ENGLISH II
(Three hours and a quarter)
(The first 15 minutes of the examination are for reading the paper only. Candidate must NOT start
writing during this time. After having read the questions, you will be given three hours to answer all
questions).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Instructions:
(1). This paper has four sections. Section A for Short Stories, Section B for Essay, Section C for Poetry
and Section D for Novel.
(2). In each section, there are two sets of questions: Set I and Set II. Set I comprises of Question nos.
Ia and Ib and Set II corresponds to Question no. 2 across all sections.
(3). You are required to answer four sets of questions in all, one set from each section. Your choice
must include one Set II question (question no.2) from any section.
(4). The choices offered are between the sets and not among the questions within the sets.
(5). The intended marks for each question is given in brackets.
(6). You are reminded to mention the section, question set number and question numbers before
writing your response.
(7). You should begin each answer on a fresh page.
(8). No marks will be awarded for any extra questions attempted.
Section A: Short Stories
Direction: From the two sets of questions under this genre, choose ONE SET and write your
responses in your answer sheet.
“….by way of preamble I will ask you to note this fact in human history: that the merit of many a
great artist has never been acknowledged until after he was starved and dead.”
SET I
Question 1a
[1×5 = 5]
Direction: Each question below is followed by four responses. Choose the response that best fits the
given question and write it in the space provided.
(i)
The writer of the story from which the above extract has been taken is
A. Mark Twain
B. Shinichi Hoshi
C. Alice Munro
D. Eric Nicol
(ii)
The structural technique used by the author in the story is
A. allegory
B. use of foreshadowing device
C. story within a story or dual plot technique
D. a single story with a single plot.
(iii)
Where did Carl get the idea for his plan?
A. from his friends
B. from the newspaper
C. from the painting
D. from human history
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(iv)
Carl instructed his friends that they will be able to sell their paintings at splendid prizes if…
A. they produce fifty paintings in a day
B. they attach an illustrious name in their painting
C. they enlarge their stock
D. they attach cipher to their painting.
(v)
In order to become rich and famous, artists in the story
A. work hard and paint as many painting as possible
B. scattered abroad over France
C. comes out with a fake death
D. plans to stay in Monte Carlo
Question I b
[3×5 = 15
Read the following questions carefully and write your answers in the answer sheet in about 60 words.
(i) The use of the subtle humour makes the reading pleasant and appealing. The author uses
humour in the story “Is He Living or Is He Dead”? Explain any two humours that we see in
the story.
[5]
(ii) Explain Hans Anderson’s story bringing out clearly the significance and similarity in relation
to the story “Is he living or is he dead?”
[5]
(iii) How successful was Carl’s plan in the end?
[5]
SET II
Question 2.
[10×2]
Read the following questions carefully and write your answers in the answer sheet in about 150
words.
(a) What is satire? Identify two satires used in the story and explain what is being satirized? [10]
(b) Do you with the method used by the artists in the story? Is it morally correct to do what they did?
Support your answer with three convincing reasons.
[10]
SECTION B
ESSAY
Direction: Read the essay given below carefully. From the two sets of questions of this text, choose
ONE SET and write your responses in the answer sheet.
MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT
A. The history of human civilization is entwined with the history of the ways we have learned to
manipulate water resources. As towns gradually expanded, water was brought from increasingly
remote sources, leading to sophisticated engineering efforts such as dams and aqueducts (water
channel). At the height of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of
pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is
provided in many parts of the industrial world today.
B. During the industrial revolution and population explosion of the 19th and 20th centuries, the
demand for water rose dramatically. Unprecedented construction of tens of thousands of
monumental engineering projects designed to control floods, protect clean water supplies, and
provide water for irrigation and hydropower brought great benefits to hundreds of millions of
people. Food production has kept pace with soaring populations mainly because of the expansion
of artificial irrigation systems that make possible the growth of 40% of the world’s food. Nearly
one fifth of all the electricity generated worldwide is produced by turbines spun by the power of
falling water.
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C. Yet there is a dark side to this picture: despite our progress, half of the world’s population still
suffers, with water services inferior to those available to the ancient Greeks and Romans. As the
United Nations report on access to water reiterated in November 2001, more than one billion
people lack access to clean drinking water; some two and a half billion do not have adequate
sanitation services. Preventable water-related diseases kill an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 children
every day, and the latest evidence suggests that we are falling behind in efforts to solve these
problems.
D. The consequences of our water policies extend beyond jeopardizing human health. Tens of
millions of people have been forced to move from their homes- often with little warning or
compensation- to make way for the reservoirs behind dams. More than 20% of all freshwater fish
species are now threatened or endangered because dams and water withdrawals have destroyed
the free-flowing river ecosystems where they thrive. Certain irrigation practices degrade soil
quality and reduce agricultural productivity. Ground water aquifers (underground stores of water)
are being pumped down faster than they are naturally replenished in parts of India, China, the
USA, and elsewhere. And disputes over shared water resources have led to violence and continue
to raise local, national and even international tension.
E. At the outset of the new millennium, however, the way resource planners think about water is
beginning to change. The focus is slowly shifting back to the provision of basic human and
environmental needs as top priority- ensuring ‘some for all,’ instead of ‘more for some’. Some
water experts are now demanding that existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways rather than
building new facilities, which is increasingly considered the option of last, not first, resort. This
shift in philosophy has not been universally accepted, and it comes with strong opposition from
some established water organizations. Nevertheless, it may be the only way to address
successfully the pressing problems of providing everyone with clean water to drink, adequate
water to grow food and life free from preventable water-related illness.
F. Fortunately- and unexpectedly- the demands for water is not rising as rapidly as some predicted.
As a result, the pressure to build new water infrastructures has diminished over the past two
decades. Although population, industrial output and economic productivity have continued to soar
in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers and lakes has
slowed. And in a few parts of the world, demand has actually fallen.
G. What explains this remarkable turn of events? Two factors: people have figured out how to use
water more efficiently, and communities are rethinking their priorities for water use. Throughout
the first three-quarters of the 20th century, the quantity of freshwater consumed per person doubled
on average; in the USA, water withdrawals increased tenfold while the population quadrupled
(four times). But since 1980, the amount of water consumed per person has actually decreased,
thanks to a range of new technologies that help to conserve water in homes and industry. In 1965,
for instance, Japan used approximately 13 million gallons (1 gallons = 4.546 liters )of water to
produce $ 1million of commercial output; by 1989 this had dropped to 3.5 million gallons (even
accounting for inflation)- almost a quadrupling of water productivity. In the USA water
withdrawals have fallen by more than 20% from their peak in 1980.
H. On the other hand, dams, aqueducts and other kinds of infrastructure will still have to be built,
particularly in developing countries where basic human needs have not been met. But such
projects must be built to higher specifications and with more accountability to local people and
their environment than in the past. And even in regions where new projects seem warranted, we
must find ways to meet demands with fewer resources, respecting ecological criteria and to a
smaller budget.
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Set I
Question 1a
Direction: Choose the correct answer or response that best fits the given question
(i) The demand for water rose dramatically in 19th and 20th centuries due to
A. Industrial revolution and population explosion.
B. Rise in population
C. Town development
D. More water resources.
[1×5 = 5]
(ii)
Which paragraph talks about the poor drinking water facility and thousand children dying every
day from water-related diseases?
A. E
B. B
C. D
D. C
(iii)
More than 20% of all fresh water fish species are now threatened or endangered by dams and
water withdrawals, as
A. It makes the water too deep.
B. The collected water breeds mosquitoes.
C. It stops the free- flowing river eco system.
D. People practice fishing from the dams.
(iv)
A phrase that best describes reduced domestic water consumption.
A. Less use of water by people.
B. People save water.
C. Modern technologies
D. Water is used only for cooking.
(v)
The essay encourages the readers to
A. Drink clean water
B. Clean the water tank
C. Water is important
D. Use water efficiently.
Question 1b
[3×5 = 15]
(i) How can people learn to use water more efficiently? Give some ways and strategies of your
own to use water efficiently.
[5]
(ii) How is modern technology affecting the environment in terms of water policies?
[5]
(iii)
Modern technology has increased the food production. Explain this statement.
[5]
Set II
Question 2
[10 × 2]
Direction: Read the following questions carefully and write your answers in the answer sheet in about
150 words.
(a) Interpret paragraph D, which talks about environmental effects in your own words. Do you agree
with it? Explain.
[10]
(b) Explain ways to have a clean drinking water in the school and the consequences of drinking dirty
water.
[10]
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Section C: Poetry
Direction: Read the poem given below carefully. From the two sets of questions on this poem, choose
ONE SET and write your responses in your answer sheet.
IF – Rudyard Kipling
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
'Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Set I
Question 1a
[1×5 = 5]
Direction: Each question below is followed by four responses. Choose the correct answer or response
that best fits the given question and write it in your answer sheet.
(i)
Who does the poet believe you can count on in life?
A. Your friends.
B. Your family.
C. Yourself.
D. No one.
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(ii)
What sentence best sums up the overall message of the poem?
A. Do the best you can.
B. How to behave with others.
C. Life is full of challenges.
D. Make good choices and your life will be good.
(iii)
What does the poet think of Triumph and Disaster?
A. They are the same.
B. They can be ruinous.
C. They are not important.
D. They are to be treated well.
(iv)
Who are the two pretenders in the poem?
A. Victory and Courage.
B. Victory and Misfortune.
C. Doubt and Truth.
D. Dreams and Will.
(v)
In the poem, virtue refers to
A. Skills.
B. Rights.
C. Morals.
D. Confidence.
Question 1b
[15]
Direction: Read the following questions carefully. Copy the number of the questions onto your answer
sheets and answer them briefly.
(i) What does the poem reveal about the speaker’s character?
[5]
(ii) What does “keep your head” mean? Why would this be important?
[2 + 3]
(iii) Why does the poet recommend not looking too good or talking too wisely?
[5]
Set II
Question 2
[25]
Direction: Read the following questions carefully. Copy the number of the questions onto your answer
sheets and answer them accordingly.
(i) The poem IF is a list of things you must do if you want to be a Man. Make a list of things you
must do if you want to be a good student. Make your list like Kipling’s poem. Start each line
with “If you can…….”
[10]
(ii) What qualities has Kipling highlighted in order to be a Man? Do you agree with him? [10]
Section D: Novel
Direction: From the two sets of questions under this genre, choose ONE SET and write your
responses in your answer sheet.
Set I
Question 1a
[1×5]
Direction: Each question below is followed by four responses. Choose the correct answer or response
that best fits the given question and write it in your answer sheet.
(i)
Another word that we could use for Release could be
A. Utopia
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B. Anesthesia
C. Euthanasia
D. Suspension
(ii)
What is one reason a person is released?
A. The person has pale eyes.
B. The person is too smart.
C. The person does not use precision of language.
D. The person is old and can no longer contribute to the community
(iii)
How were the people assigned jobs?
A. They had to take an aptitude test.
B. They had to go to the Hall of Open Records to decide.
C. The Committee of Elders decided the jobs.
D. The people could choose the jobs they wanted.
(iv)
What did Jonas do to protect himself and Gabriel from the search planes?
A. He transmitted the memories of food.
B. He transmitted the memories of snow.
C. He transmitted the memories of beautiful landscape.
D. He transmitted the memories of war.
(v)
Jonas was selected as the Receiver of the Memories for the following attributes as mentioned
by the Chief Elder:
A. Intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom
B. Pale eyes, ability to see beyond, physical strength, height.
C. Ability to bear pain, honourable, capable, outstanding.
D. Bravery, quiet, strong, good vision.
Question 1b
[5×3 = 15]
Direction: Read the following questions carefully. Copy the number of the questions onto your answer
sheets and answer them briefly.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Which two themes of The Giver do you feel are the most important? Give a reason each for
your selections.
[5]
What three things in the community do you think are appealing that we could use in our own
society and two things that you think are not right?
[5]
Is the community a utopian or a dystopian one? Using evidence and examples from the text,
support your answer with two reasons.
[5]
Set II
Question 2
[10×2 = 20]
Direction: Read the following questions carefully. Copy the number of the questions onto your answer
sheets and answer them accordingly.
(i)
(ii)
The people in Jonas’s community wanted Sameness as opposed to Diversity for various reasons.
If you were given a choice between Sameness and Diversity, which would you choose? Support
your answer with three strong reasons.
[10]
Jonas undergoes a transformation once he starts receiving the memories. Explain by giving
three reasons what it was about the memories that led to the transformation in Jonas?
[10]
©Motithang HSS/Trial Exam/Class X/English II/2016
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