X - English PP - 3 - Practice for Everyone

Subject: English

Class X

Time Allowed: 3 hours

Max. Marks: 80

General Instructions:

1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.

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

3. Attempt question based on specific instructions for each part.

SECTION A- READING SKILLS

I. Read the passage given below.

1. Hobbies help us grow as a person. The best way to have a new hobby is to try something new. All of us are unique, and this is the reason why our hobbies and interests are different. Once we find an activity we are passionate about, we can explore that activity more. When you get hooked, you will realize that your hobby has become an integral part of your life. Having a hobby that we enjoy brings us joy and refreshes us. Hobbies help us to manage our leisure and unplanned time more productively. It also affords you the opportunity to learn new skills in your work. But these are not the only benefits of having a hobby.

2. It feels great to be skilled and good at something, doesn’t it? And this is what that makes you confident. It can take some time to develop your hobby so that you may be able to tell that you are skilled. But, the journey of experiencing your hobby is very rewarding in itself. With the exposure to different types of activities these days, it doesn’t matter which activity you choose. Whether you are pursuing a craft, sports, puzzles, or skill development, your hobby should be a diversion and a passion. Simultaneously, if your hobby gives you a sense of purpose, then you will be more confident about challenging yourself in your hobby and help you prepare for learning new things at work.

3. Hobbies give you an opportunity to enhance your life Hobbies allow you to de-stress yourself while remaining mentally productive. Having hobbies promotes better health and may lower the risk of having high blood pressure. Enjoying a few hours of your hobby a week can also reduce the risk of depression and dementia. Hobbies refocus your mind on to something that you enjoy doing. Hobbies that include physical activities create chemical changes in your body that help to reduce stress.

4. Even if it doesn’t involve physical activities, you can still reap the benefits of having a hobby. Getting a short break from work and doing something you are passionate about can rejuvenate your mind and help prepare you to handle challenges in the future in a better way.

5. Hobbies may provide an opportunity for you to socialize with people and that can be an additional benefit for your overall well-being. You can connect with people who enjoy doing the same things that you do. You can meet new people, discuss your hobby and get connected to a bigger circle that may even help you turn your hobby into your profession. The internet provides numerous groups and forums to connect with people that enjoy doing the same things that you want to do.

6. Some hobbies require creativity and if you develop creativity through your hobby, it can be beneficial. Creativity can help you experience new things at school and work. The skill of being creative is essential in today’s world.

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

i. When a person gets hooked on a hobby, he realises that:

(a) it has become an integral part of our life.

(b) it has much more benefits than we realised.

(d) it is quite essential for us to learn some skills through our hobbies.

View Answer

Ans. (a)

ii. No matter which sort of hobby you are pursuing, be it a craft, sports, puzzles, or skill development, your hobby should be:

(a) useful for you in the long run.

(b) a skill that improves your present circumstances.

(d) followed through till the end.

View Answer

Ans. (c)

iii. The journey of experiencing a hobby is quite :

(a) challenging for a person.

(b) rewarding in itself.

(d) inspirational for a person.

View Answer

Ans. (b)

iv. State any one way through which hobbies enhance your life?

View Answer

Ans. distracts the mind from other useless problems

v. Getting a hobby means having a short break from work and doing something you are passionate about which can

(a) give you a peace of mind from all the other problems of daily hectic life and make you feel refreshed.

(b) help you enhance and improve your skills and push you forward on your path to success.

(d) rejuvenate your mind and help prepare you to handle challenges in the future in a better way

View Answer

Ans. (d)

vi. List any two benefits of having a hobby.

1. __________

2. __________

View Answer

Ans. 1. Provides an opportunity for us to socialize with people

2. Gives us an opportunity to enhance our life.

vii. What is essential in today’s world?

View Answer

Ans. The skill of being creative is essential in today’s world.

viii. Give an appropriate title for the passage.

View Answer

Ans. The Importance of Having a Hobby

ix. Supply 1 point to justify the following:

Hobby provides you with an opportunity to socialise with people.

View Answer

Ans. Hobby makes you connect with people who enjoy doing the same things that you do.

x. Choose an option that is clearly a synonym of the word ‘hooked’.

(a) opposed

(b) indifferent

(d) captivated

View Answer

Ans. (d)

II. Read the passage given below.

1. Conference series LLC Ltd organises a conference series of 1000+ global events inclusive of 300+ conferences, 900+ upcoming and previous symposiums and workshops in USA, Europe and Asia with support from 1000 more Scientific societies and publishes 700+ open access journals which contain over 30000 eminent personalities, reputed scientists as Editorial board members.

2. Recycling and Waste Management Convention 2018 proudly invites contributors across the globe to 9th World Convention on Recycling and Waste Management during October 22-23,2018 in Osaka, Japan, which includes prompt keynote presentations, oral talks, poster presentations and exhibitions. We are delighted to say that it is the 9th World Convention on Recycling and Waste Management which will be held in a beautiful city of Osaka, Japan and hence we invite you all to attend and register.

3. 9th World Convention on Recycling and Waste Management is mainly based on the theme “Advocating Waste Disposal and Recycling Practices for Clean and Green Environment.” We warmly welcome all the participants – leading scientists, researchers and scholars of the world to attend the convention. We provide a platform for young researchers and students to present their research through oral presentations through which they can develop a foundation for collaboration among young researchers.

4. The organising committee aims at setting a platform for all the budding scientists and researchers to present their real-time work and share their views and aspects related to the theme of the conference. The organising committee is gearing up for an exciting and informative conference programme including plenary lecture, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster presentations and various programmes for participants from all over the world.

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

i. Infer one reason for the following, based on information in the passage. Waste management and recycling it.

View Answer

Ans. Leaving behind the quality of environment free from pollution

ii. Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. _____ has been considered as the second nature to us

(a) Sorting of waste

(b) Recycling of waste

(d) Implementing steps framed and deployed in convention

View Answer

Ans. (b)

iii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from paragraph 2:

Delhi : India :: Tokyo : _____

(Clue : Delhi is capital of India, similarly Tokyo is capital of…)

View Answer

Ans. Japan

iv. What theme is being highlighted in the given passage?

(a) Efficient means of reducing garbage

(b) Various techniques to be employed to recycle the goods

(d) Both (b) and (c)

View Answer

Ans. (d)

v. Which of the following notion in the conference has been emphasised to be deployed?

(a) Waste disposal management

(b) Waste management

(d) Reshaping Earth’s future

View Answer

Ans. (a)

vi. Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option. According to the pie-chart, Branches & wood has been recycled at the rate of _____.

(a) 1%

(b) 24%

(d) 3%

View Answer

Ans. (c)

vii. Substitute the word ‘present’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following sentence from paragraph

3: We provide a platform for young researchers and students to present their research…

View Answer

Ans. display/exhibit/show/depict

viii. List any two points that the given data represents.

View Answer

Ans. 1. The increasing trend of recycling and waste management

2. The amount and degree of recycled waste

ix. Which activity contributes collectively towards paper waste recycled percentage? x. What has been considered as an efficient means to reduce landfill area?

View Answer

Ans. Confidential documents and plastic or metal or glass

x. What has been considered as an efficient means to reduce landfill area?

(a) Sorting of waste

(b) Recycling or composting waste

(d) None of these

View Answer

Ans. (c)

SECTION B- GRAMMAR

Attempt ANY TEN of the following questions.

i. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the sentence. The boys _____ to my lecture since 8 O’clock this morning.

(a) were listening

(b) have been listening

(d) None of these

View Answer

Ans. (b)

ii. Read the conversation between a mother and her daughter. Complete the sentence by reporting daughter’s reply correctly.

Mother: Why are you looking so worried?

Daughter: My exams are approaching.

Mother asked her daughter why she was looking very worried. The daughter replied that _____.

View Answer

Ans. her exams were approaching

iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line. I _____ rather die than join the gang of terrorists.

(a) could

(b) should

(d) can

View Answer

Ans. (c)

iv. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line:

A little political thinkers think that liberty and equality can’t go together.

View Answer

Ans. Option (c)

v. Complete the given sentence, by filling in the blank with the correct option:

They met you at night after you _____ your work.

(a) had finished

(b) have finished

(d) will finish

View Answer

Ans. (a)

vi. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket.

Chris, in addition to his brother Zack, _____ (play) hockey on Saturday.

View Answer

Ans. plays

vii. Report the dialogue between a doctor and a patient, by completing the sentence:

Doctor: You should take this medicine every day.

Patient: Should I take it before dinner or after dinner?

Doctor: No, you should take it after breakfast. The Doctor advised the patient that he should take that medicine every day. The patient further asked if he should take it before dinner or after dinner. The doctor replied negatively and then said that _____.

View Answer

Ans. he should take it after breakfast.

viii. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction.

Some guys like to fights on even playing grounds, and some guys like to cheat

Use the given format for your response.

View Answer

Ans.

ix. Transform the following direct speech into reported speech:

He asked, “Will you be coming?”

View Answer

Ans. He asked if/whether I would be coming.

x. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the sentence.

My class teacher told me that I _____ work hard.

(a) shall

(b) could

(d) should

View Answer

Ans. (d)

xi. Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between Radha and Shikha.

Radha : Do you know how to swim?

Shikha : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Radha asked Shikha if/whether she knew how to swim. Then Shikha replied in affirmative and also added that _____.

(a) she had learnt it during the summer vacation

(b) she has learnt it during the summer vacation

(d) she had learn it during the summer vacation

View Answer

Ans. (a)

xii. Identify the error and supply the correction, for the following sentence:

Every people went to welcome the Indian Cricket team.

View Answer

Ans.

SECTION B- CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely coincidental.

1. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.

A. Write a letter to the Editor of “The Times of India”, Delhi expressing your concern over the increase in the rate of road accident, rash driving and overcrowded road transport. You are Priya/Priyanshu living at B-47 Avas Vikas, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi.

View Answer

Ans.

B-47 Avas Vikas

Mayur Vihar

New Delhi

13 November, 20XX

To,

The Editor

The Times of India

New Delhi

Subject: Increasing cases of road accidents, rash driving and overcrowding.

Sir,

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to express the anguish of trhe general public over the increasing number of road accidents, cases of rash driving and the problem of overcrowding in the buses.

The bus drivers have no regard for the traffic rules. They drive very rash under the influence of liquors. They even jump the red light signals installed on the roads.

Still the private bus operators stop at unauthorized stops. The uncontrollable speed and race with other buses is the main cause of accidents. They even overtake the other buses for picking up more passengers. The conductors pack their buses to suffocation. As a result, ladies and old people are unable to get into the buses.

It requires stricter watch on the part of the traffic police. More traffic should be employed to check the violations of the traffic rules. Proper road signals and road marks should be marked. The surprise check by traffic police in civil dress can play an effective role in booking the culprits.

Yours truly

Priyanshu

B. Write an application to your principal asking permission to remain absent from school for 5 days on account of your brother’s marriage.

View Answer

Ans.

To,

The Principal,

Govt. Senior Secondary School

Buxer,

23^rd January, 20XX

Subject: Application for leave for five days

Respected Sir,

I am Neha from class 10^th A. I beg to say that I will remain absent for the next 5 days on account of my brother’s marriage.

My brother’s wedding is on 25^th January, 20XX and as a younger sister, my presence at the wedding is unavoidable. As a sister, I have so many duties to be carried out in wedding and also, I am responsible to look after the arrangements for the wedding.

So, I kindly request you to grant me 5 days holiday that is from 24^th to 28^th of January. The wedding card is attached herewith for your perusal.

Thanking you.

Yours Sincerely.

Neha.

2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.

A. The charts below show agricultural production in two different regions of the country. Write an analytical paragraph in 100-120 words by selecting and reporting the main features, and making comparisons where relevant.

View Answer

Ans.

Agricultural Production in Two Different Regions of the Country

The pie charts show the different agricultural products raised in the western region and the eastern region of a country. Each region concentrates on different products. The Eastern Region has a slightly more even distribution among the different products than the Western Region does. In the Eastern Region, the top two products are meat, making up 35% of total agricultural production, and dairy, making up 30% of the total. Vegetables account 20% and grain for 15% of agricultural production in that region. In the Western Region, the top two products – grain and meat – account for 80% of the total agricultural production. Dairy makes up 15% of the total, while vegetables are only 5% of agricultural production in that part of the country. Each region has a different approach to agricultural production. In the Eastern Region, it is distributed among different products, while in the Western Region, it is concentrated more heavily on two different types of products.

B. Given below is a newspaper report on the state of cancer prevailing in India. You have been asked to write an analytical paragraph on ‘Cancer – a silent killer’ Taking information from the clipping given below together with your own ideas, write this paragraph in 100-120 words. “In India, cities are more cancer-prone than rural areas. In the early 1990’s, we expected one out of 10-15 urban Indians to get cancer in their life -time, that is every second or third family would have to face this disease. This is partly due to high levels of benzene in the air and also that the metros are exposed to high levels of pesticides in their foods. In order to check the steady growth of cancer in the country, the Government shall have to give priority to preventive action. At the same time measures to undertake improvement in facilities for the treatment of cancer shall have to be adopted.”

View Answer

Ans.

State of Cancer Prevailing in India

It is a matter of concern that our urban population has become cancer-prone more than the rural population. It is very sad that every tenth person is likely to have cancer. It is due to high level of benzene in the air. It is also due to the high levels of pesticides in the foods. Also highly radio-active waves of the cell phones etc., have also contributed to this grave danger to human population. To check this menace of cancer, the Government shall have to give top most priority to preventive actions. More facilities like Diagnostic Centres and Cancer Hospitals need to be created for the treatment of cancer patients. There is a dire need to contain this deadly disease by taking some urgent steps. First of all, we must ban the wide use of the pesticides. Excessive use of pesticides is really harmful for human health. In the developed countries, much emphasis is being laid on organic manure instead of the fertilizer. So we have to introduce organic manure. Then crop pattern needs to be changed. Besides this, a kind of public awareness programme will have to be undertaken. Public is to be awakened towards the growth of cancer and its easy detection. This would surely help in the containing of this disease at its initial stages. If cancer is detected and treated at the early stages, it can’t be fatal.

SECTION C- LITERATURE

V. Reference to the Context

1. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.

1.A “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”

(Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom)

i. The title that best suits this extract is

(a) Freedom for everything

(b) Knowledge about Freedom

(d) Realisation of Freedom

View Answer

Ans. (c)

ii. Why do you think the speaker mentions some freedoms as ‘transitory’?

View Answer

Ans. The freedoms are momentary and keep changing with time.

iii. Choose the option that best fits the usage of the word ‘illusion’ as used in the extract.

(a) He was never able to get past the illusion.

(b) The illusion I experienced was quite intriguing.

(d) I was living under the illusion that this is possible.

View Answer

Ans. (d)

iv. The speaker says, ‘at first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself.’ Why do you think he only thought about himself?

(a) He didn’t want to think about the freedom denied to others.

(b) He was being selfish and was only bothered about himself.

(d) He was too young to realise that freedom was denied to others as well.

View Answer

Ans. (d)

v. Fill in the blank with ONE WORD only.

The speaker’s belief about freedom, since _____ proved false. It was not until the speaker grew up to be a young man when it dawned on him that he was deprived of freedom.

View Answer

Ans. childhood

1.B THINK-TANK: Mirror, mirror, in my hand. Who is the most fantastically intellectually gifted being in the land?

OFFSTAGE VOICE: (after a pause) You, sir.

THINK -TANK: (smacking mirror) Quicker. Answer quicker next time. I hate a slow mirror. (He admires himself in the mirror.) Ah, there I am. Are we Martians not a handsome race? So much more attractive than those ugly Earthlings with their tiny heads. Noodle, you keep on exercising your mind, and someday you’ll have a balloon brain just like mine.

NOODLE: Oh, I hope so, Mighty Think-Tank. I hope so.

THINK -TANK: Now, contact the space probe. I want to invade that primitive ball of mud called Earth before lunch.

NOODLE: It shall be done, sir. (He adjusts levers on switchboard. Electronic buzzes and beeps are heard as the curtains open.)

(The Book that Saved the Earth)

i. Choose the option that lists the most appropriate meaning of think-tank from those given below.

(a) A tank that helps you think deeper than an average person, if you use its contents regularly.

(b) Non-stop flow of ideas from a fixed source about one particular issue.

(d) A method by way of which people think collectively to identify stray thoughts among them.

View Answer

Ans. (c)

ii. The playwright places certain words and sentences in brackets in the given extract. List any two ways these benefit both the director and actors.

1. __________

2. __________

View Answer

Ans. 1. Help actors and director gain clarity about the emotions and gestures required while performing/directing.

2. Helps with understanding stage setting and movements.

iii. Choose the option that correctly categorizes the phrase “(after a pause)” based on the dialogue given above.

(a) aside

(b) stage direction

(d) setting

View Answer

Ans. (b)

iv. Choose the option that gives you fits the example of an irony from the ones given below.

(a) “Who is the most fantastically intellectually gifted being in the land?”

(b) “I hate a slow mirror.”

(d) “I want to invade that primitive ball of mud called Earth before lunch.”

View Answer

Ans. (c)

v. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text.

spinning: top:: rotation: _____

(Clue: Spinning is the movement of a top, similarly rotation is the movement of the…)

View Answer

Ans. earth

2. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.

2.A If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

Twi’ll do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

(How to Tell Wild Animals)

i. Choose the option listing the stanza that would follow the given extract.

1. The leopard stalks on silent paws.

With deadly armor of fangs and claws.

He lies in his tree perch through out the day.

Sleeping and resting the hours away.

2. A spotted leopard in a banyan tree,

kept his yellow carnivore-ic eyes on me.

I knew better than to move fast or try to flee.

His eyes narrowed, but I refused to see.

How fast that cat was chasing after me.

If I can just get to that tall tall……

3. His claws and paws will make you forget,

If you’re in a dream or reality,

And you’ll feel clawed and pawed. I bet,

The peppered pounce a certainty.

This a beast that runs and strikes fast,

If you’re caught you sure won’t last.

4. The leopard and the lion chose to become friends,

For they were all proud of claws on their paws,

They each glorified one another for their mighty,

Ability to live on meat of other fauna throughout a year,

They each admired one another for running speed,

They each remained firm and loyal to one rule;

Lions don’t eat leopards neither leopards eat lions.

(a) Option 1

(b) Option 2

(d) Option 4

View Answer

Ans. (c)

ii. Given below are four examples of activities that Jasmeet does. Choose the option that correctly demonstrates ‘strolling’.

(a) Jasmeet runs with a great speed after being chased by a dog.

(b) Jasmeet walks in the garden, relaxing while listening to his favourite song.

(d) Jasmeet rushes to switch off the water pump in the backyard.

View Answer

Ans. (b)

iii. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:

The poet asks the reader to hide on seeing the leopard.

View Answer

Ans. False

iv. The repetition used in “he’ll only lep and lep again” is an example of _____.

View Answer

Ans. poetic license

v. Choose the option that matches with the rhyme scheme of the extract.

1. Pround loud child wild jungle mingle

2. Wild jungle child mingle loud proud

3. Wild proud child loud jungle mingle

4. Loud jungle wild child mingle proud

(a) option 1

(b) option 2

(d) option 4

View Answer

Ans. (c)

2.B The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbour and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

(Fog)

i. List any two qualities of the cat that Carl Sandburg applies to the fog?

1. __________

2. __________

View Answer

Ans. 1) Cats are independent animals, they don’t follow rules, they slip and slide in and out of our lives as they please.

2) Cats are stealthy, moving in slow motion at times and they appear to be moving in a mysterious fashion.

ii. Which one/s of the following applies to the given lines?

1. Personification is a literary device where you give an animal, object or natural phenomenon, qualities or abilities that only a human can have.

2. Transferred epithet is a literary device when an adjective usually used to describe one thing is transferred to another.

3. Imagery is the language used by poets and writers to create visual representation of ideas in the minds of the readers.

4. Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear side by side.

(a) 1 and 4

(b) 2 and 3

(d) Only 3

View Answer

Ans. (d)

iii. Pick the option that includes an image of the cat on its haunches.

(a) Option 1

(b) Option 2

(d) Option 4

View Answer

Ans. (b)

iv. Choose the option that does not list movement of the fog.

1. It stole in on us like a foot-pad somewhere out of the sea and air… E.J.Pratt

2. A fog drifts in, the haevy-laden Cold white ghost of the sea- Sara Teasdale

3. The fog it tricks the eye The wonder of the vell of shite under the clear blue sky. K.C.Cox

4. …comes gliding, rolling in at ground level, pressing its white featureless face against… -R.H.Grenville

(a) Option 1

(b) Option 2

(d) Option 4

View Answer

Ans. (c)

v. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text.

manacle : hands :: fetter : _____

(Clue : A manacle is a shackle for the hands, and a fetter is a shackle for the…)

View Answer

Ans. Alliteration

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

i. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

(A Letter to God)

View Answer

Ans. The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful and God fearing man. When he received the letter written to God asking for 100 pesos he felt sympathetic towards Lencho. Hence, he decided to help Lencho. He gave a part of his salary and asked the other employees to help. He signed the letter ‘God’ in order to preserve the man’s faith in God.

ii. What special characteristic of Mijbil did Maxwell learn after he took him to the bathroom?

(Mijbil the Otter)

View Answer

Ans. Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom. For half an hour he went wild with joy in the water, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo. Maxwell learnt that Mijbil had immense love for water.

iii. Why did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds?

(The Sermon at Benares)

View Answer

Ans. the Buddha asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died ever, because he wanted her to realize the ultimate truth of life. Now she came to know that no one can escape death as death is common to all.

iv. Describe the method Anne Gregory suggested in order to prove that she is loved for who she is.

(For Anne Gregory)

View Answer

Ans. She said that she would change her hair from yellow to some other colour by applying a hair dye to confirm that she is loved for her inner beauty and not for her outer personality.

v. “Fire and Ice” project a pessimistic outlook. Comment.

View Answer

Ans. The poet links human desire to be the reason for the possible extinction of the world. The poem tries to imply that humanity should not try to innovate and develop new weapons. It projects a pessimistic outlook by suggesting that following dreams and passion by humankind may lead to catastrophic destruction on the earth.

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

i. Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?

(A Triumph of Surgery)

View Answer

Ans. At the surgery, the household dogs surged around Dr. Herriot to see Tricki. Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and when put down, lay motionless on the carpet. The other dogs sniffed around for a few seconds and then deciding he was an uninteresting object and ignored him.

ii. Henry unintentionally saved Ausable’s life. Briefly comment.

(The Midnight Visitor)

View Answer

Ans. Henry had come to serve water in the room. But, Ausable took the benefit of his knocking at the door. He warned Max that it was police and he would be caught soon if he did not jump out of the window. In this way, Ausable was saved by Henry, though, intentionally.

iii. How did the Loisels react when they realized that the necklace had been lost?

View Answer

Ans. The Loisels became very unhappy when they understood that the necklace had been lost. They were sure that the loss of the necklace would make their life miserable because Mr Loisel was a poor clerk. So, it was very difficult for them to replace the lost diamond necklace.

VIII Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words.

i. Valli was sensitive, but at the same time, she was fearless and quite determined. Think of another character from your textbook, First Flight, who displayed similar character traits. Compare and contrast the lives of Valli and the other character.

View Answer

Ans. Valli was a young girl of 8 years who still displayed mature and responsible behaviour in the story. She was bold enough to fulfil her desire of riding a bus without her parents help in any way. I think Anne Frank had the same characteristics. Even after being punished thrice for talking in class, she did not get depressed and accepted the punishment intelligently. Her answers impressed her teacher and he praised her writings in front of other students.

I feel Nelson Mandela, too, was a man of strong determination and will power. He also sacrificed material possessions for fulfilling his desire of getting freedom from apartheid in South Africa. For this, he had to spend a large part of his life in prison away from his family. These three characters portrayed similar attributes in their respective lessons.

ii. Explain the phrase “the forest that was empty all these days”. After reading the poem “The Trees”, for whom do you think are the forests needed? Imagine you are a tree in a forest, what values would you like the humans to learn from the tree?

View Answer

Ans. In the poem ‘The Trees’ poetess Adrienne Rich subtly drives home the message about the importance of trees. Without trees, the birds would not have a place to sit, insects will have no place to hide and the sun would not bury its feet in shadow. As saplings we enjoy the beauty of plants as they adorn the surroundings. But slowly the tree spreads its roots, its branches and leaves and seems to yearn to go outside where it can live and grow without any restrictions. No more does the tree look attractive indoors. The trees are, however, welcomed into nature by strong winds and the moon. The author hereby emphasizes that trees need to be kept alive, but should be ‘imprisoned’ inside the house as they look more beautiful, and tend to thrive outdoors – that is where trees belong.

IX Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words.

i. “And in her smiling eyes was the right of deep satisfaction that an artist feels when he is contemplating the completion of his masterpiece.” Imagine you are Bholi’s teacher. You are overwhelmed with a sense of satisfaction to see the conversion of ‘Bholi’ to ‘Sulekha’. Express your feelings in the form of a diary entry.

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Ans.

11.04.20XX

Today I felt very much satisfied as I got success in changing Bholi to Sulekha. As her name signifies Bholi was really a simple girl. I cannot forgot her first entry in my class. A frightened, confused and a simple girl was her first appearance. She used to stammer while speaking. But my two words of affection filled her with confidence. She left stammering and became a confident, determined girl. She was determined to learn everything silently. In her family, nobody noticed the changes that took place in her personality, and got her engaged to a fifty years old lame man with two children. She kept the honour of her parents and agreed to this marriage. But she could not stand with the demand of dowry. She threw away her garland in the fire and asked her father to take back the money. She raised her voice against dowry.. She asked the ladies of the village why girls should be treated like dumb cow.

This was the change I always wanted to see in her personality. Today, I feel I have completed my masterpiece without any error. Today she signified her real name Sulekha.

ii. Give a character-sketch of Hari Singh.

(The Thief’s Story)

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Ans. Hari Singh had become an experienced, seasoned and successful thief at the age of fifteen. He stole from his employers and escaped every time. He changed his name occasionally to avoid being caught by the police or his previous employers. He started working for Anil, a writer. He made profit from the daily supplies. He got many opportunities to rob Anil. However, he did not like to rob a careless fellow who would fail to notice his skill. One day, he made off with Anil’s money and reached the station. He did not board the slow-moving train intentionally.

Hari Singh could show false smile on his face to exploit the situation. He was a man of noble conscience. He was a grateful person. He was not a betrayer. He was career-conscious.

X – English PP – 3