Class IX - English Sample Paper - 3 - Practice for Everyone

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Time Allowed: 3 hours Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:

i. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.

ii. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.

iii. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section – A

Reading

Q. 1. Read the passage given below:

(1) One of the principal values of travelling is that, it breaks the monotony of life and work. Life, for most people, is a mad rush from one place to another, from one activity to another, trying to gather as much as possible.

(2) In this process, people tend to forget who and what they are. There is no time to ponder and wonder. They tend to forget the values of life. Travelling is a time when people relax, reflect and ponder. Most people, after a pleasant travel, return home with a fresh outlook, new zeal and a better determination.

(3) Travelling has also a great informative value. It widens the grasp of our knowledge of geography, different cultures and people, etc. For example, when people of Assam visit south India, they learn a great deal. They come to know about the geographical features of south India, such as the existence of numerous rivers, coconut groves, backwaters, spice gardens, rubber plantations, oceans, seas, factories and cities, etc.

(4) They also learn many things about the Dravidian culture which characterise the people’s style of living there. They come to know about their mode of living, social life, agriculture, worship, beliefs, art forms, etc. Such a visit is bound to enlighten the visitor and make her/him more appreciative of other cultures.

(5) The beauty and the cold of the hills, the charm of the valleys, the chirping of the birds, the song of the rivers, the howling of animals, pleasant air, quiet places, etc., can heal many of our mental and physical problems. In the Indian context, travelling and visiting places have another important value and that is of understanding other’s traditions and cultures.

(6) A visit to various parts of India will make us realise that India is a mosaic of cultures, races and creed and that diversity is the chief hallmark of our land. In this context, travelling can help national integration and unity to a great extent.

(7) Thus, travelling has a tremendous educative, informative and social value. It widens people’s mental horizon, improves health, adds thrill and relaxation to life, dispels boredom and helps promote national integration. Therefore, educational tours should become an integral part of modern education. Travelling also boosts our national economy and the development of tourism industry.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.

(i) Most of the people take life as………………

(a) a mad rush from one place to another

(b) an opportunity to gather the maximum.

(d) All of the above

View Answer

Ans. (d) All of the above

(ii) Which amongst the following is the advantage of travelling?

(a) It makes our life monotonous

(b) It helps us stay away from people

(d) It does not tell us about other cultures

View Answer

Ans. (c) It widens the group of knowledge

(iii) Travelling has a………value.

(a) Non-cultural

(b) Informative

(d) Both (b) and (c)

View Answer

Ans. (d) Both (b) and (c)

(iv) Travelling to far away places imports information regarding…………

(a) Geographic features

(b) Social life

(d) Geographic features, culture & people.

View Answer

Ans. (d) Geographic features, culture & people.

(v) Many of our…………..problem… can be sorted out by visiting other places.

View Answer

Ans. mental and physical

(vi) Which of the following statement about travelling is NOT TRUE?

(a) Travelling promotes national integration

(b) Travelling promotes unity

(d) Travelling dispels boredom

View Answer

Ans. (c) Travelling takes us away from different cultures

(vii) Travelling gives an opportunity to ………. to most people.

View Answer

Ans. relax and reflect

(viii) India is a mosaic of……………

View Answer

Ans. cultures, races and creed

(ix) Travelling…………..our national economy.

View Answer

Ans. boosts

(x) Which word in Para 2 means the same as ‘contemplate”?

View Answer

Ans. ponder

II. Read the passage given below:

Today budgies-often called lovebirds in India – are the most popular pet birds in the world. All the adored cage birds of today are the descendants of parrots. They are one of the smallest of the world’s 330 parrot species which have come down from a plucky little bird in rural Australia.

Some appear to be about 30 cm long from tail tip to crown, with bulbous, fluffy foreheads, barrel chests and deep-set eyes. Their colours are striking: vivid shades of blue, grey and green as well as violet and white. Most startling of all are the yolk-yellow birds, called Latinas that are like splashes of luminous paint. The first colour mutations in captive birds were blue and yellow. Today, breeders raise birds with rainbow of colours.

Love birds stay near water when it’s dry, but when there’s a lot of rain they spread out. They are sometimes seen nestling on top of tall eucalyptus trees. While some of the caged varieties would have difficulty flying across a room, wild budgies travel hundreds of kilometres at speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour to seek seed and water. Even in prolonged droughts, the budgie has an extraordinary ability to withstand dehydration. When deprived of water, budgies can reportedly exist with little weight loss for more than a month at an average air temperature of 30 degrees. At 20 degrees, some can apparently survive indefinitely without water, provided they are getting some moisture from food.

Male budgies can be excellent mimics and can develop huge vocabularies. Hens may whistle and can learn a few words, but they are not nearly as loquacious as males. Budgies are dimorphic upon sexual maturity. Adult males of most colours, except albino and the very pale pastels, develop a blue colour Hens have a lilac or tan colour that turns brownish upon maturity.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:

(i) Why, according to the author, are budgies tough birds?

(a) They stay near water when it’s dry.

(b) Because they can withstand dehydration.

(d) Both (b) and (c).

View Answer

Ans. (d) Both (b) and (c).

(ii) How are male budgies better than hens with regard to learning words and mimicry?

(a) They have the ability to develop large vocabularies.

(b) They are dimorphic upon sexual maturity.

(d) All of the above.

View Answer

Ans. (a) They have the ability to develop large vocabularies.

(iii) Which colour do hens develop upon maturity?

View Answer

Ans. brownish

(iv) The different parrot species have come down from _____________

View Answer

Ans. a little bird in rural Australia

(v) Wild budgies can travel……………. of kilometres to seek seed and water.

View Answer

Ans. hundreds

(vi) Which of the following is true about hens?

(a) They are excellent mimics.

(b) They may whistle and learn a few words.

(d) They develop blue colour on maturity.

View Answer

Ans. (b) They may whistle and learn a few words.

(vii) The first colour mutations in captive birds were ………………

(a) blue and yellow

(b) yellow and white

(d) grey and green

View Answer

Ans. (a) blue and yellow

(viii) The year which shows the highest number of birds kept as pet is

(a) 2012

(b) 2014

(d) 2014 & 2017

View Answer

Ans. (d) 2014 & 2017

(ix) The lowest number of birds were kept as pets in …………..

View Answer

Ans. 2015

(x) The number of birds in the year 2015 is ………….

View Answer

Ans. 14 million

Section – B

Grammar & Writing

III. 1. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction as given in the example against the correct blank number in your answer sheet. Also underline the correct word that you have supplied: (Any three)

Error Correction

The Davis Cup is a beautiful trophy. It was e.g. is was gifted to a United States Lawn Tennis (a)…….. Association by the well known American tennis player, D.F. Davis on 1890. The (b)……… .Davis Cup is a world Championship who (c)……….. goes on practically through

the year.(d)…………..

View Answer

Ans. (a) a the

Definite article ‘the’ is used with the names of specific organisation

Ans. (b) on in

Before particular year, preposition ’in’ should be used.

Ans. (c) who which

In a defining clause ‘that’ is used, whereas in non-define clauses, ‘which’ is used.

Ans. (d) through throughout

‘Throughout’ means ‘in’ or during the entire time or part.

2. Choose the correct option to complete the narration:

Doctor: How are you feeling now?

Raghu: Much better, sir.

Doctor : Are you taking the medicines regularly?

Raghu : Yes, sir. How long do I have to take the medicines?

Doctor : You can stop after a week.

Raghu : I will do that.

The doctor asked Raghu …..(i)……Raghu replied that……(ii)……much better. The doctor further asked Raghu …..(iii)….. the medicines regularly. Raghu replied in the affirmative. He further asked the doctor how long had to take the medicine. The doctor said that he could stop after a week. Raghu agreed.

(i) (a) that how he was feeling

(b) how he was feeling then.

(d) how was he feeling.

View Answer

Ans. (b) how he was feeling then.

(ii) (a) I am feeling

(b) I was feeling

(d) he was feeling

View Answer

Ans. (d) he was feeling

(iii) (a) if you are taking

(b) if he is taking

(d) if he was taking

View Answer

Ans. (c) that he was taking

3. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option for any four of the six sentences given below: (i) Participation………………….. of the sports activities will be made compulsory.

(a) some

(b) no

(d) every

View Answer

Ans. (c) any

(ii) We ……….check the timings of the train.

(a) need

(b) should

(d) going to

View Answer

Ans. (b) should

(iii) He asked if the seat. ………. comfortable?

(a) is

(b) was

(d) has

View Answer

Ans. (b) was

(iv) Snakes are awfully frightening…… at.

(a) looked

(b) looking

(d) to look

View Answer

Ans. (d) to look

(v) The magician made the girl…………. in front of my eyes.

(a) disappear

(b) disappears

(d) disappearing

View Answer

Ans. (a) disappear

(vi) The poet and scholar……. been invited.

(a) have

(b) has

(d) was

View Answer

Ans. (b) has

IV. 1. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:

(A) Given below are the notes on the life of Mother Teresa. Write a descriptive paragraph using the hints given below:

MOTHER TERESA

Birth : Mecedonia, August 26, 1910

1922 : Decided to be a missionary

1928 : Joined Sisters of Loreto

May 24, 1931 : Became a nun

1948 : Taught in Koltata

1931 to 1948 : Worked in slums of Kolkata

Oct. 7, 1950 : Started-The Missionaries of Charity

Today : Society of Missionaries-all over the world. Over one million co-workers in more than 40 countries.

Aim : To help the poor and the suffering.

Awards and distinctions

✦ Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971)

✦ Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace and Understanding (1972)

✦Balzan Prize (1979)

✦Templeton and Magsaysay Awards

✦Nobel Peace Prize (1979)

View Answer

Ans.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia on August 26, 1910. She decided to be a missionary at the age of twelve only i.e. in 1922 she joined Sisters of Loreto in 1928 and became a nun on 24 May 1931. She taught for seventeen years (1931 to 1948) in Kolkata and worked in the slums of Kolkata in 1948. She started The Missionaries of Charity on October 7, 1950 with the aim of helping the poor and the suffering. The Society of Missionaries is found all over the world now with over one million co-worker in more than forty countries. Her dedication towards her work made her win many awards and distinctions. She was awarded Pope John XXIII Peace Price in 1971, Nehru Price for promotion of International Peace and Understanding in 1972, Balcan Prize in 1979, Templeton Magsaysay awards and Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

(B) You walk home from school one afternoon to find a strange truck outside your house. You hurry inside to find more about it. Write a descriptive passage on what you saw, in 100-120 words.

View Answer

Ans. It was Tuesday afternoon when I walked towards home from my school, which was just 1 km. But since it was summer, I was feeling tired and thirsty, so I started walking fast to reach home quickly On reaching the main gate, I saw a truck parked. Two men were unloading a big box out it. They successfully took it out and went inside my house. I couldn’t hold my curiousness anymore and made a run towards my house. As I reached, those men were leaving. I asked my mother what it was. She smiled, handed me a letter and said: “See for yourself”. The letter was actually from a famous quiz show company. I had recently participated in their online contest and forgot about it. Turns out, I had actually won the first price. The big box, I just saw was my prize. I rushed towards the box and opened it hurriedly. It contained a shining black mountain. I was super happy to see it. My prize had made my day.

2. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:

(A) Write a diary entry expressing your shock and disbelief at a shoot-out incident.

View Answer

Ans.

12 June, 20xx

9:00 p.m.

Saturday

Dear Diary,

As per my habit, I switched on the TV to watch the evening news. I thought I would catch up with the news. I was shocked to hear when the reporter told about a shoot-out incident in Delhi, in which a college girl was shot by two of her friends. I could not believe on myself. This incident made me realise that such cases of violence have become very common nowadays. Children hardly have any tolerance power and they tend to get aggressive and violent at the slightest provocation. They do not hesitate to indulge in physical violence. The usage of abusive language has also become common. I feel that parents should spend some quality time with their children.

I hope that this trend will soon discontinue. I think the police should come up with better policies on how to curb such incidents from happening in future.

Good Night Diary!

Ritika

(B) The following story had been left unfinished by its writer. Complete the same.

View Answer

Ans.

Unhappy Stag

A stag was proud of his horns but treated his legs inferior. “How ugly and thin they are,” he often said. One day, some hunters came to the forest. They wanted to kill the stag. He ran for life as he was scared of the gun shots. The stag knew that the hunters had come to shoot him for its horns. The stag who always felt proud of his horns and treated his legs inferior, repented for it. The stag knew the hunters had come for his horns which would fetch them lots of money. The stag ran very fast towards the centre of the jungle which was full of dense trees. It was his ugly and thin legs which carried him safely. While running his horns got struck in the bushes. The stag pulled and pushed himself and with great difficulty he pulled his horns outside. The stag felt repentant of his attitude towards his legs and never felt proud of his horns which nearly took his life.

SECTION – C

LITERATURE

V. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE by answering the questions that follow: (A) The young boy took to music early in life. At the age of three when his mother took him to his maternal uncle’s house in Banaras (now Varanasi); Bismillah was fascinated watching his uncles practice the Shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle, Ali Bux, to the Vishnu Temple of Banaras where Ali Bux was employed to play the Shehnai. Ali Bux would play the Shehnai and Bismillah would sit captivated for hours on end.

(i) Where did the young boy spend his life at the age of three?

(a) With his parents

(b) With his grand parents

(d) With his paternal uncle

View Answer

Ans. (c) With his maternal uncle

(ii) Ali bux used to play …………..

(a) flute

(b) shehnai

(d) harmonium

View Answer

Ans. (b) Shehnai

(iii) The ‘young boy’ here refers to …………..

(a) Bismillah Khan

(b) Ali Bux

(d) Ali Bux’s son.

View Answer

Ans. (a) Bismillah Khan

(iv) He went to his uncle’s house at the age of

(a) two

(b) three

(d) five

View Answer

Ans. (b) three

(v) Find a word from the passage that means ‘charmed’.

(a) accompanying

(b) captivated

(d) employed

View Answer

Ans. (b) captivated

(B) Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools that they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighbourhood came, laughing and shouting in the school yard, sitting together in the school room, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so that they could help one another with the home work and talk about it.

(i) Margie was the student of a

(a) real school

(b) old school

(d) new school

View Answer

Ans. (c) virtual school

(ii) Attending the old school, according to Margie, was __________

(a) boring

(b) fun

(d) cumbersome

View Answer

Ans. (b) fun

(iii) The advantage of old schools was that.

(a) everyone used to learn different things.

(b) students helped each other in homework.

(d) students had to sit at home to learn new things.

View Answer

Ans. (b) students helped each other in homework.

(v) What things they learn?

(a) Different things

(b) Same things

(d) None of the above

View Answer

Ans. (b) Same things

(vi) Which word in the passage means ‘breathing out deeply”?

(a) sigh

(b) shouting

(d) none of the above

View Answer

Ans. (a) sigh

2. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE by answering the questions that follow:

(A) When the humid shadows hover

Overall, the starry spheres

And the melancholy darkness

Gently weeps in rainy tears

(i) What are the ‘humid shadows’ referred here?

(a) Sky

(b) Dark clouds

(d) Heaven

View Answer

Ans. (b) Dark clouds

(ii) What is the effect they have on the sky?

(a) Hide the sky.

(b) Hide the stars.

(d) None of these.

View Answer

Ans. (b) Hide the stars.

(iii) Why does the poet call darkness as a melancholy?

(a) It makes him aggressive.

(b) It makes him arrogant.

(d) It makes him confused.

View Answer

Ans. (c) It makes him sad.

(iv) Find a word from the passage whose meaning is same to ‘sadness’.

(a) darkness

(b) melancholy

(d) starry

View Answer

Ans. (b) melancholy

(V) Name the poet.

(a) Coates Kinney

(b) Phoebe Cary

(d) Robert Frost

View Answer

Ans. (a) Coates Kinney

(B) I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

(i) What thing will the poet not do on the Innisfree land?
(a) Build a restaurant.

(b) Build a small cabin.

(d) Build a hive for the honeybee.

View Answer

Ans. (a) Build a restaurant.

(ii) Name the poet of ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’.

(a) James Kirkup

(b) Robert Frost

(d) Phoebe Cary

View Answer

Ans. (c) William Butler Yeats

(iii) Why does the poet wish to stay at Innisfree?

(a) To live in peaceful environment.

(b) To avoid the responsibilities of his family.

(d) Both (a) and (c).

View Answer

Ans. (d) Both (a) and (c).

(iv) Find a word from the passage which means the same as ‘only’.

(a) arise

(b) loud

(d) alone

View Answer

Ans. (d) alone

(v) Where does the poet want to go?

(a) To London

(b) To Paris.

(d) To Switzerland

View Answer

Ans. (c) To Innisfree.

VI. 1. Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each.

(i) How did young Bismillah develop his interest in Shehnai?

View Answer

Ans. Bismillah was fascinated watching his uncle practice the Shehnai when he was only three. He was deeply fascinated by the music of Shehnai. Soon Bismillah started accompanying his uncle Ali Bux, to the Vishnu Temple of Benares where Bux was employed to play Shehnai. Bismillah picked up the finer nuances of Shehnia and practiced for hours on the banks of river Ganga. The themes of his music were deeply affected by the sound of flowing water of the Ganga. At the age of 14, Bismillah accompanied his uncle to Allahabad music conference where Ustad Fayaz Khan patted his shoulder which inspired and encouraged him to work harder.

(ii) What work does Gerrard do? How do you know this?

View Answer

Ans. Gerrard is a dramatist who works for a theatre. The disguise outfit, false moustaches and other similar items in his cottage support this point. The last dialogue in which he says, “Hello. Yes, speaking. Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, ……” also supports this point.

(iii) What was the task of the narrator’s family during the annual Shri Rama Kalyanam ceremony?

View Answer

Ans. The narrator’s family used to help in ceremony by arranging boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the village temple to the marriage site.

(iv) What made Kezia’s father punish her?

View Answer

Ans. Kezia tore important papers of her father to stuff into the pin cushion because she was making a gift to present to her father. Since the papers had her father’s speech written on them, she was punished for tearing them.

(v) Why did Einstein’s playmates call him ‘Brother Boring’?

View Answer

Ans. Einstein did not mix up with other children. He did not find their games interesting. He often uttered every word twice. He was often teased for his abnormally huge head. And so his friends nicknamed his “Brother Boring.”

2. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each.

A. (i) What changes do you notice in the behaviour of the child, once he is separated from his parents in the story The Lost Child?

View Answer

Ans. A child along with his parents had been to a fair. He was very excited and happy with the stalls of toys and sweets. He got separated from his parents and started crying. He ran here and there in search of his parents, but in vain. Since the place was overcrowded, he got really scared. He started crying as he was all alone. A kind hearted man offered him many things but he refused. The child who wanted everything from the fair was now not interested in any of these things, as he only yearned to be with his parents.

(ii) How was the kingdom of fools different from any other place?

View Answer

Ans. Everything was different at the kingdom of fools. The night was considered as day and day as night. Not only the human beings, even the animals stayed awake at night. Anything and everything could be bought for duddu.

(iii) What is Behrman’s ‘masterpiece’? Why is it so?

View Answer

Ans. Behrman was a sixty-year-old painter who lived on the ground floor. His masterpiece was the ‘Ivy Leaf’ that he painted on the wall and which looked so real. It was a masterpiece because it saved someone’s life though it cost his own life.

3. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:

A. Write a brief character sketch of Santosh Yadav.

View Answer

Ans. Santosh was a hardworking and determined personality who could take her own decisions and accept challenges. She was adventurous and a team builder. She loved and cared for the environment. Santosh was a determined woman who always did what she had decided to do. She did not let anything stand in her way. She was a rebel who did not want to follow the traditional ways of her community and refused to marry at an early age. She wanted to forge her own path. She proved herself repeatedly because of her iron will, physical strength and mental toughness. She loved and cared for the environment. This is proved through the fact that she brought 500 kgs of garbage from the Himalayas.

B. Discuss the anticipation of remorse in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’.

View Answer

Ans. There is a fair amount of irony to be found in the poem but, this is infused with the anticipation of remorse. The title is not ‘The Road Less Travelled’ but The Road Not Taken’. Even if he makes a choice (a choice he is forced to make if he does not want to stand forever in the woods, one for which he has no real guide or definitive basis for decision-making), the speaker knows that he will second-guess himself somewhere down the line – or at the very least, he will wonder at what is irrevocably lost: the impossible, unknowable other path. But the nature of the decision is such that there is no Right Path – just the chosen path and the other path. The Road Less Travelled is a fiction the speaker will later invent, an attempt to polarise his past. What are ‘sighed for ages and ages’ hence are not so much the wrong decisions as the moments of decision themselves—moments that, one stop the other, mark the passing of a life. This is the more primal strain of remorse.

4. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words:

A. Describe Sergei’s role in reforming Lushkoff.

View Answer

Ans. If Lushkoff had not come to Sergie, he wouldn’t have been leading a noble life. Sergei did not believe in Lushkoff’s stories as he kept begging for alms saying that he was an expected teacher and sometimes became an expelled student. So, Sergei threatened him to over to the police. Sergei offered him work at his place. He asked him to chop woods for him, then he hired him to slight his belongings to a new house. He then sent him to his friend for cleaner job. He helped Lushkoff with money. He made him believe in the power of goodness and honest means of livelihood. Sergei had made him his godson and his cook Olga too had helped Lushkoff in reforming himself.

B. When the Happy Prince was alive he could never come to know anything of sorrow and misery. What do you think he could not learn from his life then? Describe in about 100-120 words.

View Answer

Ans. When the Happy Prince was alive, he had no knowledge of sorrow and tears. He was kept away from all the sufferings and sorrows. He always saw people who were happy all around him in his kingdom. He never knew people could be poor and have problems. After his death, he was placed on a tall column. He was covered with golden leaves and had rubies and sapphires studded on him. Standing on the tall column, the Prince could see the miserable condition of the poor people. He helped all the people around him with the help of the swallow. He was generous and soft-hearted as he felt the pain of other people.

Class IX – English Sample Paper – 3