Summative Assessment – I, 2011
English Communicative
Class - IX
410040
Maximum Marks: 90
Time : 3 hours
Instructions:
The question paper is divided into four sections.
Section A:
Reading
Section B:
Writing
Section C:
Grammar
Section D:
Literature
20 marks
25 marks
20 marks
25 marks
Section A
(Reading – 20 Marks)
Q1.
Read the following passage carefully:
Although everybody has a creative spark, the potential is not always fully
utilized. How does one recognize those who are developing their creative
energies to the fullest ?
(10 marks)
Mad painters and tormented poets are only comic stereotypes of the creative
personality. The essential traits of creativity are found among a wide variety of
less conspicuous creators, people in all walks of life. Unfortunately, the structure
of our social and educational environment does not always promote its growth.
Generally speaking, creative people often believe their purpose in life is to
discover and implement. They also see problems where others see none and
question the validity of even the most widely accepted answers. Creative persons
are compulsive problem seekers, not so much because they thrive on problems,
but because their senses are attuned to a world that demands to be put together,
like a jigsaw puzzle scattered on a table.
Several tests now in use reveal that highly creative people are much more open
and receptive to complexities of experience than less creative people.
The creative temperament has a tendency to break problems down into their basic
elements and then reconstruct them into whole new problems, thereby
discovering new relationships and new solutions.
Highly creative people aren‟t afraid to ask what may seem to be naive or silly
questions. They ask questions like, “why don‟t spiders get tangled up in their
own webs?” and why do dogs turn in circles before lying down?” Such questions
may seem childlike, and in a way they are. Children have not yet had their innate
creative energies channeled into culturally acceptable directions and can give full
rein to their curiosity –the absolute prerequisite for full creative functioning, in
both children and adults.
Unlike children, creative people appear to have vast stores of patience to draw
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upon. Months, years, even decades can be devoted to a single problem. The home
that encourages inquisitiveness contributes to creative development. The teacher
who stresses questions rather than answers and rewards curiosity rather than
restricting it is teaching a child to be creative.
I
Answer the following questions briefly :
(1)
The structure of our social and educational environment does not
always promote growth of __________.
(2)
Creative people tend to __________.
(3)
The most essential prerequisite for full creative functioning is
__________.
(4)
Creativity can be promoted among children at home
by__________.
(5)
Creative people can ask questions that seem childlike
as__________.
(6)
The teacher who stresses on questions rather than answers and
rewards creativity can be said to be __________.
II
Fill each of the blanks with ONE word only.
The point the author is trying to make here is that even though
creative people can be a
huge (a)__________ for the society, their creative
potential and inner (b)__________should not be (c)__________. Society must
(d)__________their growth and
development so that they do not end up
becoming a part of the herd.
III
Q2.
Find words in the passage that means the following :
(a)
`put into practice‟
(b)
to categorise
Read the following passage carefully:
(5 marks)
THE DISGUISE ARTISTS
Aesop prawns start life as colourless, almost transparent infants who drift with
the tide. On reaching maturity, they drift inshore, reach out to grasp the first
passing seaweed and, once established upon it, they proceed to colour
themselves to blend with it. After a week, their colouring is complete and they
are safe from the closest scrutiny.
Should disaster strike and their chosen home be destroyed, they first try to find a
new home with the same colour scheme as the first. If this proves impossible,
they philosophically settle for a different coloured home and restart their own
colouring process. A week zips past - and they change colour to merge
beautifully with their new homes once again.
Aside from taking on the colour of their homes, Aesop prawns also take on the
colours of the day. Regularly at nightfall, they change to a deep transparent blue,
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reverting to their chosen house-colour as the sea lightens at dawn.
What are these amazing disguise kits? How do Aesop prawns paint themselves?
Interestingly, the „decision‟ to adopt a particular colour is in no way an act of
will on the part of the prawn. Scattered over its body surface are small pigment
cells, each containing a central bag of colours (a reservoir of primary pigments :
red, yellow and blue) with five branches extending from it.
These pigment cells are influenced by the light that falls directly on them or
enters
through the prawn‟s eyes. Different coloured lights activate the
hormones that control the flow of pigments, causing them sometimes to flood the
intricate network of branches, sometimes to scurry back to the central bag
depending on the colour required. To make the animal red, for instance, only red
pigments occupy the branches. When a green camouflage is required, the red is
withdrawn to allow a free flow of a blue yellow mixture. And after dark, red and
yellow are withdrawn to make way for the nocturnal blue „night suit‟ of the
Aesop prawn. A system that provides the animal, at all times, with an enviable
cloak of invisibility.
(1) When Aesop prawns become mature they __________.
(a)
become transparent
(b)
become colourless
(c)
move inshore
(d)
they colour themselves
(2) It is difficult to spy Aesop prawns because __________.
(a)
of their transparent colour
(b)
they lie hidden in the seaweed
(c)
they camouflage with the seaweeds
(d)
they lie too far to be seen.
(3) What makes for the blue „night suit‟ of the Aesop prawn ?
(a)
the colours red and yellow are withdrawn
(b)
the colour red is withdrawn
(c)
the colour blue is withdrawn
(d)
a blue - yellow mixture is withdrawn
(4) It takes the prawns __________ days to merge with their new homes:
(a)
six
(b)
eight
(c)
seven
(d)
four
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(5) The word „desirable‟ means
Q3.
(a)
likeable
(b)
worth having or doing
(c)
noble
(d)
countable
Read the following poem carefully:
The tigress Razia lives alone.
(5 marks)
Her two cubs haven‟t been named.
Sheru barely played with them
And now he‟s gone, O what a shame!
Sheru was an expert on winds,
Knew how they traversed dale and hill.
And where they put up for the night
When no leaf stirred and all was still.
He knew their winds, their traffic lanes!
He knew the deer would smell him out,
If they were down – wind.
So he would belly – crawl and crouch
And take a long circular route,
Hiding behind bush and shrub.
Once he knew his scent won‟t carry,
In a flash he would erupt.
(Deer hadn‟t sniffed that thick and musty
Smell of his which people dubbed
As tiger – scent.) He got the stag,
His claw fell like a giant club
On neck and antler – both were crushed.
Now Sheru‟s gone. Not any more
Do people fear his dreaded spoor, (smell)
Pug – marked on the forest floor.
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Grief and fear start competing
In Razia‟s heart. With Sheru gone,
Will the hyenas hound her cubs ?
Can she leave the little ones alone,
When she goes hunting flesh and bone ?
The tigress Razia lives in fear.
A greater dread, when will again
The poachers with their guns appear ?
Answer the following questions by choosing appropriate options from those
given below :
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
The tigress Razia lives alone because _____
(a)
Sheru has gone
(b)
her cubs haven‟t been named
(c )
she wants to live alone
(d)
she wants to play with her cubs
Sheru would crawl on his belly because _____
(a)
he wanted to play in the grass
(b)
the deer would smell him out
(c )
it was very windy
(d)
he wanted to hide from poachers
„In a flash he would erupt‟ means
(a)
roar in anger
(b)
leap high up in the air
(c )
flash like lightening
(d)
pounce on his unsuspecting prey
With Sheru gone, Razia experiences _____
(a)
happiness and pride
(b)
anger and frustration
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(5)
(c )
grief and fear
(d)
excited and adventurous
Poachers are people who _____
(a)
keep pets
(b)
train animals
(c )
hunt animals illegally
(d)
cure animals
Section B
(Writing – 25 Marks)
Q4.
Meenakshi Goyal is the sports captain of Navoday school. The sports day is to be
held on March 25th, which is just two weeks away. She has to inform house
captains that they have to submit the names of the participants to her in a week‟s
time. Students cannot take part in more than three events excluding the relay race.
Any delay or wrong information will lead to disqualification of the student. Write
a notice for Meenakshi in not more than 50 words.
(4 marks)
Q5.
This summer vacation your school had taken the students of Std IX on an
educational trip to Delhi, Agra , Fatehpur sikri for ten days. Write a brief account
of it for the travelogue page of your school magazine. (100 words)
( 6 marks)
Q6.
The surroundings of your colony have fallen into neglect resulting in mounds of
garbage, choked drains, overflowing dustbins that are becoming a breeding
ground for mosquitoes, flies and bacteria. As a resident of the colony, write a
letter to the editor of the local daily, drawing attention to the careless attitude of
the authorities towards the health of the people. (120 words)
(7 marks)
Q7.
May 9th is celebrated as Mother‟s Day. The big day also has its dark side. Mothers
in the Old Age Homes wait for their children to come and look them up but in
vain. Things remain gloomy and expectations high on this day. Write an article on
the topic : “Crisis during Old Age” and give suggestions to overcome this
problem. (150 words)
(8 marks)
Section C
(Grammar – 20 Marks)
Q8.
Complete the following paragraph by choosing the correct word from the
options given below :
(4 marks)
While in hiding, Anne kept a diary in (a)_______ she recorded her fears, hopes,
and experiences. Found in the secret apartment after the family (b)______, the
diary was kept for Anne by Miep Gies, one of the people who had helped
(c)______ the Franks. It was published after the war in many languages and is
used in thousands of middle school and
high school curricula in Europe and
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the Americas. Anne Frank (d)______ a symbol for the lost promise of the children
who died in the Holocaust.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Q9.
(i)
that
(ii)
which
(iii)
whom
(iv)
where
(i)
was arrested
(ii)
get arrested
(iii)
had arrested
(iv)
were arrested
(i)
in hiding
(ii)
to hiding
(iii)
for hiding
(iv)
hide
(i)
will become
(ii)
can become
(iii)
has become
(iv)
became
BANK OFFICIAL, AGENT HELD IN Rs. 1.11 CRORE SCAM
(4 marks)
Thu, Jun 3 05:05 PM
Dehra Dun, Jun 3 (PTI) CBI (a) _______ including a Senior Manager of Bank of
Baroda for allegedly sanctioning housing loans worth Rs 1.11 crore on the basis
of fake documents in Haldwani town of Nainital district. Senior Bank Manager
N C Arya and his agent friend Sher Singh Nayal (b) _______ yesterday after CBI
found the charges against the duo correct during investigations, CBI sources said
here. Arya and Nayal (c) ________ in the main branch of the bank in Haldwani
town in 2007 and later sanctioned housing loans to them worth Rs 1.11 crore
enclosing fake documents with their applications. The scam (d) ________ the
account holders repaid their instalments.
(a)
(i)
had arrested two persons
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(b)
(c)
(d)
(ii)
has arrested two persons
(iii)
has been arrested two persons
(iv)
have arrested two persons
(i)
have been arrested
(ii)
had been arrested
(iii)
were arrested
(iv)
made arrested
(i)
had opened 10 accounts with fake identity
(ii)
have opened 10 accounts with fake identity
(iii)
had open 10 accounts with fake identity
(iv)
opened 10 accounts with fake identity
(i)
come to light when none of
(ii)
came to light when one of
(iii)
had come to light when none of
(iv) has come to light when none of
Q10.
Q11.
Look at the words and phrases given below. Rearrange them to form
meaningful sentences. Write the correct sentence in your answer sheet against
the correct number.
(a)
search/science/is/the/truth/for
(b)
truth/worth/the/discovering/is
(c )
based/faith/discovering/it/on/that/is/the/truth/glorious/is/worth
(d)
from/attribute/human/springs/it/the/of/the noblest/spirit
The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each of
the first nine lines. Write the incorrect word and the correction as given
in the example against the correct blank number. Also underline the
correct word you have supplied.
(4 marks)
(4 marks)
Correction Error
Endless beaches merging perfectly in
(a)
into
the greenary of the western coast makes
(b)
_____
in
_____
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Goa a truly stunning location.
(c)
_____
_____
Western tastes merges effortlessly
(d)
_____
_____
with local hospitality and transform
(e)
_____
_____
the place in a pleasing heaven.
(f)
_____
_____
A tinge of the bohemian cuture bring
(g)
______
_____
into by the free spirited travellers
(h)
_____
_____
are still evident adding to the charm
(i)
_____
_____
of the place.
Q12.
Read the given conversation and complete the following passage in the reported
speech.
Interviewer
:
Was shooting in Kashmir challenging ?
Santosh
:
Filming in any place is difficult but in Kashmir it was even
more difficult because we had wanted to capture the first
snowfall.
Interviewer
:
How did the locals react to it ?
Santosh
:
Many of the locals assisted us during the making of the
film and we also got a great deal of help from the army.
(4 marks)
The interviewer asked Santosh (a) __________. Santosh replied (b) __________ but
in Kashmir it had been even more difficult because they had wanted to capture the
first snowfall. The interviewer wanted to know (c) __________. Santosh told him
that (d) __________ during the making of the film and they had also got a great
deal of help from the army.
Section D
(Literature – 25 Marks)
Q13.
A. Read the extract and answer the following questions by choosing the most
appropriate options.
With many a curve my banks I fret
(3X3=9marks)
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow
(1)
`I‟ here refers to _____________
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(2)
(3)
(i)
Philip‟s farm
(ii)
the ocean
(iii)
a pond
(iv)
the brook
The literary device used in the first line is _________
(i)
personification
(ii)
metaphor
(iii)
alliteration
(iv)
simile
The brook will eventually join ___________
(i)
Philip‟s farm
(ii)
the tank
(iii)
the overflowing river
(iv)
the bay
B.
Read the given extract and answer the following questions.
„All that they knew was that their new neighbour walked like a struggling
mechanical giant and that he was always pulled by a rampageous dog that acted
as if he owned the man.‟
(a)
What didn‟t the neighbours know about Chuck ?
(b)
Why was Duke pulling his master ?
(c)
Give two characteristics of Duke .
C. Read the given extract and answer the following questions.
That was a month ago and now I have only one thought that is to get the
wretched place off my hands.
(i)
Who is the speaker of the above line ?
(ii)
„That was a month ago…..‟ What does ` That‟ refer to here ?
(iii)
What does „the wretched place‟ refer to here ?
Q14.
Q15.
Answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each :
1.
Do you think it was easy for Chuck to try walking helped by Duke ? Why
do you think so ?
2.
Do you think the reaper‟s song affected the poet? How can you tell ?
3.
Why does the poet utter a sigh at the thought of having finally made a
choice?
4.
Why does the narrator use the word `secretly‟ when she is referring to the
novel she bought ?
5.
Why does the poet call the shore `fatal‟ in the poem ` Lord Ullin‟s
daughter ?
You are Charles Hooper. Write an article for the school magazine expressing
(2X4=8 marks)
(8marks)
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how Duke helped you come out of your problems.
OR
Imagine yourself as the poet Wordsworth. You had a wonderful experience
listening to the song of the highland girl while out for a walk in the countryside.
Write an article expressing the feelings evoked by her song.
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