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[Time Allowed: 3 Hours] [Maximum Marks: 80General Instructions:
(i) The Question Paper contains THREE sections – READING, WRITING and LITERATURE. (u) Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION A: READING SKILLS (22 Marks)
1. Read the following text.
1. The arts which admit of exact reproduction are such that the disciple is on the same level as the creator, and so it is with their fruits. These are useful to the imitator, but are not of such high excellence as those which cannot be transmitted as an inheritance like other substances. Among these, painting is the first. Painting cannot be taught to him on whom nature has not conferred the gift of receiving such knowledge, as mathematics can be taught, of which the disciple receives as much as the master gives him.
2. It cannot be copied, as letters can be, in which the copy equals the original. It cannot be stamped, in the same way as sculpture, in which the impression is in proportion to the source as regards the quality of the work. It does not generate countless children, as do printed books.
3. It alone remains noble, it alone confers honour on its author and remains precious and unique, and does not beget children equal to itself. And it is more excellent by reason of this quality than by reason of those which are everywhere proclaimed. Now do we not see the great monarchs of the East going about veiled and covered up from the fear of diminishing their glory by the manifestation and the divulgation of their presence? And do we not see that the pictures which represent the divine deity are kept covered up with inestimable veils?
4. Their unveiling is preceded by great sacred solemnities with various chants and diverse music. When they are unveiled, the vast multitude of people who are there flocked together, immediately prostrate themselves and worship. They invoke those whom such pictures represent that they may regain their lost holiness and win eternal salvation, just as if the deity were present in the flesh.
5. This does not occur in any other art or work of man. If you say that is owing to the nature of the subject depicted, rather than to the genius of the painter, the answer is that the mind of man could satisfy itself equally well in this case, were the man to remain in bed and not make pilgrimages to places which are perilous and hard to access as we so often see is the case.
6. But if such pilgrimages continually exist, what is then their unnecessary cause? You will certainly admit that it is an image of this kind, and all the writings in the world could not succeed in representing the semblance and the power of such a deity.
7. Therefore, it appears that this deity takes pleasure in the pictures and is pleased that it should be loved and revered, and takes a greater delight in being worshipped in that rather than in any other semblance of itself. By this reason, it bestows grace and gifts of salvation according to the belief of those who meet together in such a place.
[Thoughts on Art and Life: Leonardo Da Vinci]Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
(a) Select the option that agrees with the information given in the passage.
(i) Painting cannot be taught except as a form of imitation.
(i) Painting can only be taught to one who is capable of receiving this knowledge.
(iii) Painting and mathematics are at par, when it comes to learning.
(iv) Paintings cannot be transferred as an inheritance.
View AnswerAns. (iv) Paintings cannot be transferred as an inheritance.
(b) Which is the statement that shows the writer aimed to change the general outlook about painting, correctly?
(i) It cannot be copied as letters can be.
(ii) As sculptures are closest to painting and yet there is a fundamental difference.
(iii) It cannot be stamped in the same way as sculptures can in which the impression is in proportion to the source.
(iv) It does not generate countless children in the way printed books can.
View AnswerAns. (ii) As sculptures are closest to painting and yet there is a fundamental difference.
(c) Share evidence from the text, in about 40 words to support the view that the writer’s writing style is descriptive in nature.
View AnswerAns. The writing style of the narrator is descriptive in nature as he is describing thoughts on art and life. According to him, art is something which cannot be copied anyhow. It does not generate countless children. It alone remains noble, it alone confers honour on its author and remains precious and unique, and does not beget children equal to itself.
(d) Complete the sentence appropriately with a characteristic or its description.
They invoke those whom such pictures represent that they may regain ____________
View AnswerAns. their lost holiness and win eternal salvation, just as if the deity were present in the flesh
(e) Select the option that is similar in meaning to ‘pilgrimages”.
(i) A trip
(ii) A holy expedition
(iii) A journey
(iv) An expedition
View AnswerAns. (ii) A holy expedition
(f) Explain, in about 40 words, why was the unveiling of painted images is unique?
View AnswerAns. The unveiling of painted images is unique because it is preceded by great sacred solemnities with various chants and diverse music. When they are unveiled, the vast multitude of people who are there flocked together, immediately prostrate themselves and worship. They invoke those whom such pictures represent that they may regain their lost holiness and win eternal salvation.
(g) In the line, “… Therefore this deity takes pleasure in the pictures and bestows grace and gifts of salvation to those who meet together in such a place.” What does the word ‘pleasure’ refer to?
View AnswerAns. The word pleasure refers to ‘happiness’.
(h) What is the core idea that displays the most likely reason for including the line, “It alone confers honour on its author and remains precious and unique and does not beget children equal to itself.”? Answer in about 40 words.
View AnswerAns. The core idea that displays the most likely reason for including the given line is to show painting as inborn talent and not inherited or passed to children. And it is more excellent by reason of this quality than by reason of those which are everywhere proclaimed.
(i) Read the five headlines- (1) to (5) given below:
(1) Art is a passion.
(2) Art is in blood.
(3) Art cannot be inherited.
(4) Art can never be copied.
(5) Art is a chanting.
Identify the option that displays the headlines that corresponds with the occurrences in the passage.
(i) Only (1)
(ii) Only (2)
(iii) Both (3) and (4)
(iv) (1), (2) and (5)
View AnswerAns. (iii) Both (3) and (4)
2. Read the following text.
1. The first Indian woman physician Anandibai Joshi, graduated in 1886. Starting from that single figure, about 125 years later, Indian women have started to outnumber men in admissions to medical colleges and the trend continues to grow stronger by the year, particularly over the last five years. During this period, India has produced 4500 more female doctors than male ones.
2. In India women constituted 51% of the students joining medical colleges, cornering 23,522 seats in 2014-15, compared to 22,934 men. In fact, in the neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh there are much higher portions of women in medical colleges, with figures standing at 70% and 60% respectively.
3. According to the medical journal Lancet, only 17% of all allopathic doctors and 6% of those in rural areas are women. This is less than one female allopathic doctor per 10,000 population in rural areas, whereas the ratio is 6:5 in urban areas.
4. According to a paper on women in medicine published in the journal ‘Indian Anthropologis” by sociologist Dr Mita Bhadra, the gender gap persists at the postgraduation and doctoral levels. The percentage of women doctors here is around one-third of male doctors. She also observed that positions of leadership in academics and administration are still mostly occupied by men.
5. In Pakistan, though 70% of medical students are women, only 23% of registered doctors were females because a large number of those who graduated never took to practising. The trend of more women joining the medical profession is welcomed in all these countries as female doctors are seen as committed and caring. A paper on women in medicine published by Dr Rakesh Chaddha and Dr Mamta Sood of the psychiatry department of AIIMS noted that medicine has been a male-dominated profession because it demands long working hours that are disadvantageous to women who, even today, struggle to juggle career and family responsibilities.
6. Earlier, though women were largely restricted to fields such as obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics, this is changing now. There has always been a preponderance of women in pre- clinical subjects like anatomy, physiology and biochemistry and paraclinical subjects like pharmacology, pathology and microbiology, right from the ’70s. In departments headed by women, the women faculty was 49% as compared to just 19% in those headed by men, says Dr Chaddha, giving the example of the neurology department at the AIIMS, which saw a lot of women faculty joining when the HOD was a woman. ‘It is probably because the head of the department becomes a role model and more women are encouraged to join,’ said Dr Chaddha.
7. There are skews within the medical profession in most parts of the world with some medical specialties, such as surgery and other disciplines requiring emergency duty with irregular hours being male-dominated. Even in the United Kingdom, though women account for 56% of those opting for medical education, 49% are public health and only 8% are surgeons, according to a Royal College of Physicians expert.
8. Among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries (OECD), across ten of them, predominantly from the erstwhile Eastern Bloc, the proportion of female physicians is more than 50%, ranging from a high 73.8% in Estonia to 50.2% in Spain. In two non-OECD countries, Latvia and Lithuania, females accounted for over 74% and 70% of physicians. In contrast, only one in five doctors in Japan and Korea were women. In the United States it is one in three, confirming the fact that the disproportion among women and men doctors is a universal phenomenon.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
(a) Infer the purpose of the survey as mentioned in the given extract. Answer in about 40 words.
View AnswerAns. The purpose of the survey as mentioned in the given extract is to confirm the fact that the disproportion among women and men doctors all over the world is a universal phenomenon. Further, to prove his confirmation, the researcher has provided statistics also.
(b) What is the number of women joining the medical profession in Pakistan and Bangladesh?
(i) It is much lower than the figures in India.
(ii) It is growing faster than the doctors in India.
(iii) It equals women doctors in India.
(iv) It is higher than the figures in India.
View AnswerAns. (iv) It is higher than the figures in India.
(c) How does the woman HOD impact faculty?
View AnswerAns. In the neurology department of AIIMS, the woman HOD attracts a lot of women joining faculty. It is because the woman HOD becomes a role model and thus, more women are encouraged to join it.
(d) Identify the surgeon from the following three.
(i) Suraj: I perform surgeries.
(ii) Latasha: I work over tooth of the people.
(iii) Roshan: People come to me in fever.
View AnswerAns. (i) Suraj: I perform surgeries.
(e) By how much did the female doctors have outnumbered the male doctors in 125 years in India?
(i) 4000
(ii) 4300
(iii) 4500
(iv) 2383
View AnswerAns. (iii) 4500
(f) At what level did the gender gap persist in the extract? What did Dr Mita Bhadra observe? Answer in about 40 words.
View AnswerAns. (According to a paper on women in medicine published in the journal ‘Indian Anthropologis’ by sociologist Dr Mita Bhadra, the gender gap persists at the postgraduation and doctoral levels. The percentage of women doctors here is around one-third of male doctors. She also observed that positions of leadership in academics and administration are still mostly occupied by men.
(g) Complete the sentence appropriately.
Pharmacology, pathology and microbiology are termed as ______________
View AnswerAns. paraclinical
(h) State True or False.
The title, “Studying is disadvantageous to women” is appropriate for the given passage.
View AnswerAns. False
SECTION – B: CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS
Note: All details presented in the questions are imaginary and created for assessment purpose.
3. Attempt ANY ONE of two, in about 50 words.
A. Recently there has been an increase in the cases of kidnappings, especially of children. On closer investigation it has been found that domestic helps or some persons familiar with the family were involved in most cases. You are the Secretary of the Residents’ Welfare Association. Write a notice to be put up on the notice board of the colony informing the citizens about the following:
– Police verification of servants, identity cards to be made
– Register entry of visitors at the gate
– Installation of CCTV in the premises
View AnswerAns.
RESIDENTS’ WELFARE ASSOCIATION, GREEN PARK, NEW DELHI
17th July 20XX
NOTICE
Alert for Kidnapping
As you all are aware a number of cases of kidnappings have taken place in our society in the past two months. This notice has been put up to inform everyone that after a close investiga- tion, involvement of domestic help or some person closer to the family has been found in most cases. To ensure the safety of the child we all need to follow the steps listed below:
• Ensure police verification of servants, identity cards to be issued.
• Register entry of unknown persons at the gate with the gatekeeper.
• Installation of CCTV cameras in the premises.
Everyone is requested to co-operate so that such incidents do not happen.
ABC
(Secretary, RWA)
OR
B. You are the president of the Malviya Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, Block A and you are organising a “New Year Party” in your area. Draft a notice as Dharam Sethi informing the residents of your block of the same. Include details which you deem necessary for the purpose.
View AnswerAns.
MALVIYA NAGAR RESIDENTS’ WELFARE ASSOCIATION, BLOCK A
15 December 2022
NOTICE
New Year Bash 2023
Malviya Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, Block A is organising a grand New Year Party in the colony on 31 December 2022. The celebrations will begin by 6 pm onwards. The residents are requested to join enthusiastically and make it a grand bash.
Sumptuous food, games, music, dance, prizes, and surprises are on the cards.
Kindly deposit 500 per head with Mr Krishnakant Kalra (Treasurer).
Sd/-
Dharam Sethi
President
Residents’ Welfare Association, Block A
4. Attempt ANY ONE of two, in about 50 words.
A. You are a student of St. Anthony School, Gwalior. The school is holding its annual function. Write an invitation on behalf of the Principal inviting the parents and dignitaries of the town to attend the function to be held on September 18, 20XX at 5:00 p.m.
View AnswerAns.
THE PRINCIPAL AND THE STAFF
of
St. Anthony School, Gwalior
Request your benign presence on the auspicious occasion
of
The Annual Function of the school
at 5:00 p.m. on September 18, 20XX
Shri. A.K. Dewan, IAS
will be the Chief Guest and give away the prizes to the meritorious students.
R.S.V.P.
Principal
St. Anthony School
Gwalior
OR
B. Invite your class fellows and friends on the wedding of your elder sister. Invent necessary details.
View AnswerAns.
16, Nai Sarak
New Delhi 1100XX
15 August 20XX
Dear Reena
I invite you to grace the occasion of my elder sister Riya’s marriage on 30th August 20XX. Please grace the occasion at 4 p.m. The marriage party will leave for Hotel Park, New Delhi at 5 p.m. Kindly join us on the auspicious day and oblige.
Yours faithfully
Rita
(Rita)
5. Attempt ANY ONE of two, in about 120-150 words.
A. You are Rajan/Rama, living in Ghaziabad. You have just completed your studies and are in search of a job. While browsing through The Times of India, you came across the following advertisement. Choose a post for which you think you are suitable. Send your application in response to this advertisement.
An Upcoming School in Ghaziabad Requires the Following Staff
Lab Assistant: Science graduates having 2-5 years of lab experience
Accountant: BCom with minimum experience of 2 years in maintaining accounts
Receptionist: Young female candidates fluent in English with good communication skills and proficiency in computer/Net surfing with 3-year experience
Please send your detailed updated resume within seven days to the Manager, Prayag Inter- national School, 67A, Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad, 2010XX
View AnswerAns.
13, Vikas Marg
New Delhi 1100XX
22 October 20XX
The Manager
St. Prayag School
67A Kavi Nagar
Ghaziabad 2010XX
Dear Sir
Subject: Application for the post of ‘Accountant’
In response to your advertisement dated 20 October 20XX in The Times of India, for the post of Accountant, I want to offer my candidature. I am a dynamic young man of pleasing habits and personality with the necessary qualifications and experience. I can join immediately, if desired. Looking forward for a positive response.
Yours faithfully
Rajan Sharma
(Rajan Sharma)
OR
B. You are perturbed to read about the rising cases of road rage in the National Capital. People become so aggressive and violent that an argument results in injuries or, in some extreme cases, even death. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the Editor of a daily to make the public aware of the need to curb such behaviour to make roads safer for the people. You are Anvita/Anmol, a resident of Ashok Nagar, New Delhi.
Ans.
B. 25A, Ashok Nagar
New Delhi 1100XX
25 October 20XX
The Editor
The Hindustan Times
KG Marg
Delhi 1100XX
Dear Sir
Subject: Rising menace of Road Rage
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I want to draw attention of the authorities concerned and the masses in general to reckless and rash driving. It is highly perturbing to read about the cases of road rage in the capital.
Nowadays, the level of aggression has reached its peak. Minor altercations lead to heated arguments resulting in injuries or, in some extreme cases, even death.
Road rage in most cases is due to lack of traffic sense, impatience or excessive speed to name a few. Children, below 18 years of age, drive their bikes at flying speeds. Their excitement results in accidents. Everyone cringes about road accidents but never realizes that these happen due to their own carelessness. Be it an adult or a teenager, everyone wants to move speedily, hardly caring for the life of others. Even the traffic police become helpless when it comes to traffic control.
It’s high time authorities concerned took steps to control road rage problems. People should be made aware of the traffic rules so that people follow them faithfully. If not, then hefty fines must be imposed. A growing country needs to be a safe country. Hope my letter would find a suitable place in your newspaper.
Thanking you
Yours faithfully
Anvita
(Anvita)
6. Attempt ANY ONE of two, in about 120 words.
A. After class 12, students are apprehensive about choosing the course and the college. The ‘Mission Admissions’ organized by The Times of India is a great platform for college aspirants. It would help them to get knowledge about emerging opportunities in various streams. Write an article emphasizing the need of career counselling to help students with the admission process.
– career counselling – must in education
– success and contentment
– numerous opportunities
– various streams
– child-free to choose the area of interest
View AnswerAns.
Importance of Career Counselling
by Vinay
With the increasing number of colleges and universities, the variety of courses offered is also increasing. For a student it is a dilemma. If a student chooses a path and career that is far away from his interest and ability, it can cause long-term dissatisfaction. Hence, it is essential to plan one’s career carefully for success and contentment. Most students choose a career based on unnecessary factors like following the peers, accepting parents’ choice, lack of knowledge about other fields, current trends or grabbing the most sought-after career opportunities. At such a point, career counselling helps. Career counselling involves personality tests, aptitude tests and interviews. Based on the report of a student, the counselling panel guides the child through his/ her career choice. A child should be made free to choose his area of interest. Career counselling helps one to find the true calling of his talent and choose the career path accordingly. It also helps to define the pros and cons of each course and career path one desires, hence clarifying students’ doubts. Career counselling can boost morale and confidence and give new inclination to the students which will be beneficial to the whole society. Thus, with the help of career counselling, most students end up choosing the right career, and performing their level best, which ultimately help them succeed and achieve new heights. The ‘Mission Admission’ launched by the Times of India is one such platform, which helps college aspirants to gain relevant knowledge about emerging opportunities in various streams so that the aspirants can decide their career.
New Delhi, 15 June 20XX
OR
B. You are a press reporter. Write a report in 120-150 words on the recent cattle catching drive launched by MCD to clear stray cattle from Delhi roads. Use the given cues.
– week-long cattle catching drive by MCD
– eight-member team involved
– a group of eight men armed with lassos and tranquiliser guns
– animals sent to a shelter house
View AnswerAns.
Cattle-catching Drive
by Manish Madan
Following a directive issued from the Delhi High Court to clear the city of stray cattle, MCD’s Veterinary Department launched a week-long cattle-catching drive in all its zones.
The eight-member team could be seen catching stray cattle in different areas of Delhi. The technique consisted of throwing a rope around the animal’s neck and manoeuvring it into a waiting truck. According to an eyewitness in the Okhla Industrial Area, a caravan of trucks halted in the area and a group of eight men armed with lassos and tranquilliser guns leapt out and soon the whole place was transformed into a bull ring. The catchers rounded up 22 stray cattle from this area on the very first day, six of these were buffaloes. These animals were sent to a shelter house run by Delhi Administration ‘gaushalas’.
It is expected that similar drives will be launched by the municipal authorities of West Delhi and North Delhi zones.
SECTION C: LITERATURE
7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.
A. Now we will count to twelve
And we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
Let’s not speak in any language
Let’s stop for one second
And not move our arms so much.
[Keeping Quiet](a) Which of the following themes is best represented in the given extract?
(i) War
(ii) War and violence
(iii) Sustaining peace and silence
(iv) Introspection of others
View AnswerAns. (iii) Sustaining peace and silence
(b) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE, with reference to the given extract.
The poet wants us not to move our arms so much because physical activity leads to stopping our introspection.
View AnswerAns. True
(c) Complete the sentence appropriately.
The poet asks us to stop for one second because the moment of quietness will give us the time to meditate and introspect upon the kind of turmoil _________
View AnswerAns. we have created in earth through our ill-actions
(d) The poet asks the readers to ‘count till twelve’ in the extract. This symbolizes
View AnswerAns. the way to calm our minds and focus on the present moment.
(e) Based on the rhyme scheme of the poem, evident in the extract, which word would you rhyme with ‘second”?
Ans. reckoned
(f) Select the option that is NOT true about the poem in the given extract.
(i) The poem is written in free verse.
(ii) The poem has no rhyming scheme.
(iii) The poem has rhyming scheme ‘aabbcc’.
(iv) The poem stresses upon being quiet.
View AnswerAns. (iii) The poem has rhyming scheme ‘aabbcc’.
OR
B. Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother
beside me
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with
pain
that she thought away, and
looked but soon…
[My Mother at Sixty-six)(a) What is the speaker’s emotional state when looking at her mother?
(i) Empathetic and understanding
(ii) Fearful and apprehensive
(iii) Nostalgic and longing
(iv) Confused and disoriented
View AnswerAns. (ii) Fearful and apprehensive
(b) Where is the poetess going when she said, “home to Cochin last Friday”?
View AnswerAns. Cochin
(c) Select the word that WILL NOT complete the sentence appropriately.
The theme of the given extract is ____________
(i) fear of separation
(ii) aging
(iii) stolen childhood
(iv) fear of loss
View AnswerAns. (iii) stolen childhood
(d) State whether the given statement is TRUE or FALSE.
The poetic device used in the line, ‘ashen like that of a corpse’ is the same as the one used in the line, “O my Luve is like a red, red rose”.
View AnswerAns. True
(e) What message do these lines highlight, in the context of familial relationships, and the speaker’s sense of anxiety and fear at the prospect of losing her mother?
View AnswerAns. The message in these lines highlights that one day, everything that has blossomed will wither. Life will age and consequently come to an end. The poet notices how her mother’s radiance had worn out with age.
(f) Complete the sentence appropriately.
The phrase ‘that of a corpse’ means that she has lost her ____________ and ____________.
View AnswerAns. shine and strength
8. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.
A. DERRY: How could I? You pass people in the street and you might even speak to them, but you
never see them again. It doesn’t mean they’re friends.
MR LAMB: Doesn’t mean they’re enemies, either does it?
DERRY: No, they’re just…nothing. People. That’s all.
MR LAMB: People are never just nothing. Never.
DERRY: There are some people I hate.
MR LAMB: That’d do you more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only burns your face.
[On the Face of It(a) Complete the sentence appropriately.
The author’s purpose in using contractions, is to ___________
View AnswerAns. make words smaller, which makes them easier and faster to say.
(b) In the given extract, select the option that best summarises Derry’s attitude towards others. (i) His pessimism was hurting him more than acid.
(ii) His optimism was hurting him more than acid.
(iii) His acid was hurting him more than his optimism.
(iv) His acid was hurting him more than his pessimism.
View AnswerAns. (i) His pessimism was hurting him more than acid.
(c) Derry says, ‘I won’t change’. Why does Derry say so?
View AnswerAns. He says so because he thinks that his face will remain the same as before and people will make fun of him, as they always criticize his face.
(d) How is the line, “DERRY: No, they’re just…nothing. People. That’s all.” How would you describe Derry and Mr Lamb in the extract?
View AnswerAns. The given line describes Derry as confused and Mr Lamb as practical.
OR
B. The reason the programme has been so successful is because it’s impossible to go anywhere near the South Pole and not be affected by it. It’s easy to be blasé about polar ice-caps melting while sitting in the comfort zone of our respective latitude and longitude, but when you can visibly see glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, you begin to realise that the threat of global warming is very real.
[The Journey to the End of Earth)(a) Complete the sentence appropriately, with reference to the extract.
The reason behind the success of the programme ‘Students on Ice’ is the impossibility to ___________
View AnswerAns. go anywhere near the South Pole
(b) Select the most suitable title of the give extract.
(i) Students of the future
(ii) Kalyuga power
(iii) Global warming
(ii) Earth’s End A Journey
View AnswerAns. (ii) Earth’s End A Journey
(c) Why is Antarctica and its understandings important for the survival of the world?
View AnswerAns. Antarctica and its understandings are important for the survival of the world because it helps to know that the southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centred around the present day.
(d) When is the threat of global warming?
View AnswerAns. It’s easy to be blasé about polar ice-caps melting while sitting in the comfort zone of our respective latitude and longitude, but when you can visibly see glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, you begin to realise that the threat of global warming is very real.
9. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.
A. Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut-trees in the garden were taller, and the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof. How it must have broken his heart to leave it all, poor man; to hear his sister moving about in the room above, packing their trunks! For they must leave the country next day.
But he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last. After the writing, we had a lesson in history, and then the babies chanted their ba, be bi, bo, bu. Down there at the back of the room old Hauser had put on his spectacles and, holding his primer in both hands, spelled the letters with them. You could see that he, too, was crying; his voice trembled with emotion, and it was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to laugh and cry. Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson!
[The Last Lesson)(a) List any two sensory details present in this extract.
View AnswerAns. 1. Old Hauser had put on his spectacles and, holding his primer in both hands.
2. The babies chanted their ba, be, bi, bo, bu.
(b) What qualities of M. Hamel have been reflected in this extract?
(i) patient, emotional
(i) impatient, insensitive
(iii) proud, reproachful
(iv) miserable, resigned
View AnswerAns. (i) patient, emotional
(c) Complete the sentence appropriately.
M. Hamel was making preparations ____________
View AnswerAns. to leave the country
(d) Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that the atmosphere in the class was bitter sweet.
View AnswerAns. It was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to laugh and cry.
(e) What does ‘courage to hear every lesson to the last’ mean?
View AnswerAns. It means that M. Hamel had courage to hear all the things even in adverse circumstances.
(f) Select the most suitable option for the tone of the speaker in the given extract.
(i) Inquisitive
(ii) Alert
(iii) Monotonous
(iv) Doleful
View AnswerAns. (iv) Doleful
OR
B. It had happened when I was ten or eleven years old. I had decided to learn to swim. There was a pool at the YMCA in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The Yakima River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against it, and kept fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the YMCA pool was safe.
It was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end; and while it was nine feet deep at the other, the drop was gradual. I got a pair of water wings and went to the pool. I hated to walk naked into it and show my skinny legs. But I subdued my pride and did it.
[Deep Water](a) What is the reason the narrator developed a fear of water?
View AnswerAns. The narrator developed a fear of water because of knocking down by waves at a beach.
(b) The line, “The Yakima river was treacherous” can be classified as
(i) a fact
(ii) an opinion
(iii) a plot point
(iv) a theme
View AnswerAns. (i) a fact
(c) Explain how was YMCA pool safer.
View AnswerAns. YMCA pool was a safer one as it had instructors and lifeguards. It was also safer because it had shallow water to learn swim.
(d) The author says, “The instructor was finished. But I was not finished.” Rationalize the given statement.
View AnswerAns. After two months of training, the instructor told the author that now he knew everything about swimming, but it was he who was not satisfied yet. He himself wanted to become assure that he had overcome his fear of water. Thus, he said that the instructor was finished but he was not.
(e) Based on the context provided in the extract, select the most likely meaning of the phrase,
“I subdued my pride’?
(i) put pride down by force
(ii) brought pride out of control
(iii) raise his pride
(iv) fear from that
View AnswerAns. put pride down by force
(f) Complete the sentence with One word.
The Yakima Pool was only two or three feet _____________at the shallow end.
View AnswerAns. deep
10. Answer ANY FIVE of the following six questions, in about 40-50 words.
(a) Why did the girl close the door when the ironmaster opened the door for the peddler to go?
(The Rattrap)
View AnswerAns. The girl invited the peddler in, drawing attention to his sorry plight, saying that he was unwelcome everywhere and lived under the fear of being arrested. She wanted to provide him with a day’s comfort under their roof at this time of the year.
(b) Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
(Indigo)
View AnswerAns. For Gandhiji the amount of refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it part of their pride and prestige, so he agreed to the settlement of 25% refund.
(c) How did the poet prove that there can be life under apparent stillness in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’.
View AnswerAns. The poet said that the Earth can preserve and resurrect life. It apparently seems quiet but is nurturing, and the seeds sown in it bring out as life. Quietness, in no way, means inactivity.
(d) Why does the wedding band ‘sit heavily’ upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand?
(Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger)
View AnswerAns. The wedding band sits heavily as it is a constant reminder to Aunt Jennifer of the miserable marriage that she has got trapped into and this is also a sign of oppression.
(e) How can ‘mighty dead’ be things of beauty?
(A Thing of Beauty)
View AnswerAns. ‘Mighty dead’ are things of beauty as they have done inspirational deeds in their lives which one reads and has heard. Their legends and tales keep enthusing the reader.
(f) How did M. Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town?
(The Last Lesson)
View AnswerAns. M. Hamel was very emotional and displayed a lot of patience. It seemed as if he wanted to give them all what he knew in one go. When the church-clock struck twelve, he chokingly turned towards the blackboard and wrote as large as he could: ‘Vive la France’.
11. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions in about 40-50 words.
(a) What were the feelings of Dr Sadao and his wife on seeing the wounded man? What did they finally decide to do?
(The Enemy)
View AnswerAns. On seeing the man stagger to his feet, Dr Sadao and his wife presumed the man a fisherman, until they turned him over and saw his white face. They finally decided to take him home and keep him in the back bedroom that was once the room of Dr Sadao’s father.
(b) What arguments does Charley offer to show his disagreement with the psychiatrist’s diagnosis?
(The Third Level)
View AnswerAns. The psychiatrist friend of Charley thought that the third level was a kind of wish fulfillment for Charley as he was stressed out. Charley disagreed because he was sure of the third level and became more sure after he found out about Sam’s disappearance and his letter.
(c) Do you think all this will change Derry’s attitude towards Mr Lamb?
(On The Face of It)
View AnswerAns. Derry had a negative attitude to life and people due to his burnt face. He suffered from an inferiority complex and avoided meeting people. But after his long conversation with Mr Lamb, he was able to overcome his inferiority complex and changed his attitude.
12. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 120-150 words.
A. The characters in prose sections, Mukesh in The Lost Spring and Sophie in ‘Going Places’ are two different kinds of daydreamers. One is who fulfilled his dreams in real and the other is one who always lives in imaginary dreams. The daydreaming can affect our lives positively as well as negatively.
Imagine yourself as a motivational speaker who has to address high school students. Write this address in about 120-150 words elaborating on occurrences from the two texts highlighting realistic and unrealistic types of day dreaming.
View AnswerAns. Good morning to all teachers, principal and my dear friends!
As each coin has two faces, daydreaming can also be real or unreal. On one side, daydreaming can boost creativity within us, motivate us and make us more effective in our day to day life. However, some daydreaming has also proven to lead to stress, remove motivation and create unrealistic expectations.
Mukesh in ‘The Lost Spring’ belonged to a family of bangle makers in Firozabad. He had a daydream to become a car mechanic. He fulfilled his dreams by hard work and honesty. However, Sophie in ‘Going Places’ also lives in a dreamy world which has distant relation with the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful things beyond her reach or her means. She is neither practical nor realistic. Due to this nature, she could never ever succeed in her goals of unrealistic imagination. Therefore, we should think real, act real. One could survive in realism. Realism leads to positive imagination.
OR
B. ‘Poets and Pancakes’ includes this telling, “What is an English poet doing in a film studio which makes Tamil films for the simplest sort of people?” Comment on Stephen Spender.
In Keeping Quiet, we are told that: “It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines, we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.”
Imagine a conversation between you and Stephen Spender about your dream goals. Create this exchange with reference to the two extracts given above.
View AnswerAns.
Me: Hello sir! May I sit here?
Stephen Spender: Yes, for sure.
Me: Sir, after listening you speaking, it seems that you are a poet?
Stephen Spender: Yes, I’m. I love English poetry. How do you know?
Me: From your English accent and language.
Stephen Spender: Ohh! That’s good. It’s my dream to be a poet. What’s your dream?
Me: My dream? Well, when I was a kid, my dream was to be an astronaut. But then, as I got older, I realized I was afraid of heights.
Stephen Spender: I guess it’s difficult to be an astronaut if you’re afraid of heights. How about now? What’s your dream now?
Me: Now? I don’t think I have a dream. It’s more like a goal.
Stephen Spender: Ok. What’s your goal?
Me: My goal is to go to an American university and study there as now I want to be a scientist. Stephen Spender: That’s great. Good luck for your future endeavours.
Me: Thanks. Bye.
Stephen Spender: Bye.
13. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 120-150 words.
A. On returning home, Bama narrated the funny stories to her elder brother Annan. Her brother explained her that it is not funny in anything she told to him, instead all these incidents shows caste discrimination. As she understood the events, she felt disgusted and sad.
Imagine yourself to be BAMA and discuss what the Constitution of India does for this.
View AnswerAns. A. Caste discrimination refers to discrimination based on the caste of a person. The Constitution of India abolished untouchability. The Indian government initiated several national affirmative action policies to improve the status and living conditions of low-caste groups (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) by introducing caste-based quotas in political representation, public sector jobs and education. The recent years have witnessed some relaxation in caste restrictions. However, one cannot say that the evils of the caste system have been totally eradicated. It will take time and will be eradicated when the mindset of the people changes. Education can bring the next generation new blood with a new vision. We hope that time will come when absolute equality in the matter of earning a livelihood would be enjoyed by all the citizens of our country. In the modern context, our society changes and loves each other, which helps to abolish the caste discrimination.
OR
B. Both Derry and Mr Lamb suffered from handicaps, yet their outlook towards life is totally different. Instead of letting it pull them down, they both found a way to overcome it in their own way. You wish to include a cameo of both in your upcoming blog post.
(A cameo is a short description that neatly encapsulates someone or something)
As a part of the research, compare and contrast the experiences faced by the two and their responses to these experiences, in about 120-150 words. (Clue: include similarities and differences in the discrimination they faced – their feelings – determination to overcome – success)
View AnswerAns. Derry had a burnt face, and Mr Lamb had a tin leg. Both of them were lonely and yearned for company. But their outlook towards life was completely different. Derry suffered from an acute lack of self-esteem and rejection. He hated the people who commented on his face and drowned himself in self-pity. However, Mr Lamb, was full of life. He was ready to welcome all into his house. He kept the windows of his house without curtains. The positive attitude of Mr Lamb could not have been formed in a day. He had grown old with his deformity. He had learnt to bear the comments of boys who called him ‘Lamey Lamb’. Life had taught him to accept all kinds of situations graciously. Derry was too young to understand all this. He was a sensitive boy. His negative thoughts and insensitive attitude of the people had made him bitter.
The victims of impairment accept more responsible behavior from others. The best we can do for such victims is to accept them as they are, without constantly reminding them of their handicap or pitying them. Derry’s self-esteem suffered a setback due to the stares and unpleasant remarks of the people. Mr Lamb’s encouraging words pulled him out of his cocoon and filled him with confidence.