Practice Paper – TERM II (2021 – 2022)
Class – IX
English- Language and Literature (184)
Time: 2 hours Maximum Marks: 40
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING & GRAMMAR and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION – A
1 Read the passage given below:
(1) An escalating epidemic of overweight and obesity is affecting many countries in the world; more than 300 million people are overweight or obese. Obesity could be region specific. In India, some people tend to be overweight because of their high calorie diet and lack of physical activity. In the United States, obesity is more prevalent in lower economic groups. Obesity is now well recognized as a disease in its own right. Though, obesity commonly means very overweight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscles, bone, fat and water. ‘Obesity’ specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people such as body builders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese.
(2) A certain amount of body fat is needed for stored energy, heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. Generally, women have more body fat than men. Usually men with more than 25% body fat and women more than 30% body fat are regarded as obese. Obesity tends to run in families suggesting a genetic cause. Environmental factors mean lifestyle behaviour such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Although you cannot change your genetic makeup, you can change your eating habits and levels of activity. You can learn how to choose more nutritional meals which are low in fat to become more active.
(3) Then there are psychological factors. Negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger, respond to people who overeat. There is also ‘binge eating’ i.e. when people eat large amounts of food thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are also likely to have symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. These people may have more difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off, than people without binge eating problems.
(3) Then there are psychological factors. Negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger, respond to people who overeat. There is also ‘binge eating’ i.e. when people eat large amounts of food thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are also likely to have symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. These people may have more difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off, than people without binge eating problems.
(5) As the trend is to equate attractiveness with slimness, especially for women, obesity makes people feel unattractive. There are many methods of treatment, but the benefits of exercise are much more than any other way of losing weight. Not only does exercise help you lose weight but also improves your fitness and flexibility and improves skin texture. Exercises are also free from the side effects of crash dieting, slimming capsules and the heat treatment used by slimming centres.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below: (1 × 5 = 5)
(i) List a few causes of a person being obese.
Environmental factors, psychological factors and heredity can be the causes of a person being obese
(ii) Which emotions are considered as negative?
Boredom, sadness and anger are considered as negative emotions.
(iii) Why is a certain amount of body fat needed?
A certain amount of body fat is needed for stored energy, heat insulator, shock absorption and other functions.
(iv) What other serious medical conditions have been linked to obesity?
Other medical conditions linked with obesity are type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and heart stroke.
(v) Mention any two benefits of exercises.
Exercise helps lose weight, improves fitness and flexibility and improves skin texture.
(vi) Which word is the antonym of ‘rigidity’ in Paragraph 5
flexibility
2. Read the passage given below carefully
The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. It covers an area of nearly 2.8 million square miles, which is about the size of the continent of Australia. The Amazon rainforest gets its life from the majestic Amazon river, the world’s second largest river, which runs directly through the heart of the region. The rainforest itself is simply the drainage basin for the river and its many tributaries. The vast forest itself consists of four layers, each featuring its own ecosystem and specially adapted plants and animals.
The forest floor is the lowest region. Since only two percent of the sunlight filters through the top layers to the understory, very few plants grow here. The forest floor, however, is rich with rotting vegetation and the bodies of dead organisms, which are quickly broken down into nutrients and integrated into the soil. Tree roots stay close to these available nutrients and decomposers such as millipedes and earthworms use nutrients for food.
The forest floor is the lowest region. Since only two percent of the sunlight filters through the top layers to the understory, very few plants grow here. The forest floor, however, is rich with rotting vegetation and the bodies of dead organisms, which are quickly broken down into nutrients and integrated into the soil. Tree roots stay close to these available nutrients and decomposers such as millipedes and earthworms use nutrients for food.
The layer above the understory is the canopy. This is where much of the action in the rainforest occurs. Many canopy leaves have specially adapted leaves which form “drip tips”. Drip tips allow water to flow off the leaves which prevents mosses, fungi and lichens from occupying the leaves. Leaves in the canopy are very dense and filter about 80 per cent of the sunlight. The canopy is where the wealth of the rainforest’s fruits and flowers grow. Bromeliads-cup-like plants, provide drinking pools for animals and breeding locations for tree frogs.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below.
(i) Why is there very little air movement in the understory?
It is so because understory is so thick and also covered with large, broad leaves.
(ii) How are bromeliads useful for animals and tree frogs?
Bromeliads provide drinking pools for animals and breeding locations for tree frogs.
(iii) According to the above passage, which animals are found in Amazon rainforest?
Vampire bat, jaguar, Anaconda, electric eel, poison dart tree frogs etc., are found in Amazon forest.
(iv) Why is Amazon rainforest unique in terms of flora and fauna?
Amazon rainy forests are unique because 20% of the world’s species and 33% of world’s plant species are found here.
(v) How are ‘drip tips’ useful for leaves?
‘Drip tips’ allow eater to flow off the leaves which prevents mosses, fungi and lichens from occupying the leaves.
(vi) Pick the antonym of ‘unmixed’ from Paragraph 2
integrated
SECTION – B
3. Attempt ANY ONE from (i) and (ii).
(i) Make an entry in your diary in 100-120 words about your hesitation to speak in English and your wish to improve your English speaking skills.
(ii) Read the given lines and complete the story in 100-120 words. Give a suitable title to your story. I awoke one morning and found myself famous…………….
4.The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Identify the error and write its correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the correction. The first one has been done for you.
Error Correction
Tsunami is the series in waves e.g the a
generated in a body from water (a)_________ __________
through an impulsive disturbance (b)_________ __________
causing damage to property or loss to life. (c)_________ __________
Ans (a) from of
(b) through by
(c) or and
5. Read the conversation between a teacher and student and complete the passage that follows.
Raj : Which is your favourite programme on TV? Sachin : I love to watch news channels. They make us aware of things happening around us.
Raj asked Sachin (a) ________________________________________________________. Sachin answered that (b) ______________ as ______________ them.
Ans (a) which his favourite programme on TV was
(b) he loved to watch news channels as they made them aware of things happening around.
SECTION – C
6.Answer ANY SIX questions in 30-40 words each.
(i) Why does the author break down in tears after the fire?
After the fire broke out in the author’s house, he and his mother ran out into the front yard. The house was completely burnt down. There was no trace of his cat. The author thought that it had been killed in the fire and therefore broke down in tears.
(ii) How did Prashant manage food for his village people?
Prashant along with his group put pressure on the merchant to part with his rice, branches were gathered to light fire on which the food was cooked and served to the survivors. He asked the children to lie on the sand with utensils on their stomach to pass the message to those in helicopters that they were hungry and needed food.
(iii) How can you say that the snake was harmless?
A green snake has no venom, so it’s always harmless. Apart from it, the line ‘the snake was harmless even to the children’ also shows that the snake was harmless. A snake does not bite any one unless disturbed by someone.
(iv) How do the people hate their brothers? Are they right?
People hate their brothers in different ways and the common of them is by taking arms against them. As they take them to be wrong and consider themselves to be right. It is always wrong they should live in peace and tranquillity.
(v) The poet wants the tree to be snapped out. Why?
The poet knows that earlier, the methods of killing the tree were not successful, so he wants a different way in which the roots of the tree are pulled out and then he wants to snap out the tree to kill it with surety.
(vi) Why did Jerome offer to pack?
Jerome, the narrator, took pride in himself for his packing skill. When, he along with hs friends, George and Harris decided to go on a holiday, he offered to do the packing as he felt it would be an easy task and he would get to boss the other two in doing the task.
(vii) What does Maria say about her Russian origin?
Maria Sharapova says that though America has played a major role in her life yet she is proud to be a Russian. She says that she still holds the Russian citizenship and her blood is totally Russian. She is ready to play the Olympics for Russia if they would invite her to play.
7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each
(i) How did Behrman save Johnsy life?
(ii) How did Gerrard befool the intruder to be able to save himself?
(iii) ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ What values made Santosh serve the society
