PART I
Read the following passage from the extract “The Adventures in a Banyan Tree” and answer any 4 questions
A. It was to be a battle of champions Hissing defiance, his forked tongue darting in and out, the cobra raised three of his six feet off the ground, and spread his broad, spectacled
hood. The mongoose bushed his tail. The long hair on his spine stood up (in the past, the very thickness of his hair had saved him from bites that would have been fatal to others). Though the combatants were unaware of my presence in the banyan tree, they soon became aware of the arrival of two other spectators. One was a myna, and the other a jungle crow (not the wily urban crow). They had seen these preparations for battle , and had settled on the cactus to watch the outcome. Had they been content only to watch, all would have been well with both of them.. The cobra stood on the defensive, swaying slowly from side to side , trying to mesmerize the mongoose into marking a false move. But the
mongoose knew the power of his opponent’s glassy Unwinking eyes, and refused to meet them.
1. Who are the champions mentioned in the passage?
2. How did the cobra get ready for the fight?
3. How is the thick hair helpful to the mongoose?
4. For what purpose did the crow and the myna settle on the cactus?
5. How did the cobra stand on the defensive?
6. Pick out a word from the passage which means ‘fighters’. (1×4=4)
B . Read the lines from the song ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and answer the following questions :
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they are allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
7. What does the word ‘mountain’ stand for?
8. What is the attitude of the man to the suffering people, according to Bob Dylan?
9. Pick out the lines that refer to the denial of Civil Rights?
10. Pick out an example for visual image from the given stanza.
PART II
A. Read the lines from the poem ‘Lines Written In Early Spring’ and answer any two of the following questions:
I heard a thousand blended notes,
while in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man
11. What does the phrase blended notes mean ? When did the poet hear it?
12. what is the rhyme scheme of the poem ? pick out a pair of rhyming words?
13. What does the expression ‘I sate reclined’ indicate about the poet’s state of mind?
14.pick out an example of personification ?
15. what are the fair works of nature? 2 x3 = 6
B . Read the extract taken from “VANKA” and write the answers any two of the questions given below:
Vanka sighed, dipped his pen in the ink, and went on writing: ‘And yesterday I had such a
hiding. The master took me by the hair and dragged me out into the yard and beat me with the stirrup-strap because by mistake I went to sleep while rocking their baby. And one day last week the mistress told me to gut a herring and I began from the tail and she picked up the herring and rubbed my face with the head. The other apprentices make fun of me, they send me to the tavern and make me steal the master’s cucumbers and the master beats me with the first thing he finds.
16. What was the hiding Vanka had the previous day?
17. Why did his mistress rub Vanka’s face with the fish?
18. How did the other apprentices disturb Vanka?
PART III
Answer any three questions form the given five questions ( 3×4 = 12)
A. 19. Edit the following Passage
I were (a) also an early writer and when I began to wrote (b) in (c) about an age of seven, stories in pencil with crayon illustrations that my poor mother was obligated to read. I write (d) exactly the kind of stories I was reading.
20. Complete the following passage choosing the phrases given below.
Vanka faced many difficulties in Alyakhin’s house. He couldn’t tolerate them. He wrote a
letter to his grandfather. He hoped that his grandfather would take care of him. He wore his coat and went out to post the letter.
( put up with, put on, look after, came across, gave away)
21. fill in the blanks with suitable words
My first friend and familiar friend was a small grey squirrel. Arching his back and sniffing …a…. the air, he seemed at first ….b…. resent my invasion….c….his privacy. But, when he found that I did not arm myself …..d…a catapult ……e… air-gun, he became friendlier.
22 .complete the conversation
Mrs John : You will talk to the doctor today, …………………?
Mr John : I’m a bit nervous.
Mrs John : …………………………………………………….?
Mr John : I’m nervous about how he would react.
Mrs John: If you don’t talk to him today, ………………………………
Mr John : I know I will not get a chance again.
Mrs John : You had better ………………………………..
Mr John : Yes, I will take the initiative today for sure.
MrsJohn: Shall we go to the deck now?
Mr John: ok
23.
Boy
The boy
The boy in the class
The boy in the class who scored high marks
Now construct similar word pyramid with the word “Tree”
B. Answer any one of the following question
24. Read the newspaper headlines given below and answer the questions that follow.
20 KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS
INDIA CLINCHES SERIES AGAINST WEST INDIES
FROGS MARRIED OFF IN HOPE OF RAIN
CYCLONE KILLS OVER TWENTY
M.B.A. CLASSES TO BEGIN ON SEPT. 20
1. Which headline is related to the field of sports? (1)
2. The headline which speaks of nature’s fury is —————————— (1)
3. Identify the headline that hints at superstitious belief. (1)
4. The headline that talks of a road mishap is —————— (1) (4×1 = 4)
25. study the bio data and answer the questions.
1. Who will you approach, if you want to know something about university studies? (1)
2. Who can help you to communicate with a North Indian visitor? (1)
3. Suppose you want to buy some orchids, who will you contact? (1)
4. You need to get the recipe of a pudding, who do you meet to get it? 4 1 = 4
PART IV
A. Answer any three of the following questions (3×6 = 18)
26. Mr. John’s heart bounced with immense pleasure when he met A J Cronin after twenty five years. If he wrote his experience in his diary, how would that be?
27. Prepare the character sketch of the grandfather in ‘Adventures in a Banyan Tree.’
28. Satyajit Ray’s idea of shooting with a wild animal attracted everybody’s attention as it was novel step in Indian film industry. The next day’s daily reported the details of the shooting Notun Gram. Prepare the likely news paper report.
28. Write an imaginary letter that the boy right writes to his friend about the fight he saw between the Cobra and the Mongoose
29. The Principal of the school delivers a speech on the occasion of the presentation of the scholarship jacket to Martha. Prepare the likely speech
B. Answer any two questions.
30. Imagine Kiran speaks with Nilkanta after She finds out the inkstand in his box. Prepare
a conversation between Nilkanta and Kiran.
31 .Imagine that you are the secretary of English Club of your school. English club hasdecided to enact a play based on the story ‘ Vanka’. Prepare a notice to be published
on the school notice board
32. Prepare a profile of Ruskin Bond from the given hints.
Name : Ruskin Bond
Birth : 19th May 1934
Educated : Bishop cotton School Shimla
Field of interest : Children’s literature
Style of writing : Simple and nature oriented
Major works : The angry river, Our trees still grow in Dehra etc.
Awards : Padma Shri 1999, Lifetime achievement award 2017,
Present state : Lives with family in Mussoori
PART V
A. Answer any two questions ( 2×8 = 16)
33 . The boy in the story ‘Adventures in a Banyan Tree’ was excited and thrilled to witness the fight between the cobra and the mongoose. Later when he meets his friend, he narrates the fight scene of the cobra and the mongoose. What would be the likely narrative?
34. On reaching home, the narrator, narrates to his wife, the touching incident of meeting with Mr.John and knowing about his dramatic transformation. What would be the likely narrative?
35. Narrate the events that led to Martha’s winning of scholarship jacket.
ANSWER KEY
Part 1
A.1. The champions mentioned in the passage are the mongoose and the cobra
2. The cobra darted its forked tongue in and out and raised three of its six feet off the ground and spread its spectacled hood.
3. The thickness of the mongoose’s hair had saved him from fatal bites on many occasions.
4. The myna and the crow settled on the cactus to see the outcome of the battle.
5. The cobra stood on the defensive by swaying from side to side and trying to mesmerize
the mongoose into making a false move.
6. combatants
B.7.The word mountain stands for the pride of the white people who believed themselves
superior to the black
8. They pretend that they are not seeing the sufferings of the people and they turned their head away from them
9 “Yes, and how many years can some people exist Before they are allowed to be free?”
10 mountain,sea, head
PART 2
A
11. The phrase blended notes refers to the various sounds that the poet was hearing from nature.The poet heard it when he was sitting relaxed in the grove.
12. abab, notes -thoughts, link- think
13. the expression I sate reclined indicates that the poet was sitting in a relaxed manner in the grove enjoying the beauty and sounds of nature.
14. To her fair works did nature link The human soul that through me ran here nature is considered as a person.The personal pronoun “her” is used here.
B 15. The fair works of nature refer to the trees ,plants and flowers that decorate nature
16. The previous day , the master took Vanka by the hair and dragged him out into the yard and beat him with a stirrup strap
17 The mistress was angry at Vanka and rubbed Vanka’s face with the fish as he started gutting the herring from the tail.
18 The other apprentices made fun of him. They sent him to tavern for buying vodka and told him to steal food from master’s table.
PART 3
A19. a) was b)write c)at d) wrote
20 came across
put up with
look after
put on
21a) into
b) to
c) of
d) with
e) or
22a) won’t you?
b)what are you nervous at?
c)you will not get a chance to meet him again
d) go and talk to him
23
tree
the tree
the tree in the garden
the tree in the garden which gives us fruits
B24
1 INDIA CLINCHES SERIES AGAINST WEST INDIES
2 CYCLONE KILLS OVER TWENTY
3 FROGS MARRIED OFF IN HOPE OF RAIN
4 20 KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS
25
1 Prof. Mohandas
2 Tessa George
3 Raji
4 Letha
26 Diary of Mr.John
27 Character sketch of The Grandfather
28 News paper report
28 Letter of the boy
29 speech of the principal
30 B
Conversation between Nilkanta and Kiran
31 Notice
32 Profile of Ruskin Bond
PART 5
A
33 Narrative of the fight scene
34 Narrative by A J Cronin
35 Narrative of Martha winnig the jacket
