SECTION – A
(Unseen Comprehension)
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :
Polythene shopping bags and wrappers are potential threat to urban environment. Once you have discarded them after use, you do not lose your link with them. They return to you in a variety of ways, though you do not realize it. For example, they choke your drains and provide breeding facilities to deadly germs. A recent study has shown that about 250 tonnes of plastic wastes come out of various colonies of major cities alone every day. This disrupts the sewer system, the essential arteries of city life. These plastic wastes choke the land mass and clog the pores of the wetlands. Unfortunately, even the villages and small towns are not free from this danger. Millions of people returning to their hometowns everyday carry their shopping in colourful bags. This pleases their family and children, who after preserving them for a time, dispose them in wells, rivers, tanks and drains. Many throw them off into the fields. They do it with a sense of pride, to show off. When their neighbours see that their men from the cities regularly bring them those good things of life, they are impressed. In Delhi, the worst offenders are the upper – income groups of the so – called posh colonies. Though educated, the residents of these affluent areas are unaware of the damage done by the plastic bags. Nearly a million children in Delhi schools carry their lunch boxes in plastic bags. They callously throw them away and cause unhealthy environment.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) When do we throw away our polythene shopping bags ?
(ii) What are the essential arteries of city life ?
(iii) What do the villagers want to convey to their neighbours by throwing the plastic bags into the fields
(iv) How do the school children pollute the environment ?
(v) Which word in the passage means 'thrown away' ?
OR
Drug addiction is a major social evil of modern times. It has transcended all barriers of caste, colour, creed and sex. It is a problem that is eating into the vitals of society. In the beginning, a person takes a drug out of curiosity. There are some who take drugs simply for the thrill it gives them. The tragedy is that once a person gets used to taking any kind of intoxicating drug it becomes addiction. His body develops dependence on the drug. He has to steadily increase the dose. Even if at any point of his life, he realizes his folly, it becomes extremely difficult for him to give up drugs. It is like being in the clutches of a monster. It is pathetic to see a drug addict, when he does not get his usual dose. His whole body writhes in pain which drives him to madness. Besides, taking drugs is expensive. Therefore, it drives drug addicts to stealing, committing petty crimes and other antisocial activities. It is not surprising that drug addicts become antisocial elements. Drugs completely destroy their mental faculties to think clearly and to rationalize.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) What harm is the evil of drug addiction doing to our society ?
(ii) Why does a person take drugs in the beginning ?
(iii) When does drug-taking become addiction ?
(iv) What happens when a drug addict does not get his usual dose ?
(v) Which word in the passage means 'to stop' or 'quit' ?
SECTION – B
(Writing Skills)
2. Attempt any one of the following : 5
(a) You are Arun of Gurugram. You are disturbed to see the problem of traffic jam in NCR region which causes loss of time as well as fuel. Write a letter to S.S.P. (Traffic) Gurugram in about 100 words rawing attention to the problem of traffic jam in Gurugram.
(b) You are Ajay of Gurugram. Write an application to the Principal of your school requesting him to arrange for special coaching classes for you in English. Give reasons why you want it.
3. Attempt any one of the following : 5
(a) Write a paragraph on the topic :
'Telephone : A Nuisance'.
(b) You are Deepak. A 'Clean Vidyalaya – Clean India' campaign was organised in your school. Write a report in about 40 words highlighting the features of the campaign.
SECTION – C
(Grammar)
4. Attempt any twelve sentences, choosing two from each sub-part : 1 × 12 = 12
(a) Use the correct form of the verb given in the brackets :
(i) Irregular work .......... (not bring) success.
(ii) If I .......... (have) a dictionary of my own, I would not bother you.
(iii) By the end of this month I .......... (learn) driving for two months.
(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles given in the brackets, wherever necessary :
(i) By .......... united effort we may achieve success. (a/an/the/×)
(ii) My son will be old enough to go to....... school next year. (a/an/the/×)
(iii) This is .......... first time I have asked for help. (a/an/the/×)
(c) Rewrite the following sentences in Indirect Speech :
(i) Mother said to me, "Go and wash your hand."
(ii) The teacher said to the boys, "May you pass in the first division !"
(iii) He said to me, "Who taught me English ?"
(d) Fill in the blanks with modals given in the brackets :
(i) ......... your future be bright ! (Would/May/Might)
(ii) Radha ......... play harmonium well. (will/shall/can)
(iii) I ......... study day and night in my student life. (can/would/used to)
(e) Combine the sentences using a noun clause in each case :
(i) I said something. I am sorry for it.
(ii) What does the teacher say ? Listen to it.
(iii) The principal was coming. The whole class knew it.
(f) Fill in the blanks with correct form of verbs (Gerund or Infinitive) given in the brackets :
(i) Could you ....... me please ? (help/to help/helping)
(ii) He was happy .......... (see) me.
(iii) It is no use ....... (cry) over spilt milk.
SECTION – D
[ A : Prose Text (First Flight) ]
5. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow. Do any two passages :
(a) He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child. After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the clouds. Now there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota's last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) In which direction did the other aeroplane take a turn ?
(ii) What was easier for the Dakota aeroplane's pilot ?
(iii) How much fuel was left with him ?
(iv) Name the chapter.
(v) Find from the passage the opposite of 'insufficient'.
(b) They were writing a letter to Wanda Petronski. It was just a friendly letter telling about the contest and telling Wanda she had won. They told her how pretty her drawings were. And they asked her if she liked where she was living and if she liked her new teacher. They had meant to say they were sorry, but it ended up with their just writing a friendly letter, the kind they would have written to any good friend, and they signed it with lots of X's for love. They mailed the letter to Boggins Heights, writing 'Please Forward' on the envelope. Days passed and there was no answer. But the letter did not come back, so may be Wanda had received it. Perhaps she was so hurt and angry she was not going to answer. You could not blame her.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) What did they write about in the letter ?
(ii) What did they mean to say by their letter ?
(iii) What did they write to Wanda about her drawings ?
(iv) Why did they write 'Please Forward' on the letter ?
(v) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to 'Censure'.
(c) Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, "Here is mustard – seed; take it !" But when she asked, "Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family ?" They answered her, "Alas ! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, "How selfish am I in my grief ! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness."
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) What did Kisa Gotami ask the villagers ?
(ii) What reply did Kisa Gotami get ?
(iii) What happened to Kisa Gotami in the end ?
(iv) What did Kisa Gotami realize in the end ?
(v) Name the chapter.
6. Answer in about 100 words : 5
What were two obligations that Mandela described in this lesson ? What was the reason
that he was not able to fulfil those obligations ? (Nelson Mandela : Long walk to Freedom)
OR
How did Valli plan her visit to the town ? Explain.
7. Answer any four of the following questions : 2 × 4 = 8
(i) How did the rain change ? What happened to Lencho's fields ? (A Letter to God)
(ii) "The sight of the food maddened him...." what does this suggest ? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly ? (His First Flight)
(iii) How is Wanda seen as different by the other girls ? How do they treat her ?
(The Hundred Dresses - I)
(iv) What is the story about the Kodavu people's descent ? (Coorg)
(v) Why does the conductor call Valli 'madam' ? (Madam Rides the Bus)
(vi) Justify, in brief, the title of the play, "The Proposal". (The Proposal)
[ B : Poetry (First Flight) ]
8. Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that follow :
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.
'Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He'll only lep and lep again.
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) Name the poem.
(ii) How can you recognize the leopard ?
(iii) What will the leopard do if we cry with pain ?
(iv) What is the rhyme – scheme in the stanza ?
(v) What is the meaning of the word 'Walking' in the stanza ?
OR
"I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair."
Questions : 1 × 5 = 5
(i) Name the poem.
(ii) What did the religious man find ?
(iii) Who can love us for ourselves ?
(iv) Find a word in the stanza rhyming with 'declare'.
(v) Find a word in the stanza which means the same as 'book'.
9. Answer in about 100 words : 5
Summarise the poem 'A Tiger in the Zoo' in your own words.
OR
What is the central idea of the poem 'The Trees' ? Discuss.
10. Answer any two of the following : 2 × 2 = 4
(i) What are the ideas about how the world will end ? (Fire and Ice)
(ii) Mention three things that humans do and animals don't. (Animals)
(iii) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage ?
Why is the dragon called the 'cowardly dragon' ? (The Tale of Custard the Dragon)
(C : Supplementary Reader )
11. Answer in about 100 words : 5
How did Ausable befool Max ? Describe. (The Midnight Visitor)
OR
How did Ebright's mother help him in becoming a scientist ? Explain. (The Making of a Scientist)
12. Answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each : 2 × 4 = 8
(i) Why is the narrator tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest ? (A Triumph of Surgery)
(ii) Who is the real culprit in the story ? Explain. (A Question of Trust)
(iii) What curious episode occurs in the study ? Discuss. (Footprints without Feet)
(iv) How did the Loisel react when they realized that the necklace had been lost ? (The Necklace)
(v) Who behaved friendly with the lawyer and where did he take him and why ? (The Hack Driver)
(vi) Why does the marriage not take place ? (Bholi)
13. Answer any three of the following : 1 × 3 = 3
(i) How old was Anil ?
(ii) After making a theft in the shop of a theatrical company where did Griffin decide to go ?
(iii) Where did the hack driver take the narrator first of all ?
(iv) Who was the ruler of Mars ?