early-onset diabetes, digestive troubles, lowered physical stamina, and increased vulnerability to metabolic disorders.
3. Vocabulary:
- (i) Extreme fatness / Excessive weight: Obesity
- (ii) Essential / Crucial: Vital (or Essential)
4. Title and Central Moral Message:
- Suitable Title: Health is Wealth: The Power of Balanced Living
- Central Moral Message: The central lesson of the passage is that maintaining good health requires conscious effort, discipline, and right lifestyle choices. We must prioritize a wholesome balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate rest over short-term culinary indulgences like junk food, as physical and mental wellbeing is our greatest asset in life.