english - course 'a'

term - 1
time Allowed : 3 Hours maximum marks : 80

general instructions :
1. this paper consists of four sections : A, B, C & D
2. Attempt all questions.
3. Do not write anything in the question paper.
4. All the answers must be correctly numbered as in the question paper and written in
the answer sheet provided to you.
5. ensure that questions of each section are answered together.
6. read each question carefully and follow the instructions.
7. Strictly adhere to the word limit given with each question. marks will be deducted
for exceeding the word limit.

section - a (reading) (20 Marks)

1. read the following passage carefully : 10

The relucTanT
elePhanT

1. Where is Kesavan? yelled the priest as the time to take the idols
around the pariharas was nearing. there was no sign of the
bedecked pachyderm. the mahout came running to say the
animal was off colour since morning. It would not come to the
nearby pond for the ritual bath; it refused to eat and would not
allow cloth to be thrown over it. the mahout told the priest that he
could not understand his ward's petulance. He could not get the
elephant ready for the day's procession.

2. the mahout returned to the elephant shed and found Kesavan still
sulking. What a contrast to the normal routine! every day, the
[1]
elephant

[2]
 would be up on its feet with a mere prod from the mahout. It
would then walk to the pond and allow the mahout to throw
buckets of water over it and scrub its sides. Back at the shed, it
would eat sugarcane, jaggery and fruits. then the mahout would
apply vibhuti on its forehead and trunk. then it would kneel and
allow the cloth to be thrown over it and a mount placed on its
back. Once ready, it would walk to the temple Gopuram and wait
for the priest's call. the devotees would offer it bananas and
coconut while some, who wanted to be blessed, would offer coins
as it touched their heads lightly with its trunk. When it was time
for the procession, it would kneel so that the idol could be placed
on the mount. then it would walk around led by the temple
musicians and followed by the jostling crowd. But today Kesavan
was in no mood to follow the daily regimen.

3. the mahout, unhappy that the morning's procession did not happen,
went home and found Gopu, his son, still playing. He asked his wife
why Gopu had not gone to school. She explained that Gopu, just back
from a holiday in mumbai, needed a little break before he could
resume his routine. She didn't force him because she was confident
that Gopu, always a good student, would return to his schedule on
his own.

4. the mahout understood why Kesavan had been so recalcitrant

that morning. It had just come back from a month long camp at
madhumalai, where it had vast open spaces to wander, unfettered by
humans, flowing rivers and plentiful supply of green fodder.
Kesavan, like Gopu, needed a period of adjustment before it resumed
its daily schedule.
 1.1. Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) Why did the head priest yell at the mahout? 1

(b) What were the two things Kesavan refused to do? 2

(c) What did the mahout see after returning to the elephant shed? 1

(d) What was the daily routine of the elephant? (Any two) 2
1
(e) What were the offerings made by the devotees to the elephant?
1
(f) What was the reason for the elephant's behaviour that day?
1×2=2
1.2. Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following.
(a) behaving in an impatient and angry way. (para 1)
(b) to plan that some thing will happen at a particular time /
routine (para 3)
5
2. read the following poem carefully :

tO A FISH
You strange, astonished-looking, angle-
faced, Dreary-mouthed, gaping wretches of
the sea, Gulping salt-water everlastingly.
Cold-blooded. though with red your blood be graced.
And mute, though dwellers in the roaring waste;
And you, all shapes beside, that fishy be -
Some round, some flat, some long, all devilry,
Legless, unloving, infamously chaste -
O scaly, slippery wet, swift, staring wights,
What is't ye do? What life lead? eh, dull goggles?
How do ye vary your vile days and nights?
How pass your Sundays? Are ye still but joggles
In ceaseless wash? Still naught but gapes and bites,
And drinks, and stares, diversified with boggles?
Fill in the blanks with one word or a phrase from the poem only to
complete the passage given below.
the poet describes the fish as (a) and (b) . 1×5=5
It
ke
salt
ep
wate
s
r.
on
the
(c)
poet
wish
es to
kno
w
wha
t
t the
h foll
e ow
f ing
i pas
s sag
he
d car
o efu
e lly
s:
,
w
h
a
t
(
d
)

(
e
)
.

read
it leads and how it passes its
5

When life began on earth, animals roamed freely about the

planet, without any danger of being captured or kept away
from their habitat. Nature had made the animals in such a
way that except for evolution, no other process could change
their real identity, their original characteristics and their
habitat. But today, human beings, it seems, have forgotten that
they themselves evolved from animals. they feel that by
giving them brains, God has given them the authority to
exploit nature as they wish.

When a small child is introduced to the word 'wildlife', he is

given an image that wildlife is confined to the remote jungles
and forests where these animals live in harmony with the
beauties of nature - the trees, the flowers, the climate and other
organisms. they can be at any place they wish, eat as they
want and behave as they desire. Ironically, the above
mentioned requirements are perhaps those ones for which the
whole human world has been fighting even till now. this is the
story of all major revolutions around the world.

the main aim was to gain liberty - of behaviour, of speech, of

thought, of everything. If we ourselves cannot bear someone
else ruling over us, if every human slave strives for
independence, then how can we give such treatment to
animals?
 On the basis of your reading of the passage, attempt the following
questions -
(a) What enabled animals to roam freely when life began on earth? 1
(b) Name the process responsible for charging the real identity of
animals. 1
(c) What does the child imagine when introduced to the word 'wildlife'? 2
(d) According to the passage what was the aim of all revolutions
around the world. 1

section - B
(Writing) (20 Marks)

4. You are Ankita / Ankit the cultural coordinator of DAV Public School
rohtak. You want to invite the students to participate in the Independence
Day celebrations of your school. Draft a notice in not more than 50 words
(Invent all necessary details). 4

or

Complete the following dialogues correctly

Suman : rohan, (a) ?

rohan : I am going to Ankita's
place. Suman :
What for, at this odd hour?
rohan : We are doing a rehearsal of a play for the Annual Day
Function.
Suman : (b) ?
rohan : It is based on Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
Suman : (c) ?
rohan : I am doing the role of the ghost.
Suman : Wow! It must be interesting.
[1]
rohan : Yes, it is

[2]
 Suman : (d) , as a
ghost? rohan : A white
coloured robe.
Suman : Well, then wish you good luck for the day, perform well.
rohan : thank you

5. You are Anu / Anil. You are deeply influenced after reading about people
like mahatma Hansraj and Dr. Parameswar rao who kept their personal
interests aside for the larger interest of the society. You decide to write a
letter to your friend sharing your views on the importance of Compassion
in one's life. refer to the unit ' Compassionate Souls' along with your own
ideas and write the letter in about 120-150 words.

or 8

You are Ankita / Ankit. You are deeply impressed by the revolution
brought by technology. media helps to access information in seconds but
you also realize that if it is not used wisely, it can be equally harmful.
Write a letter to your cousin on the 'Impact of media on teenagers'.
refer to the Unit changing times and along with your own ideas.
Frame the letter. (Word limit 120-150)

6. You are Kavita Sharma / Kunal Sharma a student of class VIII. You saw
the following visual and you felt strongly about it. Write a speech to be
delivered by you in the morning assembly on 'Save the girl child.
educate the girl
child'. 8
 section - c (15 Marks)
(grammar)
7. read the notes given
below and fill in the
½
blanks. Write the answers
×
New Delhi in your answer sheet. 6
• Seven states plunged into darkness =
3
• Northern grid failed
• Trains running on electricity delayed
• Water supply affected
• Matters worsened - smog - reason - delayed winter rain.
• life - a stand still

N
O
r
t
H

I
N
D
I
A

P
L
U
 NGeD rd theseus was exhaust
INtO after the
DArKN eg.:
½
eSS exhaust ×
6
NeW exhausted
=
DeLHI : 3
(a) battle but he _______
10 DeC
feels great pride. _____
(a)
Several parts of seven northern states _______
falling in the northern power (b) He had succeed _____
in killing the
grid (a)
in the early hours which (b)
following (b)
tripped a large number of power
generating projects. It resulted in
(c)
running on electricity. the water
supply of these states
(d) . According to sources,
matters worsened with the
development of smog
winter rain. thus
due to (e) life bringing
(f) .
8. the following passage has not been c
edited. there is an error in each of o
these lines. Write the incorrect word r
and the correction in your answer r
sheet against the correct blank e
numbers. c
t
i
w
ncorrect word
o
(c) cruel monster. He than thought of (c) ____________
____________
(d) Ariadne waiting for him on the (d)
entrance. Following the trail, he ____________
(e) make his way back to the entrance (e)
9. Look at the aro
und
(f) Ariadne was overjoy to find him. (f) words / phrases / is
given below.
10. re
rearrange them
a
into meaningful
d
sentences.

frequently /
t
problem/ child
abuse / h
discussed / is / a
e
Child abuse is a
frequently
f
discussed
problem. o
(a) it / l
everyone /
l
concerned /
to be / o
seems /
w
about
i
(b) against /
government / n
strict / it /
g
as / the /
made / has /
laws
c
(c) all / us / o
going/ child
abuse / on / n
yet / going /
v
ersation and then report what was said by
completing the following passage. Write the 1×3
answers in your answer sheet. =3

ram : 'Who is more satisfied a man

with a million dollars or a man
with six children?'
Shyam :
'A
man with six
children' ram
:
'C 1×3
=3
an you prove
it?'
Shyam : 'Yes, a man with a million
dollars wants more.'

ram asked Shyam (a) a man with six children.

Shyam
replied that a man with six children was
more satisfied. At his answer ram again
asked (b) .
Answering positively to his question
Shyam told (c)
11. Pick up the most appropriate option for each blank in the given passage. ½×6=3
(e)
the Aurobindo Ashram is a big (a) (catch / hub / draw) for (whic
h /
the spiritually inclined. It is a restful (b) (sight / place / corner)
who
with the Samadhi of Aurobindo Ghosh and the mother located /
fresh)
(c) (at / in / under) the canopy of a (d) (single are
/ little / tiny) tree. the samadhis are tastefully decorated with flowers replac
ed
perio
dicall
y. the
at
(wit
m
hin
os
/
p
arou
he
nd
re
/
(f)
in)
the
ashr
ama
is
pea
cef
ull
y
enh
anc
ed
by
the
fra
gra
nce
of
flo
wer
s.

section - D
12. read the extract given below and answer the questions (25
that follow. "I strongly recommend a quiet week in Marks)

bed.
we sighed with relief and tucked her up well."

(a) Name the poem and the poet of the above extract.
(b) Who does 'I' refer to in the first line? 2
(c) Who was tucked up in bed? Why? 1
1
13. read the extract given below and answer the questions
that follow. "Your caring hands trenderly removing
the pain
Your love, your care, your faith gave me strength".

(a) Name the poem and the poet of the above extract.
(b) Whose hands are referred to as caring?
(c) What gives strength to the poet?
(d) Name the literary device used in line 2.
14. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each. 2×6=12

(a) Which three questions came to the kings mind? Who could
ultimately answer those questions?
(b) How is tommy and margie's school different from a regular school?
(c) How did Swami provoke his teacher in the history period and why?
(d) What impression did the narrator gather of the woman when he
met her? (the Luncheon)
(e) What were the challenges (any two) faced by the poet in his
childhood? (my mother)
(f) the poet loved his grand mother. Illustrate (Granny's tree
climbing)

15. Imagine you are the writer of the chapter 'Luncheon'. Write a diary
entry about your meeting with the lady, at the foyot's.
5
or

Imagine that you are Swami. Write a letter to your teacher mr. Samuel,
making a confession and apologizing for your behaviour.