SECTION – A
(Unseen Comprehension)
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :
Money has become a kind of God in the modern times. The modern generation is becoming more and more money-minded. We have become materialistic. It is true that money is very important in our life. In order to remain alive we must have money. However, money is not everything. There are many things which cannot be bought with money. There are many things which are far more precious than money. The innocent smile on the face of a child, first love in the eyes of a young man or girl or the look of gratitude on the face of an old person whom you have helped–these are things no one can buy, however rich he may be. When we spend money, we think of its gain. But there are certain fields in which the gains are in term of mental satisfaction. It means that money is not everything. Always emember that money is made for man & man is not made for money. Thus we see that there are many things which are more important than money. They are honesty, service, belief in God and helping the poor. The most important wealth is the peace of mind. The man who has it is really rich.
Questions : 1 × 6 = 6
(i) What is modern man's attitude towards money ?
(ii) Is it true that money is very important in man's life ?
(iii) Can everything in life be bought with money ?
(iv) What other gain instead of monetary gain does the narrator talk about in the passage ?
(v) Who is really rich ?
(vi) What should one always remember regarding money ?
OR
Every civilization has its periods of progress and fall. Many civilizations of the world, like the Babylon and the Greece were once very high. But today Babylon has disappeared and the Greeks are just a pale shadow of their ancient selves. India too had its period of ascendancy. There was a time when India was called 'A sparrow of Gold'. Our periods of history like the Gupta or the reign of Ashoka were glorious. But then came the downfall of India. Our country committed a mistake. We grew rich but not powerful. We had wealth, but no power to protect that wealth. As a result a number of invaders attacked us, looted us and then left. But some rulers came to stay, like the Muslims. They exploited the country. The coming of the British added to our woes & finished us. They took away whatever wealth was left in the country. We were at zero level economically when they left India. At present we are again rich and one of the top economies of the world. We are also powerful, no country can attack & loot us so easily now.
Questions : 1 × 6 = 6
(i) What do you know about the civilization of Babylon ?
(ii) What was the fate of the civilization of Greece ?
(iii) What was India's position in ancient times ?
(iv) What mistake contributed to the downfall of India ?
(v) What do you know about Muslim invaders from the passage ?
(vi) Who added to our woes and how ?
SECTION – B
(Writing)
2. Attempt any one of the following : 6
(a) Write a letter to the S. H. O of your locality reporting about the theft that occurred in your house.
(b) Write a letter to the Chairman, Municipal Corporation requesting him to provide relief to the residents from monkey menace.
3. Attempt any one of the following : 6
(a) Write a brief paragraph on "A Hot Summer Day".
(b) You propose to sell your flat as you are going abroad. Draft an advertisement for it to be published in a newspaper.
SECTION – C
(Grammar)
4. Attempt any twelve sentences, choosing two from each part : 1 × 12 = 12
(a) Use the correct form of the verb given in the brackets :
(i) I ……… (study) for three hours when the lights went off.
(ii) I shall not go to his house unless he (invite) me.
(iii) The police (catch) the thief last night.
(b) Rewrite the following sentences in indirect speech :
(i) The stranger said to me, "Can you tell me the way to a good hotel ?"
(ii) He asked me, "Where is the station ?"
(iii) He said to me, "Hard work is the key to success."
(c) Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles wherever necessary :
(i) …….… Owl cannot see during daytime.
(ii) Ram is ………….. one eyed person.
(iii) Everest is ………….. highest mountain peak in …………. world.
(d) Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals given in brackets :
(i) He ………….. come home late at night. (used/used to/use to)
(ii) ………….. I assist you ? (Shall/Will/Would)
(iii) It …………... be hot in the evening; who knows ? (would/will/may)
(e) Use appropriate Infinitive/Gerund :
(i) He tried (make) me a fool.
(ii) I am sorry (disturb) you.
(iii) I object to (write) on my walls.
(f) Punctuate the following sentences :
(i) she is no doubt the happiest girl under the sun
(ii) well well meet me at the station tomorrow
(iii) the rich and the poor the high and the low the weak and the
strong visit this temple
SECTION – D
(A : Prose Text )
5. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow.
Do any two passages :
(a) I knew that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred; he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) What according to the writer, has to be done to the oppressor as well as the oppressed ?
(ii) How is the oppressor a prisoner according to the author ?
(iii) What robs the oppressor and the oppressed of their humanity ?
(iv) Find a word from the passage which means strong dislike without any good reason'.
(v) Name the chapter and the author.
(b) The first period was a study period. Maddie tried to prepare her lessons, but she could not put her mind on her work. She had a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing. She had stood by silently, and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done. Worse, she was a coward. At least Peggy hadn't considered they were being mean but she, Maddie, had thought they were doing wrong. She could put herself in Wanda's shoes.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) What work did Maddie do in her first period ?
(ii) Why did Maddie have a sick feeling at the bottom of her stomach ?
(iii) What had Maddie not enjoyed ?
(iv) What did Maddie think about Peggy's making fun of Wanda ?
(v) Find from the passage words which mean the same as :
(a) almirah
(b) lacking courage
(c) We have an Indian legend too. Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic, cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and drunk banished sleep. "Tea was first drunk in China" Rajvir added, "as far as 2700 B. C. ! In fact words such as tea, Chai, Chini are from Chinese. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth century and was drunk more as medicine than as beverage".
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) Who cut off his eyelids and why ?
(ii) What kind of plants grew out of the eyelids ?
(iii) When was tea first drunk in China ? When did it come to Europe ?
(iv) What purpose was tea drunk in Europe for ?
(v) Find from the passage words that means :
(a) a story from the past that may or may not be true.
(b) any type of drink except water.
6. Answer in about 100 words : 7
What is Coorg famous for ? Describe briefly what you know about the
Coorgi people.
OR
Give a brief character-sketch of Natalya.
7. Answer any three of the following questions : 1 × 3 = 3
(i) Who was Gautama Buddha ?
(ii) How did Valli plan her bus ride ? What did she find out about the bus ?
(iii) What did the bakers wear in Portuguese days ?
(iv) Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it ?
(B : Poetry)
8. Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that follow :
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) Where was the crow sitting ?
(ii) What did the crow do ?
(iii) What is dust of snow ?
(iv) What does "dust of snow" stand for ?
(v) Name the poem & the poet.
OR
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) Who did Belinda embrace and why ?
(ii) What did Ink, Blink and Mustard do ?
(iii) What was the reason of their glee ?
(iv) Name the poem & its poet.
(v) What does 'mourned' and 'gyrate' means ?
9. Answer in about 50 words : 5
What is the central idea of the poem "Animals" ?
OR
What is the theme of the poem "The Ball Poem" ?
10. Answer any three of the following : 2 × 3 = 6
(i) What is the fog compared to ? What does it look over ?
(ii) What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid ?
(iii) How can the young woman dye her hair ? Why ? (For Anne Gregory)
(iv) What last voice does the tiger hear at night & what does he stare at ? (A Tiger in the Zoo)
(C : Supplementary Reader )
11. Answer in about 100 words : 6
Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable ? Why was he disillusioned in the
beginning ? What happens in the end ?
OR
What did Loisel bring home one evening ? How did Matilda react to it ? (The Necklace)
12. Answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each : 2 × 4 = 8
(i) Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion ? What does he first think about the place ?
(ii) How can you say that Anil was easy going and extravagant ?
(iii) Why did Mrs. Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr. Herriot ?
(iv) How often did Horace Danby rob every year ? What did he do with the loot ?
(v) Why was Griffin wandering in the streets ?
(vi) What is the time and place of the story at the beginning ? (The Book that Saved the Earth)