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saffron, lentil and rice. The maidens grind another male gharial who wants to take
sandalwood, henna and rice. The pedlars sell over his domain. He wants to scare him
expensive board games. We know they are off. c. The other male gharial will retreat
expensive because the dice are made of ivory. in fear or both males will fight with each
3. Goldsmiths make ornaments for humans other. 2. a. The text is talking about the
and pets. They make bells for the feet of blue female gharial’s babies. They follow their
pigeons. 4. The magicians announce mother. b. They went from the nest to the
themselves with chants. They sell spells that river. c. This was unusual because baby
will last for aeons to come. 5. the flower- crocodiles usually need to be carried to the
girls 6. The bazaar is for everyone. river by their mothers.
People can buy everyday necessities like C. 1. They wanted to rear the baby gharials in
spices and lentils, and also buy expensive captivity, so that they could ensure that they
items like jewellery. would survive and grow into adults. 2.
Appreciating the Poem Yes, it was. It was part of Project Crocodile
A. 1. a 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. c which was set up in 1974 by the Indian
Government with help from the UN. The
B. 1. (4, 6)
gharials were dying out and it was decided
2. Wristlet and anklet and ring,
that a captive-breeding programme would be
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
implemented to ensure the survival of
Scabbards of gold for the king.
the gharial. 3. Yes, they did. But
3. Pair – Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
their project was a failure. The gharials
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
were flushed downstream during the
Triplet – With tassels of azure and red?
monsoon. 4. Yes, he is. He feels that
Chaplets to garland his bed.
people have finally come to understand how
To perfume the sleep of the dead.
important it is to save the gharial.
2. Saving the Gharial Structure and Usage
Understanding the Text A. 2. could 3. must 4. will 5. may
A. 1. It looks different from other crocodiles in B. 2. may 3. can 4. would,
having a long snout and slim jaws. should 5. Could 6. might, Should
2. Male gharials grow, at the end of the snout, 7. shouldn’t 8. needn’t, can
an appendage that resembles a pot through
Words in Use
which they produce a buzz-snort.
1. threatening 2. vanishing
3. The male gharial also uses the snout to
3. Boring 4. worried 5. broken
produce a jaw clap. 4. Unlike other
6. divided 7. complicated
female crocodiles which have to carry their
8. forgotten
young from the nest to the water, a female
gharial just puts her babies outside the nest Listening
and moves towards the river. The babies a. c. f. g.
follow her like ducklings. 5. Unlike other
Spelling
crocodiles which live in ponds and lakes,
1. fascinated 2. ascent
gharials live in rivers, eating only fish.
3. dissent 4. accent
B. 1. a. The male gharial that controls that 5. conscious 6. scented
part of the river. b. He is surging towards 7. conscience 8. assure
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3. Gogol’s First Day Gogol will eventually get used to it. Mrs
Jhumpa Lahiri (born in 1967) was born in Lapidus is neither convinced nor does she
London and raised in Rhode Island. She is approve. 2. b
the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship
and author of two previous books. Her Structure and Usage
debut collection of stories, Interpreter A. 1. Gogol feels he cannot bear it if his good
of Maladies, was awarded the Pulitzer name is used in school. 2. Ashoke
Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award and wanted Mrs Lapidus to wait until Gogol got
The New Yorker Debut of the Year. Her used to his good name. 3. Mrs Lapidus
novel The Namesake was a New York wondered if Nikhil followed English.
Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times 4. The contract states that the writer has to
Book Prize finalist and was selected as be ready to promote his book around the
one of the best books of the year by USA country. 5. There would be no further
Today and Entertainment Weekly, among recruitment for a few years, we felt
other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, sure. 6. How can anyone predict if it
New York. will happen again?
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bud. This is not surprising, as most poems essays, now available in a volume entitled
do not reveal their full meaning and message Writing from the Margin and Other Essays.
until they have been read over and over
Understanding the Text
again. 4. We are surprised by the poem
A. 1. Manju and Babu had gone to watch the
when we have read it many times, as the
procession. 2. The college students were
poem’s inner meaning slowly reveals itself
taking out a procession. 3. They served
to us. 5. The poem unfolds itself only
a notice on the collector when they reached
when the reader reads it many times.
the gates. 4. After dinner, Suman
6. The poem opens up and reveals its rich
came in with a boy who was carrying a
inner self.
cyclostyling machine. 5. Patil, the Sub-
Appreciating the Poem Inspector, came in to warn the family.
1. The word ‘unfolding’ brings out the 6. Patil took away the machine. 7. The
similarity between the flower and the poem. police had come to search the house.
While the flower unfolds to reveal its
colours, the poem unfolds to reveal its inner B. 1. The protesters wanted to warn the British
meaning. 2. The words used to describe government that they will have to face the
the poem are ‘tight-closed’ and ‘tiny consequences if they did not leave India.
bud’. These words signify that the poem’s That from now on, they will be treated like
inner beauty is closed to the reader at the the enemy. 2. Patil assured Mohan
beginning. 3. The last three lines show that he was a friend and also a patriot.
how a poem needs to be read. Separating the 3. Since the family was warned, they knew
words into three different lines makes the who it was who had come to the house.
reading slower and conveys that this is how They knew the police had come to search
every poem must be read. 4. This poem the house.
teaches us that a poem needs to be read and Structure and Usage
understood slowly and over a period of time. 1. to succeed 2. to make 3. speaking
Every poem needs to be read multiple times 4. to open 5. shouting, to wake
before it can be fully understood and 6. meeting 7. smoking 8. to set
appreciated. A short story, in contrast, takes
Words in Use
just one reading for it to be understood.
A. 1. eagerly 2. immensely
5. The Narayanpur Incident 3. declaration 4. quit
Shashi Deshpande (born in 1938) is an award- 5. peered 6. alert
winning Indian novelist. She is the second 7. tensed 8. spying
daughter of famous Kannada dramatist 9. lugged 10. announce
and writer Sriranga. She published her first B. 1. In those days, Nowadays 2. at this
collection of short stories in 1978, and her first moment 3. at present
novel, The Dark Holds No Terrors, in 1980. 4. presently 5. at the same time
She won the Sahitya Akademi Award for the
novel That Long Silence in 1990 and the Functions
Padma Shri award in 2009. 1. I admit I find that a little hard to
believe. 2. I do hope you are not serious.
Shashi Deshpande has written four 3. Do you really mean it? 4. Come on,
children’s books, a number of short stories, don’t say you believe that. 5. You must
and nine novels, besides several perceptive be joking!
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in human nature. It is filled with word Delhi retains some of the old traditions even
pairs that are opposite in meaning, now. 2. a. paras 1 and 2 b. para 3
in order to bring out strongly what a c. a description of the author’s family home
‘sticky mess’ man is. It is because of and family d. paras 5, 6 and 7 e. para 8
this contradictory nature that man is a 3. As the train approached the Yamuna, the
difficult creature to understand—‘the children were given coins to throw into the
good as puzzling as the bad.’ The words river. They were told that when the coins hit
used in the stanza serve to highlight the the water, the children would get blessings.
confusing nature of human behaviour The children enjoyed sitting at the window
and also sharply contrast the irrationality and throwing coins into the water.
of his actions. 4. The author describes the view of the
city as a miniature painting, while the sun
Going Further
shines on the domes and minarets.
By addressing the leopard’s fantasy of
5. The author talks about the food in
having a forestful of deer and the trout’s
Delhi and the food that the Moghul rulers
vision of endless space, the elephant reminds
preferred. We also learn about the history
them that if the forest goes, all creatures go
of Delhi’s cuisine. Yes, Delhi’s rulers
with it. This implies that some of the animals
were thinking about their home just as
may not fully realise the extent of the
the author is looking back on hers’. They
danger they are facing. When they see other
missed the climate and the food the most.
creatures dying out or fleeing, they may
6. There were no less than thirty people
selfishly think that they will get to enjoy the
in grandfather’s family. The author says
space and food left behind by those animals.
that she could not imagine a family being
The elephant cautions them that this is not
smaller than thirty members. About a dozen
the case. The bell that tolls for the forest is
of them were children. 7. The author’s
the death bell for all.
family was very large and they must have
7. Coming Home to Delhi had to use their cars several times to go out.
Madhur Jaffrey, now regarded by many They would have mastered the art while
as the world authority on Indian food, is doing it so many times. The first layer in the
an award-winning actress and bestselling car consisted of short ladies and teenagers.
cookery author. Her first book, An Invitation On their laps went the second layer
to Indian Cookery, was published in 1973 consisting of ten to twelve-year-olds. The
and her TV show Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian third layer consisted of children below the
Cookery for the BBC made her a household age of ten. The tall men sat in the front seat.
name. On their laps sat the ten to twelve-year-
olds holding baskets and pots. 8. The
She has appeared in over 20 films, including
author as a young girl carried her lunch in a
Merchant Ivory’s Heat and Dust, and written
tiffin carrier filled with chapatis, vegetables
over 15 cookery books, including Madhur
and a piece of mango pickle. “Chapatis are
Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible and Curry Easy.
cooked over hot fires, buttered and stacked
Understanding the Text with the vegetables and a piece of mango
A. 1. This text is about the author’s view of pickle in a tiffin carrier to be carried by
Delhi as she had experienced it, in her many people on their way to schools and
childhood and also when she ‘came home’. offices, just as I did on my way to school
In the last paragraph, she talks about how in Delhi.”
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appearance; correct 3. split hairs – to poet and artist. His greatest works are Songs
make small and very fine distinctions. of Innocence, All Religions Are One, among
4. wits’ end – be overwhelmed with others. His poems have a simple, lyrical
problems and at a loss as to what to do next quality that makes it easy for everyone to
5. No, they do not. ‘make do with enjoy them.
something’ means manage with something Understanding the Poem
when you do not have what is needed in 1. The speaker brings out the contrast
sufficient quantity and ‘do with something’ between getting angry with a friend and
means something is about or related to being angry with an enemy. When angry
something with his friend, he tells his friend about it
Writing and the anger ends there. But when angry
It was the first night of the play, and we had with his enemy, he does not tell him about
a full audience. I had my fears about some it, and therefore, it grows. 2. The
of the actors forgetting their lines or, worse words ‘watered’ and ‘sunned’ indicate that
still, skipping large parts of the script. But the speaker treats the anger like a seed. His
all seemed to be going well in the first Act. tears were the water and his false smiles and
When the second Act started, I thought I deceitful wiles served as sunlight.
would check on Albert Royston who was 3. The plant grew because of the bitterness
to appear later in that Act as a policeman. and fear inside, and the falsehood
Albert was acting in a play for the first time, and deceit in the speaker’s outward
and I wanted to see whether he was nervous. behaviour. 4. In the poem, the poison
I went down to the dressing room and found tree bears an apple that is stolen by the
him alone there, looking into the mirror. enemy. The enemy dies eating the apple. In
He looked good dressed as a policeman but the Christian myth, Adam and Eve eat the
his face was pale. He looked sick. I tried to forbidden fruit and they lose their innocence
assure him that he would do well. I also tried and are banned forever from the Garden of
to look indifferent so he wouldn’t worry Eden. So in both cases, we see poison fruit
too much. I thought it would be a good idea from a poison tree—and both are a result of
for him to stand near the stage, so he could human weakness. 5. When the speaker’s
watch the play and forget his nervousness. enemy saw the apple, he wanted it for
He did so and seemed all right. By the time himself even though he knew it was not
his part had almost come around, he almost his. He crept into the speaker’s garden,
seemed confident and assured. The prompter displaying his greed and deceitful behaviour.
hadn’t had to do anything until then. So It shows that he had a greedy and selfish
when I saw Albert look confident, I thought nature. 6. The speaker felt glad to see
everything would go well. And right then, it his enemy dead. He still hated him after he
happened. The actors on the stage messed up was dead. This shows that the anger and
their lines and went right ahead into the play, hatred did not end with his enemy’s death.
skipping three pages! Poor Albert! He was Appreciating the Poem
completely baffled trying to find out where 1. This poem reads like a parable; it tells us
he had missed his lines. He never got to play that hatred and anger are destructive and
his part that night. do no good to anyone.
2. “Till it bore an apple bright;”
A Poison Tree
“When the night had veiled the pole:”
William Blake was an 18th century English
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Dictionary Work fir trees. But then, the mist covered them in
1. to sleep – accommodate the next instant.
2. worn well – much used It was good to see Tenzing’s house—a
3. wash well – cannot be cleaned easily beautiful residence with a garden. Even
4. disappeared – caused to vanish more of a privilege was to see Tenzing
Punctuation himself, gardening. He had a smile that was
1. He said he would meet us—that is if he warm and sincere, just what one expects of a
could manage to get away from work—at man of his stature.
eight tonight. 2. I wore a blue dress— 11. Bodyline
the one that my grandmother made for
me—when I went out with my friends last Understanding the Text
night. 3. Early summer—the time when 1. b. 1881 or 1882 c. 1861 d. 1877
tender mangoes appear on trees—is a lovely e. 1933 2. a. England’s defeat in one
time to visit the countryside. 4. This of a series of matches played in England
cloth—the colours of which are made in 1881-82 led to talk about the death of
especially from vegetable dyes—feels very English cricket, cremation and ashes. b. It
soft and is comfortable to wear. 5. Two was the first time England had lost a match
hours later—feeling very hungry—he in England. c. After England’s first ever
got up to look for some food in the defeat on home soil, due to the jubilation
refrigerator. 6. His name—well-known in Australia over their team’s victory, a
in the world of the newspaper—is included few people who put a satirical notice in a
in the list of the world’s finest cartoonists. British newspaper talking about the ‘death
of English cricket’, the ‘cremation of the
Writing body’ and the transfer of the ‘ashes’ to
Took the Calcutta-Jalpaiguri train. Australia. d. Two years later, it was the
Everybody talked about the mountain English newspapers which referred to
train to be taken next—the travel agent the England team’s voyage to Australia
who brought my tickets and my fellow- as a ‘quest to regain the Ashes’. e. It is
passengers who seemed to be frequent unknown who created the Ashes trophy, but
travellers debated the precise interval it was presented to the England team when
between the two trains. Made me remember they won that series in Australia. The trophy
that the Tourism Dept in Mumbai too had was made of baked clay in the shape of an
mentioned the mountain train. Then, just as urn and was believed to contain the ashes of
I was beginning to anticipate the promised a bail. 3. a. 1928–1929 b. Australia
experience, a coolie informed me that presumably won the series and Bradman
the train was no longer running due to a performed brilliantly, with two centuries and
landslide. Shocking that no one else seemed half-centuries apiece. c. Australia won the
to know about this! series. Bradman’s talent was impressive.
Just reached Darjeeling after a taxi drive. d. The next series was played in Australia.
The view was nothing to talk about. The England used ‘bodyline’ tactics to get
entire mountainside was covered in mist batsmen out, much to the anger of the public
and I wonder how the driver navigated his and the Australian Board of Control for
way through the mountain roads. Once in a Cricket. 4. a. It was the England captain,
while, I caught a glimpse of mountains and Douglas R Jardine, and the decision was
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born out of the need to counter Australia’s dismissed the batsman. He was awestruck
batting strength, especially due to Donald since the appeal came from a person of
Bradman’s prowess. b. It was intimidatory acclaim and thought he had no other
and unethical, but not against the laws of choice. It shows he was not impartial and
cricket. Until then, such tactics had been objective. 3. There was a mock obituary
in occasional use to surprise a batsman placed in the newspaper The Sporting Times
and disturb his concentration. c. There mourning the death of English cricket and
was outrage amongst the spectators, the claiming that the ashes would be taken to
newspapers and the public over the tactics. Australia. 4. Both of them were brilliant
Their main point was that such tactics were batsmen of renown and had captained
unsportsmanlike. d. Over the next few their respective teams. While Jardine was
years no new rule was made about bodyline already known for his toughness, Grace had
bowling. Today, a ball rising along the body always commanded respect from the cricket
of the batsman on his leg stump is described community.
as a ‘well-directed bouncer’. 5. a.
Writing
NT b. T c. T d. T
In 1932, as a response to Australia’s rising
Structure and Usage batting talent, the English cricket team, led
A. 1. If he had not fallen ill before the exam, by Captain Douglas Jardine, resorted to
he would not have got low marks. bowling short-pitched balls continuously at
2. If it rains soon, the farmers will start the batsmen’s body to restrict their scoring,
sowing. 3. If they reduced the price, we to injure them or to get them out. Jardine
would buy the house. had earlier watched videos of Donald
B. 1. first conditional 2. first Bradman, Australia’s most prominent
batsman, batting, to devise this strategy.
conditional 3. third conditional
Although the approach brought England
4. second conditional
considerable success, with their winning
Words in Use the series 4 – 1, it was criticized heavily
A. 1. spectators 2. players by the Australian spectators, the media and
3. consistency 4. strategy the Cricket Board of Australia. The public
5. sportsmanship 6. winning outcry led the board to write to the MCC,
B. 1. very close 2. in full flow asking for action to be taken against it, but
3. achieve a target or overcome an obstacle the plea was dismissed. Eventually, Jardine
or problem 4. start 5. easy or steady lost his popularity and bodyline tactics died
progress 6. admitted or resigned to a natural death.
defeat; gave up
All the World’s a Stage
C. 1. cleared the hurdle 2. kicked off William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an
3. in full swing 4. neck and neck English poet, playwright and actor, widely
5. was smooth sailing 6. threw in the regarded as the greatest writer in the English
towel language and the world’s pre-eminent
dramatist. He is often called England’s
Listening
national poet and the ‘Bard of Avon’. His
1. W G Grace. He acted in an unsporting
works consist of about 38 plays and 154
manner playing a dirty trick which resulted
sonnets. His plays have been translated
in the dismissal of a batsman. 2. He
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into every major living language and are 12. The Merchant of Venice
performed more often than those of any Understanding the Text
other playwright. A. 1. The prince is indeed a little apologetic
Understanding the Poem about his skin colour and ventures to
1. The title compares the world and the persuade Portia to not dislike him because
life of man to a play enacted on stage. The of it, and although he wouldn’t change his
people of the world are like actors who play skin colour because it frightens even the
roles; their births and deaths are compared valiant, he would change it if he could to
to the entrances and exits of the characters win over Portia. Portia, on her part, assures
on and off the stage. Every age that a man him that she was not biased against him
passes through is compared to an act in due to his colour, and that if her father had
the play. 2. The schoolboy whines and not restricted her choice in the matter, he
creeps like a snail because he does not want would have as fair a chance as a fair-skinned
to go to school. His face, nevertheless, suitor. The words ‘Mislike me not for my
shines, showing he is healthy. 3. The complexion’ and ‘The lott’ry of my destiny
speaker gently mocks the lover for his bars me the right of voluntary choosing.’
longing and intensely emotional songs show this. 2. Yes; the Prince of Morocco
for something as trivial as his mistress’ is courteous in his speech and respectfully
eyebrow. The mocking is evident in the dismisses himself when he makes the wrong
words, ‘sighing like a furnace’. 4. The choice, so he is well-mannered. That he
soldier, the speaker says, is full of ‘strange is also proud of his brave deeds is evident
oaths’ and ‘quick to quarrel’. The speaker in the words in which he describes the
seems to be puzzled and amused by this, as achievements of his scimitar, which has
it seems quite pointless. 5. The judge’s slain ‘the Sophy and a Persian prince, won
round belly indicates that he is prosperous. three fields of Sultan Solyman’, and claims
His formal appearance shows he is dignified. to be capable of doing many brave things to
The stern eyes and wise sayings tell us win her over. 3. The Prince of Morocco
that he is a man of few words, serious and is certainly unwise and hasty in dismissing
thoughtful. 6. When the speaker talks the lead casket due to the low value of lead
about old age, he shows sympathy for man’s and, possibly, its unattractive colour,
lost faculties of hearing, seeing and speaking calling it too worthless for a golden mind to
and the loss of his dignity through his return stoop to. He is certainly judging by colour
to a childlike state. The last two lines show now. 4. The Prince of Arragon lets
deep sympathy and compassion. Portia know that he’s aware of the rules by
mentioning the three rules. The three rules
Appreciating the Poem are 1) to never reveal to anyone what choice
1. The sounds ‘s’ and ‘i’ heighten the image the suitor made; and if he made the wrong
of whistles and a shrill voice. The sounds choice, 2) to leave Portia’s premises and
‘m’, ‘n’ and ‘a’ bring out the deep, manly Belmont honourably and immediately; and
voice. 2. The many breaks in the last 3) never even attempt to marry another
three lines ensure slow reading that conveys woman. Portia replies that every suitor who
the slow halt that life comes to. The last line, comes to try his hand at winning her has to
in particular, reads in a way that shows the abide by these rules. 5. Yes; Arragon
stage-wise deterioration of life. does show condescension towards the
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golden casket, declaring that it’s the choice heart of gold, let him go. 4. Nobody was
of the masses, to which he doesn’t belong. talking at lunch yesterday, so I made some
6. Bassanio’s reaction to the golden casket is jokes to break the ice. 5. I was sick at
certainly dramatic, but not overdone because heart when I had to sell my old cycle, which
it is just an explanation of why he thinks it’s had given me so many memories.
not the right casket, based possibly on his Writing
experiences in dealing with precious things. The lead casket says that whoever chooses
His large-hearted expressions, although it should be prepared to risk all he has. Risk
contradictory and perhaps not entirely all he has? For what? Just for lead? This
honest, are at least an indicator of his good casket demands too much. People who take
intentions and superior wisdom as compared such big risks do so when there is a chance
to that of the earlier suitors. 7. b and of gaining much more. No intelligent person
c 8. Portia wasn’t entirely impartial with will do so for a cheap metal like lead. So
all the three suitors and wanted Bassanio to I will pass this casket over. What does the
make the right choice. This is evident from silver casket say? It says whoever chooses
how she urged Bassanio to take his time to it will gain as much as he deserves. As
think about the caskets and her expressions much as he deserves? Let me think a little.
of anxiety over their separation should he In my view, I deserve a great deal. It may
make the wrong choice. be that my view of what is a great deal may
Structure and Usage fall short of the lady’s view, but thinking
1. Portia sees the man about whom she has on those lines will only make me doubt my
already heard. 2. Which casket had the own worth and weaken my self-confidence.
portrait was known to no suitor. 3. He I certainly deserve Portia—by birth, by
didn’t like what the casket said. 4. He upbringing.
was let down by his luck which he had over- But more than these, I deserve her in love.
estimated. 5. He didn’t come where I What if I thought no further and just chose
lived. 6. Not having noticed, I didn’t the silver casket? But let’s see what the
wave goodbye when he left. engraving on the golden casket says: “He
Words in Use who chooses me will get what many men
1. That scientist’s views should not be desire.” What many men desire is the lady,
dismissed, because I know there is a Portia! The entire world wants her, and men
method to his madness. 2. As luck come from around the world to her place to
would have it, I had chosen that shortest kiss the saint that she is. Do give me the key
route from my aunt’s home to the railway to the golden casket, because I choose it, to
station. 3. The man was caught breaking be right and I will thrive thereby!
in to their house but the owner, who had a
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