INDIAN SCHOOL DARSAIT
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Subject : English
Topic : Question Bank
Resource Person: Shobha Krishnan
Name of the Student :________________
I
Date : January 2017
Date : ___________________
Class & Division : IX
Roll Number : __
SECTION – A (READING & OTBA)
20
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:-
5
Man’s urge to communicate with his associates brought about speech and
writing. But it was only when it developed an aesthetic sense and sought for
beauty, rhythm and dynamism in the hand written words that a whole new field,
hitherto unknown, began to emerge. The word calligraphy is a composite
adaptation of two Greek words: kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write).
It is primarily an art and perhaps one of the most intimate, spontaneous and
personal expressions, reflecting lucidly, the artist- calligrapher’s mood. Like any
other form of art, calligraphy too has always been influenced by the cultures and
traditions of a certain age. Although the basic forms of letters remain the same,
the approach to render them, has constantly altered, matching moods of people
and time. Whatever the mood and time; in calligraphy the layout or composition
is very important. The composition should be balanced and ought to have a
visual rhythm. The freedom and spontaneity of pen- strokes combined with the
discipline of keeping each individual letter legible and elegant, demands of the
creative calligrapher, a balanced personality.
Like any other creative activity good calligraphy is the concentrated mind, a
trained hand and a feeling heart.
(a)
The art of calligraphy is the result of man’s _________________ associates.
(b)
Calligraphy is an art which best expresses the artist’s ________________
(c)
The influence of cultures and traditions on the art of calligraphy is seen in
their_________________art.
(d)
Approach to calligraphy has changed _____________ and time.
(e)
The word from the passage which means clear enough to read’’________
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II
5
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Justin was always prepared. His motto was ’Never throw anything out, you never
know when it might come in handy.’ His bedroom was full of bent tennis rackets,
detailed basket balls and games with missing pieces. His parents pleaded with
him to clean out his room.
“What use is a fish tank with a hole in the bottom?” his father asked. But Justin
simply smiled and repeated his motto. ’Never throw anything out you never
know when it might come in handy.’ When Justin was away from home, he
always carried his blue backpack. He liked to think of it as a smaller version of
his bedroom- a place to store the many objects he collected. It was so worn and
stretched that it hardly resembled a backpack anymore. It was full of the kind of
things that seemed unimportant, but when used with a little imagination, might
come in handy. Justin had earned a reputation for figuring things out and getting
people out of otherwise hopeless situations. Many of his classmates and
neighbours sought him out when they needed help with a problem. On the first
day of school, his friend Kenny, came looking for Justin. “Do you have
something in your bag that could help me remember my locker combination?” he
asked. “I lost the scrap of paper it was written on. I have science class in two
minutes and if I’m late on the first day, it will make me look bad for the rest of
the year.” Kenny looked genuinely worried. “Relax” Justin said, taking his
backpack off and unzipping the top. “Remember how you borrowed my
notebook Kenny to write the combination down. Well, I know how we can
recover what you wrote?” He took the notebook and a small lead pencil out of his
bag. The page that Kenny had written on had left faint indentation on another
page in the notebook. Justin held the pencil on its side and rubbed it gently over
the indentations. Slowly but surely the numbers of the locker combination
appeared in while, set off by the grey pencil ribbings.
(a)
Why Justin’s bedroom was in a messy condition?
(b)
What was the idea behind Justin’s motto?
(c)
In what sense was Justin’s backpack a smaller version of his bedroom?
(d)
What is meant by the word ‘handy’? (para1)
(i)useful (ii) reliable (iii) profitable (iv) good
(e)
What is meant by the word ‘motto’?
(i) feature (ii) golden rule (iii) principle (iv) belief
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1a
5
Read the passage given below and answer the questions / complete the
sentences that follow :
A nuclear reactor is an apparatus in which nuclear fission chain reactions are
initiated, controlled, and sustained at a contained rate.
Nuclear power comes from heat that is generated during nuclear fission, when
one atom splits into two. Most nuclear power plants use enriched uranium and
plutonium as fuel.
Inside a nuclear reactor are several rods of uranium. The uranium is used to boil
water and produce steam. The steam drives turbines that produce electricity.
Rods of graphite are used to control the nuclear reaction with the uranium.
To put it in a nutshell, the heat that is given off from the reaction is used to heat
water, which creates steam, which drives the turbine and spins a generator to
produce power.
A nuclear reactor produces power from splitting the atoms of certain elements.
The fuel, the control rods, the coolant, and the moderator are the basic
components of a nuclear reactor.
In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make steam to
generate electricity. Uranium is the basic fuel. Usually pellets of uranium oxide
are arranged in tubes to form fission, so that they cause more fission.
There are also control rods that are made with neutron-absorbing material such as
cadmium, hafnium or boron.
In addition, reactors used a coolant which circulates through the core so as to
transfer the heat from it.
(a)
Nuclear power comes from the heat that __________.
(b)
To control the nuclear reaction in the uranium __________.
(c)
Pellets of uranium oxide are arranged in tubes __________.
(d)
The control rods that are made with neutron-absorbing material such
as__________ are also there.
(e)
Find out the word which means the same as 'in a very brief statement'.
1b
5
Read the passage given below and answer the questions / complete the
sentences that follow :
Many years ago there lived a man who was able to love and forgive everyone he
met. Because of this, God sent an angel to talk to him.
“God asked me to come and visit you and to tell you that he wants to reward you
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for your goodness,” said the angel. “Any favour that you desire will be granted.
Would you like to have a gift of curing?”
“By no means,” answered the man. “I prefer that God himself choose those to be
cured.”
“And what about bringing sinners to the path of the truth?”
“That is a task of angels like you. I don’t want to be venerated by anyone and
serve as an example all my life.”
“I can’t go back to heaven without granting you a miracle. If you don’t pick one,
you’ll be obliged to accept one.”
The man reflected a while before answering. “Then I want good to be done
through me, but without anyone noticing-not even myself, so that I don’t commit
the sin of vanity.”
And the angel gave to that man’s shadow the power to cure, but only when the
sun was shining on his face. In that way wherever he went, the sick were cured,
the earth became fertile again, and sad people regained their joy.
The man travelled many more years over the earth without ever realizing the
miracles he worked, because when he was facing the sun, his shadow was always
behind him. In that way he could live and die without being aware of his sanctity.
(a)
God sent an angel to a man to __________.
(b)
The angel could not go back to heaven without __________.
(c)
The man’s shadow was given the __________.
(d)
The man never realized the miracles he worked because __________.
(e)
The word in the passage which means the opposite of ‘barren’
is________.
1a
5
Read the passage and complete the sentences given below.
Massage can be a natural tranquilliser. It has been used in virtually every
culture throughout history to relieve aches and pains, unknot tense muscles, and
help the body-- and the mind-- to relax. There are several types of the massage,
but the most popular are Oriental massage and Swedish massage. The chief
difference between them is that some of the strokes in Swedish massage are
designed to stimulate a rather than to relax the body.
It is unfortunate that many people who might benefit from massage never try it,
dismissing it as a specialised treatment for athletes or disabled people or as an
unjustifiable indulgence. If you think this way, you are missing out on something
enjoyable. Anyone can learn to give massage. It is a simple extension of warm
human care and touch.
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Professional masseurs and masseuses offer the benefit of both skill and
experience. They should be trained in anatomy and physiology so that they can
identify muscles that are in spasm or painful knots that have built up by misuse
of the body. Experienced professionals generally understand the requirements of
various body types and are able to choose strokes that the beneficial for the
individual. During a typical one-hour session the routine builds subtly in
intensity and then subsides.
1. Besides relieving pain, massage also (a) ______________________________.
2. While the oriental massage focuses on (b) ___________________________.
Some aspects of the Swedish massage are meant for (c)
____________________.
3. Many people associate massage with pleasure, thinking that it is useful only
for (d) ________.
1b
4. To identify painful muscles and knots, masseurs should have knowledge in
(e) ____________.
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
TRAVELLING THE INDIAN WAY
5
Pankaj Duvall TNN
Over the years, the Pope has been driven around in quite a few different vehicles,
which most people refer to as the 'Popemobile.' The last time the Pope visited the
United States, for instance, his ride was a modified Mercedes-Benz M Class
SUV which had been specially modified to accommodate his needs. In fact,
Mercedes-Benz has a long history of creating vehicles specially for the Pope, and
now Piaggio has joined in as well. Piaggio's contribution, though, features just
three wheels and is made from the rickshaw platform which is popular in India,
where the vehicle was created.
The autorickshaw is now all set for a papal touch. Two made-in-Maharashtra
three-wheelers desi versions of the 'Popemobile', the specially-designed
automobile used by the Pope at public appearances, is to whirr across the
Vatican. The three-wheelers have been presented to the Pope by Italian
automaker Piaggio which manufactures them at its Baramati plant. The Piaggio
Ape Calessino vehicles, that carry special insignia of the Vatican city and are
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white in colour in line with papal requirements, were presented to Pope Benedict
XVI at the Vatican last week, marking one of the most visible Indian connections
to the spiritual leader.
"These vehicles were given a complete look and feel of a Popemobile by putting
a white coloured hood, white tyres, seat upholstery, and white body paint. The
insignia on the doors is specially handcrafted. The entire vehicle was given a
complete unique decor to suit the aura of His Holiness," Ravi Chopra, CMD of
Piaggio's Indian subsidiary, told TOI.
Chopra said the Pope gave the delegation an audience where they apprised him
of the vehicles and where they were manufactured. "He enquired about India and
expressed a desire to visit the country," Chopra said. But would the Holy father
actually get to use the vehicles and why would he prefer a three-wheeler over his
fleet of cars? Chopra is confident he will. "Just as a golf cart, they can be used
by the Pope, may be for moving in the garden or some other purpose," he said.
1. Which company has a long history of creating vehicles for the Pope?
2. How were the Piaggio vehicles given a complete look and feel of a
Popemobile?
3. What did the manufacturer do to meet papal requirements?
4. Why was the management of Piaggio confident that the Pope will prefer a
three-wheeler over his fleet of cars?
1a
5. Which word in the passage means ‘a particular quality that seems to surround
a person’
a) aura
b) insignia
c) papal touch
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by
choosing the answer from the given options:
Many animals are able to communicate with each other very well-but none of
them can talk as we do. That is, no animals use words.
Birds cry out and make sounds that other birds understand. Smells, movements,
and sounds are used for communication by animals, through which they express
joy or anger or fear.
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Human speech is a very complicated process, which no animal can perform. One
reason is that in a very special way we use a whole series of organs to produce
the sounds we want to make when we utter words. The way our vocal cords are
made to vibrate, the way the throat, mouth and nasal cavities are adjusted, the
way the lips, teeth, lower jaw, tongue, and palate are moved – just to make vowel
and consonant sounds, is something animals can’t do. They cannot produce a
whole series of words to make a sentence. And there is another, perhaps more
important reason why animals can’t talk. Words are only labels for objects,
actions, feelings expressions and ideas. For example, the word ‘bird’ is a label
for a living, flying object. Other words describe its colour, shape, flying and
singing. Still other words would be used to tell what the speaker thinks or feels
about the bird or its actions.
For human beings, therefore, the use of words means the use of labels or
symbols, and then organizing them in a certain way to communicate something.
This requires a degree of intelligence and logical thinking that no animals have.
So, they can’t talk the way people do.
1. While human beings use words to communicate, birds and animals are
different since they use __________________________ for communication.
2. Though birds and animals cannot communicate like human beings, they are
capable of____________________________________________.
3. The complicated process of human speech requires a very special way of using
________________________.
4. Using words for communication requires intelligence and _______________.
5. Pick out a word from the third paragraph that means ‘to move from side to
side very quickly and with small movements’
1b
5
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The death of Dr Christiaan Barnard, the famous
transplant surgeon, has occurred at a time when many of his modern counterparts
are facing difficulties. Many of the early problems, such as tissue rejection, have,
to a great extent, now been solved, thanks to the introduction of new drugs.
However, there remains a major problem. The people in need of transplant
surgery far outnumber the available organs.
The shortage of organ donors has caused several doctors to call for urgent
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improvements to be made to the system by which organs are donated. Many
countries, such as Britain, have huge waiting lists of people whose lives could be
saved by being given a kidney, lung, heart, or liver transplant. Sadly, many of
them die before they reach the top of those lists.
Under the present British scheme, people are asked to carry donor cards, and/or
put their names on the national donor register. Thus, if they lose their lives
suddenly, for example, in a traffic accident, they have given permission in
advance of their deaths for their organs to be used. If they have not done so,
surgeons are faced with the task of asking the distraught next-of-kin for
permission to use the organs of the deceased. Of course, often the relatives are
too upset even to think of such a thing until it is too late. Organ transplants have
to take place quite soon after the death of the donor.
Dying and donating organs is not something most of us like to think about, and
only about 14% of people have registered. Now, it has been suggested that,
instead of the present register, there should be a register of people who wish to
opt out of having their organs removed for transplant surgery.
Increasing the number of donors is made more difficult because it is such an
emotive issue. Just recently, an article in the Journal of the American Medical
Association showed that half of the families in the United States refused, when
asked for permission to use the organs of their loved ones.
1. Why do contemporary doctors face difficulties in transplant surgery?
2. Why do Patients often meet an unfortunate end ?
3. Why is it important to carry donor cards ?
4. Why do many people hesitate from donating organs?
2a
5. The word ‘distraught’ in the third paragraph means…………..
a) Upset
b) angry
c) selfish
d) happy
OTBA
Read the questions carefully and answer to the point in about 100-120
words.
‘Prepare and Prevent, Don’t Repair and Repent.’ Write a letter to your
friend advising him to apply this adage in his academic life.(100-120 words)
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2 x 5 =10
5
Page 8
2b
2a
2b
3.
How would you promote road safety measures in your school? Write an
article on the same in 100-120 words.
“Live and let live’’ should be the motto of life, for humans and animals
alike. We need to respect all irrespective of ‘Species’. Write an article on the
importance of being considerate towards animals.
You are amateur animal rights activists. Write a letter to the editor voicing
your concern on cruelty towards animals.
SECTION B (Writing & Grammar)
5
5
5
15+10 =
25
Trees are being cut daily and forests are being cleared to provide space for houses,
industries and roads. All this is greatly harming the environment. Write an article in about
100-120 words for your school magazine, describing the harms caused by deforestation and
the steps to be taken to check it.
You are Asha. You recently witnessed an abstract painting exhibition at ASRA- an
institution for physically challenged children. You were amazed at the creative feat of a
differently abled boy who pained with his feet. Write an article on how positive thinking,
encouragement and support can make even differently abled children self-reliant and
confident. Refer to Unit ‘Children’ in MCB.
Government has started the ladli scheme in the Government schools to
encourage education of the girls. Write an article about the scheme and its
benefits not only for the girls but also for the society. (100-120 words)
5
3.
Write an article in not more than 120 words on how corruption and politics in
sports have marred the spirit of healthy competition in different games. Discuss
the causes and possible suggestions to combat this menace.
5
4.
Complete the following story in about 150-200 words :
Vivek decided to write a story but after some time, he could not complete the
story. Complete his story on the basis of the beginning given below.
The night before the Inter School Quiz Competition…… everyone was fast asleep while I
was preparing….. suddenly..
Develop the following outline into a story (150-200 words )
Sreekant goes for camping in a forest-gets up early in the morning-goes for a walk –meets
aliens-befriends them-accompanies them to their planet-returns after a week- parents and
friends surprised.
Complete the following story in about 150-200 words.
Watching a movie you fell asleep and dreamed of…
10
3.
3.
4.
4.
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5
5
10
10
Page 9
4.
5.
10
Complete the following story in about 150-200 words.
“I didn't tell my Dad about the green monster I found at the bottom of the
garden because...
The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write
the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct
question number. Remember to underline the word you have supplied.
Error
Often these days we hear and speak of the conquered
½ x 6= 3
s)
Correction
(a) conquered conquest
in nature, ‘the taming of a river’, ‘the war against insects’ (b)_______ _______
and so on. Often these phrases being used without consciously (c) _______ ___
attaching any value to them, but those have an
(d)_______ _________
underlying attitude of hostile towards Nature and Nature’s(e)_______ ________
creatures, a viewpoint which seeming to assume
Nature as an enemy that needs to being vanquished.
(f)________ _________
(g) _______ _________
Alternatively, Nature is seen merely as a ‘resource’ to be exploited’.
6.
4
Read the following conversation and complete the passage given below.
Customer:
Can I have a small bottle of tomato sauce?
Shopkeeper: Sorry, I have only big bottles.
Customer:
Shopkeeper:
When will it be available?
I can give it to you tomorrow.
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Customer:
Thank you, then I will get it tomorrow.
The customer asked the shopkeeper (a) …………………….. . The shopkeeper
said that he only had big bottles of tomato sauce. The customer wanted to know
(b) …………………….. . The shopkeeper said that (c) …………………….. ..
The customer thanked him and said that (d) …………………….. .
6.
Complete the passage given below choosing the correct alternatives.
½x6=3
Many people a) …………… have grown up in multi-child families b)
……………….. that a single child family is a very fortunate one. They mention
such benefits c) ……………………. lack of competition d) …………………….
parental love in such families. According to them e) ……………………. of such
children possesses a large wardrobe f) ……………………. clothes. But the
picture is not so rosy. In spite of getting everything these children are very lonely
and long for company.
6.
a) (i) that
(ii) which
(iii) who
(iv) which
b) (i) are thinking
(ii) thinks
(iii) have thought
(iv) think
c) (i) like
(ii) such
(iii) instance
(iv) example
d) (i) in
(ii) of
(iii) for
(iv) about
e) (i) all
(ii) each
(iii) some
(iv) one
f) (i) for
(ii) of
(iii) in
(iv) on
½x6=3
Complete the passage given below choosing the correct alternatives.
Oats are a species (a)________________ cereal grains. Oat consumption
(b)___________________human beings dates back (c)_______________ 400
B.C. Oats are mainly consumed (d) ________________________ a breakfast
food (e)___________________ snack product. Oats are a valuable source of
carbohydrates (f) __________________ provides calories of energy.
(a)1. with
2.of
3. in
4. for
(b) 1. in
2. for
3. by
4. with
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6.
(c) 1.since
2. from
3. hence
4. to
(d)1. by
2.as
3.in
4. with
(e) 1.and
2.but
3.or
4.for
(f) 1.who
2. which
3. those
4. whose
In the passage below one word has been omitted in each line. Write the
missing word along with the word that comes before and after it in the space
provided.
½ x 6= 3
Before Word After
One thing we all must do to cooperate
a- do
is
to
with police and pay heed to their advice.
b-_______________
They warn us not touch unidentified,
c-________________
unclaimed suspicious objects like transistors,
d-________________
brief cases etc. we need watch out for
e-________________
abandoned cars, scooters report the
f-_________________
details such objects to the nearest police
g-_________________
control room by dialing 100. One should not touch the objects till the bomb
disposal squad arrives.
7.
Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful
sentences.
the watermelon/thirst quenchers/in summers/is/one of the best.
One of the best thirst quenchers in summers is the watermelon.
a) around/it is/96 countries/cultivated in/the world.
b) in Africa/about 5000 years/grown/ago/it was/first.
c) say that/at the/it was grown/some researchers/same time/in India.
d) the travellers /across a desert/it was/when they/used by/travelled.
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4
SECTION C ( LITERATURE & LONG READING TEXT)
I
Marks 25
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:-
3
‘ All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.
(a)W What is the world compared to?
1.
(b)
What do exits and entrances mean?
(c)
What do you mean by ‘acts’ in the last line?
(d)
What is the cause of the change?
2. “
“ At first the infant mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.”
(a)
Which stage of life is being referred to here?
(b)
What are the characteristics of this stage?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘Mewling’.
‘ And then the lover,
3.
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made his mistress’ eyebrow.’
(a)a) Is the lover described happy?
(b)
How does he behave?
(c)
The meaning of ‘woeful ballad’ is-------
4.
(a)
How I laughed at my mother's false teeth,
As they foamed in the waters beneath.
But now comes the reckonin’ it's me they are beckonin'
Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth.
What did the poet make fun of?
(b)
But now comes the reckoning. Explain the line
(c)
Who are beckoning the poet?
5.
‘When I think of the lollies I licked,
And the liquorice all sorts I picked,
Sherbet dabs, big and little,
All that hard peanut brittle,
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(a)
My conscience gets horribly pricked.’
How does the poet feel when she thinks of all the sweets she had eaten?
(b)
What do you think of her as a child?
(c)
What are ‘liquorice’ and ‘sherbet dabs’?
6.
“Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth, And spotted the perils beneath.
All the toffees I chewed, And the sweet sticky food,
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.”
(a)
What is the poet’s wish?
(b)
What harmed her teeth?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘perils’?
7.
(a)
‘The field and the clouds are lovers
And between them I am a messenger of mercy
I quench the thirst of the one;
I cure the ailment of the other.’
How is the rain a ‘messenger of mercy’?
(b)
What does the rain do?
(c)
What do you mean by ‘ailment’?
8.
(a)
‘I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
To embellish the gardens.’
Who is compared to beautiful pearls?
(b)
What is the function of rain?
(c)
What do you understand by ‘Ishtar’ ?
9.
“I am the sigh of the sea, the laughter of the fields and the tears of heaven.”
(a)
Who is the speaker of these lines?
(b)
How is the speaker the laughter of the field?
(c)
‘I am the sigh of the sea.’ Explain.
10.
‘The Corporal said nothing but his brow tightened. He opened his mouth to
resume’.
What made the corporal feel irritated?
(a)
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(b)
What did he ‘resume’?
(c)
Give the meaning of resume?
11.
“ A voice interrupted, Two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second”
(a)
Who spoke this line and to whom?
(b)
In which context did he speak?
(c)
Give the meaning of the word ‘irritated’?
12.
“Thank you, Private Quelch. Fall in with the others now”
(a)
Who is the speaker here?
(b)
Why was Private Quelch being thanked?
(c)
What does ‘fall in’ mean?
13.
(a)
“Before him on the tablecloth lay an open book. His powerful brain was plainly
busy”
Who is ‘he’ referred to here?
(b)
What kind of a person is he?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘plainly’.
14.
“I hope you are keeping it from Harold. It is the least you can do .”
(a)
Who is the speaker here?
(b)
What suggestion does he make to Mrs Bramble?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘keeping’ in the present context.
15.
(a)
“He’s seen the error of his ways, cried Percy the resilient. That’s what he’s gone
and done. At the eleventh hour.”
What error is Percy speaking about?
(b)
What has he done at last?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘resilient.’
16.
(a)
“I must not talk to you, she says because we have not been introduced. It is not
exactly proper. So I say, good bye Mr.”
What was not proper?
(b)
Who is Mr.?
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(c)
What is the speaker trying to explain?
17.
(a)
“Listen to this”, said he.” Trevelyan is sitting with Princess Alwyna at the back
end of the tulip-garden.”
Who are Trevelyan and Princess Alwyna referred to ?
(b)
Who is ‘he’ in this extract?
(c)
What is ‘tulip’?
18.
(a)
“At first, I thought he was going to throw me out of the window, but I kept on
talking”.
Who is the speaker?
(b)
Whom is he talking to and about what?
(c)
Find the synonym of ‘fling’ from the above line.
19.
‘Yes, to starve. They feed you in Hell, but when you escape from it you starve.’
(a)
Who is the speaker and who are ‘they’?
(b)
Why does he need to starve?
(c)
Give the meaning of ‘starve’.
20.
(a)
None of that, my friend! I am too old a bird to be caught with chaff. You would
ask your sister for the keys, would you? A likely story. You would rouse the house
too. Eh? Ha! A good joke truly. Come, where is the food. I want no keys. I have a
wolf inside me tearing at my entrails, tearing me; quick tell me where the food
is”.
Explain ‘I’m too old a bird to be caught with chaff’
(b)
Why does the convict say, ‘I have a wolf inside me?’
(c)
Why does the convict think it is ‘a good joke?’
21.
(a)
“My dear, there is so much suffering in the world and I can do so little (sighs),
so very little.”
Which quality of the speaker is highlighted here?
(b)
How is the speaker’s attitude towards others?
(c)
What does he feel sad at?
II.
Short Answers in 30 -40 words:-
2x4=8
1. W What is the significance of the words ‘entrances’ and ‘exists’ in the poem ‘The
Seven Ages’?
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2.
Explain ‘mewling’ and ‘puking’ in the nurses arms?
3. W Why does a man in his life play many parts?
4. E
Explain the first stage of human life?
5. E
Explain the line ‘the lean and slippered pantaloon’.
6. W What characteristics would you associate with the stage of a soldier?
7.
Why does the poet wish she had taken better care of her teeth?
8.
With reference to the poem how can you look after your teeth?
9.
Why does the poet feel her conscience horribly pricked?
10.
What does poking and fussing mean?
11.
What caused the perils or decay beneath the poet’s teeth?
12.W Who plucks the pearls from the Crown of Ishtar? Why does she do so?
13.
How do the hills, flowers and fields respond to the arrival of the rain?
14. E Explain the line “All can hear but only the sensitive can understand from the
15.
poem ‘The Song of the rain’?
Why are all the things elated when the rain falls on them?
16.
How is the rain ‘a messenger of mercy’?
17. What are the different intensities with which the rain falls?
18.
What did the Professor mean by “intelligent reading”?
19. What was Private Quelch’s attitude towards his seniors? Give examples to support
your answer.
20. Who is an Orderly Officer in the lesson ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’? How
did the Professor behave in him?
21. “We used to pride ourselves on aircraft recognition”. How was their pride
shattered?
22. What was the nickname given to Private Quelch? Why was he called so?
23. Describe Corporate Turnbull.
24.
Why did Mrs Bramble address her son as ‘Dearie’?
25. Why did Bill think of trying out a job as an instructor?
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26. ‘ “His very perfection had led to a series of ‘evasions ’ on the part of Mr. and Mrs.
Bramble”. Explain.
27. What changed Bill’s outlook towards life?
28. What made Mr Bramble return home leaving his training midway?
29.
Who was Jerry Fisher? What did he say to try and convince Bill to change his
mind?
30. Where was the narrator going? What did he observe in his chair car?
31.
What was John A Pescud’s first impression of Jessie in the Best Seller?
32.
How did John A Pescud present himself in front of Colonel Allyn?
33.
Do you think John is satisfied with his life at present? Substantiate your answer.
34. Why does the narrator call Pescud ‘Trevelyan’ in the end?
35. What comes as a shock to Persome?
36. How is the convict treated by the Bishop?
37.
Why does the convict call the prison a hell?
38.
Identify the situations which can be termed as turning points in the life of the
convict?
39. Why is the convict eager to reach Paris?
40. What brings the real transformation in the convict?
41. Why were the candlesticks important for the Bishop?
42.H How did the Bishop help Mere Gringoire and why?
III
Long Answers in 80-100 words:-
1.
Describe in brief the seven stages in man’s life.
2.
What message does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘Oh I wish I’d
looked after me teeth’?
Selfless giving in the spirit of love is the greatest virtue. Do you agree? Explain
in relation to the poem ’The Song of the rain’.
Attempt a character sketch of Private Quelch in about 100 words.
3.
4.
5.
4x1=4
You are ‘Professor’. Write a diary entry (80-100 words) after your first day at the
cookhouse, describing the events that led to this assignment, also express your
thoughts and feelings about the events of the day.
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6.
7.
One should take pride in one’s profession. Comment upon the statement in the
context of the story ‘Keeping it from Harold’.
Discuss the irony in the title of the lesson, ’Best Seller’.
8.
In the end realization dawns upon the convict that he is a man again and not a
beast. Who do you think is responsible for this change in the convict and what
qualities would you associate with him?
9. I’m a number, number 15729.An individual’s human identity is degraded to a
mere number. What does your conscience tell you about this?
10. The prison is meant for reformation and not punishment. Justify this statement
with reference to the lesson ’The Bishop’s Candlesticks’
IV
Answer the following question in 150-200 words.
1.
10 x1=10
4.
What happened in the parlour when the narrator and George were sitting there
and how did the mystery of the trout unfold?
Do you think that the three men were good at cooking food? If not what was it
about their cooking that you found disagreeable?
What happened to the three friends’ idea of having a bath in the Thames? What
was the narrator’s experience?
Describe the attempts made by the three men to open the pineapple tin.
5.
Why did Montmorency regard the kettle with awe and suspicion?
6.
Give reasons for the narrator’s fondness for locks.
7.
Describe how George made the Irish stew. What was Montmorency’s contribution
to it?
What impression do you form of the narrator in the novel ‘Three Men in a Boat’?
2.
3.
8.
9.
10.
Describe Montmorency’s encounter with the black cat Tom? How did it affect
the dog?
What was George’s experience when he got up early one morning?
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