Q1. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions given below.
One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see an awful looking man. I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. His face, lopsided from swelling, was red and raw.
Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I’ve come to see if you’ve a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there’s no bus till morning.” He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but with no success. “I guess it’s my face …… I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments…” For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me. “I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning.”
When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into the tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.
He wasn’t complaining; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease which was, apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving his the strength to keep going.
1. What disease was the old man suffering from?
The old man was suffering from a form of skin cancer.
2. Why was it difficult for the old man to find a room?
It was difficult for the old man to find a room because people did not like the look of his face. It was lopsided from swelling. It was also red and raw.
3. How did the old man earn his livelihood?
The old man fished for his livelihood.
4. a. My bus leaves early in the morning. (Add a question tag)
My bus leaves early in the morning, doesn’t it?
b. His voice was pleasant. (Rewrite as an Exclamatory Sentence)
How pleasant his voice was!
5. a. This old man had an oversized heart. (Rewrite the sentence by explaining the underlined phrase)
This old man was very generous, kind and loving.
b. Give the antonyms of: (i) cursing (ii) weakness.
Cursing – blessing. (ii) weakness – strength.
6. Why do you think the old man was grateful to God?
The old man was grateful that no pain accompanied the disease from which he was suffering. He was actually suffering from skin cancer that had made his face raw, red and lopsided due to swelling. The man thanked God for giving him the strength to go on with life.
Q2. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions given below.
That Monday at school, Keryn sat with her chip propped up on one hand. “You’re looking very thoughtful today, Keryn,” said her teacher, Mrs. Ngeru.
As soon as she got home, Keryn hurried to her bedroom mirror. The spot was bigger. She could see if even she stood right back from her mirror, against her bedroom wall.
She look a book, curled up on the corner of the living room sofa, and tried to forget about her chin. She was still reading when her father came home from work half an hour later.
“That’s a nice little spot you’ve found there, love,” he said. Keryn jumped up and slammed into her room.
“What’s the matter? What did I say?” She heard her father asking behind her.
At dinner that night, Keryn said she didn’t want any lemon meringue, thank you. She’d just have a raw carrot instead.
“You want to be careful of those raw carrots,” Jason told Keryn while he ate her share of the lemon meringue. “They might be good for your skin, but they make your teeth grow, and your ears get all long and floppy.”
1. What upset Keryn on a Monday morning?
Keryn was upset that Monday morning because when she looked at herself in the mirror she observed that the spot on her chin was bigger and could be seen even when she stood right back from her mirror against her bedroom wall.
2. Why did her father’s comment bother her?
Her father referred to the cozy spot, she had found on the living room sofa, but the very word ‘spot’ made her think of the spot on her chin. This upset Keryn.
3. How did Jason tease Keryn?
Jason told his sister Keryn in a joking manner that eating raw carrots was good but she had to go slow because, though that particular food may be good for skin, it could also make her teeth grow and her ears get long and floppy, just like a rabbit’s.
4. a. She would just have a carrot. (Rewrite as a Negative sentence)
She would have nothing else except a carrot.
b. The spot was bigger than the night before. (Change into Positive Degree)
The spot was not as big the night before as it was today.
5. a. Keryn hurried to her bedroom mirror. (Rewrite the sentence using the noun form of the underlined verb)
Keryn moved in a hurry to her bedroom mirror.
b. Supply homophones for the words given below.
i. sea ii. be.
i. sea – sea ii. be – bee.
6. In what way do you consider Keryn and Jason as typical teenagers?
Both Keryn and Jason are forever fighting with each other and teasing each other just like typical teenage brothers and sisters. They get satisfaction and delight in pulling each other’s legs. Keryn like a typical teenage girl is so obsessed by the small pimple (spot) on her chin that she keeps looking into the mirror all the time. At the moment her entire life revolved around that spot.
Q3. . Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions given below.
He asked. Boy, did he ask! First he asked me for a chance, then he asked nearly all the people he came across if they wanted to but a telephone system from him. And his asking paid off. As he likes to put it, “Even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while.” That simply means that if you ask enough, eventually someone will say ‘yes’.
He cared. He cared about me and his customers. He discovered that when he cared more about taking care of his customers that he cared about taking care of himself, it wasn’t long before he didn’t have to worry about taking care of himself.
Most of all, the Cowboy started every day as a winner! He hit the front door expecting something good to happen. He believed that things were going to go his way regardless of what happened. He had no expectation of failure, only an expectation of success. And I’ve found that when you expect success and take action on that expectation, you almost always get success.
The Cow boy has made millions of dollars. He has also lost it all, only to get it all back again. In his life, as in mine, it has been that once you know and practice the principles of success, they will work for you again and again.
He can also be an inspiration to you. He is proof that it’s not environment or education or technical skills and ability that make you a success. He proved that it takes more: It takes the principles we so often overlook or take for granted. These are the principles of the Ya Gotta’s for Success.
1. What was the Cowboy’s motto?
The Cowboy’s motto was to make a success of himself by following the principles of Ya Gotta’a for success.
2. What did the Cowboy learn after he lost millions of dollars?
The Cowboy learnt that once you know and practice the principles of success, they will work for you again and again.
3. Why did the Cowboy firmly believe that asking would pay off?
The Cowboy firmly believed that asking would pay off because if you are determined you will eventually get the desired results.
4. When you expect success and take action on that expectation, you almost always succeed. (Name the part of speech of the underlined words)
Expect, succeed – verbs, expectation, success – Noun.
5. a. He cared about me and his customers. (Rewrite using ‘not only ……… but also”)
Not only did he care about me, but also about his customers.
b. The cowboy has made millions of dollars. (Add a question tag).
The Cowboy had made millions of dollars, hasn’t he?
6. In what way is the cowboy a source of inspiration for you?
The Cowboy’s story strongly advocates the principles of success. It proves that mere education or skills or talent is not sufficient for success. These ideas appeal to me and thus are a source of inspiration to me.
Q4. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions given below.
Maggu’s achievements are particularly noteworthy because – as is well – known academic institution in India are less than sold on the idea of inclusive education. In fact, when Maggu Lost her sight in class IV, her school (which she declines to name) expelled her while suggesting she attend a “blind school”. Though shocked, Maggu rejected the advice “Attending a special school would have tarred me the a handicap forever, which was not how I saw my future. Therefore I did the rounds of other public schools with my father, a small – time merchant, explaining that my case was different since I had vision till the age of ten,” she recalls.
Impressed by her persistence and ambition, Delhi’s Bluebells School not only admitted her but pulled out all the stops to support her in academics and in sports. Not surprisingly, she won laurels in inter – school sporting events and also notched up a respectable 73 per cent average in the class XII exam with the help of Braille, interactive textbooks and extra coaching.
This respectable average in her CBSE exam paved the way for admission into LSR where again she proved her mettle by winning medals in a slew of inter – college events (100, 200 and 400 metre sprints) high jump, long jump, javelin and discus throw, resulting in her being declared ‘Athlete of the year’ 2003 at a sports meet for 100 physically challenged athletes. And the cherry on the cake was the selection to the IBSA games last year. “It was a tough regimen”, recalls Maggu. “I had to attend sports camps, manage my studies and officiate as sports president. But I managed.”
1. What qualities of Maggu are highlighted in this passage?
Jyoti Maggu’s determination, persistence and ambition are highlighted in this passage.
2. Why did Maggu refuse to attend a ‘blind school’?
Jyoti Maggu refused to attend a blind school because doing so would have tarred her with a handicap forever.
3. Quote the lines that show that Jyoti Maggu was good in academics as well as in sports.
The line ‘Not surprisingly she won laurels in inter – school sporting events and also notched up a respectable 73 per cent average in the class XII exam.
4. Use any two phrases in sentences of your own:
a. To win laurels b. To pave the way c. To prove one’s mettle d. A tough regimen
Ans. a. Shyam and his brother won laurels in outdoor games for three consecutive years.
b. His association with his uncle paved the way for his entry into politics.
c. One can prove one’s mettle in various ways in life.
d. Managing studies and co – curricular activities on a daily basis is a tough regimen.
5. a. I did the rounds of other public schools with my father. (change the voice)
The rounds of other public schools were done with my father.
b. Though shocked, Maggu rejected the advice. (Rewrite as a simple sentence)
Ans. Inspite of being shocked, Maggu rejected the advice.
6. Should the physically challenged be sent to special schools? Express your views.
Ans. Yes, the physically challenged should be sent to special schools because they would get specialized care and handling. The staffs are trained to help them overcome their handicap.
Q5. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Mr. Robinson looked a trifle disconcerted but asked me how long I would be in London. I told him that I was visiting friends in the country and Scotland and would be back after four weeks or so, for a few days before taking a flight home. He pursed his lips and said, “I’m terribly sorry but much as I would like to help, I can’t do it.” I said, “Is the time too short?” To which he answered, “No it’s not that.”
“Then what’s the problem?” was my next query. “Well you see ………” At which point. I turned on all my persuasive skills and invoked the name of my father. Mr. Robinson looked at me with half a smile on his face and said, “That’s it precisely. Because you are the son of an old and valued customer of ours, I will not accept your order.”
He must have seen the look of bewilderment on my face, and quickly went on to explain. “Now – a – days we do not do the tailoring ourselves. We send the order to Hong Kong but the finished product goes under our label. Now you know why I have decided not to sell you the suit.”
As I prepared to leave, Mr. Robinson shook me warmly by the hand and escorted me to the door. I stepped out on the street with mixed feelings. Disappointment at not getting my suit, but gratitude for the man’s candour.
1. Choose the correct alternative and write the complete sentence. The writer left the shop with
i. mixed feelings ii. disappointment iii. Gratitude.
The writer left the shop with mixed feelings.
2. In what words does Mr. Robinson describe the writer’s father?
Mr. Robinson describes the writer’s father as an old and valuable customer.
3. Why was the writer not disappointed but grateful to the man?
The writer was not disappointed but grateful to the man for his candour – his honesty about the change in their policy of tailoring suits.
4. a. Now – a – days we do not do the tailoring ourselves. (Add a question tag)
Now – a - days we do not do the tailoring ourselves, do we?
b. I decided to visit Sarville Row.
I took a decision to visit Saville Row.
5. a. Give another word for the phrase ‘quality of being truly honest”
candour.
b. Match the following nouns in column A with their meanings in Column B and rewrite them;
i. gratitude thankfulness
ii. bewilderment confusion
6. The story conveys a message in a very subtle manner. Can you guess the message?
The subtle message is very clear and evident. The main goal of running a business is definitely the ‘monetary outcome’. However one must not try to achieve this at the cost of customer dissatisfaction. One of the essentials of business is ethics. Honesty and Integrity should be the foundation of client or customer service.
Q6. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it.
Dad had a favourite carpet snake that he called Old Tom. Now Old Tom was big and had taken up residence in a large, burnt – out stump near the packing shed. I could climb onto a fallen banana stool and peer into the stump while Dad reached in and fed the snake.
When we unloaded the banana bunches from the jeep, field mice often scurried out, and sometimes Dad would stand close by and endeavour to stun the mice with the back of his cane knife. Triumphantly, he could then take his offering to Old Tom and watch with great satisfaction as the snake swallowed the mouse whole.
After several months, Dad and Old Tom got to know each other quite well. So well, in fact, that he could tentatively stroke Old Tom, who seemed to like it. Dad proudly showed Old Tom to passing banana growers and they marveled at the size of the snake and Dad’s ability to stroke it. Dad, of course, did not miss the opportunity to remark on the number of mice Old Tom ate, which raised appropriate envy in the growers and made Dad’s day.
1. Where had Old Tom taken up residence?
Old Tom had taken up residence in a large, burnt – out stump near the packing shed.
2. What would Dad watch with great satisfaction/
Dad would watch the snake swallow the mouse whole with great satisfaction.
3. What liberty could Dad take after he got to know Old Tom quite well?
After Dad got to know Old Tom quite well, he could stroke Old Tom.
4. a. Dad reached in and fed the snake. (Rewrite the sentence using the present participle form of the verb underlined)
On reaching in, Dad fed the snake.
b. he could then take his offering to Old Tom. (Pick out the preposition)
to – preposition.
5. Use the following phrases in meaningful sentences of your own.
a. make one’s day
My father made my day when he announced that he was taking me on a world trip.
b. To get to know
We got to know about his illness from his uncle.
6. Why are snakes called “the friends of farmers”?
Snakes are called ‘the friends of farmers’ because they feed on rats and mice which would otherwise destroy the crops thus causing shortage and scarcity of food crops.
Q7. Read the following extract carefully and then answer the question set below.
She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair.
She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.
Mom then washed her face with a 3 – in – 1 cleanser, put on her night solution and age – fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and field her nails.
Dad called out, “I thought you were going to bed.”
“I’m on my way,” she said. She put some water into the dog’s dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the verandah light was on. She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TVs, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and bad a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.
In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her six most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.
1. What was the last thing Mother did before retiring to bed?
The Mother said her prayers and visualized the accomplishment of her goals. This was the last thing the Mother did before retiring to bed.
2. How did Mother take care of herself?
The Mother took care of herself by saying her prayers, visualizing the accomplishment of her goals and doing her duties and physical exercises to take care of her health.
3. Why did Mother place the birthday card and the note for the grocery store beside her purse?
The Mother placed the birthday card and the note for the grocery beside her purse as she may forget them doing the next day because of her age and forgetfulness.
4. a. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher. (Begin with ‘No sooner’)
No sooner did she stop by the desk than she wrote a note to the teacher.
b. The textbook was under the chair. (Frame a “Wh” type question with the underlined part as the answer)
Where was the text book?
5. a. Form verbs from (i) sure, (ii) brief.
i. Ensure ii. brief.
b. Find words from the passage where the following items may be placed. i. dirty clothes. Ii. shoes.
i. Hamper, ii. rack.
6. From the above extract, bring out four qualities that you admire of Mother.
The four good qualities that I admire in the Mother from the above extract are: i. Concern for the family, ii. Systematic in doing her work, iii. Taking care of herself for the betterment of the family. Iv. Health consciousness. V. Helping her family to adjust socially.
Q8. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below.
Some are afraid to make friends because of the past hurt, and afraid of being taken advantage of. At times we are afraid to reveal our vulnerability. But if we don’t dare to rick, our lives will become meaningless.
Remember you will never succeed to win a friend without any fault. In psychology, “Long term happy friendship indicates that a person has a strong sense of self – worth and the ability to give him or herself without the fear of becoming depleted.”
Friendship requires special nourishing. Both persons have to take efforts. We need to realize that we are imperfect human beings; but our love gives us strength. We can also lose our friends by becoming undependable, grumpy, exaggerating, bossy, sarcastic, criticizing and invading others’, privacy.
How to nourish friendship? Dale Carnegie, the author of How to make friends and influence people says, “You can make friends in two months by becoming interest in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
Allow your friends to be themselves. Accept them as they are with their individuality and imperfections. Don’t lose your calm if their opinions and tastes differ from yours.
1. Who is Dale Carnegie?
Dale Carnegie is the author of the book “How To Make Friends And Influence People.”
2. What does long term friendship indicate?
Long term friendship indicates that a person has a strong sense of self worth and the ability to give himself or herself without the feat of being depleted.
3. What are the possible ways of losing friends according to the author?
According to the author, we can lose our friends by becoming undependable, grumpy, exaggerating, bossy, sarcastic, criticizing and invading other’s privacy.
4. Do as directed.
i. Both persons have to take efforts. (Change the voice)
Efforts have to be taken by both persons.
ii. Don’t lose your calm if their opinions and tastes differ from yours. (Identify the clauses and state their kinds.)
Don’t lose your calm – Main Clause
if their opinions and tastes differ from yours – subordinate clause.
5. i. Use ‘sarcastic’ in a Noun form and make a sentence.
He spoke to his guests in tones of sarcasm which offended them.
Sarcasm is a rude and crude way of speaking to others.
ii. Which word in the passage means ‘weakness’?
‘imperfection’ means ‘weakness’.
6. What, according to you, are the pre – requisites for the choice of a good friend?
According to me, the most essential pre – requisite for choice of a good friend is ‘trustworthiness’. Close on heels, I could consider ‘ dependability’, ‘integrity of mind and character’ and ‘optimism’ as the other pre – requisites for choosing a good friend.
Q9. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below it.
We were both watching the tape for the first time, so I didn’t anticipate the commentator’s story that would unfold. After I hit the home run, the announcer, Harry Kalas, explained that if had been six long weeks since my last hit. Mom and I held hands and listened to Kalas continue, “John Morris had really struggled the second half of this season, and this couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” I could feel the tears building up inside the two of us, as he showed a slow motion replay of my dramatic home run. As the pitcher would up, Kalas uttered the sweetest words my mom had ever heard. “John’s mom has been quite ill for some time,” and as the ball connected with the bat, he finished, “and this one was probably for his mom.”
Mom and I broke down. She hugged me as tightly as she could and whispered into my ear, “I love you son, and I’m very proud of you. I’m going to miss you very much.”
The season was ending the last weekend of September when I received a call that Mom was not expected to make it through the weekend. That Sunday afternoon, the last out of the season was recorded, and on Monday morning she passed away with me at her bedside. It was as if she knew the season was complete, and that it was all right to let go.
1. Who hit the home – run?
John Morris hit the home run.
2. What were the sweetest words uttered by Kalas?
The sweetest words uttered by Kalas were: John’s mom has been quite ill for some time and this one was probably for his mom.
3. Explain: ‘It was as if she knew the season was complete.’
It was as if she knew that the game of the baseball as well as her life had come to a successful end.
4. Do as directed:
a. This one was probably for his mom. (Rewrite as a negative sentence without changing the meaning)
This one was probably for nobody but his mom.
b. Mom and I broke down. (Add a question tag)
Mom and I broke down, didn’t we?
5. Create a word register of the four words, specially related to the game mentioned in the above passage.
Home run, pitcher, season, ball, bat.
6. What do you think was the greatest moment of joy and pride for the narrator’s mother? Why?
The greatest moment of joy and pride was when John Morris won the game. His mother felt proud because despite her illness, he was able to concentrate on the game and emerge victorious. Also they complemented each other in terms of support and encouragement.
