Q1. (A). Read the
following passage and answer the following questions.
One
often hears of the high prevalence of child labour in our country. Of the many
reports I have read, perhaps the most disturbing was a report on the condition
of children employed by Zari factories in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of
India. It grieves me to imagine children exposed to such inhumanity.
Robbing
children of their childhood is a criminal act, and our society must weed this
malaise out from the rood. But where does the root lie? Before you attempt an
answer, let me give you an anecdote from the other end of the social spectrum.
A colleague in Wipro has a
child studying in Standard IX in a reputed school in Bangalore. This child
wakes up at 5 a.m. and studies for an hour before going to school. She returns
from school at 4 p.m. and rushes for her IIT entrance exam coaching class. At 6
p.m. she has tuitions for two hours. After dinner, she spends an hour or more
on homework. I asked her when she gets time to play. She replied that she did
not play. She gets half an hour of free time each day, which she spends
watching her favourite serial on television. She also added that board exams
and entrance exams are very important, and that you only get one chance.
Is the condition of this child
different from the child in the zari factory?
1. What
is the most disturbing report read by the writer? (1)
2. What
is the reason for the writer’s grief? (1)
3. What
is the duty of the society, according to the writer? (1)
4. Where
does the child in the writer’s anecdote go immediately after school? (2)
5. What
does the child do in her free time? (2)
6. Do
as directed. (3)
a.
Robbing children of their childhood is a
criminal act. (Use infinitive)
b.
The condition of this child is not
different from the child in the zari factory. (Make the rhetorical question)
c.
After dinner,
she spends an hour or more for homework. (Frame a wh – type question to get the
underlined part of the sentence as answer.)
7. Give
Adverb forms of the following adding suffixes. (1)
a. Criminal b. Social
(B) Grammar:
Do as directed: (4 marks)
1.
This time, they bloomed. (Add a
questing tag)
2.
More ominously, the assessment team warns
that the ability of Earth’s ecosystem to sustain future generations can no
longer be taken for granted. (Rewrite using the Noun Form of the underlined
word.)
3.
What is the best way to do it?
(Rewrite using the gerund form of the underlined infinitive.)
4.
The Taj will be washed clean with
salt – free water. (Rewrite using a modal auxiliary showing ‘obligation’.)
Q2. (A). Read the following passage
and answer the following questions
Our
day used to start with the family huddling around my mother’s Chulha, an
earthen fireplace she would build at each place of posting, and where she would
cook for the family. There was no gas, no electric stoves. The morning routine
started with teas. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud
the editorial page of The Statesman’s ‘mofussil’ edition, delivered one day
late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was
meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district, and the
English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to
do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold
it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson. He used to say, “You should leave
your newspaper and your toiled the way you expect to find it.
“That
lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with
that simple percept. We did not have a house of our own and would occasionally
ask Father, when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a
reply, “We do not need house of our own. I already own five houses. “His
replies did not gladden our hearts at the time. Nonetheless, we learnt that it
is important not to measure personal success and a sense of well being through
material possessions.
1.
What
according to the writer was the simple precept? (1)
2.
What
did the writer learn from his father’s reply of not having a house of their
own?(1)
3.
What
was the need of the ritual of reading “The Statesman”?(1)
4.
What
idea of the writer’s family do you get from the extract? (2)
5.
Do
you agree with the writer’s father’s lesson about showing consideration for
others? (2)
6.
Do
as Directed. (3)
a.
She
would cook for the family. (Rewrite using ‘’used to’’)
b.
The
morning routine started with tea. (Frame a wh – type question)
c.
Business
begins and ends with that simple precept. (Use ‘’Not only ……… but also’’)
7.
Give
adjectives: (1)
a.
Consideration
b. Success c. Possession d. Routine
(B) You
have conducted a survey of wage earners in your locality. Given below is a
graphical representation of your findings. The ‘X’ axis represents the wages
earned in Rs. And the ‘Y’ axis represents the number of wage earners. The
blocks are shaded differently to show children, women and men. The legend for
each is given below the graph. Write a paragraph explaining your findings:
Q3.
(A) Read the following passage and answer the following questions.
There
was a beautiful and fragrant violet who lived placidly amongst her friends, and
swayed happily amidst The other flowers in a solitary garden. One morning, as
Her crown was embellished with beads of dew, she lifted Her head and looked
about; she saw a tall and handsome Rose standing proudly and reaching high into
space, like a burning torch upon an emerald lamp.
The
violet opened her blue lips and said, "What an unfortunate am I among
these flowers, and how humble Is the position I occupy in their presence!
Nature has fashioned me to be short and poor. I live very close to the earth
and I cannot raise my head toward the blue Sky, or turn my face to the sun, as
the roses do."
And
the rose heard her neighbor's words; she laughed and commented, "How
strange is your talk! You are fortunate, and yet you cannot understand your
fortune. Nature has bestowed upon you fragrance and Beauty which she did not
grant to any other. Cast aside your thoughts and be contented, and remember
that He who humbles himself will be exalted, and he who Exalt himself will be
crushed."
The
violet answered, "You are consoling me because you have that which I
crave. You seek to embitter me With the meaning that you are great. How painful
is the preaching of the fortunate to the heart of the miserable! And how severe
is the strong when he stands as Advisor among the weak!"
And
Nature heard the conversation of the violet and the Rose; she approached and
said, "What has happened to You, my daughter violet? You have been humble
and Sweet in all your deeds and words. Has greed entered your heart and numbed
your senses?"
In a
pleading voice, the violet answered her, saying, "Oh great and merciful
Mother, full of love and sympathy, I beg you, with all my Heart and soul, to
grant my request and allow me to be a Rose for one day."
1. What
was the violet’s regret? (1)
2. How
did the Nature praise the violet? (1)
3. What
was the violet’s request to Mother Nature? (1)
4. Why
did the rose feel the violet’s talk “Strange”? (2)
5. Do
you agree with the violet as she defends her “strange talk”? (2)
6. Do
as directed: (3)
a. Nature
has fashioned me to be short and poor. (Use “not only …… but also”)
b. He
who exalts himself will be crushed. (Make the sentence less definite)
c. You
are consoling me. (Use Present Perfect Continuous Tense and rewrite the
sentence).
7. Give
synonyms of the following words. (1)
a. Contented
b. Fragrance
(B) Write a brief summary of the
above extract and suggest a suitable title. (4 marks)
8.
Q4.
Read the following poem and answer the following questions.
BASKETFUL OF MOONLIGHT
From the city to
my village
on the side of
the path
I want to sow
many
Small, small
moons of light,
The whole
village goes to the city
daily to work.
It becomes dark
on its way back
As my village is
quite far.
The route is
tough and full of
snakes and
scorpions.
Neither bus nor
cart plies.
When my father
returns home
I am asleep.
And he goes back
early in the morning
While I am
sleeping
O moon
Give me a
basketful of moonlight
On loan.
I want to light
the dark route
So that my
father returns early.
I too want to
hear fairy tales.
- How
does the boy ask the moon to give him a basketful of moonlight? (1)
- Name
one personal problems of the boy and one general problem of all the
villagers, as indicated by the village boy in the poem? (2)
- Can
you identify yourself with the problems of the boy in the poem? (2)
- What
is the poetic device used by the poet to make the village – boy talk to
the moon? (1)
5.
Discuss
the technique of the poet to handle some of the problems of the Indian village.
(2)
Q5.
Read the following poem and answer the following questions.
Now All’s Become History
Now apartments decorate
the city
Closed doors of
neighbour’s live – ins
Bonsai – cacti thrive
in pots within
But neighbourliness
has, sadly,
Now become history!
Now my house has also
moved into a flat
And I too have become
Somewhat flat
The homeliness of the
house
Tended in the niche of
the heart
So deeply
Is not only history!
Sometimes as I turn
The pages of history
The drops of tears that
well up
Suddenly
Will also in all
probability
Someday become history!
1.
How
does the poet feel about eh homeliness of the house? (1)
2.
How
is the ‘neighbourliness’ in a city? (2)
3.
Do
you feel the poet is justified in dropping tears? (2)
4.
Pick
out an example of ‘Pun’ from the extract and explain it. (1)
5.
Describe
the poet’s life in a ‘flat’. (2)
Section
– D
Q6. (A) Letter writing: (4)
1.
Write a complaint letter regarding power failure in your locality
/ village.
(OR)
2.
Letter to your friend
explaining him about the importance of Joint family system.
(B) Your college has organized a
drive against saving fuel in your area. Prepare an appeal in the form of
handout to create awareness with the help of the following points. (4)
-
Prepare an effective slogan.
-
Use a logo / picture.
-
Stress the evils of smoking and chewing tobacco.
-
Use attractive language.
(OR)
Read the following headlines of
news items. Choose ONE of them and write the date line, into and short
containing paragraph.
CHENNAI
SUPER KINGS WON THE IPL 2011 TROPHY
(OR)
FOOD
POISONING AFFECTS 50 SCHOOL CHILDREN
(C)
Write a tourist leaflet of a place of
your interest keeping in mind the following.
(4)
a.
Name of Place
b.
Conveyance
c.
Distance from
Mumbai.
d.
Climate
e.
Things to do
(OR)
Write a speech
to be delivered among your class mates, regarding eye donation.
Q7.
Essay writing: (7)
Write an essay on any ONE of the
following in about 250 words.
1.
Mobile
Phones a boon or curse?
2.
A
visit to a historical place.
3.
Anna
hazare as a social activists.
