Category: Class 10

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

 

Paper – 2 

SECTION A – DRAMA

The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare 

Q.1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

Bassanio:                          To you, Antonio, 

                              I owe the most, in money and in love; 

                             And from your love I have a warranty 

                            To unburden all my plots and purposes 

                            How to get clear of all the debts I owe. 

Antonio:          I pray you, good Bassanio, let me know it;

(i) Describe Antonio’s mood at the beginning of this scene.  

State any two reasons that Antonio’s friends, who were present, gave to explain  his mood. 

(ii) What promise did Antonio make to Bassanio immediately after this conversation?

(iii) What did Bassanio say to Antonio about ‘a lady richly left’ in Belmont? 

(iv) Why was Antonio unable to lend Bassanio the money that he needed?

       How did he propose to help his friend?

(v) What does the above extract reveal of the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio?

     Mention one way in which this relationship was put to the test later in the play.

Answer : (i) Antonio is in a melancholy mood at the beginning of this scene. He does not know where he got it and how it began. Salarino, one of Antonio’s friends, thinks that Antonio is sad because he is worried about his ships sailing on the sea. Salario, another of Antonio’s friends, attributes his sadness to his being in love.

(ii) Antonio assures Bassanio of his wholehearted help in his mission. He says that his money, his body, his utmost resources will all be placed at his disposal so that Bassanio is able to pursue his aim.

(iii) Bassanio tells Antonio that a very beautiful and rich lady, Portia, lives in Belmont. Her reputation as a rich, beautiful lady has spread far and wide. A number of eligible bachelors are reaching Belmont to try their luck in quest of her.

(iv) Antonio was unable to lend the money that Bassanio needed because all his money was invested in trading ventures at sea. So he suggested Bassanio to go and enquire from where he could get money in Venice. He would stand surety for the money that he could borrow on his behalf.

(v) We learn that Antonio and Bassanio are close friends. They share their intimate feelings and anxieties with each other. Both are ready to sacrifice their most precious thing for the other. Their friendship is tested later in the play when Bassanio helps Antonio in the Trial Scene through his wife Portia and later Antonio stands surety for Bassanio’s character when the marriage ring is found missing on Bassanio’s hand.

Q.2 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

 Bassanio: A gentle scroll. – Fair lady, by your leave; [Kissing her] 

                  I come by note, to give and to receive

                  Like one of two contending in a prize,

                  That thinks he hath done well in people’s eyes 

                   Hearing applause and universal shout

                   Giddy in spirit, still gazing, in a doubt

                   Whether those peals of praise be his or no; 

(i) Where did Bassanio find the ‘gentle scroll’?

     What ‘prize’ had Bassanio just won?

(ii) Explain why Bassanio said he felt ‘Giddy in spirit, still gazing, in a doubt’. 

(iii) Shortly after this exchange, Portia gave Bassanio a ring as a token of her affection. What did the gift symbolise? 

(iv) What assurance did Bassanio give her when he accepted the ring? 

(v) What did Portia urge Bassanio to do when she learnt that his friend Antonio was in trouble?  

          What aspect of her character is revealed through her words? 

Answer :

(i) Bassanio found the ‘gentle scroll’ in the leaden casket from which he found the portrait of fair Portia. His winning of the hand of Portia was the ‘prize’ for Bassanio as so many suitors were trying to win her hand.

(ii) Bassanio felt ‘giddy in spirit, still gazing in doubt’ as he thought that he was one of two competitors for a prize who thought he had done well in the eyes of spectators, looking around in some doubt as to whether those shouts of applause were for him or not. He was still in doubt whether he had really won the fair lady Portia.

(iii) Portia gave Bassanio a ring as a token of her affection. The gift symbolised their mutual trust and love for each other. If ever he parted with the ring or lost it or gave it away, this would mean that his love for her was dead and she would accuse him of the breach of trust.

(iv) Bassanio assured Portia that he would never part with the ring she had given him. Giving her an assurance of his love, he told her that he would keep the ring secure on his finger. It would go only after his life was no more. That is, he would keep it as long as he lived.

(v) Portia urged Bassanio to leave for Venice at once and take as much gold and money he needed to return the borrowed money to Antonio. In no case should such a good friend come to trouble; This shows Portia’s compassionate heart and generous nature to help someone in distress.

Q.3 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

Duke:          You hear the learn’d Bellario, what he writes: 

                    And here, I take it, is the doctor come. 

                    [Enter Portia, dressed like a Doctor of Laws] 

                    Give me your hand. Come you from old Bellario? 

Portia:        I did, my lord. 

Duke:         You are welcome: take your place. 

                    Are you acquainted with the difference 

                    That holds this present question in the court? 

(i) Where is this scene set? Why was Portia there? 

(ii) What reason had Bellario given for his absence? Whom had he sent in his stead? 

(iii) Bellario’s letter stated that he had taken some measures to prepare the ‘young and learned doctor’ to deal with the case. What were they? 

(iv) What was the ‘difference’ between Shylock the Jew and Antonio the merchant  that the Duke was unable to resolve? 

(v) How does Portia succeed in saving Antonio?  

      What does this reveal of her character? 

    The Mousetrap: Agatha Christie 

Answer :

(i) This scene is set in a court of justice. Portia was there, dressed as a learned doctor of laws, in the guise of Balthazar, to appear on behalf of Antonio and defend him against the lapse of the bond that he had signed with Shylock.

(ii) Bellario stated in his letter to the Duke that he could not be present at the court due to his illness. He sent a learned a doctor of law, Balthazar, in his stead. He was confident of the ability of Balthazar to prove his capability in such a crucial case between Shylock and Antonio.

(iii) Bellario’s letter stated that he had thoroughly discussed the case with the learned doctor of laws, Balthazar, who was fully acquainted with the case in question. Balthazar was a young man with mature judgement and rich experience to handle the case.

(iv) The ‘difference’, that is dispute between Shylock the Jew and Antonio that the Duke was unable to resolve was the clause in the bond according to which Shylock could have his pound of flesh from Antonio’s heart if the latter failed to fulfil the terms of the bond.

(v) Portia succeeded in saving Antonio by interpreting the bond in the letter, and not the spirit, of the law, as Shylock himself insisted on it. She warned Shylock that the bond did not allow him to shed even a single drop of blood while taking the pound of flesh. Thus defeating Shylock with his own weapon, she could save Antonio from the clutches of Shylock. Portia’s shrewd interpretation of law really saved Antonio.

The Mousetrap : Agatha Christie

Q.4 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

Giles:          I beg your pardon. Did you say something? 

Trotter:      Yes, Mr. Ralston, I said ‘Is there an extension?’ (He crosses to  Centre.) 

Giles:         Yes, up in our bedroom.

Trotter:      Go and try it up there for me, will you? 

                 (Giles exits to the stairs, carrying the glove and bus ticket and  

                  looking dazed. Trotter continues to trace the wire to the  

                 window. He pulls back the curtain and opens the window,  

                 trying to follow the wire. He crosses to the arch up Right, goes  

                 out and returns with a torch. He moves to the window, jumps  

                 out and bends down, looking, then disappears out of sight. It is  

                 practically dark. Mrs. Boyle enters from the library up Left,  

                 shivers and notices the open window.) 

Mrs. Boyle: (Moving to the window) Who has left this window open? 

(i) Why did Giles fail to hear what Trotter had said earlier?  

     Why did Giles look ‘dazed’? 

(ii) What was Trotter attempting to do? Why?

(iii) Why did Mrs. Boyle close the window?

        What did the voice on the radio say about the ‘mechanics of fear’?

(iv) How did the murderer mask the sounds of the killing? 

       Who entered the room immediately after the murder?

        What did this person see?

(v) Who was the victim? Why was the victim murdered? 

      What was the ‘signature tune’ that the murderer whistled? 

      What is the significance of this tune in the context of the play? 

Answer : 

(i) Giles had just found a London bus ticket from Mollie’s glove. He was feeling upset and confused due to this. That is why he failed to hear what Trotter had said earlier. He looked dazed because he could not understand why the London bus ticket was there in Mollie’s glove when she had not gone there.

(ii) Trotter was trying to find out if the telephone wire had been cut by some one or it had simply gone out of order due to the snow storm that had blown the other day. In fact he wanted to make a report to Police Superintendent Hogben. That is why he needed telephone service.

(iii) Mrs Boyle closes the window because a very cold wind is blowing. She shivers due to this cold wind. The voice on the radio says that in order to understand the mechanics of fear you have to study the exact effect produced by fear on the human mind. If one is alone in a room, in the late afternoon and door opens softly behind him/her, he/she is likely to be frightened.

(iv) The murderer masked the sounds of the killing under the tune of ‘Three Blind Mice’. Soon after the murder Mollie entered the room. She switched on the light and saw Mrs Boyle lying strangulated in front of the sofa.

(v) The victim was Mrs Boyle. The victim was murdered because she was one of the Judges on the bench which sent the three children to the Long ridge. Farm where they were cruelly treated and one of them died. The murderer whistled the tune of ‘Three Blind Mice’. The tune of ‘Three Blind Mice’ is significant lure because ‘The mousetrap’ is a revenge play and here one of the ill-treated children George is going to take revenge from his victim. So the tune is very significant here.

Q.5 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

 

Trotter: (Leaning on the refectory table) Those simple actions took you

               rather a long time, didn’t they, Mr Ralston? 

Giles: I don’t think so. (He moves away to the stairs)

Trotter: I should say you definitely – took your time over them.

Giles: I was thinking about something.

Trotter:  Very well. Now then, Mr Wren, I’ll have your account of where  you were. 

(i) What ‘simple actions’ of Giles was Trotter referring to?  

      Where had Giles been? Who had sent him there? 

(ii) How did Christopher Wren account for his whereabouts at the time of the    murder? 

(iii) Where was Paravicini at that time? What was he doing? 

(iv) Whom did Giles accuse of having committed the murder? 

        On what did he base this accusation? 

(v) Mollie shared her suspicions regarding the identity of the murderer with                   

      Trotter, later in this scene.

     Whom did she suspect of being the murderer? 

      What reasons did she give for her suspicion? 

Answer :

(i) Trotter had sent Giles to his bedroom upstairs to see whether the extension telephone was working or not. It was a simple action for which, according to Trotter, Giles took more time than was required. Giles had been in his bedrom upstairs. Trotter had sent him there.

(ii) Christopher Wren told Trotter that at the time of the murder, he was in the kitchen. He had gone there to see if he could help Mollie Ralston in her cooking. After that he had gone upstairs to his bedroom.

(iii) At the time of murder Paravicini was in the drawing room. He was playing the piano.

(iv) Giles openly accused Christopher Wren of having committed the murder. His accusation was based on the fact that Christopher was of the same age as the eldest of those three children would be now. Secondly he was mentally abnormal very much like the suspected murderer of Culver Street.

(v) Mollie suspected Major Metcalf of being the murderer. She told Trotter that the murderer could be a middle aged person probably the father of the ill-treated children. Her supposition was that after being a prisoner with the Japanese, were treated in his absence at Longridge Farm, he might have decided to take reverge.

Q.6  

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

Trotter:   Yes. You’ve been extraordinarily foolish, you know. You’ve run a very            

                good chance of being killed by holding out on me. As a result,  you’ve been  

                in serious danger more than once. 

Mollie:   I don’t know what you mean. 

Trotter:  (moving slowly above the sofa table to the Right of the sofa; still  quite     

                natural and friendly) Come now, Mrs. Ralston. We policemen aren’t quite 

                so dumb as you think. All along I’ve realized that you had first-hand 

       knowledge of the Longridge Farm affair. You know  Mrs. Boyle was the 

      magistrate concerned. In fact, you knew all  about it. Why didn’t you speak up   

       and say so? 

Mollie: (Very much affected) I don’t understand. I wanted to forget-forget.  (She sits 

             at the Left end of the sofa.)

(i) What was the ‘Longridge Farm’ affair? 

(ii) Trotter revealed to Mollie some facts that he had uncovered about her past.  

      What were they? 

(iii) What did Mollie want to forget?  

       How was she linked with the ‘Longridge Farm affair’? 

(iv) How did Trotter manage to pass himself off as a policeman?  

       How had he reached Monkswell Manor? 

(v) What did Trotter reveal to Mollie about his true identify? 

      How was Mollie saved at the end of the play? 

Answer :

(i) Three Corrigian children – Two boys and a girl-were brought before the court in need of care and protection. A home was found for their shelter with Mr and Mrs Stanning at Longridge Farm. Here the children were ill treated and one of them died. Mr and Mrs Stanning were sent to jail for negligence. Mr Stanning died in prison. When Mrs Stanning was released from the prison she was murdered in Culver Street where she was living as Maureen Lyon. Trotter was investigating into this Longridge affair.

(ii) Trotter had discovered about Mrs Ralston that before marriage, her name was Miss Waring. She was a teacher in the school where Jimmy was studying. He had also found out that Jimmy had managed to get letter posted to her. In this letter he had begged help from his teacher Miss Waring. But her teacher did not answer that letter.

(iii) Mollie wanted to forget the horrible incident of Jimmy’s death. In fact when Jimmy’s letter reached her, she was down with pneumonia. So the letter was put aside along with other letters. It was weeks afterwards when she found and read the letter. By that time Jimmy had died . She could not do anything for him. She felt penitent. This haunted her for a long time. This is what she wanted to forget. Mollie was linked with the Longridge Farm affair because she was the teacher whom Jimmy had requested for help.

(iv) Trotter very cleverly takes out his notebook and pretends to be an officer on duty to interview all those persons who were staying at Monkswell Manor. He tells Mollie that his visit is regarding police protection to be given to them which they need at the moment. He had reached Monkswell Manor with the help of his skis.

(v) Trotter revealed to Mollie that he was not a policeman. He was George, Jimmy’s elder . brother. He also told her that he had cut the telephone wires before he entered the Monkswell Manor. Mollie was sayed by the intervention of Major Metcalf and Miss Casewell who appear on the scene and arrest George.

 SECTION B – POETRY 

A Collection of Poems 

Q.7 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:  

 

               “Now tell us what it was all about”. 

                 Young Peterkin, he cries. 

                  And little Wilhelmine looks up 

                  With wonder –waiting eyes, 

                 “Now tell us all about the war,  

                  And what they fought each other for”. 

                                                                  — After Blenheim, Robert Southey 

(i) Who are Peterkin and Wilhelmine?  

     How does the poet describe the scene at the beginning of the poem? 

(ii) What did Young Peterkin find and where? Describe it. 

(iii) Who is referred to as “each other”? What did they fight for? 

(iv) To whom are the words in the extract addressed?  

       How was this person’s family affected by the war? 

(v) What, according to the poet, are the consequences that are often associated with   

      great and famous victories? 

      What message does the poet want to convey to the readers? 

Answer :

(i) Peterkin, a little boy, and Wilhelmine, a young girl, were the grandchildren of old Kaspar. The poet makes the setting of the poem clear at the beginning of the poem by stating that the two children were playing near Kaspar sitting before his cottage. The scene described is quite commonplace but spectacular.

(ii) Young Peterkin, who was playing near the cottage, was rolling something which was large and round. He did not know what it was.

(iii) “Each other” referred to the English and the Frehch who fought a battle at Blenheim. They fought to win supremacy over each other. But the real cause of the battle could not be explained.

(iv) The words in the extract are addressed to the grandfather Kaspar. Kaspar’s family was hard hit by war in which his father’s house was burnt down and he was forced to run away, with his wife and child. He had no place to take shelter.

(v) According to the poet, war is destructive and horrible. It brings miseries, sufferings and disorder in life. The poet brings out the horrors of war in a simple but ironic way. The young children fail to understand in the poem ‘After Blenheim’ how the war which created so much havoc could be a great and famous war.

Q.8 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

                    There’s nobody on the house-tops now— 

                    Just a palsied few at the windows set; 

                    For the best of the sight is, all allow, 

                    At the Shambles’ Gate—- or, better yet, 

                    By the very scaffold’s foot, I trow. 

                                                                   — The Patriot, Robert Browning 

(i) Who is the speaker? Where is he being taken? Why? 

(ii) Describe the scene when he had walked down the same street a year ago. 

(iii) Where does the speaker think all the people had gathered that day?  

        Why does he think so? 

(iv) Describe the speaker’s physical condition. 

(v) What is the central message of the poem?  

      Does the poem end on a note of hope or despair?  

      Give one reason for your answer. 

Answer :

(i) The speaker here is the patriot. He is being taken to the scaffold to be hanged for his misdeeds. He is passing through some street in a town.

(ii) A year ago, the patriot was worshipped like a hero. He was accorded a warm welcome on his return after a glorious victory. His path was strewn with flowers. The church towers were decorated with victory-flags. Huge crowds were there to welcome him.

(iii) The speaker thinks that all the people have left the town and gone to the Shambles’ Gate or quite near the scaffold in order to have a better view of the patriot’s (his) execution. Only a few paralysed persons are sitting at the windows.

(iv) The speaker’s physical condition is pathetic. He is being led to the gallows. A long rope has been used to tie his hands on the back. The rope is so tight that it cuts both his hands. His forehead is bleeding. It is due to the stones hurled at him by some callous and cruel fellows. All this shows that he is being treated very harshly.

(v) The central message of the poem is the ficklemindedness of the ordinary people who go enthusiastic at welcoming a hero but soon get disappointed with him and begin to hurl abuses and stones on him.

The poem ends on a note of hope. Though the hero in this poem feels betrayed and abandoned, he achieves a moral victory. He feels that he has not been rewarded for his services on the earth, he hopes he would be rewarded by God in heaven. So he feels safe in the bosom of God. His faith in God being a true judge marks his unbounded sense of optimism.

Q.9 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

                 All round the field spectators were gathered  

                 Cheering on all the young women and men  

                 Then the final event of the day was approaching  

                 The last race about to begin. 

                                                                             — Nine Gold Medals, David Roth

(i) Where had the ‘young women and men’ come from?  

     What had brought them together? 

      How had they prepared themselves for the event?

(ii) What was the last event of the day?

     How many athletes were participating in this event?

     What signal were they waiting for?

(iii) What happened to the youngest athlete half way through the race?  How did he        

       respond?

(iv) What ‘strange’ turn did the story take at this point? 

(v) Why does the poet say that the banner – ‘Special Olympics’ could not have been 

      nearer the mark?  

     What human quality does the poem celebrate? 

Answer :

(i) The ‘young women and men’ had come fronji different countries to participate in various sports events. They were fired with the longing to win a medal – gold, silver or bronze. As the international event is very prestigious, every participant had put in a lot of preparation and practice. No one wanted to spare any pains for winning a medal – gold, silver or bronze.

(ii) The last event of the day was the hundred-metre race. Nine young athletes were participating in this event. They were well-poised, waiting for the pistol shot as a starting signal.

(iii) The youngest athlete who was weaker could not run. His legs gave in and he fell on the track. He was distressed and gave out a cry in frustration because his hard work had come to nothing.

(iv) The remaining eight constestants stopped and looked back at their fallen companion. They were expected not to stop but to continue the race. But a ‘strange’ thing happened. They all turned round and come back to the fallen athlete. They lifted him to his feet.

(v) The banner ‘Special Olympics’ meant Olympics for the differently-abled persons turned to be significant. ‘The Special Olympics’ became really special when each participant was declared to be the winner and awarded a gold medal.

The poem celebrates the human quality of true sportsmanship and empathy for the fallen athlete. We should be able to understand the feelings of another person from his point of view, and be ready to mitigate his pain and sorrow.

SECTION C – PROSE 

A Collection of Short Stories 

or  

Animal Farm 

or  

The Call of the Wild 

A Collection of Short Stories 

Q.10 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

            It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head  

            – with a school cap on top of it! And that’s where the story should  

            end. But for Mr. Oliver it did not end here. 

            The torch fell from his trembling hand. He turned and scrambled  

            down the path, running blindly through the trees and calling for 

            help. He was still running towards the school buildings when he saw  

            a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. 

(i) Who was Mr. Oliver? Where did he encounter ‘It’? 

(ii) Where did Mr. Oliver work?

      Why did Life magazine describe this place as the ‘Eton of the East’?

(iii) Why had Mr. Oliver approached ‘It’ in the first place?

        What had he mistaken it for?

(iv) What is a lantern? Who was holding the lantern? 

       Why did Mr. Oliver feel relieved at the sight of the lantern? 

(v) Briefly describe the meeting between the lantern-bearer and Mr.Oliver. 

      State one reason why ‘A Face in the Dark’ could be considered a horror story.

Answer :

(i) Mr Oliver, a bachelor, was an Anglo Indian teacher in a school outside Simla. He encountered ‘it’ (a figure of a boy) who was sitting alone on a rock as he (Oliver) walked through the pine forest.

(ii) Mr Oliver was teaching in the school which was run on English Public School lines. ‘Life’ magazine described this place as ‘the Eton of the East’ because the boys from wealthy Indian families studied in the school. They wore blazers, caps and ties.

(iii) Mr Oliver approached it (the boy) in order to recognise the boy. He had mistaken it (the boy) for one of his school students who, Mr Oliver felt, should not have been there so late in the dark.

(iv) A lantern is a lamp in a transparent case, often a metal case with glass sides, that has a handle, so that you can carry it outside. Mr Oliver was holding the lantern. He felt relieved at the sight of the lantern swinging in the middle of the path because his own lantern had fallen from his trembling hand on seeing the figure of a boy who was without eyes, ears nose or mouth.

(v) Mr Oliver feels nervous. He stumbles up to the ‘watchman gasping for breath. He is frightened when he finds that the Watchman has also no eyes, no ears, no features at all – not even an eyebrow. All this makes the story mysterious, strange and supernatural. Mr Oliver had earlier come across a figure of a boy who had no eyes, no ears, no nose and no mouth. And then a similar watchman. This is all frightening and horrible. This makes the story a real horror story.

Q.11 Read the extract given below an answer the questions that follow:

 

           An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach  

           will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying  

           jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a  foul. 

(i) When and where is this story set?

     What reason does the narrator Jesse Owens give for the heightened nationalistic    

     feelings at this time?

(ii) In which event had Owens been confident of winning a gold medal? Why? 

(iii) What had made Owens angry enough to make mistakes? 

(iv) Name Owens’ rival who approached him at this point. 

       What advice did this athlete give Owens? 

(v) How did the two athletes perform in the finals? 

     What does Jesse Owens consider his ‘Greatest Olympic Prize’? Why? 

Answer :

(i) This story is set in the time of the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936. Because Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a ‘master race’, heightened nationalistic feelings at this time were at an all time high.

(ii) Jessie Owens gained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years. He had already made a world record in the long jump in the last year. So he expected to win the gold medal easily this time.

(iii) At the time of broad-jump trials Jessie Owens was started to see a tall boy hitting the .pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps Jessie felt angry when he was told that Hitler had kept him under wraps obviously to win the jump with.hirn. Jessie was disturbed to think if Luz Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory. Jessie was so disturbed that he made mistakes in his trial jumps.

(iv) Luz Long,, a German, was Jessie Owens’ rival. On noticing Jessie Owens feeling disgusted, Luz Long counselled Jessie to focus on the jump by giving him a valuable tip. He said to Jessie, “Why don’t you draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making your take off there?”

(v) The two athletes gave their best possible performance in the finals. They improved upon their previous records. As it turned out, Luz broke his own past record. But in doing so, he pushed Owens on to a peak performance. When Owens won the medal, Long congratulated him by shaking his hand with him, without bothering about having to face the wrath of Hitler. To Jessie Owens, the greatest Olympic prize was not gold medal but his new and noble friendship with Luz Long. He was happy to learn that the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

Q.12  Answer the following questions with reference to Ray Douglas Bradbury’s short  story, ‘All Summer in a Day’: 

 

     (i) Name the planet on which this story is set.  

          Describe everyday life on this planet. 

     (ii) Why was there so much excitement in the school room that morning?  

           What set Margot apart from the other children? 

      (iii) Describe how the planet was transformed when the sun came out and shone  

          briefly over it.  

       Why was Margot not able to witness this phenomenon?  

      What emotion do you suppose the other children experienced when Margot    

      emerged at the end of the story? 

Answer :

(i) The setting of the story is the planet Venus where it keeps on raining for years together. Sunshine occurs only once in seven years. The scene of the story is set in a school where the teachers and children await the appearance of the sun with great curiosity. One sunny day is equal to an earthly summer on this planet.

The children inhabiting this planet are nine years old and living with their families. Seven years of continuous rain have deprived them of the brightness on their faces. They are pale and colorless. They are passive both physically and mentally. The lack of the light of the sun has dried their compassion and consideration for others. They do not gain their humanity until they spend sometime in the light of the sun.

(ii) The children were eagerly waiting for a momentous occasion. It had been raining for seven years and now the scientists on Venus had predicted that the sun would appear for a brief period of time. Margot was like a stranger in her class. She had come to this planet (Venus) only five years ago from Earth. She still remembered the sun and the sky and how they looked when she was only four years old in the city of Ohio.

The other children in the school had been on Venus all their lives and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out on Venus. Since they were small at that time, they had now forgotten the colour and heat of the sun and how it looked. When Margot told them that the sun was like a penny or like fire in the stove, nobody was ready to believe her. They thought that she was lying.

(iii) The rain slackened slowly and came to a stop. It was followed by a disturbed violence which seemed like a tornado, a hurricane or volcanic erruption. The children put their hands to their ears. Then, all of a sudden, the sun came out. It was flaming bronze in colour and it looked very large. The sky was blazing blue and the whole jungle seemed to bum with sunlight. It was incredible.

The children felt as if they had been released from a spell. They rushed out, yelling into the springtime (which comes only once in 7 years). The teachers warned them not to go too far. The children had only two hours to remain outside. But the children seemed to go out of control. They were running and turning their faces up to the sky. They were feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They were letting the sun bum their arms after taking off their jackets.

Margot was not able to witness this phenomenon as she had been locked into a closet by her classmates who did not like Margot to talk about the sun. The phenomenon of the sunshine lasted for a very short, time. The sun started fading off gradually behind a stir of mist. A cold wind began to blow and all the children started walking back. Their smiles had vanished. They could hear a boom of thunder and see the flash of lightning coming nearer and nearer. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash.

Then a girl remembered Margot who was locked in the closet. Then all the children walked towards the closet, unlocked the door and let Margot come out. Their attitude towards Margot changed after they had spent some time in the light of the sun.

Animal Farm: George Orwell 

Q.13 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

           One Sunday morning, when the animals assembled to receive their  

           orders, Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy.  

          “From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the  

            neighbouring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but  

            simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently  

           necessary.” 

(i) Why did the animals need ‘certain materials’? 

     What arrangements had Napoleon made to engage in trade with the 

      neighbouring   farms? 

(ii) Why did Napoleon’s announcement make the animals uneasy? 

(iii) What did Squealer say to the animals to ease their doubts and fears? 

(iv) Who was Mr. Whymper? What had he agreed to do?  

       Why had he entered into this agreement with Napoleon? 

(v) There was a change in the attitude of the humans towards Animal Farm.  

     Comment on this change. What were the signs and symptoms of this change? 

Q.14 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:  

 

             One Sunday morning Squealer announced that the hens, who just  

             come in to lay again, must surrender their eggs. 

(i) Why were the hens required to surrender their eggs? 

(ii) How did the hens react to receiving this information? 

(iii) The three young black Minorca pullets led the other hens in ‘something  

       resembling a rebellion’. How exactly did they do this? 

(iv) What steps did Napoleon take to put down this ‘rebellion’? 

(v) How long did the rebellion last? Describe the consequences of the rebellion.  

     What do you learn of Napoleon’s character from the way in which he dealt  

      with the rebellion? 

Q.15 With reference to George Orwell’s ‘The Animal Farm’, answer the following  questions: 

 

(i) Who wrote the poem ‘Comrade Napoleon’?  

     How did Napoleon show his approval of the poem? 

(ii) What precautions were taken to ensure Napoleon’s safety? 

(iii) What single commandment replaced the seven commandments on Animal Farm? 

     Mention some of the changes that the animals noticed in the behaviour of the  

     pigs after the new commandment had been put up. 

 

The Call of the Wild: Jack London 

Q.16 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

        The breaking down of discipline likewise affected the dogs in their  

        relations with one another. They quarrelled and bickered more than  

        ever among themselves, till at times the camp was a howling  

        bedlam: Dave and Sol-leks alone were unaltered, though they were  

        made irritable by the unending squabbling. 

(i) What led to the break-down of discipline in the dog team? 

     How did it affect the relationship among the dogs? 

(ii) What other acts of indiscipline did Buck’s encouragement lead to? 

(iii) What started the dogs off on a chase after supper one night at the mouth of 

       the river Tahkeena? 

(iv) Who led the dogs in the chase?  

      What primitive urge did Buck experience during the chase? 

(v) How did Spitz use the chase to try and outwit Buck?  

     What does this reveal of Spitz’s nature? 

Q.17 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

 

        With the dogs falling, Mercedes weeping and riding, Hal swearing  

         innocuously, and Charles’s eyes wistfully watering, they staggered  

         into John Thornton’s camp at the mouth of White River. When they  

        halted, the dogs dropped down as though they had all been struck dead. 

(i) Who were Mercedes, Hal and Charles? How were they related to each other? 

(ii) What was John Thornton doing when they arrived at his camp?  

      Describe his responses to Hal’s questions. Give one reason for his manner. 

(iii) What did Thornton warn them against?  

       What reason did he give for his warning?  

        How did Hal respond to Thornton’s advice? 

(iv) How did Hal manage to get his dogs back on their feet?

       Why did Buck not respond to Hal’s blows? 

(v) Describe how Thornton saved Buck’s life. 

Q.18 Answer the following questions with reference to Jack London’s, ‘The Call of   theWild’.  

 

(i) How was Thornton talked into a wager that involved Buck, during a 

     conversation in the Eldorado Saloon?

(ii) How did Thornton feel after he had committed Buck to the wager

(iii) Give a brief description of how Buck managed to win the wager for Thornton.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE 

ENGLISH Paper – 1  

Q.1 (Do not spend more than 30 minutes on this question.)  

Write a composition (300 – 350 words) on any one of the following: 

(a) Write an original short story in which two children and their Grandfather are  the main characters.  

(b) Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) must be installed in every class room. Give your views either for or against this statement. 

(c) Your class had to conduct a Morning Assembly. Write an account of how you  prepared for it, what your role was and what you gained from the experience. 

(d) Summers are becoming hotter with each passing year. Write a description of  one such very hot day. What did you see and hear as you walked outside?  How were birds and animals affected?  

(e) Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description or an account of  what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the  picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a clear  connection between the picture and your composition.  

Answer :

(a) Ramesh and Sneha were the siblings aged twelve and nine. They had . been taught to defend themselves in any eventuality. One evening on a Saturday, they were alone at home doing their home work. Their grandfather had gone for his daily evening walk. All of a sudden there was a sudden and threatening knock on the gate. But as they were fully occupied with their studies, they did not entertain any fear. But when the door was rapped repeatedly, Ramesh felt that there was someone outside asking them to open the door.

But before the grandfather left, he had forewarned his grandchildren against such occurrence. Ramesh being quite smart and alert, rang up his grandfather quietly telling of the gate being knocked. Sneha was a bit scared, but Ramesh cheered her up saying that Grandfather had been informed of this and that he would come surely and take all the steps necessary for their welfare and safety.

Grandfather who had not gone very far off was still in the park. As soon as he received the phone call from his grandson Ramesh, he talked for a second with his friend! He lost no time to reach his residence. But the knockers or miscreants no sooner did they see the two men walking towards them than they began to take to their heels. Grandfather who had taken all the preemptive steps proved the better of the miscreants, as he had also informed the nearby police station of the regular nuisance being created in the surroundings.

The two constables seemed to come from nowhere and they pounced upon the feeling trouble makers who were taken to the police station for interrogation and follow-up action. Grandfather entered the house and found Sneha deeply disturbed. He consoled her and applauded Ramesh for his alertness and presence of mind in dealing with the tense situation. Ramesh’s parents who were away to attend some official function in another city on hearing this felt proud of their son who always showed fearlessness and courage in any trying situation.

(b) For the statement Installing closed circuit television in every classroom is going to be a ‘ powerful instrument to keep proper decorum and discipline in a school or college classroom. It is argued in favour of this that when the students and the teachers0are being closely watched through CCTV’s being monitored by the, head of the institution the desired results will be positive and concrete. No, doubt there is going to be a huge clamour against this move.

Some will, surely protest against installing CCTV’s on the ground that their liberties of expression and movement are going to be thwarted, others will oppose the move thinking that they are being pried upon unnecessarily. But it is not difficult to set aside their arguments taking into consideration the overall good results that will ensue by installing this device of closely watching the activities and atmosphere in the classroom.

The device will prove a big boon to the authorities. The head of the institution will feel surely less burdened with cases of indiscipline if he is in a position to monitor each classroom through this device. There is rampant indiscipline in our institutions. Schools and colleges witness widespread rowdyism and hooliganism on account of the restlessness among students and dissatisfaction of the teachers.

Students bunk classes and stray into nearby refreshment houses, canteens or cinema halls. Restlessness is writ large on many a face. If we wish to create proper study atmosphere in our classrooms and want to see our students and teachers do their primary job sincerely, we can hope to attain a great deal by installing the closed circuit televisions.

Not only will it give a healthy look to the classroom by keeping everything spick and span, it will also help find out the wrong doer and no innocent person will be ever punished since the footage will make out the things clearer. Thus installing closed circuit television in each classroom will have so many advantages that many disadvantage will weigh too light and look insignificant.

(c) Conducting a morning assembly in a school is an enrichening experience in leadership and gaining administrative skills. It is an experience that must be gained to develop one’s all round personality. A morning assembly in an institution gives ample scope to a student to keep himself fully acquainted with the school activities and to have interaction with a number of fellow students and a galaxy of teachers.

Last Friday, the Dean of Students Council called me to his office and asked me to take the responsibility of holding the morning assembly of the school on the occasion of the Republic Day celebrations in the school. I was also instructed to seek help of the deputy dean and the head boy of the school. Though at first I did not feel thrilled at the idea, yet on second thought I felt that it was an opportunity given to me to show my acumen in organizing big functions.

At once I got set to work to make it really eventful and memorable. Surinder, my trusted close friend, on learning this volunteered himself to render me every possible help in this, connection. Seeking help from another artist friend. Mr Sunil I got prepared some posters showing importance of the Day. The deputy dean was duly consulted and on taking his nod I prepared the programme to be executed on the day.

The students and the teachers gathered in the open on the appointed day. I had prepared my speech to be made on the occasion. In my speech I welcomed all the students and spoke that we all should be indebted to the freedom fighters whose long and painful struggle won us our freedom. I also highlighted the importance of the Republic Day that we celebrate on 26th January every year. My speech was highly cheered with clappings.

The deputy dean also spoke, laying stress on preservering our freedom and discharging our duties sincerely and doing nothing which may bring a slur on the fair name of the country. All the gathered listened to him with rapt attention. Then a vow was taken by the gathered assembly that we would keep our heads high and spirits cheerful for the upliftment of the country.

This experience of holding the morning assembly was challenging but rewarding. This has stilled confidence in me and enhanced my organizational capabilities. The experience has taught me the value of interacting with fellow students. With open mind and the spirit of cooperation anything can be achieved.

(d) Summers are getting hotter with each passing year. The effect of the climate change is being felt all around. Inspite of so many facilities with which to fight the scorching heat during summer, the heat of the season continues to torment the people, the poor being hit the worst. This year, the 6th of June was regarded as the hottest day of the year. The vertical rays of the sun began to be felt soon after the morning. It was close. At noon, it was almost impossible to go out of doors. Lemonade and other cold drinks failed to quench thirst.

We had hardly finished our lunch when the power broke down. I had planned to have a nap after lunch. Even this was snatched due to the failure of our inverter. I was feeling agitated and upset when my uncle dropped in unexpectedly. Though we welcomed him yet the unbearable heat of the sun was oppressing our nerves so acutely that somehow our inner irritability at the power breakdown betrayed itself. My mother asked me to go to the market to bring some household items for the kitchen.

Willy nilly I had to go out. I took an umbrella to protect myself from sunstroke. As I was moving about, I found some poor rickshaw pullers carrying their load, sweating hard. As I looked towards the fields, the cows and buffaloes were equally disquiet due to extreme heat from which there appeared no respite. The birds in the trees were also quiet.

It took me half an hour to complete my errand. I had to take water twice on the way as my lips were getting dry. When I reached home at about 4 pm I felt a sigh of relief because the conditions outside were much worse than inside. I sat down to relax when all of a sudden the sky was overcast with the clouds of dust. Evidently the dust storm was making its appearance.

Soon it began to blow so hard that we had to close all doors and windows to keep the dust out. It was suffocating inside. The dust storm died down in about fifteen minutes, leaving the dust setling on everything and every being. But thank God, the power was restored and we could have the fans and coolers giving us much needed relief. Such hot days leave their indelible imprint on men, animals and birds.

(e) A school excursion to a nearby lake was arranged to acquaint the students with the flora and fauna of the area. It being an educational trip it was accompanied by the geography teacher who could explain to them the importance of preserving ecology and wildlife. The trip comprised ten boys and girls of 7th and 8th classes. Putting on their school uniforms, they reached their destination in about half an hour.

Their first halt was at a shop dealing in snacks, toys and stationery. Aerated drinks and confectionery fascinated them the most. Mr Sardana, the accompanying teacher, prevailed upon them to avoid any soft drinks or toffees as they are not good for health. The sound advice of the teacher was taken earnestly by the students. Taking a few eatables, they all proceeded to move towards an enclosure where were some birds of different species.

Birds of different hues and sizes uttering varying cries cast a spell on them. The teacher explained to them that man’s greed and cruelty has resulted in the depletion of birds population. Some of the birds were really on the verge of extinction. He stressed upon the need to be kind to all birds and animals and the real worth of life is realized when man learns to live in harmony with nature. All the students appreciated the views of the teacher and took a vow to follow his advice and treat all birds with love and kindness. Aakriti, the most sensitive of them all, resolved that she would feed the birds daily and persuade her parents to do the same too.

Abhinav, the youngest of the lot, was sobbing. When asked why he was sobbing, he told his teacher that he had left his eatables at the shop. The teacher Mr Sardana consoled him that he should not worry and that all of them would share their things with him and they would pick up the eatables as they go back.

Kalpana, the student of 7th class, was found, eating a burger stealthily. She had brought it with her as she took it daily at lunch. The teacher suggested her to avoid eating fast food too frequently. One might take it only occasionally. But one must avoid eating fast food. The excursion was over in about four hours and they returned home in the evening fully refreshed and enlightened about so many things.

 

Q. 2 (Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.)  

Select any one of the following:  

(a) You want to start a new club in your school. 

Write a letter to your Principal requesting permission to start the club, explain  your role in it and give reasons to prove that the club will be beneficial for  the school. 

(b) Your friend has not fared well in the recent examinations. Write a letter to  him / her expressing your concern. Give him / her some advice on how to score  better marks and offer to help him / her to improve his / her performance.

Answer:(a)

The Principal

St. Xaviers School

Kasauli

Subject: Request to start a new club in school

Sir

All the students of the school feel proud of the excellent functioning of the so many clubs in the school. These clubs are providing great opportunities to the students in their all round development of personality. At the same time it is commonly felt that there is no Health Club in our school. I approach you with an earnest request to start the Health Club in the school at the earliest for the benefit of all the students. The cost of opening this club will be much less in proportion to the overall benefits that will accrue to one and all.

The Health Club will cater to the physical and psychological needs of the students who love to lead tension free healthy life and pursue their studies more wholeheartedly and devotedly. The Health Club to be headed by a young science teacher will work under your patronage and guide the students what to do to keep themselves disease free. The students need guidance on essential food items to be included in their diet. A yoga instructor should be engaged to instruct the students on the benefits of , yoga and meditation. Some tips from him on taking home made-potions will keep them in proper physical shape and strength.

Sir, I am hopeful that you will consider my proposal and take the earliest steps to start the Health Club to ensure healthy mind in healthy body.

With regards

Yours sincerely

Sundar (Class XII A, Roll No 15)

 

(b)

45, Nirmal Colony

Tilak Road

Karnal

5 January 20….

Dear Mukesh

I have just received your letter expressing your great dissatisfaction with your performance in the Second Terminal Examination held in December. Your disappointment though quite genuine, is misplaced as I am aware you had not been keeping good health for the last few months. You were also burdened with the responsibility of looking after your ailing mother. Naturally, you did not have sufficient time and energy to attend to your studies. Under the circumstance you need not underestimate your capabilities and intelligence.

Mukesh dear, you must recall how brilliant your career had been throughout. In your class-X examination you had a creditable score. Even now you need not feel worried about the final examination. I am confident of your stamina for work with which to make up for the loss in studies. With your improved health and your mother in a position to attend to herself you will be able to put your heart and soul in your studies and do much better in the final examination.

Dear Mukesh, all is not lost. Look forward to your bright future awaiting you. You may seek help of your close meritorious friends and seek guidance and certain important topics. Prepare your subjects intelligently without resorting to cramming. Go out for a morning walk daily to keep yourself physically fit and mentally sound. I am always ready to render any help you may need. I would like to visit you shortly and help you make plans for intensive preparations for the final examination. Till then stay tension free and in high spirits. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Yours sincerely

Raju

Q.3 (a) Your school is hosting an Inter-School Quiz Competition.  

Write out a notice to be displayed in your school giving all details for the  event. 

(b) Write an e-mail to the Principal of a neighbouring school requesting him / her.

To send a team of three members to participate in the Quiz Competition. 

Answer: (a)

St. Jude’s Convent School, Saharanpur

Notice

10 October 20 …

Inter-School Quiz Competition

Our school is hosting an Inter-school Quiz Competition on 15 October, 20… at 11 a.m in the school auditorium. As many as nine schools are sending their students to participate in the competition. The Deputy Commissioner has kindly acceeded to our request to preside over the function and give away the prizes to the winners. All are requested to attend the function and make it a success.

Dear Sir/Madam

Sanjeev

(Cultural Secretary)

(b) From : prstjcss@gmail.com

Date : 12 : 11 : 19, 14 : 04 : 20

To : prss@gmail.com

CC

Subject : Inter-School Quiz Competition

You will be glad to know that our school in holding an inter-school Quiz Competition on 15 October 20… at 11 am in the school auditorium. It will be a great favour to me if you kindly send three students to participate in the Quiz Competition. I would apppreciate if some staff member of your school accompanies these participants. I may assure you that the participants will be looked after well.

Looking forward to your cooperation.

C.J. Avasthi

Principal

St. Jude’s Convent School, Saharanpur

Q.4 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: 

Billy Weaver had travelled down from London and by the time he arrived it  was nine o’clock in the night and the moon was coming up. 

“Excuse me,” he asked a porter. “but is there a cheap hotel nearby?” 

“Try The Bell Hotel,” the porter answered, pointing down the road.  

Billy thanked him, picked up his suitcase and set out to walk the distance to  The Bell Hotel. He had never been to Richmond before. But the man at the  Office had told him it was a splendid city.  

Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a  new brown hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked  10

briskly down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. The  big shots up at the Head Office were fantastically brisk all the time. They were  amazing. 

The road was lonely and dark with a few scattered houses.  

Suddenly, in a downstairs window Billy saw a printed notice propped up  against the window glass. It said Bed and Breakfast.  

He moved a bit closer and peered through the window into the room, and the  first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth. On the carpet in front  of the fire, a little dog was curled up asleep with its nose tucked into its belly.  The room in half-darkness was filled with pleasant furniture. There was a  piano and a big sofa and several plump armchairs; and in one corner he spotted 20 a large parrot in a cage. Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this,  Billy told himself and it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent  house to stay in.  

Then a queer thing happened to him. He was in the act of stepping back and  going away from the window when he felt a strange urge to ring the bell! 

He pressed the bell. He heard it ringing, and then at once the door swung open  and a woman was standing there. 

She gave him a warm welcoming smile. 

“Please come in,” she said pleasantly. Billy found himself automatically 30 

moving forward into the house.  

“I saw the notice in the window,” he said, holding himself back. 

“Yes, I know.” 

“I was wondering about a room.” 

“It’s all ready for you, my dear,” she said. She had a round pink face and very  gentle blue eyes. 

“How much do your charge?” 

“Five dollars a night, including breakfast.” 

It was fantastically cheap. He could easily afford it. 

 

(a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage: 

One-word answers or short phrases will be accepted. 

(i) splendid (line 7)  

(ii) spotted (line 20)  

(iii) automatically (line 29)  

 

(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words. 

(i) How did the porter assist Billy? [2] 

(ii) Why did Billy want to do everything briskly?

(iii) Why did Billy think animals were a good sign in a place like this?

(iv) Which sentence tells you that something strange happened to Billy?

(v) How much did the room cost?  

 

(c) In not more than 50 words, give a brief account of what Billy saw as he looked  through the window of the room. 

Answer:

(a) (i) great

(ii) noticed

(iii) instinctively

(b) (i) The porter assisted Billy by pointing out the name of the hotel that he should try.

(ii) As the big shots at the Head office were also doing things briskly all the time, Billy too wanted to do everything briskly.

(iii) Billy thought animals were a good sign in such a place because they gave an atmosphere of homeliness and warmth.

(iv) He was in the act of stepping back and going away from the window when he felt a strange urge to ring the bell.

(v) The room cost five dollars a night, including breakfast.

(c) As Billy looked through the window of the room, he saw a bright fire burning in the hearth. A little dog was curled up asleep on the carpet in front of the fire. There was a piano and a big sofa and several plump chairs. He also noticed a parrot in a cage there. It appeared a pretty place to stay in.

 

Q.5 (a) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word  or phrase appropriate to the blank space. 

Example: 

(0) roamed 

Once upon a time, in the days when genies and giants (0)___________ (roam)  the land, there (1) ____________ (live) a farmer (2)____________ (name)  Baba Ayub. He lived with his family in a little village by the name of Maidan  Sabz. Because he had a large family to feed, Baba Ayub (3) ____________ 

(see) his days (4) ____________ (consume) by hard work. Every day, he  (5)___________ (labour) from dawn to sundown, (6)____________ (plow)  his field and (7) ____________ (turn) the soil and (8)___________ (tend) to  his meagre pistachio trees. 

(b) Fill in each blank with an appropriate word: 

(i) The puppy was hiding __________ the sofa. 

(ii) Stop worrying __________ your future. 

(iii) When I stepped __________ the lift, I found it had stopped working. (iv) We had to use a bridge to go __________ the river. 

(v) I have lived in this town __________ ten years. 

(vi) Please switch __________ all lights and fans when you leave the room.

(vii) Ronnie is married __________ my cousin. 

(viii) The gift came __________ a birthday card. 

 

(c) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using  and, but or so: 

(i) He was very ill. He did not take any medicine. 

(ii) You come back from your holiday. We will discuss the problem. 

(iii) He remained absent on Friday. It was foolish of him. 

(iv) Rahul ran all the way to the bus stop. He missed the bus. 

 

(d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the  meaning of each sentence. 

(i) The old woman said to Arun, “Can you help me to cross the street?” (Begin: The old woman asked Arun …………………) 

(ii) As soon as the sun rose over the hills, the fog disappeared. 

(Begin: No sooner…………………) 

(iii) It rained so heavily that they could not go for the picnic. 

(Rewrite: Using ‘too …………………to’) 

(iv) If your friends get here before 7 o’clock we can take them out for dinner. (Rewrite: Using ‘unless’.) 

(v) The school captain was elected by the students of classes XI and XII.  (Begin: The students…………………) 

(vi) Greenland is the largest island in the world. 

(Rewrite: Using ‘larger’.) 

(vii)How cruel Shylock was to demand his pound of flesh! 

(Begin: It was cruel…………………) 

(viii) Arun was asked by his mother to explain the missing buttons on his shirt. (Rewrite: Using ‘explanation’)

Answer :

(a) (1) lived

(2) named

(3) saw

(4) consumed

(5) laboured

(6) plowed

(7) turned

(8) tended

(b) (i) under

(ii) about

(iii) into

(iv) across

(v) for

(vi) off

(vii) to

(viii) with

(c) (1) Though he was very ill, he did not take any medicine.

(ii) We will discuss the problem when you come back from your holidays.

(iii) It was foolish of him to remain absent on Friday.

(iv) In spite of running all the way to the bus stop Rahul missed the bus.

(d) (i) The old woman asked Arun if he could help her to cross the street.

(ii) No sooner did the sun rise over the hills than the fog disappeared.

(iii) It rained too heavily to go for the picnic.

(iv) Unless your friends get here before 7 o’clock we cannot take them out for dinner.

(v) The students of classes XI and XII elected the school captain.

(vi) Greenland is larger than any other island in the world.

(vii) It was very cruel of Shylock to demand his pound of flesh.

(viii) Arun was asked by his mother to give explanation about the missing buttons on his shirt into the hall.