PART-A
1.Answer any two of the following questions each in about 100 words:[Marks 60]
6×2=12
a. "She was an interesting girl.-" Who said this to whom and when? What else did the person say? What reply did he get?
Ans:, In Ruskin Bond's short story, The Eyes Have It, the narrator said this to the new co-passenger who entered compartment after the girl's departure at Saharanpur. It was said when the new traveller broke into the naarrators favens saying that the narrator must be disappointed since he was not so attractive a travelling companion as the gin wino hao just left.
The narrator asked the new co-passenger whether the girl, who had just left, kept her hair long or short. The new co-passenger replied that he did not notice the girl's hair. He added that the girl had beautiful eyes but triey were of no use as she was completely blind.
b. "I normally ate with my mother." Who ate with his mother? Name his mother. Where did he eat with his mother? What did he eat with his mother?
Ans. A P J Abdul Kalam, the narrator of Strong Roots, ate with his mother.
Kalam's mother was Ashiamma.
Normally, he would eat with his mother, sitting on the floor of the kitchen. His mother would place a banana leaf and serve rice, aromatic sambar, homemade pickle and a dollop of fresh cconut chutney.
c. "All the answers being different, the Tsar agreed with none of them." What were the questions to which the Tsar got different answers? Whom did the Tsar decide to consult when he was not safisfied? Where did that person live whom the Tsar decided to consult? What was he famous for?
Ans, The three questions were: (i) the right time for every action; (ii) the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and (iii) the most important thing to do. The learned men, who came to the Tsar, answered his questions differently. When the Tsar was not satisfied he decided to consult a hermit. The hermit, whom the Tsar decided to consult, lived in a wood. The hermit was famous for his wisdom.
d. "Do you need somebody to go to the store..?" Who is the speaker? To whom did the speaker say this? Why did the speaker want to go to the store? What did they have in supper? 1+1+1+3
Ans, In Langston Hughes' short story, Thank You Ma'am, Roger, the boy, is the speaker. Roger said this to Mrs Luella Bates Washington. The speaker, Roger, wanted to go to the store to get some milk or something. They had lima beans, han and coca in supper. Mrs Jones gave Roger a half of her ten-cent cake at the end o tke supper.
2. Answer any two of the following questions each in about 100 words: 6x2=12
a. "It takes much time to kill a tree." Why does it take much time to kill a tree? According to the poet how is the tree finally killed? 3+3
Ans. Since birth the tree slowly consumes the nutrients from the earth: It has been absorbing sunlight, air and water so as to grow to its full size.
The group of words which suggest a tree's life and activity are as follows: consuming the earth, rising out of it, feeding upon its crust, absorbing sunlight, air, water for years and sprouting leaves.
It is not easy to kill a tree because it has deep roots. So, a stab of the knife or hacking and chopping the tree cannot kill it. To kill a tree the root has to be pulled out. It has to be scorched and choked in the sun and air so that it becomes brown, hard, twisted and dry. Only then does a tree die. So it takes much time and effort to kill a tree.
b. How does the poet express the futility of war through his poem 'Asleep in the Valley'? What message does he want to convey? 4+2
Ans. The poem, Asleep in the Valley, written by the French poet Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud, reveals the horror of modern warfare. The poem opens with a beautiful view of a valley where a soldier is found sleeping. However, at the end of the poem a closer look reveals that the soldier has two bullet-wounds on his body. He is a casualty of war. The poem implies the suffering of the soldier that he was forced to endure in the battlefield. His rest or sleep is in exact opposition to his previous activity, as it is a perpetual (Piaa ae slep. Grim death is the inevitability of war and the poem ironically presents the monstrous destruction that a soldier has to experience in a warfare. By showing this utter meaninglessness or futility of war and by revealing the pity of war, the poem expresses its strong anti-war sentiment.
C. "And every fair from fair sometime declines" From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line. How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend's beauty? 1+1+2+2
Ans. The line is quoted from Sonnet 18, Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day. William Shakespeare is the poet.
The quoted line means that beauty and perfection of all earthly objects will fade gradually. Beauty in Nature is transient. Every beautiful thing or being is subject to decay and death. Naturally his friend's physical beauty will fade in course of time. The poet promises to immortalize his friend's beauty by writing this poem. Despite the cruel blows of time his friend will live forever in the poetic creation. Since art is everlasting, the poem will last forever and eternalize his friend's beauty in this mortal world.
d. Justify the title of the poem 'The Poetry of Earth'.
Ans.In the sonnet, 'The Poetry of Earth, Keats develops the theme that poetry i.e. music in Nature never stops. In summer, when the song-birds are tired with the hot sun, the Grasshopper chirps merrily from hedge to hedge. Undisturbed by the scorching sun, he expresses immense joy and Grasshopper becomes the poet of summer. Similarly, the Cricket is the poet of winter. Summer and winter represent the wonderful cycle of seasons and insects' songs show the continuity of the poetry of the earth. Thus, in the poem, Keats reiterates his firm belief that music in Nature never comes to an end even amidst enlivens Nature. Thus, the changes of seasons. Hence the title is apt .
3.Answer any one of the following questions in about 100 words: 6x1=6
a. "We've had the land for nearly three hundred years..." Who is the speaker? Who is spoken to? What is referred to as 'the land'? What do you know of 'the land' from their conversation? 1+1+1+3
Ans. In Anton Chekhov's one-act play, The Proposal, Natalya Stepanovna is the speaker. The quoted line is spoken to Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov. Here the land' refers to the Oxen Meadows, a piece of land lodged between Birchwood and the Burnt Marsh. For the 4th part see In his attempt to propose to Natalya, Lomov says that his Oxen Meadows touch her birchwood. Natalya interrupts Lomov and claims that Oxen Meadows belong to them. Lomov refuses to accept this and asks her to see the documents. He claims that his aunt's grandmother gave the free use of these Meadows to the peasants of her father's grandfather. But Natalya claims that their land extends to Burnt Marsh and so, Oxen Meadows is surely their property. Lomov tries to tell about the history of the land, but Natalya says for nearly three hundred years they possess the land. Natalya accuses Lomov of ingratitude and even warns to send her mowers out to the Meadows. Both of them raise their voice to claim Oxen Meadows as their property. It is also revealed that the Oxen Meadows cover an area of 13.5 acres of land and are worth 300 roubles.
b. Give a brief sketch of the character of Lomov in the play "The Proposal'.
Ans. Ans. Anton Chekhov's one-act play 'The Proposal centres around Lomov's proposal for Chubukov's daughter, Natalya. Lomov is a typical feudal landowner. Born and brought up in a feudal milieu he looks at marriage as a social relation rather than a personal one. He decides to marry to maintain his social status. Lomov is a hypochondriac , He always remains obsessed with his real or imaginary illness and spends sleepless nights due to insomnia . He is egoistic and adamant over the trifling issues of a small plot of land and the hunting dogs. He is unstable in his purpose, unpredictable in his action, ridiculous in his decision, but he is coincidentally rather accidentally successful in achieving his goal.
c. "Go; there's a merchant came for his goods." Who said this and to whom? Who is 'the merchant'? What is referred to as 'goods'? In what way does it bring out the attitude of the person and the society at that time?
Ans. Here the 'merchant' is Lomov in Chekhov's 'The Proposal.
By 'goods' here the speaker, Chubukov, means his daughter, Natalya.
Chubukov informs Natalya about Lomov's arrival with the proposal with fun. Natalya has been shelling peas for drying. She probably has been expecting a real merchant, but finds her neighbour, Lomov instead. Natalya can understand nothing. She is surprised. But the way Chubukov terms his daughter as 'goods' shows how she is a liability to him and he is ready to sell her as a commodity. Chubukov has probably said that casually, but his patriarchal mentality has easily been exposed at that point.
Or a. "Can you see? Sitting there, counting his ill-gotten gains" About whom is this spoken? What information does the speaker give about the property of that man? What prompted the speaker to utter these words about the man?
b. Comment on Habib Tanvir's use of folk elements in the play 'Charandas Chor'.
c. "There's been a theft in this village." Who says this and to whom? Waht was stolen? Why was the person spoken to interrogated? What deal did the person offer?
Ans. Not required because the play is now not in the syllabus.
4. [a] Do as directed: 1x 6=6
i. "Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?", asked the woman.Turn into indirect speech)
Ans. The woman asked if she was bothering him when she turned (or, had turned) that corner.
Or, The woman asked whether she was bothering him, or not, when she turned (or, had turned) that corner.
ii. My father could convey complex spiritual concepts in very simple, down-to-earth Tamil. (Change the voice)
Ans. Complex spiritual concepts could be conveyed in very simple, down-to-earth Tamil by my father. (p
iii. As soon as she left the train, she would forget our brief encounter. (Turn into a negative sentence)
Ans. No sooner did she leave the train than she would forget our brief encounter.
Or, No sooner had she left the train than she would forget our brief encounter.
iv. I am the most unhappy of men.
Ans. No man is as unhappy as I am.
Or, No other man is so unhappy as I am.
V. But thy eternal summer shall not fade.
Ans. But thy eternal summer shall remain unfaded.
Or, But thy eternal summer shall hardly fade. vi. I wished to kill you. Ans. I had a/the wish to kill you.
[b] Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and/or prepositions:
The Tsar turned round and saw ....(i).... bearded man come running .....(ii)...(iii).....the wood. The man held his hands pressed....(iv).....his stomach and blood was flowing.....(v)....(vi).....them .
Ans: a, out, of, against, from, under
[C] Correct the error in the following sentence by replacing the underlined word with the right one from the options given below:
His answers filled me with a strange energy and enthusiastic.
Ans: enthusiastic
5. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
It was my second year at boarding school, and I was sitting on platform No. 8 at Ambala station, waiting for the horuiem bound train. I think I was about twelve at that time. My parents considered me old enough to travel alone, and T had anvee by bus at Ambala early in the evening now there was a wait till midnight before my train arrived. Most of the time I had been pacing up and down the platform, browsing at the bookstall, or feeding broken biscuits to stray dogs; trains came and went, and the platform would be quiet for a while and then, when a train arrived, it would be an inferno of heaving, shouting. agitated human bodies. As the carriage doors opened, a tide of people would sweep down upon the nervous little ticket collector at the gate; and everytime this happened I would be caught in the rush and swept outside the station. Now, tired of this game and of ambling about the platform. I sat down on my suitcase and gazed dismally across the railway tracks. Trolleys rolled past me, and I was conscious of the cries of the various vendors-the men who sold curds and lemon, the sweetmeat seller, the newspaper boy-but I had lost interest in all that went on along the busy platform, and continued to stare across the railway tracks, feeling bored and a little lonely.
A. State whether the following statements are True or False, Write T for True and 'F for False. (You need not write the sentences, write only the numbers) 1x4=4
i. My parents did not think that I could travel alone.
Ans. F
ii. I spent my time on the platform moving up and down and looking at the bookstalls.
Ans. F
iii. When a train came, people silently moved on the platform. Ans. F iv. I arrived at the station early in the morning.
Ans. F
B. Answer each of the following questions in about 30 words: 2x3-6
i. When, how and why did the narrator arrive at Ambala?
Ans. The narrator arrived at Ambala by bus early in the morning. He went there to catch the northern bound train to reach his boarding school.
ii. What happened when a train arrived at the station?
Ans. When a train arrived at the station, it would be an inferno of heaving, shouting, agitated human bodies. With the opening of the carriage doors a tide of people would sweep down upon the ticket collector at the gate; and everytime this happened the narrator would be caught in the rush and swept outside the station.
iii. What did the narrator watch as he sat on his suitcase on the platform?
Ans. Sitting down on his suitcase the narrator gazed across the railway tracks and felt the trolleys rolling past him. bored and a little lonely.
6. [a] Write a report on a one-week programme undertaken by your school to clean up the classrooms, the school premises and its surroundings. Mention the roles of both students and teachers. (Word limit: 150 words) 2+8=10
NIRMAL VIDYALAYA SAPTAHA IN XYZ SCHOOL
Ans. The week-long programme, NIRMAL VIDYALAYA SAPTAHA, was organized in our school from 24th September to 30th September this year. The goal was to create a healthy school environment by making the learners aware of the benefits of cleanliness and healthy living. Actually such a programme can ensure a healthy society in the long run. The programme started with a rally with slogans, posters, and festoons highlighting healthy habits and hygienic approach. All the students were made aware of the benefits of the programme. Some student-volunteers were engaged to monitor the programme. All the classrooms and the premises were swept and cleaned with phenyl water. Some stickers were pasted to instruct the learners what to do and what not to do. Other activities include garbage cleaning, cleaning up of surrounding areas, handwash-training, hygienic Midday Meal programme, etc. Cultural programme includes sit and draw contest, quiz contest, slogan writing, essay writing, and staging a play on the issue. Professor S Sen was invited to address the students on the importance of clean environment for our healthy living. The week-long programme ended with prize-giving to the successful candidates and sharing of experiences by the participants.
Or [b] Write a letter to the Editor of an English Daily about the unhealthy food items sold in and around your school, affecting the health of the students.(Word limit: 150 words) 2+8=10
Ans,
To
The Editor,
The Telegraph,
Kolkata – 700006
Sub: Selling of unhealthy food items around school
Sir,
Would you kindly allow me to express my deep concern over selling of unhealthy food items around school? It is an open secret that unhealthy food items are being sold in and around schools in urban and semi-urban areas. Although some students carry tiffin for themselves, they prefer to indulge themselves in such tasty food items as lozenges, jhalmuri, ice creams, and fries of various types during the tiffin hour. Unhealthy foods such as fizzy drinks, doughnuts and pizza are still on sale in many schools, hindering their healthy habit and hygiene. Such unhealthy food items are often cheaper and readily available. The colour and scent used in food items may affect the learners seriously. Such food items offer a number of challenges to healthy eating. Some vendors sell drugs stuffed in food items, It is really dangerous. It may spoil the future generation. The school authority and the local bodies should remain vigilant over the threatening situation. The government should take immediate steps to stop this practice. Yours truly, Tania Joardar.
Or [c] Write a precis of the following passage. Add a suitable title. 2+8=10
Among the misfortunes that trouble human beings, the loss of health is the most troublesome. A man cannot enjoy his wealth. his happiness or his relations when he is sick. If you can give a sick man everything but leave him to his sufferings, he will feel that the world is lost to him. Even when he is laid on a bed of roses, he groans in physical agony, and remains sleepless, On the contrary, a beggar who is healthy, can enjoy a sound sleep even lying on the bare ground. A man with good health can enjoy his food and choose his drink but a sick man cannot take a morsel out of fear that his health may deteriorate. In fact, a healthy man is always envied by a rich man with poor health. If a sick man is surrounded with the pomp of a king, If his chair be made his throne, if his crutch be his scepter, even then he will envy the good health of his meanest servant. His great palace would not be able to provide him the comfort that a man with a sound health gets even if he lives in a hut with thatched roof.
Ans:
Title: Health is wealth A man with poor health is an unfortunate creature. A sick man suffers not only from physical but also from mental agony while a healthy man is happier even though he may be poor. A sick man cannot even enjoy his food. Even if he is provided with all the comforts and luxuries of life, he will remain unhappier than a healthy man in the poorest of conditions.
PART- B
◽1. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1×4=4
i. The hermit received none but
A. Emperors
B. King
C. Common folk
D. The Tsar
Ans: Common folk
ii. Bending over the sink boy, Roger asked Mrs Jones whether she
A. Was going to take him to jail
B. Was going to punish him
C. Was going to reward him
D. Was going to take care of him
Ans: Was going to take him to jail
iii. The coconut grove, where Abdul Kalam's father used to walk done every morning was about
A. One and a half miles
B. Three miles
C. Four miles
D. four and a half miles
Ans: Four miles
iv. The narrator had the compartment to himself up to
A. Saharanpur
B. Dehradun
C. Rohana
D. Mussoorie
Ans: Rohana
◽ 2. Answer any four of the following questions, each in a complete sentence: 1x4=4
i. What does Kalam's father say about the relevance of prayer?
Ans, According to Kalam's father, prayer makes possible a communion of spirit between people and through it a man can go beyond his bodily existence to become the part of cosmos.
ii Why did the Tsar put on simple cloth before meeting the hermit?
Ans. The hermit received only common folk and the Tsar did not want to reveal his identity.
iii. What advice did Mrs Jones give to Roger at the end of the story?
Ans. Mrs Jones advised not to steal on take away something by unfair means and to behave properly himselt.
iv. Describe the ancestral house of Kalam.
Ans. It was built in the middle of the 19th century, a fairly large, pucca house made of limestone and brick on the Mosque street in Rameshwaram.
v. What remark did the narrator make about people with good eyesight?
Ans. They fail to see what is right in front of them.
vi. How did the Tsar meet the hermit?
Ans. The Tsar put on simple clothes disguised as a common man, without bodyguards and went alone.
vii. What did Mrs Luella Jones ask the boy to pick up?
Ans. Mrs Luella Jones asked the boy to pick up her pocket book.
viii. How did the girl describe the narrator?
Ans. Girl remarked-you are a very gallant young man.
◽3. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1×4=4
I. Nature's changing course is
A. Dimmed
B. Temperate
C. Untrimmed
D. Lovely
Ans: untrimmed
ii. The marks of wound of the soldier are
A. On his head
B. On his chest
C. In his side
D. In his leg
Ans: In his side
iii. "......he takes the lead" - Who is 'he'? he is
A. The summer
B. The Grasshopper
C. The Cricket
D. The poet
Ans: The Grasshopper
iv. The 'curled green twigs' rise from
A. The earth's cave
B. The uprooted tree
C. Close to the ground
D. The rough bark
Ans: Close to the ground
◽4. Answer any four of the following questions, each in a complete sentence: 1×4=4
i.What causes the bark of a tree to bleed?
Ans. The cruel hacking and chopping causes the bark of a tree to bleed.
ii. How does the poet bring out the innocence of the soldier in 'Asieep in the Valley"?
Ans. The poet brings out the innocence through the smile which is gentle and without any trickery and also by comparing the soldier's smile to an infant.
iii. Where does the Grasshopper rest?
Ans. The Grasshopper rests under some pleasant weed.
iv. Which part of the tree is the most sensitive, white and wet?
Ans. The root of the tree is the most sensitive, white and wet.
v. How long will the young man be remembered in Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 187?
Ans. As long as Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 18 is read, the young man will be remembered.
vi. From where is the shrill song of the cricket heard in 'The Poetry of Earth'?
Ans. The shrill song of the cricket is heard from the stove.
vii. Why is the soldier pale?
Ans. The soldier is pale because he is dead.
viii. What gives life to the poet's friend in Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 18?
Ans. This poem gives life to the poet's friend.
◽5.Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided: 1×4=4
i. Chubukov comments that Lomov's have had in their family
A. Autocracy
B. Lunacy
C. Hypocrisy
D. Democracy
Ans: Lunacy
ii. Lomov's aunt's name is
A. Natalya Stepnova
B. Natasha Vassilivitch
C. Nastasya Mihailovna
D. Natalya Mihailovna
Ans: Nastasya Mihailovna
iii. Lomov went to his neighbour, Chubukov's house
A. To borrow money
B. To settle a dispute
C. To give a marriage proposal
D. To complain
Ans: To give a marriage proposal
iv. Lomov gave..........to Mirronov for his dog
A. 120 doubles
B. 125 doubles
C. 25 doubles
D. 85 doubles
Ans: 125 doubles
OR
i. The name of the gambler was
A. Chait Ram
B. Ramlal
C. Ramacharan
D. Uday Ram
Ans: Chait Ram
ii. The merchant's wife comes from
A. Nandgaon
B. Bhatgaon
C. Raigarh
D. Goregaon
Ans: Nandgaon
iii. The minister first inaugurates
A. A cycle shop
B. A ration shop
C. A shoe shop
D. A cloth shop
Ans: A cycle shop
iv. Charandas takes from Sattuwala
A. A bundle of coins
B. A bundle of sattu
C. A bundle of clothes
D. A bundle of jewellery
Ans. A bundle of coins
No comments:
Post a Comment