Set-A
MAHESH TUTORIALS I.C.S.E.
GRADE - X (2015-2016)
TOTAL MARKS : 80
Exam No. : MT/ICSE/PRELIM - I-SET A-005
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
ENGLISH PAPER- 2
(Two hours)
Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
You will not be allowed to write during the first l5 minutes.
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.
Attempt five questions in all.
You must attempt one question from each of the Section A, B and C
and any two other questions.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].
SECTION A - DRAMA
Question 1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"O be thou damn'd, inexorable dog,
And for thy life let justice be accus'd.
Thou almost mak'st me waver in my faith.
To hold opinion with Pythagoras."
Questions:
(i) Who is the speaker? Who is being called 'inexorable dog' and why?
(ii) Where are they? Who else are present there? How does the person
addressed to answer?
(iii) Who was Pythagoras? What was his opinion that is being referred to
here?
(iv) Who enters the scene a little later? How is that person disguised?
Who accompanies that person? From where has that person come?
(v)
What are the contents of the letter that is read out a little later?
[3]
[3]
[3]
[3]
[4]
Question 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"swear by your double self,
And there's an oath of credit."
Questions:
(i) Name the speaker and the person addressed. Who are the other people
present? Where are they?
[3]
T15 PIA 005
© Copyright reserved.
This Paper consists of 5 printed pages.
Turn over
Set-A
... 2 ...
(ii)
What had the person spoken to, said immediately before to evoke this
reply from the speaker?
(iii) In what mood is the speaker? Why?
(iv) Who considers himself responsible for all this? Why?
(v) Give two prominent character traits of the speaker. Substantiate your
answer with relevant examples.
[3]
[3]
[3]
[4]
Question 3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Canynge :
De Levis :
Canynge :
De Levis :
Canynge :
De Levis :
Canynge :
De Levis :
[Very gravely! This is outrageous, De Levis. Dancy says he
was downstairs all the time. You must either withdraw
unreservedly, or I must confront you with him.
If he'll return the notes and apologise, I'll do nothing—
except cut him in future. He gave me that filly, you know,
as a hopeless weed, and he's been pretty sick ever since
that he was such a flat as not to see how good she was.
Besides, he's hard up, I know.
[After a vexed turn up and down the room] It's mad, sir, to
jump to conclusions like this.
Not so mad as the conclusion Dancy jumped to when he
lighted on my balcony.
Nobody could have taken this money who did not know you
had it.
How do you know that he didn't?
Do you know that he did?
I haven't the least doubt of it.
Questions:
(i)
What does De Levis want from Dancy?
(ii)
Why is De Levis so sure of Dancy to have stolen the money from his
room?
(iii) How does General Canynge react when De Levis tells him who the
thief is?
(iv)
Where are the speakers? What are they discussing there?
(v)
What does De Levis want to suggest when he says “...when he lighted
on my balcony”?
[3]
[3]
[3]
[3]
[4]
Question 4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Lady A
:
Oh! Why did I ever ask that wretch De Levis? I used to
think him pathetic Meg—did you know—Ronald Dancy's coat
was wet? The General happened to feel it.
Margaret :
T15 PIA 005
So that's why he was so silent.
Turn over
Set-A
... 3 ...
Lady A
:
Yes; and after the scene in the Club yesterday he went to
see those bookmakers, and Goole — what n name!—is sure
he told Dancy about the sale.
Margaret :
[Suddenly] I don't care. He's my third cousin. Don't you
feel you couldn't, Adela?
Questions :
(i)
Where are the speakers? Name the other person present before this
conversation.
[3]
(ii)
Why does Lady Adela refer to Dancy's wet coat?
[3]
(iii)
What does the word 'sale' here indicate?
[3]
(iv)
What does Margaret want to convey when she says, "Don't you feel,
(v)
you couldn't, Adela"?
[3]
How do the two ladies feel for De Levis ?
[4]
SECTION B - POETRY
Question 5
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"What do yon weave, O ye flower-girls
With tassels of azure and red?"
Questions :
(i)
Identify the poem, the poet and the type of poem.
(ii)
With which unique technique has the poet structured the poem? Which
city is referred to in the poem? Which two cultures meet in this city as
revealed through the poem?
(iii) What do the flower girls weave?
(iv)
Which colours are referred to in the extract? Which other colours
are referred to in the poem?
(v)
What special role do flowers play in the Indian culture?
[3]
[3]
[3]
[3]
[4]
Question 6
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee, - and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so."
Questions :
(i)
What are the things that the poet thinks change 'in themselves'? Why
does she think so?
T15 PIA 005
[3]
Turn over
Set-A
... 4 ...
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
What does the phrase "change for thee" signify? Is it a significant phrase
in the poem?
[3]
Identify the poem, the poet and the form of the poem.
[3]
What is the poetess trying to suggest in the above lines?
[3]
Which literary device has the poet used in the poem and why? What
does the poet mean when she says not to love in pity? Why does she
think so?
[4]
SECTION C - PROSE
Questions 7
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
"And this wild, senseless bet was carried out! The banker spoilt and
frivolous, with millions beyond his reckoning, was delighted at the bet."
Questions :
(i)
Name the author of the story. How did the banker make fun of the
lawyer?
(ii)
Mention the three most important terms and conditions of the bet?
(iii) What changes occurred in the lawyer in the fifth year of his
imprisonment?
(iv)
What message or the moral lesson does the story convey to us in the
end?
(v)
Why did the prisoner write a note for the banker in the second half of
the sixth year? What request did he make? How was it answered?
Questions 8
Though set in Iran, the story, ‘Hunger’, has a universal appeal.
Elucidate.
All the Best
T15 PIA 005
[3]
[3]
[3]
[3]
[4]
[16]

Turn over
Set-A
ICSE X
MAHESH TUTORIALS I.C.S.E.
SUBJECT : ENGLISH (PAPER 2)
Exam No. : MT/ICSE/PRELIM - I-SET A-005
Marks : 80
Time : 2 hrs.
Model Answer Paper
SECTION A - DRAMA
A.1.
(i) Gratiano is the speaker. Shylock is called an inexorable dog because he
seems to be deprived of any human feelings, no prayers can pierce or
melt his heart.
[3]
(ii)
They are in Venice, a court of Justice.
The others present include the Duke of Venice, Antonio, Bassanio,
Gratiano, Salarino, and the merchants. He answers saying, "Till thou
canst rail the seal from off my bond, / thou but offend'st thy lungs to
speak so loud /repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall / to cureless ruin
........... I stand here for law."
[3]
(iii) Pythagoras was a Greek philosopher who believed that souls of men
appeared several times on the earth, assuming sometimes higher and
sometimes lower forms of life and that the souls of animals may
sometimes enter the bodies of men.
[3]
(iv)
Nerissa, disguised as a lawyer's clerk enters the scene. She is
accompanied by Portia, dressed as Balthazar, the doctor of law. She comes
from Doctor Bellario.
[3]
(v)
The contents of the letter from doctor Bellario as read out by the clerk
at the instruction of the Duke are: “Your grace shall understand, that at
the receipt of your letter I am very sick: but in the instant that your
messenger came, in loving visitation was with me a young doctor of
Rome; his name is Balthazar. I acquainted him with the cause in
controversy between the Jew and Antonio the merchant: we turned o’er
many books together: he is furnished with my opinion: which, bettered
with his own learning, the greatness whereof I cannot enough commend,
comes with him, at my importunity, to fill up your grace’s request in my
stead. 1 beseech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him
lack a reverend estimation: for I never knew so young a body with so old
a head. I leave him to your gracious acceptance, whose trial shall better
publish his commendation.”
[4]
A.2.
(i) The speakers and the person addressed are Portia and Bassanio
respectively. The other people present there are Antoni, Gratiano and
Nerissa. They are at Belmont Avenue in Portia's house.
[3]
(ii)
The speaker had asked for forgiveness for the 'forced wrong' of having
given away the wedding ring thai Portia had given to him. In the hearing
T15 PIA 005
Turn over
Set-A
... 2 ...
of his friends, he swore to her even by her own eyes wherein lie sees
himself.
[3]
(iii) The speaker appears to be angry but is, in fact, in a very jovial, light and
mischievous mood.
She is happy because she has saved Antonio's life and she is trying to
tease her husband using her wit and intellect.
[3]
(iv)
(v)
Antonio considers himself responsible for this.
This is because he had persuaded Bassanio to give away the ring. He
considers himself the unhappy subject of the quarrels.
[3]
Two of the most prominent character traits of the speaker are wit and
intelligence. For instance: The way she fights the case against Shylock
and turns the tables on him proves her wisdom.
The way she understands the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio without
ever having met Antonio proves she values friendship. She’s also a great
friend of Nerissa.
[4]
A.3.
(i) De Levis is very sure of Dancy to have taken the money. He wants him to
return the notes and apologize for what he did to him. He says he will
withdraw his case and he will never have any relationship with him in
the future.
[3]
(ii)
De Levis is very sure that the money has been stolen by Dancy alone. He
had seen the footmarks of his boot. He has some proof against him. He is
confident that he can prove Dancy guilty.
[3]
(iii) General Canynge looks biased and does not want to listen to the argument
that De Levis puts before him. He rather snubs De Levis for such an
allegation he is making towards a person like Dancy. He calls it madness
to jump to conclusions like this.
[3]
(iv)
The speakers are in De Levis’ bedroom. They argue with each other and
discuss the accusation made against Dancy.
[3]
(v)
De Levis examined his balcony and came to the conclusion that someone
had made a daring jump from the adjoining balcony. According to De
Levis, Dancy jumped to his balcony and when he saw De Levis in the
bathroom. He jumped into the room from the open window. He stole
those notes and jumped back. It is this ‘jump’ that De Levis refers to in
this passage.
[4]
A.4.
(i) The speakers are in the sitting room of Dancy's flat. Mabel was present
with them before this conversation.
[3]
(ii)
Lady Adela suspected Dancy's hand in the theft. She talks about the fact
that General Canynge had found Dancy's coat wet, as he had been out in
the rain during the theft.
[3]
T15 PIA 005
Turn over
... 3 ...
Set-A
(iii) The sale of the mare Rosemary filly to Kentman by De Levis is what Lady
Adela refers. Goole had passed this information to Dancy.
[3]
(iv)
Margaret says that she will support Dancy as he is her third cousin. She
urges Lady Adela to have the same feeling for a friend and a fellow
Christian like Dancy.
[3]
(v)
The two ladies hate De Levis as he is a Jew first. They feel that De Levis
should not have made a charge against Dancy. They are loyal to Dancy
even if guilty. It is just because he is a fellow Christian.
[4]
SECTION B - POETRY
A.5.
(i) The name of this lyric poem is 'In the Bazaars of Hyderabad' written by
Sarojini Naidu.
(ii)
[3]
The poet uses the unique technique of questions and answers to structure
the poem.
The city of Hyderabad is being referred to in the poem. Hinduism and
Islam are the two cultures that meet in this city.
[3]
(iii) Besides the tassels of azure and red, the flower girls weave crowns for
the brow of a bridegroom, chaplets to garland his bed, sheets of white
blossoms new-gathered to perfume the sleep of the dead.
[3]
(iv)
The colours azure and red are referred to in the extract. Various other
colours are referred to through the mention of items like: brocade, amber,
jade, saffron, henna, blue, gold, citron, pomegranate, plum and white.
[3]
(v)
Flowers occupy a very special place in the Indian culture, be it religious,
social, cultural festivals or the occasions of marriage or death, flowers
are an integral part of every occasion and celebration. Different colours
and varieties of flowers are used depending upon the mood of the occasion. [4]
A.6.
(i) The poet think that the things that change 'in themselves' are smile,
looks, way of speaking and even tears.
She thinks so because appearance, good looks, physical beauty are
superficial qualities that fade in their appeal with the passage of time
and love that is based on transitory, changeable things cannot endure
for long.
[3]
(ii)
If the things do not change on their own, his way of looking at those
things may change.
It is a significant phase in the poem because it highlights the theme of
the poem through a feminist statement that love should be for love's
sake. Love based on external attributes and physical beauty may diminish
with time and fade in its appeal.
[3]
T15 PIA 005
Turn over
... 4 ...
Set-A
(iii) ‘If Thou Must Love Me’ has been penned by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It
is a hybrid sonnet.
[3]
(iv)
The poetess is trying to suggest that love for love's sake lasts a lifetime
and will never fade away.
She doesn't want to be loved for things that are changeable and even if
they do not change, one's way of looking at them may change. If love is
based on external things then it may also change with time. Love based
on changeable things cannot endure.
[3]
(v)
The poetess has used the technique of cumulative listing: 'a technique of
listing similar ideas to explain or add examples to a particular statement.'
The poetess feels that if the love is out of pity for the beloved it may not
last forever. She may be cajoled by the lover and may forget to weep. The
moment that happens, the foundation of love may break because the
lover has lost the reason to love.
[4]
SECTION C - PROSE
A.7
(i) The author of the story is Anton Chekhov.
The banker made fun of the young man at supper, saying, "Think better
of it, young man, while there is still time. To me two million is a trifle,
but you are losing three or four of the best years of your life. I say three
or four, because you won't stay longer. Don't forget either, you unhappy
man, that voluntary confinement is a great deal harder to bear than
compulsory. The thought that you have the right to step out in liberty at
any moment will poison your whole existence in prison. I am sorry for
you."
[3]
(ii)
It was decided that the lawyer would spend fifteen years of his captivity
in strict solitary imprisonment under the stringent supervision in one of
the lodges in the banker's garden binding the young man to stay there
exactly fifteen years beginning from twelve o' clock of November 14, 1870
and ending at twelve o' clock of November 14, 1885.
The slightest attempt on his part to break the conditions, if only two
minutes before the end, released the banker from the obligation to pay
him the two million. He might have anything he wanted, in any quantity
he desired by writing an order, but could only receive them through the
window made purposely for that object and was to be his only contact
with the outer world. He could not cross the threshold of the lodge, to
see human beings, to hear the human voice, or to receive letters and
newspapers.
[3]
(iii) "In the fifth year the music was audible again and the prisoner asked for
wine." He spent the year "doing nothing but eating and drinking and
lying. He did not read books. Sometimes at night he would sit down to
write; he would spend hours writing, and in the morning tear up all that
he had written. More than once he could be heard crying."
[3]
T15 PIA 005
Turn over
... 5 ...
Set-A
(iv)
The story conveys the message that true happiness does not lie in
materialistic things which are vain and temporary like a mirage. It also
conveys the message that true happiness lies within us and since we
are social animals, we cannot survive or flourish without contact with
the outside world or people. We need to interact and share our views.
Even the best of gadgets and food, got without labour can lead to
depression.
The story also conveys the message that a person cannot survive or be
happy without freedom. Confinement, away from society, with all the
material benefits received free of cost can be the worst form of
punishment.
[3]
(v)
In the second half of the sixth year the prisoner began zealously studying
languages, philosophy and history. He threw himself eagerly into these
studies—so much so that the banker had enough to do to get him the
books he ordered. In the course of four years some six hundred volumes
were procured at his request. It was during this period that the banker
received a letter from his prisoner.
He requested the banker, "My dear Jailer, 1 write to you these lines in
six languages. Show them to people who know the languages. Let them
read them. If they find not one mistake I implore you to fire a shot into
he garden. That shot will show me that my efforts have not been thrown
away. The geniuses of all ages and of all lands speak different languages,
but the same flame burns in them all. Oh, if you knew what unearthly
happiness my soul feels now from being able to understand them!"
The prisoner's desire was fulfilled. The banker ordered two shots to be
fired in the garden.
[4]
A.8 Set against the background of the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution which
replaced ancient monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza by a Republic.
An indirect satire on the Iranian political propaganda. The major theme
of the story are hunger and starvation as well as vast economic and
social differences between the haves and the have-nots all over the world.
The Haves: A crowded market place with shops full of items waiting to be
sold. Due to inflation things are expensive. Although, the demand hasn't
gone down. Customers purchase and enjoy themselves eating and
drinking.
The Have-nots: We are presented with the plight of a poor man, Kasim.
He sells rags to earn his living. It represents have-nots. His family lives
in village. They have no land to cultivate. He is the only earning member.
Problems of hunger and starvation suffered through several generations.
He belongs to a class of manual labourers. He finds it difficult to make a
decent living. His great grandfather did physical labour in some household
and died of high-fever. His grandfather died of hunger and cold. His
father was a physical labourer who starved ahd moved from place to
place. He managed life with 500 rupees a month. If he doesn't work, he
would have to sleep hungry at night.
Rizwan also belonged to the class of have-nots. Educated yet in the
clutches of poverty. Not suitably employed and in need of one. He has to
shoulder family responsibilities and appears quite well to do. Later, it is
T15 PIA 005
Turn over
... 6 ...
Set-A
discovered that his family is also facing acute financial problems. His
father died two years ago. His mother is ill. His brother's education was
discontinued due to lack of finances. He has no money to buy food.
He goes hungry throughout the day. The uneducated poor as well as
educated unemployed, both Kasim and Rizwan suffer the pangs of hunger.
They are victims of starvation. Have-nots die of hunger and starvation as
upper dass indulges in extravagance, wide economic gap between rich
and poor, rich country. It is a vast storehouse of petrol. Yet, the benefits
of economic abundance do not percolate to poor. They do not benefit from
national affluence.
Though it is a story based in Iran, it is universally true of all the developing
nations of the world that have a wide disparity between the haves and
the have-nots. We, in India, can also easily identify with the characters
and their problems.
[16]

T15 PIA 005
Turn over